The Unseen Issue: What Comes Forth from the Hidden Places

Beloved, hear now a word that the Scripture speaks only twice, yet its meaning touches the deepest mystery of what a man is. The word is tsâʼâh, and its root is the same as the great verb yatsa—"to go out, to come forth." These two occurrences in the Tanakh are not a waste of breath. They are a veil pulled back, revealing what issues from the innermost chambers of a living soul. The sages have long taught that every going forth is a revelation of what was concealed. What then does this word reveal when it appears but twice in all of Holy Writ?

The Root of Coming Forth: From H3318 to Human Reality

The noun tsâʼâh draws its life from the verb yatsa, the same root that describes Israel coming forth from Egypt, the sun going forth in its strength, and the Word that goes forth from the mouth of the Holy One. But here, the going forth is of a different kind. It is the issue of the body, that which is cast out, that which is refuse. The ancient Hebrew letters tell a story: the tsade (צ) pictures a fishhook or a snare, the aleph (א) speaks of strength and the ox, and the he (ה) is the window of revelation. Together they whisper: what is caught and brought forth through the window of the body. The KJV translators rendered this word as "that which cometh from out," a phrase that preserves the raw, physical honesty of the original. In a world that hides its weakness, Scripture speaks plainly of the humble reality of human flesh.

The First Occurrence: A King and a Pledge

The first time this word appears is in the book of the Judges, during the days of the king of Moab, Eglon. The story is strange and bloody. Ehud the left-handed deliverer comes to the king with a message from God, and when the king rises from his seat, Ehud thrusts his dagger into the king's belly. The text says, "And the dirt came out" (Judges 3:22). The Hebrew word there is tsâʼâh. The sages of old observed that the king's own issue, that which was meant to be hidden, became the witness of his judgment. What was inside him—his pride, his oppression, his rebellion—was made manifest in the most literal and humbling way. Jewish tradition holds that the body never lies; what is within will always find an exit. This first occurrence teaches that the Holy One sees what is behind every veil, and He will bring forth what is hidden in darkness.

The Second Occurrence: The Washing Away of Defilement

The second and final use of tsâʼâh is found in the law of the camp. In Deuteronomy 23:12-13, the Holy One commands Israel that they must have a place outside the camp where they may relieve themselves. And they are to carry a paddle with their equipment, so that when they sit down, they shall dig a hole and turn back and cover their tsâʼâh. This is not merely a matter of hygiene. The camp of Israel is the dwelling place of the Shekinah, the presence of the Holy One among His people. What is unclean, what is refuse, what is the issue of the body must be covered and removed. The rabbis of old taught that this command teaches a profound truth about holiness: even the most ordinary and hidden aspects of human life must be brought into alignment with the presence of God. Nothing is outside His concern. Nothing is too base for His instruction.

The Gematria of 96: The Number of the Humble Path

The numerical value of tsâʼâh is 96. In the wisdom of the ancient Hebrew letters, numbers carry meaning. The number 96 is the sum of the name Melech (king) when spelled in full, and also the value of the word tzaddik when written in a certain form. But more strikingly, 96 is the gematria of the phrase kol ha'adam, "the whole of man" or "every man." The sages have meditated on this: that the word for human excrement shares its number with the phrase "every man." It is a humbling arithmetic. It reminds you, dear student, that the king and the peasant, the prophet and the tax collector, the priest and the sinner—all share the same physical reality. There is no escaping the dust from which you were taken. The number 96 whispers that humility is the foundation of wisdom, for every man must acknowledge what comes forth from him.

The Messianic Connection: The One Who Was Made Refuse for Us

How does this lowly word touch the Messiah? Consider the words of the prophet Isaiah, who spoke of the Suffering Servant: "He was despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief" (Isaiah 53:3). The Hebrew word for "rejected" carries the sense of being counted as nothing, as refuse, as that which is cast out. The early church understood that Yeshua, the Messiah, took upon Himself the full weight of human shame. He who knew no sin became sin for us. He was crucified outside the camp, just as the refuse of the camp was taken outside. The apostolic tradition teaches that in His death, He bore the curse of Deuteronomy 21:23, "He who is hanged is accursed of God." Yeshua was made the ultimate tsâʼâh, the issue of a broken world, cast out so that you might be brought in. He went forth from the city, carrying His cross, and in that going forth, He covered your shame forever.

The Sanctuary of the Body: What Comes Forth Reveals What Is Within

There is a deeper mystery here that the ancient Tabernacle patterns illuminate. The camp of Israel had a place for the holy and a place for the refuse. The Holy of Holies contained the ark of the covenant, while outside the camp was the place of ashes and dung. Yet the Holy One commanded that even the refuse must be covered, must be dealt with, must not be left exposed. The rabbis of old saw in this a picture of the human heart. What comes forth from the body is a shadow of what comes forth from the soul. Yeshua Himself taught that it is not what goes into a man that defiles him, but what comes out of his heart (Matthew 15:18). The tongue, the eyes, the hands—these are the gates through which the inner man issues forth. The word tsâʼâh is a mirror held up to your own inner life. What are you allowing to come forth from the hidden places of your heart?

A Charge to You: Cover What Must Be Covered, and Let What Is Holy Rise

Now, my friend, I speak directly to you. The Holy One has given you a body, and He has given you a soul. Both are His. The humble reality of your flesh is not a shame to be hidden from God, but a truth to be brought into His presence. Learn from the word tsâʼâh the discipline of covering what must be covered. There are things in your life—old habits, secret sins, bitter memories—that must be taken outside the camp of your heart, dug into the earth, and covered with the soil of His forgiveness. Do not let them remain exposed. And as you bury what is refuse, let the Spirit of the Messiah raise up in you what is holy. Let your words go forth as blessing, your hands as healing, your heart as love. For you are not defined by what comes forth in weakness, but by the One who went forth to the cross for you. Go now, and let your whole being issue forth in praise.