The idea of the form of a letter as providing meaning is foreign to our understanding of the purpose of the alphabet. In this chapter we are going to look at five Prefixes that are commonly added to Hebrew words; ב (B), ל (L), מ (M), ו (W) and ה (H). These examples will demonstrate the relationship between the pictographs of each letter, their cultural understanding and their application in the Hebrew language.

ב

The nomadic Hebrews lived in tents, and this letter is a representation of the tent. The door is in front (top left of the picture) and a wall (middle of the picture) separates the men’s side (left side) from the women’s side (right side). Since the family resides inside the tent, this letter means “in.” When the letter ב (B) is placed in front of a word such as ארץ (erets - land), we have ארץ (be'arets - in a[1] land).

ל

The Hebrew shepherd always carried a staff and was used to move the sheep toward the destination. This letter means “to” or “toward.” When the letter ל (L) is placed in front of the word ארץ, we have לארץ (la’arets - to a land).

מ

This letter is a picture of water and can also mean the flowing water in man and animals (blood). Blood is seen as the passing down a line from one generation to another. When this letter is prefixed to a word it means “from” in the sense of coming out of someone or something. When the letter מ (M) is placed in front of the word ארץ, we have מארץ (me'erets - from a land).

ו

This letter is a picture of a tent peg used to secure the tent, or a nail used to attach things together. When this letter is prefixed to a word it means “and” in the sense of adding things together. When the letter ו (W) is placed in front of the word ארץ, we have וארץ (ve'erets - and land).

ה

This letter is a picture of a man’s arms raised or extended toward someone or something as if saying “behold, look at this. When this letter is prefixed to a word it means “the” as in identifying someone or something in particular. When the letter ה (H) is placed in front of the word ארץ, we have הארץ (ha'erets - the land).

[1] Hebrew does not express the idea “a” or “an,” rather it is implied.