Nathanel, Son of Zuar

Nathanel, son of Zuar“So Moses and Aaron took these men who had been designated by name.” (Numbers 1:17)Issachar’s tribe was under the leadership of Nathanel ben Zuar.  By now you should recognize the el as God, so we just need to know the meaning of Nathan.  Nathan is actually one of the most used words in the Hebrew Scriptures, used over 2,000 times.  Half of those usages are translated simply as “Give.”  As a name, Nathanel means “given by (or to) God.”Zuar comes from the verb meaning “to be or grow insignificant” or to be “brought low.”  While the Israelites in Egypt and the Wilderness would be “brought low,” God promised a time when their lowness would be removed, they would be given by God a gift: “I will also honor them and they will not be insignificant” (Jeremiah 30:19).  Jeremiah’s use of “insignificant” is the word zuar.As you pray for the peace of Jerusalem, pray for the day when the nation brought low will be given the ultimate place of status among the history of the peoples of the world.  “In those days ten men from all the nations will grasp the garment of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you” (Zechariah 8:23).In His Grace,Dr. Randy White