MAVETH - DEATH

Petra Hadžidaova
Jun 14
4 min read

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me."

Psalm 23: 4 (KJV)

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INTRODUCTION

Death: the inevitable fate of all humans. How many thought while taking their last breath, ‘If only I had more time.” Some did not keep it merely to wishful thinking. They sought immortality. Alas, they all failed except Enoch and Elijah. They alone were granted by the Creator of all immortality. The Hebrew word for death is maveth. The word speaks of natural, violent, physical, or spiritual death. It also concretely depicts the dead and Hades, and figuratively pestilence and ruin. It is rooted in th verb muth, meaning “to kill, to die, to be dead”.

IMMORTALITY - TRYING TO ESCAPE THE CLUTCHES OF DEATH

Devestated was Gilgamesh. His friend Enkidu has died. A concept unfamiliar to Gilgamesh was ripping his heart apart. The deep grief persisted for many days. So intense it was that it hid one other emotion beneath - fear. A fear of death began to rise in Gilgamesh. He did not wish to perish. And one day a thought came to him - ‘What if I do not have to?’

So began the quest to find immortality. First, he went to the twin peaks of the world and asked the scorpion people to let him enter the realm of the gods. After being denied, he encountered a wise tavern man named Siduri. Siduri told Gilgamesh that his quest was bound to fail.

Still refusing to give up, Gilgamesh began his journey through the perilous waters of death in search of Utnapishtim, a survivor of the Great Flood. Utnapishtim was told to build a ship to survive the upcoming deluge that would destroy and kill everything else. Sounds familiar?

The meeting did not go as Gilgamesh had planned. Immortality was upheld for the divine; humans were meant to die. To see if perhaps Gilgamesh was worthy of a different fate, he was given a sleep test. Sadly, he failed.

In the last resort, Gilgamesh went to seek the flower of youth that would make him young again. Though he found it, the great snake stole it from him. In failure, Gilgamesh returned to his kingdom. But though Gilgamesh was defeated, he grew wiser. He accepted mortality and realised something very powerful; for humans, immortality is available through the legacy they leave behind. (2)

DEATH - MAVETH

Many claim Gilgamesh is merely a figure of fiction, but quite a few great scholars agree he was a real king of Sumeria. Is the epic a depiction of true events? One can wonder. Some claims from the epic, though, do contradict the Biblical narrative.

Gilgamesh is not the only figure who went on a quest to find immortality. Many came after him. Death is something humanity has been dealing with since the fall in Eden.

The Hebrew word for death is maveth. The word speaks of natural, violent, physical, or spiritual death. It also concretely depicts the dead and Hades, and figuratively pestilence and ruin. It derives from the root muth, a Hebrew verb meaning “to die, to kill, to be dead”. (3, 4) The latter word basically means an ending and is sometimes used with the words courage, strength, wisdom, etc. (5)

In many ancient Semitic cultures, death was only a step into something much greater than life: freedom from pain. It was common and not as feared. Commonly, it was used figuratively. As it was in the case of Israel. (5)

ONLY THE DAYS DIED

The Midrash teaches that Israel (Jacob) did not die; it was just the days that were dying. Jacob, of course, did die physically, but yet he will live on eternally. So it shall be for all who are in Christ, too. Chaim BenTorah says, “We who are in Christ Jesus shall never die; we are eternal. Every day we live, that day will die, that day that we have in the flesh, a day that we will never get back, a day that God has given us to accomplish something for him will come to an end, and we will never be able to go back and redo or recapture that day. It is dead, gone, buried, over with, ceasing to exist. This flesh will someday end, but we will not, we will not end, not as a day will end.” (5)

CONCLUSION

Physical death is an inevitable end for all humans. The Hebrew word for death is maveth. It derives from the verb muth, which means “to die, to kill, to be dead”. Many sought death's escape, as did the great King of Summer, Gilgamesh. And all who believe in Him will never die. Every day we live, that day will die. This flesh will someday end, but we will not, we will not end, not as a day will end.”