“Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity.” (Daniel 4:27,  KJV)

I was born as the seventh baby in my family. My siblings and I grew up in a Teochew and Cantonese speaking home in Singapore in the 1960s. 

My parents could not afford to send us to kindergarten and so my giant leap into school and education began at Primary 1 when I was seven years old. 

It was bewildering as that was the first day that I heard my name in English and Mandarin being called out. That day, I was launched into two new languages and was quite lost. I could not tell the difference between “b” and “d”, not to mention “p” and “q”.  

The teacher wanted to keep me in class during the recess break till I wrote all the letters of the alphabet correctly. It was only when she saw my mother waiting outside the classroom that she released me.    

I was greatly comforted when my mother sat with me over a hearty serving of chicken porridge that she had cooked. And she spoke to me in Cantonese, unlike the teachers who gave me instructions in English or Mandarin.

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart”. (A quote attributed to Nelson Mandela.)

Heart to heart

I was reminded of my bewilderment on that first day of school when I read the book of Daniel.

Think of a word that you use often – you can probably think of several. Now, think of a word that you used only once and not again. This will be much harder.

counsel  מְלַךְ

break off  פְּרַק

thy sins חֲטָי

righteousness צִדְקָה

thine iniquities עִוְיָא

to the poor  עֲנָה

thy tranquility שְׁלֵוָה

shewing mercies חֲנַן. (2 times in Daniel 6:11)

lengthening אַרְכָּה –  (2 times in Daniel 7:12)

Of the 16 Hebrew words used in Daniel 4:27, six words are hapax legomenon, that is, they are used only once in the text, in this case, the Bible.

Furthermore, two words are used only twice, and both times by Daniel.

Additionally, the word “acceptable” שְׁפַר is used three times and all three times by Daniel. 

Why did Daniel use so many “uncommon” words, as compared to the rest of the Old Testament?

Most likely, the main reason is that the book of Daniel was written in two languages.

Some portions were written in Hebrew and some, as is Daniel 4:27, were written in Aramaic.  

Although it was a commonly used language in those days, Aramaic words are uncommon as far as the written Bible is concerned.

A whole new world

Daniel and his companions were forced into exile – taken from their homeland and transported to Babylon. 

In human migration, there is the constant juggle to adapt and to adopt. What parts of the old to keep and what parts of the new to embrace? Will I be laughed at if I take on too much of my host culture? Will my roots and loyalties change?

So many new words. So many new gods.

And so many new happenings in Nebuchadnezzar’s court!

Other than being in a new land, perhaps Daniel had to dig deep into vocabulary because he was trying to communicate with the king in a new language when persuading King Nebuchadnezzar in Aramaic that God beckons him to repentance. 

The languages may change but the heartbeat is the same. 

Daniel, though slave and servant, communicated with the king heart-to-heart. The hapax legomenons flow ceaselessly – not to demonstrate his linguistic eloquence, but to introduce and inject God’s words into the king’s heart and mind.  

Perhaps the many new words also tell of the struggles in Daniel’s own heart.

Communicating God’s values

Social media has thrown me into a world of many new words and phrases: “LOL”, “TLDR”, “wats 4 dnr”.  What should I do?  How much should I adapt and how much to reject? Should I insist on proper spelling and grammar?

Perhaps, like Daniel, I should go through the framework of wanting to communicate God’s values – the hard work of highlighting sin and unrighteousness, pleading for repentance and advocacy to care for the marginalised.  

These are the hard issues – topics such as “sin” are often seen as private matters (or basically – “who are you to judge?”).  Through his many hapax, Daniel speaks to the heart. 

Back in my Primary 1 classroom, my teachers propelled me into a whole new world. 

I enjoyed most of the classes, but always looked forward to the recess break when my mother would come with the hot porridge. Often, she would tell me to obey the teachers – in Cantonese – as I ate.

Over the past few years, Dr Tan Lai Yong has done “a very little work among displaced people/refugees”. He found ministry among refugees emotionally challenging. Even in the days when working with leprosy or the HIV affected, outcomes could be managed and and plans made accordingly, he said.

“But in refugee work – while school and other meaningful programmes are run – it is still many years of waiting and waiting,” he added. “I struggle with this stagnation and ask: Where does the Good News come in?

“I still do not have concrete answers but penned three simple devotional essays as the Lord teaches me that He is Sovereign and He knows.”

This is the first of Dr Tan’s devotions in his series on The Language of Hearts and Minds. Watch this space for more devotions.

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