The Destroyer

God’s Love for the Hebrews was tremendous! In the Book of Exodus chapter 12, Yahweh mercifully prescribed a simple ordinance to preserve the lives of the Hebrew families in Egypt. The Hebrews were instructed to smear the blood of a paschal lamb on their doorposts (Exodus 12:7&22).

The blood was a sign (Exodus 12:13). Although the purpose of the blood of the paschal lamb was to avert the wrath of “the destroyer,” the true significance of this sign would be made fully manifest approximately 1500 years later in the person of Yahshua’ the Messiah.

The word translated as “the destroyer” in Exodus 12:23 is the Hebrew word Ha Mashhit. Ha (represented by the Hebrew letter Heh) is the definite article. Mashhit (pronounced mash-HEET) is derived from the verb Shahath, which means “to spoil, ruin, or destroy.” When the letter Meem prefixes a verb it signifies, “one who does something.” For example, Moshia’ (Isaiah 43:11) is “one who saves,” and MeQaddishkem (Exodus 31:13) is “One Who makes you Holy” From one Hebrew word, many translations are spawned. Ha Mashhit has also been translated as “Angel of Death,” “Slaughterer,” and, “one who brings death.” The “Angel of Death” translation is unscriptural. Yahweh did not dispatch any messenger in His stead, rather, He, Himself exacted Judgment on Egypt (Exodus 12:12).

In the word Mashhit is the word “die” (Met), as found in Genesis 20:3, and the word “live” (Hai), as found in Genesis 3:20. Many polar opposite concepts are linked numerically in the Hebrew Scriptures. This is not unusual for Biblical Hebrew. For example, the word “beloved” (in Jeremiah 32:7) and “enemy” (in Jeremiah 12:7) both have the gematria of 28. Gematria is important because it elicits information that cannot be detected on the surface of the Text.

The Qur’an says,

“... And We made her [Mary] and her son [Yahshua’] a sign for all people.” (21:91)

The Lamb is Yahshua’ and we are saved by the Blood that He shed on the Cross (Revelations 5:9-14). Just as the houses with the blood on their doors were passed over by the Destroyer, so are we saved by the Blood of Yahshua’. There is no condemnation upon those who are under the Blood of Yahshua (Romans 8:1).