There are many things I’ve found in The Chosen series that can be explained from a Hebrew Roots viewpoint. If you missed my other posts explaining The Chosen, you can read them here:
Explaining The Chosen: Season 1, Episode 1
Explaining The Chosen: Season 1, Episode 2
And if you haven’t seen The Chosen, watch it here! You won’t regret it!
In this fun episode, called Jesus Loves the Little Children, we see Jesus hanging out with the children of Capernaum at his camp outside the town.
Aside from being light and amusing, this episode contains a few prayers I will explain here, as well as some new Hebrew names.
Capernaum
A city under Roman rule in Jesus’s time, Capernaum was also the place Jesus spent much of his ministry. The word Capernaum is made up of two Hebrew words: Capar, meaning village and Nahum meaning “to be sorry”. The word Nahum can also be to have compassion or to comfort. So Capernaum can also be called the “village of comfort”.
Abigail
It’s a beautiful name but do you know the story behind it? You can read it in 1 Samuel 25. Basically, her husband, Nabal was not a good man but her intelligence and quick thinking saved them when her husband was rude to King David’s servants. After Nabal died, David took Abigail as one of his wives.
The meaning of the word Abigail is “my father is joy”. It’s made up of “Avi” (אֲבִי), meaning “my father” and “geel” (גִּיל), meaning “joy”.
Joshua
It’s so cute that Jesus calls the little boy “Joshua the brave”. It makes sense that Jesus shows special attention to the little boy’s name because it’s the same as Jesus’s!
The name Joshua comes from the Hebrew verb yasha (יָשַׁע), which means “he saved”, combined with God’s name, יהוה (sometimes pronounced Yahweh). So, put together, it means “God saves”. This name in Hebrew is Yehoshua, which is Yeosus in Greek, which is where we get the name Jesus.
Jesus’s Prayer When Going to Bed
Twice in this episode, Jesus is shown going to bed and reciting the same prayer both times. The prayer he says is one of the bedtime prayers Jewish people pray each night. It’s part of the Bedtime Shema.
It goes like this:
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who brings sleep to my eyes, slumber to my eyelids.
May it be Your will, Lord my God and God of my ancestors, that I lie down in peace and that I arise in peace.
Let my sleep be undisturbed by troubling thoughts, bad dreams, and wicked schemes.
May I have a night of tranquil slumber.
May I awaken to the light of a new day, that my eyes may behold the splendor of Your light.
Praised are You, Lord whose glory gives light to the entire world.
This blessing is then followed by the Shema in response to the command to “talk of these words when you lie down…” (Deut. 6:6-7).
The HaMotzi
Before eating, we see Jesus recite this prayer:
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.
I covered this prayer in detail in my post about The Chosen: Season 1, Episode 2 when I explained the aspects of the traditional Shabbat being observed in that episode. But the Hamotzi isn’t only said before a Shabbat meal, it’s said before all meals to thank God for his provisions.
The Shema
Jesus asked the kids if they know how to pray the Shema and they all responded by reciting it. The Shema is one of the most important prayers in Judaism but has such deep significance for us as Christians too! From Deuteronomy 6:4-9, this is the answer Jesus gave when he was asked what the greatest commandment is!
Orthodox Jewish people typically recite the Shema at least twice daily to stay focused on God and on what they should be doing with their lives. In addition to Deuteronomy 6:4-9, they also say Deuteronomy 11:13-21 and Numbers 15:37-41. In this episode, the children said the following:
“Hear, Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. “And it shall come to pass, if you surely listen to the commandments I command you today that you may gather in your grain, your wine and your oil. And you will eat and you will be satisfied. I am the LORD your God who led you from the land of Egypt to be a God to you; I am the LORD your God.” Amen
Deut. 6:4-5, 11:13-15. and Num. 15:41
Behold How Good and How Pleasing Song
The song Jesus sang with the kids near the end of the episode is from verse 1 of Psalm 133. Here’s what they sing on the show:
Behold, how good and how pleasing (kids echo). If brothers could sit together in unity (kids echo). Behold, how good and how pleasing (kids echo)…
This is a Jewish song, commonly sung on Shabbat. In Hebrew, it’s called Hinei Ma Tov (Behold How Good). Here it is in Hebrew:
הִנֵּה מַה טוֹב וּמַה נָּעִים שֶׁבֶת אָחִים גַּם יַחַד
This is pronounced:
Hin-neh mah tov u-mah na-eem. She-vet a-chim gam ya-chad.
Here’s Hinei Ma Tov in both English and Hebrew:
Jesus Jokes With the Boys
When Jesus is asking questions of the children and Abigail answers, he jokes with the boys, “Boys, pay attention. She doesn’t even go to Torah classes”.
Somewhere between the ages of 6 and 9 years old, boys began their spiritual education at Torah school. It used to only be for boys but now girls attend as well. They attend until the age of 12 (girls) or 13 (boys), then have their Bar (boys) or Bat (girls) Mitzvah and then they’re considered similar to adults as far as their faith goes.
I can’t wait to see what the makers of The Chosen included in future episodes! Stay tuned for Explaining The Chosen: Episode 4: The Rock On Which It Is Built!
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Thank you for this post. I did an internet search about the evening prayer used in “The Chosen” and was curious about it. The words are so lovely, and I hoped they had a prior history. I’m glad to know there were more lines to the prayer as well. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for sharing this.
Wow! Thank you so much for the wonderful explanation regarding the Hebrew roots of names and words for and the numerous details about the Jewish faith. I just found your page today as I’m doing some research for a free eBook (to give away to The Chosen fans). I’ll make sure to mention the name of your website with a link in my eBook! Shalom and have a blessed day 🙂
Thank you! I’m glad you found it helpful and I appreciate the mention!
In season 3 episode why did they give king David an ear ring?
I love your site! I am a Christian studying Biblical Hebrew. My faith has grown significantly in this effort. It gives a Gentile such a close feeling to our wonderful God.
Just found you , , so happy
I have been trying to find out why The Chosen creators used the name “Jesus”. From my understanding, that isn’t what his friends and family would have called him. Do you have any perspective on that?
I suspect they use the name “Jesus” for the same reason I use it on my website – the audience is comfortable with it. When I speak to my family and community, as well as when I pray, I often use the name “Yeshua”, but not when I write.
When I started on the journey of my Messianic faith, I was uncomfortable with the name “Yeshua”. I didn’t know its Biblical origin and I felt it was somehow denying the Jesus I knew by replacing his name. While I no longer believe this way, I know most traditional Christians are more comfortable with the name “Jesus” so that’s what I use. I’m guessing the creators of The Chosen have similar reasoning.
Hi Holly,
My wife and I stumbled onto your blog while watching The Chosen. I appreciate your insights. I can relate to much of your thoughts here. For a time, we attended a Messianic congregation in which I lead worship music. My wife was a dancer. We learned so much during that time. I attended a Hebrew class for a time. I appreciate the original context and Jewish traditions. Thanks for providing this blog. Blessings to you and yours.
[…] I mentioned in my article on Season 1, Episode 3, this is the first part of the Bedtime Shema, the prayer many Jewish people pray before going to […]
I could say that I have a spent hours trying to understand episode number 3, and yes there have been reviews that I could say that helped out but this one in particular is more down to earth, teaching, clearly that I found an explanation that I was need it, understanding the prayers and the Judaism religion as well. God bless, Alex
Season 1 episode 3. Jesus with the children. There is a scene which shows Jesus doing something to his arm then he wraps it. Can you tell me waft he is doing?
I appreciate your research on the evening blessing. I was wondering what Jesus was saying and where I could find it. Thank you!
Did you know The Chosen is free? No need for anyone to purchase an episode – they can view all the episodes by downloading The Chosen app or watching it on any streaming service by adding the Angel Studios app to their service – Amazon, ROKU, etc.
Season One and Season Two dvd sets, as well as other gifts, can be purchased directly from http://www.theChosengifts.com. Their gift store supports The Chosen marketing, livestreams, and the fantastic staff who make the whole thing operate. Please consider offering this information rather than links to Amazon. The Chosen is free!
(Full disclosure: I am a fan of The Chosen. I am not, nor ever have been, an employee of anything related to The Chosen. My husband and I love the show and are committed to sharing it by Paying It Forward which is the sole source of production funds.). Thank you for considering sharing this information.
One of the things I love about The Chosen is that it can be watched for free. Thank you for donating to keep that option available. While watching The Chosen is free, keeping up a website, however, is not. I am an Amazon affiliate and I get a small commission when people purchase on Amazon through my links. I depend on that funding to keep the website up and keep new content coming. Employees of The Chosen would not object to me sending my audience to Amazon to watch their show. That’s another of the ways they get paid, per their agreement with Amazon and mine. Shalom!
Thank you so much for being so open to hearing and following the voice of Our God, King of the Universe. You have such awesome information available for free and right at our fingertips. I have been blessed and enlightened by your desire to help followers of Christ learn about the Jewish traditions and history. I especially love how you explained Hebrew roots of the series, The Chosen. It has made me understand better why the writers put certain Jewish traditions and ways of life in the episodes. I do look forward to hearing your Hebrew roots perspective of season 2. May God bless you and your family with joy, love and an even closer walk with him.
Thank you!
Thank you for your insights! I found your site while preparing for a small group study of The Chosen. Looking forward to seeing what you have for future episodes of this amazing, inspiring series!
I’m glad my posts have been helpful so far, Lee! It’s an amazing series. And there are more posts on The Chosen on the way so check back for those.
Blessings and Shalom to you!
I just started watching the series. Wow. I have thoroughly enjoyed your insight. Thank you for sharing. Your words help broaden my understanding and enjoyment of each episode. I look forward to reading more. Many blessings to you and yours this new year 2022
Thank you, Jennifer! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Blessings in this new year to you also!
Love your reviews. Have you done so for episode 4?
My post on Episode 4 and more are in the works. You can sign up for the newsletter if you’d like updates or just check back. Shalom!