The Evolving Word

Through time, language has grown, and words have taken on many meanings.
When the Bible was translated, however, translators often chose only one meaning for a word—frequently the harshest or most negative one. As a result, passages that may have originally spoken of ending corruption or restoring life came to sound like commands for violence and death.

This narrowing of meaning has shaped doctrine for centuries, painting the God in ways that do not reflect Its true nature.
To understand scripture as it was meant to be understood, we must return to the roots of these words and see them in their fullness, not just their darkest interpretation.

Example: “Every man will die for his own sin”

This phrase appears in passages such as Ezekiel 18:20 and Jeremiah 31:30, where the God makes it clear that each person is accountable for their own actions.

Traditional Reading

Traditionally, this is taken to mean:

• Every person who sins will physically die as punishment.

It carries the tone of wrath and finality, as though the God’s primary response to sin is death.

Looking at the Words

The word die here comes from the Hebrew muwth (מוּת), which indeed means to die—
but also means to end, to be finished, to perish in one’s way.

Scripture itself describes sin as something that brings death—
not only to the body, but also to relationships, peace, and purpose.

Reinterpreted Through the Broader Meaning

With this fuller sense of the word:

“Every man will come to an end through his own error.”

This reading does not simply point to physical death.
It speaks to the natural consequence of sin:

• Sin unravels the person who clings to it.

• It ends their joy, their freedom, their way forward.

• They fall by what they themselves embrace.

Helping to bring about The Simple Solution.

“A person only needs to turn from all error (sin) that hath been committed… and do what is lawful and right, then the individual will live well, and shall not die in error (sin) which brings about failure (death).” Ezekiel 18:21-23

Why This Matters

Instead of reading this as a God’s threat, we read it as the God’s truth:

• You will not be punished for someone else’s wrong.

• But your own wrong, if you do not turn from it, will bring an end to you—
  not because the God delights in it, but because sin is death in motion.

Thus, “die for your own sin” means to bear the end that your own choices bring.

This reinterpretation keeps the verse just as serious,
but it removes the image of a God waiting to strike people down.
Instead, it reveals a God who is stating the cause and effect of sin—a truth that calls us back to life.

This Is Only the Beginning

When we apply this same approach to other words—like kill, slay, and blood—the Bible’s message begins to shift from a book of fear to a book of life.

The key is to define words in their positive and restorative sense, not only in their negative or destructive meaning.

• Where a word has been read as violence, look for how it could mean ending corruption.

• Where it has been tied to death, consider how it might point to transformation or renewal.

• Where it appears to justify wrath, search for its root as a call to return to life.

By doing this, we uncover a God who is not hidden in darkness,
but one who has been calling humanity to light all along.

What Is Sin?

Before defining other words, we must first understand sin, because it shapes how we read every warning in scripture.

The True Meaning

The word sin comes from the Greek hamartia (ἁμαρτία), which literally means “to miss the mark.”
It is the act of failing to hit the bullseye—the center of what is right.

The Hebrew word chata’ carries the same sense: to miss, to fail, to go astray.

Sin Is Error

Just as the prefix mis- in words like misdiagnose or misinterpret means “wrongly” or “in error,”
sin is fundamentally a mistake, a misalignment with what is true and good.

Why This Matters

This changes how we view sin:

• It is not merely willful rebellion—it is error, a deviation from the path of life.

• Errors can be corrected; marks can be aimed at again.

• God’s warnings are not threats, but calls to realign with what is right.

Sin is not simply bad behavior—it is the mistake of missing what leads to life that flourishes and wholeness.

Next Steps:
This is only the beginning of uncovering how words have shaped our understanding of God.
As more words—kill, slay, and blood—are explored, the scriptures will reveal a message not of fear, but of life and restoration.
Stay tuned as we continue this journey.

The Word “Kill”

The word kill often evokes images of violence, blood, and death. This is how it is usually understood when people read scripture. Yet the ancient words behind “kill” carried meanings far broader than simply “to take life.”

In Hebrew, the word most often translated as kill is harag (הָרַג), which does mean to slay, but also to cut off, put an end to, or silence. In certain contexts, it was used for ending evil or destroying influence, not just ending a person’s life.

Traditional Reading

When readers see “kill,” they usually think:

• This is a command for physical violence or execution.
  This interpretation paints God as commanding bloodshed, reinforcing fear rather than understanding.

Looking at the Words

The ancient meaning allows another view:

• Kill can mean to put an end to corruption, idolatry, or sin.

• It is about cutting off what destroys, not necessarily destroying people.

Reinterpreted Through the Broader Meaning

With this fuller sense of the word:

“Kill the wicked” becomes “End wickedness.”
“Kill the idols” becomes “Put an end to idolatry.”

This interpretation transforms commands that appear violent into calls for cleansing and restoration—ending the influence of evil, not the lives of those deceived by it.

Why This Matters

When “kill” is read only in its darkest sense, scripture seems to justify endless violence.
But when we see it as a call to end corruption:

• The focus shifts to renewal, not destruction.

• God is shown as one who removes what harms so that life can flourish.

Kill does not have to mean bloodshed—it can mean the ending of what should no longer exist.