The Hebrew language beautifully expresses the concept of the family. The Hebrew word for “son” is ben. Notice two examples of passages using this term:
Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. [Gen. 3:16]
And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, “Because I drew him out of the water.” [Exod. 2:10]
This word comes from the Hebrew root word banah, which means, “to build.” Notice a few examples referring to this word:
And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, “We are witnesses. The Lord make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem.” [Ruth 4:11]
And I will raise me up a faithful priest that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in mine mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed forever. [1 Sam. 2:35]
Therefore, if ben, a “son,” comes from banah, “to build,” then it makes perfect sense that the Hebrew word eben means “a stone.” In First Samuel 7:12, Samuel named a stone Eben-ezer, meaning, “stone of help.” Why is this of any significance?
Just as a house is built of stones, a family is built of children. This is probably the idea David had in mind when he penned the words,
Lo, children are a heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate. [Ps. 127:3-5]
Moral earthquakes are shattering families today. Therefore, we should be concerned about the construction and maintenance of our families.
Children are gifts from God. He has given them to build the home. Therefore, parents need to be able to direct them in the proper way. David also describes them as arrows. Parents are responsible for pulling the strings in the proper direction. Parents are to be active in teaching and training their children (Deut. 6:2-9; Prov. 22:6; Eph. 6:4). Thank God for godly mothers and fathers! May God bless our homes!