One of  my favorite bible teachers on faith is Charles Capps, (cappsministries.com). Even though Charles has passed on, his podcasts and teaching materials are still available.  He made a statement on a podcast I heard recently (but probably not for the first time) that caught my attention. The statement was, “If you don’t meditate on the word of God, you won’t do it.” 

The Holy Spirit has a way of getting your attention, and that statement caught my attention. Now I already know that meditating on, and speaking the word of God is important. But the way he said it, connecting doing the word with meditating on it, caused me to want to dig deeper. I did a search and was amazed at what Google’s AI gave me about the word meditation. These were things I already knew for the most part, but to see Google actually say it was a bit of a surprise, and the AI gave a more descriptive definition of the word meditation than I was aware of, especially from the Hebrew language. I am finding that English translations are just not as rich or descriptive as the original languages.

Examining the word “meditate”

So that’s what I want to talk about, to examine the word meditation from the actual Hebrew language and how the Hebrews might have understood it to fully mean. Google specifically targeted Joshua 1:8 which is one of my favorite scriptures, especially when I came to see that in the Old Testament, the things that were commanded and expected by God were possible to attain (even without the salvation that we know and the filling of the Holy Spirit that we have today, they could still do those things by faith.) The words that God says has the faith in it to perform it. I have experienced this a lot in my life of faith. And let’s keep in mind that God’s commands are not tiresome; they are His way of keeping us safe from the tempter, the deceiver, the evil one, or the devil.

So the Joshua 1:8 scripture is where Joshua (or Yeshua in Hebrew, meaning “Yahweh is salvation”) was being commissioned as the new leader of the Israelites after Moses died. He was given this command with the promise that he would have good success if he meditated on God’s word.

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” Joshua 1:8

This group of Israelites were the children of those who had come out of Egypt. The older generation had all died off, except for Joshua and Caleb, who were now in their eighties. The first group that came out of Egypt were witnesses to all the wondrous miracles of rescue and preservation that the Lord had performed for them. But they had refused to act on God’s word when he commanded them to cross the Jordan River and take the land He had promised to them.

Second generation Israel goes into the Promised Land

It was this second generation that ended up crossing the Jordan to take the land. They were somewhat removed from the original signs and wonders that the first generation had seen. We don’t know the ages of this group or if they were even born yet when the Hebrews left Egypt. It is possible they were born in the wilderness during the 40 years of wandering. So the second generation operated more on faith in what God said to them through Joshua. They would have grown up seeing the manna supernaturally provided as food each day, but we are not specifically told what other supernatural signs they might have witnessed.

As the new military leader of the nation, Joshua was commanded to keep God’s word in his mouth and to mediate on it day and night in order to have success. So I want to examine what meditation actually meant in the Hebrew culture and language.  In our culture today, we have Eastern religious concepts about that word that are completely different from the original Hebrew definition and usage. Sometimes people have a lot of head knowledge of what the scriptures say. Knowledge of the scriptures is great, but if it does not transfer to the heart, it will not translate into behavior, which is what Joshua 1:8 infers. We must be doers of the word of God. James 1:22-25 instructs us about this and how easy it is to deceive ourselves.

From Google’s AI:

“In Hebrew, the primary word for “meditate,” especially in the Bible, is hagah (nap), meaning to murmur, mutter, growl, or utter, often like a lion over its prey, signifying an intense, active, and vocal repetition of God’s word until it fills the heart and shapes actions, unlike passive contemplation. Other related terms like sika (neo) involve listening and reflecting, but hagah (pronounced haw-gaw) emphasizes speaking and internalizing scripture through audible, focused repetition, turning thoughts into deeds.

Key Meanings of Hagah

•   To Mutter/Murmur/Growl: Like a low, contented sound, suggesting deep focus and possession of the words.
•   To Utter/Speak/Devise/Plot: Involves vocalizing and actively working through the meaning of scripture.
• Intense Engagement: It’s not passive; it’s an active, almost physical, engagement with God’s law (Torah) to transform one’s thinking and action

Biblical Context (e.g., Joshua 1:8)

When God tells Joshua to meditate on the law day and night, hagah implies keeping it on his lips and in his heart, not just reading it, but speaking, reciting, and internalizing it so it becomes a guiding force for obedience.

How it Differs from Modern Meditation

•   Active vs. Passive: Biblical meditation (hagah) is an active process of vocalizing and studying scripture, not just emptying the mind.
•   Focus: Centered on God’s external revelation (the Bible) rather than purely internal states.
•   Outcome: Leads to transformation, obedience, and action, making a path for God’s word in one’s life.”

So the word meditate as the Hebrews understood it is far different than the Eastern version, which means means to ponder or think upon.

From Grok 4.1:

“In Biblical Hebrew (the language of the Old Testament / Tanakh), there is no single direct equivalent to the English word “meditate” with its modern connotations of silent, introspective stillness (as often seen in some Eastern practices). Instead, the concept is expressed through a couple of key verbs that appear in verses encouraging reflection on God’s law, works, or character—most famously in passages like **Joshua 1:8** (“meditate on [the book of the law] day and night”) and **Psalm 1:2** (“in his law he meditates day and night”).

Primary Hebrew Words

The two main verbs translated as “meditate” are:

– **Hagah** (הָגָה, pronounced roughly “haw-gaw'”) — This is the most common and vivid term (Strong’s H1897).  

  Its core meanings include: to **murmur**, **mutter**, **groan**, **moan**, **growl**, **utter**, **muse**, **ponder**, or **speak softly/under one’s breath**.  

  It is onomatopoeic (mimicking a sound), evoking a low, rumbling, or repetitive vocalization—like a lion growling (hagah) over its prey (Isaiah 31:4), a dove cooing, or someone muttering in pleasure, anger, or deep thought.  

  When applied to God’s word or law, it describes an active, vocal, and immersive process: quietly reciting Scripture aloud (or in a low voice), repeating it, chewing on it repeatedly (some ancient interpretations liken it to a cow chewing its cud, slowly digesting and re-processing it), and allowing it to sink deeply into the heart and mind. This was not passive silence but an engaged, audible rehearsal that combined memorization, prayerful reflection, and delight.  

  Biblical meditation via hagah was physical and oral—reading aloud was the norm in antiquity (people often whispered or murmured texts to themselves), making it a way to internalize and “claim” God’s truth with intensity and passion.

– **Siach** (שִׂיחַ, pronounced roughly “see-akh”) — Another verb (Strong’s H7878), often translated “meditate,” “muse,” “ponder,” or “complain/talk of.”  

  It implies lovingly rehearsing, conversing with oneself (or God), or dwelling on something—either silently in the heart or spoken out loud. It appears in places like **Psalm 119:97** (“I meditate on it all day long”) and carries a sense of affectionate, ongoing reflection or dialogue.

Hebrew/Biblical Understanding and Practice

For the ancient Hebrews (and later Jewish tradition), meditation was deeply relational and God-centered—not about emptying the mind or achieving detachment, but **filling** it with God’s Torah (law/instruction), His deeds, promises, and character. It was:

– **Delight-oriented** — A joyful, loving preoccupation (Psalm 1:2 calls it a “delight” in the law).

– **Active and repetitive** — Involving recitation, murmuring, and wrestling with the text until it transformed the inner life and guided behavior (Joshua 1:8 promises success and prosperity from this practice).

– **Prayerful and worshipful** — Often blending into praise, confession, or seeking God (e.g., Psalm 143:5: “I meditate on all that you have done”).

– **Communal and personal** — Rooted in Scripture, it shaped daily life, leadership (like Joshua), and devotion (like David in the Psalms).

Later Jewish traditions built on this:  

– Mystical/Kabbalistic practices included *hitbonenut* (contemplation) and *hitbodedut* (secluded reflection/prayer).  

– Some saw echoes in figures like Isaac “meditating” in the field (Genesis 24:63), interpreted as a form of contemplative prayer.  

– Overall, it remained focused on connection to God rather than abstract mindfulness.

In short, the Hebrew understanding of “meditation” was far more vocal, embodied, Scripture-saturated, and passionate than quiet Eastern-style emptying—think of it as **growling over God’s word like a lion over its meal**, murmuring it until it nourishes and transforms you from the inside out. This contrasts sharply with the Latin-rooted English “meditate” (from “measuring/thinking carefully”), but both ultimately involve deep, intentional reflection.”

You can see by this study of the word meditate, there is great contrast between the Eastern definition and the Hebrew definition. Joshua was told to “hagah” the word of God to have good success. I suggest we take that as instructions to our own selves also if we want to see transformation in our lives. We must meditate by aggressively “chewing” on the word of God and speaking it aloud; then we will see it bear fruit as we become changed by it.

Second generation takes the land their parents would not

If one has been a believer for any length of time, I believe that you have seen this same pattern repeated in your own life of faith, where reliance on signs and wonders moves on to operating by faith in obedience to God’s word. This is a maturity that God is looking for in His people. The second generation Hebrews were able to do mighty exploits and mostly conquer the territory that God had for them because they simply did what He said. God will do the same for us if we listen to Him and obey Him.