Heldai in the Bible — Hidden Meaning & Symbolism

smooth; slippery; gliding away; fleeting; transitory existence; this world, i.e., the outer; changeable; temporal; worldly; worldliness. a The captain of 24,000 men who served King David during the twelfth month of each year (I Chron. 27:15). He was a Netophathite, of Othniel. b Zechariah mentions Heldai as one of those of the Captivity (Zech. 6:10). Meta. The enduring essence of divine courage and strength. (Netophah means distillation, and one meaning of distillation is the essence of anything, obtained by a process of purification. Othniel means lion of God, God is strength, force of God; these words signify divine courage, strength, and conquering power.) But while in the ideal the qualities of courage, strength, and conquering power are infinite, and therefore enduring, in the case of Heldai the Netophathite the worldly, transitory thought or belief is still in evidence. This must be put away and the true spiritual standard must be recognized and maintained before the staying qualities, which are divine, can become really abiding in individual consciousness and experience.