S. L. Macgregor Mathers - The Kabbalah Unveiled

28. But his head is broken by the waters of the great sea. (The great sea is wisdom, the fountain of mercy and loving-kindness; which, if it sendeth down its influence, judgments are pacified, and the hurtful power of the shells is restricted); like as it is written, Ps. lxxiv. 13: "Thou hast broken the heads of the dragons by the waters."

["The waters of the great sea," are the influence of the supernal mother, Binah, of whom Malkuth is the reflection. But Binah receives the influence of Chokmah. See Introduction.]

29. They were two (male and female, whence the text of the Psalm speaketh of the dragons in the plural number; but when the plural number is given in its least form, two only are understood). They are reduced into one (for the female leviathan hath been slain, lest they should seek to multiply judgments). Whence the word ThNINM, Thenanim (in the before-mentioned passage of the Psalm), is written in a defective form (purposely to denote that restriction).

[I may refer the reader to the Talmud for further information regarding Jewish ideas of the Leviathan. Thenanim is written in a defective form, because the letter I of the plural is omitted. Written fully, it should be ThNINIM, instead of ThNINM.]

30. (But it is said) heads (in the plural number, for the purpose of denoting a vast multitude, as well of species as of individuals in that genus); like as it is written, Ezek. i. 22: "And a likeness as a firmament above the heads of the living creature." (Where also the word living creature, ChIH, Chiah , is put in the singular as a genus of angels; and heads in the plural for the purpose of denoting species and innumerable individuals.)

["Thou hast broken the heads of the dragons (Thenanim) by the waters." It must be remembered that this dragon is said by the author of the "Royal Valley" to be the king of all the "shells" or demons. Now, the demons are divided into ten classes. corresponding to the ten Sephiroth, but in an averse form, and are called in the book, "Beth Elohim," the "impure Sephiroth." The heads of the leviathan (cf. the Lernæan Hydra which Hercules slew) are probably these. Compare the description of the beast in Revelation.]

31. "And the Elohim said, let there be light, and there was light." (The sense may be sought from that Psalm xxxiii. 9) where it a written, "Since He Himself spake, and it was done." (First, therefore, is commemorated) the Path HVA, Hoa , (that is, the mother of understanding, who is called ALHIM, Elohim , near the beginning of the verse. "And the Elohim said." She also is called HVA, Hoa , in the words of Psalm xxxiii. 9, on account of her truly secret nature) is alone (as well with Moses as with David). The word VIHI, Vayehi , "and it was done," is also alone. (As if the six members were considered separately, seeing that V, Vau , occupieth the first place in the word VIHI, Vayehi .

[This statement, that the supernal mother symbolized by the word Hoa, He, seems at first sight at variance with the statement in another place, that Hoa represents Macroprosopus. But the letter H in the Tetragrammaton symbolizes the supernal mother, and this is also the initial letter of Hoa. And again by Gematria (see Introduction) Hoa, HVA = 5 + 6 + 1 = 12, and the digits of 12 1 + 2 = 3. And 3 symbolizes Binah because she is the third Sephira. "Seeing that V, Vau , occupies the first place in the word VIHI," because V stands for the number 6. See Table of the Alphabet, &c., in Introduction.]

32. Then are the letters inverted, and become one. (If, namely, in the word VIHI, Vayehi , the letters I, Yod , and H, He , be placed in front so that it may read IHVI, Yahevi , it maketh one Tetragrammaton, which exhausteth the whole Divinity. But since these belong to the mother, from whom arise the judgments, hence this tetragrammaton is here written in retrograde order, which mode of writing is referred by qabalists to the judgments, on account of the nature of averse things; whence this ought to be written in this way: IHVI, Yahevi , IHV, Yeho , IH, Yah , I, Yod . But since in the path of understanding those judgments themselves do not exist, but only their roots, while in itself this path is only pure mercy; hence the retrograde order is inverted, in order that it may be posited entire in this manner as at first): I, Yod , IH, Yah , IHV, Yeho , IHVI, Yahevi . (But it is not written in the usual manner, IHVH, Yod , He , Vau , He ; because the word is derived from VIHI, Vayehi , whose metathesis is here discussed. And nevertheless the letter) which is last (namely, I, Yod , which is put in the place of the last H, He , in the ordinary form of the Tetragrammaton, denoteth), the Schechinah (or the queenly presence) which is below (that is, a path of the kingdom, namely, MLKVTh, Malkuth , the tenth and last Sephira); like as (in the other instance) the letter H, He , is found to be the Schechinah.

[The reader will be utterly unable to follow the reasoning in this section. unless he reads carefully what I have said in the Introduction concerning the Literal Qabalah under the heads of Notariqon and Temurah, to which therefore I refer him. Any four-lettered name is of course a tetragrammaton, but this term is especially applied to the word of four letters called by biblical translators Jehovah. It must be remembered that the natural course of writing Hebrew and Chaldee is from right to left , and that when it is written from left to right , it is said to be written "backwards," "in retrograde order," or "averse." By the "path of understanding" is meant Binah. the third Sephira. Schechinah is of course the Divine Presence manifested in the path of Malkuth. I have explained in the Introduction the meaning of the term "path" as employed in the Zohar.]

33. But in one balance are they equiponderated. (The balance denoteth the male and the female; and the meaning is, that the fetters I, Yod , and H, He --of which the former is masculine and referreth to the path of the foundation; and the latter is feminine, pertaining to the queen--are interchangeable; since whilst the equilibrium existeth there is an intercommunication between them, and they are joined together as one. Add to this that the queen is also called ADNI, Adonaï , wherein the letter I, Yod , bringeth up the rearguard of the army, as it were; because also it is accustomed to be called the Lesser Wisdom.) And the living creatures rush forth and return. (This is what is said in Ezek. i. 14 concerning the living creatures, which it is accustomed to be said concerning those letters of the Tetragrammaton, which sometimes hold the last place and sometimes the first; as when I, Yod , rusheth forth unto the last place, and when it returneth unto the beginning again; and so also the letter H, He . Likewise, then, also the living creatures are said to rush forth, when the Tetragrammaton is written with the final H, He , because then the whole system of emanatives is exhausted. But they are said to return when the Tetragrammaton is written with the final I, Yod , so that the sense may be collected in such a manner as to return from the last path of the queen into the penultimate of the foundation, which is designated by this letter I, Yod .

[I have defined "balance" in the Introduction, § 29, which see. The "path of the foundation" is of course Yesod, the ninth Sephira, while the queen is Malkuth, the tenth. Yesod is therefore the connecting link between the Microprosopus and the bride. The letter I "bringeth up the rearguard as it were" in the name ADNI, Adonai , because it is the last letter. Ezek, i. 14: the Qabalists by the term ChIVTh HQDSh, Chaioth Ha-Qadesch , the Holy Living-Creatures, understand the letters of the Tetragrammaton. With regard to the "letters of the Tetragrammaton, which sometimes hold the last place and sometimes the first," the following are two examples-namely, as in the form IHVI, Yod, He, Van, Yod , the letter I, Yod , is both at the beginning and end of the word; and in the form which is more usual IHVH, Yod, He, Van, He , the letter H, He , is in the second and last place.]