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Until an episode during the eighth season of Seinfeld in 1997 brought it into the spotlight, few Americans knew the meaning of “yada, yada, yada.”
Almost overnight it became a national catchphrase.
“Yada, yada, yada” is essentially synonymous with “blah, blah, blah” – conversational fillers representing something so boring or inconsequential that it’s hardly worth saying out loud.
For instance: “I went to the meeting, and they gave us the same old pep talk about being the best of the best, yada, yada, yada,” or, “The little tag on the mattress warns that if you cut if off, you’d better hope your lawyer is good enough to get you out of San Quentin, blah, blah, blah…”
But “yada” – which is actually Hebrew for “I know” – is definitely not “blah” on the pages of Scripture. Three examples make that clear.
First, there’s that famous line in Genesis 4:1 that describes Adam’s relationship with Eve: “And Adam knew [yada] his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain…” As the context reveals, this is a special kind of knowing. It is an intimate encounter or “carnal knowledge” of another human being.
“Yada” should not, however – to use contemporary language – be mistaken as a casual experience of hooking up. We know another person, biblically speaking, when we offer our whole self so we can share with them our deepest love and affection for a lifetime.
“Yada,” secondly, comes into play when we embody God’s care and mercy for his creation. “The righteous know [yada] the needs of their animals, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel” (Proverbs 12:10).
In our pet-crazy culture, people frequently ask if there’s anything in Scripture that speaks to the value of loving animals. That’s why this proverb hits home. Here, the righteous person (that is, the one whose heart and life are right with God) “knows” what an animal needs to survive and thrive – and therefore mercifully makes sure those needs are met.
Finally, “yada” is powerfully connected to pursuing justice and serving the poor. In Jeremiah 22:15-16, God applauds Josiah, one of the greatest kings in the story of ancient Israel. “’He gave justice and help to the poor and needy, and everything went well for him. Isn’t that what it means to know [yada] me?’ says the Lord.”
In the Judeo-Christian tradition, there is an important distinction between knowing God and knowing about God.
American religious culture tends to spotlight the latter. Many churches suggest that if you can just pass a quiz on basic theological principles, you’re living the spiritual good life. All you have to do is memorize a few verses, attend certain Bible studies, blah, blah, blah.
But the Bible itself consistently screams for the former.
What does it mean to know (“yada”) God? It means to put on our hearts what God has on his heart. That means that our hearts should be broken by the things that break God’s heart: suffering, evil, injustice, poverty, despair.
It also means we’re called to love the people that God loves (that would be the entirety of the human race), and to love them with radically faithful actions, not just empty words.
Yada, yada, yada. “I know, I know, I know.”
By God’s grace, we must be coming to know, more and more, how to love others, how to care for creation, and how to help heal this broken world.
There’s nothing “blah-say” about that.