Native Tongue – The Language of Yeshua

Taking the child by the hand, He *said to her, “Talitha kum!” (which translated means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”).  Mark 5:41  NASB Talitha kum – What was the native tongue of Yeshua and why does it matter? The common understanding and teaching of most theological schools of the West is that “Jesus” spoke Aramaic, not…

The Translator’s Note

Taking the child by the hand, He said to her, “Talitha kum!” (which translated means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). Mark 5:41 NASB Translated – Why does Mark include a translation of Yeshua’s words? The answer, of course, is that he wants his readers to know what Yeshua said. But if Aramaic were the common language…

Odd Circumstances

and looking up to heaven with a deep sign, He said to him, “Ephphatha!” that is, “Be opened!” Mark 7:34  NASB Ephphatha – Try this tongue twister.  It’s rather humorous that this word comes from a story about a man who spoke with difficulty.  All of us may have trouble saying this. What kind of…

Assumptive Theology

and when there was a great hush, he spoke to them in the Hebrew dialect, saying, Acts 21:40 (NASB) Hebrew Dialect – Sometimes I am simply amazed at the theological assumptions that are built into our translations. Most of us never know that we are reading the bias of the translation committee. You might think…

Revisiting Elijah

(originally November 2, 2007) And when some of the bystanders heard it, they began saying, “Behold, He is calling for Elijah.” Mark 15:35 This one is worth repeating.  About a year and a half ago I wrote this Today’s Word.  It was the keystone in the arch of my understanding.  For thirty years, I had…