But when you make a banquet, call the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; and then you will be blessed, for they have nothing to repay you. Luke 14:13-14 NASB 1995 Blessed – All of the Beatitudes found in Matthew 5 and Luke 6 begin with the Greek word makarios. It is the…
Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold firm your integrity? Curse God and die!” Job 2:9 NASB Curse – As we discovered in verse 5, the accuser twists the meaning of the Hebrew bārak to imply that Job will blaspheme God once his flesh is attached. Translators typically render this verse as…
However, reach out with Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh; he will curse You to Your face!” Job 2:5 NASB Curse – The translation correctly provides a contextual meaning, but what you can’t see in the translation is the irony of haśśāṭān’s remark. In Hebrew, the text reads: אִם־לֹ֥א אֶל־פָּנֶ֖יךָ יְבָֽרְכֶֽךָּ Literally,…
Blessed are You, Lord; teach me Your statutes. Psalm 119:12 NASB Blessed – Hebrew uses two words translated “blessed.” The one that applies to us, the one used in verses like Psalm 1:1, is ʾāšār. The second word, bārûk, is found in this verse. The difference between the two isn’t obvious in English, but it’s quite…
Blessed are those whose way is [a]blameless, who walk in the Law of the Lord. Psalm 119:1 NASB Blameless – The Hebraic world knows no systematic theology. That’s a Greek invention. What it knows is the lived reality of God’s interaction in the everyday world of men and women. The Hebraic world doesn’t have creeds or hard-and-fast doctrines…
How blessed is the man who fears always, but he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity. Proverbs 28:14 NASB Fear always – How can a man be blessed if he is always afraid? This just doesn’t seem to make any sense. If perfect love casts out fear, and we are exhorted to enter…
So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. Psalm 63:4 NASB Bless You – You probably grew up in the ethos of the omnipotent, immutable God. You know, the God who can do everything and doesn’t really need anything. That is the philosophical epitome of a…
Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die!” Job 2:9 NASB Curse – Job’s wife has only a few words to say, but, according to David Penchansky, what she says summarizes the entire story of this suffering, righteous man. She speaks sarcastically, telling Job, “Curse God…
His descendants will be mighty on earth; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Psalm 112:2 NASB Upright – What does it mean to be upright? In biblical terms, this is not an inherited condition. It’s not about having a conscience. It’s learned behavior. God grants man the ability to learn the Torah, but He does…
How blessed is the man who fears always, but he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity. Proverbs 28:14 NASB Fear always – How can a man be blessed if he is always afraid? This just doesn’t seem to make any sense. If perfect love casts out fear, and we are exhorted to enter…
