Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;…
Why are you in despair, my soul? And why are you restless within me? Wait for God, for I will again praise Him for the help of His presence, my God. Psalm 42:11 NASB Despair – Hebrew is earthy. It doesn’t portray the complexity of our Greek-based psychological vocabulary. It describes internal psychic states with tactile…
Reproach breaks my heart, I grow ill: I hope for consolation, and there is none, and for comforters, and do not find them. Psalm 69:21 [Hebrew Bible] Robert Alter Consolation – Look at this verse in two other translations (verse 20 in English Bibles): Reproaches have broken my heart, so that I am in despair. I looked…
I am exhausted from my calling out. My throat is hoarse. My eyes fail from hoping for my God. Psalm 69:4 [Hebrew Bible] Robert Alter Eyes fail – In Hebrew the expression is כָּל֥וּ עֵינָ֑י (kalu enay). From our perspective, it seems a bit odd. We don’t hope with our eyes. For us, hope is…
Happy the man whom Yah chastises, and whom from His teaching He instructs, to make him quiet in evil days until a pit is dug for the wicked. Psalm 94:12-13 Robert Alter Chastises – Are you happy? Maybe today, but what about the days when nothing goes right? What about those days when you truly…
They who sow in tears in glad song will reap. Psalm 126:5 Robert Alter In tears – Don’t take this verse out of context. Read the whole psalm. David clearly writes about the historical circumstances of Israel. The nation has suffered. For centuries it has been afflicted by others. Now he summarizes Israel’s perspective. Suffering…
And he said, “Surely I will go down to Sheol in mourning for my son.” So his father wept for him. Genesis 37:35b NASB Mourning – What happened to Jacob when he thought his son Joseph was dead? By carefully examining this narrative in Genesis we discover a lot about psychological trauma, family dynamics, and unconscious…
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, Psalm 146:5 NASB Hope – When is it necessary to hope? That’s an odd question, wouldn’t you say? We don’t think about a particular time to hope. Hope is almost like a constant companion. We hope the weather will be…
Paul, a bond-servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness, in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago, Titus 1:1-2 NASB Hope of eternal life – “CHRISTIANITY is mainly wishful thinking. Even the part about Judgment and…
Paul, a bond-servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness, in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago, Titus 1:1-2 NASB For – Paul’s letter to Titus about qualifications for leadership. Easy to read, often skipped until…
