Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: Isaiah 1:18a KJV Reason – Despite the later translation corrections of this Hebrew verb (yākaḥ rendered in the NASB as “debate” and in the NIV as “settle”), most believers of a certain age recall this verse in its King James vernacular, “let us reasontogether.” We won’t…
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 NASB Became flesh – Suppose for just a moment that John is thoroughly Jewish. Suppose he is operating in the typical way Jews handled the Tanakh in the first century. Suppose he’s writing…
For Ezra had set his heart to seek the law of YHWH, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and ordinances Ezra 7:10 JPS 1917 To Seek – More than a decade has passed since I wrote this initial study of Ezra 7:10. When I read Gordon Tucker’s footnote about this verse…
The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails—given by one shepherd. Ecclesiastes 12:11 NIV One shepherd – This phrase, “given by one shepherd,” is almost the same no matter what English translation you choose. It is also the typical treatment in Jewish context. On this basis, rabbinic tradition…
For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Hebrews 10:4 NASB Impossible – If it’s impossible for the sacrificial system to take away sins, then why did God give such elaborate instructions about the process? Why did the early followers of Yeshua continue to offer sacrifices at the…
And the disciples came up and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” Matthew 13:10 NASB Parables – Read the rest of the passage (Matthew 13:10-16). Yeshua’s remarks are particularly discouraging! What he essentially says is this: If you haven’t been granted the ability to understand, you simply won’t. Furthermore, only some…
There *came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus *said to her, “Give Me a drink.” John 4:7 NASB *came – Read the introduction. Yes, that’s right. Your English Bible has an introduction. In the NASB, the introduction has a section about translated Greek tenses. You will find this note: “In regard to the use…
Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” Genesis 1:6 NASB Expanse – Genesis chapter 1 is undoubtedly the least understood and most misunderstood chapter in all the Bible. Oh, it’s so familiar to us that we think we know what…
God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, Hebrews 1:1-2a NASB In – Be patient, this is a little technical, but it will be worth it. Some time ago Bob Gorelik told me about a conversation he had with…
But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” Isaiah 43:1 ESV Created/Formed– Understanding the text of an ancient Near-Eastern Semitic document requires a particular kind of imaginative listening. It’s not just vocabulary definitions,…
