Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief!” Mark 9:24 NASB Doubt Doesn’t Matter (from August 2010, with revisions) Unbelief – What an odd expression? It’s so odd that even good translations stumble over it. The NASB adds “help me in my unbelief” in the 1963 version. The NIV substitutes…
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my savior, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2 NASB Rock – Gibraltar or the Grand Canyon? When you read this verse, do you think of granite or sandstone? They’re both rocks. Which one comes to mind? Before you answer,…
Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses. Proverbs 27:6 NIV Can be trusted – I’m not a big fan of the NIV. For me, it has too much implicit theology, especially in the New Testament. In this particular verse, Robert Alter’s criticism of the translator’s need to explain rather than…
It came about when the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord had come up from the middle of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet were lifted up to the dry ground, that the waters of the Jordan returned to their place, and went over all its banks as before….
It came about when the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord had come up from the middle of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet were lifted up to the dry ground, that the waters of the Jordan returned to their place, and went over all its banks as before. …
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12 NASB Spiritual forces of wickedness – Churches before the Reformation were visual reminders of the power of Satan and the specter of Hell. When you entered, you almost always found something…
Tomorrow my daughter and I will visit the Vatican. She has come to Italy to see us, our first house guest in nearly two years. She will stay during her birthday (June 11) while we take a rather special trip around Italy. She has never been here, so the Vatican is a “must see.” I’ll…
