The “Middle” Man
For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelled in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well. 2 Timothy 1:5 NASB First dwelled – Was Timothy a Christian? Was his grandmother or his mother? If Paul wasn’t a Christian (and there is plenty of…
Homelessness
Woe, who add house to house, who put field together with field till there is no space left and you alone are settled, in the heart of the land. Isaiah 5:8 Robert Alter You alone – Private property and boundaries are at the heart of Israel’s social system. Since the day the tribes settled in…
Resignation or Praise
And he said, “Naked I came out from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The LORD has given and the LORD has taken away. May the LORD’s name be blessed.” Job 1:21 Robert Alter Naked – “You can’t take it with you.” We all know that is absolutely true. We came into…
The Invention of Religion
Elu v’elu divrei elohim hayim Talmud Eruvin 13b Elu v’elu (These and these) – The Talmud relates the following story: Rabbi Abba said that Shmuel said: For three years Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel disagreed. These said: The halakha is in accordance with our opinion, and these said: The halakha is in accordance with our opinion. Ultimately, a Divine Voice emerged and proclaimed: Both these and those…
Who’s to Blame
So the Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up! Why is it that you have fallen on your face? Joshua 7:10 NASB וַיֹּ֧אמֶר יְהֹוָ֛ה אֶל־יְהוֹשֻׁ֖עַ קֻ֣ם לָ֑ךְ לָ֣מָּה זֶּ֔ה אַתָּ֖ה נֹפֵ֥ל עַל־פָּנֶֽיךָ Stand up! קֻ֣ם “Stand up” 1999 קוּם (qûm) rise, arise, stand[1] לָ֑ךְ “toward” “from” 1063 לְ (lĕ) to, at, in, in reference to, of, by etc.[2] …
Translation?
וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל-יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, קֻם לָךְ; לָמָּה זֶּה, אַתָּה נֹפֵל עַל-פָּנֶיךָ So the Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up! Why is it that you have fallen on your face? Joshua 7:10 NASB וַיֹּאמֶר – “What is the best translation?” Perhaps this is the most frequent question I am asked. In the past I have often replied, “Every translation…
Villa Borghese, Rome
If you’re going to have a living room, it might as well be decorated. Topical Index: Villa Borghese
