Return, O LORD, rescue my soul, save me because of Your lovingkindness. Psalm 6:4 NASB Rescue – The word translated “rescue” in this verse is halats. In its various forms it can mean “to draw away, to take off, to withdraw, to plunder.” It means “to rescue” only in one form found only in the…
But the woman fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him, and told Him the whole truth. Mark 5:33 NASB Fearing and trembling – What is the relationship between sin and healing? That question plays a significant role in the gospel accounts. The disciples voice their opinion…
Do not lie with a male as one lies with a woman; it is an abhorrence. Leviticus 18:22 JPS Abhorrence – When it comes to the Hebrew word to’evah (abomination, abhorrence), most discussions move immediately to this verse. Why? Because homosexuality is such a hot political/religious topic. The incendiary comments on both sides offer plenty…
Some photos of the influence of Hinduism in India.
To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Genesis 3:16 ESV Pain – We have examined this verse in some detail in the past (it is also analyzed in my book, Guardian Angel). We pointed out that a small emendation in the syllabication…
Yesterday I attended a baptism of a young woman. The church (pictured below) is the only Christian church in the entire area. A congregation of 12 including the pastor were on hand. Being Christian in this Hindu/Muslim world means something real. The pastor’s family is the only Christian family in the village where he lives….
Concerning Edom. Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Is wisdom no more in Teman? Has counsel perished from the prudent? Has their wisdom vanished?” Jeremiah 49:7 ESV Vanished – In Sanhedrin 38b the rabbis describe sin with the word sarah. The implication is insightful. Sarah is a word that describes putrification, corruption and decay. The…
And they say, “How could God know, and is there knowledge with the Most High?” Psalm 73:11 (Robert Alter translation) Know – Put this verse into the ancient near-Eastern world. Is there any doubt that God knows? Of course not. God knows everything that happens. But in the ancient near-East, God (and the gods) doesn’t…
Therefore, his people turn back to them, and find no fault in them. Psalm 73:10 ESV Turn back – Sometimes the biblical text that we have doesn’t seem to make any sense at all. Alter notes that this cryptic verse “has almost certainly suffered mangling in scribal transmission.”[1] Alter follows the proposed emendation of Hans-Joachim…
They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongue struts through the earth. Psalm 73:9 ESV Struts – Yes, we know it’s poetry, but does that explain why it sounds so odd? Do we just dismiss the improper grammar and the misplaced imagery simply because we give Asaph poetic license? And how would you…
