Author: Skip Moen, Ph.D.

  • Yodh – On the Runway

    BySkip Moen, Ph.D.

    Your hands made me and fashioned me; enable me to understand, and I shall learn Your commandments.  Psalm 119:73 Chabad Fashioned – First, the acrostic section that begins with yod. יָדֶ֣יךָ עָ֖שׂוּנִי וַיְכֽוֹנְנ֑וּנִי הֲ֜בִינֵ֗נִי וְאֶלְמְדָ֥ה מִצְו‍ֹתֶֽיךָ יְרֵאֶיךָ יִרְא֣וּנִי וְיִשְׂמָ֑חוּ כִּ֖י לִדְבָֽרְךָ֣ יִחָֽלְתִּי יָדַ֣עְתִּי יְ֖הֹוָה כִּי־צֶ֣דֶק מִשְׁפָּטֶ֑יךָ וֶֽ֜אֱמוּנָ֗ה עִנִּיתָֽנִי יְהִי־נָ֣א חַסְדְּךָ֣ לְנַֽחֲמֵ֑נִי כְּאִמְרָֽתְךָ֥ לְעַבְדֶּֽךָ יְבֹא֣וּנִי רַֽחֲמֶ֣יךָ וְאֶֽחְיֶ֑ה…

  • Just Give Me Money

    BySkip Moen, Ph.D.

    The Law of Your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces. Psalm 119:72  NASB Is better – We missed it!  If you read this verse in Hebrew you would immediately notice that the same word we found in the previous verse (ṭôb- lî, “good for me”) is the opening word in this…

  • The Best Things in Life

    BySkip Moen, Ph.D.

    It is good for me that I was afflicted, so that I may learn Your statutes.  Psalm 119:71 NASB Good for me – Read it again.  Slowly.  Pause on the first phrase.  Do you really believe what the poet writes?  Is it goodto be humbled, oppressed, forced into submission, punished?  Before you let your theological better…

  • Fat Faith

    BySkip Moen, Ph.D.

    Their heart is insensitive, like fat, but I delight in Your Law. Psalm 119:70  NASB Insensitive – Every so often as I walk the streets in Italy a man or woman will approach me begging for money.  I guess I still look too much like a tourist so I appear to be susceptible to the request.  I am…

  • Feather Pillows

    BySkip Moen, Ph.D.

    The arrogant [z]have forged a lie against me; with all my heart I will comply with Your precepts.  Psalm 119:69  NASB Forged – I’m not sure why the NASB translators decided to use the English verb “forge.”  The Hebrew is ṭāpal, “to smear, to plaster over.”  It’s only used three times (the other two are in Job 13:4; 14:17).  Those…

  • A = B

    BySkip Moen, Ph.D.

    You are good and You do good; teach me Your statutes. Psalm 119:68  NASB Are/ do – In order to see what’s happening in this verse, we need to look at the Hebrew. טוֹב אַתָּ֥ה וּמֵטִ֗יב לַמְּדֵ֥נִי חֻקֶּֽיךָ Let’s transliterate and follow the Hebrew syntax:  “Good You and doing (causing) good; teach me statutes Yours.” You will…

  • Before Before

    BySkip Moen, Ph.D.

    Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word.  Psalm 119:67  NASB Before – Well, before we look at “before,” let’s review what we learned about this verse before.  Here are the previous three investigations: April 25, 2005  the word “afflicted” April 26, 2005   the word “astray” April 27, 2005   the…

  • An Acquired Taste

    BySkip Moen, Ph.D.

    Teach me good [y]discernment and knowledge, for I believe in Your commandments. Psalm 119:66  NASB Discernment – Do you like broccoli rabe?  How about onion ice cream?  Maybe something a bit more palatable like lambrusco?  Everyone’s tastes differ.  A lot of the time what we like is acquired through family recipes, traditions, cultural exposure, and just…