Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.” Exodus 24:7 ESV Be Obedient – The translation “be obedient” makes sense. It’s pretty much repeated in the other English translations. But it…
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. Matthew 6:12 NASB Forgive – This is enough for today: A great Hasidic rabbi, Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, once prayed this way: “Lord of the universe, I want to propose a deal. We have many sins. You have much forgiveness. Let us exchange our sins for…
yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, inflicting the punishment of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.” Exodus 34:7b NASB Inflicting – I like the NASB. I use it as my standard English Bible text. But in this verse, the translation couldn’t be worse! There is simply no…
Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.” Genesis 2:18 NASB Alone – Since the publication of Guardian Angel, my work on this chapter in Genesis has been either jubilantly welcomed or vehemently rejected. Those who welcome the exegesis are typically people…
Do not abandon me, Lord; My God, do not be far from me! Hurry to help me, Lord, my salvation! Psalm 38:21-22 NASB Salvation – What does tĕšûʿâ mean? It’s commonly translated “salvation,” but the ancient Hebrew idea isn’t loaded with theological content in the way we use the English word today. In our world, salvation tows in…
Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the shame of Egypt from you.” So the name of that place is called [a]Gilgal to this day. Joshua 5:9 NASB Shame – Recently we investigated the two Hebrew words, ḥerpâ (reproach) and gālal (to roll away). We discovered that the request to circumcise the male population a…
Then God said, “Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:9-10 NASB Seas – The ancient fear of chaos. The…
So their children whom He raised up in their place, Joshua circumcised; for they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them along the way. Joshua 5:7 NASB They had not circumcised them – Who did (or didn’t) do what to whom? Careful. It’s a bit more complicated than it looks. In this story, Joshua…
For I am ready to fall, and my sorrow is continually before me. For I admit my guilt; I am full of anxiety because of my sin. Psalm 38:17-18 NASB Anxiety – At last we come to the real problem. “I’m afraid.” The Hebrew word is dĕʾāgâ. “The root dāʾag signifies anxiety, with a shading toward the meaning of fear…
For I am ready to fall, and my sorrow is continually before me. For I admit my guilt; I am full of anxiety because of my sin. Psalm 38:17-18 NASB Sin – Before we can understand the psalmist’s anxiety, we need to know what he means by the Hebrew term ḥaṭṭāʾt, translated “sin.” As we’ve mentioned, sin is a religious…
