So the king consulted, and he made two golden calves; and he said to the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold your gods, Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt.” And he set up one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. Now this thing became a sin, for the people…
For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Hebrews 10:4 NASB Impossible – If it’s impossible for the sacrificial system to take away sins, then why did God give such elaborate instructions about the process? Why did the early followers of Yeshua continue to offer sacrifices at the…
Were You, O Yah, to watch for wrongs, Master, who could endure? For forgiveness is Yours, so that You may be feared. Psalm 130:3-4 Robert Alter Forgiveness – “I’m sorry. Please forgive me.” How often those words are offered to another person! And rightly so. We all make mistakes and we all need forgiveness. But Hebrew…
All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; 2 Timothy 3:16 NASB Inspired – Please don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to poke holes in your favorite English Bible translation. But I do want to point out that there might be a great many…
All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; 2 Timothy 3:16 NASB Inspired – Thanks to centuries of Christian theological exposition, “inspired” today has the overtones of “certain,” “truthful,” and “definite.” This verse from Paul’s letter to Timothy convinces most Christian conservatives that God oversees…
He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s slave woman, from where have you come, and where are you going?” And she said, “I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.” Genesis 16:8 NASB From the presence – How easy it is to forget that Hebrew is concrete! Removing the physical element by translating according to our social…
And I on My part gave them statutes that were not good and law through which they could not live. And I defiled them with their gifts when they passed every womb-breach in sacrifice, so that I might desolate them, so they might know that I am the LORD. Ezekiel 20:25-26 Robert Alter Not good…
In the evening one beds down weeping, and in the morning, glad song. Psalm 30:6b [Hebrew text] Robert Alter In the morning – The Gnostic thinks that this world is a place of bondage, of ignorant slumber, a prison house of matter deceiving the soul. Of course, his view emanates from philosophical assumptions derived from…
For what does a man have from all his toil and from his heart’s care that he toils under the sun? For all his days are pain, and worry is his business. Ecclesiastes 2:23 Robert Alter Heart’s care – Let’s cover the technical issues first. One of the reasons scholars believe Ecclesiastes was written after…
The words of Koheleth son of David, king in Jerusalem Ecclesiastes 1:1 JPS Koheleth – What do you know about the book of Ecclesiastes? Did you assume it was written by Solomon (son of David)? Do you know why it is so gloomy? Did you know that the insertion of a positive ending is probably…
