And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, . .” Genesis 3:1a NASB Indeed – There’s a third chair in the therapist’s office. It’s occupied by the yetzer ha’ra. You know, that essential part of you that wants to control your life, to overpower your responsibilities for others and have what you want…
and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: Luke 4:17 NIV Scroll – Peter Enns is the sort of radical thinker that Christians need to read. He’s not Messianic. He might not even lean toward Judaism. But his insights into how Christianity understands…
“Is not this the one from which my lord drinks and which he indeed uses for divination? You have done wrong in doing this.” Genesis 44:5 NASB Divination – The Hebrew word translated as “divination” in this verse is naḥaš. In the context of Joseph’s trickery, this word is quite important. Furthermore, it has some unsettling…
“For the day of the LORD draws near on all the nations. As you have done, it will be done to you. Your dealings will return on your own head.” Obadiah 15 NASB Done – Obadiah is a tiny book in the Old Testament. Only 21 verses long, it is the description of a vision…
There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven— Ecclesiastes 3:1 NASB Time – Recognize this? This is the bell tower of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, perhaps better known as “The Duomo” in Florence, Italy. As you travel all over Europe, you will find many…
For man is born for trouble, as sparks fly upward. Job 5:7 NASB \Trouble – Where do you like to vacation? The mountains? The beach? All those idyllic photos in travel magazines of beautiful blue water and white sand. Colorful umbrellas above nicely padded lounge chairs with a cold beverage close at hand. Warm days and…
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Psalm 23:1 NASB Shepherd – This is perhaps the second or third most well-known verse in the Bible. It comes somewhere in the group including Genesis 1:1 and Matthew 7:12. The only problem is that we have very little comprehension of its original meaning. It has been thoroughly converted into a…
“ I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.” John 1:34 NASB Son – Listen, I don’t want to stoke the fire here. I’m not interested in kindling another Trinitarian blaze. But recently I read something by Joel Hoffman, a well-respected Hebrew linguist and translator, that revealed another issue in the…
“Take full vengeance for the sons of Israel on the Midianites; afterward you will be gathered to your people.” Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian to execute the Lord’s vengeance on Midian.” Numbers 31:2-3 NASB The sons of Israel – Moses is about to die. …
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth Genesis 1:1 NASB In the beginning – Did you realize that the very first word in the Hebrew Bible has been the subject of intense theological interpretation rather than translation? You might have noticed that something was amiss when the JPS translation (1985) reads, “When…
