While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled. John 17:12 NASB Would be fulfilled– Yeshua claims that the betrayal of Judas (son of perdition) is the fulfillment of…
No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. 2 Timothy 2:4 NASB Entangles himself– ĕmplĕkō, from ĕn (preposition—“position” or “relation”) and plĕkō (to twine or braid). Think: strands in a rope. Hard to separate. Weakened when divided. Paul’s military metaphor makes…
not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near. Hebrews 10:25 NASB Assembling together– Does a community have a shelf life? Can a group exist only for so long before internal and external pressures force its demise? Have you experienced the decline…
“Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” John 8:24 NASB Believe– John uses the Greek “believe” in one form or another ninety-two times in his gospel. It is never once a noun. Pisteuo is a verb, a verb…
Doing wickedness is like sport to a fool, and so is wisdom to a man of understanding. Proverbs 10:23 NASB Sport– What makes you laugh? Seriously, what do you laugh about? According to Solomon, the fool laughs at doing wickedness. The NASB attempts to capture the idiom with the translation “sport,” but the word is sehoq, a…
And Abigail hurried and rose and mounted a donkey, and her five young women attended her. She followed the messengers of David and became his wife. David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and both of them became his wives. 1 Samuel 25:42-43 NASB Ahinoam– My name is Bond, David Bond. Or so the script might have gone if it…
And turning His gaze toward His disciples, He began to say, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Luke 6:20 NASB Poor – Matthew translates Yeshua’s statement differently. In Matthew’s Greek, the text says ptochoi pneumati. He needs this added bit of Greek because his reading audience is Jewish and he must distinguish in Greek…
You hid Your face, I was dismayed. To You, O Lord, I called, and to the Lord I made supplication: “What profit is there in my blood, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your faithfulness?” Psalm 30:7b-9 NASB Hid – “In a world where God hides His face, human life seems to…
“But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face.” Job 1:11 NASB Your hand– yadeka. Your hand. The pronoun carries a lot of weight here. This isn’t just any external force. This is the hand of God. That is uncomfortable. Do we ignore the bad in order…
As I get ready to fly back to the USA, I remember what a great experience it was to see some of the creation in the wild. Maybe next time you will come with me.
