When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the field, but Jacob was a peaceful man, living in tents. Genesis 25:27 NASB Was– Hebrew often communicates deep meaning through what is absent from the text. Such is the case with this verse. In the English translation, the copula is added in the…
Now it came about, when Isaac was old and his eyes were too dim to see, that he called his older son Esau and said to him, “My son.” And he said to him, “Here I am.” Genesis 27:1 NASB Too dim to see – The Akedah is the turning point of the entire story of the…
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. Psalm 37:7b NASB Prospers– Sometimes we read something that perfectly captures our anxiety about the world. Sometimes it was written long ago but turns out to be just as true today. Sometimes it’s worth reading again and…
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. Philippians 4:8 NASB Dwell– Paul is quite interested in what really matters. He uses the Greek verb logízomai to emphasize reasoned deliberation…
saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” Matthew 2:2 ESV King– Christian teaching has conditioned us to believe that the Jews expected a personal redeemer/Messiah from the time of Moses. This is partly due to the interpretation of Messianic prophecies in the Tanakh…
And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in You. Psalm 39:7 NASB For what – Remember that Hebrew has no punctuation. No commas. No question marks. And “Lord” isn’t found in the middle of the sentence. So, is this, “For what do I wait?” or is it, “And now that I wait, Lord, my hope…
How blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! O Lord, they walk in the light of Your countenance. Psalm 89:15 NASB Joyful sound– But of course, it isn’t just any joyful sound. This is the sound of tĕrûʿâ, the call of the Shofar to the assembly, the critical reminder of a community under Torah. Why does…
And when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, I said to her, “This is the kindness you must do me: at every place to which we come, say of me, ‘He is my brother.”’ Genesis 20:13 ESV Every place– God describes Abraham’s travels as a journey toward a destination. “Go forth . . …
Then God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth.” Genesis 6:13 NASB Violence– What does a rainbow guarantee? Does it guarantee that God will never again destroy all flesh? No, it…
The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Genesis 1:2 ESV Waters– How incredibly difficult it is for us to read these ancient texts from the perspective of the original audience. We constantly import theories…
