For the Jews there was light and gladnessand joyand honor. Esther 8:16 NASB Gladness/joy – The usual Hebrew word for “joy” is śimḥâ. It comes from the root śāmaḥ, “to rejoice.” You would have expected it to be the Hebrew translated as “joy” in this verse. But it isn’t. In this verse, śimḥâ is translated “gladness,” because there is…
By the sweat of your face you will eat bread, till you return to the ground, because from it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.Genesis 3:19 NASB Return to the ground– suveka el ha’adamah says the text. We recognize the verb and the noun, šûb andʾădāmâ (“to turn/return” and “ground/earth”). But do…
He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be shaken. Psalm 62:6 NASB Only – Here’s the problem. We all want deeply satisfying relationships, relationships that provide us a sense of worth, a place of safety, someone who knows us for who we really are. That’s the good part. The bad part is that in order…
“ If the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had not been for me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God has seen my affliction and the toil of my hands, so He rendered judgment last night.” Genesis 31:42 NASB Fear – We are a fragile audience. At least that’s what the…
“Have I sinned? What have I done to You, O watcher of men? Why have You set me as Your target, so that I am a burden to myself? Job 7:20 NASB Done to You– In the grand scheme of things, in the cosmic order, do you think that your little sins really make any difference? You are…
“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” John 14:15 NASB Commandments– I consider myself a careful reader. I even read the footnotes, just to make sure I don’t miss anything. So when I find myself confused when I read someone’s argument, I wonder if perhaps the argument itself is confusing. After plodding (and I…
Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, Romans 1:1 NASB Gospel– Yesterday we learned that euangélion, the Greek word usually translated “gospel” is the good news of Yeshua’s enthronement. It is not primarily about our personal salvation. Matthew Bates convincingly argues that a “gospel” that focuses on personal rescue and entry…
Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, Romans 1:1 NASB Gospel– “Good News!” That’s the meaning of the Greek euangélion, translated as “gospel.” And it is good news, except that what we usually think this good news is about isn’t really what Paul says, or any of the other biblical writers…
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, who is our hope, 1 Timothy 1:1 NASB Our hope– We tend to pass over opening verses like this one because we have been trained to look for the theologically important applications in Paul’s letters. So we jump fairly quickly to verses like 1:8 and 1:15…
Babylon has been a golden cup in the hand of the Lord, intoxicating the whole earth; the nations have drunk her wine, therefore the nations are going mad. Jeremiah 51:7 NASB In the hand– Babylon was an instrument in the hand of YHWH for His purposes. The text tells us quite clearly that the power of…
