Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” Genesis 3:9 NASB Where – As you know, Hebrew has two words for “where.” The first is a question about geographical location. ‘ephoh, that is, “Where is such and such place, person, thing?” If I’m lost in Jerusalem, I might use this…
“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those…
as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things. 2 Corinthians 6:10 NASB Poor/rich – The first set of antonyms in Paul’s list made us reconsider our emotional well-being.[1] The second set forces us to rethink our life goals. We start with some Greek distinctions. Paul…
In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. Hebrews 5:7-8 NASB Loud crying and tears – Do you pray…
Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:48 NASB Be perfect – What a terrible translation! No, it isn’t that the words aren’t correct. The Greek esesthe teleioi does mean, “you are to be perfect.” That’s not the problem. The problem is that no one can be perfect! As…
The wicked will see it and be vexed, he will gnash his teeth and melt away; the desire of the wicked will perish. Psalm 112:10 NASB See it – What’s “it”? What will the wicked see? Will they see the revenge of the man of God, as might be suggested by adding a few words to verse 8? Will…
He has given freely to the poor, his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be exalted in honor. Psalm 112:9 NASB Horn – In Hebrew, the word qeren means both the literal horn like the horn of an animal and the figurative expression of power. The mistranslation of this word as literal horns resulted in Michelangelo’s representation…
His heart is upheld, he will not fear, until he looks with satisfaction on his adversaries. Psalm 112:8 NASB With satisfaction – When you read this verse, what do you think it means? Does it mean that the man of God will find recompense for the abuse he has suffered at the hands of the wicked? Does it mean that…
He will not fear evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. Psalm 112:7 NASB Steadfast – Hebrew is about reality. Hebrew doesn’t encourage fiction. And what’s the difference between fiction and reality. Fiction has to make sense. Today we look at the Hebrew word kûn. There are basically two forms of this word. One is about…
For he will never be shaken; the righteous will be remembered forever. Psalm 112:6 NASB Righteous – What do you want on your tombstone? Born: xxxx. Died: xxxx. And then some words about who you were. Hopefully: ṣaddîq, the one word that will be the final marker of your life here. The one word that describes what…
