“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” Luke 6:27-28 NIV Do good/bless – So you want to follow the Messiah. You want to live by his instructions, obey him as your master, incorporate his…
O Lord, You have deceived me and I was deceived; You have overcome me and prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all day long; everyone mocks me. Jeremiah 20:7 NASB 1995 Deceived/overcome – Sometimes the translator’s morality gets in the way of communicating the crass and deliberately offensive speech of the Bible’s prophets. Of course,…
You enticed me, O Lord, and I was enticed. You were stronger than I, and You prevailed. I became a laughingstock all day long, all of them mocking me. Jeremiah 20:7 Robert Alter Laughingstock – We examined this verse some time ago, noting that the verb translated here as “enticed” can also mean “seduced.” Robert…
I was tranquil—he shook me to pieces, seized my nape and broke me apart, set me up as a target from Him. Job 16:12 Robert Alter Shook me to pieces – If you’re reading Job, remember this: don’t look for answers, listen to the feelings! If you read with the expectation that you will tease…
What is man, that he would be pure, or he who is born of a woman, that he would be righteous? Job 15:14 NASB Pure – Baruch Levine emphasizes one of the most important characteristics of the Hebrew view of law when he writes: . . . the laws of the Torah did not permit Israelites to…
What does your heart teach you and what do your eyes hint? Job 15:12 Chabad Heart teach – If you read this from the perspective of modern religion, you’d conclude that Eliphaz is telling us to look deeply into our “hearts” and follow the intuitions we find there. Ah, but nothing could be further from…
Are the consolations of God too little for you, or the word spoken gently to you? Job 15:11 NASB Consolations – You will recall Wilson’s comment about the use of the term nāḥam: “When nāḥam is used of God, however, the expression is anthropopathic and there is not ultimate tension. From man’s limited, earthly, finite perspective it only appears…
Are the consolations of God too little for you, or the word spoken gently to you? Job 15:11 NASB Too little for you – Eliphaz makes a good point. Perhaps in our desire to reach Job’s pinnacle conclusion and find some justification for his suffering, we are too quick to pass over the objections raised by his friends. If…
Water wears away stones, its torrents wash away the dust of the earth; so You destroy a man’s hope. You forever overpower him and he departs; You change his appearance and send him away. Job 14:19-20 NASB Wears away – Yes, it’s true that wind and water erode and wash away. But what’s left behind is often strikingly…
If I speak, my pain is not lessened, and if I refrain, what pain leaves me? Job 16:6 NASB Not lessened – There was a time not too long ago when I knew exactly what Job was talking about (in fact, it was quite a while ago, but it seems like yesterday). Something was wrong with my left…
