Keeping away from strife is an honor for a man, but any fool will quarrel. Proverbs 20:3 NASB Fool – Proverbs employs several different words for the English “fool.” Knowing which one makes a big difference. “Fool” can be the translation of ‘ewil (as it is here), or kesil or nabal. Sometimes it is even…
For the day of the Lord draws near on all nations, as you have done it will be done to you. Obadiah 15 NASB Draws near – The word here is not a verb but an adjective. The word is qarob. It is used to indicate something that is close at hand or about to…
“He shall wash its entrails and its legs with water. And the priest shall burn all on the altar as a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord.” Leviticus 1:9 NKJV Burnt Offering On November 12, 2015, Skip wrote: “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them,…
Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves. Romans 15:1 NASB Ought – Are you a Twelve-Step thinker? It really doesn’t matter if you ever attended a Twelve-Step meeting. A Twelve-Step thinker is someone who realizes the “should’a, could’a, would’a” thinking sets us up…
“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When any man of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of animals from the herd or the flock.’” Leviticus 1:2 NASB Of you – Do you remember Kushner’s comment about word order in translation? (see November 10, 2015). She…
and God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:12 ESV (and others) That it was – Familiarity is the enemy of investigation. How many times have you read this phrase? How many times have you recalled the Genesis story and considered the goodness of God’s actions? And how many of those times have you noticed…
Within it there were figures resembling four living beings. And this was their appearance: they had human form. Ezekiel 1:5 NASB Figures – Ezekiel’s vision is fodder for all kinds of eschatological grist mills. The history of interpretation of these verses demonstrates how paradigm pre-suppositions affect religious belief. But this penchant to read the text…
“Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!” Deuteronomy 6:4 NASB Hear – Most scholars shy away from any discussion of Paleo-Hebrew. Everyone knows that Paleo or Proto Hebrew was the written language of Israel prior to the Babylonia captivity. There are some significant examples confirming this in archeological discoveries (you…
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2 NASB Take refuge – In the Semitic world, metaphors are often linked to tangible entities, especially geographical locations. Sometimes a word that has…
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2 NASB Rock – First, David establishes the idea of security. “The Lord [YHVH] is my rock,” uses the word sela’. YHVH is my…
