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…
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 – If you’re like most English readers, you will think that this is the translation of the Hebrew tsur, the usual…
“I love You, O Lord, my strength.” Psalm 18:1 (English version) NASB Strength – The Hebrew word, hezqa, means “strength.” There is no argument about this nor is it unusual. But David often does something with words that make them different, and in this verse, he uses the root hezeq, the only place in Scripture…
“I love You, O Lord, my strength.” Psalm 18:1 (English version) NASB Love – You would never notice in English, but in Hebrew, this certainly appears to be the wrong word. We would expect ‘ahav, used in Deuteronomy 6:5 and throughout the Tanakh in both commands and descriptions. In fact, ‘ahav is used in all…
if the anointed priest sins so as to bring guilt on the people, then let him offer to the LORD a bull without defect as a sin offering for the sin he has committed. Leviticus 4:3 NASB Lord – Of course, the Hebrew doesn’t say “to the Lord.” We all recognize the circumlocution in this…
While the king was on his couch, my nard gave forth its fragrance. Song of Songs 1:12 JPS Was on his couch – Is exegesis art or science? Or maybe both? The historical-critical method of exegetical analysis will inform you that this verse employs a Hebrew term (meisev) that describes a couch used for reclining…
But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases. Psalm 115:3 NASB Whatever – Richard Nisbett’s book, The Geography of Thought, is a contemporary study of ancient differences in worldviews. Contrasting the Western Greek view with that of the Chinese, Nisbett’s analysis demonstrates that our “world” is hardly uniform in conception or observation….
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15 NASB Be diligent – If you grew up with King James, you remember this verse as “Study to show yourself approved.” The Greek verb is spoudazo, in this…
After the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing. 1 Kings 19:12 NASB Not – Where is YHVH? Perhaps the better question is: Where is YHVH when everything seems like it is falling apart? We know where He is when things…
