Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by. Psalm 57:1 ESV (57:2 in Hebrew text). Be merciful – David is in a hole in the ground (that context is…
For the lead player, al-tashchet, a David michtam, when he fled from Saul into the cave. Psalm 57:1 (in the Hebrew text, translated by Robert Alter) Fled – Fight or flight – human behavior in the face of conflict hasn’t changed much in 10,000 years. What’s your default behavior? Do you find the hairs on…
At that time people began to call on the name of the LORD. Genesis 4:26 ESV Name – Explain the grammatical connections and implications of calling someone’s name. Let’s see. In English (and also in Greek and most Indo-European languages), a name is a phonetic marker that represents some entity. More importantly, it is an…
If you buy a Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve; and in the seventh he shall go out free, for nothing. Exodus 21:2 Hebrew World Six years – Apparently God is not interested in profit; at least not in the same way that we are. Imagine the ridiculous consequences of this Torah commandment. Someone…
“The Rock! His work is perfect, for all His ways are just;” Duet. 32:4 NASB Rock – The Hebrew word sur is used 75 times in the Old Testament. Many of those uses are metaphorical. Here, God is likened to a rock. He is absolutely reliable, completely trustworthy and an unfailing source of strength. The…
Blessed is he who considers the poor; YHWH does deliver him in a day of evil. Tehillim 41:1 ISR Considers – Let’s think about the poor. First we have to know what word Hebrew uses to describe the “poor” since there are four different words with this same English translation. Here the word is dal. …
Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, Your highways are in their heart. Tehillim 84:5 ISR Highways – In most translations, the grammar is altered to reflect proper English, but in Hebrew there are some significant oddities to be noticed. First, the Hebrew word translated “man” isn’t ish. It is adam but it…
And there came near a man of Elohim and spoke to the sovereign of Yisra’el, and said, “Thus said YHWH, ‘Because the Arameans have said, “YHWH is Elohim of the hills, but He is not Elohim of the valleys,” therefore I shall give all this great company into your hand, and you shall know that…
For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. Colossians 1:9 NASB For this reason – Would you like others to pray that you might…
And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those who were circumcised took issue with him, saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.” Acts 11:2-3 NASB Uncircumcised men – How many times have you heard that Peter’s vision on the rooftop was God’s sign that we no longer have to follow kosher requirements? …
