They who sow in tears in glad song will reap. Psalm 126:5 Robert Alter In tears – Don’t take this verse out of context. Read the whole psalm. David clearly writes about the historical circumstances of Israel. The nation has suffered. For centuries it has been afflicted by others. Now he summarizes Israel’s perspective. Suffering…
Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord God, the God of Israel. Exodus 34:23 NASB Are to appear – You probably know about this requirement. According to Jewish practice, three times a year all Israelite males had to appear before the Lord. In the days of the Temple, this…
Then God said, “Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness; Genesis 1:26a Image – Biblical words about the creator of humanity have occupied theologians for centuries. Most of that time has been spent trying to determine what precisely is meant by the term “human.” Since the Bible uses both ṣelem (translated “image”) and dĕmût…
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1 NASB The heavens and the earth – God is in Heaven, right? Well, not exactly. You see, if we believe that God is transcendent, that implies He is other than His creation, and that means Heaven, which is also part of creation, is not His…
Today we return to Parma after some time in Greece. Tomorrow is Rosanne’s birthday. Here is her favorite flower. We just need some time to catch up now. Enjoy.
He who gives vent to anger commits as grave a sin as though he worshipped strange gods. Tractate Shabbat 105b Anger – Referring to Job 18:4, Luzzatto follows the Sages by connecting anger with idolatry. We don’t usually think like this, but perhaps we should. Stone’s commentary on Luzzatto shows us why: “[Anger] is the…
So the young men who were spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father, her mother, her brothers, and all she had; they also brought out all her relatives, and placed them outside the camp of Israel. Joshua 6:23 NASB Young men – Apparently the author of the book of Joshua can’t really make up…
Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, Ephesians 4:1-2 NASB 1995 Worthy – Jack Nicholson delivered a memorable line in the movie The Departed. …
preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and exhort, with great patience and instruction. 2 Timothy 4:2 NASB The word – A Christian website sent me a story about instructing pastors. The elder wrote: I thought about Paul’s instruction to the young preacher, Timothy, as he spoke in 2 Timothy 4:2 (NASB) “preach the word;…
