Losing

We lost!  I don’t mean Biden won or Trump won.  It doesn’t really matter because the real loss is far greater than who will be President for the next four years.  What we lost is bāṭaḥ.  You know the word (I hope).  It is translated “trust,” and in every circumstance except Proverbs 31:11, whenever it describes human…

Injuring God

The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. Genesis 6:6  NASB Was sorry – This verse is a problem for most theologians.  It’s not a problem because we can’t understand the words.  It’s a problem because theology doesn’t think of God in biblical terms.  Theology is the victim…

Watertight

My God, in You I trust.  Let me be not shamed, let my enemies not gloat over me.  Psalm 25:2  Robert Alter translation [First, an apology.  Since the death of Rosanne’s mother, our lives have been in continuing chaos.  We have been staying in Rosanne’s mother’s condo in Florida.  That is part of a trust…

The Vocabulary of Trust

But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord, I say, “You are my God.”  Psalm 31:14  NASB Trust– By now we should be quite familiar with bāṭaḥ (trust).  TWOT’s reminder is important: in Hebrew, bāṭaḥ expresses that sense of well-being and security which results from having something or someone in whom to place confidence. It is significant…

Some Clarity

The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. Proverbs 31:11  NASB Trusts – What does it mean to “trust” your wife? How will that turn out to be prosperous for the husband? In the past we examined the Hebrew word bāṭaḥ in the context of the ‘ezer kenegdo, God’s design for…

Fear of Another

When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. Psalm 56:3 NASB Afraid – We know this Hebrew word. yārēʾ, “to fear, be afraid, revere.” Yes, it’s the same word used in the verse about the “fear of the Lord.” But yārēʾ has five different nuances, and one of them is simply the psychological experience…

More Than Me

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 NASB Hope – What does Paul mean by the term “God of hope?” Does God hope? Does He wish things would turn out better?…

Honesty Is the Best Policy?

He who walks in integrity walks securely, but he who perverts his ways will be found out. Proverbs 10:9 NASB Integrity – Are you considered a person of integrity? Ah, before you answer, you might want to know what tamam means. Most of us think of integrity as a synonym for honesty and by that…

Shamed or Ashamed?

My God, in You I trust.  Let me be not shamed, let my enemies not gloat over me.  Psalm 25:2  Robert Alter translation Be not shamed – The Hebraic world is public.  Its concepts of integrity, reliability, honor and disgrace are public.  What happens in the world of the community determines character.  The Greek world…

Watertight

My God, in You I trust.  Let me be not shamed, let my enemies not gloat over me.  Psalm 25:2  Robert Alter translation I trust – When I read these words from the psalmist, I get discouraged.  He trusted in God in everything.  Why can’t I be like that?  Growing up in Hellenism, I learned…