For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. Titus 3:3 NASB Lusts and pleasures – What’s the difference between lusts and pleasures? Paul seems to think we need to know both words. Why? The Greek roots are epithymía and hēdonḗ. Epithymía is desire, especially…
How fair you are, how beautiful! O Love, with all its raptures! Song of Songs 7:7 JPS Its – Does the second part of this verse sound a bit strange to you? The man begins with something we can easily understand. He thinks his lover is incredibly beautiful. But instead of “O love, with all…
so is My word that comes out of My mouth, it does not return empty to Me but does what I desire, and makes prosper what I have sent. Isaiah 55:11 Robert Alter Makes prosper – Robert Alter chooses to translate the conjunction כִּי אִם־ as “makes prosper,” but in this case it seems the NASB…
that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, Ephesians 4:22 NASB Lusts of deceit – The odd translation of the NASB is revised by the ESV to read “deceitful desires.” The NASB simply tries to more literally…
So they ate and were well filled, and He satisfied their longing. Yet before they had abandoned their longing, while their food was in their mouths, the anger of God rose against them and killed some of their strongest ones, and subdued the choice men of Israel. Psalm 78:29-31 NASB Killed – Verses like these make liberal theologians…
And in their heart they put God to the test by asking for food [g]that suited their taste. Psalm 78:18 That suited their taste – The Bible has a lot to say about the tongue, most of it not very pleasant. The tongue is a source of disagreement, the power of life and death, the instrument of “binding…
And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, . .” Genesis 3:1a NASB Indeed – There’s a third chair in the therapist’s office. It’s occupied by the yetzer ha’ra. You know, that essential part of you that wants to control your life, to overpower your responsibilities for others and have what you want…
“But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?” Job 28:12 NASB Where – The goal of growing is not to be finished. If you ever reached the finished line, there would be no reason to continue. Might as well be dead. Life is about the continuous project of change, of growth,…
The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, “If only we had meat to eat! Numbers 11:4 NIV To crave other food– Unfortunately the translators of the NIV have hidden the real impact of this Hebrew text by substituting a conclusion for the actual language. In Hebrew, the text…
“. . . but now our appetite is gone. There is nothing at all to look at except this manna.” Numbers 11:6 NASB Nothing at all– Does gratitude have a dark side? Does your thankfulness for what you have elicit a concomitant desire for what you don’t have? When you express appreciation, is there a tiny hint of resentment…
