“God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:24 NASB Spirit and truth – If you are familiar with the words of the Tanakh, you might hear this phrase differently. The combination of “truth” with another crucial Hebrew word is so common in the Hebrew Scriptures that you…
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Lovingkindness and truth go before You. Psalm 89:14 NASB Lovingkindness and Truth – Imagine God riding on the clouds, the Ancient of Days approaching. Are you transfixed? Awestruck? Afraid? Ready? What precedes Him? According to David’s hymn of praise, we see hesed ve’emet. The NASB translates…
Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart. Proverbs 3:3 NASB Kindness and truth – The Hebrew phrase hesed ve’emet is critically important. It describes the connection between the covenant relationship of God and community with the faithfulness and reliability of the…
Lead me in Your truth and instruct me, for You are the God of my rescue. In You do I hope every day. Psalm 25:5 Robert Alter translation Lead me – As a young man I used to hike in the Cascades. Once I attempted to reach a small lake up in the mountains. Things…
All the paths of the Lord are lovingkindness and truth to those who keep His covenant and His testimonies. Psalm 25:10 NASB Lovingkindness – By now you certainly know the difficulties of translating hesed. And you certainly know just how important this word is. Hesed is the single most important expression of the character of YHWH. …
Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah; and he did what was good, right and true before the LORD his God. 2 Chronicles 31:20 NASB Good/ right/ true – Hezekiah was one of Israel’s faithful kings. The narrative tells us that he did everything he could to seek God with all his heart. Hezekiah had but…
He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken. Psalm 62:2 ESV Greatly shaken – David would have liked Isaiah. They often think the same way. Isaiah 24:19-20 uses this same Hebrew word, mot, to describe the kingdoms of the earth as if they were drunken men, reeling…
He will send from heaven and save me; He reproaches him who tramples upon me. Selah. God will send forth His lovingkindness and His truth. Psalm 57:3 NASB Truth – “What is truth?” the man asked. Pilate’s question is still with us. He was a conventionalist. Truth is what he decided was truth. It was…
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things. Philippians 4:8 NASB True – Mind control? Is that what Paul is preaching? Are we…
“Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Matthew 25:34 NASB Blessed – If you turn to the Beatitudes in Matthew 5, you will find that each one begins with the Greek word makarioi. This word should not be translated “blessed are” since…
