God, You know my folly, and my guilt is not hidden from You. Psalm 69:6 [Hebrew Bible] Robert Alter Not hidden – True confession. David admits his “folly.” God knows all about this ʾiwwelet. These are acts that display moral stupidity, not simply ignorance. This man actually knows what he is doing isn’t proper. He’s…
This is the way of those who are foolish, and of those after them who approve their words. Selah Psalm 49:13 NASB Approve – When is agreement an obvious mistake? According to this psalm, when it aligns with the choices of the foolish. Ah, but Hebrew has three words translated “fool,” and they don’t all mean the same…
My enemies have taunted me all day long; those who deride me have used my name as a curse. Psalm 102:8 NASB Deride – The psalmist finally gets down to the real reason for his complaint. It took a while. All those verses about how he feels—abandoned, anxious, abused, avoided, alone—come down to this: “My enemies taunt me and…
Therefore when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were), He left Judea and went away again into Galilee.John 4:1-3 NASB Went away– What was Yeshua’s reaction to the probable confrontation with the Pharisees over baptism? Ah, apérchomai. He went away. He didn’t enter…
Doing wickedness is like sport to a fool, and so is wisdom to a man of understanding. Proverbs 10:23 NASB Sport– What makes you laugh? Seriously, what do you laugh about? According to Solomon, the fool laughs at doing wickedness. The NASB attempts to capture the idiom with the translation “sport,” but the word is sehoq, a…
A prudent man conceals knowledge, but the heart of fools proclaims folly. Proverbs 12:23 NASB Proclaims – Proverbs suggests that the fool doesn’t think before he speaks. He just blurts out whatever words happen to come across his lips. We read this verse and imagine that it can’t possibly have anything to do with us…
Keeping away from strife is an honor for a man, but any fool will quarrel. Proverbs 20:3 NASB Fool – Proverbs employs several different words for the English “fool.” Knowing which one makes a big difference. “Fool” can be the translation of ‘ewil (as it is here), or kesil or nabal. Sometimes it is even…
Doing wickedness is like sport to a fool, and so is wisdom to a man of understanding. Proverbs 10:23 NASB Sport – What makes you laugh? Seriously now (pun intended), what do you laugh about? According to Solomon, the fool laughs at doing wickedness. The NASB attempts to capture the idiom with the translation “sport,”…
Keeping away from strife is an honor for a man, but any fool will quarrel. Proverbs 20:3 NASB Fool – Proverbs employs several different words for the English “fool.” Knowing which one makes a big difference. “Fool” can be the translation of ‘ewil (as it is here), or kesil or nabal. Sometimes it is even…
For the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught. Proverbs 3:26 ESV Confidence – The Hebrew verb for “to be foolish” is kasal. Kesilut (stupidity) and kesil (fool) are both derivatives. But so is kesel and kesel means confidence or hope. How is this possible? How can one word…
