Let me praise God’s name in song, and let me extol Him in thanksgiving. And let it be better to the LORD than oxen, than a horned bull with it hooves. Psalm 69:31-32 [Hebrew Bible] Robert Alter Than oxen – There’s no problem with the translation here, or in most English Bibles. The Hebrew is…
One who walks with integrity, practices righteousness, and speaks truth in his heart. Psalm 15:2 NASB In his heart – “Speaks truth in his heart.” What is that? Unvoiced agreement? Inner affirmation? What good is it in the public arena to speak the truth in the heart? If you don’t say a word, who would know? What…
For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.’ Leviticus 17:11 NASB Life/ souls/ life – “Life is in the blood.” How many times have we heard this…
The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever. Isaiah 40:8 NASB Word of our God – Yesterday we discovered the awful truth that there was no such thing as “the Bible” until the Christian Church, and particularly the Protestant Christian Church, created a sacred book. In the first century,…
You will arise and have compassion on Zion; for it is time to be gracious to her, for the appointed time has come. Psalm 102:13 NASB Be gracious – “Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in faithfulness and truth;’” (Exodus 34:6). What’s number 2 in God’s self-disclosure? The first…
“The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?” Jeremiah 17:9 NASB More deceitful– Just how sick are you? Pretty sick, if you read this verse from Jeremiah as it is typically understood in Christian theology. Many theologians teach that there’s a fatal flaw in human beings. We all have a bad heart,…
You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also. Matthew 23:26 NASB First – Since we are going to explore the word protos (Greek for “first”), it’s probably useful to first note that Yeshua’s scathing remark is not aimed at…
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. Deuteronomy 6:5 NASB Heart – One of the wonders of Hebrew is that it communicates on multiple levels. This fact is much more than the rabbinic PaRDeS approach. The structure of Hebrew (the way…
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit. Psalm 51:10-12 NASB Heart – In Hebrew the…
Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, Your highways are in their heart. Tehillim 84:5 ISR Highways – In most translations, the grammar is altered to reflect proper English, but in Hebrew there are some significant oddities to be noticed. First, the Hebrew word translated “man” isn’t ish. It is adam but it…
