For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Ephesians 2:10 NASB Good works – Let’s employ some words from the famous poet: “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place;” I am grateful, so grateful…
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27 NIV Male and female – A few weeks ago we explored this verse for its latent connection to ḥesed. Since we’ve just looked at the relationship between ḥesed, šāmar, and pāqad, determining that these words are…
You have granted me life and goodness; and Your care has guarded my spirit. Job 10:12 NASB Goodness – As we discovered the last time we examined this verse, the translation “goodness” just misses the point. God doesn’t grant us goodness, at least not in this verse. What He grants is ḥesed—relationship, reciprocity, transitivity, and action. …
You have granted me life and goodness; and Your care has guarded my spirit. Job 10:12 NASB Life – Yesterday we examined the Qohelet’s claim that the animating spirit returns to God at death. This idea is an important correction to the popular Western conception of eternal life. It is important to note that this correction…
I am not asking You to take them out of the world, but to keep them away from the evil one. John 17:15 NASB Take them out – I don’t know about you, but I would just as soon have had Yeshua skip this request. In fact, in my earlier years I would think to…
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27 NIV Male and female – Did you think that this phrase is just a sexual summation? Do you believe that Genesis 1 is just a preview to the real story of the creation of Man that…
For I have said, “Graciousness will be built up forever; in the heavens You will establish Your faithfulness.” Psalm 89:2 NASB Graciousness – I don’t mind telling you that this translation misses the point entirely. “Graciousness” is not being built up forever. In fact, graciousness isn’t even part of this description of the coming Kingdom. The Hebrew…
The Lord’s acts of mercy indeed do not end, for His compassions do not fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23 NASB Acts of mercy – This is one of those cases where we must see the Hebrew in order to understand the impact of the verse. “Acts of mercy” just doesn’t cut it. We…
who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 2 Corinthians 1:4 NIV So that – It’s just a tiny word, eis, a little conjunctive. Note Oepke’s comment: “Originally spatial, this word takes on theological significance in the NT.”[1] This is…
A merciful person does himself good, but the cruel person does himself harm. Proverbs 11:17 NASB Merciful – It should come as no surprise that the word translated “mercy” is really ḥesed. The translation relies on the way ḥesed is treated in the LXX, but as you know, even there we find eight different Greek words for…
