Preserve my soul, for I am a godly man; O You my God, save Your servant who trusts in You. Psalm 86:2 NASB Godly man – The ESV corrects some of the NASB translation by rendering nephesh as “life,” not “soul.” This prayer is about saving life, not about preserving a “soul” as some sort…
The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 1 John 4:8 NASB Love – John’s statement seems pretty clear, right? God is love. We get that. Unless you’re one of those who doesn’t understand the necessity of judgment in the fabric of love, and you conclude that all the…
“but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the Lord. Jeremiah 9:24 NASB Delight – The psalmist declares that YHVH will provide us with the desires of our hearts….
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Hebrews 4:15 NIV In every way – Do you really think that Yeshua was tempted in every way just like…
So Naomi returned, and with her Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, who returned from the land of Moab. Ruth 1:22 NASB Returned – How are you going? No, it’s not a typo. It’s not “where are you going?” that matters at this moment. It’s “how.” The verbs used to describe Naomi’s return are quite interesting….
She said to her, “All that you say I will do.” Ruth 3:5 NASB You say – We are concerned when a translated text either adds or eliminates words. After all, this is sacred Scripture. Don’t mess with the text. But there are some cases where “messing with the text” is precisely what has been…
Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled in the cities of the valley, and moved his tents as far as Sodom. Genesis 13:12 NASB Moved – Lot didn’t start out corrupted. In fact, there are Jewish legends that he attempted to demonstrate a life of righteousness even while living in Sodom. Perhaps…
If a man takes his sister, a daughter of his father or a daughter of his mother, and sees her nakedness, and she sees his nakedness, it is a disgrace, and they shall be cut off in the sight of the children of their people. He has uncovered his sister’s nakedness, and he shall bear…
“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 NASB Good Works – It seems reasonable to suggest that Yeshua anticipated the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple. It’s hard to read his teaching in Matthew 24 and…
We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. Romans 12:6 NIV Gifts – While the Greek heritage provides a rich texture for understanding the idea of gifting as the expression of joyful celebration, an even deeper context can be seen in the Hebrew thought patterns that lie behind Paul’s vocabulary. Charis is typically…
