You are good and You do good; teach me Your statutes. Psalm 119:68 NASB Are/ do – In order to see what’s happening in this verse, we need to look at the Hebrew. טוֹב אַתָּ֥ה וּמֵטִ֗יב לַמְּדֵ֥נִי חֻקֶּֽיךָ Let’s transliterate and follow the Hebrew syntax: “Good You and doing (causing) good; teach me statutes Yours.” You will…
I considered my ways and turned my feet to Your testimonies. Psalm 119:59 NASB Considered/ turned – I know, I know. You’re getting tired of all these grammar lessons. I’d say the same thing if it weren’t for the interesting variety of translations. You have to wonder how both Jewish and Christian scholars can justify such…
Incline my heart to Your testimonies, and not to dishonest gain. Psalm 119:36 NASB Dishonest gain – What is the strategy that prevents humanity from seeking profit by unrighteous means? Ah, the answer is simple. History! Incline your heart to God’s testimonies. What are those? You’ll recall that “testimonies” is the plural of ʿēdût, a word that…
Your testimonies also are my delight; they are my advisers. Psalm 119:24 NASB Advisors – How much would you pay for really good advice? I suppose the answer depends on the seriousness of the problem. So, suppose the problem is a life or death issue. What’s that worth? Those are the stakes in this verse. The…
They who sow in tears in glad song will reap. Psalm 126:5 Robert Alter In tears – Don’t take this verse out of context. Read the whole psalm. David clearly writes about the historical circumstances of Israel. The nation has suffered. For centuries it has been afflicted by others. Now he summarizes Israel’s perspective. Suffering…
For when Gentiles who do not have the Law instinctively perform the requirements of the Law, these, though not having the Law, are a law to themselves, Romans 2:14 NASB A law to themselves – We’ve spent a lot of time looking at Paul’s idea of nómos, or perhaps more accurately, his ideas about all the variations encompassed…
And Joshua had charged the people, saying, “You shall not shout and you shall not let your voice be heard, and no word shall come out of your mouths until the moment I say to you, “Shout,’ and then you shall shout.” Joshua 6:10 Robert Alter And Joshua had charged the people, saying – One…
having cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares about you. 1 Peter 5:7 NASB Cares – If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times: the fundamental message of the Bible is “God cares.” I believe it, but don’t ask me why. Don’t ask because I feel what the prophets discovered. “History…
to whom God willed to make known what the wealth of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles is, the mystery that is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 1:27 NASB Christ in you – “Jesus lives in me,” she said, thinking that “Christ in you” meant a spiritual/physical union with the Messiah. What she didn’t understand is that…
And He gave up His strength to captivity and His glory into the hand of the enemy. He also turned His people over to the sword, And was filled with wrath at His inheritance. Psalm 78:61-62 NASB The hand of the enemy – Okay, let’s agree that Asaph is a poet, not an historian. Let’s agree that he…
