Who is like You among the gods, Lord? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, awesome in praises, working wonders?Exodus 15:11 NASB Among the gods – “If we were in a position to feel once more what it means for a god to be in our immediate presence, only an experience of this imminence could open our eyes.”[1] …
Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, and whom God has shut off? Job 3:23 NASB Way is hidden – The verb is sātar. Its uses are important. The root in its basic meaning “hide” is common to West, Southwest, and Southeast Semitic. The subordinate thought of protection involved in the root, which helps…
May the stars of its twilight be darkened; may it wait for light but have none, and may it not see the [e]breaking dawn; because it did not shut the opening of my mother’s womb, or hide trouble from my eyes. Job 3:9-10 NASB Hide trouble – “History is a nightmare.” So said Abraham Heschel, and although we…
May that day be darkness; may God above not care for it, nor light shine on it. Job 3:4 NASB Darkness – “Little doubt surrounds the meaning of this denominative verb coming from the noun ḥōšek (darkness). It occurs eighteen times, seventeen times in poetical books. Exodus 10:15 is the only occurrence of ḥāšak in…
Let my soul live that it may praise You, and let Your ordinances help me. Psalm 119:175 NASB Live/ help – We don’t need to mention the mistaken translation “soul.” You certainly know that nepeš isn’t “soul,” which is the Greek term psyche. But we should note the idea that praise can only happen while we…
Consider how I love Your precepts; revive me, Lord, according to Your faithfulness. Psalm 119:159 NASB Consider – What does the Hebrew rāʾâ imply? Does it mean “to bring to mind (consider)”? Or does it mean something more? Perhaps you recognize the root, “to see.” It also means “to look at” and “to inspect.” The translation “consider”…
My life is continually in my hand, yet I do not forget Your Law. Psalm 119:109 NASB Continually in my hand – Do you find this verse rather odd? After all the deference to God’s sovereign governance, we would expect that psalmist to say that his life is entirely in God’s hand, not his own. So, what’s happening…
Revive me according to Your faithfulness, so that I may keep the testimony of Your mouth. Psalm 119:88 NASB Revive – We’ve been at this for quite a while. Perhaps “revive” is the right term for the halfway point. Halfway through the longest psalm, we should pause and ask ourselves, “Why is the poet spending…
Behold, I long for Your precepts; revive me through Your righteousness. Psalm 119:40 NASB Long – Well, it’s not exactly a hapax legomenon, but it might as well be. tāʾeb, translated “long for,” is used only twice; once here and once in verse 174 (which we will eventually examine). Since it is only found in this…
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16 NASB Eternal life – “Man’s task is to make the world worthy of redemption.”[1] But wait! Why should I worry about making the world worthy of redemption when I’m waiting to…
