Knowing the Difference

Yet they still continued to sin against Him, to rebel against the Most High in the desert. And in their heart they put God to the test   Psalm 78:17-18a  NASB Sin/ rebel – Hebrew has several words for our general idea of “sin.”  Knowing how they differ is important.  The two words in this verse are ḥāṭāʾ…

The Words of the King

“The Lord is righteous; for I have rebelled against His command; Hear now, all peoples, and behold my pain; my virgins and my young men have gone into captivity. Lamentations 1:18 NASB Rebelled – According to the Talmud, these are the words spoken by Josiah as he was dying (Ta’anit 22b). The Hebrew verb, mara,…

Coming Home

She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.  I went out full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has witnessed against me and the Almighty has afflicted me?” Ruth 1:20-21 Mara…