He will redeem my soul in peace [l]from the battle which is against me, for they are many who are aggressive toward me. God will hear and humiliate them—even the one who sits enthroned from ancient times— Selah Psalm 55:18-19a NASB Sits enthroned from ancient times – Before we tackle this text, we need to understand the caution provided by Nahum Sarna: Translations, particularly those adopted…
When God began to create heaven and earth—the earth being unformed and void, with darkness over the surface of the deep and a wind from God sweeping over the water—God said . . . Genesis 1:1-2 JPS A wind from God – One might reasonably argue that this text forms the backbone of the Western…
There is no Scripture except according to its literal sense. Sefer Ha-Mitsvot (Maimonides) Literal sense – In his article, “The Authority and Interpretation of Scripture in Jewish Tradition,” Nahum Sarna examines the idea that the biblical writers wrote exclusively for their contemporary audiences. He cites Maimonides’ statement to the effect that the Peshat layer of…
