Soul Man

For He has satisfied the [a]thirsty soul, and He has filled the hungry soul with what is good.  Psalm 107:9  NASB Soul – Did you see that tiny footnote before the word “thirsty”?  I hoped that the footnote would explain that the Hebrew word nepeš does not mean “soul,” ah, but not a chance.  The footnote merely says…

Abraham the Evangelist

Abram took his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot, and all their possessions which they had accumulated, and the people which they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan; so they came to the land of Canaan.  Genesis 12:5  NASB People – Language evolves.  Words that used to mean one thing now mean…

The Consistency Rule

For He sates the thirsting throat and the hungry throat He fills with good.  Psalm 107:9  Robert Alter Throat – Robert Alter stresses the need to translate Hebrew terms consistently.  His point is simple.  Hebrew has a rather sparse vocabulary.  Often a single Hebrew word has many different potential English translations.  Since English style tends…

Life in the Tongue

And in their heart they put God to the test by asking for food [g]that suited their taste.  Psalm 78:18 That suited their taste – The Bible has a lot to say about the tongue, most of it not very pleasant.  The tongue is a source of disagreement, the power of life and death, the instrument of “binding…

Even Stranger

But those who seek my [f]life to destroy it, will go into the [g]depths of the earth.  Psalm 63:9 NASB Life/depths – Did you notice the two footnotes in this verse from the NASB?  The tiny (f) and (g) indicate that the translators want the reader to notice something about the Hebrew words.  But if you looked at…

Wishful Thinking

The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul.  Psalm 121:7  NASB You – I suppose there are two questions to be asked about this verse.  The first is, “Who is the Lord going to protect from all evil?” Who’s “you”?  The second is “When is God going to do this?”  If we…