The LORD is my light and my rescue. Whom shall I fear? Psalm 27:1 Robert Alter Rescue – I checked twenty-seven English Bible translations of Psalm 27:1. Every one of them translated these words as “the Lord is my light and my salvation.” In fact, I doubt you’ve ever heard it any other way. The…
By the sweat of your face you will eat bread, till you return to the ground, because from it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.Genesis 3:19 NASB Return to the ground– suveka el ha’adamah says the text. We recognize the verb and the noun, šûb andʾădāmâ (“to turn/return” and “ground/earth”). But do…
The LORD does not let the appetite of the righteous go unsatisfied, but what the wicked crave he thrusts aside. Proverbs 10:3 (Bruce Waltke translation) Appetite – What really moves you? What are the most important motivators in your life? What drives you to keep going? What inspires you to new heights? In Hebrew, all…
“Behold, as for the proud one, his soul is not right within him; but the righteous will live by his faith.” Habakkuk 2:4 NASB Proud one – The NASB translation attempts to capture the idiomatic meaning of a phrase that literally says, “behold, swollen not straight his nephesh (person).” “Not straight” is the Hebrew lo…
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Psalm 103:1 NASB O my soul – The first thing we notice about this poem of praise is that half of the English translations simply leave out of the opening word, l’david. The other half attempt translations like, “of…
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 NASB Without blame – Are we making excuses or striving for a result? We all know the phrase, “It’s not my…
He restores my soul; he leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Psalm 23:3 Hebrew World Restores – David was just out of touch. If he really wanted restoring, he would have grabbed a PowerAde or an energy bar. He might have taken extra multi-vitamins or gone to the doctor to…
Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine. The soul who sins will die. Ezekiel 18:4 NASB Soul – It comes as no surprise to learn that every instance of the translated word “soul” in this verse is the Hebrew word nephesh. It’s…
For David. To You, O LORD, I lift up my heart. Psalm 25:1 Robert Alter translation To You – Lamentations and Psalms use a form of poetry called acrostic. In poems of this type, each new line begins with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In this psalm, every letter is represented except the…
“Behold, his soul is puffed up, it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.” Habakkuk 2:4 ESV Puffed up – Let’s get the Greek out. Neither Habakkuk nor Paul nor God Himself use the word “soul.” The Hebrew is nephesh. We have the English translation “soul” because of the…
