See and Seen

Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord God, the God of Israel.  Exodus 34:23  NASB Are to appear – You probably know about this requirement.  According to Jewish practice, three times a year all Israelite males had to appear before the Lord.  In the days of the Temple, this…

I’m Lost

If I regard wickedness in my heart, the Lord will not hear;  Psalm 66:18  NASB Regard – The Bible is a very scary book.  Yes, of course, it speaks about God’s care and concern for His creation, including, fortunately, us.  But laced throughout the glowing promises of forgiveness and shalom are verses like this one, verses…

Sound or Sight

Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.”  Genesis 18:20-21  NIV See– God knows everything, right?  God sees everything without error, right? Then why does God…

Character (1)

Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God Matthew 5:8 NASB Shall see – Years ago I wrote something about this verse. It’s probably time to look at it again. We can begin with a comment on the Greek word horáō. The translation “they shall see God” uses this verb. Here it is…

Audible Visual

Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” John 14:9 NASB Who has seen Me – Imagine standing with Philip during this conversation. Yeshua directs a question and a comment to…

Pronoun Perplexity

The wicked will see it and be vexed, he will gnash his teeth and melt away; the desire of the wicked will perish. Psalm 112:10 NASB See it – What’s “it”? What will the wicked see? Will they see the revenge of the man of God, as might be suggested by adding a few words to verse 8? Will…

Seen

Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are a God who sees”; for she said, “Have I even remained alive here after seeing Him?” Genesis 16:13 NASB Who sees – “I see you.” How rare it is to find someone who can actually be seen. Most of the time…

Who’s the Audience?

The voice of the Lord will call to the city—And it is sound wisdom to fear Your name: “Hear, O tribe. Who has appointed its time?” Micah 6:9 NASB Hear – There is a lot of translator liberty in this verse. You have read the NASB. Here’s the NIV: Listen! The Lord is calling to…

Bystander

I have been young and now I am old,
Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
Or his descendants begging bread. Psalm 37:25 NASB Not seen – Perhaps David was senile or maybe he suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. No matter what the excuse, his claim is preposterous. Is there any person alive who hasn’t seen the…

Face Forward?

But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”  Luke 9:62  NASB Looking back – What do you think Yeshua is saying when He gives this warning?  Most of us read the verse as if it were Greek.  Therefore, we…