Lullaby

I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustains me.  Psalm 3:5 [English]  NASB Slept – Look at Robert Alter’s translation: “I lie down and I sleep.  I awake, for the LORD has sustained me.”  Notice anything different?  Alter’s translation renders the verbs in the present tense.  The action is happening now.  The NASB renders the…

Time Enough

Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. Romans 13:11 NASB To awaken – Today is my birthday. In just twelve more years I might be ready to lead people out of Egypt. But I…

Dead Tired

Consider and answer me, O LORD my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death. Psalm 13:3 ESV The sleep of death – I just can’t sleep. I lie down. My thoughts will not turn off. I even take sleeping pills. Nothing. All night long I fight with vaporous creatures, invisible…

The God of Sleep

That night, sleep deserted the king, and he ordered the book of records, the annals, to be brought; and it was read to the king.  Esther 6:1  JPS Deserted – The story of Esther is much more like our experiences of life than the chronicles of Acts.  In Esther, life appears to be made up…

Soul-Sleep

“Take my yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls”   Matthew 11:29  NASB Rest – One measure of the integrity of your life is the tranquility of your sleep.  To sleep without anxiety, without fear, without the restlessness of compulsive…

Nyquil Sheol

and the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many.  Matthew 27:52-53 NASB Who had fallen asleep – Matthew is the only gospel account that includes this very odd event. …

Life Insurance

And it happened as the sun was setting and a deep sleep fell on Abram, and behold, a terror of great darkness falling on him Genesis 15:12 Deep Sleep – One of the principles of Hebraic interpretation is connecting thoughts based on similar words.  When a word appears only a few times in Scripture, the…