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…
My soul clings [e]to You; Your right hand upholds me. Psalm 63:8 NASB Clings – You know this verb. It’s used in the famous marriage verse, Genesis 2:24. “For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.” Of course, the NASB translation changes…
The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever. Psalm 121:8 NASB And forever – We reach the end of this short poem. The end is “forever,” an appropriate place to close our thoughts about God’s care. According to the poet, God is constantly watching over us (the metaphor…
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…
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…
For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, 2 Corinthians 5:1-2 Earthly tent – Mas. Chagigah…
“By your perseverance you will win your souls.” Luke 21:19 NASB (1963) Souls – How do you acquire salvation? It’s a fair question, especially since the evangelical world provides a clear answer. “You get saved by confessing Jesus as your Savior and Lord.” There’s just one small problem. The idea of “getting saved” really doesn’t…
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…
By now you have struggled through the implications of Matthew 10:28, Yeshua’s supposed endorsement of the “body-soul” dualism that we have been exploring for the last 4 days. Perhaps we haven’t solved the riddle of the translation, but we have at least learned these few things: 1. The “body-soul” or “body-mind-soul” or “body-spirit-soul” concepts found…
