The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham: Matthew 1:1 NASB Record – “It is obvious that the Torah contains much idiomatic usage, and translating it literally (as do most translations) distorts the meaning of the text. To a large degree, the ‘Oral Torah’ consists of a tradition as…
Now when the entire nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying, Joshua 4:1 NASB Had finished crossing – Sometimes what matters most is what can’t be written and can’t be read. Here’s what this verse looks like in the Hebrew text: {וַיְהִי כַּאֲשֶׁר-תַּמּוּ כָל-הַגּוֹי לַעֲבוֹר אֶת-הַיַּרְדֵּן {פ וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל-יְהוֹשֻׁעַ לֵאמֹר Notice this…
Different cultures tell different stories. The great novelists of the nineteenth century wrote fiction that is essentially ethical. Jane Austen and George Eliot explored the connection between character and happiness. There is a palpable continuity between their work and the book of Ruth. Dickens, more in the tradition of the prophets, wrote about society and its…
Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to the Lord, and said, “I will sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted; the horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea.” Exodus 15:1 NASB Sang – In 2014 we looked at the odd grammar of this verse. The rabbis noticed that…
Now these are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob; they came each one with his household: Exodus 1:1 NASB Came to Egypt – Bob Bartels wrote to me. “I am finally realizing and enjoying the thought that the Bible is not a textbook but a story of God’s interaction with…
Now these are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob; they came each one with his household: Exodus 1:1 NASB Household – What did the children of Israel bring with them into the desert? What did they carry for forty years as they wandered toward Canaan? Each one brought his…
And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”Matthew 13:10 NASB Parables– Let’s consider the biblical approach of communication. Why doesn’t the Bible just give us a list of rules or a well-organized theology? Why does it sort of ramble around, throwing in parts of different genres of…
“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” Exodus 20:2 NASB Brought you out – It’s all about the evidence, right? Two important authors have some insights worth reading. First, Seth Godin. Then, Jonathan Sacks. Facts are not the antidote for doubt Drink enough water and…
When the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming by the way of Atharim, then he fought against Israel and took some of them captive. Numbers 21:1 NASB King of Arad – Something unexpected is happening. As I investigate the background for a book about Solomon, I…
Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. 1 Corinthians 10:11 NASB Happened to them – Did you notice the implication? Paul writes that the events in the lives of the men and women in the Tanakh are…
