to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. Jude 1:25 NIV Only – Jude wrote this letter toward the end of the first century CE. By then Messianic assemblies were established in many cities of the Mediterranean world. Jude’s language shows…
The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s. Song of Songs 1:1 NASB Of – A friend of mine spent a lot of time working in Asia, particularly with Chinese people. Of course, communicating usually meant translating, especially when business contracts were involved. But translating wasn’t just a matter of finding a Mandarin word for an English…
The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever. Isaiah 40:8 NASB Stands forever – If Isaiah is right, then one of the really important questions is, “What does God’s word say?” What are these words that will stand forever? For the answer we turn to the Bible. Well, actually, we…
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” Matthew 5:6 NASB Righteousness– Let’s have a conversation about the process of converting language from one culture to another. It’s not just the translation of the words that matters. It’s the way the language fits into the patterns of living when the worldview changes. …
This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, 2 Peter 3:1 NASB Sincere mind– How often have you heard someone say, “Well, at least he’s sincere.” Or maybe, “What he lacks in understanding he makes up for in sincerity.” In our common…
Taking the child by the hand, He said to her, “Talitha kum!” (which translated means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). Mark 5:41 NASB Translated – Why does Mark include a translation of Yeshua’s words? The answer, of course, is that he wants his readers to know what Yeshua said. But if Aramaic were the common language…
She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has witnessed against me and the Almighty has afflicted me?” Ruth 1:20-21 Lord…
“Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God.” Luke 8:11 NASB Parable – Peter complained that Paul’s writing was difficult to follow, but Paul’s letters are a piece of cake compared to the teachings of Yeshua in the Gospels. Why? Because I can at least follow Paul’s arguments and reasoning with…
Within it there were figures resembling four living beings. And this was their appearance: they had human form. Ezekiel 1:5 NASB Figures – Ezekiel’s vision is fodder for all kinds of eschatological grist mills. The history of interpretation of these verses demonstrates how paradigm pre-suppositions affect religious belief. But this penchant to read the text…
And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. 1 Timothy 3:16 KJV God – The King James translation of the Bible held sway over Protestant Christendom for 400…
