But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, Ephesians 4:20-21 NASB Christ/ Jesus – It’s easy to correct the translations of “Christ” and “Jesus.” Just replace these with “Messiah” and “Yeshua.” Is that all that’s necessary? Well, not quite. …
“Teach me, and I will be silent; and show me how I have done wrong.” Job 6:24 NASB Show me – The verb bîn has a wide range of English translations, but they all surround our idea of understanding in its fullest sense, that is, not merely cognitive but also emotive and intuitive. The verb and…
I am Your servant; give me understanding, so that I may know Your testimonies. Psalm 119:125 NASB So that I may know – What is the job of a servant: to understand or to obey? Of course, it’s nice to know why you’re asked to do something, but it certainly isn’t necessary. Your job as a…
Make me understand the way of Your precepts, and I will meditate on Your wonders. Psalm 119:27 NASB Make me – Not many of us would willingly ask God to do what the psalmist asks. He uses the Hebrew bîn which means“understand, consider, perceive, prudent, regard.”[1] That seems pretty tame. The verb and its derivatives are…
The ox knows its owner and the donkey its master’s stall. Israel did not know, my people did not pay heed. Isaiah 1:3 Robert Alter Did not pay heed – Robert Alter’s translation captures the urgency of God’s warning. Most translations render bîn with the usual “understand” or “perceive,” but that isn’t strong enough. It’s…
For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust. Psalm 103:14 NASB He Himself – Does God know you? All about you? Everything? “Of course, He does,” you answer. “He’s omniscient. He knows everything.” If that’s true, then why does the Psalmist use a construction that effectively underlines the point? Why doesn’t he write,…
You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. Psalm 139:2 NASB Understand– If God “knows” everything about me, then why do we also read, “You understand”? Isn’t knowing and understanding pretty much the same thing? As it turns out, in Hebrew these two ideas are different, and the difference is precisely…
Hear, my son, your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching; indeed, they are a graceful wreath to your head and ornaments about your neck. Proverbs 1:8-9 NASB Hear– “Over time, early and necessary (and sometimes life-saving) defensive maneuvers and coping strategies evolve into ‘patterns’ of thinking, feeling, and behaving. These patterns come to operate like ‘organizing…
Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures Luke 24:45 NASB Understand – When we read this verse, we’re likely to imagine some kind of mental expansion miracle. As Western believers, we automatically assume that “understand” means cognitive comprehension. Our own educational experience leads us to interpret this text as if Yeshua were preparing…
For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. Romans 7:15 NASB I do not understand – Was Paul confused? When he writes, “I do not understand,” does he really mean “What I’m doing makes no sense to me,” or…
