Why would you be beaten more, swerving from the way? Every head is sick and every heart in pain. Isaiah 1:5 Robert Alter Why – The Hebrew phrase ʿal me(h) is translated “where” by the NASB but “why” by Robert Alter. The meanings are not the same. Is God asking (metaphorically) the location of the…
Why should I fear in days of adversity, when the injustice of those who betray me surrounds me, Psalm 49:5 NASB Why – This question in Hebrew begins with the combination of a preposition and an interrogative: la-mah. It seems insignificant to us, but it has important implications in Hebrew. Literally, “until what” brings into view…
“It is I who made the earth, and created man upon it. I stretched out the heavens with My hands and I ordained all their host.” Isaiah 45:12 NASB Ordained – Perhaps you’re familiar with the rather famous Evangelical apologetic book by Paul Little, Know Why You Believe. First published in 1967, it is still a standard of…
What real value is there for a man in all the gains he makes beneath the sun? Ecclesiastes 1:3 NJPS Value – What’s the point of life? That’s the Teacher’s question. If all of life is nothing more than a test for righteousness, why doesn’t the all-knowing God simply scoop up those who will prove…
And they continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” Acts 2:12 “What Does This Mean?” – Sometimes a culturally significant expression goes right by us because we read it with different eyes. You’ve probably read this verse dozens of times, but you probably never considered why these men…
