Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever mine. Psalm 119:98 NASB Than – We need to pay close attention to the Hebrew text here. מֵאֹֽיְבַי תְּחַכְּמֵ֣נִי מִצְוֹתֶ֑ךָ כִּ֖י לְעוֹלָ֣ם הִיא־לִֽי The opening word is from the root ʾāyab (to be an enemy), but it is the preposition (the prefixed min) that…
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the sight of God. For it is written: “He is the one who catches the wise by their craftiness”; 1 Corinthians 3:19 NASB Foolishness – Pay attention to Richard Lim’s insight: “Christians, in particular, bore the brunt of such polemical assaults because they lacked the protective armor of…
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 NASB Became flesh – Suppose for just a moment that John is thoroughly Jewish. Suppose he is operating in the typical way Jews handled the Tanakh in the first century. Suppose he’s writing…
Afterwards she appeared on earth and lived with humankind. Baruch 3:37 NRSV She – It’s likely that you’ve never read Baruch (sometimes referred to as 1 Baruch). It’s a book in the Catholic and Greek orthodox Apocrypha, termed deuterocanonical, that is, considered canonical books of the Old Testament by Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Assyrian, and others…
I, Wisdom, dwell in shrewdness, and cunning knowledge I find. Fear of the LORD is hating evil. Proverbs 8:12-13a Robert Alter Shrewdness/ Cunning – Perhaps you’re more familiar with the typical English translations of this verse, like the NASB, “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion.” Unfortunately, such translations miss an…
To know wisdom and reproof, to understand discerning maxims. To accept the reproof of insight, righteousness, justice, and uprightness. To give shrewdness to the simple, to a lad, knowledge and cunning, Let the wise man hear and gain learning, and the discerning acquire designs. Proverbs 1:2-5 Robert Alter Reproof – Reconsider the context of that…
And He said to man, Look, fear the Master, that is wisdom, and the shunning of evil is insight. Job 28:28 Robert Alter Look – Don’t overlook “Look”! If you do, you’ll miss something quite unusual. The NASB translates this verse, “And to mankind He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And…
Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Psalm 34:11 NASB Fear – There are basically two kinds of ethical systems in the world. They both have long histories. The first is the one we are most familiar with in the modern world, although it is not the most ancient…
Look. Wisdom calls out, and Discernment lifts her voice. Proverbs 8:1 Robert Alter Calls out – Since the discovery of significant archeological artifacts in the late 19th Century, biblical scholars have had to face the question, “How does archeological evidence impact biblical faith?” The answers have not been easy. As Haggai Misgav points out, “The…
Jesus, upon seeing this man lying there and knowing that he had already been in that condition for a long time, *said to him, “Do you want to get well?” John 5:6 NASB Get well – I want to be human. That means I need to be in conversation with You. I want to be fulfilled. That means I need…
