Today’s Word
The God of Israel?
whom the Lord of armies has blessed, saying, “Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.” Isaiah 19:25 NASB My people – “This remarkable prophecy has no equal in biblical literature; nowhere else is YHWH represented as calling a foreign nation ‘my people.’”[1] Perhaps you need to read Kaufmann’s remark again. …
Jerusalem Has Fallen
When a man lays hold of his brother in his father’s house, saying, “You have a cloak, you shall be our ruler! And these ruins will be under your authority,” Isaiah 3:6 NASB These ruins– What are the minimal requirements of a leader in times of anarchy? Isaiah gives us one. Any man who has been able…
Lord of the Flies
And I will make mere boys their leaders, and mischievous children will rule over them, and the people will be oppressed, each one by another, and each one by his neighbor; the youth will assault the elder, and the contemptible person will assault the one honored. Isaiah 3:4-5 NASB Youth/ contemptible – These two verses in Isaiah could have been the inspiration for…
Geographically Irrelevant
God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. Genesis 21:17 NIV As he lies there – We’ve looked at this verse twice before. Once in connection with Julia Blum’s…
Ontologically Fragile
Leave off from man, who has breath in his nostrils. For of what account is he? Isaiah 2:22 Robert Alter Of what – כִּֽי־בַמֶּ֥ה ki-va me(h). Stringing together ki (for, but, thus, because, when, . . .), ba (in, at, with, away from, among, upon . . .), and me(h) (what, which, that, how), the…
Correcting the Bible
For it is a day of the LORD of Armies, over all the proud and lofty and over all on high and lifted up. Isaiah 2:12 Robert Alter Lifted up – Robert Alter’s translation comes with an explanation. “lifted up. This emends the Masoretic ‘lowly,’ which doesn’t seem plausible. This whole clause is repeated as…
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Recent Today’s Word
- What God Wants
- Take Two Aspirin
- Stand Up and Be Counted
- Nun
- Retracing Our Steps
- What’s the Difference?
- The Sound of Honey
- Final Instructions
