Once or Twice

 . . . she heard that the LORD had taken note of His people and given them food.  Ruth 1:6  JPS Had taken note – Once or twice in life it’s nice to hear something from the Lord.  Two times is the extent of direct mention of God in the story of Ruth.  Yes, the…

End of the Line

Then those two – Mahlon and Chilion – also died; so the woman was left without her two sons and without her husband.  Ruth 1:5  JPS Without – What Naomi lost completely overshadows what Naomi gained.  In her mind, the loss of husband and sons means the loss of everything important to her.  In fact,…

What’s the Difference?

Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.  Genesis 2:7  NASB From the ground – Why does the text use the word ha-adamah (the ground)?  Once more we are confronted with the first occurrence of a word. …

Nothing Much

Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.  Genesis 2:7  NASB Dust – Now we come to the remarkable phrase, “dust of the ground.”  The Hebrew is apar min ha’adamah.  Apar is the common noun for dust,…

The Human God

Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.  Genesis 2:7  NASB Formed – The three verbs of creation each have unique features.  Bara’ is exclusively a verb of divine action, a verb used of creative acts only…

Slowly and Carefully

Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.  Genesis 2:7  NASB Formed – You don’t know what you are supposed to do until you know who you are made to be.  That’s why the opening passages of…

The First Synagogue

Then God said, “Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so.  Genesis 1:9 NASB Place – In Hebrew, the word translated “place” is maqom.  From a root meaning “to stand,” it is fairly straightforward as far as translations go.  It means some…

Back to bara

o God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds  . . .  Genesis 1:21 ESV Created – There are demarcations in the Hebrew text that provide important insights about our relationship to God and to the rest of His cosmos.  Unfortunately, some…

Update on Bessy Bendana

I LOVE THIS COMMUNITY!!  It simply thrills me to see compassion in action and to know that NO ONE falls through the cracks here. YOU have made such a difference for Bessy. In 24 hours (about), we have miles for a ticket, shipping covered hands-on help in Wilmington and funds to cover everything and more….