So it shall come about, when the Lord your God has given you rest from all your surrounding enemies in the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, that you shall wipe out the mention of the name Amalek from under heaven; you must not forget. Deuteronomy 25:19 NASB Wipe out – What single word…
But the sons of Israel acted unfaithfully regarding the things designated for destruction, for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, took some of the designated things; therefore the anger of the Lord burned against the sons of Israel. Joshua 7:1 NASB Burned against – What…
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. …
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
And He will judge between the nations, and will mediate for many peoples; And they will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning knives. Nation will not lift up a sword against nation, and never again will they learn war. Isaiah 2:4 NASB Learn war – “Giving birth to one child is…
How long the wicked, O LORD, how long will the wicked exult? Psalm 94:3 Robert Alter How long – It’s the question of every age. It’s the critical question of all theology. It’s the torturing question of every good man and woman. How long? How long will the wicked get away with it? How long…
