Listen, my people, to my instruction; incline your ears to the words of my mouth. Psalm 78:1 NASB Instruction – If you had to guess what Hebrew word is translated “instruction” you might be inclined to choose תּוֹרָה(tôrâ). Not knowledge, not understanding, but teaching. That’s correct. It’s tôrâ. But what you might not know is that…
A [a]Maskil of Asaph. Psalm 78 title Maskil – Another case where the Hebrew text isn’t included in the English psalm. Here the introduction tells us that this song is from Asaph. But this is a special kind of song. It’s a מַסְכִיל (maskîl), a poem intended to promote insight. The word comes from the verb…
And you shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, in order to humble you, putting you to the test, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. Deuteronomy 8:2 NASB The test – In the NASB 95, this phrase is…
Now at this time, as the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint developed on the part of the [b]Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food. Acts 6:1 NASB Hellenistic Jews – Notice the footnote? Here’s what it says: “Jews who adopted the Gr language and much of Gr culture through acculturation.” In other words, Luke notes…
Now if people struggle with each other and strike a pregnant woman so that she gives birth prematurely, but there is no injury, the guilty person shall certainly be fined as the woman’s husband may demand of him, and he shall pay as the judges decide. But if there is any further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life, Exodus…
And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:4 ESV Perfect – Perhaps the most insidious mistranslation of a Torah concept is the idea of perfection. Theology is filled with this thoroughly Greek idea. So is rabbinic Judaism. Thanks to the disease of Hellenism, the Parmenidean…
So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free. John 8:36 NASB Free – Freedom is an important idea in the modern world, so important that there’s a blessing about it in one version of the Siddur. Here’s the blessing from a Siddur: But here’s the same blessing in the orthodox Siddur Ashkenaz:…
So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free. John 8:36 NASB Free – eleutheróō. “To set free.” The Greek verb is contrasted to being a slave. To be set free is to be redeemed from slavery. This is not merely a political act. To be really free is to experience independent self-determination. …
So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free. John 8:36 NASB Free – Did you read the statements of Jonathan Sacks from yesterday’s edition? Oh, if you didn’t, then go back before you read this. Do you remember what he wrote? “Atonement and forgiveness are the supreme expressions of human freedom –…
Different cultures tell different stories. The great novelists of the nineteenth century wrote fiction that is essentially ethical. Jane Austen and George Eliot explored the connection between character and happiness. There is a palpable continuity between their work and the book of Ruth. Dickens, more in the tradition of the prophets, wrote about society and its…
