Reworking the Paradigm

Come near me, redeem me.  Because of my enemies, ransom me.  Psalm 69:19 [Hebrew Bible]  Robert Alter Ransom – Let’s examine the implicit paradigm in this verse.  Remember that the true role of the exegete is to interpret the text according to the thought patterns of the original audience and author.  That means making crystal…

SOL (Sorry, Out of Luck)

No one can by any means redeem another or give God a ransom for him—  Psalm 49:7 NASB By any means – We looked at this verse some time ago.[1] On the surface, it completely overturns the penal theory of atonement, a theory that was articulated by Reformation theology and is typical of evangelical thinking today.  “Jesus paid it all” is a…

Who’s In Charge?

Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have ransomed me, O Lord, God of truth.  Psalm 31:5  NASB I commit my spirit– Exodus 34:7.  Yes, that’s right.  The infamous verse about “visiting the iniquity of the fathers” uses the same verb we find here, pāqad. Speiser writes, “There is probably no other Hebrew verb that has caused translators…

The Passover Sacrifice

 “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”  Mark 10:45  NASB Ransom – Yesterday we looked at the verb tense issues with John’s declaration.  Hebrew isn’t Greek.  Things might be different.  But we still need to explore the idea…

Makes You Free

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”  Mark 10:45  NASB Ransom – The question before us is not, “Did Yeshua die as an atonement for us?”  That fact is made as clear as it could be in Scripture. …

Who Will Pay?

On the next day Moses said to the people, “You yourselves have committed a great sin; and now I am going up to the LORD, perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” Exodus 32:30  NASB Make atonement – God is never appeased!  Appeasement is demanded by pagan deities, not by YHWH.  Why?  Because appeasement…