Today’s Word
Unforgivable
But the woman fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him, and told Him the whole truth. Mark 5:33 NASB Fearing and trembling – What is the relationship between sin and healing? That question plays a significant role in the gospel accounts. The disciples voice their opinion…
Stepping in It
Do not lie with a male as one lies with a woman; it is an abhorrence. Leviticus 18:22 JPS Abhorrence – When it comes to the Hebrew word to’evah (abomination, abhorrence), most discussions move immediately to this verse. Why? Because homosexuality is such a hot political/religious topic. The incendiary comments on both sides offer plenty…
Revised by Rashi
To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Genesis 3:16 ESV Pain – We have examined this verse in some detail in the past (it is also analyzed in my book, Guardian Angel). We pointed out that a small emendation in the syllabication…
Sins of the Flesh
Concerning Edom. Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Is wisdom no more in Teman? Has counsel perished from the prudent? Has their wisdom vanished?” Jeremiah 49:7 ESV Vanished – In Sanhedrin 38b the rabbis describe sin with the word sarah. The implication is insightful. Sarah is a word that describes putrification, corruption and decay. The…
Absentee Landlord
And they say, “How could God know, and is there knowledge with the Most High?” Psalm 73:11 (Robert Alter translation) Know – Put this verse into the ancient near-Eastern world. Is there any doubt that God knows? Of course not. God knows everything that happens. But in the ancient near-East, God (and the gods) doesn’t…
Exegetical Guesswork
Therefore, his people turn back to them, and find no fault in them. Psalm 73:10 ESV Turn back – Sometimes the biblical text that we have doesn’t seem to make any sense at all. Alter notes that this cryptic verse “has almost certainly suffered mangling in scribal transmission.”[1] Alter follows the proposed emendation of Hans-Joachim…
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