4 Things You May not Know about Holiness
Words for Holiness in Greek, Hebrew & Aramaic appear over 1000x in Scripture. Issues of holiness were important to those in the biblical era. Almost every aspect of life was…
101 Most Misunderstood Verses
Bible Backgrounds
Biblical Language Issues
Biblical Studies
Intertestamental History & Literature
Old Testament Studies
Tweaking Your Enemies Hebrew Style
In my previous blog, “What’s in a Name?” I started a discussion on the importance of paying attention to the meaning of names in the Bible. Sometimes what comes out…
101 Most Misunderstood Verses
Bible Backgrounds
Biblical Language Issues
Biblical Studies
HAGALAH
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What’s in a Name?
In our own western culture the connection between names and meaning is rather slight. I know this, in part, because I am one of those annoying, but well meaning, people…
101 Most Misunderstood Verses
Biblical Language Issues
Biblical Studies
New Testament Studies
Old Testament Studies
Hallelujah is a Sentence
At the risk of sounding like a petulant child… well, a petulant child that complains about the frequent misuse of ancient Hebrew in weekly church services…. Which now that I…
101 Most Misunderstood Verses
Bible Backgrounds
Biblical Language Issues
Biblical Studies
HAGALAH
Old Testament Studies
Concubine as Paradigm
In considering the meaning of a simple word like concubine one finds an excellent example of the challenges that face modern attempts to represent many biblical terms. Sometimes we not…
The Danger of Using Matthew 18:19-20 to Speak about Prayer
Mat 18:19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them…
Do the New Testament Writer’s Care About Context, Part 9: Back to Matthew 2:15
So in Chapter 2 verse 15, Matthew deems Joseph’s return to Israel after a quick escape from Herod by hiding out in Egypt for a time to be a fulfillment…
Do the New Testament Writer’s Care About Context, Part 8: The Power of Hindsight
Let’s consider the 7th of seven paths of investigation needed to unlock potential rationales behind NT authors’ use of OT texts. Matthew 2:15 says that an historical comment in Hosea…
Do the New Testament Writer’s Care About Context, Part 7: The Impact of Worldview on “Contextual Reading”
Today I want to consider the 6th of seven paths of investigation that a person should take in an attempt to understand a New Testament author’s USE of an Old…
101 Most Misunderstood Verses
Bible Backgrounds
HAGALAH
New Testament Studies
NT's Use of the OT
Old Testament Studies
Do the New Testament Writer’s Care About Context, Part 6: Common Hermeneutical and Homiletical Practices Inform Us
Today I want to consider the 5th of seven paths of investigation that a person should take in an attempt to understand a New Testament author’s USE of an Old…
101 Most Misunderstood Verses
Bible Backgrounds
Biblical Language Issues
HAGALAH
New Testament Studies
NT's Use of the OT
Mixed Netzer: How does Jesus as a Nazarene Fulfill Scripture… The radio spot
This is an edited sermon about the meaning behind Matthew’s claim that Joseph moving to Nazareth was a fulfillment of Scripture. It explores the meaning of “fulfillment” in the New…
101 Most Misunderstood Verses
Biblical Language Issues
Biblical Studies
Biblical Theology
HAGALAH
Inductive Study Methods
Old Testament Studies
Without a Vision… People Misinterpret Proverbs 29:18; Radio Spot. Take a Listen
In this edited sermon, I address the common misinterpretation of the line in Isaiah 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people perish. First people fail to quote the whole…
101 Most Misunderstood Verses
Bible Backgrounds
HAGALAH
Inductive Study Methods
Meeting the Jesus of Mark
New Testament Studies
True and False Religion… the Radio Spot. Take a Listen
This is the 8th narrative sermon in the Gospel of Mark in which Jesus’ confrontation of the Pharisaic regulations called “The Traditions of the Elders,” which are a body of…
Do the New Testament Writers Care about Context, Part 1: Fulfillment Issues in Matthew 2:15
Matthew 2:15 is one of those passages that bothered me a lot when I was a young Bible college student. After reading the original passage from which this “fulfillment” was…
101 Most Misunderstood Verses
Bible Backgrounds
HAGALAH
Inductive Study Methods
Old Testament Studies
Historical Hermeneutics and Saul’s Grabbing of Samuel’s Hem in 1 Samuel 15:23-31
The garment hem plays an unexpected role in many Scriptures. It is unexpected because we have nothing like it in our western world. Below is a link a recent lecture…
101 Most Misunderstood Verses
Bible Backgrounds
Biblical Studies
Biblical Theology
HAGALAH
New Testament Studies
NT's Use of the OT
Old Testament Studies
Nazarenes, Rednecks, and Other Well-meaning Slurs
I love puzzles, always have. Growing up, I saw puzzles of all kinds as a natural exercise of my desire to be a detective someday, tracing out subtle clues to…
101 Most Misunderstood Verses
Biblical Studies
HAGALAH
New Testament Studies
NT's Use of the OT
Old Testament Studies
Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me as Quote NOT Statement: Psalm 22:1 in the New Testament
Matthew 27:46 reads, “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken…
101 Most Misunderstood Verses
Biblical Studies
Biblical Theology
New Testament Studies
NT's Use of the OT
Systematic & Historical Theology
A Quote is Not a Direct Statement: Psalm 22 & The Forensics of the Cross
One of the most popular quotes by Christians about Jesus on the Cross is a quote by Jesus on the Cross. In Matthew 27:46 it says, “About the ninth hour…
The LORD God Walking in the Cool of the Judgment Scene: Genesis 3:8 in Light of Storm Theophany
In my last blog I began discussing issues of grammar and word meaning in Genesis 3:8. The text is typically translated with something akin to “And they heard the sound…
The LORD God Walking in the Cool of the Judgment Scene: Genesis 3:8
In my series, 101 Most Misunderstood Passages, there are different sorts of texts that I tackle. Some I am adamant about. Others are reasonable curiosities. The rest fill out the…