Tag: Interpretation

101 Most Misunderstood Verses Biblical Studies Biblical Theology HAGALAH Inductive Study Methods Old Testament Studies

Saul Loses the Girl and Gains a Doomed Throne

April 6, 2018 Andrew Sargent

In recent posts, I’ve been considering biblical variations on the type-scene, “Foreigner at the Well.” Perhaps you are tired of reading about it… you have been reading about it haven’t…

101 Most Misunderstood Verses Biblical Language Issues Biblical Studies Biblical Theology HAGALAH Old Testament Studies

What’s Good for the Gander is Good for the Goose: “The Foreigner at the Well” in Ruth

April 4, 2018 Andrew Sargent

In recent blogs, I’ve been considering the alluring and powerfully theological type-scene “Foreigner at the Well.” It is common for people to develop in their entertainment of any form typical…

101 Most Misunderstood Verses Biblical Studies Biblical Theology HAGALAH Old Testament Studies

I’ll Have One “Foreigner at the Well” with a Twist

March 30, 2018 Andrew Sargent

In my recent post, “Wells: The Singles’ Bars of the Ancient Near East,”—I just call ‘em like I see ‘em Folks! Don’t judge me—I discussed the beauty of the ancient…

101 Most Misunderstood Verses Bible Backgrounds Biblical Studies Biblical Theology Old Testament Studies

Wells: The Singles’ Bars of the Ancient Near East

March 28, 2018 Andrew Sargent

One of my great-uncles, a true good-ol’boy from west Texas, once said to my great-grandmother, “Mamma, it’s hard to find a good woman like you out there.” She replied, “There…

Biblical Studies Biblical Theology Old Testament Studies Society Theology

Progressives Don’t Want to Help the Poor to escape Poverty—Entitlement Programs aren’t Charity or Charitable

March 21, 2018 Andrew Sargent

One of the frustrations I face as a biblical theologian is the confusion that biblical laws regarding the poor cause Christians who cannot tell the difference between charity and entitlement…

101 Most Misunderstood Verses Bible Backgrounds Biblical Language Issues Biblical Studies NT's Use of the OT Old Testament Studies

Hallelujah: Call “of” Praise or Call “to” Praise

March 12, 2018 Andrew Sargent

After discussing, in my recent blog post, “Hallelujah is a Sentence,” that the biblical “term” Hallelujah has grammar and that we should both be aware of that grammar and use…

Biblical Theology HAGALAH Inductive Study Methods Theology

What I Mean by Biblical Theology

December 8, 2017 Andrew Sargent

How hard could it possibly be to find agreement on the meaning of a phrase as simple as biblical theology? In truth… harder than I’d like. Biblical theology is not,…

101 Most Misunderstood Verses Biblical Language Issues Biblical Studies New Testament Studies Old Testament Studies

Hallelujah is a Sentence

August 11, 2017 Andrew Sargent

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…

Biblical Language Issues Biblical Studies Communication HAGALAH

Bible Reading is Cross-cultural Communication

July 14, 2017 Andrew Sargent

Communication at its most basic is the use of symbols to affect the understanding of another. The symbols at a communicator’s disposal are both verbal and non-verbal. Verbal tools are…

Biblical Language Issues Biblical Studies

An Additional 3 Reasons Every Christian Leader Should Learn Biblical Languages

July 12, 2017 Andrew Sargent

If you still aren’t convinced that learning biblical languages is worth the effort and time it will take to learn them (which is not as much as you imagine), I’ll…

Communication

5 Ways to Avoid Miscommunication

July 5, 2017 Andrew Sargent

Let’s be honest, when you understand what communication is at its roots, you’ll realize that you cannot avoid miscommunication… not altogether. It takes two to tango (That’s what my betters…

Biblical Language Issues Biblical Studies

Yet 3 More Reasons Every Christian Leader Should Learn Biblical Languages

July 3, 2017 Andrew Sargent

I don’t know about you, but I am constantly bombarded by “helpful” suggestions about all the things I ought to be doing about my health, my work, my family, my…

Communication

Learning How Communication Works, So You Can Work it Better

June 26, 2017 Andrew Sargent

A centipede was happy – quite!Until a toad in funSaid, “Pray, which leg moves after which?”This raised her doubts to such a pitch,She fell exhausted in the ditchNot knowing how…

Biblical Language Issues Biblical Studies

Another 3 Reasons Every Christian Leader Should Learn Biblical Languages

June 23, 2017 Andrew Sargent

Don’t allow self-defensive thoughts like, “So, everything I’ve done for X years was a misguided waste?” “So, I’m not good enough?” “So! You think I can’t properly interpret the Scriptures…

Biblical Theology Theology

A Biblical Theologian in a Systematic Theology World

June 21, 2017 Andrew Sargent

When I passed inspection for receiving my ministerial license, the individual responsible for my review spread out, like a row of piano keys, the many pages of answers I gave…

Biblical Language Issues Biblical Studies Inductive Study Methods Old Testament Studies

10 Things You Need to Know About Hebrew Poetry

June 19, 2017 Andrew Sargent

Poetry, by definition, is usually regarded as distinct from another category of writing called Prose. To express it simply, Prose is normal writing. It reflects the speech patterns of typical…

Biblical Language Issues Biblical Studies

3 Reasons Every Christian Leader Should Learn Biblical Languages

June 16, 2017 Andrew Sargent

I realize that the second someone makes a statement like, “Every Christian leader should learn biblical languages,” feelings of condemnation erupt. “So, everything I’ve done for X years was a…

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

January 18, 2017 Andrew Sargent

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…

Biblical Language Issues

Bible Study as Conversation: The Interdependence of Ages

November 2, 2016 Andrew Sargent

I’ve been sharing my thoughts of late on the subject of reading Scripture in translation and the common discomfort that Evangelicals usually feel when scholars suggest that there is some…

Biblical Language Issues

Don’t Know Greek & Hebrew? Read Several Different Translations

October 31, 2016 Andrew Sargent

Growing up it was not uncommon for the leaders in my church to claim that Scripture, being inspired, was easy to understand. Why would God speak to his people in…