Tag: Old Testament

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…

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…

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

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…

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…

Biblical Studies Biblical Theology Inductive Study Methods Old Testament Studies

Passion and Awe in Psalm 8

June 28, 2017 Andrew Sargent

When reading biblical poetry, one must learn to connect with the poem on more than one level. While it is important to carefully define the Hebrew words being employed in…

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 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…

101 Most Misunderstood Verses Biblical Language Issues Old Testament Studies

An Argument for Flexible Interpretation in Isaiah 44:18

August 17, 2016 Andrew Sargent

The identity of “HE” in Isaiah 44:18 is in the end a mystery, but the question itself and the journey that results from the pursuit of an answer is invaluable.…

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

Who Put the Us in Genesis?

August 12, 2016 Andrew Sargent

In Genesis 1:26, we find, “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” Genesis 3:22 reads, “Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has…

101 Most Misunderstood Verses Bible Backgrounds Biblical Language Issues Old Testament Studies

Becoming Like our Idols in Isaiah 44:18

August 8, 2016 Andrew Sargent

We’ve been considering the identity of the grand “HE” in Isaiah 44:18. Speaking of those who make and worship idols, Isaiah says, “They do not know; they do not understand…

101 Most Misunderstood Verses Biblical Language Issues HAGALAH Old Testament Studies

God, Idols and the Human Heart in Isaiah 44:18

August 5, 2016 Andrew Sargent

In our last post on Isaiah 44:18, “Why Is It So Hard to Translate Isaiah 44:18?” we posited the translation “They do not know; they do not understand because he…

101 Most Misunderstood Verses Biblical Language Issues

Why Is It So Hard to Translate Isaiah 44:18?

August 1, 2016 Andrew Sargent

I will never understand why it is so hard to get a good translation of Isaiah 44:18. (Actually, I do understand, but that wouldn’t have made such a catchy first…

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

The Great HE in Isaiah 44:18: Does God Keep People from Repenting?

July 29, 2016 Andrew Sargent

Who is the grand “HE” in Isaiah 44:18. Of Idol makers and Idol worshipers, Isaiah says, “They do not know; they do not understand because he plastered over their eyes…

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

Getting out the Pagan Within Part 5: The Significance of the Central Saying—A Biblical Theology of I Samuel 15:27-31

July 25, 2016 Andrew Sargent

Samuel’s speech to Saul in 1 Samuel 15:28-29 contains an important theological message for both Saul and the reader. It’s meaning, however, has been concealed within rather strange cultural practices…

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

Getting out the Pagan Within Part 6: A Biblical Theology of I Samuel 15:27-31 in Context

June 3, 2016 Andrew Sargent

In our last few posts on 1 Samuel 15:27-31, we attempted to unpack the text in context in order to draw out of it, the narrator’s intended theological message… i.e.…

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

Getting out the Pagan Within Part 4: The Sanctimonious Serenades of Saul—A Biblical Theology of I Samuel 15:27-31

May 30, 2016 Andrew Sargent

So far, we have considered 1 Samuel 15 from a different angles. We have discovered how serious Saul’s sin is. A sin akin to defiling the Ark of the Covenant…

101 Most Misunderstood Verses Bible Backgrounds Biblical Language Issues Biblical Studies Biblical Theology HAGALAH Inductive Study Methods Old Testament Studies

Getting out the Pagan Within Part 3: The Sense of Snatching Samuel’s Skirt—A Biblical Theology of I Samuel 15:27-31

May 27, 2016 Andrew Sargent

We are looking at the divine condemnation of Saul’s dynasty in 1 Samuel 15, having already considered the seriousness of the sin which lead directly to it. In the midst…