Raised Hands and Bitter Hearts

If you know your Bible, then you'll be familiar with the episode in Exodus where the people of Israel leave Egypt. God had delivered the Israelites from the bondage and servitude they suffered in Egypt. You can understand why they would march out of Egypt with hands held high in victory (Ex 14:8). Years of … Continue reading Raised Hands and Bitter Hearts →

Reflections on the Great Cycle Challenge

A year ago, I had never heard of the Great Cycle Challenge. I hadn't really cycled too much since 2014-15, so it's no surprise I hadn't heard of it. After Ethen's cancer diagnosis last April, and lots of restless hours in the hospital with him, I had to do something to maintain my own mental … Continue reading Reflections on the Great Cycle Challenge →

“Be Glad,” or Rejoice, Part II

As a follow-up to my previous blog entry, I felt as though I should do an analysis of the most common Hebrew word that is translated with English words in the "joy," "rejoice," "be glad" family. That is, the Hebrew verb שׂמח (samach). I am again focusing on occurrences of the term in the Psalms, … Continue reading “Be Glad,” or Rejoice, Part II →

Rejoice?

Ps 2:11—"Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling" (ESV). "Rejoice" is a fairly common word in the Bible. In the NRSV, the English word "rejoice" occurs 280 times. This number is reduced to 268 occurrences in the KJV. It is further reduced to 233 in the ESV. In the ESV, the word "rejoice" … Continue reading Rejoice? →

Isaiah 3:10 (Septuagint)

I love the biblical text. I also love learning about how it was transmitted and what sorts of alterations occurred in this process. The Septuagint, one strand of the transmission of the biblical text, offers numerous interesting readings. This first installment of "Versional Readings" comes from the book of Isaiah. Isa 3:10—εἰπόντες Δήσωμεν τὸν δίκαιον, … Continue reading Isaiah 3:10 (Septuagint) →

Shepherd or Shatter?

Ps 2:9—"You shall break them with a rod of iron" The term usually translated "break" in English Bibles has an interesting rendering in the Septuagint. In the Septuagint, we find, "You will shepherd them with a rod of iron." The explanation is simple enough. In unpointed script the Hebrew could be understood as "break" or … Continue reading Shepherd or Shatter? →

Raging or Conspiring?

Psalm 2:1—"Why do the nations conspire, and the peoples plot in vain?" (NRSV). The word translated "conspire" is elsewhere translated "so furiously rage together" (as one finds in Handel's, Messiah, part 2, scene 6, for instance). These renderings, or variations thereof, are the two most common translations for the Hebrew רָגְשׁ֣וּ. Why is there a disparity in English … Continue reading Raging or Conspiring? →

Planted or Transplanted?

Psalm 1:3—"He will be like a tree planted by streams of water that bears its fruit in its season, and whose leaves do not wither. He will prosper at whatever he does." The word שָׁתוּל is usually translated, "planted," in English translations; however, there may be an exegetical point in this lexical choice. The psalmist could have … Continue reading Planted or Transplanted? →

Scoffers

Psalm 1:1—"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stays in the path of sinners, nor dwells in the place of scoffers." The word lying behind the English word generally translated "scoffers" in Ps 1:1 is the Hebrew word לצים (le̅tzîm). The Hebrew word is not too common, but common … Continue reading Scoffers →