The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! (Matthew 6:22-23) Over the years, these mysterious […]
I was recently interviewed on a podcast called “The Dust Cast: Exploring the Ancient Hebraic Context of the Bible.” I had a great conversation with the host, Jason Mahler, about the current book I’m working on, Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus, as well as some questions from earlier books. We talked about the “two […]
A few months ago I shared my latest project, 5 Hebrew Words that Every Christian Should Know. It’s a bite-sized Bible study of five flavorful Hebrew words. It’s a little different than any study you’ve likely done before. Readers explore the breadth of each Hebrew word by examining it in various passages and by comparing […]
Have you noticed the latest food trend? Growing numbers of people are into artisanal foods. They love organic cheeses and heirloom vegetables, farmer’s markets and food co-ops. They want to eat slow food, not fast food. It takes more time and effort, but it’s worth it, they say. You know what? I’m into artisanal Bible […]
* Extra * Extra * Extra * Hot off the presses! Announcing my new ebook: . 5 Hebrew Words that Every Christian Should Know A friendly, bite-sized Bible study of five flavorful Hebrew words. In this introductory word study, readers get a taste of the ancient wisdom of Hebrew, the […]
A friendly, bite-sized study of five flavorful Hebrew words. Readers taste the ancient wisdom of Hebrew and see how useful it can be for reading both Old and New Testaments. (Ebook, 2014)
You haven’t heard much from me lately, and it’s because I’ve been putting the finishing touches on something new. It’s an ebook! This is my first venture in this new medium. It’s called… drumroll… 5 Hebrew Words that Every Christian Should Know A Bite-Sized Bible Study This is an introductory word study of […]
There are some Hebrew words that really can’t be translated into English, and pakad is one of the most fascinating. It can be a wonderful word or a terrible word, depending on the context. How can this be?
Recently I posted an article called, “Does God Want Us to Fear Him?” It was about the fact that the Hebrew word that we translate as “fear,” also means “awe” and “reverence.” Just now I picked up Rabbi Abraham Heschel’s classic book God in Search of Man and read a magnificent quote from him on […]
Many of us are frustrated by why no one seems to be able to come up with one perfect English Bible translation. Why are there so many versions? Why can’t we just have one final, best English translation? A major reason is because of one aspect of language that most of us don’t appreciate. When […]
When you speak, you “paint.” Each language has a palette with a finite amount of colors that have evolved from the cultural memories of its users. When you try to “paint” a scene in a different language, the same words can have different shades of meaning, so the result is never exactly the same.
The word “fear” is common in the Old Testament, and to many it sounds like we should cringe in dread of God’s presence. We also find “fear” in the New Testament too. Why is there so much fear in the Bible?