There are times when translators are befuddled. 1 Samuel 6:19 is one of those times. Here is the verse in several translations: NASB--"He struck down some of the men of Beth-shemesh because they had looked into the ark of the Lord. He struck down of all the people, 50,070 men" ESV--And he struck some of the … Continue reading Textual Criticism of 1 Samuel 6:19–When Translators Scratch Their Heads
As many of you know, I've been giving away my best stuff to other platforms like Christianity Today, Desiring God, and TGC for the past few years. Sometimes I do a bad job keeping you all in the loop about those posts. Sorry! Here are two recent ones posted at my alma mater SBTS's blog … Continue reading New Posts at Southern Equip and Think Christian
(a meditation in Malachi 1) "I have loved you," says the Lord. "How have you loved us?" How dare the question even enter our minds? We try to pierce you through with the sharp sarcasm of our tongue. How? How? The fact that you would answer such an obtuse question is sheer grace and mercy, Lord. Such … Continue reading When We Question the Lord’s Love (Malachi 1)
I think there is a bit of mystique that shrouds a pastor's study: What exactly is taking place in there? How does he emerge with a sermon to preach every Sunday? And does he have a mini-fridge in there? Recently, someone asked about my sermon preparation, and I thought I would swing wide the door to … Continue reading Preparing a Sermon from the Original Languages
I'm working on a project involving Proverbs 31, and I've really fallen in love with the poetry of it's twenty-two lines. The famous work is an acrostic, each line beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Hopefully there will be much more to come on the poem from me, but for now I … Continue reading Translating Proverbs 31 Afresh
I am eternally grateful for our English translations. On the 500th anniversary of the 95 Theses, we remember how the Reformational belief in the priesthood of all believers drove men like John Wycliffe, William Tyndale, and Martin Luther to translate the Bible into the language of common Christians. That being said, I am still occasionally … Continue reading Babel and Babylon Are the Same City
The Bible is so meta--interconnected, self-referential, delicately woven together like the most beautiful spiderweb you've ever seen glistening in the early light of dawn. I came across one of those places in the Bible that connects all the dots in a single sentence yesterday in 2 Chronicles: "Then Solomon began to build the house of the … Continue reading Mt. Moriah: The Firm Foundation of Solomon’s Temple
