Exegetically Speaking

The Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6 reads in the NIV: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." In the Greek wording, the first occurrence of the word 'heaven' is plural in form, but the second is singular. Close attention to this difference across the Greek OT and NT reveals a difference in meaning between those forms of the same...

Prof. N. T. "Tom" Wright returns to our podcast to discuss Eph. 3:10 and its vision for the church in the present age: God's "intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known." God created us so that through us he could show the world who he is, in particular, by a community of all races and nations drawn together in love. Rev. Dr. N. T. Wright  is Research...

The Gospels tell us the story of John the Baptist and Jesus in distinct ways. Mark's narrative is a fast-moving action story, comparable in some ways to John Grisham's style. Attention to Mark's use of the aorist tense in particular helps us appreciate where the real action is. Michael Kibbe earned his Ph. D. at Wheaton Graduate School , and is Associate Professor of Bible at Great Northern Univer...

Psalm 46 is a psalm for our moment, and its encouraging message is amplified when read in Hebrew. The psalm reminds us that amidst the nations in uproar, and battles, and devastations, and mountains falling into the sea, the God of Jacob is our high fortress, lifting us above the chaos. Our instinct in turmoil is to tighten our grip on things. The psalmist advises us to let go and know that the Lo...

1 Peter 2:23 is translated in the NIV as, "When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats." Close attention to the Greek grammar can illuminate that Christ's non-retaliation was an enduring one, outlasting the repeated attacks made on him. Dr. Darian Lockett is Professor of New Testament at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, and a teachi...

In Daniel 12:2-3 the dead awake, some to life, some to shame and contempt. This has long been understood to refer to bodily resurrection, one of a few such OT passages. But there are indications in the text's language that its intended sense is otherwise. John Walton, Old Testament Professor Emeritus at  Wheaton Graduate School , is a frequent contributor to this podcast. One of his most recent pu...

1 Timothy 4:1 is translated by the NLT, "Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith." Some take the Greek behind "the last times" to mean "the last days," the extreme end of history. But is that Paul's meaning? Dr. Jermo van Nes is Assistant Professor of New Testament at Evangelische Theologische Faculteit, Leuven, Belgium. Among his publica...

Proverbs 15:12 is translated, "mockers resent correction" (NIV), "scoffers do not like to be rebuked" (NRSV), "mockers hate to be corrected" (NLT), and in other ways. Close attention to the Hebrew wording enhances our awareness of the character type (the scoffer) and the response to reproof (does not love it). Dr. Arthur Keefer is a Presbyterian Minister at the Scots' Church in Melbourne and an Ho...

A close and careful reading of the words and grammatical constructions of Revelation 3:20 will clarify at whose door the Lord stands, and the strong encouragement of what he is doing there. Dr. Scott Duvall is Fuller Professor of New Testament at Ouachita Baptist University. Among his publications are (with J. Daniel Hays), Grasping God's Word, Fourth Edition: A Hands-On Approach to Reading, Inter...

When an OT character is first introduced in narrative literature, we are typically given important clues about who they are and what they are going to do. So it is with Elijah, a foreigner who would seem to be an unlikely opponent of Baal worship. Dr. David Firth is Old Testament Lecturer at Trinity College, Bristol, UK. Among his publications are, Including the Stranger: Foreigners in the Former...

Among the spiritual gifts Paul lists in Romans 12 is diakonia , often translated simply as "ministry" or "service." The social context of the Greek speaking world can assist us in understanding more fully what this term signified for them. Dr. Teresa McCaskill is an independent researcher who resides in central Florida. She has authored Gifts and Ritual: The Charismata of Romans 12: 6-8 in the Con...