Exegetically Speaking

The first chapter of Esther impresses many readers as simple background information for the following story. Taking a hint from the Jewish Targums (Aramaic translations of the OT), Ron Lindo found that there are many allusions to 1 Kings 1-10, suggesting parallels between the Persian king, Ahasuerus (Xerxes), and Israel's King Solomon. Dr. Lindo is Assistant Professor of Christian Ministry at East...

Luke reports that Jesus, in the days following his resurrection but before his ascension, "presented himself alive... by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God" (ESV). Grammatically and contextually, it turns out, the "proofs" do not merely refer to the physical evidence for the resurrection (Luke 24:36-43) but also to the way that Jesus's death and...

The phrase, "the church of God," is used only by Paul in the NT, and occurs only once in the OT, in Nehemiah 13:1. Is Paul's use of the phrase under the influence of this OT passage, and, if so, what would the connection entail? Dr. Gregory Beale , long time Professor of New Testament at Wheaton College & Graduate School , and elsewhere, is currently Professor of New Testament at Reformed Theologi...

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us" (John 1:14, NIV). The verb ( σκηνόω ) translated as "made his dwelling" occurs in the NT also in Rev. 7:15; 12:12; 13:6; and 21:3. It turns out to be a suggestive verb with a strong history in the OT connected with Moses' tabernacle. Dr. Denis L. Salgado is the Lead Research Fellow & Assistant Executive Director at the Center for the Study of...

In the Hebrew of Jonah 3:4, the prophet announces a forty day delay before judgment falls on the Assyrian city of Nineveh. In the Greek version (LXX) of the same passage, the period allowed is just three days. Sometimes the Greek version is a more reliable witness to the original than the Hebrew, since the Hebrew may exist only in later copies. So did Jonah announce a deadline of three days or for...

In a passage closely paralleled in Micah 4, the entire book of Isaiah is anticipated. A Hebrew particle in Isa. 2:3, the meaning of which is debated, hints at the scope of the inclusion of the nations (Gentiles) in God's dealings with Israel and the nations' own misgivings about the extent of their inclusion. Will they experience partial or full participation? Dr. David Baer, a Wheaton College alu...

Dr. David Baer, a Wheaton College alum and a missionary with Mesa Global, is Director of Mesa Scholars and Professor of Old Testament and Biblical Languages at Medellín's Biblical Seminary of Colombia. In this episode he announces and explains a planned Erasmus Academy of Biblical Languages, which will be a Spanish language institution, based in Colombia, serving as a platform for learning the bib...

Prof. George Kalantzis returns for a third comment on one of the Bible's most well-known verses, John 3:16. A seemingly small question – should the English pronoun 'his' be inserted where the Greek has only the article 'the'? – swells with importance when viewed through the lens of the church's theological growth over the centuries following the apostles. Dr. George Kalantzis is Professor of Theol...

The KJV of 2 Sam. 17:3 reads in part, "And I will bring back all the people unto thee: the man whom thou seekest is as if all returned: so all the people shall be in peace," whereas the ESV reads, "and I will bring all the people back to you as a bride comes home to her husband. You seek the life of only one man, and all the people will be at peace." Behind this difference is a fascinating story o...

Paul writes to the Philippian believers, "if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love . . . ." Does he doubt that they do? How do conditional sentences work on occasions like this? Dr. Phil Ryken , who has been a regular on our podcast, is the President of  Wheaton College , 8 th  in the college's history. His most recent book is  I Have My Doubts: How...

In the hevel-ridden world of Ecclesiastes the writer is asking whether it is all worth it for human beings. These reflections resonate with a modern audience, but what can be hard to grasp in translation is the sound of the Hebrew sentences, which itself assists in conveying the intended meaning. Bradley Cameron  (PhD, Wheaton), who has been on the podcast before, is Visiting Assistant Professor o...

In Luke 19:3, Zacchaeus is unable to see Jesus because he is short. Is it possible that the short person in question is Jesus?   Jon C. Laansma  is Gerald F. Hawthorne Professor of New Testament Greek & Exegesis and the Director of the  Classical Languages  program at Wheaton College, and also the Wheaton-based director of this podcast series. Some of his publications may be found here . He is cur...

The traditional translations of Gen. 2:24 have the man "leaving his father and mother," "clinging to his wife," and "becoming one flesh." The assumed frame of reference is that of marriage and sexual union. Yet situating that language in its cultural context and noting a Babylonian parallel to one of those phrases points to a corporate frame of reference. Dr. John Walton , Old Testament Professor...

When Noah ( Noach ) is first introduced in Genesis 5, it is said that "he will bring us relief ( nacham )." This and other wordplays will feature significantly throughout the entire story of the flood, not least in Gen. 6:6-8. Dr. Adam E. Miglio , a frequent contributor to our podcast, is Professor of Old Testament at  Wheaton College . His publications include  The Gilgamesh Epic in Genesis 1-11:...

In a Trinitarian passage, Jesus (the Son) declares, "I will ask the Father, and he will give you another παράκλητος ( parakletos ), to be with you forever." The understanding of that Greek designation of the Holy Spirit is critical for grasping the promise of Jesus, the assurance it contains, and the marks of its fulfillment.  Dr. Phil Ryken , who has been a regular on our podcast, is the Presiden...

Some modern translations of John 20:2 have Mary exclaiming, "They have taken away the Lord's body from the tomb." The word "body" is not in the Greek sentence, and its insertion might dampen our sympathy with Mary's profound grief. Dr. Amy Peeler has contributed several episodes to this podcast. She is the Kenneth T. Wessner Chair of Biblical Studies, Professor of New Testament, and Chair of the P...

We are approaching the centenary of the discovery of the Ugaritic language, which belongs to the same family of languages as Hebrew, Aramaic, Moabite, and others. This relationship with Hebrew permits insights to flow both from Hebrew to Ugaritic and Ugaritic to Hebrew. One illustration of this is found in Prov. 12:17. A word traditionally parsed as a verb in a context that seemed to call for a no...

Due to his extensive writing and lecturing John Walton is recognized as a leading scholar on OT backgrounds. His attempts to convey this research to varied audiences, often non-specialists, has led him to search out imagery that will make even involved ideas more intuitively accessible. One such metaphor is that of cultural "backpacks." Dr. John Walton , Old Testament Professor Emeritus at  Wheato...

When, in one of Jesus' most well-known parables, the "prodigal son" returns, his older brother feels wronged by the warm reception accorded by their father. The charges he lays against his younger brother may be even stronger than often realized if we perceive echoes of a key scene in Homer's  Odyssey . Dr. Alexander Loney  is Associate Professor of Classical Languages and the Coordinator of the ...

In a recent episode, Dr. Ellie Paley walked us through Job 42:6, Job's final response to God's answer from the whirlwind. The very next verse, Job 42:7, presents the conundrum of how Job, who was just rebuked by God, is now commended by God in contrast to his three friends. The Hebrew wording suggests that the key difference between Job and his friends lies in the direction of their speaking: To G...

Though most often cited at funerals or in times of greatest difficulty, Psalm 23 has a profound message for the whole of life. A close reading of the Hebrew of the opening verses bears out some of this. Dr. Kenneth Gore is Professor of Biblical Studies at Mary C. Crowley College of Christian Faith, Dallas Baptist University. He wrote the column "Baptists Ask," for the Arkansas Baptist News from Oc...

For the 350 th  episode of this podcast, Dr Michael Bird reviews the ways in which John's Gospel presents Jesus as equal to God, and then concentrates on the language of 1:18. Is the idea that of Jesus as the "only begotten" of the Father, what would that mean, and how would later theological terminology express what John is teaching? Dr. Bird is Deputy Principal and Academic Lecturer in Theology...

Following Job's sufferings, mourning, arguments with his friends, and God's own speech to him, Job makes his final response in Job 42. But the Hebrew of Job 42:6 has been hotly contested in scholarship, with its interpretation bearing significant implications for how this afflicted God-fearer has emerged from his long-awaited encounter with God. Dr. Ellie Paley has taught courses at Duke Divinity...

Two of the shortest verses in the Bible are 1 Thess. 5:16 and 17: "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing" (NRSV). Dr. Jeff Peterson argues that that these verses are directed to leaders of the Thessalonian church, along with all of vv. 14-22, and he zeroes in on the Greek adverb translated "without ceasing." Concretely, what was Paul asking the recipients of his letter to do? Dr. Jeff Peterson is P...

John 20:31 is usually translated as John's purpose statement: "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God" (ESV). But could the clause also be understood as, "that you may believe that the Christ, the Son of God, is Jesus"? What difference would this make for how we read John's Gospel as a whole? In this episode, David Ritsema discusses the grammatical question behind this trans...