Exegetically Speaking

Following his resurrection in Luke 24 Jesus startles his disciples by appearing among them when they are talking about him. By v. 41, properly understood, they are still not believing. Luke's implicit argument about what finally brings them to faith requires close attention to the Greek wording and clues as to discourse structure. Dr. J. D. Atkins is Associate Professor of New Testament Language a...

In Matthew 6, is Jesus talking about "healthy" and "unhealthy" eyes, as translations sometimes have it (e.g., NIV, ESV, NLT), or is the Greek expression an idiom that Jewish listeners would have readily understood in another way? Dr. Brad H. Young is Emeritus Professor in Judaic Christian Studies with an emphasis in Biblical Literature at Oral Roberts University Graduate School of Theology and Min...

What sort of work do the Scriptures forbid on the Sabbath? What sort of work is allowed? Attention to the Hebrew words used in connection with the Sabbath and in other contexts sheds some light on these questions. Dr. Baruch Kvasnika is President of  Jerusalem Seminary , which equips believers to understand their faith in and through the land of the Bible. His dissertation at The Hebrew University...

Toward the close of his short letter to Philemon, Paul offers to pay any debt Onesimus may owe Philemon, and adds (ESV), "I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self." The last words are often viewed as heavy-handed, but are better understood as an instance of paralipsis in which Paul "brings up something without bringing it up." He is e...

In an important line, Paul is frequently understood to be referring to at least two laws, the law of Moses, which the apostle is no longer "under," and a law of Christ, which he is still "under" (1 Cor. 9:21). Jewish parallels and the Greek words Paul uses suggest, however, that it is Paul's commission to preach the gospel that can override some Mosaic laws when they hinder his mission. Paul appea...

In the opening line of Mark's Gospel Jesus is referred to as "the Son of God," except that the Greek phrasing in this instance, somewhat non-typically, lacks any definite article. That this idiom echoes imperial propaganda is seen to be   likely when a Roman centurion employs the same wording as he observes how Jesus died on their cross. Dr. Christopher Hays, a return contributor to this podcast,...

When the king of Egypt is first introduced in our OT book of Exodus he is not named, nor thereafter. But the book itself in Hebrew is called "Names," and even the midwives are named (Exod. 1:15). Egyptians tended to treat the kings of their enemies the same way. Dr. Oliver Hersey is the 11 th president of Jerusalem University College. This college, located on the southwestern corner of Mount Zion,...

John's longer letter begins with a series of clauses headed by neuter relative pronouns without clear antecedents. In particular, the neuter gender draws our attention. To what do they refer and how does this relate to John's larger concerns? Dr. Elizabeth Mburu, who contributed earlier to this podcast , is Associate Professor of New Testament and Greek at Africa International University, Nairobi,...

Looking at ancient copies (manuscripts) of the Old Testament is necessary if we are to reconstruct the earliest wording of the texts, but the manuscripts can also shed light on the ancient scribes, their work, and perennial challenges of interpretation. For example, 4Q Jeremiah A (dates to around 225-175 B.C.E.), one of the Qumran Scrolls, has some interesting wording at Jer. 14:6. Dr. Andrew B. P...

The RSV's translation of the "cleansing of the temple" in John 2:15 is in part, "And making a whip of cords, he drove them all, with the sheep and oxen, out of the temple." John's Greek, however, suggests that Jesus was using the whip only on the animals, which might have other implications for interpretation. Dr. Croy is the author of a widely used beginning Greek grammar, A Primer of Biblical Gr...

The opening words of Matthew's Gospel are translated as, "An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah" (NRSV), or "This is the genealogy . . ." (NIV), or "This is a record of the ancestors . . ." (NLT). A comparison with the parallels in Genesis and a look at what Matthew actually composes suggest that Matthew had something else in mind. David Capes , formerly Dean of Biblical & Theological S...

The Colossian churches had shifted their attention from Christ to calendrical matters, mediatorial figures, mystical visions, and philosophical notions. Paul is calling them to focus on Christ, who is the center and circumference of reality. In 2:9, Paul's language makes Christ's full deity unavoidable and unmistakeable. Dr. Malcolm Yarnell III, who has been on this podcast before, is Research Pro...

The NRSV translates John 7:38, "Out of the believer's heart shall flow rivers of living water." Behind that stand entangled questions of the punctuation of the Greek sentences (punctuation is lacking in the earliest manuscripts), the meaning of the word κοιλία ( koilia ), and whose koilia is in mind. Another translation could be, "Out of Jesus' womb flow rivers of living water," which fits nicely...

Peter's Greek wording in 1 Pet. 2:17 suggests a subtle but potent leveling of people and Roman king in Peter's kingdom vision. Dr. Jason Maston is Professor of Theology at Houston Christian University, where he is also Associate Dean, School of Christian Thought, and Director, BA to MDiv Program. His publications include (author) Divine and Human Agency in Second Temple Judaism and Paul: A Compara...

Modern students of biblical Hebrew learn that the "pointing" (symbols for vowels) of the commonly used Masoretic text of the OT was added to the Hebrew consonants in the medieval period, and that the meaning of a passage can depend on the pointing used. Depending on the pointing chosen, Jeremiah 7:7 can be translated as, "I will let you dwell in this place," or as, "I will dwell with you in this p...

In a healing story shared by the first three Gospels, Luke reports a uniquely worded response of onlookers, translated in the NIV as, "We have seen remarkable things today." The key Greek word is παράδοξα ( paradoxa ), which is in fact noncommittal on the morality of what is in view. Dr. Thomas Schmidt is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Fairfield University. His most recent book, Josep...

As of Paul's first (existing) letter to them, the Corinthians are still struggling to understand and practice their faith in their native, non-Jewish environment. In a passage centering on the knowledge of God and idolatry (1 Corinthians 8-10), Paul begins by stating the central Christian confession of the true God, which is a modified version of the Jewish Shema (Deut. 6:4). Rev. Dr. N. T. Wright...

Hebrew poetry is rich in parallelism of sound (phonological), words (lexical), meaning (semantic), and grammar, through which meaning is conveyed. Psalm 150 illustrates these devices, and manages to strike its climactic note through the breaking of them. Chandler Dean is working on her M.A. in Biblical Exegesis  at Wheaton Graduate School . Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Cl...

The Greek of Heb. 12:14-16, though rendered into separate sentences in some English translations, is a single Greek sentence. Paying close attention to the internal structure, especially a participle at the beginning of v. 15, sharpens our understanding of the integrated thought: The pursuit of true peace can involve conflict, albeit a conflict for the sake of peace. Pat Miller is an attorney now...

The opening lines of Genesis illustrate the way Hebrew relies on the sounds of words to convey meaning, for example, the menacing Hebrew word for 'darkness.' Rabbi Steven Bob, who has contributed several episodes to this podcast series, is Rabbi Emeritus at Congregation Etz Chaim in Lombard, Il and guest faculty at Wheaton College. He is the author of Go to Nineveh: Medieval Jewish Commentaries to...

At a crucial juncture in his argument and in the space of two verses Paul uses four terms related to the πιστ - word-group, usually rendered as "faith" or "belief." Background and the context of Romans favor hearing the ideas of "loyalty" and "faithfulness" in v. 3. Dr. Bates , who has been on this podcast before, is Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary. Among his several publications a...

The story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego – their refusal to bow down to the king's image and their deliverance from the furnace – is among the most oft-told of the Bible. Archaeology has provided a compelling backstory for that event, illuminating some of drama that the narrator would have assumed. Dr. John Walton , Old Testament Professor Emeritus at  Wheaton Graduate School , is a frequent co...

A small, common, but theologically charged Greek verb in Rev. 20:3 quietly signals the fate of Satan in the triumphant King's victory procession. Dr. Shane Wood is Professor of New Testament & Its Origins at Ozark Christian College. His publications include The Alter-Imperial Paradigm: Empire Studies & the Book of Revelation and Thinning the Veil: Encountering Jesus Christ in the Book of Revelatio...

Unlike other prophetic books that directly address an audience, the message of Habakkuk presents itself to listeners by pondering a dialogue between the prophet Habakkuk and God. By paying attention to repetition related to "seeing" in Habakkuk 1-2, we can pick up on God's invitation to allow God's perception of reality to enrich and challenge our own. Dr. Andrew Abernethy , a frequent contributor...

Amos' Hebrew is rich with rhetorical techniques such as word play and satire, sometimes throwing hard punches. Some of these can be heard in translation, others are difficult to preserve in English. Dr.  Danny Carroll Rodas , who has contributed several episodes to this podcast series, is the Scripture Press Ministries Professor of Biblical Studies and Pedagogy at Wheaton College.  He has written...