Exegetically Speaking

Jesus' teaching in Matthew's Greek utilizes figures of speech that can be impossible to translate into English but which lend force and memorability to his words. Dr. Alexander Loney is Associate Professor of Classical Languages and the Coordinator of the Classical Languages program at Wheaton College. His publications include The Ethics of Revenge and the Meanings of the Odyssey and (co-editor) T...

The English words, "where there is no vision, the people perish," would seem to commend the need of a good plan for a desired future, but the Hebrew sentence points in a different direction. Dr. Richard Schultz is the Blanchard Professor of Old Testament in Wheaton College Graduate School . In addition to other publications, he has authored Out of Context: How to Avoid Misinterpreting the Bible an...

Is Ecclesiastes 3:10-14 about a despotic, distant god or a benevolent, known God? It depends on whether we recognize the force of a Hebrew definite article.  Bradley Cameron (PhD, Wheaton) is Visiting Instructor in Old Testament at Wheaton College . His dissertation was, "Learning to Fear: An Exploration of the Fear of God in Ecclesiastes through the Lens of Emotion." Check out related programs at...

Heb. 1:1-4 is a beautifully rounded Greek sentence in praise of God's Son in and as whom God has spoken. One metaphor conveys the uniqueness of this person as the "express image" of God himself. It is this metaphor that Dr. Ryken explains. 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...

Daniel's refusal to eat the food provided by the king of Babylon is among the most popular of the Bible's stories. But what food did Daniel refuse, what did he request, and why? A new look at the Hebrew text and its background suggests new answers. Dr. Aubrey Buster , who has been with us before, is Associate Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College . Her publications include Remembering the...

Beneath the surface of fairly stable English translations of 1 Corinthians 1:30 there flow quite varied interpretations of the Greek language Paul uses. Jon C. Laansma is the Gerald F. Hawthorne Professor of New Testament Greek and Exegesis in the Classical Languages program at Wheaton College, and the Wheaton-based director of this podcast series. He is currently working on a commentary on 1 Cori...

The choice for Israel is between quiet trust and anxious haste in an important prophetic passage. Prof. Schultz explains the background, Hebrew imagery, and the NT's interpretation of Isaiah 28:16. Dr. Richard Schultz is the Blanchard Professor of Old Testament in Wheaton College Graduate School . In addition to other publications, he has authored Out of Context: How to Avoid Misinterpreting the B...

Dan. 5:2, within the Aramaic portion of Daniel, has always been taken to refer to the king, his nobles, his wives, and his concubines, but a fresh look at the Aramaic and its context suggests that the last were female officials, not concubines. Dr. Aubrey Buster , who has been with us before, is Associate Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College . Her publications include Remembering the Stor...

The Greek word usually translated as 'righteousness' in the Beatitudes (and elsewhere), is closer to the concept of 'justice,' signaling the down-to-earth concern of a people living under an unjust regime. Dr. George Kalantzis grew up in Athens, Greece, and has been at Wheaton College since 2007, where he is Professor of Theology and the Director of  The Wheaton Center for Early Christian Studies...

The M.A. in Biblical Exegesis at Wheaton has been running for about a quarter of a century and it recently broadened its mission to enroll remote learners. Prof. Abernethy explains this transition, along with the program's resolute commitment to the acquisition and use of the original languages. Dr. Andrew Abernethy , a frequent contributor to this podcast , is Professor of Old Testament, Assistan...

In this 300 th episode of Exegetically Speaking, we hear once again from Dr. Michael Bird. This time he is highlighting how the knowledge of Greek enables us to understand alternative interpretations of a critical Pauline passage. What do Paul's uses of the perfect tense and genitive case convey in speaking of participation in Christ's crucifixion and the life of faith? Prof. Bird is Deputy Princi...

The poem in Nahum 1 breaks its stride in 1:7, in terms of both the Hebrew poetic structure and thematic emphasis. In part by this means, it implicitly asks its Israelite readers, some of whom may have been collaborators with Assyria, whether they side with the Lord or the Lord's enemies. Dr. Mario Tafferner is Assistant Professor of Old Testament Language and Literature at Tyndale Theological Semi...

Dr. Gisela Kreglinger, who grew up on a family-owned winery in Franconia, Germany, is an independent researcher who long ago noticed the peculiar prominence of wine and vineyards in both the Old and New Testaments. In this episode she talks about learning the biblical languages in preparation for her work and their contribution to a sound understanding of the Bible's topics. In doing so, she highl...

Jennifer Powell McNutt , PhD, is the Franklin S. Dyrness Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies, Professor of Theology and History of Christianity, Director of M.A. in History of Christianity, and Director of M.A. in Theology at Wheaton Graduate School . She talks about how the biblical languages played a part in her preparation for her work as a church historian, how these languages cataly...

Mike Woodruff is the lead pastor at Christ Church (Chicago) and chairs the board for the  Lakelight Institute . In this episode, he talks about taking Greek and Hebrew as a student preparing for ministry, and the continuing value of the languages for his teaching. Pastor Woodruff's publications include,  The Life of Jesus Christ ,   FutureView: Gaining Perspective on the Rising Waves of Change , ...

In 2 Chr. 17:3-6, remarkable things are said of King Jehoshaphat, culminating in a Hebrew word play that correlates the state of Jehoshaphat's heart with the Asherim that he tears down while seeking to elevate the Lord. Mark Lanier is a practicing attorney, a teacher in his local church in Houston, Texas, and the founder of the Lanier Theological Library (co-sponsor of this podcast) among other pr...

Both Moses and God are popularly thought of as the opposite of grace as portrayed in the Old Testament. Exodus 34 tells the story of a God who does measure out justice to his creation, but magnifies his grace far beyond measure. The difference is that of the life-horizons of an individual contrasted with countless generations. Dr. K. Lawson Younger is Emeritus Professor of Old Testament and Semiti...

In the laments of Isaiah 63 and 64, God is asked to look down at his people in salvation. In Isaiah 66 a response comes, declaring at whom the Lord will look: Those in Israel afflicted by this world, who tremble at his word. Dr. Andrew Abernethy is Professor of Old Testament, Assistant Dean of Biblical and Theological Studies in the Litfin Divinity School, and Program Director of the M.A. in Bibli...

Even in translation, Psalm 1, a favorite of many, can be appreciated for its art and truth. All the more in Hebrew, through which we can see and hear how the psalmist employs letters, repetition of words, sounds, and other devices to convey meaning. Dr. Frederico Villanueva is Regional Commissioning Editor for Langham Publishing and Scholar Care Coordinator of current Asian Langham scholars. His p...

Phil. 2:6-11 is and deserves to be one of the most studied passages on Christ in the biblical writings. One grammatical question concerns a participle in v. 6, which is usually understood as concessive ("although"). But might Paul intend a causal sense ("because")? The implications are profound. Dr. Michael Gorman is Raymond E. Brown Professor of Biblical Studies and Theology at St. Mary's Seminar...

The prophet Isaiah anticipates what Israel will one day sing, and the words draw directly from the great song of deliverance sung by Moses, as if Isaiah had a copy to hand. Dr. Andrew Abernethy is Professor of Old Testament, Assistant Dean of Biblical and Theological Studies in the Litfin Divinity School, and Program Director of the M.A. in Biblical Exegesis at Wheaton Graduate School . Among othe...

Theology ought to be ruled by the biblical text. So says Prof. Yarnell, a systematic theologian who studied Hebrew and Greek and who makes careful use of those languages in his work. In this episode he explains the importance of the languages for theological reasoning generally, and specifically with reference to an OT text that was debated by Church Fathers such as Athanasius. Dr. Malcolm Yarnell...

English plurals of "mass nouns" (uncountable nouns, such as milk, water) indicate kinds (e.g., cow or goat milks) or multiple instances (e.g., "grab three waters"), but Greek has a third option for the same plurals: an "abundance inference." Realizing this can sharpen our understanding of certain passages. Travis Wright (PhD, University of Cambridge) is a scholar based in Raleigh, NC. His research...

The opening words of Philemon prompt us to ask in what sense Paul is a prisoner in relation to Christ. In part this is a grammatical question, but a couple of contemporaneous papyri texts might supply hints as to the cultural understanding. Dr. Seth Ehorn is Assistant Professor of Classics and Biblical Languages at Houston Christian University. Among other things, he has published 2 Maccabees 1-7:...

In Jeremiah 32:36, a discourse marker is used that would most often signal bad news is coming, sort of like the "Jaws theme" music in a movie. But here it surprises the reader with good news. Jack Messarra completed a master's degree at the University of Stellenbosch in the field of Hebrew, linguistics, and discourse markers. You can see some of his papers at https://sun.academia.edu/JackMessarra...