Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: touch, feel, sense of touch, tactile sense, tactility, contact, using one's hands, sensation, sense, suspicion, sneaking suspicion, notion, inkling, hunch, fancy, apprehension, presentiment, premonition, foreboding, love, care, affection, fondness, tenderness, warmth, warmness, emotion, sentiment, emotional state, compassion, sympathy, empathy, fellow feeling, understanding, concern, solicitude, solicitousness, tender-heartedness, brotherly love, sensibilities, sensitivities, self-esteem, ego, pride, opinion, belief, view, impression, intuition, instinct, estimation, guess, theory, hypothesis, thought, way of thinking, point of view, atmosphere, ambience, aura, air, mood, climate, character, overtone, undertone, tenor, spirit, quality, flavour, colour, aptitude, knack, flair, bent, talent, gift, skill, art, trick, faculty, ability, propensity, inclination, sensitive, warm, warm-hearted, tender, tender-hearted, caring, soft-hearted, sympathetic, compassionate, empathetic, responsive, receptive, intuitive, thoughtful

Antonyms: bad feeling, acrimony, animosity, animus, antagonism, antipathy, aversion, bitterness, detestation, disgust, dislike, disrelish, enmity, friction, grievances, grudges, hatred, hostility, loathing, malevolence, malice

Showing 2476 to 2500 of 5000 results

2476. Ruth and Boaz on the Threshing Floor

Ruth 3:1-18

Understanding Series

Michael S. Moore

... with a perfumed young woman. In one sense it seems unfair to compare these two men. Yet the contrasts are telling. Whereas Boaz projects every confidence that he is the man to help Ruth, the Gibeahite seems bewildered. At no time does he appear to understand how futile it is to negotiate with a street gang. Like Neville Chamberlain, the British prime minister who underestimated Adolf Hitler, he seems to rely only on the rightness of his cause: The owner of the house went outside and said to them, “No, my ...

2477. Historical Records from Adam to Abraham

1 Chronicles 1:1-35

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

... , p. 65. 1:27 The phrase Abram (that is . . .) might be an addition by a later hand. The original Hebrew text probably just had Abraham (like the Septuagint). A later reader probably felt uncomfortable that the patriarch was called by his covenant name here, understandably so in light of the source text in Gen. 11:26, which has “Abram.” It might also be the Chronicler’s way to make the transition from those texts in Genesis that use Abram to those using the covenant name Abraham. From 1 Chron ...

2478. Preparations for the Temple

1 Chronicles 22:2-19

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

... marker at the beginning of 22:11, now, my son, as well as the confirmation the LORD be with you. David wishes for his son that the LORD give him discretion and understanding when he puts him in command over Israel. This theme will be taken up again in 2 Chronicles 1–9, which recounts the excellence of Solomon. The “discretion and understanding” should lead Solomon to keep the law of the LORD his God. If he will observe the decrees and laws that the LORD gave Moses for Israel, he will have success. The ...

2479. David's Plans for the Temple

1 Chronicles 28:1-21

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

... and you). The charge to seek Yahweh also applies to Solomon individually. This verse is full of theological language: what is required of Solomon is wholehearted devotion and a willing mind. Yahweh is portrayed as the LORD who searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. Therefore: if you seek (Hebrew darash) him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake (Hebrew ʿazab) him, he will reject you forever. With this strong theological statement, the pattern is set for the Chronicler ...

2480. The List of Exiles Who Returned

Ezra 2:1-70

Understanding Series

Leslie C. Allen

... —by the time of the Chronicler or a little later (1 Chr. 24:1–19). Although the families were still few, the total number of individuals in these families makes up a tenth of the whole group, whose total is given in verse 64. This ratio is understandable, since the main purpose of the returning exiles was to establish the temple. 2:40–58 Verse 40 gives a much smaller list of Levites. Their scarcity must have been one reason why Ezra made a special effort to recruit more to return with him (8:15 ...

2481. The Agreement of the People

Neh 9:38–10:39

Understanding Series

Leslie C. Allen

... preceding context: the social divisions recall the groupings of the old immigrant community in 7:39–56. It was a separated community, as 9:2 stated and as verses 30–31 will further explain. It embraced women as well as men, and children old enough to understand and relate meaningfully to the pledge, as seen in the Torah reading of 8:2–3. Chapters 7–10 convey a sense of continuity, with the fresh start in chapter 7 leading into the second half of Nehemiah’s mission. 10:30–31a After the general ...

2482. Mordecai Persuades Esther to Help

Esther 4:1-17

Understanding Series

Timothy S. Laniak

... might have been trying to get the king’s attention, it is obvious to those in the story that he needs Esther’s. The one who is the cause of the problem is also the source of information, the gravity of which Esther needs to understand. Esther is terrified (in great distress) when she hears about Mordecai’s appearance (v. 4). Without knowing the cause of his predicament (and without asking why), she sends clothes to cover his self-imposed state of ritual humiliation. Her intention may have been to give ...

2483. Moral Benefits of Wisdom

Proverbs 2:1-22

Understanding Series

Roland E. Murphy

... strophes (beginning at vv. 5, 9) indicating what will happen. Both are introduced in the same way: “then you will understand” (beginning with ʾālep: ʾāz). The second half of the alphabet begins with lāmed (“to”). In a similar fashion ... (e.g., 3:13–18 and 8:10–11, 32–35). 2:5–8 The most important result of the pursuit of wisdom will be to understand the fear of the LORD, one of the central components of wisdom (cf. 1:7). It is devotion, obedience, and love (knowledge of God, v. 5b). ...

2484. Wisdom is Supreme

Proverbs 4:1-27

Understanding Series

Roland E. Murphy

... in verse 2 and the urgency is increased by the personal tone of the father who opens his instruction in a typical way (v. 4; cf. 7:2a for repetition of the last line). The intensity is suggested by the fourfold repetition to get wisdom and understanding. In return for loving and embracing wisdom, she will protect, exalt, and bestow honor. Verse 9 should most likely be taken in a metaphorical sense, but it does suggest wedding ornaments (cf. Song 3:11). Verse 7a is literally: “best is Wisdom,” or “the ...

2485. Proverbs of Solomon

Proverbs 16:1-33

Understanding Series

Roland E. Murphy

... . 51), so one should fear God, who forgives. Or the lines can be taken as strictly parallel and indicate how humans can attain forgiveness. Or the ḥesed and ʾe met to be shown to one’s neighbor (Mic. 6:6–9) and forgiveness will be granted. Many commentators understand the two lines to be in synonymous parallelism, with the NIV and NJPS. 16:7 Synthetic. The point is that conduct pleasing to God will bring peace—even with one’s enemies (e.g., Gen. 26:27–29). The subject of the verb in 7b could be ...

2486. Proverbs of Solomon

Proverbs 20:1-30

Understanding Series

Roland E. Murphy

... (cf. 16:12b). 20:29 Antithetic. See comment on 16:31. The proverb should be taken as an even-handed compliment to both young and old. There is also a paradoxical contrast between strength and gray hair. 20:30 Synonymous, but the translation is uncertain. The NIV understands the MT as pointing out the good results of corporal punishment. But see Additional Notes. Additional Notes 20:2 In v. 2b, the MT reads lit. “the one who is angered at him (i.e., the king) sins (as to) his life.” One might expect the ...

2487. Proverbs of Solomon

Proverbs 21:1-31

Understanding Series

Roland E. Murphy

... . The sluggard is torn by desires and by laziness (which prevent the achievement of any goal). 21:26 The problem here is the subject in 26a; the NIV continues with the sluggard of the previous verse, but true parallelism is lacking. One can understand the construction as indefinite and thus it designates the opposite of the generous person (v. 26b). See Additional Notes. The contrast is then between the greedy and the generous. 21:27 Synthetic. For verse 27a see 15:8. Obviously sacrifices coming from the ...

2488. More Proverbs of Solomon

Proverbs 29:1-27

Understanding Series

Roland E. Murphy

... to the flatterer or the neighbor; the ambiguity may be deliberate. 29:6 Antithetic. The MT reads literally, “in the wrongdoing of an evil man is a trap”; see 12:13a. Here again one can ask: a trap for the evil person or for someone else? The NIV understands it to refer to the evil man. By contrast, then, the righteous one is joyful because there is no fear of a trap (not joyful because the evil man is snared). 29:7 Antithetic. The contrast between the righteous (Hb. ṣaddîq) and the wicked (Hb. r ...

2489. Riches Are Meaningless

Ecclesiastes 5:8--6:12

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Huwiler

... by knowing proper conduct. 6:10–12 God is the unnamed presence in this segment. The passive expressions has been known and has already been named allow the reader to infer “by God,” as human knowledge is nonexistent for Qohelet. This implication sets up the understanding that the one who is stronger must also be God. The lack of explicit mention of God may be an expression of human (even Qohelet’s) inability to contend with this stronger one, or it may be a rhetorical ploy by which the readers are ...

2490. Let Him Kiss Me

Song of Songs 1:1-17

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Huwiler

... matter. The swirl and rush of image and description, together with the alternation of presence and desire, aptly express the riotous flow of emotions in the young lovers. Something new, powerful, and disconcerting is happening to the characters in the Song. We will understand them a bit better if we too feel the interpretive ground shifting beneath us. In view of these points of ambiguity, it is not surprising that interpreters do not all agree about who is speaking and who is present in these verses. The ...

2491. How Beautiful You Are

Song of Songs 4:1-16

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Huwiler

... in the Song, especially in the context of the preceding verses/ the language of eating and drinking is associated with lovemaking. Others (reflected among recent translations by the REB) understand the lines to be spoken by the central man, perhaps as host of a wedding banquet, to his guests. The NJB follows yet another line of interpretation which understands the speaker to be the poet. Additional Notes 4:1 Your eyes behind your veil are doves: The image of eyes as doves has appeared already in 1:15 ...

2492. Where Has Your Lover Gone

Song of Songs 6:1-13

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Huwiler

... by a third term, it is typically “stars,” “hosts of heaven,” or a similar term, as Bloch and Bloch note (Song, p. 191). 6:12 Before I realized it, / my desire set me among the royal chariots of my people: This verse is so difficult to understand that a few commentators refuse even to translate it. A very literal rendering is: I did not know my desire–being–soul it–you–she set me chariots of Ammi-Nadib The first problem is whether to relate Hb. nepeš, the word for “desire” or “self ...

2493. Unfaithful Israel

Jeremiah 3:6-4:4

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

... were like a woman unfaithful to her husband. The people of God are then described as recognizing their guilt from the barren heights (see Jer. 3:2). The rest of the oracle is a dialogue between God and his repentant people. We are to understand this dialogue as an oracle of hope for future restoration. God first calls them to return/repent (3:22), and he will cure them of their incessant unfaithfulness. They respond to this call affirmatively, describing their idolatrous sins and pointing to the Lord as ...

2494. False Religions Worthless

Jeremiah 7:1-29

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

... animal was burned on the altar. In this verse, God says that God’s people may just as well eat the burnt offering, since it is doing them no good, thanks to their sin and lack of repentance. 7:22–23 This passage is difficult to understand, though the NIV has made things easier by helpfully adding just to 7:22. The Hebrew states baldly “I did not give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices.” The NIV adds “just” because God had given Israel such commands as they came out of Egypt ...

2495. A Linen Belt

Jeremiah 13:1-11

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

... Jeremiah is commanded to take and bury the garment at Perath, which is a simple transliteration of the Hebrew. As it happens, this word is often used as a name for the mighty Euphrates River, but on those occasions the Hebrew word for river is often associated with it. To understand this as a literal command would also mean that Jeremiah would have had to travel 700 miles round trip two times, which is possible over an extremely long period of time. It is better to ...

2496. Threat of Captivity

Jeremiah 13:15-27

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

... penetrated deep into Judah or whether it signifies that another nation, say Edom, was already taking advantage of Judah’s problems. 13:20 With Lundbom (Jeremiah 1–20, p. 682), we understand this verse to conclude the present oracle rather than introduce the next one, as many other commentators and versions understand it. The written (ketib—as opposed to the spoken qoreʾ) Hebrew uses imperatives in the feminine, and thus addresses the queen mother. Some (Fretheim, Jeremiah, p. 210) believe that the ...

2497. Day of Disaster

Jeremiah 16:1--17:18

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

... 18). Jeremiah knows where his problems can be solved. He asks God to heal him and to save him. He does so on the basis of the fact that he praises God. Because he praises God, he expects God to take care of him. The next verses help us understand from whom Jeremiah wants salvation—his detractors. We have seen it elsewhere and will see it again; there are those who hate Jeremiah for his message. They want to see him harmed. They taunt him and challenge the validity of his oracles. They do not want see his ...

2498. A Letter to the Exiles

Jeremiah 29:1-23

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

... was Josiah’s secretary, it is likely though not certain that Hilkiah was the deceased king’s priest. The bottom line is that these royal messengers came from backgrounds that make it likely that they were sympathetic to Jeremiah’s message. In this way, we understand why royal messengers might be willing to do the prophet a favor. While they were on an official embassy to Nebuchadnezzar on behalf of King Zedekiah, they also carried a message from Jeremiah to the exiles. 29:4–9 The letter was not from ...

2499. Freedom for Slaves

Jeremiah 34:8-22

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

... of a calf they cut in two. This is reminiscent of a scene in Genesis 15:9–20 where God directed Abraham to cut a number of animals in half. Afterward, he passed between the halves as God confirmed the covenant he made with Abraham. To understand this ancient ritual we can cite similar rituals from ancient Near Eastern texts that describe this behavior as a self-malediction. There are texts from Alalakh, Mari, and Hatti dating back to the second millennium B.C. (see discussion in V. P. Hamilton, The Book ...

2500. How the Gold Has Lost Its Luster

Lamentations 4:1-22

One Volume

Tremper Longman III

... . The importance of the office of king for the people is captured well by the phrase, our very life breath, which indicates that the king played a life and death role for the people. If one reads this verse in the light of Psalm 2, one can understand the surprise the king’s capture might evoke. The first stanza exposes the vanity of the nations trying to resist “the LORD” and “his Anointed One” (Ps. 2:2). The final stanza (vv. 10–12) admonishes the kings of the nations to submit to the anointed ...

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