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Showing 3776 to 3800 of 4681 results

3776. Manna and Quail

Exodus 16:1-36

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... a question that made a positive difference for the people. God convinced them to change their ways. Thereafter, they rested on the seventh day. The Lord patiently explained that the Sabbath was a gift from God, who created the possibility of rest by giving them surplus bread. Bear in mind that the LORD has given you the Sabbath; that is why on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. The Lord had succeeded in using their grumbling as a lever and opportunity to show God’s own glory, to train them in ...

3777. The Ten Commandments

Exodus 20:1-21

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... for an eye” principle, and the courts adjudicated it. The second response of the biblical community to unlawful death was the early call to practice a better justice: “I am the LORD. Do not hate your brother in your heart . . . Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD” (Lev. 19:16b–18). The underlying principle is theological: “life belongs to God” (Lev. 17:11; Gen. 9:6). God admonished individuals and the community not to ...

3778. Hebrew Servants

Exodus 21:2-11

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... Hebrew slaves. The laws immediately following provide for four contingent cases, each beginning with the word “if”: “If he comes alone”; “if he has a wife” (in which case she went free with her husband); “If his master gives him a wife and she bears” children (in which case the wife and children stayed with the owner as his [original] property), or “if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free.’ ” If a bond slave preferred the bondage ...

3779. Protection of Property

Exodus 22:1-15

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... . The contingency was that if the owner is with the animal, the borrower will not have to pay. Presumably, the owner would take care that the animal would not be injured or die through risk or overwork. Death would have been natural or accidental and the owner would bear the cost of the loss. A second contingency on the major law was that the money paid . . . If the animal was hired covered the “restitution” required if the “owner was not present.” The owner assumed the risk of renting his animals.

3780. Laws of Justice and Mercy

Exodus 23:1-9

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... also Lev. 19:15–18). Two illustrative cases (vv. 4–5) follow, and five more imperative commands (vv. 6–9; see Sprinkle, The Book, pp. 178–79) conclude the section. The general command, “Do not spread false reports,” echoes the ninth commandment about bearing false witness (20:13). A more specific, court-based, version follows: “Do not help (lit., “join hands with”) a wicked man by being a malicious witness” (Lev. 19:11, 16; Deut. 19:15–21). The next two commands concern the power of ...

3781. Offerings for the Tabernacle

Exodus 25:1-9

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... all the details of the tabernacle as symbols was by Baehr in 1837 (Childs, Exodus, pp. 547–48). A more recent theological reading of Christ and the tabernacle is Poythress, The Shadow of Christ. The nineteenth century brought literary criticism to bear upon the text. Scholars in this tradition identified the tabernacle description as the work of the so-called P (priestly writer) and discredited it as a “pious fiction” of priests writing in the postexilic period. It was thought that the verisimilitude ...

3782. Deborah

Judges 4:1-24

Understanding Series

Cheryl A. Brown

... normal Hebrew word order (verbsubject) to place her name first in the clause: Deborah . . . was leading Israel at that time. From the beginning, the focus is upon her—her identity and her special role in the life of Israel. Moreover, the whole scene bears a striking resemblance to that of Moses seated in the wilderness, settling the disputes of those who likewise looked to him for justice (Exod. 18:13–16). Deborah’s prophetic gifting was expressed as she gave guidance to those who sought to know God ...

3783. Abimelech

Judges 9:1-57

Understanding Series

Cheryl A. Brown

... brought him down implies God’s miraculous intervention, as it does in the story of Jael and Sisera. This illustrious warrior, like Sisera, did not want to be remembered by the epithet, A woman killed him (v. 54). Such an ignominious ending was more than he could bear, so he ordered his armor-bearer to draw his sword and kill him. Thus Abimelech died in some ways like Sisera, in some ways like Saul would later die (1 Sam. 31:4). The analogy to both is appropriate and intentional. One was a pagan leader ...

3784. The Birth of Samson

Judges 13:1-25

Understanding Series

Cheryl A. Brown

... all kinds of ways that “It ain’t over till it’s over”: But you are going to conceive and have a son. It is impossible to overstate the impact of these words in a culture in which a woman’s value was measured by her ability to bear children, especially male children (cf. Gen. 30:1; 1 Sam. 1:1–11). The angel then provided a list of instructions about the woman’s prenatal care. She was not to drink . . . wine or other fermented drink (beer) and not to eat anything unclean, the reason being that ...

3785. Ruth Meets Boaz

Ruth 2:1-23

Understanding Series

Michael S. Moore

... a great deal of thought to the problem of violence in the Bible, especially in La Violence et le Sacré (Paris: B. Grasset, 1972). Insight #1: Yahweh, God of Grace Boaz’s speech records something rather rare in ancient Israelite literature. Here an Israelite bears witness to a non-Israelite about the very character of God. If Ruth is like most other Syro-Palestinians, she is a polytheist. Presumably what she knows about Yahweh is the direct result of her husband’s family’s influence. Perhaps it is the ...

3786. Boaz Marries Ruth

Ruth 4:1-12

Understanding Series

Michael S. Moore

... the deal? (Gunkel thinks so, calling this “pure peasant-farmer thinking,” Ruth, p. 79.) Is it because he has genuinely fallen in love with Ruth and does not want to lose her (Ruth Rab. 7.9)? Or is it because he knows that Naomi is unable to bear a child for the continuance of Elimelech’s line (1:12)? And what about Mr. So-and-So? Does he subscribe to a nativistic interpretation of Deuteronomy 23:3–5 (“No Moabite shall enter Yahweh’s assembly . . .”) like the one in Targum Ruth, or is he more ...

3787. The Genealogy of Saul the Benjamite

1 Chronicles 8:1-40

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

... as “Gera the father of Ehud.” Such an emendation will then provide a link to 8:6, where Ehud is mentioned. 8:8–14 The genealogy of Shaharaim provided in this section is unparalleled in the Hebrew Bible and also does not bear any relationship with the lineage of Benjamin presented here. Like other genealogies in the Chronicler’s construction, this list provides information on the subject group’s geographical settlement patterns. In this respect the mention of Moab (8:8) and Aijalon (8:13) seems ...

3788. The People in Jerusalem

1 Chronicles 9:1-34

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

... his whole construction was to be understood? If so, this would be a powerful literary tool that lets the reader understand that the following retelling of Israel’s history is actually done with the hope that it will have a bearing on the postexilic present (and future). This subsection mainly contains information on the cultic officials in Jerusalem as well as their respective functions. Whether this chapter provides a factual account of the postexilic cultic community or whether this was an idealistic ...

3789. The Genealogy of Saul

1 Chronicles 9:35-44

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

... the Levite lineage), thereby interpreting All-Israel first and foremost as a cultic community. The self-understanding of All-Israel is therefore closely connected to Jerusalem, and particularly to the temple in Jerusalem. f. Does all this have any theological bearing? It might be clear enough to the reader that these genealogies could have significance from a social-identity perspective, but what do these name lists contribute theologically to the message of Chronicles (particularly in light of the name of ...

3790. Rebuilding the Altar

Ezra 3:1-6

Understanding Series

Leslie C. Allen

... with this act of worship—rebuilding a proper altar on which to offer sacrifice. He also linked with it the names of the later leaders, Jeshua and Zerubbabel, taking his cue from the list of leaders in 2:2, and dignified them with the patronymics they bear in Haggai 1:1. The high priest is here placed before the governor in recognition of the religious nature of the task. Verses 2–3 function as a flashback. The building of the altar logically precedes the sacrifices in verse 6 and so, implicitly, verse 1 ...

3791. Ezra's Prayer about Intermarriage

Ezra 9:1-15

Understanding Series

Leslie C. Allen

... intermarriage. Prophetic endorsement of the Torah is obtained by calling the community “holy seed” (NRSV; NIV holy race), a phrase that refers to the postexilic remnant in Isaiah 6:13. Different biblical traditions were combined and powerfully brought to bear on the contemporary problem of mixed marriages. The impulse behind this hermeneutical barrage was spiritual expediency, created by the sense of being a weak and threatened community. The note of opposition sounded repeatedly in Ezra-Nehemiah is a ...

3792. The People's Confession of Sin

Ezra 10:1-17

Understanding Series

Leslie C. Allen

... ,” which may represent mibbene ʾazzûr (see BHS). Then the reference is to a clan that may have fallen out of Ezra 2:16 but was preserved in 1 Esd. 5:15 (see Williamson, Ezra, Nehemiah, pp. 22, 25). Since in 1 Esd. some of the names in the context bear little relation to those in the MT, it may be better to postulate a form closer to its consonants. Thus the NJB prefers “of the sons of Zaccai,” which relates to the clan name in Neh. 7:14/Ezra 2:9. Here an Aramaic form of the name “Daccai,” may ...

3793. Dedication of the Wall of Jerusalem

Nehemiah 12:27-47

Understanding Series

Leslie C. Allen

... postexilic generations—stretching from the governorship of Zerubbabel (7:7), when the temple was rebuilt, to that of Nehemiah—honored this heritage by supplying the daily needs of those who served in the temple. In Nehemiah’s case, 13:10–14 will bear witness to such faithfulness. Additional Notes 12:27 Musicians and singers are here included among the Levites, as in 11:15–18. This reflects a development from the earliest postexilic period, when they were differentiated (7:43–44 = Ezra 2:40–41 ...

3794. Nehemiah's Final Reforms

Nehemiah 13:1-31

Understanding Series

Leslie C. Allen

... the postexilic generations—stretching from the governorship of Zerubbabel (7:7), when the temple was rebuilt, to that of Nehemiah—honored this heritage by supplying the daily needs of those who served in the temple. In Nehemiah’s case, 13:10–14 will bear witness to such faithfulness. 13:1–3 The second guideline to be established will be formulated in verse 3. The setting is a public service at which the Torah was read. Evidently hermeneutical application was also given on which the people were to ...

3795. Esther's Request to the King

Esther 5:1-8

Understanding Series

Timothy S. Laniak

... moment that signals an invisible change in Esther. Underneath the garments of Persian royalty is a true Jew, a determined advocate for her people. She will now use the accoutrements of her role for larger purposes. While the other Jews continue to fast, she will bear their cause under the disguise of a feast. Like Moses, she will return to the court as a deliverer—and during the specified time for Passover. After reclothing herself, she takes her stand in the inner court of the palace, facing the king and ...

3796. The Greatness of Mordecai

Esther 10:1-3

Understanding Series

Timothy S. Laniak

... 2 Macc. 15:36). Additional Note 10:2 A full account of the greatness of Mordecai: The displacement of Esther in the last chapter of the book serves the same narrative purposes that the displacement of Ruth does in the last scene of the book named after her. Ruth bears a child, thereby saving the family name that was put at risk by the deaths of Naomi’s husband and sons in chapter 1. The story ends with the women in the village praising God for Naomi’s kinsman-redeemer and son (Ruth 4:14–15). In both ...

3797. Proverbs of Solomon

Proverbs 12:1-28

Understanding Series

Roland E. Murphy

... is gotten wickedly (v. 12a). But the translation, plunder, is questionable and the plunder of evil men is hardly meaningful in context. In verse 12b, flourishes is a wishful translation for the simple word “gives” (that calls for an object) and the sense bears little if any relationship to verse 12a. See the Additional Notes. 12:13–14 Antithetic and synonymous. Both sayings deal with the effects of speech, a topic that emerges frequently in verses 17–23. The point of verse 13 is that the righteous ...

3798. Proverbs of Solomon

Proverbs 14:1-35

Understanding Series

Roland E. Murphy

... . mmʿllw) parallel to ways. 14:17 Quick-tempered is lit. “short of face” (contrast “long of face” for “patient,” v. 29). The contrast in the parallelism is better preserved in the LXX, which seems to be based on an original Hb. verb, yiśśaʾ, “bear, carry.” Therefore v. 17a in the LXX reads, “the thoughtful person endures many things.” 14:18 If Hb. nḥlw in v. 18a is read as the Niphal of ḥlh, (“be adorned with”), the parallelism is strengthened. So the NRSV; cf. the NAB. 14:24 ...

3799. Proverbs of Solomon

Proverbs 16:1-33

Understanding Series

Roland E. Murphy

... :3; 19:16a). Here evil can stand for harm’s way, and not necessarily wickedness. 16:18 Synonymous and juxtapositional. The idea appears frequently (cf. 11:2; 15:33; 18:12). It can form an antithesis with the following verse. In context, it could have a bearing on the “king” sayings that precede it. The events it presupposes would have occurred often enough to give rise to the saying. 16:19 A “better” saying, which forms an antithesis to verse 18. It gives strong support to the lowly (cf. also v. 8 ...

3800. Bread Upon the Water

Ecclesiastes 9:13--12:8

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Huwiler

... The almond tree blossoms and the grasshopper drags himself along and desire is no longer stirred: There are several translation problems here. It is more likely that the correct reading is “the almond tree blossoms and the grasshopper grows fat and the caperberry bears fruit.” Otherwise the blossoming almond tree has no connection with its context. By including fat and fruit, these verses provide a contrast between the decline and death of the human and the rest of the world going on and being fruitful ...

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