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Antonyms: keep, claim, continue, stick by, self-control, power through, achieve, defend, bear, hope, acquire, quick visit, adopt, continue along, adhere, remain, pursue, support, take up, keep up, reuse, advocate, stay, persevere, cherish, keep going, carry on

Showing 4351 to 4375 of 4489 results

4351. The Storm

Acts 27:13-26

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

27:13 With a light wind blowing from the south, they had high hopes of reaching the more desirable anchorage of Phoenix some forty miles to the west. At first all went well, though Luke gives the impression that rounding Cape Matala was achieved only after some anxious moments. The emphatic way in which he introduces the statement that they sailed “closer” (than was desirable) along the coast of Crete implies that their ability to weather the point was for a time in doubt. 27:14–15 But then, as they were ...

4352. A Call to Persevere

Hebrews 10:19-39

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

The Grounds for Faithfulness With his central theological argument concluded, the author turns now to some practical applications of what he has so effectively argued. Thus, as is true throughout his epistle, he is never content simply to present theology without showing its practical relevance to his readers. Indeed, he has had his Jewish readers in mind through all the argumentation of the preceding section. But now he comes again to their immediate situation. In this section he draws together motifs ...

4353. Protection of Property

Exodus 22:1-15

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

Covenant Laws III: Property Rights, Capital Offenses, Using Power, Relationship to God: Exodus 22 continues with the casuistic laws of the book of the covenant. These case laws protected property in cases of theft or negligent damage and established civility between neighbors by setting limits of liability for another’s property. They continue through verse 17, after which the legal form changes to commandments (apodictic law). The commandments address three more capital offenses, limitation of the use of ...

4354. Eastern Tribes Return Home

Joshua 22:1-34

Understanding Series

J. Gordon Harris

An Altar Crisis on the Eastern Side of the Jordan River: Joshua closes with three chapters that form an addendum pointing out challenges for the next generation. These chapters include speeches that address concerns of Deuteronomy and use Deuteronomic language. Crises in these passages point toward the book of Judges and the rest of the so-called Deuteronomic History (Samuel and Kings). The closing chapters of Joshua parallel the final chapters of Deuteronomy with its farewell speech of Moses and story of ...

4355. Queen Vashti Deposed

Esther 1:1-22

Understanding Series

Timothy S. Laniak

Three Royal Banquets: The book of Esther opens with an extended description of a royal banquet in the Persian court of Xerxes I. More precisely, there are descriptions of three banquets: one for the noblemen and other male dignitaries, one for the male commoners, and one for the women. Banqueting is a central motif in Esther. There are feasts (mishtot) at the beginning and end of Esther, and the same root (sh-t-h) is used at crucial turning points throughout the story. In chapter 1, the celebrations for ...

4356. Proverbs of Solomon

Proverbs 17:1-28

Understanding Series

Roland E. Murphy

17:1 Antithetic “better” saying, with lively assonance. See also 15:17. The margin of the NIV indicates the cultic nuance of the Hebrew term zebaḥ (“sacrifice”), but this may have been gradually lost. The contrast is extreme—sheer bread and sumptuous feast. (See also Amenemope 9.7–8=16.13–14; ANET, pp. 422–23.) 17:2 Synthetic. Although there were rules for inheritance (Deut. 21:15–17), instances illustrated by this saying could occur. See 27:18, and also Ben Sira’s advice about servants in Sirach 7:20–21. ...

4357. More Proverbs of Solomon

Proverbs 26:1-28

Understanding Series

Roland E. Murphy

These chapters are introduced by a superscription indicating that they are from Solomon by way of the “men of Hezekiah.” The sayings break from the admonitory style of 22:17–24:34 and resemble those of chapters 10–22:16. However, these sayings are much more vivid, and in chapters 25–27 they form larger units (“proverb poems,” as they have been called). Explicit comparisons are frequent. We are unable to say much about the general setting of the collection, but the ambience of the court predominates in ...

4358. A Common Destiny for All

Ecclesiastes 9:1-12

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Huwiler

Destiny (9:1-10): This short section considers divine omnipotence and human limitations: everything is in God’s power, and humans have nothing but consciousness. Qohelet observes that there is a single fate for all people, a further specification of the theme developed concerning humans and animals in 3:18–22. Verses 7–10 comprise the longest version of Qohelet’s call to joy, typically tempered by context. The benefit of living is that one knows that one will die. The references to meaninglessness (or ...

4359. Bread Upon the Water

Ecclesiastes 9:13--12:8

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Huwiler

Wisdom and Folly: The section is a loosely woven collection of vignettes and sayings, punctuated by phrases characteristic of Qohelet’s own voice. It is difficult to break it into segments because the themes of randomness, social order, wisdom and folly, and language overlap and sometimes clash. The reader may find it difficult to follow a coherent line of reasoning. The overarching theme is that of living in an unpredictable world, and the section moves from random disaster (9:11–12) to random success (11 ...

4360. How Beautiful You Are

Song of Songs 4:1-16

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Huwiler

Admiration and Invitation: This is the only section in which the central man’s voice is more prominent than that of the central woman. He speaks in every verse but one (4:16) and is the only speaker in all of these but the last (5:1). This section also contains the formal center of the book. The man begins by describing the woman’s beauty from the head downward in the first of the Song’s descriptive motifs (4:1–7). Then he speaks to her directly (4:8–15). He invites her to come with him, telling her that ...

4361. Day of Disaster

Jeremiah 16:1--17:18

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

Don’t Marry, Don’t Mourn, and Don’t Celebrate (16:1-13): This unit, which is related to the one that follows at the end of the chapter, presents three prohibitions in the light of the judgment that is coming and which itself is the result of the people’s sin. These prohibitions lead to behaviors on Jeremiah’s part that are resonant with prophetic significance and therefore should be considered a prophetic sign-act that incarnates the words he is speaking. These prohibitions seem to be directed to Jeremiah ...

4362. Lying Prophets

Jeremiah 23:9-32, Jeremiah 23:33-40

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

Prophets Who Lie: Jeremiah now trains his sight on false prophets. The rest of the chapter collects various prose and poetic oracles pronouncing judgment on those who claim to speak God’s word when in actuality they do not. Jeremiah was not the only one offering a “word of the LORD.” The false prophets bear a special burden of God’s anger because they make it more difficult for the people to discern the authentic divine message. Jeremiah 28 will recount a particular conflict between Jeremiah and a false ...

4363. A Message About Moab

Jeremiah 48:1-47

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

Oracle against Moab: After Egypt and Philistia, Moab is the next object of God’s attention. The geographical movement is from south to north and then west to east. While Philistia is to the west of Israel, Moab is directly to the east on the eastern shores of the Dead Sea. Today, this region is occupied by the country of Jordan. It is a region typified by deep wadis and extensive plateaus. The Bible paints the origin of the Moabites in dark colors. In Genesis 19, after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah ...

4364. A Message About Elam

Jeremiah 49:34-39

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

Oracle against Elam: Elam’s appearance here is a bit surprising since we do not know that it had any direct involvement with Israelite affairs during this time. Elam is the most distant of all the nations targeted by the oracles. It was located to the east of Babylon in the Zagros Mountains, south of the Medes and north of Persia. Its capital was Susa. Elam was an ancient Iranian power, but by the seventh century B.C. was a shadow of its previous self. In the early part of that century it found itself ...

4365. The Indictment and Punishment of Israel Spelled Out

Amos 4:1-13

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

The Indictment and Punishment of Israel Spelled Out: Introductory and summarizing material has been concluded. We now enter into the principal collection of Amos’s oracles, encompassing 3:13–6:14, interrupted by the visions and encounter with Amaziah in chapter 7 and 8:1–3, and resuming with 8:4–9:6. This section of 3:13–4:13 forms the first large unit in the collection. 4:1–3 Throughout history women have served as “decorations” for the rich and powerful. In Western society, the more beautiful the woman, ...

4366. The Easter Egg

Luke 24:1-12

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

Object: An egg Good morning, boys and girls. If I brought with me a firecracker this morning, what holiday would you think of? That's right, the Fourth of July. How about if I wore a mask? That's right, Halloween. How about a turkey? That's right, Thanksgiving. How about brightly colored lights? Christmas. How about this egg? That's right, Easter. There are many things we can do with an egg. We can break it and eat it, can't we? Some of us like having eggs for breakfast. Or we could dye it. Some of you ...

4367. The Pharisees Investigate the Healing

John 9:13-34

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

When their informal interview with the man who had been blind proved inconclusive, his neighbors brought him to the Pharisees (v. 13). The narrator takes the opportunity to add the significant footnote that the miracle happened on a Sabbath. In connection with this, he refers again to the actual procedure Jesus had used (v. 14), for it was this procedure, not the healing itself, that violated the Sabbath law (i.e., the Mishnah, Shabbath 7.2). Just as in the case of the Bethesda healing in chapter 5, the ...

4368. Jesus and the High Priest

John 18:15-18, John 18:25-27, John 18:19-24

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

A relatively brief interrogation of Jesus by the high priest (vv. 19–24) is framed by a two-part account of Peter’s denial (vv. 15–18, 25–27). The division of the denial into two scenes follows a precedent reflected in Mark (14:54, 66–72) and Matthew (26:58, 69–75; Luke on the other hand, puts the material in one continuous narrative, 22:54–62). As in Mark, the vivid picture of Peter warming himself by the enemy’s fire is the point at which the narrative breaks off (v. 18) and later resumes. But unlike ...

4369. God’s Love and Ours

1 John 4:7-21, 1 John 5:1-12

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

God’s Love and Our Love There is little agreement among those who have made a serious study of 1 John as to how to divide 1 John 4:7–5:4, but most have understood 4:7–12 to center around God’s love for us and, in response, our love for one another. It is likely that the opponents of the Elder had stressed their love for God (cf. 4:10, 20), their devotion, piety, and mystical spirituality (cf. 1:6, 8, 10; 2:4, 6, 9; 3:18; 4:1). But the Elder thinks that it is God’s love for human beings which is ...

4370. Let Us Love One Another

2 John 1:1-13

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

Salutation Second John begins with a greeting or salutation similar in form to other NT letters. The writer and recipients are identified, followed by a wish for God’s blessing. But this introduction also contains material that fits the writer’s and readers’ specific situation and recalls the controversy in which all three letters of John are set. The Elder quickly reveals the two main concerns which are on his mind, and they correspond to the two principal themes of the letters of John as a whole: truth ...

4371. Adam and Eve

Genesis 2:4-25

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

The Adventures in the Garden of Eden of the First Humans: This narrative addresses the most troubling question faced by every human: “Why must I die?” In addition it gives a reason for several fundamental features of human experience—wearing clothes, pain in childbirth, toil and sweat in work, growth of thorns and thistles, and the enmity between humans and snakes. Much more importantly, this simple account offers penetrating insight into the human condition before God as well as giving the reason for the ...

4372. Not Because of Israel's Righteousness

Deuteronomy 9:1-6

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

Not because of Israel’s Righteousness: The warnings against false assumptions continue. Moses has already demolished any idea of national chauvinism arising from Israel’s election (7:6–10) and also any economic arrogance arising from their future prosperity (8:17f.). In this chapter he targets what is perhaps the most pernicious and perennial distortion of all—moral self-righteousness in the interpretation of military conflict. Together, these three challenges penetrate deeply to the evergreen sources of ...

4373. Ahijah's Prophecy Against Jeroboam

1 Kings 14:1-20

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

The End of Jeroboam: Jeroboam had been promised a dynasty like David’s (1 Kgs. 11:38). His desire to have also a temple like David’s, however, has led him into disobedience—and we have seen in chapter 13 what happens to the disobedient. First Kings 14:1–20 now describes to us the consequences of Jeroboam’s attempt to possess the two “houses” he wanted instead of the one he was promised, and they do so in a way that makes clear the essential differences between the two kings. 14:1–5 We begin on familiar ...

4374. Epilogue to the Law of the Temple: River, Land, City

Ezekiel 47:1-12, Ezekiel 47:13-23, Ezekiel 48:1-29, Ezekiel 48:30-35

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

47:1–12 With the vision of the river of life in verses 1–12, we return to Ezekiel’s original vision report. Although the insertion of material belonging to the Law of the Temple interrupted the original continuity between 44:1–2 and 47:1, the technique of resumptive repetition still signals the connection. The same Hebrew verb, shub (“return”) occurs in 44:1 (Heb. wayyasheb ʾoti, NIV “Then the man brought me back”) and 47:1 (Heb. wayeshibeni, NIV The man brought me back). The connection is also apparent ...

4375. Jesus Adopted by Joseph

Matthew 1:18-25

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

Big Idea: Matthew confirms that Jesus belongs to Joseph’s genealogy by adoption, showing Jesus to be the Davidic Messiah and the embodiment of God’s presence to save. Understanding the Text Matthew concludes the genealogy from Abraham to Joseph by connecting Jesus’ birth to Mary, not to Joseph (1:16). In 1:18–25 Matthew “solves” this conundrum by emphasizing that Joseph names Jesus (1:21, 25), thereby adopting Jesus as his own son. This birth story also moves seamlessly into Matthew 2, where Jesus’ birth ...

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