Synonyms: thirstiness, dryness, parched, craving, strong desire, longing, yearning, avidity, hunger, voracity, keenness, eagerness, lust, appetite, passion, love, crave, want, covet, desire, hunger for/after, lust for/after, hanker for/after, have one's heart set on
Antonyms: aversion, distaste, apathy, dislike, hatred, antipathy, disgust, disregard, abhorrence, acrimony, wet, animosity, animus, antagonism, bad feeling, bitterness, be averse to, detestation
Showing 601 to 625 of 2173 results
Understanding Series
Craig A. Evans
19:1–10 In the preceding episode we saw the healing touch of Jesus restoring the sight and faith of a religious outcast of Israel. In the episode at hand we have another example of the restoration of one who was an outcast, not because of physical problems thought to be caused by sin, but because of his occupation. While passing through Jericho, Jesus encounters a chief tax collector (see note below) named Zacchaeus, a man who was wealthy. His desire to see Jesus was such he climbed a nearby sycamore-fig ...
602. David's Prayer
1 Chronicles 29:10-20
Understanding Series
Louis C. Jonker
29:10–19 First Chronicles 29:10–19 contains the remarkable prayer of David, which sets the theological scene for his son Solomon’s reign. The introduction to the prayer in 29:10 states that David praised the LORD. The Hebrew word used here can also be translated “to bless” or “to speak words invoking divine favor.” David’s prayer is spoken in the presence of the whole assembly, and it therefore has a liturgical character. God is addressed in the prayer with the expressions O LORD, God of our father Israel ...
Understanding Series
Elizabeth Achtemeier
The Prophet’s Visions and Encounter with Amaziah (8:1-3): While this section contains two different types of visions and a biographical insert, it should be regarded as a unit that has been given its present form by the disciples of the prophet. The first two visions, in 7:1–3 and 7:4–6, are “event visions,” portraying what is about to happen, and they are identical in their form. The third and fourth visions, in 7:7–9 and 8:1–3, are “wordplay visions,” in which the meaning of what is seen depends on ...
Teach the Text
Ronald W. Pierce
Daniel’s Success and Darius’s Decree (6:1-9): Big Idea: God may allow those who remain faithful to him and his word to experience jealous opposition from unbelievers in a hostile environment. Understanding the Text Daniel 6:1–28 is woven into the book’s overall literary structure in two ways. First, it advances the narrative of chapters 1–6, in which the first four focus on Nebuchadnezzar (chaps. 1–2 with historical markers and 3–4 without) and the last two show the transition from Belshazzar of Babylon to ...
Understanding Series
Timothy S. Laniak
Haman Honors Mordecai: Chapter 6 recounts a series of ironic coincidences that provide just deserts for the antagonist of the story. The coincidences include the king’s insomnia on a particular night; the reading of the annals at just the point where Mordecai had uncovered the plot; Haman’s appearance in the court at this moment; the king’s choice of a riddle-like question; and Haman’s choice to assume that this riddle was an invitation for him to authorize his own honor! These coincidences highlight the ...
606. Flight to Egypt
Jeremiah 41:16--43:13
Understanding Series
Tremper Longman III
Forced to Go to Egypt: The remnant in Judah is now faced with a hard decision. Should they stay in Judah and perhaps face an angry Nebuchadnezzar or should they flee to Egypt? 41:16–18 By virtue of the murder of Gedaliah and his own defeat of Ishmael, Johanan found himself as the de facto leader of the remnant of Judah. His first reaction was to take them all away from Judah and go to Egypt in order to find safe haven. The remnant is described as the soldiers, women, children and court officials. Johanan ...
607. David Mourns
2 Sam 18:19–19:8
Understanding Series
Mary J. Evans
Absalom’s Defeat: 18:1–5 David’s forces may have been more limited than he had been used to in recent times, but he and Joab were skilled in making the most of limited resources and in fighting battles where they were outnumbered. The description of his army’s structure leaves the impression that these are well-organized professional forces, as opposed to Absalom’s perhaps more haphazard arrangements. We are given only an outline, but the campaign appears to have been well-organized. David intended to lead ...
Teach the Text
Ronald W. Pierce
Big Idea: The incomparable Lord is sovereign over all earthly kingdoms, holding rulers and subjects alike accountable for sin and challenging believers to spiritual fidelity. Understanding the Text Daniel 1:1–21 introduces the narratives of chapters 1–6, which reflect the writer’s perspective on the approximately seventy years of Judean exile (605–538 BC) alluded to in verses 1 and 21 and throughout the book. It also serves as the Hebrew prologue to the book’s concentric Aramaic and Hebrew sections (chaps ...
Understanding Series
Mary J. Evans
God’s Covenant with David: This chapter forms the climax of the whole Davidic tradition and brings together two themes, the foundation of the Davidic dynasty and the building of the temple. These themes are not fully integrated (vv. 1–7 and vv. 8–29 can each stand alone), and scholars have debated the structure and origins of the material. However, the fact that we have the origin of two institutions that dominated Israel’s history shows how vital this chapter is. The connection between the two themes is ...
610. David's Prayer
2 Samuel 7:18-29
Understanding Series
Mary J. Evans
God’s Covenant with David: This chapter forms the climax of the whole Davidic tradition and brings together two themes, the foundation of the Davidic dynasty and the building of the temple. These themes are not fully integrated (vv. 1–7 and vv. 8–29 can each stand alone), and scholars have debated the structure and origins of the material. However, the fact that we have the origin of two institutions that dominated Israel’s history shows how vital this chapter is. The connection between the two themes is ...
Sermon
John R. Brokhoff
At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, "Ask what I shall give you." And Solomon said, "Thou hast shown great and steadfast love to thy servant David my father, because he walked before thee in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward thee; and thou hast kept for him this great and steadfast love, and hast given him a son to sit on his throne this day. And now, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king in place of David my father, although I ...
Understanding Series
Tremper Longman III
Letters to Babylon and Back: Chapters 27 and 28 describe a prophetic conflict concerning the status of the 597 B.C. exiles to Babylon and the future of those who remain behind. Jeremiah represented the view that the former would stay in exile and the latter were under judgment. Hananiah attacked Jeremiah and optimistically stated that all would end well in just a short period of time. The present chapter continues the same note of prophetic conflict. However, rather than two prophets in contact physically ...
Understanding Series
Elizabeth Achtemeier
The Command and the Flight (1:1-3): 1:1–3 The NIV has omitted several rhetorical devices in these first three verses that are significant for an understanding of Jonah. Verse 1:1 begins with way e hî, which may be translated, “Now it came to pass,” or simply “Now.” The word is a sure indication that what follows is a story or narrative (cf. MT of Josh. 1:1; Judg. 1:1). Verse 2 begins with “arise” (RSV; NIV: go; qûm), and this verb is repeated at the beginning of verse 3: “But Jonah rose (qûm) to flee to ...
Understanding Series
Pamela J. Scalise
Vision Report: Zechariah and Joshua in the Heavenly Court: 3:1–2 Zechariah’s next vision begins in the midst of a courtroom scene, a trial of Joshua the high priest in the heavenly court. He was standing before the angel of the LORD, and the accuser was standing at his right side to accuse him. “Satan” is not a personal name but a role. He is also a member of the heavenly court. The text does not report the charge that he has made against Joshua, but we can infer it from the rest of the report. The satan ...
Understanding Series
Iain W. Provan
Solomon Consolidates His Position: David has gone, and Solomon has been left to fend for himself. His rule was firmly established, 2:12 tells us. This is clearly an allusion to 2 Samuel 7:11b–16, where the verb ḵwn (established) appears on three occasions (vv. 12, 13, 16; cf. also v. 26) of God’s action in ensuring for David an everlasting dynasty. In 1 Kings 2:12–46, this same verb appears on four occasions, strategically positioned at the beginning and end of the section (vv. 12, 45–46) and halfway ...
616. Samuel Anoints Saul
1 Sam 9:1–10:8
Understanding Series
Mary J. Evans
The Anointing of Saul: With chapter 9 the focus moves from Samuel, although he still has a significant role to play, to Saul. In verse 3 Saul, in spite of his imposing physical presence and his good family background, enters the picture as a rather insignificant young man looking for lost donkeys. God’s concern for and use of the powerless can be seen again here. It may be, therefore, that the grandiose introduction in verse 2 is inserted into an earlier account to serve as an introduction to Saul the king ...
617. Absalom’s Death
2 Samuel 18:1-18
Understanding Series
Mary J. Evans
Absalom’s Defeat: 18:1–5 David’s forces may have been more limited than he had been used to in recent times, but he and Joab were skilled in making the most of limited resources and in fighting battles where they were outnumbered. The description of his army’s structure leaves the impression that these are well-organized professional forces, as opposed to Absalom’s perhaps more haphazard arrangements. We are given only an outline, but the campaign appears to have been well-organized. David intended to lead ...
Understanding Series
Christopher J. H. Wright
Rectifying Public and Private Wrongs: Each of the five sections of this chapter deals with a situation of human distress or misconduct and seeks either to rectify the wrong or to mitigate its worst effects. We have seen already that this is a characteristic feature of Deuteronomy—part of its “pastoral strategy.” Another feature is that the first and fifth of the laws both require actions that involve removing pollution from the sight of God and from the land. 21:1–9 Atonement for an unsolved murder. ...
Understanding Series
John E. Hartley
The Treaty between Abraham and Abimelech: The report of Abimelech’s entering into covenant with Abraham is presented so tersely that it is hard to understand fully the transaction that takes place between them. The outer frame (vv. 22–24, 27, 31) describes the making of the covenant. In the heart of the story Abraham lodges a formal complaint against Abimelech’s servants for seizing a well he had dug (vv. 25–26, 28–30). Pressing his claim, Abraham achieves a pretrial settlement. Both men swear that Abraham ...
Understanding Series
Iain W. Provan
Israel’s Last Days: With the death of Jeroboam II, we have reached the “fourth generation” of the divine promise to Jehu (2 Kgs. 10:30). We expect a return to the unstable government, implied by 1 Kings 14:15 and illustrated in 1 Kings 14–16, that preceded the houses of Omri and Jehu. That is what we now find. Reigns change in quick succession, as Israel plunges speedily towards its doom. All deliverance has ceased, and judgment lies just around the corner. 15:8–12 Scarcely has Jeroboam’s son Zechariah sat ...
621. David's Mighty Men
2 Samuel 23:8-39
Understanding Series
Mary J. Evans
The Honors List: Given the extent to which David’s fortunes were influenced by his supportive soldiers, it was appropriate to include a military honors list. It is possible that the information about these names came from the same kind of military records as did 21:15–22. The list appears to come largely from the first part of David’s reign; a more extensive list in 1 Chronicles 11 and 12 probably covers a wider time period. “The Thirty” seems to have been the name of the finest troop of David’s soldiers, ...
622. Prayer
Matthew 6:5-15
Understanding Series
Robert H. Mounce
6:5–6 A second important religious duty among the Jews was prayer. In the morning and in the evening the devout Jew would recite the Shema (three short passages of Scripture from Deuteronomy 6 and 11 and Numbers 15), and at nine in the morning, noon, and three in the afternoon he would go through the Shemoneh Esreh (the Eighteen Benedictions). Acts 3:1 notes that Peter and John went to the temple “at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon.” According to Jewish custom, if you were in the streets at ...
Understanding Series
Iain W. Provan
Israel’s Last Days: With the death of Jeroboam II, we have reached the “fourth generation” of the divine promise to Jehu (2 Kgs. 10:30). We expect a return to the unstable government, implied by 1 Kings 14:15 and illustrated in 1 Kings 14–16, that preceded the houses of Omri and Jehu. That is what we now find. Reigns change in quick succession, as Israel plunges speedily towards its doom. All deliverance has ceased, and judgment lies just around the corner. 15:8–12 Scarcely has Jeroboam’s son Zechariah sat ...
Understanding Series
Iain W. Provan
Israel’s Last Days: With the death of Jeroboam II, we have reached the “fourth generation” of the divine promise to Jehu (2 Kgs. 10:30). We expect a return to the unstable government, implied by 1 Kings 14:15 and illustrated in 1 Kings 14–16, that preceded the houses of Omri and Jehu. That is what we now find. Reigns change in quick succession, as Israel plunges speedily towards its doom. All deliverance has ceased, and judgment lies just around the corner. 15:8–12 Scarcely has Jeroboam’s son Zechariah sat ...
Understanding Series
Iain W. Provan
Israel’s Last Days: With the death of Jeroboam II, we have reached the “fourth generation” of the divine promise to Jehu (2 Kgs. 10:30). We expect a return to the unstable government, implied by 1 Kings 14:15 and illustrated in 1 Kings 14–16, that preceded the houses of Omri and Jehu. That is what we now find. Reigns change in quick succession, as Israel plunges speedily towards its doom. All deliverance has ceased, and judgment lies just around the corner. 15:8–12 Scarcely has Jeroboam’s son Zechariah sat ...
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