Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 976 to 1000 of 1285 results

Amos 5:18-27

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... :2 10). The NT refers to a horn with a word used to translate both OT terms (salpinx). The ancient world had both flutes and shawms. Shawms have a bell-like flare at the end, while the shaft of a flute is straight to the end. What is likely a double-reed shawm is frequently translated “flute” (1 Sam. 10:5; 1 Kings 1:40; Isa. 5:12; 30:29; Jer. 48:36 [NIV: “pipes”]). It is unclear whether the instrument mentioned in Gen. 4:21; Ps. 150:4 commonly translated as “flute” is a woodwind or a stringed ...

977. Judgment on Israel's Enemies

Zechariah 9:1-8

Understanding Series

Pamela J. Scalise

... hipʿil of yrsh] and wealth . . . He raises the poor from the dust [ʿafar],” as in Zech. 9:3. The NIV interprets the next line of verse 4 as the destruction of Tyre’s navy, and destroy her power on the sea. The Hebrew has a double meaning. Without any change it may also be read, “and strike her wealth into the sea.” Safe shipping on the Mediterranean Sea had made Tyre’s commercial success possible. The city itself was located on a fortified island, connected to the mainland by a narrow causeway ...

978. Jacob Loved, Esau Hated

Malachi 1:1-5

Understanding Series

Pamela J. Scalise

... . 49:26). 1:5 Beyond the borders of Israel: The Heb. phrase also means “over the territory of Israel.” The claims in Mal. 1:11 and 14 about the greatness of the Lord’s name among the nations support the NIV interpretation. This phrase, with its double meaning, may be another allusion to the book of Obadiah. The last 3 verses of that book are concerned with the reestablishment of the old extent of the territory of Israel, over which the Lord will reign (Obad. 19–21). Ezekiel 47:13–22 has a similar ...

979. Jesus' First Disciples

John 1:35-42, John 1:43-51

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... whom he received his traditions. It is a solemn attestation of the truth of the saying to follow, a rhetorical form that originated with Jesus. “Amen” was customarily used to conclude a statement or a prayer, but Jesus used it instead as an introduction. The doubled “amen” occurs only (and always) in the fourth Gospel, but appears to have the same meaning as the single “amen” of the Synoptics. On the Son of Man: In the Greek translation of Gen. 28:12, Jacob saw the angels going up and down “on ...

980. The Healing at the Pool

John 5:1-15, John 5:16-30

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... ” may represent an effort (whether by the Gospel writer or a later copyist) to transcribe in Greek the corresponding Aramaic plural, “Bethesdatha.” Archaeology, as well as later testimony of geographers and pilgrims, confirms the notion that the pool was double. See J. Finegan, Archeology of the New Testament (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1969), pp. 142–47; J. Wilkinson, Jerusalem as Jesus Knew It (London: Thames & Hudson, 1978), pp. 95–104. 5:3 At the end of this verse, a number ...

981. Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

John 6:1-15

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... pretender to the long-vacant throne of David. But he knew their intent (cf. 2:24) and returned alone to the hill. For the time being, his manifestation to the Galilean crowd was at an end. Additional Notes 6:1 That is, the Sea of Tiberias: The double name is striking. Tiberias appears to be the name preferred by the writer of this Gospel (cf. 21:1), while the more familiar Galilee has been retained alongside it from an oral or written source similar to the synoptic accounts. 6:5 Where shall we buy: Philip ...

982. The Shepherd and His Flock

John 10:1-21

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... 11 is of a shepherd who lays down his life in defense of his sheep by fighting off the attacking wolf. Verses 11–13 are an extended metaphor, actually a self-contained story matching the figure of speech in verses 1–5. At the very least they provide a double character sketch (i.e., of the shepherd and of the hired man), but more than that, they give a real picture of a wolf attacking a flock of sheep, with the hired man running away to save his own life. The key to the interpretation of the story is ...

983. The Impending Departure I

John 14:1-4, John 14:5-14, John 14:15-31

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... You do trust in God, and you trust in me”); or one can be read as indicative and the other as imperative (i.e., “You do trust in God; therefore trust in me”). But consistency favors translating the two verbs in parallel fashion, and the double indicative would be trite and redundant at this point. The NIV rendering is therefore preferable; Jesus is not speaking of belief in God (or himself) in a generalized sense but in relation to a specific hope for the future: “Trust God and trust me; this is ...

984. Crucified, Dead, and Buried

John 19:17-27, John 19:28-37, John 19:38-42

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... , “he handed over the spirit,” it means “his spirit” (cf. the expression, “to lay down one’s life” [see note on 10:11], which places a similar emphasis on the deliberate and voluntary nature of Jesus’ death). 19:31 The day of Preparation. The word does double duty, because it was both the preparation of the Sabbath and the preparation of the Passover (see note on 19:14). The next day was to be a special Sabbath: lit., “for great was the day of that Sabbath.” The following day was both a ...

985. Pressing on Toward the Goal

Philippians 3:12-4:1

Understanding Series

F. F. Bruce

... few other manuscripts the indicative phronoumen is read: “we are thus minded” (but this variant has no claim to serious consideration). The attitude in question is explained by Chrysostom as readiness to “forget what is behind”; he adds, playing on the double sense of “perfect” (teleios): “it is the mark of one who is perfect not to consider himself perfect” (Homilies on Philippians, 12). To think differently may mean to have a wrong attitude; the adverb heterōs “seems to have the meaning ...

986. Love One Another

1 John 3:11-24

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

... truth, and before him we shall assure [persuade?] our heart, (20) that [for?] if [when?] our heart condemns us, that [for?] God is greater than our heart and knows everything.” The NIV solves these ambiguities well in v. 19 by giving the expression “by this” a double result: by this (i.e., by the fact that we truly love one another), (1) we know that we belong to the truth, and (2) we set our hearts at rest. The two phrases are virtually identical in meaning, though the first emphasizes that we are ...

987. Assured by the Certainties of Faith

1 John 5:13-21

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

... to God’s will are prayers heard. The next step, then, is the assurance that prayers heard are indeed prayers answered. The writer adds whatever we ask as an encouragement to prayer and to establish even more firmly the readers’ shaky confidence (note the double we know) in the face of the secessionists’ assaults. No subject, inside God’s will, need be excluded. The Elder says we have (not “we will have”) what we asked him for. The realization of our prayer has already begun when we have asked ...

988. Let Us Love One Another

2 John 1:1-13

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

... . Some are doing this, and some are not. To leave the community and to follow another “rule” is to disobey not just the Elder, but God! First John 3:23 summarizes the Father’s command in terms of believing in Jesus Christ and walking in love toward one another. The double theme of walking in truth and love is a “rule of life” for the Christian community (cf. John 14:15, 21; Eph. 4:15; Col. 1:4–5; 1 John 3:18; 2 John 1, 3; 3 John 1). 5 The NIV divides into two clear sentences one longer, more ...

989. Adam and Eve

Genesis 2:4-25

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... the transcendent God the Creator was also intimately involved with humans as Lord or Yahweh, especially in the events in the garden. This is the only place in Genesis where these two names occur together, and reasons for the repeated use of this double name here elude us. 2:7 Like a potter, God formed (yatsar) man (’adam) from the dust of the ground (’adamah). There is a wordplay between “man” and “ground.” “Ground” represents red soil (from the root ’-d-m, “red”). Whether it indicates ...

990. Cain and Abel

Genesis 4:1-26

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... for Abel. This setback, instead of leading him to contrition, embittered him toward his brother. His jealousy had to be dealt with before it led him to do something terribly wrong. Because Cain harbored such hatred, Yahweh mercifully spoke to him, putting to Cain a double question: why was he angry and why was his face downcast? Yahweh alerted Cain that his reaction was too negative. Yahweh did not condemn Cain for his offering. While Cain had erected a small barrier between himself and God, he had not done ...

991. The Flood

Genesis 6:1-8:22

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... command to take on board a pair of all animals (6:19–20) in contrast to the command to preserve seven pairs of clean animals (7:2–3); and the twofold command to enter the ark (6:18b–20 and 7:1–3), along with the double report of taking occupants on board (7:7–9 and 13–16a). Throughout the twentieth century, scholars attributed these repetitions to an editor who wove together two flood stories that had circulated independently in the collections of the Yahwist (J) and of the priestly source (P ...

992. The Table of Nations

Genesis 10:1-32

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... of Haulan, a group with many branches. This particular branch may be located in the west of Sa’da. It is probably a different site than Havilah in 2:11 (W. Müller, “Havilah,” ABD 3:81). Havilah is also mentioned in v. 29; the double reference may represent the converging of two lines (D. Block, “Table of Nations,” ISBE 4:710). Some identify Sabtah as the capital of Hadramaut (W. Müller, “Sabtah,” ABD 5:861–62). Sabtecah is unknown. Raamah was possibly Ragmatum, the capital in the Oasis of ...

993. Abram Rescues Lot

Genesis 14:1-24

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... and the information found in ancient documents from the Near East remain elusive. Nevertheless, the abundance of proper names, along with a distinctive vocabulary and style, indicate that this account had an origin different from that of the other stories about Abram. The double names for various places—an archaic name and a current name—indicate that the story has been adapted for a later audience in its retelling. 14:1 The identity of these ancient kings continues to baffle scholars. In the past some ...

994. Abraham Tested

Genesis 22:1-19

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... of the victim. At the moment Abraham was about to inflict the fatal blow, a voice from heaven cried out, stopping him. Since Abraham’s resolve to obey God was beyond question, the angel of Yahweh called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” The double calling of Abraham’s name in contrast to the single mention of his name at the opening of the narrative conveys the angel’s urgency in getting Abraham’s attention. Abraham responded in the way he did to God’s first call: Here I am. “From ...

995. Jacob and Esau

Genesis 25:19-34

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... that Esau sell him his birthright in exchange for some stew. The birthright gave one the rights of first position in the family. The firstborn received a larger portion of the inheritance; according to Deuteronomy 21:17, the firstborn received a double share. Jacob, the master manipulator, perceived that Esau was too exhausted to value something as abstract as a birthright over tangible food at that moment. The skill with which Jacob handled the opportunity suggests that he had been pondering for some ...

996. Jacob Flees from Laban

Genesis 31:1-21

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... the Aramean by not telling him he was running away. In this line “deceive,” literally “stole the heart” (ganab ’et-leb), captures how grievously Jacob broke ancient custom in leaving his father-in-law’s home in such a secretive manner. A double offense had been committed against Laban: Rachel had stolen his gods, and Jacob had stolen his heart by taking his daughters. The narrator captures the irony of Jacob’s clandestine departure. The deceiver by name must escape the heavy hand of a skilled ...

997. Judah and Tamar

Genesis 38:1-30

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... as Enam, located in the Shephelah (Josh. 15:34). Some render the phrase bepetakh ’enayim as “a fork in the road” (e.g., NEB, JB). Hamilton (Genesis: Chapters 18–50, p. 440) suggests that the phrase indicates a woman who makes herself available to men. The term may have a double meaning. In such a case it explains why Judah considered Tamar, sitting at that location, to be a prostitute.

998. The Second Journey to Egypt

Genesis 43:1-34

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... . Or perhaps they produced small amounts of these food items during the famine. Jacob reasoned that this gift should encourage the overseer to treat these Hebrews more favorably since they were sharing treasured foods during a time of scarcity. Furthermore, they were to take double the amount of money, to buy the new grain and to pay back the money that was put in their sacks by mistake. Full of emotion and resolve, Israel commanded them to take Benjamin and go back to the man in Egypt. Then he invoked ...

999. Manasseh and Ephraim

Genesis 48:1-22

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... would contribute to the fulfillment of God’s promise that Jacob would increase (v. 4). A father usually divided his estate into shares so that the oldest son received two portions. Through Israel’s blessing on Joseph’s two sons, Joseph received the double portion of his father’s inheritance. Jacob elevated Joseph, the firstborn of Rachel, over Reuben, the firstborn of Leah. 48:17–19 Joseph was displeased at his father’s placing his right hand on Ephraim’s head since he was the younger ...

1000. The Death of Joseph

Genesis 50:22-26

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... children is not recorded, for they had been blessed by the great patriarch Jacob (ch. 48). Although Joseph had enabled the children of Israel to survive the terrible famine, he remained one brother among the twelve, honored as the firstborn by having received a double inheritance through the elevation of his two sons to the level of his brothers. 50:26 The Egyptians embalmed Joseph and placed him in a coffin in Egypt. The coffin is mentioned in anticipation of its being carried to Canaan when the Israelites ...

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