Sermon and Worship Resources

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Acts 7:1-53

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... ), and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought (v. 16). According to Genesis 50:13, however, Jacob was laid to rest, not in Shechem, but in the cave of Machpelah at Hebron. Some have sought to overcome this difficulty by suggesting that only his sons are the subject of the verbs in this sentence, or that the he of verse 15 is Joseph, not Jacob. But a further difficulty must still be met. Joseph is the only son of Jacob who is expressly said to have been buried in Shechem (Josh. 24:32). The burial place ...

202. The God of All Comfort

2 Corinthians 1:1-11

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... experience in 12:7 when God gave him a “thorn in the flesh” so that he would not be conceited about his revelatory experience. It seems that at one time Paul had a problem with humility and self-reliance. Likewise in 1:9, God’s purpose in subjecting Paul to the Asian tribulation was not to kill him; rather, Paul received this “sentence” or “verdict of death” in order that (hina) he would trust not in himself, but in the God who raises the dead (v. 9b). Paul is called in a life-threatening ...

203. Accusations

2 Corinthians 1:12--2:4, 2 Corinthians 2:5-11

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... of God. Like Moses, who claims that his message is a word from the Lord, and that “God is faithful” (Deut. 32:1b–4), Paul claims that his message depends on God, and that God is faithful. Paul thereby emphasizes his mediatory apostolic role, a subject that he develops in detail in 2:14–4:6. 1:19 As a second argument to substantiate his claim that he is not double-minded, Paul adduces his unequivocal apostolic message to the Corinthians. When Paul first preached to the Corinthians during his founding ...

204. Body

2 Corinthians 5:1-10

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... Corinth and Rome 1:228 B.C.–A.D. 267,” ANRW, 17.1, pp. 438–548 (here pp. 515–17). One of the main difficulties with Rudolf Bultmann’s attempt to make anthropology and the gift of God’s declaration of acquittal the sole subject of Paul’s theology is that it caused him to demythologize the future aspects of Paul’s apocalyptic eschatology for the sake of the present. Hence, Bultmann’s position was unable to incorporate Paul’s statements concerning the final judgment according to one’s ...

205. Paul Opposes Peter

Galatians 2:11-21

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

... of this phrase refer to the faithfulness of Christ and the second instance refers to the faith of the believer (see Introduction). The Greek phrases pisteōs Iēsou Christou in the first instance and pisteōs Christou in the third may be rendered as subjective genitives. Verse 16 would then read: “knowing that a person is justified not through works of the law but through Jesus Christ’s faith. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by Christ’s faith, and not ...

206. Sons of God

Galatians 3:26--4:7

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

... . While an heir theoretically owns the whole estate … as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave. An inheritance is of no benefit unless one is an adult. 4:2 The minor lives neither freely nor fully. Rather, he is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. Paul equates the type of life advocated by the rival evangelists with the confining life of minors. His pregnant phrase “until the date set by his father” signals what he will declare in verse 4, that ...

207. Thanksgiving and Prayer

Ephesians 1:15-23

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... Mark’s Gospel and disc. on Col. 1:16). Part of the message of Colossians is that Christ is superior to all evil powers. In the Christ hymn (1:15–20), Paul affirms Christ’s sovereignty by stating that these powers are created by Christ and thus are subject to his authority. Later, he shows that, by virtue of Christ’s death on the cross, he has triumphed over them and leads them as a victorious captor (2:15). As a result of Christ’s supremacy and victory, these evil forces are reduced to a state of ...

208. Paul the Preacher to the Gentiles

Ephesians 3:1-13

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... is that through the church they might know the manifold wisdom of God. Are they objects of God’s redemptive activity, or are they merely cosmic spectators to a drama that is being worked out on earth through the church? The rest of the NT is silent on this subject, and only a few verses allude to some kind of intelligent activity among the angels (cf. 1 Cor. 4:9; 1 Pet. 1:12). The author describes the unity of the church as the manifestation of the wisdom of God—wisdom to the extent that God’s divine ...

209. Paul's Ministry in Thessalonica

1 Thessalonians 2:1-16

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... of that verse is reinforced with this further assertion of the missionaries’ affection for the Thessalonians, such that they were pleased “to spend and be spent” in their interest (2 Cor. 12:15). The divine origin of the gospel is again indicated by the subjective genitive, “of God” (see disc. on 1:5). To preach such a gospel is a demanding task, but nowhere nearly as demanding as sharing one’s life with those to whom it is preached. But can the preacher do any less? “No servant is greater ...

210. Thanksgiving and Prayer

2 Thessalonians 1:1-12

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... a recurring problem for this church (see Introduction on The Sequence of the Letters). The more general word “trials” (thlipsis; see disc. on 1 Thess. 1:6) means “pressures” and can refer to any of the pressures to which we as human beings are subject in this “present evil age” (Gal. 1:4). “Persecutions” is more specific. The noun derives from a verb meaning “to put to flight,” “to pursue,” and refers in particular to trials that come to us as Christians (cf. Matt. 13:21; Mark 4:17 ...

211. The Lord's Grace to Paul

1 Timothy 1:12-20

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

... in general, and hence also of the Christian.” But this seems to miss the context rather widely. 1:19b–20 The nature and purpose of “excommunication” in the three relevant NT texts (2 Thess. 3:14–15; 1 Cor. 5:3–5; 1 Tim. 1:20) is a subject on which not all agree. This is due partly to the nature and meaning of some of the language used. For example, does “for the destruction of the flesh” in 1 Cor. 5:5 refer to his “sinful nature” (NIV), or to literal physical punishment (GNB)? In all ...

212. Concluding Exhortations

Hebrews 13:1-25

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

... synonymous with “the sacrifices that please God” in v. 16. Commentators differ as to whether the doxology is directed to God or to Christ, since the wording leaves some ambiguity. That doxologies are usually directed to God in the NT writings, that God is the acting subject of these verses and the object of praise in v. 15, together with the fact that the readers are Jewish Christians, argue that God is in view. On the other hand, and more compelling, are the facts that in the Greek, as in the NIV, the ...

213. False Teachers and Their Destruction

2 Peter 2:1-22

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... to which Peter here alludes, the angels are termed “the sons of God,” a common expression for them in the OT (Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7; Ps. 89:6). The Genesis story is further developed in 1 Enoch (dating from 170 B.C.), where these angels were subject to chains, fire, and darkness (1 Enoch 6:2; 10:4, 12–13; 54:4–5). Sent … to hell (tartarōsas): The only occurrence in the NT of the verb tartarein, formed from Tartarus, in Greek mythology the place of punishment for the departed spirits of the worst of ...

214. Israel Fights the Remaining Canaanites

Judges 1:1-36

Understanding Series

Cheryl A. Brown

... the author’s greater interest in Judah than in the northern tribes. 1:30–36 There follows a staccato series of brief summaries of other northern tribes’ activities, each having essentially the same message: “x tribe did not drive out y”; instead “x tribe subjected y to forced labor.” The tribes mentioned are Zebulun (v. 30), Asher (v. 31), and Naphtali (v. 33), all located in the northern part of the country, later to be known generally as Galilee. Most of the cities named here have not been ...

215. Saul Takes His Life

1 Chronicles 10:1-14

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

... reference to the armor-bearer and all his men, as well as the temporal reference “that same day.” He furthermore supplied another finite verb (died) at the end of the verse and inserted the expression and his whole house as the subject of this verb. In verse 7 the Chronicler changed “the men of Israel” (my translation) of the source text into “every person in Israel” (my translation—an expression that emphasizes the collective), a change that correlates with a similar modification in 10 ...

216. Ezra Reads the Law

Neh 7:73b–8:18

Understanding Series

Leslie C. Allen

... of the names can be identified with Levites elsewhere, in 9:4–5; 10:9–13; 11:16. Standing: The point is that they “remained in their places” (REB), while the Levites moved from group to group. 8:8 They read: It is not clear who the subjects of this and the other verbs are—probably Ezra for the reading and the Levites for the other verbs, perhaps in the former case also members of the platform party, relieving Ezra in his long stint. The Heb. verb translated making it clear is of uncertain meaning ...

217. The Israelites Confess their Sins

Nehemiah 9:1-37

Understanding Series

Leslie C. Allen

... carried over into its new setting. 9:3 They stood where they were and read: In this condensed account of the service, the general subject “they” refers to the people who stood to listen, as in 8:5b, and to the Levites who read. 9:4 Standing on the ... the Psalms, Ps. 41:13; 72:18–19; 89:52; 106:48. Blessed be is lit. “and let them bless” with an indefinite subject, “let people bless.” In who is from everlasting to everlasting, “who is” is wrongly supplied (see the NRSV). The people are to ...

218. Proverbs of Solomon

Proverbs 15:1-33

Understanding Series

Roland E. Murphy

... 15:3 The parallelism is progressive and specifying. The point is that nothing escapes the eyes of the LORD. This is both consoling and threatening. Were the sages also aware of how often things escaped their own gaze and judgment? 15:4 Antithetic; juxtaposition of subjects and predicates. Another saying about speech (cf. vv. 1–2). For the healing effect, cf. 16:24, and for the tree of life, cf. 3:18. See Additional Notes. 15:5 Antithetic. The parallelism is not perfect (no mention of the mother; cf. 10:1 ...

219. 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 ... in v. 25 (crave). Emendation of the text on the basis of the Gk., which introduces asebēs, “evil one,” as the subject of v. 26a, is not helpful. 21:28 The LXX reflects the MT except for Hb. lāneṣaḥ, “forever” (Gk. ...

220. Proverbs of Solomon

Proverbs 22:1-16

Understanding Series

Roland E. Murphy

... has three lines: “The Lord loves holy hearts; all the blameless are accepted by him"—but the third line does not fit: “a king feeds (his flock) with his lips.” Some would consider Hb. mlk (king) at the end of the verse as the subject: the king loves the pure of heart; gracious speech (is) his friend. For various proposals, see Plöger (Sprüche). 22:12 Some commentators (Gemser, Sprüche; H. Ringgren, Sprüche [Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1962]) take the abstract for the concrete: “the one ...

221. More Proverbs of Solomon

Proverbs 27:1-27

Understanding Series

Roland E. Murphy

... The issue is whether the Kethib in 20:16, identical with this verse in other respects, should be adopted here—thus “strangers” instead of “strange woman,” which the NIV interprets as wayward. 27:16 Hb. yāmîn (right [hand]) is feminine and cannot be the subject of Hb. yqrh, and so the verb should be vocalized as derived from Hb. qrh (to meet), not Hb. qrʾ (to call). 27:17 In order to obtain the (correct) NIV rendering, one must change the vocalization of the Hb. verb, yḥd, as the BHS suggests ...

222. Where Has Your Lover Gone

Song of Songs 6:1-13

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Huwiler

... be saying “I did not know myself,” with the probable sense, “I was beside myself.” The second problem is the Hb. verb ?mtny. It can be read with a third-person feminine subject: “she” or “it” set me. Since nepeš is a feminine noun, it can be the subject. But the central woman could equally well be the subject of this verb, if she is not speaking this verse. Different vocalizations of the same consonants give masculine and feminine forms of “you set me,” in which case it is most likely ...

223. Clean Garments for the High Priest

Zechariah 3:1-10

Understanding Series

Pamela J. Scalise

... 1–2 is also a member of the heavenly court who raises an accusation against Job. First Chronicles 21:1 is the only place in the OT where a satan tempts a person to do wrong. This verse interprets its source in 2 Sam. 24:1, where God is the subject of “tempt/test” (NIV “incite”). The Chronicler may want readers to imagine a back-story like Job 1–2 in which God allowed a satan to put David to the test. This satan does not tempt Joshua to sin (cf. David in 1 Chr. 21), nor does he torment him ...

224. The Coming of Zion's King

Zechariah 9:9-13

Understanding Series

Pamela J. Scalise

... ” are ones who know that they need God’s help (Ps. 34:6). The ʿoni is the opposite of the proud (Prov. 3:34; 16:19; Ps. 18:27). The NIV’s translation “gentle” is based on this contrast. This king will not rule by condescending to his subjects but by identifying with them. The king’s procession to Zion, riding on a donkey, follows an indigenous monarchic tradition found in Judges 5:10; 10:4; 12:14 and 2 Samuel 16:2. David’s return to Jerusalem after putting down Absolom’s revolt provides the ...

225. Judah Unfaithful

Malachi 2:10-16

Understanding Series

Pamela J. Scalise

... they will become one flesh.” Therefore, the NIV has interpreted these first three words of verse 15 (lit., “and not one he made”) as a rhetorical question, “Has not the LORD made them one?” God, the one creator (v. 10), is the most likely subject for the verb “made.” Because God made them, and because God made them one, wife and husband belong completely to God. By remembering who gave them life; who made them part of the covenant people; who witnessed their own marriage covenant; and who made ...

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