The news at the moment is that there are some updates to the ESV (see the list here). The ESV is, in my opinion, one of the poorer modern translations available, primarily because of its tendency to use outdated English, but there are also other problems with it. This post will not be a detailed…
how long did Job’s suffering last?
Job suffered terribly at the hands of God. He lost his possessions, his health, and his children. By the end of his story as told in the Bible his health has been restored, his wealth has been restored, he fathers more children, and he lives a long life. But how long was his period of…
the “plain meaning” fallacy
There are many fallacies to which readers and commentators on the Bible fall victim from time to time (D. A. Carson has written a very useful book on many of them, replete with sometimes amusing examples), but there is one which is often overlooked yet often committed: what I’ll dub the “plain meaning” fallacy. This…
observations on the background of 1 timothy 2:11–15
There is no doubt that 1Tim 2:11–15 is both controversial and divisive in its interpretation among people who sincerely claim that the Bible forms the authoritative basis for their faith. On the one side are those who understand it to clearly indicate that women should not teach or have authority over men in a church…
“i know that my redeemer lives” — what is Job’s hope?
Job 19:25–27 contains what are perhaps the most famous words of Job. They are included in Handel’s Messiah and found in other Christian music as well. For many, these words by Job are understood as an indication that Job’s faith continues despite all that has happened to him: Job’s redeemer is God and Job, fundamentally,…
be there dragons in isaiah 6?
Isaiah 6 is a magnificent account of Isaiah’s encounter with the true king. The scene features supernatural creatures, the שרפים (śĕrāphîm). Most translations going back as far as the Greek simply transliterate the Hebrew and so call the creatures “seraphim” (the Greek has σεραφιν). But I think there may be a viable alternative. Seraph is…
when ‘desire’ is wrong
Genesis 3 recounts the undoing of the intimate relationships established in the previous chapter between humans and God, between the man and the ground, between the woman and the man. In recent decades most of the discussion seems to have been over what God says to the woman, traditionally translated something like: [Yhwh Elohim] said…
is god transgender?
The New York Times recently published an opinion piece by Rabbi Mark Sameth entitled “Is God Transgender?” You can read it here. In this he argues that “the Hebrew Bible, when read in its original language, offers a highly elastic view of gender.” His argument is very thin on the ground (he has a book…
lying by and for god in the bible
We all know that lying is wrong, and we all know that God does not lie. After all, 1Sam 15:29 reads: … the Eternal One of Israel does not lie or change His mind, for He is not man who changes his mind. (HCSB) But is it really true that God never lies? It turns…
what’s wrong with inerrancy?
The doctrine of inerrancy is a point of contention among many Christians. For some it simply cannot be made to work with the Bible, but for others it is a foundational doctrine without which one’s faith is set adrift and certainty is lost. Rather than address the whole doctrine, in this post I want to…