Questions about the interpretation of a passage in light of the historical context, or about this hermeneutical approach.
9
votes
3answers
5k views
What is the significance of '14 generations' in Matthew’s account of Jesus's genealogy?
After giving Jesus's genealogy in the first chapter, Matthew goes on to point out the number of generations between significant events:
Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to ...
8
votes
4answers
1k views
Are Job's friends the voice of the Accuser?
I have often struggled with the book of Job, wondering what rubric should guide my interpretation as I read through the speeches of Job's "friends". They say so much that is "true" (so much that ...
8
votes
3answers
383 views
Historical interpretations of Ezekiel's vision of a temple
From Ezekiel 40 to the end, the author records a pretty detailed vision of a temple. Historically, what are the main ways this vision been interpreted?
Did the rabbis consider this vision to be ...
8
votes
3answers
110 views
What is the judgment in Psalm 1?
The ending of Psalm 1 provides great hope for those who delight in the instruction of the Lord:
Not so the wicked;
rather, they are like chaff that wind blows away.
Therefore the wicked ...
7
votes
3answers
268 views
How is this passage on the authority of women to be interpreted?
I have heard it said that 1 Timothy 2:11,12 is to be examined through the "lens" of culture but what Paul writes right after it in verses 13 and 14 seems to nullify that.
A woman should learn in ...
7
votes
1answer
145 views
Jesus and the adulterous woman: was stoning a practical possiblity?
In John 8:5, the Pharisees ask Jesus:
In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say? (NIV)
Was stoning a woman for adultery often/sometimes done during Jesus' days, or ...
7
votes
2answers
161 views
Who is the prophetess in Isaiah 8:3?
The bible doesn't seem to give much information for who "the prophetess" in Isaiah 8:3 is. Who is she? Many seem to assert that she is his wife, but cite no evidence to support this.
The word ...
6
votes
2answers
782 views
“Cakes of Raisins” in Hosea 3
Hosea 3:1 reads (ESV):
And the LORD said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the LORD loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other ...
5
votes
3answers
274 views
How do I find out when a Bible passage applies to me?
Can I read a Bible passage and personalize it? Meaning, does it apply to me? How do I know when it is for me or for someone else ?
For example, Isaiah 54:4:
“Do not be afraid; you will not be put ...
5
votes
2answers
252 views
What does a mustard seed grow into!
“How shall we picture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the ...
5
votes
1answer
461 views
Historically, how was Jonah classified in terms of literary genre?
I've been reading through a lengthy discussion at this site over the historical nature of Jonah. One position that has been advanced is that there are internal text indicators that the narrative is ...
5
votes
1answer
168 views
Not singing the songs of Zion/Yahweh's song in Psalm 137
The first colophon (or first two colophons, perhaps) of Psalm 137 reads,
1 By the waters of Babylon,
there we sat down and wept,
when we remembered Zion.
2 On the willows there
we hung up ...
4
votes
3answers
83 views
Psalm 51:5 CEV vs ESV
How can we determine which translation is more close to the original message? Clearly "the day I was born" vs "mother conceive me" paints a completely different picture - and arguably, a different ...
4
votes
1answer
137 views
What is Shesh Mashzar?
The Hebrew words occuring all over the latter parts of Exodus:
שֵׁשׁ מָשְׁזָר
mean some sort of fancy fabric. Is it reasonable to think of this as silk? I was thinking this might be derived from ...
3
votes
2answers
87 views
the word for “seven” compared with the word for “Sabbath” in Scripture
Is there a connection linguistically between the word for "Seven" and for "Sabbath" in the Biblical languages, Hebrew/Aramaic/Greek? If so, could someone explain it to me.
This is related to the ...
3
votes
4answers
134 views
Should The Creation Story in Genesis Be Understood as Metaphorical?
I have been lead to understand that the creation story of Genesis should be read as metaphorical and not literal. However, there seems to be abundant evidence that the ancients understood the story ...
3
votes
3answers
852 views
What is the story behind mourning for Hadad-rimmon in Zechariah 12:11?
Zechariah, like Revelation which draws on it, is a tough nut to crack but very rich. In the twelfth chapter, the prophet records the word of Yahweh that
The sorrow and mourning in Jerusalem on ...
3
votes
3answers
400 views
Who are the “third and fourth generation” in Exodus 20:5?
“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow ...
3
votes
3answers
74 views
The significance of the designations of families who will mourn in Zechariah 12
As the prophet Zechariah proclaims the greatness of Jerusalem's mourning, he says:
12“All Israel will mourn, each clan by itself, and with the husbands separate from their wives. The clan of David ...
3
votes
2answers
229 views
Unfamiliar metaphors in Hosea 14:6-7
Hosea 14:5-7 (ESV) reads,
5 I will be like the dew to Israel;
he shall blossom like the lily;
he shall take root like the trees of Lebanon;
6 his shoots shall spread out;
his beauty shall ...
3
votes
1answer
63 views
Should Matthew 27:6-7 Be Taken as a Demonstration of Hypocrisy?
Would the people who heard Matthew's account of what was done with the 30 silver pieces have understood that to be a hypocritical act by the chief priests?
6 And the chief priests took the pieces ...
1
vote
1answer
70 views
Lifted Hands in 1 Timothy 2:8
I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing. —1 Timothy 2:8
I was once told that in context this verse refers only to the pastor.
Are there good exegetical ...
1
vote
1answer
100 views
What does it mean to lay down beside an altar (Amos 2:8)?
Amos 2:8 (ESV) reads,
They lay themselves down beside every altar on garments taken in pledge, and in the house of their God they drink the wine of those who have been fined.
The condemnation of ...
0
votes
0answers
26 views
Punishment in Exodus 20.5? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Who are the “third and fourth generation” in Exodus 20:5?
“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven ...
