All Questions
8
votes
5answers
352 views
Who named the wrong priest in Mark 2:26?
Here's a story Jesus told about David according to Mark 2:23-28 (ESV):
One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. ...
26
votes
6answers
1k views
Does the Bible mention unicorns?
I was reading Psalm 22 (from this question) and I found this verse:
Psalms 22:21 (KJV)
Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.
When I switched ...
5
votes
5answers
348 views
The beloved disciple vs Peter
I was reading a book by Andreas Köstenberger and he points out that in the Fourth Gospel, the beloved disciple is depicted at least several times as having greater access to knowledge as compared ...
25
votes
5answers
1k views
Pre-Christian, Jewish interpretation of Psalm 22
How was Psalm 22 understood by Jewish tradition before the birth of Jesus? Was it interpreted messianically? What pre-Christian sources discuss Psalm 22?
13
votes
3answers
459 views
Does Gen 1:1 refer to day 1 or the entire 6 days of creation?
A natural reading of Gen 1:1 with it's immediate context is that it is part of the first day of creation
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and ...
11
votes
5answers
2k views
Are the 'ten virgins' told in Jesus' parable multiple brides or just general wedding party?
Jesus told a parable about the kingdom of God involving "ten virgins" and a "bridegroom". It starts out in the beginning of Matthew:
Matthew 25:1-2 (ESV)
1 "Then the kingdom of heaven will be ...
10
votes
3answers
503 views
Was Deborah considered a sub-optimal leader?
I've sometimes heard that Deborah was allowed to be a leader of Israel only because no man stepped up to the responsibility. However, when she is introduced there is no indication of that:
...
9
votes
4answers
3k views
What does “Under the Sun” mean in Ecclesiastes?
I noticed that the Teacher uses the phrase "under the sun" more than 20 times in Ecclesiastes. I have always understood this to simply mean "on earth" as The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament ...
7
votes
2answers
90 views
What language(s) would the Jewish Christians in the various Macedonian cities have spoken?
In Acts 16-18, Paul is shown moving from city to city in Macedonia - e.g. Phillipi, Thessalonica, Berea, Corinth - many of to whom he would later write letters. Acts 17:2 explains that it was his ...
5
votes
2answers
495 views
Why didn't the Septuagint translate 'ahabah to eros?
Song of Songs 2:7 in English (NPJS) reads:
I adjure you, O maidens of Jerusalem,
By gazelles or by hinds of the field:
Do not wake or rouse
Love until it please!
As the NET Bible points ...
5
votes
1answer
345 views
Redaction criticism and grammatical-historical hermeneutics
It appears that redaction criticism can be viewed either positively or negatively by proponents of a grammatical-historical hermeneutic (see this article)? What are the primary arguments for and ...
4
votes
2answers
138 views
How does one determine whether an apparent demand in scripture is absolute or relative [closed]
Jesus tells us both that "you should also wash one another's feet" and "do this in remembrance of me", yet most churches practice the latter and not the former. On what ground do we choose which of ...
3
votes
1answer
237 views
How many common hermeneutical approaches are there and how do they differ?
How many distinctly different common hermeneutical approaches are there, and what are the major distinctives of each approach?
I'm not asking for a long description of each - just a concise summary ...
1
vote
2answers
110 views
How does the rule of non-contradiction differ between Greek logic and Biblical Hermeneutics?
The rule of non-contradiction is key to Greek logic. The Socratic method often walks through a binary tree of false dilemmas [1] until a conclusion is reached.
In Hermeneutics contradiction seems to ...
20
votes
4answers
626 views
Is “kill” a valid translation for Exodus 20:13 (Thou shalt not kill)?
Exodus 20:13 (KJV)
Thou shalt not kill.
Many political statements have been made about this verse. This translation has been used by many to support their pacifist desires. However, it seems ...
10
votes
2answers
528 views
Why does the Scripture say that Abraham sacrificed his “only-begotten son”?
Why does the Scripture say that Abraham sacrificed his "only-begotten son" (Heb. 11:17, Gen. 22:2) despite the fact that Isaac had a step-brother Ishmael who was 14 years older than Isaac and was in ...
10
votes
2answers
188 views
Why isn't there a taxonomic distinction between clean and unclean birds?
Leviticus 11:13-19 has a list of non-kosher birds that match a list in Deuteronomy 14:11-18 (NJPS):
You may eat any clean bird. The following you may not eat: the eagle, the vulture, and the black ...
10
votes
2answers
162 views
Did Jephthah have pets?
Judges 11:29-40 tells the story of Jephthah's victory over the Ammonites. Before the battle he promises, "whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the ...
9
votes
1answer
137 views
What are the seven middoth (Hillel's rules for interpretation)?
The "middoth" were Rabbi Hillel's rules for interpretation. There are seven of them. What are they? Please list them and include one or two clear examples for each.
9
votes
2answers
194 views
What is the textual evidence for defining “μισέω” as “reject”?
I have heard that μισέω does not necessarily mean hate in the sense of a wrathful detestation, but can also have a judicial sense, i.e. reject. A classic example where this meaning would be applied is ...
8
votes
1answer
1k views
Is Deuteronomy 22:28 talking about rape?
Some folks assert that this passage describes the Torah's sole punishment for rape:
If a man comes upon a virgin who is not engaged and he seizes her and lies with her, and they are discovered, ...
8
votes
1answer
192 views
Does Luke's supposed profession matter when interpreting his work as an author?
Paul makes reference to a physician named Luke:
Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does Demas.—Colossians 4:14 (ESV)
Tradition also assigns Luke as author of the gospel that bears ...
8
votes
3answers
4k views
Why was Abishag the Shunammite important?
When we shift from Samuel to Kings, we start with this fairly benign story:
King David was now old, advanced in years; and though they covered him with bedclothes, he never felt warm. His ...
8
votes
4answers
605 views
What does “guardian/tutor” mean in Galatians 3:24
Galatians 3:24 reads in the ESV (and several modern translations)
So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.ESV
In the KJV it reads:
...
7
votes
2answers
124 views
In the Peshitta, what is the difference between the original word translated “Sabbath” and that translated “week?”
In Matthew 28:1 of the Aramaic Peshitta text, the word translated "Sabbath" and the word translated "week" appear similar but with slight variation.
Does anyone know what the significance is of the ...
7
votes
1answer
119 views
Was Abiathar the son of Ahimelech or was Ahimelech the son of Abiathar?
According to the following three verses, Abiathar was the son of Ahimelech:
1 Samuel 22:20.
1 Samuel 23:6.
1 Samuel 30:7.
But a couple other passages down the road claim that in fact Ahimelech ...
7
votes
1answer
246 views
Coherence-Based Genealogical Method vs. Local Text-Types Theory
The NA28 text marks a departure from the traditional methodology of textual criticism. As described by Jeff Kloha in the Concordia Theology Journal,
Previous generations learned to classify ...
7
votes
1answer
196 views
What is the argument against the authenticity of 1 John 5:7-8 in the KJV?
I was reading through Lee Strobel's The Case for the Real Jesus and came across a passage in the book that indicates the inauthenticity of 1 John 5:7-8 in the King James Version:
1 John 5:7-8 ...
7
votes
1answer
137 views
How many and who were the people the women found at Jesus' tomb?
In the empty tomb stories, somebody was already there when the women arrived. But how many people and who were they?
For reference:
Mark: a young man
Matthew: an angel of the Lord
Luke: two men
...
7
votes
1answer
116 views
Can we date Mark without first committing to an interpretation of the Olivet Discourse?
Most scholars believe Mark is the earliest biography of Jesus. (Paul's writings and perhaps one or two other New Testament letters are earlier, but they include very little biographical material ...
7
votes
2answers
225 views
“My son” in Hosea 11:1 quoted in Matt. 2:14-15
Matthew 2:14-15 (NASB) reads:
14So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt. 15He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill ...
6
votes
3answers
175 views
Explanation of Chronological Disparities between St. John and the Synoptic Gospels Concerning Jesus' Passion
Significant chronological disparities exist between St. John's telling of the life and death of Jesus and those of the synoptic gospels. For instance, St. John discusses at least three years of Jesus' ...
6
votes
2answers
127 views
Who are the “divine beings” in Psalm 82?
We read in Psalm 82:
I had taken you for divine beings,
sons of the Most High, all of you;
but you shall die as men do,
fall like any prince.—Psalm 82:6–7 (NJPS)
Some ...
6
votes
4answers
505 views
“the first day of the week” in 1 Corinthians 16:2
I heard somewhere that in 1 Corinthians 16:2
Upon the first [day] of the week let every one of you lay by him in
store, as [God] hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I
come
...
6
votes
1answer
142 views
Did someone really name their son Fool?
In 1st Samuel 25, we read about Abigail's first husband, who is named Nabal. Near the end of the story, she pleads with David to save his life:
My lord should not pay attention to this wicked man ...
5
votes
5answers
180 views
Are there any rules on which things in Revelation must be interpreted literally and which symbolically?
Are there any rules on which things in Revelation must be interpreted literally and which symbolically? The one that comes from the back of my mind is that if a certain thing or a character is already ...
5
votes
2answers
269 views
Does Jesus always use the mustard seed to signify the property of “smallness”?
In Luke, we read:
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and ...
5
votes
1answer
155 views
How did David trick Achish?
I got to this section this week and I feel like I'm missing something:
David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Gizrites, and the Amalekites—who were the inhabitants of the ...
5
votes
2answers
379 views
Did Jesus wear pants?
While researching this question, I came across an article I'd rather not link to1 that asserted that Jesus wore pants. The particular bit of evidence they cited was:
Then I saw heaven opened, and ...
5
votes
2answers
627 views
Can we harmonize the two meetings of David and Saul?
My daily reading reached the moment when Samuel anointed David, which is followed immediately by the first meeting of Saul and David:
Now the spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil ...
5
votes
2answers
268 views
Was John the Baptist confused or mistaken about the nature of Jesus' ministry?
John preached a message of imminent judgment:
Luke 3:7-9
John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear ...
5
votes
7answers
655 views
How did mankind's way of relating to God change in Genesis 4:26?
At the end of Chapter 4 of Genesis there is a statement in verse 26, "It was then that men began to invoke the Lord by name." Other translations have "call on the name" or "worship the LORD by name". ...
5
votes
1answer
1k views
What is the meaning of “encircled” in Jeremiah 31:22?
Yesterday, I read Jeremiah 31:21-22 (ESV):
“Set up road markers for yourself;
make yourself guideposts;
consider well the highway,
the road by which you went.
Return, O virgin Israel,
...
5
votes
4answers
4k views
Meaning of “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.”
In Matthew 24:28 and Luke 17:37, Jesus uses the phrase "Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather." Was Jesus speaking in a parable? Idiom? How has this phrase been interpreted?
4
votes
2answers
114 views
Is “puppies” a justifiable translation of κυναρίοις?
Mark 7 contains an odd little story:
And from there he arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden. But ...
4
votes
2answers
267 views
Gilgal and Beth-aven in Hosea 4:15
Hosea 4:15 (ESV) reads:
Though you play the whore, O Israel,
let not Judah become guilty.
Enter not into Gilgal, nor go up to Beth-aven,
and swear not, “As the LORD lives.”
What is the ...
4
votes
3answers
1k views
How and why did Jesus weep?
John 11:35 (the shortest verse in the Bible?) says simply:
Jesus wept.
How should we understand this? Tearful? Sobbing? What was the nature of his weeping?
And what was the reason? Sadness at ...
4
votes
2answers
588 views
Comma? “Verily I say unto thee today, …” or “Verily I say unto thee, today…”
The reading of Luke 23:43 differs depending on how we punctuate it:
And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.
Or
And Jesus said unto him, ...
4
votes
3answers
262 views
How should John 1 be interpreted?
The first chapter of the Gospel of John seems to contrast with the rest of the book, in style and purpose. It seems very abstract and poetic, while the rest of John seems to be a more traditional ...
3
votes
2answers
95 views
Why is Rahab and not the spies included in the “Hall of Faith”?
Hebrews 11 list a number of people that Hebrews 12:1 calls a "great a cloud of witnesses". Among them are the usual suspects: Noah, Abraham, Issac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses. But there are also some ...
