All Questions
4
votes
3answers
260 views
What are the “shields of the earth”?
The end of Psalm 47 reads:
God reigns over the nations;
God sits on his holy throne.
The princes of the peoples gather
as the people of the God of Abraham.
For the shields of the earth ...
10
votes
5answers
470 views
Is there a modern English translation of the Bible that uses the second-person plural pronoun?
I'm looking for a modern translation of the Bible (ideally in the public domain) that retains the distinction between second-person plural and second-person singular. In Early Modern English (the ...
10
votes
2answers
114 views
Why is the tribe of Dan missing from Revelation 7:5-8?
We have been studying the book of Revelation and it was noted that the tribe of Dan was missing from the list of tribes of Israel listed in Revelation 7:5-8. Is there any biblical explanation why Dan ...
5
votes
3answers
111 views
How does Paul answer the charge that God is not just?
Soldarnal asked a question about what charge Paul is defending God against in Romans 9:14. Assuming the charge is that God is unjust because chooses to love some and hate others on the basis of His ...
2
votes
3answers
59 views
How does Peter fit the events of Acts 2 into the apocalyptic imagery of Joel?
In Act 2, the disciples of Jesus were gathered in the upper room when something extraordinary occurred which caused a stir in Jerusalem. Luke gives Peter a chance to explain in the first extended ...
5
votes
4answers
141 views
How can we determine when an image is a symbol?
Put simply, a symbol is a tangible representation of an intangible idea. Authors, both ancient and modern, use symbolic images to convey abstract concepts. The problem with symbols, however, is that ...
-2
votes
1answer
144 views
Is the Valley of Hinnom adequately translated as hell?
Transliteration vs. Translation vs.Travesty vs. Allegory
Gehenna or Valley of Hinnom or Djennem or Hell?
Through the prophecy and book of Jeremiah the Valley of Hinnom (ge hinnom) east of Jerusalem ...
-1
votes
0answers
19 views
The name Samara is Biblical? [closed]
I had found that the name Samara, means protected by god, which I know that comes from 8104. Shamar which means to keep, watch, preserve. But I can't understand why shamara suppose to mean protected ...
8
votes
2answers
38 views
What did Jesus mean by “be perfect” in the Sermon on the Mount?
I asked this on the Christianity Stack Exchange site, and they told me it would be better here. So I here I am asking it...
Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is ...
9
votes
6answers
487 views
What was lacking in Christ's afflictions?
In Colossians 1:24, I read:
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church ...
2
votes
0answers
12 views
Is the water jar in John 4:28 a symbol?
At the end of Jesus' conversation with the woman by the well, John records
28 So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to
the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me all ...
5
votes
8answers
492 views
What does it mean that the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John the Baptist?
Matthew 11:11 (KJV):
Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is ...
2
votes
1answer
2k views
What did Jesus mean by “the queen of the South”?
Answering a different question, I noticed this passage:
Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” But he answered them, “An evil and ...
8
votes
3answers
130 views
Did King Ahaz find a virgin mother?
In Isaiah 7, King Ahaz, the Judean king, is surrounded by the armies of Aram and Israel and things look bleak. At Isaiah 7:13-17, the prophet tells Ahaz that God will give him a sign that the seige ...
8
votes
4answers
422 views
Is Leviticus 12 saying that giving birth to a child is a sin?
I was reading Leviticus and saw that a woman, after she gives birth, would be unclean.
Leviticus 12:1-2 (NIV)
1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 “Say to the Israelites: ‘A woman who becomes pregnant ...
11
votes
3answers
1k views
What is meant by “Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire”?
In Revelation 20:14 (ESV) we read:
"Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the
second death, the lake of fire."
The concept of "fire" is used multiple times in the New ...
8
votes
3answers
234 views
Does Peter suggest Jesus “descended into hell”?
1 Peter 3:18-22 (ESV):
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in ...
3
votes
2answers
298 views
Why was the priestly exam of a woman suspected of adultery not applied to men (Numbers 5:11-31)?
In the book of Numbers, there is a very interesting test for a woman suspected of committing adultery. After some initial discussion, if the woman refuses to admit her sin, or is innocent, the priest ...
6
votes
5answers
745 views
What is the difference in response between Zechariah and Mary?
In Luke 1, we read very similar accounts of two births foretold. In the first, the angel Gabriel tells Zechariah that his wife Elizabeth will bear a son to be named John. In the second, Mary is told ...
2
votes
2answers
45 views
Why in John's account does Jesus reply to Pilate's inquiry with a question?
The initial exchange between Pilate and Jesus in Mark 15:2 is quite terse:
And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.”
Matthew 27:11 and Luke ...
3
votes
2answers
160 views
Did Lot or the men of Sodom recognize Lot's visitors as angels?
When the two angels arrive in Sodom in Genesis 19, Lot seems to immediately recognize them as such. He bows down to them, calls them "My lords", and invites them into "your servant's house." When the ...
4
votes
1answer
37 views
Why does John interweave the stories of Jesus' questioning and Peter's denial?
In John 18, the author weaves together an account of Peter's denial and a questioning of Jesus before Annas. It's very well done and seems rather more complex from a literary standpoint. But what does ...
4
votes
3answers
752 views
What was meant by “paradise” when Jesus spoke to the thief on the cross?
As he was crucified, Jesus engaged in a conversation with one of the other thieves hung along side him. at the end is this pronouncement:
Luke 23:43 (ESV)
43 And he said to him, "Truly, I say to ...
6
votes
5answers
8k views
What is the meaning of “poor in spirit” in Matthew 5:3
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. - KJV Matthew 5:3
How can the "poor in spirit" get the kingdom of heaven? Is there a similar usage else where?
0
votes
0answers
10 views
in what way Jesus is God's Wisdom in 1 Corinthians 1:24
The verse is saying that to those who are called,both Jews or Greeks, the Messiah for them is God's power and wisdom.
1 Corinthians 1:24
So in what way Jesus is God's Wisdom here? As divine? Or as ...
0
votes
0answers
12 views
What is the “weakness of God” in 1 Corinthians 1:25?
Is God ever been weak? What does it mean to say that God has weakness? What was this weakness Paul was talking about?
1
vote
1answer
30 views
Are men (brethren) really men or are they human?
Psalm 133:1 KJV
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together
in unity!
VS
Psalm 133:1 GW
See how good and pleasant it is
when brothers and sisters live ...
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 ...
2
votes
1answer
92 views
Does Mark 11:26 mean we are not forgiven by God unless we forgive others?
Mark 11:26 has always bothered me:
But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions NASB
There are people in my life that I have a hard time ...
2
votes
3answers
118 views
What is the difference in meaning between Χριστός Ἰησοῦς and Ἰησοῦς Χριστός?
In the New Testament, sometimes the authors use Χριστός Ἰησοῦς ("Christ Jesus"), where Χριστός precedes Ἰησοῦς, yet other times they use Ἰησοῦς Χριστός ("Jesus Christ"). What is the difference in ...
2
votes
3answers
373 views
Accurate translations of original scripts/text
I've been on what is becoming quite the mission to find the most accurate translation of Daniel 9:23-27 (or the (Tenach/OT) bible in general) of the most original scripts/text available. It seems like ...
4
votes
1answer
100 views
How often does the Bible use “God of Jacob” versus “God of Israel”?
The Bible uses both "God of ...Jacob" and "God of Israel". How often does it say each version? Is there a place I can look up the actual references?
8
votes
3answers
661 views
What does “because of the angels” refer to in 1 Cor 11:10?
In 1 Cor 11:10, Paul writes regarding head coverings and headship:
That is why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. (ESV)
I don't mean to get too deeply ...
14
votes
5answers
1k views
Is Jesus giving the Spirit in John 20:22?
After the resurrection in John's gospel, Jesus appears to the disciples and in John 20:22 he breathes on them and says, "Receive the Holy Spirit." What is happening here? Is Jesus giving them the Holy ...
17
votes
8answers
2k views
What does it mean to be “born of water”?
In John 3:5, Jesus tells Nicodemus that to enter the kingdom one must be "born of water and the Spirit". How is this phrase understood? Is it a single construct (i.e. one birth of both water and ...
4
votes
2answers
99 views
Why does everyone in John misunderstand Jesus?
Jesus seems to be misunderstood pretty consistently throughout the Gospel According to John:
John 2:19-20
Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”
...
5
votes
1answer
67 views
Romans 8:11 - present or future?
Romans 8:11 appears in the following context:
9 However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he ...
9
votes
5answers
3k views
Why did the witnesses lay their coats at Paul's feet?
During the stoning of Stephen, according to the book of Acts, "the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul," who later converted to Christianity and took the name Paul.
...
7
votes
3answers
389 views
What are the arguments in favor of Markan priority?
The synoptic problem refers to scholars' attempts to understand the relationship among the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke (known as the synoptic gospels because they have so much material in ...
5
votes
5answers
190 views
Why did Paul collect and deliver an offering for the Jerusalem church?
Paul's collection for the Jerusalem church occupies significant portions of his letters (1 Cor 16:1–4; 2 Cor 8:1–9:15; Rom 15:14–32). It is so important to Paul he is willing to face hostility ...
10
votes
2answers
161 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 ...
26
votes
6answers
559 views
How do Jewish scholars differ from Christian scholars in their approach to the Tanakh?
What are the characteristic differences between how Jewish scholarship approaches the text of the Tanakh (Old Testament) and that of Christian scholars? If their approach was the same I assume they ...
20
votes
4answers
607 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 ...
13
votes
4answers
264 views
Why would God disapprove of rituals he ordained?
In Amos 5:21-24 God says:
I hate, I despise your festivals, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not ...
4
votes
3answers
87 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 ...
3
votes
2answers
956 views
What is the 'cock's crow'?
Another question of semantics - was the cock's crow which Jesus prophesied Peter would hear before he betrayed Him thrice, the crow of a rooster or a trumpet blast which happened every 3 hours, or so.
...
2
votes
0answers
40 views
The time span of growing into Christ the Head in Ephesians 4:13-15
Ephesians 4:13:
Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of
the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of
the fulness of Christ
Does this ...
10
votes
3answers
143 views
Why does the Septuagint contain non-Tanakh books?
The deuterocanonical books, treated as part of the Bible by the Orthodox and Catholic churches, are accepted because they appear in the Septuagint. However, they are excluded from the Jewish Bible, ...
3
votes
1answer
335 views
*Two* miraculous catches of fish in John 21 and significance?
In John 21, Jesus tells the disciples to throw their nets on the "right side of the boat" (verse 6) which enables the second miraculous catch of fish in Jesus' ministry, the catching of 153 fish.
...
8
votes
3answers
121 views
Who was Nimrod?
In the middle of an otherwise repetitive genealogy in Genesis 10, one man is especially singled out:
Cush was the father of Nimrod, who became a mighty warrior on the earth. He was a mighty hunter ...
