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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?
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What was the actual thorn plant that was used in Christ's crown of thorns? John 19:2
John 19:2 (HCSB)
The soldiers also twisted together a crown of thorns, put it on His head, and threw a purple robe around Him.
Image from The Passion of the Christ.
What was the actual thorn plant ...
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What does Jesus mean in Luke 5:36-39? (new wine into old wineskins)
I was reading Luke 5, and could not understand verses 36-39. What did Jesus mean?
Luke 5:36-39 (New King James Version) reads:
36 Then He spoke a parable to them: “No one puts a piece from a new
...
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9
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How old was David when he fought Goliath?
1 Samuel 17:33 (NRSV) says:
Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to
fight with him; for you are just a boy, and he has been a warrior from
his youth.”
I have taken ...
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9
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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 ...
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31
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12
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What is “sin that leads to death” in 1 John 5:16?
1 John 5:16 (NIV) Emphasis Added
If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to ...
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5
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What does "meek" mean in Matthew 5:5?
Matthew 5:5 (NIV)
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
What does "meek" mean in the original language? Is "meek" a good translation for the original Greek word?
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15
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8
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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 ...
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13
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What exactly did Moses do wrong at Meribah?
We read that God commanded Moses to speak to the rock at Meribah so that water could flow out of it. Instead, Moses struck the rock with his staff:
Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly ...
8
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3
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What is the significance of the floating ax head in 2 Kings 6:1-7?
Now the company of prophets said to Elisha, "As you see, the place where we live under your charge is too small for us. Let us go to the Jordan, and let us collect logs there, one for each of us, and ...
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In Matthew 25:8-9 what does the oil in the ten virgins parable represent?
The parable of the ten virgins is found in Matthew 25:1-12. Verses 8-9 (ESV) read:
And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered,...
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16
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In Luke 7:18-23, why did John the Baptist ask Jesus if he was the Messiah since he baptized Jesus and heard God speak about Jesus?
In Luke 7:18-23, it is written,
18 The disciples of John reported to him about all these things. 19 Summoning two of his disciples, John sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are You the Expected One, or ...
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How old was Solomon when he became king?
1 Kings 3:7
New International Version
"Now, LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties.
user35953
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In Genesis 3:2 did Eve receive the command not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good & evil directly from God or through Adam?
Genesis 2:15 (NKJV)
15 Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may ...
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17
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5
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What is the meaning of "heap burning coals on his head"?
Paul, in his letter to the Romans, in a longer passage entreating his readers to love one another, quotes from Proverbs 25:21-22:
Romans 12:20 NIV
On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed ...
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23
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13
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137k
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What is the significance of 153 fish?
John 21:11
Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn.
Is there any significance to the number 153? Or was it ...
56
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9
answers
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What is the difference between exegesis and hermeneutics?
What is the difference between exegesis and hermeneutics? Are they the same, is there overlap, or does one pick up where the other leaves off?
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What is the significance of "east" in the Scriptures?
There seems to be some significance to the east in the Scriptures.
The garden is planted in the east of Eden
Cherubim are stationed on the east side of the Garden of Eden
Parts of the burnt offering ...
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9
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6
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How long were the Children of Israel enslaved in Egypt, according to the Bible?
In Genesis 15:13 God told Abram that his descendants would be slaves in a foreign land for 400 years. This number is also mentioned in Acts 7:6.
Exodus 12:41 says that the Israelites were in Egypt ...
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Was the text of Matthew 28:19 changed?
Scholars such as F. C. Conybeare1 have claimed that the Trinitarian baptismal formula of Matthew 28:19 was not original to the text of Matthew.
Matt 28:19 (NIV)
19 Therefore go and make disciples ...
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What is the "hidden manna" and the "white stone"?
From Revelation 2:17:
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new ...
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3
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What is the meaning of Deuteronomy 25:11-12?
We are told in this verse about the case in which a wife who, in helping her husband fend off an attacker, seizes the attacker by the genitals. The verse tells the husband that he must cut off her ...
Ted Boone
9
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14
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What does it mean that the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John the Baptist? Matthew 11:11
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 ...
unregistered-matthew7.7
11
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7
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What does the living sacrifice mean in Romans 12:1?
This passage is a bit vague at first glance:
Romans 12:1 (NIV)
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing ...
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7
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Was Jesus anointed once or twice on the feet with perfume?
Disclaimer: I've already asked this question on Christianity SE and got a great answer. I'm asking it here to get an expert response (and because it is one of my favourite stories). If the community ...
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In Luke 11:42 and Matthew 23:23 did Jesus endorse tithing for all when addressing the Pharisees?
Here's the text of Luke 11:42:
“But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the ...
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4
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Why does Jesus tell his mother his "hour has not yet come"?
Very early on, John tells a story that is unique to his gospel:
On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding ...
18
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3
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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 courtiers ...
15
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6
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What is the significance of the young man who runs away naked in Mark's gospel?
Mark alone of the four Gospels tells of a young man who fled naked when Jesus was arrested in Gethsemane. Mark 14:51 states,
A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus.
...
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What is the meaning of "water and blood" in 1 John 5:6?
In 1 John 5:6 John uses water and blood as symbolic short hand, clearly expecting his audience to know the meaning of these two liquids.
6 This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. ...
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3
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Why does God scatter the people in Genesis 11?
In Genesis 11 we read the account of the tower of Babel, where the people, attempting to build a tower that reaches to heaven, have their language confused and are scattered across the whole face of ...
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What does "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live" mean?
What does the Bible mean by saying in Exodus 22:18 (KJV)
Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.
What exactly is the Bible instructing?
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What is signified by the man without wedding clothes in Matthew 22:11-13?
The Parable of the Wedding Banquet in Matthew 22:1-14 has a lot in common with the one in Luke 14:15-23. Both tell the story of a group invited to the banquet (presumably Jesus' opponents) who do not ...
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What is the meaning of "rod and staff" (Psalm 23)?
I am under the impression that the "rod and staff" are actually one physical item. That is, that on one end was a kind of hook (staff) that was used to aid one's duty as a Shepard and on the other end ...
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10
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Why does God say he revealed his name, Yahweh, only to Moses?
Responding to the meta call for contradiction In Exodus 6:2 we find the following quote:
And God spoke to Moses and said to him
I am Yahweh. And I showed to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as El-...
26
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7
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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?
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What is the significance of Methuselah's name?
I've heard that Methuselah's name was given to him by Enoch in response to a prophecy concerning the flood. Since he seems to have died in the year of the flood (according to the Masoretic and ...
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Who were the Hellenistic and Hebraic Jews of Acts 6:1?
In Acts, it talks about a division in Judaism that I had not heard of before:
Acts 6:1 (NIV)
In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained ...
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Where does the Tanakh differ from the Christian Old Testament?
Relating to this question: Is the Jewish Tanakh same as the 'Old Testament' which Christians use?
Do they contain the same books and is the textual content same? If not where do they differ?
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3
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How old was Samuel when Hannah took him to the temple?
In 1 Samuel 1:24 we read:
After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of ...
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What is a "covenant of salt"?
In Numbers 18:19, God says the holy contributions made by the people of Israel belong to Aaron and his descendants forever, as a "covenant of salt". I've never seen this term before. What does it ...
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Why did Moses order female virgins to be kept alive but all others killed in Numbers 31:17-18?
Why did Moses order female virgins to be kept alive but non-virgin females and all males to be killed in Numbers 31:17-18?
Is it equal to genocide, gendercide, and/or sexual slavery?
Please explain ...
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Significance of Solomon's 666 talents of gold?
1 Kings 10:14 says, "the weight of gold which Solomon received every year was 666 talents of gold, besides what came from tradesmen, from the traffic of the merchants, and from all the kings of Arabia ...
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In Genesis 4:15, why did God protect Cain?
Surely Adam and Eve had loads of kids by this point, so why would God protect a murderer?
Gen 4:15 (NASB)
So the Lord said to him, “Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him ...
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Why should an altar be made with uncut stone?
God told Moses that the altar must be made of unhewn stones:
And if you make for Me an altar of stones, do not build it of hewn stones; for by wielding your tool upon them you have profaned them.&...
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Does "meek" in Matthew 5:5 refer to restraint with weapons?
Dr. Jordan Peterson claims that the appropriate interpretation of Matthew 5:5 is:
"He who has a sword, and knows how to use it, but keeps it sheathed shall inherit the earth."
Is Dr. Peterson's ...
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In Mark 5:41 what does "talitha cumi" mean?
In Mark 5:41, Jesus speaks in Aramaic as he resurrects a young girl:
Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.”
Other translations ...
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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 perfect. ...
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5
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What does a mustard seed grow into?
Jesus said, “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 ...
user2027
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How did Nephilim reappear after the flood?
We all know that after Noah's flood, all living things on the earth were destroyed including the Nephilim from Genesis 6:4. It is presumed that one of the reasons God destroyed the earth was because ...
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