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What is on the sealed scroll in Revelation 5-8?
Revelation chapter 5:
1 Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming ...
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In John 1:1c, should the Greek word θεὸς be translated into English as “a god” or “God”?
The New World Translation, the official Bible version of the Watchtower/Jehovah’s Witnesses, translates John 1:1 into English as follows:
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, ...
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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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What is the significance of both the priest and the Levite in the Good Samaritan parable?
In the Good Samaritan parable (Luke 10:25-37), the first two people who see the beaten up man are a priest and a Levite. However, a priest is a member of the Levite tribe.
So why include both since ...
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What was the purpose of giving Jesus vinegar to drink?
What was the purpose of giving Jesus vinegar to drink ? (Mark 15:23, Matthew 27:34)
Some think it was a way to mock Jesus, but others argue that the "vinegar" (with gall) was the diluted wine drunk ...
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7
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Why are the Psalms broken into five books?
The Psalms in most English Bibles are divided into five sections or books:
1-41, 42-72, 73-89, 90-106, and 107-150
Psalms 41, 72, and 89 end with the double amen, while 106 and 150 end with "Praise ...
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In the Gospel of Mark, why does Jesus heal this blind man twice?
There’s this episode in Mark’s gospel which is particularly puzzling. Here it is in chapter 8:
22 They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and
begged Jesus to touch him. 23 He ...
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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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What is the difference in the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God?
Some assert the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God refer to the same thing while others say they are different. Which is accurate?
For example: Luke 17:21 uses Kingdom of God while Matthew 11:...
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What's the root definition of the word "judge" in Matthew 7:1?
What is the root definition of the word judge in the below scripture? Does it correlate to the currently accepted definition of judge?
Judge not, that ye be not judged. (Matthew 7:1 KJV)
Currently ...
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Interpretations of Elihu in Job
In the book of Job, it becomes clear that the first three of Job's friends - Eliphaz, Blidad, and Zophar - speak wrongly. Not only do they incur the indignation of Job and his other friend Elihu, but ...
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How is Adam "son of God" in Luke 3:38?
The Genealogy of Jesus in Luke's gospel ends like this (Luke 3:38):
...
the son of Enosh,
the son of Seth, the son of Adam,
the son of God.
Emphasis mine.
Adam is clearly not "son ...
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Why is the "give to Caesar what is Caesar's" answer so great?
After being asked whether it was right to pax taxes, Jesus repies:
“Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
Why is that an answer that "amazed" them? To a modern person, it ...
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What does the Gesture of "uncovering feet" and "lying to Boas feet" mean?
In Ruth 3,4 it is written:
When he gets ready to go to sleep, take careful notice of the place where he lies down. Then go, uncover his legs, and lie down beside him. He will tell you what you should ...
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Why did God punish Miriam when it was her & Aaron who spoke against Moses?
In Numbers 12, Miriam and Aaron together "speak against" Moses:
1 And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman.
...
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Meaning behind Job's three daughters' names? Job 42:14
And he called the name of the first daughter Jemimah, and the name
of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-happuch. (Job 42:14)
These are his three new daughters after God restored ...
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Why did Paul collect and deliver an offering for the Church in Jerusalem?
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 (...
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According to Hebrews 9:12, did the Lord Jesus Christ offer his blood in heaven?
In Heb. 9:12, it is written,
12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. KJV, 1769
ΙΒʹ οὐδὲ δι᾽...
user862
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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 ...
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When and for How Long was Israel Enslaved by the Egyptians?
This post is somewhat related to Do We Know with Reasonable Certainty Where Goshen was Located?
According to (D-R) Exod. 12:40,
And the abode of the children of Israel that they made in Egypt, was ...
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When did Joseph, Jesus's father, die?
I heard someone claim that Joseph, Jesus's father, died a very short time after Jesus was born.
But we know from Luke 2:41-52, that when Jesus was twelve years old he went with his parents (οἱ γονεῖς ...
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Why does Moses change Hosea's name to Joshua?
Name changes throughout the Bible are pretty significant.
Numbers 13:16 says that "Moses changed the name of Hosea son of Nun to Joshua."
What is the significance of this name change? What are ...
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Reconciling the accounts of the calling of Simon Peter
How do you reconcile the two accounts of Jesus calling Peter? (Matt 4:18-19 and John 1:35-42)
In the Matthew passage, Peter and Andrew are together fishing. In the John passage, Andrew was with John ...
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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 ...
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Meaning of "sins against his body" in 1 Corinthians 6:18
Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.
1 Corinthians 6:18
Please help me to understand this. Why are ...
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If Joshua can be translated why Is the name of Jesus translated "Jesus" but his name in hebrew was Joshua?
This question is in regard to Matthew 1:21, "His name shall be called Jesus for he will save his people from their sins." The question has two parts.
1) Strongs equates the name "Jesus" with the ...
user2027
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What does "the government shall be upon His shoulder" mean in Isaiah 9:6?
Isaiah 9:6:
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting ...
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Is the translation "rib" for the Hebrew צֵלָע (*tsela*) in Genesis 2:22 justified?
Why is it that Biblical translators choose to translate the Hebrew word צֵלָע (tsela) as "rib" when referring to the formation of Eve from Adam in Genesis 2:22? Never is this word translated as rib ...
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How is Psalm 34 linked to 1st Samuel 21?
The annotation of Psalm 34 (ESV) reads:
Of David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away.
Clearly this is a reference to 1 Samuel 21:10-15 (ESV):
...
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How long did Noah take building the ark?
I've always heard (sermons, etc.) that Noah took 100 years building the ark. Recently, however, I studied the ark in the Bible, and I am unable to find any place in the Old Testament or the New where ...
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What does Paul mean by "sound doctrine" in Titus 2:1
What does Paul mean by sound doctrine? e.g., in the following verse:
Titus 2:1 (ESV)
But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.
Today, some people talk about doctrines, some of which ...
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What is the significance of the honey inside the lion's carcass?
In Judges 14, Samson kills a lion and leaves the body there. When he comes back to it, a swarm of bees has taken over and there is now honey there:
5 Samson went down to Timnah together with his ...
user640
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How does Jesus' argument from David and the showbread work?
Jesus defended his disciples gleaning on the Sabbath by retelling a story about David. Mark 2:23-28 (ESV):
One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his ...
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Jacob's name is Israel. So why is he still called Jacob?
When born, Jacob is given the name "Jacob" meaning, "trickster, supplanter, heel grabber." After he wrestles at Jabbok, he is renamed "Israel" meaning "strives with God." However, after this ...
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How many children did Hannah have?
In the Song of Hannah (1 Samuel 2:5), she seems to sing that she has seven children:
She who was barren has borne seven children,
but she who has had many sons pines away....
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Job1:6: Who are the "sons of God"?
Who are the sons of God in the following verse?
Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves
before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. (KJV, Job 1:6)
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What is the difference between hope and faith?
Since the words "faith" and "hope" are used side-by-side and in ways that faith (πίστις) is built on hope (ἐλπίς), they shouldn't have the same meaning.
1 Corinthians 13:13 And ...
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Is Jesus giving the Holy 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 ...
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How did Solomon manage to sacrifice 144000 animals?
When Solomon dedicated the temple, he sacrificed 22000 cattle and 120000 sheep. How was this done over 7 days?
1 Kings 8:63
Solomon offered a sacrifice of fellowship offerings to the LORD: twenty-...
user640
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Did Jesus change his view on preaching to Gentiles?
In John 10:16 Jesus says (ESV quoted):
And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.
The ...
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Is "breath of life" in Genesis 2:7 is the same as spirit?
And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Genesis 2:7 (KJV)
What is the meaning of "breath of life" here? ...
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John 12:3 why would Mary wipe Jesus' feet with her hair?
John 12:3 Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
I ...
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Why does Paul get annoyed with the slave girl in Acts 16?
The story in Acts 16 of the demon-possessed slave girl is a curious story to me for many reasons. If it's better to break up my questions into several, I can do so; but for now I'd like to keep them ...
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In Revelation 6:6 what is meant by "Do not damage the oil and the wine”?
Revelation 6:5-6 (NASB)
5" When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, “Come.” I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand....
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What is the meaning of 2 Peter 3:8 (1000 years as 1 day)?
In 2 Peter 3:8 (King James Version) is written:
But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
What is the ...
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Interpretation of the dead ones in 1 Peter 4:6?
1st Peter 4:6:
For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead,
that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live
according to God in the spirit (KJV)
Who ...
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7
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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 that ...
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What and where is the Kerith ravine?
I Kings 17:2-4 (NIV) Reads:
Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah: “Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. You will drink from the brook, and I have ...
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In Judges 11:39-40 did Jephthah actually sacrifice his daughter?
It's clear that what Jephthah intended was to sacrifice the first animal that he met when he returned home:
Then the spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah. He marched through Gilead and Manasseh, ...
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