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"Ephraim is my First-born"?
There is a second interesting point in Jeremiah 31.9b alone. Again, it reads “For I am a father to Israel, Ephraim is my first-born.” What’s so interesting about that? Well, it’s interesting because in the actual story line of the Old Testament Ephraim was not a first-born son. Joseph has two sons in Egypt, whom…
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"Bible" in Modern Usage
Here is a quote from John Riches in The Bible: A Very Short Introduction, which I think is instructive for those who throw the term Bible around: So, to put it simply, the term ‘Bible’, as a collection of sacred texts, is first used for the Christian scriptures, in their different versions. Only later is…
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Old Testament Timeline – Ralph Klein
For those looking for a decent Old Testament timeline, you might check out Ralph Klein’s offering, which places the chronology alongside other events of importance in the wider Ancient Near East. Some Features of the Timeline As stated above, it correlates with the timelines of other areas in the Ancient Near East, which can be…
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Old Testament Vs. New Testament
Sounds like a boxing match doesn’t it, but it’s more of a recurrent theme at a popular level. I’ve posted on this issue a number of times (HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE), namely to point out that there is a serious lack of understanding involved from people who phrase the problem as Old Testament Vs.…
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Isaiah 53:11 – An Important Textual Variant
The Old Testament lectionary reading for yesterday was Isaiah 53:10-11. Verse 11 contains an interesting textual variant revolving around whether or not the word “light” is a part of the text. It is one of those text critical issues where it really is a tough call. An older manuscript contains the word light; however, the…
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Romans 1.17 – As it is Written Where?
Today’s first reading is Romans 1.16-25. Verse 17 of this chapter is one of the most significant verses in the history of Christian theology. It reads as follows: For in it (the gospel) the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, “The one who is righteous will live by…
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The Valley of Jehoshaphat
In Joel 4.12 (or 3.2 dependent on your translation), there is a reference to the “Valley of Jehoshaphat.” Here’s the comment from the The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament (which if you didn’t know by now, I love): There is no valley with this name known in Israel from the Bible or from other…
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Free Lectures by Ronald Troxel
Dr. Ronald Troxel is Distinguished Lecturer (Biblical Languages and Literature) at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. This is one of the top, if not the top, Hebrew and Semitic Studies programs in the US. He has posted the syllabi for a number of his courses on his faculty page. In addition, he has links on…
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John Collins on the Day of the Lord
Today’s reading is from Joel 1 and 2. The theme of “the day of the Lord” plays prominently in the passage as well as in many other prophetic texts. I remembered reading quite a long time ago a helpful passage in Collins’ Introduction to the Hebrew Bible. It explains why all of the talk of…
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The Ninevites as the Model of Repentance
In today’s Old Testament reading from Jonah 3, we find the Ninevites as the model of repentance. Check out the perfect pattern of repentance here: When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in the ashes. Then he had this…