Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
There is no question about the fact that the book of Deuteronomy is full of literary allusion. But there is a serious problem, even a paradox, of understanding how that allusion works. To begin with, if we assume that Deuteronomy was written by Moses — with some editorial emendations added…
Genesis and Genetics in Blade Runner 2049 The power of science fiction, and what’s positive about it, is that you’re able to experience the worst-case scenario without actually having to live it. (Actor Ryan Gosling, who plays Officer “K”) (Warning: The following analysis contains spoilers for both Blade Runner films.)…
The battle of Gog and Magog is found in Ezekiel 38-39. My purpose in this brief essay is to propound an explanation for this passage that I have not encountered in any of my commentaries, but that makes more sense to me than any other. I offer it here in…
I. Varlam Shalamov in Kolyma Tales describes his experience of the Gulag, where he spent more than a dozen of years. In a story titled The Life of Engineer Kipreev Shalamov reflects on the theme of hope in the life of a prisoner: “Hope always shackles the convict. Hope is…
Genesis 14:14 says that Abram mustered his trained men, “born in his house,” to rescue Lot, and gives their number as 318. It is clear that the precise number is provided for some reason, but what is it? S. Gevirtz notes that 318 is the sum of all the prime…
And he said to me, "What do you see?" And I answered, "I see a flying scroll; its length is twenty cubits and its width ten cubits" (Zechariah 5:2). Immediately following his vision of the outpouring of the Spirit upon the restoration community (4:1-14), Zechariah saw a flying scroll. The…
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This translation is more experimental and iffy than the others. 1 Kings 6 is packed with architectural terms that are used only here, the translation of which is very doubtful. In these cases, I have considered possible etymologies that seemed appropriate to the architectural context. I have also translated all…
On the walls of the temple were carved wooden gourds. The word for these gourds is used only in 1 Kings 6:18 and 7:24. A related word, however, is used for ?wild gourd?Ein 2 Ki 4:39, the story of Elisha healing the pot of stew. Using a “pot” as an…
The language of 1 Kings 6:1ff echoes in a number of respects the language of Genesis 2:21f. To wit: 1) The word for the “side chambers” that Solomon builds on the temple is the same as the word for “rib” in Gen 2:21. 2) After taking a rib, the Lord…
Beginning the House of Yahweh, 1 Kings 6 INTRODUCTION Solomon shows his wisdom by judging rightly in the case of the two prostitutes (1 Kings 3:15-28), in the organization of his kingdom (1 Kings 4:1-19), in his vast learning (1 Kings 4:29-34), and in his covenant with Hiram of Tyre…
With the Presidential election only two months away, we are entering into an intense political season. As we enter into this final stretch, we should take a moment to consider some guidelines for our political activity. Fortunately, we are in the middle of studying a book called the book of…
1 Kings 4:21-24 As we saw in today?s sermon, the center of Solomon?s kingdom was the feast, the feast of joy. Solomon organized the kingdom, divided the kingdom into districts, selected men to manage and administer these regions. He had a cabinet, and there is no doubt that his kingdom…
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