This passage occurs in the Narrative Lectionary, Year 2 (Most recently: Oct 18. 2015)
Summary: This moving passage about love and grief needs no Hebrew to be understood. However, the Hebrew helps us see that Naomi has a very deep faith. A deep faith that lets her weep, that lets her "let go" and finally that lets her embrace.
רעו ("rahav", meaning "famine", vs 1) For most Americans, the idea of famine is nonsense. Grocery stores are always full, in years of drought and years of floods. Yet in the Bible, famines are quite common. Often they move the plot along (famine forces Abram to move to Egypt; famine forces prodigal son to near starvation).
בית לחם ("Bethlehem", meaning "house of bread" vs 1) This little verse suggests to the person familiar with the Hebrew Bible (or whole Bible!) that something special is going on here. Bethlehem is a small town...from which both David and Jesus come! Great and beautiful irony that Jesus and David come from town called "house of bread."
פקד ("peqad", meaning "visit" vs 6) This verb, when used in conjunction with the Lord, is quite significant. In this case it means something like, "God turned full attention toward..." While is not necessarily good, it is used in a few cases of something wonderful happening in the Bible:
- Birth of Isaac (Gen 21.1)
- God deciding to free Israelite people from slavery (Exodus 4.31)
- Birth of Samuel (2 Sam 2:21)
- Cyrus rebuilding temple in Jerusalem (Ezra 1.2)
In short, its inclusion here is quite a bold statement by Naomi
אמה ("am", meaning "mother" vs 8; see note on "h") I was struck by the fact that Naomi instructs them to go to the house of their mothers. Is this because this is a gathering of women? Or that their fathers are dead? Perhaps they know grief too?!
note: the ה"h" on the end signifies "direction" as in "go in the direction of your mother"
חסד ("kesed" meaning "steadfast love", vs 8) This is a crucial word in the Old Testament. What I want to point out is that Naomi's words are deeply theological. She is able to discuss both the Lord visiting her people; the Lord's steadfast love; the Lord's arm against her in death. This is a complex and mature faith, one that should not be overlooked.
ותבכינה (a conjugated version of (בכה), meaning "weep", vs 9) A feminine plural is not a common verb conjugation in Hebrew (alas!) But notice how although Naomi kisses, they all weep. The word weep is akin to wail. It is a deep expression of grief (Psalm 137:1, Genesis 21:16). I wonder how often, in America, we do not let people weep as they should.
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
This passage occurs in the Narrative Lectionary, Year 2 (most recently: Oct 11, 2015).
For those working the 10 Commandments, here is my linguistic commentary based on Exodus 20. What is an interesting insight is that the 10 commandments change, at least slightly, between when the people enter and exit the wilderness...but that is not what I want to focus on today.
Let's look at Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Summary: There are a million and one good sermons in this passage. I will focus on the importance of life-long, week-long and home-based faith formation. But for those wanting a different direction, read on. There is plenty!
6:4 "Hear O Israel..."
שמע ("Shema" meaning "hear", 6:4) This passage is often referred to as the "Shema" and forms the centerpiece of Jewish worship and theology. Jesus would have 100% been aware of this passage, having prayed it and proclaimed it his whole life.
אחד ("ekhad" meaning "one" or "alone", 6:4). The basic idea, between Deuteronomy 5 and 6 is ethical monotheism. There is one God who gives us rules to live by.
Hebrew textual lore: The Hebrew Bible contains only handful of "large" letters. Two are in this verse alone (שמע and אחד )! If you are interested in this topic, it is a never-ending pool of lore. Here is a good article that talks about how they are used in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament.
6:5 "Love the Lord with all..."
Where to begin: heart, soul and might captures, in summary, what the Hebrew wants to say: "EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU." Fortunately for you, each word is impossible to translate in one word so you can have a great three point sermon ready to roll.
לבב ("lebab" meaning "heart", 6:5) The word heart in Hebrew does not mean center of feelings but center of will. As BDB lexicon says "the inner man, the soul, comprehending mind, affections and will." In short, the part of us that makes decisions. However, this should not be translated "brain" in the sense of a cool calculating machine. This word also appears in the context of the emotional center of decision:
Psalm 31:24 Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD.
Ezekiel 3:10 He said to me: Mortal, all my words that I shall speak to you receive in your heart and hear with your ears;
In short, it not simply emotions as we would have them (ie, where emotion and reason have been split since the enlightenment). The heart is the place emotions, home of the deep longings that guide our actions.
נפש ("nephish" meaning "soul", 6:5) The word in Hebrew means the "that which breathes." In short, this is not the ghost inside of us (thanks Greek philosophy). This is the very essence -- the very breath -- the very spirit of us! In Hebrew there is no separation of soul and body.
מאד ("moad" meaning "force" or "much, exceedingly." This word is typically a describing word, as in "very" (God saw that it was "very good," for example.) In this sense one could translate it in 6:5 as "in all one's abundance." This is a more natural translation than with one's might. This could be a fascinating sermon -- how to love God in our abundance when we don't think we have any!
Note: If you do preach this, make the Gospel move and proclaim how Jesus loved God for us with everything he had.
(Further evidence of the impossibility of translating this verse word for word? Jesus changes the LXX translation and in Mark and Luke's version, adds a word!)
6:7 "Recite them to your children"
Interesting point. Read the instructions of 6:7
"Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up/stand."
Compare to Psalm 1:1
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.
The Hebrew words line up for both walk and sit (hlk and yshv)
The connection is clear: Meditation on the law is a command that bears fruit for the individual and as Psalm 1 reveals, the whole community. Thanks to Dr. Diane Jacobson for that insight.
Monday, September 28, 2015
Exodus 3
This commentary focuses on Exodus 3:10-15. This covers two separate Narrative Lectionary passages:
Sept 29. 2013 (Year 4): Exodus 3:10-15; 4:10-17
Oct 4, 2015 (Year 2): Exodus 1: 8-14 and 3:1-15
Summary: The Hebrew reminds us that as Moses asks for God's name, Moses is really asking for God's character. The answer given seems very much like a New Testament answer: A radically free God, who binds himself to the life of particular humans (incarnation!!), and out of his great mercy he sends the people to do his work (mission!). Also, in Moses' protests we find a very common human disease: a lack of self-esteem, ultimately grounded in a lack of trusting God. The solution? Pep talks?? No!! It is all about God.
Side comment: I think our kids don't need more self-esteem, but trust in God, which is more durable and more easily built back up.
אות ("sign"; Exodus 3.12; 4:17). Obviously the idea of signs and covenants is a crucial one in the Old (and new) Testaments. Interestingly, these signs God offer (worship on a mountain; Aaron's rod) are signs that will require Moses to take the first step in order to see. I think it also reflects the human desire for a sign. The people of Israel, including Moses, have seen great suffering. Of course they want a sign!
עוד ("serve"; Exodus 3.12) The word for serve has a range of meanings from "worship" to even be "slave to." This sets up the key question for Exodus: Whom will the people serve/worship/be in slave to: God or Pharaoh? This is a key hermeneutic for the story of Exodus: Whom will the people serve?
As Americans today, this word challenges our notions of "freedom" and faith. Will we serve (meaning trust, worship and obey) God or will we serve Pharaoh? By Pharaoh I do not meant the ancient king of Egypt, but the "man"? (Old Testament professor Walter Bruggemann provocatively discusses this, arguing that Pharaoh is the military industrial complex). Furthermore, when it comes to faith, are we really willing to "serve" God as we would a king?
Lastly, our racial history makes any "positive" discussion of slavery in the context of faith extremely difficult. For this reason, I believe the translators prefer to translate this word as "worship" God; however, the concept should not be lost. There is no freedom in the abstract -- it is serve either God or Pharaoh. Which brings up the question -- where is true freedom found?
שלח ("send", 3.10, 12, 13, 14) A crucial word in this passage; the word means send. The God of the Old Testament is the God of the New Testament. Just as Jesus was sending disciples, God in the Old Testament was sending workers and laborers into this word. The whole idea of sending (and equipping) is also an OT concept!
םה-שםו ("what is your name?"; 3:13)
This is not the usual way to ask someone their name.
From TWOT: "This frequently-occurring interrogative pronoun is most significant when associated with the word 'name'. 'What is your name?' is not a question which inquires after a person's family or personal name; it endeavors to find what character or quality lies within or behind the person. To ask for simple identification, one would say in Hebrew, "Who (mî) are you?"
In short, the question gets at this question: What kind of God are you?? Again, this goes back to the suffering of the people. Why would the God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob let this happen to the people! Unlike the Biblical histories, which suggest the Babylonian captivity is a result of apostasy, the Bible portrays the enslavement of the Israelites as caused by the fear, greed and hatred of the Egyptians.
אהיה ("I will be"; 3.14) God's name here is often translated, "I am who I am." Because the verb is in the imperfect (incomplete) tense, it may also be translated, "I am who I will be" or "I will be who I will be"; any permutations of these two! The crucial idea is that God is radically free!
yet...
אבתיכם ("fathers"; 3.15) This radically free God includes in his introduction, really in his name and reputation, his relationship with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. While God may be radically free, God is also radically bound to the particular life and story of various individuals. If the preaching passage includes
והוריתיך ("teach"; 4.12) This word is fascinating in two ways here. First, because the root word is the same root as "torah." Moses will be "torahed" in a sense. Secondly, the verb in its root form (as opposed to hiphil, as it appear here) means to throw, like throw an arrow. As fundamental as bow and arrow were to early Israelists, so was the teaching of God's Word. Something about using this word Torah, deriving it from shooting and teaching...I love it!
Sept 29. 2013 (Year 4): Exodus 3:10-15; 4:10-17
Oct 4, 2015 (Year 2): Exodus 1: 8-14 and 3:1-15
Summary: The Hebrew reminds us that as Moses asks for God's name, Moses is really asking for God's character. The answer given seems very much like a New Testament answer: A radically free God, who binds himself to the life of particular humans (incarnation!!), and out of his great mercy he sends the people to do his work (mission!). Also, in Moses' protests we find a very common human disease: a lack of self-esteem, ultimately grounded in a lack of trusting God. The solution? Pep talks?? No!! It is all about God.
Side comment: I think our kids don't need more self-esteem, but trust in God, which is more durable and more easily built back up.
אות ("sign"; Exodus 3.12; 4:17). Obviously the idea of signs and covenants is a crucial one in the Old (and new) Testaments. Interestingly, these signs God offer (worship on a mountain; Aaron's rod) are signs that will require Moses to take the first step in order to see. I think it also reflects the human desire for a sign. The people of Israel, including Moses, have seen great suffering. Of course they want a sign!
עוד ("serve"; Exodus 3.12) The word for serve has a range of meanings from "worship" to even be "slave to." This sets up the key question for Exodus: Whom will the people serve/worship/be in slave to: God or Pharaoh? This is a key hermeneutic for the story of Exodus: Whom will the people serve?
As Americans today, this word challenges our notions of "freedom" and faith. Will we serve (meaning trust, worship and obey) God or will we serve Pharaoh? By Pharaoh I do not meant the ancient king of Egypt, but the "man"? (Old Testament professor Walter Bruggemann provocatively discusses this, arguing that Pharaoh is the military industrial complex). Furthermore, when it comes to faith, are we really willing to "serve" God as we would a king?
Lastly, our racial history makes any "positive" discussion of slavery in the context of faith extremely difficult. For this reason, I believe the translators prefer to translate this word as "worship" God; however, the concept should not be lost. There is no freedom in the abstract -- it is serve either God or Pharaoh. Which brings up the question -- where is true freedom found?
שלח ("send", 3.10, 12, 13, 14) A crucial word in this passage; the word means send. The God of the Old Testament is the God of the New Testament. Just as Jesus was sending disciples, God in the Old Testament was sending workers and laborers into this word. The whole idea of sending (and equipping) is also an OT concept!
םה-שםו ("what is your name?"; 3:13)
This is not the usual way to ask someone their name.
From TWOT: "This frequently-occurring interrogative pronoun is most significant when associated with the word 'name'. 'What is your name?' is not a question which inquires after a person's family or personal name; it endeavors to find what character or quality lies within or behind the person. To ask for simple identification, one would say in Hebrew, "Who (mî) are you?"
In short, the question gets at this question: What kind of God are you?? Again, this goes back to the suffering of the people. Why would the God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob let this happen to the people! Unlike the Biblical histories, which suggest the Babylonian captivity is a result of apostasy, the Bible portrays the enslavement of the Israelites as caused by the fear, greed and hatred of the Egyptians.
אהיה ("I will be"; 3.14) God's name here is often translated, "I am who I am." Because the verb is in the imperfect (incomplete) tense, it may also be translated, "I am who I will be" or "I will be who I will be"; any permutations of these two! The crucial idea is that God is radically free!
yet...
אבתיכם ("fathers"; 3.15) This radically free God includes in his introduction, really in his name and reputation, his relationship with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. While God may be radically free, God is also radically bound to the particular life and story of various individuals. If the preaching passage includes
והוריתיך ("teach"; 4.12) This word is fascinating in two ways here. First, because the root word is the same root as "torah." Moses will be "torahed" in a sense. Secondly, the verb in its root form (as opposed to hiphil, as it appear here) means to throw, like throw an arrow. As fundamental as bow and arrow were to early Israelists, so was the teaching of God's Word. Something about using this word Torah, deriving it from shooting and teaching...I love it!
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Genesis 2:4b-25
This passage occurs in the Narrative Lectionary Year 2 (Most recently: Sept 13, 2015)
Summary: This passage shows God, humanity and the earth in beautiful concert. A true paradise. There are so many ways to go with this passage, especially ways that fit in with various political agendas. I think the big point is less public policy (or even church polity policy) and the intentions of God for the world: God, humanity and earth in concert, working together in joy.
Quick note: I've read so many commentaries and heard so many lectures and sermons on Genesis 2 that I can hardly claim any of the following as exclusively mine. In some ways I am not offering a detailed commentary because I suspect that many of you have also heard bits and pieces. Hopefully my comments jog some memories or spur some more questions on your part.
עבד ("avad", meaning "serve/be slave/worship", 2:5) The translation of this verb as "work" as in "no one to work the land" is really mild. The word עבד also means to slave or worship. The original purpose of humanity was much closer to the earth than the sky...
אדמה ("adamah", meaning "soil/ground", 2:7) The word for "man" in Hebrew is אדמ or "Adam" which comes from/is related to אדמה "adamah" the word for ground. (Kind of like "human" comes from "humus", no not the chip dip, but part of the soil that is rich in nutrients). This creation story reminds us of our connection to the earth.
נפש ("nephish" meaning "soul or living being", 2:7) The word for soul in Hebrew does not mean an the ethereal part of us that becomes a ghost when we die. The word for soul in Hebrew is linguistically related to the verb for breath; but more to the point, the human is not a living thing until it has breath. Interestingly, the verb for "in-breath" has God as its subject twice. First here and then in John's Gospel when Jesus, after the resurrection ενεφυσησεν into the disciples.
יצר ("yatzir" meaning "form" as in "form pottery" or "form a plan", 2:7/2:8) I really love that this image here is for pottery. God makes us like a potter makes a clay vessel. This metaphor is picked up in Jeremiah 18:6 and also Isaiah 43:1:
"But now thus says the LORD, he who created ברא you, O Jacob, he who formed יצר you O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine."
This verse in Isaiah is fascinating because it ties together the words for creation from the first and second creation stories. Also it is really cool because it shows that ultimately what matters is not Adam's act of naming the animals, but God's act of naming us as children.
כוש (Cush, 2:13) The point of the Hebrew usage of Cush is to say "the furthest south you've ever heard of"; ie,. the garden of Eden essentially covers all of the known civilized world.
לא-טוב ("lo-tov" meaning "no good", 2:18) The first bad thing in the bible is not human rebellion but human loneliness. Genesis 1 keeps saying things are declared good by God. Now we have a hiccup! Important point: The human is created to be in relationship with the earth and with each other.
עזר כנגדו ("ezer - canagado", meaning "helper to him", 2.18. 2:20) What is the purpose of a spouse; it is to be a helper. But this is a tricky phrase to translate, because it is not one word or term, but really three of four. Basically it is the word "help" (somewhat straight forward) with a slapped together term of pronouns and prepositions: "like/as - in front of / opposite - him" This particular construction of words does not appear again. So what can we make of this? Spouses are meant to help each other. I would argue they should be equal but also at some level opposite. (yin-yang?) But my sense is that we will always put more into this term than we will get out of it.
קרא ("qarah" meaning "name or call", 2:19) Adam names the animals. Some want to claim this is co-creator power. Others simply want to say God let Adam name the animals. I'll stay out of this debate for now.
And for fun: Genesis 2:4b starts with the phrase, in the Greek:
βιβλος γενεσεως
(an account/book of the creation)
Matthew 1 will also start with this. John 1 is a play on Genesis 1; Matthew 2 is a play on Genesis 2 one could argue.
I've often used Genesis 2 as a marriage sermon text/pre-marriage counseling Bible study:
The purposes of marriage: mutual helping, awe-filled companionship and new family streams
The promise of marriage: husband and wife become one flesh
The cross of marriage: husband and wife become one flesh know each intimately (are naked on all levels) yet still are not ashamed of the other person. This last point leads powerfully into the reality of the cross in marriage, the reality that our sinfulness comes before us in marriage and our need for Christ and his forgiveness.
Summary: This passage shows God, humanity and the earth in beautiful concert. A true paradise. There are so many ways to go with this passage, especially ways that fit in with various political agendas. I think the big point is less public policy (or even church polity policy) and the intentions of God for the world: God, humanity and earth in concert, working together in joy.
Quick note: I've read so many commentaries and heard so many lectures and sermons on Genesis 2 that I can hardly claim any of the following as exclusively mine. In some ways I am not offering a detailed commentary because I suspect that many of you have also heard bits and pieces. Hopefully my comments jog some memories or spur some more questions on your part.
עבד ("avad", meaning "serve/be slave/worship", 2:5) The translation of this verb as "work" as in "no one to work the land" is really mild. The word עבד also means to slave or worship. The original purpose of humanity was much closer to the earth than the sky...
אדמה ("adamah", meaning "soil/ground", 2:7) The word for "man" in Hebrew is אדמ or "Adam" which comes from/is related to אדמה "adamah" the word for ground. (Kind of like "human" comes from "humus", no not the chip dip, but part of the soil that is rich in nutrients). This creation story reminds us of our connection to the earth.
נפש ("nephish" meaning "soul or living being", 2:7) The word for soul in Hebrew does not mean an the ethereal part of us that becomes a ghost when we die. The word for soul in Hebrew is linguistically related to the verb for breath; but more to the point, the human is not a living thing until it has breath. Interestingly, the verb for "in-breath" has God as its subject twice. First here and then in John's Gospel when Jesus, after the resurrection ενεφυσησεν into the disciples.
יצר ("yatzir" meaning "form" as in "form pottery" or "form a plan", 2:7/2:8) I really love that this image here is for pottery. God makes us like a potter makes a clay vessel. This metaphor is picked up in Jeremiah 18:6 and also Isaiah 43:1:
"But now thus says the LORD, he who created ברא you, O Jacob, he who formed יצר you O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine."
This verse in Isaiah is fascinating because it ties together the words for creation from the first and second creation stories. Also it is really cool because it shows that ultimately what matters is not Adam's act of naming the animals, but God's act of naming us as children.
כוש (Cush, 2:13) The point of the Hebrew usage of Cush is to say "the furthest south you've ever heard of"; ie,. the garden of Eden essentially covers all of the known civilized world.
לא-טוב ("lo-tov" meaning "no good", 2:18) The first bad thing in the bible is not human rebellion but human loneliness. Genesis 1 keeps saying things are declared good by God. Now we have a hiccup! Important point: The human is created to be in relationship with the earth and with each other.
עזר כנגדו ("ezer - canagado", meaning "helper to him", 2.18. 2:20) What is the purpose of a spouse; it is to be a helper. But this is a tricky phrase to translate, because it is not one word or term, but really three of four. Basically it is the word "help" (somewhat straight forward) with a slapped together term of pronouns and prepositions: "like/as - in front of / opposite - him" This particular construction of words does not appear again. So what can we make of this? Spouses are meant to help each other. I would argue they should be equal but also at some level opposite. (yin-yang?) But my sense is that we will always put more into this term than we will get out of it.
קרא ("qarah" meaning "name or call", 2:19) Adam names the animals. Some want to claim this is co-creator power. Others simply want to say God let Adam name the animals. I'll stay out of this debate for now.
And for fun: Genesis 2:4b starts with the phrase, in the Greek:
βιβλος γενεσεως
(an account/book of the creation)
Matthew 1 will also start with this. John 1 is a play on Genesis 1; Matthew 2 is a play on Genesis 2 one could argue.
I've often used Genesis 2 as a marriage sermon text/pre-marriage counseling Bible study:
The purposes of marriage: mutual helping, awe-filled companionship and new family streams
The promise of marriage: husband and wife become one flesh
The cross of marriage: husband and wife become one flesh know each intimately (are naked on all levels) yet still are not ashamed of the other person. This last point leads powerfully into the reality of the cross in marriage, the reality that our sinfulness comes before us in marriage and our need for Christ and his forgiveness.
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