Psalm 95 (96); Idols are Demons

Most of you know that I’m working on a translation of the Greek Psalms.  They are important because the writers of the New Testament quoted the Psalms mostly from the Greek version.  Have you wondered where Paul got the idea that idols were demons in 1 Corinthians 10:19-21?  Well, read this Psalm.

Psalm 95 (96)

1 When the house was being built after the captivity, a song by David.

Sing to the Lord a new song, 

sing to the Lord, all the earth;

2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name, 

bring the good news of his salvation day to day;

3 announce to the nations his glory, 

his wonderful things among all the people.

4 For the Lord is great and is extremely praise worthy, 

he is fearful to all the gods;

5 because all the gods of the nations are demons, 

but the Lord made the heavens;

6 acknowledgement and beauty are before him, 

holiness and majesty are in his sanctuary.

7 Bring to the Lord, O families of the nations, 

bring to the Lord glory and honor;

8 bring to the Lord glory to his name, 

take up sacrifice and go into his courts;

9 worship the Lord in his holy court, 

let all the earth be shaken from his face.

10 Say to the nations, “The Lord became king, 

for indeed, he set up the building, which will not be shaken, 

he will judge people with uprightness.”

11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice, 

let the sea and all its fullness be shaken;

12 the plains will rejoice and all the things in them, 

then, all of the trees of the forest will rejoice

13 before the face of the Lord, because he is coming, 

because he is coming to judge the earth;

he will judge the world in righteousness

and the people in his truth. (My Translation)

Psalms 1&2; The Eschatological "Book-end", LXX Studies

Psalms 1

1 Happy is the man who didn’t go in the counsel of the ungodly

and didn’t stand in the way of sinners

and didn’t sit on the seat of pernicious people (harmful or destructive).

2 but rather, his will is in the law of the Lord, 

and he will meditate day and night in his law.

3 He will be like the tree which has been planted along side the springs of waters,

which will give its fruit in its due time,

and will not shed its leaves;

and all things, as much as he does, he will prosper.

4 Not so are the ungodly, not so!

But rather, they are like the dust which the wind has driven away from the face of the earth.

5 For this reason, the ungodly will not rise up in judgement

nor will the sinners in the counsel of the righteous,

6 because the Lord knows the way of the righteous,

and the way of the ungodly will perish.

***

Psalms 2

1 Why did the nations become insolent

and why did the people meditate over vain things?

2 The kings of the earth stood by

and the leaders gathered together at the same place

against the Lord and against his Anointed One.

διάψαλμα (musical interlude)

3 “Let us break their bonds

and let us cast away their yoke from us.”

4 The One who dwells in heaven will laugh at them, 

and the Lord will sneer at them.

5 Then He will speak to them in his anger, 

and he will trouble them in his wrath.

6 But I have been appointed king by him, 

on Zion, his holy mountain, 

7 proclaiming the commandment of the Lord.

The Lord said to me, “You are my son.  Today, I have become your Father.

8 Ask from me and I will give you the nations as an inheritance, 

and the ends of the earth as your possessions.

9 You will shepherd them with an iron scepter, 

you will crush them as a potter’s vessel.”

10 And now, O kings, gain insight!

Be instructed, all you who judge the earth!

11 Serve the Lord as a slave with fear, 

and rejoice in him with trembling.

12 Seize instruction, lest the Lord becomes angry, 

and you will perish from the righteous way

when his wrath becomes quickly inflamed.

Happy are all who put their trust in him.

Most scholars see these two Psalms as the front “book end” of the Psalms.  This is mostly due to the fact that Psalms 1 starts with a beatitude and Psalms 2 ends with a beatitude similar to what we find in Matthew 5. 

Psalms 1 serves as an instructional Psalm while Psalms 2 is a Royal Psalm as it deals with the King of Israel (David).  We will hit the highlights, but I really want to focus on the eschatology of these Psalms that, perhaps, really show they go together and “book end” the front of the Psalms.

As I stated before, the first line of Psalms 1 and the last line of Psalms 2 are beatitudes.  Both line begin with the Greek word Μακάριος which means “blessed” or “happy”.

The first part of the 1st Psalm shows why a man is happy while following the way of the Lord, but the 2nd part describes what happens to the “ungodly”.

In 1:4, the Hebrew text doesn’t have ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς γῆς (from the face of the earth).  This either represents a reading from a Hebrew text that no longer exist, or it was an interpretive add that makes the passage eschatological (See footnote 10 on pg 59 of “The Book of Psalms” NICOT, deClaisse-Walford, Jacobson, Tanner).  Not only will the ungodly be blown by the wind, they will also be wiped from the face of the earth!

There are other ways that show how the NT writers could have seen this Psalm as eschatological.

In 1:5, the Greek verb ἀνίστημι is used.  Generally, this means to “rise up”, but it also can mean “to resurrect” as it does in many cases in the NT.  The idea of “not resurrecting in judgement” possibly means that the ungodly will not have their day in court in order to defend themselves for their actions.

That this passage could really be eschatological, shouldn’t be a surprise.  In Matthew 12:41, Jesus alludes to this very verse.

Matt. 12:41 Ἄνδρες Νινευῖται ἀναστήσονται ἐν τῇ κρίσει μετὰ τῆς γενεᾶς ταύτης καὶ κατακρινοῦσιν αὐτήν, ὅτι μετενόησαν εἰς τὸ κήρυγμα Ἰωνᾶ, καὶ ἰδοὺ πλεῖον Ἰωνᾶ ὧδε.

Matt. 12:41 The Ninevite men will rise up/resurrect in judgement with this generation and they will condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, there is one greater than Jonah here.

In this case, the Ninevite men will be able to defend themselves in court, but the current generation of Israel (the Scribes and the Pharisees) will not.  From the language, you can see how the New Testament writers could have seen this Psalm.

So, does the New Testament see this judgement happening at the resurrection?  I would say “yes”!

Although Psalm 2 is a royal Psalm about David, it was seen as an eschatological Psalm about the coming Christ.

In 2:2, “the Anointed One” is the Χριστός (Christ).  

In 2:7, we have Υἱός μου εἶ σύ, ἐγὼ σήμερον γεγέννηκά σε (You are my son.  Today, I have become your Father).  This verse is alluded to in Romans 1:4 and cited in Acts 13:33; Heb. 1:5; 5:5.

In 2:8, δώσω σοι ἔθνη τὴν κληρονομίαν σου (I will give you the nations as an inheritance).  Most of the time in the NT, ἔθνη means “gentiles”.  If you look at Daniel 7:14, we have:

Dan. 7:14 καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ ἐξουσία, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη τῆς γῆς κατὰ γένη καὶ πᾶσα δόξα αὐτῷ λατρεύουσα· καὶ ἡ ἐξουσία αὐτοῦ ἐξουσία αἰώνιος, ἥτις οὐ μὴ ἀρθῇ, καὶ ἡ βασιλεία αὐτοῦ, ἥτις οὐ μὴ φθαρῇ.

Dan 7:14 And I will give authority to him, and all of the nations (gentiles) of the earth according to race, and all glory were worshipping him.  And his authority is eternal, which will never be taken away, and his kingdom, will never be destroyed (or “corrupted”). (LXX)

You can see how the NT writers would have seen this as scripture related to the coming Christ.

2:9 is quoted and alluded to in Rev. 2:27; 12:5; 19:15.  An iron scepter (ῥάβδῳ σιδηρᾷ) for King David, but an iron rod for the Shepherd Jesus.

Get a grip, O kings of the earth.  The real King is coming.  Seize the Lord’s instructions, lest you suffer his wrath when he comes.

Happy are all who put their trust in him.

New for 2015! The Psalms in Greek!

As many of you know who follow me, I didn't put up very many blogs in 2014 as I've been busy with many things.  But, I will be putting up weekly blogs on the Greek Psalms starting this weekend.  I won't comment all every Psalm, but we'll hit many important ones while focusing on how they where used in the New Testament, and also paying close attention to the eschatology of the Psalms.

I also have a personal goal to created a English Psalter from the Greek Psalter.  Details on that will be forth coming, but it is something that I've wanted to do for quite some time.

It's will be a great year.  Tune in!

Teaser!

Psalms 1

Happy is the man who didn’t go in the counsel of the ungodly

and didn’t stand in the way of sinners

and didn’t sit on the seat of pestilences.

but rather, his will is in the law of the Lord, 

and he will meditate day and night in his law.

He will be like the tree which has been planted along side the springs of waters,

which will give its fruit in its due time,

and will not shed its leaves;

and all things, as much as he does, he will prosper.

Not so are the ungodly, not so!

But rather, they are like the dust which the wind has driven away from the face of the earth.

For this reason, the ungodly will not rise up in judgement

nor will the sinners in the counsel of the righteous,

because the Lord knows the way of the righteous,

and the way of the ungodly will perish. (My Translation)

1 John 3:7-10; Can Christians NOT sin?

I know it’s been a long time since I posted something, but I’ve been very busy.  

Those who read modern translations of the Bible will just about have no need of this blog as modern translations do a pretty good job with this passage.  But for those who don’t, here is some help with what can be seen as a difficult passage from 1 John.

3:7 Children, let no one lead you astray.  The one who continually performs righteousness is just, just as that one (Jesus) is just.  8 The one who continually sins is from the devil, because from the beginning, the devil continually sins.  The Son of God was revealed (incarnated) for this so that he may loose (destroy) the works of the devil.  9 Everyone who has been born from God doesn’t continually sin, because his (Jesus’) seed continually remains in him, and he is not able to sin, because he has been born from God.  10 In this it is evident who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are.  Everyone who doesn’t continually perform righteousness and doesn’t continually love his brother (and sister) is not from God. (My Translation)

The difficultly of the passage can be explained by the aspect of Greek verbs or participles in the present tense.  Although it may be strange in English, I’ve added “continually” to the main present tense verbs.  That should shed some light on the passage.  Present tense verbs carry a continual aspect.  For verse 9 in particular, some modern translations will say something like: “Everyone who has been born from God doesn't keep on sinning”, or “doesn’t continue to sin…” “…because his seed keeps on remaining in him, and he is not able to sin, because he/she has been born from God.”

So, the aspect of the verbs tells the story.  It is the continual or habitual sinning that John is addressing.  Note in verse 8 where John uses the present tense to describe the devil continually sinning from the beginning of his existence.  That really drives the point home.  

John can’t be saying that christians don’t ever sin because that would go against what he says at the beginning of the letter in 1:8-10:

8 If we say that we don’t have sin, we lead ourselves astray and the truth is not in us.  9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, so that he will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  10 If we say that we have not sinned, we have made him a liar, and his word (message) is not in us. (My Translation)

…and also in 2:1:

2:1 My little children, I write these things to you so that you won’t sin.  Even if someone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus the Anointed the just, 2 and he himself is the sin-offering concerning our sins, but not for ours only, but concerning the whole world. (My Translation)

So, I hope that clears up some of this.

John 4:46-54; The Royal Official: Did he believe or not?

46 Then he again went to Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine.

Now there was a certain royal official whose son was sick in Capernaum.  47 After hearing that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was about to die.  48 Then, Jesus said to him, “If you don’t see (plural) signs and wonders, you (plural) will never believe.”  49 The royal official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”  50 Jesus said to him, “Go, your son is living.”  The man believed the word that Jesus had spoken to him, and he left.  51 While he was already going down, his slaves met him, telling him that his child is living.  52 Then, he inquired from them the time that his son got better.  So, they said to him, “The fever left him yesterday at 1:00pm.”  53 Then, the father realized that that was the time when Jesus said to him, “Your son is living.”  He himself and his whole household believed.  54 This again was the second sign that Jesus did after coming from Judea to Galilee.  John 4:46-54

This is one of the greatest stories in the New Testament.  We have a royal official who had heard about Jesus and needed him to heal his young son who was dying with fever.  What I want to focus on is when did this royal official really believe in Jesus.  Did he believe based on what Jesus told him, or did he believe after his son was healed?  In this text, it seems like “both”!

As you can see from my translation, I’ve underlined and put in italics “believed”.  Both verbs are used in the Aorist tense in Greek.  The Aorist tense has an undefined aspect.  In other words, this tense doesn’t offer the time or duration of the action of the verb.  

With that said, there are types of emphasis with verbs in the Aorist tense:

1. Ingressive
2. Effective
3. Constative

“Ingressive” describes the beginning of an action.  “Effective” describes the end of an action.  Last, but not least, “Constative” describes an action as a whole.

In this text, we may have the royal official at the beginning of his believing action in verse 50 (Ingressive Aorist).  If that is true, then verse 53 probably shows the royal official’s “believing action” after his son was healed (Effective Aorist).  In other words, he began believing in Jesus based on what Jesus said to him (and probably based on what he had heard from others), but he REALLY came to believe in Jesus after his son was healed.  Interpretations will differ, but there is no doubt that Greek verb tenses can help in our interpretation of the NT.

On a side note, John loved to incorporate word-plays in his Gospel.  This passage offers a good one.  In verse 49, John uses τὸ παιδίον (to paidion) for “child”, but in verse 51, he uses ὁ παῖς (ho pais) for “child”.  All of the NT authors did this as it was “catchy” for illiterate folks to hear.  It would have helped those folks to remember what had been read out to them.

John 20:21-22; Living Being and Immortal Being

John 20:21 Then Jesus said to them again, “Peace be to you.  Just as the Father has sent me, I will also send you.”  22 After saying this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit!  If you forgive anyone’s sins, they have been forgiven.  If you hold in place anyone’s sins, they have been held in place. (My Translation)

There are several interesting moments in this passage.  The first one is the word-play on “send” that occurs in verse 21.  The first word is ἀποστέλλω (apostellō) and the second one is πέμπω (pempō).  There is no significant difference in meaning.  In fact, John’s Gospel is riddled with word-plays throughout.  It is his style, in my opinion, to make his written Gospel memorable.

The second feature is the direct allusion to Genesis 2:7.  If one looks at the passage in the LXX (the Septuagint, the OT in Greek), one will see that the very same verb, in the very same tense was used for “to breath on”.  Let me demonstrate that.

22 καὶ τοῦτο εἰπὼν ἐνεφύσησεν καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς· λάβετε πνεῦμα ἅγιον·

22 After saying this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit!

Gen. 2:7 καὶ ἔπλασεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον χοῦν ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς καὶ ἐνεφύσησεν εἰς τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ πνοὴν ζωῆς, καὶ ἐγένετο ὁ ἄνθρωπος εἰς ψυχὴν ζῶσαν.  LXX

Gen. 2:7 God formed man, dust from of the earth, and breathed on/into his face a breath of life, and the man became a living being.  LXX (My Translation)

The third feature has to do with what was breathed on Adam and what was breathed on the disciples.  In Genesis, God breathed “a breath of life”, while in John, Jesus breathed on the disciples “the Holy Spirit”.  There is a cognate relationship between “breath” and “Spirit”.  Both words are cognate nouns from the verb πνέω (pneō).  You can see how the roots of the words are the same. 

πνέω (pneō)

πνοή (pnoē)

πνεῦμα (pneuma)

Also, πνεῦμα (pneuma) can also mean “breath”, “wind”, or “spirit”.

So, in Genesis, God formed man and put life into him so that he would become “alive” (a living being), but in John, Jesus breaths on people who are already “living beings” with the Holy Spirit (breath) and they become “immortal” and received “eternal life”.  “Point A”, mankind lives, “Point B”, mankind not only lives, but lives forever.

The last feature of the passage is the disciples receiving what is the equivalent to “binding and loosing” in Matthew 16:19 and Matthew 18:18.  Here, if the disciples “forgive sin”, those peoples’ sins “have been forgiven”, which is in the perfect tense.  In Greek, the perfect tense indicates an action that has occurred in the past, but the effects of that action are still felt at the present time.  It is the same with the last phrase; “If you hold in place anyone’s sins, they have been held in place.”

It is interesting to consider that what the Apostles “will do” has “already been done”.  If they forgive sins, God has already forgiven them.  It puts into prospective who is really “the prime mover and shaker”.

Bel and the Dragon; The Use of κόμη (komē), LXX Studies.

I read “Bel and the Dragon” in Greek this weekend.  I’m trying to work in some LXX reading in my schedule.  It was an interesting story.  For those who are not familiar with the story, it is a late addition to Daniel and was translated into Greek.  As I alluded to before, this story is found in the Septuagint (LXX).  

Daniel is in Babylon and shows the king how Bel (Βηλ), a Babylonian idol, is not a real god.  Also, Daniel shows the king and a dragon that they are worshipping is also not a god.  After Daniel messes up the Babylonians’ “gods”,  they throw him into a pit with seven lions.  Daniel stays in there six days before an angel of the Lord tells Hambakoum (Habakkuk, a prophet?) to take his food to Daniel in Babylon.  Hambakoum responds that he has never been to Babylon and doesn’t know were the pit is.  Here comes the funny part.

36 After taking hold of Hambakoum by the long hair of his head (τῆς κόμης αὐτοῦ τῆς κεφαλῆς), the angel of the Lord put him above the pit in Babylon.

Daniel gets out and the ones who accused him get thrown into the pit where they are devoured by the lions.

I want to deal with the use of κόμη (komē) here in verse 36.  For those who think it just means “hair”, be advised that the normal word of hair, θρίξ (thrix), is used in verse 27.  Paul uses κόμη (komē) to describe the Corinthians women’s long hair in 1 Corinthians 11.  In that passage, one of the reasons Paul argues for women to wear head coverings was because their long hair was like a head covering.  Paul also argues that culture shows that long hair on men was dishonorable.  So, what does the use of κόμη (komē) in "Bel and the Dragon" tell us?  It tells us that perhaps men with long hair was not taboo among the Jews before Jesus’ time, but it was taboo in the Greek/Roman culture in which the Corinthians existed.

On another note, it is just interesting that an angel would pick up a fellow by the long hair of his head and take him somewhere.  That must have hurt!

Hebrews 13:7-8;17; The Past and the Present Leaders

13:7 Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God (God’s message) to you.  Imitate their (the) faith, examining carefully (considering) the end result of their way of life.  8 Jesus the Anointed is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  (Hebrews 13:7-8 My Translation)

This passage suffers from much misunderstandings.  Many people believe that this passage refers to current leaders over current congregations.  The fact is that this passage actually refers to past leaders who probably started the congregations to which the writer of Hebrews is writing to.

Two things reflect this: 1. The syntax of the Greek text and 2. the context of the Greek text.

First of all, “the leaders” spoke (ἐλάλησαν, past tense) God’s message (the word of God) which probably means that these leader are the ones who established the congregations of which the writer of Hebrews is now writing to.

The context of the passage refers the reader to examine carefully (ἀναθεωροῦντες) the end result (ἔκβασιν) of these leaders’ way of life.  The main phrase to consider here (yes, this is both pun and irony) is τὴν ἔκβασιν τῆς ἀναστροφῆς (the end result of “their” [ὧν] way of life).  Let’s look at the BDAG’s definitions for ἔκβασις.  

1. end point of a duration, end ἐ. τῆς ἀναστροφῆς Hb 13:7 can mean the end of one’s life (cp. Marinus, Vi. Procli 26 ἐ. τοῦ βίου; Wsd 2:17), but can also be understood as

2. outcome of an event or state, outcome (cp. PRyl 122, 5 [II AD]=produce [τῶν ἐδαφῶν]; Wsd 11:14) as result of one’s way of life, w. implication of success Hb 13:7.

“ἔκβασις,” BDAG, 299.

Clearly, the congregations who are being written to are to reflect on how their former leaders’ way of life “played out” or “the result of their” way of life.  The result of this “reflecting” was for the congregations to “imitate that faith”, that is, the faith that these former leaders had.

Why?  The writer gives an example that it doesn’t matter if the leaders were gone are not because “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever”.  He doesn't change, nor does the Gospel change.

For those who read the NT in Greek or read modern translations, this blog is self-evident.  But, there are many who can't read Greek (vast majority) and many who will not read any translation other than the KJV.  This is for those people as the KJV is anything but clear.


7 Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.  8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. KJV


Now on to verse 17.

17 Be confident with your leaders and submit to them, for they watch for your souls as they will give an account.  They should be able to do this (to give this account) with joy and not with a sigh (or with groaning).  For that will not help you.

This verse should be read in context with verses 7 and 8.  If the past leaders are to be the example, then the current leaders should be imitating the past leaders.  Let’s look at the first verb, πειθώ.

Normally, πειθώ means “to persuade”, but it is in the passive voice here.  So, here it would mean “be persuaded” or “be confident in” what they say as they should be imitating the leaders that came before them.

The congregations should be convinced in their leadership, but they have also been given a guideline for doing so (verses 7-8).

What are we to say about this today?  How can we transfer this to today’s leaders?  Today’s leaders should imitate the leaders that were presented in the New Testament.  If they are not imitating those leaders, then they themselves are not truly leaders.  If today’s leaders want to “rule” the congregation, then they should take Jesus’ teaching in Luke 22:24-30 to heart.

24 “A dispute also arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. 25 Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors.  26 But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules (same Greek word used in both passages in Hebrews) like the one who serves.  27 For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.  28 You are those who have stood by me in my trials.  29 And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, 30 so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
(Luke 22:24–30 NIV11)

If today’s leaders are not following the example of the leaders in the NT and are not conforming to Jesus’ teaching on being leaders, the they will NOT be giving an account to God about the congregation which they lead, but an account of themselves.

1 Corinthians 12:7-11; A list of Gifts

In 1 Corinthians 12-14, Paul talks about “things of the Spirit” and tries to correct the Corinthians in abusing the gift of tongues.  In verses 7-10, Paul lists a few of these gifts in order to show that not all people have the same Spiritual gift(s).  By doing so, he seems to group the gifts in certain ways by using the Greek words ᾧ and ἑτέρῳ.  Let me try to demonstrate this starting with verse 7.

7 The manifestation (outward expression/disclosure, announcement) of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good.  8 For to one person (ᾧ), on the one hand, given a word of wisdom (ability to speak wisely) is given, but to another person (ἄλλῳ), on the other hand, a word of knowledge (ability to speak knowledgable things) is given according to the same Spirit.  9 To a different person (ἑτέρῳ), faith by the same Spirit, but to another person (ἄλλῳ), gracious gifts of healing by the one Spirit.  10 To another person (ἄλλῳ), the ability to effectively work miracles; but to another person (ἑτέρῳ), the ability to speak prophecies; but to another person (ἄλλῳ), the ability to distinguish (and evaluate) spirits; to a different person (ἑτέρῳ), different kinds of tongues; but to another person (ἄλλῳ), the interpretation/translation of tongues. 11 All these things are the effective work of the one and the same Spirit, who distributes to each person his own gift, just as the Spirit determines.

So, here is the breakdown.  The first grouping starts with ᾧ and the others are divided by ἑτέρῳ:

1. “A word/message of wisdom” and “a word/message of knowledge” go together.
2. “Faith (the mountain moving kind [13:2])”, “healing gifts”, and “working miracles” go together.
3. “Speaking prophecies” and “distinguishing and evaluating spirits” go together (more on this below).
4. “Speaking in different (kinds) of tongues” and “interpreting/translating tongues” go together.

Is it possible that Paul is using the different words for stylistic purposes?  Sure, but I don’t think that is very likely as the groupings seem to be natural divisions.

Another interest aspect of the Greek of this passage is that verses 8-11 is one long sentence.  It goes without saying that the verse division pollutes the passage a little.

One final thing to discuss on this blog.  What does διακρίσεις πνευμάτων (distinguishing and evaluating spirits) actually mean?  A big clue is given in 14:29 where the cognate verb (διακρίνω) of διάκρισις (διακρίσεις) is used.  There, it states that two or three prophets should prophesy and the others of the congregation must “make a distinction, differentiate” along with “evaluate, judge” (See BDAG) what was just prophesied.  The NIV11 translates this as “should weigh carefully what is said”.  So, διακρίσεις πνευμάτων (distinguishing and evaluating spirits) actually means “evaluating prophecies” and that too is a gift.  In fact, there are more examples of this kind of language being used for “prophecy”.  

In the next blog(s) that will come soon, I’ll discuss these phrases: “spirits of prophets” (1 Corinthians. 14:32), “through spirit” (2 Thess 2:2), “don’t believe every spirit” (1 John 4:1), and “test the spirits” (1 John 4:2).

1 Corinthians 8:13; Never Ever Forever!

13 For this very reason, if food causes my brother (or sister) to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother (or sister) to stumble. My Translation

Paul has been talking to the Corinthians about how their “knowledge” that idols are nothing in this world, so it is fine to eat food sacrificed to idols in the Pagan temples will cause weak conscience fellow Christians to sin.  As a result, the “knowledgable” Corinthians sin against Christ (εἰς Χριστὸν ἁμαρτάνετε, verse 12).  He follows that up with a statement about himself that can be translated in many ways.  Here are a few examples:

“Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.”

(1 Corinthians 8:13 NIV11)

“For this reason, if food causes my brother or sister to sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I may not cause one of them to sin.”

(1 Corinthians 8:13 NET)

“Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.”

(1 Corinthians 8:13 ESV)

“Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.”

(1 Corinthians 8:13 KJV)

First of all, let’s discuss the two main verbs in the verse: σκανδαλίζω (skandalizō).  The base meaning of this word is “to cause to stumble”.  Morally, it became “to cause someone to sin”.  In other ways, it means “to offend someone”.  It’s cognate noun is σκάνδαλον (skandalon), which can mean “a stumbling block”, “a trap”, “an enticement” or “an offense”.  We get our modern term “scandal” from this word.

Probably the most interesting aspect of this verse is Paul’s emphatic response.  Let me try to demonstrate this.  First of all, Paul uses οὐ μὴ (not not) when he says “I will never eat meat”.  This use alone causes the statement to be emphatic.  Almost all translators will translate this as I have; “never”.  But for Paul, οὐ μὴ is not enough.  At the end of this phrase, he adds εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα which means “into the age”.  This is the normal Greek idiom for “forever”.  Since “I will never eat meat forever” is awkward English, most translators either translate it out of the verse (See blog on John 4:14 which features the same expression) or translate this prepositional phrase as “again”.

So, for you purists (I’m being funny) who think that the Bible must be translated literally, here goes:

“I shall/will not not eat meat into the age”

If we are to maintain the Greek word order, then:

“not not I shall/will eat into the age”.

1 Corinthians 5:6-8; In the light of the Sun

1 Corinthians 5:6-8:

6 Your boasting is not good.  Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough?  7 Clean out the old yeast, so that you may be a new batch of dough, as you are unleavened bread.  For Christ, our passover lamb, has been sacrificed.  8 Therefore, let us not feast/keep the F/festival with old yeast, neither the yeast of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. My Translation

Leading up to this passage, Paul has been reprimanding the Corinthians for taking pride (being puffed up) over a man who is carrying on a sexual relationship with his father’s wife (not his mother).  The Corinthians’ theological flaws are being revealed by Paul.

A couple of things about this passage that may not be so obvious should be pointed out.  First of all, in verse 7 we have καὶ γὰρ τὸ πάσχα ἡμῶν ἐτύθη Χριστός which literally means: “And/even for the passover of us has been sacrificed Christ”.  To put it into proper English, it should read: “For Christ, that is/even our passover, has been sacrificed”.  Of course, in order to understand what Paul means here is to understand what the sacrifice of the Passover was, it was a lamb!  Therefore, most modern translations add in “lamb” to the translation as that in undoubtably what Paul means.  This could mean that "festival" should be "The Festival" of Unleavened bread, or as we know it, "The Passover Festival".

The last area of interest appears at the end of this passage: ἀλλ᾿ ἐν ἀζύμοις εἰλικρινείας καὶ ἀληθείας (but in/with unleavened bread of sincerity and truth).  I want to focus on “sincerity”.  One of the things that appeals to me about the Greek text is how the ancients put together words in order to gather a meaning.  In this case, εἰλικρίνεια, which means “a quality or state of being free of dissimulation” or “sincerity” (BDAG), is one of these words.  This word is made up of two Greek words: ἥλιος (sun) and κρίνω (to judge, to decide).  Therefore, the word literally means “to decide/judge by the light of the sun” or “tested by the light of the sun” (TDNT).  Morally, it would mean that whatever is decided or judged is in the light of the sun where all can see it.  Therefore, nothing is hidden from view.  So, if one is sincere, then that are in full view, in the light of the sun for all to see.  Nothing should be hidden from view in a true Christian.

Galatians 3:15; The Cognates of Kυρόω

15 Brothers, to take from a human analogy, I say: even if it is a human covenant that has been ratified, nevertheless, no one can annul it or can add to it. Galatians 3:15

Paul uses the Greek verb κυρόω in verse 15 which means “to give sanction to something, confirm, ratify, validate, make legally binding” (BDAG).  What is not normally taught is that one of this verb’s cognate nouns is κύριος which is translated into English as “lord”.  Another cognate is κῦρος (supreme power), but it is not used in the NT.  Kύριος has a wide range of meanings in the NT, but it mostly given as a title to Jesus.

In the Greek OT (LXX), κύριος is the main word that replaces Yahweh (God’s name) from the Hebrew.  This was done in the LXX because the Jews were afraid that they would take God’s name in vain (or blaspheme), thus breaking the law of Moses.

I would have to say that κύριος is a fitting title for God.  If the verb means to ratify, to validate, to make legally binding, then κύριος is the one who ratifies, validates and make something legally binding.  By example, God spoke the creation into existence.  By speaking it, he ratified it, thus making it happen, thus putting it into existence.

This very idea could have been in John’s thoughts when he penned “In the beginning, there was the word/message”.  When the word is spoken by the one who makes it legally binding, it comes into existence.  The message about Jesus is the message that redeems all humans from their sin by putting their faith in him.  When he speaks it, we are truly pronounced righteous before him and thus sealed with his empowering Holy Spirit.

2 Peter 1:20: One’s own (private) interpretation

I know it's been a while since I've posted, but I've been very busy with my teaching duties in my local fellowship.

There seems to be many who appeal to 2 Peter 1:20 when a person has a different view of Scripture that others do.  Many folk’s get this from the KJV’s rendering of this verse.

20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. KJV

Of course, the problem with isolating this verse is that when one removes it from its context, it can mean anything.  In reality, verse 20 is explained by verse 21.  How?  Why?

Verse 21 has the explanatory word γὰρ (for) which means that Peter is now going to explain what he means by what he wrote in Verse 20.  So, to keep the discussion around the KJV, let’s look at the KJV’s rendering of verse 21.

21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. KJV

First and foremost, “holy men” is not in the Greek, even in the Textus Receptus.  Nevertheless, the verse is still a good translation from the Greek.  Now the question is “how does verse 21 explain verse 20 in this KJV rendering?  Quite frankly, it doesn’t.  So, if it doesn’t explain verse 20, then what’s wrong?  Is there a problem with what Peter is trying to say?

The reality is that verse 20 is a terrible translation.  It’s terrible because it came about by early Catholic teaching that the lay people can’t understand Scripture, so therefore, only the priest can explain it to the lay people.  This idea also carried over to the translators of the KJV of the Bible, and has influenced a great deal of Christian churches who still use the KJV.  Let’s take a closer look at verse 20.

The verse’s translation hinges on what ἰδίας (private in KJV) means.  It actually means “one’s own”.  There are times in the NT where it is used as “private”, but it is often used with another word to bring this out.  For instance, in Galatians 2:2 it is used for Paul’s private meeting with Peter, James, and John.  There it is κατ᾿ ἰδίαν (according to one’s own).

So, in verse 20 who is “one’s own” referring to?  In the KJV, it seems that it is the “reader” of the prophecy that is view.  Therefore, the KJV translators translated the passage to mean that.  But if verse 21 explains verse 20, then how can “one’s own” be the person reading the prophecy?  It just can’t!  “One’s own” here is referring to the prophets who spoke the prophecy.  They didn’t come up with the prophecies on their own.  Which was probably what Peter’s opponents were saying.  Peter’s context up onto verse 20 has been that the prophecies in the OT prove what the Apostles are now preaching about Jesus.  Those prophecies were ὡς λύχνῳ φαίνοντι ἐν αὐχμηρῷ τόπῳ (like a lamp shining in a gloomy place).

Here is my translation of the passage along with the NIV11 and the NET which have it right.

20 Knowing this first, that every prophecy in Scripture doesn’t come from one’s own explanation.  21 For prophecy wasn’t ever brought into being by a human’s will, but it was brought into being as the humans (prophets), being carried by the Holy Spirit, spoke from God. My Translation*

20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things.  21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. NIV11

20 Above all, you do well if you recognize this: No prophecy of scripture ever comes about by the prophet’s own imagination, 21 for no prophecy was ever borne of human impulse; rather, men carried along by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. NET

κατά KJV!

* I translate προφητεία γραφῆς as an objective genitive (Scripture), thus “prophecy in Scripture.  The NLT does the same.

Philippians 1:27-30; Deliverance Gifts

27 Live only a life worthy of the Good News of the Anointed, so that whether I come and see you, or while being absent, I hear the things concerning you, that you stand firm in the one Spirit, with one mind, working together in the faith of the Good News 28 and not being intimidated in anything by those who oppose you.  This is a sign of destruction to them, but a sign of your deliverance. 29 Because it was gifted to you in the Anointed’s behalf, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer in his behalf, 30 having the same struggle, such as you see in me, and now you are hearing by me.

As Paul is writing this letter, he is in prison in Rome and will soon be executed.  He is suffering at the hands of those who oppose him.  He is hopeful that he will be able to see the Philippians again, but wants to encourage them to continue to stand firm in spite of suffering in the same way that he is.  The Philippians ability to stand is a true sign that the ones who oppose them will perish, and that the Philippians will be delivered!  Why?  Because it is a gift to have faith and to suffer!  

Let’s take a look at verse 29.  The main verb that Paul uses is χαρίζομαι which means : “to give freely as a favor, give graciously”.  This verb's cognate noun is χάρις which means “grace, favor”.  Another cognate noun would be χάρισμα which is a “grace-gift”.  A “grace-gift” is a gift that one receives as a direct result of God’s grace or favor on one’s life.  Here, two gifts are given as a true sign that the Philippians will be delivered from God’s wrath: 1. Believing/Faith is a gift and 2. Suffering is a gift.