Index of Comments on Bible Passages
140 entries.
| Genesis 1-11 | Creation, Evolution, and Genesis 1-11 | Exegesis |
| A look at the different ways in which Genesis is understood to those who hold various views of origins. | ||
| Genesis 10 | Genesis 10: The Table of Nations | Notes |
| Notes on the table of nations | ||
| Genesis 1:27 | Man, Mankind, or People - Genesis 1:27 and Genesis 6:5-8 | Translation Issues |
| Looking at how best to translate for comprehension | ||
| Genesis 3 | Genesis 3: The Story of the Fall | Exegesis |
| Looking at Genesis 3 and its meaning in the context of the primeval history of Genesis 1-11. | ||
| Genesis 3:15-18 | Galatians 3:15-18 - Preliminary Thoughts on Seed and Seeds | Exegesis |
| A look at the way Paul uses Genesis 3 in Galatians | ||
| Genesis 4 | Genesis 4: The Two Lines | Exegesis |
| Looking at Genesis 4 and its place in the primeval history of Genesis 1-11. | ||
| Genesis 5 | Genesis 5: The Preservation of the Patriarchal Line | Exegesis |
| Genesis 5 in the context of the primeval history of Genesis 1-11. | ||
| Genesis 6-8 | The Two Genesis Flood Stories | Exegesis |
| Discussion of critical issues in the story of the flood, including a breakout of the sources. | ||
| Genesis 6-8 | Reflecting on the Flood | Theological |
| A look at the story of the flood and how it came to the form in which we have it in scripture and what it can mean in our theology. | ||
| Genesis 6:1-4 | Genesis 6:1-4: Sons of God and Human Beings | Exegesis |
| Verse by verse comment. | ||
| Genesis 6:5-8 | Genesis 6:5-8: The Cause of the Flood | Exegesis |
| Verse by verse discussion | ||
| Genesis 6:5-8 | Man, Mankind, or People - Genesis 1:27 and Genesis 6:5-8 | Translation Issues |
| Looking for the best way to translate these specific words for understanding. | ||
| Genesis 9 | Genesis 9: A New World | Exegesis |
| Part of my series on Genesis 1-11 | ||
| Exodus 32:11-13 | A Strong Relationship | Devotional |
| Meditating on the boldness of the prayer of Moses | ||
| Numbers 9:15-23 | The Camp and the Cloud | Devotional |
| Devotional look at the movement of the Israelite camp under the direction of the cloud. | ||
| Deuteronomy 13:1-5 | Testing Prophets: Godliness | Application |
| Looking at godliness as a test of prophets. | ||
| 1 Samuel 3:1 | Widespread Vision | Devotional |
| Vision can be taken either in the sense of our ability to see what can happen and to go after that, or in the sense of visions sent from God. I believe that both these types of vision were rare in Israel in the time of Eli and Samuel,and this devotional looks at some of the reasons for that lack. | ||
| 1 Kings 3:5-12 | Getting the Priorities Right | Devotional |
| A look at Solomon's prayer for wisdom in terms of priorities for our own lives. | ||
| Psalm 104 | Psalm 104 | Exegesis |
| General study of this important chapter. | ||
| Psalm 104 | Psalm 104: Presenting the Message | Exegesis |
| How can one present the content of Psalm 104 to a modern audience? | ||
| Psalm 119:129-136 | Is Truth Important to You? | Devotional |
| Looking at the priority we place on truth in our lives and our actions. | ||
| Psalm 137 | Psalm 137 around the Web | Link |
| A number of links to good articles on Psalm 137, its exegesis and application | ||
| Psalm 46 | Psalm 46 as an Italian Sonnet | Translation |
| A translation, or better transformation, of Psalm 46 into an Italian sonnet, part of my exploration of the translation of Hebrew poetry. | ||
| Psalm 46 | Reading Psalm 46 | General Essay |
| Examining some different ways of reading and experiencing Psalm 46. | ||
| Psalm 79 | Censored Lectionary – Psalm 79 | Link |
| Link to a post on Psalm 78, truncated in the lectionary | ||
| Proverbs 1:20-33 | Seeking Wisdom and Knowledge | Devotional |
| Wisdom is calling to you in those important decisions for right and wrong. Will you listen? | ||
| Proverbs 26:4-5 | Tools for Fools | Devotional |
| Often the Bible is like a toolkit. It takes knowledge and discernment to use the right scripture at the right time. | ||
| Isaiah 24 | Isaiah 24 | Exegesis |
| This is a follow-up to my blog entries on Isaiah 24-27, which used them as an example for use of critical methodologies. This entry and following ones in the same series go further into the themes and application of these important chapters from the book of Isaiah. | ||
| Isaiah 25 | Isaiah 25: Protection in the Midst of Trouble | Exegesis |
| Outline, critical examination, and exposition of Isaiah 25. | ||
| Isaiah 26 | Isaiah 26: Praise and Lament in Trouble | Exegesis |
| Overview of the chapter with basic exposition. | ||
| Isaiah 26:3 | Gail Riplinger and Isaiah 26:3 | Translation Issues |
| Isaiah 27 | NASB to NASB95 in Isaiah 27 | Translation |
| Looking at how much the text of this chapter has been revised in producing the NASB95. | ||
| Isaiah 27 | Isaiah 27: Accomplishing Redemption | Exegesis |
| Overview and exposition of the chapter. | ||
| Isaiah 31:4-5 | Isaiah 31:4-5 and Prophetic Revelation through History | Exegesis |
| The place of these two seemingly clashing verses in the overall theme of Isaiah | ||
| Isaiah 38:21-22 | A Short Note on the REB of Isaiah 38:21-22 | Translation |
| Discussion of the textual issues in this chapter | ||
| Isaiah 46:10 | Biblical Prophecy in a Nutshell | Theology |
| Eschatological prophecy in the light of this passage in Isaiah | ||
| Isaiah 53 | Isaiah 53: A Short Note on the Suffering Servant | Exegesis |
| How can and should the suffering servant passages fit into Christian theology? | ||
| Isaiah 61:1 | Brokenhearted in Isaiah 61:1 – A Brief Note | Translation |
| How should one translate 'brokenhearted' in this passage considering the meaning of “heart” in Hebrew? | ||
| Isaiah 63 | Translation Comparisons in Isaiah 63 | Translation |
| Briefly comparing CEV, NCV, TNIV, and ESV in various idiomatic passages. | ||
| Isaiah 64:6 | Isaiah 64:6 – Menstrual Cloth | Translation |
| Why do almost all English translations avoid the term “menstrual cloth” in this passage? | ||
| Jeremiah 4:23 | Rightly Dividing or Slicing and Dicing – Jeremiah 4:23 | Exegesis |
| A discussion of the contextual meaning of Jeremiah 4:23 | ||
| Daniel | The Structure of the (Actual) Book of Daniel | Background |
| Examines the structure of the book of Daniel. Note that this was written when the TV show, "The Book of Daniel" was being advertised, which is the reason for the word "actual" in the title. | ||
| Daniel | Dating the Book of Daniel | Background |
| Issues of dating in the book of Daniel with some discussion of methods. | ||
| Daniel 1:8 | Deciding in your Heart | Devotional |
| Daniel made a key decision and stood by it. Can I? Does it matter what others see? | ||
| Daniel 1:8 | Deciding in your Heart | Devotional |
| Righteousness involves what you decide to do "in your heart" when it doesn't matter who hears or sees, you simply decide to do what's right. | ||
| Daniel 8:1-9:27 | Structure and the Book of Daniel | Introduction |
| A look at structure and how it relates to interpreting Daniel 8 and 9, with special attention to the relationship between the two chapters. This applies especially to Daniel 8:14 and Daniel 9:24-27, key passages in my Seventh-day Adventist heritage. | ||
| Jonah 3:10 | Attitude of Repentance | Devotional |
| God will repent if we will! What makes it so hard for us to repent? | ||
| Jonah 3:10 | Attitude of Repentance | Devotional |
| God can repent. Why can't I? | ||
| Haggai 2:10-14 | Contagious Goodness | Devotional |
| Good seems to be less contagious than evil, so what do we do to improve our influence for good? | ||
| Matthew 13:1-9 | Criticism Example: The Parable of the Sower | Exegesis |
| Critical issues in the parable of the sower. | ||
| Matthew 6:27 | Wasted Emotional Energy | Devotional |
| Jesus gave us practical advice about wasting emotional energy | ||
| Matthew 7:1 | Examining Matthew 7:1 | Application |
| "Judge not, that you be not judged" is probably one of the most violated commands in scripture, but it is also one of the most misapplied. This essay discusses how we can hold firm moral values and make good choices without being judgmental. | ||
| Mark 10:1-12 | Notes on Mark 10:1-12 | Notes |
| Verse by verse general notes. | ||
| Mark 10:13-16 | Notes on Mark 10:13-16 | Notes |
| Verse by verse general notes. | ||
| Mark 10:23-31 | Notes on Mark 10:23-31 | Notes |
| Verse by verse general notes. | ||
| Mark 10:32-52 | Notes on Mark 10:32-52 | Notes |
| Verse by verse general notes. | ||
| Mark 11:1-11 | Notes on Mark 11:1-11 | Notes |
| Verse by verse general notes. | ||
| Mark 11:12-14 | Notes on Mark 11:12-14 | Notes |
| Verse by verse general notes. | ||
| Mark 11:15-19 | Notes on Mark 11:15-19 | Notes |
| Verse by verse general notes. | ||
| Mark 11:20-26 | Notes on Mark 11:20-26 | Notes |
| Verse by verse general notes. | ||
| Mark 11:27-33 | Notes on Mark 11:27-33 | Notes |
| Verse by verse general notes. | ||
| Mark 12:1-12 | Notes on Mark 12:1-12 | Notes |
| Verse by verse general notes. | ||
| Mark 12:13-17 | Notes on Mark 12:13-17 | Notes |
| Verse by verse general notes. | ||
| Mark 12:18-37 | Notes on Mark 12:18-27 | Notes |
| Verse by verse notes on the passage | ||
| Mark 12:28-34 | Notes on Mark 12:28-34 | Notes |
| Verse by verse general notes. | ||
| Mark 12:34-40 | Notes on Mark 12:34-40 | Notes |
| Verse by verse general notes. | ||
| Mark 12:41-44 | Notes on Mark 12:41-44 | Notes |
| Verse by verse general notes. | ||
| Mark 1:29-39 | Marks of the Jesus Message | Devotional |
| Looking at Jesus and his message and how one might recognize it in action today. | ||
| Mark 1:29-39 | Marks of the Jesus Message | Devotional |
| What characterists help identify the message of Jesus? I look at this early passage from Mark to see what should happen when Jesus is proclaimed. | ||
| Mark 1:8 | Inside and Outside | Devotional |
| Looking at the meaning of being baptized with/by the Spirit. | ||
| Mark 4:1-9 | Criticism Example: The Parable of the Sower | Exegesis |
| Critical issues in the parable of the sower. | ||
| Mark 6:1-6 | Miracles and Community | Theology |
| Looking at the role of miracles for individuals and the community | ||
| Mark 8:27-33 | Taming the Tongue I: Our Testimony | Devotional |
| First of a series of three messages about the use of the tongue, speech, in the service of the kingdom of God. | ||
| Mark 9:30-42 | Notes on Mark 9:30-42 | Notes |
| Verse by verse general notes. | ||
| Mark 9:33-37 | Hand in the Cookie Jar | Devotional |
| Jody Neufeld on our response to being caught in sin. | ||
| Luke 16 | A Lab for Parables | Exegesis |
| Looking at the parables of Luke 16 for help in how parables should be interpreted | ||
| Luke 1:26-38 | Reacting to the Word | Devotional |
| Looking at the encounter between Mary and the angel and Mary's reaction. | ||
| Luke 1:26-38 | Reacting to the Word | Devotional |
| A devotional looking at how Mary reacted to God's message and what we can learn from that. | ||
| Luke 8:4-8 | Criticism Example: The Parable of the Sower | Exegesis |
| Critical issues in the parable of the sower. | ||
| John 12:1-8 | Obedience | Theological |
| Henry Neufeld on obedience from John 12. MP3. | ||
| John 15:12-14 | Must I Give My Life? | Application |
| Discusses whether the individual Christian is called to give his or her life either for principle or for another person. | ||
| John 17:9-11 | The Prayer of Jesus | Exegesis |
| Audio presentation on John 17, part of series on the gospel of John | ||
| 1 Corinthians 12-14 | Tongues and Hearing | Application |
| Essay on tongues and hearing, including comparison between Acts 2 and 1 Corinthians 12-14. | ||
| Acts 2 | Tongues and Hearing | Application |
| Essay on tongues and hearing, including comparison between Acts 2 and 1 Corinthians 12-14. | ||
| Acts 2:43-47 | Characteristics of a Living Church | Application |
| Looking at the early church for the characteristics that will show us when a church is truly alive. | ||
| Acts 3:1-10 | Praying Now | Application |
| What attitudes toward prayer did Peter and John display in this passage that might help in our current prayer lives? | ||
| Acts 3:1-10 | Praying Now | Devotional |
| Why do we always wait to pray later? This devotional talks about the reasons to pray now, immediately as the request comes to our attention. | ||
| Romans 16:7 | Junia in Romans 16:7 | Exegesis |
| Links to a discussion of Junia as an apostle in Romans 16:7. The discussion linked to is fairly technical. | ||
| 1 Corinthians | An Alternative Outline for 1 Corinthians | Outline |
| Outline and brief discussion of the book as the basis for study. | ||
| 1 Corinthians 12 | Notes on 1 Corinthians 12 | Exegesis |
| Verse by verse notes on 1 Corinthians 12. | ||
| 1 Corinthians 12-14 | 1 Corinthians 12-14 | Background |
| An introduction to my study material on 1 Corinthians 12-14. | ||
| 1 Corinthians 12-14 | 1 Corinthians 12-14 Greek Terms | Greek |
| Discussion of key Greek terms from 1 Corinthians 12-14, to accompany my various study blog entries on them. | ||
| 1 Corinthians 13 | Notes on 1 Corinthians 13 | Exegesis |
| Verse by verse notes on 1 Corinthians 13. | ||
| 1 Corinthians 14 | Notes on 1 Corinthians 14 | Exegesis |
| Verse by verse notes on 1 Corinthians 14. | ||
| 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 | Textual Critism on 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 | Textual Criticism |
| Discussing the work of Dr. Gordon Fee on the text of this passage about women speaking in church. | ||
| 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 | Baptized Foolishness | Exegesis |
| Looking for the type of foolishness that might make divine wisdom. | ||
| 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 | Power or Packaging | Devotional |
| Is it the words, the appearance, or the content and God's power that matters? | ||
| 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 | Salvation and Holiness | Devotional |
| What does holiness have to do with salvation? | ||
| 2 Corinthians 5:12-15 | Christ's Restraining Love | Application |
| The love of Christ keeps us on track, provides focus for our personal and church lives, and makes our witness genuine. | ||
| 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 | Ministry of Reconciliation | Theology |
| A look at what a ministry of reconciliation might look like in practical terms. | ||
| Galatians 2:16 | Galatians and Penal Substitutionary Atonement | Theological |
| A comment on J. Louis Martyn's understanding of rectification from his comment on Galatians 2:16. | ||
| Galatians | Martyn on Historical Methods(Galatians) | Exegesis |
| Discussion of historical methods applied to the book of Galatians | ||
| Galatians 1:10 | Who Am I Trying to Please? | Devotional |
| With reference to the gospel, Paul says that if he is trying to please people, he can\'t be a servant of Christ. How might this apply in other areas? | ||
| Galatians 3:2 | Galatians 3:2: AKOE PISTEOS | Translation |
| How should this Greek phrase be translated for best understanding? | ||
| Ephesians 4:1-12 | Thoughts on Lists of Spiritual Gifts | Theology |
| Should we view the lists of spiritual gifts as prescriptive or descriptive? | ||
| Ephesians 5:21-33 | Ephesians 5:21-33: A Short Lesson in Focus | Exegesis |
| How the meaning of a text can change depending on your focus. | ||
| Ephesians 6:18 | Ephesians 6:18: Praying in the Spirit | Exegesis and Application |
| What does "praying in the spirit" mean in the context of this passage in Ephesians? | ||
| Philippians 4:8 | Wasted Emotional Energy | Devotional |
| Jesus gave us practical advice about wasting emotional energy | ||
| Hebrew 7:1-3 | Hebrews 7:1-3: Reuniting Priesthood and Kingship | Application |
| Melchizedek makes an excellent image for Jesus because he also combined the royal and priestly power, something that was not commonly practiced in Bible times. It was one of the features of the Messianic age. | ||
| Hebrews | Introduction to Hebrews | Introduction |
| Extremely brief introduction to the study of Hebrews. | ||
| Hebrews | What is a Priest? | Background |
| In the sense used in the New Testament book of Hebrews "priest" has a particular meaning relevant to us today. What is it? | ||
| Hebrews | Are You a Priest? | Background |
| What does the priesthood of all believers mean to individual believers? Are you a priest? | ||
| Hebrews | Was Jesus a Lawful Priest and Sacrifice | Background |
| Can Jesus, as a non-Levite, function as our High Priest? Why? | ||
| Hebrews 10:19-25 | Hebrews 10:19-25: Why Meet for Worship? | Devotional |
| An examination of our reasons for missing worship. | ||
| Hebrews 11 | Hebrews 11: The Honor Roll of Faith | Exegesis |
| Looking at the people of faith in Hebrews 11 and their role in the message of the whole book. | ||
| Hebrews 11 | A Mighty Man | Application |
| Looking at what it means to be "a mighty man" in the context of Hebrews 11. | ||
| Hebrews 12:1-12 | Hebrews 12:1-12: The Lord's Discipline | Exegesis |
| Verse by verse discussion. | ||
| Hebrews 1:1-3 | How Inspiration Works | Theology |
| A look at the scriptures themselves to derive some ideas on how inspiration functions. (Hebrews 1:1-3 is the major passage for this essay, but not the sole passage.) | ||
| Hebrews 1:1-4 | Hebrews 1:1-4: Translation Issues | Translation |
| Discussion of translation issues in Hebrews 1:1-4. | ||
| Hebrews 1:1-4 | Hebrews 1:1-4: Jesus and the Word | Exegesis |
| Jesus as the fullest message of God from the theme statement for the book of Hebrews | ||
| Hebrews 1:5-14 | Hebrews 5:1-14 | Exegesis |
| Hebrews 2:1-4 | Hebrews 2:1-4: What a Great Salvation | Exegesis |
| Verse by verse discussion of Hebrews 2:1-4 | ||
| Hebrews 2:10-18 | Hebrews 2:10-18: Like his Brothers and Sisters | Exegesis |
| Verse by verse discussion | ||
| Hebrews 2:17-18 | Jesus as Human and Divine Priest | Exegesis |
| Looking at the human characteristics of the divine priest. | ||
| Hebrews 2:5-9 | Hebrews 2:5-9: Lower than the Angels | Exegesis |
| Verse by verse comment. | ||
| Hebrews 4:12-13 | Hebrews 4:12-13: God's Word is Alive and Active | Exegesis |
| What does it mean for the word to be "alive and active?" What is the "word" in this passage? | ||
| Hebrews 4:14-16 | Jesus as Human and Divine Priest | Exegesis |
| Looking at the human characteristics of the divine priest. | ||
| Hebrews 5:11-14 | The Difficult Message of Hebrews | Exegesis |
| Why does the author of Hebrews call his message difficult? What is hard about about? | ||
| Hebrews 5:11-6:12 | Hebrews: Going On Toward Perfection | Exegesis |
| Fitting perfection into the context of Hebrews 5 and 6 | ||
| Hebrews 5:7-10 | Praying, Being Heard, and Not Getting It | Devotional |
| A devotional look at unanswered prayer. | ||
| Hebrews 6 | St. John Chrysostom on Hebrews 6 | Exegesis |
| Looking at St. John Chrysostom on Hebrews 6 | ||
| Hebrews 6:1-3 | Hebrews 6:1-3: Going On Toward Perfection | Exegesis |
| Applying "going on toward perfection" to your own life. | ||
| Hebrews 6:4-6 | Hebrews 6:4-6: Can Those Who Fall Return? | Exegesis |
| Can you lose your salvation? Some of the answers may be found here. | ||
| Hebrews 7 | Why a New Priest? | Background |
| Hebrews 7 introduces the discussion of why a new priest is necessary for the new covenant. This essay examines the background of that argument. | ||
| Hebrews 7 | Jesus as King and Priest | Background |
| Besides being priest, sacrifice, and intercessor, Jesus is also king. This essay examines that role, combining Hebrews 7 and Psalm 110. | ||
| Hebrews 7:1-3 | Hebrews 7:1-3: Reuniting Priesthood and Kingship | Exegesis |
| Thematic exposition related to Hebrews: A Participatory Study Guide. | ||
| James 3:1-5 | Taming the Tongue II: Are You Called to Teach? | Devotional |
| Second in a series on the use of the tongue to build the kingdom. | ||
| James 3:9-13 | Taming the Tongue III: Is Your Fountain Pure? | Devotional |
| Third in a series on the use of the tongue to build the kingdom. | ||
| Susanna | Susanna: A Transformation | Translation |
| A transformation, or rewriting into English and modern form of the story of Susanna from the additions to the book of Daniel, commonly included in the apocrypha. | ||
| Susanna | One Young Voice | Translation |
| A short story based on the ideas in the story of Susanna from the additions to the book of Daniel. | ||
| Plaid
Power |
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