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    Devotions on the Hebrew Bible: 54 Reflections to Inspire and Instruct
    Devotions on the Hebrew Bible: 54 Reflections to Inspire and Instruct
    Devotions on the Hebrew Bible: 54 Reflections to Inspire and Instruct
    Ebook208 pages2 hours

    Devotions on the Hebrew Bible: 54 Reflections to Inspire and Instruct

    By Zondervan

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    About this ebook

    Fifty-four short devotions based on passages from the Hebrew Bible--written by some of the top biblical language scholars of today.

    The main point of each meditation in Devotions on the Hebrew Bible comes from a careful reading of the passage in the Hebrew Bible, not from an English translation. The authors use a variety of exegetical approaches in their devotions: grammatical, lexical, rhetorical, sociohistorical, linguistic, etc. Some insights focus on particular words and their role in the passage, while others highlight background studies or provide a theological reading of the passage.

    Each devotion draws students into translating a short passage and pursuing an understanding of why this or that insight matters for their lives and ministries. Devotions on the Hebrew Bible encourages professors, students, and pastors alike to keep reading and meditating on the Hebrew Scriptures and find new treasures from the biblical text.

    Celebrated contributors include:

    • Daniel I. Block
    • Mark J. Boda
    • Hélène Dallaire
    • Nancy Erickson
    • Michael Williams

    Devotions on the Hebrew Bible contains a devotion on every book in the Old Testament and can be used as a weekly devotional or as a supplemental resource throughout a semester or sequence of courses.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherZondervan
    Release dateMar 19, 2019
    ISBN9780310524557
    Devotions on the Hebrew Bible: 54 Reflections to Inspire and Instruct

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      Devotions on the Hebrew Bible - Zondervan

      Introduction

      In 2012 Zondervan published Devotions on the Greek New Testament. Independently and unbeknownst to each other, Milton and Lee approached Verlyn Verbrugge about doing a companion volume for the Hebrew Old Testament. Verlyn then asked if we would co-edit such a volume. What a blessing and surprise to learn that we two old friends would be working on this project together! Soli Deo Gloria.

      The aim of this book is twofold: (1) to encourage students and pastors to continue (or to resume!) using their Hebrew knowledge in their devotions and sermon preparation and (2) to demonstrate that a knowledge of the original languages can and should be a spiritually rewarding exercise. Consequently, each devotion is designed to bring out some grammatical or lexical insight which cannot be gained in English translation alone along with some point of spiritual application. As Lee often says in his classes, Bible study is never complete until it results in worship.

      There is both unity and diversity among the contributors. All hold a doctorate degree and are evangelical in theology. However, they also represent a diversity of backgrounds. There are men and women representing various denominations. Some live in countries outside the United States. Some are highly published, while others are not. Most are professors, but there is also a Bible translator. All have a clear call to ministry. No one has contributed more than two devotions.

      The devotions are arranged in biblical order following the Hebrew arrangement — an opportunity for teaching. Thankfully, we have been able to provide a devotion for each of the thirty-nine books of the Old Testament. Of course, some books have attracted more devotions than others (i.e., Genesis, Isaiah, and Psalms) but we have covered all the genres and divisions of the Hebrew Bible. Authors were asked to start their devotion with a standard English translation (e.g., NIV, NRSV, ESV) but were encouraged to use other translations or even their own translation thereafter. The reader will find a variety of linguistic features highlighted among these fifty-four devotions, including wordplays, word studies, and literary and grammatical analyses. References to the Septuagint and implications for the New Testament are also noted. All this in devotions of approximately 600 words and limited footnotes! We have included indices of Grammatical Terms and Hebrew Words to help Hebrew teachers find that perfect illustration for their teaching.

      Milton and Lee wish to thank all the contributors who took time out of their busy schedules to write. It is especially gratifying to have former teachers, current mentors, and fellow classmates contribute to this project. In reading through their devotions, we have been deeply humbled by the faith and spirituality of our colleagues in the field. Their own enthusiasm for the project was especially encouraging. Thanks are due also to Zondervan for agreeing to produce this work and to Verlyn Verbrugge and Nancy Erickson, who guided two novices through the ins and outs of editing. Their encouragement and wise counsel made this work a joy and immeasurably better. In fact, without them, this could not have been completed.

      Finally, we have indeed dedicated this volume to Verlyn. During the final stages of this project, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and fell asleep in the Lord on Father’s Day, June 21, 2015. We grieve deeply over the loss of his grace and Christian presence that made us feel special in a big world — just as Jesus would do. Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful servants. (Ps 116:15)

      As we present this volume, DHB, our hope and prayer is that readers would be drawn to a deeper love for, understanding of, and adherence to the Scriptures and the God who gave them, and that God himself might be glorified thereby.

      Milton Eng and Lee Fields, editors and contributors

      A Faith That Grows

      GENESIS 15:6

      Genesis 15:6 was an important verse for Paul (Rom 4:3; Gal 3:6) and James (2:23). There are distinctions in the Hebrew text that help us understand their different emphases.

      The first word in Hebrew is (and he was believing), not (and he believed), as the ESV and most English versions read. The verb is an open-ended tense in Hebrew that is not used very often. Typically, in past contexts this tense is used when repetition is involved, like in Genesis 29:2–3. (This observation applies to both weqatal and yiqtol.) More rarely this tense is used to mark open-endedness, as in Genesis 2:25, , they were not ashamed ... [not ]. The tense is used to provocatively present an open-ended stage for the following story of Genesis 3. (See 1 Sam 1:10 was crying, 1:12 while it was happening, and 1:13 was not being heard for more examples of the open-ended use of this tense.)

      The Hebrew verb looks at the process of believing without looking at the beginning or end of the believing. The tense does not imply that Abram first believed God at this point. Nor does it present Abram’s faith as complete at this point. Abram had started to trust Yahweh’s promises when he travelled to Canaan in Genesis 12. And the author’s choice of this tense at 15:6 forces the reader to think about ongoing implications. In a real sense, Abram’s faith was a lifelong walk. His faith matured and was tested. The most climactic test comes later in Genesis 22 with the command to sacrifice Isaac. James specifically makes the link between Genesis 15 and Genesis 22. James may have been aware of the open-ended nature of , and he certainly interpreted Abraham’s life accordingly. Paul, on the other hand, linked Abram’s faith to the second clause in Genesis 15:6 and he considered it for him righteousness. This crediting is a simple past wayyiqtol, a complete act, including the endpoint. That was Paul’s point, and his application of this verse fits the Hebrew, too.

      There is another ambiguity with the word him. Did Abram consider God’s promise righteous, or did God consider Abram’s faithfulness righteous? There is a hint in Hebrew that God responded to Abram’s faithfulness by considering it righteousness. The language choices appear to track Abram as the main participant on stage. There is a little helping word to him that weaves through the story. In v. 1 the word of Yahweh comes to Abram. In both 15:4 and 15:7 when Yahweh speaks to Abram, an extra pronoun is added for Abram, (to him). The author was using Abram as the point of reference. This makes it probable that the phrase to him in 15:6 was referring to Abram: and [the LORD] considered it [Abram’s faithfulness] for him [Abram, a pronominal tracking device] righteousness. Incidentally, the medieval commentator Rashi (1040 – 1105) reads Genesis 15:6 similarly: "the Holy One, blessed be he, considered it for Abram merit and righteousness because of the faith that he placed in him."

      Abraham is the father of faith. God is good and his promises are trustworthy. As we journey through life on earth, we do not always see God’s perspective on individual situations, just like Abraham did not see how he was going to have children and a great inheritance. But Abraham was trusting God. We can be encouraged. Our faith is not a one-time assertion, but a life of faithfulness. We may look back and say we have believed God. More practically, we learn from this verse that we please God when we are trusting him. We are believing that his promises are true and sure in Jesus Christ so that we do not need to fear the future even if we do not know the future. We live and grow in faith.

      Randall Buth

      Emotional Meltdown: Stuttering in Hebrew

      GENESIS 37:30b

      After convincing his brothers to leave Joseph in the pit, Reuben steps away from the group and misses the meal at which the brothers sell Joseph to the traveling Midianites (37:25 – 28). Reuben had planned to go back to the cistern secretly to rescue his youngest brother Joseph, but unbeknownst to him, the Midianites had bought him for twenty pieces of silver and took him down to Egypt to be sold as a slave. Unaware of these developments, Reuben hurries to the cistern and finds it empty! Overcome with despair and grief, Reuben spontaneously tears his clothes and utters a statement that could be construed as stuttering (involuntary repetitions of sounds), stammering (involuntary repetitions and hesitations in speech), or blubbering (uncontrollable noisy sobbing). Reuben no doubt assumes that Joseph is dead since his brothers had recently threatened to kill him. Reuben is overcome with grief and breaks out in a sharp and piercing outcry.

      In this passage, the author intentionally combines two sound-related poetic devices — assonance (repeated vowels) and alliteration (repeated consonants) — to express the confused and emotional state of Reuben. The repetition of the vowel a and consonants (aleph) and (nun) engulf the stuttered speech of Reuben. Although these literary devices are found primarily in poetry (e.g., Ps 147:13; Song 6:3; Isa 22:5; 24:17), narrative prose occasionally borrows the features in order to emphasize a point — in this case, confusion and grief.

      Assonance and alliteration join a series of similar-sounding words int o one key idea. They can also serve as mnemonic devices to assist in the memorization of a text, especially in an oral culture. By providing a vivid and sudden shift in the flow of the language, these two features highlight a critical juncture in the narrative and draw the reader further into the story. Hebrew pericopes that include assonance and alliteration are difficult to translate accurately into modern languages. Consequently, readers of modern translations often miss the intensity of the Reuben discourse and the emotional outburst expressed in the Hebrew language.

      In our story, Reuben is at a loss for words. He is distraught, disturbed, confused, and angry. What would he do now that his brother was gone? What would his father do upon learning of the disappearance of his favorite son? Modern translators have attempted to represent the mood of this pericope, but none has succeeded in expressing the explosion of emotions released by Reuben, primarily because of the lack of linguistic equivalents between languages. When the reader of the pericope encounters the speech of Reuben laden with assonance and alliteration, he/ she is immediately engulfed into his stuttering and emotional outcry. Reuben’s utterance is not connected to the question of where he should go, as found in most modern translations: The child is not; and I, whither shall I go? (KJV); The boy isn’t there! And I, where can I go? (NET); The boy is gone; and I, where can I turn? (NRSV); The boy isn’t there! Where can I turn now? (NIV); rather, it is directly linked to his emotional state: The boy’s gone! What am I going to do! (The Message); The boy is GONE! Oh no! Oh NO! NO! What am I going to do now?? (my translation).

      Emotional outbursts and passionate feelings are a part of human nature. It should not surprise us that biblical characters expressed them vividly in their discourse! Moses (Exod 17:4), Job (3:11 – 16), David (Ps 42:11), and even Jesus (Matt 21:12) burst out with emotions. God welcomes our outbursts and assures us that

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