Proverbs 6:12-19: Speaking Feet

February 18, 2022Posted inBook of Proverbs, Chiasms
12. A worthless person, a man of iniquity, walking with a crooked mouth, 13. narrowing his eyes, uttering with his feet, teaching with his fingers, 14. perversity in his heart, devising evil continually, sows discord. 15. Therefore his calamity will come suddenly. Suddenly he will be broken, and there will be no remedy. 16. Six…

Psalm 4: The Key to a Correct Interpretation

February 16, 2022Posted inPsalms Commentary
I found Psalm 4 very difficult to comprehend until I understood two things about verse 2. The Hebrew has two phrases that the translations render as "sons of man" or "son of men," b'ne adam and b'ne ish, but these two phrases are different in meaning. One of them, the one that we could best…

Psalm 62 and the Word Truly

February 16, 2022Posted inPsalm Translations, Psalms Commentary
"Truly he is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I will not be greatly shaken (v.2)." "Truly he is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I will not be shaken (v.6)." The interplay between these two statements is very revealing of the strength of God and the weakness of our faith. On the…

Psalm 37: Two Chiasms and an Acrostic

February 5, 2022Posted inChiasms, Psalms Commentary

At first glance, Psalm 37 seems to be a more or less random collection of verses with the general theme, “Do not fret because of evildoers.” It is, in fact, both an acrostic, or alphabetic psalm, and a carefully constructed poem with three main parts, the first two of which are chiasms. The table below lays out these parts in detail. The central promise for those who heed the exhortation and trust in the Lord is the possession of the land; it is repeated at least five times. For us, that promise means a heavenly inheritance and, in the end, the possession of all things in the new heavens and earth, “for all things are yours… and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s. (1 Cor 3:21-23).”