Podcasts about John Goldingay

Many people need help. The needs of our community and the people in our lives is great. This can be overwhelming, trust me I know. The prophets job: comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. This is a line I read from John Goldingay in his Jeremiah for Everyone commentary. Think about this statement…

In this episode we are joined by Dr. Andrew Witt of Tyndale University. Andy is currently writing a Psalms commentary and helps walk us through some of the challenges of doing so by looking at the Hebrew text of Psalms 42-43. 
For more on the Psalms, see our playlist here in the Dojo: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4bbdsVUgfc6Z_lp1cLDdhsXE_k0hoEP_ Other resources mentioned: John Goldingay, 3 volume Psalms Commentary - https://www.amazon.com/Psalms-Baker-Commentary-Testament-Wisdom-ebook/dp/B00B76T3TA/ James L. Mays, Interpretation: Psalms - https://a.co/d/8tb0KGf James L. Mays, The Lord Reigns https://a.co/d/ezMwnUg The New Catholic Version (NCV) Psalms, for a short one-volume devotional - https://a.co/d/6Th6b62 James Hamilton, Psalms, 2 vols (EBTC) - https://www.amazon.com/Psalms-Evangelical-Biblical-Theology-Commentary/dp/1683595696/ Athanasius's Letter to Marcellinus - https://www.livefatima.io/letter-of-st-athanasius-archbishop-of-alexandria-to-marcellinus-concerning-the-psalms/ Eugene Peterson's Answering God - https://a.co/d/dGuMV4c Andy's published works: Andrew C. Witt, Voice Without End: The Role of David in Psalms 3-14 (JTI Supplement, 2021) https://a.co/d/5boqS8R Further publications: https://tyndale.academia.edu/AndrewWitt ***Disciple Dojo shirts and other gifts are available over in our online store! - https://tinyurl.com/24ncuas2 

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Comparing the Hebrew of Isaiah 9.6 to most popular English translations results in some serious questions. Why have our translations changed the tense of the verbs from past to future? Why is this child called “Mighty God” and “Eternal Father”? In this presentation I work through Isaiah 9.6 line by line to help you understand the Hebrew. Next I look at interpretive options for the child as well as his complicated name. Not only will this presentation strengthen your understanding of Isaiah 9.6, but it will also equip you to explain it to others. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts —— Links —— See my other articles here Check out my class: One God Over All Get the transcript of this episode Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read Sean’s bio here Below is the paper presented on October 18, 2024 in Little Rock, Arkansas at the 4th annual UCA Conference. Access this paper on Academia.edu to get the pdf. Full text is below, including bibliography and end notes. Abstract Working through the grammar and syntax, I present the case that Isaiah 9:6 is the birth announcement of a historical child. After carefully analyzing the name given to the child and the major interpretive options, I make a case that the name is theophoric. Like the named children of Isaiah 7 and 8, the sign-child of Isaiah 9 prophecies what God, not the child, will do. Although I argue for Hezekiah as the original fulfillment, I also see Isaiah 9:6 as a messianic prophecy of the true and better Hezekiah through whom God will bring eternal deliverance and peace. Introduction Paul D. Wegner called Isaiah 9:6[1] “one of the most difficult problems in the study of the Old Testament.”[2] To get an initial handle on the complexities of this text, let's begin briefly by comparing the Hebrew to a typical translation. Isaiah 9:6 (BHS[3]) כִּי־יֶ֣לֶד יֻלַּד־לָ֗נוּ בֵּ֚ן נִתַּן־לָ֔נוּ וַתְּהִ֥י הַמִּשְׂרָ֖ה עַל־שִׁכְמ֑וֹ וַיִּקְרָ֨א שְׁמ֜וֹ פֶּ֠לֶא יוֹעֵץ֙ אֵ֣ל גִּבּ֔וֹר אֲבִיעַ֖ד שַׂר־שָׁלֽוֹם׃ Isaiah 9:6 (ESV) For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Curiosities abound in the differences between these two. The first two clauses in English, “For to us a child is born” and “to us a son is given,” employ the present tense while the Hebrew uses the perfect tense, i.e. “to us a child has been born.”[4] This has a significant bearing on whether we take the prophecy as a statement about a child already born in Isaiah's time or someone yet to come (or both). The ESV renders the phrase,וַיִּקְרָא שְׁמוֹ  (vayikra sh'mo), as “and his name shall be called,” but the words literally mean “and he called his name” where the “he” is unspecified. This leaves room for the possibility of identifying the subject of the verb in the subsequent phrase, i.e. “And the wonderful counselor, the mighty God called his name…” as many Jewish translations take it.  Questions further abound regardingאֵל גִּבּוֹר (el gibbor), which finds translations as disparate as the traditional “Mighty God”[5] to “divine warrior”[6] to “in battle God-like”[7] to “Mighty chief”[8] to “Godlike hero,”[9] to Luther's truncated “Held.”[10]  Another phrase that elicits a multiplicity of translations is אֲבִיעַד (aviad). Although most versions read “Eternal Father,”[11] others render the word, “Father-Forever,”[12] “Father for all time,”[13] “Father of perpetuity,”[14] “Father of the Eternal Age,”[15] and “Father of Future.”[16] Translators from a range of backgrounds struggle with these two phrases. Some refuse to translate them at all, preferring clunky transliterations.[17] Still, as I will show below, there's a better way forward. If we understand that the child had a theophoric name—a name that is not about him, but about God—our problems dissipate like morning fog before the rising sun. Taking the four pairs of words this way yields a two-part sentence name. As we'll see this last approach is not only the best contextual option, but it also allows us to take the Hebrew vocabulary, grammar, and syntax at face value, rather than succumbing to strained translations and interpretational gymnastics. In the end, we're left with a text literally rendered and hermeneutically robust. Called or Will Call His Name? Nearly all the major Christian versions translate וַיִּקְרָא (vayikra), “he has called,” as “he will be called.” This takes an active past tense verb as a passive future tense.[18] What is going on here? Since parents typically give names at birth or shortly thereafter, it wouldn't make sense to suggest the child was already born (as the beginning of Isa 9:6 clearly states), but then say he was not yet named. Additionally, וַיִּקְרָא (vayikra) is a vav-conversive plus imperfect construction that continues the same timing sequence of the preceding perfect tense verbs.[19] If the word were passive (niphal binyan) we would read וַיִּקָּרֵא (vayikarey) instead of וַיִּקְרָא (vayikra). Although some have suggested an emendation of the Masoretic vowels to make this change, Hugh Williamson notes, “there is no overriding need to prefer it.”[20] Translators may justify rendering the perfect tense as imperfect due to the idiom called a prophetic past tense (perfectum propheticum). Wilhelm Gesenius notes the possibility that a prophet “so transports himself in imagination into the future that he describes the future event as if it had been already seen or heard by him.”[21] Bruce Waltke recognizes the phenomenon, calling it an accidental perfective in which “a speaker vividly and dramatically represents a future situation both as complete and independent.”[22] Still, it's up to the interpreter to determine if Isaiah employs this idiom or not. The verbs of verse 6 seem quite clear: “a child has been born for us … and the government was on his shoulder … and he has called his name…” When Isaiah uttered this prophecy, the child had already been born and named and the government rested on his shoulders. This is the straightforward reading of the grammar and therefore should be our starting point.[23] Hezekiah as the Referent One of the generally accepted principles of hermeneutics is to first ask the question, “What did this text mean in its original context?” before asking, “What does this text mean to us today?” When we examine the immediate context of Isa 9:6, we move beyond the birth announcement of a child with an exalted name to a larger prophecy of breaking the yoke of an oppressor (v4) and the ushering in of a lasting peace for the throne of David (v7). Isaiah lived in a tumultuous time. He saw the northern kingdom—the nation of Israel—uprooted from her land and carried off by the powerful and cruel Assyrian Empire. He prophesied about a child whose birth had signaled the coming freedom God would bring from the yoke of Assyria. As Jewish interpreters have long pointed out, Hezekiah nicely fits this expectation.[24] In the shadow of this looming storm, Hezekiah became king and instituted major religious reforms,[25] removing idolatry and turning the people to Yahweh. The author of kings gave him high marks: “He trusted in Yahweh, the God of Israel. After him there was no one like him among all the kings of Judah nor among those who were before him” (2 Kgs 18:5).[26] Then, during Hezekiah's reign, Sennacherib sent a large army against Judea and laid siege to Jerusalem. Hezekiah appropriately responded to the threatening Assyrian army by tearing his clothes, covering himself with sackcloth, and entering the temple to pray (2 Kings 19:1). He sent word to Isaiah, requesting prayer for the dire situation. Ultimately God brought miraculous deliverance, killing 185,000 Assyrians, which precipitated a retreat. There had not been such an acute military deliverance since the destruction of Pharaoh's army in the sea. Indeed, Hezekiah's birth did signal God's coming deliverance. In opposition to Hezekiah as the referent for Isa 9:6, Christian interpreters have pointed out that Hezekiah did not fulfill this prophecy en toto. Specifically, Hezekiah did not usher in “an endless peace” with justice and righteousness “from this time onward and forevermore” (Isa. 9:7). But, as John Roberts points out, the problem only persists if we ignore prophetic hyperbole. Here's what he says: If Hezekiah was the new king idealized in this oracle, how could Isaiah claim he would reign forever? How could Isaiah so ignore Israel's long historical experience as to expect no new source of oppression would ever arise? The language, as is typical of royal ideology, is hyperbolic, and perhaps neither Isaiah nor his original audience would have pushed it to its limits, beyond its conventional frames of reference, but the language itself invites such exploitation. If one accepts God's providential direction of history, it is hard to complain about the exegetical development this exploitation produced.[27] Evangelical scholar Ben Witherington III likewise sees a reference to both Hezekiah and a future deliverer. He writes, “[T]he use of the deliberately hyperbolic language that the prophet knew would not be fulfilled in Hezekiah left open the door quite deliberately to look for an eschatological fulfillment later.”[28] Thus, even if Isaiah's prophecy had an original referent, it left the door open for a true and better Hezekiah, who would not just defeat Assyria, but all evil, and not just for a generation, but forever. For this reason, it makes sense to take a “both-and” approach to Isa 9:6. Who Called His Name? Before going on to consider the actual name given to the child, we must consider the subject of the word וַיִּקְרָא (vayikra), “and he called.” Jewish interpreters have and continue to take אֵל גִבּוֹר (el gibbor), “Mighty God,” as the subject of this verb. Here are a few examples of this rendering: Targum Jonathan (2nd century) And his name has been called from before the One Who Causes Wonderful Counsel, God the Warrior, the Eternally Existing One—the Messiah who will increase peace upon us in his days.[29] Shlomo Yitzchaki (11th century) The Holy One, blessed be He, Who gives wondrous counsel, is a mighty God and an everlasting Father, called Hezekiah's name, “the prince of peace,” since peace and truth will be in his days.[30] Jacob ben Isaac Ashkenazi (16th century) “For a child is born to us.” A son will be born and this is Hezekiah. Though Ahaz is an evildoer, his son Hezekiah will be a righteous king. He will be strong in his service of the Holy One. He will study Torah and the Holy One will call him, “eternal father, peaceful ruler.” In his days there will be peace and truth.[31] The Stone Edition of the Tanach (20th century) The Wondrous Adviser, Mighty God, Eternal Father, called his name Sar-shalom [Prince of Peace][32] Although sometimes Christian commentators blithely accuse Jewish scholars of avoiding the implications of calling the child “Mighty God” and “Eternal Father,” the grammar does allow multiple options here. The main question is whether Isaiah specified the subject of the verb וַיִקְרָ (vayikra) or not. If he has, then the subject must be אֵל גִבּוֹר (el gibbor). If he has not, then the subject must be indefinite (i.e. “he” or “one”). What's more, the Masoretic punctuation of the Hebrew suggests the translation, “and the Wonderful Adviser, the Mighty God called his name, ‘Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace'”[33] However, Keil and Delitzsch point out problems with this view on both grammatical and contextual grounds. They write: [I]t is impossible to conceive for what precise reason such a periphrastic description of God should be employed in connection with the naming of this child, as is not only altogether different from Isaiah's usual custom, but altogether unparalleled in itself, especially without the definite article. The names of God should at least have been defined thus, הַיּוֹעֵץ פֵּלֶא הַגִּבּוֹר, so as to distinguish them from the two names of the child.”[34] Thus, though the Masoretic markings favor the Jewish translation, the grammar doesn't favor taking “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God” as the subject. It's certainly not impossible, but it is a strained reading without parallels in Isaiah and without justification in the immediate context. Let's consider another possibility. His Name Has Been Called Instead of taking אֵל גִּבּוֹר (el gibbor) as the subject, we can posit an indefinite subject for וַיִקְרָ (vayikra): “one has called.” Examples of this outside of Isaiah 9:6 include Gen 11:9; 25:26; Exod 15:23; and 2 Sam 2:16. The phenomenon appears in Gesenius (§144d) and Joüon and Muraoka (§155e), both of which include our text as examples. However, the translation “one has called his name” is awkward in English due to our lack of a generic pronoun like on in French or man in German. Accordingly, most translations employ the passive construction: “his name has been called,” omitting the subject.[35] This is apparently also how those who produced the Septuagint (LXX) took the Hebrew text, employing a passive rather than an active verb.[36] In conclusion, the translation “his name has been called” works best in English. Mighty Hero Now we broach the question of how to render אֵל גִּבּוֹר el gibbor. As I've already noted, a few translations prefer “mighty hero.” But this reading is problematic since it takes the two words in reverse order. Although in English we typically put an adjective before the noun it modifies, in Hebrew the noun comes first and then any adjectives that act upon it. Taking the phrase as אֵל גִּבּוֹר (gibbor el) makes “mighty” the noun and “God” the adjective. Now since the inner meaning of אֵל (el) is “strong” or “mighty,” and גִּבּוֹר gibbor means “warrior” or “hero,” we can see how translators end up with “mighty warrior” or “divine hero.” Robert Alter offers the following explanation: The most challenging epithet in this sequence is ‘el gibor [sic], which appears to say “warrior-god.” The prophet would be violating all biblical usage if he called the Davidic king “God,” and that term is best construed here as some sort of intensifier. In fact, the two words could conceivably be a scribal reversal of gibor ‘el, in which case the second word would clearly function as a suffix of intensification as it occasionally does elsewhere in the Bible.[37] Please note that Alter's motive for reversing the two words is that the text, as it stands, would violate all biblical usage by calling the Davidic king “God.” But Alter is incorrect. We have another biblical usage calling the Davidic king “God” in Psalm 45:6. We must allow the text to determine interpretation. Changing translation for the sake of theology is allowing the tail to wag the dog. Another reason to doubt “divine warrior” as a translation is that “Wherever ʾēl gibbôr occurs elsewhere in the Bible there is no doubt that the term refers to God (10:21; cf. also Deut. 10:17; Jer. 32:18),” notes John Oswalt.[38] Keil and Delitzsch likewise see Isa 10:21 as the rock upon which these translations suffer shipwreck.[39] “A remnant will return,” says Isa 10:21, “the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.” The previous verse makes it clear that “mighty God” refers to none other than “Yahweh, the holy one of Israel.” Without counter examples elsewhere in the Bible, we lack the basis to defy the traditional ordering of “God” as the noun and “mighty” or “warrior” as the adjective.[40] Mighty God-Man Did Isaiah foresee a human child who would also be the mighty God? Did he suddenly get “a glimpse of the fact that in the fullness of the Godhead there is a plurality of Persons,” as Edward Young thought?[41] Although apologists seeking to prove the deity of Christ routinely push for this reading, other evangelical scholars have expressed doubts about such a bold interpretation.[42] Even Keil and Delitzsch, after zealously batting away Jewish alternatives, admit Isaiah's language would not have suggested an incarnate deity in its original context.[43] Still, it would not be anachronistic to regard a king as a deity in the context of the ancient Near East. We find such exalted language in parallels from Egypt and Assyria in their accession oracles (proclamations given at the time a new king ascends the throne). Taking their cue from the Egyptian practices of bestowing divine throne names upon the Pharaoh's accession to the throne, G. von Rad and A. Alt envisioned a similar practice in Jerusalem. Although quite influential, Wegner has pointed out several major problems with this way of looking at our text: (1) the announcement is to the people in Isa 9:6, not the king; (2) Isa 9:6 does not use adoption language nor call the child God's son; (3) יֶלֶד (yeled), “child,” is never used in accession oracles; (4) the Egyptian parallels have five titles not four as in Isa 9:6; (5) Egyptians employ a different structure for accession oracles than Isa 9:6; and (6) we have no evidence elsewhere that Judean kings imitated the Egyptian custom of bestowing divine titles.[44] Another possibility, argued by R. A. Carlson, is to see the names as anti-Assyrian polemic.[45] Keeping in mind that Assyria was constantly threatening Judah in the lifetime of Isaiah and that the child born was to signal deliverance, it would be no surprise that Isaiah would cast the child as a deliberate counter-Assyrian hero. Still, as Oswalt points out, “[T]he Hebrews did not believe this [that their kings were gods]. They denied that the king was anything more than the representative of God.”[46] Owing to a lack of parallels within Israel and Isaiah's own penchant for strict monotheism,[47] interpreting Isa 9:6 as presenting a God-man is ad hoc at best and outright eisegesis at worst. Furthermore, as I've already noted, the grammar of the passage indicates a historical child who was already born. Thus, if Isaiah meant to teach the deity of the child, we'd have two God-men: Hezekiah and Jesus. Far from a courtly scene of coronation, Wegner makes the case that our text is really a birth announcement in form. Birth announcements have (1) a declaration of the birth, (2) an announcement of the child's name, (3) an explanation of what the name means, and (4) a further prophecy about the child's future.[48] These elements are all present in Isa 9:6, making it a much better candidate for a birth announcement than an accession or coronation oracle. As a result, we should not expect divine titles given to the king like when the Pharaohs or Assyrian kings ascended the throne; instead, we ought to look for names that somehow relate to the child's career. We will delve more into this when we broach the topic of theophoric names. Mighty God's Agent Another possibility is to retain the traditional translation of “mighty God” and see the child as God's agent who bears the title. In fact, the Bible calls Moses[49] and the judges[50] of Israel אֱלֹהִים (elohim), “god(s),” due to their role in representing God. Likewise, as I've already mentioned, the court poet called the Davidic King “god” in Ps 45:6. Additionally, the word אֵל (el), “god,” refers to representatives of Yahweh whether divine (Ps 82:1, 6) or human (John 10.34ff).[51] Thus, Isa 9:6 could be another case in which a deputized human acting as God's agent is referred to as God. The NET nicely explains: [H]aving read the NT, we might in retrospect interpret this title as indicating the coming king's deity, but it is unlikely that Isaiah or his audience would have understood the title in such a bold way. Ps 45:6 addresses the Davidic king as “God” because he ruled and fought as God's representative on earth. …When the king's enemies oppose him on the battlefield, they are, as it were, fighting against God himself.[52] Raymond Brown admits that this “may have been looked on simply as a royal title.”[53] Likewise Williamson sees this possibility as “perfectly acceptable,” though he prefers the theophoric approach.[54] Even the incarnation-affirming Keil and Delitzsch recognize that calling the child אֵל גִּבּוֹר (el gibbor) is “nothing further…than this, that the Messiah would be the image of God as no other man ever had been (cf., El, Ps. 82:1), and that He would have God dwelling within Him (cf., Jer. 33:16).”[55] Edward L. Curtis similarly points out that had Isaiah meant to teach that the child would be an incarnation of Yahweh, he would have “further unfolded and made central this thought” throughout his book.[56] He likewise sees Isa 9:6 not as teaching “the incarnation of a deity” but as a case “not foreign to Hebrew usage to apply divine names to men of exalted position,” citing Exod 21:6 and Ps 82:6 as parallels.[57] Notwithstanding the lexical and scholarly support for this view, not to mention my own previous position[58] on Isa 9:6, I'm no longer convinced that this is the best explanation. It's certainly possible to call people “Gods” because they are his agents, but it is also rare. We'll come to my current view shortly, but for now, let's approach the second controversial title. Eternal Father The word אֲבִיעַד (aviad), “Eternal Father,” is another recognizable appellative for Yahweh. As I mentioned in the introduction, translators have occasionally watered down the phrase, unwilling to accept that a human could receive such a title. But humans who pioneer an activity or invent something new are fathers.[59] Walking in someone's footsteps is metaphorically recognizing him as one's father.[60] Caring for others like a father is yet another way to think about it.[61] Perhaps the child is a father in one of these figurative senses. If we follow Jerome and translate אֲבִיעַד (aviad) as Pater futuri saeculi, “Father of the future age,” we can reconfigure the title, “Eternal Father,” from eternal without beginning to eternal with a beginning but without an end. However, notes Williamson, “There is no parallel to calling the king ‘Father,' rather the king is more usually designated as God's son.”[62] Although we find Yahweh referred to as “Father” twice in Isaiah (Isa 63:16; 64:7), and several more times throughout the Old Testament,[63] the Messiah is not so called. Even in the New Testament we don't see the title applied to Jesus. Although not impossible to be taken as Jesus's fatherly role to play in the age to come, the most natural way to take אֲבִיעַד (aviad) is as a reference to Yahweh. In conclusion, both “mighty God” and “eternal Father” most naturally refer to Yahweh and not the child. If this is so, why is the child named with such divine designations? A Theophoric Name Finally, we are ready to consider the solution to our translation and interpretation woes. Israelites were fond of naming their kids with theophoric names (names that “carry God”). William Holladay explains: Israelite personal names were in general of two sorts. Some of them were descriptive names… But most Israelite personal names were theophoric; that is, they involve a name or title or designation of God, with a verb or adjective or noun which expresses a theological affirmation. Thus “Hezekiah” is a name which means “Yah (= Yahweh) is my strength,” and “Isaiah” is a name which means “Yah (= Yahweh) has brought salvation.” It is obvious that Isaiah is not called “Yahweh”; he bears a name which says something about Yahweh.[64] As Holladay demonstrates, when translating a theophoric name, it is customary to supplement the literal phrase with the verb, “to be.” Hezekiah = “Yah (is) my strength”; Isaiah = “Yah (is) salvation.” Similarly, Elijah means “My God (is) Yah” and Eliab, “My God (is the) Father.” Theophoric names are not about the child; they are about the God of the parents. When we imagine Elijah's mother calling him for dinner, she's literally saying “My God (is) Yah(weh), it's time for dinner.” The child's name served to remind her who her God was. Similarly, these other names spoke of God's strength, salvation, and fatherhood. To interpret the named child of Isa 9:6 correctly, we must look at the previously named children in Isa 7 and 8. In chapter 7 the boy is called “Immanuel,” meaning “God (is) with us” (Isa 7:14). This was a historical child who signaled prophecy. Isaiah said, “For before the boy knows to reject evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be abandoned” (Isa 7:16). In Isa 8:1 we encounter “Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz,” or “The spoil speeds, the prey hastens.”[65] This child has a two-sentence name with an attached prophecy: “For before the boy calls, ‘my father' or ‘my mother,' the strength of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off before the king of Assyria” (Isa 8:4). Both children's sign names did not describe them nor what they would do, but what God would do for his people. Immanuel is a statement of faith. The name means God has not abandoned his people; they can confidently say, “God is with us” (Isa 8:10). Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz does not mean that the child would become a warrior to sack Damascus and seize her spoils, but that God would bring about the despoiling of Judah's enemy. When we encounter a third sign-named child in as many chapters, we are on solid contextual grounds to see this new, longer name in the same light. Isaiah prophecies that this child has the government upon his shoulder, sits on the throne of David, and will establish a lasting period of justice and righteousness (Isa 9:5, 7). This child bears the name “Pele-Yoets-El-Gibbor-Aviad-Sar-Shalom.” The name describes his parents' God, the mighty God, the eternal Father. Although this perspective has not yet won the day, it is well attested in a surprising breadth of resources. Already in 1867, Samuel David Luzzatto put forward this position.[66] The Jewish Publication Society concurred in their 2014 study Bible: Semitic names often consist of sentences that describe God … These names do not describe that person who holds them but the god whom the parents worship. Similarly, the name given to the child in this v. does not describe that child or attribute divinity to him, but describes God's actions.[67] The New Oxford Annotated Bible (NRSV) footnote on Isa. 9:6 says, “As in many Israelite personal names, the deity, not the person named, is being described.”[68] Additional scholars advocating the view also include Holladay (1978), Wegner (1992), Goldingay (1999, 2015), and Williamson (2018). Even so, Keil and Delitzsch eschew “such a sesquipedalian name,” calling it “unskillful,” and arguing that it would be impractical “to be uttered in one breath.”[69] But this is to take the idea too literally. No one is going to actually call the child by this name. John Goldingay helpfully explains: So he has that complicated name, “An-extraordinary-counselor-is-the-warrior-God, the-everlasting-Father-is-an-officer-for-well-being.” Like earlier names in Isaiah (God-is-with-us, Remains-Will-Return, Plunder-hurries-loot-rushes), the name is a sentence. None of these names are the person's everyday name—as when the New Testament says that Jesus will be called Immanuel, “God [is] with us,” without meaning this expression is Jesus' name. Rather, the person somehow stands for whatever the “name” says. God gives him a sign of the truth of the expression attached to him. The names don't mean that the person is God with us, or is the remains, or is the plunder, and likewise this new name doesn't mean the child is what the name says. Rather he is a sign and guarantee of it. It's as if he goes around bearing a billboard with that message and with the reminder that God commissioned the billboard.[70] Still, there's the question of identifying Yahweh as שַׂר־שָׁלוֹם (sar shalom). Since most of our translations render the phrase “Prince of Peace,” and the common meaning of a prince is someone inferior to the king, we turn away from labeling God with this title. Although HALOT mentions “representative of the king, official” for the first definition their second is “person of note, commander.”[71] The BDB glosses “chieftain, chief, ruler, official, captain, prince” as their first entry.[72] Wegner adds: “The book of Isaiah also appears to use the word sar in the general sense of “ruler.””[73] Still, we must ask, is it reasonable to think of Yahweh as a שַׂר (sar)? We find the phrase שַׂר־הַצָּבָא (sar-hatsava), “prince of hosts,” in Daniel 8:11 and שַׂר־שָׂרִים (sar-sarim), “prince of princes,” in verse 25, where both refer to God.[74]  The UBS Translators' Handbook recommends “God, the chief of the heavenly army” for verse 11 and “the greatest of all kings” for verse 25.[75] The handbook discourages using “prince,” since “the English word ‘prince' does not mean the ruler himself but rather the son of the ruler, while the Hebrew term always designates a ruler, not at all implying son of a ruler.”[76] I suggest applying this same logic to Isa 9:6. Rather than translating שַׂר־שָׁלוֹם (sar shalom) as “Prince of Peace,” we can render it, “Ruler of Peace” or “Ruler who brings peace.” Translating the Name Sentences Now that I've laid out the case for the theophoric approach, let's consider translation possibilities. Wegner writes, “the whole name should be divided into two parallel units each containing one theophoric element.”[77] This makes sense considering the structure of Maher-shalal-hash-baz, which translates two parallel name sentences: “The spoil speeds, the prey hastens.” Here are a few options for translating the name. Jewish Publication Society (1917) Wonderful in counsel is God the Mighty, the Everlasting Father, the Ruler of peace[78] William Holladay (1978) Planner of wonders; God the war hero (is) Father forever; prince of well-being[79] New Jewish Publication Society (1985) The Mighty God is planning grace; The Eternal Father, a peaceable ruler[80] John Goldingay (1999) One who plans a wonder is the warrior God; the father for ever is a commander who brings peace[81] John Goldingay (2015) An-extraordinary-counselor-is-the-warrior-God, the-everlasting-Fathers-is-an-official-for-well-being[82] Hugh Williamson (2018) A Wonderful Planner is the Mighty God, An Eternal Father is the Prince of Peace[83] My Translation (2024) The warrior God is a miraculous strategist; the eternal Father is the ruler who brings peace[84] I prefer to translate אֵל גִּבּוֹר (el gibbor) as “warrior God” rather than “mighty God” because the context is martial, and  גִּבּוֹר(gibbor) often refers to those fighting in war.[85] “Mighty God” is ambiguous, and easily decontextualized from the setting of Isa 9:6. After all, Isa 9:4-5 tells a great victory “as on the day of Midian”—a victory so complete that they burn “all the boots of the tramping warriors” in the fire. The word פֶּלֶא (pele), though often translated “wonderful,” is actually the word for “miracle,” and יוֹעֵץ (yoets) is a participle meaning “adviser” or “planner.” Since the context is war, this “miracle of an adviser” or “miraculous planner” refers to military plans—what we call strategy, hence, “miraculous strategist.” Amazingly, the tactic God employed in the time of Hezekiah was to send out an angel during the night who “struck down one hundred eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians” (Isa 37:36). This was evidently the warrior God's miraculous plan to remove the threat of Assyria from Jerusalem's doorstep. Prophecies about the coming day of God when he sends Jesus Christ—the true and better Hezekiah—likewise foretell of an even greater victory over the nations.[86] In fact, just two chapters later we find a messianic prophecy of one who will “strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked” (Isa 11:4). The next phrase, “The eternal Father,” needs little comment since God's eternality and fatherhood are both noncontroversial and multiply attested. Literally translated, שַׂר־שָׁלוֹם (sar-shalom) is “Ruler of peace,” but I take the word pair as a genitive of product.[87] Williamson unpacks this meaning as “the one who is able to initiate and maintain Peace.”[88] That his actions in the time of Hezekiah brought peace is a matter of history. After a huge portion of the Assyrian army died, King Sennacherib went back to Nineveh, where his sons murdered him (Isa 37:37-38). For decades, Judah continued to live in her homeland. Thus, this child's birth signaled the beginning of the end for Assyria. In fact, the empire itself eventually imploded, a fate that, at Hezekiah's birth, must have seemed utterly unthinkable. Of course, the ultimate peace God will bring through his Messiah will far outshine what Hezekiah achieved.[89] Conclusion We began by considering the phraseוַיִּקְרָא שְׁמוֹ  (vayikra sh'mo). We noted that the tense is perfect, which justifies a past-tense interpretation of the child who had already been born by the time of the birth announcement. I presented the case for Hezekiah as the initial referent of Isa 9:6 based on the fact that Hezekiah’s life overlapped with Isaiah’s, that he sat on the throne of David (v7), and that his reign saw the miraculous deliverance from Assyria's army. Furthermore, I noted that identifying the child of Isa 9:6 as Hezekiah does not preclude a true and better one to come. Although Isa 9:6 does not show up in the New Testament, I agree with the majority of Christians who recognize this text as a messianic prophecy, especially when combined with verse 7. Next we puzzled over the subject for phraseוַיִּקְרָא שְׁמוֹ  (vayikra sh'mo.) Two options are that the phrase פֶּלֶא יוֹעֵץ אֵל גִּבּוֹר (pele yoets el gibbor) functions as the subject or else the subject is indefinite. Although the Jewish interpreters overwhelmingly favor the former, the lack of definite articles and parallel constructions in Isaiah make me think the latter is more likely. Still, the Jewish approach to translation is a legitimate possibility. I explained how a passive voice makes sense in English since it hides the subject, and settled on “his name has been called,” as the best translation. Then we looked at the phrase אֵל גִּבּוֹר (el gibbor) and considered the option of switching the order of the words and taking the first as the modifier of the second as in “mighty hero” or “divine warrior.” We explored the possibility that Isaiah was ascribing deity to the newborn child. We looked at the idea of Isaiah calling the boy “Mighty God” because he represented God. In the end we concluded that these all are less likely than taking God as the referent, especially in light of the identical phrase in Isa 10:21 where it unambiguously refers to Yahweh. Moving on to אֲבִיעַד (aviad), we considered the possibility that “father” could refer to someone who started something significant and “eternal” could merely designate a coming age. Once again, though these are both possible readings, they are strained and ad hoc, lacking any indication in the text to signal a non-straightforward reading. So, as with “Mighty God,” I also take “Eternal Father” as simple references to God and not the child. Finally, we explored the notion of theophoric names. Leaning on two mainstream Bible translations and five scholars, from Luzzatto to Williamson, we saw that this lesser-known approach is quite attractive. Not only does it take the grammar at face value, it also explains how a human being could be named “Mighty God” and “Eternal Father.” The name describes God and not the child who bears it. Lastly, drawing on the work of the Jewish Publication Society, Goldingay, and Williamson, I proposed the translation: “The warrior God is a miraculous strategist; the eternal Father is the ruler who brings peace.” This rendering preserves the martial context of Isa 9:6 and glosses each word according to its most common definition. I added in the verb “is” twice as is customary when translating theophoric names. The result is a translation that recognizes God as the focus and not the child. This fits best in the immediate context, assuming Hezekiah is the original referent. After all, his greatest moment was not charging out ahead of a column of soldiers, but his entering the house of Yahweh and praying for salvation. God took care of everything else. Likewise, the ultimate Son of David will have God's spirit influencing him: a spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and fear of God (Isa 11:2). The eternal Father will so direct his anointed that he will “not judge by what his eyes see or decide by what his ears hear” (Isa 11:3). In his days God will bring about a shalom so deep that even the animals will become peaceful (Isa 11:6-8). An advantage of this reading of Isa 9:6 is that it is compatible with the full range of christological positions Christians hold. Secondly, this approach nicely fits with the original meaning in Isaiah’s day, and it works for the prophecy’s ultimate referent in Christ Jesus. Additionally, it is the interpretation with the least amount of special pleading. Finally, it puts everything into the correct order, allowing exegesis to drive theology rather than the other way around. Bibliography Kohlenberger/Mounce Concise Hebrew-Aramaic Dictionary of the Old Testament. Altamonte Springs: OakTree Software, 2012. The Holy Scriptures According to the Masoretic Text: A New Translation. Philadelphia, PA: The Jewish Publication Society, 1917. The Jewish Study Bible. Edited by Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler. Second ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2014. Net Bible, Full Notes Edition. Edited by W. Hall Harris III James Davis, and Michael H. Burer. 2nd ed. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2019. The New Oxford Annotated Bible. Edited by Carol A. Newsom Marc Z. Brettler, Pheme Perkins. Third ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001. The Stone Edition of the Tanach. Edited by Nosson Scherman and Meir Zlotowitz. Brooklyn, NY: Artscroll, 1996. Tanakh, the Holy Scriptures: The New Jps Translation According to the Traditional Hebrew Text. 4th, Reprint. Philadelphia, PA: The Jewish Publication Society, 1985. Translation of Targum Onkelos and Jonathan. Translated by Eidon Clem. Altamonte Springs, FL: OakTree Software, 2015. Alter, Rober. The Hebrew Bible: Prophets, Nevi’im. Vol. 2. 3 vols. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 2019. Ashkenazi, Jacob ben Isaac. Tze’enah Ure’enah: A Critical Translation into English. Translated by Morris M. Faierstein. Berlin: De Gruyter, 2017. https://www.sefaria.org/Tze’enah_Ure’enah%2C_Haftarot%2C_Yitro.31?lang=bi&with=About&lang2=en. Baumgartner, Ludwig Koehler and Walter. The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament. Edited by M. E. J. Richardson. Leiden: Brill, 2000. Brown, Raymond E. Jesus: God and Man, edited by 3. New York: Macmillan, 1967. Carlson, R. A. “The Anti-Assyrian Character of the Oracle in Is. Ix, 1-6.” Vetus Testamentum, no. 24 (1974): 130-5. Curtis, Edward L. “The Prophecy Concerning the Child of the Four Names: Isaiah Ix., 6, 7.” The Old and New Testament Student 11, no. 6 (1890): 336-41. Delitzsch, C. F. Keil and F. Commentary on the Old Testament. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996. Finnegan, Sean. “Jesus Is God: Exploring the Notion of Representational Deity.” Paper presented at the One God Seminar, Seattle, WA, 2008, https://restitutio.org/2016/01/11/explanations-to-verses-commonly-used-to-teach-that-jesus-is-god/. Francis Brown, S. R. Driver, and Charles A. Briggs. The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996. Gesenius, Wilhelm. Gesenius’ Hebrew Grammar. Edited by E. Kautzsch and A. E. Cowley. 2nd ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1910. Goldingay, John. “The Compound Name in Isaiah 9:5(6).” The Catholic Biblical Quarterly 61, no. 2 (1999): 239-44. Goldingay, John. Isaiah for Everyone. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2015. Holladay, William L. Isaiah: Scroll of Prophetic Heritage. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1978. III, Ben Witherington. Isaiah Old and New. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2017. https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1ggjhbz.7. Luzzatto, Samuel David. Shi’ur Komah. Padua, IT: Antonio Bianchi, 1867. O’Connor, Bruce K. Waltke and Michael P. An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax. Winona Lake, IN: Esenbrauns, 1990. Ogden, Graham S., and Jan Sterk. A Handbook on Isaiah. Ubs Translator's Handbooks. New York: United Bible Societies, 2011. Oswalt, John. The Book of Isaiah, Chapters 1-39. Nicot. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1986. Péter-Contesse, René and John Ellington. A Handbook on Daniel. Ubs Translator’s Handbooks. New York, NY: United Bible Societies, 1993. Roberts, J. J. M. First Isaiah. Vol. 23A. Hermeneia, edited by Peter Machinist. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2001. Thayer, Joseph Henry. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996. Walter Bauer, Frederick W. Danker, William F. Arndt, F. Wilbur Gingrich. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000. Wegner, Paul D. “A Re-Examination of Isaiah Ix 1-6.” Vetus Testamentum 42, no. 1 (1992): 103-12. Williamson, H. G. M. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Isaiah 1-27. Vol. 2. International Critical Commentary, edited by G. I. Davies and C. M. Tuckett. New York: Bloomsbury, 2018. Yitzchaki, Shlomo. Complete Tanach with Rashi. Translated by A. J. Rosenberg. Chicago, IL: Davka Corp, 1998. https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Isaiah.9.5.2?lang=bi&with=About&lang2=en. Young, Edward J. The Book of Isaiah: Chapters 1-18. Vol. 1. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1965. End Notes [1] Throughout I'll refer to Isaiah 9:6 based on the versification used in English translations. Hebrew Bibles shift the count by one, so the same verse is Isaiah 9:5. [2] Paul D. Wegner, “A Re-Examination of Isaiah Ix 1-6,” Vetus Testamentum 42, no. 1 (1992): 103. [3] BHS is the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, the standard Hebrew text based on the Leningrad Codex, a medieval Masoretic text. [4] In Hebrew the perfect tense roughly maps onto English past tense and the imperfect tense to future tense. [5] See NRSVUE, ESV, NASB20, NIV, NET, LSB, NLT, NKJ, ASV, KJV. [6] See translations by Robert Alter, James Moffat, and Duncan Heaster.  Also see Westminster Commentary, Cambridge Bible Commentary, New Century Bible Commentary, and The Daily Study Bible. [7] See New English Bible. [8] See Ibn Ezra. [9] See An American Testament. [10] “Held” means “hero” in German. In the Luther Bible (1545), he translated the phrase as “und er heißt Wunderbar, Rat, Kraft, Held, Ewig -Vater, Friedefürst,” separating power (Kraft = El) and hero (Held = Gibbor) whereas in the 1912 revision we read, “er heißt Wunderbar, Rat, Held, Ewig-Vater Friedefürst,” which reduced el gibbor to “Held” (hero). [11] See fn 4 above. [12] See New American Bible Revised Edition and An American Testament. [13] See New English Bible and James Moffatt's translation. [14] See Ibn Ezra. [15] See Duncan Heaster's New European Version. [16] See Word Biblical Commentary. [17] See Jewish Publication Society translation of 1917, the Koren Jerusalem Bible, and the Complete Jewish Bible. [18] In the Dead Sea Scrolls, 1QIsaa 8.24 reads “וקרא,” the vav-conversed form of “קרא,” translated “he will call,” an active future tense. This reading is implausible considering the unambiguous past tense of the two initial clauses that began verse 6: “a child has been born…a son has been given.” [19] “Here the Hebrew begins to use imperfect verb forms with the conjunction often rendered “and.” These verbs continue the tense of the perfect verb forms used in the previous lines. They refer to a state or situation that now exists, so they may be rendered with the present tense in English. Some translations continue to use a perfect tense here (so NJB, NJPSV, FRCL), which is better.” Graham S. Ogden, and Jan Sterk, A Handbook on Isaiah, Ubs Translator's Handbooks (New York: United Bible Societies, 2011). [20] H. G. M. Williamson, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Isaiah 1-27, vol. 2, International Critical Commentary, ed. G. I. Davies and C. M. Tuckett (New York: Bloomsbury, 2018), 371. [21] Wilhelm Gesenius, Gesenius’ Hebrew Grammar, ed. E. Kautzsch and A. E. Cowley, 2nd ed. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1910), §106n. [22] Bruce K. Waltke and Michael P. O’Connor, An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax (Winona Lake, IN: Esenbrauns, 1990), §30.5.1e. [23] John Goldingay takes a “both-and” position, recognizing that Isaiah was speaking by faith of what God would do in the future, but also seeing the birth of the son to the king as having already happened by the time of the prophecy. John Goldingay, Isaiah for Everyone (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2015), 42. [24] Jewish authors include Rashi, A. E. Kimchi, Abravanel, Malbim, and Luzzatto. [25] See 2 Kings 18:3-7. [26] Unless otherwise noted, all translations are my own. [27] J. J. M. Roberts, First Isaiah, vol. 23A, Hermeneia, ed. Peter Machinist (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2001), 153. [28] Ben Witherington III, Isaiah Old and New (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2017), 95-6, 99-100. https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1ggjhbz.7. [29] Translation of Targum Onkelos and Jonathan, trans. Eidon Clem (Altamonte Springs, FL: OakTree Software, 2015). [30] Shlomo Yitzchaki, Complete Tanach with Rashi, trans. A. J. Rosenberg (Chicago, IL: Davka Corp, 1998). https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Isaiah.9.5.2?lang=bi&with=About&lang2=en. [31] Jacob ben Isaac Ashkenazi, Tze’enah Ure’enah: A Critical Translation into English, trans. Morris M. Faierstein (Berlin: De Gruyter, 2017). https://www.sefaria.org/Tze’enah_Ure’enah%2C_Haftarot%2C_Yitro.31?lang=bi&with=About&lang2=en. [32] Square brackets in original. The Stone Edition of the Tanach, ed. Nosson Scherman and Meir Zlotowitz (Brooklyn, NY: Artscroll, 1996). [33] Net Bible, Full Notes Edition, ed. W. Hall Harris III James Davis, and Michael H. Burer, 2nd ed. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2019), 1266. [34] C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996), 249-50. [35] As mentioned above, the Hebrew is not actually passive. [36] The LXX reads “καὶ καλεῖται τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ” (kai kaleitai to onoma autou), which means “and his name is called.” [37] Rober Alter, The Hebrew Bible: Prophets, Nevi’im, vol. 2, 3 vols. (New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 2019), 651. [38] John Oswalt, The Book of Isaiah, Chapters 1-39, Nicot (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1986), 247. [39] Delitzsch, 252. [40] The אֵלֵי גִבּוֹרִים (eley gibborim) of Ezek 32.21 although morphologically suggestive of a plural form of el gibbor, is not a suitable parallel to Isa 9:6 since אֵלֵי (eley) is the plural of אַיִל (ayil), meaning “chief” not אֵל (el). Thus, the translation “mighty chiefs” or “warrior rulers” takes eley as the noun and gibborim as the adjective and does not actually reverse them. [41] Edward J. Young, The Book of Isaiah: Chapters 1-18, vol. 1 (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1965), 338. [42] Translator's note A on Isa 9:6 in the NET states, “[I]t is unlikely that Isaiah or his audience would have understood the title in such a bold way.” Net Bible, Full Notes Edition, 1267. [43] “The Messiah is the corporeal presence of this mighty God; for He is with Him, He is in Him, and in Him He is with Israel. The expression did not preclude the fact that the Messiah would be God and man in one person; but it did not penetrate to this depth, so far as the Old Testament consciousness was concerned.” Delitzsch, 253. [44] See Wegner 104-5. [45] See R. A. Carlson, “The Anti-Assyrian Character of the Oracle in Is. Ix, 1-6,” Vetus Testamentum, no. 24 (1974). [46] Oswalt, 246. [47] Isa 43:10-11; 44:6, 8; 45:5-6, 18, 21-22; 46:9. Deut 17:14-20 lays out the expectations for an Israelite king, many of which limit his power and restrict his exaltation, making deification untenable. [48] Wegner 108. [49] See Exod 4:16; 7:1. The word “God” can apply to “any person characterized by greatness or power: mighty one, great one, judge,” s.v. “אֱלֹהִים” in Kohlenberger/Mounce Concise Hebrew-Aramaic Dictionary of the Old Testament.. The BDAG concurs, adding that a God is “that which is nontranscendent but considered worthy of special reverence or respect… of humans θεοί (as אֱלֹהִים) J[ohn] 10:34f (Ps 81:6; humans are called θ. in the OT also Ex 7:1; 22:27,” s.v. “θεός” in A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. [50] See Exod 21.6; 22:8-9. The BDB includes the definition, “rulers, judges, either as divine representatives at sacred places or as reflecting divine majesty and power,” s.v. “אֱלֹהִים” in The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon [51] Thayer points this out in his lexicon: “Hebraistically, equivalent to God’s representative or vicegerent, of magistrates and judges, John 10:34f after Ps. 81:6 (Ps. 82:6)” s.v. “θέος” in A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. [52] Net Bible, Full Notes Edition, 1267. [53] Raymond E. Brown, Jesus: God and Man, ed. 3 (New York: Macmillan, 1967), 25. [54] Williamson, 397. [55] Delitzsch, 253. See also fn 40 above. [56] Edward L. Curtis, “The Prophecy Concerning the Child of the Four Names: Isaiah Ix., 6, 7,” The Old and New Testament Student 11, no. 6 (1890): 339. [57] Ibid. [58] Sean Finnegan, “Jesus Is God: Exploring the Notion of Representational Deity” (paper presented at the One God Seminar, Seattle, WA2008), https://restitutio.org/2016/01/11/explanations-to-verses-commonly-used-to-teach-that-jesus-is-god/. [59] Jabal was the father of those who live in tents and have livestock (Gen 4:20) and Jubal was the father of those who play the lyre and the pipe (Gen 4:21). [60] Jesus told his critics, “You are from your father the devil, and you choose to do your father's desires” (John 8:44). [61] Job called himself “a father to the needy” (Job 29:16) and Isaiah prophesied that Eliakim would be “a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem” (Isa 22:21). [62] Williamson, 397. [63] For references to Yahweh as father to the people see Deut 32:6; Ps 103:13; Prov 3:12; Jer 3:4; 31.9; Mal 1.6; 2:10. For Yahweh as father to the messiah see 2 Sam 7:14; 1 Chron 7:13; 28:6; Ps 89:27. [64] William L. Holladay, Isaiah: Scroll of Prophetic Heritage (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1978), 108. [65] See NRSVUE fn on Isa 8:1. [66] והנה המכוון במאמר פלא יועץ וגו’ הוא כי האל הגבור שהוא אבי עד ואדון השלום, הוא יועץ וגוזר לעשות פלא לישראל בזמן ממלכת הילד הנולד היום, ואח”כ מפרש למרבה המשרה וגו’. ולפי הפירוש הזה לא לחנם האריך כאן בתארי האל, כי כוונת הנביא לרמוז כי בבוא הפלא שהאל יועץ וגוזר עתה, יוודע שהוא אל גבור ובעל היכולת ושהוא אב לעד, ולא יפר בריתו עם בניו בני ישראל, ולא ישכח את ברית אבותם. ושהוא אדון השלום ואוהב השלום, ולא יאהב העריצים אשר כל חפצם לנתוש ולנתוץ ולהאביד ולהרוס, אבל הוא משפילם עד עפר, ונותן שלום בארץ, כמו שראינו בכל הדורות. Chat GPT translation: “And behold, the intention in the phrase ‘Wonderful Counselor’ and so on is that the mighty God, who is the Eternal Father and the Prince of Peace, is the Counselor and decrees to perform a wonder for Israel at the time of the reign of the child born today. Afterwards, it is explained as ‘to increase the dominion’ and so on. According to this interpretation, it is not in vain that the prophet elaborates on the attributes of God here, for the prophet’s intention is to hint that when the wonder that God now advises and decrees comes about, it will be known that He is the Mighty God and possesses the ability and that He is the Eternal Father. He will not break His covenant with His sons, the children of Israel, nor forget the covenant of their ancestors. He is the Prince of Peace and loves peace, and He will not favor the oppressors whose every desire is to tear apart, destroy, and obliterate, but He will humble them to the dust and grant peace to the land, as we have seen throughout the generations.” Samuel David Luzzatto, Shi’ur Komah (Padua, IT: Antonio Bianchi, 1867). Accessible at Sefaria and the National Library of Israel. [67]The Jewish Study Bible, ed. Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler, Second ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2014), 784. [68] The New Oxford Annotated Bible, ed. Carol A. Newsom Marc Z. Brettler, Pheme Perkins, Third ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2001), 991. [69] Delitzsch, 249. [70] Goldingay, 42-3. [71] Ludwig Koehler and Walter Baumgartner, The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, ed. M. E. J. Richardson (Leiden: Brill, 2000). [72] See s.v. “שַׂר” in The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon [73] Wegner 112. [74] Keil and Delitzsch say the sar of Dan 8:11 refers to “the God of heaven and the King of Israel, the Prince of princes, as He is called in v. 25,” Delitzsch, 297. [75] René and John Ellington Péter-Contesse, A Handbook on Daniel, Ubs Translator’s Handbooks (New York, NY: United Bible Societies, 1993). [76] Ibid. [77] Wegner 110-1. [78] The main text transliterates “Pele-joez-el-gibbor-/Abi-ad-sar-shalom,” while the footnote translates as indicated above. The Holy Scriptures According to the Masoretic Text: A New Translation (Philadelphia, PA: The Jewish Publication Society, 1917), 575. [79] Holladay, 109. [80] Tanakh, the Holy Scriptures: The New Jps Translation According to the Traditional Hebrew Text (4th: repr., Philadelphia, PA: The Jewish Publication Society, 1985), 634. [81] John Goldingay, “The Compound Name in Isaiah 9:5(6),” The Catholic Biblical Quarterly 61, no. 2 (1999): 243. [82] Goldingay, Isaiah for Everyone, 40. [83] Williamson, 355. [84] An alternative is “The warrior God is planning a miracle; the eternal Father is the ruler of peace.” [85] For גִּבּוֹר in a military context, see 1 Sam 17:51; 2 Sam 20.7; 2 Kgs 24:16; Isa 21.17; Jer 48:41; Eze 39:20; and Joel 2:7; 3:9. [86] See 2 Thess 2:8 and Rev 19:11-21 (cp. Dan 7:13-14). [87] See Gesenius § 128q, which describes a genitive of “statements of the purpose for which something is intended.” [88] Williamson, 401. [89] Isaiah tells of a time when God will “judge between nations,” resulting in the conversion of the weapons of war into the tools of agriculture and a lasting era when “nation shall not lift up sword against nation; neither shall they learn war any more” (Isa 2:4).

This is part 8 of the Read the Bible For Yourself. The Book of Psalms is an eclectic collection of poetry that you can use to connect to God. In today's episode you'll learn about the different kinds of psalms, who wrote them, and how Hebrew poetry works. The goal, as always, is to equip you to read and understand on your own. Whether you've been reading the Psalms for years or are brand new to them, this episode should empower you to get more out of them than ever before. Also, I conclude by recommending a method of reading, called Lectio Divina, which you can use to meditate on the Psalms. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2lJMxFR7n4 —— Links —— Check out All 150 Psalms Categorized See other episodes in Read the Bible For Yourself Other classes are available here, including How We Got the Bible, which explores the manuscript transmission and translation of the Bible Get the transcript of this episode Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here —— Notes —— Basic Facts Phenomenal for devotional reading, emotional connection 150 total psalms Called psalms, not chapters (Psalm 50:4 not Psalms 50:4) Authors: David (73), Asaph (12), Sons of Korah (11), Heman the Ezrahite (1), Ethan the Ezrahite (1), Moses (1), Solomon (2), Anonymous (49) Book 1: 1-41 Book 2: 42-72 Book 3: 73-89 Book 4: 90-106 Book 5: 107-150 David reassigned the Levites to develop a music ministry to worship God (1 Chron 16:4-6, 41-42). Chesed כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ (1 Chron 16:41) for his chesed (is) forever. הוֹדוּ לַיהוָה כִּי־טוּב כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ (Ps 118:1) O give thanks to Yahweh for (he is) good for his chesed (is) forever. chesed is an extremely important word in the Psalms. “EVV [English versions] translate chesed by expressions such as ‘steadfast love' and ‘constant love.'  It is sometimes described as covenant love, though in the OT it rarely appears in the company of the word ‘covenant.'  It is used in two connections: when someone makes an act of commitment for which there is no reason in terms of prior relationship, and when someone keeps their commitment when they might be expected to abandon it (e.g., because the other person has done so).  It is the Hebrew equivalent to the Greek agape.”[1] Walter Brueggemann's Three Kinds of Psalms Orientation: celebrate order in creation and in morality (Psalm 8) Disorientation: complaints about injustice and God's inactivity (Psalm 88) Reorientation: renewed sense of trust; thanksgiving for deliverance (Psalm 30) The psalms nicely compliment the various types of wisdom literature we covered last time. 14 Types of Psalms Praise Psalms Historical Psalms Torah Psalms Creation Psalms Royal Psalms Enthronement Psalms Wisdom Psalms Prophecy Psalms Trust Psalms Petition Psalms Complaint Psalms Repentance Psalms Imprecatory Psalms Thanksgiving Psalms Hebrew Poetry Word play Acrostic psalms Thought rhyming instead of word rhyming Synonymous parallelism Antithetical parallelism Synthetic parallelism Transliterated Terms Selah (71x) may mean a pause (perhaps for a musical interlude). Maskil (13x), miktam (6x), gittith (3x), alamoth (1x), higgaion (1x), and shiggaion (1x) were probably musical instructions of some sort. Lectio Divina (Divine Reading) First reading Read the psalm or a section of it twice. Pause to reflect on what you read. Second reading Read text once. Look for a verse or phrase that sticks out to you. Pause and reflect on that phrase turning it over in your mind Third reading Read text once. Ask God what he wants you to do in relation to the phrase you have been contemplating. Listen for a response. Review The book of Psalms contains 150 poems, songs, and prayers written by several different authors, divided into five books. More psalms are associated with David than anyone else (73). He was responsible for tasking the Levites with praising God through music. A key reason to praise God in the Psalms is because his chesed (steadfast love) endures forever. Psalms of orientation celebrate the orderliness of creation and the moral universe. Psalms of disorientation cry out for help amidst times of injustice, persecution, and suffering. Psalms of reorientation thank God for his deliverance in a situation. The many kinds of psalms are for you to use when you go through similar blessings, trials, doubts, and deliverances. Lectio Divina is an ancient meditative practice that you can use to get more out of the psalms you read. Appendix: All the psalms categorized by type # Types Description Psalms 1 praise extolling God for his character and actions 23, 24, 34, 46, 67, 76, 95, 100, 103, 111, 117, 139, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150 2 historical overviews of interactions between God and his people 78, 81, 89, 105, 106, 114, 132, 135, 136 3 Torah poems about the Torah and the benefits of obedience 1, 19, 112, 119 4 creation songs about the well-ordered creation 8, 19, 65, 104, 148 5 royal poems about the king; messianic psalms 2, 20, 21, 45, 61, 72, 101?, 110, 144?, 149? 6 enthronment poems about God sitting on his throne and ruling 9, 24, 29, 33, 47, 50?,  93, 96, 97, 98, 99, 102?, 113, 145, 146 7 wisdom extolling wisdom and disparanging folly 1, 14, 15, 37, 49, 52, 53, 73, 90, 101, 112, 127, 128, 8 prophecy words spoken by God to the people 2, 50, 81, 82, 91, 108, 110, 132 9 trust expressing confidence in what God will do 57, 61, 62, 63, 68, 69, 71, 73, 77, 82, 85, 91, 94, 102, 115, 121, 125, 131 10 petition asking for deliverance (usually from enemies) 3, 6, 7, 17, 22, 25, 26, 27, 31, 36, 40, 41, 54, 56, 59, 60, 69, 70, 79, 86, 108, 123, 141, 142, 143, 144 11 complaint complaining, asking "how long?" "why?" etc. 13, 42, 43, 44, 60, 74, 80, 88, 89, 120 12 repentance repenting from sinful action(s) 32, 38, 39, 51, 130 13 imprecatory wishing God to harm one's enemies 5, 10, 11, 12, 28, 35, 55, 58, 69, 70, 79, 83, 109, 129, 137, 140 14 thanksgiving thanking God for the deliverance he has provided 4, 16, 18, 30, 40, 64, 65, 66, 75, 92, 107, 116, 118, 124, 138 15 Zion, pilgrimage songs praising Zion/Jerusalem or talking about going there 48, 84, 87, 122, 125, 126, 128, 129, 133, 134, 147 [1] John Goldingay, Psalms, vol. 3: Psalms 90-150, Baker Commentary on the Old Testament: Wisdom and Psalms, ed. Tremper Longman III, (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008), 753.  I altered his spelling from hesed to chesed to conform to the actual pronunciation.

Lesson 8 Notes Basic Facts Phenomenal for devotional reading, emotional connection 150 total psalms Called psalms, not chapters (Psalm 50:4 not Psalms 50:4) Authors: David (73), Asaph (12), Sons of Korah (11), Heman the Ezrahite (1), Ethan the Ezrahite (1), Moses (1), Solomon (2), Anonymous (49) Book 1: 1-41 Book 2: 42-72 Book 3: 73-89 Book 4: 90-106 Book 5: 107-150 David reassigned the Levites to develop a music ministry to worship God (1 Chron 16:4-6, 41-42). Chesed כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ (1 Chron 16:41) for his chesed (is) forever. הוֹדוּ לַיהוָה כִּי־טוּב כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ (Ps 118:1) O give thanks to Yahweh for (he is) good for his chesed (is) forever. chesed is an extremely important word in the Psalms. “EVV [English versions] translate chesed by expressions such as ‘steadfast love' and ‘constant love.'  It is sometimes described as covenant love, though in the OT it rarely appears in the company of the word ‘covenant.'  It is used in two connections: when someone makes an act of commitment for which there is no reason in terms of prior relationship, and when someone keeps their commitment when they might be expected to abandon it (e.g., because the other person has done so).  It is the Hebrew equivalent to the Greek agape.”1 Walter Brueggemann's Three Kinds of Psalms Orientation: celebrate order in creation and in morality (Psalm 8) Disorientation: complaints about injustice and God's inactivity (Psalm 88) Reorientation: renewed sense of trust; thanksgiving for deliverance (Psalm 30) The psalms nicely compliment the various types of wisdom literature we covered last time. 14 Types of Psalms Praise Psalms Historical Psalms Torah Psalms Creation Psalms Royal Psalms Enthronement Psalms Wisdom Psalms Prophecy Psalms Trust Psalms Petition Psalms Complaint Psalms Repentance Psalms Imprecatory Psalms Thanksgiving Psalms Hebrew Poetry Word play Acrostic psalms Thought rhyming instead of word rhyming Synonymous parallelism Antithetical parallelism Synthetic parallelism Transliterated Terms Selah (71x) may mean a pause (perhaps for a musical interlude). Maskil (13x), miktam (6x), gittith (3x), alamoth (1x), higgaion (1x), and shiggaion (1x) were probably musical instructions of some sort. Lectio Divina (Divine Reading) First reading Read the psalm or a section of it twice. Pause to reflect on what you read. Second reading Read text once. Look for a verse or phrase that sticks out to you. Pause and reflect on that phrase turning it over in your mind Third reading Read text once. Ask God what he wants you to do in relation to the phrase you have been contemplating. Listen for a response. Review The book of Psalms contains 150 poems, songs, and prayers written by several different authors, divided into five books. More psalms are associated with David than anyone else (73). He was responsible for tasking the Levites with praising God through music. A key reason to praise God in the Psalms is because his chesed (steadfast love) endures forever. Psalms of orientation celebrate the orderliness of creation and the moral universe. Psalms of disorientation cry out for help amidst times of injustice, persecution, and suffering. Psalms of reorientation thank God for his deliverance in a situation. The many kinds of psalms are for you to use when you go through similar blessings, trials, doubts, and deliverances. Lectio Divina is an ancient meditative practice that you can use to get more out of the psalms you read. Appendix: All the psalms categorized by type # Types Description Psalms 1 praise extolling God for his character and actions 23, 24, 34, 46, 67, 76, 95, 100, 103, 111, 117, 139, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150 2 historical overviews of interactions between God and his people 78, 81, 89, 105, 106, 114, 132, 135, 136 3 Torah poems about the Torah and the benefits of obedience 1, 19, 112, 119 4 creation songs about the well-ordered creation 8, 19, 65, 104, 148 5 royal poems about the king; messianic psalms 2, 20, 21, 45, 61, 72, 101?, 110, 144?, 149? 6 enthronment poems about God sitting on his throne and ruling 9, 24, 29, 33, 47, 50?,  93, 96, 97, 98, 99, 102?, 113, 145, 146 7 wisdom extolling wisdom and disparanging folly 1, 14, 15, 37, 49, 52, 53, 73, 90, 101, 112, 127, 128, 8 prophecy words spoken by God to the people 2, 50, 81, 82, 91, 108, 110, 132 9 trust expressing confidence in what God will do 57, 61, 62, 63, 68, 69, 71, 73, 77, 82, 85, 91, 94, 102, 115, 121, 125, 131 10 petition asking for deliverance (usually from enemies) 3, 6, 7, 17, 22, 25, 26, 27, 31, 36, 40, 41, 54, 56, 59, 60, 69, 70, 79, 86, 108, 123, 141, 142, 143, 144 11 complaint complaining, asking “how long?” “why?” etc. 13, 42, 43, 44, 60, 74, 80, 88, 89, 120 12 repentance repenting from sinful action(s) 32, 38, 39, 51, 130 13 imprecatory wishing God to harm one’s enemies 5, 10, 11, 12, 28, 35, 55, 58, 69, 70, 79, 83, 109, 129, 137, 140 14 thanksgiving thanking God for the deliverance he has provided 4, 16, 18, 30, 40, 64, 65, 66, 75, 92, 107, 116, 118, 124, 138 15 Zion, pilgrimage songs praising Zion/Jerusalem or talking about going there 48, 84, 87, 122, 125, 126, 128, 129, 133, 134, 147 John Goldingay, Psalms, vol. 3: Psalms 90-150, Baker Commentary on the Old Testament: Wisdom and Psalms, ed. Tremper Longman III, (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008), 753.  I altered his spelling from hesed to chesed to conform to the actual pronunciation.The post 8: How to Read the Psalms first appeared on Living Hope.

Lesson 8 Notes Basic Facts Phenomenal for devotional reading, emotional connection 150 total psalms Called psalms, not chapters (Psalm 50:4 not Psalms 50:4) Authors: David (73), Asaph (12), Sons of Korah (11), Heman the Ezrahite (1), Ethan the Ezrahite (1), Moses (1), Solomon (2), Anonymous (49) Book 1: 1-41 Book 2: 42-72 Book 3: 73-89 Book 4: 90-106 Book 5: 107-150 David reassigned the Levites to develop a music ministry to worship God (1 Chron 16:4-6, 41-42). Chesed כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ (1 Chron 16:41) for his chesed (is) forever. הוֹדוּ לַיהוָה כִּי־טוּב כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ (Ps 118:1) O give thanks to Yahweh for (he is) good for his chesed (is) forever. chesed is an extremely important word in the Psalms. “EVV [English versions] translate chesed by expressions such as ‘steadfast love' and ‘constant love.'  It is sometimes described as covenant love, though in the OT it rarely appears in the company of the word ‘covenant.'  It is used in two connections: when someone makes an act of commitment for which there is no reason in terms of prior relationship, and when someone keeps their commitment when they might be expected to abandon it (e.g., because the other person has done so).  It is the Hebrew equivalent to the Greek agape.”[[John Goldingay, Psalms, vol. 3: Psalms 90-150, Baker Commentary on the Old Testament: Wisdom and Psalms, ed. Tremper Longman III, (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008), 753.  I altered his spelling from hesed to chesed to conform to the actual pronunciation.]] Walter Brueggemann's Three Kinds of Psalms Orientation: celebrate order in creation and in morality (Psalm 8) Disorientation: complaints about injustice and God's inactivity (Psalm 88) Reorientation: renewed sense of trust; thanksgiving for deliverance (Psalm 30) The psalms nicely compliment the various types of wisdom literature we covered last time. 14 Types of Psalms Praise Psalms Historical Psalms Torah Psalms Creation Psalms Royal Psalms Enthronement Psalms Wisdom Psalms Prophecy Psalms Trust Psalms Petition Psalms Complaint Psalms Repentance Psalms Imprecatory Psalms Thanksgiving Psalms Hebrew Poetry Word play Acrostic psalms Thought rhyming instead of word rhyming Synonymous parallelism Antithetical parallelism Synthetic parallelism Transliterated Terms Selah (71x) may mean a pause (perhaps for a musical interlude). Maskil (13x), miktam (6x), gittith (3x), alamoth (1x), higgaion (1x), and shiggaion (1x) were probably musical instructions of some sort. Lectio Divina (Divine Reading) First reading Read the psalm or a section of it twice. Pause to reflect on what you read. Second reading Read text once. Look for a verse or phrase that sticks out to you. Pause and reflect on that phrase turning it over in your mind Third reading Read text once. Ask God what he wants you to do in relation to the phrase you have been contemplating. Listen for a response. Review The book of Psalms contains 150 poems, songs, and prayers written by several different authors, divided into five books. More psalms are associated with David than anyone else (73). He was responsible for tasking the Levites with praising God through music. A key reason to praise God in the Psalms is because his chesed (steadfast love) endures forever. Psalms of orientation celebrate the orderliness of creation and the moral universe. Psalms of disorientation cry out for help amidst times of injustice, persecution, and suffering. Psalms of reorientation thank God for his deliverance in a situation. The many kinds of psalms are for you to use when you go through similar blessings, trials, doubts, and deliverances. Lectio Divina is an ancient meditative practice that you can use to get more out of the psalms you read. Appendix: All the psalms categorized by type # Types Description Psalms 1 praise extolling God for his character and actions 23, 24, 34, 46, 67, 76, 95, 100, 103, 111, 117, 139, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150 2 historical overviews of interactions between God and his people 78, 81, 89, 105, 106, 114, 132, 135, 136 3 Torah poems about the Torah and the benefits of obedience 1, 19, 112, 119 4 creation songs about the well-ordered creation 8, 19, 65, 104, 148 5 royal poems about the king; messianic psalms 2, 20, 21, 45, 61, 72, 101?, 110, 144?, 149? 6 enthronment poems about God sitting on his throne and ruling 9, 24, 29, 33, 47, 50?,  93, 96, 97, 98, 99, 102?, 113, 145, 146 7 wisdom extolling wisdom and disparanging folly 1, 14, 15, 37, 49, 52, 53, 73, 90, 101, 112, 127, 128, 8 prophecy words spoken by God to the people 2, 50, 81, 82, 91, 108, 110, 132 9 trust expressing confidence in what God will do 57, 61, 62, 63, 68, 69, 71, 73, 77, 82, 85, 91, 94, 102, 115, 121, 125, 131 10 petition asking for deliverance (usually from enemies) 3, 6, 7, 17, 22, 25, 26, 27, 31, 36, 40, 41, 54, 56, 59, 60, 69, 70, 79, 86, 108, 123, 141, 142, 143, 144 11 complaint complaining, asking “how long?” “why?” etc. 13, 42, 43, 44, 60, 74, 80, 88, 89, 120 12 repentance repenting from sinful action(s) 32, 38, 39, 51, 130 13 imprecatory wishing God to harm one’s enemies 5, 10, 11, 12, 28, 35, 55, 58, 69, 70, 79, 83, 109, 129, 137, 140 14 thanksgiving thanking God for the deliverance he has provided 4, 16, 18, 30, 40, 64, 65, 66, 75, 92, 107, 116, 118, 124, 138 15 Zion, pilgrimage songs praising Zion/Jerusalem or talking about going there 48, 84, 87, 122, 125, 126, 128, 129, 133, 134, 147 The post 8: How to Read the Psalms first appeared on Living Hope.

Is the Old Testament historically reliable? What difference does that question make to our faith? What do we mean by 'historical' and 'reliable' anyway? In this episode, Barney and Austin interview Professor John Goldingay, a retired Old Testament scholar enormously influential in the Evangelical tradition. Prof. Goldingay shares his thoughts about the relationship between faith and biblical history, and then problematizes the question for us: why are we asking about this and in what way should it, and should it not, matter? Thanks to Jamie Maule for sound editing! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/faith-at-the-frontiers/message

SHOW NOTES  Our texts this week are here (Megan is reading from the Common English Bible) Our prayer this week: “A Liturgy For Those Who Worship The Wrong Thing” from Liturgies for Hope  Browse our curated booklists! Purchasing through this affiliate link generates a small commission for us and is a great way to support the show https://bookshop.org/shop/aplainaccount   Andrew Root, Churches and the Crisis of Decline   Exodus commentaries: OT For Everyone by John Goldingay, NBBC Commentary by H. Junia Pokrifka  Other resources on our website: commentaries, discipleship, liturgics, music.

A huge Happy Easter to you from Abi and all the Praxis team! A short Easter episode for you today, to celebrate the joy of Jesus' resurrection. We are going to delve back into the archives to one of our earliest episodes, back in 2019 when Rich Gower interviewed Jack Wakefield from Tearfund. Find out more and sign up for Praxis Labs 2 on our website.The Bible for Everyone: Scripture quotations [marked BfE] are reproduced from The Bible for Everyone, copyright © John Goldingay and Nicholas Thomas Wright 2018. Used by permission of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, London, UK. All rights reserved.

We're kicking off a season in the Old Testament book of 1 Samuel.Overview of today's episode:Meet this season's co-hostsWhat our relationship with Scripture is right now (spoiler: it's complicated)What we remember about the Hebrew Bible growing upWhat we know about 1 SamuelAn intro to the themes and background of 1 SamuelPredictions for the seasonTools we'll be using as we goResources we are using to study:John Goldingay commentary on 1&2 SamuelAfrica Bible CommentaryNew Interpreter's Study BibleCultural Background Study BibleJewish Study BibleThe NET BibleNew International Commentary on the Old TestamentFind us online: Kate Boyd - Book | Newsletter | Instagram | Twitter Robert Callahan - Substack | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok Amanda Waldron - Website | Instagram | Twitter

For the whole of August, we're celebrating hitting 1 Million downloads with a huge competition. We're giving away a genuine Roman Denarius from the time of Jesus – a Tiberius Denarius, to be exact, issued between AD 14-37. It was a day's wages in Jesus' day. It's worth considerably more today, and the one I've sourced is a beauty. It comes with a letter of authenticity and the excitement of owning a wonderful piece of ancient history. You'll also receive a new Amazon Kindle Paperwhite e-reader and a $150 Amazon voucher to fill it with a heap of history books, obviously. We've also got 10 more Amazon Kindle's and book vouchers for our runners up. You can enter once, or for more chances to win, the team has set up a treasure hunt for hidden codes that allow you extra entries. Collect the codes in our upcoming episodes throughout August, and follow the Undeceptions Network on Facebook and Instagram where the team will also be releasing hidden codes throughout the month. CLICK HERE FOR MORE. A huge thank you to all our listeners who helped us to reach this milestone! A million downloads is beyond our imagination, and we are so grateful for your ongoing support. The death of religion was the conventional wisdom in the social sciences during most of the twentieth century. Turns out, they were wrong. Religion is not dead. It's still here. Actually, it's growing.This episode of Undeceptions is sponsored by Zondervan Academic's new book The Lost Letters to the Twelve Prophets by John Goldingay. Visit the undeceptions.com for more content, including the full show notes for this episode.Follow the show on Facebook, Twitter and InstagramEmail the show with your comments / feedback: admin@undeceptions.comUndeceptions is the flagship podcast of Undeceptions.com: Letting the truth out.Theme music: JS Bach's Cello Suites, Prelude, performed by the Undeceptions Band. Hosted by John DicksonProduced by Kaley Payne Directed by Mark Hadley Audio Editing by Richard HamwiSocial Media by Sophie HawkshawAdministration by Lyndie LevistonLibrarian: Siobhan McGuinessCopyright Undeceptions Ltd 2022

This is Episode 79 of the Jesus Society Podcast. And on today's episode, we're going to talk about how to find answers in the Bible to our questions. Well, when he first asked me to do this, I thought it would be simple, but the more I've ruminated on it, the less simple it's become. And that's true in part because there is a dizzying array of misinformation about the Bible out there. And that leave a lot of Christians terribly confused about what the Bible does, and doesn't say. So how do we sort through all that and get to the truth? That's the question. So I'm going to jump in today to where angels fear to tread and have a go at sorting some of that out. So buckle in and hold on. So join me as we discuss: 1. Three challenges in understanding the Bible. 2. What kind of book is the Bible? 3. Who was the Bible written to? 4. The challenge of going back in time. 5. How we create our own problems in reading the Bible. 6. Three helpful suggestions for finding answers. 7. The two MOST helpful suggestions in all this. ______________________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, AND now also on Amazon Music. Please visit us on our Facebook page for The Jesus Society Podcast (@JesusSocietyPodcast). And check out our website — https://thejesussociety.com/. You can also find episodes of The Jesus Society podcast onto YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEy1ppP5RWd3jXPc6bI6WuQ/) and Odysee (https://odysee.com/@TheJesusSocietyPodcast:6). If you search for The Jesus Society Podcast on either YouTube or Odysee, you'll find us. And, if you'd like to support the show and our related ministry, click on the “Support TJS” link on the Jesus Society website to find out how (https://thejesussociety.com/). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music  _______________________ Resources for Today's Show: 1. The Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, NRSV (https://www.amazon.com/Cultural-Backgrounds-Study-Hardcover-Comfort/dp/0310452686/ref=sr_1_5?) 2. The NIV Study Bible (https://www.amazon.com/Study-Revised-Hardcover-Letter-Comfort/dp/0310448948/ref=sr_1_4?) 3. Christian Standard Version Bible (https://www.amazon.com/Study-Bible-Hardcover-Bibles-Holman/dp/1433648091/ref=sr_1_4?) 3. The Bible for Everyone, by John Goldingay and N. T. Wright (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0281074011/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_7?). 4. An Exhaustive Concordance matching your favorite translation. 5. Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (https://www.christianbook.com/eerdmans-dictionary-of-the-bible/9780802877437/pd/877438?) 6. The Old Testament for Everyone Commentary Set, by John Goldingay — 17 Volumes, but also available one at a time (https://www.amazon.com/Old-Testament-Everyone-Set-Seventeen/dp/0664261760/ref=sr_1_1?) 7. New Testament for Everyone Commentary Set, by N. T. Wright — 18 Volumes, but also available one at a time (https://www.amazon.com/New-Testament-Everyone-Set-Eighteen/dp/0664238262/ref=sr_1_3?)

Leadership remains a popular topic across culture and organizations. Christian speaking and writing on this topic are unending and yet, it often seems we are unable to figure leadership out. The leadership struggle continues. A step in the right direction starts with God as King. In this first Episode of the "Serve Like the King" series, Dr. Eddy Sanders shares his insights into biblical leadership from 1 Samuel 8.Referenced in this Episode: Old Testament Theology Vol. 3 by John Goldingay.

Here we want to look a little more broadly on the “fulfillment quotations” in the early chapters of Matthew's gospel. There are 5. Yet when you read how Matthew uses these Old Testament passages, it often seems like he is referencing the Old Testament passages out of context. What are we to make of how Matthew uses the Old Testament? As Goldingay writes, “To gain the full implications of prophecies such as these for the significance of the Christ event, we need to go back to those prophecies themselves.”[1]For more information about Wellspring Church go to https://www.wellspringchurchpg.orgFor study notes on this episode go to https://www.dropbox.com/s/kbujq27heu1jv94/Christmas%20Prophecy%20in%20Matthew%20Part%202.docx?dl=0[1] John Goldingay, “The Old Testament and Christian Faith: Jesus and the Old Testament in Matthew 1–5,” Themelios 8, no. 1 (1982): 9.

In today's episode, Dr. John Goldingay shares his approach to studying the Old Testament -- and ways he prepares to write Biblical commentaries. He encourages us to study our Bible with both an analytical and spiritual mind – and to come to the Bible humbly with our questions. He also shares tremendous wisdom on how to deal with passages in the Old Testament that perhaps don't make sense to us, and how to better explore and question those difficult texts. He shares his insights on the Book of Joshua and ways to understand the battle of Jericho. He also discusses a scripture reading plan to help us thoughtfully read through the entire Bible three chapters at a time. Dr. John Goldingay studied theology at Oxford, earned his PhD from the University of Nottingham, and a Doctor of Divinity from the Archbishop of Canterbury at Lambeth. Learn more about him and his books: https://www.fuller.edu/faculty/john-goldingay/

This week we'll see how a well-meaning and gifted person like Saul can go from being a promising young King to becoming a king “like that of the nations.” We see his rebellion against God's command and his self-deceit as he justifies his behavior. We are given a warning that we share the same kind of heart, and to be watchful over our own propensity to self-deceit. And we are given a pointer to the God who saves us all from our self-destruction. - Tim Keller, “Sin as Self Deceit,” Sermon preached at Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 1/28/1996, and 'The Disobedience of Saul,” sermon preached on 1/4/2004. The structure of this sermon and several illustrations come from Keller's sermons. - Christopher J.H. Wright, Old Testament Ethics for the People of God. See Wright's discussion of OT genocide also in the chapter of his book, “The God I Don't Understand.” - The David Story, By Robert Alter - 1 & 2 Samuel for Everyone, by John Goldingay - 1 Samuel for You, by Tim Chester - 1 and 2 Samuel, by Walter Brueggemann

For Educational Purposes Only. The Creator owns the content.) "In The Unseen Realm, Dr. Michael Heiser examines the ancient context of Scripture, explaining how its supernatural worldview can help us grow in our understanding of God. He illuminates intriguing and amazing passages of the Bible that have been hiding in plain sight. You'll find yourself engaged in an enthusiastic pursuit of the truth, resulting in a new appreciation for God's Word. Why wasn't Eve surprised when the serpent spoke to her? How did descendants of the Nephilim survive the flood? Why did Jacob fuse Yahweh and his Angel together in his prayer? Who are the assembly of divine beings that God presides over? In what way do those beings participate in God's decisions? Why do Peter and Jude promote belief in imprisoned spirits? Why does Paul describe evil spirits in terms of geographical rulership? Who are the "glorious ones" that even angels dare not rebuke? After reading this book, you may never read your Bible the same way again. Endorsements "There is a world referred to in the Scripture that is quite unseen, but also quite present and active. Michael Heiser's The Unseen Realm seeks to unmask this world. Heiser shows how important it is to understand this world and appreciate how its contribution helps to make sense of Scripture. The book is clear and well done, treating many ideas and themes that often go unseen themselves. With this book, such themes will no longer be neglected, so read it and discover a new realm for reflection about what Scripture teaches." --Darrell L. Bock, Executive Director for Cultural Engagement, Senior Research Professor of New Testament Studies, Howard G. Hendricks Center for Christian Leadership and Cultural Engagement "'How was it possible that I had never seen that before?' Dr. Heiser's survey of the complex reality of the supernatural world as the Scriptures portray it covers a subject that is strangely sidestepped. No one is going to agree with everything in his book, but the subject deserves careful study, and so does this book." --John Goldingay, David Allan Hubbard Professor of Old Testament, School of Theology, Fuller Theological Seminary "This is a 'big' book in the best sense of the term. It is big in its scope and in its depth of analysis. Michael Heiser is a scholar who knows Scripture intimately in its ancient cultural context. All--scholars, clergy, and laypeople--who read this profound and accessible book will grow in their understanding of both the Old and New Testaments, particularly as their eyes are opened to the Bible's 'unseen world.'" --Tremper Longman III, Robert H. Gundry Professor of Biblical Studies, Westmont College "

This week, we'll continue the story as God concedes to Israel's demand for a King and selects a young man named Saul to be the first official monarch of Israel. It's a story of heartache as we watch God's people dive headlong into their rebellious desires, but God's fingerprints are also all over the story as he directs the events according to his purposes. - Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics, IV.1, 437-445. - The David Story, By Robert Alter - 1 & 2 Samuel for Everyone, by John Goldingay - 1 Samuel for You, by Tim Chester - 1 and 2 Samuel, by Walter Brueggemann - “Hell,” Sermon by Tim Keller, Jun 8, 1997.

Prophets Daniel and Ezekiel never knew each other. But their similarities outweighed their differences. Both speak of holiness. Both speak of resurrection. Both speak of restoration. Ten similarities found in the Book of Daniel and the Book of Ezekiel make them a kinsman of a unique kind. I hope you open your eyes to the … John Goldingay Presents the Prophets Daniel and Ezekiel Read More »

Old Testament scholar and Anglican clergyman John Goldingay joins James Howell to break down the book of Isaiah. 

This week Sam is joined by Professor John Goldingay. The video version of this conversation can be found here on our YouTube channel 12 hours after the audio version goes live. John Goldingay is a well know Old Testament theologian within Christian circles. In this conversation, Sam and John talk about the Old Testament and its relevance for today. The resources mentioned in this episode are: A Reader's Guide to the Bible Biblical Theology: The God of the Christian Scriptures The Bible for Everyone: A New Translation We hope you enjoy our show. When Belief Dies aims to honestly reflect on faith, religion and life. Your support via Patreon enables us to cover the costs of running this show and look to the future to make things even better as we build upon what we already have in the works. Please take a look and consider giving. Alternatively, you can support the show with a one-off gift via PayPal. Use this link to navigate to the website, to find us on social media and anywhere else we might be present online. #Podcast #Deconstruction #God #Agnostic #Christian #Atheism #Apologetics #Audio #Question #Exvangelical #Deconversion #SecularGrace #Exchristian

Hey everybody! Welcome to this week's episode of all in. I have long wanted to interview John Goldingay and the day has finally arrived! You are in for a treat. John Goldingay (PhD, University of Nottingham; DD, Archbishop of Canterbury at Lambeth) is professor of Old Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary, but lives in Oxford, England.  He is a prolific author. His Amazon.com Author’s Page covers six full pages of his books. His books include: An Introduction to the Old Testament A Reader's Guide to the Bible Reading Jesus's Bible Do We Need the New Testament: Letting the Old Testament Speak for Itself Commentaries on Psalms, Isaiah, and Daniel Biblical Theology The three-volume Old Testament Theology: volume one, volume two, volume three the seventeen-volume Old Testament for Everyone series a translation of the entire Old Testament called The First Testament: A New Translation and most recently, The Theology of Jeremiah Goldingay is a Church of England minister, and now that he is back in England likes walking by the Thames, rediscovering English food, worshiping in Christ Church Cathedral, and relearning British English. If you’re enjoying this podcast, spread the word by sharing it with your friends and leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. I encourage you to send me your feedback or suggestions for an interview. Help me help you. You can email me at jroper@foursquare.org, or direct message me on Facebook. You can also submit any feedback or questions here. Don’t forget to subscribe in Apple Podcasts or where ever you get your podcasts. As always, you can connect with me on Facebook or Twitter. It’s your life, now go live it! To support our global missions efforts, visit The Global Missions Fund. Post may contain affiliate links. All proceeds are used to support the missions work. Thanks for listening!

We're tackling the big topic of women in leadership and authority structures in the church! This week Jeff and Tyler turn to Ephesians 5 and talk about relationships within the household. What exactly does it mean to “submit”? We love questions! Any questions you have about this topic, or any bible-related question Email thekindfaith@gmail.com SHOW NOTES: [00:12] Introduction - initial questions and thoughts. [12:06] Ephesians 5:21-22 - figuring out submission [23:40] Does the emphasis on the male head of household reinforce the status quo? [31:50] Is there an authority structure in this passage? A closer look at husbands and wives. [37:55] Wrap-up with a look at some practical ways forward into leading and applying this to our lives. MORE DETAILS: [00:12] Introduction: the guys talk through some of the ways this passage has been used… does it impact church hierarchy? How does “authority” factor in here? The idea of the “tie-breaker” doesn't fit in this text. “The only reason a tie-breaker vote would need to exist is if Jesus wasn't real” - Tyler [12:06] Ephesians 5:21-22 the elusive “submit.” A little Greek: Verse 22 literally says, “wives to your own husbands as to the Lord” You have to go searching for the verb “submit”! This is a strong case for attaching verse 21 to verse 22 and not to 20 since you can't even understand verse 22 without it. “Submit to one another” should be the header with each relationship listed as a bullet point expanding on what submission should look like… Something like this: I. "Submit to one another" Wife to your husband Husband love your wife Children obey your father Father don't exasperate your children slaves obey your master master treat slaves in the same way all of these are a subset filling out the original mandate that all should be in mutual submission. [23:40] Isn't Paul reinforcing the status quo and the central role of a man in the household? This household code of Paul's is actually radically counter-cultural. The one with the power is not called to enforce or police the others to get in line, but he is called to his own sort of submissive leadership. [31:50] Is “authority” in this passage? Wives and husbands in particular. The one thing that we might be able to conclude from this passage: Husband's are meant to die for their wives, and the wives “submission” is to let them! - John Goldingay “headship” (back to episode 3 of this Women in Church series) is much more likely about “source” than about hierarchy or authority structures. [37:55] Wrap-up… passivity and discipleship Both men and women need to ask the hard question about whether they are passively shirking the roles and Gifts God has given to each. We don't need to super-impose a particular way but can help each think through the ways they are called to step out and take an active role in their family, their faith, and the world. The talk about “authority” might actually be a way of placing blame, of shirking our own roles and gifts, of taking control rather than trusting in God.

     The main point of this pericope is that God chose and redeemed Israel because of the promise He made to their forefathers, which promise resulted in the nation’s liberation and covenant relationship. Moses opens this section, saying, “The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples” (Deut 7:7). Here, God’s love for Israel is seen in His choosing them to be His people; which love was in no way influenced by their greatness as a nation. In fact, they are said to be “the fewest of all people”, which implies their insignificance by human standards. But God did love them, and His love was in no way predicated on their worthiness (cf. Deut 9:4-6). God’s love is that inherent characteristic that motivates Him to act, not for self-interest, but wholly for the benefit of others. And this love can be tied from one person or generation to the next, as Moses states, “but because the LORD loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the LORD brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt” (Deut 7:8). God’s liberation of Israel from slavery in Egypt was a sign of His love for them. Some have questioned why God loved and chose Israel for Himself, and one liberal scholar states, “Maybe it was pure chance. Maybe God just tossed a coin. For whatever reason, God ‘chose’ Israel.”[1] Such flippant and dismissive comments portray God as one who acts randomly and arbitrarily rather than thoughtfully and intentionally. God’s selection of Israel was based on the oath He swore to their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Deut 4:37; 10:15). The Lord promised their descendants would become a great nation and possess the land of Canaan (Gen 17:7-8; 26:24; 28:13-14), so He brought them out of Egypt to fulfill His word (Deut 5:6; 6:12; 8:14), and thus He brought the nation into existence (Isa 43:15; cf. 45:11). Warren Wiersbe writes: "The Lord’s choice of Abraham and Sarah was an act of sovereign grace. They were idol-worshipers in Ur of the Chaldees when “the God of glory” appeared (Acts 7:1–3; Josh. 24:1–3). They had no children and yet were promised descendants as numerous as the sands of the seashore and the stars of the heavens. They later had one son, Isaac, and he had two sons, Esau and Jacob; and from Jacob’s twelve sons came the twelve tribes of Israel. When Jacob’s family gathered in Egypt, there were seventy people (Gen. 46), but by the time they were delivered from Egypt, they had become a great nation. Why did this happen? Because God loved them and kept the promises that He made to their ancestors."[2]      God keeps His word, and His actions speak volumes. Based on this, Moses said to those Israelites before him, “Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments” (Deut 7:9). As the only God that is, Israel was to know that He is able to accomplish His will (Isa 45:5-7), and to be faithful and keep His covenant promises indefinitely from one generation to the next with those who love/choose Him and keep His commandments. Moses used the Hebrew word חֶסֶד chesed—translated lovingkindness—to refer to God’s loyalty to the covenant and those in relationship with Him.      Not only does God promise to bless Israel when they are faithful to Him, but He is also identified as One who “repays those who hate Him to their faces, to destroy them; He will not delay with him who hates Him, He will repay him to his face” (Deut 7:10). Here, the judgment falls solely on the Israelite who is in a bilateral covenant relationship with God and is obligated to live according to His commandments. Those who hate God have rejected His authority, and He will judge them individually for their disloyalty and disobedience. To enjoy God’s blessings and avoid His judgments, Moses told his hearers, “Therefore, you shall keep the commandment and the statutes and the judgments which I am commanding you today, to do them” (Deut 7:11). God had done everything necessary for the nation to be victorious and blessed. All Israel had to do was keep their part of the covenant agreement.       As Christians, when we think about our relationship with God, we realize there is nothing special about us that would motivate Him to love, redeem, and reconcile us to Himself, which He accomplished by the death of Christ. Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, saying: "For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God." (1 Cor 1:26-29)      Before being saved, we were helpless sinners who were enemies of God (Rom 5:6-10), dead in our trespasses and sins (Eph 2:1-2), completely unable to save ourselves (Rom 4:1-5; Gal 2:16; Eph 2:8-9; Tit 3:5). But Paul reveals God’s sovereign grace, saying, “But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, ‘let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.’” (1 Cor 1:30-31). And elsewhere he states, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2:4-6). And we were selected not just for a relationship, but “that we would be holy and blameless before Him” (Eph 1:4), “a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds” (Tit 2:14; cf. 3:8, 14; Heb 10:24). "As those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful." (Col 3:12-15)   [1] John Goldingay, Numbers and Deuteronomy for Everyone (Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010), 123. [2] Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Equipped, “Be” Commentary Series (Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Pub., 1999), 52.

Listen in as I try to interview John Goldingay on Genesis.

Did Jesus claim to be “The Great I AM” in John 8.58?  If not, what was he saying?  In this episode we examine the alleged parallel passage in Exodus where God reveals his name to Moses at the burning bush.  Next, we’ll explore texts with the same Greek construction that Jesus used in an effort Read more about 351 Bible 22 – Did Jesus Claim to Be the I AM? (Translating John 8.58)[…]

Did Jesus claim to be “The Great I AM” in John 8.58?  If not, what was he saying?  In this episode we examine the alleged parallel passage in Exodus where God reveals his name to Moses at the burning bush.  Next, we’ll explore texts with the same Greek construction that Jesus used in an effort Read more about 351 Bible 22 – Did Jesus Claim to Be the I AM? (Translating John 8.58)[…]

Today's episode features a conversation with the Rev. Dr. John Goldingay,  Professor Emeritus of Old Testament at Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, California. Since retiring, John and his wife Kathleen have moved to Oxford, England. An Episcopal priest, and a renowned Old Testament scholar, John has written over 25 volumes including a 3-volume theology of the Old Testament and his own translation of the Old Testament, entitled “The First Testament.”John sat down with Jill Krantz and me to discuss the books of Lamentations and Ezekiel. The conversation is a broad exploration of the themes of Ezekiel and the distinct features of Ezekiel the prophet and priest.  Learn more about The Bible Project 2020. Join our Facebook discussion group. *Facebook account required. #HydeParkUMC

In their lectures delivered at the 2015 Fuller Forum, Johnny Ramírez-Johnson, professor of anthropology and profesor del Centro Latino, reflected on how the divine command to keep the Sabbath is tied to every dimension of Christian life and community; and John Goldingay, David Allan Hubbard Professor Emeritus of Old Testament, spoke about the need to pray on behalf of the oppressed and how the Psalms help us do so. The 2015 Fuller Forum explored the themes of justice, grace, and law and how each shapes our understanding of the church’s relationship with God and the church’s ministry in the world. Joined by Fuller scholars and other guests, renowned Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann, featured as the conference’s keynote speaker. Author of over a hundred books, he is the William Marcellus McPheeters Professor Emeritus of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary.

Chris Kidwell joins the show (and Cole is mysteriously absent). Chris is a preacher in Oklahoma and has an Mdiv from FHU. He discusses Old Testament Ethics by John Goldingay, convinces the guys to watch hockey, and discusses the OKC Thunder. ______ Links Old Testament Ethics by John Goldingay Christian Ethics by Norman Geisler Zamboni driver to emergency goalie --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/faith-football-friends/support

Sunday, February 23rd, 2020.   Sources: Joseph Blenkinsopp. Isaiah 40-55 (AB). New Haven: Yale, 2000. John Goldingay. Isaiah (UBCS). Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2001. Richard B. Hays. Echoes of Scripture in the Gospels. Waco: Baylor, 2016. J. Alec Motyer. The Prophecy of  Isaiah: An Introduction & Commentary. … Continue reading →

Sunday, February 2nd, 2020.   Sources: Joseph Blenkinsopp. Isaiah 1-39 (AB). New Haven: Yale, 2000. Joel B. Green. The Gospel of Luke (NICNT). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997. John Goldingay. Isaiah (UBCS). Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2001. Richard B. Hays. Echoes of Scripture in the Gospels. Waco: Baylor, 2016. … Continue reading →

Sunday, January 26th, 2020.   Sources: Joseph Blenkinsopp. Isaiah 1-39 (AB). New Haven: Yale, 2000. R.T. France. The Gospel of Matthew (NICNT). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007. John Goldingay. Isaiah (UBCS). Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2001. Richard B. Hays. Echoes of Scripture in the Gospels. Waco: Baylor, 2016. J. … Continue reading →

The following lecture was presented in June 2019 at the New Song Conference: Biblical Hebrew Poetry as Jewish and Christian Scripture for the 21st Century. The conference was organized in partnership by the Centre for Catholic Studies, the Durham University Centre for the Study of Jewish Culture, Society, and Politics and Ushaw College. The lecture was given by Professor John Goldingay, Professor of Old Testament and the David Allan Hubbard Professor Emeritus of Old Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary, and is entitled ‘On Reading Genesis 49.’

If Jesus fulfilled the law and the Old Testament, do Christians need to read it? Does the Old Testament have anything to say about salvation? Do we have to live by the laws? Should Christians "un-hitch" from it? How do we interpret something so old? To discuss these questions and more, the guys sit down with professor and pastor, Joe Mueller.

What do you learn when you translate the New Testament? Scot has been working on translating the New Testament following the principles established by John Goldingay in his translation of the Old Testament titled the first testament. In this episode, Scot unpacks his method of deciding on the words and phrases in the translation process. Don't miss Scot's behind the scenes tour of his translating the Second Testament. Suggest Resources: Lidell and Scott Greek Lexicon >>> https://amzn.to/2HJpIG0 Brill Dictionary of Ancient Greek >>> https://amzn.to/30UeTse BDAG Lexicon >>> https://amzn.to/2wrFkrn Listen to the first Kingdom Roots conversation on the Second Testament >>> http://bit.ly/2ndtestament

I (Matt L) have been wrestling with the topic of violence in Scripture for a while, and has returned to Dan Hawk's Berit Olam commentary on the book of Joshua. It was a pleasure to talk with Dan about his new book on violence in the Bible. He takes a literary approach that deserves serious attention. The post Daniel Hawk – The Violence of the Biblical God first appeared on OnScript.

I (Matt L) have been wrestling with the topic of violence in Scripture for a while, and has returned to Dan Hawk's Berit Olam commentary on the book of Joshua. It was a pleasure to talk with Dan about his new book on violence in the Bible. He takes a literary approach that deserves serious attention.

Resources for This Episode- Walter Brueggemann - Praying the Psalmshttps://www.amazon.com/s?k=praying+the+psalms+brueggemann&crid=ZO4JOY8RL49E&sprefix=praying+the+psalms%2Caps%2C160&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_4_18- John Witvliet - Worship Seeking Understandinghttps://www.reformedworship.org/article/june-1997/time-weep-liturgical-lament-times-crisis- John Goldingay on Lamenthttps://vimeo.com/99780901- Theological Dictionaryhttps://www.amazon.com/Handbook-Theological-Terms-Background-Articles/dp/0684846446/ref=asc_df_0684846446/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=241983376253&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14499427038240487786&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9027718&hvtargid=pla-571544620705&psc=1- How to write personal psalm of lamenthttp://www.practicetribe.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/How-to-write-your-own-lament-handout-draft-2.pdf- Soultime App: https://www.soultime.com/

Professor John Goldingay has Old Testament at Fuller Seminary and now at Oxford. His most recent work is his translation of the Old Testament.

Professor John Goldingay has Old Testament at Fuller Seminary and now at Oxford. His most recent work is his translation of the Old Testament.

In part one (0:00-12:00), the guys quickly recap the biblical story leading up to Daniel 7. There are many models of the Son of Man in the Old Testament: Noah, Moses, David, Joshua. They all get close, but they ultimately fail and are not able to be the perfect “seed of the woman” that will crush the snake and fulfill the prophecy given in Genesis after the fall. In part two (12:00-29:30), the guys dive into Daniel 7: In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions passed through his mind as he was lying in bed. He wrote down the substance of his dream. Daniel said: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea. Four great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of the sea. “The first was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground so that it stood on two feet like a human being, and the mind of a human was given to it. “And there before me was a second beast, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, ‘Get up and eat your fill of flesh!’ “After that, I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a leopard. And on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. This beast had four heads, and it was given authority to rule. After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast—terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns. “While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a human being and a mouth that spoke boastfully. As I looked, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened. Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire. (The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.) In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. Tim makes the following observations: The animals are like an anti-creation. They are extremely non-kosher animals. They are mutants, and they come out of chaotic, watery darkness. They are chaos creatures. Daniel sees the same throne room (v 9) that Ezekiel saw in his vision in Ezekiel 1. What Nebuchadnezzar had wanted, to be praised and worshiped by everyone, happens to the Son of Man when God exalts him. In parts three and four (29:30-52:00), Tim and Jon cover the interpretation of the dream in v15-27: I, Daniel, was troubled in spirit, and the visions that passed through my mind disturbed me. I approached one of those standing there and asked him the meaning of all this. So he told me and gave me the interpretation of these things: ‘The four great beasts are four kings that will rise from the earth. But the holy people of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever—yes, for ever and ever.’ Then I wanted to know the meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others and most terrifying, with its iron teeth and bronze claws—the beast that crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell—the horn that looked more imposing than the others and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke boastfully. As I watched, this horn was waging war against the holy people and defeating them, until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the holy people of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom. He gave me this explanation: ‘The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it. The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time. ‘But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever. Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.' Tim makes the following observations: The “holy ones” has a double meaning. It represents both the “holy” sons of God/elohim, that is celestial beings in the divine council, and it represents a true human race who are “holy” to God and fulfills their calling by following the true Son of Man. Daniel 7 is a symbolic and cosmic depiction of a real, historical conflict (Antiochus’ attack on Jerusalem and defilement of the temple in 167 B.C.), that is part of an ancient pattern going all the way back to Genesis 1-3. In part five (52:00-end), Tim observes that somewhere in Daniel 7 is a storyline that was crucial to Jesus and how he thought of his identity. So if someone wants to understand more about Jesus, they should invest the time to learn more about the Son of Man storyline in the Hebrew Scriptures. Thank you to of all our supporters! Have a question for the upcoming Q+R? Send it to us! info@jointhebibleproject.com Show Produced By: Dan Gummel, Jon Collins Show Music: Defender Instrumental, Tents Pilgrim, Instrumental Going Up, Lakey Inspired Model Planes, Hands of a Craftsman Show Resources: Our video on the Son of Man: https://bit.ly/2URk3BH Morna Hooker, "The Son of Man in Mark." John Goldingay, "Daniel" (Word Biblical Commentary) Crispin Fletcher-Louis, "The King, the Messiah, and the Ruler Cult" (ch. 6 of "Jesus Monotheism") Michael S. Heiser, Ch. 30 of "The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible."

Our special guest is Dr. John Goldingay, author of A Reader's Guide to the Bible. John Goldingay (PhD, University of Nottingham; DD, Archbishop of Canterbury at Lambeth) is David Allan Hubbard Professor of Old Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary. He was previously principal and a professor of Old Testament and Hebrew at St John’s Theological College in Nottingham, England. His books include An Introduction to the Old Testament, The Theology of the Book of Isaiah, Key Questions about Interpretation, Do We Need the Old Testament? and commentaries on Psalms, Isaiah, and Daniel. He has also authored the three-volume Old Testament Theology and the seventeen-volume Old Testament for Everyone series. Goldingay also serves as priest-in-charge at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, Pasadena. He holds membership in the Society of Biblical Literature and the Society for Old Testament Study, and served on the Task Force on Biblical Interpretation in the Anglican Communion and the editorial board for the Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies. Visit his website at www.johngoldingay.com

John Goldingay is the David Allan Hubbard Professor of Old Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary. He has been at Fuller since 1997. He was previously principal and a professor of Old Testament at St John’s Theological College in Nottingham, England. He is also priest-in-charge of St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Pasadena. Goldingay says that “For me, being a professor is a subset of being a pastor." He's author of numerous books, including most recently, "Reading Jesus's Bible: How the New Testament Helps Us Understand the Old Testament." He was married to Ann for 43 years until she died in 2009. He is now married to Kathleen and the two of them are well-known in jazz and other clubs in the Los Angeles area. Special Guest: John Goldingay.

Psalm 65:1 NLT 'What mighty praise, O God, belongs to you in Zion. We will fulfill our vows to you.' All of us make our way to God with requests. God is the focus for our intercessions, prayers for ourselves and the ones we love. We approach God with confidence that he will hear and answer us. I remember as a new Christian at university where I met and started dating Katey, I explored this way of prayer. Katey was prone to migraines, and having recently read about physical healing in the Bible, I thought I would pray. Aware a migraine was coming on, I suggested we pray. I had no oil, and in reality didn’t know what sort of oil was meant in the Bible. So I got an egg cup, filled it with water and said in my naivety, “Let’s pray this water becomes oil; after all, Jesus prayed over water and it became wine.” Simple faith carried me a long way. So I prayed and then dribbled some water from the egg cup over Katey’s head, praying for a healing. The signs of the migraine retreated, it never developed and Katey never endured another migraine. I was overjoyed at the outcome. It built my faith, increased my confidence and raised our spirits. Yet, we were focused upon the outcome rather more than the source of that outcome. The healing was as important to us as the healer. John Goldingay translates this verse as, “To you silence is praise”. This, perhaps, is a more fitting response when facing the source of all creation, the One to whom we pray. The silence begins where my words end. It is a quiet recognition of the reality of God’s presence and trust in God’s provision. Now I leave my request with God, confident God has heard and will respond. Approaching God is what we are each invited to do. Having made our approach, expressed our intentions, it is good to pause and acknowledge God’s faithful promise to answer us. We can entrust God with our request with complete confidence that he hears our prayer and will prove faithful. QUESTION: Is the purpose of your prayer to secure your stated outcome, or is it to demonstrate obedient trust in God? PRAYER: Lord, may you be more important to me than getting what I want from you.

In this week's teaching, Josh tries to tackle both the nerdy and the practical issues emerging from the extended dialogue between Moses and God at the burning bush. the restoration project. Joshua James. 26 February 2017 Small Group Questions: (1) What were Moses' five objections to God's call? Can you relate to his sense of self-doubt/unwillingness? (2) Walter Brueggemann explains the divine revelation (Exodus 3:14-15) in this way: “God's answer is extensive and complicated.… Without pursuing the endless critical opinions about the origin of the formula, it is enough to see that the formula bespeaks power, fidelity, and presence.” Have the divine character traits of "power, fidelity, and presence" manifested in your life? In what ways? (3) Josh explained the cultural background behind Moses' "magic" (i.e., his staff tricks). A staff turning into a snake in Egypt, for example, may have served to promote the surpassing power of Israel's God over against the Egyptian gods. (A snake was a symbol for Egyptian royal authority.) Terence Fretheim concludes, that this "reveals a God who acts in and through the realities that relate to the context of which people are a part.” Why is this important? (4) Commenting on the employment of Aaron, Walter Brueggemann wrote, "Moses wants another sent, and God agrees to send Aaron along with him. Fretheim terms this God's ‘Plan B,' after Moses has refused ‘Plan A.' That is, Moses' resistance is taken seriously by God, who must adapt.” What is your first reaction to the thought of God "adapting"? Does it fit in your theological framework or do you feel the need to explain it away? (5) God adapts, but Moses is still called to speak to Pharaoh. John Goldingay writes, “Moses runs from election by God…. The person who leads had to be dragged into a position of leadership: it is a suggestive idea. There are few volunteers among the leaders of Israel or the leaders of the early church.” Do you find this a suggestive idea? If there are few volunteers in the early church, is it telling that TRP is looking for nominations/volunteers to help lead the church? (Should we rethink that?)

We speak about two biblical theological titles from InterVarsity Press including John Goldingay’s Biblical Theology: The God of the Christian Scriptures and Unceasing Kindness: A Biblical Theology of Ruth by Peter Lau and Gregory Goswell. A Special Offer from IVP Through the end of October 2016, visit ivpress.com and use the code 40556 for 40% off and $2 […]

April 8th, 2015 - Praise, Prayer, and Intercession by Dr. John Goldingay

April 8th, 2015 - Praise, Prayer and Intercession by Dr. John Goldingay

Praise, Prayer, and Intercession

April 07, 2015 - Faith, Hope, and Love by Dr. John Goldingay

Faith, Hope, and Love

April 7th, 2015 - Faith, Hope, and Love by Dr. John Goldingay

Praise, Prayer, and Intercession

Praise, Prayer, and Intercession

Faith, Hope, and Love

Faith, Hope, and Love

Dr. John Goldingay

Dr. John Goldingay