Tools and resources you need to do a word study on the Greek word for mercy, ἐλεέω
mercy, eleeó, G1653
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Blog
Latest Blog Posts from Wednesday in the Word, the podcast about what the Bible means and how we know.
20 Why are the Merciful Blessed? (Matthew 5:7)
Only those will to commit the costly act of being merciful will receive mercy in the kingdom of God, because showing mercy is an implication of having saving faith.
June 2021 Reflections
Does God only bless? Many are willing to believe that God only blesses, but reject the idea that He also judges. A subtext of the beatitudes counters that idea.
19 Hunger & Thirst for Righteousness (Matthew 5:6)
When you’re physically hungry, the desire to eat is so overwhelming you can hardly think about anything else. Jesus is counting on that experience in this beatitude. The truly fortunate ones long for that which is missing in this life which only the kingdom of God can fulfill: holiness.
18 Who are the Meek? (Matthew 5:5)
While Matthew 5:5 is probably the most famous beatitude, not many people understand what it means. Jesus does not explain what he means by “meek”, but he is quoting Psalm 37 which gives us a very big clue.
pure, katharos, G2513
Tools and resources you need to do a word study on the Greek word for pure or clean: καθαρός
inherit, kléronomeó, G2816
Tools and resources you need to do a word study on the Greek word for inherit, kléronomeó, κληρονομέω.
17 Why those who Mourn are Blessed (Matthew 5:4)
Mourning is the appropriate emotional response to being poor in spirit. When you realize that life is not what it should be and you are not the kind of person you should be, the appropriate response is to weep over it.
Understanding Biblical Greek Punctuation & Accents
Even if you’re using an interlinear Bible, it’s helpful to understand the basic punctuation marks and accents.
Empires of the Ancient World
Over the course of biblical history, the children of Israel were challenged, threatened and conquered by several other ancient empires. Understanding something about those empires can inform your biblical understanding.
Happy Memorial Day
We thank all those now serving and pray for their safety and blessing. We are grateful.
May 2021 Reflections
1st major section done! Deep dive into the beatitudes. Tell me what you’ve learned from the Gospel of Matthew so far. I’ll include a few favorites in next month’s email. (This should be fun!)
How the Apostles died
Scripture records the deaths of only 2 apostles: James (Acts 12:1-2) and Judas Iscariot (Matthew 27:5). Most of what we know about the deaths of the other apostles comes from early Christian writers and church tradition. Most scholars think the Apostle John is the only apostle who died of natural causes. The exact dates are unknown, most are estimates.
16 Who are the Poor in Spirit? (Matthew 5:1-3)
Unlike those who are self-satisfied and see themselves as spiritually rich, the poor in spirit know that they are morally bankrupt and nothing in this world can give them what they truly need. This knowledge is a core conviction of saving faith.
How to listen to a podcast
Despite the popularity of podcasts today, many people don’t know how to get started listening. Don’t be embarrassed! Ironically, because there are so many different ways to listen, getting started is confusing. Anyone can click on a YouTube video or google a website, but where do you find podcasts? Here are some tutorials.
Israel’s 3 Temples
Israel had 3 temples during its Old & New Testament time period. The original temple was built by Solomon. After the exile, a second temple was built under Zerubbabel. Finally, Herod the Great expanded and enlarged the temple during his reign.
Kings of Persia in Biblical Times
A list of the Kings of Persia in biblical times and where they appear in Scripture.
15 What is a Beatitude? (Matthew 5:1-12)
Before we look at the beatitudes, we need to understand what it means to be blessed, the nature of a beatitudes (Jesus wasn’t the first to employ them) and how Jesus expects us to understand them.
Bible Charts, Lists & Outlines
Here’s my collection of Bible charts, lists, chronologies and outlines.
Distances from Jerusalem
Approximate distances from Jerusalem to key cities and sites in biblical times.
Kings of Babylon in Biblical times
The Babylonian Empire became a world power in 625 BC after the fall of Assyria. Babylon continued its reign until 536 BC. Nebuchadnezzar, its greatest king, reigned in the days of Daniel and took the southern Kingdom of Judah into captivity after the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC. Babylon was finally captured by the Medes and Persians under Cyrus as predicted by the prophet Daniel, and the Babylonian Empire came to an end in 536 BC.
14 Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7)
The Sermon on the Mount is one of the most important passages in Scripture, as it is a profound and unique body of teaching from the Messiah himself. Yet throughout church history, believers have found it difficult to agree on what this sermon means and how it is to be applied to our lives. In this introduction, I’ll contrast the different approaches to the Sermon on the Mount and explain which approach I take.
Biblical Greek Basics
Learning biblical Greek can enrich your Bible study. Even a little knowledge of biblical Greek can help. Check out these tools and tips.
Jewish Day (1st Century) explained
What does the first watch mean? What is the “third hour”? The Jewish day ran from sunset to sunset and was divided in 8 equal parts called watches and hours. Here’s what they mean.
Kings of Assyria in Biblical times
The Assyrian Empire is important to biblical history for devastation the kingdom of Israel and taking the 10 northern tribes into captivity in 722 BC.
13 Jesus’ Early Ministry (Matthew 4:12-25)
As Matthew closes this first section of his gospel, he highlights the Galilean nature of Jesus’ early ministry. Matthew summarizes Jesus’ early ministry as marked by healing and teaching.
Greek Word Studies
Greek Word Studies: Tools to help you study the Greek words in the New Testament from Wednesday in the Word
The Righteous versus the Wicked in the Psalms
Contrasting the way of the wicked and the righteous is a very common theme in the Old Testament. Here are a few Psalms where we find this theme.
April 2021 Reflections
In May, we’ll start the beatitudes from the Sermon on the mount. We’ll talk about what they mean and how Jesus expects us to respond.
12 3rd Temptation: Bow Down (Matthew 4:8-11)
Satan offers Jesus a shortcut to gaining the blessings God has promised him. But idolatry is looking to someone or something other than God to grant us Life. For each of the temptations, we’ll answer 3 questions: Why is the choice wrong? Why is the choice attractive?...
righteousness, dikaiosuné, G1343
Tools and resources you need to do a word study on the Greek word for righteousness: dikaiosunē
righteous, dikaios, G1342
Tools and resources you need to do a word study on the Greek word for righteous: dikaios
11 2nd Temptation: Jump from the pinnacle (Matthew 4:5-7)
While the temptation to jump to from the top of a high mountain may not appear very enticing at first glance, it’s a temptation we all face today. When life gets hard or overwhelming, like Jesus, we’re very tempted to believe God has ceased to take care of us and we need to take a “leap of faith” to get back in His good graces.
gentle, praus, G4329
Tools and resources you need to do a word study on the Biblical Greek word for meek or gentle, praus, G4329
How to use e-sword as a concordance
One of the basic parts of a word study is finding and comparing the uses of the word in the rest of Scripture. Before the internet, we used a physical concordance. Here’s how to locate quickly accomplish this task using my favorite Bible study software: e-sword.
10 1st Temptation: Stones to bread (Matthew 4:1-4)
In the temptations, Satan wants to disqualify Jesus as the Messiah while God wants to demonstrate that Jesus is worthy to be the Messiah. We’ll look how how Jesus responds when he’s tempted to believe God is no longer taking care of him. For each of the temptations...