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The Contours of the Land in Israel's History
The Land of Palestine
The land of Palestine took its name from the Philistines (the Pelishtim in Hebrew) who settled along the Mediterranean coast from Joppa to Gaza about 1300–12...
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Is it "You" or "Y'all"? 1 Cor 6:19 Illustrates Some Exegesis Hurdles (Monday with Mounce 200)
Because English uses the same form, "you," for both singular and plural, it can make exegesis a little complicated at times. In so...
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"I Am" (ἐγώ εἰμι) in John 18:5 (Mondays with Mounce 199)
The ἐγώ εἰμι sayings in the gospel of
John are famous. The phrase occurs 21 times. Jesus says that "I am" the
Bread of Life (6:20...
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A Theological Conundrum from the Pastorals: "Braided Hair" or "Elaborate Hairstyles"? (Monday with Mounce 198)
I just came back from a great week at Southern seminary in Louisville. It is the first time in many years I have taught the Pastorals...
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What's a "myriad"? (Monday with Mounce 197)
This is one of the more interesting words in Greek, partly because it is so hard to translate.
BDAG says μυριάς can mean, "a gr...
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How can Jesus take something away from someone who has nothing? - Luke 8:18 (Monday with Mounce 196)
I found an interesting little example of the synoptic problem and harmonization. In Luke 8:18, Jesus says, "Therefore consider careful...
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Did John Drink Vodka? - Luke 1:15 (Monday with Mounce 195)
The angel tells Zechariah that his son, "is never to take wine (οἶνον) or other fermented drink (σίκερα)" (NIV).  On this t...
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γένεσις and the title of Matthew's gospel (Monday with Mounce 194)
Remember the adage: "Greek gives us the range of possibilities; context makes the determination."
Maybe "adage" is too ...
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General revelation and God's love (Monday with Mounce 193)
We had a good week working on the NIV in Switzerland; lots of ideas for future blogs. I also had one day afterwards to do a little more sit...
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Subtle difference between "have" and "get" - Matt 19:16 (Monday with Mounce 192)
This isn't going to sound like much, but much of translation is in the details, often little nuances.
The rich young man comes to Jesus...
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The difference between knowing and being sure - Luke 1:18 (Monday with Mounce 191)
Before I get into today’s blog, I want to mention something I was asked recently. The question has to do with why learn Greek.
“It seems t...
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“Fighting without and fear within” - 2 Cor 7:5 (Monday with Mounce 190)
I was asked why the ESV translates the plural μάχαι as the singular “fighting,” and the plural φόβοι as the singular “fear.”
When it comes...
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“My Deposit” - 2 Tim 1:12 (Monday with Mounce 189)
I just got back from a week of teaching the Pastorals at the Carolina School of Divinity. In going through the Pastorals again I was remi...
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Is the subjunctive “shall” or “might”? - John 3:16 (Monday with Mounce 188)
I was asked about the subjunctive in John 3:16. The concern was that the NIV/NLT reads “shall,” which makes it a promise of salvation. His ...
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The Imperfect and Aktionsart (Monday with Mounce 187)
I am beginning to think that the imperfect is perhaps one of the more subtle tenses, and one whose full significance is most often overlook...
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“Sick” or “Sick People” - Mark 6:55 (Monday with Mounce 186)
Substantival participles (and substantival adjectives) can be tricky, especially when they are generic. Take, for example, τοὺς κακῶς ἔχοντ...
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Spiritually Strong? - Luke 1:80 (Monday with Mounce 185)
I had a great time at Lifeway a few days ago, and as I was leaving they handed me an HCSB study Bible. Pretty impressive, especially in its...
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