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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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If Only We Knew What μόνον Means (2 Thess 2:7) - Mondays with Mounce 276
I don’t know what kind of mood Paul was in when he wrote his second letter to the Thessalonians, but it is remarkable how many grammatical i...
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The Ambiguity of Substantival Adjectives (1 Cor 15:53-54) - Mondays with Mounce 275
When an adjective is used as a noun, it is usually clear what it is referring to. But every once in a while the ambiguity is unclear.
Take, ...
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The Challenges of Apposition (Acts 3:20) - Mondays with Mounce 274
Apposition is when you want to use a substantive to qualify another substantive. One way to do this is by putting the second substantive in ...
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Is “He is Risen” Passive? (Matt 28:6) - Mondays with Mounce 273
The other day in class we translated what Herod said about John. “This is John the Baptist; he has risen (ἠγέρθη) from the dead, and that is...
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More on Aktionsart and How Words Convey Meaning - Mondays with Mounce 272
I have been thinking more these days about how words convey meaning. The challenge in any first year Greek class is to create a solid, accur...
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Is Celibacy the “Right” Thing? (1 Cor 7:37)
Does καλῶς mean “right” or “well”? This is one of those situations where I would think we hear things differently.
Paul has been arguing for...
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When is Greek Grammar Bad English Grammar? (1 Cor 9:6) - Mondays with Mounce 270
This blog can be placed in the category of the inconsistencies of formal equivalent translations, which try to keep Greek word order if poss...
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The Many Faces of γάρ (1 Cor 14:23) - Mondays with Mounce 269
We all know that a word has a range of meanings. In fact, I am not sure there is a word that only means one precise thing. And while a word ...
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Idioms and Context (1 Cor 2:7) - Mondays with Mounce 268
Idioms are notoriously difficult to translate. When they occur in isolation, they are a little easier since you can just find an English exp...
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Should You Practice Your Sermons? (1 Cor 1:17) - Mondays with Mounce 266
Paul tells the Corinthians, “For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom (οὐκ ἐν σ...
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“If” or “Since” We Stand Firm (1 Thessalonians 3:8) - Mondays with Mounce 264
In a first class conditional sentence, the protasis is assumed true for the sake of the argument. In other words, if the protasis is true, t...
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Let’s Play “Fill in the Blanks” (1 Timothy 4:3) - Mondays with Mounce 263
Paul can hardly be accused of mincing his words. He is an apostle, knows the truth, and says it clearly and unapologetically. Sometimes he u...
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Do all things really work for good? (Romans 8:28) - Mondays with Mounce 262
The ESV represents the standard translation of this verse. “For those who love God all things work together for good” (see also the NET, KJV...
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Is there ever a time to use “man”? (Col 3:9–10) - Mondays with Mounce 261
Paul tells the Colossian church to “Stop lying to one another, since you have put off the old man (τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον) with its practices,...
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Last Chance! Biblical Languages Certificate Introductory Discounts End Soon
Maybe you’ve always dreamed of learning the biblical languages, but going to seminary has never been an option. Or perhaps you once knew Gr...
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Do you feel like a “glorious inheritance”? (Eph 1:18) - Mondays with Mounce 260
In the words of Iron Man, “It’s good to be back.” I had a good session with the CBT on the NIV, except that a good friend dropped dead at 42...
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