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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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When γάρ Can’t Mean “For” (Romans 12:3) - Mondays with Mounce
γάρ is a tricky word. The more formal equivalent translations tend to just use “for” and let you figure out what it means. The problem is th...
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When is Tribulation only Affliction? - Mondays with Mounce
How do you translate θλῖψις? If you translate it as “tribulation,” does that bring in foreign ideas in some contexts? This is a tricky one.B...
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Is “Dynamic Equivalent” a Dirty Word? - Mondays with Mounce
I was talking to someone yesterday who was explaining why he didn’t use the NIV. He referred to it as a “dynamic equivalent” translation, an...
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Did Jesus Care the Disciples were Drowning? (Mark 4:38) - Mondays with Mounce
Don't you find it strange that after many months with Jesus (we don't know how many), the disciples find themselves in a potentially fatal s...
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Do Modern Translations Deny the Trinity? (1 John 5:7b–8a) - Mondays with Mounce
It is often argued by a small but vocal minority of people that modern translations omit the doctrine of the Trinity. Despite the overwhelmi...
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Answer the fool, or not? (Proverbs 26:4–5) - Mondays with Mounce
Some people say they don’t trust the Old Testament because of all the so-called contradictions. One of the apparent contradictions often poi...
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Should The Gospel of Thomas be in the Bible? - Mondays with Mounce
It appears that there were three tests as to whether a book was viewed as authoritative and therefore included in the biblical canon. With s...
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Can Cornelius and Luke tell Time? (Acts 10:30) - Mondays with Mounce
“Cornelius said, ‘Four days ago at this hour, I was praying at the ninth hour in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright cloth...
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What is “Genuine” Love? (Rom 12:9–13) - Mondays with Mounce
Romans 12:9 and the following verses give us an interesting challenge as to what it means and how to translate it. Specifically, where did a...
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Word Study: “Affection” (σπλάγχνον) - Mondays with Mounce
We live in such a culture of un-grace, one without natural affection. Whether it is rancid politics or gossipy and critical people in the ch...
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When does “Not” mean “Never”? (Matthew 5:18) - Mondays with Mounce
Greek has a wonderful ability to state a prohibition with different nuances. Unfortunately, these nuances are often lost in translation. A p...
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Did the Judge Fear Getting Beat Up? (Luke 18:5) - Mondays with Mounce
As an example of persistence in prayer, Jesus tells the parable of the persistent widow pestering the unjust judge until he vindicates her. ...
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Can you remember what happened 30 years ago? - Mondays with Mounce
What would you do if your child came over to your house, said he no longer believed the Bible, and renounced his faith? On top of that, he s...
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The Bible and the Telephone Game - Mondays with Mounce
One common challenge made by skeptics of the Bible is that memory is faulty. It “leaks” and cannot be trusted over a long period of time. Th...
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What does “I Could Wish” Actually Mean? (Romans 9:3) - Mondays with Mounce
Paul often gets a bad rap for seeming to be too caustic and judgmental. It’s too bad that this opinion is not more often balanced by Paul’s ...
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A Subject and its Verb can be “Miles” Apart (Romans 8:3) - Mondays with Mounce
Note: This blog is on YouTube as well.Because Greek is an inflected language, the order of the words is not as critical as it is in English....
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