Last update 20 June, 2019.
IDIOMS
Before I list the idioms I found I’ll start with this short and simple explanation and a more thorough one just below. All of them basically have one thing in common; if you look up the words in a lexicon you still don’t know what they mean. I think just one example explains it all.
“Lamb”
A lamb is an animal as any lexicon will tell you. But we all know Jesus often is called the “Lamb” too. But He looked 100% human. Nothing like a sheep. So while idioms can be very helpful in understanding certain verses care must be taken not to assume everything we read is an idiom. If we did we did it would mean many verses in the OT state Jesus (lamb) was killed right then. Jesus was obviously only killed once. Yes, all those animal-
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Simile-
Example: His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. Revelation 1:14 NIV
Example: He wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent.. Psalm 104:2-
Metaphor-
Example-
Hyperbole-
Example: If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. Matthew 5:29 NIV
Hendiadys-
Example: May the God of peace sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 NIV
Irony-
Example: Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you are in trouble. Judges 10:14 NIV
Example: Doubtless you are the people, and wisdom will die with you. Job 12:1-
Litotes-
Example: Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 1 Peter 2:10 NIV
Euphemism-
Example: After he had said this, he went on to tell him, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up."(Jesus was speaking of the death of Lazarus) John 11:11 NIV
Antithesis-
Example: For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. Galatians 5:17 NIV
Ellipsis-
Example: Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? 1 Corinthians 12:30 NIV
Metonymy-
Example: He is the one who will build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever.(Here the word "throne" would mean kingdom)1 Chronicles 17:12 NIV
Example: I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.(Here "key" would mean authority) Isaiah 22:22 NIV
Synecdoche-
Example: Let me know that it is your hand, that you, O Lord, have done it. Psalm 109:27 NIV
Eponymy-
Example: For you have as many gods as you have towns, O Judah. Jeremiah 2:28 NIV
Merismus-
Example: At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat upon the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well. Exodus 12:29 NIV
Personification-
Example: Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public squares; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out, in the gateways of the city she makes her speech. Proverbs 1:20-
Apostrophe-
Example: "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" 1 Corinthians 15:55 NIV.
http://www.frontlineweb.8m.com/idioms.html
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Grass: Common people.
Trees: Leaders.
Mountains: Places of authority. Large kingdoms.
Hills: Smaller kingdoms, nations or large city.
Islands: Usually a peaceful place surrounded by violent kingdoms. Or just vastly different societies.
Sea: Nations. Usual picture as being in turmoil (waves)
Ships: People who spread God's word.
Dust: Scattered nation
Living water: The Law (positive form), Jesus the Living water.
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Idiom #1 -
Matt 12:18 Behold, my Boy whom I chose, my beloved in whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will declare justice to the Gentiles.
Isa 42:1 Behold, my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights. I have put my Spirit upon him, he will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.
Ps 43:1 Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against a profane nation. O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man.
John 3:17 For God sent the Son into the world not that he might condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.
(the noun salvation is used only 7 times in the Gospels
The Hebrew word for Judgement, judging, etc very often means saving, to save etc Jesus came to save not to judge. When David was is trouble he called for help (salvation) not the negative meaning of judgement.
Judg 11:27 I therefore have not sinned against thee, but thou do me wrong to war against me. LORD, the Judge, be judge this day between the sons of Israel and the sons of Ammon.
Isa 33:22 For LORD is our judge. LORD is our lawgiver. LORD is our king, he will save us.
Gen 18:25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay a righteous man with a wicked man, that so the righteous man should be as the wicked man. Far be it from thee. Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
Ps 94:2 Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth. Render to the proud a recompense.
Luke 22:30 that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Ps 122:1 I was glad when they said to me, Let us go to the house of LORD.
Ps 122:2 Our feet are standing inside thy gates, O Jerusalem.
Ps 122:3 Jerusalem, that is built as a city that is compact together,
Ps 122:4 where the tribes go up, even the tribes of LORD, [for] an ordinance for Israel, to give thanks to the name of LORD.
Ps 122:5 For there thrones are set for judgment, the thrones of the house of David.
Ps 122:6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. They shall prosper who love thee.
Ps 122:7 Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.
Ps 122:8 For my brothers and companions' sakes I will now say, Peace be within thee.
Ps 122:9 For the sake of the house of LORD our God I will seek thy good.
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Idiom #2 -
Luke 10:9 And heal the weak in it, and say to them, The kingdom of God has come near to you.
In Hebrew it means the kingdom is already there at that very moment
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Idiom #3 -
Matt 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, because the kingdom of the heavens is theirs.
Poor in spirit is shorthand for poor, humble, lowly and broken in spirit
Blessed=blessed, happy and fortunate.
Isa 66:2 For all those things has my hand made, and all those things have been, said the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembles at my word.
Kingdom isn't a place but it's "to rule" or "to be ruled"
Heaven is a synonym for God
Theirs isn't the best possible translation because they don't own the kingdom but they are part of it.
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Idiom #4 -
Not strictly about idioms but about parables which often are giant idioms.
In the NT we read Jesus only spoke in parables in public. That a statement of a simple fact but it also contains a little extra info for those who know Jewish customs.
Long before Jesus was born Jewish scholars taught people using Mashal=parable but after that Mashal they retold the same story with a Nimshal (real life example). The way I understand it Jesus only used Nimshals in private.
Read some examples http://www.theparablediscovery.com/subpage7.html
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Idiom #5 -
Luke 10
8 "When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. 9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.' 10 But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 11 'Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.' 12 I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.
Wipe the dust of ones sandals is often understood as "leave the town with not hard feelings toward it's citizens".
The Hebrew interpretation seems to be the opposite. After Jews had contact with gentile they symbolically shook of the dust of their sandals. It symbolized non Jewish filth. Pagans. And "death". It's very similar to tearing clothes in front of a "dead" person. (mourning of a dead person)
I think it's also similar to Jesus calling the Scribes/Pharisees walking dead.
So (imo) shaking of the dust of the sandals was declaring someone spiritual dead. That's among the most serious Jewish insults. Not a "no hard feelings" as many Christians seem to think. It's utter rejection.
Verse 12 seems to agree with this negative interpretation. Why warn about a fate worse than Sodom if 'you' walk away with no hard feelings?
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Idiom #6 -
Camel likely is a copying error. Camel and rope are very similar words in Hebrew and can be confused very easily
Mat 19:24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
Mat 19:24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a rope to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
Does that make sense? I think it does if we look at the context. Verse 21 clearly states to sell your stuff. Verse 23 is telling exactly the same in the form of a parable.
21 Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."
Rich men have lots of things. They are like a heavy rope with many strands.
21 Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."
Rich men have lots of things. They are like a heavy rope with many strands.
A strand of rope can pass trough the eye of the needle. So the more the rich man sells the thinner his rope becomes. So it means every almsgiving increases the rich mans chances for heaven.
Narrow gate anyone?
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Idiom #7 -
Matt 11:28 "Come to me, all of you who are struggling and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Matt 11:29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Matt 11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
Yoke is easily associated with a burden. Something negative.
But in reality it was something the desire of every student. The teacher carried/pulled a "heavy load of knowledge". The aim of the students was to be able to pull the same load. Obviously the pulling is figuratively done with a yoke. Just as an ox pulls a cart.
This explanation may sound odd because if Jesus' burden/yoke was light it seems to mean He pulled a small cart of knowledge. Big carts, big teachers. Small carts, small teachers. Humm... before I'm going to wriggle myself out if that blasphemy :mshock: the following verses about Pharisees pulling heavy loads (real smart dudes)
Matt 23:1 Then Yeshua addressed the crowds and his talmidim:
Matt 23:2 "The Torah-
Matt 23:3 So whatever they tell you, take care to do it. But don't do what they do, because they talk but don't act!
Matt 23:4 They tie heavy loads onto people's shoulders but won't lift a finger to help carry them.
Obvious the Bible in no way is implying Jesus is (vastly) outclassed by the Scribes and Pharisees.
Think back at your study time; some classes were very boring they seemed to drag on for ages. That was a class of Scribe.
But some classes were so much fun it seems they ended moments after you sat down. That the class of Jesus.
His message/class is full of joy. It teaches liberty while the Scribes taught endless lists of forbidden things.
Jesus: Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Scribes: Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am rude and burst with pride, and my gloomy teachings will trouble your souls.
The burden is also called: cost of discipleship.
According to Ben Sira, wisdom's yoke, that is, the burden of study, will become joy, strong protection, a golden ornament, a cord of blue, a glorious robe and a crown of gladness. In other words, although the yoke is a burden, the bearer will experience it as easy and light
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Idiom #13 -
Not really an idiom but the concept many idioms and parables are based on.
Parables were used extensively. Scholars found 4000+ different ones.
Light and heavy usually means give a "light example" everyone agrees with and then how that light example can be magnified to a heavy example.
When Jesus healed/helped a sick person on Sabbath the Scribes accused Him of working on Sabbath.
Jesus answered with a light heavy teaching. He said/asked it was permitted to help an ox that fell in a ditch. The Scribes agreed with this "light example". Then Jesus continued with His "heavy teaching". A man is more valuable to God than a beast. So if God allows/likes an ox to be saved how much more joy would it give God that a human was saved. That's an interpretation scholars generally agree on. There is less agreement on the light/heavy teaching of "pluck out your eye" Imo it simply means "stop using that eye (light) for bad things until the sin becomes so great (heavy) God will cast you in Gehenna".
Other light heavy teachings are less clear. For example when a man looks with a lustful eye to woman he already committed adultery. It could be compared with pluck out your eye. If the eye is plucked out it obviously can't look lustfully and the sin doesn't evolve into literal adultery. That interpretation is in line with the classic light/heavy method of teaching.
So what was Jesus trying to explain. Looking lustfully (light) is a lesser sin that leads to real adultery (heavy)?
Or as many Christian scholars claim looking=adultery.
Same reasoning for if you hate your brother then you have already murdered him.
Was Jesus using a light/heavy teaching which was an extremely popular way of teaching is that day? (remember Jesus used that method with the ox). Hating leads to murder.
Or hate=murder as many Christian scholars claim?
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Idiom #14 -
Hate = love less
Luke 14:26 If anyone is coming to Me and is not hating his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, and still more his soul besides, he can not be My disciple."
Gen 29:30 And he went in also to Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years.
Gen 29:31 And when the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren.
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Idiom #15 -
Luke 13:34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would have none of it!
Luke 13:35 Look, your house is forsaken! And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, 'Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!'"
In the Jewish wedding, when the groom approaches the chuppah, these words are said: "Blessed is he who comes". In the book, "Made in Heaven" by Orthodox Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, he explains that this is actually an idiomatic expression which means "welcome".
So, when Jesus said you will not see me (again) until you say, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord", this is actually "wedding talk" and a Hebraic way of saying, "Welcome!". Yeshua/Jesus said that He will not return back to the earth at his second coming until He is welcomed as the bridegroom and His people are crying out for Him to return and be married to His people !!!
Click for pictures of a chuppah.
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Idiom #16 -
Horse and donkey. ====> Jesus rode a donkey and led a horse.
This is one of those idioms/deeper meaning I wouldn't have guess in a million years.
It also seems to have a (mild) UR meaning.
"A horse is prepared for times of war" (Mishlei 21:31).
"The horse is not able to provide a person salvation (when Hashem is not with him)" (Tehilim 33:17).
Six things were said of a horse: It is promiscuous; it loves war; and it is a proud creature... (Pesachim 113b)
The fact that horses represent war and conquest answers a number of riddles. In Genesis 32:15,16 Yakov sends a generous gift to his brother, Esav, in order to appease his anger. Yakov's gift includes all sorts of animals -
The prophet (Zecharyah 9:9) describes the Messiah as "a poor man, riding upon a *donkey*." The Gemara (Sanhedrin 98a) describes how King Shevor of Persia scoffed, "Why doesn't your Messiah come riding on a horse? If he lacks one, I'll be glad to provide him with one of my best!" Why, indeed, should the Messiah come on a donkey? Isn't a horse a more appropriate sign of military victory?
The answer may be learned from the words of the Gemara earlier on that same page (ibid.). A poor man on a donkey is a description of how the Messiah will appear if the Jews are *not* found deserving of a spectacular salvation.
Whether we deserve it or not, we will eventually be redeemed; however, if we are not deserving the Messiah will only arrive riding on a donkey. A horse is a sign of proud conquest; this Messiah will provide but a humble Exodus. As the Gemara says in Shabbat 152a, "One who rides a horse is a king; one who rides a donkey is but a freeman."
Similarly, when the 72 Elders translated the Torah for King Ptolemy (Megilah 9a), they changed the meaning of a number of words in order that he should not misunderstand them and scoff at them. One of the words they change involved the donkey that Moshe rode his family upon, on his way to Egypt to free the Jews. Instead of "donkey," they used the broad term "beast of transportation," lest King Ptolemy ask them,
"Did Moshe not have a horse to ride upon?" Moshe, too, rode upon a donkey because the Jews were not being redeemed from Egypt on their own merit, but rather out of Hashem's mercy. He was not the proud conqueror.
IV
On a deeper level of meaning, in the above-
What these kings did not know was that the Jewish People are Hashem's chosen nation. Out of His love for our virtuous ancestors, who embedded their desirable traits deep in the hearts of their descendants, Hashem promised to always come to our rescue and to eventually redeem us from exile. Whether he comes on a horse or on a donkey, the Messiah is on his way -
In Zechariah 9:9, Matthew 21:5, Messiah comes riding on a donkey. As a corporate nation, the Jewish people missed their Messiah. After riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, Messiah wept over the city because of it's destruction and nation's rejection of their Messiah (Luke 19:28-
In Revelation 19:11-
This is the Jewish background and understanding of Jesus's Triumphant entry into Jerusalem.
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Idiom #17 -
John 1:48 "How do you know me?" Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you."
It means Nathaneal will be part of His millennial reign. A huge part of the millennium is Torah study under the fig tree.
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Idiom #18 -
Matthew 24:26, "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in Heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father"
When Jesus said nobody knows the day He precisely told us the exact day through this idiom. (But not the year.)
The Jewish new year, Rosh Hosanna, started after the fall equinox. Only the calendar court could legally announce when the year started. So nobody knew the exact day and time until the Calendar Court’s announcement.
Jewish new year wasn't a main festival but it did start the count toward a major festival. On the 10th of the same month was the day of Atonement.
Using astronomy software I can calculate the new moon with a precision that's usually far more accurate than an hour.
But that's just theoretical because the moon has to be observed with the naked eye. And therein lays the uncertainty. My software doesn't "know" the moon can't be seen because of clouds, mist or rain. A month was never suspended more than one day because a solar month is always 29 or 30 days. So guesswork can come very close. Jews of course also knew the day fairly accurate but still it was an idiom.
Matt 8:11 And I say to you, that many will come from east and west, and will sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of the heavens,
This verse is a reference to what the Jews call "The seven shepherds" Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Joseph, King David.
During Sukkot/feast of Tabernacles the seven Shepherds were symbolically invited into each booth as guests of honor.
That day was known as day of the Lord, Messianic age, 1000 year kingdom.
Luke 19:10 "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost"
My guess is He called Himself the 8th Shepherd.
Ok back to the idiom. So Jesus was pointing to New Year.
“…but only the Father” linked His return to marriage. When a young boy was betrothed he didn’t see his bride until marriage. After the boy and girl got betrothed the boy had to make certain preparation of which the most important one was building a marriage room (my father’s house has many mansions) . His father periodically checked his progress. The boy was often teased in the streets by people asking why he still didn’t marry her. Was he to clumsy to build? Or was he so ugly his bride canceled wedding? Then the boy answered “Only my father knows.”
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"Idiom" #19 -
Ps 2:12 Kiss the son, lest he be angry, and ye perish in the way, for his wrath will soon be kindled. Blessed are all those who take refuge in him.
Means:
-
-
Very likely it's bad translation that crept in after the 5th century. Partly because of poor translations skills and likely mostly because 'they' wanted it to refer to Jesus.
nash-
Hebrew: Bar = pure
Hebrew: Ben = son
Aramiac: Bar = son
Translators wrongly assumed the verses contained Aramaic words
It's said/assumed the verse refers to Psalm 2:7 about king David
Ps 2:7 I will tell of the decree. LORD said to me, Thou are my son, this day I have begotten thee.
1Samuel 10:1 -
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Idiom #20 -
2Tim 2:15 Be diligent to present thyself approved to God, an irreproachable workman, correctly traversing the word of truth.
Ancient Hebrew and Greek knew no spaces or punctuation. Not even upper and lower case letters. So originally the whole book of Genesis was one huge string of letters.
Does dividing point to cutting of that string into words, verses and chapters? Likely not because dividing seems to have another meaning than cutting up.
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Prov 3:6 Acknowledge him in all your ways, and he will make your paths straight.
Prov 11:5 The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way, but the wicked man shall fall by his own wickedness.
The above two verses use the same Greek word in the LXX translation (which was made by 2nd century BC by a team of 70 Rabbis)
The verses seem to be about proper guidance and/or interpretation.
What does "word of truth" mean?
Whole Bible? Just the OT or NT. Every religious teaching? Something else?
Eph 1:13 In whom ye also, having heard the word of the truth, the good-
Col 1:5 because of the hope being reserved for you in the heavens, which ye heard before in the word of the truth of the good-
The word of truth seems to point to Jesus' direct teaching only. Of course it doesn't mean the OT and other NT books are false but imo it's zooming in on the Gospels.
2Tim 2:16 But shun profane babblings, for they will advance to greater impiety,
2Tim 2:17 and their word will have a feeding field like gangrene, of whom are Hymenaeus and Philetus,
==> Avoid all none Gospel teachings at all cost.
2 Timothy 3:10 You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11 persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
Timothy is instructed by Paul to teach only what he learned from Him. Of course that doesn't point to all sort of OT teachings every Jew knew by heart.
My interpretation of this:
Timothy must pass on the teaching of Jesus in it's purest form. No mixing with other teachings.
No it has nothing to do with:
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Idiom #21 -
Meet "with four eyes" means meet face to face without anyone else present.
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Idiom #22 -
Something completely false
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Idiom #23 -
Someone idles his time away.
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Idiom #24 -
Matt 5:10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
Several problems with the above translation. Some simply because the words used in the original text had several meanings. Giving the verse a bit more depth which was lost in the translation process.
Persecuted which was translated from Greek can also mean "pursue". The Hebrew word for ‘persecuted’ also has that double meaning. But "persue" is it's primary meaning.
The Bible translator chose to translate diuku (Greek) with persecute because of the following two verses that deal with persecution.
11 "God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you[a] and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. 12 Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.
Bivin & Blizzard comment that the sudden shift of the pronoun from the third person to the second is "a clear indication that these verses were not originally a part of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, but a part of another context or story. They were probably placed after Matthew 5:10 by the editor of Matthew's source because of the word "persecution", which appears in both passages."
Doing right/righteousness is a Hebrew idiom (also) meaning "salvation"
Theirs is to strong wording because they don't own the Kingdom but are just part of it.
Combine that with Idiom#2 that explains the kingdom already arrived.
So a more correct translation would be:
Matt 5:10 Blessed are those who pursue salvation, for such as these are in the kingdom of God.
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Idiom #25 -
Matt 5:42 Give to him who asks thee, and turn thou not away from him who wants to borrow from thee.
The above is Hebrew poetry. Hebrew poetry doesn't rhyme but it repeats the same concept in slightly different words.
So if the second part means borrow, so must the first part mean borrow.
Ask -
Borrow -
It's not another subject it's explaining not to take revenge
Matt 5:39 But I say to you, not to resist what is troublesome, but whoever will strike thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
Neither does the verse teach to give everything away because it's about loans. Not giving to everyone who asks. Be good stewards of your talents/coins Mat 25:14-
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Idiom #26 -
Interpretation #1
Math 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
Math 5:18 For verily, I am saying to you, Till heaven and earth should be passing by, one iota or one serif may by no means be passing by from the law till all should be occurring.
Does that verse contradict?
Rom 10:4 For Christ is an end of law for righteousness to every one who is believing,
Is or isn't Jesus abolishing the law? It's idiom time again...
It may come as a suprise to some but the Rabbi's didn't always agree :-
When they didn't agree with a interpretation of another Rabbi they said he (the rabbi) was destroying the law (by misinterpretation)
The other Rabbi then replied he was fulfilling the law (correctly interpretation the law)
So in verse 17 Jesus simply claims He has come to give the only correct interpretation of the law.
He doesn't add, remove, change, destroy, etc. He explains it how it was meant to be for millennia.
The ancient laws will outlive heaven and earth.
Jesus didn't destroy/change the law but the following verse clearly shows He ended the law?
Rom 10:4 For Christ is an end of law for righteousness to every one who is believing,
Again the answer is found in the changing of word meanings. Or in this case added word meanings.
Originally Torah=Instruction ===> Written laws directly commanded by God.
The written law was vague at points. It for example didn't describe what "work" is. So Rabbis added lots of oral laws (which were penned down in ~200 AD)
In Jesus time the combination of written and oral laws got the name "the law". Primary or secondary meaning. Perhaps just among Rabbis. I don't know. But Jesus was referring to the combined law. He removed the manmade oral law which was never law in the eyes of God. But He left the written law fully in tact.
Interpretation #2
Take an empty glass and slowly put water in it. Is the glass thrown away when it’s full? Has it fulfilled it’s purpose when it’s full? No on the contrary, the glass was designed to hold liquid. It’s it’s purpose to be filled.
Likewise with the law. It started as an empty glass that over time got filled with new regulations and explanations. Jesus added the last things to the Law. He filled the glass to the top. That was the time when the Law was finally written down.
That wasn’t the signal to get rid of it, not it just means it’s complete and ready for use.
This interpretation doesn’t contradict the other one, because the Rabbi claiming to fulfill was adding knowledge to the glass.
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Idiom #27 -
Matt 5:20 For I am saying to you that, if ever your righteousness should not be superabounding more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, by no means may you be entering into the kingdom of the heavens.
Should we follow the law even better than those extreme Scribes and Pharisees?
Righteousness originally had the meaning of deliverance/salvation; but during the time of Jesus it had a secondary meaning of alms giving.
For Pharisees prayer, fasting and alms giving were the three most important things of righteous life. Alms giving being the most important of them all. It became so important that alms giving became a synonym for righteousness/salvation/deliverance.
The Hebrew word is tsedakah
Scriptural tsedakah = Salvation ==> broad meaning ==> bigger meaning
Pharisee tsedakah = alms giving ==> narrow meaning ==> smaller meaning
Basically the Pharisees believed they could buy salvation by giving alms.
Jesus uses both meanings in one verse.
So Jesus said: If you want to enter heaven your definition of tsedakah should be the bigger (as in wider) than the narrow alms giving tsedakah definition of the Pharisees and Scribes.
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Idiom #28 -
Matt 11:12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence,[a] and violent people have been raiding it
Professor David Flusser discovered the key to understanding it through an old rabbinic midrash. This verse alludes to Micah 2:13 One who breaks open the way will go up before them; they will break through the gate and go out. Their king will pass through before them, the Lord at their head (NIV). This verse pictures the shepherd taking the stones of the pen away in the morning, therefore "breaking open the way" for the sheep to get back out, which is the Hebrew word parats. While the breach-
So basically the verse means Kingdom is storming the world. (in a positive way)
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Idiom #29 -
Matt 16:19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
“Binding and loosing” is legal terminology that was often used by Pharisees.
Bind=prohibited and Loose=allow, permit, relaxing rules. Both in relation to rules given in the OT according to rabbinic interpretation.
But also: Jesus was giving Peter the authority to make decisions and rules*, which the young church would need (see Acts 6:1-
Matt 16:19 I will be giving you the keys of the kingdom of the heavens, and whatsoever you should be binding on the earth shall be those things having been bound in the heavens, and whatsoever you should be loosing on the earth, shall be those having been loosed in the heavens."
Original meaning of bind: tie up, imprison, tether an animal or hitch a cart.
Translators used those meanings when they translated from Hebrew to Greek. The Greek is correctly translated to for example English. But....
... the word meanings where taken from the LXX, a 2nd century BC Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures.
After the LXX was written the Hebrew word 'bind' got an additional meaning. A meaning that at Jesus' time was the primary meaning. Same for Loose. At Jesus' time the new meaning of the words were used extensively in Rabbinic teachings.
Bind = Forbid ==> It was bound to work on Sabbath. (bound by law)
Loose = Allow ==> It was loose to walk to the Temple on Sabbath.
Jesus gave Peter authority to make decisions*. "Heaven" would back up those decisions.
*= But those decisions never ever are against Scripture. So Peter had the authority to teach/enforce God’s millennia old rules. Not make up a few rules of his own!
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Idiom #30 -
Matt 6:22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
The above verses mean praying, fasting and almsgiving should be done in secrecy. Not just to put up a show.
Lightfoot explains the Matthew passage as a metaphor for generosity and covetousness, calling it a "usual manner of speech of the nation". He equates a good eye with generosity and an evil eye with stinginess, quoting Tractate Trumot of the Talmud: This is the measure of Truma (offering given to the priests). A good eye yields one out of forty: that is the fortieth part. The school of Shammai says, one out of thirty. A middle eye, one out of fifty. And an evil eye, one out of sixty. He that gives a gift, let him give with a good eye: and he that dedicates anything, let him dedicate it with a good eye.
Geza Vermes, in his book The Religion of Jesus the Jew, further explains this in relation to other Jewish writings of the times. Vermes finds parallel between the Gospel writings of the eye and the lamp and the sayings of Eliezer ben Hyrcanus who equated the "good eye" with the "good way" (mAb. 2:9) – in other words, proper religious behavior. Additionally, Vermes ties in the dualism of light and dark found in the Qumran writings to the Gospel writings. If the eye is good, it fills the body with light, otherwise darkness would be victorious – the fear of such dualism. In 4Q186 ("Horoscopes"), it is taught that people consist of a nine-
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Idiom #31 -
Psalm 43:1 Judge me, O God
Isaiah 59:9-
In all the above verses judgement equals something good like righteousness and salvation.
Mat 19:28 Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Read Psalm 122 in which Jerusalem is called city of Salvation with several thrones. Parallel between psalm 122 and Mat 19:28
Of course judgement can be really negative; but the word itself certainly isn't all doom and gloom.
Context.....
Matt 12:18 Behold, my Boy whom I chose, my beloved in whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will declare justice to the Gentiles.
Isa 42:1 Behold, my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights. I have put my Spirit upon him, he will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.
Ps 43:1 Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against a profane nation. O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man.
John 3:17 For God sent the Son into the world not that he might condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.
The noun salvation is only 7 times in the Gospels
The Hebrew word for Judgement, judging, etc very often means saving, to save etc
Jesus came to save not to judge.
When David was is trouble he called for help (salvation) not the negative meaning of judgement.
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Judg 11:27 I therefore have not sinned against thee, but thou do me wrong to war against me. LORD, the Judge, be judge this day between the sons of Israel and the sons of Ammon.
Isa 33:22 For LORD is our judge. LORD is our lawgiver. LORD is our king, he will save us.
Gen 18:25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay a righteous man with a wicked man, that so the righteous man should be as the wicked man. Far be it from thee. Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
Ps 94:2 Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth. Render to the proud a recompense.
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Luke 22:30 that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Ps 122:1 I was glad when they said to me, Let us go to the house of LORD.
Ps 122:2 Our feet are standing inside thy gates, O Jerusalem.
Ps 122:3 Jerusalem, that is built as a city that is compact together,
Ps 122:4 where the tribes go up, even the tribes of LORD, [for] an ordinance for Israel, to give thanks to the name of LORD.
Ps 122:5 For there thrones are set for judgment, the thrones of the house of David.
Ps 122:6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. They shall prosper who love thee.
Ps 122:7 Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.
Ps 122:8 For my brothers and companions' sakes I will now say, Peace be within thee.
Ps 122:9 For the sake of the house of LORD our God I will seek thy good.
Jerusalem, city of salvation.
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Idiom #32 -
Luke 9:44 You be laying up these sayings in your ears, for the Son of Mankind is about to be given up into the hands of men."
An Hebrew idiom meaning more than just listening. It emphasizes the words that follow are of extreme importance and should be remembered .I don't know there is a similar English idiom (sharpen your ears?). The Dutch one is: Knot it in your ears. Or point your ears.
The idiom refers to a promise God made to Joshua. The war with the kingdom of Almelek will take a long time but eventually Israel will win.
But God didn't speak to Joshua directly. He spoke to Moses who passed on the message to his disciple Joshua. In the same way Jesus passed on the message to His disciples. The disciples knew every bit of the OT; so to them this little verse refers to a large portion of Jewish history. Their was added symbology for the Jews because (for them) Amalek symbolized satan.
So Jesus warned the Disciples that they would be under constant attack (led by satan)
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Idiom #33 -
Luke 9:29 And it came to pass, while he was praying, that the appearance of his countenance became changed, and his raiment white and glistening.
countenance = face
Exod 34:29 And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses knew not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.
34 Yet whenever Moses entered before Yahweh to speak with Him he took away the covering until he went forth. When he came forth, then he spoke to the sons of Israel that which he was instructed.
35 And the sons of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses's face gleamed. Yet Moses restored the covering on his face until he entered to speak with Him.
Moses and Elijah spoke to Jesus on the mountain. The Hebrew OT has 3 major divisions.
The Law (Moses), The Prophets (Elijah) and the Writings.
Luke 9:32 But Peter and those with him were weighed down with sleep, and having become awake, they saw his glory, and the two men who stood with him.
Luke 9:33 And it came to pass, as they were departing from him, Peter said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here, and we could make three tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah, not knowing what he was sayi
Luke 9:34 And while he was speaking these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them. And they were afraid as they entered into the cloud.
Luke 9:35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son. Hear ye him.(=obey)
Luke 9:36 And at the occurrence of the voice, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent, and informed no man in those days any of the things that they have seen.
Exod 33:9 It came to be as Moses entered the tent that the cloud column descended and stood at the portal of the tent, and He spoke with Moses.
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Idiom #34 -
Let's face it, face is an idiom for 'the Lord'
Isa 63:9 In all their distress He is no adversary, And the messenger of His presence saved them, In His love and in His pity He redeemed them, And He doth lift them up, And beareth them all the days of old.
Presence=face=the Lord
They where save by the angel of the Lord.
In the Temple there is a table of showbread/shewbread. It seems to be a poor translation. An attempt to translate an unknown Hebrew idiom.
Num 4:7 And upon the table of showbread they shall spread a cloth of blue, and put on it the dishes, and the spoons, and the bowls and the cups with which to pour out. And the continual bread shall be on it.
Num 4:7 And over the table of the presence they shall spread a blue cloth, and they will put on it the dishes and the spoons, the waste pans and the libation chalices. Also the continual bread shall be on it.
Presence=Face=Lord.
It just means table of the Lord with on top of it bread of the Lord. (12 loaves)
Literal Hebrew reads: "Table of the Face" and "Bread of the face".
For what it's worth; my guess is that there is a connection to the Last Supper table.
Not every "face" means Lord. It's never easy
Luke 9:51 Now it occurred in the fulfillment of the days of His taking up, He fixes His face steadfastly to go to Jerusalem."
In this case it simply means walk in the direction of Jerusalem.
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Idiom #35 -
Luke 10:5 Now into whatever house you may be entering, first say, 'Peace to this household!'"
Luke 10:6 And if a son of peace should be there, your peace will be resting on it; otherwise, surely it will come back on you."
Son of peace/house means a friend that's so close it's almost part of your family (family=house)
"Son of" is an idiom I can't explain. So I'll give a few examples.
Son of:
-
-
-
-
So Luke said to greet the house (family). If they are friendly they welcome you. If not you retract your greetings and move on.
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Idiom #37 -
Luke 23:31 Because if they do these things in the green tree, what will happen in the dry?
Ezek 20:47 and you have said to the forest of the south:Hear a word of Yahweh:Thus said the Lord Yahweh:Lo, I am kindling in you a fire, And it has devoured in you every moist tree, and every dry tree, Not quenched is the glowing flames, And burnt by it have been all faces from south to north."
Green tree = righteous
Dry tree = wicked
Jesus never claimed He was the Messiah in a direct way. He used Rabbinic interpretations. One of those interpretations was: Green tree = the Messiah.
So Jesus said: I'm the green tree aka the Messiah Ezekiel wrote about.
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Idiom #38 -
Luke 6:22 Happy are you whenever men should be hating you, and whenever they should be severing from you and reproaching you and casting out your name as wicked, on account of the Son of Mankind."
Neh 6:13 so that he [is] an hireling, that I may fear and do so, and I had sinned, and it had been to them for an evil name that they may reproach me.
"as" isn't in the originals. In Hebrew adjective follow nouns.
English: ...wide road leads to destruction.
Hebrew: ...road wide leads to destruction.
So Neh 6:13 renders the words (idiom) in the correct English order. Luke renders them in the Hebrew order and inserted "as" to make it more readable.
The real translation error isn't in the Greek-
The original translator did a 1 on 1 translation which wasn't necessarily wrong but the idiomatic meaning got lost in the process.
The Greek means "cast/throw out" while the original Hebrew has the meaning of "go out".
So the fuller meaning is "cause to go out". Placed in context "make public" or "publish"
"publish name bad" is an Hebrew idiom for "defame someone", "slander someone"
Luke 6:22 Happy are you whenever men should be hating you, and whenever they should be severing from you and reproaching you and slander your name, on account of the Son of Mankind."
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Idiom #39 -
The misunderstanding of this idiom actually killed Christians who understood it literally.
Mark 16:18 they will be picking up serpents; and if they should be drinking anything deadly, it should under no circumstances be harming them; they will be placing hands on those who are ailing, and ideally will they be having it."
Serpents can literally mean serpent/snake/viper.
Jesus called the Scribes vipers. Satan is often called serpent. I don't know how satan looks, but I doubt it's a literal snake. The scribes very likely looked 100% human too.
Like in English a snake/viper/serpent can also mean a bad person. An enemy.
"pick up snakes" = "handling an enemy"
"anything deadly"=Poison = false teachings. They won't be poisoned (aka deceived) by hearing false teachings.
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Idiom #40 -
Mark 9:43 And if thy hand may cause thee to stumble, cut it off. It is good for thee to enter into life maimed, than having thy two hands to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire,
Mark 9:44 where their worm does not perish, and the fire is not quenched.
Mark 9:45 And if thy foot may cause thee to stumble, cut it off. It is good for thee to enter into life crippled, than having thy two feet to be cast into hell, into the unquenchable fire
Mark 9:46 where their worm does not perish, and the fire is not quenched.
Mark 9:47 And if thine eye may cause thee to stumble, pluck it out. It is good for thee to enter into the kingdom of God one-
Reading the above literally a repenting Christian/Jew should mutilate himself as an act of repenting.
That seems to contradict:
1Cor 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
1Cor 6:20 For you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body.
Does a repenting person glorify God by mutilating his God-
It's a very simple idiom. If you have a bad habit stop it.
So if a man uses his eyes to lustfully look at women he should stop doing so.
If a hand steals then repent and stop stealing.
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Idiom #41 -
Eph 1:18 the eyes of your heart having been enlightened, for you to perceive what is the expectation of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of the enjoyment of His allotment among the saints,
I think in this case it's very obvious it must be an idiom.
A heart is the organ of knowledge and understanding.
English has a similar idiom: Learn it by heart.
So the verse is about deep understanding.
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Idiom #42 -
Phil 1:8 "For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ."
Above I wrote the heart is the organ of intellect. Bowels are the organs of compassion.
Phil 1:8 "For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the love/compassion of Jesus Christ."
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Idiom #43 -
Acts 8:33 "In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.
Isa 53:8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
It means someone doesn't have descendants.
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Idiom #44 -
John 12:11 "Because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus.
"went away" is "to go" in Hebrew.
To go can mean "go away", "depart" or similar. But the idiomatic meaning is "increase".
So the verse doesn't say the Jews went away but the Jews gained more and more knowledge of Jesus. The believed Jesus more and more.
Gen 26:13 And the man became great, and grew more and more until he became very great.
The man kept going/to go getting bigger.
1Sam 14:19 And it came to pass, while Saul talked to the priest, that the tumult that was in the camp of the Philistines went on and increased. And Saul said to the priest, Withdraw thy hand.
To go. The camp was increasing is size.
So a house to go isn't a mobile home but a household growing in numbers :-
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Idiom #45 -
Luke 24:25 And he said unto them, `O inconsiderate and slow in heart, to believe on all that the prophets spake!
==> Correct translation
Luke 24:32 And they said to each other, Was not our heart burning within us while he spoke to us on the way, while he opened to us the scriptures?
==> Wrong translation
Hebrew reads heavy/sluggish heart.
The heart is the organ of understanding (Idiom #41). Having a slow heart means having difficulty understanding.
Luke 23:32 compares the deep knowledge/expertise of the teacher with shallow understanding of the students. Or they simply said: That teacher knows far more of the Scriptures than we do.
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Idiom #46 -
Not really a wrong translations (in most Bibles) but it misses a wordplay about inspired speech.
Luke 12:11 And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take you no thought how or what thing you shall answer, or what you shall say:
==> How you breath departs
==> It's a idiom for "how to speak properly/correctly"
Luke 12:12 For the Holy Spirit shall teach you in the same hour what you ought to say.
==> Holy Spirit is also breath. So the wordplay is linking speech to the HS.
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Idiom #47 -
Blood of grapes = wine
Genesis 49:11 -
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Idiom #48 -
The source of this idiom lies in the world of Hasidism. Descent, in any possible form, is sometimes essential for ascent.
Slavery in Egypt, for example, was descent for the sake of ascent. We descended to the lowest possible depths in order to receive the Torah on Mount Sinai and to rise to a new dimension.
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Idiom #49 -
You like to cheat. You are a cheater.
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Idiom #50 -
This isn't a cat burglar.
It's a thief barging in all guns blazing. Very loud and aggressive.
In ancient Israel a groom usually came to steal his bride as thief in the night. After the betrothal period ended the groom and 10 friends went to the bride’s house to steal her. The whole village knew the ‘thief’ was arriving because a rams horn was sounded.
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Idiom #51 -
Last trump isn't the last trump of Revelation, but Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year).
First trump = Pentecost
Last trump = Rosh Hashanah
Great trump = Atonement Day.
Atonement day was preceded by a 40 day call of repentance because on that day God judges.
The first 30 days of that period a trumpet was sounded every day. The last of those 30 trumpets was sounded on Rosh Hashanah.
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Idioms #52 -
The angels in Rev 7:1 are restraining the wind. English and Greek give the impression it's just regular wind, but actually it's a Hebrew idiom meaning God holding back His blessing on the harvests as shown in Deut 28 and 29. The Holy Spirit is also called wind. So this verse tells us God is retracting His blessings. The land isn't harmed by actively destroying is with storm/wind but by letting evil run its cause by removing the blessing. So God punishes by doing nothing. The Holy Spirit that always worked for the benefit of man is restrained from benefitting man. One less opponent for satan. There is just one Holy Spirit but the verse is about four winds. The corners (seem to) refer to the 'tanaf'; the corners of a prayer shawl. Those corners had special tassels on them that were symbolic of God/God's authority. God and the Holy Spirit are very closely linked so that's the reason one Holy Spirit is called four winds. To take this one step further; when the angles are holding the four tassels they are holding the prayer shawl as a covering over the earth. A covering refers to covenant. The shawl is also called wings.
Mal 4:2 But to you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and you shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
Matt 23:37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you that kill the prophets, and stone them which are sent to you, how often would I have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and you would not!
Restraining the winds doesn't mean God also stops blessing the righteous people. It's a punishment for sinners. God no longer covers their sins with grace.
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Idiom #53 -
Frog=tsephardea=idiom for temptation
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Idiom #54 -
Rev 17:1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying to me, Come here; I will show to you the judgment of the great whore that sits on many waters:
Having authority over many people/mankind. (also coming out of mankind)
The sea in the Bible often represents nations. See section C4: http://home.online.nl/spamfree/Lake/index.html#C4
So Revelation's beast that comes out of the can be a literal sea monster because the word sea can be a literal sea; but more likely it rises from the nations. Not from heaven, outer space etc.
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Idiom #55 -
There were 13 collection boxes for alms in the women's court.
Wide at the bottom narrow at the top. Trumpet shaped.
When a coin was dropped in the box it made a quite distinct sound.
Boasting Pharisees would throw a large number, of usually low value coins in the boxes to make it known they are great on charity. (Which almost equaled holiness to many in that time)
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Idiom #56 Daughters of Jerusalem
Small towns surrounding Jerusalem. When attacked the villagers went for safety behind the Jerusalem walls.
Jerusalem also represents the bride. The towns represent believers that don't have/want a very deep relationship with Jesus.
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Idiom#57 -
Heaping hot coals on ones head is an act of compassion.
Live coals were needed for survival. They were used for cooking and heating a house. If a fire went out a woman would go to her neighbor and ask for coals. If the neighbor was kind she would fill the pot of the other woman brought with her with live coals. Things were often carried on the head in those days. So the woman would walk home with hot coals “heaped in a pot” on her head.
Rom 12:20 Therefore if your enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing you shall heap coals of fire on his head.
Prov 25:21 If your enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: Prov 25:22 For you shall heap coals of fire on his head, and the LORD shall reward you.
BTW 1: Matthew 25:31-
BTW 2: heaping is not the same as raining coals.
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Idiom#58 -
2 Cor 12:2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know-
"Caught up" can have a literal meaning but its idiomatic meaning is "have a vision".
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Idiom#59 -
This idiom expresses a fact. Something that will most certainly happen; but give no timing.
Luke 23:43 And Jesus said to him, "Verily, to you am I saying today, with Me shall you be in paradise."
Deut 30:18 I tell you today that you shall perish, yea perish. You shall not prolong your days on the ground where you are crossing over the Jordan to enter to tenant it.
Deut 4:26 26 I testify against you today by the heavens and the earth, that you shall perish, yea perish quickly off the land where you are crossing over the Jordan to tenant it. You shall not prolong your days on it, for you shall be exterminated, yea exterminated.
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Idom #60 -
Luke 9:59 He said to another man, "Follow me." But he replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."
Bury my father = Let me take care of my father until he dies.
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Idiom #61 -
Philemon 1:18 If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me
Charge it to me=Forget it.
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Idiom #62 -
Isa 30:2 that set out to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to take refuge in the shadow of Egypt!
Psalm 17:8 Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings
Psalm 91:1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
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Idiom #63 -
Luke 9:53 And they did not receive him, because his face was going to Jerusalem.
Jer 21:10 For I have set my face upon this city for evil, and not for good, says LORD. It shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.
Jer 42:15 Now therefore hear ye the word of LORD, O remnant of Judah. Thus says LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: If ye indeed set your faces to enter into Egypt, and go to sojourn there,
Jer 44:12 And I will take the remnant of Judah, who have set their faces to go into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, and they shall all be consumed. In the land of Egypt they shall fall. They shall be consumed by the sword and by the fami
2Kgs 12:17 Then Hazael king of Syria went up, and fought against Gath, and took it. And Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem. ACV
Dan 11:17 And he shall set his face to come with the strength of his whole kingdom, and with him equitable conditions, and he shall perform them. And he shall give him the daughter of women, to corrupt her, but she shall not stand, nor be fo
Ezek 13:17 And thou, son of man, set thy face against the daughters of thy people, who prophesy out of their own heart, and prophesy thou against them. ACV
Ezek 14:8 And I will set my face against that man, and will make him an astonishment, for a sign and a proverb. And I will cut him off from the midst of my people. And ye shall know that I am LORD.
Ezek 15:7 And I will set my face against them. They shall go forth from the fire, but the fire shall devour them. And ye shall know that I am LORD when I set my face against them.
"Face was set" = "Make up ones mind"
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Idiom #64 -
The Sabbath day was from Friday evening until Saturday evening.
"First of" are the first 3 visible stars in a the night/evening sky. The stars are the end of one day and the start of the next day.
The Sabbath day started at Friday sunset* and ended Saturday evening when the 3rd star was spotted in about 40 mins after sunset.
*=Not at 3 stars after sunset. Likely this is just a case of better safe than sorry.
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Idiom #65 -
His sight was restored.
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Idiom #66 -
I'm against you.
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Idiom #67 -
Foot is a euphemism for genitalia.
Feet = regel: A feminine noun meaning a foot. It is the common word for a literal foot, human or animal. It is used figuratively, but has acquired many other uses. ... The phrase 'me raglehem' refers to urine, water of their privates (2Ki 18:27).
The idiom only refers to the male or female genitalia when the feet are in conjunction with another word. Examples in the Tanach are:
Water of the feet (speaking of urine, as one urinates between their feet)
Hair of the feet (speaking of pubic hair that grows between the feet)
On another note, another foot idiom people often misunderstand is when Ruth uncovers the feet of Boaz. This is not referring to uncovering his private parts and having sexual relations with him. In the eastern culture, the foot is also likened to ownership. An example of this is where Abraham is told that everywhere his foot treads on the land, that land will be his. So for Ruth to uncover his feet, and lie just below them, is her way of telling Boaz that she is placing herself in a position to be his, if he would accept, that he would be her Ba'al, or owner, otherwise known today as her husband.
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Idiom #68 -
I'll start with the most well known one....
Hos 6:6 For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
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Idiom #69 -
(First read the introduction of Idiom #68)
Listen means: hearing, being obedient, doing what's asked/commanded.
Matt 11:15 He that has ears to hear, let him hear.
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Idiom #70 -
(First read the introduction of Idiom #68)
Prov 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
Isa 11:3 And his delight shall be in the fear of Jehovah; and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither decide after the hearing of his ears;
Palms 119:38 Make Your Word sure to Your servant, who is devoted to Your fear.
The Hebrew word translated fear means fear but also awe, reverence. So it's not (just) being scared of God but also something more positive a feeling of deep respect. In Job 28:28 it leads to wisdom. In Job 4:6 it's the source of confidence.
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Idiom #71 -
(First read the introduction of Idiom #68)
The Jewish word Torah (usually referencing the 5 books by Moses) is usually translated as 'law'.
That translation isn't wrong strictly speaking because even God's suggestions carry great weight. But 'law' misses some depth.
Torah comes from the root word yarah which means teaching, point out, instruct, give direction etc.
Jewish English Bibles (OT) often use 'instruction' instead of 'law'.
You may say that law also gives direction. That certainly true but (for me) law has a bit of ' dictator feeling' while instructing is what a Father does.
For me it's the difference between enforcing rules just because He's the big boss vs giving rules for the best of mankind.
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Idiom #72 -
(First read the introduction of Idiom #68)
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you: not as the world gives, give I to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Peace isn't just the absence of war but also prosperity, wholeness, completeness, good health, feeling well.
Once again while the normal translation isn't wrong it misses depth that may add to the understanding or atmosphere of the passage the words is found in.
Matt 5:23-
23 If then you are making an offering at the altar and there it comes to your mind that your brother has something against you,
24 While your offering is still before the altar, first go and make peace with your brother, then come and make your offering.
The above verses are sideways related to this post. Likely the verses are about the peace offering. God doesn't want a peace offering unless the bringer of the gift made peace with others first.
The peace offering was partly for God and partly eaten by the person and his family. The Last Supper my have had that symbolic meaning too.
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Idiom #73 -
(First read the introduction of Idiom #68)
This is another clear one that shows mental and physical meaning of the word.
Isa 43:25 I, even I, am he that blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and will not remember your sins.
The almighty God forgetting something.....?
Remember has meaning we all know but it also has the meaning of actions relating to that memory.
That verse doesn't mean God will forget the sin but He will not take the actions that the sin requires; because Jesus paid off that sin on the cross.
So God 'forgets' to take action.
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Idiom #74 -
(First read the introduction of Idiom #68)
Gen 15:6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
Exod 17:12 But Moses hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.
Deut 7:9 Know therefore that the LORD your God, he is God, the faithful God, which keeps covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;
The 3 bolded words above all are translated from the same Hebrew word. -
The verses below show faith and works go hand in hand. Demons also believe in God, but that's not good enough.
Jas 2:17-
17 Even so faith, if it has not works, is dead, being alone.
18 Yes, a man may say, You have faith, and I have works: show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
19 You believe that there is one God; you do well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
20 But will you know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son on the altar?
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Idiom #75 -
Ps 108:9 Moab is my wash pot; over Edom will I cast out my shoe; over Philistia will I triumph.
Shoe is symbol of ownership.
Pieces of land were marked of with old sandals.
The third of the four covenants is called the sandal or inheritance covenant.
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Idiom #76 -
(First read the introduction of Idiom #68)
When someone had to sell his land because he was very poor a close family member, the kinsman-
A kinsman-
Within marriage a husband could also take the punishment for his wife's crime. He was her redeemer. Jesus is the Redeemer of His bride -
This related to the sandal covenant described in Idiom #75
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Idiom #77 -
When used as an idiom, it represents the totality of a thing. For example, YHWH is said to own the cattle on a thousand hills. This does not mean that there are cattle on a literal thousand hills, but it is another way of saying that YHWH owns the cattle on every hill on earth. It specifically represents an unknown totality, at least not humanly known. The thousand hills represents every hill, but no one knows how many there are. 1000 generations is the same, the total number of unknown generations.
Few verses with 1000:
Deut 7:7 The LORD did not set his love on you, nor choose you, because you were more in number than any people; for you were the fewest of all people:
1Chr 16:15 Be you mindful always of his covenant; the word which he commanded to a thousand generations;
Ps 105:8 He has remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations.
The rather low number of 1000 is almost the total opposite of Deut 7:9 which indirectly gives numbers so vast they can hardly be comprehended. Surely the human population will never be close to 100 octillion (stars). (a 1 with 29 zeros). It even conflicts with the grains of sand on the shore which are 'only' 5 sextillion (a 5 with 21 zeros) in number.
My point is that neither of those numbers are intended as something (remotely) accurate from a scientific/literal point of view. That said, some uses of 1000 are just literally 1000.
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Idiom #78 -
Wisdom isn't just about being smart but (also) able to function successfully in life. Being able to handle difficult situations. That includes things like weaving a cloth, paint walls, carpentry. Just all skilled laborers.
Exod 35:25 And all the women that were wise hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, both of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine linen.
Wise
BDB Definition:
1) wise, wise (man)
1a) skilful (in technical work)
1b) wise (in administration)
1c) shrewd, crafty, cunning, wily, subtle
1d) learned, shrewd (class of men)
1e) prudent
1f) wise (ethically and religiously)
Heart
BDB Definition:
1) inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding
1a) inner part, midst
1a1) midst (of things)
1a2) heart (of man)
1a3) soul, heart (of man)
1a4) mind, knowledge, thinking, reflection, memory
1a5) inclination, resolution, determination (of will)
1a6) conscience
1a7) heart (of moral character)
1a8) as seat of appetites
1a9) as seat of emotions and passions
1a10) as seat of courage
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Idiom #79 -
Mark 12:28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?
Mark 12:29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
Mark 12:30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength: this is the first commandment.
Something strange is going on in the common translations. The scribe asks Jesus for the first/greatest command of all (v28). Jesus gives 2 answers instead of just 1.
1. Jesus says God is one Lord which is often understood as proof for Trinity.
2. Jesus says we should love God.
So which is the command the scribe asked about? The answer is: the translation is flawed.
Verse 29 is a reference to:
Deut 6:4 Hear, O Israel: Yahweh, is our God,––Yahweh alone.
Deut 6:5 Thou shalt therefore love Yahweh thy God,––with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might;
In Hebrew that verse reads “YHWH... our God...YHWH.... One” A verbless verse.
One is translated from the Hebrew word echad and according to Strong can mean:
one (number)
each, every
a certain
an (indefinite article)
only, once, once for all
one...another, the one...the other, one after another, one by one
first
eleven (in combination), eleventh (ordinal)
In the last decades scholars more and more lean toward the meaning of "alone" instead of "one". So it's not about unity/trinity. Neither does it say God is number one. It goes one step further; while number one can mean there is also a number two, ‘only’ means He's the only one/God Israel follows. In contrast to the other nations that usually worshiped a head god (#1) and several lesser gods.
In Hebrew the a verb most often has both a mental and physical action attached to it. The word "hear" in verse 29 isn't only about perceive the sound of the words Jesus is about to speak in the following verses, but also understanding and believe those words. But above all act according to those words. Just like when a mother asks her kid "Did you hear me when I said clean up you room." she isn't inquiring about the sound of her voice but referring to her commandment to clean the room.
All that combined means verses 29 and 30 should be read as:
Mark 12:29-
So it's more a statement of loyalty than a statement of faith.
A closer look at "love".
Deut 6:4 Hear, O Israel: Yahweh, is our God,––Yahweh alone.
Deut 6:5 Thou shalt therefore love Yahweh thy God,––with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might;
Is this verse really about having emotional feelings for God? Well it certainly would be great; but it's not the only meaning of the Hebrew word "ahavah".
It can also mean "act lovely towards" or "be loyal towards". When a defeated king pledged love toward a conquering king, he wasn't declaring romantic feelings, but obedience.
So, when we read love as meaning obedience it aligns nicely with the meaning of "hear".
Like with the verb hear, the verb love also has a physical component. (to obey)
1 John 5:3 In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,
A closer look at "heart".
In the ancient Hebrew mind the heart was the seat of emotions and thought. So with "all they heart" means "with all your thoughts”.
So the Jesus gives the Scribe (Mark 12:28) just one answer instead of two. Obey the only God of Israel. The word obey is repeated several times with synonyms.
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Idiom #80 -
"in the name of" often means "on behalf of" or "for the sake of".
Sometimes, mostly in poetry, it means "you".
"in the name of" isn't about the persons name at all; it's about a person's identity.
Matt 10:41 The one receiving a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and the one receiving a just one in the name of a just one will receive a just one's reward.
"in the name of the prophet" establishes the identity of that person as a prophet.
"in the name of the just one" establishes the identity of that person as a just one.
Matt 10:41 The one receiving a prophet because he's prophet, will receive a prophet's reward, and the one receiving a just one because he's a just one, will receive a just one's reward.
To clarify: When a person knows that a certain man is a prophet and for that reason receives that man will receive the same reward as the prophet.
An example:
1Kgs 17:9 Rise up, go to Zarephath that belongs to Sidon; and you shall live there. Behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain you.
1Kgs 17:10 And he rose up and went to Zarephath, and came in to the entrance of the city; and, behold, a widow woman was gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, Please bring to me a little water in a vessel, and I shall drink.
1Kgs 17:11 And she went to bring it. And he called to her and said, Please bring me a bit of bread in your hand.
1Kgs 17:12 And she said, As YAHWEH your Elohim lives, I do not have a cake, only a handful of meal in a pitcher, and a little oil in a jar; and behold, I am gathering two sticks and will go in and prepare for myself and for my son; and we shall eat it, and die.
1Kgs 17:13 And Elijah said to her, Do not fear, go, do according to your word, only first make me a little cake of it, and bring to me and afterward prepare for you and for your son.
1Kgs 17:14 For so says YAHWEH the Elohim of Israel, The pitcher of meal shall not be consumed, and the jar of oil shall not fail, until the day that YAHWEH sends rain on the land.
1Kgs 17:15 And she went and did according to the word of Elijah, and she ate, she and he and her household, many days;
1Kgs 17:16 the pitcher of meal was not consumed, and the jar of oil did not fail, according to the Word of YAHWEH that He spoke by the hand of Elijah.
The widow "received a prophet in the name of a prophet". Because it was a famine the widow hardly had any food for herself, but because she knew Elijah was God's prophet she shared her food with him. Her reward was that God sustained her during the famine.
In Joshua a prostitute gives shelter to a righteous spy. Her reward is that she receives shelter herself by being allowed to live in Israel.
Idiom #81 -
Exod 23:20 Behold, I send an Angel before you, to keep you in the way, and to bring you into the place which I have prepared.
Exod 23:21 Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him.
The person who has the name in him has the the authority of the ‘owner’ of the name. That person acts on behalf of the ‘owner’ of the name. The person with the name in him was regarded as the very same person who has sent him.
So when you read a verse with “in the name of the LORD” you should understand that as “in the authority of the LORD”
Deuteronomy 18:5 and 7 speak of serving in the “name” (authority) of the LORD.
Deuteronomy 18:22 speaks of prophesying in the “name” (authority) of the LORD.
In 1 Samuel 17:45, David attacked Goliath in the “name” (authority) of the LORD, and he blessed the people in the “name” (authority) of the LORD (2 Sam. 6:18).
In 2 Kings 2:24, Elisha cursed troublemakers in the “name” (authority) of the LORD.
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Idiom #82 -
This idiom is about a last will and testament, about appointing an heir.
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Idiom #83 -
Lev 26:38 And you shall perish among the Gentiles, and the land of your enemies shall devour you.
Devour is an idiom for taking into captivity. Israel was inside the the enemy’s nation.
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Idiom #84 -
Josh 24:12 And I sent the hornet before you, which drove them out from before you, even the two kings of the Amorites, not with thy sword, nor with thy bow.
The national symbol of Nothern Egypt was a hornet.
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Idiom #85 -
Tremble means ‘shake with great emotion’. The exact meaning is to be determined by context.
Isa 66:5 Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.
→ Tremble with joy
Gen 27:33 And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where is he that has taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before you came, and have blessed him? yes, and he shall be blessed.
→ Tremble with anger, disbelief or perhaps disappointment.
Deut 2:25 This day will I begin to put the dread of you and the fear of you on the nations that are under the whole heaven, who shall hear report of you, and shall tremble, and be in anguish because of you.
→ Tremble with fear.
To be continued…
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