Category: Bible

Greek Isaiah in a Year, Week 24=Isaiah 30:8-31:4

isaiah lxx

This week in Greek Isaiah in a Year covers Isaiah 30:8-31:4.

Here is the schedule and text for Monday through Friday, using again the text from R.R. Ottley’s Book of Isaiah According to the Septuagint. Ottley is also here in Logos (reviewed here) and here as a free, downloadable pdf in the public domain. The full reading plan for our group is here (pdf).

Monday, May 13: Isa 30:8-17

8 νῦν οὖν καθίσας γράψον ἐπὶ πυξίου ταῦτα καὶ εἰς βιβλίον, ὅτι ἔσται εἰς ἡμέρας καιρῶν ταῦτα καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. 9 ὅτι λαὸς ἀπειθής ἐστιν, υἱοὶ ψευδεῖς οἳ οὐκ ἠβούλοντο ἀκούειν τὸν νόμον τοῦ θεοῦ, 10 οἱ λέγοντες τοῖς προφήταις Μὴ ἀναγγέλλετε ἡμῖν, καὶ τοῖς τὰ ὁράματα ὁρῶσιν Μὴ λαλεῖτε ἡμῖν, ἀλλὰ ἡμῖν λαλεῖτε καὶ ἀναγγέλλετε ἡμῖν ἑτέραν πλάνησιν, 11 καὶ ἀποστρέψατε ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τῆς ὁδοῦ ταύτης· ἀφέλετε ἀφʼ ἡμῶν τὸν τρίβον τοῦτον, καὶ ἀφέλετε ἀφʼ ἡμῶν τὸ λόγιον τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. 12 διὰ τοῦτο οὕτως λέγει Κύριος ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ Ἰσραήλ Ὅτι ἠπειθήσατε τοῖς λόγοις τούτοις καὶ ἠλπίσατε ἐπὶ ψεύδει, καὶ ὅτι ἐγόγγυσας καὶ πεποιθὼς ἐγένου ἑπὶ τῷ λόγῳ τούτῳ, 13 διὰ τοῦτο ἔσται ὑμῖν ἡ ἁμαρτία αὕτη ὡς τεῖχος πίπτον παραχρῆμα πόλεως ἑαλωκυίας, ἧς παραχρῆμα πάρεστιν τὸ πτῶμα· 14 καὶ τὸ πτῶμα αὐτῆς ἔσται ὡς σύντριμμα ἀγγίου ὀστρακίνου, ἐκ κεραμίου λεπτόν, ὥστε μὴ εὑρεῖν ἐν αὐτοῖς ὄστρακον ἐν ᾧ πῦρ ἀρεῖς, καὶ ἐν ᾧ ἀποσυρεῖς ὕδωρ μικρόν. 15 οὕτως λέγει Κύριος ὁ ἅγιος Ἰσραήλ Ὅταν ἀποστραφεὶς στενάξῃς, τότε σωθήσῃ καὶ γνώσῃ ποῦ ἦσθα· ὅτε ἐπεποίθεις ἐπὶ τοῖς ματαίοις, ματαία ἡ ἰσχὺς ὑμῶν ἐγενήθη. καὶ οὐκ ἐβούλεσθε ἀκούειν, 16 ἀλλὰ εἴπατε Ἐφʼ ἵπποις φευξόμεθα· διὰ τοῦτο φεύξεσθε· καὶ εἴπατε Ἐπὶ κούφοις ἀναβάται ἐσόμεθα· διὰ τοῦτο κοῦφοι ἔσονται οἱ διώκοντες ὑμᾶς. 17 καὶ διὰ φωνὴν ἑνὸς φεύξονται χίλιοι, καὶ διὰ φωνὴν πέντε φεύξονται πολλοί, ἕως ἂν καταλειφθῆτε ὡς ἱστὸς ἐπʼ ὄρους, καὶ ὡς σημαίαν φέρων ἐπὶ βουνοῦ.

Tuesday, May 14: Isa 30:18-21

18 καὶ πάλιν μενεῖ ὁ θεὸς τοῦ οἰκτειρῆσαι ὑμᾶς, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ὑψωθήσεται τοῦ ἐλεῆσαι ὑμᾶς, διότι κριτὴς Κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν ἐστιν· [καὶ ποῦ καταλείψετε τὴν δόξαν ὑμῶν;] μακάριοι πάντες οἱ ἐμμένοντες ἐν αὐτῷ. 19 Διότι λαὸς ἅγιος ἐν Σιὼν οἰκήσει· καὶ Ἰερουσαλὴμ κλαυθμῷ ἔκλαυσεν Ἐλέησόν με· καὶ ἐλεήσει τὴν φωνὴν τῆς κραυγῆς σου· ἡνίκα εἶδεν, ἐπήκουσέν σου. 20 καὶ δώσει Κύριος ὑμῖν ἄρτον θλίψεως καὶ ὕδωρ στενόν, καὶ οὐκέτι οὐ μὴ ἐγγίσωσίν σοι οἱ πλανῶντές σε· ὅτι οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου ὄψονται τοὺς πλανῶντάς σε, 21 καὶ τὰ ὦτά σου ἀκούσονται τοὺς λόγους τῶν ὀπίσω σε πλανησάντων, οἱ λέγοντες Αὕτη ἡ ὁδός, πορευθῶμεν ἐν αὐτῇ εἴτε δεξιὰ εἴτε ἀριστερά.

Wednesday, May 15: Isa 30:22-27

22 καὶ ἐξαρεῖς τὰ εἴδωλα τὰ περιηργυρωμένα καὶ τὰ περικεχρυσωμένα, λεπτὰ ποιήσεις, καὶ λικμήσεις ὡς ὕδωρ ἀποκαθημένης, καὶ ὡς κόπρον ὤσεις αὐτά. 23 τότε ἔσται ὁ ὑετὸς τῷ σπέρματι τῆς γῆς σου, καὶ ὁ ἄρτος τοῦ γενήματος τῆς γῆς σου ἔσται πλησμονὴ καὶ λιπαρός· καὶ βοσκηθήσεταί σου τὰ κτήνη τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ τόπον πίονα καὶ εὐρύχωρον, 24 οἱ ταῦροι ὑμῶν καὶ οἱ βόες οἱ ἐργαζόμενοι τὴν γῆν φάγονται ἄχυρα ἀναπεποιημένα ἐν κριθῇ λελικμημένα. 25 καὶ ἔσται ἐπὶ παντὸς ὄρους ὑψηλοῦ καὶ ἐπὶ παντὸς βουνοῦ μετεώρου ὕδωρ διαπορευόμενον ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, ὅταν ἀπόλωνται πολλοί, καὶ ὅταν πέσωσιν πύργοι. 26 καὶ ἔσται τὸ φῶς τῆς σελήνης ὡς τὸ φῶς τοῦ ἡλίου, καὶ τὸ φῶς τοῦ ἡλίου ἔσται ἑπταπλάσιον, ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ὅταν ἰάσηται Κύριος τὸ σύντριμμα τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὴν ὀδύνην τῆς πληγῆς σου ἰάσεται. 27 Ἰδοὺ τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου διὰ χρόνου ἔρχεται πολλοῦ, καιόμενος ὁ θυμός· μετὰ δόξης τὸ λόγιον τῶν χειλέων αὐτοῦ, τὸ λόγιον ὀργῆς πλῆρες, καὶ ἡ ὀργὴ τοῦ θυμοῦ ὡς πῦρ ἔδεται.

Thursday, May 16: Isa 30:28-33

28 καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ ὡς ὕδωρ ἐν φάραγγι σῦρον ἥξει ἕως τοῦ τραχήλου, καὶ διαιρεθήσεται τοῦ ἔθνη ταράξαι ἐπὶ πλανήσει ματαίᾳ, καὶ διώξεται αὐτοὺς πλάνησις ματαία, καὶ λήμψεται αὐτοὺς κατὰ πρόσωπον αὐτῶν. 29 μὴ διὰ παντὸς δεῖ ὑμᾶς εὐφραίνεσθαι, καὶ εἰσπορεύεσθαι εἰς τὰ ἅγιά μου διὰ παντὸς ὡσεὶ ἑορτάζοντας, καὶ ὡσεὶ εὐφραινομένους εἰσελθεῖν μετὰ αὐλοῦ εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Κυρίου πρὸς τὸν θεὸν τοῦ Ἰσραήλ; 30 καὶ ἀκουστὴν ποιήσει ὁ θεὸς τὴν δόξαν τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸν θυμὸν τοῦ βραχίονος αὐτοῦ δεῖξαι μετὰ θυμοῦ καὶ ὀργῆς καὶ φλογὸς κατεσθιούσης, κεραυνώσει βιαίως, καὶ ὡς ὕδωρ καὶ χάλαζα συνκαταφερομένη βίᾳ. 31 διὰ γὰρ τὴν φωνὴν Κυρίου ἡττηθήσονται οἱ Ἀσσύριοι τῇ πληγῇ, ᾗ ἂν πατάξῃ αὐτούς. 32 καὶ ἔσται αὐτῷ κυκλόθεν, ὅθεν ἦν αὐτῷ ἡ ἐλπὶς τῆς βοηθείας, ἐφʼ ᾗ αὐτὸς ἐπεποίθει· αὐτοὶ μετὰ αὐλῶν καὶ κιθάρας πολεμήσουσιν αὐτὸν ἐκ μεταβολῆς. 33 οὐ γὰρ σὺ πρὸ ἡμερῶν ἀπατηθήσῃ· μὴ καὶ <σοὶ> ἡτοιμάσθη βασιλεύειν, φάραγγα βαθεῖαν, ξύλα κείμενα, πῦρ καὶ ξύλα πολλά; ὁ θυμὸς Κυρίου ὡς φάραγξ ὑπὸ θείου καιομένη.

Friday, May 17: Isa 31:1-4

31 1 Οὐαὶ οἱ καταβαίνοντες εἰς Αἴγυπτον ἐπὶ βοήθειαν, οἱ ἐφʼ ἵπποις πεποιθότες καὶ ἐφʼ ἅρμασιν· ἔστιν γὰρ πολλά, καὶ ἐφʼ ἵπποις, πλῆθος σφόδρα· καὶ οὐκ ἦσαν πεποιθότες ἐπὶ τὸν ἅγιον τοῦ Ἰσραήλ, καὶ τὸν θεὸν οὐκ ἐξεζήτησαν. 2 καὶ αὐτὸς σοφὸς ἦγεν ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς κακά, καὶ ὁ λόγος αὐτοῦ οὐ μὴ ἀθετηθῇ, καὶ ἐπαναστήσεται ἐπʼ οἴκους ἀνθρώπων πονηρῶν καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν ἐλπίδα αὐτῶν τὴν ματαίαν, 3 Αἰγύπτιον ἄνθρωπον, καὶ οὐ θεόν, ἵππων σάρκας, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν βοήθεια· ὁ δὲ κύριος ἐπάξει τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ ἐπʼ αὐτούς, καὶ κοπιάσουσιν οἱ βοηθοῦντες, καὶ ἅμα πάντες ἀπολοῦνται. 4 ὅτι οὕτως εἶπέν μοι Κύριος Ὃν τρόπον ἐὰν βοήσῃ λέων ἢ ὁ σκύμνος ἐπὶ τῇ θήρᾳ ᾗ ἔλαβεν, καὶ κεκράξῃ ἐπʼ αὐτῇ ἕως ἂν ἐμπλησθῇ τὰ ὄρη τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἡττήθησαν καὶ τὸ πλῆθος τοῦ θυμοῦ ἐπτοήθησαν, οὕτως καταβήσεται Κύριος σαβαὼθ ἐπιστρατεῦσαι ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος τὸ Σιών, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη αὐτῆς.

See here for more resources and links to texts for Greek Isaiah.

Greek Isaiah in a Year, Week 23=Isaiah 29:10-30:7

isaiah lxx

Getting into chapter 30 this week feels like real progress. This week in Greek Isaiah in a Year covers Isaiah 29:10-30:7.

Here is the schedule and text for Monday through Friday, using again the text from R.R. Ottley’s Book of Isaiah According to the Septuagint. Ottley is also here in Logos (reviewed here) and here as a free, downloadable pdf in the public domain. The full reading plan for our group is here (pdf).

Monday, May 6: Isa 29:10–14

10 ὅτι πεπότικεν ὑμᾶς Κύριος πνεύματι κατανύξεως, καὶ καμμύσει τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν καὶ τῶν προφητῶν αὐτῶν καὶ τῶν ἀρχόντων αὐτῶν, οἱ ὁρῶντες τὰ κρυπτά. 11 καὶ ἔσονται ὑμῖν πάντα τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα ὡς οἱ λόγοι τοῦ βιβλίου τοῦ ἐσφραγισμένου τούτου, ὃ ἐὰν δῶσιν αὐτὸ ἀνθρώπῳ ἐπισταμένῳ γράμματα λέγοντες Ἀνάγνωθι ταῦτα, καὶ ἐρεῖ Οὐ δύναμαι ἀναγνῶναι, ἐσφράγισται γάρ. 12 καὶ δοθήσεται τὸ βιβλίον τοῦτο εἰς χεῖρας ἀνθρώπου μὴ ἐπισταμένου γράμματα, καὶ ἐρεῖ αὐτῷ Ἀνάγνωθι τοῦτο· καὶ ἐρεῖ Οὐκ ἐπίσταμαι γράμματα. 13 καὶ εἶπεν Κύριος Ἐγγίζει μοι ὁ λαὸς οὖτος, τοῖς χείλεσιν αὐτῶν τιμῶσιν με, ἡ δὲ καρδία αὐτῶν πόρρω ἀπέχει ἀπʼ ἐμοῦ· μάτην δὲ σέβονταί με διδάσκοντες ἐντάλματα ἀνθρώπων καὶ διδασκαλίας. 14 διὰ τοῦτο ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ προσθήσω τοῦ μεταθεῖναι τὸν λαὸν τοῦτον· καὶ μεταθήσω αὐτούς, καὶ ἀ̓πολῶ τὴν σοφίαν τῶν σοφῶν, καὶ τὴν σύνεσιν τῶν συνετῶν κρύψω.

Tuesday, May 7: Isa 29:15–19

15 Οὐαὶ οἱ βαθέως βουλὴν ποιοῦντες, καὶ οὐ διὰ Κυρίου· οὐαὶ οἱ ἐν κρυφῇ βουλὴν ποιοῦντες, καὶ ἔσται ἐν σκότει τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐροῦσιν Τίς ἡμᾶς ἑώρακεν; καὶ τίς ἡμᾶς γνώσεται ἢ ἃ ἡμεῖς ποιοῦμεν; 16 οὐχ ὡς ὁ πηλὸς τοῦ κεραμέως λογισθήσεσθε; μὴ ἐρεῖ τὸ πλάσμα τῷ πλάσαντι Οὐ σύ με ἔπλασας; ἢ τὸ ποίημα τῷ ποιήσαντι Οὐ συνετῶς με ἐποίησας; 17 οὐκέτι μικρὸν καὶ μετατεθήσεται ὁ Λίβανος ὡς τὸ ὄρος τὸ Χερμέλ, καὶ τὸ ὄρος τὸ Χερμὲλ εἰς δρυμὸν λογισθήσεται. 18 καὶ ἀκούσονται ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ κωφοὶ λόγους βιβλίου, καὶ οἱ ἐν τῷ σκότει καὶ οἱ ἐν τῇ ὁμίχλῃ, ὀφθαλμοὶ τυφλῶν βλέψονται, 19 καὶ ἀγαλλιάσονται πτωχοὶ διὰ Κύριον ἐν εὐφροσύνῃ, καὶ οἱ ἀπηλπισμένοι τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐμπλησθήσονται εὐφροσύνης.

Wednesday, May 8: Isa 29:20–24

20 ἐξέλιπεν ἄνομος, καὶ ἁπώλετο ὑπερήφανος, καὶ ἐξωλεθρεύθησαν οἱ ἀνομοῦντες ἐπὶ κακίᾳ, 21 καὶ οἱ ποιοῦντες ἁμαρτεῖν ἀνθρώπους ἐν λόγῳ· πάντας δὲ τοὺς ἐλέγχοντας ἐν πύλαις πρόσκομμα θήσουσιν, καὶ ἐπλαγίασαν ἐν ἀδίκοις δίκαιον. 22 διὰ τοῦτο τάδε λέγει Κύριος ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον Ἰακώβ, ὃν ἀφώρισεν ἐξ Ἀβραάμ Οὐ νῦν αἰσχυνθήσεται Ἰακώβ, οὐδὲ νῦν τὸ πρὸσωπον μεταβαλεῖ Ἰσραήλ. 23 ἀλλὰ ὅταν ἴδωσιν τὰ τέκνα αὐτῶν τὰ ἔργα μου, διʼ ἐμὲ ἁγιάσουσιν τὸ ὄνομά μου, καὶ ἁγιάσουσιν τὸν ἅγιον Ἰακώβ, καὶ τὸν θεὸν τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ φοβηθήσονται. 24 καὶ γνώσονται οἱ τῷ πνεύματι πλανώμενοι σύνεσιν, οἱ δὲ γογγύζοντες μαθήσονται ὑπακούειν, καὶ αἱ γλῶσσαι αἱ ψελλίζουσαι μαθήσονται λαλεῖν εἰρήνην.

Thursday, May 9: Isa 30:1–3

30 1 Οὐαὶ τέκνα ἀποστάται, τάδε λέγει Κύριος· ἐποιήσατε βουλὴν καὶ οὐ διʼ ἐμοῦ, καὶ συνθήκας οὐ διὰ τοῦ πνεύματός μου, προσθεῖναι ἁμαρτίας ἐφʼ ἁμαρτίαις· 2 οἱ πορευόμενοι καταβῆναι εἰς Αἴγυπτον, ἐμὲ δὲ οὐκ ἐπηρώτησαν, τοῦ βοηθηθῆναι ὑπὸ Φαραὼ καὶ σκεπασθῆναι ὑπὸ Αἰγυπτίων. 3 ἔσται γὰρ ὑμῖν ἡ σκέπη Φαραὼ εἰς αἰσχύνην, καὶ τοῖς πεποιθόσιν ἐπʼ Αἴγυπτον ὄνειδος.

Friday, May 10: Isa 30:4–7

4 ὅτι εἰσὶν ἐν Τάνει ἀρχηγοὶ ἄγγελοι πονηροί. 5 μάτην κοπιάσουσιν πρὸς λαὸν ὃς οὐκ ὠφελήσει αὐτοὺς οὔτε εἰς βοήθειαν οὔτε εἰς ὠφέλειαν, ἀλλὰ εἰς αἰσχύνην καὶ ὄνειδος.

Ἡ ὅρασις τῶν τετραπόδων τῶν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ

6 Ἐν τῇ θλίψει καὶ ἐν τῇ στενοχωρίᾳ λέων καὶ σκύμνος λέοντος, ἐκεῖθεν καὶ ἀσπίδες καὶ ἔκγονα ἀσπίδων πετομένων, οἳ ἔφερον ἐπʼ ὄνων καὶ καμήλων τὸν πλοῦτον αὐτῶν πρὸς ἔθνος ὃ οὐκ ὠφελήσει αὐτοὺς [εἰς βοήθειαν ἀλλὰ εἰς αἰσχύνην καὶ ὄνειδος]. 7 Αἰγύπτιοι μάταια καὶ κενὰ ὠφελήσουσιν ὑμᾶς· ἀπάγγειλον αὐτοῖς ὅτι ματαία ἡ παράκλησις ὑμῶν αὕτη.

See here for more resources and links to texts for Greek Isaiah.

Books for Sale (Word Biblical Commentary, 9 vols., others)

wbcI’m looking to sell 9 volumes of the Word Biblical Commentary set. I’ve listed them (with full condition details) here. If you want to contact me directly about a possible purchase (i.e., not through ebay), feel free to use this form, and we’ll talk. (UPDATE: Books are now sold.)

———

A few more books for sale:

IVP Bible Background

IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament
Like New
ISBN: 978-0830814053
Used just a few times. No markings. In great shape.
$22 (SOLD)

bdag

Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (BDAG)
for BibleWorks Software
 Compatible with BibleWorks 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. I’ve been in touch with BibleWorks to confirm that on completion of sale, one user license transfers to the buyer with no fee, so that you can use BDAG in your BibleWorks. (Must have purchased and own BibleWorks to be able to use this.)
Significant discount from buying new (where it’s $150).
$99 (SOLD)

Ezra Nehemiah BHQ

Ezra and Nehemiah: Biblia Hebraica Quinta (BHQ)
Like New
Taken out of shrink wrap and used just once or twice.
Excellent condition.
$40 (SOLD)

Greek Grammar Wallace

Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics
Very Good/Like New
Just some edge and cover wear. Light blue cover as pictured, but same contents as dark blue cover.
$22

Free shipping on all orders. If you’re interested in buying–or just have questions–you can reach me using this form, and we’ll go from there. (I use PayPal; shipping is free only domestically.)

Greek Isaiah in a Year, Week 22=Isaiah 28:14-29:9

This week in Greek Isaiah in a Year covers Isaiah 28:14-29:9. (I’m late this week in posting. But it’s not the first time I’ve been a few days behind and have caught up over the weekend….)

Here is the schedule and text for Monday through Friday, using again the text from R.R. Ottley’s Book of Isaiah According to the Septuagint. Ottley is also here in Logos (reviewed here) and here as a free, downloadable pdf in the public domain. The full reading plan for our group is here (pdf).

Monday, April 29: Isa 28:14–18

14 Διὰ τοῦτο ἀκούσατε λόγον Κυρίου, ἄνδρες τεθλιμμένοι καὶ ἄρχοντες τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου ἐν Ἰερουσαλήμ, 15 ὅτι εἴπατε Ἐποιήσαμεν διαθήκην μετὰ τοῦ ᾅδου, καὶ μετὰ τοῦ θανάτου συνθήκας· καταιγὶς φερομένη ἐὰν παρέλθῃ, οὐ μὴ ἔλθῃ ἡμῖν· ἐθήκαμεν ψεῦδος τὴν ἐλπίδα ἡμῶν, καὶ τῷ ψεύδει σκεπασθησόμεθα. 16 διὰ τοῦτο οὕτως λέγει Κύριος, Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐμβαλῶ εἰς τὰ θεμέλια Σιὼν λίθον πολυτελῆ ἐκλεκτὸν ἀκρογωνιαῖον ἔντιμον, εἰς τὰ θεμέλια αὐτῆς, καὶ ὁ πιστεύων ἐπʼ αὐτῷ οὐ μὴ καταισχυνθῇ. 17 καὶ θήσω κρίσιν εἰς ἐλπίδα, ἡ δὲ ἐλεημοσύνη μου εἰς σταθμούς, καὶ οἱ πεποιθότες μάτην ψεύδει· ὅτι οὐ μὴ παρέλθῃ ὑμᾶς καταιγίς, 18 μὴ καὶ ἀφέλῃ ὑμῶν τὴν διαθήκην τοῦ θανάτου, καὶ ἡ ἐλπὶς ὑμῶν ἡ πρὸς τὸν ᾅδην οὐ μὴ ἐμμείνῃ· καταιγὶς φερομένη ἐὰν ἐπέλθῃ, ἔσεσθε αὐτῇ εἰς καταπάτημα.

Tuesday, April 30: Isa 28:19–23

19 ὅταν παρέλθῃ, λήμψεται ὑμᾶς· πρωὶ πρωὶ παρελεύσεται ἡμέρας, καὶ ἐν νυκτὶ ἔσται ἐλπὶς πονηρά. μάθετε ἀκούειν 20 στενοχωρούμενοι· οὐ δυνάμεθα μάχεσθαι, αὐτοὶ δὲ ἀσθενοῦμεν τοῦ ἡμᾶς συναχθῆναι. 21 ὥσπερ ὄρος ἀσεβῶν ἀναστήσεται, καὶ ἔσται ἐν τῇ φάραγγι Γαβαών, μετὰ θυμοῦ ποιήσει τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ, πικρίας ἔργον· ὁ δὲ θυμὸς αὐτοῦ ἀλλοτρίως χρήσεται, καὶ ἡ πικρία αὐτοῦ ἀλλοτρία. 22 καὶ ὑμεῖς μὴ εὐφρανθείητε, μηδὲ ἰσχυσάτωσαν ὑμῶν οἱ δεσμοί· διότι συντετελεσμένα καὶ συντετμημένα πράγματα ἤκουσα παρὰ Κυρίου σαβαὼθ ἃ ποιήσει ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν. 23 Ἐνωτίζεσθε καὶ ἀκούσατε τῆς φωνῆς μου, προσέχετε καὶ ἀκούετε τοὺς λόγους μου.

Wednesday, May 1: Isa 28:24–29

24 μὴ ὅλην τὴν ἠμέραν μέλλει ὁ ἀροτριῶν ἀροτριᾶν; ἢ σπόρον προετοιμάσει πρὶν ἐργάσασθαι τὴν γῆν; 25 καὶ ὅταν ὁμαλίσῃ αὐτῆς τὸ πρόσωπον, πρῶτον σπείρει μικρὸν μελάνθιον καὶ κύμινον, καὶ πάλιν πυρόν, καὶ κριθὴν καὶ ζέαν ἐν τοῖς ὁρίοις σου; 26 καὶ παιδευθήσῃ κρίματι θεοῦ σου, καὶ εὐφρανθήσῃ. 27 οὐ γὰρ μετὰ σκληρότητος καθαίρεται τὸ μελάνθιον, οὐδὲ τροχὸς ἁμάξης περιάξει ἐπὶ τὸ κύμινον· ἀλλὰ ῥάβδῳ ἐκτινάσσεται τὸ μελάνθιον, τὸ δὲ κύμινον 28 μετὰ ἄρτου βρωθήσεται. οὐ γὰρ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ἐγὼ ὑμῖν ὀργισθήσομαι, οὐδὲ φωνὴ τῆς πικρίας μου καταπατήσει ὑμᾶς. 29 καὶ ταῦτα παρὰ Κυρίου σαβαὼθ ἐξῆλθεν τὰ τέρατα· βουλεύσασθε, ὑψώσατε ματαίαν παράκλησιν.

Thursday, May 2: Isa 29:1–4

29 1 Οὐαὶ πόλις Ἀριήλ, ἣν Δαυεὶδ ἐπολέμησεν· συναγάγετε γενήματα ἐνιαυτὸν ἐπʼ ἐνιαυτόν· φάγεσθε γὰρ σὺν Μωάβ. 2 ἐκθλίψω γὰρ Ἀριήλ, καὶ ἔσται αὐτῆς ἡ ἰσχὺς καὶ τὸ πλοῦτος ἐμοί. 3 καὶ κυκλώσω ὡς Δαυεὶδ ἐπὶ σέ, καὶ βαλῶ περὶ σὲ χάρακα, καὶ θήσω ἐπὶ σὲ πύργους, 4 καὶ ταπεινωθήσονται οἱ λόγοι σου εἰς τὴν γῆν, καὶ εἰς τὴν γῆν οἱ λόγοι σου δύσονται· καὶ ἔσται ὡς οἱ φωνοῦντες ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἡ φωνή σου, καὶ πρὸς τὸ ἔδαφος ἡ φωνή σου ἀσθενήσει.

Friday, May 3: Isa 29:5–9

5 καὶ ἔσται ὡς κονιορτὸς ἀπὸ τροχοῦ ὁ πλοῦτος τῶν ἀσεβῶν, καὶ ὡς χνοῦς φερόμενος, καὶ ἔσται ὡς στιγμὴ παραχρῆμα 6 παρὰ Κυρίου σαβαώθ· ἐπισκοπὴ γὰρ ἔσται μετὰ κραυγῆς καὶ σεισμοῦ καὶ φωνῆς μεγάλης, καταιγὶς φερομένη καὶ φλὸξ πυρὸς κατεσθίουσα. 7 καὶ ἔσται ὡς ὁ ἐνυπνιαζόμενος ἐνύπνιον ὁ πλοῦτος τῶν ἐθνῶν πάντων ὅσοι ἐπεστράτευσαν ἐπὶ Ἰσραήλ, καὶ πάντες οἱ στρατευσάμενοι ἐπὶ Ἰερουσαλήμ, καὶ πάντες οἱ συνηγμένοι ἐπʼ αὐτὴν καὶ θλίβοντες αὐτήν. 8 καὶ ἔσονται ὡς οἱ ἐν ὕπνῳ πεινῶντες καὶ ἔσθοντες, καὶ ἐξαναστάντων μάταιον αὐτῶν τὸ ἐνύπνιον· καὶ ὃν τρόπον ἐνυπνιάζεται ὁ διψῶν ὡς ὁ πίνων, καὶ ἐξαναστὰς ἔτι διψᾷ, ἡ δὲ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ εἰς κενὸν ἤλπισεν, οὕτως ἔσται ὁ πλοῦτος πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν ὅσοι ἐπεστράτευσαν ἐπὶ Ἰερουσαλὴμ καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος Σιών. 9 Ἐκλύθητε καὶ ἔκστητε, καὶ κραιπαλήσατε οὐκ ἀπὸ σίκερα οὐδʼ ἀπὸ οἴνου·

See here for more resources and links to texts for Greek Isaiah.

And here are the Week 22 readings above, in pdf form.

Greek Isaiah in a Year, Week 21=Isaiah 27:1-28:13

This week in Greek Isaiah in a Year covers Isaiah 27:1-28:13.

Here is the schedule and text for Monday through Friday, using again the text from R.R. Ottley’s Book of Isaiah According to the Septuagint. Ottley is also here in Logos (reviewed here) and here as a free, downloadable pdf in the public domain. The full reading plan for our group is here (pdf).

Monday, April 22: Isa 27:1-6

27 1 Τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἐπάξει ὁ θεὸς τὴν μάχαιραν τὴν ἁγίαν καὶ τὴν μεγάλην καὶ τὴν ἰσχυρὰν ἐπὶ τὸν δράκοντα ὄφιν φεύγοντα, ἐπὶ τὸν δράκοντα ὄφιν σκολιόν, καὶ ἀνελεῖ τὸν δράκοντα. 2 Τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἀμπελὼν καλός· ἐπιθύμημα ἐξάρχειν κατʼ αὐτῆς. 3 ἐγὼ πόλις ἰσχυρά, πόλις πολιορκουμένη, μάτην ποτιῶ αὐτήν· ἁλώσεται γὰρ νυκτός, ἡμέρας δὲ πεσεῖται τὸ τεῖχος. 4 καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἣ οὐκ ἐπελάβετο αὐτῆς· τίς με θήσει φυλάσσειν καλάμην ἐν ἀγρῷ; διὰ τὴν πολεμίαν ταύτην ἠθέτηκα αὐτήν. τοίνυν διὰ τοῦτο ἐποίησεν Κύριος ὁ θεὸς πάντα ὅσα συνέταξεν. κατακέκαυμαι, 5 βοήσονται οἱ ἐνοικοῦντες ἐν αὐτῇ, ποιήσωμεν εἰρήνην αὐτῷ, ποιήσωμεν εἰρήνην. 6 οἱ ἐρχόμενοι, τέκνα Ἰακώβ, βλαστήσει καὶ ἐξανθήσει Ἰσραήλ, καὶ ἐμπλησθήσεται ἡ οἰκουμένη τοῦ καρποῦ αὐτοῦ.

Tuesday, April 23: Isa 27:7-9

7 μὴ ὡς αὐτὸς ἐπάταξεν, καὶ αὐτὸς οὕτως πληγήσεται; καὶ ὡς αὐτὸς ἀνεῖλεν, οὕτως ἀναιρεθήσεται; 8 μαχόμενος καὶ ὀνειδίζων ἐξαποστελεῖ αὐτούς· οὐ σὺ ἦσθα ὁ μελετῶν τῷ πνεύματι τῷ σκληρῷ, ἀνελεῖν αὐτοὺς πνεύματι θυμοῦ; 9 διὰ τοῦτο ἀφαιρεθήσεται ἡ ἀνομία Ἰακώβ, καὶ τοῦτό ἐστιν ἡ εὐλογία αὐτοῦ, ὅταν ἀφέλωμαι αὐτοῦ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, ὅταν θῶ πάντας τοὺς λίθους τῶν βωμῶν κατακεκομμένους ὡς κονίαν λεπτήν· καὶ οὐ μὴ μείνῃ τὰ δένδρα αὐτῶν, καὶ τὰ εἴδωλα αὐτῶν ἐκκεκομμένα ὥσπερ δρυμὸς μακράν.

Wednesday, April 24: Isa 27:10-13

10 τὸ κατοικούμενον ποίμνιον ἀνειμένον ἔσται, ὡς ποίμνιον καταλελιμμένον· καὶ ἔσται πολὺν χρόνον εἰς βόσκημα, καὶ ἐκεῖ ἀναπαύσονται. 11 μετὰ χρόνον οὐκ ἔσται ἐν αὐτῇ πᾶν χλωρὸν διὰ τὸ ξηρανθῆναι. γυναῖκες ἐρχόμεναι ἀπὸ θέας, δεῦτε· οὐ γὰρ λαός ἐστιν ἔχων σύνεσιν, διὰ τοῦτο οὐ μὴ οἰκτειρήσῃ ὁ ποιήσας αὐτούς, οὐδὲ ὁ πλάσας αὐτοὺς οὐ μὴ ἐλεήσει. 12 Καὶ ἔσται ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ συμφράξει Κύριος ἀπὸ τῆς διώρυγος τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἕως Ῥινοκορούρων· ὑμεῖς δὲ συναγάγετε τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραὴλ κατʼ ἕνα ἕνα. 13 Καὶ ἔσται ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ σαλπιοῦσιν ἐν τῇ σάλπιγγι τῇ μεγαλῇ, καὶ ἥξουσιν οἱ <ἀπολόμενοι> ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ τῶν Ἀσσυρίων καὶ οἱ ἀπολόμενοι ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ, καὶ προσκυνήσουσιν τῷ κυρίῳ ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος τὸ ἅγιον ἐν Ἰερουσαλήμ.

Thursday, April 25: Isa 28:1-6

28 1 Οὐαὶ τῷ στεφάνῳ τῆς ὕβρεως, οἱ μισθωτοὶ Ἐφράιμ, τὸ ἄνθος τὸ ἐκπεσὸν ἐκ τῆς δόξης ἐπὶ τῆς κορυφῆς τοῦ ὄρους τοῦ παχέως, οἱ μεθύοντες ἄνευ οἴνου. 2 ἰδοὺ ἰσχυρὸν καὶ σκληρὸν ὁ θυμὸς Κυρίου, ὡς χάλαζα καταφερομένη οὐκ ἔχουσα σκέπην, βίᾳ καταφερομένη· ὡς ὕδατος πολὺ πλῆθος σῦρον χώραν, τῇ γῇ ποιήσει ἀνάπαυσιν· ταῖς χερσίν, 3 καὶ τοῖς ποσὶν καταπατηθήσεται ὁ στέφανος τῆς ὕβρεως, οἱ μισθωτοὶ τοῦ Ἐφράιμ. 4 καὶ ἔσται τὸ ἄνθος τὸ ἐκπεσὸν τῆς ἐλπίδος τῆς δόξης ἐπʼ ἄκρου τοῦ ὄρους τοῦ ὑψηλοῦ· ὡς πρόδρομος σύκου, ὁ ἰδὼν αὐτό, πρὶν ἤ εἰς τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ λαβεῖν, θελήσει αὐτὸ καταπιεῖν. 5 τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἔσται Κύριος σαβαὼθ ὁ στέφανος τῆς ἐλπίδος ὁ πλακεὶς τῆς δόξης, τῷ καταλειφθέντι μου λαῷ· 6 καὶ καταλειφθήσονται ἐπὶ πνεύματι κρίσεως ἐπὶ κρίσιν καὶ ἰσχὺν κωλύων ἀνελεῖν.

Friday, April 26: Isa 28:7-13

7 οὗτοι γὰρ οἴνῳ πεπλανημένοι εἰσίν· ἐπλανήθησαν διὰ τὸ σίκερα, ἱερεὺς καὶ προφήτης ἐξέστησαν διὰ τὸν οἶνον, ἐσείσθησαν ἀπὸ τῆς μέθης τοῦ σίκερα, ἐπλανήθησαν· τοῦτό ἐστιν φάντασμα. 8 ἀρὰ ἔδεται ταύτην τὴν βουλήν· αὕτη γὰρ ἡ βουλὴ ἕνεκεν πλεονεξίας. 9 τίνι ἀνηγγείλαμεν κακά, καὶ τίνι ἀνηγγείλαμεν ἀγγελίαν; οἱ ἀπογεγαλακτισμένοι ἀπὸ γάλακτος, οἱ ἀπεσπασμένοι ἀπὸ μαστοῦ. 10 θλίψιν ἐπὶ θλίψιν προσδέχου, ἐλπίδα ἐπʼ ἐλπίδι, ἔτι μικρὸν ἔτι μικρόν, 11 διὰ φαυλισμὸν χειλέων, διὰ γλώσσης ἑτέρας· ὅτι λαλήσουσιν τῷ λαῷ τούτῳ, 12 λέγοντες αὐτῷ Τοῦτο τὸ ἀνάπαυμα τῷ πεινῶντι καὶ τοῦτο τὸ σύντριμμα, καὶ οὐκ ἠθέλησαν ἀκούειν. 13 καὶ ἔσται αὐτοῖς τὸ λόγιον Κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ θλίψις ἐπὶ θλίψιν, ἐλπὶς ἐπʼ ἐλπίδι, ἔτι μικρὸν ἔτι μικρόν, ἵνα πορευθῶσιν καὶ πέσωσιν εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω, καὶ κινδυνεύσουσι καὶ συντριβήσονται καὶ ἁλώσονται.

See here for more resources and links to texts for Greek Isaiah.

And here are the Week 21 readings above, in pdf form.

Logos 5: Gold package, reviewed (part 2)

Logos 5

Logos 5 has been on the market for a few months now. How is it holding up?

I reviewed Logos 5 in several parts when it first came out last fall, looking especially at the Silver package. Those reviews are all compiled here.

Since then I’ve been using the Gold base package, which I began to review here. If you’re new to Logos and/or this blog, reading through the posts above all apply in review of Logos Gold. To summarize a bit, Silver and Gold base packages both have:

  • Features like Bible Facts, Passage Guide, Bible Word Study, Exegetical Guide, Sermon Starter Guide, Timeline, and more
  • Clause Search–about which I wrote more here
  • The New American Commentary set
  • The Pulpit Commentary set
  • Greek and English Apostolic Fathers
  • A new English translation of the Septuagint, The Lexham English Septuagint
  • A lot more

The Gold base package adds to Silver:

The full contents of Gold can be seen here, in comparison with the other packages.

In this concluding part of my Gold review, I want to look at some of the above features: one feature in-depth, and a couple others briefly.

Bible Sense Lexicon

Morris Proctor describes the Bible Sense Lexicon (BSL, hereafter) in this way:

The primary purpose of this feature is to present the range of possible meanings for Hebrew and Greek lemmas and then suggest precise contextual definitions for them as they appear in verses.

For example, the Bible Sense Lexicon shows that kosmos may have 12 different meanings, but in John 3:16 it refers to the world populace or people on the earth.

The BSL at the moment works just with nouns. There are several ways to access it. By right-clicking on kosmos (inflected as κόσμον) in John 3:16, the menu shows me that the “sense” is “world populace.” From there I can go directly to the BSL entry for this word, which gives its meaning (as determined by the team at Logos) in context. Here’s what the entry looks like (open in new tab or window to see larger):

BSL

The “sense” of kosmos is “world populace,” which is further defined at upper left: “people in general considered as a whole….” The number and bars underneath that show how that specific sense (not word) is distributed across books of the Bible. Mousing over it, one notes that “world populace” for kosmos occurs 22 times in John. The little bar graph is good for quick-reference, but it’s pretty small, and you can’t really click from it to any other information directly.

Proctor uses the image of “orchard with trees bearing branches” to describe the BSL. In this case, if you click on “group” in blue font (a “branch”), you are moved back to the “orchard” of “entity,” and its “tree” of “abstraction.” It is under entity | abstraction that the “branch” of group | people | world populace fits (to use Proctor’s analogy). As you move through various levels of the BSL in this way, the forward and back arrows at top right in the image above help you find your place.

In the branch system in the middle of the image, hovering over any word shows a pop-up with further information. Clicking on a filled-in blue circle expands the branch at that point.

One other way to use the Bible Sense Lexicon (which is properly called a “data set” in Logos) is to open it from the “Tools” menu in Logos. Doing that allows the user to look up any word, regardless of what passage may already be open. Typing in “g:kosmos” (“g” for “Greek”) shows the following 11 senses (as determined by Logos) in a drop-down menu:

BSL_2

One could more fully explore kosmos by going through each of the senses, one-by-one.

There’s more to the BSL than what I’ve highlighted here. Watch the video at this page (and read the rest of the page’s text) for a quick but substantive overview from Logos. There is a detailed and really helpful Logos wiki page on the BSL, too.

The Bible Sense Lexicon is comparable in some ways to Louw & Nida’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains. Context determines meaning of words, and the BSL works from that premise. There is right now no easy way to find a list of passages that use a word in the given sense you are looking at, as noted here. This and the fact that the BSL only has nouns for now are areas that need improvement. Louw & Nida, by contrast (also available in Logos), covers other parts of speech.

The Bible Sense Lexicon is available in the Gold package and up (or by using a crossgrade option).

Exegetical Summaries

Exegetical SummariesThis is a great commentary set for careful study of words, phrases, and verses. The Logos product page has this description: “The 24-volume Exegetical Summaries Series asks important exegetical and interpretive questions—phrase-by-phrase—and summarizes and organizes the content from every major Bible commentary and dozens of lexicons.”

A difficult phrase from Romans 1:17, for example, receives this treatment in the commentary (pdf), with lexical and exegetical options laid out. The pdf doesn’t show it, but in Logos the abbreviations and verses references are hyperlinked.

For sermon prep or research papers, the Exegetical Summaries Series could be a good starting point.

UBS Handbooks

UBS OTThese handbooks (OT and NT) are geared specifically toward translators, though any serious Bible student will appreciate them. The handbooks often discuss the decisions that various translations made for a given Hebrew or Greek word. A note on “Bethlehem Ephrathah” in Micah 5:2, for example, reads as follows:

Ephrathah is a term added perhaps to distinguish David’s Bethlehem from other towns or villages bearing the same name. Probably Ephrathah is a name for the district in which Bethlehem was located. It comes from the name of Ephrath, one of the clans which made up the tribe of Judah (Ruth 1:2). David’s family were members of this clan (1 Sam 17:12). It is probably best to translate Bethlehem Ephrathah as the name of the town. If this seems too long for a name in some languages, then it is all right to translate as “Bethlehem in the region (or district) of Ephrathah” (see NEB).

Whether one knows biblical languages or not, the level of detail in these verse-by-verse handbooks helps the user to more fully understand what is going on in the biblical text at any juncture.

Concluding Thoughts

My personal experience with Logos 5 (which was also true of Logos 4) is that it handles and operates more smoothly on a PC than on a Mac. More often than I’ve liked, I’ve found myself waiting for the spinning rainbow pinwheel after entering a search query or scrolling down through a resource. The speed issue is not really present on a PC, though. Having fewer tabs open on a Mac makes for fluid operation, but Logos on PC is the way to go for complex, involved operations with multiple resources open at once.

One strength Logos currently has over any other Bible software is how it syncs across computers and devices. Everything I do and save in my PC version of Logos will be right as I left it when I open it up on a Mac. Its cloud capabilities are tops.

I’ve reviewed individual resources in Logos, as well. You can find many of those by going through Words on the Word, if you are so inclined. One of Logos’s strengths is in the massive resource library it makes available. Much as I love the printed book, the convenience of accessing multiple biblical texts and commentaries from just about anywhere feels like nothing short of a 21st century luxury.

Thanks to Logos for the gratis review copy of Gold, given me with the sole expectation that I review it honestly here on my blog. Kudos are due again to MP Seminars, whose “What’s New” manual helped me more quickly apprehend the Bible Sense Lexicon.

Greek Isaiah in a Year, Week 20=Isaiah 26

This week in Greek Isaiah in a Year covers Isaiah 26.

Here is the schedule and text for Monday through Friday, using again the text from R.R. Ottley’s Book of Isaiah According to the Septuagint. Ottley is also here in Logos (reviewed here) and here as a free, downloadable pdf in the public domain. The full reading plan for our group is here (pdf).

Monday, April 15: Isa 26:1-4

Ὠιδή

26 1 Τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ᾄσονται τὸ ᾆσμα τοῦτο ἐπὶ γῆς Ἰούδα, λέγοντες Ἰδοὺ πόλις ὀχυρά, καὶ σωτήριον ἡμῖν θήσει τεῖχος καὶ περίτειχος. 2 ἀνοίξατε πύλας, εἰσελθάτω λαὸς φυλάσσων δικαιοσύνην καὶ φυλάσσων ἀλήθειαν, 3 ἀντιλαμβανόμενος ἀληθείας καὶ φυλάσσων εἰρήνην. ὅτι ἐπι σοὶ 4 ἤλπισαν, Κύριε, ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος, ὁ θεὸς ὁ μέγας ὁ αἰώνιος,

Tuesday, April 16: Isa 26:5-8

5 ὃς ταπεινώσας κατήγαγες τοὺς ἐνοικοῦντας ἐν ὑψηλοῖς· πόλεις ὀχυρὰς καταβαλεῖς, καὶ κατάξεις αὐτὰς ἕως τοῦ ἐδάφους, 6 καὶ πατήσουσιν αὐτοὺς πρᾳέων καὶ ταπεινῶν. 7 ὁδὸς εὐσεβῶν εὐθεῖα ἐγένετο, καὶ παρεσκευασμένη ἡ ὁδὸς τῶν εὐσεβῶν. 8 ἡ γὰρ ὁδὸς Κυρίου κρίσις· ἠλπίσαμεν ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματί σου καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ μνείᾳ

Wednesday, April 17: Isa 26:9-12

9 ᾗ ἐπιθυμεῖ ἡ ψυχὴ ἡμῶν. (Ὠιδή.) ἐκ νυκτὸς ὀρθρίζει τὸ πνεῦμά μου πρὸς σέ, ὁ θεός, διότι φῶς τὰ προστάγματά σου ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. δικαιοσύνην μάθετε, οἱ ἐνοικοῦντες ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. 10 πέπαυται γὰρ ὁ ἀσεβής· οὐ μὴ μάθῃ δικαιοσύνην ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἀλήθειαν οὐ μὴ ποιήσῃ· ἀρθήτω ὁ ἀσεβής, ἵνα μὴ ἴδῃ τὴν δόξαν Κυρίου. 11 Κύριε, ὑψηλός σου ὁ βραχίων καὶ οὐκ ᾔδεισαν, γνόντες δὲ αἰσχυνθήσονται· ζῆλος λήμψεται λαὸν ἀπαίδευτον, καὶ νῦν πῦρ τοὺς ὑπεναντίους ἔδεται. 12 Κύριε ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν, εἰρήνην δὸς ἡμῖν, πάντα γὰρ ἀπέδωκας ἡμῖν.

Thursday, April 18: Isa 26:13-17

13 Κύριε ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν, κτῆσαι ἡμᾶς· Κύριε, ἐκτὸς σοῦ ἄλλον οὐκ οἴδαμεν, τὸ ὄνομά σου ὀνομάζομεν. 14 οἱ δὲ νεκροὶ ζωὴν οὐ μὴ ἴδωσιν, οὐδὲ ἰατροὶ οὐ μὴ ἀναστήσουσιν· διὰ τοῦτο ἐπήγαγες καὶ ἀπώλεσας καὶ ἦρας πᾶν ἄρσεν αὐτῶν. 15 πρόσθες αὐτοῖς κακά, Κύριε, πρόσθες κακὰ πᾶσιν τοῖς ἐνδόξοις τῆς γῆς. 16 Κύριε, ἐν θλίψει ἐμνήσθην σου, ἐν θλίψει μικρᾷ ἡ παιδία σου ἡμῖν. 17 καὶ ὡς ἡ ὠδίνουσα ἐγγίζει τοῦ τεκεῖν, καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ ὠδῖνι αὐτῆς ἐκέκραξεν, οὕτως ἐγενήθημεν τῷ ἀγαπητῷ σου.

Friday, April 19: Isa 26:18-21

18 διὰ τὸν φόβον σου, Κύριε, ἐν γαστρὶ ἐλάβομεν καὶ ὠδινήσαμεν καὶ ἐτέκομεν· πνεῦμα σωτηρίας σου ἐποιήσαμεν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἀλλὰ πεσοῦνται οἱ ἑνοικοῦντες ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. 19 ἀναστήσονται γὰρ οἱ νεκροί, καὶ ἐγερθήσονται οἱ ἐν τοῖς μνημείοις, καὶ εὐφρανθήσονται οἱ ἐν τῇ γῇ· ἡ γὰρ δρόσος ἡ παρὰ σοῦ ἴαμα αὐτοῖς ἐστιν, ἡ δὲ γῆ τῶν ἀσεβῶν πεσεῖται. 20 Βάδιζε, ὁ λαός μου, εἴσελθε εἰς τὰ ταμιεῖά σου, ἀπόκλεισον τὴν θύραν σου, ἀποκρύβηθι μικρὸν ὅσον ὅσον, ἕως ἄν παρέλθῃ ἡ ὀργὴ Κυρίου. 21 ἰδοὺ γὰρ Κύριος ἀπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου ἐπάγει τὴν ὀργὴν ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐνοικοῦντας ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· καὶ ἀνακαλύψει ἡ γῆ τὸ <αἷμα> αὐτῆς, καὶ οὐ κατακαλύψει ἡ γῆ τοὺς ἀνῃρημένους.

See here for more resources and links to texts for Greek Isaiah.

And here are the Week 20 readings above, in pdf form.

Review of IVP’s Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch (final part 3)

IVP OT Dictionary Pentateuch

I’ve been spending some time the last few weeks with InterVarsity Press’s Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch in Logos Bible Software. You can read part 1 of my review here and part 2 here; those help provide context for this third and final part to the review.

In this post I summarize and briefly interact with three more articles: “Warfare,” “Book of Genesis,” and “Haran.” Then I offer my concluding thoughts.

Warfare

A.C. Emery’s article explores “the conduct of warfare found in the Pentateuch, as well as instructions provided for the waging of warfare in Israel” (877). He notes, “Conflict is a common event recorded within the OT” (877), even if the student of ancient warfare tactics may not find much in the Pentateuch. To wit: “With rare exception the battle is described more for the divine intervention than for its technical conduct, which is the particular interest of this article” (878-9). God himself is described “as a warrior” (877) in the Pentateuch.

Emery looks at common Hebrew words that the Pentateuch uses to describe warfare and battles, with qārab (“draw near”) being the most common. He explores Pentateuchal “battle accounts” (879), from Abraham in Genesis 14 to Amalek in Exodus 17 and the “Canaanite king of Arad” and Og, king of Bashan, in Numbers 21-25 (879-80). There are “various instructions with regard to activities related to warfare” (880), including “the need to be… emotionally and religiously prepared for the dangers of combat” and the mechanics of negotiations and siege warfare (880). Emery’s final section examines the ethical difficulty that warfare poses.

Surprisingly, Emery does not in his ethics section mention the difficult Deuteronomy 7:2 with its “show them no mercy” command. He also has an article in the dictionary (“ḤĒREM”) that covers that passage, but his treatment of warfare ethics in “Warfare” was briefer than I would have liked. But, as with the rest of the dictionary, the few-page article still offers a decent jumping-off point for further research, even if it’s not a one-stop shop.

Book of Genesis

The entry on the book of Genesis examines the book with special reference to structure, plot, and theology (350). L.A. Turner’s key assumption is: “Genesis is a narrative book, and its theology is conveyed through features such as its structure, plot and characterization, rather than through set pieces of divine promulgation, as in legal or prophetic texts” (356).

Regarding structure, though there are varying theories, most agree that “Genesis is composed of two distinct blocks of unequal size” (350). The first runs roughly through Genesis 11 or the first few verses of Genesis 12 and is about humanity generally. Genesis 12 onward picks up the story of Abraham. The “main sections” in Genesis, according to Turner, are “the Abraham story (Gen 11:27–25:18), the Jacob story (Gen 25:19–37:1) and the story of Jacob’s family (Gen 37:2–50:26)” (350). The Hebrew word tôlĕdôt (genealogy) is a structural marker throughout Genesis.

The plot of Genesis has “progressive complexity” (352), moving from early human history to complex characters and families by the end of the book. “Divine promises and blessings” constitute “the book’s central core” (353) for Turner, and set the stage for the rest of the Bible (358). Regarding theology, he notes the tension “between divine sovereignty (as exemplified in the genealogies) and human free will (as demonstrated in the narratives)” (357).

I wanted to be sure to review a longer article in the dictionary. I was unexpectedly riveted as Turner walked through Genesis (10 pages in print). I found his contention that the book’s structure has theological import to be particularly compelling.

Haran

“Haran” in English could refer either to a place or to a person, though the spelling is different between each word in Hebrew (379). Both the place and the person are in Genesis 11:27-32, so M.W. Chavalas treats them together (379).

Haran the place is where Abraham lived after leaving Ur and before departing for Canaan (379). He also sought a wife for Isaac there, and Jacob found Rachel and Leah there, too. Similar to Ur, Haran centered on lunar worship. Haran is located in what today is southeastern Turkey. There is “only a small amount of archaeological evidence…for the city, and even less for patriarchal times” (379). It seems to have been inhabited already well before Abraham’s time, perhaps by some 20,000 people (379). Chavalas notes its likely founding “as a merchant outpost by the Sumerian city of Ur in the late third millennium B.C.” (379).

Haran the person has “very little biblical or extrabiblical information” recorded about him. He was Terah’s son, Lot’s father, and Abram’s brother. It was Haran’s death at Ur that led Lot to go to Haran with Abram. Haran also had two daughters, Iscah and Milcah.

The more I research Abraham and the Pentateuch, the more I realize how important Lot was to him. His desire to bear a family perhaps through Lot seems to be what led to his rescue of Lot in Genesis 14.  Several dictionary articles point this out nicely. Chavalas covers Haran fairly thoroughly in a short amount of space (just two or three print pages).

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I hope Logos will update the dictionary so that the sidebar Table of Contents can expand to include all the article sub-points. Another thing that would make the product better is an easier way to find out about contributors from within an article. Having their names hyperlinked with their biographical information would be nice. As it is, one has to move between the article and the separate “Contributors” section to find out more about each author. [EDIT: Author names have hyperlinks in the Accordance production of this module.]

The Logos edition of the IVP Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch is overall a good module. Being able to have it open to both Hebrew and English biblical texts saves considerable time compared to using the print edition. The Dictionary is a solid first place to go on issues, themes, and people in the Pentateuch.

The Dictionary is on Amazon here (in print) and at Logos here. My thanks to Logos for the review copy.  Read part 1 of my review here and part 2 here.

Greek Isaiah in a Year, Week 19=Isaiah 24:6-25:12

IsaiahThis week in Greek Isaiah in a Year covers Isaiah 24:6-25:12.

Here is the schedule and text for Monday through Friday, using again the text from R.R. Ottley’s Book of Isaiah According to the Septuagint. Ottley is also here in Logos (reviewed here) and here as a free, downloadable pdf in the public domain. The full reading plan for our group is here (pdf).

Monday, April 8: Isa 24:6-11

6 διὰ τοῦτο ἀρὰ ἔδεται τὴν γῆν, ὅτι ἡμάρτοσαν οἱ κατοικοῦντες αὐτήν· διὰ τοῦτο πτωχοὶ ἔσονται οἱ ἐνοικοῦντες ἐν τῇ γῇ, καὶ καταλειφθήσονται ἄνθρωποι ὀλίγοι. 7 πενθήσει οἶνος, πενθήσει ἄμπελος, στενάξουσιν πάντες οἱ εὐφραινόμενοι τὴν ψυχήν. 8 πέπαυται εὐφροσύνη τυμπάνων, πέπαυται αὐθαδία καὶ πλοῦτος ἀσεβῶν, πέπαυται φωνὴ κιθάρας. 9 ᾐσχύνθησαν, οὐκ ἔπιον οἶνον, ποκρὸν ἐγένετο τὸ σίκερα τοῖς πίνουσιν. 10 ἠρημώθη πᾶσα πόλις, κλείσει οἰκίαν τοῦ μὴ εἰσελθεῖν. 11 ὀλολύζετε περὶ τοῦ οἴνου πανταχῇ· πέπαυται πᾶσα εὐφροσύνη τῆς γῆς

Tuesday, April 9: Isa 24:12-17

12 καὶ καταλειφθήσονται πόλεις ἔρημοι, καὶ οἶκοι ἐγκαταλελιμμένοι ἀπολοῦνται. 13 ταῦτα πάντα ἔσται ἐν τῇ γῇ ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ἐθνῶν· ὅν τρόπον ἐάν τις καλαμήσηται ἐλαίαν, οὕτως καλαμήσονται αὐτούς· καὶ ἐὰν παύσηται ὁ τρυγητός. 14 οὗτοι φωνῇ βοήσονται, οἱ δὲ καταλειφθέντες ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς εὐφρανθήσονται ἅμα τῇ δόξῃ Κυρίου, ταραχθήσεται τὸ ὕδωρ τῆς θαλάσσης. 15 διὰ τοῦτο ἡ δόξα Κυρίου ἐν ταῖς νήσοις ἔσται τῆς θαλάσσης, τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου ἔνδοξον ἔσται. 16 Κύριε ὁ θεὸς Ἰσραήλ, ἀπὸ τῶν πτερύγων τῆς γῆς τέρατα ἠκούσαμεν, Ἐλπὶς τῷ εὐσεβεῖ. καὶ ἐροῦσιν Οὐαὶ τοῖς ἀθετοῦσιν· οἱ ἀθετοῦντες τὸν νόμον, 17 φόβος καὶ βόθυνος καὶ παγὶς ἐφʼ ὑμᾶς τοὺς ἐνοικοῦντας ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς.

Wednesday, April 10: Isa 24:18-23

18 καὶ ἔσται ὁ φεύγων τὸν φόβον ἐμπεσεῖται εἰς τὸν βόθυνον· ὁ δὲ ἐκβαίνων ἐκ τοῦ βοθύνου ἁλώσεται ὑπὸ τῆς παγίδος· ὅτι θυρίδες ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἠνεῴχθησαν, καὶ σεισθήσεται τὰ θεμέλια τῆς γῆς. 19 ταραχῇ ταραχθήσεται ἡ γῆ, καὶ ἀπορίᾳ ἀπορηθήσεται ἡ γῆ. 20 ἔκλινεν καὶ σεισθήσεται ὡς ὀπωροφυλάκιον ἡ γῆ, ὡς ὁ μεθύων καὶ ὁ κραιπαλῶν, καὶ πεσεῖται, καὶ οὐ μὴ δύνηται ἀναστῆναι· κατίσχυσεν γὰρ ἐπʼ αὐτῆς ἡ ἀνομία. 21 Καὶ ἐπάξει ὁ θεὸς ἐπὶ τὸν κόσμον τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τὴν χεῖρα καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς βασιλεῖς τῆς γῆς. 22 καὶ συνάξουσιν καὶ ἀποκλείσουσιν εἰς ὀχύρωμα καὶ εἰς δεσμωτήριον· διὰ πολλῶν γενεῶν ἐπισκοπὴ ἔσταο αὐτῶν. 23 καὶ τακήσεται ἡ πλίνθος, καὶ πεσεῖται τὸ τεῖχοι· ὅτι βασιλεύσει Κύριος ἐν Σιὼν καὶ ἐν Ἰερουσαλήμ, καὶ ἐναντίον τῶν πρεσβυτέρων δοξασθήσεται.

Thursday, April 11: Isa 25:1-6

Ὠιδή

25 1 Κύριε ὁ θεός μου, δοξάσω σε, ὑμνήσω τὸ ὄνομά σου, ὅτι ἐποίησας θαυμαστὰ πράγματα, βουλὴν ἀρχαίαν ἀληθινήν· γένοιτο, Κύριε. 2 ὅτι ἔθηκας πόλεις εἰς χῶμα, πολεῖς ὀχυρὰς τοῦ πεσεῖν αὐτῶν τὰ θεμέλια· τῶν ἀσεβῶν πόλις τὸν αἰῶνα οὐ μὴ οἰκοδομηθῇ. 3 διὰ τοῦτο εὐλογήσει σε ὁ λαὸς ὁ πτωχός, καὶ πόλεις ἀνθρώπων ἀδικουμένων εὐλογήσουσίν σε. 4 ἐγένου γὰρ πάσῃ πόλει ταπεινῇ βοηθός, καὶ τοῖς ἀθυμήσασιν διʼ ἔνδειαν σκέπη, ἀπὸ ἀνθρώπων πονηρῶν ῥύσῃ αὐτούς· σκέπη διψώντων, καὶ πνεῦμα ἀνθρώπων ἀδικουμένων, [εὐλογήσουσίν σε,] 5 ὡς ἄνθρωποι ὀλιγόψυχοι διψῶντες ἐν Σιὼν ἀπὸ ἀνθρώπων ἀσεβῶν, οἷς ἡμᾶς παρέδωκας. 6 καὶ ποιήσει Κύριος σαβαὼθ πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσιν· ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος τοῦτο πίονται εὐφροσύνην, πίονται οἶνον·

Friday, April 12: Isa 25:7-12

7 χρίσονται μύρον ἐν τῷ ὄρει τούτῳ παράδος ταῦτα πάντα τοῖς ἔθνεσιν· ἡ γὰρ βουλὴ αὕτη ἐπὶ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη. 8 κατέπιεν ὁ θάνατος ἰσχύσας, καὶ πάλιν ἀφεῖλεν ὁ θεὸς πᾶν δάκρυον ἀπὸ παντὸς προσώπου· τὸ ὄνειδος τοῦ λαοῦ ἀφεῖλεν ἁπὸ πάσης τῆς γῆς, τὸ γὰρ στόμα Κυρίου ἐλάλησεν. 9 καὶ ἐροῦσιν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ Ἰδοὺ ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν ἐφʼ ᾧ ἠλπίζομεν, καὶ ἠγαλλιώμεθα καὶ εὐφράνθημεν ἐπὶ τῇ σωτηρίᾳ ἡμῶν. 10 ὅτι ἀνάπαυσιν δώσει ὁ θεὸς ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος τοῦτο, καὶ καταπατηθήσεται ἡ Μωαβῖτις ὅν τρόπον πατοῦσιν ἅλωνα ἐν ἁμάξαις· 11 καὶ ἀνήσει τὰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ, ὅν τρόπον καὶ αὐτὸς ἐταπείνωσεν τοῦ ἀπολέσαι, καὶ ταπεινώσει τὴν ὕβριν αὐτοῦ ἐφʼ ἃ τὰς χεῖρας ἐπέβαλεν· 12 καὶ τὸ ὕψος τῆς καταφυγῆς τοῦ τοίχου σου ταπεινώσει, καὶ καταβήσεται ἕως τοῦ ἐδάφους.

See here for more resources and links to texts for Greek Isaiah.

And here are the Week 19 readings above, in pdf form.

(Part 2) Review of IVP’s Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch

IVP OT Dictionary Pentateuch

Sarah, Melchizedek, and the language of the Pentateuch. Last week I reviewed the articles on each of those topics in InterVarsity Press’s Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch in Logos Bible Software.

Here’s what the IVP page says about the dictionary in its book description:

The Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch is the first in a four-volume series covering the text of the Old Testament. Following in the tradition of the four award-winning IVP dictionaries focused on the New Testament and its background, this encyclopedic work is characterized by close attention to the text of the Old Testament and the ongoing conversation of contemporary scholarship. In exploring the major themes and issues of the Pentateuch, editors T. Desmond Alexander and David W.Baker, with an international and expert group of scholars, inform and challenge through authoritative overviews, detailed examinations and new insights from the world of the ancient Near East.

My first review contains an initial evaluation of the dictionary specifically in Logos Bible Software; you can read that here. In this post I summarize and briefly interact with three more articles: “Terah,” “Lot,” and “Ur.”

Terah

Terah was Abram’s father and Lot’s grandfather. He also fathered Nahor and Haran. M.W. Chavalas notes that Terah was “the family head,” since “all of the material in Genesis 11:27-25:11 is prefaced by the statement, ‘This is the family history of Terah’” (829). Chavalas considers Terah in three parts: the etymology of his name, his time in the city of Ur, and “Terah and Later Traditions.”

Chavalas considers several options for the meaning and linguistic source of “Terah,” but concludes, “An understanding of the etymology of the name Terah has proved to be difficult” (829). It does seem to have “associations with a place name in northern Mesopotamia” (830) and perhaps some associations with lunar worship (though perhaps not). Similarly, Ur, from which Terah comes, has been difficult to pinpoint. Chavalas places it in southern Mesopotamia. Chavalas finally considers the challenge that Acts 7:4 and Philo pose regarding chronology and location.

Chavalas manages to cover most of the essential territory on Terah in a short space. There is not much biblical material on Terah, but this article contains an overview of it all. There is little content in the “Terah and Later Traditions” section, and the article’s bibliography does not point to more resources to explore Abram’s father, for example, in rabbinical tradition. Detailed research on Terah would have to be supplemented with other resources.

Lot

Lot was Terah’s grandson and Abram’s nephew. J.I. Lawlor notes that Lot traveled with his grandfather Terah from Ur to Haran because his own father has died (556).

Lawlor primarily takes a literary and narrative approach to understanding Lot’s place in the Abram/Abraham material. He notes “two ‘paired sets’” of Lot material that “have been integrated, one set in each half of the Abraham story” (556). The author/compiler of Genesis does this, Lawlor notes, to “suggest and hold open the possibility of Lot as Abraham’s heir” (556), later dismissing the possibility as Isaac becomes heir (557).

Genesis 14:17-24 marks Abram’s encounter with Melchizedek, occasioned because Abram had gone to battle due to the Mesopotamian kings’ kidnapping of Lot. Abram rescued Lot in Gen. 14, then rescued him again, in a way, by interceding on behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah in Gen. 18-19 (557-8).

Due to an incestuous drunken encounter with his daughters, Lot gave rise to two groups of people, the Moabites and Ammonites, which Lawlor briefly discusses.

Lawlor’s most helpful contribution is in his situating of Lot in the larger flow of Genesis 12-19, where Lot serves as a possible answer to the question, Who will be an heir to Abram and Sarai? His reading of the “two paired sets” of Lot material is illuminating.

Ur

Like Chavalas in the “Terah” article, Osborne locates Ur in southern Mesopotamia as one of its “oldest and most famous” cities (875). Today the two-millenia old city of Ur is “modern Tell al-Muqayyar, located on the Euphrates in southern Mesopotamia” (875). Osborne looks at the archaeology of Ur as well as its place in patriarchal times.

Based on an early 20th century exploration of the tell (hill/remains) where Ur once was, archaeologists think that Ur was “not…one of the most extensive cities of its time” (875), with a population of just under 25,000. Ur was a center of lunar worship in Mesopotamia, as was Haran, where Terah would go from Ur (875). Tomb excavations have shown a wealthy city, which “was most probably derived from its lucrative involvement in trade along the Gulf” (876). Osborne also explores the debate over the birthplace of Abraham, whether it was northern or southern Mesopotamia (he favors the latter). He notes that the Genesis text does not say why Terah and his family left Ur.

Archaeology is not my primary interest within biblical studies, but Osborne introduces the basic archaeological finds to the reader in a short space, and does a good job of it. The bibliography at the end of the article offers titles for further reading.

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My impression of the dictionary continues to be positive. At the same time it is becoming clear to me that it is not comprehensive in the subjects it treats. So researchers, exegetes, writers, and teachers will want to consider using it alongside other resources. However, its ability to summarize much detail in a succinct way is a strong point of the dictionary.

I’ll do at least one other installment in my review of Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch, and include some concluding thoughts there. See the first part of my review here.

The Dictionary is on Amazon here (in print) and at Logos here. My thanks to Logos for the review copy.