Exegetically Speaking: Recent Episodes
Wheaton College
“Exegetically Speaking” is a weekly podcast of the friends and faculty of Wheaton College, IL and the Lanier Theological Library. Hosted by Dr. David Capes, former Dean of the School of Biblical & Theological Studies and Professor of New Testament, it features language experts discussing the importance of learning the biblical languages—Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek—and showing how reading the Bible in the original “pays off.” Each podcast lasts between seven and eleven minutes and covers a different topic for those who want to read the Bible for all it is worth. If you have questions or comments, please contact us at bts.graduate.studies@wheaton.edu. And keep listening.
Dr. David Baer, a Wheaton College alum and a missionary with Mesa Global, is Director of Mesa Scholars and Professor of Old Testament and Biblical Languages at Medellín's Biblical Seminary of Colombia. In this episode he announces and explains a planned Erasmus Academy of Biblical Languages, which will be a Spanish language institution, based in Colombia, serving as a platform for learning the biblical languages across the global Spanish speaking world. Dr. Baer's publications include When We All Go Home: Translation and Theology in LXX Isaiah 56-66. This is his second time on this podcast series.
Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/43BSemk M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4uA1zpu
Prof. George Kalantzis returns for a third comment on one of the Bible's most well-known verses, John 3:16. A seemingly small question – should the English pronoun 'his' be inserted where the Greek has only the article 'the'? – swells with importance when viewed through the lens of the church's theological growth over the centuries following the apostles. Dr. George Kalantzis is Professor of Theology and Director of The Wheaton Center for Early Christian Studies at Wheaton College. Among his publications are Theodore of Mopsuestia: Gospel of John and Caesar and the Lamb: Early Christian Attitudes on War and Military Service. He has been editor or co-editor of several volumes, including, Christian Dying: Witnesses from the Tradition.
Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4tUlbFz M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/3P1abqI
The KJV of 2 Sam. 17:3 reads in part, "And I will bring back all the people unto thee: the man whom thou seekest is as if all returned: so all the people shall be in peace," whereas the ESV reads, "and I will bring all the people back to you as a bride comes home to her husband. You seek the life of only one man, and all the people will be at peace." Behind this difference is a fascinating story of rediscovery worthy of Indiana Jones. Dr. Michael Graves, a frequent contributor to this podcast, is Armerding Professor of Biblical Studies at Wheaton College. He is the translator of Commentary on Jeremiah (Ancient Christian Texts) and author of How Scripture Interprets Scripture, among other things.
Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4tiQPeS M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4eXoqY4
Paul writes to the Philippian believers, "if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love . . . ." Does he doubt that they do? How do conditional sentences work on occasions like this? Dr. Phil Ryken, who has been a regular on our podcast, is the President of Wheaton College, 8th in the college's history. His most recent book is I Have My Doubts: How God Can Use Your Uncertainty to Reawaken Your Faith. You can hear many of his talks at Family Life Ministry – Podcast or at Every Last Word.
Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4urqZpE M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4eMmXnB
In the hevel-ridden world of Ecclesiastes the writer is asking whether it is all worth it for human beings. These reflections resonate with a modern audience, but what can be hard to grasp in translation is the sound of the Hebrew sentences, which itself assists in conveying the intended meaning. Bradley Cameron (PhD, Wheaton), who has been on the podcast before, is Visiting Assistant Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College. His dissertation was, "Learning to Fear: An Exploration of the Fear of God in Ecclesiastes through the Lens of Emotion." His publications can be found on his faculty page.
Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4dbqUQh M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/48Dqj8y
In Luke 19:3, Zacchaeus is unable to see Jesus because he is short. Is it possible that the short person in question is Jesus? Jon C. Laansma is Gerald F. Hawthorne Professor of New Testament Greek & Exegesis and the Director of the Classical Languages program at Wheaton College, and also the Wheaton-based director of this podcast series. Some of his publications may be found here. He is currently working on a commentary on 1 Corinthians for the T&T Clark International Theological Commentary series.
Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4uOCpV1 M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4uu1Ivc
The traditional translations of Gen. 2:24 have the man "leaving his father and mother," "clinging to his wife," and "becoming one flesh." The assumed frame of reference is that of marriage and sexual union. Yet situating that language in its cultural context and noting a Babylonian parallel to one of those phrases points to a corporate frame of reference. Dr. John Walton, Old Testament Professor Emeritus at Wheaton Graduate School, is a frequent contributor to this podcast. He has many volumes in his "Lost World" series along with many other publications, including, Genesis (NIV Application Commentary). He is currently collaborating with Dr. Aubrey Buster in preparing a major commentary on Daniel (NICOT). The first volume on Daniel 1-6 is already available, and the second volume on Daniel 7-12 is on the way.
Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/42KEbKC M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/3Rmomao
When Noah (Noach) is first introduced in Genesis 5, it is said that "he will bring us relief (nacham)." This and other wordplays will feature significantly throughout the entire story of the flood, not least in Gen. 6:6-8. Dr. Adam E. Miglio, a frequent contributor to our podcast, is Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College. His publications include The Gilgamesh Epic in Genesis 1-11: Peering into the Deep and Tribe and State: The Dynamics of International Politics and the Reign of Zimri-Lim.
Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4dpBfZV M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/49rF9iw
In a Trinitarian passage, Jesus (the Son) declares, "I will ask the Father, and he will give you another παράκλητος (parakletos), to be with you forever." The understanding of that Greek designation of the Holy Spirit is critical for grasping the promise of Jesus, the assurance it contains, and the marks of its fulfillment. Dr. Phil Ryken, who has been a regular on our podcast, is the President of Wheaton College, 8th in the college's history. His most recent book is I Have My Doubts: How God Can Use Your Uncertainty to Reawaken Your Faith. You can hear many of his talks at Family Life Ministry – Podcast or at Every Last Word.
Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4wqxtaq M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/48FmVtH
Some modern translations of John 20:2 have Mary exclaiming, "They have taken away the Lord's body from the tomb." The word "body" is not in the Greek sentence, and its insertion might dampen our sympathy with Mary's profound grief. Dr. Amy Peeler has contributed several episodes to this podcast. She is the Kenneth T. Wessner Chair of Biblical Studies, Professor of New Testament, and Chair of the Ph.D. Program at Wheaton College. Her most recent publication include Ordinary Time: The Season of Growth and Hebrews (Commentaries for Christian Formation). She is presently working on Paul's view on the impact of the Incarnation.
Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/3QOZOqE M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4tZGPs8
We are approaching the centenary of the discovery of the Ugaritic language, which belongs to the same family of languages as Hebrew, Aramaic, Moabite, and others. This relationship with Hebrew permits insights to flow both from Hebrew to Ugaritic and Ugaritic to Hebrew. One illustration of this is found in Prov. 12:17. A word traditionally parsed as a verb in a context that seemed to call for a noun was confirmed to be a noun when Ugaritic parallels were uncovered. Some English translations are still catching up. Dr. Andrew Burlingame, a prior contributor to this podcast, is a Wheaton College Classical Languages program alumnus and is now Assistant Professor of Hebrew at the same. He specializes in Northwest Semitic languages, including Hebrew, Aramaic, Phoenician, and Ugaritic, along with their history and texts. Some of his recent publications are featured here.
Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4dbosJz M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4nb1vKP
Due to his extensive writing and lecturing John Walton is recognized as a leading scholar on OT backgrounds. His attempts to convey this research to varied audiences, often non-specialists, has led him to search out imagery that will make even involved ideas more intuitively accessible. One such metaphor is that of cultural "backpacks." Dr. John Walton, Old Testament Professor Emeritus at Wheaton Graduate School, is a frequent contributor to this podcast. He has many volumes in his "Lost World" series along with many other publications, including (with Andrew Hill), A Survey of the Old Testament (4th ed.). He is currently collaborating with Dr. Aubrey Buster in preparing a major commentary on Daniel (NICOT). The first volume on Daniel 1-6 is already available, and the second volume on Daniel 7-12 is on the way.
Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4daJ6cH M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/3OYI4bK
When, in one of Jesus' most well-known parables, the "prodigal son" returns, his older brother feels wronged by the warm reception accorded by their father. The charges he lays against his younger brother may be even stronger than often realized if we perceive echoes of a key scene in Homer's Odyssey. Dr. Alexander Loney is Associate Professor of Classical Languages and the Coordinator of the Classical Languages program at Wheaton College. His publications include The Ethics of Revenge and the Meanings of the Odyssey and (co-editor) The Oxford Handbook of Hesiod. He has contributed several episodes to our podcast.
Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4er2T9Y M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4d1iSJD
In a recent episode, Dr. Ellie Paley walked us through Job 42:6, Job's final response to God's answer from the whirlwind. The very next verse, Job 42:7, presents the conundrum of how Job, who was just rebuked by God, is now commended by God in contrast to his three friends. The Hebrew wording suggests that the key difference between Job and his friends lies in the direction of their speaking: To God about Job or to Job about God? Dr. Paley has taught courses at Duke Divinity School and Jerusalem University College, and is transitioning to a postdoctoral position at Bar-Ilan University near Tel Aviv. Her doctoral research on Divine-Human Dialogue and Resolution in the Book of Job is forthcoming with Brill.
Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/48GQoDD M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/3RjAzww
Though most often cited at funerals or in times of greatest difficulty, Psalm 23 has a profound message for the whole of life. A close reading of the Hebrew of the opening verses bears out some of this. Dr. Kenneth Gore is Professor of Biblical Studies at Mary C. Crowley College of Christian Faith, Dallas Baptist University. He wrote the column "Baptists Ask," for the Arkansas Baptist News from October 2001 to March 2020, and recently contributed a series of articles on The Psalms for GC2 Press.
Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4cFzZld M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4t3bZ04
For the 350th episode of this podcast, Dr Michael Bird reviews the ways in which John's Gospel presents Jesus as equal to God, and then concentrates on the language of 1:18. Is the idea that of Jesus as the "only begotten" of the Father, what would that mean, and how would later theological terminology express what John is teaching? Dr. Bird is Deputy Principal and Academic Lecturer in Theology at Ridley College (Melbourne, Australia). His many publications include What Christians Ought to Believe: An Introduction to Christian Doctrine through the Apostles' Creed and Jesus among the gods: Early Christology in the Greco-Roman World.
Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4mAwEY0 M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/41Duai0
Following Job's sufferings, mourning, arguments with his friends, and God's own speech to him, Job makes his final response in Job 42. But the Hebrew of Job 42:6 has been hotly contested in scholarship, with its interpretation bearing significant implications for how this afflicted God-fearer has emerged from his long-awaited encounter with God. Dr. Ellie Paley has taught courses at Duke Divinity School and Jerusalem University College, and is transitioning to a postdoctoral position at Bar-Ilan University near Tel Aviv. Her doctoral research on Divine-Human Dialogue and Resolution in the Book of Job is forthcoming with Brill.
Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4vrZZaV M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/480BQ1j
Two of the shortest verses in the Bible are 1 Thess. 5:16 and 17: "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing" (NRSV). Dr. Jeff Peterson argues that that these verses are directed to leaders of the Thessalonian church, along with all of vv. 14-22, and he zeroes in on the Greek adverb translated "without ceasing." Concretely, what was Paul asking the recipients of his letter to do? Dr. Jeff Peterson is Professor of New Testament at Harding School of Theology, Harding University. His publications include (co-editor), Marcan Priority Without Q: Explorations in the Farrer Hypothesis. Check out related programs at Wheaton College:
B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/3NUCXJ0 M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4diWywK
John 20:31 is usually translated as John's purpose statement: "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God" (ESV). But could the clause also be understood as, "that you may believe that the Christ, the Son of God, is Jesus"? What difference would this make for how we read John's Gospel as a whole? In this episode, David Ritsema discusses the grammatical question behind this translation and its implications for John's presentation of Jesus as the Messiah. Dr. David Ritsema is Assistant Dean and Assistant Professor of New Testament at B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary, East Texas Baptist University. His book, The Divine Messiah: A Portrait of Jesus in the Johannine Literature, is forthcoming with Wipf & Stock. Check out related programs at Wheaton College:
B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4tfjeTr M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4lYiJuC
Rom. 7:7-25 has attracted more attention from commentators than any other biblical passage. All readers feel some sympathy with the struggle with sin that is voiced, though elements of what Paul writes make neat identifications difficult. Who is the "I" who is speaking in vv. 7-13 and then the "I" in 7:14-25? Prof. Witherington, who has been on this podcast before, is the Jean R. Amos Professor of New Testament for Doctoral Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary and is an emeritus professor of New Testament at St. Andrews University, Scotland. He has published widely, including commentaries on every book of the New Testament; of relevance to this episode is Paul's Letter to the Romans: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary. His most recent book is Rethinking Biblical and Systematic Theology.
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A long tradition of reading John 4 has viewed the woman at the well as immoral. How was that reading established? What is its textual warrant? What are alternative traditions? What does all this tell us about the role of assumptions in exegesis? Dr. Benjamin Wall is Professor of Theology and Ethics at South University. His publications include Welcome as a Way of Life and he is currently a resident scholar at Lanier Theological Library working on C. S. Lewis' theological anthropology related to disabilities and mental health.
Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4sZt6k7 M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/47XmhqW
Ps. 103:17-18 presents God's kingdom as the kingdom of Israel while v. 19 also mentions God's universal kingdom. In which sense did Christ bring God's kingdom to realization? Dr. Fredericks is Professor of Biblical Studies and Provost Emeritus at Belhaven University. His publications include Reframing Biblical Theology: The Eternal Design and (co-author) Ecclesiastes & The Song of Songs. Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/46Wx5Fv M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4syONHm
Knowing that devastating judgment is descending on Israel, the prophet affirms that God is his strength. To appreciate the depth of Habakkuk's hope we must understanding the Hebrew language used in its contexts (plural), including the species of deer in Israel. Dr. Oliver Hersey, who has been on this podcast before, is the 11th president of Jerusalem University College. This college, located on the southwestern corner of Mount Zion, Israel, equips for ministry by providing immersive study of the ancient and modern contexts of Israel and the surrounding regions for a deepened understanding of God and his word.
Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/46qmYsc M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4qYJdgj
The Christ hymn of Phil. 2:6-11 is one of the most studied NT passages on Christology. When considering Paul's own study we should note 3:20-21 of the same letter, which reprises several Greek words from the hymn. Dr. Chris Kugler is Lecturer in Theology for George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University, at the Houston Campus, Lanier Theological Library. His publications include Paul and the Image of God and Heaven, Hell, and Hope: A Biblical and Theological Exploration of Universal Salvation.
Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4s5Br54 M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4qSuOlE
Describing the Holy Spirit's work on behalf of believers in Christ, Paul employs two verbs with double prefixes. The effect is to give special stress to the Spirit's work of support and intercession. Dr. Jones, who has been on this podcast before, is the Director of Global Theological Education for Hamoreh Ministries, a theological training ministry working in northern Kenya.
Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4kLm8MC M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4rp3xs4
This is a repeat of our very first episode: Veteran interpreter Dr. John Walton describes the process of exegesis — from choosing a text, analyzing the genre and background, and grappling with the "linguistic core" — in this step-by-step explanation of how exegesis is done. Dr. John Walton, Old Testament Professor Emeritus at Wheaton Graduate School, has since become a frequent contributor to this podcast. He has many volumes in his "Lost World" series along with many other publications, including (with Andrew Hill), A Survey of the Old Testament (4th ed.). He is currently collaborating with Dr. Aubrey Buster in preparing a major commentary on Daniel (NICOT), of which the first volume (Daniel 1-6) is out. Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4kwp8MT M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4arsNa2
John 3:16 is routinely translated, "For God so loved the world." The NLT translates it, "For this is how God loved the world." The difference roots in a Greek adverb, the sentence as a whole, and the theological logic employed by John. Dr. George Kalantzis, who has been on this podcast before, is Professor of Theology and Director of The Wheaton Center for Early Christian Studies at Wheaton College. Among his publications are Theodore of Mopsuestia: Gospel of John and Caesar and the Lamb: Early Christian Attitudes on War and Military Service. He has been editor or co-editor of several volumes, including, Come, Let Us Eat Together: Sacraments and Christian Unity. Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4c5vikE M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/3NQWucV
Rev. 5:1-14 depicts a dramatic heavenly scene in which the Lamb alone is worthy and able to take and open what is referred to as a βιβλίον (biblion) with seven seals and inscribed in a particular way. The attempt to gain a more precise mental picture of this literary object and its nature as a text includes matters of word meaning and textual criticism. Dr. Christian Askeland, a past contributor to this podcast, is Advisor for The Green Collection (Oklahoma City) and works with Inspire.org. He is interested in the origins and diversity of early Christianity, endeavoring to reconstruct historically the movements from which the relevant texts and manuscripts arose. He has authored John's Gospel: The Coptic Translations of its Greek Text and has co-authored The Bible in the U.S. Capital: Inviting All People to Engage with the Transformative Power of the Bible.
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B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/3LLFswf M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4jYUwTL
Many translations render Rom. 8:28 as, "all things work together for good." The NLT renders the same words as, "God causes everything to work together," a construal that is represented in some ancient Greek manuscripts. Yet another possibility would be, "the Spirit works all things together." What explains these differences? A past contributor to this podcast, Joseph Dodson is the Dr. Craig L. Blomberg Chair of New Testament at Denver Seminary. In addition to other publications, he has written Paul the Rabbi Philosopher: Stoic and Jewish Philosophy in the Apostle's Thought, and (with Mattie Mae Motl) Conquerors Not Captives: Reframing Romans 7 for the Christian Life. He is working on commentaries on Romans (Brill) and Colossians-Philemon (Holman).
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B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4k1MKJ0 M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/45tWh5s
Following his resurrection in Luke 24 Jesus startles his disciples by appearing among them when they are talking about him. By v. 41, properly understood, they are still not believing. Luke's implicit argument about what finally brings them to faith requires close attention to the Greek wording and clues as to discourse structure. Dr. J. D. Atkins is Associate Professor of New Testament Language and Literature, and Chair of the Department of Biblical and Exegetical Studies at Tyndale Theological Seminary. Among other things he has authored, The Doubt of the Apostles and the Resurrection Faith of the Early Church. He is working (coauthor) on Forty Questions on the Gospels (Kregel). In this episode, Dr. J. D. Atkins concludes his discussion of Luke 24:41-45. Check out related programs at Wheaton College:
B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/3Z9V1kg M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4jzKnwy
Following his resurrection in Luke 24 Jesus startles his disciples by appearing among them when they are talking about him. By v. 41, properly understood, they are still not believing. Luke's implicit argument about what finally brings them to faith requires close attention to the Greek wording and clues as to discourse structure. Dr. J. D. Atkins is Associate Professor of New Testament Language and Literature, and Chair of the Department of Biblical and Exegetical Studies at Tyndale Theological Seminary. Among other things he has authored, The Doubt of the Apostles and the Resurrection Faith of the Early Church. He is working (coauthor) on Forty Questions on the Gospels (Kregel).
Check out related programs at Wheaton College:
B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4qfstlu
M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4jv2tQk
In Matthew 6, is Jesus talking about "healthy" and "unhealthy" eyes, as translations sometimes have it (e.g., NIV, ESV, NLT), or is the Greek expression an idiom that Jewish listeners would have readily understood in another way? Dr. Brad H. Young is Emeritus Professor in Judaic Christian Studies with an emphasis in Biblical Literature at Oral Roberts University Graduate School of Theology and Ministry, and Professor at Jerusalem Seminary. Among other things, he has published Jesus the Jewish Theologian and The Parables: Jewish Tradition and Christian Interpretation.
Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4rOK6ZN M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4qAkbUH
What sort of work do the Scriptures forbid on the Sabbath? What sort of work is allowed? Attention to the Hebrew words used in connection with the Sabbath and in other contexts sheds some light on these questions. Dr. Baruch Kvasnika is President of Jerusalem Seminary, which equips believers to understand their faith in and through the land of the Bible. His dissertation at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem was, "The Language of Practice: Hebraic Walking and Way Metaphors in First Century Greek Related to Conduct."
Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4resSVR M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4atV2VG
Toward the close of his short letter to Philemon, Paul offers to pay any debt Onesimus may owe Philemon, and adds (ESV), "I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self." The last words are often viewed as heavy-handed, but are better understood as an instance of paralipsis in which Paul "brings up something without bringing it up." He is employing a tactful approach to mention a delicate matter. Dr Seth Ehorn, an alum of the MA in Biblical Exegesis program at Wheaton Graduate School, is Assistant Professor of Classics and Biblical Languages at Houston Christian University. Among other things, he has published 2 Maccabees 1-7: A Handbook on the Greek Text and 2 Maccabees 8-15: A Handbook on the Greek Text, both in the Baylor Handbook on the Septuagint Series. He is currently working on a commentary on Paul's Letter to Philemon. He has contributed several previous episodes to Exegetically Speaking. Check out related programs at Wheaton College:
B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/3Mzqp9f M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4rQPwU5
In an important line, Paul is frequently understood to be referring to at least two laws, the law of Moses, which the apostle is no longer "under," and a law of Christ, which he is still "under" (1 Cor. 9:21). Jewish parallels and the Greek words Paul uses suggest, however, that it is Paul's commission to preach the gospel that can override some Mosaic laws when they hinder his mission. Paul appears to be a transgressor of Moses' law but he insists he is conducting himself lawfully with respect to Moses because of Christ who commissioned him. Dr. Paul Sloan is Associate Professor of Early Christianity at Houston Christian University. He has published Jesus and the Law of Moses: The Gospels and the Restoration of Israel within First-Century Judaism.
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In the opening line of Mark's Gospel Jesus is referred to as "the Son of God," except that the Greek phrasing in this instance, somewhat non-typically, lacks any definite article. That this idiom echoes imperial propaganda is seen to belikely when a Roman centurion employs the same wording as he observes how Jesus died on their cross. Dr. Christopher Hays, a return contributor to this podcast, is president of Scholar Leaders and host of Faith on the Road Podcast. Among his publications are When the Son of Man Didn't Come: A Constructive Proposal on the Delay of the Parousia and Eight Million Exiles: Missional Action Research and the Crisis of Forced Migration.
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When the king of Egypt is first introduced in our OT book of Exodus he is not named, nor thereafter. But the book itself in Hebrew is called "Names," and even the midwives are named (Exod. 1:15). Egyptians tended to treat the kings of their enemies the same way. Dr. Oliver Hersey is the 11th president of Jerusalem University College. This college, located on the southwestern corner of Mount Zion, equips for ministry by providing immersive study of the ancient and modern contexts of Israel and the surrounding regions for a deepened understanding of God and his word.
Check out related programs at Wheaton College:
B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4qXJAsL
M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4i2FEmo
John's longer letter begins with a series of clauses headed by neuter relative pronouns without clear antecedents. In particular, the neuter gender draws our attention. To what do they refer and how does this relate to John's larger concerns? Dr. Elizabeth Mburu, who contributed earlier to this podcast, is Associate Professor of New Testament and Greek at Africa International University, Nairobi, Kenya, and is the regional coordinator for Anglophone Africa for Langham Literature. She is on the board of the Africa Bible Commentary and is the editorial coordinator and New Testament editor for its revision. Her publications include Qumran and the Origins of Johannine Language and Symbolism and African Hermeneutics. She is currently writing the commentary on 1-3 John for the Word Biblical Commentary Series.
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M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/3XePdVF
Looking at ancient copies (manuscripts) of the Old Testament is necessary if we are to reconstruct the earliest wording of the texts, but the manuscripts can also shed light on the ancient scribes, their work, and perennial challenges of interpretation. For example, 4Q Jeremiah A (dates to around 225-175 B.C.E.), one of the Qumran Scrolls, has some interesting wording at Jer. 14:6. Dr. Andrew B. Perrin is Professor of Humanities at Athabasca University. His publications include
Lost Words and Forgotten Worlds: Rediscovering the Dead Sea Scrolls and Horizons of Ancestral Inheritance: Commentary on the Levi, Qahat, and Amram Qumran Aramaic Traditions.
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The RSV's translation of the "cleansing of the temple" in John 2:15 is in part, "And making a whip of cords, he drove them all, with the sheep and oxen, out of the temple." John's Greek, however, suggests that Jesus was using the whip only on the animals, which might have other implications for interpretation. Dr. Croyis the author of a widely used beginning Greek grammar, A Primer of Biblical Greek, and The Mutilation of Mark's Gospel, among other things. His newest book, forthcoming in December, 2025, is The Martyrdom of Polycarp: Translation, Introduction, and Commentary. He previously held teaching posts at Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University, and Southern Nazarene University, at the last of which he continues in a part-time teaching role as Professor of Greek and New Testament.
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The opening words of Matthew's Gospel are translated as, "An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah" (NRSV), or "This is the genealogy . . ." (NIV), or "This is a record of the ancestors . . ." (NLT). A comparison with the parallels in Genesis and a look at what Matthew actually composes suggest that Matthew had something else in mind. David Capes, formerly Dean of Biblical & Theological Studies at Wheaton College, is the host of Exegetically Speaking and the Director of Academic Programming at the Lanier Theological Library & Learning Center, which sponsors this podcast series along with Wheaton College. His publications include The Divine Christ: Paul, the Lord Jesus, and the Scriptures of Israel.
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The Colossian churches had shifted their attention from Christ to calendrical matters, mediatorial figures, mystical visions, and philosophical notions. Paul is calling them to focus on Christ, who is the center and circumference of reality. In 2:9, Paul's language makes Christ's full deity unavoidable and unmistakeable. Dr. Malcolm Yarnell III, who has been on this podcast before, is Research Professor of Theology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and is Teaching Pastor at Lakeside Baptist Church. His publications include God, Volume 1 of Theology for Every Person. The second volume, Word, is forthcoming (February, 2026). Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/48gx7tf
M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4o8XupB
The NRSV translates John 7:38, “Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.” Behind that stand entangled questions of the punctuation of the Greek sentences (punctuation is lacking in the earliest manuscripts), the meaning of the word κοιλία (koilia), and whose koilia is in mind. Another translation could be, “Out of Jesus’ womb flow rivers of living water,” which fits nicely with John’s wider context. Dr. Jennifer McNeel is a NT professor at St. Mary’s Ecumenical Institute in Baltimore, MD. She also teaches at United Lutheran Seminary and is active in leading church retreats. She has authored Paul as Infant and Nursing Mother: Metaphor, Rhetoric, and Identity in 1 Thessalonians 2:5-8 and Under Her Wings: Mothers and Motherhood in the New Testament. B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/489nuws
M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/3KurwWj
Peter’s Greek wording in 1 Pet. 2:17 suggests a subtle but potent leveling of people and Roman king in Peter’s kingdom vision. Dr. Jason Maston is Professor of Theology at Houston Christian University, where he is also Associate Dean, School of Christian Thought, and Director, BA to MDiv Program. His publications include (author) Divine and Human Agency in Second Temple Judaism and Paul: A Comparative Study and (co-editor) Five Views on the Gospel. He is currently writing a theology of 1 Peter as part of the New New Testament Theology series being published by Cambridge University Press. Check out related programs at Wheaton College:
B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4nmygUL
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Modern students of biblical Hebrew learn that the “pointing” (symbols for vowels) of the commonly used Masoretic text of the OT was added to the Hebrew consonants in the medieval period, and that the meaning of a passage can depend on the pointing used. Depending on the pointing chosen, Jeremiah 7:7 can be translated as, “I will let you dwell in this place,” or as, “I will dwell with you in this place.” Was the ambiguity of the unpointed text intentional? James Hoffmeier is Professor Emeritus of Old Testament and Near Eastern History and Archaeology at (former) Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. His publications include The Archaeology of the Bible and Akhenaten and the Origins of Monotheism.
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In a healing story shared by the first three Gospels, Luke reports a uniquely worded response of onlookers, translated in the NIV as, “We have seen remarkable things today.” The key Greek word is παράδοξα (paradoxa), which is in fact noncommittal on the morality of what is in view. Dr. Thomas Schmidt is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Fairfield University. His most recent book, Josephus and Jesus: New Evidence for the One Called Christ(Oxford) examines the description of Jesus given by the Jewish historian Josephus. Through generous donor, it is available for free on the book website: JosephusandJesus.com. His other publications include, The Book of Revelation and its Eastern Commentators: Making the New Testament in the Early Christian World.
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As of Paul’s first (existing) letter to them, the Corinthians are still struggling to understand and practice their faith in their native, non-Jewish environment. In a passage centering on the knowledge of God and idolatry (1 Corinthians 8-10), Paul begins by stating the central Christian confession of the true God, which is a modified version of the Jewish Shema (Deut. 6:4). Rev. Dr. N. T. Wright is Senior Research Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University, and Emeritus Professor at the University of St. Andrews and the former Bishop of Durham. His work has established him as a foremost voice among New Testament scholars of the present generation, not least due to his many commentaries, topical studies, and the multi-volume, Christian Origins and the Question of God. He has been with this podcast a few times before. Check out related programs at Wheaton College:
B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/41AptpA
M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/3JL47Qa
Hebrew poetry is rich in parallelism of sound (phonological), words (lexical), meaning (semantic), and grammar, through which meaning is conveyed. Psalm 150 illustrates these devices, and manages to strike its climactic note through the breaking of them. Chandler Dean is working on her M.A. in Biblical Exegesis at Wheaton Graduate School.
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The Greek of Heb. 12:14-16, though rendered into separate sentences in some English translations, is a single Greek sentence. Paying close attention to the internal structure, especially a participle at the beginning of v. 15, sharpens our understanding of the integrated thought: The pursuit of true peace can involve conflict, albeit a conflict for the sake of peace. Pat Miller is an attorney now working on his M.A. in Biblical Exegesis at Wheaton Graduate School, while teaching as an adjunct in the Department of Politics and International Relations.
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The opening lines of Genesis illustrate the way Hebrew relies on the sounds of words to convey meaning, for example, the menacing Hebrew word for ‘darkness.’ Rabbi Steven Bob, who has contributed several episodes to this podcast series, is Rabbi Emeritus at Congregation Etz Chaim in Lombard, Il and guest faculty at Wheaton College. He is the author of Go to Nineveh: Medieval Jewish Commentaries to the Book of Jonah, Translated and Explained, and is working on a commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah.
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At a crucial juncture in his argument and in the space of two verses Paul uses four terms related to the πιστ- word-group, usually rendered as “faith” or “belief.” Background and the context of Romans favor hearing the ideas of “loyalty” and “faithfulness” in v. 3. Dr. Bates, who has been on this podcast before, is Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary. Among his several publications are Beyond the Salvation Wars: Why Both Protestants and Catholics Must Reimagine How We Are Saved and Salvation by Allegiance Alone.
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The story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego – their refusal to bow down to the king’s image and their deliverance from the furnace – is among the most oft-told of the Bible. Archaeology has provided a compelling backstory for that event, illuminating some of drama that the narrator would have assumed. Dr. John Walton, Old Testament Professor Emeritus at Wheaton Graduate School, is a frequent contributor to this podcast. He has many volumes in his “Lost World” series along with many other publications, including (with Andrew Hill), A Survey of the Old Testament (4th ed.). He is currently collaborating with Dr. Aubrey Buster in preparing a major commentary on Daniel (NICOT). The first volume on Daniel 1-6 is due out soon.
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A small, common, but theologically charged Greek verb in Rev. 20:3 quietly signals the fate of Satan in the triumphant King’s victory procession. Dr. Shane Wood is Professor of New Testament & Its Origins at Ozark Christian College. His publications include The Alter-Imperial Paradigm: Empire Studies & the Book of Revelation and Thinning the Veil: Encountering Jesus Christ in the Book of Revelation.
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B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/44PwmnC
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Unlike other prophetic books that directly address an audience, the message of Habakkuk presents itself to listeners by pondering a dialogue between the prophet Habakkuk and God. By paying attention to repetition related to “seeing” in Habakkuk 1-2, we can pick up on God’s invitation to allow God’s perception of reality to enrich and challenge our own. Dr. Andrew Abernethy, a frequent contributor to this podcast, is Professor of Old Testament, Assistant Dean of Biblical and Theological Studies in the Litfin Divinity School, and Program Director of the M.A. in Biblical Exegesis at Wheaton Graduate School. He is currently President of the Institute of Biblical Literature. His publications include Savoring Scripture: A Six-Step Guide to Studying the Bible and (with Gregory Goswell) God's Messiah in the Old Testament: Expectations of a Coming King.
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Amos’ Hebrew is rich with rhetorical techniques such as word play and satire, sometimes throwing hard punches. Some of these can be heard in translation, others are difficult to preserve in English. Dr. Danny Carroll Rodas, who has contributed several episodes to this podcast series, is the Scripture Press Ministries Professor of Biblical Studies and Pedagogy at Wheaton College. He has written extensively on Amos, including a major commentary on that prophetic book in the New International Commentary on the Old Testament series. He explores the features discussed in this episode in his newest publication, The Lord Roars: Recovering the Prophetic Voice for Today.
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Jesus’ teaching in Matthew’s Greek utilizes figures of speech that can be impossible to translate into English but which lend force and memorability to his words. Dr. Alexander Loney is Associate Professor of Classical Languages and the Coordinator of the Classical Languages program at Wheaton College. His publications include The Ethics of Revenge and the Meanings of the Odyssey and (co-editor) The Oxford Handbook of Hesiod. He has contributed several episodes to our podcast.
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The English words, “where there is no vision, the people perish,” would seem to commend the need of a good plan for a desired future, but the Hebrew sentence points in a different direction. Dr. Richard Schultz is the Blanchard Professor of Old Testament in Wheaton College Graduate School. In addition to other publications, he has authored Out of Context: How to Avoid Misinterpreting the Bible and The Search for Quotation: Verbal Parallels in the Prophets; he has co-edited with Daniel Block, Bind Up the Testimony: Explorations in the Genesis of the Book of Isaiah.
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B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4e7CgVw
M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/3HFTMnn
Is Ecclesiastes 3:10-14 about a despotic, distant god or a benevolent, known God? It depends on whether we recognize the force of a Hebrew definite article. Bradley Cameron (PhD, Wheaton) is Visiting Instructor in Old Testament at Wheaton College. His dissertation was, “Learning to Fear: An Exploration of the Fear of God in Ecclesiastes through the Lens of Emotion.”
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Heb. 1:1-4 is a beautifully rounded Greek sentence in praise of God’s Son in and as whom God has spoken. One metaphor conveys the uniqueness of this person as the “express image” of God himself. It is this metaphor that Dr. Ryken explains. Dr. Phil Ryken, who has been a regular on our podcast, is the President of Wheaton College, 8th in the college’s history. His most recent book is I Have My Doubts: How God Can Use Your Uncertainty to Reawaken Your Faith. You can hear many of his talks at Family Life Ministry – Podcast or at Every Last Word.
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B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/43wN0Yw
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Daniel’s refusal to eat the food provided by the king of Babylon is among the most popular of the Bible’s stories. But what food did Daniel refuse, what did he request, and why? A new look at the Hebrew text and its background suggests new answers. Dr. Aubrey Buster, who has been with us before, is Associate Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College. Her publications include Remembering the Story of Israel: Historical Summaries and Memory Formation in Second Temple Judaism. Dr. John Walton, Old Testament Professor Emeritus at Wheaton Graduate School, is a frequent contributor to this podcast. He has many volumes in his “Lost World” series along with many other publications, including Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament: Introducing the Conceptual World of the Hebrew Bible. Dr. Buster and Dr. Walton are collaborating on a major commentary on Daniel (NICOT). The first volume on Daniel 1-6 is due out soon.
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Beneath the surface of fairly stable English translations of 1 Corinthians 1:30 there flow quite varied interpretations of the Greek language Paul uses. Jon C. Laansma is the Gerald F. Hawthorne Professor of New Testament Greek and Exegesis in the Classical Languages program at Wheaton College, and the Wheaton-based director of this podcast series. He is currently working on a commentary on 1 Corinthians for the T&T Clark International Theological Commentary series.
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The choice for Israel is between quiet trust and anxious haste in an important prophetic passage. Prof. Schultz explains the background, Hebrew imagery, and the NT’s interpretation of Isaiah 28:16. Dr. Richard Schultz is the Blanchard Professor of Old Testament in Wheaton College Graduate School. In addition to other publications, he has authored Out of Context: How to Avoid Misinterpreting the Bible and The Search for Quotation: Verbal Parallels in the Prophets; he has co-edited with Daniel Block, Bind Up the Testimony: Explorations in the Genesis of the Book of Isaiah.
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B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/3EWIdHE
M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/42Pce5h
Dan. 5:2, within the Aramaic portion of Daniel, has always been taken to refer to the king, his nobles, his wives, and his concubines, but a fresh look at the Aramaic and its context suggests that the last were female officials, not concubines. Dr. Aubrey Buster, who has been with us before, is Associate Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College. Her publications include Remembering the Story of Israel: Historical Summaries and Memory Formation in Second Temple Judaism. She and John Walton are co-authoring a major commentary on Daniel (NICOT). The first volume on Daniel 1-6 is due out soon.
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The Greek word usually translated as ‘righteousness’ in the Beatitudes (and elsewhere), is closer to the concept of ‘justice,’ signaling the down-to-earth concern of a people living under an unjust regime. Dr. George Kalantzis grew up in Athens, Greece, and has been at Wheaton College since 2007, where he is Professor of Theology and the Director of The Wheaton Center for Early Christian Studies. Among his publications are Theodore of Mopsuestia: The Gospel of John and Caesar and the Lamb. He has co-authored, Evangelicals and the Early Church.
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B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/3EDw2zf
M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4lLI2zm.
The M.A. in Biblical Exegesis at Wheaton has been running for about a quarter of a century and it recently broadened its mission to enroll remote learners. Prof. Abernethy explains this transition, along with the program’s resolute commitment to the acquisition and use of the original languages. Dr. Andrew Abernethy, a frequent contributor to this podcast, is Professor of Old Testament, Assistant Dean of Biblical and Theological Studies in the Litfin Divinity School, and Program Director of the M.A. in Biblical Exegesisat Wheaton Graduate School. He is currently President of the Institute of Biblical Literature.
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In this 300th episode of Exegetically Speaking, we hear once again from Dr. Michael Bird. This time he is highlighting how the knowledge of Greek enables us to understand alternative interpretations of a critical Pauline passage. What do Paul’s uses of the perfect tense and genitive case convey in speaking of participation in Christ’s crucifixion and the life of faith? Prof. Bird is Deputy Principal and Lecturer in New Testament at Ridley College (Melbourne, Australia). His many publications include Romans: Greek-English Interlinear | Paraphrase | Study Notes, Jesus among the gods: Early Christology in the Greco-Roman World, and (with N. T. Wright) Jesus and the Powers: Christian Political Witness in an Age of Totalitarian Terror and Dysfunctional Democracies.
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The poem in Nahum 1 breaks its stride in 1:7, in terms of both the Hebrew poetic structure and thematic emphasis. In part by this means, it implicitly asks its Israelite readers, some of whom may have been collaborators with Assyria, whether they side with the Lord or the Lord’s enemies. Dr. Mario Tafferner is Assistant Professor of Old Testament Language and Literature at Tyndale Theological Seminary, in Badhoevedorp, The Netherlands. His two most recent publications deal with "The Question of Future Hope in 2 Kgs 25.27–30" in Journal for the Study of the Old Testament (2024) and the translation of "Line 12 of the Mesha Inscription in Light of Shared Scribal Practices in Moab and Ancient South Arabia" in MAARAV (2024).
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Dr. Gisela Kreglinger, who grew up on a family-owned winery in Franconia, Germany, is an independent researcher who long ago noticed the peculiar prominence of wine and vineyards in both the Old and New Testaments. In this episode she talks about learning the biblical languages in preparation for her work and their contribution to a sound understanding of the Bible’s topics. In doing so, she highlights some key lessons taught through the agricultural theme of wine and vineyards in the Bible. Dr. Kreglinger has published Cup Overflowing: Wine’s Place in Faith, Feasting, and Fellowship and The Spirituality of Wine, among other things. She also contributed articles to The Oxford Companion to Wine. In a different vein, she wrote, Storied Revelations: Parables, Imagination, and George MacDonald's Christian Fiction.
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Jennifer Powell McNutt, PhD, is the Franklin S. Dyrness Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies, Professor of Theology and History of Christianity, Director of M.A. in History of Christianity, and Director of M.A. in Theology at Wheaton Graduate School. She talks about how the biblical languages played a part in her preparation for her work as a church historian, how these languages catalyzed other learning, how they have fueled her scholarship, and also the part that the biblical languages played in the Reformation itself. Some of Prof. McNutt’s recent research concentrates on the biblical personage, Mary Magdalene. Prof. McNutt has co-edited The Oxford Handbook of the Bible and the Reformationand authored The Mary We Forgot: What the Apostle to the Apostles Teaches the Church Today, among other things.
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Mike Woodruff is the lead pastor at Christ Church (Chicago) and chairs the board for the Lakelight Institute. In this episode, he talks about taking Greek and Hebrew as a student preparing for ministry, and the continuing value of the languages for his teaching. Pastor Woodruff’s publications include, The Life of Jesus Christ, FutureView: Gaining Perspective on the Rising Waves of Change, Broken and On the News.
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In 2 Chr. 17:3-6, remarkable things are said of King Jehoshaphat, culminating in a Hebrew word play that correlates the state of Jehoshaphat’s heart with the Asherim that he tears down while seeking to elevate the Lord. Mark Lanier is a practicing attorney, a teacher in his local church in Houston, Texas, and the founder of the Lanier Theological Library (co-sponsor of this podcast) among other projects in service of the church. His publications include New Testament Letters for Living: Daily Prayers, Wisdom, and Guidance, and Atheism on Trial: A Lawyer Examines the Case for Unbelief. He has contributed earlier episodes to this podcast, which you will find at our website (scroll down there to find the searchable list).
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Both Moses and God are popularly thought of as the opposite of grace as portrayed in the Old Testament. Exodus 34 tells the story of a God who does measure out justice to his creation, but magnifies his grace far beyond measure. The difference is that of the life-horizons of an individual contrasted with countless generations. Dr. K. Lawson Younger is Emeritus Professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. His publications include A Political History of the Arameans: From their Origins to the End of Their Polities, which won the Biblical Archaeology Society 2017 Publication Award for Best Scholarly Book on Archaeology, and Ancient Conquest Accounts: A Study in Ancient Near Eastern and Biblical History Writing. He was Seymour Gitin Distinguished Professor at the Albright Institute of Archaeological Research in Jerusalem, Israel (2012–13). Music credit for this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRCip6D9uxg.
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In the laments of Isaiah 63 and 64, God is asked to look down at his people in salvation. In Isaiah 66 a response comes, declaring at whom the Lord will look: Those in Israel afflicted by this world, who tremble at his word. Dr. Andrew Abernethy is Professor of Old Testament, Assistant Dean of Biblical and Theological Studies in the Litfin Divinity School, and Program Director of the M.A. in Biblical Exegesis at Wheaton Graduate School. Among other things, he has published, The Book of Isaiah and God's Kingdom: A Thematic-Theological Approach and Eating in Isaiah: Approaching the Role of Food and Drink in Isaiah's Structure and Message. He is currently President of the Institute of Biblical Literature.
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Even in translation, Psalm 1, a favorite of many, can be appreciated for its art and truth. All the more in Hebrew, through which we can see and hear how the psalmist employs letters, repetition of words, sounds, and other devices to convey meaning. Dr. Frederico Villanueva is Regional Commissioning Editor for Langham Publishing and Scholar Care Coordinator of current Asian Langham scholars. His publications include It’s OK to be Not OK: Preaching the Lament Psalms, Psalms 1-72: A Pastoral and Contextual Commentary, and Psalms 73-150: A Pastoral and Contextual Commentary. He teaches at the Asia Graduate School of Theology and Loyola School of Theology in Manila. HEBREW
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Phil. 2:6-11 is and deserves to be one of the most studied passages on Christ in the biblical writings. One grammatical question concerns a participle in v. 6, which is usually understood as concessive (“although”). But might Paul intend a causal sense (“because”)? The implications are profound. Dr. Michael Gorman is Raymond E. Brown Professor of Biblical Studies and Theology at St. Mary’s Seminary & University. He has published numerous works, including Inhabiting the Cruciform God: Kenosis, Justification, and Theosis in Paul’s Narrative Soteriology and (March, 2025) 1 Corinthians: A Theological, Pastoral, and Missional Commentary. Among his current projects, he is writing Philippians: A Theological, Pastoral, and Missional Commentary (Eerdmans). Music credit for this episode: https://youtu.be/YII4o33rJdA?si=Azg_r4FuTkJ97B3K.
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The prophet Isaiah anticipates what Israel will one day sing, and the words draw directly from the great song of deliverance sung by Moses, as if Isaiah had a copy to hand. Dr. Andrew Abernethy is Professor of Old Testament, Assistant Dean of Biblical and Theological Studies in the Litfin Divinity School, and Program Director of the M.A. in Biblical Exegesis at Wheaton Graduate School. Among other publications, he has co-edited Isaiah and Intertextuality: Isaiah Amid Israel's Scriptures, and authored Discovering Isaiah: Content, Interpretation, Reception. He is currently President of the Institute of Biblical Literature. Music credit for this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUInh1gDnLI.
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Theology ought to be ruled by the biblical text. So says Prof. Yarnell, a systematic theologian who studied Hebrew and Greek and who makes careful use of those languages in his work. In this episode he explains the importance of the languages for theological reasoning generally, and specifically with reference to an OT text that was debated by Church Fathers such as Athanasius. Dr. Malcolm Yarnell III is Research Professor of Theology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and is Teaching Pastor at Lakeside Baptist Church. His publications include Who Is the Holy Spirit?: Biblical Insights into His Divine Person and God, Volume 1 of Theology for Every Person.
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English plurals of “mass nouns” (uncountable nouns, such as milk, water) indicate kinds (e.g., cow or goat milks) or multiple instances (e.g., “grab three waters”), but Greek has a third option for the same plurals: an “abundance inference.” Realizing this can sharpen our understanding of certain passages. Travis Wright (PhD, University of Cambridge) is a scholar based in Raleigh, NC. His research focuses on the semantics/pragmatics interface in biblical interpretation and translation. He is one of the authors at Koine-Greek.com.
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The opening words of Philemon prompt us to ask in what sense Paul is a prisoner in relation to Christ. In part this is a grammatical question, but a couple of contemporaneous papyri texts might supply hints as to the cultural understanding. Dr. Seth Ehorn is Assistant Professor of Classics and Biblical Languages at Houston Christian University. Among other things, he has published 2 Maccabees 1-7: A Handbook on the Greek Text and 2 Maccabees 8-15: A Handbook on the Greek Text, both in the Baylor Handbook on the Septuagint Series. He is currently working on a commentary on Paul’s Letter to Philemon. He has contributed a few episodes to Exegetically Speaking, including one on Philemon 2.
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In Jeremiah 32:36, a discourse marker is used that would most often signal bad news is coming, sort of like the “Jaws theme” music in a movie. But here it surprises the reader with good news. Jack Messarra completed a master’s degree at the University of Stellenbosch in the field of Hebrew, linguistics, and discourse markers. You can see some of his papers at https://sun.academia.edu/JackMessarra. He and his wife, Loren, are missionaries with Mesa Global.
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Prof. N. T. “Tom” Wright returns to our podcast to discuss Eph. 3:10 and its vision for the church in the present age: God’s “intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known.” God created us so that through us he could show the world who he is, in particular, by a community of all races and nations drawn together in love. Rev. Dr. N. T. Wright is Research Professor Emeritus of New Testament and Early Christianity at St Mary’s College in the University of St Andrews and Senior Research Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. His work has established him as the foremost voice among New Testament scholars of the present generation, not least due to his many commentaries, topical studies, and the multi-volume, Christian Origins and the Question of God. This episode aired previously on 9/9/24.
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Dr. Nancy Dawson holds a M.S. in plant taxonomy and Ph.D. in biology/cell biology. After teaching in that field at Western Kentucky University and Texas A&M, she attended Duke Divinity School. She now works as an independent scholar in theology and has published All the Genealogies of the Bible: Visual Charts and Exegetical Commentary (Zondervan, 2023). In this episode she draws upon that research to shed light on Jesus’ parents, their relationship to each other and to Elizabeth, and how these people and relationships help us understand who Jesus is.
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Eve’s words about her newborn son, Seth, which are her last recorded words, echo the Hebrew words to the serpent in Gen. 3:15, signaling Eve’s persevering hope in God’s deliverance. Dr. Ingrid Faro, who has contributed to this podcastbefore, is Professor of Old Testament at Northern Seminary in Lisle, IL. Among other things, she is the author of Evil in Genesis: A Contextual Analysis of Hebrew Lexemes for Evil in the Book of Genesis and Demystifying Evil: A Biblical and Personal Exploration. She is working on a new book provisionally entitled, Bold Women: Advancing the Storyline of Scripture (Zondervan).
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Some claim that John 1:1 states that Jesus is ‘a god.’ Others claim that it states that Jesus is God. What is in fact the best way of understanding the Greek language employed? Grammatical parallels can shed some light. Dr. Michael Licona is Professor of New Testament at Houston Christian University. His publications include Why Are There Differences in the Gospels?: What We Can Learn from Ancient Biography and Behold, I Stand at the Door and Knock: What to say to Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses when they knock on your door.
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In his previous conversation centered on Rom. 1:16-17, Roy Ciampa contextualized the unique phrase ἐκ πίστεως (translated there as, “through faith”) in Greek writings generally and Romans in particular. He now studies this phrase throughout Galatians, with special reference to Gal. 2:16. In addition to his posts at Samford University and Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary mentioned in the notes to the earlier episode, Dr. Ciampa has served as manager for integrated training at American Bible Society’s Nida Institute for Biblical Scholarship, lectured and taught internationally, and was earlier a missionary professor of biblical studies in Portugal where he served as a translator for the Portuguese Bible Society’s contemporary Portuguese translation of the Bible. For more detail on the topic of this episode, see Roy E. Ciampa, “Habakkuk 2:4 in Galatians: Rewritings and Snippet Quotations,” pp. 77-94 in Scriptures, Texts, and Tracings in Galatians and 1 Thessalonians.
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Nowhere in all known Greek writings is the precise phrase ἐκ πίστεως (“out of” or “from faith”) found until the Greek version of Habakkuk 2:4, and some of the scribes transmitting that text altered it. It is this phrasing that Paul adopts in the crucial lines of Roman 1:16-17, and rewords elsewhere. What, then, was the intended sense of this unique wording? Dr. Roy E. Ciampa recently retired as S. Louis and Ann W. Armstrong Professor of Religion and chair of the Department of Biblical and Religious studies at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. He is currently teaching at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, where he was previously on faculty. His publications include The Presence and Function of Scripture in Galatians 1 and 2 (WUNT 2/102) and (with Brian Rosner) The First Letter to the Corinthians (PNTC). For more detail on the topic of this episode, see Roy E. Ciampa, “Habakkuk 2:4 in Romans: Echoes, Allusions, and Rewriting,” pp. 11-29 of Scripture, Texts, and Tracings in Romans.
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The Greek language Paul uses in 1 Corinthians 15 to convey the gospel’s teaching of Jesus’ resurrection lodges this in authoritative tradition dating back to months after the events. The center of God’s self-revelation and salvation is more firmly attested than anything else in Scripture. Dr. Gary Habermas is Distinguished Research Professor in the School of Divinity, Liberty University, Virginia. His many important publications include, On the Resurrection, Volume 1: Evidences and On the Resurrection, Volume 2: Refutations; there will be two more volumes in the series.
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What happens when your modern English translation renders the meaning of biblical names, connecting this with the practices of the ancient Hebrews and traditional Native Americans? Terry M. Wildman, of Ojibwe and Yaqui ancestry, is the Lead Translator, Editor, and Project Manager of the First Nations Version. He is the Director of Spiritual Growth and Leadership Development for Native InterVarsity, and the founder of the non-profit Rain Ministries. He has previously served as a pastor and worship leader. Terry and his wife, Darlene, live in Maricopa, Arizona, on the traditional lands of the Pima and Tohono O’odham. Together, they are the Grammy-nominated and Nammy award-winning musical duo and recording artists known as RainSong.
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An important verb in Gal. 5:2 could be either passive voice or middle voice. It is translated, “if you accept circumcision” (ESV) or “if ye be circumcised” (KJV) or “if you have yourselves circumcised” (NAB). Verse 4 is sometimes translated, “You are severed from Christ” (ESV) or “You . . . have been alienated from Christ” (NIV). Consideration of the Greek wording is critical for our understanding. Dr. Jeremiah Coogan, Assistant Professor of New Testament at the Jesuit School of Theology, Santa Clara University, is an alum of Wheaton College’s Classical Languages major. He was the 2021 recipient of the Paul J. Achtemeier Award for New Testament Scholarship, and his publications include Eusebius the Evangelist: Rewriting the Fourfold Gospel in Late Antiquity (Oxford University Press).
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Does Rom. 13:1 leave room for sanctioned rebellion against a government? Take 1775 for example. Dr. Michael Bird is Deputy Principal and Lecturer in New Testament at Ridley College (Melbourne, Australia). His many publications include Romans: Greek-English Interlinear | Paraphrase | Study Notes, Jesus among the gods: Early Christology in the Greco-Roman World, and (with N. T. Wright) Jesus and the Powers: Christian Political Witness in an Age of Totalitarian Terror and Dysfunctional Democracies.
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In Jesus’ prayer of John 17 he prays for future generations of believers with special emphasis on their oneness. Karen Jobes provides a close reading of the Greek of this astonishing and vital passage. Dr. Karen Jobes is Gerald F. Hawthorne Professor of New Testament Greek and Exegesis, Emerita, at Wheaton College & Graduate School. She has authored many books and articles, including John Through Old Testament Eyes: A Background and Application Commentary, and commentaries on Esther, 1 Peter, and 1, 2, 3 John. She served for years on the Committee for Bible Translation (responsible for the NIV translation of the Bible).
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Greek verbs have been traditionally labeled “tenses,” but many grammarians have for some time argued that “tense” is not the best way to explain what is going on. The linguistic category of “aspect” is a more powerful theoretical explanation. But what is “verbal aspect” and how does this theory affect the reading of Greek texts? Dr. Constantine Campbell is Professor and Research Director at the Sydney College of Divinity (Norwest, Australia). He has published widely on Koiné Greek grammar and the New Testament writings. Examples include, Basics of Verbal Aspect in Biblical Greek and The Letter to the Ephesians. The Pillar New Testament Commentary. He is also a jazz saxophonist and a visiting instructor at The Australian National University School of Music.
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Because he was known for his baptisms, and because English transliterates the Greek words, John’s nickname as “the Baptist” provokes little thought. It ought to. Dr. James F. McGrath is Clarence L. Goodwin Chair in New Testament Language and Literature at Butler University. His publications include Christmaker: A Life of John the Baptist and (forthcoming), John of History, Baptist of Faith: The Quest for the Historical Baptizer. He co-edited, The Mandaean Book of John: Critical Edition, Translation, and Commentary.
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Phil. 1:27 is translated by the NIV as, “conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel,” while the NLT translates it as, “you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News.” Here and in 3:20 Paul is using a Greek verb and noun that he uses nowhere else in his letters, aside from a related word in Eph. 2:12. What is the implied message in using this language while addressing this particular church? Dr. Jeannine Brown is the David Price Professor of Biblical and Theological Foundations at Bethel Seminary. Her many publications include Philippians: An Introduction and Commentary and Scripture as Communication: Introducing Biblical Hermeneutics.
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The Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6 reads in the NIV: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” In the Greek wording, the first occurrence of the word ‘heaven’ is plural in form, but the second is singular. Close attention to this difference across the Greek OT and NT reveals a difference in meaning between those forms of the same word. Dr. Scott Hafemann is Honorary Reader in New Testament at St. Mary’s College, the University of St. Andrews, and was the first holder of the Gerald F. Hawthorne Chair of New Testament Greek and Exegesis at Wheaton College. His many publications include Paul: Servant of the New Covenant: Pauline Polarities in Eschatological Perspective, and 2 Corinthians: From Biblical Text - to Contemporary Life (NIV Application Commentary).
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Prof. N. T. “Tom” Wright returns to our podcast to discuss Eph. 3:10 and its vision for the church in the present age: God’s “intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known.” God created us so that through us he could show the world who he is, in particular, by a community of all races and nations drawn together in love. Rev. Dr. N. T. Wright is Research Professor Emeritus of New Testament and Early Christianity at St Mary’s College in the University of St Andrews and Senior Research Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. His work has established him as the foremost voice among New Testament scholars of the present generation, not least due to his many commentaries, topical studies, and the multi-volume, Christian Origins and the Question of God.
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The Gospels tell us the story of John the Baptist and Jesus in distinct ways. Mark’s narrative is a fast-moving action story, comparable in some ways to John Grisham’s style. Attention to Mark’s use of the aorist tense in particular helps us appreciate where the real action is. Michael Kibbe earned his Ph.D. at Wheaton Graduate School, and is Associate Professor of Bible at Great Northern University, Spokane, Washington, a gem of a program. For more information about Great Northern University in Spokane, visit their website: https://gnu.edu. Among Michael’s publications are, Godly Fear or Ungodly Failure?: Hebrews 12 and the Sinai Theophanies and From Topic to Thesis: A Guide to Theological Research, which was followed by From Research to Teaching: A Guide to Beginning Your Classroom Career. GREEK
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Psalm 46 is a psalm for our moment, and its encouraging message is amplified when read in Hebrew. The psalm reminds us that amidst the nations in uproar, and battles, and devastations, and mountains falling into the sea, the God of Jacob is our high fortress, lifting us above the chaos. Our instinct in turmoil is to tighten our grip on things. The psalmist advises us to let go and know that the Lord is God. Dr. Megan Roberts is an alumna of the M.A. in Biblical Exegesis at Wheaton College, and Professor of Old Testament and Program Director of Bible/Theology at Prairie College, Alberta, Canada. Her dissertation, Memory Formation in Isaiah 40–55: Healing to Accomplish Comfort, is forthcoming with Brill.
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1 Peter 2:23 is translated in the NIV as, “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats.” Close attention to the Greek grammar can illuminate that Christ’s non-retaliation was an enduring one, outlasting the repeated attacks made on him. Dr. Darian Lockett is Professor of New Testament at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, and a teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church in America. Among his publications are, Letters for the Church: Reading James, 1-2 Peter, 1-3 John, and Jude as Canon and Letters from the Pillar Apostles: The Formation of the Catholic Epistles as a Canonical Collection.
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In Daniel 12:2-3 the dead awake, some to life, some to shame and contempt. This has long been understood to refer to bodily resurrection, one of a few such OT passages. But there are indications in the text’s language that its intended sense is otherwise. John Walton, Old Testament Professor Emeritus at Wheaton Graduate School, is a frequent contributor to this podcast. One of his most recent publications is The Lost World of the Prophets: Old Testament Prophecy and Apocalyptic Literature in Ancient Context. Among his others, note also: Wisdom for Faithful Reading: Principles and Practices for Old Testament Interpretation. He is currently working with Dr. Aubrey Buster(Associate Professor of OT at Wheaton College) on a commentary on Daniel.
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1 Timothy 4:1 is translated by the NLT, “Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith.” Some take the Greek behind “the last times” to mean “the last days,” the extreme end of history. But is that Paul’s meaning? Dr. Jermo van Nes is Assistant Professor of New Testament at Evangelische Theologische Faculteit, Leuven, Belgium. Among his publications are, (co-editor) Let God Be True: Perspectives on Romans 3, (author) Pauline Language and the Pastoral Epistles, and (co-editor), Drawing and Transcending Boundaries in the New Testament and Early Christianity.
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Proverbs 15:12 is translated, “mockers resent correction” (NIV), “scoffers do not like to be rebuked” (NRSV), “mockers hate to be corrected” (NLT), and in other ways. Close attention to the Hebrew wording enhances our awareness of the character type (the scoffer) and the response to reproof (does not love it). Dr. Arthur Keefer is a Presbyterian Minister at the Scots’ Church in Melbourne and an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Divinity (Trinity College, Melbourne). His publications include, Ecclesiastes and the Meaning of Life in the Ancient World, and (co-editor) The Cambridge Companion to Biblical Wisdom Literature.
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A close and careful reading of the words and grammatical constructions of Revelation 3:20 will clarify at whose door the Lord stands, and the strong encouragement of what he is doing there. Dr. Scott Duvall is Fuller Professor of New Testament at Ouachita Baptist University. Among his publications are (with J. Daniel Hays), Grasping God's Word, Fourth Edition: A Hands-On Approach to Reading, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible and God's Relational Presence.
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When an OT character is first introduced in narrative literature, we are typically given important clues about who they are and what they are going to do. So it is with Elijah, a foreigner who would seem to be an unlikely opponent of Baal worship. Dr. David Firth is Old Testament Lecturer at Trinity College, Bristol, UK. Among his publications are, Including the Stranger: Foreigners in the Former Prophets, 1 & 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Study Guide: A Kingdom Comes, and (co-edited with Brittany Melton) Reading the Book of the Twelve Minor Prophets.
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Among the spiritual gifts Paul lists in Romans 12 is diakonia, often translated simply as “ministry” or “service.” The social context of the Greek speaking world can assist us in understanding more fully what this term signified for them. Dr. Teresa McCaskill is an independent research who resides in central Florida. She has authored Gifts and Ritual: The Charismata of Romans 12: 6-8 in the Context of Roman Religion, and is working on a second book.
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“Train up a child in the way he should go” (KJV) is a popular proverb, but to understand what it means we have to understand what biblical proverbs are, and what key Hebrew words of this proverb likely intend. Dr. Richard Schultz is the Blanchard Professor of Old Testament in Wheaton College Graduate School. In addition to other publications, he has authored Out of Context: How to Avoid Misinterpreting the Bible and co-edited with Daniel Block, Bind Up the Testimony: Explorations in the Genesis of the Book of Isaiah.
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Pablo Deiros is an Argentinian pastor, teacher, author, and more. He recounts his years of learning Hebrew and Greek and their importance for his work as a church historian. His publications include Historia Global del Cristianismo and Historia Del Cristianismo En America Latina.
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The NIV translates part of Hebrews 2:10 as, “it was fitting that God . . . should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered.” Prof. Peeler explains what is intended by the imagery of the key Greek words translated as “pioneer” and “make perfect.” Amy Peeler is the Kenneth T. Wessner Chair of Biblical Studies Professor of New Testament at Wheaton College. Her most recent publication is Hebrews (Commentaries for Christian Formation). Another is Women and the Gender of God and she is presently working on Paul’s Letter to the Galatians.
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In the resurrection narrative of John’s Gospel, Mary Magdelene is asked by angels within the empty tomb why she is crying. Turning from them she finds a man whom she supposes to be the gardener, but is in fact Jesus himself. This apparently mistaken understanding may in fact be pointing us to another garden and Gardener. Dr. Ruben Zimmermann is Professor of New Testament Studies at Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz in Germany. His research spans such areas as ethics, hermeneutics, parables and miracles of Jesus, gender studies, and more. His publications include Puzzling the Parables of Jesus: Methods and Interpretation.
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2 Timothy 3:16 is commonly translated, “All Scripture is inspired” or “God-breathed.” Apart from what that metaphorical language on its own might suggest to the English reader, what observations can be made about the recorded history of God’s speech as it proceeds from God’s utterance to written Scripture? Dr. Brent Sandy taught New Testament and Greek at Wheaton College and chaired the Department of Religious Studies at Grace College, Indiana. His most recent book is Hear Ye the Word of the Lord: What We Miss If We Only Read the Bible. He is coauthor (with John Walton) of The Lost World of Scripture: Ancient Literary Culture and Biblical Authority , among other things.
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In the first lines of Paul’s letter to the Philippian church he says he is praying in joy because of their “partnership in the gospel” (NIV). From the end of the same letter we learn what this means (material support of Paul’s mission) and its implications. Rev. Dr. John Dickson is Jean Kvamme Distinguished Professor of Biblical Studies and Public Christianity at Wheaton College. He previously taught at Macquarie University, University of Sydney, and Ridley Theological College, Melbourne. Since 2015 he has held the research position of Visiting Academic in the Faculty of Classics at the University of Oxford. His many publications include Mission-Commitment in Ancient Judaism and in the Pauline Communities: the shape, extent and background of early Christian mission.
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The Church Father, Ignatius (likely died within the first two decades of the 2nd century), in his Letter to the Philadelphians, uses wording that suggests dependence on the Gospel of John (likely written in the last decade of the 1st century), and also reveals something of Ignatius’ own dependence on the Spirit in his preaching. Dr. Jonathon Lookadoo is Assistant Professor at Presbyterian University and Theological Seminary, Seoul, South Korea. His publications include The Epistle of Barnabas: A Commentary (Apostolic Fathers Commentary Series) and The Christology of Ignatius of Antioch (Studies in Early Christology).
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The Church Father, Ignatius (likely died within the first two decades of the 2nd century), in his Letter to the Philadelphians, uses wording that suggests dependence on the Gospel of John (likely written in the last decade of the 1st century), and also reveals something of Ignatius’ own dependence on the Spirit in his preaching. Dr. Jonathon Lookadoo is Assistant Professor at Presbyterian University and Theological Seminary, Seoul, South Korea. His publications include The Epistle of Barnabas: A Commentary (Apostolic Fathers Commentary Series) and The Christology of Ignatius of Antioch (Studies in Early Christology).
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In Gal. 3, Paul makes the grammatically singular form of the noun “seed” (σπέρμα) load bearing for his argument. But the singular form of that word doesn’t necessarily denote one individual. Paul is employing contemporary Jewish exegetical practices, and the understanding of that and Paul’s wider aims can be helpful here. Dr. Christian Brady is T. W. Lewis Dean of the Lewis Honors College and Professor of Ancient Hebrew and Jewish Literature at the University of Kentucky. He completed an M.A. degree in Biblical and Theological Studies at Wheaton College (1994), before earning his Ph.D. from the University of Oxford (2000). His publications include The Proselyte and the Prophet: Character Development in Targum Ruth and Beautiful and Terrible Things: A Christian Struggle with Suffering, Grief, and Hope.
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M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/3W9AFr1
Isaiah 7:14 is quoted by Matthew (1:23) in application to Mary’s pregnancy: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son.” But is Isaiah’s reference to a young woman (עַלְמָה) or a virgin (παρθένος)? The former is the Hebrew of Isaiah, and the latter is the Greek of the Septuagint and Matthew’s citation. Can Genesis 24 shed some light on this question? Dr. Emanuel Tov is the J. L. Magnes Professor of Bible Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Among his roles, he was one of the editors of the Hebrew University Bible Project and was Editor-in-Chief of the Dead Sea Scrolls Publication Project (1990-2009). His many publications include Textual Criticism of the Hebrew Bible: Revised and Expanded Fourth Edition and The Text-Critical Use of the Septuagint in Biblical Research.
Check out related programs at Wheaton College:
B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/3xE2mOx
M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/3TVabGY
For the first several chapters in the book of Acts, the author, Luke, consistently speaks of one Saul, but at 13:9 Luke begins referring to him as Paul, which is also the name that this apostle uses in all his letters. Where do these two names come from? What does each mean? Why this switch in which name is used? Dr. Steve Walton is Senior Research Fellow in New Testament at Trinity College in Bristol, U.K., and former Secretary of the British New Testament Society. His many publications include (with David Wenham), Exploring the New Testament, vol. 1: The Gospels and Acts. He is currently working on a major critical commentary on Acts for the Word Biblical Commentary Series; volume 1 will appear in October 2024. He has contributed past episodes to this podcast series, and you can read an article of his on the topic of this episode here.
Check out related programs at Wheaton College:
B.A. in Classical Languages: https://bit.ly/3xx6tfm
M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/3TLAvn2
Dr. Steven Jones is the co-author of Acquiring Medical Language(McGraw Hill), a widely used textbook in medical schools for instruction in medical terminology and rooted directly in his education in Classical Greek and Latin. He makes a case for translating this terminology so that patients can understand it, but also so that the human and ethical aspects of medicine are brought out of the shadows of obscure technical language. Dr. Jones is the Teaching & Training Pastor at Kingsland Baptist Church, Katy, TX, a Greek instructor at Lanier Theological Library (which sponsors this podcast along with Wheaton College), and is currently teaching Greek, Latin, and Medical Terminology at Rice University. He has an MA in Greek, Latin, and Classical Studies from Bryn Mawr College, and a PhD in Classics from the University of Texas at Austin.
Check out related programs at Wheaton College:
B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/3vxDpUv
M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/3PPFdPB
In I John 2:5 the apostle writes, “Whoever keeps his word, truly in this one the love of God is completed.” The Greek phrase translated “the love of God” (ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ θεοῦ) could be understood as God’s love for us or our love for God. Dr. Elizabeth Mburu explains the grammar, the context, and the reasoning behind her conclusion. Dr. Mburu is Associate Professor of New Testament and Greek at Africa International University, Nairobi, Kenya, and is the regional coordinator for Anglophone Africa for Langham Literature. She is on the board of the Africa Bible Commentary and is the editorial coordinator and New Testament editor for its revision. Her publications include Qumran and the Origins of Johannine Language and Symbolism and African Hermeneutics. She has also contributed the exegetical notes on 1, 2, 3 John to the forthcoming Greek New Testament Study Bible (Zondervan).
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B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): bit.ly/4abFiF7
M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4aesr5b
In writing to the “rich in this present world,” Paul stirs together a related adjective (πλούσιος), noun (πλοῦτος), adverb (πλουσίως), and infinitive (πλουτεῖν), pastorally building up to his point: understanding the true source of wealth and how to use it richly. Dr. Phil Ryken, who has been a regular on our podcast, is the President of Wheaton College, 8th in the college’s history. His most recent book is Beauty Is Your Destiny: How the Promise of Splendor Changes Everything. You can hear many of his talks at Family Life Ministry – Podcast or at Every Last Word.
Check out related programs at Wheaton College:
B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/3ILirUO
M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4aqbZia
James 5:11 refers to the “patience of Job” (KJV). If we take a detour through the book of Job and notice how the Greek vocabulary of perseverance (the KJV’s “patience”) is used in James’ letter, we gain insight into human suffering as something properly to lament. Dr. Grant Flynn is Visiting Assistant Professor of New Testament at Wheaton College. His Ph.D. (Wheaton Graduate School) dealt with lament in the Epistle of James.
Check out related programs at Wheaton College:
B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/3TeXZAD
M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4ceHg9q
The act of “calling out,” either to pagans or to the Lord, forms a thread through the story of Jonah, which was challenging to Jonah, and can remain challenging for modern readers. Dr. Andrew Abernethy is Professor of Old Testament and Director of the M.A. in Biblical Exegesis at Wheaton Graduate School. He co-edited the newly published The Prophets and the Apostolic Witness: Reading Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel as Christian Scripture.
Check out related programs at Wheaton College:
B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4c3ACCC
M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/49Wq2LU
In the greeting of his letter to Philemon (v. 2), Paul calls Archippus a “fellow soldier.” Roman soldiers were often involved in the capturing and returning of runaway slaves, a function that may explain why Paul characterizes Archippus like so in this letter. Dr. Seth Ehorn is guest faculty at Wheaton College currently teaching Greek. His publications include 2 Maccabees 1-7: A Handbook on the Greek Text and 2 Maccabees 8-15: A Handbook on the Greek Text.
Check out related programs at Wheaton College:
B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/3T5SK6f
M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4a2Tr78
Peter, along with other NT writers, uses a term (ὑποτάσσω, hypotasso) which related to the idea of subordination, or being sub-ordered, whether in the society, household, church, or in cosmic terms. While Peter calls Christians to live out the faith under the hierarchies or “orders” of ancient Roman society, may the church be an agent in society which helps change the “orders”? In this episode, Dr. Green refers to Mark Noll’s book The Civil War as a Theological Crisis which describes how Christians brought about such change through the abolition of slavery. Dr. Gene Green is Professor Emeritus of New Testament at Wheaton College and Graduate School. He has published widely, including Jude and 2 Peter and Vox Petri: A Theology of Peter.
Check out related programs at Wheaton College:
B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/3URAPmn
M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/48teK0F
The very first words of the Hebrew Bible, usually translated as “In the beginning God created…” can also be translated, “In the beginning when God created . . . God said . . . .” What is the basis for this rendition? Dr. Emanuel Tov, the J. L. Magnes Professor of Bible Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, recounts his learning of the biblical languages and illustrates the importance of that learning for interpretation. Among his earlier roles, he was one of the editors of the Hebrew University Bible Project and was Editor-in-Chief of the Dead Sea Scrolls Publication Project (1990-2009). His many publications include Textual Criticism of the Hebrew Bible: Revised and Expanded Fourth Edition and The Text-Critical Use of the Septuagint in Biblical Research.
Check out related programs at Wheaton College:
B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/48AaFrH
M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4bC3W2V
The Hebrew term yehudim in modern Hebrew can be straightforwardly translated as “Jews,” but when it occurs in the Hebrew Bible this is not the best translation. Remarkably, more than half the occurrences in the OT are in one book: Esther. The question can be extended into the NT as well. Rabbi Steven Bob, who has contributed several episodes to this podcast series, is Rabbi Emeritus at Congregation Etz Chaim in Lombard, Il and guest faculty at Wheaton College. He is currently working on a commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah.
Check out related programs at Wheaton College:
B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/3uyqT6B
M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/48hluhX
In Acts 2:33 there is a completely new thing: Whereas in the OT and everywhere in Judaism it is God, Yahweh, who sends the Holy Spirit, in Acts 2 Jesus has ascended to the right hand of God, received the Spirit from his Father, and himself performs the act of pouring out the Spirit. This should provoke reflection on both Jesus and the Spirit. Dr. Steve Walton is Senior Research Fellow in New Testament at Trinity College in Bristol, U.K., and former Secretary of the British New Testament Society. His many publications include (with David Wenham), Exploring the New Testament, vol. 1: The Gospels and Acts. He is currently working on a major critical commentary on Acts for the Word Biblical Commentary Series; volume 1 will appear in October 2024. He has contributed past episodes to this podcast series.
Check out related programs at Wheaton College:
B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/3uLWMIK
M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/48Aa6y5
In his lecture to philosophers in Acts 17, Paul declares that God has so ordered human history that people “would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us” (NIV). The verb translated “reach out for” (ψηλαφάω) can be illuminated by the blinded Cyclops in Homer’s Odyssey or by the biblical Isaac trying to identify which of his sons was talking to him. Dr. Jones is the Teaching & Training Pastor at Kingsland Baptist Church, Katy, TX, a Greek instructor at Lanier Theological Library (which sponsors this podcast along with Wheaton College), and is currently teaching Greek, Latin, and Medical Terminology at Rice University.
Check out related programs at Wheaton College:
B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/3I3fUVG
M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/3OMWS9X
The spiritual gift of “tongues” in 1 Cor. 12-14 was evidently by itself unintelligible, requiring that someone render what was being said in plain Greek if the Corinthian church was to benefit from it. When discussing the negative effect the utterance would have if left unintelligible, Paul calls a part of the audience the ἰδιῶται (idiotai). Are these believers, unbelievers, Christian catechumens, or what? Jon C. Laansma is the Gerald F. Hawthorne Professor of New Testament Greek and Exegesis in the Classical Languages program at Wheaton College, and the Wheaton-based director of this podcast series. He is currently working on a commentary on 1 Corinthians for the T&T Clark International Theological Commentary series.
Check out related programs at Wheaton College:
B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/3I3fUVG
M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/3OMWS9X
The Greek of the New Testament writers is known as Koiné Greek. What did it sound like? Some recent research has aided our hearing. Dr. Alexander Loney is Associate Professor of Classical Languages and the Coordinator of the Classical Languages program at Wheaton College. His publications include The Ethics of Revenge and the Meanings of the Odyssey and (co-editor) The Oxford Handbook of Hesiod. In this conversation, Dr. Loney makes reference to the book of Benjamin Kantor, The Pronunciation of New Testament Greek.
Check out related programs at Wheaton College:
B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4283x3T
M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/3OawE0E
We’ve heard of biblical literacy, but if we don’t know what to do with the Bible once we’ve read it, we might be suffering from hermeneutical illiteracy. The lack can be especially apparent in approaches to the Old Testament. Dr. John Walton, Old Testament Professor Emeritus at Wheaton Graduate School, is a frequent contributor to this podcast. One of his most recent publications is Wisdom for Faithful Reading: Principles and Practices for Old Testament Interpretation. An earlier but related work is Old Testament Theology for Christians: From Ancient Context to Enduring Belief.
B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/48mVHG2
M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/490LOxR
It has been the contention of Dr. John Walton that the authority of Scripture is located in the intention of the human authors as represented in what they wrote. In this conversation he explains what he means, in part by contrasting it with some other possible models. John Walton, Old Testament Professor Emeritus at Wheaton Graduate School, is a frequent contributor to this podcast. One of his most recent publications is Wisdom for Faithful Reading: Principles and Practices for Old Testament Interpretation. An earlier but related work is Old Testament Theology for Christians: From Ancient Context to Enduring Belief.
Check out related programs at Wheaton College:
B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/48rJ38H
M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/3vpeW3b
Colossians 1:15-20, which many think was an early Christian hymn, is one of the uniquely rich and intense expressions of the identity and work of Christ. Daniel J. Treier models a wise union of exegetical care and theological sophistication while reading this passage. Prof. Treier is the Gunther H. Knoedler Professor of Theology and Director of the Ph.D. Program at Wheaton College & Graduate School. His most recent publication is Lord Jesus Christ (New Studies in Dogmatics).
Check out related programs at Wheaton College:
B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/3tlYW1e
M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/3Tvez18
In Gal. 1:16 Paul uses the arrestive phrasing that God had revealed his Son “in me.” Taken together with other expressions used by Paul in Galatians, it looks as if one of the ways Paul thought of the gospel was through a pregnancy/maternal metaphor. Amy Peeler is the Kenneth T. Wessner Chair of Biblical Studies Professor of New Testament at Wheaton College. One of her most recent publications is Women and the Gender of God and she is presently working on Paul’s Letter to the Galatians.
Check out related programs at Wheaton College:
B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/48pRa5t
M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/3RwVFp1
Dr. Ben Witherington III argues passionately against burnishing the nativity stories of Luke and Matthew with unfounded speculation and mistranslations. He gives particular attention to the story of Jesus’ birth in Luke 2:7. Prof. Witherington is the Jean R. Amos Professor of New Testament for Doctoral Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary and is an emeritus professor of New Testament at St. Andrews University, Scotland. He has published widely including commentaries on every book of the New Testament. Two of his books won the Christianity Today annual top biblical studies book award: The Jesus Quest: The Third Search for the Jew of Nazareth and The Paul Quest: The Renewed Search for the Jew of Tarsus. His Biblical Theology; The Convergence of the Canon (Cambridge) won the Prose Prize National Book of the Year award in 2020 for books in religion and philosophy.
Check out related programs at Wheaton College:
B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/3uJzV0i
M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/3N7ykry
Through a Hebrew word play, the writer of Ecclesiastes highlights the neck and neck race between those who accumulate wealth and those who take it from them. Dr. Phil Ryken, who has been a regular on our podcast, is the President of Wheaton College, 8th in the college’s history. Relevant to this conversation, he has published Why Everything Matters: The Gospel in Ecclesiastes. You can hear many of his talks at Family Life Ministry – Podcast or at Every Last Word.
Check out related programs at Wheaton College:
B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Hebrew, Latin: https://bit.ly/3SOu1VG
M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/3SOtIKw
In James 5:4, James writes according to the NIV, “The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.” This language echoes Ps. 18:6 (LXX Ps. 17:7) and Isa. 5:9. One verb, borrowed from the Greek version of Ps. 18, is changed from a future to a perfect tense form. There are historic shifts behind that small change. Dr. Grant Flynn is Visiting Assistant Professor of New Testament at Wheaton College. His Ph.D. (Wheaton Graduate School) dealt with lament in the Epistle of James.
Check out related programs at Wheaton College:
B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/47FGmzt
M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/3uoCu7K
Our current context of active wars in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and on the African continent makes it fitting to reflect on the prophet Isaiah’s exhortation to live now like people who hope for God’s peace to fill the nations. Dr. Andrew Abernethy is Professor of Old Testament and Director of the M.A. in Biblical Exegesis at Wheaton Graduate School. His most recent book is Savoring Scripture: A Six-Step Guide to Studying the Bible.
Biblical Exegesis MA: https://bit.ly/3SwRdHT
Classical Languages (Greek, Hebrew, Latin) BA: https://bit.ly/47290uO
Luke 7 includes a story of a woman who washed Jesus’ feet with her tears and hair. Luke’s narration of this includes Jesus’ exchange with Simon the Pharisee about what she did, what Simon didn’t do, and what God did. How does knowledge of Greek illuminate this passage? Professor Muraoka, who formerly taught at the Universities of Manchester, Melbourne, and Leiden, related his own biography in an earlier episode of Exegetically Speaking. In addition to the publications mentioned in the description of that episode, we note here Modern Hebrew for Biblical Scholars: An Annotated Chrestomathy with an Outline Grammar and a Glossary, (with Paul Joüon) A Grammar of Biblical Hebrew, Classical Syriac: A basic grammar with a chrestomathy, (with Bezalel Porten), A Grammar of Egyptian Aramaic, and The Books of Hosea and Micah in Hebrew and Greek (Orbis Biblicus Et Orientalis, 294).
Check out related programs at Wheaton College:
Biblical Exegesis MA: https://bit.ly/47sx5uI
Classical Languages (Greek, Hebrew, Latin) BA: https://bit.ly/3szxNHx
A listener to this podcast has asked whether “Adam” in Hosea 6:7 is a name of a place or an allusion to the man of Genesis 1-2. Translations and commentators differ. Dr. Danny Carroll Rodas helps us understand how each view is supported. Prof. Carroll is the Scripture Press Ministries Professor of Biblical Studies and Pedagogy at Wheaton College. Among his many publications are The Lord Roars: Recovering the Prophetic Voice for Today and “Hosea” in Hosea, Amos, Micah (The Expositor's Bible Commentary). He has contributed several episodes to this podcast series.
Check out related programs at Wheaton College:
Biblical Exegesis MA: https://bit.ly/3FD62kp
Classical Languages (Greek, Hebrew, Latin) BA: https://bit.ly/45XCsk9
In Luke 23:33, Luke writes that “they” crucified Jesus. Who are “they”? Tracking back through the Greek of Luke’s narrative leads us to the Jews, though plainly Jesus was crucified by the Romans on a Roman cross. In light of later church history, this merits reflection. Dr. J. Christopher Edwards is Professor of Religious Studies at St. Francis College (Brooklyn). His publications include: (author) Crucified: The Christian Invention of the Jewish Executioners of Jesus and (editor) Early New Testament Apocrypha (9) (Ancient Literature for New Testament Studies).
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M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/3FvylB6
B.A. in Classical Languages: Greek, Hebrew, Latin: https://bit.ly/46Far1X
In this episode, Professor Takamitsu Muraoka, who was born in Hiroshima, Japan, in 1938, narrates his life’s story with an eye on how the biblical languages came to be of such importance to him. Following his conversion and years of academic preparation, he taught at Manchester University and Melbourne University, before becoming Professor of Hebrew at the Leiden University until his retirement. He founded the Dutch-Japanese-Indonesian Dialogue against the background of the Pacific War and is Representative of The Japanese Language Biblical Church in The Netherlands. In 2017, he was awarded the British Academy’s Burkitt Medal for Hebrew Bible studies, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the study of Hebrew grammar and syntax and the Septuagint. His many publications include A Syntax of Septuagint Greek, A Greek-English Lexicon of the Septuagint, A Grammar of Qumran Aramaic, A Syntax of Qumran Hebrew, and Why Read the Bible in the Original Languages?
Learn more about related programs at Wheaton:
M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/46OMTHR
B.A. in Classical Languages: Greek, Hebrew, Latin: https://bit.ly/3FkLEV4
For Prof. Vincent Bacote, his vocation as a professional theologian led him to value the biblical languages, study them, and make use of that training in his ongoing work with the Scriptures. He recommends the same for younger people entering on the same path. Dr. Vince Bacote is Professor of Theology and Director of Center for Applied Christian Ethics at Wheaton College. Among his publications are The Political Disciple: A Theology of Public Life (Ordinary Theology) and Reckoning with Race and Performing the Good News: In Search of a Better Evangelical Theology (Theological Traditions).
While the Gospel of John tells us, the readers, straight up what we’re meant to believe about Jesus, the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) tend to communicate these things indirectly. Dr. Darrell Bock isolates a few good illustrations of this method. Prof. Bock is Executive Director of Cultural Engagement and Senior Research Professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary. His manypublications include Luke (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament) and Studying the Historical Jesus: A Guide to Sources and Methods. He also hosts the seminary’s Table Podcasts. We have heard from him before in the Exegetically Speaking podcast series.
Learn about related programs at Wheaton:
BA in Classical Languages >
MA in Biblical Exegesis >
Amos is a message to the faithful in Israel that there is hope for life within God’s creation beyond the coming war. Her children will not be doomed to misfortune. This is a real hope for real people. Dr. Danny Carroll Rodas is the Scripture Press Ministries Professor of Biblical Studies and Pedagogy at Wheaton College. He has written extensively on Amos, including a major commentary on that prophetic book in the New International Commentary on the Old Testament series. His most recent publication is The Lord Roars: Recovering the Prophetic Voice for Today. He has contributed several episodes to this podcast series.
In Paul’s letter known to us as “Ephesians,” Paul indicates an historical sequence by which his readers came to be included in the foreordained purposes of God. This and other insights arise as Matthew Bates, making a second appearance in our podcast series, takes us through a reading of the Greek text of Ephesians 1. Dr. Bates is Professor of Theology at Quincy University (Quincy, IL). Among his several publications are The Birth of the Trinity(Oxford, 2015) and Gospel Allegiance: What Faith in Jesus Misses for Salvation in Christ.
Is Ephesians 4:12 about leaders doing the work of ministry or training the “laity” to do the work? Answering that question requires a close look at the Greek wording and even decisions about placement of commas by editors. Dr. Michael Bird is Deputy Principal at Ridley College (Melbourne, Australia). His many publications include (with N. T. Wright) The New Testament in its World: An Introduction to the History, Literature and Theology of the First Christians and What Christians Ought to Believe: An Introduction to Christian Doctrine Through the Apostles’ Creed and Bourgeois Babes, Bossy Wives, and Bobby Haircuts: A Case for Gender Equality in Ministry.
Learn about related programs at Wheaton:
BA in Classical Languages >
MA in Biblical Exegesis >
In our last episode of Season Four (Season Five beginning soon), Prof. Gupta imagines Paul in prison reflecting on one last sermon that captures and expresses without restraint the wonder and truth of God’s grace as he has preached and known it. We begin with the great “But God” of Ephesians 2:4. Dr. Nijay Gupta, Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary (Chicago), has authored several books and articles, including Paul and the Language of Faith and Tell Her Story: How Women Led, Taught, and Ministered in the Early Church. He contributed an earlier episode to this series.
An Exegetically Speaking listener submitted a question about the gender of a Greek relative pronoun in Matthew’s genealogy (Matt 1:1-16), which provides an opportunity to talk about the potentials (and challenges) of this aspect of grammar for translation. The questioner, Russell, listens to this podcast from his home in New Zeeland, where he is an adult learner at the University of Auckland with a special interest in theology and religious studies. Dr. Jon C. Laansma is the Gerald F. Hawthorne Professor of New Testament Greek and Exegesis in the Classical Languages program at Wheaton College, IL. He assists in the production of this podcast and has been a regular contributor.
An Exegetically Speaking listener submitted a question about the gender of a Greek relative pronoun in Matthew’s genealogy (Matt 1:1-16), which provides an opportunity to talk about the potentials (and challenges) of this aspect of grammar for translation. The questioner, Russell, listens to this podcast from his home in New Zeeland, where he is an adult learner at the University of Auckland with a special interest in theology and religious studies. Dr. Jon C. Laansma is the Gerald F. Hawthorne Professor of New Testament Greek and Exegesis in the Classical Languages program at Wheaton College, IL. He assists in the production of this podcast and has been a regular contributor.
Learn more about related programs:
M.A. in Biblical Exegesis
B.A. in Classical Languages - Greek, Hebrew, and Latin
In his teaching about family relations (e.g. Eph. 5:21–6:9), Paul is echoing descriptions of a household that had been formalized by Aristotle, but in so doing Paul turns Aristotle’s teaching on its head. Dr. Lynn Cohick is Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Director of Houston Theological Seminary at Houston Christian University. Among her many publications are The Letter to the Ephesians (NICNT) and (with Amy Brown Hughes) Christian Women in the Patristic World: Their Influence, Authority, and Legacy in the Second through Fifth Centuries.
Learn more about related programs:
M.A. in Biblical Exegesis
B.A. in Classical Languages - Greek, Hebrew, and Latin
As Mark Lanier explains in this episode, the opening words of the Epistle of James, which are rooted in the OT idea of the “servant of YHWH,” give us a window onto how the resurrection of Jesus transformed James’ relationship with and understanding of his brother, Jesus. Lanier is a practicing attorney, a teacher in his local church in Houston, Texas, and the founder of the Lanier Theological Library (co-sponsor of this podcast) among other projects in service of the church.
The grammar, metaphors, background, and possible referents of the Greek wording of Colossians 2:15 make for rich challenges and possibilities for interpretation, translation, and application. As Dr. Joseph Dodson explains in this episode, choosing between options may not always be correct. Dodson is the Dr. Craig L. Blomberg Chair of New Testament at Denver Seminary. In addition to other publications, he co-edited, Paul and the Giants of Philosophy: Reading the Apostle in Greco-Roman Context, and is working on commentaries on Romans (Brill) and Colossians-Philemon (Holman).
The narrator of the book of Ruth preserves small but telling mistakes in the Hebrew uttered by the character Ruth, who was a Moabite immigrant to Israel. How are these clues to the narrator’s intentions? Dr. Timothy Lim is Professor of Hebrew Bible & Second Temple Judaism at The University of Edinburgh. He works broadly in the Hebrew Bible, ancient Judaism, and the origins of Christianity, while concentrating in the biblical canon and the Dead Sea Scrolls. He has published The Earliest Commentary on the Prophecy of Habakkuk, among other things.
At a crossroads in the nascent Christian mission the “apostles and elders” conferred to discern where the Spirit of God and the Scriptures were leading them. The question: What is required of the Gentiles for salvation? James cited Amos 9 which foretold the restoration of David’s “fallen tent” so that the “remnant” of humankind would seek the Lord. As Mark Lanier explains, it is that word “remnant” that ties into a major OT theme. Mark Lanier is a practicing attorney, a teacher in his local church in Houston, Texas, and the founder of the Lanier Theological Library (co-sponsor of this podcast) among other projects in service of the church. In earlier episodes he talked about the library and about the word Behold! in Matthew’s Gospel.
The Greek sentence that opens Paul’s letter to the Romans includes carefully worded claims about Paul’s gospel. Crucially, Paul identifies some of what he means when he refers to Jesus as Christ/Messiah: He is a descendent of David and the Son of God. He is the latter not only as a result of the resurrection but in a special way through that event.
Dr. Matthew V. Novenson is Professor of Biblical Criticism and Biblical Antiquities at the University of Edinburgh. Among recent publications are (author) Christ Among the Messiahs; Paul, Then and Now; and (co-editor) The Oxford Handbook of Pauline Studies.
In this episode, Ben Marx shares how close attention to the phrase “signs and wonders” brings into focus how Luke narrates God’s work of salvation in Jesus, to which the apostles and others bear witness. This plays out against the backdrop of Moses’ miracles and plots the growing reach of the good news from Israel to the nations. Ben Marx is Professor of New Testament at the Instituto Bíblico Sinodal de Arequipa, Peru, and is a Ph.D. candidate at Trinity College Bristol/University of Aberdeen. His thoughts on this episode’s topic will be published in the Journal of Pentecostal Theology.
Check out related programs at Wheaton:
- Classical Languages >
- MA in Biblical Exegesis >
Biblingo comprises a suite of online resources for learning the biblical languages, including a variety of digital aids and the option of live cohort training. The unifying mission of Biblingo is to advance God’s Word in the world by making the biblical languages more accessible and easier to learn through technology. Here to talk about this is Nick Messmer, co-founder and Head of Growth of Biblingo and an alumnus of Wheaton Graduate School’s M.A. in Biblical Exegesis.
Did you know Wheaton College has a Classical Languages program? Learn more >
The Hebrew phrasing of Hosea 1:9 recalls the covenantal name of God in Exod. 3:14. However, as Dr. Andrew M. King explains, because of their sin, God’s covenant disposition is reversed towards Israel. Dr. Andrew M. King is Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Spurgeon College, and co-director of Every Voice: A Center for Kingdom Diversity in Christian Theological Education. Among other books, he co-edited Five Views of Christ in the Old Testament and is currently writing a commentary on Hosea in the Pillar Old Testament Commentary series (Eerdmans, forthcoming).
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There are Hebrew word plays in 2 Kings 1 that are not apparent in English translations but are part of the original narrator’s intention, not without a touch of humor, to show that the Israelite prophet Elijah out-Baals Baal. Dr. Andrew Burlingame is a Wheaton College Classical Languages program alumnus and is now Assistant Professor of Hebrew at the same. He specializes in Northwest Semitic languages, including Hebrew, Aramaic, Phoenician, and Ugaritic, along with their history and texts. His recent publications are featured here.
Romans 3:21-26 is a critical biblical passage, and it has naturally been read in conflicting ways. Can insights of modern linguistics wed with conventional exegesis to clarify the choices to be made in interpreting a key Greek word in v. 24? Dr. Kevin Grasso (Hebrew University of Jerusalem) is co-founder and CEO of Biblingo, which exists “to advance God’s Word in the world by making the biblical languages more accessible and easier to learn through technology.” He is currently working on a revision of his dissertation on verbs of judgment in Biblical Hebrew as well as linguistic introductions to both Biblical Hebrew and Biblical Greek. Check out their podcast.
Dr. Samuel Pagán has spent years working in biblical scholarship and translation. He discusses the expertise that is required for good translation work, the joy of that work, and the unending need of fresh or refreshed translations. Dr. Pagán is the Dean of Hispanic Programs at The Jerusalem Center for Biblical Studies (Jerusalem and Lakeland, FL). In addition to thousands of articles he has published over 70 books, including Introducción a la Biblia hebrea and Pablo: El apóstol en su context, and has edited over ten Study Editions of the Bible.
A translator of the Bible into English must possess a sensitivity to the possible meanings of Greek words and grammar used by (or possibly not used by) the original author, and an equally sensitive awareness of how the English word choices of other translators have aided or hindered understanding. Prof. McKnight puts forward fruitfully provocative English renditions of Revelation 1:1. Dr. Scot McKnight is Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary in Lisle, IL. He has authored numerous books and articles, among which are Revelation for the Rest of Us: A Prophetic Call to Follow Jesus as a Dissident Disciple and (forthcoming) The Second Testament: A New Translation. Prof. McKnight blogs regularly at Scot’s Newsletter.
In the NIV of Hosea 1:2, the prophet is told to “marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her.” The Hebrew wording arguably intends the idea, “and adopt her [already born] children.” The larger concern is less with marriage than with household. Dr. Andrew M. King is Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Spurgeon College, and co-director of Every Voice: A Center for Kingdom Diversity in Christian Theological Education. In addition to other things he has published Social Identity and the Book of Amos and he is currently writing a commentary on Hosea in the Pillar Old Testament Commentary series (Eerdmans, forthcoming).
How does Gen. 22:12 in its context of God’s promises to Abraham answer the question of why God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac? Hint: There are parallels with Job. Dr. John Walton, Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton Graduate School, is a frequent contributor to this podcast. His many publications concentrate especially in the backgrounds, language, and thought of the Old Testament world.
It is possible for a small Greek word to lift a great weight of misunderstanding from one’s heart. In 1 Cor. 12:30 Paul’s question about the gift of tongues is marked as rhetorical, expecting a negative answer, by just such a word. Christopher M. Hays is the president of Scholar Leaders. Among his publications are When the Son of Man Didn't Come: A Constructive Proposal on the Delay of the Parousia and Renouncing Everything: Money and Discipleship in Luke.
Jon Laansma is Gerald F. Hawthorne Professor of New Testament Greek and Exegesis in the Classical Languages program at Wheaton College. He regularly teaches Greek 101-102 along with upper-division Greek rapid reading courses that translate whole books of the NT and Church Fathers. One such class reads through all of Luke-Acts. Another pairs several Pauline letters with letters of Ignatius and Polycarp, as well as a few chapters from the Epistle to Diognetus. A third iteration pairs books from the General Epistles of the NT with Martyrdom of Polycarp, Didache, and other non-NT selections. The Classical Languages program as a whole offers similar opportunities for Hebrew, Latin, and Classical Greek texts.
Did the OT Israelites have a hope of eternal life in heaven? Ps. 49:15 is often understood to say that God will “take” the psalmist “to himself.” But the phrase “to himself” is not in the Hebrew. It is by noticing such things in that and similar passages that we are better equipped to answer the larger question as far as the original author is concerned. Dr. John Walton, Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton Graduate School, is a frequent contributor to this podcast. His publications include Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament: Introducing the Conceptual World of the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament Theology for Christians: From Ancient Context to Enduring Belief.
Hints of the identity of the man and woman together as God’s sacred space have been latent but unrecognized in the Hebrew language of Gen. 2:21-22. In this, our 200th episode, Dr. Ingrid Faro uncovers what the language has to tell us. She is the Coordinator of the MA in Old Testament Program at Northern Seminary in Lisle, IL, where she teaches the Hebrew Bible. Among other things, she is the author of Evil in Genesis: A Contextual Analysis of Hebrew Lexemes for Evil in the Book of Genesis. She recently lectured at the Lanier Theological Library on “Deconstructing Evil,” and her forthcoming book is Demystifying Evil: A Biblical and Personal Exploration (IVP).
In 1 Cor. 16:2, is Paul stipulating that funds be set aside “individually” or “at home,” and is there evidence here of a special “Lord’s Day” meeting of the church? Jon Laansma is Gerald F. Hawthorne Professor of New Testament Greek and Exegesis in the Classical Languages program at Wheaton College. He has authored articles on the Lord’s Day and Sabbath in the Dictionary of the Later New Testament and its Developments, The Encyclopedia of the Bible and its Reception, Early New Testament Apocrypha, and the Dictionary of the New Testament Use of the Old Testament (forthcoming, Baker).
In 1 Cor. 1:19 Paul quotes from Isaiah 29:14. His Greek wording differs markedly from the Hebrew of the OT passage, but is close to the Greek version of Isaiah then in use (LXX, Septuagint) . . . and nods to Psalm 33:10. Why would Paul do this? Dr. Fresch also wrote a blog post on this issue: “Paul the Paraphraser or Paul the Septuagint Quoter?” Dr. Chris Fresch is Lecturer in Biblical Languages and Old Testament at Bible College SA in Adelaide, South Australia. Among other things, he has authored Discourse Markers in Early Koine Greek: A Cognitive-Functional Analysis with an Application to LXX Translation Technique (SBL Press, 2023).
A key Greek phrase, πίστις Χριστοῦ (with variations), has been hotly debated as to its meaning and translation: “Christ’s faith(fulness)”? “Faith in Christ?” Maybe, however, the sense is closer to: “the Christ faith.” Dr. Kevin Grasso (Hebrew University of Jerusalem) is co-founder and CEO of Biblingo, which exists “to advance God’s Word in the world by making the biblical languages more accessible and easier to learn through technology.” He is currently working on a revision of his dissertation on verbs of judgment in Biblical Hebrew as well as linguistic introductions to both Biblical Hebrew and Biblical Greek. Check out their podcast.
The Hebrew preposition usually translated as “in” in the phrase “in God’s image” repays a closer look. It has to do with our identity, what and who we are. Dr. Carmen Imes (Ph.D., Wheaton College) is Associate Professor of Old Testament at Talbot School of Theology at Biola University. She has published several works including Bearing God’s Name: Why Sinai Still Matters, and hosts her own YouTube channel where she releases weekly “Torah Tuesday” videos. Her next book will be Being God's Image: Why Creation Still Matters.
Dr. Dennis Edwards is Vice President for Church Relations and Dean of the Seminary at North Park University. Among other things, he has authored Might from the Margins: The Gospel's Power to Turn the Tables on Injustice and 1 Peter (The Story of God Bible Commentary Book 17). Today’s topic: A word otherwise unused in the NT is chosen by Peter to command all his readers to “clothe yourselves” with humility. These one-time (hapax legomena) words can be interesting. What might be the implications in 1 Peter 5:5?
Travis Wright is a Ph.D. candidate in Theology and Religion at Cambridge University. Today’s topic: Pairing a knowledge of Greek with the field of linguistics allows for a sharpened exposition of the crucial statement about God and the only-begotten God in John 1:18.
Jon Laansma is Gerald F. Hawthorne Professor of New Testament Greek and Exegesis in the Classical Languages program at Wheaton College. He regularly teaches Greek 101-102 along with upper-division Greek rapid reading courses that translate whole books of the NT and Church Fathers. One such class reads through all of Luke-Acts. Another pairs several Pauline letters with letters of Ignatius and Polycarp, as well as a few chapters from the Epistle to Diognetus. A third iteration pairs books from the General Epistles of the NT with Martyrdom of Polycarp, Didache, and other non-NT selections. The Classical Languages program as a whole offers similar opportunities for Hebrew, Latin, and Classical Greek texts.
Lucia Sanders, Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies and Director of the Academic Support Center at Life Pacific University (San Dimas, CA), is an alumna of Wheaton Graduate School’s M.A. in Biblical Exegesis and a current Ph.D. student at University of Birmingham. Today’s topic: Eccl. 2:24 is frequently translated something like, “A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink . . .” (NIV). It's the Hebrew preposition behind the words “better than” that deserves a second look, as it normally does not signal a comparison as appears in typical translations.
Dr. James Frohlich is Adjunct Professor of Old Testament, Dallas Theological Seminary-Houston, and the author of The Relationship between MT and LXX in Jeremiah 39(46):1-41(48):3and 52 (Forschungen Zum Alten Testament 2.reihe). Today’s topic: The author of Ruth weaves some interesting Hebrew wordplays through the narrative which are frequently lost in translation, especially relating to “leaving,” “clinging,” and the protective covering of “wings.”
Dr. Adam E. Miglio is Associate Professor of Old Testament & Archaeology and Director of M.A. in Old Testament Archaeology at Wheaton College. His most recent book is The Gilgamesh Epic in Genesis 1-11: Peering into the Deep. Today’s topic: Anyone listening in on the discussions of Old Testament specialists soon hears tell of the cuneiform script and the Akkadian language. Dr. Miglio provides a brief orientation to these and explains the importance of Akkadian to the in-depth study of the OT.
Rev. Dr. Nancy L. deClaissé-Walford is Emerita Professor of Old Testament and Biblical Languages at Mercer University. She is the Old Testament editor for the Word Biblical Commentary Series, and she has published, Psalms, Books 4–5 (Volume 22) (Wisdom Commentary Series), among other things. Today’s topic: The KJV’s translation of the Hebrew phrase behind Ecclesiastes 1:2 was “vanity of vanities,” a wording that derived from Jerome’s much earlier Latin translation, and it’s a wording that has stuck. But what is the actual idea and how else can it be translated?
Dr. Darrell Bock is Executive Director of Cultural Engagement and Senior Research Professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary. Among his other roles and accomplishments, he has earned recognition as a Humboldt Scholar (Tübingen University in Germany), is the author of over 40 books, including well-regarded commentaries on Luke and Acts and studies of the historical Jesus, and he works in cultural engagement as host of the seminary’s Table Podcasts. Today’s topic: John the Baptist’s call to repentance in the face of the Kingdom of God assumes an unbreakable connection between the “vertical” relation with God in repentance and the “horizontal” relations to our neighbors, as is clear in the repeated emphasis on “doing.”
Dr. Amy Peeler is Associate Professor of New Testament at Wheaton College and Graduate School and a frequent contributor to this podcast. Her research has concentrated in the Letter to the Hebrews, Paul and Gender, and the Gospel of Mark. Her most recent book is Women and the Gender of God. Today’s topic: The conception of Jesus in Matthew 1:20 presents a delicate challenge for exegetes, theologians, and Bible translators. The event is neither sexualized nor “spiritualized,” but presents to us, without answering all our questions, the fullness of the incarnation of the Son of God, the child of Mary.
Dr. Amy Peeler is Associate Professor of New Testament at Wheaton College and Graduate School. Her research has concentrated in the Letter to the Hebrews, Paul and Gender, and the Gospel of Mark. She has contributed previous episodes to this podcast, and among her publications is Hebrews: An Introduction and Study Guide. Today’s topic: The presence and the selection of the women in Matthew’s opening genealogy is a call to reflection. How do their stories contribute to the story of Jesus and the world he came to save from its sins?
Dr. Jonathan More, Vice-Principal and Academic Dean at George Whitefield College, Cape Town, South Africa, focuses his research on the intersection between the intellectual world of the New Testament and its Graeco-Roman context. Today’s topic: Translation sometimes poses difficult decisions when there is no single word available to the translator in the receptor language. The NIV translates Phil 4:11 as, “. . . I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” The word “content” (αὐτάρκης) has a sense that is hard to represent with a single English word.
Dr. Catherine McDowell is Associate Professor of Old Testament at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, having previously taught at Wheaton College. She also serves part-time as a professor of Hebrew and Old Testament at Séminaire Théologique Mondelus in Milot, Haiti. With Philip Towner, she authored, The Rewards of Learning Greek and Hebrew: Discovering the Richness of the Bible in Its Original Languages, among other things. How does the knowledge of the Biblical languages contribute to deepened understanding of the Bible, and what are some of its fruits?
Dr. Christian Askeland, Senior Researcher at Museum of the Bible, is interested in the origins and diversity of early Christianity, endeavoring to reconstruct historically the movements from which the relevant texts and manuscripts arose. He has authored John’s Gospel: The Coptic Translations of its Greek Text. Jude 12 poses a series of challenges for the interpreter, including the sorting out of the original wording amidst differing manuscripts (textual criticism).
Dr. John Walton, Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton Graduate School, author of many books and articles relating to the background, literature, and theology of the Old Testament, has contributed several episodes to this podcast. His newest book, Wisdom for Faithful Reading: Principles and Practices for Old Testament Interpretation, is scheduled for release in April, 2023. The phrase, “Life After Exegesis,” should be understood as the way life is, or ought to be, different after exegesis than it was before. Exegesis does this by first directing our attention to God: Who he is. Only after that step are we ready to consider what all this means for us, and thus also for me.
Bradley Trout is a Ph.D. student at North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa, and he teaches Greek and Hebrew at George Whitefield College, Cape Town, South Africa. His current research is on the law in Matthew’s gospel within the Greco-Roman milieu. Today’s topic: A key verb in Matt. 11:12 could be taken as passive or middle voice leading to opposing translations, negative and positive. Jesus may be declaring that the kingdom of God is being subjected to violence or that it is forcefully advancing. There are contextual reasons to favor the passive, negative sense.
Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Mukeshimana earned his Ph.D. from Uganda Christian University where he is now Lecturer. His research explored Christ’s mission to the poor in Luke’s Gospel in order to construct a Christian model for poverty alleviation in Rwanda. Today’s topic: The Greek language of 3 John 1 has parallels to the vernacular of Dr. Mukeshimana’s Ugandan students of elementary Greek, paving the way for the original text to speak directly to the Ugandan context.
Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Mukeshimana earned his Ph.D. from Uganda Christian University where he is now Lecturer. His research explored Christ’s mission to the poor in Luke’s Gospel in order to construct a Christian model for poverty alleviation in Rwanda. Today’s topic: The Greek language of 3 John 1 has parallels to the vernacular of Dr. Mukeshimana’s Ugandan students of elementary Greek, paving the way for the original text to speak directly to the Ugandan context.
Dr. Jordan Pickering is a biblical-studies scholar at the University of Cape Town YMCA Christian Study Centre, South Africa, and the author of Turn Neither Right Nor Left: Recentering Evangelicalism and Troubled Waters: A Fresh Look at Baptism and Why We Argue. Today’s topic: How the structure of Genesis 12 illuminates a hidden moment of silence, which in turn speaks to us about the nature of faith and blessing, and God's long-term plan for the nations.
Dr Nathan Lovell is Director of Research at George Whitefield College, Cape Town, South Africa. He has published The Book of Kings and Exilic Identity along with several articles, and is he currently writing commentaries on Kings (Hodder Bible Commentary) and Chronicles (The Bible in God’s world). In a previous episode he joined Dr. Capes to talk about 1 Kings 3. In this new episode he addresses a listener’s question about the creature that tempted Eve in Genesis 3. In that context it is a talking snake. Close attention to the language of later biblical passages sheds light on how it happens that Revelation finally refers to this creature as a dragon, indeed, as Satan.
Dr. Catherine McDowell is Associate Professor of Old Testament at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, having previously taught at Wheaton College. She also serves part-time as a professor of Hebrew and Old Testament at Séminaire Théologique Mondelus in Milot, Haiti. Among other things, she has authored, The Image of God in the Garden of Eden: The Creation of Humankind in Genesis 2:5-3:24 in Light of themīs pî, pīt pî, andwpt-rRituals of Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt. Today’s topic: Though some English translations have failed to convey this, the author of Ruth 3:17 was using word order to emphasize both Boaz’s excessive generosity and God’s care for the poor and marginalized.
Dr. Christian Askeland, Senior Researcher at Museum of the Bible, is interested in the origins and diversity of early Christianity, endeavoring to reconstruct historically the movements from which the relevant texts and manuscripts arose. He has authored John’s Gospel: The Coptic Translations of its Greek Text. When reading scholarship about the NT, one frequently encounters references to the Coptic language and its texts. What is this language? When did it originate? How is it important for studying ancient texts and traditions?
Dr. Randy Hatchett is Professor of Theology and Program Coordinator for Theological Studies and for Christianity at Houston Baptist University. Among other things, he has written Engaging Theology: A Biblical, Historical, and Practical Introduction. In this conversation with Dr. Capes he reminds us that at every step the study of biblical languages is crucial for reading the unfolding story of our texts (economy) and the necessary theologizing upon these texts (theology).
Dr. Randy Hatchett is Professor of Theology and Program Coordinator for Theological Studies and for Christianity at Houston Baptist University. Among other things, he has written Engaging Theology: A Biblical, Historical, and Practical Introduction. In this conversation with Dr. Capes he reminds us that at every step the study of biblical languages is crucial for reading the unfolding story of our texts (economy) and the necessary theologizing upon these texts (theology).
Dr. John Walton, Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton Graduate School, is a frequent contributor to this podcast. His publications include Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament: Introducing the Conceptual World of the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament Theology for Christians: From Ancient Context to Enduring Belief. He is presently working on a commentary on Daniel with his Wheaton colleague, Dr. Aubrey Buster. In response to a podcast listener’s question, Dr. Walton and Dr. Capes discuss God’s work as portrayed in Genesis 1-2.
Dr. John Walton, Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton Graduate School, is a frequent contributor to this podcast. His publications include Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament: Introducing the Conceptual World of the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament Theology for Christians: From Ancient Context to Enduring Belief. He is presently working on a commentary on Daniel with his Wheaton colleague, Dr. Aubrey Buster. In response to a podcast listener’s question, Dr. Walton and Dr. Capes discuss God’s work as portrayed in Genesis 1-2.
Rev. Dr. N. T. Wright is Research Professor Emeritus of New Testament and Early Christianity at St Mary’s College in the University of St Andrews and Senior Research Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. His work has established him as the foremost voice among New Testament scholars of the present generation, not least due to his many commentaries, topical studies, and the multi-volume, Christian Origins and the Question of God. Is Jesus’ parable of Luke 19:11-27 teaching that the kingdom of God is going to be delayed indefinitely or that it is arriving at that moment with Jesus’ descent upon Jerusalem? Verse 44 of the same chapter and Jeremiah’s use of a key Greek word, among other things, ominously suggests the latter.
Rev. Dr. N. T. Wright is Research Professor Emeritus of New Testament and Early Christianity at St Mary’s College in the University of St Andrews and Senior Research Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. His work has established him as the foremost voice among New Testament scholars of the present generation, not least due to his many commentaries, topical studies, and the multi-volume, Christian Origins and the Question of God. Is Jesus’ parable of Luke 19:11-27 teaching that the kingdom of God is going to be delayed indefinitely or that it is arriving at that moment with Jesus’ descent upon Jerusalem? Verse 44 of the same chapter and Jeremiah’s use of a key Greek word, among other things, ominously suggests the latter.
Dr. Cory Marsh, Professor of New Testament at Southern California Seminary, is passionate about restoring the “pastor-scholar” role in the church, and as such, also serves as Scholar in Residence at Revolve Bible Church in San Juan Capistrano, CA. He is a frequent conference speaker and has written A Primer for Biblical Literacy. In this conversation with David Capes, Cory explains how John’s Greek grammar draws us into the drama experienced by Jesus’ disciples as he jars them with the news of his departure.
Dr. Tremper Longman III, Emeritus Professor of Biblical Studies and Distinguished Scholar of Biblical Studies at Westmont College, has written more than 20 books, including Revelation Through Old Testament Eyes and Intimate Allies. He was one of the main translators for the New Living Translation and has served as a consultant on other popular translations of the Bible including the Message, the New Century Version, and the Holman Standard Bible. Tremper helps us reconsider the Hebrew wording of Genesis 2:18 usually translated as “a helper suitable to him” or “a help meet.”
Dr. Rodney Reeves is senior pastor at First Baptist Church in Jonesboro, Arkansas, and has published, among other things, Spirituality According to John, Spirituality According to Paul, and (with David Capes and E. Randolph Richards) Rediscovering Paul. Although often interpreted individualistically, John’s comment about the “One greater” in 1 John 4:4 is addressed to the plural “you.” It is a matter of overcoming the world together.
Dr. Steve Walton is Professor of New Testament at Trinity College in Bristol, U.K., an ordained priest/presbyter in the Church of England, and former Secretary of the British New Testament Society. His many publications include (with David Wenham), Exploring the New Testament, vol. 1: The Gospels and Acts. He is currently working on a major critical commentary on Acts for the Word Biblical Commentary Series. Luke directs the opening words of his Gospel to one “most excellent Theophilus.” Is Theophilus a real person’s name (probably) and is there anything more we can infer about him and his significance for Luke from the little said in the first verses of Luke’s Gospel combined with knowledge of the surrounding world?
Dr. Beth Felker Jones was for years Professor of Theology at Wheaton College, and is presently Professor of Theology at Northern Seminary in Lisle, IL. She is the author of numerous works, including Faithful: A Theology of Sex and Pandemic Prayers: Devotions and Prayers for a Crisis. She recounts her experience with beginning Greek as a student, discusses how that training has aided her as a theological reader and thinker, and offers some counsel to budding theologians.
Dr. Steven Ortiz is the Director of the newly established Lanier Center for Archaeology at Lipscomb University where he is also a Professor of Archaeology and Biblical Studies. He currently serves on the board of the Albright Institute of Archaeological Research, Jerusalem. How does the learning of ancient languages contribute to archaeology and what light does archaeology shed on ancient languages?
Dr. Randy Richards is the retiring Provost and Chief Academic Officer and will be the Research Professor of New Testament at Palm Beach Atlantic University. He has authored several books and articles, including Inscriptions and Papyri in the forthcoming ALNTS series (with James Harrison) and Misreading Scripture with Individualist Eyes(with Richard James). Luke 12:20 is often translated something like, “Your soul will be required of you.” But the Greek verb is active and plural: “They will demand your soul from you.” Who or what is “they”?
Jon Laansma is Gerald F. Hawthorne Professor of New Testament Greek and Exegesis in the Classical Languages program at Wheaton College. Among other things, he has published a learning aid for students of Greek and a commentary on Hebrews for use in the church. He discusses the grammar and meaning of John’s statement in 1 John 3:7, “The one who does righteousness is righteous.”
Dr. Douglas Moo is Kenneth T. Wessner Professor of New Testament in Wheaton College Graduate School and has led the Committee on Bible Translation (the group of scholars charged with revising the text of the NIV). While it is obvious that a translation must substitute one vocabulary (e.g., English) for another (e.g., Hebrew), it is not always understood that a translation must also substitute one grammar (sentence structure, or syntax) for another. It is this aspect that helps to illustrate how among English translations the ESV, NIV, and NLT represent points on a spectrum from more “formal” to more “dynamic” theoretical approaches.
Dr. Michael Graves is Armerding Professor of Biblical Studies at Wheaton College. In addition to teaching Hebrew, Aramaic, and Syriac, along with a range of biblical book studies, he has taught courses on Judaism, World Religions, and the Qur'an and the Bible. A recent addition to his list of publications is How Scripture Interprets Scripture (Baker). Genesis 15:2 provides a good illustration of modern exegetical techniques that are used to figure out the meaning of more challenging Hebrew passages. Those techniques highlight the value and importance of the knowledge of Hebrew for all who wish to teach and apply the biblical text responsibly.
Dr. Doug Penney, Associate Professor of Classical Languages at Wheaton College, calls attention to Mark 5:9 (Luke 8:30) in which a group of demons declare their name to be Λεγιών, translated as Legion. The naming of various demons and angels in ancient Jewish traditions is a fascinating topic in its own right. Intertestamental angelology often derived such names from creative readings of Hebrew scripture passages. Dr. Penney traces out the linguistic path from Ps. 91:7, through these complex traditions, to Mark 5.
Emily McGowin is Assistant Professor of Theology at Wheaton College and the author of Quivering Families: The Quiverfull Movement and Evangelical Theology of the Family, among other things. Presently she’s working on a book for InterVarsity Press on a theology of family. In this conversation with David Capes, she discusses the place of the biblical languages in her own training and work as a theologian. She also shares wisdom for students on the path through higher ed toward biblical and theological scholarship and ministry.
Doug Hoffer first gave Greek a try at Wheaton College and found himself hooked. He carried on to pursue more of the same, first in Wheaton’s M.A. in Biblical Exegesis and then at the University of Chicago, where he is now completing his doctoral dissertation, Covenants Human and Divine: Diathēkē in Gal 3:15-17 and Its Relevance for Paul's Argument in Gal 3-4. John's Gospel is perceived by some as anti-Jewish in its portrayal of Jesus’ Jewish compatriots as frequently misunderstanding his teaching. In John 16:25, however, Jesus asserts that his speech (in John) had been to that point deliberately veiled and claims that he would subsequently speak more forthrightly. Jesus’ comment thus suggests that his audience’s failures of understanding were the (intended) result of his enigmatic speech rather than his listeners’ wickedness or spiritual dullness.
Dr. Daniel B. Wallace is the Executive Director of Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts (csntm.org) & Senior Research Professor of NT Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary. His intermediate level Greek grammar is well known to students of Greek, but he has also written or contributed to numerous other works, such as (with Darrell Bock), Dethroning Jesus: Exposing Popular Culture's Quest to Unseat the Biblical Christ. After recalling the way his study of Greek grew out of his faith, he treats us to a close reading of the Greek language of one of the most important passages ever written.
After launching his Greek at Wheaton College, Justin Smith continued his studies after graduation. Including through a short stay in Greece, he has now worked in Classical, Koiné, and modern Greek. In the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19, there is an interesting connection between the words translated as “sycamore tree” (v. 4) and “defrauded/cheated” (v. 8). Maybe the type of tree was noteworthy because by it Luke was hinting at Zacchaeus’ character . . . and what he abandoned to follow the Lord.
Dr. Philip Towner is professor at the Pontifical Urbaniana University and teaches at the Pontifical Biblical Institute. Among other things, he authored a major commentary on The Letters to Timothy and Titus, and co-authored with Catherine McDowell, The Rewards of Learning Greek and Hebrew. In the Greek of 1 Cor. 6:11 there is a rhetorical device – the threefold repetition of a common conjunction – that translations might not convey, and common English might not employ, but that powerfully conveys Paul’s pastoral-theological point.
Dr. Vuyani Sindo is Senior Lecturer and Head of Biblical Studies at George Whitefield College in Cape Town, South Africa, where he teaches New Testament and pastoral ministry. His doctoral dissertation, completed at Stellenbosch University in 2018, explores questions of leadership and identity within the context of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. The word ἐξουσία translated in the NRSV as “liberty” in 1 Cor. 8:9 is translated in 9:4 as “right.” What justifies this switch, from the viewpoints of both the original Greek and the modern audience?
Dr. John Walton, Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton Graduate School, author of many books and articles relating to the background, literature, and theology of the Old Testament, has contributed several episodes to this podcast. Currently, he is collaborating with his Wheaton colleague, Dr. Aubrey Buster, in writing a commentary on Daniel. In this conversation with David Capes, he gives some fresh and helpful attention to some of the language that God addresses to the rebellious actors of Genesis 3. Consequences of their acts bring, among other things, anxiety about conception and a desire for spousal support in the form of domestic stability and order.
Dr. Amy Peeler, Associate Professor of New Testament, has authored You Are My Son: The Family of God in the Epistle to the Hebrews (T&T Clark, 2015) along with articles on a range of NT texts and topics, and her study, Women and the Gender of God (Eerdmans), is forthcoming. Jesus’ identity as a son is highlighted in the figurative comparison with Moses in Heb. 3:1-6, but close attention to the Greek wording appreciates that it is Jesus’ divinity that stands out as the key distinction.
Dr. Nathan Lovell is Senior Lecturer in Old Testament and Director of Research at George Whitefield College in Cape Town, South Africa. Among other things, he has authored The Book of Kings and Exilic Identity: 1 and 2 Kings as a Work of Political Historiography and Sing for Joy. In this episode, he discusses what Solomon asks God for in 1 Kings 3, what God gives him in response, and what Solomon lacked in the end.
Dr. Steven Runge is Professor of Biblical Languages at Grace School of Theology in Houston and Senior Research Associate at the John W. Wevers Institute for Septuagint Studies at Trinity Western University. Among other things, he has authored, Discourse Grammar of the Greek New Testament: A Practical Introduction for Teaching and Exegesis, and he is General Editor of the Lexham Discourse Greek New Testament. In this episode he helps us notice the linguistic clues in Phil. 2:1-11 leading us to Paul’s main concern: that we should have the mindset that was operative in Christ’s self-giving, self-lowering, obedient service.
Amy Nichole Allan, adjunct Professor of Theology at Trinity Christian College, is working on her Wheaton Graduate School PhD dissertation, “Anthropomorphic and Anthropopathic Depictions of God in Hosea, Amos, Micah, and Zephaniah: Rhetoric, Interpretation, and Theology.” In this episode of Exegetically Speaking, Amy weighs carefully the last thing Job says in response to God’s long speech in chapters 38-41. Is Job 42:6 about self-loathing, or a retraction of Job’s words?
Dr. Andrew Abernethy, Associate Professor of Old Testament and Director of the M.A. in Biblical Exegesis in Wheaton Graduate School, has authored Discovering Isaiah: Content, Interpretation, Reception, among other things. He helps us meditate on the rich and allusive Hebrew phraseology of Isaiah’s song in chapter 12, which recalls the salvation song of Exodus 15.
Dr. Andrew Abernethy, Associate Professor of Old Testament and Director of the M.A. in Biblical Exegesis in Wheaton Graduate School, has authored God’s Messiah in the Old Testament: Expectations of a Coming King. In this conversation with Dr. Capes, he traces the vocabulary of “fearing” as used of the prophet Jonah and the pagan sailors in the book of Jonah. How is the author of that narrative developing our understanding of a right “fear” of the true God?
Dr. Jordan Ryan is Assistant Professor of New Testament at Wheaton College and author of The Role of the Synagogue in the Aims of Jesus, among other things. The Greek word for “church/assembly” (ἐκκλησία, ekklesia) occurs in the Gospels only in Matt. 16:18 and 18:17. Dr. Ryan observes that there were a couple of types of synagogues in the Jewish world, and Matthew might be using the word ἐκκλησία in Matt. 18:17 to demarcate an “association synagogue,” i.e., a Jewish synagogue that was less public and more private, in this case comprised of Jesus followers.
Dr. Douglas Moo is Kenneth T. Wessner Professor of New Testament in Wheaton College Graduate School. He is known for his many commentaries on NT books, especially Galatians and Romans, among a wide array of other publications. Currently, he is writing a commentary on Hebrews. For years he has led the Committee on Bible Translation (the group of scholars charged with revising the text of the NIV). In this conversation about the exposition of Psalm 8 in Hebrews 2, he explains the difficulties scholars have in translating language that can be taken as a reference to the man, Jesus, and/or humankind.
Dr. Doug Penney, Associate Professor of Classical Languages at Wheaton College, has taught Greek and Hebrew at Wheaton for 30 years. English Bible translations have struggled with the question of how to translate the language of a patriarchal Greco-Roman culture into contemporary English when the majority of readers increasingly find that sort of language confusing or unclear. 2 Cor. 6:18 is an instance of Paul making his own adjustment to an Old Testament text to make it explicitly refer to both men and women.
Dr. Andrew Burlingame is a Wheaton College Classical Languages program alumnus and is now Assistant Professor of Hebrew at Wheaton within the Department of Modern and Classical Languages. He specializes in Northwest Semitic languages, including Hebrew, Aramaic, Phoenician, and Ugaritic, along with their history and texts. What does epigraphic evidence from the world surrounding 1 Kings 18 and Isaiah 22 tell us about the meaning of the phrase, “over the house,” and the judgment language used of Shebna in Isaiah 22:15-22?
Dr. Jason Gile, Dean of Program Development & Innovation and Affiliate Professor of Old Testament at Northern Seminary in Lisle, IL, is the author of Ezekiel and the World of Deuteronomy, among other things. His work with Hebrew began at the University of Wisconsin and he went on to study Greek as well, before completing his doctorate at Wheaton Graduate School. In this conversation, he answers the question: Does Ezekiel 20:25-26 say that God gave laws “that were not good,” as long understood and as some translations suggest? Close attention to the Hebrew words points in another direction.
Dr. Michael Graves is Armerding Professor of Biblical Studies at Wheaton College. In addition to teaching Hebrew, Aramaic, and Syriac, along with a range of biblical book studies, he has taught courses on Judaism, World Religions, and the Qur'an and the Bible. He explains how knowledge of OT Hebrew and the Greek version of the OT, the Septuagint, illuminates the meaning of Paul’s Greek wording in Romans 8:3. Paul has appropriated an OT idiom, the phrase “concerning sin,” to assert that Jesus’s sacrifice is a sin offering in the tradition of Lev. 5:6 and related passages.
Dr. Alexander Loney is Associate Professor of Classical Languages at Wheaton College, where he teaches beginning to advanced Latin along with classical Greek reading courses. His research deals especially with archaic and classical poetry, as well as with how early Christians received and responded to Greek myth and literature. How did someone closer to the culture and time of the NT, Jerome, understand the Greek wording of Matthew 6:11 through his Latin? And does Jesus teach his followers to pray for bread “necessary for this day,” or “that is sacramental,” or possibly “of the future kingdom”?
Dr. Doug Penney, Associate Professor of Classical Languages at Wheaton College, draws from his detailed research in ancient magic and demonology, especially in terms of the development of names of demons, to discuss the name Beelzebub (Beelzebul) and some other background to the controversy between Jesus and his accusers in Matthew 12.
Dr. Ingrid Faro is Visiting Professor of Old Testament at Northern Seminary in Lisle, IL, and also teaches at the Scandinavian School of Theology in Sweden. Among other things, she is the author of Evil in Genesis: A Contextual Analysis of Hebrew Lexemes for Evil in the Book of Genesis. She tells of how she learned modern Hebrew in Israel, separately experienced the deep pain of relational abuse and loss, and eventually studied both ancient Hebrew and Greek. From that learning, she draws out the aspects of meaning appreciated through a knowledge of the Hebrew wording of Isaiah 61:1-3, the passage Jesus applied to himself in Luke 4.
Dr. Jon Laansma, the Gerald F. Hawthorne Professor of New Testament Greek and Exegesis at Wheaton College, has published works on Hebrews, 2 Timothy, Titus, Sabbath, Lord’s Day, and Greek verbs, among other things, and is in the early stages of a commentary on 1 Corinthians. In this episode of Exegetically Speaking, he uses the Transfiguration narrative to illustrate different questions we ask in studying an author’s word choices.
Dr. Phil Ryken, Professor of Theology and President of Wheaton College & Graduate School, studied Greek under Gerald Hawthorne at Wheaton College and has authored numerous expository commentaries along with topical studies such as Art for God’s Sake: A Call to Recover the Arts. He discusses a verse that was meaningful for him as a parent. What is the meaning of “mighty” and what does it mean for Christian parenting?
Dr. John Walton, Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton Graduate School, author of many books and articles relating to the background, literature, and theology of the Old Testament, has contributed several episodes to this podcast. How does the literary structure of Genesis 1, when compared with other creation accounts from the ancient near east as well as other biblical texts, inform the meaning of all the days of creation and highlight God’s rest on the seventh day?
Dr. Amy Peeler, Associate Professor of New Testament, has authored You Are My Son: The Family of God in the Epistle to the Hebrews (T&T Clark, 2015) along with articles on a range of NT texts and topics. Her next book, focused on the Incarnation and entitled Mother of God, will be published in 2022 (Eerdmans). She has team-taught a course on Mary, the mother of Jesus, and in this conversation she explains the contextual meaning, artistic form, and the liturgical importance of Mary’s song, known traditionally as the Magnificat.
Dr. Daniel Master is Professor of Archaeology at Wheaton College. Since 1992, he has been part of the Leon Levy Expedition to Ashkelon, and in 2016 he began a new project at Tel Shimron in Northern Israel. In this conversation with Dr. Capes, he recalls his beginnings in the biblical languages and their ongoing importance for his own work and for students majoring in archaeology.
Amy Nichole Allan, adjunct Professor of Theology at Trinity Christian College, is working on her Wheaton Graduate School PhD dissertation, “Anthropomorphic and Anthropopathic Depictions of God in Hosea, Amos, Micah, and Zephaniah: Rhetoric, Interpretation, and Theology.” In this episode of Exegetically Speaking, Amy weighs carefully the last thing Job says in response to God’s long speech in chapters 38-41. Is Job 42:6 about self-loathing, or a retraction of Job’s words?
Dr. John Walton, Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton Graduate School, author of many books and articles relating to the background, literature, and theology of the Old Testament, has contributed several episodes to this podcast. In this conversation with David Capes he discusses a passage widely thought to be about the fall of Satan. Where did that tradition originate, and what does the context of Isaiah 14 tell us about the intended referent of the taunt?
Dr. Jon Laansma, the Gerald F. Hawthorne Professor of New Testament Greek and Exegesis at Wheaton College, co-authored with Randall Gauthier, The Handy Guide to Difficult and Irregular Greek Verbs. He discusses how this tool, combined with healthy doses of reading practice, helps students advance more quickly to “putting roots down” in the language of the Greek NT. Once over the hump of initial learning, daily reading is efficient and doable, from which point the student can expand beyond the NT and circle back to figure out why some verbs have the tense stems that they do.
Dr. Scott Callaham is Lecturer in Hebrew and Old Testament at Baptist Theological Seminary, Singapore. In this conversation with David Capes he introduces the podcast Daily Dose of Aramaic, which, along with his new book, Biblical Aramaic for Biblical Interpreters, helps users build knowledge of this third biblical language. They go on to look closely at the one Aramaic verse in the book of Jeremiah. Dr. Callaham demonstrates how knowledge of Aramaic grammar enables Bible readers to grasp the meaning of Jeremiah 10:11 more accurately than is possible through referring to English Bible translations alone.
Jason Barney, the principal of Coram Deo Academy, is an alumnus of both Wheaton College’s Classical Languages major (’09) and its MA in Biblical Exegesis program (’14). He has published two books, A Classical Guide to Narration and The Joy of Learning,and blogs on ancient wisdom for the modern era at www.educationalrenaissance.com. He enjoyed learning Latin during high school and then Greek and Hebrew at Wheaton, and loves the opportunity to lead within the growing classical schools movement where students can receive a deep grounding in the classical languages and their literary heritage. He has been thinking about Aristotle’s intellectual virtues, especially intuition, and he discusses how this might help us understand Paul’s point in 1 Corinthians 2 and elsewhere.
Dr. Chris Fresch is Lecturer in Biblical Languages and Old Testament at Bible College SA in Adelaide, South Australia. He has authored A Book-by-Book Guide to New Testament Greek Vocabulary (Tyndale House, 2019) and co-edited with Steven Runge The Greek Verb Revisited: A Fresh Approach for Biblical Exegesis (Lexham, 2016). After recalling his early years learning the biblical languages, he explains how a Hebrew particle used in Genesis 1:31 and 6:12 functions to underline and bold two key pronouncements.
Dr. George Kalantzis is Professor of Theology and Director of The Wheaton Center for Early Christian Studies at Wheaton College. Among his many publications are Theodore of Mopsuestia: Gospel of John (Australian Catholic University, 2004) and Caesar and the Lamb (Cascade, 2012). Having grown up in Greece, he recalls learning classical and Koiné Greek from within modern Greek, before going on to discuss the meaning and significance of the word the KJV translated as “only begotten.” Philology and theology vindicate the traditional translation.
Dr. Amy Whisenand Krall is Assistant Professor and Assistant Program Director of Biblical & Theological Studies at Fresno Pacific University. Her doctoral research (Duke Divinity School) was in New Testament with an emphasis on theology and music. In this conversation with David Capes she recalls that as a middle-schooler she learned Greek from her father and enjoyed it so much she kept with it through high school, college, seminary, and doctoral studies, eventually branching out to other biblical and modern languages. She sheds some light on the Greek sentence structure of Col. 3:16 and the significance of these lines in the context of Paul’s letter to “God’s holy people in Colossae.”
Matthew Norton is an alum of Wheaton College’s Classical Languages major and its MA in Biblical Exegesis. He is presently enrolled in the School of Medicine at Louisiana State University Health Shreveport. His journey with the classical languages took him from high school through college until he determined that he would serve through a career in medicine. He remains a student of the languages, and in this episode he unpacks a commonly cited line of Paul: I can do (endure) all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Dr. Ray Van Neste is dean of the School of Theology & Missions and Professor of Biblical Studies at Union University. He has written Cohesion and Structure in the Pastoral Epistles (T&T Clark, 2005) along with many other essays and edited volumes. He recalls what first excited him about learning Greek and then reflects on what Paul’s language in 2 Tim. 1:6-7 indicates that he has in mind by the “gift of God” and the “spirit of cowardice” in this letter.
Dr. Daniel J. Treier is the Gunther H. Knoedler Professor of Theology at Wheaton Graduate School. He has authored numerous books and articles, including the award-winning Introducing Evangelical Theology. He has written a commentary on Proverbs & Ecclesiastes (Brazos, 2015), is starting another on Philippians, and is presently working on Lord Jesus Christ for Zondervan's New Studies in Dogmatics series. What does the language of Ephesians 1 entail about who Jesus Christ is for this Scripture, and who he is for us?
Dr. Jeremiah Coogan is an alumnus of Wheaton College’s Classical Languages major. He earned his Ph.D. at the University of Notre Dame. His work there, soon to be published by Oxford University Press, focused on Eusebius of Caesarea’s fourth-century reconfiguration of the Gospels as a window into broader questions of technology and textuality in early Christianity and the late ancient Mediterranean. Presently, he is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow in the Faculty of Theology and Religion at the University of Oxford. He is also the 2021 Paul J. Achtemeier Award for New Testament Scholarship Recipient. In this episode, he talks about his beginnings in Greek and the beginning of Luke’s Gospel: What does Luke’s use of the word translated as “undertaken” signify about the background and purpose of his work?
Dr. John Walton, Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton Graduate School, has contributed several episodes to this podcast. His publications include The IVP Bible Background Commentary (IVP Academic, 2000) and Old Testament Theology for Christians: From Ancient Context to Enduring Belief (IVP Academic, 2017). He is presently working on a commentary on Daniel. In this episode he reports fresh background that affords precise understandings of Daniel 5. The wall in that story was not as we thought, and the words were not as Belshazzar would have hoped.
Dr. Jon Laansma, the Gerald F. Hawthorne Professor of New Testament Greek and Exegesis and chair of the Department of Modern and Classical Languages at Wheaton College, discusses with David Capes the new options (as of 2021-2022) for majoring in Classical Languages at Wheaton. These options fit the major for a wider range of contemporary students while preserving the in-depth work that some prefer. This includes a number of “integrated majors” that allow the student to work in both Hebrew, Greek, or Latin and Art, History, Bible, or other areas. Learn more at https://www.wheaton.edu/academics/programs/classical-languages---greek-latin-hebrew/.
Dr. David Capes, formerly Dean of the School of Biblical and Theological Studies at Wheaton College and presently Senior Research Fellow at the Lanier Theological Library in Houston, Texas, has authored about a dozen books and many articles, including Old Testament Yahweh Texts in Paul’s Christology(Baylor, 2017) and, with Rodney Reeves and Randy Richards, Rediscovering Paul: An Introduction to His World, Letters, and Theology (IVP Academic, 2017). He is the host of Exegetically Speaking, and in this episode, he reviews some of Season Two and looks ahead to what is in store for Season Three.
Dr. Gene Green is Professor Emeritus of New Testament at Wheaton College and Graduate School, and Dean of Trinity International University – Florida. Among his many and diverse publications are Vox Petri: A Theology of Peter (Cascade, 2019); The Scalpel and the Cross: A Theology of Surgery (Zondervan, 2015); Jude and 2 Peter (Baker, 2008); 1 and 2 Thessalonians (Eerdmans, 2002); the co-authored New Testament in Antiquity (Zondervan, 2020); and the co-edited Majority World Theology (IVP Academic, 2020). He shares the reasons he believes that it was Peter himself whom Jesus designated the “rock” on which his church would be built.
Dr. Michael Graves is the Armerding Professor of Biblical Studies at Wheaton College. Among his publications are The Inspiration and Interpretation of Scripture: What the Early Church Can Teach Us(Eerdmans, 2014), and the forthcoming How Scripture Interprets Scripture: What Biblical Writers Can Teach us About Reading the Bible (Baker, 2021). In this episode he illustrates the fascinating range of nuances carried by Greek adverbial participles and the interpretive, sometimes debated choices that translators must make. Our translations are good, but knowledge of the Greek is best.
Dr. Jordan Ryan, Assistant Professor of New Testament at Wheaton College, has published The Role of the Synagogue in the Aims of Jesus (Fortress, 2017), followed by, From the Passion to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre: Memories of Jesus in Place, Pilgrimage, and Early Holy Sites Over the First Three Centuries (T&T Clark, 2021). He talks with David Capes about his beginnings with Greek and its place in his work before reflecting on how we understand and translate the word συναγωγή (synagoge) in general and in James 2:2. For instance, is James addressing Christian members of a Jewish synagogue?
Dr. D. Clint Burnett, Lecturer in New Testament at Johnson University, specializes in the study of the material culture of the classical world and how it aids interpretation of the New Testament. In that vein, he has authored Studying the New Testament through Inscriptions (Hendrickson, 2020). In this conversation with David Capes he recounts his earliest years with the Greek language and demonstrates how even a little knowledge of Greek can illuminate a letter like Philemon.
Dr. Sandra Richter, formerly Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College, is The Robert H. Gundry Chair of Biblical Studies at Westmont College. Among her many publications are The Deuteronomistic History and the Name Theology (BZAW 2002) and Stewards of Eden: What Scripture Says About the Environment and Why It Matters(IVP 2020). In this podcast, she discusses the importance of Hebrew language in her work, Deuteronomy as an ancient law code, and how parallel texts and a shift of verbs in Deut 22:23-29 illuminate the laws regarding seduction and “rape” in vv. 28-29.
Rabbi Steven Bob, Rabbi Emeritus at Congregation Etz Chaim in Lombard, Il, adjunct professor at Wheaton College, discusses God’s language of comfort in Isaiah 40, addressed to Israelites in exile. He emphasizes how the very sounds of the Hebrew words are comforting sounds, and relates this to the post-exilic leaders Ezra and Nehemiah, whose names mean help and comfort.
Dr. Matthew Bates is Associate Professor of Theology at Quincy University. He recalls how, having majored in physics as an undergraduate, he learned beginning Greek independently before jumping into second-year Greek in seminary. Among his several publications are The Birth of the Trinity (Oxford, 2015) and Salvation by Allegiance Alone (Baker, 2017). In this episode he reveals how Paul’s choice of verbiage in an important summary of the gospel indicates his conceptions of Christ’s nature and history, especially both his divine pre-existence and his exaltation.
Dr. Joshua Jipp is Associate Professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Among his other publication are Saved by Faith and Hospitality (Eerdmans, 2017) and The Messianic Theology of the New Testament (Eerdmans, 2020). He argues that “Christ” is not only a name for Jesus when it is used in many NT passages, but a title: messiah, anointed one. He talks about the OT background and significance of this title when it is used by Paul in Ephesians and elsewhere.
Carmen Imes (Ph.D., Wheaton College) is Associate Professor Old Testament at Prairie College (Canada). She has published several works and is working on a second book for InterVarsity Press entitled Being God's Image. She talks about her own history with the Hebrew language, and discusses the phrase in Ecclesiastes sometimes translated as “Meaningless!” Maybe “vapor” or “fleeting” would be a better rendering.
Dr. Madison Pierce is Assistant Professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Among other things, she has co-edited Muted Voices of the New Testament(T&T Clark, 2017). In this episode she argues that it is the Holy Spirit himself that is being distributed in Heb. 2:4, rather than gifts of the Spirit, as in some translations.
Dr. Scott Callaham is Lecturer of Hebrew and Old Testament at Baptist Theological Seminary, Singapore. Dr. Callaham has written extensively on Hebrew grammar and on broader issues of theology and ministry. In this episode, he discusses with Dr. Capes his mid-life calling to learn Chinese and then to teach through the medium of Chinese in Singapore. He shares special challenges he faces when explaining Hebrew grammatical concepts in Chinese. The Chinese language is quite different from that of English, and thinking critically about the language used for teaching can illuminate understanding of Hebrew grammar and pedagogy in fresh ways.
Dr. Paul Anderson, Professor of Biblical and Quaker Studies at George Fox University, observes that while some scholars have not viewed John’s Gospel as a reliable source of historical information because of its theological Christ-hymn in John 1:1-18, its Greek vocabulary and form actually suggest it was added to the Gospel by John the Elder after the death of the Beloved Disciple – a confessional affirmation of John's grounded story of Jesus similar to 1 John 1:1-3.
Andrew Burlingame, an alum of Wheaton’s Classical Languages program, is Assistant Professor of Hebrew at Wheaton College within the Department of Modern and Classical Languages. He was at the time of recording a Ph.D. candidate in Northwest Semitic Philology, Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago, but he has since graduated to Dr. Burlingame! In this conversation with David Capes, he highlights recent scholarship that has compared Ps. 2:5 with a Ugaritic legal text and suggested the possibility that the wording of Psalm 2 was drawn from technical legal language. Rather than “terrifying” the opposing rulers, God “disinherits” them.
Dr. David Baer, an alum of Wheaton College, is Professor of Old Testament & Biblical Languages at Medellín’s Biblical Seminary of Colombia and directs United World Mission’s Theological Education Initiative. He talks about how ancient translators of the Hebrew resisted the language of Isa 57:15 so as to preserve a strong notion of God’s exalted status. In fact, this verse communicates the truth that the high and holy God actually dwells with the lowly.
Dr. Richard Schultz, the Blanchard Professor of Old Testament in Wheaton College Graduate School, has co-authored with T. Norton Sterrett How to Understand the Bible, along with other books and articles. He talks about Genesis 12, 15, and 17 as the launch of salvation history, with particular reference to the words blessing, clan, and seed.
Dr. Tim Brookins is Associate Professor of Classics and Biblical Languages at Houston Baptist University, and has co-authored with Bruce W. Longenecker, 1 Corinthians: A Handbook on the Greek Text, among other things. He illustrates the adage that a little learning of Greek, while good as a beginning, is a dangerous thing on its own. Does the grammar of Mark 1:8 tell us that John did not baptize “in” water?
Carmen Imes (Ph.D., Wheaton College) is Associate Professor Old Testament at Prairie College (Canada). She has published several works including Bearing God’s Name: Why Sinai Still Matters (IVP, 2019). In this episode she discusses the command usually translated as “misusing” God’s name. It is about “bearing” God’s name so as to avoid misrepresenting who he is.
Dr. Michael Graves, Armerding Professor of Biblical Studies at Wheaton College, thinks about how a variety of biblical texts help us understand what it means for God to punish the children of those who sin “to the third and fourth generations,” and to show love “to a thousand generations” of those who love him.
Dr. Gene Green is Professor Emeritus of New Testament at Wheaton College and Graduate School, and Dean of Trinity International University – Florida. In this episode, Dr. Green explains what “Relevance Theory” is, how he became interested in its contribution to biblical interpretation, and how it helps us “mind the gap” between “what is said and what is meant” – whether in our own everyday interactions, contemporary cross-cultural conversations, or our attempts to receive ancient texts with good understanding. For instance, what might Jesus mean by being a “friend” in John 15:15.
Dr. Adam Miglio, Associate Professor of Archaeology at Wheaton College, investigates two of the metaphors for God in Psalm 23 to show how the meanings of metaphors can be lost if we are not careful. Through careful study they can be recovered, in part.
Travis Wright, a PhD student from Cambridge University, shares his passion for reading Greek and Hebrew. He and another Cambridge colleague have started online classes in both languages at https://biblingo.org/live/. If your Greek and Hebrew are rusty and need a polish, then their classes, tutorials, and workshops may be just for you.
Dr. Aubrey Buster, Assistant Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College, explains a “denominative verb” of Exodus 34:29, which could be interpreted as either “rays of light” or “horns.” Translating it as “horns,” as did Jerome’s Vulgate, led to artistic portrayals of Moses with horns and fed into later anti-Semitic ideologies.
Dr. Andrew Abernethy, Associate Professor of Old Testament and Degree Coordinator for the Master of Arts in Biblical Exegesis Program at Wheaton Graduate School, walks us through a passage from a not-so-minor prophet, Haggai 2:4, to investigate the meaning of that wonderful promise, “My Spirit stands among you.”
Dr. Danny Carroll Rodas, Scripture Press Ministries Professor of Biblical Studies and Pedagogy at Wheaton College, surveys some of the insights earned by taking several literary features of Amos seriously, particularly his lists of 5 and 7 items.
Dr. Amy Peeler, Associate Professor of New Testament at Wheaton College, directs our attention to Hebrew 12:23 to a phrase often misunderstood and mistranslated. The redeemed make up an assembly of people who have a standing and status of firstborn in the family with all the rights and privileges appertaining thereunto.
Dr. Phillip Marshall is Assistant Professor of Biblical Languages in the School of Christian Thought, Houston Baptist University. He completed his doctoral work in the ancient Greek versions of the Hebrew OT, that is, in Septuagint studies, which helped engender his love for both Greek and Hebrew. In this episode, he joins Dr. David Capes to explore how the knowledge of Hebrew adds texture and poignancy to the reading of Nathan’s words to David about his adultery with Bathsheba, wife of Uriah.
Dr. Karen Jobes is Gerald F. Hawthorne Professor of New Testament Greek and Exegesis, Emerita, at Wheaton College. She has authored many books and articles, including Invitation to the Septuagint and commentaries on Esther, 1 Peter, and 1, 2, 3 John. She served for years on the Committee for Bible Translation (responsible for the NIV translation of the Bible). She talks about her own introduction to Greek and notes passages where our English translations raise ambiguities that are clarified by knowledge of the Greek.
Dr. Madison Pierce is Assistant Professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and has written Divine Discourse in the Epistle to the Hebrews (Cambridge University Press, 2020), among other works. She talks about her journey with the biblical languages, and then helps us appreciate the meaning and eloquence of Hebrews’ opening sentence. In particular, she emphasizes the aspect of continuity in God’s speech through the prophets and through the Son.
Dr. Doug Penney, Associate Professor of Classical Languages at Wheaton College, discusses how he encourages students to read outside the canon of Scripture in order to sharpen their translation skills. Often, when students read a New Testament book in Greek, they rely on their memory to produce a translation. Reading Tobit, a book of the Apocrypha, takes them to a text they do not know.
Dr. Bill Mounce is the the founder and President of BiblicalTraining.org, and the author of a major commentary on Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus. In a separate podcast titled “BiblicalTraining.org” we heard more of his life and work. In this episode he joins Dr. Capes to talk about the interpretation, translation, implications, and preaching of Paul’s reference to the “naming of the Name of the Lord” in 2 Tim. 2:19.
Dr. Michael Graves is the Armerding Professor of Biblical Studies at Wheaton College. He has produced several books and articles, including a modern translation of Jerome’s Commentary on Jeremiah (IVP Academic, 2012). He is currently working on his own commentary on the same prophet. In this episode, Dr. Graves discusses the “tin woodman theology” behind a text of Scripture that is on many refrigerators, and rightly so: Jeremiah 29:11.
Dr. Philip Ryken, president of Wheaton College and Professor of Theology, joins David Capes to discuss both the context and meaning of a popular verse these days, Jeremiah 29:7. What is the semantic range of the word often translated “welfare” or “peace”? How could that have meaning for people not living in exile? Or are we?
Dr. Aubrey Buster, Assistant Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College, contemplates how a translation of an ambiguous word can reflect and/or lead to serious errors of perception, including perceptions of race and social class. A common Hebrew conjunction used in Song of Songs 1:5 could be read as “black but beautiful” or “black and beautiful.” The latter, “and,” is more likely contextually, though it has long been translated as “but.”
Dr. Julie Newberry, Assistant Professor of New Testament at Wheaton College, joins Dr. Capes to consider the ramifications of the kind of “dark joy” found among the Jerusalem leaders who conspired with Judas to betray Jesus (Luke 22:5). Sometimes, “joy” in Luke is morally ambivalent.
Dr. Daniel J. Treier is the Gunther H. Knoedler Professor of Theology at Wheaton Graduate School, and Ph.D. program director. He has authored numerous books and articles, including the award-winning Introducing Evangelical Theology. He has written a commentary on Proverbs & Ecclesiastes, and is starting another on Philippians. He reflects on the question: Why would a theologian who majors in Christian doctrine value knowledge of Greek? (Spoiler alert: He does very much value and promote this knowledge.)
Dr. Scott Callaham is Lecturer of Hebrew and Old Testament at Baptist Theological Seminary, Singapore. He has authored and edited a number of books and articles and is currently completing a new teaching grammar of Biblical Aramaic. Dr. Callaham discusses the form, meaning, and theological significance of the Aramaic term Abba, which Jesus uses in his prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane and which also appears twice in Paul’s writings.
Andrew Burlingame is Assistant Professor of Hebrew at Wheaton College within the Department of Modern and Classical Languages. He has authored several articles, one of which received the 2018 Sean W. Dever Memorial Prize of the W. F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research, Jerusalem. He observes that until now we have had to guess at the meaning of a rare Hebrew word translated as “bowed down” in 1 Kings 18:42. Recent scholarship devoted to cognate languages has led some to believe that Elijah was actually making a rumbling sound, imitative of thunder.
Dr. Richard Schultz, the Blanchard Professor of Old Testament in Wheaton College Graduate School, has co-edited with Daniel Block, Isaianic Intertextuality and Intratextuality as Composition-Historical Indicators: Methodological Challenges in Determining Literary Influence, along with other books and articles. In this episode he discusses the contexts and wording of the prophecy of Isaiah that Matthew applies to Mary, the mother of Jesus, in Matt. 1:23.
Dr. Julie Newberry, Assistant Professor of New Testament at Wheaton College, investigates the language of Joy and rejoicing in the Gospel of Luke. The angel’s greeting (Luke 1:28) to Mary might not be just a greeting after all. She considers the contrast between Zechariah’s encounter and Mary’s.
Dr. Alexander Loney, Associate Professor of Classical Languages at Wheaton College, stops by to talk with Dr. Capes about how the Greeks understood the gods, where they came from, how they functioned. Homer and Hesiod composed “the Bible” of the Greeks, and they provide a very different worldview than the biblical writers.
Travis Wright, a PhD student from Cambridge University, joins Dr. Capes to read aloud the poetic sounds of Psalm 1:1 and to consider a few of the artful metaphors that grace this wisdom Psalm.
Dr. Peter Williams is Principal, Tyndale House in Cambridge, England. He is also chair of the International Greek New Testament Project, a member of the translation committee of the English Standard Version of the Bible, associate editor of The Greek New Testament produced at Tyndale House, and has authored other books and studies. In this episode he argues from both Jesus’ creative use of sounds and word plays in Matthew’s Gospel and our knowledge of Jesus’ life that Jesus would have taught in both Greek and Aramaic.
Dr. Michael Graves, Armerding Professor of Biblical Studies at Wheaton College, explores with David Capes how reading the Hebrew text of Psalm 1 leads us to a key background story in Joshua 1, and how both together shed light on faithfulness.
Dr. Robert Plummer, the Collin and Eveyln Aikman Professor of Biblical Studies at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, started a free daily 2-minute screencast about five years ago designed to help pastors, seminary students, and others keep reading their Greek New Testaments. He describes how it has grown into thousands of archived episodes and expanded to do the same for Hebrew and Latin. There are Spanish versions of the Greek and Hebrew screencasts as well. Two to three minutes a day in the text. It’s like having a free personal trainer for your languages!
Dr. Lynn Cohick, provost/dean and Professor of New Testament at Denver Seminary, has authored several books, including commentaries on Philippians and Ephesians as well as Christian Women in the Patristic World, with Amy Brown Hughes (Wheaton PhD ’13; MA ‘08). In this podcast she talks about how studying a text in its original language goes beyond words to the entire act of communication between author and audience. Phil. 2:5-8 provides a case study, as well as challenges for belief and life.
Dr. Adam E. Miglio, Associate Professor of Archaeology at Wheaton College, demonstrates that exegesis involves knowing more than grammar and vocabulary. Often biblical authors employ strategic ambiguity to cause us to slow down and ask what a word or phrase means. He treats Genesis 4.7 and the phrase “you must/will rule over it,” which characterizes life ‘East of Eden’.
Dr. Nijay Gupta, Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary, has authored several books and articles, including his recent, Paul and the Language of Faith (Eerdmans, 2020). In this conversation with Dr. Capes, he discusses the poetic language of one of the New Testament’s most important passages about Christ and his work. What in the Greek wording would have been striking to an original audience, and what have its lines revealed to all attentive readers?
Dr. Aubrey Buster, Assistant Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College, discusses with David Capes the meaning of the Hebrew Name that God takes for himself during his first appearance to Moses. What its meaning was, why it was given, how it has been spelled and pronounced in the Hebrew and English traditions, and why these later forms were adopted.
Dr. Bill Mounce (https://www.billmounce.com/about), is the the founder and President of BiblicalTraining.org. He also serves on the Committee for Bible Translation (responsible for the NIV translation of the Bible), is author of Basics of Biblical Greek and other works, and was formerly a professor at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and Azusa Pacific University. In this episode, he joins David Capes to talk about his own pilgrimage as a student of Greek and the vision and work of BiblicalTraining.org.
Dr. John Walton, Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College Graduate School, lays out the importance of knowing the context of a passage to understand it. After discussing four kinds of context for exegesis, he focuses on the historical context. As a test case, he takes us to Daniel 7:1 to understand what is happening historically at the time of Daniel’s fantastic vision.
Dr. John Walton, Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College Graduate School, lays out the importance of knowing the context of a passage to understand it. After discussing four kinds of context for exegesis, he focuses on the linguistic context. As a test case, he takes us to 1 Samuel 13:14: “the LORD sought out a man after his own heart [David].” What does that mean? Where does it come from? It might not mean what we always thought.
Dr. Robert Plummer, the Collin and Eveyln Aikman Professor of Biblical Studies at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and the host of the Daily Dose of Greek screencast (dailydoseofgreek.com), considers whether the Lord teaches us to pray for deliverance from evil in general, as many translations have it, or from "the evil one," the devil. Grammar and context favor taking it as a reference to the devil.
Dr. Danny Carroll Rodas, Scripture Press Ministries Professor of Biblical Studies and Pedagogy at Wheaton College, moves us beyond Hosea 1-3 to consider the various metaphors used by the prophet to communicate the nature of God and the serious afflictions of God’s people.
Dr. Jon Laansma, Gerald F. Hawthorne Professor of New Testament Greek and Exegesis at Wheaton College, uses Titus 2:13 to illustrate how the knowledge of Greek grammar doesn’t usually lead to one “correct” interpretive conclusion, but to a range of viable interpretations. The gains are knowing the boundaries of what is viable and the ability to converse authoritatively with other qualified interpreters.
Dr. Jon Laansma, Gerald F. Hawthorne Professor of New Testament Greek and Exegesis at Wheaton College, discusses what “syntax” is, why biblical scholars give it emphasis, some of the challenges to be faced in gaining mastery over this side of Greek grammar, and how to meet the challenges.
Dr. Andrew Abernethy, Associate Professor of Old Testament and Degree Coordinator for the Master of Arts in Biblical Exegesis Program, shows us how Isaiah 53:4 was interpreted and translated in the Latin Vulgate by Jerome. He translated it that Jesus was “like a leper” stricken by God and rejected for the diseases he bore. As a result artists and paintings from the Middle Ages depict Jesus on the cross as suffering the marks of leprosy.
Dr. Doug Penney, Associate Professor of Classical Languages, discusses how he encourages students to read outside the canon of Scripture in order to sharpen their translation skills. Often, when students read a New Testament book in Greek, they rely on their memory to produce a translation. Reading Aesop’s Fables takes them to a text they do not know.
Dr. Philip Ryken, president of Wheaton College and Professor of Theology, draws our attention to the “scrapbook” of Jeremiah (31:31-34) to talk about the new covenant. But, instead of focusing on the obvious, he highlights how God is the “husband” of the new covenant.
Dr. Amy Peeler, Associate Professor of New Testament, joins Dr. Capes to talk about an important Christological statement in Hebrews 12:1-2. What does it mean that Jesus is “the author and perfector of the faith”? How does that statement pull together a variety of motifs earlier in the letter?
Dr. David Capes introduces season 2 of the popular podcast, Exegetically Speaking, featuring faculty and friends of Wheaton College (IL) discussing the importance of learning the biblical languages—Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek—and show how reading the Bible in the original languages “pays off.”
Dr. David Capes, former Dean of Biblical and Theological Studies at Wheaton College, reflects upon moments when William Tyndale invented new words in English to capture the meaning of a Hebrew word. Transliteration only replicates the sounds of the original language, while a translation aims to capture its meaning.
Dr. Peter Davids, Professor of Christianity at Houston Baptist University, argues that a repeated Greek word in James 1:12-13 indicates that God is not responsible for the testing we experience. Instead, testing is the result of our own sinful desires.
Pablo Seguel, a graduate of Wheaton’s M.A. in Biblical Exegesis, reflects upon how his background as an architect intersects with the study of the biblical languages.
Dr. Peter Davids, Professor of Christianity at Houston Baptist University, shares about the first time he saw the benefit of learning Greek when studying 1 John 2. Learn how the subjunctive form clarifies that we are not destined to remain perpetually in the same sinful state.