In Ecclesiastes 12:1, the Hebrew word for “your Creator” (bôrĕʾekhā, בוראיך) is grammatically in the masculine plural form, literally translating to “your creators”. There is some manuscript variance. Masoretic Hebrew texts render the word plural (borayikh), but a minority of ancient Hebrew manuscripts and versions record it in the singular (borakha), In any case there is […]
What is the meaning of the Greek verb form egeneto?
In the Septuagint (LXX), the word ἐγένετο (egeneto)—the 3rd person singular aorist middle indicative of ginomai (meaning “to become,” “to happen,” or “to be made”)—is incredibly common. It frequently functions as a rigid, literal translation of the Hebrew narrative marker וַיְהִי (wayyehî). The Septuagint uses egeneto in two primary ways: existential/creative (something came into […]
In John 16:13 Jesus says the Spirit of Truth will guide them into all truth – how then can so many Christians be wrong?
This is a fairly straightforward question and the answer is already given with the writings of John: The Gospel of John does not explicitly predict a grand, future corporate apostasy of the Christian Church in the way Paul does in 2 Thessalonians or Timothy, but it does record Jesus warning about individual defection, betrayal, and […]
What are the 15 extra books in the Ethiopian Bible, and are they reliable?
For a related subject see What are the Old Testament Pseudepigrapha? Protestants in Ethiopia use the same basic canon as Protestants worldwide, of 66 books. But the main church in Ethiopia the Tewahedo Orthodox church has a Bible of 81 books. Tewahedo (Ge’ez: ተዋሕዶ tewaħido ) is a Geʽez word meaning “united as one.” This […]
What does God becoming “all in all” mean in relation to claims for the Trinity and Oneness doctrines?
The verse which deals most clearly with the final destination point in God’s plan for mankind is also a verse which is among those refuting most clearly the doctrines of the Trinity and of Oneness. 24 Then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, after he has destroyed every […]
Could inheritance come via the woman in Jewish genealogies?
It is sometimes argued by those challenging the New Testament record of the virgin birth that Mary could not be the means by which Jesus is physically descended from David. Firstly even if there was such a rule in later Judaism (which is highly debatable) there is certainly no such rule in the Old Testament. […]
Why does Luke 3:23 mention (regarded as the son of Joseph) before the genealogy of the physical descent of Jesus from Heli’s family line back to David’s son Nathan?
The answer as to why Luke includes (regarded as the son of Joseph) in his account of the physical descent of Jesus from David’s son Nathan is fairly simple and obvious. Because Luke was a Greek writing for Greeks. Luke does make mention of other accounts of the life of Jesus in his dedication to […]
The Pharisee false charge that Jesus “claimed to be God” (John 10:33) refuted and dropped.
Trinitarians and Oneness sometimes cite the Pharisees as proof that Jesus “claimed to be God” For example: John 10:33 The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.” But what Jesus actually says denies that he […]
Does the “1st, 2nd, 3rd,” etc. “day of the week” occur in the Bible?
In the eastern part of the Roman Empire at the time of Christ there were various numbering systems for days of the week, and also various practices about whether a working week – often culminating or starting with a market day – should have seven, or up to ten days. However in Judea and Galilee […]
What does the Hebrew word ‘shaliach’ mean?
Shaliach is the Hebrew term for ‘one who is sent’ or ‘apostle’. It does not occur in the Hebrew Old Testament, but does occur in the standard modern Hebrew translation of the Greek New Testament where ‘shaliach’ is used where the New Testament has ‘apostle’, for example the apostle Paul. The term can also be […]