Is Purim mentioned in the New Testament? No. Purim (lots) is a feast only mentioned in the Old Testament book of Esther, where the establishment of the feast is mentioned at the end of the book. Although it was continuously celebrated as a feast during the time of Jesus’ ministry and till today every Spring, […]
Does Abba (Mark 14:36, Romans 8:15, Galatians 4:6) mean “daddy” or just “father” in Aramaic?
Abba in the Aramaic sections of the Old Testament is the standard Aramaic word for father, for example “our fathers” in Ezra 4:15, 5:12, Daniel 2:23, or in the singular: Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, […]
Did God tell Samuel to lie? (1 Samuel 16:1-5)
Question / Comment – Is it ever ok to lie? We know that God is truth, and His Word is truth. He cannot lie. However, we can find in the Bible examples of minor lies in the Bible that are either directed by God or committed by one of God’s prophets with no reprimand from […]
Hebrews 9:12 “eternal redemption [for us]”, is the KJV addition of “for us” justified?
Over the years many readers have noticed that “for us” at the end of Hebrews 9:12 in the KJV is in italics, indicating that the translators added the words to clarify the text: Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having […]
“stone of stumbling” from Isaiah 8:14 cited in 1 Peter 2:8 about Christ
This question is quite rare but a few Oneness (UPCI) and a smaller number of Trinitarians have misread that Isaiah 8:13 is about Yahweh, and in 1 Peter 2:8 this verse is cited about Christ, so therefore it is a proof that Jesus is Yahweh (per Oneness teaching) or God the Father (per an unorthodox […]
What is the meaning of John 20:17?
The King James Version of John 20:17 has “Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father” Modern versions have “hold on to me” or “cling to me”: Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me (NIV) Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me (ESV) except that to lay hold on […]
Can kolasis in classical Greek mean ‘pruning’ rather than ‘punishment’?
Unlikely. This is based on the similarity between kolouo “to prune” and kolazo “to punish”, which may or may not indicate a shared etymology earlier in the Greek language. It is evidenced only by one text – a literal reading of an instance by the botanist Theophrastus of the ‘punishment’ or ‘pruning’ ‘docking’ of an […]
Jesus says “days of Abiathar the high priest” (Mark. 2:26) but why not Abimelech (1 Samuel 21:1-6)?
25 He answered, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? 26 In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.” (NIV) Abiathar […]
What was the “thirteenth tribe” of Israel?
There was no thirteenth tribe of Israel in the Bible. This is a modern antisemitic conspiracy theory with no support among scholars. To illustrate, the following is taken from An Antisemitic Conspiracy Theory is Being Shared on Telegram to Justify Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine 5th May 2022 By Lea Gerster for the Institute for Strategic […]
Is “the land of Sinim” in Isaiah 49:12 China?
No. It is unlikely that the context refers to China. Firstly because Isaiah 49 seems to relate to a more local geography and also because the name Sinae is not attached to China at this period. Gesenius favoured China, but other lexicographers have pointed also at Syene, modern Aswan, in Egypt. The KJV left the […]