Studying Amos 1 1, 2 11-12, 3 7-8, 7 10-15

This week we are studying several texts from the book of the prophet Amos: Amos 1:1, 2:11-12, 3:7-8, and 7:10-15. Taken together, this means we are focusing more on the prophet Amos himself than we are on the substance of the prophet’s message, in keeping with this quarter’s theme of “faithful witnesses.” We can do this because there are things in the book of the prophet that tell us something about “Amos the person,” in addition to the prophet’s message, which makes up most of the book’s content.

We’ve studied this confrontation between Amaziah and Amos once before [with notes here], and also a bit of the prophet’s message [with the notes on Amos 5:18-24 here]. This time around, we might notice that in this confrontation in 7:10-15, the priest [and establishment figure] Amaziah is doing exactly what God complains of in 2:11-12, and Amos is responding entirely in line with the oracle in 3:7-8. But aside from that, here are a few notes on these texts:

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT

The opening of the book of the prophet Amos (also, one of our texts) gives fairly precise time markers for the “who, when, where” of this prophetic text.

The words of Amos, who was among the shepherds of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of King Uzziah of Judah and in the days of King Jeroboam son of Joash of Israel, two years before the earthquake.

Amos 1:1

On the matter of the timing, a nice chronological listing of the kings tells us Amos is conducting his ministry in the mid-eighth century BCE. Historically, this makes Amos perhaps the earliest of the “writing” prophets, along with the prophet Hosea – another prophet to the northern kingdom. [See this equally nice chronological listing of the prophets, along with their approximate dates.]

As for that earthquake, archaeologist Nurit Feig, in an article in the Torah.com, describes excavations in Tel Agol that show evidence of the earthquake, and affirms a date of around 760-750 BCE. There’s more narrative on the earthquake, with some of its theological implications, here.

As for Amos’s hometown of Tekoa, the traditional story – that is, the one I learned in seminary, and the one that is likely to show up in study Bibles and commentaries and notes – is that Amos comes from the town of Tekoa in the southern kingdom of Judah, but prophesies in the northern kingdom of Israel.

There’s an alternative story, however. Gary A. Rendsburg [professor of biblical studies, Hebrew language, and ancient Judaism at Rutgers] argues persuasively [in the article “Israelian Hebrew in the Book of Amos,” in New Perspectives in Biblical and Rabbinic Hebrew, a text online here] that the prophet Amos is not, in fact, from the southern kingdom of Judah, but is a more local northern Israelite prophet. He identifies the “Tekoa” of Amos 1:1 with a location in the northern Galilee.

This geographical point might not make a lot of difference to the meaning of the prophet’s message, but it might affect how we tell, and think of, the story of Amos’s call. In the traditional story, God calls someone from a distance to go tell people to whom he is only abstractly related about their imminent doom. [This won’t be the last time. Think of Jonah.] In the revised story, Amos is called to a shorter journey, and a slightly different task: speaking truth to people among whom he himself lives and works. In other words, how we tell this story may influence our understanding of Amos’s mission, and also our own expectations of what we ourselves might be called upon to do and say as agents of the will of God.

I myself tend to read prophetic texts as direct speech from God, mainly because that’s how these texts are typically labeled: e.g., “the vision of Isaiah,” (Isaiah 1:1), with emphasis on the word vision, or “the word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw” (Isaiah 2:1), or the hundreds of occurrences of “thus says the Lord” [like Isaiah 7:7, Jeremiah 4:3, Ezekiel 5:5, Amos 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 13, Obadiah 1:1, Micah 2:3 … etc. etc.] This includes plenty of language in the book of the prophet Amos. For this reason, it may be remarkable that the opening of the book of the prophet Amos specifically tells us the book contains “the words of the prophet Amos” (Amos 1:1), albeit words that the prophet “saw” [prophetically]. Maybe this suggests a degree of authorial autonomy that we – well, I, at least – seldom attribute to the prophets.

Amos is the third in the collected works of “the twelve” or “the minor prophets,” depending on how we’ve learned to refer to Hosea-Joel-Amos-Obadiah-Jonah-Micah-Nahum-Habakkuk-Zephaniah-Haggai-Zechariah-Malachi. It seems to be the length of their writing that makes them “minor,” since it takes the works of all twelve of “the twelve” to make up a scroll, relative to the “major” prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, whose books take up whole scrolls of their own. [Not to mention the hard-to-place Daniel, who looks like a major prophet in Christian Bibles and memory work, but whose writing is among “the writings” in a Hebrew Tanakh, and is much shorter than that of Isaiah or Jeremiah or Ezekiel. And definitely not to mention the contentious question of whether Daniel himself penned those writings in the first place in the early exilic period, or someone else penned them in his name in the 2

nd

century BCE.]

The whole [short] book of the prophet Amos breaks down thematically roughly as follows:

1:1

Introduction: What, who, when

1:2-2:16

Divine judgment on the nations, including Judah and Israel

3:1-7:9

Divine judgment on Israel, for reasons, including all the consequences people have totally ignored, and pleas not to ignore this latest dire warning, including “the vision of the plumb line”

7:10-17

Amaziah confronts Amos and Amos answers back (with more who, where, and what)

8:1-9:10

More divine judgment: the basket of summer fruit; destruction of the altar

9:11-15

A concluding promise of future restoration

The vision of the plumb line and Amos’s confrontation with Amaziah is a lectionary option on two separate Sundays in the three-year lectionary cycle, and a handful of other texts from Amos appear in the lectionary as well. The verses from chapters 1, 2, and 3, however, would be things we wouldn’t know were in the Bible if all we knew were the lectionary. So, if Bible Content Examinees – especially those who want to be prepared for that question on Amos’s hometown – be warned.

CLOSER READING

The fuller but still immediate context for Amos 2:11-12 seems to be Amos 2:6-16. God has been pronouncing judgment on the peoples surrounding Israel, including the people of Judah. These prior judgments have established something of a pattern, announcing that God will not continue to pass over judgment, naming a crime, and devoting a verse or two to the consequence, the divine punishment. Now God turns to Israel, and goes into extra fine detail, breaking the pattern established in 1:2-2:5 by adding extra verses describing Israel’s transgression, pointing out what God has done for Israel in the past, and specifying at greater length the consequences of their transgression.

The substance of the transgressions outlined in vv6-8 are the oppression of the poor, maybe especially in the context of idolatrous worship – remembering, for instance, that creditors aren’t supposed to take poor people’s garments in pledge in the first place, and certainly not to lie on in the lewd conduct of idolatrous worship.

This makes vv11-12 a statement of what God has done to make Israel a people God has a special relationship with: raising up prophets and nazirites – that is, individuals who are specially devoted to specific divine commands – from among the sons and young men of Israel. The response of the Israelites has been less than appreciative. They have made the nazirites drink wine – that is, they have forced them to violate their vows – and they have told the prophets not to prophesy – that is, they’ve said “shut up” to the very people who bring a message direct from God.

Not a good way to pursue a close relationship.

Turning to chapter 3, again the larger immediate context for our couple of verses, in v1 God stresses the special relationship between YHVH and Israel. The implication is that this makes Israel’s dismissive negligence of God’s commandments and values especially offensive [or, perhaps, hurtful and intolerable].

There follows a series of questions, reminiscent of our popular culture question “Is the Pope Catholic?” Although, in this case, these rhetorical questions are worded to elicit the answer “no” in every case. No, people don’t walk together unless they’ve made an appointment. No, there are no threatening growls from wild animals unless those beasts of prey are catching something. No, the warning signs of doom and destruction normally don’t leave people unmoved. And no, nothing happens in God’s world without God’s authorization.

Bringing us to the bottom line: God warns; by means of prophets. Who doesn’t fear when the lion roars? Well, not anyone who knows what’s good for them. And who doesn’t prophesy when the Lord YHVH speaks? Well, not anyone to takes what God says to do seriously. Obviously. We sometimes say things like “If you’re not concerned about _____, you’re not paying attention.” That seems to be the spirit of this communication from God.

There’s more detail on Amos 7:10-15 here.

Some questions on the text are here.

Image: Detail of the Prophet Amos, from a fresco by Melozzo da Forlì in the Sacristy of St. Mark, Sailko / CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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Renaissance style Prophet Amos

I am out on a morning hike surrounded by trees and fresh air, and I am still thinking about Hebrew verbs. Some things never turn off. 🌿

My new article is live, all about one verb that does more heavy lifting than almost any other in the language. One verb, dozens of real everyday expressions, the kind that makes you sound more natural and more local.

Nature, peace, and a whole lot of Hebrew. Go read it. 👇
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#LearnHebrew #Hebrew #HebrewForBeginners #BibleStudy #LanguageLearning

Maclaren—Scottish Baptist—holds two things simultaneously: slavery was itself the greatest of all wrongs, and yet Paul still expected the slave to maintain certain duties, ruling out bloody revolt as remedy. Two truths, no contradiction. Contemporary discourse struggles with this skill—discrediting traditions over one error while still quoting Edwards.

#baptist #slavery #biblestudy #christian

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Black graphic with a portrait of Alexander Maclaren (1826–1910) beside a quote from *The Epistle to the Colossians*: "A superior's injustice does not warrant an inferior's breach of moral law, though it may excuse it. ... Herein lies the condemnation of all the crimes which enslaved nations and classes have done, of many a deed which has been honoured and sung, of the sanguinary cruelties of servile revolts, as well as of the questionable means to which labour often resorts in modern industrial warfare."

What if biblical prophecy, alien theories, and faith intersect in unexpected ways? Explore a unique study blending scripture, imagination, and unconventional interpretations.

#BibleStudy #Faith #Mystery

Read more: https://www.annettekmazzone.com/a-interdenominational-alien-biblical-hypothesis-leisurely-bible-study-lily-among-thorns-part-3-premiere-exclusive/

There is one Hebrew verb that does more heavy lifting than almost any other, and most learners completely overlook it.

Tomorrow morning I break it down in a brand new article. One verb, dozens of everyday expressions, the kind of word that makes you sound more natural, more local, and more confident in conversation.

It drops tomorrow, Tuesday at 8am. Subscribe today so you do not miss it. 👇
https://substack.com/@hebrewbyinbal

#LearnHebrew #Hebrew #HebrewForBeginners #BibleStudy

Bruce—Free Church of Scotland—draws a tight inference: scripture rates kindness to the poor so highly that God himself must delight in loving-kindness. Teaching love, Jesus simultaneously taught grace—good given to the undeserving, no cleanup required first. This troubles certain quarters as much as kindness to the poor does. Same objection, different target.

#christian #lovingkindness #virtue #biblestudy #grace

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Black graphic with a portrait of Alexander Balmain Bruce (1831–1899) beside a quote from *Parabolic Teaching of Christ*: "If kindness to the poor have such value in the sight of God, it must be because God Himself is a Being who delights in loving-kindness. In teaching a morality of love Jesus virtually teaches a theology of grace."

It’s live!

You did not fail Hebrew. The method failed you.

If you have ever kept the streak, finished the lessons, and still froze when it mattered, this video is for you. Watch it now and let it take the weight off your shoulders.

👉 https://youtu.be/fRVDB8sK3CY?is=WIAXip-v3Kg7gOmh

#LearnHebrew #Hebrew #HebrewForBeginners #BibleStudy #LanguageLearning

If you have ever kept a perfect streak on a language app, finished all the lessons, and then sat across from a real person and gone completely blank, hear this. That was not your fault.

My new YouTube video drops today at noon Eastern. You did not fail Hebrew. The method failed you.

Most apps are built to keep you opening them, not to teach you to speak. The streak feels like progress, but it is an illusion. Real clarity and confidence come from something completely different, and that is what I break down today.

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Tune in at noon EST.

#LearnHebrew #Hebrew #HebrewForBeginners #BibleStudy #LanguageLearning

Almost every student tells me the same thing about how they tried to learn Hebrew before they found me. They were completely on their own.

An app cannot answer your question. A video cannot tell you that you almost have it. A textbook cannot encourage you when you are ready to give up. So people studied in isolation, made the same mistakes over and over, and slowly lost the confidence to keep going.

That is the one thing I refuse to let happen. When you learn with me, you are never alone. You ask me your questions. You record yourself and I give you real, personal feedback. Not a bot. Me.

You do not have to do this alone anymore.

hebrewbyinbal.com/speak

#LearnHebrew #Hebrew #HebrewForBeginners #BibleStudy #LanguageLearning

Of all the father-related Hebrew I have taught this week, this is the most meaningful one to close with.

Our Father in Heaven. A phrase at the very heart of faith for so many, spoken in prayer across the world every single day. There is something powerful about hearing it in Hebrew, the language it has echoed in for thousands of years.

Watch the final lesson in my father series. 💙

#LearnHebrew #Hebrew #BibleStudy #FathersDay #Christianity

There is a phrase in Hebrew that has traveled almost 3,000 years and is still spoken in Israel today.

It comes from the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Modern Israelis still use a shortened version and everyone understands instantly.

This is what I love about Hebrew. A phrase can begin in scripture and still be alive on the street thousands of years later.

Watch today’s lesson and learn it in both its biblical and modern form. 💙

#LearnHebrew #Hebrew #BibleStudy #BiblicalHebrew #JewishLife

So many of my students come to me after years on the apps. Duolingo, Rosetta Stone, the streaks and the points and the cheerful notifications.

And they all tell me the same thing. I memorized hundreds of words and I still cannot say a single sentence to a real person.

That is not your fault. Those apps are built to keep you opening them, not to teach you how the language actually works. They give you words in isolation with no structure underneath.

That is exactly what I do differently. I teach you the structure beneath the language so you are not collecting random words, you are building real Hebrew and using it in real life.

If the apps left you with nothing to show for it, it was never you.

hebrewbyinbal.com/speak

#LearnHebrew #Hebrew #HebrewForBeginners #BibleStudy #LanguageLearning

Father’s Day is this Sunday, and I saved some of my favorite father-related Hebrew words for this moment.

There is something beautiful about the way Hebrew holds the idea of fathers, not just one dad but the whole lineage, the generations, the men who came before.

Watch this short lesson and bring a little Hebrew into your weekend. And tell me, who is the father figure you are thinking about this week? 💙

#FathersDay #LearnHebrew #Hebrew #BibleStudy #JewishLife

Feeling pressured? Lost someone dear to you?

The latest Bible studies in my #FindHope series point us to Biblical truths that help us in these difficult circumstances.

Why not take a look 👇?
https://downiefamily.wixsite.com/wherebreadisfound/meditations/categories/hope

#hope #biblestudy #christianity

ICYMI:

Read Part 3 of my Substack Series & Learn The Last Two Hebrew Marks That Make Everything Click:
Quotation Marks and the Makaf
Explained! 👇🏻

https://open.substack.com/pub/hebrewbyinbal/p/learn-the-last-two-hebrew-marks-that?r=2at7n8&utm_medium=ios

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There is “dad” in Hebrew, and then there is the softer, more loving way little ones call out for their fathers. The tender version, full of warmth and affection, the kind of word that holds a whole feeling inside it.

With Father’s Day around the corner, I wanted to teach you exactly that, because some words are not just words. They are love.

Watch the short lesson and learn the loving way to say it. And tell me what you called your father growing up. 💙

#FathersDay #LearnHebrew #Hebrew #BibleStudy #JewishLife

Reflecting on 1 Samuel 18 1-4 & other texts

This week we’re studying a number of somewhat isolated verses plucked from the longer story that tells us of the legendarily close relationship of David and Jonathan, the relationship that has given the English language the phrase “a David and Jonathan friendship.” Namely, 1 Samuel 18:1-4 [the very beginning]; 1 Samuel 20:16-17, 32-34, and 42 [from the chapter-long account of David and Jonathan’s parting, as David flees from Saul]; 2 Samuel 1:26-27 [a couple of verses from David’s epic lament of Saul and Jonathan’s death in battle with the Philistines]; 2 Samuel 21:7 [in which David spares Jonathan’s crippled son the fate of all Saul’s remaining grandchildren who might potentially lay claim to the throne of the Israelite monarchy].

We are missing a whole lot of context, so our first question probably must be: so, what IS the context for all this? And our next question might be: which context are we talking about? The narrative one, in which these verses fit somehow into a coherent story? The original historical one, in which whatever is going on is part of something that actually happened? The later historical one, in which whatever story is being told here is being told by someone looking backwards, with some perspective shaped by even later events, trying to make sense of everything? [How well we can reconstruct those historical contexts might be something of a question, too …] The theological context, shaped by the history of reception? [Again, which one? The one we read in the New Testament, like in the gospels? The one we ourselves are part of? And just which one is that, would we say? For instance, how much would we ourselves say the project of liberation theology or of feminism provides a context for our reading of these texts?]

Then, perhaps, we will want to think about David and Jonathan’s relationship as an instance of the various relational contexts in which the characters find themselves: family, people, covenant, etc. To whom are these friends loyal, and to whom ought they be loyal? And why, do we think? And when? And with what consequences? And what might we learn from the way their story unfolds?

Some notes on the first text are here; some notes on the collection of texts are here; and here are a couple of other questions we might want to think about, or to discuss in class.

Since we are studying these texts in the context of the topic of “the testimony of faithful witnesses,” where do we see “faithful witness” in the story of David and Jonathan? Who is faithful to whom, and how? To what or to whom do the characters witness? How is this a lesson for us?

The prophet Samuel describes David as a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). We are told that the Spirit of the Lord is “mightily upon David” from the day of his anointing by Samuel (1 Samuel 16:13). YHWH directly makes David the benchmark for the behavior of the subsequent kings of Israel and Judah. (See, e.g., 1 Kings 11:33, 1 Kings 14:8, 2 Kings 20:5-7) and is presented by the Deuteronomist in at least one place as the gold standard for kingly behavior (see 2 Kings 22:1-2).

How does this treatment by the text affect our understanding of David’s character? How does it influence our understanding of David’s friendship with Jonathan? Why?

David is generally thought of as the ancestor of “the Messiah,” and when Jesus is called Son of David in the gospels (e.g., Matthew 1:1) we understand it to be a messianic reference.

How does this influence our understanding of David’s character? Our understanding of the meaning of David’s friendship with Jonathan?

Image: “Spannende Lektüre,” Walther Firle, 1929, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

So many people tell me the same thing when they first come to me. Hebrew felt impossible. The alphabet looked like a wall. The pronunciation rules made their head spin. And every method they tried was either too complicated or too dry to stick with.

If that is you, hear this clearly. Hebrew is not too hard for you. It was just never broken down the right way.

What my students tell me over and over is that I take the overwhelming and make it manageable. Complex concepts broken into clear pieces that actually click, step by step, at your own pace.

You just need a teacher who knows how to make it make sense.

hebrewbyinbal.com/speak

#LearnHebrew #Hebrew #HebrewForBeginners #BibleStudy #LanguageLearning

Father’s Day is June 21st, and ahead of it I wanted to teach you one of the most ancient and meaningful words in the Hebrew language - the word for father.

It has been spoken for thousands of years through prayer, through scripture, through generations of families calling out to the ones who raised them.

Watch the short lesson and carry the word with you into Sunday. And tell me one thing your father always said that you have never forgotten. 💙

#FathersDay #LearnHebrew #Hebrew #BibleStudy #JewishLife

The Hebrew month of Tamuz starts today. The month of seeing. Of vision. Of the eyes. Of how we look at what is right in front of us.

Two people can stand in the exact same life, look at the exact same thing, and one sees a wall while the other sees a door. Same place. Same facts. Completely different sight.

That is the quiet invitation of Tamuz. It is not asking you to change what is in front of you. It is asking how you are choosing to see it.

So this month, notice where your eyes go. You might be looking at something you have looked at for years, and finally be ready to see it differently. 💙

#Tamuz #JewishWisdom #Hebrew #BibleStudy #JewishLife

Boker Tov friends☀️

I have my Iced Americano in hand and I am ready for another Hebrew language teaching adventure. ☕🇮🇱

I sat down in front of these words this morning and they said it all. “The world is your oyster.” That is exactly what Hebrew does. It opens the world to you. Israel. Family. Faith. Scripture in its original language. A whole life waiting just out of reach until the language finally clicks.

What door do you most want Hebrew to open for you? Tell me below and come join me on this journey.

#LearnHebrew #Hebrew #HebrewForBeginners #BibleStudy #LanguageLearning

Whately—Puritan, advocate for the poor—identifies a self-deception: resolving to avoid every evil while neglecting equal determination to perform every duty. Sins of omission; affirmative precepts. These count.

Some today make memes about the danger of complacency with sin. Omissions involving the poor rarely make that list.

#puritan #tencommandments #biblestudy

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Black graphic with an engraved portrait of William Whately (1583–1639) beside a quote from The Poore Mans Advocate: “Many think themselves sound, if they purpose to cast off every known evil deed, though they settle not in themselves, a like firm determination to perform every known duty. But herein they beguile themselves. He casts not from him all his transgressions, nor hath respect to all Gods commandments, that casts not from him faults of omission, and endeavoureth not to put in practise affirmative precepts.”

What is your Hebrew Question?

Two questions landed in my inbox recently and they are some version of the same thing I hear constantly. How do you read Hebrew without the dots? How do you figure out the dots and lines in the first place? That is where I am stuck

If you have ever felt that exact frustration, you are in very good company

The dots and lines have a name. They are called the Nikud, the Hebrew vowel system, & once you understand what they are actually doing, a huge amount of the confusion lifts. They are not random. They are not decoration. They are the key that tells you how a word sounds, & learning to work them and eventually beyond them is one of the most freeing moments in your whole Hebrew reading journey

Watch the video and then tell me honestly. Where are you most stuck with reading Hebrew right now? I read every single response & these questions often become my next lessons

http://hebrewbyinbal.com/read

#LearnHebrew #HebrewWords #LangaugeLearning #BibleStudy #HebrewLanguage

Did the early church actually practice tithing—or just voluntary giving? Explore how early Christians viewed generosity, scripture, and supporting the church in its earliest form.

#Tithing #ChurchHistory #BibleStudy

Read more: https://www.kithcartcodeofsilence.com/early-church-views-on-tithing/

The public restoration of the man at the Beautiful gate marked the early Church's first major sign, leaving the surrounding community "filled with wonder and amazement" (Acts 3:10 NKJV) at the miracle.

https://ko-fi.com/veggietalesgang
https://www.patreon.com/cw/veggietalesgang
https://linktr.ee/veggietalesgang
https://discord.gg/Knk4bCXKwG
https://youtube.com/shorts/p7iWtTBZx58?feature=share

#Christian #Bible
#Scripture #Gospel
#Biblememe #Christianmeme #Biblestudy

Boker Tov Friends!

The final part of my “Hebrew Marks” series just dropped. Three articles. Everything you need to read Hebrew. This is the piece that makes it all click.

Go read it. 🇮🇱
https://open.substack.com/pub/hebrewbyinbal/p/learn-the-last-two-hebrew-marks-that?r=2at7n8&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=split

#LearnHebrew #Hebrew #HebrewReading #BibleStudy #LanguageLearning

My search continues.

Will someone chime in with a list of bible software they have found useful? I'm using Linux and always on the lookout for new tools. Links would be helpful.

So far I have the applications: Xiphos, Bibletime, Widemargin, and Diatheke.

#Bible #BibleSoftware #BibleStudy #Xiphos #Bibletime #Diatheke #KJV

It is live. 🇮🇱

The Hebrew word for father carries thousands of years of history and today I am taking you deep inside all of it. One week before Father’s Day and this one is for everyone who has a father, lost a father, or simply loves this language.

Watch it here 👉 https://youtu.be/LTH4R3HrMb4

Subscribe and never miss a lesson. 🎬

#LearnHebrew #Hebrew #FathersDay #BibleStudy #LanguageLearning

Father’s Day is June 21st and this Sunday at noon I am dropping a YouTube video unlike anything you have seen from me before.

Israel does not celebrate Father’s Day. But the Hebrew word for father is one of the most ancient and powerful words in the language with thousands of years of meaning behind it.

Watch it, learn it, and share it with someone who loves their dad before June 21st. Subscribe so you are there the moment it drops. 👇

https://youtube.com/@hebrewbyinbal 🇮🇱

#LearnHebrew #Hebrew #FathersDay #BibleStudy #LanguageLearning

This is what working from home actually looks like. 🐾

Tomorrow - Sunday at noon EST - my Father's Day YouTube video goes live. I filmed it before Father's Day on purpose, so you actually have time to learn, prepare, and show up with your Hebrew ready before the day arrives.

Because that's what this is all about, showing up in the language, not just knowing it exists.

See you tomorrow, go SUBSCRIBE 🎬

#DogLife #WorkFromHome #LearnHebrew #BibleStudy #FathersDay

If you just searched “I want to learn Hebrew” - this is where that search ends.

Native Israeli teacher. Amazon bestselling author three years running. Method built for English speakers. Lifetime personal access. Thousands of students across 30 countries.

Everything you need is right here. hebrewbyinbal.com

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Jacob's sons used a sacred requirement to create a tactical vulnerability, breaking their peace treaty when they "came upon the city boldly" (Genesis 34:25 NKJV) to exact their own justice.

https://ko-fi.com/veggietalesgang
https://www.patreon.com/cw/veggietalesgang
https://linktr.ee/veggietalesgang
https://discord.gg/Knk4bCXKwG
https://youtube.com/shorts/QbPwIwXEkSg?feature=share

#Christian #Bible
#Scripture #Gospel
#Biblememe #Christianmeme #Biblestudy

The Real Outerspace

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ztfH9VXSBA

#Space, #SpaceHistory, #SpaceExploration, #BibleStudy.

Please join @kettingerjason and myself as we look at the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats. https://youtube.com/live/bNrlpeZkQK4

#Parables #Jesus #Christianity #BibleStudy

Reflecting on Judges 4 (specifically 4-10, 14, & 21-22)

This week, we are looking at key verses in Judges 4 (specifically, vv4-10, 14, and 21-22), the story of Deborah, Barak, and the defeat of the armies of Sisera, along with the defeat of Sisera himself at the hand of Jael.

Like all Biblical stories, the description of the main characters is spare, leaving a lot to the readers’ imagination. For that reason, it might make sense for us to spend some time looking at our own readerly impressions of Deborah, Barak, Sisera, and Jael. What are those impressions? Where do they come from, as far as we can tell? [That is, where do we see the text itself suggesting or supporting those impressions? Where do we notice ourselves thinking “that’s how it always is …” or “probably she …”? How have we come to our ideas about what’s “always” or “probably” true about characters like these, do we think?]

Ideally, we will be able to compare our impressions to those of others, and see whether there is a range of those impressions, or whether there’s a lot of consensus. What seems to be going on with that, as far as we can tell? [For instance, shared or different ways of reading the text? Shared or different social backgrounds or assumptions? Shared or different experiences? …]

Then, we can look at what seem to be the lesson or lessons for us in the story, based on those impressions of the characters. How do those lessons seem to depend on our thoughts and feelings about these characters?

Some notes on the text are here. Here are a couple of additional questions we might want to think about, or discuss:

There is a lot of killing in this story, most or all of it in the service of liberating the Israelites from oppression by the Canaanites. What thoughts, feelings, or challenges does this aspect of the story raise for us? Why?

What difference does it make what form the killing takes – that is, the killing done by Barak’s men, or that done by Jael? Again, why? Would we or would we not say that Jael’s killing is an act of war, part of “the war” between the Canaanites and the Israelites? Why, or why not? What difference would it make if it were? Why?

What difference does who is being killed make for how we think and feel about the killing in the story? Why?

How do we understand God’s involvement in the events of the story? What brings us to this understanding, do we think? What problems arise for us, or are resolved for us, when we understand God’s involvement this way?

Overall, what are our responses to this story? What do we find reassuring in it, challenging, instructive, and so on? Why?

What would we lose if this story were missing from our Bible? What would we gain? Why do we say that?

How would we feel about that? Why?

Image: “Drei Frauen im Gespraech” J.-H. Janßen, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

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sculpture three women in conversation

Study Notes – 1 Samuel 1 9-20

We are studying 1 Samuel 1:9-20, for Sunday, September 8, a portion of the story of Hannah and the seemingly miraculous birth of Samuel that opens the book of 1 Samuel. [Some questions about the text are here.] Here are my notes on the text:

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT: The book of 1 Samuel continues the story of Israel in the land of Israel, following the entry into the land in Joshua and the steady decline of faithfulness narrated in the book of Judges. We might think of it as part of the “Deuteronomistic History” that comprises Joshua – 2 Kings, and that presents the history of Israel as a theologically significant set of related events and experiences.

Alternatively, we might think of it as one of the books of the “former prophets” – the way it is identified in Jewish tradition. Christian readers might not think of these as “prophetic” texts, but if we think of Joshua, Samuel, Elijah and Elisha as the prophets associated with these narratives that relate a past as Marc Zvi Brettler would say, then this way of labeling the books may make more sense to us.

Either way, we think that one of the guiding concerns of the overall narrative is the development of the monarchy, and establishing David as the model monarch. Samuel will play a key role in that plot, and Samuel’s story starts with Hannah, his mother, and her desperate plea for a child.

Shiloh, where this part of the story takes place, was the cultic center at this time – well before worship was centralized in Jerusalem (in David’s time) or the Temple was built (in Solomon’s time). I used to think that the Tabernacle was set up at Shiloh, but our text refers to the temple (or palace) of YHWH, which was presumably a more permanent structure. (See the map here for the location of Shiloh.)

The time is “the time of the judges” – of whom Samuel is the last. Samuel anoints both Saul (king of Israel #1) and David (king of Israel #2).

Bible readers will recognize the theme of barrenness in the story from other Bible stories (Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Samson’s mother – the “wife of Manoah”), so by now this is a plot device, and we know what’s going to happen in this story. (There is an article on barrenness in the Bible at Bible Odyssey.)

Hannah’s fortunes will turn, Samuel will be born, and “given to God” at a young age, and from there will be in a position to deliver bad news to the high priest Eli about God’s unfavorable decision about him and his family, and then to interact with Saul in a complex way, and finally to anoint David.

This story may hook some of our deep feelings about pregnancy, child-rearing, and relationships. Hannah’s vow, in particular – that if only she can have a child, specifically a male child, she will dedicate the child to God – will probably strike other modern readers the way it strikes this one: as profoundly counter-productive. What’s the point of having the child if you turn around and give him away? And if we have any feeling for children at all, we can hardly help feeling miserable for Samuel, who has to go live with Eli, someone we already know to be a lousy father, and his horrible sons. It’s heartbreaking. But all of that is in the future, relative to our story.

The fact that Hannah is a co-wife, seemingly the first wife based on the order in which Elkanah’s wives are listed. Knowing what we might know about when men acquire second wives in cultures where that’s allowed today – namely, when wife #1 doesn’t have children – reinforces this suspicion. This story would have direct personal significance for women in some contemporary cultural circumstances. We might do well to remember that.

CLOSER READING: Picking the story up at verse 9, we focus on the part of the story that features Hannah’s interaction with God and with Eli.

Hannah does most of the action; she has a dozen verbs to Eli’s five. Verse 9 emphasizes the contrast between Hannah and Eli: she arises, while he sits. His seat, literally “on the doorpost” of the temple, is a little curious, but seems to give him a good view of what goes on in the temple. [Which will later, if we remember, make us think that he has to know what his wicked sons are doing, eh? So why doesn’t he do anything about it, eh? Especially since he seems completely willing to make a judgment about Hannah AND to say something to her based on his faulty judgment. What an exemplary character Eli is.]

Also, note that “eating … drinking” in v9 are infinitives – they don’t exactly tell us that Hannah ate and drank. Which makes sense, because in v8 we thought the narrator told us specifically that she was too miserable to eat.

There are a lot of infinitives in this story. I’m not sure what to make of that. Except that Hannah, in particular, is depicted in emphatic terms. She weeps, yes, weeps when she prays in v10, she vows, yes, vows her vow in v11, implores YHWH to look, yes, look on her affliction in that prayer. And then she asks God to remember and not forget – emphasizing the positive and in a sense asking God to stop forgetting, which it seems God has been doing so far.

And then she makes this insane [to my way of thinking, but what do I know] vow that if God will give she will give … which makes her sound like a pagan to me, since my humanities teacher explained that “du et dos” – I give so you will give – was the principle of Greco-Roman worship. The Nazirite features of the vow, that his hair will not be cut, remind us of other dedicated characters; given the setting in time, we will probably think of Samson.

Hannah is emphatically miserable. The story uses lots of different words for misery – affliction – bitterness of soul – etc.

Eli’s conclusion that Hannah is drunk might strike us as a little … puzzling. Do drunk people look and act this way, in our experience? Rashi explains that Eli thinks she’s drunk because people weren’t accustomed to praying silently in those days. I think Rashi is being generous to Eli.

In fact, when Hannah says she has poured out her soul before the face of YHWH, it’s an implicit contrast with drunkenness – spirit being poured out, rather than poured in. Sensitiveness, in contrast with insensibility.

Eli is really hard of hearing – this is going to come up again a couple of chapters on – and his hardness of hearing seems to be a metaphor for spiritual insensitivity. But here, in vv13-17, Eli also seems to serve as a figure for God, so that his inability to hear Hannah’s voice mirrors God’s deafness to her desire for a son, and then when Eli hears her out, and hears her explanation, and her request that he “not take the maidservant before the face [of you] as a wicked daughter”, things turn from bad to good, Eli offers her a positive response, and in effect authorizes her request. I realize that “before the face” construction is an idiom, but it’s an idiom that will make us think of coming before God because that’s how it’s often used, so … it just seems to have a whiff of that idea around it here in v16.

And then, we might know that the happy ending is coming, because in v18, when Hannah says in response to Eli (priest of God) “Let your maidservant find favor in your eyes” she uses a different word for “maidservant” than the one she has been using up till now, and switches to the word used for Hagar and Bilhah and Zilpah back in Genesis, which, if we remember our Bible stories, lets us know that pregnancy is on its way.

Hannah is happy, and the plot unfolds … “and Elkanah knew Hannah, his wife, and YHWH remembered her.”

She names him Shmuel (v20), she says because she “asked him” from God, but honestly, the name Shmuel sounds more like “God heard.”

The title of the lesson in our curriculum is “God Answers Prayer.” Perhaps there is not better title. “God finally answers prayer after a long time of seeming not to, sometimes, if you’re the right person and if your request fits in with God’s agenda” is probably too long and naturalistic a title, though I think it would be more accurate, especially in the context of this story. It’s not that I don’t believe God answers prayer. I do. But we all know that God is not a drive-thru, taking our order and handing us the sack and drink in under 2 minutes. I like John Goldingay’s insistence that when we pray, we really do mean to change God’s mind (contrary to what people and especially we Calvinists often say, that it’s designed to change us). And sometimes God does change God’s mind, too. But not always. Which brings us back around to the difficult question of “why,” and how we try to get the answer to that question … from God, presumably.

Scenes from the story of Hannah: praying in the temple at Shiloh, and after the birth of Samuel

#1Samuel #1Samuel1920 #BibleStudy #Hannah #prayer #readingTheBible #Samuel

Reflecting on 1 Samuel 1 9-20

This week we’re studying 1 Samuel 1:9-20 + 25, the story of Hannah’s prayer for a child – who turns out to be Samuel, a significant character in the history of Israel and particularly in the lives of the first two kings of Israel, Saul and David.

We’ve studied this text before (see questions from that time here), but this time we’re looking at it in the context of our summer quarter study of “the testimony of faithful witnesses.” [Although I confess, this rubric feels like a stretch to me, brought on by the desperate need to find a unifying theme for somewhat disparate texts …]

Anyway, in light of this quarter’s context, we might want to ask ourself what we mean by “faithful witnesses,” and what we think it means to be “faithful,” or a “witness.” From there we can turn to Hannah’s story, and ask ourselves: how, in what way, in this story, does Hannah demonstrate faithfulness, and to what does she bear witness? Where do we see that in the text? What do we ourselves learn from Hannah’s story and Hannah’s example?

What is our overall impression of Hannah and her story, for that matter? What thoughts and feelings do we have about her actions? What strikes us as commendable, what as perhaps less than commendable, where do we applaud her, where do we question her …? Why is that? What do we find out about ourselves in looking at all that?

Some notes on the text are here. Here are a couple of additional questions we might want to think about, or to discuss in class:

In v11, Hannah vows to dedicate the male child she is begging for from God back to God as a nazirite (see Numbers 6:1-21). What is the meaning of such a vow, do we think? What does the vow indicate about Hannah’s state of mind, or about the cultural context in which the vow is made, or about God’s desires and preferences? [That is, do we think Hannah is trying to offer something to God that God would like, as an inducement …? Or is something else going on? What, do we think?]

What thoughts and feelings do we have about this? Why?

[More personal] Have we ever made a vow to God ourselves? What was our experience with that?

What would we say this story is “about”? [That is … we might say “it’s about prayer” or “it’s about Hannah and her relationship with God” or … what?] What do we learn from a story like this? What do we think we are supposed to learn?

Why do we think this story is in the Bible?

Image: “Gespräch vor dem Haus,” Gergely Pörge, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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painting figures in conversation

Moses future prohecy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-mxiSktQJw

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Recent developments in Israel and Jerusalem highlight Prime Minister Netanyahu’s firm stance that Iran will not acquire nuclear weapons, a position... #BibleStudy #LivingAsBereans

https://spearnet.org/2026/06/12/global-watch-daily-june-12-2026/

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The Old Testament is not a collection of disconnected stories. It is one unified story pointing to Christ.

Jesus is the Word of the Lord fulfilled in Christ.

📖 Blog: https://www.scottlapierre.org/the-word-of-the-lord-fulfilled-in-christ/
🎥 Sermon: https://youtu.be/zg74q5OenbU

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My latest #BibleStudy notes on #Genesis20: https://notes.laniecarmelo.tech/shares/puLBoEJCgyPwKalkRc2WFg
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Need to get a few things done but might try and do #Genesis21 here in a little while.