What a lovely post. I starred the Substack email for easy reference in the future. I love the list you shared! (Schökel is a big name around these parts where I live!)
Ezekiel 16 was a terrifying text to me when I (re)read it last year.
Thinking of a great book you recommended (and which I'm almost done reading—"Understanding the Difficult Words of Jesus"), I would add something along these lines:
• Don't think you have understood the meaning, metaphors, or emotions of a passage, just because you understand the words.
This is especially relevant for several reasons. Consider how there are several textual notes in study Bibles about animal names in Hebrew not being clear about what they mean. Just imagine what the phrase "Don't act like a mouse" would mean to readers five thousand years from now if they didn't know what "mouse" referred to. Plus, just last week I was guilty as charged of thinking of "God remembered Rachel" (30:22) as if God had forgotten Rachel, when the book you recommended shows what that verb really means in Hebrew.
Most importantly, I hope you feel better. Feeling sick and weak is one way of feeling alive, but not necessarily the best. Get well soon!
I’m glad you’re finding the Bivin/Blizzard book useful! Yes, excellent point. Lots of idioms in the text that don’t always translate well. We so often try to interpret (then teach and preach) meaning that isn’t there because we don’t know the underlying idiom.
I’m not familiar with Schökel but have a feeling I’m going to get to know him more through reading assignments! 😄 Thanks for reading and the well wishes. Doing better today!
So glad you’re feeling better! And thanks for your reply about the Bivin/Blizzard book—quite fitting to discuss it while you're weathering your own viral blizzard!
Wow! Good for you. I'm just beginning my second semester of Biblical Hebrew, so, basically still trying to memorize vocabulary and all the rules for weak roots.
What a lovely post. I starred the Substack email for easy reference in the future. I love the list you shared! (Schökel is a big name around these parts where I live!)
Ezekiel 16 was a terrifying text to me when I (re)read it last year.
Thinking of a great book you recommended (and which I'm almost done reading—"Understanding the Difficult Words of Jesus"), I would add something along these lines:
• Don't think you have understood the meaning, metaphors, or emotions of a passage, just because you understand the words.
This is especially relevant for several reasons. Consider how there are several textual notes in study Bibles about animal names in Hebrew not being clear about what they mean. Just imagine what the phrase "Don't act like a mouse" would mean to readers five thousand years from now if they didn't know what "mouse" referred to. Plus, just last week I was guilty as charged of thinking of "God remembered Rachel" (30:22) as if God had forgotten Rachel, when the book you recommended shows what that verb really means in Hebrew.
Most importantly, I hope you feel better. Feeling sick and weak is one way of feeling alive, but not necessarily the best. Get well soon!
I’m glad you’re finding the Bivin/Blizzard book useful! Yes, excellent point. Lots of idioms in the text that don’t always translate well. We so often try to interpret (then teach and preach) meaning that isn’t there because we don’t know the underlying idiom.
I’m not familiar with Schökel but have a feeling I’m going to get to know him more through reading assignments! 😄 Thanks for reading and the well wishes. Doing better today!
So glad you’re feeling better! And thanks for your reply about the Bivin/Blizzard book—quite fitting to discuss it while you're weathering your own viral blizzard!
YES. YES. YES. and YES! Love this list. So good and thanks for sharing! (And I hope you get over the flu!!! Yuck.)
Thanks! Yuck is right. 🤢
Great list - I’m going to share this with my church Bible school classes next week!
Interesting. Thanks for posting! My Bible reading goal is the whole OT in Hebrew this year - and 1 Sam is up next!
Wow! Good for you. I'm just beginning my second semester of Biblical Hebrew, so, basically still trying to memorize vocabulary and all the rules for weak roots.
I never go anywhere without flashcard decks for Aramaic and the rarer Hebrew words, lol.
Smart!
You go to SBL? This past year it was really encouraging to see so many women there who are going back to school to get PhDs. Keep up the good work!
No, but maybe this year.