Pastor Larry's Bible Blog

Reading for February 4th

2012-01-28T12:29:00.000-08:00

Read Mark 6.45-56
In 6.45-56 walking on water.
In verse 45 Bethsaida is a village north of the Sea of Galilee.
Inverse 48 the time is the fourth watch, 3-6 a.m.
In verse 49 a false vision of the resurrection.
In verse 52 the disciples mispreception increases.
In verses 53-56 general healing.
Fringes (Num 15.38-40; Deut 22.12; Mt 9.20) remind Jewish wearers of divine commandments (Torah).
Comments or questions..

Reading for February 3rd

2012-01-27T16:11:00.000-08:00

Read Mark 6.30-44
In 6.30-44 feeding the 5,000
In verse 34 sheep without a shepherd is a proverbial saying (Num 27.17; 1 Kings 22.17; Ezek 34.5) which here suggests both John's death and Herod's ineptitude.
Mark does not provide the content of Jesus' teaching.
In verse 37 the disciples again misperceive.
In verse 41 the description, echoing Elisha's miracle (2 Kings 4.42-44), provides no hint that the people shared their own food..
Comments or questions..

Reading for February 2nd

2012-01-27T15:47:00.000-08:00

Read Mark 6.1-29
In 6.1-6 rejection at home
In verse 1 the hometown is likely Nazareth (see 1.9), although Jesus and the twelve appear to be based in Capernaum (2.1).
In verse 3 carpenter (Gk., tekton) is an artisan.
Joseph's fate is not recorded.
In verse 4 a proverbial saying.
In verse 5 lack of faith prevents miracles (according to Mt 13.58, Jesus is unwilling, not unable).
In 6.7-13 missionary instructions.
In verse 7 contrasts with Matthew's lack of mission and Luke's concern that the twelve remain with Jesus as witnesses.
In verse 8 the disciples take even less than Cynics (traveling Greco-Roman philosophers who urged audiences to divest themselves of all social conventions and to live according to nature) and are completely dependent upon those who receive them.
In verses 12-13 repentance repeats the original message of Jesus and John, as teaching, exorcism, and healing show the disciples in Jesus' role.
Recounting John's death (6.14-29) in the context of the mission, Mark indicates the dangers Jesus' followers face.
In 6.14-29 the death of John
Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great (see Mt 2) was tetrarch, not king, of Galilee and Perea.
In verse 16 Mark recounts the Baptist's death as a flashback.
In verse 18 marriage of one woman to two living brothers is forbidden (Lev 18.16; 20.21).
In verse 22 Josephus names the daughter Salome.
Girl is the term describing Jairus' twelve-year-old daughter (5.42).
There is an implicit contrast between the ruler Jairus' family and that of the tetrarch Antipas: one receives life; the other brings death.
In verses 24-26 (vv. 19-20): Mark seeks to exonerate Antipas.
In verse 29 John's disciples prove more loyal than the twelve.
Comments or questions..

Reading for February 1st

2012-01-27T15:37:00.000-08:00

Read Mark 5.21-43
In 5.21-43 two women healed.
In verse 25 the hemorrhages are likely vaginal or uterine bleeding.
In verse 28 she may have regarded Jesus as a magician.
In verse 31 the disciples again fail to understand (4.41;6.37, 52).
In verse 34 made well is the same term as saved.
For Mark, faith is the prerequisite for healing.
In verse 41 the Aramaic may have sounded to Mark's Greek audience like a magical incantation.
In verse 42 the girl's age matches the years of the woman illness; the girl is on the verge of menarche and marriage; the woman can now bear children.
Mark frames one story with the other so that they become mutually informing: the same rhetorical technique appears in 6.7-30: the disciples' mission frames the Baptist's death.
Comments or questions..

Reading for January 31st

2012-01-27T15:30:00.000-08:00

Read Mark 5. 1-20
In 5.1-20 the Geasene demoniac
Gerasa is in the Decapolis, a league of ten cities with mixed Jewish and gentile populations.
In verses 6-7 again, demons recognize Jesus' identity (1.24) while the disciples and family frequently do not.
In verse 9 a legion (a Latin term) consists of four to six thousand soldiers in the Roman army; the name given to demons suggests negative views of the empire.
In verse 17 fear stems from both Jesus' extraordinary powers and the threat of economic loss.
In verse 19 rather than command secrecy, Jesus mandates a proclamation; the announcement is made in the Decapolis rather than in primarily Jewish Galilee or Judea.
Comments of questions..

Reading for January 30th

2012-01-23T07:30:00.000-08:00

Read Mark 4.26-41
In verses 26-27 the enigmatic parables present a kingdom growing slowly but in inexorably.
In verse 29 harvest connotes the final judgement (Joel 3.13).
In verse 31 mustard seeds (see Mt 13.31-32; Lk 13.18-19) are tiny, as are mustard bushes; the description of the bush as a shade tree is jarring.
In 4.35-41 stilling the storm.
Controlling nature is a contemporary sign of divine authority; similar tales of sleeping during storms are told of Dionysus.
The disciples fear and doubt anticipate the state of Jesus' followers at the crucifixion.
Comments or questions...

Reading for January 29th

2012-01-23T07:16:00.000-08:00

Read Mark 4. 1-25
In 4.1-39 teaching in parables.
In verses 4-5 the description is of broadcast sowing rather than of a wasteful or inept farmer.
Allegorical interpretation makes the seed both the word and the ones who receive it (4.14-20).
In verse 12 adapted from Isa 6.9-10; those outside the new family of faith will not understand parables (see also 4.33).
In verse 13 the disciples frequently do not understand.
In verses 21-22 Jesus' now-hidden identity will be disclosed.
In verse 25 reversal status is a hallmark of Jesus teaching (Mt 7.2; 13.12; Lk 6.38).
Comments or questions...

Reading for January 28th

2012-01-21T18:49:00.000-08:00

Read Mark 3.19b-35
In 3.20-35 rejections.
Jesus' family doubts his sanity and he replaces the biological family with the family of faith.
In verse 22 Beelzebul refers to false god (2 Kings 1.2) or demon.
The scribes accept Jesus' power but question the source of his authority; they ironically charge Jesus the exorcist with being possessed.
In verse 23 Mark does not present parables until 4.3.
Comments or questions..

Reading for January 27th

2012-01-21T18:40:00.000-08:00

Read Mark 3.13-19a
In 3.13-19 the twelve disciples
The twelve symbolically represent the twelve tribes of Israel; Gospel variations in the names of the twelve suggest the number was of greater important than the individuals.
Apostle, a Greek term for messenger, is a special category of disciple.
Inverse 16 the name Peter comes from the Greek petra, meaning rock (as in petrified).
In verse 17 James and John elsewhere express turbulent personalities (Lk 9.54-55).
Inverse 18 Cananaeans were anti-Roman revolutionaries.
In verse 19 Mark does not provide Judas a motive; until the passion, Judas appears a loyal disciple.
Comments or questions..

Reading for January 26th

2012-01-19T19:23:00.000-08:00

Mark 3.1-12
In 3.1-6 sabbath healing.
Rabbinic law mandates that preservation of life over-rules all commandments (Mitzvoth).
In verse 5 Jesus does not touch the man therefore cannot be charged with working.
In verse 6 Herodians are connected with the royal family; Herod Antipas has been foreshadowed as enemy (1.14).
In 3.7-12 public healings
In verse 8 the sites are listed below are areas with predominantly Jewish populations.
Comments or questions..

Reading for January 25th

2012-01-19T19:05:00.000-08:00

Read Mark 2.18-28
In 2.18-22 new practices.
Although John acknowledges Jesus' worthiness, he retained his own disciples.
Fasting, a traditional form of Jewish piety, is adopted by Jesus' followers after the crucifixion (2.20).
In verse 19 bridegroom and wedding imagery suggest times of exceptional joy.
In verses 21-22 Jesus' gospel represents the new wine; neither old or new teachings are lost.
In 2.23-28 Lord of the sabbath.
It is unlikely Pharisees spied on people in grain fields; this compliant against the disciples, but not Jesus suggests conflicts between the church and the synagogue.
In verse 25 citing scripture to interpret scripture is typical of Jesus' rabbinic, teaching.
Abiathar's father Ahimelech was high priest when David at consecrated bread (1 Sam 21.1-6; 2 Sam 15.35).
In verse 27 also rabbinic teaching.
Comments or questions..

Reading for January 24th

2012-01-19T18:42:00.000-08:00

Read Mark 2.1-17
In 2.1-12 the paralytic
In verse 5 granting forgiveness of sins was a divine prerogative.
In verse 9 the saying appears in a different context in Jn 5.8.
In verse 10 the title Son of Man has both a human (mortal) (Ezek 37.3) and superhuman (Dan 7.13-14, 1 Enoch 37-71) connotations.
Enigmatic like the parables, the title requires hearers to determine the meaning for themselves.
In 2.13-17 tax collectors and sinners.
Levi is called Matthew in Mt 9.9.
Tax collectors were despised as Roman collaborators and extortionists.
Sinners are those who are deliberately place themselves apart from observance of Torah; Mark does not see all people as in a sinful state.
In verse 16 Pharisees were a branch of Judaism dedicated to interpreting biblical law, likely including the extension of the sanctity of the Temple to the home (including the table); rivals of the early followers of Jesus, they are frequently negatively depicted in Christian texts.
Comments or questions..

Reading for January 23rd

2012-01-16T08:55:00.000-08:00

Read Mark 1.21-45

In verse 21-29 Capernaum Synagogue

Synagogues are places of worship and assembly; vistors were welcome to teach.

In verse 22 scribes, trained in interpretation of Torah, cited their teachers (in the name of ... ); Jesus speaks on his own authority.

In verses 24-25 demons recognize Jesus, but his disciples do not (3.11; 5.6-7).

Be silent begins the messianic secret.

In verses 30-31 Simon's mother-in-law

His wife is not mentioned.

In verse 31 serve is from the Greek Diakonein, from which we get term deacon.

In verses 32-29 Galilean mission.

Sabbath ends at sundown.

In verse 35 Jesus continues to teach and heal in synagogues.

In verses 40-44 the leper.

Leprosy referred to a variety of skin diseases; clean indicates both healing and ritual purity required for reentry into society.

Only priests could pronounce lepers clean; the leper does not obey Jesus' commands either for silence or for priestly pronouncement.

In verse 45 Jesus' popularity as healer interferes with his preaching.

Comments or questions..

Reading for January 22nd

2012-01-16T08:26:00.000-08:00

Read Mark 1.1-20
In 1.1-8 John the Baptist
In verse 1 good news (Gk Euangellion) is the literal meaning of gospel; Mark is the only canonical Gospel to have this self-designation.
Son of God appears rarely; Son of man is Jesus' self-designation.
In verse 2 a see Mal 3.1.
In verse 3 Isa 40 advised the Babylonian exiles to build a road to Jerusalem; Mark adapts the statement to locate John in the wilderness.
In verse 4 the wilderness is a traditional place of renewal.
In 1.9-11 the baptism
In verse 9 Mark neither records Bethlehem birth or infancy account nor addresses the question of Jesus' sinlessness.
In verse 10 with the rendering of the Temple veil, the heavens symbolically open again at the cross (15.38).
In verse 11 the heavenly voice speaks directly to Jesus; in Matthew's account it makes public proclamation.
In verses 12-13 the temptation.
Immediately is a Marcan motif expressing urgency.
The wilderness setting, temptation, and forty days, echo the Exodus and Moses' experiences on Sinai.
In verse 13 unlike his Hebrew ancestors, Jesus does not succumb to temptation in the wilderness; unlike Adam and Eve, he lives peacefully with animals and angels.
In verse 14-15 the good news
Jesus begins his mission only after the baptist is arrested by Herod Antipas; the two are not depicted as rivals, rather , Jesus elaborates on John's message of repentance.
In verse 16-20 the first disciples.
Simon will be nicked named Peter or rock (3.16).
The four disciples are not peasants but boat owners from Capernaum, a mid-sized Galilean city.
The Gospels never mention the larger cities of Sepphoris and Tiberias, although Sepphoris is just a few miles from Nazareth.
The Sea of Galilee is also known as the Sea of Tiberas and Lake Gennesaret.
Comments or questions...

Reading for January 21st

2012-01-16T07:25:00.000-08:00

Read Jude
In verse 1-2 letter opening.
Jude is a servant, not a slave but a figure of very high status such as Abraham, Moses, and David (Ex 32.13; 1 Sam 17.23).
If a brother of James (Acts 12.17; 15.12), then Jude is also kin of Jesus.
He addresses no geographical church, which suggests that this is a general letter that could be read in any church.
In verses 3-4 enter heretics
Jude writes because certain intruders are abroad whose false doctrine (deny our only Master and Lord) leads to immorality (pervert the grace of God into licentiousness).
He finds it necessary to exhort the addressees to contend for the faith that was delivered to the disciples in its fullness.
He appeals, then, to the antiquity of an immutable tradition.
In verses 5-7 refutation.
Jude cites three examples of divine judgment: although God saved people, God later destroyed those who proved unfaithful.
Similarly, although many angels remained faithful, God imprisoned the angels who strayed.
Sodom and Gomorrah illustrate divine judgment on immorality.
Hence, if the intruders deny the sovereignty of God to judge, these examples rebut that error and serve as proof of the coming judgment.
In verse 8-9 what could be worse?
Jude claims that these intruders accept no laws concerning the body (defile the flesh) and reject all authority, even that of the angels who assist God's judgment.
he cites an obscure document, the Assumption of Moses, in which Michael the archangel confirmed God's sovereignty: the Lord rebuke you.
This proves useful in support of the tradition about the Day of judgment, which the intruders deny.
In verse 10-13 precedents of punishment.
Just as three biblical examples were cited in vv. 5-7, so we find here three examples of deviants brought to judgment: Cain, Balaam, and Korah.
In legend Cain exemplified godlessness and envy; Balaam was willing to lead Israel astray and curse it (Num 22); Korah typified ambition and rebellion (Num 16.1-35).
Besides accusing the intruders of parasitical corruption, they are compared to fleeting, empty natural phenomena such as waterless clouds, uprooted trees, wild waves, and wandering stars.
Their instability makes them perilous guides.
In verses 14-16 Enoch to the rescue.
Jude cites as authoritative a prophecy from 1 Enoch about the coming judgment.
This popular document, although used by Second temple Judeans and later Christian writers, was never considered to a canonical.
Jude uses it here because it contains a full statement of the topic of God's judgment and contains many parallels with gospel traditions such as Mt 24.29-31.
In verses 17-23 prediction of the heretics too.
Another prediction announces that scoffers will come, the fulfillment of which bolsters Jude's repetition of predictions of the coming judgment.
As the opponents lack faith, love, and especially hope, Jude encourages the church to faithfulness, love and hope (looking forward to the mercy of our Lord).
Far from abandoning the opponents, urges the addressees to have mercy on the wavering and save others by snatching them from a fiery judgment.
In verses 24-25 letter closing
A doxology concludes the letter, beginning with acknowledgement of both God's protection of the church and purification of the members.
This demonstrates that right theology (confession of God's will and powers) leads to right morals.
Supreme honor is paid to God; glory, majesty, power, and authority, similar to the hymn of praise in Rev 4.11.
In contrast, the scoffers deny the powers of our Master and Lord (v.4).
Comments or questions...

Reading for January 20th

2012-01-13T17:59:00.000-08:00

Read Philemon
In verses 1-7 opening and thanksgiving.
Paul praises Philemon but doe snot mention Onesimus: he wants Philemon to act out of good will, so establishes Philemon's good will at the start.
Because he wants Philemon to accept Onesimus, Paul's very heart (v. 12), he praises Philemon's love.
In verse 1 Timothy, see 1 Thess 3.1-6; 1 Cor 4.17; Phil 2.19-24.
Dear, the Greek is the same as beloved used for Onesimus in vv. 5, 7, 9, 16.
In verse 2 Apphia our sister, in the Lord,
Archippus, see Col 4.17.
Fellow soldier see Phil 2.25.
Church in your house, early Christians worshipped in private homes (Rom 16.6; 1 Cor 16.19; Col 4.15).
In verse 5 love for all the saints, extravagant praise so that Philemon will love the new saint Onesimus.
In verse 6 the good, see Rom 10.15; Phil 1.6; 1 Thess 5.15; Gal 6.10.
In verse 7 hearts, literally inward parts.
In verses 8-16 Paul's appeal
In verse 8 for this reason, a transition marks a new section.
In verse 9 old man could mean ambassador, but likely refers to Paul's age.
In verse 10 my child, a metaphor for a convert.
See 1 Cor 4.14, 17; Gal 4.19.
In verse 11 useless ... useful
In verse 15 he was separated, a passive form, possibly suggesting God as the cause, underlying the point that the delay was beneficial.
In verses 17-25 request and closing
The letter opened in both private and public spheres and closes in the same way, with greetings in vv. 24 and 25.
In verse 17 so, a transitional word marking a start of the final section.
In verse 19 my own hand, Paul probably dictated his letters to a scribe 9 1 Cor 16.21; Gal 6.11), but here he writes himself.
In verse 20 benefit, Greek onaimen, similar to Onesimus; through word play, Paul indirectly asks for Onesimus.
In verse 21 more than I say, perhaps more that I say obliquely; Philemon must decide freely.
In verses 23-24 Epaphras, see Col 1.7; 4.12.
the others are mentioned in Col 4.10-17, which includes Jesus Justus as well.
In verse 25 a similar benediction is found in Phil 4.23; Gal 6.18.
Comments or questions..

Reading for January 19th

2012-01-13T17:28:00.000-08:00

Read Habakkuk 3.1-19
In 3.1-19 a hymn praising God's rule.
This hymn describes a theophany, a direct appearance of God (vv. 3-15), placed in a framework describing the poet's response to it (vv. 2, 16-19).
In verse 1 though attributing the hymn to Habakkuk, the title contains a musical notation, according to Shigionoth (a Hebrew word no longer understood), which is found elsewhere only in the Psalms- the term Selah (vv. 3, 9, 13: a Hebrew word no longer understood) and the musical notations in v. 19- suggest that this hymn may once have existed as a psalm, independent of the prophetic book that it now concludes.
In verse 2 the hymn's introduction and conclusion (vv. 16-19) are composed in the first-person perspective of the poet.
In verses 3-15 the theophany describes God's march into battle (vv. 3-7) and conquest of his enemies (vv. 8-15).
In verse 3 Teman and Mount Paran refer to a sacred mountain in the southern desert, perhaps identified with Mount Sinai (Horeb) and where God appeared to Moses and Israel (Ex 19; Deut 33.2-3).
In verse 5 pestilence and plague are divine figures in antiquity; they may be part of the heavenly armies God lead into battle.
In verse 7 Cushan and Midian are inhabitants of the southern desert where God's march begins.
They are shaken together with nature (v. 6) when God appears.
In verse 8 the forces of chaos that challenge God's rule of the world are personified in ancient mythology as Sea and River, as they may be here.
By describing God's enemies as here and in v. 15 as sea and river, the poet claims that God conquers chaotic forces in both cosmic and historical realms.
In verses 10-11 the sun and moon are heavenly figures who are members of God's armies, like pestilence and plague (v. 5), or are simply startled by God's appearance together with the rest of nature.
In verse 13 the anointed is Israel's military or political leader.
The Hebrew text of the second half of this verse is difficult.
It may also be understood as laying bare the body of the wicked (Sea/ River) from buttocks to neck, thus describing God defeat of the powers of cosmic chaos as well as Israel's historic enemies.
In verses 16-19 the conclusion resumes the first-person perspective of the introduction (v. 2), describing the poet's own awe at God's appearance (v. 16) and joy because of God's victory and rule (vv. 18-19).
Comments or questions..

Reading for January 18th

2012-01-11T17:21:00.000-08:00

Read Habakkuk 2.2-20.
In 2.2-4 God's response; God's rule is reliable.
In verse 2 God tells Habakkuk to record his revelation so that the prophet as God's messenger can carry and announce it to the people.
In verse 3 God's emphasizes the reliability of Habakkuk's revelation.
In verse 4 this verse may contain the content of Habakkuk's revelation or instructions about waiting for it.
The main point is that the righteous live by their faith.
Faithfulness is a better translation, since the Hebrew emunah means firmness, steadfastness, or fidelity.
In 2.5-20 five proverbial sayings about the fall of tyrants.
These sayings all claim that oppressors, like the Babylonians, will be suitably judged (1.17).
In each saying, all of which except the last begin with Alas, the tyrant experiences a reversal of fortune, as if imperial power has within it the seeds of its own destruction.
In verse 5 the introduction to these sayings describes the insatiable greed of the tyrant.
Sheol is the realm of the dead.
In verses 6-8 stolen wealth will itself be stolen.
The Hebrew term translated creditors may also mean debtors, a double meaning intended here.
In verses 9-11 security will be lost in the very strongholds built to ensure it.
In verses 12-14 the greatest efforts of tyrants are only fuel for the fire.
In verses 15-17 honor gained by shaming others will itself turn to shame.
In verses 18-20 false gods will fall silent.
Comments or questions..

Reading for January 17th

2012-01-11T16:50:00.000-08:00

Read Habakkuk 1.1-2.1
In 1.1 title.
The customary information about family, home, and date are not provided for Habakkuk.
In verses 2-4 Habakkuk's opening complaint: Judean corruption.
Habakkuk draws attention to crimes in his society, not by an indictment as is customary for Israel's prophets (Mic 3.9-12) but by a lament.
His lament begins as do laments in the psalms (3, 13), with an address to God (v. 2) followed by a description of distress (vv. 3-4).
In verse 3 destruction (or plunder) and violence are used by other prophets (am 3.10; Ezek 45.9) to describe the ruthless accumulation of wealth.
Strife and contention describe a breakdown in Judah's legal and judicial system.
In 1.5-11 God's response: a Chaldean invasion.
God announces to Habakkuk that Judah's injustices will be punished by means of foreign nation that will depose its current leadership.
In verse 6 the Chaldeans are the Neo-Babylonians, who rose to prominence in the ancient Near east during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II (605-562 BCE).
In verse 8 the typical ancient Near eastern military machine was built around horse drawn chariots and cavalry.
In 1.12-21 Habakkuk's second complaint: Chaldean corruption.
In his second complaint- probably composed after the Babylonians invaded Judah in 597, replaced its king, deported its leading citizen's, and collected tribute (2 Kings 24)- Habakkuk claims that the very instruments of God's judgment (v. 12), the Babylonians, are themselves wicked (v. 13).
In verse 16 when the Babylonian enemy sacrifices to his net, he is worshipping his own military armaments.
In 1.17-2.1 Habakkuk wonder weather the Babylonian injustices will go unpunished (1.17) or whether God will respond (2.1).
Comments or questions..

Reading for January 16th

2012-01-11T16:19:00.000-08:00

Read Obadiah 1-20.
In verses 1-7 the fall of Edom
Obadiah announces the sentence for Edom's crimes.
In verse 1 this messenger is a member of the heavenly council sent to announce God's plans.
In verse 3 the clefts of the rock refer to the mountain range, rising sharply to the east of the Jordan river valley, on which Edom is located.
In verse 6 Esau, the ancestor of the Edomites (Gen 25.30), is used by Obadiah as a synonym for Edom.
In verse 7 those who at your bread are the allies mentioned earlier in the verse.
Alliances were sealed by covenant meals (Gen 31.44-46).
In verses 8-14 Edom's betrayal of Judah.
Obadiah lists the details of Edom's exploitation of Judah following Babylon's destruction of Jerusalem (587 BCE).
In verse 9 Teman is either a synonym for Edom or another name of a section or city in Edom.
Mount Esau maybe a particular Edomite mountain or mountain range on which Edom was located.
In verse 10 Jacob, the brother of Edom's ancestor Esau (Gen 25.24-26), is used by Obadiah to represent the citizens of Jerusalem and Judah.
In verse 11 Jerusalem is the capital of Judah.
In verse 15-21 Edom's end and Judah's renewal.
Obadiah weaves together the themes of Edom's judgment and Judah's salvation.
In verse 18 the house of Jacob and the house of Joseph refer to the southern kingdom of Judah or the Israelite people as a whole, while the house of Esau refers to Edom.
In verses 19-20 listed here are the territories Obadiah expects to be resettled when Judah is restored: the Negeb, south of Judah; Mount Esau, the territory of Edom southeast of Judah; the Shephelah, the foothills west of Judah; the land of the Philistines on the Mediterranean coast west of Judah; Ephraim and its capital Samaria; the old northern kingdom of Israel; and Phoenicia and its city Zarephath, on the Mediterranean coast northwest of Judah.
Comments or questions...

Reading for January 15th

2012-01-08T17:05:00.000-08:00

Read Lamentations 5.1-22
In 5.1-22 a community lament.
This final poem follows the stylistic features of the communal laments of the psalm (Ps 44; 79)
A long description of misery and specific losses offers a glimpse into a conquered country: Babylonian conquerors force young and old into labor (vv. 5, 13); food and water are scarce (vv. 4, 6, 9, 10); women are raped (v. 11); and the once civilized city is now a haunt of jackals (v. 18).
In verse 7 we bear their iniquities; is the community accepting the guilt of their forebearers or complaining that it is punished for sins not its own?
In verses 14-18 all joy (music, dancing, public gathering at the city gates) has ceased.
In verses 19-22 the poem ends on a poignant note.
God's power is undisputed, though God's care is questioned.
The community asks that its broken relationship with God be healed, but fears that God's anger may be yet too great.
Comments or questions..

Reading for January 14th

2012-01-08T16:47:00.000-08:00

Read Lamentations 4.1-22
In 4.1-10 Jerusalem's changed fortunes.
The poet portrays a world upside down, where all that is normal has vanished.
In verses 2-4 children, once treasured, are as fragile as clay pots, and scare food is not given to them.
Ostriches have the reputation of neglecting their young (Job 39.13-18).
In verses 5-8 purple, due to the costliness of its dye, was worn by royalty.
The once privileged class now starves.
In verse 6 Sodom: see gen 19.24-25.
In verse 9 quick death would be better than the slow torture of famine.
In verse 8 black skin is a description of famine (5.10; Job 30. 30).
In verse 10 in a dramatic reversal, once compassionate mothers eat rather than feed their young.
In 4.11-16 God's anger has debased Zion.
In verse 12 the poet assumes that other nations along with Israel (Ps 48) believed in the invincibility of Jerusalem.
In verse 13 prophets and priests, as the primary leaders of the people are blamed for the bloodshed of war.
In verses 14-15 defiled with blood and unclean refer to the purity laws of Leviticus.
In 4.17-20 the final days of the city.
The poet describes the fall of Jerusalem (2 Kings 25), as she loses any hope of protection.
The nation that could not save is likely Egypt (Jer 44.30).
Lord's anointed is the king, who is described in exalted terms.
In 4.21-22 call for punishment of Edom.
Various accounts complain that Edom gloated over Jerusalem's fall (Obadiah; Ps 137).
The poet calls for punishment and self-humiliation of Edom.
In verse 22 punishment ... accomplished may suggest that the book is written after the traumatic events described.
Comments or questions..

Reading for January 13th

2012-01-06T17:35:00.000-08:00

Read Lamentations 3.42-66
In verses 42-51 a communal lament.
While beginning with recognition of guilt, the section also complains that God has refused to forgive (vv. 42, 44).
Further complaints follow.
The shame of defeat and enemy taunts, mentioned earlier in the book, is repeated.
In verse 48 while the speaker shifts to I the theme remains the fate of the city.
In verses 52-66 a psalm of praise.
As in 3.1-24, the individual catalogues his complaints generally and metaphorically: like a bird, v. 52; pit, vv. 53, 55; (Ps 7.15; 9.10).
As in a psalm of thanksgiving (Ps 31), God is reported to have answered the prayer.
In verse 52 without cause; striking different from the assumption of guilt (vv. 22-39).
In verses 59-66 complaint about enemies.
Although the preceding verses suggest that God has already responded to the individual's plea, the speaker explicitly calls for God to punish enemies (1.21-22).
Comments or questions..

Reading for January 12th

2012-01-06T17:25:00.000-08:00

Read Lamentations 3.25-41
In 3.25-41 a teaching on God's goodness.
In a jarring shift, this section at the center of the book offers beautiful statements of God's mercy, faithfulness, and compassion (vv. 22-33) and teaches silence in the face of suffering.
Because some passages appear to contradict material that comes before and after (v. 39: why should anyone complain?); these verses are often considered a later addition to the book.
They function, however, to balance the community's expression of suffering with the book's insistent theme that God is justifiably punishing Judah for its sins.
In verses 40-41 because God has acted justly, Judah must examine its own wrongs.
Comments or questions..

Reading for January 11th

2012-01-04T19:17:00.000-08:00

Read Lamentations 3.1-24
In 3.1-66 multiple responses to suffering.
Speakers and moods shift throughout this chapter, making a neat outline difficult.
Has the material been adjusted to fit the acrostic pattern?
Does the jarring style mimic the dissociation of trauma?
In 1-24 an individual lament.
Like other individual laments (Ps 38; 22), this section includes nonspecific complaints of suffering (vv. 1-19) and a statement of confidence in God (vv. 21-24).
Identified neither with the poet who has spoken previously nor with the Woman Zion, the speaker is an individual male (Heb., geber).
He explicitly blames God for his troubles, comparing God to heavy chains (v. 7) and gravel to teeth (v. 16).
In verse 15 wormwood (also v. 19) is bitter-tasting plant (Jer 9.14).
In verse 19 gall: bile (see comment on 2.1)
In verses 21-24 statement of confidence, a feature of the individual lament.
Comments or questions...

Reading for January 10th

2012-01-04T18:47:00.000-08:00

Read Lamentations 2.1-22
In 2.1-10 the poet on God's great anger.
The poet describes the severity of God's punishment: Jerusalem is destroyed and humiliated.
In verse 1 footstool: the Temple (Ps 99.5).
In verse 2 without mercy: without restraint.
In a series of reversals, the great are brought down to the ground.
In verses 3-5 God's right hand, his weapon hand does not defeat Israel but draws a bow against her like an enemy (Ex 15.6-12).
In verses 6-7 booth, tabernacle: the Temple, which along with festival king, and priest embodies the religious core of the nation, centered in Jerusalem and linked with the monarch (2 Sam 7).
In verses 8-10 stretched the line: apparently a step in destroying a building (2 Kings 21.13).
God has broken down the very features intended to protect Jerusalem: wall, gates, and ramparts (used for defense during military attacks).
The listing of groups within the city underscores the totality of the destruction.
Dust and sackcloth (v. 10) are typical gestures of mourning.
In 2.11-19 the poet continues his lament.
In verse 11 both the stomach (also 1.20) and bile refer to the seat of emotions (Jer 4.19); bile in addition means bitterness ( from the taste of the digestive substance secreted from the gallbladder).
In verse 14 false prophets gave unwarranted messages of comfort (Jer 14.13-16).
In verses 15-16 Jerusalem suffers not only the famine of children but also the taunts of enemies (Jer 19.8).
In verse 17 as he ordained long ago may refer to the teaching of the pre-exilic prophets for whom destruction of the nation as punishment for sin was a common motif.
In verses 18-19 the poet urges Jerusalem to petition God.
In 2.20-22 Jerusalem petitions God.
The stark picture of women eating their own children and the death of the young raises this question: Has God punished to severely?
Comments or questions..

Reading for January 9th

2012-01-02T10:52:00.000-08:00

Read Lamentations 1.1-22
In 1.1-11a a poet laments Jerusalem.
As in many prophetic books (Hosea, Jeremiah, Ezekiel), Jerusalem is personified as a woman.
In a striking series of contrasts, she who was great is now destitute like a widow; one a princess, she is now a vassal, the underling in a political relationship.
In verse 2 political allies are called Jerusalem's lovers ( Hos 2.7).
In verse 3 Exile, the conquering strategy of the neo-Babylonian empire, involved moving large groups of people out of their homelands into new locations.
In verse 4 public activities (festivals and gates, where people gather) have ceased.
Priests and young girls are among the many categories of people that the book show suffering.
In verse 5 the book repeatedly claims the LORD has made her suffer.
In verse 8-10 nakedness may have sexual connotation (Lev 18.6).
Uncleanness refers to menstruation (Lev 15.16-24).
These conditions intensify her shame, considered by the author to be as significant as physical suffering.
The immediate mention of precious things and the invasion of her sanctuary, while on the surface referring to the Temple may have sexual connotations as well.
In 11b-22 Jerusalem herself speaks.
The speaker changes at the end of v. 11, as the woman Jerusalem speaks in first person.
She repeats themes of the first speaker: She is shamed, and the devastation is punishment from God.
In verses 13-15 net, fire: punishments are describes generically (Ps 10.9: Isa 63.3).
The weight of Israel's sin is compared to a yoke worn by captives in war (Isa 9.4).
In verse 16 the lack of a comforter is a repeated theme in the book.
In verse 17 the voice shifts back to third person briefly.
Zion (the mountain on which Jerusalem is set are used as synonyms.
Filthy thing is the menstrual uncleanness of 1.9.
In verse 18 the voice of Jerusalem returns, acknowledging her sin yet lamenting the pain she has experienced.
In verse 20 Jerusalem's lament resembles that of Jeremiah (Jer 8.18-9.1).
In verse 21-22 again concerned with being shamed in the face of others, Jerusalem asks that they too, be treated according to their deeds.
Day you have announced refers to the Day of the LORD, envisioned as a day of vindication against enemies (Isa 13.6-16).
Comments or questions...

Reading for January 8th

2012-01-01T10:10:00.000-08:00

Read Malachi 3.13-4.6
In 3.13-4.6 God's judgment of the wicked and salvation of the righteous.
The announcement of God's judgment, like the announcement of God in 2.17-3.5, is made in response to those who believe there is no justice, that the wicked proper while the righteous do not (vv. 13-15).
Such a concern was not unique to Malachi's audience, as the books of Job (21.28-31) and Ecclesiastes (7.15) illustrate.
In verse 16 the book of remembrance is unique to Malachi, though it is based on an older traditions (Ex32.32; Ps 69.28).
In 4.2 the sun of righteousness is a title for God, who is elsewhere described with solar imagery (Ps 4.6; 84.11).
In verse 4 this event is summarized in Deut 5-6.
In verse 5 the expectation of the return of Elijah may be related to the tradition that he did not die but was taken up into heaven (2 Kings 2.11-12).
The phrase I will send ... associates him with God's messenger, mentioned in 3.1.
Comments or questions..

Reading for January 7th

2011-12-31T16:21:00.000-08:00

Read Malachi 2.17-3.12.
In 2.17-3.5 God's judgment.
Malachi announces a divine judgment as a response to those who weary God by complaining that the wicked prosper (v. 17).
In 3.1 the identity of the messenger is not stated, though the conclusion to the book of Malachi connects him with the prophet Elijah (4.5).
The first group singled out for judgment is the descendants of Levi, the priests who have been making improper offerings (see 1.6-2.9)
In verse 5 the adulterers judged here may be the faithless Judeans (2.10-16).
By describing God's judgment against those who oppress the poor and powerless, including the widow and the orphan, Malachi takes up the theme of social justice preached by Israel's pre-exilic prophets (Isa 1.17).
In 3.6-12 Judah's miserliness
Just as Judah's priests are not fulfilling their obligations for proper worship at the Temple (1.6-2.3), so Judah's people are not fulfilling theirs.
They are not bringing to the Temple the full tithes (v. 10) of their produce required by Israelite law (Lev 27.30-33; Deut 14.22-29).
In verse 10 the connection between proper worship and divine blessing in Malachi's message mirrors Haggai's though (Hag1.9-10).
Comments or questions...

Reading for January 6th

2011-12-30T16:31:00.000-08:00

Read Malachi 2.1-16
In verse 4 Levi is the ancestor of Israel's priestly families (1 Chr. 6.1-48).
In verse 8 priests were responsible for teaching and instruction.
Micah also blames priests for abusing their teaching office (3.11).
In 2.10-16 Judah's unfaithfulness.
This speech is either a criticism of idolatry, by means of the metaphor of unfaithfulness in marriage, or more likely, a criticism of unfaithful marriage relationships themselves.
In verses 10-12 Judean men have been faithless by marrying foreign women, the daughter of a foreign god (v. 11).
The prohibition against marrying foreign women appears to stem from concern that the husband will abandon worship of Israel's God (Ex 34.16; 1 Kings 11.1-2).
In verse 13-16 Judean men have also been faithless by divorcing their wives.
While deuteronomic law provides stipulations for divorce (Deut 24.1-4), this speech appears to be more critical of it.
Comments or questions..

Reading for January 5th

2011-12-30T16:14:00.000-08:00

Read Malachi 1.1-14
In verse 1 Title
Malachi, meaning my messenger is either the name of an individual or a title selected for the author of this prophetic collection on the basis of 3.1.
In verses 2-5 Edom's ruins.
For those who think their modest efforts at the reconstruction of Judah do not reflect God's presence or love, the uninhabited ruins of their neighbor Edom are a stark reminder of God's real absence and anger.
In verse 2 Esau, Edom's ancestor, was the brother of Jacob, Israel's ancestor (Gen 25.21-34).
In verse 3-4 God's destruction of Edom is viewed elsewhere as punishment for Edom's participation in the sacking of Jerusalem when it was conquered by the Babylonians (Obadiah; Ps 137.7-8).
In 1.6-29 the priest's sins.
Making up a third of the entire book, this accusation singles out two priestly sins: making improper offerings (1.6-2.3) and giving improper instruction (2.4-9).
In verse 8 priestly (Lev 1.3; 22.17-25) and deuteronomic (Deut 15.19-23) laws prohibit the sacrifice of blemished animals, Deuteronomy specifically forbidding the lame and the blind.
Comments or questions..

Reading for January 4th

2011-12-30T15:58:00.000-08:00

Read Zechariah 14.1-21
In 14.1-21 God defeats the nations and restores Jerusalem.
Speeches such as this one describing the defense and restoration of Jerusalem in the context of God's intervention against the neighboring nations that have oppressed it are common in the period after the Exile, as ch. 9, 10, and 12 illustrate ( Isa 59.15-20; Joel 3).
In verse 1 the plunder once taken from Jerusalem will be returned.
In verse 2 this is the only verse in the chapter that describes judgment rather than restoration, for Jerusalem.
The prophet either anticipates a coming judgement on Jerusalem's corrupt leadership (11.4-7; 13.2-9) or recalls the fall of Jerusalem in 587 BCE.
In verses 4-5 the citizen's of Jerusalem will escape God's attack on the nations by fleeing east through a great rift in the Mount of Olives, which in reality towers over the city.
In verse 8 the upwelling of Jerusalem's Gihon spring with abundant water is a common theme in visions of the future (Ezek 47.1-12; Joel 3.18).
In verse 16 the surrounding nations will make an annual pilgrimage to worship Israel's God in Jerusalem (8.22-23) in the fall festival of booths, a festival commemorating the autumn harvest (Deut 16.13-15).
Comments or questions..

Reading for January 3rd

2011-12-28T19:55:00.000-08:00

Read Zechariah 13.1-9
In 13.1-9 God removes false prophets and leaders.
This text like 11.4-17, focuses on corruption within Judah itself; especially among its leaders.
In verses 2-3 the prophets whose writings have been preserved in the Bible often find themselves in conflict with other prophets preaching opposite messages (Jer 14.14; Ezek 13.1-7)
Here the prophet accuses his opponents of preaching lies in the name of the Lord and announces God's judgment on them.
The unclean spirit (or breath) is the source of the prophet's false inspiration or revelation (1 Kings 22.19-23).
In verse 7 the judgment on Judah's shepherd resumes the criticism of Ezekiel's prophecy (5.1-12).
But here the prophet concentrates on a third that, though punished, will survive and renew their relationship to God.
Comments or questions..

Reading for January 2nd

2011-12-26T16:28:00.000-08:00

Read Zechariah 12.1-14
In 12.1-9 Judah defeats the nations.
This text like ch. 9, describes Judah's defense against its neighboring nations.
In verse 1 the title An Oracle marks the beginning of the second collection of speeches in chs. 9-14.
In verse 2 the cup of reeling, a traditional image of judgment, renders the enemy drunk and senseless (Isa 51.17-22).
In verse 6 the flaming torch, another traditional image of judgment, consumes the enemy, pictured as sheaves or stubble (Ob 18).
In verse 7 the house of David refers to a revival of the Davidic dynasty which ruled from Jerusalem before its fall in 587.
In 12.10-14 mourning in Jerusalem.
In verse 10 the identification of the object of mourning, the one whom they have pierced, is uncertain: but due to the wide extend of the mourning and the leading role of the house of David in it (vv. 10, 12), the person mourned may have been a member of the royal family.
In verse 11 Hadad-rimmon is the name of the Syrian storm god, a figure like Baal, the Canaanite storm god.
If taken as the name of a place named after his deity in the plain of Megiddo, however, this may be a reference to the mourning for the Judean king, Josiah, who was killed by the Egyptians in the plain of Megiddo and mourned by all of Judah and Jerusalem (2 Chr 35.20-25).
In verse 13 Levi and Shamei are priestly families.
Comments or questions..

Reading for January 1st

2011-12-26T16:10:00.000-08:00

Read Zechariah 11.1-7
In 11.1-3 God brings down wicked rulers.
As in 10.3, the details are too few to indicate whether these shepherds (v. 3) are leaders of foreign nations, such as those God defeats in previous verses (10.11-12), or leaders of Judah, such as those criticized in the following verses (11.4-6).
The cedars and cypress of Lebanon and the oaks of Bashan, legendary forests, are symbolic of the greet and powerful.
In 11.4-17 the prophet satirizes Judah's corrupt leaders.
In this first narrative, an anonymous prophet acts out the corrupt practices of Judah's leaders in order to expose and denounce them.
In verse 5 their own shepherds are Judah's leaders, buying and selling their people (v. 5).
The names of the two staffs, Favor (or pleasantness) and Unity, reflect the goals of the good shepherds for the sheep.
In verse 8 the identity of the three shepherds is unknown.
In verse 9 having disposed of the three shepherds (v. 8), the prophet apparently becomes impatient with the people themselves.
In verse 10 breaking the staffs of Favor and Unity (v. 14) consigns the flock, the people of Judah, to a time of trouble and conflict.
In verses 12-13 the reason for the amount of the wages and their deposit in the Temple is uncertain.
Donations of about this amount were made to the Temple to redeem people devoted to Temple service from their obligation (Lev 27.1-8).
On the other hand, the prophet may, by placing tainted money in the Temple treasuries, want to indict the Temple and its leaders as corrupt.
In verse 14 the prophet abandons hope for the reunion of the old northern kingdom of Israel and southern kingdom Judah, which traced their origins back to a sing ancestor Jacob (Gen 49).
In verses 15-17 the prophet anticipates, by dressing up a second time as a shepherd (v. 4) the arrival of another corrupt leader.
Comments or questions..

Reading for December 31st

2011-12-25T13:27:00.000-08:00

Read Zechariah 10.1-12
In 10.1-12 God gathers the exiles.
This speech continues the theme of restoration in the previous oracle by focusing on God's work of returning the exiles of Israel and Judah.
In verse 2 Teraphim are objects or images used in worship (Judg 17.5) and were condemned by some writers (2 Kings 23.24).
Here the main concern seems to be that all media of revelation have become silent.
In verse 3 it is uncertain whether these shepherds, the people's leaders are rulers of foreign countries oppressing Judah (Jer 12.10) or Judah's own rulers who have become corrupt (Isa 56.11), like those denigrated in 11.4-6.
In either case, they will be punished so God can restored the house of Judah.
In verses 6-7 the house of Joseph and Ephraim are references to the northern kingdom of Israel.
In verse 10 Egypt and Assyria are two of the countries to which Israelites were exiled (2 Kings 17.5-6; 25.26).
Gilead and Lebanon are territories to the north of Israel.
Comments or questions...

Reading for December 30th

2011-12-25T12:53:00.000-08:00

Read Zechariah 9.1-17
In 9.1-17 the divine warrior defends Judah.
This chapter begins the second part of Zechariah, which, because of its differences in style and content, appears to have been composed later than chs. 1-8 and to have been added to the prophecies of Zechariah.
The title An Oracle (9.1; 12.1) divides these supplementary speeches into two collections, chs. 9-11 and 12-14.
In verse 1-8 God marches from north to south, defeating Judah's traditional enemies and taking up residence in Jerusalem.
In verses 1-2a Hadrach, Damacus, and Hamath are important Aramean cites north of Israel and Judah.
In verses 2b-4 Tyre and Sidon are important Phoenician cites on the Mediterranean coast northwest of Judah.
Tyre's legendary wisdom and wealth are described in Ezek 28.
In verses 5-7 Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and Asdod are important Philistine cites on the Mediterranean coast west of Judah.
The Jebusites (v. 7) were defeated by David when he conquered Jerusalem (2 Sam 5.6-10)
In verse 8 following the victory, the divine warrior is enthroned in his temple (Ps 29.9-11).
In verse 9 while God may be referred to as king in late prophetic literature (Zeph 3.14-15), a human king reviving the Davidic dynasty may be intended here (Jer 23.5-6; Hag 2.20-23).
The Davidic king from the tribe of Judah referred to in Gen 49.10-11 is pictured with a donkey, the traditional transportation for gods and kings in antiquity.
In verse 10 Ephraim is a name for the northern kingdom of Israel (Hos 5.5).
International peace is a typical element in visions of the future (Mic 4.3-4).
In verse 11 the exilic prophet Second Isaiah also combines God's remembrance of the covenant with God's liberation of the exiles (Isa 42.6-7).
In verse 13 Greece (Heb. Javan) is one of the lands to which the Judeans were exiled (Isa 66.18-20; Joel 3.6).
Comments or questions...

Reading for December 29th

2011-12-25T12:40:00.000-08:00

Read Zechariah 8.1-23
In 8.1-23 a promise of restoration.
In this second part of his final speech, Zechariah includes many of the typical themes of post-exilic prophecy: the renewal of Jerusalem (vv. 2-5), the return of the exiles (vv. 6-8), the rebuilding of the Temple (vv. 9-13), and the respect of the nations (vv. 20-23).
In verse 6 the remnant refers tot he exiles who are returning to Judah (vv. 7-8; Hag 1.12).
To these returnees the process of reconstruction seems impossible (4.10; Hag 2.3).
In verse 9 laying the Temple's foundation is described in Hag 1.12-14 and Ezra 5.1-2.
In verse 10 the difficult times described here appear to reflect those mentioned by Haggai (1.2-11).
In verse 17 false oaths are a major concern in Zechariah's sixth vision (5.1-4).
In verse 19 though not addressed directly to those who had asked Zechariah about mourning rituals (7.3), this speech instructs the people to substitute festivals of celebration for fasting.
In verses 22-23 the conversation of the nations is a common theme in the post-exilic period (Isa 60.1-7; Mic 4.1-4).
Comments or questions...

Reading for December 28th

2011-12-21T16:30:00.000-08:00

Read Zechariah 7.1-14
In 7.1-14 a charge to live justly.
Zechariah's concluding speech is divided in two parts: an appeal with an eye on the past-to create a just society (ch 7), and a promise-with an eye on the future-of renewal and celebration. (ch. 8).
In verse 1 this speech is dated two years later (518 BCE) than Zechariah's opening speech (1.1).
In verse 2 Bethel is 10 miles north of Jerusalem.
In verse 3 prophets were often asked for divine instructions (Ezek 8.1; 14.1).
The period of mourning in the fifth month, about which the envoys ask Zechariah, may have commemorated the destruction of the Temple in the fifth month (2 Kings 25.8-9).
In verse 5 seventy years appears to refer to the Exile, though the Exile was shorter see comment on 1.12.
In verse 7 Zechariah refers to the period before Jerusalem's fall in 587 BCE.
In verses 8-11 by responding to a question about mourning rituals (v. 3) with a charge to create a just society, Zechariah appears to side with his predecessors, the former prophets (v. 7), who claimed that religious rituals were meaningless apart from the practice of justice in all areas of life (Am 5.21-24).
The same concern is also present in Zechariah's sixth and seventh visions (5.1-11).
Throughout this speech Zechariah uses his ancestors who disobeyed as a lesson for his own audience.
Comments or questions..

Reading for December 27th

2011-12-21T16:08:00.000-08:00

Read Zechariah 6.1-15
In 6.1-8 the eighth vision: the heavenly chariots and international peace.
In this, Zechariah's final vision, as in his first vision (1.7-17), the world is at peace, but now that peace includes the restoration of Judah and Jerusalem among the nations.
In verses 1-3 these four chariots parallel the four horsemen in Zechariah's first vision (1.8-10) and represent God's heavenly patrol (v. 7) assigned to watch over the world's affairs.
Mountains signify the abode of the gods in antiquity.
In verse 8 the chariot patrol that sets God's spirit at rest in the north country thereby establishes the security of Judah on the international scene.
It was from the north that Judah's enemies attacked (Jer 6.22), and it was from the north that Judah's exiles returned from captivity in Babylon (Jer 3.18).
In 6.9-15 a charge to the high priest Joshua.
This speech, placed between Zechariah's last vision and his concluding speech (chs.7-8) maybe an editorial addition.
In verse 10 Josiah is a priestly figure, whose father Zephaniah was killed alongside Joshua's grandfather Seriah when Jerusalem was conquered (2 Kings 25.18-21)
In verses 11-13 while this speech is directed to Joshua, its content seems more suitable for Zerubbabel.
In 3.8 the Branch is not Joshua but an individual presented to him.
In 4.6-10 Zerubbabel, not Joshua, is commissioned as the Temple builder.
Moreover, the Hebrew text does not say that a crown but that (two?) crowns were made, perhaps for both the royal figure and the priest mentioned in v. 13.
It appears almost as if a speech once directed to Judah's political leader has been redirected to its religious leader.
In any case, the concept of a leadership shared between religious and political figures found elsewhere in Zechariah (4.14) is present here too.
Comments or questions...

Reading for December 26th

2011-12-19T03:21:00.000-08:00

Read Zechariah 5.1-11
In 5.1-4 the sixth vision: the flying scroll and social justice.
The scrolls flight indicates that the power of its message covers the whole land.
In verses 3-4 the two crimes mentioned in the scroll's text are theft and deceit in official transactions (swearing falsely), two of the ten commandments (Ex 20.7, 15).
Why these two are singled out is not stated, but they represent the elimination of corruption from Judean society, the theme of the next vision as well.
In 5.5-11 the seventh vision: the basket and Judah's purification.
In verse 6 Basket translates the Hebrew term ephah, a unit of measure.
In verse 8 wickedness is a general term referring to corruption and uprightness in general.
In verse 11 the removal of the basket containing wickedness to Shinar, a name for the plain in which Babylon is located (Gen 11.1-9), symbolizes the elimination of wickedness from Judean society.
Comments or questions..

Reading for December 25th

2011-12-18T18:08:00.000-08:00

Read Zechariah 4.1-14
In 4.1-14 the fifth vision: the golden lampstand and Judah's leadership.
The vision may originally have been the central vision in a seven-vision sequence.
In verse 2 the lampstand (Heb. menorah) in the temple is unusually elaborate and difficult to describe, though it is related to the lampstand in the tabernacle. (Ex 25.31-37).
The bowl may have contained the oil for the lamps, and the lips help the lamp's wicks.
In verse 3 images of trees adorned the walls of Solomon Temple (1 Kings 6.29).
In 6-10a this speech to Zerubabbel, encouraging him in the rebuilding of the temple (Hag 2.1-4; Ezra 5.1-2), interrupts the vision narrative and maybe a later addition.
In 10b the vision narrative resumes with the explanation the the seven lamps represent God's eyes watching the entire earth.
In verse 14 the anointed ones, symbolized in the vision by two olive trees (vv. 3, 11), represent Judah's leadership, shared by a religious figure (the high priest Joshua: 3.1-10) and a political figure (Zerubabbel; 4.6-10a).
Comments and questions..

Reading for December 24th

2011-12-18T17:42:00.000-08:00

Read Zechariah 3.1-10
In 3.1-10 the fourth vision: Joshua's installation as high priest.
This vision may have been a later addition to the vision sequence: it does not open with the question and answer exchange between Zechariah and the interpreting angel that begins the other visions.
In verse 1 the term Satan does not refer to the prince of evil familiar from early Christian writings.
It is a common noun, not a name in Hebrew means adversary or accuser that member of God's heavenly court designated to bring cases against individuals (Job 1.6).
In verse 2 a brand plucked from the fire refers to someone who has survived God's judgment of Israel and Judah (Am 4.11).
In verses 3-5 the reclothing of Joshua symbolizes his sanctification for priestly office (Lev 8.6-9).
In verse 7 my house is the Temple in Jerusalem.
In verse 8 my servant and the Branch are royal titles used of the Davidic dynasty (2 Sam 7.5; Jer 23.5) and may be used here of Zerubbabel (4.6-10a; Hag 2.23), governor of Judah and a member of the Davidic family.
In verse 9 the seven-faceted stone and its inscription are images of royalty (2 Sam 12.30; 2 Kings 11.12).
Comments or questions...

Reading for December 23rd

2011-12-16T16:49:00.000-08:00

Read Zechariah 2.1-13
In 2.1-5 the third vision: the measuring line and Jerusalem's resettlement.
In verse 1 the man with a measuring line is a surveyor making preparations for rebuilding Jerusalem.
In verse 5 God, not its walls (v. 4) will protect Jerusalem.
In 2.6-13 a charge to the exiles.
A brief speech, urging Judah's exiles to return from exile in Babylon, interrupts the sequence of visions.
In verse 7 Babylon is the city to which the majority of Judah's exiles were deported (2 Kings 24.14-15; 25.11-12).
In verse 10 Daughter Zion is Jerusalem.
Comments or questions..

Reading for December 22nd

2011-12-15T18:02:00.000-08:00

Read Zechariah 1.1-21
In 1.1-6 Zechariah's opening speech.
Zechariah's visions (1.7-6.8) are introduced and concluded (chs. 7-8) by speeches in which Zechariah urges his listeners to embrace the social responsibilities and just behavior preached by the prophets before him.
In verse 1 Zechariah's opening and closing speeches (1.1; 7.1), together with his visions (1.7), are dated.
The second year of Darius (522-486 BCE) is 520 BCE, the same year in which Haggai preached (Hag 1.1; 2.1, 10).
In verse 4 the former prophets are Zechariah's predecessors who preached before the fall of Jerusalem.
Zechariah quotes words similar to Jeremiah's (Jer 25.5).
In 1.7-17 the first vision: the heavenly horsemen and God's plans for Jerusalem.
This is the first of eight visions that make up the core of Zechariah's prophecy.
In verse 7 the chronological notice dates the entire vision complex three months later than Zechariah's opening speech or early 519 BCE.
In verse 8 these horsemen are God's heavenly patrol, keeping watch over the world's affairs (v. 10).
The significance of the horses' colors is uncertain, but the number four represents totality.
In verse 11 peace in this case is undesirable, since the plight of Jerusalem remains unchanged.
In verse 12 the Babylonian exile lasted only 50 years (587-538 BCE), not seventy, but Jeremiah mentions a 70-year period of servitude to Babylon (Jer 25.11-12), to which Zechariah may be referring.
In verse 16 the rebuilding of the Temple is the central concern of Zechariah's contemporary Haggai.
In 1.18-21 the second vision: The four horns and Judah's security.
In verse 18 the horn, a symbol of power (Ps 18.2), represents the strength of the nations that have conquered and exiled the Israelite people.
The number four probably represents totality rather than specific countries.
In verses 20-21 the four blacksmiths strike off the horns, thus putting an end to the power of the nations to dominate Judah.
Comments or questions..

Reading for December 21st

2011-12-15T17:37:00.000-08:00

Read Haggai 2.1-23
In 1.15b-2.9 the vision of the new Temple.
Haggai encourages those whose first efforts at reconstruction of the Temple seem insignificant.
In verse 3 its former glory recalls the splendor of Solomon's Temple (1 Kings 6), which was destroyed when Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians in 587 BCE (2 Kings 25.9, 13-17).
In verse 4 the people of the land may refer to those who had remained in Judah after its conquest by Babylon.
In verse 5 Haggai reminds the people that God delivered them from slavery in Egypt (Ex 1.1-15).
In verses 6-7 descriptions of Judah's restoration are often accompanied by images of the cosmos in disarray (Isa 51.6) and the nations bringing tribute to Jerusalem (Isa 45.14).
In 2.10-19 the promise of agricultural bounty.
Haggai announces that God will bless the people's work on the Temple by granting them good harvests.
In verse 12 the point of this priestly decision is that holiness cannot be transferred (from consecrated meat carried home to eat; Lev 6.26-27; 7.16-17).
In verse 13 the point of this priestly decision is the uncleanness can be transferred (from a corpse through a person to other objects; Num 5.1-4).
In verse 14 both of these previous questions (vv. 12-13) simply set up Haggai's point in this verse: without a proper worship space, uncleanness has tainted all that the people have done.
In 2.20-23 the promise to Zereubbabel.
The focus shifts from reconstruction of the Temple to the installation of Zereubbabel as Judah's leader.
In verses 21-22 descriptions of Judah's restoration are often accompanied by references to the conquest of other nations (Joel 3).
In verse 23 while Zereubbabel is only a governor of Judah (1.1; 2.1) under Persian authority, he is a member of the Davidic family that had ruled Jerusalem (see 1.1, and Haggai maybe be announcing a greater role for him.
Both my servant (2 Sam 7.5) and signet ring (Jer 22.24) may be royal images anticipating a revival of the Davidic dynasty.
Comments or questions..

Reading for December 20th

2011-12-13T18:13:00.000-08:00

Read Haggai 1.1-15
In 1.1-15a the charge to rebuild the Temple.
Haggai's first speech directs those who have returned to Jerusalem from exile to begin reconstruction of the Temple.
In verse 1 King Darius (522-486) is the third monarch of the Persian empire, of which Judah became a province when the Persian King Cyrus conquered Babylon in 538 BCE.
The second year of Darius' reign is 520 BCE.
Zerubbabel, grandson of of Jehoiachin (Jeconiah; 1 Chr 3.16-19), the king of Judah exiled to Babylon in 587 BCE (2 kings 24.8-17; 25.27-30), had returned to Judah with other exiles (Ezra 2.1-2).
Joshua's grandfather Seraiah, chief priest of Jerusalem, was killed when Jerusalem was conquered by the Babylonians (2 Kings 25.18-21), and Joshua's father, Jehozadak, was deported to Babylon (1 Chr 6.14-15).
In verse 12 the remnant of the people refers to those who had returned to Judah from Babylonian exile (Jer 43.5).
Comments or questions...

Reading for December 19th

2011-12-12T08:11:00.000-08:00

Read Zephaniah 3.1-20
In 3.1-7 Jerusalem is indicted.
The sins listed here, to gether with those of 1.4-9, are the basis for the devasting judgment described in 1.2-2.3.
In verse 1 the oppressing city is Jerusalem, Judah's capital.
In verses 3-4 while Zephaniah's first indictment of Judah's sins focuses on the worship of other gods (1.4-9), this indictment focuses, as do those of Micah (4.6-8), on Judah's political and religious leadership.
In verse 7 the city is Jerusalem.
In 3.8-20 Judah is restored.
A major shift occurs here in the book of Zephaniah from the criticism of Judah and announcement of its destruction (1.2-2.3; 3.1-7)
to the anticipation of its renewal.
Either Zephaniah himself looked forward to anew era after Judah's fall, or the speech was added by Zephaniah's editors after Judah's fall to provide hope to its exiles.
The speech shares numerous images with literature composed during and after the Exile (after 587 BCE).
In verse 9 the expectation of the conversion of the nations is characteristic of exilic literature (Isa 55.4-5; Mic 4.1-2).
In verse 11 my holy mountain is the Temple mount in Jerusalem.
In verses 19-20 the return of Judah's exiles, often pictured as lame and outcasts, was a widespread hope during the exile and afterwards (Isa 35.5-10; Mic 4.6-8).
Comments or questions...

Reading for December 18th

2011-12-12T07:53:00.000-08:00

Read Zephaniah 2.4-15
In 2.4-15 the nations are judged.
The lengthy speech describing Judah's judgment is followed by a collection of shorter speeches describing judgment on four of Judah's neighbors: Philsta ( vv. 4-7), Moab and Ammon (vv. 8-11, Ethiopia (v. 12), and Assyria (vv. 13-15).
In verse 4 Gaza, Ashkelon, Ahdod, and Ekron are major cities of Philista, Judah's neighbor on the Mediterranean coast.
In verse 5 Cherethites is a synonym for, or a subgroup of, the Philistines, who are associated with Crete, part of the larger Aegean area from which the Philistines came.
In verse 8 Moab and Ammon are Judah's neighbors east of the Jordan River.
In verse 9 Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by God in a fierce firestorm (Gen 19.12-29) and therefore represent divine judgment.
In verse 13Assyria, with is capital in Nineveh, is an ancient Near Eastern superpower that destroyed the kingdom of Israel in 721 BCE and dominated the southern kingdom of Judah for a century before Zephaniah career.
In verse 15 the exultant city is Nineveh.
The images of its fall here mirror those in the speeches of Nahum.
Comments or questions..

Reading for December 17th

2011-12-12T07:24:00.000-08:00

Read Zephaniah 1.1-2.3
1.1 Title.
Josiah governed the southern kingdom of Judah during 640-609 BCE (2 Kings22.1-23.30).
Hezekiah, Zephaniah's great-great- grandfather, may be the earlier Judean king who governed from 715-687 (2 Kings 18-20).
In 1.2-2.3 the day of the Lord: Judah is judged.
Though Zephaniah does include in his speech an indictment of Judah's sins (1.4-9), as is customary in prophetic judgment speeches, he emphasizes the sentence, God's punishment on Judah and its people.
In 1.2-2.3 this is one of the most desolate images of judgment in the prophetic literature (Jer 4.23-26).
In verse 4 Jerusalem, the capital city of Judah, is singled out for further criticism in 3.1-7.
With this mention of Baal, the Canaanite god who is the major rival of Judah's God (Hos 2), Zephaniah begins the indictment of Judah's crimes, focusing on its rejection of Yahweh and its worship other gods (vv. 4-9).
In verse 5 the host of the heavens are the sun, moon, planets, and stars, the worship of which became widespread in Judah under Assyrian influence (2 Kings 21.3-5).
Milcom is the god of the Ammonites (2.8; 2 Kings 23.13).
In verse 7 Zephaniah introduces the theme of the day of the Lord for God's judgment on Judah, a theme that carries this judgment speech forward to its conclusion in 2.3.
God's sacrifice is not the customary animal sacrifice but God's enemies (Jer 46.10), in this case the people of Judah themselves.
In verse 9 those who leap over threshold maybe practicing a ritual associated with the Philistine god Dagon (1 Sam 5.5).
In verse 10 the Fish Gate is located in the north wall of Jerusalem (Neh 12.39).
The Second Quarter is a district in Jerusalem near the Temple complex (2 Kings 22.14).
In verse 11 the Mortar is Jerusalem's business district.
In verse 12 the phrase who thicken or rest complacently) on their dregs may be translated: who are as undisturbed as the sediment of wine.
In verse 18 while the picture of destruction in this verse appears to include the entire world, Zephaniah's concern is Judah in particular, as the preceding and following verses show.
In 2.1-3 Zephaniah's judgment speech concludes with an appeal to Judah (shameless nation, v. 1) to seek the Lord and reform in order to avert disaster (Am 5.6, 14-16).
Comments or questions...

Reading for December 16th

2011-12-11T19:20:00.000-08:00

Read Nehemiah 13.15-31
In verse 17 profaning the Sabbath day?
This is contrary tot he pledges made in 10.31 to keep the sabbath, even if foreign merchants come with goods to sell.
In verse 19 I set some of my servants over the gates, apparently to ensure that Nehemiah's orders to shut the gates at the beginning of the sabbath were fulfilled.
Cordoning off the city on the sabbath makes the entire city a holy precinct on that day.
In verse 22 this explains why Nehemiah commands the Levites that they should purify themselves and come and guard the gates.
With the entire community turned into a house of God, the Levites should guard the entry ways just as they had previously guarded the entrances to the Temple precincts.
In verse 27 this great evil: just as Ezra, the intermarriage of the community with the surrounding peoples is portrayed in graphic terms as a most serious violation of divine order.
The discovery of intermarriage was contrary tot he pledges of the community in 10.30.
While ch. 10 the community voluntarily takes an oath, here Nehemiah made them take an oath, with a strong public display of anger.
In verse 28 one of the sons of Jehoiada: just as Tobiah's relationship to certain of the priests presented a problem at the beginning of this section, not Sanballat's relationship to a member of the high priestly family presents another challenge.
In verse 30 I cleansed them from everything foreign: the community, as a house of God, has been cleansed of patterns that would pull them away from their strict observance of the law.
Just as David and Solomon made specific provisions for the care of the Temple personnel, Nehemiah places himself in the same company for establishing the duties of the priests and the Levites, each in his work.
In verse 31 for good, that is, all the good the Nehemiah has accomplished on behalf of the community.
Comments or questions..

Reading for December 15th

2011-12-11T18:46:00.000-08:00

Read Nehemiah 13.1-14
In 13.1-3 the separation of foreigners.
Slipping back into a first-person form, this brief notice highlights again the now sacred character of the community as a whole.
In verse 1 on that day is unclear, but in context it must mean on the day of the dedication of the walls.
No Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God refers to Deut 23.3-6, where the assembly of God is the worshipping community appearing in the Temple.
In verse 3 they separated from Israel all those of foreign descent, presumably including non-Ammonite and non-Moabite persons.
The Deuteronomic law is being extended to the community as a whole, not just the worshipping body, and to all foreigners, not just Ammonites and Moabites.
This marks a further redefinition of the community as a sacred body.
Note that intermarriage is not raised here.
THE POSTLOGUE
In 13.4-31 having described the communal confession of sin, the entry into a solemn covenant, the dedication of the walls, and the redefinition of the community as the house of God, it remains for the author to clarify what happened to Nehemiah.
This postlogue offers a sort of conclusion to Nehemiah's mission, showing the reformer forcefully addressing a number of wrongs in the community.
The section as a whole is based on the covenant contents of ch. 10, but in reverse order.
For example, where the covenant begins with a vow to end intermarriage (10.30), the present section ends with the same issue (vv. 23-27).
Nehemiah's efforts are aimed at trying to get the community to live up to its own promises.
In verse 5 prepared for Tobiah a large room in the Temple precinct: Tobiah was not only one of Nehemiah's primary adversaries, but was an Ammonite, a group to be excluded from the Temple (13.1-2).
They had previously put the grain offering suggests that the offerings are not coming in as they had been, allowing for the room to be put to other uses.
In verse 6 I was not in Jerusalem: Nehemiah apparently was called back to the court for reasons not directly relating to his governance of the district.
The thirty-second year of Artaxerxes would be 432 BCE.
In verse 8 I was very angry: by making such a public show, Nehemiah may have been hoping to bring the priest Eliashib, a relative of Tobiah, under control.
This entire incident is a follow-up to the actions of the community in 13.1-3.
In verse 10 the portions of the Levites had not been given to them: this is contrary to the pledge made in 10.35-39 not to neglect the house of God.
It also specifically violates the pledge made in 12.44-47 to ensure the singers could remain at their posts.
Comments or questions..

Reading for December 14th

2011-12-07T04:51:00.000-08:00

Read Nehemiah 12.27-47
In 12.27-43 the dedication of Jerusalem's walls.
This section briefly returns to a first-person's style, similar to the other sections of the Nehemiah memoir.
It recounts the elaborate dedication ceremony, with the community divided into two large portions processing along the walls till they meet by the Temple.
The dedication is given a religious dimension with priests and Levites actively participating in the ceremony.
In verse 27 they sought out the Levites in all their places: the Levites, who lived in common villages, were needed to ensure the full complement of music and praise.
In verse 30 purified themselves: a necessary preparatory step for a religious ceremony.
Also necessary was the purification of the people, though purifying the gates and walls represents a new level of concern for correctness.
Such an act extends the arena of God's presence from the Temple to the entire walled city.
In verse 36 and the scribe Ezra went in front in recognition of the importance of his contributions to the community.
In verse 40 both companies ... stood in the house of God: no formal entry into the Temple its has preceded this point.
This makes no sense if the entire walled city is being considered the house of God.
In verse 43 the joy of Jerusalem was heard: this offers a conclusion to the rejoicing and jubilation the community had experienced.
In 12.44-47 the community ensures Temple service.
Shifting back to a third-person narrative, this section recounts efforts the community made to ensure that the contributions to the Temple stores were properly accounted for.
The focus is exclusively on the community and its support for the Temple personnel.
In verse 44 men were appointed: the appointment was by the consensus of the community, not by an individual.
Being over the stores included the inventorying and redistribution of offerings.
Such care was taken because Judah rejoiced over the priests and Levites who ministered.
Taking care over the offerings that support these persons was an act of thanksgiving for the joy worship provided to the community.
In verse 47 the daily portions: the offering that provided daily rations to the Temple personnel
Parallelling Zerubbabel, who rebuilt the Temple, Nehemiah, who rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem, serves the same function as Ezra 1-6 served in mixing the two efforts together: the rebuilding of the walls and subsequent solemn covenant reformed the house of God just as the physical rebuilding of the building did.
To speak of Nehemiah in this manner makes it sound like his term as as governor is over.
Comments or questions...

Reading for December 13th

2011-12-07T04:44:00.000-08:00

Read Nehemiah 12.1-26
In 12.1-26 lists of priests and Levites.
Though the list appears fairly well organized (priests and Levites from the time of the return, vv. 1-9; high priests during the sixth to fifth centuries, vv. 10-11; priests and Levites from the generation after the return, vv. 12-25; and a chronological summary, v 26), there is evidence the lists have been expanded over time.
While the question of sources and historicity are highly debated, the lists in its present position serves to emphasize the sacred character of the newly populated holy city.
In verse 24 according to the commandment of David: see the account in 1 Chr 23.30, where David sets several families of Levites aside for this purpose.
Comments or questions..

Reading for December 12th

2011-12-05T06:29:00.000-08:00

Read Nehemiah 11.19-36
In 25-36 a note about villages outside Jerusalem.
This brief account touches on some of the settlements outside Jerusalem that constituted the territory of Judah.
Several of the places on the list were not settled by Jews until the Hellenistic period, so this list may be an idealized fiction, approximating the settlements of Judah as described in the tribal allotments of the book of Joshua (Josh 15.1-12).
In effect, this makes the same point as the notice of the Festival of Booths earlier (8.17).
Comments or questions...

Reading for December 11th

2011-12-05T06:18:00.000-08:00

Read Nehemiah 11.1-18
In 11.1-24 the community repopulates Jerusalem.
Further focusing on the community's dedication to the law, this section depicts the repopulation of Jerusalem, ending with another lengthy list of those who moved into Jerusalem.
In verse 1 one out of ten: this applies the tithe (Deut 12.17) to the community's total population.
This is the first time Jerusalem is called the holy city, and extension of the Temple precinct's sacredness to the entire city now that it is marked by the completed walls.
In verse 2 the people blessed ... live in Jerusalem: the community's desire to undertake this task is emphasized.
The listing that follows offers leaders (divided into those of Judah and Benjamin), priests, Levites, and gatekeepers.
Comments or questions...

Reading for December 10th

2011-12-03T16:21:00.000-08:00

Read Nehemiah 10.1-39
In 10.28-39 the terms of the covenant.
Having made extensive confession before God, the community now offers a solemn covenant that covers a wide range of obligations.
All these will reform the community and bring it into accord with the law of God.
In verse 28 the rest of the people, that is, other than the name signatories.
In verse 30 we will not give our daughters ... take their daughters: the first major commitment is to oppose intermarriage and cease its practice.
The dissolution of existing ethically mixed marriages is not called for.
In verse 31 we will not buy ... on the sabbath or on a holy day: this involves observing the sabbath with new rigor, since the law does not prohibit buying on the sabbath, though selling on the sabbath may have been customarily forbidden (Am 8.5).
Forgo the crops of the seventh year: crop land is to receive a sabbath (Lev 25.1-7), combined with rules regarding the release of debts (Deut 15.1-8).
These rules had not previously been linked.
In verse 32 one-third shekel: this was an annual Temple tax that continued into the Roman period (Mt 17.24-27).
The Temple tax was instituted after the Exile since there was no source of regular royal underwriting of Temple functions.
In verse 34 the community also commits to supply the wood offering to support the Temple service.
In verse 35 first fruits: while the first cuttings of grain are specified in the law (Deut 26.1-11), no provision is required for the produce of fruit trees.
The remaining obligations commit the community to the support of various aspects of Temple service.
In verse 39 the main thrust of this covenant extends the coverage of the law, placing a larger sphere of life into the realm of the holy as part of service for the house of our God.
Comments or questions...

Reading for December 9th

2011-12-02T17:44:00.000-08:00

Read Nehemiah 9.18-38
In verse 32 keeping covenant and steadfast love emphasizes God's enduring relationship with Israel.
Do not treat lightly all the hardship that has come upon us is an appeal that God not add to the community's burden but accept the deep contrition being expressed.
In verse 36 here we are, slaves this day: though overly dramatic, the community most likely did find itself in a bound condition under imperial constraints.
In verse 38 we make a firm agreement: the confession has noted the community's present predicament, which now calls for a response that takes the law very seriously, not repeating the sins of the past.
To commit to the agreement in writing further affirms the serious intend here.
The author has made this intent more apparent by listing the names of the community leadership affirms this covenant in 10.1-27.
Surprisingly, Ezra is absent from the list.
Comments or questions..

Reading for December 8th

2011-12-02T17:23:00.000-08:00

Read Nehemiah 9.1-17
In 9.1-10.27 a day of community confession.
This account explains a solemn covenant to which the community will bind itself.
Most of the section is a lengthy prayer, possibly offered by Ezra, which implores God to see the sufferings of the community in the present.
The people hope that seeing how they have suffered, God will spare them any additional hardship in spite of their failure to observe the law.
The account closes with the names of those who affirmed the covenant.
Many have suggested that all or parts of the account fit best with materials from Ezra 10.
In verse 1 the twenty-fourth day of this month: following the author's chronology, the Feast of Weeks, lasting eight days, would have ended on the tenth day of the month.
The community had clearly prepared for the expression of grief by fasting and being dressed in sackcloth.
In verse 2 separated themselves: possibly a reflection of the sending away of the foreign wives of Ezra 10, though the wording here clearly relates to foreign men as well.
Since the confession is rooted in the particular experiences of Israel, the wording may simply mean that only those who have continuity with pre-exilic Israel continued with the confession, while converts to Judaism did not participate.
In verse 6 Ezra said: this reading follows the Greek translation of Nehemiah.
The Hebrew text implies the prayer is offered by the congregation as a whole.
The prayer goes on to recount God's special kindness to Israel and the coming into the land of Israel.
The prayer also notes the problem of idolatry that led to judgment, though characterizing these transgressions by the more general casting of the law behind their backs (v. 26).
Of particular note is the emphasis on God as a gracious and merciful God (v. 31).
Comments or questions..

Reading for December 7th

2011-12-02T12:55:00.000-08:00

Read Nehemiah 8.1-18
In 7.73.b-8.12 the community gathers to hear the law.
This section brings back into the narrative the figure of Ezra, of whom nothing has been said since the close of the book of Ezra.
This sudden reemergence of Ezra and the focus on the importance of the law has led many scholars to conclude that this narrative was originally part of the account of Ezra and was moved to its present position by the editor who has brought Ezra-Nehemiah into its present form.
The focus, however, remains on the community's request for the reading of the law, and the way the section is placed makes it clear that the goal is to reform itself into a more obedient community on the eve of the dedication of the city walls.
This ceremony also forms the backdrop to the conclusion of this larger section in 13.1-3.
In 73b when the seventh month came: the walls were completed in the month of Elul (6.15), the sixth month of the year.
A rough chronological sequence is maintained by the placement, though there is some question it enough time is allowed for the people to be settled in their towns before reassembling in Jerusalem.
The seventh month was traditionally the time of the Day of Atonement (on the tenth day) and the feast of Tabernacles (for a week starting the fifteenth day).
Several scholars have noted that this was also the month specified in Deut 31.10-13 for an assembly of the people to hear a reading of the law every seven years.
This is apparently the model on which the account is structured.
In 8.1 they told the scribe Ezra to bring the book: the way Ezra is portrayed as subservient to the wishes of the assembly, rather than the forceful leader of the community as in the book of Ezra tends tends to weigh against the idea that this narrative was originally part of the book of Ezra.
In the account of this gathering, Ezra is variously termed the scribe ((vv. 1, 4),the priest (v. 2), and the priest and scribe (v. 9), both being roles attributed to him in the book of Ezra.
In verse 7 the Levites helped the people to understand: one of the traditional roles of the Levites was to teach the meaning of the law to Israel (Deut 33.10), and this may have involved a brief exposition of the passage.
The Levites may have moved about the crowd answering queries since the people remained in their places.
In verse 9 Nehemiah ... and Ezra: this in one of only two places in the Hebrew text of Ezra-Nehemiah where the two reformers appear together.
This is holy: the day of the assembly is a specific sacred occasion.
While the specified time of the reading of the law could be considered a holy day, the account may imply that the day is the Feast of trumpets, set on the first day of seventh month, which was a sacred day (Lev 23.23-25), although no reading of the law is connected with the Feast of trumpets.
Possibly recognizing how far they had strayed from the law, the people wept.
In verse 10 then he said to them: the he maybe Ezra.
The specific foods are typical of a festive meal celebrating a sacred occasion.
The phrase the joy, one that occurs here and in 1 Chr 16.27, where strength and joy are in his place.
In verse 12 all the people went their way ... to make great rejoicing: unlike 1 and 2 Chronicles, where rejoicing takes place in great corporate scenes, this account portrays the people retiring to their homes to rejoice.
Their ability to understand the law provides the opportunity to live in accord with the divine will (Ps 119.34-35).
In 8.13-18 the community keeps the Festival of Booths.
One of the specific holy times of the seventh month was the Festival of Booths (Lev 23.33-43) slated to be observed for a week beginning on the fifteenth day of the month.
Along with the celebration of the deliverance from Egypt that is the prime focus of the festival,this account continues the reading, presumably the explanation of the law.
In verse 13 on the second day keeps the chronology of 8.2, even though it technically does not observe the festival specifications of the law.
This maybe an indication that the precise limits of the festival had not been set int he Persian period.
In the place of the community as a whole, this gathering consists only of the leadership.
In verse 17 all the assembly ... made booths: the whole community is involved.
from the days of Jeshua is a reference to the period of conquest and Israel's inheritance of the land.
The completion of the city walls and the reformation of the community are parallel to Israel's beginnings.
Comments or questions..

Reading for December 6th

2011-11-29T10:25:00.000-08:00

Read Nehemiah 7.1-73
In 7.1-5 the gate keepers, the singers, and the Levites: the addition of the singers and Levites is unexpected, though since these groups were well organized they served as supplementary help to the gatekeepers, who would have undertaken their duties without prior experience.
In verse 3 the gates of Jerusalem are not to be opened until the sun is hot, perhaps as an additional security measure.
In verse 5 the book of the genealogy: there is no explanation for where or how the book was found.
Those who were the first to come back: perhaps those who first returned from Exile, or those who first returned with one of the subsequent waves of exiled persons who migrated to Jerusalem.
FORMING THE HOUSE OF GOD
In 7.6 -13.3 this section drops the first-person style of the Nehemiah memoir and the concern with opponents to rebuilding efforts.
Instead, the focus is on the community's concerns and corporate commitments.
these are presented by means of several large gatherings of the assembly of the people interspersed with lengthy lists of the people involved.
The culmination is extended description of the dedication of the city walls and the separation of Israel from those of foreign descent, thus paralleling the physical separation of the city from the surrounding people.
In 7.6-73a the list of those who returned from Babylon.
In verse 6 these are the people of the province: largely repeats the list found in Ezra 2.1-70.
Variations between the two lists are minor, but often this list represents a slightly fuller version of the list in Ezra 2.
The focus is clearly on the people, and the reduplication of the lists shows the author's concern to focus on the community's efforts.
In verse 7 Nehemiah: notice that this is in the third person, rather than the first-person accounts of the Nehemiah memoir.
Comments or questions...

Reading for December 5th

2011-11-28T16:30:00.000-08:00

Read Nehemiah 6.1-19
In 6.1-14 Nehemiah's life is threatened.
While the account in chapter 4 deals with threats against the community, this section continues a focus on Nehemiah as an individual, revealing a series of plots by the adversaries to destroy him.
Nehemiah's persistence in directing the rebuilding effort preserved him from being entrapped by their plots.
In verse 2 the plain of Ono lay to the northwest of Jerusalem.
It may have been in the boundary area between Sanballat's district and Nehemiah's.
They intended to do me harm: the account provides no reason for this conclusion.
In verse 6 you and the Jews intend to rebel: in general, walled cities were not built in the Persian empire.
The refortification of Jerusalem would provide an opportunity to defy the empire.
Sanballat uses the threat of reporting this to the king (v. 7) to draw Nehemiah out.
In verse 10 Semaiah ... was confined to his house: though the account is not clear on the timing, there seems to be some time between Sanballat's efforts to get Nehemiah to met with him, and this plot.
It is not certain why Shemaiah was closed in his house, not why Nehemiah went to see him.
Tonight they are coming to kill you: perhaps Shemaiah had sent word to Nehemiah that he had an important message to convey.
His advice to meet in the Temple and close the doors because the adversaries were coming to kill Nehemiah would have made the governor look cowardly.
In verse 13 he was hired for this purpose: it takes Nehemiah time to see through the plot, but Shemaiah may have been a reputable prophet, making the deception difficult to detect.
In verse 14 remember ... O my God: one of Nehemiah's direct appeals to God to keep something before him.
Here Nehemiah wants his opponent to be repaid according to their deeds, as well as the prophetess Noradiah and the rest of the prophets who may have engaged in the same kinds of deceit as Shemaiah.
In 6.15-7.5 the walls are completed.
This section, which recounts the completion of the physical work of refortifying the city, ends with a note on the relatively few people in the city.
The rebuilding of the walls is not the final completion of the formation of the house of God.
In verse 17 the nobles of Judah are an indefinite group, but presumably related to traditional aristocracy.
In verse 18 for many in Judah were bound by oath to him: the reasons are not specified.
Presumably their support of Tobiah results not from opposition to Nehemiah as much as being bound by their oaths.
Comments or questions..

Reading for December 4th

2011-11-27T18:17:00.000-08:00

Read Nehemiah 5.1-19
In 5.1-19 economic crisis and Nehemiah's solutions.
Told in a first person fashion, this section recounts a grave economic crisis made worst by the profiteering of some members of the community.
Faced with a possible revolt Nehemiah takes dramatic steps to alleviate the crisis.
In verse 1 now there was a great outcry: the implication of the placement of this account is that the work of rebuilding was continuing when the crisis reached its potential breaking point.
Three different issues are raised by the crowd, all the result of periodic famine (v. 3).
The first issue is the difficulty in getting grain for food (v. 2); the second, the use of fields as collateral to obtain loans for purchasing grain (v. 4); and most seriously, the use of the labor of children as collateral on borrowing money to pay the king's tax (v. 5).
Normally taxes were paid in grain in the Persian empire, but when grain was not available, taxes could be paid in monetary equivalent (usually in terms of weight, such as so many mina of silver) of the amount of grain owed.
In a famine, as the cost of grain escalated, so would the relative value of taxes owed to the empire.
Also, famine was usually triggered by drought, making it difficult for farmers to raise the necessary crop yield to repay a debt.
Brokers could loan grains or silver in return for receiving pledges on the future yields of the land or on the available labor in the family group.
If the loan was not repaid in the frame agreed to, the broker could seize all the yield of a given crop, or take members of the family into indentured servitude, often exacting interest on the remaining balance due until the whole loan plus accrued interest was repaid.
Nehemiah attempts to address this situation by first calling a great assembly (v. 7), announcing the release of new resources into the markets (v. 10).
He also requires that productive lands be returned to the debtors so that they will have some means of raising capital to make the debt good (v. 11).
The call to stop this taking of interest (v. 10) is most likely a reference to the additional interest on the loan when the original repayment schedule cannot be met.
This seems to be what the brokers agreed to in pledging they will demand nothing more from them (v. 12).
In verse 13 may God shake out everyone from house and from property: having forced the brokers to take a solemn oath before the priests (v. 12), Nehemiah engages in a symbolic action, placing a curse on all who violate the pledge.
The brokers, being people of means, would take seriously the possibility of losing wealth.
The people did as they had promised suggests Nehemiah's solutions worked.
In 5.14-19 Nehemiah's refusal to collect the food tax.
Having highlighted his generosity in making his own wealth available to those struggling in the famine crisis, in this section Nehemiah shows his refusal to place additional burdens on the populace, despite his right to collect a food allowance.
In verse 14 from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes or from 445 to 434 BCE.
The food allowance was apparently the privilege of the local imperial officials to draw their living support from a taxation surcharge.
In verse 15 former governors suggests that Yehud (as the region around Jerusalem was know) had been politically independent for sometime prior to Nehemiah.
In verse 16 I ... acquired not land: imperial privileges included the ability to amass landholdings.
Nehemiah's single-minded excluded a concern to build wealth.
In verse 17 there were at my table one hundred fifty people: apparently they were all members of his entourage and lesser officials for whom the governor was expected to provide food rations, thereby showing the Nehemiah had every reason to exact the food allowance.
In verse 19 remember for my good, O my God, all that I have done for this people: this is the first of five separate appeals for God to bear in mind some particular action by or against, Nehemiah.
These appeals make it difficult to assess the character of the so-called Nehemiah memoir, since such pietistic asides would not be expected in an official report.
They do, however, provide insight into the emotions and faith of Nehemiah.
Comments or questions...

Reading for December 3rd

2011-11-25T16:38:00.000-08:00

Read Nehemiah 4.1-23
In 4.1-23 opposition and the community's response.
Though written as a first-person narrative, presumably from Nehemiah's view, the focus is on the community.
The account alternates between the scorn and plots of the adversaries of the rebuilding, and the community's determination to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
In verse 2 Will they restore? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish it in a day?
The taunt relates to restoring Jerusalem to its former glory, a task that would take a great deal of time.
The community's enthusiasm may be strong at the moment, but as time passes, Sanballat believes they will give up the task.
The issue of sacrifice relates to dedicating the walls at the completion of the project.
In verse 6 all the wall was joined together to half its height: it is unclear if this was half of its original height or of its planned height (which may have been considerably less, given the restricted resources).
In verse 8 all plotted together to come and fight, maybe not as an official military force, but perhaps in a series of raids designed to destabilize the building project.
In verse 10 but Judah said, The strength of the burden bearers is failing: facing not only external pressure to cease, Nehemiah now had to contend with wavering resolve among the builders.
Judah is a metaphor for the whole community.
The burden bearers hauled materials up to the points on the wall where they were needed.
In verse 12 they said to us ten times is an idiom for repeatedly.
These informants want to be sure the community understands that rebuilding may provoke a general raid.
In verse 13 so in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in the open places: Nehemiah strategy was to place the people where they would be ready to respond to an attack anywhere along the wall line.
The lowest parts may have been chosen to conceal the force from the attacker.
In verse 14 do not be afraid ... remember the Lord: in the biblical tradition of the holy war the armed forced is promised that God will fight on their behalf.
In verse 15 we all returned to the wall: the immediate threat of military challenge having passed, the community could now return to the task of rebuilding the wall.
Nehemiah's subsequent orders are designed to maximize the work on the wall while demonstrating a preparedness for defense.
In verse 16 half of my servants: probably a chosen group of individuals under direct employ of Nehemiah and whose loyalty he could count on.
With such careful provisions, the danger of general military action against the community was stymied.
Comments or questions...

Reading for December 2nd

2011-11-25T16:34:00.000-08:00

Read Nehemiah 3.15-32
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Reading for December 1st

2011-11-25T16:03:00.000-08:00

Read Nehemiah 3.1-14.
In 3.1-32 the community organizes to rebuild the walls.
This section marks the center point of the combined work Ezra-Nehemiah and places the emphasis squarely on the community's efforts.
While Ezra and Nehemiah are marked by having the hand of God on them, the heroes of the narrative are the community members, elaborated in various lists, who willingly undertake the formation of the house of God.
The historical value of this list has been discussed, and many believe it reflects an authentic, if only partial, record of the organization of the rebuilding effort.
In verse 1 then the high priest ... with his fellow priests ... rebuilt the Sheep Gate: this gate was located in the northeast corner of the city adjacent to the Temple precinct and was the principle entry for the animals brought for sacrifice.
Perhaps because of this, the section of the wall is consecrated or made holy.
Another possibility is that this section was most vulnerable to attack, and consecrating the wall in effect called upon God to protect it.
In verse 5 Tekoites: Tekoa was on the fringe of the Judean desert to the south of Jerusalem.
It was traditional village of the prophet Amos (Am 1.1).
The common people's willingness is contrasted with the nobles, whose reason for opposing Nehemiah are not given.
It is possible that Tekoa lay near the boundary between Yehud's administrative area and Gershem's, and the nobles may have feared their involvement would bring difficulties with Gershem.
Their Lord is a probable to Nehemiah.
In verse 7 Gibeon and Mizpah ... under the jurisdiction of the governor of the province Beyond the River; the Hebrew phrasing is difficult, but may be that Mizpah, and the city of Gibeon which lies slightly south of it, were under some special status.
Mizpah was not destroyed by the Babylonians, and became the administrative center for their rule over the devastated Judean kingdom (Jer 40.7-10).
It may have retrained some special status as a provincial center as Jerusalem reemerged as the regional capital.
Comments or questions..
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Reading for November 30th

2011-11-25T11:15:00.000-08:00

Read Nehemiah 2.1-20
In 2.1-8 Artaxerxes' grant to Nehemiah.
Just as Ezra's mission was the result of a gracious act by Artaxerxes, so Nehemiah's appointment as governor is by the favor of the same king.
This account shows the conditions of Nehemiah's appointment and underscores God's working through both Artaxerxes and Nehemiah.
In verse 1 in the month of Nisan, is in early Spring, roughly March-April in our calendar, some three months after receiving the report of 1.3.
The twentieth year of Artaxerxes would place this in 445 BCE, about 13 years after Ezra's mission.
In verse 3 the city,the place of my ancestors' graves, lies waste is a somewhat exaggerated description, though it is probable that sections of the city remained uninhabitable from the ruins of the Babylonian conquest.
In verse 6 how long will you be gone, and when will you return?
Artaxerxes' reply reply assumes the granting of Nehemiah's request to rebuild Jerusalem, and the value of Nehemiah to the court.
In verse 8 to give me timber to make beams for the gates of the temple fortress, and for the wall of the city: Nehemiah's task is rebuilding the city will include fortification, something the Persian empire would not allow with royal dispensation.
Since the beams over the gateways need to be of larger and stronger wood than is readily available in the region, Nehemiah asks for timber from the imperially controlled sources, probably the cedar forests of Lebanon.
The granting of timber supplies was also the empowering of Nehemiah to refortify the city, an act undertaken because of troubled conditions in the Egyptian holdings of the empire.
The gracious hand of my God was upon me parallels Ezra's claim of divine support (Ezra 7.6, 28).
In 2.9-16 Nehemiah's coming to Jerusalem.
As with the account of Ezra, there are few details of the lengthy journey from Persia to Jerusalem.
The focus is on significant opposition to Nehemiah's task and his consequent need to be cautious in his planning.
In verse 9 gave them the king's letters: since Nehemiah came directly from the imperial court, it would be convenient for him to carry vital dispatches as well as official declarations of his office.
The king had sent officers of the army and cavalry with me highlights both the military nature of Nehemiah's commission and the importance the imperial court placed on his success.
In verse 10 Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammorite official: Sanallat is a Babylonian name and is known from Aramaic documents of the Persian period to have been the name of the governor of the Persian district of Samaria.
Hornite probably means his family was from Beth-Horon,two Israelite cites located some 12 miles north of Jerusalem (2 Chr 8.5) and controlling a strategic pass.
Tobiah is a Hebrew name; his exact role is less certain.
The Ammorite official is perhaps a reference to his region of administrative responsibility.
Some have linked him to a powerful family of the same name of later period that had significant interests in Transjordan.
Others have suggested is the same as the Tabeel in Ezra 4.7, apparently a junior official in the regional administration.
As an Ammorite (if this is a reference to a family origin), Tobiah would be excluded from the assembly of Israel (Deut 23.3-6).
It displeased them: perhaps because of the new preference the imperial court is showing Jerusalem, which will bring new revenues and prestige to the city.
In verse 11 the account of the rest of the three days parallels Ezra's account (Ezra 8.32).
In verse 13 I went out by night by the Valley Gate: Nehemiah's inspection of the city's fortifications, had it been observed, might have raised objections that could be communicated to the king and cause delay in the project.
His inspection tour seems to follow the area known as the city of David, a spur of land that lies along the western edge of the Kidron Valley south of the Temple area.
Nehemiah moves from the northwest corner of this region along the city walls, which stretched southeastward until they turned and went back north above the Kidron.
In 2.17-20 Nehemiah's decree to the people and opposition to the project.
Just as the previous section introduced Nehemiah's determination to fulfill the commission given him, and introduced the main personalities who would oppose him, this section brings the community into the picture by Nehemiah's leadership, yet notes the opposition.
In verse 17 then I said to them: the whole community, as defined by v. 16.
Disgrace was a term associated with the Exile as God's punishment of the community; in other words, the refortification of the city would finally put to an end the negative results of God's punishment of the community.
In verse 18 they committed themselves to the common good: just as Ezra had found a willingness to undertake the difficult task of separation from the surrounding peoples, Nehemiah finds the community ready to undertake rebuilding the walls.
In verse 19 Geshem the Arab is a new figure among the opponents, thought to be the governor of a region in Shephelah with an administrative center at Lachish.
Are you rebelling against the king? would be a normal assumption about an effort to rebuild a city's fortifications since they would provide the means to defy imperial power.
It is a hollow taunt since Nehemiah was directly commissioned by the imperial court.
In verse 20 you have no share or claim or historic right in Jerusalem was a stinging rebuke to his opponents that essentially undercut their intrusion into Nehemiah's administrative affairs.
The expression strongly parallels the rejection of help from adversaries in rebuilding the Temple (Ezra 4.3), joining the theme of reestablishing the house of God to the rebuilding of the walls.
Comments or questions..

Reading for November 29th

2011-11-21T09:05:00.000-08:00

Read Nehemiah 1.1-11
Nehemiah's Mission
In 1.1-7.5 Nehemiah opens with a first-person narrative relating the concerns over Jerusalem and the Persian monarch's appointment of himself as governor over the province.
The bulk of the account covers the various incidents of Nehemiah's rule as governor as attempted to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
The narrative must constantly balance Nehemiah's leadership of the community and the active opposition of leaders in the surrounding areas.
There are several points of connection with the first-person narratives of the book of Ezra.
In 1.1-11 Nehemiah's concern over Jerusalem.
The opening explains Nehemiah's appointment as governor and his relentless pursuit of the rebuilding of the city walls.
The section ends with a lengthy prayer that gives voice to the author's concept of the proper approach to God.
In verse 1 the words of Nehemiah: the Hebrew term for words can also be rendered matters.
The opening does not necessarily support the existence of a Nehemiah memoir.
In the twentieth year: apparently the twentieth year of king Artaxerxes (see. 2.1).
Susa was a seasonal palace for the Persian monarchs, though Artaxerxes seemed to have favored it and spent protracted periods there.
In verse 2 one of my brothers may indicate a family member (see 7.2) or may simply mean a colleague.
The Jews that survived: it is unclear what specific group or groups Nehemiah is asking about, but the main point is his concern with the entire community's welfare as well as the city's.
In verse 3 the wall of Jerusalem is broken down: this should have been well known, following the destruction of the city by the Babylonians in 587 BCE.
Some believe the report must relate to more recent event, and suggest that the events of Ezra 4.23 may provide the background, though nothing in that account would suggest a destruction of the work that had been accomplished.
The wall of Jerusalem is still broken down, and thus Nehemiah must try a different means to aid Jerusalem.
Given the use of the terms such as great trouble and shame, another possibility is that the wall and gates are metaphors for the separation that Ezra is trying to achieve.
In verse 4 I sat down and wept, and mourned for days: this is a sign of grief, and also a sign of the literary character of the account, since it is hard to conceive of a figure as forceful as Nehemiah acting so victimized for several months.
In verse 5 God of heaven was a characteristic title for Good in the Persian period (see Ezra 7.12, 23).
In verse 10 they are your servants and your people: after confessing his own guilt, Nehemiah calls on God to remember his people since Nehemiah's prayer is on their behalf.
In verse 11 give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man: Nehemiah apparently has formed a plan to address the misfortunes of Jerusalem, but the reader does not know yet what it is.
Man is clear reference to Artaxerxes.
In the Persian court, cupbearer was a formal office, with responsibility for ensuring the safety of the king's wine supply as well as acting as a royal adviser.
Comments or questions...

Reading for November 28th

2011-11-21T08:50:00.000-08:00

Read Ezra 10.16-44
In 10.16-44 the listing of men who had married foreign wives.
Moving back to a third-person narrative, the account now describes the process by which the community was examined, and the results of the examination are listed.
The emphasis on the actual persons who willingly sent away their foreign wives underscores the community's willingness to take on this level of separation, forming a distinct, holy community.
In verse 17 by the first day of the first month: the process took three months.
In verse 18 the list is ordered along three lines- the priests, the Levites, and Israel- considering the small enclave of Jerusalem and its surroundings as the totality of the community.
in verse 44 the Hebrew text here is difficult and the translation follows the Greek of 1 Esdras.
The Hebrew suggests the children stayed and only the foreign wives were sent away, the children being counted as legitimate members of the community.
Comments or questions...

Reading for November 27th

2011-11-21T06:20:00.000-08:00

Read Ezra 10.1-15
In 10.1-15 the people's response
The narrative now returns briefly to a third-person form to describe the community's reaction to Ezra's sermon in prayer form.
The function of this brief notice is to empower Ezra to act on behalf of the community's request.
In verse 1 a very great assembly of men, women, and children gathered to him out of Israel: one of the keys to this section is the idea of an assembly.
A large number of persons heard Ezra's prayer and wept bitterly, indicating their deep grief.
In verse 3 now let us make a covenant: recognizing the gravity of their situation, the assembly calls for action to remove foreign wives from the community's midst as a sacred act, to be done as dictated by Ezra and those who tremble at the commandment of our God, the members of the community particularly concerned with obedience to the law.
In verse 5 the leading priests, the Levites,and all Israel: reversing the order of the report from the officials in 9.1, the account ensures that the community as a whole observes the new covenant.
In 10.6-15 Ezra's decree against intermarriage.
Rather than issue a proclamation in his role as imperial representative, Ezra convenes an assembly of the community to deliver the regulation to separate themselves from other peoples of the land.
The narrative underscores the willingness of the community to reform itself, with few exceptions.
In verse 6 Ezra with drew: having interceded on behalf of the community, Ezra could now retire to another less public place to plan how the community would enact its reforms.
His fasting is a traditional means of expressing sorrow for sin.
In verse 7 a proclamation: the call to convene an assembly goes to the returned exiles, perhaps to differentiate the community from non-Israelite populations that may have moved into the region after the fall of Judean kingdom.
In verse 8 property ... forfeit: a penalty that presupposes community control over each individuals possessions.
In verse 9 the ninth month Kislev, approximately December in our calendar, a time of cold rains in Palestine.
In a human touch, the author notes the people were trembling from the awesomeness of the matter at hand, and the cold rains.
In verse 10 trespassed: the violation of separateness has not only caused individual alienation from God, but has affected the community's relationship to God.
In verse 11 separate yourselves: it is not clear if that order to separate is a general one, for which sending away the foreign wives is the specific action or if an additional issue is involved.
In verse 14 the whole assembly agrees to Ezra's proposal but makes a series of practical suggestions for its implementation.
The work of sorting through those marriages that needed to be dissolved would continue until intermarriage was no longer the guilt of the community.
Comments or questions...

Reading for November 26th

2011-11-20T18:49:00.000-08:00

Read Ezra 9.1-15
In 9.1-15 acknowledgment of intermarriage and Ezra's response.
The narrative dealing with Ezra come to a dramatic point in this chapter.
Portions of the community reveal that intermarriage has taken place, and Ezra offers a long prayer of confession trust that God will not destroy the community because of this sin.
The entire framework is expressed in graphic terms in which intermarriage is colored terms associated with the most severe violations of God's sanctity.
The aura of holiness and purity which must surround the Temple as God's dwelling place now is transferred to the community as a whole.
The community becomes the house of God.
In verse 1 after these things: Ezra has disposed of some of the formalities of his mission, and then is confronted with the issue of intermarriage.
The list of peoples contains the seven stock enemies of Israel that appear in a number of places in the Hebrew.
While marriage with foreigners was not prohibited, marriage with any of these enemies was considered unacceptable because of the danger of idolatry (for example Deut 7.1-4).
There is no evidence that such peoples would still have been identifiable in the time of Ezra.
In verse 2 the holy seed has mixed itself extends language from holiness code of Lev 19 to the population.
In Lev 19, mixing different seeds is prohibited as an affront to Gd's holiness.
Such action is characterized as faithlessness in this narrative, or acting without regard for God's holiness.
The entire condemnation of intermarriage here is a process of creatively combining ideas and themes into a new teaching.
In verse 3 I tore my garment and my mantle and pulled hair from my beard: these are traditional signs of deep felt grief.
In verse 4 all who tremble at the works of the God of Israel is a reference to those who took seriously the commandments of God, reflecting the original awe of the people when God first revealed his law upon the mountain (Ex 19.16-20).
In verse 6 our iniquities ... and our guilt are references to the practice of intermarriage, both terms are often used for severe transgressions of the law.
In verse 7 to utter shame as is now the case: though the Persian monarchs have generally been supportive, there is still the sense of a diminished community because of the need to rely on Persian support.
In verse 8 who has left us a remnant, and given us a stake in his holy place: God's recent gracious acts are reviewed, including allowing the community to survive at all and providing a point of security in Jerusalem.
In verse 9 for we are slaves: despite the favor the monarchy had granted,the community is still in servitude to the empire.
The expression will be echoed in Neh 9.36.
To set up the house of God serves as the general heading, the the specific actions being to repair its ruins and to provide a wall in Judea and Jerusalem.
The wall is a metaphor, standing for a boundary or separation from intermarriage.
To violate this wall becomes all the more serious, a rejection of God's gift intended to establish the house of God.
In verse 10-11 for we have forsaken your commandments, which you commanded by your servants the prophets: the quotation comes from fragments of various texts pieced together, notable Deut 7.1-4; 11.8; 23.6; Isa 1.19; and Lev 18.24-30.
In verse 13 after all that has come upon us relates to the destruction of Jerusalem and the subsequent exile of a number of leading citizens under the Babylonians.
In verse 14 shall we break your commandments again and intermarry: this phrasing equates the idolatry of late Judean kingdom with the practice of intermarriage in Ezra's day.
In verse 15 you are just: despite God's character as a just god (which would mean the community should have been obliterated), the community has survived, yet guilt has again come on the community from its intermarriage with the surrounding peoples.
The implication is that the community must remove the guilt (that is, intermarriage) or face certain destruction at the hands of a just and holy God.
Comments or questions..

Reading for November 25th

2011-11-20T18:17:00.000-08:00

Read Ezra 8.21-36
In 8.21-39 preparations for the journey to Jerusalem.
There are two distinct parts to this section: a concern about physical dangers (vv. 21-23) and some details on the precious metals being carried for the Temple (vv. 24-30).
In the author's view, it may be that carrying so much gold and silver made the expedition a target for robbers, leading to the concerns for security.
In verse 21 then I proclaimed a fast there: following the Exile, fasting seems to have become more common practice to affirm God and the community the seriousness with which appeals to God were being made.
In this case, the fast underscores the community's desire for God to protect them.
In verse 23 and he listened to our entreaty anticipates what the reader is told later, that the journey was made safely.
In verse 24 then I set apart twelve of the leading priests: in Ezra- Nehemiah various groupings of twelve appear frequently, possibly as a way of retaining some sense of the twelve-tribe organization that traditionally made up members of Israel, even though most of the persons in these groups are from the tribe of Judah.
In verse 28 you are holy to the Lord, and the vessels are holy summarizes several Pentateuchal rules regarding priests (Ex 29.1; Lev 21.6) and vessel used in worship (Ex 29.44; 30.29).
Only Temple personnel decreed as holy could transport holy objects (Lev.3.31; 4.12-15).
In 8.31-36 the return to Jerusalem.
This section provides a clean closure to the basic duties of the party returning with Ezra: the delivery of the Temple treasures being donated by the Persian monarchy and the initiation of newly endowed sacrifice.
In verse 31 the hand of our God was upon us: the same concept of divine empowerment is found in 7.28.
In verse 33 on the fourth day: possibly the party needed the time to rest before engaging in their business.
The gifts were weighed out in order to ensure the quantities entrusted to Ezra and his group were fully delivered.
In verse 35 those who had come from captivity,the returned exiles: this enigmatic reference may mean just the group that has returned with Ezra or the entire Jerusalem community.
Most likely, given the end of v. 36, the reference is intended to be the group that has just returned.
The sacrifices that are being offered bear symbolic numbers representative of all Israel.
Verses 35-36 are related in a third-person form, leading several to suggest they are the work of a later editor.
In verse 36 they supported the people and the house of God, the ultimate commendation of those who came with Ezra.
Comments or questions..

Reading for November 24th

2011-11-17T09:29:00.000-08:00

Read Ezra 8.1-20
In 8.1-14 listing of those returning with Ezra.
Presented in the form of a list, this section has a very artificial structure, leading many to question its artificial structure, leading many to question its authenticity.
In verse 2 of the descendants of Phineas: the list begins with priests first, followed by the descendants of David.
The list of David's descendants in 1 Chr 3 carries the list three or four generations after these individuals.
In verse 3 of Parosh, Zechariah: what follows are twelve distinct family groups of persons with no specified occupations.
Given the figures for the number of males in each family group, a total of 1, 500 men, and an estimated total of 5, 000 men, women, and children would have been part of this group.
In 8.15-20 an aside concerning the Levites.
In the list above (vv. 1-14), although there are priests, there are no Levites.
Yet Levites were necessary for the proper functioning of the Temple since certain duties were exclusively theirs.
This section explains how Ezra was able to solve this problem.
In verse 15 the river that runs to Ahava: an unknown place, though the presence of the Temple servants there suggests some form of formal worship may have been conducted in this location.
Comments or questions..

Reading for November 23rd

2011-11-17T08:17:00.000-08:00

Read Ezra 7.1-28
EZRA'S INQUIRY
In Ch 7-10 with little in the way of transition, a first-person narrative recounts the conditions under which Ezra was authorized to undertake a trip to Jerusalem, and his initial concerns once there.
The use of a first person narrative maybe the result of the author's use of an authentic source (an Ezra memoir) or maybe a literary device intended to give immediacy and emotional power to the narrative.
In 7.1-10 introduction to the mission of Ezra.
The purpose of this third-person narration is to give the reader a sense of who Ezra was and what was significant about his role in relationship to the community.
In verse 5 son of Eleazar, son of the chief priest Aaron: Ezra is given a distinguished lineage, concluding with the most import aspect of his family line, that he was a descendant of the primary line of priests in ancient Israel.
In verse 6 a scribe skilled in the law: the ability to read and write led people to expect that scribes could also explain legal issues.
Law of Moses: apparently the Pentateuch is some form.
The king granted him all that he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was upon him: there is no explanation of how a person who was a specialist in a religious tradition whose followers were a small minority within an empire could get repeated access to the king.
Hand of the Lord ... was upon him: a common expression of the presence of God in some sense guiding the person's career.
In verse 7 some of the people of Israel: presumably only a small portion of the Jewish community in Babylonia chose to return to Jerusalem.
Life in exile was more likely not too difficult, and the prospect of returning to a land devastated by warfare and economic ruin was not very attractive.
The seventh year King Ataxerxes would be 458 BCE if this was of Artaxerxes I of Persia.
Since Ezra's opposition to intermarriage receives no mention in the account of Nehemiah, and Nehemiah address the same issues as if they had never been raised before, some have argued Ezra really came under Artaxerxes II (the seventh year being 398 BCE).
The confusion over Ezra's chronological relation to Nehemiah comes about from trying to read Ezra-Nehemiah as straight history rather than as an apologetic.
The author intends the reader to believe that Ezra came first.
In verse 10 Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord, and do it; not only was Ezra a student of the law, but he sought to observe its requirements in his everyday life.
Out of this study and experience, Ezra would teach the people.
In 7.11-28 King Aratxerxes' commission to Ezra.
The letter that Aratxerxes purportedly gave to Ezra elevates Ezra from a religious teacher to an imperial official, undertaking an important mission at the request of the king.
While portions of the letter may well be genuine, there are serious questions about the authenticity of other sections, and the author seems to have taken some significant liberties in editing the document.
In verse 12 Artaxerxes, king of kings; Persian kings did refer to themselves this way, suggesting part of an authentic Persian letter.
In verse 14 you are sent by the king and his seven counselors: Persian monarchs had high council of seven trusted advisers who were called upon to help with significant decisions.
Ezra is instructed to make inquires about Judah and Jerusalem, a vague task.
According to the law of your God may suggest that Ezra is ensuring that the worship at the Temple is being properly conducted.
Which is in your hand has been variously interpreted.
On its simplest level, it means that Ezra is physically carrying a copy of the Pentateuch from Babylon to Jerusalem, although in Hebrew there are more direct ways to express this.
The phrase in your hand is attested in several Persian period documents as meaning in your power or in your sphere of authority.
In this understanding, Artaxerxes is directing Ezra to conduct his inquiry in terms of the laws that are relevant to the inquiry, laws that apply to Ezra's task.
In verse 19 the vessels that have been given you: like the vessels Nebuchadnezzar had taken and Cyrus returned to the Temple (1.7-11), these vessels are a royal gift bestowed on the Temple as a sign of God's granting Artaxerxes's rule.
In verse 22 up to one hundred talents of silver: instructions for the imperial treasurers to support Ezra within limits.
The quantities for most of the commodities are no unreasonable, but the amount of silver is almost a third of the total taxation of the province Beyond the River.
In verse 24 it shall not be lawful to impose tribute, custom, or toll: the exemption of professionals involved in staffing temples from any taxation is attested in other parts of the Persian empire, so it would not be out of character for such an exemption to be extended to the Temple personal in Jerusalem.
In verse 25 appoint magistrates and judges: Ezra is charged to reform the judiciary.
God-given wisdom: though it is unlikely that a Persian king would have credited Ezra's wisdom to God, this connection appears several places in the book of Deuteronomy (Deut 4.6; 16.19-20).
In verse 26 all who will not obey the law of your God refers not to all people of any cultural heritage living in the province, but to those who know the laws of God, that is, other Jews.
In verse 27 to glorify the house of the Lord in Jerusalem: since Ezra's official mission has little to do with the physical Temple, it is likely that the house of God is not the Temple as such, but the community's adherence to the distinctive customs of Israel.
Comments or questions..

Reading for November 22nd

2011-11-14T10:19:00.000-08:00

Read Ezra 6.1-22
In verse 2 Ecbatana, the capital of the province of Media:the search began in Babylon since important royal decrees would have been archived there.
Ecbatana, at a higher elevation than the main capital of Perspolis, was the location of the Persian kings' summer palace.
In verse 4 let the cost be paid from the royal treasury: Cyrus' detailed specifications of the size and form of construction limit how much the rebuilding would cost, since imperial funds were paying for it.
In verse 10 so they may offer pleasing sacrifices ... and pray for the life of the king and his children: Persian imperial support for local religious centers is well attested.
It was part of a larger policy of bringing local customs into a framework of loyalty to the empire.
Darius probably did not worship Israel's God, but that did not prevent him from seeking to convince those who did that Israel's God was concerned with the king's well-being.
In verse 14 they finished their building by the command of the God of Israel and by the decree of Cyrus, Darius, and King Artaxerxes of Persia.
In a literal historical reading this makes no sense, since the physical Temple was completed in the reign of Darius, and Artaxeres had nothing to do with it.
However, the formation of the house of God involved not only rebuilding the Temple, but also rebuilding the city and separating the community from the surrounding peoples by prohibiting intermarriage.
These later steps, under the reformers Ezra and Nehemiah, occurred in the time of Artaxerxes.
In verse 15 the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius: 515 BCE.
Some believe the day was originally the twenty-third day of Adar, which would put the completed rebuilding nearing the anniversary of Solomon's celebration of the completion of the original Temple (2 Chr 7.10) and approximately 70 years after the destruction of the Temple.
In verse 17 as a sin offering for all Israel, twelve male goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel: without a functioning Temple, it was not possible for the priesthood to maintain the regular purification offering for the nation.
The offering may be indebted to the vision of a renewed Temple by the prophet Ezekiel (Ezek 43.22-27) in which the sin offering purifies the Temple from the pollutions of Israel's past.
In verse 18 as it is written in the book of Moses: in 1 Chr 23-26 it is David who sets up the courses of the priests and the Levites for the worship in the Temple.
There is no prescription for these orders as described in the Pentateuch, normally what the author means by the books of Moses.
With the arrangements for the offerings and who would be responsible for them, the Temple is now fully functioning.
In 6.19-22 the first Passover in the rebuilt Temple.
The shift back to Hebrew from Aramaic draws attention to this central festival.
Just as Israel was not a physical nation until they could worship God following their escape from Egypt, celebrated in the Passover, so the exilic community could not be considered a nation until the house of God was fully functioning.
With the Temple in place,the Passover celebration had a renewed importance for the community as a sign of their coming into a new status.
The author skillfully connects this with the physical separation of the community from the surrounding peoples, a point that Ezra will hammer on as the centerpiece of his reforms.
In verse 20 the priests and the Levites had purified themselves: following the return from exile, there was a new emphasis on the purity regulations of the Pentateuch and on extending the areas of life they affected.
Before undertaking the Passover, the ritual purity of the priests and Levites had to be assured.
In verse 21 the people of Israel who had returned from exile, and ... all who had joined them and separated themselves from the pollutions of the nations: As a celebration of God's miraculous deliverance and the formation of the people into a nation, Passover was a powerful symbol of identity.
Those who had been exiled and returned clearly would be recognized as part of Israel.
The population that remained behind joined the Exile community by separating from the surrounding peoples.
Pollutions: a term normally reserved for serve violations of the sacral order.
It was because of their pollutions, according to some parts of the Hebrew Bible, that God removed the Canaanites from the land (Lev 20.22-24).
In verse 22 had turned the heart of the king of Assyria to them, so that he aided them in the work: an echo of Ezra 1.1-4.
The use of the king of Assyria is unclear, though the Persian king did adopt this title since the former Assyrian territory was under his rule.
It maybe a deliberate reference to King Esarhaddon of Assyria (Ezra 4.20); some of the peoples he transported to the territory north of Jerusalem had indeed come over to the side of the returning exiles in opposition to their fellow countryfolk, who opposed the Temple.
Comments or questions..

Reading for November 21st

2011-11-14T10:02:00.000-08:00

Read Ezra 5.1-17
In 5.1-6.18 overcoming opposition and rebuilding the Temple.
This section of the book highlights the continued commitment of the community to rebuilding the house of God, understood as both the physical Temple and renewed city of Jerusalem.
The section is in Aramaic and, as in the earlier sections, carries the narrative forward by extensive quotation from various official documents.
In verse 1 Haggi and Zechariah: the section opens a the end of the sixth century, who, along with Zerubbabel the governor and Joshua the high priest, directed a new effort to rebuild the Temple.
These are probably the prophets behind the canonical books bearing their names.
In verse 3 who gave you a decree: the officials who are inquiring about imperial permission may not be opposing the rebuilding of the Temple as much as showing concern that all is being done in accord with imperial sanction.
In verse 6 the copy of the letter: the author offers extracts from officials memoranda to fill out the story line.
While there can be no certainty, it appears the author was working from actual documents, which may have been modified slightly to fit the narrative.
In verse 12 but because our ancestors had angered the God of heaven, he gave them into the hand of King Nebuchadnezzar: the case for rebuilding the Temple depends in part on the assertion the Temple was destroyed not because the southern kingdom rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar, an imperial king, but because God was angry.
In verse 13 King Cyrus ... made a decree: see 1.1-4.
Comments or questions..

Reading for November 20th

2011-11-14T08:06:00.000-08:00

Read Ezra 4.1-23
In 4.1-5 opposition to rebuilding the Temple.
This section shows the surrounding peoples opposing the rebuilding of the Temple, just as the following section will detail opposition by surrounding peoples to the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem over half a century later.
Such opposition to sacred actions furthers the prohibition of intermarriage with the surrounding peoples.
In verse 1 the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin: by characterizing these persons as adversaries, the author makes their subsequent request less than truthful.
In verse 2 we worship your God as you do: as deportees who had been settled in the land by the Assyrians, the adversaries would have not known the Pentateuch nor orders for temple service attributed to King David.
Consequently, they could not approach God in the same way as the returned exiles.
In verse 3 we alone will build to the Lord, ... as King Cyrus of Persia has commanded us: the community determines to show its devotion on its own, and claims this is required by Cyrus' orders.
There is nothing in the decree that restricts who can participate in the rebuilding.
In verse 4 the people of the land discourage the people of Judah: here people of the land is defined by what preceded it, namely they are deportees who were brought into the land by the Assyrians.
However,the author will use the term simply as a generic label for those who are not of Judah.
The Hebrew term translated as discouraged is better rendered undermined.
In 4.6-24 opposition to rebuilding Jerusalem
The author now moves from opposition to the Temple rebuilding to opposition to building a wall around Jerusalem.
After a brief effort at chronological transition, there is an exchange of memoranda between several imperial officials and King Artaxerxes I of Persia.
As a result, the king orders suspension of any rebuilding of the city, which the author then ties to the opposition to the Temple.
While there is no way to authenticate these memos, they have the form and general structure of known imperial memos from Persian empire, although some elements may have been introduced to carry forward the larger purposes of the book.
In verse 6 in the reign of Ahaserus, in his accession year: Ahasuerus is the Hebrew version of the name of the Persian king the Greek called Xerxes.
The main royal figure in the book of Esther, Xerxes came to the Persian throne late in the year 486 BCE.
The contents of the accusation are not specified, nor the the consequences of the report.
This notice serves to bring the narrative through a chronological sequence of Persian kings (Cyrus, Darius, Xeres) to the communications with Artaxeres.
In verse 7 and in the days of Artaxerxes: he came to the throne in 465 BCE and remained in power until 423 BCE.
The names of the officials sending the memo are Aramaic and Persian.
The letter was written in Aramaic: the normal language for conducting official business in the Persian empire.
By making note of this detail, the author affirms the seriousness of this exchange.
It was translated so that the Jerusalem community could understand it.
From this point until 6.18 the narrative is in Aramaic.
In verse 8 wrote a letter against Jerusalem identifies the city with the house of God.
In verse 10 the rest of the nations ... deported and settled refers to vv. 1-2 where the deportees settled to the north of Jerusalem where the adversaries seeking to join in the rebuilding the temple.
Here, they oppose the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls.
Osnapper is a variant name for the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal (669-633 BCE).
Beyond the River was the official name of the administrative unit of Syria-Palestine (in Aramaic. Abarnhra).
From the perspective of Mesopotamia and Persia,t he territories of Syria-Palestine were across or beyond the river Jordan, terminating at the coast of the Mediterranean.
In verse 12 they are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city: the neighboring peoples charge that Jerusalem, with its history or rebellion against empires, should not be rebuilt.
Persian imperial practice was to decentralize populations
Only where security or economic concerns were of central importance were cities rebuilt.
In verse 13 if this city is rebuilt and the walls finished, they will not pay tribute: a renewed and refortified Jerusalem will follow its earlier history and will revolt against the taxes and dues that provide the economic lifeblood of the empire.
In verse 14 we share the salt place: an expression, exact meaning unclear, perhaps saying that the writers are paid directly by the palace in the form of salt, a more valued commodity in antiquity than now.
In verse 16 you will then have no possession in the province Beyond the River: with these hyperbole (exaggeration to make the point) the opponents imply that Jerusalem's revolt would lead to the loss of the whole province.
In verse 19 I made a decree, and someone searched: the command was to investigate the charge that Jerusalem had a history of rebellion.
Brief accounts of major events were kept for administrative purposes such as the Babylonian Chronicles, which record the successive revolts of Jerusalem against the Babylonian empire until the city's destruction.
In verse 20 Jerusalem has had mighty kings who ruled over the whole province Beyond the River: this would seem to refer to either David or Solomon, who exercised control over a large territory.
This makes little sense, however, either in the context or in the kinds of records available to the Persian monarch.
The same wording could be translated, Moreover, there have been powerful kings over Jerusalem who also ruled over the whole province ..., placing Artaxerxes in a series of imperial rulers who had successfully controlled Jerusalem and Beyond the River.
In verse 21 this city not be rebuilt, until I make a decree: by stopping the rebuilding, Artaxerxes was not making a permanent decision.
A future royal decree is exactly what the narrative concerning Nehemiah envisions.
In verse 23 by force and power made them cease: the prompt response of Rehum and Shimshai is accompanied by terms that may refer to infantry and cavalry units who presence would underscore the imperial concern over the rebuilding effort.
In verse 24 at that time the work on the house of God stopped: if we read as a historical narrative, the phrase at that time makes little sense.
Artaxerxes I makes the decision to have the work halted sometime after 465 BCE, but later the note until the second year of the reign of King Darius would have to be 521 BCE.
Either the author is hopelessly confused regarding chronology, or the purpose of the narrative is not historical but thematic.
The notion here returns the narrative to the issue of rebuilding the Temple, bringing back to v. 5.
Comments or questions..

Reading for November 19th

2011-11-12T15:32:00.000-08:00

Read Ezra 3.1-13
In 3.1-7 the reinstitution of worship.
This section describes the resumption of worship at the site of the ruined Temple as a prelude to the effort to rebuild the temple as decreed by the Persian King Cyrus in the opening of the book.
In verse 1 when the seventh month came is an enigmatic reference since the year is not disclosed.
It may be the seventh month of the earlier date formula of 1.1, that is the first year of Cyrus (around 539 BCE), though this presents a problem with what follows.
The notices of Jesuha and Zerubbabel (v. 2) focus on two individuals who are usually dated to the early years of the reign of Darius (522-486 BCE).
The seventh month may refer to the second year off Darius' rule, when a renewed commitment to rebuilding the temple was made (Haggi 2.1).
In verse 2 as prescribed in the law of Moses the man of God relates to rules on the composition of the altar found in ex 20.25.
In verse 4 and they kept the festival of booths, as prescribed, reflecting perhaps a concern to follow the rules found in Lev 23.33-43, where the fifteenth day of the seventh month is reversed for the beginning of this important festival.
In verse 6 but the foundation of the temple of the Lord was not yet laid distinguishes the resumption of worship from the beginning of rebuilding the physical Temple.
In 3.8-13 laying the foundation of the Temple.
The author highlights the momentous beginning of rebuilding the Temple, emphasizing the devotion of the community.
In verse 8 the second year after their arrival at the house of God at Jerusalem may relate to the third year of Darius, around 519 BCE if the earlier reference was to a time in the reign of Darius.
The community arrived at Jerusalem to find the Temple in ruins, hence the need to begin rebuilding.
But the author, wanting to connect the Jerusalem community with the sanctified dwelling place of God, has the exiles arriving at the house of God.
They appointed the Levites: most likely, Zerubbabel and Jeshua appointed them.
In verse 10 the priests in their vestments were stationed to praise the Lord with trumpets recalls the priestly trumpeters in 2 Chr 5.12 at the dedication of the first temple in the days of Solomon.
According to the directions of King David emphasizes the continuity between this Second Temple and worship conducted in the First temple.
Despite the trauma of the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, and the Exile in Babylon, nothing has changed in the way the community worships God.
In verse 11 the sang responsively: the leaders sang first, and the assembly responded.
Another possible meaning is antiphonally, with one part of the choir initiating a verse and the other part completing it.
The hymn that is sung appears as part of a number of Psalms (for example, Ps 106.1; 107.1; 136.1).
In verse 12 old people who had seen the first house: sixty eight years had elapsed since the destruction of the first temple.
Wept with a loud voice when hey saw this house: presumably what was planned for the rebuilt Temple was less in size and/or grandeur than that of the Temple of Solomon (as in Hag 2.3).
The weeping over what had been lost was drown out by those who shouted for joy, shifting the focus to what could be anticipated for the future.
Comments or questions..

Reading for November 18th

2011-11-12T15:16:00.000-08:00

Read Ezra 2.36-70
The third listing (vv. 36-39) lists priestly clans, the fourth (vv. 40-42) Levitical groups, and the fifth (vv. 43-58) various orders of temple servants.
These are followed by a miscellaneous group that could not demonstrate a connection to known family lineages (vv. 59-63).
A numerical summary of the primary attributes of the community follows (64-67), then there is a report of the devotion of these groups to the temple (vv. 68-70).
The various numbers given are possible in some cases,though some of the amounts may be artificial, such as 666 (v. 13).
In verse 36 the priests: the descendants of Jedaiah, of the house of Jesua: Jedaiah is named as one of the first priestly figures to return to Jerusalem after the Exile (1 Chr 9.10), and Jeshua was an important chief priest under the administration of Zerubbabel in the late sixth century (Ezra 3.8).
Apparently, Jedaiah was regarded as the founder of a renewed line for the chief priesthood.
In verse 43 the temple servants is a technical name for a group devoted to serving the Levites.
In verse 55 Solomon's servants appear to have been a similar group.
In verse 59 Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer are place names of uncertain identification.
Comments or questions..

Reading for November 17th

2011-11-10T07:01:00.000-08:00

Read Ezra 2.1-35
In 2.1-70 the list of those who returned from Babylon.
At first glance, the list would seem to be a well-organized, coherent presentation broken into sections by category of occupations.
A closer examination reveals that some persons are identified by their family lineage, others by their place of residence.
This and other differences suggest the list is a composite product, possibly listing returnees from several different stages of the formation of the community of Jerusalem.
From what meager records have survived, the usual conclusion drawn is that following Cyrus' decree several different groups left Babylon for Jerusalem at different times.
The list is repeated with some variations in Neh 6.6-73.
From a close comparison of the two lists, the list here in Ezra 2 appears to summarize the information in Neh 7, and consequently may be derived from that list.
The use of duplicate lists in Ezra-Nehemiah is a deliberate framing device by the author, directing the reader's attention to the level of the individuals who form the house of God.
In verse 2 the came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seriah, Reelaiah...: several of these names are well-known governors of Yehud, the Persian province centered in Jerusalem, who were in office at various times from the sixth century onward.
Others, such as Jeshua, were among the high priests.
Some of the individuals were contemporaries of Nehemiah, bringing the close of the list to the mid fifth century.
The incorporation of persons over such a range of time shows the essentially non historical interests of the author.
The number of the Israelite people: the term for number is more appropriately listing since a formal census does not follow.
The first section (vv. 2b-20) lists names by clan and group, the second (vv. 21-35) mainly by location.
Comments or questions..

Reading for November 16th

2011-11-10T06:20:00.000-08:00

Read Ezra 1.1-11
Prologue
In chs. 1-2 the beginning of Ezra-Nehemiah seeks to establish the legitimacy of rebuilding the house of God, the Temple.
This is expressed by opening with the imperial order to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple, immediately jumping to a listing of those who return, and concluding with the tangible signs of devotion among them.
The repetition of Cyrus' decree (Ezra 1.1-4 and 2 Chr 36.22-23) introduces the theme of Ezra and is not a direct link to the end of 2 Chronicles.
In 1.1-11 the decree of Cyrus and its results.
The legitimation pattern is opened by having Cyrus,the dominate founder of the Persian empire as Israel experienced it, decree that all those from Jerusalem should return and rebuild the house of the Lord.
In verses 1-2 in order that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished: Jeremiah had claimed the exile in Babylon would last 70 years (Jer 29.10).
The first year of Cyrus is probably a reference to his first year over the Babylonian empire, which he captured in 539 BCE.
The decree follows is substantially the one that closes 2 Chr 36.
Charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem is not the confession of Cyrus' belief in Israel's God, but rather a balanced polytheistic way of claiming that all subjugation peoples' gods have empowered Persian rule.
Thus the Persian king, by virtue of having rule, should honor the gods who permitted it.
In other ancient sources, Cyrus claims the same divine approval from Marduk, the chief Babylonian god.
In verse 3 he is the God who is in Jerusalem reflects the common ancient Near eastern concept that gods and goddesses are specially present and should be worshipped in particular locations.
In verse 4 for the house of God in Jerusalem is an expansion of the decree in 2 Chr 36 that allows for the collection of offerings for the Temple in Jerusalem by all those living outside the city.
In verse 5 the heads of the families of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites: the primary tribes populating the southern kingdom of Judah were Judah and Benjamin.
The priests and the Levites were usually counted separately from the tribes.
in verse 7 King Cyrus himself brought out the vessels of the House of the Lord that Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem: when Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed in 587 BCE, the Babylonians looted the Temple precinct, including gold and silver vessels used in the temple service.
The return of these vessels links the Temple of Solomon that had been destroyed by the Babylonians with the temple that will be built after the exile.
In verse 8 Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah: there is no consensus on what this title meant in this time period.
In Ezra 5.14 Sheshbazzar is called a governor of the province, so it may be that the author is using prince to indicate a leading citizen.
In verse 9 and this was the inventory: this list possibly has been copied from an authentic inventory of returned vessels.
Comments or questions..

Reading for November 15th

2011-11-08T10:38:00.000-08:00

Read Numbers 36.1-13
In 36.1-13 the daughters of Zelophehad revisited maintaining the fair distribution of tribal lands.
This legal judgement provides a supplement to the earlier case involving the daughters of Zelophehad in 27.1-11.
The daughters are required to marry within their own tribe so the land they have inherited will not pass into the hands of another tribe and thus upset the Israelite tribes.
In verse 2 on the prior decision about the daughters being able to inherit the land of their father Zelophehad see 27. 4-8.
In verses 3-4 this complaint about the possibility of the daughter's land being transferred from one tribe to another tribe assumes that any land the new bride owns passes into the possession of her husband in marriage.
The jubilee occurs every fifty years.
It involves the free return of all tribal lands that have been bought or sold during the previous fifty-year period back to the original tribal owners of the land (Lev 25.8-55).
However, in this case the potential transfer of the land did not occur through buying or selling but through marriage.
Therefore, the land would not be returned tot he first tribe who originally owned it, since jubilee involves only land that has been bought or sold.
This practice would adversely affect the original balance and distribution of the land among the tribes.
Thus, any Israelite daughters who receive an inheritance of land can marry only within their own tribe.
In verse 13 on the plains of Moab, the Jordan River, and Jericho, see comments on 35.1-8.
Comments or questions..

Reading for November 14th

2011-11-07T07:10:00.000-08:00

Read Numbers 35.16-34
In verses 16-34 the laws distinguish between intentional murders and negligent murder versus accidental killing.
In intentional murders but not accidental killings, the community allows the avenger of blood (vv. 19, 21)to kill the murderer in revenge for the death of family member (see comment on vv. 9-15).
The spilling of human blood pollutes the land (v. 33), even if it is an unintentional killing.
The killer is made clean from the impurity or pollution through the atoning death of the high priest in the city of refuge (vv. 25-28).
A ransom (vv. 31-32) is a payment of money or other items of value that repay and wipe out the impurity caused by an unclean act or condition.
In this case , the loss of a human's life cannot be repaid or atoned through money or property by only through the death of the murderer or (in the case of accidental killings) through the death of the high priest (v. 32).
Comments or questions...

Reading for November 13th

2011-11-07T06:27:00.000-08:00

Read Numbers 35. 1-15
In 35.1-34 cities for the Levites, cities of refuge, and borderline cases involving murder and blood revenge.
In verse 1-8 the plains of Moab lie just east of the Jordan River.
Jericho is the town that lies just west of the Jordan River inside the land of Canaan (v. 1).
The priestly tribe of Levites is unique among the tribes of Israel.
They will receive towns to live rather than an allotment of tribal land when Israel conquers Canaan (v. 2; see 18.20-24; Josh 21).
A cubit is a unit of length, approximately one and half feet.
Thus, a thousand cubits is about 1, 500 feet.
On the cities of refuge, see 35.9-15.
In verses 9-15 the cities refuge (v. 11) provide a safe place for those who have accidentally or unintentionally killed someone.
The avenger (v. 12), a member of the dead victim's family, would exact revenge for the person's death by killing the murder.
Beyond the Jordan (v. 14) is the area east of the Jordan River just outside outside Canaan where Rueben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh settled (Num 32).
Comments or questions..

Reading for November 12th

2011-11-07T06:21:00.000-08:00

Read Numbers 34.16-29
In verse 17 Eleazar has already taken over the role of high priest from his father Aaron (20.22-29).
Joshua will replace Moses as leader of the people when the Israelites cross the river into Canaan (27.12-23).
Moses' sin at Meribah prevented him from entering Canaan. (20.2-13).
In verse 18-29 these names of tribal leaders appear here for the first time with the exception of Caleb, the leader of the tribe of Judah ( v. 19; see 13.6; 14.30).
Comments or questions..

Reading for November 11th

2011-11-07T06:09:00.000-08:00

Read Numbers 34.1-15
In 34.1-29 the boundaries of Canaan and tribal supervisors for dividing the land.
In verse 1-12 this delineation of the boundaries of the promised land follows closely the description of the area covered by the spies in chs. 13-14.
The southern boundary is the wilderness of Zin (13.21; see v. 3), and the northern boundary reaches to Lebo-hamath (13.21; see v. 8).
The Jordan River forms the eastern boundary of Canaan, and the Sea or Great Sea (the Mediterranean) forms the western bounder (13.29; see vv. 6, 12).
These are ideal boundaries since historical boundaries never actually extended as far west as the Mediterranean Sea in the biblical period.
Israel reached its greatest territorial size under King David and King Solomon (2 Sam 8.1-14; 1 Kings 8.65).
Israel's settlement of the land is recounted in Josh 13-19.
In verse 13-15 the story of the Ruebenites, the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh settling east of the Jordan outside Canaan is narrated in ch 32.
Comments or questions..

Reading for November 10th

2011-11-03T06:15:00.000-07:00

Read Numbers 33.26-56
In verses 16-49 Israel's journey from the wilderness of Sinai (v. 1 6) to the plains of Moab (vv. 49-50) is narrated in 10.11-22.1.
The death of Aaron the priest (vv. 38-39) is recounted in 20.22-29.
In verses 50-56 the Lord commands Moses to speak to the Israelites (v. 51) and warn them about the need to drive out all the inhabitants of the land of Canaan and all their gods (v.52).
Otherwise,the Lord says to Israel, I will do to you as I thought to do to them [the Canaanites] (v.56).
Moses fulfills this divine command to speak Israel in the book of Deuteronomy with a series of instructional speeches.
In the end, however, Israel will not drive out the Canaanites from the land.
As a result, Israel will suffer difficulty and oppression during the period of judges (Judg 1.1-3.6).
Comments or questions...

Reading for November 9th

2011-11-03T06:08:00.000-07:00

Read Numbers 33.1-25
In 33.1-56 the stages of Israel's wilderness journey from Egypt to Canaan.
In verses 3-5 on the death of Egypt's firstborn and Israel's travel from Rameses to Succoth, see Ex 12.29-37.
In verses 6-15 Israel's travel from Succoth (v. 6) to the wilderness of Sinai (v. 15) is recounted in Ex 13.17-19.1.
In verses 16-49 Israel's journey from the wilderness of Sinai (v. 16) to the plains of Moab (vv. 49-50).
Comments or questions..

Reading for November 8th

2011-10-31T08:07:00.000-07:00

Read Numbers 32.20-42
Reuben and Gad will be allowed to settle in the territory east of the Jordan River, but they will first join with with the other Israelites in fighting the Canaanites and capturing the land west of the Jordan River in Canaan.
Moses accepts their compromise solution.
In verse 33 the half-tribe of Manasseh unexpectedly appears as it joins Reuben and Gad in settling in the territory east of the Jordan River outside Canaan.
The other half of the tribe of Manasseh eventually settled west of the Jordan River in Canaan near Schechem (Josh 13.29-31; 17.1-13).
On Israel's conquest of the territory of King Sihon and Og, see 21.21-35.
In verses 34-42 the actual settlement of these territories occurs in Josh 13.8-32.
Comments or questions..

Reading for November 7th

2011-10-31T07:51:00.000-07:00

Read Numbers 32.1-19
Rueben and Gad's request
In 32-1-42 two of the Israelite tribes, Rueben and Gad, request permission from Moses to settle outside Canaan in the area just east of the Jordan River in the plains of Moab.
Israel had captured this land from King Sihon and King Og in 21.21-35.
Moses eventually grants the request, and the land is actually distributed to these two tribes along with a portion to the half-tribe of Manasseh (v. 33) in Josh 13.8-32; 22.
In verse 1 Jazer is part of the territory captured from king Sihon of the Amorites (21.32).
Gilead is the lush hill country east of the Jordan River (Gen 31.21).
In verse 2 Eleazar has taken over his father Aaron's role as high priest (20.22-29)
In verses 8-15 Moses recalls the disastrous events of the spy story in chs. 13-14.
Moses is afraid the Israelites may again be discouraged from entering the land of Canaan, if the two tribes of Rueben and Gad do not join Israel's army in crossing the Jordan river and capturing the land west of the Jordan River in Canaan.
In verse 16 Rueben and Gad offer a compromise in response Moses' objections.
Comments or questions..

Reading for November 6th

2011-10-31T07:47:00.000-07:00

Read Numbers 31.25-54
In verse 52 a shekel is a standard unit of weight used to calculate the monetary value of gold and silver.
In verse 54 on the tent of meeting see 1.1.
Comments or questions..

Reading for November 5th

2011-10-31T07:24:00.000-07:00

Read Numbers 31.1-24
In 31.1-54 holy war against Midian,
In verse 2 the Lord's command to avenge the Israelites on the Midianites stems from the Midianites' role in drawing Israel into the worship of a god other than the Lord in the incident at Peor (25.1-18).
Moses will soon die and be gathered to and join his people, namely his dead ancestors (Deut 34).
In verse 6 the trumpets for sounding the alarm were first introduced in 10.9.
The involvement of the priest and objects from the tabernacle or mobile worship sanctuary indicate this is a holy war.
In holy war, the Lord fights with Israel; every adult male is to be killed; women and children may be taken as captives; and a percentage of all items of value are to offered to the Lord and given to the priests (Deut 20.1-18).
In verse 8 the Israelites kill the prophet Balaam.
Balaam had spoken words of blessing on Israel (chs. 22-24).
However Balaam had also urged the Midianite women to entice the Israelites to worship a foreign god and thus abandon the Lord (v. 16).
In verse 16 although Balaam is never mentioned in the story of Israel's sin at Peor in ch 25, this verse condemns Balaam's secret involvement in the affair at Peor.
In verse 17 young Midianite males are killed in order to ensure that they will not become part of that country's army.
However, Midianites will reappear as Israel's enemy in Judg 6-8.
In verse 18 any Midianite women who may have had illicit sexual relations with Israelite men are killed.
All Midianite virgins are allowed to live.
In verses 19-24 on the ritual contamination of those who are killed a person or touched a corpse (v. 19), see the purification ritual with water and the ashes of the red cow in ch 19.
Comments or questions..

Reading for November 4th

2011-10-28T11:04:00.000-07:00

Read Numbers 30.1-16
In 30.1-16 men, women and the fulfillment of vows.
These laws concerning vows by men and women reflect an ancient society in which young women and married women were normally under the responsibility and supervision of men, whether fathers or husbands.
In verse 9 a widow or divorced woman is not under the supervision or care of a man and thus has full responsibility for her own vow.
In verse 15 under certain circumstances, the husband shall bear the wife's guilt, meaning that he is responsible for fulfilling the vow she made.
Comments or questions.

Reading for November 3rd

2011-10-28T11:02:00.000-07:00

Read Numbers 29.20-40
(No commentary)
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Reading for November 2nd

2011-10-28T10:56:00.000-07:00

Read Numbers 29.1-19
In verse 1 the first day of the seventh month is New Year's Day (Rosh Hashanah, head of the year) and occurs in the autumn of the year.
Inverse 7 the tenth day of the seventh month is the Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur (Lev 23.26-32.
In verse 12 the fifteenth day of the seventh month is the festival of booths or Sukkot (Lev 23.33-36).
It was a feast of thanksgiving during the autumn harvest and a remembrance of God's care over Israel during its wilderness journey from Egypt to Canaan.
Comments or questions...

Reading for November 1st

2011-10-25T10:42:00.001-07:00

Read Number 28.16-31
In verse 16 Passover is a springtime festival that celebrates Israel's exodus out of Egypt (Ex 12.1-13.10).
In verse 17 unleavened bread is a yeastless bread that does not rise during baking.
It is associated with Passover since the Israelites hurriedly left Egypt and could not wait for their bread to rise when baking it (Ex 12.33-34).
In verse 26 the festival of weeks or Pentecost marks the beginning of the wheat harvest (Lev 23.15-21).
Comments or questions..

Reading for October 31st

2011-10-25T10:35:00.000-07:00

Read Numbers 28.1-15
Appointed offerings for various festivals and times
In 28.1-29.40 other biblical lists of offerings at festivals in Lev 23 and Deut 16.1-17.
The ephah and hin are frequently mentioned in these laws as measurements of grain and oil.
An ephah is a unit of dry measurement of roughly half a bushel and a hin is a unit of liquid measure somewhere between a quart and a gallon.
Another frequent phrase among these laws, a pleasing odor to the Lord, indicates a divinely accepted offering as the aroma arises from the burning of the sacrifice (see Gen 8.20-2).
In verse 9 the sabbath day is every seventh day.
The sabbath, a day of rest and no work, is holy to the Lord (see Ex 20.8-11).
Comments or questions..

Reading for October 30th

2011-10-25T10:15:00.000-07:00

Read Numbers 27.1-23
In 27.1-11 the daughters of Zeophehad and the inheritance of land.
The legal case involves the conflict between two principles.
On one hand, Israelite land normally passed from father to son and not to daughters.
On the other hand, a high priority was given to maintaining a given land allotment within a particular family or clan in order to maintain a fair distribution of land among family groups.
On the basis of the priority of this latter principle, the five daughters of a man named Zelophehad argue that they ought to receive their father's allotment of land as an inheritance.
In the end,the Lord and Moses agree.
In Numbers 36, the case is taken up again with some restrictions on whom the daughters of Zelophehad can marry in order to preserve the land in the family group.
In verse 1 Zelophehad's death and a report about his children is cited in the census in 26.33
In verse 2 on the tent of meeting see 1.1.
In verse 3 the daughters deny their father's involvement in the rebellion of Korah in Num 16.
In verse 4 the name of our father is reference to the family name and their inheritance of land to which it is attached.
In 27.12-23 the succession of leadership from Moses to Joshua.
In verse 13 Aaron's death is recorded in 20.22-29.
In verse 14 Moses sinned in the incident in Num 20.2-13.
In verse 18 the divine spirit is often associated with leaders and prophets in the Bible (Judg 3.10) and can be transferred from one person to another (Num 11.24-25; 2 Kings 2.9-10).
See the distribution of the spirit among the leaders if Israel in 11.16-17.
To lay your hand on another involves the transfer of a power or status from one person to another.
In this case, Moses' leadership authority transfers in part to Joshua.
In verse 20 Moses' leadership remains unique and unrepeatable so that Joshua receives only a part or some of Moses' authority (see Deut 34.9-10).
In verse 21 Joshua's leadership will be supplemented by the priest Eleazar, who will seek guidance from the Lord through the Urim.
The Urim are objects(perhaps light and dark stones) used by Israelite priests in determining the deity's will in a given situation (Ex 28.30; 1 Sam 14.41).
Comments or questions..

Reading for October 29th

2011-10-22T07:35:00.000-07:00

Read Numbers 26. 44-65
In verse 51 the total here of 601, 730 Israelites is slightly less than the first census total of 603, 500 in 1.46.
In verses 52-56 in addition to the need to determine the number of warriors who are able to to go to war (v. 2), this new census has a second purpose.
The numbers will determine the relative sizes of the allotments of land necessary for each tribe when Israel conquers the land of Canaan (see Josh 13-19).
In verses 57-62 as in the first census (3.14-39), the Levites have a separate census.
The death of Nadab and Abihu (v. 61) is recounted in Lev 10.1-2.
In verses 64-65 the enrollment in the wilderness of Sinai was the census in Num 1.
Everyone of the old generation counted in Num 1 was condemned to die in the wilderness because of their refusal to go and conquer Canaan (14.20-25, 28-35).
Because of their faithfulness, only Caleb and Joshua would live to enter the promised land (14.30, 38).
Comments or questions....

Reading for October 28th

2011-10-22T07:27:00.000-07:00

Read Numbers 26.23-43
Another difference between Num 1 and Number 26 is that various sub-clans are added in Num 26 under each tribe as a sign of the birth of a new generation.
These clan names are similar to those listed in Gen 46.8-27
Comments or questions..