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At what point did Abraham know he was talking to God in Genesis 18?
At the start of the story in Genesis 18, Abraham does not seem to know who the three men are:
Looking up, he saw three men standing near him. As soon as he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to greet them and, bowing to the ground, he…
Jon Ericson
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5 answers
In 1 Corinthians, do 12:31 and 14:1 contradict 12:4-30?
To my reading, 1 Corinthians 12:4-30 could be summed up as: "Be content with the gifts/role God has given you because in his sight all the functions of the body of Christ are of equal importance".
Why then does the chapter end with:
But earnestly…
Jack Douglas
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How old was Samuel when Hannah took him to the temple?
In 1 Samuel 1:24 we read:
After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh.
So, how old was Samuel when…
Ionică Bizău
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Understanding Jesus' apparent lie in John 7:8
John 7:8:
"...You go to the festival. I am not[a] going up to this festival, because my time has not yet fully come."
The all important footnote:
[a] John 7:8 Some manuscripts not yet
It seems strange that many manuscripts omit "yet", especially…
Reinstate Monica - Goodbye SE
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15
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5 answers
Forgive us our "debts"? "sins"? "trespasses"? Which is the most accurate translation?
It seems that there are three popular versions of this passage in the Lord's prayer. "Forgive us our sins", "Forgive us our debts", and "Forgive us our trespasses".
I see one version here in the NIV:
Matthew 6:12 (NIV)
And forgive us our…
Richard
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15
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Is the "captain of the Lord's host" an angel or God Himself?
After Joshua and the people of Israel crossed over the Jordan and before they assaulted Jericho, Joshua had this strange encounter:
Once, when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing before him, drawn sword in hand. Joshua went…
Jon Ericson
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15
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12 answers
In 2 Peter 1:4 what does Peter mean by "partakers of the divine nature"?
3His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them…
Jack Douglas
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In 1 Tim 2:12, how does αὐθεντεῖν (αὐθεντεω) differ from the more commonly used ἐξουσιάζω?
SBLGNT:
διδάσκειν δὲ γυναικὶ οὐκ ἐπιτρέπω, οὐδὲ αὐθεντεῖν ἀνδρός, ἀλλ’ εἶναι ἐν ἡσυχίᾳ.
From what I can tell, this is the only use of any form of this word (often translated "to exercise authority") in the NT. In contrast, ἐξουσιάζω (similarly…
Susan
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Why does Acts not mention the deaths of Peter and Paul?
As far as we know, Peter and Paul died in Rome in the mid 60s. According to most scholars the Book of Acts is dated to 80+, sometimes as late as 120.
Given how often the book mentions Peter and especially Paul, you'd expect there to be at least one…
Tobias Brandt
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What does "Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires." mean?
Reading the Song of Solomon, the phase "do not awaken love" or variants thereof is used several times. What does it mean?
Song of Solomon 8:4 Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you: Do not
arouse or awaken love until it so desires.
Song of Solomon…
mrhobbeys
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15
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Why did Abraham stop at ten in Genesis 18:32?
Genesis 18:16-33 recounts the story, "Abraham Pleads for Sodom" (NIV). When conversing with God, Abraham asks God if He would destroy the city if there were 50 righteous people in it. God replies No, so Abraham gradually reduces the number, until he…
Reinstate Monica - Goodbye SE
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15
votes
6 answers
Did God say that Adam will die on the same day he ate the fruit?
but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat,
for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Genesis
2:17, NKJV)
but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,
for when you eat from it…
Mawia
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15
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3 answers
In Numbers 12 why did Moses get away with intermarriage?
In the Hebrew bible we read that Moses did marry a Cushite:
Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of
his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. (Numbers 12:1,
NIV)
Later intermarriages is banned by God:
1 When the Lord…
Niclas Nilsson
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Are the five books of Psalms somehow related to the Pentateuch?
On another question, Mike Bull suggests that there is a link between the five fold structure of the Psalms and that of Torah. I know he is not the only one to have suggested this before, but I'm curious on what basis (besides the number five) these…
Soldarnal
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At John 5:18, did Jesus break the Sabbath?
John 5:18 says
"Because of this, the Jews tried all the harder to kill Him. Not only
was He breaking the Sabbath, but He was even calling God His own
Father, making Himself equal with God."
Some hold the narrator here is simply recounting what the…
Only True God
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