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How did Ecclesiastes come to be associated with Sukkot?
The five scrolls are noted for their liturgical use, being traditionally read on various holidays. Some of the connections seem rather straight forward (e.g. Esther on Purim or Lamentations on the Ninth of Av). I'm curious, though, how Ecclesiastes…
Soldarnal
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How can we understand "fear"?
It seems that (throughout the Bible), we have been told to "not fear" but also to "fear God".
How can we understand this word "fear" in these two contexts? If this word in these two contexts carries the same meaning, isn't this a direct…
Richard
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Written language during the time of Moses?
What would the written language have been like during the time of Moses (I'm assuming that to be around 1400 BCE), and what kind of material would they have been writing on - was it all on stone tablets or would Papyrus have been used?
Luke
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What is the significance of seal, cord, and staff?
In Genesis 38, Judah gives his seal, cord and staff as a sign of his pledge to pay Tamar. What are each of these objects and their significance and what is the significance of the pledge itself?
James Shewey
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Does John 12:31 refer to the event in Revelation 12:9?
What is the meaning of Satan being "cast out" in the following verse?
John 12:31 (KJV)
31 Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out (ἐκβληθήσεται ἔξω).
From what was Satan to cast outside (ἐκβληθήσεται ἔξω)? If…
Acts Gold Miner
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What does Paul mean by "everything that does not come from faith is sin"?
In Romans 14 Paul says:
But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin. (Romans 14:23, NIV)
What does this phrase mean?
Benny
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Does the "lost leaf" theory for Mark's abrupt ending fail if written on a scroll?
I really like this explanation of Mark's rather abrupt ending:
There are three possible explanations for Mark ending at 16:8: (1) The author intentionally ended the Gospel here in an open-ended fashion; (2) the Gospel was never finished; or (3) the…
Jon Ericson
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Did Saul intend to offer a peace offering in 1st Samuel 13?
When Samuel rebuked Saul for improperly making an offering before the Lord, he asks for both a burnt offering and a "sacrifice of well-being":
He waited seven days, the time that Samuel [had set]. But when Samuel failed to come to Gilgal, and the…
Jon Ericson
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Do some of the manuscripts have a blank spot in Ephesians 1:1?
The NIV footnotes indicate that some early manuscripts do not have "in Ephesus" in then. The NET has extensive notes on this, but they only state the the earliest and most important MSS "omit" the words. They go on to suggest a scenario in which…
Soldarnal
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Is the Son of Man passage in Matthew 25 a reference to 1 Enoch?
I've mostly heard Jesus's Son of Man title considered to be a reference to Daniel (7:13-14; 8:16-18), but the use in Matthew 25:31 of "the son of man....on the throne of his glory" sounds a lot like 1 Enoch 69 Did Matthew intend this…
Susan
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What role should textual (lower) criticism play in biblical hermeneutics (if any)?
A recent comment on another question demonstrated a common perspective, namely that textual criticism is usually a bad thing when interpreting scripture (some would even go so far as to say that it is always a bad thing, such as those who insist…
Dan
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Would the Romans have known what Paul meant by "works of the law"?
In Romans 3:20, Paul writes that no one is δικαιωθήσεται by works of the law (ἔργων νόμου). The only other place I know of the phrase in the New Testament is in Galatians. Does this phrase have use outside of Paul?
In a case like the Galatians with…
Soldarnal
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In 1 John 3:6, is "keeps on sinning" a good translation of ἁμαρτάνει?
1 John 3:6 reads:
πᾶς ὁ ἐν αὐτῷ μένων οὐχ ἁμαρτάνει· πᾶς ὁ ἁμαρτάνων οὐχ ἑώρακεν αὐτὸν
οὐδὲ ἔγνωκεν αὐτόν
The KJV translates it the way the elementary Greek student would (if he lived in 1611), simply showing present tense:
Whosoever abideth in…
Susan
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not wishing that "any" should perish from 2 Peter 3:9
2 Peter 3:9 (NKJV):
The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but
is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to
repentance.
Does the "any" in this text refer to the previous context of "those who…
JDG3
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What did Nadab and Abihu do wrong?
Leviticus 10 tells about the death of Aaron's sons:
Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized[a] fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them. 2 And fire…
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