Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-23 Ecclesiastes was written by a person known in Hebrew as Qohelet (which means the “Gatherer” or “Teacher” or “Preacher”). Because the book contains Persian and Aramaic “loan-words,” the book is dated to the time of Persian rule of Judea (539 to 333 BCE). (Loan-words are words borrowed from one language to […]
Genesis 18:20-32 Genesis, like much of the Torah, is an amalgam of oral and written religious traditions, some of which are dated to about 950 BCE and some of which were developed as late as 450 BCE. Today’s reading is part of an early tradition. Two clues to the date of today’s reading are (1) […]
Genesis 18: 1-10a In the passages just before today’s reading, the account noted that Abraham was 99 years old and Sarah was more than 90 years old. Today’s reading speaks of Yahweh appearing to Abraham (whenever the translation is “LORD” in all capital letters, the word in the Hebrew Bible is YHWH) at Mamre, an […]
Deuteronomy 30:9-14 Deuteronomy is the fifth (and last) book of the Torah and is presented as if it were Moses’ final speech to the Israelites just before they enter the Promised Land. “Deuteronomy” comes from Greek words that mean “Second Law” and the book is a “restatement’ of the laws in Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers. […]
Isaiah 66:10-14 The Book of Isaiah is a composite of writings from three distinct periods in Israel’s history. Chapters 1-39 are called “First Isaiah” and were written in the 20 years before Jerusalem was under direct siege by the Assyrians in 701 BCE. “Second Isaiah” is Chapters 40 to 55 and brings hope to the […]
1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21 The Book of Kings is part of the “Deuteronomic History” that includes the books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings. These books emphasize that God controls history, and when the people (and their kings) worship Yahweh properly, good things happen to them. When they worship false gods, however, bad events […]