The Bible in Context
I’ve been working through the Ten Commandments for my course on Exodus. The second commandment (according to the enumeration used by most Protestants)—the one about not making carved images and not bowing down to them—brings up the controversial topic of making images of God. Well, I should say it brings up the historical controversy of … Read more
Translation challenges occur throughout the Bible, but numbers in the Old Testament present us with a special challenge. In Exodus 12:37 the ESV says that Israel consisted of about 600,000 men. Since we’re not given the number of women and children, there’s no way to be certain about the total population. A popular guess gives … Read more
What do you do when you are faced with a Bible difficulty—something that seems like a discrepancy? Do you ignore it or wrestle with it? The Patriarchs and God’s Name: A Problem Have you noticed the problem in Exodus 6:3? God says to Moses, “I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God … Read more
Updated November 2022 What is God’s personal name? The answer to that question is found in the story of Moses at the burning bush. After receiving his call from God, Moses offers several objections, including the fact that he doesn’t even know God’s name: “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The … Read more