READ UNDERSTAND ACT

#biblestudy #anaginooskoon #noeoo

Matthew 24:15 ends with a clause probably inserted by a later editor but the insertion is a very sensible piece of advice whether one is reading biblical or classical greek or other ethical texts.

LITERALLY

HE WHO READS THINK

ho anaginooskoon noeitoo

Present Active participle followed by a Present Imperative

Anaginooskoo - to know something and think about it also to read in NT  greek and note it is followed for emphasize by an Imperative form of NOEOO to see something and and think before taking action.


READ the TEXT Biblical or other THOUGHTFULLY and THINK about it as well as ACT.

Bible or other study is NOT how much text you read but knowing and understanding the text and taking action. Since the two chapters are linked you might want to take a look at the end of Chapter 25?

Healing Faith and Forgiveness

#Matthew Matt 9:1-7
#gospel #biblestudy #jesus #healing

After descending from the Mountain Jesus performed several acts of healing of the mentally ill and physically disabled. I want to focus on one particular one in chapter 9 the healing of the paralytic.

Now whatever the disability or illness of this young man actually was the first thing Jesus tells him is this

Tharsei teknon aphientai sou hai hamartai.

Be brave / positive / confident young one forgiven  to be free let go  of you  the errors / sins.

His first concern is the boy or young man's mental state.
Perhaps he was depressed or had what we might call post traumatic stress.
Perhaps he'd done or felt he had done something that caused or contributed to whatever accident or illness had made him a paralytic?

Notice this is not just faith healing. Jesus is not saying his sins caused the paralysis but focusing on tending to the boys spiritual and emotional well being? Then finally he tells him after rebuking the scribes to rise up take your bed and go home.

Faith can contribute to healing but a confident attitude helps.
however that doesn't mean we should rely ONLY and SOLELY on miracles of healing!

Tharsei has been translated as Be of Good cheer but the word also means be confident brave courage bold or to have a positive attitude in Modern English?

Note also the forms of the verb aphieemi  let go free release send away an important "irregular" verb you should learn.

I did not know you!

#gospel #biblestudy #whatjesusaid #greeknewtestament

Matthew Chapter 7 21-23

Paraphrase and notes first

Not all who say to me Lord! Lord! will enter into the realm of the heavens

note eiseleusetai erkhomai future stem eleuso

but he who the will of the father mine in the heavens (will)

many will say ero future of lego to me in (during / on) that day Lord Lord
not in the your name / in your note did we not prophetize
and by / in your name demons cast out
and ny your name works of power many do ?

and then I will declare / state / to them

Never I knew you!

Get away from me
those working lawlessness

note not merely sinners but people who claim and think they are doing things in the name of the divine but actually work against divine law !

Anomia is the final word in greek and if there was such a word in english you could translate it as UNLAW ?

And what is the LAW ?

remember Jesus said the Law could be summed up as
Love the Divine and love your neighbour!

The Narrow Gate Matthew 7: 13 - 14

#gospel gospelofmatthew #biblestudy

Matthew Chapter 7 Verses 113 -14

First a literal translation.

Verse 13

into + enter compound verb thru the narrow gate for wide the gate and open the way away+leading compound verb into destruction and many are those who intogo thru it.

Note how Greek uses compound verbs where we might use prepositions in English. I have used OPEN to translate eurukhoora rather than easy because the word means wide open and I choose to stress the contrast between narrow and wide .

Leads the word used  in most English translations omits the sense of diversion of being diverted from the right path of the Greek verb apo+ago.

Verse 14

for narrow the gate and "pressing" the road leading into life
and few they are those who find it.

Greek uses a Perfect Passive participle tethlimmenee from the verb thliboo.

This isnt just press as if you are ironing or opening a door. Its oppressive distressing pressure!

There is legend that this is a reference to a gate at Jerusalem so narrow only one person at a time could use it so there's  humor and irony in this verse as well as a message.

Don't look for the easy path. Don't get diverted onto the wrong way.

Matthew 7: 3-5

#gospel #biblestudy #matthew #beatitudes

Matthew Chapter 7 Verses 3 -5

Here's a word for word translation of the Greek.

why you look at the mote the object in the eye of the brother of you the but in the of you eye beam / log not percieve / notice.

how you will say to the brother of you
Let me cast out the mote from the eye of you

Behold the beam in the the eye of you
Hypocrite cast out first the beam out of the eye of you

and then you will clearly to cast out the mote out of the eye of the brother of you.

Nows what noteworthy in the greek that differs from the English and can add to your insight without removing wood be it dust or huge chunks!

Mote is karphos something small wooden and dry splinters chaff sawdust

Dokos by contrast is a log or plank a large length of timber used as a roof support or bar or shaft.

Many translations say look or see but the verb is katanoew perceive notice understand THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE SEEING  thoughtful observation?

Verse 4 seems to contain a quote? Perhaps from another preacher regarded as a hypocrite by some?

Was some one talking about spiritual blindness or comparing sin to dust ?

Note also that every form of ekballoo cast out / throw away  in these verses is spelt with a single L which means they are AORIST!

Finally we have another form of Blephoo see look but with dia added.

This gets translated as see clearly in English but can also mean to look through something or focus and give special attention while looking.

I hope these notes have added to your understanding and pleasure while studying the Beatitudes!

Judge NOT Matthew 7 : 1-2

MEE KRINETE
are the opening words of #matthew #gospel 7:1-2
#biblestudy #jesus

Krinoo the verb which appears 4 times in these 2 verses is a cognate of latin Cerno

So  Not you plural judge so that or in order that as a consequence or result cos the secondary clause has a subjunctive verb form

Judge not lest you are judged!

For by the judgements you make you will be judged!

And in what measure you made you will be judged in turn.

Note Anti as a prefix appears in  Greek and its not just meaning against but in response the payback or balance of one action leading to another.

He's not saying to not judge  but to bear in mind as we may make decisions and judgements about others like judgement is made about us.

This leads in to the next passage which makes it clear he's talking about human sins and how humans judge each other in an unbalanced way.

One of the symbol for justice are scales for a good reason and perhaps while visiting one of the Greek cities in the area Jesus had seen a depiction of blind Justice holding scales?

krima krimati is a cognate of Latin crimen but means judgement not crime.

Metreoo is a contract verb related to metrov measure.

Next week Spots and Blocks!

More on Matthew 6: 25 - 34 Body and Soul

#biblestudy #gospel #beatitudes

This is  a beautiful passage of powerful prose in in any language!

I'm going to do a loose paraphrase and break up the sentences to show you the parallelism in the greek text and shorten the lines so it works better for those of you using a phone app to read this?

First a note on psyche lie in verse 24  is psykhe not zoee probably to strengthen the parallelism yet contrast between spiritual and physical needs.

Causal marker dia
this I say to you
not be worried for the life of you
(about implied by dative)
what you eat and what you drink
nor for = in regard to the body what you put on / wear.

Not the life / soul more is
( than used in English cos its a comparision)
of the food and the body (more than) of the wearing?
(the clothes you wear)

Look at the birds of heaven
that they not sow  nor harvest nor gather into storage
and the father of you in heaven feeds them!

Not you much  different  are from them?

which and of you while worrying is able to add upon his stature / adult size and shape cubit one?

and about clothes why are you worrying?

observe / learn from the lilies of the field how they increase / grow

no they  toil nor they spin

I say then to you that
not Solomon in all the glory of him was clothed like one of them

if then the grass of the field today being
and tomorrow into an oven is thrown
the god so arranges
not many much more for you (do) little faith ones ?

not therefore be concerned saying
what shall we eat ?
or What shall we drink?
or What will we wear?

All for these things the nations / pagans seek after

knows for the father of you the heavenly
that you use / need od these thing all.

Seek then first the realm of god and the righteousness of him
and these things all shall be added / placed use provided ? to you

Not therefore worry into = about ? the next day
for the next day will be anxious about itself

(ironic personification?)

Sufficient / enough to the day the evil of it.

I help that breakdown shows you something about the syntax of the Greek?

Notice how you change to use different prepositions in English because a preposition can change meaning in Greek depending on what case the adjective and noun are!

Now go back and enjoy reading the whole passage in Greek or English!

Serving God and Mammon

Serving #God and #Mammon
#Gospel #biblestudy #Beatitudes

Matthew 6: 24 - 25

word for word translation

no-one is able 2 masters to serve

notes dative follows dunamai hence duo becomes dusi

either for the one s/he will hate
and the other will love

note the use of the future other is hetero -
miseoo hate source of miso-

or one s/he will hold fast to and the other despise

anthekhsetai is the future middle of antekhomai
this verb changed meaning in NT koine Greek

it is still anti so literally against hold but against the same way we may say in English I am going to hold a tissue up against to my face or lips

katephroneesei look down on think of with disdain despise

not you can be able to / for god serve and  mamon

a note on ma(m)on this is a loan word from Aramaic.

It means money wealth property

regardless of what some commentaries state there is no evidence for Mammon being a Semitic God or a demon. The personification here is rhetorical.

We have to chose which to serve and love God or Money.

Try not to mistake one for the other!

Jesus on Fasting

Matthew 6: 16 - 18

#Jesus on #Fasting #Biblestudy #greeknewtestament #gospel

Neesteuoo fast or abstain

Judging from the pair of verses here jesus is talking from ritual fasting perhaps for funerals?

Word for word

whenever and you plural are fasting not become like the hypocrites adjective sullen angry sad faces they hide for the faces of them so that they appear / are obviously to humans / people to be fasting.

So do not "make a song and dance" of fasting.

Note the use of ginesthe in Greek this verb ginomai  in late greek seems to be used in a way that overlaps or replaces more classical poieoo or prassoo. Its like the English usage of do particularly here.

Do not become / be / act like / behave like ...

Notice how Jesus focuses on actions ? !

skuthroopoi to look sullen angry sad resentful

aphanizoo may refer to covering one's face making it unseen unclear by covering it with ashes or dirt or letting your face hang loose

In verse 17 Jesus asks us to instead when fasting to do it in private

you and when fasting anoint of you the head and the face of you wash ...

if you're doing it for god and not appearances sake  then god will see !

notice the emphasis and contrast once again between public and private rituals and behaviour a theme throughout this chapter.

What are modern parallels?

Perhaps the person who insists on telling everyone about their new "healthy" diet or the vegetarian or vegan who thinks dieting makes them spiritually or ethically superior?

You don't fast to be superior or get praised?

Yes you can encourage people to try a limited fast for health reasons but don't make a performance of it!

Finally and off topic don't forget to pray for peace and healing for everyone in gaza israel iraq or syria Christian Muslim Yazidi or Jew !

STAMMER SPEAK

(running a bit late with this post sorry!) 

Stammer speak

Matthew 6: 7-8

This is another of those verses of which EVERY translation differs.

Here's a word for word translation:

(when or while cos present participle) Praying and not STAMMERSPEAK (N.B. Aor. Subj.)

like the pagans they seem to think for that in a manyword of them they will be heeded.

Not therefore make similar to them

knows for the father of yours what need you have before of the (need?) you to ask him.

This verse is often used to criticize the devotional practise of repeated prayers and mantras and similar spiritual tools by Catholics Hindus Orthodox and Buddhist. More about that in a moment.

When praying do not stammerspeak. This usually gets translated as empty prayers or vain repetitions as the KJV phrases it but the verb literally means stammerspeak!

We know from Aristophanes and Attic dramas that invocations of gods included repeting names and syllables. Io! Io! Etc.Why say stammer speak? Was it a popular insult directed towards Pagans by Jews of that time?

Were some jews using prayers that involved repeating epiphets of the divine?

Perhaps the point is not simply that repetitions are wrong but meaningless repetitions.

The Jesus Prayer devotional practise involving repeating one short prayer over and over again and has been discouraged by some writers and lauded by others.

The point of such repetitions is not to earn karma or reduce anxiety or reach a meditative state but to achieve communion with the Divine by placing yourself in a receptive state. But if you don't really focus on the divine on the intent of your prayer it can become merely a kind of autohypnosis.

Jesus next saids like the nations the ethnikoi the pagans and note he uses eisakouoo not just hear but listen or hearken … they seem to think dokeoo they fut pass form they will be heeded … greek in manywords perhaps should be by speaking many words over and over again.

The repetitions become an error if you think the repetition is more important than the purpose.

Do not make yourself like them. Or pray because you need something?

God knows your needs before you ask. A relationship with the Divine like many human relationships should not be based solely on need.

The next section is the Lord's prayer and we'll leave that for next week!

Confusing Verses One

some people seem to be confusing and collating 2 separate verses to support their "JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY" interpretation of scriptures.

What Jesus actually said in John 3:16 is

"So (much)  for loved God the world that the son the one-begotten he gave,
that all each one ? who believe in him should not perish  but have / receive life eternal.

Monogenee gets translated as only but the actual meaning is broader.

Monos first one single person or item genee begotten born

Sole born son could also work as a translation?

Note that its jesus who is the only son.

He may have stated elsewhere he is the way  but never that he is the ONLY way?

Now John 14:1 Jesus says believe in the father and in me believe

He does say in 14:6 No one comes to the father IF NOT by me.

Not expect or unless but IF NOT BY ME

Be mindful here he is addressing his disciples.

These two verses seem to get collated and (fused) by a certain kind of Christian.

Now please go and read Romans 2:12 - 16.

Stop worrying about how many souls are being converted and be doers of the word.

The word ONLY is not a common word but rather a rare one in the New Testament!

Matthew 5 verses 21 to 26 on Anger

My thoughts and observations on the #gospel and #whatjesussaid 

Matthew 5: 21 to 26 

#Jesus speaks about Anger.

“You have heard that it was said by the ancients, 'You will not kill' …

Note the aorist passive errethee! (see next post) 

Whoever kills will be liable to judgement.

But Jesus expands and links this to anger.

"But I say to you that all who are angry with their brother are liable etc"

Liable is perhaps too weak a word. The greek derives from a compound verb with a subtext of strong necessity of something that has to be done.

Note the use of the middle ὀργιζόμενος.

This is passionate anger not mere annoyment or irritation!

Jesus then compares a secular court to other types of judgement.

He also points out paying a fine or making a ritual offering is not enough.

He calls on people to make peace with those they are angry with regardless of whoever started the dispute. Anger is a sin and ritual is not the answer.

You have to pay the penalty be it a fine or a prison sentence or an apology but you have to pay so it is far better to make and keep peace with person you offended.

Perhaps because anger kills your own soul too?