Tag: Bible

“Hebrews (Life Application Bible Studies, NLT)”

~ Bob Hayton

Tyndale House has expanded the reach of its excellent Life Application Study Bible through its line of Life Application Bible Studies. These study books offer the text from the Life Application Study Bible for a specific book of the Bible, and add a study guide and workbook. The result is a perfect Bible Study booklet for use in small group Bible studies.

I was privileged to get the Hebrews NLT Life Application Bible Studies booklet through my participation in the Tyndale Blog Network. This study booklet on Hebrews is packed full of information and provides a wonderful resource to be used in all kinds of different Bible studies or small groups. Students of every level will benefit from the text study notes and the well framed questions in the workbook.

While one could argue against including the introduction to the New Living Translation and the Life Application Study Bible in a simple Bible study booklet, I actually enjoyed reading through that material. It increased my respect for the NLT translation, and made it easier to follow the study notes as presented in the Life Application Study Bible text.

After the text is given, the 13 lessons on Hebrews follow. Don’t think the lessons line up perfectly with the chapters of Hebrew (13 lessons for 13 chapters), they don’t (which I think is a good thing). The study follows the flow of Hebrews more closely. Each study starts with a reflection section, asking questions which will draw the reader into the topic the lesson is focusing on. Then the section of the text of Hebrews to read for that lesson is noted, along with which study notes are especially helpful to read. Some questions about the reading follow, and then a “realize the principle” section states the main point of the lesson in a few sentences. Several more questions follow and then a “respond to the message” section includes questions designed to help the reader/student apply the lesson to their life. A “resolve to take action” section sums up the application to be gained from that lesson, and a few points for further study are offered.

I found the questions to be both practical and true to the text. The study is careful but it doesn’t go too in-depth. The “for further study” section allows Bible study groups who want to, to explore the deeper or more controversial areas of the text. And the study notes in the text that aren’t read could provide some help for this.

What’s also nice about the study booklet is that there are spaces provided for the answers to each question to be recorded. The text is in the booklet so everything you need is in one handy source. Not every study member is likely to have the NLT text so it is nice to have it in the booklet for one to compare with their own translation. Literal translations will make a great comparison to the NLT and allow the careful reader to observe how and where the NLT makes the meaning of various passages more explicit for modern readers.

The study on Hebrews would make for an excellent adult bible study. It’s well done and allows enough of a gap for a small group leader or teacher to add his own unique input into the study. I recommend this study booklet to everyone most heartily.

Disclaimer: This book was provided by the publisher. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a positive review.

This book is available for purchase at the following sites: Amazon.com or direct from Tyndale House.

“The UBS Greek New Testament: A Reader’s Edition” compiled by Barclay Newman

~ Bob Hayton ~ 1 Comment

Author: Barclay Newman (compiler)
Publisher: Hendrickson
Format: deluxe softcover
Publication Date: 2009
Pages: 704
ISBN: 9783438051493
Stars: 5 of 5

The goal of many NT Greek students is to be able to read out of the Greek NT. This may be the only way proficiency in the language will be realized. The task of reading Greek is made much more difficult the more often one has to hunt down a lexicon to look up a definition for an unfamiliar word. Unfortunately, for most people, the lexicon is needed often enough to push them away from even attempting to read the Greek NT for themselves.

Barclay Newman’s The UBS Greek New Testament: A Reader’s Edition aims to make reading the Greek NT attainable by any Greek student. The New Testament is presented with footnotes for all the difficult words. Every word appearing 30 times or less in the NT will have a definition listed at the bottom of the page. All words appearing more than 30 times are defined in the back of the book in a small Greek-English dictionary. Along with the definitions at the bottom of the page, the words are parsed, and the gender of the word is noted.

It’s been several years since I’ve formally studied Greek. Yet I found this New Testament allowed me to work my way through many passages. I hope to start using it more and more and reinforce the Greek learning I have left!

The softcover version I have is quite nice. It appears quite durable, and has a smooth feel. The paper is almost as thin as you’d find in a typical Bible. It is a compact size which makes it convenient for tucking in your Bible case, or for bringing it along with your English Bible to church. The typesetting is clear, and the format of the footnotes includes the Greek word so as to make it easier to identify which footnote you are looking for. I think the size of the footnotes and the text is just right, not too large or too small.

This handy resource will benefit any who have studied or are interested in studying NT Greek. I can’t recommend this tool enough.

Disclaimer: this book was provided by the publisher for review. The reviewer was under no obligation to provide a positive review.

This book is available for purchase at the following sites: Amazon.com or direct from Hendrickson.

“Using Old Testament Hebrew in Preaching” by Paul Wegner

~ Bob Hayton

UsingOTHebrewAuthor: Paul D. Wegner
Publisher: Kregel
Format: softcover
Publication Date: 2009
Pages: 166
ISBN: 9780825439360
Stars: 5 of 5

One of the most bewildering aspects of biblical studies is the study of ancient languages like biblical Hebrew and Greek. In some circles using Hebrew or Greek is frowned on. In many it is a necessary evil. The aspiring pastor must prove he can pass a few semesters of the languages. After this, he will likely use Greek sparingly and Hebrew not at all. In our day and age, however, there is a proliferation of bible study tools available to bring the wealth of language learning to the fingertips of even interested lay students. There is no excuse for a pastor to not grapple with the original text to some degree.

Paul Wegner has provided a tool to help out busy pastors and once-upon-a-time Hebrew students. His new book Using Old Testament Hebrew in Preaching: A Guide for Students and Pastors explains just how to put even a beginning level of Hebrew to use in preaching and studying the Bible.

The book is laid out very simply, and is designed to be a tool in itself. It starts with an explanation of why Hebrew study matters, and why pastors should take pains to try and use it. Wegner goes on to discuss the tools that are available to help use Hebrew. He compares software programs, Hebrew grammars and other study aids. The book proceeds to discuss how to study a passage using exegesis, literary analysis, theological analysis, and application. Wegner then goes on to explain how to put it all together and prepare an OT sermon. He illustrates just how to do this. The book closes with a discussion on various ways of keeping Hebrew language study fresh, and includes several appendices as aids in their own right.

The book is written in a simple and straightforward style, which makes it accessible to students of all levels of proficiency in Hebrew. Even those with no knowledge of Hebrew would benefit from this book as they plan on pursuing some kind of training in the language.

I learned several helpful things to benefit my own study of Hebrew. Structural analysis of Bible passages is apparently easier with Hebrew than Greek. (This gives some hope!) I also learned to be wary of older Hebrew study tools which prize etymology too much, specifically Brown, Driver and Brigg’s lexicon. Modern study has shown the history of words does not always impact their meaning at a given time. On that note, the study of Hebrew nouns is going to be most beneficial and rewarding. This is different than Greek, where verbs are key. The book also includes an excellent list of recommended scholarly and lay commentaries for each OT book.

I can’t recommend this little book enough. If you have studied Biblical Hebrew or if you think you will (or you should), you would be blessed in having this book.

Paul D. Wegner is professor of Old Testament at Phoenix Seminary and is the author of three books, Bible Introduction: The Journey from Texts to Translations; A Student’s Guide to Textual Criticism of the Bible; and An Examination of Kingship and Messianic Expectation in Isaiah 1-35. He is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society, Institute for Biblical Research, Society of Biblical Literature, and Tyndale Fellowship.

Disclaimer: this book was provided by the publisher for review. The reviewer was under no obligation to provide a positive review.

This book is available for purchase at the following sites: Amazon.com or direct from Kregel.

Quotes to Note 12: Sailhamer on Interpretating the OT

~ Bob Hayton ~ 2 Comments

I have been reading through the introduction to John Sailhamer’s new book The Meaning of the Pentateuch: Revelation, Composition and Interpretation (IVP). The introduction is available for free online (click the sample pages link from Westminster’s Bookstore page or see the book’s page on IVP’s site).

Now that I’ve seen the intro, I know I want this book! And I wanted it before I saw John Piper’s high praise for the book.

This section, I thought was quite good and important for those of us who aim to interpret the Old Testament. Enjoy, then download the whole introduction, or better yet get the book (from Westminster Bookstore or Amazon.com).

The goal of a theological study of the Pentateuch is the biblical author’s intent as realized in the work itself. The (human and divine) authors’ intent is the “verbal meaning” of the book. The author’s intent is what his words say as part of the book.

When talking about the meaning of the words of the Pentateuch, one should be careful to distinguish this from the “things” that the words point to in the real world. The Pentateuch is about real historical events, that is, “things that have happened” (res gesta) in the real world. Words are not the things themselves. Words only point to things and tell us about things.

In speaking about historical events (things), one may easily confuse what an author says about these events with the events themselves. As important as history and archaeology are for understanding the “things” that the Bible points to and talks about, they sometimes get in the way of understanding the “words” of Scripture. The Pentateuch may be compared to a Rembrandt painting of real persons or events. We do not understand a Rembrandt painting by taking a photograph of the “thing” that Rembrandt painted and comparing it with the painting itself. That may help us understand the “thing” that Rembrandt painted, his subject matter, but it will not help us understand the painting itself. To understand Rembrandt’s painting, we must look at it and see its colors, shapes and textures. In the same way, to understand the Pentateuch, one must look at its colors, contours and textures. To understand Rembrandt’s painting, one must study the painting itself. To understand the Pentateuch, one must study the Pentateuch itself (pg. 19-20).

Thinking Biblically about Retirement

~ Bob Hayton

I just recently picked up my October 2009 Tabletalk issue again, and came across a really good article by Alex Chediak. I bumped into him a few times when he was a member at Bethlehem here in Minneapolis, and I’ve reviewed his excellent book With One Voice: Singleness, Dating and Marriage to the Glory of God (Christian Focus).

The article I want to share with you all is entitled: “Don’t Retire; We Need You“. In it, Alex challenges those of retirement age to invest themselves in the next generation through the context of their local church. It’s a great challenge that all should consider. Please read his article.

For more resources on this issue, I recommend Pastor John Piper’s booklet, Rethinking Retirment (Crossway). Learn more about that book here, or download a .pdf of the booklet for free.