Monthly Archives: October 2013

Is everything just getting worse?

Posted on October 31, 2013 by theoutwardquest

I am relatively old, a grandparent, and retired.  One of the temptations of this is to see the world on the road to hell.  (OK, AC-DC’s Highway to Hell is on my Halloween playlist.)  There is a religious view that … Continue reading →

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Sarna- Psalm 82

Posted on October 30, 2013 by theoutwardquest

In On the Book of Psalms, Nahum Sarna often pointed out the mythological language behind the psalms.  This factor is well-known.  Some scholars interpret it to mean that Israelite religion is warmed over paganism.  Sarna was not one of these. … Continue reading →

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Sarna-Psalm 48

Posted on October 28, 2013 by theoutwardquest

The next psalm Nahum Sarna considered in On the Book of Psalms was Psalm 48. This psalm’s basic type is that of praise for Zion.  This is an element of several psalms. In regard to Psalm 48, there are two particularly … Continue reading →

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Sarna-Psalm 30

Posted on October 24, 2013 by theoutwardquest

Today, I look at Nahum Sarna’s take on Psalm 30 from his On the Book of Psalms When most Christians think of healing, they think of Jesus who healed lepers, and others.  But healing from disease also appears in the Elijah … Continue reading →

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Sarna-Psalm 24

Posted on October 23, 2013 by theoutwardquest

Yesterday I pointed out that Nahum Sarna in his On the Book of Psalms treated Psalm 24 together with Psalm 15.  This was because the two psalms both ask and answer the question of who is worthy to enter the presence … Continue reading →

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Sarna-Psalm 15

Posted on October 22, 2013 by theoutwardquest

 Psalm 15:1: Lord, who may be a guest in your home? Who may live on your holy hill?  Psalm 24:3 Who is allowed to ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may go up to his holy dwelling place? From the NET … Continue reading →

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Khirbet Qeiyafa-scenarios

Posted on October 18, 2013 by theoutwardquest

A couple of things cause me to return to the topic of the archeological dig at Khirbet Qeiyafa in Israel’s Elah valley.  One is this article on What archaeology tells us about the Bible in the Christian Science Monitor.  The … Continue reading →

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Sarna-Psalm 19

Posted on October 17, 2013 by theoutwardquest

Nahum Sarna in On the Book of Psalms, says that Israel had to constantly struggle with the old, conservative, polytheistic religions around it.  One way it did this was through a vigorous, often satirical, polemic against those religions.  But, as … Continue reading →

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Sarna-Psalm 8

Posted on October 16, 2013 by theoutwardquest

“There is no word for “Nature” in biblical Hebrew, and no conception of such an entity in biblical literature” (p. 68). Nahum Sarna, in On the Book of Psalms, make this observation while discussing Psalm 8.  This is the psalm … Continue reading →

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Sarna-Psalm 1

Posted on October 14, 2013 by theoutwardquest

I am reading On the Book of Psalms by Nahum Sarna.  After the introduction he took nine Psalms to look at more closely.  He began with Psalm 1. This Psalm is peculiar because it is not devotional in the way other … Continue reading →

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