I grew up saying "gee" and having no idea that it was connected at any point to "Jesus." I did nothing wrong.* That’s because my usage community (other third-graders, I suppose) didn't know it either. Usage determines meaning, not etymology. Just...
Exegesis
Linguist-Translator with Valuable Insight on Bible Translation
Ernst-August Gutt, an author recommended to me by David Bell, has changed my wavering opinion on whether or not Bible translations should translate metaphors. You really need to read Gutt's whole—relatively brief—discussion to follow this, but try anyway: It is often...
Biblical Love 2: Response to the Father of Friends of This Blog
Don Johnson, a Canadian pastor and father (and father-in-law, respectively) of my good friends Duncan and Meg Johnson, offered a response to my last post on love, a post in which I argued that love is not an action: I have defined agape love as an act of the will for...
Hat Steal
This is not just a hat tip; it's a hat steal. I had to get this absolutely brilliant content (written by a fellow graduate of my alma mater!) to both of my readers. Moisés Silva is an exegetically and linguistically careful scholar, and this is brilliant, just......
Greek and the Layperson
I wish for a day when no one but Greek students and avid C. S. Lewis fans knows the Greek words for love. Knowing them never seems to be much help to people in interpreting Scripture; frequently, instead, that knowledge is an impediment.
NKJV Study Bible on Genesis 1:1–2
I'm reviewing the NKJV Study Bible right now, and here it is on Genesis 1:1–2: 1:1 ....Even though the word for God is plural, the verb for created is singular. It means "to fashion anew." This oft-used word in the Bible always has God as its subject. Here, it means...
They Is Okay
I don't have the wherewithal at the moment to do a diachronic* linguistic usage survey of the word "they." (Or rather, like most bloggers, I lack the willingness to let such a survey delay rushing this blog into, eh, print.) But I am qualified to do a synchronic*...
Genesis 1 and Exodus 19, A Canonical Connection
Do you find yourself baffled by the Old Testament? You want to apply it to your life, but many passages seem impenetrable and the lessons you hear drawn from others just don't ring true? One idea I was taught in seminary that has begun to yield some rich results for...
Jacobs on Augustine on the Hermeneutic of Love
To persons who claim that their understanding of Scripture comes from God alone and not from mere humans, Augustine replies that God didn’t teach them the letters of the alphabet. —Alan Jacobs, A Theology of Reading: The Hermeneutics of Love
Seek Glory for Yourself, But Don’t Be Self-Seeking
Here's a paragraph from Romans 2 that has occasioned no small discussion among Protestant commentators: He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but...
Please Peruse this Post-Post
Note to a recent commenter on the issue of Lexicographical Prescriptivism: I don't think we can limit our usage surveys to “educated people.” That's a slippery category. I could, however, add that usage should ideally be “unselfconscious”: as soon as you ask people a...
Peruse This Discussion if You Like
Faithful readers, accept my heartfelt thanks for your interaction. I really do appreciate it. I'm actually glad my blog is not popular enough to attract nasty commenters! For those who didn't participate in the "peruse" discussion, check out how the discussion fared...