Exegetically Speaking

In the laments of Isaiah 63 and 64, God is asked to look down at his people in salvation. In Isaiah 66 a response comes, declaring at whom the Lord will look: Those in Israel afflicted by this world, who tremble at his word. Dr. Andrew Abernethy is Professor of Old Testament, Assistant Dean of Biblical and Theological Studies in the Litfin Divinity School, and Program Director of the M.A. in Biblical Exegesis at Wheaton Graduate School. Among other things, he has published, The Book of Isaiah and God's Kingdom: A Thematic-Theological Approach and Eating in Isaiah: Approaching the Role of Food and Drink in Isaiah's Structure and Message. He is currently President of the Institute of Biblical Literature.  Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4bcR9UU  M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4baJGps 

Even in translation, Psalm 1, a favorite of many, can be appreciated for its art and truth. All the more in Hebrew, through which we can see and hear how the psalmist employs letters, repetition of words, sounds, and other devices to convey meaning. Dr. Frederico Villanueva is Regional Commissioning Editor for Langham Publishing and Scholar Care Coordinator of current Asian Langham scholars. His publications include It’s OK to be Not OK: Preaching the Lament Psalms, Psalms 1-72: A Pastoral and Contextual Commentary, and Psalms 73-150: A Pastoral and Contextual Commentary. He teaches at the Asia Graduate School of Theology and Loyola School of Theology in Manila. HEBREW Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/3XaQMEB M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4i722Ka 

Phil. 2:6-11 is and deserves to be one of the most studied passages on Christ in the biblical writings. One grammatical question concerns a participle in v. 6, which is usually understood as concessive (“although”). But might Paul intend a causal sense (“because”)? The implications are profound. Dr. Michael Gorman is Raymond E. Brown Professor of Biblical Studies and Theology at St. Mary’s Seminary & University. He has published numerous works, including Inhabiting the Cruciform God: Kenosis, Justification, and Theosis in Paul’s Narrative Soteriology and (March, 2025) 1 Corinthians: A Theological, Pastoral, and Missional Commentary. Among his current projects, he is writing Philippians: A Theological, Pastoral, and Missional Commentary (Eerdmans). Music credit for this episode: https://youtu.be/YII4o33rJdA?si=Azg_r4FuTkJ97B3K. Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4aRQAjd  M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/3CKZoL5 

The prophet Isaiah anticipates what Israel will one day sing, and the words draw directly from the great song of deliverance sung by Moses, as if Isaiah had a copy to hand. Dr. Andrew Abernethy is Professor of Old Testament, Assistant Dean of Biblical and Theological Studies in the Litfin Divinity School, and Program Director of the M.A. in Biblical Exegesis at Wheaton Graduate School. Among other publications, he has co-edited Isaiah and Intertextuality: Isaiah Amid Israel's Scriptures, and authored Discovering Isaiah: Content, Interpretation, Reception. He is currently President of the Institute of Biblical Literature. Music credit for this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUInh1gDnLI. Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/40NODQk  M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/3Q6deed 

Theology ought to be ruled by the biblical text. So says Prof. Yarnell, a systematic theologian who studied Hebrew and Greek and who makes careful use of those languages in his work. In this episode he explains the importance of the languages for theological reasoning generally, and specifically with reference to an OT text that was debated by Church Fathers such as Athanasius. Dr. Malcolm Yarnell III is Research Professor of Theology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and is Teaching Pastor at Lakeside Baptist Church. His publications include Who Is the Holy Spirit?: Biblical Insights into His Divine Person and God, Volume 1 of Theology for Every Person. Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/3EttnHM  M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4hnyYOM 

English plurals of “mass nouns” (uncountable nouns, such as milk, water) indicate kinds (e.g., cow or goat milks) or multiple instances (e.g., “grab three waters”), but Greek has a third option for the same plurals: an “abundance inference.” Realizing this can sharpen our understanding of certain passages. Travis Wright (PhD, University of Cambridge) is a scholar based in Raleigh, NC. His research focuses on the semantics/pragmatics interface in biblical interpretation and translation. He is one of the authors at Koine-Greek.com. Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/3CfoGRq   M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4hm5NuK 

The opening words of Philemon prompt us to ask in what sense Paul is a prisoner in relation to Christ. In part this is a grammatical question, but a couple of contemporaneous papyri texts might supply hints as to the cultural understanding. Dr. Seth Ehorn is Assistant Professor of Classics and Biblical Languages at Houston Christian University. Among other things, he has published 2 Maccabees 1-7: A Handbook on the Greek Text and 2 Maccabees 8-15: A Handbook on the Greek Text, both in the Baylor Handbook on the Septuagint Series. He is currently working on a commentary on Paul’s Letter to Philemon. He has contributed a few episodes to Exegetically Speaking, including one on Philemon 2. Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/3DKJ0KE  M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4afuir9 

In Jeremiah 32:36, a discourse marker is used that would most often signal bad news is coming, sort of like the “Jaws theme” music in a movie. But here it surprises the reader with good news. Jack Messarra completed a master’s degree at the University of Stellenbosch in the field of Hebrew, linguistics, and discourse markers. You can see some of his papers at https://sun.academia.edu/JackMessarra. He and his wife, Loren, are missionaries with Mesa Global. Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/424NV3l  M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4acyPKZ 

Prof. N. T. “Tom” Wright returns to our podcast to discuss Eph. 3:10 and its vision for the church in the present age: God’s “intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known.” God created us so that through us he could show the world who he is, in particular, by a community of all races and nations drawn together in love. Rev. Dr. N. T. Wright is Research Professor Emeritus of New Testament and Early Christianity at St Mary’s College in the University of St Andrews and Senior Research Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. His work has established him as the foremost voice among New Testament scholars of the present generation, not least due to his many commentaries, topical studies, and the multi-volume, Christian Origins and the Question of God. This episode aired previously on 9/9/24. Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/3DCWeZN  M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4gM1Yid 

Dr. Nancy Dawson holds a M.S. in plant taxonomy and Ph.D. in biology/cell biology. After teaching in that field at Western Kentucky University and Texas A&M, she attended Duke Divinity School. She now works as an independent scholar in theology and has published All the Genealogies of the Bible: Visual Charts and Exegetical Commentary (Zondervan, 2023). In this episode she draws upon that research to shed light on Jesus’ parents, their relationship to each other and to Elizabeth, and how these people and relationships help us understand who Jesus is. Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/3ZHQ6YU  M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/3D4iWtP