Exegetically Speaking

A close and careful reading of the words and grammatical constructions of Revelation 3:20 will clarify at whose door the Lord stands, and the strong encouragement of what he is doing there. Dr. Scott Duvall is Fuller Professor of New Testament at Ouachita Baptist University. Among his publications are (with J. Daniel Hays), Grasping God's Word, Fourth Edition: A Hands-On Approach to Reading, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible and God's Relational Presence. Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/3WivvsF  M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/3SoN8ET 

When an OT character is first introduced in narrative literature, we are typically given important clues about who they are and what they are going to do. So it is with Elijah, a foreigner who would seem to be an unlikely opponent of Baal worship. Dr. David Firth is Old Testament Lecturer at Trinity College, Bristol, UK. Among his publications are, Including the Stranger: Foreigners in the Former Prophets, 1 & 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Study Guide: A Kingdom Comes, and (co-edited with Brittany Melton) Reading the Book of the Twelve Minor Prophets.  Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/3RMY2E5 M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4cBEcU7 

Among the spiritual gifts Paul lists in Romans 12 is diakonia, often translated simply as “ministry” or “service.” The social context of the Greek speaking world can assist us in understanding more fully what this term signified for them. Dr. Teresa McCaskill is an independent researcher who resides in central Florida. She has authored Gifts and Ritual: The Charismata of Romans 12: 6-8 in the Context of Roman Religion, and is working on a second book. Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4bvshGE  M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/45HZVHQ 

“Train up a child in the way he should go” (KJV) is a popular proverb, but to understand what it means we have to understand what biblical proverbs are, and what key Hebrew words of this proverb likely intend. Dr. Richard Schultz is the Blanchard Professor of Old Testament in Wheaton College Graduate School. In addition to other publications, he has authored Out of Context: How to Avoid Misinterpreting the Bible and co-edited with Daniel Block, Bind Up the Testimony: Explorations in the Genesis of the Book of Isaiah. Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/3VjzzqN  M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4ca9xgE 

Pablo Deiros is an Argentinian pastor, teacher, author, and more. He recounts his years of learning Hebrew and Greek and their importance for his work as a church historian. His publications include Historia Global del Cristianismo and Historia Del Cristianismo En America Latina.  Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4aVmlGB  M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4b8N2ru 

The NIV translates part of Hebrews 2:10 as, “it was fitting that God . . . should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered.” Prof. Peeler explains what is intended by the imagery of the key Greek words translated as “pioneer” and “make perfect.” Amy Peeler is the Kenneth T. Wessner Chair of Biblical Studies Professor of New Testament at Wheaton College. Her most recent publication is Hebrews (Commentaries for Christian Formation). Another is Women and the Gender of God and she is presently working on Paul’s Letter to the Galatians. Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4aKK0sW  M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/3wYZig8 

In the resurrection narrative of John’s Gospel, Mary Magdelene is asked by angels within the empty tomb why she is crying. Turning from them she finds a man whom she supposes to be the gardener, but is in fact Jesus himself. This apparently mistaken understanding may in fact be pointing us to another garden and Gardener. Dr. Ruben Zimmermann is Professor of New Testament Studies at Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz in Germany. His research spans such areas as ethics, hermeneutics, parables and miracles of Jesus, gender studies, and more. His publications include Puzzling the Parables of Jesus: Methods and Interpretation. Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/3Vb1SbT  M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/3yGLcjG 

2 Timothy 3:16 is commonly translated, “All Scripture is inspired” or “God-breathed.” Apart from what that metaphorical language on its own might suggest to the English reader, what observations can be made about the recorded history of God’s speech as it proceeds from God’s utterance to written Scripture? Dr. Brent Sandy taught New Testament and Greek at Wheaton College and chaired the Department of Religious Studies at Grace College, Indiana. His most recent book is Hear Ye the Word of the Lord: What We Miss If We Only Read the Bible. He is coauthor (with John Walton) of The Lost World of Scripture: Ancient Literary Culture and Biblical Authority , among other things. Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/3UYM2RM  M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/3WIs8f3 

In the first lines of Paul’s letter to the Philippian church he says he is praying in joy because of their “partnership in the gospel” (NIV). From the end of the same letter we learn what this means (material support of Paul’s mission) and its implications. Rev. Dr. John Dickson is Jean Kvamme Distinguished Professor of Biblical Studies and Public Christianity at Wheaton College. He previously taught at Macquarie University, University of Sydney, and Ridley Theological College, Melbourne. Since 2015 he has held the research position of Visiting Academic in the Faculty of Classics at the University of Oxford. His many publications include Mission-Commitment in Ancient Judaism and in the Pauline Communities: the shape, extent and background of early Christian mission. Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/3JPabE2  M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/44B8iEp 

The Church Father, Ignatius (likely died within the first two decades of the 2nd century), in his Letter to the Philadelphians, uses wording that suggests dependence on the Gospel of John (likely written in the last decade of the 1st century), and also reveals something of Ignatius’ own dependence on the Spirit in his preaching. Dr. Jonathon Lookadoo is Assistant Professor at Presbyterian University and Theological Seminary, Seoul, South Korea. His publications include The Epistle of Barnabas: A Commentary (Apostolic Fathers Commentary Series) and The Christology of Ignatius of Antioch (Studies in Early Christology). Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/3Wc2vms M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/3JRocRx