The narrator of the book of Ruth preserves small but telling mistakes in the Hebrew uttered by the character Ruth, who was a Moabite immigrant to Israel. How are these clues to the narrator’s intentions? Dr. Timothy Lim is Professor of Hebrew Bible & Second Temple Judaism at The University of Edinburgh. He works broadly in the Hebrew Bible, ancient Judaism, and the origins of Christianity, while concentrating in the biblical canon and the Dead Sea Scrolls. He has published The Earliest Commentary on the Prophecy of Habakkuk, among other things.

At a crossroads in the nascent Christian mission the “apostles and elders” conferred to discern where the Spirit of God and the Scriptures were leading them. The question: What is required of the Gentiles for salvation? James cited Amos 9 which foretold the restoration of David’s “fallen tent” so that the “remnant” of humankind would seek the Lord. As Mark Lanier explains, it is that word “remnant” that ties into a major OT theme. Mark Lanier is a practicing attorney, a teacher in his local church in Houston, Texas, and the founder of the Lanier Theological Library (co-sponsor of this podcast) among other projects in service of the church. In earlier episodes he talked about the library and about the word Behold! in Matthew’s Gospel.

The Greek sentence that opens Paul’s letter to the Romans includes carefully worded claims about Paul’s gospel. Crucially, Paul identifies some of what he means when he refers to Jesus as Christ/Messiah: He is a descendent of David and the Son of God. He is the latter not only as a result of the resurrection but in a special way through that event. Dr. Matthew V. Novenson is Professor of Biblical Criticism and Biblical Antiquities at the University of Edinburgh. Among recent publications are (author) Christ Among the Messiahs; Paul, Then and Now; and (co-editor) The Oxford Handbook of Pauline Studies.

In this episode, Ben Marx shares how close attention to the phrase “signs and wonders” brings into focus how Luke narrates God’s work of salvation in Jesus, to which the apostles and others bear witness. This plays out against the backdrop of Moses’ miracles and plots the growing reach of the good news from Israel to the nations. Ben Marx is Professor of New Testament at the Instituto Bíblico Sinodal de Arequipa, Peru, and is a Ph.D. candidate at Trinity College Bristol/University of Aberdeen. His thoughts on this episode’s topic will be published in the Journal of Pentecostal Theology. Check out related programs at Wheaton: Classical Languages >  MA in Biblical Exegesis >

Biblingo comprises a suite of online resources for learning the biblical languages, including a variety of digital aids and the option of live cohort training. The unifying mission of Biblingo is to advance God’s Word in the world by making the biblical languages more accessible and easier to learn through technology. Here to talk about this is Nick Messmer, co-founder and Head of Growth of Biblingo and an alumnus of Wheaton Graduate School’s M.A. in Biblical Exegesis. Did you know Wheaton College has a Classical Languages program? Learn more >

The Hebrew phrasing of Hosea 1:9 recalls the covenantal name of God in Exod. 3:14. However, as Dr. Andrew M. King explains, because of their sin, God’s covenant disposition is reversed towards Israel. Dr. Andrew M. King is Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Spurgeon College, and co-director of Every Voice: A Center for Kingdom Diversity in Christian Theological Education. Among other books, he co-edited Five Views of Christ in the Old Testament and is currently writing a commentary on Hosea in the Pillar Old Testament Commentary series (Eerdmans, forthcoming). Check out related programs at Wheaton: Classical Languages > MA in Biblical Exegesis >

There are Hebrew word plays in 2 Kings 1 that are not apparent in English translations but are part of the original narrator’s intention, not without a touch of humor, to show that the Israelite prophet Elijah out-Baals Baal. Dr. Andrew Burlingame is a Wheaton College Classical Languages program alumnus and is now Assistant Professor of Hebrew at the same. He specializes in Northwest Semitic languages, including Hebrew, Aramaic, Phoenician, and Ugaritic, along with their history and texts. His recent publications are featured here. 

Romans 3:21-26 is a critical biblical passage, and it has naturally been read in conflicting ways. Can insights of modern linguistics wed with conventional exegesis to clarify the choices to be made in interpreting a key Greek word in v. 24? Dr. Kevin Grasso (Hebrew University of Jerusalem) is co-founder and CEO of Biblingo, which exists “to advance God’s Word in the world by making the biblical languages more accessible and easier to learn through technology.” He is currently working on a revision of his dissertation on verbs of judgment in Biblical Hebrew as well as linguistic introductions to both Biblical Hebrew and Biblical Greek. Check out their podcast.

Dr. Samuel Pagán has spent years working in biblical scholarship and translation. He discusses the expertise that is required for good translation work, the joy of that work, and the unending need of fresh or refreshed translations. Dr. Pagán is the Dean of Hispanic Programs at The Jerusalem Center for Biblical Studies (Jerusalem and Lakeland, FL). In addition to thousands of articles he has published over 70 books, including Introducción a la Biblia hebrea and Pablo: El apóstol en su context, and has edited over ten Study Editions of the Bible.

A translator of the Bible into English must possess a sensitivity to the possible meanings of Greek words and grammar used by (or possibly not used by) the original author, and an equally sensitive awareness of how the English word choices of other translators have aided or hindered understanding. Prof. McKnight puts forward fruitfully provocative English renditions of Revelation 1:1. Dr. Scot McKnight is Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary in Lisle, IL. He has authored numerous books and articles, among which are Revelation for the Rest of Us: A Prophetic Call to Follow Jesus as a Dissident Disciple and (forthcoming) The Second Testament: A New Translation. Prof. McKnight blogs regularly at Scot’s Newsletter.