Who was the naked prophet?
While all the prophets may match this description at least once in their lives (Eccl. 5:15), the specific incident you are no doubt referring to is that of the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 20:1-6. In the…
Jonah - What's the Point?
It most definitely does appear that Jonah ends rather abruptly. Jonah and God are disputing. God asks Jonah a question in 4:9 and Jonah answers him. Then in verses 10 and 11, God asks another…
Hebrew Superlative
The short answer is no. There are many ways to form a superlative in Hebrew, and in the Bible threefold repetition is not one of them. The long and technical answer is: In Hebrew the superlative may…
Satan Was Never Lucifer
Actually, the Bible doesn't mention this. Some theologians have thought that Isaiah 14 relates the story of the fall of Lucifer, but it does not. The chapter is really about the human king of…
Double Reference and Fulfillment
Personally, I have a problem with the whole idea of "double reference." Sometimes people distinguish various classes of double reference, such as those in which there are long gaps between the…
Is Jonah a historical book or a parable?
In my assessment, the book is presented to us as a historical account. It is ascribed to a historical prophet (cf. 2 Kings 14:25), and it contains no authorial comments or literary clues that suggest…
Ezekiel 3:18?
While Reformed theology does teach that God, by his eternal decree (according to the unsearchable counsel of his own will), predestines some to eternal life in heaven and the rest to eternal wrath in…
Breaking the New Covenant
That's a very good question. In order to understand how Presbyterians interpret this passage, you must understand how they understand the nature of the new covenant. Specifically, I am referring to…
Dating of Amos and Isaiah
Our view is that Amos reached its final form by 722 BC, and that Isaiah reached its final form after 681 BC (when Sennacherib died), and before or near the time of Isaiah's death. Thus, the final…
Isaiah and the Davidic Line
Isaiah was a covenant representative of God, as were all authoritative Old Testament prophets (just like the New Testament apostles). As such, his primary role was to act as God's emissary to God's…
Micah Interpretation and Application
Broadly speaking, Micah's prophecies primarily concerned the state of Israel and Judah around the time of the fall of Samaria (722 B.C.). The mention of Hezekiah places the date of the book after…
Suffering Servant
First, the speaker in Isaiah 53 is Isaiah. Isaiah is not merely "reporting"; he is a thinking theologian who is delivering God's message in his own words. He is God's covenant emissary, prosecuting…
Why is Nahum in the Bible?
When we open to Nahum 1:1, we find out that it is "an oracle concerning Nineveh." At first glance it would appear that he is speaking to Nineveh, as if his ministry was in this pagan city. However…
Hosea 11 Interpretation
Hosea 11:2 is part of God's complaint about his wayward people. In this particular verse, he is expressing his love for Israel and his dedication to them, especially as demonstrated in his patience…
Teaching Obadiah
Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament. It consists of an oracle against the Edomites (Obad. 1). They have been proud and violent toward God's people (Obad. 10). Here God pronounces…
Ezekiel's Big Picture
Ezekiel can be a fairly confusing book. It contains some wild sounding visions and symbolic actions. It also ends with a detailed description of the temple and the land of Israel. It can leave the…
Old Testament Holy Spirit
Actually, Deuteronomy 30:6 does not refer to the coming of Christ, though certainly Christ has a great deal to do with God's work in circumcising our hearts: it is God's love for us in Christ…
Prophecy and Interpretation 101
Lecture referenced: Why Do We Baptize Our Children? Hebrews 8 indicates that Jesus is the mediator of the "new" or "renewed" covenant of which Jeremiah spoke (the Greek word kainos may be translated…
Valley of Dry Bones
Ezekiel's vision probably does not describe a real valley of dry bones, nor does it probably correspond to any real valley with which Ezekiel or his contemporaries were familiar. The ancient Hebrew…
Taciturn Repentance
There are many theories about Jonah 2. Did he really pray this great poetry at the time, or did he compose this poem later to represent what he had prayed? Are the details poetic metaphor or historic…
Ezekiel and the Temple
Yes, I think you are right. If the people had repented and followed God with gusto, then the temple would have been rebuilt to those specifications (which apparently would have exceeded the glory of…
Obadiah and Joel
Little is known about this Obadiah, except that he wrote one of the books of the Bible. Scholars are divided over the question of the date of his ministry, though the curse against Edom provided in…
Queen of Heaven
The "queen of heaven" mentioned in Jeremiah 7:18; 44:17-19,25 is not identified in Scripture by any other name. Some speculate that it was Ishtar (a.k.a. Ashtoreth, Astarte, etc.). Whatever the…
Temple Reconstruction
The decree, the preparations, and even the building and reinstatement of the sacrifices already took place with the building of the second temple (described in Ezra-Nehemiah; see above; cf. Ezra…