Insights from the Hebrew Old Testament and Greek New Testament

Insights from the Hebrew Old Testament and Greek New Testament Tim Cole restores classic Ford Mustangs/Thunderbirds & is a Teaching-Shepherd (Eph 4:12). BA, BS, ThM (Greek), DMin (Hebrew), MPhil, PhD in NT Greek (Univ.

of C, United Kingdom) Tim serves on the Elder Team & as a Teaching-Pastor for Redeemer Bible Church, a church plant, in St. Petersburg, Florida. He has served for over 20 years as volunteer chaplain for the FL Dept. of Juvenile Justice. He restores people trapped in life-dominating habits (alcohol, drugs, prostitution, p**n) and classic 1971-73 Ford Mustang Mach 1's and 1977-79 Ford Thunderbirds as a hobby.

The Hebrew word hesed (the “h” is enunciated as a guttural) is often translated in our English Bibles as “love, faithful...
08/28/2026

The Hebrew word hesed (the “h” is enunciated as a guttural) is often translated in our English Bibles as “love, faithfulness, loyalty, or steadfastness of God.” See Psalm 136 for example where “hesed” is repeated over and over again.

But do the English Bible translations shortchange it? Does hesed actually mean more? As the title of the book suggests, is it possible that hesed might be “the relational seed” from which the diverse biblical story grows and expands?

Author Jennifer M. Matheny argues that hesed IS the relational seed from which the complex and diverse biblical story of redemption grows. This idea is seminal in nature. She provides an expanded definition of hesed.

Matheny rightly engages with the TaNaKh (3-fold division of the Hebrew Bible)= the Torah (Gen-Deut) ,the Prophets (Joshua—Malachi), and Writings (Psalms-Chronicles).
She traces hesed's relational impact throughout the narratives of the Hebrew Bible. In addition, Matheny also shows how violence and injustice reign when humanity fails to be keepers and doers of Yhwh's hesed, while justice and hope prevail when humanity chooses courageous acts of hesed.

08/13/2026

The first printed multi-column, multi-language Bible was the crown of Spanish scholarship in the 16th century. Learn about its many innovations in this article from Thomas Hudgins.

08/13/2026

📕 Another day, another giveaway!

For day 3 of , we're giving away "Scribes & Scripture" by Drs. John Meade and Peter Gurry.

FOLLOW US, LIKE this post, and SHARE to enter to win!

🎁 Enter to win the New Studies in Biblical Theology: https://bit.ly/4w8cloj

Human Beings Created in God’s Image.What did the Genesis writer Mean? God has an image and likeness. Genesis 1:26f. The ...
07/11/2026

Human Beings Created in God’s Image.

What did the Genesis writer Mean?

God has an image and likeness. Genesis 1:26f.

The combination of nouns “image and likeness” of God in Gen 1:26ff is found again only in Gen 5:3 where it clearly applies to Seth, Adam’s son.

Thus, the word pair constitutes a deliberate dislegomenon (word used only twice in the Torah) by the writer where the second occurrence provides clarity to the first.

Not only is the existence of a son in the deity implied by the distribution of this phrase, but his observable and visible form is implied by the term “image” (צלם–cf. 1 Sam 6:5, 2 Kings 11:18, etc.).

Seth, third-born son, is the visible likeness and image, i.e. son, of Adam, “a chip off the old block” or a “spitting image” as is often expressed colloquially. Consequently, the son of God in Gen 1:26ff is a visible likeness that reflects his father. He would have been created after the divine prototype, i.e., “according to our likeness.”

The idea that the imago dei (Image of God) consists of some invisible personal capacities ignores the fact that “image” in Hebrew is precisely that, a perceptible optical reality.

The same is equally true of the term “image” in the New Testament. An image is something you can see. See Jesus’ statement about “image” on a coin to the Pharisees in Matthew 22:18-22.

Paul the apostle agrees: “He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God…” Col. 1:15.

Human beings were created in God’s visible image, who is Christ, the image of the invisible God.

During the years I was completing a PhD degree in NT Greek in England, I often visited the British Museum in London. It ...
06/21/2026

During the years I was completing a PhD degree in NT Greek in England, I often visited the British Museum in London. It is far too large to adequately cover in one single day.

Pictured is a piece of important archaeology taken from Sudan (Cush), north Africa. It is hard-core archaeological evidence for a specific king mentioned in the Hebrew Bible.

What you are looking at is a monument of a Cush*te king, named Tirhakah; his name is mentioned in 2 Kings 19:9 and the prophet Isaiah 37:9.

“The King (Hezekiah) heard concerning King Tirhakah of Cush, ‘he has come out to fight with you.’” Isaiah 37:9. The passage in 2 Kings 19:9 is identical in Hebrew.

The king’s name can be found in the cartouche on the side.

I advocate a return to the chronology of the books of the Old Testament as is found in the Hebrew Bible that Jesus and P...
05/25/2026

I advocate a return to the chronology of the books of the Old Testament as is found in the Hebrew Bible that Jesus and Paul read.

The current chronology in our English Bibles is based, not on the Hebrew Bible, but on the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible). We must return to the original order of books of the Old Testament.

Here why:

Observe how each of the three divisions of the Hebrew Bible (the TaNaKh) begins with a Messianic figure:

The first division, the Torah (Pentateuch) begins with Adam. The second division begins with Joshua. The third division begins with the Blessed Man, identified in Psalm 2 as the Son of God.

Observe also that each of the three Messianic figures is given authority over the entire land.

It is not a coincidence that Matthew’s portrayal of Jesus concludes with his words spoken to his disciples: Matthew 28:19-20

“All authority has been given unto me…”

Jesus Messiah is the last Adam, the better Joshua, and the Son of God.

This is just one of many examples that show why the order of the books in the Hebrew Bible is clearly superior to the order we find in out English translations. The Hebrew Bible is structure messianically and prepares readers for Jesus the Messiah.

The "House of David" and even the biblical character of 1 Samuel, David, the son of Jesse, in Bethlehem, successor to Ki...
05/23/2026

The "House of David" and even the biblical character of 1 Samuel, David, the son of Jesse, in Bethlehem, successor to King Saul, writer of Psalms, the seed of the Messiah Jesus, has long been viewed as fictitious, a myth, an invention of Judaism. In other words, David did not exist.

But the Tel Dan Stele, discovered in 1993, contains the phrase "House of David," making it the oldest known extrabiblical inscription referencing King David. It was written by an enemy king boasting about defeating Israel. Even David's opponents confirmed his dynasty existed.

In 1526, the Bishop of London burned copies of William Tyndale’s translation of the Greek NT into English at St. Paul’s ...
05/21/2026

In 1526, the Bishop of London burned copies of William Tyndale’s translation of the Greek NT into English at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, calling it a “most pernicious poison.” This summer, 2026, that same church will host a special exhibition for the book to mark its 500th anniversary. How ironic. See the link

Judas repented of what he did to Jesus (Matthew 27:3). Would Jesus see him in heaven?Our English Bible translations make...
05/01/2026

Judas repented of what he did to Jesus (Matthew 27:3). Would Jesus see him in heaven?

Our English Bible translations make it difficult to distinguish between genuine and false repentance. Translations hide the differences. Here is an example.

After Judas saw what happened to Jesus and knew that his actions had led to Jesus being condemned, he repented (metameletheis) and went out and hanged himself (Matt 27:3).

Matthew uses a term that means “to be sorry afterwards, to have pain again.” Judas saw the evil he had caused and felt sorrow and pain, wishing he could undo his deed. He changed his mind. But his repentance went no further than to change his mind. His repentance, mere sorrow and regret, a change of mind, full of self-pity, was fake repentance. It availed nothing and led to su***de, not a change of life.

Judas’ self-pity looked like repentance, but it was self-absorption, and that is the core of sin.

In contrast, after Peter denied Jesus three times, he wept bitterly, experiencing deep sorrow, also wishing he could undo his deed. But his deep sorrow produced earnestness and eagerness to go back to Jesus Christ and to a change of heart, mind, and life.

Peter’s repentance was genuine and he was reconciled to Jesus.
How can we distinguish between people who show false and genuine repentance?

To answer, the apostle Paul provides a key word that helps us distinguish between genuine and false repentance (2 Cor. 7). The evidence that showed the genuineness of the repentance of the Corinthian congregation can be seen in the use of one word repeated twice: that word is earnestness—“earnest care” (spuden; 2 Cor 7:11, 13).

Observing this passage shows that the central quality of authentic repentance is that it inspires earnestness, earnest care on the part of the congregation or individual to do the right thing, to reconcile, and pay whatever price to make things right.

The congregation didn’t drag their feet, make excuses, or live in denial; they demonstrated earnest care to make things right in the sight of Christ.

By distinguishing between false and genuine repentance, we can answer the question, “Will Jesus see Judas in heaven?”

Coming up Sunday, 3 May 2026,

With your lifestyle, your schedule, and choices, you can preach a message worth hearing, even without speaking a word. H...
04/28/2026

With your lifestyle, your schedule, and choices, you can preach a message worth hearing, even without speaking a word. Hard to believe? Let’s examine a couple of examples:

First, Abel doesn’t say a word or preach a message in the Biblical narrative (Genesis 4:1-10); He is silent. However, according to the writer to the Hebrews, the result of his genuine faith continues to talk; Silent Abel still speaks today (cf., Gen. 4.10, Heb. 11.4).

“By faith Abel offered God a greater sacrifice than Cain, and through faith, he was commended as righteous, because God commended him for his offerings. And through his faith, HE IS STILL SPEAKING, even though he is dead.” Hebrews 11:4.

Abel’s sacrificial offering to God, rooted in his genuine faith, not his bragging or his speech, giving his best offering (rather than leftovers like Cain) to God, is a message still being communicated from generation to generation. Silent Abel is speaking today: Give your best to God. Take the leftovers for yourself.

Second, we observe that Noah is equally silent throughout the narrative in Genesis 6-9. His obedience to God’s commands, not his words, are recorded. Yet, observe, Peter dubs him a ‘herald (keruka; 1 Tim 2:7; 2 Tim 1:11;) of righteousness’. 2 Peter 2:5.

Silent Noah is speaking today. His obedience to God in building the Ark to save his family, built according to God’s specifications, using no shortcuts, is an ongoing message of righteousness to our generations.

His wholehearted obedience to God’s commands is an ongoing message for us to hear and emulate.

Summary: Give your best to God, not leftovers. Obey the commands of God, no shortcuts.

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