Genetics and Early Genesis

October 23, 2017 By Tom Hobson

A new fascinating study makes the connection between genetics and early Genesis. It finds Cro-Magnon and earlier forms of hominids in the Bible. It makes the connection between post-Ice-Age geology, rumors of Atlantis, and Noah’s flood. It even delves into epigenetics, the evidence that DNA can be rapidly impacted by adaptation to environment. The author proposes that speech may be what makes Adam’s race into a new creation that reflects the image of God, a change not traceable in DNA, but which can account for huge advances in human civilization. Read more

Who Are You Calling Boy?

October 19, 2017 By Tom Hobson

The Hebrew word na‘ar is commonly translated “boy” or “lad.” But how old is a “boy?” Let’s look at some of the 240 times this word is used in the Bible. Read more

Laughing, Playing, and Beyond Child’s Play

October 16, 2017 By Tom Hobson

Forms of the same Hebrew word, tzahaq, can mean laughing, playing, or even fondling, and often, all we have is context to tell us which meaning is meant. Tzahaq is used only thirteen times in the Hebrew Bible. For the purpose of this study, I will also include the verb sahaq, which is used 36 times, and appears to be a later spelling variation of tzahaq. (The Koehler-Baumgartner lexicon confirms this move.) For me, the key piece of evidence is... Read more

What Was Wrong With Leah’s Eyes?

October 12, 2017 By Tom Hobson

In the beauty contest between Leah and Rachel in Genesis 29:17, we are told that Leah’s eyes were “weak,” but Rachel was “beautiful of form and beautiful of appearance.” So what does that mean? Read more

Kill, Smite, or Wound in the Casualty Report?

October 9, 2017 By Tom Hobson

There’s a huge difference between being killed or wounded. But that difference is not always clear in the language used in the Bible, particularly when the word “smite” is used. Read more

Concubine Versus Married Woman in the Bible

October 5, 2017 By Tom Hobson

What is a “concubine” in the Bible? We know she’s not a wife, but what exactly is she? What constitutes “marriage?” Read more

More Tolerable for Sodom

October 2, 2017 By Tom Hobson

Make no mistake: Jesus is not trying to make Sodom look good. Read more

How Do We Explain Noah’s Flood?

September 28, 2017 By Tom Hobson

There was a real Flood. How deep it was, is open for discussion. But the concept of Biblical authority requires me to believe that a near-extinction of the human race took place in conjunction with a flood of unprecedented scale that was experienced worldwide. Read more

Methuselah: Man of Vitality

September 25, 2017 By Tom Hobson

What does the name Methuselah mean? And how do we make sense out of the vast number of years he is reported to have lived? Methuselah (Genesis 5:25-27) is generally reckoned to be traceable to an Akkadian (Assyro-Babylonian) original Mutu-she-lah, “Man of Lah”. But what do we do with the mystery word on the end? Read more

No Historical Adam Means Open Door to Racism

September 21, 2017 By Tom Hobson

Unless we believe that the entire human race began with a single pair of ancestors, we open the door to racism. A lot hangs on the existence of an historical Adam and Eve. Read more