Babel is the first brick construction in Scripture (Genesis 11:3). They burn earthy clay to make it into building material for the city and teh tower that reaches to heaven. Egypt also deals in brick, and puts Israel to work making the bricks for its storage cities, its neo-Babels (Exodus 1:14; 5:7, 8, 16, 18-19). The next time bricks are mentioned in Scripture is Isaiah 9:10, where the men of Ephraim respond to the collapse of “bricks” with the plan... Read more
Oppression is an Egypt-word in Scripture, the root of the noun “taskmasters” in Exodus (3:7; 5:6, 10, 13, 14). But Egypt is not the only oppressor. The next time the word is used is in Deuteronomy 15, where anyone who refuses to release debtors in the seventh year is considering an “exacter” – the word is the same as “taskmaster” in Exodus. Philistines oppressed Israel (1 Samuel 13:6), but during the battle, Saul himself oppresses Israel by laying a curse... Read more
Yahweh delivered Israel from the yoke of Egypt (Leviticus 26:13), and put her to work in His own field. He warned, though, that they would receive an iron yoke if they failed to plow faithfully (Deuteronomy 28:48). That heavier yoke first takes the form of the yoke of Solomon. The word “yoke” appears eight times in 1 Kings 12, where Jeroboam asks for relief from Solomon’s yoke, heavy as a new Egyptian yoke. Eventually Yahweh breaks the yoke of the... Read more
Isaiah 9:1 is structured around a contrast between the “beginning time” and the “after time.” In the beginning time, Yahweh treats the land of Zebulun and Naphtali “lightly,” but in the after time, He will cause it to be heavy, glorious. This movement from light to heavy is, as verse 2 makes plain, also a movement from darkness and gloom to light. Darkness is light, a sign of contempt; light is glory. And this is of course the movement of... Read more
Isaiah 9:3 is organized in a fairly neat chiasm, with a triple use of the word “joy” ( samach ) in the center: A. You multiply the nation B. You make great their joy ( simchah ) C. They rejoice ( samach ) before you B’. As the joy ( simchah ) in harvest A’. As men are glad ( giyl ) in dividing the spoil There is another structure working here as well. The first two lines begin with... Read more
There’s land, and there’s sea. Israel and the nations. What then are islands? Bits of land within the sea. Kings of the islands bring tribute to the Davidic king (Psalm 72:10), and the islands rejoice when God reigns over the earth (97:1). Isaiah 11:11 says that the Lord will recall His people from the places they’ve been scattered. He lists seven locations (Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath) and then adds “from the islands of the sea.” An eighth... Read more
Revelation includes several fourfold lists of the groups that are under the dominion of the Lamb. Four of these lists include ethnos , phule , glossa , and laos (5:9; 7:9; 11:9; 14:6), though in a slightly altered order each time. In addition, 10:11 includes laos , ethnos , and glossa , but instead of phule it has basileus . 17:15 has laos , ethnos , and glossa but includes ochlos rather than phule . Thus, four of the lists... Read more
Revelation includes several fourfold lists of the groups that are under the dominion of the Lamb. Four of these lists include ethnos , phule , glossa , and laos (5:9; 7:9; 11:9; 14:6), though in a slightly altered order each time. In addition, 10:11 includes laos , ethnos , and glossa , but instead of phule it has basileus . 17:15 has laos , ethnos , and glossa but includes ochlos rather than phule . Thus, four of the lists... Read more
In an evident allusion to the LXX of Song of Songs 1:2, John says that Jesus’ golden girdle is girded across His “breasts” ( mastoi ). In John’s vision, Jesus has a somewhat feminized body. What could that mean? For starters, it links Jesus with the Lover of the Song. Plus, it intimately links Jesus with His Bride; in John’s vision, the two form one flesh, one body, and Jesus’ care for His Bride-Body (as Paul also says) is like... Read more
In an evident allusion to the LXX of Song of Songs 1:2, John says that Jesus’ golden girdle is girded across His “breasts” ( mastoi ). In John’s vision, Jesus has a somewhat feminized body. What could that mean? For starters, it links Jesus with the Lover of the Song. Plus, it intimately links Jesus with His Bride; in John’s vision, the two form one flesh, one body, and Jesus’ care for His Bride-Body (as Paul also says) is like... Read more
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