Category Archives: passage interpretation

a look at genesis 6:3

By mitchell b powell | Published: 0049, 5th February, 2010
I love talking about Genesis.  And now Jeff has asked a question for “Hebrew people.”  I’m pretty sure I’m not a Hebrew person, but I’m going to try to lay out exactly what’s going on in the Hebrew of Genesis 6:3.  The Hebrew reads as follows וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה לֹא־יָדוֹן רוּחִי בָאָדָם לְעֹלָם בְּשַׁגַּם הוּא בָשָׂר [...]
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and another thought . . .

By mitchell b powell | Published: 2238, 4th February, 2010
In the last post, I commented on one reason I don’t see Genesis 6:3 as God setting any sort of boundary on human lifespans.  Here’s another reason:  in the only other biblical passage I know of that gives a figure for the human lifespan, the figure 120 found in Genesis 6:3 is not mentioned.  The [...]
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did God reduce lifespans to 120?

By mitchell b powell | Published: 2226, 4th February, 2010
Again, some thought-swapping with Jeff, this time over at Joel Watt’s blog, has led me to post about Genesis. Genesis 6:3 says, “And Jehovah said, My spirit will not always strive with Man, for that he also is flesh;  yet his days shall be a hundred and twenty years.”  Or, if we translate it according [...]
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some thoughts on usury

By mitchell b powell | Published: 0204, 30th January, 2010
The post that started this train of thought is here. Summary of that post:  there once was a Catholic clergyman of the 1400′s who was remarkably ahead of his times in terms of the capitalisticness of his thoughts.  Despite all this, he was entirely against the charging of interest.  Murray Rothbard, writing as an economist, [...]
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psalm 2:1-3, english translation and commentary

By mitchell b powell | Published: 2133, 24th January, 2010
After church this Sunday, I joined my fellowcollegestudents for the traditional lunch and Bible study.  We focused on Psalm 2 and Matthew 28 (they’re an interesting combination).  In Psalm 2:1-3, there were some questions raised as to what exactly was being said.  Although discussion cleared up the basic issues, there were some more details I [...]
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what eternal life does to what we value

By mitchell b powell | Published: 1804, 10th January, 2010
And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. — Revelation 21:21 There once was a wealthy man whose death was approaching.  He summoned his lawyer and said to him, “When I die, I want to take [...]
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genocide in judges, follow-up

By mitchell b powell | Published: 1550, 10th January, 2010
And this is the thing that ye shall do, Ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by man. — Judges 21:11 Earlier I alerted you to MandM‘s thought-provoking examination of genocide in the book of Joshua.  Well, part two is now online.  Enjoy.
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venezuelan currency adjustment and what the bible says about it

By mitchell b powell | Published: 1746, 9th January, 2010
Nope.  I don’t have a specific divinely revealed message for you about Venezuelan currency devaluation.  What I have instead are just some under-developed ideas to present, and all of you can make up your own minds about it.  And you can also feel free to chime in and help me make up my mind.
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the farmer’s daughter

By mitchell b powell | Published: 1410, 6th January, 2010
This morning, as I washed my hair, I realized that the lyrics of a country music song can help us all to remember a valuable lesson about biblical interpretation, especially in dealing with poetic sorts of things.  (Yeah.  I realize the Psalms aren’t country-western, but I think the point I’m gonna make still holds).
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shoots my stomach

By mitchell b powell | Published: 2123, 31st December, 2009
There’s an idiom in Papua New Guinea where something that deeply impacts someone “shoots one’s stomach.”  My kinswoman Martha Wade, who translates the Bible into the Apal language in Papua New Guinea as a missionary, has repeatedly been told by members of the budding church there that the Words of God are strong and “shoot [...]
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