Exegetically Speaking

Toward the close of his short letter to Philemon, Paul offers to pay any debt Onesimus may owe Philemon, and adds (ESV), "I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self." The last words are often viewed as heavy-handed, but are better understood as an instance of paralipsis in which Paul "brings up something without bringing it up." He is employing a tactful approach to mention a delicate matter. Dr Seth Ehorn , an alum of the MA in Biblical Exegesis program at Wheaton Graduate School , is Assistant Professor of Classics and Biblical Languages at Houston Christian University. Among other things, he has published 2 Maccabees 1-7: A Handbook on the Greek Text and 2 Maccabees 8-15: A Handbook on the Greek Text , both in the Baylor Handbook on the Septuagint Series. He is currently working on a commentary on Paul's Letter to Philemon. He has contributed several previous episodes to Exegetically Speaking.

In an important line, Paul is frequently understood to be referring to at least two laws, the law of Moses, which the apostle is no longer "under," and a law of Christ, which he is still "under" (1 Cor. 9:21). Jewish parallels and the Greek words Paul uses suggest, however, that it is Paul's commission to preach the gospel that can override some Mosaic laws when they hinder his mission. Paul appears to be a transgressor of Moses' law but he insists he is conducting himself lawfully with respect to Moses because of Christ who commissioned him. Dr. Paul Sloan is Associate Professor of Early Christianity at Houston Christian University. He has published Jesus and the Law of Moses: The Gospels and the Restoration of Israel within First-Century Judaism . Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4raJmyq M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4piXJQ9

In the opening line of Mark's Gospel Jesus is referred to as "the Son of God," except that the Greek phrasing in this instance, somewhat non-typically, lacks any definite article. That this idiom echoes imperial propaganda is seen to be likely when a Roman centurion employs the same wording as he observes how Jesus died on their cross. Dr. Christopher Hays, a return contributor to this podcast, is president of Scholar Leaders and host of Faith on the Road Podcast . Among his publications are When the Son of Man Didn't Come: A Constructive Proposal on the Delay of the Parousia and Eight Million Exiles: Missional Action Research and the Crisis of Forced Migration . Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/49x9aP4 M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/3XH7R8U

When the king of Egypt is first introduced in our OT book of Exodus he is not named, nor thereafter. But the book itself in Hebrew is called "Names," and even the midwives are named (Exod. 1:15). Egyptians tended to treat the kings of their enemies the same way. Dr. Oliver Hersey is the 11 th president of Jerusalem University College. This college, located on the southwestern corner of Mount Zion, equips for ministry by providing immersive study of the ancient and modern contexts of Israel and the surrounding regions for a deepened understanding of God and his word. Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4qXJAsL M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4i2FEmo

John's longer letter begins with a series of clauses headed by neuter relative pronouns without clear antecedents. In particular, the neuter gender draws our attention. To what do they refer and how does this relate to John's larger concerns? Dr. Elizabeth Mburu, who contributed earlier to this podcast , is Associate Professor of New Testament and Greek at Africa International University, Nairobi, Kenya, and is the regional coordinator for Anglophone Africa for Langham Literature . She is on the board of the Africa Bible Commentary and is the editorial coordinator and New Testament editor for its revision. Her publications include Qumran and the Origins of Johannine Language and Symbolism and African Hermeneutics . She is currently writing the commentary on 1-3 John for the Word Biblical Commentary Series. Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4qL6SBW M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/3XePdVF

Looking at ancient copies (manuscripts) of the Old Testament is necessary if we are to reconstruct the earliest wording of the texts, but the manuscripts can also shed light on the ancient scribes, their work, and perennial challenges of interpretation. For example, 4Q Jeremiah A (dates to around 225-175 B.C.E.), one of the Qumran Scrolls, has some interesting wording at Jer. 14:6. Dr. Andrew B. Perrin is Professor of Humanities at Athabasca University. His publications include Lost Words and Forgotten Worlds: Rediscovering the Dead Sea Scrolls and Horizons of Ancestral Inheritance: Commentary on the Levi, Qahat, and Amram Qumran Aramaic Traditions . Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/3JDT7US M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/432V97F

The RSV's translation of the "cleansing of the temple" in John 2:15 is in part, "And making a whip of cords, he drove them all, with the sheep and oxen, out of the temple." John's Greek, however, suggests that Jesus was using the whip only on the animals, which might have other implications for interpretation. Dr. Croy is the author of a widely used beginning Greek grammar, A Primer of Biblical Greek , and The Mutilation of Mark's Gospel , among other things. His newest book, forthcoming in December, 2025, is The Martyrdom of Polycarp: Translation, Introduction, and Commentary . He previously held teaching posts at Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University, and Southern Nazarene University, at the last of which he continues in a part-time teaching role as Professor of Greek and New Testament. Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4ov2J2Z M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/47D9xGd

The opening words of Matthew's Gospel are translated as, "An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah" (NRSV), or "This is the genealogy . . ." (NIV), or "This is a record of the ancestors . . ." (NLT). A comparison with the parallels in Genesis and a look at what Matthew actually composes suggest that Matthew had something else in mind. David Capes , formerly Dean of Biblical & Theological Studies at Wheaton College , is the host of Exegetically Speaking and the Director of Academic Programming at the Lanier Theological Library & Learning Center , which sponsors this podcast series along with Wheaton College. His publications include The Divine Christ: Paul, the Lord Jesus, and the Scriptures of Israel . Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/47eidS5 M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4hc5Omd

The Colossian churches had shifted their attention from Christ to calendrical matters, mediatorial figures, mystical visions, and philosophical notions. Paul is calling them to focus on Christ, who is the center and circumference of reality. In 2:9, Paul's language makes Christ's full deity unavoidable and unmistakeable. Dr. Malcolm Yarnell III, who has been on this podcast before, is Research Professor of Theology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and is Teaching Pastor at Lakeside Baptist Church. His publications include God, Volume 1 of Theology for Every Person . The second volume, Word , is forthcoming (February, 2026). Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/48gx7tf M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4o8XupB

The NRSV translates John 7:38, "Out of the believer's heart shall flow rivers of living water." Behind that stand entangled questions of the punctuation of the Greek sentences (punctuation is lacking in the earliest manuscripts), the meaning of the word κοιλία ( koilia ), and whose koilia is in mind. Another translation could be, "Out of Jesus' womb flow rivers of living water," which fits nicely with John's wider context. Dr. Jennifer McNeel is a NT professor at St. Mary's Ecumenical Institute in Baltimore, MD. She also teaches at United Lutheran Seminary and is active in leading church retreats. She has authored Paul as Infant and Nursing Mother: Metaphor, Rhetoric, and Identity in 1 Thessalonians 2:5-8 and Under Her Wings: Mothers and Motherhood in the New Testament . B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/489nuws M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/3KurwWj

Peter's Greek wording in 1 Pet. 2:17 suggests a subtle but potent leveling of people and Roman king in Peter's kingdom vision. Dr. Jason Maston is Professor of Theology at Houston Christian University, where he is also Associate Dean, School of Christian Thought, and Director, BA to MDiv Program. His publications include (author) Divine and Human Agency in Second Temple Judaism and Paul: A Comparative Study and (co-editor) Five Views on the Gospel . He is currently writing a theology of 1 Peter as part of the New New Testament Theology series being published by Cambridge University Press. Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4nmygUL M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: http://bit.ly/4nirWOe

Modern students of biblical Hebrew learn that the "pointing" (symbols for vowels) of the commonly used Masoretic text of the OT was added to the Hebrew consonants in the medieval period, and that the meaning of a passage can depend on the pointing used. Depending on the pointing chosen, Jeremiah 7:7 can be translated as, "I will let you dwell in this place," or as, "I will dwell with you in this place." Was the ambiguity of the unpointed text intentional? James Hoffmeier is Professor Emeritus of Old Testament and Near Eastern History and Archaeology at (former) Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. His publications include The Archaeology of the Bible and Akhenaten and the Origins of Monotheism . Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4nmygUL M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4pvq85V

In a healing story shared by the first three Gospels, Luke reports a uniquely worded response of onlookers, translated in the NIV as, "We have seen remarkable things today." The key Greek word is παράδοξα ( paradoxa ), which is in fact noncommittal on the morality of what is in view. Dr. Thomas Schmidt is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Fairfield University. His most recent book, Josephus and Jesus: New Evidence for the One Called Christ (Oxford) examines the description of Jesus given by the Jewish historian Josephus. Through generous donor, it is available for free on the book website: JosephusandJesus.com. His other publications include, The Book of Revelation and its Eastern Commentators: Making the New Testament in the Early Christian World . Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4mZ6AVC M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4mbcRwA

As of Paul's first (existing) letter to them, the Corinthians are still struggling to understand and practice their faith in their native, non-Jewish environment. In a passage centering on the knowledge of God and idolatry (1 Corinthians 8-10), Paul begins by stating the central Christian confession of the true God, which is a modified version of the Jewish Shema (Deut. 6:4). Rev. Dr. N. T. Wright is Senior Research Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University, and Emeritus Professor at the University of St. Andrews and the former Bishop of Durham. His work has established him as a foremost voice among New Testament scholars of the present generation, not least due to his many commentaries, topical studies, and the multi-volume, Christian Origins and the Question of God . He has been with this podcast a few times before. Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/41AptpA M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/3JL47Qa

Hebrew poetry is rich in parallelism of sound (phonological), words (lexical), meaning (semantic), and grammar, through which meaning is conveyed. Psalm 150 illustrates these devices, and manages to strike its climactic note through the breaking of them. Chandler Dean is working on her M.A. in Biblical Exegesis at Wheaton Graduate School . Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4792UvI M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/3HL7zcM

The Greek of Heb. 12:14-16, though rendered into separate sentences in some English translations, is a single Greek sentence. Paying close attention to the internal structure, especially a participle at the beginning of v. 15, sharpens our understanding of the integrated thought: The pursuit of true peace can involve conflict, albeit a conflict for the sake of peace. Pat Miller is an attorney now working on his M.A. in Biblical Exegesis at Wheaton Graduate School , while teaching as an adjunct in the Department of Politics and International Relations . Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/45qkw3y M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/3UkbqQS

The opening lines of Genesis illustrate the way Hebrew relies on the sounds of words to convey meaning, for example, the menacing Hebrew word for 'darkness.' Rabbi Steven Bob, who has contributed several episodes to this podcast series, is Rabbi Emeritus at Congregation Etz Chaim in Lombard, Il and guest faculty at Wheaton College. He is the author of Go to Nineveh: Medieval Jewish Commentaries to the Book of Jonah, Translated and Explained , and is working on a commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah. Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/456wqAM M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/45vlawP

At a crucial juncture in his argument and in the space of two verses Paul uses four terms related to the πιστ - word-group, usually rendered as "faith" or "belief." Background and the context of Romans favor hearing the ideas of "loyalty" and "faithfulness" in v. 3. Dr. Bates , who has been on this podcast before, is Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary. Among his several publications are Beyond the Salvation Wars: Why Both Protestants and Catholics Must Reimagine How We Are Saved and Salvation by Allegiance Alone . Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/44XpTZ5 M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4fixRzB

The story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego – their refusal to bow down to the king's image and their deliverance from the furnace – is among the most oft-told of the Bible. Archaeology has provided a compelling backstory for that event, illuminating some of drama that the narrator would have assumed. Dr. John Walton , Old Testament Professor Emeritus at Wheaton Graduate School , is a frequent contributor to this podcast . He has many volumes in his "Lost World" series along with many other publications, including (with Andrew Hill), A Survey of the Old Testament (4 th ed.) . He is currently collaborating with Dr. Aubrey Buster in preparing a major commentary on Daniel (NICOT). The first volume on Daniel 1-6 is due out soon. Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4kIGFj9 M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4kSBFIV

A small, common, but theologically charged Greek verb in Rev. 20:3 quietly signals the fate of Satan in the triumphant King's victory procession. Dr. Shane Wood is Professor of New Testament & Its Origins at Ozark Christian College. His publications include The Alter-Imperial Paradigm: Empire Studies & the Book of Revelation and Thinning the Veil: Encountering Jesus Christ in the Book of Revelation . Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/44PwmnC M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4kRgXt0

Unlike other prophetic books that directly address an audience, the message of Habakkuk presents itself to listeners by pondering a dialogue between the prophet Habakkuk and God. By paying attention to repetition related to "seeing" in Habakkuk 1-2, we can pick up on God's invitation to allow God's perception of reality to enrich and challenge our own. Dr. Andrew Abernethy , a frequent contributor to this podcast , is Professor of Old Testament, Assistant Dean of Biblical and Theological Studies in the Litfin Divinity School, and Program Director of the M.A. in Biblical Exegesis at Wheaton Graduate School . He is currently President of the Institute of Biblical Literature. His publications include Savoring Scripture: A Six-Step Guide to Studying the Bible and (with Gregory Goswell) God's Messiah in the Old Testament: Expectations of a Coming King . Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/3GdsmVS M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/3IxWKux

Amos' Hebrew is rich with rhetorical techniques such as word play and satire, sometimes throwing hard punches. Some of these can be heard in translation, others are difficult to preserve in English. Dr. Danny Carroll Rodas , who has contributed several episodes to this podcast series, is the Scripture Press Ministries Professor of Biblical Studies and Pedagogy at Wheaton College. He has written extensively on Amos, including a major commentary on that prophetic book in the New International Commentary on the Old Testament series. He explores the features discussed in this episode in his newest publication, The Lord Roars: Recovering the Prophetic Voice for Today . Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4lxtcLR M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/3Ib6VoX

Jesus' teaching in Matthew's Greek utilizes figures of speech that can be impossible to translate into English but which lend force and memorability to his words. Dr. Alexander Loney is Associate Professor of Classical Languages and the Coordinator of the Classical Languages program at Wheaton College. His publications include The Ethics of Revenge and the Meanings of the Odyssey and (co-editor) The Oxford Handbook of Hesiod . He has contributed several episodes to our podcast. Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4npvVsB M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4eJpHjz

The English words, "where there is no vision, the people perish," would seem to commend the need of a good plan for a desired future, but the Hebrew sentence points in a different direction. Dr. Richard Schultz is the Blanchard Professor of Old Testament in Wheaton College Graduate School . In addition to other publications, he has authored Out of Context: How to Avoid Misinterpreting the Bible and The Search for Quotation: Verbal Parallels in the Prophets ; he has co-edited with Daniel Block, Bind Up the Testimony: Explorations in the Genesis of the Book of Isaiah . Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4e7CgVw M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/3HFTMnn

Is Ecclesiastes 3:10-14 about a despotic, distant god or a benevolent, known God? It depends on whether we recognize the force of a Hebrew definite article. Bradley Cameron (PhD, Wheaton) is Visiting Instructor in Old Testament at Wheaton College . His dissertation was, "Learning to Fear: An Exploration of the Fear of God in Ecclesiastes through the Lens of Emotion." Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4l0bd0B M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4kx3ozy