Category Archives: Bible 911

Bible 911 – 2 Chronicles 9:11

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2 Chronicles 9: 11 And the king made of the algum trees terraces to the house of the Lord, and to the king’s palace, and harps and psalteries for singers: and there were none such seen before in the land of Judah. (KJV)

Once again, my verse needs to have context given to it. So, Solomon, the Queen of Sheba, algum wood, presents, and a lot of wealth find their way into this study. For me personally, I have had mixed feelings about Solomon, and taking time to muse on Chapter 9 has given me some answers. 

Algum Wood – Like some plant and animal species, mentioned in the Bible, we don’t have an exact modern match for this wood. It is believed to be either juniper or sandalwood. This wood apparently did not come with the Queen but was brought by Hiram and Solomon’s men (sailors). Either of the two species would have the properties required for what was made.

Yes, there are varied opinions on the “terraces”. Some feel they may have been handrails and not the treads of the steps.

Chapter 9 is devoted to the Queen of Sheba and Solomon’s personal wealth and accomplishments. Chapter 8 highlights the work done on the Temple. 9:10 and 11 being written and placed here make sense if those terraces and instruments impressed the queen.     

The Queen of Sheba – The opinions, myths, legends, and naughty movies abound for the woman and Solomon. Jesus refers to the Queen of the South (south wind) in Luke 11:31 and Matthew 12:42; these refer to her coming to hear the wisdom of Solomon. If you continue this part of the study, please know we do not know who she was. There are records of powerful queens in the Yemen/Oman area from the period and powerful queens from the Ethiopia region of Africa that could have staged such a trip to visit Solomon.

Three opinions I will mention are:

  1. Song of Songs may have been written in the Queen’s honor. The winds in 4:16 could refer to her and Solomon, she would be the south wind. In 1:5 and 6 she refers to her dark skin color. Either of these would place her from the two target areas.
  2. The gifts she brought seem to reflect the ones the Wisemen brought to Jesus. 1Kings 10:10
  3. The eunuch in Acts 8:27 is from Ethiopia. I believe that there has been a Jewish presence in that area that started in the time of Solomon. The event with Philip seems to have started a Christian “church” in the area; that is still there today.

Solomon – In Sunday School class, as a child, we learned of his wisdom, wealth, and God’s love for him. I remember pastors talking about the building of the First Temple and comparing it to the modern church. So, as a young believer in Jesus, I thought he was an acceptable role model. Then the reality of what his riches did to him set in;1,000 wives, not denying himself of any worldly pleasure, and following the gods of the peoples around Israel. The ones mentioned in 1 Kings 11: 5-8 would have required child sacrifice. He did not follow after his father David or the God who had revealed Himself to him. Maybe you can see my dilemma, keep the “first” Solomon (child of David), condemn the “second” Solomon (child of the world), or just throw him all away.

I am glad that the Father gives wisdom if your heart is open to Him. I will not be assigning any messianic qualities to him as David’s son but he is/was the living example of other people and groups in the Bible and beyond the pages of Scripture.

  1. All of the other kings of Judah reflect their grandfather Solomon; some were wholehearted in following their God, and some followed the second Solomon and went further off course than he did. The people followed their kings and priests, some held to the Lord but many followed the people around them.
  2. I can see the Seven Churches in the Book of Revelations as a reflection of Solomon. I have been studying Ephesians and Jesus called them to return to their first love. There is no doubt that God sent prophets to Solomon so he would return to his first love.
  3. This is being said with a fair amount of embarrassment. The Church has followed in Solomon’s footsteps since Constantine. (Please note that I did not call out any denomination.) In these troubling days, people who acknowledge Jesus as Lord need to return to their first love. Leave Left or Right and Woke to the world and find Jesus.

Solomon is complex, just like those groups I see reflected in him. I put all of that aside to recognize that he is an influence in our Bible. Several Books were penned by him and Jesus uses him in His teaching and parables. We do not know much about his early life, but I would bet it was filled with condescending looks and mean whispers from Jerusalem because of his mother. He also had a front-row seat to a lot of drama because of his older brothers.

2 Samuel 12, 1 Chronicles 28 and 29, 1 Kings, and 2 Chronicles all tell pieces of his story. His legacy, the Temple, certainly outlived him.

This is not a highlight telling of his life, but what may have occurred after the Temple was built. The Temple and his palace took half of his reign as king (20 years).

  • 2 Samuel 12:24 tells of his birth and that David and Bathsheba named him Solomon, but God gave him Jedidiah.
  • 1 Kings 10:14 is his yearly income, 666 talents of gold (possibly 25 tons).
  • 1 Kings 11: 6-11 relates part of the evil Solomon did and what God did to him and the kingdom.

Ecclesiastes may have been his opus at the end of his life. Hopefully, 12:13-14 reflects a heart change in his life.

Ephesians 1:11

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Ephesians 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

  • Obtained an inheritance, eklerothemen  or kleroo G 2820. According to Mounce, this word is used only here in the New Testament, there may be other forms.
  • Being predestinated, proonsthentes  or proorizo G 4309. It is also used in verse 5.
  • According, kata
  • The purpose, prothesin G 4286.
  • Pas
  • Working, energountos or energeo G 1754. I hope you see the word “energy” in this word.
  • Counsel, boulen G1012. It resembles Boolean, but I did not check the etymology.
  • Will, thelematos G 2307. The will of God is mentioned four times in Chapter 1 (vs. 1, 5, 9, and 11). The word is used three more times in Ephesians, two of them are about the will of God.

Use the links below to explore all of the words in the passage in Ephesians.

Ephesians 1 MOUNCE – Paul, an apostle of Christ  Jesus by the – Bible Gateway

Ephesians 1 Interlinear Bible (biblehub.com)

Bible 911 – Joshua

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Joshua 9:11 Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are your servants: therefore now make ye a league with us. (KJV)

The 9th chapter of Joshua is about the Gibeonites. If I may, I would like to view the Book of Joshua with the idea of NEW. New leader, new land, new year, new problems, and new chances to see God move for them and through them. The “new” associated with the Gibeonites is the con/trick they pulled on Joshua and Israel. Up to this point in their history, people have held them in slavery and lied to them, attacked or threatened them, and caused them to sin. This con was because the Gibeonites feared them and did not want to fight this horde of people. This new problem came from an old curse.

The Hivites of Gibeon, Descendants of Ham

Genesis 10:6-20, 1 Chronicles 1, Joshua 3:10, and 1 Kings 9:20 all list the family groups that descended from Ham and Cannan. They settled in this land and they are the ones under the curse of Noah. That curse was they would serve the descendants of the Shem, who is the progenitor of Abram. The list will look like this – Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and the Jebusites. Joshua 9:7 calls the Gibeonites Hivites.

Hivite | The amazing name Hivite: meaning and etymology (abarim-publications.com)   

Biblical Canaanite descendants are still living in Lebanon, say geneticists (christiantoday.com)

 A fun side note here is Job is in the land of Uz. Uz is in Genesis 10:23 and is a descendant of Shem. 

Because of the Treaty

The first notable thing in 9:18 is that Israel grumbled. In the exodus under Moses, they grumbled when they had no bread, then they grumbled when they got tired of the bread (manna), and here Israel is grumbling because of dry, moldy bread. There is a pattern in all of that, I just do not know what it is. Another side note, Jesus our Bread of Life was born in the House of Bread. We need to remember that at this time the manna had stopped, and they were getting their own food.

Did they grumble because of Exodus 34:12 where God said to not make a treaty with anyone in the land? It could be that grumblers just like to grumble.

Joshua and the leaders did not do well in this treaty/league. Treaty and league are nice sounding terms, but they made a H1285 or covenant with these people. For them to break it would have been bad news, King Saul did, and a drought plagued the land under David’s rule.

So, they made them wood choppers and water carriers. Deuteronomy 29:11 states that there were foreigners in the exodus that had the job during the forty years of wandering. Joshua assigned the Gibeonites these chores for the Tabernacle and Gibeon was given to the Levites as one of their cities.  

A clause in the covenant must have been about mutual defense if attacked. Because when Adoni-Zedek, the king of Jerusalem attacked, the Gibeonites called for help. (Joshua 10:2) In 10:12 Joshua asks for a miracle and gets it, the sun “stands still” until he has beaten the Amorites. This miracle is mentioned in Isaiah 28:21.

To show how far the area had slipped into sin let’s look at the name Adoni-Zedek. Melchizedek was also the king of Jerusalem (Salem) and he was the priest of the Most High God in Genesis 14. Adoni-Zedek means lord of righteousness, he did not come out with bread and wine. Like Balaam, he did not keep the memo about listening to and believing the Most High God.

King Saul and the Gibeonites

2 Samuel 21 is a story that involves the Gibeonites, King Saul, Rizpah, and King David. Gibeon was in the area that was given to the tribe of Benjamin (Joshua 21:17). 1 Chronicles 9:35, Saul’s genealogy, says he had family from that city. Saul had relatives who lived by the Gibeonites, so his zeal may have had a monetary base. Anyway, he had tried to destroy them, which broke the covenant that Joshua had made with them. They must have cried out to God and He answered by stopping the rain for three years. Rizpah was Saul’s concubine who had two sons given to the Gibeonites, she kept scavengers from disturbing the bodies. No, I do not comprehend all of the “legal” aspects of this tale but it is plain that God was serious about that covenant.

Gibeon the City

This city and region are mentioned many times in the history of Israel and Judah.

  • There was a pool there. 2 Samuel 2:13 and Jeremiah 41:12 are fights that happened near this pool.
  • David moved Moses’ Tabernacle and the altar of offerings to a hill there when he took the Ark to Jerusalem, see 1 Chronicles 16:39, 21:29, 1 Kings 3:4, 2 Chronicles 1:3.

People of Gibeon

These may be Benjaminites or native Hivites.

  • 1 Chronicles 12:4 mentions a member of David’s elite bodyguard, Ishmaiah, who led the Thirty.
  • Hananiah, a false prophet, who opposed Jeremiah was from Gibeon. He was probably a priest or Levite.
  • Nehemiah mentions it twice – 3:7 and 7:25.

Joshua

Joshua was a great leader. How would you like to follow in the steps of Moses? He and Caleb were the oldest people in the camp and had watched their families all pass. He did the job he had been raised up for and with just one recorded mistake, not bad.

Numbers 27:18 and Deuteronomy 34:9 both speak of Joshua having the Spirit. The OJB uses the term Ruach HaKodesh which means spirit of wisdom or Holy Spirit.

Hebrew Names for God – Ruach HaKodesh (hebrew4christians.com)

Other posts I have done on Joshua – Joshua by the Books, and Joshua and Encouragement

Ephesians 1:4

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According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: (KJV)

Let that verse wrap around your heart and mind. Take comfort in the truth Paul has written. Remember he is writing to a church that he had a long and miraculous relationship with.

Use this verse to increase your study skills. Not all of our English words come from the same idea in Greek. There are root words, prefixes, and some little-used words to explore.

  1. Even as- kathos, G2531.
  2. Chose – eklegomai, G1586.
  3. Him – autos, G846.
  4. Before – pro, G4253.
  5. Creation/foundation – katabole, G2602. This word appears most of the time with the word “world” in the same sentence. Hebrews 11:11 is different, Abraham is connected with creating a child with Sarah. The definition says “casting down”, so put this into perspective and think about laying or “throwing” a foundation.
  6. World – kosmos, G2889. Yes, it means our earth but it has many other meanings. So, read this word in context.
  7. Holy – hagios, G40.
  8. Blameless – amomous, G299. “Not blemished” is a good definition. Some translations use righteous.
  9. Before – katenopion, G2714. The three times it is used (Col. 1:22, Jude 24) it carries the idea you are standing in front of the Father. The good news in this verse, in Jesus we can stand blameless before God.
  10. Love – agape, G26. Agape is one of four Greek words we translate as love. Do your homework here. My first search pulled up a work by C.S. Lewis. I believe this is what the Father was looking for in the Garden with Adam and Eve. Unfortunately, they chose knowledge instead of relationships.

Numbers 1, 5, and 9 are associated with the word kata, G2596. I like my paper copy of Strong’s but electronic versions should have the root words or etymology listed in number form, just look them up.

Letter replacement is also on view here, where a Greek spelling may have a “k” we use a “c”. Think cosmos and catacombs as words this exchange happens in.

I will point out autos and pro, as our good old slang having interesting roots.

Use the links below to explore all of the words in the passage in Ephesians.

Ephesians 1 MOUNCE – Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the – Bible Gateway

Ephesians 1 Interlinear Bible (biblehub.com)

Deuteronomy 911- My Second Look

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I was sure that Deuteronomy 911 was finished. I was about to prepare it to post when the Father graciously gave me a second look at the verse. I used biblehub.com because the Strong’s is not the best at allowing me to find the meaning of high-use words like “give/gave”.

And it came to pass at the end of forty days and forty nights, that the Lord gave me the two tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant. Deuteronomy 9:11 (KJV)

“The Lord gave.” That amazing statement took a moment to sink in. The Eternal, the Almighty God, and the Creator of everything came down to His creation and gave a way to be in relationship with Him. He took the time to meet Moses, on that mountain, so he could lead His chosen people to their inheritance.

God gave and He still gives, why, because He wants to. Moses obeyed and went up Mount Horeb and God gave. The Children of Jacob had complained about bitter water, food, and no water at all and He still gave them a way to fellowship with Him.

H5414 nathan to give, put, set, and many other uses

Strong’s Hebrew: 5414. נָתַן (nathan) — to give, put, set (biblehub.com)

“Two tables of stone.” Why not one tablet? The count, examples, concepts, and metaphors of “two” are throughout the Bible. The Grace in Torah website has many good points and is worth the look.

The first answer to my question is one tablet for “love God” and the second for “love man”. There are times and things in Scripture where it takes two things to make “one”. Evening and morning make a day, a man and a woman become one flesh, and we need to love God and man to follow the commands of the Father. I see those two tablets making up the two sides of the human heart. (Yes, I am stopping at one answer.)

H8147 shenayim or shettayim  two

Strong’s Hebrew: 8147. שְׁנַ֫יִם (shenayim or shettayim) — two (a cardinal number) (biblehub.com)

Hebrew Numbers 1-10 | GRACE in TORAH   

“The covenant.”

I forget how deep, wide, and high is the idea and act of covenant. God gave Adam and Eve the first covenant and it involved two trees. One tree brought darkness and the other still shines out giving life and healing. By the time Moses received the two tablets, there were three notable covenants that the Father had given. Noah and Abraham had been given the other two.

Abram’s covenant in Genesis 15 is the best exemplar and the most graphic example of cutting a covenant. The animals were cut in two and the two symbols, the smoking firepot, and the burning torch, went down the middle of the pieces. If you will, God “cut” Israel a covenant by having them go from one shore to the other side while passing through two walls of water as a pillar of cloud and fire kept watch over them. Then on Horeb, they got the conditions.

H1285 berith a covenant

Strong’s Hebrew: 1285. בְּרִית (berith) — a covenant (biblehub.com)Hebrew Word of the Week – Brit (hebrew4christians.com)