Category Archives: Bible Study

Artos in the Book of Matthew

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Artos is the Greek word for bread and loaves (Strong’s G 740), and I like using Matthew as a reference point. There are kernels of truth in many other verses in the New Testament about bread, and if you look into the Hebrew, you will find lechem. The town of Bethlehem is the town of bread. So, grab a donut or make a sandwich, and let’s start studying bread. ἄρτος | Free Online Greek Dictionary | billmounce.com

Matthew 6:11, which is in the center of the Lord’s Prayer and started this study, that will be another post. After having sliced through the crust of this topic, I found many questions that needed looking at. But we will start in Matthew 4.

Jesus was fasting and the “tempter” started his grinding attacks with a “what if”. The challenge was to make bread. Elegant sermons abound for this story, and I will not attempt to match them. So, I am going to ask questions. Why stones? Stones indicate that man had used them for something. I would expect rocks to be out in the wilderness. Why bread? I love the smell of fresh bread, but what about the fragrant aroma of beef, lamb, or bird? (Check Leviticus 1, all of those are parts of sacrifices.) Jesus’ answer, in verse 4 may give us a clue or open the bag for several metaphors for bread used in Matthew and beyond. Bread, leavened or not, barley, or wheat (See Ruth 2) were the mainstay of the diet, in Egypt they even used baked bread to make the beer. We should fill our larders every day with the words of God so we can taste the righteousness and get strength from the grace that Jesus opened up to us.

I think it is fair to take a Muse Moment and look at 7:9 when in the Sermon Jesus flips the pan and asks who would give his son a stone instead of bread. The word again is lithos and not petra. Jesus is our petra, but when man “handled Him” He became the cornerstone that would cause them to stumble.

I am not leaving out any ingredients in this study, just mixing them in a slightly different order. My next stop is 12:4 where Jesus is not getting along with the Pharisees because of heads of grain. Those heads of grain put this story between Passover and the Feast of Trumpets. It had to be a carefully measured walk also because it was on the Sabbath and the Pharisees were tagging along. David and the Shewbread or Bread of the Presence and breaking the Law is the main sticking point this time. That consecrated bread is what was put into the Tabernacle to represent the twelve tribes of Israel. Jesus’ point is that He is the Lord of the Sabbath and that the Sabbath is not the lord of man. This is not a license to not rest with God one day a week, just do not make more rules to follow. Love God and love man is more than enough.

My guess is that those twelve loaves were made of barley (See Judges and the story of Gideon.) The recipe for those loaves is not written in the Law and only the priest knew how to make them. In Purpose or Prothesis, I asked about what they were made of during the forty years of wandering. They may have stayed in one place long enough to grow grain, but manna was their main food source. That of course makes them gluten-free for their time of wandering:)

I am not done, but I am hungry, so the other references on bread will be served up later.  

Jacob Israel

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Isaiah 48:1 Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, which swear by the name of the Lord, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness. (KJV)

The “waters” are also translated as lineage. Think about it.

My post, Jacob/Israel What Was His Name, is a reference for this one. Like the above verse I have been running into this thought lately, so I wanted to revisit this name change. All of these verses are in Genesis.

  • 25:22 Rebekah has twins wrestling in her womb.
  • 27:35 +36 Jacob took Esau’s blessing as the first son. Okay, Esau had sold Jacob his birthright but that is downplayed at the moment. Jacob is called a deceiver which is what his name could be translated into.
  • 32:24 Jacob wrestles again; this time with “a man”.
  • 32:26 He demands a blessing.
  • 32:28 What he gets is a name change. One who has struggled with God and man.
  • 35:10 The name change is stated again.

Wrestling, blessing, and name-changing are all in just ten chapters. Jacob wrestling and being born and then “born-again” was what I wanted to point out. Another way to say it is Jacob wrestled in the womb to get his first name, he wrestled with God and got a new name. That limp was a sign for him to think about and remember the God he chose to serve and his life.

Jacob and Esau were not teenagers by the time Jacob went to Laban. (See the links below). The information is approximate at best, and I had to work backward to get to the start.

Tribes of Israel – A timeline | Mark’s Bible Study (ificouldteachthebible.com)

The Tribes of Israel – How Old Were These Guys | Mark’s Bible Study (ificouldteachthebible.com)

Jacob and Israel are the seed of Abraham by promise and faith. I tend to read/think of Jacob as the natural-born children and Israel as the supernatural children when the names are together in the same verse.

Moria

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With ink and leaf, melodies for the ear, art to envision the possibilities, and cinema to connect the pieces of Tolkien’s world we find his creation of Moria. The mine or house or land belonged to the dwarves and was taken over by the orcs and other terrors. This Khazad-dûm, this black pit played its role to perfection in both The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. The Fellowship entered it by calling “friend” and left in tears and grief.

J. R. R. Tolkien the scholar and more important a Christian, who influenced C. S. Lewis to believe in Jesus seems to have used a Greek word to name this land under the Misty Mountains. Moria, Strong’s G3472, means foolishness. Paul uses this word five times in 1 Corinthians – 1:18, 21, 23; 2;14; 3:19.

The verses in Chapter 1 deal with Jesus and His Cross being foolish to Jews and Greeks, but to us who have believed it is salvation. 2:14 sees the man without the Spirit of God finding only foolishness in spiritual words and truth. Paul ends his use of these words by stating in 3:19 that the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. If only Adam and Eve had eaten from the Tree of Life first the knowledge of good would have been given to them and the moria of evil would have been clear.  

Paul’s time in Corinth is recorded in Acts 18. Please read that before studying the Letters to the Corinthians. It is good to note that the Church that lacked no spiritual gift had troubles and trials and needed additional instruction and encouragement to live righteously (in right relations with God and each other).

Strong’s Greek: 3472. μωρία (mória) — foolishness (biblehub.com)

Synantilambanomai or Helps

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Synantilambanomai is a related post of Wonderful Counselor and with the help of Mounce, Strong, and Biblehub.com we will look at the two times it is used in the New Testament. You will find synantilambanomai in Romans 8:26 (8:27 will be added) and Luke 10:40. To help, aid, or support someone are the terms that will assist us with the verses.

This word and the verses in Romans are great examples of low-use, single-use, or added prefixes and suffixes highlighting an important thought. The online Strong’s Concordance and Mounce Dictionary may list the verses where they are found, and that allows for easy comparisons.  

I will provide a connection between our two verses as a loose example of synantilambanomai. In Romans, the Spirit is the One who helps us, by praying through us when we can’t do it ourselves. In Luke, Martha is “praying to Jesus” asking for Mary to come to her aid, so she does not have to do all the work by herself.

Our keyword has two prefixes and a suffix. This is my simple explanation for Romans. We come together with the Spirit against the problem to take or get an answer/help.  

References:

Romans 8: 26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. (KJV) Thank you Bible Gateway.

Yes, there is a translation difference because of variations in word meanings. (These are not in order.) When I used a parallel function, I found it interesting how the different translations chose to interpret and footnote this verse. All of them did proclaim a divine act of the Spirit. Some left a little “wiggle room” for what it may look like in the believer’s life and practice.

Intercedes

In the above verses, interceding is the main thought. In verse 26 we see the role of the Holy Spirit being our Counselor and praying through us. In verse 27 we see Jesus doing His intercession before the Father on our behalf. Of the five times the second word is used three of them refer to Jesus, two are in Romans and one in Hebrews. The other two uses are examples (I think) of how that intercession may have sounded (the intensity) or have been done. The word in verse 27 is entynchano.

In verse 26, the one that is associated with the Holy Spirit, the word is hyperentynchano; it is only used once. The prefix hyper should speak volumes to you. Combine this word and the thought of the Spirit’s help and we can understand how special that ministry is for us.

On a personal note, when I have experienced the type of intercession as described in Romans 8:26 it is profound and intense. It is more than (hyper) speaking in tongues. Since it is the Holy Spirit praying through me, I have no understanding of what I am saying and cannot control it, other than to stop. Can this be different in other people? Yes. I will not put the Holy Spirit in a box, He will work with us where we are, but He is still God. While musing on this act of the Holy Spirit, I believe that when the problem is too big for my mind or faith level, He has taken over and prayed as needed. This ministry of the Holy Spirit is more than a promise, it is why He is our paraclete and synantilambanomai.  

Praise of His Glory

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While reading a morning devotion I noticed the phrase “Praise of His Glory” in Ephesians 1. I had spent several months looking at the words in Ephesians 1. This post is to remind me that studying is great but take some time and let the Word fill you up.

Search engines can reveal things that you may not see even with a concordance or extensive study. Praise of His Glory is like that, the phrase is not used as much as I thought in the New Testament. I found these three verses in Ephesians 1.

  • 1:6 His grace that accepted us into His Son is the object of the praise.
  • 1:12 Because we trust in Christ, we should be the praise of His glory.
  • 1:14 The Holy Spirit is our guarantee of what Jesus redeemed and we should praise His glory.