Joseph, the son of Jacob and Rachel (Gen 35:24), is a vibrant character in the Hebrew Bible. We know that God is with Joseph through the ups and downs of his life, but we do not always notice the significance that the Bible assigns to his name. We identify...
Everyone knows that translations from one language to another can be misleading, and sometimes important ideas and concepts get lost in translation. When it comes to the Bible, that is true as well. As hard as translators work, the readers can still misconstrue the meaning of the text. The context...
What is the difference between “Testament” and “Covenant”? In the Western world, many people are familiar with a “Final Will and Testament” — a legal document read when someone dies. The document expresses the wishes of the deceased, often in connection with estate and inheritance. As a unilateral declaration of one’...
If you like perusing Pshir.com, then what are the odds you might enjoy my books? I invite you to consider the titles I highlight below in print, in digital format, or as audiobooks. Paid Subscribers can flip through full digital versions of all these titles inside the READ section....
The Second Book of Enoch (Slavonic Enoch) or "The Book of Secrets or Enoch" is an ancient Jewish spiritual composition that follows the tradition of 1 Enoch. Analyzing the medieval manuscripts, scholars estimate the text's composition sometime after the second century CE. The "Book of...
Have you ever wished you did not hear or see something? What we see and hear is hard to put back into a box of non-existence. Once we experience something we simply cannot put it out of our minds. Basically, we can’t unknow what we know. This is true...
A few years ago, Israeli archaeologists unearthed a beautiful and ancient stone in the city of Tiberius in Galilee. It is an impressive piece of basalt rock with an image of a seven-branched menorah. Menorah is a special temple lampstand that the Bible describes in detail. It is one of...
In Romans 11, Shaul, apostle to the gentiles, writes, “Have they [Israelites] stumbled so as to fall? Certainly not! But through their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make them jealous (παραζηλῶσαι αὐτούς; parazelosai autous).” It’s not uncommon to hear that, according to this verse,...
Some of my favorite things about the people who surround me are their warm and happy smiles. It does not take much to quickly crack a few muscles in your face, to smile, and show a positive disposition towards someone else. It takes so little effort, yet it can mean...