Complaint about Genesis

Why the constant attacks on the King James Bible? Well, some of it may be lashing out against King James-Onlyists. But some of it is for another reason. If you’re contending for the heavyweight championship, you don’t want to take on the losers at the bottom, but the champion at the top!

Someone on Facebook called attention to the video KJV Error: Mistranslation in Genesis 25:27, in an attempt to make hay against the King James Bible. It makes claims about Genesis 25:27.

• Genesis 25:27  (KJV) And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents.

The maker of this video claims, “The Hebrew word tam means perfect, in the sense of being whole, complete, blameless and mature.” So, in his mind, the KJV gets it wrong.

It is my initial reaction that the purpose of the channel being “solely dedicated to demonstrating that the King James Version of the Bible, while a good translation, is not the one and only perfect word of God” makes the interpretations given possibly strained and suspect (in other words, to support and extend the purpose of the channel). The speaker is not clearly identified (but is possibly Jeff A. Benner). However, the agenda clearly is! The purpose is not just to interpret the Bible, but to undermine the support for the King James Bible. 

If the owner of the channel is Benner, notice here his translation of Genesis 25:27.

• RMT: and the young men magnified and Esaw was a man knowing game and a man of the field and Ya'aqov was a man of maturity a settler of tents,

This seems to exhibit some surface concordance level of Hebrew words.

Of the 50-something English translations on BibleGateway, only one goes in the direction of the video in its translation. The Jubilee Bible 2000 has “upright.” Interestingly, the Orthodox Jewish Bible has “an ish tam (quiet man).” I don’t know anything about that Bible, but I just found it interesting that a Bible that purports to be Jewish associates “ish tam” with “quiet man,” not “perfect man” as does this video The NET Bible has “an even-tempered man” and their note says “Jacob was calm and even-tempered (תָּם, tam), which normally has the idea of ‘blameless’.”

I also checked the nearly 20 Spanish Bibles on BibleGateway. Only one – the Spanish Jubilee Bible – has anything in the direction of what the guy in the video thinks it must be. It has “Jacob, empero, era varón entero, que estaba en las tiendas,” with “entero” meaning something like whole, complete. (But I believe its range of meaning can also include “upright,” which would match the English Jubilee Bible.)

The point here is that in fighting the KJV on Genesis 25:27, the antagonist has bit off a good chunk of fighting most everyone else as well. I do not find this video convincing that all translations are just changing the meaning of tam to fit the LXX. Of course, it could be that the LXX and the majority of English & Spanish translations get “tam” right in this context!

Comments of others:

• Barnes: “27. תם tām, “perfect, peaceful, plain.” The epithet refers to disposition, and contrasts the comparatively civilized character of Jacob with the rude temper of Esau.”
• Calvin: “The word תם (tam,) although generally taken for upright and sincere, is here put antithetically. After the sacred writer has stated that Esau was robust, and addicted to hunting, he places on the opposite side the mild disposition of Jacob, who loved the quiet of home so much, that he might seem to be indolent…”
• Clarke: “Jacob was a plain man — איש תם ish tam, a perfect or upright man; dwelling in tents - subsisting by breeding and tending cattle, which was considered in those early times the most perfect employment; and in this sense the word תם tam, should be here understood, as in its moral meaning it certainly could not be applied to Jacob till after his name was changed…”
• Constable: “The Hebrew word tam, translated ‘plain,’ probably means civilized and domesticated, a homebody…Translators have rendered it ‘perfect’ and ‘blameless’ elsewhere (Job 1:1; Job 1:8; Job 8:20; Psalms 37:37; Proverbs 29:10). It may imply a quiet, self-contained, detached person, complete in himself.”

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Some notes:

Well, it is his translation, whether or not he is the owner of that channel!

Benner’s own site does not claim the YouTube videos, but the YouTube channel links to Benner’s mechanical-translation.org site.

Benner seems to enjoy setting himself up as an authority who is smarter than everyone else. This becomes obvious is his 10 surprising facts about Jesus we’ve had wrong all these years.

3. Jesus’ last words on the cross were not Eli Eli Lama Sabach’tani.

“In Matthew 27:46, the phrase Eli Eli Lama Sabach’tani is the last recorded words of Jesus, but his last words must have been sh’ma Yisra’el Yahweh eloheynu, Yahweh ehhad (Hear, O, Israel, Yahweh is our God, Yahweh is One (Deuteronomy 6:4). According to Jewish tradition, the words of Deuteronomy 6:4 should be the final words of every Jew before death and we can be sure that these were the last words of Jesus, a devout Jew, on the cross.”

The things of the world

1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

The things of the world therefore are distinguished into three classes, according to the three predominant inclinations of depraved nature; as, (1.) There is the lust of the flesh. The flesh here, being distinguished from the eyes and the life, imports the body. The lust of the flesh is, subjectively, the humour and appetite of indulging fleshly pleasures; and, objectively, all those things that excite and inflame the pleasures of the flesh. This lust is usually called luxury. (2.) There is the lust of the eyes. The eyes are delighted with treasures; riches and rich possessions are craved by an extravagant eye; this is the lust of covetousness. 3. There is the pride of life. A vain mind craves all the grandeur, equipage, and pomp of a vain-glorious life; this is ambition, and thirst after honour and applause. This is, in part, the disease of the ear; it must be flattered with admiration and praise. The objects of these appetites must be abandoned and renounced; as they engage and engross the affection and desire, they are not of the Father, but of the world, v. 16. The Father disallows them, and the world should keep them to itself. The lust or appetite to these things must be mortified and subdued; and so the indulging of it is not appointed by the Father, but is insinuated by the ensnaring world.

Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on the Whole Bible

Rejoice, the Lord is King

“Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.” Philippians 4:4

This hymn is a call to rejoice in the divinity, sovereignty, reign, and work of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus has purged the stain of our sin, has the keys of death & hell, and reigns from God’s right hand. The born-again believer rejoices in these things and more – including in the glorious hope of his return. In the Hallelujah Meter format (6.6.6.6.8.8.), each of the first five stanzas repeats in the end: “Lift up your heart, lift up your voice, Rejoice, again I say, rejoice.” The sixth stanza shifts to conclude with rejoicing in the sounding of the trump of God at the second coming of Christ.

This hymn was supposedly first published in John Wesley’s Collection of Moral and Sacred Poems in 1744 – but I did not find it online. I did find it as Hymn VIII in Hymns for Our Lord’s Resurrection (London: W. Strahan, 1746). It possibly most commonly appears with the tune Darwall, and would work well with our Sacred Harp tune Lenox.

1. Rejoice, the Lord is King!
Your Lord and King adore,
Mortals, give thanks, and sing,
And triumph evermore:
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice,
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice.

2. Jesus the Saviour reigns,
The God of truth and love,
When he had purged our stains,
He took his seat above:
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice,
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice.

3. His kingdom cannot fail,
He rules o’er earth and heav’n,
The keys of death and hell
Are to our Jesus giv’n:
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice,
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice.

4. He sits at God’s right hand,
Till all his foes submit,
And bow to his command,
And fall beneath his feet:
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice,
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice.

5. He all his foes shall quell,
Shall all our sins destroy,
And ev’ry bosom swell
With pure seraphic joy:
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice,
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice

6. Rejoice in glorious hope,
Jesus the Judge shall come;
And take his servants up
To their eternal home:
We soon shall hear th’archangel’s voice,
The trump of God shall sound, rejoice.

Charles Wesley (1707–1788) was a son and the youngest child of Samuel Wesley and Susanna Annesley. In conjunction with his brother John, Charles was a leader in the Methodist movement in the Church of England. John is best remembered as a preacher, and Charles as a poet. He wrote over 6,000 hymns, and stands with Isaac Watts at the top of English hymnody. While Watts is called “the father of English hymnody,” Wesley is often called “the prince of hymn writers.”

In 1749, Charles married Sarah Gwynne (1726–1822) They are buried at the St. Marylebone Churchyard in Greater London, England.

The composer of the tune Darwall was John Darwall. Darwall was the son of a pastor, and became a vicar in the Church of England. He was a poet, musician, and composer as well. He was born in Staffordshire, England in 1731 and died in Walsall, West Midlands, England in 1789. He is buried in the Bath Street Burial Grounds in Walsall.

Why We Sing, and other music links

The posting of links does not constitute an endorsement of the sites linked, and not necessarily even agreement with the specific posts linked.

• Why We Sing—and Why a Hymnal -- “A hymnal speaks to the context in which it is produced and lives.”
• There’s a reason every hit worship song sounds the same -- “A new study found that the most popular worship songs come from a handful of megachurches with a knack for writing pop songs about what God will do for you.”
• The Value of Hymn Singing -- “Singing hymns like these [biblically faithful hymns] reinforces the Bible’s teaching on God’s love for us while also helping us give expression to our love for God.”
• The Matter of Tempo in The Sacred Harp -- “...folkways, to be folkways, should be the free-flowing expression of the folk.”
• Shape Note Books and Singings -- “I got to thinking about a better way to list singings so that it could be searched more easily than pure text listings.”
• One Way to Make Sure Worship Songs Don’t Sound the Same -- “The only way to change the current state of worship songwriting and production is to create something different.”
• Mississippi's African American Shape Note Tradition -- “I attended a singing once, where a man said, "I've been coming to singing all my life—in fact, I started coming nine months before I was born."”
• How Can I Make the Most of Musical Worship If I’m Not Musical? -- “While the other members of my family joined confidently in musical worship, my dad sang steadily through his shyness.”
• Can the Church Save Singing? Three Simple Recommendations -- “What do you want to remember when you’ve forgotten virtually everything else? Sing that.”
• Biblical Principles for Church Music (3) -- “A Biblical principle requires study and thought about how it should be applied. It places great responsibility on us.”
• Biblical Principles for Church Music (2) -- “The contented Christian finds reasons to praise God in all situations.”
• Biblical Principles for Church Music (1) -- “Church music should aid and not impede us in worshipping God in spirit and in truth.”
• African American Rural Hymnody & The Sacred Harp -- “When Bill Tallmadge and Milton Rogovin journeyed from Buffalo, NY to rural southeast Alabama in the early summer of 1968, they tapped into an African-American religious and musical tradition that dated back to the late-19th century.”

King James Idolatry

One slick maneuver in the King James Version debate... 

Call “King James ‘Onlyists’” idolaters and the King James Bible an idol. That is, they are saying that those who hold the King James Bible as the only true English Bible have made it an idol. This is a strong piece of rhetoric that plays well with many people. For an example, notice a commenter on the Haifley-Ward video discussion “Do We Need a KJV Update? A Candid and Cordial Conversation.” He wrote concerning the KJV, “The problem is that the bronze serpent in the wilderness is being repurposed as an idol.”

That is nevertheless an insincere tactic for those opponents who continue to use the “I love the KJV” trope. I adjure those who sincerely believe this charge of idolatry to come up to the lick log and prove they believe what they say. Stop playing the “nice card” and call for demolishing the idol. That’s what Hezekiah did.

[Hezekiah] … brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan. (2 Kings 18:4)

May God help us

Having recently heard a Texas preacher and politician cite the story of Mary and her choice as support for abortion (yes, you read that right), I refer you back to my past post, Politically-Correct-“Christmas”.

Short version. God did not ask Mary, “Would you like to do this?” Through his angel God told Mary the future he had chosen for her and she submitted (“be it unto me according to thy word”). 

A Christmas story

...too good to not be true.

Two days before Christmas, a woman frantically shopped to get some last-minute gifts. She had her four-year-old daughter in tow. The woman dragged her daughter from store to store. Exhausted, in a rush, and fighting the crowds, the woman felt more irritable by the minute. Finally, they made their last stop.

As they left that last store, the mother grumbled to her daughter, “Did you see that? That man at the checkout counter gave me a mean face!”

The little daughter replied, “No mommy, you had a mean face before you went into the store.”

The church, its nature and purpose

Initial questions.

1. What is the church? This question asks of its being, nature, or essence. It is an ontological question.[i] 
2. What does the church do? This question asks of its duty, purpose, or work. It is a functional question.[ii] 

Ontological question.

The church is a specific assembly of people.[iii] The people are born again believers, regenerated by the Holy Spirit, baptized upon the profession of their faith. A church is not an imaginary invisible body that none can see or hear. A church is not a denominational group or organizational hierarchy. The church begins with those who are born again by the Holy Spirit (John 3:7; 1 Peter 1:23),[iv] baptized upon the profession of their faith (Acts 8:37-38), and covenanted together to gather in Jesus’s name (Matthew 18:20). The church is not just an expression of some mystical invisible church, but is made up of baptized believers gathering together (1 Corinthians 11:18; 14:23; Hebrews 10:25), is in the world as an ambassage representing Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20), and can be identified locally/geographically as an expression of Christ's kingdom (the church at Corinth, the churches of Galatia, the seven churches of Asia, etc.).

Functional question.

A correct answer to the “functional” question of what the church does will harmonize with the “ontological” question of what the church is. It will do what assemblies of believers do.[v] Too often an answer regarding what church is supposed “to do” does not take in to account what the church “is.” Many answers are simply pragmatic postures of human innovation. Other answers are mystical nonsense. In neither of these do we see something that resembles how the church functions in the New Testament.[vi]

What the church does can be characterized as assembling and dispersing, gathering and going, worship and witness. What the church does, based on biblical faith and practice, includes: preaching/teaching the word of God, administering the ordinances, evangelizing the lost, aiding the poor (including widows and orphans), encouraging the weak, exhorting the doubters, and in general exercising the gifts of the Spirit for the edification of the assembly. These things are seen in the function of the New Testament churches, doing what they are commanded to do, and functioning based on what they are.[vii]

Final thoughts.

If we do not know what a church is, we also will not know what a church is supposed to do. It becomes anything, everything, and nothing. Often we end up with “Frankenchurch,” a monster assembled by quack doctors using various unharmonious bits and pieces. It may transform into something similar to what was described in a recent Facebook post:

“A lot of churches today are cemeteries with air conditioning; the worship teams are entertainers; the pastors avoid truth; and the congregation sleepwalks through the motions; and people call that faithfulness. No, it is spiritual death dressed in Sunday’s best.”[viii]

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[i] Ontological, adjective. Of or relating to ontology, the study of the nature or essence of existence or being as such.
[ii] Functional, adjective. Of or connected to design or specific use; serving the purpose for which a thing is designed.
[iii] In prospect, it may be viewed as a general assembly of all firstborn, gathered together in Christ, in eternity. Cf.  Hebrew 12:22-23; Revelation 21:1-14. In the present, the church is a covenanted congregation of baptized believers.
[iv] This position is often called “regenerate church membership.”
[v] As seen in the Bible in what they are commanded to do (e.g. Matthew 28:18-20), and in what they are represented as doing. Cf., for example, Matthew 18:15-20; Acts 2:41-47; Acts 8:1; Acts 12:5, 12; Acts 13:1ff.; Acts 14:27; Acts 20:27-28; 1 Corinthians 5:3-5; 1 Corinthians 11:7-34; 1 Corinthians 12:4; 1 Corinthians 16:20; 2 Corinthians 9:1-7; Colossians 3:16; 1 Thessalonians 4:14; 1 Thessalonians 5:18; 2 Thessalonians 1:10; 1 Timothy 3:1-15; 1 Peter 5:1-4, 14; 1 John 1:3; 3 John 1:5-8.
[vi] Which is our rule of faith and practice.
[vii] Both the nature of the church and the sufficiency of Scripture for all matters of faith and practice insist that our congregational gatherings be restricted to those elements that Scripture requires – praying, thanksgiving, praising, singing, Scripture reading, preaching/teaching, giving, observing the ordinances, ordination and sending, testimonies, greetings, reporting the Lord’s work, decision-making, and church discipline. Any element must be understood from a command, approved example, or necessary implication of Scripture.
[viii] This was posted (in a video) on Facebook by a man who goes by the name “Topher.”

Somebody’s listening

As you preach, remember:

• Someone listening may be hearing the gospel for the first time.
• Someone listening may be hearing the gospel for the last time.

From David Allen (this David Allen, I think)

A thrilling voice is sounding

This Latin hymn beginning “Vox clara ecce intonate” was translated into English by Edward Caswall. He was born July 15, 1814, at Yately in Hampshire. His father R. C. Caswall was a clergyman there. Edward died January 2, 1878, and is buried in the Oratory Retreat Cemetery in West Midlands, England. The author of the original Latin hymn is unknown.

The hymn is in 8s.7s. meter and appears as Hymn 47 with the tune Merton in Hymns Ancient and Modern (William Henry Monk and Charles Steggall, editors. London, William Clowes and Sons, Complete Edition, 1889). William Henry Monk (1823-1889) was an English organist and church musician who served as musical editor of Hymns Ancient and Modern. He is possibly best known through his hymn Eventide.

Romans 13:11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.

1. Hark! a thrilling voice is sounding;
“Christ is nigh!” it seems to say;
“Cast away the dreams of darkness,
O ye children of the day!"

2. Wakened by the solemn warning,
Let the earth-bound soul arise;
Christ, our Sun, all ill dispelling,
Shines upon the morning skies.

3. Lo! the Lamb, so long expected,
Comes with pardon down from heaven.
Let us haste, with godly sorrow,
Through his blood to be forgiven.

4. That when next he comes with glory,
And the world is wrapped in fear;
With his love may we be shielded
And with words of love draw near.

5. Honour, glory, might, and blessing,
To the Father and the Son,
With the Everlasting Spirit,
While eternal ages run.

Thinking I was thinking this

Often we are guided by our fears and foibles rather than by the Spirit and Scripture.

“He hoped also that money should have been given him of Paul.” (Acts 24:26) What Felix should have done because it was right, he would have done if the price was right.

When the singing of our songs becomes more important than the meaning of our songs, well…

Just because you are wrong about some things does not make you wrong about the things you are right about.

Many people want to take the name of the Christ, but do not want to take the Christ of the name!

If you preach the gospel with your lips but not with your life, you are only halfway preaching the gospel.

Preach the word
Attentive unto the book of the law
Serve with the spirit in the gospel of his Son
Teach in all good things
Obey God rather than men
Ready to preach the gospel

Church music should aid and not impede us in worshipping God in spirit and in truth.

Some folk are satisfied to let the word of God inform them, as long as it doesn’t transform them.

Those who know they are nothing are ready to be something.

Money, money, money, mun-ne

Peter Gurry on translations:

On John Piper’s Desiring God site, “The Word Increased and Multiplied: Grasping the Complexities of Bible Translation,” by Peter Gurry, who is an Associate Professor of New Testament at Phoenix Seminary.

Multitude of English language translations.

Gurry notes that “one scholar writing in 1925 catalogued over one hundred English Bible translations in whole or in part” (John V. Madison, “English Versions of the New Testament: A Bibliographical List,” Journal of Biblical Literature, No. 44 (1925): 261–88). He says that there are several reasons for this.

“The English language has the most Bible translations available of any language in history. Such variety is due to a number of factors, including differences in theological convictions and translation philosophy, new manuscript discoveries, a desire to reach broader audiences, and the financial needs of publishers.”

Notice that one factor is the financial needs of publishers.

Money.

Gurry discusses a few things regarding Bible publishing and money. On the one hand, a Bible translation success is potentially a financial boon for a publisher. Of course, a failure is not.

“One final motivation for new translations is financial. Publishing is a fickle business. Major publishers survive the risks in large part thanks to their backlist. These are books that have already come out and that keep selling. They can include everything from coloring books to classic bestsellers like Lord of the Rings. They also include the Bible. In a recent court case, the CEO of HarperCollins, one of the five big US publishing houses, which owns Thomas Nelson and Zondervan, revealed that Bible sales account for $80 million of their business. So there is significant potential to be gained if a publisher owns the rights to a popular Bible translation. But there are also no guarantees, and new translations do flop (as the TNIV did). Like other books, a Bible translation is a gamble — sometimes a very expensive one. By the time the NIV was finally released in the 1970s, its editorial costs were estimated to be around $8 million ($40 million in today’s dollars).”

Another part of this issue is groups trying to save money by publishing their own Bibles. This releases the group from paying substantial fees for the use of another publishers Bible.

“Translations can make money, but they can also save it. Very few of us notice an important page in our Bibles that precedes Genesis 1:1 because it’s tucked away between the title page and the table of contents. It’s the copyright page. The copyright page says who owns the translation, but it also specifies how much of the translation can be quoted before permission must be sought. My NIV puts the number at 500 verses, whereas my ESV puts it at 250. For most of us, these restrictions never apply and do not matter. But for publishers that sell Bible-study curricula, VBS material, commentaries, and the like, these limits matter a lot. Even when permission is granted, it may come with the need to pay royalties, and these cut into a publisher’s bottom line. So, it is often in a publisher’s own interest to have the rights to their own translation, and many do. Crossway owns the ESV, Zondervan owns exclusive rights to publish the NIV, Broadman and Holman owns the CSB, and Tyndale House Publishers owns the NLT. Each of these has their own set of Bible-study resources that use their own translation. It saves money.”

Gurry works to diminish the liability of admitting to publishing Bibles for financial reasons, writing about a publisher’s ongoing expenses and publishers putting some profits into translation into other languages. Nevertheless, “In any case, financial incentives certainly explain the increase in translation options. As long as people buy new translations, publishers will supply them.”

Gurry is a proponent of multiple translations, so his calling out financial issues is soft. We English-speakers – and especially Americans – ought not think of the proliferation of English translation as an embarrassment of riches, but just an embarrassment, period! We are spoiled, impulsive, and wasteful people.

The kings and priests in the Lord’s churches ought to consider the gravity of multiplying hundreds of translations to ourselves while some languages do not even have one. And the pillar and ground of truth ought also consider our neglect. We have farmed out the publishing of God’s word to financial interests.

Acts 27, Introduction

Chapter 27 divides into six parts – 1-8 starting toward Rome; 9-20 a bad resolution and a worse result; 21-26 God’s revelation to Paul; 27-32 tossed about and anchored; 33-38 thankfulness, sustenance, and good cheer; 39-44 safe at last. In 27:1-28:16, Luke documents the trip of Paul from Cæsarea to Rome.

Luke provides a very detailed account of Paul’s voyage. As Gordon Hayhoe observes, “God has written all these things for our learning, and that we should profit by the mistakes of others, as well as being encouraged by the matchless grace of God which abounds over all our weakness and failure.”[1] The record of these events should be an encouragement for us to cast all our care upon the Lord, knowing that he cares. 

“As we read what God has recorded for us about Paul’s voyage from the Fair Havens to Melita in the twenty-seventh of Acts, we are cheered by this beautiful account of His unfailing care for His own. He who is interested in every detail of our lives, makes even the winds and the waves obey His will.”[2] 

“What does need to be seriously considered is the providence of God at work in the episode. It was God’s will for Paul to go to Rome. Neither storm, nor shipwreck, nor snakebite would prevent that.”[3]

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[1] Hayhoe, Paul’s Voyage, p. 23 (pdf edition).
[2] Ibid., p. 4.
[3] Dwyer, The Book of Acts, p. 352.

Dossey preachers in early Texas

I am saving the clip below for historical reference. In his 1846 travels, Z. N. Morrell mentions two brothers named Dorsey who had a church near Springfield in Anderson County. Morrell is probably spelling their surname as it sounded to him, and through my research I have concluded that these men were “Dossey” rather than “Dorsey” – Thomas Franklin Dossey and William Pinkney Dossey, possibly sons of William Greenberry (or Greenberry William) and Mary Dossey (but possibly relatives, misunderstood by Morrell to be brothers). Except for the slight difference in surname spelling, the Dosseys fit the statement provided by Morrell. Though the Dosseys were in Limestone County, Springfield in Anderson County was well within an area a Baptist preacher would travel to preach in that day. Thomas Franklin Dossey (Sr) was born about 1810 in Franklin County, Tennessee, and died in Texas in August of 1871. He is buried in the Faulkenberry Cemetery near Groesbeck in Limestone County, Texas. William Pinkney Dossey was born about 1815 in Tennessee (probably Franklin County) and died probably in Texas (unless he died in Civil War service away from home), at least before 1870. He married Ellen H. Acock in Morgan County, Alabama in 1832. Thomas married Lavinia Curry in 1835 in Morgan County, Alabama.

Flower and Fruits from the Wilderness, Z. N. Morrell, 1872, pp. 227-228

The priceless treasure

“Let us not, by carping criticism, destroy our own mercies. We may yet need those promises which appear needless; and those portions of Holy Writ which have been most assailed by sceptics may yet prove essential to our very life; wherefore, let us guard the priceless treasure of the Bible, and determine never to resign a single line of it.” 

Charles Spurgeon, from “On Raising Questions” in Life and Works of Rev. Charles H. Spurgeon, by H. D. Northrop

I Must Tell Jesus

1 Peter 5:7 casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

1. I must tell Jesus all of my trials;
I cannot bear these burdens alone;
In my distress he kindly will help me;
He ever loves and cares for his own.

2. I must tell Jesus all of my troubles;
He is a kind, compassionate Friend,
If I but ask him, he will deliver,
Make of my troubles quickly an end.

3. Tempted and tried I need a great Savior,
One who can help my burdens to bear;
I must tell Jesus, I must tell Jesus;
He all my cares and sorrows will share.

4. O how the world to evil allures me!
O how my heart is tempted to sin!
I must tell Jesus, and he will help me
Over the world the vict’ry to win.

Chorus:
I must tell Jesus! I must tell Jesus!
I cannot bear my burdens alone;
I must tell Jesus! I must tell Jesus!
Jesus can help me, Jesus alone.

I Must Tell Jesus was written in 1893, and published in 1894. The author told this story about the song to Charles Gabriel:

“While I was a pastor at Lebanon, Pennsylvania, I called one day at the home of a parishioner and found the lady in great distress and sorrow. Wringing her hands, she cried: ‘What shall I do—what shall I do?’ I replied, ‘You cannot do better than to take it all to Jesus—you must tell Jesus.’ For a moment she seemed abstracted in meditation, then her face glowed, her eyes lighted up, and with animation she exclaimed, ‘Yes, I must tell Jesus, I must tell Jesus!’ As I went from that sorrow-filled home a vision walked before me, a vision of a joy-illumined face, of a soul transformed from darkness into light, and I heard all along my pathway the echo of a tender voice saying, ‘I must tell Jesus!’”

The pastor and songwriter, Elisha Albright Hoffman, left that home with those words echoing in his mind. When he returned home, Hoffman wrote the words of this hymn and composed the tune, now referred to as Orwigsburg. This name was apparently first given to the tune by the Hymnal Committee for the Baptist Hymnal. Orwigsburg is the town of his birthplace in Pennsylvania. I Must Tell Jesus was first published in Pentecostal Hymns: a Winnowed Collection for Evangelistic Services, Young People’s Societies and Sunday-Schools (Chicago, IL: Hope Publishing Company, 1894; Henry Date, E. A. Hoffman, W. A. Ogden, J. H. Tenney, editors).

Elisha Albright Hoffman was born May 7, 1839 in Orwigsburg, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, the son of Francis A. Hoffman and Rebecca A. Wagner. His father was a minister in the Evangelical Association for over 60 years. Jacob Albright, a German-speaking Christian of Pennsylvania, founded the Evangelical Association in 1800/1816. Elisha worked with the Evangelical Association’s publishing house in Cleveland, Ohio before surrendering his life to preaching the gospel. He, however, cast his lot with the Presbyterians. Among his pastorates, the longest was that of the Benton Harbor Presbyterian Church in Michigan. He served as pastor there for 33 years.

Elisha A. Hoffman died in Chicago, Illinois, November 25, 1929 at age 90. He is buried at the Oak Woods Cemetery in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. Elisha Hoffman first married Susan M. Orwig. After her death in 1876, he married Emma Sayres Smith.

Hoffman wrote many well-known songs, whose titles are readily recognizable:

• Are You Washed in the Blood?
• Down at the Cross/Glory to His Name
• Enough For Me
• Is Thy Heart Right with God?
• Is Your All on the Altar?
• Leaning on the Everlasting Arms (words)

Hoffman wrote over 2,000 gospel songs, and co-edited several song books. In his book Biography of Gospel Song and Hymn Writers, Jacob Henry Hall wrote of Hoffman, “Through his songs he preaches to many thousand who never hear his voice” (p. 165).

In other words, ana to xeno

• anadiplosis, noun. Rhetorical repetition at the beginning of a phrase using the word or words with which the previous phrase ended.
• brinkmanship, noun. The art or practice of pushing a dangerous situation or confrontation to the limit of safety. especially to force a desired outcome.
• claustrophobic, adjective. Relating to or suffering from claustrophobia, a fear of narrow or confined spaces.
• dispositive, adjective. Relating to or determining the outcome of a case or decision.
• froyo (also fro-yo), noun. (Informal) Short for frozen yogurt.
• imbroglio, noun. A difficult or intricate situation; an entanglement; a confused heap.
• ignominy, noun. Disgrace; dishonor; public contempt.
• infamy, noun. Extremely bad reputation, public reproach, or strong condemnation as the result of a shameful, criminal, or outrageous act.
• interlocutor, noun. A person who takes part in a conversation or dialogue.
• inveigh, verb. Speak against in an impassioned manner; complain bitterly.
• jaggery, noun. A coarse, dark sugar, especially that which is made from the sap of East Indian palm trees.
• janiform, adjective. Two-faced; resembling the god Janus, having two faces looking in opposite directions (also Janus-faced).
• mellifluous, adjective. Sweetly or smoothly flowing; sweet-sounding; flowing with honey.
• osmosis, noun. A subtle or gradual absorption or mingling; (Science) the diffusion of fluids through membranes or porous partitions.
• palaver, noun. A conference or discussion; a parley or conference between persons of different cultures; idle chatter.
• repatriate, verb. To restore or return to the country of origin, allegiance, or citizenship.
• superfluous, adjective. Being more than is sufficient or required; excessive; overflowing; unnecessary.
• tamalada, noun. A tamale-making get together or party.
• xenophobic, adjective. Suffering from xenophobia, a fear of strangers or foreigners.

Parallels between Adam and Noah

Interesting commentary.

Parallels between Adam and the Original Creation and Noah and the Re-Creation.

The Flood defaces the original creation headed by Adam and cleanses the earth for its re-creation headed by Noah. Warren Gage notes striking parallels between the prediluvian and postdiluvian worlds, making Adam the father of all humanity and Noah its father in the postdiluvian world. (1) Both ‘worlds’ are created out of a watery chaos in closely parallel acts (see phases of re-creation below). (2) Both Adam and Noah are uniquely associated with the ‘image of God,’ ‘in the Adam narrative as the basis of man’s identity and in the Noah narrative as the basis of man’s protection’ (Gen. 1:27; 5:1-3). (3) Both ‘walk with God’  (3:8; 6:9). (4) Both rule the animals: Adam by naming (2:19), Noah by preserving (7:15). (5) God repeats almost verbatim his commission to be fruitful, to multiply, and to rule the earth (1:28-30, 9:1-7). (6) Both work the ‘ground’ (cf. 3:17-19; 9:20). (7) Both follow a similar pattern of sinning, the former by eating and the latter by drinking (3:6; 9:21). (8) The immediate result of their sin is shameful nakedness (3:7; 9:21), connected with ‘knowing’ (3:5; 9:24) and being clothed by another (3:21; 9:23). (9) Both have three named sons (4:1-2, 25; 6:10). (10) As a remote result from Adam's sin, judgment falls on all; from Noah’s, a curse on Canaan. (11) Among their three sons is judgment and hope, division into elect and nonelect. The conflict between the seed of the Serpent (i.e., the curse-laden Cainites) and the seed of the woman (i.e., the Yahweh-worshiping Sethites), is now carried on between the cursed seed of Canaan and the seed of Shem, whose God is the Lord. In addition, in both halves of the Prehistory (books 1-3 and 4-6), human disobedience impinges on the heavenly sphere and God responds using the first-person plural (‘like one of us’; ‘let us’; 3:22; 11:7), and alienation is part of his judicial sentence (from the Garden of Eden and from Shinar; 3:24; 11:9; cf. 4:12).”

Bruce K. Waltke, Cathi J. Fredricks, Genesis: a Commentary, Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2001, pp. 127-128.

[Note: Waltke’s commentary says that his parallel list is a modification and supplementing of Gage’s parallels, p. 127).]

Seven progressive phases of renewing creation in Noah’s day parallel the first week of creation.

Precreation

• 1:2 earth, deep, Spirit, waters
• 8:1b-2 wind, earth, waters, deep

Day 2

• 1:6-8 waters, firmament (sky)
• 8:2b heaven (sky)

Day 3

• 1:9 water, dry land, appear
• 8:3-5 water, tops of the mountains, seen (appear)

Day 5

• 1:20-23 fowl, above the earth (in the open firmament, sky)
• 8:6-12 raven, dove, off the earth (no need to renew water creatures)

Day 6

• 1:24-25 living creatures, cattle, creeping thing, (wild) beasts
• 8:17-19 every living thing, fowl, cattle, creeping thing

“the appearance/reappearance of the nuclear family”

• 1:26-28 man, image of God, male and female
• 8:16, 18 Noah and his wife
• 9:6 man, image of God

The blessing of God on his family/creation

• 1:28 blessed, be fruitful, multiply, replenish the earth, subdue it (rule…every living thing)
• 9:1-2 blessed, be fruitful, multiply, replenish the earth, fear and dread on every living thing

Waltke, pp. 128-129

Acts 26:30-32

30-32 the verdict rendered

Verses 30-31: After Paul expresses his desire that Agrippa and all under the sound of his voice were in the same position as he, except for being in custody. Agrippa, Bernice, Festus, and the others present went aside and conferred about Paul’s case. The conclusion is the same as it has been: “This man doeth nothing worthy of death or of bonds.” Not only has he done nothing to deserve a death sentence, he should not even have been in custody.

Verse 32: Agrippa’s verdict is the same as the rest. Since it is specifically Agrippa who was hearing the case, Luke specifically records the words of Agrippa: “This man might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed unto Cæsar.” In one sense, Agrippa’s words condemn the entire process from Felix forward. Paul should have been released. However, once he appealed to Cæsar, it became necessary to allow that appeal.

As with the Richard Longenecker doubts on Acts 25:13, Darrell Bock notes about this:

“Some scholars challenge this part of the passage and its credibility. How could this conversation be known?”[1]

Bock concludes that “the results of the hearing would have made the view of the governor, Agrippa, and Bernice evident” and that the explanation could have been communicated to Paul (who could have then communicated it to Luke, who then included it in his communication to Theophilus). While those means may be used by God, they seem to be necessary explanations for those who do not receive and rest in the inspiration of the Bible. For the Bible-believer, “God revealed it to him” is a simple and satisfactory answer to the question, “How could this conversation be known?” Do not discount divine inspiration.

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[1] Bock, Acts, p. 724.

Danbury Baptist Association to Thomas Jefferson

The letter of Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptist Association – with the phrase “separation between church & state” – is oft-mention in both historical and political discussions. The letter from the Danbury Baptists is not as well known. A transcription of it can be read at the National Archives online.

Danbury Baptist Association to Thomas Jefferson, [after 7 October 1801]

“…though our mode of expression may be less courtly and pompious than what many others clothe their addresses with, we beg you, Sir to believe, that none are more sincere.”

Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptist Association, 1 January 1802

“The affectionate sentiments of esteem and approbation which you are so good as to express towards me, on behalf of the Danbury Baptist association, give me the highest satisfaction.”

Interestingly, there is also a Draft Reply to the Danbury Baptist Association, showing how Jefferson started and then edited the letter to be more concise.

“I reciprocate your kind prayers for the protection and blessing of the common father and creator of man, and tender you for yourselves and your religious association, assurances of my high respect & esteem.”

Give me that Book!

God himself has condescended to teach the way; for this very end he came from heaven. He hath written it down in a book! O give me that book! At any price, give me the Book of God! I have it: here is knowledge enough for me. Let me be homo unius libri.*

*A man of one book.

John Wesley, “Preface,” Sermons on Several Occasions, Volume 1, Thomas Jackson, editor. London: J. Kershaw, 1825, p. vii

Salvation, O the joyful sound

Below is Hymn 88 from Hymns and Spiritual Songs In Three Books, by Isaac Watts, which he titled simply “Salvation.”

To the believer, the word “salvation” is pleasing music to our ears, healing ointment for our wounds, and stimulating medicine for our fears. May we who have arisen by and appreciate grace divine echo its sound around the earth. In The Sacred Harp (47a) we sing this hymn with the wonderful old tune Primrose, by Amzi Chapin.

1. Salvation! O the joyful sound!
’Tis music to our ears;*
A sov’reign balm for ev’ry wound,
A cordial for our fears.

2. Buried in sorrow and in sin,
At hell’s dark door we lay,
But we arise by grace divine
To see a heav’nly day.

3. Salvation! let the echo fly
The spacious earth around,
While all the armies of the sky
Conspire to raise the sound.

* “pleasure” in The Sacred Harp

The author of the hymn, Isaac Watts, is called the “Father of English hymnody,” so accorded for his vast production of good and great hymns, which solidified their places in English language churches.

Amzi Chapin, the composer of Primrose, was born March 2, 1768 in Springfield, Massachusetts. He was the son of Edward Chapin and Eunice Colton. By trade he was a cabinetmaker, but he was also an itinerant singing master and composer, teaching singing schools in Connecticut, Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. By denomination he was a Presbyterian. He married Hannah Power in 1800, and they had at least seven children. Amzi Chapin died in Northfield, Ohio, February 19, 1835. He and Hannah are buried at the Northfield Macedonia Cemetery in Northfield, Summit County, Ohio.

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Note: a cordial is a food, drink, or medicine that stimulates and invigorates the heart and circulation – either literally or figuratively.

Cordial (adjective and noun)

c. 1400, “of or pertaining to the heart,” from Medieval Latin cordialis “of or for the heart,” from Latin cor “heart,” from PIE root *kerd- “heart.” Meaning “heartfelt, proceeding from the heart as the supposed seat of kindly feelings” is from mid-15c.

The noun meaning “something that invigorates” is from late 14c., originally “medicine, food, or drink that stimulates the heart.” Meaning “sweet or aromatic liquor” is from 1610s.

It is my profound conviction, and other quotes

The posting of quotes of human authors does not constitute agreement with either the quotes or their sources. (I try to confirm the sources that I give, but may miss on occasion; please verify if possible.)

“It is my profound conviction that all of us [preachers] are in danger of fussing around speaking against the fruits of sin and never touching the roots.” -- Richard Owen Roberts

“The difference between teaching and preaching – teaching is aimed at the mind and preaching is aimed at the heart. The teacher prepares by discovering the mind of God in Scripture; the preacher prepares by discovering the heart of God in his prayer closet.” -- Richard Owen Roberts

“Love has grown out of control when pleasing children is more important than leading children.” -- Adam Griffin

“Every Christian has a ‘used-to-be’ story.” -- Larry Wade, Jr.

“Your boos mean nothing, I’ve seen what makes you cheer.” -- Used in a cartoon; sometimes attributed to Kelly Hynam 

“If you want to conduct the orchestra, you have to turn your back on the audience.” -- Attributed to Aristotle, Max Lucado, James Crook, et al.

“There are people out there who are committed to misunderstanding you, and misrepresenting your position.” -- Allie Beth Stuckey

“Discipleship is not about information; it’s about imitation.” -- Dallas Willard

“We’re afraid of the dark because we were made to live in the light.” -- R. C. Sproul

“The Ephesian church in Revelation 2:1–7 crossed all their doctrinal t’s and dotted all their ecclesiological i’s—but they lost their first love.” -- Juan Sanchez

“The Lord has established for salvation to precede identification through baptism into membership and then for those identifying markers to precede the ongoing celebratory act of the Lord’s Supper.” -- Nate Akin

“It’s not enough to be fans of Jesus. We should be followers of Jesus.” -- Kevin Lake

“When God has done something for you, let him do something with you.” -- Johnnie Johnson

“If God is pleased, it doesn’t matter who isn’t.” -- Unknown

Debaptism; who knew?

Debaptism, noun. The (so-called) practice of “reversing” a baptism.

I guess on this I’ve been living under a rock, ignorant in my bliss. Who knew “debaptism” was a thing? You probably did. I didn’t. I read about some nuts going through a blow dryer ceremony. I would suggest that if they were immersed they need to get in an oven!

To me there is some irony here, in a person thinking they need to be debaptized. Part of the craziness of modern society, perhaps? It seems that the folks who are being debaptized are in effect saying that de baptism dat dey had actually did something dat dey must undo. But their other testimony is that God and Christianity is nothing. If it is nothing, why undo nothing?

Finally. Do the debaptized join De’Baptist Unchurch?

Acts 26:24-29

Acts 26:24-29 Paul’s dialogue with Festus and Agrippa

Verses 24-25: thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad. But he said, I am not mad, most noble Festus Even when Festus called him “beside thyself” and “mad” (crazy), Paul responded with respect – “most noble Festus.” He then reminded Festus that his words were not the ravings of a madman, but he spoke “words of truth and soberness.”

Verses 28-29: Of this Henry Smith states:

“In Agrippa, you shall hear what we are; in Paul, you shall see what we should be; for the king shews that he is almost a Christian, and the apostle shews that he should be altogether a Christian.”

He points to three acknowledgements Paul makes in addressing Agrippa:

A reverent title, King Agrippa.

A profitable question, Dost thou believe the prophets?

A favourable prevention, I know that thou believest.

“…almost standeth in the way before we can come to altogether…Is this altogether, like Paul, or like Festus, not at all? Now if we be almost Christians, let us see what it is to be almost a Christian. Almost a son, is a bastard; almost sweet, is unsavoury; almost hot, is lukewarm, which God spueth out of his mouth, Rev. iii. 16; so almost a Christian is not a Christian…Almost a Christian is like Jeroboam, which said, ‘It is too far to go to Jerusalem to worship,’ and therefore chose rather to worship calves at home. Almost a Christian is like Micah, which thought himself religious enough because he had gotten a priest into his house. Almost a Christian is like the Ephraimites, which could not pronounce Shibboleth, but Sibboleth.”[1] 

In this exchange of Paul with the king and the governor, one finds “almost Agrippa” and “not at all Festus.” Right preaching is about the message, not its results.

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[1] “The Dialogue Between Paul and King Agrippa,” in The Works of Henry Smith: including Sermons, Treatises, Prayers, and Poems. With Life of the Author, Vol. I, Thomas Fuller, editor, pp. 435-436, 443-444. On “Shibboleth” and “Sibboleth,” see Judges 12:5-6.

Toward a biblical definition of “prophet”

Prophet, noun. According to Merriam-Webster, may be (1) one who utters divinely inspired revelations; (2) one gifted with more than ordinary spiritual and moral insight; (3) one who foretells future events. The third definition is probably that which comes most readily to mind to modern English speakers. What is a prophet, biblically defined?

The meaning of the word.

As we notice in the introduction, the English word “prophet” includes several different shades of meaning (e.g., 5 at Merriam-Webster, 7 at Dictionary.com). What about the Bible?

The primary Hebrew word for prophet is (נָבִיא nāḇî'). The word “seer” (הָרֹאֶה rō'ê/rā'â) is synonymous for prophet, according to 1 Samuel 9:9. The Hebrew word (הַחֹזֶה ḥōzêh) is also translated “seer.” In 1 Chronicles 29:29 all three of these Hebrew words are used (נָבִיא nāḇî') (הָרֹאֶה rō'ê) (הַחֹזֶה ḥōzêh).[i]

The primary Greek for prophet is (προφήτης prophētēs). Greek also has the word (ψευδοπροφήτης pseudoprophētēs) for a false prophet. Hebrew adds descriptors about prophets prophesying falsely rather than having a word “false prophet.”[ii]

The biblical use of the word.

The first use of the word “prophet” in the Bible is found in Genesis 20:7, where God calls Abraham a prophet. There it seems to primarily mean that Abraham is God’s spokesman or representative. The last use of the word “prophets” is found in Revelation 22, which seems to connect both the ideas of God’s spokesmen (v. 9) and the references to future events (v. 6).

God told Moses, “Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet” (Exodus 7:1). This also seems to emphasize the nature of the prophet as a spokesman (e.g. Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well…and Aaron spake all the words which the Lord had spoken unto Moses, Exodus 4:14, 30). In Exodus 15:20, where Moses’s sister Miriam is referred to as a prophetess, she took a timbrel in her hand and led the women in singing to the LORD – emphasizing the nature of forthtelling. Notice also that the musicians for the tabernacle and temple were considered prophets (1 Chronicles 25:1-3).

The Old Testament prophets spoke for God. In connection with this, some of them also dreamed dreams, saw visions, and foretold the future (Numbers 12:6; Isaiah 1:11; Jeremiah 28:9; Ezekiel 33:33). The word and its related work included “forthtelling” and “foretelling.” The commonality in all of this seems to be that of accurately presenting and representing God’s truth. Those who wrote the Old Testament Scripture, or at least many of them, were considered prophets.

Many times in the New Testament, the word “prophet” refers back to the Old Testament prophet (Matthew 1:22; 2:17; Acts 2;16). “The prophets” may also mean the Scriptures of the Old Testament (Matthew 5:17; Luke 16:29; 24:27, 44: John 1:45).

However, prophets are also current/active in the New Testament. John the Baptist was a prophet (Luke 7:28), a spokesman for God who came before and announced the coming of the Christ.[iii] Those called prophets in the New Testament include Jesus; Agabus (Acts 11:27-28; 21:10); Barnabas, Simeon Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen, and Saul (Acts 13:1); Judas and Silas (Acts 15:32).[iv] Though prophets and apostles were different – that is, all prophets were not apostles – it seems that by default the Bible considers all the apostles to be prophets, even while not specifically naming each of them them thusly (Acts 4:33; 1 Corinthians 13:2; Revelation 1:3; 18:20: 22:6).

Paul refers to those who speak in the Corinthian assembly as prophets, who could speak in a way to edify, exhort, and comfort (1 Corinthians 14:3-5). Though prophecy is a gift (Romans 12:6; 1 Corinthians 14:32), the prophets are not out of control. They can contain themselves from all speaking at once (1 Corinthians 14:26, 29, 40), and must speak so as to acknowledge that the inspired words of the apostles are the commandments of the Lord (1 Corinthians 14:37). (Therefore, they cannot claim a the Spirit made me do it excuse for bad behavior.)

In Titus 1:12, Paul applies the word “prophet” in a “non-biblical” or “non-Christian” sense, calling a spokesman for the Cretians “a prophet.”

Prophecy is a spiritual gift, as we see from Romans 12:6; 1 Corinthians 12:8-10; 28-31; 13:2; and 14:1-6. Those who prophesy, prophesy according to the proportion of faith with which they are gifted, within the place in the body the Spirit has placed them.

The rhetorical question of 1 Corinthians 12:29 indicates that all of God’s people are not prophets (cf. Numbers 11:29). Everyone should be a representative of God in witnessing to and sharing his truths. However, some are gifted to do so in a more official way.

Paul indicates that supernatural tongues, prophecy, and knowledge will cease with the close of the biblical revelation (canon), 1 Corinthians 13:8. “Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.”

Concluding thoughts on the words and its meaning.

In the Bible, a prophet was a spokesman for God – one who conveyed a message from God to the people. The calling or work included foretelling (proclaiming God’s events and plan for the future) and forthtelling (publishing God’s will and truth in the present). Often this role of prophet combined these two features, for example, using warning of future judgment as a call to present repentance. Prophets guided the people concerning truth, faith, morality, and judgment (cf. Acts 24:25). His duty was not solely about predicting the future – and often not even primarily.

• The Bible reader should not just think “predicter of the future” when encountering the word “prophet.” A full picture is needed.
• The Bible reader should think of “spiritual gift” when encountering the word prophet, especially in the New Testament.

It seems difficult for the average modern English Bible student to think “prophet” and not think of someone who foretold the future. Yet, the common thread of all prophets is not that fact, primarily, but rather of being God’s sent spokesman. Perhaps these thoughts will help. What have I forgotten to consider? If something, please add in the comments.

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[i] I have put these words in parentheses due to the tendency of the embedded “backward spelling” of Hebrew to go haywire in Microsoft Word, ending up at times in various crazy fashions.
[ii] The Old Testament calls five women prophetesses – Miriam, Deborah, Huldah, Noadiah, and the wife of Isaiah (Isaiah 8:3). The latter may simply mean the wife of a prophet, and Noadiah (Nehemiah 6:14) seems to be a false one, opposing the work of Nehemiah. The New Testament calls two women prophetesses – Anna (Luke 2:36) and Jezebel (Revelation 2:20). The first one is on God’s side, and the latter seems to only be one falsely so-called. Compare also Acts 21:9.
[iii] John the Baptist is evidence that a prophet did not necessarily perform miracles. “And many resorted unto him, and said, John did no miracle: but all things that John spake of this man were true” (John 10:41).
[iv] The emphasis of Judas and Silas as prophets was that they “exhorted the brethren with many words.”