Karen EngleExplore what Bible translation is and the value of using different kinds of Bible translations (including helpful charts).
Jason BruecknerMark Ward and Harold Senkbeil talk through what it means to set our eyes on Christ through difficult times and to pray for those facing calamity. Watch as Dr. Senkbeil shares about his own recent experience with tragedy, answers from the Word about...
Mark WardWhen Jesus is asked to sum up the law, he responds with two commands involving love: In both commands, the English translation “love” translates the Greek verb agapao. Partly because agape is one of those Greek words that many theologically literate...
Mark Ward explores what agape love means by sharing a tip for using Greek in Bible study—and then shares how to apply that tip. *** “Love” is the third most commonly looked up word at Merriam-Webster.com. Do you want to know what...
If I thought I was a pretty scintillating Bible teacher, the kind that makes people sit on the edge of their seats, the kind that is also able to put the cookies on the lower shelf and interest even kids, that thought was shattered when my own kids...
In this “Word Nerd: Language and the Bible” video on the word Jehovah in the Bible (full transcription below), Mark Ward (author of Authorized: The Use and Misuse of the King James Bible) explores why God’s name is not Jehovah—and two excellent...
Wrenching a Bible verse out of context isn’t the only bad Bible-quoting habit out there. There is a more subtle set of unfortunate customs we use in evangelical churches when we quote the Bible. Here’s an example: a relative of mine was reading to...
Matthew BoffeyThe road to learning biblical Greek and Hebrew is a journey of moving from alphabets and words to fluid reading and interpretation—and sometimes, it can feel like climbing a mountain just to reach another false summit. This post is for anyone who’s...
Learning how to write a funeral sermon is inevitable—if you are a preacher of the Word, you will one day have to preach a funeral. And that one day might be Tuesday. Even if you’ve heard a lecture in class on how to prepare for a funeral, it’s...
Learning biblical Greek will require some drudgery. But, as they say, “No pain, no reading the Greek New Testament.” I well remember sitting at my desk in grad school, cramming vocabulary into my head like a duck willingly stuffing its body for foie...
I love writing for sharp readers; they keep me on my toes. Once, in my post “The Easy Way to Do a Responsible Bible Word Study,” after studying the word hilasterion, one of them presented me with a challenge: Can we do a high-quality Bible word...
Salmon are anadromous. That’s a $25 word that feels how terms found in encyclopedias are supposed to feel: formal, scientific. It’s in a higher register of English. But if you know a little Greek, you’ll see immediately that all it means is “running...
Bible Study MagazinePastor H. B. Charles Jr. began ministry at age 17 when he inherited the pulpit at his father’s church. Now with more than 30 years of ministry experience, Charles has written books on prayer, preaching, and ministry. He is a popular conference...
Some of the angriest comments I’ve ever received came on a post I wrote about Easter. I honestly forgot that some Christians are very upset about the use of a(n allegedly) “pagan” word to describe the preeminent Christian holiday. Here’s what one...
Word studies are a treasure trove . . . and a minefield. Somehow you have to weave through the dangers to get the treasures. Think for a moment: if you were about to enter such a field, what would you want to know about first? The gold or the bombs...
Do you love a great conversation about the Bible? Then today—National Podcast Day!—there’s one you need to give a listen: the Bible Study Magazine podcast. Join host Mark Ward (author of Authorized: The Use and Misuse of the King James Bible) as he...
I was at Costco getting gas. The guy across from me had a tattoo that caught my eye—it was ancient Greek: ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ. And suddenly, the meaning of a famous saying of Jesus became clear in my mind. This kind of thing happens to me. It’s why I go to...
The ESV came out in 2001, just as I was starting seminary. I bought one that was made of paper—the iconic black hardcover with a big white pane on the front. My roommate grabbed it and promptly spilled tea on it. No problem: I now have probably 10...
I have lots of biblical commentaries. Which one do I look at first, and which one do I look at when I’m just quickly checking a cross-reference and want to make sure I’m not missing something? It used to be that I would just check the top-rated...
How does the story of the Bible shape our lives? That’s the topic of conversation on the Bible Study Magazine Podcast. In the first season, author and Bible Study Magazine writer—and now podcast host—Mark Ward explores why it’s important to really...
Faithlife StaffCan we properly interpret the Gospels without cultural scripts? That is, without knowing their historical and cultural background? Dr. Darrell Bock says no. Dr. Bock is the Executive Director of Cultural Engagement and Senior Research Professor of...
A couple years ago, we asked some of our team members who attended seminary to share some of their experiences—what is the one piece of advice each one would want to leave for current seminarians. I hope the reflections are helpful to you. Many of...
When a Christian businessman tried to share Scripture with a non-Christian, he was met with laughter. Not because of the Word, but because of the words—the “strange” English of the KJV. In this clip from Authorized, the newest documentary from...
The new Theology Guide in Logos 8 will do something most people consider it impossible to do: it will change theologians’ minds. Theologians have long known that Logos is a good tool for the study of Scripture, but to some of them that’s all it was...
An editor once told me I could not say that a certain contemporary theologian “channeled” Jonathan Edwards. It felt too New-Agey to him. Usually I accept 100% of an editor’s suggested changes. I feel safer that way. But this time I protested. I felt...
Picking my favorite C.S. Lewis piece is like picking my favorite child. I can’t do it. I won’t. I love them all. But on any given day, one of them may be especially and noticeably good. Today, one is. It’s a sermon called “The Weight of Glory.”...
The KJV is the best-selling book of all time—and still the most widely read Bible in the United States today. Its English has had a profound influence on our own. In recent decades, however, the KJV has been at the center of a debate over the...
In my recent book, Authorized: The Use and Misuse of the King James Bible, I argued that there were two major kinds of archaic words in the KJV, not one. And in the most flagrant example I’ve ever seen of plagiarism by time machine, I just...
I was looking for a Mother’s Day gift and I stumbled across a quotation on the website of a local massage therapist: You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending. —C. S. Lewis I’m a huge Lewis...
What do we really know about the “magi,” the three “wise men” who brought gifts to Jesus? I get questions like this from my kids all the time, questions about Bible and theology stuff. I love their curiosity. And I often find myself answering them...