Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29 Numbers is the fourth book of the Torah (Hebrew meaning “teaching” or “Law”), also known by Christians as the Pentateuch (Greek meaning “Five Books”). Numbers (like the last half of Exodus, and all of Leviticus and Deuteronomy) is set in the time the Israelites were in the Wilderness before entering the […]
Today’s First Readings offer a choice between Wisdom and Jeremiah. The Second Reading is from James. Wisdom 1:16-2.1, 12-22 The Book of Wisdom, also known as “The Wisdom of Solomon,” is not part of the “Canon” (accepted books) of the Hebrew Bible. It is, however, included as part of the Hebrew Scriptures in Roman Catholic […]
Isaiah 50:4-9a The Book of Isaiah is a composite of writings from three distinct periods in Israel’s history. The collection and compilation of the writings continued from about 700 BCE to about 300 BCE. Chapters 1-39 are called “First Isaiah” and in which a prophet (one who speaks for YHWH) called for Jerusalem to repent […]
Isaiah 35:5-7a The Book of Isaiah is a composite of writings from three distinct periods in Israel’s history. Chapters 1-39 are called “First Isaiah” and called for Jerusalem to repent in the 20 years before Jerusalem was under siege by the Assyrians in 701 BCE. “Second Isaiah” is Chapters 40 to 55 and brought hope […]
Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9 Deuteronomy is the fifth (and last) book of the Torah and is presented as Moses’ final speech to the Israelites just before they entered the Promised Land. “Deuteronomy” comes from two Greek words that mean “Second Law” and the book is structured as a “restatement” of the laws found in the books […]
Joshua 24:1-2a, 14-18 The authors of the Book of Joshua (called “the Deuteronomists”) were also the authors of the books of Deuteronomy, Judges, Samuel and Kings. These books were given their final form around 550 BCE – long after the events they described. The Deuteronomists used the stories in these five books to make the […]
Proverbs 9:1-6 In Christian Bibles, the Book of Proverbs is included in the “Wisdom Literature,” but in the Jewish Bible (the “TaNaK”), it is part of the “Writings.” The other two parts of the Jewish Bible are The Torah and The Prophets. The name “TaNaK” is an acronym for the first letters of the Hebrew […]
1 Kings 19:4-8 The authors of the Book of Kings were also the authors of the books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges and Samuel. These books were given their final form around 550 BCE – long after the events they described. The authors used the stories in these books to demonstrate that it was the failures […]
Exodus 16: 2-4, 9-15 The Book of Exodus is the second book of the Bible and covers the period from the slavery in Egypt under Pharaoh (around 1250 BCE), the Exodus itself, and the early months in the Wilderness. In today’s reading, the Israelites have not yet reached Sinai, and are complaining (once again) to […]
2 Kings 4:42-44 Elijah and his successor, Elisha, were two of the great prophets (speakers for YHWH) in Jewish History. They opposed the (mostly) Baal-worshiping kings in Northern Israel for 90 years (from approximately 873 to 784 BCE), and their stories comprise about 40% of the Book of Kings. The authors of the Book of […]