More Than a Writer

You’ve experienced it… you hear or watch a story and emotion wells up inside you. That emotion may be anger, or sadness, or joy. And there are times it is overwhelming.

The overwhelming nature of the story I shared last time is what prompted me to write and share the words. But a few hours later the rational part of my mind began to rethink the experience.

The story that was told spoke of an outcome that left the couple homeless and destitute. If you didn’t watch the video, they are literally hiding from federal marshalls. I can imagine myself in the same situation. Helping a friend, but in a way that violates laws. The friend is helped; no one was otherwise hurt or impacted; but the method used to help was illegal.

Then I also thought, this could be a hustle. What if this couple schemed this story and made the video with the intention of later asking for money. “Please send a donation to this Western Union destination.”

So I did some research and I am reasonably convinced this is not a scam. First of all, they have been making YouTube videos for over two years. Second, their Etsy site storefront is empty. Third, their last video was made seven months ago.

I believe this couple’s story is legitimate. But, that’s not the purpose of this post. I hope you consider the power of emotion and the fact that scammers use the power of emotion to hook you. That’s what happened to me. (Link) It was pure emotion (and some greed) that hooked me.

Any time you feel emotion welling up within you, put your brain into Rational Reasoning mode. It is the only way to balance emotions with facts. I admit it is really hard to do, but it is an essential skill to learn.

I hope this has been a helpful wake-up call for someone.

Per my last post, I want to share some online tools you can easily use to dig deeper into Bible verses to help your understanding. A couple preliminaries first.

In the last post, I took the position that Jesus was minimizing any derogatory comments to the Canaanite woman by referring to her as a household pet and not a stray dog. I believe that to be true, as do some commentators, but others think Jesus was derogatory.

When comparing the thoughts of others and researching as best you can into the language, culture, geography, etc. it is important to do so from a position of humility. When I share my opinion with you, it is based on my best understanding of what I have studied. When anyone forms an opinion, a fundamental assumption must be that the position is wrong.

I will leave it there. Let’s get on with the Blue Letter Bible.

In your browser, navigate to blueletterbible.org. (If you are using a tablet or phone, you can download the BLB app. Navigation within the app is different. The “interlinear” and other tabs we will look at below can be found by tapping on the righthand side of the verse you are interested in.) First of all, you may be familiar with the Red Letter Bibles where the words of Jesus are printed in red letters. According to a search by Bing’s AI Chat:

The Blue Letter Bible is so called because of the blue color of the hyperlinks. The name “Blue Letter Bible” also contrasts with the term “red letter Bible”, which is a common form of printed Bible with key words, such as the words of Jesus, highlighted in red¹.

According to the Blue Letter Bible website, the name Blue Letter Bible was chosen because of the blue color of the hyperlinks. With hundreds of thousands of links that were all blue, they decided to call it the Blue Letter Bible as a play on the more commonly referenced red-letter editions of Scripture².

bing.com/chat

(I will be discussing the use of AI in an upcoming post. Spoiler alert… I am finding it most useful.)

The Blue Letter Bible site offers many useful tools for your Bible studies. The top banner provides detailed information on the many sections and tools within the Blue Letter Bible (BLB) site.

Click on SEARCH in the top banner. The drop-down provides a quick method of locating a verse. Let’s go to Matt 15:21 where we studied in the last post. Input the information into the search bar as shown below. I selected the ESV Bible translation from the grid. (There will be a quick tutorial to demonstrate how the grid works when you access it the first time.) Then click the arrow.

You are taken to verse 21 in chapter 15, but if you scroll up, you will see that the entire chapter is provided. As you scroll up, notice the section header The Faith of a Canaanite Woman, and the verses Mar 7:24-30 referenced beneath. Hover over the verse reference and the verse will pop up. Click on the reference and you will be taken there. Use the browser’s back arrow to return to Matthew.

As you explore the banner at the top of the page you will find navigation buttons, copy, format, and even a Red Letter button so Jesus’s words are highlighted. You can explore as desired but for now, scroll down to verse 26.

Please notice the copy icon between TOOLS and the verse reference. When you click on it, a checkmark appears. Use this to select verses you wish to copy. Then use the COPY and COPY OPTIONS buttons in the top banner to copy these verses onto your clipboard. Copy options will pre-format the look of the quote.

Now click on the verse reference (or the Tools button). A popup with colored tabs (and an X to close it) will appear below the verse. The first tab is INTERLINEAR. This is where we can dig into the original language.

Notice first that the verse is shown in Greek at the top. This is from the source manuscript used in the translation of this (ESV) Bible. (Don’t fret, there are only two primary texts translators use. Lord willing we will cover this in a future post.)

There are two ways to look at the Greek in the section below: Forward and Reverse. Forward takes the Greek as written and provides the translation. Reverse takes the English translation and provides the Greek. Usually, the Reverse method will work best for you IMHO.

You may also notice that the translation down the left is not 100% as you expect. To find out why, click on the [?] next to “English (NASB)” above the column. It gets technical.

Working left to right, if you click on the word (such as “dogs”) or the “PHRASE” button, you will get a list of everywhere the word or phrase is used in the translation you started in (such as the ESV here) in the Old and New Testaments. This is a great tool to look for similar word usage in a “word study”.

The next column is labeled “Strong’s”. In 1890, James Strong published a book containing a list of every word in the King James Version Bible (KJV). He referenced the translated word to the original Hebrew or Greek word and assigned a number to each original word. Making this a bit confusing, only root words have numbers assigned. So if a Greek word has a prefix that renders it a negative, only the root is given.

Look at each of the words in the “Inflected, Root & Transliteration” column. You will see in each of these three cases that the Inflected (as written in the manuscript) word is different than the Root word. If you know a foreign language it is common for a word to be modified. For example, verbs are commonly modified to represent past and future tense. In English, the verb walk uses the suffix “ed” to indicate past tense. If James Strong was citing the word “walked”, he would reference it under the root “walk”.

Finally, Hebrew words are cited as H… and Greek words are cited as G… In each case, a reference number is given.

Click on G2952. The resulting page has more information than you will initially need. Looking at the highlights, we have a Transliteration that is essential if you are taking notes or sharing with a friend. You also have the Pronunciation so you can say the word with reasonable accuracy. Audio of the pronunciation is available just to the right of this.

The next line tells us this is a neuter noun. (Language still only provides three genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter.) Then, to the right, is the word root. Most words come from a root that helps us understand the fundamental concept. It is helpful, especially in this study, to click on the G2965.

But first… let’s finish this entry. If you are deep into Greek grammar, the next line shows you variations of the word. Clicking on each word shows you in which verses they appear.

Each section of this page can take you deeper down the rabbit hole. But what we primarily want is a definition. Just a little further down we find definitions from several sources. Here we find “a little dog” and “puppy”. In the Strong’s Definitions box, we see G2965 again and can click here to get to that page also.

The same sections appear and after reviewing them we can draw the following conclusions. Notice first, this is a masculine noun where G2952 was neuter. This alone helps me envision the difference between a wild and aggressive animal versus a household pet.

In the definition section, there are no qualifiers that might soften the meaning. This is a dog (“hound”).

Note also that in come usage, the word is used in a very derogatory manner. Using this information and the information derived from Matt 15, I hope you can clearly see how I formed my conclusion that Jesus was not demeaning the woman but referring to her as part of the family.

There are so many paths I can take you down. Do you have a specific area of interest? What types of questions do you have about the Bible and how to understand it more clearly? Please leave a comment below or e-mail me confidentially at info@JDRockel.com.

I have no doubt you have written a text and the auto-correct changed a word. The unfortunate part is that you sent the text before realizing the error. It may have resulted in a hurried correction before your friend thought you had lost your mind.

Have you wondered if some writers of the Bible chose the wrong words? Some verses just don’t make sense. Or the verse may challenge our moral values. But this is the Bible! Isn’t every word supposed to be divinely inspired?

Yes… but…

In the Western world, we read a translation of the Bible in our native language. For English readers, there are numerous translations, each with a particular twist. These slight differences can be helpful in our understanding of the Bible text.

The Bible was written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. These three languages have been studied at length by scholars. I am NOT one of these scholars! But fortunately, we have easy access to their studies.

In the next few posts, I will help you learn to use free online (and play store apps) that will help you access this knowledge. I will show you in a couple examples why looking up the words in their original language is important.

Introduction

If you are brand new to reading the Bible, no worries. Here is a quick way to find your way through the hundreds of pages.

First, the Bible is divided into two main sections commonly referred to as the Old and New Testaments. For the word Testament, think testimony, a written record. The Old Testament is the collection of writings used today by Jews and the New Testament is the collection of writings used by Christians. Having said that, most Christians accept the Old Testament as essential to our understanding of God. And, many Jews by ancestry believe in Jesus as Messiah.

Every Bible has a Table of Contents. Use this page at the front of the Bible to find the page number where a book begins. Within each book, you will find Chapter and Verse numbers. These were added to the text in the 1500s to assist readers in searching for specific passages.

The common way to reference a specific Book, Chapter, and Verse is this way: Mark 4:7 refers to the book of Mark, chapter 4 and verse 7. As seen below, a passage may be shown as Mark 7:1-13.

Book names are often abbreviated. For example, you may see Matthew abbreviated Matt or even Mt. Your Bible may show a list of abbreviations in the Table of Contents. An easy-to-read list of abbreviations can be found here.

Of the many English translations available, I choose to use the English Standard Version (ESV) because I find it to be quite readable and it is a recent translation. If you are looking for a first-time Bible, may I suggest the New Living Translation? It is very readable and conveys the meaning of the original text.

The primary tradeoff in translating into English is readability versus word-for-word translation accuracy. In my opinion, most English translations are acceptable to read and provide a good understanding. I will provide more details about the differences in a future post.

The Controversy

Let’s start with a passage that by today’s standards can be seen as very demeaning. This passage is found in Matthew (Matt) chapter 15 verses 21-28 and in Mark 7:1-13.

And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon.

And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.”

But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.”

He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.”

And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”

She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”

Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.
(Mat 15:21-28)

I expect the controversial statement jumped out at you. Jesus referred to the woman as a dog. If you know first-century Jewish history, you know that the Jews referred to non-Jews in a derogatory manner just as the Romans referred to the Jews in a similar way. Jews were dogs to the Romans and non-Jews (gentiles) were dogs to the Jews.

But there are dogs, and there are dogs. When I moved to South Carolina in 2010, there was a major problem with stray dogs in my area. (Fear not, dogs weren’t roaming the streets of major cities. I moved into a very rural area.) These dogs survived by finding scraps and killing small animals. Therefore, you didn’t want your Teacup Poodle sitting outside unprotected.

The same was true when Jesus spoke to the Canaanite woman. He and his disciples had traveled northwest from their homes on the Sea of Galilee to a region of gentile people closer to the Mediterranean Sea. The woman is clearly referred to as a gentile in both Matthew and Mark.

I give this woman a lot of credit. Though she was gentile, she knew Jewish history. She called Jesus the Son of David. She believed that Jesus was the Jewish Messiah, the one who would save the world. Undoubtedly, she had heard the stories of the miraculous healings Jesus had performed. Yes, even before modern communication, word got around.

And, she was persistent! She stayed engaged despite the efforts of the disciples to send her away. There is so much wonderful truth we can get from this short passage, but in this post, I want to focus on the word dog.

Just as we may refer to a wild dog as a mongrel or feral and our Fluffy as a pet, the Jews and the Greeks had two words for dogs. The first is the word, kuon. This refers to any and all dogs. In Matt 7:6, Jesus uses this Greek word when he said, “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.” during the Sermon on the Mount. In Thayer’s Greek Definitions, a second definition is added, “metaphorically a man of impure mind, an impudent man”. This word was used in a derogatory manner.

But Jesus doesn’t use this word with the woman. He uses the word kunarion. This is defined as “a little dog”, or “a puppy”. It was commonly used to refer to the family pet, AKA Fluffy. So, Jesus has actually used a term of endearment, at least sort of, maybe. But he didn’t call her a mongrel.

This is why words are important. In my next post, I will show you how to find this information in a simple Bible app that is available online or as a download.

As I provide these posts, I hope you will help me out and give me some feedback. What helped you, and what else would help? If you have trouble finding the Comment box, keep scrolling down. Click the Like button and SHARE! Let others know I’m here.

Thanks a lot!

I’m mad; I’m embarrassed; I’ve had it! Deep breath… I will keep this brief but praemonitus, praemunitus (to be forewarned is to be forearmed).

I received two packages in the mail today. One I expected; one was a mystery package.

I’ll start with the mystery package. At the end of March, I saw a Facebook video ad about a woodworking tool. I do enough hobby stuff that it looked like a useful tool. The ad said, “Last Day of Promotion” [Red flag #1]; “49% OFF” [Red flag #2]; “Ultra-precision…” [Red flag #3].

I fell for it. For the reduced price of $72.93, I purchased a set of three sizes. For the record, I remember the ad showing (what appeared to be) a metal tool for measuring angles and scribing lines. As with much of what I buy, I forgot I had ordered it.

The package arrived today and was wrapped in a black bag with a LOT of tape. It was from a strange NY address. I couldn’t imagine what it might be but I have received odd packages from the orient that were never ordered. I did an quick internet search on the address and found a bunch of scam complaints about the company.

After much fiddling and feeling, one corner broke through the bag. I decided that more of the bag could now “break open”. As I fished it out I realized what it was. It was not in any way “Ultra-precision”. It is just a little better than “cheap s#!t”. Thank you Hongkong Ruifu Network Technology Co., Ltd.

SCAM number two: “Yuppie CBD”. I agree everything about the name screams scam. BTW, the definition I found for scam from Oxford is: a dishonest scheme; a fraud. The Yuppie CBD was certainly a dishonest scheme, but maybe legally on the legitimate fringe of fraud.

In a weak moment while checking my Twitter feed, I say an ad for this product. I followed the link to the web site and while reading through the benefits of “their” formulation, I saw the words “grandmother” and “arthritis” in the same sentence. My heart strings were tugged as I have arthritis in my hands.

I took the next step to see what a sample would cost. I thought it would be under $50. I filled in the form and clicked a CONTINUE button until I got to a page that said, $242. Your order has been processed. This was the first I had seen a total price.

I found several customer service numbers, all of which failed to connect. There was no-one to talk with to cancel the order. Within 24 hours I received an e-mail saying my order had been shipped. I finally contacted someone through a web contact page but was told they would only refund 50% of what I paid. (BTW, the customer service number on the contact page also failed to connect.)

The charge is now in dispute with my credit card company and I have a new card number. They told me to not open the package and refuse receipt from the post office.

My friends, we are in a war. I took some losses in the fight. But I have found four important warnings that you must beware of:

• Don’t follow ads on social media. I will even say to be careful of platforms like Facebook Marketplace. I had a GOOD experience with Facebook Marketplace, but I’ve seen plenty of ads that couldn’t possibly be true. If you do agree to pick up an item, take a friend and meet in a public parking lot.
• Ads or e-mails that appear to be from companies you do business with. If you see a clearance of window air conditioners from Walmart for $10 each, be very afraid. At the very least, the scam will get your personal information.
• Texts or e-mails with invoices. Some can look very official with known company letter heads. Unless you have an open account with a commercial product distributer, you won’t be sent an invoice. Certainly not from a known company.
• Texts or e-mails (or phone calls) saying your order is on hold and certain information needs to be confirmed. No, no, no!!!! They want personal information to steal your money or your identity.

Fortunately, my wife and I are pretty good at asking each other whether something looks like a scam. (As I was typing, she showed me an invoice for some crypto currency purchase.) But if you truly have a doubt about what you owe, contact the company directly. A Walmart or Lowes or Ace Hardware will check into a possible scam at the store.

Don’t assume you forgot to pay a bill or provide information. Rather, assume someone is out to steal your money and/or identity. It’s a war. We are all in the midst of great evil. Fight the battle with common sense and with prayer.

I would love to hear your scam stories. If you think our readers will benefit from your story, add a comment below. Thank you so much, and stay safe.