Bible questions

[bubblegirl23]

GENESIS
32:32 Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, --sinew that shrank???

Can people who only eat biblically clean eat eggs?

35:4 And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; ---were earrings a sign of something?


EXODUS:
Throughout Exodus there are instructions about atonements, burnt offerings, passover and extra sabbath days. Are these rules just to be followed by the people of that time, or are we to observe passovers and convocations too?

Do people still give burnt offerings today?


LEVITICUS:
15:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When any man hath a running issue out of his flesh, because of his issue he is unclean. --running issue?


Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof:
Does this mean men who order their steak rare are unclean?

19:28 Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.
So tattoos are unclean? What about piercings?

21:5 They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh.
So shaving my head is a sin?

23:24 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.
23:27 Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

Should we follow these sabbath also?

Commandment: Thou shalt not kill.
Does this include killing spiders and bugs?


25:3 Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof; 25:4 But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard.
Do we have to observe land sabbath today?


NUMBERS:
7:061 In the offerings, it says, "one silver bowl of seventy shekels"

Does this mean it's holding seventy shekels, or it was made by melting seventy shekels?

Shekels are silver coins?

Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the LORD your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, [or] the likeness of any [thing], which the LORD thy God hath forbidden thee.

Would 'graven images' include statues and collectables? Does this mean the sculptor is a sinner, or those who buy his work?

JUDGES:

How long is "three score"? "four score and ten years"?


Samuel:

What is the ark of God? A boat?

What is a garrison?

If God said man shall only marry one woman and lay with her, why do men in the bible have other wives and concubines? Why didn't God punish them? Was it allowed back then to build up the human race?

Samuel 2
25:15 So the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed: and there died of the people from Dan even to Beersheba seventy thousand men.

What is a pestilence?

What does sojourn mean?

2 KINGS

And the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.

How much is a talent?


drink ye every one the waters of his cistern:

What was a cistern to them? They didbn't have flushable toilets back then.

 

[justified]

Read something post 1611, and it will help. I'll answer the ones that aren't obviously translation issues:

Throughout Exodus there are instructions about atonements, burnt offerings, passover and extra sabbath days. Are these rules just to be followed by the people of that time, or are we to observe passovers and convocations too?

depends on whether or not you are Jewish. See Acts.

Do people still give burnt offerings today?

On Mt. Gerazim, the Samaritans still do.

Commandment: Thou shalt not kill.
Does this include killing spiders and bugs?

This is a translation issue, but it's worth mentioning. The word means "murder" not kill. It is very commonly misquoted because people aren't paying attention.

Do we have to observe land sabbath today?

You kind of do, if you want to farm.

What is the ark of God? A boat?

No. The Hebrew word is ארון, aron, which means "box." In ch.14, some manuscripts have "ark of God" and some have "ephod." They are probably the same thing in I Samuel -- a box in which lots are cast to make a decision. But elsewhere (ie, exodus) the ark of God is the chest-throne of Yahweh.

What does sojourn mean?

Just use a dictionary, jeez!

How much is a talent?

It varied, but on average it was around 75 pounds or 34 kg. a talent was 60 minas which was 50 shekels.

What was a cistern to them? They didbn't have flushable toilets back then.

It was, and still is, a well.

 

[bubblegirl23]

Just use a dictionary, jeez!


If I'm a hassle, you don't have to respond to me. I was just wanting some help :S

 

[justified]

You are welcome, btw.

 

[Breetai]

Bubblegirl, forgive my laziness here, but you might want to consider the fact that Jesus did away with the "old law" when He became the sacrificial lamb.

In other words, feel free to eat all of the eggs, pork, octopus and spiders that you want. You don't have to worry about giving burnt offering to God either. Jesus took care of all of that for you. Everything has already been atoned for.

You might want to seriously considering in a Concordance Bible. This would answer most of your questions as you read your Bible. My favorite one can be found here, but there are many other good options as well.

Biblical commentaries and handbooks can also help as well. One of my favorite Bible handbooks is called Halley's Bible Handbook.

 

[5stringJeff]

Bubblegirl, I would highly recommend that you get a translation other than the KJV. Many of your questions are about the archaic language that the KJV uses. Try the English Standard Version (ESV), the New International Version (NIV) or the New Living Translation (NLT).

 

[bubblegirl23]

Sorry Justified, but I know some of these can be obvious questions. I wanted to understand the history behind them. These words I didn't realise were in the dictionary. I thought they would be too archaic to be in there.

I'm reading the KJV because I want to understand the old ways and the how/why. Exactly what they were called in the old days. I plan to read the BBE version of the bible later, but wanted to understand how the traditions came to be.

 

[PaladinValer]

Drop the KJV.

Use instead the NRSV, RSV, NAB, or NJB.

 

[Breetai]

I'm reading the KJV because I want to understand the old ways and the how/why. Exactly what they were called in the old days. I plan to read the BBE version of the bible later, but wanted to understand how the traditions came to be.

With all due respect, that really doesn't make much sense. The "old days" of the KVJ only lasted for a couple hundred years. English is a changing language; it always has been.

If you really want to read the languages as they were in the "old days", you must learn to read Greek and Hebrew. There is no other way.

If you're not willing to do that, you'd have a much easier time with a more modern English translation.

If you want to understand "traditions", then the KJV, or any other version of the Bible or that matter, will not help you at all. You'd have to start reading historical commentaries.

 

[PaladinValer]

If you really want to understand the "old ways," I suggest:

1. Learning Koine Greek, Aramaic, Hebrew, and Church Latin
2. Study Patristics

 

[bubblegirl23]

Okay, I get the point

I'll read the BBE version.

 

[Breetai]

If you really want to understand the "old ways," I suggest:

1. Learning Koine Greek, Aramaic, Hebrew, and Church Latin
2. Study Patristics

Dude, all you did was copy what I said!

What's up with that?

 

[PaladinValer]

Breetai, TGMTA

T=Two
G=Great
M=Minds
T=Think
A=Alike

 

[Breetai]

Breetai, TGMTA

T=Two
G=Great
M=Minds
T=Think
A=Alike

True dat!

 

[plmarquette]

Jacob wrestled with an angel , and the angel touched his leg , so no one eats that portion of the sinew , to honor the event at Pineal Gen 32:24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.

you can check out www.blueletterbible.com or find an online concordance or hebrew / greek dictionary , like Vines expository dictionary to assist you with what you are asking , which is " what is the context / reason for the verse , then and now "