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THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Elisha and the House of Ahab
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Elisha and the House of Ahab
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
Elisha and the House of Ahab (2 Kings 1-8) Second Kings begins at the death of Ahab and the accession of his son Ahaziah. The break between 1 and 2 Kings is purely a pragmatic move, to divide the longer narrative into more manageable chunks, so readers should regard the narrative…
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Distribution of Powers
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Distribution of Powers
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
Distribution of Powers (Deuteronomy 16: 18-18:22) Deuteronomy 16:18–18:22 deals with four national offices that together comprised Israel’s leadership: the judiciary (16:18–20; 17:8–13); kingship (17:14–20); priesthood (18:1–8); and prophecy (18:10–22). The chapters raise three i…
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Excursus 4: Echoes of Mercy
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Excursus 4: Echoes of Mercy
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
Excursus 4: Echoes of Mercy Through a lens of slavery and segregation, African Americans read Acts 10:34–36 and 17:26 as biblical critiques of oppression. Acts 10 became a rallying cry against slavery from the early part of the nineteenth century…
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - End of the Age
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - End of the Age
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
End of the Age (Matthew 24: 1-51) Maternal imagery continues into the fifth discourse. Signs of destruction are “birth pangs” (24:8); the metaphor graphically indicates the inevitability as well as the increasing intensity associated with the end time…
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Family Wisdom
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Family Wisdom
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
Family Wisdom (Prov. 1-9) A prologue announces that the book aims to impart wisdom (1:2–7). Thick with vocabulary essential to that endeavor, the prologue defines wisdom primarily in relational terms. Wisdom requires that everyone, the young and the wise alike, listen to instruct…
The Women's Bible Commentary - From the Household into the World
The Women's Bible Commentary - From the Household into the World
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
From the Household into the World Proverbs 1–9 culminates at a crossroads. The youth hears the voices of wisdom (9:3–6) and folly (9:16–17) beckoning him home for supper, each with initially identical invitations (“you who are naive, turn in here,” 9:4, 16). Wisdom and folly, it …
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - God's Realm Breaking In
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - God's Realm Breaking In
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
God’s Realm Breaking In (Mark1-3) Jesus and the Realm of God (Mark 1:1–45) Although “According to Mark” was added later, Mark’s Gospel does have a functioning title in 1:1: “The beginning of the good news [gospel] of Jesus Christ, Son of God.” Each term is important. While “Jesus…
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - God as "Father"
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - God as "Father"
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
God as “Father” (Galatians 4: 4-7) In addition to bringing about people’s transformation from the status of minor children under guardianship of the law to that of mature heirs able to enjoy their inheritance (see above on 3:23–26), the coming of Christ has other consequences as …
The Women's Bible Commentary - Groaning in Labor Pains
The Women's Bible Commentary - Groaning in Labor Pains
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
Re-creation of Land and People In chapters 36 and 37 God acts not just to renew Israel and the land, but to re-create them entirely. Chapter 36 has the re-creation of both people (36:26–27) and land (36:1–15, 35) in view, whereas 37:1–14 famously focuses on the rebirth of the peo…
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Idol Meat and Class conflict
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Idol Meat and Class conflict
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
Idol Meat and Class Conflict (1 Corinthians 8-10) The problem Paul addresses in these chapters is that some members of the church feel free to eat meat that has been sacrificed to idols, while for others this creates a crisis of faith…
The Women's Bible Commentary - Jesus and the New Community
The Women's Bible Commentary - Jesus and the New Community
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
Jesus and the New Community A new section of Mark’s narrative opens with a summary statement of Jesus’ healing and teaching beside the Sea of Galilee, where persons come to him from all the places he will later go. This compact summary closes with the unclean spirits recognizing …
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Limited Divine Hospitality
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Limited Divine Hospitality
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
Limited Divine Hospitality Not all discussions of foreign nations in Isaiah are so dispiriting. Isaiah 25 offers one of the best loved of all portraits, one which Christians often associate with eucharistic liturgies…
The Women's Bible Commentary - Money, Shame and Authority
The Women's Bible Commentary - Money, Shame and Authority
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
Money, Shame and Authority Because of subtle differences between chapters 8 and 9, many scholars regard them as two separate letters, even though they concern the same topic: instructions regarding a collection of money in Paul’s Gentile congregations to be sent as a gift to the …
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Personified Daughter Zion
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Personified Daughter Zion
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
Personified Daughter Zion (Isaiah 47: 1-15; 49: 14 – 50: 3; 51: 17 – 52: 12; 54: 1-17) Babylon’s fall is imagined throughout Isaiah 41–48, climaxing in chapter 47, where Daughter Babylon herself is taunted. Once tender and delicate, she will now sit throneless in the dust. She wi…
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Partners in a Heavenly Calling
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Partners in a Heavenly Calling
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
Partners in a Heavenly Calling (Hebrews 1: 1- 4: 16) The first part, 1:1–4:16, focused on Jesus as Son of God and apostle, speaker from God to human beings, uses Scripture to compare “the son” to both the angels (1:1–2:4) and Moses (3:1–6)…
The Women's Bible Commentary - Re-creation of Land and People
The Women's Bible Commentary - Re-creation of Land and People
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
Re-creation of Land and people In chapters 36 and 37 God acts not just to renew Israel and the land, but to re-create them entirely. Chapter 36 has the re-creation of both people (36:26–27) and land (36:1–15, 35) in view, whereas 37:1–14 famously focuses on the rebirth of the peo…
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Sapphira