In this episode, we talk to Dr. Peter Gurry about the textual history of the Greek New Testament. As always, this episode is brought to you by Biblingo, the premier solution for learning, maintaining, and enjoying the biblical languages. Visit ⁠biblingo.org⁠ to learn more and start your 10-day free trial. If you enjoy this episode, be sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast app and leave us a review. You can also follow Biblingo on social media @biblingoapp to discuss the episode with...

In this episode, we talk to Dr. Jennifer Noonan about her book "A Handbook of Second Language Acquisition for Biblical Studies." She talks about the relationship between explicit and implicit language knowledge, the raw materials of language acquisition, the importance of reading fluency, and the nature of vocabulary acquisition. Jennifer Noonan grew up on a small farm in northern Ohio. She completed her BA at Malone College (Canton, OH) and MA at Ashland Theological Seminary (Ashland,...

In this episode, Dr. Kevin Grasso takes us through four key texts surrounding Jesus' death and resurrection. We examine how the messianic prophesy of Isaiah 53:7 should be properly translated (hint: every English translation is missing something). We look at the significance of Jesus' response before the high priestly court in Matthew 26:63-65: "You have said so." We dig into the complicated question of what language Jesus was speaking when he cried out "My God, My God, why have you forsaken...

In this episode, we talk to Dr. Max Botner about his book "Beyond the Greek New Testament." Max Botner has served as a lecturer and researcher in the US, UK, and Germany. His primary research interests include Jewish exegetical practices, ancient messianism and early Christology, and early Jewish and Christian sacrificial theologies. Above all, he is passionate about training students, clergy, and lay leaders to know and embody the biblical story. Currently, Max serves as associate professor...

In this episode, we talk to Mark Jeong about his book "A Greek Reader." This volume is a companion resource for use with N. Clayton Croy’s Primer of Biblical Greek, featuring dozens of simple, enjoyable narratives to reinforce the content and skills introduced by Croy. Mark Jeong was born in South Korea but grew up in the states. After becoming a Christian in middle school, he felt called to ministry while in college which led to a long path of further studies in New Testament. He is an...

This is a republished episode with Dr. Jason Staples. Staples recently published a new book called "Paul and the Resurrection of Israel: Jews, Former Gentiles, Israelites" (Cambridge University Press, 2023). In this episode, Jason shared many of the ideas that appear in the new book before it was published. Jason Staples is Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at NC State University. He’s the author of two books, The Idea of Israel in Second...

In this episode, we talk to Dr. Maryanne Wolf about 'the reading brain' - that is, what happens in our brains when we read. She offers a definition of reading fluency, explains the various cognitive processes involved in fluent reading, and describes the key benefit of reading fluency: deep reading. Maryanne Wolf is a scholar, a teacher, and an advocate for children and literacy around the world. She is the Director of the Center for Dyslexia, Diverse Learners, and Social Justice at the...

In this episode, Dr. Kevin Grasso concludes our series on New Testament Bible Translation by bring together the many insights shared on previous episodes and explaining the practical implications. Kevin discusses the goal of Bible translation, summarizes the main translation philosophies, highlights key problems in translation, and explains how to read and understand any Bible translation more effectively. Kevin Grasso received his M.A. in Linguistics with a concentration in Bible...

Doug Moo is the chair of the translation committee of the NIV, consistently one of the most popular English translations in the world. In this episode, host Kevin Grasso discusses Moo's role as chair of the Committee for Bible Translation as well as Moo's particular translation philosophy. They also discuss how to translate some key terms in Paul, particularly those explored in our previous series on Key Terms in Pauline Theology. As always, this episode is brought to you by Biblingo, the...

Dr. Lynn Cohick was recently appointed to be on the translation committee for the popular New Living Translation. In this episode, host Kevin Grasso discusses Lynn's translation philosophy and how she handles certain exegetical and translational issues in Ephesians, on which she has written the commentary in the NICNT series. Particular attention is given to Ephesians 2:9 and the translation of ἐξ ἔργων as well as 5:21-24 and the translation of ὑποτάσσω and κεφαλή. You don't want to miss this...

William Varner was on the translation committee for the Legacy Standard Bible, an updated version of the NASB published in 2021. In this episode, host Kevin Grasso discusses Varner's involvement in the project, including some of the distinctives of the translation. They cover some of the exegetical decisions made by the committee as well as the translation philosophy behind the LSB. Other translations are also discussed, including Scot McKnight's new translation, The Second Testament. See...

Scot McKnight recently released a new translation of the New Testament called The Second Testament: A New Translation (published by IVP Academic). In this episode of the Biblical Languages Podcast, host Kevin Grasso interviews Scot on his new translation. They discuss Scot's translation philosophy as well as some of his exegetical decisions. Scot also responds to some of the criticism he has gotten for some of his more radical translation decisions. You don't want to miss this...

Anthony Pym's book "Exploring Translation Theories" is now in its third edition. In this episode of the Biblical Languages Podcast, host Kevin Grasso interviews Anthony on different translation theories and how they work themselves out in real translations of texts. They focus on the idea of "equivalence" and the different ways two texts can equivalent. Other translation-related ideas are also discussed, such as a taxonomy of translation methods, skopos-related theories, and translation...

Ben Kantor has recently published two books on the pronunciation of NT Greek with Eerdmans: A Short Guide to the Pronunciation of New Testament Greek The Pronunciation of New Testament Greek: Judeo-Palestinian Greek Phonology and Orthography from Alexander to Islam In this episode of the Biblical Languages Podcast, host Kevin Grasso interviews Ben on his new books. They discuss how we can know what NT Greek sounded like, different pronunciation systems in use in the first century,...

This is a republished interview with Matthew Bates on his book “Gospel Allegiance: What Faith in Jesus Misses for Salvation in Christ” (Brazos Press, 2019). Bates recently published a new book called “Why the Gospel? Living the Good News of King Jesus with Purpose” (Eerdmans, 2023). Whereas Bates new book focuses on *why* the gospel was given, this present conversation is a helpful precursor as it focuses on *what* the gospel is. We discuss some of the central arguments made in “Gospel...

Deuteronomy 6:5 is typically translated, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength." But what does it really mean to love the Lord with your "heart"? The word translated "heart" here is לֵבָב, which is a word that does, in fact, refer to the organ that we call "heart". Here, the word is obviously being used metaphorically, just like we use "heart" metaphorically in English. But the key question is whether לֵבָב and "heart" are...

Deuteronomy 6:4 is quite possibly the most well-known verse in Israel today. It is often referred to as "the Shema" because of the first Hebrew word: שְׁמַע   However, this verse is also notoriously difficult to understand, and consequently, translate. A lot of the difficulty centers on the Hebrew word אֶחָד, which often just refers to the number "one". Does אֶחָד here refer to a quality of "the Lord", namely his "oneness" or "simplicity"? Or does it refer to some class of things that "the...

Matthew Thomas read through the entire Septuagint and New Testament in 2022. In this episode of the Biblical Languages Podcast, Kevin Grasso interviews Matthew about his experience and why others should consider doing it. *Note: in the episode, we repeatedly reference reading through the Septuagint, when in fact, Thomas' experience was reading through the Septuagint AND the Greek New Testament. If you're looking for ways to advance your Greek or Hebrew in 2023, join one of our free reading...

This is a recording of a live discussion and Q&A with Dr. Kevin Grasso about our series on Key Terms in Pauline Theology. Kevin offers a summary and synthesis of  what was covered in the series, offers more of his own analyses of Greek terms and key texts, and answers questions from the live viewers. In this series, we interviewed expert guests on their research focusing on key terms on Pauline theology. These terms and the texts in which they appear have been the subject of centuries of...

Who is truly a "Jew" in Romans 2:28-29? Does Paul essentially redefine what it means to be Jewish? And what do ellipsis and constituent negation have to do with circumcision? In order to better understand and translate these verses, Dr. Kevin Grasso unpacks three key characteristics of biblical Greek syntax: ellipsis, negated constituents, and contrastive focus. This is a bonus episode for our series on Key Terms in Pauline Theology. Go to biblingo.org/podcast to learn more and subscribe...

In this episode of the Biblical Languages Podcast, Kevin Grasso talks with Dr. Jason Staples about the meaning of Ισραήλ (Israel) in Paul. Jason Staples is Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at NC State University. He’s the author of two books, The Idea of Israel in Second Temple Judaism, published with Cambridge University Press in 2021, and Paul and the Resurrection of Israel, which will come out next year, also with Cambridge University...

How should we understand φύσει in Romans 2:14? Does it mean that the Gentiles "naturally" do what the Law requires, as suggested by most translations (e.g. ESV)? Or does it mean that Gentiles do not "naturally" have the Law, as suggested in translations like the CSB? And how does this distinction change what Paul is trying to communicate about Gentiles? In this short explanation, Dr. Kevin Grasso looks at how φύσει functions adverbially in other biblical Greek texts, as well as broader...

In this episode of the Biblical Languages Podcast, Kevin Grasso talks with Dr. John Collins about the meaning of νόμος (Law or Torah) in Paul. A native of Ireland, Professor Collins was a professor of Hebrew Bible at the University of Chicago from 1991 until his arrival at Yale Divinity School in 2000. He previously taught at the University of Notre Dame. He has published widely on the subjects of apocalypticism, wisdom, Hellenistic Judaism, and the Dead Sea Scrolls, and he has numerous...

How should we understand the word δικαιούμενοι in Romans 3:24? It's often translated as "justified", but here we argue for the translation "made righteous." In this short discussion, we first look at recent proposals for what this word means. We then present some linguistic tools that you can use to think through what words mean and how to interpret them. In light of these tools, we will take another look at justification language in Romans 3:24 and in Romans more broadly.   The Meaning of...