Deeper into the Word: Old Testament: Reflections on 100 Words from the Old Testament

by Keri Wyatt Kent

Translators have done their best to render the words of the Bible into English, but capturing the nuances of the ancient languages is an inexact science. Kent gives readers an opportunity to investigate the roots and biblical context of the words within the Word.Deeper into the Old Testament is a fascinating devotional, but it can also be used as an accessible reference tool, as it explores one hundred of the most important words of the Old Testament. Kent unpacks each word's Hebrew origins, shows how it is used in the Bible, and offers insights into its significance in our lives.

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, Theology, Christian Non Fiction, Reference, Christianity

256 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2011

About the author

Keri Wyatt Kent is the coauthor with Michael Hingson of Live Like a Guide Dog. She is the author of GodSpace: Embracing the Inconvenient Adventure of Intimacy with God, and eleven other books, and the co-author of a dozen other books. She's the founder of A Powerful Story, a writing, editing and publishing company. She and her husband Scot have two grown children. Learn more about Keri at www.keriwyattkent.com.

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found that in many cases the expositions could have been deeper, exploring more of the historical and cultural context that contributes to understanding.

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Deeper into the Word: Old Testament" digs deeper into the meaning of some Hebrew words used in the Old Testament. I've done a lot of word studies on Hebrew words, and it's possible that's why I wasn't as impressed with this book as I was with "Deeper into the Word: New Testament." However, my impression was that this book contained less information that gave insight to the text--insight that would make me think, "oh, now I understand that teaching so much better!"

The book listed 100 common English words found in the Old Testament and listed them alphabetically. Under each English word, the author explained which Hebrews words could be translated as that English word. She explained the nuances of each word and then gave examples of where it's used in Scripture.

Usually the word in question was indicated by putting the Hebrew word beside it: for example, "...fertile field (karmel)..." But other times it wasn't indicated, and it wasn't always obvious which word was being pointed out. And some of the information was in error. For example, on page 147, we're given "God (Shaddai) Almighty (el)" in a quote, but it ought to read "...God (el) Almighty (Shaddai)..."

I was surprised by the amount of modern commentary and human speculation that was included. The entry on Sheol, for example, seemed heavily influenced by sources outside the Bible. The author didn't mention that Sheol is clearly described in the Bible as a place where people can't hope or praise (Isa 38:17, 18) and have no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom (Ecc. 9:10). She did point out that Sheol usually refers to "death" or "the grave," yet she suggested that Sheol was a limbo-like place where people can go even while alive and where people are physically weak. Looking at the verses she referred to in full context, in several different translations, and with a few key Hebrew words studied further, the main verses she used appear to simply point out that God killed some disobedient people by burying them alive (Numbers 16) and that every person, no matter how mighty in life, is equally powerless in death (Isaiah 14). Since I ended up double-checking several entries, I decided the book wasn't much use to me as a reference tool.