Devotions on the Hebrew Bible: 54 Reflections to Inspire and Instruct

by Zondervan, Milton Eng (Editor), Lee M. Fields (Editor)

The main point of each devotion in Devotions on the Hebrew Bible comes from a careful reading of the passage in the Hebrew Bible, not from an English translation—written by some of the top biblical language scholars of today. Contributors include Daniel I. Block, Mark J. Boda, Hélène Dallaire, Nancy Erickson, Karen H. Jobes, Bo H. Lim, Tremper Longman III, Miles V. Van Pelt, Bruce K. Waltke, and Michael Williams, among others. The authors use a variety of exegetical approaches in their devotions—including grammatical, lexical, rhetorical, sociohistorical, and linguistic—and each devotion closes with a practical application or spiritual reflection.

Miles Van Pelt, for example, shows that a careful analysis of a grammatical particle in Judges 3:9 elucidates the agent of Israel’s deliverance. Indeed, it is Yahweh who saves! Tremper Longman III explains the role of poetical parallelism in Psalm 1 and highlights how clearly the psalmist invites the reader to introspection, compelling the reader to follow the path of righteousness. And Bo Lim reminds the reader of the biblical precedent for expressing lament. He highlights the poetic artistry of the book of Lamentations, noting its beautiful acrostic, and confirms that both grief and hope provide the rhythm of faith and worship.

Devotions on the Hebrew Bible contains a devotion on every book in the Old Testament and can be used as a weekly devotional or as a supplemental resource throughout a semester or sequence of courses. These devotions will inspire you to keep reading and meditating on the Hebrew Scriptures and find new treasures from the biblical text.

Genres: Devotional, Faith, Biblical Studies

186 pages, Paperback

First published October 27, 2015

About the author

Zondervan is an international Christian media and publishing company. Zondervan is a founding member of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA). They are a part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc. and has multiple imprints including Zondervan Academic, Zonderkidz, Blink, and Editorial Vida. Zondervan is the commercial rights holder for the New International Version (NIV) Bible in North America.

Reviews

[Michael Philliber · Rating 5 out of 5]

After spending several years at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson Mississippi, I walked away with some good tools. One of them was the ability to use and read the Biblical languages, Hebrew and Greek. But I noticed over the years, in all of the hurry and hustle of sermon and Bible study preparations, counseling, and pastoral ministry that my use of the Biblical languages began slipping. To remedy this I have looked around for various devotional tools that draw heavily on the Hebrew Scriptures and the Greek New Testament.I have found a few in the passing of time, though not many. Therefore I was delighted to see that Zondervan has published two small devotional volumes that revolve around the original texts. The newest installment is "Devotions on the Hebrew Bible" edited by Milton Eng and Lee Fields. This short 186 page paperback has 54 readings and reflections from each of the 39 books of the Old Testament sequentially.

The devotions print a specific verse, or set of verses, from the Hebrew Scriptures; and then the same verse or serves from one of the major English translations. After this, one of the 38 authors pens a reflective analysis of the passage, looking at grammar, linguistic features and lexical particularities, and wraps up the meditation in a devotional way - all in 600 words or less. Some of the insights are reminders from Seminary days, and others bring an "Aha!" moment. But all of them are intended to draw the reader deeper into the original text, and closer to the God of the text.

"Devotions on the Hebrew Bible" is a delightful, easy-to-use work fit for the busy pastor, as well as the seminarian who wants to move beyond technicalities of texts to the God who has revealed himself by way of the passage. I would hope that Zondervan continues to pursue this trend of publishing original language devotions. I highly recommend this volume!

[Micah Sharp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful and interesting. I’m sad to be at the end of it. At their best these brief devotionals explored a key term or programmatic text within, opening up a whole book to further insight and exploration through a short comment.
I also deeply appreciate anything presented in TaNaK order.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, but impactful devotions that really helped me to see the deep layers of meaning in a text by examining the original Hebrew.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good, but not great devotional based upon the Hebrew Scriptures using the original Hebrew. It's helpful for anyone who wants to keep their hard-earned Hebrew fresh and useful. I enjoyed the book, but found it spotty, some of the devotions are fantastic, some less so. For instance, here is August Konkel writing a devotional based upon the Hebrew of 2 Chronicles 7.14: "Hope is a conditional human response. Impact is created through a double protasis. First comes the divine conditional: there will be drought, grasshoppers, and pestilence (2 Chr 7:13). The second conditional is the human responsibility (v. 14a), expressed as a modal sequel with the waw translated “if.”

Now, who exactly is Mr. Konkel writing this devotional for? Ph.D candidates? What is a "modal sequel" and why is it important that I know that? Could he have written this passage in a way that would make sense to people? I hope so, but he certainly does not appear to be trying. This strikes me as an elitist devotional, not for the unwashed masses.

Contrast this devotional with Karen Jobe on Esther 4.14b. She is so good, I will reproduce the first two paragraphs:

With simple Hebrew vocabulary and syntax, this question Mordecai poses to Esther echoes profound insight into life’s circumstances. Esther had been taken into the Persian harem and forced to play the new-queen beauty contest, and she successfully won the favor of the ruthless and lustful king Xerxes (2:17). The mystery of a combination of circumstances beyond her control and her own comportment had brought her to a moment of decision, a moment that will forever change her life and the lives of untold others.
At this defining moment Esther is confronted by this question about her purpose in life. Was there any meaning to what had happened to her? What would her life count for? Despite the morally ambiguous path that brought her to this royal position, Esther is invited to reflect on the possibility that God has been working providentially to fulfill his covenant promises and preserve his people for redemptive purposes far beyond the circumstances of the moment. Much is beyond Esther’s control, but it all comes down to a decision that is hers and hers alone: Will she identify with God’s covenant people or keep her identity a secret and continue to live like a pagan in the Persian court? The lots had been cast to select the day and month for Haman’s decree to annihilate the Jewish people throughout the empire (3:7), but what will be Esther’s lot in life?

Now THAT is devotional writing that is accessible!

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have enjoyed reading through this devotional on the Hebrew Bible this year. It is much more than a devotional. There is so much detail in each devotional about the Hebrew language and its significant contributions to understanding the Old Testament.

These are experts in their fields. They give you so much to think about with such ease. If you're interested in the Old Testament in its original language and how that language affects meaning, understanding, and the features of the text, you cannot go wrong with this devotional.

I recommend this devotional to anyone who has original language skills and would like to know why it is so important to learn Hebrew. This is right up your alley.

[Laure Hittle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a tidy little collection of devotional reflections drawn from the biblical Hebrew text. i appreciate that most of the insights are by design rooted in the Hebrew grammar and syntax. There are a number which Christianize where they should simply stick to the text, and a few with which i find other quibbles (alas i read this book over a long enough period that i cannot provide examples), and one which straight up gave as “Hebrew” a word in Akkadian (and honestly this is not hard to figure out, we’re told in the text that it’s being transliterated and then translated!). In short i think there is both good insight and room for improvement in these little reflections.

[Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

What do you get when you ask a number of academics to write devotionals based on the Hebrew Bible? In this case, a number of fine devotionals. Some of the devotionals read like a lesson in Hebrew grammar with a devotional sentence attached to the very end, but most of these are not of that sort. The information drawn from, vocabulary, grammar, and syntax is applied in such a way that the student can see how the use of Hebrew can make a significant contribution to preaching. Recommended.

[Michael Heidle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Various authors contributed devotions in this great collection of insightful devotions drawn from some fascinating insights based on the Hebrew grammar of the Old Testament.
My Hebrew skills are rusty at best; yet the devotional insights could be followed and were truly amazing!

[Louis Lapides · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent daily resource for devotional material. Great fodder for devotions on a daily basis. Knowing Biblical Hebrew is essential to the most from this work.

[Michael Schmid · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good set of devotions from different authors who provide excellent insights into the Hebrew language of the OT text.

[Logan Webster · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it. It balances Hebrew analysis with devotional application. Good for both students of Hebrew and people who couldn't care less if they tried.

[Kirk Metzger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book helped me see the riches of keeping Hebrew after my initial MDiv resources.

[Michael Kovalan · Rating 5 out of 5]

for first time Bible Readers.

Simple and instructive without much need for super knowledge. Good for those not well versed in scripture to lead others in Bible Study.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

With contributions from more than two dozen writers, general editors Milton Eng and Lee M. Fields bring us not quite 200 pages of reflections on the textual possibilities and grammatical construction of at least one pericope from each book of the Hebrew bible (Christian canon count). I found no hugely overwhelming "aha!" moments in Devotions on the Hebrew Bible: 54 Reflections to Inspire & Instruct, yet the meditations of about two pages each from fairly conservative Christian scholars and professors in the broader evangelical tradition always are thoughtful, often inspiring. Some of the writers view the texts specifically through a Christological lens, others don't, so this is not quite Martin Luther discovering Jesus Christ in, with, and under every single sentence of the Hebrew scriptures.

I especially appreciate the emphasis on the grammatical intricacies of the Hebrew that many of us (most, probably) never became proficient enough in the language to discover on our own. Back of the book includes a Hebrew words index and an index of grammatical terms. Although a couple of Amazon reviewers commented / complained about the size of the Hebrew font, it appears to be the same size as the English text in the main body of the book, though the English translation alongside the Hebrew is set in slightly smaller type. For me, because discerning pointing at the relatively small size ("low zoom") is the tough part, in a future edition a concession to native readers and speakers of languages that write with the Roman alphabet would be considerate. For the devotional insights, the scholarship, and the grammar, this one's a keeper for sure.

By the way, some of the Hebrew language and Hebrew bible resources at the end of this book well might interest you. There's also an earlier companion, Devotions on the Greek New Testament.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Devotions on the Hebrew Bible" is a collection of 54 devotions written by 38 different people. The stated intent is to encourage professors, students, and pastors to continue to use their Hebrew Bible and to demonstrate that a knowledge of the original languages can be spiritually rewarding. I'm self-taught to a level that I can basically do detailed word studies.

Most of these devotions could be read by someone unfamiliar with Hebrew. You'll gain insight into verses with a Hebrew word that doesn't translate well into English or a sentence pattern (chiasm, word plays, repetition, etc.) that is significant but lost with English translations. However, you'll follow the author's point better if you understand what statements like "qal passive participle" mean. A couple of the devotions were technical and focused on subtle nuances of meaning. Frankly, those lost me. But I enjoyed the rest and gained some interesting insights in the process.

I received this review copy from the publisher through Amazon Vine.

[Derek Winterburn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciated this book's 'prequel' on the Greek NT but found this volume less inspiring. Perhaps because my Hebrew is not so strong (it isn't) but there were too many chapters where the discussion was overly technical (and more about syntax and less about vocabulary) or the the devotional point less well connected with the Hebrew. I did find the English alongside the Hebrew helpful (but inevitably my eye was drawn to the translation than the original text when struggling with comprehension. A mixed bag.

[K B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good daily entries that focus on the meanings and the applications for God's written words. Thoughtfully chosen and executed.