Why Study the Old Testament? Think about these responses:
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Think about This: Bible study is like a piece of art. The foreground is the New Testament. The background is the Old Testament. The frame is our study and worship.
If you knew nothing about the Bible, had never seen one, and were handed a Bible, where would you begin? Would you understand? We sit in pews or in Bible class, and we easily conclude that to get closer to God, we must study and pray, but that’s where our instruction stops. We mustn’t be satisfied with such a simplistic conclusion. The apostles asked Jesus to teach them to pray. Philip asked the eunuch if he understood what he read in Isaiah. Study and prayer are difficult if no connections are made, and it’s difficult to make connections by just reading.
That being said, what are some study hints?
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Aramaic is kin to Hebrew. After exile, Aramaic became common tongue in Palestine. Some of Old Testament is Aramaic instead of Hebrew. Sections include 2 words as a place name in Gen. 31:47; one verse in Jeremiah 10:11; about six chapters in Daniel 2:4-7:28; and several chapters in Ezra (4:8-6:18; 7:12-26).
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The title, Genesis, comes from the Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament. The Hebrew title is Bereshit (“in the beginning,” literally, “head”), derived from first word of the Hebrew text.
More than half of all human history covered in 50 chapters.
Our success in life will depend on how closely we build on God’s foundation. Genesis is the foundation of foundations. Genesis is the most foundational book in Scriptures and is rightly described as the “Book of Beginnings”.
Genesis is first book of Law - the first of the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible that Moses wrote. This is stated at end of his life: Deut. 31:24-26.
Lord (2:4) is a translation of YHWH, the name of God - sometimes Jehovah. We say Lord to avoid confusion with the New Testament where Lord is the word used.
Who is referred to as Us (1:26)? Hebrew word for God is elohim. It is a plural noun.