Gilbert House Fellowship #404: 1 Kings 3–4

SOLOMON BEGAN his reign with a prayer for wisdom, a prayer that was answered by God in a dream. 

We discuss some of the interesting differences in the Septuagint and the Masoretic Hebrew text, which is the basis for our English language Old Testament translations. It appears the Masoretes made minor changes to make David and Solomon appear even more powerful and wise than in the older Hebrew text that was translated into the Greek Septuagint. 

We talk about a concept we’ve discussed before, “the Name.” This is a term used often in the Old Testament, but it’s not well understood. Jews today use the phrase ha-shem (“the name”) to avoid saying Yahweh, but since YHWH appears some 7,000 times in the Old Testament, that clearly wasn’t a problem for the Hebrew prophets. 

Nor is the Name of Yahweh His reputation; it’s another aspect of the personhood of God, often described as dwelling with the Angel of Yahweh, who is Yahweh in human form. A more accurate translation of 2 Samuel 6:1–2, acknowledging the lack of a preposition (the word “by”) in the original Hebrew, the Ark of the Covenant is “is called the Name of Yahweh of hosts.” In short, “the Name” isn’t a phrase, it’s a Being. 

Here’s a link to Dr. Michael Heiser’s article, “The Name Theology of the Old Testament”: https://biblia.com/books/fsb/article/SIDEBAR.THENAMETHEOLOGYOFTHEOLDTESTAMENT

PLEASE NOTE that the audio sounds different this week because we took in a new rescue puppy Friday night and recorded this week’s study in our dining room with wireless mics. Also, you’ll hear the sound of dog wrestling towards the end of this week’s study. Our apologies for the distractions!


SOLIDARITY MISSION TO ISRAEL! We’re planning a one-week trip to Israel May 6–13, 2024 to bear witness to what’s happened there since the war with Hamas began. We plan to visit Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, Sderot, the site of the Nova Music Festival, and more. For details, go to www.GilbertsInIsrael.com.

Thank you for making our Build Barn Better project a reality! Our 1,200 square pole barn now has HVAC, along with a new floor, windows, ceiling fans, upgraded electric service, and insulation. We’re moving our studios out of our home and producing programs here now. Just some wall paneling and set dressing left before we’re done! If you are so led, you can help out at GilbertHouse.org/donate.

Gilbert House runs on coffee! We’ve partnered with Kevlar Joe’s Coffee (KevlarJoe.com) for Gilbert House blends: Amazing Grace, a mild cookies-and-cream flavored coffee; Snarling Dachshund, a medium-roast Sumatran; and Bunker Buster, a dark-roasted Colombian that’s sure to get you moving. Find them at GilbertHouse.org/store/.

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Click here for the complete archive of our New Testament Bible studies to date, and click here for the Old Testament studies to date. Or go to www.spreaker.com/show/gilbert-house-fellowship for all of the audio.

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