Unless otherwise noted I have used the New King James Version (NKJV) as a base text, corrected for the Hebrew names, and a few Hebrew terms. Instead of God I have used the Hebrew term, “Elohim.” Instead of the name of THE LORD, I have used the Hebrew name of our Creator, YHWH (“Yahweh”). Instead of Jesus, I have used the Messiah’s Hebrew name, Yeshua. Instead of Christ, I have used Messiah. Finally, in place of Law I have typically used the Hebrew term ‘Torah.’ I have also made an effort to correct any wording that does not reflect the meaning of the source texts.

 

In works of this sort, we oftentimes deal with errors in translation, and/or scribal errors. When pointing out these errors I have made an effort to display the source material alongside the English text, so that the reader can verify my translations for himself. For the Tanach (the ‘Old Testament’) I have used the Hebrew Masoretic Text. Unless otherwise noted, Aramaic text comes from the Bibleworks Peshitta with Hebrew Letters (PEH), and Greek text comes from BibleWorks Greek Text (BGT) or BibleWorks New Testament (BNT). Quotations from the Talmud come from the Soncino Classics Collection, and quotations from Maccabees are taken from “The Apocrypha”, Destiny Publishers, 1942.

 

I am occasionally asked why I do not make much more extensive use of footnotes and cross-references in my studies. The answer is that I believe Scripture is the highest and best authority on all matters of doctrine. In my opinion, if one cannot understand a point by reading and studying the Scriptures, whether in translation, or in the original source texts, what point is there in seeking man’s opinion? In my experience, seeking man’s opinion typically only confuses the situation, and confusion is not of YHWH. What YHWH wants us to do is to seek His face, and to seek His word as the highest and best authority. That is our purpose here.

 

My goal in this study is not to spend a whole lot of time refuting Christian and/or Jewish traditions. Rather, my goal here is simply to show what I believe YHWH’s Word actually commands us to do, using only as much commentary as is really necessary to tie the relevant Scripture passages together. I encourage you to be a ‘noble Berean’, and study out everything I say for yourself, holding fast only to that which is good. 

 

Please do not take my word for anything. Instead, seek out the truth for yourself. However, I pray that this study will aid you in doing just that.

 

If you find some error, either in the commentary, or in translation, or if you should find a typographical error of some kind, please help by writing to me in love. This will help us to correct the error in future editions, so that others can benefit as well.

 

May YHWH be with you as you study for Him,

 

 

 

 

Norman B. Willis

In the Dispersion

2008 CE (@6008 HRT)