Tom Hobson’s new book Fun with Biblical Words (Wipf and Stock, 2024) puts Bible readers in the driver’s seat by giving them what they need to know about more than sixty Bible words to help them make their own decisions about what those words mean in passages that use those words.
For instance, in both Greek and Hebrew, the same word in either language can mean either “desire” (good or bad), “lust,” and “covet.” So does the Tenth Commandment say “Thou shalt not covet” or “Thou shalt not lust”? Hobson’s book gives readers the information they need to make up their own minds, without depending on their Bible version alone.
Fun with Biblical Words explores what Paul meant when he said he counts everything as “dung” for the sake of Christ (Philippians 3:8). It explores the meaning of the term Paul uses for why getting drunk is wrong (Ephesians 5:18). The author also unpacks what Paul meant by “shameful language” (Colossians 3:8) by identifying the ancient Greek equivalents of modern English obscenities.
The words featured in Hobson’s book deal with a range of topics, including sexual morality, justice, immigration, and various issues related to biblical accuracy, including the virgin conception of Christ and the details of the Genesis creation account. The 58 chapters are short and easy to browse, and are intended for both adult Bible students who will never take classes in Greek or Hebrew, as well as for those who know or are learning these languages. The book is lighthearted in style, and contains both technical scholarship and devotional reflection. It aims to be both serious and fun.
Tom Hobson is a retired Presbyterian pastor with over forty years’ experience, including four years as professor of Biblical languages and literature at Morthland College in southern Illinois, and two years on the radio at KUTR in Salt Lake City broadcasting the program “Biblical Words and World.”
Hobson holds degrees from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (M. Div.) and Concordia Seminary, St. Louis (Ph. D.). He has previously published What’s on God’s Sin List for Today? and The Historical Jesus and the Historical Joseph Smith, along with numerous articles and podcasts found on his website, www.biblicalethic.org.
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Contact:
Tom Hobson
(Retired)
618-318-5660
g.thomas.hobson@gmail.com
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RNS or Religion News Foundation.
