#nlt — Public Fediverse posts

Going to start sharing my #BibleStudy notes in case they help other #Christians. I'll use a content warning so they're easy to skip past if you're not interested. Today I studied Genesis 7 using #BibleGateway (https://biblegateway.com). I pulled up parallel versions of the #NLT (my preferred translation) and the #NIV, and then in another tab, I opened the Believer's #Bible Commentary. This is the most #accessible way of studying with a #ScreenReader that I've found so far. I took notes in #Markdown using #Joplin. Here's what I came up with:

Genesis 7

The Believer's Bible Commentary mentions that the word "come" appears for the first time in Genesis 7:1, an invitation to come into the ark of safety, or also to come to the gospel or to God, but I don't see it. I'm not sure what version this commentary is based on. I do see the word "go", though, so maybe the NLT uses that instead. Hmm, the word "come" doesn't appear in either the NLT or NIV, but I think I see how Genesis 7:1 could have been rephrased with that word in it. Okay, now this makes sense. A web search shows that the Believer's Bible Commentary is based on the NKJV, which has very different wording than the NLT or NIV.

In Genesis 7:2, God tells Noah to take 7 pairs of clean animals, or those that can be eaten and sacrificed, but only 1 pair of others, into the ark. He also says to take 7 pairs of each type of bird. Why 7 pairs for clean animals and birds but 1 pair for others? Is this maybe so Noah and his family would be able to use them as food and for sacrifices without killing all of them? That's the best explanation I can think of. The Believer's Bible Commentary seems to have similar thoughts on this:

"No reason is given why Noah was commanded to take seven pairs of clean animals into the ark, but only one pair of unclean. Perhaps it was for food and in anticipation of the clean animals’ being needed for sacrifice (see 8:20)."

Noah did everything as God asked here, a good example of righteousness and obedience, qualities I want to nurture in myself.

Some say this was a local flood, but that doesn't make sense. If it were, God could have just had Noah move rather than build an ark, and there would have been no need for all the animals to enter the ark with him. Also, it says the mountains were covered. So only a global flood makes sense here. The Believer's Bible Commentary talks about the ark as being a representation of Christ. Those inside were saved. Those outside were doomed. I've never thought about things this way, but it makes sense.

#Christian #Christianity #faith #Genesis #accessibility #blind @christians