Bible Abbreviations

Posted on 05/07/2010 by John Harris

When writing about the Bible, it can be helpful to have generally accepted abbreviations so that you don’t have to write out words that happen over and over again. To that end, I thought it might be helpful to write out the most common ones that you’ll probably encounter here on 1Lord.org.

I follow the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) Style Manual. These abbreviations can be found in section 8.3.1-2.

The main two abbreviations are for New Testament (NT) and Old Testament (OT), but those are fairly obvious.

Here is a list of the abbreviations for all the biblical books in canonical order:

Bible Abbreviations: New Testament

Matt  Mark  Luke  John  Acts  Rom  1–2 Cor  Gal  Eph

Phil  Col  1–2 Thess  1–2 Tim  Titus  Phlm  Heb  Jas

1–2 Pet  1–3 John  Jude  Rev

Bible Abbreviations: Old Testament (LXX)

Gen  Exod  Lev  Num  Deut  Josh  Judg  Ruth  1–2 Sam

(1–4 Kgdms)  1–2 Kgs  1–2 Chr  Ezra  Neh  Esth  Job

Ps/Pss  Prov  Eccl (Qoh)  Song (Cant)  Isa  Jer  Lam

Ezek  Dan  Hos  Joel  Amos  Obad  Jonah  Mic  Nah

Hab  Zeph  Hag  Zech  Mal

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English Bibles

Posted on 04/30/2010 by John Harris

So let’s talk English Bibles.

There are more “word-for-word” Bibles and there are more “thought-for-thought” Bibles. Technically speaking, the two categories are “Formal Equivalence” (FE) and “Dynamic Equivalence” (DE). The FE translations attempt to preserve the “forms” (e.g. word order, poetic types, grammar, etc.), where as the DE Bibles attempt to determine the meaning to the original audience and then reproduce that dynamic relationship between Author and Original Reader and Translator and Modern Reader. The DE translator seeks to find the “kernel of meaning” and reword it so that the modern reader understands that meaning just as was intended by the Bible author.
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Figurative Language (3-4)

Posted on 04/30/2010 by John Harris

A couple more types of figurative language. These are fairly familiar to us.

(3) Simile: this is a figure of speech comparing two unlike things, often introduced with the words “like”, “as” (or even “than”).

(4) Metaphor: this is similar to a simile, but it’s an analogy between two objects or ideas, conveyed by the use of a word instead of another.

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Hide It In Your Heart

Posted on 04/24/2010 by John Harris

My advisor (Radu Gheorghita) is a very strong advocate for memorization of the Bible. Not simply “fighter verses,” or a verse here or there related to common themes, but chapter by chapter, book by book, memorizing.
I can see his point, when your mind becomes the database of the specific area of God’s word you’re trying to master, you will naturally make connections that would otherwise never be uncovered.
A large portion of study in the rabbinic model is given to memorization. In fact, you don’t really begin studying the meaning of the text until you know it by heart, yes, by heart!
When King David says “I have hidden your word in my heart” (though well before Judah invented the ‘rabbi’ in Babylon) he does not simply mean that he is fond of the Bible, he means that it is a treasure that, at the very least, was committed to memory.
Millions of Muslims have their holy book memorized, and how many Christians can’t even get through reading the Bible in a year? How about just the New Testament?
I am convicted. We need to know the Bible, especially the New Testament. Shame on us for taking the Bible for granted. I’m taking up this challenge to put more of God’s word into my heart! As I hide his word in my heart, in my life, through my mind, may I not sin against him. amen.

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Do We Need Hermeneutics?

Posted on 04/18/2010 by John Harris

John 16:13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

So if the Holy Spirit leads us into all truth, then we don’t need Hermeneutics, and for that matter, we don’t need the church telling us what to believe, right? Wrong!
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