Devotions on the Hebrew Bible: 54 Reflections to Inspire and Instruct

The main point of each devotion in Devotions on the Hebrew Bible comes from a careful reading of the passage in the Hebrew Bible, not from an English translation—written by some of the top biblical language scholars of today. Contributors include Daniel I. Block, Mark J. Boda, Hélène Dallaire, Nancy Erickson, Karen H. Jobes, Bo H. Lim, Tremper Longman III, Miles V. Van Pelt, Bruce K. Waltke, and Michael Williams, among others. The authors use a variety of exegetical approaches in their devotions—including grammatical, lexical, rhetorical, sociohistorical, and linguistic—and each devotion closes with a practical application or spiritual reflection.

Miles Van Pelt, for example, shows that a careful analysis of a grammatical particle in Judges 3:9 elucidates the agent of Israel’s deliverance. Indeed, it is Yahweh who saves! Tremper Longman III explains the role of poetical parallelism in Psalm 1 and highlights how clearly the psalmist invites the reader to introspection, compelling the reader to follow the path of righteousness. And Bo Lim reminds the reader of the biblical precedent for expressing lament. He highlights the poetic artistry of the book of Lamentations, noting its beautiful acrostic, and confirms that both grief and hope provide the rhythm of faith and worship.

Devotions on the Hebrew Bible contains a devotion on every book in the Old Testament and can be used as a weekly devotional or as a supplemental resource throughout a semester or sequence of courses. These devotions will inspire you to keep reading and meditating on the Hebrew Scriptures and find new treasures from the biblical text.