Volume 21, No.1, Feb. 2010
Psalm 47, Celebrating Victory in the Face of Enemies
"O Clap your hands, all ye peoples, shout unto God with the voice of triumph" (Psalm 47:1).1 So beloved and important is Psalm 47 that to this day it plays a special part in the annual Jewish liturgy. In traditional synagogues, Psalm 47 is recited before the sounding of the Shofar (ram's horn) at the start of each New Year. Although the custom of [...]
Top of the Mountains
"In the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of Jehovah shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it" (Micah 4:1). This blessed promise, well known among Bible Students, speaks of re-established Israel as the center of God's Kingdom on Earth. This text [...]
Tabernacle Coverings of Sea-cows
"They are to carry the curtains of the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, its covering and the outer covering of hides of sea cows, the curtains for the entrance to the Tent of Meeting" (Numbers 4:25 New International Version, 1984). The word tachash (Strong's 8476) occurs in the descriptions of the tabernacle in Exodus 25, 26, 35, 36, 39; in the directions for moving [...]
The Pilate Stone
A Fragment of History The Pilate Stone is the name of a block of limestone with a carved inscription attributed to Pontius Pilate, a prefect of the Roman-controlled province of Iudaea from 26-36. Pilate is infamous as being the man who condemned Jesus Christ to a painful scourging and death by crucifixion ca. 33. The partial inscription reads (conjectural letters in brackets): [DIS AUGUSTI]S [...]