Musings

The Merriam-Webster Word of the Day for August 29th was defile.  The surprise definition:

to march off in a line

Here is what M-W provided on this word:

The "defile" that means "to contaminate," a homograph of today's Word of the Day, dates back to the 14th century and is derived from the Old French verb "defouler," meaning "to trample on" or "mistreat." Today's word, on the other hand, arrived in English in the early 18th century. It is also from French, but is derived from the verb "défiler," formed by combining "de-" with "filer" ("to move in a column"). "Défiler" is also the source of the English noun "defile," which means "narrow passage or gorge."

The Merriam-Webster Word of the Day for August 27th was eleemosynary(pronounced el-ih-MAH-suh-nair-ee).  It is an adjective that means:

of, relating to, or supported by charity

As always, M-W provided wonderful insight into the word:

Wow.  I had not ever seen this before and was utterly flabbergasted by this quote from Rabbi Batzri, head of the Shalom Yeshiva in Jerusalem:

"No one can study Torah unless he or she is converting to Judaism."

https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/133184

"Honor your father and mother" is only for Jews?

"Love your neighbor as yourself" is only for Jews?

I am utterly without words on this. 

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 17th was trichologist.

a person who specializes in hair and scalp care; broadly : a person whose occupation is the dressing or cutting of hair

In the "Did you know?" section they provided this:

The Merriam-Webster word of the day for August 13th was ingratiate.

to gain favor or favorable acceptance for by deliberate effort — usually used with "with"

The Merriam-Webster Word of the Day for August 6th was demean.

Meaning : to conduct or behave (oneself) usually in a proper manner

Example Sentence Sylvia was proud of the polite way her young children demeaned themselves in front of the dinner guests.

The Merriam-Webster Word of the Day for August 25th was empyreal (em-pye-REE-ul).

1 : of or relating to the firmament : celestial 2 : sublime

The Merriam-Webster Word of the Day for August 4th was tantivity.  Their definition:

in a headlong dash : at a gallop

On August 3rd the Merriam-Webster Word of the Day was levigate.  They provided this definition:

1 : polish, smooth 2 a : to grind to a fine smooth powder while in moist condition  b : to separate (fine powder) from coarser material by suspending in a liquid

They also provided this background information on the word:

On August 20th, the Merriam-Webster Word of the Day was contemn.

to view or treat with contempt : scorn

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 16th was abstemious.

marked by restraint especially in the consumption of food or alcohol; also : reflecting such restraint

M-W provided the following additional information about the word:

"Abstemious" and "abstain" look alike, and both have meanings involving self-restraint or self-denial. So they must both come from the same root, right? Yes and no. Both get their start from the Latin prefix "abs-," meaning "from" or "away," but "abstain" traces to "abs-" plus the Latin verb "ten?re" (meaning "to hold"), while "abstemious" gets its "-temious" from a suffix akin to the Latin noun "temetum," meaning "intoxicating drink."

In regards to abstaining from food a few passages come to mind.

I have posted a number of articles under the category of "Words for Thought". Part of the purpose in writing those articles is to share interesting insights into words that are often unusual. Today I would like to focus on words from a different perspective: words that are common in our society but that we often use without fully considering the meaning of what we are saying.  I posted the first article of this type last August.  I guess it's time for an update.  Next up: gangsta...

Gangsta/Gangster

I recently heard one of my professional colleagues describe herself (in a facetious manner) as "gangsta".  The quote: "I am so gangsta!"

I had not heard that expression so I looked it up and came across this description of "gangsta rap":

The Psalm 119:18.org team was recently asked about Colossians 2:16-17 after the following comment was shared with one of the authors:

Regarding Col 2:16, some hold that Paul was merely teaching that believers have a choice as to which day of the week they observe the Sabbath, while others believe Paul meant that our liberty extends to the choice of whether to observe a Sabbath at all.  Under either interpretation, however, the Christian is not be bound to a Saturday observance.

Here is our response:

The Merriam-Webster Word of the Day for July 31st was tribulation.

distress or suffering resulting from oppression or persecution; also : a trying experience

There are a number of passages regarding tribulation mentioned in Scripture.

Messiah gives us words of warning...

The Merriam-Webster Word of the Day for July 29th was con amore (pronounced kahn uh MOR ee).

1 : with love, devotion, or zest 2 : in a tender manner — used as a direction in music

This was the etymology they provided:

"Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!"  Deuteronomy 6:4

The Lord is one.  One what?

The Hebrew word for "one" in this verse is ekhad.  It is Strong's #259 and means "one".  This word is used 712 times in the Tanakh.  Sometimes it is translated as "one" and other times it is translated (in the NASB) as "first".  The first time it is used is in Genesis 1:5-

God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.

Yom echad: one day.  Here we see what is being counted: days.

Did the Sabbath Day Change to Sunday in the New Covenant?

The first part of this series examined Scripture that referenced the "first day of the week" to see if the Sabbath day was changed to Sunday in the New Covenant.  The second part of the series examined Scripture that referenced the "day of the Lord" or "the Lord's day".  This third part will consider a few other points to discover the answer.

Did the Sabbath Day Change to Sunday in the New Covenant?  Part 2

The first part of this series examined passages from Scripture that spoke of the apostles meeting on "the first day of the week".  This second part will examine Scriptural references to the "day of the Lord" to see if the Sabbath day was changed in the New Covenant.

Acts 2

Acts 2:20 is the first reference in the writings of the Apostles to "the day of the Lord".  The particular "day of the Lord" noted in this passage mentions that the sun will be turned to darkness and the moon will be turned into blood before the "great and glorious day of the Lord shall come".  This passage clearly references "the last days" (verse 17) and is not speaking of any weekly event nor does it make any mention of the Sabbath.

In a previous article, we discovered the myth that Sabbath observance has been abolished does not match the testimony of Scripture.

In this series, I will consider the question, "Did the Sabbath Day Change to Sunday in the New Covenant?"  I know the opinion of some is "yes!" and the opinion of others is "no!"  Let's examine Scripture and see what it has to say on the matter:

The first verse of Scripture that uses the Hebrew word for Sabbath (Shabbat) is found in Genesis 2:2-3.  This passage tells us that G-d sanctified the seventh day... what we know as Saturday.

Recently, I found this excellent analysis of Matthew 5 that included this observation:

"Fulfill" in Matthew

The verb "fulfill" is used 16 times in Matthew. Of the 13 times where the word is used in the passive voice, 12 are used in expressing the ‘fulfillment’ of prophecy, and one relates to a boat being filled with fish (13:48). Prophecy is viewed as being fulfilled (passive) by the active hand of God in the events of history.

The Merriam-Webster Word of the Day for July 27th was hyperbole [hye PER buh lee] which they defined as:

extravagant exaggeration

The Merriam-Webster Word of the Day for July 27th was quaff.

to drink deeply

In addition to the definition they provided this:

Nowadays, "quaff" has an old-fashioned, literary sound to it. For more contemporary words that suggest drinking a lot of something, especially in big gulps and in large quantity, you might try "drain," "pound," or "slug." If you are a daintier drinker, you might say that you prefer to "sip," "imbibe" or "partake in" the beverage of your choice. "Quaff" is by no means the oldest of these terms — earliest evidence of it in use is from the early 1500s, whereas "sip" dates to the 14th century — but it is the only one with the mysterious "origin unknown" etymology.

The Merriam-Webster Word of the Day for July 27th was verbatim. This is their definition:

in the exact words : word for word

This was the additional information they provided on the word:

Latin has a phrase for "exactly as written": "verbatim ac litteratim," which literally means "word for word and letter for letter." Like the "verbatim" in that Latin phrase, the English "verbatim" means "word for word." As you may have noticed, there's a "verb" in "verbatim" — and that's no mere coincidence. Both "verb" and "verbatim" are derived from the Latin word for "word," which is "verbum." Other common English words that share this root include "adverb," "proverb," and "verbose." Even the word "word" itself is related. "Verbatim" can also be an adjective meaning "being in or following the exact words" (as in "a verbatim report") and a rarer noun referring to an account, translation, or report that follows the original word for word.

An interesting anecdote came to mind when I saw this word.

The Merriam-Webster Word of the Day for July 21st was nyctalopia. Though it might seem so, this word isn't weird compared to the previous word for thought (weird).

M-W provided this definition:

reduced visual capacity in faint light (as at night) : night blindness

This was the additional information they provided in the "Did you know?" section:

"Nyctalopia" comes to us from the Latin word "nyctalops," which means "suffering from night blindness." It is ultimately derived from the Greek word "nyktalops," which was formed by combining the word for "night" ("nyx") with the words for "blind" and "eye" ("alaos" and "?ps," respectively). English speakers have been using "nyctalopia" to refer to reduced vision in faint light or at night since the 17th century. We added the somewhat more pedestrian "night blindness" to the lexicon in the 18th century.

The Merriam-Webster Word of the Day for July 13th was weird.

1 : of, relating to, or caused by witchcraft or the supernatural 2 : of strange or extraordinary character : odd, fantastic

They provided this insightful etymological information:

You may know today’s word as a generalized term describing something unusual, but "weird" also has older meanings that are more specific. "Weird" derives from the Old English noun "wyrd," essentially meaning "fate." By the 8th century, the plural "wyrde" had begun to appear in texts as a gloss for "Parcae," the Latin name for the Fates — three goddesses who spun, measured, and cut the thread of life. In the 15th and 16th centuries, Scots authors employed "werd" or "weird" in the phrase "weird sisters" to refer to the Fates. William Shakespeare adopted this usage in Macbeth, in which the "weird sisters" are depicted as three witches. Subsequent adjectival use of "weird" grew out of a reinterpretation of the "weird" used by Shakespeare.

Recently the men of my congregation met and discussed several matters regarding our community.  One of the matters discussed was the increase in email traffic which focused on the activities of the current U.S. administration and the concern it was generating among some of our families.

News and rumors regarding violations of the constitution, health care rationing, socialism, geriatric euthanasia, government-funded abortion, and other serious matters abound.  Some emails have alleged a government conspiracy.  The prophet Isaiah had a few words to share about that:

"You are not to say, 'It is a conspiracy!' In regard to all that this people call a conspiracy, And you are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it. It is the LORD of hosts whom you should regard as holy. And He shall be your fear, And He shall be your dread. (Isaiah 8:12-13)

These echo the very words of the Messiah:

Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.

I recently saw this video on YouTube entitled DID JESUS GIVE US THE NAME OF THE ANTICHRIST? The video's author proposes that Messiah Yeshua warned us regarding the antichrist's name in Luke 10:18. He suggests that a Hebrew translation of the passage would essentially read, "I beheld Satan as lightning from heaven [Hebrew: barak obamah]". After watching the video, I became curious and decided to investigate the matter myself.

The Merriam-Webster Word of the Day for July 13th was usufruct (YOO zuh frukt).

Here is the definition they provided:

1 : the legal right of using and enjoying the fruits or profits of something belonging to another 2 : the right to use or enjoy something

The Merriam-Webster Word of the Day for July 7th was diurnal.

Here is the definition:

1 : recurring every day 2 : of, relating to, or occurring in the daytime

Here are a few passages that come to mind:

Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day may bring forth. - Proverbs 27:1

So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. - Matthew 6:34

The Merriam-Webster Word of the Day for July 2nd was abject.  M-W provided this definition:

1 : sunk to or existing in a low state or condition 2 : very low in spirit or hope : wretched 3 : expressing or offered in a humble and often ingratiating spirit