What Did It Say First?
About
What Did It Say First? Hearing the Bible in Its Own Words is a guided tour beneath the surface of our English Bibles for ordinary Christians who sense there is more going on than any one translation can show. Instead of teaching readers Hebrew and Greek, the book introduces a focused set of key terms—like YHWH and “LORD,” Torah and “law,” nephesh and “soul,” shalom and “peace,” berit and “covenant,” goyim/ethnē and “Gentiles,” Sheol, Hades, and Gehenna—and explains what they meant to their first hearers, why English sometimes flattens them, and how that affects the way we hear familiar verses. Along the way, it opens up the idea of different biblical canons (Jewish, Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, Ethiopian), shows how those canons shape which books and words we see most often, and reassures readers that English Bibles remain trustworthy even as we learn to listen more carefully. Each part of the book traces one thread—God’s name and character, what it means to be human, sin and salvation, time and judgment, law and covenant—and then pulls everything together in a final big‑picture chapter, showing how these words form a single story. Woven through are gentle cautions about common word‑study mistakes and simple tools anyone can use with a regular Bible and a basic app, so that, by the end, readers come away not with technical expertise but with better ears and deeper confidence as they read Scripture for themselves.
Praise for this book
What Did It Say First? Hearing the Bible in Its Own Words offers an accessible and thoughtful look at the meanings behind familiar biblical words. Without requiring knowledge of Hebrew or Greek, it helps readers understand terms such as “LORD,” “soul,” “shalom,” and “covenant” in their original contexts. The discussion of different biblical canons and common word-study mistakes adds valuable depth. Warm, practical, and easy to follow, this book encourages Christians to read Scripture with greater understanding and confidence. What Did It Say First? Hearing the Bible in Its Own Words offers an accessible and thoughtful look at the meanings behind familiar biblical words. Without requiring knowledge of Hebrew or Greek, it helps readers understand terms such as “LORD,” “soul,” “shalom,” and “covenant” in their original contexts. The discussion of different biblical canons and common word-study mistakes adds valuable depth. Warm, practical, and easy to follow, this book encourages Christians to read Scripture with greater understanding and confidence
Very helpful guide to read along the bible Very helpful guide to read along the bible