Interpretations
-In the Old Testament
-In the New Testament
-In the Quran
-In the Book of Mormon
-SAB DB Forum


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Interpretations: Old Tesatament

    Genesis

  1. "In the beginning" 1:1
    When was the universe created?

  2. "In the beginning" 1:1-2
    The Gap Theory

  3. "Let the earth bring forth grass ... living creatures." 1:11, 1:24
    Does the Bible teach evolution?

  4. "Let them be for signs." 1:14
    Does the Bible condemn astrology?

  5. "And God made the beast of the earth." 1:25
    The Christian Identity and Aryan Nations folks say that "beast of the earth" and "beast of the field" refer to all non-human animals and non-white humans. They consider all people of color to be without a soul and on the same level as animals, such as cattle, fish, and birds.

  6. God gave humans dominion over every other living thing on earth. 1:26

  7. "And God said, Let us make man in our image ... male and female" 1:26-27
    Is God both male and female?

  8. "God created man." 1:27
    When was Adam created?

  9. One way of dealing with the two contradictory creation accounts is to say that the reason there are two different stories is that there were two different creations. This has been a common interpretation historically, and it is still found taday. Pre-Adamites 1:27

  10. "Be fruitful and multiply." 1:28
    This verse is used to justify Christian opposition to birth control, concern for the environment, and animal rights. The earth was made for humans, and they can do as they damn well please with it.

  11. "I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth."
    Is it okay to smoke marijuana?

  12. "To tend and keep it"
    Some believers claim that this verse requires them to be environmentalists. 2:15

  13. When will Armageddon occur? 2:22

  14. Is polygamy OK? 2:24, 4:19, 16:3, 25:1, 25:6, 26:34, 28:9, 31:17, 32:22

  15. In Christian Identity theology, the serpent is a black male ("beast of the field"), possessed by the devil, who seduced Eve. Cain is the child that is born from this union, the evil son of the devil and the first Jew. All Jews are descended from Cain. 3:1

  16. "I will put enmity ... between thy seed and her seed." 3:15
    The Two Seed Theory

  17. "And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him." 4:15
    "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed." 9:6
    Does God approve of capital punishment?

  18. "And the LORD set a mark upon Cain." 4:15
    The mark of Cain and Racism

  19. "And Cain knew his wife." 4:17

  20. Do angels have sex? 6:2, 4, 19:1-4

  21. Who were the sons of God? 6:2

  22. "He sent forth a raven." 8:7

  23. "But ... the blood thereof, shall ye not eat." 9:4
    Blood Transfusions

  24. "And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him." 9:24
    What did Ham do? Did he just look at his naked father or was there something more to it than that? Some commentators have suggested that Ham committed homosexual rape on his drunken father, and that this was why Ham's descendants were eternally punished with slavery.

  25. Does God approve of slavery? 9:25-27, 16:8-9, 17:12-13, 17:24, 17:27, 24:35-36, 26:13-14

  26. "Nimrod ... a mighty hunter before the Lord" 10:8-10

  27. "Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided." 10:25
    Some creationists believe that this verse refers to continental drift, which, they say, began to occur during the days of Pelag (which means "division"), about 100 or so years after the flood. But many other creationists disagree.

  28. "Terah ... begat Abraham."
    Who was Abraham's father? Azar or Terah (Quran 6:74)? Which is right, the Bible or the Quran? 11:26

  29. Say, I pray thee, thouart my sister."
    In the LDS Book of Abraham the same silly story is told, but it is God, not Abraham, who concocts the lie. 12:13

  30. The Theocratic War Strategy 12:13, 20:2, 26:7

  31. What was Sodom's sin? 19:4-5

  32. "And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking."
    What did Sarah see? 21:9

  33. "God gave thee ... plenty of ... wine."
    Is it OK to drink alcohol? 27:28

  34. According to the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical book of Judith, God not only approved of the violence in Genesis 34, but he gave Simeon the sword that he used to kill all the males in the city. 34:1-31

  35. "Pharaoh's birthday"
    What about birthdays? 40:20

    Exodus

  36. Is magic OK? 4:2-6, 22:18

  37. Does God approve of slavery? 12:44, 20:17, 21:2-6, 21:7, 21:16, 21:20-21, 21:26-27, 21:32, 22:2-3

  38. "If he take him another wife...."
    Is polygamy OK? 21:10

  39. Does God approve of capital punishment? 21:15-17, 22:18, 31:14-15, 35:2

  40. Is dancing a sin? 15:21-21, 32:19-21, 31

  41. "Thou shalt have no other gods before me."
    Saluting the Flag 20:3-5

    Leviticus

  42. "No soul of you shall eat blood."
    Blood Transfusions 17:10-14

  43. Does God approve of slavery? 19:13, 19:18, 19:20, 19:33-34, 22:11, 25:10, 25:17, 25:39, 25:44-46

  44. "Neither shall ye use enchantment."
    Is magic OK? 19:26, 31

  45. Ye shall not ... observe times."
    Does the bible condemn astrology? 19:26

  46. Does God approve of capital punishment? 20:9-16, 24:16

  47. "If a man lie with a beast" 20:15-16

  48. According to God, babies (or fetuses) less than one month old are worth nothing at all. (So I guess the God approves of abortion.) 27:6

    Numbers

  49. When "Moses numbered them according to the word of the Lord" he was told to count "every male from a month old and upward." Women and girls didn't count as persons. Neither did babies (or fetuses) under 1 month old. I guess the unborn just don't count to God. 3:15-16

  50. Is magic OK? 5:27, 21:8-9

  51. "He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink."
    Is it OK to drink alcohol? 6:3

  52. Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and On, the first freethought martyrs, refused to follow Moses blindly, saying that everyone is holy and should be free to think for him or herself. God killed them and their families for daring to challenge Moses. 16:1-35

  53. "The Book of the wars of the Lord"
    One of the lost books of the Bible 21:14

  54. Is it OK to gamble? 26:52-56

  55. The first women to demand their property rights. 27:1-7

    Deuteronomy

  56. Does God approve of slavery? 5:21, 15:9, 15:12, 20:10-11, 20:14, 23:15-16, 24:7, 24:14-15

  57. Martin Luther used these verses (Deuteronomy 13:12-17)to justify burning the synagogues and homes of the Jews.
    On the Jews and Their Lies (Part 11) 13:12-17

  58. Is magic OK? 18:10-11

  59. Does the bible condemn astrology? 18:10-12

  60. Who is the prophesied prophet? Jesus or Muhammad? 18:18-19

  61. Jehovah's Witnesses use this verse (along with 1 Tim.5:19 and Mt.18:16) to justify their refusal to report or investigate incidents of child molestation unless two or three JWs have witnessed the event. If witnesses do not come forward (and they are discouraged from doing so since it would embarrass the organization), then the victim is told to be quiet about it -- or risk being disfellowshipped. 19:15

  62. "If a man have two wives, one beloved, and another hated...."
    Is polygamy OK? 21:15

  63. "Ye shall stone them with stones that they die."
    Does God approve of capital punishment? 22:13-24

  64. "The LORD shall blot out his name from under heaven."
    Does hell exist? 29:20

  65. The JWs believe that Jesus is "a god" who was with Jehovah during the creation. But how could that be if God was speaking truthfully in this verse when he said, "there are no gods with me"? 32:39

  66. "And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses."
    Who was the greatest prophet? 34:10

    Joshua

  67. "Ye are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed."
    Does God approve of slavery? 9:23

  68. "Is not this written in the book of Jasher?" 10:13

  69. Does the bible condemn gambling? 14:2, 18:6, 19:51, 21:8

    Judges

  70. "The stars in their courses fought against Sisera."
    Does the bible condemn astrology? 5:20

  71. "And Gideon had threescore and ten sons of his body begotten: for he had many wives."
    Is polygamy OK? 8:30

  72. "Wine, which cheereth God and man."
    Is it OK to drink alcohol? 9:13

  73. "His daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances."
    Is dancing a sin? 11:34

  74. "Drink not wine nor strong drink."
    Is it OK to drink alcohol? 13:4

    Ruth (None)

    1 Samuel

  75. "He [Samuel's father] had two wives."
    Is polygamy OK? 1:1-2

  76. "Then Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book."
    (Another lost book of the Bible.) 10:25

  77. "Let him [David] not ... be an adversary [Hebrew: a Satan] to us."
    David is called "a Satan" to the Philistines. 29:4

    2 Samuel

  78. "Behold, it is written in the book of Jasher." 1:18

  79. "And David danced before the LORD."
    Is dancing a sin? 6:14

  80. "Thus saith the Lord God of Israel ... I gave thee ... thy master's wives."
    Is polygamy OK? 12:7-8

    1 Kings

  81. "He [Solomon] spake three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five."
    (I think that beats Willie Nelson.) 4:32

  82. "And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines."
    Is polygamy OK? 11:2-3

  83. "Are they not written in the book of the acts of Solomon?" 11:14

  84. "Behold, they are written in the chronicles of the kings of Israel" 14:19, 16:20

  85. "Are they not written in the chronicles of the kings of Judah?" 14:29

    2 Kings

    42: It's not God's favorite number 2:23-24, 10:14

  86. Is magic OK? 18:3-4, 21:6

  87. The only college mentioned in the Bible. 22:14

    1 Chronicles

  88. Some creationists believe that this verse (and Gen.10:25) refers to continental drift, which, they say, began to occur during the days of Pelag (which means "division"), about 100 or so years after the flood. 1:19

  89. "Ashur ... had two wives."
    Is polygamy OK? 4:5

  90. Does the bible condemn gambling? 26:13-14

  91. "So David waxed greater and greater: for the LORD of hosts was with him."
    David, a man after God's own heart (WWDD?) 11:9

  92. "The Chronicles of king David" 27:24

  93. "They are written in the book of Samuel the seer, and in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the book of Gad the seer." 29:29

    2 Chronicles

  94. Jehovah's Witnesses used to believe that God lives on the planet Alcyone in the Pleiades cluster. The only biblical justification for this was this verse and Job 38:31. 6:21

  95. "Are they not written in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer?" 9:29

  96. Is polygamy OK? 11:21, 13:21, 24:3

  97. "Are they written in the book of Shemaiah the prophet, and of Iddo the seer?" 12:15

  98. "The story of the prophet Iddo" 13:22

  99. "Lo, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel." 16:11, 27:7, 32:32, 35:27

  100. "Behold, they are written in the book of Jehu." 20:34

  101. "Behold, they are written in the story of the book of the kings." 24:27

  102. "The Acts of Uzziah" 26:22

  103. "Behold, they are written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet ... and in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel." 32:32

  104. "Behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel." 33:18

  105. "Behold, they are written among the saying of the seers." 33:19

  106. "Behold, they are written in the lamentations." 35:25

    Ezra (None)

    Nehemiah

  107. Does the bible condemn gambling? 10:34

    Esther

  108. "It was written in the book of the chronicles before the king." 2:23

    Job

  109. "Will ye speak wickedly for God? and talk deceitfully for him?"
    This is a good question for apologists to ask themselves. 13:7

  110. "Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades?"
    Does God live on the planet Alcyone in the Pleiades cluster? 38:31

    Psalms

  111. Does hell exist? 1:4-6, 34:16, 37:1-2, 37:20, 69:28

  112. "Let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance."
    Recently an ancient Psalter was found which was reported to have been open to Psalm 83. Of course, to the Left Behind folks it's just one more sure sign that the end is near. But the Psalter was actually opened to Psalm 84 (Psalm 83 in the Latin Vulgate Bible). 83:4

  113. "Wine that maketh glad the heart of man."
    Is it OK to drink alcohol? 104:15

  114. Is dancing a sin? 30:11, 149:3, 150:4

    Proverbs

  115. Does hell exist? 10:25, 24:20

  116. "Rob not the poor, because he is poor: neither oppress the afflicted."
    Does God approve of slavery? 22:22-23

  117. Is it okay to drink alcohol? 20:1, 23:20-21, 23:29-30, 31:6-7

  118. Is it OK to gamble? 28:22

  119. "Add thou not unto his words."
    Yet the New World Translation inserts the word "other" four times in Col.1:16-17 even though it is not in the original Greek. 30:6

    Ecclesiastes

  120. "A time to dance"
    Is dancing a sin? 3:4

    Song of Solomon

  121. "I have drunk my wine ... O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly."
    Is it OK to drink alcohol? 5:1

    Isaiah

  122. "Woe unto them that ... follow strong drink." 5:11
    "Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink." 5:22
    "They also have erred through wine." 28:7
    Is it OK to drink alcohol?

  123. "Lucifer, son of the morning."
    This is the only verse in the bible that mentions Lucifer. Although most Christians consider Lucifer to be Satan (the devil), there is little biblical justification for doing so. In this verse "Lucifer" refers to the king of Babylon (Nebuchadrezzar?) and Lucifer (the light bearer) is also called the "son of the morning" or morning star. The only other person that is referred to in that way is Jesus (Rev.22:16). Does this mean that Lucifer is Jesus? 14:12

  124. God performs a "marvelous work and a wonder" by destroying wisdom and understanding. The Mormons believe the "marvelous work and a wonder" is the Book of Mormon 29:14

  125. "Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus"
    "Anointed one" means Messiah. So was king Cyrus the Messiah?
    David Koresh (born Vernon Howell) chose his name after the two men in the Bible who are called Messiah (or anointed one) in the Bible: David and Cyrus. (The name "Koresh" is a transliteration of the Hebrew name Cyrus.) 45:1

  126. "My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure."
    Unlike the god of the process theologians, the God of Isaiah is in full control of his creation; he has pre-ordained everything. 46:10-11

  127. "The fire shall burn them."
    No astrologer, stargazer, or prognosticator will be able to save those that God plans to burn to death.
    Does the bible condemn astrology? 47:13-14

  128. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD."
    Believers use these verses to justify everything cruel, nasty, and absurd in the Bible. Why did God kill 42 children for making fun of a prophet's bald head? What was God thinking when he inspired Ezekiel 23:20? And what about that talking donkey in Numbers 22? Well God's ways are not our ways. 55:8-9

  129. "Let the oppressed go free ... break every yoke."
    Does God approve of slavery? 58:6

    Jeremiah

  130. Christians often cite this verse as biblical proof that a fetus is a person. Their rationale is if God knows us in the womb, then we must be a person. Of course, they often overlook these verses that illustrate God's willingness to kill both the born and unborn. 1:5

  131. "Ask for the old paths"
    To see how to become such "an old kind of Christian" go to Little Geneva. 6:16

  132. "Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven."
    Does the Bible condemn astrology? 10:2

  133. "The way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps." (Humans lack free will.) 10:23

  134. "Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong; that useth his neighbour's service without wages, and giveth him not for his work."
    Does God approve of slavery? 22:13

  135. What was Sodom's sin? 23:14

    Lamentations (None)

    Ezekiel

  136. Ezekiel experiences what some say is the first recorded UFO sighting. 1:5-9

  137. Ezekiel 4:9 bread It's supposed to be made according to the recipe given in this verse and is said to be a complete meal that satisfies all nutritional requirements. I guess that's how Ezekiel managed to survive 390 days lying on his side and eating only this bread. It seems like pretty darned good bread to me, too, but I can't wait until they start making bread using the procedure described in Ezekiel 4:12. 4:9

  138. What was Sodom's sin? 16:49

  139. "For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim...."
    Mormons believe "the stick of Ephraim" is a prophecy of the Book of Mormon. (Doctrine and Covenants 27:5) 37:15-17

    Daniel

  140. "Daniel ... would not defile himself with ... the king's ... wine." 1:8
    Is it OK to drink alcohol?

  141. "And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life." 12:2
    Does Hell exist?

    Hosea

  142. "Ye are not my people, and I will not be your God."
    Martin Luther interpreted this verse to mean that God had rejected the Jews and that Christians should do likewise.
    On the Jews and Their Lies (Part 1) Hosea 1:9

    Joel

  143. "They ... parted my land." 3:2
    On January 5, 2006, Pat Robertson linked Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's stroke to God's wrath, saying: "In the book of Joel, the prophet Joel makes it very clear that God has 'enmity against those who divide my land.'"
    Although he didn't quote chapter and verse, Joel 3:2 is probably what he was referring to, though his interpretation of that verse is a bit less than "very clear" to me.

    Amos (None)

    Obadiah

  144. "They shall be as though they had not been." 16
    Does hell exist?

    Jonah (None)

    Micah (None)

    Nahum (None)

    Habakkuk

  145. "Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink." 2:15
    Is it OK to drink alcohol?

    Zephaniah

  146. "I will cut off ... them that worship the host of heaven." 1:4-5
    Does the Bible condemn astrology?

    Haggai (None)

    Zechariah

  147. "How great is his goodness ... corn shall make the young men cheerful, and new wine for the maids."
    Is it OK to drink alcohol? 9:17

    Malachi

  148. "I will be a swift witness against ... those that oppress the hireling in his wages." 3:5
    Does God approve of slavery?