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The Universal Dragon Memory: Why do cultures separated by thousands of miles (and oceans!) tell the same story?

Hello brothers and sisters.

In Parts 1 and 2, we established that Job 41 describes something matching what we would call a dragon, and that ancient Jewish translators understood it that way. But this raises a fascinating question: Why do cultures all over the world— many with no contact with each other —describe remarkably similar creatures?

Is this proof that dragons are universal...

Examining how ancient translators understood Leviathan, and why their choice matters.

Hello brothers and sisters.

Welcome to the second in this 4-part series about the creature in Job 41.

In Part 1, we established that Job 41 describes something that looks, sounds, and acts like what every culture would call a dragon. We saw that when ancient Jewish scholars translated this passage into Greek, they didn’t soften or explain it away; they called it δράκων, a dragon.

But that raises an important...

I have a couple prefaces before we really get into this.
First, I was raised for my first several years in the LDS church, so I had some passing familiarity with the content from my childhood. I also read the whole book a few years ago, shortly after giving my life to Jesus. At that point I did not have a favorable view of the Book of Mormon, but I couldn't articulate why. I didn't have the theological framework at the time to be able to give voice to what had troubled me.

And second, even...

The Leviathan of Job

Hello brothers and sisters.

Welcome to the first in this 4-part series about the creature in Job 41.

There’s a moment in the book of Job where God stops speaking in riddles and starts describing something that sounds, for all the world, like a dragon.

Not metaphorically. Not poetically. Not as some ancient Hebrew way of saying “crocodile.”

In this series, we’re going to take Job 41 seriously. We’re going to examine what the original Hebrew says and how the ancient Greek...

When God’s good gifts become god-substitutes

Hello brothers and sisters,

This is the first in an 8-part series diving deep into the topic of idolatry, especially as it applies in the modern age. While this first post is widely and freely available to everyone, successive posts are available exclusively to premium subscribers of my Substack or via a collected ebook and/or audiobook available through Amazon or on my Web Store.

In the eighth century before Christ, King Hezekiah of Judah did...

Isaiah 53, Part 4: The Conclusion—Why Multiple Text Forms Are a Feature, Not a Bug

Hello brothers and sisters.

In Parts 1-3, we explored three major textual differences between the Septuagint and Masoretic Text in Isaiah 52-53: the explicit resurrection prophecy (”he will see light”), the medical vs. penal atonement debate (”cleanse” vs. “crush”), and the priestly-prophetic identity of the Servant (”sprinkle” vs. “startle”).

Now comes the big question: If there are differences between these...

Part 3: When One Hebrew Word Hides Two Identities

Hello brothers and sisters.

In Parts 1 and 2, we discovered how the Septuagint and Dead Sea Scrolls preserve an explicit resurrection prophecy (”he will see light”) and how the LXX presents a medical rather than penal vision of atonement (”cleanse” vs. “crush”).

Now we encounter perhaps the most linguistically fascinating textual puzzle in Isaiah 52/53: a single Hebrew verb that can mean two completely different things. What are we to do with...

Part 2: The Most Controversial Verse in Isaiah 53

Hello brothers and sisters.

In Part 1, we explored how the Dead Sea Scrolls preserve an explicit resurrection prophecy in Isaiah 53:11 (”he will see light”) that was accidentally lost in the medieval Masoretic Text. Now we turn to what might be the single most theologically significant textual difference in the entire chapter: Does God desire to crush the Suffering Servant, or to cleanse him? The answer depends on which ancient Bible you’re...

Part 1: When the Dead Sea Scrolls Whispered “Resurrection” (Isaiah 53:11)

Hello brothers and sisters.

This is the first in a multi-part series exploring the significant differences between the Septuagint (LXX) and Masoretic Text (MT) in Isaiah 53, the so-called “Holy of Holies of the Old Testament,” the Bible’s most detailed prophecy of the Suffering Servant. We’ll examine how these ancient textual traditions preserve different theological nuances, and what this means for understanding the full...

Hello brothers and sisters.

In Part 1, we discovered that the Septuagint’s rendering of Joshua 13:5— ”the land of Galiath of the Phylistines” —wasn’t a translation error but a theological statement. The LXX translators knew that Philistine territory was giant country, the refuge of the Anakim that Joshua had failed to completely eliminate. They named it after its most infamous champion because they understood what we often miss: the conquest narrative isn’t complete. There’s unfinished...

Hello brothers and sisters.

There’s a curious phrase buried in Joshua 13:5 that most English Bible readers have never encountered. While your King James Bible speaks of “the land of the Giblites,” and your NRSV mentions “the land of the Gebalites,” the Septuagint— that ancient Greek translation that the apostles knew and quoted —offers a very different reading. It speaks of “the land of Galiath of the Phylistines.”

Yes, that Goliath. Or at least, a name strikingly similar to the giant David...

Hello brothers and sisters,

“Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot in vain?”

It’s a question that echoes across millennia. From ancient Babylon to modern superpowers, from Pharaoh to Caesar to the totalitarian regimes of our own age, the answer remains the same: humanity is in perpetual rebellion against its Creator.

But Psalm 2 doesn’t just diagnose the problem. It reveals the spiritual architecture behind earthly power struggles, points us toward the inevitable victory of God’s...

Hello brothers and sisters,

We’ve journeyed through so much Scripture, and each time comparing the Masoretic Text and the Septuagint has opened up dimensions of meaning we’d otherwise miss. But now we’re about to tackle what might be the single most bizarre, controversial, and theologically explosive passage in the entire Bible. One that’s haunted interpreters for millennia, sparked wild speculation, and divided Christians and Jews alike.

Genesis 6:1-4. The Nephilim. The sons of God. The...

Hello brothers and sisters,

“The just shall live by faith.”

Five words. One verse. The hinge upon which Martin Luther’s entire theological revolution turned.

But here’s what most Christians don’t know: the Hebrew and Greek versions of this verse say fundamentally different things. And the question of which reading is correct— his faith or my faith —goes to the very heart of the gospel itself.

Are we saved by our faith in God, or by God’s faithfulness to us?

Let’s dig into the text that changed the...

Hello brothers and sisters,

We’ve explored so much already, and each time we’ve seen how comparing the Masoretic Text and the Septuagint reveals theological depth we’d miss with just one translation. Today, we’re diving into one of my favorite books in Scripture, the book of Daniel. This book is so rich with history, prophecy, and theological meaning that it deserves multiple visits. And we’re starting with one of the most dramatic scenes in the entire Bible: three men thrown into a furnace,...

Hello brothers and sisters,

We’ve explored several disparate passages now, and each time, the Septuagint has illuminated how the apostles read the Old Testament. Now we come to one of the most contested verses in all of Scripture—a single letter difference that changes a lion into a piercing, and a poetic lament into a crucifixion prophecy.

The Most Famous Psalm

Psalm 22 is burned into Christian consciousness. It’s the psalm Jesus quoted from the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?...

Hello brothers and sisters,

We’ve journeyed from Isaiah’s virgin to David’s prepared body to the protoevangelium in Eden. Each time, we’ve seen how comparing the Masoretic Text and the Septuagint enriches our understanding of Scripture. But this passage directly shaped one of the most consequential decisions in church history: whether Gentiles could become Christians without first becoming Jews.

The Crisis in Acts 15

Picture the scene in Jerusalem, probably around 49-50 A.D. The church is...

Hello brothers and sisters,

We’ve explored Isaiah’s virgin prophecy and David’s psalm about incarnation. Now we’re going back to the beginning, to the moment immediately after the Fall, when God pronounces judgment on the serpent and makes the first promise of redemption. This verse is called the protoevangelium, the “first gospel.” But depending on whether you’re reading the Hebrew or the Greek, you might be seeing a quite different picture of how that redemption unfolds.

The Promise in Eden

...

Hello brothers and sisters.

If you’ve followed my work recently, you know I’m fascinated by what happens when we compare translations; not to tear down our confidence in God’s Word, but to deepen it. Let’s begin with perhaps the most famous prophecy in the entire Bible.

A Christmas Memory

Every December, churches around the world proclaim it. Sunday school children memorize it. Christians of every tradition recognize it instantly:

“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a...

Hello, brothers and sisters,

Today we’re looking at a verse that most Christians have never noticed—but that the author of Hebrews builds an entire theological argument upon. And depending on which Bible you’re reading, you might wonder what he’s even talking about.

A Puzzle in Hebrews

Open your Bible to Hebrews 10. The author is building toward his climactic declaration that Jesus is the final, perfect sacrifice. That His death on the cross accomplished what thousands of years of animal...