God’s Cement for Marriage

God’s Cement for Marriage

The King James translates Genesis 2:24, “Therefore shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” Other translations render the word “cleave” as “be joined to” (NKJV), “hold fast” (ESV), “cling” (NRSV), “bond with” (HCSB), and “unites” (NET). Cleave carries with it the idea…

Forty Lashes Minus One

Forty Lashes Minus One

Paul recounted in 2 Corinthians 11:24 that among his labors and sufferings for the sake of Christ, he’d been beaten five times by fellow Jews with “forty lashes minus one.” That description was uniquely Jewish. Neither the Romans nor any other ancient nation had a similar limitation. God’s word in Deuteronomy 25:3 stated that a…