In the Second Letter to Timothy 4:7 (NABRE), Paul describes his work spreading the Gospel as an athletic contest or competition that’s nearing completion. This view of serving God may seem foreign to us at first. In a contest, there are winners and losers, a view that may be challenging …

In the Second Letter to Timothy 3:16 (NABRE), Paul emphasizes the importance of Scripture for growing in the spiritual life when he writes that “all Scripture is inspired by God.” This phrase inspired by God comes from a single Greek word, θεόπνευστος (theopneustos). This Greek word appears only in this one …

In the Gospel According to Luke 17:11–19 (NABRE), Jesus cleanses a group of lepers by sending them to present themselves to the priests. According to the law, this presentation was required to be pronounced clean again if one’s leprosy passed, and it was on their way there that these lepers …

In the first and second chapters of the Book of Habakkuk (NABRE), the prophet encourages faith among the people who feel that the LORD isn’t listening to their cry. The prophet urges patience and ultimately faith. We’ve previously examined the root and origin of the Greek word for faith at …

What is Hades? How does it differ from our Christian concept of hell? The Gospel According to Luke 16:19–31 (NABRE) contains the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. The action takes place in the underworld, though the image used for the underworld here is noticeably different from the Christian concept …

The Gospel According to Luke 16:13 (NABRE) contains Jesus’ familiar statement: “You cannot serve both God and mammon.” Within the context of the passage, it’s clear that mammon here concerns wealth, but something unusual is also going on with this term that explains why translators don’t frequently translate it into …

Throughout Scripture, we see three similar-sounding words used to describe praise of God: exalt, exult, and extol. A reader has asked for a discussion about the roots of these three words and what it means to praise God. If you have questions you’d like to see addressed in Lost in Translation, …

In the fourteenth chapter in the Gospel According to Luke (NABRE), Jesus urges that to follow him, we must hate our fathers, mothers, wives, children, brothers, sisters, and even our selves. This view of hating ourselves is potentially difficult to understand and worth unpacking a bit. The Greek word here …

In the fourteenth chapter in the Gospel According to Luke (NABRE), Jesus calls his followers to humility. Critical to growth in the spiritual life, humility also is an easily misunderstood concept. In this parable, Jesus explains humility as a function of status. The Greek word translated as humility, ταπεινόω (tapeinoo), literally …

The twelfth chapter in the Letter to the Hebrews (NABRE) reminds us that God disciplines or chastises his followers. It’s easy to read into this translation a connotation of punishment, though the Greek text presents an entirely different picture of discipline and suggests a warmer characterization of God’s corrective actions. …