overcome

February 26, 2019

Jesus told the little girl to get up (Lk 8:54-8:54)

“But Jesus

Took the little girl

By the hand.

He called out.

‘Child!

Get up!’”

 

αὐτὸς δὲ κρατήσας τῆς χειρὸς αὐτῆς ἐφώνησεν λέγων Ἡ παῖς, ἔγειρ

 

Luke said that Jesus took her by the hand (αὐτὸς δὲ κρατήσας τῆς χειρὸς αὐτῆς) and called out saying (ἐφώνησεν λέγων) to the child (Ἡ παῖς) to get up (ἔγειρ).  This curing of this young girl was similar to what can be found in Matthew, chapter 9:25, and Mark, chapter 5:41-42.  However, only Mark went into more detail by using Aramaic words to cure her.  Mark said that Jesus took her by the hand and then said to her, “Talitha cum (Ταλιθὰ κούμ)!” which means “Little girl! Get up or arise!”  Immediately, the girl arose or got up.  She began to walk.  She was 12 years old, the same number of years that the lady suffered from the blood flow.  At this, the crowd was immediately overcome with great amazement.  The use and explanation of Aramaic may indicate an oral source for this story that may have been told originally in Aramaic.  Mark felt compelled to explain this to his Greek non-Aramaic audience.  Matthew had a very succinct story.  Jesus had the crowds put outside.  Then he went into where the dead girl was.  He took her by the hand.  Then this girl got up, without Jesus saying any words.  This is somewhat like the prophet Elijah who brought a child back to life in 1 Kings, chapter 17:17-24.  Have you ever witnessed a miracle?

September 29, 2018

The crowd was amazed (Mk 9:15-9:15)

“When the whole crowd

Saw him,

They were

Immediately overcome

With awe.

They ran forward

To greet him.”

 

καὶ εὐθὺς πᾶς ὁ ὄχλος ἰδόντες αὐτὸν ἐξεθαμβήθησαν, καὶ προστρέχοντες ἠσπάζοντο αὐτόν.

 

As Jesus left his small group of disciples, a large crowd came towards him.  This incident is somewhat similar to Matthew, chapter 17:14, and Luke, chapter 9:37, but yet unique to Mark, who said that suddenly a large crowd saw Jesus (καὶ εὐθὺς πᾶς ὁ ὄχλος ἰδόντες αὐτὸν).  They were amazed or overcome with awe (ἐξεθαμβήθησαν) since he was like a celebrity.  They all ran forward to greet him (καὶ προστρέχοντες ἠσπάζοντο αὐτόν).

September 7, 2018

Jesus cures the young girl (Mk 5:41-5:43)

“Jesus took her

By the hand.

He said to her.

‘Talitha cum!’

Which means,

‘Little girl!

Get up!’

Immediately,

The girl got up.

She began to walk.

She was twelve years of age.

At this,

They were overcome

With amazement.”

 

καὶ κρατήσας τῆς χειρὸς τοῦ παιδίου λέγει αὐτῇ Ταλιθὰ κούμ, ὅ ἐστιν μεθερμηνευόμενον Τὸ κοράσιον, σοὶ λέγω, ἔγειρε.

καὶ εὐθὺς ἀνέστη τὸ κοράσιον καὶ περιεπάτει· ἦν γὰρ ἐτῶν δώδεκα. καὶ ἐξέστησαν εὐθὺς ἐκστάσει μεγάλῃ.

 

This curing of the girl is similar to what can be found in Matthew, chapter 9:25, and Luke, chapter 8:54-55.  However, only Mark went into more detail by using Aramaic words to cure her.  Mark said that Jesus took her by the hand (καὶ κρατήσας τῆς χειρὸς τοῦ παιδίου).  He then said to her (λέγει αὐτῇ), “Talitha cum (Ταλιθὰ κούμ)!” that translated means (ὅ ἐστιν μεθερμηνευόμενον) “Little girl (Τὸ κοράσιον)! Get up or arise (σοὶ λέγω, ἔγειρε)!”  Immediately (καὶ εὐθὺς), the girl arose or got up (ἀνέστη τὸ κοράσιον).  She began to walk (καὶ περιεπάτει).  She was 12 years old (ἦν γὰρ ἐτῶν δώδεκα), the same number of years that the lady suffered from the blood flow.  At this, the crowds were immediately overcome with great amazement (καὶ ἐξέστησαν εὐθὺς ἐκστάσει μεγάλῃ).  This is somewhat like the prophet Elijah who brought a child back to life in 1 Kings, chapter 17:17-24.  The use and explanation of Aramaic may indicate an oral source for this story that may have been told originally in Aramaic.  Mark felt compelled to explain this to his Greek non-Aramaic audience.

August 28, 2018

The thief binds up people (Mk 3:27-3:27)

“But no one can enter

A strong man’s house

And plunder

His property,

Without first tying up

The strong man.

Then indeed,

He may plunder

His house.”

 

ἀλλ’ οὐ δύναται οὐδεὶς εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν τοῦ ἰσχυροῦ εἰσελθὼν τὰ σκεύη αὐτοῦ διαρπάσαι, ἐὰν μὴ πρῶτον τὸν ἰσχυρὸν δήσῃ, καὶ τότε τὴν οἰκίαν αὐτοῦ διαρπάσει.

 

There is something similar to this in Luke, chapter 11:21-22, and Matthew, chapter 12:29.  Here there is a reference to a strong man, probably Satan, who was overcome by another strong man, probably Jesus.  The strong man must be tied up before anyone can plunder his house.  Jesus, via Mark, appeared to be giving advice on how to rob a house.  No one would go into the house of a strong man (ἀλλ’ οὐ δύναται οὐδεὶς εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν τοῦ ἰσχυροῦ) to plunder seize, snatch, or rob his property or goods (εἰσελθὼν τὰ σκεύη αὐτοῦ ἁρπάσαι) without first tying up the strong man (ἐὰν μὴ πρῶτον τὸν ἰσχυρόν δήσῃ).  Then you would indeed be able to plunder or totally rob his whole house (καὶ τότε τὴν οἰκίαν αὐτοῦ διαρπάσει).  Thus, Satan would have to be bound up before you could enter his house to rob him.

April 24, 2018

Tie up someone before stealing from them (Mt 12:29-12:29)

“How can one enter

A strong man’s house?

How can one plunder

His property?

Does he not first tie up

The strong man?

Then indeed the house

Can be plundered.”

 

ἢ πῶς δύναταί τις εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν τοῦ ἰσχυροῦ καὶ τὰ σκεύη αὐτοῦ ἁρπάσαι, ἐὰν μὴ πρῶτον δήσῃ τὸν ἰσχυρόν, καὶ τότε τὴν οἰκίαν αὐτοῦ διαρπάσει;

 

There is something similar to this in Luke, chapter 11:21-22, but there it is a strong man guarding his castle.  Here there is a vague reference to Satan, the strong man, who was overcome by another strong man.  Here Matthew seems to indicate that the strong man or Satan must be tied up before anyone can plunder his house.  Jesus, via Matthew, appears to be giving advice on how to rob a house.  How could you get into a strong man’s house (ἢ πῶς δύναταί τις εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν τοῦ ἰσχυροῦ)?  How could you plunder, seize, snatch, or rob his property (καὶ τὰ σκεύη αὐτοῦ ἁρπάσαι)?  First, you had to tie up the strong man (ἐὰν μὴ πρῶτον δήσῃ τὸν ἰσχυρόν), before you could plunder or totally rob his house (καὶ τότε τὴν οἰκίαν αὐτοῦ διαρπάσει).  Thus, Satan would have to be bound up before you could enter his house to rob him.

September 8, 2017

Daniel was speechless (Dan 10:15-10:15)

“While he was speaking

These words to me,

I turned my face

Toward the ground.

I was speechless.”

Once again, Daniel was overcome by what was happening to him. Even while this man in linen or the angel Gabriel was still speaking, Daniel turned his face to the ground. He became speechless.

January 5, 2017

The vision of not surrendering (Jer 38:21-38:23)

“But if you are determined

Not to surrender,

This is what Yahweh

Has shown me.

This is the vision.

All the women

Remaining in the house

Of the king of Judah

Were being led out

To the officials

Of the king of Babylon

Saying.

‘Your trusted friends

Have seduced you.

They have overcome you.

Now that your feet

Are stuck in the mud,

They desert you.’

All your wives,

All your children,

Shall be led out

To the Chaldeans.

You yourself shall not escape

From their hand.

But you shall be seized

By the king of Babylon.

This city shall be burned

With fire.”

Jeremiah told King Zedekiah that Yahweh had sent him a vision of what was going to happen, if he did not surrender to the Babylonians. In this vision, all the women of the household of the king were being brought out to the officials of the Babylonians. These women were saying that their trusted friends had deceived, seduced, and overcome them. Now that their feet were stuck in the mud, as Jeremiah had been in the well, their trusted friends had deserted them. Thus all the Judean wives and children would be were led out to the Chaldeans. The Judean king himself would not escape from the king of Babylon. The city of Jerusalem would be burned with a great fire. This was a grim vision of defeat.

August 9, 2016

Curses on Samaria (Isa 28:1-28:4)

“Cursed be the proud garland

Of the drunkards of Ephraim!

Cursed be the fading flower

Of its glorious beauty!

Cursed on the head of those

Bloated with rich food!

Cursed be those

Overcome with wine!

See!

Yahweh has one that is mighty!

He has one that is strong!

Like a storm of hail,

Like a destroying tempest,

Like a storm of mighty overflowing waters,

He will hurl them down

To the earth with his hand.

The proud garland

Of the drunkards of Ephraim

Will be trampled underfoot.

The fading flower

Of its glorious beauty,

Is on the head

Of those bloated with rich food.

They will be

Like a first-ripe fig

Before the summer.

Whoever sees it,

Eats it up

As soon as it comes to his hand.”

This is an obvious warning to northern Israel Ephraim in Samaria, before the fall of this kingdom in 722 BCE, under the Assyrian army of King Sargon II (722-705 BCE). Isaiah refers to the people in the north as the drunkards of Ephraim. They will lose their crown and garland as well as its beautiful fading flower, a refrain that is repeated twice. The folks in Ephraim were bloated with rich food and overcome with wine. Yahweh then sent a mighty strong hail storm, a tempest that flooded the area.   They were going to be trampled underfoot. They were like the first fig of the season that someone immediately grabs and eats it as soon as they see it.

September 24, 2015

A northern plea (Ps 42:6-42:8)

“My soul is cast down within me.

Therefore I remember you

From the land of Jordan,

From Hermon,

From Mount Mizar.

Deep calls to deep

At the thunder of your cataracts.

All your waves have gone over me.

All your billows have gone over me.

By day,

Yahweh commands his steadfast love.

At night,

His song is with me.

It is a prayer to the God of my life.”

The psalmist was far from the Temple in the land along the Jordan River. He was at Mount Hermon, the northern mountain range between Syria and Lebanon. He was at Mount Mizar, a small mountain range near Mount Hermon which was the source for the Jordan River. He felt like he was in the deepest spot possible. Thunder and cataracts filled his eyes. He felt like waves and gases had overcome him. However, he still was steadfast in the love of Yahweh during the day. At night he sang his song to God, the source of his life.