Dr Paul Allen

The English Standard Version (ESV) Bible is set to undergo its first text update in nearly a decade. The ESV Translation Oversight Committee has announced revisions to 36 passages across 42 verses. One of the most significant  changes  involves  Genesis 3:16 , a verse that has sparked considerable discussion among theologians.  The  ESV's 2016 edition  translated the Hebrew preposition "el" as "contrary to," resulting in the verse: "Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you." In the 2025 revision, the verse will revert to its 2001 translation: "Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you."  This revision aligns the translation with historic English Bible versions such as the Revised Standard Version (RSV), New American Standard Bible (NASB), and New King James Version (NKJV), according to the TOC. "The interpretive options can now be seen in the alternative renderings provided in the ...

The subject of prayer is one that at first comes easily to new believers. Like a child before the Father ( Luke 18:17 ), upon coming to faith in Christ, we realize not only that we have needs, but that the Lord is the best and only provider for our needs. For this reason, we quickly and willingly go to the Lord in prayer, laying all our cares before Him, knowing that He cares for us ( 1 Peter 5:7 ). But then something happens to our childlike simplicity as we study the Bible more: we come to a greater understanding of the nature of God, that He is all-knowing ( Ps. 145:17 ; John 16:30 ) and that His will cannot be frustrated by any creature or circumstance ( Ps. 46:10 ; Prov. 19:21 ). These truths can affect our view of prayer. Why pray, after all, if God already knows what we need? Jesus tells us in the Sermon on the Mount that God already knows our prayers before we even ask ( Matt. 6:8 ), and He knows our circumstances so well that even the hairs on our heads are numbered (10:3...