Qoheleth

The name Qoheleth < קֹהֶלֶת > is a pseudonym. I wish to express my thoughts on biblical studies and related matters and yet remain anonymous. Qoheleth is "The Preacher" of Ecclesiastes 1:2. Is Qoheleth a title or a name? Whether title or name, it carries meaning: "the Preacher." I chose this pseudonym as a former preacher. Preaching was the only part of being a pastor wherein I was proficient. The rest of the job - ministering, leading, being a visionary, generally relating to people, shepherding, and pastoral care, etc - I did not do well. I did not find joy in the job. Consequently, I did not last long. I left and found another career. You can read more of my Bio in Post #1. This blog is where I ruminate about matters that still interest me: Biblical studies and related topics. (Please note that credit for the picture for this blog is given to Unsplash).

Face down report

October 22, 2025•2,799 words

Qoheleth is currently taking a snorkeling holiday in paradise. So here are the snorkel reports while I’m enjoying this adventure. I’ll attempt to update, but it’s not my biggest priority while traveling. 11 Saturday Arrive. Travel was good/uneventful. Check in. Walk beach path. Just touched feet to water once. Dinner. Bed early. 12 Sunday Morning Poolenalena beach. Saw 5-6 turtles {I’ll keep a sum total in brackets}. One can almost always count on good snorkeling at this beach, and always a...

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Face down report

October 19, 2025•1,990 words

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What does it mean to be Evangelical?

October 14, 2025•1,440 words

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE EVANGELICAL? This English word evangelical is a Biblical term. It's Greek transliterated into English (Latin) letters. The verb form: <εὐαγγελίζω> translates to "I am telling the good news." This verb occurs about 53 times in various forms (for example: <εὐαγγελίζομαι> is the same word in the infinitive form) in the New Testament. The basic meaning is to proclaim, to address, or to announce good news. There is also a noun form: <εὐαγγέλιον> wh...

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Psalm 46: Scripture Does Not Mean What It Says. It Means What it Means

September 25, 2025•3,301 words

The purpose of this post is to show how a text of scripture means what it means. We often say that it just means what it says. Or we say that the meaning is plain. I want to respond that the meaning is clear and plain if (and only if) the interpreter has taken careful measures to know what that passage meant to those who originally were the hearers of the passage. A passage of scripture has a time, a place, a certain group of people, and a situation to which it is addressed. Knowing its mean...

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x Memorizing Psalms

September 24, 2025•1,379 words

I have a little problem with insomnia. It comes and goes. There are times I sleep wonderfully (at my age, now, there is always at least one bathroom trip in the night; I never used to have). There are times I don't sleep very well at all (thankfully, this is rare). Most times, when I have trouble, I have an hour, at least -- sometimes as long as two or more hours -- that I awaken and just cannot get back to sleep. I used to think it was related to work stress, but now that I'm retired, it's per...

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Flags in the Church - Is this (unintended?) Idolatry

September 19, 2025•2,423 words

INTRODUCTION I grew up Southern Baptist -- twice a day on Sunday in church (Sunday School and then morning worship with Church Training [originally Training Union so you can see how old I am] followed by the evening service on Sunday pm). We were also in church every Wednesday night for Prayer Meeting, as well as, for a large part of my childhood, again in church on either Tuesday evening or Thursday evening for “Visitation” (going out with our Sunday School teacher to visit prospects or ba...

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The Nature of Scripture

September 19, 2025•2,138 words

INTRODUCTION All scripture is inspired <θεόπνευστος> by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16-17 NRSV). The Greek word (Theo-pneustos) means "God breathed." I don’t believe God errs, and I can therefore embrace the concept of biblical inerrancy. If God is who He says He is, then He is error-free and thus scripture is error-free. (Read on to get the full view that this applies to the original "autographs" of scripture,...

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Post number 1. Who is Qoheleth? < קֹהֶלֶת >

September 19, 2025•1,142 words

This was originally my Bio on the header of this site. I have decided to shorten the Bio. Thus, I have made this post about myself (and why I chose the name Qoheleth < קֹהֶלֶת > . If you meet me today and we introduce ourselves, I will tell you I am a retired school teacher. I usually completely leave out a portion of my history: the fact that I was once a pastor. I loved seminary, but the pastorate was very difficult for me. I was too young, too confident, and too inexperienced. I k...

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