Ezekiel 31 is part of the prophet’s oracles against Egypt (chs. 29-32). The chapter strikes an analogy between the mighty nation of Egypt and a great cedar tree in Eden, the envy of other glorious trees in the garden of God. The symbol of the “world tree” or “cosmic...
Naked Bible Podcast
Naked Bible Podcast Episode 144: Ezekiel 29-30
Ezekiel 29-30 are the first two of four chapters that preserve a series of oracles against Egypt and her Pharaoh. As in the case of the oracles against the prince of Tyre, Ezekiel’s imagery of cosmic, non-human forces of chaos that resist God’s order frames Yahweh’s...
Naked Bible Podcast Episode 143: Ezekiel 28
The focus in this episode is Ezek 28:1-19. As readers of my book, The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible know, this is a controversial passage. All scholars agree that this is an oracle and lament against a human prince of Tyre. The...
Naked Bible Podcast Episode 142: Ezekiel 26-27
Five of the seven nations that are the target of judgment oracles were found in Ezekiel 25. Tyre takes its position in the prophetic crosshairs next. Over the course of three chapters (26-28), God has Ezekiel pronounce Tyre’s dire future in the wake of her hubris and...
Two New Kindle Books — Notes on Leviticus and Acts from the Naked Bible Podcast
I’m happy to announce that there are two new Kindle books available: Notes on Leviticus from the Naked Bible Podcast ($0.99) Notes on the Book of Acts from the Naked Bible Podcast ($0.99) As you might guess from the titles, these are edited version of the...
Naked Bible Podcast Episode 140 – Ezekiel 24
Chapter 24 is a turning book in the book of Ezekiel. After Ezekiel’s call (Ch. 1-3), the book has, to this point, been a series of gloom-and-doom pronouncements to the exiled Jews in Babylon subverting their expectations that Jerusalem, the temple, and their friends...
Naked Bible Podcast Episode 139: Q & A Number 18
The episode is now live! In Episode 139 of the Naked Bible Podcast, Dr. Michael Heiser responds to a range of listener-submitted theological questions that dive deep into biblical interpretation, supernatural worldview, and ancient context. This Q&A installment...
Naked Bible Podcast Episode 138: On What Day was Jesus Born?
On what day was Jesus actually born? What year? Does the timing matter? Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus on December 25, but virtually all Christians know that day isn’t the real birth date of the messiah. While that is certainly the case, has the birth date of...
Naked Bible Podcast Episode 137: Ezekiel 23
Ezekiel 23 essentially takes up where Ezekiel 16 left off. The latter chapter is perhaps the most sexual explicit in the entire Bible, as its theme is to present Jerusalem and Judah as a whore to telegraph her spiritual betrayal of Yahweh. In this chapter both the...
Naked Bible Podcast Episode 136: Ezekiel 21-22
These two chapters of Ezekiel beat a familiar drum: Jerusalem is doomed (21) because of her unrelenting wickedness and apostasy (22). Chapter 21 consists of four oracles “clarifying” for hard-of-hearing Israelites what fate awaited them as Nebuchadnezzar moved toward...
Naked Bible Podcast Episode 135: Ezekiel 19-20
These two chapters in Ezekiel rehearse parts of Israel’s tragic history in different ways. This episode discusses both chapters, but devotes more attention to several controversial and difficult passages in chapter 20. Ezekiel 19 is a lamentation that uses animal and...
Naked Bible Podcast Episode 134: ETS-SBL Interviews with Scholars: Part 6
During the recent annual meetings for biblical studies scholars held in San Antonio, Dr. Heiser interviewed a number of scholars about their recent work. In Part 6 of those interviews, we chat with Stephen Huebscher (PhD candidate at Clarks Summit University), David...
Naked Bible Podcast Episode 133: ETS-SBL – Live Q & A in San Antonio
This was our first live episode. Trey, myself and David Burnett got together with podcast listeners and a live Q & A broke out! Thank you to everyone who came and joined us in San Antonio! Ep. 133 drops the studio for a packed room at Rosella’s Coffee in San...
Naked Bible Podcast Episode 132: ETS-SBL Interviews with Scholars – Part 5
During the recent annual meetings for biblical studies scholars held in San Antonio, Dr. Heiser interviewed a number of scholars about their recent work. In Part 5 of those interviews, we meet Dr. John Walton (Old Testament professor at Wheaton College), Dr. Ben...
Naked Bible Podcast Episode 131: ETS-SBL Interviews with Scholars – Part 4
During the recent annual meetings for biblical studies scholars held in San Antonio, Dr. Heiser interviewed a number of scholars about their recent work. In Part 4 of those interviews, we chat with Dr. N. T. Wright (former Bishop of Durham and Canon of Westminster,...