The word “sheep” is in the ESV precisely 201 times. It is the name of a gate, the Sheep Gate at Jerusalem. It appears in various descriptions of personal property, as in Job’s 7,000 sheep (and later his 14,000 sheep). It shows up in several psalms as a simile describing an individual—or the community—suffering under…

I remember that I had just turned 41 when an optometrist first informed me that I was going to need “full-time” vision correction. Personally, I believe it is a funny story. It goes something like this: after completing the exam and determining the results, she asked me a series of questions (by the way, she…

I am naturally right-handed (and also left footed, for any interested soccer types out there). There are some things, however, that I do equally well—or even better—with my left hand. For instance, I can bowl equally terribly left-handed or right-handed. Also, I have a very difficult time throwing a frisbee with my right hand. Truthfully,…

Homonyms can be fun. They do often make it very difficult for folks who are trying to learn English, of course. But they can still be fun. Case in point is “presents” (the noun, not the verb) and “presence.” Often a speaker or presenter (you saw what I did there . . .) will say…