CEV: The Gospel Ministry of the Rescuer, Jesus Christ
ESV: The Gospel Ministry of the Redeemer, Jesus Christ
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me
to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty
those who are oppressed,
to proclaim
the year of the Lord’s favor.”
(Luke 4:18–19)
CEV map: A sketch and brief description of a map of Israel and areas around it will now be helpful. Israel, at the time of Jesus, had three main regions (Judea, Samaria, and Galilee) and two lesser regions (Idumea and Perea).
Israel also has two important seas (the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea) connected by a river (the Jordan River). The Jordan River starts in the Golan mountains in Southern Syria and flows into the Sea of Galilee. It then flows out of the Sea of Galilee into the Dead Sea, about sixty-five miles away. The river is winding and is about 150 miles long between the two seas. On average, it is about one hundred feet wide and three to ten feet deep. The Bible mentions the Jordan about two hundred times. It is almost always speaking of the part of the Jordan River between the seas (Psalm 42:6 is an exception). There were no bridges across the Jordan, but there were dozens of places shallow enough to wade across (called fords). The Dead Sea is considered the lowest place on earth (that is not underwater). The Sea of Galilee is also very low, but it is about seven hundred feet higher than the Dead Sea. The Jordan Valley is a great rift (a crack, split, or break) in the earth.
CEV erratum:
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CEV musings:
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ESV Story erratum:
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ESV Story musings:
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ESV Appendix erratum:
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ESV Appendix musings:
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