Our Guest Bill Morford
Sid: My guest by telephone Lexington, South Carolina is William Morford. He is the translator “The Power New Testament” revealing Jewish roots. It’s the most readable alive action packed translation of the New Testament that I have ever read. I am so enjoying myself as I read this Bill. And I have to tell you even though I’m a Jewish believer in the Messiah; even though I come from a traditional Jewish background there are things that you have reveled in especially in your glossary in the back about Jewish understanding that is so necessary and vital to understand the New Testament the Jewish roots that I have never seen before. And I’m sure that it has to do with God happened to hook you up with a Rabbi who is a grandson of the man that resurrected modern day Hebrew. Actually made a number of the words up and put them together, Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, and he knew these nuggets that so few people understand. I’d like you teach some of these unique nuggets for us now Bill.
Bill: Alright, one that comes as a surprise to some is the personal greetings at the end of Romans with chapter 16 with verse 1. “And I am introducing our sister Phoebe to you since she is also a minister of the congregation in Cenchrea, so that you would welcome her in the Lord as befitting as saints and you would stand by her in whatever matters she would have need of you. For she has also become a patroness of many even of me.” And that’s what Paul wrote. And a patroness, here she’s called a servant sometimes. Well the Greek word used could be translated servant, but she’s a minister. You can tell by the way he refers to it to welcome her in the Lord as befitting the saints and you would stand by her in whatever matters she would have need of you. In other words they are to be looking out to help her to be servants to her. And of course why would you send a servant from Greece to Rome where there were thousands of tens of thousands of slaves and slaves were cheap. I mean that wouldn’t be done, but she was a minister in the congregation of Cenchrea, and she was a Patroness, that means a woman set over others. So in some way she was set over Paul. And just what her relationship was we don’t know. Because the Middle Eastern mind still is not a tuned to our western love for organization charts and such things. They did not look at a line organization, but they were apostles that were sent out from Rome. And obviously Phoebe had some authority some responsibility in the operations of taking the gospel to the heathen land.
Sid: But this so changes the understanding we see in the King James, or the modern translations. This is just an example Mishpochah and it’s all explained in his footnotes and his glossary. Give us some more illustrations.
Bill: Alright, 1st Corinthians 16 again same chapter number same verse number. “Concerning the collection for the saints as I ordered the congregation of Galatia so also must you now do. On Saturday evening at the Havdalah Service each of you must now set aside for himself from his treasuries from whatever he would have gained so that whenever I would have come so that collections would not need to be made. And when I would arrive whomever you would approve through letters I will send them to send your gift to Jerusalem. And if it would be worthwhile for me to go they will go with me.” For you know what the Havdalah Service is that at the end of the Sabbath 2 hours after sundown there is a service in the synagogue to transfer the congregation from the holy Sabbath day, the time with the Lord back to the work a day world, to going out among the heathens to work. At that service they could talk about money. See people look on this as the first day of the week.
Sid: They think that it’s the Sunday yeah.
Bill: And it is not a Sunday service this is a Saturday evening service to move from the holy time with the Lord back to the secular time of work out in the world. And that Havdalah Service is still held today in synagogues all over the world.
Sid: Again Mishpochah there is no way that you could understand this. You see how rich this Bible is. But I’m going to tell you something if the Jewish roots were not in it and you were to just read this to understand healing and the action and the Gospel’s that’s brought out in this amazing translation it would have worth it. But somehow by combining the understanding of the Jewish roots and the power and the expression that you have in the translation that you have of these powerful scriptures of what God has granted to us, the combination of the two is releasing the power.
Bill: It really is, yes. Another good one that we don’t know about is 2nd Corinthians 12:7 “And in the superiority of the relations we have on this account so that I would not exalt myself a thorn in the flesh was given to me a messenger of Satan so that he could strike me so that I would not exalt myself.” And there’s a great deal of speculation about this thorn is it a reference to some physical problem or to troublesome people. There is no way to be certain. But painful thorn is a metaphor for a menacing neighbors in Ezekiel 28:24. And the Greek word scallops translated thorn actually pointed to a sturdy pointed piece of wood a pike which upon a body could be impaled. It most likely was not a physical problem because whoever those people were or whoever they were they really got under Paul’s skin. So he refers to it as not as a little tiny rose thorn but as a plate being driven into him. And thorn is a good translation of it, but it’s not a physical thorn. We know that from Paul’s references to the false apostles who went around and exalted themselves and had letters of recommendation from one congregation to another. Paul really disliked them they and the Nicolaitanes gave Paul fits. He was really unhappy because he had to go back to those congregations again to straighten out their theology and bring correction to them.
Sid: Let’s go to Ephesians 5:25.
Bill: Alright fine that’s a good one. “Husbands you must continually love your wives just as the Messiah also loved the congregation and gave Himself over on her behalf so that He would sanctify his wife, the congregation the Bride, making her pure by washing with the word of Torah in order that He would present for Himself the glorious congregation not having spot or wrinkle or any of such things, but so that His bride would be holy and without blemish.” And there’s a footnote to that verse that water is a metaphor for Torah. And that’s taken from Isaiah 55:1 and Exodus 14:22 so that it makes it washing with the word of the Torah. And that the way that we are to take cover each other and the husband as the priest of the home has to bathe his entire household in prayer. Then coming from the scripture and quote God’s healing verses and all of God’s blessings over his household and do that on a daily basis. It’s something that we do continually. Matthew 7:7 we have Jesus speaking “You must regularly ask and it will be given to you. You must continually seek and you will find. You must knock habitually and it will be open to you. For everyone that asks takes and everyone who seeks finds and it will be open for the one that knocks. For what man is there of you that when his son will ask for bread will give him a stone, or then would ask for a fish will give over him a snake. And see we must do these things continually and regularly.”
Sid: I like your translation that says “Everyone who asks takes.”
Bill: Yes.
Sid: That’s where that “Power New Testament” comes in.
Bill: Right and very often there are two different Greek words that mean take and they’re very frequently translated “Receive.”
Sid: I’ll tell you Mishpochah I’m sure you’re getting the message. Between the power that’s understood from this particular translation of the New Testament and the Jewish roots what a combination.
