Sense: to lead (authority)
Definition: v. — to be in charge of.
And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.
Psalm 78:72 (NIV)
Translations of Psalm 78:72 vary on the last word of the verse—nḥh. Some versions read “he guided them” (NRSV, ESV, NASB), whereas others read “he led them” (NIV). Here the Bible Sense Lexicon captures a nuance that might otherwise be missed. In Psalm 78:72 “lead/guide” is in parallel with “shepherd.” Shepherding imagery is royal imagery in the Ancient Near Eastern world. The Bible Sense Lexicon shows clearly in its label and definition that there is an aspect of authority involved in the metaphor of leading/guiding in Psalm 78:72. Another similar usage of nḥh can be found in Psalm 67:4, which also appears in the Bible Sense Lexicon entry for “to lead (authority).”
What is the Bible Sense Lexicon?
Sense of the Day is based on content from Logos’ Bible Sense Lexicon, which organizes biblical Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek words by meaning based on a variety of semantic relationships. Sense of the Day provides examples of senses in context, along with insight into their application for theology and interpretation.
The Bible Sense Lexicon is a Logos dataset available in Logos 5 Gold and higher base packages. If you’re enrolled in the Logos Academic Discount Program, you can also find the Bible Sense Lexicon in the Biblical Languages base package. Take your studies even further by exploring semantic domains, engaging the biblical text like never before.
Learn more about the Bible Sense Lexicon.