Hope, Confidence, and Trust – Mibṭāḥ

Is it ok to rewrite Scripture?

Ok, calm down. I’m just joking – I did not rewrite Scripture, *BUT* I did a little tweak. Hang on – let me explain 🙂

I’ve been studying Jeremiah lately. I can’t really say why or what drew me there to that huge book.

This morning I got so frustrated reading, time and time again, where God used Jeremiah to warn the people to leave their evil ways. They were SO stubborn. I was seriously getting exhausted just reading it.

I can’t imagine how Jeremiah and the Lord felt constantly, time and time again, trying to get these stubborn people to turn from evil.

Exhausting. I kept reading and came to the hope-filled part. Jeremiah 17:7 says in the CSB translation, “The person who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence indeed is the Lord, is blessed.”

I have gotten into this season of wanting to research, dig, and find what the original word was that was used. You see, in different translations, that last part, “whose confidence indeed,” is different in various translations. The word confidence is used, but so is hope or trust.

Well, okay, but what was the original word? What was the intention?

The original word in the second part is mibṭāḥ. There isn’t one English word that perfectly captures it, which is why you see different translations.

The Hebrew word used meant trust, confidence, refuge, security. The object/person in whom one places trust.

So, with that in mind, the person who trusts in the Lord – whose confidence is in the Lord. The Lord is their mibṭāḥ – not just someone they feel hopeful about. No.

He is the actual source.

He is where their security + confidence comes from.

We get it from Him.

We go to Him for it.

Having confidence is to have strong roots.

So, back to the rewriting scripture. With all that in mind, I simply put my name in there, and now it reads:

Kim trusts in the Lord. Her confidence indeed is the Lord. Kim is blessed.

Friend, re-read that verse for yourself and put your name there. Let God’s Holy Word come alive for you. I believe He wants us to personalize Scripture. There’s a reason we call it the Living Word – it is active and transformative.