Pastor's Message
June 2025
Middle Verses
So far this year, we have looked at the opening verses of the books of the Bible as well as the ending verses. This month, I’d like to explore the middle verses. At first, this may seem like an odd thing to do. But, the more you know about the Old Testament and Hebrew poetry, the more this makes sense. You see, in Hebrew literature, the middle verse is often the most important or most telling verse in the book.
For example, the book of Isaiah is usually divided into two halves. In the second half of Isaiah (chapters 40-66), there is a very special structure. These twenty-seven chapters can be divided into sets of three chapters, or triads. The three-chapter triads can be grouped into three, three-chapter groupings of nine chapters (the deliverance out of Babylon, the deliverance from sin, and eternal deliverance in heaven). Or, to put it mathematically, 3x3x3 = 27 chapters.
But what is the middle chapter of the second half of Isaiah? It’s chapter 53. And what’s the middle verse of chapter 53, the middle verse in all of the second half of Isaiah? It’s verse 5, “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Is that not the whole point? We are saved by Christ’s substitutionary sacrifice on our behalf!
Now, those of you with a skeptical or even a discerning heart might question whether or not verse 5 is the middle of that chapter. Aren’t there 12 verses in that chapter? Wouldn’t that make verses six and seven the middle. Yes, you could make that case. But, remember what we learned a few months ago regarding the source of our Bible numerology. Sometimes human error comes into play. For example, according to the Hebrew structure and the content of the verses, the last chapters of Isaiah 52 really fit better with chapter 53, thereby putting verse 5 back at the center.
We can do this with other books and other chapters within books. For example, Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible. It’s a highly structured acrostic psalm based on the Hebrew alphabet. Its primary subject is the Word of God and it’s importance to God’s people. There are 176 verses in this chapter. That would put verse 88 or 89 as the center verse. Verse 88 is “In your unfailing love preserve my life, that I may obey the statutes of your mouth.” We see in this verse both Law and Gospel. We see the Lord’s unfailing love for sinners, and God’s desire for us to live according to his Word. Verse 89 is, “Your word, LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.” In a chapter about God’s Word, is there a better testimony?
Or, take the chapters that follow. Psalms 120-134 are called the Songs of Ascent. These Psalms were used by pilgrims as they traveled to Jerusalem. They would be said as pilgrims ascended to Jerusalem, specifically the temple mount. There is a highly structured parallelism to the thoughts of these psalms. Psalm 120 and 134 parallel each other, as do 121 and 133, 122 and 132, and so on. That puts Psalm 127 in the middle. However, not all the Psalms have the same number of verses. There are a total of 101 verses in these fifteen Psalms. That puts verse 51, or Psalm 127:4 as the middle verse, “Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth.” This verse reflects a central theme of God's blessing and legacy—a fitting heart for the Songs of Ascent.
I don’t want to carry on too much down this road, but it is an interesting twist to reading the Old Testament. Commentators will often note the middle verse because it usually carries extra weight in the text. It’s often quite meaningful. However, you can go too far down the road of numerology and get yourself into trouble by looking for hidden meanings throughout. Stay balanced.
Perhaps you’re wondering what is the middle verse of the Old Testament as a whole? Well, this can be a bit challenging because our order is different from the way the Hebrew Bible is ordered. For example, the Masorites considered Leviticus 8:8 to be the middle verse based on their order of Scripture. This verse has to do with the breastplate of the High Priest. Perhaps it represents God’s interaction and intercession with his people. In our English Bibles, it’s 2 Chronicles 20:17, “You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.” While that verse may be specific to that moment in history, the overall message of the Lord’s presence among his people and his promise of deliverance is fitting for any generation.
For that matter, the middle verse of the entire Bible is usually calculated as Psalm 118:8, “It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in humans,” again, depending on translations and their structure. Notice how this verse speaks to the heart of the Gospel. God is our refuge. We are unable to save ourselves. Therefore, we put our trust in him. It’s also interesting that Psalm 118 is sandwiched between the shortest chapter of the Bible (Psalm 117) and the longest chapter of the Bible (Psalm 119). Furthermore, the focus of Psalm 118 is the Lord’s deliverance. It is traditionally our Easter Psalm.
Again, I don’t want you to make too much of these things, but I do find them interesting. And, if it gets us to dig deeper into Scripture, that’s always good.
~ Pastor Ben Golisch ~
Middle Verses
So far this year, we have looked at the opening verses of the books of the Bible as well as the ending verses. This month, I’d like to explore the middle verses. At first, this may seem like an odd thing to do. But, the more you know about the Old Testament and Hebrew poetry, the more this makes sense. You see, in Hebrew literature, the middle verse is often the most important or most telling verse in the book.
For example, the book of Isaiah is usually divided into two halves. In the second half of Isaiah (chapters 40-66), there is a very special structure. These twenty-seven chapters can be divided into sets of three chapters, or triads. The three-chapter triads can be grouped into three, three-chapter groupings of nine chapters (the deliverance out of Babylon, the deliverance from sin, and eternal deliverance in heaven). Or, to put it mathematically, 3x3x3 = 27 chapters.
But what is the middle chapter of the second half of Isaiah? It’s chapter 53. And what’s the middle verse of chapter 53, the middle verse in all of the second half of Isaiah? It’s verse 5, “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Is that not the whole point? We are saved by Christ’s substitutionary sacrifice on our behalf!
Now, those of you with a skeptical or even a discerning heart might question whether or not verse 5 is the middle of that chapter. Aren’t there 12 verses in that chapter? Wouldn’t that make verses six and seven the middle. Yes, you could make that case. But, remember what we learned a few months ago regarding the source of our Bible numerology. Sometimes human error comes into play. For example, according to the Hebrew structure and the content of the verses, the last chapters of Isaiah 52 really fit better with chapter 53, thereby putting verse 5 back at the center.
We can do this with other books and other chapters within books. For example, Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible. It’s a highly structured acrostic psalm based on the Hebrew alphabet. Its primary subject is the Word of God and it’s importance to God’s people. There are 176 verses in this chapter. That would put verse 88 or 89 as the center verse. Verse 88 is “In your unfailing love preserve my life, that I may obey the statutes of your mouth.” We see in this verse both Law and Gospel. We see the Lord’s unfailing love for sinners, and God’s desire for us to live according to his Word. Verse 89 is, “Your word, LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.” In a chapter about God’s Word, is there a better testimony?
Or, take the chapters that follow. Psalms 120-134 are called the Songs of Ascent. These Psalms were used by pilgrims as they traveled to Jerusalem. They would be said as pilgrims ascended to Jerusalem, specifically the temple mount. There is a highly structured parallelism to the thoughts of these psalms. Psalm 120 and 134 parallel each other, as do 121 and 133, 122 and 132, and so on. That puts Psalm 127 in the middle. However, not all the Psalms have the same number of verses. There are a total of 101 verses in these fifteen Psalms. That puts verse 51, or Psalm 127:4 as the middle verse, “Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth.” This verse reflects a central theme of God's blessing and legacy—a fitting heart for the Songs of Ascent.
I don’t want to carry on too much down this road, but it is an interesting twist to reading the Old Testament. Commentators will often note the middle verse because it usually carries extra weight in the text. It’s often quite meaningful. However, you can go too far down the road of numerology and get yourself into trouble by looking for hidden meanings throughout. Stay balanced.
Perhaps you’re wondering what is the middle verse of the Old Testament as a whole? Well, this can be a bit challenging because our order is different from the way the Hebrew Bible is ordered. For example, the Masorites considered Leviticus 8:8 to be the middle verse based on their order of Scripture. This verse has to do with the breastplate of the High Priest. Perhaps it represents God’s interaction and intercession with his people. In our English Bibles, it’s 2 Chronicles 20:17, “You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.” While that verse may be specific to that moment in history, the overall message of the Lord’s presence among his people and his promise of deliverance is fitting for any generation.
For that matter, the middle verse of the entire Bible is usually calculated as Psalm 118:8, “It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in humans,” again, depending on translations and their structure. Notice how this verse speaks to the heart of the Gospel. God is our refuge. We are unable to save ourselves. Therefore, we put our trust in him. It’s also interesting that Psalm 118 is sandwiched between the shortest chapter of the Bible (Psalm 117) and the longest chapter of the Bible (Psalm 119). Furthermore, the focus of Psalm 118 is the Lord’s deliverance. It is traditionally our Easter Psalm.
Again, I don’t want you to make too much of these things, but I do find them interesting. And, if it gets us to dig deeper into Scripture, that’s always good.
~ Pastor Ben Golisch ~