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Come with us to delve deeper into the Bible, to gain useful tools for a richer understanding of the Tanakh and New Testament.

"But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night."

 Psalm 1:2 (ESV)

Welcome to the Tsur Institute!

Encouraging you to read the Bible
Deepening your understanding of all that is written in it
Letting the Bible "read you" in return, to change your life

The Tsur Institute was founded in order to engage in in-depth study and research of the Bible, to participate in the scholarly debate, and to share the fruit of this study with a wider audience. This website is dedicated to the last of these aims – to encourage reading the Scripture with understanding and an open heart to engage with the text. To this end, you will find on the site tools to help you with your personal reading of the Bible, in-depth articles, and short devotionals.


The members of the Institute are Israeli Bible scholars who hold to the importance of the close reading of the Biblical text in the context of our faith in Yeshua (Jesus) as Messiah and in the unity of the Tanakh (Old Testament) and the New Testament. We’re also open to the contributions of other scholars who can enrich our understanding of Scripture. We sincerely hope that the material on this site will help you to be excited about reading the Bible and enable you to do so.


The articles on this site were written originally in Hebrew with an Israeli audience in mind. We are making them available in translation because we deeply desire to encourage everyone to read the Bible and to be touched by its message.

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What's new on the site:

An Unexpected Crown

The unfortunate news of Queen Elizabeth II’s death was received not long ago throughout the world. The lives of the royal family had always received a lot of attention, and the popular TV series, “The Crown”, is evidence for this. After the death…

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Mirror Images in the Book of Joel

When did you last read the book of Joel? It’s well worth reading! It may be short, but it contains a message with a breadth that covers both Israel and the world as a whole. One of the outstanding features of the book of Joel is its many repetitions. It is interesting to examine each of these repetitions in its own right, but when they are considered together…

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יד מחזיקה חיטה בשדה חיטה

Coming out of the crisis with Ruth the Moabitess

Going through a hard experience in life? Depressed? Practical advice from a woman who went through several serious crises in life – Ruth the Moabitess. The Biblical stories however, as hard as they may be, bring hope and optimism. Whereas Greek philosophy sought ways to be ‘free’ from the [control of a] fatalistic destiny, even by the most drastic means, the Bible offers an approach of ‘choosing life’ and shows how to live in the midst of difficulties, to deal with them and sanctify life…

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Let’s hear what the text has to say!

When considering the real conversations that we have from day to day, we see that it is important for us to learn how to listen to one another. Otherwise we won’t understand what the other side desires to communicate to us and there will not be any real interaction or communication. Of course, I am able to respond even without listening, but my response will only be relevant if I have perceived and understood what was said to me. We can look in the same manner at the reading of the Bible….

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The Motif – following the thread in the tapestry

If you really want to delve into a book and get to grips with its message and the way that the message is communicated, there is no better way to do it than to identify the motifs and follow them as they weave through the text. A motif is an idea or unit of meaning (a concept, metaphor, or a component of the plot) that is repeated several times, sometimes in different forms, throughout the literary work and contributes to the meaning…

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היופי והעוצמה של שירה תנ"כית

The beauty and power of Biblical Poetry – and a little help on how to read it

Biblical poetry carries riches that once you have tasted of their beauty and power you will only want to discover more and more. With a little understanding of the way that Hebrew poetry functions, and a little work on your part, you can start appreciating the poetry and delve deeper into the ways that it carries meaning – and you will find that the riches you gain are well worth the effort you put in. In this article, we will point out some of the things that are important to notice when you read biblical poetry…

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"But to this one I will look, To him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word."

Isaiah 66:2 (NASB1995)

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