Priceless Stones: 42 Days of Hebrew Promises for Kingdom Living

by James Revoir

I always wonder, as I read through the Bible, how the original text differed from the English version that I read--how well our inadequate language represents what the original Hebrew conveyed (or, in the NT, Greek). While learning Hebrew and translating the entire OT myself could prove to be a lifetime project, James Revoir makes it a bit more accessible through this devotional. It is not a comprehensive dictionary by any means, but rather a devotional meant for the average Joe. Or Josephine.

Each devotional focuses on a single OT passage and is concisely written, without sacrificing content. My reading time per chapter averaged about 10 minutes. Although each day spotlights one Hebrew word, Revoir often includes additional Hebrew words within a single devotional to better explain the passage. He also provides both historical and biblical context for the passage, rather than attempting to fully interpret it as an isolated message, as many other devotionals do. A Hebrew-English and English-Hebrew glossary are tucked into the back of the book for reference.

Each chapter ends with an italicized call to action of sorts, followed by a short prayer, declaration and three questions. Although I usually ignore these parts of devotionals (they just don't do anything for me), I skimmed these and found them to be relevant and potentially helpful for those who do like the more interactive components.

I was tempted, on multiple occasions, to give this book five leaves. However, I often had to force myself to focus on the page before me, and sometimes it just didn't "click." For other readers, it probably will. It just wasn't 100% me. Also, it sometimes felt like an advertisement for Oral Roberts University, as there was rarely a chapter where Revoir let us forget what college he attended.

4/5 leaves

(I received this book free from the publisher through BookCrash.com, which requires an honest, though not necessarily positive, review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.)