Bible Commentaries

Genesis 12:1-3 — which, again and again, marked God's dealings with His people. "Unto the land that I will show thee" This is apparently abbreviated, because, at least, Abram knew that the first part of the journey involved his going to Canaan, as indicated in Genesis 11:31. "I will make of thee a great nation" The Gargantuan size of this promise is seen against the physical facts prevailing at the time, in that Abraham had no child whatever, and that Sarai his wife was barren! Yet God did exactly what He said He would

Genesis 4:25 — she used the word "[~Yahweh]" (Jehovah) in speaking of God in Genesis 4:1. One of the great misassumptions of the current crop of Bible-splitters is that the name Yahweh (Jehovah) was unknown until God revealed it to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3). But right here in this chapter Eve used two different names for God: [~Yahweh] (Genesis 4:1) and [~'Elohiym] (Genesis 4:2). The Exodus account, however, says nothing whatever about God's revelation to Moses concerning the sacred name being the first

Exodus 34:29-35 — was the predecessor of the ark of the covenant described in Exodus 25:10 ff."Wilbur Fields, op. cit., p. 762. It was altogether a temporary device to serve until the Tabernacle and all of its equipment should be built. "The veil" See under Exodus 26:37, above, for extended discussion of the symbolism of the veil of the temple; and although this veil upon the face of Moses was different, the symbolism of it coincided with that of the veil that divided the holy place from the most holy place in the

Exodus 7:14-18 — Nile was his god. Dipping in its waters was supposed to provide all kinds of benefits. (2)    The occasion could have been a spectacular public ceremonial honoring the river, a ceremony that would have required the king's presence. (3)    It could have been merely taking a morning stroll. (4)    Keil wrote that it was none of these, but that, "Without doubt, it was to present his daily worship of the Nile."C. F. Keil, op. cit., p. 478. "Let

Nehemiah 12 overview — elaborate ceremonies of the dedication. Cook classified the lists thus: (1) the chief priestly and Levitical families who returned with Zerubbabel (Nehemiah 12:1-9); (2) the first six of the post-exilic High Priests from Jesuha to Jaddua (Neh. 12:19-11); (3) the actual heads of the priestly families in the times of the High Priest Joiakim (Nehemiah 12:12-21); and (4) the chief Levitical families of Nehemiah's time (Nehemiah 12:22-26). Cook wrote that all of these lists were probably compiled by Nehemiah,

Psalms 22 overview — described. None of these statements are applicable to David, or to any other known event or person in the history of mankind, except the crucifixion of the Son of God."Henry H. Halley's Bible Handbook (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House), p. 237. There are four different ways of interpreting this psalm: (1) as a description of the sorrows and sufferings of David the king of Israel; (2) as a description of the sorrows and sufferings of some unknown righteous person of antiquity, possibly; Jeremiah,

Leviticus 17:14-16 — topics: (1)    the prohibition against offering sacrifices anywhere except at the tabernacle, and (2)    the law against eating blood. Paragraphs 2 and 4 are merely extensions, in each case, of paragraphs 1 and 3. This paragraph relates to the subject of eating blood and is an extension of the regulation to include the prohibition against eating animals from which, due to the manner of their death, their blood had not been properly drained. Even the blood of

Ecclesiastes 12:2-8 — be despised by the aged. However, most scholars take it as an emblem of gray hair. "The blooms of the almond tree are a brilliant pink; but in time turn snow white; it is a fit metaphor of the gray headed old man."The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 9b, p. 300. "The grasshopper shall be a burden" "The point here is that the lightest load is a burden to the aged."The Bible Speaks Today, p. 101. It means what we would say if we remarked, "Why, that old man couldn't even carry a grasshopper." "And desire shall

Isaiah 21 overview — THE BURDEN OF BABYLON; THE BURDEN OF EDOM; THE BURDEN OF ARABIA Three "burdens" are delivered by the prophet in this chapter: that of Babylon (Isaiah 21:1-10), that of Edom (Isaiah 21:11-12), and that of Arabia (Isaiah 21:13-17). THE BURDEN OF BABYLON (Isaiah 21:1-10) The critical community as a whole have decided that this prophecy applies to the fall of Babylon to Cyrus and Darius, which occurred long after Isaiah's lifetime; and, of course, in keeping with their crazy

Isaiah 65:17-25 — the final judgment of mankind, the destruction of the earth with fire, in which "the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up" (2 Peter 3:7-10). Both sacred writers are obviously correct. The new heavens and the new earth mentioned by Isaiah here are indeed associated with the Messianic age, but coming at the end of it, its termination, rather than being identified with the period of

Daniel 6:10-15 — who pray in the direction of Mecca."J. E. H. Thomson, op. cit., p. 189. This writer feels a certain appreciation of this text, which was the basis of a sermon delivered in the Sixteenth and Decatur Streets Church in Washington, D.C. in January of 1953, attended that morning by Major General Charles I. Carpenter, Chief of the Armed Services Board of Chaplains, for the United States of America. As a result of the General's strong approval of that sermon, he extended an invitation for this writer to

Jonah 4:1 — would not destroy Nineveh. "There is nothing whatever to force us to the assumption that Jonah had left Nineveh before the fortieth day."C. F. Keil, Commentary on the Old Testament, Vol. X. (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1978), p. 413. Dean, on the contrary, thought that: The fact that God would spare Nineveh probably was made known to Jonah before the forty days expired by Divine communication, in accordance with the saying in Amos 3:7, "Surely the Lord will do nothing, but he revealeth

Deuteronomy 24:1-5 — neither shall he be charged with any business: he shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer his wife whom he hath taken." The first paragraph here is that famous passage brought up by the Pharisees in the presence of Jesus Christ in Matthew 19:3. The view of those evil men was that Moses commanded to give a bill of divorcement (Matthew 19:7), but Christ corrected them, pointing out that Moses indeed permitted divorce because of the hardness of men's hearts, but that he, in no sense whatever

John 11 overview — The synoptics reported the miracles done in Galilee. (2) Lazarus was still alive when the synoptics were written, and it would have endangered his life to have included this miracle, the Sanhedrin being determined to put him to death (John 12:10). (3) It might have endangered the soul of Lazarus. He had already won the crown of life but was recalled to all the dangers of mortal existence with potential consequences so grave that Jesus wept at the contemplation of his recall. Widespread publication

Romans 6:3 — that ceremony were included in this letter. In this verse, Paul explained HOW it is true that Christians are dead to sin, and WHEN they became so. Baptism being the ordinance which brings people "into Christ," as stated here and in Galatians 3:26-27, and through means of the unity with Christ thus effected, the Christian actually enters the spiritual body of Christ, thus making it true that "in Christ" he is dead to sin, since Christ died. That is the thought here expressed by "baptized

Philippians 1:1 — that there was no clear-cut organization in the primitive churches until post-apostolic times; but such efforts are ill-founded, being based on false premises. Elders of the church were ordained on the very first missionary tour Paul made (Acts 14:23); and, even before that, the government of a church by its elders is clearly evident in Acts 11:30. As for the fact that Paul did not usually mention the deacons and elders, as he did here, there was without any doubt a reason for it. Macknight pointed

Joshua 11:1-5 — Holmes, who wrote: "Joshua's victory here seems inconsistent with the account in Judges, where there is no reference to Jabin, but only to Sisera."Samuel Holmes, Peake's Commentary on the Bible, Joshua (London: T. C. and E. C. Jack, Ltd., 1924), p. 253. Rea emphasized the irresponsibility of such assertions, declaring that, "It is rash to assert that these stories are merely varying accounts of the same event."John Rea, op. cit., p. 219. Joshua indeed burned Hazor, but, as Israel did not settle there,

Joshua 7:16-21 — who thus died. Adam Clarke said of this case, "This seems a very honest and hearty confession, and there is hope that this poor culprit escaped perdition."Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Whole Bible, Vol. 2, Joshua (New York: T. Mason and G. Lane, 1837), p. 31. "I saw… I coveted… I took" Behold here the three steps in the commission of sin, these being exactly the same steps taken by our mother Eve in the Paradise of Eden. "Sin always begins in the mind. As a work of art begins in the

Colossians 3:1 — regarded baptism as a dying and rising again. When a man was buried, the Greeks commonly spoke of him as being hidden in the earth; but the Christian had died a spiritual death in baptism, and he is not hidden in the earth but hidden in Christ (Colossians 3:3). Ibid., p. 148. HOW ONE DIES WITH CHRIST IN BAPTISM There are two different aspects of one's death with Christ in baptism, these being: (1) the firm and irrevocable resolution and intention of renouncing sin forever (this is the spiritual aspect

1 Samuel 2:1-10 — there are a thousand instances in the Holy Bible were a verse, or ten verses, or a hundred verses, or whole chapters could be deleted and the disjoined portions be styled as "a natural continuation." In my commentaries, I have cited dozens of these. (3)    The criticism that the song fits Hannah's situation "only in a very general way" is simply untrue. Every line of it fits Hannah's situation perfectly. (See below.) (4)    "The details indicate a knowledge