Bible Commentaries

1 Kings 21:5-10 — him" How remarkable it is that Jezebel here betrayed a rather thorough knowledge of the Law of Moses, which specifically required that at least two witnesses be required for the condemnation of anyone accused of crime (Numbers 35:30; Deuteronomy 17:6; Deuteronomy 19:15). "Saying, that, Thou didst curse God and the king" Oh yes, and Jezebel knew exactly what kind of a crime was punishable by death (See Leviticus 24:15). "And take him out, and stone him to death?" Furthermore Jezebel was thoroughly

1 Kings 22:5-7 — learn from the TRUE prophet Micaiah just exactly whose prophets those men were. They were not prophets of Jehovah. Micaiah called them, "His prophets (1 Kings 22:22) and thy prophets" (1 Kings 22:23); they were Ahab's prophets, not God's prophets! (6)    Note also that their number was "four hundred," information that is totally irrelevant unless the narrator intended us to identify these false prophets with the "four hundred priests of the Ashera" (1 Kings 22:18-19) who avoided

2 Kings 18:29-35 — pretended they were, had earned the title of "The Breakers" all over the world of that era, and their cruelties and brutalities were the worst mankind ever saw. They flayed their victims alive. They impaled them. They starved and beat them unmercifully. (6)    Number six was another religious argument. None of the gods of all the cities and countries that had fallen into the hand of Sennacherib had ever been able to deliver them. Therefore, Jehovah the God of Judah would not be able

2 Kings 8:1-6 — that the king of Israel would be talking freely with a leper. This problem has resulted in different opinions of scholars regarding which king restored the Shunammite's properties. Hammond believed it was Jehoram,The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 5b, p. 164. and Martin wrote that it was Jehu.The New Layman's Bible Commentary, p. 458. (See our introduction regarding the uncertainties regarding the chronologies in 2 Kings.) The very fact of the sacred author's omitting the information that men seek regarding

Nehemiah 5:14-19 — building of the wall. Shortly before this first term of Nehemiah as governor ended, "He returned to Babylon for a visit."Arthur S. Peake's Commentary, p. 332. Many scholars have marveled that the "time" set by Nehemiah for his return to Babylon (Nehemiah 2:6) could have included the entire twelve-year term as governor. Evidently, there had been some other arrangement with the king in Babylon that would have extended the time. As Oesterley said, "If more fragments of Nehemiah's memoirs had been preserved,

Nehemiah 6:1-9 — from the work, that it be not done. But thou, O God, strengthen thou my hands." "The narrative which was broken by the parenthetical Nehemiah 5 is here taken up again."Footnote is not available "The enemies of Judah had found ridicule (Nehemiah 4:1-6) ineffective, and their threatened military attack had not taken place (Nehemiah 4:7-23); and their plan here was to kill Nehemiah, or at least kidnap him."Footnote is not available The spiritual significance of Sanballat's proposal is that Satan is

Psalms 28:4-5 — necessity."Derek Kidner, Vol. 1, p. 123. In the Book of Revelation, the souls of the martyrs are represented as crying to the Lord, "How long, O Master, the Holy and True, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood upon them that dwell upon the earth" (Revelation 6:10). This also, like the passage before us, cannot be considered a sinful cry for personal vengeance, because the `martyrs' in that passage are reckoned among the redeemed. Theirs was a cry for the execution of justice, which is identical with what

Isaiah 12:1-6 — already. The last three verses here carry repeated instructions to God's people of all ages: (1) give thanks to Jehovah; (2) call upon his name; (3) declare his doings among the people; (4) make mention that his name is exalted; (5) sing unto Jehovah; (6) God hath done excellent things; let this be known in all the earth; (7) Cry aloud and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion; for great in the midst of thee is the Holy One of Israel. All of this adds up to an elaboration of the Biblical injunction, "Let the

Jeremiah 30:18-22 — corresponds to the Arabic `tell.' Notice how many place-names have this word: Tel Aviv (Ezekiel 3:15), Tel el-Amarna (in Egypt), Tel Assar (2 Kings 19:12), Tel Melah and Tel Harsha (Ezra 2:59)."Charles Lee Feinberg in Ezekiel (Chicago: Moody Press), p. 564. For ages, in the East, it was customary to build cities upon the ruins (the tels) of cities that had been destroyed in order to decrease the chance of floods and to strengthen fortifications. "Their prince shall be of themselves, and their ruler shall

Jeremiah 31:34 — Spirit,"C. F. Keil, Keil-Delitzsch's Old Testament Commentaries (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company), p. 41. but we know that Keil cannot possibly be correct in this, since Christ himself ordained that, "They shall all be taught of God" (John 6:45); and the Great Commission itself commanded that "all nations," "the whole creation," must be taught. Of the dozens of scholars whose works we have been privileged to read, only George DeHoff gave the true explanation of what is meant here. "Under

Jeremiah 49:19-22 — that destruction "is unquestionably inferred from Jeremiah 49:7 ff; Ezekiel 35; Jeremiah 25:9; Jeremiah 25:21, and Malachi 1:3."C. F. Keil, Keil-Delitzsch's Old Testament Commentaries (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company) (Vol. 8), p. 376. Edom's destruction continued when Alexander the Great conquered the world in the fourth century B.C.; Hyrcanus conquered them in 129 B.C., compelling them to accept circumcision and the Mosaic law. They continued until the first century A.D. as a prominent

Jeremiah 51:59-64 — 495. "Jeremiah gave Seraiah a scroll upon which was written a prophecy against Babylon."Ibid. This comment is incorrect, because the scroll had not "a prophecy" against Babylon, but, it had all that Jeremiah said, "even all these words" (Jeremiah 51:60). This proves that all the prophecies of Jeremiah against Babylon came early in the reign of Zedekiah (593 B.C.). Jeremiah wrote many other prophecies after that date, but all the prophecies against Babylon were concluded before the event mentioned

Deuteronomy 21:10-14 — instructions on war;John D. W. Watts, op. cit., p. 259. but Keil's words on this in the chapter introduction are far preferable. Wright called the provisions here examples, "of thoughtful forbearance and consideration,"G. Ernest Wright, op. cit., p. 461. not often associated with thoughts of war. The superiority of the true religion as contrasted with the ordinary behavior of people shines in such a passage as this. Regarding the foolishness of any man who would choose a companion for life on the

Deuteronomy 33:1-5 — inheritance for the assembly of Jacob. And he was king in Jeshurun, When the heads of the people were gathered, All the tribes of Israel together." This paragraph is the introduction to the main body of the blessing which extends from Deuteronomy 33:6 through Deuteronomy 33:25. "Some of the outstanding manifestations of God's power and glory and his goodness toward Israel are reviewed here as a proper introduction to the blessings,"Bruce Oberst, Deuteronomy (Joplin: College Press, 1968), p. 387.

Joshua 5:10-12 — this connection, Dummelow tells us that only three subsequent observances of the Passover are recorded in the Bible, these being: (1) that ordered by Josiah (2 Kings 23:21-23); (2) Hezekiah's (2 Chronicles 30); and (3) that of the returned exiles (Ezra 6:19).J. R. Dummelow, op. cit., p. 144. Despite these limited references to it, however, "Critics freely admit that there may have been annual observances of the Passover throughout substantial portions of Jewish history."Ibid. "Ate of the produce of

Joshua 9:3-8 — Press, 1972), p. 142. The importance of this union of the Gibeonites and their allies with the Israelites was pointed out by Boling: "Israel then controlled the entire northwest quadrant of the approaches to Jerusalem."Robert G. Boling, op. cit., p. 266. "They also did work wilily" (Joshua 9:4). Note the word "also." The Israelites had worked "wilily" in their stratagem that aided their capture of Ai by pretending to flee from them; and, then, when the soldiers of Ai pursued them, the Israelites turned

Judges 10:6-9 — also explains the fact that the Samson narrative, which is the second longest in the Book of Judges, has but a single verse introducing the story."Ibid., p. 432. Yates also agreed that, "This chapter is introductory to the Samson story (Judg. 10:13:1-16:31), as well as to the judgeship of Jephthah (Judges 11:1-40)."Wycliffe Bible Commentary, op. cit., p. 253. "And Israel served the Baalim and the Ashtaroth…" In addition to these, they also served: (2) the gods of Syria (which are never mentioned

Judges 19:22-26 — earlier in the times of Abraham and Lot (Genesis 19). The Holy Scriptures make it abundantly clear that the disapproval of God frowns upon all such activity, and an apostle has declared that impenitent practitioners of this shameful vice (1 Corinthians 6:9-10) "shall not inherit the kingdom of God." "The resemblance of this narrative to that of Genesis 19 suggests that the Israelites by their contact with the Canaanites had themselves been reduced to the level of the sinners of Sodom and Gomorrah, and

1 Samuel 14:6-15 — that it was beneath the dignity of the whole garrison to go after only two opponents. "Hebrews are coming out of holes where they have hid themselves" H. P. Smith wrote that, "This expression does not necessarily presuppose the account in 1 Samuel 13:6";International Critical Commentary, Samuel, p. 287. but, of course, that is exactly what it does presuppose. "And they fell before Jonathan" The amazing success of this attack was due to "its utter surprise."The New Bible Commentary, Revised, p. 294

2 Samuel 1:1-10 — this writer, this opinion seems to be the most likely true answer as to the identity of that Amalekite. There are only four examples of suicide in the entire Bible: (1) that of Saul; (2) that of Ahithophel (2 Samuel 17:23); (3) that of Zimri (1 Kings 16:18); and (4) that of Judas Iscariot (Matthew 27:5).Wycliffe Old Testament Commentary, op. cit., p. 293. One item in the Amalekite's story is clearly a fact. He did take the crown from Saul's head and the armlet from his arm. What an irony there is in