Bible Commentaries

Psalms 19:4-6 — and there cannot be the slightest doubt that Law prevails throughout the universe and to the remotest part of it. It is impossible to accept such a truth apart from the conclusion that there must also be "The Lawgiver!" THE WORD BOOK With Psalms 19:7, there is an abrupt change in subject matter to the Law of God; and, of course, critics have seen no connection between the two subjects and have postulated two separate psalms that somehow got melded into one. But there is no necessity whatever to

Isaiah 15:1-9 — referring to places literally all over Moab. Eerdmans New Bible Dictionary (1962) does not even mention six of these, but here is that source's information on most of the others:ArChief city of Moab, location unknown.KirFortified city at elevation 3,370 feet, 11 miles east of the Dead Sea, and 15 miles north of the Arnon River.Dibon The modern Dhiban east of the Dead Sea and 4 miles north of the Arnon River.NeboThe mountain from which Moses saw the Holy Land, one of the Moabite gods, and a small city

Jeremiah 20:1-6 — but he belonged to the fifth course (shift) of priests belonging to the sons of Melchiah; this Pashhur belonged to the sixteenth course and was the son of Immer. Both of these families were strongly represented in the returnees from Babylon (Ezra 2:27; Ezra 2:38).Barnes' Notes (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House), p. 199. There were a number of priests who held the office of "an overseer" of the temple; but the Pashhur mentioned here was "the chief officer," meaning that he had charge of all the overseers.

Ezekiel 30:1-5 — the Lord when his righteous judgments shall be executed upon the fallen and rebellious race of Adam, that day of Doom and Destruction mentioned in Genesis, upon which God said, "In the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die!" (Genesis 2:17) Regarding that particular day, upon which God promised the death of Adam and Eve in the case of their eating of the forbidden tree, it was the seventh day of creation, a day, which, according to Hebrews 4 th chapter, is still going on and has not ended

Daniel 6:4-9 — kingdom was Chaldean, however; and the kingdom here is that of the Medes and Persians. "The Persians, being Zoroastrians, held fire to be sacred. Hence for them it would have been improper to cremate or execute by fire."Robert D. Culver, op. cit., p. 788. "All the presidents of the kingdom" (Daniel 6:7)." This passage does not imply that all of the satraps, counselors, etc. were engaged in the conspiracy, but that they were all present on that occasion. Their presence as a company was due to their

Hosea 13:14 — but accepted it anyway, basing it upon another false interpretation of the last clause, which he called, "the crux of the interpretation (which) rests in the last clause, `compassion is hid from my eyes.'"Ralph L. Smith, Beacon Bible Commentary, Vol. 7 (Nashville, Broadman Press, 1972), p. 54. But what has happened in that last clause (Hosea 13:14 b) is that the scholars have perverted it also in order to bolster their bastard translation of the main promise. Let's take a look at it: "Repentance shall

Hosea 13:6 — their hearts in pride and said, "My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth." Pride, whether it is military pride, political pride, affluent pride, or intellectual pride, causes men wilfully to ignore the facts of history (2 Peter 3:3-7). Pseudoscientists, proud of their intellectualism, proud of their erudition, or their religious heritage, will deliberately ignore the historical, textual integrity of the Bible and substitute theology and philosophy for the Word of God. Pride is the

Matthew 13:55-56 — involved them in all kinds of activity; but, with one good drag on the opium-pipe of infidelity, all was quiet in Nazareth! Satan, by his emissaries, has sought to reverse this truth, but it won't work. Infidelity or atheism is the opium of the people. (7) It is self-pity. They were offended in him. Christ had not consulted them; his success had bruised their local pride. This characteristic whine of unbelief is everywhere noticed, even in famous infidels such as H. G. Wells, who said, "The universe

Matthew 23:7-9 — human authorities for the settlement of religious truth. In apostolic times, the living teachers were called "rabbis" and the ones who formerly lived were called "fathers." (The latter term even crept into the speech of Stephen, Acts 7:2). But Christ taught there is just one authority in religion, namely, God, and that which God has revealed in Christ through the apostles. Plummer expressed it: "They were to abandon the practice of appealing to `the fathers,' which had done so

Luke 20:9-18 — Theocracy, and as the promised Messiah. The only flaw in their identification of Christ was in this, that they failed to see that he was GOD come in the flesh. He will destroy these husbandmen … is a reference to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. In the third member of the trilogy, this prophecy took the form of a king sending his armies, killing those murderers, and burning their city (Matthew 22:7). The stone which the builders rejected … By this, Christ referred to himself. He

Acts 2:2-4 — in the Gospel (Matthew 3:11 f) suggests that the baptism of fire is the judgment of those who reject the Messiah, the burning of the chaff with unquenchable fire." Everett F. Harrison, Wycliffe Bible Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1962), p. 387. All filled with the Holy Spirit … This has reference to the Twelve apostles only. See under Acts 2:1. Beasley-Murray gave expression to a common misconception regarding this outpouring of God's Spirit on the Twelve. He said: At Pentecost the

Romans 1:8 — MEDIATOR John Wesley's statement that "The gifts of God all pass through Christ to us, and all our petitions and thanksgivings pass through Christ to God," John Wesley, Explanatory Notes on the New Testament (London: The Epworth Press, 1950), p. 517. constitutes a concise summary of New Testament teaching on Christ's mediation. The Lord said: And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in my name, that will I do (John

Romans 10:6-8 — righteous by faith in him …. The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart; that is, the word of faith, or the doctrine of the Gospel which we preach. John Locke, Paraphrase and Notes on the Epistles of St. Paul (Boston: 1832), p. 347. Who shall ascend … who shall descend …? These questions are the taunts of unbelief. The Jews had said, Let him now come down from the cross and we will believe him (Matthew 27:42). The taunting question regarding his coming up from the

Romans 3:7-8 — an assault upon the justice or rectitude of God. "The righteousness of God" (Romans 3:5) is the attribute of righteousness. … It is the inherent equity of God and is to be coordinated with the truth or faithfulness of God (Romans 3:5-7). The abuse with which Romans 3:5-8 deal is therefore of a different cast, and it is significant that Paul has no lengthy refutation. The consideration that he pits against the distortion is simply, "God forbid; in that event, how will God judge

Romans 5:2 — glowing is stated to be "the hope of the glory of God. John Murray, The Epistle to the Romans (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1968), p. 160. Earlier references to "boasting and glorying" in Romans (Romans 2:7; Romans 3:27; Romans 4:2) describe it as an undesirable action, even reprehensible; but in this place Paul was speaking of another kind of boasting, not merely permissible but commendable, and even commanded, as in Hebrews 3:6. The atmosphere that maintains

Joshua 16:5-10 — Ephraim, even before that enlargement, "had the rich district north and south of Shechem… and the whole fertile plain of the Esdraelon."Hugh I. Blair, The New Bible Commentary, Revised, Joshua (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1970), p. 248. Also, we learn from Joshua 17:14 that their unwillingness to clear out the Canaanites caused their complaint. "Joshua, in effect, told them that if they were the great people they claimed to be, they could extend their territory by clearance

Joshua 20:7-9 — also pointed out that the very names of these cities significantly pointed to the salvation of sinners: KEDESH. This name means sanctified, or holy,W. Ewing, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (Chicago: The Howard Severance Company, 1915), p. 1790. that being the original meaning of the word, which later also came to mean "a sanctuary,"F. N. Peloubet, Peloubet's Bible Dictionary (Chicago: The John C. Winston Company, 1925), p. 342. or "sacred place."Merrill F. Unger, Unger's Bible Dictionary

Judges 9:1-6 — on the caravans using that route. Today, "Just southwest of Shechem is a tiny chapel, constructed upon the place where Jacob is said to have mourned over the blood-stained coat of Joseph."W. Ewing, The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, p. 2756. "Abimelech hired vain and light fellows" This terminology was applied to false prophets in Zephaniah 3:4; and, "In German, this is rendered `sprudelkopf,' meaning, `a hot-headed hasty man.'"The Pulpit Commentary, op. cit., p. 97. Those evil men who

1 Samuel 1:1-8 — means that, like all Levites, he was attached to the tribe of Ephraim in civil and legal matters. "Elkanah is called an Ephraimite, because, as far as his civil standing was concerned, he belonged to the tribe of Ephraim, just as the Levite in Judges 17:7 is described as belonging to the tribe of Judah."C. F. Keil, Keil and Delitzsch's Old Testament Commentaries, op. cit., p. 18. "Hannah" This name in the Douay Version is "Anna." According to Henry Preserved Smith it means "grace," and Peninnah means

2 Samuel 7:4-7 — rebuilding of the Jewish Temple in the times of Ezra and Nehemiah cannot be interpreted as God's approval of the temple. That command to rebuild the temple is in the same category as Christ's command to Judas Iscariot to "get on with the betrayal" (John 13:27) or the holy angel's command for Baalam to, "Go with the men" (Numbers 22:35). It was far too late in Israel's history to change their infatuation with an earthly temple. The prophet Amos, long after the glory of Solomon's Temple had so enamoured the