Bible Commentaries

Psalms 14:1 — none that doeth good." "The fool." This word, in the singular, is actually a word for the whole race of Adam, as indicated by the next three lines. The atheist here is not a single individual but the whole rebellious race of Adam. Again in Zephaniah 1:2, we have the whole Adamic race referred to in the singular "man." It is the same here. The Hebrew word for "fool" here is [~nabal], which does not mean a simpleton, but one whose moral thinking is perverted and who has deliberately closed his mind against

Psalms 40:4-5 — They are more than can be numbered." "Blessed be the man" This is a beatitude much like those that Jesus used in the Sermon on the Mount. "Nor such as turn aside to lies" "This is the same as, `Those that turn aside to false gods.'"H. C. Leupold, p. 323. "Many… are the wonderful works which thou hast made" The wonderful works of God are: (1) all of those things which are beyond the power of men to accomplish; (2) so complex that they cannot be set in order, meaning that they cannot be classified,

Proverbs 20:27 — "The spirit of man is the lamp of Jehovah, Searching all his innermost parts." "The word `spirit' here is from the literal Hebrew word `breath'; and it refers to that "breath of life" which God breathed into mankind in the person of Adam (Genesis 2:7)."The Interpreter's Bible, op. cit., p. 899. It is that which distinguishes man from an animal. "It is the equivalent of conscience, God's lamp, that searches out the innermost recesses of a man's heart."Ibid. This is a very important verse. "It stands

Isaiah 13:12-16 — speaks of a time when, "The forces of the king of Babylon, destitute of their leader and all of his auxiliaries, collected from Asia Minor and other distant countries, shall disperse and flee to their respective homes."Robert Lowth's Commentary, p. 219 Exactly the same things were prophesied of Nineveh (Nahum 1-3), especially Nahum 2:8).

Jeremiah 18:12 — heart." "Alas, it was too late; they had gone too far in following the stubbornness of their evil heart; they could only reply, We will follow our own plans."J. A. Thompson, The Bible and Archeology (Grand Rapid, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1972) p. 435. The clay simply would not conform to the Potter's will; and the only options he had were: (1) to cast them off altogether, or (2) design them as a vessel unto dishonor. It was an act of mercy that God chose the second option. Why will men deliberately

Ezekiel 19:7-9 — Jehoiachin, as it was the custom of ancient kings to display their captive kings, princes, and mighty men as caged captives in their ostentatious victory parades. "After his three months' reign, Jehoiachin was taken by Nebuchadnezzar to Babylon in 597 B.C. (2 Kings 24:8-16)."G. R. Beasley-Murray in the New Bible Commentary, Revised, p. 674.

Ezekiel 37:7-10 — prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceeding great army." EZEKIEL PROPHESIES AS COMMANDED "There was no breath in them" Like the great miracle in God's creation of Adam (Genesis 2:7), this one also was in two phases; the breathing of the "breath of life" appears as a separate action in both instances. "Prophesy unto the wind" "The Hebrew word [~ruwach] is translated `wind' (KJV), `spirit,' (Revised Standard Version margin), and

Joel 2:23-24 — and rejoice in Jehovah your God; for he giveth you the former rain in just measure, and he causeth to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain, in the first month. These verses, continuing the theme of the whole section (Joel 2:18-27), are the praise of God for the temporal and physical blessings which were given to mankind, and to Israel in particular, because they were the covenant people. Modern man supposes that he is above attributing any such physical benefits as rain

Joel 2:7 — turning aside neither to the right or the left, and even scaling walls and houses in their procedure, it has never been alleged by anyone that the locusts were definitely arrayed in "ranks" and "echelons." The prophecy throughout this section (Joel 2:4-11) moves beyond the locust plague to something more terrible. However, the locust plague was also terrible in its own right: When a wall or a house lies in their way, they climb straight up, going over the roof. When they come to water, whether a

Amos 2:1 — punishment thereof; because he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime. The New English Bible translation of this place, while being no translation whatever, nevertheless gives the true sense of this passage thus: (See the note at the end of Amos 2.) For crime after crime of MoabI will grant them no reprieve, because they burnt thebones of the king of Edom to ash. "To pursue the dead, even to the point of violating the corpse, is a mark of peculiar hatred and particularly offensive to the common

Amos 5:6 — religiously are just as hopeless as were those ancient Israelites condemned in this chapter. As Keil put it: "God can only be sought, however, in his revelation, or in the manner in which he wishes to be sought, or worshipped."C. F. Keil, op. cit., p. 279. Jamieson's comment on this verse is: Break out like fire in the house of Joseph" means bursting through everything in his way. God is a consuming fire (Deuteronomy 4:24; Isaiah 10:17; and Lamentations 2:3).Robert Jamieson, Jamieson, Fausset, and

Matthew 19:29 — hundredfold, and shall inherit eternal life. What a promise of blessing for God's children is this! Two things, yea three, are promised here: (1) First, there is the multiplication, on a vast scale, of the wealth that people may forsake to follow Christ. (2) Second, there is the multiplication, on the same vast scale, of loved ones, however near and dear, who may be forsaken for his name's sake. (3) Third, there is the promise of eternal life. But, looking beyond this magnificent triple promise, WHO is

Matthew 20:8 — Payment will come at the end of the day; and it may be dogmatically assumed that any who abandoned work earlier received nothing at all for their labors. It corresponds to Bible teaching that these men were paid at the end of the day (see Deuteronomy 24:15; Leviticus 19-13; Job 7:2; Malachi 3:5; James 5:4).

Matthew 21:16-17 — And Jesus saith unto them, Yea, did ye never read; Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise? And he left them, and went forth out of the city to Bethany, and lodged there. Again Jesus appealed to the Scriptures (see Psalms 8:2). The praise of the children Jesus did not reject. It was indeed fulfillment of prophecy and should have been recognized by the Pharisees as additional proof of the identity of the Holy One among them. The fulfillment of God's purpose is seen in the

Matthew 3:4 — leathern girdle about his loins; and his food was locusts and wild honey. John had evidently been schooled in the knowledge that he was to be another Elijah, and he promptly adopted the type of dress that would identify him as "Elijah." In 2 Kings 1:8, Elijah's garb is mentioned, especially the leather girdle. This type of clothing was worn by the prophet for another reason, and that was as a protest against the luxury of the ruling classes in Jerusalem. His austere manner of dress and

Mark 2:5 — which this is one, in which the Lord proclaimed forgiveness to men. The declaration of Jesus had profound implications: (1) it was an assertion of his deity, the convictions of all ages sustaining the view that "only God" can forgive sins. (2) It was an indication that he had read the hearts of the five men before him, especially of the sufferer, and that he had determined the spiritual attitude of the man to have been fully consistent with the reward bestowed. (3) It proved that Jesus understood

Mark 3:11-12 — unclean spirits, whensoever they beheld him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God. And he charged them much that they should not make him known. Unclean spirits … For discussion of demon possession, see under Mark 1:24. Thou art the Son of God … This demonic witness was true, although proffered in keeping with some ulterior design of the evil one; and it is of the utmost significance that Jesus rejected this witness of the unclean. Two clear reasons for this

Mark 5:7 — What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the Most High God? I adjure thee by God, torment me not. Son of God Most High … This name of God Most High is very ancient, appearing in connection with Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18), Balaam (Numbers 24:16), and in the Song of Moses (Deuteronomy 32:8). The Hebrews did not invent or evolve monotheism, that being the original view of the Father, even prior to Abraham. I adjure thee by God, torment me not … This petition of the demon seems here

Luke 11:47-48 — Woe unto you! for ye build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. So ye are witnesses and consent unto the works of your fathers: for they killed them, and ye build their tombs. This is Woe 2. Gilmour thought "the argument here is obscure";S. MacLean Gilmour, The Interpreter's Bible (New York: Abingdon Press, 1952), Vol. VIII, p. 218. but it is actually quite clear. The hypocritical conduct of lawyers in building impressive tombs

Luke 12:46 — the eyes of men, it shall nevertheless come to pass as the Lord promised. Cut him asunder … means "to punish with terrible severity."J. S. Lamar, op. cit., p. 181. This is a very strong word, bringing to mind such passages as Daniel 2:5; 3:39, etc., in which offenders in ancient times were literally cut in pieces. The use here is a metaphor for the utmost in severity. The next two verses were probably intended by Jesus to soften somewhat the terrible metaphor he had just used. Severely