Bible Commentaries

Exodus 13:17-22 — the Word of God declares as fact! "When Pharaoh had let the people go" Napier called this "a conflict" with Exodus 14:5 a, "When Pharaoh was told that the people had fled."B. Davie Napier, Layman's Bible Commentary (Richmond, Va.: John Knox Press, 1963), p. 45. But, of course, it is no such thing. Can it be supposed for a moment that following Pharaoh's permission for the Israelites to leave Egypt, nobody told Pharaoh that they left, or which direction they went, or how far? Or does Napier suppose

1 Kings 8:46-53 — KING SOLOMON The theological views of Solomon are crystal clear in this prayer: (1)    The omnipotence of God is evident in his conviction that God was able to hear and answer prayer in any land on earth "far or near" (1 Kings 8:46). (2)    Although God's name was associated with the house Solomon built, God's "dwelling place" is emphatically declared to be "in heaven" (1 Kings 8:32; 1 Kings 8:34; 1 Kings 8:36; 1 Kings 8:39; 1 Kings 8:43; 1 Kings 8:45; 1 Kings

2 Kings 25:1-3 — at Riblah. There, at the king's command, his sons were slain before his eyes. Then Zedekiah was blinded, bound in fetters and carried to Babylon where he died."J. W. Haley, Alleged Discrepancies of the Bible (Nashville: B. C. Goodpasture, 1951), p. 363. The nearly incredible factor in this disaster was the trust that Zedekiah and his court were willing to place in Egypt! "It seems that Isaiah's doom of blindness upon Israel (Isaiah 6:9-10) had a political as well as a religious fulfillment."The New

Job 2:7-10 — the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips." "Satan smote Job… with sore boils" "Modern medical opinion is not unanimous in the diagnosis of Job's disease."Wycliffe Old Testament Commentary, p. 463. Driver and Gray, like many others, identified the disease as Elephantiasis,International Critical Commentary, Job, p. 23. basing their conclusion upon many symptoms of the disease mentioned subsequently in the Book of Job, such as, his fetid breath

Song of Solomon 7:10-13 — consulted. Waddey: "The queen gently requests that her husband take her for a visit to her old home place."James Waddey, p. 122. Bunn: "The maiden now invites her lover to receive her love."Broadman Bible Commentary (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1972), Vol. 5, p. 146.. Delitzsch, while rejecting it, fairly stated the hypothesis which we have accepted: "Advocates of the shepherd-hypothesis believe that the faithful Shulamite, after hearing Solomon's panegyric, shakes her head (negatively), saying, `I am my beloved's.'"C.

Isaiah 11:1-5 — Dummelow, J. R. Dummelow's Commentary, p. 423. The reference here to the coming Messiah as being from the stock of Jesse should not compromise the truth that the Messiah is the Second David. Christ is called the "Root of David" also in Rev. 5;5; 22:16. "There is a resumption here of the theme of Isaiah 9:6,"David F. Payne, The New Layman's Bible Commentary, p. 780. namely, that of the Coming Messiah. "And the Spirit of Jehovah shall rest upon him" This refers to the anointing of Jesus Christ on the

Ezekiel 28:1-5 — deduction being required from this is that, "If Satan himself failed to get away with it, who are mortal men that they should follow his shameful example into certain disaster." "I am a god" This arrogant and conceited boast was repeated in Ezekiel 28:6; Ezekiel 28:9. It was the type of atheism which God was certain to punish. Herod Agrippa I had himself installed as a god down at Caesarea; but an angel of God executed him within the same hour (Acts 12). God's reply to the conceited boast of godhead

Daniel 1:1-2 — Babylonian method of reckoning, in which the first year is regarded as following the year of the king's accession to the throne."Edward J. Young, The New Bible Commentary, Revised, Daniel (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1970), p. 690 "Jehoiakim came to the throne at the end of a year, which Jeremiah reckoned as a year; but Daniel did not count it as it was an incomplete year."Robert Jamieson, Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary, Daniel (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing

Joel 1:15 — in their times."H.A. Ironside, op. cit., p. 119. However, Joel did see in that terrible locust plague "a warning of 'the day of Jehovah' which was to come."Homer Harley, A Commentary on the Minor Prophets (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1972), p. 46. Furthermore, it was a warning that other occasions of 'the day of Jehovah' were in store for Israel. Historically, it was only a little while before the Assyrians and the Babylonians would come and execute "the day of Jehovah," not merely upon the

Mark 14:12 — that Jesus should have received the same treatment. (2)    Note that it was not Christ, but the disciples, who mentioned eating the passover, and that Christ referred rather to "keeping" it, a far different thing (Matthew 26:18). Christ kept it by the solemn observance of the Last Supper, a full 24 hours before the actual passover. (3)    All of the gospels represent Jesus and his disciples as "reclining" for the meal; and, if it was indeed

2 Corinthians 9:11 — in their financial ability, but in countless other ways also. This heavenly promise is the pledge of God himself that giving pays rich dividends to the giver. We have seen how some decry the motive of this promise in people's hearts (2 Corinthians 9:6); but the inspired apostle did not hesitate to place it in his appeal here; and this is far more than enough authority for respecting it. As Plumptre said, "The context points primarily to temporal abundance"; E. H. Plumptre, op. cit., p.

2 Corinthians 9:7 — God by the dual right of creation and constant maintenance. ALL PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY CHRISTIANS, ARE THEMSELVES THE PROPERTY OF GOD. Paul had warned these Corinthians already that they were not their own, having been bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:20). People are called God's "own servants … his goods" (Matthew 25:14; Luke 19:13). Paul loved to speak of himself as the "bondslave" of Christ (Romans 1:1); and, in light of the life he lived, it was no pious pretense. Even

Joshua 11:6-9 — reason why God commanded Joshua to destroy the horses and chariots. The necessity of doing so from the military viewpoint is quite evident, but there was also the further reason that God did NOT wish Israel to own any horses and chariots. Deuteronomy 17:16 plainly warned Israel and their rulers NOT to go into the horse business, despite the fact of horses being in that period a prime element of military strength. When Solomon multiplied horses (having forty thousand of them), it was displeasing to God. "Chased

Joshua 15:13-19 — is apparent that Othniel was an able and successful commander. He was, as here stated, a brother of Caleb, and his being called the "son of Kenaz" means that Kenaz was the father of both Caleb and Othniel, hence, his being called Kenezite (Joshua 14:6). The balance of this chapter is given over to the enumeration of the cities of Judah. There are well over a hundred of these, some of more than one name. And there is a wide disparity in the spelling of most of them, as a glance at the Septuagint (LXX)

Hebrews 11:17-20 — marveled at it; and, in the words of Albert Barnes, "It is the strongest illustration of faith, undoubtedly, which has ever been evinced in our world." Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1963), Vol. Hebrews, p. 272. Abraham, being tried is a reference to the remarkable test of his faith recorded in Genesis 22:1 ff. It is said there that God did "tempt" Abraham, but the word "tried" is the true meaning. Although the word

Judges 8:18-21 — greater error among present-day scholars than this outburst against Gideon's faithful obedience to the commandment of God who commanded, "Whosoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for God made man in his own image" (Genesis 9:6). "This is not merely a permission legalizing, but an imperative command enjoining capital punishment for murderers."C. F. Keil in the Keil-Delitzsch Commentaries, op. cit., p. 354. "When God commands man to execute murderers, He delegates this task

1 Samuel 10:1-8 — shall come to Gibeath-elohim" "Usually abbreviated as `Gibeah.'"The New Bible Commentary, Revised, p. 292. This was the home town of Saul. "A garrison of the Philistines" "The word here rendered `garrison' is thus translated in 1 Samuel 13:3; 2 Samuel 8:6; 1 Chronicles 11:16; 1 Chronicles 18:13; and 2 Chronicles 17:2; it is translated `officer' in 1 Kings 4:19, and `pillar' in Genesis 19:26."The Interpreter's Bible, Vol. 2, p. 931. All of these different meanings have found scholarly advocates who would

1 Samuel 23:6-14 — him as he was already preparing to march to the aid of Keilah and proceeded with David to Keilah.'"C. F. Keil, Keil and Delitzsch's Old Testament Commentaries, Vol, 2b, p. 229. Of course, the International Critical Commentary would place 1 Samuel 23:6 at some other place in the narrative.International Critical Commentary, Samuel, p. 210. This writer fails to see how the solution of this question involves anything very important. "Saul said, `God has given him into my hand'" "It is ironic that Saul

2 Samuel 12:13-14 — regarding the nature of the forgiveness of sins that was available to worthies of the O.T. One of the greatest scholars of our times, John T. Willis, declared that, "Here and elsewhere the O.T. teaches that God forgave sins in O.T. times (Leviticus 4:26; Leviticus 4:31; Leviticus 4:35; Leviticus 5:10; Leviticus 5:13; Leviticus 5:16; Numbers 14:18; Psalms 103:3; Psalms 103:10; Psalms 103:12; Psalms 130:3-4)."John T. Willis, p. 353. Furthermore, it is a fact that the word "forgiveness" is used in all

2 Samuel 5:6-10 — Our Lord's earthly ministry, especially the place where he made Atonement for the sins of mankind in his vicarious Death upon Calvary and his Resurrection from the dead, and as the type of that "Heavenly Jerusalem which is our mother" (Galatians 4:26). Regarding David's capture of this city, there is strong disagreement among able scholars regarding the exact time of its capture. As Willis said, "It is debated";John T. Willis, p. 312. and we do not consider the question to be possible of any dogmatic