Bible Commentaries

Exodus 15:3 — "Jehovah is a man of war: Jehovah is his name." This verse concludes the first stanza of the hymn which may be divided thus: (1) God's Identity (Exodus 15:1-3); (2) God's Mighty Act in the Red Sea (Exodus 15:4-16 a); and (3) A Prophecy of what God will do Later (Exodus 15:16 b-18). For Israel, this great song was somewhat like that which the "Star Spangled Banner" is to Americans. The sabbath upon which the Jews

Exodus 17:8-10 — the rod of God in my hand. So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill." "Amalek" Who were the Amalekites? Amalek was the son of Eliphaz and the grandson of Esau (Genesis 36:12; Genesis 36:16). In this place, Amalek is used as a collective noun to describe all of his descendants. These people fulfilled all that should have been expected of the posterity of the profane Esau. They were thoroughly pagan and identified with the

Exodus 19:10-14 — the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their garments." "Let them wash their garments" A customary element of consecration or sanctification was that of changing to clean clothes, as when Jacob ordered his family so to do in Genesis 35:2. Since changing clothes might have been in the circumstances of Israel at that time very difficult or impossible, they were commanded to wash their garments. Why? They were scheduled to stand in the presence of God. But is not God everywhere, ubiquitous,

1 Kings 19:19-21 — Elijah, he wished to bid the family a formal farewell. "Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother" Some have compared this with the request of that would-be-disciples of Jesus who said, "Suffer me first to go and bury my father" (Luke 9:61-62), but there is no resemblance between the two events. Elisha merely wished to have a farewell banquet with his friends and family, but that disciple mentioned in Luke was proposing that he would follow Jesus at some indefinite future time when he had

2 Kings 22:8-13 — Commentary, op. cit., p. 437. This conclusion is mandatory, "Because, where the author intended to say that the whole book was read, he used a different set of words altogether: `The king read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant (2 Kings 23:2)."Ibid. Such was not said here. "Go ye, inquire of Jehovah for me" "From the times of Moses to David, inquiring of the Lord was by means of the Urim and Thummin; but after David's time, such inquiries were always made by the consultation

2 Kings 23:1-3 — written in this book: and all the people stood to the covenant." "And the king stood by the pillar" "This refers to one of the two great pillars set up in front of the temple by Solomon, either the Jachin or the Boaz."Arthur S. Peake's Commentary, p. 312. "All the people stood to the covenant" This seems to be a reference to the ancient custom in the making or renewing of covenants, in which the parties to it passed between the portions of the sacrifice that accompanied such ceremonies, as in the instance

2 Kings 5:1-4 — (because of his own fault) by the king of Israel (Joram). "By him Jehovah had given the victory unto Syria" Some scholars have marveled that Jehovah in this expression is accredited with the victory of Syria, but this is in full keeping with Daniel 4:25 c. As for which victory is spoken of here, Hammond thought it was probably a victory over an army of Shalmanezer II that had threatened the independence of Syria.The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 5b, p. 92. "But he was a leper" It is rather annoying that

Leviticus 20:1-5 — defiled my sanctuary in the same day, and have profaned my sabbaths. For when they had slain their children to their idols, then they came the same day into my sanctuary to profane it; and, lo, thus have they done in the midst of my house" (Ezekiel 23:37-39). Thus, Ezekiel makes it clear what is meant above in Leviticus 20:3. Yes, it is true that Ezekiel was written long after the books of Moses, but there is no reason to believe that Ezekiel's description is any different from the practice as it

Leviticus 23:15-21 — holy convocation unto you; ye shall do no servile work: it is a statute forever in of all your dwellings throughout your generations." "A new meal-offering" This was to be new in several ways: (1)    It would be from a new crop. (2)    It would be of a new kind of grain (wheat), barley being used for the first-fruits (Leviticus 23:13). "The Talmudic tradition is that this offering was wheat, whereas the first-fruits was of barley."Robert P. Gordon, New Layman's

Leviticus 24:10-12 — reasons God why commanded that "Believers should not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers" (whether men or women). "It is wrong for a believer to marry an unbeliever. God says that. I would never have known it was wrong unless God had said it (2 Corinthians 6:14)."J. Vernon McGee, op. cit., p. 435. "(He) blasphemed the Name" The Hebrew word for "blasphemed" has a double meaning, and from this, one of the great tragedies of history developed. It can mean simply, pronounced;Harry M. Orlinsky,

Leviticus 26:3-13 — bondmen; and I have broken the bars of your yoke, and made you go upright." The blessings listed here are those which would greatly bless and provide for any agricultural people. Unger classified them thus: (1)    bountiful harvests, (2)    peace and security, (3)    fruitfulness and increase, and (4)    the presence of the Lord among the people.Merrill F. Unger, Unger's Commentary on the Old Testament, Leviticus, (Chicago:

Numbers 21:1-3 — place was called Hormah." "The king of Arad" "The name of this place still survives in the old ruins lying some 16 miles south of Hebron, known as Tell Arad."J. R. Dummelow, Commentary on the Holy Bible (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1937), p. 112. The "king of Arad" therefore is not a personal name, but the name of his capitol. "By way of Atharim" The name Atharim could be translated as "the spies," in the KJV, meaning "the way of the spies"; if it is a place-name, "the location is not known."W.

Numbers 22:21-30 — Balaam makes this certain. Also, it is clear that the anger of god was kindled against Balaam, not at the start of the journey, but afterward, as the presence of walled vineyard indicated the approach to the city. Why? The repeated warning (Numbers 22:35) indicates that Balaam had decided in his heart that he would comply with Balak's request and "curse" Israel. This triggered the anger of God. "Because he went" (Numbers 22:22) therefore has the meaning of "went with the intention of disobeying

Numbers 32:33-42 — monarchy and established themselves under Jeroboam I as "The Israel." The leaders of that coup were Ephraimites, and they gave their own name also to the northern kingdom. One may see the same attitude here in the Manassehites. The statement in Numbers 32:29 regarding Israel's giving other names to the cities "they builded" should be understood as their changing the names of the cities which they rebuilt. This reference obviously was associated with this chapter at a time subsequent to the death of Moses,

Deuteronomy 30:11-14 — Scripture. As John Locke said, "It is an ill rule for interpreting Paul to tie up his use of any text he brings out of the O.T., to that which is taken to be the meaning there."John Locke, Paraphrase and Notes on the Epistles of St. Paul (Boston: 1832), p. 348. Nevertheless, the thrust of both passages is exactly the same. Whether in the O.T. or in the N.T., God's word and will for Adam's rebellious race is nothing so complicated and intricate that people need any special help to know what it is.

Deuteronomy 34:9-12 — understand that Joshua was not Moses' equal. God spoke to Moses face to face, but Joshua needed to find the divine will through priestly mediation."Merrill F. Unger, Unger's Commentary on the Old Testament, Deuteronomy (Chicago: Moody Press, 1981), p. 278. Later on when Joshua neglected to consult through proper channels the will of God, in the case of the Gibeonites, a very costly error resulted. "A prophet…like unto Moses" There was never but One, in all human history who was indeed a prophet

Judges 1:8-15 — no need to view this as a contradiction of Joshua 15:63, where it is stated that Judah could not drive out the Jebusites. As Keil said, "To reconcile these statements is a simple matter."C. F. Keil in Keil-Delitzsch, Commentaries, Old Testament, Vol. 2-A, p. 254. Following this initial victory by Judah, the Jebusites recaptured the city of Jerusalem, strongly fortified it, and held it until the time of King David. "The hill-country… the South… the lowland" These three geographical characteristics

Judges 17:1-3 — Othniel the Judge,Josephus, Antiquities, p. 155. and Campbell pointed out that, "Many scholars agree with this, because of the mention of Jonathan the grandson of Moses (Judges 18:1) and because of the presence of Phinehas, the son of Eleazer in Judges 20:28."D. K. Campbell, p. 146. "Micah" This is the short form of the name "[~Mikayehuw], with the meaning, `Who is like Yahweh.'"The Interpreter's Bible, Vol. 2, p. 799. Boling paraphrased this name as "Yahweh-the-incomparable" in order to give ironic

1 Samuel 19:11-17 — the superscription of Psalms 59, David composed that psalm following the occasion of his deliverance reported here. "That night" "This cannot mean the night of the spear-throwing, for it is said there that David escaped."The Interpreter's Bible, Vol. 2, p. 986. Indeed it does refer to that night, as Keil very adequately explained above. All critical allegations against this chapter are solved by understanding it just as it is written. Another extremely bizarre "interpretation" is that of H. P. Smith

1 Samuel 4:2-4 — Apheks in Palestine, but the mention of nearby Ebenezer indicates that this one was in the south near the entrance of Beth-horon near the Philistine border.Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary, p. 177. The mention of "field of battle" (1 Samuel 4:2) appears to indicate that the skirmish was on relatively level ground, thus enabling the Philistines to use their chariots of iron to their great advantage. This conflict with the Philistines was no new thing at all; it had been going on for centuries.