Bible Commentaries

Psalms 16:5-8 — kingship over all Palestine. "Jehovah… hath given me counsel." The import of this goes far beyond the inspiration evident in David's writings. Only of Jesus Christ is it possible to be said that "His words are indeed the words of God." John 12:48-50 emphasizes this truth dramatically: "He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my sayings, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I spake, the same shall judge him in the last day. For I spake not from myself; but the Father that sent me, he hath

Isaiah 4:1-6 — Commentary Revised, p. 593, Isaiah 4:5 here recalls the days during Israel's wilderness wanderings when the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night were constant witnesses of the presence and power of God to protect his people. Isaiah 4:2 in this chapter mentions "the Branch of Jehovah," using exactly the same word that is found in Jeremiah 23:5; Jeremiah 33:15; Zechariah 3:8; and Zechariah 6:12, where in every instance the plain reference is to the Messiah; and it is our firm conviction

Ezekiel 14:12-14 — RIGHTEOUS REMNANT COULD NOT SAVE JERUSALEM "When a land sinneth… by committing a trespass" "`Trespass' is far too mild a word for this strong Hebrew term. The root concerns high treason and the crime of `acting treacherously.'"J. B. Thompson, p. 128. It was no ordinary trespass, or sin, that resulted in the kind of destruction God was bringing upon Jerusalem. "These three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job" Even such citizens as these, though living in Jerusalem and interceding for it, could not have

Zechariah 12:10 — and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his first-born." Three tremendously important things are foretold here: (1) a spirit of grace and supplication (repentance) shall be poured out upon the "inhabitants of Jerusalem," (2) they shall look unto "me," that is, Jehovah, whom they have pierced, and (3) they shall mourn for "him," as one mourneth his only son. Pentecost marked the amazing fulfillment of (1). On that occasion, a vast company of people in Jerusalem repented,

Matthew 25:41 — that hath ears to hear, let him hear!" As to the speculation of what hell will be like, it is safe to assert that we do not know. It has not even entered into the heart of man what wonderful things God has prepared for the redeemed (1 Corinthians 2:9); and it may safely be assumed that man's mind has not fully conceived what may be the details of eternal punishment. The very figures used in Scripture such as "lake of fire" and "outer darkness" are not such as lend themselves

Luke 23:26 — And when they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon of Cyrene, coming from the country, and laid on him the cross, to bear it after Jesus. SIMON OF CYRENE Most commentators identify this Simon as the father of Alexander and Rufus (Mark 15:21) and with Rufus and his mother (Romans 16:13). The inference is that Simon became a Christian, that his sons Alexander and Rufus were distinguished members of the church in Rome, and that Simon's widow (?), the mother of Rufus (Romans 16:13), was a

John 9:34 — sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out. The rage of the Pharisees is understandable. A publicly known beggar had defeated them with a syllogism which they could not answer and which was strongly believed by some of their own number (John 3:2). Far from defeating the blind man, they had only aroused him to a vigorous and skillful advocacy of his growing faith in Christ. He no longer said, "Whether he is a sinner, I know not," but now hurled the challenge in their faces, "If

Acts 1:14 — These all with one accord continued stedfastly in prayer, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren. As Boles noted, "There are four separately mentioned classes of persons" H. Leo Boles, op. cit., p. 26. who made up this company. They were (1) the apostles, (2) Mary the mother of Jesus and certain other devout women, (3) the brothers of Jesus, and (4) certain other disciples (Acts 1:15). In prayer … No better way of waiting God's promise could

Acts 12:7 — and awoke him, saying, Rise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands. Several things entered into Peter's deliverance. (1) There was a prayer meeting, mentioned later in Luke's narrative here, but already going on, and for days previously. (2) There was a messenger, in this case an angel of the Lord; but always there is a messenger when people are to be saved. "How shall they hear without a preacher?" (Romans 10:14). (3) There was light in that prison. The angel delivered the word

Acts 15:1 — And certain men came down from Judaea and taught the brethren, saying, Except ye be circumcised after the custom of Moses, ye cannot be saved. Certain men came down … These were the same persons mentioned by Paul in Galatians 2:12 who came "from James." As Bruce said, "The Epistle to the Galatians enables us to fill out the brief summary here provided by Luke." F. F. Bruce, The Book of Acts (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans, Publishers, 1954), p.

Acts 15:10-11 — a profound difference between Peter's teaching here and the hesitancy and dissimulation so shortly before this in Antioch! The circumstances of such a dramatic change most surely included Paul's withering denunciation of Peter at Antioch (Galatians 2:11 ff). Peter "the Rock" was certainly out of character as this great issue boiled to a climax in Antioch; but in this scene he "came to himself." Paul's key part in bringing Peter to his senses was, in context, an act of God himself.

Acts 16:13 — Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans, Publishers, 1954), p. 330. The fact of there having been no synagogue means that there were fewer than ten Jewish men living in Philippi, that being the number required before a synagogue could be built. H. Leo Boles, op. cit., p. 256. In the absence of a synagogue, the Jews often provided places of prayer by the rivers, or other suitable locations, the custom of going to the rivers for these sites dating from the Babylonian captivity (Psalms 137:1; Ezra 8:15; Ezra 8:21). "Claudius

Acts 16:22-24 — today on the reverse side of the U.S. dime. Many stripes upon them … The actual beating was inflicted upon the bare flesh, hardly any form of punishment being any more savage and brutal. Three times Paul was thus compelled to suffer for Christ (2 Corinthians 11:25). Inner prison … stocks … The jailer who seems also to have had some knowledge of his prisoners nevertheless resisted any humane impulse that might have come to him; and, instead of "keeping them safely" as

Acts 25:22 — somewhat as a form of entertainment. In this scene, there began to be fulfilled the promise of the Lord that Paul would bear testimony and "his name" before the "Gentiles and kings, and the children of Israel" (Acts 9:15 and Isaiah 62:2). The setting of this scene was Caesarea, where some thirteen years earlier Herod Agrippa I, the father of this King Agrippa, Bernice and Drusilla, suffered a divine judgment in a sudden and horrible death.

Acts 28:11 — by sailors. The constellation Gemini is named for them, being one of the twelve sectors of the sky identified with the signs of the zodiac. Two coincidences of interest in this section are (1) both ships carrying Paul were ships of Alexandria, and (2) The Twin Brothers was the name and figurehead not only of the new ship, but also of Rhegium, their second port of call on the way to Rome. J. S. Howson, Life and Epistles of St. Paul (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans, Publisher), p. 663. This

Romans 13:13 — suggests the beauty and adornment of Christian behavior, which is of a kind not to be ashamed of in broad open daylight, contrasting sharply with the Gentile debaucheries usually committed at night, and therefore called the works of darkness (Romans 13:12). Deeds that are becoming to Christians are those of virtue, integrity, faithfulness, purity, and love. It was becoming of Christ to fulfill all righteousness (Matthew 3:15). Even the discussion of gross sins was forbidden to Christians upon the ground

Romans 7:5 — put a yoke upon the necks of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear (Acts 15:10). The inability of the Mosaic system to give the worshiper any valid victory over sin was due: (1) to the fact that no forgiveness was possible, (2) that there was no impartation of the Holy Spirit, and (3) that there was utterly no justification in the keeping of its precepts. No wonder that Peter referred to it as a yoke of bondage.

1 Corinthians 10:2 — any kind of "figure" or "sign." "The voluntary character of that baptism is suggested by the aorist middle," Paul W. Marsh. A New Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1969), p. 394. as in Acts 22:16; Acts 2:38, where the meaning is "have yourselves baptized." W. E. Vine, An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words (Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1940), p. 97. Bruce presented the analogy between Israel and Christians

1 Corinthians 14:29-32 — together all of Paul's regulations, the conclusion persists that there were also false prophets engaging in the free-for-all orgiastic demonstrations going on in Corinth. Certainly, in the case of the tongue speakers: (1) they were all speaking at once, (2) perhaps dozens were participating every Sunday, and (3) such a thing as interpreting what was spoken in tongues had been ignored altogether.

2 Samuel 22:1-51 — may appear in one but not in the other, synonyms of some words may be used in one of these in place of a different word in the other; and some words are transposed, appearing in a different order in one as compared with the other."John T. Willis, p. 402. All of this, of course, is certainly true, but what should be our conclusion from the consideration of such facts? Willis concluded that, "This shows that the Biblical authors were not concerned with preserving the exact words of those whom they quoted."Ibid.