Bible Commentaries

Genesis 14:15-16 — personally present in the campaign. "In the inscriptions on ancient monuments, the expeditions sent out by various kings were ascribed to them personally,"Ibid, p. 450. despite the fact of the kings not having been personally present on such excursions. (3)    Abram was aided by three allies. (4)    He had the advantage of surprise. (5)    He attacked by night. (6)    He attacked from a number of directions at one time. (7)    He

Exodus 15:1-2 — merely a critical bias unsupported by any evidence whatever. "The narrative makes it quite clear that Miriam simply took the opening sentences of Moses' song and made them into a chant or response for the women to sing."Oswald T. Allis, op. cit., p. 319. The dictum that Miriam's chorus was an earlier and original version of this song "is based solely on the dubious principle that `shorter is earlier,"'David F. Payne, The New Layman's Bible Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1979),

Exodus 2:3-4 — here that Jochebed "made" this ark, but that she "took it." "This was a chest made of the stalks of the papyrus reed which grows profusely along the banks of the Nile."J. R. Dummelow, Commentary on the Holy Bible (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1937), p. 50. Papyrus was widely used in the manufacture of such things as baskets, boats, mats, ropes, sails, and even paper. We may be sure that Jochebed picked out a good one in preparing to place little Moses in it. "The slime, used as a watertight

Exodus 31:6-11 — holy place: according to all that I have commanded thee shall they do." "Behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab" It is strange indeed that the man appointed by the Lord to make the curtains and have charge of all the fabric work for the Tent (Exodus 31:7) was himself the bearer of a name Oholiab, which means "Father's Tent."Roy L. Honeycutt, Jr., op. cit., p. 433. It is mentioned that he was of the tribe of Dan; and although that tribe does not appear to have been famous for such men of artistic

1 Kings 20:26-30 — men, Snaith has this: "The destruction of the city wall is often used to describe the capture of a city; and the verse may actually mean that this large, number of men lost their lives when the city was captured and taken."The Interpreter's Bible, Vol. 3, p. 170. To all intents and purposes, Benhadad's temporary hiding place was useless. He was already in the control of Ahab.

1 Kings 22:8-12 — Ahab sent for Micaiah, so they changed some of their message. This time they actually invoked the name of Jehovah upon their crooked prophecy, but it was still the old Delphian oracle type of deceit and falsehood. Note he italicized "it". (See reason (3) under 1 Kings 22:5, above.) We may be certain that Ahab called Micaiah reluctantly, and that while Micaiah was being summoned the false prophets redoubled their efforts in the hope of convincing Jehoshaphat. The occasion was a spectacular display of

1 Kings 7:1-8 — building, or if, perhaps, her house was merely a section of the harem. Keil pointed out that there are a number of special projects included here: "(1) The house of the forest of Lebanon (1 Kings 7:2-5); (2) The pillar hall and porch (1 Kings 7:6); (3) The throne room and judgment hall (1 Kings 7:7); (4) Solomon's own dwelling; (5) The house for Pharaoh's daughter (1 Kings 7:8)."C. F. Keil, Keil and Delitzsch's Old Testament Commentaries, Vol. 3a, p. 89.

2 Kings 10:6-11 — has finished the job! "Here Jehu pretended that he had nothing to do with the murder of the king's sons, that, on the contrary, it was a divine fulfillment of Elijah's prophecy concerning the fate of the house of Ahab."The Interpreter's Bible, Vol. 3, p. 239. "For Jehovah hath done that which he spake through his servant Elijah" This was Jehu's flat denial; "I didn't do it; God did"! Of course, the man Jehu was a consummate liar. Every man does what he commands those under him to do. "And Jehu smote

2 Kings 23:31-35 — a detachment of soldiers to Jerusalem and deposed him and placed Eliakim on the throne as his puppet."C. F. Keil, Keil and Delitzsch's Old Testament Commentaries, op. cit., p. 499. This would appear to be verified by the declaration in 2 Chronicles 36:3 that "Pharaoh deposed him at Jerusalem."

2 Kings 25:27-30 — allowance, there was a continual allowance given him of the king, every day a portion, all the days of his life." There is surely a mystery in this. Why should Evil-merodach have done such a thing? What a change for a man who had spent the previous 37 years in prison! One explanation is that the new king of Babylon, Evil-merodach, desired to make an ostentatious display of his power, and at meal-times he had before him the numerous kings who had been defeated by Babylon seated on `thrones' (substantially

2 Kings 3:1-3 — not therefrom." The critical allegation that this paragraph is merely, "A Deuteronomic appraisal, and that the successive kings of Israel were judged by the Deuteronomic standard of the single sanctuary (in Jerusalem),"Broadman Bible Commentary, Vol. 3, p. 233. is unacceptable in the light of truth. The implication of such an opinion is that the provision of Jerusalem as the single, one and only, acceptable sanctuary for the Chosen People came, not from Moses via the direct revelation of God, but

2 Chronicles 14:9-15 — corroborated by the historical truth that, "It was Egypt (not Arabia) that never recovered from this blow for more than three centuries; not until 609 B.C., did Egypt again venture into Palestine with hostile intentions."Albert Barnes, op. cit., p. 390. Also when Judah defeated the enemy, they fled to Gerar, "A town to the south of Gaza,"Wycliffe Old Testament Commentary, p. 402. which was in the direction of Egypt, not Arabia. "They smote also the tents of the cattle" "These were the tents associated

2 Chronicles 5:11-14 — filled the house of God." "The significance of the temple is made specific in the ceremonies that accompanied its dedication. They designated the Temple to be the lineal successor to Israel's previous sanctuaries."Wycliffe Old Testament Commentary, p. 395. The ark of the covenant and the tent of meeting were brought into the temple, and God recognized the temple as the place where his name was recorded and where a manifestation of his earthly presence would dwell. In view of all the sins and rebellions

Nehemiah 11:25-36 — southeast of Joppa."The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 7c, p. 120. Bethel, another famous town, was where Jeroboam I installed one of his golden calves. "It is strange that Gibeon, Mizpah and Jericho are not mentioned, although they are listed in Nehemiah 3."Wycliffe Old Testament Commentary, p. 443 Perhaps this should alert us to the truth that this record is abbreviated. This brings us near to the dedication of the wall, related in the next chapter; but Nehemiah was by no means finished with providing

Deuteronomy 10:18-22 — There are several Biblical words used in reference to this quality of being citizens not of this world, but of another. They are: strangers, foreigners, pilgrims, sojourners, etc. Paul's famous passage, "Our citizenship is in heaven" etc. (Philippians 3:20) is based upon this conception. All such expressions eventually refer back to Abraham who dwelt in tents but never owned any land in Canaan except a burial place. When one thinks of the great wealth of the patriarchs, it is still astonishing that

Deuteronomy 28:20-26 — 12 of the N.T. series.) Kline recognized this properly as a figurative presentation of the final judgment and the total destruction of the entire rebellious portion of the race of Adam. This is that same event, of which Zephaniah spoke (Zephaniah 2:1-3), in which God promised to "wipe this Adam (meaning the whole race) off the face of the earth," The import of this is exceedingly grave. It denies that, through some supreme act of mercy, God will intervene in spite of Israel's wickedness and save them

Deuteronomy 3:12-17 — for Lake Galilee, "Chinnereth," is found here, also an alternative name for the Dead Sea, "the Sea of the Arabah." The Arabah was the name of the whole Jordan valley from Mount Hermon southward past the Dead Sea. "The mention of Machir in Deuteronomy 3:15 should be understood as a reference to a part of the tribe of Manasseh."Anthony Phillips, Deuteronomy (Cambridge: University Press, 1973), p. 29. We appreciate the lesson which Scott drew from this chapter. He noted that: "This whole attack against

1 Corinthians 7 overview — to do this (1 Corinthians 7:1-7). (2)    Should single persons get married? Answer: Yes, in all normal situations; but for the gifted, such as Paul, celibacy was advantageous, especially in unsettled times (1 Corinthians 7:8-9). (3)    Is divorce permitted for Christians? Answer: No (1 Corinthians 7:10-11). (4)    When one partner of a pagan couple becomes a Christian, the other refusing to do so, is such a marriage binding? Answer: Yes,

1 Samuel 9:1-2 — Commentary, p. 168. (1) Saul came from a very wealthy and powerful family; (2) the tribe of Benjamin was centrally located between the rival tribes of Judah and Benjamin and thus strategically located to achieve the unity of the northern and southern tribes. (3) Furthermore, Saul certainly looked like a king. His being head and shoulders taller than the rest of the people is mentioned again in 1 Samuel 10:23. "A king chosen from either Judah or Ephraim, the two largest tribes, would have aroused the bitterest

2 Samuel 3:22-25 — This contradicts what H. P. Smith stated, namely, that, "By tribal morality, David as kinsman of Asahel was bound to take blood revenge as much as Joab himself."Ibid. Keil stated that: "This act of Joab in which Abishai was also concerned (2 Samuel 3:30), was a treacherous act of assassination, which could not even be defended as blood-revenge, since Abner had slain Asahel in battle after repeated warnings, and only for the purpose of saving his own life. The principle motive for Joab's action was