Bible Commentaries

Isaiah 25:6-8 — He hath swallowed up death forever; and the Lord Jehovah will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the reproach of his people will he take away from off all the earth: for Jehovah hath spoken it." "In this mountain" This refers back to Isaiah 24:23 and means mount Zion, that is, Jerusalem. Part of these verses refer to the literal, earthly Jerusalem, because there is where Jesus was crucified, and that was the occasion when he destroyed death by giving his life on the Cross. On the other hand,

Isaiah 32:1-8 — the images and cut down the grove. He trusted in the Lord God of Israel, so that after him there was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him, for he clave unto the Lord, and departed not from following him" (2 Kings 18:3-5). Yes, indeed, in the context of a record of other kings of Israel, Hezekiah was indeed righteous; but in the absolute sense, no. The situation is the same as it was with other Old Testament heroes who bore the designation of "righteous men." For

Ezekiel 38:17-23 — the overthrow of Israel in case of their apostasy (Deuteronomy 28); and there are many other examples of God's prophecies to bring the heathen against Israel in case of their disobedience. Among these are the following cited by Alexander: Deuteronomy 30:7; Isaiah 26:20-21, and Jeremiah 30:18-24.RHA, p. 931. Cooke has stated concerning this prophecy of Gog's overthrow that "the writer may have been thinking of Zephaniah 1:3."International Critical Commentary, p. 414. Such a comment points up the difference

Jonah 2:1 — explains the double application of some of the expressions in the prayer. Critics like to complain that the passage (Jonah 2) "is not a prayer but a thanksgiving for deliverance."Paul T. Butler, Minor Prophets, (Joplin, Missouri: College Press, 1968), p. 235. However, in the words of Young who refuted such statements, "Is not thanksgiving of the very essence of prayer?"Edward J. Young, Introduction to the Old Testament, p. 280. "Such critical censure is pointless, displaying ignorance of the fact that

Zechariah 4:13-14 — interpretation forbidden by the truth that those men did not supply the golden oil that illuminates God's Israel throughout two dispensations. The two olive trees must be understood in the additional light afforded by John's vision in Revelation 11:3-4: "And I will give unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees and the two candlesticks standing before the Lord of the earth." The same terminology

Matthew 13:55-56 — moral courage. nor logic, nor philosophy, nor honest doubt. What was it? (1) It was unworthiness. That town had justly earned an unsavory reputation. As Christ said, "Men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil" (John 3:19). (2) It was egotism. Look at the self-glory of the words, "Is not this the carpenter's son?" What ridiculous snobbery of an inflated ego is implicit in such words as those! Ah, yes; who was speaking? The burgomaster's daughter, no less,

Matthew 23:7-9 — the apostles. Plummer expressed it: "They were to abandon the practice of appealing to `the fathers,' which had done so much evil in perpetuating misleading traditions."Alfred Plummer, Commentary on Matthew (London: Elliot Stock, 1909), p. 315. The sense of Christ's teaching recorded in this place is always violated when men are willing to accept the authority of "Doctor So and So" instead of the teachings of the word of God. Call no man your father on earth … At least

John 3:10 — equivalent of "Look, you Pharisees stop rejecting John's baptism; obey God by submitting to it; but that is only part of it; you must allow the Spirit of God to dwell in your heart, and that can come about only by your following me" (Luke 7:30). Greater importance attaches to John's baptism than is usually supposed. Jesus submitted to that baptism, as did (presumably) all the apostles, for it is inconceivable that the disciples of Jesus would have refused a baptism to which Jesus himself

John 3:3 — second birth; and, although in a sense the second birth is from above, so also in another sense is the first birth, or natural birth. Thus, "born again" is more explicit and correct. The doctrine of the new birth will be discussed under John 3:5, where Jesus more fully described it. Here the emphasis is upon the absolute necessity of it. It is not merely true that one cannot enter God's kingdom without the new birth; he cannot even see it! The requirement here stated by Jesus was actually

Acts 22:7-8 — dissemination of the persecuted truth. (2)    This is the most important question a mortal might ask. It is who Jesus is, was, and ever is which hails him as God in the hearts of men and demands their allegiance, loyalty, and obedience. (3)    What shall I do, Lord? Paul here had a conversation with the Lord, plainly asking him what to do to be saved; but Jesus did not bypass the great commission, nor deny the sufficiency of the word as proclaimed by gospel preachers;

Acts 7:41-43 — 220. Moloch … This old god of the Ammonites "was worshipped at Mari about 1800 B.C.. and was associated with the sacrifice of children in the fire." The New Bible Dictionary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans, Publishers, 1962), p. 836. Solomon built a high place for this god on a hill east of Jerusalem (1 Kings 11:7); Ahaz burned his children (2 Chronicles 28:3), and Manasseh did the same (2 Kings 21:6); and Samaria was judged for this sin (2 Kings 17:17). Rephan … "This

Romans 1:20 — has grown fashionable in some quarters to ridicule the teleological argument for the existence of God, but the inspired authors did not hesitate to use it. "For every house is builded by someone; but he that built all things is God" (Hebrews 3:4), is an example of it; and Paul's appeal to this argument in this context indicated his utmost confidence in it. The passing centuries have confirmed its logical appeal. One of the great scientific minds of the current century, Dr. Andrew Conway Ivy,

Romans 12:16 — exegesis, saying: The only possible meaning is: "aiming at the same object for one another as for yourselves"; that is to say, having each the same solicitude for the temporal and spiritual well-being of his brethren as for his own. Ibid., p. 437. This verse is a prohibition of partiality and respect of persons within communities of Christians. The development within congregations of small coteries of the allegedly elite, the formation of inner circles of preference, the stratification of churches

Romans 14:5 — violates his conscience, as well as the person who might have influenced him to violate it, are both guilty of sin in such a transgression, as pointed out by an apostle, If our heart condemn us, God is greater than our hearts and knoweth all things (1 John 3:20). Thinking that a thing is right cannot make it so; but thinking that a thing is wrong can indeed make it so for him who thus thinks. For further considerations on this subject, see my Commentary on Hebrews, p. 198.

Romans 16:15 — mentioned in each of these groups. Of course, Prisca and Aquila were able to provide a place in their home as a regular meeting place for all the services of their group, being obviously more able than most others to do such a thing (see under Romans 16:3). This roll of names, so sacred to the Christian religion, is here completed; and it is no mere list of dry syllables, for these are among God's redeemed ones from this earth. We do not know them, nor the distant world in which they lived; but it is

1 Corinthians 13:12 — God's grace, and the words about being "face to face" (presumably with the Lord) and knowing "fully" may be understood as descriptive of conditions in eternity. That there is, in fact, just such an emphasis in this 1 Corinthians 13:12, is proved by Paul's prompt return to the "now" in the final verse immediately after this. A failure to observe this limitation of 1 Corinthians 13:12 is fatal to any true interpretation of this passage. In a mirror darkly … Ancient

2 Corinthians 3:6 — those who have received the blessed Holy Spirit, there is no reference to that here. As Hughes said, "It is unlikely that a direct reference to the Spirit is intended." Philip E. Hughes, op. cit., p. 101. "The contrast in 2 Corinthians 3:6 is not between the outward and inward sense of scripture, but between the outward and inward power of the Jewish and Christian dispensations." J. W. McGarvey, Second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians (Cincinnati, Ohio: The Standard Publishing

2 Corinthians 7:13 — comforted: and in our comfort we joyed the more exceedingly for the joy of Titus, because his spirit hath been refreshed by you all. Paul's words here signal a total victory in Corinth. As Filson said: "By you all" (in this 2 Corinthians 7:13), combined with "everything" (2 Corinthians 7:14), "all" (2 Corinthians 7:15) and "in all things" (2 Corinthians 7:16), indicates that the entire church responded to Titus' appeal and is now loyal to Paul. Floyd V. Filson,

Colossians 2:11 — in this verse naturally raised the question in Paul's thought of just how men are enabled to participate in the death of Christ, share its benefits, and receive its blessings. That prompted the immediate reference to baptism. (Compare with Romans 6:3-5). THE CIRCUMCISION IN CHRIST Colossians 2:11 is more easily understood if the intermediate phrases are omitted from the principal statement in the passage which is: "In whom (Christ) we were also circumcised … in the circumcision of Christ." The

Hebrews 5:1 — character, quality of sacrifice, or whatsoever, the marvelous superiority of Christ is emphatically demonstrated. He begins with the ordinary qualifications of any high priest, namely, that (1) he should be taken from among people; (2) appointed by God; (3) have tender compassion for those whom he represented; (4) possess an adequate sacrifice; and (5) refrain from taking such an honor unto himself. Then he proceeds to show how, in all of these matters, Christ possessed the most extraordinary qualifications. Without