Bible Commentaries

Psalms 22:9-11 — didst make me trust when I was upon my mother's breasts. I was cast upon thee from the womb; Thou art my God since my mother bare me. Be not far from me; for trouble is near; For there is none to help." "Thou art my God since my mother bare me" (Psalms 22:10). In a sense, this is true of all men, "But of the Holy Child, it was most true (Luke 2:40; Luke 2:49; Luke 2:52)."The Pulpit Commentary, p. 152. "Trouble is near; there is none to help" (Psalms 22:11). The agony of death itself was approaching;

Proverbs 14:30 — "A tranquil heart is the life of the flesh; But envy is the rottenness of the bones." "Bodily health comes with a tranquil mind, but passionate feelings are like rot in the bones."The Anchor Bible (Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company, 1982). However, it is wrong to limit the application of this to the physical body. The great Christian ideal is, "A quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty" (1 Timothy 2:2). 1 Peter 3:4 and Acts 19:36 also echo the thoughts of this proverb. "Calmness

Proverbs 5:1 — Jamieson's short summary of this chapter is: "Here is a warning against the seductive arts of wicked women, enforced by considering the blessings and advantages of chastity, and the miserable end of the wicked,"Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary, p. 392. Walls subdivided the chapter as follows: (1)    the teacher's appeal for strict attention (Proverbs 5:1-2), (2)    a description of the loose woman (Proverbs 5:3-6), (3)    an injunction to

Leviticus 5 overview — continuation of the divine instructions regarding sin-offerings outlined in the previous chapter. Special situations in which sin-offerings were required are listed as follows: (1)    the failure to give testimony (Leviticus 5:1); (2)    incurring uncleanness by touching an unclean object or an unclean person (Leviticus 5:2-3); (3)    making a rash vow (Leviticus 5:4). The required sin-offering is outlined (Leviticus 5:5-6). Leviticus 5:7-13

Isaiah 36 overview — DIVISION V (Isaiah 36-39) This division is the historical section of Isaiah, corresponding with 2 Kings 18:13 to 2 Kings 19:37. "Except for Hezekiah's psalm, found only in Isaiah 38:9-20, and for Isaiah's omission of 2 Kings 18:14-16, including part of Isaiah 36:17 a, much of the material in this Division coincides almost word-for-word with 2 Kings

Daniel 7:17-18 — is indicated here is that monstrous world-governments shall continue throughout the world's history (Isn't it true?). "But the saints of the Most High shall possess the kingdom" Exactly when this event takes place was not indicated here; but Daniel 2:44 and supplemental information from the New Testament indicate that the possession was to take place in the days of the "fourth" great beast, namely, the days of the Roman Empire. Daniel 7:22 also mentions the saints' possession of the kingdom; and

Malachi 3:9 — me, even this whole nation." "The curse" Again, note the definite article. It is indicative of the end of relationship with God. It is that which followed the final and judicial hardening visited by God upon incorrigible sinners. (See under Malachi 2:2, above.) "Even this whole nation" Israel is not here designated as my people," or "the people of God"; the status of Israel from this time forward in human history was simply that of any other people on earth. "The word here, `nation,' is normally

Matthew 16:27 — would come in the glory of God with his angels. Could a mere man have said that? This can be nothing less than a prophecy of the general resurrection and judgment of the last day. The basis of that judgment shall include (1) the word of Christ (John 12:48), and (2) the deeds done in the body (2 Corinthians 5:10). No number of angels is indicated in this place, but "ten thousand" is the number given in Judges 1:14. Even that could be a perfect number signifying an infinitely greater number.

Matthew 20:28 — redeem them from the power of the evil one; but meanwhile the debt for sin remained undischarged, and Satan was doubling and redoubling his efforts to thwart God's holy purpose. A ransom for many! "Who gave himself a RANSOM for all" (1 Timothy 2:6). "God sent … his Son to be the PROPITIATION for our sins" (1 John 2:1-2). "Ye were REDEEMED with precious blood, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, even the blood of Christ" (1 Peter 1:19). "For ye were

Acts 10:5-6 — saved. Orin Root, Acts (Cincinnati, Ohio: Standard Publishing Company, 1966), p. 75. Milligan also answered this question the same way: Because Jesus had committed to the apostles, and through them to the church, the word of reconciliation (Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 5:18-19; 1 Timothy 3:15; and 2 Timothy 2:2). Robert Milligan, Analysis of the New Testament (Cincinnati, Ohio: Bosworth, Chase and Hall, Publishers, 1974), p. 349. The importance of Peter's participation in this event was stressed by Lange,

Acts 2:23-24 — because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. In these verses and the one preceding them, there are four statements, two of which required no proof, the latter being: (1) that God had approved Jesus Christ among them by mighty deeds, and (2) that they had by the hands of lawless men crucified him. Lawless … McGarvey thought this refers to the Romans, that is, men without the law; and, although true that the Romans were so used by the leaders of Israel in crucifying Christ, we believe

Acts 20:6 — near the site of ancient Troy, was rebuilt by the successors of Alexander the Great who renamed the place Alexandria Troas. The importance of the place in New Testament history derives from its being: (1) the place where Paul met Luke (Acts 16:8-11), (2) the gateway from Asia to Europe where a "door opened" for Paul (2 Corinthians 2:12), (3) the scene of the remarkably important Lord's day services (Acts 20:7-12), and if Blaiklock's deduction is correct, (4) the scene of Paul's final arrest

Romans 4:4 — universal; but Christ spoke of the narrow gate and the broad way leading to the destruction of many. That there is nothing anyone can do to be saved. If such is true, what did Peter mean by "Save yourselves from this crooked generation" (Acts 2:40). A multitude of people heard Peter preach the first sermon of the gospel age; and at the end of it, having believed all that Peter preached, and thus having believed in Christ, they cried out, "What shall we do?" (Acts 2:37). Wouldn't

2 Corinthians 10 overview — guesses about a "severe" letter having been penned at a time between the two canonical letters, such letter having first been lost, then a part of it discovered, and then inserted by some unknown "editor" at this particular place in 2 Corinthians is too preposterous a surmise to have any weight at all. Why would any "editor" have placed such a recovered lost letter in a place like this? All such speculations perish in the total absence of any manuscript authority, and of

2 Corinthians 3:18 — who do it. It is in the looking of the Christian upon the Lord, as invariably entailed in the worship of him, that a miracle of transformation is wrought in his life. Here Paul revealed the secret of how to "be … transformed" (Romans 12:2). Beholding as in a mirror … The word "beholding" in classical Greek means "looking at one's self in a mirror"; "But that requires steady looking when mirrors are metal, and so the word came to mean simply, TO GAZE

2 Corinthians 6:14 — fellowship have righteousness and iniquity? Or what communion hath light with darkness? This apostolic order has at least two anchors in what Paul had just written: (1) He had just warned them against receiving the grace of God "in vain" (2 Corinthians 6:1); and (2) he had just touched upon a truth which undoubtedly had superlative impact upon his emotions, that being the loss of love for Paul on the part of the Corinthians. It was the encroachment of paganism against the holy faith which

Ephesians 6:23-24 — love that is the greatest of the three greatest, and the faith that overcomes the world, these three precious treasures are given away to any one who sincerely requests them of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. William Hendriksen, op. cit., p. 286. The significant thing here, of course is the reverse order in which Paul's favorite words are enumerated. In Romans 1:7, 1 Corinthians 1:3, 2 Corinthians 1:2, Galatians 1:3, and Colossians 1:2 — in all these, the order of the words is invariably

1 Thessalonians 1:3 — Christ, before our God and Father; This remarkable Pauline triad, that is, a double triad of work, labor and patience linked to faith, hope and love (1 Corinthians 13:13) with "I know thy works, and thy toil, and thy patience" (Revelation 2:2), is one of the most interesting in the New Testament. Morris cautioned against failing to read the true meaning of [@hupomone], rendered patience, but meaning "not a negative acquiescence, but an active, manly endurance"; Ibid., p. 35.

2 Peter 1:3 — is seen in the fact that all subsequent "revelations" so-called, are relegated to the status of not pertaining to life and godliness. The very fact of the saving knowledge delivered through the apostles being complete (as Paul also said in 2 Timothy 3:17), effectually denies the need of any subsequent information bearing upon life and godliness. In the light of this truth, what must be thought of the claims of a Mary Baker Eddy or Joseph Smith, or of any others claiming to add anything

Revelation 13:13 — … fire from heaven … Here is the apocalyptic equivalent of Paul's man of sin sitting in God's house, setting himself forth as God, and exhibiting "all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceit of unrighteousness" (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12). See discussion of that whole passage in my Commentary on 2 Thessalonians pp. 97-117. Paul referred to the great signs as "lying wonders"; and from this, we may be certain that the apostate power did not actually do what