Bible Commentaries

Genesis 13:10 — that the apostasy of Lot began right here and that it consisted of the following steps: (1)    He looked upon the attraction of the fertile pasture lands toward Sodom; (2)    He chose it as his home (Genesis 13:11) and moved his home into the close vicinity of it (Genesis 13:13); (3)    He "dwelt in Sodom" (Genesis 14:12); and (4)    He acknowledged the men of Sodom as his "brothers" (Genesis 19:7) and offered them his

Genesis 24:28-32 — Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House: 1981), p. 66. This view would mean that Bethuel, Rebekah's father, was still living in the ancestral home. However, this seems unreasonable, because Laban, in such a case, would not have had charge of everything. (3)    Still another view is that the Bethuel mentioned in Genesis 24:50 was a younger brother of Laban, the father Bethuel being indeed dead. This view seems the most plausible. It is somewhat confirmed by the statement of Josephus

Genesis 6:13 — that the fundamental premise underlying much of man's speculation about the past is founded upon the dictum that, "All things continue as they were from the creation of the world." We know that this is untrue, as attested by the apostle Peter (2 Peter 3:4); but the scientific community themselves are also beginning to understand the falsity of the dictum. Francis Schaeffer mentions in detail the example of prehistoric mammals of great size having been uncovered in the frozen wastes of Siberia, an area

Genesis 8:6-12 — sent out last, to which there could have been no point whatever. This is only one of many unreasonable and illogical characteristics of the extra-Biblical stories of the Flood, the same being merely "perverted versions"Merrill F. Unger, op. cit., p. 43. of the true Biblical account. We shall notice another of these under Genesis 8:21. "And, lo, in her mouth an olive leaf" Here is the origin of the universally-known symbol of the dove and the olive leaf as signifying peace and good will. In the N.T.,

Exodus 22:10-13 — as McKeating stated it, "A shepherd was accountable to the sheep-owner for any animal lost, unless he could prove it was lost owing to circumstances beyond his control."Henry McKeating, Amos, Hosea, and Micah (Cambridge: University Press, 1971), p. 30. This law lay behind the strenuous efforts of shepherds to rescue animals, or portions of them, attacked by wild beasts. The prophet Amos mentioned this: "Thus saith Jehovah, As the shepherd rescueth out of the mouth of the lion two legs, or the piece

Exodus 35 overview — Exodus 35-40 gives the account of the construction of the tabernacle; and these six chapters, in the principal part, are an almost verbatim repetition of the instructions given earlier in Exodus. Of course, the imperatives are changed to the declaratives, and

Exodus 4:2-4 — the hands of an instrument (Moses) of God! "Take it by the tail" This was a test of Moses' faith. "Snake charmers usually take snakes by the neck to prevent their biting."J. R. Dummelow, Commentary on the Holy Bible (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1937), p. 5,2. The almost certain way to be bitten by a serpent is to take it by the tail! As to what kind of a snake this was, we are not told, however, implicit in Moses' fear of it is the near certainty that it was a poisonous serpent. Many have supposed

Psalms 44 overview — might have been written. The dates for this psalm which have been seriously proposed by able scholars are as follows. (1) "The times of the Maccabees was the date preferred by Calvin and others. (2) The reign of Jehoiachin was advocated by Tholuck. (3) Canon Cook argued for the times of David. (4) The reigns of Jehoram or Joshua are chosen by some."The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 8, p. 241. Ash included the "reign of Hezekiah"Anthony L. Ash, Jeremiah and Lamentations (Abilene, Texas: A.C.U. Press, 1987),

Psalms 47 overview — THE EARTH THE ASCENSION OF CHRIST There are three different interpretations for this chapter, listed by Baigent as, (1) "The celebration song of a recent historical victory, (2) a hymn anticipating the future establishment of the kingdom of God, and (3) a cultic enthronement hymn."The New Layman's Bible Commentary, p. 631. The third so-called "interpretation" we reject altogether as being merely a recent device artificially contrived by critics as a means of excluding any reference here to the Messiah.

Leviticus 26 overview — the Spirit of God regarding things then present and things yet future."F. C. Cook, Canon of Exeter, Commentary on the Holy Bible, Leviticus (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1911) from the Private Library of Burt Pauley, Barstow, California, p. 643. Here, in the amazing prophecies of this chapter is the final and irrevocable defeat of the modern nonsense that denies predictive prophecy as a major feature of the Holy Bible! These prophecies were written at a time before Israel ever entered Canaan,

Jeremiah 33 overview — THE RIGHTEOUS BRANCH, THE MESSIAH Much of this chapter is challenged by the critics who point out that Jeremiah 33:14-26 are missing from the LXX, and that the apparent prophecies of the endless succession of a Davidic line of kings and a restoration and perpetual continuity of the Levitical priesthood with its countless sacrifices are totally contrary to other

Deuteronomy 30 overview — period and reaching all the way down to the time when John the Baptist appeared on the banks of the Jordan, Israel had no prophet, that being a part of those long centuries of which Hosea said that Israel should "sit still for God" many days (Hosea 3:4), and during which there was "no prophet" (Psalms 74:9). Therefore, when Von Rad declared that this chapter contains, "simple affirmative propositions, clothed altogether in the style of prophetic predictions,Gerhard Von Rad, Deuteronomy (Philadelphia:

John 20 overview — heaven watching was preparing the music that should ring around the world declaring the defeat of evil, the mastery of sin, and the ransom of the race. G. Campbell Morgan, The Gospel according to John (Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company), p. 306. There is a repeated threefold motif in this chapter: (1) John's faith was inspired by three things: the stone's removal, the empty tomb, and the undisturbed grave clothes (John 20:1-10). (2) The testimony of three individuals is given: that of John,

Hebrews 12:15 — to combine the two metaphors and refer both of them to Christ in a single verse of scripture (Revelation 22:16): (1) There is the contrast between what is NEAR and what is FAR. (2) There is the contrast between what is INVISIBLE and what is VISIBLE. (3) There is the contrast between the EARTHLY and the HEAVENLY. (4) There is the contrast between the LOCAL and the UNIVERSAL. A root is a local thing, while a star transverses the galaxy. (5) There is the contrast between the SLOW and the SWIFT. A root

James 2:1 — truthfully be addressed as "brethren." As Lenski said, "This is preeminently a New Testament writing and by no means a legal one." R. C. H. Lenski, Interpretation of … the Epistle of James (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1938), p. 564. To read James as if it were addressed to Jews is to miss the meaning altogether. The faith of our Lord Jesus Christ … As usual, the scholars cannot agree on whether "faith" is here subjective or objective. Zerr made it objective,

Revelation 10:9 — in thy mouth it shall be sweet as honey. Give me the little book … See under preceding verse. "Take it, and eat it up …" It is futile to search for John's "source" either in the Old Testament (Ezekiel 2:9 to Ezekiel 3:4) or anywhere else except in this vision "which God gave him" (Revelation 1:1). Nothing truly like this vision is found anywhere but here. The meaning inherent in taking a book and eating it up is simply that of mastering its contents; and

Revelation 12:4 — destroy Israel; and, at a later time, Haman was Satan's instrument in the passing of a law "to kill, destroy, and cause to perish all Jews, young and old, little children and women, in one day, and to take the spoil of them for a prey" (Esther 3:13). Herod's murder of the innocents (Matthew 2:16) is another example of the same malicious hatred on the part of Satan. Having failed to destroy the mother (Israel), Satan was alert to destroy her child (the Christ); and failing also in that, his

Revelation 18:4 — from heaven … See under the preceding verse for the reason behind this. Come forth, my people, out of her … Amazing! Does God have people in the harlot church? Yes, nor should this surprise us. There were also saints in Sardis (Revelation 3:14), and much people who belonged to God even in pagan Nineveh (Jonah 4:11). Even of wicked Corinth, God said to Paul in the night by a vision, "I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to harm thee: for I have much people in this city"

Revelation 22:14 — before God will save him. This is one of the seven great beatitudes of Revelation. They are: I.    Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep the things that are written therein (Revelation 1:3). II.    Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord (Revelation 14:13). III.    Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame (Revelation 16:15). IV.    Blessed

Revelation 9 overview — The seven seals were divided into two groups (4 and 3); and the same is true with the trumpets, the division being marked by the insertion of Revelation 8:13" Isbon T. Beckwith, The Apocalypse of John (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1919),p. 555. where the last three trumpets are designated