Bible Commentaries

Exodus 26:31-37 — upon this veil than may be found in nearly anything else in the O.T. WHAT THE VEIL TYPIFIED 1.    The colors: blue, purple, and scarlet appear three times in this chapter: (1) in the inner covering of linen; (2) in this veil; and (3) in the screen at the entrance. That they carry a weight of symbolism is certain. Unger pointed out that: "Blue signifies Christ's heavenly origin. Purple suggests his royal lineage as David's Son. Scarlet indicates his sacrificial blood shed for fallen

Proverbs 2:16-19 — truth appears to be that. "The strange woman here is any meretricious person who indulges in illicit sex."The Pulpit Commentary, op. cit., p. 40. (This is the first of several warnings against adultery in the book of Proverbs; others are in Proverbs 5:3-23; Proverbs 6:20-35; Proverbs 7:1-27; Proverbs 9:13-18). The thing that amazes this writer is that the author of these instructions was himself the most fantastic violator of these warnings ever known. "Some Jewish commentators personify the strange

Ecclesiastes 12:1 — authority is eternal and unlimited. "You are not your own; you have no right to yourself. God made you, and he made you so that you might be happy; but you can be happy only in Him.Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (London: T. Mason and G. Lane, 1837), Vol. III, p. 836. This is a basic doctrine of the Holy Bible. "Some interpreters, of course consider this too pious, and so they change it; but this is not acceptable."J. A. Loader, Ecclesiastes, p. 131. For example, here are a couple of the ridiculous

Ecclesiastes 7:26-29 — only have I found: that God made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions." "I have found more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets" This is fully in harmony with what Solomon had written in Proverbs 2:14; Proverbs 5:3-4, etc. "Solomon himself had experienced much bitterness from the sin and misery into which women can lead their victims."The Pulpit Commentary, op. cit., p. 165. In this verse, however, he is speaking particularly of the wicked woman described repeatedly

Ecclesiastes 7:8-10 — Vol. 9b, p. 158. "Of course, this proverb is too pessimistic to be true without qualifications."International Critical Commentary, op. cit., p. 140. In fact Solomon gave two proverbs in which this is not true, namely, in Proverbs 5:4 and in Proverbs 23:32. "Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry" Here once more Solomon virtually repeats a proverb he gave in Proverbs 14:17, "He that is soon angry will deal foolishly." "What is the cause that the former days were better…?" This, of course, is

Isaiah 24:4-6 — inhabitants have broken the covenant made with Noah, in which bloodshed was forbidden (Genesis 9:6; Genesis 9:16). On bloodshed, the great empires have been founded, and they shall perish in the blood they have spilt."Peake's Commentary Series, p. 453. We believe Peake's comment here is accurate; and we wish to add that the most terrible thing visible in the societies of mankind this very day is the utter disregard of this Divine Commandment in Genesis 9:6. It not only condemns and forbids bloodshed;

Isaiah 45:14-17 — salvation,"The New Bible Commentary, Revised, p. 615. and will not be the result of any kind of physical restraint whatever. This illustration of former enemies coming and falling down and worshipping "Israel" is also specifically presented again in Revelation 3:9. See my comment on that New Testament instance of the same thing, Vol. 12 of our New Testament Series, p. 80. The last two verses indicate the ultimate glory of Israel as exhibited in the "Israel of God" under the glorious terms of the New Covenant,

Isaiah 46:8-11 — verses which are designed to inspire trust in the chosen people: (1) they should recall the many wonders God has already performed on their behalf; (2) they should especially remember his power and ability to prophecy events before they occur; and (3) they should dwell upon the fact that God has promised to deliver them from captivity. That "ravenous bird from the east" is of course a reference to Cyrus; and as Lowth noted, "`Calling from the east that eagle' was a very proper emblem for Cyrus,

Isaiah 63:10-14 — rendered the word "grieved" here "vexed," or "rebelled against." In the New Testament, Christians are represented as "receiving" the Holy Spirit (John 20:22), and others as "resisting" the Holy Spirit (Acts 7:51) "blaspheming" the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:31), "lying" to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3). "insulting" the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 10:29), "grieving" the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30), or as "quenching" the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19). Isaiah 63:10 b here indicates that Israel, as a people, "quenched

Jeremiah 14:19-22 — "This is a reference to the temple (2 Kings 19:15; Psalms 99:1)."Charles Lee Feinberg in Ezekiel (Chicago: Moody Press), p. 472. Feinberg noted that this prayer for the people was based upon three things: "(1) God's reputation, (2) his temple, and (3) his covenant with Israel"Ibid. "Here were a group of people who had gone too far in sin, so far that they have become ignorant of God's character, that God is indeed a God of holiness and righteousness. How could they be such fools?"Broadman Bible

Jeremiah 15:10-11 — to his having refrained from doing either as a grounds of his being unable to understand why everybody hated him! Cheyne believed that this lament "belongs to a later period of the history of Judah"T. K. Cheyne, Jeremiah in the Pulpit Commentary, p. 373. but there is nothing certain about such a speculation. Hyatt stated that, "We do not know the occasion of this lament."James P. Hyatt in the Interpreter's Bible in The Interpreter's Bible, p. 939. "Woe is me, my mother that thou hast borne me" Many

Jeremiah 27:1-3 — to the king of Tyre, and to the king of Sidon, by the hand of the messengers that came to Jerusalem unto the king of Judah." Jeremiah 27:1 here places the events of this chapter in the accession year of Jehoiachim; but it is evident from Jeremiah 27:3 that Zedekiah was the king during the events of this chapter. What we have here is some kind of an error; and scholars usually agree that some ancient copyist accidentally copied the first verse of the preceding chapter. The Revised Standard Version

Ezekiel 18:5-9 — support such an error. Beginning with this paragraph and running through Ezekiel 18:18, "Ezekiel gives a concrete example of the truth announced in Ezekiel 18:4, above. Three generations are presented: (1) a just grandfather; (2) an ungodly son; and (3) a righteous grandson. The three kings of Judah, namely, Hezekiah, Manasseh, and Josiah fit the descriptions given here."Charles Lee Feinberg in Ezekiel (Moody Press), p. 100. "And hath not eaten upon the mountains" Such scholars as May and Eichrodt

Ezekiel 20:45-49 — message of the "Song of the Sword" in the following chapter."George Barlow, The Preacher's Complete Homiletic Commentary (New York: Funk and Wagnalls Company, 1891), p. 246. "The fire… shall devour every green tree and every dry tree" Ezekiel 21:3 reveals that the green tree and the dry tree here stand for the wicked and the righteous, both of whom will perish in the forthcoming holocaust. It is regrettable that some scholars jump to the conclusion that this contradicts what the prophet said

Zechariah 11:1 — came to his own, and his own received him not); now thou must open them to let thy ruin in. Let the gates of the forest, and all the avenues to it be thrown open, and let the fire come in and devour its glory.Ibid. These three verses (Zechariah 11:1-3) present in a vigorous picture a scene of complete judgment and devastation upon the land to which such fair things had been promised in Zechariah 9-10. To this literal understanding of the passage we ought to adhere."H. C. Leupold, Exposition of Zechariah

Zechariah 5:4 — where lived some who seemed not to know God, are today gone; and the oldest citizens of the area dispute even the locations of some of them. "Him that sweareth falsely by my name" This suggests the Ninth Commandment, not the Third, as in Zechariah 5:3; and, for this reason, the "swearing" in both verses is understood by some as "bearing false witness against a neighbor," or as taking an oath to support a falsehood. We believe this viewpoint is wrong; for it turns out that "falsely" is one of those

Matthew 26:15 — weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. And the Lord said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord (Zechariah 11:12-13). This is far more than a prophecy; it is a whole constellation of prophecies. Note the following: 1.    There will be haggling over the price (if not, forbear). 2.    The sum agreed upon will be 30 pieces of

Acts 8:12 — declared, "It is plainly excluded that the house should mean one thing in the first sentence and another in the second," Gerhardus Vos, The Teaching of Jesus Concerning the Kingdom of God and the Church (New York: American Tract Society, 1903), p. 150. thus declaring the church and the kingdom the same. Even Gilmour said, "The church has been the kingdom of God within the historical process." S. McLean Gilmour, The Interpreter's Bible (New York: Abingdon Press, 1951), Vol. viii,

Joshua 2:1-7 — This place was five or six miles east of Jordan, just as Jericho was about the same distance west of Jordan. "Shittim means Acacias, and they are still found in that area."J. R. Dummelow, Commentary on the Holy Bible (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1937), p. 143. "Two men as spies secretly" The critics insult this passage as being "redundant,"Joseph R. Sizoo, The Interpreter's Bible, Vol. 2 (New York: Abingdon Press, 1956), p. 559. That type of cavil is based on the proposition that the word "spies"

Hebrews 10:25 — disobeying this basic commandment is simply unbelief, or the carelessness and sin which lead to unbelief. But exhorting one another again brings into view the esprit de corps so vital to spiritual growth and attainment. Through this epistle (Hebrews 3:6; Hebrews 3:13, etc.), the necessity for constant encouragement and exhortation of the believing community is emphasized. Mutual exhortation is the divine means of counteracting the host of evil influences and distractions which are the perpetual enemies