Bible Commentaries

Exodus 14 overview — Gulf of Suez extended much further north than it does now, and that the modern Lake Timsah and the Bitter Lakes were connected with each other and with the Gulf of Suez."J. R. Dummelow, Commentary on the Holy Bible (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1937), p. 60. If there was any portion of that extension called the "Reed Sea," it also would have been, like the whole extension, a portion of the Red Sea, fully justifying the ancient designation for the body of water that they crossed. That it was not

Psalms 42 overview — BOOK II: Psalms 42-72 Psalms 42, 43 A PSALM OF THE BABYLONIAN EXILE With these psalms we have the beginning of Book II of the Psalter. "This book includes Psalms 42-72, a total of 31, only eighteen of which are attributed to David. Book I which we have just concluded ascribes all 41 of

Jeremiah 22:1-9 — the hewing down of the choice cedars. The destroyed city will become a monument to God's wrath against the transgressors of his covenant."C. F. Keil, Keil-Delitzsch's Old Testament Commentaries (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company), p. 335. Jeremiah 22:8 reflects the promise recorded by Moses in Deut. 29:33ff. Along with the king's palace, the whole city will be destroyed. "Because they forsook the covenant of Jehovah" The covenant in view here is the one commonly called the Old Covenant,

Jeremiah 48:29-32 — false, false are his deeds."J. A. Thompson, The Bible and Archeology (Grand Rapid, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1972) p. 711. "Kirheres" "The literal meaning of this word is `city of potsherds.' It is the same as Kirhareseth (2 Kings 3:25; Isaiah 16:7). Today, it is probably El-Kerak, 17 miles south of the river Arnon, and eleven miles east of the Dead Sea." "Sibmah… Jazer… Elealeh" All three of these places were clustered around Heshbon; Sibmah was three miles northwest,

Ezekiel 21:18-23 — These lines seem to be God's explanation to Ezekiel of the meaning of that divination sought by Nebuchadnezzar, at the head of the two ways. "Damascus was the point at which the ancient trade routes separated."International Critical Commentary, p. 231. "Mark out a place at the head of the way to the city" Since nothing is said of Ezekiel's going all the way to Damascus, it could be that some crucial place on the road from Damascus to Jerusalem would be the place that Ezekiel was commanded to mark.

Ezekiel 30:10-12 — dry, and will sell the land into the hand of evil men; and I will make the land desolate, and all that is therein, by the hand of strangers: I, Jehovah, have spoken it." THE WEALTH OF EGYPT TO BE CARRIED AWAY "And I will make the rivers dry" (Ezekiel 30:12). We have no historical record of such a drought falling upon the Nile; but that cannot mean that it never happened. The forty years of desolation that has been mentioned again and again with reference to God's judgment upon Egypt would indeed have

Ezekiel 40 overview — material sacrifices for sins are a total contradiction of the Holy Truth that, "The Blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sins" (1 John 1:7). "It is impossible that `the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sin" (Hebrews 10:4). (3)    The special chambers for priests receive a great deal of attention in this section; but such physical quarters for a separate priesthood have no relevance whatever to Christianity. All Christians are "priests unto God." a royal

Ezekiel 5:1-4 — Yes indeed, right here is that same glorious doctrine of the righteous remnant so prominent in the works of Isaiah and Jeremiah. "There are some who deny the doctrine of the remnant is in Ezekiel, but that view is untenable in the light of this verse 3."Charles Lee Feinberg in Ezekiel (Moody Press), p. 35. It is clear enough here that the small portion of that final third which was bound in the skirts of God's prophet was an eloquent testimony that not all of Israel would be destroyed. "And of these

Daniel 8:5-8 — his campaigns all the way to India, the only conqueror in world history ever to do that. The great central horn of the he-goat stands for Alexander himself. Note that it was broken when it was strong. It was at the very height of Alexander's glory in 323 B.C. that he suddenly died as a result of his drinking and of a fever. The four notable horns that followed Alexander were most circumstantially fulfilled by the division of his world-empire into four parts: (1) Cassandra controlled Macedonia and

Hosea 5:15 — scholars who would like to disconnect it from Hosea 5, and put it in Hosea 6. It is exactly where it belongs. McKeating objected, saying, "Hos. 15 does not follow naturally on Hosea 5:14, but makes a good introduction to the little psalm in Hosea 6:1-3."Henry McKeating, op. cit., p. 108. Harper also failed to see the lion returning to his den here, stating that, "This is not the figure of the lion returning to his den";W. R. Harper, op. cit., p. 282. significantly, however, he supported the assertion

Joel 1:4 — "The four names are not names applied in natural history to four distinct species."Ibid., p. 180. The question about whether this was a literal disaster, or perhaps a symbolical depiction of some future event prophesied by Joel, is decided by Joel 1:3, where there is an undeniable reference to Exodus 10:2, with the mandatory deduction that this disaster was comparable to the Egyptian plagues, which, of course, were literal events. The allegorical interpretation of these locusts, however, has been

Numbers 33:1-49 — related in Exodus. "Twelve of the places mentioned are mentioned nowhere else in the Bible."John Joseph Owens, Broadman Bible Commentary, Vol. 2, Numbers (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1970), p. 168. "Of all the seventeen places listed between Numbers 33:19-36, not a single one is known or can be pointed out with certainty (with the possible exception of Ezion-geber)."C. F. Keil, Commentary on the Old Testament, Vol. 1 (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company), p. 244. Many other scholars

Jonah 3:8 — futile and useless without the fundamental change in their lives which such outward tokens of repentance promised. In a manner that reminds us of the words of John the Baptist who commanded the people to "Bring forth fruit worthy of repentance" (Matthew 3:8), this ancient governor of Nineveh laid the same commandment upon himself and his fellow-citizens. The fact of there being no mention of this great turning unto the Lord by the Ninevites in any of the books of the Hebrew Bible has, to be sure, been

Zephaniah 1:5 — summed up in a word, "apostasy" from the knowledge and worship of God. "Worship the host of heaven" Astrology and the worship of the sun, moon, and stars, as practiced by the Assyrians and Babylonians, became common among Jewish idolaters (2 Kings 23:11; Jer. 19:13,32,29; Ezekiel 8:16). As Stephen said, "God turned and gave them up to serve the host of heaven" (Acts 7:42). "And swear by Jehovah and swear by Malcam" Worshipping God and any other god, or anything else, adds up to apostasy. The Jews

Malachi 2:10 — Lewis, The Minor Prophets (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1968), p. 85. but he "was not thinking in terms of the universal brotherhood of man," but rather of "brotherly loyalty within the nation of Israel."Joyce G. Baldwin, op. cit., p. 237. It is a false view that the mere fact of a common Creator forms any kind of a practical or legitimate foundation for an era of good will among the sons of Adam. The only "brotherhood of man" that has any possibility whatever of resolving the savage

Matthew 22:14 — church, and acceptance of its privileges, are not enough to assure eternal life. Every diligence to appear before God, not naked, but clad in the garments of righteousness, should be exerted by all who hope to enter eternal fellowship with God (Revelation 3:18). AN ANALYTICAL STUDY OF THE THREE PARABLES (a) The Parable of Two Sons; (b) of the Wicked Husbandmen; and (c) the Marriage of the King's Son There is a remarkable progression in this series of three parables. I.    There is progression

Matthew 27:51 — (purple) standing for the perfect two natures in one, Immanuel. (2) The ancient worshiper (in the person of the high priest) went through the veil to the Holy of Holies; the present-day worship has access through Christ into heaven (Hebrews 10:19). (3) It symbolizes his death on Calvary. As the veil was rent, Christ's body was torn for the sins of the whole world. (4) The tearing also means the removal of obstructions between the worshiper and his God. No longer is there a veil. When some ecclesiastic

Mark 9:2 — were in vogue in those days. Outside of particular times noted in Mark's account of the Passion, this "is the only precise note of time given by Mark."Henry E. Turlington, The Broadman Bible Commentary (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1946), p. 338. This fact, however, is no basis whatever for designating the transfiguration as a fulfillment of Mark 9:1. Peter, and James, and John … This is an example of Mark's stringing words, phrases, clauses, and episodes together by means of this

Galatians 6:18 — Christ's "sayings" shall be saved; he that does not do so shall be lost (Matthew 7:24-29). 2.    "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, and he that disbelieves shall be condemned" (Mark 16:15-16). 3.    "Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:5). 4.    Regarding the Lord's supper: "This do ye until I come" (1 Corinthians 11:24 ff). "Except ye eat the

Joshua 24 overview — (London: T. C. and E. C. Jack, Ltd., 1924), p. 255. There were a number of editors of Joshua.Ibid. The last several verses were probably added by the final editor.William H. Morton, Beacon Bible Commentary, Joshua (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1970), p. 376. This is the address as "E" thought of it.Lindsay B. Longacre, Abingdon Bible Commentary, Joshua (New York: Abingdon Press, 1929), p. 355. Joshua 24:17-18, the people's response is a performed liturgical unit (later than Joshua, of course).Robert