Bible Commentaries

Exodus 18:11-12 — the Egyptians) is removed and placed in the middle of Exodus 18:11! This is supported neither by the Hebrew text nor the LXX, and is an example of the numerous arbitrary renderings in the RSV that so impair its usefulness."Wilbur Fields, op. cit., p. 381. These verses are the highlight of the whole chapter and the focal point of interest. The great question here is, "What kind of a priest was Jethro?" We believe that, like Melchizedek, Jethro stands a great monolithic witness of the true monotheism

1 Kings 12:25-33 — cannot possibly be correct. "W. F. Albright has built an excellent case on archaeological grounds showing that bull images were not images of Jehovah, but pedestals upon which the invisible God of Israel stood,"Wycliffe Old Testament Commentary, p. 324. as Gates noted; but he added that, "Even that use of images was a throwback to the idolatry of the Canaanites; and it was not only specifically condemned by Moses, but also by the prophets Hosea (Hosea 8:5-6; Hosea 13:2-3) and Amos."Ibid. That Jeroboam

2 Chronicles 29:1-11 — down the Asherim. He also did many positive things toward pointing Israel back to the true worship of God. "Carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place" "This was the accumulated dirt from years of neglect."The New Bible Commentary, Revised, p. 391. "They have not burned incense nor offered burnt-offerings in the holy place unto the God of Israel" But does not 2 Kings 16:14-16 state that Ahaz himself made offerings on that special altar? Yes, indeed; but there is no contradiction here. The Chronicler

Isaiah 41:1-7 — Servants of God who would figure prominently in the lifting of Israel's captivity, these being Israel herself, Cyrus, and the Messiah; and there is no way that Cyrus qualifies for being mentioned first. He simply does not belong first in that triad. 3.    As Douglas observed, "The Jewish writers and earlier Christian expositors applied this to Abraham."George C. M. Douglas, p. 324. What is it that "moderns" have learned that generations of earlier scholars did not know? 4.    Righteousness

Jeremiah 20:14-18 — solve the problem completely. Opposed to this is the fact that the arrangement of the verses as in this chapter is likewise found, "In all the ancient manuscripts of the Hebrew text."Ibid. (2)    "Some have rejected Jeremiah 20:11-13 as a late doxology interpolated into the text";J. A. Thompson, The Bible and Archeology (Grand Rapid, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1972) p. 461. but the same scholar rejected the idea as absolutely "unnecessary." (3)    Some

Ezekiel 27:1-11 — type of error by translators appears in Acts 17:40 (KJV), where translators changed "rudders" to "rudder," erroneously believing that ancient ships had only a single rudder. (See a full comment on this in our New Testament Series, Vol. 5 (Acts), pp. 503,504.) Please do not misunderstand this comment as downgrading the efforts of scholars to aid us in the understanding of the Bible. Their work is absolutely indispensable. It is true that errors like the ones cited here occur, but the scholars are confronted

Ezekiel 3:10-15 — my spirit; and the hand of Jehovah was strong upon me. Then I came to them of the captivity at Tel-abib, that dwelt by the river Chebar, and to where they dwelt; and I sat there overwhelmed among them seven days." EZEKIEL COMES TO TEL-ABIB (Ezekiel 3:10-15) "All my words that I shall speak unto thee" The emphasis here should be upon the word "all." Even as the apostle Paul obeyed God in that he declared "the whole counsel of God" to mankind, Ezekiel was commissioned of God to do exactly the same

Daniel 8:9-14 — terrible calamity prophesied was allowed to fall upon Israel "through transgressions" (Daniel 8:12), that means as a punishment for the sinful rebellion of Israel. (2) It will be a limited, controlled punishment. The sanctuary will again be cleansed. (3) The mention of the `glorious land' (Daniel 8:9) is a reference to Palestine. (4) `The prince of the host' (Daniel 8:11) is a reference to God Himself, since he is depicted as the owner of the sanctuary and as the possessor of the continual burnt-offerings. There

Zechariah 8:3 — tense, the `prophetic perfect.' They indicate a decision already reached by the Lord which, although its fulfillment is future, can be called a fact."John D. W. Watts, Beacon Bible Commentary, Vol. 7 (Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman Press, 1972), p. 335. In this light, there is no statement that God will dwell in an earthly city, but rather a promise of his taking up residence in the spiritual body of Christ, "The heavenly Jerusalem, which is our mother" (Galatians 4:26). Notice also should be given

Mark 13:2 — (Matthew 12:6). (2)    The daily sacrifices, which were the center of temple functions, would no longer be needed, after the Great Sacrifice would be offered upon Calvary, thus rendering the temple useless in its major function. (3)    It was in the way of the holy apostles themselves, who were so obviously awed in the account before us. It tended to blind them to the truly spiritual nature of the kingdom of God. (4)    All Israel loved

Mark 4:10-12 — sense refers to a glorious truth long concealed but now revealed (Romans 16:25-26). Cranfield described the mystery as the fact "that the kingdom of God has come in the person, words, and works of Jesus."C. E. B. Cranfield, op. cit., p. 153. According to New Testament definitions of it: (1) it is the enlightenment of all nations concerning the obedience of faith to the only wise God through Jesus Christ (Romans 16:25-27); (2) it is the plan of redemption formulated by the Father before

Luke 20:19-26 — render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's. And they were not able to take hold of the saying before the people: and they marvelled at his answer, and held their peace. Parallels: Matthew 22:15-22; Mark 12:13-17. The purpose of the leaders was clearly stated by Luke in this paragraph. They planned to trip Jesus up with a dilemma. If Jesus said it was unlawful to give tribute to Caesar, he might have lost much of his popular following; and if the Pharisees

John 6:41-42 — at the time he wrote the enmity had become adamant and unyielding. He no longer identified himself as a Jew, thus exhibiting the new identity in Christ, of which Paul said, "In Christ … there can be neither Jew nor Greek" (Galatians 3:26-28). John's acceptance of the new identity for himself cannot be made the grounds of an allegation that one not a Jew wrote this Gospel. Murmuring … implies a malignant and reprehensible opposition. Most commentators detect a break in these

Acts 1:1 — both the Gospel and Acts. As Bruce said, "Theophilus was a perfectly ordinary personal name, being used from the third century B.C. onwards." F. F. Bruce, The Book of Acts (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1954), p. 31. Concerning all that Jesus … This is not an affirmation that Luke recorded "all" that Jesus did and taught, but it has the meaning that "all" Luke wrote concerned those things. A basic truth evident in all the sacred gospels

Acts 13:1 — …. Friendly relations existed between Antioch and Jerusalem, the latter church sending accredited prophets and teachers to Antioch to aid in the work of evangelization. J. R. Dummelow, Commentary on the Holy Bible (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1937), p. 833. The men named in this verse were official prophets, having the gift in its fullest extent; and they were regarded, along with the apostles, as being the foundation upon which the church was built (Ephesians 2:20). The chief product of Christian

Acts 15 overview — The first thirty-five verses of this chapter (Acts 15:1-35) relate the event which has been called The Jerusalem Council, where, it has been alleged, the mother church convened a formal session to pass on the preaching of the apostle Paul, especially with regard to the relationship between the law of Moses

Acts 9:10-12 — Made Actual (Joplin, Missouri: College Press, 1958), p. 124. Boles supposed that "There had been two simultaneous visions; Saul had received one and Ananias the other." H. Leo Boles, Commentary on Acts (Nashville: Gospel Advocate Company, 1953), p. 145. A number of significant things appear in this passage. (1) Regarding what Saul should do to be saved, it was not a preacher of the gospel, but "a certain disciple" who told him. (2) Ananias was evidently a man upon whom the apostles

Romans 3:11 — that blinded their eyes to the identity of the Christ when he came. But that was the fatal error that resulted in utter blindness, in a religious sense, of Israel's leaders. Christ exclaimed, concerning this, "Ye fools, and blind" (Matthew 23:17; Matthew 23:19), going so far as to say, "Woe unto ye lawyers! for ye took away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered" (Luke 11:52). They had so cluttered the word of God with their

Judges 13:1 — XII. SAMSON (Judges 13-16) THE CONCEPTION AND BIRTH OF SAMSON;AN INTRODUCTION "And the children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah; and Jehovah delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years." This introduction for the story of

1 Samuel 13:8-14 — sought out a man after his own heart; and the Lord has appointed him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you." And Samuel arose, and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin." "He waited seven days" (1 Samuel 13:8). There is no reference here to a similar command given to Saul in 1 Samuel 10:8. "Although not mentioned again in this connection, the commandment to wait seven days had been lately repeated with reference to this particular occasion. It is clear