Bible Commentaries

Genesis 4:10 — "And he said, What has thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground." "What hast thou done … ?" This is a similar thought to that expressed in Genesis 3:13. (See the comments there.) "The voice of thy brother's blood" This is a figurative expression showing that God would avenge the type of heartless and brutal sin that Cain had committed. The idiomatic statement of this, as here, has captivated the

Ezra 2:1 — the glory days of David and Solomon. "Who came with Zerubbabel" "Here Zerubbabel appears as the leader of the return to Jerusalem. The name means seed of Babylon, indicating that he was born there. He is usually described as the son of Shealtiel (Ezra 3:2); but 1 Chronicles 3:19 shows him to have been the son of Shealtiel's brother Pedaiah. Probably Shealtiel died childless, whereupon a Levirate marriage (Deuteronomy 25:5 ff) resulted in the birth of Zerubbabel, who was thus the actual son of Pedaiah

Psalms 13:1-2 — upon him. This consciousness of separation from God has indeed brought an agony of near-despair to the psalmist. The reasons for the psalmist's distress are not far to seek. (1) God is the source of all happiness; (2) he is the source of all wisdom; (3) he is the source of all strength; and (4) he is the source of life itself.W. L. Watkinson, On the Psalms, Vol. 1 (New York: Funk and Wagnalls), p. 50. Because the psalmist feels separated from God, he has (1) sorrow, (2) feels the need of counsel (Psalms

Psalms 14 overview — hardened, but not till Pharaoh had hardened his own heart no less than ten times. The three centers of this phenomenon called judicial hardening are (1) in wicked men themselves, (2) in God who hardens men's hearts in the sense of allowing it, and (3) in Satan himself who, with the proper advantage afforded by the conduct of the wicked is able to "blind men," (2 Corinthians 4:4). What happens when men are hardened? (1) They are blinded (2 Corinthians 4:4), meaning that they are incapable of seeing

Psalms 6:9-10 — eternally true that the righteous are indeed continually encompassed with bitter, determined, and ruthless enemies. Why? Why did Cain hate his brother Able and climax it with his murder? "Because his works were evil and his brother's righteous" (1 John 3:12). Servants of the devil hate the Christ; and as Jesus said, "Ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake" (Luke 21:17). Thus, the very name Christian is sufficient to incur the hatred and persecution of any true follower of Christ. All of the

Psalms 85 overview — scholars. "It evidently belongs to the time soon after the return from the Babylonian exile - either the days of discouragement before the building of the second temple (Ezra 4:5-24; Haggai 1; Zechariah 1:12-21) or the period of Nehemiah (Nehemiah 1:3).J. R. Dummelow's Commentary, p. 363. - The situation into which the psalm could fit with more than average propriety is the time shortly after the return from the Babylonian captivity.H. C. Leupold, p. 609. - The condition of the exiles returned from

Psalms 97:3-6 — passage is a prophecy of the Second Advent of Christ in the Judgment of the whole earth. An apostle has warned us that, "The heavens and the earth which now are, are stored up for fire against the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men (2 Peter 3:7). "The earth saw and trembled" The Final Judgment is an appointment that shall be universally attended, with no absentees whatever. This thought is reiterated in Psalms 97:6, where "all the peoples" are depicted as seeing God's glory. The "trembling,"

Isaiah 3:4-7 — ruler, and let this ruin be under thy hand; in that day shall he lift up his voice, saying, I will not be a healer; for in my house is neither bread nor clothing: ye shall not make me ruler of the people." The babes and children mentioned in Isaiah 3:4 is a reference to the incompetence, weakness, and ignorance of the people that will be elevated to places of authority as the decline of Israel continues. Verse 5 speaks of the arrogant rejection of authority and the utter disregard of God's law concerning

Amos 1:7 — "But I will send a fire on the wall of Gaza, and it shall devour the palaces thereof. Although specific punishments are connected here with certain cities, in all probability, "The calamity of each is common to all."W. J. Deane, op. cit., p. 3.

Numbers 12:4-8 — speak against my servant, against Moses?" "And Jehovah spake suddenly" (Numbers 12:4). The sudden intervention of God Himself in this high-level rebellion against Moses is explained fully by the fact of Moses' meek and permissive attitude in Numbers 12:3. "That (Numbers 12:3) explains how it was that Moses took no steps to defend himself."F. C. Cook, Barnes' Notes, Numbers (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983. Reprint of the John Murray publication in London, 1879), p. 209. "If there be a prophet"

Numbers 8:23-26 — thirty years was specified. Different situations in view explain the difference: "The age varied for different kinds of service: (1)    for a soldier, it was age twenty, (2)    for a priest, it was age thirty, and (3)    for the Levites, it was age twenty-five."J. Vernon McGee, Through the Bible with J. Vernon McGee (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1981), p. 474. As for the age of thirty indicated for Levites in Numbers 4:3, this evidently

Habakkuk 3:9 — op. cit., p. 266. exactly the same kind of phenomena that probably entered into the forming of the Grand Canyon of the Colorado. Geologists sometimes dispute this explanation, but it is fully consistent with all known facts. "Selah" See under Habakkuk 3:3.

Matthew 3:13 — as ever Christ began to preach, he preached humility, preached it by his example; designated for the highest honors; yet, in his first step, he thus abases himself."Matthew Henry, Commentary (Westwood, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell) on Matthew 3:17. With reference to WHY Christ was baptized, it should be noted that he was not baptized for the remission of sins (Hebrews 4:15), nor to set an example for people as to how they should "follow Christ in baptism" (Jesus was about 30 years

Matthew 4:12 — DIVISION 3 ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD,AND REVELATION OF ITS PRINCIPLES OFTEACHINGS AND LAWS Matthew 4:12—13:52 Now when he heard that John was delivered up, he withdrew into Galilee. (Matthew 4:12) Delivered up refers to the imprisonment of John

Mark 5:43 — others being the raising of the son of the widow of Nain, and the resurrection of Lazarus. Gradations appear in the triple events: (1) Jairus' daughter had been dead only a short while. (2) The son of the widow had been dead longer, though not buried. (3) Lazarus had been dead four days and nights. Also (1) the name of Jairus' daughter is not known. (2) No name is known except that of the village where the wonder occurred. (3) The names of the subject, of his sisters, and of the village where it occurred

Luke 1:27 — … Among the Jews of that period the betrothal took place a year before the couple lived together; but in every other respect it WAS the marriage ceremony. The bride's infidelity during the betrothal period was a capital offense (Deuteronomy 22:23 f). The house of David … Commentators have sometimes troubled themselves over the applications of these words, whether to Joseph or to Mary; but they surely apply to both. That Mary was also of the house of David, as a comparison with Luke 1:69

Galatians 4:1-2 — Ridderbos suggested, that Paul's language here is not technical. "He is not thinking of a special legal procedure," Herman N. Ridderbos, The Epistle of Paul to the Churches of Galatia (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1953), p. 152. but using an illustration that would be appropriate in any society. No child of whatever culture is to be trusted with an inheritance until the age of responsibility. The word here rendered "child" really "means babe,"

2 Timothy 3:12 — right conditions, such oppositions would be just as deadly as the great Roman persecutions. Why does the world hate Christians? "Because ye are not of the world … therefore the world hateth you" (John 15:19; Matthew 10:22; Matthew 10:38-39). In the light of this warning from the Saviour, no Christian should be surprised at persecution. The doctrine of the necessity of persecution was no new thing to Paul. Luke recorded the very words spoken on the mission field long ago, "Through

1 Peter 4 overview — The visible divisions in this chapter are: (1) the security of the faithful in judgment (1 Peter 4:1-6); (2) the destruction of Jerusalem prophesied (1 Peter 4:7-11); (3) special instructions to the Christians as the approaching terror develops (1 Peter 4:12-19).

3 John 1:6 — who bare witness of thy love before the church: whom thou wilt do well to set forward on their journey worthily of God: This is a description of the "witnessing" mentioned in 3 John 1:3, which see. One may glimpse the enthusiasm and excitement of 1st century evangelism in the thoughts here. Set forward on their journey … "The Greek works used here imply not only good wishes, but material support."Amos N. Wilder,