Bible Commentaries

Genesis 11:7 — heaven between similar expressions. The thought here is simply that God had a remedy for human arrogance and conceit. He would do two things: (1)    first, He would thwart the spread of the wicked virus by confounding the languages; (2)    and He would also call out and separate a people to Himself who would keep themselves from idolatry and who would live as a continuing witness of the true God and His holy Name throughout the long dark ages of pre-Christian Gentile

Genesis 20:11-13 — excuse: (1)    He feared for his safety that men might kill him for the sake of his wife. Note that this was the object of the device at the time it was initiated. Abraham did not here allege that to have been the root of his fear in this instance. (2)    He had not actually told a falsehood, since Sarah was indeed his half-sister. Still it was a lie, spoken with intent to deceive. (3)    It was a habit of long standing, doubtless practiced over and over again

Genesis 39:3-6 — he knew not aught that was with him, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was comely and well-favored." Two things of interest in this passage are: (1)    the fact that Joseph did not have charge of Potiphar's meals, and (2)    the unusual physical beauty that belonged to Joseph. In the first of these, no certainty exists. Dummelow thought this may have been due to "the strict caste laws of Egypt."J. R. Dummelow, Commentary on the Holy Bible (New York:

Genesis 8:4 — river near the point were the three borders of the Soviet Union, Iran, and Turkey come together. Out of this region there rise two peaks, the Greater and the Lesser Ararat, the Greater rising to an elevation of 16,945 feet and the Lesser to a height of 12,877 feet above sea level. The plain itself is about 3,000 feet in altitude. The peaks are in Turkish terrritoryThe Encyclopaedia Britannica, (Chicago: William Benton, Publisher, 1961), Vol. 2, p. 215.. Either of these peaks, or any of the foothills

Genesis 9:4 — the elaborate blood sacrifices to be instituted later in the Law of Moses. Some of the other reasons that might have lain back of this law are: (1)    to prevent cruelty to animals, such as eating of flesh from a living creature, (2)    to remind men of God's providence in allowing the eating of meat, (3)    to emphasize the sacredness of life, the blood having a special relationship to life. Jamieson thought that the only reason for this

Exodus 17:2-3 — murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore hast thou brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?" This is the second of three episodes in which the water problem was dominant. The first was at Marah (Exodus 15:22-25), and the third was at Meribah near Kedesh (Numbers 20:10-13). "Give us water" The ugliness of this demand is amazing, the demand being, in effect, an outright rebellion against Moses, including actually a threat of stoning him (Exodus 17:4). Israel

Exodus 4:1 — weakness of the flesh, God was not displeased with him, but gave three signs, which however discernible in later wonders, were here specifically for the purpose of establishing Moses' faith and removing his objections. The three were: (1) the rod-serpent; (2) the leprosy, and (3) the water changed to blood. "They will not believe me" This is quite a human thing that Moses did here. When looked at purely from the human standpoint, what God was requiring of Moses was absolutely impossible. Only one man, without

Numbers 16:47-50 — matter of Korah. And Aaron returned unto Moses unto the door of the tent of meeting: and the plague was stayed." The three centers of their rebellion, as mentioned at the beginning of our discussion of this chapter, were those pertaining to: (1) Korah; (2) Dathan and Abiram; and (3) the people in general. The three punishments visited upon the three centers were: (a) the swallowing up of Dathan and Abiram; (b) the burning of Korah and the two hundred and fifty by fire from Jehovah; and (c) the plague

Numbers 19:11-13 — lasted only "until even," but here the uncleanness from touching the corpse of a human being lasted "seven days." What a comment is this upon contamination in mankind resulting from his rebellion against God. "The same shall purify himself" (Numbers 19:12). Note how the priesthood is so effectively by-passed, no priest whatever being involved. This has to be considered typical of the Kingdom of God in which all the members are a royal priesthood, having no need whatever of any other mediator, except

Numbers 19:14-19 — the wilderness habitation of Israel when the law was given. "The LXX has `house' here instead of tent, and it appears that the law was transferred without modification from tent-dwellers to house-dwellers."Thomas Whitelaw, The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 2, Numbers (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1950), p. 241. Numbers 19:16 includes the bones, and presumably any other human relics, as well as graves as sources of uncleanness. It was from this that the Pharisees of Jesus' day whitewashed

Numbers 30:1-2 — promises. The importance of this principle is so great that it is impossible to exaggerate it. "Indeed, a wholesome society can be maintained only by the integrity of the rank and file of its men and women."Albert George Butzer, Interpreter's Bible, Vol. 2, Numbers (New York: The Abingdon Press, 1953), p. 282. The Biblical conception of a righteous man has always been that of "a man who sweareth to his own hurt and changes not" (Psalms 15:4). The holy principle of a man's keeping his word can be grossly

Numbers 30:13-16 — still single (Numbers 30:6-8); (iii) a widow or divorced person (Numbers 30:9); and (iv) that of a wife in her husband's house (Numbers 30:10-15).T. Carson, New Layman's Bible Commentary, Numbers (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1979), p. 277. To us it also seems that a fifth regulation appears in Numbers 30:1 and Numbers 30:2, namely, that all people are commanded by Almighty God to keep their word. Note the attestation in Numbers 30:16 that Jehovah himself is the author of the legislation

Numbers 36:10-13 — authority applies especially to this chapter and that here is not a formal ending of all of Numbers, as some have thought." The very problem that surfaced in this chapter is the same one that "resulted in the institution of Levirate marriages (Deuteronomy 25:5-10)."J. A. Thompson, op. cit., p. 200. We appreciate the words of Whitelaw here, as follows: "It is a curious instance of the inartificial character of the sacred records that these five names of the daughters of Zelophehad, which have not the least

Deuteronomy 2:26-31 — Pharaoh's (Exodus 7-14). In each case, refusal to accept the divine message plays a significant part in the process of deliverance."Peter E. Cousins, The New Layman's Bible Commentary, Deuteronomy (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1979), p. 288. God never takes freedom of choice away from any individual. True, God hardened Pharaoh's heart, but this is said only AFTER it is recorded ten times that Pharaoh hardened his own heart! It was evidently the same with Sihon. "God is never spoken of

Deuteronomy 6:1-3 — Fleming H. Revell Company), p. 38. "The words statutes and ordinances in Deuteronomy 6:1 are explanatory of and in apposition to commandment."C. F. Keil, Commentary on the Old Testament, Deuteronomy (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company), p. 322. What we have in this chapter is "actually turning the thought in the first two commandments of the Decalogue from negative to positive form."Ernest G. Wright, The Interpreter's Bible, Vol. 2, Deuteronomy (New York: The Abingdon Press, 1954), p. 372. "Milk

Luke 21 overview — to keep in view throughout the chapter that the prophecies involve multiple future events and that the distinction of what is meant in every instance is hard to determine. That such multiple prophecies are indeed commingled here is clear from Matthew 24:3, where three separate questions by the apostles are given as the subject of the discourse. "In this passage the fall of Jerusalem and the end of the age so blend that the features of each cannot be precisely determined."Donald G. Miller,

1 Corinthians 8 overview — apostle Paul established four timeless principles of Christian behavior in the course of his writing on this subject, these being: (1) that what is permissible behavior for one man may, in certain circumstances, be dangerous and sinful in another; (2) that no Christian conduct should be evaluated solely from the standpoint of knowledge, but in the light of the love of brethren, with regard to its possible influence upon others, and in the light of what others may think of it; (3) that no Christian

Joshua 8:1-2 — for the city behind it." "Fear not, neither be thou dismayed" Joshua indeed had much to fear, as Matthew Henry said, "The treacherous Israelites were more to be dreaded than the malicious Canaanites!"Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible, Vol. 2, Joshua (New York: Fleming H. Revell Company), p. 44. As for the reason why God commanded so many to be involved in the capture of Ai, Calvin thought it was to give all the people a chance to view the struggle as their own, and "to reassure the people"Alfred

Judges 21:22-24 — THE BENJAMITES TAKE THEIR WIVES (Judges 21:22-24) "And it shall be that, when their fathers or their brethren come to complain unto us, that we will say unto them, Grant them graciously unto us; because we took not for each man of them his wife in battle, neither did ye give them unto them,

1 Samuel 2:22-25 — result of Eli's son's wickedness was a widespread public scandal that was disastrous in its effect upon God's people. "At the entrance to the tent of meeting" It should be noted that the words "temple" (1 Samuel 1:9) and "tent of meeting" (1 Samuel 2:22) are used interchangeably in this part of 1 Samuel. The temple of Solomon was not constructed until long afterward; nevertheless, the tabernacle was often called "the temple." For it was the will of the Lord to slay them. Keil pointed out that, "This