Bible Commentaries

Exodus 3:9-11 — Egypt, and Moses' first reaction to it was negative. He who forty years previously had been anxious and ready to take up a sword and deliver his brethren, at this point in time was filled with a deep feeling of inadequacy. These verses, along with Exodus 3:12, constitute the commissioning of the Deliverer. And, after some doubt, hesitation, and excuse-making, Moses accepted it, eventually discharging the full obligation magnificently! The source-splitters and meddlers with the Sacred Text have attempted

Nehemiah 5:1-5 — fields and our vineyards." There are three classes of protesters here: "These were (1) the landless who were desperately short of food (Nehemiah 5:2), (2) the landowners who, because of famine had been compelled to mortgage their properties (Nehemiah 5:3), and (3) those who had been forced to borrow money at exorbitant rates to meet the Persian king's property taxes (Nehemiah 5:4)."The New Bible Commentary, Revised, p. 407. Man's inhumanity to man is tragically visible in the sad circumstances that

Job 12 overview — OF HIS FRIENDS This, along with the next two chapters is a record of Job's reply to his three friends. Scherer pointed out that the chapter divisions here are fortunate, following the general organization of Job's speech.The Interpreter's Bible, Vol. 3, p. 997. In this chapter, Job sarcastically rejected the theology of his friends, appealing to a number of facts that clearly contradicted their views. Job's bitterly sarcastic words here do not contradict the New Testament evaluation of Job as a man

Psalms 95:6-7 — such mixed metaphors are very common in scripture. Moreover, in this arrangement, the metaphor of the Lord himself as "The Good Shepherd" automatically comes to mind. "Today, oh that ye would hear his voice" These words form the opening line in Hebrews 3:7, where this passage is used as the background of what is written there, Psalms 95:11, being quoted directly. "The passage in Hebrews 3:7 to Hebrews 4:13, expounding this psalm, forbids us to confine its thrust to Israel. "The `Today' of which it speaks

Proverbs 20:6 — "Most men will proclaim every one his own kindness; But a faithful man who can find?" "Many a man protests his loyalty, but where will you find one to keep faith."The New English Bible. The thought here is similar to Paul's remark that, "There is none righteous, no not one" (Romans 3:9).

Leviticus 4 overview — This chapter and through Leviticus 5:13 set forth the divine regulations concerning the sin-offering, both this offering and the one presented in the next section (Leviticus 5:14 to Leviticus 6:7) which is called the guilt-offering are distinguished from the three offerings which have already

Song of Solomon 8:4 — THE FAMILIAR REFRAIN "I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, That ye stir not up, nor awaken my love, Until he please." This is repeated in Song of Solomon 2:7 and Song of Solomon 3:5. See comment under those verses. It is not clear why this refrain is repeated just here.

Jeremiah 3:6-10 — her whole heart, but feignedly." We have already noted the nature of the harlotry and whoredom of God's people, and there is no need to elaborate it here. Notice the fourfold reiteration of the appellation `treacherous' as applied to Judah in Jeremiah 3:7-8; Jeremiah 3:10-11. The aggravated nature of Judah's sin is seen in this: "Israel had openly broken the political and religious connection with Jehovah; but Judah nominally retained both; but her heart was toward the false gods."The Pulpit Commentary,

Hosea 12:2 — and put away for adultery, a similar rejection and reduction of the status of all Israel will follow in this replay of the former scene. It will also be remembered that Gomer never returned as Hosea's wife. "Thou shalt not be wife to any man!" (Hosea 3:3). The Word of God has no promise whatever of the old secular, fleshly, Israel again playing a historical role as Jehovah's wife.

Hosea 5:4 — "Their doings will not suffer them to return unto their God; for the spirit of whoredom is within them, and they know not Jehovah." Polkinghorne is correct in his discernment that this passage relates to "the mortal sin of Mark 3:29, 1 John 5:16, etc. Hence they find that God has withdrawn himself so as not to receive their sacrifices (Hosea 5:15)."G. J. Polkinghorne, The New Layman's Bible Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1979), p. 931. The word Paul used

Hosea 8:13 — here is upon the word "now." The day of grace was past. God had exhausted every possible means of winning the wayward nation back to any acceptable loyalty to himself. Nothing was left except to order the punishment. As dramatically stated in Hosea 8:3, "Let the enemy pursue him." "They shall return to Egypt" "Egypt is merely a type of the land of bondage, as in Hosea 9:3; Hosea 9:6."C. F. Keil, op. cit., p. 115. All of the redemptive work of God's calling and development of Israel will be nullified.

Numbers 18 overview — of the priests and Levites. There are three different sections of the Word of God that deal with the same subject: (1)    the passage before us (2)    Deuteronomy 15:5-6; Deuteronomy 15:11; Deuteronomy 15:18 (3)    Leviticus 27:30-33 There is considerable variation in the laws which has been explained in various ways. This chapter gives a much more extensive list of the things to be tithed than the other accounts, and, of course, the critics

Numbers 3:33-37 — appointed over the three princes of these divisions, giving him, in effect, charge of the entire tabernacle complex. The totals of the enrollees of these divisions are 7,500 for Gershon, 8,600 for Kohath, and 6,200 for Merari, yielding a grand total of 22,300, precipitating the "tremendous problem" posed by the flat 22,000 given for this total in Numbers 3:39! Apparently, some of the commentators never heard of "round numbers." Exploring "contradictions" of this nature is certainly a picayune business!

Matthew 10:32 — 20:15; Revelation 21:27). Inscriptions in the book of life do not wait upon the judgment, nor even upon the death or proved fidelity of the persons thus honored; but their names are written there while they still live and work on earth (Philippians 4:3). Confession of faith in Jesus Christ as God's only begotten Son is a basic requirement of the Christian religion (Romans 10:10). Paul called it "the good confession" twice in a single utterance (1 Timothy 6:12-13); and the following reasons

Acts 16:29-30 — out and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? What must I do to be saved? … This question occurs at three places in Acts, identically in each instance as to meaning, and varying only slightly in form: (1) "What shall we do?" (Acts 2:37), (2) "What must I do to be saved?" (Acts 16:30), and (3) "What shall I do, Lord?" (Acts 22:10). The answers as given in each instance are: (1) "Repent and be baptized every one of you, etc." (Acts 2:38), (2) "Believe

Acts 3:25 — sense. Sons of the covenant … clearly refers to the true Israelites, the spiritual seed of Abraham, such as Nathaniel and Zacchaeus. In thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed … The promise to Abraham is recorded in Genesis 12:3; 22:18; 26:4; and 28:14. "All the families of earth …" envisions the blessing being poured out upon Gentiles as well as Jews; and "in thy seed" is not a promise that the multitudes of Abraham's posterity will bless mankind,

Ephesians 2:20 — Testament: (1) The foundational teaching is composed of the teachings of Christ delivered through the apostles and prophets of the new dispensation (Matthew 7:24-26). (2) The foundational fact is that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:13-20). (3) The foundation person is Jesus Christ our Lord (1 Corinthians 3:11). (4) The foundational personnel was made up of the apostles and prophets of the New Testament, as revealed here. (5) The foundational doctrines of Christianity (six of these)

Hebrews 10:21 — And having a great priest over the house of God. The house of God in this verse is the church of the living God, as an apostle declared: "That thou mayest know how men ought to behave themselves in the house of God, which is the church of the living God" (1 Timothy 3:15).

1 Peter 1:19 — describing the glorious redemption of the Christians. As Polkinghorne said: The Passover lamb (Exodus), as the sacrifice whereby Israel was delivered from bondage and separated to the Lord, is richly significant in context, as is also the lamb of Isaiah 53, the passage so largely quoted in 1 Peter 2:22-25. G. J. Polkinghorne, op. cit., p. 588. But with precious blood … This passage, with the preceding verse, sets forth Christ as the paschal lamb for Christians and describes the nature of the ransom

1 Peter 2:13 — or unto governors, as sent by him for vengeance on evil-doers and for praise to them that do well. Be subject … This means "submit, or obey"; and "It is the key word in this epistle, occurring here and in 1 Peter 2:18; 1 Peter 3:1; 1 Peter 3:5; 1 Peter 3:22, and in 1 Peter 5:5, six times in all." C. J. Polkinghorne, A New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1969), p. 590. To every ordinance of man … Macknight translated this