Bible Commentaries

Psalms 32:3-5 — Spurgeon described this punishment. "What a killing thing is sin! It is a pestilent disease! a fire in the bosom! While we smother our sin, it rages within and like a gathering wound swells horribly and torments terribly." Charles Haddon Spurgeon, p. 257. Dummelow thought these words might refer, "Either to an actual sickness brought on by sin, or to a spiritual suffering represented by physical terminology." J. R. Dummelow's Commentary, p. 342. We prefer the latter option of understanding the passage. "I

Psalms 50 overview — PROPHETIC GLIMPSE OF THE ETERNAL JUDGMENT The superscription entitles this psalm as "A Psalm of Asaph." This is the very first of the twelve Asaph Psalms, the other eleven being Psalms 72-82 at the beginning of Book Three of the Psalter. "In 1 Chronicles 16:5, Asaph is described as the chief of sacred music, in the tent where the Ark was placed, who played the cymbals. He is often mentioned along with Heman and Ethan, but never first. Not only was Asaph a musician, but he was also a Psalm writer…

Psalms 81 overview — A HYMN AND HOMILY AT HARVEST TIME The title we have chosen is that of McCaw. Addis was sure that this psalm is a composite,W. E. Addis, p. 387. with no connection whatever between Psalms 81:1-5 and the rest of the chapter. Other scholars also have raised the possibility that what we have here is two fragments of independent productions. However, its seems to us that Yates' opinion on this is correct. "The abrupt change at the end of verse

Amos 4 overview — consisting of denunciations and exhortations of Israel. First, there is a powerful blast against the idle, sinful and oppressive rich "in the mountain of Samaria" (Amos 4:1-3), then, a sarcastic and ironical "call to worship" at Bethel and Gilgal (Amos 4:4-5), and next, a dramatic reminder by the prophet of the seven disasters God had sent upon Israel with the benign purpose of leading them to repentance (Amos 4:6-12). Some have considered these disasters as progressive in intensity and severity. "Amos

Matthew 22:5 — but belittling it and making light of it. Matthew Henry saw in the two classes mentioned here examples of rural and urban mankind, thus including practically all people.Matthew Henry, Commentary (Westwood, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company), Vol. 5, p. 313. It has also been suggested that the two great classifications of all human activity, involving production and distribution, are also indicated.

Matthew 6:1 — (continued) The prohibition in this verse is against a false motive for righteousness, namely, "to be seen." Secrecy is not here enjoined in any absolute sense; because Christ also said, "Let your light so shine …" (Matthew 5:16). However, secrecy is by far the best, where possible, as a test of one's personal motive for deeds of righteousness.

Mark 6:35 — And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This place is desert, and the day is now far spent. The apostles were concerned that evening was drawing to a close, and they anticipated a real problem regarding food for so many in such a place. It does not appear that they had the slightest idea what Jesus would do, despite the fact that the Lord had mentioned the problem to Philip considerably in advance of the crisis (John 6:5 f).

Luke 7:14 — defilement forbidding such a thing; because the dead could not defile him, but conversely he raised the dead! Young man, I say unto thee, Arise … This corresponds exactly, except for the salutation, with what Jesus said to the daughter of Jairus (Mark 5:41); and the spiritual application is the same. See under that reference in my Commentary on Mark.

John 2:12 — intelligent persons; and they knew the territory, five of them having been brought up in the suburbs of Capernaum. Yes, and Jesus got the community's attention. He raised Jarius' daughter from the dead, and Jairus was the ruler of the synagogue (Mark 5:22). He healed the centurion's servant, and the centurion commanded the Roman military presence in the city and was doubtless the richest man in the whole area, having built the Jews a synagogue (Matthew 8:5-13; Luke 7:1-5). Also, the Lord cured the

Acts 8:7-8 — repeatedly in the four gospels, and it would be profitless to repeat them here. For those interested in pursuing the subject further, reference is made to my Commentary on Matthew, Matthew 8:16; Matthew 8:29 and my Commentary on Mark, Mark 1:24; Mark 5:2. Much joy in that city … During the ministry of Christ the Lord commanded that his representatives should not go into any city of the Samaritans (Matthew 10:5-6); and, although Jesus himself had given a strong indication of his ultimate purpose

Romans 15:16 — p. 440. Paul's metaphorical reference to his work of preaching the gospel is no basis at all for supposing a separate order of priests in God's church. True, the apostle Peter wrote, "Ye are a holy priesthood, a royal priesthood" (1 Peter 2:5; 1 Peter 2:9); but, in the words of Moule: Who are the "ye"? Not the consecrated pastorate, but the consecrated Christian company altogether. And what are the altar sacrifices of that company? "Sacrifices SPIRITUAL": "thepraises

2 Corinthians 12:2 — three heavens as understood by the Jews thus: (1) The air or atmosphere where the clouds gather (Genesis 2:1; Genesis 2:19), (2) the firmament containing the sun, moon and stars (Deuteronomy 18:3; Matthew 24:29), and (3) God's dwelling place (Matthew 5:12; Matthew 5:16; Matthew 5:45; Matthew 5:48). David Lipscomb, Second Corinthians (Nashville: The Gospel Advocate Company), p. 157. There are no geographical connotations whatever in these words, for the third heaven where God dwells is not a thing

Galatians 6:18 — and doeth 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

2 Timothy 2:19 — illustration of God's seal upon the foundation which is the church. The Lord knoweth them that are his: Let every one that nameth the name of the Lord depart from unrighteousness. There are echoes of both of these sayings in the Old Testament (Numbers 16:5; Isaiah 51:11), but it is better to view them as Paul's own inspired Scripture, and not as partial or garbled quotations from the Old Testament. After all, as Spence said, "Both these quotations go much farther and far deeper than the places cited

Hebrews 7:13-14 — Pharisees, who would have used it to "prove" Christ could not be a priest! Both Matthew and Luke traced the ancestry of Jesus back through Judah; and the Christian designation of our Lord as "the Lion of the tribe of Judah" (Revelation 5:5) came from the information thus given. Belongeth to another tribe does not give the full weight of the meaning, as a glance at the English Revised Version (1885) margin will show. The Greek has "hath partaken of" and shows that it was of

James 1:10 — receive the rich man in view here as a Christian brother. "The rich are never elsewhere spoken of as brothers in this epistle." E. C. S. Gibson, The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 21, James (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1950), p. 3. Nevertheless, the expression "brethren" is used sixteen times in this letter, and all who were mentioned (except in James 4:7-10 and in James 5:1-6) fall under the blanket inclusion of that endearing address. How could it be supposed

James 2:10 — Dummelow put it: "It might be said that even if a man transgressed the Law of Christ in the matter or respect of persons, he was only breaking a small part of that Law. Not so. The Law, like the Lawgiver, is one." J. R. Dummelow, op. cit., p. 1035. This is another instance of James' reiterating a principle laid down by Jesus Christ (Matthew 5:19). "Transgression of one precept of the Christian rule of faith is a breach of the whole, because it breaks fellowship with the object of faith."

Revelation 19:6 — anticipatory announcement of the "Marriage of the Lamb," an event that does not take place until the Second Advent. George Eldon Ladd, A Commentary on the Revelation of John (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1972), p. 245. The Lord our God, the Almighty reigneth … This is grossly misunderstood when it is thought to mean that God "reigneth" only after the harlot, the beast, and the dragon are destroyed. The word "reigneth" is the eternal present.

Revelation 4:4 — of the Babylonian pantheon; G. B. Caird, op. cit., p. 63. (3) in the Targum the elders are interpreted as leaders of the Jewish people; (4) the twenty-four priestly orders enumerated in 1 Chronicles 24:4 ff; G. R. Beasley-Murray, op. cit., p. 114. (5) a special order of angels, an interpretation rejected by Lenski on the grounds that angels are nowhere symbolized in Revelation; R. C. H. Lenski, op. cit., p. 181. (6) an order of angel princes called thrones in Colossians 1:16; F. F. Bruce, A New

Revelation 5:13 — earth, and on the sea, and all things that are in them, heard I saying, Unto him that sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb, be the blessing, and the honor, and the glory, and the do minion, for ever and ever. In these great doxologies Revelation 5:9; Revelation 5:12-13, the first two are addressed to the Lamb, but in the last, the Father is also included. This linking of the Father and the Lamb continues throughout Revelation, in their aggregate, providing overwhelming evidence that in the early