Bible Commentaries

Exodus 18:21-23 — apostle Paul had it not been for Paul's appeal to Caesar. (2)    Such men as fear God. What an important quality this is! Profane and irreligious persons are always unsuitable in any place of authority, especially in the judiciary. (3)    Men of truth. Truth is the cornerstone of trust and justice. Lying judges were the "evening wolves" referred to in the prophets. (4)    Hating unjust gain. In other words, men who could not be bribed! In fact,

Exodus 30:22-33 — whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, he shall be cut off from his people." There is some curiosity as to how some 46 1/4 pounds of spices could be pulverized and mixed with about a gallon and a half of olive oil, but the explanation is in Exodus 30:25, where the instructions indicated that all of this was to be done "after the art of the perfumer." According to Jewish tradition, the essences of the spices were first extracted, and then mixed with the oil. The preparation was entrusted to Bezaleel

Exodus 30:34-38 — myrrh. 2. Onycha. "This is a mollusk which emits a highly aromatic odor when burned. Gathered in the Near East until recently, it is used as an ingredient in perfume, and as a principal component of incense in India."Roy L. Honeycutt, Jr., op. cit., p. 432. 3. Galbanum. "This is a gum resin with a pleasant odor and a bitter taste. It is imported from Persia. It is derived from certain umbelliferous plants."International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, op. cit., p. 1163. 4. Frankincense. "Common frankincense

Exodus 34:1-4 — frustrates and denies all of the scholarly "oompah" about two decalogues - (1) an ethical decalogue, and (2) a ritual decalogue. Fields called such interpretations of this chapter, "Nonsense!"Wilbur Fields. Exodus (Joplin: College Press, 1976), p. 753. The first person in human history to propose such a ridiculous understanding of this chapter was the great German poet, Goethe, in 1773, but Goethe himself "in his later and riper years spoke of his alleged `discovery' of `another decalogue' here as

Exodus 4:21 — Co., 1915), p. 1058. "The hardening of Pharaoh's heart was due to his own obstinancy in refusing to yield to the warnings he received … The Easterner means the same thing when he says that God hardened his heart."J. R. Dummelow, op. cit., p. 53. Nevertheless, there is more involved here than some other way of describing it." `He will not' leads inevitably to `he cannot.'"Ibid. Stubborn and willful sin inevitably leads to God's judgmental action against the sinner, not upon some distant day

Leviticus 14:10-20 — having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water." (Hebrews 10:22). "Log of oil" (Leviticus 14:10; Leviticus 14:12). "This log was a liquid measure, probably less than a pint."Bernard J. Bamberger, op. cit., p. 134. The importance of this ceremony is indicated by the numerous kinds of offerings that were required to be made, including all of the mandatory offerings: (1)    burnt-offering; (2)    meal-offering; (3)    purification-offering,

Numbers 27:1-5 — which "is hardly in accord with the 470 years (sojourn in Egypt) required by the narrative; some links however may have been dropped."Thomas Whitelaw, The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 2, Numbers (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1950), p. 363. Of course, this is an abbreviated list, as are doubtless many of the others in the Pentateuch. We should ever bear in mind that Moses had no intention here of furnishing us with an auditor's record of all the things related. "The names of this passage

Numbers 27:12-14 — premonition or "hunch" on Moses' part to the effect that he might die. Oh, no! "Jehovah said unto Moses" It is difficult to imagine a more specific commandment. (1) Get up (into Abarim and see the land). (2) Then you will die (when you have seen the land). (3) How? (Your death will be as Aaron's). (4) Why? (You have failed to sanctify me before the people at the waters of Meribah). These words prepare us for an account of Moses' death, but the last nine chapters of Numbers and all of Deuteronomy come between

Numbers 36:5-9 — every man the inheritance of his fathers. So shall no inheritance remove from one tribe to another tribe; for the tribes of the children of Israel shall cleave every one to his own inheritance." "The tribe of the sons of Joseph speaketh right" (Numbers 36:5). This has the meaning of, "The plea is just."Harry M. Orlinsky, Notes on the New Translation of the Torah (Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society of America, 1969), p. 242. Several of the more recent translations follow this change. The justice

Joshua 15:1-12 — Jabneed" (Joshua 15:11). This is the place where the northern border of Judah met the Mediterranean. "This place is located seven or eight miles south of Joppa.William H. Morton, Beacon Bible Commentary, Joshua (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1970), p. 356. Of course, Judah did not subdue the Philistines who remained powerful enemies of Israel right down to the times of David and Solomon. As many have pointed out, these boundaries were more ideal than actual, dealing with what God had promised Israel

Judges 21:16-21 — Tabernacles. (2)    The problem of which one of those festivals is meant is clarified by the fact that, "The Feast of Tabernacles was the only feast at which Jewish maidens were permitted to dance."The Pulpit Commentary, op. cit., p. 209. (3)    Also, Moore's opinion that it was held at the time of the grape harvest also supports the view that the Feast of Tabernacles was meant, for it was the harvest festival. "It was at the Feast of Tabernacles that the grape harvest

Judges 8:13-17 — the battle from the ascent of Heres" We definitely prefer the KJV rendition here which reads: "Before the sun was up." As Hervey said, "This rendition may be well defended and gives excellent sense."Albert Barnes, Notes on Bible Books, op. cit., p. 437. Without any doubt the word "Heres is an ancient word for "sun"; and the foolish excuse for making this a proper name of some place is based totally upon what some scholar imagines to be the customary use of "up" or "ascent." However, where is the

Ruth 2:8-13 — harvest fields provided, and he at once moved to provide that protection: (1)    He instructed her to glean in his field and in no other field. (2)    He commanded the young men among his laborers not to touch her. (3)    He told her to remain near his own maidens and to do her gleaning, following them. (4)    He at once gave her the right to quench her thirst at the common drinking place. (5)    And he

1 Samuel 15:17-23 — were in charge instead of yourself?. Ridiculous. You are the one whom God anointed King." H. P. Smith agreed "That this verse seems to be a rebuke of Saul's self-confessed subservience to the people."International Critical Commentary, op. cit., p. 136. "The Lord anointed you king over Israel" This was Samuel's unanswerable argument against Saul's claim that, "the people" were to blame for saving the cattle. There was no possibility whatever that the people would have spared the cattle without the

1 Samuel 20:1-3 — following: (1)    David was the son-in-law of King Saul, having recently married his daughter Michal. (2)    David was an honored member of the king's court and, at this point in time, he had not been formally expelled. (3)    He was even expected to sit at the king's table in the approaching feast of the new moon. (4)    The king had recently sworn in a solemn oath that David should not die. (5)    David was

1 Samuel 23:24-29 — estates were located."Ibid. If this had not been the case, it is difficult to believe that Saul, otherwise, would have interrupted his pursuit of David. "That place was called the Rock of Escape" This was that rock in the wilderness of Maon (1 Samuel 23:25). There is some uncertainty about the name given to it. The Hebrew name is, "Sela-hammah-lekoth, i.e., Rock of Smoothness (in the sense of slipping away, or escaping)."C. F. Keil, Keil and Delitzsch's Old Testament Commentaries, op. cit., p. 233.

1 Samuel 26:6-12 — was a sister of David. David, being the youngest in the family of Jesse probably had a number of cousins his own age or older. "Abishai saved David's life in one of the Philistine wars (2 Samuel 21:17), was implicated in the murder of Abner (2 Samuel 3:30) and remained faithful to David during the rebellion of Absalom."J. R. Dummelow's Commentary, p. 194. "There lay Saul, with his spear stuck in the ground at his head" "The lance standing upright is still the sign of the Sheik's quarters among the

1 Samuel 28:3-7 — understanding of what is next related. Saul's putting the wizards and mediums out of the land had evidently occurred in the early years of his reign when he was sincerely trying to do the will of God. "Wizards and mediums" "From Isaiah 8:19; Isaiah 19:3, it may be inferred that the oracles procured from such sources were uttered in a squealing voice, by means of ventriloquism."Wycliffe Old Testament Commentary, Samuel, p. 291. "The Hebrew word for `mediums' here is [~'oboth], which is the plural of

1 Samuel 30:1-6 — 80 miles; Cook estimated it at "about fifty"; and Philbeck's "guess" was "nearly 60." Whatever the distance, it is clear enough that David and his men had covered the mileage as rapidly as possible. "Women, sons and daughters" taken captive (1 Samuel 30:2-3). It seems to be an unqualified miracle that the Amalekites "killed no one." In David's many raids against them, he had exterminated whole populations, sparing no one; and now, that the Amalekites had an opportunity to do likewise to David, they

1 Samuel 9:5-10 — place."The New Bible Commentary, Revised, p. 291. "All that he says comes true" "This was one of the two tests of a true prophet; the other was that the teaching of the prophet must be in keeping with the faith of Israel (Deuteronomy 18:21-22; Deuteronomy 13:1-3)."Wycliffe Old Testament Commentary, op. cit., p. 281. "The fourth part of a shekel of silver" The silver shekels were sometimes cut into halves or quarters; and a quarter of this coin, much more valuable then than now, "Weighed approximately 2.5