Bible Commentaries

Genesis 14 overview — necessary that God's operation "Chosen People" should have begun while that knowledge was still extant on earth. This shows how vital to the proper understanding of God's covenant with Abraham is every line of the information recorded in this chapter. (3)    For the purpose of setting forth typically the fact that the kingly high priesthood of Christ is in every way superior, absolutely, to the priesthood established by the law of Moses. This was done by Abram's paying tithes to

Genesis 28:18-22 — Westminster Abbey, but he observed that the "Stone under the coronation chair in the Abbey is common granite, whereas all the stone in the area of Bethel is limestone!"J. R. Dummelow, Commentary on the Holy Bible (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1937), p. 34. The text seems to say that Jacob anointed the stone "as the house of God," but this is merely metonymy for the "place." Note: "God is in this place," (Genesis 28:16), not "in this stone." He called the name "of the place" Bethel (Genesis 28:19).

Genesis 40:1-3 — such a comment. Now, if to the triple designations of the offenders, and of the king, we add the triple designations of the place where the offenders were incarcerated, namely, (1) the ward in the house of the captain of the guard; (2) the prison; and (3) the place where Joseph was kept, we thus find a total of no less than nine possible "sources," according to the usual scholarly dictum to that effect. No wonder there is not any agreement anywhere on earth today as to what belongs to which "source"

Exodus 23:1-3 — aim of these regulations was that of protecting accused persons against false witnesses, and against opinions of majorities. In matters of truth and righteousness, it has often been the tyranny of majorities that perverted and denied justice. Exodus 23:3 even has a caution against favoring the cause of a poor man, not through a sense of justice, but through pity. True decisions must not be made upon the basis of what is popular, or upon the basis of pity for appelants, but upon the basis of what is

Exodus 24:3-4 — above. The written record was not merely possible but certain, being the only possible way that the exceedingly extensive and complicated records of the O.T. could ever have reached down the centuries. "MOSES WROTE ALL THE WORDS OF JEHOVAH!" (Exodus 24:3). It is an axiom of true O.T. interpretation that EVERY APPEAL to "oral tradition" or "tradition," by which the same thing is meant, is merely a confession on the part of critics that they prefer their own vain imaginations to God's written record.

Exodus 33:7-11 — O.T., which alone should be rendered "tabernacle" does not even appear in this chapter; and thus there is no excuse for confusing Moses' Tent with the Mosaic Tabernacle.F. C. Cook, Barnes' Notes, Exodus (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, Reprinted in 1983), p. 91. "What is here meant is a tent appointed for this temporary purpose by Moses, possibly that in which he was accustomed to dwell."Ibid. This withdrawal of the presence of God from the polluted camp of Israel was discerned with a great deal of

Psalms 24 overview — independently."The Layman's Bible Commentary, p. 54. Maclaren commented on that claim, stating that the original author, "Has just as good a right to be credited with the present unity of the psalm as the supposed `editor' has!"Alexander Maclaren, p. 233. The structure of this psalm is evident in the outline provided by Leupold:H. C. Leupold, p. 216. I.    The Lord's rulership of the world (Psalms 24:1-2) A.    Proved by his creation of it B.    And

Psalms 90 overview — BOOK IV INTRODUCTION FOR BOOK IV There are seventeen psalms in this book, classified by Dummelow as: Penitential Psalms: Psalms 90; Psalms 91; Psalms 94; and Psalms 101. Psalms of Thanksgiving: Psalms 92; Psalms 93; Psalms 95-100; and Psalms 103-106, National Psalms: Psalms 94; Psalms 97; Psalms 99; Psalms 102; Psalms 105; and Psalms 106. Historical Psalms: Psalms 105 and Psalms 106. A Gnomic Psalm: Psalms 101.J. R. Dummelow's Commentary, p. 365. Dummelow's last

Jeremiah 38 overview — the second is recorded in the preceding chapter, and the third imprisonment is the one recounted in this chapter. TWO IMPRISONMENTS, NOT ONE The great Jewish historian Josephus preserved a record of both of these imprisonments, (the two in Jeremiah 37 and Jeremiah 38) adding significant details to each, noting, for example, that, in the imprisonment given in this chapter, "Jeremiah stood in the mire up to his neck," and that, "The intention of the rulers was that he might be suffocated."Flavius

Lamentations 3 overview — THE STEADFAST LOVE OF THE LORD NEVER CEASESAnthony L. Ash, Jeremiah and Lamentations (Abilene, Texas: A.C.U. Press, 1987), p.335. This chapter begins with the words, "I am the man"; and this writer confidently identifies the prophet Jeremiah as "the man," not merely the man in this chapter, but also the author of the whole book. We are aware, of course, that this is disputed. Most

Numbers 31 overview — written on Numbers. Here are random samples of such false comments from several authors throughout the current century: This is not a history, but Midrash.George Buchanan Gray, International Critical Commentary, Numbers (Edinburgh: T. and T. Clark, 1903), p. 418. The account is more ideal than historical.Lindsay B. Longacre, Abingdon Bible Commentary, Numbers (New York: Abingdon Press, 1929), p. 314. This tale… is commonly thought to be unhistorical. It may perhaps be a pious invention of later

John 20:19 — behind closed doors took place after sundown. As Westcott noted: The hour was evidently late, about 8:00 p.m. Time must be allowed for the return of the disciples from Emmaus, who were not likely to leave Jerusalem until after the evening prayer (Acts 3:1). B. F. Westcott, The Gospel according to St. John (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1971), p. 294. Despite the lateness of the hour, it was still the first day of the week; and John, writing so long after the events,

Acts 2:32 — think of something essentially other-worldly, a piece of heavenly reality, invading this world of time and sense and manifesting itself. We are concerned with an unmistakably divine event which yet occurred in this world of ours, on an April day in A.D. 30 while Pontius Pilate was Roman governor of Judea. Archibald M. Hunter, Introducing New Testament Theology (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1957), p. 57. We are all witnesses … Peter could not have meant "all" of the one hundred

Romans 9:15 — For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy upon whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. This quotation is from Exodus 33:19, and it affirms the sovereign right of Almighty God to save whomsoever he will. No basis of any kind is there stated as an explanation of God's saving some and rejecting others; but any understanding whatever of God's dealings with his human children

Colossians 3:16 — admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts unto God. Let the word of Christ dwell in you … The significance of this has already been noted under Colossians 1:27, above and under Galatians 5:23. Briefly, the word of Christ dwelling in a person is equivalent in every way to the Spirit of God dwelling in him. If it be objected that the Spirit is a living Person, then let it be remembered also that the word of God is spoken of as "living

1 Peter 2:25 — fabulous value to fragments of broken glass; it was painted upon the chalice of the Holy Communion; and it was carved upon the tombs of the martyrs in the catacombs! W. A. Snively, Biblical Illustrator, 1 Peter (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1938), p. 242. There can really, therefore, be no other way of understanding these two magnificent titles than as being ascribed here to the blessed Saviour. Bishop … This word has none of the ecclesiastical overtones that afterward became associated

1 Peter 3:20 — attention to the fact of "few" being saved through the great debacle of the flood, with the inherent warning that it may also be "few" who will be saved through the looming terror. Thus it is clear that the preaching Jesus did (1 Peter 3:19) was done through Noah. The surmise that Christ in some spiritual state would have done any preaching is only that. If Christ had desired to communicate to either spirits or living souls in any kind of spiritual state, it would not have been necessary

Revelation 14:6 — … It is of passing interest that some try to bolster a late first century date of Revelation through the notion that, "Angels begin to fly in the Jewish heaven about the beginning of the first century." James Moffatt, op. cit., p. 437. A parallel between Revelation 14:13 and Clement of Rome (xlvii) is also cited for the same purpose; Ibid. but it never seems to occur to such scholars that the Jews probably got their ideas from Revelation; and, as for Clement, the best of modern

Revelation 7:1 — 1975), p. 78. The exact chronology of Revelation is the great unresolved problem with the whole prophecy. In Revelation 6:8, the ravaging horsemen had authority to destroy the fourth part of the earth; but in this chapter (Revelation 7:1; Revelation 7:3), the destructive forces are restrained from hurting the earth. "After this," therefore means merely that John saw this vision at a later time than when he saw the ones already described. Four angels standing at the four corners of the earth

Revelation 8:10-11 — or Pope Gregory the Great! The futurists think of their antichrist. R. C. H. Lenski, op. cit., p. 281. The simple truth is that this angel is not identifiable with any individual, evil person. "Wormwood, symbolical of bitter sorrow (Lamentations 3:19), is the name of this star (Revelation 8:11)." William Hendriksen, op. cit., p. 144. Upon rivers and fountains … How can the waters of rivers and fountains turn into bitter sorrow for people? Ask any one who ever depended upon wells or