Bible Commentaries

Ezra 4:6-23 — to shut down the building of Jerusalem (not the house of God; that had been finished long ago). "We must date this decree in 446 B.C.; and it was the news of this disaster which so shocked Nehemiah and forced him into mourning and prayers (Nehemiah 1:3-4)."Ibid. 427. From this it is clear that the Samaritan opposition lasted from 535 B.C. to 446 B.C., a period of at least 89 years. "Cause these men to cease… until a decree shall be made by me" This was a very important line in the letter, because,

Ezra 5:6-17 — Solomon. He was evidenly Cyrus' man in charge of that first expedition to Jerusalem; and scholars differ on just what connection he had with Zerubbabel. Hamrick thought that he might have been the same person as Zerubbabel,Broadman Bible Commentary, Vol. 3, p. 435. in which case his Babylonian name might have been Sheshbazzar. However, the opinion of Cundall may be correct: "If Sheshbazzar was the Persian appointed leader, it would account for the fact that in this official communication he would be tactfully

Nehemiah 4:1-6 — "Before men were taught to love their enemies and to bless them that cursed them (Matthew 5:44), they gave vent to their natural feelings of anger and indignation by the utterance of maledictions in their prayers."The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 7b, p. 37. "The violence of Nehemiah's imprecations here (Nehemiah 4:4) grates harshly on modern ears; but it should be remembered that such vehemence against enemies appears repeatedly in the Psalms (Psalms 79:4-12; Psalms 123:3-4, and Psalms 137:7-9)."Charles

Nehemiah 4:7-14 — appear and kill the workers; the Jews from the surrounding area appealed to their neighbors at work on the wall to return home, abandoning the work. Nehemiah's presence of mind and firmness alone saved the situation." Arthur S. Peake's Commentary, p. 332. Note the manner in which Nehemiah moved to meet this crisis: (1) He prayed to God (Nehemiah 4:9). (2) He set a watch day and night (Nehemiah 4:9). (3) He set armed men at "the lowest parts," i.e., places were the walls might be most easily attacked

Nehemiah 8:13-18 — It is my meditation all the day' (Psalms 119:97)."Pulpit Commentary, op. cit., p. 89 Not only did the people come to hear Ezra read the law on that following day, but also on every day throughout the Feast of Tabernacles (Nehemiah 8:18). Leviticus 23:42 had commanded the children of Israel to dwell in booths during this celebration. However, some scholars seem to be perturbed over the fact that some of the instructions mentioned here "are not found in any existing Scripture,"Ibid. but that is no

Psalms 31:1-8 — place." That the psalm is most certainly David's appears in the use of such terms as `rock,' `stronghold,' `lovingkindness,' `thy righteousness,' and `fortress.' These expressions are found in dozens of David's psalms. Note also that the word `enemy' in Psalms 31:8 is singular, suggesting that King Saul is the principle foe and the leader of those who have "laid a net" to capture David. "For thy name's sake" (Psalms 31:3). See our discussion of this phrase in the Shepherd Psalm, above. It indicates that God's

Leviticus 1:1-2 — SINGLE author - Moses! "Out of the tent of meeting" Some think that this is a reference to that special tent in which, for awhile, God communed with Moses, but we agree with Bamberger that, according to the usage of this same expression in Leviticus 1:3, "Before the Lord plainly means in the Tent, in front of the inner Shrine."Ibid. "An oblation" This word means "any grateful or solemn offering." It comes from a technical Hebrew word that is "identical with Korban,"W. F. Lofthouse, Peake's Commentary

Leviticus 1:14-17 — doves were allowed; birds of prey or eaters of carrion were disallowed. Note the appropriateness of the dove, for example: (1)    it suggests sorrowing and innocence; (2)    it is monogamous, mating only once; (3)    in all ages, it has been the symbol of peace; (4)    it is a messenger, as when the dove brought back the green leaf to Noah; (5)    the carrier pigeon is still used as a messenger; (6)    naturalists

Leviticus 21:1-9 — any case, the meaning here must be considered unclear. "The offerings made by fire… the bread of God" These phrases mean the same thing, indicating that animal sacrifices were called "the bread of God." "The fat of the peace-offering (Leviticus 3:11) is called the food (bread) of God."Merrill F. Unger, op. cit., p. 171. However, we may not for a moment receive the notion that the Hebrews had any false notion that God actually needed to eat such things. "The author of Leviticus would not have

Leviticus 6:8-13 — is that the fire on the altar of burnt-offerings should never go out."Gordon J. Wenham, The Book of Leviticus (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1979), p. 119. This instruction is repeated three times (Leviticus 6:9; Leviticus 6:12-13). "Marvels were related concerning this. It came forth from God's presence (Leviticus 9:24), and it burned continuously for 116 years; and yet the thin copper sheathing of the altar never melted."Bernard J. Bamberger, Torah, a Modern Commentary (New

Numbers 12:1-3 — "Ethiopian woman." One meaning of the word is "fair of appearance."John Joseph Owens, op. cit, p. 119. "The rabbinical interpretation of Cushite is beautiful."George Buchanan Gray, International Critical Commentary, Numbers (Edinburgh: T. and T. Clark, 1903), p. 122. Miriam's jealousy of Moses could have been due to the beauty of Zipporah, a much more likely cause of jealousy than nationality. Most of the comments one encounters deal with this problem, and yet it seems to have no importance at all. This

Deuteronomy 18:1-5 — course, the purpose was to alter them (as in the increased revenue called for in this paragraph)."Ibid. Another Biblical example of the differences between priests and Levites is seen in that, "Different portions are assigned to priests in Deuteronomy 18:3-5, and to Levites in Deut. 18-6-8. Some priests taught the Law (Deuteronomy 31:9-13), but the Levites had actual custody of the book which was kept near the ark of the covenant."R. K. Harrison, The New Bible Commentary, Revised, Deuteronomy (Grand Rapids:

Deuteronomy 26:16-19 — necessary for several reasons: (1)    a new generation was at hand; (2)    Moses would die within a few days of this speech, and a new leader in the person of Joshua would be in charge of Israel's affairs; and (3)    the investiture of the Chosen People with the land of promise would thus be tied to the promises made to the patriarchs. Long before the full resemblance of these stipulations to the suzerainty treaties of that era had been discovered,

Deuteronomy 27:15-26 — here enumerated. Keil thought it was unnecessary to specify the blessings, since, "It is easy to single out the corresponding blessings,"C. F. Keil, Commentary on the Old Testament, Deuteronomy (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company), p. 435. the same being the opposite of the violations mentioned along with the curses. Thus, the blessing would pertain to him that "honors father and mother." and the curse pertained to him who did not do so. Also, there are blessing in large numbers before

Deuteronomy 28:15-19 — and the fruit of thy ground, the increase of thy cattle, and the young of thy flock. Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out." It is obvious that these five verses are the exact reverse of Deuteronomy 28:3-6. Entry into Canaan would in no sense EXEMPT Israel from the obligations of the covenant. Can it be otherwise in the kingdom of God? There is a powerful parallelism between what happened to Israel and what can and frequently does happen to members

Deuteronomy 7:6-11 — upon the face of the earth." This is translated exactly the same way in 1 Peter 2:9. "Because the Lord loved you" (Deuteronomy 7:8). Alexander's comment on this is: "Instead of saying, he hath chosen you out of love to your fathers, as in Deuteronomy 4:37, Moses brings out in this place love to the people of Israel as the Divine motive, not for choosing Israel, but for leading it out and delivering it from the slave-house in Egypt."Keil, as quoted by W. L. Alexander, op. cit., p. 136. The word "love"

Joshua 7:2-5 — unlikely thing. (2)    Joshua was written so long after the events recorded (by imposters, of course) that they included errors in their book. This alleged solution is unchristian and absolutely impossible for believers to accept. (3)    Albright said that the capture of Ai was probably the capture of Bethel, the principal fortification of which was at Ai, on the ancient ruins mentioned in the above paragraph. His reason for this allegation was that there is

Joshua 8:3-9 — "So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up to Ai: and Joshua chose out 30,000 men, the mighty men of valor, and sent them forth by night. And he commanded them, saying, Behold, ye shall lie in ambush, against the city; go not very far from the city, but be ye all ready: and I, and all the people that are with me, will approach

2 Samuel 13:1-6 — head yearly and weighed the hair."Wycliffe Old Testament Commentary, p. 298. Absalom seems to have been inordinately proud of his hair, which ironically gave Joab his opportunity to kill him. The name Tamar means "palm tree,"The Pulpit Commentary, p. 324. "Amnon, David's son, loved her" Amnon, David's firstborn son was the child of Ahinoam a woman of Jezreel whom David married while he was still a fugitive from Saul. She, along with Abigail the widow of Nabal, was captured by the Ammonites while David

2 Samuel 15:7-12 — throughout all the tribes of Israel" "It is evident that much more elaborate preparations had been made for this effort of Absalom to seize the throne than appears on the surface of this concise narrative."International Critical Commentary, Samuel, p. 341. "With Absalom went two hundred men from Jerusalem" These were invited guests, probably the most influential and powerful men in Jerusalem; but they were not co-conspirators with Absalom. Although ignorant of Absalom's plans, they would have been