Bible Commentaries

Psalms 61 overview — PRAYER AND THANKSGIVING OF AN EXPELLED KING ON HIS WAY BACK TO THE THRONE.F. Delitzsch, Vol. V-B, p. 201.PRAYER FOR A KING.Wycliffe Old Testament Commentary, Old Testament, p. 517.THE EXILED KING PRAYS FOR RESTORATION.H. C. Leupold, p. 453.A PRAYER OF A DISTRAUGHT KING.The New Bible Commentary, Revised, p. 488.A HYMN OF CONFIDENCE.Henry H. Halley's Bible Handbook (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House), p. 242.THE ROCK THAT IS HIGHER THAN I.Derek Kidner, Vol. 1, p. 218. Superscription:

Proverbs 2 overview — "This chapter presents the five fruits of wisdom."George DeHoff's Commentary, Vol. III, p. 252. (1)    The seeker shall find God (Proverbs 2:1-8). (2)    Wisdom provides many precious rewards (Proverbs 2:9-11). (3)    God's man is delivered from evil (Proverbs 2:12-15). (4)    He is safe from harlotry (Proverbs 2:16-19). (5)    He will receive a special inheritance (Proverbs 2 : Proverbs 2:20-22).

Proverbs 20:9 — "Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?" This is a plaintive note indeed. The implied response here is negative. Under the Old Dispensation, there was no such thing as the forgiveness of sins. "There was a remembrance of sins year by year" (Hebrews 10:3). Thus, there is an unspoken plea here for that Atonement that came only in the blood of Christ.

Proverbs 22:26-27 — Word 3. "Be thou not one of them that strike hands, Or of them that are sureties for debts. If thou hast not wherewith to pay, Why should he take away thy bed from under thee?" A number of the proverbs of Solomon in the previous section dealt with this same problem, and there is nothing new added here. It just says, "Don't do it"!

Ezekiel 29 overview — judgment, and her future place among the nations of the world."John Skinner in the Expositor's Bible Commentary, p. 266. Ezekiel has seven oracles against Egypt, the first two of which are in this chapter: (1) Ezekiel 29:1-16; (2) Ezekiel 29:17-21; (3) Ezekiel 30:1-19; (4) Ezekiel 30:20-26; (5) Ezekiel 31; (6) Ezekiel 32:1-16; and (7) Ezekiel 32:17-32. The date of this prophecy is specific. "It was a year and two days after Nebuchadnezzar began the siege of Jerusalem, and seven months before its

Habakkuk 3 overview — although a great deal of it is more like what would be called a devotional. "All devotional addresses to God are called prayers (Psalms 72:20)."Robert Jamieson, Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1961), p. 831. Stephens-Hodge defended the unity of the whole prophecy and believed that, "This third chapter could hardly be more suitable to what preceded; and it was deliberately designed by Habakkuk as the crown of his whole composition."L. E. H. Stephens-Hodge

Mark 3:31 — And there come his mother and his brethren; and, standing without, they sent unto him, calling him. As noted under Mark 3:21, this terminology applied to Jesus' immediate family makes it impossible to construe "friends" in that verse as a reference to the same persons. Turlington said: This passage must not be used as evidence that Jesus' mother opposed his mission

Mark 6 overview — Events related in Mark 6 are: (1) rejection of Jesus at Nazareth (Mark 6:1-6); (2) sending forth of the Twelve (Mark 6:7-13); (3) the beheading of John the Baptist (Mark 6:14-29); (4) the feeding of the five thousand (Mark 6:30-44); (5) walking on the sea (Mark 6:45-52); and (6) preaching and healing in Gennesaret (Mark 6:53-56).

Luke 1:10 — And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the hour of incense. This would have been about 3:00 o'clock in the afternoon. It was customary for the people to assemble in the great courts of the temple and wait for the benediction to be pronounced upon them by the priest who burned the incense morning and evening (Exodus 30:6-8).

Acts 23:7-9 — angel? Paul's identification of himself as a Pharisee is also offensive to some people; but it should be remembered that the "noble Pharisee" must never be identified with the Pharisees whom Jesus denounced. See my Commentary on Matthew, Matthew 3:7, for classifications of Pharisees. Many priests became Christians (Acts 6:7), most of whom were doubtless Pharisees; and it is very likely that much of Luke's gospel (Luke 9:51—19:28) was researched through Luke's interviews with such Pharisees

Acts 26:19-20 — MacGreggor, while admitting the unusual construction of the Greek (a typically Pauline touch), nevertheless gives the typically knee-jerk response of the radical critic, affirming a contradiction of Galatians 1:22, G. H. C. MacGreggor, op. cit., p. 328. in which place Paul said that when Galatians was written he was still unknown by face to the churches of Judaea. It is therefore certain, then, that Paul did not use the word "first" here in any chronological sense at all. Incidentally,

Acts 7:38-40 — God. What more could the people want? … and it was all theirs in the wilderness, far from the promised land and the holy city. F. F. Bruce, op. cit., p. 152. The living oracles … This designation of the word of God also appears in Romans 3:2, Hebrews 3:12, and 1 Peter 4:11. It means "the living word."

Romans 13:13 — suggests the beauty and adornment of Christian behavior, which is of a kind not to be ashamed of in broad open daylight, contrasting sharply with the Gentile debaucheries usually committed at night, and therefore called the works of darkness (Romans 13:12). Deeds that are becoming to Christians are those of virtue, integrity, faithfulness, purity, and love. It was becoming of Christ to fulfill all righteousness (Matthew 3:15). Even the discussion of gross sins was forbidden to Christians upon the

1 Corinthians 16:21 — The salutation of me Paul with mine own hand. This was Paul's authentication of the epistle, his signature. Paul's letters were usually written by a secretary, an amanuensis, probably Sosthenes in the case of this epistle (1 Corinthians 1:1). Tertius wrote Romans (Romans 16:22); and Paul also wrote the salutation and signature of 2 Thessalonians (2 Thessalonians 3:17), indicating that an unnamed amanuensis wrote that epistle also.

2 Corinthians 6:2 — inspired comment of his own making the application personal and immediate. Now is the acceptable time … now is the day of salvation … The urgency of immediate acceptance of the gospel was also stressed by the author of Hebrews (Hebrews 3:7-8; Hebrews 3:13), and for discussion of this subject, see my Commentary on Hebrews, pp. 74-75. Now … It should be noted that this tightens the urgency even beyond the passage of Hebrews. There, the message is "TODAY … harden not

Ephesians 1 overview — Paul began here in the manner of all writers of his time with a salutation (Ephesians 1:1-2); and pausing a moment to consider the sublime and heavenly theme upon which he was about to write, penned the noble words of a grand doxology (Ephesians 1:3-14), and then a fervent and beautiful prayer for those who would receive his letter (Ephesians 1:15-23).

Ephesians 6:23-24 — one who sincerely requests them of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. William Hendriksen, op. cit., p. 286. The significant thing here, of course is the reverse order in which Paul's favorite words are enumerated. In Romans 1:7, 1 Corinthians 1:3, 2 Corinthians 1:2, Galatians 1:3, and Colossians 1:2 — in all these, the order of the words is invariably "grace," then "peace." Here it is the other way; and, as Dummelow said, "An imitator would have copied the other

1 Thessalonians 1:5 — passages in the letter which might be construed as Paul's defense against "charges." Barclay made a list of these, compiling them from references in 1 Thessalonians 2. It was being said that Paul preached from sheer delusion (1 Thessalonians 2:3). That his preaching sprang from impure motives (1 Thessalonians 2:3). It was said his preaching aimed at deluding others (1 Thessalonians 2:3). That he was seeking to please people, not God (1 Thessalonians 2:4). That he was preaching for what he could

Hebrews 3:7-11 — Israel in the wilderness of wanderings was indelibly engraved upon the conscience of all the Jews, especially regarding the failure to enter the promised land, the shameful record of which was outlined expressly in their scriptures (Exodus 17; Numbers 13—14; Deuteronomy 9:10). Thus the warning in this place is dramatically intensified by an appeal to the historic disaster that prevented a whole generation from entering Canaan. Today, if ye shall hear his voice is an appeal for action NOW. The

1 Peter 5:14 — Salute one another with a kiss of love. Peace be unto you all that are in Christ. Kiss of love … Paul similarly commanded this greeting (Romans 16:16; 1 Corinthians 16:20; 2 Corinthians 13:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:26). Comment on this was made under all those references. "The practice seems to have been universal in those times." B. C. Caffin, op. cit., p. 211. Peace be unto you all … "This is the same blessing Peter