Bible Commentaries

Nehemiah 7:4 — returned with Zerubbabel becomes his basis for determining the purity of genealogy."Wycliffe Old Testament Commentary, p. 441. And the houses were not builded. "This must be understood in a relative sense, because some houses are referred to in Nehemiah 7:3."The New Layman's Bible Commentary, p. 540.

Psalms 144:10 — repulsive that any other of the so-called Davidic-line of kings would have been called God's servant. Furthermore, it was nothing unusual for David to refer to himself in his writings. "He refers to himself as `David' in Psalms 18:50, and in 2 Samuel 7:27; and he refers to himself as `the king' in Psalms 51:6 and Ps. 53:11."Barnes' Notes on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, a 1987 reprint of the 1878 edition), op. cit., p. 317.

Psalms 21:7 — "For the king trusteth in Jehovah; And through the loving-kindness of the Most High he shall not be moved." "The Most High" (Psalms 21:7). This is the God who was worshipped by Melchizedek, and also by Abraham who identified the Most High as identical in every way with Jehovah (Genesis 14:22). This title for Almighty God, "Signifies supreme dignity, unhampered power, and universal sway."The

Psalms 9:15-16 — himself known, he hath executed judgment: The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. (Higgaion, Selah)" As many have pointed out, "The writer picks up the theme of the end-time again."Arnold Rhodes, op. cit., p. 38. Also the message of Psalms 7:15-16 is brought in again here. That the wicked do indeed destroy themselves by their own wicked devices is an eternally true principle. As Watkinson expressed it, "The pit of human misery and ruin is digged by man, not by God."W. L. Watkinson, Psalms,

Proverbs 5:1 — chapter as follows: (1)    the teacher's appeal for strict attention (Proverbs 5:1-2), (2)    a description of the loose woman (Proverbs 5:3-6), (3)    an injunction to avoid her (Proverbs 5:7-8), (4)    a warning of that which befalls her victims (Proverbs 5:9-14), a call to cherish holy love in marriage (Proverbs 5:15-19), a reminder that adultery is a sin against God (Proverbs 5:20-23)."The New Bible Commentary, Revised,

Isaiah 7:23-25 — and with bow shall one come thither, because all the land shall be briers and thorns; but it shall be for the sending forth of oxen and for the treading of sheep." These verses sum up the approaching desolation of Judah, all of the verses from Isaiah 7:18-25 constituting actually but a single paragraph devoted to the prophecy of Judah's ruin by Assyria. Assyria did indeed ruin the land, destroying all the cities except Jerusalem, and attempting to take it. Only a special providence of God saved it.

Jeremiah 8 overview — destruction. Divisions of the chapter, as made by Feinberg,Charles Lee Feinberg in Ezekiel (Chicago: Moody Press), pp. 434-438. are as follows; the invaders desecrate the graves (Jeremiah 8:1-3); Israel stubbornly continues in idolatry (Jeremiah 8:4-7); God describes the penalty of their apostasy (Jeremiah 8:8-13); the invaders approach (Jeremiah 8:14-17); the sorrow of the prophet is recorded (Jeremiah 8:18-22).

Hosea 8:7 — standing grain; the blade shall yield no meal; if so be it yield, strangers shall swallow it up." "Israel has done nothing but sow the wind in idolatry and national affairs at home and abroad. Now, according to both natural and spiritual law (Galatians 6:7), the harvest is due in great measure."J. B. Hindley, The New Bible Commentary, Revised (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1970), p. 711. The Septuagint (LXX) translated the word for "whirlwind" as [@katastrophe],Ibid. and for Israel

Matthew 18:22 — Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times; but, Until seventy times seven. Christ did not mean that Christians should keep a ledger, exactly calculating a precise number such as 490, or using a variant reading, 70 times and 7. This simply means that a Christian must have the spiritual resources to keep on forgiving. Forgiveness of others was made a constant pre-condition of man's forgiveness by the Father, not only in these words of Jesus here, but upon other

Matthew 27:23 — innocence, might not sign the death warrant. John recorded their final compliance with Pilate's demand to know "Why?" "The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by that law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God" (John 19:7). The Fifth Effort of Pilate to Release Jesus This answer of the Jews (John 19:7) frightened Pilate, and, moved with fear, Pilate "sought the more to release him" (John 19:11-12). It was no regard to the moral issue of saving an innocent man's

Mark 14:27 — I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered abroad. PETER'S DENIAL WAS PREDICTED The Lord was about to foretell the denial of Peter and the flight of the Twelve, but he began by appealing to the prophecy here quoted from Zechariah 13:7. God had revealed himself in the Old Testament under the extensive use of the metaphor of "the shepherd of Israel" (Psalms 23; Ezekiel 16, etc.); but here it was stated that the Shepherd would smite the Shepherd, thus God laid upon himself,

Luke 9:19 — (Matthew 11:18-19). They said he was a winebibber (Matthew 11:18-19). They said he cast out demons by the prince of demons (Matthew 9:34). They called him Beelzebul (Matthew 10:25). They called him a sinner (John 9:24). They said he had a demon (John 7:20). They said he violated the sabbath (Matthew 12:2). They said he was a Samaritan (John 8:48). They referred to him as a deceiver (Matthew 27:63). They accused him of friendship with publicans and sinners (Luke 15:2). They said that no prophet could

John 15:23 — said: I and the Father are one (John 10:30). He that believeth on me, believeth … on him that sent me (John 12:44). He that beholdeth me beholdeth him that sent me (John 12:45). If ye had known me, ye would have known my Father also (John 14:7). He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father (John 5:23). He that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me (John 13:20). God will send the Comforter (John 14:16); Christ will send the Comforter (John 15:26). Thus this verse is another variation

John 7:22 — Moses hath given you circumcision (not that it is of Moses, but of the fathers); and on the sabbath ye circumcise a man. This and John 7:23 establish the fact that circumcision is an older ordinance than the sabbath (Nehemiah 9:13-14), the sabbath having been given through Moses, and circumcision having come before Moses. These verses are the end of any notion that the sabbath goes back

Acts 4:7 — perfectly well why they were there; and Peter at once launched into his message. Have ye done this … Bruce tells us that in the Greek, "There is a scornful emphasis in the position of the pronoun (for "ye") at the end of Acts 4:7, meaning "people like you." F. F. Bruce, op. cit., p. 99.

Acts 5:6 — examples had also occurred" B. W. Johnson, The New Testament with Explanatory Notes (Delight, Arkansas: Gospel Light Publishing Company, n.d.), p. 434. in the days of Moses, as in the cases of Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10:1-2) and of Achan (Joshua 7:16-25).

1 Corinthians 1:4 — CHRIST JESUS. In the Lord, the Corinthians were credited with the holy righteousness of Christ himself, even as the Christians of all ages; and the blood of Christ, operative in his spiritual body, was cleansing them from all sins CONTINUALLY (1 John 1:7).

1 John 3:6 — here, that "sinneth" in this context means "leads a life of sin." Abideth in him … This is the key to the sinlessness of Christians, since their sins are forgiven continually through the power of the blood of Christ (1 John 1:7). It is only in such a sense as this that any child of God was ever sinless.

Revelation 1:14 — And his head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire. This description of the white hair is a "deliberate reminiscence of Daniel 7:9, where it belongs to the Ancient of Days." G.R. Beasley-Murray, op. cit., p. 1282. This application to Jesus Christ of the attributes of deity is a recurring phenomenon in Revelation. There are also a number of other reflections of the Book of

1 Samuel 7:1 — (For a definitive comment on 1 Samuel 7:1 see the note under 1 Samuel 6:21.) THE JUDGESHIP OF THE PROPHET SAMUEL This chapter is not written after the manner of modern dissertations. As a result of the peculiarities that are frequently found in Biblical books, some scholars have great difficulty