Bible Commentaries

Genesis 24:50-58 — bestowed rich gifts upon Laban and upon Rebekah's mother, but he insisted that an IMMEDIATE departure to the country of Isaac was imperative. Note the sacrifices that Rebekah made: (1)    She did not plead for time to make up her mind. (2)    She would say goodbye to her home and relatives, with the near certainty that she would never see them again. (3)    She believed the messenger completely, an incredible act of faith. (4)    She

Genesis 36:20-30 — over the country, but the pagan culture of Seir took over the Edomites. Thus, the wisdom of God's providential interference with Jacob's continued residence in Shechem is demonstrated in this chapter. Note that Zibeon is called a Hivite is Genesis 36:2, and a Horite in Genesis 36:20. "Hivite is a synonym for Horite, and both are applied where `Hurrians' are involved."E. A. Speiser, op. cit., p. 282. "Anah who found the hot springs in the wilderness" The words here given as "hot springs" are rendered

Genesis 43:31-34 — brothers in exactly the sequences of their ages from oldest to the youngest. No wonder the men marveled at it. The mathematical odds that this could have been done accidentally were exactly 39,917,000 to 1.Ibid. p. 610. This is about forty million to one! (2)    The "mess" which Joseph sent to his brothers, with such preference for Benjamin. It was the custom at such banquets in ancient times for the host to send especially choice morsels to guests from his own table. Plenty of food

Genesis 47 overview — We shall consider this chapter as embracing ten paragraphs, as follows: (1)    Joseph presents five of his brothers before Pharaoh (Genesis 47:1-4). (2)    Pharaoh confirms the settlement of Israel in Goshen. (3)    Jacob himself had an audience with Pharaoh (Genesis 47:7-10). (4)    Israel's settlement in Goshen was accomplished (Genesis

Exodus 13:1-2 — saying, Sanctify unto me all the first-born, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: it is mine." There were three great memorials of the deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage, namely: (1) The Passover; (2) The Feast of Unleavened Bread; and (3) the Sanctification of the First-born. Each of these was uniquely associated with the event of the deliverance and is incapable of being intelligently associated with anything else. The Passover stressed God's

Exodus 3:1 — flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the back of the wilderness, and came to the mountain of God, unto Horeb." "Jethro his father-in-law" This is surprising in view of the fact that Reuel appeared in Exodus 2:18, both as the "priest of Midian," and as "father-in-law" of Moses. However, forty years had intervened, and Jethro, probably the son of Reuel, had inherited the office, as was the custom. This would have meant that Jethro was brother-in-law to Moses,

1 Kings 3 overview — Solomon's reign, which is usually described in the most complimentary terms. As LaSor said, "For some strange reason Christian literature has idealized Solomon, so that he hardly resembles the scriptural portrait."The New Bible Commentary, Revised, p. 327. It should be remembered that Solomon did NOT build his glorious empire; he only inherited it, and that he at once sowed the seeds of its destruction culminating in the near-total loss of it as soon as he died. His vaunted "wisdom" was not demonstrated

Psalms 118 overview — A MESSIANIC PROPHECY OF THE SON OF GOD A PSALM OF DAVID We find ourselves unable to accept the dictum of most present-day scholars that, "This is a marching song sung by the pilgrims not yet arrived coming to Jerusalem to worship,"W. E. Addis, p. 392. or that it is a national hymn, "Referring to the whole congregation of Israel."H. C. Leupold, p. 311. Neither of these views is tenable. (1)    Regarding the liturgical explanation (pilgrims marching to the Temple), as Addis admitted,

Psalms 65 overview — affirmations of the superscription. (c)    A third basis of denying Davidic authorship was stated by Delitzsch. "It is uncritical to assign to David all the Psalms ascribed to him in the superscriptions."F. Delitzsch, Vol. V-B, p. 226. This statement is nothing more than an admission that it is very popular among critics to deny Davidic authorship of psalms ascribed to him, whenever it is possible to do so. This also, in our opinion, constitutes no valid grounds whatever for such

Leviticus 26:14-20 — spent in vain; for your land shall not yield its increase, neither shall the trees of the land yield their fruit." Inherent in this is the truth that rejection of God's commandments and a failure to do them is a "breaking of the covenant" (Leviticus 26:15). Therefore, Israel's receiving all of these penalties at the hands of God is eloquent testimony indeed that they did in fact break the covenant. Furthermore, right here is the kernel of those great messages which constituted the burden of what

Leviticus 3 overview — peace-offering, or thank-offering. The exact meaning of [~shelamiym], the Hebrew word from which the name of this offering is translated, is "uncertain."Bernard J. Bamberger, The Torah, A Modern Commentary (New York: Union of Hebrew Congregations, 1979), p. 22. Coleman rendered it, "The sacrifice of unity, or completeness";Robert O. Coleman, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1962), p. 89. Keil thought it more correctly rendered, "saving-offering."C. F. Keil, Commentary on the Old Testament,

Isaiah 60 overview — eternal life in heaven. No words are too wonderful for that! The division of the chapter naturally fails into five parts, very nearly the same length each, and which Rawlinson entitled: "(1) Zion's brightness and increased numbers (Isaiah 60:1-4); (2) Zion's immense wealth (Isaiah 60:5-9); (3) Zion's reconstruction (Isaiah 60:10-14); (4) Zion's prosperity (Isaiah 60:15-18); and (5) Zion's crowning glories (Isaiah 60:19-22)."Pulpit Commentary, Vol. II, p. 400. The "Zion" of this chapter is by no

Isaiah 66 overview — these chapters, or particularly what dates should be assigned to various chapters, etc., is of no importance at all. The fundamental facts are indisputable, these being: (1) that every line of this great book was printed in the Greek language about 250 years before the Son of God was born, in what is called the Septuagint (LXX) Version. A vast number of the prophecies in Isaiah were fulfilled long after that date, absolutely destroying the critical dictum regarding the impossibility of predictive

Numbers 19 overview — practiced some form of "washing" or "bathing" which became a formal means of cleansing from contact with the dead. Gray has an extensive account of these.George Buchanan Gray, International Critical Commentary, Numbers (Edinburgh: T. and T. Clark, 1903), p. 243f. In spite of the existence of such ceremonies, there is hardly any similarity between what is written here and any of those rites. Besides, it is quite possible, as Adam Clarke said, that "it is very likely that the Gentiles learned of these rites

Numbers 4:21-28 — charge all their burden. This is the service of the families of the sons of the Gershonites in the tent of meeting: and their charge shall be under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest." "All that enter in to wait upon the service" (Numbers 4:23). "Literally, this is, `to war the warfare.' The same phrase is rendered in Numbers 4:3, `enter into the host to do the work.' The language is military. The service of God is a sacred warfare."F. C. Cook, op. cit., p. 190. The Levites were not to look,

Deuteronomy 21 overview — it, "It is hard to distinguish any pattern in this section, although some laws are grouped together."Peter E. Cousins, The New Layman's Bible Commentary, Deuteronomy (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1979), p. 300. For example, Deuteronomy 21:10-21 concerns family affairs, and Deuteronomy 23:1-18 deals with the purity of the community. Keil wrote that: "The reason for grouping these five laws which are apparently so different from one another, as well as for attaching them to the previous

Deuteronomy 6:10-15 — earth. The great thrust of this passage is, "Beware, lest thou forget Jehovah." This warning is repeated several times in Deuteronomy, but it was never seriously heeded by the chosen people. (For a sermon on the subject of "Forgetting God," see Volume 2, pp. 211-213 of the Minor Prophets in my series of commentaries.) "And shalt swear by his name" This commandment was not contradicted by Jesus who indeed said, "Swear not at all," because Jesus in that passage was NOT speaking of taking an oath in court.

Joshua 21:9-19 — to his descendants. All of the other descendants of Kohath were the Levites, thus giving us: (1) the sons of Kohath (through Aaron) the priests (Note that the priests also, as descendants from Levi, were Levites, sometimes called Levitical priests); (2) the sons of Kohath (the Levites); (3) the sons of Gershon (Levites); and (4) the sons of Merari (Levites). There is another list of these Levitical cities in 1 Chronicles 6:54-81, with certain variations in it due to the double names borne by some

Joshua 23:4-8 — faithfulness of Israel. During the closing years of Joshua's life, he became increasingly aware, "of Israel's growing complacency and their tendency to compromise with the heathen."John Rea, Wycliffe Bible Commentary, Joshua (Chicago: Moody Press, 1962), p. 228. Some of the heathen had already been put to taskwork, thus becoming vassals to Israel, and that was a source of wealth that added new power to the temptation to allow the "nations" a place among God's people. The powerful exhortations of this

Judges 8:29-32 — in a good old age, and was buried in the sepulchre of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezerites." The importance of Joash the father of Gideon is evident in a number of things: (1) "His proprietary rights in the cultic establishment at Ophrah; (2) his definitive word in the altercation; (3) the mention of his sepulchre (the only one mentioned in Judges); and (4) his undoubted wealth."Wycliffe Bible Commentary, Old Testament, Judges, p. 249. All of these things are a testimony of the wealth,