Bible Commentaries

Genesis 26 overview — Abraham. (1)    There was a famine similar to the one that prompted Abraham to go down into Egypt. However, Isaac, heeding the warning of God, remained in Canaan, in Gerar, which was under the jurisdiction of Abimelech, the Philistine king (Genesis 26:1-5). (2)    Isaac, with similar motivation to that of Abraham passed the word around that Rebekah was his sister. This time, however, Abimelech, knowing of the experience with Abraham and Sarah, looked into the relationship himself,

Exodus 4:6-8 — Christ that his miracles did not provide a lasting faith in those who witnessed them (at least, in countless examples, John 12:37). "People whose faith depends upon seeing signs often require a steady stream of miracles, or they forsake Christ (John 6:14; John 6:30)."Wilbur Fields, op. cit., p. 111. Ellison made a remarkable application of the truth in evidence here, as follows: "In exactly the same way today we meet those who believe that the power and love of God are inadequately displayed in His

Psalms 37 overview — of memory verses. Hymns have been written on some of the statements here, notably, the one, "John Wesley translated from the German, `Commit Thou All Thy Griefs,' or (in some hymnals) `Put Thou Thy Trust in God.'"The New Layman's Bible Commentary, p. 624. Also Felix Mendelssohn's "O Rest in the Lord" (in the Oratorio `Elijah') is based upon this chapter. There is no sufficient grounds for setting aside the assignment of the psalm to David in the superscription; and, if indeed, he wrote it, it seems

Psalms 39 overview — THE BREVITY AND VANITY OF LIFE The superscription entitles this psalm, 'The Vanity of Life,' but the brevity of life is also a feature. It is labeled 'A Psalm of David,' 'for the Chief Musician, for Jeduthun.' "Jeduthun, in this and in Psalms 62 and Psalms 72, was one of David's three Music leaders, the other two being Asaph and Heman (1 Chronicles 16:37-42). He was also the King's Seer (2 Chronicles 35:15)."Henry H. Halley's Bible Handbook (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House), p. 240. William

Psalms 40:15-17 — threatened the destruction of the ship, Jonah's guilty sleep in the hold of the vessel was broken by the demand of the shipmaster, "What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not" (Jonah 1:6). "Make no tarrying, O my God" The RSV reads this, "Do not tarry, O my God." In the application to Christ, God did indeed speed up his death on the Cross, which came well ahead of the time when it might logically have been expected. Note: According

Psalms 50:22-23 — ordereth his way aright Will I show the salvation of God." The two words that dominate this psalm are here placed above the two divisions of humanity who will be before God in the Final Judgment. "My people" (Psalms 50:7) and "The Wicked" (Psalms 50:16) are used here in the reverse order of their appearance in the psalm. These two verses have the advantage of further clarifying the question of who will participate in the Final Judgment. Psalms 50:22 speaks of the lost; and Psalms 50:23 speaks of the

Ecclesiastes 7:5-7 — thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the look this also is vanity. Surely extortion maketh the wise man foolish, and a bribe destroyeth the understanding." Here are denounced songs of fools (Ecclesiastes 7:5), the laughter of fools (Ecclesiastes 7:6) and the behavior of fools (Ecclesiastes 7:7). "Songs of fools" "These are probably mirthful drinking songs such as are mentioned in Amos 6:5." These are the same as those sung in the house of mirth (Ecclesiastes 7:4). "Crackling of thorns under a pot"

Isaiah 49 overview — AN ANALYSIS OF Isaiah 49 : I.    The Messiah himself is introduced as speaking in Isaiah 49:1-6, stating the purpose of his coming, his rejection by the Jewish nation, and the fact of his enlightening the Gentiles. In Isaiah 49:1, he calls the nations of the whole world to hear his voice. He announces his call to be the Messiah, and gives his

Amos 1 overview — considered by Amos as one with the northern kingdom, and then rested the fullness of its fury upon the nation of Israel itself. The following nations were blasted with these eloquent and fierce denunciations: Damascus (Amos 1:3-5); Philistia (Amos 1:6-8); Tyre (Amos 1:9-10); Edom (Amos 1:11-12); Ammon (Amos 1:13-15); Moab (Amos 2:1-3); Judah (Amos 2:4-5); and Israel (Amos 2:6-16). The skill and power of Amos as a speaker and orator appear in this arrangement of his material: "The interest and sympathy

Micah 6 overview — This begins the concluding section of Micah (Micah 6-7). The prophet had already declared the guilt of Israel and pronounced dramatically the divine sentence of the destruction of their "sinful kingdom," stating also at the same time the salvation that would yet be available to a faithful remnant of the

Nahum 3:5 — hosts, and I will uncover thy skirts upon thy face; and I will show the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame." "Uncover thy skirts" "This seems to have been a part of the punishment for fornication and adultery (Jeremiah 13:22; Jeremiah 13:26 f; Ezekiel 16:36; and Hosea 2:8-9)."J. M. Powis Smith, op. cit., p. 338. Also, based upon Assyrian inscriptions and monuments, Billerbeck and Jeremias' conclusion was that, "It was an Assyrian method of treating female captives."Ibid. The execution

Haggai 1:5-6 — contradiction between the description of poverty here, and the description of the expensive, ceiled houses in Haggai 1:4. As in other societies, the wealthy were found along with the poor. That age, as every age in man's history, proved the truth of Matthew 6:33. When God is forgotten, all labor is without profit."Charles L. Feinberg, Wycliffe Bible Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1962), p. 891. Jamieson summarized the teaching of Haggai 1:6 - "Nothing has prospered with you while you neglected your duty

Zechariah 6:13 — between them both" There is much difference of opinion about what this means. "It is a reference to Joshua and Zerubbabel";David J. Ellis, op. cit., p. 1035. "The counsel of peace shall be between Jesus and the Father";Albert Barnes, op. cit., p. 376. We believe that Harley is correct in the explanation that, "Peace will be provided by the Branch holding the twofold office of king and priest."Homer Hailey, op. cit., p. 354. "He shall build the temple of Jehovah" The repetition of this clause at

Romans 7 overview — Jesus." (2) In Romans 5:20-21, he had shown the temporary nature of the law, given primarily to expose sin, making it "abound," and that it was not true life at all but the means through which "sin reigned in death." (3) In Romans 6:14, Paul flatly declared that Christians were not under law at all, but under grace (a synecdoche for the entirely new system of Christianity). These three considerations of the relationship between the law of Moses and Christianity make up the subject

Colossians 1:10 — anguish, upon every soul of man that worketh evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Greek; but glory and honor and peace to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek: for there is no respect of persons with God (Romans 2:6-11). Reference is here made to the discussion of the above scriptures in the notes in this series of commentaries. See my Commentary on 1 and 2 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians 5:10, and my Commentary on Romans, Romans 2:6. Paul did not teach that people,

Hebrews 1:8 — But of the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever; And the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of thy kingdom. This quotation is from Psalms 45:6 and relates to the Godhead of Christ. CHRIST AS GOD This verse has proved offensive to commentators who apparently resent such a blunt reference to Christ as God; but all kinds of learned arguments, predicated upon the Greek word, whether nominative

Hebrews 13:5 — Be ye free from the love of money; content with such things as ye have: for himself hath said, I will in no wise fail thee, neither will I in any wise forsake thee. Paul declared the love of money to be the root of all kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6:10); and the proof of the fact is on the front page of every newspaper ever published, where is recorded, day by day, the sordid record of how every possible crime men are able to commit is committed for money. The love of money springs from sinful

Hebrews 3:14 — world? Compared with this, what is it to participate with the rich and the gay in their pleasures; what would it be to share in the honors of kings and conquerors? Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1963), Vol. Hebrews, p. 88. The union of Christ and his members provides the entire foundation of their hope. Those who believe and obey Christ partake of his righteousness, by imputation; receive the judicial discharge from their sins, by means of his

Judges 13:21-25 — of Moses, and it hardly needs mentioning that hundreds of examples of this same phenomenon utterly contradict and destroy the critical fairy tale about the Pentateuch's being a late production. Gideon was also familiar with the same teaching (Judges 6:22), as was Isaiah (Isaiah 6:5). "If Jehovah were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt-offering and a meal-offering at our hand" The good sense of Manoah's wife prevailed here and removed their fears. "And the woman bare a son" It

1 John 2:15 — Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Love not the world … God so "loved the world" that he gave his only begotten Son (John 3:16), but "world" here has a different meaning. "It is an inclusive term for all those who are in the kingdom of darkness and have not been born of God."John R. W. Stott, op. cit., p. 101. It also regards the material and temporary