Bible Commentaries

Exodus 34:5-8 — revelation here concerning the nature, or attributes, of God Himself. This sacred glimpse of God's loving mercy lies behind the N.T. revelation that "God is love." The O.T. prophets returned to these words again and again. They are quoted in Nehemiah 9:17; Psalms 86:15; Psalms 103:8; Psalms 145:8; Joel 2:15; Jonah 4:2; and also Numbers 14:18. It is an inexcusable error, however, to suppose that God will finally accommodate to human wickedness. He will "by no means clear the guilty"; and despite some

Exodus 7:3-5 — will harden Pharaoh's heart" The mention of this here does not mean that God would harden Pharaoh's heart at the beginning of these events, but that such hardening executed upon him by God would be the final result. What we have in these verses (Exodus 7:1-7) is a prophetic summary of the next seven chapters. See under Exodus 4:21, above, for more on "Hardening." Canon George Harford has a very perceptive comment on this subject, as follows: "There are three forms of the word used in reference to hardening:

Psalms 147 overview — PRAISING GOD FOR ISRAEL'S RETURN TO JERUSALEM The scholars are somewhat perplexed about the unity of this psalm. The Septuagint (LXX) makes a separate psalm out of Psalms 147:12-20; Yates found, "Three psalms (Psalms 147:1-6; Psalms 147:7-11; and Psalms 147:12-20) compressed into one, "Wycliffe Old Testament Commentary, Old Testament, p. 550. as did also Briggs and Ballard. However, as Allen, a very recent scholar pointed

Psalms 61:4-5 — spiritually in the heavenly dwelling of which the earthly tabernacle was a type." Another view is that of Addis, who wrote, "The king mentioned here seems to be a high priest also, for he dwells in the tabernacle (Psalms 61:4) and abides before God (Psalms 61:7)."W. E. Addis, p. 383. Of course, there is only one great King and High Priest dwelling in the presence of God, and that is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. Since the Messianic King is most surely mentioned in Psalms 61:6-8, we find no objection

Psalms 71:5-8 — that took me out of my mother's bowels: My praise shall be continually of thee. I am a wonder unto many: But thou art my strong refuge. My mouth shall be filled with thy praise, And with thy honor all the day." "Thou art my hope" This is from Psalms 29:7 and Psalms 40:4. "By thee have I been holden up from the womb" The same thought exactly is expressed in Psalms 22:9-10. "I am as a wonder unto many" The word here rendered "wonder" is also translated "portent." "The general significance of `portent'

Leviticus 1 overview — PART ONE, REGARDING SACRIFICE (Leviticus 1-7) This introductory chapter sets the theme for all of Leviticus, which is concerned chiefly with the liturgical system of the Hebrew religion, together with the methods, materials, and occasions of its employment and functions. The first section of Leviticus

Ezekiel 7:5-9 — mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: I will bring upon thee according to thy ways; and all thine abominations shall be in the midst of thee; and ye shall know that I, Jehovah, do smite." TROUBLE UPON TOP OF TROUBLE FOR SINNERS Ezekiel 7:8-9 here are almost a verbatim repetition of Ezekiel 7:3-4. "An evil, an only evil" "This means an evil without precedent or parallel."Matthew Henry Commentary (Westwood, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell), p. 785. "It waketh for thee" The judgment against

Numbers 12:4-8 — and permissive attitude in Numbers 12:3. "That (Numbers 12:3) explains how it was that Moses took no steps to defend himself."F. C. Cook, Barnes' Notes, Numbers (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983. Reprint of the John Murray publication in London, 1879), p. 209. "If there be a prophet" (Numbers 12:6). The words following this have the significance of saying that, "God's communication with Moses was in the intimacy of personal contact, but that he spoke to all others by means of riddles and dark sayings,

Zechariah 1:12 — indignation these threescore and ten years." Our Lord Jesus Christ appeared in his true character in this Christophany, i.e., as an intercessor of the people of God, a function now being fulfilled by him for Christians before the throne of God (Hebrews 7:25). It was like a stroke of lightning at midnight. Israel is not deserted, small and weak as they undoubtedly were; for their mighty champion, the Angel of God's Presence, is pleading their case before the God of all creation! These threescore and

Zechariah 10:2 — wrote: "Superstition, i.e., a way of life divorced from God and his guidance, is the parent of restlessness and instability and reduces men to the level of shepherdless sheep."J. E. McFadyen, Abingdon Bible Commentary (New York City: Abingdon Press, 1929), p. 827. "Teraphim" were household gods or idols (Genesis 31:19; Genesis 31:30; Judges 7:5). "They bore the likeness of some human figure (1 Samuel 19:13); and they also took the form of signs of the Zodiac and other instruments of astrology."Clinton R. Gill,

Deuteronomy 22 overview — 22:1; Deuteronomy 22:12 has perplexed those who regard these chapters as a legal code, but it is natural enough in a spoken discourse."R. K. Harrison, The New Bible Commentary, Revised, Deuteronomy (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1970), p. 222. Of course, Deuteronomy is not in the formal sense "a Code of Laws." The Code of Laws is the Decalogue and related legislation of earlier chapters in the Pentateuch. Most of the things mentioned in this chapter have already been commanded

Luke 14:21 — here moved to a wider circle than before; and this corresponds to the call of the publicans, harlots, and others of those classes despised by the leaders of Israel. The anger of the master of the house is the same as the anger of the king (Matthew 22:7), and in both parables it is the anger of God for their rejection of the Son of God which is indicated.

Luke 6:23 — Luke's emphasis in this passage is principally social; but this verse disproves such a view. The reason that the poor and the hungry are blessed, in the last analysis, flows out of the eternal reward stored up for them that love the Lord (2 Timothy 4:7-8). If one should take the hope of heaven out of the New Testament, there would be nothing left. Further comment on "heaven" is found in my Commentary on Matthew, Matthew 6:9-13.

John 1:34 — Jesus is the Son of God. The expression "Son of God" means the divine Messiah and was understood by all the Jews as having that unique and absolute meaning; and it was because Jesus confessed under oath that he was the Son of God (John 19:7) that the Sanhedrin condemned him to death. These and other considerations require, therefore, that "Son of God" be understood in its most exalted sense.

Acts 13:20-21 — And afterward they asked for a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for the space of forty years. They asked for a king … This was secular Israel's formal rejection of God as their king (1 Samuel 8:7), and from this initial rejection the whole of their subsequent history was influenced, resulting finally in their total rejection of the promised Messiah. Forty years … The Old Testament does not give the length of Saul's reign, John Peter Lange,

Acts 3:24 — coming of Christ and to qualities and events of the kingdom he would receive. Some have questioned whether Samuel spoke of Christ, but of course he did. It was he who anointed David king and delivered the prophecy of David's perpetual throne (2 Samuel 7:12-16), all of which was fulfilled in Christ. Some 333 prophecies of the Old Testament, embracing practically every aspect and feature of Christ's coming and of his life, sufferings, death, burial, resurrection, glorification, etc., and of the kingdom

1 Corinthians 7:37 — his own heart, to keep his own virgin daughter, shall do well. To keep his own virgin daughter … here is the opposite of "giveth his own virgin daughter in marriage" in the next verse, absolutely requiring the sense in 1 Corinthians 7:37 to be that of not giving her in marriage, making it absolutely certain that the problem of whether or not to give daughters in marriage was the problem Paul was discussing in this passage. The sense of this verse is that a Christian parent or guardian

Joshua 22:7-9 — unto the land of Gilead, to the land of their possession, whereof they were possessed, according to the commandment of Jehovah by Moses." Here we have another instance of the constant repetition that characterizes so much of the O.T. Here in Joshua 22:7 is the fourth time since Joshua 13 that we have been told that the half-tribe of Manasseh had been settled east of Jordan through the commandment of God by Moses, and that the other half received their portion west of Jordan! See Joshua 13:8; Joshua

Hebrews 5:11 — be "hard of interpretation." This is true of the thoughts of Melchizedek, which seem to have precipitated this word from the author; and it is also true of many other things in the epistle, such as the teaching on chastisement (Hebrews 12:7), etc. The importance of the communication, however, is so great and the need of the people to understand it is so urgent that, after a rebuke to them, he goes ahead with the argument anyway.

1 Samuel 7:5-12 — probably correctJohn T. Willis, p. 90.). This place was the gathering point for Israel upon two other very important occasions, namely: (1) when they declared war on Benjamin (Judges 20), and (2) upon the occasion when Saul was made king (1 Samuel 10:17). According to Josephus, "Mizpah means watch-tower."Flavius Josephus, Antiquities, p. 173. "They drew water and poured it out, and fasted that day" The only other instance in the Bible that resembles this is that of David who would not drink the water