Bible Commentaries

2 Chronicles 5:2-10 — but they were not seen without: and there it is unto this day. There was nothing in the ark save the two tables that Moses put there at Horeb, when Jehovah made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of Egypt." "All of 2 Chronicles 5, 2 Chronicles 6 and 2 Chronicles 7 is virtually identical with 1 Kings 8:1 to 1 Kings 9:9, the few additions giving mainly liturgical information."The New Bible Commentary, Revised, p. 385. Our Commentary on 1 Kings has our discussion of what is contained

Job 17:3-5 — premonition (rather inspiration) of God the Son being Surety for his saints against God the Father's Judgment! As Kline expressed it, "This was Job's prayer for God to establish Job's integrity at the Judgment."Wycliffe Old Testament Commentary, Job, p.475. "Job 17:3 is clearly Job's appeal for God his Judge to be also God his Witness or Advocate as well."Layman's Bible Commentary, Vol. 8, p. 95. "For thou hast hid their heart from understanding" Job here stated that his friends' blindness was due to

Psalms 30:4-5 — they can rationally expect to enter heaven. O fatal and soul-destroying delusion!"Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (London: T. Mason and G. Lane, 1837), Vol. 3, p. 313. "Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy cometh in the morning" (Psalms 30:5). This means, `Sorrow may stay all night, but tomorrow is a happier day.' This whole verse contrasts God's momentary displeasure with his favor all the days of life. The Anchor Bible has a very interesting rendition of Psalms 30:5, as follows: "For

Psalms 37:8-11 — have substituted the word "earth" for "land" in Psalms 37:11, for two reasons: (1) The Septuagint (LXX) renders it "earth"; and when Jesus Christ quoted from this chapter, he deliberately chose the reading, "The meek shall inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:5). It is our opinion that the preference of the Blessed Saviour should be allowed here (and everywhere, for that matter). It could not possibly have been an accident that Jesus used the word "earth." The Septuagint (LXX) has "land" in Psalms 37:9,

Psalms 61:1-3 — cry… attend my prayer" No situation can be bad enough that it does not call for prayer. When a man is through with praying, that man is through with any life that matters. As James stated it, "Is any among you suffering, let him pray" (James 5:13). "From the end of the earth" "This need not refer to a remote area, the distance is magnified by the yearning to be back home."Wycliffe Old Testament Commentary, Old Testament, p. 517. To the Jew, anything east of the river Jordan would have been

Jeremiah 32 overview — resulted in the final capture and destruction of the city and the deportation of the population to Babylon. Zedekiah was on the throne of Judah, this being in his tenth year as king, which was the eighteenth year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, that is, 588-87 B.C. There is no point whatever in complaining that, according to the Babylonian method of reckoning the reign of kings, this was only the seventeenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. The Babylonians did not count the year of accession to the throne; but

Amos 1:14-15 — Ammon (along with others) paid Sennacherib tribute and kissed his feet."Ibid Both of these destructions of Ammon occurred at substantial time periods subsequent to Amos' prophecy. "Their last stand seems to have been against Judas Maccabeus (1 Maccabees 5:6)."Paul T. Butler, op. cit., p. 286. "The wall of Rabbah" Dean has a very interesting account of the strength of the remarkable wall of Rabbah: "The massive walls, some of which remain in ruins, rise from the precipitous sides of the cliff…

Amos 9:1 — are suggested in order to justify the application of this verse to Bethel, such as: "it is the only holy place at which tradition locates Amos during his ministry;"James Luther Mays, Amos, A Commentary (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1969), p. 152. "the chief temple of Northern Israel was located at Bethel;"W. R. Harper, Amos and Hosea (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1910), p. 188. "Jacob saw the Lord at Bethel;"Ralph L. Smith, Beacon Bible Commentary, Vol. 7 (Nashville: Broadman Press,

Micah 5:6 — would have been perfectly natural for Micah to have applied these words merely to the immediate danger in Israel, the whole tenor of the passage requires it to be understood as the ultimate judgment upon all wickedness, stated climactically in Micah 5:15. No matter how far wickedness may progress and no matter what advantages it might appear to have in any given situation, the scales of eternal justice are weighted in favor of the truth and righteousness of God.

Matthew 16:27 — mere man have said that? This can be nothing less than a prophecy of the general resurrection and judgment of the last day. The basis of that judgment shall include (1) the word of Christ (John 12:48), and (2) the deeds done in the body (2 Corinthians 5:10). No number of angels is indicated in this place, but "ten thousand" is the number given in Judges 1:14. Even that could be a perfect number signifying an infinitely greater number.

Matthew 28:16 — or incidental. This meeting, scheduled in advance, at a prearranged place, mentioned twice by Jesus and once by an angel — this meeting was the great appearance. It was attended by over five hundred disciples, as related by Paul (1 Corinthians 15:6), and even infidels have been impressed by Paul's affirmation of that stupendous fact. He mentioned it as an undeniable truth and appealed to the hundreds then living who were witnesses of it, conceding at the same time that some had "fallen

Mark 12:38-40 — the dramatic, well organized sermon he quoted Jesus as delivering in this same context. Who desire … This means that they "loved" such things, thus exposing their sin as resident in the things they loved, as so strongly stated in John 5:44 and John 12:43. Long robes … were worn by scholars and greatly coveted as marks of distinction. Salutations in the marketplaces … Such greetings had become with them the food of vanity and conceit (Matthew 23:7-8). Chief seats in the

Acts 7:44-47 — figure that he had seen … This is additional inspired testimony regarding the "pattern," here called "a figure," that Moses had received from God and according to which he was commanded to "make all things" (Hebrews 8:5). The immense importance of understanding that God has given a pattern which men must follow if they would please their Creator is fully disclosed under the heading, "All Things According to the Pattern," in my Commentary on Hebrews, under

Romans 9 overview — acceptance of them, had, through their leaders, rejected the Saviour; and the great majority of them had followed the blind leadership. Paul's overwhelming emotion of grief and sorrow bursts through in the moving words of the first paragraph (Romans 9:1-5). This and the two following chapters deal with the problem of Israel's rejection of the Christ. This chapter may be outlined thus: (1) Paul skillfully introduced the problem of Israel's attitude of rejection toward Christ, affirming his love for his

1 Corinthians 15:47-50 — not of this world" (John 8:23). One can only marvel at the type of Scriptural illiteracy which cannot find the virgin birth in Paul, John and other portions of the New Testament. The earthy … All people bear the likeness of Adam (Genesis 5:3). THE NATURE OF THE RESURRECTION BODY We shall also bear the image of the heavenly … As certainly as people are like Adam and have the same physical nature that Adam possessed, that certain are they to bear the image of Jesus Christ and to

2 Corinthians 2 overview — exciting as a drive down Oak Creek canyon, with one sensational view following another. Paul concluded his explanation of the change in his plans (2 Corinthians 2:1-4), recommended leniency to the Corinthians in a disciplinary problem (2 Corinthians 2:5-11), touched on his waiting for Titus at Troas (2 Corinthians 2:12-13), and penned a masterpiece regarding the nature of gospel influence, drawing a rather rough analogy from the spectacle of a Roman triumph.

Philippians 1:7 — it is right for me to be thus minded on behalf of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as, both in my bonds and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel ye are all partakers with me of grace. You all … See under Philippians 1:5. I have you in my heart … Paul's deep affection for the Philippians is easy to understand. Nothing caused them to waver in their constant help of his preaching mission. Not even Paul's imprisonment had caused them to cut off their support. Partakers

James 1:19 — epistle. The admonition to be "slow to wrath" was given by Paul thus, "Let not the sun go down upon your wrath" (Ephesians 4:26), the same being also condemned by him in a number of other passages: 2 Corinthians 12:20, Galatians 5:20, Colossians 3:8, Ephesians 4:31, etc. "If we treat men according to the first promptings of anger, we shall always do them wrong." A. W. Momerie, Biblical Illustrator (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1937), p. 147.

1 Peter 1:7 — precious than gold (though of course it is), but that the testing of it … was a much more important and valuable process than that of testing gold by fire. Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1953), p. 116. Also inherent in this verse is the tremendous fact itself, that faith is more precious than fine gold, the reason for this, as pointed out by Zerr, being that: Even while the earth remains, the joys that gold may procure for us are uncertain

1 John 2:9 — Young Churches, a Translation of New Testament Epistles (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1948), p. 106. He also wrote, "Cast off the works of darkness" (Romans 13:12), "We are not of the night, nor of darkness" (1 Thessalonians 5:5), "What communion hath light with darkness?" (2 Corinthians 6:14). He that saith … "This is the fifth time in this epistle that John pointed out a possible inconsistency between profession and conduct (1 John 1:6; 1 John 1:8;