Bible Commentaries

2 Kings 17 overview — what is written here. The great facts of the chapter are as clear as our solar orb on a cloudless day when the sun is at perihelion. (1)    The day of grace for the Northern Israel expired, and God removed them "out of his sight" (2 Kings 17:18). Therefore, we may safely ignore the Book of Mormon and its fairy tale about the American Indians being "the lost ten tribes," as well as all the other cock and bull stories that, throughout history, have located those lost tribes in half

Psalms 10:7-8 — men. It is noticeable here that the emphasis of the passage is shifted from describing the character and attitude of the wicked to a discussion of their conduct and their wicked actions. These things are mentioned at once: (1) he is a profane swearer; (2) he is a planner of mischief and iniquity; (3) he lurks in secret hiding places near towns and villages; and (4) he is a murderer of innocent people. In Hosea 4:2; Hosea 6:9, that prophet mentioned similar bloody and violent conditions of society.

Psalms 140:6-8 — Jehovah. O Jehovah the Lord, the strength of my salvation, Thou hast covered my head in the day of battle. Grant not, O Jehovah, the desires of the wicked; Further not his evil device, lest they exalt themselves. (Selah)" The mention of "war" in Psalms 140:2, and the mention of victory in the day of "battle" are clearly not the words of a man fleeing from King Saul. The speaker here is a king against whom a war is planned and who here thanks God for victory in a previous battle. Here again the terminology

Psalms 51:1-9 — as remarkable as anything else in Scripture. There are three elements here which deserve attention. I. David Accepted Personal Responsibility for what he He Had Done He speaks of "my" transgression (Psalms 51:1), "my" sin and "my" iniquity (Psalms 51:2), "my" transgression and "my" sin (Psalms 51:3), declares that, "I sinned" (Psalms 51:4), again mentions "my" sin in Psalms 51:9. Seven times he takes all the blame and guilt upon himself. David did not attempt to shift the blame as did Adam; he offered

Proverbs 6:1 — This chapter has a number of independent warnings against: (1)    being surety for the obligations of others (Proverbs 6:1-5), (2)    against laziness (Proverbs 6:6-11), (3)    against wicked men (Proverbs 6:12-15), (4)    against seven things which God hates (Proverbs 6:16-19), and (5)    against

Isaiah 2:5-11 — status of hardening. This judicial hardening of Israel introduced here by Isaiah was a subject to which he would return later in the prophecy. "A proud look," cited in Proverbs 6:17 as something that is hated by God Himself, is mentioned here in Isaiah 2:11, along with the haughtiness and arrogant looks of sinful men, such an attitude being common to sinful and rebellious men of all generations. Isaiah then referred to the fact that there would be a "day" when only Jehovah would be exalted. The mention

Isaiah 41:1-7 — call for silence opens the imaginary proceedings of a court, where God will face the heathen world with a test question (The call to renew their strength may be a warning that the encounter will be formidable)."The New Bible Commentary, Revised, p. 612. This type of an imaginary court session was a device frequently used by a number of God's prophets, in Hosea, especially. Isaiah 41:2, is interpreted by practically all of the present-day commentators as a reference to God's raising up Cyrus the King

Ezekiel 13:1-9 — prophets."Charles Lee Feinberg in Ezekiel (Moody Press), p. 73. Howie noted that there were at least three reasons for these denunciations: (1) they were prophesying out of their own subjective desires and imaginations and were not following God's Spirit at all; (2) they were doing nothing whatever to help Israel, neither building up the wall, nor helping to repair the breaches (gaps) in it; and (3) they were deliberate liars who prophesied lies and then expected God to confirm their lying words.Carl G. Howie

Joel 1:6 — nation" This expression, of course, has been made a basis of advocating a symbolical interpretation of the locusts. Such a personification of locusts is in keeping with the Biblical description of ants and conies as "folk" and "people" (Proverbs 30:25-27), and it is interpreted here as metaphorical description of the locusts. However, there very well may be here an overtone of the wider application of the locust invasion that appears in Joel 2. As Kennedy said, "Viewed collectively, they were like

Numbers 34 overview — This chapter features just two things: (1) the God-given boundaries of the Promised Land; and (2) the appointment of the men who would divide the land among the tribes of Israel. Here is the text of the chapter.

Matthew 5:14 — faithful remnant remaining in it and remaining faithful to God. Christ also said, "I am the light of the world." That passage before us is not contradictory. It means that the light Christians give forth to others is truly derived from Christ (2 Peter 1:19). Just as all light, energy, and power on earth are derived from the sun, center of our solar system, just so, all moral and spiritual light are derived from the Sun of Righteousness, our Lord Jesus Christ (Malachi 4:2). A city set on a hill

Matthew 9:2 — sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, be of good cheer; thy sins are forgiven. This is one of those "mighty works" mentioned by Jesus in his reproach of Capernaum (Matthew 11:23). Important details are mentioned in Mark 2:1-12 and Luke 5:17-26 which are not contained in Matthew. Mark tells that he was carried by four men, and Luke relates the breaking up of the roof to let him down to Jesus. Seeing their faith refers not merely

Luke 2:10 — to Gentiles, but to Jewish shepherds. On the other hand, Matthew the Jew, and scholarly expert in the Old Testament Scriptures, introduced the Gentile wisemen as first learning of the Saviour's birth through the message conveyed by the star (Matthew 2:1; Matthew 2:3). Wonderful are the ways of the Lord.

Acts 10:31 — And saith, Cornelius, thy prayer is heard, and thine alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God. This repeats the information already given in Acts 10:2, the only significant difference being the mention of the prayers ahead of the alms.

2 Corinthians 9:10 — And he that supplieth seed to the sower and bread for food, shall supply and multiply your seed for sowing, and increase the fruits of your righteousness. Here is further inducement for giving liberally. Paul had already said in 2 Corinthians 9:6 that the man who sowed sparingly should reap sparingly, and that the bountiful sower should also reap bountifully. The whole thrust of this chapter concerns how people should give. A collation of New Testament teaching on how people

Ephesians 3:14-15 — Testament, although it was not unknown at all in the Old Testament. Solomon knelt in the prayer of dedication for the temple (1 Kings 8:54). Stephen at his martyrdom (Acts 7:60), Peter when he raised Dorcas (Acts 9:40), Paul on farewell occasions (Acts 20:36; Acts 21:5), and our Lord himself in Gethsemane (Luke 22:41) knelt in prayer. However, other acceptable attitudes or postures are also indicated, such as "lifting up the hands" (1 Timothy 2:8), "falling on the face" (Luke 5:12),

Ephesians 6:11 — is sufficient to the warfare involved. The wiles of the devil … One may experience only irritation and disgust at a remark like this: "Neither of these nouns is used by Paul; each occurs twice in this epistle (Ephesians 4:14; Ephesians 4:27). In place of `the devil' Paul always used the personal name `Satan'." Francis W. Beare, op. cit., p. 737. The incredible thesis that lies behind a comment like that is that Paul could not have written Ephesians, because there are two nouns in

2 Timothy 3:17 — merely Timothy. "Man" is generic and means "human being." All persons who walk in the way of God are made complete and completely furnished unto every good work by the Holy Scriptures. As Lenski said: The value of these two verses (2 Timothy 3:16-17) is beyond question. It is a proof passage for verbal inspiration and for much more besides. As a proof passage it is outstanding and yet forms only a part of the entire volume of proof and evidence for verbal inspiration. It is one

Hebrews 3:12 — Take heed, brethren, lest haply there should be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief, in falling away from the living God. Five definite facts emerge from this verse: (1) that it is possible for Christians to fall away from the living God; (2) that such a disaster is due to an unbelieving heart; (3) that an unbelieving heart is evil (not merely `smart'); (4) that God is not a mere influence but a living person; and (5) that there are adequate grounds upon which a Christian may avoid falling

2 Samuel 24:1 — DAVID'S SIN OF NUMBERING THE PEOPLE AND GOD'S PUNISHMENT BY PESTILENCE "Again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, `Go, number Israel and Judah.'" (2 Samuel 24:1). The time of the events mentioned here was evidently near the end of David's reign.C. F. Keil, Keil and Delitzsch's Old Testament Commentaries, Vol. 2b, p. 501. The great problem of the chapter appears in this very first verse, where it