Bible Commentaries

Genesis 21 overview — This chapter details the birth of Isaac (Genesis 21:1-7), the weaning feast, and the mockery of Ishmael (Genesis 21:8-10), the expulsion of Hagar and Ishmael from Abraham's household (Genesis 21:11-14), the destitution and heavenly rescue of the exiles at Beersheba (Genesis 21:15-21), and the treaty between

Genesis 46:8 — is given in Genesis 46:25. The grand total is SEVENTY. Several things need to be said about this list. It does not include any of the daughters, except Dinah and Serah, despite the mention of Jacob's daughters, and his sons' daughters in Genesis 46:7. The whole list is therefore contrived by the sacred narrator as a round number. It is quite obvious also that some of the names in this list are of persons born AFTER the entry into Egypt, as we may not suppose that Benjamin, described repeatedly as

Exodus 7:8-10 — A PRELIMINARY MIRACLE (Exodus 7:8-13) "And Jehovah spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, Show a wonder for you; then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it become a serpent. And Moses and Aaron went in

2 Kings 3 overview — said of this stone that, "It is one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of all time (it may be seen in the Louvre in Paris) and provides interesting confirmation of the situation presupposed by this chapter."The Layman's Bible Commentary, Vol. 7, p. 75. This writer prefers the viewpoint that this chapter confirms what is written on the Moabite Stone! We have cited examples of monuments with false inscriptions (as on Robert Fulton's Tomb on Wall Street in New York City); and the critical dictum

Psalms 146:5-10 — Does." Some of the psalms praise God for what he has done, but the emphasis here is rather upon what he is doing. A mere list of these is impressive. The Lord keepeth truth forever (Psalms 146:6). He executeth judgment for the oppressed (Psalms 146:7). He giveth food to the hungry (Psalms 146:7). He looseth the prisoners (Psalms 146:7). He openeth the eyes of the blind (Psalms 146:8). He raises up them that are bowed down (Psalms 146:8). He loveth the righteous (Psalms 146:8). He preserveth the

Haggai 2:6-7 — reference to the final Judgment that shall close the age of probation for the human race. Some have interpreted the passage to mean that God would topple powers, governments, institutions, and social systems; but that is what he promised to do in Haggai 2:7 (the very next verse), where he declared, "And I will shake all nations!" Two very different events are in view. The first is the final advent of Christ in the final judgment. The second, "the shaking of all nations" is the kind of upheaval among governments

Matthew 16:19 — secret of HOW people enter the kingdom (Acts 2:38). (4) He unlocked the door of faith to the Gentiles (Acts 10:1 ff). (5) He unlocked the door of return for backsliders (Acts 8:13; Acts 8:22). (6) He unlocked the mystery of the new name (1 Peter 4:16). (7) He expounded the mystery of the new birth (1 Peter 3:21). (8) He revealed the ultimate fate of the earth (2 Peter 3:11-13). These remarkable options exercised by Peter might be said to be his use of the keys, solving, unlocking, and revealing great

Deuteronomy 7:12-16 — blessings here promised were contingent, absolutely, upon Israel's fidelity to the holy covenant. "Even the elect, may become faithless, and so become reprobate!"Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Whole Bible, Vol. 1 (New York: T. Mason and G. Lane, 1837), p. 757. Thus, it came about that 24,000 of the elect who came up out of Egypt committed fornication in a single day, lost their lives, and, of course, were denied entry into Canaan. "Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." (1 Corinthians

John 18:31 — matters of state … They only applied to Pilate to persuade him that they were proceeding against Christ as an enemy of the state, and not as a transgressor of their own laws. Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Holy Bible (London: Mason and Lane, 1837), Vol. 5, p. 645. Clarke was surely wrong in this opinion. See John 19:7.

Romans 3:13 — thought of as anything unusual when they tried to sustain charges against the Saviour by means of suborned testimony, and bribed the Roman soldiers to lie about the resurrection of the Lord. "A generation of vipers" indeed were they (Matthew 3:7).

Galatians 2:12-13 — dissimulation. From James … In Acts 15, it is learned that these Judaizers actually had no commission whatever from James (Acts 15:24), yet they were sinfully and deceitfully operating in his name. The identity of these Judaizers is provided in Acts 6:7; Acts 15:5, where it is made clear that they were priests of the sect of the Pharisees who had accepted the gospel, but were unwilling to give up the customs and ceremonies of Judaism. They were a powerful and very influential group, and Paul here made

1 Thessalonians 3:5 — of Hebrews on the "fact!" that Paul nowhere uses "devil" as in Hebrews 2:14. This so-called "fact" is like many that are alleged by critics; because Paul used "devil" frequently, as in Acts 13:10, Ephesians 4:27; Ephesians 6:11, 1 Timothy 3:6-7; 2 Timothy 2:26, and Hebrews 2:14! Our labor should be in vain … If old five-point Calvinism had any proof in the New Testament, Paul could have spared himself any concern about any of the Thessalonians being

Titus 2:4 — in the congregation. There are seven qualities to be instilled in the younger women, two mentioned in this verse, five in the next. They are: (1) husband-lovers, (2) children-lovers, (3) sober-minded, (4) chaste, (5) workers at home, (6) kind, and (7) in subjection to their own husbands. At first glance it seems hardly necessary to speak of training one to love spouse or children; but as Ward noted: Love does not always flow out of a person, even a wife and mother, as from a mountain spring. Love

Titus 3:14 — Paul requested for Apollos and Zenas; and, if this is correct, the meaning here would appear to be: Let our Christians learn to do what Jews do, and even heathens too, viz., really provide for the real wants of their own. A. C. Hervey, op. cit., p. 47. The emphasis throughout these letters which Paul placed upon good works was commented upon thus by Lipscomb: In these "pastorals" we have eight reminders to be earnest and zealous in good works. The passages are: 1 Timothy2:10, 5:10, 6:18;

Hebrews 10:8 — offerings and sacrifices for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein (they which are offered according to the law). Here the author quotes the sense of the quotation from Psalms 40:6-8, and for notes on these words see under Hebrews 10:5-7. As is sometimes true in the Scriptures, what is written as a parenthesis turns out to be of surpassing importance, as for example, the epic parenthesis of John 10:35, "And the Scriptures cannot be broken." So it is here. The parenthetical

Hebrews 7:4 — Greek word denotes the quality of the gift, in that it consisted of the best of the plunder. It was the best that was usually offered to the gods in Greek warfare. Lyle O. Bristol, Hebrews, A Commentary (Valley Forge, Pennsylvania: The Judson Press, 1967), p. 96. The chief spoils is in line with the principle that the best belongs to God. The Jewish sacrifices were commanded to be "without blemish"; and the great king David was motivated by the principle that it would be wrong to offer to

Judges 5:1-2 — the Hebrew verb here indicates that Deborah was the composer of this ode and that Barak assisted her in singing it, who perhaps sang the antistrophe."The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 3-C, p. 45. As noted above, Deborah's authorship is confirmed in Judges 5:7. "For that the leaders took the lead in Israel" Myers mentioned an alternative rendition here, making the words read, "When locks hung loose in Israel,"The Interpreter's Bible, Vol. 2, p. 719. making this a symbol of the vows which many Israelites had

Revelation 2:3 — without discouragement by any or all difficulties. For my name's sake … The New Testament emphasis upon the name of the Lord is extensive. Salvation is in no other name (Acts 4:12); all Christian activities are to be done in his name (Colossians 3:17); we are justified in his name (1 Corinthians 6:11); we are baptized in his name (Acts 2:38; Acts 19:5); we are called by his name (James 2:7); our sins are forgiven for his name's sake (1 John 2:12); we should believe on his name (1 John 5:13), etc.

2 Samuel 5 overview — Jerusalem; (2) two victories over the Philistines; (3) Bringing the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem; (4) God's prophecy that of David's posterity one would arise to build God a `house'; (5) David's victories; (6) his kindness to the son of Jonathan; and (7) victories over the Ammonites and Syrians."John T. Willis, p. 309. The first two of these seven major happenings occur in this chapter.

2 Samuel 7:12-17 — reprobate Solomon with his seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines! The inspired author of Hebrews makes that fact absolutely indisputable. "To what angel did God ever say, "I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son."? (Hebrews 1:5-7). Psalms 2:7; Psalms 89:26-27; Acts 13:33 and other passages in the Bible make it clear that only of Jesus Christ was it ever said that God was his father and that He was God's son. Any notion that this refers to Solomon is ridiculous. "There is neither