Bible Commentaries

Exodus 7:11-13 — and "soothsayers," those servants of Pharaoh mentioned here were the principal support system for the ancient monarchy. Ellison was probably correct in viewing all such retainers as "priests."H. L. Ellison, Exodus (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1962), p. 42. Thus, the confrontation here is between the religions of Israel and Egypt. Aaron, the high priest (to be) of Israel and the priests of Egypt's nature gods are face-to-face in this encounter. "They did in like manner" The Bible gives us no word

Proverbs 16:18 — "Pride goeth before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall." This is another of the many proverbs denouncing human pride. "Pride brings shame (Proverbs 11:2); humility brings honor (Proverbs 15:33); pride and humility are contrasted (Proverbs 21:24; Proverbs 22:4; and Proverbs 30:13)."International Critical Commentary, op. cit., p. 328.

Proverbs 18:15 — "The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; And the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge." "We have a paradox here, that those who know the most know how little they know; and this is the same thought that Paul stressed in 1 Corinthians 8:2."Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, op. cit., p. 129.

Proverbs 29:23 — "A man's pride shall bring him low; But he that is of a lowly spirit shall obtain honor." We have exactly the same admonition here that is found in Proverbs 11:2; Proverbs 16:18-19. See comment there. Pride, insolence, arrogance and similar evil and `superior' attitudes toward others are vigorously condemned throughout Proverbs.

Leviticus 26:27-33 — shall be a desolation, and your cities shall be a waste." This is the fifth degree of intensity of the judgments promised for persistent rebellion and disobedience, and in it were included the ultimates of: (1)    military defeat, (2)    cannibalism, (3)    loss of their land, (4)    their scattering among the nations, (5)    the killing of many, (6)    the desolation of their cities, (7)    the

Song of Solomon 8:4 — THE FAMILIAR REFRAIN "I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, That ye stir not up, nor awaken my love, Until he please." This is repeated in Song of Solomon 2:7 and Song of Solomon 3:5. See comment under those verses. It is not clear why this refrain is repeated just here.

Jeremiah 39 overview — their day of grace was past; and Jerusalem was given over to "the sword, the famine, and the pestilence," as so often stated in Jeremiah. There are no less than four Biblical accounts of the fall of Jerusalem: (1) the account recorded in this chapter; (2) the account in Jeremiah 52; (3) the record in 2 Kings 25; (4) and yet another in 2 Chronicles 36. As should be expected, there are variations and differences in these several accounts, just as there are in the four Gospel accounts of the crucifixion

Numbers 10:21-28 — tribe of the children of Naphtali was Ahira the son of Enan. Thus were the journeyings of the children of Israel according to their hosts; and they set forward." Although these verses in the main part simply repeat the marching orders given in Numbers 2, there is a variation in that the ark of the covenant goes ahead instead of remaining in the center of the column of Levites as first commanded. Any one of four good reasons for this change might be correct: (1)    Cook thought that

Numbers 14:5-10 — against us?" (Romans 8:31). "Their defense is departed" The Hebrew here is literally, "Their shadow" or "their shade"F. C. Cook, Barnes' Notes, Numbers (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983. Reprint of the John Murray publication in London, 1879), p. 212. has departed. "This is a very expressive metaphor for shelter and protection in the sultry east (Compare Psalms 91:1; Psalms 121:5; Isaiah 30:2; Isaiah 32:2; Isaiah 49:2; and Isaiah 51:16)."William Jones, The Preacher's Complete Homiletic Commentary,

Numbers 18 overview — principal subject of this chapter is the prescription of tithes and their use as the support of the priests and Levites. There are three different sections of the Word of God that deal with the same subject: (1)    the passage before us (2)    Deuteronomy 15:5-6; Deuteronomy 15:11; Deuteronomy 15:18 (3)    Leviticus 27:30-33 There is considerable variation in the laws which has been explained in various ways. This chapter gives a much more extensive

Numbers 7 overview — This remarkable chapter is not "the longest chapter in the Bible,"Lindsay B. Longacre, Abingdon Bible Commentary on the Old Testament (New York: Abingdon Press, 1929), p. 300. because it is far exceeded in length by Psalms 119. However, it is the longest in the Pentateuch, having 89 verses. Critical comments focus upon the first verse which has, "It came to pass on the day that Moses made an end of setting up the

Matthew 9:4 — And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? Two things are plainly apparent in this verse: (1) that Christ knew people's thoughts, an ability only God could have, and (2) the Scriptural "heart" is the part that THINKS, thus equating it with the mind, or the seat of the intelligence.

Luke 9:21 — But he charged them, and commanded them to tell this to no man. Christ's reason for the charge of secrecy was twofold: (1) the apostles themselves could not at that time have understood the full implications of his Messiahship, and (2) a premature announcement of it could upset the divine timetable for Jesus' death.

John 15:1 — I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. (John 15:1) This is parallel to John 15:5 and the seventh of the great "I am's" of this Gospel. For a list of these, see under John 8:12. Jesus' choice of this metaphor has been attributed to: (1) a fruitful vine growing over the window of the upper room where the discourses were spoken, (2) to the great ornamental vine decorating the door of the temple, (3) to the vineyards through

Romans 2:7-8 — and indignation. Here is another unequivocal declaration of a master principle underlying God's judgment, the fifth in this passage: I.    God will reward well-doing and punish disobedience. These verses connect closely with Romans 2:6 and show the manner of God's judging people according to their works. Together, these verses declare dogmatically that well-doers shall inherit eternal life and that the disobedient shall receive wrath and tribulation. Whiteside saw a definition of

1 Corinthians 4:16 — I beseech you therefore, be ye imitators of me. Paul never meant this in any absolute sense but in the sense of "Be ye imitators of me, even as I also am of Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1). See also Ephesians 5:1, Philippians 3:17, 2 Thessalonians 3:9 and 1 Thessalonians 1:6.

1 Corinthians 9:24 — contest as Paul referred to here. Analogies are: (1) to win; a man must contend legally, being properly enrolled in the contest, suggesting that a Christian must contend along with others in the church, and not as some kind of free-lance operator; (2) discipline is required (Hebrews 12:1); (3) some win; others do not win; (4) a host of spectators views the contest (Hebrews 12:1); (5) patience is necessary; (6) the winner receives the prize. The contrasts are: (1) only one may win an earthly race;

2 Corinthians 11:17 — Zondervan Publishing House, 1973), in loco. but the RSV perverted it completely, giving this: "What I am saying, I say not with the Lord's authority, but as a fool!" This despite Paul's having just said, "Let no man think me foolish!" (2 Corinthians 11:16). Paul was familiar with both "authority" and "inspiration"; and, if he had meant anything like the words attributed to him in RSV, he would have used those words. The fact that he did not use them shows that something

Titus 3:3 — For we also once were foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. Just as seven Christian virtues are given in Titus 3:1-2, there are seven negative qualities listed here, being in the principal part, merely the negative of the aforementioned virtues. Paul's reason for bringing in this description of unregenerated men is apparent in the first three words, "for we also." This

1 Samuel 2:26 — SAMUEL'S DEVELOPMENT "Now the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and with men." This verse is very like Luke 2:52, where almost the same declarations are made concerning our Lord Jesus Christ. Including increasing in wisdom, this four-fold development is the ideal for everyone.