Bible Commentaries

Exodus 4:29-31 — worshipped." "And the people believed" God was right, after all, as He always is. All of the fears and apprehensions by Moses that they would not hear him were ill founded and inaccurate. Furthermore, this does not contradict the statement in Exodus 6:9 that they "would not listen to Moses." "They gave heed to Moses at first, but since instant deliverance did not come, in their disappointment and impatience, they would not (at that time) listen to him."John W. Haley, op. cit., p. 344. Nevertheless,

Psalms 142:1-3 — the man to me" (Mark 10:47). "Thou knewest my path" God already knew all about David's problems, but that did not eliminate the necessity of his calling upon God for help. "Your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things" (Matthew 6:32).

Psalms 18:25-29 — merciful, the perfect, and the pure. God's lighting his lamp is a reference to the constant enlightenment available to the faithful in God's Word. The ability to "leap over a wall," according to McCaw, may be, "A reference to the incident in 2 Samuel 5:6-10."Leslie S. McCaw, op. cit., p. 462.

Proverbs 22:15 — "Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; But the rod of correction shall drive it far from him." A number of proverbs deal with the discipline of children (Proverbs 13:24; Proverbs 22:6; Proverbs 29:15; Proverbs 29:21). Corporal punishment is mentioned here. Our current culture has rejected corporal punishment for disobedient and unruly children; and this should be evaluated in the light of this report from the front page of today's

Proverbs 7:1 — adulteress, contrasting with Proverbs 8 which sets forth the way of wisdom. It features an eye-witness account of the seduction of a young man by an adulteress. The account is realistic and needs only brief interpretation."The Teachers' Bible Commentary, p. 362. "It is the fearful desolation which adultery causes that does not allow the author of Proverbs to abandon this theme which he has already discussed again and again. Here he reiterates the warning once more, reinforcing it with an illustration that

Isaiah 56:1-2 — throughout both the Old Testament and the New Testament, as in the New Testament declaration that men are justified "by faith," which means the belief, acceptance, and obedience to all the obligations of the Christian religion. It will recur in Isaiah 56:4 and Isaiah 56:6.

Lamentations 3:2-6 — always an element of mystery about it. But we can know God in such a way as to be released from it and to rise above it, and also to recognize the disciplinary value of it."The Expositor's Bible (Cincinnati: Jennings and Graham), p. 488. Lamentations 3:6 here is a quotation of Psalms 143:3.

Amos 7:16 — Prophesy not against Israel, and drop not thy word against the house of Isaac." "Drop not thy word" Dummelow seems to have captured the thought behind this second clause thus: "Don't let it drip, drip, drip, in imbecile and wearisome fashion (Micah 2:6; Micah 2:11; and Ezekiel 21-2, 7)."J. R. Dummelow, op. cit., p. 570. Harper, and others, rejected this view: "The word does not carry with it any contemptuous idea";W. R. Harper, op. cit., p. 173. but the idea, especially in English, is certainly there;

Micah 6:15 — "Thou shalt sow, but shalt not reap; thou shalt tread the olives, but thou shalt not anoint thee with oil; and the vintage, but shalt not drink the wine." This is a continuation of the thought of Micah 6:14. Scoggin, as so many others, discerned that the military conquest about to befall Israel would be the means of causing all of the dire things promised in these verses. "The prophet indicated by the language of this verse that the scourge, the enemy,

Micah 7 overview — the first being a representation in the mouth of the prophet upon behalf of Zion-Jerusalem, "bewailing the absence of any righteous ones within her borders."Homer Hailey, Commentary on the Minor Prophets (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1972), p. 216. It is not necessary to suppose that the general population of the city engaged in any such lament; it is rather an outline of the dreadful social conditions uttered by Micah in the form of a lament. The conditions revealed show "a complete social rebellion

Micah 7:1 — "Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grape gleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat; my soul desireth the first-ripe fig." Beginning here and through Micah 7:6, we have "one of the most poignant criticisms of a commercial community ever to appear."George Adam Smith, The Book of the Twelve Prophets (Cincinnati: Jennings and Graham), p. 429. Nothing "to eat" is a metaphor of the lack of honesty and integrity

Titus 3:14 — 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; 2 Timothy 2:21; Titus 1:16; Titus 2:7; Titus 2:14; Titus 3:14. It is noteworthy that these epistles containing so many exhortations to work for Christ are among his last inspired utterances. David Lipscomb, op. cit., p. 188.

Hebrews 10:8 — Saying above, Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt 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

1 Peter 3:4 — of the heart … Subsequent versions usually have "hidden person" of the heart; and as the passage deals with the duties of wives, this is better. The "hidden person" is the same as Paul's "inner man" (Ephesians 3:16), meaning the actual person, the private being which every person knows himself to be. Paul described a real Jew as being a Jew who is one "inwardly," which stresses the same thought (Romans 2:28 f). Incorruptible apparel … "Paul

2 Peter 1 overview — The keynote of this whole epistle is knowledge (2 Peter 1:2-3; 2 Peter 1:5-6; 2 Peter 1:8; 2 Peter 2:20-21; and 2 Peter 3:18); but it is a very special kind of knowledge which is meant. The Greek word is [@epignosis], that is, precise and correct knowledge. Stephen W. Payne, Wycliffe Bible Commentary, New Testament (Chicago:

1 John 5 overview — "obey" (keep his commandments) occurs in 1 John 5:2-3. Faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, however, is established upon testimony, the testimony of three witnesses, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood; and the second paragraph (1 John 5:6-12) lays strong emphasis upon these. Another paragraph is related to boldness in prayer (except in cases where "sin unto death" is present) (1 John 5:13-17); and the letter is concluded by a brief summary and exhortation (1 John 5:18-21).

Revelation 19:16 — And he hath on his garment and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS … This makes it mandatory to view the similar passage in 1 Timothy 6:15 as also being a plain reference to the Lord Jesus Christ. See comment on that reference in this series. This superlative title does not refer to what Christ will become after this so-called "battle." "He will conquer the monster and

Revelation 2:3 — 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. Here, the patient endurance of the Ephesian church

Revelation 22:3 — Lamb shall be therein: and his servants shall serve him; And there shall be no curse any more … "This is an allusion to the curse pronounced upon the Ground because of the sin of Adam (Genesis 3:17)." E. M. Zerr, Bible Commentary, Vol. 6 (Marion, Indiana: The Cogdill Foundation, 1954), p. 352. In the final city of God, such curses can never come. And the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be there … The oneness of the Father and the Son are dramatically and forcefully stated

2 Samuel 5 overview — reign, these being: "(1) the conquest of 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.