Bible Commentaries

2 Chronicles 20:20-23 — against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another." What happened here reminds one of the victory of Gideon over the Midianites in Judges 7, in which the invading forces destroyed themselves.

Nehemiah 1:4 — commentators; but there is no way that they can be considered true. Jonah mentioned "The God of heaven" in the eighth century B.C. (Nehemiah 1:9); and we find it also in the works of Moses about one millennium before Nehemiah's time (Genesis 24:3; Genesis 24:7).

Job 22:1-3 — God? Surely he that is wise is profitable unto himself. Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that thou art righteous? Or is it gain to him that thou makest thy ways perfect?" Rawlinson referred to these lines as "irrelevant";The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 7d, p. 369. but actually, there was a terribly wicked thrust in these words. "Eliphaz here thinks that it is for man's sake alone that God created him,"The Expositor's Bible, op. cit., p. 372. and that God laid out the rules, which if a man follows them,

Psalms 110:7 — the purpose of indicating the humanity of the Messiah. Just as in Isaiah, where Immanuel (The Messiah) is revealed as a member of the Godhead by his name (Immanuel), and then his humanity is stressed by the fact of his eating butter and honey (Isaiah 7:14-15), here we have a glimpse of the same thing. This great Judge of all men and all nations, "in the way," that is, the way of his earthly ministry, which is literally "on the way" to the Judgment Day, he shall (as an ordinary man) quench his thirst

Psalms 28:6-7 — believed that he had what he asked, and, so, believing, had it. There was no change in circumstances, but he was changed. Now there was no fear of going down into the pit, and the dread of the evil-doers disappeared.Alexander Maclaren, Vol. 1, p. 2 71. We may receive Maclaren's comment here as a valid deduction from what Jesus said, "And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive" (Matthew 21:22). "I am helped… will greatly rejoice .., and will praise him"

Psalms 3:5-6 — insufficient grounds for such a name; but still we do not object to it. It has been used as a morning reading by countless people in all ages. "They have set themselves against me." "According to Kay, this is a military expression, as used in Isaiah 22:7."Ibid., p. 18. The background of this Psalm is given in 2 Samuel 15-16. Before leaving these verses, it is appropriate to remember that no one knows when he goes to sleep, whether or not he shall ever awaken, and that only the blessing of God enables

Psalms 92:7-9 — Nothing provides any better picture of wicked men than the grass which flourishes one day and is destroyed the next. "They shall be destroyed forever" "The prosperity of the wicked has posed a difficult problem for some. Job struggled with it (Job 21:7-21); and Asaph was troubled by it (Psalms 73:2-15); but the psalmist here found no problem at all with it. He saw the prosperous condition of the wicked as nothing but a prelude to their destruction."The Pulpit Commentary, op. cit., p. 283. No enemy

Proverbs 23:4-5 — Word 7. "Weary not thyself to be rich; Cease from thine own wisdom. Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings, Like an eagle that flieth toward heaven." Paul warned against the desire to be rich; and here we

Proverbs 30:11-14 — the Jews. The first two chapters of Amos are an example of this method. Harris noted that Jesus also utilized the same device, as for example, in the Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount,Ibid. where one finds two tetrads (Matthew 5:3-6; and Matthew 5:7-10). The evil character of the generation described here strongly resembles that which is described in the prophecy of Amos.

Proverbs 5:1-2 — attention indicates the importance of the severe warning against adultery that is about to be given, a subject briefly mentioned in 2:15-19. "The writer, in addition, will return to this subject again in the latter part of Proverbs 6 and in all of Proverbs 7."The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 9, p. 106. The emphasis given this subject in Proverbs is significant. "If a young man would take to heart the warnings and prohibitions in Proverbs and add those qualities mentioned in the Sermon on the Mount, he would

Isaiah 46:5-7 — unto it, yet can it not answer, nor save him out of his trouble." Here we have exactly the same line of argument made in a number of previous chapters. This is a continuation of the brilliant words against idolatry found in Isa. 40:18-20; 44:9-20; 41:5-7; and 46:1,2. This repetition of such warnings indicates that God was very concerned lest the attractions of idolatry would seduce many of the chosen people. "Isaiah 46:5 is almost identical to Isaiah 40:18 and stresses the impossibility of representing

Jeremiah 31:33 — people." Notice that God does not here state that he will cancel or no longer require his law to be observed, but that he will achieve the observance of his holy law by an utterly new method. That new method would be by the means of "the new birth" (John 1:3-7). A new heart would be created in obedient believers, and this would enable a more acceptable obedience to Divine Law. God never envisioned a time when his followers (even Christians) would be able to achieve perfect obedience; and therefore in the

Joel 3:17 — these words: "Spiritual Zion is impregnable; strangers will not pass through her as they did physical Jerusalem. The kingdom over which Jehovah reigns from Zion is one that cannot be shaken (Hebrews 12:28); it will stand forever" (Daniel 2:44; Daniel 7:13-14).Homer Hailey, op. cit., p. 60. "Jerusalem shall be holy" This, more than anything else, demands a spiritual application of these words. In no absolute sense was the literal Jerusalem ever "holy"; nor can there be any reasonable postulation of

Zechariah 7:1 — by this variation from it. As the passage stands, the date is perfectly clear, as is also the truth that Zechariah was delivering God's message, not his own. The time was November/December, 518 B.C., "nearly two years after the vision of Zechariah 1:7."W. J. Deane, The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 14, Zechariah (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1950), p. 67, Gill dated the arrival of the delegation on "December 4, 518 B.C."Clinton R. Gill, op. cit., p. 307.

Malachi 2:8 — lot more than that. "Since a covenant must be observed by both parties, the covenant which should have brought happiness and blessing upon them has been `corrupted,' that is, ruined, destroyed, annulled."T. Miles Bennett, Beacon Bible Commentary, Vol. 7 (Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman Press, 1972), p. 382. Of course the New Testament speaks plainly of the annulment that fell upon the covenant between God and Israel, but here it is made specifically clear that the annulment extended to all of that covenant,

Malachi 3:10 — blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." "The whole tithe" As Smith said, "The form… suggests not that the tithe had been allowed to go wholly by default, but that it had not been paid in full."J. M. Powis Smith, op. cit., p. 72. "There shall not be room enough to receive it" This carries the meaning that, "God's gifts will overflow the capacity of his children to receive them."E. B. Pusey, op. cit., p. 493. It will be remembered that in 2 Kings 4:1-7, Elisha aided the widow

Matthew 12:38 — Pharisees' request for a sign was but a renewal of Satan's temptation of the Lord in the wilderness. Christ always refused to perform wonders for his enemies like Herod or the Pharisees. He did work miracles for the benefit of John's disciples (Luke 7:18-22), and raised Lazarus that the people might believe (John 11:42). For more on "a sign from heaven," see under Matthew 16:1.

Matthew 3:5-6 — noted in this chapter. Matthew 3:5 merely means that the great majority of the people of that time and place accepted the baptism of John the Baptist. It is specifically declared in the Scriptures that the Pharisees and lawyers did not accept it (Luke 7:30). In the river Jordan … John selected this river as the scene of his many baptisms for a reason, and the reason is given in John 3:23, "because there was much water there." This makes it imperative that immersion be understood as

Matthew 5:4 — affecting the development of Christian character is set forth in detail in the New Testament. Tribulation results in patience (Romans 5:3-4). It yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness (Hebrews 12:11). Godly sorrow leads to repentance (2 Corinthians 7:10). What a generous and merciful arrangement of Almighty God that even life's sorrows shall bless and reward his servants! "Sweet," indeed, "are the uses of adversity." Why should Christians mourn? They mourn for the world which

Mark 6:50 — translated here actually mean "I AM"; and the view here is that: Mark intended his readers to identify Jesus with the Lord, the divine I AM of Exodus 3:14. The phrase occurs often in John, and with theological overtones (John 6:85; 8:12; 10:7; 11:25; 14:6). Mark uses the phrase two other times, in Mark 13:6 and Mark 14:62.Henry E. Turlington, op. cit., p. 322. Be not afraid … This is the constant admonition of faith in Christ. From the announcement of the angels to the shepherds