Bible Commentaries

1 Kings 8 overview — manner of an evolutionary pattern, and that it was not fully developed until the times of the (imaginary) Second Isaiah."Wycliffe Old Testament Commentary, Kings, p. 319. Solomon's words here uphold the immanence and yet transcendence of God.Ibid. Also (2) this chapter presents overwhelmingly convincing evidence of the prior existence of the Five Books of Moses, commonly called the Pentateuch. He honored the Levitical instructions on moving the ark of the covenant. His prayer exhibited his knowledge

1 Chronicles 29:10-19 — to build the palace, for which I have made provision." "The palace" Only in these two verses is this term applied to the temple. "It is the Hebrew form of a Persian word used generally to designate the residence of the Persian monarch, as in Esther 1:2; Esther 1:5; Esther 2:3; Esther 2:8; Nehemiah 1:1; and in Daniel 8:2."Albert Barnes, Chronicles, p. 366. "David blessed Jehovah" We normally think of God's blessing men, not the other way around; but we learn from 1 Chronicles 29:20, below, that when

Job 35:9-16 — of the earth. and maketh us wiser than the birds of the heavens?" We appreciate Pope's rendition of this: "Teaches us BY the beasts of the field… BY the birds of the heavens."The Anchor Bible (Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company, 1982), Job, p. 227. The allegation here is that the type of prayer Job has been praying, due to pain only, "Does not raise man any higher than the animal creation."The New Bible Commentary, Revised, p. 440. "There they cry, but none giveth answer" Here is

Psalms 82 overview — ISRAEL'S EVIL JUDGES This psalm is misunderstood by some to be, "A denunciation of the angels whom God had put in charge of the earth,"The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 8-B, p. 177. a position that was advocated by Professor Cheyne, who cited Daniel 10:13-21 and Daniel 12:1 as supporting the notion that angels have charge of earthly affairs. However, in the first reference, Michael the archangel is called, not a ruler, but "a helper"; and Daniel 12:1 says nothing that is inconsistent with the statement

Jeremiah 46 overview — totally worthless, not because of the critics' lack of skill in following their rules of criticism, but because the rules and axioms which they have adopted are not merely unscientific but absolutely false. We shall not discuss this here. See pages 264-272 in Vol. 11 of the New Testament Series for a study of the false rules of New Testament critics; and to those mentioned there, we must add the a priori denial of radical critics that predictive prophecy is even a possibility. Such a rule announces

Ezekiel 13 overview — AGAINST LYING PROPHETS AND FALSE PROPHETESSES Keil divided this chapter into only two divisions, namely, (1) prophecies against false prophets (Ezekiel 13:1-16), and (2) prophecies against the false prophetesses (Ezekiel 13:17-23). Bruce further divided the first division as 1st and 2nd denunciations of the false prophets in Ezekiel 13:1-9 and Ezekiel 13:10-16, respectively.

Ezekiel 14:15-20 — it is clear enough why Ezekiel used Job as the climax of his list of three; it was not due to chronology, but to the fact that Job alone fit the oft repeated expression, "delivered neither sons nor daughters" (Ezekiel 14:16; Ezekiel 14:18; Ezekiel 14:20). Daniel could not qualify, for as a eunuch, he had no posterity. Noah could not qualify, for he saved his sons; but Job was able to save neither sons nor daughters! Therefore, the holy prophet made him the climax of this list. Also, see the comment

Micah 5 overview — This chapter concludes the middle division of the prophecy (Micah 4-6), having as its principal feature the glorious prophecy of the birth of the Christ in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2) and the triumph of the kingdom of heaven over all enemies, concluding with another reference to the vengeance and wrath of God executed upon "the nations that hearkened not."

Matthew 19:4 — And he answered and said, Have ye not read, that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female. As always, Christ referred the issue to higher ground, not to what Moses said, but to what God had said. Bypassing Moses altogether, he rested his case upon the word of God, appealing to Genesis 1:27 and Genesis 5:2.

Mark 13:3-4 — "more detail." Amazingly, this instance of it comes in the very context where Mark left out the most important details of all, namely that the disciples also asked Jesus what would be the sign of his coming and of the end of the world (Matthew 24:3). Of course, it is impossible to understand the chapter unless the other two questions are taken into consideration. If Mark wrote after Matthew, he might have thought mention of the first question sufficient. Scholars certainly need to re-examine

John 17:22 — And the glory which thou hast given me I have given unto them; that they may be one, even as we are. Not the apostles only, but all Christians, partake of the glory of God from Christ. They are partakers of his holiness (Hebrews 12:10), "partakers of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4), and have received the reconciliation (Romans 5:11).

Romans 16:3 — Salute Prisca and Aquila my fellow-workers in Christ Jesus. "Priscilla" is the diminutive form of the name Prisca and was probably the term used by her close friends and associates (Acts 18:2); but Paul, in such a formal letter as this to a congregation where he had never visited, would naturally have used her more formal name, Prisca. Amazingly, she is mentioned first, even ahead of her husband, and first of all those whom Paul was about

2 Corinthians 8:22 — And we have sent with them our brother, whom we have many times proved earnest in many things, but now much more earnest, by reason of the great confidence which he hath in you. This was the third member of the group Paul sent to Corinth with 2 Corinthians. Nothing is known of who this brother was, other than what is written here.

Galatians 5:22-23 — this series, there are no less than eight designations in the New Testament of a single condition (see summary below). Note: Ye are the temple of the living God (1 Corinthians 3:16; 1 Corinthians 6:16). For it is God that worketh in you (Philippians 2:13). God abideth in us … we abide in him and he in us … God abideth in him and he in God … he that abideth in love abideth in God and God abideth in him (1 John 4:11-16). The entire Thessalonian church was said to be "in God"

Joshua 3:2-3 — reasonable doubt that the spies had returned before the order given in Joshua 1:10, and there is no need to suppose that each separate act was enjoined at the moment when the necessity for the injunction came."A. Plummer, The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 2, Joshua (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1950), p. 42. The order for the people to follow the ark of the covenant, given here in preparation for the march, would not be obeyed until some time later. It seems to be mentioned here because

1 Timothy 2:8 — that will reject the teachings of the apostles and proceed to do as they please. These studies are not directed to the task of accommodating the rampant unchristian philosophies and behavior encountered on all sides today. As Lenski said: In 1 Timothy 2:8, "the men" are in contrast with all who are women (1 Timothy 2:9). This difference is not felt in English; but in the Greek this is plain. The men only, and no women whatever, are to do the praying in the public worship of the congregation.

James 4:1 — "fundamentalism" peculiar to certain schools of New Testament criticism. "James cannot be thinking of wars and fightings between nations." Ronald A. Ward, New Bible Commentary, Revised (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Company, 1970); p. 1231. Roberts, quoting Arndt and Gingrich, noted that the Greek word for "fightings" "is used always in the plural and always of battles carried on with weapons." J. W. Roberts, The Letter of James (Austin, Texas: Sweet Publishing Company,

1 Peter 3 overview — The apostle in this chapter continued giving instructions to classes or groups of people: (1) to wives (1 Peter 3:1-6); (2) to husbands; (3) to the community of Christians as a whole; and then, perhaps with the looming terror of the Neronian persecution in mind, he spoke of the blessedness of suffering for righteousness sake (1 Peter 3:13-22).

2 Samuel 12:7-9 — and delivered you out of the hand of Saul" The order of these two statements, "Indicates that the reference to David's anointing is to that of his private anointing in Bethlehem (1 Samuel 16:13), rather than to either of the two subsequent anointings (2 Samuel 2:4; 2 Samuel 5:3)."Ibid., p. 352. Note also that God here says, "I anointed," whereas it was actually Samuel who did the anointing. "Thus Samuel functioned as God's representative; he anointed David for the Lord."Ibid. "And your master's wives

2 Samuel 21:7-9 — in the first days of harvest, at the beginning of barley harvest." "The two sons of Rizpah" This was one of Saul's concubines, concerning whom the quarrel between Abner and Mephibosheth occurred, resulting in Abner's defection to the cause of David (2 Samuel 3:7-11). It is of interest that one of her sons was named Mephibosheth. Thus, Saul had two sons with the same name. "And the five sons of Merab the daughter of Saul, whom she bore to Adriel" The corrupt Hebrew text here has Michal instead of