Bible Commentaries

Exodus 20:17 — commandment would automatically result in the obedience of most of the others. Paul himself acknowledged this, saying, "I had not known sin except through the law: for I had not known coveting, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet" (Romans 7:7). He also added that, "Sin, finding occasion, wrought in me through the commandment all manner of coveting" (Romans 7:8). Few indeed are they who would not join Paul in confessing the violation of this law. Adam Clarke declared that, "This command

Exodus 7:14-18 — occurrence. Even critical scholars like Noth have affirmed that, "Any connection with the yearly rise of the Nile seems quite impossible … Rather we have here a unique divine wonder."Martin Noth, Exodus (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1962), p. 74. We can only marvel at the comment of Keller who rejected the Exodus account of the part played by the plagues in the exodus of Israel, declaring that such, "can neither be affirmed nor denied, since no contemporary evidence on the subject has so far

Jeremiah 31:31 — the New Testament Commentaries, pp. 162-166, one may find additional commentary on the New Covenant. There were several covenants that God made. (1) There was a covenant with Noah (Genesis 6:18; Genesis 9:9); (2) two covenants with Abraham (Genesis 17:2; Genesis 17:10; Genesis 15:18 ff); (3) the covenant of salt (Numbers 18:19; Leviticus 2:13); and (4) the covenant of the everlasting priesthood (Numbers 25:13). However, in Hebrews 8:6-7, this "new covenant" is contrasted with what is called "the

Ezekiel 40 overview — will ever be built. If indeed God promised that it would be built, just as it seems in this section, then the sinfulness and continued hardening of Israel as mentioned by Isaiah prevented it, in keeping with the Grand Condition presented by Jeremiah 18:7-10, along with the Chosen People's rejection of Christ, which led to the formation of the New Israel and the total abandonment of any need whatever for physical temples. Speaking of the New Israel, which God most surely established, what earthly use

Daniel 7:23-25 — important deductions are made mandatory by these words. Note that the "saints" existed throughout the period of the little horn, itself a part of the fourth beast, having arisen out of it. "Shall be diverse" This is twice mentioned - in both Daniel 7:24 and Daniel 7:25. Not all of that diversity is spelled out here; but the New Testament sheds further light upon it. The diversity is seen in that (1) the little horn is a religious kingdom, as indicated by its two horns (of a lamb) (Revelation 13:11);

Amos 9:1 — Westminster Press, 1969), p. 152. "the chief temple of Northern Israel was located at Bethel;"W. R. Harper, Amos and Hosea (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1910), p. 188. "Jacob saw the Lord at Bethel;"Ralph L. Smith, Beacon Bible Commentary, Vol. 7 (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1972), p. 135. "there is a close connection with the preceding chapter 8, (Amos 8:14) which mentions Bethel in the last verse,"Holmann, as quoted by C. F. Keil, Commentary on the Whole Bible (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans

Numbers 8:5-13 — thou shalt set the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons, and offer them for a wave-offering unto Jehovah." Unger listed the specifics required for the cleansing of the Levites thus: (1)    by sprinkling with water (Numbers 8:7 a) (2)    by shaving all their flesh (Numbers 8:7 b) (3)    by washing their garments (Numbers 8:7 c) (4)    by atonement being made for them (Numbers 8:8-12) (5)    by

Zephaniah 2:12 — south in this universal montage of judgment which forms the fabric of his prophecy in this chapter. "Shall be slain by my sword..." "This sword of Jehovah was put in the hand of Nebuchadnezzar for the execution of God's will against Tyre (Ezekiel 29:17-20; Ezekiel 30:24-25)."Homer Hailey, op. cit., p. 28. From this we learn that whenever God's will is to be executed against a sinful nation, the sword of God's wrath is always available in the hands of another wicked and ruthless nation ready to use

Matthew 10:22 — provoked. … For this cause, he ought the more to stand on the side of the Lord's gospel.Cyprian, Treatise in Ibid., Vol. V, p. 428. Other Scriptures enjoining endurance and continuity to the end are: Matthew 24:13; Mark 13:13; 1 Corinthians 13:7; Revelation 3:11, etc.

Matthew 27:53 — Bible, it is yet to be discovered.William R. Nicholson, op. cit., p. 63. There are eight resurrections recorded in Scripture, besides the resurrection of Christ which is uniquely different. The other seven are: (1) son of the widow of Sarepta (1 Kings 17); (2) son of the Shunamite (2 Kings 4); (3) the man raised by the bones of Elijah (2 Kings 13); (4) daughter of Jairus (Matthew 9); (5) son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7); (6) Lazarus (John 11); and (7) Dorcas (Acts 9:41). One might also include Eutychus

Matthew 9:2 — said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, be of good cheer; thy sins are forgiven. This is one of those "mighty works" mentioned by Jesus in his reproach of Capernaum (Matthew 11:23). Important details are mentioned in Mark 2:1-12 and Luke 5:17-26 which are not contained in Matthew. Mark tells that he was carried by four men, and Luke relates the breaking up of the roof to let him down to Jesus. Seeing their faith refers not merely to the faith of the four but of the man with the palsy as

Mark 15:13-14 — extremity, the Sanhedrin, under such duress that they could no longer conceal it, at last admitted the truth. As John has it: "The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by that law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God" (John 19:7). It was upon their statement of what they alleged as a capital crime that Pilate then yielded to the popular clamor and ordered the crucifixion; but even then, not until the priests had injected the question of Pilate's loyalty to Caesar.

Mark 4:2 — spies of the Pharisees. (3) He thus challenged his disciples to greater spiritual discernment. (4) The Hebrew people were familiar with that method. (5) It made his teachings easier to remember. (6) The parables were interesting in the highest degree. (7) They contained the dynamic teaching of Jesus in language which was unsuitable to the court-charges the Pharisees were anxious to make against him. In short, he, by this method, taught those who wished to know the truth and confounded those who sought

Luke 1:76 — inspiration of the Holy Spirit could have prompted the father of this child of such long hopes and prayers to have deferred any mention of him until near the end of the prophecy. One is reminded of the cows that went lowing away from their calves (1 Samuel 6:7-12). Most High … See under Luke 1:32. Go before the face of the Lord … These words are an elaboration of the prophecy in Malachi 4:5-6. The imagery is that of a herald going before a king to prepare the way for a royal visitor. Here too

Luke 11:13 — Father is stressed; there is also a contrast between the "good gifts" of earthly fathers (such as food) which are surpassed by the greatest of gifts, that of the Holy Spirit, the gift which includes all others. In the similar record of Matthew 7:11, the Saviour represented the Father as giving "good gifts," as distinguished from "the Holy Spirit" here. This emphasizes the difference in the two occasions. As Childers noted: This discourse in Luke comes later in Jesus' ministry

Luke 2:2 — This was the first enrollment made when Quirinius was governor of Syria. The second census under Quirinius was in 6 A.D. (Acts 5:37); and the words "the first" in this passage refer to the census fourteen years earlier in 8 B.C., but which was delayed in Palestine until the time coinciding with the birth of Christ in 6 B.C. Quirinius was twice governor and presided over

Acts 8:32-33 — before his shearer is dumb, So he openeth not his mouth: In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: His generation who shall declare? For his life is taken from the earth. As a sheep … as a lamb … This passage, of course, is Isaiah 53:7 f, one of the great Suffering Servant passages of Isaiah. Christ was the "lamb slain from the foundation of the world," "the lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world." Jesus meekly submitted to the outrages perpetrated against

Ephesians 3:14-15 — (Matthew 6:5; Luke 18:11-13); but kneeling for prayer is often indicated in the New Testament, although it was not unknown at all in the Old Testament. Solomon knelt in the prayer of dedication for the temple (1 Kings 8:54). Stephen at his martyrdom (Acts 7:60), Peter when he raised Dorcas (Acts 9:40), Paul on farewell occasions (Acts 20:36; Acts 21:5), and our Lord himself in Gethsemane (Luke 22:41) knelt in prayer. However, other acceptable attitudes or postures are also indicated, such as "lifting

Hebrews 3:12 — proposes such an awesome possibility as something that just might "haply" befall them. These words take up and illustrate the lesson of Psalms 95 which had just been quoted at length. The Psalm is divided into two parts, the first (Psalms 95:1-7) being a warning against the disobedience; and it is the second portion of the Psalm which the author quoted. The message of the entire Psalm is that people should worship God, but that mere worship, unaccompanied by obedience, will not avail. Regarding

1 John 2:1 — in this life be done with sin, why strive after holiness?" and "If escape is so easy, why dread falling into sin?"David Smith, The Expositor's Greek New Testament, Vol. V. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1967), p. 172. The promise of forgiveness of sins (1 John 1:9) and the mention of its universality (1 John 1:8; 1 John 1:10) might indeed, on the surface, be thought to encourage a light view of sin. As Orr said, "Some might say, `I may as well commit