Bible Commentaries

Job 40 overview — GOD CONCLUDES HIS SPEECH TO JOB (Job 40-41) "This concluding speech of God to Job falls into three parts: (1) Job is (ironically) invited to assume the throne of the universe (Job 40:7-14). (2) There is the description of Behemoth (Job 40:15-24), and (3) the description of Leviathan (Job 41:1-34)."New Century Bible Commentary, p. 234. In the Genesis account of Jacob's wrestling with `a man' until the breaking of day, some respected writers find a similar thing revealed in the Book of Job, i.e., Job

Psalms 109:1-5 — love they are my adversaries: But I give myself unto prayer. And they have rewarded me evil for good, And hatred for my love." The enemies of David are described here as deceitful liars (Psalms 109:1-2). They are wicked men who hate him (Psalms 109:2-3). They are carrying on a vendetta against him and are returning hatred for his love, rewarding him evil for the good he has done them (Psalms 109:4-5).

Psalms 40:9 — righteousness in the great assembly; Lo I will not refrain my lips, O Jehovah, thou knewest." There can be little doubt that this passage, as Matthew Henry said, is a reference, "To the coming of the great salvation,"Matthew Henry's Commentary, Vol. III, p. 388. and that `great salvation' began to be spoken by the Lord (Hebrews 2:3), and not by David. "This is a reference to the Gospel of Christ which is preached to all nations."Ibid. "In the great assembly" This is a much more understandable statement as

Psalms 42:5 — the help of his countenance." This verse, as Henry noted, finds, "Faith silencing the complaint with the assurance of good times at last."Ibid. "Hope thou in God", etc. These last two lines are repeated almost verbatim in Psalms 42:11 and in Psalms 43:5, concluding each of the three stanzas which comprise these two psalms. McCaw has understood the meaning of these three `refrains' as, (1) "Being Faith's rebuke to dejection in Psalms 42:5, (2) Faith's exhortation in bewilderment in Psalms 42:11, and

Proverbs 20:26 — "A wise king winnoweth the wicked, And bringeth the threshing-wheel over them." Commentators usually try to soften the words here, suggesting that, "The words may be figurative."Wycliffe Old Testament Commentary, p. 573. James Moffatt accepted that theory in his rendition: "A wise king scatters wicked men; he drives hard over them."James Moffatt's Translation of the Bible, 1929. However, the mention of threshing instruments here brings to mind Amos 1:3, where it is

Jeremiah 43 overview — Egypt long after their liberation from it. With great suffering they had been delivered from their bondage in Egypt, only to return nearly nine hundred years later a defeated, hopeless remnant!"Charles Lee Feinberg in Ezekiel (Chicago: Moody Press), p. 637. There is probably nowhere to be found a better comment upon the incredible blindness of human politicians than the one afforded by this chapter. The chapter divisions are: (1) Judah's leaders reject God's word (Jeremiah 43:1-4); (2) Jeremiah and Baruch

Daniel 2 overview — This chapter might well be entitled "The King's Dream," that being the principal feature of it. An outline of the chapter is as follows: (1) the occasion for the dream (Daniel 2:1); (2) the king's demand (Daniel 2:2-9), (3) the failure of all the wise men (Daniel 2:10-11); (4) the king's decree that they should all be put to death (Daniel 2:12-13); (5) Daniel's request for a delay (Daniel 2:14-16); (6) the dream and its interpretation revealed to Daniel (Daniel 2:19-23);

Obadiah 1:19 — Philistines; and they shall possess the field of Ephraim, and the field of Samaria; and Benjamin shall possess Gilead." Mount Esau and the Philistines are used here as "a synecdoche for all of the countries around about Canaan."C. F. Keil, op. cit., p. 374. This passage has the same thought as that in Isaiah 54:3, where it was said of Israel that their seed "should possess the Gentiles." Israel's possession of Gentile nations was never promised or intended in the sense of military conquest or political

Zephaniah 1 overview — Zephaniah announced his theme at once, following his identification of himself as God's spokesman (Zephaniah 1:1), that being the universal final judgment of the whole world (Zephaniah 1:2-3). Would the Jews escape the terrors of that day? Certainly not! Passing from the general to the specific, a device which Dummelow described as being in harmony with the "genius of the Semitic mind,"J. R. Dummelow, Commentary on the Holy Bible (New York:

Matthew 7:5 — It is implicit in the comparison that the mote should be cast out of the eye. Tiny as it is, it may not be accepted lightly. Surely, this is an inspired metaphor. Judging and disposing of the faults of others is: (1) dangerous, (2) hypocritical, and (3) futile. If one would truly aid another, his first consideration is to get the plank out of his own eye. This means that he should prepare himself by acknowledging his own sins and turning to him alone who is the sinner's friend. Any other method defeats

Mark 2:18 — equivalent to "You are not in style! John the Baptist's disciples and the Pharisees are fasting, so what about you?" The Lord replied to their objection with a triple parable: (1) new cloth on old garment, (2) new wine-skins for new wine, and (3) drinkers of old wine care not for new wine. Only Luke gave the full parable (Luke 5:33-39).

Mark 9:10 — Christ was an event utterly beyond the comprehension of the apostles because: (1) of the inherent preconditioning of the human race not to expect any such thing; (2) of the false idea they had concerning the Messiah and what he would do on earth; and (3) of their failure, at first, to believe Jesus' prophecies of his impending death. Commentators who themselves will not even believe the resurrection of Christ after the event are in a very sorry role when they criticize the apostles for their failure

1 Corinthians 14:1 — Follow after love; yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy. Follow after love … seems to connect with what was said in 1 Corinthians 13. "This clause belongs to the preceding chapter." Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Holy Bible (New York: Carlton and Porter, 1831), Vol. VI, p. 273. Desire spiritual gifts … prophesy … The spiritual gift of prophecy was largely

1 Corinthians 15:56 — in it, as discovered by Adam and Eve, and all of their posterity. The strength of sin is the law … As Dummelow said: This is true because the law reveals sin and, indeed, intensifies its power, without giving power to overcome it (Romans 7:7-13; Romans 8:2-3). J. R. Dummelow, op. cit., p. 920. See my Commentary on Romans, pp. 265-264, for discussion of the law and its relation to sin. Paul here briefly mentioned the subject that he treated at length in Romans 7.

2 Corinthians 4 overview — Broomall has an interesting outline of this chapter, as follows: The hidden and the open (2 Corinthians 4:1-2). The blinded and the enlightened (2 Corinthians 4:3). Slaves and Master (2 Corinthians 4:5). Darkness and Light (2 Corinthians 4:6). The frail and the mighty (2 Corinthians 4:7). Trials and triumph (2 Corinthians 4:8-10). Death and life (2 Corinthians 4:11-12). The written and the spoken (2 Corinthians

Ephesians 3:17 — Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that ye, being rooted and grounded in love. Christ dwelling in Christian hearts is one and the same thing as the Spirit's dwelling in them. The first fruit of the Spirit is love (Galatians 5:23); and here the great result of the "indwelling Christ" is that of the Christian's being "rooted and grounded in love." Again reference is made to the comment on this under Galatians 5:23. Significantly, in Ephesians 3:14-17 there

Ephesians 5:7-9 — with them, for ye were once darkness, but are now light in the Lord: walk as children of the light (for the fruit of the light is all goodness and righteous and truth). These verses prove the coherence of the whole paragraph beginning with Ephesians 5:3. Up to this point, Paul was describing the "unfruitful works of darkness" (Ephesians 5:11); and the argument of this passage is, "Do not take up the old ways again; you once practiced all that; you know how useless and unfruitful such

Philippians 4 overview — This chapter is a fitting conclusion for the whole epistle. I. There are three final exhortations: (a) to unity (Philippians 4:1-3); (b) to joy (Philippians 4:4-7); and (c) to conformity with all that is good after the apostle's model (Philippians 4:8-9). II. Finally comes thanks for the Philippian offerings: (a) the admission that he could not claim their gift as a necessity (Philippians

2 Timothy 4:19 — Salute Prisca and Aquila, and the house of Onesiphorus. Prisca and Aquila … This wonderful couple had saved Paul's life, putting the whole world of Gentile churches in their debt; and both in this list and in Romans 16:3, Paul mentioned them above all others. For discussion of their relationship with Paul see my Commentary on Romans, 511,512. The house of Onesiphorus … Comment on this Christian friend of Paul's will be found above, under 2 Timothy 1:17. It is

1 John 2:4 — He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; This is the negative of the same teaching given in 1 John 2:3. John's converse statement of the same principle here is blunt, powerful, and incapable of being misunderstood. It reminds one of Jesus' saying, "Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth