Bible Commentaries

Exodus 33:1-6 — commanded Israel to do something they had already done in Exodus 33:4. This is easily understood by the discernment that Exodus 33:5 may be parenthetical to show why Israel had put off their ornaments. Also, it is even more likely that God in Exodus 33:5-6 commanded the people not to "strip" but to "remain stripped" of their ornaments. The true rendition of the text here, according to Orlinsky, is "remained stripped," instead of "stripped."Harry M. Orlinsky, Notes on the New Translation of the Torah (Philadelphia:

Psalms 23 overview — and inspire the faith of believers in quite the same intensity as does this psalm. Some writers believe that two metaphors appear in this passage: (1) that of the shepherd (Psalms 23:1-4); and (2) that of the gracious and generous host (Psalms 23:5-6). Kyle Yates advocated this view and stated that, "God appears as the Personal Shepherd (Psalms 23:1-4), and as the Gracious Host (Psalms 23:5-6)."Wycliffe Old Testament Commentary, p. 504. A very respected commentator, H. C. Leupold rejected this interpretation

Psalms 27 overview — follows: "Those who argue for two independent compositions, here joined, point to differences in tone, to the fact that trust usually follows rather than precedes lament, and to the fact that both parts are complete in themselves. Also, Psalms 27:1-6 address God in the third person, and Psalms 27:7-14 address God in the second person." Those arguing for unity point to a concern for enemies in both sections (Psalms 27:2-3; Psalms 27:6; Psalms 27:11-12), and to affirmations of faith in Psalms 27:7-14…

Isaiah 1:3-9 — (Isaiah 1:2), ignorance, lack of consideration (Isaiah 1:3), sin, iniquity, evil-doing, corruption, forsaking God, estrangement from God, backsliding (Isaiah 1:4), revolt, transgression, disobedience, sickness, (Isaiah 1:5) and unsoundness (Isaiah 1:6). The wounds and bruises of Israel mentioned here should not be viewed as resulting from the hostile attacks of her enemies but as the result of the stripes of punishment laid upon the sinful nation by the hand of her God. The picture in Isaiah 1:5-6

Isaiah 59:1-8 — against him; (2) they suborned liars to swear against him in his trials; (3) they made haste to shed the innocent blood of Jesus whom their governor declared to be innocent; (4) they wove a web of intrigue to get Jesus murdered clandestinely (Matthew 26); (5) they bribed the soldiers who witnessed Jesus' resurrection to lie about it; (6) they pressed false charges against him before Pilate; (7) through their friend Herod Agrippa II, they planned the murder of the apostles (Acts 12); (8) their High

Jeremiah 31:31 — THE NEW COVENANT "Behold the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah." In Vol. 10 (Hebrews) of 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);

Luke 22:1-2 — unleavened bread" was used in several senses: The feast of unleavened bread was the day the Passover lamb was slain. According to Mosaic law, this was called the Passover and was followed by seven days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Leviticus 23:5-6). But at this time the whole period was known by this name. Josephus says: "We keep a feast for eight days, which is called the feast of unleavened bread."Charles L. Childers, Beacon Bible Commentary (Kansas City, Missouri: Beacon Hill Press,

Luke 9:7-9 — So great were the deeds of Jesus that the popular mind was required to seek a comparison only in the lives of the righteous dead, among the great names of Hebrew history. For additional comment on this passage see my Commentary on Matthew, Matthew 16:14, and my Commentary on Mark, Mark 6:15.

Acts 9:10-12 — of Ananias, three days later, for the purpose of giving him recovery from blindness did not signal the forgiveness of Saul's sins. On the contrary, Ananias said, "Arise and be baptized and wash away thy sins, calling on his name" (Acts 22:16). Saul, in a sense, of course, was "converted" by the appearance of Christ; but as DeWelt noted: Saul believed, repented and confessed Christ as "Lord"; but he was not forgiven of his sins until he had risen and was baptized, "washing

Romans 8:9 — f), and for this reason he is called "The Holy Spirit of Promise" (Ephesians 1:13). To the Corinthians, Paul spoke of "the Holy Spirit which is in you" and declared that "the Spirit of God dwelleth in you" (1 Corinthians 6:19; 1 Corinthians 3:16), To the Galatians, likewise, he said, "God sent forth the Spirit of his Son into our hearts" (Galatians 4:6); and the Saviour himself said of the Holy Spirit to his disciples that "he dwelleth with you, and he

2 Corinthians 9:10 — And he that supplieth seed to the sower and bread for food, shall supply and multiply your seed for sowing, and increase the fruits of your righteousness. Here is further inducement for giving liberally. Paul had already said in 2 Corinthians 9:6 that the man who sowed sparingly should reap sparingly, and that the bountiful sower should also reap bountifully. The whole thrust of this chapter concerns how people should give. A collation of New Testament teaching on how people should give is as

Joshua 20:1-6 — which have persisted into modern times. This writer was present when the notorious Newton-Carlton feud of Paul's Valley, Oklahoma culminated in the murder of a Deputy Sheriff in front of the J. C. Penny store just across from the Post Office there in 1926. Some thirty murders had at that time occurred in that feud. Fortunately, the feud ended at that time. The mention of "stand before the congregation" in Joshua 20:6, is a reference to the judgment exercised by the congregation of the city of refuge.

Colossians 3:1 — of God. Seek ye the things that are above … As Neilson said, "If then ye were raised parallels if ye died with Christ in Colossians 2:22. John B. Nielson, Colossians in Beacon Bible Commentary, Vol. IX (Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press, 1965), p. 410. Both of course, refer to Christian baptism. Macknight affirmed that the meaning here is, "Since then ye have been raised with Christ in baptism. James Macknight, Apostolical Epistles with Commentary, Vol. III (Grand Rapids, Michigan:

Hebrews 11:3 — which the present creation was evolved, or a reference to the Platonic conception of eternal ideas in the divine mind, read into the text what is not there. J. Barmby, The Pulpit Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1962), Vol. 21, Hebrews, p. 298. To be sure, "Aristotle held to the eternity of matter; and said that it was the common opinion of naturalists that `Nothing can be made out of nothing'" R. Milligan, op. cit., p. 302. Also, Greek speculation about

Hebrews 11:9 — died, he insisted on weighing out 400 shekels of silver to Ephron the Hittite of the children of Heth for the purchase of the cave of Machpelah as a burial place, the only part of Canaan to which Abraham ever had an earthly deed or title (Genesis 23:16). It was squarely here, in his de-emphasis of the present world, that the glory of Abraham chiefly centered. God was his inheritance, his shield, his exceeding great reward; and, as related in the following verse, Abraham looked to the eternal city,

Hebrews 3:12 — worship, unaccompanied by obedience, will not avail. Regarding the possibility of apostasy so forcibly mentioned here, it should be noted that the Bible nowhere authorizes any confidence to the contrary. Apostasy comes under consideration again in Hebrews 6:1-8, where from its treatment there, it cannot possibly be doubted that the author is warning his readers against a present real, and impending danger, a threat to any Christian who might allow an evil heart of unbelief to develop within him. Indeed,

Hebrews 3:6 — names Christians themselves as components of God's house, "whose house we are"! The old Israel is no more. The Son having been revealed, men are no longer under a servant, even so true and faithful a servant as Moses (Romans 2:28; Romans 9:6-8; Galatians 6:15; John 8:39). Think of the house of God. He laid the foundations of it, even before the world was (1 Corinthians 2:7), provided the blue prints of it in the dispensation of Moses, and extended it upward and outward to include all the

James 3:2 — labeled this "James' great confession of sin." Ibid. The "we" in this place is accommodative, through considerations of tact, and is used in exactly the same manner as Paul's frequent use of it in such passages as Hebrews 2:3; Hebrews 6:3, etc. (where it is likewise misunderstood by many). James was not here making some great confession of his own sins, but rather pointing out the universality of sin and error in all men, not excluding himself of course, nor meaning it as his "confession."

2 Peter 2:4 — Enoch, but by the Lord Jesus Christ. Angels, when they sinned … Very little is known of this; but, if as widely assumed, Satan himself was the leader of the sinning angels, it was through pride that he fell (Ezekiel 28:12 ff, and 1 Timothy 3:6); and from this is the deduction that pride was also the sin of the angels, a suggestion not denied by Judges 1:6. The point Peter made was that God did not spare them, but condemned them. Cast them down to hell … The word here rendered "hell"

Revelation 5:8 — Morris, op. cit., p. 98. This verse has a very important bearing upon the mediatorial office of Christ, as revealed in the New Testament. Bruce was of the opinion that "the elders perform priestly functions in heaven"; F. F. Bruce, op. cit., p. 643. but such a view must be rejected. That view became popular early in post-apostolic times; and from it, in time, developed the conception of the Virgin Mary as a heavenly mediator; but nothing like this is known to the New Testament. Barclay traced