Bible Commentaries

Exodus 20:18-21 — introduction to `the book of the covenant,' that body of laws given in Exodus 20:18 to Exodus 23:33. There are numerous enlargements upon the Ten Commandments, but it is more than just that. It is called the `book of the covenant' in Exodus 24:4; Exodus 24:7."Wilbur Fields, Exodus (Joplin, Mo.: College Press, 1976), p. 439. This little paragraph is also the beginning of the rejection by Israel of the privileges of priesthood for all of them. They preferred that another stand between them and God, and significantly

2 Chronicles 8:1-6 — desired to build for his pleasure in Jerusalem … Lebanon… in all… his dominion" Again we have the Chronicler's word that Solomon recognized no other limitation except his own undisciplined desires. (Read our comment under 2 Chronicles 7:11, above.) The Chronicler has mercifully spared us the details concerning these multiple pleasure-houses Solomon built all over Palestine.

Ezra 6:13-15 — Artaxerxes (404 B.C.) (See p. 25, above); and some have wondered just why his name should have been mentioned along with that of Cyrus and Darius. "He was probably included here because he, at a later date, contributed to the beautifying of the temple (Ezra 7:21-28)."The New Bible Commentary, Revised, p. 402. "The third day of the month Adar" "This was March 12, 515 B.C., four and one half years after work had begun in earnest."Wycliffe Old Testament Commentary, p. 429. It will be remembered that it required

Ezra 7:27-28 — Ezra, over and beyond what was needed to carry out the specific instructions of the king. "Jehovah… extended lovingkindness to me before the king" This could be interpreted as a reference to the favor God gave Ezra when he made request (Ezra 7:6) before the king for what he received; but the inclusion of the words, before the king's counselors, and before all his mighty princes, makes it more likely that Ezra held some kind of office under Artaxerxes which had placed him under the observation

Psalms 27:4 — I asked of Jehovah, that will I seek after: That I may dwell in the house of Jehovah all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of Jehovah, And to inquire in his temple." "That I may dwell in the house of Jehovah all the days of my life" (Psalms 27:4). The psalmist's great desire was to "Dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life." This of course is like the last line of the Shepherd Psalm, a strong indication of Davidic authorship. Significantly, Dahood's comment sheds additional

Psalms 39:12 — weepest thou?…. If a man can scarcely ignore a person's tears, how much less can God? God numbers the tears of believers (Psalms 56); and the ultimate purpose of the Father is to 'Wipe away all tears from human eyes' (Isaiah 25:8; Revelation 7:17; Revelation 21:4)."Wilson Jones, p. 191. "A sojourner, as all my fathers were" Men are tempted to treat this world as a permanent residence, but it is not so. "We are here today, and gone tomorrow; Yes I know, that is so."- From Gilbert and Sullivan's

Ecclesiastes 7:19-22 — this charge of man's sinfulness, "Includes both sins of commission (doeth good), and sins of omission (sinneth not)."The Tyndale Commentaries, op. cit., p. 115. "Take not heed unto all the words that are spoken" thine own heart knoweth" (Ecclesiastes 7:22). These verses are an appeal to man's conscience. "The Hebrews had no word for conscience, and they used heart as an equivalent. One knows how little meaning attaches to many of one's own idle words, and should not therefore pay any attention to

Jeremiah 17 overview — JUDAH'S DESTRUCTION INEVITABLE From Jeremiah 17:15 it is clear that this chapter was written prior to the Babylonian conquest. "Attempts have been made to date the chapter, but they are generally unsatisfactory, because of the lack of chronological data."Charles Lee Feinberg in Ezekiel (Chicago:

Jeremiah 33:19-22 — heaven cannot be numbered neither the sand of the sea measured; so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites that minister unto me." "The promise of an innumerable posterity once given to the patriarchs, as in Gen. 13:16; 55:5; 22:17, etc., is here applied to the descendants of David and to the number of God's ministers."J. A. Thompson, The Bible and Archeology (Grand Rapid, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1972) p. 603. This means that the numbers of people who will

Hosea 7:11 — and pro-Assyria parties in Samaria; and as conditions changed, first one and then the other had the ear of the gullible and indecisive king. "This panicky dependence on foreign powers was also condemned by other prophets of the time (See Isaiah 30:1-7)."J. B. Hindley, The New Bible Commentary, Revised (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1970), p. 711.

Obadiah 1:10 — passion, but for an entire history of hatred and opposition to God's purpose. They had refused to allow the Israelites passage through their territory into the promised land in the times of Moses (Numbers 20:14-21). They warred against Saul (1 Samuel 14:47); David conquered them and established military garrisons in their land. Solomon controlled their territory when he made Ezion-geber the seaport from which his ships sailed to Ophir (2 Chronicles 8:17-18), but they rebelled in the times of Jehoram (about

Nahum 3 overview — The reason for the destruction of Nineveh lay in their unmitigated wickedness. "This imperial city had brought such a fate upon itself by its sin and crimes (Nahum 3:1-7), and will no more be able to avert it than was the Egyptian No-Amon (Nahum 3:8-13)."C. F. Keil, Commentary on Old Testament, Vol. 10, Nahum (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company), p. 9. A terrible end will come to the city despite all of

Zephaniah 1:10-11 — but to the Jews who had adopted the customs, the clothing, the religion, and the immorality of the old Canaanites, thus becoming in themselves another Canaan. The word for "Canaan" may also be translated Phoenician or trafficker. (See under Hosea 12:7 for further discussion of this.) It was the shameful wickedness of the original Canaanites that caused God to remove them from the land and to re-populate the area with Israel; now that Israel had themselves become "Canaan," God had no choice but to

Zechariah 1:14 — and the word of the Lord would yet "go forth from Jerusalem" on the Day of Pentecost when the Gospel Age began. Zion" The use of this term appears to be significant. This was the ancient name (pre-Israelite) of the hill captured by David (2 Samuel 5:7); and, as Baldwin said, "It sometimes stands for the people of Jerusalem in their religious privilege and responsibility."Joyce G. Baldwin, op. cit., p. 99. We believe that to be the reason why the term is used here. The true covenant with God on Israel's

Zechariah 13:8 — ye in by the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many are they that enter in thereby. For narrow is the gate and straitened the way, that leadeth unto life, and few are they that find it" (Matthew 7:13). This usage of "one third" is also seen in Revelation 6. Inherent in the teaching of this verse is the fact that the company of the redeemed is but a "remnant," certainly nothing approaching a majority of the people. "This third part represents

John 2 overview — (John 4). 3.    Healing the cripple (John 5). 4.    Feeding the 5,000 (John 6). 5.    Walking on Lake Galilee (John 6). 6.    Healing the man who was born blind (John 9). 7.    Raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11). Of these, Numbers 2, 4, , 5 are also found in the synoptics. The choice of these particular wonders for inclusion in John evidently was made with regard to the absolute authority by which

1 Timothy 2 overview — women." David Lipscomb, Commentary on First Timothy (Nashville: The Gospel Advocate Company, 1942), p. 142. Wallis referred the chapter to "the public worship"; Wilbur B. Wallis, Wycliffe Bible Commentary, New Testament (Chicago: Moody Press, 1971), p. 847. Nute said it stressed "the importance of public prayer"; Alan G. Nute, A New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1969), p. 509. Spence was sure that the thing in view here is "prayers offered

Judges 10:1-2 — is somewhat unusual to find the names of BOTH the father and the grandfather in this type of account, and here it might be due to the fact that Dodo was one of David's "mighty men" (2 Samuel 23:9; 2 Samuel 23:24 and 1 Chronicles 11:12; 1 Chronicles 27:7). Also, if the reference here is to one of David's mighty men, it would indicate a long skip in the genealogy between Dodo and Puah, as is customary in Biblical genealogies. "Shamir" "There was also another Shamir in the Highlands of Judah (Joshua

Judges 18:11-13 — Micah of his "gods" and threaten to exterminate him and his whole family if he decided to resist their depredations against their former host and benefactor. In the list of the redeemed from each of the "Twelve Tribes of Israel," mentioned in Revelation 7, it appears as a mystery that the name of Dan is conspicuously omitted from that sacred list. We cannot resist the thought that that omission might have something to do with what is recorded here.

Judges 6:7-10 — their land; And I said unto you, I am Jehovah your God; ye shall not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell. But ye have not hearkened unto my voice" "These words summarize once more the injunctions of Exodus 34:10-16 and Deuteronomy 7 :lff."The New Bible Commentary, Revised, p. 263. We have frequently noted that the entire O.T. (following the Pentateuch) is written in the shadow of the Five Books of Moses, providing undeniable certainty for the Biblical chronology of its 39 books.