Bible Commentaries

Psalms 32 overview — psalm cannot be maintained." F. Delitzsch, Old Testament, Vol. V., p. 393. Those who might be interested in a further discussion of these questions are referred to Chapter 4 in Vol. 6 of my New Testament series of commentaries (Romans), especially pp. 145-158. It is sufficient here to point out that David, who is usually received as the author of this psalm, was already in covenant relationship with God at the time of his great sin; and his forgiveness is here unrelated in any sense whatever to the salvation

Ezekiel 36:25-31 — you" As Pearson analyzed this cleansing of Israel, it consisted of three steps: "(1) the forgiveness of sins; (2) regeneration; and (3) the reception of the Holy Spirit."Anton T. Pearson in Wycliffe Bible Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1962), p. 753. Significantly, none of these was available under the Law of Moses. Only under the gracious terms of the New Covenant has there ever been available to mortal men such blessings as these. There was no forgiveness of sins under Moses; there was no Holy

Matthew 8:30 — flock of their sheep to death as he had done with the Gadarene swine; they "would have made him swing for it," for English law made such an action a capital crime.Will and Ariel Durant, The Age of Voltaire (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1965), p. 120. Over against English law, of the period mentioned by Durant, was the prior law of God which forbade swine to the Jews; and the implication is overwhelming that these swine were owned by Jews contrary to God's law; however, this cannot be proved.

Mark 16:1 — And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, that they might come and anoint him. (Mark 16:1) Mary Magdalene … The three women here are doubtless the same as those mentioned in Mark 15:39. When the sabbath was past … Matthew has "At the end of the sabbaths (plural)" which recognizes the fact of their having been back-to-back sabbaths due to the 15th of Nisan falling on a Friday. Mark's mention of only one is characteristic,

Mark 5:39 — hierarchy with a miracle they could not deny; nor was this the place. It would occur in Jerusalem, not in Capernaum, and at the time of the fourth Passover, not upon this occasion in the home of Jairus. In line with this was the instruction recorded in Mark 5:43.

Luke 12:46 — eyes of men, it shall nevertheless come to pass as the Lord promised. Cut him asunder … means "to punish with terrible severity."J. S. Lamar, op. cit., p. 181. This is a very strong word, bringing to mind such passages as Daniel 2:5; 3:39, etc., in which offenders in ancient times were literally cut in pieces. The use here is a metaphor for the utmost in severity. The next two verses were probably intended by Jesus to soften somewhat the terrible metaphor he had just used. Severely

Luke 17:30 — perhaps justified in drawing are: (1) faith will virtually have ceased on earth; (2) men will be busy in the same old ways, pursuing their same old interests; (3) materialism will have won the minds of men; (4) the utmost security shall be felt by men; (5) all appeals regarding the worship of God shall be scoffed at; (6) the Second Coming shall be an instantaneous thing, like lightning; (7) it shall be worldwide, occurring everywhere simultaneously, and therefore involving the totality of the earth and

John 12:24-25 — some to be lacking in this Gospel; but, as Howard noted, "That favorite term in the Johannine vocabulary, `eternal life,' is eschatological in its origin."W. F. Howard, op. cit., p. 109. The reference to final resurrection and judgment (John 5:24-29), and the recurring refrain, "I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:39-40; John 6:44; John 6:54) along with such passages as the one before us, make it clear that John's Gospel, in this particular, is no different from the others.

John 18:28 — and John 18:24 are John's only reference to the formal trial in the Sanhedrin. He also omitted the all-night examination before Caiaphas, and the trial before Herod. Of the six trials before: (1) Annas, (2) Caiaphas, (3) the Sanhedrin, (4) Pilate, (5) Herod, and (6) Pilate; John mentioned (1), (4) and (6). That they might not be defiled … What a perverse inconsistency marks the behavior of men! They were willing to suborn testimony to effect the judicial murder of the Son of God, but were

John 8:14 — Jesus answered and said unto them, Even if I bear witness of myself, my witness is true; for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye know not whence I come, or whither I go. Back at the pool of Bethesda (John 5:31), Christ had waived momentarily his right of bearing witness of himself; but, finally, light cannot do otherwise than bear its own witness. How fortunate are we that Christ did bear witness of himself in the most dogmatic and convincing manner. If

Acts 25:7 — And when he was come, the Jews that had come down from Jerusalem stood round about him, bringing against him many and grievous charges which they could not prove. The Jews that had come down … These had evidently traveled with Festus (Acts 25:5), and no doubt had exercised every possible strategy of ingratiation and fawning cultivation of the man they hoped to manipulate. This group was headed by the high priest, an imposing figure indeed; and many a procurator could tell of the power of

Acts 3:14-15 — is actually a mistranslation, the true reading being "Author of Life Eternal." Alexander Campbell, op. cit., p. 22. McGarvey also supported this translation, pointing out that the word here rendered "Prince" also occurs in Hebrews 5:9; Hebrews 12:2, where it is properly translated "Author." J. W. McGarvey, op. cit., p. 53. Whom God raised from the dead … As always, the burden of apostolic preaching was the resurrection of the Son of God; and here Peter stressed

Romans 13:2 — inclusive of all forms of opposition and disobedience. Jesus Christ our Lord never disobeyed any law, nor did he ever advocate civil disobedience, or any other kind of disobedience. As he said, "I came not to destroy but to fulfill" (Matthew 5:17). This verse teaches that breaking the laws of human governments is equivalent to breaking God's laws, because such laws are also of God's will and authority. The "judgment" in this place refers primarily to the legal punishment of violators

Romans 14:2 — problem would have been involved. It goes without question that they were wrong in making such a dietary thing into a religious matter; but they had evidently done so. Paul taught that "every creature of God is" good for food (1 Timothy 4:1-5), and Jesus himself had made "all meats clean" (Mark 7:19). The nature of the weakness of those brethren is thus inherent in the fact that, either through ignorance or prejudice, they had not received the teaching of Christ and his apostles

Romans 15:3 — the weak are extremely petty and trivial. The apostle's use of the most exalted and supreme example of Christ for the enforcement of practical duty is characteristic of his writings, other examples being visible in 1 Corinthians 8:12 and Philippians 2:5-8. This appeal to Psalms 69 stamps that Psalm as Messianic, especially when it is remembered that no less than five other New Testament passages refer to it, these being John 15:25 which quotes Psalms 69:4, John 2:17 which quotes Psalms 69:9, Matthew

Romans 16:21 — illustrious in the Bible. The last three names in this verse are those of Paul's kin, of whom practically nothing is known. Regarding these three, Greathouse thought: Lucius may be the one mentioned in Acts 13:1. Jason was once Paul's host (Acts 17:5-9) in Thessalonica. "Sosipater" may be the longer form of "Sopater" mentioned in Acts 20:4. William M. Greathouse, op. cit., p. 286. The objection of some commentators to Paul's not mentioning all of his kinsfolk in the same sentence

1 Corinthians 9:25 — by the Lord himself "at that day," that is, the judgment day (2 Timothy 4:8). It is the "crown of glory that fadeth not away," which shall be given to the redeemed "when the chief Shepherd shall be manifested" (1 Peter 5:4). It is the "crown of life" (Revelation 2:10). Throughout this chapter, Paul was showing the Corinthians, and all Christians, that the inconveniences, hardships, disciplines and self-denial which were accepted by men striving to win in such

2 Corinthians 5:10 — Paul taught here, but in the theory of justification by "faith only"; of which, as Tasker said, "Some commentators stress the seeming inconsistency between the doctrine of justification by faith alone and the doctrine of 2 Corinthians 5:10 that Christians no less than non-Christians will be finally judged by their actions." R. V. G. Tasker, The Second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1958), p. 83. The blunt truth is

Galatians 6:2 — Law have already been mentioned in this chapter, and others will be enumerated in a moment. No. 1 is: "Restore the Backsliders" (Galatians 6:1). No. 2 is "Bear Ye One Another's Burdens" (Galatians 6:2). Of course, in Galatians 6:5, Paul said, "Each man shall bear his own burden"; but it is still surprising that even a Christian scholar should read this as a "contradiction," even Ridderbos saying, "It is not necessary to eliminate contradiction."

Hebrews 1:2 — Lord's Anointed and acclaimed by God as his Son: Ask of me, and I will give thee the nations for thine inheritance, And the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Our author applies the preceding words of this oracle to Christ in Hebrews 1:5; but in his mind the inheritance of the Son of God is not limited to earth; it embraces the universe, and particularly the world to come. F. F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1967), p.