Bible Commentaries

Job 39 overview — mankind. The questions do not solve any of the mysteries of Job's suffering; the questions he has so eagerly asked remain unanswered; but in spite of all this, the questions achieve their intended effect in the heart of Job. As we learn later in Job 41:6, Job repents in dust and ashes. And of what does he repent? It was not of that gross wickedness imagined in the accusations of his friends, for of that he was not guilty. Nevertheless, he was by no means sinless; and his innocent notion that he could

Psalms 104:6-9 — down) Unto the place which thou hadst founded for them. Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; That they turn not again to cover the earth." The division of the waters from the waters, separated by the firmament, is recounted in Genesis 1:6-8 "Thou coverest it (the earth) with the deep (the sea) as with a vesture; the waters stood above the mountains" This simply means that the entire planet earth was completely submerged at first, the highest mountains being beneath the waves: This, of

Psalms 27:5-6 — understood literally, as some Jewish commentators suppose, claiming that David even hid himself in the tabernacle; but David means that his spirit shall find a refuge with God in the times of trouble."Ibid. "Now shall my head be lifted up" (Psalms 27:6). There is no safety or security on earth that can be compared with the confident stability of the soul that is truly anchored `in the Lord.' If a government forbids Christians, they may reply with Peter, "We must obey God rather than men." If obstacles

Psalms 64 overview — real occasion was. We respect the words of Rawlinson who named it. "The author is probably David, as asserted in the title; and the occasion or time was that period a little preceding the open revolt of Absalom."The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 8-B, p. 26. The frequent mention of the "secrecy" of the enemies in the first part of the Psalm might indicate that the revolt of Absalom was in its formative stages. It is also true that there could have been many other occasions in the psalmists reign when similar

Ezekiel 29 overview — entire four chapters against Egypt. They describe the fate of Egypt, cite the sins of which she was guilty and indicate the nature of her judgment, and her future place among the nations of the world."John Skinner in the Expositor's Bible Commentary, p. 266. Ezekiel has seven oracles against Egypt, the first two of which are in this chapter: (1) Ezekiel 29:1-16; (2) Ezekiel 29:17-21; (3) Ezekiel 30:1-19; (4) Ezekiel 30:20-26; (5) Ezekiel 31; (6) Ezekiel 32:1-16; and (7) Ezekiel 32:17-32. The date of this

Ezekiel 8:1 — "form a connected whole."International Critical Commentary, p. 88. (1) There is presented in chapter 8 a detail on the horrible defilement of God's temple by apostate Israel, which God forewarns will cause the removal of his presence from it (Ezekiel 8:6). (2) The supernatural ministers of instruments of Israel's punishment appear in Ezekiel 9. (3) The cherubim make preparatory movements to depart the Temple in Ezekiel 10; and (4) the actual departure of God's presence from the Temple occurs in Ezekiel

Hosea 10:8 — punitive judgment upon the whole race of mankind at the time of the Second Advent, an echo of which is most assuredly present in the concluding words of this verse. These very words were used by Jesus in Luke 23:30, and by the prophet in Revelation 6:16, as a statement of the terror that shall accompany the final judgment. "The high places of Aven" The omission of Bethel, sometimes used with this word shows that the stress is upon the "vanity" of the places where the idol-worship was indulged. Not

Joel 3:15 — "The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. Such terminology as this is used in Rev. 6:12:17, following the pattern throughout the Bible in references to the judgment of the Final Day. We do not pretend to know what this means; but it would appear to be certain that cosmic disturbances of the very greatest magnitude will attend God's

Numbers 35:16-21 — of an offender must be assumed. Note the frequency of the stern words, "The murderer shall surely be put to death!" This is God's law; it was not a new law, but merely a re-affirmation of the Divine order given to Noah and his posterity in Genesis 9:6. Modern man is nowhere at fault quite so much as he is in the casual manner of his lenience with murderers.

Haggai 2:20-21 — Zerubbabel was a representative of the house of David; and to him the prophet now revealed spiritual blessings, of which the physical and economic blessings already foretold were tokens. "I will shake the heavens and the earth" This is repeated from Haggai 2:6 (see notes on that passage), and will be elaborated and expanded in this final outburst of Messianic prophecy. "Once again, God will intervene in human affairs (shake the heavens and the earth)."D. J. Wiseman, op. cit., p. 784. God surely had intervened

Matthew 21:42-43 — completeness of the structure depended, that on which, as the chief cornerstone, the two walls met, and were bonded together.Dean Plumptre, as quoted by R. Tuck, The Pulpit Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1961), p. 356. Christ as the Cornerstone suggests that: (1) law and grace; (2) God and man; (3) time and eternity; (4) B.C. and A.D.; (5) the Mosaic dispensation and the Christian dispensation; (6) the letter and the spirit; and (7) judgment and mercy,

Matthew 4:15-16 — and spiritual blindness. All people must remain in darkness until the Light shines in their hearts through faith. In the shadow of death … is an expression that occurs a number of times in the Old Testament (Job 10:21; Psalms 23:4; Jeremiah 2:6, etc.). In this place it is only a further reference to the moral and spiritual condition of the people of Galilee.

Matthew 4:6 — grounds that Satan had misused the word of God, but on the grounds that it would have constituted an unnecessary presumption and would have, in fact, been making trial of God. Christ instantly cited the Scripture forbidding such presumption, Deuteronomy 6:16.

Mark 15:16 — less than six, as pointed out by Major: The Evangelists record six mockings of Jesus by: (1) the High Priest's servants; (2) Herod Antipas and his soldiers; (3) the soldiers of the Roman garrison; (4) the general public; (5) priests and scribes; and (6) the two crucified brigands.H. D. A. Major, The Gospel according to St. Mark (New York: E. P. Dutton and Company, 1939), p. 189. The Praetorium … was the name of the area where soldiers were quartered at Caesar's official residence, or, as here,

Mark 3:13-15 — probably refers to the elevation some five miles west of Galilee, called Mount Hatten, where it is also supposed that Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount. Luke adds the significant detail that Christ prayed all night before appointing the Twelve (Luke 6:13). And they went unto him … Bickersteth states that these words actually mean "went away to him, implying that they forsook their former pursuits."E. Bickersteth, The Pulpit Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans

John 4:28-29 — and Matthew to leave his seat of custom, and follow Jesus. No mortal considerations can withstand the blast of that solar wind which emanates from the Sun of Righteousness. Come see … With these same words, Philip persuaded Nathaniel (John 1:46); and with the same Jesus invited the disciples to his abode (John 1:39); and, with the same words, an angel of heaven said, "Come see the place where the Lord lay" (Matt. 2:8:6). That phenomenon which is Jesus Christ our Lord needs only to

1 Corinthians 4 overview — agree with Adam Clarke that a more logical division of the chapters would have been to extend chapter 3 through the fifth verse here. Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Holy Bible (New York: Carlton and Porter, 1831), Vol. VI. p. 207. In 1 Corinthians 4:6, Paul pointed out that his use of his own name and that of Apollos was not to be construed as an admission that he and Apollos had actually headed any divisive parties in Corinth, but that he had used these names figuratively for the purpose of teaching

Revelation 21:12 — concludes that, "A man can come by many roads into the kingdom, for there are as many ways to the stars as there are men to climb them." William Barclay, op. cit., p. 210. There are not many ways into the kingdom; Christ alone is the way (John 14:6); and it is the abuse of literalism to conclude otherwise on the basis of there being twelve gates mentioned here. Twelve angels … Apparently this is an inert element in the vision, the gates of all ancient cities being presided over by some

Revelation 5:2 — — in a word, worthiness. The great problem to be solved in human redemption was simply this: how could God injustice do it? Paul stated it thus: "That he might be just and the justifier of him that is of the faith of Jesus" (Romans 3:26). Inherent in this interpretation is the fact that the vision at this point is retrospective in time, looking to the period when the salvation of Adam's race appeared to be absolutely impossible. As Caird said, "Some of the contents (of the scroll)

2 Samuel 17:21-22 — needed to rally his forces for the final showdown. Matthew Henry and others have supposed that upon that occasion after David crossed the Jordan, "He penned Psalms 42 and Psalms 43, `Looking back upon Jerusalem from the land of the Jordan' (Psalms 42:6)."Matthew Henry's Commentary, op. cit., p. 534. THE SUICIDE OF AHITHOPHEL Not only had Absalom's acceptance of Hushai's counsel assured the failure of Absalom's rebellion, it also spelled the end of Ahithophel's hope of getting control of the army,