Bible Commentaries

Genesis 39:2 — "And Jehovah was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian." "And Jehovah was with Joseph" This is the key to the whole chapter. In Genesis 39:2-3; Genesis 39:5; Genesis 39:21, and Genesis 39:23, the same fundamental truth is repeated. The reader is expected to see the hand of the Lord in these marvelous events. "In the house of his master, the Egyptian" Some of the critics try to make this

Exodus 16 overview — Here we have the third instance of the murmuring of Israel (Exodus 16:1-3), the promise of God to give them bread from heaven (Exodus 16:4-12), God's promise fulfilled (Exodus 16:13-20), the events surrounding the very first mention of "sabbath" in the word of God (Exodus 16:21-30), the manna named and memorialized (Exodus

2 Kings 3 overview — THE "THREE KINGS" AT WAR AGAINST MOAB The Moabite Stone (discovered in 1868) has a parallel account of events in this chapter from the viewpoint of Mesha (2 Kings 3:4), the Moabite king who authored the inscription on that stone. Dentan said of this stone that, "It is one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of all time (it may be seen in the Louvre in Paris) and provides interesting confirmation of the situation

Leviticus 7:22-27 — blood, whether it be of bird or of beast, in any of your dwellings. Whosoever it be that eateth any blood, that soul shall be cut off from his people." Here we have a repetition of the prohibitions against eating either the fat or blood (See Leviticus 3:17), with the proviso that the fat could be used for other purposes (oiling a harness, for example, or making soap). Also, there is the double reference to being cut off from one's people. (See the preceding paragraph.)

Isaiah 14 overview — in the form of a sarcastic "welcome" to Babylon's fallen monarch, in which his former glory is dramatically contrasted with his position in death! The first two verses carry an assurance that God's promises to Israel will yet be fulfilled; Isaiah 14:3-20 present the taunting, sarcastic "welcome" to Babylon's dead king! Isaiah 14:21-23 have a final prophetic curse against Babylon; Isaiah 14:24-27 prophesy the breaking of the power of Assyria; and the final five verses (Isaiah 14:28-32) have a prophetic

Isaiah 3 overview — this, there is also a formal statement of the ultimate judgment against the whole nation, uttered in the present perfect tense as prophecy certain to be fulfilled. "Here is a study in disintegration."Derek Kidner, The New Bible Commentary, Revised, p. 593 It is a sad picture of a society which has forsaken its moral values, turned from God to a philosophy of humanism, and adopted the customs, idols, and value-judgments of paganism, inevitably culminating in the bitter predictive prophecy of Isaiah 3:8,

Jeremiah 13 overview — overcome with abandoned wickedness. The dramatic warnings of this chapter were designed to stem the headlong rash of Israel to destruction; but the warnings were not heeded. The warnings were: (1) the parable of the mined linen loin-cloth (Jeremiah 13:1-11), (2) the parable of the wine jars (Jeremiah 13:12-14), (3) the warning against pride and arrogance toward God (Jeremiah 13:15-17), (4) the warning to the king and the queen-mother (Jeremiah 13:18-19), (5) the warning that identified "friends"

Acts 13 overview — related to the apostle Peter, and the last division having material especially related to the apostle Paul. This is quite logical, in fact; for from this chapter until the end of it, Acts presents the missionary efforts of the inimitable Paul. Acts 13 records the beginning of what is usually called Paul's first missionary journey. First, there was the formal commission which sent Barnabas and Saul on their way (Acts 13:1-3); then there is the account of their efforts on the island of Cyprus (Acts

Galatians 5:11 — evidently refers to the allegations of the false teachers to the effect that Paul himself taught circumcision, an argument they reinforced, no doubt, by appealing to the known instance of Paul's circumcising Timothy, whose mother was a Jewess (Acts 16:3). Paul's reason for doing that, however, had nothing whatever to do with Timothy's salvation, but was for the purpose of avoiding and frustrating Jewish persecution. Any allegation that Paul considered circumcision as related in any manner to salvation

1 Timothy 3:10 — … This requirement of having first to be tested was also mandatory in the case of the elders. As Lenski expressed it: The fact that such a testing was to be applied also to overseers is so self-evident from the conditions laid down in 1 Timothy 3:2-8, that "also" now refers to it. Paul states that the testing is likewise quite necessary in the case of the deacons. R. C. H. Lenski, op. cit., p. 597. This is a very important point to be noted, because in it lies the certainty that the

Titus 2:4 — married women, a function that pertained to the godly older women in the congregation. There are seven qualities to be instilled in the younger women, two mentioned in this verse, five in the next. They are: (1) husband-lovers, (2) children-lovers, (3) sober-minded, (4) chaste, (5) workers at home, (6) kind, and (7) in subjection to their own husbands. At first glance it seems hardly necessary to speak of training one to love spouse or children; but as Ward noted: Love does not always flow out of

Titus 3:14 — upon good works was commented upon thus by Lipscomb: In these "pastorals" we have eight reminders to be earnest and zealous in good works. The passages are: 1 Timothy2:10, 5:10, 6:18; 2 Timothy 2:21; Titus 1:16; Titus 2:7; Titus 2:14; Titus 3:14. It is noteworthy that these epistles containing so many exhortations to work for Christ are among his last inspired utterances. David Lipscomb, op. cit., p. 188.

Hebrews 5:8 — every blow that fell upon his person. That hatred of Christ was exactly in the pattern of the hatred of Abel, who was murdered by his brother Cain; "And wherefore slew he him? because his works were evil, and his brother's righteous" (1 John 3:12).

1 Peter 2:3 — if ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious: In this verse from Psalms 34, Peter applied to the Lord Jesus the great Old Testament word for God, "the Lord." The writer of Hebrews (Hebrews 6:4-5) also mentioned "tasting" as a metaphor of understanding and appropriating to one's own needs the word of God.

1 Peter 3:4 — man of the heart … Subsequent versions usually have "hidden person" of the heart; and as the passage deals with the duties of wives, this is better. The "hidden person" is the same as Paul's "inner man" (Ephesians 3:16), meaning the actual person, the private being which every person knows himself to be. Paul described a real Jew as being a Jew who is one "inwardly," which stresses the same thought (Romans 2:28 f). Incorruptible apparel … "Paul

Judges 11:25 — ARGUMENT NO. 3 This was a political argument founded upon the fact that Moab had once claimed some of the disputed territory, but had lost it when Sihon, the king of the Ammonites had forcefully displaced Moab and occupied the land they once had. Jephthah here points

Judges 5:1-2 — the people offered themselves willingly, Bless ye Jehovah" "The gender of the Hebrew verb here indicates that Deborah was the composer of this ode and that Barak assisted her in singing it, who perhaps sang the antistrophe."The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 3-C, p. 45. As noted above, Deborah's authorship is confirmed in Judges 5:7. "For that the leaders took the lead in Israel" Myers mentioned an alternative rendition here, making the words read, "When locks hung loose in Israel,"The Interpreter's Bible,

Revelation 2:3 — without discouragement by any or all difficulties. For my name's sake … The New Testament emphasis upon the name of the Lord is extensive. Salvation is in no other name (Acts 4:12); all Christian activities are to be done in his name (Colossians 3:17); we are justified in his name (1 Corinthians 6:11); we are baptized in his name (Acts 2:38; Acts 19:5); we are called by his name (James 2:7); our sins are forgiven for his name's sake (1 John 2:12); we should believe on his name (1 John 5:13),

Revelation 22:3 — curse any more: and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be therein: and his servants shall serve him; And there shall be no curse any more … "This is an allusion to the curse pronounced upon the Ground because of the sin of Adam (Genesis 3:17)." E. M. Zerr, Bible Commentary, Vol. 6 (Marion, Indiana: The Cogdill Foundation, 1954), p. 352. In the final city of God, such curses can never come. And the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be there … The oneness of the Father and

2 Samuel 5 overview — his later years appear in the following section, 2 Samuel 11-20. Willis pointed out that this section carries the record of seven major events of King David's reign, these being: "(1) the conquest of Jerusalem; (2) two victories over the Philistines; (3) Bringing the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem; (4) God's prophecy that of David's posterity one would arise to build God a `house'; (5) David's victories; (6) his kindness to the son of Jonathan; and (7) victories over the Ammonites and Syrians."John