Bible Commentaries

Genesis 21:1-7 — "And Jehovah visited Sarah, as he had said, and Jehovah did unto Sarah as he had spoken. And Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham's son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son that was born

Psalms 96:10-13 — THE COMING OF THE MESSIAH "Say among the nations, Jehovah reigneth: The world also is established that it cannot be moved: He will judge the peoples with equity. Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof;

Isaiah 45:20-25 — "Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that carry the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save. Declare ye, and bring it forth; yea, let them take counsel together:

Matthew 3:7 — But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said unto them, Ye offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Pharisees … were a very wealthy, zealous, and powerful sect among the Jews. They

Acts 14:23 — And when they had appointed for them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they had believed. Elders in every church … This is the first mention of appointing elders in the New Testament,

1 Corinthians 9:27 — But I buffet my body, and bring it into bondage: lest by any means, after that I have preached to others, I myself should be rejected. Buffet my body … is metaphorical and does not refer to any type of flagellation such as was practiced by ascetics

2 Corinthians 7 overview — The first verse of this chapter concludes the paragraph which began at 2 Corinthians 6:14. 2 Corinthians 7:2-4 are a concluding thought connected with Paul's appeal in 2 Corinthians 6:11-13. Paul's stern warning to the Corinthians to come out from among

1 Thessalonians 1:3 — remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father; This remarkable Pauline triad, that is, a double triad of work, labor and patience linked to faith, hope and love

2 Timothy 1:18 — (the Lord grant unto him to find mercy of the Lord in that day); and in how many things he ministered at Ephesus, thou knowest very well. The parenthesis here is alleged by some to be an authentic New Testament example of prayers offered for the dead,

2 Timothy 3:5 — holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power thereof: from these also turn away. The fact of the gross sinners described here "holding a form of godliness" identifies this particular discussion of the apostasy as descriptive of

Titus 3:1 — Put them in mind to be in subjection to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready unto every good work, Be in subjection to rulers … For full discussion of the Christian's relationship to the state, see my Commentary on Romans, pp.

Titus 3:7 — that, being justified by his grace, we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Justified… The text is saying that God not only saves us by baptism and the resulting reception of the Holy Spirit, but that "his grace"

Hebrews 12:15 — Looking carefully lest there be any man that falleth short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled. This verse emphasizes that God's grace which has appeared to all people (Titus 2:12) and

Hebrews 13:17 — Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit to them: for they watch in behalf of your souls, as they that should give an account; that they may do this with joy, and not with grief. for this were unprofitable for you. The divine injunction to

James 4:1 — Whence come wars and whence come fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your pleasures that war in your members? It is rather startling that James would refer to the disputes and wranglings of church members in such terms as "wars and

1 Peter 3:21 — which also after a true likeness doth now save you, even baptism, not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the interrogation of a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ; After a true likeness … The figure,

1 Peter 4:17 — For the time is come for judgment to begin at the house of God: and if it begin first at us, what shall be the end of them that obey not the gospel of God? Hardly any verses in the New Testament have been misunderstood any more than have this one and

1 Peter 5:1 — The elders therefore among you I exhort, who am a fellow-elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, who am also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: In this verse, "There is neither self-exaltation nor disparagement, nor any hint

2 Peter 2:1 — But there arose false prophets also among the people, as among you also there shall be false teachers, who shall privily bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master that bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. False prophets

Revelation 7:14 — And I say unto him, My lord, thou knowest. And he said unto me, These are they that came out of the great tribulation, and they washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Lord, thou knowest … The very fact of the elder's