Bible Commentaries

Exodus 12:15-20 — entered into the land of Canaan, but no such fact negates the truth that these instructions came along with and accompanied that very first Passover. In a very similar way, Jesus Christ gave very specific teaching regarding the Lord's Supper in John 6:56 ff, at a time long before it was possible for his disciples to do what he commanded there. The instructions here were, in time, faithfully carried out, but in the context of that first Passover, they would indeed eat the unleavened bread, but the

Exodus 20:13 — form of monuments and tombs of unknown soldiers, perpetual lights on battlefields, and arches of triumph. This commandment haunts humanity. Regarding capital punishment, it is the law of God that murderers shall be put to death by society (Genesis 9:6), and that is not an option - it is a Divine order. The violation of it by self-styled liberal societies has already drowned the world in blood and may yet deliver the whole earth into the hands of ruthless murderers. The first poem ever written was

2 Chronicles 29:1-11 — THE BEGINNING OF THE REIGN OF HEZEKIAH XII. HEZEKIAH (715-687 B.C.) HEZEKIAH'S MOVE TO RESTORE THE TRUE WORSHIP "Hezekiah began to reign when he was five and twenty years old; and he reigned nine and twenty years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. And he did that which

Nehemiah 5:6-13 — order to promote good will and to avoid antagonism; and this is by no means the only example of a Biblical writer's using that very same device for the sake of avoiding unnecessary bitterness. "Ezra identified himself with the marriage offenders (Ezra 9:6) although he had not contracted an illicit marriage."Broadman Bible Commentary, Vol. 3, p. 482. Did not the apostle Paul write:See our defense of the Pauline Authorship of Hebrews in our introduction to that commentary. "Let US press on… not

Psalms 145:1-7 — Vol. III, p. 320. No Christian should think of omitting prayers of thanksgiving three times daily at mealtimes. It was the neglect of this simple duty that began the long decline and eventual debauchery of the pre-Christian Gentile world (Romans 1:20-26). "One generation shall laud thy works to another" "The great and mighty acts of God are told from one generation to the next. The Bible is a divine record of such actions";George DeHoff's Commentary, Vol. III, p. 244. and our own lives bear witness

Psalms 146:5-10 — that we entitled this psalm, "Praise the Lord for What he Does." Some of the psalms praise God for what he has done, but the emphasis here is rather upon what he is doing. A mere list of these is impressive. The Lord keepeth truth forever (Psalms 146:6). He executeth judgment for the oppressed (Psalms 146:7). He giveth food to the hungry (Psalms 146:7). He looseth the prisoners (Psalms 146:7). He openeth the eyes of the blind (Psalms 146:8). He raises up them that are bowed down (Psalms 146:8). He

Leviticus 5:1-6 — Revised Standard Version also follows this rendition. Noth disputed this meaning and rendered it so as to say, "He that hears someone curse publicly" is the offender.Martin Noth, Leviticus, A Commentary, translated by J. E. Anderson (London: SCM Press, 1965), p. 41. Ronald E. Clements also accepted that understanding of the passage,Ronald E. Clements, Broadman Bible Commentary, Vol. 2, Leviticus (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1972), p. 19. but Keil effectively refuted such ideas by pointing out that the

Isaiah 28:1-6 — chapter, is the result of Isaiah's discrimination between the leaders who are principally to blame for the approaching disaster and the rank and file of the people who are being misled. "He varies his tone and manner,"T. K. Cheyne's Commentary, p. 163. accordingly as he addresses first one group, then another. The city of Samaria on a hill, crowned with a wall around the summit, sat like a crown on the city dominating a fertile valley. The behavior of their leading men, being a group of sorted drunkards

Isaiah 30:27-33 — strange intermingling here of songs and tabrets and harps, along with terrible destruction and death. "The simple idea is, that the sudden and complete destruction of Sennacherib's army would be the occasion of the highest joy in Israel."Ibid., p. 461. Despite the application of these verses to the forthcoming destruction of Sennacherib's host, "They further apply to the end time. One day, the godless powers of the earth will find themselves caught like Judah (Isaiah 8:8) in a rising tide, and drawn

Ezekiel 40 overview — priesthood have no relevance whatever to Christianity. All Christians are "priests unto God." a royal priesthood at that; and there are simply not going to be any distinctions whatever such as those provided for in this vision of a physical temple (1 Peter 1:6; Revelation 1:6, KJV). (4)    Note that Ezekiel's Temple is the one in which God shall dwell forever (Ezekiel 43:7). God's Spirit entered the Holy Temple of his Church, the New Israel of God, on the First Pentecost after the resurrection

Numbers 14:1-4 — Moody Press, 1981), p. 202. "It seems from Nehemiah 9:17 that they actually appointed another leader under whose direction they were about to return to Egypt."Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Whole Bible, Vol. 1 (London: T. Mason and G. Lane, 1837), p. 661. Behold here what an impossible alternative this was which the people desired to take. The trip from Egypt had not been easy. Now, they would return, without Moses, without God to open the sea before them and overwhelm their enemies in the flood,

Zechariah 13:7 — ones." Here we are on solid ground. Christ said to the apostles on the occasion of his Passion: "All ye shall be offended in me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad" (Matthew 26:31; Mark 14:27). It is the proximity of this certain prophecy of Christ to Zechariah 13:6, above, which lends some credibility to the understanding of a prophecy of our Lord there; also, there is the oft-repeated indication that this entire section

Acts 15 overview — Christian fellowship. In Galatians, Paul flatly affirmed that: They … imparted nothing to me; but contrariwise … when they perceived the grace that was given unto me … gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship (Galatians 2:6-9). Paul had fully as much authority as anyone in the Jerusalem church; and it would have been shameful for the great apostle who for years had already been preaching God's will regarding circumcision and the law of Moses, both of which had been nailed

Romans 3:7-8 — the Christians did not so judge Paul. Lenski's view that "from verse I onward, Paul addresses the Roman Christians" R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans (Minneapolis, Minnesota: Augsburg Publishing House, 1963), p. 219. cannot be true, for there is no way to put the charge of falsehood against Paul in the mouths of any kind of Christians, much less those whom Paul had never met, as a body, and who are addressed in this epistle. The misunderstanding of some

Philippians 2:6 — narrative of the crucifixion has been sung and continues to be one of the most popular oratorios. Again, it is true that this passage shows evidence of having been carefully thought out; but the reader is referred to my Commentary on Romans, Romans 1:6, for review of another Pauline passage showing the most careful and deliberate construction even exceeding the passage here in that quality. The rejection of the "hymn theory" has the utility of refuting those who wish to deny the Pauline

Titus 3:5 — always the best comment on Scripture. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ (Galatians 3:27). Of this verse, Spence said, "The apostle has grandly paraphrased his words here in Titus 3:5." H. D. M. Spence, op. cit., p. 261. And such were some of you: but ye were washed, but ye were sanctified, but ye were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God (1 Corinthians 6:11). Of this verse, Beasley-Murray said, "The relation of baptism

Hebrews 12:3 — apostles warned the Christians against fainting, and here is a good place to note that phenomenon a little more closely. ON FAINTING Paul said, "Let us not be weary in well-doing; for, in due season, we shall reap, if we faint not" (Galatians 6:9). The Christian who faints becomes a spectacular failure, sometimes throwing a whole church into consternation, this being true both physically and spiritually. Once, this writer was the visiting evangelist for a campaign at University Avenue Church

Judges 6:11-18 — Abiezrite… Joash… Gideon""The name `Gideon' means `feller,' or `hewer.' He was the youngest son of Joash of the clan of Abiezer in the tribe of Manasseh. Their home was in Ophrah."C. E. Schenk, in the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, p. 1226. Ophrah has been supposedly connected with half a dozen different locations, but J. P. U. Lilley of Oxford stated that , "The most likely location was that eight miles from Beth-shan toward Mount Tabor."J. P. U. Lilley in The New Bible Dictionary, p.

Revelation 6 overview — elements, Babylonian mythology, the writings of Virgil, Semitic and Hellenic mythology, the Apocrypha, and the Book of Enoch." James Moffatt, Expositor's Greek New Testament, Vol. V (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1967), pp. 388-390. Scholars who pursue such an assumption can never know what Revelation means, simply because they are seeking its meaning in the wrong place. Thirdly, there is a deep sense of conviction that no "brand new doctrine," such as

1 Samuel 6:19-21 — this holy God? And to whom shall he go up away from us"? So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying, "The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Come down and take it up to you." (For a definitive comment on 1 Samuel 6:19-21, see the note under 1 Samuel 7:1.) 1 Samuel 7:1 "And the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took up the ark of the Lord, and brought it to the house of Abinidab on the hill; and they consecrated his son Eleazar, to have charge of the ark of the Lord." We