Bible Commentaries

Genesis 15:18 — Israel, the people would undergo slavery and affliction. (5)    The nation that would thus subject them would be severely judged. (6)    The Jews would finally leave the land of their oppression with great wealth. (7)    The actual boundaries of Israel's ultimate domain were given. Such a great wealth of additional information more than justified the statement that, "In that day God made a covenant, etc. " "From the river of Egypt … the

Genesis 26 overview — looked into the relationship himself, and observing Isaac fondling Rebekah, he confronted Isaac and demanded the truth as well as an explanation from Isaac. Apparently, at the same time he also ordered Isaac out of the vicinity of Gerar (Genesis 26:27), and gave strict laws against anyone's molesting either Rebekah or Isaac (Genesis 26:6-11). (3)    Isaac then, at some distance from Abimelech's capital, engaged in agriculture, reaping harvests of a hundred fold, and being prospered

Exodus 17:4-6 — accomplished redemption."Merrill F. Unger, Unger's Commentary on the Old Testament (Chicago: Moody Press, 1981), p. 121. Apparently, Christ himself had this event in mind when he spoke of the stream of "living water" flowing forth from himself (John 7:37-39). This bringing of the water from the rock was called by Jamieson, "The greatest of the miracles of Moses, because it was done without ostentation and in the presence of a few chosen witnesses."Robert Jamieson, Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

Job 20 overview — speech was fully in keeping with the evil design of Satan. Rawlinson's excellent summary of Zophar's diatribe is as follows: "This second speech is even worse than his first (Job 11). Coarseness and rudeness are added to his former hostility (Job 20:7; Job 20:15). His whole discourse is a covert denunciation of Job as a wicked hypocrite (Job 20:5; Job 20:12; Job 20:19; Job 20:29), who is receiving only the punishment he deserves for a life of crime. He concludes by prophesying Job's violent death,

Psalms 39 overview — BREVITY AND VANITY OF LIFE The superscription entitles this psalm, 'The Vanity of Life,' but the brevity of life is also a feature. It is labeled 'A Psalm of David,' 'for the Chief Musician, for Jeduthun.' "Jeduthun, in this and in Psalms 62 and Psalms 72, was one of David's three Music leaders, the other two being Asaph and Heman (1 Chronicles 16:37-42). He was also the King's Seer (2 Chronicles 35:15)."Henry H. Halley's Bible Handbook (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House), p. 240. William Jones

Psalms 62 overview — other characteristic word and images found in his writings. Note the following: "my rock," "my salvation," "my high tower" (Psalms 62:2); and again, "my rock," "my salvation," and "my high tower" (Psalms 62:6); "my strength," "my refuge" (Psalms 62:7); "trust in him (God) at all times" "God is a refuge for us" (Psalms 62:8); "men are vanity… vanity" (Psalms 62:9); "oppression of enemies," "riches not to be trusted," (Psalms 62:10), and "To the Lord belongeth lovingkindness" (Psalms 62:12).

Leviticus 2:4-10 — described the food-offering as a batch of fine flour, this paragraph describes the offering as having been cooked by one of three different methods: (a) in the oven (Leviticus 2:4), (b) by the baking-pan (Leviticus 2:5), or in a frying-pan (Leviticus 2:7). Interesting as all these different methods of cooking most assuredly were, especially if we could know exactly how each was done, we shall simply pass over them here with the general observation that the meal-offering was also acceptable to God as

Leviticus 20:22-26 — kingdoms of Canaan were "vomited out" to allow Israel's inheritance of the land. Sadly enough, Israel did exactly what was forbidden here. The prophet Hosea said of Israel, "he has become a trafficker, the balances of deceit are in his hand" (Hosea 12:7). "The word `trafficker' in that passage actually means Canaanite."Homer Hailey, A Commentary on the Minor Prophets (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1972), p. 177. Thus, Israel, in time, came to all that Canaan had been before it. Note also that Israel

Leviticus 23:1-3 — appropriately named here at the outset. Besides, the observance of additional sabbaths was involved in festivals themselves. "Ye shall do no manner of work" (Leviticus 23:3). This is a more restrictive commandment than the one found in Leviticus 23:7-8; Leviticus 23:21; Leviticus 23:25; Leviticus 23:35-36, where "ye shall do no servile work," is the prohibition. "There is a definite indication here that the regular, frequently occurring sabbath was intended to be a holier day than any of the set

Numbers 20 overview — period of "great declension, even apostasy. O.T. passages confirming this are in Ezekiel 20:15 f; Amos 5:25 f; and Hosea 9:10."F. C. Cook, Barnes' Notes, Numbers (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983. Reprint of the John Murray publication in London, 1879), p. 225. This view is fully confirmed by Acts 7:42 f. The purpose of this chapter is apparently that of recounting the death of the great leaders of Israel before their entry into Canaan, the only reason for Moses' own death not being recounted here

1 Thessalonians 2:16 — Thessalonica, Paul correctly read it. It could only mean that the destruction of the Holy City was not too far away. Jesus had faithfully promised: But the king was wroth; and he sent his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned their city (Matthew 22:7). Stated in the past tense, that is, the prophetic tense, this was a clear indication of what would happen if Israel persisted in their opposition to Christ and his gospel. Paul properly read the signs of the times as indicating the near-approach of

1 Timothy 4:6 — "Faith" in this place is undeniably objective, being related not so much to "trusting" as it is to piety and good works; and Paul's letters do not contradict each other. See extensive exegesis on this in my Commentary on Galatians, pp. 69,70. In his book on Romans, Sanday tells us that we must distinguish between at least seven different senses given the word "faith" in that one epistle, and he says that Paul has all of these meanings before him. Ibid, p. 458. The most widespread

1 Timothy 5:18 — quotation from Deuteronomy 25:4, one of Paul's favorite passages, which he also quoted in his advocacy of support for gospel preachers in 1 Corinthians 9:9. From both this and the second quotation he was about to give, it is certain that 1 Timothy 5:17 has reference to financial remuneration. And, The laborer is worthy of his hire … There is absolutely no doubt that Paul here classified this second quotation as "Scripture," to which he attributed both this remark and the one from

James 1:5 — leaving this verse, it is appropriate again to notice that James' teaching regards with utmost fidelity that of the Christ himself, who said, "How much more shall your Father who is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?" (Matthew 7:11).

James 4:17 — of this is, "Well, remember that if a man knows what is right and fails to do it, his failure is a real sin." Gibson saw in this "a remarkable correspondence with the words of Paul (Romans 14:23)." E. C. S. Gibson, op. cit., p. 57. It is this perfect consonance of James with everything else in the New Testament that goes far to establish the interpretation of this chapter as given here, especially with reference to James 4:7-10.

2 Peter 1:13-14 — 2 Corinthians 5:1-4; and one can almost see the trend of the apostle's thought in this and the following verses. Here he used the word "tabernacle," an expression he himself had used unfortunately on the mount of transfiguration (Matthew 17:4); and, a moment later, he used the word "'decease," the term used in the gospel of Luke to describe the topic of conversation on the same mount. It was doubtless the use of these very words that triggered the forthcoming reference to the

2 Peter 1:18 — "late view," being far older than any of the gospel writers, and even older than the New Testament itself. The Old Testament reveals that any place where God manifested himself was "holy." See Exodus 3:5; Joshua 5:15, Genesis 28:16-17; Exodus 19:12; Acts 7:33, etc. Any Jew speaking of such a place as the mountain of transfiguration would naturally have referred to it as "holy." Where, precisely, was the mountain here designated as "holy?" The tradition favoring

2 Peter 3:9 — "Ever and again there shines in Scripture the glint of the larger hope … that somehow and some time, God … will bring the whole world to himself." William Barclay, The Letters of James and Peter (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1976), p. 343. Green expressed amazement that Barclay could have held such a view, asking, "How can he in view of 2 Peter 3:7?" Michael Green, op. cit., p. 136. Of course, God wants all people to be saved; and Jesus gave himself as a propitiation

Jude 1:1 — understanding the authorship and date of the epistle, see in the introduction. James … One of the brothers of Jesus Christ (Matthew 13:55), and therefore, at first, not a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ whom he here acknowledges as his Lord (John 7:2-5). Servant … The word for "servant" here is (Greek: [@doulos]),<note> Delbert R. Rose, Beacon Bible Commentary, Vol. 10 (Kansas City, Missouri: Beacon Hill Press, 1967), p. 428.</note> meaning one "born into slavery,"

Revelation 2:17 — saith to the churches. To him that overcometh, to him will I give of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and upon the stone a new name written, which no one knoweth but he that receiveth it. On the first sentence, see under Revelation 2:7, and also regarding "him that overcometh." I will give of the hidden manna … The great feasts in the idol-temples were nothing to be compared to the feast of one who eats of "the bread of life" (John 6:35). John remembered