Bible Commentaries

Genesis 11:7 — Gomorrah, and Jerusalem! Nor may our own generation claim any exemption from the universal law regarding the worship of the creature rather than the Creator, "For which things' sake cometh the wrath of God upon the sons of disobedience" (Colossians 3:6).

Genesis 2 overview — exegesis to make this chapter in any manner a "contradictory" account of the creation narrative of the previous chapter. There is in this chapter a continuation of exactly the same pattern observable in the first, where, for example, Days 4, 5, and 6 are in each case elaborations of that phase of creation presented in Days 1, 2, and 3, respectively. (See notes above.) It is most logical and fully in keeping with the unity of the entire book, therefore, to find here in Genesis 2 an elaboration of

Genesis 41 overview — narrative naturally divides into nine paragraphs: (1)    Pharaoh's dream (Genesis 41:1-8). (2)    The butler remembers (Genesis 41:9-13). (3)    Joseph appears before Pharaoh (Genesis 41:14-16). (4)    Pharaoh tells the dream to Joseph (Genesis 41:17-24). (5)    Joseph interprets the dream (Genesis 41:25-32). (6)    Joseph proposes measures to cope with the coming famine (Genesis

Genesis 49:22-24 — very great interest in these verses is the reference to "The Mighty One of Jacob." This is the first of five names for God which Jacob used here and in Genesis 49:25, below. They are: The Mighty One of Jacob. (Psalms 132:2; Psalms 132:5; Isaiah 49:26; Isaiah 60:16). The Shepherd. (Psalms 23; Ezekiel 34:11-16; Psalms 80:1). The Stone of Israel. (Deuteronomy 32:4; Deuteronomy 32:15; Deuteronomy 32:18; Deuteronomy 32:30-31; Psalms 18:2). The God of thy Father. (Exodus 3:15) God Almighty. (Genesis 17:1;

Exodus 23:10-13 — out of thy mouth." The sabbatical years were introduced here, but there is no evidence that Israel ever paid much attention to them. "The seventy years of Babylonian captivity were partly intended to make up for unkept sabbatical years, 2 Chronicles 36:21."Wilbur Fields, op. cit., p. 511. There was somewhat of a social welfare system inherent in the purpose of this legislation. All indentured servants were also intended to be free of duties in such years, and the seventh sabbatical year, the fiftieth,

Exodus 9:22-26 — were five inches in diameter. Hedging against the disbelief anticipated, several of these were preserved in a deep-freeze icebox as a means of convincing the skeptics! Skeptical comments about "all of the cattle" having already been destroyed (Exodus 9:6) are based solely upon careless and inaccurate reading of Exodus 9:1-7, where "the cattle" were strictly limited to "those in the field" (Exodus 9:3). This type of criticism is typical of Biblical enemies. "And brake every tree" No tree of any age or

1 Kings 16:34 — them… saying, Cursed be the man before Jehovah, that riseth up and buildeth this city of Jericho: with the loss of his first-born shall he lay the foundation thereof, and with the loss of his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it." (Joshua 6:26). It would be difficult indeed to find a clearer example than we have here of a prophecy of God, literally and circumstantially fulfilled many centuries after it was spoken. This account of the rebuilding of Jericho was probably introduced at this

2 Kings 6:8-13 — Behold, he is in Dothan." The war mentioned here was not an all-out operation, but a kind of guerilla attack carried out by bands of soldiers making sudden forays into Israel, striking first in one place and then in another. This is evident from 2 Kings 6:23. "He saved himself there, not once, nor twice" These words indicate that there were multiple occasions (a half dozen or more), upon which the band of Syrians had laid a careful ambush against Israel, only to have it completely frustrated by the Israelites'

1 Chronicles 23:1-6 — add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish from it" (Deuteronomy 4:2). David's invention of instruments of music and his introduction of them into the worship of God was specifically condemned by the prophet Amos (Amos 5:23; Amos 6:5). (We have discussed this in Vol. 1 of my commentaries on the Minor Prophets, Joel, Amos and Jonah, pp. 163-169,180-183.)

2 Chronicles 1:1-6 — I. THE UNITED KINGDOM FROM SOLOMONTO THE DIVISION (2 Chronicles 1-10)2 Chronicles 1:1-6 SOLOMON AT GIBEON;GOD APPEARS IN A DREAM "And Solomon the son of David was strengthened in his kingdom, and Jehovah his God was with him, and magnified him exceedingly. And Solomon spake unto all Israel, to the captains of thousands and of hundreds,

2 Chronicles 3:1-7 — David."The New Layman's Bible Commentary, p. 495. (See the chapter heading for a discussion of 2 Chronicles 3:3.) "And the porch… the height a hundred and twenty (cubits)" "This height which so much exceeds the height of the main building (1 Kings 6:2) should probably be corrected by the reading of the Arabic version and by the Alexandrian Septuagint, which read twenty cubits."Albert Barnes, Chronicles, p. 373. In this connection, we wonder why the RSV failed to make this obviously indicated correction.

Ezra 3:6-7 — Persia." There was never any doubt that the returnees would rebuild the temple, which they would do as soon as possible. They wasted no time in raising money for that purpose. "The grant they had of Cyrus" "The full terms of this grant are found in Ezra 6:3-5."Wycliffe Old Testament Commentary, p. 426. "The Lebanon range of mountains where those wonderful cedar trees grew belonged, at this point in history, to the kings of Persia."Arthur S. Peake's Commentary, p. 327. A number of dependable scholars

Amos 4 overview — (Amos 4:1-3), then, a sarcastic and ironical "call to worship" at Bethel and Gilgal (Amos 4:4-5), and next, a dramatic reminder by the prophet of the seven disasters God had sent upon Israel with the benign purpose of leading them to repentance (Amos 4:6-12). Some have considered these disasters as progressive in intensity and severity. "Amos has arranged them in climactic form."Paul T. Butler, The Minor Prophets (Joplin: College Press, 1968), p. 311. Mays, however, wrote that: "There is no perceptible

Numbers 30:13-16 — used capriciously. We are indebted to Carson for this summary of the situations treated in the legislation of this chapter: (i) a young woman in her father's house (Numbers 30:3-5); (ii) a married woman who vowed while she was still single (Numbers 30:6-8); (iii) a widow or divorced person (Numbers 30:9); and (iv) that of a wife in her husband's house (Numbers 30:10-15).T. Carson, New Layman's Bible Commentary, Numbers (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1979), p. 277. To us it also seems that

Numbers 6:1-4 — the sanctity of Israel as being "the people of God," attained "its highest expression in the Nazirite vow."Merrill F. Unger, Unger's Commentary on the Old Testament (Chicago: Moody Press, 1981), p. 191. "From the kernels even to the husks" (Numbers 6:4). Marsh noted that there is a wide disagreement among scholars as to the true meaning of the words thus rendered in our text, giving as his opinion, that they mean "unripe grapes and tendrils," as rendered in the American Translation.John Marsh, Interpreter's

Deuteronomy 13 overview — soliciting the people to idolatry on the basis of some dream, portent, or wonder which he claimed as proof of his authority (Deuteronomy 13:1-5); (2)    there is the case of solicitation to idolatry by one's close kinsman (Deuteronomy 13:6-12), (3)    and then there is the case of a whole city that has fallen under the power of Satan (Deuteronomy 13:13-18). In every instance, the commandment was to put to death the offenders, and in the case of a whole city, it was

Deuteronomy 25:4 — the ox when he treadeth out the corn. Is it for oxen that God careth, or saith he it assuredly for our sake? Yea, for our sake it was written." "In spite of Paul's question, this law does show a respect for animals similar to that in Deuteronomy 22:6 f."Peter E. Cousins, The New Layman's Bible Commentary, Deuteronomy (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing Home, 1979), p. 303. "The claims of the lower aspects of creation upon human sympathies are typical of the Scriptures. God indeed cares for animals,

Deuteronomy 4:44-49 — THE SECOND ADDRESS OF MOSES (Deuteronomy 4:44 to Deuteronomy 26:19) "And this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel: these are the testimonies, and the statutes, and the ordinances, which Moses spake unto the children of Israel, when they came forth out of Egypt, beyond the Jordan, in the valley

Joshua 11:10-15 — possession of a great many cities without the burning of them, only destroying all of the inhabitants, even the children, as Henry stated, "Lest those children should later on lay claim to the land in the name of their parents."Matthew Henry, op. cit., p. 67. Also, all of the wealth, the treasures, and the cattle of many of those cities became the possessions of Israel. Henry also pointed out that this fulfilled a prophecy, "That Israel should dwell in great and goodly cities which they builded not" (Deuteronomy

2 Samuel 14:21-24 — constitutional king of Israel. His feelings as a father triumphed over his duty as a king, who, as the supreme magistrate over Israel, was bound to execute impartial justice on every murderer, according to the express commandment of God in Genesis 9:6; Numbers 35:30-31, and which David had utterly no power to dispense with (Deuteronomy 18:18; Joshua 1:8; and 1 Samuel 10:25).Albert Barnes, op. cit., p. 101. There is no doubt whatever that David's consenting to bring Absalom back from exile was as