Bible Commentaries

Jeremiah 44:20-23 — Philosophy of History (1807), "What experience and history teach is this: people and governments never have learned anything from human history, or acted upon the principles deduced from it."Charles L. Feinberg, Jeremiah in Expositor's Bible Commentary, Vol. 6 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1986), p. 640. Just so it was with those Jews who went sojourning in Egypt; they became ensnared in the shameless idolatry of Egypt and lost their relationship with the Creator.

Jeremiah 48:45-47 — p. 293. were evidently among those converted to Christ. Certainly the "restoration" promised here was definitely stated to be scheduled for the "latter days," the times of the Messiah. "A similar promise is given to Egypt, Ammon, and Elam (Jeremiah 46:26; Jeremiah 49:6; Jeremiah 49:39)."Scribner's Bible Commentary (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1898), p. 547. "Thus far is the judgment of Moab" This is not a critical comment, but is most likely a note by some scribe, similar to the one in Jeremiah

Lamentations 2:20-22 — mankind! We are the people you rescued from Egypt! We are those to whom you gave the land of Canaan! We are thy Chosen People! Just look at us now! "Shall the women eat their fruit" Such a terrible thing had actually happened in Israel's history (2 Kings 6:28-29). "The fruit here is the children."The Pulpit Commentary, op. cit., p. 20. Matthew Henry's words regarding this prayer are priceless: "Prayer is a salve for very sore, even the sorest, a remedy for every malady, even the most grievous. And our

Ezekiel 22:13-16 — nations; and thou shalt know that I am Jehovah." "I have smitten my hands at thy dishonest gain" "This figuratively describes God's indignation"George Barlow, The Preacher's Complete Homiletic Commentary (New York: Funk and Wagnalls Company, 1891), p. 266. at the crooked dealings of Israel. "Can thy heart endure" No matter how bold and daring wicked men may pretend to be, when God's judgment falls upon them, all of their alleged courage evaporates! It will be true especially upon the final day of judgment

Ezekiel 6:1-3 — hills, to the watercourses and to the valleys: Behold, I, even I, will bring a sword upon you, and I will destroy your high places." "The mountains were mentioned here because they were especially the places where Israel practiced idolatry (Leviticus 26:30-33; Isaiah 65:7; and Jeremiah 3:6)."Charles Lee Feinberg in Ezekiel (Moody Press), p. 40. The same is true of the watercourses and valleys. "The ravines and valleys were the scenes of Baal-worship (Jeremiah 2:23) and of child-sacrifice (Isaiah 57:5)."J.

Ezekiel 7:14-18 — Israel who escape death moan in the land of their exile."Albert Barnes' Commentary. 321. "All knees… weak as water" "This expression is unique to Ezekiel, and we shall meet it again in 21:7. The thought is paralleled in Isaiah 13:7 and in Jeremiah 6:24."E. H. Plumptre in the Pulpit Commentary, p. 119. It just means that all of the strength of the once mighty people has been sinned away. They are now powerless before their enemies.

Daniel 6:19-23 — is thus one of seven different functions set forth in the Bible as performed by angels. All seven are: (1) in the general sense, as here; (2) to watch over little children (Matthew 18:10); (3) to bear away the souls of the righteous in death (Luke 16:22); (4) to execute the punitive judgments of God upon the incorrigibly wicked (Acts 12:23); (5) to aid providentially in bringing sinners to hear the gospel of Christ (Acts 8:3); (6) to excercise influence over human rulers and princes as in the case

Daniel 7:26-28 — most evil of those wicked things that shall arise among earth's populations. But, in His own good time, THE JUDGMENT. "But the Judgment!" Yes there shall indeed be a final Judgment Day. This is one of the foundational doctrines of Christianity (Hebrews 6:2). The Judgment Day is extensively mentioned in the New Testament. That is the occasion when God will cast evil out of his universe, when Satan, and the Beast (all of the beasts), and the False Prophet (all false and immoral religion) shall be cast

Amos 9:5-6 — whose word to Israel Amos was faithfully delivering, was indeed all-sufficient and powerful to bring to pass exactly that which he promised. As Keil accurately discerned the intent of these verses: "To strengthen his threat, Amos proceeds (in Amos 9:5-6) to describe Jehovah as the Lord of heaven and earth, who sends judgments upon the earth with omnipotent power."C. F. Keil, op. cit., p. 325. "Like the River, etc…." This is almost identical with Amos 8:8. (See under that verse for the interpretation,

Zechariah 11:7 — by the appearance and ministry of the son of God, Jesus Christ our Lord. Jesus' ministry was primarily concerned with the poor, upon whom he lavished the most marvelous compassion. He said, "Blessed are ye poor, for yours is the kingdom of God" (Luke 6:20). "And I took unto me two staves" Zechariah is the speaker here; and the sudden transition without a break indicates that what Zechariah did was done specifically upon the Father's orders. This device of the prophet's symbolical action in which the

Matthew 16:2-3 — "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17). (5) It had been revealed to Simeon that he should not die until he had seen the Lord's Christ; and it must be presumed that Simeon, by that time, was long since dead and buried. (6) All the world was expecting the coming of some Great One. (7) The Christ himself, "that Prophet like unto Moses," had appeared upon the banks of the Jordan and had been identified by John the Baptist as "the Lamb of God that taketh away

Matthew 17:8 — sun, moon, and stars all at once, it would be a dreadfully dark day! Jesus only! This is the message humanity needs. He is the only Saviour, the only Mediator, the only Authority in heaven or upon earth. He is the only means of access to God (John 14:6), the only hope of the world, the only Judge of the world, and the only Atonement for man's sin.

Matthew 5:34-37 — judicial oaths and that Almighty God himself is represented as taking an oath in these words, "Wherein God, being minded to show more abundantly unto the heirs of the promise the immutability of his counsel, interposed with an oath" (Hebrews 6:17). Speaking the truth in love is a badge of true discipleship. Falsehood, evil-speakings, slander, backbiting, gossip, and idle talk of all kinds — these are surely prohibited to the child of God. One cannot help observing that Christ's way

Matthew 7:24 — spoken" by Christ (Hebrews 2:3). "Whosoever goeth onward and abideth not in the teaching of Christ, hath not God (2 John 1:9). Apostles warned that men ought to learn how "not to go beyond the things which are written" (1 Corinthians 4:6). "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly" (Colossians 3:16), Jesus said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away" (Matthew 24:35). The most important fact to know with reference to Christianity is

Matthew 8:5 — (Acts 21:32), (3) the centurion who bore Paul's message to the chiliarch (Acts 22:25), (4) Cornelius, the first Gentile convert (Acts 10:1), (5) Julius, who courteously treated Paul and saved his life on the voyage to Rome (Acts 27:3; Acts 27:43), and (6) the centurion who brought Paul's nephew to the chiliarch (Acts 23:17-18). Trench observed, "Probably, in the general wreck of the moral institutions of the heathen world, the Roman army was one of the few in which some of the old virtues survived."Ibid.,

Mark 10:52 — how men are saved from sin is seen in: (1) the condition is a figure of sin; (2) the blind man believed in Jesus as the Messiah; (3) he cried out to the Lord for mercy; (4) he persisted in spite of the rebukes of many; (5) he answered Jesus' call; (6) he cast aside all hindrances (the garment); (7) he pleaded for mercy; (8) he was saved; (8) he followed Jesus. This is the last healing reported in Mark; and this tenth chapter which is viewed as a condensed narrative of the entire Judean and Perean

Mark 16:14 — utterly no grammatical device known to man by which any other antecedent for this pronoun appears anywhere in the whole passage. The last "them" in this verse, of course, is the lone exception and has reference to the "them" in Mark 16:12-13. Upbraided them with their unbelief … The eleven apostles were unbelievers regarding the fact of the resurrection, at first; and their reluctance to believe the two who came back from Emmaus and Mary Magdalene may have stemmed partially

Luke 1:32 — the demoniac (Mark 5:7) to our Lord, suggesting that this is one of the titles given to the Son of God throughout the unseen world of angels and demons. Ash noted that "Most High" is used seven times in Luke (Luke 1:32; Luke 1:35; Luke 1:76; Luke 2:14; Luke 6:35; Luke 8:28; Luke 19:38) and only four times in the rest of the New Testament.Anthony Lee Ash, op. cit., p. 37. The throne of his father David … The virgin maiden of Nazareth might easily have understood these words as a

Luke 7:2 — 27:54). 3.    The ones who rescued Paul from the mob (Acts 21:32). 4.    The one who bore Paul's message to the chiliarch (Acts 22:25). 5.    Cornelius, the first Gentile convert (Acts 10:1) 6.    Julius, who saved Paul's life on the voyage to Rome (Acts 27:3; Acts 27:43) 7.    The centurion who brought Paul's nephew to the chiliarch (Acts 23:17-18). 8.    The centurions who escorted

Luke 9:22 — full details of his Passion and Resurrection. For a full summary of this, see my Commentary on Matthew, Matthew 20:17-19. The third day be risen up … The conviction expressed throughout this series is that Jesus was crucified on Thursday, April 6, A.D. 30, and that he rose on the Sunday following, fulfilling to the letter the divine promise that he would be in the "heart of the earth" three days and three nights (Matthew 12:40). This is the chronology of that fulfillment: Buried at