Bible Commentaries

Genesis 15:18 — Israel. (4)    In the 400 years preceding the ultimate possession of the land by 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

Genesis 2:2 — creation, "the work which he had made," an expression twice repeated. This has no reference whatever to the Jewish sabbath. This does not refer to the days of the week, but to the days of the creation. This day of God's rest is still going on (Hebrews 4:4-6; Hebrews 4:11), and will obviously continue until the Final Judgment. There was no command here for man to rest, no revelation whatever to Adam or his posterity suggesting or commanding the observance of any such thing as the Jewish sabbath. "The thing

Genesis 2:5-6 — whole face of the earth" was an event preceding the springing up of the vegetable kingdom. "And there was not a man to till the ground" Adam did not appear until the sixth day of creation, and it is the third day spoken of here. Just as Genesis 2:5-6 gave further details of the third day of creation, the next verses provide further information regarding the work of the sixth day in the creation of mankind.

2 Kings 2:15-18 — and power of God, as Elijah had been."C. F. Keil, Vol. 3a, p. 298. "Till he was ashamed" "The New English Bible renders this `had not the heart to refuse.'" "Elijah's work was done; it was a fierce work of judgment that became symbolic (Malachi 4:5-6), even idealized (John 1:21) and seen again at the end of the Jewish era in the person of John the Baptist (Matthew 3:1-10). After the work of Moses and Elijah, God had nothing whatever fundamentally new to say to his rebellious people, - UNTIL the

2 Kings 5:5-7 — (the probable king of Syria) who sent Naaman to Samaria sought a quarrel with him, was not altogether unreasonable. "It will be remembered that Benhadad, seeking the subjugation of Ahab, had made unreasonable demands of Joram's father (1 Kings 20:3-6)."The Pulpit Commentary, op. cit., p. 93.

1 Chronicles 1:51-54 — chief Mibzar, chief Magdiel, chief Iram. These are the chiefs of Edom." "All of these genealogies are given in Genesis, as follows: (1 Chronicles 1:1-4) are in Genesis 5:3-22, and Genesis 10:1; (1 Chronicles 1:5-23) are in Genesis 10:2-4; Genesis 10:6-8; Genesis 10:13-18 a,22-29; (1 Chronicles 1:24-27) are in Genesis 11:10-26 (cf. 17:5); (1 Chronicles 1:28-34) are in Genesis 25:12-16 a, 1-4,19-26 (cf. Genesis 16:15; Genesis 21:2 f)."International Critical Commentary, Chronicles, p. 17. See the parallel

2 Chronicles 15:1-7 — purpose here is clear enough, namely, the encouragement of God's people to be constant in their faithfulness to their God, for it was their lack of faithfulness which had so frequently resulted in manifold sorrows for the Chosen People. 2 Chronicles 15:3-6 are interpreted in various ways. Cook believed that, "They refer to the many apostasies of God's people in the times of the Judges."Albert Barnes, Chronicles, p. 391. Curtis (Madsen) applied the words to, "The Northern Kingdom";International Critical

Job 40:3-5 — that these two chapters are unnecessary interpolations. In this we see the reason for these chapters in which God spoke to mankind out of the whirlwind. "They were written to combat the pride and egotism of men."R. B. Sweet Publishing Company, No. 216, p. 72. The inordinate pride and arrogant egotism of the human race are the most prevalent and the most dangerous of human failures and sins. It was this sin that led to the expulsion of Satan and his angels from heaven, that led to the Fall of Mankind

Psalms 108:1-13 — A COMPOSITE OF Psalms 57:7-11UNITED WITH Psalms 60:5-12 "My heart is fixed, O God; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises, even with my glory. Awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake right early. I will give thanks unto thee, O Jehovah, among the peoples; And I will sing praises unto thee among

Psalms 30:6-7 — DAVID'S CONFESSION OF SIN "As for me, I said in my prosperity, I shall never be moved. Then, Jehovah, of thy favor hadst made my mountain to stand strong: Thou didst hide thy face; I was troubled." "I shall never be moved" (Psalms 30:6). "His heart was lifted up, and in a spirit of self-glorification, he gave command for the numbering of the people."The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 8, p. 219. "Of thy favor" (Psalms 30:7). This is an acknowledgment on David's part that in those days of

Psalms 99:1-3 — peoples tremble" The trembling of all nations (the Gentiles) is not connected with the current dispensation; but the time indicated here is that moment when the entirety of Adam's race will suddenly behold, "Him that sitteth upon the throne" (Revelation 6:16). "He sitteth above the cherubim" Most scholars seem to think this is a reference to the presence of God in the Holy of Holies of the Jewish Temple. Rawlinson expressed that interpretation thus: "The imagery is taken from the internal economy of

Leviticus 15:19-24 — action of Rachel when hiding the idols from her father Laban indicates that the conviction existed that early, and probably much earlier (Genesis 31:34). Sexual intercourse during a woman's period is expressly forbidden (Leviticus 18:19; Ezekiel 18:6; Ezekiel 22:10). Note that no sacrifice was required for violations. We appreciate the words of Knight on this Passage: "Leviticus 15:19 implies that a woman's menstrual period is to be respected… Here we meet with suggestions about tenderness,

Numbers 16:31-35 — that were round about them fled at the cry of them; for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up. And fire came forth from Jehovah, and devoured the two hundred and fifty men that offered the incense." "All the men that appertained unto Korah" (Numbers 16:32). "All the men" here is exclusive of the ones, who along with Korah himself, were in the process of taking over the tabernacle (apparently at that very instant). Some have mistakenly inferred from this verse that Korah himself was among those swallowed

Numbers 6:9-12 — was shaved off after such a violation? The text here carries no explanation; but Jewish tradition has this: "They buried it, because it was then considered defiled. The hair shaved off after the completion of the vow was burnt as a sacrifice (Numbers 6:18)."W. Gunther Plaut, Torah, A Modern Commentary (Philadelphia: The Union of American Hebrew Congregations, 1979), p. 55.

Deuteronomy 32:4-6 — THE CORRUPT PEOPLE CALLED TO REMEMBER GOD (Deuteronomy 32:4-6) "The Rock, his work is perfect; For all his ways are justice: God of faithfulness and without iniquity, Just and right is he. They have dealt corruptly with him, they are not his children, it is their blemish; They are a perverse and crooked generation.

Deuteronomy 32:44-47 — even all the words of this law. For it is no vain thing for you; because it is your life, and through this thing ye shall prolong your days in the land, whither ye go over the Jordan to possess it." "Which I testify to you this day" (Deuteronomy 32:46). Here is the true Biblical definition of "testifying." It means the teaching, through repetition, of the commandments of God, along with exhortations that the people should obey. If this is compared with some of the trivia that is called "testifying"

Deuteronomy 6:16-19 — that eminence would have been sinfully presumptuous. Dummelow thought it was remarkable that our Lord not only took all of his answers from the Scriptures during the temptation, "But they all came from the same portion of Deuteronomy 8:2; Deuteronomy 6:13, and Deuteronomy 10:20."J. R. Dummelow, op. cit., p. 126. The balance of this chapter reverts to the problem of teaching the children of the oncoming generation.

Joshua 19:1-9 — Simeon" This was the second lot of this group of the final seven. "Most of these towns are in the Negeb; however, two of them, Ether and Ashan, are in the Shephelah."William H. Morton, Beacon Bible Commentary, Joshua (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1970), p. 362. This was according to the prophecy in Deuteronomy 33:6. Notice that no boundaries at all are listed here, just these seventeen cities. The general area in which this inheritance lay was described by Dummelow: "It was in the Negeb, or south country,

1 John 4 overview — There is a great deal of reiteration in this chapter, but additional truth appears with regard to testing the spirits (1 John 4:1-6), and there is more extended teaching on love. God is love, love as a test, love of one another, love of God, God's love of us, etc. are all stressed (1 John 4:7-21). One of the features of this whole epistle is the presentation of a number of tests

1 Samuel 14:36-42 — instead, he decided to pursue the matter to its bloody end. "Urim… Thummim" "The Urim and Thummim are specifically mentioned only eight times in the O.T.: Exodus 28:30; Leviticus 8:8; Numbers 27:21; Deuteronomy 33:8; 1 Samuel 14:41 (LXX); 28:6; Ezra 2:63 and Nehemiah 7:65.John T. Willis, p. 147. However, in many other situations described as "casting lots," or "inquiring of the Lord," they were doubtless used by the High Priest who wore the ephod.