Bible Commentaries

Genesis 15:6 — faith only," and trying to find here a corroboration of the great Lutheran heresy. There is no truth whatever in such views. Morris even discovered (?) here "a new covenant,"Henry M. Morris, The Genesis Record (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1976), p. 325. and Unger hailed the passage as "the pattern of a sinner's justification"!Merrill F. Unger, op. cit. p. 61. (1)    It is absolutely impossible properly to observe this place as the record of a new covenant. Genesis 12:1 f contains

Exodus 10:25-29 — Israel is one Lord.J. Coert Rylaarsdam, Interpreter's Bible, op. cit., p. 910. "Moses said, "I will see thy face no more" This seems to terminate the interview here, but it does not. Exodus 11:4-10 relates what immediately followed, with Exodus 11:1-3 standing between as a parenthesis. Both critical and conservative scholars alike accept this. Davies alleged a slightly disarranged text here, asserting that, "Probably Exodus 11:4-10, once followed Exodus 10:29."G. Henton Davies, The Twentieth Century

1 Chronicles 29:10-19 — which I have made provision." "The palace" Only in these two verses is this term applied to the temple. "It is the Hebrew form of a Persian word used generally to designate the residence of the Persian monarch, as in Esther 1:2; Esther 1:5; Esther 2:3; Esther 2:8; Nehemiah 1:1; and in Daniel 8:2."Albert Barnes, Chronicles, p. 366. "David blessed Jehovah" We normally think of God's blessing men, not the other way around; but we learn from 1 Chronicles 29:20, below, that when David commanded the people

2 Chronicles 30:13-22 — the Pentateuch (Numbers 9:11). "The good Jehovah pardon" The RSV very properly has the good Lord here which is a far better translation. "This expression is found only here in the O.T., but it has now become proverbial."Broadman Bible Commentary, Vol. 3, p. 410. This celebration of the passover two long generations prior to Josiah is an acute embarrassment to the radical critics and their fairy tale regarding that P Document discovered in the temple during Joisah's reign; and their knee-jerk response

Ezra 7:25-26 — commission.Ibid., p. 109. A.    The temporary provisions: (1) permission for all Israelites who desired to do so to go with Ezra to Jerusalem; (2) permission to carry the monetary gifts of the king and his counsellors to Jerusalem; (3) permission to draw upon the royal sub-treasury large grants up to the limits set in Ezra 7:22; (4) permission to convey to Jerusalem all of the money that Ezra might receive from an area-wide fund-raising effort; and (5) a royal mandate to "inquire"

Job 3:11-19 — "Trust God where we cannot see"! "Why did the knees receive me" Franks wrote that, "This question reflects a time when the father would choose whether to bring up his child or not. If he did, he took it upon his knees as a sign of adoption (Genesis 50:23), and then handed it to the mother or to the nurse."Arthur S. Peake, A Commentary on the Bible (London: T. C. and E. C. Jack, Ltd., 1924), p. 349. Interesting as this comment is, we cannot find any agreement with it in the text. The character of Hebrew

Psalms 26:1-8 — innocence in a given situation, and as contrasted with the wickedness of his enemies. The absolute certainty of David's confidence regarding his innocence in this situation is emphasized by such words as "Judge me," "Prove me" and "Try me." Psalms 26:3-5 give five masons why the psalmist believes God will vindicate him against all charges of wrong doing: (1) "Thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes" He does this continually, never allowing it out of his sight. (2) "I have walked in thy truth" He clings

Leviticus 1:3-4 — In some ways, this was the most important of all the sacrifices. First it could be offered by men of any race or nation,Robert Jamieson, Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown, Commentary on the Whole Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1957), p. 432. being distinguished in this from all other Jewish sacrifices. Also, it was an essential element in the extremely important ritual of the Day of Atonement, which is indeed suggested by the terminology here. Thus, right here at the threshold of God's

Leviticus 17:1-7 — "the priests." This passage forbids any notion of a later point of origin for these rules in the Jewish priesthood, because it is the period of the Jewish journeyings in the vicinity of Sinai which is inherent in the mention of "the camp" (Leviticus 17:3). It is inconceivable that priests of some later time would have used such terminology! "A statute forever throughout their generations" (Leviticus 17:7). As a matter of fact, God Himself changed the regulation given here just before Israel entered

Leviticus 26:3-13 — and made you go upright." The blessings listed here are those which would greatly bless and provide for any agricultural people. Unger classified them thus: (1)    bountiful harvests, (2)    peace and security, (3)    fruitfulness and increase, and (4)    the presence of the Lord among the people.Merrill F. Unger, Unger's Commentary on the Old Testament, Leviticus, (Chicago: Moody Press, 1981), p. 178. At the head of the

Leviticus 4:13-21 — the blood of bulls and goats could actually take away sin is untenable. "For it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sin" (Hebrews 10:4). "In those sacrifices there is a remembrance made of sins year by year. (Hebrews 10:3). Despite this, there was a definite release from guilt for those who honored God's commandments by their obedience. Although not final and complete, the forgiveness they received was sufficient, for God merely "passed over" their transgressions until

Jeremiah 40:1-4 — Bible, being continually troubled with what they call "difficulties!" Graybill wrote: "It is difficult to reconcile the statement here that Jeremiah was released after being held a prisoner at Ramah with the inference of the previous chapter (Jeremiah 39:13-14) that the Babylonian princes freed him from the Jerusalem prison."Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 684. The simple answer is that Jeremiah was released twice. Could there be any wonder that something like that occurred in the confusion and disordered

Ezekiel 22:23-31 — princes in the midst of her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves; they leave nothing until the morrow. Her prophets are light and treacherous persons; her priests have profaned the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law! (Zephaniah 3:3-4). The charges made against Israel here by Ezekiel have been made so frequently, and have been commented upon already numerous times in our series of commentaries, that it is unnecessary at this point to elaborate any further the gross sins and corruptions

Ezekiel 29:1-7 — time. Of course, some of our radical commentators automatically find all kinds of mythological connections with a reference of this kind; but as Cooke stated, "Mythological associations are foreign to this context."International Critical Commentary, p. 326. Furthermore, Pearson, writing in 1962, makes the same affirmation.Anton T. Pearson in Wycliffe Bible Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1962), p. 747. Despite this, May, quoting some various readings, thought he found here some reflections of Sumerian

Amos 1:8 — "suggestions," however, are by no means inherent in this passage. It was not Amos' purpose to list all the cities of Philistia; and it is clear enough that the fate of each city mentioned is actually the fate of all of them. Again, we refer to Amos 1:3, where Damascus alone stands for all of Syria. The notion that this mention of four of the great capitals of Philistia should not include cities not mentioned is ridiculous. The same kind of reasoning imposed upon the prophecy of the fall of Syria would

Deuteronomy 30:11-14 — Scripture. As John Locke said, "It is an ill rule for interpreting Paul to tie up his use of any text he brings out of the O.T., to that which is taken to be the meaning there."John Locke, Paraphrase and Notes on the Epistles of St. Paul (Boston: 1832), p. 348. Nevertheless, the thrust of both passages is exactly the same. Whether in the O.T. or in the N.T., God's word and will for Adam's rebellious race is nothing so complicated and intricate that people need any special help to know what it is.

Judges 1:8-15 — the South, give me also springs of water. And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the nether springs." "And Judah fought against Jerusalem … took it … set the city on fire" There is no need to view this as a contradiction of Joshua 15:63, where it is stated that Judah could not drive out the Jebusites. As Keil said, "To reconcile these statements is a simple matter."C. F. Keil in Keil-Delitzsch, Commentaries, Old Testament, Vol. 2-A, p. 254. Following this initial victory by Judah,

Judges 14:1-4 — hero made. He chose a wife, contrary to the Word of God, contrary to the pleadings of his father and mother, and did so solely upon the basis of seeing a woman, with whom he had never even had a conversation! (1)    Deuteronomy 7:3-4 forbade the Israelites to intermarry with the Canaanites. "But the reasons assigned for that prohibition were equally applicable to marriage with the daughters of the Philistines."C. F. Keil in the Keil-Delitzsch Commentaries, Vol. 2-A, p. 409. (2)    Also,

1 Samuel 1:21-28 — long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord. And they worshipped the Lord there." "Elkanah and all his house went up … to pay his vow" "This shows that Elkanah had ratified Hannah's vow, making it his vow also."The Pulpit Commentary, op. cit., p. 13. "As soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him" From 2 Maccabees 7:27, we learn that the weaning time for children in Palestine and the Mideast was a period of two years, or often, three years. "She took him up with her, along with a three-year

1 Samuel 4:2-4 — that God was "enthroned above the cherubim" was derived from the Mosaic revelation that the Presence of God Himself was associated with the ark of the covenant. The ark of the covenant here is exactly the same as "the ark of God "mentioned in 1 Samuel 3:3. The notion advanced by the elders of Israel that the presence of the ark of the covenant in their midst would assure them of victory could not possibly have been derived from any other source than the earlier Book of Moses (the Pentateuch) and that