Bible Commentaries

Nehemiah 10:34-39 — changed. Judah had been stripped of her forests; the Temple was relatively poor, and some permanent arrangement for the supply of wood was necessary. Lots were cast to determine who would bring it, and when they would do it."The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 7, Nehemiah, p. 111. Another arrangement, which this writer does not remember from the Pentateuch is that of requiring the Levite to take the tithe in the presence of a priest. That, of course, was to prevent the Levite from cheating on the tithe of the

Nehemiah 3:6-12 — district of Jerusalem, he and his daughters." Critics attempting to make this chapter some kind of an interpolation claim that, "It is intent upon underscoring the role of the clergy in the rebuilding of the wall."Broadman Bible Commentary, Vol. 3, 476. However, no such intention is evident in this chapter. On the other hand, the focus is not upon the clergy at all, but upon the fact that EVERYBODY engaged in the work. "All classes participated in the project, including priests (Nehemiah 3:1), goldsmiths

Job 7:1-10 — "Human life is a state of probation, a time of exercise to train us for eternal life. It is a warfare; we are enlisted in the Church Militant and must accomplish our time of service."Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (London: T. Mason and G. Lane, 1837), Vol. III, p. 47. "And there is no discharge in that war" (Ecclesiastes 8:8). "As the servant… desireth the shadow, and… an hireling looketh for his wages" Jamieson has the best comment on this we have seen. "If the servant longs for

Psalms 141:1-4 — Halley's Bible Handbook (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House), p. 249 "Let my prayer be as incense… the lifting up my hands as the evening sacrifice" At both the morning and evening sacrifices, incense was offered (Exodus 29:38-41; Exodus 30:7-8; Numbers 28:4-8). The prayer here is that David's prayer, and his lifting up of his hands, "A common posture assumed in prayer,"C. M. Miller, co-author with Anthony L. Ash, p. 433. might be considered by the Lord "as," in the sense of being equivalent,

Psalms 145:8-14 — radio and TV programs are loaded with prime-time preachers proclaiming that the kingdom has NOT yet been established! "Jehovah is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, etc" Other Old Testament passages setting forth the attributes of God are Exodus 34:6-7 and Jonah 4:2. "All thy works shall give thanks unto thee, O Jehovah" Reginald Heber, in his immortal hymn, "Holy, Holy, Holy," honors this line in the last verse. "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty! All thy works shall praise thy name,In earth and

Psalms 21:8-10 — revelation, all workers of iniquity, all infidels and scoffers. These shall be subdued, either by being made to yield to the claims of truth, or by being cut off and punished."Barnes' Notes on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, a 1987 reprint of the 1878 edition), p. 186. The apostle Paul added the following to the list of God's enemies: "Them that know not God, and them that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Thessalonians 1:8). "As a fiery furnace" (Psalms 21:9).

Psalms 34:7-10 — is the man that taketh refuge in him Oh fear Jehovah, ye his saints; For there is no want to them that fear him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger; But they that seek Jehovah shall not want any good thing." "The angel of Jehovah" (Psalms 34:7). The angel of Jehovah is frequently mentioned in the Old Testament. He appeared to Joshua as, "The Captain of the host of the Lord" (Joshua 5:14), and also in the remarkable visions of Zechariah 9:8. "He is not merely an angelic messenger, but is in

Psalms 52:5-7 — likewise destroy thee" "The word `likewise' introduces the corresponding behavior of another. Destroyers shall be destroyed. `With what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again'" (Matthew 7:2).Wilson Jones, p. 264. "Pluck thee out of thy tent" This is another sarcastic word in the psalm. Saul's mighty deputy, in all probability, was not living in a tent, but in a palace; but it was as vulnerable to the judgment of God as the flimsiest

Psalms 78:65-72 — on into eternity. It is genuinely Asaphic (that is, Asaph himself wrote it, not some of his descendants) in that it so designedly portrayed how the shepherd of the flock of Jesse became the shepherd of the flock of Jahve."F. Delitzsch, op. cit., p. 376. This great psalm reminds us of the speech of Stephen the Martyr in Acts 7, in that it recounts the terrible record established in the rebellious history of Israel.

Psalms 93:3-4 — breakers of the sea, Jehovah on high is mighty." "The floods… their voice… their waves… the mighty breakers of the sea" God's enemies among the pagan Gentile nations are often described in the Old Testament as "floods." Isaiah 8:7-8 is an outstanding example. "The floods here seem to mean the world powers, God's enemies."The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 8-B, p. 294. Delitzsch also agreed with this. "The sea with its mighty mass of waters, with the constant unrest of its waves, with

Proverbs 2:16-19 — again, Neither do they attain unto the paths of life:" "To deliver thee from the strange woman" Who is this strange woman? According to Cook, "She is none other than a foreigner";Barnes' Notes on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1987 reprint of the 1878 Edition), op. cit., p. 19. but the mention of her having forgotten "the covenant of her God," identifies her as an Israelite who had been in covenant relationship with the Lord. Others have identified her as a religious prostitute

Proverbs 26:3-12 — the following verses: Proverbs 10:8; Proverbs 10:13-14; Proverbs 10:23; Proverbs 12:1; Proverbs 12:8; Proverbs 12:15; Proverbs 12:23; Proverbs 13:15-16; Proverbs 14:6-8; Proverbs 14:15-16; Proverbs 14:18; Proverbs 14:24; Proverbs 14:33; Proverbs 15:7; Proverbs 15:14; Proverbs 15:21; Proverbs 17:10; Proverbs 17:12; Proverbs 17:24.This list taken from The Anchor Bible (Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company, 1982), op. cit., p. 131. See our comments under those references. These verses are all

Ecclesiastes 12:1 — shalt say, I have no pleasure in them." "The first word of this in the the Hebrew text of the O.T. is "and," indicating a connection with the previous verse."Barnes' Notes on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, a 1989 reprint of the 1878 edition), Ecclesiastes, p. 111. This is a continuation of Remedy Three (Ecclesiastes 11:10) for the perplexities and vanities of life. The loving and faithful service of God our Creator is that third remedy. "It is a plea for a strong religious faith

Ecclesiastes 7:13-14 — nothing AFTER him" (KJV). This translation uses the word "after", which is a synonym for "behind". If the family of a deceased person follows behind the hearse on the way to the cemetery, then they most certainly follow after it. This verse (Ecclesiastes 7:14 b) simply means that God has mingled the good days and the bad days in such a manner that man's estate shall be exhausted by the time of his death; and the experience of millions of people corroborates this. For the vast majority of mankind, when

Ecclesiastes 7:8-10 — end of a wicked ruler's reign is, of course, better than the beginning of it. Apparently the burden of the meaning is that the completion of some great project is better than the beginning of it. "The statement here is not a repetition of Ecclesiastes 7:1, but states a truth generally applicable to certain situations. The end is better, because at that time we can form a right judgment about a matter."The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 9b, p. 158. "Of course, this proverb is too pessimistic to be true without

Isaiah 63:10-14 — fought against them. Some translators have rendered the word "grieved" here "vexed," or "rebelled against." In the New Testament, Christians are represented as "receiving" the Holy Spirit (John 20:22), and others as "resisting" the Holy Spirit (Acts 7:51) "blaspheming" the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:31), "lying" to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3). "insulting" the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 10:29), "grieving" the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30), or as "quenching" the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19). Isaiah 63:10

Isaiah 64:1-4 — At any rate, that is exactly what he requested here. "That the mountains might quake" This is a reference to what happened at Sinai. "When thou didst terrible things" The last two words here are, "A standing phrase, as in Deuteronomy 10:21, 2 Samuel 7:23, and Psalms 106:22, for the wonders of the Exodus."T. K. Cheyne's Commentary, Vol. II, p. 111. Isaiah 64:4 stresses the unique nature of God's care for Israel and the scope of the wonders God wrought upon her behalf. "Nowhere else among men had there

Jeremiah 15:10-11 — the enemy to make supplication unto thee in the time of evil and in the time of affliction." These verses and through the end of the chapter constitute "the second personal lament of Jeremiah,"Anthony L. Ash, Psalms (Abilene, Texas: A.C.U. Press, 1987), p. 122. according to Ash; and this one appears to be the most serious because it actually constituted a denial of Jeremiah's commission, as we shall see a moment later. "I have not lent, neither have men lent to me" What a glimpse of human nature

Jeremiah 16:5-7 — nor make themselves bald" This is a reference to pagan customs which were strictly forbidden in Israel (Leviticus 19:28; Leviticus 2:5; Deuteronomy 14:1). However, it appears that such practices were widely prevalent anyway (Jeremiah 41:5; Jeremiah 47:5; Ezekiel 7:18; Amos 8:10; and Micah 1:16). But there would be no time for such behavior in the approaching calamity; and the very numbers of the dead would simply forbid it. "Neither... break bread for them" This is a reference to a very ancient custom

Jeremiah 7:16-20 — more for Judah is also repeated again in Jeremiah 11:14; Jeremiah 14:11 ff; and from these repetitions, Ash concluded that. "In spite of their iniquity, Jeremiah had been praying for the people."Anthony L. Ash, Psalms (Abilene, Texas: A.C.U. Press, 1987), p. 95. As many a heartbroken parent has discovered, it is nearly impossible to stop praying for a wayward son or daughter, no matter how wicked they might have become. The meaning of this is simply that, "Persistent idolatry of Judah could only bring