Bible Commentaries

Genesis 17:11-15 — is implied, but also by the direct assertion of their own writers. Such assertions have been gathered in abundance from their own works by Eisenmenger, Shoettgen, and others. For example, Rabbi Menachem, in his commentary on the Book of Moses (folio 43, column 3), says, "Our Rabbis have said, No circumcised person will see hell."Charles Hodge, Epistles to the Romans (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1968), p. 64. Such views, of course, were totally mistaken. The token was intended

Exodus 20:15 — jeopardy. Frequently, the human family have attempted to get rid of private property and to inaugurate some form of communal living, but thousands of years of experience have demonstrated invariably the futility and failure of all such systems. Jamestown Colony (1603), William Lane in South America (1883), Robert Owen on the banks of the Wabash, Indiana (1825), the Brook Farm Transcendentalists (1830), and, of course, the Russian fiasco (1917), are but a few of the historical failures. During the middle years of

Exodus 40:1-38 — veil.The ark, being the first thing installed, indicated that, "The law of God was the foundation of the covenant between God and Israel," See George Rawlinson, The Pulpit Commentary, Exodus II (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1950), p 396. And thou shalt bring in the table, and set in order the things that are upon it; and thou shalt bring in the candlestick, and light the lamps thereof. And thou shalt set the golden altar for incense before the ark of the testimony, and put the screen

Ezra 9:5-15 — remnant that is escaped, as it is this day: behold, we are before thee in our guiltiness;for none can stand before thee because of this." "At the evening oblation I arose up from my humiliation" "This is probably to be identified with the ninth hour (3:00 P.M.) (Acts 3:1)."Wycliffe Bible Commentary, Vol. 16, p. 133. "Our guiltiness is grown up unto the heavens" This was also the conviction of Nehemiah (Nehemiah 9:29-35), and likewise that of Daniel (Daniel 9:5-8). "The captivity had effectively done

Psalms 11:1-7 — snares; Fire and brimstone and burning wind shall be the portion of their cup. For Jehovah is righteous: The upright shall behold his face." As indicated by our arrangement of the text here, this magnificent psalm falls into two divisions. In Psalms 11:1-3, David is wrongfully advised by well-meaning, but erroneous counselors, to flee for his life like as a bird flies toward some mountain. This advice is reinforced by their mention of the murderers who are preparing to kill him, and by the fact that,

Psalms 23:1-4 — soul: He guideth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." "The Lord is my shepherd" (Psalms 23:1). The word "lord" is far preferable in every way to the synthetic word "Jehovah." It is indeed God Himself who here appears as the Shepherd of Israel; and in the New Testament, when Jesus Christ said, "I am the good shepherd" (John 10:14), the words

Leviticus 13:9-28 — shall pronounce him clean: for it is the scar of the burning." From these instructions, it appears that the principal tell-tale signs of leprosy were: (1) white hairs in the affected area; (2) the encroachment of the disease below the epidermis; and (3) the progressive invasion of more and more body tissue. These certainly were "signs" that a priest could accurately discern and required no medical expertise to determine. Due to the very nature of such things as boils and burns, there must frequently

Ezekiel 14:12-14 — Shamra tablets.G. R. Beasley-Murray in the New Bible Commentary, Revised, p. 672. (2) Only the ancient Dan'el is properly placed if this list of eminent persons is chronological. If the contemporary Daniel had been meant, he would have been listed last. (3) It is very improbable that Ezekiel would have listed a contemporary.Carl G. Howie in the Layman's Bible Commentary, p. 40. None of these arguments has any weight. (1)    Variations in the spelling of names are common in scriptures;

Numbers 13:4-16 — the story of Mephibosheth (2 Samuel 9:4). "Gaddiel" means "God is my fortune." This is the full form of the name Gad. "Geuel" means "majesty of God." It occurs nowhere else in the Bible. "Igal" means "he will redeem." One of David's heroes (2 Samuel 23:36). "Nahbi" means "hidden." "Palti" means "God's deliverance." Also the name of Michal's husband (1 Samuel 25:44). "Gaddi" another form of "Gad." "Caleb" means "dog" and could have been applied to him because of his Gentile ancestry. He was a Kenizzite

Numbers 24:3-9 — blessings upon all who blessed Israel, and curses upon all who cursed them! Balak's patience was exhausted, and his anger kindled against Balaam, as indicated by his clapping his hands after the oracle was spoken. "Whose eyes were closed (Numbers 24:3 b)… having his eyes open" (Numbers 24:4). Well, which was it? Jewish interpreters came up with the amazing postulation that Balaam was blind in one eye and could see with the other!Rishfei Esh, Wellsprings of Torah, Vol. 2, Numbers (New York:

Mark 7:21-23 — Sanner pointed out that in the Received Greek text the first six of these terms are plural and the last six are singular. "The former possibly refers to evil acts, the latter to moral defects, or vices."A. Elwood Sanner, op. cit., Vol. VI, p. 332. This list is somewhat like similar lists in the Pauline writings, but Cranfield was doubtless correct in his repudiation of the idea that they were derived from that source. He stated that there are "no adequate grounds for thinking that this

Luke 22:44 — and his sweat became as it were great drops of blood falling down upon the ground. The Greek word for "drops of blood" is [@thromboi], used only here in the New Testament. "It means clots of blood"Herschel H. Hobbs, op. cit., p. 312. and was used by the physician Luke in the same manner as was common in ancient medical works. The spiritual overtones of this were noted by Henry, thus: Sweat came in with sin, and was a branch of the curse (Genesis 3:19). When Christ was made sin

Luke 3:21-22 — have pondered the reasons why Jesus was baptized; and among reasons that might have entered into his submission to that rite are the following: (1) The reason that he himself gave, "thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness" (Matthew 3:15), indicates that it would have been unbecoming, even of the sinless Christ, to have withheld obedience to God's commandment. The message for all men in this is plain. (2) By so doing, he indicated the adoption of the rite of baptism to be the initiatory

Luke 9:19 — convince the people that Jesus was not the Christ. Here is a summary of their charges: They said Jesus was a glutton (Matthew 11:18-19). They said he was a winebibber (Matthew 11:18-19). They said he cast out demons by the prince of demons (Matthew 9:34). They called him Beelzebul (Matthew 10:25). They called him a sinner (John 9:24). They said he had a demon (John 7:20). They said he violated the sabbath (Matthew 12:2). They said he was a Samaritan (John 8:48). They referred to him as a deceiver

John 12:7 — day of my burying. Suffer her to keep it … Scholars misunderstand this as meaning Mary had not used all the nard, supposing this to mean, "Let her keep what is left." The cruse had been broken; there was nothing left in it (Mark 14:3). Howard's statement that John's record is contrary to "the synoptic statement that the box had been broken"W. F. Howard, The Interpreter's Bible (New York: Abingdon Press, 1962), p. 657. is untrue. Jesus' perfectly clear meaning is: "Let

John 2:10 — know, where'er I go, That there hath passed away A glory from the earth. Where is it now, the glow and the dream? At length the man perceives it die away And fade into the light of common day.William Wordsworth, Ode on the Intimations of Immortality. 3.    In the enticement to sin, the death's head is always hidden behind the smiling mask of beauty and delight. The smile of the adulteress ends in blood upon the threshold, and the sparkling cup conceals the poisonous asp at the

John 3:5 — prior to the resurrection; but the glowing words of this passage anticipated the Great Commission and the baptism therein commanded, thus making the passage equally applicable to all of subsequent ages who would enter God's kingdom. See under John 7:39. The persistent and ingenious efforts of people to shout baptism out of this passage are in vain, for there is no way it can be made to disappear. "Born of water" refers to baptism; and there is absolutely nothing else connected with Christianity

Acts 1:14 — with his brethren. As Boles noted, "There are four separately mentioned classes of persons" H. Leo Boles, op. cit., p. 26. who made up this company. They were (1) the apostles, (2) Mary the mother of Jesus and certain other devout women, (3) the brothers of Jesus, and (4) certain other disciples (Acts 1:15). In prayer … No better way of waiting God's promise could be imagined than that followed here. Mary the mother of Jesus … This is the last mention of the Blessed Mary

Ephesians 1:22-23 — earth as a legal person. That is what is meant by "the body of Christ." JESUS CHRIST, INCORPORATED The New English Bible (1961) translated "believers incorporate" (Ephesians 1:1) and "incorporate in Christ" (Ephesians 1:13), thus recognizing that an extra-literal body, called an incorporation, is indeed certainly apparent in the whole chapter; but the New English Bible is profoundly wrong in making it belong to the believers! No! The believers belong to it! Christ, not

2 Peter 3:10 — know. Faith in God and in his holy word is the only true enlightenment that is available on such a passage as this. As a thief … Paul used this figure of the thief's sudden coming (1 Thessalonians 5:2); the apostle John used it twice (Revelation 3:3; Revelation 16:15); but it was Christ who first used it (Matthew 24:43). As Dummelow said, "All through this passage, Peter had in mind the prophecy of our Lord recorded in Matthew 24." J. R. Dummelow, Commentary on the Holy Bible (New York: