Bible Commentaries

Genesis 1:24-25 — ground after its kind: and God saw that it was good." The parallelism between the last three and the first three days of the creation continues to be visible in the fact that God began the cycle of life by the creation of the vegetable world on Day 3, and here upon Day 4 that cycle is completed in the creation of the larger animals and of mankind (Genesis 1:26-31). The recurring mention of "after their kind" forbids the notion that various species upon the earth from themselves produced other species.

2 Chronicles 2:3-4 — new moons, and on the set feasts of Jehovah our God. This is a set ordinance for ever for Israel." "Huram the king of Tyre" This person is called Hiram in Kings; "But throughout Chronicles he is called Huram (except in 1 Chronicles 14:1)."Ibid., p. 371. 2 Chronicles 2:4 here is a summary of the principal rituals of the ancient tabernacle and an indication of their continued observance in the projected temple. The entire Pentateuch is, in a sense, summarized in this single verse, in keeping with

Nehemiah 9:5-8 — during the whole history of ancient Israel that they seemed never to appreciate, nor even to remember, the reason why God called Abraham. That reason: "THAT IN THEE AND IN THY SEED (SINGULAR) ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH SHALL BE BLESSED" (Genesis 12:3; Genesis 26:4).

Psalms 106:24-27 — SIN NO. 5 This sin was the rebellion of Israel following the shameful report of the ten unfaithful spies (Numbers 13-14). "Yea, they despised the pleasant land, They believed not his word. But murmured in their tents, And hearkened not unto the voice of Jehovah. Therefore he sware unto them, That he would overthrow them in the wilderness, And that he would overthrow

Psalms 106:36-39 — works, And played the harlot in their doings." To rehearse the full record of what is so briefly stated here would require a detailed study of a major portion of the Old Testament. The child-sacrifice was practiced even by Israel's kings (2 Kings 16:3; Ezekiel 16:20; Isaiah 57:5). "They played the harlot in their doings" This is an accurate description of the idol worship in Canaan. Their pagan sex and fertility gods were "worshipped" with the most unbelievably vulgar and licentious ceremonies involving

Psalms 110:1 — "Jehovah said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, Until I make thine enemies thy footstool." In my commentary on Matthew (Vol. 1 of the New Testament series), pp. 357,358, we commented on the first verse of this psalm. The implication of the Messiah being both the son and the Lord of David is clear enough. Christ is both God and man; as man, Christ descended through the earthly posterity of David, as indicated

Psalms 125:4-5 — `scepter of wickedness,' not as a reference to some king of Israel but as an idiomatic expression simply referring to renegade Jews, the whole psalm makes sense. Otherwise, there continues to remain some ambiguity regarding the meaning of Psalms 125:3. The reason why this expression was used was also explained by McCullough. Those renegade Jews had joined themselves with some kind of foreign, or pagan, ruling class, suggesting the term "scepter of wickedness." "Peace be upon Israel" "The psalm ends

Psalms 128:1-2 — labor and do all thy work." The society in which we live today has spawned a whole generation of people who expect to live by the fruit of other men's labors; but an apostle has written, "If a man will not work, neither let him eat" (2 Thessalonians 3:10). The first blessing which is mentioned here as belonging to the man who fears God and walks in his ways is that he shall indeed have his "daily bread." "To know that one's own hands have toiled for it always adds to the satisfaction of enjoying

Psalms 2:6-7 — hill of Zion. I will tell of the decree: Jehovah said unto me, Thou art my Son; This day have I begotten thee." God Himself upon the occasion of Jesus' baptism made it clear enough who this Son is, thundering the message from heaven itself (Matthew 3:17). In the light of that testimony, who should dare to affirm otherwise? "My holy hill of Zion." Of course, this is a reference to Jerusalem, referred to here as holy, meaning not that Jerusalem's citizens were holy, but that God had recorded his name

Psalms 32:10-11 — sorrows shall be to the wicked; But he that trusteth Jehovah, lovingkindness shall compass him about. Be glad in Jehovah, and rejoice, ye righteous; And shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart." "Many sorrows shall be to the wicked" (Psalms 32:10). What a lie is that of Satan who advertises his way as that of "liberty," or "freedom." The simple truth is here bluntly stated. "The way of the transgressor is hard" (Proverbs 13:15). The sinful way is the way of sorrow, heartbreak, failure, and

Psalms 33:12-14 — scholars suppose that the author of this psalm must have borrowed these ideas of the universality of God from a fictitious writer they call Deutero-Isaiah, and make that the basis of dating the psalm after the exile.The Interpreter's Bible, Vol. III, p. 173. There never was a person who answers to the destructive critics' alleged "Deutero-Isaiah." That mythical character is the Piltdown Man of the Destructive Critics. Those who would like to see that critical myth exploded are referred to Vol. 1 of our

Psalms 37:29-34 — Wait for Jehovah, and keep his way, And he will exalt thee to inherit the land: When the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it." "The righteous shall inherit the land" Rawlinson pointed out that this same thought, or its equivalent appears in Psalms 37:3; Psalms 37:9; Psalms 37:11; Psalms 37:18; Psalms 37:22; Psalms 37:28; Psalms 37:34.The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 8, p. 288. "The wicked watcheth the righteous to slay him" "... When the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it" We like Yates' comment

Psalms 45:13-14 — different metaphors. In their experience of the new birth, all were born into God's family and are therefore sons and daughters of the King. (1) Thus the church here is called the King's Daughter; (2) she is also the Queen clad in the gold of Ophir; and (3) she is the Bride of the Lamb of God. This is not any more mysterious than the doctrine of the Trinity; and neither of these is capable of being understood by radical critics. There are many precious realities of God's kingdom that cannot be discerned

Leviticus 15:16-18 — involuntary, the second as a result of copulation. Both deal with normal discharges. "It is clear that these instances were recognized as less serious."Ronald E. Clements, Broadman Bible Commentary, Vol. 2, Leviticus (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1972), p. 43. Viscount Melbourne, a typical Victorian who died in 1848, wrote that, "Things have come to a pretty pass when religion is allowed to invade the sphere of private life."George A. F. Knight, Leviticus (Edinburgh: Saint Andrew Press, 1981), p. 82. No

Ecclesiastes 10:5-7 — strong indication that Solomon is indeed the author. Adam Clarke cited the government (in England) of Cardinal Woolsey and Thomas a Becket as a wanton violator of what is taught here.Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (London: T. Mason and G. Lane, 1837), Vol. 3, p. 832. Any government, especially that of an autocratic ruler, that elevates unworthy men to positions of honor and compels the true nobility of the land to stand as their inferiors is headed for disaster. As Clarke said, "Not only have

Jeremiah 26:17-19 — of Jehovah, and Jehovah repented him of the evil which he had pronounced against them? Thus should we commit great evil against our own souls." "Zion shall be plowed as a field" This whole quotation is a verbatim account of what is written in Micah 3:12. There is hardly another instance of this same kind of an appeal anywhere else in the Old Testament. Again, we have convincing evidence of the existence of the whole corpus of Hebrew scriptures and of the knowledge of the Hebrew people of exactly

Numbers 28:11-15 — burnt-offering, and the drink-offering thereof." Although it is true that the Jewish lunar months called special attention to "feasts of the new moons" which were prevalent among the pagans, they were specifically commanded not to worship the moon (Deuteronomy 17:3), but it would seem from Paul's words in Colossians 2:16 that the Jews continued to participate in "new moon" festivals, whether or not this was the original intention. Under Judaism they served a different purpose from the customs of pagans.

1 Corinthians 4 overview — false teachers. He stated that the lower courts of conscience and public opinion were inferior to the judgment of the Lord (1 Corinthians 4:1-5). We agree with Adam Clarke that a more logical division of the chapters would have been to extend chapter 3 through the fifth verse here. Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Holy Bible (New York: Carlton and Porter, 1831), Vol. VI. p. 207. In 1 Corinthians 4:6, Paul pointed out that his use of his own name and that of Apollos was not to be construed as an admission

1 Samuel 11:7-10 — Jabesh said, "Tomorrow we will give ourselves up to you, and you may do to us whatever seems good to you." "The dread of the Lord fell upon the people" In this action, the direct intervention of God in the affairs of men is no less visible in this phase (3) than it was in the other two phases of Saul's elevation. Three hundred thirty thousand (330,000) men was indeed a near-miraculous response. All of these events took place in only about a week's time, and during that period Saul selected an army, procured

1 Samuel 15:32-33 — God's commandment,"John T. Willis, p. 167. by this execution of Agag. We have already noted that some of the other Agagites had in all probability been spared by Saul, since one of them, Haman, later attempted to murder all the Jews on earth (Esther 3:1). Those who seek to second-guess God's order for the execution of Agag are completely refuted by subsequent events. "Hewed Agag in pieces" "The verb appears only here in the Bible and probably refers to some particular method of execution; and being