Bible Commentaries

Exodus 14:10-14 — when he offered himself to die in the place of Israel, prevailing with God Himself to spare them when they richly deserved the death with which God threatened them. This murmuring at the Red Sea was sufficiently serious to evoke the words in Psalms 106:7-8: "Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt; they remembered not the multitude of thy loving-kindnesses, but were rebellious at the sea, even at the Red Sea. Nevertheless, He saved them for His name's sake, that He might make His mighty power

Exodus 30:17-21 — making of the bronze altar. "Wash their hands and their feet" (Exodus 30:19). These ceremonial washings were a ceremony the Jews enjoyed, and they later extended it to include many kinds of ablutions, even for pots and pans, and many such things (Mark 7:3-4). Also, there were occasions when the washings were not at all confined to hands and feet, but were of the whole body (Exodus 29:4; Leviticus 16:4). The washing (or, immersing) of the whole body on the occasion of the priest's ordination is without

1 Kings 17:2-7 — excise all the miraculous elements from these wonders."The Interpreter's Bible, Vol. 3, p. 146. The best explanation that rationalists have come up with is that the word here translated "ravens" can be translated "merchants" or "Arabians" as in Ezekiel 27:27; 2 Chronicles 21:16 and Nehemiah 4:7.Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary, p. 225. However, we reject out of hand any such effort to diminish what is written here. Tatum's advice should be heeded: "Here we are face to face with a series of miracles

2 Kings 5:10-12 — May I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage." "Go and wash in the Jordan seven times" "The word for `wash' here is `dip'; and it is identified with `baptism' in the N.T."International Critical Commentary, op. cit., p. 375. (See the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the O.T.) Thus, what was commanded was that Naaman should be IMMERSED seven times in Jordan. Jesus gave a similar command to the man born blind, "Go wash in the pool of Siloam" (John 9:7); and it should

Leviticus 25:1-7 — from God upon the mountain, and announced gradually unto the people."C. F. Keil, Commentary on the Old Testament, Vol. 1 (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company), p. 455. The same words are repeated three other times in Leviticus (Leviticus 7:38; Leviticus 26:46; and Leviticus 27:34). "The seventh year shall be a sabbath of solemn rest" Despite there having been a certain benefit that accrued to the soil through its lying idle on the seventh year, one cannot believe that it was merely the

Numbers 27:6-11 — text in the seventh verse here uses a masculine pronoun in the reference to the daughters of Zelophehad. Adam Clarke called this an error "due to some careless scribe,"Adam Clarke, Commentary on the whole Bible, Vol. 1 (London: T. Mason and G. Lane, 1837), p. 707. but Jewish scholars believed a purpose lay behind such usage: "Because when a woman assumes an inheritance, she is like a man for all legal purposes; therefore, this verse refers to them in the masculine sense rather than in a feminine gender."Tifereth

Deuteronomy 10:6-7 — 396. "obviously an interpolation,"T. Witton Davies, op. cit., p. 236. "probably a gloss, added by Moses when he wrote down his address,"R. K. Harrison, The New Bible Commentary, Revised, Deuteronomy (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1970), p. 217. "These verses are evidently a parenthesis,"J. R. Dummelow, Commentary on the Holy Bible (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1937), p. 127. etc.! Even the immortal McGarvey, basing his conclusion on there seeming to be a break in the thought,

Deuteronomy 14:1-3 — mentioned here were "pagan acts of sacrifice, the blood and the hair being offered up to heathen deities or to the dead but deified ancestors."T. Witton Davies, Peake's Commentary on the Bible, Deuteronomy (London: T. C. and E. C. Jack, Ltd., 1924), p. 237. That such cuttings of the body with knives was a standard procedure in pagan worship is also noticeable in Elijah's contest on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:25 ff). Thus, such customs so closely allied to paganism were forbidden to Israel in the same Spirit

Deuteronomy 2:4-7 — children of Esau, that dwell in Seir, from the way of the Arabah from Elath and from Ezion-geber." Critical scholars complain that, "This story differs markedly from that in Numbers 20:14-21!"Anthony Phillips, Deuteronomy, (Cambridge: University Press, 1973), p. 22. Phillips even stated that, "Israel twice petitioned the king for permission to pass and was refused!"Ibid. Von Rad declared that their petition was "hard-heartedly rejected."Gerhard Von Rad, op. cit., p. 41. So what? Where is any contradiction?

Deuteronomy 8:11-16 — lie. 4.    It promises to solve every problem, but instead it becomes a greater problem than any it can solve. 5.    It estranges him from earthly friends. 6.    It surrounds him with false friends. 7.    It is a constant hazard to spirituality. "To do thee good at thy latter end" (Deuteronomy 8:16). The object of all of God requirements for his human children is their welfare. "Thy latter end" here is not a reference to the life

Joshua 14:10-12 — been given in making it possible. In no person is unbelief any more stupid and pitiful than when it occurs in persons past threescore and ten years of age. "These forty and five years" This and Moses' mention of his being "forty years old" (Joshua 14:7) when Moses sent out the spies, and of his being now eighty-five years old are among the most important chronological facts given in Joshua. Israel wandered in the wilderness only about 38 years, because the first two years of the traditional "forty

Joshua 17:3-6 — because the daughters of Manasseh had an inheritance among his sons. And the land of Gilead belonged unto the rest of the sons of Manasseh." This episode regarding the daughters of Zelophehad presupposes the prior existence of Numbers 26:33; Numbers 27:1-7. Also, the fact of Ephraim's receiving his inheritance first, and likewise the fight of Manasseh as the firstborn of Joseph presuppose and prove the prior existence of the Book of Genesis. The whole Book of Joshua, in fact, is written in the shadow

Joshua 3:1 — God's impressing upon the Israelites, "that they had no means of crossing it, that they were utterly helpless, and that they were thus completely shut unto God as their only hope."Arthur W. Pink, Gleanings in Joshua (Chicago: Moody Press, 1964), p. 79. THE JORDAN RIVER This terrible river, lying at the bottom of the most spectacular gash upon the surface of the planet earth, most of its course lying even below the level of the sea, is an astoundingly appropriate symbol of death. The very name "Jordan"

Judges 13:2-7 — which class Samuel, Samson and John the Baptist are mentioned in the Bible. It is of interest that Paul became a Nazarite of days (Acts 21:26). "The woman came and told her husband" There is a great deal of repetition in this chapter; and Judges 13:6-7, merely repeat for the benefit of Manoah what was said to the woman by the `man of God.' A very small variation is that Manoah's wife added the words that the promised son would be a Nazarite `until the day of his death,' a fact implied but not stated

Judges 21:8-12 — man by lying with him; and brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan" "There came none… from Jabesh-Gilead" The reason for this failure is not far to seek. "Jabesh-Gilead was related by blood to Gibeah (1 Chronicles 7:12-15))."Beacon Bible Commentary, Vol. 2, p. 462. It was a very costly mistake which they made. "This is the first mention of Jabesh-Gilead in the Bible,"The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 3-C, p. 208. but it is mentioned twice, later. (1)    In

Ruth 4:7 — century as well as it can to five centuries. Besides that, it is the opinion of some very dependable scholars that the verse is a gloss, inserted into the text at some later time following the writing of the book. S. R. Driver admitted that, "Ruth 4:7 may be an explanatory gloss."The New Layman's Bible Commentary, p. 37O. And, even if that should not be allowed, Hubbard pointed out that "The verse seems to be more of a literary device than any kind of an historical reference."Robert L. Hubbard, Jr.,

1 Samuel 12:19-25 — which are also referred to in the Scriptures as `nothings.' In fact the words here rendered vain things, "Actually mean anything empty or void, and are often used, as here, for an idol. As Paul says, `An idol is nothing in the world' (1 Corinthians 7:4)."The Pulpit Commentary, op. cit., p. 210. H. P. Smith translated this place, "And do not turn aside after the nothings."International Critical Commentary, op. cit., p. 89. "The Lord will not cast away his people" The great factor underlying a promise

1 Samuel 21:10-15 — of some naive `editor' putting an inaccurate historical statement into the Bible. As Willis explained, "The servants of Achish recognized David and assumed that he was king of Israel on the basis of that song sung by the women of Israel (1 Samuel 18:7)."John T. Willis, p. 223. "So he changed his behavior… and feigned madness" In those days, as at the present time, "Easterners have a religious awe of madness and would not think of injuring those so afflicted."J. R. Dummelow's Commentary, p.

2 Samuel 12:1-6 — been submitted to him."Albert Barnes, Samuel, p, 94. David could have had no suspicion whatever of the prophet's true mission, because all of his previous communications from God through Nathan had been extremely favorable to the king (as in 2 Samuel 7). Many have commented upon the attractiveness and beauty of this little parable. It was skillfully designed to arouse the sympathy of the hearer for the wronged poor man as well as angry contempt for the rich man who robbed him. "David's anger was greatly

2 Samuel 19:24-30 — grandson of Saul, but the use of the term "son" in the Bible is very flexible: (1) It may mean simply descendant of (Matthew 1:1); (2) grandson as here; (3) Levirate son; (4) adopted son (Luke 3:23); (5) actual son; (6) son by creation (Luke 3:38); (7) a possessor of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:14); (8) merely a follower of as in Acts 13:10; or (9) son-in-law (Luke 3:23). "He had neither dressed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes" Here was the only proof David needed that Mephibosheth