Bible Commentaries

2 Kings 4:8-17 — wonderful couple appears in her polite decline of such favors. "And she answered, I dwell among mine own people" "The eminent place of this great lady in her society is finely presented by this reply."International Critical Commentary, op. cit., p. 367. "And when he called her, she stood in the door" Montgomery translated this last clause, as "She came in. The intermediate agency of Gehazi, standing outside, was good manners, for a lady might not easily speak to a man in his chamber."Ibid., p. 368. "Gehazi

Psalms 133:1-3 — Dummelow pointed out, "This exquisite gem of a song describing the blessings of unity was especially suitable as a Pilgrim Song, when rich and poor, priest and peasant, would fraternize on their pilgrimage to Jerusalem."J. R. Dummelow's Commentary, p. 375. Quoting Hengstenberg, Delitzsch stated that, "David here brings to the consciousness of the church the glory of the fellowship of the saints."F. Delitzsch, Vol. V-C. [. 317. "Like the precious oil on the head… of Aaron… that ran down

Psalms 16:9-11 — age,"Anthony L. Ash, Psalms (Austin: Sweet Publishing Company, 1980), p. 75. or "Probably the poet is thinking merely of a long life, the reward of the pious."W. E. Addis, Peake's Commentary on the Bible (Edinburgh: T. C. and E. C. Jack, Ltd., 1924), p. 376. All such interpretations are founded upon the proposition that David is God's Holy One, as stated here; but David could never have spoken of himself in such language. David was a murderer, an adulterer, and despite many good qualities could never

Psalms 47:5-9 — Lord Jesus Christ. That is the reason that Christian scholars for centuries have called this "One of the Ascension Psalms." Moreover, "The traditional use of this Psalm in the historical Church is for `The Festival of the Ascension.'"H. C. Leupold, p. 369. "Sing praises" This command occurs no less than five times in these two verses, indicating that something far more important, even, than the deliverance of Jerusalem from Sennacherib, is indicated in the words just spoken, that "God is gone up,"

Isaiah 47:1-4 — tribes wrote this: "Let mine eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease, for the virgin daughter of my people is broken with a great breach" (Jeremiah 14:17). He also, a moment later, referred to "the virgin of Israel" (Isa. 18:13). It is too bad that critics like Wardle are simply ignorant of the Biblical usage of certain terminology. Babylon indeed had frequently been defeated in her past history; it will be remembered that Sennacherib defeated Babylon and placed his son on

Isaiah 59:15-21 — Indeed, this final paragraph of the chapter undoubtedly refers to Him. No one can attentively read this passage and doubt it. This is a most beautiful description of the Redeemer, and of the effects of his coming."Albert Barnes' Commentary, Vol. II, p. 350. Jehovah's concern at the terrible, near hopeless, condition of mankind; and the statement in Isaiah 59:16 that he "wondered that there was no intercessor" falls short of expressing the fullness of God's concern. The word should be rendered, "He was

Ezekiel 30:1-5 — THE DAY OF THE LORD COMES TO EGYPT (Ezekiel 30:1-19) "The word of Jehovah came again unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus saith Jehovah: Wail ye, alas for the day! For the day is near, even the day of Jehovah is near; it shall be a day of clouds, a time of the nations. And a sword

Hosea 13:6 — have they forgotten me." "They were filled; they were filled, and their heart was exalted" "Here we see the evil results that often flow from prosperity."W. R. Harper, International Critical Commentary Hosea (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1910, p. 398. It is hardly understandable that the very blessings God gives to men should become the occasion, not of their honoring God, but of their denying him and rebelling against him. Every minister knows a thousand examples of the same thing. Here, we take

Jonah 1:3 — into it, because no true Israelite could imagine such a thing as preaching to Gentiles, notwithstanding the fact that God, from the beginning, had intended for Israel to be a light to all nations, a function which they had signally failed to honor. (3)    The reason given by Jonah himself (Jonah 4:3) was that he feared that Nineveh might repent and that God, after his usual gracious manner, would spare them and refrain from destroying their city. As to why such an eventuality

Luke 16:31 — dead" (Acts 10:41). It would have done no good at all for the Lord to have appeared to the Pharisees. This great parable teaches many things. Barnes listed these: (1) the souls of men do not die with their bodies; (2) the soul is conscious after death; (3) the righteous go to a place of happiness, the wicked to a place of misery; (4) we should not envy the rich.Albert Barnes, op. cit., p. 118. Cox listed these: (1) we should not live in luxury while Lazarus begs at our gate; (2) the selfish use of wealth

Luke 16:5 — evident in the large amounts owed. The measures used here for oil and wheat were "the bath, which was about 9 gallons, and the cor, which was about 11 bushels."J. R. Dummelow, Commentary on the Holy Bible (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1937), p. 759. Thus, the transactions mentioned involved some 900 gallons of olive oil and about 1,100 bushels of wheat. Summers is doubtless correct in the view that "This was a business venture in which the steward helped several retailers cheat

John 19:41 — lain in it. This composite description is fully harmonious. THE TWO GRAVES OF JESUS 1.    It was prophesied of Messiah that "THEY made his grave with the wicked (plural) and with the rich (singular) in his death" (Isaiah 53:9). Matthew's identification of Joseph as a rich man, together with the description of the garden tomb itself, makes it clear that the second clause of the prophecy was fulfilled by the burial in Joseph's tomb. But what about the grave with the wicked?

John 3:22 — explains a number of statements in the synoptics which, in the light of this Gospel, are clear references to the Judean ministry. Thus, Jesus said in Matthew that he had "often" attempted to gather the citizens of Jerusalem unto himself (Matthew 23:37). See Matthew 26:6; Mark 14:3 if, and Luke 13:34-35, all of which are trace references to the great Judean ministry of Jesus which occurred before John the Baptist was cast into prison, a fact John stressed, thus making it very early in the Lord's

John 5:46 — actually unbelievers of the writings of the great lawgiver. Such is the deceptiveness of sin, that persons who truly imagine themselves to be believers are in fact no such thing! It is possible that Christ had in mind here the great prophecies of Genesis 3:15 and Deuteronomy 18:15-19; but there were many prophecies in "Moses," a word signifying the entire Pentateuch, regarding Christ. As Hovey said: "This is a perfectly clear testimony on the part of Christ to a Messianic element in the

John 6:54 — example, Adam Clarke, who said: This can never be understood of the sacrament of the Lord's Supper: (1) Because this was not instituted until a year later; (2) it cannot be said that those who do not receive the sacrament shall perish everlastingly; and (3) nor can it be supposed that all who do receive it are necessarily eternally saved.Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Whole Bible (London: Mason and Lane, 1837), Vol. V, p. 563. Clarke's objections have no weight, because: (1) John spoke mysteriously of

1 Corinthians 5:7 — there are points of likeness and unlikeness. I.    Points of likeness: a.    In both the Jewish passover and the passover of Christians (who is Christ), there is the death of a sinless, blameless victim (John 14:30; John 8:46; Hebrews 4:15). b.    In both, there is the design of deliverance from the wrath of God; in the Jewish Passover, it was from the destruction of the death angel, and for Christians it is from God's eternal wrath (Romans

1 Corinthians 6:2 — with spiritual pride; and in their conceit had spoken of their hope to judge men and angels. If this be their expectation surely they can judge in matters of daily life. J. R. Dummelow, Commentary on the Holy Bible (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1937), p. 901. This interpretation makes sense and is supported by many circumstances. First, the matter of human beings judging men and angels is just such a thing as would have been advocated by the conceited false teachers in Corinth; but there are many

Hebrews 11:39-40 — true and total redemption in the true and only seed of Abraham, which is Christ. Faithful as the ancient heroes were, the fullness of time had to arrive before they could obtain THAT promise. "The promises," in the plural, as in Hebrews 11:13, is also a reference to this same Great Promise, the plural taking into account the renewal of the promise and the reiteration of it to several of the patriarchs. Back in Hebrews 10:36 our author had written, "Ye have need of patience, that having

Judges 1 overview — PREFACE (Judges 1:1 to Judges 3:6) THE FAILURE OF ISRAEL TO DRIVE OUT THE CANAANITES In describing the repeated apostasies and subsequent invasions and oppressions of Israel, it was necessary to establish the REASON why God allowed such treatment of the Chosen People. That reason,

1 John 3:9 — abideth in him … The New Testament supplies abundant proof of what the "seed" is which is mentioned here. It is the word of God. Paul instructed the Colossians to let "the word of Christ" dwell in them richly, etc. (Colossians 3:16), and John had in mind the same thing here. The Lord Jesus himself said of the kingdom of heaven, "the seed is the word of God" (Luke 8:11). In speaking of the new birth, Peter also mentioned the "incorruptible seed" which he