Bible Commentaries

Genesis 15:5 — meanings, being a collective noun, meaning: (1) a single Seed, or (2) billions of seeds. Both meanings are found in the Scriptures. Here the "seed" refers to the vast and innumerable company of Abram's physical posterity on earth. However, in Genesis 3:15, and in Genesis 26:4, "seed" is used restrictively as reference to Jesus Christ only. Some of the scholars made a big thing out of "seed" usually having the plural meaning, but no scholar on earth, nor all of them concurrently, have the right to

Genesis 4:1 — man with (the help of) Jehovah" The italic words are not in the text, making possible an alternate rendition: "I have gotten a man, even the Lord,"H. L. Ellison, The New Layman's Bible Commentary, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1979), p. 139. or, "I have gotten a man from the Lord."Meredith G. Kline, The New Bible Commentary, Revised (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1970), p. 86. Most scholars today deny that Eve's remark here has any reference to God's promise in Genesis

1 Chronicles 22:1 — Jerusalem, on the site purchased from Ornan the Jebusite. This was that very place called, "one of the mountains of Moriah," upon which Abraham prepared to offer Isaac as a burnt-offering (Genesis 22:22), as confirmed by our Chronicler in 2 Chronicles 3:1. "Today it is occupied by the Dome of the Rock Mosque."Broadman Bible Commentary, Vol. 3, p. 346.

Ezra 5:1-2 — God which is at Jerusalem; and with them were the prophets of God helping them." "Now the prophets" The record here does not mention what the prophets prophesied; but it is clear that they demanded that the Jews resume work on their temple. (See Vol. 3 of our Commentaries on the Minor Prophets (Haggai), pp. 187-197, for a discussion of just how urgent the message of the prophets was.) At any rate, Israel heeded it, and began to build the temple. "Haggai… and Zechariah" "The work on the temple

Psalms 2:9 — "Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel." This is a reference to the Judgment of the Last Day, when, at last, God will wipe Adam off the face of the earth, as indicated in Zephaniah 1:3. (See my commentary on this in Vol. 3 of the minor prophets, page 131ff). Also we have a prophetic depiction of the same event in Revelation 19:11-21. These verses refer to the ultimate end of Adam's rebellious race, which is on a collision course with

Psalms 59:6-9 — blasphemous, indicating that they did not believe in God at all. Throughout the psalm thus far, David pleads for God's deliverance on the following grounds: (1) the wickedness of his enemies (Psalms 59:2); the danger of eminent death to himself (Psalms 59:3); (3) his own innocence (Psalms 59:3-4); and (4) the profane atheism of his enemies (Psalms 59:7).Adapted from MH, Vol. III, p. 456. "Because of his strength" Rawlinson pointed out that there is no "because of" in the original language (as witnessed

Leviticus 3:1-5 — the peace-offering,"Ronald E. Clements, Broadman Bible Commentary, Vol. 2, Leviticus (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1972), p. 15. and, while true enough, the commandment that the peace-offering should be laid upon the burning burnt-offering (Leviticus 3:5) effectively tied the two together. As Dummelow said, "There would always be some portion of the daily burnt sacrifice smoldering upon the altar. The peace-offering is to be laid upon it. The fire never went out."J. R. Dummelow, op. cit., p. 89. "Fat…

Ezekiel 10:20-22 — life, spiritualized and exalted to have a part in the service of God Himself. In the sacred Scriptures, they are seen as performing a number of functions: (1) Here, they are bearers of the sapphire throne of God. (2) They guard the tree of life (Genesis 3:24). (3) They are honored with a place above the Mercy Seat in the ancient Tabernacle (Exodus 25:18-20; Exodus 37:7-9). (4) They are personified as wind or cloud. (5) They form the chariot of Deity (2 Samuel 22:11; Psalms 104:3; 1 Chronicles 28:18).

Ezekiel 4:1 — interpreter."E. H. Plumptre in the Pulpit Commentary, p. 71. What Ezekiel did here was only another example of what many of God's prophets throughout the ages also did. Zedekiah's "horns of iron" (1 Kings 22:11); Isaiah's walking "naked and barefoot" (Isaiah 22:2-3); Jeremiah's "yokes of wood" (Jeremiah 27:2); Hosea's marriage to Gomer (Hosea 1:1-3:10); Zechariah's breaking of Beauty and Bands (Zechariah 11); Agabus' binding himself with Paul's belt (Acts 21:10),, etc. are other examples of such enacted prophecies. This

Numbers 10:21-28 — change might be correct: (1)    Cook thought that for this very first journey, the ark's proceeding in front was just another exception, as was the case also, "when the ark preceded the people into the bed of the Jordan River (Joshua 3:3; Joshua 3:6)."F. C. Cook, op. cit., p. 205. (2)    Smick pointed out that the instructions to go in advance might have applied merely to the men actually transporting the tabernacle and the furniture, and that the great number

Micah 3:9 — for the south and by Amos and Hosea for the north."James McKeating, Cambridge Bible Commentary Micah (Cambridge: At the University Press, 1971), p. 169. There was a conscious widening of Micah's indictment in this verse. "In the first section (Micah 3:1-4), he had the courts in mind; here he includes them, but only as a part of a wider indictment."Leslie C. Allen, op. cit., p. 317. Drawing upon Isaiah 3, Allen included the following as composing, "the Judean establishment that held in their hands

Zephaniah 3:1-3 — light, perhaps the supreme sin should be understood as "false religion ? In any case, Zephaniah certainly dealt with the evils of injustice and exploitation in these very verses. "Polluted" "This word is a term usually connected with blood (Isaiah 59:3; Lamentations 4:14)."T. Miles Bennett, Nahum and Zephaniah (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1969), p. 92. Zephaniah 3:2 carries a four-fold indictment of the proud and wicked Jerusalem: She obeyed not the voice (of God). She received not correction

Haggai 1:10 — "Therefore for your sake the heavens withold the dew, and the earth witholdeth its fruit." "For your sake" These are most significant words, and they point squarely to the following passage from Genesis: "Cursed is the ground FOR THY SAKE!" (Genesis 3:17). The teaching of the Bible reveals emphatically that providential intervention is continual, and a constant possibility in all of the affairs of men. God often called for drought upon Israel, and sent prophets to announce it in advance; nor are

Matthew 21:14-15 — convince all right-minded persons of the truth and divinity of his holy mission. That many were convinced is attested by the Hosannas sung by the children. The divine Messenger had indeed suddenly come to his temple, as Malachi had prophesied (Malachi 3:1-3). However, this strong assertion of Christ's power and authority and its obvious acceptance by many only infuriated the Pharisees, who lost no time but objected at once.

John 1:13 — flesh, nor the will of man, but of God. New birth is a condition of salvation, and it was assumed by John that believers who received the right to become God's children would exercise it by obedience of the gospel, thus being born again (see under John 3:5); and the burden of the thought in this verse is that the new birth is of God, spiritual, and from above, and that it does not derive from Abrahamic descent, that is, "of blood," nor "of the flesh" nor "of the will of man."

John 14:22 — (not Iscariot) saith unto him, Lord, what is come to pass that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Judas (not Iscariot) … Goodspeed identified this Judas thus: Thaddeus, as Judas the son of James is called in Matthew 10:13 and Mark 3:18, is credited to this day in Armenian tradition with having brought the gospel to Armenia with notable success. Edgar J. Goodspeed, The Twelve (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1939), p. 30. Thou wilt manifest … and not unto

Romans 4:12 — that faith of our father Abraham … These words mean "who have an obedient faith like Abraham." Abrahamic faith was not any such thing as faith ONLY, but it was a faith that walked after God's commandments, as pointed out under Romans 4:3; and Gentiles (or others) who would participate in the promise of salvation God gave through Abraham are here identified as those who "walk" in the steps of that faith, which is a way of saying they must have an obedient faith as did Abraham.

2 Thessalonians 3:12 — Now them that are such we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread. We command … See under 2 Thessalonians 3:4 for discussion of this, "In the Lord Jesus Christ …" See under 2 Thessalonians 3:6. That they with quietness work … Things were in a mess at Thessalonica. Moffatt analyzed the trouble thus: The three causes of disquiet at Thessalonica

1 John 5:11 — having exactly the same meaning as a reference to the corporate body of Christians who have believed God's testimony that Jesus is indeed the Son of God, and who have been united with Christ in baptism, being baptized "into him" (Galatians 3:26-27). Neither Paul nor John, however, developed or invented this doctrine. It began with Christ himself (John 15:1-10). In this series, a liberal amount of space was devoted to the discussion of "in Christ" in Romans 3; and a much fuller

1 John 5:14 — ask anything according to his will, he heareth us; And this is the boldness … This is the fourth mention of boldness in this epistle: as pertaining to the judgment in 1 John 2:28; 1 John 4:17, and as pertaining to prayer, here, and in 1 John 3:21-22. In a large degree, the Christian is himself responsible for maintaining a confident and winning attitude, an attitude to which he is fully entitled by the glorious endowments and promises of the faith. It is therefore incumbent upon him to speak