Bible Commentaries

Exodus 20:16 — not to be sworn in, or in some instances, deliberately taking an illegal form of oath that nullified the penalties! Christ superseded this law by another which requires that Christians tell the truth at all times and under all circumstances (Matthew 5:33-37). It is in deference to this that Christians are permitted in courts of law today in this country to "affirm" rather than "swear" as to the truth of their testimony. The principal area of violations concerning this commandment does not concern

Exodus 28:1-5 — This chapter may be captioned, "Garments of the Priesthood." However, the greater part of it deals with the special vestments of the High Priest. There are six paragraphs: (1)    summary of the High Priest's garments (Exodus 28:1-5); (2)    instructions for making the ephod (Exodus 28:6-15); (3)    directions for the breastplate (Exodus 28:16-30), (4)    how the robe was made (Exodus 28:31-35) (5)    the

Obadiah 1:15 — "All the nations" are guilty in the large sense of false and deceitful dealing with the people of God, and there is also a "day of Jehovah for them." "The day of Jehovah" Extended comment upon this was written in my remarks on the Book of Hosea, pp. 157-159 (See Hosea 9:4 ff), where the origin of such a conception was attributed to God Himself, and not to any of the prophets. As regards which prophet first referred to it, Obadiah, "not Joel or Isaiah, first mentioned it."C. F. Keil, op. cit., p. 365.

Zechariah 14:20 — 802. The artificial distinction between the sacred and the secular will be broken down; and everything, even the most common things, such as kitchen utensils, will be recognized as sacred, because all of life is sacred.Clinton R. Gill, op. cit., p. 375. E. Stanley Jones, a popular writer in the first half of this century, pointed out that Christianity greatly expanded the view of what is sacred or not sacred, many ancient errors being denied: (1) There is no sacred sex ("neither male nor female in

Zechariah 5:1-2 — said unto me, What seest thou? And I answered, I see a flying roll; the length thereof is twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof ten cubits." Taking the cubit as a measurement approximately of eighteen inches, the dimensions of the roll were 30 feet X 15 feet. Scholars find these to be equivalent to the dimensions of Solomon's porch, or to the Holy of Holies in the ancient tabernacle; but, when it comes to making any kind of a worthwhile deduction based upon such facts, the commentators who cite them,

Matthew 23:16-22 — deceived. During the great religious wars of the sixteenth century, many a "safe conduct" was violated, even by the highest ranking prelates, by just such a devious intellectual device as that so severely condemned by Christ. See under Matthew 5:33-37.

Matthew 24:3 — John, and Andrew (Mark 13:3); and only these four were present to hear the remarkable discourse which begins with the fourth verse of this chapter.J. W. McGarvey, Commentary on Matthew and Mark (Delight, Arkansas: Gospel Light Publishing Company, 1875), p. 204. Note that there are three questions raised by the disciples: 1.    When shall these things be? 2.    What shall be the sign of thy coming? 3.    What shall be the sign of the end

Matthew 26:50 — is applied to those who, nominally righteous, were yet at variance with the divine will. "Companion" Judas certainly was; friend he was not.The Emphatic Diaglott (Brooklyn, New York: Watchtower Bible and Tract Society), p. 11 (on Matthew 26:50). The command, "Friend do that, etc." indicates that Judas had now passed the point of no return. Having laid the conditions for it, Judas was at that time under the divine compulsion to act out the sordid drama he had already contrived in

Matthew 3:17 — out of the heavens, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Three times, the Holy Scriptures represent God as speaking out of heaven in testimony for Jesus Christ: in this place, on the occasion of the transfiguration (Matthew 17:5), and in John 12:28-30. Voice out of heaven … This passage is a stronghold of the Doctrine of the Trinity. Discernible by man's senses, all three persons of the Godhead appear in this passage. The Son is coming up from the waters of baptism,

Matthew 9:9 — a social outcast. Nothing good was expected of such a person; and, in this call, Jesus showed that the church has a mission to the downtrodden as well as to others. Adam Clarke makes this feast to occur in the house of Matthew, as indicated in Luke 5:29. <footnote.Adam Clarke, Commentary (New York: T. Mason and G. Lane, 1837), Vol. V, p. 109. Publicans were renters of the Roman taxes, an occupation particularly odious to the Jews, and the more so on the part of one of their own race who was thus

Deuteronomy 8:1-5 — order to teach them to rely upon the Lord. Such things as hunger and thirst were used to challenge the people and to discipline them and to train them to look to God for the solution of all their problems. This is exactly the teaching of Hebrews 12:5-11. (The student interested in the subject of "The Lord's Chastening" will find additional material under those verses in our N.T. series of commentaries, Vol. 10.) The purpose of this chastening was beneficent toward man, "That men, humbled so as to

Luke 11:33-36 — perception in his sinful audience, the evil generation which confronted him. Independently of the context, the parable of the lighted lamp has many applications, as already noted elsewhere. This simile of the light also occurs in other contexts, in Matthew 5:15 and Luke 8:16. Some critics are slaves to the superstition that Jesus could have used such a simile as this concerning the light ONLY ONE TIME, which, of course, is ridiculous on the face of it. All great teachers of all ages have used certain key

Romans 16:25-27 — doubtless be a mistake to conclude that the revelation of it is total, even now. Paul himself said of this mystery that it in other generations was not made known unto the sons of men, as it hath now been revealed unto his holy apostles, etc. (Ephesians 3:5). Paul's statement there merely affirms that present knowledge far surpasses former knowledge, the words "as it hath now been revealed" meaning "to the extent that it has now been revealed," and being in no sense a declaration that

Romans 8:28 — last clause, "them that are called according to his purpose." Who are the people who love God? Christ said: If ye love me, ye will keep my commandments. … He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me (John 14:15; John 14:21). Christ's apostles stressed the same truth: This is the love of God, that we keep his commandments (1 John 5:3). This is love, that we should walk after his commandments (2 John 1:6). Them that are called according to his purpose …

Galatians 2:15-16 — twist such a specific gospel passage to implement the false doctrine of faith alone will do anything in the name of translation. Foy. E. Wallace, Jr., A Review of the New Versions (Fort Worth, Texas: The Foy E. Wallace, Jr., Publications, 1973), p. 509. As recently as April, 1974, Professor George Howard, University of Georgia, published a study of "The Faith of Christ" in Expositor Times, pointing out that James Macknight in the 19th century, Gabriel Hebert in 1955, and other great scholars

Philippians 4:2-3 — demanded a reconciliation. Caffin considered the repeated "I exhort" as a probable indication that both ladies were at fault. B. C. Caffin, The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 20, Philippians (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1950), p. 156. True yokefellow … Just who was this? Hewlett allowed that it could have been Luke; H. C. Hewlett, op. cit., p. 479. Wesley made a conjecture that it was Silas; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (Napierville, Illinois:

Hebrews 2:3 — because of: (1) the greatness of the Saviour who achieved it; (2) the greatness of the disaster from which it rescues the sinner; (3) the greatness of the eternal reward in heaven provided by it; (4) the greatness of the Saviour's love that underlies it; (5) the greatness of the adversary who opposes it; (6) the greatness of that multitude who shall receive it; and (7) the greatness of those certainties upon which it is grounded. The contrast in this verse is between the sinners of the Old Testament and

James 5:6 — Ye have condemned, ye have killed the righteous one; he doth not resist you. The righteous one … is an expression used of Christ in a number of New Testament references (Acts 3:14; Acts 7:52; Acts 22:14), and this is clearly the meaning of it here. That James did not specify Christ by name is no problem, because New Testament writers generally were most reluctant to mention by name their own family; and James adhered to this rule, making

2 Peter 3:7 — now are, and the earth, by the same word have been stored up for fire, being reserved against the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. This sequence of destruction, first by water, then by fire, was indicated by Jesus himself in Luke 17:25 ff, and reiterated by Peter in 2 Peter 2:5-6. No blue-print of what will occur is given, merely the bare fact of ultimate destruction by fire. People may choose to disbelieve this if they will! Noah's generation did not believe God either; but those

Revelation 12:5 — birth is not included here would make the passage mean that the woman brought forth his death and resurrection; because the emphatic statements of her pregnancy and her being delivered clearly makes her the achiever of whatever happened in Revelation 12:5. This therefore has to be a reference to Jesus' physical birth in Bethlehem. The consternation of the critical community that John should have produced so short a biography of Jesus is a mystery to this writer; because it is in perfect harmony with