Bible Commentaries

Genesis 47 overview — Goshen. (3)    Jacob himself had an audience with Pharaoh (Genesis 47:7-10). (4)    Israel's settlement in Goshen was accomplished (Genesis 47:11-12). (5)    Money in Egypt became exhausted (Genesis 47:13-14). (6)    Cattle and herds traded for food (Genesis 47:15-17). (7)    Their lands and their persons bartered for food (Genesis 47:18-20). (8)    All land becomes property of the king, and the people

Psalms 21 overview — treat such efforts with the contempt which they deserve. "The Davidic kingship was consciously acknowledged from early times as a figure of the true… and the Messianic expectation is rightly found here."The New Bible Commentary, Revised, p. 463. Furthermore, there is a great deal of the language in this Psalm which cannot in the wildest employment of the imagination be ascribed to anyone else except the Messiah. Structurally, there are three divisions of the Psalm: (1) Psalms 21:1-7; (2)

Psalms 38 overview — PRAYER OF A SUFFERING PENITENT The chapter heading here is the one found in the superscription, which also names David as the author. As Delitzsch observed: "The occasion was David's adultery (2 Samuel 12:14); and Psalms 6; Psalms 38; Psalms 51; and Psalms 32 form a chronological series. Here, David is distressed both in mind and in body, forsaken by his friends, and regarded by his foes as one who is cast off forever. The fire of divine anger burns within him like a

Psalms 65 overview — exact distance of the moon from our planet, the exact angle of the earth's tilted inclination upon its axis, etc. All such marvelous providential arrangements of the earth are dramatically stated in this psalm, "Thou hast so prepared the earth" (Psalms 65:9). The assignment of the psalm to David in the superscription is denied by many scholars who admit at the same time that they have no idea who wrote it; and we continue to remain unimpressed with that kind of `information.' The grounds upon which

Leviticus 27 overview — The nature of this last chapter has led some to question the appropriateness of its placement in this context. Leviticus 26:46 appears to be the logical end of the book, and that makes this chapter to appear somewhat as an afterthought. It should be remembered, however, that Moses did not write five books; he wrote only one, not even dividing it into chapters. Such things

Leviticus 3 overview — "uncertain."Bernard J. Bamberger, The Torah, A Modern Commentary (New York: Union of Hebrew Congregations, 1979), p. 22. Coleman rendered it, "The sacrifice of unity, or completeness";Robert O. Coleman, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1962), p. 89. Keil thought it more correctly rendered, "saving-offering."C. F. Keil, Commentary on the Old Testament, Vol. 1 (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company), p. 298. Despite such opinions, we agree with Meyrick that, "No name is more

John 13:31 — glorified both himself and the Father with whom he was one. Far from cowering before the blackness of the gathering storm, Jesus sent the traitor to perform the act that would trigger its release. The storm would not come, as the Pharisees planned (Matthew 26:1-5), after the passover was ended, but in the midst of it; because Jesus, not the Pharisees, was the architect of those awful events. Jesus would be glorified in the fulfillment of his sacred mission of salvation; mankind would be redeemed; the prophecies

John 16:33 — authority, and effectiveness. He had indeed overcome the world! According to Dummelow, "overcome" actually means "conquered." He said: See the sublime vision in the Revelation, where Christ goes forth conquering and to conquer (Revelation 6:2). The victory of Christ over the world, and the victory of believers through that victory, are favorite themes of the Fourth Evangelist. J. R. Dummelow, op. cit., p. 803. The marvelous words of this extensive discourse of Jesus are matched by the

John 6:28-29 — and unmerited favor, was nevertheless a system with works of its own, works of a far different nature from the law, but still "works of faith," for Christ said in this verse: "Work for the food that abides unto eternal life" (John 6:27). This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent … In all the New Testament, there is not a more instructive verse than this which designates faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as a work performed by men, but also in the ultimate

John 6:45 — not first heard the word of God; and it is therefore concluded that all who are converted are converted by the word of God. The doctrine imported into this place and which is here rejected was enunciated thus by Hendriksen: It is not true that John 6:45 cancels, or at least weakens John 4:44. The expression, It is written in the prophets, And they shall all be taught of God, does not in any sense whatever place in the hands of men the power to accept Jesus as Lord.William Hendriksen, op. cit., p.

Acts 10:34-35 — a pattern, it was, nevertheless, Peter's eye-witness account of experiences and information in which he had participated personally. As Paul noted, "the greater part (of those witnesses and participants) remain until now" (1 Corinthians 15:6). If one wishes to know what the [@kerygma] really was, let him read the New Testament; it is the [@kerygma]! Before passing to a consideration of the rest of Peter's speech, an event, the chronology of which is given in the next chapter, should be

Acts 12:6 — worthy member of the sacred Twelve, one of the most glorious characters earth ever knew. It was his condition in Herod's prison that is referred to here. Note the following: Peter was a captive … all sinners are captives of Satan (2 Timothy 2:24-26). He was guarded … Satan likes to stand watch over his victims to prevent their escape. Every Bible teacher knows that as soon as some young person has learned enough to obey the gospel and is ready to be baptized, someone over in another part

1 Corinthians 13:2 — heart made him an enemy of God (John 11:51; Numbers 24:1 ff; Numbers 31:8). All faith so as to remove mountains… While true enough that removing mountains was a well-known Jewish metaphor for solving difficult problems (see Matthew 17:20; Luke 17:6, especially the comment in my Commentary on Luke, pp. 370-371), it is clearly the miraculous manifestation of faith that is meant here. As Wesley said, "This means the highest degree of miracle-working faith." John Wesley, One Volume New Testament

2 Corinthians 5:17 — only thing that could account for the total absence from the writings of so many scholars of any reference whatever to this little prepositional phrase which is nothing if not THE VERY EYE OF CHRISTIANITY. Paul used this expression, or its equivalent, 169 times! John McKay, God's Order (New York: Macmillan Company, 1953), p. 67. Failure to appreciate what Paul means by this is to misunderstand everything. Paul had just written that all people are dead spiritually, a deadness that shall never abate unless

2 Corinthians 7:11 — manifests. What fear … refers to the holy fear of God and reverence for his sacred word. Yea what longing … is a reference to that hungering and thirsting after righteousness, mentioned by the Saviour in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:6). Yea what zeal … True repentance always results in the multiplication of Christian works; and the conversion of the Corinthians had inspired all of them to redoubled participation in the work of the Lord. Yea what avenging … There is

Philippians 3:2 — dogs!" As Foy E. Wallace, Jr., said, "This is an example of ruining the language and literary quality of the Scriptures." Foy E. Wallace, Jr., A Review of the New Versions (Fort Worth, Texas: The Foy E. Wallace, Jr., Publications, 1973), p. 446. "Beware" is a far better word in this place than "look out for." Dogs … evil workers … concision … Many believe that these are not three classes of enemies but three designations of one class, that class being

1 Timothy 1:20 — that "the resurrection was passed already," this would have led to the exercise of all kinds of sins in the church. "That suggests that they were antinomians, teaching that believers should continue in sin that grace may abound (Romans 6:1). F. F. Bruce, Answers to Questions (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1972), p. 113.

Hebrews 4:3 — again strikes at the tragic failure of Israel who, though entering Canaan, did not in fact enter into God's rest, in the higher and better sense of becoming a holy nation of righteous and devoted worshipers of God, as God had commanded them (Exodus 19:3-6); but on the other hand, they rebelled against God time and again; they rejected the theocracy, demanded a king like the nations around them, worshipped idols, oppressed the poor, and even made their children pass through the fire to Molech! Thus, while

James 5:13 — 1972), p. 107. For those interested in pursuing the subject further, the scholarly work of J. W. Roberts settles the question completely. "Nothing in the context indicates a meaning other than that of vocal music." J. W. Roberts, op. cit., p. 163. No matter what the "original meaning" of [@psallo] might have been, the instrument to be "plucked" is given in the sacred text; and it is not a mechanical instrument, but the human voice. God's church is a singing church. As early

2 Peter 1:11 — nor any disappointment with reference to it; but, as Payne said, "It may have been avoided (the reference to the kingdom) for fear that Gentiles would misrepresent it and view Christian teaching as seditious." David F. Payne, op. cit., p. 601. Of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ … Caffin pointed out that there is an exact "correspondence of the Greek words here with those used in 2 Peter 1:1," B. C. Caffin, op. cit., p. 6. making a very strong argument for the rendition