Bible Commentaries

Isaiah 3:16-17 — wanton eyes" Many translators understand this to mean "shameless and immodest behavior" designed to attract men. Peake rendered "ogling eyes" for "wanton "Arthur S. Peake, A Commentary on the Bible, Isaiah (London: T. C. and E. C. Jack, Ltd., 1924). p. 439. eyes. "And will lay bare their secret parts" This was literally the shameful punishment that was given to women convicted of adultery, as described in Nahum 3:5-6 "I will uncover thy skirts upon thy face; and I will show the nations thy nakedness,

Isaiah 35:3-4 — 795. Certainly, the admonition here for the strong to aid and strengthen the weak and fearful has an application to every age of God's people, whether in the Old Testament or the New Testament. New Testament admonitions on this subject are: 1 Corinthians 3:1; Galatians 6:1; Hebrews 5:12-14; and Romans 15:1. That these verses also had a direct application to the Jews of Isaiah's day is certain; for they apply to every age of God's people. The big thing that is promised in this passage is, "Your God will

Isaiah 38:7-8 — astounding miracle, wrought by the power of God himself, a miracle that is in every sense equal to that of Beth-horon (Joshua 10:12-15). All that we wrote in connection with that miracle is also applicable here. See my commentary on Joshua, pp, 110-113. We are not interested in the learned dissertations by men explaining `why they cannot believe this.' Since when did unbelief ever need an explanation? Christ has already explained it. "Men have loved darkness rather than light because their deeds are

Jeremiah 23:28-32 — the heart." Henderson identified three classes of false teachers here: (1) Those who pervert the true Word of God; (2) those who are word merchants, attractive, glib talkers, whose words have a pleasing sound but actually have no solid meaning; and (3) those who specialize in dreams!E. Henderson, The Book of the Prophet Jeremiah (London: Hamilton, Adams, and Company, 1851), p. 137.

Jeremiah 31:32 — covenant which were designed to be valid unless Israel refrained from breaking the covenant. Notice those tremendous "ifs" in Deuteronomy 28:1; Deuteronomy 28:15; Deuteronomy 28:58, etc. See Vol. 4 (Deuteronomy) in my commentaries on the Pentateuch. pp. 305-318. "Salvation is possible only through the death of Christ; and this is the basis of the New Covenant; and all mankind is thus in view in this covenant."Ibid., p. 578. All men of every race and nation are subject to it, with special privileges to

Lamentations 3:13-18 — who he was! "What other person (except Jeremiah) was the cynosure of all eyes as was Jeremiah"?International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (Chicago, Illinois: The Howard-Severance Company, 1915), 1825. He hath broken my teeth with gravel (Lamentations 3:16). This is very likely more metaphor describing Jeremiah's sorrow; but Cheyne thought of it as a literal reference to what happened to the Jews in exile. They had to bake their bread in pits dug in the ground, "And they were obliged to eat bread with

Daniel 12:8-9 — reference to the OLD ISRAEL; but we have known since Jesus Christ that HE, and HE ALONE is the true Israel of God (John 15:1; John 15:5). (2) The expression, "time, and times, and a half a time" could have had no practical meaning whatever for Daniel. (3) The prophecies of knowledge being increased and men going "to and fro" could never have been fully understood by any person living prior to the 20th century! In this connection, one should read 1 Peter 1:10-12, where this phenomenon of the prophets

Hosea 10:12 — that: "This verse is not to be interpreted as an appeal by Hosea to his contemporaries to turn from evil, but as the instructions that were given to Ephraim in the early days… The instructions to Ephraim were not obeyed (as proved by Hosea 10:13)."John Mauchline, op. cit., p. 677. "For it is time to seek Jehovah, till he come and rain righteousness upon you" Full agreement is felt with Butler who cautioned against the efforts of some commentators to construe this passage as a denial that "men

Hosea 11:10 — through whom they would be called by the gospel to peace and protection `in Him.'"Homer Hailey, op. cit., p. 175. Butler also construed this verse as positively Messianic and noted that the roaring lion as a figure of the Lord is like those of Joel 3:16-17 and Amos 1:2, which is, of course, "A sending forth of the gospel from Jerusalem to all those who will hear and become sons of the covenant in the Messianic age."Paul T. Butler, op. cit., p. 552. "The children shall come trembling from the west"

Amos 1:5 — capital; cutting off the inhabitants of Aven indicates their slaughter ([~hikhrith] means to exterminate) and not their deportation; so that captivity in the last clause refers to the remnant of the population not slain in war."C. F. Keil, op. cit., p. 243. "Captivity unto Kir" The Kir has been identified with a river (now the Kar), tributary of the Araxes which flows into the Caspian sea on the southwest.W. J. Deane, op. cit., p. 3. The Syrians were thought to have originally emigrated from that same

Jonah 1:5 — were afraid and cried every man unto his god; and they cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it unto them. But Jonah was gone down into the innermost parts of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep." (See under Jonah 1:3, above, for comments concerning the word for ship as used in this verse.) The word for "mariners" here means "salts," that is sailors of the salt seas; they are usually thought to have been Phoenicians engaged in the corn trade with western Mediterranean

Micah 7:5-6 — a man's enemies are the men of his own house." "Passion and sin break every band of friendship, kindred, gratitude, and nature."Ibid, p. 91. So it was in the times of the gospel persecutions. "A man's foes are they of his own household" (Matthew 10:35-36; Luke 12:53). McKeating observed that these words would be applicable to "any seriously troubled times."Henry McKeating, Cambridge Bible Commentary, Micah (Cambridge: University Press, 1971), p. 189. Certainly, it was the great crisis brought about

Nahum 1:5 — apparently derive from the operation of definite and orderly laws of physics; but it must be remembered that God is the author of such laws, and that upon the occasion of the primeval sin of Adam and Eve, "he cursed the ground for Adam's sake" (Genesis 3:17), that being exactly the occasion when the great Lawgiver structured the laws of man's physical dwelling place in such a manner as to produce throughout the current dispensation the very type of disasters indicated in this paragraph. It should also

Nahum 2:13 — mate and offspring, and with unlimited prey to seize with impunity, the lair is utterly abandoned?"Edward R. Dalglish, op. cit., p. 242. The enigma is answered in the first clause, one of the most important in the prophecy and the one repeated in Nahum 3:5, "I am against thee, saith the Lord of hosts!" This verse identifies the Dasher in pieces of Nahum 2:1; it is God who overthrew Nineveh. He had instruments of course, but the decision for the execution of wrath upon that bloody city was not made in

Habakkuk 2:15 — Christianity. The use of the drink metaphor here is quite significant, for it is continued throughout the word of God, even to the very end of it. Thus the Mystic Babylon is said to make the nations drink of her cup (Revelation 14:8; Revelation 17:2; Revelation 18:3); but God will at last compel wicked Babylon itself to drink of the cup of his wrath. "Double unto her double!" is the way the sentence runs.

Matthew 24:14 — witnessed the truth before "the kings and the Gentiles, and the children of Israel." Paul declared that "The gospel which ye heard … was preached in all creation under heaven; whereof I Paul was made a minister" (Colossians 1:23). The same phenomenon will also occur before the second event, the end of the world. The end of the age is mentioned in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:20) and vividly described by the apostle Peter in 2 Peter 3:1-8. In retrospect, how bold was the

Matthew 27:59-60 — and closed it with this verse. A deist, Jefferson did not believe in the resurrection of Christ. In 1959, this writer visited Monticello, historic residence of Jefferson, an engraving of which appears on the reverse side of the nickel. It was about 3:00 p.m. and some thirty or forty tourists filed into the north dining room, as the afternoon sun was shining on the western windows and producing a perfect luminous cross in the large center panel of glass. That phenomenon was due to the long action

Matthew 4:4 — God." Man shall not live by bread alone, etc. … This has a wealth of significance. Mere physical existence apart from the true life of the spirit is not really LIFE (John 10:10). The quotation Jesus used in this reply is from Deuteronomy 8:3. The Christian should receive as his never-to-be-rejected authority in spiritual matters, the word of God, the word only (Matthew 8:8), every word (Matthew 4:4), and nothing but the word (Matthew 15:9). Note the three places of these temptations, the

Matthew 6:5 — passage with verses following, Christ exposes the entire area of hypocritical and ostentatious prayers. The proper exercise of the privilege of prayer is violated (1) by the choice of an improper place of prayer, (2) by the use of vain repetitions, and (3) by the employment of long and verbose monologue. Each of these violations receives our Lord's specific attention. (1) Improper place for prayer is indicated by "the street corners." How about crowded restaurants and public places? Thanksgiving

Matthew 8:4 — testimony unto them. Mark's account reveals that the leper disobeyed the Lord's command not to publish the matter (Mark 1:44-45). Christ, on several occasions, made similar requests to conceal such miracles. Examples of this are: the blind men (Matthew 9:30), many who were healed (Matthew 12:16), the disciples to whom he was revealed as the Messiah (Matthew 16:20), those healed by the seaside (Mark 3:12), those who saw the healing of the deaf-mute (Mark 7:36), those witnesses of the healing of the blind