Bible Commentaries

Psalms 104:24-30 — of the earth. Apparently Jesus had the same purpose in mind when he spoke of the sparrow, declaring that, "Not one of them shall fall on the ground without your Father" (Matthew 10:29), "and not one of them is forgotten in the sight of God" (Luke 12:6). The deductions that Jesus made from such statements are also important. "Are ye not of more value than many sparrows?" "The very hairs of your head are numbered" Is there really anything that the child of God should worry about?

Psalms 115:14-18 — Israel at that time. "The dead praise not Jehovah" A statement like this is usually the signal for writers to relate how the Hebrews had no hope of a future life; but such a view is untenable. THe Jews did believe in the after-life, as affirmed in Ps. 16:9-11; 17:15; 49:15; 73:23,34 and in Isaiah 26:19, and in many other direct statements and allusions in the Old Testament. See our comments on all those references. "Too often this verse is made the substance of a supposed Old Testament view of death,

Psalms 147:1-6 — Yahweh for his goodness and sweetness in rebuilding Jerusalem and restoring her people (Psalms 147:1-3). Though he numbers and names the stars as their sovereign Lord, He interposes on behalf of his afflicted people against their enemies (Psalms 147:4-6).International Critical Commentary, Vol. II, p. 532. "Praise ye Jehovah; For it is good to sing praises unto our God; For it is pleasant, and praise is comely. For Jehovah doth build up Jerusalem; He gathereth together the outcasts of Israel. He healeth

Psalms 84:1-4 — from the love of God, no man has any sure anchor; but those who truly seek God and faithfully strive to serve him have laid hold upon the hope `in Christ,' "a hope both sure and stedfast and which enters into that which is within the veil" (Hebrews 6:19). "The sparrow… and the swallow" Small birds had built nests in the temple area, perhaps in crevices and small niches within the temple itself; but the mention of `altars' cannot be taken as a place where such nests were built. Daily fires

Proverbs 9:13-18 — the grave. And every man makes his choice of which he shall patronize. Keil noted that, "Folly is here the incarnation of worldly lust."C. F. Keil, Keil-Delitzsch's Old Testament Commentaries (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company), Vol. 6, p. 172. The description of this evil woman stresses her ignorance, noisiness, aggressiveness and persuasiveness. She diligently advocates the sin which she covets. "She knoweth nothing" The text here is a little uncertain, and the RSV reads it, "The

Ecclesiastes 12:14 — more positive statement of the Biblical doctrine of the Eternal Judgment is to be found nowhere else in the Old Testament. The fact of God's eventual judgment of the whole world is a cardinal principle of Christianity, one of the fundamentals (Hebrews 6:2). This announcement of it at the end of Solomon's book makes it a climax. It could very well have been that his conviction of this certainty was the very thing that finally brought him to his senses. Delitzsch agreed with this. "This certainty of

Isaiah 17:1-6 — of the Arnon overlooking its deep gorge, and (2) the one before `Rabbah' (Joshua 13:25, KJV)."K. A. Kitchen, New Bible Dictionary, p. 85. A third city of the same name was "in the Negeb (Negeb: southland) 12 miles south-east of Beersheba."Ibid., p. 86. Of course, what is meant by a reference like this is that all of the cities and villages that would be traversed by the invaders from Assyria would be treated to the "scorched earth" policy of warring nations in antiquity. All of the cities of Jerusalem,

Isaiah 27:2-6 — Christ our Lord. "In the end of the age there will be occasion for a counterpart to the Mournful Vineyard song of Isaiah. Redeemed Israel will be the vineyard that a holy God may properly protect from its foes."Wycliffe Old Testament Commentary, p. 627. The mention of God's watering and caring for the vineyard is the same promise found in Matthew 28:18-20. The text in this portion of the chapter has suffered somewhat, and many have pointed out that it is very difficult in places. Gleason's rendition

Isaiah 29:13-16 — worship of God that falls into the pattern of what is condemned here. "Their religion had become a mere formality."Broadman Bible Commentary (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1971), p. 275. Jesus Christ reiterated the thought here in Matthew 15:8-9; Mark 7:6-7. "Your fear of me is a commandment of men" This describes a situation in which religious teachers had usurped the place of God. Even morality is determined and founded upon human opinions, rather than upon the Word of God. This always results in a

Isaiah 5:3-7 — people was certain to be in that situation. Next, notice the dramatic shift to the first person on the part of the prophet. Why? Isaiah was God's mouthpiece here and was speaking for God Himself. Notice the promise to "command the clouds" in Isaiah 5:6. Only God could do that. At that point, no doubt, the more discerning of Isaiah's hearers had begun to understand; but then the prophet hit them squarely with the full, literal, unvarnished truth in Isaiah 5:7. God indeed had planted the vineyard which

Isaiah 60:4-9 — bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, for the name of Jehovah thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee." Douglas pointed out vocabulary correspondence in Isaiah 2:2-4; Isaiah 11:12; Isaiah 21:16-17; Isaiah 9:4; Isaiah 10:26; Isaiah 2:6-22; and in Isa. 23:1,6.10,18),Ibid., pp. 392,393. with this paragraph. The same author pinpointed such correspondence throughout these last twenty-seven chapters with earlier chapters in Isaiah, making it a practical

Ezekiel 30:10-12 — against Egypt: "Egypt's Day of the Lord is a day of doom (Ezekiel 30:9), a day of clouds (Ezekiel 30:3), a dark day in her history. The masses would fear as Egypt's proud strength ceases before the sword of Nebuchadnezzar. Many would be slain (Ezekiel 30:6; Ezekiel 30:10-11; Ezekiel 30:13; Ezekiel 30:18). Not even a prince (leader) would be left in the country (Ezekiel 30:13). Many idolatrous statues of the Egyptian gods would be destroyed or carried away in the Babylonian quest for victory and wealth.

Ezekiel 39:25-29 — "These verses also form a fitting conclusion to the whole prophecy of Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1-39) down to this point."Footnote is not available "I have poured out my Spirit upon the house of Israel" This promise had already been conveyed to Israel in Ezek. 6:27 and in Ezekiel 37:14, also in Joel 2:28 and Zechariah 12:10; and, "The citation of Joel's words by Peter on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:17) prove that he regarded the remarkable effusion of the Holy Spirit upon that day as a fulfillment of the promise

Amos 6:2 — could hardly be a threat, "Since it is fairly certain that Calneh and Hamath did not fall until after Amos' ministry."Ibid., p. 120. The mention of Gath in this place also proves that the omission of that city from the list of those enumerated in Amos 1:6-8, could not be interpreted as proof that Gath no longer existed when Amos wrote. (See the notes on those passages.) The writers who insist upon the other interpretation, which is manifestly false, are evidently doing so in order to use the passage

Micah 4:2 — go forth from Jerusalem in the new dispensation, confirming exactly what is reiterated again, and again by the sacred writers of the New Testament who referred to the gospel as "the precious law of liberty" (James 2:12), "the perfect law" (James 1:26), "the royal law" (James 2:8), "the law of faith" (Romans 3:27), "the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:2), "the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2), and "not being without law… but under law to Christ" (1 Corinthians 9:21). No

Malachi 3:2 — application. At the final judgment, the New Testament prophet foretold that mighty men would hide in the caves and rocks of the mountains for terror, giving as the reason, "For the great day of their wrath has come, and who shall be able to stand?" (Revelation 6:17). In this connection, one should read again the startling prophecy of Amos 5:18-20. The notion that Malachi here refined and reduced the severity of Amos' prophecy is wrong. The passages are supplementary, not contradictory. "Refiner's fire" The

Matthew 27:51 — their tasks with lighted lamps, with a very large number of them present; and it is from this group of eyewitnesses to that remarkable wonder that we may suppose is the explanation of why such a large "company of the priests believed" (Acts 6:7), being later converted to Christ. One may only imagine the fear and awe which attended the rending of that veil, witnessed by so many priests, busy with their lanterns, apprehensive of the enveloping darkness, and eventually associating the event

Luke 13:31 — … The Greek word used here means, literally, "she-fox," an epithet described by Spence as "perhaps the bitterest and most contemptuous name ever given by the pitiful Master to any of the sons of men."H. D. M. Spence, op. cit., p. 6. By choice of a feminine word, Jesus might have intended a reference to Herodias, Herod's consort, whose wicked influence had caused the murder of John the Baptist. Childers noted that the Greek word for "fox" is basically a feminine noun,

Romans 10:10 — receive." No Greek scholar on earth would deny this. Attention is here called to two other New Testament passages where the same [eis] is involved: This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many UNTO remission of sins (Matthew 26:28). Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ UNTO the remission of your sins (Acts 2:38). Putting the sense of these Scriptures in view together, we have this: blood of the covenant (Christ's blood) ) ( remission of sins

Colossians 1:15 — two major sections: THE SUPREMACY OF THE LORD JESUS CHRISTA. IN CREATIONB. IN REDEMPTION15 Who is the image of the invisible God18 He is the head of the body, the church:The firstborn of all creation;who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead;16 For in him were all things created,That in all things he might have preeminence.In the heavens and the earth, things visible and things invisible19 For it was the good pleasure of the Father that in him should all the fulness dwell;Whether thrones or