Bible Commentaries

Psalms 141:1-4 — iniquity: And let me not eat of their dainties." This is not the usual kind of prayer for protection from enemies. "It is more spiritual in that he seeks God's help to overcome the temptation about him."Wycliffe Old Testament Commentary, Old Testament, p. 548. Halley also stressed this, writing that, "It is another of David's prayers for protection against being driven himself to sin."Henry H. Halley's Bible Handbook (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House), p. 249 "Let my prayer be as incense…

Proverbs 2:16-19 — truth appears to be that. "The strange woman here is any meretricious person who indulges in illicit sex."The Pulpit Commentary, op. cit., p. 40. (This is the first of several warnings against adultery in the book of Proverbs; others are in Proverbs 5:3-23; Proverbs 6:20-35; Proverbs 7:1-27; Proverbs 9:13-18). The thing that amazes this writer is that the author of these instructions was himself the most fantastic violator of these warnings ever known. "Some Jewish commentators personify the strange

Proverbs 26:3-12 — is more hope of a fool than of him." Here we have a variation in Proverbs, a collection of verses regarding a single subject. The subject here is fools. Apparently Hezekiah's men, who sought out these proverbs from the writings of Solomon (Proverbs 25:1), decided to classify them! This subject was apparently one of Solomon's favorites, We have already discussed this subject under the following verses: Proverbs 10:8; Proverbs 10:13-14; Proverbs 10:23; Proverbs 12:1; Proverbs 12:8; Proverbs 12:15;

Ecclesiastes 7:13-14 — pessimist."International Critical Commentary, op. cit., p. 141, "Who can make that straight which he (God) hath made crooked" This means that, "No one can change, with a view to improving it, what God has determined shall be."The Interpreter's Bible, Vol. 5, p. 65. "Man shall not find out anything that shall be after him" The underlined words here are not in the Hebrew; and we have often observed when the translators add that many words, even including verbs expressing the future tense, it is very probable

Ecclesiastes 7:26-29 — only have I found: that God made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions." "I have found more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets" This is fully in harmony with what Solomon had written in Proverbs 2:14; Proverbs 5:3-4, etc. "Solomon himself had experienced much bitterness from the sin and misery into which women can lead their victims."The Pulpit Commentary, op. cit., p. 165. In this verse, however, he is speaking particularly of the wicked woman described repeatedly

Ecclesiastes 7:8-10 — it. "The statement here is not a repetition of Ecclesiastes 7:1, but states a truth generally applicable to certain situations. The end is better, because at that time we can form a right judgment about a matter."The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 9b, p. 158. "Of course, this proverb is too pessimistic to be true without qualifications."International Critical Commentary, op. cit., p. 140. In fact Solomon gave two proverbs in which this is not true, namely, in Proverbs 5:4 and in Proverbs 23:32. "Be not

Ecclesiastes 8:6-8 — future that causes him misery, unless he gives himself over to anxiety and worry because of it. It is the glory of the New Testament revelation that men are relieved of all considerations that should result in their worrying and anxiety. (Matthew 6:25-34; 1 Peter 5:7). "But Solomon did not know God and did not know the hope that Christians have about the future."Don Blazer, Life Is Worth Living, p. 75. The Christian may face the future with confidence and hope. Oh, to be sure, we do not know what

Song of Solomon 1:5-7 — Thus she could not keep her "own vineyard." What did she mean by that? "My own vineyard have I not kept" Bunn interpreted this to mean that, "The Shulamite had not kept her own chastity."Broadman Bible Commentary (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1972), Vol. 5, p. 133. Cook saw it as a reference to, "the care and cultivation of her own beauty."Barnes' Notes on the Old Testament, op. cit., Song of Solomon, p. 123. Pope affirmed that, "The reference is to the maiden's body, especially her sexual parts."The

Isaiah 24:4-6 — transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are found guilty: therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left." Isaiah 24:5 here explains the reason why such terrible things are in store for the earth and its inhabitants. The inhabitants themselves are declared "guilty." They have: (1) transgressed God's laws, and (2) they are specifically guilty of breaking the everlasting

Isaiah 37:8-13 — city that had supplied the kings of Damascus, of whom Amos prophesied that, "God would cut off the inhabitants from the valley of Aven, and him that holdeth the scepter from the house of Eden; and the people of Syria shall go into captivity" (Amos 1:5). The Assyrian kings indeed had been God's instrument in the fulfillment of Amos' prophecy. Kelley noticed that this message was delivered both orally and by letter,Broadman Bible Commentary (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1971), p. 292. that being apparently

Isaiah 55:6-8 — "Forsake the wicked way," "Forsake unrighteous thoughts," - there are twenty of these in the first seven verses! It is as if God is standing and screaming for men to heed his word and be saved. The balance of the chapter, and beginning right here in Isaiah 55:7, is devoted to the reasons why men should heed the Divine call to repentance, there being five of these: (1) "God will abundantly pardon" (Isaiah 55:7). (2) "My thoughts are not your thoughts," etc., (Isaiah 55:8). (3) A third for introduces this

Jeremiah 28:12-17 — instances in which the discernible shadow of the Pentateuch lies over every single subsequent word in the holy Bible. As Harrison pointed out, this sudden death of Hananiah is similar to the deaths of "Pelatiah (Ezekiel 11:13) and Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11)."R. K. Harrison, Jeremiah in the Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, p. 131. Most current commentators treat this and the preceding two chapters as a single unit, which indeed they are; but we prefer to deal with all of these chapters as units

Jeremiah 46:27-28 — obligations in the project, must be ranked as the Greatest Miracle of All Time. "These two verses are a repetition of Jeremiah 30:10-11, with those variations which Jeremiah always made when quoting himself."Barnes' Notes (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House), p. 257. Keil noted that, "This promise of salvation for Israel, coming at the close of this prophecy of the judgment on Egypt, is similar to the promise of salvation to Israel inserted in the threat against Babylon (Jeremiah 50:4-7; Jeremiah 51:5-6; Jeremiah

Jeremiah 8:4-7 — know not the law of Jehovah." "Turn away… and not return" "Five times in this and the following verse the text uses variations of the Hebrew term [~shuwb]: `turn away, return' in Jeremiah 8:4, `turned away, backsliding, and return' in Jeremiah 8:5."Anthony L. Ash, Psalms (Abilene, Texas: A.C.U. Press, 1987), p. 100. "Perpetual backsliding" The meaning here is that, "It is too late for Israel to repent. The nation is incorrigible in her apostasy. Judah shows no desire to repent but holds tenaciously

Ezekiel 18:5-9 — Ezekiel (Moody Press), p. 100. "And hath not eaten upon the mountains" Such scholars as May and Eichrodt agree that this passage should be translated, "If he doth not eat flesh with the blood."WE, p. 231, and H. G. May in The Interpreter's Bible, p. 158. The importance of this lies in the fact that the very first identification mark of the righteous man is that he respects the ceremonial requirements of the Law of Moses. Since the "eating upon the mountains" where the idol worship took place almost

Hosea 1:1 — Israel." "Word of Jehovah unto Hosea" It would be far better to translate through Hosea here, instead of unto Hosea. Of course, scholars are divided on this; but, as Ward pointed out, "Through Hosea is the correct meaning of the preposition,"Ibid., p. 5. thus making it clear that the word given in this prophecy is the Word of God, and not merely the word of Hosea. Nothing is known either of Hosea or his father Beeri, except the information that may be derived from the prophecy itself. "Uzziah, Jotham,

Hosea 6:4 — people's response (Hosea 6:1-3). "It implies the will of God to do something about the impossible religious situation into which the nation has maneuvered herself."Jacob M. Myers, The New Layman's Bible Commentary, Vol. 14 (Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1959), p. 33. There also appears in the plaintive words, "What shall I do unto thee?" a measure of frustration, even upon the part of God Himself in his long and fruitless efforts to produce any lasting goodness in the "chosen people." Isaiah also mentioned

Hosea 9:7 — The prophet and seer in view here are therefore false. As Hailey said, "The deceitfulness of the false prophet and the iniquity of the people go hand in hand."Homer Harley, Commentary on the Minor Prophets (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1972), p. 165. We believe that the finding of scholars to the effect that these words represent some kind of audience response to the denunciations of the prophet is incorrect. The words here are not the denunciation of the true prophet by the Ephraimites, but the

Nahum 1:3 — to be guilty. "God's enemies" (Nahum 1:8) are those who have revolted from him. "Plotters of evil" (Nahum 1:9; Nahum 1:11) are those who plan and execute evil. "The vile" (Nahum 1:14) are they who have sunken into bestiality. "The wicked" (Nahum 1:15) are the vicious and reprobate. "The plunderers" (Nahum 2:2) are the cruel, heartless spoilers. "The dishonest" (Nahum 3:1) are the covenant breakers and thieves. "The rapacious" (Nahum 3:1) are destroyers and exploiters of the innocent. "The insatiable

Luke 3:3 — apostles of Christ (Paul excepted) and was the only baptism in force until Pentecost. Those baptized by John and who followed on to receive the Spirit of Christ experienced the new birth, being born of water and of the Spirit, as Jesus commanded (John 3:1-5). Significantly, the new birth, which requires a birth of water (baptism) and a birth of the Spirit (receiving the Holy Spirit as promised in Acts 2:38), could not be experienced until after Jesus was risen from the dead (John 7:39). From this it is