Bible Commentaries

Genesis 8:20-22 — the marvelous deliverance that God had provided for him and his. "Burnt-offering" We find agreement with Unger that such sacrifices were not first initiated by Moses, but "that they were instituted from the Fall of man."Merrill F. Unger, op. cit., p. 43. "And Jehovah smelled the sweet savor" The Hebrew word for God here is not [~'Elohiym] but [~Yahweh], as frequently used in connection with God's covenant actions and in exhibitions of His grace.Ibid.,, p. 44. Such name changes in the references to

2 Kings 17 overview — places. Our theory is that if God can't see them anymore, men might as well stop looking for them. Many of the false theories about the present-day "discoveries" of the lost tribes are founded upon an obscure reference from an uncanonical book (Esdras 13:29-47).The Interpreter's Bible, Vol. 3, p. 279. (2)    Hoshea was the last king of Israel, and he reigned only about nine years, and all of that as an Assyrian vassal (2 Kings 17:3). Shalmaneser IV the son of Tiglath-pileser discovered

1 Chronicles 2:1-55 — These are the Kenites that came of Hammath, the father of the house of Rechab." Although there is a great deal of new material in this chapter (1 Chronicles 2:25-41), other scriptures parallel much of it: "1 Chronicles 2:1-2 are parallel with Genesis 35:22 b-26 and Exodus 1:1-6. 1 Chronicles 2:3-4 are in Gen. 38:2-7,29f; 46:12a, and Numbers 26:18 f. 1 Chronicles 2:5 appears in Genesis 46:12 b; Numbers 26:21; Ruth 4:18. 1 Chronicles 2:6-8 are related to Joshua 7:1; 1 Kings 5:11. 1 Chronicles 2:9-17

Nehemiah 5:6-13 — skillful handling to the situation, "He avoided personally alienating the rulers and nobles, who after all were the leaders of the community, and the men upon whom he relied for the support of his administration."Wycliffe Bible Commentary, op. cit., p. 239. "Then I consulted with myself" This means that Nehemiah disciplined himself in the control of his anger. He carefully laid the plans by which he would put an end to their abuses. "Ye exact usury, every man of his brother" This was a heartless violation

Leviticus 8:31-36 — following their being sacrificed, but in this case, there was a day by day burning of all portions left over. That was perhaps due to the fact that a fresh supply would be provided daily for the whole seven-day ceremony. "And there eat it" (Leviticus 8:31). Just as there was something the ancient priests of Israel were commanded to eat, so it is with Christians. They ate of the flesh of the sacrifice, and Christians must eat of the "flesh and the blood" of the Great Sacrifice, even that of Christ (John

Song of Solomon 3:6-11 — heart." We have encountered all kinds of explanations that scholars have applied to these verses. (1)    "The maiden's meeting with Solomon and her subsequent removal to the harem are related here."Broadman Bible Commentary, op. cit., p. 138. Question: How can this be reconciled with the clear statements in Song of Solomon 1 that the maiden is already in the harem? (2)    "It is not clear whether this journey of Solomon depicted here is 'to Jerusalem,' or "to the residence

Jeremiah 21:1-2 — son of Malchijah" This was not the same as the Pashhur of the previous chapter. One was the son of Immer, and the other the son of Malchijah. Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah" This man was the successor of Jehoida the priest (Jeremiah 29:25-26; Jeremiah 37:3 and Jeremiah 52:24). "He ranked second to the High Priest, was slain by Nebuchadnezzar at Riblah; and both he and Pashhur opposed Jeremiah's views."Charles Lee Feinberg in Ezekiel (Chicago: Moody Press), p. 506. They were probably the ones who persuaded

Jeremiah 49:19-22 — place, and took those Jews that were there (the ones who were led away after the death of Gedaliah) captive."Flavius Josephus' Antiquities, The Life and Works of Flavius Josephus, translated by William Whiston (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston), p. 313. Despite the fact of Josephus' having not mentioned Edom specifically here, the nations all around him were mentioned; and the words all these nations undoubtedly included Edom also. However, the complete fulfillment of the prophecy against Edom did

Numbers 16:1-3 — rebellion, a fact inherent in his name's appearance here at the head of the narrative, but, as in every rebellion in all ages, there must of necessity have been others besides the leader who associated with it. Despite the plural "they" in Numbers 16:3, it was Korah who took the 250 princes (Numbers 16:2); and Dathan and Abiram, the dissident Reubenites, are mentioned as satellites and subordinates. True, Moses, in Deuteronomy 11:6, mentioned what God "did to Dathan and Abiram," with no mention of

Haggai 1:1 — MESSAGE "Darius the king" This was Darius the Great of Persia, also called Darius Hystaspes, after the name of his father. He reigned over the Medo-Persian Empire from 522-486 B.C.Homer Hailey, Minor Prophets (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1972, p. 302. He continued the benevolent policies that had characterized the reign of Cyrus who issued the original order for the rebuilding of the Temple and the return of the Jewish captives to Jerusalem. "In the sixth month, in the first day of the month"

Zechariah 13:7 — ones." Here we are on solid ground. Christ said to the apostles on the occasion of his Passion: "All ye shall be offended in me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad" (Matthew 26:31; Mark 14:27). It is the proximity of this certain prophecy of Christ to Zechariah 13:6, above, which lends some credibility to the understanding of a prophecy of our Lord there; also, there is the oft-repeated indication that this entire section is

Matthew 13:31-32 — the branches thereof. III. The Parable of the Mustard Seed This and the parable of the leaven which immediately followed it constitute a pair with these similarities: (1) both stress the small beginning of the kingdom; (2) its gradual increase, and (3) the extensiveness later attained. Comparison of a great kingdom to a tree was not new. Daniel 4:10-12 and Ezekiel 31:3-9 reveal similar analogies. The mustard seed may be viewed as the word of God, or Christ himself, who is the Word (John 1:1). Clement

Deuteronomy 28:58-68 — until the promise to the patriarchs was fulfilled, they were, of course, protected against annihilation by God's providence, but they remained "without king, without prince, without sacrifice, and without pillar, and without ephod or teraphim" (Hosea 3:4), and in that new and humble status Israel "sat still for God many days" (Hosea 3:3). Many current scholars think that the restoration of a secular nation called "Israel," in the days of President Truman, is in some manner a sign that God has received

Mark 5:20 — came into the world to destroy the works of the devil, and here was an outstanding example of it. (2) Jesus must choose for all men the area of the service they will render to his name; the man here was denied his request and given another assignment. (3) Men frequently need to begin at home the work of bringing others to Christ. (4) Men should beware of permitting purely secular interests to dominate their thinking. This wretched village made a choice which probably resulted in the eternal death of

Romans 1:8 — establishing the faith of Christ in great world-centers like Corinth, Ephesus, and Antioch. My God … Paul's use of the possessive pronoun here was not unusual, the same construction appearing in 1 Corinthians 1:4; 2 Corinthians 12:21; Philippians 1:3; Philippians 4:19; and Philemon 1:4. Old Testament precedent is "The Lord is my shepherd" (Psalms 23:1). And yet none of the apostles ever wrote, "My Father," an expression which our Saviour evidently reserved for himself alone,

Romans 10:10 — 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 repentance and baptism ) [@eis] ( remission of sins man believeth ) ( righteousness confession is made ) ( salvation) Thus,

Romans 8:9 — simple! Man, by the very nature of his creation, is free only to the extent of being able to choose between good and evil, between God and Satan. There are not ten thousand ways, but only two. Jesus called them the narrow way and the broad way (Matthew 7:13-14). But that glorious right of decision makes all the difference. It is the most priceless endowment of life on earth. Man was created in God's image; and, although sin has eroded and defaced the sacred likeness, enough divinity remains in every man,

1 Corinthians 11:34 — LORD'S SUPPER The central ordinance of Christianity is the Lord's Supper, standing in a metaphor as a summary of the whole Christian religion: "Except ye eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of man ye have no life in you" (John 6:53). See my Commentary on John, pp. 186-188. The nature of this precious rite is discerned in seven words, as follows: 1.    Retrospective. It looks back to Calvary, bringing to the worshiper's mind the night of betrayal, agony, blood

Colossians 1:15 — absolutely correct in the declaration that in these words, "Paul is saying that Jesus Christ is none other than God Himself." G. Campbell Morgan, An Exposition of the Holy Bible (Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1959), p. 379. He even went further and said that "'firstborn' is equivalent to `only begotten,' and is a Jewish technical term meaning `uncreated' Ibid. Why, then did Paul use these particular words here? Image … God created Adam in his own image (Genesis

Revelation 6:1-2 — intensive study of it; and the symbol (the white horse and its rider) which dominates these two verses was identified by him with "The Christ". William Hendriksen, More than Conquerors (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1956), p. 113. Although disagreeing with it, Bruce admitted that this "is the long established interpretation"; F. F. Bruce, op. cit., p. 644. "many think this"; J. R. Dummelow, Commentary on the Holy Bible (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1937),