Bible Commentaries

Genesis 21:1-7 — is foolish to seek variant sources on such details as whether the father or the mother bestowed the name on a new child, because in a number of instances, God Himself gave the name, as was true both of Isaac (Genesis 17:19), and of Ishmael (Genesis 16:11). "Circumcised … when he was eight days old" This continued ever afterward as the invariable custom of the Jews; but the Arabians who descended through Ishmael observe the rite at the beginning of the 13th year, as it was initiated in the

Genesis 3:15 — his heel." Many scholars cannot recognize this as the great Protoevangelium of the O.T., which of course, it surely is. Their blindness is due to their failure to recognize that the key to understanding the O.T. is Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 3:15-16). The terminology of this verse is such that it cannot apply to anything in heaven or upon earth except the long spiritual conflict between Christ and Satan. "Between thee and the woman" Woman here stands for the whole of Adam's race, a point emphasized

Genesis 34:25-29 — city of Shechem and had come out completely victorious, at least in their own estimation. They might have even considered their great victory as an evidence of the blessing of God."Henry M. Morris, The Genesis Record (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1976), p. 515. Regardless of what they might have thought, however, God was sorely displeased with their wicked behavior, and by inspiration, Israel (Jacob) on his deathbed remembered and reprobated their malicious evil (Genesis 48:5-6).

Genesis 34:8-12 — the consequences of their sins. This chapter stresses that truth: "Shechem was killed, along with his father; Dinah was left broken-hearted and defiled; Jacob was forced to leave a profitable business; and his guilty sons bore his curse (Genesis 49:5-6). Yet God's redemptive plan moved on."Ibid.

Genesis 4:7 — for "sin" in this passage means "sin offering, a common meaning of the word in Scripture, as in Hosea 4:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21; and Hebrews 9:28."Robert Jamieson, Jamieson, Faussett, and Brown's Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1961), p. 21. This understanding of the passage is ancient. Clement of Rome, quoting the Septuagint (LXX) (which of course is incorrect), nevertheless correctly concluded that something was wrong with the sacrifice.Clement of Rome, Ante-Nicene Fathers (Grand

Genesis 7:1 — "contradiction" is non-existent. It really rests upon misreading or misunderstanding what is written, or upon failure to observe the usual Scriptural method. CHAPTER SUMMARY Noah enters the ark (Genesis 7:1-5); precise dating of the flood (Genesis 7:6-12); the prevailing of the waters in three degrees of intensity (Genesis 7:13-18); and the result and duration of the flood (Genesis 7:19-24). "And Jehovah! said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before

Exodus 21:7-11 — under any circumstances. However, "God allowed slavery upon exactly the same basis that He allowed divorce (Matthew 19:3-9), allowed the monarchy (1 Samuel 8:7-9), allowed a representative priesthood instead of the priesthood of all Israel (Exodus 19:6), allowed the building of the Temple (2 Samuel 7:5-17), and allowed slavery here! "People were going to traffic in slavery anyway, so the laws were established to give some kind of protection to the enslaved."F. B. Huey, Jr., A Study Guide Commentary

Exodus 28:31-35 — (except for the arm-holes). We agree with the thought advanced by Fields: "This pullover robe of one piece reminds us of Christ's seamless robe. John 19:23 seems almost an indirect reference to Christ's High Priestly office."Wilbur Fields, op. cit., p. 641. The seamless robe of the High Priest also had another connection with the sacred drama of the crucifixion. In Mark 14:61, where is recorded the question of Caiaphas: "Art thou the Christ the Son of the Blessed? Jesus amswered, I AM, and ye shall

Exodus 6:10 — him, why should Pharaoh? And besides, the old problem mentioned back in Exodus 4:10 was still in the mind of Moses. "Uncircumcised lips" has the meaning of "lips inefficient for the purpose. `Uncircumcised ears' are ears that cannot listen (Jeremiah 6:10), and `an uncircumcised heart' is a heart that cannot understand (Jeremiah 9:26)."George Rawlinson, op. cit., p. 150. God did not answer Moses regarding the uncircumcised lips until Exodus 7:1. Neither the children of Israel nor Pharaoh were excusable

Psalms 111 overview — generally labeled post-exilic, as the knee-jerk response of some critics; but a far better estimate of this is by McCaw, who wrote that, "The references to the assembled congregation (Psalms 111:1), the works of the Lord (Psalms 111:2-4; Psalms 111:6-7) and the covenant (Psalms 111:5; Psalms 111:9) suggest that the psalm was designed for use at Passover or Tabernacles in the pre-exilic community."The New Bible Commentary, Revised, p. 522. Supporting a pre-exilic date is the admission by McCullough

Leviticus 25:1-7 — was delivered to Moses in the first month of the second year after their coming out of Egypt (Numbers 10:11-12).Symon Patrick, Lord Bishop of Ely, Critical Commentary on the Old Testament and the New Testament, Vol. 1 (Philadelphia: Carey and Hart, 1846), from the Private Library of Burt Pauley, Barstow, California). Keil pointed out that the effect of this statement is that of "binding together in an inward unity the whole round of laws that Moses received from God upon the mountain, and announced

Jeremiah 16 overview — FESTIVITIES - FORBIDDEN TO JEREMIAH The following chapter divisions were suggested by Henderson:E. Henderson, The Book of the Prophet Jeremiah (London: Hamilton, Adams, and Company, 1851), p. 99. (1) Jeremiah forbidden to marry and have a family (Jeremiah 16:1-2); (2) God's explanation for this prohibition (Jeremiah 16:2-4); (3) funeral celebrations also forbidden (Jeremiah 16:5-7); (4) festival celebrations likewise prohibited (Jeremiah 16:8-9); (5) God's further elaboration of the reasons for such penalties

Ezekiel 26 overview — PROPHECY AGAINST TYRE It is of interest that, "In the Hebrew Bible, there is a marginal note at the beginning of this chapter, which reads, `half of the book.'"Anton T. Pearson in Wycliffe Bible Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1962), p. 742. Regarding the date of this chapter, Keil identified it as "the year in which Jerusalem fell."Carl Friedrich Keil, Keil-Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company), p. 310. Alexander gave that date

Zephaniah 2 overview — deliberately classed with foreign nations, as in Zephaniah 3:1-7. It had become so foreign in its ways that it seemed to belong more to them than to God."John D. W. Watts, Cambridge Bible Commentary, Zephaniah (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1975), p. 164. As for the allegations that these verses (or any other portion of the prophecy) are the work of some post-exilic "editor"; "There is no manuscript evidence for omission."Victor A. S. Reid, The New Layman's Bible Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan

Zechariah 3 overview — re-married to Almighty God as his wife and chosen people? No indeed! The new status of Israel would be that of God's servant not his wife, as indicated by Hosea 3. (See extensive comment on this in my commentary on the minor prophets, vol. 2, pp. 57-65.) The location of this vision should be accurately understood as situated on earth. Scholars have expressed radically different opinions about it, the most erroneous being that of placing it "in heaven." Leupold designated such opinions as "not important";H.

Deuteronomy 10:6-7 — journeyed unto Gudgodah; and from Gudgodah to Jotbatha, a land of brooks of water." Now these two verses have sent the scholars into a tailspin for generations. These verses are: "probably a fragment of an old itinerary,"G. Ernest Wright, op. cit., p. 396. "obviously an interpolation,"T. Witton Davies, op. cit., p. 236. "probably a gloss, added by Moses when he wrote down his address,"R. K. Harrison, The New Bible Commentary, Revised, Deuteronomy (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1970),

Deuteronomy 14:1-3 — it was altogether unbecoming that they should indulge the wild excesses of the pagans. Moreover, the body itself was "holy unto Jehovah" and it was not appropriate to disfigure and mutilate the body. There is surely an echo in this verse of Exodus 19:6, where all Israel is conceived of as a "holy priesthood unto Jehovah." It is primarily the holiness of Israel that formed the reason why such customs were forbidden. The cuttings and the baldness mentioned here were "pagan acts of sacrifice, the blood

Deuteronomy 33:13-17 — of Moses here also confirmed the superiority of Ephraim over Manasseh, as had been done by Jacob, ascribing "ten thousands" to Ephraim and "thousands" to Manasseh. Of special interest is, "the good will of him that dwelt in the bush" (Deuteronomy 33:16). Who but Moses would ever have thought of such a designation for God? As Dummelow pointed out, "Jehovah revealed himself in the bush as the Deliverer of Israel (Exodus 3:2; Exodus 3:6-8). The latter part of this verse is identical with Genesis 49:26)."(Footnote

Joshua 14:2-5 — to each tribe exactly as Jacob had prophesied centuries earlier in Genesis 49. Providence equally directed both Jacob's predictions and the casting of lots."Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Whole Bible, Joshua (New York: T. Mason and G. Lane, 1837), p. 62. Again, to paraphrase Clarke's words: seeing that the lot and the prophesies so well corresponded, would it not be insolence and stupidity not to acknowledge the inspiration of God in the words of Jacob and of Moses, and also in the guidance of the

Joshua 2:8-14 — but the literal truth of the Red Sea miracle could have inspired such words as Rahab spoke here.Alfred Plummer, op. cit., p. 29. "This pagan prostitute is the first one to recite saving history in this book!"Robert G. Boling, The Anchor Bible, Vol. 6, Joshua (Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company, Inc., 1982), p. 146. (See Exodus 15:15-17. Also, see special discussion of the Reed Sea or the Red Sea in Vol. 2 of this series (Exodus), pp. 177-179.) "Swear unto me by Jehovah" "The words here