Bible Commentaries

Genesis 49:22-24 — Joseph is clearly foretold. Of very great interest in these verses is the reference to "The Mighty One of Jacob." This is the first of five names for God which Jacob used here and in Genesis 49:25, below. They are: The Mighty One of Jacob. (Psalms 132:2; Psalms 132:5; Isaiah 49:26; Isaiah 60:16). The Shepherd. (Psalms 23; Ezekiel 34:11-16; Psalms 80:1). The Stone of Israel. (Deuteronomy 32:4; Deuteronomy 32:15; Deuteronomy 32:18; Deuteronomy 32:30-31; Psalms 18:2). The God of thy Father. (Exodus

Ezra 3:6-7 — Persia." There was never any doubt that the returnees would rebuild the temple, which they would do as soon as possible. They wasted no time in raising money for that purpose. "The grant they had of Cyrus" "The full terms of this grant are found in Ezra 6:3-5."Wycliffe Old Testament Commentary, p. 426. "The Lebanon range of mountains where those wonderful cedar trees grew belonged, at this point in history, to the kings of Persia."Arthur S. Peake's Commentary, p. 327. A number of dependable scholars have

Nehemiah 7:2 — two men are named. However, Bowman, in The Interpreter's Bible, wrote that, "Hanani and Hananiah are identical names, the former an abbreviation of the latter; and, obviously, the and joining the two names is explicative."The Interpreter's Bible, Vol. 3, p. 724. Nehemiah's use of the singular pronoun he in the final clause of the verse supports Bowman's view. Despite this, we are unwilling to set aside the plain statements in the ASV and the RSV denoting two persons, not merely one. "He put his brother

Proverbs 14:31 — Maker; But he that hath mercy on the needy honoreth him." There are three classes of the poor: (1) those, who through lack of ability, have never been able to make a living, (2) those who were once affluent, but have been brought down by affliction, and (3) those who, though not actually in want, are able through diligent and constant toil to supply the barest necessities of life but do not know any of the luxuries of ease or wealth. "Oppression of any or all of these is an insult to God. To oppress class

Leviticus 7:11-14 — himself was privileged to eat the meat offered and to share it with his friends. "The peace-offering was the only one that laymen were allowed to eat."Gordon J. Wenham, The Book of Leviticus (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1979), p. 123. From this, it has been supposed that upon occasions of peace-offerings many of the Israelites had a rare opportunity to eat meat. The peace-offerings were discussed in Leviticus 3; the additional instruction here regards the particular type of peace-offering

Isaiah 5:23 — words of this verse are not in the text but are most certainly understood. Thus there are seven of these woes pronounced upon apostate Israel. Even the judiciary of wicked Israel had become corrupt; their judges had become evening wolves (Zephaniah 3:3). There could be but one answer to the problem of such a wicked society; and that answer was at once announced by the prophet; but it must not be supposed that Israel alone would suffer the terrible judgment announced here for the sinful kingdom (Amos

Lamentations 3:2-6 — always an element of mystery about it. But we can know God in such a way as to be released from it and to rise above it, and also to recognize the disciplinary value of it."The Expositor's Bible (Cincinnati: Jennings and Graham), p. 488. Lamentations 3:6 here is a quotation of Psalms 143:3.

Ezekiel 25 overview — PART II, ORACLES AGAINST THE NATIONS (Ezekiel 25-32)ORACLES AGAINST AMMON, MOAB, EDOM, AND PHILISTIA In our commentaries upon four dozen Biblical books, we have already commented upon the Divine Oracles against these four nations. For those who are interested in a more detailed study of these, reference

Matthew 1:20 — Christ, ministered to Jesus in the wilderness of temptations, strengthened him in the garden of Gethsemane, and escorted him to glory. Angels appeared and spoke at his resurrection (Matthew 28:5), at his ascension (Acts 1:11), to Cornelius (Acts 10:3), to Philip (Acts 8:26), and to Peter (Acts 12:7). The scholarly Robert Milligan summarizes the functions of angels as follows: (1) to frustrate the wiles of Satan (Judges 1:6); (2) to punish wicked men (Genesis 19:1-26; 2 Kings 19:35; Acts 12:23);

John 1 overview — This chapter falls easily into five divisions: (1) the prologue, John 1:1-18; (2) the deputation from Jerusalem to John the Baptist, John 1:19-28; (3) the events of the next day after that deputation, John 1:29-34; (4) the events of the second day after the deputation, John 1:35-42; and (5) the events of the third day following the historic interview with John the Baptist, John 1:48-51. Thus, aside

John 1:32-33 — see the Holy Spirit, it was necessary for the Spirit to assume a physical form; and, appropriately, it was that of a dove, long the symbol of peace and goodness. For a fuller comment on this symbolism of the dove, see my Commentary on Matthew, Matthew 3:16. Of course, this was not a mere case of a bird lighting on Jesus for a moment, a phenomenon which, while rare, is occasionally experienced by men. Much more was involved. The heavens were opened, and the dove visibly descended from on high, an action

John 17:12 — them, I kept them in thy name which thou hast given me: and I guarded them, and not one of them perished, but the son of perdition; that the Scriptures might be fulfilled. Thy name which thou hast given me … Again, the compound title of John 17:3 is suggested. I guarded them … Jesus Christ successfully accomplished the work God gave him to do, choosing, instructing, guarding, correcting, and encouraging the Twelve; and he was then praying for them with all of his heart, adding prophetically

1 Corinthians 1:2 — (sanctified) to serve God by reason of the fact that they were "in Christ." In Christ … denotes the status of all Christians, a relationship brought about through an obedient faith when they were baptized "into" him (Galatians 3:27; 1 Corinthians 12:13; and Romans 6:3). The epic importance of this phrase appears in the fact that it is used no less than 169 times in Paul's epistles. John Mackay, God's Order (New York: Macmillan Company, 1953), p. 67 Called to be saints …

2 Corinthians 12:5 — On behalf of such a one will I glory: but on mine own behalf I will not glory, save in my weakness. Such a one … such a man … such a one … (2 Corinthians 12:2-3; 2 Corinthians 12:5). Each is the equivalent of "a man in Christ" (2 Corinthians 12:2) and should be understood as Paul's repeated affirmation of the truth of his experiences being, in a sense, not his own but Christ's. It was in unity with

1 Thessalonians 3:5 — For this cause I also, when I could no longer forbear, sent that I might know your faith, lest by any means the tempter had tempted you, and our labor should be in vain. The tempter … "Only in one other passage (Matthew 4:3) is Satan thus designated in the New Testament." Raymond C. Kelcy, op. cit., p. 69. Paul's usual designation of the evil one was by his proper name, Satan; and some scholars have even based their denial of Pauline authorship of Hebrews on the "fact!"

1 Timothy 1:15 — Faithful is the saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief: Faithful is the saying… There are five of these expressions in this group of letters, the other four being: 1 Timothy 3:1; 1 Timothy 4:9; 2 Timothy 2:11, and Titus 3:8. "These axiomatic truths of Christian faith would be easily memorized; and, being frequently repeated, they soon became almost proverbial in the early church." Alan G. Nute, op. cit., p. 508. Despite

Titus 1:6 — if any man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having children that believe, who are not accused of riot or unruly. This list of the qualifications of elders is substantially the same as that given to Timothy (1 Timothy 3:1 ff); and that list with the comments should be noted in connection with what is written here. Blameless … means "above reproach," and is an inclusive term that appears to blanket the whole list of checkpoints enumerated. Husband of

2 Peter 1 overview — The keynote of this whole epistle is knowledge (2 Peter 1:2-3; 2 Peter 1:5-6; 2 Peter 1:8; 2 Peter 2:20-21; and 2 Peter 3:18); but it is a very special kind of knowledge which is meant. The Greek word is [@epignosis], that is, precise and correct knowledge. Stephen W. Payne, Wycliffe Bible Commentary, New Testament

Revelation 14:17-18 — by one from the altar, the same altar "in connection with which the prayers of the saints ascend to the throne; and the judgment of God is God's final answer of those prayers. William Hendriksen, op. cit., p. 188. See comment under Revelation 8:3-5. Gather the clusters of the vine of the earth … The imagery of the description of this phase of the judgment is that of the winepress, probably because of the bloodiness of it. "The ministry of mercy is the Lord's chosen office; the ministry

2 Samuel 5:13-16 — importance and eminence. One of David's daughters, Tamar, was raped by her half-brother and was avenged in his murder by her brother Absalom. "Shammua" This is the name that heads the list of the twelve spies sent out by Moses into Canaan (Numbers 13:1). Speaking of David's many wives and concubines, DeHoff wrote that, "This was one of the mistakes that David made."George DeHoff's Commentary, Vol. 2, p. 191. However, this was far more serious than a `mistake.' It was a gross and ridiculous sin!