Bible Commentaries

1 Kings 22:5-7 — hundred," and if now we must suppose that he had "four hundred" other religious pretenders in his employ, we would have to conclude that he was in the priest and prophet business, which supposition is antithetical to everything we know about Ahab. (7)    If these "four hundred" false prophets were, in any sense, prophets of Jehovah, why had not Jezebel slain them? Hammond concluded that, "They were the priests of Bethel and Dan, the successors to those appointed by Jeroboam."The

2 Kings 10:25-28 — have finished that tragedy before he offered the burnt-offering to Baal. "But to a man of no religion (as was Jehu), the worship of Baal and Jehovah were alike. If he preferred either, it was merely for political reasons."Adam Clarke, op. cit., p. 517. Some scholars are confused about the number of pillars mentioned here, plural in 2 Kings 10:26 and singular in 2 Kings 10:27. There were probably a number of these, the one being called "the pillar of Baal," was probably of stone;C. F. Keil, Keil and

2 Kings 8:1-6 — woman… cried to the king" Nothing is more wonderful than the timing of the providences of God. "Note the coincidence. God times incidents with precision; `things work together' (Romans 8:28); they interweave."Preacher's Homiletic Commentary, Vol. 8, p. 471. Another example is found in the reading to the king of Persia of the honors due Mordecai just before his asking Haman what should be done for the man whom the king delighted to honor (Esther 6:1-14). "The king appointed unto her a certain officer,

1 Chronicles 4:24-43 — lives there are tides of influence that began to move in the remotest antiquity. Our lives gain enormously in depth and meaning when we see our small existence as part of the whole adventure of man upon the earth."The Layman's Bible Commentary, Vol. 7, p. 131. The first paragraph here (1 Chronicles 4:1-23) gives further genealogies connected with the tribe of Judah. It is by no means clear why these particular genealogies were kept or considered important enough to be included here. "Caleb the son

Nehemiah 6:1-9 — narrative which was broken by the parenthetical Nehemiah 5 is here taken up again."Footnote is not available "The enemies of Judah had found ridicule (Nehemiah 4:1-6) ineffective, and their threatened military attack had not taken place (Nehemiah 4:7-23); and their plan here was to kill Nehemiah, or at least kidnap him."Footnote is not available The spiritual significance of Sanballat's proposal is that Satan is always attempting to induce God's servants to come down unto the plains of Ono, and

Psalms 113:1-9 — and Psalms 114 were sung before the Passover meal; and Psalms 115-118 were sung after it. They were also sung at the feasts of Pentecost, Tabernacles, and Dedication (Hanukkah, or the Feast of Lights)."C. M. Miller, co-author with Anthony L. Ash, p. 373. Delitzsch adds that, "The Hallel was also sung on New Year's Day and on the Day of Atonement."F. Delitzsch, Vol. V-C, p. 202. One of these customary closing songs (Psalms 115-118), "Must have been the one that Jesus and his apostles sang following

Psalms 145:1-7 — day. If one will only think, he can name a dozen blessings God has bestowed upon him even before he eats breakfast. "It is proper then that we should give thanks to God every day."Barnes' Notes on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, a 1987 reprint of the 1878 edition), Vol. III, p. 320. No Christian should think of omitting prayers of thanksgiving three times daily at mealtimes. It was the neglect of this simple duty that began the long decline and eventual debauchery of the pre-Christian

Psalms 28:4-5 — their work; (2) according to their wickedness; (3) after the operation of their hands; and (4) according to what they deserve. Such could be nothing less than absolute justice. Addis' notion that this was David's prayer, "for vengeance,"W. E. Addis, p. 377. misses this point altogether. Kidner properly discerned the genuine import of these words as follows: "Nothing stings so sharply as injustice, and nothing should; so these verses are not simply vindictive, but they put into words the protest of any

Psalms 46:8-11 — journey to the battlefield where the army had been deployed (perhaps near Lachish). "If this does not prove that the Lord controls the destinies of wars, what does? If this is not a sufficient token that `God is our refuge,' what is?"H. C. Leupold, p. 367. "He maketh wars to cease to the end of the earth" Of course, the first meaning here is that God has the power to terminate any war at any time; but there seems to be here a prophecy of a time when wars shall be no more. It appears that we may not look

Psalms 89:5-18 — the Red Sea Crossing, continually in the mind of every Israelite, would have been instantly remembered upon the reading of a verse like this. "Thou hast broken Rahab in pieces" "Rahab here is a well-known scriptural reference to Egypt, as in Psalms 87:4."New Bible Commentary Revised, p. 506. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of thy throne (Psalms 89:14). Hebrews 1:8-9, while not a direct quotation, certainly has the same message as this. "Our shield belongeth unto Jehovah" This was a popular

Proverbs 1:10-19 — the glory of God' (Romans 3:23), and `peccatores', i.e., those who sin knowingly, habitually, willfully and maliciously, who are given over entirely to iniquity, and who persuade others to follow their wicked example."The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 9, p. 7. It is this second word for sinners that is used here (Proverbs 1:11). "Come with us" Here is the basic appeal that wicked gangs have always made to the young. "The appeal is to that instinctive desire to be `one of the gang.'"George DeHoff's Commentary,

Isaiah 30:27-33 — the forthcoming destruction of Sennacherib's host, "They further apply to the end time. One day, the godless powers of the earth will find themselves caught like Judah (Isaiah 8:8) in a rising tide, and drawn by God's bridle (like Assyria in Isaiah 37:29) to their destruction."The New Bible Commentary, Revised, p. 607. However, the grave of the oppressors on that Day of Judgment will not be the Red Sea, but Tophet. This mention of "bridle" appears to be a reference to the habit of the Assyrians of

Jeremiah 49:19-22 — complete fulfillment of the prophecy against Edom did not take place immediately. It began with the activity of the Chaldeans five years after the destruction of Jerusalem. Keil stated that that destruction "is unquestionably inferred from Jeremiah 49:7 ff; Ezekiel 35; Jeremiah 25:9; Jeremiah 25:21, and Malachi 1:3."C. F. Keil, Keil-Delitzsch's Old Testament Commentaries (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company) (Vol. 8), p. 376. Edom's destruction continued when Alexander the Great conquered

Lamentations 4:11-16 — among the captives in Babylon. The foundations which were destroyed were those of the "sinful kingdom" (Amos 9:8), the monarchy that was never God's will but a concession to the Chosen People who wanted to be like the nations around them (1 Samuel 8:7). God said, "I gave them a king in mine anger, and took him away in my wrath" (Hosea 13:11); and this verse tells how it was done. "The kings of the earth believed not" After all, the whole world was on the verge of believing in Israel's God. Look at

Daniel 2:2-9 — years subsequent to the times of Daniel could have done this is such an outlandish improbability that it seems impossible that intelligent writers should have been deceived by it. This Syrian language (the 6th century Aramaic) continues through Daniel 7. "O king, live forever" Such language of respect and servility was the stock in trade of all flatterers and courtiers at oriental courts. The king in this instance was unmoved by all the high sounding words. He wanted one thing, actually two, (1) the

Zechariah 4:2 — trees. "A candlestick all of gold" Although this candlestick varies in some particulars from that in the ancient tabernacle, it must nevertheless be identified with it; because. "The same word, [~menorath], is used in both cases (Exodus 25:31; Exodus 37:17, etc.)."W. J. Deane, The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 14, Zechariah (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1950), p. 39. There is also mention of the golden candlestick of Solomon's temple (1 Kings 7:49), which was looted and taken

Matthew 11:2-3 — Christ's skilled handling of the question in these words, By a reference to Isaiah 61:1, he declared plainly enough, and yet not too plainly, that he was the Messiah. He worked a number of miracles in their presence in proof of his Messianic claims (Luke 7:21), and finally sent them back to John with a message in which he expressly mentioned his miracles, and promised a blessing to those who should attach themselves to him. The spectacle of Christ's miracles must have been particularly impressive to the

Mark 5:20 — of the principals. Jairus was a ruler of the Jewish synagogue in Capernaum, a prominent and respected leader of the people, and who, according to Trench, was part of "the deputation which came to the Lord pleading for the heathen centurion (Luke 7:3)."Richard C. Trench, op. cit., p. 194. Only about forty years had elapsed since the deed itself when Mark composed his gospel. He may not have been an eyewitness of the miracle, but he had worked closely with the apostle Peter for years, and

Romans 5:1 — faith." The following example from Paul's writings shows how and when faith makes one a child of God: For ye are all sons of God, through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ did put on Christ (Galatians 3:26-27). Thus, faith saves one by leading him to accept forgiveness of sins in God's appointed institution, the spiritual body of Christ; and salvation is accomplished when faith becomes obedient to the degree of causing him to be baptized into Christ, and

Revelation 18 overview — deals with the particular "judgment of God himself upon Babylon," W. A. Criswell, Expository Sermons on Revelation (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1962), IV, p. 16. as sharply distinguished from the judgment of Revelation 17, in which "the nations of earth, not by the intervention of heaven, but by something that mankind does, grow weary of her and destroy her." Ibid. As we see it, this is a distinction without a difference. "God puts into their hearts to