Bible Commentaries

Isaiah 22:1-4 — for the destruction of the daughter of my people." The double nature of this prophecy appears in the very first paragraph. The first two verses here depict the inhabitants of Jerusalem, "In a state of boisterous merriment."The Pulpit Commentary, p. 351. Of course, some scholars ascribe this boisterous condition to indifference on the part of Jerusalem, as the soldiers of Babylon begin the siege, due to an Epicurean philosophy of "Eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!" It seems to this writer, however,

Isaiah 33:13-16 — taking a bribe, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from looking upon evil: he shall dwell on high; his place of defense shall be the munitions of rocks; his bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure." Isaiah 33:13 speaks of God's mighty work in the miraculous deliverance of Jerusalem by the destruction of a whole army in a single night as an event already accomplished, a frequent phenomenon in prophecy. Isaiah 33:14 notes that the sinners in Jerusalem itself

Isaiah 36:1-3 — in 2 Kings points out that Hezekiah had requested this envoy by a message sent to Sennacherib during the siege at Lachish, "I have offended; that which thou puttest on me I will bear" (2 Kings 18:14). Sennacherib demanded and received from Hezekiah 300 talents of silver, and 30 talents of gold, which Hezekiah at great cost had paid. Sennacherib had already carried away over 200,000 captives at the time when he sent this envoy to Hezekiah, which was composed of three men of high rank: Tartan, Rabsaris

Isaiah 39:7 — even endured the humiliation of having their names changed. We not only agree with Culver that, "There is a great possibility that Daniel and his friends were emasculated,"Robert D. Culver, Wycliffe Bible Commentary, (Chicago: Moody Press, 1962), p. 773. but we, through the influence of Isaiah's prophecy here, believe that that is the only proper understanding of the fate of those princes of the royal household of Judah. Many agree with this interpretation. "The descendants of Hezekiah, rather than

Jeremiah 31:15-20 — that, it emphasizes the necessity of repentance as a key element in the New Covenant to be announced a moment later. As Jesus expressed it twice in three lines, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish!" (Luke 13:3; Luke 13:5). As far as the Northern Israel was concerned, there is no Biblical evidence whatever that any such wave of repentance as that suggested here ever happened.

Jeremiah 34:12-16 — caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom ye had let go free at their pleasure, to return; and ye brought them into subjection, to be unto you for servants and for handmaids." "Proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbor" (Jeremiah 34:15). The words here are particularly those used in Leviticus, stressing the existence of all the other books of the Pentateuch in addition to Deuteronomy. It would be impossible to overestimate the extent of Judah's crime in the event here recorded:

Jeremiah 42:1-3 — "But he was now free to do so."The New Layman's Bible Commentary, p. 842. Jeremiah at once agreed to do so, but not on the basis that the God to which he prayed was any other than the God of all the people. The people said "pray to thy God (Jeremiah 42:3-4); but Jeremiah said, "I will pray to your God (Jeremiah 42:4). "That God may show us the way… and the thing that we should do" Some scholars believe that this was a hypocritical request; but it may be that the people really thought they desired

Jeremiah 42:19-22 — that ye shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, in the place whither ye desire to go to sojourn there." "Ye have not obeyed the voice of Jehovah" Some scholars object to this statement and suppose that by bringing in Jeremiah 43:1-3 prior to this paragraph they might improve the sense. This is not necessary at all, for two reasons: (1) these words are not simple past tense, but the prophetic tense in which the future is spoken of as having already occurred, so certain is the

Jeremiah 42:9-12 — you to return to your own land." From here through Jeremiah 42:22 Jeremiah revealed the prophetic word from God as doing the following things: (1) It promised them security and salvation if they would obey. (2) It warned them against disobedience. (3) It emphatically commanded them not to go down into Egypt. (4) It warned them against self-deception of a heart which asks for guidance when it has already made its decision. The remnant who were determined to go into Egypt were afraid of the king of

Ezekiel 35:1-3 — final conquest of Jerusalem. Taylor suggested that they bartered with Nebuchadnezzar, offering their support for portions of Judea after the conquest.J. B. Thompson, p. 225. (2)    Edom had attempted to annex Israel's territory. (3)    Her joyful exultation over Judah's fall was a shameful expression of her attitude toward God's people. (4)    The Edomites from the very beginning of their history had maintained a perpetual enmity against

Hosea 1:3 — took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; and she conceived and bare him a son." "Gomer" This is one of a number of names in the Bible that were given to both men and women. Gomer was the firstborn son of Japheth and the head of many families (Genesis 10:2-3; 1 Chronicles 1:5-6; and Ezekiel 38:6). The name Crimea, familiar in English history, is derived from Gomer whose descendants conquered and settled Cappadocia by the time of the seventh century.Herbert Lockyer, All the Men of the Bible (Grand Rapids,

Amos 5:1 — sings a funeral song (a dirge) for Israel."Ralph L. Smith, Beacon Bible Commentary, Vol. 7 (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1972), pp. 107, 108. The dirge which Amos chanted for Israel was the real thing, a traditional and highly stylized lament, "cast in 3 + 2 metre."James Luther Mays, Amos, A Commentary (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1969), p. 85. It was probably spoken in a very loud and wailing voice, calculated to stun and shock everyone who heard it.

Obadiah 1:21 — This is that "Shiloh" which was foreseen by Jacob, and the "scepter" that should never depart from Judah (Genesis 49:10). This is the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and the inaguration of the reign of Christ upon the throne of David (Acts 2:31-36). This is the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham that in his seed (Christ) "all the families of the earth should be blessed" (Genesis 12:3). Here is the "Anointed one" who would restore sight to the blind and release the captives from sin (Luke

Obadiah 1:9 — in the Chaldean period, for Nebuchadnezzar unquestionably destroyed Edom upon the same occasion as that of his capturing Jerusalem, and five years later destroying the Moabites and Ammonites, "as unquestionably inferred from Jeremiah 49:7 ff; Ezekiel 35; Jeremiah 25:9; Jeremiah 25:21, and Malachi 1:3."C. F. Keil, op. cit., p. 376.. The Edomites were mentioned among the nations round about Judah whom God would deliver into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar (Jeremiah 25:9). It is certain that this was accomplished,

Jonah 4:9 — foretell. "Doest thou well…?" How frequently in the divine solicitations concerning sinful mankind has the Father pressed home the truth with questions? Note these examples: Doest thou well to be angry? (Jonah 4:9). Adam, Where art thou? (Genesis 3:9).Where is thy brother, Abel? (Genesis 4:9).What doest thou here, Elijah? (1 Kings 19:13).Betrayest thou the Son of Man with a kiss? (Luke 22:48).Lovest thou me more than these? (John 21:24).Wilt thou be made whole? (John 5:6).Saul, Saul, Why persecutest

Micah 4:13 — the judgment of this ungodly world (John 5:27). The metaphor of threshing the nations is a terrible one indeed. "The allusion is to the threshing machine studded underneath with iron spikes dragged over the threshing floor."W. J. Deane, op. cit., p. 35. Some of Israel's enemies had actually executed such a horror upon them (Amos 1:3; 1 Kings 13:7); and the promise in this verse is that God will reward the wicked nations in kind, for their godless, evil ways. "Devote their gain… and substance…

Micah 4:3 — throughout history (Matthew 24). As Mays said, "The promise of peace here is founded on the promise of the reign of Yahweh becoming the center of order for all peoples."James Luther Mays, Micah, A Commentary (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1976), p. 93. As long as the nations of the earth prefer to walk in rebellion against God, wars are inevitable. There are some sincere students of God's Word who receive this passage as a promise of the time when, "the established authority of Christ will appear

Zechariah 1:16 — open to question whether or not their Temple was even included in this. In all of these visions, God was speaking of that distant day when the righteous BRANCH should appear and build God's true Temple, which is the Church of Jesus Christ (Zechariah 3:8). My house shall be built" actually means that God's purpose of bringing in the Redeemer for all mankind will surely be achieved. All of the sins and apostasies of Israel would not be permitted to nullify that eternal purpose. Perhaps as a concession

Zechariah 8:18-19 — popular fasts, later mentioning another, Zechariah named all four of them and, in effect, cancelled them, all of them being illegal, human-initiated religious observances without any value whatever. For a little more detail on these, see under Zechariah 7:3, above. Wellhausen made a deduction from this passage that the Day of Atonement (a fast) had not been instituted in Zechariah's day, because there was no mention of it here by Zechariah. Leupold properly discerned the reason for Zechariah's omitting

Malachi 2:5 — but because it was already terminated by the Levitical priests who had wantonly broken it and rejected it. A similar use of the past tense occurs in Paul's reference to the Law of Moses, "The Law WAS our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ" (Galatians 3:23, KJV). Everything in the Bible, as well as all that is in this chapter and in this paragraph clearly indicates that what "this commandment," which God gave in the place of Levi's covenant means is the final termination of that covenant, on the basis