Bible Commentaries

Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 — result will be determined by events and conditions over which he has no control whatever. This, of course, is a basic fact of life on earth; and lies behind the apostolic warning that, "Having food and raiment let us be therewith content" (1 Timothy 6:8). Regarding these fourteen opposites, Scott quoted an ancient saying that, "The works of the Most High… are in pairs, one the opposite of the other."The Anchor Bible Commentary (Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company, 1972), Vol. 18,

Jonah 1:17 — Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights." The word "prepared" as used here actually means "commissioned" or appointed, or "ordered."Harold E. Monser, Cross-Reference Bible (New York: The Cross-Reference Bible Company, 1910), p. 1683. It may be assumed that the great fish was ready at the instant God needed it, just as the tree had been growing by the bitter waters of Marah for a long time prior to the moment when Moses was commanded to cast it into the waters for the purpose

Zechariah 11:13 — generally agreed that the text needs emendation! The command addressed to the Shepherd should read, `put it in the treasury'!Henckley G. Mitchell, op. cit., p. 310, How ridiculous! It was against the law of God to put blood money in the treasury (Matthew 27:6); and for men to emend the text to make God command the violation of his own law is going too far. Most commentators try to make out that "cast it unto the potter" is some kind of proverbial expression, such as "throw it to the dogs," "to the bats and

Mark 13:3-4 — foretold the birth of a son by a virgin, yet added a prophecy which confined it to his own generation (Isaiah 7:14-17). The prophet combined type and antitype in the same words.H. Leo Boles, Commentary on Matthew (Nashville: The Gospel Advocate Company, 1936), p. 472. There are many examples of this in the word of God. Rachel's weeping for her children (Jeremiah 31:15) was fulfilled primarily by the captivity, and secondarily by the slaughter of the innocents by Herod (Matthew 2:13). Likewise, Hosea 11:1,

Luke 11:29-32 — the fact that Jonah's preaching would never have been believed at all, except for the fact that Jonah's experience of three days and three nights duration was such an astounding miracle that when "word came unto the king of Nineveh" (Jonah 3:6), Jonah was believed, and the people repented. Without that prior miracle, only a fool could believe that the king of Nineveh would have led his whole nation in repentance; such a thing, if it had occurred, would have been a greater miracle than the

Luke 12:57-59 — "on the way" is Christ, who also shall judge men. (5) Letting the matter reach the judge can result only in disaster for the offender; and the man who does not prepare to meet God in advance of the judgment shall likewise encounter disaster. (6) Notice the necessary implication, throughout, that the offender on the way to court has a very poor case, there being no way that "justice" could decide in his favor. (7) Hence, the necessary deduction that preparation should be made NOW.

Luke 15:8-10 — the struggle for power; and historically, the rich and the powerful have often held human life as cheap indeed (Matthew 10:29-30). (3)    Both may be exchanged for something else. Man may exchange himself for eternal life (Luke 16:9). On the other hand, he may sell himself to do evil in God's sight (1 Kings 21:20). Esau sold his birthright for one mess of pottage (Hebrews 12:16). A man, like a coin, may be exchanged for something else. (4)    Both are stamped

Luke 16:31 — obliterated by death; (4) to prevent a great gulf from separating us from Lazarus in the hereafter, we should take care to see that the gulf is not there now; (5) if the ordinary means of grace cannot reach us, we need not expect the extraordinary; (6) he who is lost in death is lost eternally; (7) God's word is sufficient to save men.Frank L. Cox, op. cit., p. 51. ANALOGIES IN THE PARABLE Going back to Augustine and Gregory the Great, many brilliant students of the word of God have found analogies

Luke 16:5 — on the lord's estate. This lowering of the bills is the perfect analogy of the manner in which the scribes and Pharisees lowered the standards of righteousness as a device for keeping their hold upon the people: allowing divorce on any pretext (Luke 16:18), and by countless devices making void the law of God (Matthew 23:16). And, although the scribes and Pharisees were the deceitful stewards in view here the analogy may be extended throughout Christian history to include countless others who have

Luke 18:11-14 — like the Pharisee are not sinners of grosser type, yet their respectability only emphasizes the sins they do have. None are righteous (Romans 3:10); all have sinned (Romans 3:23); and all human righteousnesses are "as filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6). I.    These teach some vital facts about prayer. A short prayer is better than a long one (Matthew 6:7-8; Matthew 23:14). Also, prayers should be directed, not to ourselves, nor to the audience, but to God. Many prayers remind

John 3:22 — location of Jesus' activity at this point; but Hendriksen suggestion the location was "not far from Jericho, near the fords of the Jordan."William Hendriksen, Exposition of the Gospel according to John (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1961), p. 146. This Gospel gives the Judean ministry of Christ, almost totally omitted by the synoptics. The Spirit of God directed the apostles in the choice of the material they included. Jesus had definitely stressed the fact that the Gospel should

Acts 24:27 — deliberately exploited Paul the prisoner for the entertainment of Agrippa and Bernice. As G.P. Gould said, "Paul's appeal to Nero is the lasting condemnation of Festus." New Bible Dictionary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans, Publishers, 1962), p. 421. The date of this change of procurators is very important in determining New Testament chronology; and the following quotations are offered as shedding some light on it: The procuratorship of Festus (60-62), as valuable as the specific date

Romans 1:19 — version indicates. Whiteside noted that: The pronoun "it" is not in the Greek; and it would be more in harmony with Paul's argument to translate the last clause, "For God manifested himself to them." R. L. Whiteside, op. cit., p. 36. The information thus revealed in this verse is of the first magnitude of importance, because there are still people in the world who imagine that they have reason to be critical of God for his neglect of the pagan nations prior to the Christian era.

Romans 10:2 — of the Jews which finally culminated in the bloody sorrow of Masada, where Eleazar ben Yair made his courageous stand against the Tenth Legion of Rome. When all hope was cut off: Rather than become slaves to their conquerors, the defenders — 960 men, women, and children thereupon ended their lives at their own hands. When the Romans reached the heights next morning, they were met by silence. Yigael Yadin, Masada (New York: Random House, 1966), p. 12. How fitting it was that Paul should have

Hebrews 1:3 — Gospel (John 1:14), "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth." James Macknight, Apostolic Epistles (Nashville: Gospel Advocate Company, 1960), p. 509. 2.    "And the very image of his substance" is somewhat ambiguous in the common versions; and the scholars give its meaning variously as: "He is the counterpart or facsimile of the Father." J. R. Dummelow,

Hebrews 11:21 — perplexed by the rendition of this verse, but the explanation is simple. "The Hebrew words for `staff' and `bed' differ only in punctuation." Thomas Whitelaw, The Pulpit Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1962), Vol. 21, Hebrews, p. 515. The word of inspiration did not give the punctuation, that being added by uninspired men. Thus, it is permissible to choose the meaning most obviously required by the context; and, because there was no mention of Jacob's

Hebrews 7:27 — author of Hebrews; but as Lenski says, These critics do not have much ground to stand on, for it can readily be observed that the writer says "once a year" (Hebrews 9:7), "year by year" (Hebrews 10:1); and that he knows Leviticus 16:2 ("not at all times"), and Leviticus 16:29, and also has "once a year" (Leviticus 16:34). R. C. H. Lenski, op. cit., p. 244. It should be noted that this is a comparison between Christ who "daily" intercedes with us, coupled

James 3:6 — which defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the wheel of nature, and is set on fire by hell. The world of iniquity … As Roberts noted, the literal meaning of this is "a world of unrighteousness," J. W. Roberts, op. cit., p. 106. as Ward indicated, being the same as the state of "the steward of unrighteousness" (Luke 16:8), and "the judge of unrighteousness" (Luke 18:6). Ronald A. Ward, The New Bible Commentary, Revised (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans

1 John 2:16 — such comparisons, the things mentioned by John in this verse have come to be called "the three avenues of temptation." The sins in view have been variously classified: sensuality, materialism, ostentation (C. H. Dodd);R. W. Orr, op. cit., p. 612. voluptus (sensuality), avaritia (avarice), superbia (vain-glory) (B. F. Westcott);John R. W. Stott, op. cit., p. 101. appetites of the body … desire to possess material things … egotism, etc. A number of scholars are reluctant to

1 John 3:9 — him: and he cannot sin, because he is begotten of God. Whosoever is begotten of God … This is a reference to the new birth, as indicated in the KJV, "born of God," and as rendered in the New Catholic Bible and the New English Bible (1961). Doeth no sin … As long as one who has believed in Christ, repented of sin, and been baptized into Christ, and in consequence of such obedience has received the earnest of the Holy Spirit, — as long as such a person continues in that