Bible Commentaries

Genesis 2:9 — beginning. The friezes that adorned the palace of Ashurbanipal showed the king with a stylized watering device, watering the tree of life depicted as an immense and complicated vine. No such description is of any value. (See more on this under Genesis 2:17). Further thoughts regarding the tree of knowledge of good and evil show that the kind of "knowledge" meant is experimental knowledge. Adam and Eve already knew the difference in right and wrong; thus they were aware already of moral distinctions. God

Exodus 11:9-10 — included. The fact that one author names some gods and other authors cite different gods is due to the fact that each wonder confronted and discredited multiple pagan deities. This is Geisler's summary: a.    Bloody water (Exodus 7:12), against the god Nilus, the sacred river god. b.    Frogs (Exodus 8:6), against Hekt, the goddess of reproduction. c.    Lice (gnats) (Exodus 8:17), against Seb, god of the earth. d.    Flies

Exodus 12:37-42 — (1) Why were the Egyptians afraid of them? (2) Why were they subjected to slavery to reduce their numbers? (3) Why were the Moabites terrified of them?"F. B. Huey, Jr., A Study Guide Commentary on Exodus (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1977), p. 59. To these questions it is possible to add others. If the numbers of the Exodus given here are not correct, how were the Israelites able to subjugate thirty-two kingdoms of Canaan? How is it that the "fear" of the Israelites had spread all over

Exodus 28:6-14 — is clear enough that some kind of garment is meant, an article of the "holy garments" designed for Aaron, the soon-to-be-named high priest. There are instances, however, in the O.T., where, "an image of some sort is indicated (Judges 8:24-35; Judges 17:5; Judges 18:14; and Hosea 3:4)."B. Davie Napier, The Layman's Bible Commentary (Richmond, Virginia: John Knox Press, 1963), p. 113. "To be stones of memorial" The symbolism of these indicated that when the High Priest fulfilled his mission of entering

Psalms 35 overview — PRAYER FOR RESCUE FROM ENEMIES This is one of the so-called imprecatory psalms, of which there are a number of others. Leupold cited Psalms 36; Psalms 39; Psalms 71; Psalms 109; Psalms 7; Psalms 22; Psalms 31; Psalms 54; Psalms 55; Psalms 56; Psalms 140, etc., "Which various interpreters have labeled as imprecatory psalms."H. C. Leupold, p. 284. Halley gives us an excellent idea of what many of the scholars mean

Leviticus 12:1-5 — always been required to acknowledge his sin and need of forgiveness from God. Note that in the purpose of the offering of the lamb, or the turtle-doves, that the object was not that of forgiving the infant, but of forgiving the mother (Leviticus 12:7). Failure to understand this vital fact has led to all kinds of wild speculations about ORIGINAL SIN. McGee and Kellogg, as well as others, have erred by their acceptance of such ideas. No sin of any kind attaches either to the female, or to the male

Daniel 7 overview — chapter to his exposition of how the little horn rooted out three of the ten horns."Sir Isaac Newton, Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel and on the Apocalypse of St. John. (London: J. Darby and T. Browne in Bartholomew Close, MDCCXXXIII), pp. 74-89. From the above, it is absolutely clear that when this prophecy is approached intellectually, the traditional and we believe authentic understanding of the prophecy is absolutely valid. The greatest minds of two millenniums could hardly be wrong

1 Corinthians 11 overview — conditions and disorders, making it nearly impossible to fit the epistle into any form of classical outline. The first paragraph regards the veiling of women (1 Corinthians 11:1-16), and the second teaches concerning the Lord's supper (1 Corinthians 11:17-34). REGARDING THE VEILING OF WOMEN Paul's teaching here is the basis of diametrically opposed views, Lipscomb holding that "Whether the woman prays in the closet at home, or in the assembly, she should approach God with the tokens of her subjection

1 Corinthians 16:2 — Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1953), p. 398. and Hodge said it means, "The collection was to be made every Lord's day." Charles Hodge, First Epistle to the Corinthians (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans, Publishing Company, 1974), p. 363. Pliny's letter to Trajan bears testimony to the fact that the Christians of his day (prior to his death in 113 A.D.) were accustomed to meet on "an appointed day"; Henry Bettenson, Documents of the Christian Church (New York and

2 Corinthians 11:32-33 — end of it. Hughes commented on this as follows: Paul's rapture into the third heaven is hemmed in, as it were, on one side by the escape from Damascus, and on the other by the humiliating record of the "thorn in the flesh" (2 Corinthians 12:7 ff) … Paul was determined to keep himself in true perspective, that of a weak, unworthy mortal who owes everything to the grace of Almighty God. Philip E. Hughes, op. cit., p. 422. In this connection, it should be remembered that the chapter

2 Corinthians 5:10 — and Sidon in the judgment than for you (Luke 10:14). More tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, etc. (Matthew 10:15). God hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world by that man whom he hath appointed (Acts 17:31). We shall all stand before the judgment seat of God (Romans 14:10). It is appointed unto men once to die, and after this, judgment (Hebrews 9:27). From this it is crystal clear that the foolish notion of a succession of judgment days is nowhere

2 Timothy 2:11-13 — apostle Paul. Faithful is the saying … Lenski wrote: We see that Paul is not quoting some ancient hymn as some think … Although we have symmetry in the sentences, this is not poetry, but Paul's own prose. R. C. H. Lenski, op. cit., p. 792. Furthermore, there is no evidence that "faithful is the saying" constitutes any kind of popular formula for introducing a proverb. Where or when in the history of the world have popular proverbs needed to be "introduced" by any

Hebrews 13:17 — that "It is required of stewards, that a man be found faithful" (1 Corinthians 4:1-2). Moreover, he said of an "elder," called "bishop" in this verse, that "the bishop must be blameless as God's steward" (Titus 1:7); and the apostle Peter extended the terms to include, at least in some sense, all Christians, calling them "good stewards of the manifold grace of God" (1 Peter 4:10). The terms "presbyter" and "bishop" as used in the

Hebrews 8:6-7 — second. Particularly interesting in these two verses is the mention of two, and only two, covenants, designated "the first" and "the second." Now God made a covenant with Noah (Genesis 6:18; Genesis 9:9), and two covenants with Abraham (Genesis 17:2; Genesis 17:10; Genesis 15:18 ff), and a covenant of salt (Numbers 18:19; Leviticus 2:13), and a covenant of the everlasting priesthood (Numbers 25:13); but the "first covenant" of these verses is none of these covenants. It is the covenant

James 3:1 — have been qualified for such work. As Harper suggested, "His words were meant to remind us of our responsibilities, rather than to deter us from our duties." A. F. Harper, Beacon Bible Commentary, Vol. X (Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press, 1967), p. 220. The need for such a caution grew out of a number of circumstances: (1) The Christian meetings were open, unstructured and informal; and anyone wishing to be heard could rise and speak (see 1 Corinthians 14:26-40). The great honor attached

Judges 9:7-21 — more likely to catch fire and involve them all in its ruin."Ibid. However, Campbell's opinion differed from this. "Jotham was not condemning the monarchy itself, but was rather pointing out that Abimelech was a worthless person."D. K. Campbell, p. 87. (Inasmuch as the anointing of a king over Israel was contrary to the will of God and, in fact, was an outright rejection of divine rule, according to 1 Samuel 8:7, this writer favors the opinion of Bruce in New Bible Commentry Revised, as given above.) "Abimelech,

Jude 1:3 — (as shown by the following examples) for spiritual blessings once given to be lost unless we use every effort to maintain them."J. B. Mayor, Expositor's Greek New Testament, Vol. V (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1967), p. 255. Another deduction is that hostility to the truth exists and will continue to exist throughout history. What is meant is that Christians shall vigorously fight for and defend the truth. Barclay pointed out that the Greek word used here "contains

Revelation 13:12 — the seventh succeeded to the worldwide authority it could hardly mean anything else, unless it is understood as the growth and development of the great religious authority during the century or so leading up to the final death of the sixth head in 476 A.D. The current fad among commentators which interprets the land-beast's exercise of worldwide authority equal to that of the sea-beast as a reference to the "promoters" of the cult of the emperor" G. R. Beasley-Murray, op. cit., p.

Revelation 3:22 — true in a sense now, but to be followed by greater honors later. In these letters, "ominous warnings provide a dark background for glowing promises." Charles M. Laymon, The Book of Revelation (New York and Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1960), p. 72. The next two chapters will provide a revelation of that great throne in more specific terms, but it is the same throne (authority) that dominates these letters. In this is seen the unity and logical sequence of progression in the Apocalypse. The judgment.

1 Samuel 4:19-22 — opportunity and destroyed Shiloh. "A Danish expedition directed by H. Kjaer and A. Schmidt excavated parts of ancient Shiloh in 1926-1932; and the results seemed to show that Shiloh was destroyed about 1100 B.C."The Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia, p. 1576. Willis pointed out that a number of Biblical statements support the view that the Philistines destroyed Shiloh on this occasion or at a time not long afterward. Later in First Samuel, Samuel appears not at Shiloh but at his hometown of Ramah (1 Samuel