Bible Commentaries

Genesis 15:6 — only," and trying to find here a corroboration of the great Lutheran heresy. There is no truth whatever in such views. Morris even discovered (?) here "a new covenant,"Henry M. Morris, The Genesis Record (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1976), p. 325. and Unger hailed the passage as "the pattern of a sinner's justification"!Merrill F. Unger, op. cit. p. 61. (1)    It is absolutely impossible properly to observe this place as the record of a new covenant. Genesis 12:1 f contains

Genesis 17:1-2 — inserted by a revision or an interpolation is merely arrogant unbelief. Simpson identified "God Almighty, here ([~'El] [~Shadday]), as probably the name of a Canaanite deity"!Cuthbert A. Simpson, The Interpreter's Bible, Vol. 1 (New York: Abingdon Press, 1953), p. 608. Notice the use in such denials of words such as probably, possibly, evidently, etc. This is an unintentional confession that no proof whatever sustains the allegation. "God Almighty" Scholars agree that the exact meaning of [~'El] [~Shadday],

Genesis 19:35-38 — Israel, both politically and religiously. It will be recalled that the king of Moab hired Balaam to curse Israel, and that through Balaam's suggestion, the whole nation of Israel was seduced by the licentious devices of the Moabites at Baal-Peor (Numbers 25), resulting in the whole nation's rejecting God and becoming attached to Baal. It was the "sacred prostitution" associated with the Baalim cults that proved the undoing of God's people. "Solomon built a high place for Molech, the god of the Ammonites,

Genesis 2:16-17 — death penalty "in that day," the day which is still with us and shall yet find the Father's sentence summarily executed. Commentators, of course, mistakenly interpret "day" mentioned in the sentence as a twenty-four hour period. (See under Genesis 1:5 above for notes on the length of the seventh day.)

Genesis 21:11-13 — this meaning is the true one in certain O.T. passages is evident from Paul's words: "Now to Abraham were the promises spoken, and to his seed. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, and to thy seed, which is Christ" (Galatians 3:16). (5)    But there is even a more general meaning, having no racial overtones whatever. "And if ye are Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, heirs according to the promise" (Galatians 3:29). Thus, a great deal more must be observed concerning

Genesis 6:5 — varied from this pattern; and there were not even any occasions when any man left off the mental pursuit of wickedness! It would be difficult to devise a sentence that would any more effectively portray the corruption of humanity than does Genesis 6:5. That this is the result of the judicial hardening prophesied by Genesis 6:3 in which such a condition was foretold in the projected withdrawal of the Spirit of God from "striving with" man, is dramatically evident. THE FIRST HARDENING OF HUMANITY The

Psalms 106 overview — THE REBELLIOUSNESS OF ISRAEL AND GOD'S MERCIES This, the last psalm of Book IV, is the third of the psalms which McCaw classified as "historical."The New Bible Commentary, Revised, p. 516. It is also the first of the ten psalms which Rawlinson classified as, "The Hallelujah Psalms."The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 8-B, p. 423. The others are: Psalms 111; Psalms 112; Psalms 113; Psalms 115; Psalms 116; Psalms 117; Psalms 118; Psalms 119;

Psalms 46 overview — Sennacherib's army before the walls of Jerusalem in 701 B.C. Here is what these scholars wrote: "Psalms 46-48 form a group of three which we may assign with little doubt to the reign of Hezekiah, when Sennacherib's army was suddenly destroyed (2 Kings 19:35). They all three strike the same note of gratitude, confidence and praise, which is found in Isaiah's references to the same event (Isaiah 29-31; Isaiah 33; Isaiah 37).J. R. Dummelow's Commentary, p. 348. "This Psalm looks back to the deliverance from

Psalms 57 overview — Saul in the cave. Set to Altasheth. This, or course, was the tune to which the psalm was to be sung; but no one has the slightest idea what that tune was. Delitzsch tells us that "There were three of the Davidic psalms set to this tune, namely, Psalms 57; Psalms 58; and Psalms 59, and also one of the Psalms accredited to Asaph, Psalms 75."F. Delitzsch, Vol. V-B, p. 173. Following the Douay Version of the Old Testament, Spurgeon, translated the name of this tune, as "Destroy Not." He commented that,

Psalms 78 overview — stated thus by Miller: (1) "Israel is warned not to follow the past pattern of sins as seen in their ancestors (Psalms 78:1-4); and (2) the current generation was warned to provide adequate instruction and guidance to the next generation (Psalms 78:5-8)."C. M. Miller, co-author with Anthony L. Ash, p. 270. In the commentaries that I have examined, there are two gross errors which should be avoided: (1)    The first of these is the late-dating of this psalm, which, as may be judged

Leviticus 13 overview — was a "prophet of God" in Israel. And when Naaman inquired of the King of Israel, the king tore his garments and exploded with the remark: "Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy?" (2 Kings 5:7). Such references to the disease may be multiplied, but these are enough to show that there was indeed real leprosy in the land, and that the people knew it and recognized it. Any notion, therefore, that this chapter is dealing only with such a thing

Isaiah 6 overview — primarily to the prophet's own times, and the obduracy of the Jews of that age, and to their punishment by the Babylonian captivity; it extends in its full latitude to the age of Messiah, and the blindness of the Jews to the gospel; (See Matthew 13:14-15; John 12:40; Acts 28:26-27; and Romans 11:7-8) to the desolation of their country by the Romans, and to their being rejected by God."Ibid., p. 182. Thus the extremely significant implications of the prophecy in this chapter constitute the only reason

Numbers 13 overview — sending out spies (Numbers 13:1-2) (2)    the choice of the spies (Numbers 13:2-16) (3)    the commission of the spies (Numbers 13:17-20) (4)    the conduct of the spies (Numbers 13:21-24) (5)    the confirmation of what God had said about Canaan by the spies (Numbers 13:25-27) (6)    the contradiction of God's Word by the majority report of the spies (Numbers 13:28-29), and (7)    the

Acts 27 overview — Dummelow said, "The most detailed account of an ancient voyage which we possess, and is our principal source of knowledge of the ancient art of navigation." J. R. Dummelow, Commentary on the Holy Bible (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1937), p. 851. Even scholars inclined to be critical here confess that "Luke's whole account may be assumed to be accurate and entirely trustworthy." G. H. C. MacGreggor, The Interpreter's Bible (New York: Abingdon Press, 1954), Vol. IX, p. 331. The occasion

Joshua 3 overview — the covenant and the priests who carried it; (3)    the beginning of the crossing, its continuation, and its conclusion; (4)    the erection of two memorials - one in the middle of Jordan, the other at Gilgal; (5)    the cessation of the manna; and (6)    the timing of the event with reference to the 10th of Abib and the approach of the First Passover in Canaan. As recorded here, the narrative is very complex. As Blair

2 Peter 3:16 — these things … There are many subjects discussed in 1 Peter, which were also discussed by Paul in his letters. Among these are: (1) the great apostasy; (2) the eternal judgment; (3) the second coming of Christ; (4) the longsuffering of God; (5) the character of lawless and wicked men; (6) the need for watchfulness; (7) the fact of sinners being slaves of sin, etc., etc. Some things hard to be understood … Note that this does not say that it was impossible to understand them. The difficulties

1 John 5:4 — "whosoever" etc., but he was speaking not so much of individuals here, as of the new birth. "It is not the man but his birth from God which conquers."J. R. Dummelow, Commentary on the Holy Bible (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1937), p. 1057. The new birth gives one entry into the kingdom of God (John 3:5 f). In order to enter, one must be born of water and of the spirit, that is, be baptized into Christ and receive the Holy Spirit. For a more complete discussion of this, see in my Commentary

Revelation 12:10 — should be separated in a new paragraph to set it off from the "war," as in Wilcock's translation mentioned above. Many scholars suppose that this doxology was "sung" despite there being no mention of singing. See under Revelation 5:9. Now is come the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ … There can hardly be any doubt that Beckwith's comment here is correct: The expulsion of Satan from the seat of his dominion in the heavens

Revelation 19 overview — reaching its terminus at the judgment. This chapter, therefore, is not "the beginning of the millennial age." <footnote James William Russell, Compact Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1964), p. 650. The only connection that it has with the millennium is that it prophesies of events throughout the whole current dispensation, which is the 1,000 years, the 42 months, or the 1,260 days, each of these expressions meaning the same thing. Thus, each

Revelation 2 overview — —- The evangelization movement Laodicea —- The final period before the Second Advent G. Campbell Morgan made the above applications. G. Campbell Morgan, An Exposition of the Whole Bible (Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1959), pp. 533, 534. A deep respect is felt for the sincere students of the Holy Scriptures who accept this and similar views of these seven churches; but there are a number of considerations which forbid our agreement with them: (1)    The