Bible Commentaries

Genesis 10:1 — Toledoth IV (Genesis 10:1) Christians should not ignore this chapter, the fundamental teaching of which is that all the nations of earth are descended from a single ancestor and that, therefore, all the peoples of the earth are of "one blood" (Acts 17:26). There are no critical difficulties whatever in Genesis 10, for this record is the only document that has descended through the centuries to shed light upon the particular facts here related. How does one contradict something with nothing? Satan

Exodus 16:4-8 — cloud. There was such a glory mentioned in Exodus 16:10. In his comment on that Dummelow said, "Here a special radiance is meant… as with an appearance of fire."J. R. Dummelow, Commentary on the Holy Bible (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1937), p. 63. It appears that Keil's view on the glory here is correct: Here, seeing the glory of Jehovah did not consist in the sight of the glory of the Lord which appeared in the cloud, as mentioned in Exodus 16:10, but in their perception or experience

Exodus 25:31-40 — pattern, which hath been showed thee in the mount." One picture is said to be worth a thousand words, and fortunately a likeness of the golden candlestick which was robbed from the Herodian Temple in Jerusalem by the soldiers of Vespasian and Titus, A.D. 70 has been preserved in the carved representation of it engraved upon the Arch of Titus (circa 90 A.D.) commemorating the Triumph of that Flavian Caesar. We may not be certain that it was exactly like the golden candlestick of the tabernacle, described

Exodus 26 overview — Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1962), p. 1231. Next, there are recorded rules for making the other three coverings of the whole structure, that of goat's hair, the leather made of ram skins dyed red, and the covering of sealskins (Exodus 26:7-14). Then we have a section pertaining to the making of the "boards" (Exodus 26:15-25), and another with instructions for making the "bars," and an order to erect the structure "after the fashion" showed Moses in the mount (Exodus 26:26-30). Exodus

1 Kings 11:1-8 — sins of "old age." "Daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites" "The crime of these marriages was due to Solomon's union with nationals, with whom intermarriage was forbidden (Exodus 34:16 and Deuteronomy 7:3-4)."The Interpreter's Bible, Vol. 3, p, 101. The simple truth is that Solomon had no respect whatever for God's law in matters where the Divine command contradicted his personal desire. "Seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines"

Leviticus 18:19-23 — involved child sacrifice (Deuteronomy 12:31; Deuteronomy 18:10)."Gordon J. Wenham, op. cit., p. 259. As a matter of fact, the charred bones of children have been found in a temple of Amman, in the country of the Ammonites, whose God was Molech (1 Kings 11:7). These are dated at the time of the Conquest, very near the times of Moses, thus affording "evidence of child sacrifice."Ibid. This is most significant because it nullifies the biased, critical argument that child sacrifices were unknown until the

Ecclesiastes 1:12-18 — Scott noted also that, "If the passage is construed as a reference to `kings' who preceded Solomon `in Jerusalem,' then it might include pre-Davidic kings such as Melchizedek."The Anchor Bible Commentary (Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company, 1972), Vol. 18, p. 213. Also, the Revised Standard Version renders Ecclesiastes 1:12; "I, the Preacher, have been king, etc.;" and many scholars understand this as an assertion that the writer, at the time of his writing, was not king. We do not accept

Isaiah 49:14-21 — of God Himself, the True Israel of God, during his earthly ministry, a fact already mentioned in Isaiah 49:4, above, and suggested in Isaiah 42:4. One of the cries of Jesus Christ from the Cross, "My God, My God, Why hast thou forsaken me"? (Matthew 27:46) is proof of this. "Can a woman forget her sucking child" God here declared that such is possible; and every day's newspaper is the proof of it, as new-born infants are deserted in parking lots and filling stations; but Jehovah here declared that

Ezekiel 43:1-27 — corresponding in every way to the visions of the departing glory in Ezekiel 10-11 (Ezekiel 43:1-6). God cited the reprobacy of the priests as a hindrance and as a reason for leaving the Temple. God promised that his glory would dwell there forever (Ezekiel 43:7-12); but that promise was made to be absolutely contingent upon Israel's holiness (Ezekiel 43:9-12). We also have the detailed measurements of the altar (Ezekiel 43:13-17), certain details on animals sacrificed, the sprinkling of the blood, the choice

Zechariah 12:10 — passage is a reference to the crucifixion of Christ. As Gill put it: "It would be difficult to imagine a clearer prediction of the detail of Christ's crucifixion."Clinton R. Gill, Commentary on Minor Prophets, Zechariah (Joplin, Missouri: College Press, 1971), p. 258. Hailey also summed it up thus: "There is clearly depicted a tragedy occurring in the family of David, when some leading personage in the family would be smitten (Zechariah 13:7); his hands would be pierced (Zechariah 12:10; Zechariah 13:6);

Zechariah 12:11-14 — by every man ever born on earth. The topic sentence and theme of the Book of Revelation is: "Behold he cometh with the clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they that pierced him; and all the tribes of the earth shall mourn over him" (Revelation 1:7) The entire prophecy of Revelation concerns the universal and final judgment of all mankind; and significantly, the terminology of this key sentence in Revelation indicates the mourning of humanity at the Judgment. Jesus himself mentioned this connection: "And

Zechariah 6:11 — 134. Furthermore, "If a scribe removed the name of Zerubbabel here, he would have needed to remove the clear allusion to him in Zechariah 6:13."David J. Ellis, The New Layman's Bible Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1979), p. 1035. As a matter of obvious truth no scribe ever meddled with this passage; it is the modern critics who are trying to do that. Their reasons for trying to get Zerubbabel into this passage are based upon the false notion that God would re-establish

Deuteronomy 16 overview — central sanctuary. Two other great occasions of the year, i.e., the Feast of Trumpets, and the Day of Atonement are not mentioned here because they did not require the assembly of the whole nation. We have the Feast of the Passover (Deuteronomy 16:1-7), The Feast of Weeks (Deuteronomy 16:9-12), and the Feast of Tabernacles (Deuteronomy 16:13-15). Anticipating the scattering of the people in the occupation of Canaan, and discerning the need for more judges, "Moses here enacts that judges and officers

Deuteronomy 21:1-9 — Society of America), p. 252. A very undiscerning remark by Watts is that, "The introduction of the Levitical priests, Deuteronomy 21:5, adds nothing to the description."John D. W. Watts, Beacon Bible Commentary, Deuteronomy (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1970), p. 258. Alexander pointed out the true reason for the appearance of the Levites in this ceremony: "The presence of the priests was due to their position as servants of Jehovah, on whom it devolved to see that all was done in the manner God's law

Mark 11:11 — And he entered into Jerusalem, into the temple; and when he had looked round about upon all things, it being now eventide, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve. Luke recorded that Jesus went "every night" to the mount of Olives (Luke 12:37), but, of course, Bethany was on the mount of Olives. All such variations are due to the independence of the narratives. THE WITHERING OF THE FIG TREE This is one of the most interesting of Jesus' great wonders, exceedingly rich with moral significance,

Luke 15:3-7 — thing as a Christian who does not belong to the church, despite the fact that such a conceit is obviously deceiving millions. Of old, "The Lord added to the church daily such as were being saved," and he has never stopped doing so (Acts 2:47). (6)    Just as the lost sheep was elevated to the shoulders of the shepherd, so the lost soul is elevated to new heights of eminence and rejoicing in Christ Jesus. "He shall exalt you" (James 4:10) is the promise to Christians;

Romans 7:1-3 — here incidentally taught, or rather which is assumed as known by Christians and Jews is, that the marriage contract can only be dissolved by death. The only exception to this rule is given by Christ (Matthew 5:32); unless indeed Paul (1 Corinthians 7:15) recognizes willful and final desertion as a sufficient ground of divorce. Charles Hodge, Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1968), p. 220. Regarding divorce, the Holy Scriptures teach

Joshua 24:1-3 — event; "But Joshua 23 is Joshua's informal address to the leaders of the people, and Joshua 24 is a formal, public renewal of the covenant."Hugh J. Blair, The New Bible Commentary, Revised, Joshua (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1971), p. 250. Thus, the last public action of Joshua was that of leading his people in a formal and ceremonial renewal of the covenant at Shechem. "To Shechem" (Joshua 24:1). Some scholars marvel that this ceremony was held at Shechem, instead of Shiloh

1 Timothy 6:1 — that time a world-wide institution, recognized and practiced in every nation under heaven. That slaves formed a considerable portion of all the congregations of Paul's day may be inferred from the extensive teachings on the subject in 1 Corinthians 7:21-24; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Eph. 6:5:8; Colossians 3:11; Colossians 3:22; 1 Peter 2:18 and also in 1 Corinthians 1:27-29. The holy gospel must have been especially welcomed and appreciated by slaves who, despite being at the bottom of the social and

Hebrews 10:18 — sins means, literally, "the sending away" of sins. (This means) to send away the sins of a sinner as far as the east is from the west. (Psalms 103:12), as a cloud is blotted out and vanishes (Isaiah 44:22), to the bottom of the sea (Micah 7:19), thus blotting out the sins even from memory. R. C. H. Lenski, op. cit., p. 311. When God sends away "these," namely our sins and violations of his law, so that even his memory does not recall them, they are gone indeed. But the Spirit