Bible Commentaries

Exodus 16:1-36 — wilderness,’ in the direction of the march and the guiding pillar. The glory of the Lord] Here a special radiance is meant. God’s self-manifestation is frequently accompanied with an appearance of fire: see on Exodus 3:2, and cp. Exodus 19:18; Exodus 24:17; Exodus 29:43; Exodus 40:34. 13. Quails] The quail is a bird belonging to the partridge family, about 7 in. long, and of a buff colour. Its flesh is considered a great delicacy. Quails are migratory. In spring vast flocks pass northwards from the interior

Exodus 27:1-21 — Tabernacle. The Oil for the Lamps 1-8. Altar of Burnt Offering. This is a hollow chest of acacia wood overlaid with bronze, and stands within the court, midway between the outer entrance and the door of the tabernacle. 1. The approximate size of the altar is 7½ ft. square and 4½ ft. high: see on Exodus 20:26. 2 The horns] The form and significance of these horns are doubtful. They were very important, and seem to have been regarded as the most sacred part of the altar (cp. Amos 3:14). The blood

Job 12:1-25 — despise the man who is down! 6. The wicked, on the other hand, seem to fare better than the good. Into whose hand, etc] Another rendering is, ’Who bears (his) god in his hand’; i.e. who regards his sword as his god: cp. Habakkuk 1:11-16. 7. Even the animals know the commonplaces that constitute the friends’ stock of wisdom. 9. In all these] among all these creatures. The lord] see on Job 1:21. Hath wrought this] i.e. orders all things. 11, 12. ’I test your arguments as the

Job 30:1-31 — Render, ’They pluck salt-wort’ (a plant sometimes eaten by the abjectly poor) ’among the bushes, and the roots of the white broom to warm them.’ This broom is a distinctive shrub of the southern desert hills: cp. 1 Kings 19:4; RM. 7. Render, ’They snore under bushes and huddle under thorny shrubs.’ 8b. RY ’They were scourged out of the land.’ 9-14. A description of a poor old man mobbed and worried by the rabble. Or possibly 11-15 refers to God as assailing

Job 34:1-37 — righteous. 3. Cp. Job 12:11. 4. Judgment] RV ’that which is right.’ 5. My judgment] i.e. my right. 6. RV ’Notwithstanding my right I am accounted a liar: My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.’ Right = innocence. 7, 8. Elihu implies that, in indulging in such reckless remarks, Job was linking himself with sinners. 7b. Cp. Job 15:16. 9. Cp. e.g. Job 9, 21. 10-37. Elihu meets Job’s doubts. The omnipotent God cannot commit injustice: the idea is inconsistent

Job 39:1-30 — 4. With corn] rather, ’in the desert.’ 5-8. The wild ass, which is still found in the deserts of N. Arabia and Syria. 6. Barren land] RV ’salt land,’ districts coated with this mineral, which is much sought after by cattle. 7. Note the contrast between the life of the wild and the domestic ass. Regardeth he the crying] RV ’heareth he the shoutings.’ 9-12. The wild ox. 9. Unicorn] RV ’wild-ox.’ The word ’unicorn’ is based on the LXX translation,

Job 4:1-21 — in Job’s fortunes. He who had been the great comforter of those in distress is now overcome by his own troubles. Observe that Eliphaz quite underrates their severity, and ignores the wonderful resignation Job has displayed. 4. Cp. Job 29:12-17. 5. It is come] i.e. calamity. 6. RV ’Is not thy fear (of God) thy confidence, and thy hope the integrity of thy ways?’ ’Surely Job may reckon on the uprightness of his past life as a pledge of speedy deliverance! He must not despair.

Psalms 45:1-17 — celebrates the marriage of a king. After the prelude (Psalms 45:1) come addresses to the royal bridegroom (Psalms 45:2-9) and bride (Psalms 45:10-12), a description of the bridal procession (Psalms 45:13-15), and a final address to the king (Psalms 45:16-17). The marriage of Solomon to the Egyptian princess, of Ahab to Jezebel, of Jehoram to Athaliah, as well as later alliances, have all been suggested as the occasion in view. But while the Ps. had no doubt a historic reference, yet the language used of

Psalms 73:1-28 — This, like Psalms 37, 49, and the book of Job, deals with the perplexing problempresented to thoughtful minds by the prosperity of the wicked and the sufferings of the righteous. The Psalmist has been deeply exercised by this question (Psalms 73:2-14), and after struggling

Proverbs 31:1-31 — The portion is either the proper quantity of food or the allotted quantity of material for work. 21. Scarlet dye being costly, the garments would be of good material, thick and warm. 22. Read, ’She maketh for herself coverings’ (Proverbs 7:16). There is no justification for the addition, ’of tapestry.’ 25. ’She laugheth at the time to come’ (RV), because she is prepared for anything. 26. On an Egyptian tombstone is the inscription: ’Peace was in the words

Leviticus 1:1-38 — life is forfeited by his sins, but believes that he is graciously permitted to substitute a victim, to which his sins are in some way transferred, and which dies in his stead: see on Leviticus 1:4; Leviticus 16:8, Leviticus 16:20-22, and cp. Leviticus 17:11. Others have held that the efficacy of the atoning sacrifice consists in its being an expression of the offerer’s feelings and desires, his penitence, humility, and prayer for forgiveness, and that it is the latter that procures the remission

Ecclesiastes 10:1-20 — repeated. St. Peter (1 Peter 2:20-23) is able to add to the same precept a new and inspiring motive. Yielding pacifieth great offences] RM ’gentleness leaveth great sins undone’: both sides will be saved from committing serious misdeeds. 6, 7. He hints that through the ruler’s error of judgment, as he gently puts it, the wrong people have received promotion. 8, 9. Prudence is needed in many applications. Otherwise you may dig a pit to entrap your enemy, and then fall into it yourself;

Numbers 27:1-23 — The Law of the Inheritance of Daughters. Joshua appointed as the Success or of Moses 1-11. According to Numbers 26:53 (Cp. Numbers 27:2) the land was to be apportioned to the males. Zelophehad, of the tribe of Manasseh, had died leaving no sons (Numbers 26:33); and his daughters, fearing that they would have no inheritance, request that they and their sons should succeed to the inheritance

Deuteronomy 27:1-26 — blessings from the top of Gerizim and the other six the curses from the top of Ebal. According to the Jewish writers the priests and Levites stood in the valley between the two heights and spoke both the blessings and the curses from there (see Deuteronomy 27:14), and all the people answered with a loud Amen. The valley between the hills is not more than 60 rods wide at the eastern end, and all travellers in Palestine remark upon the wonderful distance at which sounds are audible, on account of the unusual

Mark 16:1-20 — west the holy and incorruptible preaching of eternal salvation.’ Internal evidence points definitely to the conclusion that the last twelve vv. are not by St. Mark. For, (1) the true conclusion certainly contained a Galilean appearance (Mark 16:7 cp. Mark 14:28), and this does not. (2) The style is that of a bare catalogue of facts, and quite unlike St. Mark’s usual wealth of graphic detail. (3) The section contains numerous words and expressions never used by St. Mark. (4) Mark 16:9 makes

Luke 14:1-35 — ’a son.’ The rabbis allowed ’an ox or an ass, a son or a daughter, a man-servant or a maid-servant’ to be drawn out of a well on the sabbath. Thus they allowed to themselves breaches of the sabbath day which they denied to Christ. 7-11. On places of honour at feasts (peculiar to Lk, but a similar discourse occurs in the ’Western’ text of St. Matthew, Luke 20:28, q.v.). It is probable that the dropsical man was healed before the dinner began, and that there then ensued

John 5:1-47 — Bethesda. Christ and the Sabbath 1-47. A miracle at the Pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath Day, and a controversy arising therefrom. This miracle may be regarded as a parable illustrating the deadly effects of sin, and the power of the Saviour to deal with the most hopeless cases. This poor

1 Corinthians 3:1-23 — illustration of what I say. (2) I have treated you as beginners and given you elementary Christian teaching, for hitherto you have been unfit for any other. (3, 4) You are still but immature Christians, as the strife and division about your teachers show. (5-7) We apostles are but instruments in the hands of God to secure your salvation; we are powerless of ourselves. (8, 9) Both of us are alike in this respect, and all we are concerned with is the faithfulness of our work. For we co-operate to carry out

2 Corinthians 10:1-18 — in a metaphor as rebels in possession of a castle (2 Corinthians 10:4) with battlements and high towers, (2 Corinthians 10:5) which he must attack in order to capture the defenders. 6. Disobedience] There may be some contumacious to the bitter end. 7-10. Paraphrase. ’You are too much influenced by appearances. My opponents say that I do not act as an Apostle of Christ, do they? Be sure that I am just as devoted a servant of Christ as any who assert their superiority. (8) Even if I boasted

2 Samuel 20:1-26 — has been following since 2 Samuel 9. The list with which it concludes is similar to that at lihe close of the earlier document (2 Samuel 8:16-18). 1. The son of Bichri] rather, ’a son of Bichri,’ i.e. a member of that clan (1 Chronicles 7:6-8). We have no part.. Israel] This was the very cry raised by the rebellious Israelites in the time of Rehoboam (1 Kings 12:16). 3. See 2 Samuel 15:16; 2 Samuel 16:21, 2 Samuel 16:22. 5. He tarried] The reason is unknown. 6. Abishai] When Amasa failed