Bible Commentaries

Proverbs overview — before us. But it also contains other forms of composition. There are passages in which the subject is continued for several verses, especially in the earlier and some of the later chapters; lengthy descriptions, such as that of the Bad Woman (Proverbs 7) and the Excellent Woman (Proverbs 31:10-31); homilies and addresses (Proverbs 1:20-33; Proverbs 8). In other books of the Bible the Mashal has a still wider range of meaning: it is an allegory (Ezekiel 17:2); a figurative discourse (Numbers 23:7, Numbers

Song of Solomon 7:1-13 — call it. Something of the same feeling appears in the English poem: ’A daughter of the gods, divinely tall, And most divinely fair.’ One or two slight changes in the text, partly supported by the ancient versions, make of Song of Solomon 7:9 an expression of desire that her mouth may be like the best wine for her beloved, ’gliding over his lips and teeth.’ Syrian women cried out to an English lady: ’Go on! when you speak Arabic, your words drop out of your mouth like

Isaiah 23:1-18 — report cometh to Egypt they shall be sorely pained.’ 6. Tarshish] Tartessus, in Spain. The Tyrians are bidden to seek refuge in their western colonies on the shores of the Mediterranean. Of these Phoenician colonies Carthage was the most famous. 7. Her own, etc.] RV ’whose feet carried her.’ 8. Taken this counsel] RV ’purposed this.’ Crowning city] alluding to the many dependent kings in her colonies. 10. A river] RV ’the Nile.’ There.. strength] ’There

Isaiah 44:1-28 — associate themselves with Israel and be reckoned as the Lord’s people. Subscribe, etc.] i.e. sign himself as the Lord’s. Surname himself] as with a title of honour. 6. Cp. Isaiah 43:11, Isaiah 43:18. His redeemer] i.e. the deliverer of Israel. 7. A challenge to others to foretell the future, as Jehovah does by His prophet (Isaiah 41:22). RM ’And who, as I, can proclaim? let him declare it,’ etc. 8. From that time] RV ’of old.’ My witnesses] see Isaiah 43:10, Isaiah

Jeremiah 13:1-27 — figure of a bottle or jar, cp. Jeremiah 18:1-6. Bottle] RM ’jar’ (of earthenware; not the skin bottles of NT.). The bottle represents the people, and the wine the wrath of God. But the people failed to see the significance of the message. 15-27. Vain appeal to Judah. 16. Give glory] a Hebrew idiom, meaning, confess your sins: cp. Joshua 7:19; John 9:24. Danger, difficulty, and gloom are near. 17. In secret places] The prophet will mourn apart, as he did in Jehoiakim’s reign. 18. See

Jeremiah 48:1-47 — Heshbon] an Ammonite town on the border of Moab, where the Chaldean invaders would lay their final plans. Madmen] a place unknown. 5. RV ’For by the ascent of Luhith with continual weeping shall they go up.’ 6. The heath] see on Jeremiah 17:6. 7. Chemosh] the god of Moab’s national worship. 8. The valley] of Jordan, bounding part of Moab on the W. 10. Deceitfully] RV ’negligently.’Moab’s foe must not be slack in executing God’s command. 11. Settled on his

Ezekiel 38:19 — tierra. Ezequiel es el único entre los profetas del Antiguo Testamento que espera que surja otra crisis después de que se haya completado la restauración. Su concepción se reproduce en el Nuevo Testamento en el libro de Apocalipsis ( Apocalipsis 20:7 ), y la idea subyacente en ambos casos es que lo que parece el triunfo del reino de Dios puede ser seguido de un nuevo asalto de las fuerzas del mal, que, sin embargo, están destinadas a ser finalmente derrocadas. La imagen de Gog puede haber sido sugerida

Zechariah 8:1-23 — Jerusalem or the Temple then approaching completion; but the prophecy foretells most strikingly the success of the kingdom of Christ. It was the dream of all Hebrew prophecy: cp. Micah 4:2; Isaiah 2:3. 23. Ten men] used for a large number: cp. Genesis 31:7; Leviticus 26:26; Nehemiah 4:12. Take hold of the skirt] the involuntary action of one who wishes to be listened to: cp. 1 Samuel 15:27; Isaiah 4:1. How earnestly have men sought salvation! They find it in Him—a member of the Jewish race—who

Matthew 13:1-58 — and fact are so mixed that the allegory is taken for fact. No parables occur in the Fourth Gospel: their place is taken by paroimiai, ’allegories,’ of which the most complete are those of the Fold (John 10:1), the Good Shepherd (Matthew 10:7), and the Vine and the Branches (Matthew 15:1): cp. John 10:6; (RM). 3b-9. The Sower (Mark 4:3-9; Luke 8:5-8). For the meaning of the parable, see on Matthew 13:18-23. Our Lord probably took as His text an actual field and an actual sower within view

Matthew 24:1-51 — believe that it had ever been inhabited.’ The Talmud says, ’On the ninth day of Ab (July-Aug.) the city of Jerusalem was ploughed up.’ 3-51. Great prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem, and the end of the world (Mark 13:8; Luke 21:7). Many of the most serious difficulties of this great discourse disappear when it is realised that our Lord referred in it not to one event but to two, and that the first was typical of the second. This is especially clear in St. Matthew’s Gospel.

Matthew 8:1-34 — willingness (’if thou wilt’) to heal so miserable an outcast. Often men find it easier to believe in God’s power than in His mercy and love. Lord] Here a title of human respect, as in Matthew 8:25; Matthew 16:22; Luke 9:54; Luke 10:17, Luke 10:40; Luke 11:1, etc. Make me clean] ’Cleanse as well as heal me,’ because leprosy was a Levitical defilement. 3. Touched him] No one was allowed to touch or even to salute a leper. If he even put his head into a place it became

Mark 7:1-37 — ’diligently,’ a possible conjecture. 4. Except they wash] lit. ’baptise themselves.’ The Jews carefully distinguished ’washing’ the hands, i.e. pouring water over them, from ’baptising’ or dipping them. In Mark 7:3 pouring water over them is meant; but here, after a visit to the market-place, in which all kinds of defilement would be met with, dipping them is regarded as necessary. Dipping the hands was performed before meals, washing at meal-times. Washing

John 3:5 — de Juan, como un bautismo del Espíritu ( Mateo 3:11 ; Juan 1:33 ; Hechos 1:5 ; Hechos 19:4 , etc.). Confiere (a quienes la reciben correctamente) gracias espirituales que no podrían darse plenamente hasta que Jesús haya sido glorificado ( Juan 7:39 ). Aprendemos de Juan 3:26 que Jesús ya estaba admitiendo discípulos en Su Reino por el rito del bautismo, y esto explica la alusión al 'agua' aquí. Bautismo judío y cristiano (1) La frase 'nuevo nacimiento' o 'regeneración' aplicada aquí por nuestro

Acts 23:1-35 — St. Paul sent to Cæesarea 1. St. Paul often asserts his good conscience before God and man: see Acts 22:3; Acts 24:16. 2. Ananias] is not the same as Annas (Acts 4:6). He was the son of Nebedæus, and held the high priesthood from 47-59 a.d. His rapacity and violence were notorious. To smite him] because, being a prisoner, he spoke without being asked: cp. John 18:22. 3. God shall smite thee] St. Paul’s angry retort has often been contrasted with our Lord’s mild words

Romans 11:1-36 — más rechazados que en los días de Elías, (3) cuando, aunque Israel era rebelde, (4) Dios preservó un remanente fiel. (5) Así también ahora existe tal remanente, seleccionado de la masa por el favor inmerecido de Dios, (6) no por ningún mérito propio. (7) Así, una parte selecta de Israel, que tiene la mente abierta a la voluntad de Dios y cree en Cristo, ha obtenido aceptación, que el resto, al buscarla con justicia propia, ha perdido, incurriendo en su lugar en el endurecimiento que sigue a la voluntad

Galatians 5:1-26 — consecuencia de nuestra fe en Cristo y no de las obras que realizamos, que esperamos la justificación ante Dios. (6) La circuncisión carece de importancia en absoluto; la única condición de la salvación es una fe que manifiesta su fuerza vital en el amor. (7) Estaba progresando bien en la vida cristiana; ¿Quién te ha engañado para que seas desleal al evangelio? (8) Esta enseñanza por la que te has descarriado no es de Dios; (9) y aunque hasta ahora solo ha hecho un poco de daño, se esparcirá como levadura.

1 Thessalonians 4:1-18 — word means ’wife,’ but this is not so likely. 5. Lust of concupiscence] RV ’passion of lust.’ 6. Go beyond and defraud] RV ’overreach (mg.), and wrong’ (i.e. by his sin). Any] should certainly be ’this.’ 7. Better, ’For God called us not for uncleanness, but to be in a state of purity.’ Who hath also given] better, ’who is ever giving’ (present tense). This passage (1 Thessalonians 4:3-8) contains in brief a statement of the Christian

Titus 2:1-15 — 1:12. 4. Teach] RV ’train,’ a much better word. 5. Keepers at home] Another Gk. text (adopted in RV) gives ’workers at home.’ Blasphemed] The Cretans would say, ’See how they treat their husbands, that is Christianity!’ 7. St. Paul now turns to Titus personally. Even if he had recently seen him, it was not unnatural to press a warning upon ’his child in the faith.’ Sincerity] Rightly omitted in RV, since it is lacking in the best MSS. 9. Servants] i.e. ’slaves.’

Hebrews 11:1-40 — writer here follows the Greek Version of the OT. Enoch’s faith is an inference from the statement in Genesis that he ’walked with God’ (Gk. ’pleased God’), and his ’translation’ was the reward of his faith. 7. Noah] His faith rested on a direct revelation of ’things not seen as yet,’ viz. the destruction of the world and the means of salvation. Fear] is ’godly fear,’ as in Hebrews 5:7. He condemned the world] i.e. either because he

Revelation 6:1-17 — juicio de los enemigos de Dios y el triunfo de los que 'vencen'. El Cordero abre los siete sellos. Aparentemente debemos entender que, a medida que se abre cada sello, una porción de lo que está escrito en el libro se revela pictóricamente. Apocalipsis 7 contiene un episodio entre los sellos seis y siete. Los primeros seis sellos. La clave de esta visión es la profecía de Cristo en Mateo 24:3 . En esa profecía, Mateo 24:4 predice las señales que precederán a la destrucción de Jerusalén, Mateo 24:15