Bible Commentaries

Genesis 2:8-15 — The modern equivalent of the Pishon River is unknown for certain. Commentators have suggested that it was the Indus, the Ganges, a river of Arabia, or a river of Mesopotamia. The land of Havilah seems to have been in southwestern Arabia (cf. Genesis

Genesis 22:1-8 — This incident took place some time after the events recorded in the chapters immediately preceding this one, evidently several years later. God’s revelation to Abraham (His eighth recorded in Scripture) came to test Abraham’s faith (i.e.,

Genesis 47:1-12 — Jacob’s blessing of Pharaoh (Genesis 47:7; Genesis 47:10) is unusual since it implies that in one sense (i.e., as one of God’s elect) Jacob was superior to Pharaoh. Pharaoh was a man of immense worldly power and influence. "The lesser

Exodus 6:2-9 — God explained to Moses that He would indeed deliver Israel out of Egypt in spite of the discouragement that Moses had encountered so far. God proceeded to remind Moses of His promises to the patriarchs and to reveal more of Himself by expounding one

Psalms 6:8-10 — 4. Assurance of recovery 6:8-10 Apparently David received an answer to his petition. It may have come through a prophet or just the inner conviction that he would recover (cf. Psalms 20:6; Psalms 22:21; Psalms 28:6; Psalms 31:19; Psalms 56:9; Psalms

Isaiah 43:7 — What qualifies these people for such treatment is their relationship to Yahweh. They are called by His name and are, therefore, part of His family (cf. Deuteronomy 28:10; Jeremiah 14:9; Jeremiah 15:16; Ezekiel 36:20). Furthermore, God brought them into

Ezekiel 38:15-16 — He and his allies would descend on Israel from the north and cover her like a storm cloud (cf. Ezekiel 38:6; Ezekiel 39:2; Daniel 11:40-45). Coming from the north recalls the earlier invasions of the Assyrians and Babylonians, but this will be a future

Daniel 7:9 — In some English versions, this verse and some that follow (Daniel 7:10; Daniel 7:13-14) are in poetic form. This indicates a difference in the original language (Aramaic), which sets these verses off as distinct and more elevated in literary style,

Hosea 9:15-17 — Expulsion from the land 9:15-17 "The previous section (Hosea 9:10-14) began with a tender expression of Yahweh’s love. This section (Hosea 9:15-17) begins with an affirmation of his hatred. The previous section looked back to the wilderness;

Numbers 12:10-15 — The Lord punished Miriam for her dissatisfaction with her divinely appointed role in the nation. He punished her with leprosy, the disease that specially symbolized sin (Leviticus 13-14). Frank Cross suggested that Miriam’s punishment of white,

Micah 5:12-14 — He would also remove the accouterments of pagan worship that had plagued His people. Sorceries involved seeking information from demonic sources (cf. 2 Kings 9:22; Isaiah 47:9; Isaiah 47:12; Nahum 3:4). Fortunetellers cast spells by calling demonic

Nahum 1:4 — A simple word from Yahweh can cause the humanly uncontrollable sea and the rivers to dry up. The Lord had demonstrated this power when He parted the Red Sea and stopped the Jordan River from flowing (Exodus 14:21; Joshua 3:16). It can make Bashan, Carmel,

Matthew 4:1-2 — The same Spirit who brought Jesus into the world (Matthew 1:20) and demonstrated God’s approval of Him (Matthew 3:16) now led Him into the wilderness for tempting by Satan. "Just as God led Israel out of Egypt and through the waters and into

Luke 18:1-8 — 3. The parable of the persistent widow 18:1-8 Jesus continued His instruction to the disciples about His return. He told them a parable designed to encourage them to continue praying while they lived in the interval before His second coming. Luke mentioned

John 8:58 — This was the third and last of Jesus’ solemn pronouncements in this discourse (cf. John 8:34; John 8:51). If Jesus had only wanted to claim that He existed before Abraham, He could have said, "I was." By saying, "I am," He

Acts 13:47 — Paul quoted the Isaiah commission because he was addressing Jews. Isaiah explained their duty. He and Barnabas were only carrying out God’s will. The servant of the Lord is the person addressed in Isaiah 49:6. Jesus Christ, the perfect Servant

Romans 8:23 — The saints share the sense of groaning and anticipation that Paul described the whole creation feeling. God will fully redeem both it and us finally. However only the saints have the firstfruits of the Spirit. God commanded the Israelites to present

Joshua 1:1 — The first word of the book is a conjunction translated "now" or "and." It shows that this book picks up where Deuteronomy ended. "’Servant of the LORD’ is a title of honor shared by Abraham, David, and the Servant

Joshua 4:15-24 — The text carefully clarifies that it was the presence of God, which the ark symbolized, that held back the waters of the Jordan. When the priests removed the ark from the riverbed, the waters resumed their flow (Joshua 4:18). "The ark is the very

Judges 6:11-32 — Gideon’s commissioning by Yahweh 6:11-32 ". . . the heroic women of the song [of Deborah, ch. 5] give way to an unheroic ’man of Israel’ (Judges 7:14) who not only does all he can to evade the call of Yahweh but in the end abandons