Bible Commentaries

Genesis 14:20 — that Abram reciprocated by giving Melchizedek a gift with priestly connotations. [Note: Wenham, Genesis 1-15, p. 316.] "All" probably refers to all that he took in the battle rather than all that was in Abram’s possession (cf. Genesis 14:23-24; Hebrews 7:4).

Genesis 27:1-4 — character. In contrast, physical and spiritual decay marked Isaac’s old age. [Note: Meir Sternberg, Poetics of Biblical Narrative, p. 350. See Bruce K. Waltke, "Reflections on Retirement from the Life of Isaac," Crux 32 (December 1996):4-14.] "In this the infirmity of his [Isaac’s] flesh is evident. At the same time, it was not merely because of his partiality for Esau, but unquestionably on account of the natural rights of the firstborn, that he wished to impart the blessing

Esther 7:1-6 — minority group that Haman had represented to the king as subversive, but she also accused one of his closest confidential advisers of committing an error in judgment. Nevertheless she appealed to the king to do what was in his best interests (Esther 7:4). Ahasuerus saw at once that his enemy, whoever he was, was going to rob him of his queen and his wealth. When Esther finally named the culprit, Ahasuerus had already decided to punish him severely.

Psalms 107:23-32 — worshiper during or after some zero hour of his life. On the basis of Psalms 107 the rabbis spoke of four occasions when the thank offering was appropriate: safe return from a voyage (Psalms 107:23-32), safe return from a desert journey (Psalms 107:4-9), recovery from illness (Psalms 107:17-22), and release from prison (Psalms 107:10-16)." [Note: Ibid., p. 154. See also Jacob Milgrom, Leviticus 1-16, p. 219.]

Psalms 145:8-9 — a classic expression of praise for God’s character. David moved from considering the greatness of God’s acts to reflecting on His motivating attitudes.The same statement in Hebrew occurs in six other places in the Old Testament (Exodus 34:6; Nehemiah 9:17; Psalms 86:15; Psalms 103:8; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2). God’s grace is His favor and divine enablement that He gives to those who do not deserve it. His mercy is the forbearance He demonstrates to those who deserve His wrath. He is

Psalms 37:25-26 — account for the fact that some believers have starved to death. They may not have followed the Lord faithfully, or they may have been part of a larger group, even all humanity, that did not follow Him faithfully and was under His judgment (cf. Psalms 37:4). David did not say the righteous never starve to death, only that he had never seen any that did. His point was that God takes care of the righteous.

Psalms 50:22-23 — 4. A final warning 50:22-23 God let His people off with a warning. However, they should remember Him and the fact that He would judge them eventually. Heartfelt gratitude and obedience would honor God and bring His deliverance. Simply going through the

Psalms 89:5-14 — These verses exalt the uniqueness of Yahweh. Ethan praised Him for His attributes (Psalms 89:5-8) and works (Psalms 89:9-14). Outstanding among His attributes are His faithfulness and His might. The "holy ones" (Psalms 89:7) are the angels. The works he cited were subduing the flood, defeating Egypt (Rahab, cf. Psalms 87:4) at the Exodus, and creating the heavens

Proverbs 13:24 — "’Spare the rod and spoil the child.’ This common maxim (a one-size-fits-all approach to child discipline) is often wrongly attributed to the Bible. (This maxim comes from a poem written by Samuel Butler in 1664.) In reality the book of Proverbs, when taken as a whole, encourages its readers to use multiple levels of discipline ranging from pointing out improper behavior to the use of corporal punishment." [Note: Paul D. Wegner, "Discipline in the

Ecclesiastes 12:5 — and travel. The "almond tree" blossoms white like the hair of an old person. An elderly person is less sprightly in his or her movements. The "caperberry," apparently an appetite stimulant, not an aphrodisiac, [Note: Delitzsch, p. 417.] is a poor translation that the Septuagint introduced. The text should read "and desire fails," which gives the same meaning. Man’s "dark house" (rather than "eternal home") is a reference to the grave-Sheol. [Note:

Isaiah 10:24-27 — from the Midianite Prince Oreb, who escaped death in the battle with the Israelites, but died when he fled. Similarly, Sennacherib did not perish with his army but died after he returned home. The Assyrian oppression would not last long (cf. Isaiah 9:4), and God would then punish the disciplinarian of His people. God’s blessing on His people would be responsible for the breaking of the yoke of bondage on them.

Isaiah 29:17-18 — The Lord would demonstrate His distinctiveness, sovereignty, and wisdom soon by reversing the conditions of the proud and the humble, symbolized by the forest and the field (cf. Isaiah 2:13; Isaiah 10:34; Isaiah 33:9; Isaiah 35:2; Isaiah 37:24; Isaiah 60:13; Matthew 5:5). This change will be literal in the Millennium. Note the mention of "just a little while" and "on that day," phrases that often introduce eschatological conditions.

Isaiah 29:20-21 — ills. The samples of wicked behavior that Isaiah offered have been all too prevalent throughout history. The ruthless are unscrupulous in wielding their power (cf. Isaiah 29:5; Isaiah 13:11; Isaiah 25:3-5). Scorners deny moral absolutes (cf. Isaiah 28:14; Isaiah 28:22). Those intent on doing evil bend law and order to achieve their ends. Specifically, those who abuse the legal system by committing perjury, tampering with witnesses, and withholding protection from the innocent will come to an end. The

Isaiah 29:9 — enemy attack, and failed to trust Him, they would find it even more difficult to see His will and do it later. When people see the will of God and refuse to do it, they become incapable of seeing it and doing it further (cf. Acts 28:26-28; Romans 1:24; Romans 1:26; Romans 1:28; Hebrews 4:1-11). This is serious spiritual blindness and drunkenness.

Isaiah 41:1-20 — The fearful servant, Israel 41:1-20 The Lord, through His prophet, assured fearful Israel in this segment. Israel need not fear the nations (Isaiah 41:1-7) because Yahweh remained committed to His people and would use them to accomplish His purposes in the world (Isaiah 41:8-20).

Deuteronomy 25:17-19 — a measure of rest there, they were to remember that God had commanded them to exterminate the Amalekites. They were to do this because of the Amalekites’ treatment of Israel in the wilderness (Deuteronomy 25:17-19; cf. Exodus 17:8-16; Numbers 24:20; 1 Chronicles 4:42-43). "Particular importance is attached to the fate of the Amalekites in the Pentateuch, especially as a sign of God’s faithfulness in fulfilling his promises." [Note: Sailhamer, p. 469.] "Taken together,

2 Peter 1:7 — "Brotherly kindness" (Gr. philadelphia) is thoughtful consideration of fellow believers (cf. 1 Peter 1:22; 1 Peter 3:8; Romans 12:10; 1 Corinthians 12:25-26; 1 Thessalonians 4:9; Hebrews 13:1). Overt acts of kindness manifest this characteristic (Galatians 6:10). "Love" (Gr. agape) is the highest form of love, God’s kind, that seeks the welfare of the person loved above its own welfare (John 3:16; John 13:35;

Revelation 1:5 — John described Jesus Christ as the "faithful witness" (cf. Revelation 3:14; Psalms 89:37; Isaiah 43:10-13). This is the third and last time in the book that the double name "Jesus Christ" appears. "Jesus Christ is of the seed of David and will sit on the Davidic throne that will endure forever as the sun (Psalms

Revelation 1:9 — These were, first, the religious persecution they were presently experiencing as a result of their faith in Jesus Christ. This is a reference to the general tribulations that all Christians experience (cf. Matthew 20:22-23; John 16:33; Acts 12:2; Acts 14:22; Romans 8:17; 2 Timothy 2:12; 2 Timothy 3:12), not to the Tribulation yet future (cf. Revelation 2:22; Revelation 7:14). Second, they shared in the present and future kingdom of Jesus Christ (cf. ch. 20; Luke 12:32; Luke 22:29; 1 Thessalonians 2:12;

1 Samuel 27:1-12 — 4. The end of Saul’s reign chs. 27-31 David’s commitment to God resulted in his continuing to be God’s instrument of blessing to the Israelites and His instrument of judgment to Israel’s enemies. This was true in spite of David’s