Bible Commentaries

Genesis 4:1-8 — Was Eve thanking God for helping her bear a son (Cain), [Note: Mathews, p. 265; Wenham, pp. 101-2.] or was she boasting that she had created a man (Cain) as God had created a man (Adam, Genesis 4:1)? [Note: Sailhamer, The Pentateuch . . ., pp. 111-12; Waltke, Genesis, p. 96.] The former alternative seems preferable (cf. Genesis 4:25). "Cain" means "acquisition," a portent of his own primary proclivity. Abel, from the Hebrew

1 Chronicles 4:1-23 — 1. The family of Judah 4:1-23 Jacob prophesied that his fourth son, Judah, would become the leader of the Israelites. Through him God would provide the greatest promised blessing to come (Genesis 49:8-12). The Davidic dynasty was one branch of Jacob’s descendants, so

Jeremiah 31:21 — The special object of Yahweh’s love, Israel (cf. Jeremiah 31:4), should give attention to returning to the Promised Land (cf. Isaiah 35; Isaiah 40:3-5; Isaiah 40:11; Isaiah 41:18-20; Isaiah 42:16; Isaiah 43:1-7; Isaiah 44:3-4; Isaiah 49:9-13).

Jeremiah 4:23-26 — A vision of the coming destruction 4:23-26 "In one of the most magnificent lyrical passages in the entire prophecy [Jeremiah 4:23-31], Jeremiah experiences a dramatic moment of insight concerning the outpouring of divine anger upon Judah." [Note: Harrison, Jeremiah and . . ., p. 72.]

Jeremiah 52:8 — However, the Chaldeans caught up with Zedekiah and his soldiers in the plains of Jericho, and the soldiers abandoned their king either deliberately or out of necessity (Jeremiah 21:7; Jeremiah 32:4; Jeremiah 34:21; Jeremiah 37:17; Jeremiah 38:23; Lamentations 4:19-20).

Ezekiel 13:17 — The Lord also directed Ezekiel to speak judgment to the female false prophets who were concocting their own messages and passing them off as divine revelations (cf. Isaiah 3:16 to Isaiah 4:1; Isaiah 32:9-13; Amos 4:1-3; Micah 3:5).

Malachi 4:4-6 — E. Second motivation: remember the Law 4:4-6 "Malachi began with an illustration from Genesis (Jacob and Esau) and spent most of the first half of the book reminding priests and people of the need to keep the Mosaic Law. Now, close to the end of his book, he gives another terse reminder

Mark 1:14-15 — 1. The message of the Servant 1:14-15 (cf. Matthew 4:12, 17; Luke 4:14-15) This topic sentence summarizes Jesus’ whole ministry in Galilee. It identifies when it started, where it happened, and the essence of what Jesus’ proclaimed that was the basis of His ministry.

Luke 4:14-15 — 1. An introduction to Jesus’ Galilean ministry 4:14-15 (cf. Matthew 4:17; Mark 1:14-15) Luke again drew his readers’ attention to the fact that Jesus was under the control of the Holy Spirit as He began His public ministry (cf. Luke 1:35; Luke 3:22; Luke 4:1). The Spirit empowered and enabled

John 12:14-15 — Jesus securing the young donkey. John simply reported that He entered Jerusalem riding on it and thereby fulfilled Zechariah’s prophecy about how Messiah would present Himself to the nation (Zechariah 9:9). "Fear not" comes from Isaiah 40:9, which addresses those to whom good news about Zion comes. "Daughter of Zion" is a common Old Testament description of the people of Jerusalem as the oppressed people of God (cf. Isaiah 1:8; Jeremiah 4:31; Lamentations 2:4; Micah 4:8; Zephaniah

Acts 14:3 — Because God was saving many people, the missionaries stayed on in Iconium "a long time" regardless of opposition that evidently increased gradually. They testified boldly (cf. Acts 13:46) and relied on the Lord Jesus for their success. The phrase "the word of His grace" (Acts 14:3) describes the gospel message stressing the prominence of God’s grace in it (cf. Acts 20:24-32). They did many miracles there too thus confirming

Acts 20:10-11 — This seems to be a definite instance of Paul raising a dead person back to life similar to what Elijah, Elisha, and Jesus had done (cf. 1 Kings 17:21-22; 2 Kings 4:34-35; Matthew 9:23-25; Mark 5:39). If so, the incident shows the miraculous power of Jesus Christ working through His apostle at this time (Acts 1:1-2). (If you are a preacher and have the gift of gab, you may also need the gift of healing!) However

1 Corinthians 1:7 — be God’s greatest gift to them. The early Christians awaited His return eagerly. This reference to the Rapture is one of many indications that the apostles taught the imminent (i.e., any moment) return of the Lord for His own (cf. 1 Corinthians 4:5; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Corinthians 16:22; Philippians 3:20; Philippians 4:5; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 2 Thessalonians 1:10-12; Titus 2:13; James 5:7-9; 1 John 2:28; Revelation 3:11; Revelation 22:7; Revelation 22:12; Revelation 22:17; Revelation

1 Corinthians 15:51 — "Listen" grabs the reader’s attention and announces something important. Paul was about to explain something never before revealed, a mystery (Gr. mysterion; cf. Matthew 13:11; Romans 11:25; Romans 16:25; 1 Corinthians 2:7; 1 Corinthians 4:1; 1 Corinthians 13:2; 1 Corinthians 14:2; Ephesians 1:9; Ephesians 3:3-4; Ephesians 3:9; Ephesians 5:32; Ephesians 6:19; et al.). He had previously written that at the Rapture dead Christians would rise before God will catch living Christians up to

Ephesians 1:7 — The "Him" in view is the beloved Son (Ephesians 1:6). God can pour out His grace on us only because of what Christ has done for us. Redemption (Gr. apolytrosin) means release from slavery (cf. Ephesians 1:14; Ephesians 4:30; Luke 21:28; Romans 3:24; Romans 8:23; 1 Corinthians 1:30; Colossians 1:14; Hebrews 9:15; Hebrews 11:35). It involves buying back and setting free by paying a ransom price. Jesus Christ has redeemed us from sin (Hebrews 9:15), namely,

Philippians 3:1 — 2. Walking in steadfastness 3:1-4:1 Paul now turned to the second major quality that he introduced in Philippians 1:27-30, namely, steadfastness in the face of opposition to the gospel (cf. Philippians 1:7; Philippians 1:28). He had introduced the idea of joy in the face of opposition

1 Timothy 6:20-21 — to urge Timothy once more to avoid going astray in his ministry (cf. 1 Timothy 1:3-5; 1 Timothy 1:18-20). Paul again mentioned two of the primary themes in the Pastoral Epistles: the importance of personal perseverance (cf. 1 Timothy 1:18; 1 Timothy 4:1-16; 1 Timothy 6:11-16) and the error of the opponents. "What is most remarkable about this conclusion is the lack of any final greetings. All the Pauline letters, including this one, sign off with a final grace, or benediction. But only 1 Timothy

James 1:9-11 — 4. The larger view of circumstances 1:9-11 James had been urging his readers to adopt God’s view of their trials (James 1:2-4). Now he returned to this subject, broadened their perspective, and encouraged them to adopt His viewpoint on all their present circumstances.

Judges 4 overview — C. The third apostasy chs. 4-5 Chapters 4 and 5 are complementary versions of the victory God gave Israel over the Canaanites, first in prose and then in poetry (cf. Exodus 14-15). [Note: Block, Judges . . ., p. 177.] They are two witnesses to God’s greatness and goodness.

Judges 4:4-11 — Deborah was one of three prophetesses identified as such in the Old Testament (Judges 4:4), along with Miriam (Exodus 15:20) and Huldah (2 Kings 22:14). Anna (Luke 2:36) and Philip’s four daughters (Acts 21:8-9) were also prophetesses. Deborah was also one of the judges (Judges 4:4). Another translation of "wife of Lappidoth"