Bible Commentaries

Psalms 128:5-6 — 3. Specific supplications for blessing 128:5-6 The psalmist offered a general prayer for his readers’ future, and then specified particular blessings following the form he used in Psalms 128:1-4. The petition concerning seeing Jerusalem prosper all of one’s days is appropriate in a psalm of ascent. The prosperity of the city would extend to every family in the nation ultimately. Seeing one’s grandchildren also expresses God’s

Psalms 147:15-20 — Psalms 147:15-18 describe the powerful effect God’s commands have on creation (cf. Psalms 147:4; Psalms 147:8-9). God also sent His Word to Israel (Psalms 147:19-20; cf. Psalms 147:2-3; Psalms 147:6; Psalms 147:11). This was a unique blessing since it involved

Isaiah 38:2-3 — Perhaps Hezekiah turned his face to the wall to concentrate or to make his prayer private. Perhaps he felt completely devastated and withdrew into himself (cf. 1 Kings 21:4). He requested God’s mercy in the form of lengthened life, though he did not voice the request in so many words. He based his appeal on his godly walk before God and his wholehearted devotion to God. Hezekiah was a good king who reformed his nation

Isaiah 54:1 — Rebekah, Rachel, Hannah, Elizabeth, et al.). Here we have another instance of rejoicing because God would miraculously bless those who, because of unbelief, were formerly spiritually barren and unproductive (cf. Isaiah 51:1-3; 1 Samuel 2:1-10; Galatians 4:27). They would become more fruitful than those who enjoy blessings apart from a relationship with God. It would be cruel to ask a barren woman to sing for joy unless you gave her what would make her happy. But that is precisely what Isaiah did because

Isaiah 59:7-8 — only manifested what was in their hearts, however. Their imaginations and thought processes were corrupt. All human ways are utterly futile apart from the Lord’s intervention. Note the repetition of "iniquity" four times in Isaiah 59:3-4; Isaiah 59:6-7. "His highways are peace and redemption (Isaiah 11:16; Isaiah 19:23; Isaiah 35:8; Isaiah 40:3; Isaiah 49:11; Isaiah 62:10), but the human highways are destruction and confusion (Isaiah 7:3; Isaiah 33:8; Isaiah 36:2; Isaiah 59:7).

Isaiah 6:2 — transliteration of the Hebrew word, probably means "burning ones." (cf. Numbers 21:6). This is the only reference to seraphim as angelic beings in Scripture. Usually this Hebrew word describes snakes (cf. Numbers 21:6; Deuteronomy 8:15; Isaiah 14:29; Isaiah 30:6). What John saw may have been dragon-like creatures. They covered their faces, as we do when we are in the presence of something extremely brilliant, to hide and protect themselves from the superlative glory of God. They covered their

Isaiah 66:15-24 — Worship or destruction 66:15-24 This pericope concludes the sections on the culmination of Israel’s future (Isaiah 65:17 to Isaiah 66:24), Israel’s future transformation (chs. 56-66), Israel’s hope (chs. 40-66), and the whole book-Yahweh’s salvation. Like Isaiah

Isaiah 66:19 — God promised to set a sign among His people (cf. Exodus 10:2; Psalms 78:43), the Israelites. This probably refers to the Cross, which He would raise up before He brought judgment on the world at the second advent. Young took the sign to be "the whole wondrous series of events that occurred when the ancient Jewish nation

Isaiah 7:3 — clothes, fuller being another name for launderer. Shearjashub’s presence may have been designed to encourage Ahaz to believe that his enemy would not destroy Judah completely, even though they had already defeated him previously (cf. Isaiah 7:4). Still, the mention of only a remnant returning was sobering. This was the very spot on which Sennacherib’s field commander later stood to hurl insults at Hezekiah (Isaiah 36:2), the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prediction of an Assyrian attack.

Jeremiah 15:16 — it (Jeremiah 8:9). The Lord’s words included His messages to the prophet, as well as His written Word. Jeremiah’s love for the Word was a result of God’s initiative-because Almighty Yahweh had called him to Himself (cf. Jeremiah 1:4-10). One of the greatest blessings God can give His servants is a hunger for His Word. If you do not have it, ask Him to give it to you. Then cultivate a taste for it (cf. 1 Peter 2:2).

Jeremiah 17:11 — another bird. [Note: Another translation has the partridge brooding over eggs that will not hatch. They become the object of some tragedy that strikes the eggs, such as a predator. See Drinkard, pp. 228-29.] But such a fortune is fleeting (cf. Proverbs 23:4-5), and such a person is really a fool. The adopted baby bird will fly away when it eventually learns that it is different from its foster parent. Similarly, ill-gotten wealth normally leaves the one who does not earn it, and the person who tries to

Jeremiah 20:6 — Pashhur himself, as well as his loved ones, would end up in Babylon as exiles. Evidently he went into captivity in 597 B.C. since another man, Zephaniah, occupied his office after that date (cf. Jeremiah 29:24; Jeremiah 29:26; Jeremiah 29:29). Pashhur, and all who had gathered around him as his disciples, would die and be buried there because he had prophesied falsely concerning the coming invasion. Like Jeremiah, Pashhur was officially both a priest and

Jeremiah 34:18-20 — would give all the people who had broken the covenant, regardless of their social position, into the hand of their enemy. They would die without the privilege of a burial; birds and beasts would consume their carcasses (cf. Jeremiah 7:33; Jeremiah 16:4; Jeremiah 19:7; Deuteronomy 28:26). They had used a typical covenant-making ritual. They had cut a young calf in two and the parties of the covenant passed between the halves (cf. Genesis 15:10; Genesis 15:17). "The fate of the animal was a picture

Jeremiah 35:17 — previously warned them about. They had not listened to Him when He spoke to them, or answered Him when He called to them. "Notice the telling contrasts between the Recabites and Judah. "1. The Recabites obeyed a fallible leader (Jeremiah 35:14); Judah’s leader was the eternal God (cf. Malachi 1:6). "2. Jonadab gave his commands to the Recabites only once; God repeatedly sent his messages to his people (Jeremiah 35:15). "3. The restrictions that bound the Recabites did not

Jeremiah 38:7-8 — happened to be an Ethiopian or Cushite (from modern-day southern Egypt, northeastern Sudan, Eritrea, and northern Ethiopia). [Note: See J. Daniel Hays, "The Cushites: A Black Nation in the Bible," Bibliotheca Sacra 153:612 (October-December 1996):404-6.] Often courtiers were eunuchs, but the Hebrew word translated "eunuch" here, saris, often means simply a male court official (cf. Jeremiah 29:2; Genesis 39:1; Daniel 1:7; et al.). Ebed-melech sought out the king, who was then at the Benjamin

Jeremiah 47:7 — Then Jeremiah remembered that the Lord’s sword (the invader from the north) had to continue to slay the Philistines until it had finished the job He had given it to do. Nebuchadnezzar may have fulfilled this prophecy in 604 B.C. when he destroyed Ashkelon. [Note: See Wiseman, pp. 68-69.] It was the sacking of Ashkelon at this time that moved the people in Jerusalem to fast during Jehoiakim’s reign, which led to the reading, followed by the burning, of Jeremiah’s

Jeremiah 5:6 — Therefore, the people of Judah would become prey for their savage, animal-like enemies (cf. Jeremiah 2:15; Jeremiah 4:7; Hosea 13:7-8; Habakkuk 1:8; Zephaniah 3:3). "The lion represents strength, the desert wolf ravenousness, and the leopard swiftness-all traits of the Babylonians." [Note: Feinberg, p. 413.] When the Judahites later tried to flee their towns,

Jeremiah 6:1 — The Lord called the Benjamites, Jeremiah’s tribal kinsmen, to flee for safety from the coming invader from the north (cf. Jeremiah 4:5-6). Jerusalem stood on the southern border of Benjamin. Benjamin’s tribal border was the Hinnom Valley, which was also the southern boundary of Jerusalem. Tekoa, the prophet Amos’ birthplace (Amos 1:1), was a Judean town about 10 miles

Lamentations 3:39-40 — in God’s salvation, that is, ultimate restoration (Lamentations 3:25-30). (2) Affliction is only temporary and is tempered by God’s compassion and love (Lamentations 3:31-32). (3) God does not delight in affliction (Lamentations 3:33). (4) If affliction comes because of injustice, God sees it and does not approve of it (Lamentations 3:34-36). (5) Affliction is always in relationship to God’s sovereignty (Lamentations 3:37-38; cf. Job 2:10). (6) Affliction ultimately came because

Ezekiel 19:3-4 — about him, someone captured him and brought him as a prisoner to Egypt. This describes the character and fate of King Jehoahaz who did evil in the Lord’s sight by devouring people in his own kingdom through oppression and injustice (2 Kings 23:31-34). Even though his reign lasted only three months (in 609 B.C.) it was a violent and brutal period in Israel’s history. Pharaoh Neco placed Jehoahaz on Judah’s throne after Neco killed his father, Josiah, at Megiddo thereby gaining sovereignty