Bible Commentaries

Ezekiel 22:25 — The Lord proceeded to indict three categories of leaders in Judah (cf. Zephaniah 3:3-4). False prophets had conspired to take advantage of the people like a wild lion tears its prey. Some translations have "princes" instead of "prophets," following the Septuagint, but the Hebrew word is nebi’eyha, "her prophets."

Ezekiel 23:17-21 — Judea where they polluted her by entering into treaties with her. After she became a vassal of Babylon, she became disgusted with the Babylonians and turned away to seek help from Egypt (cf. Jeremiah 2:18; Jeremiah 6:8; Jeremiah 37:5-7; Lamentations 4:17). The Lord also became disgusted with her, as He had with her sister. Nevertheless she persisted in her immoral conduct that she had learned in Egypt. She lusted after the Egyptians that pursued her like donkeys and horses in heat (cf. Jeremiah 2:24;

Ezekiel 23:5-8 — self-gratification; that is, the world in all its dazzle and attractiveness." [Note: Feinberg, p. 132.] Oholah committed political adultery by making alliances with the Assyrians, which involved worshipping their idols (cf. 2 Kings 15:19-20; 2 Kings 17:3-4; Hosea 5:13; Hosea 7:11; Hosea 8:9; Hosea 12:1-2; Amos 5:26). The Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser, an important archaeological find dating to about 840 B.C., shows King Jehu of Israel bowing in submission before King Shalmaneser III of Assyria and giving

Ezekiel 24:1-3 — The background to the parable 24:1-3a The Lord instructed Ezekiel to note permanently the day this revelation came to him because it was the very day that Nebuchadnezzar began his siege of Jerusalem. This day fell in January (cf. 2 Kings 25:1; Jeremiah 39:1; Jeremiah 52:4). Block dated

Ezekiel 44:13-14 — within this limitation the Lord promised to allow them to be in charge of the temple structure, its maintenance, and certain things that transpired there. The Levites in Solomon’s day had more responsibility (cf. 1 Chronicles 15:16; 1 Chronicles 16:4; 1 Chronicles 23:28-31). "They have their counterparts today in all aspects of church life and doubtless then, as now, many reckoned it a privilege to be attending on the people of God in the more mundane details of their religion. After all, they

Ezekiel 47:21-23 — The Israelites were to divide the land in this way for the tribes of Israel by lot (cf. Ezekiel 45:1). It was not to be for Israelites alone, however. Aliens who permanently lived among them could dwell in this region too. Under the Mosaic economy, resident aliens were non-Israelites who had adopted the religion and laws of the Hebrews; they had

Daniel 1:14-16 — D. The success of the test 1:14-16 God gave the young men better (fatter, i.e., healthier) appearances by natural or by supernatural means. The result of the test encouraged their supervisor to continue feeding them a diet of things grown in the ground. This is the meaning of the

Daniel 3:24-25 — pagan polytheist. Evidently the fourth person was either an angel or the Angel of the Lord, the preincarnate Christ (cf. Genesis 16:13; et al.). He was with the three men in their affliction and protected them from harm in it (cf. Exodus 3:12; Psalms 23:4-5; Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 43:1-3; Isaiah 63:9; Matthew 28:20). He did not deliver them from the fire but in it (cf. Romans 8:37).

Daniel 4:17 — God also revealed the purpose of the judgment of this "tree." It was to teach all people that the Most High God (cf. Daniel 3:26) is sovereign over the affairs of humankind (Daniel 4:17; cf. Daniel 2:21; 1 Samuel 2:7-8; Job 5:11). He can, has, and will set up whom He will, even people of humble origin, to rule nations (e.g., Joseph, Israel’s judges, Saul, David, et al.). God does not need the mighty to do His work. Therefore

Daniel 4:2-3 — God" is clearly Yahweh (cf. Daniel 3:26). The king had great respect for Yahweh, but that does not necessarily mean that he was a monotheist, much less a convert to Judaism. The king’s praise of Yahweh opens and closes the chapter (cf. Daniel 4:37), forming an inclusio around the narrative. The effect on the reader of this introduction is to make us eager to discover what happened to Nebuchadnezzar. We now want to pay close attention to the testimony that follows.

Hosea 13:16 — This verse begins chapter 14 in the Hebrew Bible, but its connection is clearly with the preceding verse rather than with those that follow. Yahweh would hold Samaria, a metonymy for Israel, guilty for rebelling against Him, her covenant lord and God (cf. Hosea 7:13; Hosea 8:1).

Joel 2:30-31 — become dark and the moon would turn red. These are probably descriptions of how these heavenly bodies will look (language of appearance), not what will become of them, in view of other similar descriptions (e.g., Joel 2:2; Joel 2:10; Joel 3:15; Jeremiah 4:23-24; Ezekiel 32:6-8; Amos 5:18-20; Amos 8:9; Zephaniah 1:15; Revelation 6:12-13). These signs will precede the great and awesome day of the Lord still future (cf. Matthew 24:29-31; Mark 13:24-27; Luke 21:25-28).

Amos 2:7 — The oppressors longed to see the poor reduced to extreme anguish. They may have been so greedy that they craved even the dust that the poor threw on their heads in mourning. The Mosaic Covenant called for justice in Israel’s courts (Exodus 23:4; Deuteronomy 16:19). Third, fathers and sons were having sexual intercourse with the same women. The women in view may be temple prostitutes, servant girls taken as concubines, or female relatives (cf. Exodus 21:7-11; Leviticus 18:8; Leviticus 18:15).

Amos 3:6 — warn them. Calamities do not occur in cities unless God has either initiated or permitted them. [Note: See Robert B. Chisholm Jr., "How a Hermeneutical Virus Can Corrupt Theological Systems," Bibliotheca Sacra 166:663 (July-September 2009):264-66.] "The seven examples of related events began innocuously, but become increasingly foreboding. The first example (Amos 3:3) had no element of force or disaster about it. The next two (Amos 3:4), however, concerned the overpowering of one animal

Amos 6:4-6 — and lotions to preserve and enhance their appearance. Instead they should have been mourning over the moral weakness and decadence of their nation that would lead to its ruin. "Too many Christians are laughing when they should be weeping (James 4:8-10) and tolerating sin when they should be opposing it (1 Corinthians 5:2)." [Note: Wiersbe, p. 362.]

Amos 6:8 — The prophet announced further that sovereign Yahweh of hosts, even He, had sworn by Himself (cf. Amos 4:2; Amos 8:7). This was a solemn warning because God can swear by no one greater than Himself (cf. Hebrews 6:13-14). He loathed the pride of Jacob. "Jacob" here refers to the Northern Kingdom (cf. Amos 3:13), and "the pride of Jacob"

Jonah 2:6 — sea to the bottoms of the mountains, their very foundations. There he felt caged as a prisoner unable to escape. However even though human deliverance was hopeless, Yahweh, Jonah’s strong God, lifted him up out of Sheol’s pit (cf. Psalms 49:15; Psalms 56:13; Psalms 103:4). "Jonah’s ’downward’ journey from Jerusalem down to Joppa (Jonah 1:3 a) down into the ship (Jonah 1:3 b) down into the cargo hold (Jonah 1:5) and ultimately down into the bottom of the sea, pictured

Jonah 4:10 — Compassion (Heb. hus, concern [NIV], be sorry for [NEB], pity [RSV, RV]) is the key attitude. Jonah had become completely indifferent to the fate of the Ninevites. He knew His God well (Jonah 4:2). Nevertheless his appreciation for God’s love for Israel had evidently so pervaded his life that it crowded out any compassion for these people who lacked knowledge of and relationship with Yahweh. Furthermore, Jonah had announced that Israel’s

Nahum 2:3 — (scatterer) of Nineveh (cf. Nahum 2:1). He described the siege and capture of Nineveh. The shields and uniforms of the soldiers who invaded Nineveh would be red. This was, really, a favorite color of the Median and Babylonian armies (cf. Ezekiel 23:14). [Note: Feinberg, p. 136.] However, they may have been red with blood and or from the copper that they used to cover both shields and uniforms. [Note: Johnson, p. 1500] Nahum saw the invading chariots flashing with steel. Scythed chariots were in use

Zephaniah 2:4-15 — C. judgment on Israel’s neighbors 2:4-15 Since all people need to seek the Lord (Zephaniah 2:3), Zephaniah revealed that judgment was headed for the nations around Judah as well as for Judah. He selected nations that lived in four directions from Judah to represent all the nations. Philistia