Bible Commentaries

Genesis 26:34-9 — 5. Jacob’s deception for Isaac’s blessing 26:34-28:9 Reacting to Isaac’s disobedient plan to bless Esau, Jacob and Rebekah stole the blessing by deception. Esau became so angry with Jacob over his trickery that Jacob had to flee for his life. Two reports of Esau’s marriages (Genesis 26:34-35

Exodus 12:1-16 — this section records. The proper translation of the Hebrew word pasah is really "hover over" rather than "pass over." [Note: Meredith G. Kline, "The Feast of Cover-over," Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 37:4 (December 1994):497-510.] ". . . properly understood, the Exodus also is precisely the event and the moment that coincides with the historical expression of God’s election of Israel. The choice of Israel as the special people of Yahweh occurred

Exodus 23:32-33 — promised the Israelites as an inheritance on their obedience. They could only enter into it by obeying God. Their inheritance was something different from their salvation, which came to them only by faith in God (Genesis 15:6; Exodus 12:13; Exodus 14:31). The New Testament likewise teaches that justification comes solely by faith in God, but only obedient Christians will obtain the full inheritance that God has promised us (cf. Hebrews 3:12 to Hebrews 4:14). [Note: For a good explanation of the

Exodus 33:17-23 — Delitzsch, 2:237.] God did grant Moses a greater revelation of Himself, even though it was a limited revelation. This revelation helped Moses fulfill his duty as a mediator by giving him a greater appreciation for the person of Yahweh (cf. 2 Corinthians 12:4). This is what all the leaders of God’s people need (cf. Philippians 3:8-10). ". . . though Yahweh does indeed come to Moses in theophany, what he gives to Moses is quite specifically not the sight of this beauty, his glory, his Presence-that,

1 Kings 5:13-18 — 12:18). "[Adoniram, also known as Hadoram, 2 Chronicles 10:18] was probably one of the most hated men in Israel, an embodiment of autocracy." [Note: J. Barton Payne, "Second Chronicles," in The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 399. Cf. 1 Kings 4:6.] Solomon’s temple rested on massive limestone blocks that he had quarried out of the hills north of Jerusalem (1 Kings 5:17). The Gebelites (1 Kings 5:18) lived in Byblos, 13 miles north of modern Beirut and 60 miles north of Tyre. The main

2 Kings 2:1-15 — 4. Jehoram’s evil reign in Israel 2:1-8:15 Jehoram reigned 12 years in Israel (852-841 B.C.). His reign overlapped with Jehoshaphat and Jehoshaphat’s son Jehoram’s coregency (853-848 B.C.) as well as Jehoram of Judah’s sole reign

Ezra 8:24-30 — Ezra’s physical preparations 8:24-30 Ezra took special precautions to make sure the expensive temple utensils arrived safely and to guarantee that everyone would perceive that his handling of the precious cargo was completely honest (cf. 2 Corinthians 8:20-21). The Babylonian "talent"

Nehemiah 13:4-9 — 2. The expulsion of Tobiah 13:4-9 Eliashib was the high priest (Nehemiah 3:1; Nehemiah 3:20; Nehemiah 13:28). He was evidently a close relative of Tobiah, the Jewish Ammonite leader who had opposed Nehemiah’s efforts to rebuild the walls (Nehemiah 2:19; Nehemiah 6:1; Nehemiah

Job 32:1-5 — characters. Elihu may have been a relative of Abraham, since a man named Buz was a descendant of Nahor, Abraham’s brother (Genesis 22:20-21), and Elihu was a Buzite (cf. Jeremiah 25:23). A man named Ram (Job 32:2) was an ancestor of David (Ruth 4:19-22). Elihu was angry. The writer mentioned his burning anger four times in these verses (Job 32:2 [twice], 3, 5). He was angry with Job because Job considered himself right and God wrong. This is the meaning of "he justified himself before God"

Job 8:1-7 — explained in terms of two kinds of men-the blameless (tam, Job 8:20 a; used of Job in Job 1:1) and the secretly wicked (hanep, Job 8:13 b). Outwardly the same, God distinguishes them by prospering the one and destroying the other." [Note: Andersen, p. 140.] Bildad’s callous reference to the death of Job’s children (Job 8:4) amounts to: "They got just what they deserved!" His point was that if Job was not sinning, God would be unjust in allowing him to suffer calamities. He asserted

Psalms 102:23-28 — 4. Hope in God’s ceaseless existence 102:23-28 It seemed as though God was killing the psalmist prematurely. He prayed for a continuation of his life. This request led him to reflect further on the duration of God’s existence. To picture God’s

Psalms 132:6-8 — The antecedent of "it" (Psalms 132:6) is the ark (Psalms 132:8). Ephrathah (Ephratah) is an old name for the area around Bethlehem (Genesis 35:16; Genesis 35:19; Genesis 48:7). Jaar evidently refers to Kiriath-jearim, "Jearim" being the plural of "Jaar," the town where the ark rested for 20 years after the Philistines returned it (1 Samuel 7:1-2). Evidently some Israelites in Bethlehem heard that the

Psalms 91:9-13 — trust in the Lord can rely on His protection. He will commission angels to watch over and protect His own. This is one of the passages in Scripture that reveals the existence and activity of "guardian angels" (cf. Matthew 18:10; Hebrews 1:14). The writer was using hyperbole when he wrote that the believer will not even stub his or her toe (Psalms 91:12). Psalms 91:13 also seems to be hyperbolic. It pictures overcoming dangerous animals. God has given some believers this kind of protection

Ecclesiastes 10:20 — wise people may lose their influence because of the actions of others (Ecclesiastes 10:12-20). His point was, do not endanger your future unnecessarily. He was not speaking about how to effect change in a crooked government (cf. Isaiah 5:11-12; Amos 6:4-6; 2 Peter 2:13-19). "Everything that has been said about wisdom and folly points again to the main lesson of Ecclesiastes: the need to face life as it really is, and take our life day by day from the hand of a sovereign God." [Note: Eaton,

Isaiah 1:24-26 — The announcement of judgment 1:24-26 Isaiah’s unusual three-fold description of God as the sovereign (Lord) God of armies (hosts), who is the Mighty God of Israel, boded ill for Judah. Isaiah crowded together more names of God in Isaiah 1:24 than he did anywhere else (cf. Isaiah

Isaiah 34:6-7 — Using sacrificial imagery, the Lord will seek what is peculiarly His in judgment. He will take what He alone has a right to take. Sin is a matter of life and death. All sin must be atoned for with sacrificial blood (cf. Leviticus 4:1-12; Isaiah 53). Those who repudiate the sacrifice of Christ for their sins will forfeit their own lives as sacrifices to God. A sacrifice is necessary, therefore, third, if the demands of divine holiness are to be met. No rebel would be spared. Bozrah

Isaiah 6:3 — a "trisagion," indicated that Yahweh’s holiness is superlative, the greatest possible, and complete. Nowhere else in the Old Testament is there another threefold repetition of God’s holiness, but there is in the New (Revelation 4:8). Other repetitions of words three times for emphasis are not uncommon (e.g., Jeremiah 22:29; Ezekiel 21:27; Revelation 8:13). Holiness is distinctness from all that is not divine, especially in reference to ethical behavior. [Note: Oswalt, p. 180.]

Numbers 5:1-4 — The purity of the camp 5:1-4 "The purpose of the writer is to show that at this point in the narrative, Israel’s leaders, Moses and Aaron, were following God’s will and the people were following them obediently. This theme will not continue long, however. The narrative

Numbers 5:5-10 — others and God 5:5-10 To emphasize the importance of maintaining proper interpersonal relationships within the camp, Moses repeated the law concerning the restitution of and compensation for a trespass against one’s neighbor here (cf. Leviticus 5:14 to Leviticus 6:7). The expression "sins of mankind" (Numbers 5:6) can refer to sins committed by a human being and to sins committed against a human being. [Note: Maarsingh, p. 22.] The context favors the latter option. Added instructions

Deuteronomy 16:21-22 — ’pillars,’ or ’groves’) were associated with oracular verdicts by their gods and goddesses." [Note: Schultz, p. 61. See Andre Lemaire, "Who or What Was Yahweh’s Asherah?" Biblical Archaeology Review 10:6 (November-December 1984):42-51; and especially John Day, "Asherah in the Hebrew Bible and Northwest Semitic Literature," Journal of Biblical Literature 105:3 (September 1986):385-408.] The judges were not to tolerate the planting (Deuteronomy 16:21) of these trees