Bible Commentaries

Psalms 118:25-29 — The psalmist proceeded to pray for the salvation and prosperity of his people (Psalms 118:25-26). The one who comes in the Lord’s name refers to anyone who came to worship Yahweh at the temple. The psalmist and the people blessed such a one from

Psalms 119:9-16 — 2. The cleansing power of God’s Word 119:9-16 A person can cleanse his or her conduct by obeying the Word of God (Psalms 119:9). The writer testified that he had internalized and delighted in God’s Word to maintain moral purity (Psalms 119:10-14).

Psalms 132:17-18 — The "horn of David" that God promised would spring forth refers to a ruler that He would raise up from David’s descendants (cf. Daniel 7:24; Luke 1:69). The "lamp" is a figure for a leader (cf. 2 Samuel 21:17; 1 Kings 11:36).

Psalms 149:6-9 — 3. A way to rejoice in the Lord 149:6-9 The Lord’s will for Israel was that she overcome and defeat God’s enemies on the earth. This would establish righteousness in the world and exalt the God of Israel as the sovereign Lord (cf. Deuteronomy

Psalms 16:11 — The psalmist counted on God giving him further revelation about what path to take so he would experience life rather than death. This path would take him eventually into God’s presence where David’s joy would be complete. Endless pleasures

Psalms 44:4-8 — Israel needed God’s help again in her present conflicts with enemy nations. On the basis of parallels between this psalm and Psalms 60, Wiersbe suggested that the enemies in view may have been the Edomites and the Arameans (cf. Psalms 44:3 and

Psalms 45:16-17 — 3. Benediction on the couple 45:16-17 The memory of the king’s ancestors would pale in comparison with that of his descendants. The king’s sons would become famous princes who would occupy positions of authority far and wide because of the

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

Psalms 63:1-11 — Psalms 63 King David wrote this individual lament psalm when he was in the wilderness of Judah away from the ark and the place of formal worship (2 Samuel 15:25). This could have been when he was fleeing from Saul (1 Samuel 23) or from Absalom (2 Samuel

Psalms 74:18-23 — 4. An appeal to the covenant 74:18-23 The writer also appealed for action because of God’s reputation ("Thy name," Psalms 74:18). He compared Israel to a harmless dove and the enemy to a raging wild beast (Psalms 74:19). God had promised

Zechariah 12:12-14 — All the Israelites would mourn; this would be a national repentance. The repeated phrases "every family by itself" and "their wives by themselves" solemnize the mourning and underline its genuineness. "The wives are spoken of

Matthew 21:9 — This crowd of non-Jerusalemites preceded Jesus and followed Him as He approached Jerusalem. "Apparently the Galilean pilgrims accompanying Jesus and the Jerusalem crowd coming out to greet him formed a procession of praise." [Note: Carson,

Matthew 27:46 — Jesus cried out the words of Psalms 22:1 because His Father was abandoning Him. It was out of a similar sense of abandonment that David originally wrote the words of this psalm. ". . . the psalm expresses the spiritual desolation of a man who continues

Mark 12:10-11 — Jesus carried His revelation concerning the fate of the Son further by referring to this psalm. This is the same psalm the crowds chanted at the Triumphal Entry (Mark 11:9; cf. Psalms 118:22-23). The stone in view is probably the capstone for the building

John 12:13 — The waving of date palm fronds (i.e., branches) had become a common practice at national celebrations in Israel (Leviticus 23:40). Palm fronds had become a national symbol (cf. 1 Maccabees 13:51; 2 Maccabees 10:7). They appear on the coins that the

John 2:17 — The outstanding impression that Jesus’ acts presented to His disciples was one of zeal for the proper use of the temple and ultimately for God’s glory. They may have recalled Psalms 69:9 then, or they may have thought of it later. John’s

Romans 11:9-10 — The Jews regarded Psalms 69 as Messianic in Paul’s day (cf. John 15:25). The quotation from this psalm (Romans 11:22-23) records David’s desire. He wished that his enemies’ table (i.e., blessings) would become something that they would

Ephesians 1:3-14 — 1. The purpose: glory 1:3-14 In the Greek text Ephesians 1:3-14 are one sentence. The Holy Spirit carried Paul along in his thinking as he contemplated God’s provision so that he moved quickly from one blessing to the next. It is as though he

2 Samuel 23:1-7 — D. David’s Last Testament 23:1-7 The combination of David’s final song (in the text, ch. 22) followed by his last testament (2 Samuel 23:1-7) recalls the similar combination of Moses’ final song and his last testament (Deuteronomy

2 Samuel 24:18-25 — 4. David’s repentance 24:18-25 David proceeded to offer sacrifices in response to the prophet Gad’s instructions (2 Samuel 24:18). David needed to commit himself again to God (the burnt offering) and to renew his fellowship with God (the