Bible Commentaries

Genesis 2:4 — to explain for his readers what became of it. Sin entered it and devastated it. "The destiny of the human creation is to live in God’s world, with God’s other creatures, on God’s terms." [Note: W. Brueggemann, Genesis, p. 40.] The Hebrew word toledot occurs first in Genesis 2:4 where it introduces the next section of the book. This Hebrew word often reads "generations," "histories," "descendants," or, as here (in the NASB and NIV), "account."

Ezra 1:7-11 — Preparations for the return 1:7-11 Sometimes warring armies in the ancient Near East carried images of their gods into battle to help secure victory (cf. 2 Samuel 5:21; 1 Chronicles 14:12). When one army defeated the other, the victors would take the images of their defeated foes captive, and lock them up, to testify to the impotence of those gods. "To displace the authority of a city, it was normal practice for a conquering

Isaiah 14:12-15 — In the third strophe the scene shifts from the underworld to heaven and back to Sheol. This personification of Babylon’s pride led Babylon’s king to exalt himself to the position of God Himself. The five "I wills" in Isaiah 14:13-14 express the spirit of the Babylonian rulers, not that any one of them ever said these precise words. He claimed to be as Venus, the morning star, the brightest light in the night sky. However, like Venus when the sun arose, he was no longer visible

Isaiah 44:28 — God announced that Cyrus would be the person who would allow Jerusalem to be rebuilt and the temple foundations relaid. The mention of his name climaxes this prophecy (Isaiah 44:24-28). Cyrus would be the Lord’s shepherd, the one who would lead the Israelites back into their land by permitting its restoration. He would carry out all God’s desire (cf. Isaiah 41:2-3; Isaiah 41:25). The title "My Shepherd"

Daniel 6:10 — cf. Jeremiah 29:1; Jeremiah 29:7; Jeremiah 29:10). Jeremiah had written that God had promised to hear such prayers, if they were sincere and wholehearted, to restore the fortunes of the Jews, and to re-gather them to the Promised Land (Jeremiah 29:12-14). Cyrus issued his decree allowing the Jews to return from exile in 538 B.C. (2 Chronicles 36:22-23; Ezra 1:1-4). The events of Daniel 6 must have happened just before or shortly after this great turning point in Israel’s history. The events recorded

Matthew 13:1-3 — 1. The setting 13:1-3a (cf. Mark 4:1-2; Luke 8:4) Matthew linked this parabolic teaching with the controversy in chapter 12 by using the phrase "on that day" (NASB) or "that same day" (NIV, Gr. en te hemera ekeine). These parables were a response to Israel’s

Matthew 22:11-13 — darkness" (NASB) or "outside, into the darkness" (NIV). The place where he would go would be a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. It is probably significant that Jesus referred to the king’s slaves (Gr. douloi, Matthew 22:3-4; Matthew 22:6; Matthew 22:8; Matthew 22:10) as heralding the kingdom, but He said the king’s servants (Gr. diakonoi, Matthew 22:13) evicted the unworthy guest. Evidently the slaves refer to the prophets and the servants to the angels. These verses

Matthew 26:26 — "And" introduces the second thing Matthew recorded that happened as Jesus and His disciples were eating the Passover meal, the first being Jesus’ announcement about His betrayer (Matthew 26:21). Jesus took bread (Gr. artos, Matthew 4:4; Matthew 6:11; Matthew 15:2; Matthew 15:26), specifically the unleavened bread on the table before Him (cf. Exodus 12:15; Exodus 13:3; Exodus 13:7; Deuteronomy 16:3), and then gave thanks to God. A traditional prayer that many Jews used when thanking

Matthew 5:22 — Jesus contrasted His correct interpretation with the false common understanding of this command. His, "But I say to you" (Matthew 5:22; Matthew 5:28; Matthew 5:32; Matthew 5:34; Matthew 5:39; Matthew 5:44) was not a common rabbinic saying, though it did have some parallels in rabbinic Judaism. [Note: Hagner, p. 111.] It expressed an authority that surprised His hearers (cf. Matthew 7:29). Thus Jesus "fulfilled" or

Deuteronomy 23:1-8 — the passage (Deuteronomy 23:1-3; Deuteronomy 23:8), a verb that suggests participation with the assembly and not initial introduction or conversion to it." [Note: Merrill, Deuteronomy, p. 307. Cf. Craigie, The Book . . ., p. 296; and Kalland, p. 140.] God apparently excluded eunuchs (Deuteronomy 23:1) because lack of wholeness symbolized lack of holiness. Likewise God excluded an illegitimate child-probably one born out of incest, adultery, or the union of an Israelite and a Canaanite (Deuteronomy

John 11:43-44 — name, every dead person might have arisen at His command. Jesus probably cried out loudly to make clear that this resurrection was not an act of magic. Wizards typically muttered their incantations and spells quietly (cf. Isaiah 8:19). [Note: Morris, p. 498.] Furthermore such a loud command emphasized Jesus’ authority. The Jews did not wrap their dead so tightly in their grave clothes that Lazarus would have had difficulty doing what John wrote that he did. "The corpse was customarily laid

John 19:14 — disciples (cf. 13:1, 27). However the phrase "the day of preparation" normally described the day before the Sabbath. [Note: C. C. Torrey, "The Date of the Crucifixion According to the Fourth Gospel," Journal of Biblical Literature 50:4 (1931):241; A. J. B. Higgins, "The Origins of the Eucharist," New Testament Studies 1 (1954-55):206-8; Westcott, The Gospel . . . Greek Text . . ., 1:343; Hoehner, p. 70.] The day in view then would be Friday. Likewise

Acts 1:10-11 — "Intently" (Gr. atenizein) further stresses that these men really did see Jesus ascend (Acts 1:2; Luke 24:51). Luke used this dramatic Greek word 12 times. It only appears two other times in the New Testament. "Into the sky" (lit. into heaven, eis ton ouranon) occurs four times in these two verses. Luke emphasized that Jesus was now in heaven.

Romans 2:5-11 — Psalms 62:12; Matthew 16:27; et al.). "A man’s destiny on Judgment Day will depend not on whether he has known God’s will but on whether he has done it." [Note: A. M. Hunter, The Epistle to the Romans, p. 36. Cf. Matthew 25:31-46.] Paul probably meant that if a person obeys God perfectly, he or she will receive eternal life. Those who do not obey God perfectly receive wrath. Later he would clarify that no one can obey God perfectly, so all are under His wrath (Romans 3:23-24).

Joshua 1:12-18 — Joshua 1:15) is an important one to grasp to understand what the conquest of the land gave the Israelites. It also clarifies what the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews had in mind when he referred to the rest that we enjoy as Christians (Hebrews 3-4). [Note: See Dillow, pp. 93-110, for a good exposition of the promises of rest that appear in Scripture.] It was not rest in the sense of freedom from conflict but in contrast to journeying. Even after the seven-year conquest of the land there was still

1 Timothy 2:13-14 — leadership responsibility over his wife. Eve was not responsible to God for Adam in the same sense that Adam was responsible for Eve. [Note: See Benjamin L. Merkle, "Paul’s Arguments from Creation in 1 Corinthians 11:8-9 and 1 Timothy 2:13-14: An Apparent Inconsistency Answered," Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 49:3 (September 2006):527-48.] ". . . the woman was made of a rib out of the side of Adam; not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet

Ruth 4:18-22 — D. The genealogical appendix 4:18-22 Far from being an unimportant postscript, this genealogy helps us see one of the main purposes for which God gave us this book. Why does the genealogy start with Perez? He was the founder of the branch of Judah’s family that took his name,

1 Samuel 18:1-5 — Jonathan’s love for David 18:1-5 We have already seen that Jonathan was a man of faith and courage (1 Samuel 14:1-15). Jonathan found a soul brother in David, a man who committed himself to trusting and obeying God as he did. This common purpose on the deepest level of life is what accounts for the love Jonathan and David shared for one another (1 Samuel 18:1).

2 Samuel 1:1-16 — pp. 208-9; and Bill T. Arnold, "The Amalekite’s Report of Saul’s Death: Political Intrigue or Incompatible Sources?" Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 32:3 (1989):289-98. Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, 6:14:7, believed the Amalekite was telling the truth.] He was able to take Saul’s crown and bracelet and probably returned to David with his story to ingratiate himself with him. Mount Gilboa stood some 80 miles north of Ziklag, so it probably took

2 Samuel 24:1-9 — 1. David’s sin of numbering the people 24:1-9 David probably ordered this census about 975 B.C. "After the revolutions of both Absalom and Sheba it would have been reasonable for David to reassess his military situation against the possibility of similar uprisings or other emergencies."