Bible Commentaries

Isaiah 35:9-10 — Nothing will threaten or endanger the redeemed as they travel the holy highway to the holy city. This is the first of 24 occurrences of "redeemed" in Isaiah. The redeemed will come rejoicing into Zion, the New Jerusalem, where there will be no more sorrow or sighing, just unbreakable happiness, gladness, and joyful shouting (cf. Isaiah 51:11; Psalms 23:6; Ezekiel

Ezekiel 16:3-4 — E.g., Alexander, "Ezekiel," p. 810; and Dyer, "Ezekiel," p. 1255.] I think it is best to take Jerusalem as describing the city for three reasons. First, the Lord compared Jerusalem to two other cities, Samaria and Sodom (Ezekiel 16:44-56; Ezekiel 16:61). Second, everything the prophet said about Jerusalem fits the city, its history and inhabitants. Third, the purpose of the parable was to convince the Jews in exile that the city of Jerusalem, specifically, would experience destruction

Ezekiel 36:37-38 — The Lord also promised to respond to the prayers of the Israelites to increase their population. "For the first time in the book he permits himself to be entreated by the house of Israel." [Note: Block, The Book . . . 48, p. 364.] The Jews would fill the cities like the sheep used to fill Jerusalem during the feasts when the people offered large numbers of them as sacrifices to the Lord. These would not be sheep for slaughter but living sacrifices in God’s service.

Ezekiel 44:1-2 — Ezekiel’s guide next took him back to the east outer gate (cf. Ezekiel 40:6-16). The gate itself, on the east side of the gate complex, was shut and was to remain shut. The Lord told the prophet that this gate was shut because He had entered the temple complex through it (Ezekiel 43:1-3). Its sealed condition guaranteed

Daniel 1:8 — were careful to remain ceremonially pure would have been equally careful to preserve their moral and ethical purity. Daniel wanted to please the Lord in every respect, not just in the most important moral aspects of his life (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:1-4; 1 Corinthians 10:6; 1 Corinthians 10:14). Undoubtedly the meat and wine that they refused had been offered to the Babylonian gods (Marduk [or Bel], Nebo, Ishtar, etc.) since it came from the king’s table (cf. 2 Kings 25:29). These young men faced

Daniel 11:2-35 — about the future that involved Daniel’s people, the Jews. The first part of it concerns events preceding Messiah’s first advent (Daniel 11:2-35), and the second part, events preceding Messiah’s second advent (Daniel 11:36 to Daniel 12:4). [Note: The primary sources of information about Daniel’s predicted events that preceded Messiah’s first advent (Daniel 11:2-35), apart from Daniel himself, are the second-century B.C. Greek historian Polybius, the apocraphal books of 1

Daniel 6:28 — coming of Christ, the persecutors of Israel and the enemies of God will be judged and destroyed much like the enemies of Daniel. Like Daniel, however, the people of God in persecution must remain true regardless of the cost." [Note: Walvoord, p. 144.] The first six chapters of Daniel contain his "court tales." Rationalistic critics of the book are quicker to grant them a sixth-century date of composition than they are the remaining six chapters, which are more explicitly prophetic.

Hosea 1:3-4 — (probably meaning "completion"), the daughter of Diblaim ("fig cakes"). She bore Hosea a son whom the Lord told the prophet to name "Jezreel." The Lord also prescribed the names of Isaiah’s sons (Isaiah 7:3; Isaiah 8:3-4), Messiah (Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 9:6), and many other entities. He also assigned the symbolic names Oholah and Oholibah to Samaria and Jerusalem (Ezekiel 23). The name "Jezreel" means "God sows" (by scattering seed), but it was not

Malachi 3:1 — The Lord’s response to the cynical Israelites was to point them to the future. He predicted the coming of His messenger (cf. Isaiah 40:3-5). There is no question about who this was because Jesus identified him as John the Baptist (Matthew 11:10; cf. Mark 1:2; Luke 7:27). This future messenger would clear the way in preparation for Yahweh (cf. Isaiah 40:3; John 1:23). Clearly Jesus

Matthew 10:16-25 — Scriptures the Messiah, after He appeared, was to suffer, die, and be raised again (Daniel 9:26; Psalms 22; Isaiah 53:1-11; Psalms 16:10). Following the death and resurrection of Christ there was to be a time of trouble (Daniel 9:26-27; Jeremiah 30:4-6). The Messiah was then to return to the earth to end this tribulation and to judge the world (Daniel 7:9-13; Daniel 7:16-26; Daniel 9:27; Daniel 12:1; Zechariah 14:1-5). Finally, the Messiah as King would establish His kingdom with Israel as the head

Matthew 14:18-21 — and fish to feed the assembled throng. With 5,000 men present, the total size of the crowd may have been 10,000 to 20,000. Counting only the males had Old Testament precedent (cf. Exodus 12:37). Everyone had enough to eat and felt satisfied (Matthew 14:20). Jesus’ provision was so abundant that there were 12 large wicker baskets of scraps left over, even after many thousands had eaten all they wanted. Evidently each of the 12 disciples had a large basket (Gr. kophinos) and circulated among the

Matthew 17:5 — had hidden Himself in a cloud through which He spoke to the Israelites on Mt. Sinai (Exodus 19:16). He led the Israelites with it after the Exodus (Exodus 13:21-22), and it manifested His glory to His people in the wilderness (Exodus 16:10; Exodus 24:15-18; Exodus 40:34-38). The prophets predicted that Messiah would come to set up His kingdom with clouds and that clouds would overshadow the kingdom (Psalms 97:2; Isaiah 4:5; Daniel 7:13). [Note: See Richard D. Patterson, "The Imagery of Clouds

Matthew 5:3 — The "poor in spirit" are those who recognize their natural unworthiness to stand in God’s presence and who depend utterly on Him for His mercy and grace (cf. Psalms 37:14; Psalms 40:17; Psalms 69:28-29; Psalms 69:32-33; Proverbs 16:19; Proverbs 29:23; Isaiah 61:1). They do not trust in their own goodness or possessions for God’s acceptance. The Jews regarded material prosperity as an indication of divine approval

Matthew 7:13-14 — The two paths 7:13-14 The Old Testament contains several references to diverging ways that force the traveler to choose between two paths (e.g., Deuteronomy 30:15; Deuteronomy 30:19; Psalms 1; Jeremiah 21:8). The AV translation "straight" is a bit misleading. That

Mark 4:11-12 — to conceal. [Note: Edersheim, 1:580-81.] ". . . the three seed parables illustrate various aspects of the Kingdom of God by depicting God’s sovereign rule at work in the present but in a way unexpected in Judaism (cf. Jeremias, Parables, 146-53)." [Note: Guelich, p. 206.] God was doing through Jesus what He had done through Isaiah centuries earlier. Jesus’ quotation of Isaiah 6:9-10 drew this comparison. One writer believed Jesus meant that most of the Jews were still in exile

Luke 11:2 — The term "Father" (Gr. pater, Aramaic abba) is both an intimate and a respectful title. By using it the disciples were expressing the relationship that they enjoyed with God because of their relationship with Jesus (cf. John 20:17; Romans 8:14-17; Galatians 4:6). The closeness of their relationship with Jesus is apparent in that they could now address God as their Father as Jesus addressed God as His Father (cf. Luke 10:21). This does not mean, of course, that disciples enjoy exactly the

Luke 14:12-14 — The lesson about inviting guests 14:12-14 Jesus addressed the former parable to His fellow guests, but He directed this teaching particularly to His host. This lesson, like the former parable, could have applied only to social relationships. However, Jesus’ teaching was never simply

Luke 16:5-7 — of his master’s debtors. The second alternative is possible and probable. [Note: J. A. Fitzmyer, Essays on the Semitic Background of the New Testament, pp. 175-76; idem, "The Story of the Dishonest Manager," Theological Studies 25 (1964):23-42. See also Edersheim, 2:267; and J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGee, 4:317-19.] The agent could well have received a commission for each of the transactions that he had negotiated for his employer and deducted these commissions

Luke 2:22-24 — child (Leviticus 12:2). The parents of a male child were to circumcise him on the eighth day after his birth (Leviticus 12:3; cf. Genesis 17:12). The mother of a male offspring was unclean for 33 days following her son’s circumcision (Leviticus 12:4; cf. Leviticus 12:5). On the fortieth day after her son’s birth, the mother was to present a sin offering to the priest at the sanctuary to atone for her uncleanness (Leviticus 12:6-7). Normally this offering was to be a lamb, but if the woman

Luke 24:30-31 — praying over the bread and breaking it opened the spiritual eyes of Cleopas and his companion. They had not been in the upper room when Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, so remembering that occasion is not what proved to be catalytic (cf. Luke 24:21). Perhaps they had been present when Jesus fed the 5,000 (Luke 9:10-17) or the 4,000 or on some other occasion when Jesus had eaten with people. Luke recorded several such instances (cf. Luke 5:29; Luke 7:36; Luke 9:16; Luke 10:38-40; Luke 14:1;