Bible Commentaries

1 Kings 18:1-16 — servant. Evidently God made the famine especially severe in Samaria (1 Kings 18:2) because Ahab and Jezebel were the causes of it and lived there. As a believer in Yahweh, Obadiah had been a blessing to 100 of God’s prophets even in the famine (1 Kings 18:3-4). Surveyors have counted over 2,000 caves in the Mount Carmel area. [Note: Patterson and Austel, p. 142.] When Obadiah met Elijah, he voiced his submission to the man of God and to Yahweh. He did so by calling Elijah his "master" (1 Kings

1 Kings 21:1-16 — investment in many years of unfruitful care before it reaches maturity." [Note: Auld, p. 137.] Naboth sought to live by the Mosaic Law (1 Kings 21:3; cf. Leviticus 25:23-28; Numbers 36:7). Ahab’s "sullen and vexed" feelings (1 Kings 21:4; cf. 1 Kings 20:43) were the result of his perception that Naboth’s position was unassailable legally. Compare Saul’s moodiness following his disobedience and sentence. Jezebel believed Ahab was the supreme authority in Israel (1 Kings 21:7),

1 Chronicles 10:1-14 — king after the people’s heart. His name means "he who was requested." Saul failed to submit to Yahweh’s authority and to obey His Word as God had revealed it in the Mosaic Law and through the prophet Samuel (1 Chronicles 10:13-14). He failed to respond appropriately to God’s elective grace in placing him on the throne. Saul had no heart for God. Consequently God brought discipline on Saul and on Israel under him. Because Saul failed to listen to God, God eventually stopped

2 Chronicles 34:1-33 — 1. Josiah’s reforms ch. 34 The godly in Judah may have regarded Josiah as the most likely candidate to fulfill the promises God had given to David. His early life and reign were spiritually exemplary (2 Chronicles 34:2-3). He sought to purge idolatry from the whole territory

2 Chronicles 36:22-23 — to the ground (2 Chronicles 36:19), it would rise again (2 Chronicles 36:23). The message to the returned exiles was clear. God would respond to their repentance (2 Chronicles 6:36-39). He would forgive their sin and heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14). Moreover, He would raise up a descendant of David who would rule over not only Israel but all the nations forever (1 Chronicles 17:11-14). "Now that Cyrus had decreed the rebuilding of the temple (2 Chronicles 36:22-23), here was prima facie

Ezra 9:5-15 — Ezra’s prayer 9:5-15 The priests presented the evening offering (Ezra 9:5) between 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. in Jesus’ day. [Note: Alfred Edersheim, The Temple: Its Ministry and Service, p. 144.] This was the traditional time for this offering. Ezra’s prayer contains four primary characteristics: solidarity, confession, readiness to change, and faith in God’s mercy. [Note: McConville, pp. 63-65.] In his sermonic prayer, Ezra identified

Isaiah 52:15 — of thought. If "sprinkle" is correct, Isaiah meant that even though the Servant was such an unlikely candidate as Yahweh’s representative, He would still perform the priestly function of cleansing the world of its sins (cf. Leviticus 4:6; Leviticus 8:11; Leviticus 14:7; 1 Peter 1:1-2; Hebrews 10:22). "Men regarded the servant as himself unclean and in need of purification, whereas he himself as a priest will sprinkle water and blood and so purify many nations." [Note: Young,

Ezekiel 1:2-3 — Israel’s captivity. The hand of the Lord that came upon Ezekiel is an anthropomorphism expressing the direct control and divine empowerment that Yahweh exercised over Ezekiel ("God strengthens") as He gave him these visions (Ezekiel 3:14; cf. Isaiah 25:10; Isaiah 41:10; Isaiah 41:20). "The ’hand of the Lord’ is always a metaphor for His power." [Note: Merrill, p. 368.] "The word of the Lord came to Ezekiel" and "The hand of the Lord was upon him"

Ezekiel 18:32 — This death among His people gave the Lord no pleasure (cf. Ezekiel 18:23; Isaiah 28:21; John 5:40; 1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9). He called them to change their attitude, to practice obedience to the covenant, and to live. Repentance was possible for the generation of Jews to whom Ezekiel ministered in Babylon. God still deals with people in the

Daniel 3:1 — feet) high astride the entrance to that ancient port. It is interesting that the dimensions of this statue, 60 cubits and 6 cubits, contain the number 6, which also appears in the mark of the Beast, 666, a latter day equivalent. [Note: See Ironside, p. 47.] We do not know what the image represented. If it was a figure of a human, it probably stood on a substantial base since it was quite narrow for such a tall statue. However, it may have represented an animal, or a combination of human and animal.

Jonah 4:2 — against Israel’s enemies. "Some dismiss biblical references to God ’relenting’ from judgment as anthropomorphic, arguing that an unchangeable God would never change his mind once he has announced his intentions. But both Jonah 4:2 and Joel 2:13 list God’s capacity to ’change his mind’ as one of his fundamental attributes, one that derives from his compassion and demonstrates his love." [Note: Chisholm, Handbook of . . ., p. 414.] Jonah’s description

Deuteronomy 5:1-33 — for guidance on many aspects of daily life, in sharp contrast with the laws of Leviticus, which are very restricted in scope and mainly concern the functions of the priesthood." [Note: R. Norman Whybray, Introduction to the Pentateuch, pp. 103-4.] "Two of the major elements [in ancient Near Eastern covenant texts] . . . are lists of stipulations, the first of a general, principal nature and the second of a more specific and applicational kind. That is, the first spelled out

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 — physical objects and their reliance on them to produce godliness (Matthew 23:5), not their use of them. Observant Jews still often mount little holders on the frames of their front doors into which they place a small parchment scroll. Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Deuteronomy 11:13-21 and the name Shaddai appear on these papers as a sign and reminder of their faith. In addition, sometimes Jews place the Decalogue and or Exodus 13:1-16 and or Numbers 10:35-36 in these holders. They call the scroll and its holder

Ephesians 3:5 — here? Traditional dispensationalists, as distinguished from "progressive dispensationalists" and covenant theologians, have understood the mystery to be the church, the body of Christ. [Note: E.g., Charles C. Ryrie, Dispensationalism, pp. 133-34; Gary W. Derickson, "The New Testament Church as a Mystery," Bibliotheca Sacra 166:664 (October-December 2009):436-45.] By "traditional dispensationalists" I am referring to normative dispensationalists, which some "progressive

Judges 15:9-13 — Samson’s treatment by the Judahites 15:9-13 The Philistines pursued Samson into the territory of Judah that they controlled (Judges 15:9; cf. Judges 14:4). The exact location of Lehi is still uncertain. We gain a glimpse into the spiritual condition in Judah at this time from how the 3,000 Judahites (more probable than 3 units of people) responded to their Philistine oppressors. The men of Judah were

Judges 20:20-28 — conflict; but they had neglected to humble themselves before Jehovah the covenant God, in the consciousness not only of their own weakness and sinfulness, but also of grief at the moral corruption of their brother tribe." [Note: Keil and Delitzsch, p. 452.] The reference to the Israelites weeping (Judges 20:23) is significant. This book opened with a reference to the people weeping because of their unfaithfulness to the covenant, manifested in idolatry (Judges 2:4-5). In the middle chapter of the

Judges 8:1-3 — ’hacks’ his own people." [Note: Block, Judges . . ., p. 287. Cf. Klein, p. 62.] "Although appropriately faithful to God and humble in the presence of others in Judges 8:1-3, Gideon proves to be alarmingly self-assertive and prideful in Judges 8:4-21." [Note: McCann, p. 68.]

1 Samuel 20:24-34 — Saul’s anger over David’s absence 20:24-34 Saul concluded at first that David had not come to the new moon sacrificial meal because he was unclean (cf. Leviticus 7:20-21; Leviticus 15:16). His continued absence required an explanation, which Saul looked to David’s friend to provide.

1 Samuel 9:26-8 — Rachel’s tomb, see Matitiahu Tsevat, "Studies in the Book of Samuel," Hebrew Union College Annual 33 (1962):107-18.] The second would have helped Saul realize that the people would accept him and make sacrifices for him (1 Samuel 9:3-4). The third would have assured him that he did indeed possess supernatural enablement from God (1 Samuel 9:5-6). The "hill of God" (lit. Gibeath-haelohim, 1 Samuel 9:5) was probably Gibeon. [Note: See Aaron Demsky, "Geba, Gibeah, and

2 Samuel 15:1-12 — he appears to have been a cold, ruthless and above all ambitious man." [Note: Payne, p. 227.] Absalom spent four years (2 Samuel 15:7, probably 980-976 B.C.) quietly planning a coup. That "four" is the correct number rather than "40" seems clear from other chronological references. [Note: See the Septuagint, and Josephus, 7:9:1.] He did this by securing military weapons and supporters (2 Samuel 15:1; cf. 1 Kings 1:5), criticizing his father’s administration (2 Samuel