Bible Commentaries

Genesis 15:17 — God in His holiness. The flame is a good symbol of God in that it is pure, purges in judgment, and provides light and warmth. "This act is . . . a promise that God will be with Abraham’s descendants (e.g. Genesis 26:3; Genesis 26:24; Genesis 28:15; Genesis 31:3; Genesis 46:4, etc.). Indeed the description of the theophany as a furnace of smoke and ’a torch of fire’ invites comparison with the pillar of cloud and fire that was a feature of the wilderness wanderings,

Exodus 2:1-5 — true. Jochebed and Amram hid Moses because they trusted God (Exodus 2:3; Hebrews 11:23-26). The same Hebrew word translated "wicker basket" in this verse (tehvah) reads "ark" or "boat" in English translations of Genesis 6:14. As Noah’s ark was God’s instrument for preserving one savior of the human race, Moses’ ark proved to be His means of preserving another savior of the Israelites. Moses’ parents obeyed Pharaoh and put Moses in the river (Exodus

Exodus 2:11-15 — 4. Moses’ flight from Egypt to Midian 2:11-15 Moses was "approaching the age of 40" (Acts 7:23) when he took his stand for his Hebrew brethren (Exodus 2:11). The reference to the Hebrew man as "one of his brethren" suggests that

Exodus 21:22 — deliberate killing. Second, a fetus, though a human life, does not have the same status as a self-sufficient human being. [Note: See Sandra Lubarsky, "Judaism and the Justification of Abortion for Non-Medical Reasons," Journal of Reform Judaism 31:4 (Fall 1984):1-13, which contains helpful information on the rabbinic teaching on abortion, though the author’s conclusion, ". . . Judaism not only permits abortions for medical reasons, but also supports abortion for non-medical

2 Kings 5:1-27 — degenerated the bodies of its victims and eventually proved fatal. At this time no one could cure this disease. In Israel the priests normally isolated lepers from non-lepers because the disease was contagious, at least in certain stages (cf. Leviticus 13-14). Naaman was able to carry on his duties as long as his illness permitted him to do so. Biblical leprosy evidently included modern leprosy, better known as Hansen’s disease, but the Hebrew word translated "leprosy" and the disease it

Numbers 16:36-50 — priests overlaid the altar of burnt offerings with a second layer of bronze that they hammered out of the rebels’ censers (cf. Exodus 27:2). [Note: See Jonathan Magonet, "The Korah Rebellion," Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 24 (October 1982):3-25.] "As we think about the notion of the ’holy,’ we recognize that things are made holy in Scripture, not because people are holy, but because the things are presented to the Lord, who is holy. Since these wicked

Numbers 22:1-20 — with fear (Numbers 22:5-6). He allied with Midian and sent for Balaam, a famous magician, to curse the Israelites. Baalam’s town, Pethor (Numbers 22:5), was probably the Mesopotamian village of Pitru by the Euphrates River (cf. Deuteronomy 23:4). [Note: The New Bible Dictionary, 1962 ed., s.v. "Balaam," by A. van Selms.] Balaam has been a problem for Bible students. On the one hand he appears to have been a pagan, but on the other there are indications that he may have been a believer.

Numbers 30:1-16 — laws may be that the Israelites assumed, with much of the culture around them, that vows were a legitimate expression of devotion to one’s god(s), hence only specific ordinances governing the vows were seen as necessary." [Note: Ashley, p. 574.] Perhaps Moses included this section in this context of matters dealing with preparations for entering Canaan because in times of war people tend to make more vows. This is true of soldiers and their wives and children especially. Also vows are a

Deuteronomy 14:3-21 — connection with their religion. Perhaps some of what God forbade would have been unhealthful for the Israelites to eat (cf. Leviticus 11). [Note: See Jay D. Fawver and R. Larry Overstreet, "Moses and Preventive Medicine," Bibliotheca Sacra 147:587 (July-September):270-85.] However the main reason for the prohibitions seems to have been that certain animals did not conform to what the Israelites considered normal or typical. [Note: M. Douglas, Purity and Danger, pp. 53-55; Wenham, The Book

Deuteronomy 5:8-10 — could represent in material form.   3.    Obedience would also preserve Israel’s distinctiveness in the world. Israel alone in the ancient Near East did not make images of her God. [Note: Craigie, The Book . . ., p. 154.] If the Israelites made images of Yahweh, the other nations would have perceived Him as just another god.   4.    God also intended to preserve love for Himself in the succeeding generations of His people (Deuteronomy 5:9-10).

Mark 1:1 — birthday, attainment to majority and accession to power were celebrated as festival occasions for the whole world. The reports of such festivals were called ’evangels’ in the inscriptions and papyri of the Imperial Age." [Note: Ibid., pp. 42-43.] Possibly Mark began his Gospel as he did to recall the opening verse of Genesis. The good news about Jesus Christ provides a beginning of as great significance as the creation of the cosmos. When Jesus’ came to earth and began His ministry,

Judges 14:15-20 — Samson’s losses 14:15-20 The writer called the Timnite "Samson’s wife" even though the engaged couple had not yet consummated their marriage (Judges 14:15). "The usual length of a [wedding] celebration was seven days and the marriage was not consummated

Judges 19:22-26 — of Beliel," i.e., ungodly men, AV, RV) surrounded the stranger’s house (Judges 19:22). However, the men of Gibeah as a whole defended the actions of this group. Furthermore the whole tribe of Benjamin refused to punish them (Judges 20:13-14). This points to the Benjamites’ sympathy for the perpetrators of this atrocity who lived in Gibeah. The "worthless" men repeated the request of the Sodomites in Lot’s day (Genesis 19:4-5; cf. 1 Samuel 2:12). What had previously

Judges 6:25-32 — Gideon’s public confession 6:25-32 "Under normal circumstances the narrative should have proceeded directly from Judges 6:24 to Judges 6:33-35, and then on to Judges 7:1. But the normal sequence is interrupted twice to deal with a pair of abnormalities. The first is an objective issue, the presence of a pagan cult installation in Gideon’s father’s own backyard.

Judges 8:29-32 — enough to afford many wives who bore him 70 sons. In this respect Gideon lived like many ancient Near Eastern kings who normally married many wives and fathered many offspring. He followed pagan cultural customs and violated God’s will (Genesis 2:24). He not only accumulated much gold as a king (Judges 8:26), but he also collected many wives as a king (cf. Deuteronomy 17:17). He also kept a concubine in Shechem, which the Canaanites controlled at this time (cf. Judges 9:2; Judges 9:28). His concubine

Judges 9:50-57 — proved prophetic (Judges 9:57). This first attempt to set up a monarchy in Israel failed miserably. "Abimelech’s request to be finished off by his armor-bearer is similar to Saul’s later request, so as to avoid dishonor (see 1 Samuel 31:4). Thus, the careers of Israel’s first self-made king, Abimelech, and first divinely designated king, Saul, end in disgrace. Abimelech is an idolater from the beginning, and Saul is rejected by God for disobeying God’s explicit command (1

1 Samuel 17:31-40 — David’s qualifications to fight Goliath 17:31-40 When David volunteered to be Israel’s champion, Saul scoffed at him because he evaluated David’s chances for success solely in physical terms, as usual. The Hebrew word na’ar translated "youth" (1 Samuel 17:33) usually describes

1 Samuel 24:1-7 — David’s cutting off of Saul’s hem 24:1-7 Engedi lay near the Dead Sea’s western shore close to its mid-point north to south. Even today it is a refreshing oasis with waterfalls, pools, tropical plants, and wild goats. The Hebrew word means "spring of the kid." It may have

1 Samuel 25:39-43 — David’s marriage to Abigail 25:39-43 David thanked God for vindicating him and for preventing him from doing evil. Abigail had been the instrument that God had used to do this (1 Samuel 25:39). It was proper for David to give thanks since he had left Nabal in the Lord’s hands and

1 Samuel 28:20-25 — elsewhere. God graciously provided it to him in the form of a final warning, but Saul disregarded that too. He plunged forward to his death. Similarly, Judas received a final warning from Jesus in the Upper Room, but he disregarded it and died within 24 hours. How important it is not to harden our hearts when God speaks to us (cf. Psalms 95:6-11; Hebrews 3:7-8; Hebrews 3:15; Hebrews 4:7)!