Bible Commentaries

Psalms 15:2 — c). 2.    He does not slander other people by saying things that are untrue and destructive about them (Psa_ 15:3 a). 3.    He does not do evil to his neighbor (i.e., anyone with whom he comes in contact, Psa_ 15:3 b; cf. Proverbs 14:17-24). 4.    He does not initiate or propagate information that would discredit others (Psa_ 15:3 c). 5.    He does not approve of those who turn away from the Lord but honors others when they choose to follow

Proverbs 31:3-9 — Her counsel was that it is not wise for a king to make himself dependent on women (Proverbs 31:3) or wine (Proverbs 31:4-7). "David’s lust for Bathsheba made him callous toward justice and cost Uriah his life, and Solomon’s many sexual partners made him callous toward pure and undefiled religion and incapable of real love. In other words, obsession with

Isaiah 14:16-21 — The fourth strophe returns to the reactions of people on the earth (cf. Isaiah 14:4-8). They expected that such a "great man" would enjoy an honorable burial, but this man received no burial at all. He died covered with the bodies of his fellow warriors rather than with earth. The pagans of Isaiah’s day believed that

Isaiah 41:28-29 — When the Lord looked for a messenger from another god who predicted the coming of Cyrus, He could find none. Not one of them could give any information about his coming (cf. Isaiah 40:13). So He concluded as He began (Isaiah 41:24), but this time passing judgment on the idolaters rather than on the idols. "Behold" ends each subsection (Isaiah 41:24; Isaiah 41:29). The idolaters are false in the sense of being untrue and

Ezekiel 33:7-9 — Ezekiel 3:17-21; Isaiah 21:6-9; Jeremiah 6:17). He was responsible to deliver the Lord’s messages to His people. If Ezekiel failed to warn the people that they would die for their sins, God would hold him responsible for their deaths (cf. Genesis 4:9; Genesis 9:5). But if Ezekiel warned the sinners of the consequences of their iniquity and they disregarded his warning, they would die, but God would hold them, not Ezekiel, responsible (cf. Acts 20:26). Ezekiel had carried out his commission faithfully.

Daniel 12:2 — "many" will awake and not "all?" Apparently he did so to stress the fact that those Jews who die because of Antichrist’s persecutions will experience resurrection at the end of this period (i.e., the Tribulation; cf. Revelation 20:4-6). [Note: Young, p. 256.] He referred to the hope of those Jews in particular. Furthermore, this wording clarifies that not all will arise then. Some will experience resurrection at other times in history (e.g., 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; Revelation

Micah 5:12-14 — He would also remove the accouterments of pagan worship that had plagued His people. Sorceries involved seeking information from demonic sources (cf. 2 Kings 9:22; Isaiah 47:9; Isaiah 47:12; Nahum 3:4). Fortunetellers cast spells by calling demonic spirits to influence other people (cf. Leviticus 19:26; Deuteronomy 18:10). Carved images were pagan idols (cf. Exodus 20:4). Sacred pillars and Asherim were stone and wooden

Zechariah 4:7 — A great mountain would become a plain before Zerubbabel. Mountains epitomize large obstacles (cf. Isaiah 40:4; Isaiah 41:15; Isaiah 49:11; Matthew 17:20; Matthew 21:21; Mark 11:23; 1 Corinthians 13:2). They are also symbols of kingdoms (cf. Isaiah 41:15; Jeremiah 51:25; Daniel 2:35; Daniel 2:45; et al), but that is not the meaning here. The whole process

Matthew 4:23-25 — 4. A summary of Jesus’ ministry 4:23-25 (cf. Mark 1:35-39; Luke 4:42-44) This brief résumé (cf. Matthew 9:35-38) stresses the varied activities and the geographical and ethnic extent of Jesus’ ministry at this time. It sets the

Matthew 8:16-17 — The healing of many Galileans 8:16-17 (cf. Mark 1:32-34; Luke 4:40-41) That evening many other people brought their afflicted friends and relatives to Jesus for healing. In the Jewish inter-testamental literature the writers spoke of demons as responsible for making people ill. [Note: Carson, "Matthew,"

Mark 6:12-13 — The Twelve were to do the same three things that Jesus did in His ministry (cf. Mark 1:4; Mark 1:14-15; Mark 1:32-34; Mark 1:39; Mark 3:10). Their mission was an extension of His mission (cf. Mark 16:15-20). Mark did not mention that Jesus sent them only to the Jews. Perhaps he wanted his readers to view themselves as carrying on Jesus’

Acts 19:28-29 — of Mt. Pion in the town and seated 25,000 people in 66 rows. Its semi-circular design was typical of Roman outdoor theaters. Gaius was a common Greek name. This Gaius seems to have been different from the men with the same name mentioned in Acts 20:4, Romans 16:23, and 1 Corinthians 1:14, since this one was a Macedonian. Some Greek manuscripts, however, indicate that it was only Aristarchus who was a Macedonian, in which case this Gaius may have been the resident of Derbe mentioned in Acts 20:4.

Acts 6:1-7 — 4. Internal conflict 6:1-7 The scene shifts back to life within the church (cf. Acts 4:32 to Acts 5:11). Luke wrote this pericope to explain some administrative changes that the growth of the church made necessary. He also wanted to introduce the Hellenistic

Romans 4:1 — He started with a rhetorical question that he used often in Romans (cf. Romans 6:1; Romans 7:7; Romans 8:31; Romans 9:14; Romans 9:30): "What then shall we say?" By referring to Abraham as "our forefather after the flesh" (Romans 4:1) Paul revealed that he was aiming these comments at his Jewish readers primarily. Abraham’s case is significant

Hebrews 12:22-24 — are more impressive because they are the heavenly realities. These realities include the heavenly city and heavenly beings (i.e., angels and believers). Everything about this vision encourages us to come boldly into God’s presence (cf. Hebrews 4:16). The phrase "the general assembly and church of the first-born"-the Greek construction suggests one group-probably refers to all those believers who had died but will receive their full inheritance because they followed the Lord faithfully

Hebrews 12:26-27 — God’s voice shook the earth at Mt. Sinai (Exodus 19:18; Judges 5:4-5; Psalms 68:8; Psalms 77:18; Psalms 114:4; Psalms 114:7). It will shake the earth and the heavens at the end of the Millennium. That shaking will lead to the creation of new heavens and a new earth that will remain (Psalms 95:9-11; Haggai 2:6; Revelation

Hebrews 6:7 — "A double illustration forms a transition between the negative and positive realities described in Hebrews 6:4-6 and Hebrews 6:9-12:Hebrews 6:4-6Hebrews 6:7Hebrews 6:8Hebrews 6:9-12negativerealitypositiveimagenegativeimagepositivereality" [Note: Ellingworth, p. 325.] In the illustration in this verse, the ground represents believers who drink in the water

1 Peter 1:1 — Peter is a Greek name (lit. Petros, meaning a stone or rock). No one else in the New Testament has the name Peter, though Peter called Christians stones in this epistle (1 Peter 2:4-5). In Aramaic "stone" is the word cephas. Jesus gave the name Cephas to Simon (The Greek transliteration of Simeon, Peter’s Hebrew name) as a prediction of what this apostle would become (John 1:42; Matthew 16:18). The word "apostle"

Revelation 20:4-6 — 2. The resurrection of tribulation martyrs 20:4-6 ". . . it is not difficult to see why the early church understood John to be teaching a millennium in Revelation 20. Three arguments support this interpretation: (1) the teaching of two resurrections, (2) the binding of Satan, and (3) the ruling

Revelation 9:7 — army of men. Still others interpret them as demons. Locusts resemble horses when viewed through a magnifying glass. However, John’s description of these creatures seems to indicate that they were unusually grotesque and frightening (cf. Joel 2:4). Their crowns (Gr. stephanos) probably symbolize their victory over the objects of their oppression. Their resemblance to men suggests their intelligence, but clearly they are not men (cf. Revelation 9:3-4).