Bible Commentaries

Isaiah 4:5-6 — future. In the past, God had done this by sheltering the wilderness wanderers with a cloudy pillar, but in the future a similar covering would protect the dwellers at Mount Zion. The daughters of Jerusalem tried desperately to secure husbands (Isaiah 4:1), but God Himself would finally provide a marriage canopy (chamber) for His beloved in the future. The same fire that judged His people, God Himself, would warm and protect them in all of their circumstances (cf. Psalms 91). He would control the forces

Isaiah 6:6 — substitute sacrifice. [Note: Motyer, p. 78.] Fire from the brazen altar lit the incense on the incense altar in Israel, so, whichever altar may be in view, the coal connects with sacrifice. Fire in the Old Testament symbolizes the wrath of God (Genesis 3:24; Numbers 11:1-3), the holiness of God (Exodus 3:2-6; Exodus 19:18-25), His purifying process (Numbers 31:22-23; Malachi 3:2-3), and the context of the Law (Deuteronomy 4:12; Deuteronomy 4:33; Deuteronomy 4:36). "A seraph peels off from his flight

Ezekiel 43:1-2 — There the prophet saw the glory of God approaching the temple from the east (cf. Deuteronomy 33:2; Isaiah 60:1-3). Ezekiel had seen God’s glory departing from Solomon’s temple to the east when the Babylonians destroyed it (ch. 8; Ezekiel 10:4; Ezekiel 10:18-19; Ezekiel 11:22-25). It did not return when Zerubbabel rebuilt it or when Herod the Great remodeled it (cf. Haggai 2:7). But now the Lord was about to take up residence in His millennial temple. God’s voice was as the sound of

Joel 2:13-14 — If they did, they could count on Him being gracious, compassionate, patient, loyal to them, and willing to withhold punishment (cf. Exodus 34:6; Nehemiah 9:17; Psalms 103:8; Psalms 143:8; Jonah 4:2). Their genuine repentance might-Yahweh is still sovereign-move Him to turn from His previously intended course of action and bless, rather than curse, them (cf. Malachi 3:7). Agricultural blessings

Zechariah 6:12 — shoot will shoot up from beneath (where there is little promise of life)." His kingdom would be widespread. Furthermore, He would build the temple of Yahweh. Zerubbabel, not Joshua, was God’s choice to build the restoration temple (Zechariah 4:9-10), but Messiah, whom Joshua prefigured, would build the future temple for Yahweh (cf. Isaiah 2:2-4; Isaiah 56:6-7; Ezekiel 40-43; Micah 4:1-7; Haggai 2:6-9). For amillennialists, the temple equals the church. [Note: E.g., Leupold, p. 124.] "How

Matthew 23:3-4 — 210.] Another view sees Jesus affirming the authority of the Pharisees in principle, since they taught the Torah, but not endorsing all their teachings (halakhah, legal interpretations of Scripture). [Note: See Noel S. Rabbinowitz, "Matthew 23:2-4 : Does Jesus Recognize the Authority of the Pharisees and Does He Endorse their Halakhah?" Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 46:3 (September 2003):423-47.] The first, preferable interpretation allows the Greek aorist verb ekathisan

Matthew 23:37 — including false prophecy. The people had used this form of execution on those who faithfully brought God’s Word to them. Jesus’ words recall His ancestor David’s sorrow over the death of his son Absalom (2 Samuel 18:33; 2 Samuel 19:4). The repetition of "Jerusalem" reveals the strong emotion that Jesus felt (cf. Luke 10:41; Acts 9:4). Many times during His ministry Jesus had sought to gather and shelter Jerusalem, used here by synecdoche to represent the whole nation.

Mark 12:10-11 — crowds chanted at the Triumphal Entry (Mark 11:9; cf. Psalms 118:22-23). The stone in view is probably the capstone for the building that God is building. In its original use, the stone represented Israel. Here Jesus made Himself the stone (cf. Acts 4:11; 1 Peter 2:7). The Father’s reversal of the Son’s fate elicited wonder from the beholders because it was an unexpected turn of events that demonstrated divine sovereignty. It appears that Israel’s leaders rejected the Stone that

John 13:18-19 — Again Jesus limited what He had said to those disciples who truly believed on Him (John 13:10; cf. John 6:71; John 12:4; John 13:2). He made this statement so that when the disciples would later remember His words they would not think that He had been mistaken about Judas. Instead they would believe that Jesus was "I am," connoting deity (Exodus 3:14; Isaiah

Acts 13:9 — allusion to his physical stature, and obviously rhymes with his Jewish name "Saul" (lit. asked). "Paul" may have been a cognomen (nickname). Paul’s first and family Roman names appear nowhere in Scripture. [Note: Longenecker, p. 420.] "Both names, Saul and Paul, were probably given him by his parents, in accordance with Jewish custom, which still prevails, of giving a child two names, one religious and one secular." [Note: Archibald Robertson and Alfred Plummer, A

Romans 11:8 — The quotation in this verse is a combination of Deuteronomy 29:4 and Isaiah 29:10. Paul used these passages to prove the following point. The Israelites did not follow God faithfully even though they saw God’s miraculous deliverance from Egypt, experienced His preservation in the wilderness, and heard the warnings

Romans 3:1-2 — objections to himself to clarify his view for his readers. This is, again, the diatribe style of rhetoric. "Then what" (Gr. ti oun) appears in Romans to raise questions about what Paul has taught to advance his argument (cf. Romans 3:9; Romans 4:1; Romans 6:1; Romans 6:15; Romans 7:7; Romans 8:31; Romans 9:14; Romans 9:19; Romans 9:30; Romans 11:7). We could paraphrase the first question as follows. If Jews and Gentiles are both guilty before God, what advantage is there in being a Jew? Particularly,

Romans 4:9-12 — 3. The priority of faith to circumcision 4:9-12 The examples of Abraham and David, both Jews, led to the question Paul voiced in the next verse (Romans 4:9). The apostle pointed out that when God declared Abraham righteous the patriarch was uncircumcised. He was a virtual Gentile. Fourteen years

1 Corinthians 3:14-15 — not because he or she has pursued human "wisdom," that person will not, though he or she will retain his or her salvation. Paul likened the unfaithful servant to a man pulled to safety through the flames of his burning house (cf. Matthew 25:14-30; Luke 19:11-27). The context identifies those who suffer loss as being Christians who seek to build the church with materials that fail to withstand God’s assessment. They do not refer to all carnal Christians (1 Corinthians 3:1-4), though

1 Corinthians 3:5-17 — this case especially the role of the teachers." [Note: Fee, The First . . ., p. 128.] "In the first place, they have not understood the nature and character of the Christian message, the true wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:18 to 1 Corinthians 3:4). In the second place, their sectarian spirit indicates that they have no real understanding of the Christian ministry, its partnership under God in the propagation of the truth (1 Corinthians 3:5 to 1 Corinthians 4:5)." [Note: Johnson, p. 1231.]

1 Thessalonians 4:10 — Paul’s words were only encouragements to maintain the loving behavior that they had learned and had manifested already. The Greek text has one command, "we urge," an object, "you," followed by four infinitives (1 Thessalonians 4:10 b, 11), and a final clause that gives the intended outcome (1 Thessalonians 4:12). Paul’s readers demonstrated brotherly love by reaching out to other needy Christians who lived in their province. They did respond to this charge and reached

Hebrews 2:3-4 — Jesus Christ spoke of salvation during His earthly ministry (e.g., Matthew 4:17; Matthew 19:28; Luke 12:31-32; Luke 22:29-30). The apostles taught the same truth and by doing so confirmed His word. This is the gospel, in its widest meaning. "By speaking of ’the hearers’ (ton akousanton), all interest is concentrated

1 Peter 4:11 — who can serve by providing some other kind of help or assistance should do so realizing that God has made their service possible. [Note: See Robert A Pyne, "Antinomianism and Dispensationalism," Bibliotheca Sacra 153:610 (April-June 1996):141-54.] The reason for acknowledging one’s words and works as from God is that God then gets the credit. [Note: Cf. Best, p. 161.] This is only fitting since He deserves all glory (i.e., praise) and might (power) forever (cf. Revelation 1:6). About

1 John 2:28-19 — IV. LIVING IN ANTICIPATION OF CHRIST’S JUDGMENT SEAT 2:28-4:19 "The warning against the antichrists or, as we have called them, the Revisionists, is now finished. The apostle’s burden has been to affirm the high spiritual caliber of his readership and to urge them to continue to live the ’abiding’

Revelation 21:5 — existence. The description of the new creation in the preceding verses was proleptic. Evidently an angel then instructed John to write down what God had said because His words were faithful and true, not incredible (cf. Revelation 22:6). [Note: Alford, 4:737; Lee, 4:818.] Possibly it was God Himself who uttered this second statement. [Note: Swete, p. 279.] If so, this is probably the first time in the book that God the Father spoke. Perhaps the vision so enthralled John that he stopped recording it.