Bible Commentaries

Genesis 2:4-26 — B. What became of the creation 2:4-4:26 Moses described what happened to the creation by recording significant events in the Garden of Eden, the murder of Abel, and the family of Cain. "The section begins with a description of the creation of Adam and Eve and traces their sin, God’s

Jeremiah 3:1 — not return to (or remarry) her." [Note: The Septuagint has the question being, "Will the woman return to her first husband." But there is inferior support for this translation.] The Mosaic Law prohibited such a thing (cf. Deuteronomy 24:1-4). If Judah was a wife and Yahweh was her husband, He would not normally "return" to her. The Israelites believed that sin and evil in the people had repercussions on the land and polluted it (cf. Jeremiah 3:2; Jeremiah 3:9; Leviticus 18:25;

Lamentations 4:20 — The enemy even captured the Davidic king, Zedekiah, who was as the very breath of life to the Judahites. The Judeans had evidently hoped to live under his authority in captivity, but now he was blind and in prison (Jeremiah 52:7-11). This section gives three causes for the siege: the sins of the priests and prophets (Lamentations 4:13-16), reliance on foreign alliances (Lamentations 4:17-19), and the capture of Zedekiah (Lamentations 4:20).

Ezekiel 2:2 — The Holy Spirit, or perhaps a wind sent from God, [Note: Robert B. Chisholm Jr., Handbook on the Prophets, p. 233.] entered Ezekiel as the Lord spoke to him and enabled him to stand up and hear what the Lord was saying (cf. Ezekiel 3:24; Exodus 4:10-15; Exodus 31:1-11; 1 Samuel 10:9-11; Psalms 51:11; Jeremiah 1:4-19; Daniel 8:18; Acts 2:4; Ephesians 5:18; et al.).

Ezekiel 4 overview — II. ORACLES OF JUDGMENT ON JUDAH AND JERUSALEM FOR SIN CHS. 4-24 This section of the book contains prophecies that Ezekiel delivered from the beginning of his ministry (in 593 B.C.) to the fall of Jerusalem (586 B.C.). All of these prophecies deal with the coming destruction of the city and related calamities. "Here

Daniel 4:13-15 — The watcher who descended from heaven (Daniel 4:13) was probably a divine agent, an angel, though Nebuchadnezzar described it using terminology from his background (cf. Daniel 4:17). [Note: Keil, p. 150; Goldingay, p. 88.] Earthly kings had watchmen who served as their eyes and ears and who carried

Daniel 4:4-9 — 2. The king’s frustration over his second dream 4:4-9

Obadiah 1:8 — The repetition of "declares the Lord" (cf. Obadiah 1:4) reemphasizes Yahweh’s initiative in this judgment. "That day" points to a specific, though undefined, day when He would surely destroy Edom. God would destroy Edom’s famous wise men (cf. 1 Kings 4:30; Job 1:1; Job 2:11; Job 4:1;

Jonah 4:1-4 — C. Jonah’s displeasure at God’s mercy 4:1-4 The reader might assume that the Lord’s deliverance of the Ninevites from imminent doom is the climax of the story. This is not the case. The most important lesson of the book deals with God’s people and specifically God’s instruments,

Mark 4:1-2 — The setting 4:1-2 (cf. Matthew 13:1-3a; Luke 8:4) Jesus may have taught these parables shortly after the incident Mark just finished recording (Mark 3:20-35; cf. Matthew 13:1). If so, this was a very busy day in Jesus’ ministry. It may have included all the

Mark 4:3-9 — The parable of the soils 4:3-9 (cf. Matthew 13:3b-9; Luke 8:5-8) Jesus introduced and concluded this parable with instructions that His hearers should give it careful consideration (Mark 4:3; Mark 4:9, cf. Mark 4:23). Mark’s account of this parable is almost identical to

Mark 9:11 — Rather than asking for clarification about the resurrection issue, the disciples raised questions about the larger problem of Messiah dying. If Jesus was the Messiah and He would die, what did the scribes’ teaching about Elijah being the forerunner of Messiah mean (Malachi 3:1-4; Malachi 4:5-6)? They taught that he would turn the hearts of the people back to God (cf. Malachi 4:6), but Elijah had not appeared and most of the people had not repented.

Luke 21:12-15 — Matthew 10:18; Mark 13:9). Nevertheless these situations would provide opportunities for witness. The disciples should not fret about their verbal defense ahead of time but should rely on Jesus’ promise to provide them with the words (cf. Exodus 4:11; Exodus 4:15; Ezekiel 29:21) and the wisdom they would need then (cf. Luke 12:11-12; Matthew 10:19-20; Mark 13:11). This would come to them through the Holy Spirit’s ministry to them (Mark 13:11). They would discover that their witness would

Luke 21:37-38 — slept out of doors, perhaps in the garden of Gethsemane. There were multitudes of pilgrims in Jerusalem at Passover time, and many of them slept in the open air. Again Luke mentioned the eagerness of the people generally (Gr. laos) to hear Him (cf. Luke 4:14-15; Luke 4:22; Luke 4:32; Luke 4:37; Luke 4:42; Luke 5:19; Luke 5:26; Luke 5:29). Their response contrasted with that of the crowds (Gr. ochloi), who pressed Jesus to receive something from Him, and the nation’s leaders, who listened to Him

Philippians 3:1 — other people who professed to be servants of God. He introduced this section of his epistle with a transitional statement. "Finally" (Gr. to loipon) introduces such a statement here as well as elsewhere (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:16; 1 Corinthians 4:2; 2 Corinthians 13:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:1; 2 Thessalonians 3:1; Galatians 6:17). Usually this word does not mark a conclusion so much as a transition on the way to a conclusion. [Note: Moule, p. 56.] It introduces what remains to be said. [Note: Fee,

Colossians 3:23-25 — whom you are serving.’ This is the way you ought to do your job.   "If you are lazy on the job, you are not dedicated to Jesus Christ." [Note: McGee, 5:361.] The Lord will reward such service with an inheritance (1 Corinthians 4:5; Revelation 22:12). Imagine a slave receiving an inheritance! The title "Lord Christ" occurs only here in the New Testament. Evidently Paul coined it to stress Jesus’ lordship. Jesus is the Messiah who as Lord will reward the faithful

1 Thessalonians 4:18 — The hope of being reunited with saints who have died and, what is more important, with Christ, gives believers a hope that we can and should use to comfort one another when loved ones die. "Paul’s central point [in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18] is that Christians who have died are in no way behind those who are alive at the Lord’s coming, since the dead will actually rise first; then, we will all go together to meet the Lord in the air." [Note: Thomas R. Edgar, "An Exegesis

James 4:4-5 — 3. The nature of the choice 4:4-5

James 4:6-10 — 4. The resources to choose right 4:6-10

1 John 4:16 — This verse summarizes this section (1 John 3:24 to 1 John 4:16; cf. John 6:69). John was speaking of intimate knowledge ("come to know") and intimate fellowship ("abides"). "We" includes the readers with the apostles. "For us" should be "among us,"