Bible Commentaries

Genesis 15:15 — The ancients conceived of death as a time when they would rejoin their departed ancestors (cf. 2 Samuel 12:23). There was evidently little understanding of what lay beyond the grave at this time in history. [Note: For a synopsis of Israel’s view of life after death, see Bernhard Lang, "Afterlife: Ancient Israel’s Changing Vision of the World Beyond," Bible Review 4:1 (February 1988):12-23.]

Psalms 107:33-38 — God controls nature so that it becomes His instrument of cursing or blessing His people. The repetition of the phrase "an inhabited city" (Psalms 107:36, cf. Psalms 107:4; Psalms 107:7) is a unique feature of this psalm. It may refer to the captives returning to Jerusalem-their long anticipated destination-in the three returns from Babylon that the Old Testament records.

Psalms 141:3-4 — David asked God to help him control his speech (Psalms 141:3). He also wanted the Lord to help him control his thoughts and actions (Psalms 141:4). "Eating the delicacies" of the wicked pictures enjoying the sensual pleasures of ungodly people. "All mortals tend to turn into the thing they are pretending to be." [Note: C. S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters, p. 54.]

Psalms 150:6 — 4. The culmination 150:6 Having dealt with the "where" and "how" of worship, the psalmist now specified the "who." "Everything that has breath" should praise Yahweh. In the light of the context, he was undoubtedly thinking of all kinds of people. This verse is a fitting conclusion to the Book of Psalms. All people should praise God. This is the message of the book.

Psalms 9:13-14 — The psalmist appealed for God’s grace in defense from the attacks of those who hated him. God could save him from death. If He would do so, David promised to praise the Lord publicly among His people in Jerusalem. The "daughter of Zion" is a metaphor for the city of God (e.g., Isaiah 1:8; Isaiah 10:32) and the people of God (e.g., Micah 4:8).

Proverbs 30:5-6 — Agur treasured the revelation that God had given. "Tested" means "smelted," purified (cf. Psalms 12:6). It was trustworthy. Agur correctly regarded the aim of revelation to be the promotion of trust in God, not just knowledge (Proverbs 30:5 b). Agur warned against adding to God’s revelation because that is a serious offense (Proverbs 30:6; cf. Deuteronomy 4:2; Revelation 22:18).

Isaiah 14:22-23 — Yahweh of armies promised to do to Babylon what the speakers in the poem above said. He would cut off the name and posterity of its rulers, and He would destroy the city to the extent that only wild animals would live in the swamps that remained there. Isaiah 14:22-23 form a conclusion to the poem as Isaiah 14:3-4 a introduced it.

Isaiah 26:3 — The Lord keeps in true peace the mind-set that consistently trusts in Him (cf. Matthew 6:24; Philippians 4:7; James 1:6-8). Here believers are viewed corporately, but the same truth applies individually (cf. Psalms 112:7-8). "Stayed upon Jehovah, Hearts are fully blest, Finding, as He promised, Perfect peace and rest." [Note: Like a River Glorious, by Frances R. Havergal.]

Isaiah 42:20 — As the Lord had told Isaiah at the beginning of his ministry (Isaiah 6:9), the Israelites saw but did not perceive, and heard but did not comprehend (cf. Deuteronomy 29:2-4). The Israelites’ response to the Mosaic Law is primarily in view. "The cardinal sin of the people of God is to possess the divine word and to ignore it." [Note: Motyer, p. 328.]

Isaiah 42:7 — As light, the Servant would heal disabilities (physical and spiritual), end restrictions that others imposed, and transform individual circumstances (cf. Luke 1:79; John 1:4; John 8:12; John 9:5; John 9:39-41; John 12:46; Acts 26:18). He would bring people out of bondage, including their bondage to sin (cf. Isaiah 61:1; John 8:32; Colossians 1:13).

Isaiah 60:19-20 — The glory of the Lord would outshine that of the sun and moon. He would provide for His people the light and health which these heavenly bodies formerly produced (cf. Revelation 21:4; Revelation 21:23). The night, because of its darkness, is a time of mourning (cf. Psalms 30:5), but there will be no mourning for Israel because God will enlighten and brighten her.

Isaiah 64:1 — The prophet called on God to make another appearance among His people, as He had done at Mt. Sinai and at other times (cf. Exodus 19:18-20; Judges 5; Psalms 18; Micah 1:3-4; Habakkuk 3). The Israelites’ condition was so desperate that another special visitation from God was what they needed. The next time God did this was at the Incarnation.

Jeremiah 17:6 — The person who would trust in man rather than in God would experience a dry, unproductive, and lonely existence (cf. Psalms 1:4), like the dwarf juniper of the desert. Salty land lacked fertility and life, as is observable to this day around the Dead Sea. Of course, such people may flourish for a season (cf. Jeremiah 12:1-2), but over a lifetime they normally wither.

Jeremiah 21:1-10 — Zedekiah’s request and Jeremiah’s response 21:1-10 This passage probably dates from the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem in 588-586 B.C. (Jeremiah 21:2; Jeremiah 21:4; cf. 2 Kings 25). King Zedekiah sought advice from Jeremiah more than once (cf. Jeremiah 37:3-10; Jeremiah 37:17-21; Jeremiah 38:14-28). This passage consists of two oracles (Jeremiah 21:1-10).

Jeremiah 22:24-30 — Prophecies about King Jehoiachin (Coniah) 22:24-30 This section contains two prophecies about this king (Jeremiah 22:24-30). The historical setting is the three-month reign of eighteen-year-old Jehoiachin in 598-597 B.C. (cf. 2 Kings 24:8-17). Coniah was a shortened form of Jeconiah (cf. Jeremiah 24:1; Jeremiah 27:20; Jeremiah 28:4; Jeremiah 29:2), the same man.

Lamentations 3:57-58 — In the past, the Lord had heeded Jeremiah’s prayers and had given him hope. The Lord had come to his rescue and had redeemed (delivered) him from destruction (cf. Leviticus 25:25-28; Leviticus 25:47-54; Ruth 4:1-12). "No greater testimony can a sinner offer to God than to say, in thanksgiving, ’Thou hast redeemed my life’ (Lamentations 3:58)." [Note: Jensen, p. 135.]

Ezekiel 16:23-25 — On top of all this wickedness, Jerusalem multiplied shrines to idols everywhere. For this Yahweh pronounced a lament of horror on her (cf. 1 Samuel 4:8; Proverbs 23:29; Isaiah 3:9). She became a militant advocate of idolatry, not just a practitioner of it. She also made her beauty abominable by prostituting herself to every passerby. She pursued foreign alliances as well as foreign gods.

Ezekiel 35:5 — He would do this because the Edomites had been enemies of the Israelites throughout their history (cf. Ezekiel 25:12; Genesis 12:3). Furthermore, they had not helped their brethren Israelites in the time of their calamity, the time when God was punishing Israel, but had turned them over to their enemy, the Babylonians (cf. 2 Chronicles 20:10; Psalms 137:7; Lamentations 4:21-22).

Hebrews 6:6 — Earlier in this letter the writer warned his Christian readers about drifting away from the truth through negligence (Hebrews 2:1-4). He also warned them about failing to continue trusting God and walking by faith (Hebrews 3:7-19). Now he referred to the same apostasy as "falling away." "The aorist tense indicates a decisive moment of commitment to apostasy. In the

1 Samuel 3:19-1 — 2. Samuel’s ministry 3:19-4:1a These verses summarize Samuel’s continuing ministry as a prophet (Heb. nabbi’) in Israel. Though the Hebrew word nabbi’ describes Samuel only here (1 Samuel 3:20) and in 2 Chronicles 35:18, the Hebrew word ro’eh ("seer")