Bible Commentaries

Exodus 13:17-22 — some other route settles the matter for Christians. Even Davies admitted that, "The early settlement of Philistines before their main invasion may account for the reference."G. Henton Davies, 20th Century Commentary (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1932), p. 135. Any premise that includes the proposition that there is available today anything more than a mere smattering of knowledge of ancient history known by modern man, is a monstrous misassumption! Until men know a lot more about ancient history

Proverbs 8:22-31 — declared that, "There is no ground for the thought of creation either in the meaning of the root or in the general usage of the word."Barnes' Notes on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, a 1987 reprint of the 1878 edition), op. cit., p. 31. Even the Anchor Bible rejected the stupid error of the RSV in this verse, rendering it, "The Lord possessed me, the first principle of his sovereignty."The Anchor Bible (Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company, 1982), p. 68, Kidner identifies

Ezekiel 28:11-17 — in Genesis,"F. F. Bruce in the New Layman's Bible Commentary, p. 886 or to some alleged `myth' concerning a divine garden, an abode of bliss. As Cooke pointed out, however, "Such a myth has not been discovered!"International Critical Commentary, p. 316. Thus there is no evidence whatever, except in the imaginations of wicked men, of any such mythological tale as the radical critics love to find here. We do not believe there is any such myth, or that there ever has been. Besides that, we shall show,

Hosea 6:11 — sins which so resembled those here charged to Israel."W. R. Harper, International Critical Commentary (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1905), p. 291. "A Judean editor applies the prophecy to his own time and situation."Jacob M. Myers, op. cit, p. 36. "This is the contribution of a Judean editor who glosses the text."James Luther Mays, op. cit., p. 102. Etc. etc. etc... In such a cacophony of scholarly prejudice against this verse, it is refreshing to find McKeating injecting a mild note of caution:

Amos 9:11 — as in the days of old." This verse foretells how salvation for all men "shall be effected in the house of David, in whose line Christ was to come."Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament, Minor Prophets, Vol. I (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953), p. 336. Note that the Jerusalem temple is by-passed, absolutely, here. All of the great victories of Israel were won during the period when they had the "tabernacle," not the temple; and, as Barnes pointed out, "He speaks of the house of David, not

Numbers 2:1-34 — in line of march… LAST. A diagrammatic presentation of this is also given in the latter part of Numbers 1. There are a number of things of very great interest in these verses, and one of these is the use of the word "standards" in Numbers 2:2-3; Numbers 2:10; Numbers 2:17-18; Numbers 2:25; Numbers 2:31; Numbers 2:34. The use of this word in close connection with the word "ensigns" would certainly appear to suggest a flag or banner of some kind, but, beginning with G. B. Gray (1903) in International

Jonah 1:17 — Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights." The word "prepared" as used here actually means "commissioned" or appointed, or "ordered."Harold E. Monser, Cross-Reference Bible (New York: The Cross-Reference Bible Company, 1910), p. 1683. It may be assumed that the great fish was ready at the instant God needed it, just as the tree had been growing by the bitter waters of Marah for a long time prior to the moment when Moses was commanded to cast it into the waters for the purpose of

Zechariah 11:13 — consideration, it occurs to the critic that the text here should read differently: "It is pretty generally agreed that the text needs emendation! The command addressed to the Shepherd should read, `put it in the treasury'!Henckley G. Mitchell, op. cit., p. 310, How ridiculous! It was against the law of God to put blood money in the treasury (Matthew 27:6); and for men to emend the text to make God command the violation of his own law is going too far. Most commentators try to make out that "cast it unto

Malachi 1:11 — falsehood. a.    "At the time of Malachi the name of Jehovah was not great from the rising to the setting of the sun, nor were incense and sacrifice offered to him in every place… consequently we must understand the words prophetically."C. F. Keil, op cit., p. 432. "Incense shall be offered to my name" "This expression, 'my name' presupposes the knowledge of God, who to this point in history was known only to Jews."T. Miles Bennett, op. cit., p. 378. 2.    At the moment when Malachi was .written

Deuteronomy 1:1 — Jehovah your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee. For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against Jehovah; and how much more after my death." (Deuteronomy 31:1; Deuteronomy 31:9; Deuteronomy 31:24-27) Also, notice Deuteronomy 31:22, "Moses wrote this song the same day and taught it the children of Israel." No other Biblical book is so specifically assigned to its author as is this one, and these statements

Deuteronomy 26:1-11 — were repeated by the man,… as indicated by the words, you shall respond and say (Deuteronomy 26:5 a)."P. C. Craigie, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament, Deuteronomy (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1976), p. 320. It is also in harmony with the language of all nations that any action caused to be done by a worshipper is, in fact, actually said to be done by the worshipper. Jesus, for example, is said to have baptized people; but he did not personally baptize

Luke 15:22-24 — ears! III.    The cure of the tragedy. A.    The cure began when the prodigal told himself the truth. The unique utility of the Bible is that it reveals what men say to themselves (see more on this under Luke 16:3). Instead of lying to himself about how he would surely make a good recovery, or how something would surely "turn up," he simply faced up to the shame and disgrace of his life, and to the fact that he was "perishing." Countless thousands

Luke 15:8-10 — men have been accounted as cheap in the eyes of their fellows. Earth's warlords have ever looked upon men as mere pawns in the struggle for power; and historically, the rich and the powerful have often held human life as cheap indeed (Matthew 10:29-30). (3)    Both may be exchanged for something else. Man may exchange himself for eternal life (Luke 16:9). On the other hand, he may sell himself to do evil in God's sight (1 Kings 21:20). Esau sold his birthright for one mess of

John 1:18 — parallel between Christ and the Bible even extends to this, that as there were a few Gentiles conspicuously among the Lord's fleshly ancestors, such as Ruth and Tamar, there are also some Gentile writers of the Bible, notably Job and the evangelist Luke, 3.    Both Christ and the Bible have been disbelieved, mocked, tried with false trials, and crucified. The passion and crucifixion of the Lord are well known; but some may not know that during the French Revolution the Bible was publicly

Romans 6:23 — proper here to add that immersion is not the only means of transition into him. We believe into Christ, as well as are immersed into him, and the former just as certainly as the latter. "He that believes into the Son has everlasting life" (John 3:36). To be immersed and to believe are similar verb forms, with identical significations. Neither excludes the other, and both are alike essential to the end. We do not pass into Christ by immersion alone, nor by belief alone. We pass into him by the

Joshua 18:21-28 — (the same is Jerusalem), Gibeath, and Kiriath; fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the children of Benjamin according to their families." As Cook said, "nothing is known of a number of these places."F. C. Cook, op. cit., p. 396. Yet there are included in this list a number of the best known and most important places in all of Palestine: Jericho, Jerusalem, Bethel, Gibeon, Ramah, Beth-horon, Mizpeh, and Gibeah. Boling's assertion that these boundaries of Benjamin set up "contradictory

Hebrews 1:3 — substance" is somewhat ambiguous in the common versions; and the scholars give its meaning variously as: "He is the counterpart or facsimile of the Father." J. R. Dummelow, Commentary on the Whole Bible (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1937), p. 1016. "Very God of very God." Thomas Hewitt, The Epistle to the Hebrews (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1960), p. 52. "The exact representation of the very being of God." Clarence S. Roddy, The

Hebrews 11:17-20 — marveled at it; and, in the words of Albert Barnes, "It is the strongest illustration of faith, undoubtedly, which has ever been evinced in our world." Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1963), Vol. Hebrews, p. 272. Abraham, being tried is a reference to the remarkable test of his faith recorded in Genesis 22:1 ff. It is said there that God did "tempt" Abraham, but the word "tried" is the true meaning. Although the word

Hebrews 2:5-7 — habitable world. Thus the Son is better than angels, not only as the revealer of God (Hebrews 1) but also, as will now be shown, as the representative of man. W. H. Griffith Thomas, Hebrews (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company), p. 32. The difficulty of this passage is seen in the author's argument for the superiority of Christ, while at the same time quoting a passage from the Old Testament that seems to contradict it, "Thou madest him a little lower than the angels."

Judges 12:1-6 — array. "Northward" Hervey suggested that, "The alternative reading for this word, i.e., `Zaphon, a city of the Gileadites,' should be used, because a movement of Ephraim to Gilead would have been eastward, not northward."The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 3-C, p. 130 It is evident that the providence of God is visible in this humiliating defeat of Ephraim. Their conceited arrogance was a problem that threatened all of Israel, and, if their demand to be recognized as head of the tribes of Israel had not