Bible Commentaries

1 Kings 12:25-33 — the Judges. This writer rejects as absolutely untenable the dictum of some scholars to the effect that the calves which Jeroboam made, "Were not intended as substitutes for the Lord but as traditional symbols of him."J. R. Dummelow's Commentary, p. 220. There is absolutely nothing in all the Bible that supports any such notion. The comment that, "The bull images set up by Jeroboam were traditional symbols of Yahweh's strength,"The Layman's Bible Commentary, Vol. 7., p. 50. cannot possibly be correct. "W.

Nehemiah 5:6-13 — skillful handling to the situation, "He avoided personally alienating the rulers and nobles, who after all were the leaders of the community, and the men upon whom he relied for the support of his administration."Wycliffe Bible Commentary, op. cit., p. 239. "Then I consulted with myself" This means that Nehemiah disciplined himself in the control of his anger. He carefully laid the plans by which he would put an end to their abuses. "Ye exact usury, every man of his brother" This was a heartless violation

Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 — (1 Timothy 6:8). Regarding these fourteen opposites, Scott quoted an ancient saying that, "The works of the Most High… are in pairs, one the opposite of the other."The Anchor Bible Commentary (Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company, 1972), Vol. 18, p. 221. "These verses indicate that today's positive act will eventually be balanced by tomorrow's negative. As surely as we are born, we must one day die, etc."James Waddey, p. 22. What actually determines the issues of human life? A countless

Ecclesiastes 3:16-22 — than an animal, that no one knows whether the soul of man goes up to God when he dies, or if the soul of the beast goes downward. "This is a favorite proof-text for those who deny that man has an immortal spirit that survives physical death."Ibid., 25. This writer is no apologist for Solomon. Throughout the historical books, we stressed the consummate wickedness of this evil man; but there are some things about the general interpretation of this paragraph that do not fit. Solomon believed in God;

Amos 9:11 — the restoration of the fallen tabernacle is the same thing as the raising up of one of David's posterity (Christ) to sit upon David's throne forever, a prophecy of the resurrection of Christ and his enthronement in heaven, as Peter pointed out (Acts 2:30-31). No one could possibly be expected to raise up again the kingdom of David, except one of his descendants, this being the significance of the genealogies of Jesus which show him to be of "the flesh of David." Thus, in this extended meaning of

Amos 9:8 — Every sinful kingdom, especially the northern kingdom and the southern kingdom of Israel. The ultimate application of this to the whole world of wicked and unbelieving humanity is dramatically detailed in the prophecy of Revelation (Revelation 19:11-21). In the case of the kingdoms of the Jews, the very initiation of their kingdom under Saul was a rejection of God (1 Samuel 8:7); reciprocally, this was also their rejection of their own status as "God's chosen people," a term that henceforth would

Jonah 1:17 — 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 making the bitter waters sweet (Exodus 15:23 f). The miraculous nature of the event narrated here is seen in the timing of the fish's appearance and swallowing Jonah and in the fact of the experience not being fatal to Jonah. "Three days and three nights" Most commentators move quickly to protect

Micah 5:2 — In Bethlehem of Judea: for thus it is written through the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, land of Judah, art in no wise least among the princes of Judah: For out of thee shall come forth a governor Who shall be the shepherd of my people Israel" (Matthew 2:5-6). The entire religious hierarchy of ancient Israel understood perfectly the Messianic character of this prophecy and answered Herod accordingly, Testimony of such a nature is irrefutable as regards the true import of this verse. "Which art little

Zechariah 11:13 — potter, in the house of Jehovah." Here again the prevalent misunderstanding of the critics finds a stumbling block in the fact that here Jehovah cast the money unto the potter, whereas, in the New Testament it was Judas who did it. See under Zechariah 11:12, above. It was indeed God who cast that money to the potter; and the same thing is true of a number of other actions accredited in the New Testament to many of the persons engaged in the dark drama of Calvary. It was God who spoke a prophecy through

Deuteronomy 18:9-14 — indulged in by the people, that countless thousands of people are making a living by such shameful "arts," that they are altogether useless, powerless, deceitful and entirely evil in every sense of the word. The astrology nonsense, for example, is a 2 billion-dollar-a-year business in the U.S.A. at this very time, yet all Christian values are contradictory in every particular to the whole system of astrology. Leon Morals affirmed that "In the order of the listing of the precious stones making up

Deuteronomy 30:6-10 — `turning again of the captivity' will be when Israel is converted to Him in whom the Law was fulfilled, who died `not for that nation only,' but also, that He might `gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad' (John 11:51-52)."F. C. Cook, Barnes' Notes, Deuteronomy (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House), p. 329. "In this book of the law" By no stretch of imagination could this be limited to the Book of Deuteronomy, or to anything less than all five of the Books of Moses. Sir

Luke 18:11-14 — self-righteousness. All people are sinners. Although it is true that some like the Pharisee are not sinners of grosser type, yet their respectability only emphasizes the sins they do have. None are righteous (Romans 3:10); all have sinned (Romans 3:23); and all human righteousnesses are "as filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6). I.    These teach some vital facts about prayer. A short prayer is better than a long one (Matthew 6:7-8; Matthew 23:14). Also, prayers should be directed,

John 1:18 — one who, as both God and man, is in a position truly to reveal him. This verse declares that Christ has indeed provided for man such a faithful revelation of the Father. No man hath seen God at any time … This is not a contradiction of Exodus 24:10, where it is recorded that a whole company of Israelites "saw the God of Israel"; nor is this a contradiction of Job 42:5, where Job said of God, "Now mine eye seeth thee." Of course the TERMINOLOGY of these passages is contradictory:

John 10:34-36 — passage to which Jesus referred: God standeth in the congregation of God; He judgeth among the gods. How long will ye judge unjustly, And respect the persons of the wicked? … I said, Ye are gods, And all of you sons of the Most High (Psalms 82:1-2; Psalms 82:6). The unjust judges of Israel were the subject of these verses, God calling them "gods" in order to stimulate and encourage them to render just judgments. Of course, those men were "sons of the Most High" in the

Romans 16:1-2 — could have understood this problem any better than Paul; for there was a time when he himself came down to Jerusalem and "assayed to join himself to the disciples; and they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple" (Acts 9:26). Paul's purpose of "joining" the Jerusalem congregation was realized through the intervention of Barnabas, thus setting the great example which would require every child of God to make it his first order of business, upon a change of residence,

Romans 3:21 — would do it by preaching that gospel. Apart from the law … Whiteside and others are quick to point out that Paul here used a term which includes more than the law of Moses, R. L. Whiteside, op. cit., p. 75. but, as pointed out under Romans 3:20, the impossibility of procuring justification under God's divine law automatically argues the impossibility of such a thing's being possible under any other similar kind of law; and, therefore, the translators have wisely left it to read "the

Joshua 17:7-13 — not utterly drive them out." "From Asher to Michmethath" Philbeck tells us that these cities marked "the northern and southern extremities of Manasseh's territory,"Ben F. Philbeck, The Teachers' Bible Commentary, Joshua (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1972), p. 146. but the trouble with that is that, "This place has not been identified. All that we know is that it is opposite Shechem!"Alfred Plummer, The Pulpit Commentary, Joshua (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1950), p. 260. Due to

Hebrews 2:14 — and blood, but they have been made partakers of flesh and blood; thereby making a distinction between what constitutes the essential and eternal part of man's nature, and what is merely accidental, and in which we now live, as in a clay tabernacle (2 Corinthians 5:1). R. Milligan, New Testament Commentary (Nashville: Gospel Advocate Company, 1962), p. 98. Here is the explanation of the mingled love and pity that humankind have for animals, flesh and blood being the common bond between them, and

Judges 11:34-40 — dedication of her to the service of God in the tabernacle located in those days at Shiloh. (1)    Jephthah was a man who had the Spirit of God, and that alone would never have allowed him to offer his daughter as a burnt-offering. (2)    Jephthah was thoroughly familiar with the Book of the Law of Moses and the laws governing sacrifices. In that Law, the first-born, who were required to be "offered" to Jehovah, were never offered as a burnt-offering, but they

Judges 4:4-10 — Ephraim" It is astounding that Soggin would affirm `that, "Ephraim was Deborah's tribe,"J. A. Soggin, op. cit., p. 74. despite the clear indication in Judges 5:15 that, "Deborah's own tribe seems to have been Issachar."J. R. Dummelow's Commentary, p. 162. Soggin apparently assumed that because Deborah's prophetic office was exercised in "the hill-country of Ephraim," that she necessarily belonged to that tribe. The same kind of deduction would have made Jonah a citizen of Nineveh! "The palm of Deborah"