Bible Commentaries

Exodus 23:6-9 — sojourners in the land of Egypt." "The innocent and righteous slay thou not" In context, this means "do not support some false matter, because it might result in slaying innocent and righteous people." Also here is the converse of the edict in Exodus 23:3 regarding the cause of the poor. In Exodus 23:3, favoritism toward the poor based solely upon sympathy is forbidden. Here, discrimination against the poor is prohibited. Justice must be impartial, equal, and blind to ALL such distinctions as race,

Ezra 9 overview — came with Zerubbabel; and again, the great men of Israel's history had repeatedly taken foreign wives. Both Abraham and Joseph had married Egyptians; Judah also married a Gentile; Moses married a Cushite; one of David's wives was a foreigner (2 Samuel 3:3); and Solomon's harem was apparently dominated by pagan wives. Under the circumstances, therefore, it is easy to see how this problem developed. Nevertheless, in spite of what some view as the violation of human rights, and the incredible grief, sufferings,

Psalms 98:9 — hands, etc. shall be performed "before Jehovah." "Jehovah cometh to judge the earth… he will judge the world." It is amazing that Anchor Bible translates this as God's coming to "Govern the world."Mitchell Dahood in The Anchor Bible, Vol. II, p. 365. No, God's Final Judgment, indicated here, will not be for the purpose of "governing the world." A summary of some of the things God has revealed that will be accomplished upon that Great Day includes the following: (1)    God

Proverbs 6:1 — This chapter has a number of independent warnings against: (1)    being surety for the obligations of others (Proverbs 6:1-5), (2)    against laziness (Proverbs 6:6-11), (3)    against wicked men (Proverbs 6:12-15), (4)    against seven things which God hates (Proverbs 6:16-19), and (5)    against both harlots and adulteresses (Proverbs 6:20-35). Keil, combining

Jeremiah 42 overview — PROPHETIC WARNING FOR ISRAEL TO STAY IN PALESTINE The divisions of this chapter are: (1) the people request God's Word of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 42:1-3); (2) Jeremiah promises to pray for them, and the people promise to obey God's Word (Jeremiah 42:4-6); (3) after ten days, God replies (Jeremiah 42:7-8); (4) the command to remain in Judea (Jeremiah 42:9-12); (5) severe warning against moving to Egypt (Jeremiah 42:13-18); (6) and a prophecy of destruction for those going to Egypt (Jeremiah 42:19-22).

Lamentations 3:1 — I THE CRY OF THE AFFLICTEDThe New Bible Commentary, Revised, p. 662.(Lamentations 3:1-18) "I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath. Of all the men who lived through that terrible period, no one had a better right to say this than Jeremiah. "In more ways than one this brings us to the very heart of the book. It even gives us a foreglimpse of the sufferings of Christ with which it has affinities (Isaiah 3; Psalms 22)."Ibid.

Ezekiel 2 overview — defections from the northern group, had become in fact "the united Israel." At this point in time, Israel was no longer a mighty nation but a discouraged remnant of captives in Babylon. Despite this, the whole "house of Israel" is in this chapter (Ezekiel 2:3) called a rebellious nation, "the last term, here, being the very word used in the Old Testament for the Gentiles."Charles Lee Feinberg in Ezekiel (Moody Press), p. 23. This shows the total alienation of the nation from God. We may therefore take the

Ezekiel 3:1-3 — mouth, and he caused me to eat the roll. And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness." EATING THE ROLL OF THE BOOK (Ezekiel 3:1-3) Some have supposed that there was some hesitation or reluctance on the part of Ezekiel to eat this roll, basing such a view upon the repetition of the commandment and the statement at the end of Ezekiel 3:3, "Then did I eat it"; but we do not believe

Daniel 9 overview — whole prophecy. The chapter has four divisions: (1) Daniel comes to understand that the "seventy years" of Israel's captivity are about to end (Daniel 9:1-2); (2) his fervent prayer that God will indeed bless and restore Israel to Palestine (Daniel 9:3-19); (3) Gabriel interrupts his prayer in order to show Daniel things to come (Daniel 9:10-23); and (4) the prophecy of the seventy weeks (Daniel 9:24-27). Chapter Orientation (Daniel 9:1-2)

Nahum 3:2 — "The noise of the whip, and the noise of the rattling of wheels, and prancing horses, and bounding chariots." The prophet envisioned the attack upon Nineveh here. "This and Nahum 3:3 are a superlative example of Nahum's powers of description, and form one of the most vivid battle scenes in Hebrew literature. There are the confusion and noise as the chariots and horsemen attack, the glint of sun on armor and weapons, and the huddled

Malachi 3:4 — Jerusalem, the Church of the Living God, which is meant. Not all the scholars have discerned this; but, as Pusey declared: "Judah and Jerusalem then are here the Christian Church."Footnote is not available Also, as Keil wrote: "We must not infer from Malachi 3:3-4 that Malachi imagined that Old Testament worship would be continued during Messianic times; but his words are to be explained from the custom of the prophets, using forms of the Old Testament worship to depict the reverence for God which would characterize

Matthew 18:7 — from God, and no appeal (or escape) from his total authority is possible. That heavenly compulsion was laid even upon Christ while he was in the form of man. He MUST be about the Father's business (Luke 2:49), MUST preach the kingdom of God (Luke 4:43), MUST put new wine in new flasks (Mark 2:22), MUST work the works of God (John 9:4), MUST suffer death (Mark 8:31), and MUST reign until all enemies are put under foot (1 Corinthians 15:25). There MUST be heresies (1 Corinthians 11:19), MUST be wars

Mark 3:21 — commentators; but there are solid reasons for rejecting this change from the English Revised Version (1885), RSV, and KJV. To begin with, Mark referred to the immediate family of Jesus as "his mother and his brethren" just six verses later (Mark 3:27), and why he should have called them by another term here cannot be explained. To make Mark 3:27 an "explanation" of Mark 3:21 is sheer guesswork. Goodspeed, Weymouth, Phillips, Wesley, and others translate "relatives" or "relations,"

Luke 20:1-8 — say, From men; all the people will stone us: for they are persuaded that John was a prophet. And they answered, that they knew not whence it was. And Jesus said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things. Parallels: Matthew 21:23-27; Mark 11:27-33. Their question was snide, as was evident in the malice and dishonesty of them that asked it; and yet, despite this, the question itself is the most important that any man may ask concerning the authority of Jesus. Whence is it? That

Romans 8:24 — "by grace" (Ephesians 2:8), "by the gospel" (1 Corinthians 15:1-2), "by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth" (Acts 4:10-12), "by his (Christ's) life" (Romans 5:10), "by the washing of regeneration" (Titus 3:5), "by his (Christ's) blood (Revelation 1:5), "by the foolishness of the preaching" (1 Corinthians 1:21), "by baptism" (1 Peter 3:21), "by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Peter 1:3), etc. Any simplistic

1 Corinthians 2:7 — always accompanied by vastness depth and power. John William Russell, Compact Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1964), p. 406. THE MYSTERY The New Testament refers to many mysteries: of Christ and his church (Ephesians 5:32), of lawlessness (2 Thessalonians 2:7), of seven stars and seven candlesticks (Revelation 1:20), of the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:51) of the blindness of Israel (Romans 11:25), of the harlot church (Revelation 17:7), and of the kingdom of heaven

Philippians 3:12 — of confidence in Paul, as evidenced by these words; but this was merely his way of saying that he was still running the Christian race. Or am already made perfect … There are two different uses of "perfect," here and in Philippians 3:15, the word being the same in both cases. In the 12th verse, Paul is speaking of that personal and individual perfection which God will give to every Christian on the last day; but in Philippians 3:15 he is claiming, not merely for himself but also

Hebrews 10:35 — Cast not away therefore your boldness, which hath great recompense of reward. Yet another reference is here to that "boldness" so strongly advocated throughout this epistle. (See under Hebrews 3:6; Hebrews 3:13.) Christians are repeatedly commanded to maintain by the most vigorous affirmation of it at all times that boldness which they must exhibit under all circumstances, exhorting themselves by constant reference to it, continual glorying

Hebrews 3:12 — one of you an evil heart of unbelief, in falling away from the living God. Five definite facts emerge from this verse: (1) that it is possible for Christians to fall away from the living God; (2) that such a disaster is due to an unbelieving heart; (3) that an unbelieving heart is evil (not merely `smart'); (4) that God is not a mere influence but a living person; and (5) that there are adequate grounds upon which a Christian may avoid falling away. The tenderness of the author appears in his use

Revelation 21:11 — having the glory of God: her light was like unto a stone most precious, as it were a jasper stone, clear as crystal: A jasper … clear as crystal … See more on this stone under Revelation 4:3, above. "The jasper, which probably represents the modern diamond, is the characteristic of him who sat on the throne (Revelation 4:3)." A. Plummer, op. cit., p. 511. Thus, the redeemed church will have the same appearance as that of the Lord himself.