Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

• 4. The seventh day 2:1-3
  "2:1-3 echoes 1:1 by introducing the same phrases but in reverse order: he created,' God,' heavens and earth' reappear as heavens and earth' (2:1) God' (2:2), created' (2:3). This chiastic pattern brings the section to a neat...
• 1. The conquest of Jericho 5:13-6:27
  5:13-15 "Despite Joshua's long military experience he had never led an attack on a fortified city that was prepared for a long siege. In fact, of all the walled cities in Palestine, Jericho was probably the most invincible. T...
• A. The nearer kinsman's decision 4:1-6
  The gate of cities like Bethlehem was the place where people transacted official business (cf. Gen. 19:1; 2 Sam. 15:2-6; 1 Kings 22:10; Amos 5:10, 12, 15)."In ancient cities the gate' was a short passageway through the thick ...
• David's introduction to the royal court 16:14-23
  "In addition to being the middle chapter of 1 Samuel, chapter 16 is pivotal in another way as well: Its first half (vv. 1-13), ending with a statement concerning David's reception of the Spirit of God, describes David's anoin...
• Message10
  The fact that this book opens and closes with death should be a clue as to its message.It opens with David's death, and it closes with Ahab's death. The intervening period of about a century and a half is a story of national ...
• Outline
  I. The reign of Solomon chs. 1-11A. Solomon's succession to David's throne 1:1-2:121. David's declining health 1:1-42. Adonijah's attempt to seize the throne 1:5-533. David's charge to Solomon 2:1-94. David's death 2:10-12B. ...
• Yahweh's plan to terminate Ahab 22:1-28
  Another significant battle occurred between the battle of Ramoth-gilead that the writer recorded in chapter 22 (853 B.C.) and the battles he recorded in chapter 20. Ahab and his Aramean ally Ben-Hadad II (860-841 B.C.) defeat...
• Ahab's death 22:29-40
  Ahab probably disguised himself (v. 30) since he was Ben-Hadad's primary target. He had broken their treaty (v. 31). However his plan to thwart God's will failed. He could not fool or beat Yahweh. One arrow providentially gui...
• 3. Ahaziah's evil reign in Israel 1 Kings 22:51-2 Kings 1:1-18 (continued)
  Second Kings begins with Ahaziah's reign that fell during the 33-year period of Israel and Judah's alliance (874-841 B.C.; -1 Kings 16:29-2 Kings 9:29). This period in turn fits within the larger context of the divided kingdo...
• Ahaziah's wickedness 8:25-29
  Ahaziah continued the policies and preferences of his great-grandfather Omri that his grandfather Ahab and his father Joram had perpetuated (v. 27). Israel and Judah were now still allies. The battle of Ramoth-gilead in which...
• 3. Jehoshaphat and Ahab ch. 18
  This chapter is very similar to 1 Kings 22. Jehoshaphat's concern for God's will guided his actions (vv. 4, 6).44The Chronicler undoubtedly wanted to encourage his audience toward repentance and restoration by showing them fi...
• A. The prophet's cleansing 6:1-8
  6:1 Why did Isaiah date this passage since he did not date most of his others?70Probably he did so because King Uzziah had been the best king of Judah since Solomon. Nevertheless during the last part of his reign he suffered ...
• Two woes against Jerusalem ch. 29
  There are two more "woes"that deal with Jerusalem in this chapter (vv. 1-14, 15-24) in addition to the one in chapter 28. The first of these is similar to the previous "woe"(cf. vv. 1-8 with 28:1-6, and vv. 9-14 with 28:7-13)...
• The comforting Lord 40:1-11
  The first strophe of this poem (vv. 1-2) sets the tone for the rest of the chapter and for the rest of the book. It is an introduction to an introduction. In spite of affliction that lay ahead for the Judahites, God's ultimat...
• The announcement of redemption 44:23-28
  The section begins with an announcement of the salvation that God would provide for His chosen people.44:23 This verse concludes the thought expressed in the preceding one, so many translations and commentators regard it as t...
• Jeremiah's struggle with his calling 20:7-13
  This section is another of Jeremiah's autobiographical "confessions."In literary form it is another individual lament, like many of the psalms (cf. Ps. 6). It is one of Jeremiah's most significant self-disclosures. The sectio...
• Prophecies about false prophets 23:9-40
  Having given a true prophecy about the future, Jeremiah proceeded to announce God's judgment on the false prophets who were misleading His people with false prophecies (cf. v. 1). This section consists of six different messag...
• Jeremiah's warning against making a coalition to resist Nebuchadnezzar ch. 27
  This chapter contains three parts: Jeremiah's warning to the foreign messengers (vv. 1-11), his appeal to King Zedekiah (vv. 12-15), and his appeal to the priests and people of Jerusalem (vv. 16-22).27:1 Jeremiah received a m...
• 1. Dramatizations of the siege of Jerusalem chs. 4-5
  The Lord had shut Ezekiel's mouth (3:26), so the first prophecies he delivered were not spoken messages but acted-out parables (cf. 1 Kings 11:30; 22:11; 2 Kings 13:17; Isa. 20:2-4; Jer. 13:1-14; 19:1-10; Acts 21:10-11). Ezek...
• A warning to all God's people 14:6-11
  14:6 The Lord called His people to change their minds (repent, Heb. shub), turn away from the idols in their hearts, and abandon them.14:7-8 Anyone in Israel, including immigrants (Heb. ger, sojourners, resident aliens), who ...
• The introduction to a history lesson 20:1-4
  20:1 Certain elders of the Jewish exiles came to Ezekiel to inquire of the Lord (cf. 14:1-11). Inquiring of the Lord meant securing a divine revelation concerning a particular event (cf. 1 Kings 14:5-18; 22:7-28; 2 Kings 8:8-...
• 2. The consummation of Egypt's judgment 29:17-30:19
  29:17 Ezekiel received another message from the Lord about Egypt's judgment in 571 B.C. (on his New Year's day). This was probably the second to the last recorded prophecy of Ezekiel, and the prophet would have been about 50 ...
• 2. The might of Zion 4:9-5:1
  One of the events that would occur before the realization of these great promises of blessing was Israel's exile, but the burden of this pericope is also future restoration.4:9 Micah, speaking for the Lord, addressed the Jews...
• 2. Israel's punishment 6:13-16
  6:13 Because of these sins the Lord promised to make His people sick, downtrodden, and desolate.6:14 They would continue to eat, but their food would not bring them satisfaction (cf. Lev. 26:26). Their excessive accumulation ...
• 2. The restoration of the true people ch. 10
  The first part of this oracle focused particularly on the true King who would come and exercise sovereignty over the nations (ch. 9). Now the emphasis changes to the people of the King, the Israelites, who will return to the ...
• 1. Jesus' compassion 9:35-38 (cf. Mark 6:6)
  This section summarizes the previous incidents that deal primarily with healing and prepares for Jesus' charge to His disciples. It is transitional providing a bridge from the condition of the people that chapter 9 revealed t...
• The parable of the wicked tenant farmers 21:33-46
  Jesus proceeded immediately to tell another parable. Luke wrote that Jesus addressed it to the crowds in the temple courtyard (Luke 20:9). The chief priests and elders continued to listen (vv. 45-46).21:33-34 Jesus alluded to...
• 1. The feeding of the 5,000 6:31-44 (cf. Matt. 14:13-21; Luke 9:11-17; John 6:1-13)
  Mark's account of this miracle plays an important role in his Gospel. The unusually long introduction provides the setting for this miracle. It stresses Jesus' humanity, and the miracle itself demonstrates His deity. Mark lat...
• 2. The announcement to the shepherds 2:8-20
  There is great theological significance in this familiar passage. It comes through mainly in the angel's words and in the symbolism of what happened."In 2:8-14 we have a third annunciation scene, which follows the same patter...
• 4. The anointing by a sinful woman 7:36-50
  This incident, appearing only in Luke's Gospel, illustrates the truth just expressed in verse 35. Here is a case in point of what Jesus had just described happening (v. 34). Jesus reached out to a sinner only to receive criti...
• 2. The mission to Cyprus 13:4-12
  Luke recorded the events of Paul's first missionary journey to document the extension of the church into new territory and to illustrate the principles and methods by which the church grew. He also did so to show God's supern...
• 2. The address and doxology 1:4-6
  "As is true of NT epistles in general, the address of Revelation contains three elements: the writer, the addressees, and the greeting."181:4 John sent this letter to the seven churches mentioned in chapters 2 and 3, which we...
• The glory of God 4:2-8
  4:2 As soon as John heard this invitation, he entered another ecstatic state (cf. 1:10). His body remained on the earth, but he saw a throne and someone sitting on it in heaven (cf. Ezek. 11:1, 5). "Throne"occurs 45 times in ...
• The worship of the Lamb 5:6-14
  5:6 As with our dreams, John's vision contained some unusual features. John saw the Messiah as a Lamb.229The Lamb is a symbol of Jesus Christ at His first advent, meek and submissive to a sacrificial death as our substitute (...
• 8. The sixth bowl 16:12-16
  The final three bowl judgments all have political consequences.16:12 The problem that this judgment poses for earth-dwellers is not a result of the judgment itself but its consequences, namely, war. It does not inflict a plag...