Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

• 7. Moses' return to Egypt 4:19-31
  4:19-23 Moses did not return immediately to Egypt when he arrived back in Midian following his encounter with God at Horeb (v. 19). God spoke to him again in Midian and sent him back to Egypt assuring His servant that everyon...
• The third commandment 20:7
  Taking God's name in vain means using the name of God in a common way. The name of God represents the person of God. The Israelites were to show respect for the person of God by their use of His name. They were not to use it ...
• Purpose
  "Though the covenant arrangement up to this point clearly specified the need for Israel, the vassal, to appear before her Lord on stated occasions and singled out first Moses and then the priesthood as mediators in this encou...
• 3. Holiness of behavior toward God and man ch. 19
  Moses grouped the commandments in this section together by a loose association of ideas rather than by a strictly logical arrangement. They all spring from the central thought in verse 2: "You shall be holy, for I the Lord yo...
• Holiness precepts 19:1-18
  "This section . . . consists of a list of twenty-one (3x7) laws. These laws are broken up into smaller units by the sevenfold repetition of the phrase I am the LORD (your God)' (19:3, 4, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18)."225"I am the Lord...
• Statutes and judgments 19:19-37
  "This section is introduced with the admonition You shall keep my statutes' (v. 19a) and concludes with a similar admonition, You shall keep all my statutes and all my judgments' (v. 37a), and the statement I am the LORD' (19...
• E. The punishment of a blasphemer 24:10-23
  This is another narrative section of Leviticus (cf. chs. 8-10). Its position in the book must mean that it took place after God had given Moses the instructions about the holy lamps and showbread (24:1-9). This fact underline...
• The third commandment 5:11
  Whereas the second commandment deals with a potential visualtemptation to depart from Yahweh, the third deals with a potential verbaltemptation. Two of the Ten Commandments affect the use of the tongue and speech: the third (...
• The tenth commandment 5:21
  Coveting means inordinately desiring to possess what belongs to another person. This commandment deals with motivation rather than deed, with attitude rather than action. It gets at the spirit that often leads to the sins for...
• Witnesses 19:14-21
  The previous pericope alluded to the need for witnesses, and this one explains their role. A common cause of hostility between individuals that sometimes led to homicide was a failure to agree on common boundaries and to resp...
• Appendix 1
  Four Interpretive Problems in Deuteronomy 24:1-4370Deuteronomy 24:1-4 is a passage that is very important in the biblical teaching on divorce and remarriage. There are four problems that need solving for us to determine the c...
• Bibliography
  Adams, Jay. Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage in the Bible. Phillipsburg, N.J.: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., 1980.Albright, William Foxwell. The Archaeology of Palestine. 1949. Revised ed. Pelican Archaeology seri...
• Message10
  Joshua reveals that God hates sin because He loves people. (This is the message statement.) Of course He also hates sin because it offends His holiness. However in Joshua I believe the emphasis is on God's concern for the Isr...
• Ahaz's assessment 16:1-4
  Pekah's seventeenth year (v. 1) was 735 B.C. Ahaz did not follow David's example of godliness (v. 2). Rather he followed the kings of Israel and those of his pagan neighbors and went so far as offering at least one of his son...
• 2. Restoring fellowship with Yahweh ch. 14
  God blessed David and his kingdom because David had honored God by seeking to bring the ark into Jerusalem. The Chronicler recorded three instances of divine blessing in this chapter.First, God gave David favor in the eyes of...
• A. Job's Friends 42:7-9
  God addressed Eliphaz but also had Bildad and Zophar in view. He evidently excluded Elihu because he had not misrepresented God as the other three friends had. Their error was limiting God's sovereignty. By asserting that God...
• Types
  The messianic psalms are perhaps the most commonly known type. They predict the coming of a messiah. Franz Delitzsch broke these psalms down into five kinds. The first is the purely prophetic, which predicts that a future Dav...
• 3. God's deliverance of the upright 41:10-13
  41:10 David had asked God to restore his health so he might repay his enemies. This may seem to be an unworthy motive in view of the Lord Jesus' instruction to love our enemies and do them good (Matt. 5:44). However, individu...
• The last 20 sayings 23:13-24:22
  23:13-14 The sage again advocated discipline. Beating with a rod is not the only form of discipline advocated in Proverbs. It is simply one form used here as a poetic parallel to discipline (Heb. musar, moral correction). Oth...
• B. Six More Sayings of the Wise 24:23-34
  The first sentence in 24:23 indicates that what follows was not part of the collection of 30 sayings that preceded. Other wise men (lit. sages) evidently provided these proverbs.24:23-25 This saying advocates justice and stra...
• What God wants ch. 58
  Again Isaiah presented the folly of simply going through a system of worship without changing one's attitudes and conduct, especially in relationships (1:10-20; cf. Zech. 1; Matt. 5-7). In chapter 1, God threatened His people...
• Humility rather than sacrifice 66:1-6
  This section introduces judgment into the mood of hope that pervades this section describing Israel's glorious future (65:17-66:24). Oppressors of the godly remnant will not prosper nor will those who depend on externals for ...
• An attempt to kill Jeremiah 11:18-12:6
  This pericope contains one of Jeremiah's "confessions,"a self-revelation of the prophet's own struggles to cope with God's actions (cf. 10:23-24; 15:10-12, 15-21; 17:9-11, 14-18; 18:18-23; and 20:7-18).219The heart of this on...
• Jeremiah's reaction to a plot against his life 18:18-23
  This is another section that contains one of Jeremiah's "confessions."Evidently there were several separate plots against the prophet's life (cf. 11:18-23; 12:1-6). People hated him because he brought bad news and called them...
• Jeremiah's first letter to the exiles 29:1-23
  29:1-3 Jeremiah sent a letter to all the Judahites who had gone into exile in Babylon with King Jeconiah (Jehoiachin) in 597 B.C. We do not know the date of its composition, but Jeremiah probably wrote it within a few years o...
• B. The Explanation of the Charge vv. 11-14
  v. 11 God cited one specific instance of Edom's violence against her brother, but as I explained in the introduction, which instance is unclear. Edom's treachery against Judah had taken place on a particular "day"in the past....
• V. Oracle four: the problem of God's justice 2:17--3:6
  That another oracle is in view is clear from the question and answer format that begins this pericope, as it does the others. Verse 17 contains the question and answer, and the discussion follows in 3:1-6. The Israelites' cha...
• A. The people's arrogance 3:13-15
  3:13 The people had spoken arrogantly against the Lord, yet when faced with their disrespect they asked for proof.3:14 The Lord obliged them. They had said that serving the Lord and obeying Him did not benefit them, that it d...
• Plan and Structure
  Matthew often grouped his material into sections so that three, five, six, or seven events, miracles, sayings, or parables appear together.27Jewish writers typically did this to help their readers remember what they had writt...
• Outline
  I. The introduction of the King 1:1-4:11A. The King's genealogy 1:1-17B. The King's birth 1:18-25C. The King's childhood 2:1-231. The prophecy about Bethlehem 2:1-122. The prophecies about Egypt 2:13-183. The prophecies about...
• A. The beginning of Jesus' ministry 4:12-25
  Matthew gave much prominence to Jesus' teachings in his Gospel. The first of these is the so-called Sermon on the Mount (chs. 5-7). To prepare the reader for this discourse, the writer gave a brief introduction to Jesus' mini...
• 1. The setting of Jesus' ministry 4:12-16
  Comparison of John's Gospel and Matthew's shows that Jesus ministered for about a year before John the Baptist's arrest. John had criticized Herod Antipas for having an adulterous relationship with his brother Philip's wife (...
• 4. A summary of Jesus' ministry 4:23-25 (cf. Mark 1:35-39; Luke 4:42-44)
  This brief resumé (cf. 9:35-38) stresses the varied activities and the geographical and ethnic extent of Jesus' ministry then. It sets the stage for the discourse to follow (chs. 5-7) implying that this is but a sample o...
• B. Jesus' revelations concerning participation in His kingdom 5:1-7:29
  The Sermon on the Mount is the first of five major discourses that Matthew included in his Gospel. Each one follows a narrative section, and each ends with the same formula statement concerning Jesus' authority (cf. 7:28-29)....
• Their calling 5:11-16
  Jesus proceeded to clarify His disciples' calling and ministry in the world to encourage them to endure persecution and to fulfill God's purpose for them."Some might think that verses 11-12 constitute the concluding Beatitude...
• Jesus' view of the Old Testament 5:17-20
  It was natural for Jesus to explain His view of the Old Testament since He would shortly proceed to interpret it to His hearers.5:17 Some of the Jews may have already concluded that Jesus was a radical who was discarding the ...
• God's will concerning murder 5:21-26
  5:21 In each of these six cases Jesus first related the popular understanding of the Old Testament, the view advocated by the religious teachers of His day. In this verse He introduced it by saying, "You have heard that the a...
• God's will concerning adultery 5:27-30
  5:27-28 Jesus proceeded to clarify God's intended meaning in the seventh commandment (Exod. 20:14; Deut. 5:18). The rabbis in Jesus' day tended to look at adultery as wrong because it involved stealing another man's wife. The...
• God's will concerning divorce 5:31-32
  Not only is lust the moral equivalent of adultery, but so is divorce. The connective de("and,"NASB) that begins verse 31 ties this section in very closely with the one that precedes (vv. 27-30). In Israel a man divorced his w...
• God's will concerning oaths 5:33-37
  5:33 Jesus next gave a condensation of several commands in the Old Testament that forbade taking an oath, invoking the Lord's name to guarantee the oath, and then breaking it (Exod. 20:7; Lev. 19:12; Num. 30:2; Deut. 5:11; 6:...
• God's will concerning retaliation 5:38-42
  5:38 Retaliation was common in the ancient Near East. Frequently it led to vendettas in which escalating vengeance continued for generations. Israel's "law of retaliation"(Lat. lex talionis) limited retaliation to no more tha...
• God's will concerning love 5:43-47 (cf. Luke 6:27-36)
  5:43 Jesus quoted the Old Testament again (Lev. 19:18), but this time He added a corollary that the rabbis, not Moses, provided. Nowhere does the Old Testament advocate hating one's enemies. However this seemed to many of the...
• Jesus' summary of His disciples' duty 5:48
  This verse summarizes all of Jesus' teaching about the Old Testament's demands (vv. 21-47). "Therefore"identifies a conclusion."Perfect"(Gr. teleios) often occurs in a relative sense in the New Testament, and translators some...
• Righteousness and the Father 6:1-18
  Jesus moved from correcting popular misinterpretations of selected Old Testament texts that speak of righteous conduct (5:17-48) to correcting popular misconceptions about righteous conduct. Throughout this entire section pro...
• Alms-giving 6:2-4
  Alms were gifts of money to the needy. What Jesus said on this subject is applicable to all types of giving.Interpreters have understood the practice of sounding a trumpet to announce alms-giving metaphorically and literally....
• Righteousness and the world 6:19-7:12
  Thus far in the Sermon Jesus urged His disciples to base their understanding of the righteousness God requires on the revelation of Scripture, not the traditional interpretations of their leaders (5:17-48). Then He clarified ...
• The disciple's relationship to wealth 6:19-34 (cf. Luke 12:13-34)
  6:19-21 In view of the imminence of the kingdom, Jesus' disciples should "stop laying up treasures on earth."329Jesus called for a break with their former practice. Clearly money is not evil. The wise person works hard and ma...
• The disciple's relationship to antagonists 7:6
  Jesus' disciples had a responsibility to pass their knowledge of the kingdom on to others so they, too, could prepare for it. Jesus gave them directions about this responsibility in this verse. This exhortation balances the o...
• The disciple's relationship to God 7:7-12
  This section of verses brings the main body of the Sermon to a climactic conclusion.7:7-8 In view of such hard opposition Jesus' disciples need to pray for God's help. He will always respond positively to their words, though ...
• The two paths 7:13-14
  The Old Testament contains several references to diverging ways that force the traveler to choose between two paths (e.g., Deut. 30:19; Ps. 1; Jer. 21:8). The AV translation "straight"is a bit misleading. That translation ref...
• A. Demonstrations of the King's power 8:1-9:34
  Matthew described Jesus' ministry as consisting of teaching, preaching, and healing in 4:23. Chapters 5-7 record what He taught His disciples. We have the essence of His preaching ministry in 4:17. Now in 8:1-9:34 we see His ...
• The question of company 9:9-13 (cf. Mark 2:13-17; Luke 5:27-32)
  The main point of this pericope is Jesus' response to the Pharisees' criticism that Jesus and His disciples kept company with tax collectors and sinners.9:9 This incident probably took place in or near Capernaum. The tax offi...
• 4. Jesus' continuation of His work 11:1 (cf. Mark 6:12-13; Luke 9:6)
  Here is another of Matthew's formulas that ended a discourse (cf. 7:28-29; 13:53; 19:1; 26:1). Matthew had no concern for recording what happened when the Twelve went out having received Jesus' instructions. He passed over th...
• Revelation about the church 16:18-20
  16:18 "I say to you"(cf. 5:18, 20, 22, 28, 32, 34, 39, 44; 8:10) may imply that Jesus would continue the revelation the Father had begun. However the phrase occurs elsewhere where that contrast is not in view. Undoubtedly it ...
• 4. Instructions about the King's personal representatives ch. 18
  Chapter 18 contains the fourth major discourse that Matthew recorded (cf. chs. 5-7; ch. 10; 13:1-53; chs. 24-25), His Discipleship Discourse. This discourse continues Jesus' instruction of His disciples that He began in 17:14...
• The seriousness of impeding the progress of a disciple 18:5-14 (cf. Mark 9:37-50; Luke 9:48-50)
  The major sub-theme of this discourse is offenses (Gr. skandalon, stumbling blocks). The humble disciple will be careful not to put a stumbling block in the path of another disciple as that one proceeds toward the kingdom.18:...
• The importance of forgiving a disciple 18:21-35
  From a discussion of discipline Jesus proceeded to stress the importance of forgiveness. Sometimes zealous disciples spend too much time studying church discipline and too little time studying the importance of forgiveness.18...
• 1. Instruction about marriage 19:3-12 (cf. Mark 10:2-12)
  Matthew evidently included this instruction because the marriage relationships of His disciples were important factors in their effective ministries. Jesus clarified God's will for His disciples that was different from the co...
• The encounter with the rich young ruler 19:16-22 (cf. Mark 10:17-22; Luke 18:18-23)
  19:16-17 A rich young man asked Jesus what he needed to do to obtain eternal life.730The text presents him as a rather typical obsessive compulsive personality who probably never knew when to stop working.The term "eternal li...
• 1. Jesus' preparation for the presentation 21:1-7 (cf. Mark 11:1-7; Luke 19:29-35; John 12:12-16)
  21:1-2 Jesus and his disciples travelled the 17 miles from Jericho to Bethany along the Roman road. They climbed about 3,000 feet in elevation between those towns. Bethphage ("house of figs") lay slightly farther west than Be...
• The second woe 23:15
  The scribes and Pharisees were very zealous to get Jews to subscribe to their doctrinal convictions. Some commentators stress that the Pharisees made disciples to Judaism. This may have been true, but their chief offense was ...
• The third woe 23:16-22
  Jesus had dealt with the subject of taking oaths in the Sermon on the Mount (5:33-37). He had called His critics blind guides before too (15:14). Here is a specific example of what Jesus condemned in the second woe (v. 15). B...
• 3. Jesus' lamentation over Jerusalem 23:37-39 (cf. Luke 13:34-35)
  This lamentation should help us realize that the judgment Jesus just announced in such strong language was not something that delighted Him. It broke His heart. This is also clear from His personalizing the people in Jerusale...
• Peter's denials of Jesus 26:69-75 (cf. Mark 14:66-72; Luke 22:55-62; John 18:15-18, 25-27)
  All four evangelists recorded three denials, but the details differ slightly.26:69-70 Peter was warming himself near the fire in the center of the courtyard (Mark 14:65; Luke 22:55; John 18:18). The servant girl's words expre...
• Bibliography
  Abbott-Smith, G. A. A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1937.Albright, W. F. and Mann, C. S. Matthew. The Anchor Bible series. Garden City: Doubleday, 1971.Alford, Henry. The Greek Testa...
• Jesus' instruction about marriage 10:2-12 (cf. Matt. 19:3-12)
  10:2 This teaching grew out of the Pharisees' attempt to trap Jesus. The incident occurred in Perea, Herod Antipas' territory. Perhaps the Pharisees wanted to get Jesus to explain His view of divorce because they suspected it...
• 2. The assembling of the people 6:17-19 (cf. Matt. 5:1-2)
  The similarities between the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 and what Luke recorded in 6:20-49 seem to suggest that Luke condensed that Sermon. However the introductions to the two sections have led many students of these ...
• 3. The Sermon on the Mount 6:20-49
  Luke's version of this important address, primarily aimed at Jesus' disciples, is much shorter than Matthew's (Matt. 5:3-7:29). Matthew's account contains 137 verses whereas Luke's has 30. Both accounts begin with beatitudes,...
• The conduct of disciples 6:27-38 (cf. Matt. 5:43-48; 7:1-2)
  Jesus' explanation of the importance of true righteousness was the heart of the Sermon on the Mount as Matthew narrated it (Matt. 5:17-7:12). He reported that Jesus spoke of true righteousness in relation to three things: the...
• The importance of submission to God's Word 16:14-18
  Jesus' began His response to the Pharisees' rejection of His teaching by pointing out the importance of submitting to God's Word.16:14-15 Jesus rebuked His critics for their hypocrisy. They were able to explain their covetous...
• 1. The new commandment 13:31-35
  Jesus began His instructions with His disciples' most important responsibility.13:31-32 Judas' departure to meet with the chief priests signalled the beginning of the Son of Man's glorification, which John recorded Jesus as c...
• The exposition of themes in the metaphor 15:9-16
  Jesus proceeded to expound further on some of the themes that He had introduced in His teaching on the vine and the branches (vv. 1-8). The subject moves generally from the believing disciple's relationship with God to his or...
• The request for protection 17:11b-16
  17:11b The title "Holy Father"appears only here in the fourth Gospel and is a reminder of both aspects of God's nature. It balances ideas of ultimate purity with intimate paternity and so prepares for what lies ahead, namely ...
• 1. Stephen's arrest 6:8-7:1
  6:8 Stephen was full of grace (cf. cf. 4:33; Luke 4:22) and power (cf. 2:22; 4:33) as well as the Holy Spirit (vv. 3, 5), wisdom (v. 3), and faith (v. 5). His ability to perform miracles seems unrelated to his having been app...
• 1. God's principles of judgment 2:1-16
  Before showing the guilt of moral and religious people before God (vv. 17-29), Paul set forth the principles by which God will judge everyone (vv. 1-16). By so doing, he warned the self-righteous.2:1-4 "Therefore"seems more l...
• C. The guilt of all humanity 3:9-20
  Having now proven all people, Jews and Gentiles, under God's wrath Paul drove the final nail in mankind's spiritual coffin by citing Scriptural proof.3:9 The phrase "What then?"introduces a conclusion to the argument that all...
• Love for all 12:14-21
  12:14 Paul repeated Jesus' instruction here (Matt. 5:44; Luke 6:27-28). To persecute means to pursue. Blessing involves both wishing God's best on people and praying for them."The principle of nonretaliation for personal inju...
• 2. Conduct toward unbelievers 13:8-10
  Paul had previously glorified the importance of love among believers (12:9-10). Now he urged this attitude toward all people though unbelievers are primarily in view in this chapter. The connecting link in the argument is our...
• Paul's judgment of this case 5:1-5
  5:1 "Immorality"is a general translation of the Greek word porneia, which means fornication, specifically sexual relations with a forbidden mate. The precise offense in this case was sexual union with the woman who had marrie...
• Paul's judgment in the matter 6:7-11
  The apostle now addressed the two men involved in the lawsuit but wrote with the whole church in view.6:7 By hauling one another into court the Corinthians were intent on winning damages for themselves. Evidently a business o...
• No divorce for Christians whose mates are believers 7:10-11
  Again Paul advised remaining as they were, but he also allowed an exception."While Paul displays ambivalence toward whether widowers and widows should get married (vv. 8-9), he consistently rejects the notion that the married...
• The legitimacy of marriage 7:36-40
  This section concludes Paul's entire teaching on marriage in this chapter. However it contains problems related to the meaning of "virgin"as is clear from the three different interpretations in the NASB, the NIV, and the NEB....
• Bibliography
  Adams, Jay. Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage in the Bible. Phillipsburg, N.J.: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., 1980.Andrews, J. N. "May Women Speak in Meeting?"Review and Herald. January 2, 1879. Reprinted in Advent...
• The loving motivation of Paul's conduct 1:23-2:4
  1:23 Paul's use of an oath should not disturb us."Our Lord's prohibition of swearing in Matt. 5:33ff. is directed against the casuistry that was prevalent among the Jews of His time, in accordance with which not only was swea...
• 3. Walking in love 5:1-6
  In addition to calling his readers to walk in unity (4:1) and holiness (4:17), Paul urged them to walk in love (5:2). He first advocated positive love (vv. 1-2) and then negatively warned to abstain from evil (vv. 3-6).5:1 "T...
• 2. Relationships among themselves 5:14-15
  Paul now gave stronger commands (cf. v. 12). Not only the leaders but all the believers were responsible to minister to one another. Those who neglected their daily duties needed stirring up to action. Those who were timid or...
• 1. Qualifications for elders 3:1-7
  The Ephesian church already had elders long before Paul wrote this letter (Acts 20:17-35)."If our identification of the false teachers as elders is correct, then Paul's reason for this set of instructions is that Timothy must...
• Message13
  The Book of James teaches us that faith in God should result in behavior that is in harmony with God's will. The theme of the book is "living by faith"or "spiritual maturity."James' concern was Christian behavior (ethics) as ...
• 3. The evidence of patience 5:12
  Swearing is an evidence of impatience."What he [James] means is that of all the manifestations of impatience in times of stress and affliction the most frequent is the taking of the Lord's name in vain by the use of explosive...
• 1. Respect for everyone 2:13-17
  Peter continued to give directions concerning how the Christian should conduct himself or herself when dealing with the state since his readers faced suffering from this source.2:13-14 The Christian's relationship to the stat...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

• St. Matthew 1-8
  Matthew 1-8
• The New Sinai
  And seeing the multitudes, He went up into a mountain: and when He was set, His disciples came unto Him: 2. And He opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, 3. Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of hea...
• Swear Not At All'
  Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: 34. But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's thron...
• Non-Resistance
  Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: 39. But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40. And if any ...
• The Law Of Love
  Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefu...
• The Touch That Cleanses
  When He was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. 2. And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped Him, saying, Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean. 3. And Jesus put forth His hand, and touched...