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Showing 901 to 925 of 3926 results

901. Warnings and Exhortations for Jerusalem and Judah

Zephaniah 2:4-7, Zephaniah 2:8-11, Zephaniah 2:12, Zephaniah 2:13-15

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... each, from its own place, all the foreign shores of the nations.” The term “foreign shores” strictly suggests the lands on the other side of the Mediterranean, but here it likely has a more general meaning. The link with “wasting” the gods supports the idea that “place” [NIV, “land”] (maqom) again denotes the sanctuary where the gods were worshiped (see the comment on 1:4). Yahweh’s wasting of those gods will mean that from these sanctuaries their former worshipers will turn to bow down ...

902. Justice and Mercy, Not Fasting

Zechariah 7:1-14

Understanding Series

Pamela J. Scalise

... judgment is portrayed as a great storm wind blowing them away to exile among all the nations, where they were strangers (lit., “they knew no one,”) which implies a lack of committed relationships, not simply a shortage of acquaintances. The land that had supported a large and prosperous population (v. 7) was left so desolate behind them that no one could come or go. The pleasant land, the land of Judah, was empty and dangerous. Zechariah 8:7 and 12 promise the reversal of this judgment. Additional Notes ...

903. Jacob Loved, Esau Hated

Malachi 1:1-5

Understanding Series

Pamela J. Scalise

... 1 Sam. 27:12) or “long-enduring” (Gen. 49:26). 1:5 Beyond the borders of Israel: The Heb. phrase also means “over the territory of Israel.” The claims in Mal. 1:11 and 14 about the greatness of the Lord’s name among the nations support the NIV interpretation. This phrase, with its double meaning, may be another allusion to the book of Obadiah. The last 3 verses of that book are concerned with the reestablishment of the old extent of the territory of Israel, over which the Lord will reign (Obad ...

904. Testimonies About Jesus

John 5:31-47

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... their rejection of him contradicts their own aspirations and makes their diligent study worthless. 5:39, 45 The observation that vv. 41–44 interrupt a unified section dealing with the testimony of the Jewish Scriptures (vv. 39–40, 45–47) is supported by a noncanonical Gospel fragment dating from the second century (Papyrus Egerton 2), part of which can be reconstructed as follows: “You search the Scriptures, in which you think you will find life; these very Scriptures speak about me! Do not think ...

905. Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet

John 13:1-17, John 13:18-30

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... are crucial to the understanding of verses 1–20 as a whole. This will become clear as Jesus explains more fully in his farewell discourses the significance of what he has done and will do (cf., e.g., 15:16; 17:17–19). The common theme of sending supports the view that verses 18–20, despite their apparent reference to the traitor Judas, belong with verses 1–17, not 21–30. In a sense, they serve the same function in relation to verses 12–17 that verse 11 serves in relation to verses 6–10. But it ...

906. The Impending Departure II

John 16:5-16, John 16:17-33

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... Gr.: thlipsis, v. 21), suggest a revelation that is visible both to the world and the church, and one that puts the world decisively to shame—a kind of culmination of the Spirit’s ministry as described in verses 8–11. All of these factors support the notion that the first little while of verse 16 refers to Jesus’ physical departure from this world in death, and the second, to his visible return to earth at this Second Coming (or Parousia, as many early Christians called it). The first little while ...

907. Paul's Chains Advance the Gospel

Philippians 1:12-30

Understanding Series

F. F. Bruce

... to the Philippians as they are for us” (Paul and the Gnostics, p. 75). Paul is here giving the Philippians information about his own affairs that they did not possess, and he implies throughout the letter that the Philippian church as a whole supported him in his missionary enterprise. T. W. Manson suggested that the reference here was to the partisanship in the church of Corinth, which Paul, he believed, had recently left and with which he was currently engaged in correspondence (Studies in the Gospels ...

908. Love One Another

1 John 3:11-24

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

... 15:18. Just as those who practice evil “hate the light” (John 3:20), or as the world hates Jesus (7:7; 15:18, 23–25) and his Father (15:23–24), so the world, which includes not only the Elder’s opponents, the false teachers, but also their supporters and others who persecute the community (John 15:20; 16:2) and aid the secessionists (cf. 1 John 4:5), hate, oppose, and seek to destroy the readers and their faith. We had already heard about this hatred of brother for brother in 1 John 2:9 and 11 ...

909. God’s Love and Ours

1 John 4:7-21, 1 John 5:1-12

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

... and for all, loved”), and, as the proof and expression of his love, sent (apesteilen, aorist tense) his Son. This is the definitive expression of love. While the primary reference of we and us in this verse is to those who claim to be Christians, the context supports a broader, secondary application to humankind generally (v. 9, “world”; 2:2; 4:15; John 3:16). On the sending of the Son, see v. 9. The key word in the last phrase of v. 10 is hilasmon (NIV, atoning sacrifice). It was used before in 2 ...

910. Adam and Eve

Genesis 2:4-25

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... marriage partners grows as each person contributes significantly to the other’s life. Marriage, then, is one community in which a man and a woman can establish the rapprochement that is possible because humans are made in the image of God. The use of “cling” supports this claim, for in Deuteronomy it describes the desired way Israel is to relate to Yahweh, with whom the nation is in covenant (e.g., Deut. 10:20; 11:22; 13:4). The declaration they will become one flesh describes further the unity of a ...

911. Jacob Gets Isaac's Blessing

Genesis 27:1-40

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... neck. Additional Notes 27:39 The wording of Isaac’s blessing for Esau is intentionally vague. One way to read the line is “your abode shall enjoy the fat of the earth and the dew of heaven above” (NJPS). In that case Esau and Jacob were blessed similarly. In support of this reading is the fertility of the western slopes of Mount Seir in Edom, where Esau settled. Another way to read the line is found in NIV: “your dwelling will be away from the earth’s richness, away from the dew of heaven.” In ...

912. The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac

Genesis 35:16-29

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... and Jacob buried their father in the Cave of Machpelah (49:29–32). Reconciled, the two brothers joined in honoring their father with a proper burial (25:9). Additional Notes 35:16 Scholars dispute the location of this Ephrath. The traditional site is located a mile north of Bethlehem, supported by v. 19 and 48:7. The problem with this identification is that Rachel died shortly after Jacob left Bethel, suggesting a site north of Jerusalem. Accounts that place Rachel’s tomb in the territory of Benjamin ...

913. Jacob Goes to Egypt

Gen 46:1–47:12

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... land for what turned out to be a very long stay in Egypt. Critically, this word from God provided his descendants with the assurance that their living in Egypt was part of the divine design and that the Abrahamic promises were still operative (12:2). God supported this word of salvation with the promise that his presence was going down to Egypt with him (26:24; 28:15, 20; 31:3–5). God also assured him that he would bring him back, that is, for his burial, adding the tender promise that Joseph would ...

914. Jacob Blesses His Sons

Genesis 49:1-28

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... Genesis: Chapters 18–50, p. 678). This rendering coincides with the animal metaphors used for other tribes. Nevertheless, in the OT the vine serves several times as a metaphor for the settlement of Israel in the land (e.g., Ps. 80:8–11). This reading is supported by Gk. and Tg. Both views have weaknesses; so given the obscurity of the Hb., it is better to follow the ancient tradition. Joseph’s story may serve as a basis for the blessing. He began with abundance (v. 22), suffered great hardship as a ...

915. Worshipping Other Gods

Deuteronomy 13:1-18

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... whole town under the influence of wicked men. These men could be a small but influential group who seek to reintroduce the Canaanite ways of the original place; or a new element, such as the prophets of Baal imported by Jezebel; or the kind of men who supported Jezebel in the civil community (cf. 1 Kgs. 21:8–14, where “scoundrels” is the same term as wicked men in v. 13 here). Any report that such things had happened in a town of Israel were to be treated most seriously. But not precipitately. The law ...

916. Miscellaneous Laws

Deut 23:15–25:19

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... 15 makes this OT law the direct negation of standard slave law, which would have insisted on returning the slave to his master. If this law applies to slaves in general and not just to foreign slaves, as suggested by some (though without any textual support), then it implies two things. First, the law seems to assume that the experience of slavery in Israel would not be so intolerably harsh that there would be a glut of runaways. Indeed, the slave release law allows for the possibility that a slave might ...

917. Adonijah Sets Himself Up as King

1 Kings 1:1-27

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... 2 Sam. 5:13–16). 1:7–10 It is, indeed, in the tension between Hebron (representing David’s Judean past) and Jerusalem (representing his present in the united kingdom of Judah/Israel) that we are probably to find at least part of the explanation for the way support divides between Adonijah and Solomon. Joab son of Zeruiah is an important figure in 2 Samuel, where he appears early on as David’s right hand man and the commander of his troops (e.g., 2 Sam. 2–3; 11–12; 14; 18). Abiathar the priest is ...

918. The Helper of Israel

Isaiah 41:1-29

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... need that is awesome good news. This God is your Redeemer (v. 14). “Redeemer” (go’el; see on 35:8–10) is a family word. It denotes someone who is close to you in the structure of your family who therefore has a moral obligation to support or defend you when you are in need. The classic need is poverty and debt, which might mean selling yourself into “slavery” (indentured labor): you commit yourself to work for your creditor until you have paid your debt. This next-of-kin is then under family ...

919. Jerusalem to Be Inhabited

Isaiah 44:24--45:25

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... this will lead in terms of military success—the successes that Judeans and Babylonians were hearing about, which will come to their climax in Babylon’s fall. The actual words to Cyrus repeat the undertaking regarding military success (vv. 2–3a) and commission and support: Cyrus is taken by the hand, called by name, and strengthened just as Israel is (vv. 1, 3, 4, 5). The words add the note that this revolution in Middle Eastern political affairs is all brought about for the sake of Jacob my servant ...

920. Jesus’ Baptism by John

Matthew 3:1-12, Matthew 3:13-17

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... this theme can highlight Jesus’ faithfulness as the means of redemption as well as the example for believers to follow. While Jesus as redeemer and Jesus as example have often been bifurcated in different branches of Christendom, Matthew would neither understand nor support such a dichotomy. According to his narration of Jesus’ story, Jesus comes to enact God’s salvation by his faithful life and death as true representative of Israel. So we need not shy away from preaching both aspects of Matthew’s ...

921. Jesus Transfigured as a Foreshadowing of Future Glory

Matthew 17:1-13

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... the Text Matthew’s account of the transfiguration, following directly on the heels of Jesus’ first passion prediction, highlights Jesus’ (future) resurrection glory. As Peter has been prominent in the confession of Jesus as Messiah in 16:16–20, so here too he plays the key, supporting role in this narrative (emphasis on Peter in 4:18–22; 8:14–15; 14:22–32; 17:24–27; 26:69–75). Peter is the recipient of the divine words affirming Jesus as the beloved Son of God (17:5; cf. 3:17). Jesus, in ...

922. Eschatological Discourse: Prediction of the Temple’s Destruction

Matthew 24:1-35

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... have suggested presaged such events as the French Revolution and the creation of the atomic bomb. But Nostradamus’s writings were vague enough to have many possible applications and just specific enough to catch the attention of certain supporters. Jesus, on the other hand, spoke quite specifically about the destruction of the temple (even if with some allusions to Old Testament language), and within four decades it happened. Matthew, likely writing after its destruction, communicates that such prophetic ...

923. The Rejection of Jesus in His Own Hometown

Mark 6:1-6

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... not known. During Jesus’s life his brothers had not been believers (John 7:5), but we know that James became a follower through a resurrection appearance (1 Cor. 15:7), and Acts 1:14 (with the 120) and 1 Corinthians 9:5 (engaging in mission) do support the likelihood that all four became followers. We know little of his sisters. P. R. Kirk suggests that Jesus’s sisters had married local men and remained in Nazareth while the rest of his family moved to Capernaum to live with him.1Some have thought that ...

924. Jesus Is Tested in Gethsemane

Mark 14:32-42

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... vigil that night to bring them out of Egypt, on this night all the Israelites are to keep vigil to honor the Lord.” Jesus wants them to be “vigilant” and support him in his hour of agony. Some see this also as containing a literal aspect, to watch out for Judas and the temple police,3 but the main thrust is spiritual support. 14:35–36 he fell to the ground and prayed . . . “Abba, Father.” Jews normally prayed with face uplifted and hands raised to heaven. Jesus literally “falls on his face ...

925. “Who Is This?”

Luke 9:10-17, Luke 9:1-9

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... 9:3 Take nothing for the journey. The aim is not so much asceticism or “living simply” for its own sake (like the Cynics, as noted above) as the recognition that hospitality should be expected, and that the work of the kingdom of God deserves its own support (cf. 10:7). 9:5 If people do not welcome you, . . . shake the dust off your feet. Jews returning from pagan territory shook off its dust in order to leave behind any contamination. So this was a gesture of dissociation and judgment (see 10:10 ...

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