Recent Commentaries

God tells Ezekiel that He is going to hold a feast on Israel’s mountains and offer sacrifices there (vv. 17-20). He tells him to invite all the birds and wilds animals to come from every direction and eat the meat of the sacrifices and drink the blood (v. 17). He says the b …

The chapter begins by telling about Elkanah and his two wives, Peninnah and Hannah, who lived in Ramah about five miles north of Jerusalem (vv. 1-2). Although God tolerated polygamy in the Old Testament, it was not part of his original intention for marriage (Gen 2:24) and caused …

A great multitude of people surrounds Jesus who have been disputing with the scribes (vv. 14-16). When they see Jesus they are amazed and come running to greet Him. This is a very touching scene as you see a father watch his boy being torn apart by evil forces and he begs Jesus fo …

In the opening verses of this letter Paul introduces himself to the believers in Rome. When he wrote this letter he had never been to Rome, so naturally he gave a brief description of himself and his special status in the church. Some of them he must have known personally (Chapter 16) but …

The righteous man weighs his words carefully rather than blurting out the first thing that comes to his mind while the wicked has no such consideration (v. 28). The wicked speaks whatever comes to his lips and doesn’t worry about what harm it may bring. In fact some people pride …

Two years after Amnon rapes Tamar, Absalom the brother of Amnon decides it is the right time to get revenge for the rape of his sister Tamar (vv. 23-24). He chooses the season of sheep shearing as a suitable backdrop for the murder of his brother Amnon. Absalom invites the king, w …

Pilate sought to compromise to please both sides. Long before His arrest in the garden, the Jewish leaders had planned to kill Jesus (John 11:47-51), but they lacked the right to execute him. Seeking Roman approval, they brought Jesus before Pilate (v. 28). Pilate wasn’t anxious to get involved in …

When a person receives Christ as his personal Savior, tremendous spiritual changes take place:He is given a new standing called “justification."He is given a new position called “sanctification."He is given a new nature called “regeneration.” A …

Jesus begins to speak to the people in parables (v. 1). He tells how an owner rented his vineyard out to tenant farmers or vine-dressers on a crop basis and then he went to stay in another place. At harvest time he sent a servant to collect his share of the crop. Instead of sharing …

There were 652 who returned from the families of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda who could not prove that they were Israelites but had lived in the Babylonian towns of Tel-Melah, Tel-Harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer (vv. 59-60). There were three families who could not prove they were …