Wycliffe bible commentary pdf

Familiarity with this famous letter is indispensable for growth and maturity in your Christian faith. Compatible with any devices. The emphasis of Hebrews was born out of the concern of the writer for those who had been true to Christ in the past but who were now wavering.

Signs of defection from the faith brought both a warning against apostasy and a fervent exhortation to press onward to spiritual maturity. The epistle argues that the death of Christ renders obsolete the Old Testament sacrificial system and presupposes thorough familiarity with that system by those to whom the epistle is addressed. This strong appeal to the Old Testament Scriptures opens up new avenues of thought for appreciation for the unity of the two Testaments.

Pfeiffer's helpful commentary on this profound New Testament book systematically covers each passage while singling out difficult phrases and verses for special attention. In this 2 Corinthians installment of The Kent Collection, the author explores the theological debate, the subtle influence of false teachers, unjustified gossip, and the questions about apostolic authority. Charts, maps, and photographs are included to help comprehension.

This practical analysis of Joshua provides an accurate, concise commentary on Israel's conquest of the Promised Land. Also, a helpful parallel is drawn between the events under Joshua's leadership and the principles of Christianity outlined in the New Testament.

Written in a simple, non-technical style, this articulate commentary includes maps, charts, outlines, footnotes, and a valuable bibliography. This is an extrememly helpful book that aids in understanding of the entire book of Joshua and its spiritual application to faith today. The Bible Knowledge Commentary answers these and other questions about the Scriptures, discussing all the Bible verse by verse and often phrase by phrase.

In addition, maps, charts, and diagrams help you grasp the meanings of the biblical text. Unlike most others this commentary is by authors from one school - Dallas Theological Seminary. The Bible Knowledge Commentary - popular in style and scholarly in content - will deepen your understanding of God's written Word. After twenty years of research, Dr.

Barton Payne has compiled the one complete guide to Biblical prophecy. It identifies every probable point of fulfillment whether in the past, present, or still in the future. They saw and knew. But what they saw was far different from the rosy picture painted by the serpent. Conscience was rudely awakened. They saw their nakedness, spiritual as well as physical. And then shame and fear were born. When Adam and Eve realized that they were out of touch with God, a terrible loneliness overwhelmed them.

Remorse and its inevitable miseries followed. Their loss of faith had subjected them to all these attendant woes. They hastily made aprons or girdles to provide some measure of concealment as they sought a remedy for their bewilderment, loneliness, and guilt. The voice of the Lord God … in the cool of the day. Kol , voice, is, lit. They might hide from God, but they could not escape him.

The loving Creator could not overlook their disobedience, nor could he leave quivering sinners in their poignant need. They were his own. His holiness must come, clothed with love, to seek, find, and judge them. Now, terror and dread paralyzed them, though the Lord did not approach in thunder nor call harshly. It is easy to imagine the sweetness of the divine voice, as it sounded forth through the trees in the stillness of the evening, calling, Where art thou?

Of course God knew where the man and woman were. But he was appealing to them, seeking through tenderness and love to win a favorable response. And he was seeking to lead the transgressors gently to a full conviction of their sin. Though Justice was dictating the procedure, Mercy was leading.

The Judge would render the decision and pronounce the sentence. The woman … gave me of the tree, and I ate. Instead of making full confession and pleading for mercy, Adam and Eve began to offer excuses and pass the responsibility on to another.

The man somewhat recklessly threw a part of the blame back on God— whom thou gavest … me. The woman, refusing to take responsibility, cast it all on the serpent. The serpent had no way of passing it on. The verb conveys the idea of deception cf. The Lord singled out the originator and instigator of the temptation for special condemnation and degradation. From that moment he must crawl in the dust and even feed on it. He would slither his way along in disgrace, and hatred would be directed against him from all directions.

Man would always regard him as a symbol of the degradation of the one who had slandered God cf. Isa He was to represent not merely the serpent race, but the power of the evil kingdom. As long as life continued, men would hate him and seek to destroy him. I will put enmity. Num ,20; Ezk —17; ,6. A prophecy of a continuing struggle between the descendants of woman and of the serpent to destroy each other.

Job ; Ps It is the same in both clauses. It is also rendered lie in wait for, aim at , or LXX watch for. The Vulgate renders it conteret , bruise, in the first instance and insidia-beris , lie in wait, in the other clause.

Thus, we have in this famous passage, called the protevangelium , first gospel, the announcement of a prolonged struggle, perpetual antagonism, wounds on both sides, and eventual victory for the seed of woman. An unfortunate translation in the Vulgate changes the pronoun his v. Unto the woman he said. For the woman, God predicted subjection to the man, and suffering. Pregnancy and childbirth would be attended by pain. Eve would realize her womanly longings and desires, but not without agony.

In other words, as wife and mother, she was to be subject to the discipline of Jehovah. We cannot fully comprehend the nature of such judgments of the Lord.

Unto Adam he said. Physical hardship, painful toil, disappointing vexations, and hard struggle were appointed as the lot of the man, who was definitely adjudged a guilty sinner. Formerly the earth had yielded its produce easily and freely to man, in great abundance. Adam had only to dress the garden in order to enjoy its luscious fruits.

But now God pronounced a special curse on the ground. Henceforth it would yield its grains and fruits reluctantly. And he would have to wrestle with troublesome thorns and weeds not previously in evidence.

Drudgery, difficulties, and weariness would be his daily lot. For Adam, as well as for Eve, sin exacted a heavy toll. The Hebrew word has to do with life, and the verb to which it is related speaks of living. All life originated with the first woman.

She was the mother of each person and, therefore, the mother of each clan and people. In accordance with the divine purpose, life must go on, even though the pronouncement of death had been spoken— unto the dust thou shalt return v.

A necessary and merciful act. The Lord could not allow rebellious man access to the tree of life. With loving care he kept Adam and Eve away from the fruit that would make them immortal and thus perpetuate the terrible condition into which sin had brought them. From the lovely garden he drove them out into an unfriendly wilderness. Cherubims, and a flaming sword AV. The Hebrew interpreter, Rashi, claimed that these instruments were angels of destruction, designed to destroy anyone who sought entrance.

Hebrew kerubim indicates divinely formed figures: that serve as bearers of the deity or as special guardians of sacred things. In one instance they are shown upholding the throne on which God sits. In another, they are used to describe the dread unapproachability of Jehovah. In general, their function seems to be to guard the sacred habitation of God from encroachment or defilement.

The tree of life was perfectly safe with the cherubim standing guard at the gate. And sinful man was safe from the harm that could have come to him had he not had the majestic protector. The flame of a whirling sword mithhapeket. The way back into Eden was guarded not only by the cherubim but also by a revolving sword-like flame.

This gave further assurance that man would not make his way to the tree of life. He had already made provision for their triumphant return. Cain Qayin. The derivation is based on the resemblance of sound, rather than on basic etymology. It might be called a play on words. The actual meaning of the word possibly came through the Arabic a lance or a smith. Eve was overjoyed at the birth of her son. She exclaimed, I have gotten a man.

Abel Hebel. The name given to the second son indicates a fleeting breath or a vapor. The cognate Accadian word aplu means son. Abel was the originator of pastoral life, while Cain followed his father in the pursuit of agriculture. Each man brought a special present or gift to Jehovah. No mention is made of the altar or of the place of the religious observance. This account pictures the first act of worship recorded in human history. In each case the worshiper brought something of his own as an oblation to the Lord.

The gift brought by Cain was not received by the Lord. No reason is given here for the rejection. And the Scripture does not tell us how God indicated his disapproval. It may be that fire fell from heaven and consumed the accepted offering but left the other untouched.

Others have advanced the idea that the nature of the gifts made the difference—the one being flesh and involving death and bloodshed, the other being vegetable, without bloodshed cf. Heb The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews gives us the inspired explanation of the difference between the offerings: By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain … God bearing witness in respect of his gifts Heb This explanation centers upon the difference in spirit manifested by the two men.

Because Abel was a man of faith, he came in the right spirit and presented worship that pleased God. We have reason to believe that Abel had some realization of his need for substitutionary atonement. To all appearances both offerings expressed gratitude, thanksgiving, and devotion to God. But the man who lacked genuine faith in his heart could not please God even though the material gift was spotless.

God did not look upon Cain because He had already looked at him and seen what was in his heart. Abel came to God in the right attitude of heart for worship and in the only way sinful men can approach a holy God. Cain did not. Furious wrath blazed out, revealing the spirit that was lodged within the heart. Cain became an enemy of God and hostile to his brother.

Thus, wounded pride produced envy and a spirit of revenge. And these brought forth the burning hatred and violence that made murder possible. Countenance fallen …. The heat that blazed within him caused his countenance to fall. It brought on brooding and an unlovely, morose spirit. Gently and patiently God dealt with Cain, seeking to save the rebellious sinner.

He assured him that if he would sincerely repent, he might again lift up his face in happiness and reconciliation. The merciful Jehovah thus held out to Cain the hope of forgiveness and victory as he faced his momentous decision. Close upon that heartening promise, Jehovah uttered a stiff warning, urging the sinner to control his temper and beware lest a crouching beast sin spring upon him and devour him.

The danger was real. The deadly beast was even at that moment ready to overpower him. Cain must not let these boiling thoughts and impulses drive him to ruinous behavior. It was up to Cain to conquer sin in himself, to control rather than be controlled.

The moment of destiny was upon him. It was not too late for him to choose the way of God. Where is Abel thy brother? Failing to gain the mastery over the savage monster, Cain soon found himself at the mercy of a force that controlled him completely.

Almost immediately one son became a murderer and the other a martyr. Jehovah came quickly to confront the murderer with a question.

Seemingly he hoped to elicit a confession of guilt that could prepare the way for mercy and full pardon. Though Cain had willfully sinned, he found himself pursued by a loving God, rich in grace.

Petulantly, defiantly, Cain made his reply. Sin already had him in the grip of a vise. He renounced the clamant rights of brotherhood. He refused to show respect to the eternal God. He brazenly leaned back on his own selfish defiance and spoke that which no one should dare to utter. Blood spilled by a murderer, though covered by earth, was crying out to God. How plaintively those bloods were crying out for vengeance!

The author of Hebrews refers to this experience in the phrase, the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things than that of Abel The curse pronounced on the murderer involved banishment from food-producing soil to the unproductive desert. The ground, God said, would be hostile to the murderer, so that he could not derive sustenance from tilling the soil.

In his search for subsistence, he would become a Bedouin of the waste lands, wandering about in weariness and despair. Insecurity, restlessness, hard struggle, guilt, and fears, were to be his constant companions. The word for fugitive carries the idea of tottering, staggering, stumbling uncertainly along in a fruitless search for satisfaction. It was a dismal, discouraging prospect. Cain was far more concerned with his sentence than with his sin.

Greater than I can bear. His bitter cry to God called attention to the unbearable weight of his punishment. It was heavier than he could lift and carry.

Again, it seems clear that the frightened murderer was thinking of the punishment about to come upon him. Every one … shall slay me. Dread and despondency began to overwhelm the sinful man as he thought of the perils of the desert. He imagined that cruel foes would delight to kill him. He could feel the hot breath of the avenger on his neck. His active conscience was already at work.

But Jehovah, in mercy, assured Cain of his continuing presence and unending protection. He set a sign on him—evidently a mark or designation to indicate that Cain belonged to the Lord God and must be spared bodily harm. It was, rather, a special mark of loving care and protection.

Cain would continue always in the safekeeping of the covenant God. Literally, land of wandering or flight cf. There is no way to locate this area geographically except to speak of it as being east of Eden. Cain was but fulfilling the prediction God made concerning his future existence.

Pathetically and stoically he set out into the trackless wastes. The ideas of flight and misery are discernible in the Hebrew word for went out. The Book of Genesis does not answer the oft-repeated question: Where did Cain get his wife? It does make it clear that many other sons and daughters were born to Adam and Eve.

Since all life came from the first divinely created human pair, it is necessary to conclude that at some time brothers and sisters were married to each other. By the time Cain was ready to set up a home, Adam and Eve had numerous descendants.

It is not at all necessary to imagine another race of people already well established in the world. In reality, Seth became the one on whom God could depend as the foundation stone for His family. He was set or appointed to take up the work and mission of Abel. Seth would take the burden and the privilege upon his shoulders.

Through his line God would perfect His promises. Began to call upon the name of Jehovah. It was a never-to-be-forgotten experience when, under the encouragement of Enosh or Enos , men began to call upon or with the name of Jehovah, the covenant God. Enosh, who was prominent in the line of Seth, was the originator of public prayer and spiritual worship. In it, the ineffable name of the eternal God was used. Into a narrative of birth and dreary existence and eventual death, the author suddenly introduces a sublime character, Enoch, who pleased the Lord and lived in his immediate presence.

In a deteriorating age, Enoch gave a remarkable demonstration of commendable piety. In thought, word, deed, and attitude he was in accord with the divine will; and he brought joy to the heart of his Maker.

It may have been at the moment of the birth of his baby boy, doubtless a high moment in his life, that he set his heart on intimate communion with his God. His close association in such atmosphere brought him heavenly wisdom, which fitted him to understand and appreciate the rich things of God. He was not; for God took him. On account of his genuine piety and his apprehension of divine wisdom, he was lifted from the earth to continue his walk in the sacred regions beyond.

His disappearance was sudden and wholly unannounced, and death had nothing to do with it. By faith Enoch was translated, says the writer of Hebrews, that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had translated him Heb A beautiful and meaningful miracle was wrought so that the one man who had learned to love God and walk with him might continue in that fellowship without interruption.

Wickedness was increasing on every hand. A powerful race of giants, called Nephilim, came into prominence. It is usually translated God.

But it can be translated gods, as, for instance, when it refers to the gods of the heathen neighbors of Israel. In some cases in Scripture sons of God may be identified with angels or messengers. Jesus is the Son of God in a unique sense.

Believers are called sons of God because of their relationship to him. In the OT, however, sons of God are a special class of beings that make up the heavenly court. To translate it literally would make the passage say that members of the heavenly company selected choice women from the earth and set up marriage relationships with them, literally and actually.

This can be the only interpretation of Job Driver maintains that this is the only legitimate and correct sense that can be accepted. He said that the angels neither marry nor are given in marriage. The statement in Gen makes it clear that permanent marriage is described. Women were chosen and forced to become parties to the unnatural relationship.

Bible students who have rejected this solution have resorted to other explanations. Still others hold that these words refer to marriage between persons of the upper class of society and those of a lower or less worthy class. In the light of the facts and the accurate rendering of the words of the text, we conclude that some men of the heavenly group angels or messengers actually took wives of the earthly women.

They used superior force to overpower them, to make the conquest complete. The sons of God were irresistible cf. II Pet ; Jude 6.

This Hebrew verb may be translated either strive with or abide in. The first translation would represent God as continually using force on rebellious man to hold him in line and to keep him from utter destruction as a result of his sinful behavior. The second view would represent God as determined to withdraw the vital breath of life from man, with the result, of course, that death would ensue.

This divine announcement came from Jehovah when he found his creatures dominated by sin. Sin had set in motion that which would guarantee death. The depravity was widespread. And it was inward, continual, and habitual. Man was utterly corrupt, bad in heart and in conduct.

There was no good in him. The whole bent of his thoughts and imaginations was completely out of line with the will of Jehovah.

Flesh was on the throne. God was forgotten or openly defied. Literally, it speaks of taking a deep breath in extreme pain. The statement says, then, that God experienced heart-piercing sorrow as he looked upon the tragic devastation sin had produced.

His handiwork had been marred and ruined. The verb indicates a movement that wipes clean or blots out completely. The operation was designed to destroy every living thing that stood in the way. Full destruction was to be executed. Nothing was to be spared. The word grace certainly means favor or acceptance, at least, and probably has a much richer meaning.

It was love and mercy in action. Noah was a righteous man and perfect … and Noah walked with God. With these words the author describes three characteristics of a godly life—justice, purity, and holiness cf. Straightness or uprightness was evident in his behavior.

All his conduct revealed this moral and ethical righteousness cf. Ezk , Viewed objectively, the word blameless describes character. In the realm of ethics, the idea of integrity comes out as the derived meaning cf.

Job The statement, he walked with God , opens another area of thought. In walking with God, Noah had displayed a spirit, an attitude, and a character that made him accepted and approved for the most intimate spiritual relationship.

He manifested qualities of soul that endeared him to the Lord cf. Gen ; Mic ; Mal The English word ark came down through the Latin arca , a chest or coffer. With its three floors, it reached up to a total of forty-five feet in height.

It was four hundred and fifty feet long and seventy-five feet wide. The cubit was equal to eighteen inches. Cells, nests, or small rooms, were built along the sides of the three floors. To make the craft watertight, a powerful pitch , or bitumen, was used inside and outside, as a calking compound. This was approximately eighteen inches in height and extended completely around the ark; it admitted light and air.

This word has no Hebrew etymology. It was used only of the deluge of Noah. It may have come from Assyrian nabalu , to destroy. During the years while Noah was completing his work, he was preaching to the people in an urgent effort to cause them to repent.

They saw the ark take shape before their eyes while the preacher delivered his sermons. Enormous reservoirs of water were stored under the earth. Gen These subterranean waters, confined by creative power on the second day of creation, were unleashed to pour forth in volume and in violence defying description. It was not an ordinary flood, but a giant tidal wave that broke suddenly upon a startled populace.

It was a tumultuous breaking loose of indescribable destruction. The complete corruption of men was far worse than any of us can imagine. The destruction was necessary. In addition to the terrific. Open navigation menu. Close suggestions Search Search. User Settings. Skip carousel. Carousel Previous. Carousel Next. What is Scribd?

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And at the center of that debate are Memorizing Scripture is hard. Where do we start? Which verses should we memorize? Why should we even engage in this particular spiritual discipline? Do we have to?