Believer’s

BIBLE

COMMENTARY

William MacDonald

Edited by Art Farstad

THOMAS NELSON PUBLISHERS

Nashville • Atlanta • London • Vancouver

Unless otherwise noted, all charts and photographs in the photo insert are Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee, copyright © 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1990.

© 1995, 1992, 1990, 1989 by William MacDonald. All rights reserved.

This commentary is based on the NEW KING JAMES BIBLE Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982, 1985 by Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee. Used by permission.

Some of the materials in this volume were previously published by Emmaus Bible College, Loizeaux Brothers, Harold Shaw Publishers, and Walterick Publishers, and are used with their permission. However, they have been revised, expanded, and considerably edited.

Permission has been granted to the author and is gratefully acknowledged for quotation from the following copyrighted works: From “I’d Rather Have Jesus,” by George Beverly Shea. Copyright 1922, 1939 by the Rodeheaver Co. (a division of Word, Inc.). All rights reserved. Used by permission. From “I Stayed Too Long at the Fair,” by Billy Barnes. Copyright 1957, Tylerson Music Co. Used by permission.

All rights reserved. Written permission must be secured from the publisher to use or reproduce any part of this book, except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

MacDonald, William, 1917–

Believer’s Bible commentary: Old and New Testaments / William MacDonald; edited with introductions by Arthur Farstad.

p. cm.

Originally published in two separate volumes.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 0-8407-1972-8

1. Bible—Commentaries I. Farstad, Arthur L. II. Title.

BS491.2.M33 1995

220.7—dc20

94-24086

CIP

CONTENTS

Author’s Preface

Editor’s Introduction

List of Illustrations and Tables

List of Maps

Abbreviations

Transliterations

INTRODUCTION TO THE OLD TESTAMENT

INTRODUCTION TO THE PENTATEUCH

Genesis

The Major Covenants of Scripture

The Sign of Circumcision

Homosexuality

Typology

Exodus

The Dispensations

The Tabernacle: God’s Picture of Christ

Leviticus

Numbers

Deuteronomy

INTRODUCTION TO THE HISTORICAL BOOKS

Joshua

The Cities of Refuge

Judges

The Angel of the Lord

Ruth

1 Samuel

2 Samuel

1 Kings

The Division of the Kingdom

2 Kings

1 Chronicles

2 Chronicles

Ezra

Nehemiah

Esther

INTRODUCTION TO THE POETICAL BOOKS

Job

Psalms

Imprecatory Psalms

Proverbs

Ecclesiastes

Song of Solomon

INTRODUCTION TO THE PROPHETS

Isaiah

Jeremiah

Lamentations

Ezekiel

Millennial Sacrifices

Daniel

Hosea

Joel

Amos

Obadiah

Jonah

Micah

Nahum

Habakkuk

Zephaniah

Haggai

Zechariah

Malachi

GENERAL BIBLIOGRAPHY

The Intertestamental Period

NEW TESTAMENT

New Testament Contents