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Notes on the International Sunday School Lessons
Fall 1999
by Jarl K. Waggoner
Lesson 1 - Exod. 3:1-14
3:1 - "backside" - lit., "behind," with the assumption being that one is facing east; thus the meaning is essentially "west" as the NASB translates; cf. Childs, Book of Exodus, 49.
3:1 - "Horeb" - This is another name for Sinai (cf. Exod. 19:10-11; Deut. 4:10). It is usually identified with Jebel-Musa in south central Sinai or a neighboring peak; Davis, Moses and the Gods of Egypt, 60. Recently some have claimed that Mt. Sinai was actually east of the easternmost arm of the Red Sea in what is now Saudi Arabia. Though proponents of this idea are known principally (and properly) as quacks, the idea is floating around out there and may be proposed by a writer. I know of no reputable scholar who endorses this identification.
3:1 - "mountain of God" - Horeb is so called here by Moses in retrospect; cf. NIVBC, 68.
3:2 - "angel of the Lord" = an appearance of the Lord Himself; cf. vs. 4; Davis, 60-61.
3:2 - "flame of fire" - The fire here may be symbolic of "God's powerful, consuming, and preserving presence (cf. 19:18; 24:17; et al)" (NIVBC, 68; cf. BKC, 111).
3:2 - "the bush was not consumed" - Davis (61-62) lists a number of proposed naturalistic explanations, none of which can be seriously considered.
3:5 - "put off thy shoes" -cf. Josh. 5:15; an expression of respect; "a confession of personal defilement, and conscious unworthiness to stand in the presence of unspotted holiness" (JFB, 1:285).
3:5 - "holy ground" - This is the first occurrence of the word "holy" in Scripture. The ground was holy, or separated apart to God, simply because of God's presence; NIVBC, 68.
3:6 - God's words here are used by Jesus as proof of the resurrection of the dead (cf. Matt. 22:32; Mark 12:26-27).
3:8 - "come down" - an expression used to describe divine intervention; BKC, 111-112.
3:8 - "a land flowing with milk and honey" - i.e., an ideal place, where herds could prosper and produce milk, and where bees' honey was found in abundance; BKC, 112; JFB, 1:285.
3:8 - "Canaanites . . . Jebusites" - See BKC, 112 and the appropriate articles in NBD (184, 529, 31, 968, 529, 601).
3:12 - "token" = sign; TWOT, 1:18-19.
3:13 - "What is his name?" Moses' fear concerned validating his divine call before the Israelites. By whose authority was he sent to them? He thus anticipated the Israelites' question: "What is his name?" The question presupposes that His name expresses His nature or character (WBC, 55). Thus the question concerns the character or kind of God who had sent Moses. "The Hebrew seeks the significance, character, quality, and interpretation of the name. Therefore, what they needed to know was 'what does that name mean or signify in circumstances such as we are in?'" (NIVBC, 69; cf. Davis, 64).
3:14 - "I AM THAT I AM" = "I am the One who is," thus emphasizing the Lord's self-existence. Moses was thus to declare that it was by the authority of the self-existent One that he had come to the Israelites. The expression is related to the name "Yahweh" (Jehovah) in that the twice used verb ("I am") is the verb from which "Yahweh" is derived. See Davis, 64-65 for full discussion.
Lesson 2 - Exod. 13:17-22; 14:21-22, 26-31
13:17 - "The way of . . . the Philistines" - This was the most direct route from Egypt to Canaan, but it was dotted with Egyptian fortresses and led into Philistine territory. The Israelites were not ready for such strong resistance yet. Besides this, their immediate goal was to meet with God at Sinai (3:12); cf. Davis, 156.
13:17 - "Philistines" - See UBD, 859-860; Wood, Survey of Israel's History, 59-60.
13:18- "Red Sea" - lit. "Sea of Reeds." This, of course, does not suggest that this was merely a marshy area as liberals often argue; the Bible contradicts this notion. In fact, the same expression (yam suph) is used in Deut. 1:1 and 1 Kings 9:26 for the Gulf of Aqaba (NIVBC, 87). As to the possible sites for the crossing of the Red Sea, see Davis's discussion (168-172).
13:18 - "harnessed" - The word can mean "armed" (cf. NIV), arranged, or organized, for march (cf. BKC, 130), or simply prepared for the march (Davis, 156, 158). Davis discusses the various options.
13:21 - "pillar of a cloud" is equated with the "Angel of God" in 14:19. See discussion in NIVBC (87-88) and UBD (867).
14:21 - For various objections and explanations concerning the nature of the crossing, see Davis, 163-168.
14:24 - (Not in lesson text) - "morning watch" is either from 2 to 6 a.m. (WBC, 64) or 3 to 6 a.m. (Davis, 167; BKC, 132).
14:24 - "troubled the host" (not in lesson text) - JFB (1:327-328) and NIVBC (89) suggest this was, at least in part, effected by a sudden flash of light from the pillar that caused the chariots to careen into one another. This is conjecture. What we do know is that a sudden, powerful thunderstorm, apparently accompanied by an earthquake, contributed to the confusion and stalling of the pursuit (cf. Ps. 77:16-20).
14:28 - This verse does not say that the pharaoh himself was killed but "all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them." We know, in fact, that Amenhotep II, the pharaoh of the Exodus, did not die until a number of years after the Exodus. His mummy was discovered in 1898. Interestingly, records also indicate he was not succeeded by his firstborn son, who would have died in the final plague; cf. Davis, 29-33, 36-37; UBD, 332; Whitcomb, Chart of "OT Patriarchs and Judges."
Lesson 3 - Exod. 19:3-6; 20:2-4, 7-8, 12-17
Note that Exodus 19-20 follows the Suzerainty treaty pattern of the Ancient Near East. See Davis, 193ff.
19:3 - "house of Jacob . . . children of Israel" - The first is "a reminder of their humble beginnings"; the second "a statement as to what they had become: a nation" (NIVBC, 97).
19:4 - "eagles' wings" - a picture of God's loving care. Cf. Deut. 32:11-12 and comments in NIVBC, 97-98.
19:5 - "peculiar treasure" - The word simply means personal property (TWOT, 2:617; BDB, 688), and NASB translates "own possession." The idea of something that is precious or highly prized is clear but may come more from the context ("above all people") than from the word itself.
20:3 - "before me" - Most commentators agree this is not the best translation. The Hebrew could be translated, "in my presence" (BKC, 139) or "in addition to me" (Davis, 200).
20:7 - "take the name of the Lord . . . in vain" - This does not exclude all oaths (cf. Deut. 6:13; 10:20). It clearly prohibits falsely swearing by God's name and probably also prohibits the irreverent use of His name; cf. Davis, 203; NIVBC, 100.
20:13 - "kill" = murder; BDB, 953; NIVBC, 101; cf. NIV, NASB.
20:14 - "adultery" - The Hebrew word applies to both men and women. The punishment for adultery was death (Lev. 20:10); NIVBC, 101; Davis, 208.
20:16 - "false witness" - "The vocabulary primarily reflects the legal process in Israel (NIVBC, 101), but the command covers lying or falsehood in all areas of life; WBC, 70.
20:17 - "covet" - The word basically means "desire." Here it is used in the "bad sense of inordinate, ungoverned, selfish desire" (BDB, 326).
Lesson 4 - Exod. 25:22; 40:1-9; Lev. 26:2-6a, 11-13
Exod. 25:22 - "mercy seat" - This was the lid, or cover, for the ark, which contained the "testimony" (vs. 21), that is, the tablets of the law. "Mercy seat" is translated "atonement cover" in NIV. The verb from which it comes means "to cover" (Vine's, 10) or "to ransom or deliver by means of a substitute" (NIVBC, 111). TWOT (1:452-453) prefers this second idea and suggests that "place of atonement" might be a better rendering since this is where the blood was sprinkled on the Day of Atonement. See also EDT (97) for discussion of atonement and the view that "to make atonement" means to avert punishment (especially divine punishment) by payment of a ransom.
40:2 - "congregation" = meeting. The tabernacle was the place of meeting between God and Israel; UBD, 1060; Davis, 244; cf. NIV, NASB.
40:3-9 - This passage details the setting up of the tabernacle. Details concerning the construction of and building materials used in the various furnishings of the tabernacle are given in the following passages in Exodus: ark - 25:10-22; 37:1-9; veils - 26:31-37; 36:35-38; table - 25:23-30; 37:10-16; candlestick (lamp stand) - 25:31-40; 37:17-24; altar of incense - 30:1-10; 37:25-28; altar of burnt offering - 27:1-8; 38:1-7; laver - 30:18; 38:8. There is a diagram of the layout of the tabernacle in BKC, (147) and a discussion of the various articles in Davis (241-267).
40:3 - "cover the ark" - cf. NIV, NASB. The veil separated the tabernacle into two rooms. It shielded the ark in the holy of holies from being viewed from the holy place.
40:9 - "anointing oil" - cf. Exod. 30:22-26.
Lev. 26:4 - "rain in due season" - See UBD, 908-909
26:11 - "tabernacle" - The NIV and NASB translate this "dwelling place." From this word came the name Shekinah for the divine presence; NIVBC, 164.
26:12 - "walk among you" - This is perhaps best taken as referring to the fellowship God would have with His people, just as Enoch walked with God (NIVBC, 165). Bush (Notes on the Book of Leviticus, 266), however, takes it in a literal sense as referring to the continuing presence of the Shekinah.
26:13 - "go upright" - NIV translates, "walk with heads held high."
Lesson 5 - Exod. 40:34-38; Num. 9:15-19, 22-23
Exod. 40:35 - "Moses was not able to enter" - That is, he was not able to enter at this time. He and others did enter the tabernacle later. Matthew Henry (1:447) says, "Moses was not able to enter . . . till the splendour had a little abated, and the glory of the Lord retired within the veil." Cf. Lev. 16:2.
Lesson 6 - Num. 13:1-3, 32-4:4, 20-24
Num. 13:1 - The Israelites were now in the wilderness of Paran, near Kadesh-barnea (cf. Num. 12:6; 13:26; Deut. 1:19).
13:2 - "Send thou men" - The Lord's instructions to send 12 men into Canaan came in response to the people's request (cf. Deut. 1:22-23).
13:32 - "a land that eateth up the inhabitants" - This suggests that many people died fighting over the land; WBC, 131.
13:33 - "giants" = Nephilim. The same word is used in Genesis 6:4.
14:4 - "Let us make a captain" - They actually did appoint a captain according to Nehemiah 9:17.
14:21 - "all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord" - There are varying ideas as to how this is to be understood. (1) It may mean that through this judgment, God's glory would be seen; JFB, 1:549; LBC, 280. (2) It may be taken to mean: "If My glory is to fill the whole earth, My justice cannot be withheld" (Jensen, Numbers: Journey to God's Rest-Land, 66). (3) It may be part of God's oath that continues through verse 23. This is the position of WBC, 132 and is supported by the NIV translation: "As surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the Lord fills the whole earth, . . . not one of them will ever see the land" (cf. NRSV, NJB).
14:22 - "ten times" - This may be meant literally. NIV Study Bible (211) lists ten instances. However, it may simply mean "many times" or "full measure" (cf. Jensen, 66).
Lesson 7 - Deut. 1:34-35, 40-2:7
1:35 - "not one" - Caleb (vs. 36) and Joshua (vs. 38) were the exceptions.
1:40 - "take your journey" - This recounts God's words to disobedient Israel at Kadesh-barnea. When they refused to enter the Promised Land, they were "condemned to return to the desert" (NIVBC, 239).
1:44 - "Amorites" - Numbers 14:43-45 says they were defeated by the Canaanites and Amalelites. "Amorites" is apparently used here as a general term for the inhabitants of Canaan (NBD, 31) or as a synonym for the "Canaanites," who were joined by the Amalekites (JFB, 1:624).
1:44 - "Hormah . . . Seir" - Hormah was probably a town northeast of Kadesh-barnea (Craigie, The Book of Deuteronomy, 106). Seir is another name for Edom, which was located in the mountains of Seir, south of the Dead Sea (cf. Gen. 32:3; UBD, 991).
1:46 - "Many days" - a long, indefinite period; NIVBC, 239.
2:1 - "As the Lord spake" refers to the command given to Moses before Israel's defeat by the Amorites (cf. Num. 14:25; Deut. 1:40).
2:1 - "Compassed mount Seir many days" - This is a summary of the remaining 38 years of their wilderness wanderings; JFB, 1:624.
Lesson 8 - Deut. 6:1-9, 20-24
6:1 - "commandments . . . statutes . . . judgments" - For possible distinctions in these terms see UBD, 646; Old ISBE, 1852; Girdlestone, Synonyms of the OT, 206-207, 209. TWOT (1:317), however, suggests that efforts to distinguish the connotations have not been very successful.
6:4 -5 - This important statement is called the Shema ("Hear").
6:4 - The verse can be rendered in any of several ways: "The Lord our God is one Lord"; "The Lord our God, the Lord is one"; "The Lord is our God; the Lord is one" (cf. Craigie, 168). Regardless of how it is translated, the emphases are the same: the uniqueness and unity of God and His special relationship to Israel.
6:5 - "heart . . . soul . . . might" - Taken together, these terms "mean that the people are to love God with their whole selves" (NIVBC, 247). "Heart" and "soul" often have overlapping meanings (cf. Girdlestone, 58, 65). "'The three parts of Deut 6:5: lebab (heart), nepesh (soul or life), and me'od (muchness) rather than signifying different spheres of Biblical psychology seem to be semantically concentric. They were chosen to reinforce the absolute singularity of personal devotion to God. Thus lebab denotes the intention or will of the whole man; nepesh means the whole self, a unity of flesh, will, and vitality; and me'od accents the superlative degree of total commitment to Yahweh'" (TWOT, 1:487; cf. TWOT, 1:466; 2:589). BESU94 (161) summarizes the idea adequately.
6:7 - "thou shalt teach" - The verb is masculine singular. It may be used to speak of Israelite parents as a whole, or it may suggest the primary role of fathers in the teaching. Commentators seem to prefer the former.
6:7 - "teach them diligently" - The verb literally means to sharpen and thus is used here to mean to teach incisively (BDB, 1041-1042). Some, however, believe the verb comes from another root meaning to repeat (TWOT, 2:943; Craigie, 170; cf. NJB).
6:8-9 - "bind them . . . upon thine hand, and . . . between thine eyes. . . .upon the posts . . . and on thy gates" - Generally Christians interpret these commands metaphorically (cf. Exod. 13:9, 16). In Jewish history, however, they came to be taken literally. Phylacteries, small containers enclosing Scripture-inscribed parchment, were attached to hands and foreheads (cf. Matt. 23:5; UBD, 864). Similar boxes, called Mezuzah were attached to doorposts (cf. Craigie, 171).
Lesson 9 - Deut. 8:7-20
8:8 - "wheat . . ." For information see the following: "wheat" - NBD, 1325; UBD, 1146; "barley" - UBD, 1134; "fig trees" - NBD, 422; "pomegranates" - NBD, 1010; "oil olive" - UBD, 1141; NBD, 907; "honey" - UBD, 497; NBD, 534-535.
8:9 - "brass" = copper; cf. NASB; NIV.
8:15 - "fiery serpents" = venomous snakes (cf. Craigie, 188; Num. 21:5-9)..
8:15 - "flint" - It is probably used metaphorically to describe the hardness of the rock (cf. NIV; TWOT, 1:292).
8:18 - "establish" = "confirm" (cf. NIV, NASB). "God gave them the ability to produce wealth in confirmation of his covenant" (NIVBC, 250).
Lesson 10 - Deut. 31:1-8; 34:5-9
31:2 - "I can no more go out and come in" - In light of the statement in 34:7 that Moses' "eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated," this statement has been taken in one of at least two slightly different ways: (1) "Though Moses was still competent in terms of daily life (cf. 34:7), he had lost the stamina necessary to shepherd the whole flock of Israel and in particular to lead the campaign of conquest" (WBC, 197; cf. BKC, 316). (2) "This inability was not because his natural strength was gone (34:7) but because the time of Israel's entrance into Canaan had come. Moses' entrance was precluded by his arrogance at Meribah (Nu 20:24)" (NIVBC, 276).
31:2 - "Thou shalt not go over" - cf. Num. 20:1-2; 27:12-14
31:4 - The defeat of Sihon and Og is described in Numbers 21:21-35 and Deuteronomy 2:26-3:13.
31:5 - "according unto all the commandments" - The commandments regarding the conquest are given in Exodus 34:11-13, Numbers 33:51-52, and Deuteronomy 7:1-5.
34:5 - "Moses . . . died" - Clearly this chapter was written by someone other than Moses. This has sometimes been used to argue against Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch. Archer (Survey of OT Introduction, 257) and Allis (The Five Books of Moses, 12) answer this charge.
34:5 - According to verse 1, Moses had gone up "unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah." Pisgah probably refers to the ridge and Nebo to the summit of the ridge (Craigie, 404; NBD, 1000; cf. NJB).
34:6 - "he buried him" - NIV margin gives alternate translation, "He was buried." The last phrase in verse 6, however, suggests "he (the Lord) buried him is correct. Angels may have been involved in the burial as suggested by Jude 1:9 (cf. JFB, 1:715).
Lesson 11 - Josh. 3:7-17
3:11 - "Lord of all the earth" - "Lord" here is Adon, stressing His sovereignty or absolute authority over the earth (cf. Berkhof, Systematic Theology, 48). The same word is used for "Lord" (second occurrence) in verse 13 (cf. NIVBC, 294).
3:12 - "twelve men" - The purpose for their selection is spelled out in 4:2-9.
3:15 - "time of harvest" - According to 4:19 this was the tenth day of the first month, which would correspond to our March-April (cf. UBD, 163; BKC, 334).
3:16 - "Very far from the city of Adam" - There seems to be almost universal agreement among commentators and modern translations that this should be translated, "a great distance away at Adam" (NASB; cf. NIV, NKJV; Davis, Conquest and Crisis, 36). This would mean the water was dammed up at "Adam," a location probably about 16 miles north of the ford opposite Jericho (BKC, 335).
3:16 - See Davis, Conquest (38) concerning theories as to the nature of the Jordan crossing.
Lesson 12 - Josh. 6:1-5, 15-20
6:2 - "I have given" - This is an "exclamation of prophetic certainty" (Davis, Conquest, 42). The victory was already accomplished as far as God was concerned and thus assured (cf. BKC, 340).
6:3 - "compass the city" - The organization of the march is given in more detail in verses 7-9. See also Davis, Conquest, 45.
6:4 - "seven . . . seven" - Many commentators point out that the repeated use of seven here may suggest completion or perfection (BKC, 340; NIVBC, 298; cf. Davis, Biblical Numerology, 122-124, 155-156).
6:4 - "trumpets of rams' horns" - This could also be translated "trumpets (shophar) of jubilee (yobel)" (cf. NBD, 855; UBD, 351; BKC, 340. Note that shophar and yobel are interchangeable according to TWOT, 2:951). Jensen (Joshua: Rest-Land Won, 61-62) writes, "The ram's horns . . . were not military trumpets, but jubilee trumpets, such as were usually associated with the year of jubilee [(Lev. 25:9)], for this was a religious, not a military undertaking."
6:17-19 - The instructions inserted here were probably given earlier (NIVBC, 299).
6:17 - "accursed" - The word basically refers to excluding something from personal use and devoting it to God. This involved "devoting it to the service of God or putting it under a ban for utter destruction" (TWOT, 1:324; cf. BKC, 341-342).
6:17 - In answer to the critics' perceived ethical problem with the total destruction of Jericho, see Davis (Conquest, 48-50) and Archer (Survey of OT Intro., 273).
6:20 - "fell down flat" - lit., "fell in its place" (WBC, 213). Davis (Conquest, 46-47) lists various theories for why the wall fell. None, of course, can explain why all the wall collapsed except that upon which Rahab's house sat (cf. 2:17-20; 6:22).
Lesson 13 - Josh. 24:1-2a, 14-22, 25
24:1 - "Shechem" - Israel had met here earlier to renew their covenant with the Lord (Josh. 8:30-35).
24:1 - The covenant renewal here follows the suzerainty treaty form. See BKC, 369; NIVBC, 325.
24:14 - "Put away" indicates that there was some idolatry present among the Israelites (cf. vs. 23).
24:14 - "gods which your fathers served" - cf. vs. 2. Abraham's family had served among others the moon god (Unger, Archaeology and the Old Testament, 109).
24:14 - "flood" = river and refers to the Euphrates (cf. NIV; NASB; WBC, 229 on vs. 2).
24:15 - "evil" here has the idea of "disagreeable" (NASB) or "undesireable" (NIV).
24:15, 18 - "Amorites" is used here as a general term for all the Canaanites (cf. UBD, 45).
24:19 - "ye cannot serve the Lord" - Jensen (Joshua: Rest-Land Won, 123) summarizes the common understanding of this expression: "There was no flaw in the words of [Israel's] commitment. But Joshua sensed that the words probably were spoken too quickly, without due deliberation, and the words 'far be it from us that we should forsake Jehovah' had the sound of dangerous self-confidence. . . . The sole purpose of [Joshua's] strong statement was to disarm Israel's self-righteousness."
24:19 - "He will not forgive" - BKC (370) explains, "To forsake Him deliberately to serve idols would be a presumptuous, willful, high-handed sin for which there was no forgiveness under the Law (Num. 15:30).
24:26 - "book of the law of God" - BKC (370) points to Deut. 31:24-27 to suggest this may have been placed in the tabernacle. This "book of the law," however, was distinct from "the book of the law" (cf. Josh. 1:8) of Moses (cf. NIVBC, 327).
Abbreviations
BDB - Brown, Driver, Briggs, Hebrew-English Lexicon of the Old Testament
BKC - Walvoord and Zuck, eds., The Bible Knowledge Commentary
Craigie - Peter C. Craigie, The Book of Deuteronomy
Davis - John J. Davis, Moses and the Gods of Egypt
Davis, Conquest - John J. Davis, Conquest and Crisis (This is now part of the volume entitled A History of Israel by Davis and Whitcomb.
EDT - Walter Elwell, ed., Evangelical Dictionary of Theology
Girdlestone - Robert B. Girdlestone, Synonyms of the Old Testament
Jensen - Irving Jensen, Numbers: Journey to God's Rest-Land
JFB - Jamieson, Fausett, and Brown's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments.
LBC - Falwell, et al., Liberty Bible Commentary (aka, KJV Parallel Bible Commentary)
NASB - New American Standard Bible
NBD - Douglas, ed., The New Bible Dictionary
NIV - New International Version
NIVBC - Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary (Note that this is an abridged version of the 12-vol. Expositor's Bible Commentary. Any information found in NIVBC will also be found in Expositor's.)
NJB - New Jerusalem Bible
NKJV - New King James Version
NRSV - New Revised Standard Version
Old ISBE - Orr, ed., The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
TWOT - Harris, Archer, Waltke, eds., Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament
UBD - Unger's Bible Dictionary
Vine's - Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words
WBC - Pfeiffer and Harrison, eds., The Wycliffe Bible Commentary
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