Quest Study Bible: The Question and Answer Bible by Phyllis Ten Elshof (Editor)

From the Publisher

Got questions about the Bible? Look to the Quest Study Bible for the answers. With over 1/2 million copies sold, this unique Bible has clarified the meaning of the Scriptures for countless people—and it will do the same for you.

This revised and expanded edition addresses the common, the uncommon, and the perplexing questions people ask about the Bible with over 7,000 handy, in-text notes and nearly 350 articles by top evangelical scholars and pastors. Passages that puzzle you will snap into clarity as you explore the Scriptures with the study helps.

The pace-setting Quest question-and-answer Bible is like no other—and now this revised and expanded edition assists your journey to the meaning and heart of the Scriptures even more effectively. Features Include:

Over 7,000 sidebar notes shed textual, theological, and historical light on the Bible’s most puzzling passages. Includes 800 new notes as well as thorough updates of existing material.

Nearly 350 articles—almost 100 of them brand-new—by top scholars address some of the most popular and provocative questions asked by Christians and non-Christians.

New article index and expanded subject index help you find the answers you're looking for.

New color-keyed verse numbers supply instant reference to articles and sidebar notes.

Updated book introductions identify the themes, characters, and events of each Bible book.

Over 150 two-color in-text charts, timelines, and maps furnish the background information you need to understand different passages.

Concordance, dictionary, 16-page full-color map section, new 7-page full-color timeline section, and reading plans assist your study of the Bible.

Single-column Scripture text format.

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QUEST STUDY BIBLE REV BLACK T/G INDEXED

Zondervan

Chapter One

Introduction

Why read this book?

If you're like most people, you've wondered about the deep questions of life: Why are we here? What is life all about? Genesis takes you back to the beginning of time to find the answers. It tells about many beginnings: the first plants and animals; the first man and woman; the first sin; the first news of God's salvation. It also shows God's dealings with Noah, Abraham and others, demonstrating his desire to fellowship with his people.

Who wrote this book and when?

Moses probably wrote this book around 1440 B.C. But since he was not an eye-witness to the creation, he relied on revelation from God and, perhaps, earlier oral or written records.

What period of history does it cover?

From the time of the creation (a date that can only be speculated) to the time when the Israelites arrived in Egypt and grew into a nation (about 1800 B.C.).

Why was it written?

To show that when God made the creation, it was good. But Genesis goes on to say that when sin entered the world, it corrupted the creation. The story tells the beginning of God's plan for salvation. Genesis provides the framework upon which the rest of the Bible builds.

To whom was it written?

Since this book announces that all peoples on earth will be blessed through Abraham (12:3), it seems fair to conclude that all people can benefit from the account of this patriarch and his descendants.

What to look for in Genesis:

Notice the focus Genesis places on the relationship between God and humanity-broken in the garden and restored through sacrifices and personal encounters with God. Through the stories of history Genesis illustrates cycles of sin and repentance.

The Beginning

1 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was a formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning-the first day.

6 And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." 7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning-the second day.

9 And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good.

11 Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning-the third day. 14 And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. 16 God made two great lights-the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning-the fourth day.

20 And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky." 21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth." 23 And there was evening, and there was morning-the fifth day.

24 And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."

29 Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground-everything that has the breath of life in it-I give every green plant for food." And it was so. 31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning-the sixth day.

2 1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.

2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested a from all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

Adam and Eve

4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created.

When the Lord God made the earth and the heavens- 5 and no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to work the ground, 6 but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground- 7 the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

8 Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 And the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground-trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

10 A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Asshur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

Matthew

Introduction

Why read this book?

Have you ever read a sequel to a novel without having read the original story? Trying to pick up the story line without a transition can be difficult. The Gospel of Matthew serves as such a transition. It connects the story of the Old Testament with the story of the New Testament, helping us understand how the life and teaching of Jesus built upon what had come before.

Who wrote this book?

Matthew, a tax collector who became one of Christ's twelve disciples.

Why was it written?

To offer irrefutable proof that the long-awaited Jewish Messiah had come to inaugurate God's kingdom on earth.

When and to whom was it written?

Matthew possibly wrote this book in the A.D. 70s (though some believe he may have written it in the 50s or 60s), primarily for Jewish readers. He offered a persuasive account of the Good News of Jesus, citing Old Testament evidence that supported the claims believers had been making about Jesus.

What to look for in Matthew:

Notice Matthew's frequent use of the Old Testament and how his Jewish orientation flavors his descriptions. For example, he frequently uses Son of David instead of Son of God (as in the Gospel of John). One of Matthew's major themes is the kingdom of heaven. Note Jesus' teachings about what it means to be a citizen of that kingdom.

The Visit of the Magi

2 1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."

3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5 "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written:

6 "'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'"

7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."

9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

The Escape to Egypt

13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him."

14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called my son."

16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:

18 "A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more."

The Return to Nazareth

19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child's life are dead."

21 So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: "He will be called a Nazarene."

John the Baptist Prepares the Way

3 1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea 2 and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." 3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:

"A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'"

4 John's clothes were made of camel's hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5 People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. 6 Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

11 "I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

The Baptism of Jesus

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying," I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"

15 Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented.

16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."

The Temptation of Jesus

4 1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.

Continues...

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Excerpted from QUEST STUDY BIB REV BLK T/G IDX Copyright © 2003 by Zondervan. Excerpted by permission.
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