STEP :: Scripture Tools for Every Person

THE Old Testament is the basis of the New. "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake unto the fathers by the prophets, hath spoken unto us by His only-begotten Son." The Church of Christ is built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets. For Christ came not to destroy the law or the prophets, but to fulfil. As He said to the Jews," Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they which testify of Me ;" so also, a short time before His ascension, He opened the understanding of His disciples, that they might understand the Scriptures, and beginning at Moses and all the prophets, expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. With firm faith in the truth of this testimony of our Lord, the fathers and teachers of the Church in all ages have studied the Old Testament Scriptures, and have expounded the revelations of God under the Old Covenant in learned and edifying works, unfolding to the Christian community the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God which they contain, and impressing them upon the heart, for doctrine, for reproof, for improvement, for instruction in righteousness. It was reserved for the Deism, Naturalism, and Rationalism which became so prevalent in the closing quarter of the eighteenth century, to be the first to undermine the belief in the inspiration of the first covenant, and more and more to choke up this well of saving truth ; so that at the present day depreciation of the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament is as widely spread as ignorance of what they really contain. At the same time, very much has been done during the last thirty years on the part of believers in divine revelation, to bring about a just appreciation and correct understanding of the Old Testament Scriptures.

As a still further contribution towards the same result, it is our present intention to issue a condensed Commentary upon the whole of the Old Testament, in which we shall endeavour to furnish not only a grammatical and historical exposition of the facts and truths of divine revelation, but a biblical commentary also, and thus to present to all careful readers of the Bible, especially to divinity students and ministers of the Gospel, an exegetical handbook, from which they may obtain some help towards a full understanding of the Old Testament economy of salvation, so far as the theological learning of the Church has yet been able to fathom it, and possibly also an impulse to further study and a deeper plunge into the unfathomable depths of the Word of God.

May the Lord grant His blessing upon our labours, and assist with His own Spirit and power a work designed to promote the knowledge of His holy Word.

C. F. KEIL.

This module is based on the BibleWorks 8 user-created module by Willem Swanepoel, available here: http://bibleworks.oldinthenew.org/?page_id=151

A facsimile edition is also available at archive.org, viz. vol. 1: http://www.archive.org/details/biblicalcomm01keiluoft