The Listener’s Bible Commentary

Genesis 20-21   20:1 Now Abraham journeyed from there toward the land of the Negev, and settled between Kadesh and Shur; then he lived for a time in Gerar. 2 And Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” So Abimelech king of Gerar sent men and took Sarah. 3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have t...

Genesis 18:16-19:38 16 Then the men rose up from there, and looked down toward Sodom; and Abraham was walking with them to send them off. 17 The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, 18 since Abraham will certainly become a great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed? 19 For I have chosen him, so that he may command his children and his h...

Genesis 16:1-18:15   Genesis 16:1-18:15 includes: -the story of Abraham and Hagar and the birth of Ishmael -God's promise that the covenant will come through Sarah and Isaac  -the establishing of the covenant sign of circumcision    BIBLE READING GUIDE - FREE EBOOK - Get the free eBook, Bible in Life, to help you learn how to read and apply the Bible well:  https://www.listenerscommentary.com    ...

Genesis 12-15 These four chapters focus on God's call to Abraham. They cover a span of 10 years from the time God first called Abraham's and gave him the promises to God reaffirming the promises with a covenant in Genesis 15.  Here is a short overview of each chapter: 12 - God’s call and promise and Abraham's obedience and entrance into Canaan  13 - Abraham and Lot separate and God re-affirms his...

Genesis 12-15 These four chapters focus on God's call to Abraham. They cover a span of 10 years from the time God first called Abraham's and gave him the promises to God reaffirming the promises with a covenant in Genesis 15.  Here is a short overview of each chapter: 12 - God’s call and promise and Abraham's obedience and entrance into Canaan  13 - Abraham and Lot separate and God re-affirms his...

Genesis 10:1-11:32   Genesis 10-11 includes the story of the "Tower of Babel." In this section we see how the human population grew and spread after the flood, and we see how and why they were divided from each other. The tower of Babel shows that humans have devolved into complete confusion about who God is and have descended into pagan worship.    BIBLE READING GUIDE - FREE EBOOK - Get the free...

Genesis 6:9-9:29  Genesis 6-9 is the well-known story of Noah's ark. In this session we focus on the reason for the flood and the result of the flood. We are reminded that, although it is sometimes referred to as Noah's flood, it is actually God's flood; he is the main actor in the story. We also see how this story connects back to Genesis 1 and how it looks forward to the rest of Genesis and the...

Genesis 4:1-6:8   Now the man had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and she said, “I have obtained a male child with the help of the Lord.” 2 And again, she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a cultivator of the ground. 3 So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord from the fruit of...

Genesis 3:1-24   Now the serpent was more cunning than any animal of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God really said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; 3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat fr...

Genesis 2:4-25   4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made earth and heaven. 5 Now no shrub of the field was yet on the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the Lord God had not sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground. 6 But a mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole surf...

Genesis 1:1-2:3   1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 And the earth was a formless and desolate emptiness, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God calle...

Introduction to Genesis  This session of The Listener's Commentary provides the backstory to and overview of the book of Genesis. Who wrote Genesis? When was Genesis written? And what is Genesis all about?   BIBLE READING GUIDE - FREE EBOOK - Get the free eBook, Bible in Life, to help you learn how to read and apply the Bible well:  https://www.listenerscommentary.com     GIVE -  The Listener’s Co...

Introduction to the Torah (Pentateuch)  The Pentateuch or Torah refers to the first 5 books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. This recording provides a brief introduction to these five books and five key facts about the Torah that will help you read it well.    BIBLE READING GUIDE - FREE EBOOK - Get the free eBook, Bible in Life, to help you learn how to read and...

Introduction to the Old Testament, pt. 2 In this recording, we look at two more keys that will help you read the Old Testament well. First, we explore how the Old Testament is put together and how the books are arranged. Second, we offer some basic geography based on the periods of the Old Testament story.    Book Recommendation  The Old Testament in Seven Sentences, by Christopher Wright. Order a...

Introduction to the Old Testament, pt. 1  This intro to the Old Testament provides two keys that will help you read the Old Testament well. First, it gives a broad chronology so that you have a basic handle on the chronological flow of the story. Second, it lists the chapters in the Old Testament story so that you can grasp the narrative flow of the story.    BIBLE READING GUIDE - FREE EBOOK - Get...

Update August 2025 There has been a lot of behind the scenes work this summer since completing the New Testament: Transcripts, Spanish version, and the Old Testament.   BIBLE READING GUIDE - FREE EBOOK - Get the free eBook, Bible in Life, to help you learn how to read and apply the Bible well:  https://www.listenerscommentary.com     GIVE -  The Listener’s Commentary is a listener supported Bible...

Update June 2025 Now that the New Testament is completed on The Listener's Commentary, what's next? That's the question I keep getting asked... so here's an update giving insight into the plans for the next few months.  I am so grateful for all of those who have supported this project thus far and made it possible. Thank you!   BIBLE READING GUIDE - FREE EBOOK - Get the free eBook, Bible in Life,...

Revelation 22:6-21   6 And he said to me, “These words are faithful and true”; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show His bond-servants the things which must soon take place. 7 “And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.” 8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw th...

Revelation 21:1-22:5   Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among the people, and He will dwell among...

Special Study - The Millennium (Revelation 20) Revelation 20 is the sole text in the Bible that mentions the millennium (the 1000 years), and over the centuries, Christians have understood this passage in various ways. In this recording we look are three different views of the millennium.    BIBLE READING GUIDE - FREE EBOOK - Get the free eBook, Bible in Life, to help you learn how to read and app...

Revelation 20:1-15   20:1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he took hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3 and he threw him into the abyss and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years wer...

Special Study: The Mark of the Beast Revelation 13:16-17  16 And he causes all, the small and the great, the rich and the poor, and the free and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, 17 and he decrees that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.   Revelation 14:9-11 9 Then a...

Revelation 19:1-21   After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Hallelujah! Salvation, glory, and power belong to our God, 2 because His judgments are true and righteous; for He has judged the great prostitute who was corrupting the earth with her sexual immorality, and He has avenged the blood of His bond-servants on her.” 3 And a second time t...

Revelation 18:1-24   After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated from his glory. 2 And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird. 3 For all the nations have fall...

Revelation 17:1-18   Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who sits on many waters, 2 with whom the kings of the earth committed acts of sexual immorality, and those who live on the earth became drunk with the wine of her sexual immorality.” 3 And he carried me away in the Spirit into a...