Shining a light on the weekly Bible Lessons published in the Christian Science Quarterly®
Soul and Body
It shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
In ancient times, mountaintops were regarded as holy places. “The mountain of the Lord’s house,” usually called Mount Zion, is celebrated throughout Hebrew Scripture (see examples in Psalms 48:2; Isaiah 4:5, 6; Joel 2:32; Obadiah 1:17; Micah 4:7). That it is “exalted above the hills”—in contrast with the lower status of human valley-dwellers—emphasizes the sacred nature of God’s house.
In Hebrew history, mountains are often the sites of momentous events. For instance, Noah’s ark comes to rest on Mount Ararat; Moses is directed to save his people and later given the Ten Commandments on Mount Horeb (also known as Mount Sinai); and Elijah demonstrates God’s power on Mount Carmel, then witnesses the divine might on Horeb (see Genesis 8:4; Exodus 3:1; chaps. 19, 20; I Kings 18:17–39; 19:9–12).
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Resources quoted in this issue
RR: Buttrick, George Arthur, Nolan B. Harmon, et al., eds. The Interpreter’s Bible: A Commentary in Twelve Volumes. Vol. 10, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians. Nashville: Abingdon, 1951–57; Mays, James L., Joseph Blenkinsopp, et al., eds. Harper’s Bible Commentary. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1988.
Cit. 9: Eiselen, Frederick Carl, Edwin Lewis, and David G. Downey, eds. The Abingdon Bible Commentary: New Testament. New York: Abingdon Press, 1929; Soards, Marion L. New International Biblical Commentary—1 Corinthians. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1999.
Cit. 10: Green, Joel B., et al., eds. The CEB Study Bible. Nashville: Common English Bible, 2013.
Cit. 11: Spence-Jones, Henry Donald Maurice, Joseph S. Exell, and Edward Mark Deems, eds. The Pulpit Commentary. London, 1880–1909. Also available at biblehub.com/commentaries.
Cit. 14: Vincent, Marvin R. Word Studies in the New Testament. 4 vols. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1946. Also available at biblehub.com/commentaries.
Cit. 15: Keck, Leander E., et al., eds. The New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary. Vol. 9, Acts, Introduction to Epistolary Literature, Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians. Nashville: Abingdon, 2015.
COPYRIGHT
Scriptural quotations marked New Living Translation are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scriptural quotations marked Common English Bible are taken from the Common English Bible, copyright © 2011 by the Common English Bible. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Scriptural quotations marked Christian Standard Bible are taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.
Scriptural quotations marked New Century Version are taken from the New Century Version®, copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scriptural quotations marked International Children’s Bible are taken from the International Children’s Bible®, copyright © 1986, 1988, 1999 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scriptural quotations marked Amplified® Bible are taken from the Amplified® Bible, copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org.
Scriptural quotations marked New Revised Standard Version Bible are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
© 2021 The Christian Science Publishing Society. The design of the Cross and Crown is a trademark owned by the Christian Science Board of Directors and is used by permission. Bible Lens and Christian Science Quarterly are trademarks owned by The Christian Science Publishing Society. Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptural quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.
