Bible Commentaries

Esther 9:26 — Verse Esther 9:26. They called these days Purim — That is from [Persian] pari, the lot; because, as we have seen, Haman cast lots to find what month, and what day of the month, would be the most favourable for the accomplishment of his bloody designs against the Jews. See on Esther 3:7.And of that which they had seen — The first letter to which this second refers, must be that sent by Mordecai himself. See Esther 9:20.

Job 34:7 — Verse Job 34:7. Drinketh up scorning like water? — This is a repetition of the charge made against Job by Eliphaz, Job 15:16. It is a proverbial expression, and seems to be formed, as a metaphor, from a camel drinking, who takes in a large draught of water, even the most turbid, on its setting out on a journey in a caravan, that it may serve it for a long time. Job deals largely in scorning; he fills his heart with it.

Job 40:7 — Verse Job 40:7. Gird up thy loins — See Job 38:1-3. Some think that this and the preceding verse have been repeated here from Job 38:1-3, and that several of the words there, here, and Job 42:3, have been repeated, in after times, to connect some false gatherings of the sheets of parchment, on which the end of this poem was originally written. See on Job 40:1, and at the end of the chapter. Job 40:24.

Job 41:7 — Verse Job 41:7. Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons? — This refers to some kind of harpoon work, similar to that employed in taking whales, and which they might use for some other kinds of animals; for the skin of the crocodile could not be pierced. Herrera says that he saw a crocodile defend itself against thirty men; and that they fired six balls at it without being able to wound it. It can only be wounded under his belly.

Job 7:8 — Verse Job 7:8. Shall see me no more] If I die in my present state, with all this load of undeserved odium which is cast upon me by my friends, I shall never have an opportunity of vindicating my character, and regaining the good opinion of mankind.Thine eyes are upon one, and I am not. — Thou canst look me into nothing. Or, Let thine eye be upon me as judged to death, and I shall immediately cease to live among men.

Psalms 66:7 — Verse Psalms 66:7. He ruleth by his power — His omnipotence is employed to support his followers, and cast down his enemies.His eyes behold the nations — He sees what they purpose, what they intend to do; and what they will do, if he restrain them not.Let not the rebellious exalt themselves. — They shall not succeed in their designs: they have their own aggrandizement in view, but thou wilt disappoint and cast them down.Selah. — Mark this. It is true.

Ecclesiastes 7:4 — Verse Ecclesiastes 7:4. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning — A wise man loves those occasions from which he can derive spiritual advantage; and therefore prefers visiting the sick, and sympathizing with those who have suffered privations by death. But the fool - the gay, thoughtless, and giddy - prefers places and times of diversion and amusement. Here he is prevented from seriously considering either himself or his latter end. The grand fault and misfortune of youth.

Isaiah 15:7 — Verse Isaiah 15:7. "Shall perish"] אבדו abadu or אבדה abadeh. This word seems to have been lost out of the text: it is supplied by the parallel place, Jeremiah 48:36. The Syriac expresses it by עבר aber, praeteriit, "he hath passed;" and the Chaldee by יתבזזון yithbazezun, diripientur.To the brook of the willows - "To the valley of willows"] That is, to Babylon. Hieron. and Jarchi in loc., both referring to Psalms 137:2. So likewise Prideaux, Le Clerc, &c.

Ezekiel 7:20 — Verse Ezekiel 7:20. As for the beauty of his ornament — Their beautiful temple was their highest ornament, and God made it majestic by his presence. But they have even taken its riches to make their idols, which they have brought into the very courts of the Lord's house; and therefore God hath set it - the temple, from him - given it up to pillage. Some say it means, "They took their ornaments, which were their pride, and made them into images to worship."

Hosea 8:2 — Verse Hosea 8:2. Israel shalt cry — The rapidity of the eagle's flight is well imitated in the rapidity of the sentences in this place.My God, we know thee. — The same sentiment, from the same sort of persons, under the same feelings, as that in the Gospel of St. Matthew, Matthew 7:22: "Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? Then will I profess unto them, I never KNEW YOU."

Amos 3:7 — Verse Amos 3:7. Surely the Lord God will do nothing — In reference to the punishment, correction, or blessing of his people-But he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets. — They are in strict correspondence with him, and he shows them things to come. Such secrets of God are revealed to them, that they may inform the people; that, by repentance and conversion, they may avoid the evil, and, by walking closely with God, secure the continuance of his favour.

Amos 7:13 — Verse Amos 7:13. But prophesy not - at Beth-el — He must not speak against idolatry, because that was the king's religion; and he who speaks against the king's religion must be an enemy to the state. This was the doctrine held in England by popish James II. and his insidious Jesuit hireling priests, till God in his mercy put this pitiful tyrant down, and with him his false prophets, and the degrading superstition which they endeavoured to establish in these lands.

Micah 7:11 — Verse Micah 7:11. In the day that thy walls are to be built — This refers to Jerusalem; the decree, to the purpose of God to deliver the people into captivity. "This shall be far removed." God having purposed their return, I cannot think, with some commentators, that this verse contains threatenings against Jerusalem, and not promises. See the first chapter of Haggai, Haggai 1:1, c. where the subject is similar and the restoration of Jerusalem is certainly what the prophet describes.

Nahum 2:7 — Verse 7. And Huzzab shall be led away captive — Perhaps Huzzab means the queen of Nineveh, who had escaped the burning mentioned above by Diodorus. As there is no account of the queen being burnt, but only of the king, the concubines, and the eunuchs, we may, therefore, naturally conclude that the queen escaped; and is represented here as brought up and delivered to the conqueror; her maids at the same time bewailing her lot. Some think Huzzab signifies Nineveh itself.

Zechariah 12:12 — Verse Zechariah 12:12. Every family apart — The meaning of the word apart, which recurs here so often, may be this: Their sorrow shall be so deep and distressing, that every one will endeavour to avoid another, and vent his grief and distress of soul in private. And even husbands and wives shall separate from each other in this general mourning, as they were obliged to do by law in certain circumstances. See 1 Corinthians 7:5, and the note there.

Mark 1:22 — Verse 22. As one that had authority — From God, to do what he was doing; and to teach a pure and beneficent system of truth.And not as the scribes. — Who had no such authority, and whose teaching was not accompanied by the power of God to the souls of the people:1. because the matter of the teaching did not come from God; and2. because the teachers themselves were not commissioned by the Most High. Matthew 7:28.

Luke 17:7 — Verse 7. - 9. Which of you, having a servant — It is never supposed that the master waits on the servant -- the servant is bound to wait on his master, and to do every thing for him to the uttermost of his power: nor does the former expect thanks for it, for he is bound by his agreement to act thus, because of the stipulated reward, which is considered as being equal in value to all the service that he can perform.

Luke 23:7 — Verse Luke 23:7. Herod's jurisdiction — The city of Nazareth, in which Christ had continued till he was thirty years of age, and that of Capernaum, in which he principally resided the last years of his life, were both in Lower Galilee, of which Herod Antipas was tetrarch. Pilate was probably glad of this opportunity to pay a little respect to Herod, whom it is likely he had irritated, and with whom he now wished to be friends. See Luke 23:12.

Luke 6:7 — Verse Luke 6:7. Watched him — Παρετηρουν αυτον, They maliciously watched him. This is the import of the word, Luke 14:1; Luke 20:20, and in the parallel place, Mark 3:2. See Raphelius on the last-quoted text, who has proved, by several quotations, that this is the proper meaning of the term.An accusation against him. — Instead of κατηγοριαν αυτον, his accusation, several eminent MSS. and versions add κατα, against, which I find our translators have adopted.

Luke 7:18 — Verse Luke 7:18. The disciples of John showed him, c.] It is very likely that John's disciples attended the ministry of our Lord at particular times and this, we may suppose, was a common case among the disciples of different Jewish teachers. Though bigotry existed in its most formidable shape between the Jews and Samaritans, yet we do not find that it had any place between Jews and Jews, though they were of different sects, and attached to different teachers.