Bible Commentaries

Ecclesiastes 3:6 — Verse Ecclesiastes 3:6. A time to get, - to lose, - to keep, - to cast away — ___________________ "Commerce produces wealth, Whilst time of gaining lasts; from every point Blow prosperous gales. Now heaven begins to lower, And all our hopes are blasted. Prudence bids, One while, our treasure to reserve, and then With liberal hand to scatter wide. How oft In raging storms, the owner wisely casts Into the deep his precious merchandise, To save the foundering bark!

Song of Solomon 5:4 — Verse Song of Solomon 5:4. My beloved put in his hand — If it were a real scene, which is mentioned in this and the two following verses, it must refer, from the well-known use of the metaphors, to matrimonial endearments. Or, it may refer to his attempts to open the door, when she hesitated to arise, on the grounds mentioned Song of Solomon 5:3. But this also bears every evidence of a dream.

Isaiah 27:3 — Verse Isaiah 27:3. Lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day - "I will take care of her by night; and by day I will keep guard over her"] For פן יפקד pen yiphkod, lest any visit it, the Syriac read ואפקד veephkod, and I will visit it. Twenty MSS. of Kennicott's, fourteen of De Rossi's, and two of my own, and six editions read אפקד ephkod, I will visit, in the first person.

Jeremiah 3:2 — Verse Jeremiah 3:2. As the Arabian in the wilderness — They were as fully intent on the practice of their idolatry as the Arab in the desert is in lying in wait to plunder the caravans. Where they have not cover to lie in ambush, they scatter themselves about, and run hither and thither, raising themselves up on their saddles to see if they can discover, by smoke, dust, or other token, the approach of any travellers.

Jeremiah 33:3 — Verse Jeremiah 33:3. Call unto me, and I will answer thee — To me alone it belongs to reveal what is future; and the stupendous things which are now coming are known only to myself. These idolaters go to their gods to get information relative to the issue of the present commotions; but there is no light in them. Ask thou, O Jeremiah, and I will tell thee the great and mighty things which even thou knowest not.

Jeremiah 50:3 — Verse Jeremiah 50:3. Out of the north there cometh up a nation — The Medes, who formed the chief part of the army of Cyrus, lay to the north or north-east of Babylon.Shall make her land desolate — This war, and the consequent taking of the city, began those disasters that brought Babylon in process of time to complete desolation; so that now it is not known where it stood, the whole country being a total solitude.

Ezekiel 21:19 — Verse Ezekiel 21:19. Appoint thee two ways — Set off from Babylon, and lay down two ways, either of which thou mayest take; that to the right, which leads to Jerusalem; or that to the left, which leads to Rabbath of the Ammonites, Ezekiel 21:20. But why against the Ammonites? Because both they and the Moabites were united with Zedekiah against the Chaldeans, (see Jeremiah 27:3,) though they afterwards fought against Judea, Ezekiel 12:6.

Ezekiel 26:3 — Verse Ezekiel 26:3. Will cause many nations to come up against thee — We have already seen that the empire of the Chaldeans was composed of many different provinces, and that Nebuchadnezzar's army was composed of soldiers from different nations: these may be the people meant; but I doubt whether this may not refer to the different nations which in successive ages fought against Tyre. It was at last finally destroyed in the sixteenth century of the Christian era.

Ezekiel 3:27 — Verse Ezekiel 3:27. I will open thy mouth — When it is necessary to address them again, thou shalt sum up what thou hast said in this one speech: Thus saith the Lord, "He that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth, let him forbear." Let him who feels obedience to the voice of God his interest, be steadfast. Let him who disregards the Divine monition go in his own way, and abide the consequences.

Daniel 3:30 — Verse Daniel 3:30. Then the king promoted, &c. — He restored them to the offices which they held before the charge of disobedience and treason was brought against them.At the end of this verse the Septuagint add, "And he advanced them to be governors over all the Jews that were in his kingdom." This may be the meaning of the latter verse. They were more likely to be set over the Jews than over the Chaldeans.

Daniel 5:6 — Verse Daniel 5:6. The king's countenance was changed — Here is a very natural description of fear and terror.1. The face grows pale;2. The mind becomes greatly agitated;3. Pains seize on the lower part of the back and kidneys;4. A universal tremor takes place, so that the knees smite against each other;5. And lastly, either a syncope takes place, or the cry of distress is uttered, Daniel 5:7: "The king cried."

Jonah 3:9 — Verse Jonah 3:9. Who can tell if God will turn and repent — There is at least a peradventure for our salvation. God may turn towards us, change his purpose, and save us alive. While there is life there is hope; God has no pleasure in the death of sinners; he is gracious and compassionate. Himself has prescribed repentance; if we repent, and turn to him from our iniquities, who knows then whether God will not turn, &c.

Micah 2:3 — Verse Micah 2:3. Against this family (the Israelites) do I devise an evil — You have devised the evil of plundering the upright; I will devise the evil to you of punishment for your conduct; you shall have your necks brought under the yoke of servitude. Tiglath-pileser ruined this kingdom, and transported the people to Assyria, under the reign of Hezekiah, king of Judah; and Micah lived to see this catastrophe. See on Micah 2:9.

Nahum 3:12 — Verse Nahum 3:12. Thy strong holds — The effects of the consternation into which the Ninevites were cast by the assault on their city are here pointed out by a very expressive metaphor; the first-ripe figs, when at full maturity, fell from the tree with the least shake; and so, at the first shake or consternation, all the fortresses of Nineveh were abandoned; and the king, in despair, burnt himself and household in his own palace.

Zechariah 1:3 — Verse Zechariah 1:3. Turn ye unto me — This shows that they had power to return, if they would but use it.And I will turn unto you — I will show you mercy and grant you salvation, if you will use the grace I have already given you. Men are lost, because they turn not unto God; but no man is lost because he had not power to return. God gives this, and he will require it.

Matthew 6:3 — Verse Matthew 6:3. Let not thy left hand know — In many cases, works of charity must be hidden from even our nearest relatives, who, if they knew, would hinder us from doing what God has given us power and inclination to perform. We must go even farther; and conceal them as far as is possible from ourselves, by not thinking of them, or eyeing them with complacency. They are given to GOD, and should be hidden in HIM.

Luke 2:37 — Verse 37. Departed not from the temple — Attended constantly at the hours of prayer, which were nine in the morning and three in the afternoon. See Acts 2:15; Acts 3:1. It does not appear that women had any other functions to perform in that holy place.With fastings — She accompanied her devotion with frequent fastings, probably not oftener than twice in the week; for this was the custom of the most rigid Pharisees: see Luke 18:12.

Luke 3:11 — Verse Luke 3:11. He that hath two coats, &c.] He first teaches the great mass of the people their duty to each other. They were uncharitable and oppressive, and he taught them not to expect any mercy from the hand of God, while they acted towards others in opposition to its dictates. If men be unkind and uncharitable towards each other, how can they expect the mercy of the Lord to be extended towards themselves?

Luke 3:15 — Verse Luke 3:15. Whether he were the Christ — So general was the reformation which was produced by the Baptist's preaching that the people were ready to consider him as the promised Messiah. Thus John came in the spirit and power of Elijah, and reformed all things; showed the people, the tax-gatherers, and the soldiers, their respective duties, and persuaded them to put away the evil of their doings. Matthew 17:11; Matthew 17:11.

Luke 9:11 — Verse Luke 9:11. The people - followed him — Observe here five grand effects of Divine grace.1. The people are drawn to follow him.2. He kindly receives them.3. He instructs them in the things of God.4. He heals all their diseases.5. He feeds their bodies and their souls. See Quesnel.Reader! Jesus is the same to the present moment. Follow him, and he will receive, instruct, heal, feed, and save thy soul unto eternal life.