Bible Commentaries

Ezra 4:8 — Verse Ezra 4:8. Rehum the chancellor — With this verse the Chaldee part of the chapter begins; and the same language continues to the end of Ezra 6:18. These men wrote to Darius in their own language; and the king in the same dialect returns an answer, chap.

Ezra 9:1 — CHAPTER IX The princes inform Ezra that many of the people now settled in the had married heathen wives; and several of the rulers were principal offenders in this thing, 1, 2. He is greatly afflicted, 3, 4. His prayer to God on thus account, 5-15. NOTES ON CHAP. IXVerse Ezra 9:1. The people of Israel — These were they who had returned at first with Zerubbabel, and were settled in the land of Judea and whom Ezra found on his arrival to be little

Nehemiah 9:17 — that במרים bemiryam, in their rebellion, is a mistake for במצרים bemitsrayim, in Egypt. This is the reading of seven of Kennicott's and De Rossi's MSS., the Neapolitan edition of the Hagiographa, and the Septuagint. It is also the reading in Numbers 14:4. The clause should undoubtedly be read, They appointed a captain to return to their bondage in EGYPT.

Job 15:15 — "Behold, among his saints, none is immutable; and the heavens are not clean in his sight."Coverdale. - Beholde, he hath found unfaithfulnesse amonge his owne sanctes, yea the very heavens are unclene in his sight.Eliphaz uses the same mode of speech, Job 4:17; where see the notes. Nothing is immutable but GOD: saints may fall; angels may fall; all their goodness is derived and dependent. The heavens themselves have no purity compared with his.

Job 20:4 — Verse Job 20:4. Knowest thou not this of old — This is a maxim as ancient as the world; it began with the first man: A wicked man shall triumph but a short time; God will destroy the proud doer.Since man was placed upon earth — Literally, since ADAM was

Job 4:10 — Verse Job 4:10. The roaring of the lion — By the roaring lion, fierce lion, old lion, stout lion, and lion's whelps, tyrannous rulers of all kinds are intended. The design of Eliphaz in using these figures is to show that even those who are possessed of the

Psalms 102:18 — to the knowledge of salvation by Christ," as the Syriac states in its inscription to this Psalm: how often the conversion of the soul to God is represented as a new creation, no reader of the New Testament need be told. See Ephesians 2:10; Ephesians 4:24; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15. Even the publication of the Gospel, and its influence among men, is represented under the notion of "creating a new heaven and a new earth," Isaiah 65:17-18.

Psalms 130:4 — Verse Psalms 130:4. But there is forgiveness with thee — Thou canst forgive; mercy belongs to thee, as well as judgment. The doctrine here is the doctrine of St. John: "If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the

Psalms 29:4 — Verse Psalms 29:4. Is powerful — There is no agent in universal nature so powerful as the electric fluid. It destroys life, tears castles and towers to pieces, rends the strongest oaks, and cleaves the most solid rocks: universal animate nature is awed and terrified

Psalms 75:4 — Verse Psalms 75:4. I said unto the fools — I have given the idolatrous Chaldeans sufficient warning to abandon their idols, and worship the true God; but they would not. I have also charged the wicked, to whom for a season I have delivered you because of your transgressions,

Psalms 83:4 — Verse Psalms 83:4. Let us cut them off — Let us exterminate the whole race, that there may not be a record of them on the face of the earth. And their scheme was well laid: eight or ten different nations united themselves in a firm bond to do this; and they had

Proverbs 20:4 — Verse Proverbs 20:4. The sluggard will not plough — For other parts of this character, see the preceding chapter. It is seldom that there is a season of very cold weather in Palestine; very cold days sometimes occur, with wind, rain, and sleet. They begin their ploughing

Proverbs 3:4 — Verse Proverbs 3:4. So shalt thou find favour — Thou shalt be acceptable to God, and thou shalt enjoy a sense of his approbation.And good understanding — Men shall weigh thy character and conduct; and by this appreciate thy motives, and give thee credit for

Ecclesiastes 5:13 — Verse 13. Riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt. — This may be the case through various causes:1. He may make an improper use of them, and lose his health by them.2. He may join in an unfortunate partnership and lose all.3. His riches may excite the desire of the robber; and he may spoil him of his goods, and even take away his life.4. Or, he may leave them to his son, who turns profligate, spends the whole, and ruins both his body and soul. I have seen this again and again.

Ecclesiastes 6:2 — also among the vanities of life. It is worthy of remark, that it belongs to God as much to give the power to enjoy as it does to give the earthly blessings. A wise heathen saw this: - Di tibi divitias dederant, artemque fruendi. HOR. Ep. lib. i., ep. 4, ver. 7. "The gods had given thee riches, and the art to enjoy them."

Jeremiah 4:10 — Verse Jeremiah 4:10. Ah, Lord God! surely thou hast greatly deceived this people — The Targum paraphrases this verse thus: "And I said, Receive my supplication, O Lord God; for, behold, the false prophets deceive this people and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying,

Hosea 11:8 — Verse Hosea 11:8. How shall I give thee up — Hosea 6:4, where we have similar words from similar feeling.Mine heart is turned within me — Justice demands thy punishment; Mercy pleads for thy life. As thou changest, Justice resolves to destroy, or Mercy to save. My heart is oppressed, and I am weary

Hosea 13:4 — Verse Hosea 13:4. I am the Lord thy God — This was the first discovery I made of myself to you, and the first commandment I gave; and I showed you that besides me there was no Saviour. There is a remarkable addition in the Septuagint here: "But I am Jehovah thy God, who stretched out the heavens and created the earth. And I showed them not to thee, that thou shouldest walk after them. And I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt," &c. This might have been once in the Hebrew text.

Amos 4:5 — Verse Amos 4:5. Over a sacrifice of thanksgiving — To the senseless metal, and the unfeeling stock and stone images, from which ye never did, and never could receive any help. Proceed yet farther, and bring free-will offerings; testify superabundant gratitude

Amos 7:4 — Verse Amos 7:4. The Lord God called to contend by fire — Permitted war, both civil and foreign, to harass the land, after the death of Jeroboam the second. These wars would have totally destroyed it, had not the prophet interceded.It devoured the great deep,