Bible Commentaries

Psalms 140:1 — PSALM CXL The psalmist prays against his enemies, 1-6; returns thanks for help, 7; describes his enemies, and prays farther against them, 8-11. His confidence in God, 12, 13. NOTES ON PSALM CXLThe Hebrew, and all the Versions, attribute this Psalm to David; and it is supposed to contain his complaint when persecuted by Saul. The

Psalms 149:7 — Verse Psalms 149:7. To execute vengeance upon the heathen — This may refer simply to their purpose of defending themselves to the uttermost, should their enemies attack them while building their wall: and they had every reason to believe that God would be with them;

Psalms 83:11 — their nobles like Oreb, and like Zeeb — They were two of the chiefs, or generals, of the Midianites; and were slain in the pursuit of the Midianites, by the men of Ephraim; and their heads brought to Gideon on the other side of Jordan. Judges 7:24-25.Yea, all their princes as Zebah, and as Zalmunna — These were kings of Midian, who were encamped at Karkor with fifteen thousand men, whom Gideon attacked there, and defeated, and took the kings prisoners; and finding that they had killed

Psalms 89:29 — house and lineage of David; the government is upon his shoulders, and of its increase there shall be no end, upon the throne of David and on his kingdom to order it and to establish it with judgment and justice, from henceforth even for ever. Isaiah 9:7.

Proverbs 7:22 — Verse Proverbs 7:22. As an ox goeth to the slaughter — The original of this and the following verse has been variously translated. Dr. Grey corrects and translates thus: "He goeth after her straightway, as an OX goeth to the SLAUGHTER; as a DOG to the CHAIN; and

Ecclesiastes 11:8 — he will die a lingering death; and this is ordinarily attended with many pains, and many sorrows; therefore let him prepare to meet his God; and to carry this thought through life, that all must terminate in death. The writer of Ecclesiasticus, Eccl 7:36, has a good saying, similar to this: "Whatsoever thou takest in hand, remember thy END; and thou shalt never do amiss;" ουκ αμαρτησεις, thou wilt not sin.

Ecclesiastes 7:2 — Verse Ecclesiastes 7:2. It is better to go to the house of mourning — Birthdays were generally kept with great festivity, and to these the wise man most probably refers; but according to his maxim, the miseries of life were so many and so oppressive that the day of

Isaiah 40:7 — Verse Isaiah 40:7. The grass withereth — The whole of this verse is wanting in three of Kennicott's and five of De Rossi's MSS., and in a very correct and ancient MS. of my own, and also in the Septuagint and Arabic.Surely the people - "Verily this people"] So

Jeremiah 25:10 — Verse Jeremiah 25:10. I will take from them — See Jeremiah 7:34; Jeremiah 16:9.The sound of the mill-stones, and the light of the candle. — These two are conjoined, because they generally ground the corn before day, by the light of the candle. Sir J. Chardin has remarked, that every where in the morning

Jeremiah 33:14 — predicted the captivity have also foretold its conclusion, though not in such express terms as Jeremiah did. See Hosea 1:10, c. Hosea 2:15, c. Hosea 6:11, c. Amos 9:14, c., and Jeremiah 3:12, c. The end of the captivity has been foretold by Micah, Micah 7:9, &c. Zephaniah, Zephaniah 3:10, c. and by Jeremiah, Jeremiah 16:15 Jeremiah 23:3; Jeremiah 29:10; Jeremiah 32:37. The Targum explains verses Jeremiah 33:14, Jeremiah 33:15, and Jeremiah 33:16 of the Messiah.

Jeremiah 41:7 — Verse Jeremiah 41:7. Slew them — He kept the murder of Gedaliah secret, and no doubt had a band of his assassins lodged in Mizpah; and he decoyed these fourscore men thither that he might have strength to slay them. He kept ten alive because they told him they had

Jeremiah 43:1 — CHAPTER XLIII The leading men, discrediting Jeremiah's prophecy, carry the people into Egypt, 1-7. Jeremiah, by a type, foretells the conquest of Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar, 8-13. This mode of conveying instruction by actions was very expressive, and frequently practised by the prophets. The image of Nebuchadnezzar arraying himself with Egypt, as a

Jeremiah 7:12 — Verse Jeremiah 7:12. But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh — See what I did to my tabernacle and ark formerly: after a long residence at Shiloh, for the iniquity of the priests and the people, I suffered it to fall into the hands of the Philistines,

Ezekiel 25:1 — CHAPTER XXV This chapter contains threatenings of the heavy judgments of God against the Ammonites, 1-7; Moabites, 8-11; Edomites, 12-14; and Philistines, 15-17; on account of their hatred to his people, and their insulting them in the time of their distress. These prophecies were fulfilled by the instrumentality of Nebuchadnezzar, about five years after

Daniel 7:3 — Verse Daniel 7:3. Four great beasts came up from the sea — The term sea, in Hebrew ים yam, from המה hamah, to be tumultuous, agitated, c., seems to be used here to point out the then known terraqueous globe, because of its generally agitated state and the four

Hosea 13:7 — Verse Hosea 13:7. I will be unto them as a lion — שחל shachal is supposed to mean here the black lion, frequent in Ethiopia.As a leopard — נמר namar, so termed from its spotted skin, for to be spotted is the signification of the root.Will I observe them

Amos 7:2 — Verse Amos 7:2. By whom shall Jacob arise? — The locusts, the symbols of the many enemies that had impoverished Jerusalem, having devoured much of the produce of the land, were proceeding, till, at the intercession of the prophet, they were removed. Then,

Matthew 12:36 — Hebrew שוא shave, which signifies not only vain or empty, but also wicked and injurious, such as a false testimony against a neighbour, compare Deuteronomy 5:11; Deuteronomy 5:20. Add to this, that Symmachus translates piggul, polluted, Leviticus 19:7, by the very Greek word in the text. It was to explain this ambiguous meaning of the word, that ten MSS. have changed αργον Into πονηρον, evil. Our Lord must be understood here as condemning all false and injurious words: the scope of the place necessarily

Matthew 14:6 — Verse Matthew 14:6. Herod's birth-day — Either the day in which he was born, or the day on which he began to reign; for both were termed birth-days. See 1 Samuel 13:1, and Hosea 7:5. The kings of Persia were accustomed to reject no petition that was preferred to them during the entertainment. See Herodotus in Calliope, and Esther 5:3.The daughter - danced — This was Salome, mentioned before. Danced: by a literal rendering

Matthew 6:8 — three faults, which our Lord commands us to avoid in prayer:-1st. HYPOCRISY. Be not as the hypocrites. Matthew 6:5.2ndly. DISSIPATION. Enter into thy closet. Matthew 6:6.3rdly. MUCH SPEAKING, or UNMEANING REPETITION, Be not like the heathens. Matthew 6:7.