Bible Commentaries

Ecclesiastes 11:9 — Verse Ecclesiastes 11:9. Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth — Youth is devoid of cares; and, consequently, of many perplexities and distresses. Were it not so, we should have no old men; nay, perhaps not one even of middle age. It is in the order of a most gracious God,

Song of Solomon 7:1 — CHAPTER VII A farther description of the bride, 1-9. Her invitation to the bridegroom, 10-13. NOTES ON CHAP. VIIVerse Song of Solomon 7:1. How beautiful are thy feet with shoes — "How graceful is thy walking." In the sixth chapter the bridegroom praises the Shulamite, as we might express it, from

Isaiah 37:1 — him, 1-4. Isaiah returns a comfortable answer, and predicts the destruction of the king of Assyria and his army, 5-7. Sennacherib, hearing that his kingdom was invaded by the Ethiopians, sends a terrible letter to Hezekiah, to induce him to surrender, 9-13. Hezekiah goes to the temple, spreads the letter before the Lord, and makes a most affecting prayer, 14-20. Isaiah is sent to him to assure him that his prayer is heard; that Jerusalem shall be delivered; and that the Assyrians shall be destroyed,

Isaiah 55:9 — Verse Isaiah 55:9. For as the heavens are higher — I am persuaded that כ caph, the particle of comparison, is lost in this place, from the likeness of the particle כי ki, immediately preceding it. So Houbigant and Secker. And their remark is confirmed by all the

Isaiah 57:8 — memorial"] That is, the image of their tutelary gods, or something dedicated to them; in direct opposition to the law of God, which commanded them to write upon the door-posts of their house, and upon their gates, the words of God's law; Deuteronomy 6:9; Deuteronomy 11:20. If they chose for them such a situation as more private, it was in defiance of a particular curse denounced in the law against the man who should make a graven or a molten image, and put it in a secret place; Deuteronomy 27:15. An

Jeremiah 10:16 — Verse Jeremiah 10:16. The Portion of Jacob is not like them — Every nation had its tutelary god; this was its portion; in reference to this God says Deuteronomy 4:19, "He has divided the sun, moon, and stars, to all the nations under the heaven." And the Lord had taken the Israelites to be his portion; for "the Lord's portion is his people," Deuteronomy 32:9, and David says, "The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance,"

Jeremiah 9:24 — Verse Jeremiah 9:24. But let him that glorieth — To glory in a thing is to depend on it as the means or cause of procuring happiness. But there can be no happiness but in being experimentally acquainted with that God who exercises loving-kindness, judgment, and

Ezekiel 13:17 — evident enough from such being mentioned in the sacred writings. Miriam, the sister of Moses Exodus 15:20; Numbers 12:2; Deborah, Judges 4:4; Huldah, 2 Kings 22:14; Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, Luke 2:36; the four daughters of Philip the deacon, Acts 21:9.Calmet observes that there was scarcely a heresy in the primitive Church that was not supported and fomented by seducing women.

Daniel 7:9 — Verse Daniel 7:9. The thrones were cast down — דמיו might be translated erected, so the Vulgate, positi sunt, and so all the versions; but that ours is a proper translation, is sufficiently evident from Daniel 3:6; Daniel 3:16; Daniel 3:20; Daniel 6:17, c. where

Hosea 13:9 — Verse Hosea 13:9. O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself — These evils come not by my immediate infliction; they are the consequences of thy own crimes. In the above terrifying figures of the ferocious beasts, the prophet only shows what they would meet with from

Zephaniah 3:9 — Verse 9. Will I turn to the people — This promise must refer to the conversion of the Jews under the Gospel.That they may all call — That the whole nation may invoke God by Christ, and serve him with one consent; not one unbeliever being found among

Matthew 9:3 — Verse Matthew 9:3. This man blasphemeth. — βλασφημεω comes either from βλαπτειν την φημην, to hurt or blast the reputation or credit of another, or from βαλλειν ταις φημαις, to smite with reports. Whenever it is used in reference to GOD, it simply signifies,

Luke 17:11 — Verse Luke 17:11. He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee — He first went through Galilee, whence he set out on his journey; and then through Samaria, of which mention is made, Luke 9:51-52. All who went from Galilee to Jerusalem must have necessarily passed through Samaria, unless they had gone to the westward, a very great way about. Therefore John tells us, John 4:4, that when Jesus left Judea to go into Galilee, it was necessary

Luke 21:1 — CHAPTER XXI. The poor widow casting two mites into the treasury, 1-4. the destruction of the temple foretold, 5, 6. The signs of this desolation, 7. False Christs, 8. Wars, 9, 10. Earthquakes and fearful sights, 11. Persecutions against the godly, 12-19. Directions how to escape, 20-22. The tribulation of those times, 23-28. The parable of the fig tree, illustrative of the time when they may expect these calamities, 29-33.

John 17:9 — Verse John 17:9. I pray not for the world — I am not yet come to that part of my intercession: see John 17:20. I am now wholly employed for my disciples, that they may be properly qualified to preach my salvation to the ends of the earth. Jesus here imitates

Romans 9:7 — Verse Romans 9:7. Neither because they are the seed of Abraham, c.] Nor can they conclude, because they are the natural descendants of Abraham, that therefore they are all of them, without exception, the children in whom the promise is to be fulfilled.But, in Isaac

1 Corinthians 16:9 — Verse 1 Corinthians 16:9. A great door and effectual is opened — Θυοα γαρ μοι ανεωγε μεγαλη και ενεργης· A great and energetic door is opened to me; that is, God has made a grand opening to me in those parts, which I perceive will require much labour; and besides, I shall

2 Corinthians 11:25 — Verse 25. Thrice was I beaten with rods — This was under the Roman government, as their lictors beat criminals in this way. We hear of the apostle's being treated thus once, namely at Philippi, Acts 16:22. See sec. 9 of the introduction.Once was I stoned — Namely, at Lystra, Acts 14:19, c.A night and a day I have been in the deep — To what this refers we cannot tell it is generally supposed that in some shipwreck not on record the apostle had saved himself

2 Corinthians 11:9 — Verse 2 Corinthians 11:9. And when I was present with you — The particle και which we translate and, should be rendered for in this place: For when I was with you, and was in want, I was chargeable to no man. I preferred to be, for a time, even without the necessaries

Ephesians 5:9 — Verse 9. For the fruit of the Spirit — Instead of Spirit, πνευματος, ABD*EFG, the Syriac, Coptic, Sahidic, AEthiopic, Armenian, Vulgate, and Itala, together with several of the fathers, read φωτος, light, which is supposed by most critics to be the true