Bible Commentaries

Exodus 32:3 — Verse Exodus 32:3. And all the people brake off the golden ear-rings — The human being is naturally fond of dress, though this has been improperly attributed to the female sex alone, and those are most fond of it who have the shallowest capacities; but on this

2 Kings 3:16 — Verse 2 Kings 3:16. Make this valley full of ditches. — The word נחל nachal may be translated brook, as it is by the Vulgate and Septuagint. There probably was a river here, but it was now dry; and the prophet desires that they would enlarge the channel, and

2 Kings 3:22 — Verse 2 Kings 3:22. Saw the water on the other side as red as blood — This might have been an optical deception; I have seen the like sight when there was no reason to suspect supernatural agency. The Moabites had never seen that valley full of water, and therefore

2 Kings 3:4 — Verse 2 Kings 3:4. Was a sheepmaster — The original is נקד naked, of which the Septuagint could make nothing, and therefore retained the Hebrew word νωκηδ: but the Chaldee has מרי גיתי marey githey, "a sheepmaster;" Aquila has ποιμνιοτροφος; and Symmachus, τρεφων

2 Kings 4:10 — Verse 2 Kings 4:10. Let us make a little chamber — Judges 1:3:20. As the woman was convinced that Elisha was a prophet, she knew that he must have need of more privacy than the general state of her house could afford; and therefore she proposes what she knew would be a great acquisition to him, as he could live

1 Chronicles 11:1 — CHAPTER XI David is anointed king in Hebron, 1-3. He wars against the Jebusites, and takes their city, 4-9. An account of David's three mightiest heroes; and particularly of their hazardous exploit in bringing water from the well of Beth-lehem, 10-19. A list of the rest, and an account of their acts,

1 Chronicles 9:11 — Verse 1 Chronicles 9:11. The ruler of the house of God. — The high priest at this time was Jeshua the son of Jozadak, (Ezra 3:8,) and Seraiah, (Nehemiah 11:11,) called here Azariah, was the ruler of the house; the person next in authority to the high priest, and who probably had the guard of the temple and command of the priests, Levites, c. It is likely that the person here

2 Chronicles 19:1 — CHAPTER XIX Jehoshaphat, on his return from Ramoth-gilead, is met by the prophet Jehu, and reproved, 1-3. He makes a farther reformation in the land, establishing courts of justice, and giving solemn and pertinent directions to the judges, Levites, &c., to do judgement and justice among the people, in the fear of God, 4-11. NOTES ON CHAP. XIXVerse

2 Chronicles 29:1 — CHAPTER XXIX Hezekiah's good reign, 1, 2. He opens and repairs the doors of the temple, 3. He assembles and exhorts the priests and Levites, and proposes to renew the covenant with the Lord, 4-11. They all sanctify themselves and cleanse the temple, 12-17. They inform the king of their progress, 18, 19. He collects the rulers of the people:

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 6:18 — Verse Nehemiah 6:18. He was the son-in-law of Shechaniah — Previously to the coming of Nehemiah, the Jews seemed to be fast intermixing with the heathen, by intermarriages with Ashdodites, Ammonites, and Moabites; see Nehemiah 13:23. Ezra had many evils of this kind to redress, (Ezra 9:3, c.,) chiefly among the common people, though there were both chiefs and priests in that trespass. But here we find the heathen and Jewish nobles interlinked and the latter were so far imbued

Leviticus 3:11 — Verse Leviticus 3:11. It is the food of the offering — We have already remarked that God is frequently represented as feasting with his people on the sacrifices they offered; and because these sacrifices were consumed by that fire which was kindled from heaven,

Leviticus 3:2 — Verse Leviticus 3:2. Lay his hand upon the head of his offering — See this rite explained, Exodus 29:10; Exodus 29:10, and "Leviticus 1:4". "As the burnt-offering, (chap. i.,)" says Mr. Ainsworth, "figured our reconciliation to God by the death of Christ, and the

Numbers 31:3 — Verse Numbers 31:3. Avenge the Lord of Midian. — It was God's quarrel, not their own, that they were now to take up. These people were idolaters; idolatry is an offence against GOD; the civil power has no authority to meddle with what belongs to Him, without

Numbers 34:1 — CHAPTER XXXIV The land of Canaan is described, 1, 2. The south quarter, 3-5. The western border, 6. The north border, 7-9. The east border, 10-12. This land to be divided by lot among the nine tribes and half, 13; two tribes and half, Reuben and Gad, and the half of Manasseh, having already got their inheritance on the east

Deuteronomy 3:4 — Verse Deuteronomy 3:4. All the region of Argob — כל חבל ארגב col chebel Argob, all the cable or cord of Argob; this expression, which is used in various other parts of Scripture, (see, in the original, Amos 7:17; Micah 2:5; Deuteronomy 32:9; Psalms 16:6), shows that

Joshua 10:5 — name for the inhabitants of Canaan, otherwise called Canaanites; and it is very likely that they had this appellation because the Amorites were the most powerful tribe or nation in that country. The inhabitants of Jerusalem were Jebusites, Joshua 15:63; those of Hebron were Hittites, Genesis 23:2-3; Genesis 25:9-10; and the Gibeonites were Hivites, Joshua 9:7; and yet all these are called Amorites occasionally, probably for the reason already mentioned, viz., because that tribe was most numerous and

Judges 10:6 — idolaters, adopting every god of the surrounding nations. Baalim and Ashtaroth may signify gods and goddesses in general. These are enumerated:1. The gods of Syria; Bel and Saturn, or Jupiter and Astarte.2. Gods of Zidon; Ashtaroth, Astarte or Venus.3. The gods of Moab; Chemosh.4. Gods of the children of Ammon; Milcom.5. Gods of the Philistines; Dagon.See 1 Kings 11:33, and 1 Samuel 5:2. These are called gods because their images and places of worship were multiplied throughout the land.

Judges 3:8 — Verse Judges 3:8. Chushan-rishathaim — Kushan, the wicked or impious; and so the word is rendered by the Chaldee Targum, the Syriac, and the Arabic, wherever it occurs in this chapter.King of Mesopotamia — King of ארם נהרים Aram naharayim, "Syria of the

1 Samuel 9:3 — Verse 1 Samuel 9:3. The asses of Kish - were lost — What a wonderful train of occurrences were connected in order to bring Saul to the throne of Israel! Every thing seems to go on according to the common course of events, and yet all conspired to favour the election