Bible Commentaries

1 Chronicles 18:1 — CHAPTER XVIII David smites the Philistines, and takes Gath, 1. Reduces the Moabites, 2. Vanquishes Hadarezer, king of Zobah, 3, 4. Overcomes the Syrians of Damascus, and takes several of their cities, 5-8. Tou, king of Hamath, congratulates him on his victory, and sends him vessels of silver, gold, and brass, 9, 10. Those and the different spoils he had taken from the conquered

1 Chronicles 4:1 — CHAPTER IV A second genealogy of Judah, 1-23. The account of Jabez, 9, 10. The genealogy of Simeon, 24-27. Their cities, 28-31. Their villages, and where situated, 32, 33. The heads of families, 34-38. Where they settled; and what was their occupation, 39-43. NOTES ON CHAP. IVVerse 1 Chronicles 4:1. The sons of Judah — A genealogy of this tribe

1 Chronicles 5:1 — CHAPTER V The genealogies of Reuben, 1-10. Of Gad, 11-17. The exploits of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, 18-22. The genealogy of the half tribe of Manasseh, 23, 24. The idolatry of these tribes and their captivity by the Assyrians, 25, 26. NOTES ON CHAP. VVerse 1 Chronicles 5:1. The sons of Reuben the first-born — As Reuben was the eldest son of Jacob, why was not his genealogy reviewed first? This verse

2 Chronicles 4:22 — Verse 2 Chronicles 4:22. The doors - were of gold. — That is, were overlaid with golden plates, the thickness of which we do not know.THAT every thing in the tabernacle and temple was typical or representative of some excellence of the Gospel dispensation may be readily

Nehemiah 7:1 — CHAPTER VII Nehemiah makes use of proper precautions in guarding the city gates, 1-4. He proposes to reckon the people according to their genealogies; and finds a register of those who came out of Babylon, with Zerubbabel, 5-7. A transcript of the register, 8-10. Account of those who came from other provinces; and of priests who, because

Job 3:9 — personification is still carried on. The darkness is represented as waiting for the lustre of the evening star, but is disappointed; and these for the aurora or dawn, but equally in vain. He had prayed that its light, the sun, should not shine upon it, Job 3:4; and here he prays that its evening star may be totally obscured, and that it might never see the dawning of the day. Thus his execration comprehends every thing that might irradiate or enliven it.

Psalms 119:109 — Psalms 119:109. My soul is continually in my hand — נפשי naphshi, my life; that is, it is in constant danger, every hour I am on the confines of death. The expression signifies to be in continual danger. So Xenarchus in Athenaeus, lib. xiii., c. 4: Εν τῃ χειρι την ψυχην εχοντα, "having the life in the hand;" which signifies continual danger and jeopardy. There is some thing like this in the speech of Achilles to Ulysses, HOM. Il. ix., ver. 322: - Αιει εμην ψυχην παραβαλλομενος πολεμιζειν·

Psalms 12:4 — Verse Psalms 12:4. Our lips are our own — Many think, because they have the faculty of speaking, that therefore they may speak what they please.Old MS. - The qwilk sayd, our toung we sal wyrchip, our lippes er of us, qwas our Lorde? Tha Ypocrites worchepes thair

Psalms 13:4 — Verse Psalms 13:4. Let mine enemy say — Satan's ordinary method in temptation is to excite strongly to sin, to blind the understanding and inflame the passions; and when he succeeds, he triumphs by insults and reproaches. None so ready then to tell the poor soul

Psalms 4:2 — Verse Psalms 4:2. O ye sons of men — בני איש beney ish, ye powerful men-ye who are now at the head of affairs, or who are leaders of the multitude.Love vanity — The poor, empty, shallow-brained, pretty-faced Absalom; whose prospects are all vain, and whose

Psalms 61:4 — Verse Psalms 61:4. I will abide in thy tabernacle — The greater portion of those Psalms which were composed during and after the captivity, says Calmet, had Levites and priests for their authors. Hence we find the ardent desire so frequently expressed of seeing

Psalms 73:4 — Verse Psalms 73:4. No bands in their death — Many of the godly have sore conflicts at their death. Their enemy then thrusts sore at them that they may fall; or that their confidence in their God may be shaken. But of this the ungodly know nothing. Satan will not

Proverbs 13:9 — may signify posterity. The righteous shall have a joyous posterity; but that of the wicked shall be cut off. So 1 Kings 11:36: "And unto his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant may have a light ( ner, a lamp) always before me." 1 Kings 15:4: "Nevertheless for David's sake did the Lord give them a lamp, to set up his son after him." See also Psalms 132:17, and several other places.

Proverbs 4:12 — Verse Proverbs 4:12. Thy steps shall not be straitened — True wisdom will teach thee to keep out of embarrassments. A man under the influence of true religion ponders his paths, and carefully poises occurring circumstances; and as the fear of God will ever lead

Proverbs 4:15 — Verse Proverbs 4:15. Avoid it — Let it be the serious purpose of thy soul to shun every appearance of evil.Pass not by it — Never, for the sake of worldly gain, or through complaisance to others, approach the way that thou wouldst not wish to be found in

Deuteronomy 21:4 — Verse Deuteronomy 21:4. Shall bring down the heifer unto a rough valley — נחל איתן nachal eythan might be translated a rapid stream, probably passing through a piece of uncultivated ground where the elders of the city were to strike off the head of the heifer, and to

Deuteronomy 4:33 — Verse Deuteronomy 4:33. Did ever people hear the voice of God — It seems to have been a general belief that if God appeared to men, it was for the purpose of destroying them; and indeed most of the extraordinary manifestations of God were in the way of judgment;

Joshua 23:4 — Verse Joshua 23:4. I have divided - these nations that remain — The whole of the promised land had been portioned out, as well those parts which had not yet been conquered, as those from which the ancient inhabitants had been expelled. The Canaanitish armies had

Judges 16:4 — Verse Judges 16:4. He loved a woman in the valley of Sorek — Some think Samson took this woman for his wife; others, that he had her as a concubine. It appears she was a Philistine; and however strong his love was for her, she seems to have had none for him. He

1 Samuel 5:4 — Verse 1 Samuel 5:4. Only the stump of Dagon was left — Literally, Only דגן dagon (i.e., the little fish) was left. It has already been remarked that Dagon had the head, arms and hands of a man or woman, and that the rest of the idol was in the form of a fish, to