Bible Commentaries

Isaiah 31:1 — Deliverance and protection are, notwithstanding, promised, expressed by two similes; the first remarkably lofty and poetical, the latter singularly beautiful and tender, 4, 5. Exhortation to repentance, joined with the prediction of a more reformed period, 6, 7. This chapter concludes like the preceding, with a prophecy of the fall of Sennacherib, 8, 9. NOTES ON CHAP. XXXIVerse Isaiah 31:1. Wo to them that go down to Egypt — This is a reproof to the Israelites for forming an alliance with the Egyptians,

Isaiah 58:7 — Verse Isaiah 58:7. Deal thy bread to the hungry — But this thou canst not do, if thou eat it thyself. When a man fasts, suppose he do it through a religious motive, he should give the food of that day, from which he abstains, to the poor and hungry, who, in the

Jeremiah 20:7 — Verse Jeremiah 20:7. O Lord, thou hast deceived me — Thou hast promised me protection; and, lo! I am now delivered into the hands of my enemies. These words were probably spoken when Pashur smote him, and put him in prison.I think our translation of this passage

Jeremiah 26:1 — CHAPTER XXVI Jeremiah, by the commend of God, goes into the court of the Lord's house; and foretells the destruction of the temple and city, if not prevented by the speedy repentance of the people, 1-7. By this unwelcome prophecy his life was in great danger; although saved by the influence of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, who makes a masterly defense for the prophet, 8-18. Urijah is condemned, but escapes to Egypt; whence he is brought back by Jehoiakim,

Daniel 8:7 — Verse Daniel 8:7. And brake his two horns — Subdued Persia and Media; sacked and burnt the royal city of Persepolis, the capital of the Persian empire, and, even in its ruins, one of the wonders of the world to the present day. This he did because "he was moved

Hosea 7:11 — Verse Hosea 7:11. Ephraim also is like a silly dove without heart — A bird that has little understanding; that is easily snared and taken; that is careless about its own young, and seems to live without any kind of thought. It has been made, by those who, like

Joel 2:4 — Bochart remarks, from an Arabic writer, that the locusts resemble ten different kinds of animals:1. The HORSE in its head.2. The ELEPHANT in its eyes.3. The BULL in its neck.4. The STAG in its horns.5. The LION in its breast.6. The SCORPION in its belly.7. The EAGLE in its wings.8. The CAMEL in its thighs.9. The OSTRICH in its feet. And10. The SERPENT in its tail.Vid. Hieroz., vol. ii., p. 475, edit. 1692.But its most prominent resemblance is to the horse, which the prophet mentions; and which the Arabic

Amos 4:7 — Verse Amos 4:7. When there were yet three months to the harvest — St. Jerome says, from the end of April, when the latter rain falls, until harvest, there are three months, May, June, and July, in which no rain falls in Judea. The rain, therefore, that God had

Amos 7:9 — Verse Amos 7:9. And the high places of Isaac shall be desolate — Their total destruction is at hand. The high place of Isaac was Beer-sheba, where Isaac had built an altar to the Lord, Genesis 26:25. This high place, which had been abused to idolatrous uses,

Obadiah 1:7 — Verse Obadiah 1:7. All the men of thy confederacy — The Chaldeans are here intended, to whom the Idumeans were attached, and whose agents they became in exercising cruelties upon the Jews.Have brought thee even to the border — Have hemmed thee in on every

Micah 1:14 — go out. Micah 1:13, לכיש lachish, the city, and רכש rechesh, the swift beast. Micah 1:14, אכזיב achzib, the city, and אכזב achzab, a lie. Such paronomasias were reputed ornaments by the prophets. They occur in Isaiah with great effect. See Isaiah 5:7.

Zephaniah 3:1 — CHAPTER III The prophet reproves Jerusalem, and all her guides and rulers, for their obstinate perseverance in impiety, notwithstanding all the warnings and corrections which they had received from God, 1-7. They are encouraged, however, after they shall have been chastised for their idolatry, and cured of it, to look for mercy and restoration, 8-13; and exited to hymns of joy at the glorious prospect, 14-17. After which the prophet concludes with large

Matthew 11:12 — Gospel, and so take the kingdom as by force from those learned doctors who claimed for themselves the chiefest places in that kingdom. Christ himself said, The tax-gatherers and harlots go before you into the kingdom of God. See the parallel place, Luke 7:28-30. He that will take, get possession of the kingdom of righteousness, peace, and spiritual joy, must be in earnest: all hell will oppose him in every step he takes; and if a man be not absolutely determined to give up his sins and evil companions,

Matthew 13:58 — Verse Matthew 13:58. And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief — δυναμεις, miracles. So the word is used, Matthew 7:22; Matthew 11:20; Acts 19:11; 1 Corinthians 12:28; Galatians 3:5; Hebrews 2:4. The Septuagint translates נפלאות אל niphleoth el, the miraculous works of God, by δυναμιν κυριε.Unbelief and contempt drive Christ out of the heart, as they did out of his

Matthew 16:27 — Verse Matthew 16:27. For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father — This seems to refer to Daniel 7:13-14. "Behold, one like the Son of man came - to the ancient of Days - and there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, and

Matthew 8:10 — Verse Matthew 8:10. I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. — That is, I have not found so great an instance of confidence and faith in my power, even among the Jews, as this Roman, a Gentile, has shown himself to possess.From Luke 7:5, where it is said of this centurion, "he loved our nation, and has built us a synagogue," we may infer that this man was like the centurion mentioned Acts 10:1; a devout Gentile, a proselyte of the gate, one who believed in the God of Israel, without

Mark 3:1 — CHAPTER III. The man with the withered hand healed, 1-5. The Pharisees plot our Lord's destruction, 6. Christ withdraws, and is followed by a great multitude, 7-9. He heals many, and goes to a mountain to pray, 10-13. He ordains twelve disciples, and, gives them power to preach and work miracles, 14, 15. Their names, 16-19. The multitudes throng him, and the scribes attribute his miracles to Beelzebub, 20-22.

Luke 19:9 — Verse Luke 19:9. Jesus said unto him — Bishop PEARCE observes: "Probably Luke wrote αυτους, not αυτον, said unto them, i.e. to those who had before called Zaccheus a sinner; (Luke 19:7); for Jesus here speaks of Zaccheus in the third person, he also is a son of Abraham, and therefore he was not then speaking to him." This conjecture of this respectable prelate is supported by the margin of the later Syriac, and by every copy of the

Luke 6:32 — Verse 32. For sinners also love those that love them. — I believe the word αμαρτωλοι is used by St. Luke in the same sense in which τελωναι, tax-gatherers, is used by St. Matthew, Matthew 5:46-47, and signifies heathens; not only men who have no religion, but men who acknowledge none. The religion of Christ not only corrects the errors and reforms the disorders of the fallen nature of man, but raises it even above itself: it brings it near to

Luke 7:10 — Verse Luke 7:10. Found the servant whole — This cure was the effect of the faith, prayer, and humility of the centurion, through which the almighty energy of Jesus Christ was conveyed to the sick man. But these very graces in the centurion were the products