Bible Commentaries

Nehemiah 11:1 — dwell at Jerusalem, and the other nine parts in the other cities and villages, 1. Some willingly offer themselves to dwell in Jerusalem, and the people bless them, 2. An enumeration of the families that dwell in Jerusalem, of Judah, and Benjamin, 3-9; of those of the priests, 10-12; of the chiefs of the fathers, 13; of the mighty men, 14; of the Levites, 15-18; of the porters, 19; of the residue of Israel and the officers, 20-24. The villages at which they dwelt, 25-35. Certain divisions of the

Nehemiah 12:1 — XIIVerse Nehemiah 12:1. Now these are the priests — Not the whole, but the chief of them, as we are informed, Nehemiah 12:7; Nehemiah 12:22-24. The Septuagint omit ver. 3, except the word Shechaniah; as also verses Nehemiah 12:4-6, Nehemiah 12:9, Nehemiah 12:37-41. The Arabic omits the first twenty-six verses, and Nehemiah 12:29. Mention is made of Ezra in this verse; and he is generally allowed to be that Ezra whose book the reader has already passed over, and who came to Jerusalem in the

Psalms 17:1 — PSALM XVII David implores the succour of God against his enemies; and professes his integrity and determination to live to God's glory, 1. He prays for support, and expresses strong confidence in God, 5-9; describes the malice and cruelty of his enemies, and prays against them, 10-14; receives a strong persuasion of support and final victory, 15. NOTES ON PSALM XVIIThe title is, A prayer of David; in which there is nothing that requires explanation.

Psalms 37:34 — the Gospel of peace.And he shall exalt thee to inherit the land — If ye keep his way, and be faithful to him in your exile, he will exalt you, lift you up from your present abject state, to inherit the land of your fathers. See before, Psalms 37:9; Psalms 100:0; Psalms 37:11, c.When the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.] They did see the destruction of the Babylonish king, Belshazzar, and his empire and it was in consequence of that destruction that they were enlarged.

Psalms 45:9 — Verse Psalms 45:9. Kings' daughters were among — Applied to Solomon, these words have no difficulty. We know he had seven hundred wives, princesses; and the mention of those here may be intended only to show how highly respected he was among the neighbouring sovereigns,

Psalms 74:1 — The psalmist complains of the desolations of the sanctuary, and pleads with God, 1-3; shows the insolence and wickedness of their enemies, 4-8; prays to God to act for them as he had done for their fathers, whom, by his miraculous power, he had saved, 9-17; begs God to arise, and vindicate his own honour against his enemies, and the enemies of his people, 18-23. NOTES ON PSALM LXXIVThe title is, Maschil of Asaph, or, "A Psalm of Asaph, to give instruction." That this Psalm was written at a time when

Psalms 85:1 — Thanksgiving to God for restoration to the Divine favour, 1-3; prayer for farther mercies, 4-7; the psalmist waits for a gracious answer in full confidence of receiving it, 8. He receives the assurance of the greatest blessings, and exults in the prospect, 9-13. NOTES ON PSALM LXXXVThe title of this Psalm we have seen before, Psalms 42:1. As to the time, it seems to have been written during, or even after, the return from the Babylonish captivity. In the three first verses the psalmist acknowledges the

Ecclesiastes 9:2 — Verse Ecclesiastes 9:2. All things come alike to all — This is very generally true; but God often makes a difference; and his faithful followers witness many interventions of Divine Providence in their behalf. But there are general blessings, and general natural evils,

Isaiah 13:10 — is represented by opposite images. The stars are obscured, the moon withdraws her light, and the sun shines no more! The earth quakes, and the heavens tremble; and all things seem tending to their original chaos, See Joel 2:10; Joel 3:15-16; Amos 8:9; Matthew 24:29; and De S. Poes. Herb. Prael. VI. et IX.And the moon shall not cause her light to shine — This in its farther reference may belong to the Jewish polity, both in Church and state, which should be totally eclipsed, and perhaps shine

Isaiah 22:14 — it in mine ears," and refers to 1 Samuel 2:27; 1 Samuel 3:21: but the construction in those places is different, and there is no speech of God added; which here seems to want something more than the verb נגלה nigleh to introduce it. Compare Isaiah 5:9, where the text is still more imperfect.The Lord God of hosts — אדני יהוה צבאות Adonai Yehovah tsebaoth. But אדני Adonai, Lord, is omitted by two of Kennicott's and De Rossi's MSS., and by two of my own; by three editions, and the Septuagint,

Isaiah 22:6 — by five MSS., (one ancient,) four of De Rossi's, and two ancient of my own; one by correction of Dr. Kennicott's, and three editions. Kir was a city belonging to the Medes. The Medes were subject to the Assyrians in Hezekiah's time, (see 2 Kings 16:9; 2 Kings 17:6;) and so perhaps might Elam (the Persians) likewise be, or auxiliaries to them.

Isaiah 42:20 — critics, though they perceived there was some fault, yet did not know where the fault lay, nor consequently how to amend it; and yet it was open enough to a judicious eye: רבות rabboth, sic veteres; et tamen forte legendum, ראות reoth, vide cap. Isaiah 6:9." - Secker. That is, ראית ראות raith, reoth, seeing, thou shalt see. I believe no one will doubt of admitting this as the true reading.But he heareth not - "Yet thou wilt not hear"] For ישמע yishma, read תשמע tishma, in the second person; so all the

Isaiah 53:12 — of one; i.e., the whole human race; for all have sinned - all have fallen; and for all that have sinned, and for all that have fallen, Jesus Christ died. The רבים rabbim of the prophet answers to the οι πολλοι, of the apostle, Romans 5:15; Romans 5:19. As the πολλοι of the apostle means all that have sinned; so the רבים rabbim of the prophet means those for whom Christ died; i.e., all that have sinned.And made intercession for the transgressors. — For יפגיע yaphgia, in the future, a MS. has

Isaiah 60:5 — 1488, have תיראי tirai, thou shalt fear: the true reading, confirmed by the perfect parallelism of the sentences: the heart ruffled and dilated in the second line answering to the fear and joy expressed in the first. The Prophet Jeremiah, Jeremiah 33:9, has the same natural and elegant sentiment: - "And this city shall become to me a name of joy; A praise and an honour for all the nations of the earth; Which shall hear all the good that I do unto them: And they shall fear, and they shall tremble,

Jeremiah 17:9 — Verse Jeremiah 17:9. The heart is deceitful — עקב הלב akob halleb, "the heart is supplanting - tortuous - full of windings - insidious;" lying ever at the catch; striving to avail itself of every favourable circumstance to gratify its propensities to pride, ambition,

Lamentations 1:20 — resound with tumults, plaints, and fears; And grisly death in sundry shapes appears." DRYDEN. So Milton - "_____________________ Despair Tended the sick, busiest from couch to couch; And over them triumphant Death his dart Shook." Par. Lost, B. xi. 489. Jeremiah, Jeremiah 9:21, uses the same image: - Death is come up into our windows: He hath entered our palaces, To cut off the infants without, And the young men in our streets. So Silius Italicus, II. 548: - Mors graditur, vasto pandens cava

Daniel 9:1 — 3546, B.C. 458, according to the Usherian account. How awfully are the Jews blinded, who, in contradiction to so clear a prophecy, still expect the Messiah who was cut off, and, after suffering, is entered into his glory! NOTES ON CHAP. IXVerse Daniel 9:1. In the first year of Darius — This is the same Darius the Mede, spoken of before, who succeeded Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans. See Daniel 5:31.

Amos 9:13 — Verse Amos 9:13. The ploughman shall overtake the reaper — All the seasons shall succeed in due and natural order: but the crops shall be so copious in the fields and in the vineyards, that a long time shall be employed in gathering and disposing of them;

Zechariah 14:1 — themselves, and much more their enemies, shall be struck with terror, 4, 5. The national prosperity of the Jews shall then be permanent and unmixed, 6, 7; and these people shall be made the instruments of converting many to the faith of the Messiah, 8, 9. The great increase and prosperity of the Christian Church, the New Jerusalem, is then described in terms accommodated to Jewish ideas; and the most signal vengeance denounced against all her enemies, 10-19. From that happy period God's name will be

Matthew 18:11 — For the Son of man, c.] This is added as a second reason, why no injury should be done to his followers. "The Son of man has so loved them as to come into the world to lay down his life for them."That which was lost. — απολωλος. In Revelation 9:11, Satan is called απολλυων, Apolluon, the destroyer, or him who lays waste. This name bears a near relation to that state in which our Lord tells us he finds all mankind - lost, desolated, ruined. So it appears that Satan and men have the nearest