Bible Commentaries

2 Kings 22:1 — CHAPTER XXII Josiah succeeds Amon his father, and reigns thirty-one years, 1, 2. He repairs the breaches of the temple, 3-7. Hilkiah finds the book of the law tn the temple, 8. It is read by Shaphan the scribe, before the king and his servants, 9, 10. The king, greatly affected, sends to inquire of Huldah the prophetess, 11-13. She delivers an afflictive prophecy concerning

2 Kings 3:19 — Verse 2 Kings 3:19. Shall fell every good tree — Every tree by which your enemies may serve themselves for fortifications, c. But surely fruit trees are not intended here for this was positively against the law of God, Deuteronomy 20:19-20: "When thou shalt besiege

1 Chronicles 19:1 — CHAPTER XIX David sends a congratulatory message to Hanun, king of Ammon, 1, 2. He treats the messengers with great incivility, 3, 4. David is exasperated, but condoles with the degraded messengers, 5. The Ammonites prepare for war, and hire thirty-two thousand chariots, and besiege Medeba, 6, 7. David sends Joab to attack them; he defeats the Syrians and Ammonites, 8-15. The

1 Chronicles 28:11 — 1 Chronicles 28:12; 1 Chronicles 28:19,) just as Moses had received the plan of the tabernacle.The treasuries thereof — גנזכיו ganzaccaiv. The word גנזך ganzach is not Hebrew, but is supposed to be Persian, the same word being found in Esther 3:9. In this tongue we have the word [Persian] ganj, a granary, a hidden treasure, and [Persian] gunjoor, and [Persian] gunjineh, a treasure, treasury, or barn. Parkhurst supposes that it is compounded of גנז ganaz, to treasure up, and זך zach, pure;

2 Chronicles 18:1 — CHAPTER XVIII Jehoshaphat joins affinity with Ahab, king of Israel, 1, 2; who invites him to assist him in the war against the Syrians, to which Jehoshaphat agrees, 3. They consult the prophets concerning the success of the war; and all, except Micaiah, promise Ahab victory, 4-17. Micaiah relates his vision concerning the lying spirit in the mouth of Ahab's prophets, 18-22. Zedekiah, a false prophet, opposes Micaiah;

2 Chronicles 3:6 — Verse 2 Chronicles 3:6. Gold of Parvaim. — We know not what this place was; some think it is the same as Sepharvaim, a place in Armenia or Media, conquered by the king of Assyria, 2 Kings 17:24, c. Others, that it is Taprobane, now the island of Ceylon, which Bochart

Psalms 10:3 — Verse Psalms 10:3. Boasteth of his heart's desire — Boasts among his fellows how often he has gratified such and such passions, in such and such circumstances. This shows the excess of a depraved and imbruted spirit. He who can boast of his iniquity, is in the

Psalms 101:3 — Verse Psalms 101:3. I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes — I will undertake no unjust wars; will enter into no sinful alliances; will not oppress my subjects by excessive taxation, to support extravagance in my court. I will not look favourably on things

Psalms 20:3 — Verse Psalms 20:3. Remember all thy offerings — The minchah, which is here mentioned, was a gratitude-offering. It is rarely used to signify a bloody sacrifice.Burnt sacrifice — The olah here mentioned was a bloody sacrifice. The blood of the victim was spilt

Psalms 57:3 — Verse Psalms 57:3. He shall send from heaven, and save me — Were there no human agents or earthly means that he could employ, he would send his angels from heaven to rescue me from my enemies. Or, He will give his command from heaven that this may be done on earth.Selah

Numbers 36:8 — Verse Numbers 36:8. Every daughter that possesseth an inheritance — This law affected none but heiresses; all others were at liberty to marry into any of the other tribes. The priests and Levites, who could have no inheritance, were exempt from the operation

Deuteronomy 14:1 — CHAPTER XIV The Israelites are not to adopt superstitious customs in mourning, 1, 2. The different kinds of clean and unclean animals, 3-20. Nothing to be eaten that dieth of itself, 21. Concerning offerings which, from distance cannot be carried to the altar of God, and which may be turned into money, 22-26. The Levite is not to be forsaken, 27. The third year's tithe for the Levite,

Deuteronomy 17:16 — God prohibits these,1. Lest there should be such commerce with Egypt as might lead to idolatry.2. Lest the people might depend on a well-appointed cavalry as a means of security, and so cease from trusting in the strength and protection of God. And,3. That they might not be tempted to extend their dominion by means of cavalry, and so get scattered among the surrounding idolatrous nations, and thus cease, in process of time, to be that distinct and separate people which God intended they should be,

Deuteronomy 28:30 — Verse Deuteronomy 28:30. Thou shalt betroth a wife, c. — Can any heart imagine any thing more grievous than the evils threatened in this and the following verses? To be on the brink of all social and domestic happiness, and then to be suddenly deprived of all, and see

Joshua 1:3 — Verse Joshua 1:3. The sole of your foot shalt tread upon — That is, the whole land occupied by the seven Canaanitish nations, and as far as the Euphrates on the east; for this was certainly the utmost of the grant now made to them; and all that was included in

Joshua 18:3 — Verse Joshua 18:3. How long are ye slack to go to possess the land — We find an unaccountable backwardness in this people to enter on the inheritance which God had given them! They had so long been supported by miracle, without any exertions of their own, that

Judges 16:3 — Verse Judges 16:3. Took the doors of the gate — Though Samson was a very strong man, yet we do not find that he was a giant; consequently we may conjecture that the gates of the city were not very large, as he took at once the doors, the two posts, and the bar,

Judges 4:1 — CHAPTER IV The Israelites again rebel against God, and they are delivered into the hands of Jabin, king of Canaan, 1, 2. They cry unto God, and he raises up Deborah and Barak to deliver then, 3-10. Some account of Heber the Kenite, 11. Barak attacks Sisera, captain of Jabin's army, at the river Kishon, and gives him a total overthrow, 12-16. Sisera leaves his chariot, and flies away on foot; enters the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber, by whom

1 Samuel 25:3 — Verse 1 Samuel 25:3. The name of the man was Nabal — The word נבל nabal signifies to be foolish, base, or villanous; and hence the Latin word nebulo, knave, is supposed to be derived.The name of his wife Abigail — The joy or exultation of my father. A woman

1 Samuel 28:6 — instruction; and begged that God would answer by a significant dream.2. Urim. - This was a kind of oracular answer given to the high priest when clothed with the ephod, on which were the Urim and Thummim. How these communicated the answer, is not well known.3. Prophets. - Who were requested by the party concerned to consult the Lord on the subject in question, and to report his answer. The prophets at that time could only be those in the schools of the prophets, which Samuel had established at Naioth and