Bible Commentaries

2 Kings 9:27 — Verse 27. Fled by the way of the garden — The account of the death of Ahaziah, as given in 2 Chronicles 22:8-9, is very different from that given here: When Jehu was executing judgment upon the house of Ahab-he sought Ahaziah; and they caught him, (for he was hid in Samaria,) and brought him to Jehu; and when they had slain him, they buried him. "The current

Job 6:4 — tremendous and glorious, were the unerring Archer; to whom could the sons of Adam flee for protection?' The califf answered, 'The sons of Adam must flee unto the Lord.'" This fine image Job keeps in view in the eighth and ninth verses Job 6:8; Job 6:9, wishing that the unerring marksman may let fly these arrows, let loose his hand, to destroy and cut him off.

Psalms 149:1 — PSALM CXLIX All the congregation are invited to praise God for his mercies, 1-3. Their great privileges, 4, 5. Their victories, 6-9. NOTES ON PSALM CXLIXThis seems to be an epinikion, or song of triumph, after some glorious victory; probably in the time of the Maccabees. It has been also understood as predicting the success of the Gospel in the nations of the earth. According to

Psalms 3:2 — to strew or spread out, intimating that the subject to which the word is attached should be spread out, meditated on, and attentively considered by the reader. Fenwick, Parkhurst, and Dodd, contend for this meaning; and think "it confirmed by Psalms 9:16, where the word higgaion is put before selah, at the end of the verse." Now higgaion certainly signifies meditation, or a fit subject for meditation; and so shows selah to be really a nota bene, attend to or mind this.

Psalms 33:1 — PSALM XXXIII The Lord is praised for his works of creation, 1-9; and for the stability of his own counsels, 10, 11. The blessedness of the people who have the knowledge of the true God, his grace, and providence, 12-15. The vanity of all earthly dependence, 16, 17. The happiness of them that fear God, and trust

Psalms 62:9 — Verse Psalms 62:9. Men of low degree are vanity — בני אדם beney Adam, which we here translate men of low degree, literally, sons of Adam, are put in opposition to בני איש beney ish, men of high degree, literally, the sons of substance, or children of substantial

Psalms 76:1 — PSALM LXXVI The true God known in Judah, Israel, Salem, and Zion, 1, 2. A description of his defeat of the enemies of his people, 3-6. How God us to be worshipped, 7-9. He should be considered as the chief Ruler: all the potentates of the earth are subject to him, 10-12. NOTES ON PSALM LXXVIThe title, "To the chief Musician on Neginoth, a Psalm or Song of Asaph." See the titles to Psalms 4:1; Psalms 6:1. The Vulgate,

Proverbs 9:18 — Verse Proverbs 9:18. But he knoweth not that the dead are there — See on Proverbs 2:18. He does not know that it was in this way the first apostates from God and truth walked. רפאים rephaim; γιγαντες, the GIANTS. - Septuagint. The sons of men, the earth-born,

Song of Solomon 5:1 — CHAPTER V The bridegroom calls on his spouse to admit him, 1-3. She hesitates; but arising finds him gone, seeks him, and is treated unworthily by the city watch, 4-7. Inquires of the daughters of Jerusalem, who question her concerning her beloved, 8, 9. This gives her occasion to enter into a fine description of his person and accomplishments, 10-16. NOTES ON CHAP. VVerse Song of Solomon 5:1. I am come into my garden — באתי bathi, I came, or have come; this should be translated in the past tense,

Isaiah 15:9 — Verse Isaiah 15:9. The waters of Dimon — Some have Dibon, others have Ribon and Rimon. St. Jerome observes that the same town was called both Dibon and Dimon. The reading is therefore indifferent.Upon him that escapeth of Moab, c. - "Upon the escaped of Moab, and

Isaiah 16:9 — Verse Isaiah 16:9. With the weeping - "As with the weeping"] For בבכי bibechi, a MS. reads בכי bechi. In Jeremiah 48:32, it is מבכי mibbechi. The Septuagint read כבכי kibeki, as with weeping, which I follow.For thy summer fruits and for thy harvest is fallen - "And upon

Isaiah 28:10 — line. A little there, a little there. Kimchi says צו tsav, precept, is used here for מצוה mitsvah, command, and is used in no other place for it but here. צו tsav signifies a little precept, such as is suited to the capacity of a child; see Isaiah 28:9. קו kav signifies the line that a mason stretches out to build a layer of stones by. After one layer or course is placed, he raises the line and builds another; thus the building is by degrees regularly completed. This is the method of teaching children,

Isaiah 28:4 — morsel in the spring;" Shaw, Travels, p. 370, fol. The image was very obvious to the inhabitants of Judea and the neighbouring countries, and is frequently applied by the prophets to express a desirable object; by none more elegantly than by Hosea, Hosea 9:10: - "Like grapes in the wilderness I found Israel; Like the first ripe fig in her prime, I saw your fathers." Which when he that looketh upon it seeth - "Which whoso seeth, he plucketh it immediately"] For יראה yireh, which with הראה haroeh makes

Jeremiah 45:5 — And as for any benefit to thyself, think it sufficient that God has determined to preserve thy life amidst all these dangers.But thy life will I give unto thee for a prey — This is a proverbial expression. We have met with it before, Jeremiah 21:9; Jeremiah 38:2; Jeremiah 39:18; and it appears to have this meaning. As a prey or spoil is that which is gained from a vanquished enemy, so it is preserved with pleasure as the proof and reward of a man's own valour. So Baruch's life should be doubly

Joshua 1:4 — Arabia Petraea on the SOUTH to Lebanon on the NORTH: and from the Euphrates on the EAST to the Mediterranean Sea on the WEST. The Israelites did not possess the full extent of this grant till the days of David. See 2 Samuel 8:3, c., and 2 Chronicles 9:26.Land of the Hittites — These are generally reputed to have been the most hardy and warlike of all the Canaanitish nations and as they occupied the mountainous countries on the south of the land of Canaan, it is natural to suppose that they

Joshua 16:10 — Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer — It appears that the Canaanites were not expelled from this city till the days of Solomon, when it was taken by the king of Egypt his father-in-law, who made it a present to his daughter, Solomon's queen. See 1 Kings 9:16. And see the note on Joshua 10:33. The Ephraimites, however, had so far succeeded in subjecting these people as to oblige them to pay tribute, though they could not, or at least did not, totally expel them.OF the names and places in this chapter,

Judges 7:1 — against the Midianites. Three hundred only are selected; and into the hands of these God promises to deliver the whole Midianitish host, 1-8. Gideon is directed to go down unto the host in the night, that he may be encouraged on hearing what they say, 9-12. He obeys, and hears a Midianite tell a remarkable dream unto his fellow, which predicted the success of his attack, 13-15. He takes encouragement, divides his men into three companies, and gives each a trumpet with a lighted lamp concealed in a

Judges 8:1 — them, 1-3. Gideon and his three hundred men pass over Jordan, pursuing the Midianites; and, being faint, ask victuals from the princes of Succoth, but are refused, 4-7. They make the like application to the people of Penuel, and are also refused, 8, 9. Gideon defeats Zebah and Zalmunna, the two kings of Midian, and takes them prisoners, 10-12. He chastises the men of Succoth and Penuel, 13-17. He slays Zebah and Zalumunna, who had killed his brethren, 18-21. The Israelites offer him the kingdom,

1 Samuel 5:2 — that they placed his ark in the temple of Dagon. When the Philistines had conquered Saul, they hung up his armour in the temple of Ashtaroth, 1 Samuel 31:10. And when David slew Goliath, he laid up his sword in the tabernacle of the Lord, 1 Samuel 21:8-9. We have the remains of this custom in the depositing of colours, standards, c., taken from an enemy, in our churches but whether this may be called superstition or a religious act, is hard to say. If the battle were the Lord's, which few battles are,

2 Samuel 11:1 — conceives, and informs David, 5. David sends to Joab, and orders him to send to him Uriah, 6. He arrives; and David having inquired the state of the army, dismisses him, desiring him to go to his own house, 7, 8. Uriah sleeps at the door of the king's house, 9. The next day the king urges him to go to his house; but he refuses to go, and gives the most pious and loyal reasons for his refusal, 10-11. David after two days sends him back to the army, with a letter to Joab, desiring him to place Uriah in the