Bible Commentaries

Hosea 14:4 — so as to do them incessant good. It shall not be a love of affection merely, but shall be a beneficial love. A love that not only feels delight in itself, but fills them with delight who are its objects, by making them unutterably and supremely happy.3. For mine anger is turned away from him - Because he has turned back to me. Thus God and man become friends.

Amos 7:17 — cannot tell in what circumstances these threatenings were executed.1. His wife was to be a public prostitute; she was probably such already privately in the temple, as the wife of an idolatrous priest.2. His sons and daughters were to fall by the sword. 3. Their inheritance was to be taken by strangers.4. And himself was to die a captive in a heathen land.Israel shall surely go into captivity — He now declares fully what he had not declared before, though Amaziah had made it a subject of accusation.

Jonah 4:3 — Verse Jonah 4:3. Take, I beseech thee, my life from me — קח נא את נפשי kach na eth naphshi, "Take, I beseech thee, even my soul." Do not let me survive this disgrace. Thou hast spared this city. I thought thou wouldst do so, because thou art merciful and gracious,

Nahum 3:14 — Verse Nahum 3:14. Draw thee waters for the siege — The Tigris ran near to Nineveh, and here they are exhorted to lay in plenty of fresh water, lest the siege should last long, and lest the enemy should cut off this supply.Go into clay, and tread the mortar

Zechariah 4:1 — ON CHAP. IVVerse Zechariah 4:1. The angel - came again, and waked me — Abp. Newcome considers this vision as represented on the same night, Zechariah 1:8, with the preceding ones. See the latter part of Zechariah 4:10, compared with Zechariah 3:9. After some interval the prophet, overpowered with the vision which had been presented to him, was awakened from his prophetic trance as from a sleep.

Zechariah 6:8 — the Roman empire. This description suits it because it was governed by kings, consuls, dictators, and emperors. It penetrated southward to Egypt and Africa. The Roman empire is mentioned twice, Zechariah 6:6-7, under each epithet given it, Zechariah 6:3.

Malachi 3:18 — Verse Malachi 3:18. Then shall ye return — To your senses, when perhaps too late; and discern-see the difference which God makes, between the righteous and the wicked, which will be most marked and awful.Between him that serveth God — Your obedience to

Matthew 10:7 — preach-proclaim salvation to all you meet. Wherever the ministers of Christ go, they find lost, ruined souls; and, wherever they find them, they should proclaim Jesus, and his power to save. For an explanation of the word proclaim or preach, Matthew 3:1.From this commission we learn what the grand subject of apostolic preaching was - THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND! This was the great message. "They preached," says Quesnel, "to establish the faith; the kingdom, to animate the hope; of heaven, to

Matthew 15:19 — conversation, or dialogue, with itself. For φονοι, murders, two MSS. have φθονοι, envyings, and three others have both. Envy and murder are nearly allied: the former has often led to the latter.Blasphemies — I have already observed, Matthew 9:3, that the verb βλασφημεω, when applied to men, signifies to speak INJURIOUSLY of their persons, characters, &c., and, when applied to God, it means to speak IMPIOUSLY of his nature, works, &c.

Matthew 17:17 — 17:17. O faithless and perverse generation! — These and the following words may be considered as spoken:1. To the disciples, because of their unbelief, Matthew 17:20.2. To the father of the possessed, who should have brought his son to Christ.3. To the whole multitude, who were slow of heart to believe in him as the Messiah, notwithstanding the miracles which he wrought.See KYPKE.Perverse, διεστραμμενη, signifies -1. Such as are influenced by perverse opinions, which hinder them from receiving

Matthew 24:19 — being stripped and plundered of all her goods and provisions by the soldiers, in hunger, rage, and despair, killed and boiled her own sucking child, and had eaten one half of him before it was discovered. This shocking story is told, WAR, b. vi. c. 3, with several circumstances of aggravation.

Matthew 28:3 — Verse Matthew 28:3. His countenance — His appearance, η ιδεα αυτου; or, his face, for so the word is used in some of the best Greek writers. It seems, from Mark 16:5, that this angel had assumed the appearance of a young man.Like lightning — Coruscations of

Mark 1:15 — Every thing that is done is according to a plan laid by the Divine wisdom, and never performed till the time appointed was filled up.2. That the kingdom and reign of sin are to be destroyed, and the kingdom of grace and heaven established in their place.3. That the kingdom of God, and his reign by grace, begins with repentance for past sins.4. That this reign of grace is at hand; and that nothing but an obstinate perseverance in sin and impenitence can keep any soul out of it; and that now is the accepted

Mark 2:1 — CHAPTER II. Christ preaches in Capernaum, 1, 2. A paralytic person is brought to him, whose sins are pronounced forgiven, 3-5. The scribes accuse him of blasphemy, 6, 7. He vindicates himself, and proves his power to forgive sins, by healing the man's disease, 8-11. The people are astonished and edified, 12. He calls Levi from the receipt of custom, 13, 14. Eats in his house

Luke 10:6 — Verse Luke 10:6. The son of peace — In the Jewish style, a man who has any good or bad quality is called the son of it. Thus, wise men are called the children of wisdom, Matthew 11:19; Luke 7:35. So, likewise, what a man is doomed to, he is called the son of, as in Ephesians 2:3, wicked men are styled the children of wrath: so Judas is called the son of perdition, John 17:12; and a man who deserves to die is called, 2 Samuel 12:5, a son of

Luke 9:53 — Verse 53. His face was — They saw he was going up to Jerusalem to keep the feast; (it was the feast of tabernacles, John 7:2); and knowing him thereby to be a Jew, they would afford nothing for his entertainment; for, in religious matters, the Samaritans

John 10:32 — Verse 32. Many good works have I showed you — I have healed your sick, delivered those of you who were possessed from the power of demons; I have fed multitudes of your poor, and I have taught you in all places, at all times, without expense, with patience;

John 15:7 — return." Geeta, p. 59.Observe, in order to have influence with God, we must -1. Be united to Christ - if ye abide in me.2. That in order to be preserved in this union, we must have our lives regulated by the doctrine of Christ-and my words abide in you.3. That to profit by this union and doctrine, we must pray - ye shall ask.4. That every heavenly blessing shall be given to those who continue in this union, with a loving, obedient, praying spirit: - ye shall ask what ye will, &c.

John 4:29 — Verse 29. All things that ever I did — The Jews believed that one essential characteristic of the Messiah would be, that he should be able to tell the secrets of all hearts. This they believed was predicted, Isaiah 11:2-3.When the famous impostor Barchochab, who rose up under the empire of Adrian, about a hundred years after the incarnation, professed himself to be the Messiah, after having been deceived by him for two years, they at last thought of putting his divinity

John 4:46 — βασιλικος, which the Vulgate translates regulus, a little king. This officer belonged to Herod Antipas, who was then tetrarch of Galilee. Jerome calls him Palatinus, and says he was an officer of the king's palace. Others think it was Chuza, mentioned Luke 8:3 and others think it was Manaen, spoken of Acts 13:1. One of these opinions may be true, but all solid proof is wanting. This officer, whoever he was, appears to have had his ordinary abode at Capernaum, and hearing that Christ was at Cana, he came express