Bible Commentaries

Matthew 11:3 — Verse Matthew 11:3. Art thou he that should come — ο ερχομενος, he that cometh, seems to have been a proper name of the Messiah; to save or deliver is necessarily implied. Luke 7:19.There is some difficulty in what is here spoken of John. Some have thought he was utterly ignorant of our Lord's Divine mission, and that he sent merely for his own information; but this is certainly inconsistent with his own declaration, Luke 3:15,

Matthew 14:25 — Verse Matthew 14:25. The fourth watch — Anciently the Jews divided the night into three watches, consisting of four hours each. The first watch is mentioned, Lamentations 2:19: the second, Judges 7:19; and the third, Exodus 14:24; but a fourth watch is not mentioned in any part of the OLD Testament. This division the Romans had introduced in Judea, as also the custom of dividing the day into twelve hours: see John 11:9. The first watch began at

Matthew 16:13 — Verse Matthew 16:13. Casarea Philippi — A city, in the tribe of Naphtali, near to Mount Libanus, in the province of Iturea. Its ancient name was Dan, Genesis 14:14; afterwards it was called Lais, Judges 18:7. But Philip the tetrarch, having rebuilt and beautified it, gave it the name of Cesarea, in honour of Tiberius Caesar, the reigning emperor: but to distinguish it from another Caesarea, which was on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, and to perpetuate

Matthew 7:13 — Verse Matthew 7:13. Enter ye in at the strait gate — Our Saviour seems to allude here to the distinction between the public and private ways mentioned by the Jewish lawyers. The public roads were allowed to be sixteen cubits broad, the private ways only four.

Luke 19:8 — sincerity of his conversion, does it of his own accord. He who has wronged his fellow must make restitution, if he have it in his power. He that does not do so cannot expect the mercy of God. See the observations at the end of Genesis 42:0, and Numbers 5:7.

John 6:39 — and have a resurrection unto life eternal. But he wills this continuance in salvation, without purposing to force the persons so to continue. God may will a thing to be, without willing that it shall be. Judas was given to Christ by the Father, John 17:12. The Father willed that this Judas should continue in the faith, and have a resurrection unto life eternal: but Judas sinned and perished. Now it is evident that God willed that Judas might be saved, without willing that he must be saved infallibly

John 7:19 — Verse John 7:19. Did not Moses give you the law, c.] The scribes and Pharisees announced our Lord to the multitude as a deceiver and they grounded their calumny on this, that he was not an exact observer of the law, for he had healed a man on the Sabbath day, John

Acts 14:1 — great success, are persecuted, and obliged to flee to Lystra and Derbe, 1-6. Here they preach, and heal a cripple; on which, the people, supposing them to be gods, are about to offer them sacrifices, and are with difficulty prevented by these apostles, 7-18. Certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, coming thither, induce the people to stone Paul; who, being dragged out of the city as dead, while the disciples stand around him, rises up suddenly, and returns to the city, and the next day departs to Derbe,

Acts 20:7 — Verse Acts 20:7. Upon the first day of the week — What was called κυριακη, the Lord's day, the Christian Sabbath, in which they commemorated the resurrection of our Lord; and which, among all Christians, afterwards took the place of the Jewish Sabbath.To break

Acts 24:24 — She appears, on the whole, to have been a person of indifferent character; though one of the finest women of that age. It is said that she, and a son she had by Felix, were consumed in an eruption of Mount Vesuvius. See Josephus, Antiq. lib. xx. cap. 7, and see Calmet and Rosenmuller.Heard him concerning the faith in Christ. — For the purpose mentioned in Clarke's note on "Acts 24:21", that he might be the more accurately instructed in the doctrines, views, &c., of the Christians.

Acts 24:8 — before him, and show the reason why they had seized on Paul at Jerusalem, they were accordingly come; and, having now exhibited their charges, he would,6. proceed to examine witnesses, who would prove all these things to the satisfaction of the governor. 7. He then called his witnesses, and their testimony confirmed and substantiated the charges. No bad cause was ever more judiciously and cunningly managed.

Acts 4:1 — The priests And Sadducees are incensed at the apostles' teaching, and put them in prison, 1-3. The number of those who believed, 4. The rulers, elders, and scribes call the apostles before them, and question them concerning their authority to teach, 5-7. Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, answers, and proclaims Jesus, 8-12. They are confounded at his discourse and the miracle wrought on the lame man, yet command them not to preach in the name of Jesus, 13-18. Peter and John refuse to obey, 19, 20.

Romans 7:6 — Verse Romans 7:6. But now we are delivered from the law — We, who have believed in Christ Jesus, are delivered from that yoke by which we were bound, which sentenced every transgressor to perdition, but provided no pardon even for the penitent, and no sanctification

1 Corinthians 10:7 — Verse 1 Corinthians 10:7. Neither be ye idolaters — The apostle considers partaking of the idolatrous feasts as being real acts of idolatry; because those who offered the flesh to their gods considered them as feeding invisibly with them on the flesh thus offered, and

1 Corinthians 12:1 — Shows that there are diversities of gifts which proceed from the Spirit, 4. Diversities of administrations which proceed from the Lord Jesus, 5. And diversities of operations which proceed from God, 6. What these gifts are, and how they are dispensed, 7-11. Christ is the Head, and the Church his members; and this is pointed out under the similitude of the human body, 12, 13. The relation which the members of the body have to each other; and how necessary their mutual support, 14-26. The members in

1 Corinthians 8:7 — Verse 1 Corinthians 8:7. There is not in every man that knowledge — This is spoken in reference to what is said, 1 Corinthians 8:4: We know that an idol is nothing in the world; for some with a conscience of the idol, viz. that it is something, eat it-the flesh that

2 Corinthians 7:3 — Verse 2 Corinthians 7:3. I speak not this to condemn you — I do not speak to reproach but to correct you. I wish you to open your eyes and see how you are corrupted, spoiled, and impoverished by those whom ye have incautiously preferred to the true apostles of Jesus

1 Timothy 5:17 — Verse 17. Let the elders that rule well — Elder is probably here the name of an ecclesiastical officer, similar to what we now term presbyter. See note on 1 Timothy 5:1. Dr. Macknight has remarked that, "in the first age, the name πρεσβυτερος, elder, was

Titus 3:8 — they who believed received through his blood.5. The mission of the Holy Spirit, and the purification of the heart by his influence.6. The hope of the resurrection of the body, and the final glorification of both it and the soul through all eternity.7. The necessity of obedience to the will of God, and of walking worthy of the vocation wherewith they had been called.8. And all these points he wills him to press continually on the attention of believers; and to keep constantly in view, that all good

1 John 1:7 — Verse 7. But if we walk in the light — If, having received the principle of holiness from him, we live a holy and righteous life, deriving continual light, power, and life from him, then we have fellowship one with another; that is, we have communion