Bible Commentaries

1 Kings 14:31 — fruit.Dr. Kennicott observes that the name of this king of Judah is now expressed three ways: here and in four other places it is Abijam or Abim; in two others it is Abihu, but in eleven other places it is Abiah, as it is expressed by St. Matthew, Matthew 1:7, ροβοαμεγεννησετον αβια; and this is the reading of thirteen of Kennicott's and De Rossi's MSS., and of thirteen respectable editions of the Hebrew Bible. The Syriac is the same. The Septuagint in the London Polyglot has αβιου, Abihu; but in the Complutensian

2 Chronicles 17:9 — Verse 2 Chronicles 17:9. 2 Chronicles 17:7.Ver. 2 Chronicles 17:9. Had the book of the law of the Lord with them — This was their text book: it was the book of God; they taught it as such, and as such the people received it. Its laws were God's laws, and the people

2 Chronicles 4:3 — Verse 2 Chronicles 4:3. Under it was the similitude of oxen — In 1 Kings 7:24, instead of oxen, בקרים bekarim, we have knops, פקעים pekaim; and this last is supposed by able critics to be the reading which ought to be received here. What we call knops may signify grapes, mushrooms, apples, or some such ornaments placed round

Isaiah 16:1 — established in righteousness, 3-5. Exceeding great pride of Moab, 6. The terrible calamities about to fall upon Moab farther described by the languishing of the vine, the ceasing of the vintage, the sound of the prophet's bowels quivering like a harp, c., 7-13. Awful nearness of the full accomplishment of the prophecy, 14. NOTES ON CHAP. XVIVerse Isaiah 16:1. Send ye the lamb, c. - "I will send forth the son, &c."] Both the reading and meaning of this verse are still more doubtful than those of the

Isaiah 22:25 — as a repetition and confirmation of the sentence above denounced against him.WHAT is said of Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, Isaiah 22:20-24, is very remarkable; and the literal meaning is not easy to be understood. From Isaiah 9:6, and from Revelation 3:7, it seems to belong to our Lord alone. The removal of Shebna from being over the treasure of the Lord's house, Isaiah 22:19, and the investiture of Eliakim with his robe, girdle, office, and government, Isaiah 22:20, c., probably point out the change

Isaiah 23:15 — Verse Isaiah 23:15. According to the days of one king — what is, of one kingdom; see Daniel 7:17; Daniel 8:20. Nebuchadnezzar began his conquests in the first year of his reign; from thence to the taking of Babylon by Cyrus are seventy years, at which time the nations subdued by Nebuchadnezzar were to be restored to liberty. These seventy years

Isaiah 26:1 — diversified by the frequent change of speakers. It opens with a chorus of the Church, celebrating the protection vouchsafed by God to his people; and the happiness of the righteous, whom he guards, contrasted with the misery of the wicked, whom he punishes, 1-7. To this succeeds their own pious resolution of obeying, trusting, and delighting in God, 8. Here the prophet breaks in, in his own person, eagerly catching the last words of the chorus, which were perfectly in unison with the feelings of his own soul,

Isaiah 8:20 — the command, and unto the testimony."] "Is not תעודה teudah here the attested prophecy, Isaiah 8:1-4? and perhaps תורה torah the command, Isaiah 8:11-15? for it means sometimes a particular, and even a human, command; see Proverbs 6:20, and Proverbs 7:1-2, where it is ordered to be hid, that is, secretly kept." - Abp. Secker. So Deschamps, in his translation, or rather paraphrase, understands it: "Tenons nous a l'instrument authentique mis en depot par ordre du Seigneur," "Let us stick to the authentic

Jeremiah 1:1 — THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET JEREMIAH Chronological notes relative to the commencement of Jeremiah's prophesying -Year from the Creation, according to Archbishop Usher, 3375. -Year from the Deluge, according to the generally received Hebrew text, conferred withActs 7:4, 1719. -Fourth year of the thirty-seventh Olympiad. -Year from the building of Rome according to the Varronian account, 125. -Year before the vulgar era

Jeremiah 46:1 — they are all declared to be of no avail, as God had decreed their fall, 1-6. The King of Egypt, however, is represented as marching with all the confidence of victory, like a river overflowing its banks, and threatening all around with its inundation, 7, 8. But this immense armament of Pharaoh-necho, consisting of various nations, shall, by a righteous judgment of God, receive such a signal overthrow near the river Euphrates, that the political consequence of Egypt shall be thereby irretrievably ruined,

Daniel 8:1 — and Mohammedan, shall be totally annihilated, and universal dominion given to the saints of the Most High. The chapter concludes with the distress of Daniel on account of the fearful judgments with which his country should be visited in after ages, 27. NOTES ON CHAP. VIIIVerse Daniel 8:1. In the third year of the reign of - Belshazzar — We now come once more to the Hebrew, the Chaldee part of the book being finished. As the Chaldeans had a particular interest both in the history and prophecies

Hosea 14:1 — pardon the penitent, is introduced making large promises of blessings, in allusion to those copious dews which refresh the green herbs, and which frequently denote, not only temporal salvation, but also the rich and refreshing comforts of the Gospel, 4-7. Their reformation from idolatry is foretold, and their consequent prosperity, under the emblem of a green flourishing fir tree, 8; but these promises are confined to those who may bring forth the fruits of righteousness, and the wicked are declared

Amos 6:1 — than their own, 2, that they should choose to worship the gods of the heathen, and forsake Jehovah. Then follows an amplification of the sin which the prophet reproves, 3-6; to which he annexes very awful threatenings, confirmed by the oath of Jehovah, 7, 8. He next particularly specifies the punishment of their sins by pestilence, 9-11; by famine, or a drought that should harden the earth so that it could not be tilled, 12; and by the sword of the Assyrians, 14. NOTES ON CHAP. VIVerse Amos 6:1. Wo

Micah 7:20 — Verse Micah 7:20. Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob — The promises which he has made to Jacob and his posterity. Not one of them can ever fall to the ground. "And the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn;" viz., that "in his Seed all the families of the

Matthew 15:5 — Verse Matthew 15:5. It is a gift — קרבן korban, Mark 7:11, an offering of approach; something consecrated to the service of God in the temple, by which a man had the privilege of approaching his Maker. This conduct was similar to the custom of certain persons who bequeath the inheritance of their children

Matthew 2:4 — families, which David distributed into so many courses, 1 Chronicles 24:0. These latter are styled סרי הכהנים sarey ha-cohanim, chief of the priests, 2 Chronicles 36:14; Ezra 8:24; and ראשי הכהנים roshey ha-cohanim, heads of the priests, Nehemiah 12:7. Josephus calls them by the same name as the writers of the New Testament. In his Life, sect. 8, he mentions πολλους - των αρχιερεων, MANY of the chief priests. The word is used in the singular in this last sense, for a chief of the priests, Acts 19:14.Scribes

Matthew 24:9 — adversaries were not able to resist: so Stephen, Acts 6:10, and Paul, who made even Felix himself tremble, Acts 24:25. Some were imprisoned, as Peter and John, Acts 4:3. Some were beaten, as Paul and Silas, Acts 16:23. Some were put to death, as Stephen, Acts 7:59, and James the brother of John, Acts 12:2. But if we look beyond the book of the Acts of the Apostles, to the bloody persecutions under Nero, we shall find these predictions still more amply fulfilled: in these, numberless Christians fell, besides

Matthew 25:7 — Verse Matthew 25:7. Trimmed their lamps. — εκοσμησαν, adorned them. I have seen some of the eastern lamps or lanthorns, the body of which was a skeleton of wood and threads, covered with a very thin transparent membrane, or very fine gauze, and decorated with flowers

Matthew 7:24 — Verse Matthew 7:24. Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine — That is, the excellent doctrines laid down before in this and the two preceding chapters. There are several parables or similitudes like to this in the rabbins. I shall quote but the two

Luke 2:7 — Verse Luke 2:7. Laid him in a manger — Wetstein has shown, from a multitude of instances, that φατνη means not merely the manger, but the whole stable, and this I think is its proper meaning in this place. The Latins use praesepe, a manger, in the same sense.