Bible Commentaries

Exodus 19:12 — 19:15, אל תגשו אל אשה al tiggeshu el ishshah, come not at your wives, seem rather to mean, come not near unto the FIRE; especially as the other phrase is not at all probable: but the fire is, on this occasion, spoken of so emphatically (see Deuteronomy 5:4-5; Deuteronomy 5:22-25) that we are naturally led to consider אשה ishshah here as האש ha-esh transposed, or to say, with Simon in his Lexicon, אשה faem, idem quod masc. אש ignis. So among other instances, we have אבר and אברה a wing; אור and אורה light;

Exodus 36:1 — Moses appoints Bezaleel, Aholiab, and their associates, to the work, and delivers to them the free-will offerings of the people, 1-3. The people bring offerings more than are needed for the work, and are only restrained by the proclamation of Moses, 4-7. The curtains, their loops, taches, c., for the tabernacle, 8-18. The covering for the tent, 19. The boards, 20-30. The bars, 31-34. The veil and its pillars, 35, 36. The hangings and their pillars, 37, 38. NOTES ON CHAP. XXXVIVerse Exodus 36:1. Then

Exodus 40:15 — Verse Exodus 40:15. For their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood — By this anointing a right was given to Aaron and his family to be high priests among the Jews for ever; so that all who should be born of this family should have a right to the

Job 33:15 — effect they produced, were the proofs of their Divine origin. To deny this would be to call into doubt the testimony of the best, wisest, and holiest men in all ages of the Church. Of one of these visions we have a remarkable account in this book, Job 4:12-21. And this vision seems to have taken place in the night season, when Eliphaz awoke from a deep sleep. There is this difference between the accidents of the dream and the vision: the former takes place when deep sleep falleth upon men; the latter,

Job 33:19 — bed; the place of rest and ease affording him no peace, quiet, or comfort.The bones may be well termed multitudinous, as there are no less than 10 in the cranium, or skull; upper jaw, 13; lower jaw, 1; teeth, 32; tongue, 1; vertebrae, or back-bone, 24; ribs, 24; sternum, or breast-bone, 3; os innominatum, 1; scapula, or shoulder-blades, 2; arms, 6; hands, 54; thigh-bones, 2; knee-bones, 2; legs, 4; feet, 54: in all, not less than 233 bones, without reckoning the ossa sethamoides; because, though

Job 4:13 — Verse Job 4:13. From the visions of the night — "It is in vain," says Mr. Good, "to search through ancient or modern poetry for a description that has any pretensions to rival that upon which we are now entering. Midnight-solitude - the deep sleep of all

Job 4:17 — Verse Job 4:17. Shall mortal man — אנוש enosh; Greek βροτος. poor, weak, dying man.Be more just than God? — Or, האנוש מאלוה יצדק haenosh meeloah yitsdak; shall poor, weak, sinful man be justified before God?Shall a man — גבר gaber, shall even

Job 6:4 — Verse Job 6:4. The arrows of the Almighty — There is an evident reference here to wounds inflicted by poisoned arrows; and to the burning fever occasioned by such wounds, producing such an intense parching thirst as to dry up all the moisture in the system,

Psalms 100:1 — PSALM C All nations are exhorted to praise the Lord, 1, 2; to acknowledge him to be the Sovereign God and their Creator and that they are his people and the flock of his pasture, 3; to worship him publicly, and be grateful for his mercies, 4. The reasons on which this is founded; his own goodness, his everlasting mercy, and his ever-during truth, 5. NOTES ON PSALM CThis Psalm is entitled in the Hebrew מזמור לתודה mizmor lethodah, not "A Psalm of Praise," as we have it, but "A Psalm for

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

Psalms 76:1 — 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, Septuagint, and others have, "A Psalm for the Assyrians;" and it is supposed to be a thanksgiving for the defeat of the Assyrians. The Syriac says it is a thanksgiving for the taking of Rabbah, belonging to the children of

Psalms 87:1 — PSALM LXXXVII The nature and glorious privileges of Zion and Jerusalem, 1-3. No other city to be compared to this, 4. The privilege of being born in it, 5, 6. Its praises celebrated, 7. NOTES ON PSALM LXXXVIIThe title, A Psalm or Song for the sons of Korah, gives us no light into the author or meaning of this Psalm. It begins and ends so abruptly that many have thought

Proverbs 2:4 — Verse Proverbs 2:4. If thou seekest her as silver — How do men seek money? What will they not do to get rich? Reader, seek the salvation of thy soul as earnestly as the covetous man seeks wealth; and be ashamed of thyself, if thou be less in earnest after the true

Proverbs 26:4 — Verse Proverbs 26:4. Answer not a fool — On this and the following verse Bishop Warburton, who has written well on many things, and very indifferently on the doctrine of grace, has written with force and perspicuity: "Had this advice been given simply, and without

Numbers 18:21 — Verse Numbers 18:21. Behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth —First, the Levites had the tenth of all the productions of the land.2. They had forty-eight cities, each forming a square of 4,000 cubits.3. They had 2,000 cubits of ground round each city.Total of the land they possessed, 53,000 acres.4. They had the first-fruits and certain parts of all the animals killed in the land.Canaan contained about 11,264,000 acres; therefore the

Deuteronomy 29:4 — Verse Deuteronomy 29:4. The Lord hath not given you a heart, c. — Some critics read this verse interrogatively: And hath not God given you a heart, c.? because they suppose that God could not reprehend them for the non-performance of a duty, when he had neither given

Joshua 1:4 — Verse Joshua 1:4. From the wilderness and this Lebanon — Joshua appears to be standing with his face towards the promised land, and pointing out the different places, or their situation, with his hand, THIS Lebanon, c. The utmost of their limits should be from

Judges 11:24 — Verse Judges 11:24. Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee — As if he had said: "It is a maxim with you, as it is among all nations, that the lands which they conceive to be given them by their gods, they have an absolute right to, and should

Judges 14:3 — Verse Judges 14:3. Is there never a woman — To marry with any that did not belong to the Israelitish stock, was contrary to the law, Exodus 34:16; Deuteronomy 7:3. But this marriage of Samson was said to be of the Lord, Jdg 14:4; that is, God permitted it, (for

2 Samuel 15:13 — attend to the affairs of state, and that there were no properly appointed judges in the land; see 2 Samuel 15:3.3. Joab's power was overgrown; he was wicked and insolent, oppressive to the people, and David was afraid to execute the laws against him.4. There were still some partisans of the house of Saul, who thought the crown not fairly obtained by David.5. David was under the displeasure of the Almighty, for his adultery with Bath-sheba, and his murder of Uriah; and God let his enemies loose against