Bible Commentaries

1 Kings 18:1 — hundred and fifty priests of Baal should be gathered together at Mount Carmel; that they should offer a sacrifice to their god, and he to Jehovah; and the God who should send down fire to consume the sacrifice should be acknowledged as the true God, 19-24. The proposal is accepted, and the priests of Baal call in vain upon their god through the whole day, 25-29. Elijah offers his sacrifice, prays to Gods and fire comes down from heaven and consumes it; whereupon the people acknowledge Jehovah to be the

1 Kings 4:22 — Verse 1 Kings 4:22. Solomon's provision for one day: - Of fine flour . . . . . . 30 measures, or cors. Of meal . . . . . . . . . 60 ditto. Stall-fed oxen. . . . . . 10 Ditto from the pasture. . 20 Sheep . . . . . . . . . . 100; with harts, roebucks, fallow deer, and

1 Kings 5:6 — may drop down and distil away, and thus left till thoroughly dry, and then cut down entirely.3. When fully dried, a tree should not be exposed to the south sun, high winds, and rain; and should be smeared over with cow-dung to prevent its splitting.4. It should never be drawn through the dew, but be removed in the afternoon.5. It is not fit for floors, doors, or windows, till it has been felled three years. Perhaps these directions attended to, would prevent the dry rot. And we see from them that

2 Kings 11:1 — land, 2, 3. Jehoiada, the high priest, calls the nobles privately together into the temple, shows them the kings son, takes an oath of them, arms them, places guards around the temple, and around the young king's person; they anoint and proclaim him, 4-12. Athaliah is alarmed, comes into the temple, is seized, carried forth, and slain, 13-16. Jehoiada causes the people to enter into a covenant with the Lord; they destroy Baal's house, priest, and images, 17, 18. Joash is brought to the king's house,

1 Chronicles 1:1 — THE FIRST BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES Chronological Notes relative to this Book -Year of the World, 1. -Year before Christ, according to Archbishop Usher, 4004. -Year before the Flood, according to the common Hebrew Bible, 1656. -Year of the Julian period, 710. CHAPTER I The genealogy of Adam to Noah, 1-3. Of Noah to Abraham, 4-27. The sons of Abraham, Ishmael, and Isaac, 28. The sons of Ishmael, 29-31.

2 Chronicles 30:1 — CHAPTER XXX Hezekiah invites all Israel and Judah, and writes letters to Ephraim and Manasseh to come up to Jerusalem, and hold a passover to the Lord, 1-4. The posts go out with the king's proclamation from Dan to Beer-sheba, and pass from city to city through the coasts of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Zebulun, but are generally mocked in Israel, 5-10. Yet several of Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun, humble themselves,

Job 19:11 — and he is hemmed up. "He hath fenced up my way that I cannot pass," Job 19:8.3. He has surprised and carried by assault the regal city, seized and possessed the treasures. "He hath stripped me of my glory, and taken the crown from my head," Job 19:9.4. All his armies are routed in the field, and his strong places carried. "He hath destroyed me on every side," Job 19:10.5. The enemy proceeds to the greatest length of outrage, wasting every thing with fire and sword. "He hath kindled his wrath against

Job 25:4 — Verse Job 25:4. How then can man be justified? — Or, ונה umah, With what, shall a man be justified with God? Though this is no conclusion from Bildad's premises, yet the question is of the highest importance to man. Neither Bildad nor any of his fellows could

Job 28:1 — CHAPTER XXVIII Job, in showing the vanity of human pursuits in reference to genuine wisdom, mentions mining for and refining gold and silver, 1; iron and other minerals, 2; the difficulties of mining, 3, 4; produce of grain for bread from the earth, and stones of fire from under it, 5. He speaks of precious stones and gold dust, 6; of the instinct of fowls and wild beasts in finding their way, 7, 8; and of the industry and successful attempts of men in

Job 31:37 — his adversaries to attempt, by false evidence, to establish what was false, nor suffer himself to cloak with a hypocritical covering what was iniquitous in his conduct: O that the Almighty might answer for me - take notice of or be judge in the cause!4. To him he purposes cheerfully to confess all his ways, who could at once judge if he prevaricated, or concealed the truth.5. This would give him the strongest encouragement: he would go boldly before him, with the highest persuasion of an honourable

Job 36:3 — great.2. The eternity of God - We know him not, the number of his years cannot be found out, Job 36:26.3. From the economy of God in the atmosphere, in dews, rain, vapour, and the irrigation of the earth; - He maketh small the drops, c., Job 36:27-28.4. In the thunder and lightning, by which he performs such wonders in the atmosphere, and executes such judgments in the world-Also who can understand the noise of his tabernacle? He spreadeth his light upon it. He judgeth the people, &c., Job 36:29-33.

Job 4:8 — Verse Job 4:8. They that plough iniquity — A proverbial form of speech drawn from nature. Whatever seed a man sows in the ground, he reaps the same kind; for every seed produces its like. Thus Solomon, Proverbs 22:8: "He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity."

Deuteronomy 14:4 — Verse Deuteronomy 14:4. These are the beasts which ye shall eat — On Leviticus 11:1-47, I have entered into considerable detail relative to the clean and unclean animals there mentioned. For the general subject, the reader is referred to the notes on that chapter;

Deuteronomy 23:1 — CHAPTER XXIII Neither eunuchs, bastards, Ammonites, nor Moabites, shall be incorporated with the genuine Israelites, 1-3. The reason why the Ammonites and Moabites were excluded, 4-6. Edomites and Egyptians to be respected, 7. Their descendants in the third generation may be incorporated with the Israelites, 8. Cautions against wickedness when they go forth against their enemies, 9. To keep the camp free from every defilement,

Deuteronomy 30:15 — Life and death, blessing and cursing. And why were these set before them?1. That they might comprehend their import.2. That they might feel their importance.3. That they might choose life, and the path of believing, loving obedience, that led to it.4. That they and their posterity, thus choosing life and refusing evil, might be the favourites of God in time and eternity.Were there no such thing as free will in man, who could reconcile these sayings either with sincerity or common sense? God has

Deuteronomy 32:23 — Verse Deuteronomy 32:23. I will spend mine arrows upon them. — The judgments of God in general are termed the arrows of God, Job 6:4; Psalms 38:2-3; Psalms 91:5; see also Ezekiel 5:16; Jeremiah 50:14; 2 Samuel 22:14-15. In this and the following verses, to the 28th inclusive (Deuteronomy 32:23-28), God threatens this people with every species of calamity that could possibly fall

Deuteronomy 8:4 — Verse Deuteronomy 8:4. Thy raiment waxed not old, c. — The plain meaning of this much-tortured text appears to me to be this: "God so amply provided for them all the necessaries of life, that they never were obliged to wear tattered garments, nor were their feet injured

Joshua 13:1 — CHAPTER XIII Joshua being old, the Lord informs him of the land yet remaining to be possessed, 1. Of the unconquered land among the Philistines, 2, 3. Among the Canaanites, Sidonians, and Amorites, 4, 5. The inhabitants of the hill country and the Sidonians to be driven out, 6. The land on the east side of Jordan, that was to be divided among the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, 7-12. The Geshurites and the Maachathites

Ruth 4:1 — the inheritance in the presence of the elders, and of the people, who witness the contract, and pray for God's blessing upon the marriage, 9-12. Boaz takes Ruth for wife, and she bears a son, 13. The people's observations on the birth of the child, 14, 15. It is given to Naomi to nurse, 16. The neighbouring women name the child, and the book concludes with the genealogy of David, 17-22. NOTES ON CHAP. IVVerse Ruth 4:1. Then went Boaz up to the gate — We have often had occasion to remark that

1 Samuel 9:9 — Besides, the word seer does not occur before this time; but often occurs afterwards down through the prophets, for more than three hundred years. See Amos 7:12; Micah 3:7.All prophets, false and true, profess to see God; see the case of Balaam, Numbers 24:4; Numbers 24:16, and Jeremiah 14:14. All diviners, in their enthusiastic flights, boasted that they had those things exhibited to their sight which should come to pass. There is a remarkable account in Virgil which may serve as a specimen of the whole;