Bible Commentaries

Ezekiel 12:1 — who either disbelieved his threatening or supposed the accomplishment of them very distant, 21-28. Josephus (Antiq. xi. 10) tells us that Zedekiah thought the prophecy of Ezekiel in the thirteenth verse inconsistent with that of Jeremiah, (Jeremiah 34:3,) and resolved to believe neither. Both, however, were literary fulfilled; and the event convinced him that they were not irreconcilable. Thus, blinded by infidelity, sinners rush on to that detruction against which they are sufficiently warned.

Daniel 11:4 — Statira was murdered soon after his death by his other wife Roxana.2. His brother Aridaeus, who succeeded him, was killed, together with his wife Euridice, by command of Olympias, Alexander's mother, after he had been king about six years and some months.3. Olympias herself was killed by the soldiers in revenge.4. Alexander AEgus, his son, together with his mother Roxana, was slain by order of Cassander.5. Two years after, his other son Hercules, with his mother Barsine, was privately murdered by Polysperchon;

Micah 6:1 — and threatens. The manner of raising the attention by calling on man to urge his plea in the face of all nature, and on the inanimate creation to hear the expostulation of Jehovah with his people, is awakening and sublime. The words of Jehovah follow, 3-5. And God's mercies having been set forth to his people, one of them is introduced, in a beautiful dramatic form, asking what his duty is towards a God so gracious, 6, 7. The answer follows in the words of the prophet, 8; who goes on to upbraid the

Habakkuk 3:19 — Verse Habakkuk 3:19. The Lord God is my strength — This is an imitation, if not a quotation, from Psalms 18:32-33, where see the notes.Will make me to walk upon mine high places — This last verse is spoken in the person of the people, who seem to anticipate

Zephaniah 3:17 — Verse Zephaniah 3:17. The Lord thy God — יהוה אלהיך Yehovah Eloheycha, "The self-existent and eternal Being, who is in covenant with you;" the character of God in reference to the Jews when standing in the nearest relation to them.Is mighty — גבור gibbor,

Matthew 12:43 — Verse 43. When the unclean spirit — If there had been no reality in demoniacal possessions, our Lord would have scarcely appealed to a case of this kind here, to point out the real state of the Jewish people, and the desolation which was coming upon them.

Matthew 19:3 — Verse Matthew 19:3. Tempting him — Trying what answer he would give to a question, which, however decided by him, would expose him to censure.Is it lawful - for every cause? — Instead of αιτιαν, fault, cause, reason, three MSS. and the Coptic version read

Matthew 2:3 — Verse Matthew 2:3. When Herod - heard these things, he was troubled — Herod's consternation was probably occasioned by the agreement of the account of the magi, with an opinion predominant throughout the east, and particularly in Judea, that some great personage

Matthew 26:20 — precise day and hour in which the Jews had eaten their first passover in Egypt. See Exodus 12:6-12. And in the same part of the same day in which the Jews had sacrificed their first paschal lamb, viz. between the two evenings, about the ninth hour, or 3 o'clock, Jesus Christ our passover was sacrificed for us: for it was at this hour that he yielded up his last breath; and then it was that, the sacrifice being completed, Jesus said, IT IS FINISHED. See Exodus 12:6, c., and Deuteronomy 16:6, &c.

Matthew 27:26 — — This is allowed to have been a very severe punishment of itself among the Romans, the flesh being generally cut by the whips used for this purpose: so the poet: - ----Horribili SECTERE flagello. "To be cut by the horrible whip."-HOR. Sat. I. 3. 119. And sometimes it seems, they were whipped to death. See the same poet, Sat. I. 2. 41. ----Ille FLAGELLIS AD MORTEM caesus.---- See also HORAT. Epod. od. iv. v. Matthew 27:11. It has been thought that Pilate might have spared this additional

Mark 13:36 — Verse Mark 13:36. He find you sleeping. — A porter asleep exposes the house to be robbed, and well deserves punishment. No wonder that the man is constantly suffering loss who is frequently off his guard.Our Lord shows us in this parable:1. That himself, ascended

Mark 3:5 — Verse Mark 3:5. With anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts] These words are not found in any of the other evangelists. For πωρωσει hardness, or rather callousness, the Codex Bezae, and four of the Itala, read νεκρωσει, deadness; the Vulgate and some

Luke 1:51 — Grotius has well observed, that God's efficacy is represented by his finger, his great power by his hand, and his omnipotence by his arm. The plague of lice was the finger of God, Exodus 7:18. The plagues in general were wrought by his hand, Exodus 3:20, And the destruction of Pharaoh's host in the Red Sea, which was effected by the omnipotence of God, is called the act of his arm, Exodus 15:16.He hath scattered — διεσκορπισεν, hath scattered abroad; as a whirlwind scatters dust and chaff.The

John 4:1 — CHAPTER IV. Jesus, finding that the Pharisees took offence at his making many disciples, leaves Judea to pass into Galilee, 1-3. And passing through Samaria comes to Sychar, and rests at Jacob's well, 4-6. While his disciples were gone to the city to buy meat, a woman of Samaria comes to draw water, with whom our Lord discourses at large on the spiritual nature of his religion,

John 7:27 — Verse 27. No man knoweth whence he is. — The generality of the people knew very well that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem, in the city, and of the family, of David; see John 7:42. But, from Isaiah Isaiah 53:8, Who shall declare his generation? they probably thought that there should be something so peculiarly mysterious in his birth, or in the manner of his appearing, that no person could fully understand. Had they considered his miraculous conception,

Acts 12:2 — distinguished from James the less, son of Alpheus. This latter was put to death by Ananias the high priest, during the reign of Nero. This James with his brother John were those who requested to sit on the right and left hand of our Lord, see Matthew 20:23; and our Lord's prediction was now fulfilled in one of them, who by his martyrdom drank of our Lord's cup, and was baptized with his baptism. By the death of James, the number of the apostles was reduced to eleven; and we do not find that ever it was

Acts 6:3 — Verse Acts 6:3. Wherefore - look ye out among you seven men — Choose persons in whom ye can all confide, who will distribute the provisions impartially, and in due time; and let these persons be the objects of the choice both of the Hebrews and Hellenists, that

Romans 16:12 — prophets in the Christian Church, we learn; and that a woman might pray or prophesy, provided she had her head covered, we know; and that whoever prophesied spoke unto others to edification, exhortation, and comfort, St. Paul declares, 1 Corinthians 14:3. And that no preacher can do more, every person must acknowledge; because to edify, exhort, and comfort, are the prime ends of the Gospel ministry. If women thus prophesied, then women preached. There is, however, much more than this implied in the

Romans 2:24 — go to some place where he is not known, and let him put on black clothes, and cover his head with a black veil; and then let him do whatsoever he pleases, lest the name of God should be publicly profaned." Moed katon, fol. 17. 1. In Sohar Levit. fol. 31, col. 122, it is said:- "On three accounts the Jews are obliged to remain in captivity -1. Because they openly reproach the Shechinah -2. Because they profane themselves before the Shechinah -3. Because they turn away their faces from the Shechinah."But

Romans 3:26 — believeth in Jesus. This is the full discovery of God's righteousness, of his wonderful method of magnifying his law and making it honourable; of showing the infinite purity of his justice, and of saving a lost world.Hitherto, from the ninth verse, Romans 3:9 the apostle had gone on without interruption, proving that Jew and Gentile were in a state of guilt and condemnation, and that they could be saved only by the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. The Jew, finding his boasted privileges all at stake,