Bible Commentaries

Genesis 2:9 — Verse Genesis 2:9. Every tree that is pleasant to the sight, c. — If we take up these expressions literally, they may bear the following interpretation: the tree pleasant to the sight may mean every beautiful tree or plant which for shape, colour, or fragrance,

Genesis 22:1 — offer his beloved son Isaac for a burnt-offering, 2. He prepares, with the utmost promptitude, to accomplish the will of God, 3-6. Affecting speech of Isaac, 7; and Abraham's answer, 8. Having arrived at mount Moriah he prepares to sacrifice his son, 9, 10; and is prevented by an angel of the Lord, 11, 12. A ram is offered in the stead of Isaac, 13; and the place is named Jehovah-jireh, 14. The angel of the Lord calls to Abraham a second time, 15; and, in the most solemn manner, he is assured of innumerable

Genesis 32:1 — The messengers return without an answer, but with the intelligence that Esau, with four hundred men, was coming to meet Jacob, 6. He is greatly alarmed, and adopts prudent means for the safety of himself and family, 7, 8. His affecting prayer to God, 9-12. Prepares a present of five droves of different cattle for his brother, 13-15. Sends them forward before him, at a certain distance from each other, and instructs the drivers what to say when met by Esau, 15-20. Sends his wives, servants, children

Genesis 5:3 — Samaritan, and Septuagint, will at once exhibit the discordances. ANTEDILUVIAN PATRIARCHS LIVED BEFORE THEIR SONS' BIRTH Heb. Samar. Sept. Adam, Genesis 5:3 130 130 230 Seth, Genesis 5:6 105 105 205 Enos, Genesis 5:9 90 90 190 Cainan, Genesis 5:12 70 70 170 Mahalaleel, Genesis 5:15 65 65 165 Jared, Genesis 5:18 162 62 162 Enoch, Genesis 5:21 65 65 165 Methuselah, Genesis 5:25 187 67 167 Lamech Genesis 5:28

Esther 6:1 — negative, 3. At this time Haman arrives, in order to request the king's permission to hang Mordecai; and being suddenly asked what should be done to the man whom the king delighted to honour, supposing that himself must be meant, presented the ceremonial, 4-9. The king orders him to give Mordecai those honours; which he performs, to his extreme mortification, 10, 11. He informs his wife Zeresh of these transactions, who predicts his downfall, 12-13. He is hurried by the eunuchs to the queen's banquet, 14.

Psalms 118:1 — PSALM CXVIII A general exhortation to praise God for his mercy, 1-4. The psalmist, by his own experience, encourages the people to trust in God, and shows them the advantage of it, 5-9; then describes his enemies, and shows how God enabled him to destroy them, 10-13. The people rejoice on the account, 15, 16. He speaks again of the help he received from the Lord; and desires admission into the temple, that he may enter and praise

Psalms 118:1 — SALMO CXVIII Exhortación general a alabar a Dios por su misericordia, 1-4. El salmista, por su propia experiencia, anima al pueblo  a confiar en Dios, y les muestra las ventajas de ello, 5-9; luego describe a sus enemigos, y muestra cómo Dios le permitió destruirlos, 10-13. El pueblo se regocija por el relato, 15, 16. Vuelve a hablar de la ayuda que recibió del Señor, y desea ser admitido en el templo, para poder entrar y alabar al Señor,

Psalms 36:1 — PSALM XXXVI The miserable state of the wicked, 1-4. The excellence of God's mercy in itself, and to his followers, 5-9. He prays for the upright, 10; for himself that he may be saved from pride and violence, 11; and shows the end of the workers of iniquity, 12. NOTES ON PSALM XXXVIThe title in the Hebrew is, To the conqueror, to the servant of Jehovah, to David. The

Psalms 45:1 — of the Divine Bridegroom; the beauty, magnificence, and riches of the bride, who was to become mother of a numerous and powerful posterity. The preamble is found in the title and verse Psalms 45:1. The description and character of the Bridegroom, 2-9. The address to the bride by her companions, 10-15. A prediction of her numerous and glorious descendants, 16, 17. NOTES ON PSALM XLVThe title is nearly the same with that of Psalms 69:1 and Psalms 80:1 "To the chief musician, or master of the band

Psalms 71:24 — qualities of his adversaries: "They were wicked, unrighteous, and cruel."6. From his confidence: "Thou art my hope."7. From his gracious providence: "By thee have I been holden up," &c.8. From his thankful heart: "My praise shall be continually," &c.9. He had none to trust to but GOD: "Thou art my refuge."3. He resumes his prayer: "Cast me not off in the time of old age," &c.He describes his enemies: - 1. They were continual calumniators: "Mine enemies speak against me."2. They laboured to take

Daniel 7:25 — the laws both of God and man.-Dodd.Until a time and times and the dividing of time. — In prophetic language a time signifies a year; and a prophetic year has a year for each day. Three years and a half (a day standing for a year, as in Daniel 9:24) will amount to one thousand two hundred and sixty years, if we reckon thirty days to each month, as the Jews do.If we knew precisely when the papal power began to exert itself in the antichristian way, then we could at once fix the time of its destruction.

Matthew 1:8 — Amaziah, which swell the fourteen generations to seventeen: but it is observed that omissions of this kind are not uncommon in the Jewish genealogies. In Ezra 7:3, Azariah is called the son of Meraioth, although it is evident, from 1 Chronicles 6:7-9, that there were six descendants between them. This circumstance the evangelist was probably aware of but did not see it proper to attempt to correct what he found in the public accredited genealogical tables; as he knew it to be of no consequence to

Luke 16:31 — awful crime of wasting our Lord's substance.8. That if this crime can be proved against us, we are in immediate danger of being deprived of all the blessings which we have thus abused, and of being separated from God and the glory of his power for ever.9. That on hearing of the danger to which we are exposed, though we cannot dig to purchase salvation, yet we must beg, incessantly beg, at the throne of grace for mercy to pardon all that is past.10. That not a moment is to be lost: the arrest of death

John 10:1 — CHAPTER X. Christ speaks the parable of the sheepfold, 1-6. Proclaims himself the door of the sheepfold, 7-10, and the good shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep, 11-18. The Jews are again divided, and some revile and some vindicate our Lord, 19-21. His discourse with the Jews at the temple, on the feast of dedication, 22-29. Having asserted that he was one with the Father, the Jews attempt to stone him, 30, 31. He vindicates his conduct, and appeals to his works, 32-38. They strive to apprehend

Acts 13:1 — they meet with Bar-Jesus or Elymas, a Jewish sorcerer, who endeavoured to prevent the deputy of the island from receiving the Christian faith, 6-8. Saul, for the first time called Paul, denounces the judgments of God upon him, and he is struck blind, 9-11. The deputy, seeing this, is confirmed tn the faith, 12. Paul and his company leave Paphos, and come to Pamphylia, where John Mark leaves them, and returns to Jerusalem, 13. Paul and Barnabas proceed to Antioch; and, coming into a synagogue of the

Romans 2:21 — not; and laid heavy burdens upon others, which they would not touch with their own fingers, Matthew 23:3, Matthew 23:4.2. They made the house of God a den of thieves, Matthew 21:13; John 2:16.3. They were guilty of adultery by unjust divorces, Matthew 19:9.4. Their polygamy was scandalous: even their rabbins, when they came to any place, would exclaim, Who will be my wife for a day?As to idolatry, they were perfectly saved from it ever since the Babylonish captivity but to this succeeded sacrilege,

Romans 7:9 — Verse Romans 7:9. I was alive without the law once — Dr. Whitby paraphrases the verse thus:-"For the seed of Abraham was alive without the law once, before the law was given, I being not obnoxious to death for that to which the law had not threatened death; but

2 Corinthians 7:1 — because of his great love towards them, 2-4. He tells them what distress he felt on their account in Macedonia, till he had met with Titus, and heard of their prosperity, 6-7. He rejoices that his first epistle was made the means of their reformation, 8, 9. States how they were affected by his letter, and the process of their reformation, 10, 11. Shows why he had written to them, 12. Rejoices that his boasting of them to Titus is found to be a truth; and takes occasion to mention the great affection of

1 Timothy 1:9 — Verse 9. The law is not made for a righteous man — There is a moral law as well as a ceremonial law: as the object of the latter is to lead us to Christ; the object of the former is to restrain crimes, and inflict punishment on those that commit them.

Hebrews 9:1 — sacrifice, and the efficacy of his blood, 11-26. As men must once die and be judged, so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many, and shall come without a sin-offering, a second time, to them that expect him, 27, 28. NOTES ON CHAP. IX.Verse Hebrews 9:1. The first covenant had also ordinances] Our translators have introduced the word covenant, as if διαθηκη had been, if not originally in the text, yet in the apostle's mind. Several MSS., but not of good note, as well as printed editions, with the