Bible Commentaries

Exodus 20:4 — THE SECOND COMMANDMENTAgainst making and worshipping images.Verse Exodus 20:4. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image — As the word פסל pasal signifies to hew, carve, grave, c., פסל pesel may here signify any kind of image, either of wood, stone, or metal, on which the axe, the chisel, or the graving tool has been

2 Kings 1:1 — BOOK OF THE KINGS -Year from the Creation, according to the English Bible, 3108. -Year before the birth of Christ, 892. -Year before the vulgar era of Christ's nativity 896. -Year since the Deluge, according to Archbishop Usher and the English Bible, 1452. -Year of the Cali Yuga, or Indian era of the Deluge, 2206. Chronologers vary very considerably in their calculations of the time which elapsed between the flood and the birth of Abraham, the difference of the two extremes amounting to nine hundred

Job 38:26 — — It is well known that rain falls copiously in thunder-storms. The flash is first seen, the clap is next heard, and last the rain descends. The lightning travels all lengths in no perceivable succession of time. Sound is propagated at the rate of 1142 feet in a second. Rain travels still more slowly, and will be seen sooner or later according to the weight of the drops, and the distance of the cloud from the place of the spectator. Now the flash, the clap, and the rain, take place all in the same

Psalms 102:28 — this prayer he complains, and shows his wretched state by various metaphors or figures.1. A consumption of strength: "My days are consumed."2. From continual weeping: "My bones cleave to my skin."3. From his solitude: "Like a pelican in the wilderness."4. From his continual watching: "I watch, and am like a sparrow," c.5. From the reproach of his enemies. "Mine enemies reproach me."6. From his sadness: "I have eaten ashes like bread."All these increased, from a sense of God's displeasure.1. "Because

Psalms 106:48 — Versículo Salmo 106:48 . Bendito sea el Señor Dios de Israel. Aquí se expresan tanto la gratitud como la confianza ; gratitud por lo que Dios ya había hecho, y confianza en que Él terminaría la gran obra de su restauración. De eternidad a eternidad. מן האולם ועד האולם min

Psalms 107:43 — Versículo Salmo 107:43 . El que es sabio. Es decir, el que es sabio, el que teme a Dios, y mira la operación de su mano observará : guardará y guardará estas cosas . Las guardará en su corazón, para no pecar contra Jehová. Se animará a sí mismo en el Señor, porque descubre

Psalms 136:25 — PSALMThis Psalm has the same argument with the preceding. It is divided into three parts: - I. A general exhortation to praise God for his goodness and majesty, Psalms 136:1-3.II. A declaration of that goodness and majesty in their effects, Psalms 136:4-10.III. A conclusion fit for the exordium, Psalms 136:26.1. Of his creation, Psalms 136:4-10.2. Of his providence in preserving the Church, and punishing her enemies, Psalms 136:10-25.3. That his providence extends to all his creatures, Psalms 136:25.I.

Psalms 150:6 — of the Holy Ghost.2. "Praise him in the firmament," c. His magnificence when he sits on his throne. Some understand the Church by it, in which his saints shine as stars in the firmament.3. "Praise him for his mighty acts," c. The works of his power.4. "Praise him according," &c. Whereby he excels all things he being absolutely great they only comparatively so.II. The prophet desires that no way be omitted by which we may show our zeal and ardency in praising him.1. "Praise him with the sound

Psalms 33:22 — thee. "Let thy mercy, O Lord be upon us, according as we hope in thee."ANALYSIS OF THE THIRTY-THIRD PSALMThis Psalm is eucharistic: the contents are -I. An exhortation to praise God, Psalms 33:1-3.II. The arguments he uses to enforce the duty, Psalms 33:4-19.III. The confidence of God's people in his name. Their happiness, and petition, Psalms 33:20-22.I. In the three first verses he exhorts men to praise God: but whom?1. The upright; those who are not upright, cannot praise God.2. That it be done with

Psalms 46:11 — Verse Psalms 46:11. The Lord of hosts is with us — Having heard these declarations of God, the people cry out with joy and exultation, The Lord of hosts, the God of armies, is with us; we will not fear what man can do unto us.The God of Jacob is our refuge.

Leviticus 10:1 — without at prayer while the incense was burning, Luke 1:9-10. By this service God taught them that the prayers of his faithful people are pleasing to him, whilst our High Priest, Christ Jesus, by his mediation puts incense to their prayers; (see Psalms 141:2; Romans 8:34; Hebrews 8:1-2; Hebrews 9:24; Revelation 8:3-4;) for the priests under the law served unto the example and shadow of heavenly things; Hebrews 8:5." See Ainsworth in loco.In the preceding chapter we have seen how God intended that every

Ecclesiastes overview — before Jesus Christ, if not later.The Jena reviewers seem to have thought it to be a translation from the Greek, and to have been written by a Jew of Alexandria, while the famous library was founding by Ptolemy Philadelphus king of Egypt, about the year 240 before Christ. And that it is to this circumstance that Ecclesiastes 12:12 alludes, "Of making many books there is no end;" which could not have entered into the head of a Palestine Jew; and such a person might speak with propriety of an Israel in

Isaiah 18:1 — This chapter contains a very obscure prophecy; possibly designed to give the Jews, and perhaps the Egyptians, whose country is supposed to be meant, 1, 2, and with whom many Jews resided, an indignation of God's interposition in favour of Sion, 3, 4; and of his counsels in regard to the destruction of their common enemy, Sennacherib, whose vast army, just as he thought his projects ripe, and ready to be crowned with success, 5, should become a prey to the beasts of the field, and to the fowls of

Isaiah 21:1 — prophet enters into the midst of the action; and in the person of Babylon expresses, in the strongest terms, the astonishment and horror that seizes her on the sudden surprise of the city at the very season dedicated to pleasure and festivity, Isaiah 21:3-4. Then, in his own person, describes the situation of things there, the security of the Babylonians, and in the midst of their feasting the sudden alarm of war, Isaiah 21:5. The event is then declared in a very singular manner. God orders the prophet

Matthew 27:45 — Verse 45. There was darkness over all the land — I am of opinion that πασαν την γην does not mean all the world, but only the land of Judea. So the word is used Matthew 24:30; Luke 4:25, and in other places. Several eminent critics are of this opinion:

Acts 19:19 — and that the αργυριον, or silver coin, mentioned by St. Luke, must have been either Greek or Roman; and, it is very likely that the sestertius is meant, which was always a silver coin, about the value, according to Arbuthnot, of two-pence, or 1d. 3q3/4., which answers to the fourth part of a denarius, rated by the same author at 7 3/4d. Allowing this to be the coin intended, the 50,000 sestertii would amount to 403£. 12s. 11d.The Vulgate reads, denariorum quinquaginta millium, fifty thousand denarii,

Acts 6:6 — blessed work2. The apostles called the disciples together, that they might consider of this necessity and provide for it, Acts 6:3.3. They directed the disciples to choose out from among themselves such persons as they judged the most proper for the work.4. They gave them the criterion by which their choice should be directed; not any man, not every man, not their nearest relative, or best beloved friend; but such as were of honest report, whose public character was known to be unblemished; and men who

Philippians 4:23 — Verse Philippians 4:23. The grace of our Lord — The usual apostolical benediction, which has often occurred, and been more than once explained. See Clark on "Romans 1:7", and "Galatians 6:18". The word ημων, our, is omitted by many MSS. and several versions, which

Joshua 5:2 — manufactures in the wilderness prove that they must have had both iron and steel. Why then use knives made of stone? Probably it was unlawful to use metal of any kind in this religious rite and indeed this seems likely from the circumstance of Zipporah (Exodus 4:25) taking a sharp stone and circumcising her son; and we find, from the most ancient and authentic accounts, that the Egyptians considered it unlawful or profane to use any kind of metal to make incisions in the human body, when preparing it for embalming;

Hebrews 4:2 — Verse Hebrews 4:2. For unto us was the Gospel preached — Και γαρ εσμεν ευηγγελισμενοι. For we also have received good tidings as well as they. They had a gracious promise of entering into an earthly rest; we have a gracious promise of entering into a heavenly