Bible Commentaries

Genesis 15:1 — and his faith is counted unto him for righteousness, 6. Jehovah proclaims himself, and renews the promise of Canaan to his posterity, 7. Abram requires a sign of its fulfilment, 8. Jehovah directs him to offer a sacrifice of five different animals, 9; which he accordingly does, 10, 11. God reveals to him the affliction of his posterity in Egypt, and the duration of that affliction, 12, 13. Promises to bring them back to the land of Canaan with great affluence, 14-16. Renews the covenant with Abram,

Genesis 19:38 — Verse Genesis 19:38. Ben-ammi — בן עמי Ben-ammi, the son of my people. Both these names seem to justify the view taken of this subject above, viz., that it was merely to preserve the family that the daughters of Lot made use of the above expedient; and hence we

Genesis 3:7 — melancholy business, the fall and its effects.1. From the New Testament we learn that Satan associated himself with the creature which we term the serpent, and the original the nachash, in order to seduce and ruin mankind; 2 Corinthians 11:3; Revelation 12:9; Revelation 20:2.2. That this creature was the most suitable to his purpose, as being the most subtle, the most intelligent and cunning of all beasts of the field, endued with the gift of speech and reason, and consequently one in which he could best

Genesis 35:29 — Verse Genesis 35:29. Isaac gave up the ghost - and was gathered unto his people — Genesis 25:8.Esau and Jacob buried him. — See Genesis 25:9. Esau, as we have seen chap. xxxiii., was thoroughly reconciled to his brother Jacob, and now they both join in fraternal

Psalms 115:18 — give to their idols, earnestly beseeches God to manifest that power which belongs to him alone, and which he will not give to another.This Psalm, has four parts: - I, His petition for God's honour, Psalms 115:1; which belongs to no idol, Psalms 115:3-9.II. An exhortation to praise God, and hope in him, Psalms 115:10-12.III. The benefit that will arise from it, a blessing, Psalms 115:12-16.IV. A profession, that for the blessing they will bless God, Psalms 115:17-18.1. Some join this Psalm to the former,

Psalms 132:18 — the house of David, Psalms 132:14-18.I. In all prayer a man must reflect upon God's promise; otherwise he cannot pray in faith.1. "Lord, remember David:" Thy promises made to him. First he prays for the king; then for the ecclesiastics, Psalms 132:8-9; then for the people, Psalms 132:8.2. "And all his afflictions:" Many he had before he was king; and one of the greatest was the settling of the ark.Now this his ardent and sincere desire appears by his oath. And now, - 1. "How he sware unto the Lord,"

Psalms 34:22 — in his fear. Its parts are, in general, the following: -I. He praises God himself, and calls upon others to follow his example, Psalms 34:1-8.II. He assumes the office of a teacher, and instructs both young and old in the fear of the Lord, Psalms 34:9-22.1. He praises God, and expresses himself thus: - 1. I will bless the Lord. 2. His praise shall be in my mouth. 3. It shall be in my mouth continually. 4. It shall be expressed by a tongue affected by the heart: "My soul shall make her boast in the

Psalms 38:22 — that he had not lost his hold of his hope and his confidence in God, he directs his speech to him, and says: "Lord, all my desire is before thee, and my groaning is not hidden from thee."8. He had a palpitation or trembling of heart: "My heart pants."9. His strength decayed: "My strength fails."10. A defect of sight: "The sight of my eyes is gone from me."All these calamities David suffered from within. He was tormented in body and mind but had he any comfort from without? Not any.1. None from his

Psalms 47:9 — Verse Psalms 47:9. The princes of the people are gathered together — נדיבי עמים nedibey ammim. The voluntary people - the princely, noble, or free-willed people; those who gladly receive the word of life; those who, like the Bereans, were of a noble or liberal

Isaiah 6:1 — introduces, with great solemnity, a declaration of the whole tenor of the Diving conduct in reference to his people, who, on account of their unbelief and impenitence, should for a very long period be given up to a judicial blindness and hardness of heart, 9, 10; and visited with such calamities as would issue on the total desolation of their country, and their general dispersion, 11, 12. The prophet adds, however, that under their repeated dispersions, (by the Chaldeans, Romans, c.,) a small remnant would

Haggai 2:23 — Darius besieged and took; and exercised great cruelties upon its inhabitants. - Herod. lib. iii., sec. 220. Justin. i. 10. Prideaux places this event in the fifth year of Darius; others with more probability, in the eighth year. Compare Zechariah 2:9.And will make thee as a signet — I will exalt thee to high dignity, power, and trust, of which the seal was the instrument or sign in those days. Thou shalt be under my peculiar care, and shalt be to me very precious. See Jeremiah 22:24; Cant.

Zechariah overview — Messiah are more particular and express than those of the other prophets. Some modern critics, as Mede and Hammond, have been of opinion that the ninth, tenth, and eleventh chapters of this prophet were written by Jeremiah; because in Matthew, Matthew 27:9-10, under the name of Jeremiah, we find quoted Zechariah; (Zechariah 11:12); and as the aforesaid chapters make but one continued discourse, they concluded from thence that all three belonged to Jeremiah. But it is much more natural to suppose that,

Deuteronomy 6:25 — blessed, how ennobling, how glorious it is. Whet these things on their hearts till the keenest edge is raised on the strongest desire, till they can say, "Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth I desire besides thee!"Deuteronomy 4:9, and "Genesis 18:32", and Genesis 18:32- : at the end.2. Without offence to any, I hope, a few words more may be said on the nature of an oath, in addition to the note, Deuteronomy 6:13. The matter is important, and perhaps not well understood by many.The

Mark overview — divided concerning the language in which it was written, and the people to whom it was sent. Some have contended for a Latin original, because of several Latin words found in it, such as σπεκουλατωρ, Mark 6:27, one of the guard; κεντυριων, Mark 15:39, Mark 15:44, Mark 15:46, a centurion, a captain of one hundred men; συσσημον, Mark 14:44, a signal, a sign agreed on. But such words are better accounted for by supposing that his Gospel was written for the use of the Roman people; and that it is on

John 1:1 — THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. -Usherian years of the World, 3999-4033. -Alexandrian years of the World, 5497-5531. -Antiochian years of the World, 5487-5621. -Constantinopolitan AEra of the World, 5503-5537. -Rabbinical years of the World, 3754-3788. -Years of the Julian Period, 4708-4742. -AEra of the Seleucide,

Romans 5:15 — surpassing the malignity and demerit of the offence; and, consequently, capable of producing benefits vastly beyond the sufferings occasioned by the offence. This is the force of the apostle's argument; and therefore, supposing that in the 18th and l9th verses, Romans 5:18; Romans 5:19 literally understood, he compares the consequence of Adam's offence and Christ's obedience, only so far as the one is commensurate to the other, yet his reasoning, Romans 5:15-17, plainly shows that it is his meaning

1 Corinthians 8:1 — the animals that had been offered to idols knowingly, and so defiled their conscience, 7. Neither eating nor abstinence in themselves recommend us to God, 8. But no man should use his Christian liberty so as to put a stumbling block before a brother, 9, 10. If he act otherwise, he may be the means of a brother's destruction, 11. Those who act so as to wound the tender conscience of a brother, sin against Christ, 12. The apostle's resolution on this head, 13. NOTES ON CHAP. VIII.Verse 1 Corinthians

Philippians overview — out of a Pythoness, for which he and Silas were persecuted, cast into prison, scourged, and put into the stocks: but the magistrates afterwards finding that they were Romans, took them out of prison and treated them civilly. See the account, Acts 16:9, etc.The Philippians were greatly attached to their apostle, and testified their affection by sending him supplies, even when he was laboring for other Churches; and they appear to have been the only Church that did so. See Philippians 4:15, Philippians

1 Timothy 5:23 — performing sacred rites, were forbidden to drink wine: Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever through your generations; Leviticus 10:9; Ezekiel 44:21. It was the same with the Egyptian priests. It was forbidden also among the Romans, and particularly to women and young persons. PLATO, De Legibus, lib. ii., edit. Bip., vol. viii., page 86, speaks thus: Αρ' ου νομοθετησομεν, πρωτον μεν,

Judges overview — the rests, or times of peace, should be reckoned, not from the time in which a particular judge gave them deliverance; but from the period of the preceding deliverance, e.g.: It is said that Othniel, son of Kenaz, defeated Cushan-rishathaim, Judges 3:9, and the land had rest forty years. After the death of Othniel the Israelites again did wickedly, and God delivered them into the hands of the Moabites, Ammonites, and Amalekites; and this oppression continued eighteen years; Judges 3:14. Then God raised