Bible Commentaries

Genesis 1:3 — Verse Genesis 1:3. And God said, Let there be light — הי אור ויהי אור YEHI OR, vaihi or. Nothing can be conceived more dignified than this form of expression. It argues at once uncontrollable authority, and omnific power; and in human language it is scarcely possible

Genesis 22:24 — in that disagreeable sense in which we commonly understand it. Hagar was properly the concubine or pilegesh of Abraham, and this annuente Deo, and with his wife's consent. Keturah, his second wife, is called a concubine, Genesis 26:15; 1 Chronicles 1:32; and Pilhah and Zilhah were concubines to Jacob, Genesis 35:22. After the patriarchal times many eminent men had concubines, viz., Caleb, 1 Chronicles 2:46; 1 Chronicles 2:48; Manasses, 1 Chronicles 7:14; Gideon, Judges 8:31; Saul, 2 Samuel 3:7; David,

Genesis 32:32 — Verse Genesis 32:32. Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew — What this sinew was neither Jew nor Christian can tell; and it can add nothing either to science, or to a true understanding of the text, to multiply conjectures. I have already supposed

Exodus 12:6 — commanded nor practised afterwards. The rabbins mark four things that were required in the first passover that were never required afterwards:1. The eating of the lamb in their houses dispersed through Goshen.2. The taking the lamb on the tenth day.3. The striking of its blood on the door posts and lintels of their houses. And,4. Their eating it in haste. These things were not required of the succeeding generations.The whole assembly - shall kill it — Any person might kill it, the sacrificial

Exodus 16:36 — Verse Exodus 16:36. Now an omer is the tenth part of an ephah. — About six pints, English. Exodus 16:16. The true place of this verse seems to be immediately after Exodus 16:18, for here it has no connection.1. ON the miracle of the manna, which is the chief subject

Psalms 140:13 — Verse Psalms 140:13. The righteous shall give thanks — For thou wilt support and deliver him.The upright shall dwell in thy presence. — Shall be admitted to the most intimate intercourse with God.The persecuted have ever been dear to God Almighty; and the martyrs

Psalms 18:1 — PSALM XVIII David's address of thanks to Jehovah, 1-3. A relation of sufferings undergone, and prayers made for assistance, 4-6. A magnificent description of Divine interposition in behalf of the sufferer, 7-15; and of the deliverance wrought for him, 16-19. That this deliverance was in consideration of

Leviticus 24:10 — by his mother's side, Leviticus 24:11, he was prevented by a person of that tribe as having no right to a station among them who were true Israelites both by father and mother. In consequence of this they say he blasphemed the name of the Lord. But,3. The sacred text does not tell us what name he blasphemed; it is simply said ויקב את השם vaiyihkob eth hashshem, he pierced through, distinguished, explained, or expressed the name. (See below, article 10.) As the Jews hold it impious to pronounce the

Isaiah 9:7 — law, but not in the way of ordinary generation. He is a Son given-the human nature, in which the fulness of the Godhead was to dwell, being produced by the creative energy of the Holy Ghost in the womb of the Virgin. See Matthew 1:20-21; Matthew 1:23; Matthew 1:25, and Luke 1:35, and Isaiah 7:14, and the notes on those passages. As being God manifested in the flesh, he was wonderful in his conception, birth, preaching, miracles, sufferings, death, resurrection, and ascension; wonderful in his person,

Daniel 3:1 — have his will opposed, in the height of his wrath, ordered the furnace to be made seven times hotter than usual, and these men to be cast into it, bound by the most mighty of his army, who were killed by the flame in the execution of this service, 19-23. On this occasion God literally performed his promise by Isaiah, (Isaiah 43:2:) "When thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burnt; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee;" for an angel of God, appearing in the furnace, protected these young

Numbers 21:6 — Verse Numbers 21:6. Fiery serpents — הנחשים השרפים hannechashim hasseraphim. I have observed before, on Genesis 3:1, that it is difficult to assign a name to the creature termed in Hebrew nachash; it has different significations, but its meaning here and in Genesis 3:1 is most difficult to be ascertained. Seraphim is one of the orders of angelic beings, Isaiah

Micah 6:8 — love him with all thy heart, soul, mind, and strength, and thy neighbour as thyself." This is God's due and right from every man.2. Thou art to give thy neighbour his due; to do to him as thou wouldst that he should do to thee, never working ill to him.3. Thou art to give to thyself thy due; not to deprive thy soul of what God has provided for it; to keep thy body in temperance, sobriety, and chastity; avoiding all excesses, both in action and passion.II. Thou art to love mercy; not only to do what

John 7:53 — Verse John 7:53. And every man went, c.] The authority and influence of Nicodemus, in this case, was so great that the Sanhedrin broke up without being able to conclude any thing. As the feast was now ended, they were not obliged to continue any longer in or about

Acts 11:30 — Verse Acts 11:30. And sent it to the elders — These probably mean those who first believed on Christ crucified, either of the seventy disciples mentioned Luke, Luke 10:1, or the one hundred and twenty mentioned, Acts 1:15, or the seven deacons, Acts 6:5. Some

Acts 9:1 — seize those whom he should find at Damascus, and bring them bound to Jerusalem, 1, 2. On his way to Damascus, he has a Divine vision, is convinced of his sin and folly, is struck blind, and remains three days without sight, and neither eats nor drinks, 3-9. Ananias, a disciple, is commanded in a vision to go and speak to Saul, and restore his sight, 10-16. Ananias goes and lays his hands on him, and he receives his sight, and is baptized, 17-19. Saul, having spent a few days with the Christians at Damascus,

1 Corinthians 15:29 — the resurrection of our Lord was a grand doctrine among the apostles; they considered and preached this as the demonstration of the truth of the Gospel.2. The multitudes who embraced Christianity became converts on the evidence of this resurrection.3. This resurrection was considered the pledge and proof of the resurrection of all believers in Christ to the possession of the same glory into which he had entered.4. The baptism which they received they considered as an emblem of their natural death

Galatians 2:15 — φυσει here refers to that natural corruption which every man brings into the world. Now, though the doctrine be true, (and the state of man, and universal experience confirm it,) yet it can neither be supported from this place, nor even from Ephesians 2:3. Romans 2:16. It appears, from the use of this word by some of the best Greek authors, that φυσει did not signify by nature, as we use the word, but expressed the natural birth, family, or nation of a man; to distinguish him from any other family or

Philippians 3:21 — Verse Philippians 3:21. Who shall change our vile body — Ὁς μετασχηματισει το σωμα της ταπεινωσες ἡμων· Who will refashion, or alter the fashion and condition of, the body of our humiliation; this body that is dead-adjudged to death because of sin, and must be

Joshua 6:26 — be considered in the light of a prediction. It seems to intimate that he who should attempt to rebuild this city, should lose all his children in the interim, from laying the foundation to the completion of the walls; which the author of 1 Kings 16:34 says was accomplished in Hiel the Beth-elite, who rebuilt Jericho under the reign of Ahab, and laid the foundation of it in Abiram, his first-born, and set up its gates in his youngest son Segub: this was 550 years after Joshua pronounced the curse.

1 Peter 1:2 — sense, is God's doing any thing that our merit or power has no part in. The true predestination or foreappointment of God is,1. He that believeth shall be saved from the guilt and power of sin.2. He that endureth to the end shall be saved eternally. 3. They who receive the precious gift of faith thereby become the sons of God; and, being sons, they shall receive the Spirit of holiness, to walk as Christ also walked.Throughout every part of this appointment of God, promise and duty go hand in hand.