Bible Commentaries

Genesis 47:2 — without design or choice.2. Joseph took five of the meanest-looking of his brethren to present before Pharaoh, fearing if he had taken the sightliest that Pharaoh would detain them for his service, whereby their religion and morals might be corrupted.3. Joseph took five of the best made and finest-looking of his brethren, and presented them before Pharaoh, wishing to impress his mind with a favourable opinion of the family which he had just now brought into Egypt, and to do himself honour.4. Joseph

Exodus 16:15 — hu, literally signifies, What is this? for, says the text, they wist not what it was, and therefore they could not give it a name. Moses immediately answers the question, and says, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat. From Exodus 16:31 we learn that this substance was afterwards called man, probably in commemoration of the question they had asked on its first appearance. Almost all our own ancient versions translate the words, What is this?What this substance was we know not. It

Exodus 17:14 — monumental declaration of the defeat of Amalek by Joshua, by some action or symbolical representation; for it is immediately subjoined, "And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah-nissi." See Dr. A. Bayley, and see the note on Exodus 30:0. It is very likely that the first regular alphabetical writing in the world was that written by the finger of God himself on the two tables of stone. What is said here was probably by way of anticipation, or means some other method of registering

Exodus 23:12 — Verse Exodus 23:12. Six days thou shalt do thy work — Though they were thus bound to keep the sabbatical year, yet they must not neglect the seventh day's rest or weekly Sabbath; for that was of perpetual obligation, and was paramount to all others. That the

Exodus 28:42 — and for beauty, and this is the general account that it has pleased God to give of their nature and design: in a general sense, they represented,1. The necessity of purity in every part of the Divine worship;2. The necessity of an atonement for sin;3. The purity and justice of the Divine Majesty; and,4. The absolute necessity of that holiness without which none can see the Lord. And these subjects should be diligently kept in view by all those who wish to profit by the curious and interesting details

Exodus 29:45 — Verse 45. I will dwell among the children of Israel — This is the great charter of the people of God, both under the Old and New Testaments; see Exodus 25:8; Leviticus 26:11-12; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Revelation 21:3. God dwells AMONG them: he is ever to be found in his Church to enlighten, quicken, comfort, and support it; to dispense the light of life by the preaching of his word, and the influences of his Spirit for the conviction and conversion of sinners. And

Exodus 32:15 — Verse Exodus 32:15. The tables were written on both their sides — If we take this literally, it was certainly a very unusual thing; for in ancient times the two sides of the same substance were never written over. However, some rabbins suppose that by the writing

Exodus 34:29 — Verse Exodus 34:29. The skin of his face shone — קרן karan, was horned: having been long in familiar intercourse with his Maker, his flesh, as well as his soul, was penetrated with the effulgence of the Divine glory, and his looks expressed the light and life

Leviticus 13:1 — CHAPTER XIII Laws relative to the leprosy. It is to be known by a rising in the flesh, a scab, or a bright spot, 1, 2. When the priest sees these signs he shall pronounce the man unclean, infected with the leprosy, and unfit for society, 3. Dubious or equivocal signs of this disorder, and how the person is to be treated in whom they appear, 4-8. In what state of this disorder the priest may pronounce a man clean or unclean, 9-13. Of the raw flesh, the sign of the unclean leprosy, 14,

Leviticus 19:37 — Verse Leviticus 19:37. Shall ye observe all my statutes — חקתי chukkothi, from חק chak, to describe, mark, or trace out; the righteousness which I have described, and the path of duty which I have traced out. Judgments, משפטי mishpatai, from shaphat, to discern, determine,

Leviticus 6:3 — Verse Leviticus 6:3. Have found that which was lost — The Roman lawyers laid it down as a sound maxim of jurisprudence, "that he who found any property and applied it to his own use, should be considered as a thief whether he knew the owner or not; for in their view

Numbers 11:17 — appointed? Is there not much reason to believe that many cases have occurred where the spiritual endowments of particular persons have been taken away and given to others who made a better use of them? Hence the propriety of that exhortation, Revelation 3:11: Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.The gracious God never called a man to perform a work without furnishing him with adequate strength; and to refuse to do it on the pretence of inability is little short of rebellion against

Numbers 21:1 — CHAPTER XXI Arad, a king of the Canaanites, attacks Israel, and makes same prisoners, 1. They devote him and his people to destruction, 2; which they afterwards accomplished, 3. They journey from Hor, and are greatly discouraged, 4. They murmur against God and Moses, and loathe the manna, 5. The Lord sends fiery serpents among them, 6. They repent, and beg Moses to intercede for them, 7. The Lord directs him to make a brazen

Numbers 23:1 — CHAPTER XXIII Being arrived at the high places of Baal, (Numbers 22:41,) Balaam orders Balak to build seven altars, and prepare oxen and rams for sacrifice, 1, 2. Balaam inquires of the Lord, receives an answer, with which he returns to Balak, 3-10. Balak, finding that this was a prediction of the prosperity of the Israelites, is greatly troubled, 11. Balaam excuses himself, 12. He brings him to another place, where he might see only a part of Israel, and repeats his sacrifices, 13, 14. Balaam

Numbers 31:1 — CHAPTER XXXI The command of the Lord to make war on the Midianites, 1, 2. One thousand men are chosen out of each of the twelve tribes, and sent with Phinehas against the Midianites, 3-6. They slay all the males, 7; their five kings and Balaam, 8. They take all the women captives, with the flocks and goods, 9; burn their cities, and bring away the spoil, 10,11. They bring the captives, c., to Moses, who is wroth with the officers

Deuteronomy 23:1 — CHAPTER XXIII Neither eunuchs, bastards, Ammonites, nor Moabites, shall be incorporated with the genuine Israelites, 1-3. The reason why the Ammonites and Moabites were excluded, 4-6. Edomites and Egyptians to be respected, 7. Their descendants in the third generation may be incorporated with the Israelites, 8. Cautions against wickedness when they go forth against their

Deuteronomy 24:3 — Verse Deuteronomy 24:3. And write her a bill of divorcement — These bills, though varying in expression, are the same in substance among the Jews in all places. The following, collected from Maimonides and others, is a general form, and contains all the particulars

Deuteronomy 30:15 — Verse Deuteronomy 30:15. Life and good — Present and future blessings.Death and evil — Present and future miseries: termed, Deuteronomy 30:19, Life and death, blessing and cursing. And why were these set before them?1. That they might comprehend their import.2.

Deuteronomy 32:23 — Verse Deuteronomy 32:23. I will spend mine arrows upon them. — The judgments of God in general are termed the arrows of God, Job 6:4; Psalms 38:2-3; Psalms 91:5; see also Ezekiel 5:16; Jeremiah 50:14; 2 Samuel 22:14-15. In this and the following verses, to the 28th

Joshua 3:15 — Verse Joshua 3:15. And the feet of the priests - were dipped in the brim of the water — Thus we find that every thing occurred exactly in the way in which Joshua had foretold it. This must have greatly increased his credit among the people.For Jordan overfloweth