Bible Commentaries

Micah 5:1 — be fulfilled: and then all the posterity of Jacob, both Israel and Judah, shall be converted to the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, and, along with the Gentiles, be brought into the large and peaceful pastures of this Great Shepherd of the sheep, 3, 4. After this illustrious prophecy, the prophet goes on to foretell the downfall of the Assyrians, by whom are meant the enemies of the Church in general, the type being probably put for the antitype; the miraculous discomfiture of the great Assyrian

Matthew 3:1 — CHAPTER III. John the Baptist begins to preach, 1. The subject of his preaching, 2, 3. Description of his clothing and food, 4. The success of his ministry, 5, 6. His exhortation to the Pharisees, 7-9. He denounces the judgments of God against the impenitent, 10. The design of his baptism, and that of Christ, 11, 12. He baptizes Christ in Jordan, 13-15; who is attested to be

Matthew 3:3 — Verse Matthew 3:3. The voice of one crying in the wilderness — Or, A voice of a crier in the wilderness. This is quoted from Isaiah 40:3, which clearly proves that John the Baptist was the person of whom the prophet spoke.The idea is taken from the practice of eastern monarchs, who, whenever they entered upon an expedition, or took a journey through a desert country, sent harbingers

Luke 1:69 — therefore the heathen god Apollo is represented with horns, to point out the power, glory, and excellence of the solar light. The Chaldee paraphrast sometimes translates קרן keren, horn, by מלכות malcuth, or מלכותא malcutha, 1 Samuel 2:10; Jeremiah 48:25, which signify a kingdom: but it is likely that the allusion is here made to the horns of the altar; and as the altar was a place of refuge and safety, and those who laid hold on its horns were considered to be under the protection of the Lord,

Luke 20:46 — Verse Luke 20:46. Beware of the scribes — Take heed that ye be not seduced by those who should show you the way of salvation. See on Matthew 23:4-14.1. How it can be supposed that the ancient Jewish Church had no distinct notion of the resurrection of the dead

Luke 24:1 — CHAPTER XXIV. The women coming early to the sepulchre on the first day of the week, bringing their spices, find the stone rolled away, and the tomb empty, 1-3. They see a vision of angels, who announce Christ's resurrection, 4-8. The women return and tell this to the eleven, 9, 10. They believe not, but Peter goes and examines the tomb, 11, 12. Christ, unknown, appears to two of the disciples who were going to Emmaus, and converses with them, 13-29. While they are eating

Luke 4:43 — Verse Luke 4:43. I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities — To proclaim the kingdom of God was the Messiah's great work; healing the diseases of the people was only an emblematical and secondary work, a work that was to be the proof of his goodness,

John 11:9 — shorter, according to the different seasons of the year. John 1:39.Our Lord alludes to the case of a traveller, who has to walk the whole day: the day points out the time of life-the night that of death. He has already used the same mode of speech, John 9:4: I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh when no man can work. Here he refers to what the apostles had just said-The Jews were but just now going to stone thee. Are there not, said he, twelve hours in the day? I

Acts 18:12 — into that country, and that they called him the governor of Achaia, not of Greece; because the Achaeans, when they subdued Greece, were the leaders in all the Grecian affairs see also Suetonius, in his life of Claudius, cap. xxv., and Dio Cassius, lx. 24. Edit. Reimari.Deputy — ανθυπατευοντος, serving the office of ανθυπατος, or deputy: see Clark's note on "Acts 13:7".Gallio — This deputy, or proconsul, was eldest brother to the celebrated Lucius Annaeus Seneca, the stoic philosopher, preceptor

Acts 2:23 — Verse Acts 2:23. Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel — Bp. Pearce paraphrases the words thus: Him having been given forth; i.e. sent into the world, and manifested by being made flesh, and dwelling among you, as it is said in John 1:14; see also Acts 4:28.Kypke contends that εκδοτον, delivered, does not refer to GOD, but to Judas the traitor "the Jews received Jesus, delivered up to them by Judas; the immutable counsel of God so permitting."By the determinate counsel, ωρισμενηβουλη;

Acts 21:1 — Paul and his company sail from Miletus, and come to Coos, Rhodes, and Patara, 1. Finding a Phoenician ship at Patara, they go on board, sail past Cyprus, and land at Tyre, 2, 3. Here they find disciples, and stay seven days, and are kindly entertained, 4, 5. Having bade the disciples farewell, they take ship and sail to Ptolemais, salute the brethren, stay with them one day, come to Caesarea, and lodge with Philip, one of the seven deacons, 6-9. Here they tarry a considerable time, and Agabus the prophet

Acts 25:1 — instead of Felix, the Jews beseech him to have Paul brought up to Jerusalem, that he might be tried there; they lying in wait to kill him on the way, 1-3. Festus refuses, and desires those who could prove any thing against him, to go with him to Caesarea, 4, 5. Festus, having tarried at Jerusalem about ten days, returns to Caesarea, and the next day Paul is brought to his trial, and the Jews of Jerusalem bring many groundless charges against him, against which he defends himself, 6-8. In order to please

Romans 4:16 — Verse Romans 4:16. Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace — On this account the promise is mercifully grounded, not on obedience to a law, but on the infinite goodness of God: and thus the promise is sure to all the seed - to all, both Jews and

Romans 8:12 — Gentiles, concerning holiness and the obligations to it, now addresses himself to both conjointly, and,I. Draws the general conclusion from all his arguments upon this subject, Romans 8:12.II. Proves the validity of their claims to eternal life, Romans 8:14-17.III. And as the affair of suffering persecution was a great stumbling block to the Jews, and might very much discourage the Gentiles, he introduces it to the best advantage, Romans 8:17, and advances several arguments to fortify their minds under

1 Corinthians 16:13 — Verse 1 Corinthians 16:13. Watch ye — You have many enemies; be continually on your guard; be always circumspect:-1. Watch against evil;2. Watch for opportunities to receive good;3. Watch for opportunities to do good;4. Watch over each other in love;5. Watch, that none may draw you aside from the belief and unity of the Gospel.Stand fast in the faith — Hold in conscientious credence what you have already received as the truth of God; for it is the Gospel by

1 Corinthians 16:2 — duty to succour his brethren in distress.2. He was to do this according to the ability which God gave him.3. He was to do this at the conclusion of the week, when he had cast up his weekly earnings, and had seen how much God had prospered his labour.4. He was then to bring it on the first day of the week, as is most likely, to the church or assembly, that it might be put in the common treasury.5. We learn from this that the weekly contribution could not be always the same, as each man was to lay

2 Corinthians 11:30 — signifies to be weak, infirm, sick, poor, despicable through poverty, c. And in a few places it is applied to weakness in the faith, to young converts, who are poor in religious knowledge, not yet fully instructed in the nature of the Gospel; Romans 4:19; Romans 14:1, Romans 14:2. And it is applied to the works of the law, to point out their inability to justify a sinner, Romans 8:3. But to inward sin, and inward corruption it is never applied. I am afraid that what these persons call their infirmities

2 Corinthians 12:9 — me, than that he should take them away.That the power of Christ may rest upon me. — επισκηνωση επ εμε. That it may overshadow me as a tent, or tabernacle; affording me shelter, protection, safety, and rest. This expression is like that, John 1:14: And the word was made flesh, και εσκηνωσεν εν ημιν and made his tabernacle among us-full of grace and truth. The same eternal WORD promised to make his tabernacle with the apostle, and gives him a proof that he was still the same-full of grace and

2 Corinthians 4:18 — Verse 2 Corinthians 4:18. While we look not at the things which are seen — μη σκοπουντων. While we aim not at the things which are seen; do not make them our object; are not striving to obtain them; for they are not worthy the pursuit of an immortal spirit, because

Philippians 2:1 — CHAPTER II. The apostle beseeches them by various considerations, to live in unity and in the spirit of the Gospel, loving each other; and each to prefer his brother to himself, 1-4. He exhorts them to be like-minded with Christ, who, though in the form of God, and equal with God, made himself of no reputation, and humbled himself to the death of the cross for the salvation of man; in consequence of which he was highly exalted,