Bible Commentaries

Psalms 117:2 — his mercy is great. It is strong; confirmed toward us, in sending his Son to save both Jews and Gentiles from their sins.2. Because the truth of his promises is fulfilled. The promised Messiah is come, and has performed all that was prophesied of him.3. Because this truth is forever. His promises and their fulfilment belong to all generations. There will never be another Messiah; Jesus is the true one: he tasted death for every man; he forgives iniquity, transgression, and sin; and his blood cleanses

Proverbs 31:1 — CHAPTER XXXI The words and prophecy of King Lemuel, and what his mother taught him, 1, 2. Debauchery and much wine to be avoided, 3-7. How kings should administer justice, 8, 9. The praise of a virtuous woman and good housewife, in her economy, prudence, watchfulness, and assiduity in labour, 10-29. Frailty of beauty, 30, 31. NOTES ON CHAP. XXXIVerse Proverbs 31:1. The words of

Ecclesiastes 12:13 — Verse 13. After all, the sum of the great business of human life is comprised in this short sentence, on which some millions of books have been already written!FEAR GOD, AND KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS1. Know that HE IS, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently

Ecclesiastes 3:1 — CHAPTER III Every thing has its time and season, 1-8. Men are exercised with labour, 9, 10. Every thing is beautiful in its season, 11. Men should enjoy thankfully the gifts of God, 12, 13. What God does is for ever, 14. There is nothing new, 15. The corruption of judgment; but the judgments of God are right, 16, 17. Man is brutish, and men and brutes die in like manner, 18-21. Man may enjoy the fruit of his own labours, 22. NOTES ON

Isaiah 45:1 — CHAPTER XLV Prophecy concerning Cyrus, the first king of the Persians. Every obstruction shall be removed out of his way, and the treasures taken from his enemies shall be immense, 1-3, To whom, and on what account, Cyrus was indebted for his wonderful success, 4-6. The prophet refutes the absurd opinion of the Persians, that there were two supreme beings, an evil and a good one, represented by light and darkness, here declared to

Jeremiah 4:1 — exhortations and promises addressed to Israel in the preceding chapter, 1, 2. The prophet then addresses the people of Judah and Jerusalem, exhorting to repentance and reformation, that the dreadful visitation with which they were threatened might be averted, 3, 4. He then sounds the alarm of war, 5, 6. Nebuchadnezzar, like a fierce lion, is, from the certainty of the prophecy, represented to be on his march; and the disastrous event to have been already declared, 7-9. And as the lying prophets had flattered

Jeremiah 49:1 — liberty, 6. Prophecy against the Edomites, (very like that most dreadful one in the thirty-fourth chapter of Isaiah against the same people,) who shall be utterly exterminated, after the similitude of Sodom and Gomorrah, 7-22. Prophecy against Damascus, 23-27; and against Kedar, 28, 29. Utter desolation of the kingdoms of Hazor foretold, 30-33. The polity of the Elamites shall be completely dissolved, and the people dispersed throughout the nations, 34-38. The Elamites shall be delivered from their captivity

Jeremiah 8:1 — CHAPTER VIII The judgments threatened in the last chapter are here declared to extend to the very dead, whose tombs should be opened, and the carcasses treated with every mark of indignity, 1-3. From this the prophet returns to reprove them for their perseverance in transgression, 4-6; and for their thoughtless stupidity, which even the instinct of the brute creation, by a beautiful contrast, is made to upbraid, 7-9. This leads to farther

Ezekiel 47:1 — cannot be healed, 1-12. Also a description of the several divisions of the Holy Land indiscriminately shared betwixt Jews and proselytes; to denote that in after times the privileges now enjoyed by the Jews should be also extended to the Gentiles, 13-23. NOTES ON CHAP. XLVIIVerse Ezekiel 47:1. Behold, waters issued out from under the threshold — Ezekiel, after having made the whole compass of the court of the people, is brought back by the north gate into the courts of the priests; and, having

Micah 5:1 — Gentiles 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 20:28 — prescribed in the Jewish law. Mr. Wakefield contends for the above translation, and with considerable show of reason and probability.The word λυτρον is used by the Septuagint for the Hebrew פדיו, pidion, the ransom paid for a man's life: see Exodus 21:30; Numbers 3:49-51; and λυτρα is used Numbers 35:31, where a satisfaction (Hebrew כפר copher, an atonement) for the life of a murderer is refused. The original word is used by Lucian in exactly the same sense, who represents Ganymede promising to sacrifice

Matthew 24:1 — CHAPTER XXIV. Christ foretells the destruction of the temple, 1, 2. His disciples inquire when and what shall be the sign of this destruction, 3. Our Lord answers, and enumerates them-false Christs, 5. Wars, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes, 6-8. Persecution of his followers, 9. Apostasy from the truth, 10-13. General spread of the Gospel, 14. He foretells the investment of the city by

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

Acts 18:5 — Verse Acts 18:5. When Silas and Timotheus were come — We have seen, Acts 17:13, that when Paul was obliged to leave Berea, because of the persecution raised up against him in that place, he left Silas and Timotheus behind; to whom he afterwards sent word to rejoin him at Athens with all speed. It appears, from 1 Thessalonians

Acts 19:41 — of St. Paul was greatly blessed at Ephesus, and his preaching appears to have been very popular, yet this sunshine was soon darkened: peace with the world cannot last long; the way of the Lord will always be opposed by those who love their own ways.3. How few would make an outward profession of religion, were there no gain connected with it! And yet, as one justly observes, religion is rendered gainful only by some external part of it. For this very reason, the external part of religion is always

Acts 21:1 — CHAPTER XXI. 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

Acts 25:1 — CHAPTER XXV. Porcius Festus being appointed governor of Judea, 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

Acts 25:27 — merits of this case; and might, after hearing Paul, direct him how to draw up those letters, which, on sending the prisoner, must be transmitted to the emperor.This chapter ends as exceptionably as the twenty-first. It should have begun at Acts 25:13, and have been continued to the end of the twenty-sixth chapter, or both chapters have been united in one.1. FROM St. Paul's appeal to Caesar, we see that it is lawful to avail ourselves, even in the cause of God, of those civil privileges with which

Acts 7:16 — Verse Acts 7:16. And were carried over to Sychem — "It is said, Genesis 50:13, that Jacob was buried in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre. And in Joshua 24:32, and Exodus 13:19, it is said that the bones of Joseph were carried out of Egypt by the Israelites, and buried in Shechem, which Jacob bought from the sons

Romans 8:12 — Romans 8:17, and advances several arguments to fortify their minds under all trials: as -(1.) That they suffered with Christ (2.) In order to be glorified with him in a manner which will infinitely compensate all sufferings, Romans 8:17; Romans 8:18.(3.) All mankind are under various pressures, longing for a better state, Romans 8:19-22.(4.) Many of the most eminent Christians are in the same distressed condition, Romans 8:23.(5.) According to the plan of the Gospel, we are to be brought to glory