Bible Commentaries

Exodus 28:36 — Verse Exodus 28:36. Thou shalt make a plate of pure gold — The word ציץ tsits, which we render plate, means a flower, or any appearance of this kind, The Septuagint translate it by πεταλον, a leaf; hence we might be led to infer that this plate resembled a wreath

1 Kings 8:46 — freed from it till we die.1. The text speaks no such doctrine: it only speaks of the possibility of every man sinning, and this must be true of a state of probation.2. There is not another text in the Divine records that is more to the purpose than this.3. The doctrine is flatly in opposition to the design of the Gospel; for Jesus came to save his people from their sins, and to destroy the works of the devil.4. It is a dangerous and destructive doctrine,; and should be blotted out of every Christian's

2 Kings 15:1 — fifty-two years; and Jotham, his son, reigns in his stead, 5-7. Zachariah reigns over Israel, and acts wickedly; and Shallum conspires against him and slays him, after he had reigned six months, 8-12. Shallum reigns one month, and is slain by Menahem, 13-15. Menahem's wicked and oppressive reign; he subsidizes the king of Assyria, and dies, after having reigned ten years, 16-22. Pekahiah, his son, reigns in his stead; does wickedly; Pekah, one of his captains, conspires against and kills him, after

Nehemiah 13:31 — Verse Nehemiah 13:31. For the wood-offering — This was a most necessary regulation: without it the temple service could not have gone forward; and therefore Nehemiah mentions this as one of the most important services he had rendered to his nation. See Nehemiah

Job 16:15 — horn was frequently worn on crowns and helmets, as is evident on ancient coins; and to this day it is an appendage to the diadem of the kings and chiefs of Abyssinia. In the second edition of Mr. Bruce's Travels in Abyssinia, vol. viii., plates 2 and 3, we have engravings of two chiefs, Kefla Yasous, and Woodage Ashahel, who are represented with this emblem of power on their forehead. Mr. Bruce thus describes it: "One thing remarkable in this cavalcade, which I observed, was the head dress of the

Psalms 119:104 — power of God to their salvation. A simple woman, who is converted to God, and feels the witness of his Spirit that she is his child, has a thousand times more true wisdom than such persons, though they may have learned many languages and many sciences.3. It made him wiser than the ancients - than any of the Jewish elders, who had not made that word the subject of their deep study and meditation.A second enconium. God's word gives power over sin: "I have refrained:" and the psalmist was no speculatist;

Psalms 120:1 — PSALM CXX The psalmist, in great distress, calls on the Lord for deliverance from calumny and defamation, 1, 2; shows the punishment that awaits his persecutor, 3, 4; deplores the necessity of his residence with the ungodly, 5-7. NOTES ON PSALM CXXThis Psalm, and all the rest that follow it, to the end of Psalms 134:0, fifteen in number, are called Psalms of Degrees; for thus the Hebrew title המעלות hammaaloth

Psalms 139:1 — PSALM CXXXIX A fine account of the omniscience of God, 1-6; of his omnipresence, 7-12; of his power and providence, 13-16. The excellence of his purposes, 17, 18. His opposition to the wicked, 19, 20; with whom the godly can have no fellowship, 21, 22. NOTES ON PSALM CXXXIXThe title of this Psalm in the Hebrew is, To the chief Musician, or, To the Conqueror, A Psalm

Psalms 21:13 — Versículo Salmo 21:13 . Seas exaltado. Exáltate a ti mismo, oh Señor , tus criaturas no pueden exaltarte. ¡ Álzate y derrota a tus enemigos con tu propia fuerza! Tú puedes dar una victoria a tu pueblo sobre los enemigos más formidables, aunque no den un solo golpe en su

Psalms 63:1 — PSALM LXIII David's soul thirsts after God, while absent from the sanctuary, and longs to be restored to the Divine ordinances, 1, 2. He expresses strong confidence in the Most High, and praises him for his goodness, 3-8; shows the misery of those who do not seek God, 9, 10; and his own safety as king of the people, 11. NOTES ON PSALM LXIIIThe title of this Psalm is, A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judea; but instead of Judea, the Vulgate, Septuagint,

Leviticus 11:3 — Verse Leviticus 11:3. Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is cloven-footed — These two words mean the same thing - a divided hoof, such as that of the ox, where the hoof is divided into two toes, and each toe is cased with horn.Cheweth the cud — Ruminates; casts

Ecclesiastes 12:6 — being put for the contained; and golden because of its colour, and because of its exceeding preciousness, as has been noticed in the former case. Broken - be rendered unfit to perform its functions, neither supplying nor distributing any nervous energy.3. Or the pitcher be broken at the fountain — The vena cava, which brings back the blood to the right ventricle of the heart, here called the fountain, המבוע hammabbua, the spring whence the water gushes up; properly applied here to the heart, which

Isaiah 3:24 — Verse Isaiah 3:24. Instead of sweet smell - "perfume."] A principal part of the delicacy of the Asiatic ladies consists in the use of baths, and of the richest oils and perfumes; an attention to which is in some degree necessary in those hot countries. Frequent mention

Isaiah 3:26 — Verse Isaiah 3:26. Sit upon the ground. — Sitting on the ground was a posture that denoted mourning and deep distress. The prophet Jeremiah (Lamentations 2:8) has given it the first place among many indications of sorrow, in the following elegant description

Isaiah 6:10 — To destroy, and to demolish; To build, and to plant." Jeremiah 1:10. And Ezekiel says, "When I came to destroy the city," that is, as it is rendered in the margin of our version, "when I came to prophesy that the city should be destroyed; " Ezekiel 43:3. To hear, and not understand; to see, and not perceive; is a common saying in many languages. Demosthenes uses it, and expressly calls it a proverb: ὡστε το της παροιμιας ὁρωντας μη ὁρᾳν, και ακουοντας μη ακουειν; Contra Aristogit. I., sub fin.

Matthew overview — translated The New Covenant; or, if it were lawful to use a periphrasis, the New Covenant, including a Testamentary Declaration and Bequest: for this is precisely the meaning of this system of justice, holiness, goodness, and truth. St. Paul, 2 Corinthians 3:14, calls the sacred books before the time of Christ, Η ΠΑΛΑΙΑ ΔΙΑΘΗΚΗ, The Old Covenant; which is a very proper and descriptive title of the grand subject of those books. This apostle evidently considers the Old Testaments and the New, as two covenants,

Deuteronomy 3:11 — Verse Deuteronomy 3:11. Og king of Bashan remained — Og was the last king of the Amorites; his kingdom appears to have taken its name from the hill of Bashan; the country has been since called Batanaea.Remnant of giants — Of the Rephaim. See on Deuteronomy

Joshua 13:3 — Verse Joshua 13:3. From Sihor, which is before Egypt — Supposed by some to be the Pelusiac branch of the Nile, near to the Arabian Desert; called also the river of Egypt, Numbers 34:5; Jeremiah 2:18. On this subject an intelligent friend favours me with the following

Ruth 1:22 — husbands, there are some pious and sensible observations in Mr. NESS'S History and Mystery of the Book of Ruth, from which I shall lay the following extract before my readers: -"A married estate is a state of rest; so it is called here, and in Ruth 3:1. Hence marriage is called portus juventutis, the port or haven of young people; whose affections, while unmarried, are continually floating or tossed to and fro, like a ship upon the waters, till they come into this happy harbour. There is a natural

1 Samuel 24:3 — Verse 1 Samuel 24:3. The sheep-cotes — Caves in the rocks, in which it is common, even to the present time, for shepherds and their flocks to lodge. According to Strabo there are caverns in Syria, one of which is capable of containing four thousand men: Ὡν ἑν και