Bible Commentaries

Ezra 4:5 — Verse Ezra 4:5. Hired counsellors — They found means to corrupt some of the principal officers of the Persian court, so that the orders of Cyrus were not executed; or at least so slowly as to make them nearly ineffectual.Until the reign of Darius — This was probably Darius the son of Hystaspes.

Nehemiah 2:4 — Verse Nehemiah 2:4. So I prayed to the God of heaven. — Before he dared to prefer his request to the king, he made his prayer to God, that his suit might be acceptable: and this he does by mental prayer. To the spirit of prayer every place is a praying place.

Job 35:1 — CHAPTER XXXV Elihu accuses Job of impious speeches, 1-4. No man can affect God by his iniquity, nor profit him by his righteousness, 5-8. Many are afflicted and oppressed, but few cry to God for help; and, for want of faith, they continue in affliction, 9-16. NOTES ON CHAP. XXXV

Psalms 122:4 — Verse Psalms 122:4. The testimony of Israel — There is the ark, where the presence of God is manifested; there is the holy of holies; and there all the tribes assembled to worship Jehovah. He no doubt alludes to the assembling of the tribes annually at each of the three grand national festivals.

Psalms 2:4 — Verse Psalms 2:4. He that sitteth in the heavens — Whose kingdom ruleth over all, and is above all might and power, human and diabolical. Shall laugh. Words spoken after the manner of men; shall utterly contemn their puny efforts; shall beat down their pride, assuage their malice, and confound their devices.

Isaiah 47:4 — Verse Isaiah 47:4. Our Redeemer - "Our Avenger"] Here a chorus breaks in upon the midst of the subject, with a change of construction, as well as sentiment, from the longer to the shorter kind of verse, for one distich only; after which the former subject and style are resumed. Isaiah 45:16.

Jeremiah 32:4 — Verse Jeremiah 32:4. And shall speak with him mouth to mouth — He shall be reduced to a state of the most abject servitude. The slave was obliged to fix his eyes on every motion of the master whilst giving his orders, who often condescended to give them only by dumb signs.

Jeremiah 4:14 — Verse Jeremiah 4:14. O Jerusalem, wash thine heart — Why do ye not put away your wickedness, that ye may be saved from these tremendous judgments? How long shall thy vain thoughts of safety and prosperity lodge within thee? Whilst thou continuest a rebel against God, and provokest him daily by thy abominations!

Jeremiah 4:31 — Verse Jeremiah 4:31. Bringeth forth her first child — In such a case the fear, danger, and pain were naturally the greatest.Spreadeth her hands — The gesture indicated by nature to signify distress, and implore help. We have met with this figure in other parts, and among the classic writers it is frequent.

Lamentations 4:2 — Verse Lamentations 4:2. The precious sons of Zion — The Jewish priests and Jewish believers.Comparable to fine gold — Who were of the pure standard of holiness; holy, because God who called them is holy; but now esteemed no better than earthen pitchers - vessels of dishonour in comparison of what they once were.

Lamentations 5:18 — Verse 18. The foxes walk upon it. — Foxes are very numerous in Palestine, see on Judges 15:4. It was usual among the Hebrews to consider all desolated land to be the resort of wild beasts; which is, in fact, the case every where when the inhabitants are removed from a country.

Daniel 6:4 — Verse Daniel 6:4. Sought to find occasion against Daniel — But they found no blemish in his administration, for he was faithful to his king: this was a virtue. But he was also faithful to his God: this they hoped to construe into a crime, and make it the cause of his ruin.

Obadiah 1:4 — Verse Obadiah 1:4. Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle — Though like this bird thou get into the highest cliff of the highest rock, it will not avail thee. To defend thee, when Jehovah has determined thy destruction, thy deepest caves and highest rocks will be equally useless. See Jeremiah 49:16.

Zephaniah 1:4 — Verse 4. I will cut off the remnant of Baal — I think he refers here, partly at least, to the reformation which Josiah was to bring about. See the account, 2 Kings 23:5.The Chemarims — The black-robed priests of different idols. 2 Kings 23:5. These were put down by Josiah.

Deuteronomy 4:20 — Verse Deuteronomy 4:20. Out of the iron furnace — From this mention of the word iron furnace there can be little doubt that the Israelites were employed in Egypt in the most laborious works of metallurgy. Digging, smelting, and forging of iron in so hot a climate must have been oppressive work indeed.

Mark 4:10 — Verse Mark 4:10. They that were about him — None of the other evangelists intimate that there were any besides the twelve with him: but it appears there were several others present; and though they were not styled disciples, yet they appear to have seriously attended to his public and private instructions.

Luke 4:23 — Verse Luke 4:23. Physician, heal thyself — That is, heal the broken-hearted in thy own country, as the latter clause of the verse explains it; but they were far from being in a proper spirit to receive the salvation which he was ready to communicate; and therefore they were not healed.

John 4:16 — Verse John 4:16. Call thy husband — Our Lord appears to have spoken these words for two purposes:1. To make the woman consider her own state.2. To show her that he knew her heart, and the secret actions of her life; and was therefore well qualified to teach her heavenly truths.

Acts 4:35 — Verse Acts 4:35. Laid - down at the apostles' feet — To show how cordially and entirely they parted with them. And they entrusted the management of the whole to those men to whom they found God had entrusted the gifts of his Holy Spirit, and the doctrine of the kingdom of heaven.

1 Samuel 29:4 — Verse 1 Samuel 29:4. The princes of the Philistines were wroth — It is strange that they had not yet heard of David's destruction of a village of the Geshurites, Gezrites, and Amalekites, 1 Samuel 27:8-9. Had they heard of this, they would have seen much more cause for suspicion.