Bible Commentaries

1 Kings 4:29 — Verse 1 Kings 4:29. God gave Solomon wisdom, &c. — He gave him a capacious mind, and furnished him with extraordinary assistance to cultivate it.Even as the sand that is on the sea-shore. — Lord Bacon observes on this: "As the sand on the sea-shore encloses a great body of waters, so Solomon's mind contained an ocean of knowledge." This is a happy and correct illustration.

2 Kings 18:5 — Verse 2 Kings 18:5. He trusted in the Lord — See the character of this good king:1. He trusted in the Lord God of Israel;2. He clave to the Lord;3. He was steady in his religion; he departed not from following the Lord;4. He kept God's commandments. And what were the consequences?1. The Lord was with him;2. He prospered whithersoever he went.

1 Chronicles 16:1 — CHAPTER XVI David brings the ark into its tent; and offers sacrifices, peace-offerings, and burnt-offerings, 1, 2; and gives portions to the people of Israel, 3. He appoints proper ministers and officers for the ark, 4-6. He delivers a solemn thanksgiving on the occasion, 7-36. How the different officers served at the ark, 37-42. The people return home, 43. NOTES ON CHAP. XVI

1 Chronicles 27:25 — Verse 1 Chronicles 27:25-31. Over the king's treasures — We see from these verses in what the personal property of David consisted: - 1. Treasures, gold, silver, &c.2. Goods and grain in castles, cities villages, and in the fields.3. Vineyards and their produce.4. Olive-trees and their produce.5. Neat cattle, in different districts.6. Camels and asses: they had no horses.7. Flocks, sheep, goats, &c.

1 Chronicles 9:4 — Verse 1 Chronicles 9:4. Uthai the son of Ammihud — The list here is nearly the same with those found in Ezra and Nehemiah, and contains those who returned to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel; but the list in Nehemiah is more ample, probably because it contains those who came afterwards. The object of the sacred writer here was to give the list of those who came first. Now the first inhabitants, &c.

Job 4:3 — Verse Job 4:3. Thou hast instructed many — Thou hast seen many in affliction and distress, and thou hast given them such advice as was suitable to their state, and effectual to their relief; and by this means thou hast strengthened the weak hands, and the feeble knees-the desponding have been encouraged, and the irresolute confirmed and excited to prompt and proper actions, by thy counsel and example.

Job 9:1 — CHAPTER IX Job acknowledges God's justice and man's sinfulness, 1-3. Celebrates his almighty power as manifested in the earth and in the heavens, 4-10. Maintains that God afflicts the innocent as well as the wicked, without any respect to their works: and hath delivered the earth into the hands of the wicked, 11-24. Complains of his lot, and maintains his innocence, 25-35. NOTES ON CHAP. IX

Psalms 146:4 — Verse Psalms 146:4. His breath goeth forth — His existence depends merely, under God, on the air he breathes. When he ceases to respire he ceases to live; his body from that moment begins to claim its affinity to the earth; and all his thoughts, purposes, and projects, whether good or evil, come to nought and perish. He, then, who has no other dependence, must necessarily be miserable.

Psalms 59:2 — Verse Psalms 59:2. The workers of iniquity — Principally Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian; who were the chief enemies of the poor returned captives.Bloody men. — The above, who sought the destruction of the Israelites; and particularly, that of Nehemiah, whom four several times they endeavoured to bring into an ambush, that they might take away his life. See Nehemiah 6:1-4.

Psalms 6:4 — Verse Psalms 6:4. Return, O Lord — Once I had the light of thy countenance, by sin I have forfeited this; I have provoked thee to depart: O Lord, return! It is an awful thing to be obliged to say, Return, O Lord, for this supposes backsliding; and yet what a mercy it is that a backslider may RETURN to God, with the expectation that God will return to him!

Psalms 72:7 — Verse Psalms 72:7. In his days shall the righteous flourish — There was nothing but peace and prosperity all the days of Solomon: for, "In his days Judah and Israel dwelt safely; every man under his vine and under his fig-tree, from Dan even to Beersheba;" 1 Kings 4:25.So long as the moon endureth — עד בלי ירח ad beli yareach, "Till there be no more moon."

Psalms 83:9 — Verse Psalms 83:9. Do unto them as unto the Midianites — Who were utterly defeated by Gideon, Judges 7:21-22.As to Sisera — Captain of the army of Jabin, king of Canaan, who was totally defeated by Deborah and Barak, near Mount Tabor, by the river Kishon; and himself, after having fled from the battle, slain by Jael, the wife of Heber, the Kenite. See Judges 4:15, &c.

Psalms 96:4 — Verse Psalms 96:4. He is to be feared above all gods. — I think the two clauses of this verse should be read thus: - Jehovah is great, and greatly to be praised. Elohim is to be feared above all. I doubt whether the word אלהים Elohim is ever, by fair construction, applied to false gods or idols. The contracted form in the following verse appears to have this meaning.

Proverbs 14:29 — Verse Proverbs 14:29. That is hasty of spirit — קצר רוח ketsar ruach, "the short of spirit;" one that is easily irritated; and, being in a passion, he is agitated so as to be literally short of breath. Here put in opposition to ארך אפים erech appayim, long of nostrils; see on Proverbs 14:17; and of the same import with St. Paul's μακροθυμια, longsuffering, longmindedness. See on Ephesians 4:2.

Proverbs 4:10 — Verse Proverbs 4:10. The years of thy life shall be many. — Vice and intemperance impair the health and shorten the days of the wicked; while true religion, sobriety, and temperance, prolong them. The principal part of our diseases springs from "indolence, intemperance, and disorderly passions." Religion excites to industry, promotes sober habits, and destroys evil passions, and harmonizes the soul; and thus, by preventing many diseases, necessarily prolongs life.

Isaiah 13:4 — Verse Isaiah 13:4. Of the battle - "For the battle."] The Bodleian MS. has למלחמה lemilchamah. Cyrus's army was made up of many different nations. Jeremiah calls it an "assembly of great nations from the north country," Jeremiah 50:9. And afterwards mentions the kingdoms of "Ararat, Minni, and Ashchenaz, (i.e. Armenia, Corduene, Pontus or Phrygia, Vitring.,) with the kings of the Medes," Jeremiah 51:27-28. See Xenophon. Cyrop.

Isaiah 3:4 — Verse Isaiah 3:4. I will give children to be their princes - "I will make boys their princes"] This also was fully accomplished in the succession of weak and wicked princes, from the death of Josiah to the destruction of the city and temple, and the taking of Zedekiah, the last of them, by Nebuchadnezzar.Babes shall rule over them. — Dymennysche men schul lordschopen to hem. - Old MS. Bible.

Ruth 4:21 — Verse Ruth 4:21. And Salmon begat Boaz — The Targum goes on, "And Salmon begat Absan the judge; he is Boaz the Just, on account of whose righteousness the people of the house of Israel were redeemed from the hands of their enemies; and at whose supplication the famine departed from the land of Israel."And Boaz begat Obed — "Who served the Lord in this world with a perfect heart."

1 Samuel 11:4 — Verse 1 Samuel 11:4. Then came the messengers to Gibeah — It does not appear that the people of Jabesh-gilead knew any thing of Saul's appointment to the kingdom, for the message is not directed to him but to the people.The people lifted up their voices and wept. — They saw no hope of deliverance, and they expected that their reproach would be laid on all Israel.

2 Samuel 4:2 — Verse 2 Samuel 4:2. Captains of bands — Principes latronum, captains of banditti, says the Vulgate; the Syriac is the same. Whether Ish-bosheth kept bands of marauders, whose business it was to make sudden incursions into the country places, and carry off grain, provisions, cattle, c., we know not but such persons would be well qualified for the bloody work in which these two men were afterwards employed.