Bible Commentaries

1 Kings 10:23 — Verse 23. Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches — Mr. Reynolds, stating the yearly tribute of Solomon, 666 talents of gold, at about four times as much as his father left him, hence reckons that he had £4,909,371 8s. 8d. each year, £94,410 19s. 9 1/4d. per week, £13,487 5s. 8d. per day, taking each day, week, and year, one with another.

1 Kings 14:3 — Verse 1 Kings 14:3. Ten loaves — Probably common or household bread.Cracknels — נקדים nikkuddim, spotted, or perforated bread; thin cakes, pierced through with many holes, the same as is called Jews' bread to the present day, and used by them at the passover. It was customary to give presents to all great personages; and no person consulted a prophet without bringing something in his hand.

1 Kings 15:10 — Verse 1 Kings 15:10. His mother's name — Our translators thought that grandmother was likely to be the meaning, and therefore have put it in the margin.The daughter of Abishalom. — She is called, says Calmet, the daughter of Absalom, according to the custom of the Scriptures, which give the name of daughter indifferently to the niece, the grand-daughter, and great grand-daughter.

1 Kings 17:18 — Verse 1 Kings 17:18. To call my sin to remembrance — She seems to be now conscious of some secret sin, which she had either forgotten, or too carelessly passed over; and to punish this she supposes the life of her son was taken away. It is mostly in times of adversity that we duly consider our moral state; outward afflictions often bring deep searchings of heart.

1 Kings 2:4 — Verse 1 Kings 2:4. That the Lord may continue his word — The prosperity which God has promised to grant to my family will depend on their faithfulness to the good they receive; if they live to God, they shall sit for ever on the throne of Israel. But alas! they did not; and God's justice cut off the entail made by his mercy.

1 Kings 8:12 — Verse 1 Kings 8:12. The Lord said - he would dwell — It was under the appearance of a cloud that God showed himself present with Israel in the wilderness; see Exodus 14:19-20. And at the dedication of the tabernacle in the wilderness, God manifested himself in the same way that he did here at the dedication of the temple; see Exodus 40:34-35.

1 Chronicles 15:22 — Verse 1 Chronicles 15:22. Chenaniah - he instructed about the song — This appears to have been the master singer; he gave the key and the time, for he presided במשא bemassa, in the elevation, probably meaning what is called pitching the tune, for he was skilful in music, and powerful in his voice, and well qualified to lead the band: be might have been precentor,

1 Chronicles 17:27 — Verse 1 Chronicles 17:27. For thou blessest, O Lord — "Thou beginnest to bless the house of thy servant, therefore it shall be blessed for ever." - T.THE reader is requested to refer to 2 Samuel 7:0, and the notes there for many particulars that belong to the parallel places here, and which it should answer no good purpose to repeat in this place.

1 Chronicles 25:2 — Verse 1 Chronicles 25:2. Which prophesied — Sung hymns and prayed. But the Targum understands this of prophesying in the proper sense of the term; and therefore says, "Who prophesied by the Holy Spirit." Jarchi is of the same opinion and quotes the case of Elisha, 2 Kings 3:15; While the minstrel played, the hand of the Lord [i.e., the spirit of prophecy] was upon him.

2 Chronicles 6:42 — Verse 2 Chronicles 6:42. Turn not away the face of thine anointed — "At least do me good; and if not for my sake, do it for thy own sake." - Jarchi.These two last verses are not in the parallel place in 1 Kings 8:22-53. There are other differences between the two places in this prayer, but they are not of much consequence.

Nehemiah 10:36 — Verse 36. Also the first-born — See this law, and the reasons of it, Exodus 13:1-13. As by this law the Lord had a right to all the firstborn, instead of these he was pleased to take the tribe of Levi for the whole; and thus the Levites served at the tabernacle and temple, instead of the first-born of all the tribes.

Nehemiah 5:1 — CHAPTER V The people complain that they are oppressed and enthralled bytheir richer brethren, 1-3.Nehemiah calls them to account; upbraids them for their cruelty;and obliges them to swear that they will forgive the debts,restore the mortgaged estates, and free their servants, 4-13.Nehemiah's generosity and liberality, 14-17.The daily provision for his table, 18, 19. NOTES ON CHAP. V

Esther 1:5 — Verse Esther 1:5. A feast unto all the people — The first was a feast for the nobles in general; this, for the people of the city at large.In the court of the garden — As the company was very numerous that was to be received, no apartments in the palace could be capable of containing them; therefore the court of the garden was chosen.

Job 12:1 — CHAPTER XII Job reproves the boasting of his friends, and shows theiruncharitableness towards himself, 1-5;asserts that even the tabernacles of robbers prosper; and that,notwithstanding, God is the Governor of the world; a truthwhich is proclaimed by all parts of the creation whetheranimate or inanimate, and by the revolutions which take placein states, 6-25. NOTES ON CHAP. XII

1 Samuel 22:8 — Verse 1 Samuel 22:8. There is none that showeth me — He conjectured that Jonathan had made a league with David to dethrone him, and he accuses them of disloyalty for not making the discovery of this unnatural treason. Now it was impossible for any of them to show what did not exist, no such league having ever been made between David and Jonathan.

1 Samuel 24:14 — Verse 1 Samuel 24:14. After a dead dog — A term used among the Hebrews to signify the most sovereign contempt; see 2 Samuel 16:9. One utterly incapable of making the least resistance against Saul, and the troops of Israel. The same idea is expressed in the term flea. The Targum properly expresses both thus: one who is weak, one who is contemptible.

1 Samuel 26:2 — Verse 1 Samuel 26:2. Three thousand chosen men — Though they knew that David was but six hundred strong, yet Saul thought it was not safe to pursue such an able general with a less force than that mentioned in the text; and, that he might the better depend on them, they were all elect or picked men out of the whole of his army.

1 Samuel 26:21 — Verse 1 Samuel 26:21. I have sinned — Perhaps the word חטאתי chatathi, "I have sinned," should be read, I have erred, or, have been mistaken. I have taken thee to be a very different man from what I find thee to be. Taken literally it was strictly true. He often purposed the spilling of David's blood; and thus, again and again, sinned against his life.

1 Samuel 31:7 — Verse 1 Samuel 31:7. The men of Israel that were on the other side of the valley — They appear to have been panic-struck, and therefore fled as far as they could out of the reach of the Philistines. As the Philistines possessed Beth-shan, situated near to Jordan, the people on the other side of that river, fearing for their safety, fled also.

2 Samuel 24:13 — Verse 2 Samuel 24:13. Shall seven years of famine — In 1 Chronicles 21:12, the number is three, not seven; and here the Septuagint has three, the same as in Chronicles: this is no doubt the true reading, the letter ז zain, SEVEN, being mistaken for ג gimel, THREE. A mistake of this kind might be easily made from the similarity of the letters.