Bible Commentaries

Psalms 83:2 — Verse Psalms 83:2. Thine enemies make a tumult — They are not merely the enemies of thy people, but they are the enemies of thyself, thy worship, ordinances, and laws: "They make a tumult," they throng together.They - have lifted up the head. — They have made an irruption into the land of Judea, and encamped at En-gedi, by the Dead Sea, 2 Chronicles 20:1-2.

Proverbs 1:12 — Verse Proverbs 1:12. Let us swallow them up alive — Give them as hasty a death as if the earth were suddenly to swallow them up. This seems to refer to the destruction of a whole village. Let us destroy man, woman, and child; and then we may seize on and carry away the whole of their property, and the booty will be great.

Proverbs 1:23 — Verse Proverbs 1:23. Turn you at my reproof — לתוכחתי lethochachti, at my convincing mode of arguing; attend to my demonstrations. This is properly the meaning of the original word.I will pour out my spirit unto you — "I wil expresse my mynde unto you;" COVERDALE. Loo I shall bryngen to you my Spirit; Old MS. Bible. If you will hear, ye shall have ample instruction.

Proverbs 8:24 — Verse Proverbs 8:24. When there were no depths — תהמות tehomoth, before the original chaotic mass was formed. See Genesis 1:2.I was brought forth — חוללתי cholalti, "I was produced as by labouring throes." Mr. Parkhurst thinks that the heathen poets derived their idea of Minerva's (wisdom's) being born of Jupiter's brain, from some such high poetic personification as that in the text.

Ecclesiastes 7:22 — Verse 22. Thou thyself - hast cursed others. — קללת kalalta, thou hast spoken evil; hast vilified others. O, who is free from evil speaking, from uncharitable speaking; from detailing their neighbour's faults, from whispering, talebearing, and backbiting? Do not wonder if God, in his justice, permit thee to be calumniated, seeing thou hast so frequently calumniated others. See my discourse on Psalms 15:1-5.

Isaiah 10:12 — Verse Isaiah 10:12. The Lord - "JEHOVAH"] For אדני Adonai, fourteen MSS. and three editions read יהוה Yehovah.The fruit - "The effect"] " פרי peri, f. צבי tsebi, vid. Isaiah 13:19,

Isaiah 44:17 — Verse Isaiah 44:17. He falleth down unto it — There were four forms of adoration used among the Hebrews:1. השתחוה HISHTACHAVAH, The prostration of the whole body.2. קדד KADAD, The bowing of the head.3. כרע CARA, The bending of the upper part of the body down to the knees.4. ברך BARACH, Bowing the knee, or kneeling. See on Isaiah 49:23.

Isaiah 49:6 — Verse Isaiah 49:6. And to restore the preserved of Israel - "And to restore the branches of Israel"] נצירי netsirey, or נצורי netsurey, as the Masoretes correct it in the marginal reading. This word has been matter of great doubt with interpreters: the Syriac renders it the branch, taking it for the same with נצר netser, Isaiah 11:1. See Michaelis Epim. in Praelect. xix.

Isaiah 59:14 — Verse Isaiah 59:14. Justice standeth afar off — צדקה tsedakah, righteousness, put here, says Kimchi, for alms to the poor. This casts some light on Matthew 6:1: "Take heed that you do not your alms," ελεημοσυνην.

Jeremiah 36:3 — Verse Jeremiah 36:3. It may be that the house of Judah will hear — It was yet possible to avert the judgments which had been so often denounced against them. But in order to this they must -1. Hear what God has spoken.2. Every man turn from his evil way.3. If they do so, God graciously promises to forgive their iniquity and their sin.

Jeremiah 4:11 — Verse 11. - 13. A dry wind - a fall wind - as clouds - as a whirlwind — All these expressions appear to refer to the pestilential winds, suffocating vapours, and clouds and pillars of sand collected by whirlwinds, which are so common and destructive in the east, (Isaiah 21:1;) and these images are employed here to show the overwhelming effect of the invasion of the land by the Chaldeans.

Ezekiel 1:13 — Verse Ezekiel 1:13. Like burning coals of fire — The whole substance appeared to be of flame; and among them frequent coruscations of fire, like vibrating lamps, often emitting lightning, or rather sparks of fire, as we have seen struck out of strongly ignited iron in a forge. The flames might be something like what is called warring wheels in pyrotechny. They seemed to conflict together.

Ezekiel 1:26 — Verse Ezekiel 1:26. A sapphire — The pure oriental sapphire, a large well cut specimen of which is now before me, is one of the most beautiful and resplendent blues that can be conceived. I have sometimes seen the heavens assume this illustrious hue. The human form above this canopy is supposed to represent Him who, in the fulness of time, was manifested in the flesh.

Ezekiel 23:1 — CHAPTER XXIII The idolatries of Samaria and Jerusalem are represented in thischapter by the bad practices of two common harlots, for whichGod denounces severe judgments against them, 1-49.See the sixteenth chapter, where the same metaphor is enlargedupon as here, it being the prophets view to exude the utmostdetestation of the crime against which he inveighs. NOTES ON CHAP. XXIII

Amos 1:10 — Verse Amos 1:10. I will send a fire on the wall of Tyrus — The destructive fire or siege by Nebuchadnezzar, which lasted thirteen years, and ended in the destruction of this ancient city; see on Ezekiel, Ezekiel 26:7-14, as above. It was finally ruined by Alexander, and is now only a place for a few poor fishermen to spread their nets upon.

Zephaniah 1:10 — Verse Zephaniah 1:10. A cry from the fish-gate — This gate, which is mentioned Nehemiah 3:3, was opposite to Joppa; and perhaps the way in which the news came of the irruption of the Chaldean army, the great crashing from the hills.The second — Or second city, may here mean a part of Jerusalem, mentioned 2 Kings 22:14; 2 Chronicles 34:22.

Zechariah 1:18 — Verse 18. And behold four horns. — Denoting four powers by which the Jews had been oppressed; the Assyrians, Persians, Chaldeans, and Egyptians. Or these enemies may be termed four, in reference to the four cardinal points of the heavens, whence they came: -1. NORTH. The Assyrians and Babylonians.2. EAST. The Moabites and Ammonites.3. SOUTH. The Egyptians.4. WEST. The Philistines. See Martin.

Zechariah 1:5 — Verse Zechariah 1:5. Your fathers, where are they? — Israel has been destroyed and ruined in the bloody wars with the Assyrians; and Judah, in those with the Chaldeans.The prophets, do they live for ever? — They also, who spoke unto your fathers, are dead; but their predictions remain; and the events, which have taken place according to those predictions, prove that God sent them.

Luke 1:18 — Verse Luke 1:18. Whereby shall I know this? — All things are possible to God: no natural impediment can have any power when God has declared he will accomplish his purpose. He has a right to be believed on his own word alone; and it is impious, when we are convinced that it is his word, to demand a sign or pledge for its fulfilment.

Luke 1:22 — Verse Luke 1:22. They perceived that he had seen a vision — As the sanctuary was separated from the court by a great veil, the people could not see what passed, but they understood this from Zacharias himself, who, ην διανευων, made signs, or nodded unto them to that purpose. Signs are the only means by which a dumb man can convey his ideas to others.