Bible Commentaries

Hosea 10:2 — ascribeth to himself what, by permission of God, he hath power to do against the people of God, he draweth down on him the displeasure of God, and, at times, on that very ground, can hurt the less” (see Deuteronomy 32:26, Deuteronomy 32:7; Isaiah 10:5 ff). The prophet then says very earnestly, “He Himself shall break,” meaning us to understand, not the lofty hand of the enemy, but that the Lord Himself did all these things.

Hosea 12:1 — fact, to multiply desolation. Sin and punishment are bound together, as cause and effect. Man overlooks what he does not see. Yet not the less does he “treasure up wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous Judgment of God” Romans 2:5. : “Lying” will signify false speaking, false dealing, false belief, false opinions, false worship, false pretences for color thereof, false hopes, or relying on things that will deceive. In all these kinds, was Ephraim at that time guilty, adding one

Amos 4:7 — nature, “to cause it to rain on the earth” Job 38:26 where “no man” is; on “the wilderness wherein” there, “is no man.” Ordinarily too, God “maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust” Matthew 5:45. But God does not enslave Himself, (as people would have it) to His own laws. Amos appeals to them, that God had dealt with them, not according to His ordinary laws; that not only God had given to one city the rain which he had withheld from another,

Micah 2:3 — tribes God removed it after the 70 years. But the same sins against the love of God and man brought on the same punishment. Our Lord again spake the woe against their covetousness Luke 16:13-14; Luke 11:39; Matthew 23:14, Matthew 23:23, Matthew 23:25; Mark 12:40. It still shut them out from the service of God, or from receiving Him, their Redeemer. They still spoiled the goods Hebrews 10:34 of their brethren. In the last dreadful siege , “there were insatiable longings for plunder, searching-out

Micah 3:2 — of Israel that do feed themselves; should not the shepherds feed the flock? Ye eat the fat and ye clothe you, with the wool, ye kill them that are fed, ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye not strengthened ...” (Ezekiel 34:2-4, add Ezekiel 34:5-10).

Zechariah 1:8 — whom also God required the same tokens of reverence as He had from Moses. “Joshua lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold there stood a man over against him with a sword drawn in his hand, who said, as Captain of the Lord’s host am I come” (Joshua 5:13-15. See the note on “the Angel of the Lord” in Dr. Pusey’s Daniel the Prophet, pp. 519-525). He rides here, as Leader of the host who follow Him; to Him the others report, and He instructs the Angel who instructs the prophet. Red, being the color

Matthew 1:23 — understands this as applying literally to a virgin. Compare Luke 1:34. It thus implies that the conception of Christ was miraculous, or that the body of the Messiah was created directly by the power of God, agreeably to the declaration in Hebrews 10:5; “Wherefore, when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me.”And they shall call his name Emmanuel - That is, his name shall be so called. See the notes at Isaiah 7:14. The word “Immanuel”

Matthew 16:5-12 — The account in these verses is also recorded in Mark 8:13-21.Matthew 16:5And when his disciples were come to the other side - That is, to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.Mark says that he entered into a ship again, and departed to the other side. The conversation with the Pharisees and Sadducees had been on the western

Matthew 6:25 — against anxiety about the supply of their needs. This he does by four arguments or considerations, expressing by unequalled beauty and force the duty of depending for the things which we need on the providence of God. The “first” is stated in Matthew 6:25; “Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?” In the beginning of the verse he charged his disciples to take “no thought” - that is, not to be “anxious” about the supply of their wants. In illustration of this he says that God has given

John 16:4 — the early part of the ministry of Jesus. The expression these things here refers, probably, to all the topics contained in these chapters. He had, in the early part of his ministry, forewarned them of calamities and persecutions Matthew 10:16; Matthew 5:10-12; Matthew 9:15, but he had not so fully acquainted them with the nature, and design, and sources of their trials; he had not so fully apprised them of the fact, the circumstances, and the object of his death and of his ascension to heaven; he had

John 2:20 — ... - The Jews, either from the ambiguity of his language, or more probably from a design to cavil, understood him as speaking of the temple at Jerusalem. What he said here is all the evidence that they could adduce on his trial Matthew 26:61; Mark 14:58, and they reproached him with it when on the cross, Matthew 27:40. The Jews frequently perverted our Saviour’s meaning. The language which he used was often that of parables or metaphor; and as they Sought to misunderstand him and pervert his language,

Acts 10:36 — divinity, but only that the Lord Jesus, as Mediator, had been constituted or appointed Lord or Ruler over all nations. It is true, however, that this is a power which we cannot conceive to have been delegated to one that was not divine. Compare Romans 9:5.

Acts 15:41 — that Paul was, in the main, right. Barnabas seems to have been influenced by attachment to a relative; Paul sought a helper who would not shrink from duty and danger. It is clear that Paul had the sympathies and prayers of the church in his favor Acts 15:40, and it is more than probable that Barnabas departed without any such sympathy, Acts 15:39.(3) There is reason to think that this contention was overruled for the furtherance of the gospel. They went to different places, and preached to different

Acts 19:24 — as an amulet or charm. The Romans had such images in all their houses, called penates, or household gods. A similar thing is mentioned as early as the time of Laban Genesis 31:19, whose images Rachel had stolen and taken with her. Compare Judges 17:5, “The man Micah had an house of gods”; 1 Samuel 19:13; Hosea 3:4. These images were usually enclosed in a box, case, or chest, made of wood, iron, or silver; and probably, as here, usually made to resemble the temple where the idol was worshipped.Diana

Acts 23:9 — spoken to him, and thus make use of his conduct as an argument against the Sadducees. Men are not always very careful about the exact correctness of their statements when they wish to humble a rival.Let us not fight against God - See the notes on Acts 5:39. These words are missing in many mss. and in some of the ancient versions. The Syriac reads it, “If a spirit or an angel have spoken to him, what is there in this?” that is, what is there unusual or wrong?

Acts 27:31 — respecting salvation. The end is not determined without the means; and as God has resolved that his people shall be saved, so he has also determined the means. He has ordained that they shall repent, shall believe, shall be holy, and shall thus be saved.(5) We have in this case a full answer to the objection that a belief in the decrees of God will make people neglect the means of salvation, and lead to licentiousness. It has just the contrary tendency. Here is a case in which Paul certainly believed

Acts 6:5 — way qualified for his office, and also suited to defend the cause of the Lord Jesus. This man had the distinguished honor of being the first Christian martyr.And Nicolas - From this man some of the fathers (Iren., lib. 1:27; Epiphanius, 1; Haeres., 5) says that the sect of the “Nicolaitanes,” mentioned with so much disapprobation Revelation 2:6, Revelation 2:15, took their rise. But the evidence of this is not clear.A proselyte - A “proselyte” is one who is converted from one religion to another.

Acts 8:15 — signified not merely his “ordinary” influences in converting sinners, but those “extraordinary” influences that attended the first preaching of the gospel - the power of speaking with new tongues Acts 2:0, the power of working miracles, etc., Acts 19:6. (5)This is further clear from the fact that Simon wished to “purchase” this power, evidently to keep up his influence among the people, and to retain his ascendency as a juggler and sorcerer. But surely Simon would not wish to “purchase” the converting

Acts 8:27 — ... - This proves that he was a Jew, or at least a Jewish proselyte. It was customary for the Jews in foreign lands, as far as practicable, to attend the great feasts at Jerusalem. He had gone up to attend the Passover, etc. See the notes on Acts 2:5.

Romans 11:28 — on account of “election,” they were still beloved, that is, beloved by God, so in another respect they were his enemies, i. e., opposed to him, or cast off from him. The enemies of God denote all who are not his true friends; Colossians 1:21; Romans 5:10; compare Romans 11:8. The word here is applied to the Jews because they had rejected the Messiah; had become opposed to God; and were therefore rejected by him.For your sakes - For your advantage. Their rejection has become the occasion by which