Bible Commentaries

1 Chronicles 21:12 — And the angel of the Lord destroying ... - These words are not in Samuel, which puts the third alternative briefly. They prepare the way for the angelic appearance 1 Chronicles 21:16, on which the author is about to lay so much stress.

2 Chronicles 4:3 — For “oxen” we find in 1 Kings 7:24, “knops” or “gourds.” An early copyist, not comprehending the comparatively rare word here used for “gourd,” and expecting to hear of oxen, as soon as the molten sea was mentioned, changed the reading.

Esther 8:15 — See the Esther 1:6 note. The “crown” was not a crown like the king’s, but a mere golden band or coronet.A garment - Or, “an inner robe.” The tunic or inner robe of the king was of purple, striped with white.

Esther 9:32 — As “the book” elsewhere in Esther always means a particular book - “the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia” - Esther 2:23; Esther 6:1; Esther 10:2 it seems best to give it the same sense here.

Proverbs 8:34 — The image is suggested probably by the Levites who guarded the doors of the sanctuary Psalms 134:1; Psalms 135:2. Not less blessed than theirs is the lot of those who wait upon Wisdom in the temple not made with hands.

Jeremiah 31:27-34 — I will forgive their iniquity - The foundation of the new covenant is the free forgiveness of sins (compare Matthew 1:21). It is the sense of this full unmerited love which so affects the heart as to make obedience henceforward an inner necessity.

Jeremiah 38:16 — That made us this soul - This very unusual addition to the formula of an oath 1 Samuel 20:3 was intended to strengthen it. By acknowledging that his soul was God’s workmanship Zedekiah also implied his belief in God’s power over it.

Jeremiah 6:18 — God summons three witnesses to hear His sentence.(1) the Gentiles.(2) all mankind, Jews and Gentiles.(3) nature (see Jeremiah 6:19).What is among them - Rather, “what happens” in them; i. e., “Know what great things I will do to them.”

Lamentations 3:43 — In verses 43-66, far from pardoning, God is still actively punishing His people.Rather, “Thou hast covered” Thyself “with wrath and pursued (Lamentations 1:3 note) us.” The covering (here and in Lamentations 3:44) is that of clothing and enwrapping.

Ezekiel 12:10 — Burden - A word used to indicate a prediction of woe to be borne by some individual or people (Isaiah 13:1 note). Ezekiel, bearing his “stuff” on his shoulder was a sign of the weight of calamity coming upon king and people.

Daniel 11:44 — him, or alarm him. That is, he will hear something from those quarters that will disarrange all his other plans, or that will summon him forth in his last and final expedition - on that expedition in which “he will come to his end” Daniel 11:45, or which will be the end of this series of historical events. The reference here is to the winding up of this series of transactions, and, according to the view taken on Daniel 11:40 (see the note at that place), it is not necessary to suppose

Daniel 8:17 — evidently, at first in the distance. He now drew near to Daniel, that he might communicate with him the more readily.And when, he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face - Doubtless perceiving that he was a celestial being. See the notes at Revelation 1:17. Compare Ezekiel 1:28, and Daniel 10:8-9. He was completely overpowered by the presence of the celestial stranger, and sank to the ground.But he said unto me, Understand, O son of man - Give attention, that you may understand the vision. On the

Amos 1:9 — and Solomon, it was a sin against light too. After David had expelled the Jebusites from Jerusalem, “Hiram King of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees and carpenters and masons; and they built David a house” 2 Samuel 5:11. The Philistines contrariwise invaded him 2 Samuel 5:17. This recognition of him by Hiram was to David a proof, “that the Lord had established him king over Israel, and that He had exalted his kingdom for His people, Israel‘s sake”

John 7:30 — Then they sought to take him - The rulers and their friends. They did this: 1.Because of his reproof; and, 2.For professing to be the Messiah.His hour - The proper and the appointed time for his death. See Matthew 21:46.

Acts 2:31 — He, seeing this before ... - By the spirit of prophecy. From this it appears that David had distinct views of the great doctrines pertaining to the Messiah.Spake ... - See Psalms 16:1-11.That his soul ... - See the notes on Acts 2:27.

1 Corinthians 1:21 — For after that - ἐπειδὴ epeidēSince, or seeing that it is true that the world by wisdom knew not God. After all the experience of the world it was ascertained that human beings would never by their own wisdom come to the true knowledge of God, and it pleased

Ephesians 1:18 — The eyes of your understanding being enlightened - The construction here in the Greek is, probably, “that he may give you ( δώη dōē Ephesians 1:17) the Spirit of wisdom, etc. - eyes of the understanding enlightened,” etc. Or the phrase, “the eyes of your understanding being enlightened,” may be in the accusative absolute, which Koppe and Bloomfield

Philippians 4:16 — For even in Thessalonica; - see the notes, Acts 17:1. Paul remained there long enough to establish a flourishing church. He met, indeed, with much opposition and persecution there; and, hence, it was necessary that his wants should be supplied by others.

Hebrews 9:17 — For a testament - Such an arrangement as God enters into with man; see the remarks on Hebrews 9:16.Is of force - Is ratified, or confirmed - in the same way as a deed or compact is confirmed by affixing a seal.After men are dead - ἐπὶ νεκροῖς epi nekrois“Over the dead.”

Revelation 1:8 — I am Alpha and Omega - These are the first and the last letters of the Greek alphabet, and denote properly the first and the last. So in Revelation 22:13, where the two expressions are united, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.” So in Revelation 1:17, the speaker says of himself, “I am the first and the last.” Among the Jewish rabbis it