Bible Commentaries

Psalms 19:13 — servant also - Restrain thy servant; or, do not suffer him to commit those sins.From presumptuous sins - The word used here is manifestly designed to stand in some respects in contrast with the secret faults mentioned in the previous verse. The word - זד zêd - means properly that which is boiling, swelling, inflated; then proud, arrogant; with the accessory notion of shameless wickedness or impiety. Gesenius, Lexicon. The word is rendered proud in Psalms 86:14; Psalms 119:21, Psalms

Psalms 35:3 — Draw out also the spear - The word here rendered “draw out” means properly to pour out; to empty; and it is applied to the act of emptying sacks, Genesis 42:35; to emptying bottles, Jeremiah 48:12; to drawing a sword from a sheath, Exodus 15:9; Leviticus 26:33; Ezekiel 5:12. It is applied to a “spear”

Ecclesiastes 2:12-26 — Solomon having found that wisdom and folly agree in being subject to vanity, now contrasts one with the other Ecclesiastes 2:13. Both are brought under vanity by events Ecclesiastes 2:14 which come on the wise man and the feel alike from without - death and oblivion Ecclesiastes 2:16, uncertainty Ecclesiastes 2:19, disappointment Ecclesiastes 2:21 - all happening by an external

Isaiah 20:2 — By Isaiah - Margin, ‘By the hand of Isaiah.’ So the Hebrew. That is, by the instrumentality of Isaiah. He sent him to make known the fate of the Egyptians, and the folly of trusting in them on this occasion.Go, and loose the sackcloth - For the meaning of the word

Isaiah 60:7 — All the flocks of Kedar - On the word ‘Kedar,’ see the notes at Isaiah 21:16. The Kedarenians were a wandering tribe that frequently changed their residence, though it is probable they usually dwelt in the south part of Arabia Deserta, or the north of Arabia Petraea. They are mentioned

Isaiah 9:10 — repair the evil.We will build - Our ruined houses and walls.With hewn stones - At once more permanent and elegant than the structures of bricks had been.The sycamores - These trees grew abundantly on the low lands of Judea, and were very little esteemed; 1 Kings 10:27; 2Ch 1:15; 2 Chronicles 9:27.‘This curious tree seems to partake of the nature of two different species,’ says Calmet, ‘the mulberry and the fig; the former in its leaf, and the latter in its fruit. Its Greek name, συκόμορος

Daniel 11:44 — disturb 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

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 phrase

Amos 1:9 — aggravation, that it was a violation of a previous treaty and friendship. It was not a covenant only, nor previous friendliness only; but a specific covenant, founded on friendship which they forgat and brake. If they retained the memory of Hiram’s contact with David 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”

Jonah 1:9 — was known to foreigners. It is used in the Old Testament, only when they are spoken of by foreigners, or speak of themselves to foreigners, or when the sacred writers mention them in contrast with foreigners . So Joseph spoke of his land Genesis 40:15, and the Hebrew midwives Exodus 1:19, and Moses’ sister Exodus 2:7, and God in His commission to Moses Exodus 3:18; Exodus 7:16; Exodus 9:1 as to Pharaoh, and Moses in fulfilling it Exodus 5:3. They had the name, as having passed the River Euphrates,

Haggai 2:5 — The words which I covenanted - The words stand more forcibly, because abruptly. It is an exclamation which cannot be forced into any grammatical relation with the preceding. The more exact idiom would have been “Remember,” “take to heart.” But the prophet points to it the more energetically, because he casts it, as it were, into the midst, not bound up with any one verb. This would be the rather done in speaking to the people, as David to his followers (1

Zechariah 9:2 — it shall share its subdual. After the betrayal of Damascus, Parmenio was set over all Syria. “The Syrians, not as yet tamed by the losses of war, despised the new empire, but, swiftly subdued, they did obediently what they were commanded.”And Zidon - Zidon, although probably older than Tyre , is here spoken of parenthetically, as subordinate. Perhaps, owing to its situation, it was a wealthy , rather than a strong place. Its name is “Fishing-town;” in Joshua, it is called

Matthew 5:33 — Thou shalt not forswear thyself - Christ here proceeds to correct another false interpretation of the law. The law respecting oaths is found in Leviticus 19:12, and Deuteronomy 23:23. By those laws people were forbid to perjure themselves, or to forswear, that is, swear falsely.Perform unto the Lord - Perform literally, really, and religiously what is promised in an oath.Thine oaths - An oath is a solemn

John 14:27 — Peace I leave with you - This was a common form of benediction among the Jews. See the notes at Matthew 10:13. It is the invocation of the blessings of peace and happiness. In this place it was, however, much more than a mere form or an empty wish. It came from Him who had power to make peace and to confer it on all, Ephesians 2:15. It refers here particularly

John 5:24 — He that heareth my word - To “hear,” in this place, evidently denotes not the outward act of hearing, but to receive in a proper manner; to suffer it to make its proper impression on the mind; to obey. The word “hear” is often used in this sense, Matthew 11:15; John 8:47;

John 8:44 — Ye are of your father the devil - That is, you have the temper, disposition, or spirit of the devil. You are influenced by him, you imitate him, and ought therefore to be called his children. See also 1 John 3:8-10; Acts 13:10; “Thou child of the devil.”The devil - See the notes at Matthew 4:1.The lusts - The desires or the wishes. You do what pleases him.Ye will do - The word “will,” here, is not an auxiliary verb. It does

Acts 18:17 — is commonly used to denote a judicial act of scourging. It probably means that they fell upon him and beat him with their fists, or with whatever was at band,Before the judgment seat - Probably while leaving the tribunal. Instead of “Greeks” in this verse, some mss. read “Jews,” but the former is probably the true reading. The Syriac, Arabic, and Coptic read it “the Gentiles.” It is probable that this Sosthenes afterward became a convert to the Christian faith,

Acts 7:30 — expressly mentioned by Moses. It is said, however, to have been after the king of Egypt had died Exodus 2:23; and the tradition is not improbable.In the wilderness of mount Sina - In the desert adjacent to, or that surrounded Mount Sinai. In Exodus 3:1, it is said that this occurred at Mount “Horeb.” But there is no contradiction; Horeb and Sinai are different peaks or elevations of the same mountain. They are represented as springing from the same base, and branching out in different

Romans 5:1 — Therefore - οὖν oun Since we are thus justified, or as a consequence of being justified, we have peace.Being justified by faith - See the notes at Romans 1:17; Romans 3:24; Romans 4:5.We - That is, all who are justified. The apostle is evidently speaking of true Christians.Have peace with God - see the note at John 14:27. True religion is often represented as peace with God; see Acts 10:36; Romans 8:6;

Romans 5:6 — next, which he now states, is, that God had given the most ample proof that he would save us by giving his Son when we were sinners; and that he who had done so much for us when we were enemies, would not now fail us when we are his friends; Romans 5:6-10. He has performed the more difficult part of the work by reconciling us when we were enemies; and he will not now forsake us, but will carry forward and complete what he has begun.We were yet without strength - The word used here ἀσθενῶν