Bible Commentaries

Genesis 14:5 — (5) The Rephaims.—Described as an Amorite tribe (Amos 2:9) of great stature, settled in Bashan, where Moses conquered them (Joshua 13:12). We find them also on the other side of Jordan, in Mount Ephraim ( Joshua 17:15), on the western side of Jerusalem

1 Kings 12:25 — (25) Jeroboam built Shechem.—Shechem had passed through many vicissitudes of fortune. It was already a city when Abraham entered the Promised Land (Genesis 12:6), and is from time to time mentioned in the patriarchal history (Genesis 33:18, Genesis

1 Kings 4:13 — (13) The sixth division, large, but probably less fertile, crosses the Jordan, and includes a great portion of the territory of Manasseh and Gad. The region of Argob, “the rocky region” (afterwards translated into the Greek name Trachonitis), is noticed

1 Kings 9:15 — (15) The levy.—This (see 1 Kings 5:13; 1 Kings 5:15) was both of Israelites and of the subject races, first originated for the building of the Temple, afterwards extended to the other great building works. The building works enumerated are, first in

1 Chronicles 2:42-45 — I.—1 Chronicles 2:42-45 : Caleb brother of Jerahmeel = Caleb son of Hezron (1 Chronicles 2:18) = Chelubai (1 Chronicles 2:9). (42) Mesha.—The name of a king of Moab (2 Kings 3:4), whose monument of victory, the famous Moabite stone, was found in 1868

1 Chronicles 27:28 — (28) Olive trees.—The same word (zéthîm) is rendered “olive yards” in Joshua 24:13; 1 Samuel 8:14, and elsewhere in the Authorised version. The sycamore trees that were in the low plains.—The sycomores that were in the Shephelah or lowland of Judah,

1 Chronicles 6:64-65 — (64, 65) “So the sons of Israel gave to the Levites the cities and their pastures. And they gave by the lot, out of the tribe of the sons of Judah, and out of the tribe of the sons of Simeon, and out of the tribe of the sons of Benjamin, those cities

2 Chronicles 11:8 — (8) Gath.—Uncertain. Perhaps in the Wady-el-Gat north of Ascalon. (See 1 Kings 2:39 and 1 Chronicles 18:1, from a comparison of which it appears that, under Solomon, Gath was ruled by a vassal king.) Mareshah.—Marash; a ruin two miles south of Beit-jibrin, Eleutheropolis (Joshua 15:44; 2 Chronicles 14:9). Ziph.—Tel Zif; ruins about one hour and a quarter south east of Hebron (Joshua 15:55; 1 Samuel 23:14, seqq.) Another Judean Ziph is mentioned (Joshua 15:24).

2 Chronicles 20:18 — (18) Bowed his head.—The king “bowed, face earthward,” and the people prostrated themselves upon their faces, both “to do worship to Jehovah.” (Comp.Leviticus 9:24; Leviticus 9:24; Joshua 5:14; 1 Chronicles 21:16; Exodus 34:8.)

Jeremiah 25:9 — (9) The families of the north.—The phrase reminds us of the vision of “the seething pot from the face of the north” in Jeremiah 1:13, and includes all the mingled races, Scythians and others, who owned the sway of the Chaldæan king. Nebuchadrezzar .

Deuteronomy 29:9 — (9) Keep therefore the words of this covenant . . . that ye may prosper.—Comp. Joshua 1:8 (Note); Psalms 1:3.

Joshua 1:1 — JOSHUA’S COMMISSION (Joshua 1:1-9). (1) After the death of Moses . . . the Lord spake unto Joshua . . . Moses’ minister.—Joshua’s commission was the first of its kind, but not the last. No man before Joshua had received orders to regulate his conduct

Joshua 8:1 — VIII. (1) Fear not, neither be thou dismayed.—See Joshua 1:9; Joshua 10:25. In Joshua 1:9, “For the Lord thy God is with thee.” These words indicate the return of Jehovah to the host of Israel, for the prosecution of the war. Take all the people.—Not

Judges 1:21 — (21) The children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites.—In Joshua 15:63 we find the same statement respecting the children of Judah. (See Judges 1:8.) Jerusalem was on the borders of Judah (Joshua 16:8) and Benjamin (Judges 18:28). It belongs

Judges 1:22 — (22) The house of Joseph.—Ephraim and Manasseh. The narrative now leaves the conquest of southern for that of central Palestine (Joshua 16, 17). Beth-el.—The position of this town on the “highway” between Hebron and Shechem—the main thoroughfare of

Judges 1:27 — (27) Neither did Manasseh.—The sacred historian is glancing at the conquest of Canaan, advancing from the southern tribes upwards to central and northern Palestine. (See Joshua 17:11-13.) Beth-shean.—The town to the walls of which the victorious Philistines

Judges 1:4 — (4) And Judah went up.—Under the leadership of Caleb (Joshua 14:6). The Canaanites and the Perizzites.—See Genesis 13:7; Genesis 34:30. The former seem to have been lowlanders—“by the sea and by the coast of Jordan” (Numbers 13:29), “on the east and

Judges 18:12 — (12) In Kirjath-jearim.—Joshua 9:17. The name means “city of forests.” The modern name is “city of grapes” (Kuriet el Enab). It is nine miles from Jerusalem, on the Jaffa road. Its original names were Baalah and Kirjath-Baal (Joshua 15:9; Joshua 15:60).

Judges 20:45 — (45) Unto the rock of Rimmon—i.e., of the pomegranate. As the tree is common in Palestine (Numbers 20:25; Deuteronomy 8:8. &c.), the name is naturally common. There was one Rimmon in Zebulon (Joshua 19:13), another in Judah (Joshua 15:32), south of

Judges 4:3 — (3) Cried unto the Lord.—Judges 3:9; Judges 3:15; Psalms 107:13. Nine hundred.—Josephus magnifies the number to 3,000. Chariots of iron.—Judges 1:19; Joshua 17:10. We may notice that as the children of Israel burnt these chariots at Misrephoth-maim (Joshua 11:0), they could not have been of solid iron throughout. Mightily oppressed.—The word “mightily” is rendered “sharply” in Judges 8:1; “by force” in 1 Samuel 2:16.