Bible Commentaries

Exodus 12:2 — Year, sacred or ecclesiastical, which is most commonly used in Scripture. The civil year commenced with Tisri, in September, and regulated the jubilee, contracts, &c. (Lapide) --- January was the first month to determine the age of trees, and August to decide when cattle became liable to be tithed. (Chap. xxii. 29; Leviticus xix. 23.) (Calmet) --- Before the captivity, the months were not styled Nisan, &c., but abib, (chap xiii. 5,) the first....Bul the 11th, (1 Kings vi.), &c. Sa.

Exodus 27:3 — Pans, &c. The Septuagint have, "a crown or border, for the altar, and its covering, and its cups, and flesh-hooks, and fire-place, or pan." Hebrew also has five terms; which Calmet renders: 1. a small kettle to receive the ashes under the grate; 2. fire-shovels; 3. bowls to receive blood (mozrokoth, which term the Vulgate does not perhaps notice); 4. flesh-hooks; 5. chafing-dishes. The Protestant version has also the basins or broad cups, phialas, of the Septuagint (Haydock)

1 Kings 13:10 — Bethel, which was defiled, 1 Kings xxi. 5. God would thus caution us to keep at the greatest distance (Tirinus) possible from evil company, (Haydock) and from whatever may lead to sin. (Menochius) --- Besides the literal sense, Sanchez believes that the prophet was thus admonished

1 Kings 22:2 — Josaphat. It is wonderful that a prince of so great piety, should be on terms of such strict friendship with a most wicked king. God did not approve of it; and the event was unfortunate, 2 Paralipomenon xx. 37. Achab received the king of Juda with extraordinary magnificence, 2 Paralipomenon xviii. 2. It is thought that (Calmet) the latter had married his daughter, (Grotius) or rather (Haydock) he had taken Athalia for his son Joram, 2 Paralipomenon xviii. 1. (Tirinus) (Menochius)

1 Chronicles 1:50 — is unusual for the Scripture to mark so particularly the genealogy of a woman. We might translate the Hebrew, "a native, or who was a native of Mezaab," which is probably the same with Dizahab, "abundance of gold," Deuteronomy i. 1. Mezaab signifies, "waters of gold," (Calmet) or "whose is gold," whence some infer that the woman was very rich, (Lyranus) or had discovered the art of drawing gold thread. (Abulensis) --- It is more probably a proper name. (Menochius)

1 Chronicles 9:11 — Azarias, or Saraias, ibid. 11.[2 Esdras xi. 11.?] --- Mosollam, or Sellum, chap. vi. 12. (Calmet) --- High is not expressed in Pontifex; and this Azarias was only (Haydock) one of the principal families; (Menochius; Du Hamel) perhaps the second in dignity; (4 Kings xxv. 18.) while

2 Chronicles 30:10 — Zabulon. Aser and Nephthali lay more to the north. But they were also invited, as well as the few who might remain on the other side the Jordan, 1 Paralipomenon v. 26. At least, we find that some of Aser came, v. 11. Thus those, who had been invited last, came first, while Ephraim continued more stubborn; (v. 18) and the greatest part derided the messengers, as we still see too frequently verified in the days of the gospel. H.

Nehemiah 7:69 — Hitherto. This is not in the original, or in the other versions. It is inserted in the margin of some Latin manuscripts, and entirely omitted in others of great authority. The gloss might have been placed after ver. 64. (Calmet) --- Yet some of the following verses seem also to be copied from 1 Esdras. (Haydock) --- St. Jerome informs us from what sources the work was compiled, which is all declared canonical by the Church, (Worthington) whether written by Esdras or by Nehemias. (Haydock)

Nehemiah 9:32 — Assur. Theglathphalassar, who led some of the tribes into captivity, as Salmanasar did the rest. During this period, the whole nation was involved in misery, (Calmet) from which they had not been liberated even when the author wrote, ver. 36. (Haydock) (1 Paralipomenon v. 26.) (Menochius)

Esther 1:2 — Haydock) or castle," (Calmet) may also signify "a capital." (Montanus, &c.) --- Hystaspes founded this ancient royal city of Persia, (Pliny, [Natural History?] vi. 27.) or he greatly embellished it. (Calmet) (Ælian, Anim. xiii. 18.) (Tirinus) --- He seems to have resided here almost constantly. The preceding kings (Calmet) spent the winter in this warm climate, and perhaps the spring. See 2 Esdras i. 1. They spent other parts of the year at Ecbatana and at Babylon. (Calmet)

Job 37:9 — Parts. The south, (chap. ix. 9.) whence storms commonly came in that country, (Calmet) from the sea or desert of Idumea. (Haydock) (Psalm lxxvii. 26., and Zacharias ix. 14., and Isaias xxi. 1.) --- North wind or pole. (Worthington) --- Yet the south seems to be designated; (ver. 17., and chap. xxxviii. 32.) though cold comes from the north, in Idumea as well as here. (Calmet) --- Mezarim, is rendered by Protestants "north."

Leviticus 24:2 — Command. It is probable that this order was given while Beseleel was working at the tabernacle. (Calmet) --- The people were to furnish the necessary sacrifices, &c., by the half sicle, Exodus xxx. 3, and by voluntary contributions on the three great festivals, on which no one was to appear empty-handed, Exodus xxiii. 15. Some chose to put their contributions towards the temple in the treasury, Luke xxi. 1. --- Oil: Hebrew, "pure oil of the olive beaten, for light to," &c.

Leviticus 4:13 — Multitude assembled. Septuagint add, "be involuntarily ignorant, and no one of the congregation perceive the truth, (or word,) and shall transgress, by commission or omission, one of all the precepts of the Lord." Such was the offence of Saul and the people, 1 Kings xiv. 33. On these occasions, the elders were to put their hands on the victim, to acknowledge the general offence, if it were not of too heinous a nature to be expiated by sacrifice. See Deuteronomy xiii. 12.

Deuteronomy 22:8 — Battlement. This precaution was necessary, because all their houses had flat tops; and it was usual to walk and to converse together upon them. (Challoner) --- King Ochozias had the misfortune to fall from the top of his house, (4 Kings i. 2,) and David saw Bethsabee when he was walking on the roof of his palace, 2 Kings xi. 2. Saul slept at the top of Samuel’s house, 1 Kings ix. 25. See Josue ii. 6., and Matthew x. 27. (Haydock)

Deuteronomy 5:5 — Mediator. St. Paul acknowledges this title of Moses, (Galatians iii. 9,) who was a figure of Jesus Christ, the mediator of the New Testament, Hebrews viii. 6., ix. 15., and xii. 24. (Calmet) --- Let not Protestants, therefore, reject this title with so much indignation, when it is applied in the like limited sense to the saints, to denote that they pray for us, as we pray for one another. Christ is the one mediator (1 Timothy ii.) of redemption. (Haydock)

Jude 1:4 — divina, es el mismo Dios, Maestro y Señor con él y el Espíritu Santo. Pero muchos intérpretes piensan que el verdadero sentido y la construcción es este, negar a Jesucristo, nuestro único maestro soberano, [4] y Señor. Las razones de esta exposición son: 1. Que este versículo de S. Judas parece corresponder a la de San Pedro, (2 Pedro ii. 1.) donde dice de los mismos herejes, que niegan al Señor que los compró, o niegan al que los compró, para ser Señor. 2. Porque los discípulos de Simón negaron que Jesucristo

1 Samuel 30:10 — CHAPTER XXX. Weary. Hebrew pigru, denotes those who are "lazy and dead." Septuagint, "some sat down on the other side of the torrent." Syriac and Arabic insinuate, to defend the passage. But why then do the rest complain? (Calmet) --- They acted irrationally, as David shewed afterwards. Some of the 600 might well be more exhausted than others, and these were selected to guard the baggage, ver. 24. This was only the third day since they left Aphec, ver. 1. (Haydock)

2 Samuel 12:13 — Sinned. His confession was sincere, and very different from that of Saul, 1 Kings xv. 24. "The expression was the same; but God saw the difference of the heart." (St. Augustine, contra Faust. xxii. 27.) --- Sin. He has remitted the fault and the eternal punishment, and he has greatly diminished the temporal chastisement,

2 Samuel 12:24 — Wife. She had partaken in his affliction and repentance. The Jews say that David told her the divine oracle, which is mentioned [in] 3 Kings i. 13, 17., that her next son should succeed to the throne. Salien (the year of the world 3000) supposes that he was conceived in May, two months after the death of Bethsabee’s first-born, and came into the world about he time of the Passover. --- Solomon, "the pacific." See 1 Paralipomenon xxii. 9. (Menochius)

2 Samuel 21:8 — Of Michol. They were the sons of Merob, who was married to Hadriel; but they are here called the sons of Michol, because she adopted them, and brought them up as her own: (Challoner; Chaldean; St. Jerome, Trad.) or Merob ws called Michol; (Sa) or, what seems most probable, from the word she bore being used, (Cajetan) and as two sisters would hardly have the same name, (Haydock) Micholhas crept into the text instead of Merob. (Capel; Salien; Calmet) (1 Kings xxv. 44.)