Bible Commentaries

1 Chronicles 15:22 — (Challoner) --- Hebrew Massa signifies a song, (Haydock) elevation, (Calmet) burden. (Syriac) So the Vulgate has onus Moab, &c., the burden or dreadful prediction against Moab. (Calmet) --- Prophecy often denotes no more than a melodious canticle, 1 Kings x. 10. (Haydock) --- Chonenias directed all this music. Septuagint simply style him "prince of the Levites, prince of the musicians" (Calmet) or Greek: archon ton odon (who gave out the songs) "because he was intelligent."

2 Chronicles 13:19 — The versions read differently. --- Ephron. The Masorets have Ephraim. (Calmet) --- Protestants, "Ephraim, with the towns thereof." (Haydock) --- Josue (xv. 9.) places Mount Ephron between Juda and Ephraim; and we find a town of the name, (1 Machabees v. 46.) but on the other side of the Jordan.

Nehemiah 4:8 — Together, to the number of 180,000, according to the Jews; who say that they were terrified, at the excommunication pronounced by 300 priests against them, while 300 young men sounded trumpets; and they fled, leaving Nehemias at liberty to continue the work. It is a pity that we

Nehemiah 8:9 — Interpreted. St. Jerome renders the same term, made silence, (ver. 7.) as it was the office of the Levites to keep the people in awe, ver. 11. (Calmet) --- Protestants, "taught." They had also (Haydock) to instruct, 1 Esdras viii. 16. (Menochius) --- Weep. The Jews had only one feast for mourning, the day of expiation. On all the rest, a holy joy was commended. For the same reason,

Esther 7:9 — "Bougathan." (Haydock) --- He had been to call Aman to the feast. (Jos.[Josephus?]) --- Little dependance is to be had on false friendship, when a man is disgraced. (Worthington) --- Upon it. His body was perhaps afterwards exposed in the street, chap. xvi. 18. It is not clear that he was nailed to the cross, though this custom prevailed in the country, 1 Esdras vi. 11. Alexander crucified many satraps. (Curtius ix.) --- The old Vulgate observes that the wife and ten children of Aman suffered with him, chap.

Job 39:17 — brains of 600 at one supper. It greedily eats iron, &c., which may help its digestion, as sand does that of other birds. (Calmet) --- When it is hunted, it hides its head only, as if this would be a sufficient defence, (Pliny, [Natural History?] x. 1.) and is taken alive by a man, clothed in the skin of an ostrich, who moves the head with his hand. (Strabo xvi.) --- All which proves its stupidity. (Calmet)

Psalms 104:37 — Gold. Which the Egyptians gave to get quit of them, (Exodus xi. 1.) and that with joy, (ver. 38.) though they might at first only intend to lend. (St. Augustine) (Berthier) --- Feeble. This refutes the notion which the enemies of the Jews had propagated, saying that they were banished on account of the leprosy. They

Psalms 105:47 — Save. These verses, which may be well recited in times of schism, (Worthington) occur, 1 Paralipomenon xvi., being probably inserted by Esdras, or some other prophet. But here they are in their proper place, as many of the Israelites are still in captivity. (Calmet) --- yet as this is only a system, we may rather suppose, that David wrote

Psalms 115:7 — or Hebrew Psalm cxvi. Ver. 16. Handmaid. To be blessed, we must be in a state of grace, and children of the Church. (Worthington) --- Out of it, death itself endured for Christ would profit nothing, (St. Augustine) but only be "a punishment of perfidy." (St. Cyprian)

Psalms 17:51 — in the third person, to lead our minds to the Messias, in whom this was more gloriously accomplished. The greater honour of this chief family of Israel, consisted in giving birth to so great a personage, in whom all are blessed. (Calmet) (Isaias xi. 1., and Ezechiel xxxiv. 23.) --- For ever. The true Church will never perish; (Haydock) God still protecting it, as he did David, ver. 48. (Worthington)

Psalms 20:9 — punishing. This is all a prediction. (Worthington) --- Let thine enemies find thy power, so as to return to good. (St. Jerome) --- To find, often means to attack, (Judges i. 5., and 3 Kings xiii. 24.) or to accomplish with ease, Deuteronomy xxxiii. 1.

Psalms 32:15 — (Berthier) --- But God rather creates them when he infuses them into the body. (Denis the Carthusian) (Haydock) --- St. Augustine could never decide this important question. This text only proves that God is equally Creator of all; (Ecclesiasticus xviii. 1.; Calmet) and He alone made the hearts and souls of all men, as Greek: katamonas implies, Psalm iv. 10., and Genebrard. (Amama)

Psalms 38:2 — Tongue. The matter is very delicate and important, James iii. 2., Proverbs xviii. 21., Isaias xxxii. 17., and Ecclesiasticus xxii. 33., and xxviii. 28. --- Me, and was treating me with injustice and calumny. (Haydock) --- Chilo, the sage, said: "I know how to bear ill treatment," (Laertius 1.) and this is a proof of "the

Psalms 4:2 — change of persons intimates that when God is present (St. Augustine) the soul is animated with confidence to speak to him. (Haydock) --- Prayer. Though his request had been granted, he still continues to address God, as we ought to pray without ceasing, 1 Thessalonians v. 17.

Psalms 42:1 — priests how they ought to officiate at Mass. (Worthington) --- Holy. Hebrew, "merciful." The Babylonians and their king, treated the Jews with great cruelty. (Calmet) --- After we have proved ourselves, according to the admonition of St. Paul, (1 Corinthians xi.) before approaching to the holy Eucharist, we may beg of God to judge and to protect us. (Worthington)

Psalms 46:11 — for the establishment of the kingdom of Christ. This psalm appears to be a sequel to the former psalm, and is addressed to the Gentiles who were present at the dedication of the second temple, as Darius had ordered his governors to assist the Jews, 1 Esdras vi. 15. See Esther viii. 17. --- Many explain it of the translation of the ark: but the Fathers behold the establishment of Christianity, and the ascension of Christ, ver. 6. (Calmet)

Psalms 47:9 — Seen. All the promises have been fulfilled. How could any one have thought that we should have been permitted to dedicate this temple under the patronage of the king of Persia? (1 Esdras vi. 8.) Who would not have feared, lest the Christian religion should perish, under such violent persecutions? Converts admire its beauty and strength. (Calmet) --- The completion of the prophecies is a wonderful confirmation and comfort of Christians,

Psalms 61:10 — put into the scales, they will be found to be of no weight; and to be mere lies, deceit, and vanity. Or, they are liars in their balances, by weighing thing by false weights, and preferring the temporal before the eternal. (Challoner) (Proverbs xi. 1., and xx. 10.) --- They give false judgments; be not concerned; God is our protector. (Calmet) --- God’s servants strive to draw others to the practice of virtue. (Worthington) --- All sinners (Haydock) will not outweigh vanity itself. (Menochius)

Psalms 7:11 — (Haydock) yet it is still taken in the former sense, in some Greek and Latin copies. The wicked shall be frustrated in their designs, though they may succeed for a time, (Calmet) consumetur, (Symmachus; Haydock) or rather let their ruin be determined on, 1 Kings xxv. 17. (Calmet)

Psalms 73:13 — destroying the Egyptians, called here dragons, from their cruelty, in the same waters, with their king; casting up their bodies on the shore, to be stript by the Ethiopians, inhabiting in those days the coast of Arabia. (Challoner) --- Isaias xxvii. 1., styles Pharao a dragon. See Job xl. 20. (Calmet) (Exechiel xxix. 3.) --- Leviathan denotes a whale, or crocodile, and was an emblem of the devil, and of all tyrants, particularly of antichrist. (Berthier)