Bible Commentaries

Exodus 1:19 — excuse themselves, but seem also to enter into the king’s sentiments of hatred and scorn for the Hebrews. (Menochius) --- Women in Egypt, and in the eastern regions, are easily delivered, and hardly stand in need of any assistance. (Ludolf.) (1 Kings iv. 19.) Perhaps, therefore, the midwives spoke truth, with regard to the generality of the Hebrew women. But they gave way to a lie of excuse, with regard to some, (ver. 17,) which St. Augustine would not allow, even to save all the Hebrew children.

Exodus 28:40 — Linen. In Ezechiel (xliv. 17,) woollen garments are forbidden to be worn by priests. Many of the pagans required their priests to be clothed in white linen. All these prescriptions of God, which seem to us so minute, had a more sublime and mysterious meaning. For in the priestly

1 Kings 12:29 — (Salien) --- The latter city was assigned to Benjamin, Josue xviii. 22. (Menochius) --- But probably many of the subjects of Jeroboam dwelt in it; so that it was the most southern city of his dominions. It had been consecrated by Jacob, (Genesis xxviii. 19.) and was a famous place of devotion, 1 Kings x. 3. Septuagint (Alexandrian) and St. Cyril (in Osee, p. 5.) read Galgal. Dan had been long before infected with idolatry, Judges xviii. 30.

1 Kings 16:31 — the wickedness of his predecessors. (Haycock) --- Ethbaal. Menander (following Josephus, contra Apion i.) calls him Ithobaal, and remarks that his reign was memorable for a year’s drought; probably that of three years, under Achaz, chap. xvii. 1. Ethbaal was king of Tyre, and ruled over the Sidonians likewise, chap. v. 6.

1 Kings 19:4 — (Haydock) --- Die. Elias requested to die, not out of impatience or pusillanimity, but out of zeal against sin; and that he might no longer be witness of the miseries of his people, and the war they were waging against God and his servants. See ver. 10. (Challoner) --- He does not wish to fall into the hands of Jezabel, lest the idolaters should triumph: but he is willing to die, if God so order it. (Calmet) --- Mathathias entertained the like sentiments, 1 Machabees ii. 7. --- Fathers: that I should

1 Kings 8:27 — shower down his graces with a more liberal hand on those who should there present themselves before him.. This wise prince was not ignorant that God’s immensity fills all places. --- Heavens. We know not how many haveans the Jews admitted. We find, 1. the air, 2. the region of the stars, 3. the residence of God, thus specified; and this last is here denoted as the most excellent of all. St. Paul styles it the third heaven, 2 Corinthians xii. 2. The Basilidians counted as many heavens as there are

1 Kings 9:2 — Gabaon; that is, "during the night," 2 Paralipomenon vii. 12. God had spoken to Solomon, by a prophet, while he was building the temple; (chap. vi. 11.; Haydock) unless that passage relate to the same time as that which is here recorded more in detail, and took place in the night, after Solomon had poured forth

2 Kings 15:18 — veniebat. (Menochius) --- But Phul probably received the talents only once, to indemnify him for his trouble. He was perhaps the father of Sardanapalus, who joined his name, Phul, to his own, Sardan; as Merodach assumed that of Baladan, Isaias xxxix. 1. Profane authors style the father of Sardanapalus,Anacindaraxes, &c. Phul was the first of the Assyrian monarchs who came into the land of Israel, where we shall find them too often in the sequel. He probably repented on the preaching of Jonas,

2 Kings 19:29 — Septuagint; but they shew the sense. (Haydock) --- Second, which was a sabbatical year. (Usher) (Tirinus) --- We elsewhere find signs given as a proof of past events, and that they were from God, who enabled his prophet to foretell both, Exodus iii. 12., and Isaias viii. 4. Thus three things are proved. 1. That the prophet is truly animated with the divine spirit. 2. That God is the author of the miracle. 3. As also of the sign which follows it, particularly if the sign be likewise miraculous. It

2 Kings 4:1 — Prophets. Josephus ([Antiquities?] ix. 4.) intimates that this man was Abdias; (3 Kings xviii. 13.) and the Rabbins pretend that Joram was the creditor. But these traditions are destitute of proof; and we know not that Abdias was a prophet. (Calmet) --- Serve him, not as slaves, for the Hebrews were not thus to be sold, except they had commited

1 Chronicles 23:29 — received flour from the people, and baked it. (Menochius) --- But St. Jerome follows the tradition of the Jews, intimating that the priests sowed the corn, and did every thing about the loaves of proposition, Malachias i. 6. --- Flour, Leviticus ii. 1. --- Cakes, Exodus xxix. 2. --- Roasting the first-fruits, Leviticus ii. 14. (Menochius) --- Measure. A standard was kept in the temple, (Exodus xxx. 13.; Calmet) to prevent any fraud. The Ediles at Rome performed the same office. (Tirinus) --- There

2 Chronicles 29:34 — Holocausts, as the law required, Lev. i. 6. See C. xxxv. 11. The skin might be taken off other victims, by laics. --- Priests. Syriac, "The Levites were more timid, or reserved than the priests, to purify themselves." C. --- Both are indirectly accused of negligence, C. xxx. 15. The Hebrew seems to

Psalms 2:10 — And. Here the prophet may address kings, unless the Father or the Messias continue to speak. It is evident these words are not to be understood of David’s dominions alone. Fear and joy keep the Christian in proper order, Philippians ii. 12., and iii. 1. (Berthier) --- "The love of God pushes us forward, and the fear of God makes us take care where we walk." (St. Theresa [of Avila?]) --- The one guards us against despair, the other against presumption. Kings are here instructed

Psalms 6:1 — for this octave, sinners must dispose themselves, like David, by bewailing their sins, whilst they are here upon the earth. (Challoner) (Worthington) --- It may also signify, that this psalm was to be sung by "the eighth" of the 24 bands, 1 Paralipomenon xv. 21. David might compose it after sickness, with which he had been punished for his adultery; (Calmet) or under any distress: he expresses the sentiments of a true penitent, (Berthier) with which he was ever after impressed. (Haydock)

Leviticus 23:15 — Sabbath. Not the ninth day of the week, but the first day of the Passover; from the morrow of which seven weeks or 49 days were reckoned; and the next day was Pentecost. (Menochius) --- They began, therefore, to count on the 16th of Nisan, and end on the 6th of the third month Sivan. All the intermediate days took their denomination from this second day of the Passover; so that the next Saturday was called the first sabbath after the second day; in Greek Deuteroproton, the

Numbers 15:30 — or irritated the Lord." Such crimes imply a contempt of the law. --- Cut off by God, if the judges neglect to do it. The Hebrews maintain, that each individual has a right to kill such scandalous offenders, as Phinees did Zambri, chap. xxv. 7. (1 Machabees ii. 23.) It is not clear whether all strangers, living in the country, were subjected to this law. (Selden, Jur. ii. 11.) Though such crimes were not pardoned by the law, true repentance will free us from them. (St. Augustine, q. 25.) (Worthington)

Deuteronomy 18:11 — xxix. 4. --- Tellers. Hebrew, "wise men." (Haydock) --- Those who promise great knowledge from the secrets of the caballa, or magic. --- Dead. Necromancy was already very common. Thus the witch of Endor made the ghost of Samuel appear to Saul, 1 Kings xxviii. 7. The Rabbins say that the person took a bone, or the skull of the dead, when he intended to enquire into futurity. (Drusius)

2 Timothy 1:5 — el perfecto desempeño de su ministerio, con su propio ejemplo; ya que los mismos escritores creen que lo más probable es que estuviera en prisión en Roma o en Laodicea, en el momento en que escribió esta epístola. (Denis el Cartujo) &mdash- Cierto [1] que también en ti. (Witham) [BIBLIOGRAFÍA] Certus sum, griego: pepeismai, persuasum habeo.

Judges 15:19 — at Lechi; and....he called it the fountain of him who cries out, (Calmet; En-hakkore, Protestants) which is in the Lechi, until this day." The translating of some proper names has given occasion to various difficulties. See 2 Kings vi. 3., and 1 Paralipomenon iv. 22. (Haydock) --- Sophonias (i. 11,) mentions a place called (Mactesh, or) Machtes, in Hebrew, which seems to have been built where the fountain of Samson was. (Calmet) --- It is a greater miracle to draw water out of a dry bone, than

Judges 16:23 — Dagon. Probably the derceto, whom Diodorus (3,) represents with the head of a woman, and the rest of the body like a fish, the chief object of adoration at Ascalon. (Calmet) --- Dagon may signify "wheat;" and hence Eusebius (præp. 1,) styles him "the ploughing Jupiter," or "a fish." --- Hands. For this purpose they were offering sacrifices of thanksgiving, (Menochius) which they did not only when they first took Samson, but probably on all their great festivals,