Bible Commentaries

Psalms 131:11 — Make. Literally, "deceive him." Hebrew, "will not turn from it," the truth. (Berthier) --- Thy. St. Cyprian and St. Hilary read, "my throne," which belonged to the Lord, 1 Paralipomenon xxix. 23. (Calmet) --- But it might also be styled David’s, as the promises were made to him. (Haydock) --- Christ was born of the virgin’s womb, without having any man for his father. (St. Augustine) --- This promise actually

Psalms 146:1 — occasion. Hebrew and Chaldean have no title. Yet the psalm seems to be a thanksgiving (Calmet) for the permission to build the temple and walls of Jerusalem, (Origen) which had been neglected, till God visited the people with a famine, ver. 8., 2 Esdras v. 1., and Aggeus i. 6. (Bossuet) --- Zorobabel, &c., urge the people to build. (Syriac) (Calmet) --- Still David might compose this psalm, as he was a prophet, (Berthier) and he may allude to the beginning of his reign, when the people were all united.

Psalms 16:3 — mouth has not transgressed thy orders." If some thoughts of taking revenge by killing Saul, presented themselves involuntarily, David repressed them; (Calmet) and when he was alone with him at night in a cave, he would not suffer him to be hurt, 1 Kings xxvi. 7. (Theodoret) --- He asserts that he had gone through tribulations without offending. Those who are innocent or penitent, may pray with this confidence; as the Church may, which has always some saints, on which account she is styled holy.

Psalms 17:30 — continually assailed by enemies. (Calmet) --- Septuagint Greek: peieatesion, signifies "a place of pirates;" denoting what crafty foes he had to encounter, (Berthier) or "a place or time to learn the military exercise," a warfare, Job vii. 1. But gedud, (Haydock) means "a troop," designed to make incursions, as those under Jephte and David. Hebrew, "In thee I will run armed;" (St. Jerome) or, "at the head of my troops." (Calmet) --- "I will break, (Pagnin)

Psalms 67:33-34 — were dead in mortal sin: as at the last day he will, by the power of his voice, call all the dead from their graves. (Challoner) --- He will come to judge with great majesty, (Worthington) and his thunder shall resound, as well as the last trumpet, 1 Corinthians xv. 52.

Psalms 83:1 — Core. See Psalm viii., xli., and lxxx. (Haydock) --- The Corites were musicians, as well as porters in the temple, 1 Paralipomenon xxvi. They here represent the faithful upon earth, (St. Augustine; Worthington) who sigh after the heavenly Sion. David was animated with these sentiments, more than with the desire of revisiting Jerusalem, during the revolt of his son.

Psalms 88:48 — Remember what. Hebrew ani, "I." As this seems odd, Houbigant substitutes, adni, "Lord." (Berthier) --- Substance is. That Christ will assume our nature, (St. Augustine, City of God xvii. 9, 11.) or "how long I shall live." (Montanus) --- Even the world "passes" like a shadow, 1 Corinthians vii. (Amama) --- "Be mindful of me from the depth: else why hast thou in vain created the sons of men?" (St. Jerome) (Haydock)

Psalms 89:1 — God. This characterizes the Jewish legislator [Moses]. (Berthier) (Deuteronomy xxxiii. 1.) (Du Hamel) --- David composed it in his [Moses’] name, (Menochius) or it bears some analogy with his writings. St. Jerome maintains, that he [Moses] was the author of the nine following psalms, (Calmet) which have no title in Hebrew. (Tirinus)

Ezekiel 1:4 — North, denoting the invasion of Judea by the Chaldeans, Isaias xiv. 31. (Sanctius) --- The Jews thought the following vision inexplicable, and deliberated about rejecting the book, when Ananias offered to answer every difficulty. They assigned him three hundred barrels of oil to light his lamp, while he performed the task.

Ezekiel 12:22 — --- As the prophets had long before foretold the captivity, and it had not yet taken place, (Worthington) in general, though many were already in exile, (Haydock) they concluded that it would never be realized. Thus heretics deny the general judgment, 1 Peter iii. (Worthington) --- Every vision, on this head, ver. 28. Many events were revealed that regarded the times of Christ, Daniel ix., &c. (Haydock)

Ezekiel 15:2 — Wood. Small branches or tendrils. The vines of that country were probably small. (Calmet) --- The wild vine (Sanctius) grows very large, and the wood is durable, so that statues, pillars, and ladders were formed of it. (Pliny, [Natural History?] xiv. 1.) --- Strabo (ii., and xi.) mentions the trunk of a vine which two men could hardly clasp, and the bunch of grapes was two cubits high. But the prophet speaks of the small branches, which are fit only for the fire. (Calmet) --- God’s Church is

Ezekiel 8:14 — come to life, when rejoicings took place. Obscene pictures were carried about; and the more honest pagans were ashamed of these practices, which began in Egypt, and became almost general. Moses alludes to them, Leviticus xix. 27., and Deuteronomy xiv. 1. (Calmet) --- David and Solomon say that the image was made of brass, with eyes of lead, which seemed to weep, melting when it was hot. (Worthington) --- But this is destitute of proof.

Daniel 8:14 — Days. That is, six years and almost four months; which was the whole time from the beginning of the persecution of Antiochus till his death. (Challoner) --- He began A. [in the year] 143, and died A. [in the year] 149, according to the era of Seleucus. (Haydock) --- The temple was purified in the mean time. (1 Machabees i. 21. and vi. 16.) (Worthington) --- Full days are specified. Sacrifice entirely ceased for three years, in the

Joel 2:30 — persecution of Epiphanes, the death of Christ, the ruin of the temple, and more will be seen before the day of judgment. Though we cannot prove the same with respect to Cambyses, it suffices that the people were thrown into the utmost consternation (ver. 2, 11.) when he forebade the building of the temple, (1 Esdras iv. 6.) and designed to plunder them. Ezechiel (xxxviii. 11.) speaks of the same event, as the Jews assert. Ctesias also mentions that when he offered sacrifice, the victims would not bleed;

Zechariah 4:7 — thereof with shouting, crying: Grace, grace unto it." The people filled the air with their cries, when the temple was founded fourteen years before. (Haydock) --- This second attempt shall be more successful. The temple was finished in four years, 1 Esdras v. 16., and vi. 16. (Calmet)

Zechariah 5:11 — they had seized, and confined to their own territory, by the Persians and Greeks; or, if we explain it of the Jews, many of them remained at Babylon, and did not return to defile their own country. Only those whose hearts were touched by God returned, 1 Esdras i. 5. (Calmet) --- Sennaar means "excussion." The Jews have been driven by the Chaldeans and Romans into all parts. (Menochius)

Zechariah 9:7 — worship of the true God. (Challoner) --- Many pagans devoured the victims raw, and drank the blood of their enemies. These marks of cruelty and superstition shall cease when they adopt the law of Moses, Genesis ix. 4., and Leviticus vii. 26,. and xvii. 11. --- Governor, or city of a thousand: (Calmet) Hebrew alup, Micheas v. 2. (Haydock) --- Jebusite. They probably embraced the faith with Areuna, 2 Kings xxiv. 16. The city was formerly styled Jebus. The towns of the Philistines shall not be distinguished

Luke 10:1 — seems no doubt but the true number was seventy-two. For seventy-two may be called seventy; but had they been only seventy, they could never have been called seventy-two. This was also the exact number of the judges chosen to assist Moses; (Exodus xxiv. 1.) though called seventy, (Numbers xi. 16.) as it is evident, because there were six chosen out of every one of the twelve tribes. In like manner the exact number of the interpreters called the Septuagint must have been seventy-two; and also the just

Luke 19:2 — hearkened to the interior voice of the Almighty, calling him to repentance; he made no delay, and therefore deserved immediately not only to see, but to eat, drink, and converse with Jesus. (St. Cyril) --- Behold here the three steps of his conversion: 1. an ardent desire of seeing Jesus; 2. the honourable reception he gave him in his house; 3. the complete restitution of all ill-acquired property.

Luke 2:21 — Should be circumcised; which might be done not only in the temple, or in a synagogue, but in any house. (Witham) --- Many reasons may be alleged why our Saviour submitted to the painful and humbling knife of circumcision: 1. to manifest to the whole world the reality of his human nature, and the difference between his divinity and humanity; 2. to shew he approved of circumcision, which he had instituted; 3. to prove that he was of the seed of Abraham; 4. to teach us humility