Bible Commentaries

1 Kings 1:9 — Slain. Either for sacrifice, or simply for a feast; (Calmet) though it is probable that victims of peace would be offered, as on similar occasions, on which the guests would afterwards feast, 1 Kings xi. (Haydock) --- Rogel, east of Jerusalem, in the vale of Josaphat. (Menochius)

2 Chronicles 26:7 — Gurbaal. Gerera, (S. Jerom, Trad.) or Gebal, Psalm lxxxii. 8. Sept. "the rock," or Petra, in Arabia, where Stephanus places the Gabalenes. --- Ammonites. Heb. mehunim. Sept. "Mineans," (chap. xx. 1.; H.) upon the Red Sea, (Stephanus) or Mediterranean, (Pliny vi. 28,) or in Arabia Felix. Strabo) M.

Ezra 1:11 — Hundred. Only 2499 are specified. 3 Esdras reads, 5469. Josephus ([Antiquities?] xi. 1.) differs from all, reading 5210; which shews that the copies have varied, and that the Hebrew is incorrect. (Calmet) --- The use of number letters might cause this confusion. (Haydock) (Capel. iii. 20, 13.)

Esther 9:10 — Goods, in any place, (Tirinus) that they might not appear to be actuated by the desire of riches, (Calmet) to fall upon the innocent. How often does this fatal cause blind Christian conquerors! The sons of Aman were married, and had separate establishments, chap. viii. 1.

Job 1:21 — Thither. To that earth from which all are taken. (Haydock) --- Ista terra gentes omnes peperit & resumet demum. (Varro.) --- Ut ater operiens. (Pliny, [Natural History?] ii. 63.) See 1 Timothy vi. 7. --- As....done. Some copies of St. Jerome omit this, which is borrowed from the Septuagint. (Calmet)

Psalms 103:35 — No more. So St. Paul pronounced sentence on those who did not love the Lord Jesus, (1 Corinthians xvi. 22.) yet without any animosity. (Berthier) --- The saints thus pray for the conversion of all, (St. Athanasius) or express the approbation of God’s sentence against the damned. (Worthington)

Psalms 120:7 — PSALM CXX. (LEVAVI OCULOS.) God is the keeper of his servants. Keepeth. Hebrew also, "shall or may." The words of a prophet are always true, and the tenses are varied at pleasure by St. Jerome, &c. (Berthier) --- Soul, or spiritual life. (Worthington) (1 Peter i. 4.)

Psalms 34:10 — Lord. Some Latin copies repeated this, while others in the original passed over the word entirely. (St. Jerome ad. Sun.) --- Be thou my life whom I always seek." (St. Augustine) --- Poor, in general, or David, who was supplied by Abimelech with food, 1 Kings xxi. 3. (Calmet)

Proverbs 22:7 — Servant. He might be sold, &c., Exodus xxii. 3., and Matthew xviii. 25. (Gell. xx. 1.) Plato (Leg. viii.) would have nothing sold on credit. These laws appear to be severe; but they are founded on wisdom, as nothing impoverishes more than the facility of borrowing.

Isaiah 29:2 — Trench. Sennacherib did not besiege the city, chap. xxxvii. 33. But he made preparations for it, and his sentiments are expressed, (Calmet) together with the fatal consequences which he felt, when his army was offered up (Haydock) as a victim on the altar of holocausts, ver. 1.

Jeremiah 14:11 — Good, that the drought may be removed. (Calmet) See chap. vii. 16., and xi. 14. (Menochius) --- "It is folly to pray for him who has sinned unto death," (St. Jerome; 1 John v. 16.) by final impenitence. (Calmet) --- Sacrifices will not benefit the impenitent. (St. Jerome)

Ezekiel 17:12 — Shall, or, "hath taken," &c., (Challoner) as also (ver. 13.) Sedecias was seized five years after, chap. viii. 1. Jechonias, the princes, mighty warriors, (ver. 13.) and expert artists, had been taken away six years before, with the prophet. Protestants, "is come,...and hath taken," &c. (Haydock)

Amos 1:13 — Border. They pretended that Galaad belonged to them, Judges xi. 12. David subdued Ammon; but after the division of the kingdom, they recovered their independence, and took occasion to commit these cruelties, while Israel had to contend with Syria. Jeremias (xlix. 1.) speaks of a later period.

Zechariah 12:6 — Furnace. Septuagint, "firebrand among wood, and as a burning lamp amid straw." (Haydock) --- Left. The Samaritans shall fall as well as the Idumeans. --- Place. The temple and city had been deserted, while the troops of Epiphanes occupied the citadel, 1 Machabees iii. 45., and iv. 38.

Zechariah 14:1 — Midst. The obstinate Jews shall be destroyed. They became their own enemies. (Calmet) --- The Zealots committed the greatest excesses during the siege. (Josephus, Jewish Wars v. 1.) --- Tacitus also refers to these transactions, having written thirty volumes on the Cæsars, from Augustus to Domitian’s death." (St. Jerome)

Matthew 14:3 — Because of Herodias, his brother’s wife. In the common Greek copies we read, his brother Philip’s wife, as it is in the Latin in St. Mark, vi. 17. (Witham) --- He is a different person from Philip the tetrarch, mentioned in St. Luke. iii. 1. (Bible de Vence)

John 14:31 — As the Father hath given me commandment, so I do. --- He again speaks of himself, as man. Arise, let us go hence. Yet by chap. xviii. ver. 1. Christ still continued the like instructions, either in the same place, or in the way to Gethsemani. (Witham)

1 John 3:4 — Committeth also iniquity.[1] By the Greek text, iniquity is here taken for a transgression or prevarication of the law, which makes the sense clearer. (Witham) --- Iniquity; (Greek: anomia ) transgression of the law. (Challoner) =============================== [BIBLIOGRAPHY] Et peccatum est iniquitas, Greek: kai e amartia estin e anomia, transgressio.

Expanded Esther 3:2 — Die. In this the wicked are not under a mistake; but they err when they suppose that the just shall be no more. If the hopes of the pious where confined to this world, they would be the most miserable of all, 1 Corinthians xv. 19. (Calmet)

Wisdom of Solomon 25:16 — It. This is not in the edition of Rome, or of Aldus: but it is in the rest. Fear commonly begins the work of salvation, and love perfects it, 1 Timothy i. 5. (Calmet) --- All happiness in this life is grounded on the fear of God. (Worthington)