Bible Commentaries

Isaiah 38:4 — 4. In :-, the quickness of God's answer to the prayer is marked, "afore Isaiah had gone out into the middle court, the word of the LORD came to him"; that is, before he had left Hezekiah, or at least when he had just left him, and Hezekiah was in the act of praying after having heard God's message by Isaiah (compare Isaiah 65:24; Psalms 32:5; Daniel 9:21).

Isaiah 60:4 — 4. Lift up . . . eyes—Jerusalem is addressed as a female with eyes cast down from grief. all they . . . they—The Gentile peoples come together to bring back the dispersed Hebrews, restore their city, and worship Jehovah with offerings. nursed at thy side—rather "carried at thy side." It is the custom in the East to carry the children astride on the hip, with the arms around the body (Isaiah 66:12).

Jeremiah 25:15 — 15. wine cup—Compare Jeremiah 13:12; Jeremiah 13:13, as to this image, to express stupefying judgments; also Jeremiah 49:12; Jeremiah 51:7. Jeremiah often embodies the imagery of Isaiah in his prophecies (Lamentations 4:21; Isaiah 51:17-22; Revelation 16:19; Revelation 18:6). The wine cup was not literally given by Jeremiah to the representatives of the different nations; but only in symbolical vision.

Jeremiah 25:32 — 32. from the coasts—rather, "from the uttermost regions." Like a storm which arises in one region and then diffuses itself far and wide, so God's judgments shall pass "from nation to nation," till all has been fulfilled; no distance shall prevent the fulfilment. not be lamented— (Jeremiah 16:4; Jeremiah 16:6). neither gathered—to their fathers, in their ancestral tombs (Jeremiah 16:6- :). dung— (Jeremiah 16:6- :).

Jeremiah 49:4 — 4. thy flowing valley—rather, "thy valley shall flow," namely with the blood of the slain; in sad contrast to their "valleys" in which they had heretofore "gloried," as flowing with milk and honey [GROTIUS]. Or else, as Margin, "shall flow away." backsliding—apostate from Jehovah, the God of their father Lot, to Molech. treasures—her resources for resisting the foe. Who shall, &c.—Who can come . . . (Jeremiah 21:13).

Ezekiel 20:47 — 47. fire—every kind of judgment (Ezekiel 19:12; Ezekiel 21:3, "my sword"; Jeremiah 21:14). green tree . . . dry—fit and unfit materials for fuel alike; "the righteous and the wicked," as explained in Ezekiel 21:3; Ezekiel 21:4; Luke 23:31. Unsparing universality of the judgment! flaming flame—one continued and unextinguished flame. "The glowing flame" [FAIRBAIRN]. faces—persons; here the metaphor is merged in the reality.

Ezekiel 22:25 — 25. conspiracy—The false prophets have conspired both to propagate error and to oppose the messages of God's servants. They are mentioned first, as their bad influence extended the widest. prey—Their aim was greed of gain, "treasure, and precious things" (Hosea 6:9; Zephaniah 3:3; Zephaniah 3:4; Matthew 23:14). made . . . many widows—by occasioning, through false prophecies, the war with the Chaldeans in which the husbands fell.

Ezekiel 37:3 — 3. can these bones live? . . . thou knowest—implying that, humanly speaking, they could not; but faith leaves the question of possibility to rest with God, with whom nothing is impossible (Deuteronomy 32:39). An image of Christian faith which believes in the coming general resurrection of the dead, in spite of all appearances against it, because God has said it (John 5:21; Romans 4:17; 2 Corinthians 1:9).

Daniel 6:23 — 23. because he believed—"Faith" is stated in Hebrews 11:33 to have been his actuating principle: a prelude to the Gospel. His belief was not with a view to a miraculous deliverance. He shut his eyes to the event, committing the keeping of his soul to God, in well-doing, as unto a faithful Creator (1 Peter 4:19), sure of deliverance in a better life, if not in this.

Hosea 1:4 — 4. Jezreel—that is, "God will scatter" (compare :-). It was the royal city of Ahab and his successors, in the tribe of Issachar. Here Jehu exercised his greatest cruelties (2 Kings 9:16; 2 Kings 9:25; 2 Kings 9:33; 2 Kings 10:11; 2 Kings 10:14; 2 Kings 10:17). There is in the name an allusion to "Israel" by a play of letters and sounds.

Hosea 4:10 — 10. eat, and not have enough—just retribution on those who "eat up (greedily) the sin of My people" (Hosea 4:8; Micah 6:14; Haggai 1:6). whoredom, and . . . not increase—literally, "break forth"; used of giving birth to children (Genesis 28:14, Margin; compare Genesis 38:29). Not only their wives, but their concubines, shall be barren. To be childless was considered a great calamity among the Jews.

Jonah 3:7 — 7. neither . . . beast . . . taste any thing—The brute creatures share in the evil effects of man's sin (Jonah 4:11; Romans 8:20; Romans 8:22); so they here according to Eastern custom, are made to share in man's outward indications of humiliation. "When the Persian general Masistias was slain, the horses and mules of the Persians were shorn, as well as themselves" [NEWCOME from PLUTARCH; also HERODOTUS, 9.24].

Zephaniah 3:3 — 3. roaring—for prey (Proverbs 28:15; Ezekiel 22:27; Amos 3:4; Micah 2:2). evening wolves—which are most ravenous at evening after being foodless all day (Jeremiah 5:6; Habakkuk 1:8). they gnaw not the bones till the morrow—rather, "they put not off till to-morrow to gnaw the bones"; but devour all at once, bones and flesh, so ragingly ravenous are they [CALVIN].

Zechariah 1:4 — 4. Be ye not as your fathers—The Jews boasted of their fathers; but he shows that their fathers were refractory, and that ancient example and long usage will not justify disobedience (2 Chronicles 36:15; 2 Chronicles 36:16). the former prophets—those who lived before the captivity. It aggravated their guilt that, not only had they the law, but they had been often called to repent by God's prophets.

Zechariah 2:1 — 1. man with a measuring-line—the same image to represent the same future fact as in Ezekiel 40:3; Ezekiel 47:4. The "man" is Messiah (see on Zechariah 1:8), who, by measuring Jerusalem, is denoted as the Author of its coming restoration. Thus the Jews are encouraged in Zechariah's time to proceed with the building. Still more so shall they be hereby encouraged in the future restoration.

Matthew 6:18 — 18. That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly —The "openly" seems evidently a later addition to the text of this verse from Matthew 6:4; Matthew 6:7, though of course the idea is implied. Matthew 6:7- :. CONCLUDING ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE KINGDOM—HEAVENLY-MINDEDNESS AND FILIAL CONFIDENCE.

Mark 1:36 — 36. And Simon and they that were with him followed after him—rather, "pressed after Him." Luke (Luke 4:42) says, "The multitudes sought after Him"; but this would be a party from the town. Mark, having his information from Peter himself, speaks only of what related directly to him. "They that were with him" would probably be Andrew his brother, James and John, with a few other choice brethren.

John 7:42 — 42. scripture said . . . of the seed of David, and out of . . . Bethlehem, c.—We accept this spontaneous testimony to our David-descended, Bethlehem-born Saviour. Had those who gave it made the inquiry which the case demanded, they would have found that Jesus "came out of Galilee" ( :-) and "out of Bethlehem" both, alike in fulfilment of prophecy as in point of fact. (Matthew 2:23 Matthew 4:13-16).

Romans 1:3 — 3, 4. Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord—the grand burden of this "Gospel of God." made of the seed of David—as, according to "the holy scriptures," He behooved to be. (See on :-). according to the flesh—that is, in His human nature (compare Romans 9:5; John 1:14); implying, of course, that He had another nature, of which the apostle immediately proceeds to speak.

Romans 11:2 — 2-4. God hath—"did" not cast away his people—that is, wholly which he foreknew—On the word "foreknew," see on :-. Wot—that is, "Know" ye not that the scripture saith of—literally, "in," that is, in the section which relates to Elias? how he maketh intercession—"pleadeth" against Israel—(The word "saying," which follows, as also the particle "and" before "digged down," should be omitted, as without manuscript authority).