Bible Commentaries

2 Chronicles 12:3 — 3-5. the Lubims—the Libyans of northeastern Africa. the Sukkiims—Some think these were the Kenite Arabs, dwellers in tents, but others maintain more justly that these were Arab troglodytes, who inhabited the caverns of a mountain range on the western

2 Chronicles 15:10 — entered with great and holy enthusiasm into a national covenant "to seek the Lord their God . . . with all their heart and with all their soul;" and, at the same time, to execute with rigor the laws which made idolatry punishable with death (2 Chronicles 15:13; Deuteronomy 17:2-5; Hebrews 10:28). The people testified unbounded satisfaction with this important religious movement, and its moral influence was seen in the promotion of piety, order, and tranquillity throughout the land.

Nehemiah 2:2 — 2-5. the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad?—It was deemed highly unbecoming to appear in the royal presence with any weeds or signs of sorrow ( :-); and hence it was no wonder that the king was struck with the dejected air of his cupbearer,

Job 14:15 — 15. namely, at the resurrection (John 5:28; Psalms 17:15). have a desire to—literally, "become pale with anxious desire:" the same word is translated "sore longedst after" (Genesis 31:30; Psalms 84:2), implying the utter unlikelihood that God would leave

Job 3:5 — 5. Let . . . the shadow of death—("deepest darkness," :-). stain it—This is a later sense of the verb [GESENIUS]; better the old and more poetic idea, "Let darkness (the ancient night of chaotic gloom) resume its rights over light ( :-), and claim

Job 35:5 — 5-8. Elihu like Eliphaz (Job 22:2; Job 22:3; Job 22:12) shows that God is too exalted in nature to be susceptible of benefit or hurt from the righteousness or sin of men respectively; it is themselves that they benefit by righteousness, or hurt by sin.

Job 35:8 — 5-8. Elihu like Eliphaz (Job 22:2; Job 22:3; Job 22:12) shows that God is too exalted in nature to be susceptible of benefit or hurt from the righteousness or sin of men respectively; it is themselves that they benefit by righteousness, or hurt by sin.

Ecclesiastes 12:11 — 11. goads—piercing deeply into the mind (Acts 2:37; Acts 9:5; Hebrews 4:12); evidently inspired words, as the end of the verse proves. fastened—rather, on account of the Hebrew genders, (The words) "are fastened (in the memory) like nails" [HOLDEN]. masters of assemblies—rather, "the masters of collections

Ecclesiastes 3:14 — 14. (1 Samuel 3:12; 2 Samuel 23:5; Psalms 89:34; Matthew 24:35; James 1:17). for ever—as opposed to man's perishing labors (James 1:17- :). any thing taken from it—opposed to man's "crooked and wanting" works (Ecclesiastes 1:15; Ecclesiastes 7:13). The event of man's labors depends

Ecclesiastes 8:16 — 16. Reply to Ecclesiastes 8:14; Ecclesiastes 8:15. When I applied myself to observe man's toils after happiness (some of them so incessant as not to allow sufficient time for "sleep"), then (Ecclesiastes 8:15- :, the apodosis) I saw that man cannot find out (the reason of) God's inscrutable dealings

Isaiah 25:2 — 2. a city . . . heap—Babylon, type of the seat of Antichrist, to be destroyed in the last days (compare Jeremiah 51:37; Revelation 18:1-24, followed, as here, by the song of the saints' thanksgiving in Revelation 18:1-66.18.24- :). "Heaps" is a graphic picture of Babylon and Nineveh as they now are. palace—Babylon regarded, on account of its splendor, as a vast

Isaiah 25:5 — 5. Translate, "As the heat in a dry land (is brought down by the shadow of a cloud, so) thou shalt bring down the tumult (the shout of triumph over their enemies) of strangers (foreigners); and as the heat by the shadow of the cloud (is brought low),

Isaiah 25:6 — 6. in this mountain—Zion: Messiah's kingdom was to begin, and is to have its central seat hereafter, at Jerusalem, as the common country of "all nations" (Isaiah 2:2, c.). all people— (Isaiah 56:7 Daniel 7:14; Luke 2:10). feast—image of felicity (Psalms 22:26; Psalms 22:27; Matthew 8:11; Luke 14:15; Revelation 19:9; compare Psalms 36:8; Psalms 87:1-7). fat things—delicacies; the rich mercies of God in Christ (Isaiah 55:2; Jeremiah 31:14;

Isaiah 30:17 — shall ye—at the rebuke of five shall ye, namely, all (in contrast to the "one thousand") flee so utterly that even two shall not be left together, but each one shall be as solitary "as a signal staff" [G. V. SMITH], or "a banner on a hill" (Isaiah 5:26; Isaiah 11:12). The signal staff was erected to rally a nation in war. The remnant of Jews left would be beacons to warn all men of the justice of God, and the truth of His threatenings. GESENIUS (from Leviticus 26:8; Deuteronomy 32:30) arbitrarily

Isaiah 30:6 — as to, c. [MAURER] so the Septuagint, the fresh inscription here marks emphatically the prediction that follows. Or, rather, Isaiah sees in vision, the ambassador's beasts burdened with rich presents travelling southwards (namely, to Egypt, Daniel 11:5; Daniel 11:6), and exclaims, Oh, the burden of treasure on the beasts! c. (Hosea 8:9 Hosea 12:1). land of trouble—the desert between Palestine and Egypt, destitute of water and abounding in dangerous animals (Deuteronomy 8:15; Jeremiah 2:6). flying

Isaiah 32:1 — 1. king—not Hezekiah, who was already on the throne, whereas a future time is contemplated. If he be meant at all, it can only be as a type of Messiah the King, to whom alone the language is fully applicable (Hosea 3:5; Zechariah 9:9; see on Zechariah 9:9- :). The kingdom shall be transferred from the world kings, who have exercised their power against God, instead of for God, to the rightful King of kings (Ezekiel 21:27; Daniel 7:13; Daniel 7:14). princes—subordinate; referring

Isaiah 57:16 — 16. For—referring to the promise in Isaiah 57:14; Isaiah 57:15, of restoring Israel when "contrite" (Genesis 6:3; Genesis 8:21; Psalms 78:38; Psalms 78:39; Psalms 85:5; Psalms 103:9; Psalms 103:13; Psalms 103:14; Micah 7:18). God "will not contend for ever" with His people, for their human spirit

Isaiah 57:5 — 5. Enflaming yourselves—burning with lust towards idols [GESENIUS]; or else (compare Margin), in the terebinth groves, which the Hebrew and the parallelism favor (see on :-) [MAURER]. under . . . tree— ( :-). The tree, as in the Assyrian sculptures,

Isaiah 61:10 — such as was worn by the high priest, namely, a miter and a plate, or crown of gold worn in front of it [AQUILA, c.] appropriate to the "kingdom of priests," dedicated to the offering of spiritual sacrifices to God continually (Exodus 19:6; Revelation 5:10; Revelation 20:6). jewels—rather, "ornaments" in general [BARNES].

Isaiah 62:1 — of all the praying people of God who love and intercede for Zion (compare Isaiah 62:6; Isaiah 62:7; Psalms 102:13-17), or else Messiah (compare Isaiah 62:6). So Messiah is represented as unfainting in His efforts for His people (Isaiah 42:4; Isaiah 50:7). righteousness thereof—not its own inherently, but imputed to it, for its restoration to God's favor: hence "salvation" answers to it in the parallelism. "Judah" is to be "saved" through "the Lord our (Judah's and the Church's) righteousness" (Isaiah