Bible Commentaries

Song of Solomon 1:9 — 9. horses in Pharaoh's chariots—celebrated for beauty, swiftness, and ardor, at the Red Sea (Exodus 14:15). These qualities, which seem to belong to the ungodly, really belong to the saints [MOODY STUART]. The allusion may be to the horses brought at a high price by Solomon out of Egypt (2 Chronicles 1:16; 2 Chronicles 1:17). So the bride is redeemed

Isaiah 11:2 — which the prophets spake: for Messiah was to be a Prophet (Isaiah 61:1; Deuteronomy 18:15; Deuteronomy 18:18). Seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are specified, to imply that the perfection of them was to be in Him. Compare "the seven Spirits" (Revelation 1:4), that is, the Holy Ghost in His perfect fulness: seven being the sacred number. The prophets had only a portion out of the "fulness" in the Son of God (John 1:16; John 3:34; Colossians 1:19). rest—permanently; not merely come upon Him (Numbers 11:25; Numbers

Isaiah 22:2 — time, the joy and feasting are not inapplicable, for this recklessness was a general characteristic of the unbelieving Jews (Isaiah 56:12). not slain with the sword—but with the famine and pestilence about to be caused by the coming siege (Lamentations 4:9). MAURER refers this to the plague by which he thinks Sennacherib's army was destroyed, and Hezekiah was made sick (Isaiah 37:36; Isaiah 38:1). But there is no authority for supposing that the Jews in the city suffered such extremities of plague at

Isaiah 40:12 — can accurately regulate the proportion of the waters as if He had measured them with His hand (compare :-). But MAURER translates: "Who can measure," c., that is, How immeasurable are the works of God? The former is a better explanation (Job 28:25 Proverbs 30:4). span—the space from the end of the thumb to the end of the middle finger extended; God measures the vast heavens as one would measure a small object with his span. dust of the earth—All the earth is to Him but as a few grains of dust contained in

Isaiah 42:19 — (compare :-), as the type of Messiah [VITRINGA]. Or translate, the friend of God, which Israel was by virtue of descent from Abraham, who was so called ( :-), [GESENIUS]. The language, "my servant" (compare :-), "messenger" ( :-), "perfect" (Romans 10:4; Hebrews 2:10; 1 Peter 2:22), can, in the full antitypical sense, only apply to Christ. So 1 Peter 2:22- : plainly refers to Him. "Blind" and "deaf" in His case refer to His endurance of suffering and reproach, as though He neither saw nor heard (Psalms

Isaiah 8:19 — . . . familiar spirits—necromancers, spirit charmers. So Saul, when he had forsaken God (1 Samuel 28:7, c.), consulted the witch of En-dor in his difficulties. These follow in the wake of idolatry, which prevailed under Ahaz (2 Kings 16:3 2 Kings 16:4; 2 Kings 16:10). He copied the soothsaying as he did the idolatrous "altar" of Damascus (compare Leviticus 20:6, which forbids it, Isaiah 19:3). wizards—men claiming supernatural knowledge; from the old English, "to wit," that is, know. peep—rather

Jeremiah 30:21 — 3:15; Hebrews 2:10), answering to "their Governor" in the parallel clause. of themselves—of their own nation, a Jew, not a foreigner; applicable to Zerubbabel, or J. Hyrcanus (hereditary high priest and governor), only as types of Christ (Genesis 49:10; Micah 5:2; Romans 9:5), the antitypical "David" (Jeremiah 30:9). cause him to draw near—as the great Priest (Exodus 19:22; Leviticus 21:17), through whom believers also have access to God (Leviticus 21:17- :). His priestly and kingly characters

Jeremiah 30:9 — their king—No king of David's seed has held the scepter since the captivity; for Zerubbabel, though of David's line, never claimed the title of "king." The Son of David, Messiah, must therefore be meant; so the Targum (compare Isaiah 55:3; Isaiah 55:4; Ezekiel 34:23; Ezekiel 34:24; Ezekiel 37:24; Hosea 3:5; Romans 11:25-32). He was appointed to the throne of David (Isaiah 9:7; Luke 1:32). He is here joined with Jehovah as claiming equal allegiance. God is our "King," only when we are subject to Christ;

Jeremiah 31:7 — on account of his approaching deliverance by Jehovah. among—"for," that is, on account of, would more exactly suit the parallelism to "for Jacob." chief of the nations—Israel: as the parallelism to "Jacob" proves (compare Exodus 19:5; Psalms 135:4; Amos 6:1). God estimates the greatness of nations not by man's standard of material resources, but by His electing favor.

Ezekiel 16:8 — time of love—literally, "loves" (compare :-). Thou wast of marriageable age, but none was willing to marry thee, naked as thou wast. I then regarded thee with a look of grace when the full time of thy deliverance was come (Genesis 15:13; Genesis 15:14; Acts 7:6; Acts 7:7). It is not she that makes the advance to God, but God to her; she has nothing to entitle her to such notice, yet He regards her not with mere benevolence, but with love, such as one cherishes to the person of his wife (Song of Solomon

Ezekiel 18:6 — 6. not eaten upon . . . mountains—the high places, where altars were reared. A double sin: sacrificing elsewhere than at the temple, where only God sanctioned sacrifice (Deuteronomy 12:13; Deuteronomy 12:14); and this to idols instead of to Jehovah. "Eaten" refers to the feasts which were connected with the sacrifices (see Exodus 32:6; Deuteronomy 32:38; Judges 9:27; 1 Corinthians 8:4; 1 Corinthians 8:10; 1 Corinthians 10:7). lifted . . . eyes to—namely, in

Daniel 11:33 — retired to keep the Sabbath. Antiochus caused some to be roasted alive (2 Maccabees 7:3-5). many days—rather, "certain days," as in Daniel 11:33- :. JOSEPHUS [Antiquities, 12:7.6,7] tells us the persecution lasted for three years (1 Maccabees 1:59; 4:54; 2 Maccabees 10:1-7).

Hosea 13:15 — 15. fruitful—referring to the meaning of "Ephraim," from a Hebrew root, "to be fruitful" (Genesis 41:52). It was long the most numerous and flourishing of the tribes (Genesis 41:52- :). wind of the Lord—that is, sent by the Lord (compare Genesis 41:52- :), who has His instruments of punishment always ready. The Assyrian, Shalmaneser, c., is meant

Hosea 6:6 — 6. mercy—put for piety in general, of which mercy or charity is a branch. not sacrifice—that is, "rather than sacrifice." So "not" is merely comparative (Exodus 16:8; Joel 2:13; John 6:27; 1 Timothy 2:14). As God Himself instituted sacrifices, it cannot mean that He desired them not absolutely, but that even in the Old Testament, He valued moral obedience as the only end for which positive ordinances, such as sacrifices, were instituted—as of more importance

Joel 3:18 — . house of . . . Lord . . . water . . . valley of Shittim—The blessings, temporal and spiritual, issuing from Jehovah's house at Jerusalem, shall extend even to Shittim, on the border between Moab and Israel, beyond Jordan (Numbers 25:1; Numbers 33:49; Joshua 2:1; Micah 6:5). "Shittim" means "acacias," which grow only in arid regions: implying that even the arid desert shall be fertilized by the blessing from Jerusalem. So Micah 6:5- : describes the waters issuing from the threshold of the house

Habakkuk 3:19 — 19. hinds' feet . . . walk upon . . . high places—Habakkuk has here before his mind Psalms 18:33; Psalms 18:34; Deuteronomy 32:13. "Hinds' (gazelles') feet" imply the swiftness with which God enables him (the prophet and his people) to escape from his enemies, and return to his native land. The "high places" are called "mine," to imply that Israel shall be restored to

Zechariah 11:17 — 17. the idol—The Hebrew expresses both vanity and an idol. Compare Isaiah 14:13; Daniel 11:36; 2 Thessalonians 2:4; Revelation 13:5; Revelation 13:6, as to the idolatrous and blasphemous claims of Antichrist. The "idol shepherd that leaveth the flock" cannot apply to Rome, but to some ruler among the Jews themselves, at first

Matthew 10:22 — saved—a great saying, repeated, in connection with similar warnings, in the prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem ( :-); and often reiterated by the apostle as a warning against "drawing back unto perdition" (Hebrews 3:6; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 6:4-6; Hebrews 10:23; Hebrews 10:26-29; Hebrews 10:38; Hebrews 10:39, &c.). As "drawing back unto perdition" is merely the palpable evidence of the want of "root" from the first in the Christian profession (Luke 8:13), so "enduring to the end" is just

Matthew 4:8 — 8. Again, the devil taketh him up—"conducteth him," as before. into—or "unto" an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them—Luke (Luke 4:5) adds the important clause, "in a moment of time"; a clause which seems to furnish a key to the true meaning. That a scene was presented to our Lord's natural eye seems plainly expressed. But to limit this to the most extensive scene which the natural

Mark 11:12 — a great while before day, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed" (Mark 1:35); not breaking His fast thereafter, but bending His steps straight for the city, that He might "work the works of Him that sent Him while it was day?" (John 9:4). We know not, though one lingers upon and loves to trace out the every movement of that life of wonders. One thing, however we are sure of—it was real bodily hunger which He now sought to allay by the fruit of this fig tree, "if haply He might find