Bible Commentaries

Ezekiel 38:2 — Tubal") undertook an expedition against Egypt [HERODOTUS, 1.103-106]. These names might be adopted by Ezekiel from the historical fact familiar to men at the time, as ideal titles for the great last anti-Christian confederacy. Magog— (Genesis 10:2; 1 Chronicles 1:5). The name of a land belonging to Japheth's posterity. Maha, in Sanskrit, means "land." Gog is the ideal political head of the region. In Revelation 20:8, Gog and Magog are two peoples. the chief prince—rather, "prince of Rosh," or "Rhos" [Septuagint].

Daniel 7:5 — 5. bear—symbolizing the austere life of the Persians in their mountains, also their cruelty (Isaiah 13:17; Isaiah 13:18; Cambyses, Ochus, and other of the Persian princes were notoriously cruel; the Persian laws involved, for one man's offense, the whole kindred

Daniel 7:9 — [Vulgate and LUTHER], namely, for the saints and elect angels to whom "judgment is given" ( :-), as assessors with the Judge. Compare :-, "thousand thousands ministered unto Him" (Matthew 19:28; Luke 22:30; 1 Corinthians 6:2; 1 Corinthians 6:3; 1 Timothy 5:21; Revelation 2:26; Revelation 4:4). In English Version the thrones cast down are those of the previously mentioned kings who give place to Messiah. Ancient of days—"The everlasting Father" (Isaiah 9:6). HE is the Judge here, as THE SON does not

Hosea 1:2 — the prophet's predictions generally, but of those spoken by Hosea. take . . . wife of whoredoms—not externally acted, but internally and in vision, as a pictorial illustration of Israel's unfaithfulness [HENGSTENBERG]. Compare Ezekiel 16:8; Ezekiel 16:15, c. Besides the loathsomeness of such a marriage, if an external act, it would require years for the birth of three children, which would weaken the symbol (compare Ezekiel 4:4). HENDERSON objects that there is no hint of the transaction being fictitious:

Zechariah 10:9 — 9. sow them among . . . people—Their dispersion was with a special design. Like seed sown far and wide, they shall, when quickened themselves, be the fittest instruments for quickening others (compare Micah 5:7). The slight hold they have on every soil where they now live, as also the commercial and therefore cosmopolitan character of their pursuits, making a change of residence easy to them, fit them peculiarly for missionary work [MOORE]. The wide dispersion

Zechariah 13:6 — to Messiah, the Antitype, wounded by those whom He came to befriend, who ought to have been His "friends," who were His kinsmen (compare Zechariah 13:3, as to the false prophet's friends, with Zechariah 13:3- :, "His friends," Margin, "kinsmen"; John 7:5; "His own," John 1:11; the Jews, "of whom as concerning the flesh He came," John 1:11- :), but who wounded Him by the agency of the Romans (John 1:11- :).

Malachi 2:10 — foreign women to wife (compare Malachi 2:14; Malachi 2:11; Ezra 9:1-9), and so violating "the covenant" made by Jehovah with "our fathers," by which it was ordained that we should be a people separated from the other peoples of the world (Exodus 19:5; Leviticus 20:24; Leviticus 20:26; Deuteronomy 7:3). To intermarry with the heathen would defeat this purpose of Jehovah, who was the common Father of the Israelites in a peculiar sense in which He was not Father of the heathen. The "one Father" is

Matthew 5:19 — shall break—rather, "dissolve," "annul," or "make invalid." one of these least commandments—an expression equivalent to "one of the least of these commandments." and shall teach men so—referring to the Pharisees and their teaching, as is plain from Matthew 5:20, but of course embracing all similar schools and teaching in the Christian Church. he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven—As the thing spoken of is not the practical breaking, or disobeying, of the law, but annulling or enervating

Matthew 6:30 — dear to Him, and instinct with a life that cannot die, be left naked? He does not say, Shall they not be more beauteously arrayed? but, Shall He not much more clothe them? that being all He will have them regard as secured to them (compare Hebrews 13:5). The expression, "Little-faithed ones," which our Lord applies once and again to His disciples (Matthew 8:26; Matthew 14:31; Matthew 16:8), can hardly be regarded as rebuking any actual manifestations of unbelief at that early period, and before such

Mark 6:48 — and now at length, having tried them long enough. he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea—"and draweth nigh unto the ship" ( :-). and would have passed by them—but only in the sense of Luke 24:28; Genesis 32:26; compare Genesis 18:3; Genesis 18:5; Genesis 42:7.

John 14:19 — because I live—not "shall live," only when raised from the dead; for it is His unextinguishable, divine life of which He speaks, in view of which His death and resurrection were but as shadows passing over the sun's glorious disk. (Compare Luke 24:5; Revelation 1:18, "the Living One"). And this grand saying Jesus uttered with death immediately in view. What a brightness does this throw over the next clause, "ye shall live also!" "Knowest thou not," said LUTHER to the King of Terrors, "that thou

1 Corinthians 11:7 — God—being created in God's "image," first and directly: the woman, subsequently, and indirectly, through the mediation of man. Man is the representative of God's "glory" this ideal of man being realized most fully in the Son of man (Psalms 8:4; Psalms 8:5; compare 2 Corinthians 8:23). Man is declared in Scripture to be both the "image," and in the "likeness," of God (compare 2 Corinthians 8:23- :). But "image" alone is applied to the Son of God (Colossians 1:15; compare Colossians 1:15- :). "Express

1 Corinthians 2:7 — 7. wisdom of God—emphatically contrasted with the wisdom of men and of this world (1 Corinthians 2:5; 1 Corinthians 2:6). in a mystery—connected in construction with "we speak": We speak as dealing with a mystery; that is not something to be kept hidden, but what heretofore was so, but is now revealed. Whereas the pagan mysteries were revealed only

2 Corinthians 8:10 — "Ye began already a year ago, not only to do, but also to be forward." It appears hence, that something had been done in the matter a year before; other texts, however, show the collection was not yet paid (compare 2 Corinthians 8:11; 2 Corinthians 9:5; 2 Corinthians 9:7). This agrees with one, and only one supposition, namely, that every man had laid by in store the fund from which he was afterwards to contribute, the very case which is shown by 1 Corinthians 16:2 to have existed [PALEY, Horæ Paulinæ].

Galatians 3:22 — Scripture." concluded—"shut up," under condemnation, as in a prison. Compare :-, "As prisoners gathered in the pit and shut up in the prison." Beautifully contrasted with "the liberty wherewith Christ makes free," which follows, Galatians 3:7; Galatians 3:9; Galatians 3:25; Galatians 3:26; Galatians 5:1; Isaiah 61:1. all—Greek neuter, "the universe of things": the whole world, man, and all that appertains to him. under sin— (Romans 3:9; Romans 3:19; Romans 11:32). the promise—the inheritance promised (Galatians 3:18). by

Ephesians 2:5 — 5. dead in sins—The best reading is in the Greek, "dead in our (literally, 'the') trespasses." quickened—"vivified" spiritually, and consequences hereafter, corporally. There must be a spiritual resurrection of the soul before there can be a comfortable resurrection

Ephesians 3:5 — 5. in other ages—Greek, "generations." not made known—He does not say, "has not been revealed." Making known by revelation is the source of making known by preaching [BENGEL]. The former was vouchsafed only to the prophets, in order that they might

Philippians 4:8 — intercourse of the world, c. true—sincere, in words. honest—Old English for "seemly," namely, in action literally, grave, dignified. just—towards others. pure—"chaste," in relation to ourselves. lovely—lovable (compare Mark 10:21; Luke 7:4; Luke 7:5). of good report—referring to the absent (Philippians 1:27); as "lovely" refers to what is lovable face to face. if there be any virtue—"whatever virtue there is" [ALFORD]. "Virtue," the standing word in heathen ethics, is found once only in Paul's

2 Thessalonians 2:9 — the revealed Word, and therefore not to be accepted as evidences of truth; nay, on the authority of that sure Word of prophecy (here, and Matthew 24:24), to be known and rejected as wrought in support of falsehood (Deuteronomy 13:1-3; Deuteronomy 13:5; Galatians 1:8; Galatians 1:9; Revelation 13:11-15; Revelation 19:20). The same three Greek words occur for miracles of Jesus (Acts 2:22; Hebrews 2:4); showing that as the Egyptian magicians imitated Moses (Hebrews 2:4- :), so Antichrist will try to

1 Timothy 2:14 — the deceits of Satan; he, to conjugal love. Hence, in the order of God's judicial sentence, the serpent, the prime offender, stands first; the woman, who was deceived, next; and the man, persuaded by his wife, last (2 Corinthians 11:3- :). In Romans 5:12, Adam is represented as the first transgressor; but there no reference is made to Eve, and Adam is regarded as the head of the sinning race. Hence, as here, 1 Timothy 2:11, in 1 Timothy 2:11- :, woman's "subjection" is represented as the consequence