Bible Commentaries

Ezekiel 28:2 — secure in my impregnable stronghold amidst the stormiest elements, able to control them at will, and make them subserve my interests. The language, though primarily here applied to the king of Tyre, as similar language is to the king of Babylon (Isaiah 14:13; Isaiah 14:14), yet has an ulterior and fuller accomplishment in Satan and his embodiment in Antichrist (Daniel 7:25; Daniel 11:36; Daniel 11:37; 2 Thessalonians 2:4; Revelation 13:6). This feeling of superhuman elevation in the king of Tyre was

Ezekiel 34:23 — David—the antitypical David, Messiah, of the seed of David, which no other king after the captivity was: who was fully, what David was only in a degree, "the man after God's own heart." Also, David means beloved: Messiah was truly God's beloved Son (Isaiah 42:1; Matthew 3:17). Shepherd means King, rather than religious instructor; in this pre-eminently He was the true David, who was the Shepherd King (Luke 1:32; Luke 1:33). Messiah is called "David" in Isaiah 55:3; Isaiah 55:4; Jeremiah 30:9; Hosea 3:5.

Ezekiel 47:1 — 1. waters—So :-, represents "the water of life as proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb." His throne was set up in the temple at Jerusalem (Ezekiel 43:7). Thence it is to flow over the earth (Joel 3:18; Zechariah 13:1; Zechariah 14:8). Messiah is the temple and the door; from His pierced side flow the living waters, ever increasing, both in the individual believer and in the heart. The fountains

Daniel 12:4 — 4. shut up . . . seal the book—John, on the contrary, is told ( :-) not to seal his visions. Daniel's prophecy refers to a distant time, and is therefore obscure for the immediate future, whereas John's was to be speedily fulfilled (Revelation 1:1; Revelation

Daniel 7:2 — 2. the four winds—answering to the "four beasts"; their several conflicts in the four quarters or directions of the world. strove—burst forth (from the abyss) [MAURER]. sea—The world powers rise out of the agitations of the political sea (Jeremiah 46:7; Jeremiah 46:8; Luke 21:25; compare Revelation 13:1; Revelation 17:15; Revelation 21:1); the kingdom of God and the Son of man from the clouds of heaven (Revelation 21:1- :; compare John 8:23). TREGELLES takes "the great sea" to mean, as always elsewhere

Daniel 7:27 — those several kingdoms had possessed, shall all be conferred on Messiah's kingdom. "Under . . . heaven" shows it is a kingdom on earth, not in heaven. people of . . . saints of . . . Most High—"the people of the saints," or "holy ones" (Daniel 8:24, Margin): the Jews, the people to whom the saints stand in a peculiar relation. The saints are gathered out of Jews and Gentiles, but the stock of the Church is Jewish (Romans 9:24; Romans 11:24); God's faithfulness to this election Church is thus virtually

Hosea 6:11 — 11. an harvest—namely, of judgments (as in Jeremiah 51:33; Joel 3:13; Revelation 14:15). Called a "harvest" because it is the fruit of the seed which Judah herself had sown (Hosea 8:7; Hosea 10:12; Job 4:8; Proverbs 22:8). Judah, under Ahaz, lost a hundred twenty thousand "slain in one day (by Israel under Pekah), because they had

Jonah 1:2 — and ninety in breadth [DIODORUS SICULUS, 2.3]. Taken by Arbaces the Mede, in the reign of Sardanapalus, about the seventh year of Uzziah; and a second time by Nabopolassar of Babylon and Cyaxares the Mede in 625 B.C. See on Jonah 3:3. cry— (Isaiah 40:6; Isaiah 58:1). come up before me— (Genesis 4:10; Genesis 6:13; Genesis 18:21; Ezra 9:6; Revelation 18:5); that is, their wickedness is so great as to require My open interposition for punishment.

Zechariah 7:2 — the house of God or congregation at Jerusalem. The altar was long since reared ( :-), though the temple was not completed till two years afterwards (Ezra 6:15). The priests' duty was to give decision on points of the law (Deuteronomy 17:9; Matthew 2:4). Beth-el is here used instead of Beth-Jehovah, because the religious authorities, rather than the house itself (designated "Beth-Jehovah" in Zechariah 7:3), are intended. The old Beth-el had long ceased to be the seat of idol-worship, so that the name

Malachi 2:17 — a temporal deliverer, whereas a destructive judgment was about to destroy them. So skepticism shall be rife before Christ's second coming. He shall suddenly and unexpectedly come then also as a consuming Judge to unbelievers (2 Peter 3:3; 2 Peter 3:4). Then, too, they shall affect to seek His coming, while really denying it (Isaiah 5:19; Jeremiah 17:15; Ezekiel 12:22; Ezekiel 12:27).

Luke 19:10 — "servants" in this parable, who profess subjection to Him, there is a class of "citizens" who refuse to own Him, and who are treated differently, whereas in the parable of the talents, spoken to the former class alone, this latter class is omitted. (4) In the Talents, each servant receives a different number of them (five, two, one); in the Pounds all receive the same one pound, which is but about the sixtieth part of a talent; also, in the talents, each shows the same fidelity by doubling what he

John 3:16 — bestowal of everlasting life; the MODE in which all takes effect—by "believing" on the Son. How would Nicodemus' narrow Judaism become invisible in the blaze of this Sun of righteousness seen rising on "the world" with healing in His wings! (Malachi 4:2).

1 Corinthians 11:7 — glory of 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- :).

Galatians 1:8 — as Greek, "Even though we," namely, I and the brethren with me, weighty and many as we are (Galatians 1:1; Galatians 1:2). The Greek implies a case supposed which never has occurred. angel—in which light ye at first received me (compare Galatians 4:14; 1 Corinthians 13:1), and whose authority is the highest possible next to that of God and Christ. A new revelation, even though seemingly accredited by miracles, is not to be received if it contradict the already existing revelation. For God cannot

Galatians 4:21 — History, if properly understood contains in its complicated phenomena, simple and continually recurring divine laws. The history of the elect people, like their legal ordinances, had, besides the literal, a typical meaning (compare 1 Corinthians 10:1-4; 1 Corinthians 15:45; 1 Corinthians 15:47; Revelation 11:8). Just as the extra-ordinarily-born Isaac, the gift of grace according to promise, supplanted, beyond all human calculations, the naturally-born Ishmael, so the new theocratic race, the spiritual seed

Philippians 2:17 — sacrifices libations of wine were "poured upon" the offerings, so he represents his Philippian converts, offered through faith (or else their faith itself), as the sacrifice, and his blood as the libation "poured upon" it (compare Romans 15:16; 2 Timothy 4:6). service—Greek, "priest's ministration"; carrying out the image of a sacrifice. I joy—for myself (Philippians 1:21; Philippians 1:23). His expectation of release from prison is much fainter, than in the Epistles to Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon,

Philippians 4:8 — the 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

Colossians 3:5 — mortified are the fleshly instruments of lust, in so far as the members of the body are abused to such purposes. Habitually repress and do violence to corrupt desires of which the members are the instruments (compare Romans 6:19; Romans 8:13; Galatians 5:24; Galatians 5:25). upon the earth—where they find their support [BENGEL] (Compare Colossians 3:2, "things on earth"). See Ephesians 5:3; Ephesians 5:4. inordinate affection—"lustful passion." evil concupiscence—more general than the last [ALFORD], the

1 Timothy 6:6 — but "piety with contentment"; for piety not only feels no need of what it has not, but also has that which exalts it above what it has not [WIESINGER]. The Greek for contentment is translated "sufficiency" (2 Corinthians 9:8). But the adjective (Philippians 4:11) "content"; literally, "having a sufficiency in one's self" independent of others. "The Lord always supplies His people with what is necessary for them. True happiness lies in piety, but this sufficiency [supplied by God, with which moreover His

Hebrews 7:27 — 27. daily—"day by day." The priests daily offered sacrifices (Hebrews 9:6; Hebrews 10:11; Exodus 29:38-42). The high priests took part in these daily-offered sacrifices only on festival days; but as they represented the whole priesthood, the daily offerings are here attributed to them; their exclusive function was to offer the atonement "once every year"