Bible Commentaries

Psalms 68:18 — or Church, His dwelling. This Psalm typifies the conquests of the Church under her divine leader, Christ. He, indeed, "who was with the Church in the wilderness" (Psalms 68:16- :) is the Lord, described in this ideal ascension. Hence Paul (Ephesians 4:8) applies this language to describe His real ascension, when, having conquered sin, death, and hell, the Lord of glory triumphantly entered heaven, attended by throngs of adoring angels, to sit on the throne and wield the scepter of an eternal dominion.

Isaiah 28:16 — point to Him, in whom the prophecy receives its exhaustive accomplishment; whether Isaiah understood its fulness or not (1 Peter 1:11; 1 Peter 1:12), the Holy Ghost plainly contemplated its fulfilment in Christ alone; so in Isaiah 32:1; compare Genesis 49:24; Psalms 118:22; Matthew 21:42; Romans 10:11; Ephesians 2:20. tried—both by the devil (Luke 4:1-13) and by men (Luke 20:1-38), and even by God (Matthew 27:46); a stone of tested solidity to bear the vast superstructure of man's redemption. The tested

Isaiah 61:1 — Jesus as His credentials in preaching ( :-). The Spirit is upon Me in preaching, because Jehovah hath anointed Me from the womb ( :-), and at baptism, with the Spirit "without measure," and permanently "abiding" on Me (Isaiah 11:2; John 1:32; John 3:34; Psalms 45:7; with which compare 1 Kings 1:39; 1 Kings 1:40; 1 Kings 19:16; Exodus 29:7). "Anointed" as Messiah, Prophet, Priest, and King. good tidings—as the word "gospel" means. the meek—rather, "the poor," as Luke 4:18 has it; that is, those

Isaiah 65:4 — 4. remain among . . . graves—namely, for purposes of necromancy, as if to hold converse with the dead (Isaiah 8:19; Isaiah 8:20; compare Mark 5:3); or, for the sake of purifications, usually performed at night among sepulchres, to appease the manes [MAURER]. monuments—Hebrew, "pass

Jeremiah 22:10 — Dying saints are justly to be envied, while living sinners are to be pitied. The allusion is to the great weeping of the people at the death of Josiah, and on each anniversary of it, in which Jeremiah himself took a prominent part (2 Chronicles 35:24; 2 Chronicles 35:25). The name "Shallum" is here given in irony to Jehoahaz, who reigned but three months; as if he were a second Shallum, son of Jabesh, who reigned only one month in Samaria (2 Kings 15:13; 2 Chronicles 36:1-4). Shallum means "retribution,"

Ezekiel 17:22 — same tree, the house of David, to whom the kingdom belongs by an everlasting covenant, and it shall be the shelter of the whole world, and shall be for ever." branch—the peculiar title of Messiah (Zechariah 3:8; Zechariah 6:12; Isaiah 11:1; Isaiah 4:2; Jeremiah 23:5; Jeremiah 33:15). a tender one—Zerubbabel never reigned as a universal (Jeremiah 33:15- :) king, nor could the great things mentioned here be said of him, except as a type of Messiah. Messiah alone can be meant: originally "a tender

Daniel 1:8 — legal distinction of clean and unclean meats was done away (1 Corinthians 8:7; 1 Corinthians 8:10; 1 Corinthians 10:27; 1 Corinthians 10:28). Thus the faith of these youths was made instrumental in overruling the evil foretold against the Jews (Ezekiel 4:13; Hosea 9:3), to the glory of God. Daniel and his three friends, says AUBERLEN, stand out like an oasis in the desert. Like Moses, Daniel "chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season" (Hosea

Daniel 12:2 — the general resurrection, but that of those who share in the first resurrection; the rest of the dead being not to rise till the end of the thousand years (Revelation 20:3; Revelation 20:5; Revelation 20:6; compare 1 Corinthians 15:23; 1 Thessalonians 4:16). Israel's national resurrection, and the first resurrection of the elect Church, are similarly connected with the Lord's coming forth out of His place to punish the earth in Isaiah 26:19; Isaiah 26:21; Isaiah 27:6. Compare Isaiah 25:6-9. The Jewish

Daniel 2:44 — 44. in the days of these kings—in the days of these kingdoms, that is, of the last of the four. So Christianity was set up when Rome had become mistress of Judea and the world (Luke 2:1, c.) [NEWTON]. Rather, "in the days of these kings," answers to "upon his

Habakkuk 2:4 — 4. his soul which is lifted up—the Chaldean's [MAURER]. The unbelieving Jew's [HENDERSON]. is not upright in him—that is, is not accounted upright in God's sight; in antithesis to "shall live." So Hebrews 10:38, which with inspired authority applies

Zechariah 3:8 — are—From speaking to Joshua He passes to speaking of him and them, in the third person, to the attendant angels (compare :-). men wondered at—Hebrew, "men of wonder," that is, having a typical character (Isaiah 8:18; Isaiah 20:3; Ezekiel 12:11; Ezekiel 24:24). Joshua the high priest typifies Messiah, as Joshua's "fellows" typify believers whom Messiah admits to share His Priesthood (1 Peter 2:5; Revelation 5:10). This, its typical character, then, is a pledge to assure the desponding Jews that the priesthood

Zechariah 4:2 — 2. candlestick—symbolizing the Jewish theocracy; and ultimately, the Church of which the Jewish portion is to be the head: the light-bearer (so the original is of "lights," Matthew 5:14; Matthew 5:16; Philippians 2:15) to the world. all . . . gold—all pure in doctrine and practice, precious and indestructible; such is the true ideal of the Church; such she shall be (Philippians 2:15- :). bowl upon the top—In the candlestick of

Matthew 10:4 — 4. Simon the Canaanite—rather "Kananite," but better still, "the Zealot," as he is called in Luke 6:15, where the original term should not have been retained as in our version ("Simon, called Zelotes"), but rendered "Simon, called the Zealot." The word

Matthew 4:6 — shows that the hope of carrying that point was abandoned, and all was staked upon a desperate venture, we think that remaining temptation is thus shown to be the last; as will appear still more when we come to it. cast thyself down—"from hence" (Luke 4:9). for it is written— (Psalms 91:11; Psalms 91:12). "But what is this I see?" exclaims stately BISHOP HALL. "Satan himself with a Bible under his arm and a text in his mouth!" Doubtless the tempter, having felt the power of God's Word in the former temptation,

Luke 23:42 — 42. said unto Jesus, c.—Observe here (1) The "kingdom" referred to was one beyond the grave for it is inconceivable that he should have expected Him to come down from the cross to erect any temporal kingdom. (2) This he calls Christ's own (Thy) kingdom.

John 5:4 — 4. an angel, c.—This miracle differed in two points from all other miracles recorded in Scripture: (1) It was not one, but a succession of miracles periodically wrought: (2) As it was only wrought "when the waters were troubled," so only upon one patient

Acts 18:18 — the starting-point of all the missions to the Gentiles, which he feels to be for the present concluded. with him Priscilla and Aquila—In this order the names also occur in 2 Corinthians 1:1- : (according to the true reading); compare Romans 16:3; 2 Timothy 4:19, which seem to imply that the wife was the more prominent and helpful to the Church. Silas and Timotheus doubtless accompanied the apostle, as also Erastus, Gaius, and Aristarchus (Acts 19:22; Acts 19:29). Of Silas, as Paul's associate, we read no

Acts 19:10 — two years—in addition to the former three months. See on :-. But during some part of this period he must have paid a second unrecorded visit to Corinth, since the one next recorded (see on Acts 19:2) is twice called his third visit (2 Corinthians 12:14; 2 Corinthians 13:1). See on 2 Corinthians 13:1- :, which might seem inconsistent with this. The passage across was quite a short one (see on 2 Corinthians 13:1- :) —Towards the close of this long stay at Ephesus, as we learn from 1 Corinthians 16:8,

Acts 6:7 — healed, where honest intentions, love, and wisdom reign: (3) What a beautiful model for imitation is furnished by the class here complained of, who, though themselves the majority, chose the new office-bearers from amongst the complaining minority! (4) How superior to the lust of power do the apostles here show themselves to be, in not only divesting themselves of the immediate superintendence of temporal affairs in the Christian community, but giving the choice of those who were to be entrusted

1 Corinthians 8:7 — 7. Howbeit—Though to us who "have knowledge" (1 Corinthians 8:1; 1 Corinthians 8:4-6) all meats are indifferent, yet "this knowledge is not in all" in the same degree as we have it. Paul had admitted to the Corinthians that "we all have knowledge" (1 Corinthians 8:1), that is, so far as Christian theory goes; but practically some