Bible Commentaries

Job 1:1 — God, "to repent," referring to his end [EICHORN]; or rather from a Hebrew word signifying one to whom enmity was shown, "greatly tried" [GESENIUS]. Significant names were often given among the Hebrews, from some event of later life (compare Genesis 4:2, Abel—a "feeder" of sheep). So the emir of Uz was by general consent called Job, on account of his "trials." The only other person so called was a son of Issachar (Genesis 4:2- :). perfect—not absolute or faultless perfection (compare Job 9:20; Ecclesiastes

Isaiah 11:4 — 4. judge—see that impartial justice is done them. "Judge" may mean here "rule," as in Psalms 67:4. reprove—or, "argue"; "decide." But LOWTH, "work conviction in." earth—Compare with Matthew 5:5; Revelation 11:15. earth—its ungodly inhabitants, answering

Isaiah 50:4 — 4. Messiah, as "the servant of Jehovah" (Isaiah 42:1), declares that the office has been assigned to Him of encouraging the "weary" exiles of Israel by "words in season" suited to their case; and that, whatever suffering it is to cost Himself, He does

Ezekiel 18:31 — 31. Cast away from you—for the cause of your evil rests with yourselves; your sole way of escape is to be reconciled to God (Ephesians 4:22; Ephesians 4:23). make you a new heart—This shows, not what men can do, but what they ought to do: what God requires of us. God alone can make us a new heart (Ezekiel 11:19; Ezekiel 36:26; Ezekiel 36:27). The command to do what men cannot themselves

Ezekiel 26:12 — 12. lay thy stones . . . timber . . . in . . . midst of . . . water—referring to the insular New Tyre (Ezekiel 26:3; Ezekiel 26:5; Ezekiel 27:4; Ezekiel 27:25; Ezekiel 27:26). When its lofty buildings and towers fall, surrounded as it was with the sea which entered its double harbor and washed its ramparts, the "stones . . . timbers . . . and dust" appropriately are described as thrown down

Amos 4:3 — Bashan," :-) shall go out each one right before her; not through the gates, but each at the breach before him, not turning to the right or left, apart from one another. ye shall cast them into the palace—"them," that is, "your posterity," from Amos 4:2. You yourselves shall escape through the breaches, after having cast your little children into the palace, so as not to see their destruction, and to escape the more quickly. Rather, "ye shall cast yourselves into the palace," so as to escape from

Micah 4:8 — metaphor of sheep (see on :-). Jerusalem is called the "tower," from which the King and Shepherd observes and guards His flock: both the spiritual Jerusalem, the Church now whose tower-like elevation is that of doctrine and practice (Song of Solomon 4:4, "Thy neck is like the tower of David"), and the literal hereafter (Jeremiah 3:17). In large pastures it was usual to erect a high wooden tower, so as to oversee the flock. JEROME takes the Hebrew for "flock," Eder or Edar, as a proper name, namely,

Haggai 2:3 — or the end of the captivity, fifty-two years; so that the elders might easily remember the first temple. The Jews note five points of inferiority: The absence from the second temple of (1) the sacred fire; (2) the Shekinah; (3) the ark and cherubim; (4) the Urim and Thummim; (5) the spirit of prophecy. The connection of it with Messiah more than counterbalanced all these; for He is the antitype to all the five (Haggai 2:9). how do ye see it now?—God's estimate of things is very different from man's

Malachi 3:16 — godly hold mutual converse, defending God's righteous dealings against those blasphemers (Hebrews 3:13). The "often" of English Version is not in the Hebrew. There has been always in the darkest times a remnant that feared God (1 Kings 19:18; Romans 11:4). feared the Lord—reverential and loving fear, not slavish terror. When the fire of religion burns low, true believers should draw the nearer together, to keep the holy flame alive. Coals separated soon go out. book of remembrance . . . for them—for

Luke 2:14 — 14. Glory, c.—brief but transporting hymn—not only in articulate human speech, for our benefit, but in tunable measure, in the form of a Hebrew parallelism of two complete clauses, and a third one only amplifying the second, and so without a connecting

Romans 7:17 — better convictions, is to do painful violence to the apostle's language, and to affirm of the unregenerate what is untrue. That coexistence and mutual hostility of "flesh" and "spirit" in the same renewed man, which is so clearly taught in Romans 8:4, c., and in Romans 8:4- :, &c., is the true and only key to the language of this and the following verses. (It is hardly necessary to say that the apostle means not to disown the blame of yielding to his corruptions, by saying, "it is not he that

1 Corinthians 10:1 — reasoning ( :-), "They which run in a race, run all, but one receiveth the prize." under the cloud—were continually under the defense of the pillar of cloud, the symbol of the divine presence (Exodus 13:21; Exodus 13:22; Psalms 105:39; compare Isaiah 4:5). passed through the sea—by God's miraculous interposition for them (Isaiah 4:5- :).

1 Corinthians 3:1 — to speak to them as he would to men wholly natural, inasmuch as they are still carnal ( :-) in many respects, notwithstanding their conversion ( :-). babes—contrasted with the perfect (fully matured) in Christ ( :-; compare Hebrews 5:13; Hebrews 5:14). This implies they were not men wholly of flesh, though carnal in tendencies. They had life in Christ, but it was weak. He blames them for being still in a degree (not altogether, compare 1 Corinthians 1:5; 1 Corinthians 1:7; therefore he says as) babes

2 Corinthians 10:4 — 4. A confutation of those who try to propagate their creed by force and persecution (compare :-). weapons—for punishing offending members (2 Corinthians 10:6; 1 Corinthians 4:21; 1 Corinthians 5:5; 1 Corinthians 5:13); boldness of speech, ecclesiastical

2 Corinthians 5:2 — liability to death. earnestly desiring to be clothed upon—translate, "earnestly longing to have ourselves clothed upon," c., namely, by being found alive at Christ's coming, and so to escape dissolution by death (2 Corinthians 5:1 2 Corinthians 5:4), and to have our heavenly body put on over the earthly. The groans of the saints prove the existence of the longing desire for the heavenly glory, a desire which cannot be planted by God within us in vain, as doomed to disappointment. our house—different Greek

Galatians 2:16 — faith; Wages and the gift; The curse and the blessing—are represented as diametrically opposed" [BENGEL]. The moral law is, in respect to justification, more legal than the ceremonial, which was an elementary and preliminary Gospel: So "Sinai" (Galatians 4:24), which is more famed for the Decalogue than for the ceremonial law, is made pre-eminently the type of legal bondage. Thus, justification by the law, whether the moral or ceremonial, is excluded (Galatians 4:24- :).

Ephesians 6:11 — armour—the armor of light (Romans 13:12); on the right hand and left (2 Corinthians 6:7). The panoply offensive and defensive. An image readily suggested by the Roman armory, Paul being now in Rome. Repeated emphatically, 2 Corinthians 6:7- :. In Romans 13:14 it is, "Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ"; in putting on Him, and the new man in Him, we put on "the whole armor of God." No opening at the head, the feet, the heart, the belly, the eye, the ear, or the tongue, is to be given to Satan. Believers have

Ephesians 6:18 — 18. always—Greek, "in every season"; implying opportunity and exigency (Colossians 4:2). Paul uses the very words of Jesus in Luke 21:36 (a Gospel which he quotes elsewhere, in undesigned consonance with the fact of Luke being his associate in travel, 1 Corinthians 11:23; 1 Timothy 5:18). Compare Luke 18:1; Romans 12:12; 1 Thessalonians

Philippians 2:10 — as Greek, "in the name." bow—rather, "bend," in token of worship. Referring to :-; quoted also in :-. To worship "in the name of Jesus," is to worship Jesus Himself (compare Philippians 2:11; Proverbs 18:10), or God in Christ (John 16:23; Ephesians 3:14). Compare "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord (that is, whosoever shall call on the Lord in His revealed character) shall be saved" (Romans 10:13; 1 Corinthians 1:2); "all that call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord" (compare 1 Corinthians

2 Timothy 2:8 — the one best calculated to stimulate Timothy to steadfastness in sharing Paul's sufferings for the Gospel's sake (see on 2 Timothy 2:18- :). of the seed of David—The one and only genealogy (as contrasted with the "endless genealogies," 1 Timothy 1:4) worth thinking of, for it proves Jesus to be the Messiah. The absence of the article in the Greek, and this formula, "of the seed of David" (compare 1 Timothy 1:4- :), imply that the words were probably part of a recognized short oral creed. In His