Bible Commentaries

1 Kings 15:4 — 4. for David's sake did the Lord his God give him a lamp—"A lamp" in one's house is an Oriental phrase for continuance of family name and prosperity. Abijam was not rejected only in consequence of the divine promise to David (see on 1 Kings 15:1). 1 Kings 15:1- :. ASA'S GOOD REIGN.

1 Chronicles 2:24 — 24. Caleb-ephratah—so called from uniting the names of husband and wife ( :-), and supposed to be the same as was afterwards called Beth-lehem-ephratah. Ashur, the father of Tekoa— (2 Samuel 14:2-4). He is called the father, either from his being the first founder, or perhaps the ruler, of the city.

Job 15:30 — 30. depart—that is, escape (Job 15:22; Job 15:23). branches—namely, his offspring (Job 1:18; Job 1:19; Psalms 37:35). dry up—The "flame" is the sultry wind in the East by which plants most full of sap are suddenly shrivelled. his mouth—that is, God's wrath (Isaiah 11:4).

Job 24:23 — 23. Literally, "He (God omitted, as often; Job 3:20; Ecclesiastes 9:9; reverentially) giveth to him (the wicked, to be) in safety, or security." yet—Job means, How strange that God should so favor them, and yet have His eyes all the time open to their wicked ways (Proverbs 15:3; Psalms 73:4)!

Job 3:13 — 13. lain . . . quiet . . . slept—a gradation. I should not only have lain, but been quiet, and not only been quiet, but slept. Death in Scripture is called "sleep" ( :-); especially in the New Testament, where the resurrection-awakening is more clearly set forth (1 Corinthians 15:51; 1 Thessalonians 4:14; 1 Thessalonians 5:10).

Job 30:4 — 4. mallows—rather, "salt-wort," which grows in deserts and is eaten as a salad by the poor [MAURER]. by the bushes—among the bushes. juniper—rather, a kind of broom, Spartium junceum [LINNÆUS], still called in Arabia, as in the Hebrew of Job, retem, of which the bitter roots are eaten by the poor.

Job 5:4 — 4. His children . . . crushed in the gate—A judicial formula. The gate was the place of judgment and of other public proceedings (Psalms 127:5; Proverbs 22:22; Genesis 23:10; Deuteronomy 21:19). Such propylæa have been found in the Assyrian remains. Eliphaz obliquely alludes to the calamity which cut off Job's children.

Psalms 130:4 — 4. Pardon produces filial fear and love. Judgment without the hope of pardon creates fear and dislike. The sense of forgiveness, so far from producing licentiousness, produces holiness (Jeremiah 33:9; Ezekiel 16:62; Ezekiel 16:63; 1 Peter 2:16). "There is forgiveness with thee, not that thou mayest be presumed upon, but feared."

Psalms 45:3 — 3, 4. The king is addressed as ready to go forth to battle. sword—(Compare Revelation 1:16; Revelation 19:15). mighty—(Compare Revelation 19:15- :). glory and . . . majesty—generally used as divine attributes (Psalms 96:6; Psalms 104:1; Psalms 111:3), or as specially conferred on mortals (Psalms 111:3- :), perhaps these typically.

Psalms 47:4 — 4. He shall . . . inheritance—the heathen to be possessed by His Church ( :-), as Canaan by the Jews. excellency of Jacob—literally, "pride," or, that in which he glories (not necessarily, though often, in a bad sense), the privileges of the chosen people— whom he loved—His love being the sole cause of granting them.

Isaiah 16:4 — 4. Rather, "Let the outcasts of Moab dwell with thee" (Judah) [HORSLEY]. for the extortioner, &c.—The Assyrian oppressor probably. is at an end—By the time that Moab begs Judah for shelter, Judah shall be in a condition to afford it, for the Assyrian oppressor shall have been "consumed out of the land."

Isaiah 44:24 — 24-28. Confirmation of His promises to the Church and Israel, by various instances of His omnipotence; among these the restoration of the Jews by Cyrus. alone—literally, "Who was with Me?" namely, when I did it; answering to "by Myself," in the parallel clause (compare similar phrases, Hosea 8:4; John 5:30) [MAURER].

Isaiah 63:4 — 4. is—rather, "was." This assigns the reason why He has thus destroyed the foe ( :-). my redeemed—My people to be redeemed. day . . . year—here, as in Isaiah 34:8; Isaiah 61:2, the time of "vengeance" is described as a "day"; that of grace and of "recompense" to the "redeemed," as a "year."

Jeremiah 49:29 — 29. tents—in which they dwelt, from which they are called Scenites, that is, tent dwellers. curtains—namely, with which the tents were covered (Jeremiah 4:20; Jeremiah 10:20; Psalms 104:2). they shall cry unto them, Fear, &c.—The foe, on crying, Fear . . ., shall discomfit them (the Kedarenes) by their mere cry.

Lamentations 4:3 — 3. sea monsters . . . breast—Whales and other cetaceous monsters are mammalian. Even they suckle their young; but the Jewish women in the siege, so desperate was their misery, ate theirs (Lamentations 4:10; Lamentations 2:20). Others translate, "jackals." ostriches—see on Lamentations 2:20- :; Lamentations 2:20- :, on their forsaking their young. Daleth.

Ezekiel 22:2 — 2. See :-; that is, "Wilt thou not judge?" c. (compare Ezekiel 23:36). the bloody city—literally, "the city of bloods" so called on account of murders perpetrated in her, and sacrifices of children to Molech (Ezekiel 22:3; Ezekiel 22:4; Ezekiel 22:6; Ezekiel 22:9; Ezekiel 24:6; Ezekiel 24:9).

Ezekiel 4:15 — 15. cow's dung—a mitigation of the former order (Ezekiel 4:12); no longer "the dung of man"; still the bread so baked is "defiled," to imply that, whatever partial abatement there might be for the prophet's sake, the main decree of God, as to the pollution of Israel by exile among Gentiles, is unalterable.

Joshua 1:14 — 14. ye shall pass . . . armed—that is, officered or marshalled under five leaders in the old and approved caravan order (see on :-). all the mighty men of valour—The words are not to be interpreted strictly as meaning the whole, but only the flower or choice of the fighting men (see on Joshua 4:12).

Judges 11:4 — 4. in process of time—on the return of the season. the children of Ammon made war against Israel—Having prepared the way by the introduction of Jephthah, the sacred historian here resumes the thread of his narrative from Judges 10:17. The Ammonites seem to have invaded the country, and active hostilities were inevitable.

Judges 5:4 — 4, 5. Allusion is here made, in general terms, to God's interposition on behalf of His people. Seir . . . the field of Edom—represent the mountain range and plain extending along the south from the Dead Sea to the Elanitic Gulf. thou wentest out—indicates the storm to have proceeded from the south or southeast.