Bible Commentaries

2 Chronicles 1:14 — added to show how God made good to Solomon that other part of his promise also concerning riches and honours. And here the lawgiver might dispense with that law of his, Deuteronomy 17:16 by a singular privilege to this king of Israel. See on 1 Kings 4:26 .

2 Chronicles 25:3 — Now it came to pass, when the kingdom was established to him, that he slew his servants that had killed the king his father. 2 Chronicles 25:4 But he slew not their children, but [did] as [it is] written in the law in the book of Moses, where the LORD commanded, saying, The fathers shall not die for the children, neither shall the children die for the fathers, but every man shall die for his own sin. Ver. 3,4. See Trapp on " 2 Kings 14:5 " See Trapp on " 2 Kings 14:6 "

2 Chronicles 28:2 — For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for Baalim. For hs walked in the ways of the kings of Israel. — Yea, he outdid them in wickedness. See on 2 Kings 16:3-4 . Sundry holy prophets, as Isaiah, Micah, Nahum, …, declaimed earnestly against his abominable practices, and proclaimed hell-fire in case he repented not; but he either turned the deaf ear to them, or, if he gave them the hearing, yet he heeded

2 Chronicles 30:25 — Israel, and that dwelt in Judah, rejoiced. And all the congregation … rejoiced. — This was right; for all God’s worships were to be celebrated with joy; Deuteronomy 12:7 and joy is a condition of an acceptable service. Deuteronomy 26:14 Sacrifices offered in mourning were an abomination, Hosea 9:4 yea, accursed of God. Deuteronomy 28:47

2 Chronicles 7:3 — pavement, and worshipped, and praised the LORD, [saying], For [he is] good; for his mercy [endureth] for ever. Saw how the fire came down. — Though the Lord do not now thus sensibly answer prayers by fire from heaven, or by shaking the house, as Acts 4:31 , yet by faith we are assured, and by experience confirmed, that they are graciously accepted.

Psalms 10:11 — He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see [it]. He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten — That is, he knoweth it not, regardeth it not. To learn is nothing else but to remember, said Socrates; and what a man hath utterly forgotten it is all one as if he had never known it; 2 Peter 1:9 , he "hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins," that is, he was never purged. See Psalms 10:4 .

Psalms 105:44 — heathen: and they inherited the labour of the people; And gave them the lands of the heathen — God doth not his work to the halves, he will perfect that which concerneth us, Psalms 138:8 , and preserve all his unto his heavenly kingdom, 2 Timothy 4:18 . And inherited the labour of the people — Their cities, towns, villages, fields, vineyards, all done to the hand of the Israelites. We shall also enter into our Master’s joy, mansions made ready for us, …

Psalms 119:161 — SCHIN. Princes have persecuted me without a cause: but my heart standeth in awe of thy word. Princes have persecuted me without a cause — And But better without a cause than for evil-doing, 1 Peter 4:12-19 David suffered by these potentates, because he was small and despised, Psalms 119:141 , as a little dog is worried by the bigger, as the lesser fishes are devoured by the greater. But my heart standeth in awe of thy word — The fear of God

Psalms 121:5 — keeper: the LORD [is] thy shade upon thy right hand. The Lord is thy keeper — His peace within thee and his power without thee shall safeguard thee to his heavenly kingdom, φρουρησει , Philippians 4:7 . The Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand — To shelter and shield thee from all annoyances, as the pillar of cloud did the Israelites in the wilderness, as the poet feigneth that Paris, out matched by Menelaus in a duel, was by Venus wrapped

Psalms 147:12 — Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion. Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem — Whatever the world doth, let not the Church defraud God of his due praises; "though thou, Israel, play the harlot, yet let not Judah offend," Hosea 4:15 . God’s blessings go round about graceless and ungrateful people; and they are no more moved than the earth that hath the circumference carried about it, and itself standeth still; but the saints must be of another alloy, Colossians 3:15 ,

Psalms 148:7 — inferior creatures; beginning with the lowest in the waters beneath, as the dragons or great whales; and then coming to rain and snow, …, which are made out of the waters above. Ye dragons, and all deeps — Of sea dragons, see Aelian. lib. 4, Animal. cap. 12: they live partly in the sea and partly on the land, as do crocodiles. These also yield matter of God’s praise.

Psalms 18:25 — With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright; With the merciful, … — Hypothesin hic ad thesin transfert. It is as if he should say, I and mine enemies are a pattern of thy truth and justice, that thou wilt do good to those that are good, and to them that are upright in their hearts. As for such as turn aside unto their crooked paths, thou, Lord, shalt lead them forth with the workers of iniquity, Psalms 125:4-5 .

Psalms 35:20 — am for peace," saith David elsewhere, "but when I speak, they are for war," Psalms 120:7 . Against the quiet of the land — i.e. Against myself, and such as I am, who study to be quiet and to do our own business, 1 Thessalonians 4:11 , affecting rather quietness from the world than acquaintance with it.

Psalms 40:4 — maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. Blessed is that man, … — See Psalms 2:12 . And respecteth not the proud — Who are set in opposition to believers, as they are also, Habakkuk 2:4 . Self-justitiaries especially, and meritmongers: faith is a humbling grace. Nor such as turn aside to lies — As do heretics and idolaters. These the true believer, out of the greatness of his spirit, slighteth, how great soever they be; animo

Psalms 68:15 — The hill of God [is as] the hill of Bashan; an high hill [as] the hill of Bashan. The hill of God is as the hill of Bashan — Bashan was fat and fertile, but Sion was better; because the place where God’s honour dwelled, any relation to whom doth greatly ennoble any place or person: so Genesis 17:21-22 , Ishmael have I blessed, twelve princes shall he beget; but my covenant will I establish with Isaac. Since thou hast been precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, Isaiah 43:4 .

Psalms 78:14 — In the daytime also he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a light of fire. In the daytime also he led them with a cloud — This cloud not only conducted them, but also compassed them in on every side, both to keep them from the parching heat of the sun, and to save them from the sight and violence of their enemies, Exodus 13:21 . A figure of God’s guidance of his Church, and protection over the same, Isaiah 4:5 Nehemiah 9:9 .

Psalms 85:3 — Heb. thou hast gathered it, thou hast recollected it, that we might not bear it; when sin is once remitted, wrath is soon removed. Thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness, … — Here are six hasts drawing in the next turn, Psalms 85:4 . God hath, and therefore God will, is a strong medium of hope, if not a demonstration of Scripture logics. See 2 Corinthians 1:10 .

Psalms 87:6 — Selah. The Lord shall count when he writeth up the people — When he maketh his cease book (called the writing of the house of Israel, Ezekiel 13:9 , the Lord’s book of remembrance, Malachi 3:16 , the register of the living in Jerusalem, Isaiah 4:3 ), he shall muster them in the roll of his soldiers, number them in the catalogue of his citizens, call them in the nomenclature of his disciples, … A glorious privilege surely.

Psalms 89:3 — I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant, I have made a covenant with my chosen — i.e. With Christ (who is God’s elect one, Isaiah 42:1 ), and in him with all his people, Ephesians 1:4 . I have sworn unto David — The father and figure of Christ, who is frequently called David, and is here chiefly to be understood. O happy we, for whose sake God hath sworn! saith Tertullian; and O most wretched, if we believe him not thus swearing!

Proverbs 2:14 — Who rejoice to do evil, [and] delight in the frowardness of the wicked; Who rejoice to do evil. — It is their meat, drink, sport; Proverbs 4:27 ; Proverbs 10:23 they cannot be merry unless the devil be their play fellow. This is reckoned as an aggravation of Jerusalem’s sin: "When thou doest evil, then thou rejoicest." Jeremiah 11:15 But better is the sorrow of him that suffereth