Bible Commentaries

Genesis 18:30 — wicked Sodom, will he not hear us for his labouring Church? Joab never pleased David better, than when he sued to him for Absalom. What shall we think of God in like case? How angry is he with those that "help forward" the anger! Zechariah 1:15 How ready to answer those that speak to him for his Church, "with good words, and comfortable words!" Zechariah 1:13 Yea, should there be no praying Christians among us (as there are many thousands), yet there is hope, if any of another

Genesis 23:6 — mighty prince among us: in the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead. Thou art a prince of God amongst us. — That is, excellent or prosperous, as Genesis 21:22 ; and it was their ingenuity and candour to acknowledge it. God’s people are "princes in all lands" Psalms 45:16 Kings they are in righteousness and peace; but somewhat obscure ones, as was Melehizedek, and therefore little set by.

Genesis 24:7 — which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence. He shall send his angel. — There are myriads of angels, Daniel 7:10 and all sent out for the solace and safe conduct of the saints. Hebrews 1:14 Oh, the dignity and safety of a child of God! Thou shalt take a wife. — He argues from what God hath done for him, to what he will do. Every former favour is a pledge

Genesis 27:5 — Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt [for] venison, [and] to bring [it]. Esau went to the field to hunt, … — But before he returned, the blessing was otherwise bestowed. "The hope of the hypocrite shall perish". Job 8:13 How many lie languishing at hope’s hospital, as he at the pool of Bethesda, and no help comes! They repair to the creatures, as to a lottery, with heads full of hopes, but return with hearts full of blanks. Or, if they draw nigh to God, they

Genesis 32:29 — [is] it [that] thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. And he blessed him there. — That was a better thing to Jacob than to answer his curious request of knowing the angel’s name. So when the disciples asked our Saviour, Acts 1:6 "Wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?" "It is not for you to know the times," saith he, "but ye shall receive the Holy Ghost"; that is better for you, … Acts 1:8 God sometimes doth not only

Genesis 37:21 — And Reuben heard [it], and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him. And he delivered him out of their hands. — Josephus relates his arguments, whereby he prevailed with them: as (1.) That God would surely see them; (2.) Their father would extremely grieve at it; (3.) That Joseph was but a child, and their brother; (4.) That they would bring upon themselves the guilt of innocent blood, … It was happy they hearkened to him.

Genesis 7:7 — into the ark, the Holy Ghost puts the men by themselves, and the women by themselves; as, when they went out, God joined them together; to teach us, say they, that in a common calamity "those that have wives, must be as they that have none". 1 Corinthians 7:5 ; 1 Corinthians 7:29

1 Kings 10:5 — servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her. And his ascent. — Called elsewhere the king’s entry, 2 Kings 16:18 and the king’s gate. 1 Chronicles 9:18 A costly and stately piece of work, doubtless. See 1 Kings 10:12 . There was no more spirit in her. — She was in an ecstacy of deep admiration; like as afterwards was Nicostratus in Aelian, who

1 Kings 20:34 — in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria. Then [said Ahab], I will send thee away with this covenant. So he made a covenant with him, and sent him away. The cities which my father took from thy father. — That is, From thy predecessor Baasha. 1 Kings 15:20 I will restore. — Which yet he did not; witness Ramothgilead. 1 Kings 22:4 And thou shalt make streets for thee. — Fora rerum venalium constitues tibi, ex quibus vectigalia accipies quasi nundinas; markets out of which thou shalt

1 Kings 5:9 — that thou shalt appoint me, and will cause them to be discharged there, and thou shalt receive [them]: and thou shalt accomplish my desire, in giving food for my household. Unto the place that thou shalt appoint me. — To Joppa, 2 Chronicles 2:16 which had a harbour. Acts 9:43 And thou shalt receive them. — David had, before his death, prepared abundantly both workmen and cedar trees, …, 1 Chronicles 22:2-4 ; 1 Chronicles 29:3 but yet nothing near enough for so great a work. In

2 Kings 25:1 — Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he, and all his host, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it; and they built forts against it round about. In the tenth month, the tenth day of the month. — This was revealed to Ezekiel in Babylon. Ezekiel 24:1 And although this day of the tenth month was by the law appointed for a day of expiation or atonement, Leviticus 16:29-31 yet now "an end was come, the end was come, it watched against them, behold, it was come, an evil, an only evil was come,

2 Kings 5:7 — Elisha, who was better known and more regarded abroad than at home. See how he seeketh a quarrel. — This troubled Jehoram more than the blasphemy, whatever he pretended. This Benhadad who wrote the letter, was he who slew Ahab at Ramothgilead, 1 Kings 22:35 ; 1 Kings 22:37 who besieging Samaria, brought it to that extreme famine, 2 Kings 6:24-25 and afterwards at Ramothgilead wounded this Jehoram. 2 Kings 8:28-29

Deuteronomy 25:19 — thy God giveth thee [for] an inheritance to possess it, [that] thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget [it]. Thou shalt not forget it. — Neither did they. Saul should have utterly destroyed them, 1 Samuel 15:18-19 but wherein he failed, God stirred up the Simeonites in Hezekiah’s days to smite the rest of the Amalekites that were escaped. 1 Chronicles 4:42-43 It is ill angering the Ancient of days. His wrath lasts longer than hot coals of

Joshua 15:1 — the tribe of the children of Judah by their families; [even] to the border of Edom the wilderness of Zin southward [was] the uttermost part of the south coast. This then was the lot of the tribe, … — The lot came forth, up, or out Joshua 19:1 ; Joshua 19:10 ; Joshua 19:17 of the bosom, lap, Proverbs 16:33 pot, or some other vessel in use for that purpose; for the manner of this lottery is not expressed: but that it was solemnly done with fasting and prayer premised, is probable; Judges

Judges 1:1 — heretics, whom he describeth here to the life, and opposeth them to his utmost. To them that are sanctified — Or to them that are beloved, as other copies have it. Preserved — "Kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation," 1 Peter 1:5 .

1 Samuel 11:1 — Then Nahash the Ammonite came up, and encamped against Jabeshgilead: and all the men of Jabesh said unto Nahash, Make a covenant with us, and we will serve thee. Then Nahash the Ammonite came up. — After long preparations, 1 Samuel 12:12 and for the old hatred, Ezekiel 25:15 and upon the old claim, Judges 11:13 as also to revenge the overthrow then given them by Jephthah. And encamped against Jabeshgilead. — Because it lay near to their country, and had been much

1 Samuel 9:6 — God, and [he is] an honourable man; all that he saith cometh surely to pass: now let us go thither; peradventure he can shew us our way that we should go. A man of God. — A prophet: this title is also given to ministers of the gospel. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 And he is an honourable man. — Any relation to God ennobleth, and must be highly esteemed. King Zedekiah is blamed for not humbling himself before Jeremiah the prophet, 2 Chronicles 36:12 who was "precious in God’s sight,"

2 Samuel 24:9 — there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men that drew the sword; and the men of Judah [were] five hundred thousand men. And there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men. — Another prophet saith, eleven hundred thousand, 1 Chronicles 21:5 taking in Levi and Benjamin, which Joab reckoned not. 1 Chronicles 21:6 The men of Judah also were five hundred thousand men. Now a man would wonder at so great numbers in so small a land: for Judea was not above two hundred miles long

2 Samuel 5:17 — i.e., To fight with him wheresoever they should find him: as being jealous of his growing greatness, and fearing lest they should lose their tribute. Now also was the time come when God would execute his judgments against them and their gods, as Exodus 12:12 to whom they had sacrilegiously ascribed their recent victories. See 2 Samuel 5:21 . Wicked men are even ambitious of destruction: these men came to seek their bane. And went down to the hold. — That of Adullam likely, where he so thirsted

2 Samuel 8:1 — materials great store. And it is observable that he assailed no nation which he overcame not, besieged no city which he took not; the same which our chronicles affirm of the Black Prince. And David took Methegammah. — That is Gath with her precincts, 1 Chronicles 18:1 called Methegammah, or the bridle of the angle, or corner, because it kept that part of the country in awe and order. This David took from the Philistines; so hath Christ taken away the dominion of sin. Romans 6:8-14