Bible Commentaries

2 Kings 22:20 — shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace; and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place. And they brought the king word again. And thou shalt be gathered unto thy grave in peace. — And yet he died in battle; but (1.) He died before the general deluge of desolation on the land: and so the next words expound these: "And thine eyes shall not see all the evil that I will bring upon this place." So he died "in peace," comparatively with a worse

1 Chronicles 28:1 — substance and possession of the king, and of his sons, with the officers, and with the mighty men, and with all the valiant men, unto Jerusalem. And David assembled. — Here the holy penman returneth to the history, which he began to set forth. 1 Chronicles 23:1-2 And verily this speech of David’s should be the more set by, because it was one of his last - inter Davidis novissima - wherein he ordereth what he would have done after his death; and taketh care of posterity. Me mortuo terra

2 Chronicles 28:23 — kings of Syria help them, [therefore] will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me. But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel. Unto the gods of Damascus, which smote him. — So he thought, at least - for they could not smite him Jeremiah 10:5 1 Corinthians 8:4 - in the same sense as Christ is said to have bought reprobates, 2 Peter 2:1 putative scilicet. And he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria. — That he might not seem to be mad without reason, he had somewhat to say

Ezra 3:4 — tabernacles, as [it is] written, and [offered] the daily burnt offerings by number, according to the custom, as the duty of every day required; They kept also the feast of tabernacles — Or booths, built of boughs or branches of thick trees, Nehemiah 8:15 , in a grateful memorial of God’s gracious preservation of them in the wilderness, where they dwelt in tents or tabernacles. It signified also (the prophet Zechariah being interpreter, Zechariah 14:16-19 ) that the remembrance of our redemption

Job 18:12 — shall be his strength. He, who while, having health and wealth at will, fared deliciously and gathered strength, shall be hunger starved, and hardly have prisoner’s pittance; so much only as will neither keep him alive nor suffer him to die. See 1 Samuel 2:5 ; 1 Samuel 2:36 . It is as much, saith Brentius, as we use to say of an extreme poor or feeble person, his wealth is poverty, his strength weakness. And destruction shall be ready at his side — i.e. Shall suddenly and inevitably seize

Job 21:27 — Behold, I know your thoughts, and the devices [which] ye wrongfully imagine against me. Behold, I know your thoughts — sc. By your words; as it is no hard matter for a wise man to do, Proverbs 20:5 ; for otherwise, God only knoweth the heart, 1 Peter 1:24 Psalms 139:3 , it is his royalty. But when men discover their thoughts by their discourses, looks, gestures, …, we may say, as Job doth here, "I know your thoughts"; and that by the wicked wretch described by you myself is

Job 22:26 — shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty — As in thine only portion. Thou shalt enjoy him, which is the peak of human happiness; solace thyself in the fruition of him, taste and see how good the Lord is, and thereupon love him dearly, Psalms 18:1 ; not only with a love of desire, as Psalms 42:1-2 , but of complacence, as Psalms 73:25-26 , affecting not only a union, but a unity, with him; and conversing with him, as we may, in the mean while, in a fruitful and cheerful use of his holy ordinances. And

Job 33:18 — He keepeth back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword. He keepeth back his soul from the pit — Or, That he may keep back his soul, that is, his body, as Psalms 16:10 Leviticus 21:1 , from the pit; i.e. from the grave, or from the pit falls made for him by his enemies. A penitent person redeemeth his own sorrows, and provideth for his own safety, Psalms 91:1-16 , and accordingly some read it, He shall keep back

Job 9:15 — Adam. Yet would I not answer — viz. By pleading mine own righteousness, since no created righteousness can answer God. Some render it, non attollam vocem, ne hiscere quidem audebo, I will not lift up my voice, nor dare to mute against him. see 1 Corinthians 4:4 No, though I were never so innocent, and did suffer this misery undeservedly. But I would make supplication to my judge — As he doth, though it were a good while first, in the end of the next chapter. It is likely that he intended

Job 9:8 — spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of the sea. Which alone spreadeth out the heavens — Without the help or counsel of any other. As God was alone and by himself in making the world, Isaiah 44:24 , so he is in ordering it, Job 37:18 Psalms 104:1-2 . The Hebrews, as they held with Pythagoras in the point of transanimation; so with Plato in that false opinion of his, that the angels were the movers of the heavens, and the governors of the whole world; whence grew that angel worship

Psalms 25:9 — he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way. The meek will he guide in judgment — Or, the poor (viz. in spirit) will he make to tread in judgment; to foot it aright, to walk judiciously, to behave themselves wisely, as David did, 1 Samuel 10:14 , so that Saul feared him, 1 Samuel 23:22 . Natural conscience cannot but stoop to the image of God, shining in the hearts and lives of the really religious. And the meek will he teach his way — Such as lie at his feet, and say, Speak,

Psalms 28:2 — of my supplications, when I cry unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle. When I lift up my hands — An ordinary gesture in prayer, expressing faith (for they held out their open hands, as craving beggars with the palms upward, 1 Kings 8:22 ) and helping fervency; while hands and heart went up together to God in the heavens, Lamentations 3:40 . Preces fundimus, ecelum tundimus, miserieordiam extorquemus, … (Tertul.). Toward thy holy oracle — Called Debhir, because

Psalms 29:2 — Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name — Which yet you cannot do, for his name is above all praise, Nominatissimam et celeberrimam (Jan.), Psalms 148:13 , but you must aim at it. The Rabbis observe that God’s holy name is mentioned eighteen different times in this psalm; that great men especially may give him the honour of his name, that they may stand in awe and not sin, that they may bring

Psalms 31:18 — that golden age return, that the argument may again proceed, Sacerdos est, non fallet; Christianus est, non mentietur; He is a minister, he will not deceive; he is a Christian, therefore he will not lie? (Herod. in Clio; Xenoph. Cyroep.; Strab. lib. 15). Which speak grievous things — Heb. a hard thing; dura et atr ociaverba, durable and longlasting reproaches, such as stick, and leave a scar, though the wound be healed up. Calumniare audacter, aliquid saltem adhaerebit. Such mouths shall one

Psalms 46:2 — therehence called Yεοπολις (Lege Plin. lib. 2, cap. 83, 88); but though not some part only, but the whole earth should be turned topsy-turvy, as a man wipeth a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down, 2 Kings 21:13 ; yea, though heaven and earth should be mingled, Hebrews 12:26 , in this also the believer would be confident, because God is with him, Psalms 23:4 ; Psalms 27:1 , whose praise and promise is to see to his servants’ safety in the greatest

Psalms 47:5 — God is gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet. God is gone up with a shout — The ark is here called God, as also Psalms 132:5 , and the face of God, Psalms 105:4 ; because from the ark, in the midst of the cherubims, God spake to his people, and they by looking towards it had a sure symbol of the divine presence. The bringing of it up with pomp and solemnity into Mount

Psalms 51:11 — Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Cast me not away from thy presence — Deprive me not of communion with thee and comfort from thee; for that is a piece of hell torments, 2 Thessalonians 1:9 . Cain’s punishment, which possibly David might here mind, as being guilty of murder; and Saul’s loss of the kingly spirit, 1 Samuel 15:15 , might make him pray on. And take not thine holy Spirit from me — David knew that he had

Psalms 51:14 — sing aloud of thy righteousness. Deliver me from blood guiltiness, O God — Heb. from bloods; in every drop whereof is a tongue crying for vengeance. Besides, if David’s adultery was a sin of infirmity (he was preoccupied, as Galatians 6:1 ), yet his murdering of Uriah, and many others that fell together with him, was a sin of presumption; a deliberate prepensed evil, done in cold blood, and therefore lay very heavily upon his conscience. Howbeit he obtained pardon for this great sin

2 Samuel 1:19 — The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen! The beauty of Israel. — Here beginneth this sad sonnet, whereof this verse is the foot, and is therefore repeated. 2 Samuel 1:25 ; 2 Samuel 1:27 Junius Est genus lamentationis cycloides. - Jun. Decus, desiderium, et gloria. readeth it, O thou beauty of Israel: which is, saith he, a periphrasis of God, of the land, saith Diodate. Daniel 8:9 ; Daniel 11:16 In this short song

2 Samuel 2:1 — up. And David said, Whither shall I go up? And he said, Unto Hebron. And it came to pass after this. — And after that many worthies out of several tribes had resorted unto him at Ziklag, so that he had a very great host, like the host of God. 1 Chronicles 12:1-22 Job 25:3 Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? — Ziklag was a city of Judah, but not so fit for his purpose: because it was in the utmost borders, and now also held by the gift of the king of the Philistines, who at