Bible Commentaries

Job 22:10 — filum, Sin and punishment are tied together with chains of adamant. Eliphaz having with more earnestness than truth set forth Job’s sins, now discourseth about his snares. Four punishments he assureth him of, and every one worse than the other. 1. He shall be ensnared; 2. Frightened; 3. Benighted; 4. Overwhelmed, if repentance step not in and take up the matter, as Job 22:22 . And it is as if he should say, Seek not after any other cause of thy calamities than thy before mentioned wickedness;

Job 35:7 — thou be righteous, what givest thou him? or what receiveth he of thine hand? If thou be righteous, what givest thou him? — Nothing, since he is self sufficient, and independent. He needeth us not, neither doth our righteousness reach him, Psalms 16:2 . The Pharisees dreamed of an over-doing of the law, and making God beholden to them. The Papists also, those modern Pharisees, talk of works of supererogation, and of merit of congruity, and merit of condignity. But these are mere fictions, chimaeras,

Psalms 24:6 — last and loosest times of abounding and abetted errors. That seek thy face — i.e. Thy favour, that desire nothing more than to be in communion with thee and conformity unto thee. O Jacob — Or, O God of Jacob. As the Church is called Christ, 1 Corinthians 12:12 ; so God is here called Jacob, such a near union there is between him and his people. Or, this is Jacob. So the true seekers are fitly called, first, because Israelites indeed, John 1:47 Romans 9:6 ; secondly, because they see God

Proverbs 14:9 — Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous [there is] favour. Fools make a mock of sin. — A sport or pastime of it. Proverbs 10:23 See Trapp on " Proverbs 10:23 " They dance with the devil all day, and yet think to sup with Christ. But what saith the heathen historian? Nae, illi falsi sunt qui diversissimas res expectant, ignaviae vohtptatem, et praemia virtutis.

Proverbs 17:20 — He that hath a froward heart findeth no good: and he that hath a perverse tongue falleth into mischief. He that hath a froward heart findeth no good. — Who this is that hath a froward heart and a perverse tongue, Solomon shows, Proverbs 11:20 viz., the hypocrite, the "double minded man," James 1:8 that hath "a heart and a heart," Psalms 12:2 , mart. one for God, and another for him that would have it, as that desperate Neapolitan boasted of himself. And as he hath

Proverbs 2:18 — adulteress, was stabbed to death by her husband. Barns. Alexander the Great and Otho the Third test their lives by their lusts. But how many, alas! by this means have lost their souls. Fleshly lusts, by a specialty, "fight against the soul." 1 Peter 2:12 And nothing hath so much enriched hell, saith one, as beautiful faces. And her paths unto the dead. — Heb., El Rhephaim, to the giants: παρα τω Aδη μετα των γηγενων

Proverbs 20:20 — Whoso curseth his father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness. Whoso curseth his father, … — See Trapp on " Exodus 21:17 " See Trapp on " Matthew 15:4 " Parents usually give their children sweet and savoury counsel; but they, for want of grace, listen rather to flatterers and whisperers, vilipending their parents’ advice, and vilifying them for

Proverbs 22:7 — them with the feet of intolerable insolence and cruelty. James 2:6 "Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children," said those poor Jews in Nehemiah, who pleads their cause most effectually. Nehemiah 5:7-13 Ubi quot verba, tot tela, quae nimirum animam divitum percellant, fodicent et lancinent, as one saith in another case, He sets upon them with irresistible rhetoric, and makes them restore - which yet rich oppressors are very hardly drawn to do. Every

Proverbs 27:10 — — To forsake a friend, an old friend especially, is to forsake one’s self: for a friend is a second self, and friendship, as wine, is commendable from its oldness. What a price set Solomon upon Hiram, who had been his father’s friend; 1 Kings 5:1-12 and how did he seek his love, as a precious inheritance left him, as it were, by his father; and how courteously, for his father’s sake, likewise dealt he with Abiathar, that had dealt disloyally with him. Neither go into thy brother’s

Proverbs 7:14 — me; this day have I payed my vows. I have peace offerings. — Sacris abutitur, ut sceleratis mos est; Mercer. she pretends religion to her filthy practices. So did those wicked women that lay with Eli’s sons at the door of the tabernacle. 1 Samuel 2:22 So did King Edward IV’s holy whore, as he used to call her, Speed. that came to him out of a nunnery when he used to call for her. And such were those kedesheth, or common whores, so called in Hebrew, because such abomination was committed

Song of Solomon 8:11 — had a vineyard at Baalhamon; he let out the vineyard unto keepers; every one for the fruit thereof was to bring a thousand [pieces] of silver. Solomon had a vineyard in Baalhamon. — So hath Christ in a "very fruitful hill." Isaiah 5:1 Solomon’s vineyard must needs be of the best, for he abounded both with wealth and wit, to make it so. He let it also to farm for a very great rent, which showeth the fruitfulness of it, so many vines set for so many silverings. Isaiah 7:23 But

Isaiah 10:12 — prevent the saddle from slipping forwards. when the scum is at highest, it falls in the fire. When the Lord hath performed. — When he hath sufficiently chastised his children by this rod of his wrath, he will cast it into the fire; so Jeremiah 25:1-38 when other nations have drunk deep of the cup of the divine displeasure, Babylon shall suck up the dregs. What became of the primitive persecutors, and of such as were most active here in those dogdays of Queen Mary? See the Acts and Monuments of

Isaiah 61:11 — saith Piscator: here Christ speaketh again, giving us to understand that piety is planted by God in the hearts of his people. We are God’s husbandry, saith the apostle; see Mark 3:26-28 . The Church is Christ’s garden. Song of Solomon 5:1 Howbeit it is with holy affections as with exotic noble plants; this country is not so kindly for them, being but a stepmother to them; therefore must they be much watered and cherished, … We have a gracious promise that our hearts shall be like

Isaiah 8:16 — testimony, seal the law among my disciples. Bind up the testimony, seal the law, … — Et lateat, et lucent. let it both be hidden and be conspicuous. Let thy doctrine, saith God here to the prophet, contained in that great roll, Isaiah 8:1 or otherwise published (concerning Immanuel especially), be concealed from these profane scoffers, but imparted to my disciples that "sit down at my feet to receive my word." Deuteronomy 33:3 Those Jews in Christ’s time had the testimony,

Jeremiah 36:32 — his messengers. What do wicked men hereby but entangle themselves more and more, as one that goeth among briers? Oppressus Christi Spiritus robustior in se coactus exilit. - Oecolamp. "Did not my word take hold of your fathers?" Zechariah 1:6 See Trapp on " Zechariah 1:6 " What do they else, but as she in the history, who, disliking her looking glass for showing her truly the wrinkles in her old withered face, broke it in displeasure; and then she had for one glass many, every

Jeremiah 4:1 — as a ball from one of the devil’s hands to the other, but "to me with thy whole heart," seriously, sincerely, and zealously; for Non amat, qui non zelat. To a tyrant thou shalt not turn, but to one that will both assist thee, Proverbs 1:23 and accept thee. Zechariah 1:2 And if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, — i.e., Thine idols out of thine house and out of thine heart. Ezekiel 14:3-4 Then shalt thou not remove. — But still dwell in the land and do

Ezekiel 1:22 — crystal, stretched forth over their heads above. And the likeness of the firmament. — The glory of God in Christ is revealed to the prophet in this ensuing vision, even that great "mystery of godliness, God manifested in the flesh," 1 Timothy 3:16 whereof this was a kind of prelude. To like purpose also was that vision. Isaiah 6:1-13 ; John 12:39-41 Upon the heads of the living creature. — Between them and the Lord Christ as a screen, and supplied likely the office of that

Ezekiel 2:5 — Some refractories will not so much as hear a minister of God; but bid him, as those old Italians once did the Roman ambassador, Ad quercus dicere, se interim alia acturos, speak to the posts; they had somewhat else to do than to give ear to them. See 1 Corinthians 1:22 . Of those also that do hear, scarce the hundredth man believeth our report, saith Calvin; Nay, scarce the thousandth man, saith Chrysostom. For they are a rebellious house. — This was small encouragement. Hence prophets have

Daniel 10:13 — angel, that by his suggestions swayed Cambyses to oppose and retard the rebuilding of the temple. There is a principal devil, prince of this world; and there are, as some hold, princes or principal spirits in countries and nations under him. Ephesians 6:12 But, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, — i.e., Christ the Lord of angels, head of the Church. Daniel 12:1-13 : 1 Kings 12:7 By these chief princes may be understood the three persons in trinity, or the created angels. The Septuagint translate

Daniel 7:4 — birds), generous, strong, fierce, fair-conditioned; so were the Assyrian monarchs in comparison of those that followed them. And had eagle’s wings. — Whereby is noted their victorious celerity and alacrity in seizing upon kingdoms. as Obadiah 1:4 2 Samuel 1:23 Jeremiah 4:13 ; Jeremiah 48:40 Ezekiel 17:3 I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, — scil., By the Medes and Persians, taming Babel’s insolence, and making her inhabitants tributaries and slaves, to till their ground