Bible Commentaries

Psalms 120:1 — manner of expression, which is wondrous short and sweet, as the very epigrams of the Holy Ghost himself, wherein each verse may well stand for an oracle. And in this sense Adam Hammahalah, or a man of degrees, is put for an eminent or excellent man, 1 Chronicles 17:17 . Others understand it otherwise; wherein they have good leave to abound in their own sense; since sine periculo hic erratur, an error here is not dangerous. In my distress I cried unto the Lord — Oratio sine malis est, ut avis

Proverbs 10:12 — desire, and seek his hurt. I could like that exposition well if it were not Calvin’s, said Maldonat; and that reformed religion, if Luther had not had a hand in it, said George Duke of Saxony. But love covereth all sins. — See Trapp on " 1 Peter 4:8 " See Trapp on " 1 Corinthians 13:4 " Love hath a large mantle. If I should find a bishop commitring adultery, said Constantine the Great, I would cover that foul fact with mine imperial robe rather than it should come abroad

Proverbs 27:18 — necks, called παυσικοπη , and it reached down to their hands, that they might not so much as lick off the meal when they were sifting it. These poor servants were in worse case than the Jews’ oxen. 1 Corinthians 9:9 But such as are faithful and serviceable, however their masters deal with them - they should deal well with them Deuteronomy 15:12-14 - God will bestow upon them a child’s part, even "the reward of inheritance." Colossians

Proverbs 6:12 — rats and mice, only to devour victuals, and to run squeaking up and down. Walketh with a froward mouth. — Graditur ore perverso. Nothing more usual with idlebies than to go tattling up and down, prying, and spying, and carrying tales and rumours. 1 Timothy 5:13 See Trapp on " 1 Timothy 5:13 " It is nothing that they can do; they will say the more therefore; αργοι, περιεργοι . 2 Thessalonians 3:11

Proverbs 6:25 — Orestilla had beauty indeed, but nothing else that was praise worthy, saith the historian. Salust. How much better Aspasia Milesia, of whom Aelian Kαλη και σοφη ; AeIian, Var. Hist., lib. xii. cap. 1. reports that she was fair and modest. And the Lady Jane Gray, whose excellent beauty was adorned with all variety of virtues, as a clear sky with stars, as a princely diadem with jewels. Some women are like Helen without, Hecuba within; but it is a

Ecclesiastes 3:11 — into nature’s secrets. The Vulgate renders this text thus: Et mundum tradidit disputationi eorum, And he hath delivered the world to their disputations. But so foolishly εμωρανθησαν . Romans 1:22 and impiously have men disputed of God, of his providence, of his judgments, of the chief happiness, …, that they have reasoned, or rather wrangled away the truth, being able to find out neither the beginning nor end of the causes or uses

Song of Solomon 2:10 — My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. My beloved spake, and said. — Heb., Answered and said. She had sighed out, belike, some such request unto her beloved as David did, Psalms 90:13 "Return, O Lord, how long!" Lovers’ hours are full of eternity. He replieth, Even now, my love; behold, here I am for thy help. "Now will I rise, now will I be exalted, now will I lift up myself." Isaiah 33:10 Rise thou, therefore,

Isaiah 20:6 — we flee for help to be delivered from the king of Assyria: and how shall we escape? And the inhabitant of this isle shall say, … — Judea, though part of the continent, is here called an isle or island, whereas it was indeed an inland; (1.) Because it was bounded on the west with the Midland Sea, and on the east with the lake of Gennesaret; (2.) Because it was beset with many enemies, and beaten upon by the waves of wars from all parts, but especially from Egypt and Babylon, which is

Isaiah 28:16 — executed. We cannot beat the dogs, but the children will be ready to cry. For a foundation a stone. — Firm and fast, opposed here to the fickle stays and vain fastnesses of wicked worldlings. This foundation stone is Christ, Romans 9:33 ; Romans 10:13 not Hezekiah, as the Jews would have it; or Peter, as the Papists. See Peter to the contrary, 1 Peter 2:6 and Paul. 1 Corinthians 3:11 He that believeth shall not make haste, — viz., To help himself as he can, since God defers his help; as

Isaiah 43:25 — and them from destruction, viz., for his own sake alone. That blotteth out thy transgressions. — Heb., Am blotting out, constantly and continually I am doing it. As thou multipliest sins, so do I "multiply pardons." Isaiah 55:7 So John 1:29 , "He taketh away the sins of the world"; it is a perpetual act, like as the sun shineth, the spring runneth. Zechariah 13:1 Men gladly blot out that which they cannot look upon without grief. Malum enim semel delere quam perpetuo dolere,

Jeremiah 17:16 — Lord," they seek to frighten them by the menaces of God’s mouth from such sinful practices as will be their ruin, and hence they are hated, “ An expectes ut Quintilianus ametur? ” - Juven. Thou knowest it. — See Jeremiah 12:1 ; Jeremiah 15:15 2 Corinthians 1:12 .

Jeremiah 17:5 — depend upon the creature for help; for such a man, seem he never so manly a man (haggheber), is accursed of God, whom he robbeth of his chief jewel, that which giveth him the sovereignty, and setteth, as it were, the crown upon his head. See Judges 9:15 Psalms 78:22 ; Psalms 52:7 . And maketh flesh his arm, — i.e., His strength; for in brachio est robur. Now three ways, saith a reverend man, Mr Case. we make flesh our arm - (1.) By sitting down in a faithless, sullen discontent and despair when

Jeremiah 49:1 — Jephtha’s days: but then it would not be. Afterwards, Saul and David subdued them; but in Jehoshaphat’s time they came again, together with the Moabites, and the men of Mount Seir, to make a disturbance; but were defeated. 2 Chronicles 20:1 ; 2 Chronicles 20:22-24 Now, when those Israelites beyond Jordan were carried away, and their land desolated, first by the Syrians, 2 Kings 10:32-33 and afterwards by the Assyrians, 2 Kings 15:29 then in likelihood it was that the Ammonites thus invaded

Jeremiah 52:1 — reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name [was] Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. Zedekiah was one and twenty years old, … — For the exposition of this whole chapter, see the notes on 2 Kings 24:17-20 ; 2 Kings 25:1-30 2 Chronicles 36:11-21 Jeremiah 39:1-3 , … It is altogether historic, and set here fitly by Ezra, or some other prophet, as an appendix to the foregoing prophecy, and as a preface to the Book of the Lamentations, which is

Jeremiah 9:23 — wiles and shifts. Let not the mighty man glory. — Fortitudo nostra est infirmitatis in veritate cognitio, et in humilitate confessio. Augustine. Nor the rich man glory in his riches. — Since they avail not in the day of wrath. Zephaniah 1:18 See Trapp on " Zephaniah 1:18 "

Lamentations 1:12 — wish the like may never befall you - Ne sit super vos - for so some render the words. Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow. — What we see in the water seemeth greater than it is, so in the waters of Marah. See Lamentations 3:1 . It is sure that "no temptation, taketh us but what is human, or common to man." 1 Corinthians 10:13 But what did the man Christ Jesus suffer! All our sufferings are but chips of his cross, saith Luther, not worthy to be named in the same

Ezekiel 17:22 — the high cedar. — Insignis est haec prophetia. - Lavat. Understand this great and precious promise of Zerubbabel and his successors, but especially of Christ and his kingdom. How oft in the prophets is he styled the "branch." Isaiah 11:1 And how ordinary is it with God, after dreadful threats against the wicked, to come in with his attamen nevertheless for the comfort of his elect, who in their deepest distress have cause enough to encourage themselves in the Lord Christ their God,

Ezekiel 40:4 — thine heart, … — We should give all possible diligence and heed to a discourse of the New Jerusalem, that city of pearl; setting to work both our outward and inward senses, and those well exercised, to discern both good and evil. Hebrews 5:14 Declare all that thou seest unto the house of Israel. — For therefore hast thou seen it. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit with. 1 Corinthians 12:7 And as any man hath received the gift, so let him minister the same

Ezekiel 48:35 — [It was] round about eighteen thousand [measures]: and the name of the city from [that] day [shall be], The LORD [is] there. It was round about eighteen thousand measures. — See on Ezekiel 48:32 Revelation 21:16 . The Lord is there. — Jehovahshammah. This is the true Church’s name, and the true Christian’s happiness, such as no good can match, no evil overmatch - viz., that wheresoever he is, there God is, and therefore there heaven is;

Ezekiel 8:1 — Lavat. That the hand of the Lord God fell there upon me, — i.e., The Spirit (the spirit of prophecy, saith the Chaldee), to whom the absolving and perfecting of God’s work is congruously attributed. He is fitly said to brood the waters, Genesis 1:2 to overshadow the Virgin Mary, Luke 1:35 to seal the elect, Ephesians 4:30 to add ultimam manum; for God the Father doth all by the Son, through the Holy Ghost. Ezekiel had here a mighty impulse of the Spirit, which fell upon him quasi fulgur efficax