Bible Commentaries

Genesis 2:1 — Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. All the host of them. — His upper and nether forces, his horse and foot, as it were, all creatures in heaven, earth, or under earth; called God’s host, for their (1) number, (2) order, (3) obedience. These the Rabbins Kimchi call magnleh cheloth, and matteh cheloth, the upper and lower troops ready pressed.

Genesis 30:13 — And Leah said, Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed: and she called his name Asher. For the daughters will call me blessed. — This phrase the Virgin Mary maketh use of, Luke 1:48 as she doth also of various other Scripture phrases, in that holy song of hers: which showeth that she was very well versed in the Book of God.

Exodus 19:15 — And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not at [your] wives. Be ready against the third day. — If the word of a command expected such readiness, what shall the word of promise? … Come not at your wives. — For the legal uncleanness that was in it, Leviticus 15:18 1 Samuel 21:4 figuring the filth of original sin.

Exodus 29:9 — And thou shalt gird them with girdles, Aaron and his sons, and put the bonnets on them: and the priest’s office shall be theirs for a perpetual statute: and thou shalt consecrate Aaron and his sons. Consecrate. — Heb., Fill their hands, sc., with sacrifices: they were not to fill their own hands, as Jeroboam’s priests did. 1 Kings 13:33 , margin; Hebrews 5:5

Leviticus 16:6 — And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which [is] for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house. And for his house. — Whereof a minister must be mainly careful, 1 Timothy 3:4 lest, as Augustus doing justice on others, he be hit in the teeth with his own disordered family. Aaron had lately smarted in his two eldest.

Leviticus 5:8 — And he shall bring them unto the priest, who shall offer [that] which [is] for the sin offering first, and wring off his head from his neck, but shall not divide [it] asunder: For the sin offering first. — For till sin be expiated, no sacrifice or service can be accepted. Therefore "Wash you, cleanse you," and then, "Come, and let us reason." Isaiah 1:16-18

Leviticus 6:10 — And the priest shall put on his linen garment, and his linen breeches shall he put upon his flesh, and take up the ashes which the fire hath consumed with the burnt offering on the altar, and he shall put them beside the altar. Beside the altar. — On the east side farthest from the sanctuary, Leviticus 1:16 in reverence of the Divine Majesty.

Numbers 3:3 — These [are] the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests which were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest’s office. Which were anointed. — And so should have walked, as became God’s anointed; leaving a sweet smell behind them everywhere; but they went out in a stench; they fell, as if they had not been anointed with oil. 2 Samuel 1:21

1 Corinthians 1:3 — Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be to you and peace — All peace that flows not from the sense of God’s love and favour, is as that of the Romans with the Samnites, unsound and uncertain. Pax infida, pax incerta. Peace with the treacherous is a dubious peace. (Livius.) See Trapp on " Romans 1:7 "

1 Corinthians 11:21 — For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken. Every one taketh — Eateth and communicateth with those of his own sect and faction only, not staying for others. Such among the Philippians were those of "the concision," 1 Corinthians 3:2 , that made divisions, and cut the Church into little pieces and sucking congregations, making separation.

Ephesians 4:3 — else will shatter and fall asunder. The daughter of dissension is dissolution, saith Nazianzen. Endeavouring — σπουδαζοντες , Or using all possible carefulness: this imports, 1. The necessity; 2. Difficulty of the duty. Satan will endeavour, by making division, to get dominion.

Philippians 1:18 — If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that on mine account; If he hath wronged thee — His shameful escape the apostle sweetly mitigateth by the name of wrong; his theft, of debt. See Philemon 1:15 ; cf. Genesis 14:5 . Put that on mine account — To the like effect speaks the Lord Christ on our behalf to his heavenly Father, in his daily intercession.

1 Thessalonians 4:3 — For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: For this is the will of God — This is his prescribing will, which we must obey; as we must submit to his disposing will, the will of his providence, and grow acquainted with his approving will, the will of his gracious acceptance, Matthew 18:14 ; John 1:23 .

2 Timothy 1:9 — Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, With a holy calling — All that follows (to those words in the end of 2 Timothy 1:10 ; "through the gospel") comes in by a parenthesis, and is so to be read.

Hebrews 12:12 — Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; Lift up the hands — Pluck up your good hearts, and buckle close to your business; how else will you run the race that is set before you? Hebrews 12:1 . Gird up the loins of your minds; a drooping spirit makes no riddance of the way. Set all to rights, as the word ανορθωσατε signifieth.

Hebrews 4:6 — Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: Seeing therefore it remaineth — This is a deduction from the former text of the Psalmist. Such as is that of our Saviour, Matthew 22:32 , from Exodus 3:6 . And such inferences rightly drawn are the very word of God, 1 Corinthians 7:10 .

James 1:9 — Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: Rejoice in that he is exalted — Gr. εν τω υψει αυτου , in his sublimity, in that high honour of his, John 1:12 . This should make him hold up his head, but not too high; be cheerful, but not withal scornful. Laeti simus, sed non securi, gaudentes in Domino, sed caventes a recidivo. (Bern.)

James 2:8 — If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: If ye fulfil the royal law — Acknowledging God’s sovereignty, and sending a lamb to the ruler of the earth, Isaiah 16:1 , seeking the help of that free or noble spirit of his, Psalms 51:13 , that royal, ruling spirit, as the Greek version there hath it.

1 Peter 3:19 — By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; He went and preached — Righteousness, i.e. repentance, 2 Peter 2:5 , and the faith of the gospel, 1 Peter 4:6 , whereby some of those many that perished in the waters arrived at heaven, Nunquam sero, si serio. Christ went to them as an ambassador sent by his Father, and spake to their hearts.

1 Peter 4:5 — Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead. Who shall give account — Of their ungodly deeds and hard speeches, Judges 1:15 . Angels did their first execution in the world upon luxurious Sodomites; they will be very active doubtless against such at the last day. See2 Peter 2:10; 2 Peter 2:10 , and mark that word, chiefly.