Bible Commentaries

1 Kings 10:18 — Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the best gold. Moreover the king made a great throne. — Which stood, likely, in the porch of judgment. 1 Kings 7:7 And overlaid it with the best gold. — To show, saith Martyr, the incorruption that should be in kings, who should administer justice justice, - Moses’ expression, - that is, pure justice.

1 Kings 17:14 — For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day [that] the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth. The barrel of meal shall not waste. — This was hard to believe: but true faith, when it is in heart, will eat its way over all alps of opposition. See 1 Kings 17:12 .

1 Kings 20:19 — So these young men of the princes of the provinces came out of the city, and the army which followed them. And the army which followed them, — viz., Those seven thousand, 1 Kings 20:15 which Pellican saith were godly, confiding men; and Martyr thinketh they were the seven thousand that had not bowed their knees to Baal. Piety is the ground of all true valour.

1 Kings 22:12 — And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramothgilead, and prosper: for the LORD shall deliver [it] into the king’s hand. And all the prophets prophesied so. — These were fit handles for such a hatchet as Ahab was; fit lettuce for such lips; dignum patella operculum. Itching ears shall have clawing preachers. For the Lord shall deliver it. — See on 1 Kings 22:6 .

1 Kings 22:36 — And there went a proclamation throughout the host about the going down of the sun, saying, Every man to his city, and every man to his own country. Saying, Every man to his city. — This was foretold by Micaiah. 1 Kings 22:17 God will not suffer his faithfulness to fail, but will fulfil with his hand what he hath spoken with his mouth.

1 Kings 4:4 — And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada [was] over the host: and Zadok and Abiathar [were] the priests: Ver. 4: And Zadok and Abiathar were the priests. — Abiathar had been so, and still retained the title. It may be also that upon his suit, Solomon had re-admitted him, though degraded, to serve at the altar as an ordinary priest, according to 1 Samuel 2:36 .

Numbers 11:27 — And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp. And there ran a young man. — Three manner of persons, said Mr Latimer, can make no credible information: (1.) Adversaries and enemies; (2.) Ignorant persons and without judgment; (3.) Whisperers and blowers in men’s ears, that will utter in secret more than they dare avow openly.

Numbers 18:18 — And the flesh of them shall be thine, as the wave breast and as the right shoulder are thine. And the flesh of them shall be thine. — And besides these here touched, they had other revenues of no small value, as their cities, suburbs, lands, Numbers 35:1-34 that they might be encouraged in the law of the Lord. 2 Chronicles 31:9

Numbers 20:16 — And when we cried unto the LORD, he heard our voice, and sent an angel, and hath brought us forth out of Egypt: and, behold, we [are] in Kadesh, a city in the uttermost of thy border: Sent an angel. — This was Christ; or, as some would have it, Moses; like as Phineas is thought to be that angel at Bochim. Judges 2:1

Deuteronomy 12:28 — Observe and hear all these words which I command thee, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee for ever, when thou doest [that which is] good and right in the sight of the LORD thy God. And with thy children after thee. — Whose comfort they that seek not, are peremptores potius quam parentes, rather parricides than parents. Bern., Epist., i. 1.

Deuteronomy 21:4 — And the elders of that city shall bring down the heifer unto a rough valley, which is neither eared nor sown, and shall strike off the heifer’s neck there in the valley: Which is neither eared nor sown. — That is, that afterwards should neither be tilled nor sown, for horror and hatred of the innocent blood there spilled. So the mountains of Gilboah. 2 Samuel 1:6

Deuteronomy 33:20 — And of Gad he said, Blessed [be] he that enlargeth Gad: he dwelleth as a lion, and teareth the arm with the crown of the head. He dwelleth as a lion. — That should make his party good with the enemy, upon whom he bordereth, and by whom he is often invaded. See Genesis 49:19 Judges 11:5 ; Judges 11:13 1 Chronicles 12:8 .

Deuteronomy 33:22 — And of Dan he said, Dan [is] a lion’s whelp: he shall leap from Bashan. He shall leap from Bashan, — i.e., He shall suddenly set upon his enemies; as Ahithophel counselled Absalom, 2 Samuel 17:1-2 and this is called "good counsel"; 2 Samuel 17:14 and as Caesar served Pompey, “ … Caesar in omnia praeceps, Nil actum credens, dum quid superesset agendum, Fertur atro … ” - Lucan.

Joshua 1:3 — Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. Every place that the sale, … — I, who am the true proprietary and lord paramount, Psalms 24:1 do give you this land, but yet you must fight for it: and so must the saints for the heavenly Canaan. “ Nunquam bella bonis, nunquam diserimina desunt. ”

Judges 10:13 — Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more. Wherefore I will deliver you no more, — sc., " Except ye repent." Revelation 2:5 Deus ideo minatur ut non puniat: If sinners repent, God will do so too; Jeremiah 26:13 yea, he will pardon such sin as no man would pardon, Jeremiah 3:1 nor god neither. Micah 7:18

Judges 2:6 — And when Joshua had let the people go, the children of Israel went every man unto his inheritance to possess the land. And when Joshua had let the people go. — See Joshua 2:1 ; but Vatablus’s note here is, that these things are here spoken by way of recapitulation; that the sum and argument of the whole book may be in this place set down together.

1 Samuel 14:42 — And Saul said, Cast [lots] between me and Jonathan my son. And Jonathan was taken. And Jonathan was taken. — Not in answer to Saul’s prayers, which God valued not. But, (1.) To show that he is the disposer of lots; (2.) To humble Jonathan, who was in danger of being puffed up too much with the joy of his victory; (3.) To discover Saul’s hypocrisy. Peter Martyr.

1 Samuel 5:1 — And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it from Ebenezer unto Ashdod. And the Philistines took the ark of God. — Which had been so greatly abused by the Israelites, that God justly suffered it to be taken from them by the Philistines; to whom also it proved as fatal as the gold of Tholouse to the Romans. See 1 Samuel 4:11 .

2 Samuel 24:7 — And came to the strong hold of Tyre, and to all the cities of the Hivites, and of the Canaanites: and they went out to the south of Judah, [even] to Beersheba. And to all the cities of the Hivites. — Who would dwell among the Israelites, and could not be gotten out. Judges 1:31-32 So nothing is more pertinacious than a strong lust.

2 Samuel 8:5 — And when the Syrians of Damascus came to succour Hadadezer king of Zobah, David slew of the Syrians two and twenty thousand men. And when the Syrians of Damascus came. — Either by the command of Hadadezer, who had subdued them - compare 1 Kings 11:23 - or else out of a pragmatical humour, to meddle where they had not to do. See Proverbs 26:17 .