Bible Commentaries

Isaiah 49:7 — LORD that is faithful, [and] the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee. To him whom man despiseth. — Christ was extremely despised in the state of his humiliation; Isaiah 53:2-3 his soul was filled with scorn and contempt; as Psalms 123:3-4 he was heartily hated. To him whom the nation abhorreth. — Jerome saith that, to this day, that execrable nation curseth Christ three times a day in their synagogues, and professeth that if their Messiah should come, rather than the Gentries should

Isaiah 52:11 — prejudice to those that did), and us out of this wicked world; whereunto we are so affixed and addicted that nothing can sunder us but an extraordinary touch from the hand of Heaven. "Save yourselves from this perverse generation." Acts 2:40 "Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men: avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it and pass away." Proverbs 4:14-15 , a parallel place Be ye clean, ye that bear the vessels of the Lord. — Id est, qui gestatis

Isaiah 52:13 — the Deity, these high prerogatives: (1.) An exuberance and excess of glory. Ephesians 1:21 (2.) The grace of divine adoration together with the Deity. Hebrews 1:6 Philippians 2:9 (3.) Power over all things for his people’s use. Matthew 28:18 (4.) Judiciary power, to be judge of all. Acts 17:31

Isaiah 54:4 — As widows and barren women wont to be. Thou hast been "without God and without Christ in the world"; but henceforth thou shalt be "married to him who is raised from the dead, that thou mayest bring forth fruit unto God." Romans 7:4 Ipse enim quod vult iubet, et dat quod iubet. Augustine. When you would and should be certain and quiet in conscience, saith Mr Bradford, martyr, in a sweet letter of his to a woman troubled in mind, then should your faith burst through all things until

Isaiah 56:7 — bring unto my holy mountain, — i.e., Into my Church, and Church assemblies. Query, Whether eunuchs and strangers were made partakers of all holy services in the second temple, according to the letter? Sure we are that that holy eunuch, Acts 8:26-40 and the rest of the Gentiles, had and still have free admission under the gospel. And will make them joyful in mine house of prayer. — By their free access unto me, and all good success in their suits. Pray "that your joy may be full."

Isaiah 58:9 — an inward reformation; si animo, opere, et sermone aversaberis inhumanitatem, Jun if thou heartily hate cruelty and act accordingly. The yoke. — As Isaiah 58:6 . The putting forth of the finger. — The finger of that wicked fist, Isaiah 58:4 or that finger wherewith thou threatenest thy servants, or pointest at others in scorn or disdain, as the proud Pharisee seemeth to have done at the poor publican, when he said, I am not as that fellow. Luke 18:11 And speaking vanity. — Or, Violence,

Isaiah 62:2 — Christ, who came from the Jews, was preached to the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up to glory. 1 Timothy 3:16 And thou shalt be called by a new name, — viz., Hephzibah, i.e., My darling; and Beulah, i.e., A married woman. Isaiah 62:4 There are that by this new name will have to be understood the name of sons and daughters of the Almighty. Revelation 2:17 2 Corinthians 6:18 Others the name of the Church Catholic. And others, again, the honourable name of Christians, which yet is

Jeremiah 4:1 — return, O Israel, saith the LORD, return unto me: and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not remove. If thou wilt return, O Israel. — As thou seemest willing to do, and for very good reason. Jeremiah 2:22-24 Thou art but a beaten rebel, and to stand it out with me is to no purpose; thou must either turn or burn. Neither will it help thee to return fainly, for I love truth in the inward parts, and hate hypocrisy, halting, and tepidity. If therefore thou

Lamentations 2:6 — — Whence we were wont to hope for help in answer to our prayers. There it was that he formerly "brake the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the battle." Psalms 76:3 See Trapp on " Psalms 76:3 " Hence 2 Chronicles 4:9 the great court of the temple, where the people used to pray, is called Gnazarah; that is, help and defence. The king and the priest. — Zedekiah and Seraiah, and with them the kingdom and the priesthood. “ Haec iam pro vill, sub pedibusque

Ezekiel 1:18 — providence, which never erreth, but always ordereth the world’s disorders to his own glory. Round about them four. — The Divine providence is like a well drawn picture, which eyeth all that are in the room. See 2 Chronicles 16:9 Psalms 34:15 Zechariah 4:10 Job 34:21 ; Job 36:7 Jeremiah 16:17 ; Jeremiah 32:17 .

Ezekiel 1:22 — 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 other pair of wings. Isaiah 6:2 Exodus 24:10 Was as the colour of the terrible crystal. — Heb., Of the formidable

Ezekiel 3:17 — sheep, had his eyes pulled out. God threateneth the like punishment upon sleepy watchmen, idol shepherds. Zechariah 11:17 Therefore, hear the word at my mouth. — Who am the arch-prophet, the only doctor of my Church; Matthew 23:8 ; Matthew 17:4 admonish them therefore in my words, foresee and foretell them their danger in my name and stead. See Habakkuk 2:1 2 Corinthians 5:20 .

Daniel 3:16 — to pull the very heart, as it were, out of hell, and with confidence and conquest to look even death and the devil in the face. We are not careful to answer thee. — The saint hath a quietus est rest that supersedeth all his cares. Philippians 4:7 Some render it non necesse habemus. As the king would admit no discussing his decree, but would have it absolutely obeyed, so they were at a point never to do it, nor to be removed from their religion. The heavens shall sooner fall, said that martyr,

Joel 1:12 — excited, and matters of moment are better minded, Philippians 3:1 . Besides, Repetitio confirmatio est, saith Ambrose, The repeating of a matter implieth, 1. The infallible truth of it; 2. The inexpressible excellency of it; 3. The profitable use of it; 4. The absolute necessity of it. Aut faciendum, aut patiendum. Either to do or to endure.

Amos 2:2 — But I will send a fire upon Moab, and it shall devour the palaces of Kerioth: and Moab shall die with tumult, with shouting, [and] with the sound of the trumpet: But I will send a fire — See Amos 1:4 . And it shall devour the palaces of Kerioth — A city so fair and large that it hath a plural name, which signifieth cities by way of excellence; as Athens was called the Greece of Greece; Rome, the epitome of the world. ‘ Eλλας

Habakkuk 3:18 — straits can magnify the Lord, and his spirit rejoice in God his Saviour. Disquieted he may be sometimes for a season, till he hath recollected and better bethought himself. We are staggering, saith the apostle, but not wholly sticking, 2 Corinthians 4:8 , for not the evenest weights but at their first putting into the balance do somewhat sway both parts thereof, not without some show of inequality, which yet after some little motion do settle themselves in a meet poise and posture.

Zechariah 5:11 — Babylon, Genesis 10:10 ; Genesis 11:2 , where various of the Jews still remained in wilful exile, as loth to leave their houses and gardens, which they had builded and planted there, Jeremiah 29:5 , preferring captivity before liberty, see 1 Chronicles 4:22-23 . Hence, upon their final dispersion by the Romans, various of them resorted there for entertainment. There Peter, the apostle of the circumcision, had collected an elected Church, 1 Peter 5:13 , and thence he writeth his epistle to the sojourning

Matthew 1:25 — written most wickedly and most basely of marriage, which both Christ honoured with his first miracle and the Holy Ghost by overshadowing the betrothed Virgin. As for the Papists that disgrace it, they appear herein more like devils than divines. 1 Timothy 4:1 . If the same God had not been the author of virginity and marriage, he had never countenanced virginity by marriage, as he did in the Virgin Mary.

Matthew 19:6 — but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. They are no more twain — A man’s wife is himself, εαυτον , Ephesians 5:28 ; (as is likewise a man’s country, Luke 4:23 , to cure his country is to cure himself), and they twain, saith our Saviour in the former verse, shall be εις σαρκα μιαν , into one flesh. The man misseth his rib, and the woman would

Matthew 21:45 — uses. And, ubi generalis de vitiis disputatio est, ibi nullius personae est iniuria, saith Jerome: Where the discourse against vice is general, no man can justly complain of a personal injury. By preaching, Christ many times smites the earth, Isaiah 11:4 , that is, the consciences of carnal men glued to the earth. God’s words hit them full in the teeth, and make them spit blood. Now if they rage, as tigers, tear themselves at the noise of a drum, if they fly in the faces of their teachers, and