Bible Commentaries

Psalms 134:1 — him; whereunto if we add their teaching of Jacob God’s judgments, whereof Moses reminds them, Deuteronomy 33:10 , what more can be required of Archippus, to the fulfilling of his ministry? and if he be slack, he must be told of it, Colossians 4:17 , yet with all due respect and reverence to his office, 1 Timothy 5:1 . And it were far better, if they would rouse up themselves with the wakeful cock, and not keep sleepy sentry in the sanctuary. All ye servants of the Lord — Ye priests and

Psalms 150:4 — Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. Praise him with the timbrel and dance — Or, pipe. But these are ancient things (as it is said in another case, 1 Chronicles 4:22 ), and now out of date. When the use of these musical instruments crept into the Christian Churches (which was not till lately) great abuses crept in with it; the preaching of the word was changed into songs and anthems, little understood by those

Psalms 56:8 — hunted up and down like a partridge, and hushed out of every bush, so that I have nowhere to settle. St Paul was at the same pass, αστατουμεν , saith he, we have no certain abode, 1 Corinthians 4:11 ; and so were sundry of the holy martyrs and confessors, who wandered about in sheep skins and goat skins, …, driven from post to pillar, from one country to another, God all the while noting and numbering all their flittings, yea, all their

Psalms 87:4 — rather are known of me. See Isaiah 19:19 ; Isaiah 19:21 ; Isaiah 19:25 1 Peter 5:13 . Behold Philistia — The Philistines were ever bitter enemies to the Israelites, but shall be converted and become children of the Church. See Isaiah 56:1 ; Isaiah 44:5 . And Tyre — Which shall leave heaping and hoarding, and employ her merchandise to feed and clothe God’s saints, Isaiah 23:18 Acts 21:8 ; Acts 21:4 . With Ethiopia — Heb. Cush, of Cush, the son of Ham, their father and founder,

Proverbs 14:15 — obsequia - their ministers’ dumb services, their people’s blind obediences; and ever count it a singular folly to take men’s bare authority in matters of faith, and not to "prove the spirits whether they are of God," 1 John 4:1 as those "noble" Bereans did, and are worthily renowned for it. Acts 17:11 But the prudent man looketh well to his goings. — He looketh not so much what others believe, or not believe, do or not do, as what he is bound to believe or

Proverbs 14:23 — παραναλωμα . The apostle calls upon men to "labour, working with their hands the thing that is good"; so shall "they have," not for their own uses only, but also "to give to him that needeth." Ephesians 4:28 But the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury. — Great talkers are do-littles, for the most part. Corniculas citius in Africa, quam res rationesque solidus in Turriani scriptis invenies, saith one; - Turrian was a very wordy man; ye cannot

Proverbs 15:4 — vexed, when the godly man suddenly falls (as sometimes he doth), into bitter words, clamours, and evil speakings: these are even as smoke to the eyes, and make the Spirit of God ready to loathe and leave his lodging, as the apostle intimates, Ephesians 4:30-31 . There are those who translate the text, But the mischievousness of it is as a breach made by the wind; and set this sense upon it, As a blustering wind, which throws down trees and houses, doth much harm; so a violent and venomous tongue, causing

Proverbs 19:21 — what they have gotten: but they hear, "Thou fool, this very night shall thy soul be taken from thee." Luke 12:20 Some set themselves to root out true religion, to dethrone the Lord Christ. But God sees and smiles, looks and laughs. Psalms 2:4 The counsel of the Lord, that shall stand when all is done. Christ shall reign in the midst of his enemies: the stone cut out of the mountains without hands shall bring down the golden image with a vengeance, and make it "like the chaff of the

Proverbs 27:1 — Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. Boast not thyself of tomorrow. — That is, Of what thou wilt do hereafter, Exodus 13:14 , marg. in quovis tempore postero. See 1 Samuel 28:19 James 4:14 . He Petrarch, lib. iii. Memorab. ad finem. was a wise man, that being invited to a feast on the next morrow, answered, Ex multis annis crastinum non habui, For these many years I have

Ecclesiastes 5:5 — engage to the loss of thy liberty and the offence of thy God, who expected thou shouldst have kept touch, and not have dealt thus slipperily with him? Dicta factis deficientibus crubescunt. "Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God." Acts 5:4 "As the truth of Christ is in me," saith Paul; 2 Corinthians 11:10 so he binds himself by an oath, as the learned have observed. And "as God is true, our word toward you was not yea and nay; for the Son of God who was preached among you

Ecclesiastes 8:5 — — scil., The king’s commandment. He that is compliant, and goes as far as he can with a good conscience in his obedience to the commands of his superiors, "shall feel no evil," i.e., he shall lack no good encouragement. Romans 13:3-4 Or if men slight him, God will see to him, Ephesians 6:7-8 as he did to the poor Israelites in Egypt, and to David under Saul. Mordecai lost nothing at length by his love and loyalty to God and the king. Sir Ralph Percy, slain upon Hedgely Moor, in

Isaiah 14:13 — 29:3 that proud prince of Tyre; Ezekiel 28:2 Antiochus, surnamed Yεος ; Herod; Acts 12:21-23 Caligula, Chosroes, Diocletian, Antichrist, of whom and his practices one cries out, O Lucifer out-deviled, … 2 Thessalonians 2:4 One of the Pope’s parasites, Valladerius, saith of Paul V, that he was a god, lived familiarly with the Godhead, heard predestination itself whispering to him, had a place to sit in council with the most blessed Trinity, … In the sides

Isaiah 54:8 — men’s hearts in the power, heat, and vigorous influence of his grace, when the light and comfort of it is intercluded. Dr Goodwin. But with everlasting kindness. — See a like elegant antithesis, with a double hyperbole to boot in 2 Corinthians 4:17 .

Jeremiah 17:8 — alludeth to Psalms 1:3 ; see the notes there. The laurel, saith Pliny, is never thunderstruck. Sure it is that he who trusteth in God taketh no hurt; his heart is fixed and unmovable Psalms 112:7-8 to endure things almost incredible. Psalms 27:3 Isaiah 14:32 cf. Isaiah 26:4-5 True trust will certainly triumph at length, as that which leaneth on the Lord and the power of his might, the surest support. By the river. — The Hebrew here is jubal; and the jubilee, saith one, had its name from this word,

Daniel 9:17 — supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord’s sake. Now therefore, O our God. — Since thou hast shown us our sins, and seen our reproach, whereof we are sure thou art very sensible. Psalms 79:4 Hear the prayer of thy servant. — Who assumeth the boldness to plead his interest in thee, and his relation to thee. And his supplications. — Which are nothing else but prayers redoubled and reinforced, as Genesis 32:11 Isaiah 63:16 And

Hosea 13:7 — similitudes by the ministry of his prophets, as he did before, Hosea 13:3 . He here compareth himself (who otherwise is compared to an eagle, bearing her young upon her wings; to a hen, hovering over chickens; to a father, cherishing his children, Exodus 19:4 Deuteronomy 32:10-11 Matthew 23:37 ) to a lion, yea, to an old lion, which taketh the prey but seldom, and therefore is more ravenous of it when taken; see Hosea 5:14 to a leopard, or panther, that diligently observeth by the way, and lieth in wait

Hosea 7:4 — such, to bring them to condign punishment: 2 Peter 2:10 , "But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness." Note the word chiefly, and consider the example of the Sodomites, and God most severe against them, Hebrews 13:4 . How much they have lived deliciously, and drenched themselves in fleshly delights, so much torments and sorrow shall they have proportionably, Revelation 18:7 . As their hearts have been as a hot oven or furnace, so they shall be bound up in bundles,

Hosea 9:2 — premit comes, Punishment attendeth sin at the heels. They had abused their plenty, and ascribed it to their idols; therefore shall they be cut short either in their store, as Habakkuk 3:6 ; Habakkuk 3:10 ; Habakkuk 2:16 , or in their strength, as Hosea 4:10 ; Hosea 8:7 . see Hosea 2:8-9 , with the notes One way or other their hopes shall be frustrated, the creature shall lie to them, and not answer their expectation. The new wine shall fail in her — Mustum mentietur ei: see the like phrase, Habakkuk

Joel 2:6 — Lord." It was fear that now caused (the natural heat and the blood retiring to the heart to receive it, as, in a sudden surprise, the soldiers run to the castle) paleness and blackness of face. It was hunger afterwards that burnt them, Deuteronomy 32:24 , and made their visages blacker than a coal, as Lamentations 4:8 , or, "darker than blackness," as the original hath it.

Haggai 2:23 — servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the LORD, and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, saith the LORD of hosts. I will take thee, O Zerubbabel — That is, O Christ, of whom Zerubbabel was both a father and a figure, Luke 3:27 Zechariah 4:10 "I will take thee," that is, I will advance and exalt thee. See this expounded and applied by that great apostle, Philippians 2:5-12 . And will make thee as a signet — That is, I will highly esteem thee, inviolably keep thee, and