Bible Commentaries

Proverbs 30:33 — Surely the churning of milk bringeth forth butter, and the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood: so the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife. So the forcing of wrath. — Too much stirring in an offensive matter bringeth forth brawling, lawing, warring, fighting. Patientia laesa sit furor. The most patient person may be put beyond all patience if much provoked. Abner bare long with Asahel, but sped him at length. Abused mercy turns into fury. See Proverbs 15:1 .

Proverbs 31:21 — She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household [are] clothed with scarlet. She is not afraid of the snow. — As she is liberal to the poor, so her chief care is for those of her own house, that they may be accommodated. For she knows that to stretch beyond the staple were to mar all; and not to provide for her own were to be worse than an infidel. 1 Timothy 5:8

Ecclesiastes 3:21 — Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth? Who knoweth the Spirit? — q.d., Who but a man that is spiritually rational, and rationally spiritual? Who but he that hath "the mind of Christ?" 1 Corinthians 2:16 that hath seen the insides of nature and grace? Whether Plato and Cicero believed themselves in what they wrote touching the immortality of the soul, is a great question.

Isaiah 18:1 — Woe to the land shadowing with wings, which [is] beyond the rivers of Ethiopia: Woe to the land. — To Ethiopia, described here, (1.) By the shady mountains wherewith it is surrounded; (2.) By the rivers wherewith it is watered. Strabo. Which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia. — Or, Which is along by the rivers, even Ethiopia, which also may be said to be "beyond the rivers," i.e., beyond the seven streams of Nile in respect of Jerusalem.

Isaiah 21:14 — The inhabitants of the land of Tema brought water to him that was thirsty, they prevented with their bread him that fled. Brought water to the thirsty. — Or, Bring forth water wherewith to meet the thirsty; with your bread prevent those that flee; be speedy and spontaneous in your beneficence. "Blessed is the man that considereth the poor and needy"; Psalms 41:1 qui praeoccupat vocem petitari - which preventeth the request of the poor beggar; so Augustine rendereth it.

Isaiah 61:5 — And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien [shall be] your plowmen and your vinedressers. And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, — i.e., Shall be very well pleased to serve you, so they may serve the true God with you: yea, being proselyted, they shall become eminent pastors and teachers of the gospel; such as were Justin Martyr, Cyprian, Augustine, … Shall be your ploughmen. — See 1 Corinthians 3:9 .

Jeremiah 1:12 — Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it. Thou hast well seen. — Heb., Thou hast done well to see, i.e., so to see. For I will hasten my word. — Heb., Amigdalaturns sum, I am watching upon the evil, to bring in the Chaldeans, as I have threatened. See the like elegant allusion, Amos 8:1-2 . Nemesis a tergo; punishment is at the heels of sin.

Jeremiah 29:4 — Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon; Thus saith the Lord of hosts. — It was God, then, that dictated this letter to the prophet; neither is it of private, that is, of human interpretation, but the holy man wrote it as he was moved thereunto by the Holy Ghost. 2 Peter 1:20-21

Jeremiah 39:1 — In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, came Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon and all his army against Jerusalem, and they besieged it. In the ninth year of Zedekiah. — See on 2 Kings 25:1 . Came Nebuchadnezzar. — He came to the siege in person, but soon after retired himself to Riblah, i.e., to Antioch in Syria, there to take his pleasure, and therehence to send supplies to his forces as need required.

Jeremiah 40:3 — Now the LORD hath brought [it], and done according as he hath said: because ye have sinned against the LORD, and have not obeyed his voice, therefore this thing is come upon you. Now the Lord hath brought it, and done according. — A bad man, we see, may speak piously. Samuel himself could not have spoken more gravely, severely, divinely, than the fiend did to Saul. 1 Samuel 28:13-20 Well then may lewd men be good preachers, …

Jeremiah 5:2 — And though they say, The LORD liveth; surely they swear falsely. And though they say, The Lord liveth, — i.e., Albeit they talk religiously, as those pretenders also did, Isaiah 66:5 and make a great flaunt, as if some great matter, with Simon Magus, Acts 8:9 yet they are arrant hypocrites, and therefore odious to me who desire "truth in the inward parts." Psalms 51:6 These neither "say the truth," nor "do" it. 1 John 3:10

Ezekiel 16:17 — Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them, Images of men. — To be thy gallants, with whom thou mightest adulterise and idolise. Vah scelus! Surely he is a rare man that hath not some or other idol whereon he bestows pains and cost, "Little children, keep yourselves from idols." 1 John 5:21

Ezekiel 16:25 — Thou hast built thy high place at every head of the way, and hast made thy beauty to be abhorred, and hast opened thy feet to every one that passed by, and multiplied thy whoredoms. And hast made thy beauty to be abhorred. — By being made so cheap and common. Sin is a reproach to any people, Proverbs 14:34 idolatry especially. 1 Peter 4:3 And hast opened thy feet. — See on Ezekiel 16:15 .

Ezekiel 23:2 — Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother: There were two women. — This is the same in effect with Ezekiel 16:1-63 , but there more plainly, here parabolically expressed. Sermo est eraditus et elegans, simul tamen spurcas et obscaenus, Lavat. to set forth the hatefulness of idolatry, creature confidence, and adultery. The daughters of one mother, — scil., Synagogae, vel Sarce. Some think the prophet alludeth to Jacob’s two wives who were sisters.

Ezekiel 26:1 — And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first [day] of the month, [that] the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, In the eleventh year. — Of Jehoiakim’s captivity and Zedekiah’s reign. In the first day of the month, — i.e., Of the fifth month, when the news came to Tyre of the destruction of Jerusalem twenty days before, which occured on the ninth day of the fourth month. 2 Kings 25:1

Ezekiel 3:19 — Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. He shall die in his iniquity. — Because now he falleth with open eyes. Many sorrows shall be to such wicked as will not be warned. Psalms 32:9-10 De Temp., 99. But thou hast delivered thy soul, — scil., From thine other men’s sin. 1 Timothy 4:16

Daniel 1:13 — Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king’s meat: and as thou seest, deal with thy servants. Then let our countenances be looked upon. — See Trapp on " Daniel 1:12 " And as thou seest, deal with thy servants. — Thus humbly they bespeak the butler, or purveyor, though themselves were nobly descended. God had made them captives, and they now carry their sails accordingly.

Daniel 11:3 — And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will. But a mighty king shall stand up. — Alexander the Great, the founder of the Greek monarchy; who, with thirty thousand footmen, and five thousand horsemen, overran and subdued a great part of the habitable world. See Daniel 8:1-27 . The devil, by his oracles, foretold him of his victories, having stolen his skill out of this prophecy of Daniel.

Daniel 8:16 — And I heard a man’s voice between [the banks of] Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this [man] to understand the vision. And I heard a man’s voice. — This was the man Christ Jesus, the great doctor of his Church, and commander of angels, viro similis, quia incarnandus. Make this man to understand. — Angels and ministers make men to understand secrets, "give the knowledge of salvation to God’s people," Luke 1:77 not by infusion, but by instruction.

Daniel 9:10 — Neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. Neither have we obeyed. — See on Daniel 9:6 . The voice of the Lord our God — It is the Lord who speaketh in and by his ministers. This because men either know not or weigh not, they run another way when God calleth to them, as young Samuel did. 1 Samuel 3:5