Bible Commentaries

Job 37:23 — me. To Thomas Aquinas, busy in this search, was showed (they say) a deep pit in the edge of the sea (which empty it, and carry away the water as oft as they will), it is still filled with other. It is a knowledge that passeth knowledge, Ephesians 3:19 . That which in measure is pleasant and profitable, being too much inquired into, proves unsavoury and unsafe. He will not afflict — viz. Willingly, Lamentations 3:33 , or causelessly, 1 Peter 1:6 ; or, He will not answer; viz. every one that

Job 42:4 — not spare to speak supplications, as here, and to set forth his humble docility, to give glory to God, and to take shame to himself, …; such a silence he knew would be sinful, and savour of a dumb devil. He therefore addresseth himself to God, 1. For audience and acceptance; 2. For advice and direction. In all which he renounceth his own wisdom, and delivereth himself up wholly to God, to be taught and led into all truth and holiness. The matter, we see, is well amended with Job, since, challenging

Psalms 19:10 — than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. More to be desired are they than gold — Old people are all for profit, young for pleasure; here is gold for the one, yea, the finest gold (gold of Fez, Aceto melle , Plin. l. xi. c. 15), in great quantity; here is honey for the other, yea, live honey dropping from the comb, liquor of the honeycomb. As manna had all sorts of sweet tastes in it; so hath the word to those that have spiritual senses exercised to discern good and evil.

Psalms 35:15 — became as bad almost himself: Dum illum rideo, pene factus sum ille (Epist. 9, lib. 2). Secondly, that such cruel mockings are grievous sins, and such as God will severely punish. Some render it the smiters, that is, the tongue smiters, as Jeremiah 18:18 . Others, the smitten, that is, the abjects, the vile persons: the basest can mock, as did Tobiah the servant, Nehemiah 2:19 , and those pests, Psalms 1:1 . And I knew not — Or, such as I knew not, took no notice of, they were so base. See

Psalms 50:16 — But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or [that] thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth? Ver. 16 But unto the wicked God saith — To the fair professor, but foul sinner, to the hypocrites in Sion, Isaiah 33:14 , to the sacrificing Sodomites, Isaiah 1:10-11 , those that take upon them to be teachers of others ìåîøéí

Psalms 58:4 — Their poison [is] like the poison of a serpent: [they are] like the deaf adder [that] stoppeth her ear; Their poison is like the poison of a serpent — Their inbred corruption (the spawn of that old serpent, Genesis 3:1-14 ) is strong, and full of infection, able to kill both the party in whom it is and the other also upon whom it is cast. Malice drinketh up the most part of its own venom, but some it spitteth out upon others; for it is not like the maid whom Avicen

Proverbs 12:19 — Truth breeds hatred: a good mistress she is, but he that follows her too close at heels, may hap have his teeth struck out. He that prizeth truth, shall never prosper by the possession or profession thereof, saith Sir Walter Raleigh. Hist., lib. i. c. 1. This is most true, for the most part, of "the truth of the gospel," Galatians 2:5 "the doctrine according to godliness" 1 Timothy 6:3 - "sweet in the mouth, but bitter in the belly"; Revelation 10:9 very pleasant in itself,

Proverbs 13:10 — proud man" is as he that "hath transgressed by wine." Habakkuk 2:5 And drunkards, we know, are quarrelsome. The Corinthians had riches and gifts and learning; and carried aloft by these waxen wings, they domineered and despised others; 1 Corinthians 4:8 they were divided and discontented; 1 Corinthians 3:3 and these overflowings of the gall and spleen came from a fulness of bad humour. Pride is a dividing distemper; gouty swollen legs keep at a distance; bladders blown up with wind

Proverbs 14:31 — oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor. He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker. — Since it is he that "maketh poor, and that maketh rich, and thereby killeth and maketh alive." 1 Samuel 2:6-7 Rich men only seem to be alive. Hence David, sending his servants to that Pamphagus, that rich curmudgeon, Nabal, speaketh on this sort, "Thus shall ye say to him that liveth" 1 Samuel 25:6 - there is no more in the original -

Proverbs 15:32 — sinner against his own soul, as Korah and his complices were, and sets as light by it as if it were not worth looking after. Oh! is it nothing to lose an immortal soul, to purchase an ever-living death? Wilt thou destroy that for which Christ died? 1 Corinthians 8:11 What shall a man give in exchange for his soul? There is no great matter in the earth but man, nothing great in man but his soul, said Faverinus. "Whose image and superscription is it" but God’s? "Give," therefore,

Proverbs 15:6 — righteous man is a rich man, whether he hath more or less of the things of this life. For, first , he hath plenty of that which is precious. Secondly , Propriety; what he hath is his own; he holds all in capite tenure The name of a tenure (abolished by Acts 12:1-25 Chas. II, xxiv.), by which land was held immediately of the King, or of the crown? in Christ; he shall not be called to account as a usurper. "All is yours," 1 Corinthians 3:22 "because you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s."

Proverbs 16:13 — delight of kings, — i.e., Of good kings, such as David was, who loved Nathan never the worse, but the better, for dealing plainly with him, gave him free access to his bedchamber, and named him a commissioner for the declaring of his successor. 1 Kings 1:32 King Edward VI took much delight in Latimer, that faithful preacher; and Queen Elizabeth inquired much after Dearing, after she had once heard him telling her in a sermon that once it was tanquam ovis, but now velar indomita iuvenca, …

Proverbs 16:14 — will pacify it. The wrath of a king is as messengers of death. — In the plural number, the better to set forth the danger of a king’s displeasure. Omne trahit secum Caesaris ira malum. - Ovid. "Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech." 1 Samuel 22:16 "Adonijah shall be put to death this day." 1 Kings 2:24 "Hang Haman on the tree that is fifty cubits high," … Hunc pugionem tibi mittit senatus, … Queen Elizabeth was so reserved, that all about her stood

Proverbs 18:4 — burning desire of heavenly doctrine. Now these words of the wise are of two sorts - some are as deep waters, and cannot easily be fathomed, as Samson’s riddles and Solomon’s apothegms, so very much admired by the Queen of Sheba, 2 Chronicles 9:1-9 ; some again are plain, and flow so easily, as a flowing brook, that the simplest may understand them. The same may be affirmed of the holy Scriptures -- those "words of the wise and their dark sayings." Proverbs 1:6 The Scriptures, saith

Proverbs 24:16 — opposition carries it to the other sense, of falling into trouble. And the next verse speaks as much, "Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth." God’s saints are bound to "rejoice when they fall into divers temptations." James 1:2 What though they fall into them? not go in step by step, but be precipitated, plunged over head and ears. Say they fall not into one but many crosses, - as they seldom come single, but like Job’s messengers, one at the heels of another, - yet

Proverbs 27:19 — mirror, our own evil hearts. For as there were many Marii in one Caesar, so are there many Cains and Judases in the best of us. And as that first chaos had the seed of all creatures, and wanted only the Spirit’s motion to bring them forth, Genesis 1:1-2 so there is a πανσπερμια , a common seed plot of sin in us all; there wants but the warmth and watering of Satan’s temptations to make it bud. Ezekiel 7:10 And though there were no devil, yet

Proverbs 28:12 — prevail for the Church, for that his happiness was laid up in hers. But when the wicked rise, a man is hidden. — That is, When tyrants are set up, "a man," that is, a good man - for God reckons of men by their righteousness Jeremiah 5:1 - "is hidden," lies close, and hath no heart to show himself, lest he should suffer either in his own person or in his possession. Thus the man Moses fled and hid himself from Pharaoh, David from Saul, Eliah from Ahab, Obadiah’s clients

Proverbs 29:13 — and the usurer meet together. — That is, The poor and the rich, as Proverbs 22:2 ; because commonly usurers are rich men, and many rich men usurers. "The Lord lighteneth both their eyes"; that is, he gives them the light of life, Job 1:8 and the comforts of life, Matthew 5:45 so that their eyes are lightened, as Jonathan’s were after he had tasted of the wild honey. 1 Samuel 14:25-30 Others read it thus: "The poor and the deceived," or crushed by the usurer, "meet

Proverbs 29:8 — Scornful men bring a city into a snare: but wise [men] turn away wrath. Scornful men bring a city into a snare. — The Vulgate render it, Pestilent persons undo a city or a state; as Nahash did the Ammonites, 1 Samuel 11:2 ; 1 Samuel 11:11 and as his son Hanan did much more. 2 Samuel 10:4 ; 2 Samuel 12:31 Mocking is catching, as the pestilence, and no less pernicious to the whole country. Geraldus Cambrensis tells of three Irish kings that, being derided for

Proverbs 3:2 — For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. For length of days. — A sweet mercy, and generally desired. Psalms 34:12 Short life is reckoned as a curse, Psalms 89:47 yet in some cases it is a blessing. 1 Kings 14:13 Isaiah 57:1 Wκυμοροι οι θεοφιλεις - God