Bible Commentaries

Isaiah 3:26 — And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she [being] desolate shall sit upon the ground. And her gates shall lament. — Because unfrequented. Lamentations 1:4 And the king desolate. — Swept and wiped of all; not, as once, with her turrified head πυργουν κεφαλην . - Nazian. and stretched forth neck. Sitteth upon the ground.

Jeremiah 22:25 — And I will give thee into the hand of them that seek thy life, and into the hand [of them] whose face thou fearest, even into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans. And I will give thee into the hand. — No sooner was he plucked off God’s hand but he fell into his enemies’ hands. So Saul’s doleful complaint was, God hath forsaken me, and the Philistines are upon me. 1 Samuel 28:15

Jeremiah 26:2 — Thus saith the LORD; Stand in the court of the LORD’S house, and speak unto all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the LORD’S house, all the words that I command thee to speak unto them; diminish not a word: Diminish not a word. — Or, Detract not aught, viz., for fear or favour, lest I confound thee before them. Jeremiah 1:17 ; see there Haec, instar speculi omnium temporum, pastoribus inspicienda sunt. Here is a mirror for ministers.

Jeremiah 33:14 — Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. I will perform that good thing. — Praestabo verbum istud optimum, as Tremellius well rendereth it. I will perform that best word or promise, viz., concerning Christ, in whom all the former and future promises are Yea and Amen, to the glory of God. 2 Corinthians 1:20 “ Haec dicenda bono sunt bona verba die. ”

Jeremiah 33:2 — Thus saith the LORD the maker thereof, the LORD that formed it, to establish it; the LORD [is] his name; Thus saith the Lord the maker thereof. — i.e., Of the promise of restoration. Jeremiah 32:41-44 Or of Jerusalem, which he is said to make in the sense that he "made Moses and Aaron," that is, "advanced" them. 1 Samuel 12:6 , marg. The Lord is his name. — Jehovah the essentiator, who giveth being to all things, and particularly to his word.

Jeremiah 49:16 — Thy terribleness hath deceived thee, [and] the pride of thine heart, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, that holdest the height of the hill: though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence, saith the LORD. Thy terribleness, — i.e., Thine insolence and cruelty wherewith thou frighten folk. Or thine idol, that terrible business, so called in contempt. Though thou shouldest make thy nest. — See Obadiah 1:4 .

Jeremiah 50:29 — Call together the archers against Babylon: all ye that bend the bow, camp against it round about; let none thereof escape: recompense her according to her work; according to all that she hath done, do unto her: for she hath been proud against the LORD, against the Holy One of Israel. According to all that she hath done. — See Jeremiah 50:15 . For she hath been proud against the Lord. — Who setteth himself in battle array against the proud. 1 Peter 5:5

Lamentations 2:15 — All that pass by clap [their] hands at thee; they hiss and wag their head at the daughter of Jerusalem, [saying, Is] this the city that [men] call The perfection of beauty, The joy of the whole earth? All that pass by thee clap. — See Lamentations 1:17 . Is this the city? — God’s palace upon earth, the porch of paradise, …, as they said of Jezebel when she lay torn with dogs, Is this that Jezebel? “ O quantum haec Niobe, Niobe mutatur ab ills? ”

Ezekiel 10:16 — And when the cherubims went, the wheels went by them: and when the cherubims lifted up their wings to mount up from the earth, the same wheels also turned not from beside them. And when the cherubims went. — Angels have a great stroke in ordering the affairs of the world, as hath already been noted. See Trapp on " Ezekiel 1:6 " Quod vero eandem rem saepe repeto, lectori molestum esse non debet, saith Lavater, in his preface to this prophet.

Ezekiel 24:27 — In that day shall thy mouth be opened to him which is escaped, and thou shalt speak, and be no more dumb: and thou shalt be a sign unto them; and they shall know that I [am] the LORD. In that day shall thy mouth be opened. — Meanwhile make use of a sacred silence, wait till a new prophecy concerning this people shall be committed unto thee, as was done Ezekiel 33:1-33 . Till then, prophesy against foreigners, Ammonites, Tyrians, Egyptians.

Ezekiel 40:22 — And their windows, and their arches, and their palm trees, [were] after the measure of the gate that looketh toward the east; and they went up unto it by seven steps; and the arches thereof [were] before them. And their windows. — See Ezekiel 40:16 . And they went up unto it by seven steps. — Whereby was noted the saints’ progress in knowledge and holiness, Luke 17:5 Romans 1:17 Revelation 22:11 still climbing up toward the heavenly temple. Psalms 84:7

Haggai 1:15 — In the four and twentieth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king. In the four and twentieth day — See Trapp on " Haggai 1:13 " The time is diligently noted, to teach us to take good note of the moments of time, wherein matters of moment have been, by God’s help, begun, continued, and perfected in the Church. This will be of singular use, both for the increase of faith and of good affection in our hearts.

Matthew 14:34 — And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret. They came into the land of Gennesaret — Where he presently found some that observed him. When God sets up a fight in any place, a burning and a shining light, there is some work to be done. A husbandman would not send his servant with his sickle to reap thistles and nettles only. The ministry sent to a place, is an argument of some elect there, 2 Thessalonians 1:5 .

Matthew 15:24 — But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. But unto the lost sheep, … — He was properly the apostle of the circumcision,Romans 15:8; Romans 15:8 ; Hebrews 3:1 , till the wall of partition was broken down by his resurrection. Then the veil rent, and it was open tide. Then he became a light to lighten the Gentiles, as well as he was the glory of his people Israel.

Matthew 21:34 — And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. He sent his servants — scil. His prophets and ministers, whom the Lord sendeth to his people continually, not to teach them only, but to take account of their fruitfulness, to urge and exact of them growth in grace according to the means, "that they receive not the grace of God in vain," 2 Corinthians 6:1 .

Matthew 22:43 — "Holy men spake of old as they were acted by the Holy Ghost," as they were forcibly moved, or borne away, and, as it were, carried out of themselves by the Holy Ghost ( φερομενοι ), 2 Peter 1:21 .

Matthew 26:32 — But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee. But after I am risen again, … — Infirmities bewailed, break no square. Peccata nobis non nocent, si non placent (Aug.): our sins hurt us not, if they please us not. The Church stands as right with Christ when penitent, as while innocent,Song of Solomon 7:12; Song of Solomon 7:12 ; cf. Matthew 4:1-2 , … Her hair, teeth, temples, all as fair and well featured as ever.

Mark 2:15 — And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him. Many publicans and sinners sat also — All at Matthew’s charge, and he thought it well bestowed, to bring them to Christ. So Paul, being himself assured of salvation, could do or suffer anything for the salvation of his poor countrymen. Romans 8:38-39 ; cf. Romans 9:1-2 .

Mark 5:2 — spirit, quod eum spiritus quasi inclusum teneret. (Beza.) So the flesh is called "the old man," as if it were the whole of a natural man; and the devil is said to "work effectually" in such, Ephesians 2:2 . See Trapp on " Mark 1:23 "

Luke 1:20 — And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. And behold thou shall be dumb — His tongue that so lately moved through unbelief is now tied up. God will not pass by the wellmeant weaknesses of his own, without a sensible check. He was also deaf as well as dumb: hence they made signs to him, Luke 1:62 .