Bible Commentaries

Nehemiah 1:5 — in with God speaking him fair; as doth likewise David, in a real and heavenly compliment, Psalms 116:16 . Obsecro Iehovah, I beseech, O Lord (I am thy servant, I am thy servant, the son of thine handmaid), break thou my bands. So the Church, Isaiah 64:9 , "Behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people." The great and terrible God — A great King above all gods, Exodus 15:11 . Aξιωματικωτατς εστιν

Nehemiah 6:1 — raised and renowned him; and in a like sense as God is said to have made Moses and Aaron, 1 Samuel 12:6 , that is, to have advanced them in the hearts of his people. And that there was no breach left therein — It had been but half-built, Nehemiah 4:6 , and the breaches but began to be stopped, Nehemiah 6:6 ; Nehemiah 6:15 , yet now all is finished, amidst much opposition; so shall the work of grace be in our hearts. But whilst here a Christian hath his Ulterius More, still (which was Charles V’s

Nehemiah 8:3 — and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people [were attentive] unto the book of the law. And he read therein — As a scribe, he wrote the law; and as a priest, he read and expounded it. This was Christ’s own custom, Luke 4:16 , and the Jews’, Acts 13:15 ; Acts 13:27 ; Acts 15:21 , and is still to this day; one lesson is ever read out of the law in their public meetings; and another out of the prophets correspondent to the former in argument. The Holy Scripture is

Esther 1:6 — — Whereon they sat at meat (which was the manner of all those Eastern parts), their bodies so composed, as that the upper part thereof being somewhat bent and bowed, the rest lay along. Were of gold and silver — The bedsteads were. See Amos 6:4 ; Amos 2:8 ; Jeremiah 23:40 . Upon a pavement of red, and blue, and white, and black, marble — Or, porphyry or crystal. All very costly and stately; and these are those things that made us desirous to live longer here, as Charles V told the duke

Esther 1:7 — to the state of the king — For whom it was not unlawful to feast, so to show his liberality toward his peers, and courtesy to his people. But that which was blameworthy in him, was, 1. His vain glory. 2. His prodigality. 3. His wasting of time. 4. His neglect of business. 5. His contempt of the true God, not once acknowledged by him or his guests. Lastly, their profane mirth and jollity, without the least note of sanctity or respect to God’s glory (Merlin. in loc.).

Esther 6:12 — grows great, and swells in pride; but if pricked with the least pin of piercing grief it shriveleth to nothing. And having his head covered — With his cap pulled over his eyes, as ashamed to look any one in the face. See 2 Samuel 15:30 Jeremiah 14:4 .

Job 10:16 — place, hides not his head, but comes into the open fields as holding it a disgrace to withdraw; so some sense it: or, Thou huntest me as a fierce lion — Tanquam leo. God, when he afflicteth men, is oft compared to a lion, Isaiah 38:13 Hosea 5:14 ; Hosea 13:7 . Or, tanquam leonem, as if I were a ravening lion; so thou huntest me, setting thy nets and toils, making thy snares and pits ut capiar ad occisionem (so the Septuagint), that I may be taken and destroyed, as 2 Peter 2:12 . And again thou

Job 10:18 — a pelt strike at their parents. But these were the voices of the flesh lusting against the spirit, which afterwards (being justly reprehended for them, first by Elihu, and then also by God himself) he repressed and repented of in dust and ashes, Job 42:6 . Oh that I had given up the ghost, and no eye had seen me! — sc. With delight: for what pleasure is there in seeing a dead corpse, especially a stillborn child? See Genesis 23:4 , with the note. This text teacheth us, saith an interpreter,

Job 11:7 — find out God? — i.e. The nature of God, or the course of his providence, and the reason of his proceedings? thou canst never do it. Neither did Job ever take upon him to do it, but had excellently and accurately set out the same things, Job 9:4 , …, that Zophar here doth; so that he might well have spared his pains in this discourse as to Job; but that being too pertinacious in his evil opinion of him, he chose rather to thwart him than to close with him, as contentious people use to

Job 20:24 — if I were to be cast into a furnace of fire, it would help to torment me, if into a pit of water, to sink me. Now our God is a consuming fire, and his breath a stream of brimstone, Isaiah 30:33 . "Submit yourselves therefore to God," James 4:7 . Humble yourselves therefore under his mighty hand, and ho shall lift you up in due season, 1 Peter 5:6 . To run in to God is the way to escape him; as to close and get in with him that would strike you doth avoid the blow. And the bow of steel shall

Job 22:7 — mightest have saved him with a cup of cold water. Qui non, cum potest, servat, occidit: Who when able did not serve, and died. Not to do good (when it is in the power of a man’s hand) is to do evil; and not to save a life is to destroy it, Mark 3:4 . Not robbing only, but not relieving the beggar, was the rich man’s ruin, Luke 16:24 , who, for a cup of cold water, duly given, might have had heaven, Matthew 10:42 . But what meant Eliphaz to charge innocent and munificent Job with such a cruelty?

Job 23:6 — plead against me with [his] great power? No; but he would put [strength] in me. Will he plead against me with his great power? — No; for then you were in a woe-case. For if God’s breath blow us to destruction, as so many dust heaps, Job 4:9 , if he frown us to death, and nod us to destruction, Psalms 80:16 , what shall we think of his Almighty power, which none can abide or avoid? Dittleile est contra eum scribere, qui potest proseribere. It is dangerous dealing with him who hath at

Job 25:5 — the mountains on the moon. Some think it was by moonlight that this speech was uttered, and therefore the moon is mentioned. But as the moon is confounded, so the sun also is ashamed when the Lord of hosts will display the beams of his glory, Isaiah 24:23 ; Isaiah 60:19 . There is a learned interpreter (Mr Abbot) who thus paraphraseth the test: Consider, that by reason of the fall of man, the very creatures that in themselves are sinless, yea, the very moon and stars (that are so far from earth, and

Job 28:13 — 1:16 , and providence shall one day be unriddled. Neither is it found in the land of the living — That is, here upon earth, by any human wit or industry. In other texts of Scripture the time while we live in this world is called, the day, John 9:4 , and the light of the living, Psalms 56:13 , in opposition to death, which is called, a land of darkness, as darkness itself, Job 10:22 , where they that inhabit are said to be free among the dead, Psalms 88:5 , free of that company. See Isaiah 38:11

Job 3:11 — I not give up the ghost? … — Why was I not forthwith carried ab utero ad urnam? from the womb to the tomb, from the birth to the burial? True it is, that infants have the seed of death in them, and the principle of corruption, Romans 5:14 . Every one (say some chemists) hath his own balsam within him; his own bane it is sure that he hath. But why should Job be so weary of life, and so wish to be rid of it? Is not life a great mercy? Doth not the philosopher affirm, that a pismire excelleth

Job 5:16 — So the poor hath hope, and iniquity stoppeth her mouth. So the poor hath hope — How should it be otherwise? experience will breed confidence. Thou hast, thou wilt, is an ordinary Scriptural medium, Psalms 85:1-4 2 Corinthians 1:10 . So, the poor, helpless, hopeless person, who is pined away, spent and utterly exhausted and wasted, both for health and wealth, he hath hope ( spem maiorum et meliorum, greater and better, as Alexander said when he had given away

Job 5:20 — In famine he shall redeem thee from death: and in war from the power of the sword. In famine he shall redeem thee from death — They that be slain with the sword are better than they that be slain with hunger, Lamentations 4:9 . Famine, therefore, is here set as the first and greatest of the six ensuing evils, the forest of God’s judgments, Ezekiel 6:11 Jeremiah 24:10 ; the certain harbinger of death, as here. From this so great a death God delivered Abraham, Genesis

Job 6:8 — Sisera’s mother did out of a window for the coming of her son laden with spoils from the battle. As when death is come indeed, he welcometh it, as Jael did the same Sisera (but much more heartily), with, "Turn in, my lord, turn in to me," Judges 4:18 ; and further bespeaketh it, as Jacob did his brother Esau, at their interview, Surely I have seen thy face as the face of God, who hath made thee to meet me with kisses instead of frowns, and hath sent thee to guard me safe home to my father’s

Job 8:13 — the hypocrite’s hope shall perish: So are the paths of all that forget God — To remember God is as necessary as to draw breath, saith Chrysostom. This the wicked man doth not, Psalms 9:17 . He will neither have God in his head, Psalms 10:4 , nor heart, Psalms 14:1 , nor words, Psalms 12:2 , nor ways, Titus 1:16 . What wonder then though his paths wither, though his life, health, wealth, power, perish, since he is in such a posture of distance from, and defiance with, the fountain of living

Job 9:25 — was advised by that senator of Hala to flee for his life, cito, citius, citissime, with all possible speed, since they were at hand that sought it. See 1 Samuel 19:11 ; 1 Samuel 19:18 . They see no good — But are few, and with all evil, Genesis 47:9 Job 14:1 . See Trapp on " Genesis 47:9 " See Trapp on " Job 14:1 " Some good days Job had had, but they were so soon over (and his present pressure so great) that he was scarce aware of them, nor could take the comfort of them