Bible Commentaries

Genesis 26:3 — lash; that he might see God’s power in providing for him amidst greatest straits and difficulties. Poena duplicem habet ordinationem: unam ad culpam quae praecedit, alteram, ad gloriam Dei quam praecedit. Alex. Alesius [Hayles], p. 3, q. 5, m. 1.

Genesis 37:23 — And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, [his] coat of [many] colours that [was] on him; They stripe Joseph out of his coat. — For, (1) It an eyesore to them; (2.) There with they would colour their cruelty. And this while they were doing, Joseph used many entreaties for himself, but they would not hear him. Genesis 42:21 Reuben also pleaded hard for the child, but all to no purpose.

Genesis 45:28 — And Israel said, [It is] enough; Joseph my son [is] yet alive: I will go and see him before I die. It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive. — Jacob rejoiceth more for his life than his honour. "Why is living man sorrowful?." Lamentations 3:39 Yet he is alive; that is a mercy, amidst all his miseries. Before I die. — This he speaks after the manner of old men, whose song is, "My breath is corrupt, my days are extinct, the graves are ready for me." Job 17:1

Ephesians 2:15 — Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; Having abolished in his flesh — That is, by his death in the flesh, Colossians 1:22 . At which time the veil rent, and the ceremonies died, only they were to be honourably buried. For to make in himself — Gr. "to create;" sc. by regeneration, Galatians 6:15 . So by conjoining he newly created them, and by newly creating

Philippians 1:10 — Ignatius, in his Epistle to the Ephesians, maketh mention of Onesimus, as pastor of Ephesus, next after Timothy. The Roman Martyrologue saith, that he was stoned to death at Rome, under Trajan the emperor. Paul calleth him his son because his convert. See 1 Corinthians 4:15 ; so Cyprian calleth Caecilius (who converted him) novae vitae parentem, the instrument of his life; and Latimer saith the like of his blessed St Bilney, as he calleth him.

Philippians 4:14 — Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did communicate with my affliction. Ye have well done — For hereby as you have sealed up your love to me, and engaged me to pray for you (as for Onesiphorus, 2 Timothy 1:16 ), so you have gotten a good testimony to yourselves that ye are members of Christ’s mystical body. The tongue is far enough from the toe, the heel from the head, yet when the toe or heel is hurt, the rest of the members sympathize and seek help for it. So here.

Colossians 1:14 — In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Even the forgiveness, … — See Trapp on " Matthew 1:21 " Sin is the greatest evil; as that which sets us farthest from God the chiefest good; and as that which procureth and embittereth all other evils that befall us. Christ therefore redeemeth his "Israel from their iniquities," Psalms

Colossians 2:1 — For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh; For I would that ye knew — Little do most men know what incessant care and pains their faithful ministers take for their souls’ health. But we would they should know it, and know those that labour among them, and are over them in the Lord, and to "esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake," 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 .

1 Thessalonians 5:19 — Quench not the Spirit. Quench not the Spirit — In his motions or graces. See the canon for the fire on the altar, and observe it, Leviticus 6:12-13 . Confess here as Hezekiah did, 2 Chronicles 29:6-7 . And take the apostle’s counsel, 2 Timothy 1:6 . Stir up this fire on the hearth of our hearts; let the priest’s lips blow it up into a flame; despise not prophesying, … It

1 Timothy 1:18 — is Timothy’s task, whom the apostle fitly calleth son, according to the custom both of those and these times. Patres eos dicimus qui nos catechesi instituerunt, saith Clement: We call them fathers that instruct and catechise us. Hence Numbers 3:1 , those there mentioned were Aaron’s sons by nature, and they are called Moses’s sons, because he taught and instructed them.

1 Timothy 4:7 — nephew, You might have found you somewhat else to do. Exercise thyself — Lay aside thine upper garments, as runners and wrestlers use to do, and bestir thee lustily, γυμναζε , Te nudum exerce. See Hebrews 12:1 .

Hebrews 12:14 — Follow peace with all men , and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Follow peace — Gr. pursue it, though it flee from you. I am for peace (saith David), but when I speak of it, they are for war, Psalms 120:7 . And holiness — Or chastity, 1 Thessalonians 4:4 ; such a holiness as is opposed to fornication and profaneness, Hebrews 12:16 . Without which — The article may be neuter; and then the sense is, without which following peace and holiness,

Hebrews 3:16 — some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. Howbeit not all — Yet all fell in the wilderness save Joshua and Caleb. Good men are oft wrapped up in a common calamity. The righteous perisheth, Isaiah 57:1 , so the world thinketh; "But whether they live, they live unto the Lord, or whether they die, they die unto the Lord,"Romans 14:8; Romans 14:8 . The good grain is cut down together with the tares, but to another and to a better purpose.

Hebrews 3:6 — But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. Whose house are we — And he is bound (by his own promise) to repair. He also is our dwelling house, Psalms 90:1 ., and by the civil law, De domo sun nemo extrahi debet, aut in ius vocari. A man’s house is his castle. If we hold fast — See here a just description of the invisible Church of Christ.

Hebrews 4:10 — For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. From his own works — From the servile works of sin, Psalms 18:23 . These are our own works. As a lie is the devil’s own, John 8:44 , "When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own;" so when we do evil, we work de nostro et secundum hominem, 1 Corinthians 3:3 . It is as impossible for us naturally to do good as for a toad to spit cordials.

Hebrews 9:12 — having obtained eternal redemption for us . Neither by the blood of calves — As the Levitical high priest did, Hebrews 9:7 . Having obtained — Gr. ευρομενος , having found. See Romans 4:1 . The Latins also use invenire or acquirere, to find, for to obtain. See also Matthew 16:25 . Christ overcame by suffering, and by his own blood purchased his Church, as an Aceldama, or field of blood.

James 2:15 — If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, If a brother or a sister — As it may befall the best to be, and they are not of the chameleon kind, to live (with Ephraim) upon wind, Hosea 12:1 , to be fed with fair words, or to be clothed with a suit of compliments. Sion should be taken by the hand, Isaiah 51:18 . And Tyre converted, leaves hoarding and heaping up wealth, and falls to feeding and clothing God’s poor people, Isaiah 23:18 .

2 John 1:8 — Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. That we lose not, … — The godly, when they fall into foul courses, or grow remiss and leave their first love, may lose what they have wrought, 1. In respect of the praise of men; 2. In respect of their own former feelings of God’s favour; 3. In respect of the fulness of their reward in heaven. The Nazarite that broke his vow was to begin all anew, Numbers 6:2-12 .

Revelation 18:14 — And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all. And the fruits — Those first ripe fruits, Micah 7:1 , greedily desired and bought up at any rate by the richer and daintier sort of people. Which were dainty and goodly — Gr. λιπαρα και λαμπρα , fat and fair-liking, pleasant

Revelation 3:3 — received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. And thou shalt not know — Calamity the more sudden, the more terrible; for, 1. It amates and exanimates a man, as an unexpected storm doth a mariner, and as Satan intended Job’s messengers should do him. 2. It can as little be prevented as Eglon could prevent Ehud’s deadly thrust.