Bible Commentaries

Jonah 3:4 — as one saith of Master Perkins. Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown — The word properly noteth a sudden, inevitable, and perpetual destruction, such as was that of Sodom and her sisters, Genesis 19:25 Jeremiah 20:16 Isaiah 13:19 Amos 4:11 . Now we must not think that Jonah said no more than is here set down; that he expressed no condition, such as was that, Revelation 2:5 , "except ye repent"; or that like a madman he ran up and down the city (as one did once about Jerusalem,

Jonah 3:5 — even to the least of them. So the people of Nineveh believed God — See the mighty power of God’s holy word. "The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds," 2 Corinthians 10:4 , to the laying flat those walls of Jericho, making the devil fall as lightning from the heaven of men’s hearts, Luke 10:18 . These Ninevites, though rich, great, peaceable, prosperous, profane above measure (as great cities use to be), …,

Micah 4:13 — unto the LORD, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth. Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion — "Go in this thy might" (wherewith thou so lustily threshest out thy wheat by the winepress, said the angel to Gideon, Judges 6:14 ), and thresh the Midianites another while, "thou shalt smite them as one man," Judges 6:16 ; thresh them as the sheaves of the floor, that lie ready for the flail, or, as the custom of those countries was, Deuteronomy 25:4 1 Corinthians 9:9

Micah 5:1 — Here the virgin, the daughter of Zion, despiseth her adversaries of Assyria and Babylon, and laughs them to scorn; "the daughter of Jerusalem shaketh her head at them," Isaiah 37:22 ; and bearing herself bold upon the foregoing promise, Micah 4:13 , that she should beat in pieces many people, she taketh liberty to taunt the Assyrian monarch with all his troops beleaguering her, and basely abusing her judges, telling him, that the babe of Bethlehem would shortly take an order with him. And

Nahum 1:11 — wicked counsellor — Heb. a counsellor of Belial, or of the devil, who lendeth him his seven heads to plot, and his ten horns to push God’s people. What pernicious counsel he gave them, see 2 Kings 18:19-35 2 Chronicles 32:9-19 Isaiah 36:4-10 ; Isaiah 36:13-20 ; sc. to cast off God as not able to deliver them out of his hands; and to make an agreement with him by a present, … This pestilent counsel he gave them by Rabshakeh, who was, say the rabbins, a renegade Jew. Every vizier

Habakkuk 1:1 — make Habakkuk to signify Luctatorem amplex stringentem, a wrestler, that, by closing, strives to prevail; that, by might and slight, seeks to get the better. Such a one was Jacob, whose wrestling was by weeping, and his prevailing by praying, Hosea 12:4 . Such another was Habakkuk, who argueth earnestly with God about the state of his people, and prayeth ardently for them; not doubting but that the Lord would "preserve the faithful, and plentifully reward the proud doer," Psalms 31:23 . A

Habakkuk 3:16 — should have peace with God, and be able to call their souls to rest in the evil day. When he cometh up, … — i.e. The Chaldean spoiler. He will invade them with his troops — Or, cut them in pieces. And that this was done see 2 Kings 25:4-11 . and the Book of Lamentations throughout. Howbeit in judgment God remembereth mercy, as the prophet had prayed; for, besides the favour that the Jews found at Babylon by means of Daniel and others, Cyrus, having taken that city, gave commandment

Zephaniah 1:4 — Job, Job 1:11 ; Job 2:5 , who can abide it? but if he stretch it out as here, woe be to those that must feel the weight of it! His hand is a mighty hand, 1 Peter 5:6 , the same that spans the heavens, and holds the earth as a very little thing, Isaiah 40:15 . "Lord," saith David (who had felt it in part), "who knoweth the power of thine anger? Even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath." q.d. Let a man fear thee never so much, he is sure to feel thee much more who falleth under

Zechariah 11:10 — more worth than a world of wicked men, Hebrews 11:38 . And the Jews have a saying, that those 70 souls that went with Jacob into Egypt were as much as all the 70 nations in the world. What great account God once made of them above others, see Isaiah 43:3-4 Deuteronomy 33:29 . But now, behold, they are discarded and discovenanted: I have broken my covenant, — and in Zechariah 11:11 it was broken in that day that is, in the day that they put themselves out of my precincts, I put them out of my

Zechariah 11:17 — Isaiah 56:10-11 , a foolish shepherd, as Zechariah 11:15 , an ουτιδανος , one that hath nothing in him of any true worth, but art vain and vile, and of no value, as this word is rendered, Job 13:4 ; Job 11:17 ( àìéì Per agnominationem alludit ad through an alteriteration with àëåì Zechariah 11:15 ). Vae, vae, vae, tibi. Alas, alas, alas to you, Christ, the great Shepherd of the sheep, will

Zechariah 14:3 — defence, draw out the spear and sword, these weapons of offence, and appear as a man of war, Exodus 15:3 , or as a Lord and victor of wars (so the Chaldee there hath it), he will charge through and through, he will "burn them together," Isaiah 27:4 , and in the same place, 2 Samuel 23:7 .

Zechariah 5:1 — mind of the Holy Ghost, in these two visions here recorded; which while some interpreters attend not, in toto vaticinio neque coelum, neque terrain attingunt, saith Calvin, they are utterly out. And behold a flying roll — Or, volume, as Psalms 40:7 , or scroll of paper, or parchment, usually rolled up, like the web upon the pin, uti convolvuntur nostrae Mappae Geographicae, as our maps are rolled up, saith a Lapide; and as in the public library at Oxford the book or roll of Esther (a Hebrew

Malachi 1:13 — detects the deceiver, and detests him, as here, but curseth him bitterly in the next verse. He rejects the hypocrite’s sacrifice, and plagueth such Prometheuses; when as he wipes not out any of the good services of his sincere people, Nehemiah 13:4 , but abundantly blesseth them. Labour, therefore, for that "truth in the inward parts," Psalms 51:6 , that we may be with "Apelles approved in Christ," Romans 16:10 , and with Nathanael, "an Israelite indeed," John 1:47

Matthew 2:13 — Sisera’s mother, "Why is his chariot so long in coming? why tarry the wheels of his chariots?"Judges 5:28; Judges 5:28 ; "Make haste, my beloved, and be like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of spices," Song of Solomon 8:14 .. For Herod will seek the young child to destroy him — The devil in Herod, Revelation 12:4 . So Revelation 2:10 ; "The devil shall cast some of you into prison," … Is the devil become a justicer, to send men to prison? By his

Matthew 2:18 — not. Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning — How impatient was Jacob in the loss of Joseph; David of Absalom, … Grief for sin (than which none more deep and soaking), is set forth by this unparalleled lamentation: Zechariah 12:10 ; Matthew 5:4 "Blessed are they that mourn" ( πενθουντες ), as men do at the death of their dearest children. But let such say to God, as St Jerome (ad Julian.) adviseth a friend of his in like case,

Matthew 2:2 — observation," Luke 17:21 , neither is it of this world. Christ is somewhat an obscure King here, as Melchisedec was; and his kingdom consists in righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost, which the stranger worldling meddles not with, Proverbs 14:10 ; Romans 14:17 . The cock on the dunghill esteems not this jewel. For we have seen his star in the East — Some rumour of the star of Jacob they had heard and received, likely, either from Balaam’s prophecy, Numbers 24:17 , who was an

Matthew 4:16 — in darkness saw a great light — For the day-spring from on high visited them, the bright Sun of righteousness (which had all Palestine for his zodiac, the twelve tribes for his signs) stayed longest in Zabulon and Nephthalim, Luke 1:2 ; Malachi 4:2 ; and (St Jerome observeth) as these two tribes were first carried into captivity, and seemed farthest from heaven, as bordering on the Gentiles, and in many things symbolizing with them, having learned their manners; so redemption was first preached

Matthew 5:20 — the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees — And yet they went far: 1. In works of piety, for they made long prayers, … 2. In works of charity, for they gave much alms. 3. In works of equity, for they tithed mint, anise, and cummin. 4. In works of courtesy, for they invited Christ often, … They were the most exact and accurate sect of that religion, as St Paul (who once was one of them) beareth them witness; αρκιβεστατη

Matthew 6:14 — given. Your heavenly Father will also forgive you — Yet is not our forgiving men the cause of his forgiving us, but a necessary antecedent. The cause is only the free mercy of God in Christ. He puts away our iniquities for his own sake, Isaiah 43:25 . Nevertheless, forasmuch as he hath made us this promise here, our forgiving others (saith learned Beza) seemeth to have the nature of an intervenient cause, a cause, sine qua non, of his forgiving us. (Annot. in Luke 11:4 )

Matthew 7:4 — φιλειν , saith Philo. Love is not always in a kiss; there are those who kiss and kill. David would not taste of their dainties, nor endure that they should pour upon him the sweetest ointments (as at feasts it was the custom among that people, Luke 7:46 ). Indeed, if the righteous smite him, he would take it for a singular courtesy. "Let him reprove me," saith he, "it shall be an excellent oil," and shall soak into me, as soft oil doth into wooden vessels,Proverbs 26:6; Proverbs