Bible Commentaries

Genesis 24:3 — swore by God and Malcom; and the Turks’ great oath now-a-days is, By the immortal God, and by the four hundred prophets, by Mohammed, by his father’s soul, by his own children, and by the sword wherewith he is girt, … Turk. Hist., 345. That thou shalt not take a wife unto my son, … — Lest they should "turn away" his heart "from following God," Deuteronomy 7:3-4 as those "foreign wives" did Solomon, Nehemiah 13:26 whom therefore God Almighty

Genesis 26:22 — Olympus, higher than storm or tempest, wind or weather can reach unto; or rather, "like mount Zion, that cannot be removed, but standeth fast for ever". Psalms 125:1 Thus Paul had "learned how to abound, and to be abased". Philippians 4:11 Bradford, if the Queen would give him life, he would thank her; if banish him, he would thank her; if burn him, he will thank her; if condemn him to perpetual imprisonment, he will thank her; as he told one Cresswell, that offered to intercede for

Genesis 8:21 — living, as I have done. And the Lord smelled a sweet savour. — Heb., A savour of rest Minimo capitur thuris honore Deus . εις οσμην ευωδιας . Philippians 4:18 Greek, ευωδιας ; which the apostle followeth, saying that Christ gave himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a smell of sweet savour. Ephesians 5:2 All our sacrifices are accepted for this

1 Kings 6:1 — thousand and two hundred millions of our money, and a thousand thousand talents of silver, which amount to as much - viz., to a thousand and two hundred millions of gold, besides abundance of brass, wood, stones, and other materials. 1 Chronicles 22:14 Yet all this served not in any comparison for the perfecting of this most stately and costly structure, the world’s wonderment, the house of the most high God, 1 Chronicles 2:5 and a type of the Church triumphant in heaven, as the tabernacle had

Ezra 3:7 — Cyrus king of Persia. They gave money also unto the masons and carpenters — Who usually get it and eat it, laying up little; their life is called the life of their hands, because maintained by the labour of their hands, Isaiah 57:10 ; Isaiah 57:14 ; day wages they must have, or they cannot subsist; and these good Jews spared for no cost, but gave money out of the bag freely to these workmen. Idolaters care not what cost they cast away upon their dumb idols: Drum alienum dotant, so some read that

Nehemiah 5:11 — civilian saith, Perquam durum est; sed ita lex scripta est, ‘Tis hard to be done, but the law will have it so done; Aut faciendam, aut patiendum (Ulpian.). Either we must do it, or do worse. The law for restitution, see Leviticus 6:1 ; Leviticus 6:4 Numbers 5:6-7 , … The wrong-doer must not only confess, but restore. The transgression was against God, but the trespass against man; and he must be satisfied, if the sin shall be pardoned. Samuel proffered to restore, if it might appear that

Nehemiah 5:7 — tend to make the medicine work more kindly. Every one of his brother — This was a presumptuous violation of the law, Exodus 22:25 Leviticus 25:36-37 , and a sin that they had soundly smarted for, Ezekiel 22:12 . Usurers are men eaters, Psalms 14:4 , like pickerels in a pond, or sharks in the sea, that devour the lesser fishes. A.D. 1235, there were spread through England certain Roman usurers, called Caursini ( quasi capientes ursi, devouring bears, quoth Matthew Paris), who had entangled the

Nehemiah 6:6 — old proverb) a friar, a liar. That thou and the Jews think to rebel — A likely matter; but that matters not. Any author serves Sanballat’s turn, who for a need could have sucked such an accusation as this out of his own fingers. See Ezra 4:13 . For which cause thou buildest the wall — This was calumniari audacter, slander boldly, to as Machiavel taught, aliquid saltem adhaerebit. But if dirt will stick to a mud wall, yet to marble it will not. Nehemiah hath the Euge good of a clear

Nehemiah 7:2 — εμμεναι αλλων , to be the best at every good thing, to excel and exceed others, - to be eminent and exemplary, taller than the rest by the head and shoulders, full of all goodness, filled with all knowledge, Romans 15:14 , able and active in every good word and work. That is a low and unworthy strain in some, to labour after no more grace than will keep life and soul together, that is, soul and hell asunder. God would have his people to be discontentedly contented with

Esther 9:13 — king, let it be granted to the Jews which [are] in Shushan to do to morrow also according unto this day’s decree, and let Haman’s ten sons be hanged upon the gallows. Then said Esther, If it please the king, … — See Esther 5:4 ; Esther 5:8 . Let it be granted to the Jews, … — The enemies at Shushan could not be all caught the first day; lest therefore those that lurked should hereafter prove troublesome to the Church by hatching new plots, she begs that they

Esther 9:17 — sacrifices of praise (those calves of their lips), the very next day, while the deliverance was yet fresh, and of recent remembrance. This they knew well that God expected, Deuteronomy 23:21 , and that he construeth delays for denials, Haggai 1:2 ; Haggai 1:4 . He gave order that no part of the thank offering should be kept unspent till the third day; to teach us to present our praises when benefits are newly received, which else would soon wax stale and putrefy, as fish. "I will pay my vows now, now,"

Esther 9:4 — and commonwealth; and therefore could not but be much envied and maligned, as far as men dared show themselves against him; yet He waxed greater and greater — Heb. he was going (that is, growing) and greatening. See the like Hebraism, Proverbs 4:18 Genesis 8:5 . For why? he did gloria invidiam vincere, conquor, envy, and dazzle her eyes with his lustre; which, saith Sallust, is the hardest thing that can be, Difficillimum inter mortales. For as the tallest trees are weakest at the tops; so

Job 1:12 — burden to the back, and the stroke to the strength of them that shall bear it. See his gracious dealings with the apostles at their first setting forth into the world; and how by degrees he inured them to bear the cross of Christ, Acts 2:1-13 ; Acts 4:5-22 ; Acts 5:17-42 ; Acts 12:1-19 . So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord — As thinking every hour two till he had sped his commission; the devil descended like lightning upon the earth, to search occasions to ruin Job, aud to triumph

Job 12:20 — taketh the sense, or savour, or taste of the elders or senators, that they shall be no more able to discern and determine what is true or false, right or wrong, than old Barzillai could skill of the court meals and music. See this threatened Isaiah 29:14 . Such old men, as either were bred scholars, or have had much experience in the management of great affairs, are presumed to be of great understanding; but God can either take such away, as he threateneth to do, Isaiah 3:3-4 , or take away their wisdom,

Job 13:27 — observeth an elegant gradation in God’s proceeding with Job, as himself describeth it, rising higher and higher in his discourse. 1. God hid his face, and denied him his favour. 2. He counted him as his enemy. 3. He broke him like a leaf or stubble. 4. He wrote bitter things against him. 5. He made him possess the sins of his youth. 6. For his young sins he claps him up close prisoner now in his old age, and there keeps him as with a strict guard following him close at heels if he but stir a foot.

Job 21:13 — suitableness to what went before, the grave is to be understood; and the sense is, Dicto citius moriuntur, they die easily, suddenly, sweetly, without much pain of body or trouble of mind; "there are no bands in their death," saith David, Psalms 73:4 . They die without much ado, like a lamb, or like a lamp, that goeth out of itself when the oil faileth; they go quickly and quietly to the grave. Some wicked persons indeed die piecemeal by a complicated disease, and a long lingering death, as did

Job 3:15 — do, he slighted them. These princes that had gold, and filled their houses with silver, what would not they have given to have bought off death? but riches avail not in the day of wrath; it is righteousness only that delivereth from death, Proverbs 11:4 . Thrice happy, then, are they who are rich to God, as our Saviour phraseth it, who have the Almighty to be their gold; and who have silver of strength, as Eliphaz speaketh, Job 22:25 . Who filled their houses with silver — That is, their graves,

Malachi 3:3 — juicio a la victoria", Mateo 12:20 , es decir, hasta que haya perfeccionado la obra de la gracia. comenzó en su pueblo (porque él es "autor y consumador de la fe", Heb 12: 2), y con paciencia los hizo "perfectos e íntegros, sin querer nada", Santiago 1:4 . Cristo, que es el Dios de toda gracia, y los llamó a su gloria eterna, después que hayan padecido algún tiempo en su horno o olla refinadora, Pro 17: 3 de aflicciones, "los perfeccionará, afirmará, fortalecerá, tranquilícelos ", 1 Pedro 5:10 , sí,

Matthew 5:10 — persecución ] Ser perseguido (como se considera simplemente) no es una cosa bendita; porque entonces sería desearlo y orar por él. Pero el hombre ame una vida tranquila y trabaje para ver buenos días, dijeron esos dos grandes campeones, David y Pedro, Salmo 34:12 ; 1 Pedro 3:10 , quienes ellos mismos habían soportado un mundo de persecución y pagaron por su aprendizaje. El mismo consejo da San Pablo y el autor a los Hebreos, 1 Tim 2: 2; 1 Tesalonicenses 4:11 ; Hebreos 12:11 ; porque sintieron por experiencia

2 Samuel 12:13 — more largely, but less effectually; because his confession of sin was not joined with confusion of sin, as Proverbs 28:13 . "I have sinned," said he; "yet honour me before the people": and he sped accordingly, Serm. of Rep., p. 54. as shall be showed. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin. — Dominus transtulit, The Lord hath caused thy sin to pass over from thee to Christ. Isaiah 53:6 Romans 4:8 The Lord hath translated thy sin upon Christ’s