Bible Commentaries

1 Kings 10:10 — gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices very great store, and precious stones: there came no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon. And she gave the king, … — See on 1 Kings 10:2 Psalms 72:10 , where it was foretold. And of spices very great store. — These were of old highly accounted of. 2 Kings 20:13 Galen Antidot., lib. i. writeth that in his time cinnamon was very rare and hard to be found, except in the

1 Kings 12:20 — congregation, and made him king over all Israel: there was none that followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only. And made him king. — See Hosea 8:4 . See Trapp on " Hosea 8:4 " But the tribe of Judah only. — See on 1 Kings 12:17 . This tribe only followed the house of David ex animo, heartily and of free choice; the other ex occasione, occasionally, for religion’s sake, or otherwise.

1 Kings 3:3 — LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father: only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places. And Solomon loved, the Lord. — Being first loved by him, his Jedidiah, his darling: for our love to God is but the reflex of his to us first. 1 John 4:19 Only he sacrificed, … — He climbed those misallowed hills; yet loveth he the Lord, and is loved of him. Such is the mercy of our God, that he rather pitieth than plagneth us for our well meant weaknesses, for the infirmities of

1 Kings 5:8 — Heard. A request is to be considered ere it be granted, lest men come in afterwards with the fool’s, Had I known. ουκ ψμην . And concerning timber of fir. — Whereof there was much use made about the temple. 1 Kings 6:15 Algum trees also were sent from Lebanon, 2 Chronicles 2:8 which were a wood that is unknown to us, but most precious.

1 Kings 8:15 — vel potentia sua - Vatab. fulfilled. — He hath powerfully performed his promise to David. Solomon is thankful as well for the promise to his father as the performance to himself. And well he might, for the promises are precious things, 2 Peter 1:4 the unsearchable riches of Christ. Ephesians 3:8 The patriarchs "saw the promises afar off, and embraced “ ασπασαμενοι . ” them." Hebrews 11:13

1 Kings 8:46 — the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the enemy, far or near; For there is no man that sinneth not. — This is triste mortalitatis privilegium. And thou be angry with them. — As thou canst not but be so, Habakkuk 1:13 and as the effects of thy just anger thou chide them, and smite them, either with thine own bare hand or by those men of thy band, their enemies.

2 Kings 10:5 — thou [that which is] good in thine eyes. We are thy servants, and will do all that thou shalt bid us, … — Surely it is meet to be said thus unto God, and to him alone. "Be not ye the servants of men" in St Paul’s sense. 1 Corinthians 7:23

2 Kings 23:5 — about Jerusalem; them also that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the host of heaven. And he put down the idolatrous priests. — Heb., Chemarims, Baal’s chimney-chaplains, see Zephaniah 1:14 , with the note there black sooty fellows, like those greasy mass priests, or abbey lubbers, amongst the Papists. And to the planets. — Or, Influences: a radice Nazal fluxit.

2 Kings 25:13 — house of the LORD, did the Chaldees break in pieces, and carried the brass of them to Babylon. And the pillars of brass. — The ornaments of the temple and instruments of God’s service were all carried away, as had been foretold. Jeremiah 27:21-22 But it befell Jeremiah, as the poets feign of Cassandra, that he spake truth, but could not be believed. And carried the brass. — It being very fine brass. 1 Kings 7:15

2 Kings 25:19 — the principal scribe of the host, which mustered the people of the land, and threescore men of the people of the land [that were] found in the city: That was set over the men of war. — Lieutenant-general, likely, to General Sophar. Jeremiah 25:1-38 And five men of them. — Jeremiah saith seven men; two of them, perhaps, were less considerable, or taken at another time.

1 Chronicles 23:6 — into courses. — Into certain ranks and distinct functions, according to the commandment of God by Gad and Nathan. 2 Chronicles 29:25 David, at the beginning of his reign, had distinguished the priests and Levites into certain ranks and orders, 1 Chronicles 16:4 but now that their number was greatly increased, and they were to serve in the temple that was shortly after to be erected, he ordered all things better, and with greater diligence.

1 Chronicles 28:7 — Moreover I will establish his kingdom for ever, if he be constant to do my commandments and my judgments, as at this day. If he be constant. — Heb., Strong; for he shall be hard put to it. God’s promises are conditional. See on 2 Samuel 7:14 . As at this day. — Solomon had been well instructed in the ways of God, both by father Proverbs 4:4 and mother, Proverbs 31:1 and while young he did God’s commandments and judgments, as is hinted in these words, "As at this day";

1 Chronicles 7:4 — And with them, by their generations, after the house of their fathers, [were] bands of soldiers for war, six and thirty thousand [men]: for they had many wives and sons. Were bands of soldiers for war. — Though they affected peace, as 1 Chronicles 7:2 , yet they were apti et parati ad bellum, ready pressed for war. For they had many wives and sons. — Polygamy passed for current in the Church, because Abraham used it; though directly against the institution, and that plain law,

2 Chronicles 12:5 — [to] the princes of Judah, that were gathered together to Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said unto them, Thus saith the LORD, Ye have forsaken me, and therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shishak. Then came Shemaiah the prophet. — See 1 Kings 12:12 . This was a great mercy that a prophet was sent unto them to exhort them to repentance, and to prescribe them a course. Because of Sishak. — Who was but the vial through whose hands God poured out his wrath. 2 Chronicles 12:7

1 Samuel 26:20 — 24:22 “ Ne pecces, Deus ipse videt, bonus Angelus astat. ” To seek a flea, as when one doth hunt a partridge. — Out of his modesty and low mindedness, comparat se pulici et perdici, he compareth himself to these contemptible creatures, see 1 Samuel 24:14 .

1 Samuel 31:11 — And when the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead heard of that which the Philistines had done to Saul; And when the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead. — Memores beneficii a Saule accepti, they remembered what a good turn Saul had once done them, 1 Samuel 11:11 and hence make this bold adventure, Perraro grati reperiuntur; the memory of a good turn should never wax old; hence the Graces were painted as young virgins, … See Alciat’s "Emblems," p. 565. Trebius the Roman, for

2 Samuel 13:11 — could he have the face to say thus to a sister? But of some men Seneca saith truly, Nolunt solita peccare, et paudet non esse impudentes, they have put off all manhood, and are become dogs, worse than dogs; such were King Agrippa and Bernice, Acts 25:13 son and daughter to that Herod mentioned in Acts 12:1 , and known to live in detestable incest, saith Josephus.

2 Samuel 13:38 — So Absalom fled, and went to Geshur, and was there three years. And David mourned for his son every day, — i.e., For his son Amnon. This was a long while to mourn for a lost son - viz, every day for three years’ time. The grief was, - (1.) For that he was so basely butchered by his own brother (we had a like example lately here ia England in the family of Sir George Sandys); (2.) For that he died in his drunkenness, having never soundly repented of his incest, though Hugo thinketh he

2 Samuel 19:34 — Barzillai said unto the king, How long have I to live, that I should go up with the king unto Jerusalem? How long have I to live? — q.d., My breath is corrupt - or, my spirits are spent - my days are extinct, the graves are ready for me, as Job 17:1 . Pedetentim morior, as that old poet Alexis said, I die piecemeal, sensim sine sensu, every day yielding somewhat to death. It is therefore high time for old people to make up their litte bundles, and prepare to begone hence, as Sturmius wrote to

2 Samuel 21:19 — with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaareoregim, a Bethlehemite, slew [the brother of] Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear [was] like a weaver’s beam. Slew the brother of Goliath. — The name of this monster was Lahmi, 1 Chronicles 20:5 but it may be, that after his brother’s death, he took and bore his name, or that he was called Goliath, as we say of a very huge or strong man, that he is another Hercules, a second Samson. Albert, Marquis of Brandenburg was called