Bible Commentaries

Psalms 105:30 — Their land brought forth frogs in abundance, in the chambers of their kings. The land brought forth frogs in abundance — Like grass that grows upon the ground, or as fishes spawned in the sea, as the word signifieth, Genesis 1:20 . Some think they were not common frogs, sed venenatas et horrendas, quales sunt rubetae et bufones, but toads and lizards; crocodiles, some think, came out of the river, and destroyed people (Aben-Ezra). In the chambers of their kings — Regis

Psalms 106:32 — sakes: They angered him also at the waters of strife — Yet he made not the least semblance of it to Moses, but only bade him smite the rock, which, if he had then done, and no more, he had done right. God is Bagnal Chemah, master of his anger, Nahum 1:2 , so was not meek Moses at this time. The best are miscarried by their passions sometimes, to their cost. So that it went ill with Moses for their sakes — i.e. By their means he was kept out of Canaan, which was a great cross to him, and his

Psalms 110:6 — He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill [the places] with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries. He shall judge among the heathen — Do execution upon his enemies, as Psalms 110:1 , whether kings or commoners. He shall fill the places — The ditches of their own camps. He shall wound the heads — Heb. head; cruentabit caput, whereby some understand the Roman empire, with its image, antichrist with his adherents,

Psalms 117:1 — O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. O praise the Lord, all ye nations — viz. For Christ, that gift, John 4:10 , that benefit, 1 Timothy 6:2 , that desire of all nations, Haggai 2:7 , that good tidings of great joy to all people, Luke 2:10 , who are by him received into the glory of God, Romans 15:7 ; Romans 15:11 , where the apostle thus applieth this Scripture;

Psalms 119:36 — testimonies, and not to covetousness. Incline my heart — Through the exercises of thy word, and the working of thy Spirit. And not to covetousness — Which draweth away the heart from all God’s testimonies, and is the root of all evil, 1 Timothy 6:10 . Some think it is put here for all other vices. The Chaldee hath it, and not to mammon, that mammon of iniquity, as Christ calleth it, the next odious name to the devil. Now, to good God inclineth man’s heart efficiently (say the

Psalms 132:17 — make the horn of David to bud — A metaphor from those living creatures, quorum ramosa sunt cornua, which have snags in their heads (as deer have), which are unto them instead of boughs. For "horn," some read beam of David. Confer Luke 1:78 . I have ordained a lamp — i.e. A successor ( - cui lampada tradat ), and that a glorious one at length, Christ, who is αυτοφως , light essential, John 12:46 . Of Ascanius the son of Aeneas, and likewise

Psalms 138:3 — In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, [and] strengthenedst me [with] strength in my soul. In the day when I cried, … — This he worthily celebrateth as a singular favour, a badge of grace, Psalms 66:18 , and pledge of glory, Acts 2:21 . And strengthenedst me with strength in my soul — With strength in the inward man, Ephesians 3:16 ; Ephesians 3:20 , with spiriual mettle, with supporting grace; keeping head above water. My body is weak, my

Psalms 147:8 — Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains. Who covereth the heaven with clouds — As 1 Kings 18:45 , and still, as there is need. It is not by nature, or hap hazard, as men are apt to dream, and are therefore so often told this truth, and admonished, that the second causes do but serve the Divine providence, in these common occurrents. Who

Psalms 148:3 — Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light. Praise ye him, sun and moon — These do, after a sort, declare the glory of God, Psalms 19:1-2 Habakkuk 3:3 ; not with mind and affection, as if they were understanding creatures (as Plato held, In Epimenide), but by their light influences, admirable motions, and obedience, whereby quasi mutis vocibus, by a dumb kind of eloquence, saith

Psalms 89:19 — Then thou spakest in vision to thy holy one, and saidst, I have laid help upon [one that is] mighty; I have exalted [one] chosen out of the people. Then thou spakest in vision to thy holy one — i.e. To Samuel, thy priest and prophet, 1 Samuel 16:12 , one of those few that lived and died with glory. I have laid help upon one that is’ mighty — I have called David to the kingdom, and qualified him for the purpose; but the person chiefly intended here is Christ, ‘able

Proverbs 1:29 — For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: For that they hated knowledge. — These are the worst sort of sinners, Proverbs 1:22 that not only slight knowledge, but hate it, as thieves do a torch in the night; curse it, as Ethiopians do the scorching sun; fly against it, as bats do against the light. Herodot. "This is the condemnation"; John 3:19-20 this is hell

Proverbs 20:16 — Take his garment that is surety [for] a stranger: and take a pledge of him for a strange woman. Take his garment. — And so provide for their own indemnity. See Trapp on " Proverbs 6:1 " See Trapp on " Proverbs 6:2 " See Trapp on " Proverbs 6:3 " See Trapp on " Proverbs 6:4 " See Trapp on " Proverbs 6:5 " And take a pledge of him for a strange woman, — i.e., For a whorish woman, utcunque

Proverbs 20:29 — [is] their strength: and the beauty of old men [is] the gray head. The glory of young men is their strength. — If well used in following their callings, and fighting for their countries, as those young men of the princes of the provinces did, 1 Kings 20:20 and not in quarrelling and duelling, as those youngsters of Helkathhazzurim, who sheathed their swords in their fellows’ bowels. 2 Samuel 2:16 And the beauty of old men is their gray head. — That silver crown of hoary hairs,

Proverbs 23:7 — as he grudgeth his own soul, so he will say unto thee, Eat, drink, … As he starves his own genius, and cannot afford himself a good meal’s meat, so be grudgeth at his guests whom yet he bids welcome. Christ doth not so. Song of Solomon 5:1

Proverbs 25:1 — These [are] also proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out. These also are proverbs of Solomon, which the men. — Solomon "hath his thousand out of this his vineyard of three thousand proverbs," 1 Kings 4:32 and these men of Hezekiah that kept, and yet communicated, the fruit thereof, "their two hundred." Song of Solomon 8:12 It is good for men to be doing what they are able for the glory of God and good of others, Prima sequentem honestum

Proverbs 3:22 — So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck. So shall they be life unto thy soul. — For "by these men live, and this is the spirit of my life," saith Hezekiah; Isaiah 38:16 even what God hath spoken and done. Proverbs 3:15 A godly man differs from a wicked, as much as a living man from a dead carcass. The wicked are stark dead, and stone cold. The saints also want heat sometimes, but they are soon made hot again; because

Proverbs 4:13 — magnum certamen sustines adversus haereticae et epicureos, saith a Jewish doctor upon this text: Heretics and epicures will seek to wring it from thee, by wrench and wile. Therefore "hold fast the faithful word, as thou hast been taught." Titus 1:9 Hold it as with tooth and nail against those gainsayers that would snatch it from thee. For "there are many unruly and vain talkers," and so there are many loose and lewd walkers too, that would bereave thee of the benefit of what thou hast

Isaiah 13:6 — Howl ye; for the day of the LORD [is] at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. Howl ye. — "For the evils that are coming upon you" (as in James 5:1 ). We may well say the same to mystical Babylon. For the day of the Lord is at hand. — And yet it came not till over two hundred years after. Think the same of the day of judgment, and reckon that a thousand years with God is but as one day. It

Isaiah 16:6 — proud: [even] of his haughtiness, and his pride, and his wrath: [but] his lies [shall] not [be] so. We have heard of the pride of Moab. — His harsh and haughty carriage toward God’s poor people, though he were advised the contrary. Isaiah 16:1 ; Isaiah 16:3-4 Good counsel is but cast away upon a proud person. Now the Moabites were as much noted then for their pride as now the Spaniards are; and their pride appeared by their brags and threats. But His lies shall not be so. — Or, His

Isaiah 30:28 — stream. — God can blow men to destruction, Job 4:9 for they are but dust heaps; yea, his breath, as an irresistible torrent, beareth all before it. The prophet had compared God’s fierce wrath to a raging fire; now he further compareth it here, 1. To a flood; 2. To a fan; 3. To a bridle. To sift the nations with a sieve of vanity, — i.e., Ad perdendas gentes in nihilum, as the Vulgate here hath it, To destroy the nations, and to bring them to nothing.