Bible Commentaries

Job 38:11 — Xerxes beat the sea, and cast a pair of fetters into it to make it his prisoner, but to no purpose. God here chides it by an elegant ellipsis or aposiopesis, Illic ponet (sc. ventus ) elationem fluctuum tuorum, and it is quieted immediately, as Jonah 1:15 Matthew 8:26 Think the same of the waters of afflictions.

Job 39:11 — But the unicorn will never fadge nor frame to such an employment. Free God hath made him; and rather than part with his freedom he will part with his life. Let men learn to stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made them free, Galatians 5:1 , and not be again entangled (as oxen tied to the yoke) with the yoke of spiritual bondage, worse than the Egyptian servitude.

Psalms 10:3 — For the wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire, and blesseth the covetous, [whom] the LORD abhorreth. For the wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire — Though the soul of the wicked desire evil, Proverbs 21:10 , yet he glorieth in it, as did that thrasonical Lamech, Genesis 4:23-24 , and that pyrgopolynices Nebuchadnezzar, Isaiah 10:9-12 Daniel 4:30-31 . See Psalms 52:1 Philippians 3:19 . This the just and jealous God cannot bear, as neither that which

Psalms 106:20 — Thus they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass. Thus they changed their glory — i.e. Their God, Romans 1:23 , the Creator for a contemptible creature. Of an ox that eateth grass — Tunc stercora egerit, et multum inquinatur, as R. Solomon here glosseth. They pretended not to worship the calf, but God in the calf, as did also Jebu, 2 Kings 10:16 ;

Psalms 107:23 — the banks are above it; but the water is naturally higher than the land, and, therefore, sailors observe that their ships fly faster to the shore than from it. But what a bold man, saith the poet, was he that first put forth to sea! (Horat. Od. lib. 1, 3.) Circa pectus erat, qui fragilem truci Commisit pelago ratem Primus, nec timuit praecipitem Africum, … That do business in great waters — Merchants and mariners, who fish, and find almug, or coral, saith Kimchi, who do export and import

Psalms 107:6 — the Lord — Though under a wrong name, it may be, as of Jupiter, Mercury, …; and, in an uncertain way, as Hecuba did with her, O Iupiter quicquid es sive caelum hoc, sive mens, quae vehitur in coelo, …; and as those mariners in John 1:5 , who cried every man to his god, and, lest they might all mistake the true God, they awaken Jonah, to call upon his God. And he delivered them out of their distresses — Out of his general goodness and compassion to the poor creature; like as

Psalms 110:4 — kingly, is here described, whereof how many and how great mysteries there are, see Heb. vii., with the notes. The Church is collected and conserved not only by Christ’s kingly power, but also by his priestly mediation. Thou art a priest — 1. To expiate. 2. To intercede. After the order of Melchisedek — Who whether he were Shem, or some other, is not easy to determine. Melchisedek was a king and a priest. Christ was more, a priest, a prophet, and a king. These offices have met double

Psalms 115:1 — Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, [and] for thy truth’s sake. Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us — This is the godly man’s motto, and his daily practice. See Genesis 41:16 Acts 3:12 ; Acts 3:16 1 Corinthians 15:10 Luke 19:16 . Not we, but thy talents, have gained other five, and other two (Georg. Fabric. Chenmieenses virus de seipso). Sed quicquid potuit, gloria, Christe, tua est. There is no merit at all in us, saith

Psalms 119:17 — repay, to recompense; but therehence to infer matter of merit, on man’s part, is too sandy a foundation for such a lofty Babel. That I may live — Who am in deaths often; and that I may comfortably subsist in the feeling of thy favour, as 1 Samuel 25:6 . And keep thy word — For which end only I desire life. See the like, Psalms 118:17 . Non aliter petit vitam, quam ut praestet se fidelem Dei cultorem, saith Arnobius. David doth no otherwise desire life, than for this, that he may

Psalms 125:3 — their hands unto iniquity. For the rod of the wicked shall not rest — Fall upon the lot of the righteous it may, notwithstanding that former promise of God’s protection; but he will take care they be not tempted above that they are able, 1 Corinthians 10:13 ; he sets the time, and appoints the measure, Psalms 30:5 Revelation 2:10 . Lest the righteous, … — Overcome by impatience, or drawn aside by the world’s either allurements or affrightments, should yield and comply,

Psalms 125:4 — Do good, O LORD, unto [those that be] good, and [to them that are] upright in their hearts. Do good, O Lord, unto those that be good — But afflicted by those men of thy hand, Psalms 17:14 , who are the rod in thine hand, Isaiah 10:5 . Do good in thy good pleasure (for nothing can be claimed by the very best) to such, according to thy promise, Psalms 125:3 , which here I put in suit for them; let the Lord be with the good, 2 Chronicles

Psalms 129:1 — » Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth, may Israel now say: Many a time — Or, much, and long. Have they — i.e. The persecutors that deserve not a name. The rich man is not named (as Lazarus is), because not worthy, Luke 16:19 . They shall be written in the earth, Jeremiah 17:13 . Afflictcted me — i.e. The whole community of saints; spoken of here in the singular, for their, 1. unity; 2. paucity. From my youth — The first that ever died, died for religion;

Psalms 131:2 — my soul; chiding it when distempered or noiseful, as the mother doth her weanling. As a child that is weaned of his mother — Who neither thinketh great things of himself nor seeketh great things for himself; but is lowly and fellowly, Matthew 18:1 , innocent and unaware, taking what his mother giveth him, and resting in her love. My soul is even as a weaned child — Who will not be drawn to suck again, though never so fair and full strutting a breast. So not David, the world’s dugs.

Psalms 18:50 — Jewish doctors, Qui est turris salutis. Oh that those poor creatures would once run to that strong tower and be safe. To David and to his seed for evermore — That is, to Christ (who was made of the seed of David, according to the flesh, Romans 1:3 Acts 13:23 ), and to all faithful Christians, who are called Christ’s seed, Isaiah 53:10 Psalms 72:17 . Filiabitur nomine eius, the name of Christ shall endure for ever, it shall be begotten as one generation is begotten of another; there shall

Psalms 57:6 — fallen [themselves]. Selah. They have prepared a net for my steps — So that I can hardly keep foot out of snare. I dare not lift up one foot till I find sure footing for the other; and that is hard to do. See Saul’s charge to the Ziphites, 1 Samuel 23:22 . My soul is bowed down — I am glad to shrink in myself (as fearful people use to do), that I may shun those gins and snares that they have set to maim and mischief me. They have digged a pit, … — They have forced me

Psalms 91:14 — assurance. Aben Ezra saith that it is the speech of God to his angels. I will set him on high, because he hath known my name — And hence it is that his heart is so set upon me. They that know God’s name will surely trust in him, Psalms 9:10 . "Thy name is as an ointment poured out, therefore do the virgins love thee," Song of Solomon 1:3 . But unkent unkist, as the northern proverb hath it; men, therefore, care not for God because they know not his excellencies.

Psalms 99:5 — humanity; which, although of itself it is not to be adored, because it is a creature, yet as it is received into unity of person with the Divinity, and hath a partner agency with the Godhead according to its measure in the works of redemption and mediation, 1 Timothy 2:4 , it is to be worshipped. But how hard driven was that second synod of Nice, when they abused this text, among many others, to prove the worshipping of images and pictures!

Proverbs 18:18 — The lot causeth contentions to cease, and parteth between the mighty. The lot causeth contentions to cease. — As it did in Joshua 14:2 , where it is remarkable, that Joshua, that lotted out the land, left none to himself; and that portion that was given him, and he content with it, was but a mean one in the barren mountains. So again in Acts 1:26 , where it is remarkable, that this

Proverbs 2:1 — My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; My son. — Fatherly and filial affection ought to be between teacher and hearers. "But who is their father?" 1 Samuel 10:12 "O my father, my father," said he to the dying prophet. 2 Kings 13:14 "Dwell with me, and be unto me a father and a priest," said that idolatrous Micah to the wandering Levite. Judges 17:10 Popish novices do so observe

Proverbs 3:20 — By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew. The depths are broken up, — viz., Those great channels and hollow places made in the earth, to hold the waters, Genesis 1:9 that they may not overflow the earth; and this the very philosophers are forced to confess to be a work of divine wisdom. Others by "depths" here understand fountains and floods breaking out, and as it were flowing from the nethermost parts