Bible Commentaries

Proverbs 20:9 — saith the proud Pharisee and the Popish justiciary. Non habeo, Domine, quod mihi ignoscas: I have nothing, Lord, for thee to pardon, saith Isidore the monk. When St Paul, that had been in the third, heaven, complains of his inward impurities, Romans 7:15 and though he should have known no evil by himself, yet durst he not look to be thereby justified. 1 Corinthians 4:4 And holy Job could say, "If I wash myself with snow water, and make my hands never so clean; yet God would plunge me in the ditch,

Proverbs 25:16 — is a satiety of all things, and by excess the sweetest comforts will be dissweetened, as Epictetus also observed. It is therefore excellent counsel that the holy apostle giveth, that "those that have wives be as if they had none," …; 1 Corinthians 7:29 that we hang loose to all creature comforts, and be weanedly affected towards them, considering that licitis perimus omnes. We generally most of all overshoot ourselves in the use of things lawful, as those recusant guests did, Matthew

Isaiah 22:8 — he that is the enemy took the city; Hoc enim significat nudari operimentum - i.e., Protectionem Iudae; or, as others sense it, Zeged., Diodat., Oecolamp. God took away his protection, the rampart and defence of their country; see Exodus 32:25 Numbers 14:9 Micah 1:11 or the enemy destroyed the temple, wherein the Jews so foolishly confided. Jeremiah 7:4 To the armour of the house. — To anything but whom they should have looked unto. Our hearts are topped full of harlotry, ready to shift and shark

Isaiah 30:3 — shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt [your] confusion. Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame. — They that consult not with God "consult shame to their own houses"; Hebrews 2:10 and because they despise him, they shall be lightly esteemed. 1 Samuel 2:30 When any came to Bacon and Burleigh, Queen Elizabeth’s gravest counsellors, with a project or design of raising her revenue, or promoting her interest, they would ask

Isaiah 59:7 — paths. Their feet run to evil, … — They trot apace toward hell; they take long strides, as if they feared lest hell should be full before they come thither. And they make haste to shed innocent blood. — This is taken from Proverbs 1:16 , and fitly applied by St Paul to the whole race of mankind, Romans 3:15 since by nature there is never a better of us; we are all in a pickle: Ecce hic telas arantarum et ova aspidum explicat. A Lapide. Wasting and destruction are in their paths.

Isaiah 7:16 — proper sign of this present deliverance as Isaiah 8:4-7 made so by occasion of the mention of Immanuel, that was to be born, many years after, of a virgin. The land that thou abhorrest. — Or, By which thou art vexed. as Isaiah 7:6 Confer Exodus 1:12 Numbers 22:3 . So the Danes were abhorred by the English, the French by the Sicilians, as appeared by those bloody vespers. Shall be left of both her kings. — Who shall be cut off by a seasonable vengeance. See this fulfilled 2 Kings 15:30

Isaiah 9:8 — Tamerlane, that warlike Scythian, displayed first a white flag in token of mercy; and then a red, menacing and threatening blood; and then, lastly, a black flag, the messenger and ensign of death, was hung abroad. And it hath lighted upon Israel. — (1.) They were not ignorant of such a word; Isaiah 9:9 (2.) They could neither avert nor avoid his wrath.

Jeremiah 26:10 — least; and it was well done of them here to pass an impartial sentence for the innocent prophet against the priests and people. But Pilate did so for a while for our Saviour; and these princes soon after turned Jeremiah’s cruel enemies Jeremiah 37:15 for his plain dealing. Jeremiah 34:1-7 And sat down in the entry of the new gate. — The east gate, saith the Chaldee paraphrast; called the new gate because repaired by Jotham, 2 Kings 15:35 saith Lyra.

Jeremiah 3:6 — complaineth that it did likewise in King Edward VI’s days, who was our English Josiah, among the great ones especially, who were very corrupt. She is gone up upon every high mountain, — sc., Ever since Solomon’s mind began to be corrupted, 1 Kings 11:4 and now she smarteth for it; yet is not Judah warned by her example.

Jeremiah 34:14 — thee six years, thou shalt let him go free from thee: but your fathers hearkened not unto me, neither inclined their ear. At the end of seven years let ye go. — He layeth before them God’s law, which they had transgressed, out of Exodus 21:2 Deuteronomy 15:12 . A law so full of equity, humanity, and benignity, that the more honest heathens approved and observed it, as the Romans and Athenians. Only these latter had an action at law (which they called ‘ Aποστασιον

Jeremiah 35:4 — should hear of it. The son of Igdaliah, a man of God. — A priest and prophet or teacher of the people. So in the New Testament others are called God’s children, his servants, and his people, but ministers only are called God’s men. 1 Timothy 6:11 2 Timothy 3:17 Which was by the chamber of the princes. — Or, Of the prefects of the temple, that were next under the high priests.

Jeremiah 41:17 — place to place; but being out of God’s precincts they were also out of his protection, and could expect no good. And they departed, and dwelt in the habitation of Chimham, which is by Bethlehem. — Where it seemeth that David, or Solomon, 1 Kings 2:7 had given him some lands, which he called by his own name, as men love to do, Psalms 49:11 Goruth Chimham. Josephus saith there is a village near Bethlehem that is still so called. See 2 Samuel 19:38 . To go to enter into Egypt. — This

Jeremiah 41:2 — Gedaliah and his guests were mero graves, saith Josephus, merry with wine, and so less able to resist. And the ten men that were with. — They and their followers being pugnaces et audaces, barbarous and brutish persons, skilful to destroy. Ezekiel 21:31 And smote Gedaliah the son of Ahikam. — See on Jeremiah 41:1 . And slew him whom the king of Babylon had made governor. — Yea, for that very cause, per invidiam et libidinem regnandi. So true is that of the tragedian, a “ Simul

Jeremiah 50:2 — pieces; her idols are confounded, her images are broken in pieces. Declare ye among the nations. — Let all take notice of the good news; there shall be a general jail delivery, sing therefore Io triumphe. Say, Babylon is taken. — So Isaiah 21:9 . Bel is confounded. — This Bel was Nimrod, whose nephew Ninus set him up for a god. Merodach (a restorer of their empire, Merodach σκηπρουχος sive Sceptrifer Chaldaica appellatione.

Ezekiel 1:7 — of burnished brass. And their feet were straight feet. — Importing their right progress in executing God’s will. We must also "make straight or even paths for our feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way." Hebrews 12:13 See Ezekiel 1:9 . And the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf’s foot — Round, and therefore easily turned. Hoc ad agilitatem et varietatem cursus spectat. The angels, because they see every way, so they are apt to go every

Ezekiel 16:48 — dangerous, as the preachers make them. Their hearts are good, their penny good silver, … The prophet Isaiah lost his life, say the Rabbis, for calling the rulers of Jerusalem rulers of Sodom, and the people of Judah people of Gomorrah. Isaiah 1:10

Ezekiel 33:25 — Wherefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Ye eat with the blood, and lift up your eyes toward your idols, and shed blood: and shall ye possess the land? Ye eat with the blood. — Which wicked Saul would not do, 1 Samuel 14:32-34 much less would righteous Abraham have done it, since it was against the light and letter of the law. Genesis 9:4 Leviticus 7:26 Deuteronomy 12:16 Nay, ye do worse things; and are you Abraham’s children, and heirs of the promised

Ezekiel 37:1 — they were moved or carried out by the Holy Ghost. 2 Peter 2:22 In the spirit, — i.e., In a spiritual rapture. And set me down. — Not really, but visionally. In the midst of the valley. — That same valley, some think, where Ezekiel 1:3 he saw that glorious vision. Prophecies were often received, and prayers are best made, in one and the same place. Which was full of bones. — So it appeared to him in his ecstasy.

Ezekiel 41:19 — So that the face of a man [was] toward the palm tree on the one side, and the face of a young lion toward the palm tree on the other side: [it was] made through all the house round about. So that the face of a man. — See Ezekiel 1:10 . And the face of a young lion towards the palm tree. — The palm tree, as it grew best in Judea, so it is probable that from the temple at Jerusalem it came at first, that the heathens put the palm for a sign of victory, and that the picture

Ezekiel 44:7 — sanctuary, to pollute it, [even] my house, when ye offer my bread, the fat and the blood, and they have broken my covenant because of all your abominations. Strangers. — Yourselves are no better; Amos 9:7 strangers from the covenants; Ephesians 2:12 degenerate children, Isaiah 1:4 alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in you, Ephesians 4:18 and through your blind leaders of the blind, priests of your own making, … Uncircumcised in heart. — Erroneous in judgment. Uncircumcised