Bible Commentaries

1 Kings 12:3 — the act of the multitude, that shallow brained, but great and many headed beast. Jeroboam they picked as one that had been a prime officer amongst them; one that had suffered banishment for speaking freely for them, that was a mighty man of valour, 1 Kings 11:28 and that had God’s promise of the kingdom by the prophet Ahijah, who was also of the same tribe. And Rehoboam and all the congregation. — An importable subsidy in Henry VIII’s time, procured by Cardinal Wolsey, was, by

1 Kings 21:1 — his undoing; as it befell the Templars, after whose possessions Philip king of France sorely longed, and wrought their extirpation. Hard by the palace of Ahab. — And so in his eye: hence his covetousness - called by St John the lust of the eye 1 John 2:16 - concerning which Ambrose hath written an excellent Treatise, well worth the reading of all rich men. Into this palace it is probable that wounded Joram was carried to be cured, 2 Kings 8:29 and that through a window thereof Jezebel was cast

1 Kings 22:19 — Jehoiakim had cut Jeremiah’s roll with a pen knife, and cast it into the fire, Baruch, by the prophet’s appointment, wrote a new copy, and added besides thereunto many like words. Jeremiah 36:23 I saw the Lord sitting on his throne. — See 1 Kings 22:10 . So when Moses had seen God at the burning bush, how little cared he for Pharaoh’s frowns and threats! On his right hand, and on his left. — We should in this sort represent God to our minds in the entrance of our prayers; Omnino

1 Kings 6:2 — cubits. And the house which king Solomon built for the Lord. — For his settled habitation among the children of Israel. And forasmuch as the Lord their God was above all gods, 2 Chronicles 2:5 a great God, a mighty and a terrible, Deuteronomy 10:17 therefore Solomon set up this most glorious and sumptuous edifice that ever was in the world, in honour of the divine Majesty, and for a type of Christ, "in whom dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." Colossians 2:9 The length

2 Kings 16:10 — Urijah the priest the fashion of the altar, and the pattern of it, according to all the workmanship thereof. To meet Tiglathpileser. — As well to congratulate his victory, as further to ingratiate; but God crossed his expectation, 2 Chronicles 28:18 ; 2 Chronicles 28:20-21 ; 2 Chronicles 28:23 because he trusted in the arm of flesh, and hoped for help from the Syrian gods, who yet could not help their own proper servant, whom he worshipped to curry favour, likely, with Tiglathpileser. And king

2 Kings 23:3 — commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all [their] heart and all [their] soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people stood to the covenant. And the king stood by a pillar. — See 2 Kings 11:14 . To walk after the Lord. — To be in communion with him, and in conformity unto him. This is elsewhere called walking with God, and walking before God. And all the people stood to the covenant. — They pretended and professed so to do;

1 Chronicles 12:18 — This he spake by the motion of the spirit, met by a motion of the same spirit wrought in David’s heart, causing him to rest in what Amasai said as undoubtedly true. After the same manner is saving faith wrought in God’s elect. Ephesians 1:13 Let us be faithful in weakness, though but weak in faith.

2 Chronicles 30:18 — passover otherwise than it was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, The good LORD pardon every one Many of Ephraim and Manasseh, … — Who had been a long while without God, without law, and without a teaching priest; 2 Chronicles 15:3 these came rudely and unreverently to the passover, and some way smarted for it. In the gospel, he that came in without a wedding garment on his back, went not out without fetters on his feet. And "for this cause many are weak and sickly amongst

2 Chronicles 34:12 — together the stones of those walls. Alexander Aphrodisaeus gives this reason, why porters go singing under their burdens: because their minds being delighted with the sweetness of their music, the body may feel the less weight under the burden. Probl. 1, Num 78.

Ezra 8:15 — tents three days: and I viewed the people, and the priests, and found there none of the sons of Levi. And I gathered them together to the river — There was their first rendezvous, at the meeting of two rivers; whereof that country was full, Psalms 137:1 , and therefore fertile as the garden of the Lord, whereof it was a part, as most geographers are of opinion. And there abode we in tents — Glad we had our faces set toward Zion (going weeping, …, Jeremiah 50:4-5 ), and our backs upon

Ruth 4:10 — the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye [are] witnesses this day. Moreover Ruth the Moabitess. — But a proselyte: not such as were Solomon’s mistresses of Moab, who caused him to sin, Nehemiah 13:26 but such as was Jether, by nature an Ishmaelite, 1 Chronicles 2:17 but by his faith and religion an Israelite. 2 Samuel 17:25 Have I purchased to be my wife. — Neither could he pay too dear for such a purchase, since procul prae unionibus

1 Samuel 10:6 — And the Spirit of the LORD will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man. And the Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee. — Not that free or princely spirit Psalms 51:12 that David prayed for, - and had, no doubt, - but a common spirit of prophecy and of government. And thou shalt prophesy with them. — This was for the time only, as Balaam’s ass spake, saith Augustine; Lib. ii. ad Simplician., Quest.

1 Samuel 15:6 — Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for ye shewed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. And Saul said unto the Kenites. — Who were the posterity of Jethro, Judges 1:16 who, though he went not with Israel, yet some of his children did, and were helpful. They dwelt at this time in the borders of Amalek, but in tents, as did their issue, the Rechabites, - they are therefore warned to move their habitations, lest they

1 Samuel 16:13 — Ramah. Then Samuel took the horn of oil. — Not a cruse or phial, as when Saul and Jehu were anointed, to show the short continuance of their kingdom, say some. And anointed him in the midst of his brethren, — i.e., Amongst them all, as Deuteronomy 18:15 Exodus 33:5 . Not in the presence of them all; for then Saul might soon have heard all. Seven may keep counsel, if six be away. And the Spirit of the Lord came upon David. — Not the spirit of felicity only, as R. Levi, but the spirit of fortitude,

1 Samuel 19:24 — manner, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Wherefore they say, [Is] Saul also among the prophets? And he stripped off his clothes also, — i.e., His upper garments, or arms, as his messengers had done before. Isaiah 20:2 Micah 1:8 And prophesied before Samuel. — The same God which did at first put an awe of man upon the fiercest creatures, hath stamped in the cruellest hearts a reverent respect to his own image in his ministers: so as even they that hate them, do yet

1 Samuel 2:27 — the Hebrews will have it, or some other prophet extraordinarily raised up by God, to show Eli and his sons their ingentia beneficia, flagitia, supplicia. Yet some good divines hold that this prophecy is part of that sent afterwards to Eli by Samuel, 1 Samuel 3:11-14 and here set down by way of anticipation. Did I plainly appear unto the house of thy father? — viz., Of Aaron, of whom thou art descended by Ithamar. This referreth, saith Lyra, to Exodus 4:27 , before which time Aaron was a prophet,

1 Samuel 5:8 — do but beat upon cold iron. Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried about. — It was so, by a providence, through all the five cities of the Philistines, Veluti tributum per singulas poenam violatae religionis exigens, Joseph., lib. vi. cap. 1. thus exacting the tribute of just punishment upon them all, for religion violated.

2 Samuel 2:30 — that were shut up in times of peace. Wherefore Lactantius Instit., lib. vi. cap. 20. thought it not lawful for a just man to be a warrior: whose justice was to be his warfare. Some Anabaptists also hold the same. But God is called a man of war, Exodus 15:3 and said to have war with Amalek; Exodus 17:16 he sendeth the sword; Ezekiel 14:17 mustereth the men; Isaiah 13:4 ordereth the ammunition; Jeremiah 50:25 batheth the sword in heaven. Isaiah 34:5 David fought his battles. 1 Samuel 25:28 Captain Cornelius,

2 Samuel 24:13 — That is, Shall there to the three bygone years of famine, and to this Sabbatical year - qui nova messe destitutus priora damna resarcire non potest, which, having no new harvest, cannot make up the losses of the last years - be added three more such? 1 Chronicles 21:11 Or that there be three days’ pestilence in the land? — An extraordinary pestilence, inflicted by the hand of a destroying angel. Hippocrates Pestem το Yειον , vocat. In Prognost. But how

2 Samuel 8:4 — And David took from him a thousand [chariots], and seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen: and David houghed all the chariot [horses], but reserved of them [for] an hundred chariots. And David took from him a thousand chariots. — As 1 Chronicles 18:4 . And the seven hundred horsemen were ranks of horsemen, ten in a rank, and so make seven thousand (ib.). Josephus saith that he slew five thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen. Of David’s houghing the horses he maketh