Bible Commentaries

Lamentations 1:5 — chief, her enemies prosper; for the LORD hath afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions: her children are gone into captivity before the enemy. Her adversaries are the chief. — Heb, Are for the head. This was threatened. Deuteronomy 28:13-14 ; Deuteronomy 28:43-44 This, when it happens, is a great grief to the godly. Therefore the prophet Nahum, for the comfort of God’s Israel, is wholly in setting forth the destruction of their enemies, the Assyrians. Her enemies prosper. —

Ezekiel 13:5 — — Reclaimed the people from their impieties, those inlets of plagues, nor interceded for them by your prayers to God to turn away wrath, but hastened it. Ye have built indeed a wall, and daubed it with mortar, but such as is untempered, Ezekiel 13:10 arena sine calce, like ill architects. Neither made up the hedge. — To keep foxes out of God’s vineyard; it is even opentide. To stand in the battle. — As David’s three worthies did in the barley field and delivered it. 1

Ezekiel 15:2 — The Jews took upon them, because a "vine brought out of Egypt," and such as God’s own right hand had planted. But insomuch as they were now become fruitless and also useless "trees twice dead, plucked up by the roots," Judges 1:12 what had they to glory in above other nations? Surely they were therefore worse than others, because they ought to have been better. True it is that a vine in itself, considered with the fruit it beareth, is no contemptible tree. But if it be withered

Ezekiel 16:8 — thou becamest mine. Behold, thy time was the time of love. — When thou wast both fit for marriage, and desirous of it. For as the man misseth his rib, so the woman would be in her old place again, under the man’s arm or wing. See Ruth 3:1 ; Ruth 3:9 . And I spread my skirt over thee. — See Ruth 3:9 . See Trapp on " Ruth 3:9 " I covered thy nakedness, and took thee into my care and company as a wife. A marriage rite is imported by this expression. Yea, I sware unto thee,

Ezekiel 18:6 — the house of Israel, neither hath defiled his neighbour’s wife, neither hath come near to a menstruous woman, And hath not eaten upon the mountains, — i.e., Hath not offered there to idols; for at their sacrifices they feasted. Exodus 32:1-6 The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. See Ezekiel 20:28 Hosea 4:13 . Neither hath lift up his eyes to the idols. — As every Papist doth daily, and is therefore no righteous person, such as is here described. Neither helpeth

Ezekiel 34:29 — the whole earth. And they shall be no more consumed with hunger. — They shall have enough of all good things, a sufficiency, though not a superfluity; a David’s sat habeo, because the Lord hath heard the voice of my supplications. Psalms 116:1 Neither bear the shame of the heathen any more. — God will bring them in credit with those which formerly slighted and reproached them. God fashioneth men’s opinions, ruleth their tongues, promiseth to them who, by patient continuance

Ezekiel 39:9 — both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves, and the spears, and they shall burn them with fire seven years: And they that dwell. — Hyperbolical expressions; though the Jews hold otherwise. See on Ezekiel 39:1 . Shall set on fire and burn the weapons. — Do not the Church’s champions so at this day, ever since they proclaimed and proved the Pope to be that antichrist; burning up his weapons - his false doctrines and heresies - by the fire of God’s

Ezekiel 45:7 — lie on both sides of the oblation of the holy portion; and Song of Solomon 8:9 magistrates are required to hem ministers in with boards of cedar, i.e., to provide for their security, that they may be "without fear among them," as Timothy. 1 Corinthians 16:10

Ezekiel 47:3 — Yεος αιει γαωμετρει , God is always measuring the world. The waters were to the ankles. — Grace is but a small thing at first; no more is the gospel. Matthew 13:31-33 The Church were at first but a very few, Acts 1:15 that is, one hundred and twenty, of all the great multitudes which had formerly followed Jesus: Sed vix diligitur Iesus propter Iesum. It was more for the loaves than any great love that the

Ezekiel 7:13 — return, scil., void and ineffectual, but shall be accomplished. Neither shall any strengthen himself in the iniquity of his life. — That is but an ill defence. "The spirit of power and of a sound mind" are fitly set together. 2 Timothy 1:7 Men’s iniquity will be their ruin. Munster rendereth the text thus: For that whenas the vision was to the whole multitude thereof, no man returned, neque ullus propter iniquitatem suam pro anima sua se roberabat; neither did any one (by reason

Daniel 1:2 — repentance, as the sun, do interpose, and cause it to clear up. With part of the vessels. — Not all as yet, by a sweet providence, and for an instance of God’s patience. Which he carried into the land of Shinar. — Or, Babylonia, Genesis 11:2 a part of the garden of Eden, as most geographers think, but now "the seat of Satan." as Revelation 2:13 To the house of his god. — Jupiter Belus. See on Isaiah 46:1 .

Daniel 11:1 — Also I in the first year of Darius the Mede, [even] I, stood to confirm and to strengthen him. Also I, — i.e., I, Gabriel the angel, glad of such an office, for the good of God’s people, whereunto also I was sent by Christ. Daniel 10:9-10 In the first year of Darius the Mede. — Who now began to think of sending home the captive Jews, but had some hesitations and fluctuations of mind about it. I stood to confirm and to strengthen him. — Angels cannot enlighten the mind,

Daniel 8:3 — golden fleece and full of flesh. This was the Persian monarch; who is also said to stand, because of his slow motion and sluggish disposition; and "before the river," because the Persians ruled over many nations, signified by waters. Revelation 17:1 A ram stalketh stately before the flock as a captain; but they are only sheep which he leadeth. Let a dog but lay his nose over the hedge, and away they run all: so did the sheepish cowardly Persians before Alexander. Which had two horns. —

Daniel 9:13 — in and sanctify, his hammers (afflictions) do but beat upon cold iron. Jeremiah 2:30 Yet made we not our prayer. — Little or no right prayer was made by the captives all those seventy years (and yet they had their set yearly fasts, Zechariah 7:1-5 ), because they failed therein both quoad fontem et quoad finem. See Trapp on " Zechariah 7:5 " That we might turn from our iniquities. — This they had no mind to, therefore they lost those prayers they made; they fasted to themselves

Amos 8:1 — of summer fruit. Thus hath the Lord God showed unto me — viz. in this fourth vision, whereby (for better assurance, and to shake them out of their desperate security) Israel’s utter ruin is again foretold by a lively type, which is here, 1. propounded; 2. expounded, Amos 8:3 ; Amos 8:5 , that he may run that readeth it, and none may fall, but with open eyes, Habakkuk 2:2 . And behold a basket — Made up haply in the form of a dog, as the word Calub seemeth to import. Of summer fruit

Nahum 3:18 — [in the dust]: thy people is scattered upon the mountains, and no man gathereth [them]. Thy shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria — This apostrophe to the king is emphatic. He is given to know that his nobles and officers, Micah 5:4-6 ; Micah 7:14 , his councillors of state, and greatest politicians, should be benighted, and not know what counsel to give or course to take. Or, they slumber, that is, they are dead, as Psalms 77:6 . And this is more agreeable to that which followeth: Thy nobles

Zechariah 1:21 — horn over the land of Judah to scatter it. What come these to do? — He asketh not what they were? for by their tools or weapons he perceived they were carpenters or smiths (as some think), with iron instruments to break these iron horns; confer 1 Kings 22:11 . He inquireth, therefore, of their employment only. Futilous and foolish questions should be avoided, Titus 3:9 . So that no man did lift up his head — Turn head, or look cheerfully, as Luke 21:28 . But these are come to fray them

Zechariah 6:7 — through the earth. So they walked to and fro through the earth. And the bay went forth, … — Junius reads it, And the strong, or confirmed ones; that is, the angels, armed with power and authority from God for the execution of his will: Isaiah 10:34 "Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one," that is, by an angel. 2 Thessalonians 1:7 , they are called the angels of God’s power; and elsewhere, principalities and powers. And sought to go, that they might walk to and fro through the

Matthew 2:21 — hell as Egypt, Ezekiel 20:7-8 where the Israelites having been for a time, brought back with them a golden calf; Jeroboam brought home two; and these good souls could not but get and gather guilt or grief. Hence David’s moans at Mesech, Psalms 120:5 Lot’s vexation at Sodom, Jeremiah’s wish for a cottage in the wilderness, far enough off from those adulterers and assemblies of treacherous men, those sacrificing Sodomites, Jeremiah 9:2 of whom it might be said, as Aaron of the people,

Matthew 8:17 — sicknesses, Revelation 2:22 . She had stretched herself upon a bed of security, she shall be cast, another while, upon a bed of sickness. Asa had laid the prophet by the heels; and now God lays him by the heels, diseasing him in his feet, 2 Chronicles 16:12 . Sin is a universal sickness, Isaiah 1:5-6 ; like those diseases which the physicians say are corruptio totius substantiae. And our lives are fuller of sins than the firmament of stars or the furnace of sparks. Hence all our bodily distempers,