Bible Commentaries

Genesis 16:2 — husband, as many a cranky dame would have done. It may be that I may obtain children by her. — Heb., Be builded by her; as God "made the midwives’ houses," that is, gave them children, for their mercy to the poor children,and Exodus 1:21 as he promised to make David a house, 2 Samuel 7:11-12 that is, to give him seed to sit upon his throne. Sarai’s aim was good here, but the means she used naught. She was too hasty; Abram too facile; both to blame, for want of faith, and violation

Genesis 19:24 — sake of the godly, and, but for them would suddenly be ruined. Isaiah 30:33 Rained upon Sodom, … — Rained, not sprinkled; and not fire only, but brimstone and fire for increase of torment, and for a hell above ground, and aforehand. Judges 1:7 Hot fire they had for their burning lusts; and stinking brimstone for their stinking brutishness. Charles II, king of Navarre, was much given to sensual pleasures, which so wasted his spirits, that in his old age, he fell into a kind of lethargy.

Genesis 32:30 — face, and my life is preserved. I have seen God face to face. — Christ would not tell Jacob his name, to lift up his mind above what he saw of him, and to insinuate that his name was "Wonderful," his essence incomprehensible. Judges 13:17-18 And whereas Jacob said here, he had "seen God face to face": he means only, praesens praesentem, as Moses spake with God "mouth to mouth". Numbers 12:8 He saw not God’s majesty and essence; for he is a God "that

Genesis 34:26 — more sharply reprove it here? Ans. First, he considered God’s just judgment on the Shechemites; who, without the knowledge and faith of God, had profaned the sacrament of circumcision. A sin that God suffers not to pass without a sensible check, 1 Corinthians 11:29-30 in his dearest children; how much less in strangers and enemies? The Donatists, that cast the holy elements of the Lord’s Supper to dogs, were devoured of dogs. He that came without his wedding garment, was taken from the

Genesis 34:29 — wealth, and all their little ones, and their wives took they captive, and spoiled even all that [was] in the house. And all their wealth, — Or, Power: for in a man’s wealth is his power; yea, it is his "tower of strength," Proverbs 18:11 and so much he is valued at, as he is able to disburse. See Trapp on " Genesis 31:1 " And spoiled even all that was in the house. — So dealt Minerius at Merindol; Charles V, at Magdeburg; the bloody Papists, at the Parisian massacre.

Genesis 38:15 — her [to be] an harlot; because she had covered her face. He thought her to be an harlot. — Because she sat in an open place: first, In bivio, saith Junius, where there is liberty of looking every way; the guise and garb of harlots. Proverbs 7:12 ; Proverbs 9:14 Ezekiel 16:24-25 Next, she sat covered: whores were not altogether so shameless then as now: they shun not to be seen with bold and bare faces, breasts, and wrists. Hosea 2:2 - "Let her take away her fornication from her face,

Genesis 5:24 — And Enoch walked with God: and he [was] not; for God took him. And Enoch walked with God. — And so “condemned the world”: Hebrews 11:7 first, by his life; secondly, at his death. By his life, in that he kept a constant counter-motion to the corrupt courses of the times; not only not swimming down the stream with the wicked, but pronouncing God’s severe judgment against them,

Numbers 19:2 — damnation of hell. That they bring thee. — At a common charge, because for a common good. All the congregation must get them a bloody Saviour. A red heifer. — Typing out Christum cruentatum, Christ covered with his own blood: see Isaiah 63:1-2 white and ruddy, as the Church says of him: Song of Solomon 5:10 Tam recens mihi Christus crucifixus, ac si iam fudisset sanguinem. Luther. The pressure of his sufferings made him sweat great drops, or rather clods of blood, in a cold night, besides

Numbers 20:10 — ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? Hear now, ye rebels. — They could hardly hear, for the belly hath no ears, and their tongues scarce knew to utter any language but that of Samson, "Give me water, or I die." Judges 15:18 But why did Moses speak to them, when he should have spoken to the rock only? Numbers 20:8 This was ill; but worse to speak so unadvisedly. He struck at the rock, and as ready almost to split against it, he makes two arguments against it. (1.) Hear

Deuteronomy 23:5 — the world’s disorders, turning dross into gold by a stupendous alchymy, and directing men’s evil actions to a good end. Hence it is that they fulfil - though they intend no such thing, but the satisfying of their own lusts - neither Isaiah 10:5-7 more nor less than "what the hand and counsel of God hath determined." Acts 4:28 ; Acts 13:27 Howbeit the hands that nailed Christ to the cross were "wicked hands." Acts 2:23 And Judas the traitor received strangling and shedding

Deuteronomy 32:21 — which are] not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation. And I will move them to jealousy. — Thus God delights to retaliate and proportion jealousy to jealousy, provocation to provocation; so frowardness to frowardness, Psalms 18:26 contrariety to contrariety. Deuteronomy 28:18 ; Deuteronomy 28:21 , … With a foolish nation. — With the conversion of the Gentiles, Romans 10:19 which the good Jews could not easily yield to at first. Acts 11:2-3 And the rest could

Joshua 10:1 — fitter for Messiah the Prince, - for it signifieth the same in effect with Melchizedek, "which is by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is King of peace," - than Hebrews 7:2 for such a tyrant. Judges 1:7 But it is nothing new for that kind of men to affect glorious titles, as did Antiochus Soter, Ptolomeus Euergetes, … The great Turk styleth himself at this day, Awlem Penawh, that is, the world’s refuge. Grand Sign. Serag., 148. Had heard

Judges 14:19 — always, but when and as long as the Lord pleased. The prophets also had not always the gift of prophecy: nor the apostles the power of working miracles. And he went down to Ashkelon. — Which was one of the five chief cities of the Philistines, 1 Samuel 6:17 where, by a bold attempt, he slew in that populous place thirty men of that tyrannical and accursed nation; the rest of the citizens running away, likely, and hiding themselves for fear of Samson. Did ever any Hercules do the like? The proverb

Judges 18:30 — sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land. And the children of Dan set up the graven image. — Animated, doubtless, by their good success against Laish, foretold them by that oracle. See 2 Thessalonians 2:10 . See Trapp on " 2 Thessalonians 2:10 " And Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh. — Of Moses by nature, but of Manasseh that notorious idolater, by imitation: In accuratissimis libris Nun in "Manasseh" suspensum

1 John 2:15 — world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Love not the world — You fathers, and you young and strong men, let me caution you (before I speak again to the little children, 1 John 2:18 ), to beware of worldliness. A man may be very mortified, and yet very apt to dote on the world. If any man love the world — Have it he may, and use it too, as the traveller useth his staff (which either he keeps or casts away, as it

1 John 5:15 — know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. We know that we have — Iste vir potuit quod voluit, That man could do what he would with God, said one concerning Luther. See Trapp on " John 15:16 " We have the petitions that we desired of him — If we can perceive and discern that God listeneth, the thing is done. Now the former we may find, first, by a cast of God’s countenance, by a smile of his face, Psalms 22:24 ; Psalms

1 John 5:5 — fair, and saw there sundry commodities to be sold, Quam multis ego non egeo? Nec habeo, nec careo, nec curo, as another said, I neither have these things, nor need them, nor care for them. He hath his feet where other men’s heads are, Proverbs 15:24 ; Revelation 12:1 . He sets not his desire upon the asses, since he is assured of the kingdom. He looks upon the world as Hiram did on the cities Solomon had given him, which he called Cabul, that is, the land of dirt. His eye is upon Uranople,

Revelation 8:1 — half an hour. The seventh seal — The business or parts whereof are the seven trumpets, that sound a dreadful alarm against the Roman empire, ready now to be ruined for the innocent blood, and upon the instant suit of the martyrs, Revelation 6:10 . There was silence in heaven — That is, in the Church on earth, often called the kingdom of heaven. This half an hour’s silence was either for horror and admiration, or for ardent expectation, or (as some will have it) for religious awe

Ruth 1:11 — build the tower of godliness, let them consider first, and cast up what it will cost them, lest they with shame give over in the midst, and "lose the things that they have wrought": but that they may "receive a full reward." 2 John 1:8 Are there yet any more sons in my womb? — If you aim at worldly advantage, or are acted by sinful selflove in this your enterprise, I have not for you, nor am likely to accommodate you. See Luke 9:57 . Sed vix diligitur Iesus propter Iesum,

Ruth 4:15 — a restorer of thy life. — A joyless life is a lifeless life. Mortis habet vices quae trahitur vita gemitibus. Such had been Naomi’s life for a long while, till now that God had raised her up a restorer. "Now we live," … 1 Thessalonians 3:8 And a nourisher of thine old age. — Children should nourish their old parents, and supply their wants, αντι πελαργων . Storks and mice feed their dams when old: boughs