Bible Commentaries

1 Kings 13:24 — of God against sin in his very own! Neither can all their obedience bear out one disobedience, against a particular express command especially, as in our first parents, Moses, Jonas, …, may be seen. Abhor therefore that which is evil, Romans 12:9 and fear Almighty God - as those mongrels did 2 Kings 17:33 - if but for his lions. The Bethelites might well see in this dreadful execution how much God abhorred them, and easily forsee what heavy judgments would be inflicted upon them for their

2 Chronicles 36:16 — messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till [there was] no remedy. But they mocked the messengers of God. — Yea, misused them, murdered them. See 2 Chronicles 30:10 Matthew 21:34-36 . Until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people. — Desperate sinners procure implacable wrath, irrevocable decrees, exterminating judgments. Men’s sins put thunderbolts into God’s hands, who may well say, Non

Ezra 10:9 — and baffling from day to day, till it be all too late? Remember the foolish virgins, and be wiser. It was the ninth month — Which was the month of May, saith Diodati; counting September for the first, after the manner of the Persians, Esther 2:16 ; and this great rain, being out of the accustomed season, was somewhat prodigious, and seemed to portend God’s wrath, as 1 Samuel 12:17 . Others make it to be in December, the deep of winter; which, though it be an ordinary time of rain (whence

Nehemiah 9:26 — sufficiently disgrace them. This is the property and practice of the true penitentiary. They cast thy law behind their backs — That is, they vilipended and undervalued it. God drew them by the cords of a man (so the cords of kindness are called, Hosea 11:4 , because befitting the nature of a man, and likeliest to prevail with rational people), but they, like men (or rather like beasts), transgressed the covenant; and, as if God had even hired them to be wicked, so did they abuse all his benefits to

Esther 2:19 — or other officer, saith Severus; and he attended still upon his office, not fawning on Esther, nor prowling for preferment. His ambition was to be quiet, and to do his own business, intra pelliculam suam se continere, Negotiorum familiarium curator: 1 Thessalonians 4:11 , φιλοτιμεισθαι ησυχαζεν , high seats he knew were never but uneasy, and long robes cannot but contract much soil.

Esther 2:2 — for the king: Then said the king’s servants — His friends, saith Josephus, to whom he had opened his mind; the young courtiers, say others (green wood is ever shrinking and warping), but most probably those seven chief counsellors, Esther 1:14 , who had persuaded him to cast off Vashti, and now feared, lest if not some way diverted, he should fall as foul upon them as his predecessor Darius did upon those claw backs, Daniel 6:24 or as the Athenians did upon Timagoras, Demagores, and Euagoras,

Esther 9:25 — another what great things the Lord had done for them; relating all the particulars. All honourable mention was then made of Esther and Mordecai; neither was Haman’s malice instanced without utmost detestation. So true is that of Solomon, Proverbs 10:7 , "The memory of the just is blessed (or, is with praises, μετ εγκωμιων , as the Septuagint there render it); but the name of the wicked shall rot," as now doth the name of the gunpowder

Esther 9:31 — means be neglected, but that, renewing their resolutions and their reasons for the same, they might remain constant and firm and peremptory in well doing, cleaving to God with full purpose of heart, and sitting close unto the Lord without distraction, 1 Corinthians 7:35 . And as they had decreed for themselves — Heb. For their souls; for the soul is the man, and the greatest thing in the least compass is a good mind in a man’s body. The matters of the fastings and their cry — Heb.

Job 11:13 — If thou prepare thine heart, and stretch out thine hands toward him; If thou prepare thine heart — viz. To meet God, Amos 4:12 , humbly submitting to his justice, and heartily imploring his mercy. The sum of what Zophar saith in the following verses is this: If thou truly repent, thou shall prosper; as if not, thou shall perish. This he might have said more fitly to most of

Job 12:23 — whether against a single man or a whole nation, Job 34:29 , when he once taketh them to do. "The wicked shall be turned into hell," and (that they may not hope to escape because a multitude) "all the nations that forget God," Psalms 9:17 . Soon after the flood the Babel builders were scattered; Sodom and her sisters were not only consumed with fire from heaven, Genesis 19:23-29 , but thrown forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire, Judges 1:7 . Some nations were

Job 13:24 — out of increasement of love, as Joseph did to his brethren; and is never so near us as when, with Mary Magdalene, we are so bleared with tears for his absence, that we cannot see him, though at hand. A child of light may walk in darkness, Isaiah 50:10 , which, when he doth, he must resolve, as Isaiah 8:17 , I will wait upon the Lord, who hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look tbr him: he must also in that dark condition cast anchor, as they did in the shipwreck, Acts 27:29-30 ,

Job 19:7 — Job’s great grief was, that neither God nor man would regard his moans or deliver him out of the net. God did not rescue him, men did not right him or relieve him. His outcry seemeth to be the same in effect with that of Habakkuk the prophet, Habakkuk 1:2-3 , "O Lord, how long shall I cry and thou wilt not hear? even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save? Why dost thou show me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? for spoiling and violence are before me: and there are those

Job 2:2 — And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. And the Lord said unto Satan, … — See Job 1:7 . From going to and fro in the earth — In heaven he comes not; into that earthly paradise he could screw himself, not so into the heavenly. No dirty dog ever trampled on that golden pavement; those that are there are extra iactum outside have

Job 3:19 — The small and great are there; and the servant [is] free from his master. The small and the great are there — In Calvary are skulls of all sizes, say the Hebrews. Stat sua cuique dies (Virg. Aeneid, lib. 1 0). It is appointed for all once to die, be they great or small, low or high. Mors sceptra ligonibus aequat, death makes no difference; kings and captives, lords and lowlies come, then under an equal parity; death takes away all distinctions. William

Job 4:1 — fuisse, that he had been little better than a dissembler. A causeless and uncharitable charge; enough to have driven him into desperation. The Rabbis speak so well of Job’s three friends, that they used to say in a Proverb ( Bava bathra Perech 1 ), Let a man either get him such friends as Job had, or else get him out of the world (like as Chrysippus was wont to say, Aut mentem, aut restim comparandam ). But Gregory the Great saith, that these three, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, do fitly set

Ruth 3:13 — deliberate, and be sure to come clear to it, if thou expect comfort. If he will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman. — Let "no man go beyond, or defraud his brother in any matter, because that the Lord is the avenger of all such," 1 Thessalonians 4:6 and no man would himself be deceived or wronged. As the Lord liveth. — This was an oath. Jeremiah 4:2 A private oath may be taken, but sparingly and warily, not but upon a necessity, for the satisfaction of the other party, Matthew

Ruth 4:12 — the midwife called him, because he would needs be born before his brother, and carried away the first birthright: and afterwards became happy in a numerous and honourable posterity, though he were basely begotten, and that in incest also. Genesis 38:15 ; Genesis 38:18 ; Genesis 38:29 See Trapp on " Matthew 1:3 " This prayer of the people for Boaz and Ruth God graciously heard and granted: for they: had children, and wealth, and honour: of them came many and mighty kings, yea, "Messiah

1 Samuel 19:1 — dearly loved? How grossly mistaken was Saul! how shameless and impudent! This was in peius proficere: wicked men grow worse and worse, till wrath come upon them to the utmost. And to all his servants. — Who were, while, great admirers of David, 1 Samuel 18:5 but now cold friends at best; not one of them speaks for him, and not a few of them are ready to act against him, according to the courtier’s motto, Quicquid regi placet, mihi placet; whatsoever pleaseth the king shall please me. Jonathan

1 Samuel 2:9 — He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail. He will keep the feet of his saints. — This is a lower love and courtesy than to keep their hands. John 13:5-6 He keepeth them from utter prolapsion, from devoratory evils, as Tertullian speaketh, so as that either they fall not at all, - stumble they may, but they get ground by their stumbling, - or if they fall, they shall arise; for the Lord putteth

2 Samuel 11:3 — Unclean creatures went by couples into the ark: so do sins into the soul. Fornication is the devil’s nest-egg, saith one, and causeth many sins to be laid one to and upon another. Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam? — Or Ammiel, 1 Chronicles 3:5 who was the son of Ahithophel, 2 Samuel 23:34 who might, for the dishonour done by David to his niece Bathsheba, be the readier to conspire against him, and to take part with Absalom. Hugo, Salianas. The wife of Uriah the Hittite? —