Bible Commentaries

Genesis 29:22 — together all the men of the place, and made a feast. And made a feast. — Never more seasonable, surely, than at the recovery of the lost rib. The wedding day is called, "The day of the rejoicing of a man’s heart". Song of Solomon 3:11 Our Saviour graced such a feast with his presence and first miracle: he supplied them with wine to glad their hearts; not with a little, for health’s sake only, but with a great quantity, for sober delight and honest affluence. It is noted as

Genesis 31:32 — reckons up five virtues of the tongue that perfect a man: but Peraldus Perald., tom. i., p. 264. recounts twenty-four various vices of it, that, if not restrained, will work his ruth (distress) and ruin. It should seem by that of our Saviour Matthew 12:37 that a man’s most and worst sins are his words. And St Paul, making the anatomy of a natural man, stands more upon the organ of speaking than on all the other members: Romans 3:9-18 Let therefore thy words be few, true, and ponderous. An open

Genesis 39:8 — bond of perfections, as Paul saith of charity. It is the ribbon or string that ties together all those precious pearls, the graces, as Peter saith of humility. εγκομβωσασθε . 1 Peter 5:5 It is, as Basil saith of the same grace, caeterarum virtutum θησαυροφυλακιον , the storehouse of other virtues; and, as Chrysostom, the mother, and root,

Genesis 45:22 — to Benjamin he gave three hundred [pieces] of silver, and five changes of raiment. But to Benjamin he gave, … — God gives his best blessings to his Benjamins. "He is the Saviour of all men, but specially of them that believe." 1 Timothy 4:10 "The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind, the Lord raiseth them that are bowed down"; - these are common favours: but behold a better thing; - "the Lord loveth the righteous." Psalms 146:8 This is more than all the rest.

Genesis 49:21 — Naphtali [is] a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words. Naphtali is a hind let loose. — Swift of foot; and which, when it flieth, looketh behind it, saith the Chaldee Paraphrast on Song of Solomon 8:14 . This was fulfilled in Barak of this tribe, who "went up on his feet" against Sisera’s iron chariots, Judges 4:6 ; Judges 4:10 ; Judges 4:15-16 which were first a terror, and afterwards a scorn, as Vegetius Veget., lib. i. cap. 24.

1 Kings 17:1 — word. And Elijah the Tishbite. — So he is called of his country. The Hebrews tell us In Genesi, magn. cap. 37. of another name that he had before that acclamation drawn by him from the people, "The Lord he is God, the Lord he is God." 1 Kings 18:39 Elijah signifieth, "My God, he is the Lord." This wonder working prophet - who comes to our knowledge as, another Melchizedek, "without father or mother, or descent" Hebrews 7:3 Genesis 14:18 - observing Ahab’s

1 Chronicles 1:1 — whom nothing is read in human histories, as neither indeed of anything else that is truly ancient till the Theban and Trojan wars, as Diodorus Siculus confesseth, - and show how by him the world was populated, according to that first promise, Genesis 1:28 and the descant of some ancients upon the name of Adam. A, that is, Aνατολη , or the east; D , that is, Dυσμος , the west; A , that is, Aρτος , the north; and

Ezra 3:2 — — Which therefore, in their father Jacob’s sense, Genesis 33:20 , they might safely have called El, Elohe-Israel, that is, God, the God of Israel, putting the sign for the thing signified. Thus also the ark is called God’s face, Psalms 105:4 ; yea, even God himself, Psalms 132:5 . As it is written in the law of Moses — This was the rule they wrought by. God requireth to have a reasonable service, Romans 12:1 , such as whereof we can render a reason out of his word; he hateth a

Ezra 8:21 — restraint from food, fine clothes, and other delights of life. There is a threefold fast, saith one, from meat, from mirth, and from sin; this last crowns all. Unless God sees turning, he sees no work in a fast, saith another, explaining that text, John 3:10 , "God saw their works, that they turned." Of a fast, See Trapp on " Joel 2:12 ". That we might afflict ourselves before our God — Not outwardly only (that is but the shell, Isaiah 58:3 ), but inwardly also, for that is the

Ezra 9:12 — loathing, neither measure nor mixture, but sweetest varieties, felicities, eternities. And leave it for an inheritance — Personal goodness is profitable to posterity: the righteous shall leave inheritance to his children’s children, Proverbs 13:22 . God never casteth out his good tenants, nor leaveth his servants unprovided for. See Psalms 103:17 ; Psalms 112:1-2 .

Nehemiah 2:2 — best. Those stoics that said a wise man must be merry, though sick, when sickness came, were convinced, se magnificentius locutos esse quam verius, that they spake rather bravely than truly. And therefore Cicero to a merry life requireth three things: 1. To enjoy health. 2. To possess honour. 3. Not to suffer necessity. Faith in Christ is more to the purpose than any or all of these. This is nothing else but sorrow of heart — The heart commonly sitteth in the conntenance, and there showeth how

Nehemiah 4:16 — . But it was his God that instructed him to this discretion, and taught him, Isaiah 28:26 , and he might well break out and sing, with David, "Blessed be the Lord, my strength, which teacheth my hands to war and my fingers to fight," Psalms 144:1 . Quando Christus Magister, quam cito dicitur quod docetur? saith Austin. God’s scholars must needs be exact in a short space. And the habergeons — These were armour for back and breast. In the Christian armour there is no mention of

Nehemiah 9:28 — — As standing pools breed vermin; as sedentary lives are subject to diseases. If men be not poured out from vessel to vessel, they will soon settle upon their lees. "Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God," Psalms 55:19 , saith David, of the wicked; and Psalms 30:1-12 , David himself was afflicted, delivered, and then grew wanton. Then troubled again, Nehemiah 9:7 , cries again, Nehemiah 9:8-9 . God turns his mourning to joy again; whereof if he surfeited not, it

Esther 1:20 — voluntary subjection and obedience; but that he never had, nor any other that took the like course. Those husbands that will be honoured indeed by their wives must give honour to them as to the weaker vessels, as being heirs together of the grace of life, 1 Peter 3:7 .

Leviticus 19:17 — quickened with the vinegar of reproof. The eagle, though she loveth her young ones dearly, yet she pricketh and beateth them out of the nest. And not suffer sin upon him. — But save him "with fear, pulling him out of the fire." Judges 1:23 Out of the fire of hell, as Jerome Ex igne gehennali. - Jer. interprets it, which sin suffered will bring him unto. Others read it thus: Lest thou suffer for his sin; which, by not opposing, thou makest to become thine own. To withstand evil in thy

1 Samuel 12:3 — taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received [any] bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you. Whose ox have I taken? — So Moses purgeth himself, Numbers 16:15 that he had not taken a hoof of any one: and St Paul to the same purpose in many places; as Acts 20:33 1 Corinthians 9:18 , …: and Greg. Nazianzen, Orat. 32. Quid populure hunc per avaritiam circumvenimus? nunquid privatis utilitatibus consuluimus?

1 Samuel 22:8 — Hist. That my son hath stirred up my servant. — It was neither so nor so: but only his jealous mind made him to think so, because David was come into the land with forces; and Jonathan absented himself from court ever since Saul cast a javelin at him. 1 Samuel 20:33

1 Samuel 8:5 — but they had the itch of innovation, and would needs be of the mode of other nations. And besides all this, there was another pad lay in the straw, and that was the fear of Nahash, king of Ammon, who was now making great preparations against them. See 1 Samuel 12:12 . And hence this headlong and preposterous desire of theirs to change their aristocracy, or rather theocracy, as Josephus calleth it, into a monarchy: a king they would have upon any terms. And thy sons walk not in thy ways. — But

2 Samuel 10:4 — Corinthians, whose city they razed and destroyed for some contumelious speeches given to their ambassadors. But Hanun did not only reproach and revile these men, sed turpiter deformavit Legatorum vultum et vestitum, but basely deformed and abused them, 1 Chronicles 19:4 which the Vulgate rendereth, Decalvavit, rasit, praecidit tunicas eorum, making it a threefold indignity and ignominy that he put upon them. And shaved off the one half of their beards. — Which, amongst the Greeks and the Egyptians,

2 Samuel 16:23 — viii. And of Polybius, the historian, it is reported, that Scipio never miscarried in any enterprise, carried on according to his counsel. Both with David and with Absalom. — David’s chief counsellors were God’s testimonies: Psalms 119:24 to these as to the test he brought all counsel given him, whether by Ahithophel or any other; and held it for a rule that if any "spoke not according to these, it was because there was no light in them." Isaiah 8:20 Indeed, Absalom and