Bible Commentaries

Genesis 45:1 — him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. Then Joseph could not refrain. — No more can Jesus, in the extreme afflictions of his brethren, Isaiah 42:14 he must cry like a travailing woman; which, though she bite in her pain for a while, cannot long contain. As Croesus’s dumb son burst forth into, "Kill not King Croesus." Aνθρωπε, μη κτεινε

Genesis 49:27 — to do evil, and to consent unto it, - "he made havoc of the Church," like a ravening wolf; "entering into houses also, and haling men and women to prison." Yea, he lies "breathing out threatenings and slaughter," Acts 9:1 panting and windless, as a tired wolf: and, having recovered himself, is marching toward Damascus for more prey, but, met by the chief Shepherd, of a wolf, he is made a lamb, Isaiah 11:6 not once opening his mouth, unless it were to crave direction;

Genesis 50:24 — and worldly felicity with Joseph. His nephews, the Ephraimites, attempted, before the time, their own deliverance, not long after Joseph’s death, even while their father Ephraim was yet alive, but with ill success, to his great grief and regret. 1 Chronicles 7:22 Psalms 78:9 Hasty work seldom ends well: how this of mine will do, I know not, made up, as it might be, in little more than four month’s space, amidst manifold fears and distractions, at spare hours; and bearing date from mine

2 Kings 11:1 — on to this tragic fact by ambition - which ever rideth without reins - and zeal for Baalism, which - to her grief - she saw was now rooted out by Jehu in the kingdom of Israel. Such another imperious whorish woman - as the Scripture speaketh Ezekiel 16:30 - was Semiramis, queen of Assyria; Herodot. Tullia, the wife of Tarquinius Superbus; L. Flor. Irene, empress of Constantinople, and mother of Constantinus Copronymus - whose eyes she put out to make him incapable of the empire, that she might reign

Ezra 10:1 — contribute some tears of compunction and compassion towards the filling of God’s bottle, as they had done sins toward the filling of his bag. Of men, women, and children — Anashim, Venashim, … A woman is a man, cut short by the head, 1 Corinthians 11:3 . Here was a general meeting of all sexes and sizes joined together, to cut sin’s cart ropes. For the people wept very sore — They could not wash their hands in innocency, they, therefore, washed them in tears; they knew

Ezra 10:6 — drink water: for he mourned because of the transgression of them that had been carried away. Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God — Where God had promised to hear prayers for Christ’s sake, whereof that house was a type. See Ezra 10:1 . And went into the chamber of Johanan — As a fit meeting place, where they might consider, consult, and give counsel. Over the council chamber at Venice is written, Let nothing be done here against the public welfare. A professor of the Turks’

Nehemiah 1:1 — Histories; yet did it so well, ut praerepta non praebita facultas scriptoribus videatur, said Aulus Hirtius, that historians had their work done to their hands; he wrote with the same spirit he fought, saith Quintilian, Eodem animo dixit, quo bellavit, lib. 10. And it came to pass — This book then is a continuation of the former; Nehemiah being a third instrument of procuring this people’s good, after Zerubbabel and Ezra; and deservedly counted and called a third founder of that commonwealth,

Nehemiah 2:1 — presence. And it came to pass in the month Nisan — Time and place is to be registered of special mercies received. "This shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall praise the Lord," Psalms 102:18 . In the twentieth year of Artaxerxes — Surnamed Longhand, as our Edward I was called Longshanks, and another Longespee, or Longsword. This Longhand is renowned for the fairest among men in that age, Mακροχειρ

Esther 1:7 — wandering about. to use Seneca’s expression. According to the state of the king — For whom it was not unlawful to feast, so to show his liberality toward his peers, and courtesy to his people. But that which was blameworthy in him, was, 1. His vain glory. 2. His prodigality. 3. His wasting of time. 4. His neglect of business. 5. His contempt of the true God, not once acknowledged by him or his guests. Lastly, their profane mirth and jollity, without the least note of sanctity or respect

Esther 6:12 — Meanwhile, he doth not envy his superiors, insult over his inferiors, trouble his equals, threaten his enemies, …, but committeth himself and all his affairs to God’s good pleasure and providence; and this is the guise of a godly man, Psalms 131:1-2 . But Haman hasted to his house mourning — Or, vexed at heart, fretting within himself, that he was so very much disappointed. Merrily he made account to have gone to the queen’s feast, when he had first trussed up Mordecai. Of which

Esther 9:18 — thirteenth day thereof, and on the fourteenth — What they could not do on one day they did it on another. Men must be sedulous and strenuous in God’s work, doing it with all their might, and redeeming time for that purpose, Ecclesiastes 9:10 . On both these days they destroyed their enemies — They did their work thoroughly. Let us do so in slaying our spiritual enemies; not sparing any Agag, not reserving this Zoar or that Rimmon; but dealing by the whole body of sin as the king

Job 3:11 — I not give up the ghost? … — Why was I not forthwith carried ab utero ad urnam? from the womb to the tomb, from the birth to the burial? True it is, that infants have the seed of death in them, and the principle of corruption, Romans 5:14 . Every one (say some chemists) hath his own balsam within him; his own bane it is sure that he hath. But why should Job be so weary of life, and so wish to be rid of it? Is not life a great mercy? Doth not the philosopher affirm, that a pismire excelleth

Numbers 33:38 — that it bodes no good to us, that God pulls such props and pillars out of our building. But this by way of digression, to satisfy my great grief for so dear a friend deceased, as David did for his brother Jonathan, and made him an epitaph. 2 Samuel 1:17

Deuteronomy 26:5 — God, A Syrian ready to perish [was] my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous: A Syrian ready to perish. — Jacob, whose original was from Haran in Syria, Genesis 11:31 and whose abode had been with Laban the Syrian, in much poverty, affliction, and misery. Hosea 12:12 How low and mean were we of this nation at first! Brith signifies blue-coloured, sc., with woad: hence we were called Britons. Instead of fine clothes

Deuteronomy 9:4 — should look to come to glory, not by their own merits, but alone by the virtue and merit of the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ; that they should place their whole confidence in his death only, and in no other thing! Dr Ussher, Ser. on Ephesians 4:13 . … Those justiciaries, that seek to be saved by their works, Luther fitly calls the devil’s martyrs; they suffer much, and take much pains to go to hell, and by their much boasting, Haec ego feci, haec ego feci, they become no better

Joshua 1:8 — translated into French, but was himself very studious in "the holy Scriptures, which are able to make" a man "wise to salvation." For then thou shalt make thy way prosperous. — Piety hath prosperity. See Trapp on " Joshua 1:7 "

Joshua 21:1 — of due belonging to them by virtue of God’s command, whom only, and not the people, they were to acknowledge for their benefactor. Neither hath he made worse provision for the ministers of the gospel than he did for the priests of the law. See 1 Corinthians 9:13-14 . But many have learned of Julian the apostate, to take away ministers’ maintenance, pretending conscience, for that too much living was a burden to them, and a hindrance to their ministry.

Judges 10:6 — the LORD, and served not him. And the children of Israel did evil again, — viz., After Jair’s death. Great is the loss of a good magistrate. Israel now did worse than ever; they did proficere in peius, as the apostle hath it. 2 Timothy 3:13 Now they affect a πολυθεσιης , such as the heathens round about them then had, and such as Socrates, an honest pagan, derided, and in despite of them swore by an oak, a goat, a dog, as holding

1 Samuel 19:17 — escaped? And Michal answered Saul, He said unto me, Let me go; why should I kill thee? He said unto me, Let me go; why should I kill thee? — This was a second lie, as it is usual with liars to lay one lie upon another, and a worse than that former. 1 Samuel 19:14 If that were an officious lie, this was surely a pernicious one: slandering her husband to save herself. How much better the wife of Polixenus, who was sister to Dionysius, the tyrant: and when her husband, being accused of treason, was

1 Samuel 30:16 — the historian; that is, by security and negligence, destructive to both parties. Balth., Exner. Val. Max., Christ., p. 379. Eating and drinking, and dancing. — Or, Keeping holiday. So Abraham found and routed Chedorlaomer and his army: Genesis 14:15 Ahab, the Syrians: 1 Kings 20:16 Tomyris, the Persians: the Turks, twenty thousand Dutchmen in Joppa, drinking themselves drunk upon Martin’s day, their arch-saint. Justin. In the fight at Bannockburn, in Scotland, Full., Holy War. where the