Bible Commentaries

1 Kings 11:4 — Old - About fifty or fifty-five. From his age at his accession (1 Kings 2:2 note) he could not have been more than about sixty at his death.The true nature of Solomon’s idolatry was neither complete apostasy - an apostasy from which there could be no recovery; nor a mere toleration, rather praise-worthy than blameable.

1 Kings 3:2 — “the people sacrificed in high-places.” (Compare the next verse.) The Law did not forbid “high-places” directly, but only by implication. It required the utter destruction of all the high-places which had been polluted by idolatrous rites Deuteronomy 12:2; and the injunction to offer sacrifices nowhere except at the door of the tabernacle Leviticus 17:3-5 was an indirect prohibition of them, or, at least, of the use which the Israelites made of them; but there was some real reason to question whether

1 Kings 9:15 — Levy - See the marginal reference note.Millo - See 2 Samuel 5:9 note. The Septuagint commonly render the word ἡ ἄκρα hē akra, “the citadel,” and it may possibly have been the fortress on Mount Zion connected with the Maccabean struggles (1 Macc. 4:41; 13:49-52). Its exact site has not been determined.And the wall of Jerusalem - David’s fortification 2 Samuel 5:9; 1 Chronicles 11:8 had been hasty, and had now - fifty years later - fallen into decay. Solomon therefore had to “repair the

Psalms 119:18 — Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate. The Hebrew word means to be naked; then to make naked, to uncover, to disclose, to reveal. Here it is the same as “uncover;” that is, take away from the eyes what is before them to prevent clear vision. Compare Numbers 22:31; Numbers 24:4, Numbers 24:16.That I may behold wondrous things - Things which are suited to excite wonder and amazement: that is, things which are secret or hidden from the common view; the deep, spiritual meaning of the word of God. By natural vision

Psalms 18:25 — or wrong us.Thou wilt show thyself merciful - Thou wilt evince toward him the same character which he shows to others. It is in accordance with this that the Saviour teaches us to pray, “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors,” Matthew 6:12. And in accordance also with this he said, “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses,” Matthew 6:14-15.With an upright

Isaiah 17:10 — Because thou ... - Because the kingdom of Israel or Samaria had done it.The God of thy salvation - The God in whom alone was salvation; or who alone could protect thee (compare Micah 7:7; Hosea 2:15).The rock of thy strength - God. A rock of strength is a strongly fortified place; or a rock which an enemy could not successfully assail. High rocks were selected as a place of refuge from an invading foe (see the notes at Isaiah 1:10, Isaiah 1:21).

Hosea 1:11 — como sumo sacerdote. Y saldrá de la tierra - "subir" o "subir" es un título de dignidad; desde donde, en nuestro tiempo, se dice que la gente sube a la metrópoli o la universidad; y en la Sagrada Escritura, “subir” o “subir” fuera de Egipto ( Génesis 13:1; Génesis 45:25, etc.), o Asiria 2 Reyes 17:3; 2 Reyes 18:9, 2 Reyes 18:13; Isaías 36:1, Isaías 36:1 o Babylon 2 Reyes 24:1; Esdras 2:1; Esdras 7:6; Nehemías 7:6; Nehemías 12:1, a la tierra prometida, o del resto de la tierra al lugar que

Zechariah 5:7 — And behold there was lifted up a talent of lead - the heaviest Hebrew weight, elsewhere of gold or silver; the golden talent weighing, 1,300,000 grains; the silver, 660,000; here, being lead, it is obviously an undefined mass, though circular , corresponding to the Ephah. The Ephah too was the largest Hebrew measure, whose compass cannot now, with certainty, be ascertained . Both probably

Matthew 17:2 — was transfigured before them - The word “transfigure” means to change the appearance or form. It does not denote the change of the substance of a thing, but simply of its appearance. It puts on a new aspect. What this change was we are expressly told.1. His face shone as the sun; that is, with a special brightness. A similar appearance is described respecting Moses when he came down from the mount, Exodus 34:29-30. See also Hebrews 1:3, where Christ is called the brightness of the glory of God: in

Matthew 19:1 — considerable lapse of time occurred between his last discourse in the preceding chapter and what is recorded here, and several important events have been recorded by Luke and John which occurred in the interval, as the sending out of the seventy disciples Luke 10:1-16; the Saviour’s going up to the feast of Tabernacles, and his final departure from Galilee, passing through Samaria Luke 9:51-56; John 7:2-10; the healing of the ten lepers Luke 17:11-19; the public teaching of Jesus at the feast of Tabernacles

Matthew 25:35-36 — I was an hungered - The union between Christ and his people is the most tender and endearing of all connections. It is represented by the closest unions of which we have knowledge, John 15:4-6; Ephesians 5:23-32; 1 Corinthians 6:15. This is a union - not physical, but moral; a union of feelings, interests, plans, destiny; or, in other words, he and his people have similar feelings, love the same objects, share the same trials, and inherit

Acts 16:3 — Him would Paul have ... - This was an instance of Paul’s selecting young men of piety for the holy ministry. It shows: (1) That he was disposed to look up and call forth the talent in the church that might be usefully employed. It is quite evident that Timothy would not have thought of this had it not been suggested by Paul. The same thing education societies are attempting

Acts 26:18 — To open their eyes - To enlighten or instruct them. Ignorance is represented by the eyes being closed, and the instruction of the gospel by the opening of the eyes. See Ephesians 1:18.And to turn them from darkness to light - From the darkness of paganism and sin to the light and purity of the gospel. Darkness is an emblem of ignorance and of sin, and the pagan nations are often represented as sitting in darkness. Compare the

Romans 1:9 — interest which he felt in their welfare This interest was manifested in his prayers, and in his earnest desires to see them. A deep interest shown in this way was well suited to prepare them to receive what he had to say to them.Whom I serve - See Romans 1:1; compare Acts 17:23. The expression denotes that he was devoted to God in this manner; that he obeyed him; and had given himself to do his will in making known his gospel.With my spirit - Greek, ἐν en, in my spirit, that is, with my “heart.” It is

Romans 15:15 — the Gentile party (Whitby). Some refer it to different “parts” of his epistle - on some subjects (Stuart). Probably the expression is designed to qualify the phrase “more boldly.” The phrase, says Grotius, “diminishes” that of which it is spoken, as 1 Corinthians 13:9, 1Co 13:12; 2 Corinthians 1:14; 2 Corinthians 2:5; and means the same as “somewhat more freely;” that is, I have been induced to write the more freely, “partly” because I am appointed to this very office. I write somewhat more freely

1 Corinthians 1:22 — remarkable manner in past times, and they greatly prided themselves on that fact, and always demanded it when any new messenger came to them, professing to be sent from God. This propensity they often evinced in their contact with the Lord Jesus; Matthew 12:38; Matthew 16:1; Mark 8:11; Luke 11:16; Luke 12:54-56. Many mss., instead of “sign” here in the singular, read “signs” in the plural; and Griesbach has introduced that reading into the text. The sense is nearly the same, and it means that it was a

Joshua 1:11 — Prepare you victuals - The order was probably given with the knowledge that the manna would cease when the host crossed the Jordan Exodus 16:35, and possibly because amidst their preparations there might not be opportunity to gather it in sufficient quantity. Nor does it appear that manna ever formed the whole and sole sustenance of the people. (Compare Numbers 20:1 note.)It is the view

2 Thessalonians 2:2 — Para que pronto no se te olvide - La palabra aquí utilizada significa, apropiadamente, ser movido como una ola del mar, o ser arrojado sobre las olas , como un recipiente es. Entonces significa ser sacudido de cualquier manera; ver Mateo 11:7; Mateo 24:29; Lucas 6:38; Hechos 4:31; Hebreos 12:26. La referencia aquí es a la agitación o alarma que se siente al creer que el día del juicio ocurrirá pronto. Se dice uniformemente en las Escrituras, que el enfoque del Señor Jesús para juzgar

1 John 2:18 — Niños pequeños - Ver 1 Juan 2:1. Es la última vez - El período de cierre o dispensación; esa dispensación en la que los asuntos del mundo finalmente se van a cerrar. Sin embargo, el apóstol no dice que el fin del mundo ocurrirá pronto, ni tampoco sabe cuánto tiempo duraría

Revelation 2:1 — at EphesusThe contents of the epistle to the church at Ephesus - the first addressed - are these:The attribute of the Saviour referred to is, that he “holds the stars in his right hand, and walks in the midst of the golden candlesticks,” Revelation 2:1. (2)He commends them for their patience, and for their opposition to those who are evil, and for their zeal and fidelity in carefully examining into the character of some who claimed to be apostles, but who were, in fact, impostors; for their perseverance