Bible Commentaries

1 Kings 10:28 — horses out of Egypt, a band of the king’s merchants fetched a band (or troop) of horses at a price.” But the reading is very uncertain. The Septuagint had before them a different one, which they render “and from Tekoa.” Tekoa, the home of Amos Amos 1:1, was a small town on the route from Egypt to Jerusalem, through which the horses would have naturally passed. The monuments of the 18th and of later dynasties make it clear that the horse, though introduced from abroad, became very abundant in Egypt.

Psalms 106:46 — putting forth of this power we should most fervently pray. The “literal” rendering of this verse would be, “And he gave them to compassions before all those that made them captive.” That is, he inclined them to show favor or compassion. Compare Dan 1:9; 1 Kings 8:50.

Psalms 132:17 — There will I make thy horn of David to bud - The horn was an emblem of power; and then, of success or prosperity. See the notes at Luke 1:69. The word rendered “to bud” means to grow, or to shoot forth as a plant, or as grass grows; and then it may be applied to anything which shoots forth or grows. The allusion here would seem to be to a horn as it shoots forth on the head of an animal.

Psalms 38:5 — My wounds stink - The word rendered “wounds” here means properly the swelling or wales produced by stripes. See the notes at Isaiah 1:6; notes at Isaiah 53:5. The meaning here is, that he was under chastisement for his sin; that the stripes or blows on account of it had not only left a mark and produced a swelling, but that the skin itself had been broken, and that the flesh had become

Psalms 59:1 — Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God - See the notes at Psalms 18:48. This prayer was offered when the spies sent by Saul surrounded the house of David. They had come to apprehend him, and it is to be presumed that they had come in sufficient numbers, and with sufficient power, to effect their object. Their purpose

Psalms 66:11 — Thou broughtest us into the net - That is, Thou hast suffered or permitted us to be brought into the net; thou hast suffered us to be taken captive, as beasts are caught in a snare. See the notes at Psalms 9:15. The allusion here is to the efforts made by their enemies to take them, as hunters lay gins, or spread nets, to capture wild beasts. The idea here is, that those enemies had been successful; God had suffered them to fall into their hands. If we suppose

Psalms 69:25 — special reference to an encampment, or a collection of tents. The Septuagint renders it here ἔπαυλις epaulis, meaning a place to pass the night in, especially for flocks and herds. The Hebrew word - טירה ṭı̂yrâh - is rendered “castles” in Genesis 25:16; Num 31:10; 1 Chronicles 6:54; “palaces” in Song of Solomon 8:9; Ezekiel 25:4; “rows” in Ezekiel 46:23; and “habitation” in this place. It does not occur elsewhere. Here it means their “home,” - their place of abode, - but with no particular reference

Ecclesiastes 12:5 — High - The powerful and the proud, such persons as an old man in his timidity might shrink from opposing or meeting: or, high ground which old men would avoid ascending.Fears ... in the way - Compare Proverbs 26:13.The almond tree - The type of old age. Many modern critics translate “The almond shall be despised,” i. e., pleasant food shall no longer be relished.The grasshopper - Rather: “the locust.” The clause means, heaviness and stiffness shall take the place

Isaiah 2:8 — Their land also is full of idols - compare Hosea 8:4; Hosea 10:1. Vitringa supposes that Isaiah here refers to idols that were kept in private houses, as Uzziah and Jotham were worshippers of the true God, and in their reign idolatry was not publicly practiced. It is certain, however, that though Uzziah himself

Isaiah 30:10 — Which say to the seers - The prophets (see the note at Isaiah 1:1).See not - They desire not that they should communicate to them the will of Yahweh.Prophesy not unto us right things - It is not probable that they “openly” demanded of the prophets that they should declare falsehood and deceit, but their conduct

Isaiah 30:8 — perverseness.Write it before them - Before the Jews themselves, that they may see the record, and may have it constantly before them.In a table - Or ON a table. The word לוח lûach denotes a tablet either of stone to engrave upon Deuteronomy 9:9; Exodus 31:18; or of wood 1 Kings 7:36. It is not improbable that this was to be exposed to public view in some conspicuous place near the temple.And note it - Engrave it; that is, record it.In a book - On parchment, or in the usual way of writing (see the note

Amos 3:8 — God’s prophets dare not but fear. So Paul saith, “necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me if I preach not the Gospel! For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, a dispensation” of the Gospel “is committed unto me” 1 Corinthians 9:16-17; and Peter and John, “whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye! For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” Acts 4:19-20; Moses was not excused, though slow of

Numbers 32:42 — by the Machirites, plainly intimate that it was effected by a few chiefs of great military prowess, who overran rapidly a far larger district than they could colonize. The father of Jair, however, Segub, was of the tribe of Judah (compare Numbers 27:1, and note; 1 Chronicles 2:21-22), and it is likely that the Manassite leaders induced many of the more adventurous of this tribe, and some possibly of other tribes, to join them in their enterprise against Bashan (see Joshua 19:34).The Machirites did

Zechariah 13:4 — many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together and burned them before all, and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. So mightily,” Luke subjoins, “grew the word of God and prevailed” Acts 19:13-20.Neither shall wear a rough garment to deceive Feigning themselves ascetics and mourners for their people, as the true prophets were in truth. The sackcloth, which the prophets wore Isaiah 20:2, was a rough garment of hair Isaiah 22:12; Jeremiah

Malachi 2:9 — Therefore have I made you contemptible - They had said in their hearts Malachi 1:7, “The table of the Lord is contemptible.” So God would requite them “measure for measure.” Yet not only so, but in their office as judges, against the repeated protestations in the law Leviticus 19:15, “Thou shalt not respect the person of the poor,

Matthew 11:14 — Elias ... - That is, “Elijah.” Elias is the “Greek” mode of writing the Hebrew word “Elijah.” An account of him is found in the first and second books of Kings. He was a distinguished prophet, and was taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire, 2 Kings 2:11. The prophet Malachi Malachi 4:5-6 predicted that “Elijah” would be sent before the coming of the Messiah to prepare the way for him. By this was evidently meant, not that he should appear “in person,” but that one should appear with a striking resemblance

Matthew 23:15 — of the rites of the Jews, but were not circumcised or baptized. Twofold more the child of hell - That is, twice as bad. To be a child of hell was a Hebrew phrase, signifying to be deserving of hell, to be awfully wicked. Compare the notes at Matthew 1:1. The Jewish writers themselves say that the proselytes were “scabs of Israel,” and “hindered the coming of the Messiah” by their great wickedness. The Pharisees gained them either to swell their own numbers, or to make gain by extorting their money

Matthew 4:22 — Left their father - This showed how willing they were to follow Jesus. They showed us what we ought to do. If necessary, we should leave father, and mother, and every friend, Luke 14:26. If they will go with us, and be Christians, it is well; if not, yet they should not hinder us. We should be the followers of Jesus. And, while in doing it we should treat our friends kindly and tenderly, yet we ought at all hazards to obey God,

Deuteronomy 6:10-25 — point of quitting a normal, life for a fixed and settled abode in the midst of other nations; they were exchanging a condition of comparative poverty for great and goodly cities, houses and vineyards. There was therefore before them a double danger;(1) a God-forgetting worldliness, and(2) a false tolerance of the idolatries practiced by those about to become their neighbors.The former error Moses strives to guard against in the verses before us; the latter in Deuteronomy 7:1-11.Deuteronomy 6:13The

Joshua 10:1 — Adoni-zedec - i. e “Lord of righteousness” (compare Melchizedek, “King of righteousness”); probably an official title of the Jebusite kings.Jerusalem - i. e. “foundation of peace,” compare Genesis 14:18. The city belonged to the inheritance of Benjamin Joshua 18:28, but was on the very edge of the territory of Judah Joshua 15:8. Hence, it was the strong and war-like tribe of Judah which eventually captured the lower part of the city, most likely