Bible Commentaries

Exodus 2:18 — Reuel - Or, as in Numbers 10:29, “Raguel.” The name means “friend of God.” It appears to have been not uncommon among Hebrews and Edomites; e. g. Genesis 36:4, Genesis 36:10. If Reuel be identified with Jethro, a point open to grave objection (see Exodus 3:1), then Reuel was his proper name, and Jether or Jethro, which means “excellency,” was his official designation.

1 Kings 15:6 — The writer repeats what he had said in 1 Kings 14:30, in order to remind the reader that Abijam inherited this war from his father. Abijam’s war is described in marginal reference That the author of Kings gives none of its details is agreeable to his common practice in mere military matters. Thus he gives no details of Shishak’s expedition, and omits Zerah’s expedition altogether.

1 Kings 7:14 — Hiram’s mother, while by birth of the tribe of Dan, had had for her first husband a man of the tribe of Naphtali. (Compare this verse and margin reference.)All his work - The work that he personally did for Solomon seems to have been limited to metal-work, and indeed to works in brass. (See below, 1 Kings 7:45, and compare 2 Chronicles 4:16.)

Leviticus 2:14 — Green ears of corn - Rather, “fresh ears of corn;” that is, just-ripe grain, freshly gathered. Parched grain, such as is here spoken of, is a common article of food in Syria and Egypt, and was very generally eaten in ancient times.Beaten out - Not rubbed out by the hands, as described in Luke 6:1, but bruised or crushed so as to form groats.

Leviticus 9:1-6 — Leviticus 9:1On the eighth day - i. e., on the first day after the week of consecration.Leviticus 9:2A young calf - A bull calf, which might have been what we should call a yearling ox.Leviticus 9:3A kid of the goats - A shaggy he-goat. See Leviticus 4:23 note.Leviticus 9:6The glory of the Lord - Compare Exodus 16:7.

Hosea 6:6 — entonces: "Tendré misericordia y no sacrificio", dice, en efecto, lo mismo que Juan: "Si un hombre dice: Amo a Dios y odia a su hermano, es un mentiroso, porque el que no ama su hermano, a quien ha visto, ¿cómo puede amar a Dios a quien no ha visto? 1 Juan 4:2. Como el amor, que un hombre pretendía tener por Dios, no era amor verdadero, si un hombre no amaba a su hermano, entonces el "sacrificio" no era una ofrenda, para Dios en absoluto, mientras que el hombre retuvo de Dios esa ofrenda, que Dios

1 Corinthians 9:25 — Y cada hombre que lucha por el dominio - (ὁ ἀγωνιζόμενος ho agōnizomenos). Eso "agoniza"; es decir, que se dedica al ejercicio de "lucha libre, boxeo" o lanzar la barra o el quoit; compare la nota en Lucas 13:24. El sentido es que todos los que se esfuerzan por obtener una victoria en estos ejercicios atléticos. Es templado en todas las cosas - La palabra que se traduce "es templado" (ἐγκρατευεται egkrateuetai) denota "abstinencia" de todo lo que excitar,

Galatians 1:10 — aquí, evidentemente, Expresar un contraste entre su presente y su antiguo propósito de la vida. Antes de su conversión al cristianismo, él admite implícita, que fue su objeto conciliar el favor de las personas; que derivó su autoridad de ellos Hechos 9:1; que se esforzó por actuar para complacerlos y obtener su buena estima. Pero "ahora", dice, este no era su objeto. Tenía un objetivo superior. Era para agradar a Dios, y para conciliar su favor. El objeto de este verso es oscurecido; Pero me parece

Joshua 13:2 — This and Joshua 13:3 name the still unconquered districts in the southern half of the land, Joshua 13:4-6 those in the north.Geshuri - A district on the south of Philistia, the inhabitants of which are again named in 1 Samuel 27:8; but are not to be confounded with the land of the Geshurites mentioned in Joshua 13:13; Joshua 12:5.

Joshua 13:6 — The King James Version would exhibit the sense more clearly if the words from the beginning of Joshua 13:2 to the words “the Sidonians” in this verse were placed in a parenthesis, and the order of the words before us changed thus: “I will drive them out.” The “them” meaning the inhabitants of the “very much land to be possessed,” spoken of in Joshua 13:1.

Joshua 15:1 — The inheritance of the tribe of Judah is described first by its general boundaries on all four sides Joshua 15:1-12; then reference is again made, for the sake of completeness, to the special inheritance of Caleb which lay within these boundaries Joshua 15:13-20; and lastly a list of the towns is given Joshua 15:21-63. Consult the marginal references.

Judges 21:22 — Ye did not give ... - i. e., they had not broken the oath mentioned in Judges 21:1, so as to be guilty of taking the Lord’s name in vain. They did not give their daughters to Benjamin: the Benjamites had taken them by force. Such casuistry as this condemns the system of oaths, and illustrates the wisdom of our Lord’s precept Matthew 5:33-37.

Judges 21:4 — It is not certain whether the brass altar was at Bethel at this time, or whether it may not have been elsewhere, e. g., at Shiloh with the tabernacle. Some, however, think that the altar here mentioned was “additional” to the brass altar, in consequence of the unusual number of sacrifices caused by the presence of the whole congregation (compare 1 Kings 8:64 note).

1 John 2:13 — todos los que estaban por delante del νεανίσκοί neaniskoi, o hombres jóvenes, e incluiría adecuadamente a aquellos que estaban al frente de las familias. Porque habéis conocido al que es desde el principio - Es decir, el Señor Jesucristo. Notas, 1 Juan 1:1. El argumento es que habían estado familiarizados con los principios de su religión y entendían bien sus doctrinas y deberes. No se puede inferir de esto que hayan tenido un contacto personal con el Señor Jesús: sin embargo, esto podría haber

1 Samuel 13:5 — Thirty thousand chariots - Probably a copyist’s mistake for 300. (Compare, for a similar numerical variation, 1 Chronicles 18:4 with 2 Samuel 8:4.)Eastward from Bethaven - Or more simply “to the east of Bethaven,” which Joshua 7:2 lay “on the east side of Bethel.” Bethaven (thought to be the same as Deir Diwan) lay between Bethel and Michmash, which had been evacuated by Saul.

1 Samuel 25:20 — The covert of the hill - Probably a defile or glen, literally a “secret place,” as in 1 Samuel 19:2. She was riding down into this glen from one side, while David and his men were descending the opposite hill. It is perhaps mentioned that she came by this “secret place,” because she chose this path to escape the observation of her husband or of anyone else.

1 Samuel 27:5 — David, with characteristic Oriental subtlety (compare 1 Samuel 21:2), suggests as a reason for leaving Gath that his presence was burdensome and expensive to the king. His real motive was to be more out of the way of observation and control, so as to act the part of an enemy of Saul, without really lifting up his hand against him and his own countrymen of Israel.

2 Samuel 1:10 — The Amalekite was one of those who came “to strip the slain” on “the morrow” after the battle 1 Samuel 31:8, and had the luck to find Saul and possess himself of his crown and bracelet. He probably started off immediately to seek David, and invented the above story, possibly having heard from some Israelite prisoner an account of what really did happen.

2 Samuel 20:24 — Adoram - Not mentioned before by name or office. Apparently, therefore, the office was not instituted until the latter part of David’s reign, and its duties probably were the collection of the tribute imposed upon vanquished nations, or the command of the forced levies employed in public works. Adoram was stoned to death in the beginning of the reign of Rehoboam 1 Kings 12:18.

2 Samuel 7:18 — Sat before the Lord - In the tent where the ark was. Standing or kneeling was the usual attitude of prayer (1Ki 8:22, 1 Kings 8:54-55; but compare Exodus 17:12). Modern commentators mostly take the word here in the sense of waiting, abiding, not sitting: but sat is the natural rendering. David sat down to meditate, and then rose up to pray.