Bible Commentaries

1 Kings 15:25 — with Ahab, in whose fourth year Asa died. This narrative occupies him almost to the close of the first Book of Kings. Chronology of Kingdoms Year of the Divided Kingdom Kings of Judah Years of Reign Kings of Israel Years of Reign 1 Rehoboam 17 Jeroboam 22 5 (Invasion of Shishak) 18 Abijam 3 20 Asa 41 22 Nadab 2 23 Baasha 21 31 (Invasion of Zerah) 34 (Great Feast at Jerusalem)

1 Kings 16:9 — conspiracy of Zimri - Elah’s “servant” (i. e., “subject”) - was favored by his position, which probably gave him military authority in the city, by the absence of a great part of the people and of the officers who might have checked him, at Gibbethon 1 Kings 16:15, and by the despicable character of Elah, who, instead of going up to the war, was continually reminding men of his low origin by conduct unworthy of royalty.Steward - The office was evidently one of considerable importance. In Solomon’s

1 Kings 22:49 — 2 Chronicles 20:35-36, explains that the two kings conjointly built the fleet with which the Ophir trade (1 Kings 9:28 note) was to be re-opened. Ahaziah had thus an interest in the ships; and when they were wrecked, attributing, as it would seem, the calamity to the unskillfulness of his ally’s mariners, he proposed that the fleet should be manned in part

1 Kings 4:33 — writer here means to say that Solomon composed special works on these subjects. The Lebanon cedars were the most magnificent of all the trees known to the Hebrews, and hence, represent in the Old Testament the grandest of vegetable productions. (Psalms 104:16; Song of Solomon 5:15; Ezekiel 31:3, etc.) For the hyssop, see Exodus 12:22 note.Of beasts, and of fowls, and of creeping things, and of fishes - This is the usual Biblical division of the animal kingdom Genesis 1:26; Genesis 9:2; Psalms 148:10.

2 Kings 1:17 — seems to be the consequence of the close ties which united the two reigning families, and is well noted among the “undesigned coincidences” of the Old Testament. The accession of the Israelite Jehoram (Ahab’s brother) took place, according to 2 Kings 3:1, in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat. Jehoram of Judah perhaps received the royal title from his father as early as his father’s sixteenth year, when he was about to join Ahab against the Syrians; the same year might then be called either the eighteenth

2 Kings 15:5 — verses.A several house - “A house of liberation,” or, freedom. On the necessity, under which the Law placed lepers, of living apart from other men, see marginal reference Jotham became regent in his father’s room, and exercised the functions of judge (1 Kings 3:9 note), from the time that his father became a leper.

2 Chronicles 19:8 — are the heads of families; the chief of the fathers” are the great patriarchal chiefs, the admitted heads of great houses or clans. They were now admitted to share in the judicial office which seems in David’s time to have been confined to the Levites 1 Chronicles 23:4.For the judgment of the Lord, and for controversies - By the former are meant disputed cases concerning the performance of religious obligations. In “controversies” are included all the ordinary causes, whether criminal or civil.When

2 Chronicles 6:40-42 — In Kings, a different conclusion takes the place of these verses. The document from which both writers copied contained the full prayer of dedication, which each givcs in a somewhat abbreviated form.2 Chronicles 6:41Thy resting place - i. e., the holy of holies. Solomon follows closely the words of David his father, spoken probably when he brought the ark into Jerusalem. See the marginal references.2 Chronicles 6:42Turn not away the face of thine anointed - i. e.,

Esther 3:1 — the Greek “Eumenes.” Hammedatha is perhaps the same as “Madata” or “Mahadata”, an old Persian name signifying “given by (or to) the moon.”The Agagite - The Jews generally understand by this expression “the descendant of Agag,” the Amalekite monarch of 1 Samuel 15:0. Haman, however, by his own name, and the names of his sons Esther 9:7-9 and his father, would seem to have been a genuine Persian.The Classical writers make no mention of Haman’s advancement; but their notices of the reign of Xerxes after

Job 3:22 — desire to die, and the depth of a man’s sorrow, when it becomes a matter of exultation for him to be permitted to lie down in the corruption and decay of the tomb! A somewhat similiar sentiment occurs in Euripides, as quoted by Cicero, Tusc. Quaest. Lib. 1, cap. 48: Nam nos decebat, doman Lugere, ubi esset aliquis in lucem editus, Humanae vitae varia reputantes mala; At qui labores morte finisset graves Hunc omni amicos laude et Lactitia exsequi.

Psalms 31:2 — Bow down thine ear to me - As He does who inclines His ear toward one whom He is willing to hear, or whom He is desirous of hearing. See the notes at Psalms 17:6.Deliver me speedily - Without delay. Or, hasten to deliver me. It is right to pray to be delivered from all evil; equally right to pray to be delivered immediately.Be thou my strong rock - Margin: “to me for a rock of strength.” See Psalms 18:1-2,

Psalms 53:3 — Every one of them is gone back - See the notes at Psalms 14:3. The only variation here in the two psalms is in the substitution of the word - סג sâg, for סור sûr - words almost identical in form and in sense. The only difference in meaning is, that the former word - the word used here - means “to draw back,”

Psalms 69:16 — of benevolence. This was the only ground of his plea; and this was enough. Compare Psalms 63:3.Turn unto me - Incline thine ear unto me; turn not away, but be favorable to me.According to the multitude of thy tender mercies - See the notes at Psalms 51:1. He felt that he had occasion for the exercise of “all” the mercy of God; that the case was one which could be reached only by the exercise of the highest kindness and compassion.

Psalms 78:40 — provoke him in the wilderness - Margin, Or, rebel against him. The Hebrew word may have the signification in the margin. The idea is, that they were perverse and rebellious; that they excited his displeasure, and gave occasion for his anger. See Psalms 78:17.And grieve him in the desert - The word here rendered grieve means(1) to work, to fashion;(2) to suffer pain, to travail, to be afflicted; and then,(3) to cause one to suffer pain, or to afflict.The meaning here is that the conduct of the Hebrews was

Psalms 94:11 — The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man - That is, He who teaches people all that they know Psalms 94:10, must understand all that there is in the mind. See the notes at 1 Corinthians 3:20.That they are vanity - That is, that they are foolish, vain, unwise, wicked. The knowledge of the thoughts themselves carries with it also the knowledge that they are

1 Samuel 13:17 — The spoilers - “The devastator:” the same word is used of the destroying Angel Exodus 12:23. The verse describes the system adopted by the Philistines by which for a time they subjugated the Israelites. From their central camp at Michmash they sent out three bands to kill and lay waste and destroy. One took a northerly direction toward

1 Samuel 25:18 — were made of the skin of a kid: larger ones of the skin of a he-goat. The Arabs invariably to this day carry their milk, water, etc., in such leather vessels. One skin of wine was a handsome present from Ziba, sufficient for David’s household 2 Samuel 16:1. The provisions were all ready to Abigail’s hand, having been provided for the sheep-shearing feast.

2 Samuel 18:19 — Ahimaaz was a well-known runner 2 Samuel 18:27. Speed was a heroic virtue in those simple times (compare 2 Samuel 2:18). In Hezekiah’s reign 2 Chronicles 30:6, 2 Chronicles 30:10 we find an establishment of running post-men; and the same name (“runners”) is given Esther 3:13 to the Persian posts,

2 Samuel 4:2 — Beeroth - See the marginal reference. From Joshua 9:17, it might have been expected that the population of Beeroth would be Canaanite. But from some unknown cause the Canaanite inhabitants of Beeroth had fled to Gittaim - perhaps the same as Gath - and continued there as sojourners. If this flight of the

2 Samuel 5:4 — The age of David is conclusive as to the fact that the earlier years of Saul’s reign (during which Jonathan grew up to be a man) are passed over in silence, and that the events narrated from 1 Samuel 13:0 to the end of the book did not occupy more than 10 years. If David was 20 years old at the time he killed Goliath, four years in Saul’s service, four years of wandering from place to place, one year and four months in the country of the