Bible Commentaries

Daniel 2:26 — The king answered, and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar - See the notes at Daniel 1:7. The “king” may have addressed him by this name, and probably did during this interview. This was the name, it would seem, by which he was known in Babylon - a name which implied honor and respectability, as being conferred on one whom it was supposed

Haggai 1:11 — they would not hear. It is His ever-repeated complaint to them. “I called unto you, and ye would not hear.” He called to His inanimate creatures to punish them, and “they” obeyed. So Elisha tells the woman, whose son he had restored to life, 2 Kings 8:1. “The Lord hath called to the famine, and it shall also come to the land seven years.”And upon men, - in that the drought was oppressive to man. The prophet may also allude to the other meaning of the word, “waste,” “desolation.” They had left the house

Luke 2:39 — case we have in the life of Paul. When he was converted it is said that he came to Jerusalem, as if he had gone there immediately after his conversion Acts 9:26; yet we learn in another place that this was after an interval of three years, Galatians 1:17-18. In the case before us there is no improbability in supposing that they returned to Bethlehem, then went to Egypt, and then to Galilee.

Luke 24:50-51 — To Bethany - See the notes at Mark 16:19. Bethany was on the eastern declivity of the Mount of Olives, from which our Lord was taken up to heaven, Acts 1:12. Bethany was a favored place. It was the abode of Martha, and Mary, and Lazarus, and our Saviour delighted to be there. From this

Luke 3:13 — means of the proper support of the government; and as such a support of the government is necessary, so the people should pay cheerfully the just apportionment of their rulers, and regard favorably those who are authorized to collect it. See Romans 13:1-6.

Luke 4:20 — And he closed the book - That is, he rolled it up again. See the notes at Luke 4:17.And he gave it again to the minister - That is, to the one in the synagogue who had charge of the books. The word means “servant,” and the office was not much unlike that of a sexton now. It was his duty, among other things, to take charge of the books,

John 7:51 — Doth our law ... - The law required justice to be done, and gave every man the right to claim a fair and impartial trial, Leviticus 19:15-16; Exodus 23:1-2; Deuteronomy 19:15, Deuteronomy 19:18. Their condemnation of Jesus was a violation of every rule of right. He was not arraigned; he was not heard in self-defense, and not a single witness was adduced. Nicodemus demanded that justice

Acts 15:23 — one epistle.By them - Greek: by their hand.”After this manner - Greek: these things.Send greeting - A word of salutation, expressing their desire of the happiness (χαίρειν chairein) of the persons addressed. Compare Matthew 26:49; Matthew 27:29; Luke 1:28; John 19:3.In Antioch - Where the difficulty first arose.And Syria - Antioch was the capital of Syria, and it is probable that the dispute was not confined to the capital.And Cilicia - See the notes on Acts 6:9. Cilicia was adjacent to Syria. Paul

Acts 15:28 — For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost - This is a strong and undoubted claim to inspiration. It was with special reference to the organization of the church that the Holy Spirit had been promised to them by the Lord Jesus, Matthew 18:18-20; John 14:26.No greater burden - To impose no greater restraints to enjoin no other observances. See the notes on Acts 15:10.Than these necessary things - Necessary:(1) In order to preserve the peace of the church.(2) To conciliate the minds of

Acts 24:20 — was a bold appeal, and it showed his full consciousness of innocence.Let these same here say - The Jews who are here present.Any evil doing - Any improper conduct, or any violation of the Law.While I stood before the council - The Sanhedrin, Acts 23:1-10. As they were present there, Paul admits that they were competent to bear witness to his conduct on that occasion, and calls upon them to testify, if they could, to any impropriety in his conduct.

Acts 3:4 — Fastening his eyes - The word used here denotes “to look intently, or with fixed attention.” It is one of the special words which Luke uses (Luke 4:20; Luke 22:56; Acts 1:10; Acts 3:12; Acts 6:15; Acts 7:55; Acts 10:4; etc.) 12 times in all. It is used by no other writer in the New Testament, except twice by Paul, 2 Corinthians 3:7, 2 Corinthians 3:13.Look on us - All this Was done to fix the attention. He wished to

Acts 5:24 — The captain of the temple - See the notes on Acts 4:1.Doubted of them - They were in “perplexity” about these things. The word rendered “doubted” denotes “that state of anxiety which arises when a person has lost his way, or when he does not know what to do to escape from a difficulty.” See Luke 9:7.Whereunto

Acts 7:19 — Dealt subtilly - He acted deceitfully; he used fraud. The cunning or deceitful attempt which is referred to, is his endeavour to weaken and destroy the Jewish people by causing their male children to be put to death, Exodus 1:22.Our kindred - Our nation, or our ancestors.And evil-entreated - Was unjust and cruel toward them.So that ... - For that purpose, or to “cause” them to cast them out. He dealt with them in this cruel manner, hoping that the Israelites themselves would

Romans 11:23 — them in his favor. (2)He has not bound himself utterly to reject them, and forever to exclude them.In this way the apostle reaches his purpose, which was to show them that God had not cast away his people or finally rejected the Jewish nation; Romans 11:1-2. That God has this power, the apostle proceeds to show in the next verse.

1 Corinthians 3:14 — practices and views of piety, and himself cherished right feelings: if the trial of the great Day, when the real qualities of all objects shall be known, shall show this.He shall receive a reward - According to the nature of his work. See the note on 1 Corinthians 3:8. This refers, I suppose, to the proper rewards on the Day of Judgment, and not to the honors and the recompense which he may receive in this world. If all that he has taught and done shall be proved to have been genuine and pure, then

2 Corinthians 8:6 — Christians, we were anxious that you should perform what you had promised and contemplated, and we employed Titus, therefore, that he might go at once and finish the collection among you.”The same grace also - Margin, “Gift;” see the note on 2 Corinthians 8:1. The word refers to the contribution which he wished to be made.

Philippians 4:4 — Rejoice in the Lord alway - see the notes at Philippians 3:1. It is the privilege of Christians to do this, not at certain periods and at distant intervals, but at all times they may rejoice that there is a God and Saviour; they may rejoice in the character, law, and government of God - in his promises, and in

Colossians 2:17 — Which are a shadow of things to come - See the notes at Hebrews 8:5; Hebrews 10:1, note. They were only a dim outline of future things, not the reality.But the body is of Christ - The reality, the substance. All that they signified is of or in Christ. Between those things themselves which are in Christ, and those which only represented

2 Timothy 2:16 — But shun profane and vain babblings, - see the notes at 1 Timothy 6:20.For they will increase unto more ungodliness - Their tendency is to alienate the soul from God, and to lead to impiety. Such kinds of disputation are not merely a waste of time, they are productive of positive mischief. A man fond of contention

Hebrews 10:21 — And having an High Priest over the house of God - Over the spiritual house of God; that is, the church; compare the notes on Hebrews 3:1-6. Under the Jewish dispensation there was a great high priest, and the same is true under the Christian dispensation. This the apostle had shown at length in the previous part of the Epistle. The idea here is, that as under the former dispensation