Bible Commentaries

Job 22:26 — chief Of all his works. Paradise Lost, B. vii.The Classic reader will instantly recollect the description in Ovid: Pronaque cum spectent animalia caetera terram; Os homini sublime dedit; coelumque tueri Jussit, et erectos ad sidera tollere vultus. Meta. 1:84.

Job 22:8 — But as for the mighty man - Hebrew as in the margin, “man of arm.” The “arm,” in the Scriptures, is the symbol of power; Psalms 10:15, “Break thou the arm of the wicked;” Ezekiel 30:21. “I have broken the arm of Pharaoh;” Psalms 89:13, “Thou hast a mighty arm;” Psalms 97:1, “His holy arm hath gotten him the victory.” The reason of this is, that the sword and spear were principally

Job 23:10 — crucible, and that comes forth the more pure the intenser is the heat. The application of fire to it serves to separate every particle of impurity or alloy, and leaves only the pure metal. So it is with trials applied to the friend of God; and we may remark(1) That all real piety will bear “any” test that may be applied to it, as gold will bear any degree of heat without being injured or destroyed.(2) That the effect of all trials is to purify piety, and make it more bright and valuable, as is the effect

Job 23:2 — Even to-day - At the present time. I am not relieved. You afford me no consolation. All that you say only aggravates my woes.My complaint - See the notes at Job 21:3.Bitter - Sad, melancholy, distressing. The meaning is, not that he made bitter complaints in the sense which those words would naturally convey, or that he meant to find fault with God, but that his case was a hard one. His friends furnished him no

Job 27:9 — that he would bear him. The argument of Job is in the main sound. It is, that if a man wishes the favor of God, and the assurance that he will hear his prayer, he must lead a holy life. A hypocrite cannot expect his favor: compare the notes at Isaiah 1:15.

Job 38:16 — look on the deep caverns of the ocean, and was able to search out all that was there. A sentiment similar to this occurs in Homer, when speaking of Atlas: Ὅατε θαλάσσης; Πάσης βένθεα οἷδεν. Hoate thalassēs; Pasēs benthea oiden. Odyssey Job 1:5.“Who knows the depths of every sea.”

Psalms 19:2 — conveyed from one day to another. There is a perpetual testimony thus given to the wisdom and power of the Great Creator.Uttereth speech - The word here rendered uttereth means properly to pour forth; to pour forth copiously as a fountain. Compare Proverbs 18:4; Proverbs 1:23; Proverbs 15:2, Proverbs 15:28. Hence, the word means to utter; to declare. The word “speech” means properly “a word;” and then, “a lesson;” or “that which speech conveys.” The idea is, that the successive days thus impart instruction,

Psalms 19:5 — to run a race - As a man who is vigorous and powerful, when he enters on a race. He is girded for it; he summons all his strength; he seems to exult in the idea of putting his strength to the test, and starting off on his career. Compare the note at 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. The same comparison which is employed here occurs in the Zendavesta, ii. 106. DeWette. The idea is that the sun seems to have a long journey before him, and puts forth all his vigour, exulting in the opportunity of manifesting that

Psalms 20:6 — cause, and they had offered so earnest petitions, that he could not doubt that God would smile favorably on the undertaking, and would grant success.He will hear him from his holy heaven - Margin, “from the heaven of his holiness.” So the Hebrew. Compare 1 Chronicles 21:26; 2 Chronicles 7:14; Nehemiah 9:27-28; Psalms 14:2; Psalms 102:19. heaven is represented as the dwelling-place of God, and it is there that he hears and answers our prayers. The meaning of the word “hear” in this passage is, that he

Psalms 22:24 — but though he seemed to forsake me, it was for a time only; and his friendship has not been ultimately and forever withdrawn. It was indeed the foundation of all the petitions in this psalm that the Lord had hid his face from the sufferer Psalms 22:1; but, from this verse, it seems that it was only for a time. That which he passed through was a temporary darkness, succeeded by the clear manifestations of the divine favor. The Lord heard his prayer; the Lord showed that he had not utterly forsaken

Psalms 26:3 — from this. It was always before Him.And I have walked in thy truth - I have embraced the truth; I have regulated my life by the truth. This is the first thing to which he refers. He was certain that this had been his aim. Compare the notes at 3 John 1:4. See also 2 Kings 20:3. One of the first characteristics of piety is a desire to know what is true, and to live in accordance with the truth. The psalmist was conscious that he had “arrived” at this, and that he had endeavored to make it a ruling

Psalms 29:10 — is not undirected; it is not the result of chance or fate; it is not produced by mere physical laws; it is not without restraint - without a ruler - for Yahweh presides over all, and all this may be regarded as his throne. Compare the notes at Psalms 18:7-11. See also Psalms 97:2. The word used here is commonly applied to the deluge in the time of Noah, but there would be an obvious unfitness in supposing here that the mind of the psalmist referred to that, or that the course of thought would be directed

Psalms 34:17 — hear prayer; if He were a Being governed by fitful emotions, who would now hear the righteous, and then the wicked, and then neither, and who dispensed His favors in answer to prayer by no certain rule!And delivereth them out of all their troubles - (1) He often delivers them from trouble in this life in answer to prayer.(2) he will deliver them literally from all trouble in the life to come.The promise is not indeed, that they shall be delivered from all trouble on earth, but the idea is that God

Psalms 37:11 — But the meek shall inherit the earth - See the notes at Psalms 37:3. On the meaning of the word here rendered “meek,” see the notes at Psalms 9:12, where it is rendered “humble.” The word properly denotes those who are afflicted, distressed, needy; then, those who are of humble rank in life; then, the mild, the gentle, the meek. The term here is a general one to denote those who are the friends

Psalms 37:18 — The Lord knoweth the days of the upright - See the notes at Psalms 1:6. He knows how long they will live, and all that will happen to them. He sees their whole course of life; he sees the end. It is implied here that his eyes are on all the allotted days of their life; on all that has been ordained for them in the whole

Psalms 42:3 — My tears have been my meat - The word rendered tears in this place is in the singular number, and means literally weeping. Compare Psalms 39:12. The word meat here means literally bread, and is used in the general signification of food, as the word meat is always used in the English version of the Bible. The English word meat, which originally signified food, has been changed gradually in

Psalms 48:8 — had been found, in this trial when the kings assembled against it, to be true.In the city of the Lord of hosts - The city where the Lord of hosts has taken up his abode, or which he has chosen for his dwelling-place on earth. See the notes at Isaiah 1:24; notes at Psalms 24:10.In the city of our God - Of Him who has shown himself to be our God; the God of our nation.God will establish it for ever - That is, this had been told them; this is what they had heard from their fathers; this they now saw

Psalms 7:1 — psalmist addresses Yahweh as his God, and says that in him he trusts or confides. The word rendered trust - חסה châsâh - means “to flee;” to flee to a place; to take shelter; and is applied to taking shelter under the shadow or protection of one Judges 9:15; Isaiah 30:2; Psalms 57:1; Psalms 61:4. The idea here is, that in his troubles he fled to God as a refuge, and felt safe under his protection.Save me from all them that persecute me - That is, protect my life; rescue me from their power. The word “persecute”

Psalms 8:7 — All sheep and oxen - Flocks and herds. Genesis 1:26, “over the cattle.” Nothing is more manifest than the control which man exercises over flocks and herds - making them subservient to his use, and obedient to his will.And the beasts of the field - Those not included in the general phrase “sheep and

Psalms 9:9 — miśgâb. It means properly height, altitude; then a height, rock, crag; and then, as such localities, being inaccessible to an enemy, were sought in times of danger as places of secure retreat, it comes to denote a place of security and refuge, Psalms 18:2; Psalms 46:7, Psalms 46:11; Psalms 48:3; Psalms 59:9, Psalms 59:17; Psalms 94:22. The declaration here is equivalent to what is so often said, that God is a refuge, a rock, a high tower, a defense; meaning, that those referred to might find safety