Bible Commentaries

Job 15:11 — it is understood here by our translators. But it may be also a compound word - from אט 'aṭ - a gentle sound, murmur, whisper; from where it is used adverbially - לאט le'at and לאט lâ'aṭ - gently, softly, slowly - as of the slow gait of a mourner, 1 Kings 21:27; and of water gently flowing, as the water of Siloam, Isaiah 8:6. And hence, also, it may refer to words flowing kindly or gently toward anyone; and this seems to be the meaning here. Eliphaz asks whether Job could despise or undervalue

Job 22:5 — the number of his transgressions, there would be no end to them. This, I believe, is the only place in the Bible where sin is spoken of, in any respect, as “infinite;” and this cannot be used as a proof text, to show that sin is an infinite evil, for:(1) that is not the meaning of the passage even with respect to Job;(2) it makes no affirmation respecting sin in general; and(3) it was untrue, even in regard to Job, and in the sense in which Zophar meant to use the phrase.There is no intelligible sense

Job 31:10 — or his perfect consciousness of innocence. The last thing which a man would imprecate on himself, would be that which is specified in this verse. The word “grind” (טחן ṭâchan) means to crush, to beat small; then to grind, as in a handmill; Judges 16:21; Numbers 11:8. This was usually the work of females and slaves; see the notes at Isaiah 47:2. The meaning here is, “Let my wife be the mill-wench to another; be his abject slave, and be treated by him with the deepest indignity.” This passage has

Job 37:6 — tends to change blind admiration to intelligent devotion; to transform wonder to praise. On the formation of snow, see the notes at Job 38:22.Be thou on the earth - There is a strong resemblance between this passage and the sublime command in Genesis 1:3, “And God said, Let there be light, and there was light.” Each of them is expressive of the creative power of God, and of the ease with which he accomplishes his purposes.Likewise to the small rain - Margin, “and to the shower of rain, and to the

Job 5:11 — sentiment was afterward expressed with great beauty by Mary, the mother of the Lord Jesus: He hath put down the mighty from their seats, And exalted them of low degree; He hath filled the hungry with good things, And the rich he hath sent empty away. Luke 1:52-53.That those which mourn may be exalted to safety - Or rather, they who mourn are exalted to a place of safety, The sense is, that God did this; and that, therefore, there was ground of confidence in him. The word rendered “those which mourn” קדרים

Job 8:14 — Whose hope shall be cut off - Schultens supposes that the quotation from the ancients closes with Job 8:13, and that these are the comments of Bildad on the passage to which he had referred. Rosenmuller and Noyes continue the quotation to the close of Job 8:19; Dr. Good closes it at Job 8:13. It seems to me that it is extended further than Job 8:13, and

Psalms 14:6 — purpose of the poor in putting their trust in Yahweh.The counsel - The purpose, the plan, the act - of the poor; that is, in putting their trust in the Lord. They had derided this as vain and foolish, since they maintained that there was no God Psalms 14:1. They therefore regarded such an act as mere illusion.The poor - The righteous, considered as poor, or as afflicted. The word here rendered “poor” - עני ‛ânı̂y - means more properly, afflicted, distressed, needy. It is often rendered “afflicted,”

Psalms 19:8 — The statutes of the Lord - The word here rendered statutes properly means mandates, precepts - rules given to anyone to guide him, Psalms 103:18; Psalms 111:7. It refers to the laws of God considered as appointed, or as the result of divine authority. The verb from which this word is derived (Hiphil) means to set over, to give the oversight, to appoint. Hence, the idea of laws, or statutes,

Psalms 20:9 — disposal of the whole result of the conflict in which he was about to engage.Hear us when we call - As we now call on him; its we shall call on him in the day of battle. Thus the close of the psalm corresponds with the beginning. In the beginning Psalms 20:1-4 there is an earnest “desire” that God would hear the suppliant in the day of trouble; in the close there is an earnest “prayer” to him from all the people that he “would” thus bear. The desire of the blessing goes forth in the form of prayer, for

Psalms 3:3 — and thick hides, fastened to a rim, and so attached to the left arm that they could be readily thrown before the body when attacked, or so that, as they were usually held, the vital parts of the body would be protected. See the notes at Ephesians 6:14-16. From this use of the shield it was natural to speak of God as the “shield,” or the “Protector” of his people - an appellation which is often given to him in the Scriptures (Genesis 15:1; Deu 33:29; 2 Samuel 22:3; Psalms 28:7; Psalms 119:114; Psalms

Psalms 32:3 — and rendered “waxed old,” would properly denote “decay,” or the wearing out of the strength by slow decay. All have witnessed the prostrating effect of excessive grief.Through my roaring - My cries of anguish and distress. See the notes at Psalms 22:1. The meaning here is, that his sorrow was so great as to lead to loud and passionate cries; and this well describes the condition of a mind under deep trouble at the remembrance of sin and the apprehension of the wrath of God.All the day long - Continually;

Psalms 44:2 — had disinherited or dispossessed. The word is properly applicable to a tree, but it is also used with reference to a nation, and means that he assigned them a fixed and permanent residence. Thus we say in English, “to plant a colony.” Compare Amos 9:15; Jeremiah 24:6; Jeremiah 32:41; Psa 80:8; 2 Samuel 7:10.How thou didst afflict the people - That is, the people of the land of Canaan; the nations that dwelt there. The word means to bring evil or calamity upon anyone.And cast them out - The word used

Psalms 5:1 — “groanings” (compare Romans 8:26-27), which could not be uttered in language. There is a difference, however, in rendering the word translated “meditation.” Most interpreters regard it as derived from הגה hâgâh, to meditate (see the notes at Psalms 1:2) - and as thus denoting “thought,” or “meditation.” Gesenius and some others regard it as derived from הגג hāgag, obsolete root - meaning to set on fire, to kindle; and hence, that it means here “heat,” fervour of the mind; and then, fervent cry,

Psalms 67:2 — rules and principles may be everywhere made known upon the earth.Thy saving health among all nations - The original word here rendered “saving health,” is “salvation.” It is with great uniformity so rendered. It is indeed translated “welfare,” in Job 30:15; help, in Psalms 3:2; Psalms 42:5; deliverance, in Psalms 18:50; Psalms 44:4; Isaiah 26:18; helping, Psalms 22:1; and health, in Psalms 42:11; but elsewhere it is in all cases rendered “salvation.” The words “saving health” were adopted from an older

Psalms 7:7 — On their account; or to secure this result in regard to them.Return thou on high - The most probable meaning of this is “ascend thy throne of justice, or thy judgment-seat;” spoken here either as a king ascending his elevated throne (compare Isaiah 6:1), or as ascending to heaven, the place where he dispensed justice. The “language” is as if he had come down from his throne - as if he had not been engaged in dispensing justice; and David now calls on him to reascend the throne, and to execute righteous

Psalms 75:2 — vindicating his own cause. The proper interpretation of the passage turns on the meaning of the Hebrew word rendered in the text “congregation” - מועד mô‛êd. See the word explained in the notes at Psalms 74:8. It may mean a set time, an appointed season, 1Sa 13:8, 1 Samuel 13:11; or a coming together, an assembly, Job 30:23; or a place of assemblage, as the tabernacle, etc.; Exodus 27:21; Exodus 40:22; Psalms 74:8. It may, therefore, be applied to the congregation of the Jewish people - the nation considered

Psalms 9:16 — way of estimating character, alike in regard to God and man; and it is proper, at all times, to study what God does, to learn what he is.The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands - The same sentiment which is expressed here occurs in Psalms 7:16. The idea is that the wicked are the cause of their own destruction; their own devices and designs are the means of their ruin, and they are made their own executioners. It is this to which the writer seems particularly to refer in the former part

Joshua 8:30-35 — is necessary to show that the commands of Moses there given were fully carried out by Joshua.It is difficult to escape the conviction that these verses are here out of their proper and original place. The connection between Joshua 8:29, and Joshua 9:1, is natural and obvious; and in Joshua 9:3, the fraud of the Gibeonites is represented as growing out of the alarm caused by the fall of Jericho and Ai. It is, moreover, extremely unlikely that a solemnity of this nature in the very center of the country

Revelation 20:15 — serán desposeídos de la verdadera religión, habrá una propiedad de que compartirán la misma condena en el mundo futuro. Escrito en el libro de la vida - Vea las notas en Apocalipsis 3:5. Fue lanzado al lago de fuego - Vea las notas en Mateo 25:41. Es decir, estarán condenados a un castigo que estará bien representado por su persistencia en un mar de fuego para siempre. Esta es la terminación del juicio: la liquidación de los asuntos de los hombres. La visión de Juan aquí descansa por un momento

Revelation 5:7 — surge de la incongruencia de lo que se dice de un cordero, que no es fácil de resolver. La dificultad está en concebir cómo un cordero podría tomar el libro de la mano de Aquel que lo sostuvo. Para cumplir con esto, se han propuesto varias soluciones: (1) Vitringa supone que el Mesías apareció como un cordero solo en cierto sentido, ya que los cuatro seres vivos Apocalipsis 4:7 se parecían a un león, un ternero y un águila; es decir, que tenían este parecido solo con respecto a la cabeza, mientras