Bible Commentaries
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3,811 commentary entries
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible
Hypocritical Services Rejected; Threatenings against Israel. (b. c. 790.)
HYPOCRITICAL SERVICES REJECTED; THREATENINGS AGAINST ISRAEL. (B. C. 790.) The scope of these verses is to show how little God valued their shows of devotion, nay, how much he detested them, while they went on in their s…
The Danger of False Security. (b. c. 790.)
THE DANGER OF FALSE SECURITY. (B. C. 790.) The first words of the chapter are the contents of these verses; but they sound very strangely, and contrary to the sentiments of a vain world: Woe to those that are at ease! W…
Threatenings of Judgment. (b. c. 790.)
THREATENINGS OF JUDGMENT. (B. C. 790.) In the former part of the chapter we had these secure Israelites loading themselves with pleasures, as if they could never be made merry enough; here we have God loading them with…
Intercession for Israel; Ruin of Israel Foretold. (b. c. 785.)
INTERCESSION FOR ISRAEL; RUIN OF ISRAEL FORETOLD. (B. C. 785.) We here see that God bears long, but that he will not bear always, with a provoking people, both these God here showed the prophet: Thus hath the Lord God s…
Amaziah's Charge against Amos; Amaziah's Doom. (b. c. 785.)
AMAZIAH'S CHARGE AGAINST AMOS; AMAZIAH'S DOOM. (B. C. 785.) One would have expected, 1. That what we met with in the former part of the chapter would awaken the people to repentance, when they saw that they were repriev…
The Vision of Summer Fruit. (b. c. 785.)
THE VISION OF SUMMER FRUIT. (B. C. 785.) The great reason why sinners defer their repentance de die in diem—from day to day, is because they think God thus defers his judgments, and there is no song wherewith they so ef…
The Sin and Doom of Oppressors. (b. c. 785.)
THE SIN AND DOOM OF OPPRESSORS. (B. C. 785.) God is here contending with proud oppressors, and showing them, I. The heinousness of the sin they were guilty of; in short, they had the character of the unjust judge (Luke…
Spiritual Famine Threatened; Judgments Threatened. (b. c. 785.)
SPIRITUAL FAMINE THREATENED; JUDGMENTS THREATENED. (B. C. 785.) In these verses is threatened, I. A general judgment of spiritual famine coming upon the whole land, a famine of the word of God, the failing of oracles an…
The Certainty of the Sinner's Doom. (b. c. 784.)
THE CERTAINTY OF THE SINNER'S DOOM. (B. C. 784.) We have here the justice of God passing sentence upon a provoking people; and observe, I. With what solemnity the sentence is passed. The prophet saw in vision the Lord s…
Promises of Mercy. (b. c. 784.)
PROMISES OF MERCY. (B. C. 784.) To him to whom all the prophets bear witness this prophet, here in the close, bears his testimony, and speaks of that day, those days that shall come, in which God will do great things fo…
The Doom of Edom. (b. c. 587.)
THE DOOM OF EDOM. (B. C. 587.) Edom is the nation against which this prophecy is levelled, and which, some think, is put for all the enemies of Israel, that shall be brought down first or last. The rabbin by Edom unders…
The Guilt of Edom. (b. c. 587.)
THE GUILT OF EDOM. (B. C. 587.) When we have read Edom's doom, no less than utter ruin, it is natural to ask, Why, what evil has he done? What is the ground of God's controversy with him? Many things, no doubt, were ami…
Promises to Israel and Judah. (b. c. 587.)
PROMISES TO ISRAEL AND JUDAH. (B. C. 587.) After the destruction of the church's enemies is threatened, which will be completely accomplished in the great day of recompence, and that judgment for which Christ came once,…
A Commission against Nineveh; The Prophet's Disobedience. (b. c. 840.)
A COMMISSION AGAINST NINEVEH; THE PROPHET'S DISOBEDIENCE. (B. C. 840.) Observe, 1. The honour God put upon Jonah, in giving him a commission to go and prophesy against Nineveh. Jonah signifies a dove, a proper name for…
The Prophet in the Storm; The Prophet Convicted by the Lot. (b. c. 840.)
THE PROPHET IN THE STORM; THE PROPHET CONVICTED BY THE LOT. (B. C. 840.) When Jonah was set on ship-board, and under sail for Tarshish, he thought himself safe enough; but here we find him pursued and overtaken, discove…
The Prophet Confesses His Folly; The Prophet Reads His Own Doom; The Prophet Cast into the Sea; Jonah's Preservation in the Fish's Belly. (b. c. 840.)
THE PROPHET CONFESSES HIS FOLLY; THE PROPHET READS HIS OWN DOOM; THE PROPHET CAST INTO THE SEA; JONAH'S PRESERVATION IN THE FISH'S BELLY. (B. C. 840.) It is plain that Jonah is the man for whose sake this evil is upon t…
Jonah's Prayer; The Prophet in the Fish's Belly. (b. c. 840.)
JONAH'S PRAYER; THE PROPHET IN THE FISH'S BELLY. (B. C. 840.) God and his servant Jonah had parted in anger, and the quarrel began on Jonah's side; he fled from his country that he might outrun his work; but we hope to…
Jonah's Deliverance. (b. c. 840.)
JONAH'S DELIVERANCE. (B. C. 840.) We have here Jonah's discharge from his imprisonment, and his deliverance from that death which there he was threatened with—his return, though not to life, for he lived in the fish's b…
Jonah's Mission Renewed; The Prophet's Mission to Nineveh. (b. c. 840.)
JONAH'S MISSION RENEWED; THE PROPHET'S MISSION TO NINEVEH. (B. C. 840.) We have here a further evidence of the reconciliation between God and Jonah, and that it was a thorough reconciliation, though the controversy betw…
Nineveh's Repentance. (b. c. 840.)
NINEVEH'S REPENTANCE. (B. C. 840.) Here is I. A wonder of divine grace in the repentance and reformation of Nineveh, upon the warning given them of their destruction approaching. Verily I say unto you, we have not found…
The Prophet's Discontent. (b. c. 840.)
THE PROPHET'S DISCONTENT. (B. C. 840.) See here, I. How unjustly Jonah quarrelled with God for his mercy to Nineveh, upon their repentance. This gives us occasion to suspect that Jonah had only delivered the message of…
The Prophet's Discontent; The Withering of the Prophet's Gourd; God's Remonstrance with Jonah. (b. c. 840.)
THE PROPHET'S DISCONTENT; THE WITHERING OF THE PROPHET'S GOURD; GOD'S REMONSTRANCE WITH JONAH. (B. C. 840.) Jonah persists here in his discontent; for the beginning of strife both with God and man is as the letting fort…
Judgments Predicted. (b. c. 743.)
JUDGMENTS PREDICTED. (B. C. 743.) Here is, I. A general account of this prophet and his prophecy, Micah 1:1. This is prefixed for the satisfaction of all that read and hear the prophecy of this book, who will give the m…
Judgments Predicted. (b. c. 743.)
JUDGMENTS PREDICTED. (B. C. 743.) We have here a long train of mourners attending the funeral of a ruined kingdom. I. The prophet is himself chief mourner (Micah 1:8-9): I will wail and howl; I will go stripped and nake…