Bible Commentaries
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3,811 commentary entries
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible
The Prophet's Plea; The Prophet's Complaint. (b. c. 600.)
THE PROPHET'S PLEA; THE PROPHET'S COMPLAINT. (B. C. 600.) The prophet, having received of the Lord that which he was to deliver to the people, now turns to God, and again addresses himself to him for the ease of his own…
Waiting upon God; The People Directed. (b. c. 600.)
WAITING UPON GOD; THE PEOPLE DIRECTED. (B. C. 600.) Here, I. The prophet humbly gives his attendance upon God (Habakkuk 2:1): "I will stand upon my watch, as a sentinel on the walls of a besieged city, or on the borders…
Judgment Predicted; Judgment of the King of Babylon. (b. c. 600.)
JUDGMENT PREDICTED; JUDGMENT OF THE KING OF BABYLON. (B. C. 600.) The prophet having had orders to write the vision, and the people to wait for the accomplishment of it, the vision itself follows; and it is, as divers o…
Judgment Predicted. (b. c. 600.)
JUDGMENT PREDICTED. (B. C. 600.) The three foregoing articles, upon which the woes here are grounded, are very near akin to each other. The criminals charged by them are oppressors and extortioners, that raise estates b…
The Prophet's Prayer. (b. c. 600.)
THE PROPHET'S PRAYER. (B. C. 600.) This chapter is entitled a prayer of Habakkuk. It is a meditation with himself, an intercession for the church. Prophets were praying men; this prophet was so (He is a prophet, and he…
The Divine Majesty; Wonders Wrought for Israel. (b. c. 600.)
THE DIVINE MAJESTY; WONDERS WROUGHT FOR ISRAEL. (B. C. 600.) It has been the usual practice of God's people, when they have been in distress and ready to fall into despair, to help themselves by recollecting their exper…
The Conquest of Canaan; Devout Confidence. (b. c. 600.)
THE CONQUEST OF CANAAN; DEVOUT CONFIDENCE. (B. C. 600.) Within the compass of these few lines we have the prophet in the highest degree both of trembling and triumphing, such are the varieties both of the state and of t…
Judgment Predicted. (b. c. 612.)
JUDGMENT PREDICTED. (B. C. 612.) Here is, I. The title-page of this book (Zephaniah 1:1), in which we observe, 1. What authority it has, and who gave it that authority; it is from heaven, and not of men: It is the word…
Judgment Predicted. (b. c. 612.)
JUDGMENT PREDICTED. (B. C. 612.) Notice is here given to Judah and Jerusalem that God is coming forth against them, and will be with them shortly; his presence, as a just avenger, his day, the day of his judgment and hi…
Judgment Predicted. (b. c. 612.)
JUDGMENT PREDICTED. (B. C. 612.) Nothing could be expressed with more spirit and life, nor in words more proper to startle and awaken a secure and careless people, than the warning here given to Judah and Jerusalem of t…
The People Exhorted to Repent. (b. c. 612.)
THE PEOPLE EXHORTED TO REPENT. (B. C. 612.) Here we see what the prophet meant in that terrible description of the approaching judgments which we had in the foregoing chapter. From first to last his design was, not to d…
The Punishment of the Philistines. (b. c. 612.)
THE PUNISHMENT OF THE PHILISTINES. (B. C. 612.) The prophet here comes to foretel what share the neighbouring nations should have in the destruction made upon those parts of the world by Nebuchadnezzar and his victoriou…
The Punishment of Various Nations. (b. c. 612.)
THE PUNISHMENT OF VARIOUS NATIONS. (B. C. 612.) The Moabites and Ammonites were both of the posterity of Lot; their countries joined, and, both adjoining to Israel, they are here put together in the prophecy against the…
Ethiopia and Assyria Threatened. (b. c. 612.)
ETHIOPIA AND ASSYRIA THREATENED. (B. C. 612.) The cup is going round, when Nebuchadnezzar is going on conquering and to conquer; and not only Israel's near neighbours, but those that lay more remote, must be reckoned wi…
The Depravity of Jerusalem. (b. c. 612.)
THE DEPRAVITY OF JERUSALEM. (B. C. 612.) One would wonder that Jerusalem, the holy city, where God was known, and his name was great, should be the city of which this black character is here given, that a place which en…
Judgment and Mercy; Promises of Mercy. (b. c. 612.)
JUDGMENT AND MERCY; PROMISES OF MERCY. (B. C. 612.) Things looked very bad with Jerusalem in the Zephaniah 3:1-7; she has got into a very bad name, and seems to be incorrigible, incurable, mercy-proof and judgment-proof…
Evangelical Predictions. (b. c. 612.)
EVANGELICAL PREDICTIONS. (B. C. 612.) After the promises of the taking away of sin, here follow promises of the taking away of trouble; for when the cause is removed the effect will cease. What makes a people holy will…
The Jews Reproved; God's Controversy with the Jews; The Prophet's Good Advice. (b. c. 520.)
THE JEWS REPROVED; GOD'S CONTROVERSY WITH THE JEWS; THE PROPHET'S GOOD ADVICE. (B. C. 520.) It was the complaint of the Jews in Babylon that they saw not their signs, and there was no more prophet (Psalm 74:9), which wa…
The People's Obedience. (b. c. 520.)
THE PEOPLE'S OBEDIENCE. (B. C. 520.) As an ear-ring of gold (says Solomon), and an ornament of fine gold, so amiable, so acceptable, in the sight of God and man, is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear, Proverbs 25:12.…
The Glory of the Latter House. (b. c. 520.)
THE GLORY OF THE LATTER HOUSE. (B. C. 520.) Here is, I. The date of this message, Haggai 2:1. It was sent on the twenty-first day of the seventh month, when the builders had been about a month at work (since the twenty-…
Evil More Communicable than Good; Encouragement to Build the Temple. (b. c. 520.)
EVIL MORE COMMUNICABLE THAN GOOD; ENCOURAGEMENT TO BUILD THE TEMPLE. (B. C. 520.) This sermon was preached two months after that in the former part of the chapter. The priests and Levites preached constantly, but the pr…
Encouraging Promises; A Promise to Zerubbabel. (b. c. 520.)
ENCOURAGING PROMISES; A PROMISE TO ZERUBBABEL. (B. C. 520.) After Haggai's sermon ad populum—to the people, here follows one, the same day, ad magistratum—to the magistrates, a word directed particularly to Zerubbabel,…
Repentance Urged. (b. c. 520.)
REPENTANCE URGED. (B. C. 520.) Here is, I. The foundation of Zechariah's ministry; it is laid in a divine authority: The word of the Lord came to him. He received a divine commission to be God's mouth to the people and…
The Vision of the Horse and Myrtles; Intercession for Jerusalem. (b. c. 520.)
THE VISION OF THE HORSE AND MYRTLES; INTERCESSION FOR JERUSALEM. (B. C. 520.) We not come to visions and revelations of the Lord; for in that way God chose to speak by Zechariah, to awaken the people's attention, and to…