Letters

How Nave’s arranged it

• Written by David to Joab2 Samuel 11:14
• King of Syria to king of Israel2 Kings 5:52 Kings 5:6
• Rabshakeh to HezekiahIsaiah 37:9–14
• King of Babylon to HezekiahIsaiah 39:1
• Sennacherib to Hezekiah2 Kings 19:14
• Of Artaxerxes to NehemiahNehemiah 2:7–9
• Open letter from Sanballat to NehemiahNehemiah 6:5
• Luke to Theophilus (the books of Luke and Acts)Acts 1:1
• Claudius Lysias to FelixActs 23:25–30
• Letters of intercession by Paul and Philemon on behalf of OnesimusPhilemon 1:1
• Of recommendation2 Corinthians 3:1

The passages, in Bible order (12)

The same references, sorted Genesis to Revelation. The first 12 are quoted in full; the rest are one click beneath them, book by book.

1. 2 Samuel 11:14

   The next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah.

   ›Commentary on 2 Samuel 11:142 voices

   “We have taken up the task of writing an apology for the present style of the prophet David, not because he needs this gift, who has excelled in such great merits and flourished in virtues, but because many people, reading the sequence of his deeds without considering the power of the Scriptures or the hidden mysteries, wonder how such a great prophet did not avoid the contagion of adultery first and then of murder. Therefore, it was our desire to review the history itself, which seems to have been exposed to sin.

   “Thus David, who in the judgment of Him who chose him was well pleasing to Him in almost all his deeds, as soon as the weight of pressure was removed, broke out into a swelling sore, and, having been as a laxly running one in his appetite for the woman, became as a cruelly hard one in the slaughter of the man; and he who had before known pitifully how to spare the bad learnt afterwards, without impediment of hesitation, to pant even for the death of the good.

   Everything gathered on 2 Samuel 11:14→

   Verse page →Original language →

2. 2 Kings 5:5

   “Go now,” said the king of Aram, “and I will send you with a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman departed, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of clothing.

   ›Commentary on 2 Kings 5:52 voices

   “And the king of Syria said, go to, go,....

   “Six thousand pieces of gold - Rather, “six thousand shekels of gold.” Coined money did not exist as yet, and was not introduced into Judea until the time of Cyrus. Gold was carried in bars, from which portions were cut when need arose, and the value was ascertained by weighing.

   Everything gathered on 2 Kings 5:5→

   Verse page →Original language →

3. 2 Kings 5:6

   And the letter that he took to the king of Israel stated: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman, so that you may cure him of his leprosy.”

   ›Commentary on 2 Kings 5:62 voices

   “And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying,....

   “That thou mayest recover him - literally, “And thou shalt recover him.” The Syrian king presumes that, if there is a cure for leprosy to be had in Israel, the mode of obtaining it will be well known to his royal brother.

   Everything gathered on 2 Kings 5:6→

   Verse page →Original language →

4. 2 Kings 19:14

   So Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers, read it, and went up to the house of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD.

   ›Commentary on 2 Kings 19:141 voice

   “Faith unguarded is armed by God. Hezekiah, through the power of faith, proved stronger with his puny force than Sennacherib, king of Babylon and rich Nineveh, with his thousands. Sennacherib had enlisted the forces of Assyria and the realm of the Medes. Laying waste with …

   Everything gathered on 2 Kings 19:14→

   Verse page →Original language →

5. Nehemiah 2:7–9

   I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may letters be given to me for the governors west of the Euphrates, so that they will grant me safe passage until I reach Judah.

   ›Commentary on Nehemiah 2:7–91 voice

   “Moreover, I said unto the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river,.... The river of Euphrates, on that side of it towards the land of Judea: that they may convey me over till I come into Judah; furnish him with provisions, and a guard to protect him.

   Everything gathered on Nehemiah 2:7–9→

   Verse page →Original language →

6. Nehemiah 6:5

   The fifth time, Sanballat sent me this same message by his young servant, who had in his hand an unsealed letter

   ›Commentary on Nehemiah 6:52 voices

   “Then sent Sanballat his servant unto me in like manner the fifth time,.... In his own name, neither Tobiah nor Geshem joining with him, he being more solicitous and anxious to get him into his hands than any of them; and it may be, as some think, pretending more friendship for him than the rest, and therefore writes alone, as if they knew nothing of his writing: with an open letter in his hand: which having in it an intimation of Nehemiah being guilty of treason, anyone that would might read it, and so spread the defamation.

   “The letter was “open,” in order that the contents might be generally known, and that the Jews, alarmed at the threats contained in it, might refuse to continue the work.

   Everything gathered on Nehemiah 6:5→

   Verse page →Original language →

7. Isaiah 37:9–14

   Now Sennacherib had been warned about Tirhakah king of Cush: “He has set out to fight against you.” On hearing this, Sennacherib sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,

   ›Commentary on Isaiah 37:9–142 voices

   “Here he recounts how he offended Israel by threatening them through letters; and concerning this, he does three things. First, he sets out his proud threat: and he heard say about Tharaca, who came to the aid of the Egyptians; and when he heard it, …

   “(Verse 8 and following) But when Rabshakeh returned, he found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah, for he had heard that the king had left Lachish. And he heard that Tirhakah, the king of Ethiopia, had come out to fight against him. When he heard this, he sent messengers to Hezekiah saying: 'Thus you shall speak to Hezekiah, king of Judah, saying: Do not let your God deceive you, in whom you trust, saying: Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.'

   Everything gathered on Isaiah 37:9–14→

   Verse page →Original language →

8. Isaiah 39:1

   At that time Merodach-baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, for he had heard about Hezekiah’s illness and recovery.

   ›Commentary on Isaiah 39:12 voices

   “(Chapter 39, verses 1 onwards) At that time Merodach Baladan, son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and gifts to Hezekiah, for he had heard that he had been sick and had recovered. And Hezekiah was pleased with them; and he showed them his treasury, the house of his precious things, the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, his whole armory, and all that was found in his treasuries. There was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah did not show them.

   At that time Merodachbaladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon,.... The same is called Berodach, 2Ki 20:12 which, according to Hillerus (z), is the same with Barmerodach, the son of Merodach; though it is generally took to be a slip of the scribe's there, or a change of letter, as is common in names; he was either afterwards made a god of, or he had his name from an idol of the Babylonians so called, Jer 50:1, which signifies "a pure lord."

   Everything gathered on Isaiah 39:1→

   Verse page →Original language →

9. Acts 1:1

   In my first book, O Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach,

   ›Commentary on Acts 1:12 voices

   “For teaching is put to the blush when a person's conscience rebukes him; and it is in vain that his tongue preaches poverty or teaches almsgiving if he is rolling in the riches of Croesus and if, in spite of his threadbare cloak, he has silken robes at home to save from the moth.

   “The former treatise have I made,.... Meaning the Gospel written by him the Evangelist Luke, for from that he makes a transition to this, beginning here where he there left off; namely, at the ascension of Christ; see Luk 24:

   Everything gathered on Acts 1:1→

   Verse page →Original language →

10. Acts 23:25–30

    And he wrote the following letter:

    ›Commentary on Acts 23:25–301 voice

    “Here is a letter written in defense of him and in accusation of the Jews. Look: Paul is acknowledged as innocent not by the Jews, but by foreigners, just as Christ was by Pilate.

    Everything gathered on Acts 23:25–30→

    Verse page →Original language →

11. 2 Corinthians 3:1

    Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you?

    ›Commentary on 2 Corinthians 3:12 voices

    “Since he said many great things about himself, he says: will not someone say: what is this, Paul? By saying this about yourself, you are praising yourself. He removes this objection with the following words. He says this with force, making his speech more expressive. …

    “Do we begin again to commend ourselves?....

    Everything gathered on 2 Corinthians 3:1→

    Verse page →Original language →

12. Philemon 1:1

    Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our beloved fellow worker,

    ›Commentary on Philemon 1:11 voice

    “Paul has not used "prisoner of Jesus Christ" in any other epistle as a part of his name, though he has used it in Ephesians and in Philippians as a form of proclamation. Thus, I think it of more importance that he says he is a prisoner of Jesus Christ than an apostle. Indeed, the apostles gloried that they were worthy to suffer abuse for the name of Jesus Christ. Indeed, their chains carried an automatic authority.

    Everything gathered on Philemon 1:1→

    Verse page →Original language →