Matthew Henry
Bible Commentary.
From Joshua to Ester.
Volume II
Matthew Henry.
About Matthew Henry:
Matthew Henry was born in October 1662 at Broad Oak, Flintshire, to Philip and Katharine Henry, less than two months after his father was ejected from ministry in the Church of England under the Act of Uniformity. He had four sisters, Sarah, Katharine, Eleanor, and Ann, and one brother, John, who died at the age of six. From a young age, Henry showed a strong passion for books and could read the Bible distinctly by the age of three. He was primarily educated by his father with the help of tutors.
In 1680, at the age of 18, Henry’s father took him to the academy of Thomas Doolittle at Hackney, where he studied for two years under Doolittle and Thomas Vincent. When persecution forced the academy to relocate, Henry moved to his maternal grandfather’s estate in Bronington, Flintshire. Later, he returned to London to study law and was admitted to Gray’s Inn in 1685. He continued his theological study in private and began preaching in his father’s neighborhood in 1686.
In 1687, the penalties against dissent were somewhat relaxed, and Henry was privately ordained as a minister in London. He returned to Chester, where he began a twenty-five-year ministry of the Presbyterian congregation. In the same year, he married Katherine Hardware of Bromborough, who died in childbirth in February 1689. The following year, Henry married Mary Warburton, with whom he had one son and eight daughters. Three of his daughters died in infancy.
Henry saw much success in his Chester ministry, and the number of communicants eventually reached 350. A meetinghouse was built for him in Crook Lane, opened in 1700, with a gallery added in 1706. In addition to his congregational work, Henry held monthly services in surrounding villages and preached to prisoners in the castle.
Henry began work on his famous Commentary on the Whole Bible in 1704, completing it from Genesis to Acts by his death ten years later. Several of his fellow ministers compiled the remainder of the Commentary (Romans to Revelation) primarily from Henry’s own notes and writings. While still in Chester, Henry also completed his A Method for Prayer with Scripture Expressions proper to be used under each head.
As his Commentary began to be published, Henry became increasingly well-known and eventually moved to Mare Street, Hackney in London in 1712. He preached almost every day of the week, and sometimes two or three times on the same day. He found only a hundred communicants in his Hackney congregation, but this gave him more opportunities to accomplish most.
Revisiting Cheshire in 1714, Henry set out on his return to London and preached at Nantwich on the way. However, at Tarporley, his horse threw him, and he was soon seized with apoplexy. He fell asleep in the Lord at eight on the following morning. Henry was buried in the chancel of Trinity Church, Chester.
Bible Commentary from Joshua to Ester:
Here’s a brief summary of the content in the books of the Bible from Joshua to Esther:
Joshua: This book tells the story of Joshua, who succeeded Moses as the leader of the Israelites, and how he led the Israelites into the Promised Land, conquering various cities and regions along the way.
Judges: This book covers the period after Joshua’s death, when the Israelites were ruled by a series of judges who were raised up by God to deliver them from their enemies.
Ruth: This book tells the story of Ruth, a Moabite woman who married an Israelite man and eventually became an ancestor of King David.
1 Samuel: This book begins with the story of Samuel, who was raised up by God to be a prophet and judge over Israel. It also tells the story of Saul, who was the first king of Israel, and David, who became king after him.
2 Samuel: This book continues the story of David’s reign as king of Israel, including his triumphs and his failures.
1 Kings: This book covers the reigns of Solomon, who succeeded David as king, and several other kings of Israel and Judah.
2 Kings: This book continues the history of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, including the fall of both kingdoms and the Babylonian exile.
1 Chronicles: This book provides a genealogy of the Israelites, starting with Adam and tracing the line of David through several generations.
2 Chronicles: This book covers the reigns of the kings of Judah, with a particular focus on the reigns of David’s descendants.
Ezra: This book tells the story of the return of the exiled Jews to Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the Temple.
Nehemiah: This book covers the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem and the reforms that Nehemiah instituted to restore the people’s faith in God.
Esther: This book tells the story of Esther, a Jewish woman who became queen of Persia and used her position to save her people from destruction.