As I have said before, Adam Clarke is my favorite Bible commentator. He was born in County Londonderry, Ireland about 1763.  His father taught a classical school.  His two boys took turns every other day, one to school and one to work the farm.  When the one who went to school returned home, he was sent to report to his brother what he had learned that day.  However, Adam was "a rather dull boy, and was about eight years of age before he was capable of putting vowels and consonants together."  His teacher taunted him saying he would be a beggar all his days.  The other students jeered him.  He decided he did not want to be a dunce and the butt of their insults.  Then he bloomed.  As the British might say, "Brilliant!"

At age 20, John Wesley appointed him a circuit of thirty-one towns and villages.  He spent much of his time reading while riding his horse.  He slept in lofts and even outhouses in the winter and held open air services with snow on the ground.  His services were sometimes disturbed by bullies.

He began his commentary in 1798 and spent the next twenty-five years writing it, and fifteen more years bringing it to press.  He and his wife had six boys and six girls.  Clarke was also drawn to science and was involved in an elite society of scientists.  He had his own museum including the long tusk of a narwhal.  When the end of war meant boatloads of sailors were homeless, Adam Clarke offered the use of the small workers' housing on his estate to as many as he could.

He began his commentary with Matthew.  "Jesus...He shall save his people from their sins." He said, "This shall be His great business in the world, the great errand on which He is come, to make an atonement for, and to destroy sin.  Deliverance from all the power, guilt, and pollution of sin is the privilege of every believer in Christ Jesus.  The perfection of the gospel system is not that it makes allowances for sin, but makes an atonement for it; not that it tolerates sin, but that it destroys it."  All this from what is said before the baby was even born, taken from the angel Michael's message to Joseph on what to name Him.   I'm sure it was a little bit more than Joseph could take in at that moment.  Rather than allow Mary to be stoned or to be divorced quietly-which would be near to impossible in a small town-he realized happily that his Mary was still his, but the baby she carried was the One, the only begotten of the Father's.  His life was just turned upside down.