),from their plans, i. e., before they can accomplish them, or in consequence, by means of them. (Compare Hos. xi. 6). In the fulness, or abundance, of their sins, thrust them forth, cast them out from thy presence, and down from theip present exaltation. For they have rebelled against thee, not me, or against me only as thy instrument and representative. Or the opposition may be between rebelling against God and simply sinning against man. The imperative and future forms, in, this verse, both express the certainty of the event, with an implication of approving acquiescence. Such expres- sions, in the Psalms, have never really excited or encouraged a spirit of revenge in any reader, and are no more fitted to have that effect than the act of a judge who condemns a criminal to death, or of the officer who executes the sentence. The objections often urged against such passages are not natural, but spring from over-refinement and a false view of the Psalms as expressions of mere personal feeling. See below, on Ps. vii. 13 (12). 12 (11). The transition and contrast are the same as in ver. 8 (7) above. While the wicked perish, the righteous shall have cause for everlasting joy. 38 Psalm 5:12 And all (those) trusting in thee, making thee their refuge, shall be glad ;for ever shall they shout (or sing) for joy, and (not without cause, for) thou wilt cover over (or protect) them ; and in thee, in thy presence and thy favour, shall exult, or triumph, {the) lovers of thy name, i. e. of thy manifested excellence, which is the usual sense of this expression in the Old Testament. The believers and lovers of God's name, here spoken of, are not merely friends of the psalmist who rejoice in his deliverance, but the great congre- gation of God's people, to which he belonged, and of which he was the representative, so that his deliverance was theirs, and a rational occasion of their joy, not only on his account but on their own. 13 (12). The confident hope expressed in the foregoing verse was not a groundless or capricious one, but founded on the nature of God and the uniform tenor of his dispensations. The psalmist knows what God will do in this case, because he knows what he does and will do still in general. For thou wilt bless, and art wont to bless, the righteous, the opposite of those described in ver. 5-7 (4-6) and 10, 11 (9, 10), 0 Lord, Jehovah ! Like the shield, as the shield protects the soldier {so with) favour thou wilt sur- round him, or enclose him, still referring to the righteous ; see the same comparison in Ps. iii. 4 (3.) The confident assertion that God will do so, implies that he has done so, and is wont to do so, to the righteous as a class. And this affords a reasonable ground for the belief, expressed in the preceding verse, that he will do so also in the present case. Psalm 6 The psalmist prays for the removal of God's chastisements, ver. 2 (1), because they have already brought him very low, ver. 3, 4 (2, 3), because the divine glory will be promoted by his rescue, ver. 5 (4), and obscured by his destruction, ver. 6 (5), and because, unkss speedily relieved, he can no longer bear up under his sufferings, ver. 7, 8 (6, 7). He is neverthe- less sure of the divine compassion, ver. 9 (8). His prayer is heard and will be answered, ver. 10 (9), in the defeat and disappointment of his ene- mies, by whose malignant opposition his distress was caused, ver. 11 (10). This reference to his enemies constitutes the link of connection between this psalm and the foregoing series, and maintains the contrast, 'running through that series, between two great classes of mankind, the righteous and the wicked, the subjects of Messiah and the rebels against him, the friends and foes of the theocracy, the friends and foes of David, as an indi- vidual, a sovereign, and a type of the Messiah. At the same time, this psalm diff'ers wholly from the others in its tone of querulous but humble grief, which has caused it to be reckoned as the first of the Penitential psalms. This tone is suddenly exchanged, in ver. 9 (8), for one of confi- dent assurance, perfectly in keeping with what goes before, and true to nature. 1. For the Chief Musician, (to be sung) with stringed instruments upon the eighth. This last word corresponds exactly to our octave ; but its pre- cise application in the ancient music we have now no means of ascertaining. An instrument of eight strings, which some suppose to be the sense, could hardly be described by the ordinal number eighth. We probably lose little by our incapacity to imderstand these technical expressions, while, at the same time, their very obscurity may serve to confirm our faith in their antiquity and genuineness, as parts of the original composition. This Psalm 6:] -5 39 psalm, like the three which immediately precede it, describes itself as a psalm of (or by) David, belonging to David, as its author. The correct- ness of this statement there is as little reason to dispute in this as in either of the other cases. 2 (1). 0 Lord, Jehovah, do not in thine anger rehukc me, and do not in thy heat, or hot displeasure, chasten me. Both the original verbs properly denote the conviction and reproof of an oflender in words, but are here, as often elsewhere, applied to providential chastisements, in which God speaks with a reproving voice. This is not a prayer for the mitigation of the punishment, like that in Jcr. x. 24, but for its removal, as appears from the account of the answer in ver. 9-11 (8-10). Such a petition, while it indicates a strong faith, at the same time recognises the connection between suffering and sin. In the very act of asking for relief, the psalmist owns that he is justly punished. This may serve to teach us how far the confi- dent tone of the preceding psalms is from betraying a self-righteous spirit, or excluding the consciousness of personal unworthiness and ill-desert. The boldness there displayed is not that of self-reliance, but of faith. 3 (2). Have mercy vpon me, or he gracious unto me, 0 Lord, Jehovah, for drooping, languishing, am I. The original construction is, for I am {one who) droops or withers, like a blighted plant. Like a child complain- ing to a parent, he describes the greatness of his suffering as a reason for relieving him. Heal me, 0 Lord, Jehovah, for shaken, agitated with dis- tress and terror, are my hones, here mentioned as the strength and frame- work of the body. This might seem to indicate corporeal disease as the whole fi'om which he prays to be delivered. But the absence of any such allusion in the latter part of the psalm, and the explicit mention there of enemies as the occasion of his sufferings, shews that the pain of body here described was that arising from distress of mind, and which could only be relieved by the removal of the cause. To regard the bodily distress as a mere figure for internal anguish, would be wholly arbitrary and destructive of all sure interpretation. The physical effect hei'e ascribed to moral causes is entirely natural and confirmed by all experience. 4 (3). The Psalmist himself guards against the error of supposing that his worst distresses were corporeal. And my soul, as well as my bod}", or more than my body, which merely sympathizes with it, is greatly agitated, terror-stricken, the same word that was applied to the bones in the preced- ing verse. The description of his sufliering is then interrupted by another apostrophe to God. And thou, 0 Lord, Jehovah, until when, how long ? The sentence is left to be completed by the reader : how long wilt thou leave me thus to suffer ? how long before thou wilt appear for my deliver- ance ? This question, in its Latin fonn, Domine quousque, was Calvin's favourite ejaculation in his times of suffering, and especially of painful sickness. 5 (4). The expostulatory question is now followed by direct petition. Return, 0 Lord, Jehovah, deliver my said, my life, my self, from this im- pending death. As God seems to be absent when his people suffer, so relief is constantly described as his return to them. (Oh) save me, a still more comprehensive term than that used in the first clause, for the sake of thy mercy, not merely according to it, as a rule or measure, but to vindicate it from reproach, and do it honour, as a worthy end to be desired and accomplished. 6 (5). As a further reason for his rescue, he now urges that without it God will lose the honour, and himself the happiness, of his praises and 40 Psalm 6:6 - 9 thanksgivings. For there is not in death, or the state of the dead, thy remembrance, any remembrance of thee. In Sheol, the grave, as a gener^ receptacle, here parallel to death, and, like it, meaning the unseen veorld or state of the dead, who xoill acknowledge, or give thanks, to thee ? The Hebrew verb denotes that kind of praise called forth by the experience of goodness. The question in the last clause is equivalent to the negative proposition in the first. This verse does not prove that David had no belief or expecta- tion of a future state, nor that the intermediate state is an unconscious one, but only that in this emergency he looks no farther than the close of life, as the appointed term of thanksgiving and praise. Whatever might even- tually follow, it was certain that his death would put an end to the praise of God, in that form and those circumstances to which he had been accus- tomed. See below, on Ps. xxx. 10 (9) ; Ixxxviii. 11-13 (10-12), cxv. 17, 18, and compare Isa. xxxviii. 18. So far is the argument here urged from being weakened by our clearer knowledge of the future state, that it is greatly strengthened by the substitution of the second or eternal death. 7 (6). I am weary in (or of) my groaning, I have become wearied with it, and unless I am relieved, I shall (still as hitherto) make my bed swim every night, my couch with tears I shall dissolve, or make to flow. The uniform translation of the verbs as presents does not bring out their full meaning, or express the idea, suggested in the Hebrew by the change of tense, that the grief which had already become wearisome must still con- tinue without mitigation, unless God should interpose for his deliverance. Thus understood, the verse is not a mere description, but a disguised prayer. 8 (7). Mine eye has failed, grown dim, a common symptom both of men- tal and bodily distress, from vexation, not mere grief, but grief mixed with indignation at my enemies. It has grown old, dim like the eye of an old man, a still stronger expression of the same idea, in (the midst of) all my enemies, or in (consequence of) all my enemies, i. e. of their vexatious con- duct. Compare Ps. xx^. 10 (9). In these two verses he resumes the description of his own distress, in order to shew that the argument in ver. 6 (5) was appropriate to liis case, as that of one drawing near to death, and therefore likely soon to lose the capacity and opportunity of praising God. 9 (8). Here the key abruptly changes from the tone of sorrowful com- plaint to that of joyful confidence. No gradual transition could have so successfully conveyed the idea that the prayer of the psalmist has been heard, and will be answered. The efl'ect is like that of a whisper in the Buflferer's ear, while still engrossed vdth his distresses, to assure him that they are about to terminate. This he announces by a direct and bold address to his persecuting enemies. Depart from me, all ye doers of ini- quity, the same phrase that occurs in Ps. v. 6 (5). The sense is not that he will testify his gratitude by abjuring all communion with the wicked, but that his assurance of divine protection relieves him from all fear of his wicked foes. When God arises, then his enemies are scattered. This sense is required by the last clause of ver. 8 (7), and confirmed by a com- parison with ver. 11 (10), For the Lord, Jehovah, hath heard the voice of my weeping, or my weeping voice. The infrequency of silent grief is said to be characteristic of the orientals, and the same thing may be observed in Homer's pictures of heroic manners. 10 (9). Jehovah hath heard my supplication. The assurance of this fact relieves all fear as to the future. Jehovah my prayer will receive. The change of tense is not unmeaning or fortuitous. The combination of the Psalm 6:10 41 past and future represents the acceptance as complete and final, as already begun, and certain to continue. The particular petition thus accepted is the one expressed or implied in the next verse. 11 (10). Ashamed and confounded, i.e. disappointed and struck with terror, shall he all viy enemies. The desire that they may be is not expressed, but involved in the confident anticipation that they will be. In the second verb there is an obvious allusion to its use in ver. 3, 4 (2, 3). As he had been terror-stricken, so shall they be. As they filled him with consterna- tion, so shall God fill them. They shall return, turn back from their assault repulsed ; they shall be ashamed, filled with shame at their defeat ; and that not hereafter, {in) a moment, instantaneously. Psalm 7 The Psalmist still prays for deliverance from his enemies, ver. 2, 3 (1, 2), on the ground that he is innocent of that wherewith they charge him, ver. 4-6 (3-5). He prays for justice to himself and on his enemies, as a part of that great judicial process which belongs to God as the universal judge, ver. 7-10 (6-9). He trusts in the divine discrimination between innocence and guilt, ver. 11, 12 (10, 11). He anticipates God's vengeance on impeni- tent ofi'enders, ver. 13, 14 (12, 13). He sees them forced to act as self- destroyers, ver. 15-17 (14-16). At the same time he rejoices in God's mercy to himself, and to the whole class whom he represents, ver. 18 (17). The penitential tone, which predominated in the sixth psalm, here gives way again to that of self-justification, perhaps because the Psalmist here speaks no longer as an individual, but as the representative of the righteous or God's people. The two views which he thus takes of himself are per- fectly consistent, and should be suffered to interpret one another. 1. Shiggaion, i.e. wandering, error. The noun occurs only here, and in the plural form, Hab. iii. 1, but the verb from which it is derived is not uncommon, and is applied by Saul to his own errors with respect to David (1 Sam. xxvi. 21). See also Ps. cxix. 10, 118. Hence some ex- plain the word here as denoting moral error, sin, and make it descriptive of the subject of the psalm. See above on Ps. v. 1. Still more in accord- ance with the literal meaning of the root is the opinion that it here denotes the wandering of David at the period when the psalm was probably con- ceived. In either case, it means a song of wandering or error, which he sang, in the literal sense, or in the secondary one of poetical -composition, as Virgil says, I sing the man and arms, i.e. they are the subject of my poem. To the Lord, Jehovah, to whom a large part of the psalm is really addressed. Concerning (or because of) the words of Ctish the Benjamite. It is clear from ver'. 4-6 (3-5), that the words referred to were calumnious reports or accusations. These may have been uttered by one Gush, a Ben- jamite, who nowhere else appears in history. But as this very circum- stance makes it improbable that he would have been singled out, as the occasion of this psalm, from among so many slanderers, some suppose Cush to be Shimei, who cursed David when he fled fi-om Absalom (2 Sam. xvi. 5-13). As the psalm, however, seems much better suited to the times of Saul, some suppose Cush, which is properly the Hebrew name of Ethi- opia, to be here an enigmatical name applied to Saul himself, in reference to the blackness of his heart, and perhaps to his incorrigible wickedness. See Jer. xiii. 23, and Amos ix. 7. The description Benjamite, is equally 42 Psalm 7:1 -5 appropriate to Saul (1 Sam. ix. 1, 2; xvi. 6, 11) and Shimei, who, indeed, were kinsmen. This explanation of the word Cush is less forced than it might otherwise appear, because enigmatical descriptions of the theme are not unfrequent in the titles of the Psalms. See above, on Ps. v. 1, and below, on Ps. ix. 1 ; xxii. 1 ; liii. 1; Ivii. 1 ; Ix. 1. 2 (1). The psahn opens with an expression of strong confidence in God, and a prayer founded on it. 0 Lord, Jehovah, my God, not merely by creation, but by special covenant, in thee, as such, and therefore in no other, / have trusted, and do still trust. This relation and this trust entitle him to audience and deliverance. Save me from all my persecu- tors, or pursuers, a term frequently employed in David's history. See 1 Sam. xxiv. 15 (14) ; xxvi. 20. By these we are here to understand the whole class of worldly and ungodly men, of which Saul was the type and representative. The all suggests the urgency of the necessity, as a motive to immediate interposition. And extricate me, or deliver me. The primary idea of the verb translated save is that of making room, enlarging. See above, on Ps. iv. 2 (1). 3 (2). Lest he tear, like a lion, my soul. The singular form, following the plural in the foregoing verse, may have particular reference to Saul, or to the class of which he was a type, personified as an ideal individual. The imagery of the verse is borrowed from the habits of wild beasts, with which David was familiar from a child. See 1 Sam. xvii. 34-37. The soul or life is mentioned as the real object of attack, and not as a mere periphrasis for the personal pronoun, as if my soul were equivalent to me. Rending, or breaking the bones, and there is none delivering, or with none to deliver. 4 (3.) He proceeds upon the principle that God will not hear the prayer of the wicked, and that he must hear that of the righteous. He proceeds, therefore, to assert his innocence, not his freedom from all sin, but from that particular offence with which he had been charged. 0 Lord, Jeho- vah, my God, as in ver. 2 (1), if I have done this, which follows, or this of which I am accused, referring to " the words of Cush," the calumnies, which gave occasion to the psalm itself. If there is, with emphasis on the verb, which might have been omitted in Hebrew, and is therefore em- phatic, if there is indeed, as my accusers say, perverseness, iniquity, in my palms, in the palms of my hands, here mentioned as instruments of evil. The apodosis of the sentence is contained in ver. 6 (5) below. 5 (4). If I have repaid my fnend, one at peace with me, evil, and spoiled, plundered, (one) distressing me, acting as my enemy, without a cause. There seems to be an allusion here to the two periods of David's connection with Saul, that of their friendly intercourse, and that of their open enmity. During neither of these had David been guilty of the sins charged upon him. He had not conspired against Saul while in his service (1 Sam. xxii. 7, 8), and when persecuted by him he had spared his life (1 Sam. xxiv. 10, 11). Some suppose this last fact to be here referred to, and tfanslate the second clause, yea, I have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy. The Hebrew verb is certainly used elsewhere in this sense (2 Sam. xxii. 20, Ps. vi. 5), but its primary meaning seems to be that of stripping or spoil- ing a conquered enemy. The first construction above given is moreover much more natural, and agrees better with the grammatical dependence of the second verb upon the first. 6 (6). His consciousness of innocence is expressed in the strongest man- ner by invoking the divine displeasure if the charge can be established. An enemifi or by poetic licence, thg enemif, whether Saul or the ideal enemj Psalm 7:6 -8 43 referred to in verse 3 (2), shall pursue, or may pursue, which is equivalent to saying, Let the enemy pursue my soul, the figure being still the same as in verse 3 (2) above, but carried out with more minuteness, and overtake (it), and trample to the earth my life, and my honour in the dust make dwell, i. e. completely prostrate and degrade. Some regard honour as equivalent to soul and life, the intelligent and vital part, which is the glory of man's con- stitution. But the analogy of Ps. iii. 4 (3) and iv. 3 (2) makes it more probable that in this case also there is reference to the Psalmist's personal and official honour. The allusion, however, is not so much to posthumous disgrace as to present humiliation. All this he imprecates upon himself if really guilty of the charges calumniously brought against him. The solem- nity of this appeal to God, as a witness and a judge, is enhanced by the usual pause. Selah. 7 (6). Upon this protestation of his innocence he founds a fresh prayer for protection and deliverance. Arise, arouse thyself, 0 Lord, Jehovah. See above, on Ps. iii. 8 (7). Arise in thine anger, raise thyself, or be exalted, in, i. e. amidst, the ragings of my enemies. The idea because of my enemies is rather implied than expressed. The sense directly intended seems to be that, as his enemies are raging, it is time for God to arise in anger too. As they rage against him, he calls upon God to rise in anger against them. And awake, a still stronger figure than arise, because implying sleep as well as inactivity. Awake unto me, at my call and for my benefit. Judgment hast thou commayided, or ordained. Let that judgment now be executed. He appeals to the general administration of God's justice, as a ground for expecting it in this one case. As it was part of the divine plan or pur- pose to do justice, both on friends and foes, here was an opportunity to put it into execution. 8 (7). Ayid the congregation of nations shall surround thee, which in this connection is equivalent to saying, let it surround thee. The most probable sense of these obscure words is, appear in the midst of the nations as their judge. The same connection between God's judicial government in general and his judicial acts in a particular case, that is implied in the preceding verse, is here embodied in the figure of an oriental king dispensing justice to his subjects in a popular assembly. And above it, the assembly, to the high place, or the height, return thou. This may either mean, return to heaven when the judgment is concluded, or, which seems more natural, Resume thy seat as judge above this great ideal congregation. Above it, thus assembled to receive thee, to the high place, or the judgment-seat, re- turn thou, after so long an absence, previously intimated by the summons to arise and awake. Inaction, sleep, and absence from the judgment- seat, are aU bold metaphors for God's delay to save his people and destroy their enemies. 9 (8). The same thing is now expressed in a direct and formal manner. Jehovah will judge, is to judge, the nations. This is laid down as a certain general proposition, from which the Psalmist draws a special inference in the shape of a petition. Judge me, O Lord, Jehovah ! If it be true that God will judge the world, redress all wrong, and punish all iniquity, let him begin with me. Let me share now in the justice which is to be universally administered. Judge me, 0 Lord, according to my right, and my complete- ness, or perfection, over me, i.e. according to my innocence which covers and protects me. All such expressions must be qualified and explained by the confession of unworthiness in Ps. vi. and elsewhere, which sufficiently demon- strates that the Psalmist here makes no claim to absolute perfection and innocence, nor to any whatever that is independent of God's sovereign mercy. 44 Psalm 7:9 - 13 10 (9). Let cease, I pray, the badness of wicked (rnen). The future has an optative meaning given to it by the Hebrew particle ( W), which is often rendered now, not as an adverb of time, but of entreaty. Between man and man, it is frequently equivalent to if you please in modern parlance. When addressed to God, it scarcely admits of any other version than I pray. The assonance or paronomasia in the common version, loickedness of the wicked, is not found in the original, where two words, not akin to one another, are employed. The plural form of wicked is also lost or left ambiguous in the common version. And thou wilt confirm, or establish, a righteous {man), and a trier of hearts and reins, constantly used in Scripture for the internal dispositions, (is the) righteous God, or {art thou) 0 righteous God, which last agrees best with the direct address to God in the preceding clauses. This does not merely mean that God is omniscient, and therefore able thus to try the hearts and reins, but that he actually does it. Here he is spe- cially appealed to, as a judge or umpire between Saul, or "the wicked" whom he represented, and " the righteous," of whom David was the type and champion. 11 (10). My shield (is) upon God. My protection or defence depends on him alone. The figure is the same as in Ps. iii. 4 (3) and v. 13 (12). Here again the hope of personal deliverance is founded on a general truth, as to the course of the divine administration. My shield {is) upon God, sav- ing, or who saves, the Saviour of the upright, straightforward, or sincere in heart. This is a new indirect assertion of his own integrity and innocence. 12 (11). The second word in the original of this verse may be either a participle or a noun, so that the clause admits of two translations, God {is) a righteous judge, and, God is judging, i. e. judges, the nghteous. The first would be a repetition of the general truth taught in ver. 9 (8) above, but here applied to the punishment of the wicked, as it is there to the salvation of the innocent. According to the other construction, the verse before us presents both ideas : God judges the righteous, i. e. does him justice, and God is angi-y every day. The object of this anger, although not expressed, is obvious, and is even rendered more conspicuous by this omission. As if he had said, "God, who does justice to the righteous, has likewise objects for his indignation." 13 (12). If he, the sinner at whom God is angry, uill not turn, i.e. turn back from his impious and rebellious undertakings, his sword he uill whet, i. e. with a natural though sudden change of subject, God will whet his sword, often referred to as an instrument of vengeance. His bow he has trodden on, alluding to the ancient mode of bending the large and heavy bows used in battle, and made it ready. The bow and the sword were the most common weapons used in ancient warfare. The past tense of these verbs implies that the instruments of vengeance are prepared already, and not merely viewed as something future. 14 (13). And at him (the wicked enemy) he has aimed, or directed, the instruments of death, his deadly weapons. This is still another step in advance. The weapons are not only ready for him, but aimed at him. his arrows to {be) burning he unll make, i. e. he will make his arrows burning arrows, in allusion to the ancient military custom of shooting ignited darts or arrows into besieged towns, for the purpose of setting them on fire, as well as that of personal injury. The figurative terms in these two verses all express the certainty and promptness of the divine judgments on incorrigible sinners. For even these denunciations are not absolute, Psalm7:14-17 45 but suspended on the enemy's repentance or persistency in evil. That significant phrase, if he will not turn, may be tacitly suppUed as quaUfying every threatening in the book, however strong and unconditional in its expressions. 15 (14). BeJiold, he, the wicked man, will writhe, or travail (with) iniquity, (towards others), and conceive mischief (to himself), and bring forth falsehood, self-deception, disappointment. The meaning seems to be, that while bringing his malignant schemes to maturity, he will uncon- sciously conceive and bring forth ruin to himself. 16 (15) The same idea is then expressed by other figures, borrowed perhaps from certain ancient modes of hunting. A well he has digged, i. e. a pitfall for his enemy, and hollowed it, or made it deep, and fallen info the pit he is making, or about to make. The change from the past tense to the future seems to place the catastrophe between the inception and completion of the plan. The translation of the last verb as a simple preterite is entirely ungrammatical. 17 (16). Still a third variation of the same theme. His mischief shall return upon his own head, literally into it, like a falling body which not only rests upon an object, but sinks and is imbedded in it. And on his oum crown his violence, including the ideas of injustice and cruelty, shall come down. 18 (17). "While the wicked enemy of Grod and his people is thus made to execute the sentence on himself, the Psalmist already exults in the ex- perience of God's saving mercy. / xoill praise the Lord, Jehovah, i. e. acknowledge his favours. See above, on Ps. vi. 6 (5). According to his right, desert, or due, as in ver. 9 (8) above. Or according to his righteous- ness, his justice, i. e. the praise shall correspond to the display just made of this attribute, as well in the deliverance of the Psalmist as in the des- truction of his enemies. And I will sing praise, praise by singing, praise in song, the name, the manifested excellence (see above, on Ps. v. 12 (11),) of the Lord, Jehovah, High or Most High. He will praise the Lord in this exalted character as manifested by his dealings in the case which gave occasion to the psalm. The resolution thus expressed may be considered as fulfilled in the psalm itself, so confident is he that it cannot be performed before his prayer is answered. Or the words may be understood as en- gaging to continue these acknowledgments hereafter. Psalm 8 This psalm begins and ends with an admiring recognition of God's mani- fested excellence, ver. 2 (1) and 10 (9). In the intermediate verses the manifestation is traced, first in the inanimate creation, ver. 3, 4 (2, 3 , and then in animated nature, vers. 5-9 (4-8), with particular reference to man's superiority. This is indeed the main subject of the psalm, the glory of God in nature being only introduced to heighten his goodness to mankind. We have here, therefore, a description of the dignity of human nature, as it was at first, and as it is to be restored in Christ, to whom the descriptive terms may therefore be applied, without forced or fanciful accommodation on the one hand, and without denying the primary generic import of the composition on the other, 1. To the Chief Musician, on (or according to) the Gittith. This word, which reappears in the titles of two other psalms (the eighty-first and 46 Psalm 8:1, 2 eighty-fourth), would seem, from its form, to be the feminine of Gittir ■which always means a Gittite or inhabitant of Gath. See Josh. xiii. 3 ; 2 Sam. vi. 10, xv. 18. As David once resided there, and had afterwards much intercourse with the inhabitants, the word may naturally here denote an instrument there invented or in use, or an air, or a style of performance, borrowed from that city. Some prefer, however, to derive it from the primary sense of Gath in Hebrew, which is wine-press, and apply it either to an instrument of that shape, or to a melody or style which usage had connected with the joy of vintage or the pressing of the grapes. Either of these explanations is more probable than that which derives Gittiih from the same root with Neginoth in the titles of Ps. iv. and vi., and gives it the same sense, viz. stringed instruments, or the music of stringed instru- ments. Besides the dubious etymology on which this explanation rests, it is improbable that two such technical terms would have been used to- signify precisely the same thing. The only further observation to be made- 'Upon this title is, that all the psalms to which it is prefixed are of a joyoua character, which agrees well with the supposition that it signifies an air or style of musical performance. The ascription of this Fsalm to David, as its author, is fully confirmed by its internal character. 2 (1). Jehovah^ our Lord, not of the Psalmist only, but of all men, and especially all Israel, how glorious {is) thy name, thy manifested excellence (see above, Ps. v. 11, vii. 17), in all the earth, which gave thy glory, i.e. which glory of thine give or place, above the heavens. The verbal form here used is, in every other place where it occurs, an imperative, and should not therefore, without necessity, be otherwise translated. Thus understood, the clause contains a prayer or wish, that the divine glory may be made still more conspicuous. To give or place glory on an object is an idiomatic phrase repeatedly used elsewhere, to denote the conferring of honour on an in- ferior. See Num. xxvii. 20 ; 1 Chron. xxix. 25 ; Dan. xi. 21. It here implies that the glory belonging to the frame of nature is not inherent but derivative. 8 (2.) From the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast founded strength. The instinctive admiration of thy works, even by the youngest children, is a strong defence against those who would question thy being or obscure thy glory. The Septuagint version of the last words in this clause, thou hast prepared (or provided) praise, conveys the same idea with a change of form, since it is really the praise or admiration of the child that is de- scribed in the original as strength. This version is adopted by Matthew, in his record of our Lord's reply to the Pharisees, when they complained of the hosannas uttered by the children in the temple (Mat. xxi. 16). That allusion does not prove that Christ was the primary subject of this psalm, but only that the truth expressed in the words quoted was exemplified in that case. If the Scriptures had already taught that even the unconscious admiration of the infant is a tribute to God's glory, how much more might children of maturer age be suffered to join in acclamations to his Son. The sense thus put upon the words of David agrees better with the context than the one preferred by some interpreters, viz., that the defence in question is afforded by the structure and progress of the child itself. If this had been intended, he would hardly have said from the mouth, or have confined his subsequent allusions to the splendour of the firmament. — The effect, or rather the legitimate tendency of this spontaneous testimony is to silence enemy and avenger, i. e. to stop the mouths of all malignant railers against God, ■whose cavils and sophisms are put to shame by the instinctive recognition of God's being and his glory by the youngest children. Psalm 8:3 -6 47 4 (3). Wlien I see thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, an expression borrowed from the habits of men, to whom the fingers are natural organs of contrivance and construction, the moon and the stars which thou hast fixed, or settled in their several spheres. As we constantly associate the sky and sun together, the latter, although not expressly mentioned, may be considered as included in the subject of the first clause. Or the mention of the moon and stars without the sun may be understood to mark this as an evening hymn. There is no ground, however, for referring this psalm to the pastoral period of David's life, or for doubting that it was composed when he was king. 5 (4). The sentence begun in the preceding verse is here completed. When I see thy heavens, &c., what is man, frail man, as the original word signifies, that thou shouJdst remember him, think of him, attend to him, and {any) son of man, or the son of man, as a generic designation of the race, that thou shouldst visit him, i. e. according to the usage of this figure, manifest thyself to him, either in wrath or mercy. See Gen. xviii. 14, xxi. 1, Ruth i. 6, &c. Here of course the latter is intended. The scriptural idea of a divine visitation is of something which reveals God's special presence and activity, whether as a friend or foe. The interrogation in this verse implies a strong negation of man's worthiness to be thus honoured, not in comparison with the material universe, to which he is in truth superior, but with the God whose glory the whole frame of nature was intended to display and does display, even to the least matured and culti- vated minds. It was with a view to this comparison, and not for its own sake, or as the main subject of the psalm, that the glory of creation waa referred to the foregoing verse. 6 (5). And remove him little from divinity, i. e. from a divine and heavenly, or at least a superhuman state. The Hebrew noun is the com- mon one for God, but being plural in its form, is sometimes used in a more vague and abstract sense, for all conditions of existence higher than our own. 1 Sam. xxviii. 13, Zech. ix. 7. Hence it is sometimes rendered angels in the Septuagint, which version, although inexact, is retained in the New Testament (Heb. ii. 7), because it sufficiently expresses the idea which was essential to the writer's argument. The verb in this clause strictly means to make or let one want, to leave deficient. Eccles. iv. 8, vi. 2. The form here used (that of the future with vav conversive), con- nects it in the closest manner with the verb of the preceding verse, a con- struction which may be imperfectly conveyed by the omission of the auxiUary verbs in English. " What is man, that thou shouldst remember him, and visit him, and make him want but Uttle of divinity, and crown him with honour and glory?" The Hebrew order of the last clause is, and {with) honour and glory crown him. These nouns are elsewhere put together to express royal dignity. Ps. xxi. 1, 6 (5), xlv. 4 (3), Jer. xxii. 18, 1 Chron. xxix. 25. There is an obvious allusion to man's being made in the image of God, with dominion over the inferior creation. Gen. i. 26, 28 ; ix. 2. This is predicated not of the individual but of the race, which lost its perfection in Adam and recovers it in Christ. Hence the description is pre-eminently true of him, and the appUcation of the words in Heb. ii. 7, is entirely legitimate, although it does not make him the exclusive subject of the psalm itself. 7 (6). The same construction is continued through the first clause of this verse. Make him rule, i. e. what is man that thou shouldst make him rule, in, among, and by impUcation over, the works, the other and 48 Psalm 8:7 -9 inferior creatures, of thy hands. The use of the future form in Hebrew up to this point is dependent on the question and contingent particle {u-hat is man that) in ver. 5 (4). The question being now exhausted or exchanged for a direct affirmation, the past tense is resumed. All, everything, hast thou put under his feet, i. e. subjected to his power. The application of these terms to Christ (1 Cor. xv. 27, Eph. i. 22), as the ideal representative of human nature in its restored perfection, is precisely similar to that of the expressions used in the preceding ver^e. 8 (7). This verse contains a mere specification of the general term all in the verse before it. Sheep, or rather flocks, including sheep and goats, and oxen, as a generic term for larger cattle, and also, not only these domesti- cated animals, but also, beasts of the field, which always means in Scripture wild beasts (Gen. ii. 20, iii. 14, 1 Sam. xvii. 44, Joel i. 20), field being used in such connections to denote, not the cultivated land, but the open, unenclosed, and wilder portions of the country. The whole verse is a general description of all quadrupeds or beasts, whether tame or wild. 9 (8). To complete the cycle of animated nature, the inhabitants of the air and water are now added to those of the earth. Bird of heaven, a collective phrase, denoting the birds of the sky, i. e. those which fly across the visible heavens. The common version, " fowl of the air," is de§criptive of the same objects, but is not a strict translation. And fishes of the sea, and (every thing) passing in, or through, the patlis of the sea. Some read without supplying anything, fishes of the sea passing through the paths of the sea. But this weakens the expression, and is also at variance with the form of the original, where passing is a singular. Others construe it with man, who is then described as passing over the sea and ruling its inhabi- tants. But neither the syntax nor the sense is, on the whole, so natural as that proposed above, which makes this a residuary comprehensive clause, intended to embrace whatever might not be included in the more specific terms by which it is preceded. The dominion thus ascribed to man, as a part of his original prerogative, is not to be confovmded with the coercive rule which he still exercises over the inferior creation (Gen. ix. 2, James iii. 7), although this is really a relic of his pristine state, and at the same time an earnest of his future restoration. 10 (9). Jehovah, our Lord, how glorious is thy name in all the earth, not only made so by the splendour of the skies, but by God's condescending goodness to mankind. With this new evidence and clearer view of the divine perfection, the Psalmist here comes back to the point fi:om which he started, and closes with a solemn repetition of the theme propounded in the opening sentence. Psalm 9 This psalm expresses, in a series of natural and striking alternations, gratitude for past deliverances, trust in God's -power and disposition to repeat them, and direct and earnest prayer for such repetition. We have first the acknowledgment of former mercies, ver. 2-7 (1-6) ; then the expression of trust for the future, ver. 8-13 (7-12) ; then the petition founded on it, ver. 14, 15 (13, 14). The same succession of ideas is repeated : recollection of the past, ver. 16, 17 (15, 16) ; anticipation of the future, ver. 18, 19 (17, 18) ; prayer for present and immediate help, ver. 20, 21 (19, 20). This parallelism of the parts makes the structure of Psalm 9.] -3 49 the psalm remarkably like that of the seventh. The composition was inten- tionally so framed as to bo a vehicle of pious feeling to the church at any period of strife and persecution. The form is that of the Old Testament; but the substance and the spirit are common to both dispensations. 1. To the Chief Musician^ Al-muth-luhhen. This enigmatical title has been variously explained. Some understand it as descriptive of the sub- ject, and make lahhen an anagram of Nahal, the name of one of Da^dd's enemies, and, at the same time, an appellative denoting /ooZ, in which sense it is frequently applied to the wicked ; see, for example, Ps. xiv. 1. The whole would then mean on the death of the fool, i. e. the sinner. Such enigmatical changes are supposed to occur in Jer. xxv. 26, li. 1, 41; Zech. ix. 1. Others, by a change of pointing in the Hebrew, for al-muth read ulamoth, a musical term occurring in the title of Ps. xlvi., or a cognate form almuth, and explain labben to mean ybr Ben, or the {children of) Ben, one of the Levitical singers mentioned in 1 Chron. xv. 18. Neither of these explanations seem so natural as a third, which supposes muth-lahben to be the title, or the first words, or a prominent expression of some other poem, in the style, or to the air of which, this psalm was composed. After the manner, or to the air, of (the song or poem) Death to the son, or the death of the son. Compare 2 Sam. i. 18, where David's elegy on Saul appears to be called Kesheth or the Boiv, because that word is a prominent expression in the composition. As it cannot be supposed that the expres- sion was originally without meaning, the obscurity, in this and many similar cases, is rather a proof of antiquity than of the opposite. •2 (1). / will thank Jehovah, praise him for his benefits, with all my heart, sincerely, cordially, and with a just appreciation of the greatness of his favours. I will recount all thy toonders, the wonderful things done by thee, with special reference to those attested by his own experience. The change from the third to the second person is entirely natural, as if the Psalmist's warmth of feeling would not suffer him to speak any longer merely of God, as one absent, but compelled him to turn to him, as the immediate object of address. There is no need, therefore, of supplying thee in the first clause, and construing Jehovah as a vocative. 3 (2). I will joy and triumph in thee, not merely in thy presence, or because of thee, i. e. because of what thou hast done, but in communion with thee, and because of my personal interest in thee. The form of the verbs, both here and in the last clause of the preceding verse, expresses strong desire and fixed determination; see above, on Ps. ii. 3. I will praise, or celebrate in sovg ; see above, on Ps. vii. 18 (17). Thy name, thy manifested excellence ; see above, on Ps. v. 12 (11). {Thou) Highest, or Most High! see above, on Ps. vii. 18 (17). Here again there is special reference to the proofs of God's supremacy afforded by his recent dealings with the Psalmist and his enemies. 4 (3). In the turning of my enemies bach, i. e. from their assault on me, which is equivalent to saying, in their retreat, their defeat, their disappoint- ment. This may either be connected with what goes before, and understood as a statement of the reason or occasion of the praise there promised : "I will celebrate thy name when (or because) my enemies turn back;" or it may begin a new sentence, and ascribe their defeat to the agency of God himself: " When my enemies turn back (it is because) they arc to stumble, and perish from thy presence, from before thee, or at thy presence, i. e. as soon as thou appearest." The Hebrew preposition has both a causa- tive and local meaning. The form of the verbs does not necessarily imply 50 Psalm 9:4 - 6 that the deliverance acknowledged was still future, but only that it might occur again, and that in any such case, whether past or yet to come, Jehovah was and would be the true author of the victory achieved. The act of stumbling implies that of falling as its natural consequence, and is often used in Scripture as a figure for complete and ruinous failure. 5 (4). This was not a matter of precarious expectation, but of certain experience. For thou hast made, done, executed, wrought out, and thereby maintained, my caitse and my right. This phrase is always used elsewhere in a favourable sense, and never in the vague one of simply doing justice, whether to the innocent 6r guilty. See Deut. x. 18 ; 1 Kings viii. 45, 49 ; Ps. cxl. 12 ; and compare Isa. x. 2. And this defence was not merely that of an advocate, but that of a judge, or rather of a sovereign in the exercise of those judicial functions which belong to royalty. See Prov. xx. 8. Thou hast sat, and sittest, on a throne, the throne of universal sovereignty, judging right, i. e. rightly, or a judge of righteousness, a righteous judge. See above, on Ps. vii, 12 (11). In this august character the Psalmist had already seen Jehovah, and he therefore gives it as a reason for expecting him to act in accordance with it now. 6 (5). The forensic terms of the preceding verse are now explained as denoting the destruction of God's enemies. Thou hast rebuked nationSf not merely individuals, but nations. God's chastisements are often called rebukes, because in them he speaks by act as clearly as he could by word. Thou hast destroyed a wicked [one), i. e. many a wicked enemy, in former times, in other cases, and that not with a partial ruin, but with complete extermination even of their memory. Their name, that by which men are distinguished and remembered, thou hast blotted out, erased, effaced, obli- terated, to perpetuity and eternity, an idiomatic combination, coincident in sense, though not in form, with the English phrase, for ever and ever. This verse does not refer exclusively to any one manifestation of God's power and wrath, but to the general course of his dealings with his enemies, and especially to their invariable issue, the destruction of the adverse party. 7 (6). The enemy, or as to the enemy, a nominative absolute placed at the beginning of the sentence for the sake of emphasis — finished, completed, are (his) ruins, desolations, for ever, i. e. he is ruined or made desolate for ever. The construction of the first word as a vocative — 0 enemy, ended are (thy) desolations for ever, i. e. the desolations caused by thee — affords a good sense, but is neither so agreeable to usage nor to the context as the one first given. Still less so are the other versions which have been given of this difficult clause. E. g. The enemies are completely desolate for ever; — the enemies are consumed, (there are) ruins (or desolations) for ever, &c. The address is still to Jehovah, as in the preceding verse. And (their) cities, viz. those of the enemy, hast thou destroyed. According to the second construction above given, this would mean, thou (0 enemy) hast destroyed cities, but art now destroyed thyself. The same reasons as before require ns to prefer Jehovah as the object of address. Gone, perish, is their very memory. The idiomatic form of the original in this clause cannot be retained in a translation. The nearest approach to it would be, gone is their memory, themselves. This may either mean their memory, viz. [that of) themselves, i. e. their own ; or, perished is their memory (and) themselves {with it). There seems to be an obvious allusion to the threatenings against Amalek in the books of Moses (Exod. xvii. 14 ; Num. xxiv. 20 ; Deut. XXV. 19), which received their literal fulfilment in the conquests of Saul and David (1 Sam. xv. 8, 7, xxvii. 8, 9, xxx. 1, 17 ; 2 Sam. viii. 12; Psalm9:7-12 51 1 Chron. iv. 43). But this is evidently here presented merely as a sample of other conquests over the surrounding nations (2 Sam. viii. 11-14), and even these as only samples of the wonders wrought by God for his own people, and celebrated in ver. 2 (1) above. 8 (7). And Jehovah to eternity, for ever, will sit, as he sits now, upon the throne and judgment- seat. He has set up for judgment, for the purpose of acting as a judge, Jiis throne. It is not as an absolute or arbitrary ruler, but as a just judge, that Jehovah reigns. This recognition of God's judicial character and office as perpetual is intended to prepare the way for an appeal to his righteous intervention in the present case. 9 (8). And he, himself, with emphasis upon the pronoun, is to judge the world, the fruitful and cultivated earth, as the Hebrew word properly denotes, here put for its inhabitants, injustice, or righteousness, i.e. in the exercise of this divine perfection. He will judge, a diflferent Hebrew verb, to which we have no equivalent, he will judge nations, peoples, races, not mere individuals, in equities, in equity, the plural form denoting fulness or completeness, as in Ps. i. 1. As the preceding verse describes Jehovah's kingship as judicial, so the verse before us represents him in the actual exercise of his judicial functions. 10 (9). And {so) toill Jehovah he a high place, out of reach of danger, hence a refuge, for the oppressed, literally the bruised or broken in pieces, a high place, refuge, in times of distress, literally at times in distress, i. e. at times (when men are) in distress. God's judicial sovereignty is exercised so as to relieve the sufferer and deliver those in danger. 11 (10). And in thee will trust, as now so in all times to come, the Jcnowers of thy name, those who know the former exhibitions of thy great- ness and thy goodness, all which are included in the name of God. See ver. 3 (2), and Ps. viii. 2 (1), vii. 18 (17), ver. 12 (11). For thou hast not forsaken thy seekers, or (those) seeking thee, 0 Lord, Jehovah, i. e. seek- ing thy favour in general, and thy protection against their enemies in par- ticular. The certain knowledge of this fact is laid as the foundation of the confidence expressed in the first clause. 12 (11). Sing, make music, give praise by song or music, to Jehovah, as the God of Israel, inhabiting Zion, i. e. the sanctuary there established. Or the words may mean sitting, as a king, enthroned, (in) Zion, which agrees well with the use of the same verbs in ver. 5, 8 (4, 7) above, al- though the other version is favoured by the obvious allusion to the symboli- cal import of the sanctuary under the Mosaic law, as teaching the great doctrine of God's dwelling among men. See above, on Ps. iii. 5 (4), V. 8 (7). Zion is here represented as the centre of a circle reaching far beyond the house of Israel, and indeed co-extensive with the earth. Tell, declare, make known, in, among, the nations, his exploits, his noble deeds, the wonders mentioned in ver. 2 (1). We have here, in his inspired formula of worship, a clear proof that the ancient church believed and understood the great truth, that the law was to go forth from Zion, and the word of the Lord fi-om Jerusalem, Isa. ii. 3, Mic. iv. 2. 13 (12). For seeking blood, or as an inqtiisitor of blood, he has remem- bered, he remembers, it, i. e. the blood ; he has not forgotten the cry of the distressed. God is here revealed in the character which he assumes in Gen. ix. 5, where the same verb and noun are used in the first clause of the verse before us. The word translated blood is in the plural form. See above, on Ps. v. 7 (6). Hence the literal translation of the next word is, he has remembered them, i. e. the bloods or murders. The cry meant is- 52 Psalm 9:13, 14 the cry of suffering and complaint, with particular reference to Gen. iv. 10. According to another reading of the last clause, the cry is that of the meek or humble, not of the distressed. But the common text affords a better sense, and really includes the other, as the innocence of the sufferers is im- plied, though not expressed. The general import of the verse is that God's judgments, though deferred, are not abandoned, that he does not forget even what he seems to disregard, and that sooner or later he will certainly appear as an avenger. Murder is here put as the highest crime against the person, for all others, and indeed for wickedness in general. 14 (13). Have mercy upon me, or be gracious to me, 0 Jehovah, see my suffering from my haters, raising me from the gates of death. The view previously taken of God's faithfulness and justice is now made the ground of an importunate petition for deliverance from present dangers and dis- tress. My haters, those who hate me. From my haters may be taken as a pregnant construction, meaning, see my suffering (and free me) from my enemies. Thus in 2 Sam. xviii. 19, " Jehovah hath judged him from the hand of his enemies," means " hath done him justice (and so freed him) from the power of his enemies." See a similar expression in Ps. xxii. 22 (21) below. It seems more natural and obvious, however, in the case before us, to give from a causal meaning. " See my distress (arising) from, or caused by, those who hate me." Raising me does not denote an accompanying act, as if he had said, see my distress, and at the same time lift me up, &c. It is rather descriptive of a certain divine character or habit, and agrees with the pronoun of the second person understood. *' Thou that liftest me up," that art accustomed so to do, that has done so in other cases, with an implied prayer, do so now. The gates of death may have reference to the image of a subterranean dungeon, from which no prisoner can free himself ; or it may be simply a poetical expression for the entrance to the grave of the state of the dead. Compare Isa. xxxviii. 10, and Mat. xvi. 18. 15 (14). That I may recount all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion, may joy in thy salvation. This is one important end for which he asks to be dehvered, namely, that God may have the praise of his deliver- ance. There is a trace, in the Hebrew text, of an original plural form, praises, which might then denote praiseworthy deeds, actions worthy to be celebrated. But the singular form occurs with all in Ps. cvi. 2 below. The gates here mentioned are contrasted with those of the preceding verse. The God who saves him from the gates of death shall be praised for this deliverance in the gates of the daughter of Zion. This last expression is supposed by some to be a personification of the people inhabiting Zion or Jerusalem, who are then put for Israel at large, as the church or chosen people. Others regard the genitive construction as equivalent to a simple apposition, as in river of Euphrates, or in our familiar phrase, the city of Jerusalem. The personification is then that of the city itself, considered as an ideal virgin, and on that account called daughter, by a usage similar to that of the corresponding word in French. In either case, there is an obvious reference to the ancient church, as the scene or the witness of the Psalmist's praises. The verb in the last clause may be made to depend upon the particle at the beginning of the verse, [that] I may exult ; or it may be still more emphatically construed as an independent proposition, / will exult in thy salvation. The form of the verb is the same as in Ps. ii. 3 above. The second verb itself occurs in ver. 11 of that psalm, and as in that case, may either denote an inward emotion or the outward expression of it, I will Psalm 9:15 - 18 53 shout. In thy salvation, i. e. in the possession or experience of it, and in acknowledgment of having thus experienced or possessed it. 16 (15). Sunk are nations in a pit they made; in a net which they hid, taken is their foot. This may be either a confident anticipation of the future as if already past, or a further reference to previous deliverance, as a ground of hope for others yet to come. Nations, whole nations, when opposed to God. Compare Ps, ii. 1. The accessory idea of Gentiles, heathen, would be necessarily suggested at the same time to a Hebrew reader. Most ver- sions have the definite forms, the pit, the net ; but the indefinite form of the original is equally intelligible in English, and therefore preferable as a more exact translation. The ellipsis of the relative, a pit (which) they made, is common to the Hebrew idiom and our own. The figures are borrowed from ancient modes of himting. See above, on Ps. vii. 16 (15). Their foot, their own foot, not that of the victim whose destruction they intended. 17 (16). Known is Jehovah, or has made himself known. Justice has he done, or judgment has he executed. In the work of Jiis (own) hands en- snared is a wicked (man). Higgaion, meditation. Selah, pause. God has revealed himself as present and attentive, notwithstanding his apparent obli- vion and inaction, by doing justice on his enemies, or rather by making them do justice on themselves, converting their devices against others into means of self-destruction. In view of this most striking attestation of God's providential government, the reader is summoned to reflect, and enabled so to do by a significant and solemn pause. The sense of medita- tion or reflection is clear ifrom Ps. xix. 15 (14), and Lam. iii. 62. See below, on Ps. xcii. 4 (3), The addition of Higgaion to Selah here con- firms the explanation already given of the latter word. See above, on Ps. iii. 3 (2). With this understanding of the terms, we may well say, to our- selves or others, in view of every signal providential retribution, especially where sin is conspicuously made its own avenger, Higgaion Selah ! 18 (17). The vncked shall turn back even to hell, to death, or to the grave, all nations forgetfu. of God. The enemies of God and of his people shall be not only thwarted and repulsed, but driven to destruction ; and that not merely individuals, but nations. For the meaning of Sheol see above, on Ps. vi. 6 (5). The figure of turning back, retreating, failing, is tUfe same as in ver. 4 (3) above. The idea expressed is not that of being turned directly into hell, but that of turning back, first to one's original position, and then beyond it, to the grave or hell. In the last clause there is an allusion to the implied charge of forgetfulness on God's part in ver. 13 (12) above. He had not forgotten the "poor innocents," as they feared, and as their enemies believed ; but these very enemies had forgotten him, and must now abide the consequences of their own forgetfulness. The future forms of this verse may have reference to the same things mentioned in the verse preceding as already past. It seems more natural, however, to explain them as a confident anticipation of results precisely similar to those which had already been produced by the same causes. As Jehovah had already caused the heathen to become their own destroyers, so he might be expected to renew the same judicial process in another case. 19 (18). For not for ever shall the poor be forgotten, (and) the hope of the humble perish to eternity. However long God may appear to be forgetful of his sufi'ering people, even this seeming obhvion is to have an end. Still another allusion to the charge or imputation of forgetfulness implied in ver. 18 (12) above. The difference between the readings humble and afflicted 54 Psalm 10:1 iP^y^J and U^'^y})) is not essential, as the context shews that the humble meant are humble sufferers. 20 (19). Arise, Jehovah! Let not man, frail man, he strong. Let na- tions, or the heathen, he judged, and as a necessary consequence condemned, hefore thy face, in thy presence, at thy bar. Here again, as in ver. 13, 14 (12, 13), the expression of strong confidence is made the occasion of an earnest prayer. So far is an impUcit trust from leading men to cast off fear and restrain prayer before God. On the exhortation to arise, as from a state of previous inaction, see above, Ps. iii. 7 (6). For the full sense of the word translated man, see above, on Ps. viii, 5 (4). Let him not he strong, i. e. let him not so appear, or so esteem himself. Let him have no occasion, by indulgence or prolonged impunity, to cherish this delusion, or to prac- tise this imposture. The absurdity of making man the stronger party in this strife with God is so preposterous, that God is summoned to arise for the purpose of exploding it. To be judged, in the case of the wicked, is of com-se to be condemned. To be judged in God's presence, or at his tri- bunal, is of course to be condemned without appeal. 21 (20). Set, place, or join, O Jehovah, fear to them. Let nations know, or then shall nations know, [that) man, not God, (are) they. Selah. God is entreated so to frighten them, that they may become conscious of their own insignificance and weakness. The word translated fear is elsewhere used to signify a razor. Hence some would render the first clause, apply the razor to them, i.e. shave them, in allusion to the oriental feeling with respect to the beard. But this seems far-fetched, and the masoretic read- ing yields a better sense. The precise import of the first phrase seems to be, set fear as a guard over them (Ps. cxli. 3), or join it to them as a con- stant companion. The word translated man is still the same as in the foregoing verse, and was therefore intended to suggest the idea of human frailty, as contrasted with divine omnipotence. Psalm 10 The Psalmist complains of God's neglect, and of the malice of his ene- mies, ver. 1-11. He prays that both these subjects of complaint may be removed, ver. 12—15. He expresses the most confident assurance that his prayer will be heard and answered, ver. 16-18. The Septuagint and Vulgate unite this with the ninth psalm as a single composition. But each is complete in itself, and the remarkable coinci- dences even of expression only shew that both were meant to form a pair or double psalm lilie the first and second, third and fourth, &c. From the same facts it is clear, that this psalm, though anonymous, is, like the ninth, the work of David, and that both were probably composed about the same time. 1. For tvhat [cause), why, 0 Jehovah, wilt thou stand afar, wilt thou hide at times (when we are) in trouble ? The question really propounded is, how this inaction can be reconciled with what was said of God in Ps. ix. 10 (9). — To stand afar off, is to act as an indifferent, or, at the most, a curious spectator. Wilt thou hide, i. e. thyself or thine eyes, by refusing to see, as in Lev. xx. 4, 1 Sam. xii. 3. The fiatures imply present action and the prospect of continuance hereafter. The question is not merely why he does so, but why he still persists in doing so. The singular phrase, ai times in trouble, occurs only here and in Ps. ix. 10 (9), a strong proof of the Psalm 10:2-4 55 intimate connection of the two psalms, and perhaps of their contemporary- composition. This expostulation betrays no defect either of reverence or faith, but, on the contrary, indicates a firm belief that God is able, and must be willing, to deliver his own people. Such demands are never uttered either by scepticism or despair. 2. In the pride of the ivicked bums the sufferer ; they are caught in de- vices which they have contrived. This very obscure verse admits of several different constructions. The first verb sometimes means to persecute, lite- rally to burn after, or pursue hotly. Gen. xxxi. 36 ; 1 Sam. xvii. 53. In one case it seems to have this meaning even without the preposition after. Lam. iv. 19. The sense would then be, in the pride of the wicked he will persecute, &c. But the collocation of the words seems to point out ""jy •T as the subject, not the object, of the verb. The sufferer's burning may denote either anger or anguish, or a mixed feeling of indignant sorrow. — The adjective ''jy means afilicted, suffering, whether from poverty or pain. Poor is therefore too specific a translation. In the Psalms this word is commonly appUed to innocent sufferers, and especially to the people of God, as objects of malignant persecution. It thus suggests the accessory idea,- which it does not formally express, of righteousness or piety. — In the last clause there is some doubt as to the subject of the first verb. If referred to the wicked, the sense will be, that they are taken in their own devices. If to the poor, that they are caught in the devices of the wicked. The first is favoured by the analogy of Ps. vii. 15-17 (14-16), and Ps. ix. 16, 17 (15, 16). But the other agrees better with the context, as a description of successful wickedness. 3. For a wicked (man) boasts of (or simply praises) the desire of his soul, and ivinning (i. e. when he wins), blesses, despises Jehovah. This seems to be a description of the last stage of corruption, in which men openly defend or applaud their own vices, and impiously thank God for their dishonest gains and other iniquitous successes. — The preterite forms, has praised, &c., denote that it always has been so, as a matter of familiar experience. The desire of his soul means his natural selfish inclination, his heart's lust. And winning, i. e. when he wins or gains his end, with special reference to increase of wealth. Hence the word is sometimes used to signify the covetous or avaricious grasper after wealth by fraud or force. The same participle, joined with a cognate noun, is rendered "greedy of gala" in Prov. i. 19, XV. 27, and "given to covetousness" in Jer. vi. 3, viii. 10. See also Hab. ii. 9, where the true sense is given in the margin of the English Bible. — He who gains an evil gain blesses (and) despises Jehovah, i. e. expresses his contempt of him by thanking him, whether in jest or earnest, for his own success. He blesses God, and thereby shews that he despises him. An illustrative parallel is Zech. xi. 4, 5. " Thus saith the Lord my God, Feed the flock of the slaughter, whose possessors slay them and hold themselves not guilty, and they that sell them say. Blessed is the Lord, for I am rich." This parallel, moreover, shews that blesses, in the Terse before us, does not mean blesses himself, as some suppose, but blesses God. 4. A wicked (man), according to his pride, will not seek. There is no God (are) all his thoughts. Pride is here expressed by one of its outward indications, loftiness of look, or as some suppose the Hebrew phrase to signify originally, elevation of the nose. — Will not seek, i. e. seek Gx)d in prayer (Ps. xxxiv. 4), or in the wider sense of worship (Ps. xiv. 2), or in 56 Psalm 10:5,6 that of inquiring the divine will (Gen. xxv. 22), all which religious acts are at variance with the pride of the human heart. — All his thoughts, not merely his opinions, but his plans, his purposes, which is the proper meaning of the Hebrew word. The language of his life is, that there is no God. — Another construction of the first clause is as follows. The ivicked, according to his pride (says). He, i. e. God will not require, judicially investigate and punish, as in Ps. ix. 13 (12), and in ver. 13 below, where there seems to be a re- ference to the words before us, as uttered by the wicked man himself. — A third construction thus avoids the necessity of supplying says. — ' As to the wicked in his pride — He will not require, there is no God — are all his thoughts." This maybe transferred into our idiom as follows: All the thoughts of the wicked in his pride ai-e, that God will not require, or rather that there is no God. In favour of the first construction given is the fact that it requires nothing to be supplied like the second, and does not disturb the parallelism of the clauses like the third. Common to all is the impu- tation of proud self-confidence and practical atheism to the sinner. 5. His icays are firm, or will be firm, in all time, always. A height, or high thing, (are) thy judgments from before him, away from him, out of his sight. {As for) his enemies he icill puf at them, as a natural expression of contempt, or he will blow upon them, i. e. blow them away, scatter them, with ease. This describes the prosperity and success of sinners, not only as a fact already familiar, but as something which is likely to continue. Hence the future forms, which indicate continuance hereafter, just as the preterites in ver. 3 indicate actual experience. — The only other sense which can be put upon the first clause is, his ways are txvisted, i. e. his actions are perverse. But the Chaldee paraphrase, the cognate dialects, and the ana- logy of Job XX. 21, are in favour of the rendering, his ways are strong, i. e. his fortunes are secure, his life is prosperous, which moreover agrees best with the remainder of the verse, as a description of the sinner's outward state. Thus understood, the second clause describes him as untouched or unaffected by God's providential judgments, and the third as easily ridding himself of all his human adversaries. Both together represent him as im- pregnable on all sides, in appearance equally beyond the reach of God and man. (Compare Luke xviii. 2, 4.) As this immunity from danger, strictly understood, could exist only in appearance, the whole verse may be regarded as an expression of the sinner's own opinion rather than his true condition, 6. He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved ; to generation and generation, (I am one) who (shall) not (be) in evil, or as the same Hebrew phrase is rendered in the English version of Exod. v. 19, in evil case, i.e. in trouble, in distress. This is a natural expression of the proud security engendered in the natural man by great prosperity. He hath said, implying that the cause has already been in operation long enough to shew its natural effect. In his heart, to himself, in a spirit of self- gratulation and self- confidence. To age and age, throughout all ages or all generations. The strength of this expression shews that the speaker is not a real person, but the ideal type of a whole class. The sinner, who thus says in his heart, is not the sinner of one period or country, but the sinner of all times and places, one who never disappears, or ceases thus to feel and act. — The form of the last clause in Hebrew is peculiar and emphatic. He does not simply say, I shall never be in evil or adversity, but I am he, I am the man, who shall never be in evil, as if the very supposition of such a contingency, however justified by general experience, would be not only groundless but absurd in this one case. (Compare Isaiah xlvii. 8-10.) There could Psalm 10:7 -9 57 scarcely be a stronger expression of the self-relying spirit of the sinner, as contrasted with the saints' implicit confidence in God's will and power, not only to preserve him from falling, but to raise him when he does fall. 7. (Of) cursing his mouth is full, and deceits, and oppression. Under his tongue (are) trouble and iniquity. He now gives a more particular descrip- tion of the wicked man, beginning with his sins against his neighbour, and among these, with his sins of word or speech. If this be a correct view of the whole verse, the cursing, mentioned in the first clause, is most probably false swearing, or the invocation of God's name, and imprecation of his wrath upon one's self, in attestation of a falsehood. This kind of cursing is closely connected with the fraud and violence which follow. The Hebrew word 'TtD, to which the older writers gave the sense of fraud, is now com- monly explained to mean oppression ; so that with the noun preceding, it denotes injustice, injmy to others, both by fraud and violence. — Under the tongue may have reference to the poison of serpents, or to the use of the tongue for speaking, as in Ps. Ixvi. 17, where the same phrase occurs in the original, though not in the common version. — Toil, labour, trouble, endured by others as the consequence of his deceits and violence. — For the meaning of the last word in the verse, see above, on Ps. v. 6 (5). — Oppres- sion is here reckoned among sins of speech, because the latter may be made the means of violent injustice, by tyrannical command, by unjust judgment, or by instigating others to deprive the victim of his rights. If only fraud had been referred to, this description of the sins committed with the tongue would have been palpably defective. 8. He will sit in the lurking-place of villages ; in tlie secret places he will slay the innocent ; his eyes for the sufferer will hide, watch secretly, or lie in wait. From sins ^of word he now proceeds to those of deed or outward action. The wicked enemy is here represented as a robber. The futures, as in ver. 5, imply that what is now is likely to continue. Sitting implies patient waiting for his prey or victim. The lurking-place, the place where murderers and robbers usually lurk or lie in wait. Where such crimes are habitually practised, there is commonly some spot especially associated with them, either as the scene of the iniquity itself, or as a place of refuge and resort to those who perpetrate it. — The mention of villages is no proof that the psalm relates to any specific case of lawless violence, but only that the Psalmist gives individuality to his description by traits directly drawn from real Ufe. A slight change in the form of expression would convert it into a poetic simile. ' As the robber sits in the lurking-place of villages,' &c. The verb hide has the same sense as in Prov. i. 11, 18. — The word trans- lated sufferer {HD/tl for ^Vh) is peculiar to this psalm, and was not improbably coined for the occasion, as a kind of enigmatical description, in which David seems ta have delighted. A Jewish tradition makes it mean thy host, i. e. the church of God ; but this, besides being forced in itself, is forbidden by the use of the plural in ver. 10 below. Others derive it from an Arabic root, meaning to be black, dark, gloomy, sad, unhappy. A third hypothesis explains it as a compound of two Hebrew words, one meaning weak or sick, the other sad or sorrowful, and both together representing the object of the enemy's malice, in the strongest light, as a sufferer both in mind and body. 9. He will lurk in the hiding-place as a lion in his den ; he will lurk (or lie in wait) to catch the sufferer ; he will catch tlie sufferer by drawing him into his net, or in drawing him (towards him) with his net. That the pre- 58 Psalm 10:10 - 12 ceding verse contains a simile, and not a description of the enemy as an actual robber, is here rendered evident by the addition of two new compari- sons, applied to the same object. In the first clause he is compared to a lion, in the second to a hunter. See above, on Ps. vii. 16 (15), ix. 16 (15), and below, on Ps. xxxv. 7, Ivii. 7 (6). The force of the futures is the same as in the foregoing verse. — His deti, his shelter, covert, hiding-place. The Hebrew word is commonly appUed to any temporary shed or booth, com- posed of leaves and branches. He lies in wait to seize the prey, and he succeeds, he accompUshes his purpose. A third possible construction of the last clause is, in his drawing {i.e. when he draws) his net. The whole verse, with the one before it, represents the wicked as employing craft no less than force for the destruction of the righteous. 10. And bruised he will sink ; and by (or m, i. e. into the power of) his strong ones fall the sufferers, the victims. These are represented, in the first clause, by a collective singular, and in th^ second by a plm-al proper, that of the unusual word used in ver. 8 above. Its peculiar etymology and form might be imitated in an English compound, such as sick-sad, weak-sad, or the hke. By his strong ones some would understand the strong parts of the lion, teeth, claws, &c. ; others the same parts personified as warriors. But even in the foregoing verse, the figure of a lion is exchanged for that of a hunter ; and this again gives place here to that of a military leader or a chief of robbers, thus insensibly returning to the imagery of ver, 8. These numerous and rapid changes, although not in accordance with the rules of artificial rhetoric, add greatly to the life of the description, and are not without their exegetical importance, as evincing that the whole is metaphori- cal, a varied tropical exhibition of one and the same object, the combined craft and cruelty of wicked men, considered as the enemies of God and of his people. According to this view of the passage, by his strong ones we may understand the followers of the hostile chief, those who help him and execute his orders, or the ideal enemy himself, before considered as an indi- vidual, but now resolved into the many individuals, of whom the class which he represents is really composed. 11. He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten, he hath hidden his face, he hath not seen, doth not see, and will not see, for ever. The opening words are the same, and have the same sense, as in ver. 6 above. The three parallel clauses which follow all express the same idea, namely, that God takes no note of human off'ences. This is first expressed by the figure of forgetfulness ; then by that of deUberately refusing to see, as in ver. 1 above ; then by a literal and direct af&rmation tiiat he does not see, either the suf- ferings of his people or the malice of their enemies ; and that this is not a transient or occasional neglect, but one likely to continue for ever. 12. Ai-ise, Jehovah! Almighty [God), raise thy hand! Forget not suferei-s (or the wretched) ! The impious increduhty, expressed in the pre- ceding verse, is now made the ground of an importunate petition. God is besought to do away with the appearance of inaction and indifierence. See above, on Ps. vii. 7 (6). Raise thy hand, exert thy power. The second name by which God is addressed ('?^^) is one expressive of omnipotence, and may be correctly rendered by our phrase, Almighty God. As the name Jehovah appeals to his covenant relation to his people, as a reason for granting their requests, so this invokes his power as necessary to their deliverance and the vindication of his own honour from the imputation of forgetiulness cast upon him by his enemies. This imputation he is entreated, Psalm 10:13 - 16 59 in the last clause, to wipe oflFby shewing that he does remember. Forget not is, in this connection, tantamount to saying, shew that thou dost not forget. Here, as in Ps. ix. 13 (12), the margin of the Hebrew Bible reads (D^pS/) meek or humble, while the text has (D^^J^) suffering or afflicted. The Kethih, or textual reading, is regarded by the highest critical authorities as the more ancient, and therefore, except in some rare cases, entitled to the preference. 13. On what [ground) has the wicked contemned God, has he said in his heart, Thou wilt not require ? • The question imphes the sin and folly of the conduct described. The past tense suggests the inquiry why it has been suffered to go on so long. Contemned, i. e. treated with contempt. The reference is not to inward feeling merely, but to its external manifestation. The second clause shews how the feeling has been manifested. Said in his heart, is here repeated for the third time in this psalm. See ver. 6, 11, above. The direct address to God in the last clause is pecuharly emphatic. The wicked man not only speaks in-everently of him, but insults him to his face. Thou wilt not require. The Hebrew verb includes the ideas of ia- vestigation and exaction. Thou wilt not inquire into my conduct, or require an account of it. See ver, 4 above, and compare Ps. ix. 13 (12). The whole verse contains an indirect expostulation or complaint of the divine forbearance towards such high-handed and incorrigible sinners. 14. Thou hast seen (this particular instance of iniquity); for trouble, the suffering occasioned by such sins, and provocation, that afforded by such sins, thou wilt behold, it is thy purpose and thy habit to behold it, to give with thy hand a becoming recompence, or to give into thy hand, i. e. to lay it up there in reserve, as something to be recompensed hereafter. Upo7z •thee the sufferer will leave (his burden), will rely. An orphan, here put for the whole class of innocent and helpless sufferers, thou hast been helping ; God has ever been a helper of the friendless, and may therefore be expected to do Ukewise now. The whole verse is an argument drawn from the general course of the divine administration. Hence the preterite and future forms. Thou hast seen in this case, for thou always wilt see in such cases. For the meaning of trouble and provocation, see above, on Ps. vi. 8 (7), vii. 15 (14). 15. Break thou the arm,, destroy the power, of the wicked, and the bad (rnan), or as to the bad man, thou vdlt seek for his wickedness (and) not find it. This may either mean, thou wilt utterly destroy him and his wickedness, so that when sought for it cannot be found (Ps. xxxvii. 86), or thou wilt judicially investigate his guilt, and punish it till nothing more is left to punish. The Hebrew verb (Ii^")l) has then the same sense as in ver. 4, 13, above, and there is a direct allusion to the sinner's boast that God will not inquire into men's acts or require an account of them. There may be a latent irony or sarcasm, as if he had said. Thou vn^t find nothing, as ho boasts, but in a very different sense ; not because there is nothing worthy of punishment, but because there will be nothing left unpunished. 16. Jehovah (is) king! He is not dethroned, as his enemies imagine; he is still king, and will so remain, perpetuity and eternity, for ever and ever. Lost, perished, ai-e nations, the heathen, i. e. hoslile nations, from, out of, his land, the Holy Land, the Land of Israel, the land of which he is the king in a peculiar sense, distinct from that of providential ruler. The Psalmist sees Jehovah still enthroned, hot only as the sovereign of the world, but as the sovereign of his people. (See Num. xxiii. 21, Deut. xxxiii. 5). The nations or heathen of this verse may be either Hteral or spiritual gentiles 60 Psalm 10:17, 18 (Jer. ix. 25, Ezek. xvi. 8). The psalm is so framed as to express the feel- ings of God's people in various emergencies. The preterite tense in the last clause represents the destruction of Grod's enemies as already past, not only on account of its absolute certainty, but because the process of destruction, although not completed, is begun and will infalhbly continue. Here, as often elsewhere, earnest prayer is followed by the strongest ex- pression of confidence and hope. 17. The desire of the meek (or humble) thou hast heard, Jehovah! Their desire is already accompUshed. And this not merely once for all. Thou wilt settle (or confirm) their heart, i. e. dispel their fears and give them courage, by new assurances of favour and repeated answers to their prayers. Thou wilt incline thine ear, or make it attentive, cause it to listen, to their future no less than their past petitions. The figure of a fixed or settled heart recurs more than once below. See Ps. U. 12 (10), Iviii 8 (7), cxii. 7. The essential idea is that of a firm resolution, as opposed to timid doubt and vacillation. 18. To judge, or do justice to, the orphan and the bruised, or oppressed. See above, on Ps. ix. 10 (9). This clause seems properly to form a part of the preceding verse; thou wilt incUne thine ear to judge, &c. The remain- der of the verse is a distinct proposition. He shall not add (or continue) any longer to resist, or defy, i. e. to set God at defiance. The subject of these verbs is placed last for the sake of greater emphasis. Man, frail man, from the earth, springing from it, and belonging to it; see Gen. iii. 19. For the fall sense of the word translated man, see above, on Ps. viii. 5 (4), ix. 20 (19), and compare the whole prayer in the latter passage with the one before us. The sense here is, that weak and short- Uved man shall not con- tinue to insult and defy Almighty God. It implies a wish or prayer, but is in form a strong expression of the Psalmist's confident assurance that it will be so, and in connection with the similar expressions of the two preceding verses, forms a worthy and appropriate close of the entire composition. The original of this verse is commonly supposed to exhibit an example of the figure called paronomasia, an intentional resemblance, both in form and sound, between two words of very different meaning. The words sup- posed to be so related here are those translated to defy (yij^) and earth (Y'^^^)• This peculiarity of form, if really designed and significant, is one which cannot be completely reproduced in any version. There is reason to suspect, however, that in this, as in many other cases, the resemblance is fortuitous, like that which frequently occurs in a translation, without any- thing to match it in the original ; e.g. m. the Vulgate version of Gen. viii. 22, cEstus and cestas, and in that of Gen. xii. 16, oves et loves. Psalm 11 The Psalmist is advised, by friends or foes, to escape by flight from the inextricable difficulties in which he finds himself involved, ver. 1-3. This he refuses to do, as inconsistent with his faith in the righteousness and grace of God, ver. 4-7.' The logical relation of these parts makes the form of the whole somewhat dramatic, although this peculiarity is much less marked than in the second psalm. The language is not so much that of an historical person as of an ideal sufferer, representing the whole class of persecuted innocents. There is no specific reference to any incidents in David's life, although some of the images were probably suggested by his Psalm 11:1 -4 61 recollections, both of Saul's persecution and of Absalom's rebellion. The general resemblance of this psalm to that before it, and the special resem- blance of ver. 2 to Ps. x. 8, 9, may account for its position in the Psalter. The very difficulties of this psalm are proofs of its antiquity and strong corroborations of the title, which ascribes it to David. 1. To the chief musician, belonging to him as the performer, and to David, as the author. In Jehovah I have trusted, and do still trust. How will (or can) ye say to my soul. Flee (to) your mountain (as) a bird ? The pro- fession of confidence in God at the beginning is the ground of the following interrogation, which implies wonder and disapprobation. How can ye say so ? really means, ye should not say so. The question seems to be addressed to timid or desponding friends, rather than to taunting and exulting enemies, as some suppose. — To my soul does not simply mean to me, but so as to affect my feelings. See above, on Ps. iii. 3 (2). In the genuine text the verb flee is plural, because addressed to the whole class represented by the ideal sufferer in this case. Hence the frequent change of number throughout the psalm. See above, on Ps. x. 10. The exhortation to flee must be understood as implying that there is no longer any hope of safety. — To your mountain, as a customary place of refage, not for birds, but for persecuted men. The comparison with a bird has no particular connection with this clause, but is a kind of after- thought, suggesting the idea of a solitary helpless fugitive. (Compare 1 Sam. xxvi. 20, and Lam. iii. 52). There may be an allusion to the words of the angel in Gen. xix. 17, as there certainly is to one or both these places in our Lord's exhortation to his followers. Matt. xxiv. 16. 2. For lo, the wicked will tread (i.e. bend) the bow ; they have fixed their arrow on the string, to shoot in darkness at the straightforward (upright) of heart. These are still the words of the advisers introduced in the preceding verse, assigning a reason for the advice there given. — Tread the bow ; see above, on Ps. vii. 13 (12). Will tread, are about to tread, are treading. The preterite which follows refers to a later point of time. The speakers are supposed to describe what they see actually passing. " They are bend- ing the bow, (and now) they have fixed the arrow on the string." The graphic vividness of the description is impaired, if not destroyed, by giving boti the verbs a present form. — Fixed, i. e. in its proper place. The same verb occurs above, in Ps. vii. 13 (12). Make ready is too vague in the case before us. — In darkness, in the dark, in secret, treacherously. See above, Ps. x. 8. 9. — I'he straight of heart, the upright and sincere. We do not use the adjective in this sense ; but we have the cognate substantive, rectitude, which properly means straightness. 3. For the pillars (or foundations) will be (are about to be) destroyed: what has the righteous done, i. e. accomplished ? The pillars or founda- tions are those of social order or society itself. These are said to be destroyed, when truth and righteousness prevail no longer, but the inter- course of men is governed by mere selfishness. The question in the last clause implies that the righteous has effected nothing, in opposition to the prevalent iniquity. The past tense represents this as a matter of actual experience, but as one which still continues. The substitution of any other form in the translation is gratuitous and ungrammatical. The true relation of the tenses is correctly given in the Prayer Book Version. For the foun- dations will be cast down, and what hath the righteous done? 4. Jehovah (is) in his palace (or temple) of holiness ; Jehcvah (or as to Jehovah), in the heavens (is) his throne. His eyes behold, his eyelids prove 62 Psalm 11:5 -7 the sons of men. He is so exalted that he can see, and so holy that he must see and judge the conduct of his creatures. By an equally gramma-, tical but less natural construction, the whole verse may be thrown into a single proposition. " Jehovah in his holy temple, Jehovah whose throne is in heaven, his eyes," &c. — For the meaning of the word translated temple, see above on Pd. v. 8 (7). — Eyelids are mentioned as a poetical parallel to eijes, being the nearest equivalent afforded by the language. — Try or prove, as if by seeing through them. With the whole verse compare Ps. cii. 20 (19). 5. Jehovah the righteous will prove, will prove the righteous, and the wicked and the lover of violence his soul hates. The sentence might also be divided thus : Jehovah will prove the righteous and the wicked, and the hver of violence his soul hates. DiflFerent from both is the masoretic interpunction, which seems, however to be rather musical than grammatical or logical. — The divine proof or trial of the righteous implies favour and approval like the knowledge spoken of in Ps. i. 6 ; but in neither case is it expressed. Violence, including the ideas of injustice and cruelty. See above, on Ps. vii. 17 (16). His soul has liated and still hates. This is not simply equiva- lent to he hates, but denotes a cordial hatred. Odit ex animo. He hates with all his heart. 6. He will rain on wicked (nien) snares, fire and brimstone, and a raging wind, the jwrtion of their cup. The mixed metaphors shew that the whole description is a tropical one, in which the strongest figures elsewhere used, to signify destruction as an effect of the divine wrath, are combined. Bain is a natural and common figure for any copious communication fxom. above, whether of good or evil. Snares are a favourite metaphor of David for inextricable difficulties. See above, vii. 16 (15), ix. 16 (15), x. 9. — Fire and brimstone are familiar types of sudden and complete destruction, with constant reference to the great historical example of Sodom and Gomorrah. See Gen. xix. 24, and compare Ezek. xxxviii. 22, Job xviii. 15. — Raging wind, literally wind (or blast) of furies, is another natural but independent emblem of sudden irresistible inflictions. The second Hebrew word is elsewhere used for strong indignation (Ps. cxix, 53), and is once appUed to. the ragings (or ravages) of famine: (Lam. v. 10.) — The portion of their cup, or their cup-portion, something measured out for them to drink, according to the frequent Scriptural representation, both of God's wrath and favour, as a draught, or as the cup containing it. Compare Ps. xvi. 6, xxiii. 5, with Mat. xx. 22, 23, xxvi. 39. The meaning of the whole verse is that, notwithstanding the present security of the ungodly, they shall, sooner or later, be abundantly visited with every variety of destructive judgment. 7. For righteous (is) Jehovah ; righteousness he loves ; the upright (man) shall his face behold. The for suggests the intimate connection between God's judgment on the wicked and his favour to the righteous. The second clause is a necessary inference from the first. The nature of God determines his judgments and his acts. He who is righteous in himself cannot but approve of righteousness in others. The righteousness of others is in fact nothing more than conformity to his will and nature. Nor does he merely approve of righteousness in the abstract ; he rewards it in the person of the righteous man. This idea is expressed in the last clause, which admits of several constructions. It may mean that the upright shall behold his face, i. e. enjoy his favourable presence, as in Ps. xvii. 15. But the collocation of the singular noun and the plural verb, with the analogy of ver. 4 above, is in favour of a different construction : his face shall behold (or does heiiold) Psalm 12:1 63 the righteous, i. e. view them with favour and aflfection. Because the origi- nal expression is not properly his face, but their face or faces, Luther explains this as a reason why God loves the righteous, to wit, because their faces look upon (the) right, or that which is right. Another construction, founded on the same fact, is, the righteous shall behold (it with) their faces. It is better, however, to regard this as an instance of that remarkable idiom in Hebrew, which applies to the One True God, verbs, noims, and pro- nouns in the plural, and which some explain as a pluralis tnajestaticus, like that employed by kings at present, and others as a form of speech trans- ferred from polytheism to the true religion. Mo^t probably, however, it was intended to express the fulness of perfection in the divine nature, not without a mystical allusion to the personal distinction in the Godhead. The most remarkable examples of this usage may be foxmd in Gen. i. 26, iii. 22, xi. 7, Job. XXXV. 10, Ps. Iviii. 12, Eccles. xii. 1, Isa. vi. 8, Uv. 5. — The face is here, like the eyelids in ver. 4, a poetical equivalent to eyes, and the same parallelism reappears in Ps. xxxiv. 16, 17 (15, 16) : " the eyes of Jehovah (are) towards the righteous ;" " the face of Jehovah (is) against evil-doers." Psalm 12 This psalm consists of two parts easily distinguished : a complaint with an expression of desire, and a promise with an expression of confidence and hope. The Psalmist laments the waning number of good men, ver. 2 (1), and the abounding of iniquity, ver. 3 (2), to which he desires and expects that God will put an end, ver. 4, 5 (3, 4). In' answer" to this prayer, he receives an assurance of protection and deliverance for the righteous, ver. 6 (5), on which he rests as infallibly certain, v6r. 7 (6), and consoles him- self under present trials, ver. 8 (7). There seems to be no specific reference to the persecution of the Jews by the Gentiles, or of David by Absalom or Saul. The contrast exhibited is rather that between the righteous and the wicked as a class, and the psalm seems designed to be a permanent vehicle of pious sentiment for the church or chosen people under persecution by malignant enemies. It con- tains an unusual number of difficult expressions in proportion to its length ; but these are not of such a nature as to make its general import doubtful or obscure. 1. To the Chief Musician, on the eighth (or octave), a Psalm of David. This title is identical with that of the sixth psalm, except that Neginoth is here omitted. 2 (1). Save, Jehovah, for the merciful (or the object of divine mercy) ceaseth,for the faithful fail frovi {among) the sons of men. The adjective n^DH, whether taken in an active or a passive sense, is descriptive of the pious or godly man ; see above, on Ps. iv. 4 (3). The preterite form of the verbs (has ceased, have failed) represents the fearful process as already begun. The word rendered faithful in the last clause may also have the abstract sense of truth, fidelity ; see below, Ps. xxxi. 24 (23), and compare Isa. xxvi. 2. In either case, the whole verse is a strong hyperboUcal description of the small number of good men left in the community, and their consequent exposure to the malice of the wicked. Such expressions, as Luther well suggests, are too familiar in the dialect of common life to be mistaken or produce perplexity. 64 Psalm 12:2 -6 8 (2). Vanity, i.e. falsehood, they will speak; as they now do, so will they persist in doing ; (each) man with his neighbour, not merely with another man, but with his friend, his brother, towards whom he was parti- cularly bound to act sincerely ; compare Eph. iv. 25. A Up of smoothness, or of smooth things, i. e. flattering ; see above, on Ps. v. 10 (9). This may be connected either with what goes before or with what follows : " They speak falsehood, each to his neighbour, with a flattering lip ;" or, " (with) a flattering Up (and) with a double heart will they speak." A heart and a heart, i. e. a double heart, as a stone and a stone means " divers weights." Deut. XXV. 13. By a double heart we are probably to understand, not mere dissimulation or hypocrisy, but inconsistency and instabiUty of temper, which leads men to entertain opposite feelings towards the same object. Compare the description of the *' double-minded man" in Japaes i. 8. 4 (3.) May Jehovah destroy all lips of smoothness, flattering hps, [and every) tongue speaking great things, i. e. speaking proudly, boasting. The form of the Hebrew verb is one commonly employed to express an optative meaning ; but as this form is often poetically used for the future proper, it might be rendered here, Jehovah will destroy. There is no inconsistency between the flattering Ups and the boastful tongue, because the subject of the boasting, as appears from what follows, is the flattery or deceit itself. As if he had said, Jehovah will destroy all flattering lips, and every tongue that boasts of their possession or use. For an example of such boasting, see Isa. xxviii. 15. 5 (4). Who have said, By our tongues will we do mightily ; our lips {are^ with us : who is lord to us, or over us ? This is an amplified specification of the phrase speaking great things in the preceding verse. By our tongues, literally, as to, with respect to our tongues. The idea of agency or instru- mentality is suggested by the context. Do mightily, exercise power, shew ourselves to be strong. Our lips are with us may either mean Ihey are our own, at our disposal, or, they are on our side. The idea of the whole verse is, by our own lips and our tongues we can accomplish what we will. 6 (5). From the desolation of the wretched, from the sighing of the poor ^ now will I arise, shall Jehovah say, I will place in safety him that shall pant for it. The preposition from has a causal meaning, because of, on account of. The wretched, afflicted, suff'erers ; see above, on Ps. ix. 13 (12). / will arise ; see above, on Ps. iii. 8 (7). The future, shall Jehovah say, implies that the promise is not yet uttered, much less fulfilled. An analo- gous use of the same form of the same verb runs through some of the pro- phecies, and especially the later chapters of Isaiah. — The last clause is obscure, and may also be translated, " from him that puffeth at him," — " him at whom they puff"," — " him whom they would blow away," &c. The most probable meaning is the one first given, according to which the verse contains a promise of deliverance to those who especially desire and need it. 7 (6). The sayings of Jehovah are pure sayings, silver purged in a fur- nace of earth, refined seven times. The Psalmist does not use the te^m commonly translated words, but one derived firom the verb to say, with obvious allusion to the use of the verb itself in the preceding verse. What Jehovah there says, the promises there given,- are here declared to be true, without any mixture of mistake or falsehood. This is expressed by the favourite figure of pure metallic ore. The idea of extreme or perfect purity is conveyed by the idiomatic phrase, purified seven times, i. e. repeatedly, or sevenfold, i. e. completely. Compare Dan. iii. 19. The general mean- ing of the verse is clear, but it contains one phrase which is among the Psalm 12:7, 8 65 most doubtful and disputed in the whole book. This is the phrase /v^H ynj<7. To the common version above given, in a furnace of earth, and to another somewhat like it, purged in a furnace as to {i.e. from) the earth, or earthy particles, it has been objected, that \^i^ never means earth as a material. Some avoid this difficulty by translating, in a furnace on the earth (or ground), or, in the workshop (laboratory) rf the earth, i. e. the mine ; but this is not the place where ores are purified. It is further objected to all these translations, that they attach a supposititious meaning to the noun 7w)3- It is therefore explained by some as a variation of tV^, lord or master, and the whole clause made to mean, purified silver of a lord of the earth, i.e. refined not for ordinary use, but for that of some great prince or noble. The obscurity which overhangs the meaning of this clause is less to be regretted, as the [main idea must, on any supposition, still be that of unusual and perfect purity. 8 (7). Thou, Jehovah, wilt keep them ; thou wilt guard him from this generation to eternity, i. e. for ever. In the first clause, though not in the second, the pronoun thou is expressed in Hebrew, and may therefore be regarded as emphatic ; see above, on Ps. ii. 6, iii. 4 (3). Thou, and no other, or, thou without the aid of others, wilt preserve them. The plural pronoun in the first clause, and the singular in the second, refer to the same persons, viz., the~ sufferers mentioned in ver. 7 (6). By a licence common in the Psalms, they are first spoken of as a plurality, and then as an ideal person ; see above, on Ps. x. 10. This generation, this contem- porary race of wicked men, with reference perhaps to the description, in ver 2 (1), of the disproportion between these and the righteous. For ever, as long as the necessity or danger lasts, so long shall the injured innocent experience the divine protection. 9 (8). Round about will the wicked ivalk. This may either mean that they shall walk at Uberty and have full Hcence, or that they shall encompass and surround the righteous. Compare Ps. iii. 7 (6). The other clause is one of the most doubtful and disputed in the whole book. The particle 3 may denote either time or resemblance, and the noun. Jl^Ptj which occurs no- where else, has been variously explained to mean a storm, an earthquake, vileness or contempt, &c. Among the different senses put upon the whole phrase are the foUowi-ng : " When the -vileness (or vilest) of men is exalted." " Like the rising of a storm upon the sons of men." " When they rise (or are exalted) there is shame (or disgrace) to the sons of men." " When disgrace arises to the sons of men." " Like exaltation is disgrace to the sons of man." In favour of this last it has been urged, that it gives to each word its most natural and obvious sense, and that it closes with a prospect of relief, and not with an unmitigated threatening, which would be at vari- ance with the usage of the Psalms. The meaning of the verse is then, that although' the wicked are now in the ascendant, and the righteous treated with contempt, this disgrace is really an exaltation, because only external and in man's judgment, not in God's, who will abundantly indemnify his people for the dishonour which is put upon them. The unusual and almost unintelligible form in which this idea is expressed, is supposed to agree well with David's fondness for obscure and enigmatical expressions; see above, on Ps. v. 1 and vii. 1. 66 Psalm 13:] -3 Psalm 13 This psalm consists of a complaint, ver. 2, 3 (1, 2), a prayer for deli- verance, vers. 4, 5 (3, 4), and an expression of strong confidence that God will grant it, ver. 6 (5, 6). There is no trace of a specific reference to any particular period in the life of David, or to any persecution of the ancient Israel by heathen enemies. The psalm appears to be intended as a vehicle of pious sentiment, for the church at large and individual believers, under any affliction of the sort here described, namely, that arising from the spiteful hostility of wicked men. The tone, as in several of the foregoing psahns, varies from that of deep depression to that of an assured hope, connected, as in actual experience, by one of strong desire and fervent suppHcation. 1. To the Chief Musician, a Psalm of David. This title difiers from that of the fourth psalm, as the title of the twelfth does from that of the sixth, to wit, by the omission of HU'^JJ^- 2 (1). Until vihen, how long, Jehovaii, wilt thou forget me for ever ? Until when wilt thou hide thy face from me ? The refusal or delay of the divine help is here, as often elsewhere, represented by the figures of forgetfulness and an averted countenance. See above, on Ps. ix. 13, 19 (12, 18), x. 11, 12. The apparent solecism of combining how long with for ever may be avoided by supposing two interrogations, how long ? for ever ? It may also be avoided by giving to H^lJ the sense of continuously, uninterruptedly. But even the obvious construction, which is more agreeable to usage and the masoretic interpunction of the sentence, may be justified as a strong but natural expression of the conflict between sense and faith. To the eye of sense and reason, the abandonment seemed final ; but faith still prompted the inquiry, how long, which implies that it was not to last for ever. As if he had said, How long wilt thou persist in the purpose of forgetting me for ever ? 3 (2). Till when, how long, shall I place (or lay up) counsels, plans, in my soul, grief in my heart by day ? Till vjhen shall my enemy he high above •me ? The idea in the first clause seems to be that of accumulating methods or expedients of escape, as in a storehouse, without finding any that will answer the purpose. The same figure may be continued in the second clause : (how long shall I lay up) sorrow in my heart ? The sense is then that the multiplication of devices only multipKes his sorrows. Or the figure of laying up may be confined' to the first clause, and the noun grief governed by a verb understood : (how long shall I feel) sorrow in my heart ? The <;ommon version, having sorrow, conveys the same idea, but supplies a verb unknown to the Hebrew and its cognate languages. — By day is elsewhere put in opposition to by night, as for instance in Ps. i. 2 above. Here it may possibly mean all day, but more probably means every day, daily, as in Ezek. xxx. 16. — Be high : the original expression is a verb alone. How long shaU my enemy soar or tower above me, i. e. be superior, prevail ? This clause determines the precise form of suffering complained of, namely, that occasioned by the malice of a powerful persecutor or oppressor. In all such cases, Saul was no doubt present to the mind of David, but only as a specimen or type of the whole class to which the psalm relates. 4 (3). Look, hear me, Jehovah, my God, lighten my eyes, lest I sleep the death. The complaint is now followed by a corresponding prayer. In Psalm 13:4, 5 67 allusion to the hiding of the face in ver. 2 (1), he now beseeches God to look towards him, or upon him, to shew by his acts that he has not lost sight of him. As* he before complained of God's forgetting him, so here he prays that he wiU hear and answer him. See above, on Ps. iii. 5 (4). The idea of Jehovah as a God in covenant with his people, is brought out still more fully by the phrase my God, i. e. one on whom I have a right to call, with a ^ell-founded hope of being heard. See above on Ps. iii. 8 (7). — Enlighten my eyes, or make them shine, is by some understood to mean, Dispel my doubts, and extricate me out of my perplexities, with reference to the plans or counsels mentioned in the preceding verse. Others, with more probabihty, suppose an allusi:bn to the dimness of the eyes produced by extreme weakness or approaching death, and understand' the prayer as one for restoration and deliverance from imminent destruction. Compare 1 Sam. xiv. 27, 29, where the rehef of Jonathan's debiUty, occasioned by long fasting, is described by saying that his eyes were enlightened. — Lest I sleep {in) death, or lest I sleep the {sleep of) death, as in the common version. Compare the beautiful description of death as a sleep of perpetuity, a per- petual or everlasting sleep, in Jer. h. 39, 57. 6 (4). Lest my enemy say, I have overpotvered him {and) my adversaries shout when I am shaken, or because I shall he shaken. — The verb "^roy strictly means, / have been able. The unusual construction with a pronoun (Vrhy) cannot be literally rendered into English, but the meaning evidently is, I have been able (to subdue) him, or, I have been strong (in comparison with) him. As to the combination of the singular and plural {enemy and adversaries), see above, on Ps. x. 11 (10). — Shout, i.e. for joy, or in a single word, triumph. See above, on Ps. ii. 11. — The last verb (ZOiDhi) has the same sense as in Ps. x. 6, viz., that of being moved or cast down from one's firm position. 6 (5, 6). And I in thy mercy have trusted ; let my heart exult in thy salva- tion ; I will sing to Jehovah, for he hath done me good, or acted kindly towards me. The transition indicated by the phrase and I, is the same as in Ps. ii. 6 above. Such are the enemies and dangers which environ me, and {yet) I have trusted in thy mercy. The past tense of the verb describes the trust, not as something to be felt hereafter, or as just beginning to be felt at present, but as already entertained and cherished, and therefore likely to be still continued. I have trusted, and do still trust, and will trust here- after.— There is a beautiful gradation in the clauses of this verse. First, a fact is stated : ' I have trusted in thy mercy ;' then a desire is expressed : ' let my heart rejoice in thy salvation ; ' then a fixed purpose is announced : ^ I will sing unto Jehovah.' The reason annexed to this determination or engagement, implies an assured expectation of a favourable issue. As if he had said, I know the Lord will treat me kindly, and I am resolved to praise him for so doing. — In thy salvation, not merely on account of it, but in the contemplation, the possession, the enjoyment of it. See above, Ps. v. 12 (11), ix. 3 (2). The verb ^Dil, which occurs above in Ps. vii. 5 (4), corresponds most nearly to the English treat, in the-seijse of dealing with or acting towards ; but when absolutely used, as here, almost invariably has a good sense, and specifically means to treat well or deal kindly with a person. The idea of requital or reward, which is frequently attached to it in the EngUsh version, is suggested, if at all, not by the word itself, but by the context. 68 Psalm 14:1,2 The Septuagint has an additional clause, which is retained in the Prayer Book version, and thus rendered : Yea, I will praise the name of the Lord most Highest. The words are not found in any Hebrew manuscript. Psalm 14 We have first a description of human depravity as universal, ver. .1-3 ; then a confident anticipation of destructive judgments on the incorrigibly wicked, ver. 4-6; and an earnest wish for the speedy deliverance of God's elect from the evils of then- natural condition and from the mahce of their unconverted enemies, ver. 7. There seems to be no reference to any particular historical occasion. The psahn was, no doubt, originally written to express the feelings of God's people, in all times and places, with respect to the original depravity of all men, and the obstinate persistency in evil of the greater number. The points of resemblance and of difference between this psalm and the fifty- third will be considered in the exposition of the latter. 1. To the Chief Musician, by David. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They have done corruptly, they have done abominably (in) deed (or act) ; there is none doing good. Sin is constantly held up to view in Scripture as the height of foUy, and the sinner as the fool by way of eminence. See Gen. xxxiv, 7, Josh. vii. 15, Ps. xxxix. 9 (8). The term is here collective and applied to the whole race, as appears from the plurals which follow, and the negative statement in the last clause. The preterites include the present, but suggest the additional idea, that the truth here asserted is the result of all previous experience and observations. — In his heart, to himself, if not to others, as above, in Ps, x. 11. That the error is one of the affections, and not merely of the understanding, is supposed by some to be implied in the use of the word heart, which is often used, however, to denote the mind or soul in general. — ]*•>} is properly a noun, and means nonentity or non-existence : " nothing of God," or "no such thing as God." It cannot be explained as a wish — " No God! " i. e. Oh that there were no God ! — because ]^J>i in usage always includes the substantive verb, and denies the existence, or at least the presence, of the person or thing to which it is prefixed. This is also clear from the use of the same word in the last clause, where its sense is unambiguQus. — The addition of the word act or deed shews that the atheism described is not merely theoretical but practical. — There is obvious allusion in this verse to the description of the general antediluvian corruption in Gen. vi. 12. This makes it the more certain that the description here was not intended either for Jews or Gentiles, as such, but for wicked men of either class, and that Paul's appUcation of the words, in Kom. iii. 10, 12, is perfectly legiti- mate, and not a mere accommodation of the Psalmist's language to another purpose. 2. Jehovah from heaven has looked dovm on the sons of man, to see if there were (one) acting wisely, seeking God. While the fool denies the being of a God, Jehovah's eye is on him and his feUow-men. Yet even that om- niscient eye can discern no exception to the general depravity and foUy. The earnestness of the inspection is suggested by the verb in the first clause, which originally means to lean or bend over, and is peculiarly appropriate to the act of one gazing intently down upon a lower object. The force of Psalm 14:3, 4 69 the preterite tense is the same as in the preceding verse. The inquiry has heen made aheady, and proved fruitless. It is no longer a doubtful ques- tion, but one definitively settled. — Acting wisely, in contrast to the athe- istical folly mentioned in ver. 1. The test of wisdom is in seeking God, whether in the general reUgious sense of seeking his favour and communion with him, or in the special sense of seeking proofs of his existence. As if he had said. Even those who think there is no God, if they were wise, would seek one ; but these fools take pleasure in the hideous negation. The image presented in this verse may be compared with that in Gen. vi. 12, xi. 5, xviii. 21. See also Ps. xxxiii. 13, 14. 3. The whole has apostatised ; together they have putrefied ; there is none doing good ; there is not even one. Total and universal corruption could not be more clearly expressed than by this accumulation of the strongest terms, in which, as Luther "well observes, the Psalmist, not content with saying all, adds together, and then negatively, no not one. It is plain that he had no Umitation or exception in his mind, but intended to describe the natural condition of all men, in the widest and most unrestricted sense. The whole, not merely all the individuals as such, but the entire race as a totaUty or ideal person. — The whole (race) has departed, not merely from the right way, but from God, instead of seeking him, as intimated in ver. 4. Together, not merely altogether or without exception, but in union and by one decisive act or event. The etymological import of the verb '^n?}^^ is to turn sour, to spoil. It is applied to moral depravation not only here, but in Job xv. 16. The Septuagint version of these words is quoted by Paul in Rom. iii. 12, as a part of his scriptural description of human depravity, the rest of which is taken from Ps. v. 10 (9), x. 7, xxxvi. 2 (1), cxl. 4, Isa. Ux. 7, 8. Under the false impression that he meant to quote a single passage, some early Christian copyist appears to have introduced the whole into the Septuagint version of this psalm, where it is still found in the Codex Vaticanus, as well as in the Vulgate, and even in one or two Hebrew manuscripts of later date. The interpolation is also retained in the Anghcan Psalter. It is evident, however, that the apostle's argument is strengthened by the fact of his proofs being drawn, not from one, but several parts of the Old Testament. 4. Do they not know, all (these) workers of iniquity, eating my people (as) they eat bread, (and) on Jehovah call not ? The question is elliptical : the object of the verb must be supplied from the context. Do they not know that they are thus corrupt and estranged from God, and therefore objects of his wrath ? Is it because they do not know this or beUeve it, that they thus presume to oppress and persecute his people ? The figure of devour- ing occurs often elsewhere, e.g. Prov. xxx. 14, Mic. iii. 3, Hab. iii. 14. See below, on Ps. xxvii. 2 (1). As they eat bread may either mean for their support — living on the plunder and oppression of my people ; or for pleasure — feeding on them with delight ; or with indifference and as little sense of guilt as when they take their ordinary fond. — Call not on Jehovah, do not worship him, as they were before said not to seek him, nor even to acknowledge his existence, all which are periphrastical descriptions of the wicked as a class. The general description of their wickedness is here exchanged for a specific charge, that of persecuting the righteous. The mention of two classes here is not at variance with the tmiversal terms of the preceding context, nor does it render any limitation of those terms necessary. All men are alike " children of wrath," but some are elected to be " vessels of mercy," and thereby become objects of hatred to the im- 70 Psalm 14:5 -7 converted mass who still represent the race in its apostasy from God. — My people does not make it necessary to regard these as the words of God himself, who is nowhere introduced as speaking in this psalm, and is spoken of in the third person in the very next clause. The Psalmist, as a member of the body, calls it his, and the same form of expression occurs elsewhere. See 1 Sam. v. 10, Isa. iii, 12, Uii. 8, Micah iii. 3. — For the meaning of the phrase, workers of iniquity, see above, on Ps. v. 6 (5). 5. There have they feared a fear, for God {is) in the righteous generation. A later period is now .present to his view. They who seemed incapable of fear have now begun to be afraid at last. There, without any change of place or outward situation. Where they before denied the being of a God, even there they have begun to fear. See below, on Ps. xxxvi. 13 (12). The reason is given in the next clause. God, though denied by them, exists and is present, and will manifest his presence by the protection and dehverance of his people. Feared a fear, is a common Hebrew idiom for greatly feared, were sore afraid. Generation, contemporary race, as in Ps. xii. 8 (7). 6. J'he plcln (or counsel) of the sufferer (the afflicted) ye will shame, because Jehovah is his refuge. The workers of iniquity are here addressed directly. The sufferer is the persecuted innocent. Poor is too restricted a transla- tion. See above, on Ps. ix. 13, 19 (12, 18). The plan or counsel is de- scribed in the last clause, to wit, that of trusting in Jehovah. This very trust is an object of contempt to the wicked. Until they are made to fear by the manifestation of God's presence with his people, they will continue to despise it. The Psalmist here seems to revert to the interval which should precede the divine interposition. As if he had said. You will one day be made to fear, but in the mean time you will shame the counsel of the poor. Some, however, give lli/^^ri its usual sense of putting to shame, disappointing, and understand the clause as an ironical concession : you may shame his counsel if you can. 7. Who will give out of Zion salvation to Israel, in Jehovah's return- ing the captivity of his people ? Let Jacob exult, let Israel joy ! The phrase who will give is an idiomatic optative in Hebrew, equivalent to Oh that with a verb, and Oh for with a noun in English. Oh for the salvation of Israel ! Or, Oh that the salvation of Israel (might come) out of Zion, as the earthly residence of God and seat of the theocracy. The same local designation is connected with the prayer or promise of divine help, in Ps. iii. 5 (4), XX. '3 (2), cxxviii. 5, cxxxiv. 3. (Compare Ps. xxviii. 2). This shews that the psalm does not belong to the period of the Babylonish exile, and that the captivity referred to is not hteral, but a metaphorical descrip- tion of distress, as in the case of Job (xUi. 10). The same idea is else- where expressed by the figure of confinement and incarceration (Ps. cxhi. 8, Isa. xhi. 7, xlix. 9). The sense remains essentially the same in this case, whether the verb return be transitive or intransitive. Most interpreters prefer the former sense, and understand the clause to mean, " in Jehovah's bringing back the captivity of his people." But as 31tt^ in every other com- bination means to come back, and, hke other verbs of motion, often governs a noun of place directly (Exod. iv. 19, 20, Num. x. 36), it is better to under- stand the words as meaning that the salvation wished for would consist in God's revisiting his captive m- afflicted people. The sense is also admis- sible, if not necessary, in such places as Deut. xxx. 8, Ps. Ixxxv. 6 (4), Isa. Iii. 8, Hos. vi. 11, Nah. ii. 3 (2). L^t Jacob shout (for joy)! This is both an exhortation and a wish, but the latter is the prominent idea, as Psalm 15:1,2 71 the parallelism of the clauses shews. Oh that the salvation of Israel were come! corresponds exactly to, May Jacob exult, may Israel be glad! The common version is forbidden by the optative form Oy>) of the Hebrew verb, and by the masoretic interpunction, which connects in the Lords returning, dc, not with what follows as a specification of time, but with what goes be- fore as an explanatory clause. The whole may be paraphrased as follows : " Oh that Jehovah, from his throne in Zion, would grant salvation to his people, by revisiting them in their captive and forsaken state, and that occasion of rejoicing might be thus afibrded to the church ! " Or more closely thus : ** Oh may Israel's salvation (soon) come forth from Zion, in Jehovah's return to the captivity of his people ! (In such a restoration) may Jacob (soon have reason to) exult and Israel (to) triumph ! " Psalm 15 This psalm teaches the necessity of moral purity as a condition of the divine protection. It first propounds the question who shall be admitted to God's household, and the privileges of its inmates, ver. 1. This is an- swered positively, ver. 2, and negatively, ver. 3 ; then positively again, ver. 4, and negatively, ver. 5. The last clause of the last verse winds up by declaring, that the character just described shall experience the protection, tacitly referred to in the first verse. As the contrast exhibited in this psalm and the fourteenth may account for its position in the Psalter, so its obvious resemblance to the twenty-fourth makes it not improbable that their his- torical occasion was identical. 1. A Psalm by David. Jehovah, who shall sojourn in thy tent? who shall dwell in thy hill of holiness ? The holy hill is Zion, as in Ps. ii. 6 ; the tent is the tabernacle which David pitched there for the ark, when he removed it from Gibeon (2 Sam. vi. 17, 1 Chron. xv. 1, xvi. 1, 39, 2 Chron. i. 3-5). Both together signify the earthly residence of God ; see above on Ps. iii. 5 (4). The idea is not that of frequenting Zion as a place of worship, but of dwelling there, as a guest or as an inmate of God's family. The same figure for intimate communion with Jehovah, and par- ticipation of his favour, reappears in Ps. xxiii. 6, xxvii. 4, 5, xxiv. 3, Ixi. 5, Ixv. 5 (4), Ixxxiv. 5 (4). So too, in Eph. ii. 19, beUevers are described as members of God's family (olxiToi ro\J ©soD). 2. Walking perfect, and doing right, and speaking truth, in his heart. The Psahnist, speaking in behalf of God, here answers his own question. The only person who can be admitted to domestic intercourse with God is one walking perfect, &c. Walking is put for the habitual course of Ufe (see above, on Ps. i. 1). Perfect, complete, as to all essential features of the character, without necessarily implying perfection in degree. The form of expression seems to be borrowed from Gen. xvii. 1. A remarkably ana- logous expression is that used by Horace : integer vitae scelerisque purus. The next phrase, doing right, practising rectitude, may be either a synony- mous parallel to the first, or a specification under it, parallel to speaking truth. The general idea of walking perfect is then resolved into the two particular ideas of doing right and speaking truth. In his heart, i. e. sin- cerely, as opposed to outward show or hypocritical profession. This phrase seems to qualify not merely what precedes, speaking truth, but the whole description, as of one who sincerely and internally, as well as outwardly, leads a blameless Ufe by doing right and speaking truth. 72 Psalm 15:3 -5 3. {Who) hath not slandered with his tongue, (who) hath not done his neighbour harm, and a scandal hath not taken up against his neighbour. The positive description of the foregoing verse is now followed by a negative one. (Compare Ps. i. 1, 2). The social virtues are insisted on, and their opposites excluded, because they are apt to be neglected by hypocrites, against whom this psalm is directed. The past tense of the verbs denotes a character already marked and determined by the previous course of life. The verb 7J*1 seems strictly to denote the act of busy or officious tale-bearing. There seems to be an allusion to Lev. xix. 16. With his tongue, hteraUy on his tongue, as we say to live on, i. e. by means of anything, an idiom which occurs in Gen. xxvii. 40. (Compare Isa. xxxviii. 16.) The next clause adds deed to word, as in the foregoing verse. Scandal, reproach, defamatory accusation. The verb i^Wi is by some explained as meaning to take up upon the lips (Ps. xvi. 4), and then to utter or 'pronounce. Others give it the same sense as in Gen. xxxi. 17, where 7)3 ^<^£^3 means to lift up upon, i. e. to burden. The idea then is, that he has not helped to load his neighbom* with reproach. Friend and neighbour does not mean any other man, but one sustaining a peculiarly intimate relation, such as that of the members of the chosen people to each other. See above, On Ps. xii. 3 (2). 4. Despised in his eyes (is) a reprobate, and the fearers of Jehovah he will honour ; he hath sworn to his own hurt, and will not change The Chaldee Paraphrase, followed by the Prayer Book version, makes the first clause descriptive of humility. He is despised in his own eyes (and) rejected. But the parallelism with the next clause shews that a contrast was designed between his estimation of two opposite classes, and as one of these is those who fear Jehovah, the other must be represented by Di^Dj, rejected, i. e. by Jehovah, reprobate. The future form, as usual, suggests the idea of a present act repeated or continued in the future. He honours, and will still persist in honouring, the fearers of Jehovah. The Septuagint and Vulgate explain J^IH? to the neighbour, and some modem versions to the bad {man). But the sense is determined by the obvious allusion to Lev. v. 4 : "if a soul swear to do evil iyi'^TD) or to do good," i. e. whether to his own advantage or the contrary. So here the phrase must inean " he hath sworn to injure (himself)" not designedly, but so as to produce that eflfect. He will not change, literally, exchange, i. e. substitute something else for what he has promised. 5. His silver he hath not given for usury, and a bribe against a guiltless {person) hath not taken. JJoing these {things), he shall not be moved for ever. In Hebrew as in French, silver is put for money in general. There is obvious allusion to the frequent prohibition in the Mosaic law, not of lending money upon interest for commercial purposes, a practice then unknown, but of usurious lending to the poor, and especially to poor Israehtes. See Exod. xxii, 24, Lev. xxv. 37, Deut. xxiii. 20, and compare Prov. xxviii. 8, Ezek. xviii. 8. The taking of judicial bribes is also expressly forbidden in Exod. xxiii. 8, Deut. xvi. 19, xxvii. 25. The masoretic inter- punction of this sentence seems to be merely rhythmical or musical, as in Ps. xi. 5. The words doing these cannot be separated from what follows without destroying the sense. This last clause is an answer to the question in ver. 1, but with a change of form, implying that admission to God's household was itself secm-ity against all danger. Compare Ps. Iv. 23 (22). For the sense of lOiQM, see above, on Ps. x. 6, xiii. 5. Psalm 16:1,2 73 Psalm 16 A SUFFERER in imminent danger of death, expresses his strong confidence in God, ver. 1, as the sole source and author of his happiness, ver. 2, and at the same time his attachment to God's people, ver. 3, his abhorrence of all other gods, ver. 4, his acquiescence in God's deaHngs with him, ver. 5, 6, and his assured hope of future safety and blessedness, ver. 7-11. The psalm is appropriate to the whole class of pious sufierers, of which Christ is the most illustrious representative. It is only in him, therefore, that some parts of it can be said to have received their highest and com- plete fulfilment. This will be shewn more fully in the exposition of the ninth and tenth verses. 1. Michtam of David. Preserve me, 0 God: for I have trusted in thee. Some explain Michtam as a compound term ; but it is most probably a simple derivative of a verb meaning to hide, and signifies a mystery or secret. The similar word Michtab in the title of Hezekiah's psalm (Isa. xxxviii. 9) is probably an imitation of the form here used, or at least involves an allusion to it. It seems to be substituted for the usual terms song, psalm, &c., not only here but in the titles of Ps. Iv.-lx. It probably indicates the depth of doctrinal and spiritual import in these sacred com- positions. The derivation irom a noun meaning gold is much less probable. This verse may be said to contain the sum and substance of the whole psalm, and is merely ampUfied in what follows. The prayer, Keep, save, or 'preserve me, implies actual suffering or imminent danger, while the last clause, I have trusted in thee, states the ground of his assured hope and confident petition. The verb used is one that seems especially appropriate to the act of seeking shelter under some overshadowing object. See Judges ix. 15, Isa. XXX. 2, Ps. Ivii. 2 (1), Ixi. 5 (4). The preterite form implies that this is no new or sudden act, but one performed already. He not only trusts in God at present, but has trusted him before. Compare Ps. vii. 2 (1), xi. 1. 2. Thou hast said to Jehovah, The Lord (art) thou ; my good (is) not lesides thee (or beyond thee). The verb in the first clause has the form of a second person feminine, which some regard as an abbreviation of the first person, i^lQ^^ for T\'^Q^i and translate accordingly, / have said. But this neither agrees so well with usage, nor affords so good a sense as the old construction, which supphes as the object of address the same that is ex- pressed in Ps. xlii. 6 (5), 12 (11), xliii. 5, Jer. iv. 19, Lam. iii. 24, 25. A similar ellipsis is assumed by some in 1 Sam. xxiv. 11, and 2 Sam. xiii. 39. By this peculiar form of speech the Psalmist calls upon himself to remem- ber his own solemn acknowledgment of Jehovah as the Lord or Supreme God, — The obscure clause which follows has been very variously explained. Some understand by good moral goodness, merit, and explain the whole to mean, " My goodness is not such as to entitle me to thy regard." Most interpreters, however, give to good its usual sense of good fortune, happiness (see Ps. cvi. 5, Job ix. 25), and make the whole clause mean, " My happi- ness is not obligatory or incumbent on thee, thou art not bound to provide for it ;" or " My happiness is not above thee ; I have no higher happiness than thee." The true sense is probably afforded by a modification of this last : " My happiness is not beside thee, independent of, or separable fi*om thee," with allusion to the form of expression in the Hebrew of the first commandment (Exod. xx. 3). The verse, then, contains a twofold acknow- 74 Psalm 16:3, 4 ledgment of God, as the universal sovereign, and as the only source of individual enjoyment. Compare Ps. Ixxiii. 25. That this recognition was not a mere momentary act, but a habitual affection of the mind, seems to be indicated by the Psalmist's appeal to his own soul as having made the acknowledgment already, hitherto or heretofore. 3. To (or with) the saints who {are) in the land, and the nohles in whom (is) all my delight. The construction of the first clause, and its connec- tion with the preceding verse, are very obscure. Some make to synony- mous with as to. "As to the saints who are in the land, and the nobles, ii them is all my dehght." Or, "as to the saints who are in the land, they are the nobles in whom is all my delight." Others understand to the saints and to Jehovah as con-elative expressions. " To Jehovah I have said thus; to the saints thus." Or, as the English Bible has it, "My goodness extendeth not to thee, but to the saints," &c. The least violent construction seems to be that which takes the preposition in its usual sense, that of belonging to, as in the phrases, to David, to the chief Musician, and in 1 Kings xv. 27. The meaning then is that the Psalmist's recognition of Jehovah as The Lord, and as the only source of happiness, is not peculiar to himself, but common to the whole body of the saints or holy ones. This epithet denotes personal character, not as its primary meaning, but as the effect of a pecuUar relation to God, as the objects of his choice, set apart from the rest of men for this very purpose ; see Exod. xix. 6, Deut. vii. 6, Ps. xxxiv. 10 (9), Dan. vii. 21, viii. 24, 1 Pet. ii. 9. The pre-eminence of these over others, as the fruit of the divine election, is expressed by the word nohles, which, like saints, denotes moral character only in an indirect and secondary manner. The construction in this part of the verse is strongly idiomatic ; the literal translation is, the nohles of all my delight in them. Under the old dispensation, the nobles or elect of God had their local habitation in the land of promise. Hence they are here described as the "saints or consecrated ones who are in the land," not in the earth, which would be too indefinite and not so well suited to the context. As thus explained, the whole verse may be paraphrased as follows : " This pro- fession of my trust in God I make, not merely as an individual believer, but as one belonging to the great body of the saints or consecrated ones, the nobles of the human race, not such by any original or natural pre-emi- nence, but by the sovereign and distinguishing favour of Jehovah, whom they trust as I do, and are therefore the rightful objects of my warmest love." 4. Many {or multiplied) shall be their sorrows — another they have pur- chased— I will not pour their drink-offering of blood, and will not take their names upon my lips. With the happiness of those who like himself trust the Lord, he contrasts the wretchedness of those who have chosen any other object of supreme affection. The relative construction in the Enghsh ver- sion, "their sorrows shall be multipUed that hasten," &c., gives the sense correctly, but with more variation from the Hebrew idiom, which conveys the same idea by means of short independent propositions. In the word translated their sorrows, {Dry)2^)^), there seems to be an allusion to a very similar form, which would mean their idols (DH''^^^), as if to suggest that false gods are mere troubles and vexations. Another means another god, in opposition to the one true God, Jehovah, as in Isa. xlii. 8, xlviii. 11. The contrast which is there expressed is here to be suppUed fi-om ver. 2 and 5, and from the general antithesis, running through the context, between God and gods, Psalml6:5 -7 75 not idols merely, but any created object of supreme affection. The verb IHQ in its derived form means to hasten, and is so translated here by the English and some other versions. But in the only other place where the primitive verb occurs (Exod. xxii. 15), it means to endow a wife, or secure her by the payment of a dowry, according to the ancient oriental custom. The same usage of the verb exists in several of the cognate dialects. It seems here to have the general sense of purchasing, by costly sacrifice or self-denial, but with particular allusion to the conjugal relation which is constantly described in Scripture as existing between worshippers and their gods ; see Hos. iii. 2, and viii. 9, Ezek. xvi. 33, 34. In the last clause he abjures all communion with such idolaters. He' will not join in their impious services, nor even name the names of their divinities. Drink-offer- ings of hlood, hbations no less loathsome than if composed of human blood perhaps with an allusion to the frequent poetical description of wine as the blood of the grape ; see Gen. xhx. 11, Deut. xxxii. 14, Isa. Ixiii. 3. To take the name upon the lips is to stain or pollute them by pronouncing it. Both here and in Hos. ii. 19, there is an obvious allusion to the solemn prohibition of the law (Exod. xxiii. 13) : '' Make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth." The pronoun their^ in this whole clause, refers not to the worshippers but to their divinities, as comprehended under the collective term another. 5. Jehovah {is) my allotted portion and my cup ; thou wilt enlarge my lot. The other side of the contrast is again exhibited. The idea is, that iu the Lord the Psalmist has all that he can wish or hope for. The figures are borrowed from the regular supply of food and drink. Compare Ps. xi. 6, xxiii. 5. There may also be allusions to the language of the Pentateuch in reference to the tribe of Levi, Deut. x. 9, xviii. 1, 2. The common version of the last clause, thou upholdest my lot, is neither so grammatical nor yields so good a sense as that above given, where enlarge impUes both honour and abundance, and the future form expresses confident assurance that the favour now experienced will be continued. 6. The lines are fallen to me in fleasant things {or pleasant places) ; yea^ my heritage is goodly. The lines here spoken of are those used in measur- ing and dividing land. Fallen, i. e. assigned, with or without allusion to the lot, as the means of distribution. Compare Num. xxxiv. 2, Judges xviii. 1. The idea of places is suggested by the context, or the plural ad- jective may have the abstract sense of pleasure, pleasures, like the cognate form in Job xxxvi. 11. The particle (P|J<}) which introduces the last clause is more emphatic than the simple copulative and. It properly means also, and implies that this clause contains something more than that before it. The original construction of the last clause is, a heritage is goodly to me or upon me, with allusion to the natural and common image of gifts or favours as descending from above. The heritage or portion thus described is God himself, but considered as including all desirable possessions. 7. / will bless Jehovah, ivho hath counselled me; also by night have my reins prompted me. He praises God for having counselled or persuaded him to choose this goodly heritage in preference to every other portion. The second clause begins with yea or also, as in the preceding verse. It here implies that, under the divine control just mentioned, his own habitual dispositions tended to the same point. By night, literally nights, an idiom not unknown in vulgar English. The plural may in this case be emphatic, 76 Psalm 16:8 -10 meaning whole nights, all night long. The night is mentioned, hoth as a time naturally favourable to reflection, and as shewing that the same sub- ject occupied his thoughts by night as well as by day; see above on Ps. i. 2. The reins are figuratively put hke the heart, bowels, &c., for the afiec- tions; see above on Ps. vii, 10 (9). My reins have taught me, warned me, prompted me, to utter the praise mentioned in the first clause, or to make the choice described in ver. 1, 2, 5. 8. I have set Jehovah before me always : because (he is) at my right hand, 1 shall not be moveiji. I have set him before me, i. e. I recognise his pre- sence and confide in his protection. The actual expression of this confidence is given iu the other clause. The right hand is here mentioned, not as a post of honour, but as that of a guard or defender. See below, on Ps. cix. 31, ex. 5, cxxi. 5. — I shall not be moved from my secure position. See above, on Ps. x. 6, xv. 5. The whole verse is a varied repetition and ampHfication of the last clause of ver. 1, I have trusted (or sheltered myself) in thee. — The Septuagint version of this sentence is quoted in Acts ii. 25, with an express recognition of David as the author of the psahn. 9. Therefore has rejoiced my heart and exulted my glory ; yea, my flesh shall dwell in security {or confidence). — Therefore, because God is my ever present helper. Glory seems here to mean his nobler part, his soul, but not as wholly separate from the body, as appears from what follows. See above, on Ps. vii. 6 (5). — Flesh may either mean the body, as distiaguished from the soul, or the whole person as including both. Compare Ps. kiii. 2 (1), Ixxxiv. 3 (2). — The idea of dwelling in security or confidence of safety is borrowed from the Pentateuch. See Deut. xxxiii. 12, 28, and compare Judges xviii. 7, Jer. xxiii. 6, xxxiii. 16. A similar allusion has been found already in Ps. iv. 9 (8). The Septuagint version of the sentence, although it substitutes tongue for glory, is substantially correct, and therefore retained in Acts ii. 26. — The second clause is not simply parallel and equivalent to the first, but is rather an actual performance of the duty there described. Having there said that his heart did triumph ia the certainty of God's protection, he here proves the truth of his assertion, by professing his assured hope that his whole person, not excepting his material part, shall dwell in safety imder that protection. This is applicable both to pre- servation from death and preservation in death, and may therefore without violence be understood, in a lower sense, of David, who did die and see corruption, but whose body is to rise again, as well as in a higher sense of Christ, whose body, though it died, was raised again before it saw cor- ruption. 10. JFor thou wilt not leave my soul to Hell ; thou wilt not give thy Holy One to see corruption. He now assigns the ground or reason of the con- fidence expressed in the preceding verse. " I am sure my soul and body will be safe, because thou canst not, without ceasing to be God and my God, give me up to the destroyer." He does not say leave in but to, i. e. abandon to, give up to the dominion or possession of another. The same Hebrew phrase occurs, with the same sense, in Lev. xix. 10, Job xxxix. 14, and in Ps. xhx. 11 (10) below.^ — Hell is here to be taken in its wide old English sense, as corresponding to the Hebrew Sheol and the Greek Hades, the in\isible world or state of the dead. See above on Ps. vi. 6 (5), and ix. 18 (17). — Give, i. e. permit, or more emphatically, give up, abandon, which makes the parallelism of the clauses more exact. Thy Holy One, or more exactly, thy favourite, the object of thy special favour. See above, on Ps. iv. 4 (3). The textual reading is a plural form ("in''Dn), the singular Psalm 16:11 11 (TT'DH) being a marginal correction or keri. The Jews contend for the former, and most Christians for the latter, which is favoured by the oldest versions and retained in the New Testament. The essential difference between the two is less than it may seem at first sight, since even the singular is really collective, and includes the whole class of God's chosen and favoured ones, of whom Christ is the head and representative. — To see, i. e. to experience or undergo corruption. Compare the phrase to see death, Luke ii. 26. — It has been disputed whether HH^ is derived from TVi^y and means a pit, or from JlHli^, and means corruption. Both allegations are probably true, the antecedent improbability of such a double sense and derivation being counterbalanced by the clear analogy of nnj, which is of a different sense and gender, as derived from /in3 and Xy\1- The use of this equivocal expression may have been intentional, in order to make it appUcable both to David and to Christ. (See above, on the pre- ceding verse.) To both, the words contain a promise of deliverance from death, but in the case of Christ with a specific reference to his actual escape from the corruption which is otherwise inseparable from dissolution. Be- lievers in general are saved from the perpetual dominion of death, but Christ was saved even from the first approach of putrefaction. In this peculiar and most pregnant sense the words are applied to Christ exclusively by two apostles, and in that sense declared to be inapplicable to David. (Acts ii. 29-31, xiii. 35-37.) Their reasoning would utterly forbid the apphca- tion to any lower subject, were it not for the ambiguity or twofold meaning of the Hebrew word, which cannot therefore be explained away without embarrassing the interpretation of this signal prophecy. 11. Thou wilt teach me the way of life, fulness of joy with thy face (or presence), pleasures in thy right hand for ever. He trusts God not only for deUverance from death, but for guidance in the way to life, or blessed immortahty. (Compare Prov. ii. 19.) The Hebrew verb is causative, and means thou icilt make me know, point out, or shew to me. Fulness, satiety, or rather satisfaction, in its strongest sense, including the ideas of content- ment and abundance. The plural, joys, denotes not only richness but variety. The next phrase may simply mean before thy face or in thy presence. But it will also bear a stronger sense, and represent God's presence or the sight of him, not merely as the place, but the source of enjoyment. See above, on Ps. iv. 7 (6), and compare Ps. xvii. 15, Ixxx. 4 (3). So in the last clause, the idea is not merely at thy right hand as a place of honour and of safety, but in thy right hand as the depository of eternal joys, or idth thy right hand, as the instrument by which they are dispensed. See below, on Ps. xvii. 7. — This last clause is omitted in Peter's citation of the passage, Acts ii. 27, no doubt because it is a mere poetical reiteration of the one before it, which is itself only added to complete the period, and not because it was essential to the apostle's purpose. That purpose was accom- plished by applying the two preceding verses to our Saviour, not exclusively indeed, but by way of eminence and in a peculiar sense, which we learn, however, from Acts ii. 30, 31, was actuaUy present to the mind of the inspired Psalmist. The same argumentative interpretation of the prophecy is given by Paul in Acts xiii. 35-37. 78 Psalm 17:1 -3 Psalm 17 A SUFFERER, in imminent danger, professes his sincere conformity to God's will, and invokes his favour and protection, ver. 1-5. This petition is en- forced by an appeal to former mercies, ver. 6, 7, and a description of the wickedness of his enemies, ver. 8-12, whose character and spirit he con- trasts with his own, ver. 13-15. The position of this psalm in the collection seems to have been determined by the resemblance of its subject, tone, and diction, to those of the six- teenth, with which it may be said to form a pair or double psalm, like the first and second, third and fourth, ninth and tenth, &c. 1. A Prayer. By David. Hear, 0 Jehovah, the right, hearken to my cry, give ear to my prayer not ivith lips of deceit. This psalm is called a prayer because petition is its burden, its characteristic feature, its essential element. By David, Uterally, to David, i. e. belonging to him as its author. — The right, righteousness or justice in the abstract, here put for a just cause, or perhaps for one who is in the right, who has justice on his side. The prayer that God will hear the right implies that no appeal is made to partiahty or privilege, but merely to the merits of the case. The righteous- ness claimed is not merely that of the cause but that of the person, not inherent but derived from the imputed righteousness of faith according to the doctrine of the Old as well as the New Testament. The quality alleged is not that of sinless perfection but that of sincere confonnity to the divine will. The last clause, not ivllh lips of deceit, apphes to all that goes before, and represents sincerity as necessary to a^.ceptance. The original expres- sion is still stronger, and conveys much more than a negative. It does not merely say, not with deceitful lips, but more positively with lips not deceitful. 2. From before thee my Judgment shall come forth ; thine eyes shall he- hold equities. This sentence really involves a prayer, but in form it is the expression of a confident hope. From hefore thee, from thy presence, thy tribunal. My judgment, my acquittal, vindication ; or my justice, i. e. my just cause, my cause considered as a just one. Shall come forth, to the ■view of others, shall be seen and recognised in its true character, as being what it is. The reason is, because God's judgments are infaUible. His eyes cannot fail to see innocence or righteousness where it exists. The plural, rectitudes or equities, is an emphatic abstract. See above, on the parallel passage, Ps. xi. 7. 3. Thou hast tried my heart, hast visited (?ne) hy night, hast assayed me; thou wilt not find ; my mouth shall not exceed my thought. He still appeals to God as the judge and witness of his own sincerity. The preterites represent the process as no new one, although still continued in the present. Visited for the purpose of examination or inspection, in which specific sense the EngHsh verb is often used. By night, as the time when men's thoughts are least under restraint, and when the CAal, if there be any, is most certain of detection. Purged me, as the purity of metals is tested by fire, to which process the Hebrew word is specially appHed. Thou shalt not find any thing at variance with the sincerity of this profession. — The future form implies that the investigation is to be continued, but without any change in the result. — The last clause is doubtful and obscure. The common version, I am purposed (that) my mouth shall not trangress, agrees well enough vnth the form of the words, but is forbidden by the accents. The reversed construction, my thoughts shall not exceed my mouth (or speech), Psalm 17:4 -8 79 is ungrammatical ; nor does either of theseconstructions suit the coatext so well as the first, which makes the clause a renewed profession of sin- cerity. 4. (^As) to the works of man, by the word of thy lips I have kept the paths of the violent (trangressor.) The works of man are the sinful courses to which man is naturally prone. The generic tetm man (D^^<) is often used in reference to the sinful infirmities of human nature. See 1 Sam. xxiv. 10 (9), Hos. vi. 7, Job xxxi. 33. The word of God's lips is the word uttered by him, with particular reference to his precepts or commands, but including his entire revelation. By this word, by means of it as an instru- ment, and in reliance on it as an authority. — The verb (lOli^) translated kept properly means watched, and is elsewhere applied to the observance of a rule, but in this place seems to mean watched for the purpose of avoid- ing, as we say in English to keep away from or keep out of danger. — From the verb (\n3) to break forth, elsewhere applied to gross iniquities (Hos. ' - T iv. 2.) comes the adjective (V^IB) violent, outrageous, here used as an epithet of the flagrant sinner. 5. My steps have laid hold of thy paths, my feet have not swerved. His profession of integrity is still continued. The first verb is in the infini- tive form, but determined by the preterites before and after. The Eng- lish language does not furnish equivalents to the parallel terms in Hebrew, both which denote footsteps. The common version violates the context by ccmverting the first clause into a prayer, which would here be out of place. 6. I have invoked thee because thou wilt answer me, 0 God ! Incline thine ear to me, hear my speech. The alternation of the tenses is significant. ' I have invoked thee heretofore, and do so still, because I know that thou vdlt hear me." It is needless to observe how much the sentence is enfeebled by the change of either to the present. — Thou loilt hear me, in the pregnant sense of hearing graciously or answering a prayer. See above, on Ps. iii. 5 (4). — 0 (mighty) God! The divine name here used is the one denoting God's omnipotence. See above, Ps. v. 5 (4), vii. 12 (11), x. 11, 12. xvi. 1. — My speech, what I say, ^'^0^^ from IDhi to say. 7. Distinguish thy mercies, (0 thou) saving those trusting, from those rising up, with thy right hand. The first verb is the same that occurs in Ps. iv. 4 (3.) Here, as there, it means to set apart, or single out, but with particular reference to extraordinary favours, implying an unusual neces- sity. Such mercy is described as perfectly in keeping with the divine mode of action in such cases. — Trusting, seeking refuge, i.e. in God. See above, on Ps. xvi. 1. The same ellipsis may be assumed after rising up, or we may supply against them. — With thy right hand, as the instrument of deliverance. Compare Ps. xvi. 11. These words must be connected in construction with saving. 8. Keep me as the apple of the eye, in the shadow of thy wings thou wilt hide me. The first verb means to watch over, guard, preserve with care. See above, on ver. 4, where it occurs in a figurative application. The pupil or apple of the eye is a proverbial type of that which is most precious and most easily injured, and which therefore has a double claim to sedulous protection. The original phrase is strongly idiomatic, exhibiting what seems to be a singular confusion of the genders. Its literal meaning is, supplying the articles omitted by poetic hcence, the man (or the little man, or the man- like part) the daughter of the eye. The first word has reference to the image 80 Psalm 17:9 -12 reflected in the pupil, which is then described as belonging to the eye, by an oriental idiom which uses personal relations, son, daughter, &c., to denote the mutual relations even of inanimate objects. The comparison is borrowed from Deut. xxxii. 10, where it is followed by another with the eagle's treatment of her young, to which there seems to be allusion in the last clause of the verse before us. The imperative form of the first verb is no reason for departing from the future form of the other, which is much more expressive. What he asks in one clause he expresses his assured hope of obtaining in the other. 9. From the face of the wieJced who have wasted me; mine enemies to the soul will surround me. The preceding sentence is continued, with a more particular description of the objects of his dread. " Thou wilt hide me from the face, sight, or presence of the wicked." Wasted, desolated, de- stroyed, with allusion perhaps to the siege of a town or the invasion of a country. The same term is applied to a dead man in Judges v. 27. The enemies of the last clause are identical with the wicked of the first. Une- mies in soul may mean cordial haters, or enemies who seek the soul or life, called deadly enemies in the English version. Or l£^3!li may be construed with the verb : surround me eagerly (with craving appetite) ; or surround me against my soul or Ufe, i.e. with a view to take it. — The future form sug- gests that the danger which the first clause had described as past, was still present, and likely to continue. As if he had said, " from my wicked foes who have already wasted me, and will no doubt still continue to surround me." In this description presentdanger is included, whereas if we substitute the present form, we lose the obvious allusion to the future and the past. 10. Their fat they have closed ; {with) their mouth they have spoken in pride. The first clause, though not exactly rendered, is correctly para- phrased in the English Bible; they are enclosed in their own fat. This is no uncommon metaphor in Scripture for moral and spiritual insensibiUty ; see Deut. xxxii. 15, Job xv. 27, Ps. Ixxiii. 7, cxix. 70. The Hteral sense of the expressions derives some illustration from Judg. iii. 22. Some give to/ai the specific sense of heart, which is said to have in Arabic, "their heart they have closed." But the other explanation yields the same sense ia a more emphatic form, and with closer conformity to Hebrew usage. 11. In our footsteps now have they surrounded us; their eyes they will set, to go astray in the land. The meaniug of the first words, in our footsteps, seems to be, wherever we go. Compare Ps. cxxxix. 3, 5. For the masore- tic reading us, the text has me, which, although harsher, amounts to the same thing, as the suflerer is an ideal person respecting many real ones. The parallel clauses exhibit the usual combination of the preterite and future forms, implying that what had been done was likely to be still con- tinued. They fix their eyes, upon this as the end at which they aim. To go astray or turn aside, i. e. from the way of God's commandments, to which the Psalmist, in ver. 5, had declared his own adherence. The translations bowing dovm and casting down are less in accordance with the context and with the usage of the Hebrew verb, which is constantly employed to express departure from God and aberration from the path of duty; see 1 Kings xi. 9, Job xxxi. 7, Ps. xliv. 19 (18), cxix. 51, 157. To the earth, or in the earth, although grammatical, afibrds a less appropriate sense than in the land, i. e. the holy land or land of promise, the local habitation of God's people under the old economy ; see above on Ps. xvi. 3, and compare Isaiah xxvi. 10. 12. Hi^s likeness {is) as a lion ; he is craving to tear ; and as a young Psalm 17:13 -15 81 lion silting in secret places. The singular suffix refers to the enemy as an ideal person. The future (^IDD^) means that he is just about to feel or gratify the appetite for blood. To tear in pieces, as a wild beast does his prey before devouring it. — Sitting, lurking, lying in wait, with special refer- ence to the patient promptness of the wild beast in such cases. — The com- parison is the same as in Ps. x. 8-10. 13. Arise, Jehovah, go before his face, male him how, save my soul from the wicked [with) thy sword. On the meaning of the prayer that God would arise, see above on Ps. iii. 8 (7). — Go before his face : the same Hebrew phrase occurs below (Ps. xcv. 2), in the sense of coming into one's presence. Here the context gives it the more emphatic sense of meeting, encountering, withstanding. Make him bend or bow, as the conquered bows beneath the conqueror. — The construction of thy sword seems to be the same with that of their mouth in ver. 10. The Septuagint puts thy sword in apposition with my soul, the Vulgate with the word immediately preced- ing, men {who are) thy sword, as the Assyrian is said to be the rod in God's hand (Isa. x. 5). But such a representation of the enemy as God's chosen instruments, instead of enforcing, would enfeeble the petition. The verb translated save is a causative strictly meaning malce to escape. 14. From men {with) thy hand, from the world; their portion is in {this) life, and with thy hoard thou wilt Jill their belly ; they shall have enough of sons, and leave their residue to their babes. All the parts of this obscure verse have been variously explained. As in the preceding verse, some here read men {which are) thy hand, i. e. the instrument of thy wrath. The diffi- cult expression ibniD is by some understood as a description of their cha- racter and spirit — men of the world — men who belong to it, and whose hearts are set upon it. Others give ibn its primary meaning of duration, and make the phrase descriptive of prosperity — men of duration or perpetuity — who not only prosper now, but have long done so, and seem likely to con- tinue. The simplest construction is that given in the prayer-book version, which takes the proposition in the same sense before both nouns— "/rum the men, I say, and from the evil world." " World is then simply a col- lective equivalent to the plural men. This translation of the former word is justified by the analogy of Ps. xUx. 2 {1).—Life is by some understood to mean a Ufe of ease or pleasure ; but this is far less natural than the obvi- ous sense of this life, this present state as distinguished from futurity. The rest of the verse shews that their desires have not been disappointed. To the eye of sense God sometimes seems to have reserved his choichest gifts for the ungodly. Thy hidden {treasure), i. e. hoarded, carefully secreted. Fill their belly, satisfy their appetite. The future form implies that the state of things described is likely to continue.— The next clause may be also rendered : {their) sons shall be satisfied, and leave their residue to their babes. This would be a strong description of prosperity continued from generation to generation. According to the version before given, the men of the world are represented as having their largest wishes gratified, not only in the num- ber but the prosperous condition of their children ; see Ps. cxxvii. 3, cxxvui. 3, 4, Job xxi. 11. The whole is only a description of things as they seem to man, before God's judgments interpose to change them. 15. I in righteousness shall see thy face ; I shall be satisfied in awaking with thy appearance. The pronoun expressed at the beginning of the sen- tence is emphatic. I, in opposition to the men described in the preceding 82 Psalm 17:15 verse. " They may rejoice in richer providential gifts, and be satisfied with what they thus possess. But I enjoy what they do not, the sense of accept- ance in thy sight, righteousness, justification, recognition as a righteous person." The ambiguity of construction in the last clause is the same both in Hebrew and in EngUsh. The preposition iviih may connect what follows either with aivaking or with satisfied. Thus the prayer-book version reads, " And when I awake up after thy Ukeness, I shall be satisfied with it ; " but the authorised version: " I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy like- ness." The latter construction is the one required by the accents, and pre- ferred by most interpreters, the rather as the last word does not mean re- semblance in the abstract, but form, shape, or visible appearance, Exod. xx. 4, Num. xii. 8, Deut. iv. 16, 23, 25, Job iv. 16. The idea here suggested is the sight of thee, exactly corresponding to behold thy face, in the parallel clause. — In aivaking, or when I shall awake, is understood by some to mean, when I awake to-morrow, and from this expression they infer that the psalm was originally composed, and intended to be used, as an evening- song or prayer. See above on Ps. iii. 6 (5), iv. 9 (8), v. 4 (3), Others give the phrase the same sense but a wider application ; in awaking, i. e. when- ever I awake. As if he had said, while the men of the world think day and night of their possessions and their pleasures, I rejoice, whenever I awake, in the sight of God's reconciled countenance and the consciousness of Mend- ship with him. A third interpretation puts a still higher sense upon the phrase as referring to the act of awaking fi'om the sleep of death. But this excludes too much from view the enjoyment of God's favour and pro- tection even here, which is the burden of the whole prayer. If the hope of future blessedness had been enough, the previous petitions would have been superfluous. The utmost that can be conceded to this view of the passage is that, by a natural association, what is here said of awaking out of sleep in this life may be extended to that great awaking which awaits us all here- after. The same state of mind and heart which enables a man now to be contented with the partial views which he enjoys of God will prepare him to be satisfied hereafter with the beatific vision through eternity. Psalm 18 This psalm consists of five unequal parts. In the first, David announces his desire to praise God for his wonderful deliverances, ver. 2-4 (1-3). In the second, these are described, not in historical form, but by the use of the strongest poetical figures, ver. 5-20 (4-19). In the third, he declares them to have been acts of righteousness as well as mercy, and in strict accordance with the general laws of the divine administration, ver. 21-28 (20-27). In the fourth, he goes again into particulars, but less in the way of recollection than of anticipation, founded both on what he has experienced and on what God has promised, ver. 29-46 (28-45). In the fifth, this change of form is accounted for by summing up the promises referred to, and applying them not merely to Da\id as an individual, but to his posterity for ever, thus including Christ, and shewing the whole composition to be one of those Messianic psalms, in which he is the principal subject of the prophecy, though not the only one, nor even the one nearest to the eye of the observer, ver. 46-51 (45-50). 1. To the Chief Musician. By a Servant of Jehovah. By David, who spake unto Jehovah the words of this song, in the day Jehovah freed him Psalm 18:1,2 83 from the hand of all his foes and from the hand of Saul. The first clause of the title shews, in this as in other cases, that the composition was designed from the beginning to be used in the public worship of the ancient church, and has reference therefore to the experience of the writer, not as a private person, but as an eminent servant cf the Lord, i.e. one entrusted with the execution of his pui-poses, as an instrument or agent. The expres- sions, spake unto Jehovah, &c., are borrowed from Exod. xv. 1, and Deut. xxxi. 30. This is the more observable, because the psalm contains obvious allusions to the song of Moses in Deut. ch. xxxii. An analogous case is found in 2 Sam. xxiii. 1, where the form of expression is evidently borrowed from Num. xxiv. 3. — The repetition of hand is not found in the original, where the first word (C)3) properly denotes the palm or inside of the hand, but is poetically used as an equivalent to T, The hand is a common figure for power and possession. This whole clause bears a strong analogy to Exod. xviii. 10, where " out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh" corresponds exactly to " out of the hand of all his foes and out of the hand of Saul," i. e. and especially of Saul. Compare " Judah and Jerusalem," Isa. i. 1; "the land and Jericho," Josh. ii. 1. This form of expression does not imply that Saul was the last of his enemies, but rather that he was the first, both in time and in importance, so that he might be considered equal to all the others put together. And accordingly we find their idea carried out in the stmcture of this psalm, one half of which seems to relate especially to Saul, and the remainder to his other enemies. The general expressions of this title shew that the psalm was not occasioned by any particular event, but by a retrospect of all the deliver- ances from persecution which the wi'iter had experienced. 2 (1). And said, I will love thee, Jehovah, my strength ! The sentence is continued from the foregoing verse, who sang unto the Lord . . . and said. The future form, / will love, represents it as a permanent afibction, and expresses a fixed purpose. I not only love thee now, but am resolved to do so for ever. The verb itself occm-s nowhere else in its primitive form, but often in one of its derived forms, to express the compassionate regard of a superior to an inferior. The simple form is here used to denote the reciprocal afi"ection of the inferior party. From its etymology the verb seems to express the strongest and most intimate attachment, being properly expressive of sro^yri, or parental love. The noun translated strevgth is also pecuHar to this passage, though its root and cognate forms are very common. Combined with one of the divine names, it constitutes the name Hezekiah, which may have been suggested by the verse before us. My strength, i. e. the giver of my strength or the supplier of its deficiencies, the substitute for my strength, m}' protector and deliverer. 3 (2). Jehovah [is) my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer ; my o (is) my rock, I will trust in him ; my shield and my horn of salvation, my height (or high place). By this accumulation of descriptive epithets, the Psalmist represents God as the object of his trust and his protector. The first two figures, my rock and my fortress, contain an allusion to the physical structure of the Holy Land, as well as to David's personal experience. The caves and fissures of the rocks, with which the land abounded, had often afibrded him shelter and concealment when pursued by Saul. See Judges vi. 2, 1 Sam. xxiv. 3, 2 Sam. v. 7. The Hteral expression, my deliverer, seems to be added as an explanation of the figures which precede. My God may also be explained as one of the descriptive terms ; but it seems 84 Psalm 18:3 - 5 more natural to make it the subject of a new proposition, equivalent and parallel to that in the first clause. Here again we are obliged to use the same English word as a translation of two different words in Hebrew. As the rock (^^D) of the first clause suggests the idea of concealment and security, so the roch (1)^) of the second clause suggests that of strength and immobiUty. The figure is borrowed from Deut. xxxii. 4, and reappears in Ps. xcii. 16 (15). Compare Isaiah's phrase, a rock of ages (Isa. xxvi. 4), and Jacob's phrase, the stone of Israel (Gen. xhx. 24), where stone, hke rock in the clause before us, denotes not the place but the material, not a stone, but stone, as one of the hardest and least mutable substances with which we are acquainted, and therefore an appropriate figure for combined immutabiHty and strength. For the figurative use of shield in such con- nections, see above on Ps. iii. 4 (3). The next phrase has allusion to the defensive habits of homed animals. The figure seems to be borrowed from Deut xxxiii. 17. (Compare 1 Sam. ii. 10, Job. xvi. 15.) My horn of salvation may be understood to mean, my horn, to wit, my salvation, so that the second noun is explanatory of the first. More probably, however, the expression means the horn that saves me, by repelling or destroying all my enemies. In Luke i. 69, the same phrase is applied to Christ by Zacharias. The last term in the description belongs to the same class with the first, and was probably suggested by the Psalmist's early wanderings among the rocks and caverns of Judea. The Hebrew word properly denotes a place so high as to be beyond the reach of danger. See above, on Ps. ix. 10 (9), where the same word is twice used in the same sense and figurative apphcation. 4 (3). To be praised I will call Jehovah, and from my enemies I shall he saved. " I will invoke God as a being worthy of all praise." The first Hebrew word, which has the force of a future passive participle, is a stand- ing epithet of Jehovah in the lyrical style of the Old Testament. See Ps. xlviii. 2 (1), xcvi. 4, cxiii. 3, cxlv. 3, 1 Chron. xvi. 25. The connection of the clauses is, that the beUeving invocation of Jehovah in his true character, and with a just appreciation of his excellence, must needs be followed by the experience of his favour. They who cry and are not heard, as we read in ver. 42 (41) below, cry indeed to Jehovah, but they do not invoke him as tlje one to be praised, they do not see him as he is, and cannot pray to him as they ought. They ask and receive not, because they ask amiss (James iv. 3). 5 (4). The hands of death have enclosed me, and the streams of worthless- ness (or Belial) will (still) of right me From the general acknowledgment contained in ver. 1-4, he proceeds to a more particular description of his danger. By hands we are probably to understand the cordage of a net, such as fowlers spread for birds. This is a favourite metaphor with David to denote dangers, and particularly those of an insidious and compHcated kind. See below, Ps. cxvi. 3. The word Belial properly means worthless, good for nothing. The reference is here to wicked men, whose munber and violence are indicated by the figure of torrents, overflowing streams. The use of the future in the last clause shews that the writer, as in many other cases, takes his position in the midst of the event, and views it as partly past and partly future. This bold assumption of an ideal situation greatly adds to the hfe and vividness of the description. 6 (5). The hands of hell surrounded me, the snares of death encountered me. This verse merely repeats and ampUfies the first clause of the fifth, Psalm 18:6-9 85 Hell, in the wide old English sense, is a poetical equivalent to death. See above, on Ps. vi. 6 (5). The explicit mention of snares in the last clause confirms the explanation before given of bands. Encountered, met me, crossed my path. The sense prevented or anticipated does not suit the con- text, and that of surprised is not sufficiently justified by usage. See above, on Ps. xvii. 13. 7 (6). In my distress I tuill invoice Jehovah, and to my God will cry ; he will hear from his palace my voice, and my prayer before him will come, into his ears. The verbs are- in the future, because they express the feelings not of one looking back upon the danger as already past, but of one actually implicated in it. See above, on ver. 5 (4). The literal meaning of the words is, in distress to me. Compare the phrase, at times in distress, Ps. ix. 10 (9), X. 1. My God implies a covenant relation and a hope of audience founded on it. The verb translated cry is specially appropriated to a cry for help. His palace here means heaven, as God's royal residence. See above, on Ps. xi. 4. Into his ears is a kind of after-thought, designed to strengthen the preceding expression. It shall not only reach his pre- sence, but, as it were, shall penetrate his ears. The whole expresses an assured hope of being heard, and is really tantamount to an assertion that he was heard. 8 (7). Then did the earth shake and quake, and the foundations of the mountains trembled and were shaken because he was angry. The idea of succession expressed by the English then is conveyed in Hebrew by the form of the verb. The resemblance, in form and sound, of shake and quake, corresponds to that of the original verbs (^yiriT li^yjpll). A reflexive or emphatic passive form of the fii'st verb appears in the second clause. The closing words of this clause strictly mean because it was inflamed (or en- kindled) to him with an ellipsis of the noun (^hi) anger. The full construc- tion may be found in Deut. vi. 15, and Ps. cxxiv. 3. The phrase founda- tions of the mountains is copied from Deut. xxxii. 22. 9 (8). There went up smoke in his wrath, and flre from his mouth devours : coals are kindled from it. Smoke and fire are mentioned as natm-al con- comitants and parallel figures, both denoting anger, and suggested by the phrase it wa'i inflamed to him in the preceding verse. Compare Deut. xxxii. 22, xxix. 19 (20), Ps. xxiv. 1. The translation nostrils rests on a confusion of two collateral derivatives from the verb to breathe. (See my note on Isa. xlviii. 9.) Nor is this sense required by the paralleUsm, unless mouth and nose must always go together. There seems to be some allusion to the fire and smoke at Sinai, Exod. xix. 18. From *'< may have reference to fire ; but the nearest antecedent is his mouth. Compare Job xli. 11-13 (19-21). There is no need of supplying any object with devours; the idea is that of a devouring fire, i. e. one capable of consuming whatever combus- tible material it may meet with. 10 (9). So he bowed the heavens and came down, and gloom [was) under his feet. The scene seems here to be transferred from heaven to earth, where the psalmist sees not only the divine operation but the personal pre- sence of Jehovah. The word so, familiarly employed in English to continue a narrative, here represents the vau conversive of the Hebrew. The word translated gloom is not the usual term for darkness, but a poetical expres- sion specially applied to dense clouds and vapours. The expression seems to be derived from Deut. v. 22. Compare with this clause, Exod. xix. 16, and with the first, Isa. Ixiii. 19 (Ixiv. 1). 86 Psalm 18:10 - 15 11 (10). And he rode on a cherub and flew, and soared on the wings of a wind. The cherubim of the Mosaic system were visible representations of the whole class of creatures superior to man. The singular form cherub seems to be used here to convey the indefinite idea of a superhuman but created being. The whole verse is a poetical description of God's interven- tion, as a scene presented to the senses. As earthly kings are carried by inferior animals, so the heavenly king is here described as borne through the air in his descent by beings intermediate between himself and man. The word soared, in the second clause, is used to represent a poetical term in the original bon-owed from Deut. xxviii. 49. With the whole verse com- pare Ps, Ixviii. 18 (17), and civ. 3. 12 (11). (And) set darkness {as) his covert ahoxd him, his shelter, dark- ness of waters, clouds of the skies, This concealment suggests the idea of a brightness insupportable by mortal sight. Compare Deut. iv. 11, Job xxxvi. 29, Ps. xcvii. 2. Darkness of waters does not mean dark waters, but watery darkness, a beautiful description of clouds charged with rain. The two nouns in the last clause both mean clouds, but the second is used only in the plural, and seems properly to designate the whole body of vapom-s constituting the visible heavens or sky. A somewhat similar combination occurs in Exod. xix. 9. 13 (12). From the blaze before him his clouds passed — hail und coals of fire. The dark clouds which enveloped him are now described as pene- trated by the light within. Passed, i. e. passed away, were dispelled. The last clause may be construed as an exclamation such as an eye-witness might have uttered. The combination is borrowed from Exod. ix. 24. (Compare Ps. Ixxviii. 47, 48.) Hail, as an instrument of the divine ven- geance, is also mentioned in Josh. x. 11. 14 (13). Then thundered in the heavens Jehovah, and the Highest gave his voice — hail and coals of fire. The second clause is a poetical repeti- tion of the first. " The Most High gave his voice," means in this connec- tion neither more nor less than that he " thundered in the heavens." Though visibly present upon earth he is described as still in heaven. Com- pare Gen. xi. 5, 7 ; xviii. 21 ; John iii. 13. The last clause may be con- strued as in ver. 13, or made dependent on the verb gave, as in Exod. ix. 23 : " Jehovah gave thunder and hail." This clause is repeated because the hail and lightning were not merely terrific circumstances, but appointed instruments of vengeance and weapons of destruction. 15 (14). Ihen sent he his arrotvs and scattered them, and shot forth lightnings and confounded them. The Hghtnings of the last clause may be understood as explaining the arrows of the first. Instead of shot forth light- nings some translate and lightnings much, i. e. many, in which sense the Hebrew word (!")) occurs sometimes elsewhere (Exod. xix. 21, 1 Sam. xiv. 6, Num. xxvi. 54). In several other places it seems to mean enough or too much (Gen. xlv. 28, Exod. ix. 28, Num. xvi. 3, 7, Deut. i. 6). If either of these constructions is adopted, the verb sent must be repeated from the other clause. The version first given, shot, is justified by the analogy of Gen. xlix. 23. The last verb in the sentence is a military tenn denoting the con- fusion of an army produced by a surprise or sudden panic ; see Exod. xiv. 24, xxiii. 27, Josh. x. 10, and with the whole verse compare Ps. cxHv. 6. 16 (15). Then were seen the channels of water and uncovered the founda- tions of the luorld, at thy rebuke, Jehovah, at the blast of the breath of thy wrath. The idea meant to be conveyed by this poetical description is that Psalm 18:16- 19 87 of sudden and complete subversion, the turning of the whole earth upside down. The language is not designed to be exactly expressive of any real physical change whatever. From, or at thy rebuke, i. e. after it and in con- sequence of it. The breath of thy ivrath, thy angry breath, might also be rendered, the wind of thy wrath, thy angry or tempestuous wind. That the Hebrew words do not mean thy nose or nostrils, see above, on ver. 9 (8). Some suppose an allusion, in the figures of this verse, to the floods oftvorth- lessness in ver 5 (4), and the bands of hell in ver. 6 (5). 17 (16). He will send from above, he will talce me, he will draw me out of many waters. Here again the wTiter seems to take his stand between the inception and the consummation of the great deliverance, and to speak just as he might have spoken while it was in progress. " All this he has done in preparation, and now he is about to send," &c. This seems to be a more satisfactory explanation of the future forms than to make them simple presents, and still more than to make them preterites, which is wholly arbitrary and ungrammatical, although the acts described by these futures were in fact past ai the time of composition. To send from above in our idiom means to send a messenger; but in Hebrew this verb is the one used with hand, where we say stretch out, e. g. in the parallel passage Ps. exUv. 7. (See also Gen. viii. 9, xlviii. 14). The noun, however, is sometimes omitted, and the verb used absolutely to express the sense of the whole phrase, as in 2 Sam. vi. 6, Ps. Ivii. 4 (3). From above, from on high, from the height or high place, i. e. heaven, the place of God's manifested presence. There is peculiar beauty in the word translated draw, which is the root of the name Moses, and occurs, besides the place before us, only in the explanation of that name recorded by himself, Exod. ii. 10. The choice of this unusual expression here involves an obvious allusion both to the historical fact and the typical meaning of the deliverance of Moses, and a kind of claim upon the part of David to be regarded as another Moses. 18 (17). Heivillfree me from my enemy (because he is) strong, and from my haters^ because they are mightier than I. The futures are to be explained as in the verse preceding. The enemy here mentioned is an ideal person, representing a whole class, of whom Saul was the chief representative. The idiomatic phrase, my enemy strong , maybe understood as simply mean- ing 7ny strong enemy ; but the true construction seems to be indicated by the parallehsm. His own weakness and the power of his enemies is given as a reason for the divine interposition. 19 (18). They will encounter me in the day of my calamity ; and Jehovah has been for a stay to me. The first clause seems to express a behef that his trials from this quarter are not ended, while the other apppeals to past dehverances as a ground of confidence that God will still sustain him. Most interpreters, however, make the future and preterite forms of this verse perfectly equivalent. " They encountered me in the day of my calamity, and the Lord was for a stay to me." As to the meaning of the first verb, see above, on ver. 6 (5). It is not improbable that David here alludes to his sufierings in early hfe when fleeing before Saul; see above on ver. 3 (2). o20 (19). Andbrought me out into the tvide place; he will save me because he. delights in me. The construction is continued from the foregoing sen- tence. As confinement or pressure is a common figure for distress, so reUef from it is often represented as enlargement, or as coming forth into an open space. See above, on Ps. iv. 2 (1). Here, as in the preceding verse, most interpreters make no distinction between preterite and future. The mean- 88 Psalm 18:20 - 24 ing may, however, be that he expects the same deliverance hereafter which he has experienced aheady. 21 (20). Jehovah will treat me according to my righteousness ; according to the cleanness of my hands ivill he repay me. The future verbs have reference to the condition of the Psalmist under his afflictions, and the hopes which even then he was enabled to cherish. At the same time they make this the announcement of a general and perpetual truth, a law by which God's dispensations are to be controlled for ever. The hands are mentioned as organs or instruments of action. Compare Isa. i. 15, Job ix. 30, xxii. 30. The righteousness here claimed is not an absolute perfec- tion or entire exemption from all sinful infirmity, but what Paul calls sub- mission to the righteousness of God (Rom. x. 3), including faith in his mercy and a sincere governing desire to do his will. This is a higher and more comprehensive sense than innocence of some particular charge, or in- nocence in reference to man, though not in reference to God. 22 (21). For I have kept the ivays of Jehovah, and have not apostatised from my God. The Lord's ways are the ways which he marks out for us to walk in, the ways of duty and of safety. To keep them is to keep one's self in them, to observe them so as to adhere to them and follow them. The last clause strictly means, I have not been wicked (or guilty) from my God; a combination of the verb and proposition which shews clearly that the essential idea in the writer's mind was that of apostasy or total abjuration of God's service. Itsis of this mortal sin, and not of all particular trans- gressions, that the Psalmist here professes himself innocent. 23 (22). For all his judgments {are) before me, and his statutes I will not put from me. Judicial decisions and permanent enactments are here used as equivalent expressions for all God's requisitions. To have these before one is to observe them, and the opposite of putting them away or out of siffht. The terms of this profession have been evidently chosen in allusion to such dicta of the law itself as Deut. v. 29, xvii. 11. From the past tense of the foregoing verse he here insensibly slides into the present and the future, so as to make his profession of sincerity include his former Hfe, his actual dispositions, and his settled purpose for all time to come. 24 (23). And I have been perfect with him, and have kept myself from my iniquity. He not only will be faithful, but he has been so aheady, in the sense before explained. There is evident reference in the first clause to the requisition of the Law, " thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God," Deut. xviii. 13. (Compare Gen. xvii. 1.) With means not merely in his presence, or his sight, as distinguished from men's estimate of moral objects, but "in my intercourse and dealing with him." Compare 1 Kings xi. 4, and the description of David in 1 Kings xiv. 8, xv. 5. In the last clause some see an allusion to David's adventure in the cave, when his conscience smote him for meditating violence against Saul. See 1 Sam. xxiv. 6, and compare 1 Sam. xxvi. 23, 24. But whether this be so or not, the clause undoubtedly contains a confession of corruption. 3Iy iniquity can only mean that to which I am naturally prone and subject. We have here, then, a further proof that the perfection claimed in the first clause is not an absolute immunity from sin, but an upright purpose and desire to serve God. 25 (24). And Jehovah has requited me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands before his eyes. This verse shews clearly that the futures in ver. 21 (20) must be strictly understood. What he there represents himself as confidently hoping, he here professes to have really experienced. In the intervening verses he shews how he had Psalm 18:25 -28 89 done his part, and now acknowledges that God had faithfully performed his own. 26, 27 (25, 26). With the gracious thou wilt shew thyself gracious ; with the perfect man thou wilt shew thyself perfect ; with the purified thou wilt shew thyself pure ; and with the crooked thou wilt shew thyself perverse. What he had previously mentioned as the method of God's dealings towards him- self, he now describes as a general law of the divine administration. The essential idea is that God is, in a certain sense, to men precisely what they are to him. The particular qualities specified are only given as examples, and might have been exchanged for others without altering the general sense. The form of expression is extremely strong and bold, but scarcely Uable to misapprehension, even in ver. 27 (26). No one is in danger of imagining that God can act perversely even to the most perverse. But the same course of proceeding which would be perverse in itself or towards a righteous person, when pursued towards a sinner becomes a mere act of vindicatory justice. In the first clause of ver. 26 (25), the ambiguous word gracious has been chosen to represent the similar term *T*DrT, for the comprehensive use of which we see above, on Ps. iv. 4 (3), xii. 2 (1). Perfect has the same sense as in ver. 23 (22), namely, that of freedom from hypocrisy and maUce. The verbs are all of the reflexive form and might be rendered, thou wilt make thyself gracious, thou wilt act the gracious, or simply thou wilt be gracious, &c., but the common version approaches nearest to the force of the original expression. The first verb of ver. 27 (26) occurs once else- where (Dan. lii. 10), the rest only here. The forms may have been coined for the occasion, to express the bold conception of the writer. The resem- blance of the last clause of ver. 27 (26) to Lev. xxvi. 23, 24, makes it highly probable that the whole form of this singular dictum was suggested by that passage, the rather as this Psalm abounds in allusions to the Pentateuch and imitations of it. 28 (27). For thou wilt save the afflicted people, and lofty eyes thou wilt hnng doicn. Another general description of God's dealings with mankind, repeated more than once in the New Testament. See Mat. xxiii. 12, Luke xiv. 11, xviii. 14. High looks or lofty eyes is a common Old Testament expression for pride and haughtiness. See below, on Ps. ci. 5, cxxxi. 1, and compare Prov. xxi. 4, xxx, 13, Isa. x. 12, xxxvii. 23. The afflicted pebple means the people of God when in affliction, or considered as sufferers. Thou is emphatic : " however men may despise and maltreat thy afflicted people, I know that thou wilt save them." 29 (28). For thou wilt light my lamp ; Jehovah, my God, will illuminate my darkness. Having ascended from particulars to generals, he now reverses the process. On his own experience, as described in ver. 4—25 (3-24), he had founded a general declaration of God's mode of dealing with men, which statement he proceeds now to illustrate by recurring to his own experience. Li this second part there is reason to believe that he has reference to the other cases of deliverance in his history, besides those from Saul's persecutions which had furnished the theme of his thanksgiving in the first part of the psalm. Li accordance with this difference of subject, it has been observed that in this second part he appears more active, and not merely as an object but an instrument of God's delivering mercy. As to the form of expression in this part, it has been detennined by the writer's assuming his position at the close of the Sauline persecution, and describing his subsequent deUverances as still prospective. This was the more con- 90 Psalm 18:29 - 32 venient, as he "wished to express a confident assurance of God's goodness, not only to himself individually but to his posterity. A lamp or candle in the house is a common Hebrew figure for prosperity, and its extinction for distress. See Job xviii. 5, 6, xxi. 17, Prov. xxiv. 20. The first clause may also be translated, thou wilt make my light shine. The verb in the parallel clause is fi-om another root, and there is consequently no such assonance as in the English version {light, enlighten). The pronoun in the first clause is again emphatic. " Whatever I may sufier at the hands of others, thou at least wilt hght my candle." The emphasis is sustained in the last clause by a sudden change of person and introduction of the divine name. 80 (29). For in thee I shall run (through or over) a troop, and in my God I shall leap a wall. From his ideal post of observation he foresees the mihtary triumphs which awaited him, and which were actually past at the time of composition. The /or, as in the two preceding verses, connects the illustration with the general proposition in ver. 27-29 (26-28). " This is certainly God's mode of dealing,/or I know that he will deal thus with me." In thee, and in my God, i. e. in intimate union with him and possession of him, a much stronger sense than that of mere assistance {hy thee), which however, is included. See below, on Ps. xUv. 6 (5). — The ellipsis of the prepositioji, with which the verbs are usually construed, belongs to the licence of poetical style. Even in prose, however, we can say, to walk the streets, to leap a wall. To run a troop may either mean to run against or through it ; the phrase may therefore be completed so as to have either an offensive or defensive sense. In like manner, leaping a wall may either mean escaping from an enemy or storming his defences. Most interpreters prefer the stronger meaning of attack, which is certainly entitled to the preference, unless the writer be supposed to have selected his expressions with a view to the suggestion of both these ideas, which together compre- hend all possible varieties of success in war. As if he had said, *' Weak though I be in myself, I am sure that in conjunction with thee, neither armies nor fortifications shall be able to subdue or even to resist me." With David's tone of triumphant confidence in this verse, compare Paul's in 2 Cor. ii. 14, and Philip, iv. 13. 31 (30). The Almighty — perfect is his way — the word of Jehovah is tried — a shield (is) he to all those trusting in him. The first clause seems to be an amphfication of my God in the preceding verse. In my God, the Mighty (God), whose way is perfect, i. e. his mode of dealing, as before described, is free from all taint of injustice. This explanation suggests a further descrip- tion of Jehovah as a sure protector. His word here means especially his promise, perhaps with specific allusion to the seventh chapter of 2 Samuel. Tried, as metals are tried by fire, and thus proved to be genuine ; see above, on Ps. xii. 7 (6). A shield ; see above, on Ps. iii. 4 (3). Trusting in him; see above, on Ps. ii. 12. 82 (31). For xoho is God save Jehovah? And who is a rock besides our God? The /or shews that this verse gives the ground of the strong assur- ances contained in that before it. "I affirm all this because I recognise Jehovah as the only true God." Bock has the same sense as in ver. 3 (2). The whole verse bears a strong resemblance to 2 Sam. vii. 22. 33 (82). The Almighty girding me with strength, and (tvho) has given (or rendered) my way perfect. The connection of the verses is the same as that between ver. 31 (80) and 82 (81). The our God of the preceding verse is here described as the Almighty girding me, &c. For the true Psalm 18:33 - 37 91 sense of the divine name here and in ver. 32 (31), see above, on Ps. v. 5 (4). vii. 12, (11), X. 11, 12, xvi. 1, xvii, 6. The imparting of a quality or bestowing of a gift is in various languages described as clothing. Thus the English words endue and invest have almost lost their original mean- ing. The figure of girding is peculiarly significant, because in the oriental dress the girdle is essential to all free and active motion. Compare Ps. Ixv. 13 (12), as translated in the margin of the English Bible, and Isa. xi. 5. The last clause may either mean, " who is faultless in the way by which he leads me," i. e. whose dispensations towards me are free from all injustice ; or, " who gives my conduct the perfection which belongs to it." The first construction gives the words the same sense as in ver. 31 (30), but the other is by far the simplest and most natural, and as such entitled to the preference. 34 (33). 31aking my feet like hinds, and on my heights he makes me stand. The first word properly means equalling, assimilating, the idea of resem- blance being expressed in Hebrew both by the verb and by the particle of comparison. The female animal is supposed by some to be mentioned because it was regarded as more fleet, and accordingly we find it used in the Egyptian hieroglyphics as a symbol of swiftness. The name, however, may be used generally, as in English we apply either the masculine or feminine pronoun to some whole species. 3Iy heights, those which are to be mine by right of conquest and by divine gift. The heights may be either the natural highlands of the country or the artificial heights of its fortified places. It has been disputed whether the swiftness mentioned in the first clause has reference to attack or flight. Most probably both were meant to be included, as in ver. 30 (29) above. For both reasons swift- ness of foot w«,s prized in the heroic age, as appears from Homer's standing description of Achilles. See 2 Sam. ii. 18, 1 Chron. xii. 8. 35 (34). Teaching my hands to war, and my arms have bent a bow of brass. The construction is continued from the preceding verse, all the participles having reference to the name of God in ver. 33 (32). The last clause is a strong expression for extraordinary strength, which is mentioned merely as a heroic quality. The translation broken rests on what is now regarded as a false etymology. Brass was used before iron in Egypt and other ancient countries as a material for arms. 36 (35). And hast given me a shield, thy salvation; and thy right hand is to hold me up, and thy condescension is to make me great. In the first clause we may also read the shield of thy salvation, or thy shield of salva- tion, i. e. thy saving shield, without material variation of the sense. The futures have reference to the point from which he is surveying things past as still future. The noun in the last clause means humility, as an attribute of human character (Prov. xv. 33), but when applied to God, benignant self-abasement, condescending kindness to inferiors. Compare Ps. viii. 5 (4), Isai. Ixvi. 1, 2. 37 (36). Thou wilt enlarge my steps under me, and my ankles shall not swerve. To enlarge the steps is to afford ample room for walking freely without hindrance. The opposite figure is that of confined steps. See Prov. iv. 12, Job xviii. 7. The meaning of the whole verse is, thou wilt guide me safely. 38 (37). / am to pursue my enemies and overtake them, and not to turn back until I destroy them. This is not a threat of vengeance, but a confi- dent anticipation of perpetual triumphs, either in his own person or in that of his descendants. The form of expression in the first clause is borrowed 92 Psalm 18:38 - 45 from the Song of Moses, Exod. xv. 9. See above on Ps. vii. 6 (5), where the same two verbs are combined. The reference of all these future forms to past time would be not only gratuitous but ungrammatical. 39 (38). / shall smite them and they cannot rise, they shall fall beneath my feet. This simply carries out the idea of successful pursuit in the pre- ceding verse. 40 (39). And thou hast girded me with strength for the war (or battle), thou wilt bow down my assailants tinder me. He returns to God as the author of his triumphs and successes. The first clause blends the ideas expressed in the corresponding clauses of ver. 33, 36 (32, 35). — My assailants, literally, my insurgents, those rising up against me. See ver. 49 below, and compare Ps. xliv. 6 (5), lix. 2 (1), Job xxvii. 7. Here again the spirit of the Psalmist is not that of an ambitious conqueror, but of a willing instrument in God's hand, to be used for the promotion of his sovereign purpose. 41 (40). And my enemies — thou hast given to me the back — and my haters — / will destroy them. Each clause begins with an absolute nomina- tive which might be rendered, as to my enemies, as to my haters. The remainder of the first clause is highly idiomatic in its form, and scarcely admits of an exact translation. The word translated back properly means the back of the neck, but is frequently used in such connections. The meaning of the whole phrase is, thou hast given me their back, i. e. made them to turn it towards me by putting them to flight. This is also a Mosaic form of speech. See Exod. xxiii. 27, and compare Josh. vii. 8, 2 Chron. xxix. 6. Ps. xxi. 13 (12). 42 (41), They shall call for help, and there is no deliverer — upon Jehovah, and he hears them not. Because they have no covenant relation to him, as the Psalmist had. Their calling on J6hovah does not exclude all reference to heathen foes, as appears from Jonah i. 14. — Bear, in the pregnant sense of hearing favourably, granting, answering a prayer. See above, on Ps. iii. 5 (4). 43 (42). And I shall beat them small as dust before the wind, as dirt in the streets I will pour them out. The comparisons in this verse are intended to express the Psalmist's superiority to his enemies, his consequent con- tempt for them, and the facility with which he will destroy them. Similar images are not unfrequent in the Old Testament. See for example Isa. x. 6, Zeph. i. 17. Zech. x. 5. 44 (43). Thou wilt save me from the strifes of the people ; thou wilt place me at the head {or for a chief) of nations ; a people I have not knovm shall serve me. He was not only to be freed from the internal strifes of his own people, but by that deliverance enabled to subdue other nations. The closing words of the psalm, and its obvious connection with the promises in 2 Sam. vii., shew that this anticipation was not limited to David's personal triumphs, either at home or abroad, but meant to comprehend the victories of his successors, and especially of him in whom the royal line was at once to end and be perpetuated. It may, therefore, be affirmed with truth that this prediction had its complete fulfilment only in Christ. 45, 46 (44, 45). At the hearing of the ear they will obey me, the sons of ouiland unll lie to me; the sons of outland will decay, and tremble out of their enclosures. The meaning of the first words of this verse is clear from Job xlii. 5, where the hearing of the ear is put in opposition to the sight of the eye, report or hearsay to personal and ocular insp'ection. The verb translated mil obey, whenever it occurs elsewhere, is a simple passive of the Psalm 18:46 93 verb to hear, and accordingly some render it here, they who have only been heard of by the hearing of the ear, i. e. those whom I have only heard of, but have never seen, will feign obedience. But as the corresponding form of the verb to lie {Mi}ny) is used by Moses actively in Deut. xxxiii. 29, to which place there is an obvious allusion here, the first translation above given is entitled to the preference, and the sense is, that as soon as foreign nations hear of him they will lie to him, i. e. yield a feigned obedience through the influence of fear, in which sense another form of the same verb is used, not only in the passage of the Pentateuch just cited, but in Ps. kvi. 3, Ixxxi. 16 (15). — The old word outland, which may still be traced in its derivative adjective outlandish, has been here employed to represent a Hebrew word for which we have no equivalent in modem EngHsh, and which means foreign parts indefinitely or collectively. The marginal version in the English Bible {sons of the stranger) is only an inexact approximation to the form of the original. The verb decay, which properly denotes the withering of plants (see above, Ps. i. 3), is appHed to the wasting of the human subject, and indeed of whole communities, in Exod. xviii. 18. To tremble from, or out of, is a pregnant phrase, involving the idea of a verb of motion, and meaning to come forth with fear. The same form of expres- sion may be found in Micah vii. 17, and analogous ones in 1 Sam. xvi. 4, Hosea xi. 11. — Their enclosures, their retreats or refuges, perhaps with special reference to military enclosures, such as fortresses and camps. 47 (46). Jehovah lives, and blessed be my rock, and high shall be the God of my salvation. The first phrase, {DSTV ^n) which is elsewhere always used as a formula of swearing {as the Lord liveth, i. e. as certainly as God exists), is by some interpreters confounded with a kindred phrase {T}'' TiVdH) vive le roi, {long) live the king, and regarded as a kind of acclama- tion, similar to those which were uttered at the coronation of the Jewish kings (1 Sam. X. 24, 1 Kings i. 25, 39, 2 Kings xi. 12). But besides the difl'er- enee of form in Hebrew, such a wish is inappropriate to any but a mortal. There may, however, be an intentional allusion to the custom in question, as well as to the practice of swearing by the Ufe of Jehovah, both of which would naturally be suggested to a Hebrew reader. Jehovah is described as the living God, in contrast to dead idols, or imaginary deities, which, as Paul says (1 Cor. viii. 4), are nothing in the world. Blessed be my rock, the foundation of my hope, my refuge and protector ; see above, on ver. 3 (2). The word translated blessed does not mean happy, but praised, and may here have the peculiar sense of worthy to be praised, like pvllD in ver. 4 (3) above. It may be rendered as an affirmation : My rock (is) worthy to be praised. Or it may be taken as a wish : Praised (be) my rock, to which there is the less objection, as the preceding proposition is, in fact though not in form, a doxology, i. e. a declaration of what God is in him- self, and of that to which he is in consequence entitled. The third phrase, he shall be high, may be imderstood to mean, not only he shall still be glorious, but he shall be magnified as such, exalted by the praises of his creatures. The God of my salvation, or, my God of salvation, does not merely mean the God who saves me, but my God who is a Saviour, of whom this is one essential character. Compare Luke i. 47. This epithet is common in the Psalms, and occurs once or twice in the Prophets. Isa. xvii. 10, Mic. vii. 7, Hab. iii. 18. 94 Psalm 18:47 - 50 48 (47). The Mighty [God) who gives revenges to me and has subdued nations under me. The construction is the same as in ver. 31, 33 (30, 32) above. This verse contains a further description of the God of his salva- tion, and at the same time justifies the affirmations of the preceding verse. What the Psahnist here rejoices in is not vengeance wreaked upon his per- sonal enemies, but punishment inflicted on the enemies of God through himself as a mere instrument. Not to rejoice in this would have proved him unworthy of his high vocation. With the last clause compare Ps. xlvii. 4 (3), cxliv. 2. 49 (48). Saving me from my enemies ; yea, from my assailants (or insur- gents) thou uilt raise me high; from the man of violence thou wilt deliver me. Here again the construction changes from the participle to the finite verb, but with a further change to the second person, which adds greatly to the life and energy of the expression. The yea may be taken as a simple c6pu- lative, and assailants as a mere equivalent to enemies. Some prefer, how- ever, to assume a chmax, and to understand the verse as meaning that he had not only been deKvered from external foes, but from the more danger- ous assaults of* domestic treason or rebellion. There would then seem to be an aUusion to Absalom's conspiracy. Thou uilt raise me, set me up on high, beyond the reach of all my enemies. For a similar expression see below, Ps. Ux. 2 (1), as translated in the margin of the English Bible. The man of violence has, no doubt, reference to Saul, but only as the type of a whole class. Compare Ps. cxl. 2, 5 (1, 4). 50 (49). Therefore I uill thank thee among the nations, O Jehovah, and to thy name will sing. The first word has reference not merely to the fact of his deliverance and promotion, but to the character in which he had ex- perienced these blessings, and the extent of the divine purpose in bestowing them. " Therefore — because it is God who has done and is to do all this for me, and because it is in execution of a purpose comprehending the whole race — I wiU not confine my praises and thanksgiving to my OAvn people, but extend them to all nations." The performance of this vow has been going on for ages, and is still in progress wherever this and other psalms of David are now sung or read. The verse before us is legitimately used by Paul, together with Deut. xxxii. 43, Isa. xi. 1, 10, and Ps. cxvii. 1, to prove that, even under the restrictive institutions of the old economy, God was not the God of the Jews only, but of the Gentiles also. (Rom. iii. 29, XV. 9-12). — The verb in the first clause strictly means I will confess or acknowledge, but is specially applied to the acknowledgment of gifts received or benefits experienced, and then corresponds almost exactly to our thank. The corresponding verb in the last clause means to praise by music. See above, on Ps. vii. 18 (17), ix. 3, 12 (2, 11). 51 (50). Making great the salvations of his King, and doing kindness to his Anointed, to David, and to his seed imto eternity. We have here ^^nother instance of the favourite construction which connects a sentence with the foregoing context by means of a participle agreeing with the subject of a previous sentence; see above, ver. 31 (30), 32 (31), 33 (32), 34 (33), 49 (48). Making great salvations, saving often and signally. The plural form conveys the idea of fulness and completeness. As the phrase His Anointed might have seemed to designate David exclusively, he shews its comprehen- sive import by expressly adding David and his seed, from which it clearly follows that the Messiah or Anointed One here mentioned is a complex or ideal person, and that Jesus Christ, far from being excluded, is, in fact, the principal person comprehended, as the last and greatest of the royal line of Psalm 19:1 95 David, to whom the promises were especially given, in whom alone they are completely verified, and of whom alone the last words of this psalm could be uttered, in their true and strongest sense, without a falsehood or with- out absurdity. In this conclusion, as in other portions of the psalm, there is a clear though tacit reference to the promise in 2 Sam. vii. 12-16, 25, 26, where several of the very same expressions are employed. Compare also Ps. xx^iii. 8, Ixxxiv. 10 (9), and Ps. Ixxxix, passim. Another copy of this psalm is found recorded near the close of David's history (2 Sam. ch. xxii.), which confirms the intimation in the title, that it was not composed in reference to any particular occasion, but in a general retrospection of the miseries of his whole Ufe. The two texts often differ, both in form and substance, which has led some to suppose, that one is an erroneous transcript of the other. But this conclusion is for- bidden by the uniform consistency of each considered in itself, as well as by the obvious indications of design in the particular variations, which may be best explained by supposing, that David himself, for reasons not recorded, prepared a twofold form of this sublime composition, which is the less im- probable, as there are other unambiguous traces of the same process in the Old Testament, and in the writings of David himself. See below, the expo- sition of Ps. liii., and compare that of Isaiah, ch. xxxvi.-xxxix. If this be a correct hypothesis, the tv/o forms of the eighteenth psalm may be treated as distinct and independent compositions ; and it has therefore been thought most advisable, both for the purpose of saving room and of avoiding the con- fusion which a parallel interpretation might have caused, to confine the exposition in this volume to that form of the psalm, which was preserved in the Psalter for permanent use in public worship, and which exhibits strong internal proofs of being the original or first conception, although both are equally authentic and inspu-ed. Psalm 19 This psalm consists of three parts. The subject of the first is God's revelation of himself in his material works, ver. 2-7 (1-6). That of the second is the stUl more glorious revelation of himself in his law, ver. 8—11 (7-10). The third shews the bearing of these truths' upon the personal character and interest of the writer, and of all who are partakers of his faith, ver. 12-15 (11-14). The object of the psalm is not to contrast the moral and material revela- tions, but rather to identify their author and their subject. The doctiinal Slim of the whole composition is, that the same God who reared the frame of nature is the giver of a law, and that this law is in all respects worthy of its author. 1. To the Chifif Musician, a Psalm hy Bavid. The form of this inscrip- tion is the same as that of Ps. xiii. Its historical correctness is attested by its position in the Psalter, its resemblance to Ps. viii., and its pecuHar style and spirit. 2 (1). The heavens {are)telling the glory of God, and the worJcqf his hands (is) the firmament declaring. The participles are expressive of continued action. The glory of God is the sum of his revealed perfections (compare Ps. xxiv. 7-10, xxix. 3, Rom. i. 20. The expanse or firmament is used as an equivalent to heaven, even in the history of the creation, Gen. i. 8. To 96 Psalm 19:2 -5 declare the work of his hands is to shew what he can do and has actually done. The common version handy work means nothing more than hand- work ; to take handy as an epithet of praise is a vulgar error. 8 (2). Day to day shall pour out speech, and night to night shall utter knowledge. Both verbs are peculiar to the poetical dialect and books of the Old Testament. Four out, in a copious ever- gushing stream. As the par- ticiples of ver. 2 (1) express constant action, so the futures here imply con- tinuance in all time to come. Speech means the declaration of God's glory, and knowledge the knowledge of the same great object. The idea of perpe- tual testimony is conveyed by the figure of one day and night following another as witnesses in unbroken sucoession. 4 (3). There is no speech, and there are no words ; not at all is their voice heard. As the first clause might have seemed to contradict the first clause of ver. 3 (2), the Psalmist adds no words, to shew that he here uses speech in the strict sense of articulate language. — The first word of the last clause is properly a noun, meaning cessation or defect, non-entity, and here used as a more emphatic negative, expressed in the translation by the phrase not at all. — Their voice might either be referred exclusively to the heaven and firmament of ver. 2 (1), or extended to the day and night of ver. 3 (2). But the first is the true construction, as appears from the next verse. The absence of articulate language, far from weakening the testimony, makes it stronger. Even without speech or words, the heavens testify of God to all men. This construction of the sentence is much simpler, as well as more exact, than the ancient one, retained in the common version, " there is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard," or that preferred by others, " it is not a speech or language whose voice is not heard." The true sense is given in the margin of the English Bible. 5 (4.) In all the earth has gone out their line, and in the end of the tvorld {are) their words. For the sun he has pitched a tent in them. The word ren- dered line always means a measuring line, and in Jer. xxxi. 39 is combined in that sense with the same verb as here. The idea is, that their province or domain is co-extensive with the earth, and that they speak with autho- rity even in its remotest parts. — Words may also be construed with the verb of the first clause, but it will then be necessary to translate the preposition to. The explanation of line as meaning the string of a musical instrument, and then the sound which it produces, although favoured by the ancient versions, is entirely at variance with Hebrew usage. The subject of the verb in the last clause is the name of God expressed in ver. 2 (1) above. — Fitched a tent, pro\'ided a dwelling, or without a figure, assigned a place. In them must refer to the heavens mentioned in ver. 2(1), which makes it probable that all the plural pronouns in the intervening clauses have the same antecedent. The sun is introduced in this sentence probably because his apparent course is a measure of the wide domain described in the first clause. It must be co-extensive with the earth, because the sun which visits the whole earth has his habitation in the sky. The boundless exten- sion of the heavens and their testimony is used by Paul (Rom. x. 18) to signify the general difiusion of the gospel, and the same thing might have taught the earlier Jews that their exclusive privileges were granted only for a time, and as a means to a more glorious end. 6 (5). And he (is) as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber; he rejoices as a mighty man to run a race. The second simile has reference to the sun's daily course, the first to his vigorous and cheerful reappearance after the darkness of the night. By a fine transition, the general idea of a tent or Psalm 19:6 -8 97 dwelling is here exchanged for the specific one of a nuptial couch or cham- ber. Rejoices, literally will rejoice, for ever as he now does. 7 (6). From the end of the heavens {is) his outgoing, and his circuit even to the ends of them, and there is none (or nothing) hidden from his heat. What is said in ver. 5 (4) of the heavens is here said of the sun, to wit, that his domain is coextensive with the earth or habitable world. The last clause is added to shew that it is not an ineflective presence, but one to be felt as well as seen. The sun's heat is mentioned, not in contrast with his light, but as its inseparable adjunct. — The plural ends seems to be added to the singular in order to exhaust the meaning, or at least to strengthen the expression. The word translated circuit includes the. idea of return to a starting-point. The Hebrew preposition properly means up to (or do^on to) their very extremity. 8 (7). The law of Jehovah is perfect, restoring the soul ; the testimony of Jehovah is sure, making wise the simple. The God, whose glory is thus shewn forth by the material creation, is the author of a spiritual law, which the Psalmist now describes in the next three verses, by six characteristic names, six qualifying epithets, and six moral effects produced by it. In the verse before us, besides the usual term law, it is called God's testimony, i. e. the testimony which he bears for truth and against iniquity. It is described as perfect, i. e. free from all defect or blemish, and as sure, i. e. definite, decided, and infallible. Its two effects, mentioned in this verse, are, first, that of restoring the soul, i. e. the life and spirits exhausted by calamity. See below, on Ps. xxiii. 3, and compare Kuth. iv. 15, Lam. i. 11, 16. The effect of converting the soul would not have been attributed to the law in this connection, where the wTiter is describing the affections cherished towards the law by men already converted, which removes all apparent inconsistency with Paul's representation of the law as working death, and at the same time the necessity of making the law mean the gospel, or in any other way departing from the obvious and usual import of the Hebrew word. The other effect ascribed to the law is that of mak- ing wise the simple, not the foolish, in the strong sense in which that term is appUed to the ungodly — see above, on Ps. xiv. 1 — but those imperfectly enlightened and still needing spiritual guidance, a description applicable, more or less, to all believers. It is a singular fact, that while this usage of the Hebrew word is peculiar to David, Solomon constantly applies it to the culpable simplicity of unconverted men. (See Ps. cxvi. 6, cxix. 130, Prov. i. 22, vii. 7, ix. 4, xiv. 15, &c.) — In like manner Paul describes the " sacred scriptures " as able to make wise unto salvation, 2 Tim. iii. 15. 9 (8). The statutes of Jehovah {are) right, rejoicing the heart; the com- mandment of Jehovah is pure, enlightening the eyes. The words translated statute and commandment differ very slightly from each other, the one ex- pressing more distinctly the idea of a charge or commission, the other that of a prescription or direction. There is also no great difference between the epithets applied in this verse to the law of God, which is right, as being an exact expression of his rectitude, and pure, as being free from all taint of injustice or iniquity. The first effect described is that of rejoicing the heart, to wit, the heart loving righteousness, and consequently desirous of knowing what is right by knowing what is acceptable to God, and what required by him. Tne other effect, enlightening the eyes, is understood by some of intellectual illumination with respect to spiritual things. But it is more agreeable to Hebrew usage to suppose an allusion to the dimness of the eyes produced by extreme weakness and approaching death, recovery 98 Psalm 19:9 -11 from which is figuratively represented as an enlightening of the eyes. See above, on Ps. xiii. 4 (3), and compare Ps. xxxiv. 6 (5). The figure, thus explained, bears a strong resemblance to restoring the soul in the preceding verse, the one referring rather to the sense, and the other to the life itself. 10 (9). The fear of Jehovah is clean, standing for ever ; the judgments of Jehovah are truth, they are righteous altogether. As the fear of Jehovah, in its proper sense, would here be out of place, and as the law was designed to teach men how to fear the Lord (Deut. xvii. 19), the phrase may here be understood as a description of the law viewed in reference to this peculiar purpose, the fear of the Lord being put for that which leads or teaches men to fear him, a sense which the expression is supposed to have in several other places. See Ps. xxxiv. 12 (11), Prov. i. 29, ii. 5, xv. 33. — Standing for ever, of perpetual obligation. Even Christ came not to destroy, but to fulfil. See Mat. v. 17, 18. With the form of expression here compare Ps. xxxiii. 11, cxii. 3. — Judgments are properly judicial decisions, but are here put, as in Ps. xviii. 23 (22), for all God's requisitions. They are truth (itself) may be a strong expression, meaning they are perfectly and absolutely true ; but as this would make the last clause little more tban a tautology, the first phrase may be understood to mean that they are really that which they purport and claim to be, and therefore must be righteous altogether, i.e. all, without exception, righteous, which is tantamount, in fact, though not in form, to wholly or completely righteous. 11 (10). [Judgments) to be desired, more than gold, and much fine gold; and sweeter than honey and the dropping of the combs. The description of the law of God is wound up by comparing it to the costliest and sweetest substance in common use. The sense of the passive participle is like that in Ps. xviii. 4 (3). Its plural form, and the article prefixed to it in Hebrew, shew that it is to be construed with judgments, and that the sentence is continued from the foregoing verse, as in Ps. xviii. 31 (30), 33 (32), 34 (33), 35 (34), 48 (47), 51 (50).— The Hebrew answering to fine gold is a single word (ID), not used in prose, and by spme supposed to mean solid or massive gold, but according to a more probable etymology denoting purified or fine gold. The combination here used is found also in Ps. cxix. 127. See also Prov. viii, 19, and compare Ps. xxi. 4 (3), below. To make the resemblance of the clauses perfect, the usual word for honey is followed by a beautiful periphrasis, denoting that kind which was most highly valued. The ideas expressed by both comparisons are those of value and delightfulness. — As the preceding verses describe what the law is in itself and in its general effects, so this seems to express what it is to the Psalmist's apprehensions and afiections, thus afibrding a transition from the comprehensive doctrines of the foregoing context to the practical and personal approbation of those doctrines, which now follows and con- cludes the psalm. 12 (11). Moreover, thy servant is enlightened by them; in keeping them there is much reward. The verb in the first clause is used with special reference to admonition and warning against danger. See Eccles. iv. 13, Exod. xxxiii. 4, 5, 6, Eccles. xii. 12. The plural suflixes have reference to judgments in ver. 10 (9) above. — Reward is here used not to signify a recompence earned in strict justice, but a gratuity bestowed. The spirit of the passage is the same as in 1 Cor. xv. 19, 1 Tim. iv. 8. The phrase Psalm 19:12 - 14 99 thy servant brings the general doctrines of the foregoing context into personal application to the writer. 13 (12). Errors who shall understand? Clear thou me frovi hidden ones ! The word translated errors is akin to one sometimes used in the Law to denote sins of inadvertence, error, or infirmity, as distinguished from deliberate, wilful, and high-handed sins, such as are deprecated in ^e next verse. See Lev. iv. 2-27, Num. xv. 27. Against such sins no wisdom or vigilance can wholly guard. — The word translated clear is also bor- rowed from the Law, and means not so much to cleanse by renovation of the heart, as to acquit by a judicial sentence. SeeExod. xxxiv. 7, Num. xiv. 18. Such an acquittal, in the case of sinners against God, involves the idea of a free forgiveness. 14 (13). Also from presumptuous (ones) withhold thy servant ; then shall I he perfect and be clear from, much transgression. As he prays 'for the forgiveness of his inadvertent sins, so he prays for the prevention of deli- berate ones. The Hebrew word (DnTj properly denotes proud men, but seems to be here applied to sins by a strong personification. The use of the verbal root and its derivatives in the Old Testament may be seen by com- paring Exod. xxi. 14, Deut. xvii. 12, xviii. 22, 1 Sam. xvii.28. — To be per- fect has the same sense as inPs. x\'iii. 24-26 (23-25). That it does not there mean sinless perfection is confirmed by the language of the verse before us. — TJie great transgression, as if refemng to some one particular offence, is not the true sense of the Hebrew phrase, which is indefinite and perfectly analogous to that rendered much (or great) reward in ver. 12 (11) above. 15 (14). (Then) shall he for acceptance (or acceptable) the sayings of my mouth, and the thought of my heart before thee, Jehovah, my rock and my redeemer. The simplest and most obvious construction of the Hebrew sentence makes it a direct continuation of the last clause of ver. 14 (13), and like it an anticipation of the happy effects to be expected from an answer to the foregoing prayers. If his sins of ignorance could be for- given, and the deliberate sins, to which his natural corruption prompts him, hindered by divine grace, he might hope not only to avoid much guilt but to be the object of God's favour. As this confident anticipation really involves a wish that it may be fulfilled, there is little real difference be- tween the construction above given and the common version : let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart he acceptable, d'C. It is much more natural, however, to connect the words before thee with my meditation, which immediately precedes, than with the first words of the verse as in the English Bible. What I think in thy presence is then joined with the words of my mouth, to express all prayer, whether clothed in words or not. See above, on Ps, v. 2 (1). The prayer or expectation of acceptance in this clause derives pecuHar beauty from the obvious allusion to the frequent use of the same Hebrew phrase (p^in'?) in the law of Moses, to denote the accept- ance of the sacrificial offerings, or rather the acceptance of the offerer on account of them. See Exod. xxviii. 38, Lev. xix. 5, 7, xxii. 19, 20, 29, xxiii. 11, Isa. Ivi. 7, Ix. 7, Rom. xii. 1. This allusion also serves to sug- gest the idea, not conveyed by a translation, of atonement, expiation, as the ground of the acceptance which the Psalmist hopes or prays for. 100 Psalm 20:1 -3 Psalm 20 A PRAYER for the use of the ancient church in time of war. Addressing her visible head, she wishes him divine assistance and success, ver. 2-^ (1-5), and expresses a strong confidence that God will answer her petition, ver. 7-9 (6-8), which she then repeats and sums up in conclusion, ver. 10 (9). There is no trace of this psalm having been composed with reference to any particular occasion, its contents being perfectly appropriate to every case in which the chosen people under their theocratic head, engaged in war against the enemies of God and Israel. To the Chief Musician. Written for his use and entrusted to him for execution. As in all other cases, this inscription shews the psalm to have been written, not for the expression of mere personal feelings, but to be a vehicle of pious sentiment to the collective body of God's people. — A Psalm ^1/ David. The correctness of this statement is not only free from any positive objection, but confirmed by the whole tone and style of the per- formance, as well as by its intimate connection with the next psalm. See below, on Ps. xxi. 1. 2 (1). Jehovah hear thee in the day of trouble! The name of Jacob's God exalt thee! The name of God, the revelation of his nature in his acts. *' May those divine attributes, which have been so often manifested in the experience of the chosen people, be exercised for thy protection. See above, on Ps. V. 12 (11). — The God of Jacob, of the patriarch so called, and of his seed. See Mat. xxii. 32. — Exalt thee, raise thee beyond the reach of danger. See above, on Ps. ix. 10 (9), xviii. 3, 49 (2, 48). 3 (2). {May Jehovah) send thee help from [his) sanctuary, and from Zinn sustain thee. The mention of Zion and the sanctuary shews that Jehovah is appealed to as the king of his people, and as such not only able but bound by covenant to afibrd them aid. See below, on ver. 10 (9.) Sustain thee, hold thee up, the same verb that is used in Ps. xviii. 36 (35). Both verbs may also be translated as simple futures, will send, uill sustain ; but see below. 4 (3). [May Jehovah) remember all thy gifts and accept thy offering. Selah. The word remember in the fiirst clause seems to involve an allusion to the memorial (^"^^T^i), a name given in the sacrificial ritual to that part of the T T ; — vegetable ofiiering which was burnt upon the altar. See Lev. ii. 2, vi. 8 (15). — The word translated gifts, although properly generic, is specially used to denote the vegetable offerings of the law, while the word translated offering is the technical name of the principal animal sacrifice. They are put together to describe these two species of obhgation. Compare Ps. xl. 7 (6), Jer. xvii. 26, Dan. ix. 27. — The verb translated accept means elsewhere to make fat (Ps. xxiii. 5), or to remove the ashes of the altar. (Exod. xxvii. 3, Num. iv. 13). Some give it here the sense of turning into ashes or consuming, others that of pronouncing fat, and therefore fit for sacrifice. In either case acceptance is implied. The optative form of the verb in the original seems to confirm the sense already put upon the fore- going futures. From this verse it has been inferred, with some probabihty, that the whole psalm was specially intended to be used at the sacrifice offered by the Israelites before a campaign or a battle. (See 1 Sam. xiii. 9, 10). To this some add the supposition, that the selah, in the verse be- Psalm 20:4 - 6 101 fore us, marks the pause in the performance of the psahn, during which the sacrifice was actually offered. See above, on Ps. iii. 8 (2), 5 (4). [May he) give thee according to thy heart, and all thy counsel (or design) fulfil. This is not a vague wish for success in general, but a prayer for success on the particular occasion when the psalm was to be used. — Thy heart, thy desire. Thy counsel, the plan which thou hast formed and undertaken to execute in God's name, and for the protection or dehverance of his people. 6 (5). May we rejoice in thy deliverance, and in the name of our God diiplay a banner ! May Jehovah fulfil all thy petitions ! The phrase thy deliverance may mean that wrought or that experienced by thee. In all probabiUty both ideas are included. In the name of our God, and therefore not as a mere secular triumph. The second verb (73li) seems to be con- nected with a noun (7^"!) used by Moses to denote the banners under which the four great divisions of the host marched through the wilderness (Num. i. 52, ii. 2, 3, 10, 18, 25, x. 14). Hence the conjectural translation, " may we set up (or display) a banner." But as the participle of the same verb seems, in the only other place where it occurs (Song of Sol. v. 10), to signify distinguished or exalted, others follow the Septuagint and Vulgate in translating, may we be lifted up or magnified. — The last clause is a com- prehensive prayer, equivalent in meaning to ver. 5 (4) above, and including not merely what had been expressly specified, but all that the theocratic sovereign might desire or attempt in conformity with God's will, whether known to the whole body of his followers or not. This clause concludes the first division of the psalm by recurring to the theme with which it opens, and with which again the whole psalm closes. See below, on ver. 10 (9). 7 (6). Now 1 know that Jehovah has saved his Anointed — he will hear him from his holy heavens — with the saving strength of his right hand. What was asked in the foregoing context is here said to be already granted. Hence some imagine that a battle or other decisive event must be supposed to intervene. But this, besides being highly improbable and forced in so brief a composition, is forbidden by the immediate recurrence to the future form, he will hear. A far more natural solution is, that this verse expresses a sudden conviction or assurance that the preceding prayers are to be an- swered. As if he had said : * ' Such are my requests, and I know that Jehovah has already granted them, so that in his purpose and to the eye of faith, his Anointed is already safe, and has already triumphed." The change to the first person singular does not indicate a different speaker, but merely puts what follows into the mouth of each individual beUever, or of the whole body viewed as an ideal person. The second member of the sentence may be best explained as a paren- thesis, leaving the third to be construed directly with the first, as in the version above given. In this verse we have two examples of a common Hebrew idiom, one of them a very strong one. The phrase translated/row his holy heavens might seerq to mean the heavens of his holiness; but the true construction is his heavens of holiness, i. e. the heavens where the Holy One resides, and from which his assistance must proceed. See above, on Ps. ii. 6, xi. 4. The attribute of holiness is mentioned to exalt still further the divine and sacred nature of the warfare and the victory to which the psahn relates. Another example of the Hebrew idiom before referred to is the saving strength of his right hand, which Hteraly rendered is the strengths 102 Psalm 20:7 -9 of the salvation of Jiis right hand. The plural strengths may either be inten- sive, or refer to the various exertions of the power here described. The right hand has the same sense as in Ps. xviii. 36 (35). Here, as in Ps. xviii. 51 (50), His Messiah or Anointed One includes the whole succession of genuine theocratic kings, not excepting him whose representatives they were, and in whom the royal line was at the same time closed and made perpetual. 8 (7). These in chariots and these in horses, andtve in the name of Jehovah our God, will glory. All the objects are connected by the same pre- position with the same verb, namely, that at the end of the sentence. In order to retain the preposition, which must otherwise be varied, and thereby obscure the structure of the sentence, the verb glory, which is construed with the preposition in, has been substituted for the strict sense of the verb, we ivill cause to he remembered, i. e. mention or commemorate. See Exod. xxiii. 13, Amos vi. 10, Isa. xlviii, 1, Ixiii. 7. The insertion of the verb trust, in the English versions of the first clause, is entirely gratuitous. Tiiese and these is the Hebrew idiom for some and others. Compare this to this, in Exod. xiv. 20, Isa. vi. 3. — The verb, in the case before us, may have been selected in allusion to the cognate form in ver. 4 (3) above. *' As God has remembered thy ofierings, so we will cause his name to be remembered." — Our God is again emphatic and significant, as shewing that the whole psalm has reference to the covenant relation between God and his people represented by their theocratic sovereign. With the contrast in this verse compare 1 Sam. xvii. 45, Isa. xxxi. 3, Ps. xxxiii. 16, 17. 9 (8). They have bowed and fallen, and we have risen and stood upright. Here, as in ver. 7 (6), the past tense expresses the certainty of the event, or rather the confidence with which it is expected. The emphatic they at the beginning means the enemies and oppressors of God's people. We have arisen seems to imply a previous prostration and subjection. — The last verb occurs only here in this form, which is properly reflexive, and may be ex- plained to mean, we have straightened owrselves up. 10 (9). Jehovah, save! Let the King hear lis in the day we call, or still more closely, in the day of our calling. The Septuagint and Yulgate make the king a part of the first clause: "Jehovah, save the king" {Domine salvvcmfac regem). But this not only violates the masoretic accents, which, though not ultimately binding, are entitled to respect as a traditional authority, but separates the verb in the last clause from its subject, so that both the ancient versions just referred to have been under the necessity of changing the third into the second person (hear us). The first clause is besides more expressive and emphatic without the king than with it. No- thing could be more pregnant or sonorous than the laconic prayer, Jehovah, save! The object is, of course, to be supplied from ver 7 (6), and from the tenor of the whole psalm. The other construction, it is true, enables us to make the King of this verse the same person with the Anointed of ver. 7 (6). But far from any disadvantage, there is great force and beauty, in referring the expected blessing to the true King of Israel, whom David and his followers only represented. See Deut. xxxiii. 5, Ps. jjviii. 3 (2), Mat. v. 35. — By taking the last verb as a future proper {the King will hear us) the psahn may be made to close with a promise, or rather with a confident anticipation of God's blessing. Most interpreters, however, prefer to make it optative, and thus to let the psalm conclude as it began, with an expression of intense desire. Psalm21:l-3 103 Psalm 21 As in the eighteenth psalm, David publicly thanks God for the promises contained in 2 Sam. vii., so here he puts a similar thanksgiving into the mouth of the church or chosen people. In ver. 2-7 (1-6), the address is to Jehovah, and the king is spoken of in the third person. In ver. 8 (7) this form of speech is used in reference to both. In ver. 9-13 (8-12) the address is to the king. In ver, 14 (13) it returns to Jehovah. As to the substance or contents of these successive parts, the first praises God for what he has bestowed upon the king, ver. 2-7 (1-6). In the second, there is a transition to another theme, ver. 8 (7). The third congratulates the king on what he is to do and to enjoy through the divine mercy, ver. 9-13 (8-12). The fourth returns to the point from which the whole set out, ver. 14 (13). The opinion that this psalm relates to the fulfilment of the prayer in that before it, seems to be inconsistent with its structure and contents as just described. They are rather parallel than consecutive, the principal difference being this, that while the twentieth psalm relates to the specific case of assistance and, success in war, the twenty-first has reference to the whole circle of divine gifts bestowed upon the Lord's Anointed. 1. To the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David. The correctness of the first inscription is apparent from the structure of the psalm, throughout which the speaker is the ancient church. The coiTectness of the other may be argued from the general resemblance of the style to that of the Davidic psalms, from numerous coincidences of expression with the same, and from the tone of lively hope which seems to indicate the recent date of the divine communication, especially when compared with psahns which otherwise resemble it, such as the eighty-ninth. The particular resemblance between this psalm and the twentieth makes them mutually testify to one another's genuineness and authenticiLy. 2 (1). Jehovah, in' thy strength shall the king rejoice, and in thy salvation how shall he exidt ! This verse commences the description of God's favour to the king with a general statement, afterwards ampUfied in ver. 3-7 (2-6), Thy strength, as imparted to him, or as exercised in his deUverance, which last agrees best with the parallel expression, thy salvation, i. e. thy deUver- ance of him from the evils which he felt or feared. In thy strength and salvation, i.e. in the contemplation and experience of it. The future verbs shew that the gift has not yet been consummated, without excluding the idea of it as begun already. 3 (2). The desire of his heart thou hast given xinto him, and the quest of his lips hast not withholden. Selah. The occasion of the joy and exultation mentioned in the preceding verse is now more particularly set forth. It is easy to imagine, although not recorded, that the great promise in the seventh chapter of 2 Samuel was in answer to the fervent and long-continued prayers of David for a succession in his own family, — The word translated quest occurs only here, but its sense is determined by the parallehsm and the Arabic analogy. The combination of the positive and negative expres- sions of the same idea [given and not withholden) is a favourite Hebrew idiom. 4 (3). For thou wilt come before him with blessings of goodness, thou wilt set upon his head a crown of gold. This, as Luther observes, is an answer to the question what he had desired. The for connects it with the state- 104 Psalm21:4-7 ment in the foregoing verse, which is here explained and justified. As the preterites in ver. 3 (2) shew that his request was granted in the divine pur- pose, so the futures here shew how it was to be fulfilled in fact. Come before, come to meet in a friendly manner. See above, on Ps. xvii. 13, xviii. 6 (5), and compare Deut. xxiii. 5 (4). — Blessings of good, not blessings prompted by the divine goodness, but conferring, or consisting in, good fortune, happiness. See above, on Ps. xvi. 2. — The reference in the last clause is not to David's literal coronation at the beginning of his reign, nor to the golden crown which he took from the Ammonitish king of Kabbah (2 Sam. xii. 30), but to his ideal coronation by the granting of these glorious favours to himself and his successors. The divine communication in the seventh of 2 Samuel seems to be here viewed, as the only real coronation of David as a theocratic sovereign. The last word in the sentence is the same that was translated pure gold when contrasted with the ordinary word for gold, Ps. xix. 11 (10). 5 (4). Life he asked of thee, thou hast given {it) to him., length of days, perpetuitij and eternity. By disregarding the masoretic interpunction, the construction may be simphfied without a change of sense. *' Life he asked of thee, thou hast given him length of days," &c. The last words of the verse are often used adverbially to mean for ever and ever ; but as they are both nouns, it is best to put them here in apposition with the same part of speech which immediately precedes. This last clause shews that the Ufe which David prayed for was not personal longevity, but the indefinite con- tinuation of his race, an honour which was granted to him, even beyond his hopes and wishes, in the person of our Saviour. Compare 2 Sam. vii. 13, 16. Ps. Ixxxix. 5 (4), cxxxii. 12. 6 (5). Great shall be his majesty in thy salvation ; glory and honour thou wilt put upo7i him. His personal experience of God's saving grace, and his connection with the great scheme of salvation for mankind, would raise him to a dignity far beyond that of any other monarch, and completely justifying even the most exalted terms used in Scripture, from the charge of adulation or extravagance. 7 (6). For thou ivilt make him a blessing to eternity ; thou wilt gladden him with joy by thy countenance (or presence). He shall not only be blessed himself, but a blessing to others, the idea and expression being both derived from the promise to Abraham in Gen, xii. 2, an allusion which serves also to connect the David ic with the Abrahamic covenant, and thus to preserve unbroken the great chain of Messianic prophecies. Make him a blessing, literally, place him for (or constitute him) blessing. The plural form suggests variety and fulness, as in Ps. ^viii. 51 (50), xx. 7 (6). By thy countenance, or with thy face, i. e. by looking on him graciously, not merely in thy pre- sence or before thee, as the place of the enjoyment, but by the sight of thee, as its cause or source. See above, on Ps. xvi. 11. 8 (7). For the king (is) trusting in Jehovah, and in the grace of the Most High he shall not be moved. The consummation of this glorious promise was indeed far distant, but to the eye of faith distinctly visible. In the grace seems to mean something more than through the grace (or favour) of the Most High, as the ground of his assurance, or the source of his security. The words appear to qualify the verb itself, and to denote that he shall not be shaken from his present standing in God's favour. The use of the third person in this verse, with reference both to God and the king, makes it a kind of connecting link between the direct address to God in the first part of the psalm, and the direct address to the king in the second. Psalm 2 1:8 -13 105 9 (8). Thy hand shall find out all thine enemies ; thy right hand shall find (those) hating thee. Having shewn what God would do for his Anointed, the psalm now describes what the latter shall accomplish through divine assistance. Corresponding to this variation in the subject, is that in the object of address, which has been already noticed. By a kind of climax in the form of expression, hand is followed by right hand, a still more emphatic sign of active strength. To find, in this connection, includes the ideas of detecting and reaching. Compare 1 Sam. xxiii. 17, Isa. x. 10; in the latter of which places the verb is construed with a preposition (7), as it is in the first clause of the verse before us, whereas in the other clause it governs the noun directly. If any difference of meaning was intended, it is probably not greater than that between yinrf and find out in English. 10 (9). Thou shalt make them like a fiery furnace at the time of thy presence ; Jehovah in his wrath shall swallow them up, and fire shall devour them. The ascription of this destroying agency to God in the last clause serves to shew that the king acts merely as his instrument. Thou shalt make, literally set or place, i. e. put them in such or such a situation. A fiery furnace, literally a furnace [or oven) of fire. To make them like a furnace here means, not to make them the destroyers of others, but, by a natural abbreviation, to make them as if they were in a fiery furnace. At the time of iky presence, literally thy face, which may be understood to mean, ivhen thou lookest at them. 11 (10). Their fruit shalt thou make to perish from the earth, and their seed from (among) the sons of man (or Adam). This extends the threat- ened destruction of the enemies to all their generations. The same figura- tive use oi fruit occurs in Hos. ix. 16. 12 (11). For they stretched out evil over thee ; they devised a plot ; they shall not he able (to effect it). The figure of the first clause is the same as in 1 Chron. xxi. 10. (Compare 2 Sam. xxiv. 12.) The idea here is that they threatened to bring evil on thee. As the verb to he able is sometimes used absolutely, it is translated, they shall not prevail. 13 (12). For thou shalt make them turn their back; with thy (bow) strings shalt make ready against their face. The common version of the first word (therefore) is not only contrary to usage, but disturbs the sense by obscur- ing the connection with the foregoing verse, which is this: " they shall not preyail, because thou shalt make them turn their back." This last phrase, in Hebrew, is so strongly idiomatic that it scarcely admits of an exact translation. Thou shalt make (or place) them shoulder. See above, on Ps. xviii 41 (40), where a similar idiom occurs. In the verse before us, the chronological succession is reversed ; it was by shooting at their face that he should make them turn their back. The true relation of the clauses is denoted, in the English Bible, by supplying a particle of time : " thou shalt make them turn their back (when) thou shalt make ready (thine arrows) upon thy strings against the face of them." The version make ready is also a correct one, although some translate the phrase take aim, which is really expressed by another form of the same verb. The true sense of the one here used is clear from Ps. xi. 2, and the distinctive use of both from Ps. vii. 13, 14 (12, 13). 14 (13). Be high, Jehovah, in thy strength; we will sing and celebrate thy power. Here the psalm returns to God as its great theme, and gives him all the glory. Be high, exalted, both in thyself and in the praises of thy people. See above, on Ps. xviii. 47 (46). Thy strength and power, as 106 Psalm 22:1 displayed in the strength given to thine anointed. Celebrate by music, as the Hebrew verb always means. There is a beautiful antithesis in this verse, as if he had said : thou hast only to deserve praise, we will give it. Psalm 22 The subject of this Psalm is the deliverance of a righteous sufferer from his enemies, and the effect of this deliverance on others. It is so framed as to be applied without violence to any case belonging to the class described, yet so that it was fully verified only in Christ, the head and repre- sentative of the class in question. The immediate speaker in the psalm is an ideal person, the righteous servant of Jehovah, but his words may, to a certain extent, be appropriated by any suffering believer, and by the whole suffering church, as they have been in all ages. The psalm may be divided into three- nearly equal parts. The first pleads the necessity of God's interposition, arising from his covenant rela- tion to the sufferer, ver. 2-11 (1-10). The second argues the same thing from the imminence of the danger, ver. 12-22 (11-21). The third declares the glorious effects which must follow from an answer to the foregoing prayer, ver. 23-32 (22-31). Ver. 12 (11) and 22 (21) form connecting links between the first and second, second and third parts. 1. To the Chief Musician. On the hind of the morning. A Psalm by David. Designed for the permanent use of the church, and therefore not relating to mere individual or private interests. The second clause of the inscription is one of those enigmatical titles in which David seems to have delighted. See above, on Ps. v. 1, vii, 1, ix. 1, xvi. 1. The opinion that it refers to the melody or subject of some other poem, is less probable than that it describes the theme of this. The hind may then be a poetical figure for persecuted innocence, and the morning, or rather dawn, for de- liverance after long distress. Compare 2 Sam. i. 19, Prov. vi. 5, Isa. xiii. 14, with Isa. viii. 20, xlvii. 11, Iviii. 8, 10, Hos. vi. 3, x. 15. The use of such emblems here is less surprising, as this psalm abounds in figures drawn from the animal kingdom. See below, ver. 13 (12), 14 (13), 17 (16), 21 (20), 22 (21). 2 (1). My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me, far from my deliver- ance, the words of rtiy roaring ? In this verse and the next we have the sufferer's complaint, the summary description of his danger and distress, the highest point of which is here described as the sense of desertion or abandonment on God's part. " Why hast thou left me so to suffer, that I cannot but consider myself finally deserted ? " The use of these words by our Saviour on the cross, with a slight variation from the Hebrew (Mat. xxvii. 46, Mark xv. 34), shews how eminently true the whole description is of him, but does not make him the exclusive subject. The divine name here used is the one descriptive of God's power (/Nl), and may therefore be considered as including the idea oi my strength. *' Why hast thou, whom I regarded as my strength, my support, and my protector, thus forsaken me in this extremity?" The last clause admits of several constructions. " Far from my deliverance (are) the words of my roaring," i.e. they are far from having the effect of saving me. Or the question may be repeated : (Why art thou) far from my help and the words of my roaring ?" Or the same idea may be expressed by a simple aflGirmation : *' (Thou art) far from Psalm 22:2 -6 107 my help," &c. But the simplest construction is to put these words into apposition with the object of address in the first clause, and throw the whole into one sentence. " Why hast thou forsaken me, (standing or remaining) far from my help, i. e. too far off to help and save me, or even to hear the words of my roaring ? " This last combination shews that al- though the figure of roaring is borrowed from the habits of the lower animals, the subject to which it is applied must be a human one, and as such capable of articulate speech. The roaring of the psalmist was not the mere instinctive utterance of physical distress, but the complaint of an in- telligent and moral agent. Compare Isaiah xxxviii. 14. 3 (2), My God, I call by day and thou wilt not answer, and by night and there is no silence to me. The divine name here used is the common Hebrew word for God, denoting an object of religious worship. I call, literally I shall call, implying a sorrowful conviction that his cries will still be vain. Thon wilt not hear or answer : the oi'iginal expression is a verb specifically appropriated to the favourable reception of a prayer. See above, on Ps. iii. 5 (4). Day and night, i. e. without intermission. See above, on Ps. i. 2. No silence implies no answer, and the parallelism is therefore an exact one. 4 (3). And thou (art) holy, inhabiting the praises of Israel. Here begins his statement of the grounds on which he might claim to be heard, and all which may be summed up in this, that Jehovah was the covenant God of Israel. The word translated holy, in its widest sense, includes all that distinguishes God from creatures, not excepting what are usually termed his natural perfections. Hence the epithet is often found connected with descriptions of his power, eternity, &c. See Isa. vi. 3 ; xl. 25, 26 ; Ivii. 15 ; Hab. iii. 3 ; Ps. cxi. 9. The primary meaning of the verb appears to be that of separation, which may here be alluded to, in reference to Jeho- vah's peculiar relation to the chosen people. Or it may be taken in its wider and higher sense, leaving the other to be expressed in the last clause. " Thou art the glorious and perfect God who inhabitest the praises of Israel," *'. e. dwellest among those praises, and art constantly surrounded by them. Some prefer, however, to retain the primary meaning of the Hebrew verb, sitting (^enthroned upon) the praises of Israel. 5 (4). In thee trusted our fathers ; they trusted and thou savedst them. Not only was Jehovah the covenant God of Israel, and as such bound to help his people, but he had actually helped them in time past. This is urged as a reason why he should not refuse to help the sufferer in this case. The plural form, our fathers, makes the prayer appropriate to the whole church, without rendering it less so to the case of Christ, or to that of the individual believer. 6 (5.) To thee they cried and were delivered; in thee they trusted, and trere not ashamed. This last word is continually used in Scripture for the dis- appointment and frustration of the hopes. The argument of this verse lies in the tacit contrast between the case referred to and that of the sufferer himself. As if he had said, *' How is it then that I cry and am not deli- vered, I trust and am confounded or ashamed?" 7 (6). And I {am) a worm, and not a man ; a reproach of men, and de- spised of the -people. The pronoun expressed at the beginning is emphatic. I, as contrasted with my fathers. Our idiom would here require an adver- sative particle, but I, the use of which is much less frequent in Hebrew. See above, on Ps. ii. 6. The insignificance and meanness of mankind in general are elsewhere denoted by the figure of a worm (Job xxv. 6). But 108 Psalm 22:7 -9 even in comparison with these, the sufferer is a worm, i. e. an object of con- temptuous pity, because apparently forsaken of God, and reduced to a desperate extremity. (Compare Isa. xH. 14, and 1 Sam. xxiv. 15.) A reproach of mankind, despised by them, and disgi-aceful to them. — The people, not a single person or a few, but the community at large. 8 (7). All seeing tne mock at me; they pout with the lip ; they shake the head. This is an amplification of the last clause of the verse preceding. The verb in the second member of the sentence is of doubtful meaning. It may either mean to stretch the mouth, or to part the lips with a derisive grin. (See Ps. xxxv. 21, Job xvi. 10.) The shaking of the head may be either a vague gesture of contempt, or the usual expression of negation, by a lateral or horizontal motion, equivalent to saying " No, no !" i.e. there is no hope for him. Either of these explanations is more probable than that which appUes the words to a vertical movement of the head or nodding, in token of assent, and acquiescence in the sufferings of the sufferer, as just and right. The peculiar gesture here described is expressly attributed by the evangehsts to the spectators of our Saviour's crucifixion (Mat. xxvii. 89, Mark xv. 29). It is one of those minor coincidences, which, although they do not constitute the main subject of the prophecy, draw attention to it, and help us to identify it. 9 (8). Trust in Jehovah! He will deliver him, he will save hiyn, for he de- lights in him,. The literal meaning of the fii'st clause is, roll to (or on) Jehovah, which would be unintelligible but for the parallel expressions in Ps. xxxvii. 5, roll thy way upon Jehovah, and in Prov. xvi. 3, roll thy work vpon Jehovah, where the idea is evidently that of a burden cast upon another by one who is unable to sustain it himself. This burden, in the first case, is his way, i. e. his course of life, his fortune, his destiny, and in the other case, his work, i. e. his business, his affairs, his interest. In evident allu- sion to these places, the apostle Peter says, casting all your care upon him, for he carethfor you (1 Pet. v. 7). By these three parallels light is thrown on the elliptical expression now before us, roll, i. e. thy bm'den or thy care vpon Jehovah. — A further difficulty is occasioned by the form of the origi- nal, which, according to usage, must be either the infinitive construct or the second person of the imperative. But as these seem out of place in such a context, some arbitrarily explain it as an absolute infinitive, or a third person imperative, or change the form to that of a preterite. This last is the construction in the Septuagint version retained in the New Tes- tament (Mat. xxvii. 43), and really included in the Hebrew, but by no means an exact representation of its form. Perhaps the best solution of the syntax is to make this clause a quotation, or derisive repetition of the suf- ferer's own words, as if they had said, " This is he who was so fond of repeating the precept, Trust in Jehovah ! Let him now try its virtue in his own case. He in whom he has trusted, and exhorted others to trust also, will no doubt deliver him." The next two verbs are ironical futures, not imperatives, and should be so translated. — The last words of the verse (is ysn) ai*e always apphed elsewhere to God's complacency in man, and not to man's reciprocal dehght in God. The Septuagint version, retained in the New Testament, if he will (have) him, or if he ivill (deliver) him, although not incorrect, is much inferior in strength to the original. — By appropriating these words, the spectators of our Lord's sufferings identified themselves with the wicked persecutors, by whom they are here supposed to be originally uttered. 10 (9). For thou didst draw me from the womb, making me trust upon the Psalm22:10-14 109 breasts of my mother. The argument from past time is here pushed still further. God had not only shewn himself to be the God of the sufferer's forefathers, but of the sufferer himself in early Hfe. The for connects this •verse with the last clause of the one preceding. What his enemies ironically said was seriously true. God had indeed delighted in him once, for it was he that brought him into hfe, and through the perils of infancy. Thou didst draw me, Uterally, thou (art or wast) my breaking forth, i.e. the cause of it, as God is said to be the light, joy, strength of the behever, i. e. the source or the dispenser of these blessings. — Made me trust, does not refer to the Uteral exercise of confidence in God, which could not be asserted of a suckUng, but means gave me cause to trust or feel secure, in other words, secured me, kept me safe. The original construction is, making m£ trust, but the Hebrew infinitive and participle used in these two clauses may be here represented by the past tense of th^ English verb. — As applied to the whole church or chosen people, this verse may be considered as descriptive of God's dealings with them at the exodus from Egypt, which is elsewhere metaphorically represented as a birth. The direct and obvious reference, however, is to individual birth and infancy. 11 (10). Upon thee was I cast from the womb ; from the bowels of my mother, my God (art) thou. Into thy arms I was at first received, as into those of an affectionate parent. See Ruth iv. 16, and compare the oppo- site use of the same figure in Ezek. xvi. 5. In the last clause we are brought back to the point from which we set out, the sufferer having, in the mean time, as it were, established his right to say, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? 12 (11). Be not far from me, for distress is near, for there is no helper. Having shewn that he was justified in expecting that God would not for- sake him in extremity, he now shews that the extremity exists. The first clause constitutes the link of connection between the first and second sub- divisions of the psalm. " Since, then, thou art my God, and as such must be near in my distress. Oh be not far from me now, for my distress is near, and there is no one else to help me." — Near is not put in opposition to proximity or actual contact, but to distance. The particular form of expression was suggested by the prayer in the first clause. It was no time for God to be afar off, when trouble was so near, so close upon the sufferer. — The second for may be subordinated to the first, and introduce a reason for declaring that distress was near. But it is much more natu- ral to make the two co-relative, and understand the second as suggesting an additional reason for the prayer, be not far from me. 13 (12). Many bulls have compassed me, strong bulls of Bashan have surrounded rrie. He now proceeds to amplify the last clause of the fore- going verse, by shewing that trouble was indeed at hand. The strength and fierceness of his persecutors are expressed by comparing them to cattle fed in the rich and solitary pastures of Bashan, where the absence of men would of course increase their wildness. Corresponding to the noun in the first clause is an epithet frequently applied to it in Hebrew. 14 (13). They have opened upon me their mouth, a lion tearing and roar- ing. The tropical nature of the language is evinced by the entire change of figure in this verse. The same persons who before were bulls of Bashan now appear as a ravening and roaring lion. There is no need of supplying a particle of comparison, the absence of which in both these verses, by sub- stituting metaphor for simile, adds greatly to the life of the description. 15 (14). Like water I am poured out, and all my bones are parted; my no Psalm 22:15, 16 heart has become like wax, melted in the midst of my boivels. Similar terms are used in Josh. vii. 5, Lam. ii. 19, to describe dismay and fear; but in the case before us they seem rather descriptive of extreme weakness. See Ps. Iviii. 8 (7), 2 Sam. xiv. 14, and compare the symbolical action in 1 Sam, vii. 6. The comparison with water is apphed to moral weakness also in Gen. xlix. 4. The parting of the bones may either denote dislocation or extreme emaciation, making the bones prominent. In either case the essen- tial idea is still that of desperate exhaustion and debility. 16 (15). Dried like the potsherd [is) my strength, and my tongue fastened to my jaws, and to the dust of death thou wilt reduce me. The description of debility is still continued. He is as destitute of vigour as a broken piece of earthenware is of sap or moisture. — Fastened, literally, made to cleave or stick, through dryness. — The dust of death, i.e. the grave, the place of burial, or more generally, the debased, humiliated state of the dead. — Thou wilt place me in it, or reduce me to it. The translation of this future as a preterite is not only ungrammatical, but hurtful to the sense, as the idea evidently is, that this is something not experienced already, but the end to which his sufferings are tending. The direct address to God recognises him as the sovereign disposer, and men only as his instruments. 17 (16). For dogs have surrounded me, a crowd of evil-doers have beset pTie, piercing my hands and my feet. He now resumes the description of his persecutors, under figures borrowed from the animal kingdom. The comparison with dogs is much less forcible to us than to an oriental reader, because dogs in the east are less domesticated, more gregarious, wilder, and objects not of affection, but abhorrence, as peculiarly unclean. In the next clause the figurative dress is thrown aside, and the dogs described as an assembly of malefactors. The first noun seems intended to suggest the idea of a whole community or organised body as engaged in the persecu- tion. See above, on people, in ver. 7 (6). This makes the passage spe- cially appropriate to the sufferings of our Saviour at the hands both of the . mob and of the government. The Hebrew word is one of those applied in the Old Testament to the whole congregation of Israel. (See above, on Ps. i. 5, and compare Exod. xii. 3, xvi. 1, 2, 9, Num. xxvii. 17, Lev. iv. 15.) The last clause, as above translated, contains a striking reference to our Saviour's crucifixion, which some have striven to expunge, by denying that the ancients nailed the feet as well as the hands to the cross. But although there is a singular absence of explicit declaration on the subject, both in the classical and sacred writers, the old opinion, that the feet were pierced, may be considered as completely verified by modem investigation and dis- cussion. So far, therefore, as the question of usage is concerned, we can have no difficulty in referring this clause to our Saviour's crucifixion, and regarding it as one of those remarkable coincidences, some of which have been already noticed, all designed and actually tending to identify our Lord as the most prominent subject of the prophecy. It is very remarkable, how- ever, that no citation or application of the clause occurs in any of the gos- pels. It is also worthy of remark that the clause, thus explained, although highly appropriate to one part of our Saviour's passion, is, unlike the rest of the description, hardly applicable, even in a figurative sense, to the case of any other sufferer. Even supposing the essential idea to be merely that of wounds inflicted on the body, it seems strange that it should be expressed in the specific and unusual form of piercing the hands and the feet. On further inspection it appears that, in order to obtain this meaning, we must either change the text (11M3 or 'IJO for ""IMS) or assume a plural form Psalm22:17-19 111 so rare that some grammarians deny its existence altogether (^HIO for D^lhiD), and an equally rare form of the participle (D*1S3 for D^S), and a meaning of the verb itself which nowhere else occurs, but must be borrowed from a cognate root ("113 for mD) ; an accumulation of gramma- tical and lexicographical anomalies, which cannot be assumed without the strongest exegetical necessity, and this can exist only if the words admit of no other explanation more in accordance with analogy and usage. Now the very same form in Isa. xxxviii. 13, is unquestionably used to mean like the lion, and a slight modification of the same, in Num. xxiv. 9, Ezek. xxii. 25, like a lion- This idea would be here the more appropriate, because the psalm abounds in such allusions, and because the Hon is expressly mentioned both before and afterwards. See above, ver. 14 (13), and below, ver. 22 (21). The sense would then be : " they surround my hands and my feet, as they would a lion," or, " as a lion would," i.e. with the strength and fierceness of a lion. The hands and feet may be mentioned as the parts used in defence and flight. That the mention of these parts, after all, in connection with the lion is not altogether natural, cannot fairly be denied, and th;s objection should have all the weight to which it is entitled. But whether it can outweigh the grammatical difficulties that attend the other construction, is a serious question, which ought not to be embarrassed by any supposed conflict with New Testament authority, since no citation of the clause occurs there. It may even be possible to reconcile the two inter- pretations by supplying a verb and giving ^"IKS its usual meaning. " Like the lion (they have wounded) my hands and my feet." The point of com- parison would then be the infliction of sharp wounds in those parts of the body, an idea common to the habits of the lion, and to the usages of cruci- fixion. 18 (17). / tell all my hones [while) they look and stare upon. me. The pronoun of the last clause is expressed in Hebrew, which removes the ambiguity of the construction, by shewing that the subject of the following verbs is not the bones of the preceding clause, but something more remote, namely, the sufferer's enemies and persecutors. The ambiguity of the EngUsh word tell corresponds to that of the Hebrew (")^p^^), which means both to number and to relate, to count and to recount. Some suppose, not improbably, that this verse presents the suff"erer as stripped by his enemies, and looking with gi-ief and wonder at his own emaciation, while they gaze at it with deHght, as the Hebrew phrase implies. See below, on Ps. xxvii. 13. 19 (18). They {are ahout to) divide my garments for themselves, and on my clothing they {are ready to) cast lots. This is the last stroke necessary to complete the picture. Having stripped him, nothing more is left but to appropriate his garments, whether from cupidity or in derision The futures intimate that things can go no further without actual loss of hfe, and that the case is therefore an extreme one. The providential realisation of this ideal scene in our Lord's history is expressly mentioned by all the four evangelists (Mat. xxvii. 35, Mark xv. 24, Luke xxiii. 34, John lix. 23, 24). This makes their silence as to ver. 17 (16) the more remarkable. 20 (19). And thou, Jehovah, be not far ; my strength ! to my assistance hasten. The pronoun in the first clause is emphatic. " Such is the con- duct of my enemies ; but as for thee, 0 Lord, be not far from me." The word translated strength is used in this place only, and apparently in refer- 112 Psalm 22:20 -25 ence to the name of God with which the psalm begins {wii) and to the word hind (J^TjSt) in the title, both which are akin to it in etymology. 21 (20). Free from the sword my life (or soul), from the hand of the dog my lonely one (or only one). The sword is a general expression for life- destroying agents. See 2 Sam. xi. 24, 25, where it is applied to archery. — My life, my soul, i. e. myself considered as a living person. — The apparent solecism, hand of the dog, shews that both terms are figurative, or as one has quaintly expressed it, that the dog meant is a dog with hands. See above, on ver. 17 (16), where the plural dogs is co-extensive in its meaning with the ideal or collective singular in this place. — My only {life), the only one I have to lose, is a good sense in itself, both here and in Ps. xxxv. 17 ; but the analogy of Ps. xxv. 16, and Ixviii. 7 (6), recommends the sense of solitary, lonely, which is admissible in all the places. 22 (21). Save me from the mouth of the lion, and from the horns of the unicorns thou hast heard (or answered) me. The petition in the first clause is directly followed by an expression of confident assurance that his prayer will be answered, or rather that it is already heard, corresponding to the figurative expression in ver. 3 (2), thou wilt not hear (or answer), where the same Hebrew verb is used. — From the horns denotes of course the place from which the prayer proceded, not the answer. The figure is a strong one for the midst of danger. The name of any wild horned animal would be appropriate. The precise sense of the Hebrew word (D^D^) is therefore comparatively unimportant. The common version unicorns rests on the authority of the Septuagint ; but although the unicorn, long regarded as a fabulous animal, has now been proved to be a real one, we have no reason to believe that it was ever known in Palestine, or to dissent fi-om the common judgment of the learned, that the Hebrew word denotes the wild bull or a species of the antelope, most probably the former. 23 (22). / will declare thy name to my brethren, in the midst of the assembly I will praise thee. His certainty of audience and acceptance is further expressed by declaring his intention to give thanks for it. — To declare God's name, in Scripture usage, is to celebrate the acts by which he has manifested his perfections. See above, on Ps. v. 12 (11). — The assembly, or congregation of Israel, to which the Hebrew word is constantly appUed (Lev. xvi. 17, Deut. xxxi. 30), whether present in person or by their repre- sentatives (2 Chron. xx. 13-15). The same sense of the word occurs below, Ps. xxxv. 18, xl. 10 (9). The idea here is that his praise shall not be merely private or domestic, but public. 24 (23). Fearers of Jehovah, praise him I All the seed of Jacob, glorify him ! And he afraid of him, all the seed of Israel ! These words are uttered, as it were, in the midst of the ideal congregation mentioned in the verse preceding. That the call, though formally addressed to the whole race, was really intended for the spiritual Israel, excluding wicked IsraeKtes and including the righteous of whatever name or nation, is indicated by the words of the first clause, while the last shews that the praise required is not familiar, but in the highest degree reverential. 25 (24). For he has not despised and not abhorred the suffering of the sufferer, and has not hid his face from him, and, in his crying to him, heard. This is the ground on which the fearers of the Lord are called upon to praise him, namely, the faithful execution of his promise to the sufferer in this case, and the pledge thereby afforded of like faithfulness in every other. 26 (25). From thee {shall be) my praise in {the) great congregation ; my Psalm 22:26 -28 113 vows I will pay before Ms fearers, those who fear him. From (hee is some- thing more than of thee. It does not merely indicate the theme or subject, but the source or cause of his thanksgiving. "It is thou who givest me occasion thus to praise thee." In the last clause there seems to be a refer- ence to the sacrificial feasts connected with the fulfilment of vows made in distress or danger. (See Deut. xii. 18, xvi. 11.) These were occasions of festivity, not only to the ofierer and his nearest friends, but to a wide circle of invited guests, which makes the metaphor peculiarly appropriate in this place. The essential idea is the same as in ver. 23 (22). — His fearers, worshippers, the true Israel, as distinguished from the mere natural descendants of the patriarch. 27 (26). (Then) shall eat (thereof) the humble, and be satisfied ; (then) sh^ll praise Jehovah those who seek him. May your heart live for ever ! The adverb then is here supplied in the translation, in order to retain the Hebrew order of the sentence. The word thereof "\% introduced to remove all ambiguity of syntax, and to connect the act of eating with the sacrificial feast of the foregoing verse. — To seek God, in the dialect of Scripture, is to seek to know him, and also to seek his favour, not only by specific acts of prayer, but by the whole course of the life. See above, on Ps. xiv. 2. — The concluding wish, your heart live for ever, comprehends an assurance that it shaU hve. The heart is said to die, in cases of extreme grief and distress. See 1 Sam. xxv. 37, and compare Ps. cix. 22. The objects of address are those who seek and praise God. The sudden change of person is analogous to that in ver. 26 (25), which begins yrom, thee, and ends with fearing him. That this is not an inadvertent irregularity, appears from its recurrence in the next verse. — The humble and the seekers of Jehovah are parallel descriptions of the same class, namely, true believers, those who are elsewhere called the righteous. 28 (27). Remember and return to Jehovah shall all the ends of the earthy and worship before thee all the kindreds of the nations. As the joyful effects of this deUverance were not to be restricted to himself or his domestic circle, but extended to the great congregation of God's people, so too we now read that they shall not be confined to any one race, but made to embrace aU. The ends of the earth, here put for the remotest nations. See above, on Ps. ii. 8. These are named as the least Hkely to be comprehended in the promise, but of course without excluding those less distant. As if he had said, the ends of the earth and all that is between them. In the other clause, accordingly, we find as a parallel expression, not the furthest, but all nations. They shall remember this deHverance, this exhibition of God's faithfulness and might, and shall turn unto Jehovah, be converted to his worship and his service. Some suppose an allusion to the great original apostasy, or to the temporary casting ofl" of the Gentiles : they shall remember their original condition, and return unto the Lord, from whom they have revolted. But this, though true and really impUed, is not the strict sense of the words, which would then have no perceptible connection with the general subject of the psalm, and the iriimediate occasion of the praise which it contains. — Worship, literally prostrate themselves, the accustomed oriental indication both of civil and religious worship. — The form of expression in the last clause is evidently borrowed from the patriarchal promise. Com- pare Gen. xii. 3, xxviii. 14. 29 (28). For unto Jehovah is the kingdom, and {he is) governor among the nations. This will not be a gratuitous extension to the Gentiles of what properly belongs to Israel alone, but a restoration of God's mercies, after 114 Psalm 22:29 -31 ages of restriction, to their original and proper scope. For Jehovah is not the king of Israel only, but of all mankind. See Rom. iii. 29. — The king- dom, i. e. general ecumenical dominion. — Governor, properly a participle, rtding, the use of which may be intended to suggest that as he has always been their governor de jure, so now he begins to govern them de facto, not with a providential sway, which is invariable as well as universal, but with a spiritual sway, which is hereafter to be co-extensive with the earth itself. Compare the similar expressions, Obad. 21, Zech. xiv. 9, and the still closer parallels, Ps. xcvi. 10, xcvii. 1, xcix. 1. 30 (29). They have eaten and worshipped — all the fat {ones) of the earth — before him shall bend all going down (to) the dust, and [he who) his own soul did not save alive. The distinction of ranks shall be as little regarded at this feast as that of nations. — Eaten and worshipped, partaken of the sacrificial feast in honour of this great salvation. Fat, a common oriental figure for the prosperous, and especially the rich. These are particularly mentioned to exhibit a peculiar feature of the feast in question, which was not, like the sacrificial feasts of the Mosaic law, designed expressly for the poor, though these are not excluded, as appears from the parallel clause. — Going down to the dust, i.e. the dust of death, as in ver. 16 (15) above. Compare the analogous expressions used in Ps. xxviii. 1, 4, 10 (3, 9), Ixxxviii. 5 (4), cxv. 17, cxliii. 7. The idea is, that this enjoyment shall be common to the rich and those who are ready to perish, or as it is expressed in the last clause, he who cannot keep his soul (or himself) alive, a strong expression for the extreme of destitution. He who before, or a little while ago, no longer kept himself alive, but was just about to perish, is now seen kneeling at the sacrificial feast in honour of this great salvation. 31 (30). Posterity shall serve him ; it shall be related of the Lord to the (next) generation. The last restriction to be done away is that of time. The efiects of this salvation shall no more be confined to the present genera- tion than to the higher classes of society, or the natural descendants of the patriarchs. — A seed, i. e. posterity, the seed of those who witness or first hear of the event. — Shall serve him, i. e. worship and obey Jehovah, the same thing that is expressed by eating and bowing down in ver. 30 (29) above. The means of this conversion shall be the perpetuated knowledge of what God has done, — Generation is used absolutely, as in Ps. Ixxi. 18, where it means not this generation, but the next. The complete phrase (1T^^^* in) occurs below, Ps. xlviii. 14 (13), Ixxviii. 4. The Lord. The original is not Jehovah, but Adhonai, the divine name properly denoting sovereignty. See above, on Ps. ii. 4, xxi. 2. The exposition above given of the verse before us is equally agreeable to usage, and much better suited to the context, than the one which makes it mean that a seed shall be reck- oned by the Lord (as belonging) to the generation, i. e. to the generation of his people. (See below, on Ps. xxiv. 6,) It is highly improbable that the passive verb (13D^) has a meaning wholly different from that of the corres- ponding active form (^'^^D^?) in ver, 23 (22) above. 32 (31). They shall come and shall declare his righteousness to a people born, that he hath done {it). The subjects of the first verbs are the seed and generation of the preceding verse. They shall come into existence, shall appear upon the scene. But even they shall not monopolise the knowledge thus imparted, but communicate it to a people now unborn, but then born, i. e. to their own successors. The construction of the participle as a future is unnecessary, although not unauthorised by usage. See above, on Ps. Psalm 23:1, 2 115 xviii. 4 (3). Compare with this verse the beautiful figures of Ps. xix. 3 (2). — Uis righteousness, including the faithful execution of his gracious pro- mise. The last clause gives the substance of the declaration to be made, to wit, that he has done what forms the subject of the whole psalm. A similar ellipsis of the object, where the context readily supplies it, may be found above in ver. 27, 28, 30 (26, 27, 29). To these words it is supposed by some that our Lord alluded in his dying exclamation. It is finished ! (John xix. 30). The allusion, though not obvious, is interesting, as it brings the beginning and the end of this remarkable psalm into connection with each other and with that atiecting scene to which there are so many clear and pointed references in the whole composition ; thus completing, as it were, the proof, already strong enough, that Christ is the great subject of the psalm, as being the great type and representative of that whole class to whom it ostensibly relates, but of whom some parts, and especially the last five verses, are true only in a modified and lower sense. Psalm 23 An exquisite description of God's care over his people under the figure of a shepherd and his flock, no doubt suggested by the writer's recollections of his own pastoral experience, although probably composed at a much later period of his life. The idea of the whole psalm is contained in ver. 1, carried out and ampUfied in ver. 2-5, and again summed up, without continuing the metaphor, in ver. 6. The psalm is so constructed as at the same time to express the feelings of the Psalmist, and to serve as a vehicle for those of every individual believer and of the whole body of God's people for whose use it was intended. 1. A Psalm of David. Jehovah {is) my shepherd, I shall not want. This is the general theme or idea of the whole psalm, that the believer's relation to Jehovah carries with it necessarily the full supply of all his wants. Spiritual gifts are neither excluded nor exclusively intended. No nice distinction between these and temporal advantages is here made for us, and none need be made by us. The comparison of God's care to that of a shepherd is first used by Jacob, (Gen. xlviii. 15, xHx. 24), then by Moses (Deut. xxxii. 6-12, compared with Ps. Ixxviii. 52), both of whom, Uke David, had themselves lived a pastoral life. From these the figure is frequently borrowed by the later wi'iters of the Old Testament. See Isa. xl. 11, Ezek. xxxiv. 12, Micah vii. 14, Ps. Ixxx. 2 (1), xcv. 7. This endearing relation of Jehovah to his people was exercised under the old dispensation by the agency of human or angelic messengers, but under the new by Christ, of whom these were only t^'pes and representatives (Zech. xiii. 1), and to whom the figure is expressly applied by himself (John x. 11), and his apostles (1 Peter ii. 25, v. 4, Heb. xiii. 20). From him again, on the principle of delegated representation, is derived the pastoral character of Christian ministers (Eph. iv. 11). The futm-e form, I shall not want, includes the present, I do not want, with an additional assurance that the provision will be still continued. The form of expression is derived from Deut ii. 7, viii. 9, and recurs below, Ps. xxxiv. 11 (10). 2. In pastures of verdure he will make me lie down ; hy waters of rest (or repose) he will lead me. Here begins the amphfication of the general proposition in the foregoing verse. The first specification is, that he shall not want healthful and delightful rest. This is expressed by figures bor- 116 Psalm 23:3, 4 rowed from the exquisite enjoyment of a flock in verdant and well- watered pastures. The allusion, in the first clause, is not to the supply of food, which is mentioned afterwards in ver. 5, but to the refreshing rest and cool- ness of green meadows. The first noun properly means dwellings, but is applied specifically to the dwellings of flocks, i. e. their pasture-grounds. See below, Ps. Ixv. 13 (12), and compare Amos i. 2, Jer. ix. 9 (10), XXV. 87. The next word in Hebrew means the fresh tender grass, here referred to, not as food, but in allusion to its cooling effect upon the eye and the skin. This explanation is confirmed by the fact, that the act expressed by the verb is not that of eating but of lying down. The verb itself is one which specially denotes the lying down of animals (Gen. xxix. 2, Num. xxii. 27, Isa. xi. 6), but is sometimes transferred to the human subject (Isa. xiv. 30, Job. xi. 19), or to other objects (Gen. xlix. 25, Deut. xxix. 19). By waters, not simply to them, but along them, which is one of the senses of the Hebrew preposition, and affords a much more pleasing image. By waters of rest we are not to understand still or quiet waters, a sense which the Hebrew word has nowhere else, and which would here suggest the idea of stagnation, or at least that of silence, which is far less agreeable than that of an audible flow. The idea really conveyed is that of waters, by or at which rest may be enjoyed. The repose is not that of the waters themselves, but of the flocks reclining near them. The last verb sometimes means to nourish, or more generally to provide for (Gen. xlvii. 17, 2 Chron. xxxii. 22), and the Septuagint version so explains it here. The idea would then be that the shepherd takes care of his flock, or tends it, by the waters of repose. But a more specific act is described, and therefore a more vivid image presented, by retaining the common version, leadeth, which is fuUy sustained by the use of the same Hebrew verb in Exod. XV. 13, 2 Chron. xxviii. 15. The form, however, should be future, as in the preceding verse. 8. My soul he will restore ; he will lead me in paths of right (or rectitude) for his name's sake. To restore the soul, here as in Ps. xix. 8 (7), is to vivify or quicken the exhausted spirit. Baths of right may either mean right paths, as opposed to those which are devious and dangerous, or paths of righteousness, not man's but God's, not ways of upright conduct on the Psalmist's part, but ways of faithfulness on God's part. The righteousness of God, so often appealed to by the ancient saints, includes his covenanted mercy, the exercise of which, according to his promise, was ensured by his essential rectitude. For his names sake, not merely ybr his own sake, nor for his own glory, but for the sake of what he has already done, the pre- vious display of his perfections, which would be dishonoured by a failure to fulfil his promises. See above, on Ps. xxii. 23 (22). 4. Also when I walk into (or through) the valley of death-shade, I will not fear evil, for thou {loilt he) with me ; thy rod and thy staff, they will comfort me. He is sure, not only of repose, restoration, and guidance, but of protection. The also shews that something new is to be added ; not only this which I have said, but more. The common version {yea, though I walk) is too indefinite and hypothetical. The situation is not spoken of as possible, but certain, though still future. — Death-shade is a strong poetical expression for the profoundest darkness. See below, Ps. xliv. 20 (19). The common version, shadow of death, conveys more than the original, and fails to reproduce its compound form. The effect is heightened by the mention of a valley, as a deep place, often overhung with woods, and natu- rally darker than a plain or mountain. There may be some allusion to the Psalm 23:5, 6 117 dread of darkness on the part of sheep and other timid animals. — The rod and the staff are mentioned, not as weapons of defence, but as badges of the shepherd and as tokens of his presence. 5. ITiou wilt spread be/ore me a table in the presence of my adversaries ; thou hast anointed with oil my head ; my cup (is) oversowing. To the negative benefits before enumerated, he now adds the positive advantage of abundant sustenance. Instead of retaining the image of a sheep and its pasture, the Psalmist substitutes that of a table furnished for a human guest. The connection, however, is so close and the metaphors so near akin, that the general impression remains undisturbed. — In the presence of my enemies impUes in spite of them ; they are forced to witness my enjoyment without bemg able to disturb it. — Anointed, literally /aiienec^, in allusion to the richness and abundance of the unction. This was a familiar part of an ancient festal entertainment, and is therefore frequently employed in Scrip- ture as a symbol of joy. See below, on Ps. xlv. 8 (7). — My cup, my beverage, which, with food, makes up the supply of necessary nutriment, but with the additional suggestion of exhilaration. See above, on Ps. xvi. 5. — Overflowing, literally overflow, or abundant drink. The change of tense is significant and expressive. What he had just before confidently foreseen, he now describes as actually realised. 6. Only goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of Jehovah to length of days. The specifications of the four preceding verses are followed by another summary expression of the general idea propounded in the first verse, but with a change of form. The Hebrew particle at the beginning has its usual and proper sense of only or exclusively. The favour which he shall experience is so great that he regards it as unmixed, or the exceptions as unworthy of consideration. — The word translated goodness may be understood to mean good fortune, good experienced, as a cognate form does in Ps. xvi. 2 ; but the other version agrees better with the parallel expression, mercy. The verb to follow or pursue seems to be chosen in allusion to the persecution of his enemies, and as a strong expression for an unbroken series or succession of divine benefactions. Dwelling in the house of Jehovah does not mean frequenting his sanctuary, but being a member of his household and an inmate of his family, enjoying his protection, holding communion with him, and subsisting on his bounty. See above, on Ps. xv. 1. Psalm 24 This psalm consists of two distinct and, it may seem at first sight, un- connected parts. The first praises God as the universal sovereign by right of creation, ver. 1, 2, and describes the moral requisites to intimate com- munion with him, ver. 3-6. The second represents him, .in a striking figurative form, as entering some place provided for his residence, ver, 7-10. The idea common to both parts is the supremacy of God, both in holiness and majesty. There is no historical occasion to which such a composition would seem more appropriate than the removal of the ark to mount Zion by David, as described in 2 Sam. vi. and 1 Chron. xv. And as the first part of this psalm carries out the idea of dwelling in God's house, expressed at the close of Ps. xxiii., it is not an improbable conjecture, though by no means a necessary supposition, that the two psalms were designed to form a pair, and to be sung upon the same occasion ; the first, it may be, as the 118 Psalm 24:1 -4 ark left its former resting-place, the second as it drew near to its new one. The resemblance of ver. 3-6 to Ps. xv. make it not improbable that that psalm also was composed for use on a similar if not the same occasion. The supposition of alternate choirs in the case before us appears to be a useless and gratuitous refinement. The sanctuary of the old economy, both in its permanent and temporary forms, was intended to symbolise the doctrine of God's special presence and residence among his people ; and as this was reaUsed in the advent of Christ, the psalm before us has a per- manent interest and use, and in a certain sense may be described as Messianic. 1. To David, i.e. belonging to him as its author. See above, on Ps. iii. 1, iv. 1, V. 1. A Psalm. To Jehovah (belongs) the earth and its fulness, the world and (those) dwelling in it. Its fulness, that which fills it, its con- tents. The word translated world is a poetical equivalent to earth, denot- ing specially, according to its etymology, the productive portion of the earth, and thus corresponding indirectly to the Greek olxov/Mivri, or inhabited earth. This assertion of Jehovah's sovereign propriety is intended to shew that he was not the God of Israel only, but of the whole world, and there- by entitled to be served with reverence and purity, an idea more distinctly brought out afterwards. 2. For He above the seas has settled it, and above the streams has fixed it. The pronoun is emphatic ; He and no one else. See below, Ps. c. 3. He has made the earth what it is, and is therefore the sovereign, both of it and its inhabitants. The idea is not that of subterraneous waters bearing up the land, but simply that of the habitable earth, raised above the surface of the waters which surround it. The use of the Hebrew preposition C^y) is the same as in Ps. i. 3. There is obvious allusion to the rescue of the dry land from the universal prevalence of water, as described in the Mosaic cos- mogony, Gen. i. 9, 10. The sense of the two verses, taken in connection, is that since Jehovah is the God who collected the waters, and caused the dry land to appear, he is the rightful sovereign of the habitable earth, and of those whom it sustains. 3. Who shall go up into the mountain of Jehovah, and uho shall stand in his holy place ? Since he is thus, by right of creation, the universal sovereign, which of his creatures shall enjoy the happiness and honour of appearing in his presence ! The hill of the Lord, or mountain of Jehovah, is mount Zion, henceforth to be hallowed as his earthly dwelling-place. The verb in the last clause does not simply mean to stand, but to standfast, to maintain one's ground. See above, on Ps. i. 5. It may, therefore, be implied, that some who gain a bodily access to the consecrated place shall not be suffered to remain there. It is indeed implied in the whole interrogation that mere bodily presence on mount Zion might be wholly unconnected with spiritual access to the holy place . 4. 2%e clean of hands and pure of heart, who has not lifted up Ms soul to vanity, and has not swoi-n to fraud [ox falsehood). This is the answer to the foregoing question, given by the Psalmist himself. There is no more need of supposing two speakers than in the rhetorical interrogations which are so abundant in Demosthenes and other animated writers. All moral purity is here referred to the hands, the tongue, and the heart, as the organs of external action, speech, and feeling. The same distribution may be made in the commandments of the decalogue. The second clause is very obscure. The form of expression is directly borrowed from the third commandment (Exod. XX. 7), where the common version {take in vain) is neither intelli- Psalm 24:5, 6 119 gible in itself nor an exact copy of the original. The precise construc- tion') (SlJi/'? HU.^2) is found in these two places only ; but a cognate one {ii^i ' ; T * T T T T ^^^) occvirs repeatedly in the sense of setting the heart or the desires on something (See Deut. xxiv. 15, Prov. xix. 18, Ps. xxv. 1, Ixxxvi. 4, cxliii. 8). The only two plausible interpretations of the former phrase are that which makes ^<^^^ a mere poetical variation of KltS^n Vni and that which gives ^<')2J^7 K^J; in both places, the sense of carrying to vanity, i. e. bringing the name of God or the soul of man into connection with a false- hood, whether this be taken in its strict sense, or as meaning an unlawful or unsatisfying object of affection. It seems more natural, however, to explain the case before us, not by the single one in which the combination b ^, see above, on Ps. iv. 5 (4). • T 10. Jehovah at the flood sat (enthroned), and Jehovah sits (as) King to eternity. There are oiJy two ways in which this verse can be understood. It must either be explained as introducing a new trait in the description of a tempest, namely, that of a flood or inundation — or referred to the uni- versal delude, as the grandest instance of the natural changes which had been described. In favour of the latter explanation may be urged the in- trinsic grandeur of the image which it calls up, its better agreement with the solemn declaration in the last clause, the pecuUar fitness of a great historical example just in this place, and the invariable usage of 7l2Dn to mean Noah's flood. The sense of the whole verse may be thus expressed in paraphrase. The God whose voice now produces these efi'ects is the God who sat enthroned upon the deluge, and this same God is still reigning over nature and the elements, and will be able to control them for ever. 11. Jehovah strength to his people will give; Jehovah will bless his people (with) peace. This is the appUcation of the whole psalm, clearly shewing that the description of external changes was not given for its own sake, or for mere poetical effect, but as a source of consolation and a gi-ound of hope to true behevers, who are here assured, in a pregnant summary of all that goes before, that the God who is thus visible and audible in nature, who presided at the flood and is to reign for ever, is pledged to exercise the power thus displayed for the protection and well-being of his people. Psalm 30:1 -3 137 Psalm 30 After a title, giving the historical occasion of the psalm, ver. 1, the writer praises God for a signal deliverance from destruction, ver. 2-4 (1-3), and calls upon Grod's people to join in the praise of the divine compassion, ver. 5, 6 (4, 5). He then reverts to the cause of his affliction, ver. 7, 8 (6, 7), and recounts the means which he employed for its removal, ver. 9-11 (8-10), and for the success of which he vows eternal thankftdness, ver. 12 (13), 11 (12). The occasion and design of the psalm will be con- sidered in the exposition of the title or inscription, which constitutes the first verse of the Hebrew text. 1 . A Psalm. A Song of Dedication {for) the House. By David. The construction house of David, although not ungrammatical, is forced, as that idea would, according to usage, have been otherwise expressed in He- brew. This construction has moreover given rise to the false notion, that the psalm has reference to the dedication of the king's own dwelling, whereas the house, as an absoulte phrase, can only mean the house of God. The historical occasion of the psalm is furnished by the narrative in 2 Sam. xxiv. and 1 Chron. xxi. David's presumption in numbering the people had been punished by a pestilence, which raged until the destroying angel had, in answer to the king's prayer, been required to sheathe his sword. The spot where this indication of God's mercy had been given, was imme- diately purchased by David, and consecrated by the erection of an altar, upon which he offered sacrifices and received the divine approbation in the gift of fire from heaven (1 Chron. xxi. 26). This place the king expressly calls the house of God (1 Chron. xxii. 1), either in the wide sense of the patri- archal Bethel (Gen. xxviii. 17, 22), or as the designated site of the temple, for which he immediately commenced his preparations (1 Chron. xxii. 2), and in reference to which this psalm might well be called a song of dedication, although naturally more full of the pestilence, and the sin which caused it, than of the sanctuary yet to be erected, 2 (1). I will exalt thee, 0 Jehovah, because thou hast raised me up, and hast not let my enemies rejoice respecting me. In the first clause there is an antithesis of thought, though not of form. " I will raise thee because thou hast raised me." The second verb is a modified form of one mean- ing to draw water from a well (Exod ii. 16, 19), and may therefore have been chosen for the purpose of suggesting the idea of a person drawn up from some depth in which he had been sunk, a figure not unfrequent else- where. See particularly Ps. xl. 3 (2), below, — Hast not caused or permitted to re;Wc« by abandoning me to them. — v does not properly mean ot-er me, but as to me. The specific idea of rejoicing over is suggested by the context. 3 (2.) Jehovah, my God, I cried to thee {for help) and thou didst heal me. The address, my God, is never unmeaning or superfluous, but always inti- mates a covenant relation as the ground of confidence. Any severe sufiiering is represented in Scripture under the figure of disease, and relief from it as healing. See above, on Ps. vi. 3 (2), and compare Ps. xli. 5 (4), cvii. 20,Jer. xiv. 19, xv. 18, xvii. 14, xxx. 17. The healing here meant is identical with the help in ver. 4 (3) and the joy in ver. 12 (11,) and proves nothing therefore as to literal sickness in the Psalmist's case. It is alto- gether natural, however, to suppose that David may himself have been afiected by the prevalent disorder. 4 (3.) Jehovah, thou hast brought up out of heU my soul, thou hast made 138 Psalm 30:4 -8 me alive from (among those) going down (into the) pit. The extremity of his danger is described in the strongest terms aflGorded by the language. The essential meaning of both clauses is, that God had saved him from what seemed to be inevitable and irrecoverable ruin. — Hell, sheol, the state of the dead. See above, on Ps. vi. 6 (5). — Going down into the pit, i.e. dying. See above, on Ps. xxii. 30 (29). — Made me alive from them, i.e. separated me from them by restoring or preserving my life, so that I no longer can be numbered with them. 5 (4.) Make music to Jehovah, ye his gracious ones, and give thanks to the merrvory of his holiness. The exhortation in the first clause is to praise Grod by song with instrumental accompaniment. See above, on Ps. vii. 18 (17), ix. 3, (2, 11). His gracious ones, the objects of his mercy, and themselves endowed with the same attribute. See above, on Ps.iv. 4(3). — Memory, in this connection, does not mean the power or the act of remem- bering, but that which is remembered when we think of God, to wit, his glorious perfections, which are summed up in his holiness, as to the comprehensive sense of which, see above, on Ps. xxii. 4 (3). See also Hos. xii. 6 (5), where the memory of God is particularly coupled with his mercy, and Exod. iii. 15, Isa. xxvi. 8, Ps. cxxxv. 13, where memory and name are used as parallel expressions. 6 (5). For a moment in Ms wrath, life in his favour ; in the evening shall lodge weeping, and at the morning shouting (or singing). Some un- derstand the contrast in the first clause to be one of duration ; there is only a moment in his wrath, but a lifetime in his favour. It is simpler, how- ever, and more agreeable to the usage of the word translated life, to read the clause without an antithesis ; his wrath endures but a moment, and then his favour restores life, in its wide sense, as including all that makes exist- ence desirable. The same idea is expressed in the last clause by a beauti- ful figure. Sorrow is only a sojourner, a stranger lodging for the night, to be succeeded, at the break of day, by a very different inmate. This, though primarily referring to the joys and sorrows of the present state, admits of a striking appHcation to the contrast between this life and the next. See above, on Ps. xvii. 15. 7 (6). And I said in my security, I shall not he moved for ever. The pronoun is emphatic : it was I that said. — Security. The Hebrew word includes the ideas of prosperity, and of that self-confidence which it pro- duces. Compare Deut. viii. 11-18, xxxii. 15, Hos. xiii. 6, 2 Chron. xxxii. 25. — Moved, disturbed in my enjoyment, shaken from my present firm position. See above, on Ps. x. 6, xvi. 8, and compare Ps. xiii. 5 (4), XV. 5, xxi. 8 (7). 8 (7). Jehovah, in thy favour thou didst establish to my mountain strength; thou didst hide thy face, I was confounded. It was only through God's mercy that his power was established. — Thou didst confirm streyigth (liter- ally, make it stand) to my mountain, a common figure for royal power, and especially for that of the theocracy, the central point of which was mount Zion. See 2 Sam. v. 9, 12, Neh. iii. 15, Micah iv. 8, Isa. ii. 3. The idea of personal prosperity in general, though not expressed directly, is suggested by the special case of David's official eminence. — Thou didst hide thy face, withdraw the tokens of thy presence and thy favour. See above, on Ps. xiii. 2 (1). — I was confounded, agitated, terrified, perplexed. See above, on Ps. vi. 3, 4, 11 (2, 3, 10), and compare Ps. ii. 5. The common version, troubled, is too weak. 9 (8). Unto thee, Jehovah, will 1 call, and to Jehovah I will cry for mercy. Psalm 30:9 -12 139 This was the resolution formed at the time when God concealed his face and he was ti'oubled. The insertion of the words then said /, at the begin- ning of the verse, would render the connection clear, but is unnecessary. The translation of the futures as past tenses is a licence which could only be justified by extreme exegetical necessity, certainly not by the trivial cir- cumstance, that the last clause speaks of Jehovah in the third,person, which is not more surprising in a prayer than the second person of the first clause would be in a narrative. The sudden change of person is, of course, the same in either case. 10 (9). What profit (is there) in my hlood, in my descending to corrup- tion (or the grave) f Will dust praise (or thank) thee ? Will it tell thy truth? This argument in favour of his being heard and rescued is the same as that in Ps. vi. 6 (5), and reappears in Ps. Ixxxviii. 11-13 (10-12), and inHeze- kiah's psalm, Isa. xxxviii. 18, 19, both of which are obvious imitations of David. For the twofold etymology and sense of J^n^, either of which is here appropriate, see above, on Ps. xvi. 10. — Dust, the lifeless and dis- organised remains of the body. — Tell thy truth, attest the truth of thy pro- mises by reciting their fulfilment, and so bear witness to the divine veracity and faithfulness. The questions of course imply negation. " My destruc- tion can be no advantage to the divine glory, but must rather involve a loss of praise." 11 (10). Hear, Jehovah, and have mercy on me; Jehovah, he a helper for (or to) me. This petition is an indirect conclusion from the reasoning of the preceding verse. The logical connection may be made clear by a change of form. " Since thy glory will not be promoted by my death, I am en- titled to deliverance, not for my sake but thy own." This last idea is suggested by his appealing to the divine mercy, as the ground on which he asked God to become his helper, 12 (11). Thou hast turned my lament into a dance for me ; thou hast opened my sackcloth and hast girded me (vnth) joy. To his prayer he now adds the account of its fulfilment. The relief of his distress is described as an exchange of his lament or funeral song for a joyful dance, Compare Jer. xxxi. 13, Lam. v. 15. In further allusion to the mourning customs of the east, he represents his mourning dress, made of the coarsest hair-cloth, as now opened, i. e. loosened, unfastened, for the purpose of removal, to be replaced not merely by a gay or festive dress, but by joy itself, poetically represented as a garment. See above, on Ps. xviii. 33, 40 (32, 39), and compare Isa. Ixi. 3. 13 (12). In order that glory may make music to thee and not he dumhy Jehovah, my God, I will praise thee {or give thanks to thee) for ever. This verse describes not only the effect but the design of the deliverance asked for, and so furnishes a counterpart to the argument in ver. 10 (9). As the death of the Psalmist would deprive God of praise, so his deliverance is in- tended to ensure it. — The use oi glory in the first clause is obscure. Some understand by it the tongue or voice, which is entirely arbitrary ; others the soul, th^ nobler part of man, as in Ps. xvi. 9, Ivii. 9, cviii. 2 (1). But as the form in all these cases is my glory, it seems better to take glory here without the pronoun in the wide sense of every thing glorious, including the worshipper's highest powers, and perhaps his regal dignity, as in Ps. vii. 6 (5) As in God's temple everything says "Glory!" (Ps. xxix. 9), so every thing glorious among his works is bound to praise him, — Not he dumb, a stronger phrase than not he silent. — With the last clause compare the words of Hezekiah, Isa. xxx-viii. 20. 140 Psalm 3 1:1 -3 Psalm 31 The Psalmist first prays in general for deliverance from his sufferings and his enemies, on the ground of his confidence in God and previous ex- perience of his mercy, ver. 2-9 (1-8). He then prays more particularly for deliverance from his present danger, with a description of the same, ver. 10-14 (9-13). In the remainder of the psalm, the tone of supplication and complaint is gradually exchanged for that of thankful assurance, ver. 15-23 (14-22), and the whole is wound up with an application of the lesson fur- nished by the Psalmist's experience to the case of all God's people, ver. 24, 25 (23, 24). 1. To the Chief Musician. A Psalm, by David. Here we meet again with the inscription, to the chief musician, which has not appeared before since the title of Ps. xxii. As in all other cases, it expUcitly describes the psalm as intended for musical peH"ormance in the public worship of the ancient church. As this, however, was the case with all the psalms, the fact that it is mentioned only in some may be explained by supposing, that in them there was something which might otherwise have caused them to be looked upon as mere expressions of personal feeling. — The correctness of the other clause — a Psalm of David — is fully attested by internal evidence. The idea that Jeremiah wrote it rests entirely on the imitation of the first clause of ver. 14 (13) in Jer. xx. 10, which is in perfect keeping with the practice of that prophet. 2 (1). In thee, Jehovah, have I trusted. Let me not he shamed for ever. In thy righteusness deliter me (or help me to escape). The first clause con- tains the ground of the petitions following, which ground is the same that is often urged elsewhere, namely, that a just God cannot destroy those who trust him. See above, Ps. vii. 2 (1), xi. 1. — The prayer in the next clause may be either that his present shame may not endure for ever, or that he may never be put to shame, which last idea could not well be otherwise expressed in Hebrew. Shamed, i.e. utterly confounded, disappointed, and frustrated in his hopes. See above, on Ps. vi. 11 (10), xxii. 6 (5), XXV. 2, 20. He appeals to God's righteousness or justice, in the strict sense, upon which trust or faith creates a claim, even on the part of the unworthy, not by virtue of any intrinsic merit, but of God's gracious con- stitution. See, above, on Ps. xvii. 1, 2, xviii. 21-25 (20-24), xxv. 21. xxvi. 1. This verse and the two following reappear, without material variation, in Ps. Ixxi. 1-3. 3 (2). Incline unto me thine ear; [in) haste deliver me; be to me for a rock of strength for a house of defences to save me. The prayer for speedy dehver- ance implies extreme necessity and danger. For the meaning of the figures, rock of strength and house of defences or fortress, see above, on Ps. xviii. 3 (2), and as to the plural form, on Ps. xviii. 51 (50), xx. 7 (6). — The petition of the first clause seems to imply that God had hitherto appeared to turn a deaf ear to his prayers. It may perhaps have been intended to suggest the additional idea, that his cry was feeble, so that it had hitherto escaped the ear of him to whom it was addressed, and who is now implored to bow down or incUne his ear, that the distant soimd may reach him. 4 (3). For my rock and my fortress [art) thou, and for thy name's sake thou u'ilt lead me and (Cnduct me (or provide for me). What he asks in the preceding verse he here asserts, to wit, that God is his protector, and must therefore, of necessity, protect him, not only for the sufferer's sake, but for Psalm 31:4 -8 141 the honour of his own name or manifested nature. See above, Ps. rdii. 3, for the meaning of this phrase, and on the second verse of the same psalm, for that of the last verb. — The futures in the second clause suggest the idea of necessity, and might perhaps be correctly rendered by the use of our auxiUary must. 5 (4). Thou wilt bring me out from the net which they have hid for me; for thou (art) my strength (or my stronghold). " By thee I confidently hope to be dehvered from the craft and malice of my enemies, for my de- fence and safety are in thee alone." With the first clause compare Ps. XXV. 15, and with the last Ps. xxvii, 1. The change of figure in the last clause shews the whole verse to be highly metaphorical. 6 (5). Into thy hand I will commit my spirit ; thou hast redeemed me, (0) Jehovah, God of truth. The verb in the first clause means to entrust or deposit anything of value. By my spirit we may either understand my my life or myself, but not my soul, as distinguished from my body. — The preterite thou hast redeemed, expresses, in the strongest manner, his assured hope, and the certainty of the event. — God of truth, veracity or faithful- ness. See above, on Ps. xxv. 5, and compare Jer. x. 10. The words of the first clause of this verse were quoted or imitated by our Saviour on the cross, Luke xxiii. 46, which only proves that he considered himself one of those to whom the psalm might be applied, but without excluding others ; and accordingly John Huss, while on his way to the stake, repeatedly quoted this whole verse, as the expression of his own emotions. 7 (6). / have hated those regarding vanities of falsehood, and I (for my part) in Jehovah have confided. The present is included in the preterite of the first clause. " I have hated them, and hate them still." " I hate them, and have done so heretofore." See above, Ps. xvi. 4, xxvi. 5. — Re- garding, religiously observing, waiting upon, watching with respect and trust. Compare Hos. iv. 10, Zech.xi. 11, Jonah ii. 9 (8). This last place contains also the word vanities here used, and even in the Law appUed to idols, as no gods, and as "nothing in the world" (1 Cor. viii. 4). See Deut. xxxii. 21, and compare Jer. ii. 5, x. 15, xiv. 22, xvi. 19, xviii. 15. The words here combined are highly contemptuous, denoting vanities of empti- ness, or nothings of nonentity, presented in contrast to Jehovah, God of truth, in whom the Psalmist has confided. And I, as opposed to them. See above, on Ps. ii. 6. 8 (7). / will triumph and joy in thy mercy, thou who hast seen my afflic- tion, hast known the pangs of my soul. In the strength of his faith he sees deliverance already present. — Sast known in the pangs of my soul, i.e. in the time of my distress hast been aware of it, which seems to be the mean- ing of this verb and preposition elsewhere (Gen. xix. 33, 35, Job xxxv. 15). Luther and others give a difierent construction, hast known my soul in dis- tress, but the other is favoured by the occurrence of the phrase distress (or agonies) of soul in Gen. xlii. 21, and Ps. xxv. 17. The sight and know- ledge here applied to God imply a corresponding action. " Thou hast seen and known my state, and dealt with me accordingly." With the first clause compare Ps. ix. 3 (2). 9 (8). And hast not shut me up in the hand of a foe, (but) hast made to stand in the wide place my feet. To shut up in the hand of any one is to abandon to his power. The expression is a figurative one, but occurs in prose, and even in the history of David. See 1 Sam. xxiii. 11, xxvi. 8. The figure of the last clause is a favourite with David. See above, on Ps. iv. 2 (1), xviii. 20, 37 (19, 36). 142 Psalm 3 1:9 -13 10 (9). Have mercy upon me, 0 Jehovah, for distress is to me ; sunken through grief is my eye, my soul, and my belly. Having thus professed his confidence of ultimate deUverance, he reverts to his actual condition, and prays for the divine interposition, on the ground of what he has already eufiered. On the sinking or falling of the eye, as a sign of extreme grief and weakness, see above, on Ps. vi, 8 (7). Having mentioned this as a specific symptom, he then uses the generic terms, soul and belly, i. e. body. — For the true sense of the word translated grief, see above, on Ps. x. 14. 11 (10). For wasted with grief {ox indignation) is my life, and my years toith sighing ; my strength totters because of my iniquity, and my bones are decayed. Wasted, consumed before the time. — Life and years, grief and sighing, are correlative expressions. Life is made up of years ; grief is expressed by sighs and groans. — To totter or stumble is a verb applied else- where to the parts of the body — as the Imees in Ps. cix. 24 — here meta- phorically to the strength itself. — Because of my iniquity or guilt is not inconsistent with the appeal to God's righteousness in ver. 2 (1), but only proves that the Psalmist lays no claim to a sinless perfection. See above, onPs. xviii. 24 (23). — The bones are mentioned as the seat of strength, the sohd frame-work of the body. — Decayed, grown old, worn out. See below, on Ps. xxxii. 3. 12 (11). By means of (or because of) all my adversaries I xms a reproach, mid to my neighbours very {much), and a fear to my acquaintances ; seeing me in the street they fled from me (or those seeing me in the street fled from. me). The first word properly means from or out of. It was from his enemies, both as the cause and the occasion, that his disgrace proceeded. A reproach, despised by others, and considered a disgrace to them. See above, on Pf. xxii. 7 (6). In the second clause there is an obvious progression. He was so esteemed, not only by his fellow-men indefinitely, but by his neigh- bours, and that greatly (^^l7) is determined by the analogy of Ps. ex. 1, where the same preposition, after rhUV 0^2, can only indicate the obiect of address, the saying of Jehovah (or thus saith Jehovah) to my Lord. So here, the true construction is not, the transgression of the wicked, which indeed is ungrammatical, but thus saith transgression to the wicked. The only possible modification of this sytitax, at all justified by usage, is to make ^^^"17 denote the subject, not the object of the dictum — thus saith depravity (as) to the wicked — this is the testimony which it bears against him. This explanation, although not supported by Ps. ex. 1, is consistent with the frequent use of 7 to denote the subject, and affords a good sense, namely, that depravity itself bore witness against the wicked, in the Psalmist's mind, that there was no fear of God before his eyes. If, on the other hand, ^ti^l7 indicates the object of address, the first clause may be the words of the wicked man himself, and the last clause the comment of the Psalmist on them. " Thus saith depravity to (me) the wicked man, in the midst of my heart.'' There is no fear of God before his eyes. That is to say, the wicked man makes sin his god, and its suggestions his prophetic oracles, and thereby shews that there is no fear of God before his eyes. By a diflerent interpunction, this sense may be put upon the sentence. Thus saith depravity to the wicked man : "In the midst of my heart there is no fear' of God hefore his eyes,'' or even in his presence. But as this interpretation would make sin speak of its own heart in addressing the sinner, and as the reference of his eyes to God is somewhat forced, the choice seems to lie between the other two constructions before stated, one of which yields the same sense that appears to be intended in the common version, the transgression of the wicked saith within my heart that there is no fear of God before his eyes, and that of the Prayer Book, my heart sheweth me the wickedness of the ungodly that there is, &c. Amidst these various and doubtful explanations, one thing is certain, that the wicked man is here described as one who fears not God, just as the fear of God is elsewhere put for godliness or piety. 3 (2). For he has flattered himself in his oivn eyes, as to [God's) finding his iniquity (and) hating (it). The obscurity of the original may be shewn by a bald translation. For he has made smooth to him in his eyes, to find his iniquity to hate. To make smooth, here and in Prov. xxix. 5, is an eUiptical expression for making smooth the words or the actions, i.e. speaking or acting in a flattering manner. See above, on Ps. v. 10 (9). As there is ap reflexive pronoun in Hebrew, the personal pronouns are occasionally so used, him for himself, his for his own, &c. In this case, however, it is possible to give them their strict meaning by referring them to God. He (the wicked man) has made (his words or actions) smooth to him (i.e. to God), in his eyes (the eyes of God). In other words he has Psalm 36:3 -6 165 endeavoured to deceive him by a specious appearance. But this construc- tion is less natural, because it makes the phrase in his eyes still more re- dundant; because it represents the sinner as a hypocrite, rather than a bold, self-confident transgressor ; and because it makes the last clause more obscure and difficult. To find iniquity, i. e. to detect and punish it, is an expression borrowed from Gen. xliv. 16. The unfavourable meaning of the phrase is determined by the addition of the words to hate. The reference of this clause to the sinner's own feelings is at variance with usage. With the whole verse compare Deut. xxix. 18 (19), and see above, on Ps. X. 6. 4 (3). The words of his mouth (are) falsehood and fraud, he has ceased to act wisely, to act well. The use of the abstract for the concrete, falsehood and deceit for fabe and deceitful, adds to the strength of the expression. What he says is not merely false, but falsity itself. For the precise meaning of the Hebrew words, see above, onPs. v. 6, 7 (5, 6). The verbs of the last clause are in the causative form, which always has an active meaning. To he wise is therefore an inadequate translation, and to do good an ambiguous one, as this English phrase is specially appUed to acts of beneficence or practical utility. The true sense of the last verb is to do well or right, in opposition to doing wrong. See below, on Ps. xxxvii. 3. Instead of ceasing from his sins, the sinner has abandoned even the appear- ance of well-doing. The form of expression is like that in Isa. i. 16. 5 (4). Falsehood he will meditate upon his bed; he will take his stand upon a way not good ; evil he will not abjure. The first word (l')^<), both in this and the preceding verse, does not mean mere false speaking, but a false character, one not according to the truth, of which the divine will is the standard. It is therefore nearly equivalent to wickedness. The futures express present habit and a settled purpose of continuance. While he con- tinues what he is, he will continue thus to act. On his bed, by night, the natural season of reflection. Or the idea may be, that instead of sleeping he spends the hours of rest in meditating evil, or contriving mischief. — The verb to set himself, or take his stand, is the snme that occurred before in Ps. ii. 2, and implies both a settled purpose and the commencement of its exe- cution.— A way not good is an example of the figure called meiosis, in which more is meant than is expressed, although suggested by the context. The idea really conveyed to every reader is that of an extremely bad way, or the worst way possible. — The last verb means to reject or renounce with contempt and abhorrence. See above, on Ps. xv. 4. 6 (5). 0 Jehovah, in the heavens (is) thy mercy, and thy faithfulness unto the clouds. From the odious image of the sinner just presented he now turns away to contemplate the divine perfections. The parallelism of the clauses seems to shew that in the heavens means in heaven as well as on earth, i. e. reaching from the one to the other, which idea is then literally expressed, as far as, even to, or up to, the clouds, which last is simply an equivalent to heavens. — Mercy and faithfulness are also parallels, the latter meaning God's fidelity or truth in the fulfilment of his promises, even to the undeserving. See below, on Ps. xxxvii. 3. 7 (6). Thy righteousness (is) like the hills of the Almighty; thy judgments (are) a great deep ; man and beast thou wilt save, (0) Jehovah ! Kighteous- ness here means rectitude in its widest sense, including the veracity and faithfulness mentioned in the foregoing verse. Judgments is an idiomatic synonyme, the plural being either used to give it an abstract meaning, as in (D**"!!) life, or to denote particular acts of righteousness. This attribute 166 Psalm 36:7 -10 is here described as infinite, by a comparison with natural emblems of im- mensity. The first mentioned are the mountains of God, or of the mighty (God), the divine name here used being that which properly denotes omni- potence. See above, on Ps. v. 5 (4). By explaining this word as an abstract, we obtain the sense, mxjuntains of strength, i. e. strong mountains ; but the constant usage of the term as a divine name seems decisive in favour of the sense, hiUs produced by the almighty power of God and therefore proving it. — The great deep, the ocean, as in Gen. vii. 11. (Compare Gen. i. 2). The idea conveyed is not so much that of depth and mystery as that of vastness and immensity. The comprehensiveness of God's protecting care is further indicated by the combination man and beast (or brute). To save includes the acts of helping, protecting and pro- viding. 8 (7). How precioiis (is) thy mercy, (0) God, and the sons of man in the shadow of thy wings may trust (or take refuge). The richness of God's mercy is apparent from the very fact that it afibrds protection to mankind, meaning of course only those to whom it has been promised. The figure of overspreading wings is carried out more fully in Deut. xxxii. 11, and Mat. xxiii. 37. — For the meaning of the verb used in this verse, see above, on Ps. ii. 12. 9 (8). They shall be drenched with the abundance of thy house ; [with) the stream of thy pleasures thou tdlt water them (or give them drink). They, i. e. such of the children of men as are permitted to take refuge under God's protection. — Shall drink abundantly, or to satiety, be soaked or drenched. The derivative noun occurs above, in Ps. xxiii. 5. — Abundance, literally fat or fatness, put for the richest food. Thy house, thy household, with or without allusion to the tabernacle, not as a place of worship merely, but as the earthly residence of God. See above, on Ps. xxiii. 6, xxvii. 4. In the second clause there is a beautiful allusion to the river which watered the garden of Eden (Gen. ii. 10). This allusion, although lost in a trans- lation, is marked in ^) is omitted in most versions, though expressed in the margin of the English Bible. It defines the evil meditated, not as evil in the abstract or in general, but as evil to the sufferer, i. e. injury, which is the usual meaning of the Hebrew word (iTJ^I), a modified form of 0^1), the one used in ver. 6 (5) to denote moral evil; The last words are a kind of after-thought. — Against me they will meditate or plot, is a com- plete proposition in itself, which is then made more explicit by mention- ing the obj'ect of their plots, namely, evil (or injury) to me. This form of the sentence may have been adopted to render the resemblance in the structure of the clauses more complete. 9 (8). A word of Belial is poured into him, and he who lies (there) shall arise no more. These are the words of his malignant visitors, either uttered in his presence, or to their companions after leaving him. The literal translation of the first clause is given, to shew its obscurity, and enable the reader to understand the different explanations of it which have been proposed. Some give word its not unfi*equent idiomatic sense oi thing, affair (1 Sam. x. 2, 2 Sam. xi. 18, 19, Ps. cv. 27), and Belial that 194 Psalm 4 1:9 of ruin or destruction, which they suppose it to have in Nah. i. 11, and Ps. xviii. 5 (4) above. But there, as elsewhere, it is better to retain its primary meaning, good for nothing, worthless, or as an abstract, worthless- ness, a strong though negative expression for depravity. The whole phrase will then mean a wicked matter, a depraved affair. By this again some understand the disease with which he was afflicted, and which is then described as the result of his own wickedness ; others the plan or plot devised by the speakers for the ruin of the sufferer. But this would hardly be described by themselves as a depraved affair. None of these explana- tions seem so natural or so exact, as that which gives to both words their customary meaning, and understands by a word of Belial a disgraceful charge or infamous reproach, which is then represented as the cause of his distress and his approaching death. The next phrase may either mean poured into his mind or soul, as a moral poison, producing agony and death ; or poured upon him, so as to submerge or overwhelm him. In Job xli. 15, 16 (23, 24), the same participle (p^2i^) seems to be thrice used in the sense of poured out, melted, soldered, firmly fastened. So here the English Bible renders it cleaveih fast unto him, and the same meaning is assumed by some who understand by the preceding words a wicked plot or a destructive visitation, which is then described as cleaving fast to him so that he cannot shake it off or otherwise escape from it. The common ver- sion of the next words, now that he lieth, is extremely forced. The only natural construction of the relative is that which refers it to the sufferer himself. He who has lain down shall not add to rise, the common Hebrew method of expressing a continued or repeated action. See above, on Ps. X. 18. The expression becomes still more graphic if we understand it to mean he who is lying (here before you), or he who lies there, i. e. in yonder house or chamber. 10 (9). Even the man of my peace — whom I confided in — eating my bread — has lifted against me the heel. The first word properly means also. Not only foes, but also friends ; not only strangers, but likewise they of my own household. The man of my peace, or my man of peace, is a strong idiomatic expression for the man with whom I was at peace. As to the construction, see above, on Ps. ii. 6. Eating my bread, not merely as a guest, but as a dependent. Such must have been the current usage of the phrase in David's time. See 2 Sam. ix. 11, 13, xix. 29 (28), and compare 1 Kings xviii. 19. Lifted, literally magnified or made great. See above, on Ps. XXXV. 26, xxxviii. 17 (16). The act described seems to be one of contemptuous violence, but probably with an implicit allusion to supplant- ing as an act of treachery. 'Our Lord applies this verse expressly to him- self and Judas (John xiii. 18), which shews that he was really included in the class to which the psalm relates. It is remarkable, however, that he only quotes the second of the three descriptive phrases, eating my bread, enjoying my society and subsisting on my bountj^ while he omits the other two, because these would have represented Judas as his friend, and one in whom he trusted. But he knew from the beginning who it was that should betray him (John vi. 64). This accurate distinction seems to confirm the assumption that the psalm has a generic meaning, and is only applicable to our Saviour as the most illustrious representative of the class which it describes. The allusion to Judas would be still more striking if, as some suppose, the phrase man of my peace had reference to the customary use of the word peace in salutation. He who was wont to wish me peace or to Psalm41:10-12 195 say, Peace be with thee. Compare Mat. xxvi. 49. But this, although ingenious, is by no means an obvious or natural interpretation. 11 (10). And thou, Jehovah, have mercy upon me, and cause me to arise, 3p) is by some explained as a contraction of (D''ilD), a word meaning strings, and then stringed instruments (Ps. cl. 4). From palaces of ivory stringed instru- ments have gladdened thee. But as this breaks the connection between verses 8 and 10 (7 and 9), others make >^0 the poetical form of the pre- position ]Q, as it is in Ps. xliv. 11, 19 (10, 18),lxviii. 32 (31). See alsa Judges V. 14, and Isa. xlvi. 3. The repetition of the particle without the noun IS similar to that in Isa. Ux. 18, according to their deeds, according to {them) will he repay. So here, from palaces of ivory, from them (or thence) Psalm 45, 9, 10 213 have they gladdened thee. The plural verb may be construed indefinitely, us tantamount to saying, thou hast been gladdened, or referred to a more definite subject, namely, that presented in the next verse. 10 (9). Daughters of kings (are) among thy precious (ones); stationed is the queen at thy right hand, in gold of Ophir. The idea of a marriage-feast, suggested in the foregoing verse, is here carried out by a description of the bride or brides. These are represented as being of the highest rank and splendid in appearance. Precious, dear, not in the sense of beloved, which the Hebrew word never has, but in that of costly, valuable, which it always has. Stationed, not simply stands, but placed there, as the post of honour. Compare 1 Kings ii. 19. The word translated quee7i means pro- perly a spouse or consort, but is specially applied to the mves of kings, particularly those of Babylonia (Dan. v. 2) and Persia (Neh. ii. 6). It is here used as a poetical expression, which is also the case with the word translated gold, and derived firom a verb meaning to conceal ; it may there- fore denote ore, as hidden in the mine, or hoarded treasure. Here, and in Isa. xiii. 12, it is combined with Ophir, one of the places to which Solo- mon's ships traded with the Phenicians (1 Kings ix. 28, x. 11, 2 Chron. viii. 18, ix. 10). Its situation is disputed, and of no exegetical importance in the case before us. Whether it was in India, Arabia, or Africa, it is here mentioned only as an El Dorado, with the very name of which the idea of gold was associated in the mind of every Israelite, as it is in ours with the name of California. In gold means, of course, in garments decked with gold, or golden jewels. The image here presented of a queen sur- rounded by inferior princesses was probably borrowed from the court of Solomon (1 Kings xi. 1), but employed to represent the chosen people as the bride of the Messiah, and as such pre-eminent among the nations. This kind of personification is not uncommon. See, for example, Isa. xlvii. 1, hv. 1, Jer. xlvi. 11. 11 (10). Hear, daughter, and see, and bend thine ear, and forget thy people and the house of thy father. The Psalmist, in view of the ideal scene which he has brought before us, utters a Icind of nuptial exhortation to the queen or chief bride of Messiah. Hear what I have to say ; see, with the mind's eye, what I set before thee, look at it, consider it. Incline thine ear, lean forward as a sign of attention, so that nothing shall escape thee. See above, on Ps. xvii. 6, xxxi. 3 (2). This preliminary summons to attend implies that something of serious moment is to follow. The word daughter may be simply used, as son is elsewhere, to suggest the relation of a junior to a senior, or of a pupil to a teacher. See above, on Ps. xxxiv. 12 (11), and compare Prov. i. 8, ii. 1, iii.l, iv. 1, &c. Or the Psalmist may be under- stood as speaking in the person of the bride's father, when about to part with her ; but this is less natural, since the father is referred to, in the last clause, as a third person. Some suppose a specific reference to the daughter of Zion as the real object of address, while others understand by daughter a king's daughter, a royal princess, or suppose her to be here addressed as one who was no longer to be treated as a daughter, but as a. wife and mother. As if he had said, " Hitherto thou hast been a daughter, but now thou must forget thy father's house." All these ideas may have been present to the writer's mind, as they are all spontaneously suggested to the reader's. Forget thy people, dc, is a strong but natural and perfectly intelligible mode of saying, form new relations, or accommodate thyself to them when formed. There is obvious allusion to the law of mamage in Gen. ii. 24, and to the calling of Abraham in Gen. xii. 1. What the 214 Psalm 45:1 1,12 patriarch was there required to do is here enjoined upon his children in the person of their ideal representative. The ancient church or chosen people is required to come out from the world and be exclusively devoted to Jehovah. The exhortation becomes still more pointed and significant when taken in connection with the fact, that Solomon's wives, who seem to have supplied the figures for this striking allegorical tableau, instead of acting on the principle here laid down, by adopting the reUgion of their husband, *' turned away his heart after other gods" (1 Kings xi. 4). 12 (11). And let the king desire thy beauty ; for he is thy Lord, ai\d (therefore) how thyself to him. The common version {so shall the king desire^ &c.) is mconsistent with the form of the Hebrew verb, which is one used to express a command or wish. The verse must be read in close connection with the one before it. " Forget thy father's house and be en- tirely devoted to thy husband, so that his affection may be fixed upon thee, without anything to hinder or impair it, such as a lingering desire for thy previous condition." This is enjoined as a duty springing from the very nature of the,conjugal relation, in which the husband is the head by divine right. Compare Gen. iii. 16, xviii. 12, 1 Pet. iii. 5, 6. In recog- nition of this obUgation, she is called upon to bow down or prostrate her- self (1 Sam. XXV. 41, 1 Kings i. 16, 31), a gesture both of civil and reli- gious homage, and therefore pecuharly appropriate here, where the ideal king and husband represents the real object of religious worship. 13 (12). And the daughter of Tyre with a gift thy face shall soften — the rich of the people. In the Hebrew idiom the daughter of Tyre, or the daughter {i. e. the virgin) Tyre denotes the city, or the population of the city, personified as a woman. See above, on Ps. ix. 15 (14). It has been proposed, indeed, to take this as a vocative {and 0 daughter of Tyre, the lich of the people shall, dc.) addressed to Jezebel, in honour of whose mar- riage with Ahab (1 Kings xvi. 31) the psalm is then supposed to have been written. But besides the harsh construction of the Urst words, and the constant usage of the phrase and others like it in the sense explained above, it is inconceivable that a poem in celebration of the marriage between a wicked king of Israel and a heathen princess could have been composed by the sons of Korah for permanent religious use in the kingdom of Judah. And yet this is the only hypothesis, except the Messianic one, on which the reference to Tyre can be explained. In the time of Solomon, the Tyrians were the most commercial nation in the world, and the one with which the IsraeUtes had most commercial intercourse. It was natural, therefore, to use Tyre as a type for the wealth and commerce of the world, and the same mode of representation is employed by later writers. (See especially Isa. xxiii. 18.) Thus understood, the promise that the daughter of Tyre should seek, by means of gifts, to conciliate the favour of the queen, is a prediction that the richest of the nations should seek union and communion with the chosen people. See below, Ps. xlvii. 10 (9), Ixxii. 10, Ixxxvii. 4, in the last of which places Tyre is particularly mentioned. See also Isa. Ix. 6, Hag. ii. 7, 8, Zech. ix. 10. That the daughter of Tyre is here an ideal person, comprehending many individuals, is clear from the plural verb with which it is construed, and from the epexegetical clause, the rich {i. e. the richest) of the people, whether this be understood to mean the richest of that people, or the richest of the nations. In either case it is an apposition with daughter of Tyre, and in some way explanatory of it. " The daughter of Tyre, that richest of the nations (or the dau{.hter of Tyre, even the richest of that nation), shall entreat thy favour." This last Psalm45:13-15 215 idea is conveyed by a higlily idiomatic phrase, meaning, as some suppose, to stroke or soothe the face, and then, by a natural transition, to conciUate, to flatter. Others obtain nearly the same sense by making it mean to weaken, soften, or subdue the face, i. e. the opposition which the face expresses. 14 (13). All glorious [is) the king's daughter within ; of gold embroidery (is) her vesture. The second word in Hebrew may be either an adjective, as in Ezek. xxiii. 41, or a substantive, as in Judges xviii. 21. All {i.e. alto- gether) splendid, or all splendour, i. e. containing nothing else, as the king's garments are said, in ver. 9 (8) above, to be all 'perfume, and mankind in Ps. xxxix. 6 (5), to be only all vanity. The local adverb in the first clause means xvithin doors, in the house (Lev. x. 18, 1 Kings vi. 18, 2 Kings vii. 11), and describes the bride as still awaiting her removal from her father's to her husband's house. Gold embroidery, or network of gold. The common version {wrought gold) conveys the false idea of a dress entirely metallic, whereas the Hebrew phrase denotes some kind of artificial texture or tissue, in which gold is interwoven. 15 (14). With (or on) variegated cloths shall she he conducted to the king; virgins behind her, her cowj) anions, brought unto thee. The lively picture of an oriental wedding is now completed by a view of the procession to the bridegroom's house. The customary train of female friends is not forgotten, but with this peculiar feature added, that the bridesmaids are themselves described as brides, being brought (or made to come) to the king, precisely as the queen was. This departure from the usages of real life, which would have been revolting in a mere epithalamium, is peculiarly appropriate to the design of the allegory, as it enables the writer to include in his description a striking figurative representation of the eventful acces- sion of the Gentiles to the spiritual privileges and prerogatives which for ages were confined to Israel. The ancient church or pecuUar people is the chief bride or queen of the Messiah, chosen from among the nations ; but these very nations are the virgins, her companions, not her servants or attendants merely, who are brought to the king afterwards as she was brought before, to be united with him in an honourable marriage, not as the inferiors but the equals of his first and chosen consort. The noun at the beginning of the verse has been variously explained as meaning needle- work, embroidery, and variegated stuffs ; but the essential idea is sufficiently clear, to wit, that of rich and highly ornamented fabrics. As the dress of the bride has been twice described already, in ver. 10, 14 (9, 13), some suppose that these words have allusion to the practice of spreading rich and costly cloths or carpets on the gi'ound where royal personages walk. (Compare Mat. xxi. 8.) Others refer the clause to the embroidered cover- ings of the nuptial couch. The preposition here used is the one denoting relation in the most indefinite manner, and may be translated in, upon, or to, according to these different hypotheses respectively. See above, on Ps. xxx. 2 (1), XXXV. 19, 24, xxxviii. 17 (16). Conducted, or escorted in procession, as the Hebrew word denotes, being applied both to nuptial and funeral pomps. Compare Job x. 19, xxi. 32. The king is first men- tioned in the third person, and then in the second, by -which insensible transition the way is prepared for the direct address with which the psalm concludes, although the third person is resumed for a moment in the next verse. 16 (15). 2 hey shall be conducted with rejoicings and mirth; they shall come into the palace of the king. The first clause exhibits the procession, 216 Psalm 45 .16,17 as it were, in motion, while the second brings it to its destination. As if he had said, "I see the joyous train advancing, to the sound of merry music, towards the palace; and now they reach it and are entered in." This brings the description of the marriage to a close, and leaves nothing to be added but the joyful anticipations expressed in the concluding verses. 17 (16). Instead of thy fathers shall be thy sons ; thou shalt set them for princes in all the earth. In the translation, this might seem to be a re- newed address to the bride, consoling her, in her separation from her father's family, by the hope of having one herself. The antithesis, how- ever, is not between parents and children in general, bUt between fathers and soTia in particular. Nor does the ambiguity of the translation exist in the original, at least in the masoretic text, where the pointing of the suffixed pronouns shews them to be masculine, so that the object of address must be the king himself, as it is in ver, 3-11 (2-10). We have here another allusion to the marriage customs of the ancient orientals, among whom it was usual to wish the newly married pair a numerous and distinguished offspring. See Geh. xxiv. 60, Ruth iv. 11, 12. This wish is here replaced by a positive prediction, that the king's descendants shall be more illus- trious than his progenitors. Such a comparison would have but Uttle force, however, unless he were himself descended from a long line of royal ancestors, a sufficient proof that the king here glorified was neither Solomon nor Ahab. At the same time there is obvious allusion to the state of things under the reign of Solomon, who divided his kingdom into twelve vice- royalties (1 Kings iv. 7), and that of David, who made his own sons viceroys (2 Sam. viii. 18), a policy which seems to have been still pursued by Rehoboam (2 Chi-on. xi. 23). What they did on a small scale, the Messiah is to do upon a large one. As they made their sons princes in Israel, so he shall make his to be rulers over the whole earth. Some, indeed, translate the last words all the land ; but this is inconsistent with the conquests promised in ver. 5-7 (4-6), with the mention of Tyre in ver. 14 (13), and with that of nations in ver. 18 (17). The sons of Mes- siah are his spiritual seed (Isa. liii. 10), to set v,'hom for princes is to con- stitute or make them such, to give them places suited to their royal rank. The universal reign here predicted is also promised in Ps. ii. 8 above and Ps. Ixxii. 11, below. Compare Zech. ix. 10. 18 (17). I will make thy name to he remembered in all generations ; there- fore shall nations acknowledge thee for ever and ever. The Psalmist speaks as one in the long series of inspired heralds, and in behalf of all. The form of the first verb implies fixed determination, and involves a pledge. Thy name, as the expression of thy nature. See above, on Ps. v. 12 (11), xliv. 21 (20). In all generations, literally in every generation and genera- tion. For ever and ever, literally to eternity and perpetuity. See above, on Ps. xliv. 9, 24 (8, 23). TJierefore, not merely because I celebrate his name, but because his name itself is glorious. Acknowledge thee to be what thou art, involving therefore the ideas of praise in general and thanks- giving in particular. See above, on Ps. vi. 6 (5), xliv. 9 (8). Psalm 46 The Church is safe under divine protection. This theme is amplified in three strophes, the close of which is indicated by the selahs in ver. 4 (3), 8 (7), 12 (11). If the psalm owed its origin to any paiiicular historical Psalm 46:1 -3 217 occasion, of which there seem to be some traces in the last part, there is none to which it would be more appropriate than the miraculous destruc- tion of the Assyrian host in the reign of Hezekiah (2 Kings xix. 35, Isa. xxxvii. 36), as this was a signal instance of divine interposition for the deliverance of the chosen people, and peculiarly adapted to exalt the Grod of Israel among the nations. 1. To the Chief Musician. To the Sons of Korah. Upon Alamoth. A song. The Sons of Korah may here be mentioned either as the authors or performers of the psalm. (See above, on Ps. xlii. 1, xlv. 1). In either case, we are perhaps to understand the Sons of Korah in the reign of Heze- kiah. Some have ascribed the psalm to Isaiah; but of this there is no evidence. Alamoth means virgins or young women, and is here used as a technical expression of the Hebrew music, to denote soprano or treble voices. See above, on Ps. iv. 1, vi. 1. 2 (1). God (is) for lis a refuge and strength; a help in distresses he has proved — exceedingly. The first clause states the general theme or proposi- tion of the psalm ; the last asserts it to have been established by experience. A refuge, a hiding-place, a place where men seek shelter and security from impending danger. The original expression is a local noun derived from a verb, the primary sense of which is to take refuge. (See above, on Ps. ii. 12, xvi. 1). A different word is so translated in ver. 8, 12 (7, 11), be- low. In this connection, strength may mean a stronghold or fortified place, whicn figure is expressly used in Ps. xviii. 3 (2), xxvii. 1, and elsewhere. Or it may simply mean the source or author of strength, as in Ps. xxviii. 8, and elsewhere. In distresses : the plural form may involve a reference to various occasions, or to complex and aggravated troubles in some one case. He has proved, literally beeii found, i. e. by us, in our experience. The common version (a present help) is scarcely justified by the occasional use of the original expression in the sense of being present or forthcoming. The last word, very or exceedingly, appears to have been added to quaUfy the whole clause or proposition, as one eminently and emphatically true. 3 (2). Therefore we will not fear in the changing of the earth, and in the moving of mountains in the heart of seas. The simple idea expressed by these strong figures is, in the midst of the most violent changes and com- motions. By the changing or exchanging of the earth (see above, on Ps. XV. 4), we may understand either its change of place, violent removal, or more probably a change of face and aspect or condition, as the effect of mighty revolutions. In its changing, i. e. when it changes and because it changes. See above, on Ps. xlii. 4 (3). The mountains, as appears from ver. 7 (6) below, are emblems of great kingdoms and powerful states. See above, on Ps. xxx. 8 (7), and compare Isa. xxxvii. 24, Rev. viii. 8. The sea may be mentioned only as the place to which the mountains are trans- planted (Luke xvii. 6), or in which they are shaken ; but it may also be a specific emblem of the world, continually moved and agitated by the strife of human passions. See Isa. Ivii. 20, and compare Isa.. xxvii. 1, Dan, vii. 2, 3. This description is peculiarly appropriate to the commotions necessarily produced by the extensive conquests of the great empires of the ancient world, perhaps with special reference in this case to Assyria. 4 (3). Let its waters roar and foam ^ let mountains tremble in its swelling. Selah. The singular pronoun refers to the sea, which is only poetically plural in the preceding verse. The verb translated roar occurs above in Ps. xxxix. 7 (6). The one translated /oam means strictly to ferment or effer- vesce. As the word rendered swelling is also used elsewhere in the figura- 218 Psalm 46:4 -8 tive sense of pride, it is peculiarly appropriate to the commotions of the world, occasioned by the pride of man. The verbs in this verse may also be explained as proper futures. Its waters shall (indeed) roar and foam, the hills shall tremble at its swelling ; but the people of God shall still be safe, as promised in the next verse. The selah, as usual, indicates a pause in the performance, and at the same time marks the close of the first stanza or strophe. 5 (4). (There is) a river — its streams shall gladden the city of God, the holy (place) of the dwellings of the Highest. In contrast with the turbulent and threatening sea, he now presents a peaceful and abundant river. This emblem of God's favour, which is frequent in the Scriptures, seems to have been borrowed by the later writers from the river of Eden, Gen. ii. 10. See above, on Ps. xxxvi. 9 (8), and compare Ezek. xlvii. 1, Joel iv. (iii.) 18, Zech. xiv. 8, Rev. xxii. 1. TTie city of God, i. e. Jerusalem, his earthly residence, and ^the centre of the theocracy. See below, Ps. xlviii. 2, 3 (1,2). The holy (place) may either mean the same thing, or be a more specific designation of the temple. See below, Ps. Ixv. 5 (4), and compare Exod. xxix. 31, Lev. vi. 9, 19 (16, 26). The place rendered holy by the presence of God's earthly residence. The Highest or Most High, the divine name which denotes God's infinite superiority to other beings. See above, Ps. vii. 18 (17), ix. 3 (2), xxi. 8 (7). The mention of streams in the plural indicates variety and fulness of divine favour. 6 (5). God (is) in the midst of her, she shall not be moved ; God vnll help her at the turning of the morning. This last idiomatic phrase seems to mean, at the point when the day turns to come back, after reaching its greatest distance. See Exod. xiv. 27, Judges xix. 26, and compare Deut. xxiii. 12 (11). The idea is that of a critical transition from grief to joy. See Ps. XXX. 6 (5), xlix. 15 (14), xc. 14, ex. 8. The terms of this verse be- come still more significant and striking, if we suppose a specific reference to the night in which Sennacherib's host was smitten, and the sight which was disclosed at break of day. See Isa. xxxvii. 36, and compare Isa. xvii. 14. 7 (6). Nations roared, kingdoms quaked ; he has uttered his voice, the earth will melt. There is here an allusion to the roaring, foaming sea of ver. 4 (3). Uttered, literally gave (a sound) with his voice, just as we may speak of giving a groan or a shriek. Compare Ps. Ixviii. 34 (33), Jer. xii. 8. This voice is not represented as assuaging the commotion, but in- creasing it, by making the very earth dissolve. As in many other instances, the psalmist takes his stand between the inception and the consummation of the. event which he describes. Hence the transition from the past tense to the future. See above, on Ps. xviii. 7 (6). With the last clause com- pare Ps. Ixxv. 4 (3), Amos ix. 6. God is represented as the ultimate author of these mighty changes. See Haggai ii. 21, 22. 8 (7). Jehovah of Hosts (is) with us ; a refuge for us (is) the God of Jacob. Selah. Notwithstanding these commotions and dangers, the divine protection makes us perfectly secure. Jehovah of Hosts, the God of the Universe, and especially of heaven. See above, on Ps. xxiv. 10, and below, on Ps. xlviii. 9 (8). With u^. Compare the name Immanuel, Isa. viii. 8. A refuse, literally a high place, a place beyond the reach of ene- mies und dangers. See above, on Ps. ix. 10 (9), xviii. 3 (2). God of Jacob. See above, oh Ps. xxiv. 6. 9 (8). Come, see the doings of Jehovah, who hath put desolations in the earth. The first word properly means go, but is constantly used in sum- moning and inviting others. See above, Ps. xxxiv. 12 (11). The doings, Psalm46:9-ll 219 what he has been doing. The common version, what desolations he hath made, is not so natural as that above given, which takes the relative in its proper sense, and refers it to the nearest antecedent. Put (or placed) deso- lations, i. e. produced, occasioned, caused them to exist. In the earth, because the ruling power of the world was smitten ; or in the land, i. e. the Holy Land, as the immediate scene of God's retributive judgments, which all men are invited now to witness. The use of the name Jehovah inti- mates that the Grod who thus controls the world is identical with the God of Israel. 10 (9). Silencing wars to the end of the earth ; the bow he will break, and cut the spear, and the chariots will burn in the fire. The participle, followed by the future, shews that the process is not finished, but still going on. Silencing, making to cease. To the end. The original expression is a stronger one, and means up to the end, or to the very end. The bow, spear, and chariots, are named as necessary instruments of warfare. See above, on Ps. vii. 13 (12), and with the whole verse compare Isa. ii. 4, Mic. iv. 3, Josh. xi. 9, Ezek. xxxix. 9. 11 (10). Leave of, and know that I (am) God ; I will he exalted in the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. These words are addressed to the discomfited foes of Jehovah and his people. " Cease from your vain attacks upon my people ; learn from what you have already seen and felt that their protector is divine, and that he is resolved to be acknowledged as supreme, not only by his chosen people, but by all the nations and throughout the earth." This general recognition of Jehovah as the true and the supreme God, would of course be promoted by such a signal over- throw as that experienced by Sennacherib. Compare Isa. xxxvii. 20. 12 (11). Jehovah of Hosts {is) with us ; a refuge for us [is) the Ood of Jacob. Selah. This repetition of the burden or refrain in ver. 8 (7), brings us back not only to the close of the second stanza, but to the begin- ning of the first, where the same idea is expressed in other words. Psalm 47 1. To the Chief Musician. To the Sons of Korah. A Psalm. A song of triumph, in celebration of a signal victory gained by the chosen people over certain confederated nations. In the first stanza, ver. 2-5 (1—4), Jehovah is celebrated as the conqueror of the nations ; in the second, ver. 6-10 (5-9), as their rightful sovereign ; in both, as the tutelary God of Israel. Another difierence of form between the two parts seems to be, that in the first, the exhortation to praise God is addressed directly to the Gentiles ; in the second, to Israel or the ancient church. The psalm has every appearance of having been composed in reference to some particular event ; but as this is not indicated in the psalm itself, it can only be con- jectured. Of the various suppositions which have been suggested, the most probable is, that it was written to commemorate the victory of Jehosha- phat over the Ammonites and Edomites, recorded in the twentieth chapter of Second Chronicles. Besides the general appropriateness of the compo- sition to the juncture there described, it is, to say the least, a very singular coincidence, that the history records the presence, upon that occasion, not only of Levites in general, but of the Korhites (sons of Korah) in par- ticular (2 Chron. xx. 19). We read too that singers went before the army (ver. 21), and that on the fourth day they assembled in a valley which they 220 Psalm 47:1 - 6 called Berachah (blessing), because there they blessed the Lord (ver. 26). There is also something in the simple, animated, flowing style of the psalm before us which agrees very well with the supposition of its being an in- spired impromptu, a psalm composed upon the spur of the occasion, either by some anonymous prophet who accompanied the army, or by the Sons of Korah themselves. See above, on Ps. xlii. 1. This conjecture, as to the historical occasion of the psalm before us, is corroborated by the apparent relation of the next psalm to the same event. See below, on Ps. xlviii. 1. 2 (1). All nations, clap the hand! shout unto God tvith a voice of triumph ! The clapping of the hands is a natural gesture both of triumph and applause. See Nah. iii. 19, and compare Ps. xcviii. 8, Isa. Iv. 12. The last word in the verse does not denote a feeling, but the audible expression of joy and exultation, by song or shout. See above, on Ps. v. 12 (11). The nations addressed are not the particular nations which had just been conquered, but the whole gentile world, the nations collectively, who are summoned to rejoice in the proof just afforded, that Jehovah is their rightful sovereign. See above, on Ps. xviii. 50 (49), and below, on Ps. Ixvi. 4 (3), cxvii. 1, and compare the original expression upon which this is modelled, Deut. xxxii. 43. 8 (2). For Jehovah, Most High, is terrible, a great king over all the earth. He is not, as the heathen were disposed to imagine, a mere local deity, the God of the Hebrews only, but the God of the whole earth, the Universal Sovereign, and an object of fear to its inhabitants. See the same epithet applied to him in Ps. Ixviii. 36 (35). 4 (3). He tvill subdue nations under us, and peoples tender our feet. This is a proof both of his covenant relation to his people, and of his sovereign power over other nations. TVTiat h^ has done is but an earnest of what he will do. Compare Ps. xviii. 39 (38), 48 (47). This, though not a matter of rejoicing to the nations immediately concerned, may well be represented as a matter of rejoicing to the world at large, because it involves a pro- mise that the Gentiles shall one day be included among the subjects of this divine protector, and partakers of his favour. 5 (4). He will choose for us our heritage, the pride of Jacob whom he loved. Selah. By defeating the enemies who sought to expel Israel from the land of promise (2 Chron. xx. 11), God might be poetically said to settle them again therein, and, as at first, to choose their inheritance for them. The pride of Jacob, that of which he is proud, in which he glories, whether this be understood specifically of the Holy Land, or generically of all the privi- leges and distinctions which belonged to them as the peculiar people of Jehovah. Pride, exaltation, or distinction, as in Nah. ii. 3 (2), Amos vi. 8. In Amos viii. 7, God himself is so described. Jacob, as in Ps. xxiv. 6, xlvi. 8 (7), 12 (11). Whom he loved. See Mai. i. 2, and compare Ps. Ixxviii. 68. 6 (5). God has gone up 7vith shouting, Jehovah tvith sound of trumpet. He is here described as returning to heaven after the conquest of his enemies and the rescue of his people, as in Ps. vii. 8 (7), he does the same, after sitting in judgment on the nations, and asserting the right of his own people. See Ps. Ixviii. 19 (18), and compare Gen. xvii. 22, Judges xiii. 20. The shouting and sound of the trumpet represents the ascension as a public and triumphant one. The ideal scene is typical of the actual ascension of our Saviour. See below, on Ps. Ixviii. 19 (18). 7 (6). Sing praises (to) God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises I The Hebrew corresponding to sing praises is a single word Psalm 47:7 -9 221 (■IIDT); which means to praise musically, both with voice and instrument. See above, on Ps. ix, B, (2). God, who is first mentioned as the object of the praise, is then described as our King, the actual King of Israel and the rightful King of all the earth, 8 (7). For King of all the earth [is) God. Perform a maachil, i.e. sing and play a didactic psalm. See above, on Ps. xxxii. 1, xlii. 1, xliv. 1, xlv. 1. The maschil here meant is the psalm itself. The designation may have been omitted in the title for the very reason that it is contained in the body of the composition. The doctrine taught is that of Jehovah's univer- sal sovereignty, and of the ultimate subjection of all nations to his peaceful sway. This idea is realised in the reign of the Messiah, so that the psalm is, in a wide sense. Messianic. The peculiar import of this last clause is lost in the common version [sing ye praises icith understanding), which is also that of the Septuagint (^/aXarg avviTu;), the Vulgate {psallite sapien- ter), and Jerome [canite erudite). 9 (8). God hath reigned over the nations, God hath sat down on his throne of holiness. He has begun to reign, has become a king, and as such has ascended the throne of universal empire. This and the next verse may be specially regarded as constituting the maschil mentioned in ver. 8 (7). The throne of his holiness, his holy throne, i. e. his divine throne, his throne un- like and above all others. See above, on Ps. xxii. 4 (3), and below, on Ps. ciii. 19, and compare Isa. vi. 1, Ixvi. 1. 10 (9). Princes of nations are assembled — the people of the God of Abra- ham; for unto God belong the shields of the earth; he is greatly exalted. Tho first word properly means willing, and especially spontaneous givers ; then by a natural deduction, liberal, generous, noble, and as a substantive, nobles, princes. They are here named as the representatives of the nations, gathered in the presence of God, to do him homage and acknowledge his supremacy. The next phrase may mean either as, with, or to the people of God, most probably the first. Tlie God of Abraham, their founder and pro- genitor, with whom the covenant was made, not only for himself but for his children. See the same phrase, Gen. xxxi. 42, Exod. iii. 6, Mat. xxii. 32. The shields of the earth, its protectors, here put for protection in the abstract, or for the princes mentioned in the foregoing clause. Com- pare Hos. iv. 18. It is not till all the principalities and powers of earth acknowledge their subjection to Jehovah, that he can be duly and sufficiently exalted. See above, on Ps. xxii.*29 (28). Psalm 48 1. A Psalm. A Song. To the Sons of Korah. The generic term 'psalm {mizmor) is rendered more specific by the addition of song {shir), which commonly denotes a song of praise. See above, on Ps. xlii. 9 (8). It is further described as {belonging) to the Sons of Korah, either as authors or performers. See above, on Ps. xhi. 1. The psalm before us celebrates Jehovah, and Jerusalem as his residence, ver. 2-4 (1-3), with particular reference to a recent deliverance from certain confederate kings, ver. 5—9 (4-8), which is recognised as a subject of perpetual praise, ver. 10-15 (9-14). The most probable conjecture as to the historical occasion of the psalm is, that it has reference to the same event that is commemorated in the one before it. This is the more probable, as we learn from 2 Chron. XX. 19, 27, that Jehoshaphat and his followers first praised God for their 222 Psalm 48:1 - 6 deliverance on or near the field of battle, and then again in the temple after their return to Jerusalem. The psahn before us was probably written for the latter purpose. 2 (1). Great (is) Jehovah, and to le praised exceedingly, in the city of our God, his holy mountain. This verse propounds, as the theme of the whole psalm, the glory of Jehovah as revealed to his own people. To be praised : see above, on Ps. xviii. 4 (3). The paronomasia, great and greatly to be praised, is not in the original, where the words translated great and greatly in the English Bible, are entirely different both in form and etymo- logy. The city of our God : see above, on Ps. xlvi. 5 (4). The parallel expression, the mountain of his holiness, his mountain of holiness, his holy mountain, is intended to convey the same idea, Jerusalem in general and Zion in particular being here referred to as the seat of the theocracy, the place where God resided in the midst of his pecuUar people, as their king and their tutelary deity, and where the duty of praising him was therefore peculiarly incumbent. 3 (2). Beautiful for elevation, the. joy of the whole eartli, Mount Zion, (orb) the sides of the north, the city of the great king. The common version, situation, although not erroneous, is too vague. The reference is to the lofty site of Jerusalem, as seen from the surrounding country. It is called the joy of the whole earth, as a source of spiritual blessings to all nations. The sides of the north may mean the northern division of the city, and be joined with Zion, which was in the southern part, in order to express the whole. Or as the word here rendered sides always denotes the extreme edge or frontier, it may here be used to describe the appearance of the Holy City, as it rose upon the view of the army returning from the south. Either of these is a more natural interpretation than the modem one, which supposes an allusion to the heathen notion of a mountain in the extreme north, where the gods resided, to which belief there is supposed to be a reference in Isa. xiii. 14. 4 (3). God in her palaces is knoum for a refuge. In this, his chosen seat, he has revealed himself already, as the protector of his people. See below, on Ps. kxvi. 2 (1). 5 (4). For lo, the kings met — they passed away together. They had no sooner come together than they disappeared together. Lo or behold, as usual, indicates something unexpected. The definite expression, the kings, seems to refer to something recent and well-known. The kings originally meant were those of Moab and Edom. The word translated met means to come together by appointment or agreement, and here imphes a combina- tion against Judea. Compare Ps. Ixxxiii. 4-6 (3-5). Passed away, fled or disappeared. 6 (5). {As) they saw, so they wondered, were struck unth terror, were put to flight. This verse explains what was meant by their passing in the one before it. The as, corresponding to so, which is expressed in ver. 9 (8), seems to be here omitted, as in Isa. Iv. 9. As ioon as they saw the holy city, or the tokens of divine protection. The last two verbs are passives. For the meaning of the first, see above, on Ps. ii. 5, and for that of the second, on Ps. xxxi, 23 (22). The whole verse is descriptive of a panic leading to a disorderly retreat or flight. 7 (6). Trembling seized them there, pain as of a travailing (woman). There, i. e. on the very spot of their anticipated triumph. See above, on Ps. xiv. 5. Or on the spot from which they first obtained a sight of Jeru- salem. This may have been Tekoa (2 Chron. xx. 20), the lofty site of Psalm 48:7 -11 223 which commands an extensive prospect. See Robinson's Palestine, ii. 182. The comparison ia the last clause is a common one ia Scripture, to denote intense but transient pain. Compare Isa. xiii. 8, xxi. 3, xlii. 14. 8 (7). With an east wind thou uilt break ships of Tarshish. It is an interesting coincidence that such a disaster did befall the navy of Jehosha- phat himself. See 1 Kings xxii. 49 (48), 2 Chron. xx. 36, 37. Some suppose this to be specifically meant in the case before us, while others understand it as a figurative description of God's sovereign control over all inferior agents. The east wind seems to be mentioned as the one most to be dreaded in the neighbouring seas. The trade to Tarshish and Ophir was almost the only maritime commerce known to the contemporary He- brews. See 2 Chron. ix. 21, and compare Isa. ii. 16, xxiii. 1, 14 ; Ix. 9. 9 (8). As we have heard, so have we seen, in the city of Jehovah of Hosts, in the city of our God. God will confirm it to eternity. ISelah. What they had heard of as occurring elsewhere or in ancient times, they had now witnessed for themselves. See above, on Ps. xliv. 2 (1), and compare Job xlii. 5. Jehovah of Hosts ; see above, on Ps. xxiv. 10. God will confirm it, or establish her, i. e. Jerusalem, the city of our God. He will secure it against aU such assaults as it has just escaped. As Jerusalem is here regarded not as a mere town, but as the seat of the theocracy, the earthly residence o£ God, the promise is still valid, in its strongest sense, with, respect to the chm-ch, of which the ancient Zion was the constituted type and local centre. 10 (9). We have compared, 0 God, thy mercy in the midst of thy temple. The verb in this verse sometimes means to meditate, but scarcely ever, if at all, without some reference to its primary sense of likening or comparing. It may here denote the act of comparing what they saw with what they had previously heard, a§ in the foregoing verse. In the midst of [i. e. within) thy temple, hterally (hy palace, a term applied both to the tabernacle and the temple, as the royal residence of Jehovah. See above, on Ps. v. 8 (7), xi. 4, xviii. 7 (6), xxvii. 4, xxix. 9. This expression agrees well with the supposition, that this psalm was intended to be simg at the temple after the return of the army. See 2 Chron. xx. 27. 11 (10). As Ihy name, 0 God, so is thy praise, to the ends of the earth ; {of) righteousness full is thy right hand. The most obvious meaning of the first clause would seem to be that wherever God is known he is praised. Some, however, understand by name the previous manifestations of God's nature, and hy])raise the glory due to his most recent interposition in behalf of his people. The sense will then be still the same as in ver. 9 (8), namely, that what the contemporary Israelites had heard of God's wonderful works in time past they had now seen and felt in their own experience. To the ends of (he earth, literally on or over them, which may be a poetical hyper- bole describing the fame of these events as aheady gone beyond the boundaries of earth. See below on ver. 15 (14). Righteousness, that of God, as manifested in the destruction of his enemies and the rescue of his people. See above, on Ps. xxxv. 28. This is said to fill his right hand, i. e. to be abundantly displayed in the exercise of his almighty power. See above, on Ps. xvi. 11. 12 (11). Rejoice shall Mount Zion, exult shall the daughters of Judah, because of thy judgments. According to a very ancient usage, which is found even in the prose of technical geography (Josh. xv. 45, 47), the daughters of Judah may be the minor towns dependent on Jerusalem. The more obvious sense is that of female inhabitants, who, as the weaker sex, 224 Psalm 48:12 -14 had particular occasion to rejoice in the dehverance of the country from its barbarous invaders. The verbs may be understood as expressive of a wish or prayer (Jet mount Zion rejoice, &c.). But the proper future sense agrees better with what immediately precedes, as the declaration of the glory, which has already redounded to the name of God from this exhibition of his power and faithfulness, is then followed up by a declaration, that the same effect shall be continued. For the sake (or on account) of thy judg- ments, these experimental proofs of thy righteousness, afforded by its actual exercise. 13 (12). Surround Zion and encircle her ; count her towers. The verbs in the first clause mean to walk (or go) around. They are twice used together in the history of the taking of Jericho (Josh. vi. 3, 11). The second occurs above in Ps. xvii. 9, xxii. 17 (16). The object of the walk here proposed is to survey the perfect state of her defences, as untouched by the recent dangers. Compare Isa. xxxiii. 20. _ Count her towers, to see if any of them have been demoHshed. 14 (13). Set your heart to her rampart, examine her palaces, that you may recount [it) to a generation following. The meaning of the first phrase is, apply your mind, give attention, observe closely. The word translated rampart seems to denote the exterior circumvallation, here contrasted with the palaces which it surrounded. Recount it, i. e. the result of your inspec- tion, or the sound state of the defences, both as a reminiscence of this particular dehverance, aijd as a type or emblem of the safety which the church enjoys under divine protection, and therefore entitled to perpetual remembrance. The last word in Hebrew is not a participle but an adjec- tive, strictly meaning later or latter, subsequent or future. 15 (14). For this God {is) our God for ever and ever ; he will guide us unto death. The /or assigns a reason for representing this event as one to be remembered, namely, because it is an instance of the favour of Jehovah, who is our perpetual defender. The whole may be thrown into a single sentence, without supplying is in the first clause. For this God, our God, for ever and ever, he will guide, &c. Or still more in accordance with the usual construction of the pronoun (Ht), this is our God for ever and ever, i. e. he who has done this is and is to be our God. According to the other and more usual construction, this God means the God who has performed these wonders. For ever and ever, literally eternity and perpetuity. See above, on Ps. ix. 6 (5), x. 16, xxi. 5 (4), xlv. 7 (6). Unto death, or as some explain it, at death, i. e. he will save us from it ; others, over death, beyond it. But the most obvious explanation, and the one most agreeable to usage, is that which makes the phrase mean even to the end of life, or as long as we live. The idea of a future state, though not expressed, is not excluded. See above, on Ps. xvii. 15. Psalm 49 1. To the Chief Musician. To the Sons of Korah. A Psalm. This psalm, like the thirty- seventh, is intended to console the righteous under the trials arising from the prosperity and enmity of wicked men, by shewing these to be but temporary, and by the prospect of a speedy change in the relative position of the parties. It consists of a short introductory stanza, inviting general attention to the subject, ver. 2-5 (1-4), followed by two Psalm 49:1 -5 225 longer stanzas, the close of which is marked by the recurrence of a burden or re/rain in ver. 13 (12) and 21 (20). In the first of these two divisions, the prominent idea is the fallacy of all merely secular advantages and hopes, ver. 6-13 (5-12). In the other, these advantages and hopes are directly contrasted with those of the believer, ver. 14-21 (13-20). There is nothing in the psalm to determine its date or historical occasion. The inscription to the iinus of Korah is consistent with any date from the time of David to that of Ezra. See above, on Ps. xlii. 1, xliv. 1, xlv. 1, xlvi. 1, xlvii. 1, xlviii. 1. In favour of an earUer date, however, may be urged the obscurity and difficulty of the style. 2 (1). Hear this, all the natiom ; give ear, all inhabitants of the world! This general invocation implies that the doctrine to be taught is one of universal interest. The form of expression is similar to that in Micah i. 2 and 1 Kings xxii. 28, and may be borrowed, in all these cases, from the still stronger one in Deut. Xxxii. 1. See below, Ps. 1. 1, and com];>are Isa. i. 2. The word translated world means primarily duration or continued existence ; then more specifically, human life, the present state of things ; and by a natural transition, the world, as the place where it is spent. See above, on Ps. xvii. 14, xxxix. 6 (5), and below, on Ps. Ixxxix. 48 (47). ^ 3 (2). Both low and high together, rich and poor This is the conclusion of the sentence begun in the preceding verse. The first clause is highly idiomatic in its form, and cannot be literally rendered into intelligible English. Likewise sons of man, likewise sons of man. The word man ]^ere corresponds to two distinct Hebrew words which, when placed in opposition, denote men of high and low degree. See above, on Ps. v. 3 (2), and below, on Ps. Ixii. 10 (9), and compare Prov. viii. 4. The same antithesis is pre- sented in a difi'erent form, Ps. xxii. 30 (29). The rich are here summoned to receive reproof and warning, the poor consolation and encouragement. 4 (3). My mouth shall speak wisdom, and the meditation of my heart (is) understanding. This is no self-praise, as he is only to communicate what he has received. Shall speak, is speaking or about to speak. Wisdom and understanding are both plural in the Hebrew, that form denoting fulness or variety. See above, on Ps. xviii. 51 (50). The plural of the first word is also applied to the personification of the highest wisdom, in Prov. ix. 1. The speech mentioned in the first clause is the outward expression of the thought or meditation in the second. See the same combination above, Ps. v. 2 (1), xix. 15 (14). 5 (4). I will incline to a parable my ear, and open with a harp my riddle. I will hear what God says, and impart it to others. To incline (or bend) the ear is to lean forward as a sign or gesture of attention. See above, on Ps. xvii. 6, xxxi. 3 (2), xl. 2 (1). Parable, literally Ukeness or comparison ; then any figurative, tropical expression. See above, on Ps. xliv. 15 (14). The parallel word here means an enigma, something hard to understand. To open it is not to begin it, but either to utter it or to explain it, probably th^ latter. What he hears from God he will open or expound to man. With the harp indicates the form in which his exposition is to be presented, namely, that of a lyrical composition, intended to be sung with an instru- mental accompaniment. See above, on Ps. xxxiii. 2, xliii. 4. 6 (5). Why should I fear in days of evil, (when) the iniquity of my oppres- sors (or supplanters) shall surround me ? The theme of the whole psalm is the negative proposition involved in this interrogation, namely, that the righteous has no cause to fear, even when surrounded by powerful and spiteful enemies. Days of evil, i. e. of misfortune or distress. The word 226 Psalm 49:6 -10 translated oppressors commonly means heels ; but as this yields no good sense here, it may be taken as a verbal noun, meaning either treaders, tramplers, oppressors, or supplanters, traitors, in a sense akin to which the verbal root is used. Gen. xx\ii. 36, Hos. xii. 4 (3). In either case, it is clearly a description of his enemies, as practising violence or fraud against him. 7 (6). Those relying on their strength, and in the abundance of their wealth they glory. A further description of the oppressors and supplanters. The Hebrew word translated strength is appHed, in different cases, to bodily, pecuniary, mihtary, and moral strength. The parallelism here would seem to indicate a reference to the power which naturally springs from great pos- sessions. The word translated abundance may also mean increase. For the use of the verbal root, see above, on Ps. iii. 2 (1). * Glory, boast, or praise themselves, which last is the exact sense of the reflexive verb here used. 8 (7). A brother can not (or he shall not) even redeem ; a man can not give to God his ransom. In the first clause, brother may be either the subject or the object of the verb ; the rich man cannot redeem his brother, or, his brother cannot redeem him. The former agrees better with the obvious design to shew the worthlessness of mere wealth, which does not enable a man to redeem a brother, i.e. save another's life. The even in this ver- sion is intended to express the emphatic repetition of the verb in Hebrew. It cannot do that which is most essential, and without which other advan- tages are worthless. Unless the last clause be regarded as a mere reitera- tion of the same idea in other words, it must be understood to mean that as the rich man cannot redeem his brother from the inevitable stroke of death, much less can he redeem himself, or pay to God his own ransom. This construction of the last words is the less unnatural, because there is properly no reflexive pronoun in the Hebrew language. See above, on Ps. xxxvi. 3 (2). 9 (8). And costly is the ransom of their soid, and he (or it) ceases for ever. This obscure verse admits of several constructions. Their soul refers most probably to the rich man and his bi-other. The soul or life of both requires BO much to ransom it, that neither can redeem the other. The verb in the last clause may mean ceases to live, perishes, and agree with either or with each of the subjects previously mentioned. The ransom of their hfe is so costly, that neither can be saved. Or the verb may agree with ransom, as in the English Bible ; it is too costly to be paid, and therefore ceases, or remains unpaid, for ever. The same sense substantially may be obtained by making cease mean cease (or fail) to pay, and construing it with one of the preceding nouns. The' ransom is so costly that he fails to pay it, or ceases to attempt it, for ever. Upon any of these various suppositions, the essential idea is that the ransom of their Hfe is too expensive to be paid. 10 (9). That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption. The form of the first verb in Hebrew shews that this is a dependent sentence, to be immediately connected, as some think, with the ninth verse : " he can- not even redeem a brother, a man cannot pay to God a ransom, so as to live for ever and not see corruption." The tenth verse is then a parenthetical amplification of the ninth. Others connect the ninth and tenth directly, by taking cease to mean that he cannot bring to pass. The redemption of their soul is too costly ; he can never so contrive it, that he shall live for ever and not see corruption. 11 (10). For he shall see (it) ; wise (men) must die; likewise the fool and Psalm 49:1 1,12 111 hrute must perish, and leave to others their substance. The usual construc- tion of the fu'st words — when he sees (or /or he sees) that toise men die — is neither so simple in itself, nor so well suited to the context, as that which gives the verb the same sense, and the same object, as in the pre- ceding verse. Wealth cannot ransom its possessor, so that he shall live for ever and not see corruption, for he shall see it, as all others do. Even the wisest men must die, much more the fool and brutish person. These are the terms so frequently used in the Book of Proverbs to describe the sinner as irrational. See above, on Ps. xiv. 1, and compare Prov. i. 32, x. 1, xii. 1, XXX. 2, Eccles. ii. 16. In the use of the verbs die and perish, there miay be an intentional allusion to the difierent destiny of the wise and foolish. Likeuise, or more hterallj together, at the same time. See above, Ps. iv. 9 (8), and compare Isa. i. 28. Substance, strength, pecuniary strength, the same word that is used in ver 7 (6) above. 12 (11). Their inward thought (is that J their houses (shall continue) for ever, their dwellings to generation and generation : they call their lands by their own names. This is substantially the common version, which is here retained because it jdelds a good sense, and is as probable as any other explanation of this very obscure verse. The first word in Hebrew strictly means the inside of anything, and especially of man, i.e. his mind or heart, particularly as distinguished from his words or outward conduct. See above, on Ps. v. 10 (9), and below, on Ps. Ixiv. 7 (6). The plural form at the end of the sentence occurs nowhere else, but corresponds to our word grounds, when applied to cultivated lands. As the singular, how- ever, though it commonly means ground, seems occasionally to denote a land or country, some understand the clause to mean that they (i. e. men indefinitely) proclaim (or celebrate) their names over lands, i. e. throughout various countries. Another possible, though not a probable construction, makes the last two words mean upon earth, the form of the Hebrew noun being assimilated to that of the particle before it. Amidst these various constructions the essential meaning still remains unchanged, to wit, that the rich fools of the foregoing context imagine their prosperity to be perpetual. 13(12). And man in honour shall not lodge ; he is made like to the brutes; they are destroyed. The and at the beginning is equivalent to and yet, or to the simple adversative but. It introduces the contrast of man's real frailty mth his imaginary permanence. As if he had said, " Such are the dreams of the rich fool, and (yet) man really," &c. The word translated honour properly means value, price, but is applied precisely like the corre- sponding Greek word (rifiii). It here includes all that makes the condition of the rich fool seem desirable, either to his own conceit, or to the envious admiration of his neighbours. In this position he is not to lodge, i. e. remain permanently, or with closer adherence to the strict sense of the verb, continue even for a night, implying that he is to perish before morning. This passage seems to have been present to our Lord's mind, when he uttered the parable of the Rich Fool. Compare especially with the verse before us, Luke xii. 20. Made like, assimilated, not in his origin, but in his end. The point of comparison seems to be their blindness and irra- tional destitution of all foresight. The word translated brutes may be still more closely rendered beasts, being properly descriptive of the larger qua- drupeds. It might even seem in this case to denote specifically cattle or domesticated animals, as those which men are especially accustomed to see suddenly deprived of life. But this Umitation of the term is pecuUar to prose style, whereas in poetry, when used distinctively, it rather signifies 228 Psalm 49:13, 14 wild hfosCs. It is bettc)', therefore, to give it here its wider sense of beasts in general, and to explain even these as mere representatives or samples of the whole class, brutes or irrational animals, like whom the rich fool is cut off suddenly and unawares. They are destroyed, or as the word seems to signify originally, silenced, brought to silence, i. e. stilled or hushed in death. By assuming an enallage or sudden change of number, we may construe this verb with the human subject. He (the rich fool) is treated like the brutes; {like these) they (the rich fools) are destroyed. A less emphatic but more obvious construction is that which refers it to the brutes themselves. He is made like to the beasts (which) are destroyed (before they are aware). 14 (13). This (is) their course; (such is) their folly ; and (yet) after them [men) will delight in what they say. Selah. Their loay or course means not only their behaviour, but their fate or destiny. See above, on Ps. i. 6. Such is their folly ; literally folly {is) to them, they have folly, they are fools. The noun means originally hope or expectation ; then an overweening confidence, a fond or foolish hope ; then folly, but not with- out a special reference to this specific form of it. The tenn is peculiarly appropriate to those who had just been described as confidently looking for a permanent enjoyment of tbeir present pleasures, when about to be de- prived of them for ever. After them may refer to those who follow them in time, their successors or descendants. But as a similar expression else- where denotes those who follow in the sense of imitating or adhering to a leader (Exod. xxiii. 2, 2 Sam. ii. 10), it is best to retain this meaning in the case before us. They whofolloio them, their imitators, their adherents, will delight in their mouth, approve of what they say, adopt their principles, and act upon their maxims. The general meaning of the verse, as thus explained, is that notwithstanding the gi-oss folly of such sinners, as proved by the end to which it brings them, they will still find some to walk in their footsteps, and to share their ruin. Against this propagated and per- petuated folly there is a tacit but emphatic protest in the meditative pause which follows, and in the Selah which denotes it. 15 (14). Like a flock, to the grave they drive ; death is their shepherd ; and the righteous shall rule over them in the morning ; and their form the grave (is) to consume ; from (their) home to him {they go or they belong). This is one of the most obscure and difficult verses in the book, although its general meaning is obvious enough. Like sheep, or like a flock, i. e. blindly, in confusion, and without choice or foresight of their own. See above, on ver. 13 (12). Hell, in the wide old English sense of the grave or the state of the dead. See above, on Ps. vi. 6 (5), ix. 18 (17), xvi. 10, xviii. 6 (5), XXX. 4 (3), xxxi. 18 (17). They drive ; the Hebrew verb, like the English one, is active in form, but really involves a passive meaning, they are driven, literally put or placed. See above, on Ps. xii. 6 (5). The figure of a flock is carried out by representing Death as the shepherd, by whom they are led or driven. The literal meaning of the words is. Death shall feed them, but the Hebrew verb means to feed as a shepherd ; or rather to perfonn the whole office of a shepherd. To this word and its synonyme in greek ('roifMaivu) we have no exact equivalent in English. The bald translation, death shall feed them, seems to imply that the pro- minent idea is that of nourishment, whereas it is that of guidance or direc- tion. The common version, death shall feed on them, although not ungram- matical, is entirely at variance with the figure of a flock and a shepherd, which immediately precedes. The verb translated rule seems originally to denote the act of treading on or trampling, in which sense it is supposed Psalm 49:15, 16 229 to be used by Joel, iv. 13 (iii. 13). If this sense be adopted here, the idea may be either that of treading on a grave, or on the neck of a conquered enemy. As the Hebrew verb, however, in every other case, means to rule over, and especially when followed by the same preposition as in this place, it is better to adhere to the established usage, which affords a perfectly good sense, namely, that the righteous shall soon triumph over their once prosperous oppressors. At break of day, or in the morning, i.e. very soon, to-morrow, with allusion, no doubt, to the form of expression in ver. 13 (12), above, and to the general use of night and morning, as figures for distress and relief from it. See above, on Ps. xxx. 6 (5). Their form, shape, figure, perhaps with an implication of beauty, which is expressed in the English version. Consume, literally make old, wear out, waste away. See above, on Ps. xxxii. 3. Is to consume, will do so, or is about to do so. The last clause is even more obscure than what precedes. The last word in Hebrew means to him (or it), which most interpreters exchange, by an enallage of number, into them. It may, however, be referred directly to the nearest antecedent, hell, the grave, or to death, personified in the first clause. From (their) dwelling, i. e. driven from it, (they descend or they belong) to him. However harsh the elUpsis here assumed may seem, it is really less so than to omit the preposition with some writers, or the pro- noun with others, or with one to understand from dwelling to mean a dwelling which is not a dv/elling, or, as we might say, an undwelling. Apart from these minute verbal difficulties, the general idea of the verse is plain, to wit, that they who are now an object of envy or congratulation are soon to be deprived by death of all theii* coveted and boasted advan- tages. 16 (15). Only God will redeem my soul from the hand of Hell, for he will take me. Selah. The Hebrew particle at the beginning of the sentence always denotes a limitation or exception. See above, on Ps. xxxvii. 8, xxxix. 12 (11). It may here mean either that his own case is excepted from the destruction which he has been describing, and which might seem to be described as universal ; or that God alone can afford that safety which the rich fool hopes to derive from his secular advantages. Redeem, in allu- sion to ver. 8, 9 (7, 8), above. The hand is a common emblem of power, but it may here belong to a personification of Sheol, the grave, or hell, like that of death in ver. 15 (14). For he will take me, i.e., as some suppose, will take me to himself, accept me. But as the verb is nowhere absolutely used in this sense, it is better to explain it as a parallel expression to redeem. " He will redeem me from the hand of Sheol, for he will take me (out of it)." Either of these constructions is more natural than that which makes Sheol the subject of the last verb. " He will redeem me from the hand of Sheol, when it seizes (or would seize) me." The hostile sense thus put upon the verb may be justified by the analogy of Isa. xxviii. 19 ; but the change of subject and the less usual meaning of the. particle (^3) are not to be assumed without necessity. 17 (16). Be not thou afraid because a man groivs rich, because the glory of his house increases. Here begins the apphcation or practical conclusion of the foregoing meditations. It is marked by a change of form, the Psalm- ist now no longer speaking of himself, but to himself, or to anotter, as the person most directly interested in his subject. See a similar transition in Ps. xxxii. 8, and compare the parental or authoritative tone of the address with that in Ps. xxxiv. 12 (11). Fear not, be not apprehensive or solicitous, not merely for thyself, but for the cause of truth and goodness. 230 Psalm 49:17, 18 See above, on Ps. xxx\di. 1. The eonjunction in the first clause may also be translated when or though. But the proper causal meaning of the particle should always be preferred when admissible, and especially in cases like the present, where it yields not only a good sense but the best sense, since the increasing wealth and honour of the wicked is certainly assigned as the cause or occasion of the anxious apprehensions here forbidden. The use of the English present tense in the translation of this verse is merely idio- matic, since in such connections it is really a future. The verb of the first clause is a causative, and strictly means to enrich or make rich. The tran- sition to the neuter or intransitive sense is precisely similar to that of the English verb increase, which strictly means to make greater, but in this very sentence has the intransitive sense of growing (or becoming) greater. There is no other clear example of the first Hebrew verb being so used. Dan. xi. 2, and Prov. x. 4, are at least ambiguous. A man cannot of itself denote a bad man, but that idea is suggested by the context, and especially by the use of the word man in ver. 8 (7), 13 (12). Glory or honour here includes all the sensible eff'ects of riches, as a source of admiration and applause. Souse, in the wide sense, common to both languages, including both the dwelling and the family, the house and household. See Gen vii. 1, xviii. 19, XXXV. 2, 1. 4. 18 (17.) For not in his death will he take the whole ; not down will go after him his glory. The form of the original is here retained as far as possible, in order to exhibit its highly idiomatic character. The position of the negative in both clauses makes it far more emphatic than in our Eng- lish collocation. At his death, in his dying, when he dies. The whole: this word is usually rendered all, but it is invariably a substantive in He- brew, and is here determined to be such by the definite article prefixed. Not the whole, however, or not all, is by no means so significant a phrase in EngUsh as in Hebrew, where the absence of indefinite pronouns makes this the only way of saying not anything, i. e. nothing WhUe the words therefore certainly mean that he shall not take all, they likewise mean that he shall not take any of his secular possessions with him ; and this stronger sense is here required by the context. His glory, as in the preceding verse, his wealth and the honours or distinctions springing from it. Descend after him, not in the moral or legal sense of a hereditary descent to his heirs, but in the local sense of a descent into the grave or the unseen world. The whole verse assigns a reason for not envying the wealthy sinner, namely, because he will be soon obliged to leave his wealth behind him. 19 (18). For his soul in his life he will bless, and (others) will praise thee because thou doest good to thyself. There is no need of giving ^3 the sence of but, though, or any other than its proper causal sense offer, because. See above, on ver. 17 (16). This verse assigns the reason of the fact alleged in the one before it. The wealthy sinner is to carry nothing with him when he dies, because he is to have his " good things" in the present life. This is God's appointment in accordance with his own free choice. In his life (or lifetime), as long as he lives, he is to bless his soul (or hirn- self), i. e. to reckon himself happy, and to be so esteemed by others. In the last clause, the third person is abruptly exchanged for the second, and the wealthy sinner, of whom the Psalmist had been speaking to himself or his disciple, is directly addressed, as if personally present. This applica- tion of the figure called apostrophe is made with great skill and rhetorical effect. The plural verb is indefinite, as in ver. 14 (13) above. They, i. e. men in general, or others, as distinguished from himself. The verb itself Psalm 49:19, 20 231 means strictly to acknowledge or confess ; then more specifically, to acknow- ledge benefits received, to thank ; and then io praise in general. See above, on Ps. vi. 6 (5). The primary meaning may be here still kept in view, by understanding him to mean, they will recognise thee (or take knowledge of thee) that thou doest good (or as one doing good) to thyself. There is no need of substituting either a present or a past tense for the futures, which are perfectly appropriate in speaking of a course of conduct yet to be acted out, the wealthy sinner being represented as still living, both in this verse and the one before it. There is pungent sarcasm in the close of this verse : they will praise thee because thou doefet good — to thyself Or, because thou doest well — for thyself The addition of this last phrase serves to characterise vividly, not only the rich sinner but his flatterers. There can be Httle doubt that our Saviour tacitly alluded to the first clause of this verse, when he made Abraham say to Dives, " Son, remember that thou in thy Ufetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things ; but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented" (Luke xvi. 25). This is indeed a most instructive commentary on the passage now before us, a^ exhibiting the future revolution in the relative position of the parties, as a reason for not envying the wealthy sinner now. It is equally certain, that the Rich Fool's address to his own soul, in Luke xii. 19, was suggested by the same clause of the psalm before us, in his lifetime he will bless his soid. Indeed, the whole conception of the Rich Man in the one case, and the Rich Fool in the other, may be said to be borrowed from this psalm, and may therefore derive instructive and interesting illustration from it. 20 (19). It shall go (or thou shalt go) to the generation of his fathers ; for ever they shall not see light. The first verb may be either a third person feminine, agreeing with soul, or a second person masculine, addressed directly to the wealthy sinner. In the latter case, we must suppose an immediate change to the third person, in order to account for the expression his fathers. In either case, the idea is that he shall go, though this would not be a correct translation of the Hebrew words. The whole clause has reference to the frequent description of death in the Old Testament, as a man's sleeping with his fathers, or being gathered to his fathers. Generation may be taken as a collective term, denoting the successive generations of his fathers, either natural or spiritual, i. e. either his Uteral progenitors, or his predecessors iu the same way of thinking and the same course of life. There is no absurdity indeed in supposing the two senses to be here coinci- dent. To perpetuity they shall not see, in our idiom, they shall never see. The light, i. e. the light of life, or the light of the living, an expression used by David, Ps. Ivi. 14 (13). The meaning of the whole verse is, that the wealthy sinner is to die as his fathers died before him, and continue dead like them, without returning to revisit, much less to repossess, the riches and honours which he once imagined were to last for ever. This completes the proof that these advantages are not legitimate or even rational occasions of envious dissatisfaction to the righteous. 21 (20). Man (that is) in honour ani undentandeth not is likened to the beasts (that) are destroyed. The first verb in this verse and the first verb in ver. 13 (12) diflfer only in a single letter (]>2'* ^^^ yh''), in consequence of which they are confounded by the ancient Greek and Syriac translators, and some modern critics have proposed to amend one of the places by assimilation to the other. But the prevalent practice of the Hebrew writers, where the same burden or re/ram recurs, is not to repeat it slavishly, but with some sUght variation in the form, which not unfrequently suggests 232 Psalm 50:1 -3 a new idea, or modifies the one before expressed. See above, on Ps. xxiv. 10, xHi. 12 (11). So here, at the close of the first strophe, the rich fool is compared to the brutes that perish, with respect to the uncertainty of his enjoyments ; and again at the close of the second, with respect to his irrationality, the points of comparison being distinct but inseparable. No wonder that the sinner is cut off unawares like the brutes, when in fact he is equally irrational. By tampering with the text of either passage, there- fore, we take from the psalm one of its moral lessons, as well as one of its rhetorical beauties. Psalm 50 Under the figure of a great judicial process, God himself is introduced, exposing and condemning the hypocrisy of formalists, and expounding the true nature of his law. After a striking introduction, ver. 1-6, he reproves the perversion, and exhibits the true meaning, of the first table of the law, yer. 7-15, and then of the second, ver. 16-21, and closes with a solemn warning and a gracious promise, ver. 22-23. 1. A Psalm. By Asaph. The Almighty, God, Jehovah, speaks, and calls the earth, from the risiny of the sun unto the going down thereof. Asaph was one of David's chief musicians (1 Chron. xv. 17, 19), and also an inspired psalmist (1 Chron. xxv. 2, 2 Chron. xxix. 30). In both these capacities the psalm might be ascribed to him, nor is it pos- sible either to prove or disprove that it was composed by him. Mighty or Almighty is not an adjective agreeing with the next word [the Mighty Crod), but a substantive in apposition with it. Three divine names are put to- gether in a kind of climax. El, Elohim, Jehovah. The first represents God as almighty, the second as the only proper object of worship and (by its plural form) as perfect, the thii'd as self- existent and eternal, and at the same time as the peculiar God of Israel. The same combination occurs in Josh. xxii. 22. It is here intended to enhance the grandeur of the scene by setting forth the titles of the judge or sovereign. Speaks, or more exactly spoke, has spoken, by which, however, we may understand an act just past. The same remark applies to the word calls, which is here used in the sense of summoning or citing. From sunrise to sunset, or from east to west, is a natural description of the earth in its whole extent, including its remotest bounds but not excluding that which lies between them. See above, on Ps. ii. 8. 2. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined. He comes forth, in a splendid and imposing manner, from his royal residence, the seat of the theocracy, which is described as perfectly beautiful, not only in a moral and spiritual sense, but in reference also to its lofty situation, cele- brated in Ps. xlviii. 3 (2) above. The Hebrew verb is borrowed from the subhme theophany in Deut. xxxiii. 2 ; see also Ps. Ixxx. 2 (1), xciv. 1. 3. Our God shall come — and let him not be silent — fire before him shall devour, and around him it shall be tempestuous exceedingly. The future in the first clause may be rendered he is coming, as if the sound of his voice and the hght of his glory had preceded his actual appearance. The imagery is borrowed from the giving of the law at Sinai, Exod. xix. 16, xx. 18. Consuming fire is a common emblem of God's vindicatory justice (Deut. xxxii. 22, 2 Thess. i. 8), and of God himself considered as a righteous God (Deut. iv. 24, ix. 3, Heb. xii. 29). Psalm 50:4 - 8 233 4. He will call to the heavens above and to the earth, to judge his people. The future, as before, describes an act just about to be performed. It might even be translated, he is calling. The compound preposition, from over, is used adverbially in the sense of above. See for example Gen. i. 7. The strict sense, /rom above, would here be inappropriate, since God is re- presented not as speaking from heaven, much less from above it, but as appearing upon earth, and visibly coming out of Zion. In our idiom these words would naturally mean that he summons heaven and earth to sit in judgment on his people. But according to Hebrew usage, the last clause may refer to the remoter antecedent, the subject of the principal verb, and be translated, so that he may judge his people. The heavens and earth, put for the whole creation, are summoned not as judges but as witnesses, as appears from ver. 6 below. See Deut. iv. 26, xxx. 19, xxxi. 28, and com- pare Isa. i. 2. 5. Gather for me my saints, ratifying my covenant over sacrifice. The judge here addresses, as it were, the ministerial officers of justice. Com- pare Mat. xxiv. 31. For me, as my messengers, acting in my behalf, or to me, i.e. to the place where I am, here, around me. My saints, the objects of my mercy, those whom I have called and specially distinguished. See above, on Ps. iv. 4 (3). The term is here descriptive of a relation, not of an intrinsic quality. Ratifying, literally cutting, striking, perhaps in allu- sion to the practice of slaying and dividing victims as a religious rite accom- pamdng solemn compacts. See Gen. xv. 10, 18. The same usage may be referred to in the following words, over sacrifice, i.e. standing over it, or on sacrifice, i. e. founding the engagement on a previous appeal to God. There is probably allusion to the great covenant transaction recorded in Exod. xxiv. 4-8. This reference to sacrifice shews clearly that what follows was not intended to discredit or repudiate that essential symbol of the t}^ical or ceremonial system. 6. And (now) the heavens have declared his righteousness, for God (is) judge himself. Selah. The heavens are witnesses of God's judicial rectit}ide, /or he hi)iiself (and not a delegated man or angel) is the judge (on this occasion). Or the last words may be rendered, he is judging, i. e. acting as a judge. The parties and the witnesses having been summoned, the judicial process now begins. The pause, denoted by the Selah, is one indicative of awe, excited by the dread solemnity of these proceedings. 7. Hear, my people, and let me speak, and let me testify against thee. God, thy God, am I. The introductory description being ended, the divine judg- ment now begins. Let me speak, or 1 icill speak, the peculiar fonn of the Hebrew verb, sometimes expressing strong desire and sometimes fixed de- termination. See above, on Ps. ii. 3. God is himself the witness against Israel, by whom the charge is to be proved, the heavens and the earth being only witnesses of the judicial scene or spectacle. I am not only God, but thy God, bound to thee by covenant, and reciprocally claiming thy alle- giance. This may be added as a reason why he has a right to testify against them ; or it may be the beginning of the testimony itself. " Let me testify against thee as thy God," or, "I will testify against thee, that I am thy God," although I am not so regarded or so treated. 8. Not for thy sacrifices will I reprove thee, and thy burnt- offerings before me always. The insertion of the words to have been, in the common version, seems to make the clause mean, that although they had neglected this ex- ternal rite, it was of no importance, whereas the simple meaning of the Hebrew sentence is, that they were not chargeable with this neglect, im- 234 Psalm 50:9 - 13 plying that the observance was obligatory, which is in perfect keeping with the tenor of the psalm. " I do not charge thee with withholding the material oflferings to which I am entitled, for in truth they are ever before me." To the generic term sacrifices, animal oblations, he adds the more specific one, humt- offering, the usual English version of a Hebrew term, denoting the principal and ordinary expiatory offering of the Mosaic ritual. See above, on Ps. XX. 4 (8), xl. 7 (6). 9. I will not take from thy house a bullock, {nor) from thy folds he-goats. Here begins the* correction of the false and foolish notion, extensively pre- valent among the heathen, and not unknown among the ancient Jews, especially in times of great corruption, that the sacrifices were designed to satisfy some physical necessity on God's part, whether in the way of food or otherwise. In opposition to this impious absurdity, it is argued that, even if God needed such supplies, he would not be dependent on the wor- shipper, who is here addressed directly as an individual, with great advan- tage to the liveliness and force of the whole passage. " K I needed bulls and goats, as you imagine, I would not be under the necessity of seeking them at your hands." 10. For to me (belongs) every least of the forest, the cattle in hills of a thousand. This last idiomatic phrase may either mean a thousand hills, or hills where the cattle rove by thousands, with probable allusion to the hilly grounds of Bashan beyond Jordan. See above, on Ps. xxii. 13 (12). Ac- cording to etymology, the noun in the first clause means an animal, and that in the second leasts or Irutes'm general. See above, on Ps. xHx. 13 (12). But when placed in antithesis, the first denotes a wild beast, and the second domesticated animals or cattle. Both words were necessary to express God's sovereign propriety in the whole animal creation. Thus understood, the verse assigns a reason for the negative assertion in the one before it. Even if God could stand in need of animal oblations, for his own sake, or for their sake, he would not be under the necessity of coming to man for them, since the whole animal creation is his property and per- fectly at his disposal. 11. / know every hird of the hills, and the population of the field (is) with me, i. e. in my presence, under my inspection, and within my reach. The past tense of the verb suggests not merely that it is so now, but that it has been so from the beginning. This is no newly acquired knowledge or authority, but such as are involved in the very relation between creature and creator. Population, literally movement, motion, i. e. animal motion, and by a natural metonjTny that which lives and moves. 12. If I were hungry, I would not say (so) to thee ; for to me (belongs) the world and its fulness, that which fills it, its contents and its inhabi- tants. See above, on Ps. xxiv. 1. The first clause may be rendered, with a closer adherence to the form of the original, if I am hungry, I will not say (so) to thee. All. this is said upon the supposition, that God may, in some sense, need supplies of this kind, although even then he would be wholly independent of man's bounty or fidelity in furnishing them. But the supposition is of course a false one, and is so represented in the next verse. 13. Will I eat the flesh of lulls and drink the Hood of goats? The future of the Hebrew verb is very expressive, suggesting the ideas of pos- sibility, necessity, and desire. , Do I desire the flesh and blood of beasts for my refreshment ? Do I need them for my sustenance ? Or is it even possible for me to use them in the way that you imagine ? The negative Psalm 50:14 - 16 235 answer, which is obviously expected to these questions, presupposes the great doctrine that Jehovah is a spirit, and as such exempt from all cor- poreal necessities. This, then, is another refutation of the gross and impious error that he needed their oblations. If they were necessary in themselves, he could obtain them elsewhere ; and that they are not neces- sary follows, as an inevitable consequence, from the spirituality of the divine nature. This is not the language of dry and formal ratiocination, which, on such a subject and in such a connection, would be not only mis- placed but revolting. It is rather the language of impassioned and indig- nant expostulation, holding up the absurdities, to which the error of the formal worshipper inevitably tended, as a refutation of the error itself. 14. Sacrifice to God thanksgiving, and (sO) pay unto the Most High thy vows. The first word means something more than offer, and contains a distinct allusion to the animal sacrifices mentioned in ver. 8 above. This is not an exhortaton to oflfer thanks or praise instead of material sacrifices, which would be inconsistent with the express requisition of the latter, but to oft'er them as expressions of thanksgiving, or in other words, to offer these as they were intended to be offered, not as a meritorious operation, nor as gross attempts to feed the Deity, but as symbohcal expressions of devout affection, repentance, faith, and love, all which we may suppose to be represented, or at least suggested, by the single act of praise or thanks- giving, here explicitly enjoined. The imperative in the last clause may, according to a very common Hebrew idiom, be resolved into a future, and the whole verse paraphrased as follows : " If you offer your material sacri- fices, not merely as such, but as the prescribed expression of inward spiritual exercises, you will thereby really discharge your obligations to the being whom you worship." 15. And call upon me in a day of distress ; I will free thee and thou shalt honour me. The imperative in the first clause, is dependent upon that in the preceding verse. The connection may be rendered clearer by substituting then for and. Offer such sacrifices, and you 'will reaUy dis- charge your obligations ; then, when you call upon me, I will hear you. Thou shalt honour me, thou shalt have occasion to renew thy praises and thanksgivings for new benefits received. With this encouraging assurance closes the divine exposition of the sacrificial system. 16. And to the wicked God saith, What hast thou (to do) to declare my statutes, and take thy covenant into thy mouth ? Thus far the doctrine of the psalm has had respect to the formal worshipper, whose rites are mere external services, expressive of no inward faith or love. But now it is applied. to him who actually violates the law which he professes to acknow- ledge. The wicked, the man of vicious life, who is afterwards described with more particularity. He is not necessarily distinct in real life from the formalist of the foregoing context. The description is not of two indi- viduals, but of two classes, to which one and the same person may belong, or two characters, which one and the same person may exhibit. Saith, said, or hath said, on the same ideal occasion. What (is) to thee, the only Hebrew mode of saying, what hast thou, i. e. what right or reason hast thou ? To declare, either by profession of one's own faith, or by authori- tative teaching of others. There may perhaps be some allusion to the primary meaning of the Hebrew verb, which is to count or number. See above, on Ps. xl. -6 (5). To count off or reckon up God's statutes is a very natural expression for censorious or ostentatious iteration, especially in this connection, where an obvious reference to the ten commandments 236 Psalm 50:17 -21 follows. My covenant, my law considered as conditional, or as involving reciprocal engagements upon my part. See above, on ver. 5. To take into the mouth, or more literally, to take up on the mouth, is a strong idio- matic phrase for uttering, pronouncing. See above, on Ps. xvi. 4. 17. And thou hast hated instruction, and hast cast my uvrds behind thee. The very person who enforces the law, in all its rigour, upon others, refuses to submit to it himself, and treats its precepts not only with neglect but with contempt. This passage seems to have been present to the mind of Paul, in that remarkable series of interrogations, " Thou therefore which teachest another teachest thou not thyself," &c. Kom. ii. 21-23. 18. If thou saivest a thief, thou consentedst xvith him, and with adulterers (has been) thrj portion. The first clause conveys far more than the simple idea of consent. The expression if thou saicest implies great eagerness and an instinctive drawing towards the thief as a congenial spirit. The second verb in Hebrew denotes a cordial and complacent acquiescence. Thy por- tion or participation, common interest, communion. These particular sins are mentioned with reference to their prohibition in the seventh and eighth commandments (Exod. xx. 14, 15). 19. Thy mouth thou hast given up to evil, and thy tongue will weave (or frame) deceit. The ninth commandment is now added to the other two, as being habitually violated by the person here addressed. Given up to, literally sent out with (or into) evil. The first clause is descriptive of mere evil speaking, the second of more artificial and ingenious lying. Both verbs include present time, but the first with the additional idea of an early habit, formed and settled in time past, the other with that of an inveterate habit, not likely to be broken or reformed hereafter. 20. TIiou toilt sit (and) against thy brother speak ; at the son of thy mother thou wilt aim a blow. To the general charge of falsehood is now added the specific one of slander, not against strangers, but his nearest friends. The idea suggested by the future is that such behaviour may be confidently looked for on the part of such a character. Thou wilt sit, in the company of others, or more specifically of the wicked, or of other wicked slanderers, as one of them. See above, on ver. 18. As brother might be understood as meaning merely any other man, it is determined by the un- ambiguous phrase, thy mother's son. This is mentioned merely as an extreme case, not as excluding other relations and friends, but rather com- prehending them. Aim a blow, literally give a thrust, so as to cast him down. The blow meant is a stroke of the tongue. Compare Jer. xviii. 18. 21. These things hast thou done, and I hare held my peace; thou hast imagined I was just like thyself. I will reprove thee, and array (thy sins) before thine eyes. God is described as silent when he does not interpose with his reproofs or manifest his displeasure. See above, on Ps. xxviii. 1. Imagined; the Hebrew verb originally means to liken or compare, and another of the same form to be silent, so that it is peculiarly appropriate in this place, where the mention of God's silence immediately precedes, and the imagining refen-ed to was a false assimilation of the Most High to the sinner himself. Just like, or exactly like, the intensive adverb corre- sponding to the emphatic repetition of the verb in Hebrew. In our idiom, an adversative particle is almost indispensable between the clauses ; but the more abrupt transition is congenial with the spirit and usage of the Hebrew language. Array, arrange, set in order, so that none shall be omitted or overlooked. See above, on Ps. v. 4 (3). Before thine eyes, literally to thine eyes, or to thy face, again implying that the sight of them Psalm 50:22, 23 237 is not to be avoided. This declaration of severe fidelity forms an appro- priate conclusion to the second lesson of the psalm, or that in which the mask is stripped off from the vicious hypocrite, who professes to serve God while he lives in the grossest violation of his precepts, as in the first part (ver. 7-15) it was torn from the formal hypocrite, who satisfies himself with a mere outward aud mechanical performance of rites designed to be significant of spiritual and devout affections. 22. Oh consider this, forgetters of God, lest I rend and there he no deliverer. To both the argumentative invectives which precede there is added in con- clusion a solemn exhortation, including both a warning or admonitory threatening and a promise. This verse contains the warning. The Hebrew particle of entreaty (^ii) is not so well expressed by the now of the English Bible as by the Oh of the Prayer Book version. The image pre- sented in the last clause is that of a ravenous beast, and more especially a lion. See above, on Ps. xxii. 14 (13). No deliverer, or more literally none delivering. The description of those addressed, as forgetting (or for- getters of) God, suggests that both forms of hypocrisy exhibited in this psalm owe their origin to ignorance, mistaken notions, or oblivion, of God's attributes and purposes and former acts. 23. (The man) sacrificing praise shall honour me, and prepare a way that / may shew him the salvation of God, that of which he is the author. See above, on Ps. iv. 9 (8). This phrase is used instead of my salvation, for the sake of a more sonorous close. The common version of the first clause makes it an identical preposition : ivhoso ofereth praise glorifieth me. At the same time it greatly weakens the expression by the use of the ambi- guous term offer. The words are all borrowed fiom ver. 14, 15, to which there is therefore a direct allusion, and by which the clause must be inter- preted. It is really a promise that he whose offerings are genuine expres- sions of thanksgiving shall have cause or occasion to praise God for his mercies. The rest of the sentence is more doubtful. According to the construction above given, which seems to be required by the accents, the meaning is, that he who offers the right kind of sacrifice, as before ex- plained, prepares the way, literally sets or lays a way, by which he shall himself attain to the experience of salvation. But as this confines the promise to the observance of the first great lesson taught in the psalm, we may give it a wider application, and the sentence a more regular form, by rendering the last clause thus, and (the man) ordering {his) way, I will shew the salvation of God. The man ordering his way, i. e. placing it, defining it, marking it out, is then contrasted with such as turn aside unto their crooked ways (Ps. cxxv. 5). The precise form of the construction is, {as to the man) ordering [his) way, 1 will shew him the salvation of God. This clause then has reference to the second lesson of the psalm (ver. 16-21), as the other to the first (ver. 7-15). The preposition before salva- tion in Hebrew often gives the verb to see the pregnant sense of gazing at or viewing with delight. See above, on Ps. xxii. 18 (17), xxxvii. 34. Psalm 51 1, 2. To the Chief Musician. A Psalm. By David. When Nathan the Prophet came unto him, as he [i. e. David) had come unto Bathsheba. 238 Psalm 5 1:1 -4 The first inscription was particularly necessary here, to shew that the psalm was designed for permanent and public use, since it might otherwise have been regarded as expressive of mere personal emotions. It has reference to the one great crime of David's Ufe, noted as such in the inspired history itself (1 Kings xv. 5), and involving the guilt of both adultery and murder. See 2 Sam. xi. and xii. The significant repetition of the phrase came unto in ver 2 is lost in the English and most other versions. As is not a mere particle of time, 'simply equivalent to when, but suggests the ideas of ana- logy, proportion, and retaliation. The psalm consists of two parts, a prayer and a vow. In the first, he prays to be forgiven and restored to the divine favour, ver. 3-14 (1-12). In the second, he shews how he means to tes- tify his gratitude, ver. 15-21 (13-19). 3 (1). Be gracious to me, (0) God, according to thy mercy ; according to the abundance of thy compassions, blot out my transgressions. In this verse and the next, he presents the petition which constitutes the theme or bur- den of the psalm. The appeal to the divine grace, mercy, and compassion, involves a confession of his own guilt and the justice of his condemnation. According to, literally like thy mercy, i.e. in accordance with it, in propor- tion to it. Here again there is a tacit admission of the greatness of his guilt, as requiring infinite mercy to forgive it. Abundance, increase, mul- titude. See above, on Ps. v. 8 (7). Compassions, tender mercies, a term expressive of the warmest and tenderest affections. See above, on Ps. xviii. 2 (1). Blot out, 'erase, from thy remembrance. The allusion is probably to a record or register of crimes, or to the cancelling of accounts, although the former seems to agree better with ancient and oriental usage. Compare Num. v. 23. Transgressions, or with closer adherence to the primary etymological import of the term, revolts, apostasies. See above, on Ps. xix. 14 (13), xxxii. 1. 4 (2). Thoroughly wash me from my iniquity, and from my sin cleanse me. The first word in Hebrew is the infinitive or imperative of a verb meaning to increase or multiply, but often used adverbially in the sense of plentifully, abundantly. The verb in the first clause properly denotes the act of washing the garments, as distinguished from that of bathing the body. See Num. xix. 19. The image here presented, therefore, is the same as in Jude ver. 23, sin being represented as a stain, and the grace of God as puri- fying water. 5 (3). For my transgressions I know, and my sin [is) before me always. His consciousness of guilt is urged, not only as a reason why he should ask forgiveness, but as a reason why God should grant it. As no one is for- given unless convinced of sin, so this conviction constitutes a kind of claim to pardon, not as being meritorious or intrinsically efficacious, but as an indication of God's merciful intentions, since conviction and forgiveness are ahke his gift. The same mutual connection of the two things is uniformly recognised in Scripture. See above, on Ps. xxxii. 5, and compare 2 Sam. xii. 13, Prov. xxviii. 13, 1 John i. 9. The future in the first clause is significant. I know it and shall know it ; I can never henceforth lose the sense or knowledge of it. 6 (4). To thee, thee ordy, have I sinned, and done the evil in thine eyes, to the intent that thou may est be just in thy speaking, and be clear in thy judging. The particle at the beginning denotes general relation, as to, or respecting. The precise relation meant must be determined by the context. See above, on Ps. xxxv. 19, 24, xxxviii. 17 (16). It does not, therefore, directly and explicitly substitute God for man as the injured party, which Psalm 51:5 -7 239 is the only sense that can be put upon the English phrase against thee. This idea, however, is undoubtedly implied, as well as perfectly consistent with the usage of the Scriptures in describing all sin as committed against God. Even murder, the highest crinie that can be committed against man, is condemned and punished as the violation of God's image (Gen. ix. 6). It is also possible to understand thee, thee only, as opposed not to other objects, but to the sinner himself, as one of two contending parties. As if he had said, thou hast not sinned against me, but I have sinned against thee, thee only. The evil, not this evil, which restricts the acknowledgment too much, but that which is evil, meaning sin in general. To the intent that may have reference to the divine purpose in permitting David's sin to take this aggi'avated form, so that there could be neither doubt nor transfer nor participation of his guilt, and so that when God spoke in condemnation of it, he might not only be, but appear to be, entirely just. There is no need, therefore, of adopting the weaker meaning, so that, denoting a mere consequence but not a purpose, or of supposing the intention indicated to be merely that of the confession, " I acknowledge this, that thou mayest be just, &c. Speaking, i. e. speaking as a judge, deciding, or more definitely still, condemning. It is therefore substantially equivalent to the parallel term judging. 7 (5). Lo, in iniquity I ivas born, and in sin did my mother conceive me. The meaning of the first verb is determined by its use in Job xv. 7, Prov. \dii. 24, 25, and that of the corresponding active form in Job xxxix. 1. The iniquity and sin meant are not those of his mother, but his own. Having just before confessed his actual transgressions, he now acknowledges the corruption of his nature. This has always been regarded as the locus classicus of the Old Testament, in reference to the doctrine of original sin. 8 (6). Lo, truth thou hast desired in the inward (or secret) farts, and in the hidden (part) uisdom thou wilt make vie know. The repetition of behold or lo, at the beginning of the sentence, seems to indicate a close connection with the preceding verse. That connection is most probably as follows : — *' Since I am corrupted in my very nature, and thou canst be satisfied with nothing short of inward sincerity, thou must bestow what thou requirest, by imparting to me heavenly wisdom." Truth, siocerity, reahty, as opposed to hypocritical profession or pretence. The first verb means not merely to desire, but to will, as in Job xxxiii. 32. The past tense implies that it has always been so, that the requisition is no sudden or capricious one, but an eternal law founded in God's very nature. The inward and hidden parts are mentioned as opposed to the mere outside. Wisdom, divine illumina- tion, without which no correct view either of sin or holiness is possible. Thou wilt make me know, involves a prayer, although in form it is an ex- pression of strong confidence. 9 (7). Thou wilt purge me with hyssop, and 1 shall he clean ; thou wilt wash me, and I shall he whiter than snow. What he asked in ver. 4 (2) he here anticipates with confidence. The verb translated purge is very expres- sive, being a derivative of that which means to sin in ver. 6 (4) above. It denotes specifically, therefore, purification from the stain of sin, either by actual payment of the penalty (Gen. xxxi. 39), or by vicarious satisfaction (Num. xix. 19). Hyssop is mentioned as a plant much used in the Levi- tical purgations, either as a convenient instrument of sprinkling (Exod. xii. 22), or as an emblem of the divine condescension, viewed in contrast with the divine majesty (Isa. Ixvi. 1, 2), as represented by the cedar, with which the hyssop is perpetually joined. See Num xix. 18, and compare 1 Kings v. 13. 240 Psalm 5 1:8 -10 iv. 33. In either case, to purge with hyssop necessarily suggests the idea of a purification founded on atonement, as the hyssop was employed to sprinkle purifying substances, and sometimes mingled with them (Exod. xii. 22, Num. xix. 6, 18). The second future in each clause expresses both consent and expectation. Whiter than snow is a natural hyperbole denoting perfect purity. See the sames image applied to the same subject in Isa. i. 18. The last verb answws to the English whiten, being properly a causative, but sometimes used intransitively, just as we may say, that blushing reddens the face, or that the face reddens in the act of blushing. " Wash me, and I shall whiten (become white) from (away from, as distinguished from, and by implication more than) snow." 10 (8.) Thou wilt make to hear joy and gladness; (then) shall rejoice the bones (which) thou hast broken {bruised, or crushed). What is formally expressed is still a confident expectation or assured hope, under which, however, an intense desire is implicitly contained. The joy here antici- pated is that of pardoned sin. See above, on Ps. xxxii. 1. He expects to hear it, as communicated or announced by God. The word then is in- troduced in the translation for the sake of retaining the original arrange- ment of the sentence, closing, as it does in Hebrew, with the emphatic figure, crushed or broken, which expresses, in a very lively manner, the dis- order and distress produced by consciousness of aggi'avated and unexpiated guilt. The change fi-om this condition to a sense of safety and reconcilia- tion with God, is not too strongly represented by the bold but most ex- pressive figure of broken bones rejoicing. The ellipsis of the relative in this clause is common to both idioms. 11 (9.) Hide thy face from my sins, and all my iniquities blot out. The desire implied in the anticipations of the two preceding verses now breaks out into its proper form, that of direct petition. Hide thy face from them, so as not to see them, look no longer at them. The same figure is ap- plied, in an unfavourable sense, to God's apparent neglect of his sutFering servants, his refusal to behold them or to notice their condition. See above, on Ps. xiii. 2 (1), xliv. 25 (24). Blot out, expunge, from thy account, or from the book of thy remembrance, as in ver. 3 (1) above. What be asks as to his sins is that God will cancel and forget them. 12 (10.) A pare heart create for me, (0) God, and a fixed (or settled") spirit renew within me. The petition in the first clause involves a confes- sion of impurit}', and of dependence on almighty power and sovereign grace for its removal. A pm-e heart ia a famiUar Scriptural figure for affections free from the taint of sin. See above, on Ps. xxiv. 4, and below, on Ps. Ixxiii. 1, and compare Mat. v. 8, Acts xv. 9. While the use of the word create imphes the necessity of an almighty intervention, the additional phrase to (or for) me suggests the idea of a gift which is often expressed elsewhere in the same connection. See Jer. xxiv. 7, Ezek. xi. 19, xxxvi. 26, and compare 1 Sam. x. 9. The gift demanded in the last clause is that of a firm, unwavering spirit, as opposed both to fickleness and cowardice, Compare the use of the same adjective or participle in Ps. Ivii. 8 (7), Ixxviii. 37, cxii. 7. The word renew imphes a previous possession of it, derived not from nature but from grace, and interrrupted by his yielding to temptation. Though his faith and love could not utterly fail, bis fixed- ness of purpose was destroyed for the time, and could only be recovered by a new conversion, as in the case of Peter (Luke xxii. 32). Within me, in^ the midst (or in the inside) of me. The same Hebrew noun is repeatedly used elsewhere, to denote the inward dispositions and affections, as distinguished Psalm 5 1:12 -14 241 from a mere profession or appearance. See above, on Ps. v. 10 (9), xlix. 12 (11). 13 (11). Cast me not aivaij from thy presence, and thy Holy Sjnrit take not from me. As indispensable prerequisites and means to the possession of such a heart and spirit as he had just prayed for, he recognises intimate communion with God, and the active influences of his Spirit. This prayer, unless we arbitrarily supply ayain or for ever, seems to imply that David was in actual possession of these blessings and afraid of losing them. There may be an intentional allusion to his own reception of the Spirit and to Saul's privation of it, as recorded in 1 Sam. xvi. 1, 7, 13. Compare 1 Sam. X. 6, 10, Isa. xi. 2. 14 (12). Restore to me the joy of thy salvation, and (with) a uilling sjnrit uphold me. The first verb is a causative in Hebrew, meaning make to return, implying previous possession. The next phrase may be explained, according to a very common Hebrew idiom, thy joy of salvation, thy saving joy. See above, on Ps. ii. 6. But the obvious construction seems to yield the best sense, namely, that of joy occasioned by salvation, or relating to it as its subject. This joy was of course incompatible with any interruption of God's presence and the assurance of his favour. The word translated willing means spontaneous, prompt, forward to act without coercion ; then liberal, generous, noble. See above, on Ps. xlvii. 10 (9). It may be taken as an epithet of the Holy Spirit ; but the omission of the pronoun (thy) which determines it in the foregoing verse, and the repeated use of spirit in the context to denote his own heart, makes it more probable that this is the sense here likewise. By such a spirit of spontaneous conformity to God's will he aesires and hopes to be held up, i.e. preserved from falling as he fell before. 15 (13). (Then) will I teach transgressrs thy ways, and sinners unto thee shall return. Here begins the expression of his thankfulness, or rather a description of the way in which he is determined to express it. The word supphed at the beginning points out the connection of the verses. " Then, when these petitions have been answered, I will teach," &c. The form of the Hebrew verb denotes a strong desire and a settled purpose, as if he had said, " I am resolved to teach." Transgressors, rebels, traitors, apostates. See above, on ver. 5 (3). Thy ways, as well the ways in which thou walkest as the ways in which thou requirest us to walk, the course of pro- vidence and the course of duty. See above, on Ps. xviii. 22, 31 (21, 30). In both these senses, he might naturally wish to " vindicate the ways of God to man." Of this resolution a partial fulfilment is recorded in Ps. xxxii. 8, 9. The effect of such instructions is recorded in the last clause of the verse before us. The Hebrew verb there used is not a passive {shall be converted), but an active form, shall turn or return to the Lord, perhaps with an allusion to the great original apostasy, in which the whole race is involved. See above, on Ps. xxii. 28 (27). To this verse there seems to be particular allusion in our Saviour's words to Peter, Luke xxii. 32. 16 (14). Free me from blood, O God, God of my salvation, (and) my tongue shall celebrate thy righteousness. The first clause contains the condition of the second, and the whole is equivalent to saying ** If thou wilt save me, I will praise thee." Blood, literally bloods, the plural being idio- matically used when there is reference to murder. See above, on Ps. V. 7 (6). There may be an allusion to the frequent personification of the victim's blood, as crying out for vengeance on the murderer or pursuing him (Gen. iv. 10, ix. 5, 6). The verb translated /ree is applied to deliver- 242 Psalm 51:15 -18 ance from enemies in Ps. vii. 2 (1), and from sins (as here) in Ps. xxxix. 9 (8). The strength of the desire here expressed may derive some illustration from the threatening in 2 Sam. xii. 9, 10. Celebrate, applaud by shout or song. See above, on Ps. v. 12 (11), xx. 6 (5), xxxii. 11, xxxiii. 1. 17 (15). Lord, my lips thou wilt open, and my mouth shall declare- thy praise. The relation of the clauses to each other is the same as in the foregoing verse. " K thou wilt open my lips, my mouth," &c. The first clause therefore really includes a petition that his lips may be opened ; but it also includes more, to wit, a confident anticipation that his prayer will be granted. The sense is therefore only partially expressed by rendering the future as an imperative (open thou my lij^s). The exact form as well &8 the sense of the original is given in the Prayer-Book Version (thou shalt open my lips, 0 Lord). Open my lips, i. e. enable me to praise thee by afibrding an occasion, and empower me to praise thee, by removing this oppressive sense of guilt, which condemns me to perpetual silence. Com- pare Isa. vi. 5-7. Declare, tell, utter, or proclaim. See above, Ps. xix. 2 (1). 18 (16). For thou desirest not sacrifice, else would I give (it), (in) burnt- offering thou delightest not. He now assigns the reason why he is deter- mined to requite God's favour by becoming praise. The literal translation of the first clause is, thou wilt not desire sacrifice, and I will give (it), i.e. but if thou dost desire it, I will give it. By sacrifice we must here under- stand the mere material oblation, apart from the penitent and thankful spirit, of which it was the required expression. See above, on Ps. xl. 7, (6). The parallel terms, sacrifice and burnt-offering, are commonly re- garded as generic and specific expressions of the same idea. But some interpreters deny that they are ever confounded or promiscuously used, and give the first the sense oi thank-offerings, which are then joined with expia- tory ofierings, as a general description of all animal oblations. 19 (17). The sacrifices of God (are) a broken spirit ; a heart broken and crushed, (0) God, thou wilt not despise. These are natural and perfectly intelligible figures for profound and submissive sorrow on account of sin. There is great significance and beauty in what seems at first to be a sole- cism in the language of the first clause. The sacrifice of God is a broken spirit might seem to be a more correct expression ; but it would have failed to suggest the striking and important thought, that one such heart or spirit is equivalent to all the various and complicated sacrifices of the ritual. The sacrifices of God are those which he requires and is willing to accept. The use of the word contrite in the English versions mars the beauty of the metaphor, because that term is confined to the dialect of theology, whereas the Latin contriium, from which it was borrowed, as well as the original expression, exactly corresponds to broken, both in its literal and figurative usage. Thou wilt not despise, when it is ofiered, and especially when I present it, as the solemn expression of my thanks for this deUverance. The substitution of the present for the future would both weaken and obscure the sentence, and the same consideration might be urged in favour of a strict translation in the verse preceding. So far is a habitual sorrow for sin from being inconsistent with the joy of God's salvation, that David here engages to present it as a perpetual thank-offering. Compare the language of Hezekiah, Isa. xxxviii. 15. 20 (18). Do good, in thy favour, to Zion ; thou wilt build the walls of JeriLsalem. From his own personal necessities his mind now passes to Psalm 51:19 243 those of the whole church, of which he was the visible head and representa- tive, thereby implying that his sense of guilt and danger had been aggra- vated by the thought of his official relation to God's people, who must have shared in his disgrace and punishment. See above, on Ps. iii. 4 (3), iv. 3 (2). The change of construction from the imperative to the future marks a natural transition fi'om importunate desire to confident anticipa- tion. See above, on ver. 9-11 (7-9). This delicate transition there is surely no need of obliterating by a gratuitous assimilation of the moods and tenses. The building of the walls is a poetical parallel to doing good or shewing favour, and the opposite of dismantling in Ps. Ixxxix. 41 (40). 21 (19). Then shall thou he pleased with sacrifices of righteousness, burnt- offering and holocaust ; then shall they offer on thine altar bullocks. Then i. e. when thou hast done good to Zion and fortified Jerusalem. Sacrifices of righteousness, righteous or right sacrifices. See above, on Ps. iv. 6 (5). Some have inferred from this verse, that the psalm was written in the Babylonish exile, when the temple was in ruins and the ceremonial law suspended, and that the Psalmist here anticipates the time when both should he restored. But this is foi'bidden by his saying, in ver. 18 (16), that if God desired burnt-offerings he would give them, plainly implying the continued observance of the sacrificial system. There is no gi*ound, therefore, for disputing either the correctness of the title, which ascribes the psalm to David, or the genuineness of the last two verses, which some have rejected as an addition by a later hand. These verses are not only appropriate but necessary as a conclusion to the psalm, and every difficulty is removed by giving them their natural but figurative meaning, as an expression of desire and hope that God would favour his own people and graciously accept their service. Holocaust is here used to translate a single Hebrew word, meaning a sacrifice entirely consumed upon the altar. It does not describe something wholly distinct from the burnt-offering, but the burnt-offering itself considered as a complete and unreserved oblation. See 1 Sam. vii. 9. Bullocks are mentioned as the choicest victims in point of species, size, and age. By a slight change of construction we obtain the bold and striking declaration that the bullocks shall themselves ascend the altar, i. e. as a living and spontaneous sacrifice. Compare Isa. Ix. 7. Psalm 52 This psalm, besides the title, ver. 1, 2, contains three stanzas of three verses each. In the first, the Psalmist expostulates with an arrogant, cruel, and deceitful enemy, ver. 3-5 (1-3). In the second, he foretells the destruction of his enemy by the divine judgments, and the contempt to be excited by his folly, ver. 6-8 (4-6). In the third, he contrasts this fatal fruit of unbeUef with the happy effects of his own trust in God, ver. 9-11 (7-9). The two Selahs in ver. 5, 7 (3, 5), have reference not so much to the form of the psalm as to the feelings of the Psalmist, and are therefore placed irregularly. See above, on Ps. iii. 3 (2). The variation of the English and the Hebrew Bible, in numbering the verses of this psalm, is the same, and arises from the same cause, as in the fifty-first. 1. To the Chief Musician. Maschil. By David. The psalm is ex- pressly designated as a Maschil or didactic psalm, because its adaptation to this purpose might very easily be overlooked in consequence of its avowed 244 Psalm 52:1 -4 relation to a particular event in David's history. See above, on Ps. xxxii. 1, xlii. 1, xlv. 1. Though occasioned by this incident, however, it was written for the permanent and pubHc use of the ancient church, and is therefore inscribed to (or for) the Chief Musician. See above, on Ps. iv. 1, h. 1. 2. When Do'eg the Edomite came and told Saul, and said unto him, David is come to the house of Ahimelech. This is merely the beginning of the story, which is supposed to be familiar to the reader of the psalm, and which is given at length in 1 Sam. xxii. Doeg is mentioned only as the witness or informer, by whose means the matter came to Saul's knowledge. When he came, literally in his coming, the same form of expression as in Ps. U. 2. 3 (1). Why wilt thou boast thyself in evil, mighty {^nan) 1 The mercy of the Almighty (is) all the day. The futui'e form of the verb suggests the idea of obstinate persistency. Boast thyself in evil, exult or triumph in the injury of others. The mighty man is not Doeg but Saul, who, of all the characters in sacred history, approaches nearest to the classical idea of a hero. There is something, therefore, of respect and admiration implied in the address, as if he had said " How can one who might have been sa eminent in well-doing, glory in his shame or boast himself in evil?" In the last clause there is an obvious antithesis between the malice of this mighty man and the unfailing goodness of the mighty God. The particular- divine name here used therefore is peculiarly signiiicant. See above, on Ps. V. 5 (4), 1. 1. As if he had said, " Mighty and maUcious as thou art, the might and mercy of Jehovah are still greater." All the day, i. e. perpetual, unceasing. See above, on Ps. xhi. 11 (10). 4 (2). Mischiefs will thy tongue devise, like a razor whetted, working deceit- fully. The first word means calamitous events, brought on one man by the malice of another. See above, on Ps. v. 10 (9), xxxviii. 13 (12), and be- low, on Ps. Ivii. 2 (1). The distinctive meaning of the future is the same as in ver. 3 (1). The tongue is here said to meditate or devise mischief, because it is personified, or poetically substituted for the speaker. The allusion is to Saul's cutting words when he accused Ahimelech and David of conspiracy against him (1 Sam. xxii. 13). This false charge, or the tongue which uttered it, is likened to a razor, not merely sharp but sharp- ened, whetted, for the purpose or occasion. See above, on Ps. xlv. 6 (5). Similar comparisons occur in Ps. Iv. 22 (21), Ivii. 5 (4), lix. 8 (7), Ixiv. 4 (3), Jer. ix. 2, 7 (3, 8). Working deceitfully, literally deceit or fraud. These words may be grammatically referred to the speaker or his tongue as prac- tising deceit ; but it yields a more striking sense to understand them of the razor, as working deceitfully, i. e. moving silently and smoothly, when it cuts most keenly. 5 (3). Thou hast loved evil [more) than good, falsehood (more) than speaking righteousness. The past tense, like the futures in the foregoing verses, in- cludes the idea of the present; but unlike them, it represents the love of sin as already long-continued and habitual. Compare the form of expres- sion with that in Ps. xlv. 8 (7). Righteousness includes truth or veracity, as the genus comprehends the species. The particular unrighteousness here meant is falsehood, as appears from the antithesis. The selah tacitly suggests the writer's abhorrence of that which he describes. 6 (4). Thou hast loved all devouring ivords, tongue of fraud. This is not so much a continuation of the foregoing discourse, as a resumption or re- capitulation for the purpose of drawing a conclusion from it. In periodic- Psalm 52:5 -7 245 style, the connection of the ideas might be thus exhibited : " Since then thou lovest, &c., therefore God will," &c. Devouring words, literally words of swallotvinrf or deglutition. The second noun occurs only here ; but the verb to swallow up is continually used in Hebrew to express the idea of complete destruction. See above, on Ps. xxi. 10 (9), xxxv. 25. Tongue of deceit or deceitful tongue. This phrase may be governed by the verb, thou hast loved all devouring words {and or even) a deceitful tongice. But it adds to the strength of the expression, and agrees better with the form of the context, to make it an apostrophe or direct address to the deceitful tongue itself. 7 (5). (So) likewise shall God destroy thee for ever ; he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of (thy) tent, and root thee out of the land of life. Selah. The particle at the beginning, also, likewise, shews the dependence of this verse upon the one before it, which is really conditional though not in form. "As thou, on thy part, lovest all devouring words, so likewise God, on his part, will destroy thee." No exact translation can convey the full force of the verbs in this verse, which suggests a variety of striking figures for destruction or extermination. The first denotes properly the act of pulling down or demolishing a house (Lev. xiv. 45), and this would also seem to be the primary meaning of the third (Prov. xv. 25), although some suppose it to denote the act of pulling up, and to be the opposite of plant, as the first verb is of build. The second verb, in every other place where it occurs, has reference to the handling and carrying of fire or coals. See Prov. vi. 27, xxv. 22, Isa. xxx. 14. To a Hebrew reader, therefore, it would almost necessarily suggest, not the general idea of removal merely, but the specific one of removing or taking away like fire, i. e. as coals are swept out from a hearth, or otherwise extinguished. The remaining verb adds to these figures that of violent eradication, and is well represented by its English equivalent. The land of life, or, as it is c6mmonly translated, and of the living, is a poetical description of life itself, or the present state of existence, under the figure of a country. See above, on Ps. xx\di. 13. The quick recurrence of the pause implies excited feeling, and invites attention to the threatening which immediately precedes. 8 (6). And the righteous shall see, and they shall fear, and at him they shall laugh. The fear meant is that religious awe produced by any clear manifestation of God's presence and his power. In Ps. Ixiv. 9, 10 (8, 9), it is assumed to be compatible with joy, and here with laughter at the wicked, not a selfish exultation in his sufferings, which is explicitly con- demned in the Old Testament (Prov. xxiv. 17, Job xxxi. 29), but that sense of the absurdity of sin, which must be strongest in the purest minds, and can- not, therefore, be incompatible with pity, the rather as it is ascribed to God himself (Ps. ii. 4). The paronomasia of the verbs translated see and/ear is the same as in Ps. xl. 4 (3). Shall see, i. e. the destruction threatened in ver. 7 (6). At him, the person thus destroyed, the same who is addressed directly in the foregoing context. The enallage personce may be avoided by exchanging at him for at it, i. e. the destruction itself; but this is not so agreeable to Hebrew usage, which always prefers personal to abstract forms of speech. 9 (7). Behold the man (who) will not make God his strength, but will trust in the increase of his ivealth, (and) will be strong in his wickedness. This may be regarded as the language of the laughers mentioned in ver. 8 (6). Behold the man, see to what he is reduced. The effect of the behold is similar to that of the interrogation in Isa. xiv. 16. The word translated 246 Psalm 52:8, 9 man is not one of the usual terms, but one implying strength or power, so that its use here gives a kind of sarcastic import to the passage. See the analogous use of an opposite expression in Ps. viii. 5 [(4), x. 18. The future expresses fixed determination and anticipated perseverance in refusing. Make, literally place or set. See above, on Ps. xl. 5 (4). Mis strength, or more exactly, his stronghold or fortress. See above, on Ps. xxvii. 1, xxxvii. 39, xliii. 2. Increase, or simply abundance, greatness. See above, on Ps. V. 8 (7), li. 3 (1). The word translated wickedness is the singular of that translated mischiefs in ver. 4 (2) above. It seems to signify parti- cularly an inclination fo malicious mischief. 10 (8). And I [am) like a green olive-tree in the house of God, I have ti'usted in the mercy of God {to) eternity and perpetuity. He expects not only the destruction of the wicked but his own salvation. To express the connection of the verses clearly, our idiom would require an adversative particle at the beginning, but I. See above, on Ps. ii. 6. A verdant fruit- ful tree is a favourite emblem of prosperity. See above, on Ps. i. 3. The olive is here specified, as palms and cedars are in Ps. xcii. 13, 14 (12, 13). The imagery of the verse before us is copied in Jer. xi. 16. The house of God, the tabernacle, considered as his earthly residence, in which he enter- tains his friends and provides for his own household. See above, on Ps. XV. 1, xxii. 6, xxvii. 4, 6, xxxvi. 9 (8). The mixed metaphors only shew that the whole description is a figurative one, and should be so interpreted. / have (already) trusted, which includes his present trust, but also includes more, to wit, that it is not a new or sudden impulse, but a settled habit of his soul. The two nouns, eternity and perpetuity, are combined in the adverbial sense oi for ever and ever. See above, on Ps. x. 16, xxi. 5 (4), xlv. 7 (6), xlviii. 15 (14). This qualifying phrase relates, not to the act, but to the object, of his trust. His meaning is not, " I will trust for ever in God's mercy," which would have required a future verb ; but, " I have already trusted, and do still trust, in his mercy, as a mercy that will last for ever." 11 (9). / will thank thee to eternity because thou hast done (it), and will hope (in) thy name — because it is good — before thy saints. The common version of the first verb (praise) is not sufficiently specific, as it properly denotes a particular kind of praise, namely, that for benefits received. See above, on Ps. vi. 6 (5), \-ii. 18 (17), xlix. 19 (18). The object of the verb hast done is to be supplied from the context. See above, on Ps. xxii. 32 (31), xxxvii. 5, xxxix. 10 (9). Thy name, the manifestation of thy nature. See above, on Ps. v. 12 (11), xx. 2 (1), xxiii. 3, xlviii. 11 (10). To expect God's name, or wait for it, is to trust in the future exercise and exhibition of the same divine perfections which have been exhibited already. The common version, I vnll loait on thy name, is not so happy as the one in the Prayer Book, / will hope in thy name. Here again, as in ver. 10 (8), the epexegetical clause, for it is good, relates not to the act of expectation, but its object. He does not mean, " because it is good to hope in thy name," but *' because thy name is good, and is therefore to be hoped in." This is clear from the analogy of Ps. liv. 8 (6), Ixix. 17 (16), cix. 21, which also shews that the concluding words, before thy saints, are to be construed neither with what follows, it is good before thy saints, i. e. in their estimation, nor with the remoter antecedent, / will thank thee, but with the neare ante- cedent, / will wait for thy name before thy saints, i.e. I will profess my trust in thy mercy, not in private merely, but in the presence of thy people, of the church. Compare Ps. xxii. 23 (22). For it is good must then be read Psalm 53:1,2 247 as a parenthesis. Thy saints, the merciful objects of thy mercy. See above, on Ps. iv. 4 (3), 1. 5. It is here used simply as a general designa- tion or description of God's people. Psalm 53 A SECOND edition of the fourteenth psalm, with variations, more or less important, in each verse. That either of these compositions is an incorrect copy of the other is highly improbable, because two such copies of the same psalm would not have been retained in the collection, and because the varia- tions are too uniform, consistent, and significant, to be the work of chance or mere traditional corruption. That the changes were deliberately made by a later writer is improbable, because such a liberty would hardly have been taken with a psalm of David, and because the later form, in that case, would either have been excluded from the Psalter, or substituted for the first form, or immediately connected with it. The only satisfactory hypo- thesis is, that the original author afterwards re-wrote it, with such modifi- cations as were necessary to bring out certain points distinctly, but without any intention to supersede the use of the original composition, which there- fore still retains its place in the collection. This supposition is confirmed by the titles, which ascribe both psalms to David. Of this kind of retrac- tatio, which is not unknown to the practice of uninspired hymnologists, we have already met with a remarkable example in the case of David. See above, the concluding note on Ps. xviii. p. 87. As a general fact, it may be stated, that the variations in the psalm before us are such as render the expression stronger, bolder, and in one or two cases more obscure and diffi- cult. To these variation3>the remarks which follow will be restricted. For the exposition of the parts which are common to both psalms, the reader is referred to that of Ps. xiv. 1. To the Chief Musician — uponMahalath — Maschil — hy David. Between the inscription to the Chief Musician and the name of David, which are also found at the beginning of Ps. xiv., we have here two additional expres- sions. The first of these is by some regarded as the name or description of an instrument ; but as it is so used nowhere else, and as forms almost identical occur more than once in the sense of sickness or disease (Exod. XV. 26, Prov. xviii. 14, 2 Chron. xxi. 15), it seems most natural to take the phrase as an enigmatical enunciation of the subject of the psalm, which is in strict accordance both with general usage and with that of David in par- ticular. See above, on Ps. v. 1, xxii. 1, xiv. 1. By disease we may then understand the spiritual malady with which mankind are all infected, and which is really the theme or subject of the composition. In the only other title where it reappears (Ps. Ixxxviii. 1), it denotes corporeal disease. The other addition [maschil) describes the psalm as a didactic one. See above, on Ps. lii. 1. 2 (1). The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They have done corruptly, they have done abominable ivickedness, there is none doing good. See above, on Ps. xiv. 1. The only variation in this verse is the substitu- tion of (^ly) iniquity for [T^'^'^J) deed or act. Instead of saying, they have made (their) conduct abominable, the Psalmist uses the stronger expression, they have made iniquity abominable, or done abominably (in their) wickedness. 3 (2). God from heaven has looked down on the sons of man, to see if there is (any) acting wisely, seeking God. See above, on Ps. xiv. 2. The only 248 Psalm 53:3 -6 difference in the Hebrew of these verses is that the name Elohim is here substituted for Jehovah. The same change occurs below, in ver. 5, 6, 7 (4,5,6). The name Jehovah is not used at all in the psalm before us, but occurs four times in Ps. xiv., and Elohim thrice. This difference seems to mark Ps. liii.- as the later composition, in which the writer aimed at an ex- ternal uniformity, which did not occur to him at first. This is a much more natural supposition than that he afterwards varied what was uniform at first. The attempts which have been made to account, still more particularly, for the use of the divine names in these two psalms, have entirely failed. 4 (3). All of it has apostatised; together they have putrefied ; there is none doing good ; there is not even one. See above, on Ps. xiv. 3. For all of it we there have the whole, i. e. the whole human race. The same thing seems to be intended by the more obscure phrase, all of it, in which the pronoun may refer to man, in the collective sense of mankind or the human race. The idea of departure from God, apostasy, is expressed in the parallel places by two verbs almogt identical in form ("ID and ;iD), the one of which means properly to turn aside and the other to turn back. 5 (4). Do they not know — (these) workers of iniquity — eating my people (as) they eat bread — {and on) God call not ? See above, on Ps. xiv. 4. The only variation here, besides the change of the divine name which has been already mentioned, is the omission of the all before workers of iniquity. This has been noted by some critics as the only case in which the language of the fourteenth psalm is stronger than the parallel expression of the fifty- third. 6 (5). There have they feared a fear, because God hath scattered the bones of thy besieger ; thou hast put (them) to shame, because God hath rejected them. See above, on Ps. xiv. 5, 6. The design to strengthen the ex- pression is particularly clear in this case, where two verses are com- presed into one, and the other changes all enhance the emphasis. Thus, instead of a general assurance of divine protection, God is in the right- eous generation, we have here a description of their enemies' destruc- tion, in the most poetical and striking terms, God hath scattered the bones of thy besieger, literally thy encamper, him that encampeth against thee. So, too, instead of the complaint, that the wicked treat the faith of pious sufferers with contempt — the counsel of the sufferer ye will shame, because Jehovah is his refuge — we have here the tables turned upon the scoffers by the scorn both of God and man — thou hast 2)ut to shame (the individuals included in the collective phrase thy besieger), because God has rejected them, an act implying both abhorrence and contempt. In this, which is by far the most considerable variation of the two editions, the existence of design is so apparent, that the supposition of an inadvertent or fortuitous corruption seems preposterous. So far are the two psalms from being contradictory, or even inconsistent, that they might be sung together, by alternate or responsive choirs, with the happiest effect. No- thing can be more natural, therefore, than the supposition that David gave the psalm this new shape, to express the same essential feelings in a higher degree, and a more emphatic form. 7 (6). Who will give out of Zion salvations (to) Israel — in God's return- ing (to) the captivity of his people — let Jacob exult, let Israel joy ! See above, on Ps. xiv. 7. The only variations are the change of Jehovah to Elohim, and of the singular salvation to its plural, denoting variety and fulness. See above, on Ps. xviii. 51 (50). The exact translation is salva- tions of Israel, and the meaning of the next clause, " when God revisits (or in God's revisiting) his captive people." Psalm 54 .1-4 249 Psalm 54 1. To the Chief Musician. With (or on) stringed instruments. A didactic psalm. By David. This is the title of Ps. iv., but with a change of the generic term mizmor to the specific one maschil. See above, on Ps. liii, 1. According to some modern interpreters, the plural neginoth does not denote a plurality of stringed instruments, but simply that kind of music, with its complex .variety of tones. The psalm consists of a prayer for deliverance from wicked enemies, ver. 3—5 (1-3), with a confident anti- cipation of success, and a promise of thanksgiving, ver. 6-9 (4-7). As to the numbering of the verses, see above, on Ps. li. 1, lii. 1. 2. In the coming of the Ziphites, and they said to Saul, (7s) not David hiding himself with us / The verse gives the historical occasion of the compo- sition, in the same form as in the titles of Ps. li. and lii. Such an occurrence is twice recorded in the history, 1 Sam. xxiii. 19, xxvi. 1. The verbal coin- cidence is greater in the first case. The words of the Ziphites seem to have been remembered on account of some peculiarity in the expression, per- haps the use of the reflexive participle (IJ^DDD); which remains unchanged in all three places, the earliest of which is probably the one before us. The interrogation implies surprise that Saul should be ignorant of what was so notorious. Hiding himself, now engaged in doing so, not merely wont to do so, or already hidden. With us, among us, or in our land, i.e. the wilderness or pasture ground of Ziph (1 Sam. xxiii. 14, 15), in or near which was a town of the same name (Josh. xv. 55, 2 Chron. xi. 8), the ruins of which are thought to be still visible, not far from what the natives call Tell Ziph, or the Hill of Ziph. (Robinson's Palestine, II. 191.) 3 (1). 0 God, by thy name save me, and by thy might thou wilt judge me. The insensible transition from the imperative to the future shews the con- fidence with which the prayer is offered. By thy name, i. e. the exercise of those perfections which have been already manifested. See above, on Ps. lii. 11 (9). That it is not a mere periphrasis for God himself, is clear from the parallel expression, might or power. Jzidge me, do me justice, vindicate my innocence, by saving me from spiteful enemies and false accusers. See above, on Ps. vii. 9 (8), xxvi. 1. 4 (2). 0 God, hear my prayer, give ear to the sayings of my mouth. See above, on Ps. iv. 2 (1), v. 2 (1). 5 (3). For strangers are risen up against me, and oppressors seek my soul (or life) ; they have not set God before them. Selah. To the earnest petitions in the two preceding verses he now adds a particular description of his danger. Strangers, not foreigners, but aliens in spirit, both to him and to Jehovah, with special reference to Saul. See below, on Ps. cxx. 5. Oppressors, persecutors, tyrants. The original expression impHes the pos- session of power, and its lawless exercise. See above, on Ps. xxxvii. 35. Not to set God before them is to act as if they did not remember or believe in his existence and his presence. The Selah indicates a pause of indigna- tion and abhorrence. See above, on Ps. lii. 5 (8). 6 (4). Behold, God (is) a helper for me ; the Lord is among the upholders of my soul. From the party of his enemies he looks to that of his defen- ders, and joyfully recognises God, not merely tvith, but in (the midst of) them, among them. The behold is expressive of surprise, and at the same time of a perspicacious faith. With the form of expression in the first clause, compare Ps. xxx. 11 (10) ; with the second Ps. cxviii. 7, Judges 250 Psalm 54:5 -7 xi. 35. The upholders of his soul are the defenders of his life against those who seek it. See above, ver. 5 (3). Adhonai, the divine name properly translated Lord, because expressive of God's sovereignty. It is peculiarly appropriate here, where he is claiming God as his protector. 7 (5). The evil shall return to my enemies ; in thy truth destroy them. The future here runs into the imperative, as the imperative does into the future in ver. 3 (1), above. The imperative in this case is only a stronger form of prediction. 2'he evil, which they mean to do me. Return to, or upon them, i.e. shall befall themselves. See above, on Ps. vii. 17 (16), This is the sense required by the reading in the text (mii^''), which the modem critics commonly regard as the most ancient. The marginal or masoretic reading (H^li^"') must be rendered, he will cause to return, repay, requite. Thy truth, the truth of thy promises and threatenings, thy vera- city. See above, on Ps. xxx. 10 (9). The certain foresight of the doom of the wicked, which is expressed in the first clause, makes the prayer (if such it be considered) in the first clause a mere iteration of the previous threatening. A prayer that God will do what we are certain that he will do can be little more than an expression of that certainty. See above, on Ps. v. 11 (10). 8 (6). With a free-will offering will I sacrifice unto thee ; 1 will praise thy name, Jehovah, for it is good. In the confident assurance of a favour- able answer to his prayer, he promises a suitable acknowledgment. See above, on Ps. v. 8 (7). K free-will or voluntary offering, as opposed to one prescribed by law, not to one rendered obligatory by a vow, for then a voluntary ofiering would in this case be impossible. The Hebrew word is the technical term applied to such an offering in the law. See Lev. vii. 16, xxii. 23, and compare Exod. xxv. 2, xxxv. 29, Num. xv. 3. With the last clause compare Ps. lii. 11 (9). 9 (7). For out of all distress he hath delivered me, and on my enemies my eye has looked. In his confident assurance of a favourable issue, he speaks of it, though future, as already past. The sudden change of person, may be avoided by translating the first verb, it [i. e. thy name) has delivered me, according to the prayer in ver. 3 (1). My eye has looked or gazed, with an impUcation of dehght, or at least of acquiescence, which is commonly con- veyed by this construction. See above, on Ps. 1. 23. This kind of satis- faction in the execution of God's threatenings is sinful only when combined with selfish maHgnity. Apart from this corrupt admixture, it is inseparable from conformity of will and coincidence of judgment with God. The same kind and degree of acquiescence which is felt by holy angels in heaven may surely be expressed by saints on earth, especially in their collective capa- city as a church, in whose name the Psalmist is here speaking, and not merely in his own or that of any other individual. Psalm 55 1. To the Chief Musician. With (or on) stringed instruments A didactic psalm. By David. The psalm is designated as a Maschil, be- cause it might at first sight seem to have relation merely to a case of personal maltreatment and distress, whereas it is a general description of the sufferings of God's people, or the righteous as a class, at the hands of false friends and mahgnant enemies. Although there seem to be allusions to the writer's own experience, in the times both of Saul and Absalom, the Psalm 55:1 -5 251 whole description can be applied exclusively to neither. The only natural division of the psalm is the one suggested by the fact, that in the first part the sufferer complains of his enemies in general, ver. 2-12 (1-11) ; in the second, he singles out the case of one who had seemed to be his friend, but treacherously turned against him, ver. 13-16 (12-15) ; in the third, he confidently anticipates his own deliverance and the destruction of his enemies, ver. 17-26 (16-25). 2 (1.) Give ear, 0 God, to my prayer, and hide not thyself from my sup- plication. This is the general introductory petition, which is afterwards amplified and rendered more specific. The last word strictly means a cry or prayer for mercy. See above, on Ps. vi. 10 (9). To hide one's self is an expression used in the law to describe the act of wilfully withholding aid from one who needs it. See Deut. xxii. 1-4, and compare Isa. Iviii. 7. 3 (2). Hearken to me and answer me; I will give loose to my thought, and I will make a noise. The first verb means to attend, especially to one speaking, to listen, to hearken. See above, on Ps. v. 3 (2), x. 17, xvii. 1. Anstver or hear, in the sense of receiving a prayer favourably. See above, on Ps. iii. 5 (4), xxxviii. 16 (15). The literal translation of the next words is, / toill suffer to wander iu my thinking, i. e. I will let my mind wander, or my thoughts rove as they will. He is resolved not only to think freely but to express his thoughts aloud. The same use of the Hebrew verb occurs in Micah ii. 12. The thinking or meditation here meant is reflection on his sufferings, to which the Hebrew verb is specially applied. With the whole verse, and with this clause in particular, compare Job vii. 11. 4 (3). From, the voice of the enemy, from before the persecution of the wicked ; for they will shake over me iniquity, and in wrath will oppose me. He now declares from what his distress arises. The preposition, in Hebrew as in EngUsh, has a causal meaning, or at lest suggests a relation of cause and effect. From the voice, i. e. because of it. From before or from the face conveys the same idea still more strongly, by a kind of personification of the evil dreaded. Persecution of the wicked : compare the oppression of the enemy, in Ps. xlii. 10 (9). Shake over me, or cause to slide upon me, a striking figure for the wilful infliction of evil on another. Iniquity may here be put, as it sometimes is, for active wickedness towards others, the cause of suffering rather than sufiering itself. With this clause compare Ps. xli. 9 (8). Oppose me, be my adversaries, whether in the way of resist- ance or assault. The Hebrew verb is a cognate form to that from which comes Satan or the Adversary. 5 (4). My heart writhes in the midst of me, and terrors of death have fallen upon me. The future form of the first verb implies an apprehension that the pain will continue and be permanent. In the midst of me, inside of me, within me. He is not merely involved in outward troubles, but pained at heart. Terrors of death might be strictly understood as meaning fear or dread of death ; but it agrees better with the strong figurative lan- guage of the first clause, to take it in the sense of deadly, mortal terrors. An analogous expression is death-shade or shadow of death. See above, on Ps. xxiii. 4, xliv. 20 (19). The figure of falling necessarily suggests the idea of infliction by a superior power. 6 (5). Fear and trembling enter into me, and horror hath covered me. The future in the first clause represents the action as not yet completed, and might be rendered, they are entering or about to enter. The Hebrew verb with this preposition denotes more than come upon ; it describes the terror as not only on him but within him. The word translated horror is a 252 Psalm 55:6 -10 stronger synonyme of trembling, and might be translated shuddering or a shudder. Covered me, i. e. overspread or overwhelmed me. 7 (6). And I said, who will give me a pinion like the dove? I will fly away and be at rest. This is equivalent to saying, if I had the pinions of a dove, I would fly away, &c. Who will give is an idiomatic optative expres- sion, tantamount to saying, Oh that I had, &c. See above, on Ps. xiv. 7. The word translated pinion properly denotes the penna major or flag-feather of a bird's wing, and is here put poetically for the wings themselves. The two last verbs are in the paragogic or augmented form, expressing strong desire or settled purpose. See above, on Ps. ii. 3. The last verb usually means to dwell, but has either the primary or secondary sense of reposing, resting. See above, on Ps. xxxvii. 3. The first verb is immediately de- pendent on the last of the preceding verse, a grammatical relation which may be expressed thus in oui; idiom : " hoiTor hath covered me so that I say," &c. 8(7). Lo, I will wander far, I will lodge in the wilderness. Selah. The lo or behold is tantamount to pointing with the finger, or to saying there ! see there ! The next phrase is highly idiomatic and literally means, '* I will make remote to wander." To lodge is here to take up one's abode, to dwell, as in Ps. xxv. 13. The wilderness, not necessarily a barren desert, but an uninhabited region, the essential idea here being that of separation from human society, a strong though indirect mode of affirming its extreme corruption. The strength of the feeling which prompted this desire is in- dicated by a solemn pause. 9 (8). I will hasten my escape from rushing wind, from tempest. Another construction of the first clause makes the verb intransitive and the noun a local one, as indicated by its form, I will hasten (to) my refuge. It is better, however, to give the hiphil verb its proper meaning, and nouns of the form here used denote not only the place of action bnt the act itself. My escape, literally an escape for me or for myself. The preposition in the last clause, though it properly means from, is constantly employed in Hebrew to denote or indicate comparison. If thus explained in this case, it would make the clause descriptive of the speed with which he wishes to escape, 7nore than the rushing wind and tempest. This sense is preferred by some interpreters ; but the other is more ob\'ious and simple, and is also recommended by the frequent representation of calamity under the figure of a storm or tempest, which would hardly have been joined with that of wind, if the only idea meant to be conveyed had been that of great velocity. 10 (9). Destroy, 0 Lord, divide their tongue ; for I have seen violence and strife in the city. The first word properly means swallow up. See above, on Ps. xxi. 10 (9). The object to be supplied is not their tongue hnithem- selves. Divide their tongue, i. e. confound their speech or make it unintel- ligible, and as a necessary consequence confound their counsels. There is obvious reference to the confusion of tongues at Babel (Gen. xi. 7-9), as a great historical example of the way in which God is accustomed and deter- mined to defeat the purposes of wicked men and execute his own. The word translated cruelty denotes violent injustice, or injustice accompanied by violence. See above, on Ps. vii, 17 (16). In the city is supposed by some to mean nothing more than among men, in human society ; but the words could hardly fail to suggest to any Hebrew reader the idea of the holy city, as the place directly meant, although the words themselves may be applied to any other place where the same state of things exist. 11 (10). Day and night they will surround her on her wall; and iniquity Psalm55:ll-13 253 and trouble will he in the midst of her. The Violence and Strife of the preceding verse are here personified as a besieging enemy. At the same time the interior is occupied by Iniquity and Trouble, no less formidable enemies. Her walls, those of the city mentioned in the foregoing verse. Iniquity and trouble are here, and often elsewhere, put together as cause and effect, the last denoting the distress or trouble which the wickedness of one man brings upon another. See above, on Ps. vii. 15 (14), 12 (11). Mischiefs {are) in the midst of her, and from her street will not depart oppression and deceit, The first word in Hebrew necessarily sug- gests the two ideas of calamities and crimes, i. e. calamities occasioned by the Climes of others. See above, on Ps. v. 10 (9), xxxviii. 13 (12), lii. 4, 9 (2, 7). The word translated street denotes a wide place, and is specially applied to the square or open space surrounding the gates of oriental cities, and used both for markets and for courts of justice. See Neh. viii. 1, 3, 16. The word therefore very nearly corresponds to the Greek agora and the Latin forum, and may be here used to suggest the idea both of legal and commercial malfeasance. Neither their markets nor their courts are ever free from these two forms of gross injustice, namely, fraud and violence. 13 (12). For (it is) not an enemy (that) will revile me, else would I bear it ; {it is) not one hating me (that) has magnified (himself) against me, else would I hide myself from him. The Hebrew word answering to else, is, in both these cases, the usual copulative particle, and the original construction seems to be, and (if it is) / icill bear it, and (if it is) I will hide myself. See above, on Ps. li. 18 (16). The act of reviling here includes both calumny and insult. The future in the first clause suggests the idea of an indignity or injury about to be endured. As if he had said, " when I go forth among my neighbours, it is not my open enemy that will malign me." But that such treatment had already been experienced, is intimated by the preterite of the last clause. The verb to magnify is here used reflexively or absolutely, as in Ps. xxxv. 26, xxxviii. 15 (16). There is no need therefore of supposing an ellipsis, or identifying this form of expression with the one in Ps. xli. 10 (9). Hide myself, literally be hidden ; but the passive forms in Hebrew not unfrequently imply a reflex act, hke the middle voice in Greek. The negation in this verse is of course not absolute but relative, and must be qualified by due regard to the circumstances of the case. That he was reproached and threatened by avowed enemies, is not only a frequent subject of complaint elsewhere, but sufficiently implied in ver. 4 (3) above. The true solution of this seeming contradiction is, that he here passes from a general description of the prevalent iniquity to a particular case, in which his feelings were personally interested. In this particular case, it was not an open enemy that slandered or insulted him. It is therefore as if he had said, "But it is not of this open and unblushing wickedness that I especially complain, but rather of the perfidy of false friends." Thus understood, the verse, instead of contradicting ver. 4 (3), presupposes what is there affirmed. 14 (13). But thou, a man mine equal, my associate, my acquaintance. It is a striking illustration of the difference between the Hebrew and English idiom, that the former uses and at the beginning of this sentence, where in English but is absolutely indispensable. The word for man is that denot- ing frailty and mortality. See above, on Ps. viii. 5 (4), ix. 20, 21 (19, 20), X. 18. But it seems to be used here without any emphasis, in simple ap- position with what follows, or as a vocative, thou, 0 man, mine equal. This 254 Psalm 55:14 -16 last expression is in Hebrew, according to my valuation , the noun being a technical term of the Mosaic Law, denoting the official estimation ol the priest, in certain cases of redemption or pecuniary penalty. See Lev. V. 15, 18, xxvii. 12. The whole phrase here employed is understood by Bome to mean 07ie whom I value, i. e. highly, or more specifically, one whom I value as mysSlf. More probably, however, it means one who is (or may be) estimated at the same rate with myself, which is precisely ' the idea conveyed by the common version, my equal, one of my own rank and circle, my associate. This last is the sense put by the modern interpreters on the next word in Hebrew. The old translation [guide) rests on a doubtful etymology, and the authority of the ancient versions. (LXX riytfiw. Vulg. dux). Acquaintance seems to be a weaker expression than the others ; but the Hebrew word always impUes very intimate association. See above, Ps. xxxi. 12 (11), and below, Ps. Ixxxviii. 9, 19 (8, 18). 15 (14). (With) whom we take siveet counsel ; in the house of God we march with noise. The future forms can only be accounted for by supposing that he here anticipates a violation of the laws of friendship which had not yet visibly occurred. The false friend, of whom he is complaining, seems to l^e one with whom he is still intimate, but whose defection he clearly fore- saw. As if he had said, " With this man I must still continue to be asso- ciated, although he is eventually to betray me." Li this particular, the case described resembles that of our Lord and Judas Iscariot, which may indeed be considered as included in the general description. The form of the first clause is idiomatic and peculiar : who (or as to whom) together we will sweeten counsel, or rather confidential intercourse; See above, on Ps. XXV. 14. The other clause may possibly mean, we march to the house of God. But the strict sense of the particle may be retained and the whole referred to solemn processions within the sacred enclosure or court of the tabernacle. With noise, i. e. with festive tumult. See above, on Ps. xlii. 5 (4). 16 (15) Desolations {are) upon them! They shall go down to Sheol alive! For evils are in their dwellings, in their heart. The optative form given to this sentence in most versions is entirely gratuitous. All that the Hebrew words express is a confident anticipation. The common version of the first words {let death seize upon them) is founded on the masoretic reading (S^J5^^ rf\12i) ; but the best critics now prefer the older reading in the text (Dto'*!^^), which, instead of a verb and a singular noun, exhibits one noun in the plural number, meaning desolations, and agreeing with the substan- tive verb understood. Upon them, hovering or impending over them. SJteol, the grave, the state of the dead, the wide old English sense of hell. See above, on Ps. vi. 6 (5). There is an obvious allusion to another great historical type of God's retributory judgments, the destruction of Korah and his company, who went down alive into the pit, Num. xvi. 33. The word quick, in the common English version of this sentence, is an adjec- tive synonymous with living or alive, and not an adverb meaning soon or svnftly. Evils, i. e. evil deeds and evil thoughts. In their heart, or inside, inner part, as in Ps. v. 10 (9), xhx. 12 (11).' This is a much better sense than in the midst of them, among them. 17 (16). / to God will call, and Jehovah will save me. The pronoun is emphatic, I on my part. While they are brought to desolation and to death, I, on the contrary, wiU call to God. If the use of two divine names has any significance beyond the requisitions of the parallelism, the meaning. Psalm 55:]7- 19 255 may be, "I will call to God, and as the covenant God of Israel he will save me." Compare Ps. xviii. 4 (3). 18 (17). Evening and morning and noon I will muse and murmur — and he has heard my voice. The first clause is supposed by some to prove that the observance of three stated hours of prayer was as old as David ; others suppose the observance to have been suggested by the clause itself. But the natural and obvious division of the day here mentioned may have given occasion both to the clause and the observance. Muse and murmur is a combination descriptive of prayer, both as mentally conceived and audibly expressed. Murmur is perhaps not strong enough to convey the full sense of the Hebrew verb, which elsewhere means to make a loud noise. See above, on Ps. xlii. 6, 12 (5, 11), xlvi. 4, 7' (3, 6). The assimilation or confusion of the tenses in this verse by some translators is not only arbi- trary but injurious to the sense. What is mentioned in the first clause as still future is recorded in the last clause as already past. As if he had said, " Thus did I resolve to pray, and now my prayer has been already made and answered." Such transitions are among the characteristic beauties of the Psalter, and ought not to be gratuitously sacrificed, still less at the expense of violating usage and the rules of grammar. 19 (18). He redeemed in peace my soul from the war against me, for many were with me. In peace, or with peace, as the result of this redemp- tion. Against me, literally to me, the war that was to me, that I had. The last clause, to an EngUsh ear, conveys the idea that his friends or champions were many, but the meaning of the Hebrew is directly opposite, with me being used in such connections to denote a relation of hostihty, as we speak of fighting, quarrelling, contending with one. In either case, the particle expresses really no more than joint or simultaneous action, the idea of enmity or opposition being gathered from the context. The literal translation of the last clause is, in many were {those) with me, i.e. consisting in many. The adverse party was composed of many individuals. This usage of the in is strictly appropriate only to numerals. See Deut. x. 22, xxviii. 62. 20 (19). God will hear and answer them, and (He) inhabiting antiquity (will hear and answer those) to whom there are no changes, and (who) fear not God. As he has heard me in mercy, so wiU he hear them in wrath. As he has answered my prayer in the way described above, ver 19 (18), so will he answer them in the way described below, ver. 24 (23). In this case, what is heard and answered is not prayer, but the voice of the enemy, ver. 4 (3), and his malignant slanders, ver. 13 (12). Inhabiting antiquity, or as the English Bible phrases it, he that abideth of old. The first Hebrew verb, however, could not fail to suggest its primary meaning, which is to sit, and more especially to sit enthroned, as a sovereign and a judge. See above, on Ps. ix. 5, 12 (4, 11). The phrase may therefore be said to represent God as having been a king and a judge from the remotest antiquity. The last clause is by some supposed to mean, that the persons here referred to undergo no moral change, but still persist in their refusal to fear God ; by others, that they undergo no outward changes, no vicissi- tudes of fortune, and for that reason will not fear him. But as the word translated changes is repeatedly employed by Job in a military sense, to signify either an alternate service, as, for instance, in relieving guard, or a succession in the service, as when one corps is disbanded and another takes its place, some of the best interpreters suppose this clause to mean that those enlisted in this evil warfare have no such reliefs or discharges to expect, but must continue in the unremitting service of sin, and as a nccos- 256 Psalm 55:20 - 22 sary consequence cannot feai- God. The grammatical structure of the whole verse is peculiar, and can be made intelligible only by supplying the ellipsis. 21 (20). Se has stretched out his hands against his allies : he has pro- faned his covenant. This might seem at first sight to refer to God ; but such a reference, if not forbidden by the nature of the acts alleged, would be at variance with the subsequent context, where the subject is undoubtedly the wicked enemy. The sudden change of number is in strict accordance with the usage of the Psahnists in speaking of their enemies, or in this case may arise from the same cause as in ver. 13 (12) above. See above, on Ps. X. 10. The word translated allies is the plural of one meaning peace, but seems to bo poetically used here to denote those at peace with him, his friends or alUes. Compare the .analogous expressions in Ps. vii. 5 (4), xli. 10 (9). To profane a covenant is to treat it as no longer sacred, and by implication to break it. Compare Isa. xxxiii. 8. This is a varied repetition, under military figures, of the description in ver. 13-15 (12-14). 22 (21) Smooth are the huiterings of his mouth, and (yet) war (is in) his heart ; soft are his words, more than oil, and (yet even) they are drawn (swords). To the charge of violence he adds that of treacherous hypocrisy, thus amplifying the laconic phrase oppression and deceit, in ver. 12 (11) above. The English Bible, following some older versions, assimilates the clauses by making both comparative, smoother than butter, softer than oil. But in order to sustain this construction of the first clause, it is necessary to change the pointing of one Hebrew word, and to supply another as the nominative of the plural verb, which cannot without violence agree with mouth. The letter prefixed to the first noun is a part of it, and not a particle meaning than or more than, and the whole word denotes prepara- tions of butter, cream, or rather curdled milk, which is the meaning of the primitive noun. As to the adversative use of and in both these clauses, see above, on ver. 14 (13). War (is in) his heart, or still more simply, because not requiring the insertion of the particle, war {is) his heart, i. e. his cherished wish and purpose. The word translated war is a poetical term, the same that is employed above in ver. 19 (18). In the last clause, even is supphed as well as yet, in order to convey, as far as possible, the emphasis of the Hebrew pronoun. And they themselves, i. e. the very oily words just mentioned, are drawn swords. This last expression is in Hebrew properly an adjective or participial form, but is specifically used in application to the sword, as brandished is in English, and so comes to be employed absolutely or as a substantive, expressing the entire complex idea of drawn swords, as weapons of attack, ready for use or on the point of being used forthwith. 23 (22). Cast upon Jehovah (what) he gives thee, and he will sustain thee ; he will never suffer the righteous to be moved. What he gives thee to endure, what he lays upon thee, cast thou upon him, by trusting in him. The phrase he gives thee (or has given thee) may also be explained as a noun with a possessive pronoun, thy gift, not in the active sense of what thou givest, but in the passive sense of what is given to thee. Sustain does not here mean to hold up or support under the burden, but to nourish or sus tain life by administering food and other necessaries, to provide for. Com- pare the primitive use of the Hebrew verb in Gen. xlv. 11, xlvii. 12, 1. 21. The common version of the last clause above given is a correct paraphrase of the original, the form of which is highly idiomatic. A literal translation would be, he will not give for ever moving (or movement) to tlie righteous. The verb to give is often used in Hebrew in the sense of allowing or per- Psalm 56:1 257 mitting. The word translated moving is the one so often used to signify the violent disturbance of a person in the midst of his prosperity. See above, on Pd. x. 6, xvi. 8, &c. 24 (23). And thou, God, wilt bring them doion to the pit of corruption ; men ofhlood and fraud shall not live out half their days. The first verb is a causative, and as such may be rendered, thou wilt cause them to descend. The word translated pit is the common term in Hebrew for a well, but is here used in a wi^e sense, including all such excavations. The next word is {nntiO) a derivative of the verb (J\n^) to corrupt or destroy. The sense oi pit, as if derived from the verb (mii^) to sink, would convert the phrase into a weak tautology. See above, on Ps. xvi. 10. Men of bloods and deceit, i. e. bloody (or murderous) and deceitful men, as in Ps. v. 7 (6) above. The Uteral translation of the last words is, they shall not halve their days, a form of expression copied in the margin of the English Bible, as well as in the Septuagint (ri/MiOiueuai) and Vulgate (dimidiabunt). The meaning of course is, that they shall not live half so long as they might have Hved, but for their bloody and deceitful acts. This is not asserted as a general fact, but uttered as a threatening to the murderers and traitors whom the Psalmist had directly in his eye. Psalm 56 After the title, ver. 1, comes a general petition for deliverance from persecution and oppression, ver. 2, 3 (1, 2), followed by a strong expres- sion of trust in God, ver. 4, 5 (3, 4), a description of the malice of the enemy, ver. 6, 7 (5, 6), and a confident anticipation of his punishment, ver. 8-10 (7-9), founded on faith in the divine promise, ver. 11, 12 (10, 11), and a vow or resolution to make due acknowledgment of the mercy experienced, ver. 12, 13 (11, 12). 1. To the Chief Musician. Upon Jonath-elem-rehokim. By David. Michtam. When the Philistines took him in Gath. The last clause of this inscription seems to refer to the incident recorded in 1 Sam. xxi. See above, on Ps. xxxiv. 1. An enigmatical allusion to the same event seems to be latent in the obscure phrase, Jonath-elem-rehokim, in which the first word means a dove, a favourite emblem of suffering innocence ; the second means silence, dumbness, sometimes put for uncomplaining submission ; and the third means distant or remote, agreeing with places or persons, probably the latter, in which sense it is appUcable to the Philistines, as aliens in blood and religion. Compare Ps. xxxviii. 14 (18), Ivi. 2 (1), Ixv. 6 (5), Ixxiv. 19. Thus understood, the whole is an enigmatical de- scription of David as an innocent and uncomplaining sufferer among strangers. For the most probable etymology and sense of Michtam, see above, on Ps. xvi. 1. 2 (1). Be merciful unto me, 0 God, for man pants for me (or is gaping after me) ; all the day, he devouring (or the devourer) is pressing on me. The word for man is that denoting human frailty and implying the unrea- sonableness of such rage in one so impotent. See above, on Ps. ix. 20, 21 (19, 20), X. 18. The image here presented is that of a devouring monster or voracious beast. Instead of pants or gapes, some suppose the second verb to mean snorts or snaps, as an animal expression of rage. For the meaning of the word translated devouring, see above, on Ps. xxxv. 1. Pressing on me, or pressing me. See Num. xxii. 25. 258 Psalm 56:2 - 8 3 (2). My enemies have gaped upon me all the day ; for (there are) many devourers to me, 0 most High. The word translated enemies is that sup- posed by some to mean spies or watchers. See above, on Ps. xxvii. 11, liv. 7 (5). Having first spoken of his enemy in the singular number, he now substitutes the plural, to explain which seems to be the object of the last clause. " I say enemies, because my devoui-ers are many." The last word in the verse strictly means a high place, and particularly heaven, but is sometimes appUed to God himself. See below, on Ps. xcii. 9 (8). Some interpreters, however, understand it as an abstract noun meaning loftiness or pride, and then used as an adverb in the sense of arrogantly, proudly. Compare Ps. Ixxiii. 8. 4 (3). The day I am afraid, unto thee uill I conjide. The complaint is followed, as in many other cases, by an expression of his confidence in God. The day I am afraid is an unusual expression, meaning simply when I am afraid, and proljably belonging to the dialect of poetry. Unto thee suggests the act of turning and looking towards the quarter from which help is ex- pected. The same form of expression occurs above, Ps. iv. 6 (5), xxxi. 7 (6). 5 (4). In God I uill praise his icord, in God I have trusted; I ivill not fear; nhat can flesh do unto me? The meaning of the first clause seems to be, that in the general praise of God he will include a particular acknow- ledgment of his gracious word or promise upon this occasion. The con- struction of the last clause in the English Bible, 1 tcill not fear ivhat flesh can do unto me, gives substantially the same sense, but does not agi'ee so well with the masoretic interpunction of the sentence. Flesh, humanity, as opposed to deity. See below, on Ps. Ixv. 3 (2), and compare Isa. xxxi. 3, xl. 6. 6 (5). All the day my icords they icrest ; against me {are^ all their thoughts for evil. The word translated ivrest means strictly vex or jjaiV?, but is here used in the sense of twisting or distorting language by putting false con- structions on it. Thoughts, purposes, designs. For evil, tending to my injmy. 7 (6). They ivill gather, they will hide — they, my supplanters, will watch, as they have (already) waited for my soul. They will gather or combine against me. They ■svill hide (themselves or their devices), they will plot, or lie in wait, for my destruction. The common explanation of the next phrase, they mark my steps or my heels, does not account for the emphatic pronoun they. The Hebrew word has probably the same sense as in Ps. xlix. 6 (5) above. Waited for my soul or life, i. e. waited to destroy it. 8 (7). By iniquity (there is) escape to them ; in anger bring down nations, 0 God ! The first clause is obscure, but may mean either that they have hitherto escaped by their iniquity, or that they now depend, rely upon it for deliverance. The inteiTogative construction commonly adopted ought not to be assumed, in the absence of an interrogative particle, without a decided exegetical necessity. The Hebrew particle at the beginning some- times indicates the means or instrument, with the additional idea of depend- ence or reliance, as in the English phrase to live on bread and water. See Gen. xxvii. 40. 9 (8). My icandcrings tliou least told; put tliou my tears into tJiy bottle; are they not in thy book / The Hebrew words for wanderings and tears axe both in the singular number. See above, on Ps. vi. 7 (6), xxxix. 13 (12). The first of these words suggests the ideas of flight and exile, and may con- tain an allusion to the wanderings of Cain in a country designated by this Yery word, The Land of Nod, Gen. iv. 16, although this phrase may really Psalm 56:9 - 13 259 mean nothing more than the land oj (his) banishment or exile. The English word told is here retained because the Hebrew one is equally ambiguous. In this case the primary idea is to count or number. See above, Ps. xxii. 17 (16), xl. 5 (4), xlviii. 13 (12). The act of counting implies particular attention. The idea of recollection is expressed by the strong figure which follows, ^)M« my tears into thy bottle, i. e. preserve them in thy memory. This singular metaphor is thought by some to have been suggested by the word for wanderiny ("Tj or lij), which is almost identical with that for bottle (iXi). The latter strictly means a skin or leathern bottle, such as is still used in the East. See below, on Ps. cxix. 83. The interrogation in the last clause has the force of a direct assertion. Thy book, the book of thy remembrance, another figurative expression for the memorj' itself. Compare Mai. iii. 16, 10 (9). Then shall my ene^nies turn back, in the day I call; this I know, that God is for me. The particle of time at the beginning of the verse has reference to what follows, in the day I call, but as this was to be connected closely with the last clause, the natural order of the sentence was inverted. Turn back, be repulsed, defeated, disappointed. See above, on Ps. vii. 12 (11), ix. 4 (3). In the day {that) I shall call : the ellipsis of the relative is equally common in Hebrew and in English. Call may mean simply call for help or pray ; but some connect it with the last clause thus : in the day that I shall call (or crj' as follows) " this I know," &c. There is also an ambiguity in the phrase this I know, which may either mean, " I know that my enemies shall thus turn back, because God is for me," or, "my enemies shall turn back when they hear me cry. This much I know, to wit, that God is for me." The last phrase may be also rendered to me, he belongs to me» he is my God, which of course includes the idea of his favour or his being on the speaker's side. 11 (10). In God I will praise (this) word ; in Jehovah I will praise (this) word. This unusual form of speech must have the same sense as in ver. 5 (4) above. Some understand it to mean by God's help, others, in union with God, I unll j^raise (his) uvrd. But on the whole, the most natural explana- tion still seems to be, " what I shall particularly praise in God, both as God, and as the tutelary God of Israel and my own, is the word of promise, which he has uttered and fulfilled in this case." 12 (11). In God have I trusted ; I ivill not fear ; what can man do unto me ? As the foregoing verse is a resumption and emphatic iteration of the first clause of ver. 5 (4), so this seems to bear the same relation to the last clause of that same verse. The only variation in the form of expression is the substitution of the literal term man (or mankind) for the more obscure term flesh. See above, on ver. 5 (4). Here again it is a possible construc- tion, although not so agreeable to the masoretic accents, to make the inter- rogation an oblique one. " I will not fear what man can do unto me." 13 (12). Upon me, O God, [are) thy vows ; I will pay thanksgiviny unto thee. The first clause represents his vows or voluntary' obligations as incum- bent on himself and due to God, and he resolves to discharge them by thanksgivings, not merely verbal acknowledgments, but sacrificial tokens of his gratitude, such as were familiar to the ancient saints and recognised in the Law of Moses. 14 (13). For thou hast delivered my soul from death ; (wilt thou) not (deliver) my feet from falling, to ivalk before God in the light of life ? The ellipsis in the second clause may also be supplied as follows, hast thou not delivered ? as the only terms expressed are those of interrogation and nega- 260 Psalm 57:1 tion. The word translated /c/Z/t/j^ is a very strong one, and means thrusting, casting down. The verbal root occurs above, in Ps. xxxv. 5, xxxvi. 13 (12). To walk before God is to live in the enjoyment of his favour and protection. The light of life is opposed to the darkness of death. It may also be and usually is translated, in the light of the living, i e. the light which living men enjoy. See above, on Ps. xxvii. 13. Psalm 57 In the first part of this psalm a sufferer describes his own afflictions, occasioned by the malice of his enemies, and earnestly prays to be delivered from them, ver. 2-5 (1-4). In the second he anticipates a favourable answer to his prayer, and praises God for it, ver. 6-12 (5-11). 1. To the Chief Musician. Destroy not. By David. A Secret. When he fled from before Saul in the cave. The enigmatical inscription, Al-tash- heth, destroy not, reappears in the titles of the next two psalms, and of the seventy-fifth. As in other cases of the same kind, some interpreters regard it as a musical expression, others as the first words of a well-known poem, to the air of which this was to be sung. The best explanation is the one suggested by the Chaldee Paraphrase, to wit, that the psalms which bear this title belong to that period of David's history, when he was under the per- petual necessity of saying Destroy not, and are therefore suited to all similar emergencies of other "saints. It is not at all impossible, that this was a favourite saying of David in real life, the rather as it is borrowed from the prayer of Moses in Deut. ix. 26, of which it may be said to be an abbreviated citation, not unlike the Latin designations, De Trofundis, Miserere, Venite Exsultemus, Non Nobis Domine, Te Deum, &c. The ex- planation above given is corroborated by the obvious allusion in these three psalms (Ivii.-lix.) to the Sauline persecution. The very expression may be traced in 1 Sam. xxvi. 9, where David utters, as a command to his fol- lowers, what he so often had occasion to utter as a prayer in his o^vn behalf. This psalm is described as a michtam, mystery, or secret, on account of the extraordinary consolation and support which he experienced, enabling him to triumph even in the midst of enemies and dangers. See above, on Ps. xvi. 1. In the cure of AduUam (1 Sam. xxii, 1), or of Engedi (1 Sam. xvi. 1-3), or more indefinitely in the cave, equivalent to saying in caves, as a generic description of the mode of hfe which he then led (Heb. xi. 38), not without some reference to the subterraneous cavern, as an emblem of solitude and darkness. Hence the absence of any more specific allusion to particular incidents which occurred in caves, such as that recorded in 1 Sam. xxiv., and the obvious reference to the whole period of the Sauline persecution, as a time of wandering, danger, and distress. Hence, too, the striking similiarity, in sentiment and form, between this psalm and the one before it. 2 (1). Be mercifid unto me, 0 God, he merciful unto me, for in thee has my soul sought refuge, and in the shadow of thy wings will I seek refuge, until (these) calamities he overpast. The repetition of the prayer for mercy shews the intensity of his desire. Sought refuge from the persecutions men- tioned in Ps. Ivi. 2 (1). The soul is mentioned as the object of pursuit. See above, on Ps. liv. 5 (4), Ivi. 7 (6), and compare 1 Sam. xxiv. 12 (11). The shadow of thy wings : the same beautiful figure for protection is pre- Psalm 57:2 -6 261 sented in Ps. xvii. 8, xxxvi. 8 (7). Calamities, occasioned by the crimes of others. See above, on Ps. lii. 4, 9, (2, 7). 3 (2). I will cry unto God Most High, unto the Almighty, finishing for me, i. e. perfecting what he has begun. Compare Phil. i. 6. This verse assigns two reasons for his crying unto God. The first is the supremacy and omnipotence of God himself, the second is the previous experience of his faithfulness in fully performing whatever he has promised. See below, on Ps. cxxxviii. 8. 4 (3). He will send, from heaven and save me — (when or whom) the de- vourer reviles, Selah ! — GodvMl send his mercy and his truth. The first verb may govern hand, as in Ps. cxliv. 7, or help,&s in Ps. xx. 3 (2), or be used absolutely, as in Ps. xviii. 17 (16). The devourer, literally the one gaping after me, snorting with rage against me, or panting for my destruction. See above, on Pa. Ivi. 2, 3 (1, 2). Without supplying anything, this clause may be taken as a short independent proposition — the devourer has reviled — interposed between the two principal members of the sentence. See above, on Ps. xxvii. 8, xlv. 6(5). In the last clause, Mercy and Truth seem to be personified, like Integrity and Uprightness in Ps. xxv. 21, Violence and Strife in Ps. Iv. 10 (9). With this clause compare Ps. xliii. 3. 5 (4). My soul (is) in the midst of lions; I will lie down {among) burn- ing ones, sons of man, [xohose) teeth {are) spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword. By his soul he means himself, or rather his endangered life. Lions, as often elsewhere, means ferocious enemies. See above, on Ps. vii. 3 (2), xxii. 13, 14 (12, 13). The form of the verb which follows is the one denoting fixed determination. " Though surrounded by hons I will fearlessly lie down," &c. Among or upon them. Burning may pos- sibly refer to lions and mean raging; but the indefinite application is more natural. Sons of man is added to shew that what precedes is to be figura- tively understood; but in the very next clause, the writer relapses into language still more highly metaphorical. In likening their teeth to swords he presents the double image of a wild beast and a warrior. The mention of the tongue has reference, no doubt, to the slander and abuse, which entered so largely into the Sauline persecutions. These had already been referred to in the middle clause of ver. 4 (3), of which this maybe regarded as an amplification. 6 (5). Be high above the heavens, 0 God, above all the earth thy glory! Some, in the last clause, read on all the earth, and then explain on the heavens to mean nothing more than in heaven. The whole verse then is the expression of a wish that God may be exalted both in heaven and earth. But this is far less natural than the usual construction, which supposes a comparison, and makes the verse exalt God above all his works. Compare Ps. viii. 2 (1). 7 (6). A net they prepared for my steps; he pressed down my soul; they digged before me a pit ; they fell into the midst of it. Selah. This verse assigns the reason or occasion of the praise ascribed to God in that before it. The image here presented is the same as in Ps. vii. 16 (15), ix. 16 (15). The sudden change of number is particularly common in the Psalms when speaking of an ideal person, representing many real individuals. See above, on Ps. Ivi, 3 (2). The Tphrase pressed doum is borrowed from the Prayer-Book version, and is well suited to convey the idea of an animal caught and held down by a trap or snare. That version is also more correct than the English Bible in giving to the verb an active meaning ; of the neuter or passive there is no example elsewhere. Before me, in my path, 262 Psalm 57:7 -11 where am I walking. The Selah at the close is almost equivalent to an Amen, as expressing acquiescence in God's righteous retributions. 8 (7). Fixed (is) my heart, 0 God, fixed {is) my heart; I will sing and play. The repetition adds solemnity and force to the declaration. Fixed, i. e. firmly resolved and proof against all fear. See above, on Ps. U. 12 (10), and below on Ps. cxii. 7. The two verbs in the last clause are properly descriptive of the two kinds of music, vocal and instrumental ; but in the usage of the Psalms they always have reference to the praise of God. 9(8.) Awake, my glory! awake, lute and harp! I ivill awaken morning. The same idea is now expressed in the form of a poetical apostrophe. By glory most interpreters understand the soul, as the glory of the whole man, but some the tongue, as the glory of the body. See above, on Ps. vii. 6 (5), xvi. 9, XXX. 13, and below, on Ps. cviii. 2 (1). It is possible, however, that it here means that in which he gloried, his inspiration as a sacred poet, and which he personifies, as the heathen poets invoked the muse. Lute and harp is the translation in the Prayer Book. Any other combination, denot- ing two familiar instruments, such as harp and lyre, would be here appro- priate. The verb in the last clause is a causative of that in the first, and is related to it as the English verb awaken to axoake. Strictly translated, this clause contains a bold but beautiful poetical conception, that of awakening the dawn instead of being awakened by it, in other words, pre- venting or anticipating it by early praises. In like manner, Ovid sajs the crowing of the cock evocat auroram. We thus obtain the same sense, in a far more striking form than is expressed by the inexact and prosaic version, / toill awake early. The intransitive sense given to the verb, and the ad- verbial sense given to the noun, are both without sufiicient authority in usage. From this verse some have inferred, that the psalm was expressly designed to be an even- song ; but he does not say, I will do thus to- morrow. The meaning rather is that he will do it daily. See above, on Ps. xvii. 15. The summons to the harp and lyre, may be understood as implying, that they have long slept without occasion for such praise as they are now to utter. 10 (9). I will thank thee among the nations. Lord; I will praise thee among the peoples. The divine interposition to be celebrated is so gi-eat and glorious as to be entitled to the praises of the whole world. See above, on Ps. xviii. 50 (49.) 11 (10). For great unto the heavens (is) thy mercy, and unto the clouds thy truth. By a natural and favourite hyperbole, God's goodness is de- scribed as reaching from earth to heaven. See above, on Ps. xxxvi. 6 (5), and compare Jer. li. 9. 12 (11). Be thou high above the heavens, 0 God, above all the earth thy glory ! The strophe ends as it began in ver. 6 (5) above. In the last clause the verb of the first may be repeated, be thy glory high ; or the sub- stantive verb alone may be supplied, let thy glory he above all the earth ! Psalm 58 1. To the Chief Musician. Al-tashheth. By David. Michtam. See above, on Ps. Ivii. 1. The Psalmist complains of unjust, spiteful, hardened enemies, ver. 2-6 (1-5), and prays that their power may be broken, ver. 7-12 (6-11). The contents of the psalm agi'ee with its title in shewing that it belongs to the period of Saul's persecutions, when David had to Psalm 58: 1,2 263 contend with unjust rulers, who were at the same time his personal ene- mies. But although suggested by his own experience, the psalm was designed for permanent and public use, and is therefore inscribed to the Chief Musician. 2 (1). Are ye indeed dumb (when) ye (should) speak righteousness (and) judge equitably, sons of man ? The first words are exceedingly obscure. One of them (D7^^), not expressed in English and the ancient versions, means dumbness, as in Ps. Ivi, 1, and seems to be here used as a strong expression for entirely speechless. In what respect they were thus dumb, is indicated by the verb which follows, but the connection can be made clear in English only by a circumlocution. The interrogation, are ye in- deed, expresses wonder, as at something scarcely credible. Can it be so ? is it possible '? are you really silent, you whose very office is to speak for God and against the sins of men ? See Deut. i. 16, 17. That the speak- ing here meant is judicial speaking, appears from the more specific parallel expression. The word translated equitably is a plural noun mesimng equities or rectitudes. See above, on Ps. xvii. 2. Strictly understood, it is not a quahfying term, but the object oi the Yerh judge, as in the other clause right- eousness is governed directly by the verb speak. The address to them as sofis of man reminds them of their own dependence and responsibility. 3 (2). Nay, in heart, iyiiquities ye practise ; in the land, the violence of your hands ye iveigh. The particle at the beginning is, as usual, emphatic, meaning not only this but something more. See above, Ps. xviii. 49 (48), xliv. 10 (9). Not contented with neglecting their official functions, they were guilty of positive injustice. The Hebrew for iniquities is the plural of a word used inPs. xxxvii. 1, xliii. 1, and denotes various acts of injustice. The future forms [ye will do, ye will weigh) implies an obstinate persistency in evil. To do or practise wickedness in heart may mean to plan or contrive it, as inMicah. ii. 1, leaving the execution to be inferred as a matter of course. Or the phrase may be translated with the heart, i. e. cordially, ex animo, con amore, or to use an idiomatic English expression with a will. The first words of the last clause, in the land, may seem, from their position, to be in contrast with the phrase in heart ; but the antithesis, if any, is be- tween the heart and hands, and in the land suggests the aggravating circum- stance, that all this was practised by persons in authority under the theo- cracy, among the chosen people. Violence, violent injustice. See above, on Ps. Iv. 10 (9). The last verb in this sentence means to level or make even, and in that sense is repeatedly applied to paths. See Isa. xxvi. 7, Prov. iv. 26, v. 6, 21. But as the derivative noun (D7D) means a ba- V V lance (Prov. xvi. 11, Isa. xl. 12), the verb may here denote the act of weighing, levelling the balance, rendering it even, which some, without neces- sity, ascribe to it in several of the places above cited, where its constant combination with a way or path seems to exclude the idea of weighing as incongruous, and to require that of smoothing or levelling as peculiarly appropriate. This last might be retained even here, and the metaphor be understood to mean that they facilitated or promoted violence [q. d. levelled or prepared its way) ; but the sense of weighing is equally appropriate, and agrees well with the favourite idea of the scales of justice, which is found not only in the classics but in Scripture. See Job xxxi. 6. The meaning then is, that these wicked rulers, instead of weighing out justice to their subjects, weighed out, administered, dispensed, the most violent injustice, and that, too, devised and practised by themselves. 264 Psalm 58:3 -5 4 (3). Estranged are the wicked from the loomb ; they go astray from (their) hirih, speaking lies. The first verb in Hebrew is not a passive but a neuter form, denoting the condition of estrangement, aUenation, from God and from all goodness. The wicked thus described are the whole class, of which his persecutors formed a part. The preterite tense is used in the original {were estranged, went astray) on account of the retrospective reference to the beginning of life. The verb translated go astray is one frequently applied to moral aberrations. From their birth, literally /row the belly. See above, Ps. xxii. 11 (10). Speaking lies, or with closer adherence to the form of the original, speakers of falsehood, i. e. habitual liars. The other version seems to mean that they begin to lie as soon as they are born, a hyperbolical expression, of which some interpreters relieve the sentence by making this the subject of the proposition and parallel to wicked in the other clause. Speakers of falsehood go astray from (their) birth. In this description of the wicked there is nothing inconsistent with, the doctrine of universal depravity, as recognised in Ps. xiv. 1, h. 7 (5) above, and in Gen. viii. 21, Job xiv. 4, because the holiness of some men is a mere exception to the general rule, produced by the distinguishing grace of God, which frees them from the paramount influence of that corruption to which others still continue subject. 5, G (4, 5). There is pioison to them like i he poison of a serpent, as a deaf adder stops its ear, tvhich will not hearken to the voice of enchanters, of (one) charming charms, {of one) most xoise. The first words are equivalent to the English construction, they have poison, The Hebrew noun originally signi- fies heat, and especially the heat of anger, in which sense it repeatedly occurs above, Ps. vi. 2 (1), xxxvii. 8, xxxviii. 2 (1). The same sense is retained here by the ancient versions {^m pressed by the use of the same figure as in Ps. iii. 8 (7), that of wild beasts rendered harmless by the breaking of their teeth. Compare Job xxix. 17. Hence in the last clause they are expressly called lions. See above, Ps. Ivii. 5 (4). Young lions, not mere whelps, fiom which they are distinguished in Ezek. xix. 2, 3, but full-grown lions, in the first matui'ity of their strength, and therefore more to be dreaded than when older or younger. See above, Ps. xvii. 12, xxxiv. 11 (10), xxxv. 17. The Hebrew verbs in this verse are peculiai'ly expressive, and, though wholly unconnected with each other, are both used elsewhere to express the ideas of violently break- ing, breaking down, breaking out, breaking ofi", and breaking through. See Exod. XV, 7, xix. 21, Lev, xiv. 45, Judges vi. 30, 1 Kings xviii, 30, 8 (7). Let them melt aivay as waters, let them go their ivay ; let him bend his arrows, as if they were cut off. The optative meaning of these features seems to be determined by the imperatives in ver, 7 (6). There is nothing ungrammatical, however, in retaining the strict future sense, and regarding the verse as an expression of strong confidence as to the event. The first verb elsewhere has the sense of being rejected with contempt, and is so used in Ps, xv, 9 ; but as two of its radical letters coincide with those of a verb meaning to be melted, most interpreters prefer this sense. The other might, however, be retained, and the phrase explained to mean that they should be cast aside as water, and especially as filthy water, is rejected. Go their way, hterally go to them or to themselves. Some understand it to TUQdiD. for themselves, i. e. for their own benefit, their destruction being repre- sented, by a sort of irony, as all that they have gained by their hostility. Compare the use of the same phrase in Ps. Ixiv. G (5), Ixvi. 7 (6), In the next clause, most interpreters assume a sudden change of number, such as frequently occurs in speaking of an ideal person representing a plurality of real individuals. See above, on Ps, Ivii, 4, 7 (3, 6), He {i. e. the enemy) shall bend his arroivs, literally tread them, i. e. bend by treading on them. This expression is applicable strictly to the bow, and it is so applied re- peatedly above. See Ps. vii. 13 (12), xi, 2, xxxvii, 14. Having thus acquired the secondary sense of fitting, making ready, it is transferred from the bow to the arrows, not only here but in Ps. Ixiv. 4 (3), below. If the last verb be construed with the arrows as its subject, they would seem to be de- scribed as blunted or deprived of their points, and the meaning of the clause is, that the weapons of the enemy take no effect. The whole clause, however, will admit of a different construction, which refers the singular verb and pronoun to God himself, and the plural verb to these rebelUous sinners. Let him bend his arrows, as if they were cut off", i. e. so that they may be cut off. Notwithstanding the obscurity of this clause, the connection is preserved unbroken by the obvious meaning of the other. 9 (8). As a snail melts, let him go ; (like) the untimely birth of a woman, they have not beheld the sun. The idea of speedy and entire disappearance is still more strongly expressed here. The meaning of the word translated snail rests upon rabbinical tradition and a doubtful etymolog}'. The point of comparison may relate to some popular belief or to some apparent idio- syncrasy in this class of animals, perhaps to the idea of its losing a portion of its body by locomotion. The next noun primarily signifies what falls from the tree, unripe fruit, and is then transferred to animal abortions. The past tense in the last clause seems to mark it as a kind of reflection 266 Psalm 58:9 -11 introduced into the midst of the prayer, " So far from hving too long, as I feared, they seem scarcely to have lived at all." 10 (9). Before your pots can feel the thorn, whether raw or done, he will blow him away. This is one of the obscurest and most difficult verses in the book, and yet the general idea is sufficiently clear. The he in the last clause relates to God, the him to his wicked enemy. The verb translated Now away means properly to storm away, or carry away with (or Hke) a tempest. The rapidity of this movement is expressed by a familiar com- parison. Your pots, your vessels used in cooking. The address seems to be to the sinners, afterwards referred to as a single person. Feel, perceive the heat. Compare Job vi. 30. The thorn, used as fuel, kindles quickly and immediately bums out, so that this comparison suggests the idea of a very sudden change. The singular expression which follows literally means as (well) living as heat ; but as the adjective is elsewhere used to signify raiv, not cooked (1 Sam. ii. 15), the noun joined with it may be taken in the opposite sense of cooked or done. This may be a proverbial expression, borrowed from the dialect of common life, to convey the idea of a sudden change, which waits for nothing, but carries men away in the inidst of their employments. This, though still an unusual form of speech, will seem less nnnatural if we sQppose the process of cooking to be here used as a figure for the plots and devices of the enemy, a metaphor by no means far-fetched or unknown to other writers. The idea, then, is that while these devices, so to speak, are cooking, the cooks are snatched away by a superior power, without caring whether the operation is complete or not. " Before the seething pot of your contrivances begins to feel the quickly kindled heat which you apply to it, the tempest of divine WTath carries you away, whe- ther your mess be cooked or raw." 11 (10). Rejoice shall the righteous, because he has seen xei^geance ; his steps he shall bathe in the blood of the wicked. The vengeance in which he shall rejoice is not his own, but God's, in the \indication of whose right- eousness and honour all holy beings must rejoice for ever, although not in the suffering of those who perish. The same idea is expressed more strongly in the last clause by a martial figure. To bathe his feet (or rather his steps) in the blood of others is to walk where their blood is flowing, to tread the battle-field where they have fallen, to gain a sanguinary triumph over them, or rather it is to partake in the triumph of another. Thus one of the old commentators says that David washed his feet in Saul's blood, Elijah in Ahab's, Hezekiah in Sennacherib's, without any agency or share in their destruction, and without any selfish or malignant exultation in their ruin. Let it also be observed that in this, as in many like cases, the act is ascribed to an ideal person, and is therefore no example for our imitation. 12 (11). And man shall say, Yes, there is fruit to the righteous ; yes, there is a God judging in the earth. This shall be said, not by a man, nor by any particular man, but by men in general, by man as opposed to God. The particle translated yes really means only, and denotes that this and nothing else is true. See above, on Ps. xxxix. 12 (11). There is fruit to the righteous, or, in our idiom, he has fruit, i.e. he reaps what he has sown. Compare Isa. iii. 10, 11. The very power that destroys his enemies is his protector. The idea of existence is expressed in the last clause, contrary to usage, and is therefore emphatic. There is, notwithstanding all denials, doubts, and false appearances, there is a God judging in the earth. An- other unusual circumstance in this clause is, that not only the divine name, Psalm 59: J - 5 267 but the participle agreeing with it, is in the plural number. The same thing occurs in Josh. xxiv. 19, 1 Sam. xvii. 26. In this case it may pos- sibly be intended to suggest the idea, that although these earthly represen- tatives of Orod are so unfaithful, there are, nevertheless, gods judging in the earth, i. e. one God, who possesses in himself the source of all the jus- tice exercised by jother beings. See above, on Ps. xi. 7. Psalm 59 This psalm consists of two parallel parts, in both which the succession of ideas is substantially the same. A suiferer complains of treacherous and cruel enemies, ver. 2-5 (1-4), prays to be delivered from them, ver. 6 (5), and confidently anticipates their niin, ver. 7-12 (6-11). In the second part we have again, in the same order, the complaint, ver. 13 (12), the prayer, ver. 14 (13), and the anticipation, ver. 15-18 (14-17). 1. To the Chief Musician. Al-tashheth. By David. Michtam. When Saul sent, and they watched the house to kill him. This remarkable inci- dent in David's life, which was the beginning of his long and painful wan- derings, is recorded, almost in the same words, 1 Sam. xix. 11. The title or inscription is the same as in the two preceding psalms. 2 (1). Free me from my enemies, my God, from those rising up (against) me thou wilt raise me, i. e. place me beyond their reach. Here, as often elsewhere, the tone of supplication is insensibly exchanged for that of con- fident anticipation. But the change is momentary, and the form of suppli- cation is immediately resumed. My insurgents or assailants ; see above,, on Ps. xvii. 7. The idea and expression at the close are the same as in Ps. XX. 2 (1). Compare Ps. xviii. 49 (48). 3 (2). Free me from workers of iniquity, and from men of blood save me. The same words and phrases have occurred repeatedly before. See above, Ps. V. 6 (5), vi. 9 (8), xiv. 4, xxvi. 9, xxviii. 3. This verse and the one before it constitute the general introductory petition, the ground and reason of which are afterwards assigned. 4 (3). (This I ask) because (such enemies as I have just described) have laid wait for my soul (or life); there assemble against me strong ones, n ot (for) my transgression, and not (for) my sin, Jehovah ! Or, (it is) not my fault nor my sin, Jehovah. 5 (4). Without iniquity (on my part, to excuse or even to provoke them) they run and set themselves (against me). Both these are military terms,, and seem to denote strictly the scaling of a wall. See above, on Ps. xviii. 30 (29). Aivake (arouse thyself from this apparent inactivity) to meet me (to respond to my petition), aiid see (my danger, and the malice of my enemies). 6 (5). And thou, Jehovah, God, (Lord of) Hosts, God of Israel, awake to vi.Hit all the nations ; spare not all traitors of Uiiquity. Selah. The accumu- lation of divine names is not unmeaning, but suggestive of reasons why the prayer should be answered, to wit, because He to whom it was addressed was not only the Eternal, Self-existent God, the Sovereign of the Universe, but the God of Israel, and therefore bound by covenant to save his people. All the nations, i. e. such as are the enemies of God and of his people ; and if whole nations are thus dealt with, how much more may Jehovah be expected to destroy his individual enemies ? Traitors of iniquity, wicked traitors. The depth of the feeling here expressed is further indicated by the Selah. 268 Psalm 59:6 -JO 7 (6). Let them return at evening, let them howl like the (log, and go around the city. The verbs may also be rendered as simple futures, expressive of a confident anticipation : they shall return, &c. In either case, the verse contains a metaphorical description of the disappointment of the enemy, who are here compared to the gregarious untamed dogs by which the orien- tal cities are infested. As these dogs prowl about the streets in search of food, and howl for want of it, so let (or so shall) my wicked enemies. Others, with equal probability, explain this verse as a description of their present fierceness and avidity. 8 (7). Lo, they pour out with their mouths ; swords {are) in their lijjs; for who (is) hearing ? He here reverts to his description and complaint of his enemies. The first verb is expressive of a constant flow or gush. See above, on Ps. xix. 3 (2). What it is that they thus pour out, although not expressed, may be readily gathered from the context, namely, slanders and reproaches. The swords in their lips are significant of sharp and cutting speeches. See above, on Ps. Iv. 22 (21), and compare Ps. hi. 4 (3). The English version, by supplying '• say they,'' makes the last clause the lan- guage of these wdcked foes, who are then to be understood as denying God's omniscience or his justice. See above, on Ps. x. 11, 13, and compare Ps. xiv. 1, xlii. 11 (10). But a still more striking sense may be obtained by making this clause the complaint of the Psalmist himself, as if he had said : no wonder that they thus pour out their bitter words ; for who is there to observe and punish them ? The question implies that God him- self had ceased to notice their offences, and the participial form, that this neglect had now become habitual. 9 (8). And thou, Jehovah, wilt laugh at (hem ; thou wilt mock at all nations. The resistance of whole nations, or of all collectively, is but an object of contempt to thee ; how much more that of even the most potent individuals. See above, on Ps. ii. 4, xxxvii. 18. The connection between this verse and the one before it depends upon the meaning of the question with which ver. 8 (7) closes. If that be regarded as the language of the enemy, the thought to be supplied is, "But although they thus imagine that thou dost not hear, thou wilt soon undeceive them by deriding them." On the other supposition it is this : " Although I am continually tempted to say, who doth hear ? I am, nevertheless, persuaded that thou dost hear and despise their impotent malignity." 10 (9). His strength tmto thee ivill I keep, for God is my high place. The first clause is so obscure that some interpreters have thought it neces- sary to change the text (M^^ for VTp), and read my strength, i. e. thou who art ray strength, for thee loill I watch or wait. Some who retain the com- mon text suppose a sudden change of person, (as for) his strength, i. e. God's, I will watch for thee, 0 God ! But this is much less natural than the common version [because of) his strength, i. e. the enemy's, will I luait wpon thee. According to the first translation above given, the meaning of the clause is, I will reserve the strength and violence of the enemy, to be dealt with and disposed of by Jehovah. My high place, beyond the reach of enemies and dangers. See above, on Ps. ix. 10 (9), xviii. 3 (2), xlvi. 8, 12 (7, 11). 11 (10). My G'of/ (with) his mercy will meet me ; God icill make me to gaze upon my enemies. This translation of the first clause follows the reading in the text of the Hebrew Bible. The common version exhibits the mar- ginal or masoretic emendation, the God of my mercy, i. e. my merciful God, or the God who shews me mercy, shall prevent me, in the primraiy Psalm59:ll-13 269 and proper sense of coming before me. The idea here is that of coming to meet one in a friendly manner. See above, on Ps. xxi. 4 (3), and compare the unfavourable meaning of the same verb in Ps. xvii. 13, xviii. 6 (5), 19 (18). To gaze, i. e. with joy and triumph. See above, on Ps. liv. 9 (7). This is equivalent to saying, he will give me the victory. The word for enemies is the same as in Ps. v. 9 (8). 12 (11). Slay them not, lest my people forget : make them wander hythy power and bring them down, our shield, 0 Lord ! The meaning of the first clause, as appears from the context, is, destroy them not utterly, or once for all. My people, i. e. Israel, the chosen race. Make them wander, hke Cain and like Israel in the wilderness, to both which cases the same verb is appUed, Gen. iv. 12, Num. xxxii. 13. These are tacitly referred to, as familiar examples of this kind of punishment, inflicted both on individuals and nations. Bring them down, cause them to descend, from their present high position, humble them, and make their humiliation an example and a warn- ing to all others. This was signally fulfilled in the case of Saul and his household, as well as in that of the nations which resisted the divine will and oppressed the chosen people, to both which cases the expressions of this psalm are designedly appropriate. Our shield, our protector ; not only mine but ours ; not only David's but all Israel's. The figure of a shield is a favourite one with David. See above, on Ps. iii. 4 (3), xviii. 3 (2), xxviii. 7. It is not only striking and expressive, but historically associated with the origin of the nation in the calling of Abraham and the patriarchal promises. See Gen. xv. 1. 13 (12.) The sin of their mouth — the word of their lips — and they shall he taken in their pride — and from cursing and falsehood they will tell. This is a close translation of this very obscure verse, that is to say, obscure m its particular expressions, though its general sense is obvious enough. The construction given in the English versions, (for) the sin of their mouth (and) the word of their lips they shall he token, either overlooks the copu- lative particle before the verb or makes it unmeaning, they shall even he taken. The latest interpreters prefer to render it, the sin of their mouth (is) the word of their lips, i. e. the word of their lips is the sin of their mouth ; whatever they speak is spoken sinfully ; they cannot speak without committing sin. T'hey shall he taken, caught, surprised, as they have sought to surprise others. See above, Ps. ix. 16 (15), xxxv. 8. It may also be read as an expression of desire, may they he taken ! In their pride, not merely on account of it, although this is included, but in the midst of it, in the act of indulging it. From cursing represents their capture as arising (or proceeding) from their cursing, and may therefore be translated for, as in the English Bible. Cursing, or rather swearing in attestation of a falsehood. See above, on Ps. x. 7. The phrase to tell a falsehood is com- mon to both idioms. Most interpreters supply a relative, (which) they tell, or will tell. Otherwise, /rom must be understood as meaning of, concerning. 14 (13.) Consume in rvrath, consume {them), and let them he no more, and let them knoio that God [is) ruling in Jacob, nnto the ends of the earth. The first verb strictly means to cause to cease, to finish, to destroy so that nothing is left. Let them he no more, let them cease to be. By itself, the Hebrew phrase would seem to mean, and they are not, but the tense, which is not expressed in the original, must be determined by the prayer preced- ing. The last clause might at first sight seem to mean, let my enemies know that God rules not only in Israel, but throughout the earth. But this is forbidden by the prayer that they may cease to be, and would require a 270 Psalm 59:14 -17 connecting particle of some sort after Jacob. The true construction, indi- cated by the accents, is, and let them [i. e. men in general) know to the ends of the earth, that God (is) ruling {i. e. habitually rules) in Jacob. This de- scription of the whole world as witnessing and interested in God's dealings with his chosen people, is in strict accordance with the very end for which he chose them, and is particularly characteristic of David. See above, on Ps. xviii. 50 (49), Ivii. 6, 10, 12 (5, 9, 11), and compare his language to Gohath, 1 Sam. xvii. 46 : " This day will Jehovah deliver thee into my hand, and I will smite thee . . . that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel." 15 (14). Tlien Jet them return at evening, howl like the dog, and go around the city. The first word ia Hebrew is a simple copulative, meaning and ; but the connection seems to be, since God is my protector and these enemies are doomed to destruction, let them threaten as they will, I shall not fear them. It is equally grammatical, though not so natural, to under- stand the verse as a prediction or confident anticipation of the miserable state to which these enemies should be reduced, Hke a herd of oriental dogs without a master or a home, prowling about in search of food, and howhng with hunger, but remaining still unsatisfied. See above, on ver. 7 (6). 16 (15). They shall wander (in quest of something) to eat, (and) if they are not satisfied, remain all night. This sentence is obscure, whether it be understood as a defiance or a threatening, though the latter construction is recommended by the emphatic pronoun at the beginning. They themselves, the very persons who now threaten me, shall roam about in search of food, &c. The most probable meaning of the last clause is : and not being satisfied, not findmg what they seek, they must continue seeking it by night as well as by day. The conversive particle before the last word seems to be here equivalent to then or still after a conditional clause — ' ' if they are not satisfied, theji they shall remain aU night" — or "though they be not satisfied, yet must they remain all night." 17 (16). And I will sing thy strength, and celebrate in the morning thy mercy ; for thou hast been a high place to me, a refuge in my distress. The pronoun at the beginning is emphatic, I, on my part, as contrasted with these wretches. Thy strength or poiver, thus exerted in my behalf. In the morning, or at break of day, which is the primary meaning of the term. The phrase is in obvious antithesis to at evening in ver. 15 (14). There may also be allusion to the frequent use of night and morning, as emblems of suflering and reUef. Compare the words of David in 2 Sam. xxiii. 4. A height, high place, or place of safety, as in ver. 10 (9) above. In my distress, or retaining the original construction, in distress to me. The form of expression is the same as in Ps. xviii. 7 (6). 18 (17). My strength, unto thee will I sing ; for God is my high place, the God of my mercy. The most natural construction of the first phrase is that which makes it a direct address to God, as the author of his strength. But as the structure of the clause is precisely similar to that at the beginning of ver. 10 (9), some adopt a similar construction, my strength will I sing unto thee. I will praise my strength to thee, because I shall thereby praise thy- self. This is equivalent to saying, I will celebrate thee as my strength. High place, place of safety, refuge, or asylum, as in ver. 10, 17 (9, 16). God of my mercy, my merciful God, or the God who shews me mercy. See above, on ver. 11 (10). Psalm 60: 1, 2 271 Psalm 60 1 . To the Chief Musician. On the Lily of Testimony. A Mystery. By David. To he Learnt. The lily is probably, in this case, as in Ps. xlv. 1, an emblem of beauty or loveliness. ' The testimony is a name given to the Law, as God's testimony against sin., See above, on Ps. xix. 8 (7), and compare 2 Kings xi. 12, where the term is appUed absolutely to the Law, considered as a book or writing. This enigmatical inscription, therefore, may be understood as representing the theme or subject of the psalm to be the beauty of the law, or something lovely in it, with reference most pro- bably to the gracious promise cited from it. At the same time, there seems to be an allusion to the precept in Deut. xxxi. 19, " Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach it the children of Israel ; put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel." To this verse there seems to be a double allusion in the one before us ; first in the word testimony, which is a cognate form to that translated witness, and then in the concluding words, to teach, where the verb is the same with that in Deuteronomy. The title before us, therefore, seems to say, this song is like the song of Moses, which was to be taught to the people, as a witness or testimony against them, in case of unbehef or disobedience. To teach then means to be taught or to be learned by heart, committed to memory. Compare 2 Sam. i. 18, where the English version incorrectly supplies {use of) the bow, instead of [song of) the bow, meaning the elegy on Saul and Jonathan which immediately follows, so called, according to an ancient custom, from the mention of Jonathan's favourite weapon in ver. 22. See above, on Ps. ix. 1. From this enig- matical allusion, and the disguised form under which the truth is here revealed, the psalm is justly represented as a Michtam, mystery, or secret. See above, on the titles of the four preceding psalms. The body of the psalm, apart from the additional title or historical inscription in ver. 2, may be divided into three equal stanzas or strophes, each consisting of four verses. In the first, the Psalmist takes occasion from God's seeming desertion of his people, to recall his former interventions in their favour, ver. 3-6 (1-4). In the second, he pleads an express promise, as a ground of present hope, ver. 7-10 (5-8). In the third, he expresses his confidence of safety and success, in the proposed expedition against Edom, ver. 11-14 (9-12). ^ Throughout the psalm the ideal speaker is Israel, considered as the chosen people. 2. When he conquered Aram Naharaim and Aram Zohah, and Joab returned and smote Edom in the Valley of Salt, twelve thousand men. The common version of the first verb (strove with) seems too weak, as a victory is clearly presupposed, and the idea of contention is conveyed by a cognate form of the same verb. The name Aram corresponds to Syria in its widest and vaguest sense, and is joined with other names to designate particular parts of that large country. It even includes Mesopotamia, which is a term of physical rather than political geography, and denotes the space between the Tigris and Euphrates, corresponding to Aram-Naharaim, or Syria of the Two Rivers, in the verse before us. The king of this coimtry was ti-ibutary to the king of Ai-am Zobah, as appears from the account of David's second Aramean war (2 Sam. x. 16, 19). It was after the return of the victorious army from this war, that Joab marched against Edom and achieved the victory here ascribed to him, as the leader of the army, but in 272 Psalm 60:1 - 6 1 Chron. xviii. 12, to his brother Abishai, who probably commanded under him, as he did in a subsequent campaign (2 Sam. x. 10), and in 2 Sam. viii. 13, to David himself as the sovereign whom they both represented. The Valley of Salt has been identified by modern travellers with a valley south of the Dead Sea, on the ancient confines of Israel and Edom, See Kobinson's Palestine, vol. ii. p. 483. The number killed on this occasion is stated in 2 Sam. viii. 13, and 1 Chron. xviii. 12, at eighteen thousand. But this diversity might easily arise from dift'erent modes of computation, and seems at least to shew that the writer of the verse before us did not blindly copy the historical books, while the smaller number which he gives evinces his exemption from all disposition to embellish or exaggerate. 3 (1). 0 God, thou hast cast us off; thou hast broken us ; thou hast been angry ; thou, wilt restore to iis (thy favour or our previous prosi)erity). Clear as the marks of thy displeasure have been, we still confidently look for thy returning favour. This may refer to disasters experienced in the former part of the campaign. Cast us off, with abhorrence and contempt, as in Ps. xliii. 2, xliv. 10, 24 (9, 23). Broken us, or made a breach in us, which appears to be a military figure, and a favourite with David in real life. See 2 Sam. v. 20, vi. 8, and compare Judges xxi. 15, Job xvi. 14, XXX. 14. The last verb means to restore, as in Ps. xix. 8 (7), xxiii. 3, but in application to a different object. Compare Isa. Iviii. 12. 4 (2). TJiov, hast made the earth quake, thou hast riven it; heal its breaches, for it moves. The idea of social disaster and calamity is here expressed by the figure of an earthquake and its natural effects, to which God is besought to put an end by the removal of the cause. 5 (3). lliou hast made thy people see (what is) hard ; thou hast made us drink wine of staggering (or reeling). The meaning of the first clause is, that God had made them experience hardship. See a similar expression in Ps. Ixxi. 20. Wine of staggering, wine that causes men to reel or stagger, here used as a figure for confusion, weakness, and distress. The same image reappears in Ps. Ixxv. 9 (8), Isa. li. 17, 22, Jer. xxv. 15, xUx. 12. See above, on Ps. xi. 6. 6 (4). Thou hast given to those fearing thee a banner to be lifted because of (thy) truth. Selah. In the sight of thy discomfited and downcast people, thou hast set up a signal, as a ralljang point, and an assurance of the truth of thy engagements. The word (DJJ) translated banner means anything elevated as a signal, being derived from the following verb, which, in the form here used, means properly to raise itself, as in Zech. ix. 16. The word for truth is not the one commonly so rendered, but has the same meaning in Prov. xxii. 21, and in the Aramaic dialects. See Dan. ii. 47, iv. 34. Because of, hterally from before or from the face of, an expression indicating, as the cause of the effect described, the truth or veracity of God himself. The translation of the last clause in the ancient versions and some modern ones, to flee from before the bow, gives an unauthorised meaning both to the verb and noun. 7 (5). In order that thy beloved ones may be delivered, save (with) thy right hand and hear (or ansuer) us. This is a prayer naturally prompted by the previous experience of God's favour, as recorded in the foregoing verse. Thy beloved, an epithet applied to Benjamin in Deut. xxxiii. 12, and forming a part of Solomon's additional name Jedidiah, 2 Sam. xii. 25. See also Ps. xlv. 1. The common version of the last words {hear 7ne) rests upon the marginal reading or Keri. 8 (6). God hath spoken in his holiness ; I vnll triumph ; I will divide Psalm 60:7, 8 273 Shechem, and the Valley of Succoth I will measure. As a further ground for his petition, the Psalmist, speaking in the name of Israel, appeals to the promise of Jehovah, that his people should possess the entire land of Canaan. The reference is not to any insulated promise, but to that per- vading the whole Law. There God had spoken, uttered his promise, in his holiness, i. e. as a holy God, and as such incapable of failing to perform it. See the similar expressions in Ps. Ixxxix. 36 (35), Amos iv. 2. Some understand what follows as the words which God had spoken ; but as ver. 11 (9) is confessedly the language of the people or their representative, and as no intermediate point of transition can be well assumed, it seems better to explain these also as the words of David or of Israel. " God hath spoken in his holiness (and therefore) I will triumph." Because he has promised me victorious possession of the land, I exult in confident antici- pation of it. This idea of triumphant occupation is expressed in terms appropriate to the times of the original conquest, when the land was mea- sured and distributed among the tribes. See Josh. xiii. 7, xviii. 5. The two great divisions of the country, east and west of Jordan, are denoted by Shechem and Succoth, the places where Jacob pitched his tent on his return from exile, as if to claim the Land of Promise as his heritage. See Gen. xxxiii. 17, 19. 9 (7). To me (belongs) Gilead and to me Manasseh, and Ephraim the strength of my head, Judah my lawgiver. The idea still is that the whole of Canaan rightfully belongs to Israel. The form of expression is analogous to that in the preceding verse, but with a beautiful variation. As the two great divisions of the country, east and west of Jordan, are there repre- sented by detached points, Shechem and Succoth, so here by the names of extensive districts, Judah and Ephraim, the two largest territories on the west, Bashan and Gilead on the east, the latter called by its own name, the former by that of the tribe which occupied the greater part of it. See Deut. iii. 12, 13. The last clause does due honour to the military strength of Ephraim (Gen. xlviii. 19, Deut. xxxiii. 17), but asserts the civil supremacy of Judah (Gen. xlix. 10). The phrase translated strength of my head might seem to mean my chief strength ; but that would require the terms to be inverted, head of my strength. Compare Gen. xlix. 3. It rather means the protection of my head, as strength of my life in Ps. xxvii. 1 means that which protects my life, the head being mentioned as the vital part pecuUarly exposed. Compare Ps. Ixviii. 22 (21), ex. 6. Some suppose the figure to be that of a helmet, which is too specific. In the last clause there is obvious allusion to the prophecy in Gen. xlix. 10. Lawgiver has its proper sense of ruler, sovereign. That of rod or sceptre, which some give it, rests upon a doubtful explanation of Num. xxi. 18. 10 (8). Moab (is) my wash-pot ; at Edom will I throw my shoe ; at me, Philistia, shout aloud ! The three hostile powers, with which Israel was most frequently at war, are here put together, as the objects of a contemp- tuous address. Moab is likened to the humblest household utensil, the vessel in which slaves were wont to wash their master's feet. Edom is Ukened to the slave himself, to whom or at whom the master throws his shoe when about to bathe his feet. Compare Mat. iii. 11, Acts xiii. 25. This is much better suited to the context than the allusion, which some assume, to the practice mentioned in Ruth iv. 7, where the removal of the shoe is a symbol of renunciation, and could not be here used to express the opposite idea of seizure or triumphant occupation. Shout aloud, or make a noise, is by some explained as an expression of triumph, and the whole 274 Psalm 60:9 - 12 clause treated as ironical. Others understand it of the acclamation or shout of welcome and applause by which subjects recognise and hail their sove- reign. See above, on Ps. ii. 11, where the exhortation to rejoice with trembling is, by the same interpreters, explained in the same manner. In either case, the clause impUes superiority in him who speaks, and willing or compulsory subjection on the part of those whom he addresses. 11 (9). Who will bring me {to) the fenced city? Who has led me up to Edom ? In reUance on God's promise, and in the possession of the hope and courage just expressed, his people are ready to go forward, and only waiting, as it were, for some one to conduct them into the enemy's country, nay, into his very citadel. Ihe fenced city, literally, city of defence^ ox for- tification, a phrase already used in Ps. xxxi. 22 (21), is Petra, the famous capital of Idumea, hewn in the rock, and almost perfectly impregnable. See Robinson's Palestine, vol. ii. pp. 573-580. The past tense in the last clause represents the question as already answered. Up to, even to, as far as, implying not mere motion or direction, but actual arrival. 12 (10). (Is it) not thou, 0 God, (who) hast cast us off and will not go forth with our hosts ? A simpler construction of the first clause would be, hast thou not cast us offf But it seems better to explain the verse as an indirect answer to the question in the one preceding. Who has brought us into Edom, if not he who had rejected us ? The terms are borrowed from Ps. xliv. 10 (9), which seems to have been written in the midst of the distress here spoken of as past. " Wilt not thou, of whom we lately were compelled to say, thou hast forsaken us and wilt not go forth with our hosts?" Compare 2 Sam, v. 24. 13 (11). Give us help from trouble {ox from the enemy) ; and (the rather because) vain {is) the salvation of man, i. e. the dehverance which man afibrds. The causal particle, /or, because, which seems necessary to connect the clauses, is implied but not expressed in Hebrew. The second noun (^S) may either mean distress, as in Ps. iv. 2 (1), xviii. 7 (6), or one who gives distress, a persecuting or oppressing enemy, as in Ps. iii. 2 (1), xiii. 5 (4), xxvii. 2, 12, xliv. 6, 8, 11 (5, 7, 10). Either sense would be appro- priate, but the latter is stz'ongly recommended by its occurrence in the next verse. 14 (12). In God we will make {i. e. gain or gather) strength, and he loill tread down (or trample on) our adversaries (persecutors or oppressors). The prayer is followed by the confident anticipation of the answer. In God, i. e. in union with him, in possession of him. See above, on Ps. xviii. 30 (29). The common version of the next phrase {shall do valiantly) is vague and dubious, being .inadmissible in several of the cases where the phrase occurs, whereas they all admit of the translation make or gather strength, in reference to the acquisition or recovery of force by those who had before been in a state of weakness. See below, on Ps. cviii. 14 (13), cxviii. 15, 16, and compare Ezek. xxviii. 4, Ruth iv. 11, Deut. viii. 17, 18, Num. xxiv. 18, to the last of which places there is obvious allusion here, as relating to the very same enemies. Treading or trampling, as an em- blem of violent subjection, occurs above in a contemporaneous passage, Ps. xliv. 6 (5). The last eight verses reappear as a part of Ps. cviii., in the exposition of which the points of difference and the general relation of the passages will be considered. Psalm 61:1 -5 275 Psalm 61 1. To the Chief Musician — on a stringed instrument (or with an instru- mental accompaniment) — of Daoid. The pecuhar form of the original construction (^TO J13^J^) cannot be reproduced in English, but seems to connect the name of David both with the Hebrew word preceding, as the owner or conductor of the music, and with the psalm itself as the author. That is to say, the words are so combined as to convey both these ideas — a stringed instrument of David — and a psalm of David. The musical term (neginath) is the same as in the titles of Ps. iv., vi., liv., Iv., but in the singular number and the construct form. The psalm itself consists of a prayer with an expression of strong confidence, ver. 2-5 (1-4), and an appeal to the divine promise, as the ground and object of that confidence, ver. 6-9 (5-8). 2 (1). Hear^ 0 God, my cry ; attend unto my prayer ! The psalm opens with an introductory petition to be heard. See above, on Ps. V. 2, 3 (1, 2), xvii. 1, Iv. 2 (1), and compare Ps. xxxix. 13 (12). The word translated cry, which sometimes means a joyful shout or thankful song — Ps. XXX. 6 (5), xlii. 5 (4), xlvii. 2 (1) — is here determined by the parallelism and the context to denote a cry for help or mercy. 3 (2). From the end of the earth unto thee will I call, in the covering of my heart (when it is covered, i. e. overwhelmed, or covered with darkness). To a rock (that) is high from me (i. e. higher than I, or too high for me), thou wilt lead me. To the saints of the Old Testament exclusion or invo- luntary distance from the sanctuary seemed equivalent to exile in the remotest countries, sometimes called the end of the earth (Deut. xxviii. 64), sometimes the end of heaven (Deut. iv. 32), although this last phrase may be understood to mean the sensible horizon or boundary of vision (Isa. xiii. 5). A rock, often mentioned as a place of refuge. See above, on Ps. xviii. 3 (2), xl. 3 (2). Too high for me to reach without assistance. In the last clause an earnest prayer is latent under the form of a confident anticipation. The feelings here expressed, and the terms used to express them, are peculiarly appropriate to David's situation during Absalom's re- bellion. See above, on Ps. iii. 1, xlii. 1. 4 (3). For thou hast been a refuge to me, a tower of strength (or strong tower), /ro?7i before (from the face or presence of) the enemy. He appeals to former mercies as a ground for his present expectation. The verb of existence is here emphatic, and cannot, without a violation of usage, be translated as a present, which is almost invariably suppressed in Hebrew. The enemy is a collective term, or one denoting an ideal person, including many real individuals. 5 (4). I loill sojourn (or abide) in thy tent (or tabernacle) ages (or eter- nities, i. e. for ever) ; / will trust (take refuge or find shelter) in the shadow of thy wings. The first verb is in the paragogic form, expressing strong desire or fixed determination. See above, on Ps. ii. 3. To dwell in God's tent or house is to be a member of his family, to enjoy his bounty and pro- tection, and to live in intimate communion with him. See above, on Ps. XV. 1, xxiii. 6, xxvii. 4, 5. David here tacitly appeals to the promise recorded in 2 Sam. vii. See above, on Ps. xxi. 5 (4). The beautiful figure for protection in the last clause is the same as in Ps. xvii. 8, xxxvi. 8 (7). 6 (5). For thou, 0 Ood, hast heard (or hearkened to) my vows (and the 276 Psalm 62:1 prayers which they accompanied) ; thou hast given me the heritage of those fearing (or the fearers of) thy name, i. e. the reverential worshippers of thy revealed perfections. See above, on Ps. liv. 3 (1). The heritage here mentioned is participation in the honours and privileges of the chosen people, with particular though tacit reference to the vicarious royalty conferred on David, and ensured to his posterity in answer to his prayers. See above, on Ps. xxi. 3-5 (2-4), and compare 2 Sam. vii. 16. 7 (6). Days to the days of the king thou wilt add ; his years (shall be, or, thou wilt multiply) like generation and generation. The preposition in the first clause strictly means ujjon, and suggests the idea not of mere addition but accumulation, which would also be conveyed in EngUsh by the literal translation, days upon days. His use of the third person shews that he does not mean himself alone, but the king of Israel as an ideal or collective person, comprehending his posterity. The life of this ideal person would of course not be restricted to a single generation, but continued through many, which is the meaning of the idiomatic expression in the last clause. 8 (7). He shall sit (enthroned) to eternity before God ; mercy and truth do thou provide ; let them preserve him (or they shall preserve him). The first verb suggests the two ideas of continuance or permanence and regal exaltation. See above, on Ps. Iv. 20 (19), and compare 2 Sam. vii. 29. Before God, in his presence and under his protection. See above, on Ps. Ivi. 14 (13). Provide, prepare, afford, or have in readiness. Mercy and Truth are personified, as in Ps. xl. 12 (11), Ivii. 4 (3). Compare Ps. xliii. 3. They seem to be here represented as God's messengers or agents in preserve- ing his Anointed. 9 (8). So will I celebrate thy name for ever, that I may pay my vows day (by) day. The so at the beginning may mean, on this condition, when this prayer is granted ; or more probably, in this assurance, in the confident expectation of this issue. Celebrate musically, both with instrument and voice. See above, on Ps. Ivii. 8 (7), and compare Ps. lix. 18 (17). That I may pay, literally to (or fo7-) my paying, or, as some explain it, by my paying, which, however, is a rare and dubious use of the infinitive. Day (by) day or day (and) day, i. e. one day with or after another, implying not only frequency but regularity. The Vulgate version of this idiomatic phrase is de die in diem. Psalm 62 1. To the Chief Musician over J eduthun. A psalm by David. Jeduthun seems here to mean the family or choir so called from the Chief Musician of that name. See above, on Ps. xxxix. 1. The psalm consists of three equal stanzas or strophes, each beginning with the particle C?|l<) only, and the first and second ending with selah. In all these parts, the theme or burden is the same, to wit, a contrast between God and man, as objects of confidence. 2 (1). Only to God (is) my soul silent ; from him (is) my salvation. The frequent repetition of the first word C^TJ^) is characteristic of the psalm before us. In all these cases it is to be taken in its strict exclusive sense oi only. See above, on Ps. Iviii. 12 (11). Only in looking towards God as my Saviour, is my soul silent, literally silence. See above, on Ps. xxii. 3 (2), xxxix. 3 (2). This trust, and this alone, can set his mind at rest, and free him from the natural disquietude of man when alienated from his God. Psalm 62:2 -9 211 3 (2). Only He (is) my rock and my salvation, my height (high place, refuge, or asylum) ; / shall not be shaken (moved from my firm position) micch (or greatly). The adverbial use of much is the same in Hebrew and in English. This qualified expression seems to be intended to suggest, that he does not hope to escape all disaster and calamity, but only such as would be ruinous. See above, on Ps. xxxvii. 24. As to the figures in the first clause, see above, on Ps. ix. 10 (9), xviii. 3 (2). He only, God and no one else, can be such a protector. 4 (3). Until when (how long) will ye break loose upon (or against) a man, will ye murder {i. e. seek to murder him) all of yuu (combined against a single person, who is consequently) like a wall inclined (or bent by violence), a fence (or hedge) crushed (broken down ?) That the last clause relates to himself and not his enemies, is clear from the continuation of the same description in the next verse. 5 (4). Only from his elevation they considt to thrust (him, and as a means to this end) they deliyht in falsehood ; ivith his mouth, [i.e. with their mouths) they irill bless, and in their inside (inwardly, or with their heart) tiiey will curse. Selah. The sudden change of number in the middle of the verse, and indeed the whole description, are like those in Ps. v. 10 (9). 6 (5). Only to God be still my soul, for from him (is) my hope. The view just taken of his fellow-men drives him back to God, and he exhorts himself to cherish the same confidence which he had before expressed. Be still, silent, trusting, and submissive. See above, on ver. 2 (1), and com- pare Ps. xxxvii. 7. The meaning of the last clause is, from him proceeds whatever I desire or hope for. 7 (6). Only he is my rock (the foundation of my hope) and my salvation {i. e. its source and author) — 7ny high place (refuge or asylum) — / shall not he moved (or shaken). This more absolute expression, as compared with ver. 3 (2), seems to indicate a stronger faith, derived from the previous comparison of God and man as objects of trust and afi'ection. 8 (7). Upon God (i.e. dependent, founded on him) is my salvation, and my honour (both official and personal) ; the rock of my strength (my strong rock, or the basis upon which my o^vn strength rests) ; my hiding-place (my refuge) is in God. It is in his presence, favour, and protection, that I hide mvself from all my enemies and all my dangers. See above, on Ps. vii. 11 (10), Ixi. 4 (3). 9 (8). Trust in him at every time, 0 people, pour out before him your heart ; God {is) a refuge for us. Selah. The faith which he cherishes himself he recommends to others also. At every time, not merely in pros- perity, but even in the sorest trials and the worst extremities. People, not merely men or persons, but people, of God, his chosen people. To .pour out the heart is a natural and lively figure for a full disclosure of the thoughts and feelings. See above, on Ps. xlii. 5 (4), and below, on Ps. cxlii. 3 (2), and compare 1 Sam. i. 15, Lam. ii. 19. The last clause gives the reason of the exhortation, and indicates its earnestness by a solemn pause. 10 (9). Only vanity (are) sons of Adam, a falsehood sons of man; in the scales (they are sure) to go up ; they are of vanity (or less than vanity) together. As to the supposed antithesis between men of high and low degree in the first clause, see above, on Ps. iv. 3 (2), xhx. 3 (2). Only vanity, see above, on Ps. xxxix. 6 (5), A falsehood, something that deceives ex- pectation, a false confidence. See above, on Ps. iv. 3 (2). Of vanity, composed of it, containing nothing else ; or giving the particle its frequent comparative sense, (less) than vanity, or {vainer) than vanity {itself). The 278 Psalm 62:10 -12 same doubt exists as to the meaning of the similar expressions in Isa. xl. 17^ xli. 24. 11 (10). Trust not in oppression, and in robbery become not vain ; (on) wealth, when it grows, set not (your) heart. The first two nouns are used together in Lev. v. 23 (vi. 4) to signify that which is acquired by violence. They are not therefore to be taken as distinct grounds of confidence, but as different parts or difi'erent descriptions of the same. Become not vain, by being assimilated to the vain, unsatisfying objects of your love and hope. See 2 Kings xvii. 15, and compare Jer. ii. 5, Job xxvii. 12. The word translated wealth meabs strictly strength or power, but is applied to pecu- niary as well as military force. See above, on Ps. xlix. 7 (6). Grows, literally sprouts, or springs up of its own accord, perhaps with an antithetical allusion to wealth gained by violence. Even when lawfully or accidentally acquired, set not your heart upon it. This phrase in Hebrew sometimes means nothing more than to apply the mind or give attention, and so some understand it here, "when wealth increases, take no notice, think not of it ; " but the stronger sense of fixing the affections on it, loving it, and trusting it, is better in itself and better suited to the context. 12, 13 (11, 12), One {thing) hath God spoken, these two (things) have I heard, that strength (belongeth) unto God, and (that) %mto thee, 0 Lord, (belongeth) mercy, (but) that thou wilt render to a man according to his deed (or doing). There are really three attributes of God here mentioned, his power, his mercy, and his justice ; but as the last is only introduced ta qualify the second, by a kind of after- thought, they may still be reckoned as but two. The construction given in the English and many other versions separates the sentences, and makes the first refer to a repeated utterance or revelation of the one truth there propounded, namely, that power belongeth unto God. Instead of one thing, two things, we must then read once and twice. But this, though favoured by the imitation of the verse before us in Job xxxiii. 14, xl. 5, is not the most obvious construction here. It is evident that one and two, when absolutely or elliptically used, may some- times mean one time, [i. e. once) and two times, (i. e. twice) ; but it does not follow that the same words, in a difi'erent connection, may rot mean one word or thing, two words or things. It is also a familiar practice of the sacred writers to borrow one another's words, or to repeat their own, with some slight change of sense or appHcation. The prononn (^T) in ver. 12 (11) may be either a demonstrative or relative, and on the latter supposi- tion we may read, (there are) tivo [things) uhich I hare heard; but the other is a simpler and more obvious construction. The apostrophe or sudden change of person in ver. 13 (12) is a figure of speech common in the psalms of Da^dd, and indicates a growing warmth of feeling, so that He who had just been calmly spoken of as absent, is abruptly addressed as if seen to be personally present. Psalm 63 1. A Psalm by David, in his being (when he was) in the uilderness of Judah. This is the wilderness along the eastern frontier of the tribe of Judah. It is frequently mentioned in the history of Absalom's rebellion and of David's flight before him. See 2 Sam. xv. 23, 28, xvi. 2, 14, xvii. 16. In that history we also meet with several of the very same ex- pressions that are here used, which, together with the strong internal Psalm 63:1 -4 279 Bimilarity of this psalm to some others having reference to Absalom's rebellion, such as Ps. iii., iv., xlii., Ixi., suffice to shew that it belongs to the same period, and not to that of Saul's persecution, which is indeed forbidden by the mention of the king in ver. 12 (11). The psalm consists of two parts, each exhibiting essentially the same succession of ideas, but with the variation usual in all such cases. Both begin with the expression of intense desire for God's presence and communion with him, and end with a confident anticipation of his mercy ; but in the first, ver. 2-9 (1-8), this is supposed to be displayed in the deliverance of the Psalmist from his sufferings ; in the second, ver. 7-12 (6-11), it is viewed as securing the destruction of his enemies. 2 (1). 0 God, my God [art) tJiou ; I ivill seek thee early ; for thee thirsts my soul: for thee longs my flesh, in a dry land, weary without water. The second divine name is the one denoting power, and might be translated here, vvj Mighty (One). The very use of it involves a direct appeal to God's omnipotence. The verb in the first clause is connected in its ety- mology with a noun meaning the dawn of day, which occurs above, Ps. Ivii. 9 (8). The modern lexicographers exclude the sense of early, and suppose the verb to mean nothing more than seek in English, or at most to seek with eagerness. But that the notion of time is really included seems to follow from the antithesis in Isa. xxvi. 9, The act of seeking a thing early implies impatience or importunate desire. The soul and the flesh together mean the whole man. See above, on Ps. xvi. 9. There is evi- dent allusion to the actual privations experienced by David in the wilder- ness of Judah. See the places cited in the note upon ver. 1, to which add 2 Sam. xvii. 2, The Hebrew word for weary is there applied to David himself, which requires or allows the same application in the case before us, especially as the form of the adjective is mascuhne, and land is femi- nine. The strict grammatical concord is perhaps with flesh, which is a masculine in Hebrew. 3 (2). To see thy power and thy glory, so [as) I have beheld thee in the sanctuary. The first clause states the object of the strong desire expressed in the preceding verse. To make this connection clear, the clauses are transposed in the common version, which is here retained, as being, on the whole, the best among the man}' which have been proposed. One of the latest makes the verse an acknowledgment that he had actually found a sanctuary in the desert, because it is always to be found where God is pleased to manifest his presence. But however sound and scriptural this sentiment may be, it can hardly be extracted from the verse before us without violence. 4 (3). Because thy favour is letter than life, my lips shall praise thee. A simpler construction, and perhaps more agreeable to Hebrew usage, is that which makes the first clause give a reason for the strong desire expressed in the foregoing verses, /or thy favour is better than life, and the last clause merely add a pledge of thankful acknowledgment, my lips shall praise thee. Better than life, not merely than the life I now live, which was scared}' entitled to be so considered, but better than any life I could live, destitute of God's favour, which is therefore more than a sufficient substitute or compensation. 5 (4). So will I bless thee in my life, in thy name will I raise my hands. So, that is, according to the gift bestowed. Bless, i. e. praise and thank thee. See above, on Ps. xvi. 7, xxxiv. 2 (1). In my life may either mean as long as I live, which is the obvious and usual intei-pretation, or when 280 Psalm 63:5 - 10 restored to life, from this state of living death, which is the sense preferred by some of the best interpreters, on account of the supposed allusion to hetter than life in the preceding verse ; but it is far from being the most natural construction. In thy name, invoking thee as the object of my wor- ship, and particularly of my thankful praise. Lift up my hands in prayer, and more specifically here, in thanksgiving. See above, on Ps. xxviii. 3 (2). G (5). As (with) marrov^ and fatness shall my soul he satisfied, ar?fZ (with) lips of rejoicing shall my moiith praise (thee). He continues the expression of his joyful confidence and hope. Marrow and fatness are used to repre- sent two Hebrew words, both meaning animal fat, here put for rich food, and that for abundant supplies of every kind. Lips of rejoicinr^s may denote either joyful lips, or lips by which rejoicings are uttered. The un- conditional engagement to praise God implies, as usual, a firm behef that he will have occasion so to do. See above, on Ps. v. 8 (7). 7 (6). Wheji I rememler thee upon my bed, in the watches I will meditate upon thee. The first word in Hebrew is the one commonly translated if; but the condition indicated by it is sometimes specifically that of time. There seems to be reference in this verse to the old division of the night, for municipal and military purposes, into three watches, the first (Lam. ii. 19), the middle (Judges vii. 19), and the morning watch (Exod. xiv. 24, 1 Sam. xi. 11). See below, on Ps. xc. 4. Twill meditate of thee, or more literally in thee, implying an entire absorption of his powers and affections in the object. See above, on Ps. i. 2. 8 (7). For thou hast been a help to me, and in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. The protection which he has experienced already he is sure of still enjoying in the time to come. The translation of the first verb as a present (thou art my help) not only weakens the antithesis but violates a constant usage. See above, on Ps. lix. 17 (16), Ixi. 4 (3). The image presented in the last clause is the same as that in Ps. xvii. 8, xxx^i. 8 (7), Ivii. 2 (1), Ixi. 5 (4). 9 (8). My soul cleaves after tJwc, thy right hand holds vie. This is a strong metaphorical description of the mutual relation between God and the believer ; a relation of trustful dependence on the one hand, and of con- stant favour and protection on the other. Cleaves after is a frequent phrase for foUoivs cleaving to thee. The right hand is the constant symbol of strength. See above, on Ps. xviii. 36 (35), xliv. 4 (3), Ix. 6 (5). 10 (9). And they to (their) ruin are seeking my soul ; they shall go into the depths of the earth. The phrase to ruin has precisely the same sense as in Ps. xxxv. 8, namely, to their own destruction. Are seeking, will seek; the idea suggested by the future is, that if they still persist in seek- ino it, they will do so to their own destruction. Some obtain the same sense by a different constiaiction, they (shall come) to ruin (who) are seeking my soul; but this supposes two elUpses, which are not to be assumed with- out necessity. Still less satisfactory is the construction which regards the whole verse as a single proposition : they (who) seek my soul to ruin (or destroy it) shall go, &c. To seek the soul implies a purpose of destruction, without any qualifying adjunct, even in prose. See 2 Sam. xvi. 11. The depths of the earth, literally its lower or lowest parts, which may simply mean the grave (as we say under ground), or contain an allusion to the fate of Korah and his company (Num. xvi. 31-34). See above, on Ps. Iv. 16 (15). 11 (10). They shall he abandoned to the power of the sword, the prey of jackals shall they he. The hteral translation of the fii'st clause is, they shall Psalm 64: 1,2 281 pour him out upon the hands of the sword, where the use of the plural verb in an indefinite or passive sense, and the sudden alternation of the singular and plural form in speaking of the enemy, together with the bold and idiomatic figures of a sword with hands and men poured on them, present such a concurrence of apparent solecisms as can be made intelligible only by a paraphrase. The word translated prey means properly a share or por- tion ; it occurs above, Ps. xi. 6, xvi. 5, The other noun in this clause is the common Hebrew word ior foxes, but is used with so much latitude as to include the jackal, which sense must be here preferred, as the fox does not prey upon dead men, unless the clause be understood to mean nothing more than that they shall be left lying in the desert, where these creatures have their home, which is a good sense, but much weaker than the one just put upon the words. 12 (11). And the king shall rejoice in God ; (in him) shall every one boast (or glory) that swears by him, because the mouth of those speaking falsehood shall be shut (or stopped). Instead of the personal pronoun he inserts his ofiicial title, the king, i. e. I as king. Rejoice in God, i. e. in union with him and in the experience of his favour. Boast or praise himself, i. e. felici- tate himself on the possession of these glorious distinctions and advantages. Swearing by him, i.e. as some suppose, by the king here mentioned, accord- ing to the old Egyptian custom (Gen. xlii. 15, 16), of which we find some traces even in Israel (1 Sam. xvii. 55, xxv. 26, 2 Sam. xi. 11). If thiswere the true grammatical construction we might perhaps explain the phrase to mean swearing to him, i. e. swearing fealty or allegiance, doing homage to him as a rightful sovereign. But there is, in fact, no sufficient reason for depart- ing from the obvious construction which refers the pronoun to the nearest antecedent, God. The last clause assigns the immediate occasion of the joy and triumph here predicted, namely, the defeat of false and treacherous insurgents. See above, on Ps. Ixii. 5 (4), and compare 2 Sam. xviii. 7, 8. Psalm 64 1. To the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David. The correctness of this title is abundantly established by the marked internal similarity be- tween this and other psalms of David. Its very structure is Davidic, exhibiting the two familiar elements of a prayer for deliverance from wicked enemies, ver. 2-6 (1-5), and a confident anticipation of a favourable answer, ver. 7-11 (6-10). 2 (1). Hear, 0 God, my voice in my complaint; from fear of the enemy thou wilt preserve my life. Here, as in Ps. liv. 3 (1), the expression of con- fidence insinuates itself into the prayer itself. Complaint, literally musing, meditation, but with special reference to suffering and danger. See above, on Ps. Iv. 3 (2). Fear of the enemy, that which I have reason to fear fi-om him. 8 (2). Thou wilt hide me from the secret of evil doers, from the tumult of the ivorkers of iniquity. By sec7-et we are here to understand their confi- dential consultations and the devices there matured. See above, on Ps. xxv. 14. The participle doing evil, used as a noun {evil doers) to describe the whole class of wicked men, is a favom-ite expression of David's. See above, Ps. xxii. 17 (16), xxvi. 5, xxvii. 2, xxxvii. 1, 9. As secrecy belongs to the formation of the plot, so does noise or tumult to its execution. The same figures are combined, but in a very different application, Ps. Iv. 15 (14). 282 Psalm 64 .3-8 4 (3). Who have sharpened^ like the sword, their tongue, have strung their arrow, hitter speech. The figure in the first clause is a favourite with David. See above, on Ps. hi. 4 (2), Ivii. 5 (4), hx. 8 (7). Strung their arrow, literally trod (^. e. hent^ it, which must either be explained as an ellipsis — bent their (bow to shoot their) arrow — or as a poetical transfer to the arrow of what is strictly applicable only to the bow. See above, on Ps. Iviii. 8 (7). The figure of an arrow is peculiarly appropriate to the poignant pain produced by insult and calumny, which is also well expressed by the epithet hitter. Compare Deut. xxxii. 24, 1 Sam. xv. 32. 5 (4). To shoot in secret places (at) the perfect ; suddenly they will shoot him, and will not fear. With the first clause compare Ps. x. 8, xi. 2. The jperfect, the sincere and upright servant of God, who is free from all fatal and essential defect of character. See above, on Ps. xv. 2, xviii. 24 (23), •vii. 9 (8), XXV. 21, xxvi. 1, 11, xxxvii. 37, in the last of which places the Hebrew adjective has the same form as in the case before us. And will not fear, i.e. without being deterred by the fear of God or man. See above, on Ps. Iv. 20 (19). 6 (5). They will strengthen for themselves an evil tvord ; they will tell about hiding snares ; they have said, who will see to them ? To strengthen is to make strong, to construct so as to be strong. An evil word is an idiomatic phrase for a malignant plot, so called because it is the Iruit of mutual dis- course and consultation. See above, on Ps. xli. 9 (8). Tell about, count and recount their various devices, past and present. See above, on Ps. lix. 13 (12). The interrogation in the last clause is an indirect one ; the equi- valent direct form would be, who will see to us, i. e. regard us ? Compare Ps. X. 11, hx. 8 (7). 7 (6). They search out iniquities ; (they say) We are ready — a consum- mate plan ! and the imvard thought and heart of {every) man {is) deep. They rack their invention and ransack their memory for modes of doing mischief. We are ready, Uter ally finished, just as we might say in English, we are done. The next phrase consists of a passive participle, derived from the verb at the beginning of the sentence, and a cognate noun. The parti- ciple here corresponds to exquisite, recherche, something not to be had without laborious search, and the noun describes the product of the search itself. The last clause is added to enhance the danger, by representing the device as springing, not from shallow, superficial, but profound contrivance. Inward thought, literally inside, an equivalent to heart, often used by David. See above, on Ps. v. 10 (9), xlix. 12 (11), Iv. 16 (15), Ixii. 5 (4). 8 (7). But God has shot them — with an arrow — suddenly — the wounds ure theirs. By an abrupt but beautiful transition he describes the tables as completely turned upon the enemy. The antithesis is rendered very strik- ing by the repetition of the verb, noun, and adverb used in ver. 4, 5 (3, 4). Just as they are about to shoot an arrow suddenly at the righteous, God shoots an arrow suddenly at them. The wounds which they intended to inflict on others have become (VH) their own. When they thought to strike others, they were struck themselves. The general idea is the same as in Ps. vii. 12-17 (11-16), liii. 6 (5), Ivii. 7 (6). The adversative par- ticle at the beginning is substituted for the simple copulative of the Hebrew, to make the transition or antithesis more obvious in Enghsh. See above, on Ps. Hi. 10 (8), Iv. 14 (13). 9 (8). And he has cast them down; upon them {comes) their owti tongue ; all shall flee gazing at them. Cast down, literally made to fall or stumble. See the use of the same verb in historical prose, 2 Chron. xxv. 8, and compare Psalm 65: 1,2 283 the original of 2 Chron. xxvii. 23. The construction is indefinite, as in Ps. Ixiii. 11 (10), they have cast him down, i.e. he is cast down, meaning the enemy as an ideal person, who, according to the usage of these psalms, is immediately afterwards referred to in the plural number. Their tongue, i. e. the consequences of their false, malignant speeches, and their mischievous deliberations. The verb in the last clause is an intensive form of the one used in Ps, xxxi. 12 (11), Iv. 8 (7). Gazing at them, not simply seeing them, but seeing with emotion, whether that of wonder, joy, or terror. See above, on Ps. liv. 9 (7), lix. 11 (10). The clause seems to contain an allusion to the flight of the people, when the earth opened to devour Korah and his company, Num. xvi. 34. 10 (9). And all menfear^ and pronounce (if) God's doing, and his work they understand. The conversive futures shew the dependence of the sen- tence upon that which goes before it, and describe the action, not as actu- ally past, but as directly consequent upon the great catastrophe described in the preceding context. And declared the work of God, i. e. pronounced it to be such. Compare Exod. viii. 19. His work they understand, i. e. no longer foolishly ascribe it to mere chance or human agency. 11 (10). Glad shall the righteous he in Jehovah, and shall trust in him ; and (in him) shall boast (or glory) all the upright in heart. Having de- scribed the eifect of the divine interposition on the wicked, and on men in general, he now shews how it will afl'ect the righteous. In Jehovah means, as usual, in union with him and possession of him. The word translated trust is that which seems originally to denote the act of seeking shelter under an overshadowing object. See above, on Ps. Ixiii. 8 (7). With the last clause compare Ps. Iviii. 11 (10), Ixiii. 12 (11). Psalm 65 1. To the Chief Musician. A Psalm,. Bij David. A Song, i.e. a song of praise. See above, on Ps. xlviii. 1, xlii. 9 (8). God is first praised in general, as a God of mercy and benevolence to all men, ver. 2-9 (1-8), and then in particular, as the giver of fruitful seasons and abundance, ver. 10-14 (9-13). 2 (1). To thee (belongeth) silence, praise, 0 God, in Zion, and to thee shall be paid the voiv. The two words, silence-praise, form a kind of com- pound term, like humility-righteousyiess in Ps. xlv. 5 (4), meaning, as some suppose, silent praise, but this is hardly consistent with the fact that the praise here offered is vocal. More probably it means such praise as is accompanied by a cessation of all tumultuous and passionate excitement. See above, on Ps. Ixii. 2, 6 (1, 5). In Zion, as the appointed place of prayer and praise under the old economy. The last clause implies that fresh occasion was continually given for thankful vows and their fulfilment, by the constant repetition of God's providential favours. 3 (2). Hearer of prayer, up to thee shall all flesh come. The first word in Hebrew is a participle, hearing, thou who habitually hearest prayer. This is mentioned as one of the divine characters or attributes. Up to thee, even to thee, implying actual arrival, and therefore a stronger expression than unto thee. All flesh sometimes means all animals, all living creatures (Gen. vi. 17, 19), but is here used in its narrower sense of all mankind (Gen. vi. 3, 12). To thee they shall come, i.e. must come, for the supply of their necessities, the forgiveness of their sins, and in short, for every 284 Psalm 65:3 - 8 good and perfect gift (James i. 17), both of a temporal and spiritual nature. 4 (3). Words of iniquities are too strong for me; (as for) our transgres- sions, thou uiilt expiate them, or forgive tliem for the sake of an atonement. Words of iniquities is by some regarded as a pleonastic paraphrase for ini- quities themselves. More probably, however, the phrase means the charge or accusation of iniquity. See above, on Ps. vii. 1, xli. 9 (8), and below, on Ps. cv. 27. Too strong for me, more than I am able to account for or endure. See above, on Ps. xl. 13 (12), and below, on Ps. cxxx. 3. The last clause contains the encouragement suited to the alarming situation mentioned in the first. 5 (4). Hapjyy (he whom) thou wilt choose and hrivg (him) near^ i. e. admit him to thy presence and to intimate communion with thee, (so that) he shall inhabit thy courts ; we shall he sated, satisfied or filled, toith the good., i. e. the pleasure, the enjoyment, of thy house, the holy (place) thy temple, or thy holy temple, thy sanctuary, an expression used both of the tabernacle and the temple properly so called. See above, on Ps. v. 8 (7). The privilege described is not merely that of public worship at the place of God's appointment, but of residence in his family and participation in the privileges of his household. See above, on Ps. xv. 1, xxiii. 6. The change from the third person singular to the first plural shews that the former was only an indi\ddualization of the church or chosen people. 6 (5). Fearfid things in righteousness thou wilt anstver us, 0 God of our salvation, the confidence of nil the ends of the land and sea — (even) the furthest. Thou wilt give us fearful answers to our prayers, i. e. such as are suited to excite religious reverence and awe. TJie confidence, the object of their trust. Earth (or laiid) and sea are put together to describe the whole world, and the ends of both for the remotest countries, which idea is then expressed directly, by the word at the end of the sentence. The superlative cannot be expressed in Hebrew, but is here suggested by the context. The sense is not that all men actually feel this trust in God, but that whether they feel it or not, they are really dependent upon him alone. Compare Isa. xhi. 4. 7 (6). Fixing the mountains by his strength, girded uith power. This verse accounts for the dependence of all creatures upon God by a reference to his almighty power, which is not described in general terms, but by one of its efi'ects or acts, the settling of the mountains, as the most solid and immovable portions of the earth. He is then metaphoricall}' represented as girded or invested with power. See below, on ver. 13 (12). 8 (7). Stilling the roar of seas, the roar of their waves, the tumult of nations. The sentence is continued from the foregoing verse. God not only formed the material universe at first, but still controls it. There is here a beautiful transition from the literal to the figurative use of the same language. It is true, in the strict sense, that God stills the raging of the seas ; but it is also true that he subdues the commotion of human societies and states, of which the sea is a natural and common emblem. See above, on Ps. xlvi. 3, 4 (2, 3). Hence he adds in express teiTQS, the tumult of nations. 9 (8). Then were afraid those inhabiting the ends (or most distant parts) of thy signs ; the outgoings of morning and evening thou wilt make to shout (or sing). TJien is not expressed in Hebrew, but employed in the transla- tion to shew the dependence of the verb on that of the preceding sentence. The sense is, that whenever God thus stills the tumult of the nations, even Psalm 65:9 -13 285 the remotest are affected by his signs, i. e. the sensible indications of his presence and immediate agency. Outgoings is a local noun in Hebrew, and denotes the places where the evening and the morning come forth or begin, i. e. the points at which the sun sets and rises, the east and west, here put for eastern and western lands, and these for their inhabitants. That the fear mentioned in the first clause is not mere slavish dread, but an affection perfectly compatible with joy, is clear from the remainder of the sentence. 10 (9). Thou hast visited the earth and drenched it ; thou wilt much enrich it ; the river of God is full of water ; thou wilt prepare their corn, for thtis thou dost prepare it, i. e. the earth, for this very purpose. God is said to visit his creatures when he manifests his presence with them, whether in the way of judgment or of mercy. See above, on Ps. viii. 5 (4). Drenched, soaked, or made to overflow. The word translated much is the same as in Ps. Ixii. 3 (2). The river of God, as opposed to earthly streams. However these may fail, the divine resources are exhaustless. Their corn, that required for men's subsistence. See above on Ps. iv. 8 (7). The meaning of the last clause seems to be that he who provides rain to fertilize the earth, may be expected to provide the fruit itself. 11 (10). Its furrows drench, its ridges beat down: with showers thou wilt soften it ; its vegetation thou wilt bless. The first vei'b means to water abundantly, the second to lower or beat down, implying a great violence of rain. The word translated showers, according to its etymology and usage, denotes frequent and abundant rains. ^Soften, dissolve, or loosen it. The Hebrew verb is a derivative of that in Ps. xlvi. 7 (6). Vegetation, germi- nation, that which sprouts or springs up from the seed when sown. Some make the verbs in the first clause infinitives, determined by the finite tenses which precede and follow. But their form permits them to be taken as imperatives, from which the transition to the futm-e is entirely natural and in accordance with the usage of David's psalms, whenever an expression of confident anticipation is to be immediately subjoined to one of strong desire. See above, on Ps. liv. 3 (1). 12 (11). Thou hast crowned the year of thy goodness, and thy paths drop fatness. The first clause may either mean, thou hast crowned the year tvith thy goodness, or, as some prefer to construe it, thou hast crowned the year of thy goodness, the year distinguished by thy goodness, with particular instances and proofs of that goodness. The obvious meaning of the strong but beautiful figure in the last clause is, that wherever he appears his movements are attended by a rich and fertilizing influence. Fatness is as usual a figure for rich food, and that for general abundance, 13 (12). They drop — the pastures of the wilderness, and (with) joy the hills are girt. The word translated pastures properly means dwellings, but is specially applied to folds and pastures, as the places to which flocks resort. See above, on Ps. xxiii. 1. The word translated wilderness, according to its most probable etymology, originally signifies, not a barren desert, but a tract of country neither tilled nor thickly peopled, though perhaps luxuriant and abundant as a pasture ground. The general meta- phor of clothing which occurs in the next verse, is here anticipated by the specific one of a girdle, as that which surrounds the body and confines the dress. See above, on Ps. xviii. 33 (32). 14 (13). The pastures are clothed with flocks, and the vales shall be robed in grain; they shall shout (for joy), yea, they shall sing. Some translate the first clause, the flocks are clothed with lambs, denying that the first noun in Hebrew ever means pastures. But see above, on Ps. xxxvii. 20. The 286 Psalm 66:1 - 5 image presented in the first translation is certainly more natural and beau- tiful. It also makes the paralleUsm more complete, the fields being covered by the waving crops in the same sense that the meadows are covered by the grazing flocks. In the last clause the pastures and valleys, by a beau- tiful personification, are described as breaking forth into shouts of joy and songs of praise. See above, on Ps. Ix, 10 (8). Psalm 66 1. To the Chief Musician. A Song. A Psalm. Shout unto God, all the earth ! The second clause of the inscription represents it as a psalm of praise. See above, on Ps. Ixv. 1. This is confirmed by the contents and structure of the psalm itself, in which we have, first, a general celebration of God's wonderful dealings with his people in all ages, ver. 1-7 ; then a similar acknowledgment of what he had done in a particular case, ver. 8—12 ; and lastly, a pledge or promise of thanksgi\ing, ver. 13-20. The resem- blance to the forty-sixth psalm has led some to suppose that this psalm was occasioned by the same event, or composed in imitation of the other, for the use of the church in similar emergencies. The verb shout is plural in its form, which shews that earth has a collective sense. 2. Sing the honour of his name; give (him) honour, (give) him praise^ The honour or glory of his name is that due to his manifested excellence. See above, on Ps. xxix. 2. Give, literally place or put, the verbs expressing these ideas being often interchanged in Hebrew. The same phrase that is here used occurs also in Josh. vii. 19, Isa. xlii. 12, and is clearly equi- valent to give honour in Ps. xxix. 1, 2, Ixviii. 35 (84), Jer. xiii. 16. The form of the last clause is peculiar, give Jionour [as or to) his praise. 3. How fearful are thy doings ! In the greatness of thy strength shall thine enemies lie tojhee. Here begin, as some interpreters suppose, the words in which the required praise is to be rendered to Jehovah ; an ad- missible, though not by any means a necessary supposition. The first clause may likewise be translated, how fearful (art thou in) thy doings, after the analogy of ver. 5 below, the ellipsis of the pronoun being similar to that in Ps. Ixviii. 36 (35). In the greatness of thy strength, i. e. because of it, or rather in the knowledge and beUef of it. See above, on Ps. v. 8 (7). Lie to thee, make false professions of allegiance, yield a feigned obedience, through the influence of fear. See above, on Ps. xviii. 45 (44). 4. All the earth shall worship thee and sing to thee ; they shall sing thy name. Selah. Here again the verbs are plural, shewing that all the earth is to be taken in a collective sense, as meaning all lands, or all the dwellers upon earth. See above, on ver. 1. Worship thee, bow or prostrate them- selves before thee, as an act both of civil and rehgious homage. See above, on Ps. v. 8 (7). They shall not only sing to thee, but sing thy name, i. e. not only celebrate thy being but thy manifested nature, the attributes revealed by thy previous works. This anticipation of universal homage to Jehovah is in strict accordance with the whole spirit and design of the Mosaic dispensation. 5. Go, see the worhs of God, fearful {in) action on the sons of man. The verb go is often used in Hebrew, as a formula of invitation or of challenge, where in English we say come. See below, ver. 16, and compare Isa. ii. 8, 5. In this case, however, go may be intended to express something more than would have been expressed hj come. The meaning may be, if Psalm 66:6 -10 287 you do not believe these general declarations of God's power and dominion, go and see for yourselves the proofs already given in the history of man- kind, and more especially in that of Israel : go to Egypt, to the Red Sea, to the Wilderness, to Jordan, and in the wonders there performed and still repeated in the experience of the church, see the evidence that God is indeed possessed of a tremendous power to control and influence mankind. With the first clause compare Ps. xlvi. 9 (8), the only other place where the word /ll/yDD occurs. 6. He turned the sea into the dry [land) ; through the river they shall pass on foot ; there will we rejoice in him. There is an obvions allusion to the crossing of the Red Sea and the Jordan, not as mere historical events, but as types or samples of God's extraordinary interpositions on behalf of Israel, such as might be realized again in their experience. Hence the pro- miscuous use of preterite and future forms, as if to say, the God of Israel will again turn the Red Sea into dry land for the passage of his people ; if need be, they shall again cross the Jordan dry shod ; there, on the scene of these miraculous events, shall we again rejoice in him. The combina- tion of sea and river seems to shew that by the latter we must understand Jordan, and not, as some interpreters suppose, the Euphrates, which is commonly so called. But see Isa. xi. 15, 16, Zech. x. 11. 7. Ruling by his might for ever ; his eyes over (or among) the nations watch ; let not the rebels exalt themselves. Selah. The participle in the first clause is expressive of habitual action, '* he ^constantly, habitually rules." See above, Ps. xxii. 29 (28). By his might, with which he was before described as girded. See above, Ps. Ixv. 7 (6). The noun eternity is used adverbially to mean for ever. The divine inspection here described implies that man can no more evade God's power than resist it. The last clause may be either a prayer to God or an admonition to his enemies. Exalt themselves : the Keri or marginal reading is, be high for them (or for themselves); the Kethib or textual reading, lift (or raise) for themselves, in which case horn may be supplied from Ps. Ixxv. 5, 6 (4, 5), or head from Ps. ex. 7. The rebels, i. e. against God, his stubborn and incorrigible enemies. 8. Bless, 0 ye nations, our God, cause to be heard the voice of his praise f To the general description of God's gracious dispensations towards his people there seems now to be added the commemoration of a particular event of this kind ; not one of merely local interest, however, but of such importance, that the nations are invited to unite in praising God for it. See above, on Ps. xviii. 50 (49), xxii. 28 (27). 9. The (one) putting, who puts, our soul in life, and has not given (up) to removal our foot, has not allowed it to move or slip. The unusual expres- sion in the first clause seems to mean restoration to life, a figure for relief from great distress, which is not unfrequently described as death. See above, on Ps. xxx. 4 (3), xUx. 16 (15). To set in life is not unlike the phrase to set in safety, Ps. xii. 6 (5). The form of expression in the last clause is analogous to that in Ps. Iv. 23 (22) above, and identical with that in Ps. cxxi. 3 below. Given up to removal, sufi'ered to be moved from its firm position or its place of safety. 10. For thou hast tried us, O God, thou hast purged (or assayed) us like the purging of silver, as silver is purged, with particular reference, as some suppose, to the long- continued and repeated process of refinement neces- sary in the case of silver. See above, on Ps. xii. 7 (6), xxvi. 2, and compare Isa. i. 25, xlviii. 10, Zech. xiii. 9, 1 Pet. i. 7. The general idea here is 288 Psalm 66:11 - 14 that of affliction, as a means both of trial and purgation, and is carried out in the following verses. 11. Thou host caused us to come into the net; thou hast put pressure on our loins. The first clause is descriptive of complicated difficulties and em- barrassments, the second of suffering and weakness. The word translated net occurs above in the very different sense of a tower or fortress, Ps. xviii. 3 (2). But even when soused, it strictly means a hunting tower, i.e. a post of observation and of safety used by hunters, and from the same root (T^S, to hunt) may be deduced the sense of net or snare, as a customary implement of hunting, in which sense it is certainly employed by Ezekiel (xii. 13). The word translated pressure occurs only here, but its essential meaning is clear from its etymological affinities. Compare the cognate form in Ps. Iv. 4 (3). Some suppose the idea to be that of a superincum- bent pressure, load, or burden, corresponding to the verb as used in Amos ii. 13. Others make pressure mean contraction, stricture, and by necessary implication, pain or anguish. The loins are mentioned as the seat of strength (Deut. xxxiii. 11), an injury to which implies both pain and weak- ness. See below, on Ps. Ixix. 24 (23). 12. Thou hast caused (or suffered) men to ride at our head, we came into the /ire and into the waters, and (now) thou h t caused us to come forth to abundance, overflow, i. e. of enjoyment. M-an, frail or mortal man, whose tyranny is therefore the more insupportable. See above, on Ps. viii. 5 (4). This first clause is ambiguous, in Hebrew as in English. To ride at our head, though an exact translation, suggests only the idea of command or guidance, whereas some kind of suffering is required by the context. The common version, to ride over our heads, presents the image of horsemen trampling on their conquered enemies. Some suppose the idea to be that of ridiuff on us, as a man controls and guides the horse that carries him. The head must then be mentioned only as the noblest part, without imply- ing that the rider actually sits upon it. But this very circumstance makes the interpretation an unnatural and forced one. Fire and tvater, as the two great destroying elements, are common figures for distress and danger. Compare Isa. xliii. 2. The last Hebrew word in the verse occurs only here and in Ps. xxiii. 5. 13. 1 will come {to) thy house with burnt-offerings ; I will pay to thee my vows, i. e. the offerings thus promised. His acknowledgments shall not be merely verbal or mental, but ceremonial, i. e. expressed in the symbolical form required by the dispensation under which he lived. The reference is neither to internal feelings nor to outward rites exclusively, but to both together. See above, on Ps. xl. 7 (6), 1. 8, U. 18 (16). With the last clause, compare Ps. Ixv. 2 (1). The sudden change of number, from the plural to the singular, shews that what follows is the words of an ideal speaker, representing the same persons who had spoken in the foregoing context, if not identical with them. 14. Which my lips Jittered and my mouth spake in my distress. The first verb is a very strong and expressive one, in this connection not unlike our familiar phrases, bolted, blurted out, implying that he spoke from some in-esistible impulse, and thus suggesting what is afterwards explicitly affirmed, that the vows in question were occasioned by extreme distress. The Hebrew verb originally means to open or distend the lips, whether as a gesture of mockery (Lam. ii. 16), or menace (Ps. xxii. 14), or for the purpose of articulate speech (Job xxxv. 16). That its absolute use, in special refer- ence to vows spontaneously and hastily uttered, was faraihar to the ancients, Psalm 66:15 - 20 289 may be seen from Judges xi. 35, 36. In my distress ; the original expres- sion is, in the distress to me. See above, on Ps. xviii. 7 (6). 15. Burnt-offerings of fatlings will I offer to thee, with incense of rams ; I will make (an oblation of) cattle ivith he-goats. Selah. The word trans- lated/a////i/7s is especially applied to lambs, Isa. v. 17. The verb is the first clause in the one from which the noun rendered burnt-offering is derived, and strictly means I will cause to ascend, i. e. upon the altar, or in vapour from it. Incense may here be taken in its etymological sense of something burnt sacrificially, although in usage limited to aromatic fumigations, which is also the case with the Hebrew word in every place but this, where it seems to mean the sacrificial fat that was burned upon the altar. The verb to make is absolutely used, as a technical term of the Mosaic Law, to denote the act of sacrifice. See Exod. xxix. 36, Lev. ix. 7, and compare Judges vi. 19, 1 Kings xviii. 23, 26. The different species of victims are enumerated here, to convey the idea of a regular and perfect sacrifice, im- plying more than ordinary thankfulness. 16. Go (or in our idiom, come), hear, all ye fearers of (ye that fear) God, and I will tell you what he hath done to (or for) my soul. The fearers of Jehovah is a common description of believers or the people of God. See Ps. Ix. 6 (4), Ixi. 6 (5). The invitation is like that in Ps. xxii. 24 (23). Tell, in the primary sense of counting or numbering, and the secondary one of recounting or relating. To my soul, i. e. to me, whose life or soul was threatened. To me as the object of the act alluded to, or for me, as the person to be benefited. This address prepares the way for the ensuing declaration, founded on his own experience, that it is only by sincere sub- mission and devotion to God that his protection is to be secured. 17. To him (with) my mouth I called, and high ^;/-itw« (exaltation) was under my tongue. By a slight change in the pointing, or by supposing an irregularity of punctuation, the last clause may be rendered, he was extolled under my tongue, i. e. by means of it as an instrument of praise. But as a corresponding plural form occurs below, Ps. cxlix. 6, the Hebrew word (DDi*)) is probably a noun, meaning lofty praise, or exaltation by means of praise. Under my tongue may be simply equivalent to on or with my tongue, or it may be intended to suggest the additional idea of a store or deposit of such praises still in reserve, to be employed hereafter, which some suppose to be the meaning of the phrase in Ps. x. 7. 18. Iniquity if I have seen in. my heart, the Lord will not hear. If I had any wicked end in view, God would not hear my prayer. The same idea is expressed in Prov. xv. 29, Isa. i. 15, lix. 2, John ix. 31, 1 John iii. 22. It is here stated as the ground on which he means to argue his own inno- cence of any such corrupt design, and actually does so in the next verse. 19. (Bni) verily God hath heard; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer. The Hebrew particle at the beginning is strictly not adversative but affirmative. See above, on Ps. xxxi. 23 (22). It is equivalent in force to our expressions, whereas, really, in fact, &c. The doubt subjected in the foregoing verse had been removed in his case by the appUcation of the test there mentioned. God had already heard his prayer and thereby borne witness that he was not guilty of the duphcity in question. 20. Blessed (be) God who hath not put away my prayer (from him) and his mercy from me. Here as elsewhere, when apphed to God, blessed can only mean praised or entitled to be praised. The double apphcation of the verb in the last clause cannot well be imitated in translation. The same 290 Psalm 67:1 -5 word in Hebrew may be used to express tbe act of rejecting a petition, and that of withdrawing or withholding favour. Psalm 67 1. To the Chief Musician. With (or on) stringed instruments. A Psalm ^ a Song, i. e. a psalm of praise. See above, on Ps. Ixvi. 1. For the mean- ing of the second clause of this inscription, see above, on Ps. Iv. 1, and compare Ps. Ixi. 1. The psalm before us, like the sixty-fifth, seems to have special reference to the manifestation of God's goodness in the gift of fruitful seasons and abundant harvests. See below, on ver. 7 (6), and above, on Ps. Ixv. 1 . But from this the Psalmist, or the church, of which he is the spokesman, takes occasion to anticipate the extension of God's covenanted gifts, both temporal and spiritual, to all the nations of the earth. This expectation is indeed the burden of the psalm, its immediate occasion being only mentioned incidentally near the close, yet not so obscurely as to make it doubtful. Any formal division of this short and simple composi- tion can only tend to mar its beauty. 2 (1). God he merciful unto us and bless us, and cause his face to shine upon us ! The form of expression is evidently borrowed from the sacer- dotal benediction. Num. vi. 24, 25, but with a substitution of the first person plural for the second singular, so as to convert the authoritative blessing upon others into an expression of desire for themselves. The optative meaning of the sentence is determined by the form of the second verb in Hebrew. Upon us, literally with us, a form of speech probably intended to suggest the idea of the divine presence and communion. As to the figure in the last clause, see above, on Ps. iv. 7 (6), xxxi. 17 (16). 3 (2). That thy way may he known in the earth, in all nations thy sal- vation. The original construction of the first clause is, to know in the earth thy way ; but the sense can only be made clear in English by a passive form. Thy way, i. e. thy mode of dealing with thy people, referring more particularly here to providential favours, the knowledge of which he hopes to see extended to all nations, as a means to the promotion of still higher ends. The pleonastic phrase, saving health, retained in the authorised version from an older one, has nothing corresponding to it in the Hebrew but the single word which always means salvation, and is commonly so rendered. 4 (3). The nations shall acknowledge thee, 0 God, the nations shall acknowledge thee — all of them. The common version of the verb here twice used (praise) is too wide. As it is commonly applied to the acknowledg- ment of benefits, a nearer equivalent is thank. See above, on Ps. Ivii. 10 (9). 5 (4). Nations shall joy and triumph, hecause thou shall judge peoples (in) rectitude, and nations in the earth — thou shall guide them. The divine guidance implies protection and control. Compare Isa. Iviii. 11. The anticipation of universal happiness, as springing from the judicial acts of the Messiah, is not unusual in prophecy. See below, on Ps. Ixii. 12-14, and compai-e Isa. ii. 3. The word translated rectitude occurs above, Ps. xlv. 7 (6). 6 (5). The nations shall acknowledge thee, 0 God, the nations shall acknowledge thee — all of them. This repetition shews the anticipation here expressed to be the principal though not the primary subject of the psalm. The position of the universal terms, at the close of this verse and ver. 4 (3), is highly emphatic, and precludes, in the most explicit manner, all restriciton Psalm 68: 1,2 291 7 (6). The earth (or land) has yielded her produce; God will bless us, (even) our God. The translation of the first verb as a future is entirely- gratuitous, and therefore ungranimatical. Correctly rendered, it affords a hint of the immediate occasion of the psalm itself. The mutual relation of the clauses is that of a thankful acknowledgment for gifts received already to a joyful and believing expectation of the same hereafter. God has blessed us, and since he is our own God, he will bless us still. 8 (7). God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth shall fear him. The God who has bestowed this harvest on us will continue to afford us tokens of his covenant love and faithfulness ; and the day is coming when the inti- mate relation which we now sustain to him will be extended to all nations. Ends of the earth, even the remotest countries, but of course without excluding those at hand. It is really tantamount to saying, all lands or the whole earth. See above, on Ps. ii. 8. Psalm 68 1. To the Chief Musician. By David. A Psalm of Praise. Literally, a psalm, a song, but see above, on Ps. Ixv. 1, Ixvi. 1, Ixvii. 1. This psalm, like the eighteenth, which it very much resembles, is a triumphal song, occasioned by some signal victory or success in war, perhaps that recorded in 2 Samuel xii. 26-31, which closed the last important war of David's reign. The psalm opens with a general praise of God as the deliverer of the righteous and destroyer of the wicked, ver. 2-7 (1-6). This is then illustrated and confirmed by a reference to certain periods in the history of Israel, and first to the march through the wilderness, ver. 8-11 (7-10). Then comes the period of the judges, ver. 12-15 (11-14). Then the erec- tion of the monarchy on Zion, and its confirmation by the victory just achieved, ver. 16-20 (15-19). This is then represented as a part of the general plan of Jehovah's dealings with his people, ver. 21—24 (20-23), The triumphal procession is described, ver. 25-28 (24-27). All this, how- ever, is but a specimen or foretaste of a universal conquest yet to come, ver. 29-32 (28-31). In anticipation of this revolution, the nations are summoned to unite in the praises of Jehovah, ver. 33-36 (32-35). The resemblence of this last part to the corresponding parts of the two preced- ing psalms may account for the position of the one before us. 2 (1.) God shall arise, his enemies shall scatter ; those hating him shall flee before him. This verse propounds, as the theme of the whole psalm, a fact continually verified in history. There is also an obvious allusion to the form of speech uttered by Moses at the removal of the ark, the symbol of God's presence. See Num. x. 35. The wish there expressed is here said to be realised. Hence the change of the imperative (HD^) into a future (D'lpl), shewing that this verse has not an optative meaning [let God arise), but is declaratory of what certainly will be hereafter, as it has been already, in the case which gave occasion to the psalm. The present time is not excluded, but involved in the general proposition, that it must and will be so. Shall scatter is a more exact translation of the Hebrew verb than be scattered, although the idea is undoubtedly that of involuntary violent dispersion. Before him, from his face, or from his presence. See above, on Ps. ix 4 (3), Ixi. 4 (3). 3 (2). As smoke is driven, thou wilt drive (them) ; as waa: is melted before 292 Psalm 68:3 - 7 Jire, the wicked shall j^erhh before God. The form of expression is the same as in the preceding verse, /rom the face of fire, from the face [or presence) of God. The verb in the first clause is the same with that in Ps. i. 4, where the wind, imphed here, is expressly mentioned, as the driving or propelling agent. The comparison with wax is a common one in Scripture, and occurs above, in Ps. xxii. 15 (14). With the last clause compare the conclusion of the Song of Deborah (Judges v, 31), of which there are various imitations, or at least reminiscences, in this psalm. 4(3). And the righteous shall he glad ; they shall triumph before God, and shall joy with gladness. This is true not only of righteous individuals but of righteous nations, and especially of Israel, as such considered, although many of its members were unrighteous. But these are not con- sidered as really belonging to the church or chosen people, but are classed among the wicked enemies of God. Before God shall the righteous rejoice, as the wicked flee before him. 5 (4). Sing unto God, celebrate his name, cast up (a highway) /or the (one) riding thi'ough the deserts, by his name Jah, and exult before him. The second clause alludes to the opening of roads for kings and armies. See above, on Ps. 1. 23, and compare Isa. xl. 3, Mai. iii. 1. The common version of the verb {extol) conveys an idea wholly foreign from the usage of the Hebrew word. Riding, i. e. journeying, or giving it a miUtary applica- tion, marching. The common version of the next noun (heavens) is entirely unauthorised by usage. The Hebrew word is one still applied by the Arabs to the region over which the Israelites wandered forty years. The idea here suggested is more fully carried out in ver. 8-10 (7-9). By his name Jah, i. e. in the character denoted by this name, which is an abbreviation of Jehovah, peculiar to the song of Moses (Exod. xv. 2) and the later imitations of it. See my notes on Isa. xii. 2, xxxviii. 11. The people are summoned to prepare for the reception of this glorious visitor. 6 (5). Father of oriihans and judge of uidoivs (is) God in his abode of holiness. One of the most glorious divine characters is that of a protector of the innocent and helpless. Judge, vindicator, patron, one who does them justice. His abode of holiness cannot in this connection denote heaven, but must be referred to his peculiar residence among his chosen people. It was there that, both by the provisions of this law and the dis- pensations of his providence, he asserted his right to the exalted character here claimed for him. 7 (C). God makes the lonely dwell in houses, makes the captives come forth into enjoyments ; only rebels (still) ifihabit a dry land (or desert). This, though a general proposition, seems to have a special reference to the change in the condition of the Israehtes, when brought out of the wilder- ness into possession of the promised land. The participles in the original {settling, bringing out) express habitual or customary acts. In houses, literally in a house, or still more closely to a house, the idea of removal being really implied. The word might also be translated homewards or at home. The last word in this clause occurs nowhere else, and has been variously explained to mean in chains, by force, and into pleasures or enjoy- ments, which last is now preferred by most interpreters. 8 (7). O God, in thy going out before thy people, in thy marching through the ivilderness. Selah. The sentence is completed in the next verse, being here divided by a pause of solemn and admiring recollection. The general description of the foregoing verses is now confirmed and illustrated by a reference to the exodus from Egypt, and the journey through the wilder- Psalm 68:8 -]2 293 ness. Before thy people, in the pillar of cloud, as their guide and their commander. Thy marching, literally thy stepping, treading, or more ex- actly still, thy step or tread. To make the allusion still more pointed, the word for wilderness is not the one commonly so rendered, but one borrowed from Deut. xxxii. 10. 9 (8). The earth shook, nay, the heavens dropped, this Sinai, at the presence of God, the God of Israel. Dropped, discharged drops, rained. This is mentioned as a natural and usual accompaniment of a thunderstorm. This Sinai probably means, this (was at) Sinai, and should be read as a parenthesis. The usual construction not only requires a verb to be re- peated or supplied, but yields an obscure and doubtful sense, as no reason can be given why Sinai should be called this Sinai, and the version Sinai itseJf is unauthorised by usage. The first clause is descriptive of the grand and terrible phenomena attending the theopany at Sinai. See Exod. xix. 16-18. 10 (9). A rain of free gifts thou pourest down, 0 God ; thine inheritance and [that) exhausted, thou dost confirm (or strengthen) it. The first clause probably refers to the abundant and refreshing gifts (of which rain is a natural and common emblem) bestowed upon the people in the wilderness, including manna, quails, and water. The future tense is like those in Ps. xviii. 7 (6). Pour down, literally shake or shake out. Thine inheritance, thy people. The construction is that of an absolute nominative, (as to) thine inheritance. The next clause heightens the description by suggesting that the gift came precisely when it was most needed. 11 (10). Tlty flock hath dwelt therein ; thou wilt provide, in thy goodness, for the wretched. The first noun strictly means an animal, and more espe- cially a beast, but was probably employed as a collective to denote a herd or flock, in which sense it was figuratively applied in David's time to a company or troop of men, (2 Sam xxiii. 11, 13). Therein, i.e. in the land of promise, which was present to the writer's mind, though not ex- pressly mentioned in the context. See below, ver. 15 (14), and compare Isa. viii. 21. Thou ivilt provide, indefinitely, whatsoever may be needed ; or more specifically, wilt prepare, i. e. prepare a home, a resting place. The future tense describes it as a customary method of proceeding upon God's part, but specially exemplified in the case of Israel, who, until his settlement in Canaan, might well be called a sufferer, a wretched orafilicted one. 12 (11). The Lord will give the word ; the {women) publishing (it) are a great host. As to the future, see above, on ver. 10, 11 (9, 10). Word here means tidings, news, and, as the whole connection shews, good news, which is also suggested by the word translated publishing, but in usage constantly applied to joyful tidings. See above, on Ps. xl. 10 (9). There is obvious allusion to the ancient oriental custom of women celebrating victories with song and dance. See Exod. xv. 20, 1 Sam. xviii. 6, 7. The reference is not to any one occasion, but to an ideal choir chanting all the victories of some great period, perhaps that of the Judges. 13 (12). Kings of armies shall flee, shall flee, and she that larrieth at home shall divide the spoil. The flight described is not that of kings alone, but of kings at the head of armies. The repetition of the verb denotes the certainty and completeness of the rout. The dweller in the house is by some literally understood to mean the woman who takes no part in the battle. But others regard it as a figure ,for the chosen people, dwelling quietly at home, after the disappearance of their enemies, when " the land had rest," Judges v. 31, viii. 28. 294 Psalm 68:13 - 16 14 (13). When ye He doivn heticeen the borders, (ye shall be like) the wings oj a dove covered with silver and her pinions with yellow gold. The general idea seems to be that when " the land had rest," her condition was one of peaceful prosperity. The common version of the first clause {though ye have lien among the pots) is justified neither by rabbinical tradition nor the ancient versions. The Hebrew noun occurs only here and in Ezekel xl. 43, where it is equally obsciire, and the cognate forms in Gen. xlix. 14, Judges V. 16, are scarcely less so. The only meaning, besides those already mentioned^, which has any probabiHty, is that of folds or sheep-cotes, lying among which might be viewed as a poetical figure for rural or pastoral re- pose, thus amounting to the same thing with the first translation, which describes the people as residing quietly between the borders, i. e. within the boundaries or frontiers of their territory, now once more forsaken by the enemy. The beautiful allusion in the last clause to the changeable colours of a dove's plumage seems intended to suggest the idea of a peaceful but splendid prosperity. 15 (14). When the Almighty scatters kings therein, it snows in Zalmon. The change from war to peace is Ukened to the dazzling whiteness of snow in the midst of blackness or darkness. This last idea is conveyed by Zalmon, an unimportant eminence near Shechem, partly perhaps in reference to the dark forests which covered it (Judges ix. 48), but chiefly to the meaning of the name itself, to wit, shade or shadow. The parallel term, snow, suggests the idea of the brightest light. See Ps. li. 9 (7), Isa. i. 18, Mark ix. 3, Mat. xxviii. 3, Rev. i. 14, and compare Mat. xvii. 2. Some, with far less probabiHty, explain the verse as meaning that the land was whitened with the slain, as Zalmon was with snow ; but this ascribes too great an altitude to Zalmon. The Hebrew construction in the first clause is, in the Almighty's scattering kings, i. e. at the time of his so doing. The divine name here used is not the one so frequently translated Mighty in the Psalms, but the patriarchal title mentioned m Exod. vi. 3. Compare Gen. xvii. 1, xxviii. 3. It is here introduced because the events in question were remarkable exer- tions and displays of God's omnipotence. Scattered here means routed, put to flight. See above, ver. 13 (12), and compare the use of the same Hebrew verb in Zech. ii. 10 (6). 16 (15). A mount of God {is) mount Bashan, a mount of peaks (or ridges) is mount Bashan. The first phrase means a mountain shewing forth the creative power of God by its vastness. See above, on Ps. xxxvi. 7 (6). Mount Bashan, not a single eminence, but the lofty range of Anti- libanus, also called Hermon, and by other races, Sion and Sirion. See Deut. iii. 9, iv. 48, Ps. xlii. 7 (6), Ps. Ixxxix. 13 (12). The last two names would be apt to suggest, by a fortuitous resemblance, that of the holy hill of Zion. A mount of peaks or ridges, *. e. not a detached mountain, but a chain with many lofty summits, forming the northern boundary of Bashan. At the same time, the expression of this verse would necessarily suggest the idea of great states or kingdoms, of which mountains are the standing symbols. See above, on Ps. xlvi. 3 (2), Ixv. 7 (6). 17 (16). Why will ye watch, {ye) hills, {ye) ridges, the hill God hath desired for his dwelling ? Yea, Jehovah will inhabit {it) for ever. The interrogative form implies disapprobation and contempt. See above, on Ps. ii. 1. The verb occurs nowhere else in the Old Testament, but its meaning has been preserved in Arabic, namely, to watch as an enemy, to lie in wait, or, as some allege, to view with envy. Common to both is the idea of hos- tility or ill-will. The translation of this verb in the Enghsh Bible {leap) Psalm 68:17, 18 295 and in the Prayer-Book version {hop) seems to rest on mere conjecture. The two nouns, hills and ridges, are by some supposed to form a sort of compound, ridge-hills, i. e. high or rugged hills. Compare the phrase wine- reeling, Ps. Ix. 5 (3). The plural form may denote the several peaks, or the whole class which this range of mountains merely represented. Zion is here described as an object of hostihty or en\7 to the mountains of the heathen world, on account of the honour put upon it by its being chosen as the earthly residence of God. Having first poetically said that he desired it, i. e. preferred and chose it, to preclude all doubt as to the event, the Psalmist adds, not only so, but he does and will dwell there for ever. The verbs of the second and third clause, although synonymous, are not identical in Hebrew. There is evident significance in the choice of the divine names here employed. Not only did he choose it, as Elohim, for his dwelling, but he actually dwells there as Jehovah, as the God of revelation and the cove- nanted God of Israel. 18 (17). The chariots of God {are) two myriads, multiplied thousands ; the Lord is among them, Sinai in the sanctuary. As David's most formi- dable foes were particularly strong in chariots of war (2 Sam. viii. 4, x. 18), so here God's power of protection is expressed by an innumerable multitude of chariots. The same mode of representation occurs in the history of Elisha, 2 Kings vi. 17. Two myriads is a closer version than twenty thou- sand, because the Hebrew word is the dual of one used both in the vague sense of a multitude, and in the precise sense of a myriad. See above, on Ps. iii. 7 (6), where the plural of the same word occurs. The next phrase strictly means thousands of rejyetition or reduplication, i. e. thousands upon thousands. Compare Dan. vii. 10. There is no mention of angels in the text, although interpreters in every age have supposed their presence to be necessarily implied, as the conductors of God's chariots, if not as the chariots themselves, which is the sense put upon the Hebrew phrase by both the Enghsh versions {even thousands of angels). There is also an obvious allusion to the giving of the law at Sinai, as described in Deut. xxxiii. 2, 3, the presence of angels at which appears to be assumed in the New Testament, Gal. iii. 19, Heb. ii. 2. It is not, however, the mere number, even of these heavenly hosts, that constitutes the safety of the holy place, but the personal presence of the Lord {Adhonai) among them, which is therefore asserted in the next clause* The last words of the verse are obscure, but seem most probably to mean that the same glorious theophany which once took place on Sinai is now renewed on Zion, with particular reference, as some imagine, to the presence of the ark and the tables of stone in the one case, as a perpetual memorial, and even a perpetual renewal, of the legislation in the other. This fine poetical identification of the two mountains hallowed by God's presence may have been in the mind of the apostle when he drew that sublime contrast or parallel between them, Heb. xii. 18-24. Under the law Sinai was renewed in Zion. Under the gospel Zion superseded Sinai. 19 (18). Thou hast gone up to the high-place ; thou hast captured a cap- tivity; thou hast taken gifts among mankind, and (even among) rebels, (so as) to dwell (here). Lord, God ! In order to carry out his choice and re- solution, as recorded in ver. 17 (16) above, i. e. in order to estabhsh Zion as his earthly dwelling-place, God has encountered all opposing powers, vanquished them, and forced them to pay tribute, even the stoutest and most stubborn. The sign of the conquest being finished is the conqueror's return to his throne, whether upon earth or in heaven. See above, on Ps. 296 Psalm 68:19 - 22 vii. 8 (7), and compare Ps. xviii. 17 (16), xciii. 4, cii. 20 (19). Capticred a captifity, i.e. taken captive a multitude of enemies. The gifts meant are the forced gifts of the conquered. Among men, i. e. while present among them as their conqueror, and by implication /rom them. Even rebels, even the most rebellious, are compelled to submit. In other words, the conquest is complete. According to the military figures here used, it would seem to be implied that the gifts thus extorted by the conqueror are distributed amoncr his followers. To receive gifts on the one hand, and bestow gifts on the otlaer, are correlative ideas and expressions, so that Paul, in applying this description of a theocratic triumph to the conquests of our Saviour, substitutes one of these expressions for the other (Eph. iv. 9). He also, in his comment on the passage, justly represents the ascension there de- scribed as necessarily implying a previous descent. In other words, victory presupposes conflict. The last clause obviously refers back to the corres- ponding clause of ver. 17 (16). Lord God, hterally Jah, God ! See above, on ver. 5 (4). 20 (19). Blessed be the Lord, day (by) day ; (whoever) lays a load upon us, the Mighty (God is) our salvation. Selah. The second clause, which is obscure from brevity, also admits of this translation : (man) may lay a load upon us, (but) God is our salvation. Lay a load upon vs, literally load to us, or as to us. According to both these constructions, loading means oppression. It is possible, however, to attach to it the sense of benefits or favours, put upon it in the English versions, but with a very different con- struction of the whole clause. The Mighty (God) ivill heap nj)on us our salvation, or, will load lis with salvation. The depth of feehng and the strength of faith, on which this anticipation re.^ts, are indicated or be- trayed by the meditative pause which follows. 21 (20). God is for us a God of salvation, and to Jehovah the Lord (belong) issues from death. A more exact translation of the verse, retain- ing the peculiar idioms, would be this : the Almighty (is) for us an Almighty for salvation, and to Jehovah the Lord (belong), as to death, outgoings or escapes. This is only an amplification of the last clause of the verse preceding, God is our salvation, or according to the other construc- tion, God loads us iiith salvation. 22 (21). Surely God will crush the head of his enemies, the hairy scalp going on in his trespasses. The first word properly means only, and is here- used to denote that this and not the contrary is true, a purpose which in our idiom may be answered by a particle of strong asseveration, such as certainly or surely. See above, ver. 7 (6), and compare Ps. xxxix. 12 (11), Iviii. 12 (11). Crush the head, a strong figure for violent and complete destruction. See below, on ver. 24 (23), and compare Gen. iii. 15, Ps. ex. 6, Num. xxiv. 8, 17. The hairy scalp, or ooun of hair, is merely a poetical equivalent or parallel to Jiead. The words that follow seem to be applied to it by a kind of personification. Compare Px-ov. xvi. 31. But this figure, if too bold, may be avoided by supplying of one or of the man before going. This last word does not necessarily mean going on, but according to its usage elsewhere may be rendered going about, i. e. habitu- ally acting, in a sinful manner. See above, on Ps. xii. 9 (8), xx. 7 (6), xxvi. 3, XXXV. 14, xxxix. 7 (6), xliii. 2 (1). 23 (22). The Lord hath said, From Bashan I will bring (them) back, I will bring (them) back from the depths of the sea. Some suppose the object of the verbs in this verse to be Israel or my people, as in Isa. xUx, 12 (compare Gen. xiv. 14). But as the enemy is still the subject of the fol- Psalm 68:23 - 27 297 lowing verses, it is better to understand the one before us as threatening to bring them back for punishment and destruction, even when they seemed to have withdrawn in triumph. Here, as in verse 15 (14), Bashan is mentioned as a frontier province of the Holy Land. In the last clause there is an obvious climax. I will bring them back, not from Bashan merely, but if need be, from the bottom of the ocean. Compare Ps. cxxxix. 9, and especially Amos ix. 2, 3. 24 (23). In order that thou mayest crush (them) — thy foot in blood — (and) the tongue of thy dogs (in blood) from the enemies (even) from him. The general import of this verse is clear, but its construction doubtful and obscure. The first verb cannot mean to dip or wash without an arbi- trary change of text by reading ymH as inPs. Iviii. 11 (10). The original verb (ynDJn) must have the same sense as in ver. 22 (21), and may have the same object, namely, the enemies of God and of his people. The next words may then be taken as a parenthetical and qualifying clause, like sword in hand, and other such forms in English. Thy foot in blood, i. e. with thy foot in their blood, or so that thy foot shall tread in their blood. The last word in Hebrew On3Q) is by some understood as a noun with a suffix meaning its portion, i. e. the share of the tongue ; but for this there is nq authority in usage. Others translate the phrase, of it, i. e. of the blood, and the whole clause, the tonr/ue of thy dogs [shall receive) of it from the enemies. According to the first version given above, the last phrase is a mere specification of the one before it ; from the enemies, (even) from him, referring to some real or ideal representative of the entire class. 25 (24). They saw thy goings, 0 God, the goings of viy God, my king, in the holy place. The subject of the first verb may be either men in gene- ral, or the spectators, those who took no part in the triumphal pageant here described. The holy place, not in the restricted sense, but in that of the Greek h^ov, meaning the whole of the sacred enclosure, as distinguished from vaog, the sacred edifice. Into this enclosure the procession seems to be described as entering, for the purpose of bringing back the ark. 26 (25). Before went singers, behind players, in the midst of damsels drumming, playing upon timbrels, which is still an oriental custom. Some suppose the order mentioned in the first clause to denote the precedence or priority of vocal above instrumental music, as a rational or reasonable service. The English version of the last clause, among (them were) the damsels, inverts the true sense by needlessly supplying two words, a con- struction forbidden by the masoretic pointing. The true sense is, that the singers and performers were themselves surrounded by these players upon timbrels. 27 (26). In assemblies bless ye God, the Lord, from the fountain of Israel. Not only individually, or in triumphal marches, but in the stated convocations of the people at the sanctuary. See above, on Ps. xxvi. 12, the only other place where the Hebrew word occurs, except as a proper name (Num. xxxiii. 25), and where it evidently has the same sense. The only satis- factory explanation of the last words, from the fountain of Israel, is that afibrded by supplying ye who are before it, and applying the whole clause as a description of the chosen people, under the figure of a stream derived or flowing from a fountain. Compare the similar ideas and expression in Isa. xlviii. 1, li. 1. 28 (27.) There is little Benjamin, subduing them ; the chiefs of Judah, stoning them ; the chiefs of Zebulon ; the chiefs of Naphtali. These are named as representatives of all the tribes supposed to be there, i. e. in the 298 Psalm 68:28 -30 triumphal march. They seem to be selected, partly with reference to their local habitation, as the northern and southern extremities of Israel ; partly because the most remarkable exploits, from the time of Moses to the time of David, were performed by these tribes. See Judges v. 18, 1 Sam. xviii. 7. Little Benjamin, so called in allusion to Jacob's partial fondness for his youngest son. See Gen. xliii. 33, and compare 1 Sam. ix. 21. Their conqueror, or subduing them as Saul did the surrounding nations. See 1 Sam. xiv. 47, 48. Stoning them, literally their stoning, from a verb which invariably means to stone. The allusion may be to their skill as slingers, or more specifically to the means by which David killed Goliath (1 Sam. xvii. 49, 50). The suffix refers to the enemy, as in the clause preceding. Some interpreters have noted, as an observable coincidence, that our Lord and several of his apostles were of Judah, Paul was of Benjamin (Phil, iii. 5), and the remaining apostles of Galilee, in which lay the domain of Zebulon and Naphtali (Mat. iv. 13). 29 (28). Thy God (0 Israel) hath ordained thy strength; he thou strong, O God, who hast wrought (it) for us. Ordained, provided and secured by his omnipotence. Be strong, i. e. shew thy strength by exerting it in our behalf, hereafter as thou hast done heretofore. Wrought for us, indefinitely and in general, or wrought (it, for us, i. e. this deliverance which we have been celebrating. See above, on Ps. xxii. 32 (31), and compare Isa. xxvi. 12. 30 (29). Because of thy temple above Jerusalem, to thee shall kings bring tribute. The first word properly means from ; but as the local sense would here be inadmissible, from may be understood as in the phrase arising from, proceeding from, in which the idea is that of an efiect or consequence. As the word translated temple originally means a palace, it is applicable both to the Mosaic sanctuary and to Solomon's temple which succeeded it. See above, onPs. v, 8 (7), xlviii. 10 (9), Ixv. 5 (4). Above Jerusalem, both in a physical and moral sense, as Zion and Moriah overhung the cit}^ and as the presence of the sanctuary was at once its protection and its crowning glory. The last word in Hebrew occurs only here and in passages founded upon this. See below, Ps. Ixxvi. 12 (11), and compare Isa. xviii. 7. 31 (30). Rebuke thou the beasts of the reeds, the crowd of strong (bulls) with the calves of the nations, crouching tvith pieces of silver ; he has scattered nations (that) in wars delight. What he confidently anticipates is prayed for in the first clause, and in the last described as already reahzed, both common modes of indirect prediction. The word for beasts is that trans- lated yZocA; in ver. 11 (10) above ; but here both senses seem to be suggested, as they may be by the use of the plural in English. The beast of the reeds has been variously explained to be the lion (Jer. xlix. 19, 1. 44, Zech. xi. 3), the crocodile (Ezek. xxix. 3, xxxii. 2), and the hippopotamus, the Hebrew name of which is plural in its form {Behemoth) and therefore analogous to the collective term here used. This animal is also represented elsewhere as lying in the covert of the reed (Job xl. 21). Either the crocodile or hip- popotamus would necessarily suggest the idea of Egypt, here referred to as the most powerful of heathen states, and therefore a fit emblem of the heathen world. The adjective strong is a poetical description of wild bulls, as in Ps. xxii. 13 (12). These may represent the leaders of the nations, and the calves their subjects. The participle crouching is a singular in Hebrew, prostrating himself, the many being suddenly transformed into an ideal individual. See above, on Ps. x.. 10. With pieces of silver, silver coins, oflfered as tribute to their conquerors. See above, on ver. 19 (18), Psalm 68:31 - 35 299 and compare Isa. Ix. 9. In the close of the verse he sees the warlike enemies of Israel already scattered by the hand of God. 32 (31). Princes shall come out of Egypt ; Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God. Egypt is again named as the representative of the Gentile world, but in conjunction with the neighbouring state of Gush or Ethiopia, often referred to by the prophets as a powerful and splendid empire. See Isa. xviii. 7, xlv. 14, Zeph. iii. 10. The word translated princes means originally fat ones, elsewhere put for prosperous and potent men. See above, on Ps. xxii.-30 (29). From this word is supposed to be derived the name Hasmonean, which was given to the Maccabees or Jewish princes in the interval between the Old and New Testaments. Soon stretch out is not a version but a paraphrase of the original expression, which means strictly, make its hands to run, and may perhaps denote the eagerness with which the action is performed. 33 (32). Kingdoms of the earth, sing unto God ; praise {or celebrate) the Lord! Selah. Ic view of the conquests here foreseen, the whole world is summoned to acknowledge the God of Israel as the universal sovereign. Compare Rev. xi. 15. 34 (33). (Sing) to the (one) riding in the heavens of heavens of old ; lo, he utters his voice, a voice of strength. This verse is designed to magnify the object of the praise enjoined. Riding, as a conqueror in triumph. See above, on ver. 5 (4). The heavens of heavens are the highest heavens, the heaven of that which is heaven to us. See 1 Kings viii. 27, and compare Deut. X. 14, xxxiii. 26. Of old does not qualify riding, as it may seem to do in English, but the nouns immediately preceding, the heavens of antiquity or ancient heavens. See above, on Ps. Iv. 20 (19). In the last clause, he seems to hear an audible response from heaven itself. The lo, as usual, implies that something suddenly assails the senses. Utters his voice, lite- rally gives (forth a sound) loith his voice, as in Ps. Ixvi. 7 (6). 35 (34). Give strength to God ! Over Israel (is) his majesty, and his strength in the clouds. To give, in such connections, is of course to ascribe. See above, on Ps. xxix. 1, 2. The remainder of the verse contains the ground of this injunction. God is entitled to the praise of power, because his greatness is displayed in the protection which he extends over Israel. As the sanctuary was above Jerusalem, so God was above the chosen people, their chief and their protector. See above, on ver. 30 (29). At the same time his power is displayed throughout the universe, especially those extra- ordinary dispensations, in which he appears to speak fi-om heaven or the clouds. See above, on Ps. xxvi. 6 (5). 36 (35). Terrible {art thou), 0 God, out of thy holy x>l(ices ; the Mighty {God) of Israel — he is (a God) giving strength and forces to the people. BUssed {be) God ! The winding up is like that of the twenty-ninth psalm. Out of thy sanctuaries, as displayed thence, in blessings bestowed upon thy people. He is not only mighty in himself, but the giver of might to others. Compare Isa. xl. 29, 31. Psalm 69 A SUFFEREE describcs his own condition, ver. 2-5 (1-4). He represents himself as suffering for God's sake, ver. 6-13 (5-12). He therefore prays to be delivered, ver. 14-19 (13-18). He again describes his suffering, but with more expUcit reference to its cause, the malice of his enemies, ver. 300 Psalm 69:1 - 6 20-22 (19-21). He therefore prays that they may be destroyed, ver. 23-29 (22-28). He anticipates a favourable answer to his prayers and the happiest effect upon his brethren, ver. 30-34 (29-33). Nay, he expects to see the same mercy exercised towards the church or chosen people, ver. 35-37 (34-36). 1. To the Chief Musician. Upon lilies. By David. The lilies pro- bably refers to the delightful consolations and deliverances experienced or hoped for. See above, on Ps. xlv. 1, Ix. 1. The subject of the psalm is an ideal person, representing the whole class of righteous sufferers. The only individual in whom the various traits meet in Chiist. That he is not, however, the exclusive or even the immediate subject, is clear from the confession in ver. 6 (5). There is no psalm, except the twenty- second, more distinctly applied to him in the New Testament. 2 (1). Save me, 0 God, for the waters are come in, even to my soid, i. e. so as to endanger my life. See Jer. iv. 10, Jonah ii. 6. The figure for extreme distress is the same as in Ps. xl. 3 (2). 3 (2). / have sunk in the mire of the depth (or deep place) (where) there is no standing ; I have come into depths of water, and the flood, has over- whelmed me. The image is that of one sunk in the bottom . of a sea or river. Mire of depth is not merely deep mire, but the mii'e found in a deep place. 4 (3). / am loeary of my crying ; parched is my throat ; my eyes fail, waiting for my God. The literal meaning of the first clause is, I am weary in my crying, i. e. have grown weary in the act of calling upon God for help. See above, on Ps. \d. 7 (6). Parched, dried, by excessive exertion of the voice, or giving the Hebrew verb the stronger sense which properly belongs to it, inflamed. His eyes are represented as exhausted, worn out, by continued looking for God. See below, Ps. cxix. 82, and compare Lam. iv. 17. The participle waiting does not agree with eyes, as it might seem to do in English, but with the person to whom they belong, and may be construed absolutely, I waiting (me expectante), i.e. while I wait. 5 (4). More than the hairs of my head (are) those hating me without cause ; strong are my destroyers, my false enemies ; what I did not roh, then must I restore. With the first clause compare Ps. xl. 13 (12) ; with the second, Ps. XXXV. 9, xxx^dii. 20 (19) ; with the third, Ps. xxxv. 11, 2 Sam. xvi. 8. False enemies, literally enemies of falsehood, which may either mean in general perfidious, treacherous, or more specifically, using calumny and falsehood as a means for the attainment of their wicked ends. Then or afterwards, in reference to the previous innocence which he asserts. Though he took nothing at fij-st, yet afterwards he must restore. 6 (5). 0 God, thou knowest of (or as to) my foolishness, and my trespasses from thee have not been hid. He does not deny his own demerit in the sight of God, but nevertheless prays to be delivered from destruction. See above, on Ps. vi. 2 (1), xxxviii. 4-6 (3-5), xl. 13 (12), xli. 15 (14). As if he had said, " True, I am a sinner; it "is vain to deny it; thou, God, knowest it ; but nevertheless," &c. 7 (6). Let not them he ashamed in me that wait for thee. Lord, Jehovah, oj Hosts ; let not them be disgraced in me that seek thee, God of Israel ! He prays that the principle laid down in Ps. xxv. 3 may not be falsified. In me, not merely by me, or because of me, but ui me, as the representative of the whole class. Ashamed, disappointed and defeated in their hopes. Wait for thee, for thine appearance and the fulfilment of thy promises. Seek thee, i. e. seek to know thee, and enjoy thy favour. Psalm69:7-15 301 8 (7). Became for thee (or thy sake) I have borne reproach, disgrace hath covered my face. In his disgrace all God's servants must participate, be- cause he is one of them, and as such suffers. With the first clause com- pare Ps. xliv. 23 (22), Jer. xv. 15, with the last, Ps. xliv. 16 (15). 9 (8). / am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto the sons of my mother. The literal meaning of the first clause is, I have been estranged to (or as to) my brothers. There may be an allusion to the envious treatment of David by the other sons of Jesse. See 1 Sam. xvii. 28. The loss or alienation of the nearest friends is spoken of as one of the severest trials in Ps. xxvii. 10. 10 (9). Far the zeal of thine house, jealous regard for the honour of the sanctuary, as the visible centre of the true religion, has consumed me, im- plying an extreme intensity of feeling ; and in consequence of this zeal, the revillngs of thy revilers have fallen vpon me. That such revilers did exist in David's time, we learn from 2 Sam. xii. 14. The first clause of the verse before us is applied to Christ in John ii. 17, and the second in Rom. XV. 3. 11 (10). And I wept (away) my soul, or wept myself away, in fasting, and (even that) was for revilingsto me, even that became a subject of maHg- nant mockery against me. That weeping and fasting, as natm-al concomi- tants, were not unknown to David's experience in real life, appears from 2 Sam. xii. 16, 21, 22. The first clause likewise admits of this constr-uc- tion : and I wept, my soul (was) in fasting, i.e. fasted. But this, though it agrees well with the Hebrew usage which represents fasting as a morti- fication of the soul (see above, on Ps. xxxv. 13), is neither so natural nor so striking as the 'first construction above given, which is found in an anonymous translation of the Psalms, published by Bagster, London, 1830. 12 (11). And I gave, put on (as) my clothing, saclccloth, and was to them, in consequence, for a comparison, a proverb, by-word, or became a by-word to them. See above, on Ps. xxxv. 13, and xliv. 15 (14). The context makes it probable that the mourning described in this and the preceding verse was not in reference to his own sufferings merely, but to the sins of the whole people. 13 (12). They think of m.e, imagine things against me, they who sit in the gate ; (they imagine) sorup, lampoons or satires, they who drink strong drink. The gate meant is that of the city, where the oriental courts and markets were held. Hence some suppose the sense to be, that even in the place of serious business, they indulged their spiteful mirth at my expense. But it seems more natural to make the sitters in the gate mean simply those frequenting public places. See above, on Ps. Iv. 12 (11, and com- pare Josh. XX. 4, Ruth iv. 1, 2, Lam. v. 14. 14 (13). And 1, but as for me, in contradistinction from these mockers, my prayer (is) to thee, I pray to thee in spite of their derision, 0 Jehovah ; (let there come or let there be) a time of acceptance, in the abundance of thy mercy ; answer me, grant my petition, in the truth of thy salvation, or thy truth of salvation, in the exercise of that fideUty which secures the salva- tion of all who trust it. Compare Isa. xlix. 8, Ixi. 2. 15 (14). Deliver me from the mire, and let me not sink ; let me be de- livered from my haters, from the depths of water. He here returns to the figures in ver. 2 (1), where profound suffering is described as submersion under water and in mire. The meaning of the figure is explained in the last clause of the verse before us by the addition of a Uteral expression. 16 (15). Let not the flood overwhelm me, and let not the deep 8waUQV> 302 Psalm 69:16 -22 me, and let not the well (or pit) shttt its mouth upon me. In the earnest- ness of his entreaty, he passes from the figure of a sea or stream to that of a well or cistern, the idea common to hoth being that of deep water. 17 (16) Answer me, gi'ant my prayer, Jehovah ; for good (or as we should say, great) is thy mercy ; according to the multitude of thy compas- sions, turn to me, or towards me, implying that his looks were before averted. See above, on Ps. iv. 7 (6), xiii. 2 (1). 18 (17.) And hide not thy face from thy servant, for (there is) distress to ms, I am distressed, make haste, answer me, i.e. gi'ant me what I ask with- out delay, 19 (18). Draw nigh unto my soul, to me whose soul or life is threatened, ransom it, rescue it from ruin ; because (or for the sake) of my enemies, redeem me, so that they may not triumph in my fall. See above, on Ps. xiii. 5 (4), and with the first clause compare Ps. xxii. 2 (1). 20 (19). Thou knoivest, literally hast known, as a thing of long standing, my reproach, the contempt of which I am the object, and my shame and my disgrace ; before thee, in thy sight and known to thee, (are) all my adversaries, persecutors or oppressors, not their persons merely, or their conduct in general, but their treatment of me. The conviction that God knows all involves a persuasion that he will do justice to both parties. See above, on Ps. i. 6. 21 (20). Reproach, including calumny and insult, hath broken my heart, a common figure for extreme distress, and I am sick, sick at heart or sick in spirit, but without excluding the idea of corporeal suffering, as the efiect, or as a part, of his distress ; and I have waited for pity , literally mourning. i. e. sympathy, condolence, on the part of my cruel enemies, and it is not, or there is none, and for comforters, (those) comforting, and have not found (them). With the phrase, 7 am sick, compare Ps. vi. 3 (2). 22 (21)'. And, so far from pitying me they have aggravated my distress, for they have given in my food, or as my food, gall, here put for the extreme of bitterness, and for my thirst, i.e. to slake it, or at (the time of) my thirst, in my thirst, when I thirst, they give me vinegar to drink. Gall and vinegar are here put together to denote the most unpalatable forms of food and drink. The passion of our Lord was providentially so ordered as to furnish a remarkable coincidence with this verse. The Eomans were accustomed to give sour wine with an infusion of myrrh to convicts on the cross, for the purpose of deadening the pain. This practice was adhered to in our Saviour's case (Mark xv. 23). Though in itself not cruel, but the contrary, it formed part of the great process of murderous persecution. On the part of the Roman soldiery it may have been an act of kindness ; but considered as an act of the unbelieving Jews, it was giving gall and vinegar to one already overwhelmed with anguish. And so Matthew, in accordance with his general method, represents it as a verification of this passage (Mat. xxvii. 34). He does not contradict Mark's account before referred to, but merely intimates, that the wine and myrrh thus offered were to be regarded as identical with the gall and vinegar of this prediction. And in order to prevent the coincidence from being overlooked, our Lord, before he died, complained of thirst and vinegar was administered. (Mat. xxvii. 48, John xix. 28). The word translated food in the first clause occurs only here, and its verbal root only in the history of David (2 Sam. xii. 17, xiii. 6, 10). 23 (22). Let their table before them, at which they eat and where they are accustomed to enjoy themselves, be for (or become) a snare, an occasion Psalm 69:23 - 26 303 of unexpected danger, and to those secure, thinking themselves safe, (let it be for, or become) a trap. The first word in the last clause is the plural of one meaning peace, but seems to be here used, as in Ps. Iv. 21 (20), for those who are at peace, at ease, tranquil and secure. Compare 1 Thess. V. 3. The ancient versions give it the equally appropriate sense of /or re- quitals, i. e. in recompence of their transgressions. But although this sense may be deduced from the verbal root (D?l£^), and belongs to several collateral derivatives (D7li^, u>^, D^li^, it has no existence in the usage of \ • V V •• • the one before us i^yuh'^)- The circuitous construction in the EngUsh version is not only forced, but wholly unnecessary. The imprecations in this verse and those following it are revolting only when considered as the expression of malignant selfishness. If uttered by God, they shock no reader's sensibilities, nor should they, when considered as the language of an ideal person, representing the whole class of righteous sufferers, and particularly Him who, though he prayed for his murderers while dying (Luke xxiii. 34), had before applied the words of this very passage to the unbeHeving Jews (Mat. xxiii. 38), as Paul did afterwards (Rom^ xi. 9, 10). The general doctrine of providential retribution, far from being confined to tke Old Testament, is distinctly taught in many of our Saviour's parables. See Mat. xxi. 41, xxii. 7, xxiv. 51. 24 (23). Let their eyes darken, i.e. be or grow dark, from seeing, so as not to see, and their loins do thou cause to bend, give way, or swerve, i. e. paralyse their strength. See above, on Ps. Ixvi. 10 (9). The first clause probably does not refer to blindness, but either to the dimness of the eyes in death, or to darkness as a figure for calamity in general. 25 (24). Pour upon them thine anger, and let the heat of thy mrath, thy hot wrath, overtake them, reach them after they have long seemed to escape it and expected to escape it still. 26 (25). Let their home be desolated, in their tents may there be no one dwelling, or let no one dwell. The word translated home seems properly to mean an enclosure, with special reference, perhaps, to an encampment or collection of tents (Gen. xxv. 16, Num. xxi. 10). The translation castle in the English version of the places just referred to, and that of palace in the margin of the one before us, seem entirely conjectural. The Septuagint here has a Greek word (eVauX/g), meaning a place to pass the night in, especially for flocks and herds, and thence transferred to farm or country houses. This expression is retained in Acts i. 20, where the vei-se before us is quoted, in connection with Ps. cix. 8, and apphed to Judas Iscariot, not as an individual merely, but as a type and representative of the Jewish people, in their malignant and perfidious enmity to Christ. This does not prove our Lord to be the exclusive subject of the whole psalm, a conclusion forbidden by the confession of sin in ver. 6 (5) above ; but it does shew that He is not only one, but the chief member, nay the great type and re- presentative, of the whole class of innocent sufferers at the hands of wicked enemies. See also Mat. xxiii. 38. 27 (26). For (those) tvhom thou hast smitten they persecute, have perse- cuted heretofore and do so still ; and as to the grief of thy wounded, they tell or talk. The pronoun in the first clause is emphatic, " thou and not man, or man only as thy bUnd unconscious instrument." Compare 2 Sam. xvi. 11, 12, Job xix. 21, 22. The same persons are described as thy wounded, the original expression having commonly the sense of mortally wounded, and being therefore often rendered slain. See Isa. Ixvi. 16, Jer. 304 Psalm 69:27 -32 XXV. 33. The preposition before grief denotes the theme or subject, as it does with the same verb in Ps. ii. 7. To tell about it or talk of it is to make it the subject of unfeeling or derisive comment. See above, on Ps. xh. 9 (8). 28 (27). Give {or place) iniquity upon iniquity, and let them not come into thy righteousness. Luther and others understand the first clause as a prayer that sin may be made the punishment of sin (Rom. i. 28). But there seems to be rather an allusion to the double sense of the equivocal term (l^y)> which properly denotes sin as such or in itself considered, but some- times seems to mean sin considered in its consequences or effects. Thus understood, it is a prayer that sin may be followed by the natural effects of sin. The righteousness of God is that which he bestows by the judicial act of justification, including pardon. To come into it is to come into posses- sion or enjoyment of it, to become a sharer in it. 29 (28). Let them he blotted from the hook of life (or of the living)^ and with the righteous let them not he written, registered, enrolled. The hook is not here a figure for the memory, as in Ps. Ivi. 9 (8), but for the divine decree. The primary idea is that of a register containing the names of those who are to live or be preserved alive. The figure is Mosaic, being evidently boiTowed from Exod. xxxii. 32. The translation living, which is given in the ancient versions, is favoured by the parallel expression righteous {men), if not by the analogy of Ps. xxvii. 13, lii. 7 (5). But the abstract version life is equally appropriate, and is recommended by the use of the phrase hook of life in the New Testament with reference to the future state. See Philip, iv. 3, Rev. xx. 15. 30 (29). And I {am) afflicted and suffering ; let thy salvation, 0 God, set me on high, beyond the reach of danger, which is tantamount to saying, in a place of safety. See above, on Ps. xx. 2 (1), lix. 2 (1). The verb might also be translated as a future proper, expressive of a confident anti- cipation, thy salvation will secure me. But it seems more natural to under- stand it as a prayer for himself, subjoined to the foregoing series of prayers for the destruction of his enemies. As if he had said, " Remember, Lord, that I am sufi'ering, and interpose for my deliverance, as well as for their punishment." 31 (30). I vjill praise the name of God with song, or in a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving. Here, as in many other cases, the certaiuty of the event is indicated by an expressed determination to thank God for it. See above, on Ps. v. 8 (7). 32 (31). And it shall he letter to Jehovah, this shall please him more, than ox (or) hullock horned (and) hoofed. The contrast is not between material and spiritual ofierings, but between a legitimate offering of both kinds and the mere oblation of a beast, as an opus operatum of intrinsic vii-tue, or as if God could take delight in hoofs and horns, which are there- fore contemptuously specified. See above, on Ps. xl. 7 (6), 1. 8, li. 18 (16). The last words are highly idiomatic, and scarcely susceptible of close trans- lation, the original forms being those of active participles, horning, hoofing, i. 6. having or producing horns and hoofs. 33 (32). The humble see and rejoice, literally have seen and will rejoice, in my deliverance (even ye) that seek God, seekers of God, and may your heart live ! May you be revived and cheered by witnessing this exhibition of God's power and goodness ! The wish that it may be so includes a promise that it shall be, as in Ps. xxii. 27 (26), where the form of expres- sion is the same. Psalm 70:1 305 34 (33). For hearJcening, habitually listening, (is) Jehovah to the poor, i. e. the poor among his people, the righteous, pious, or believing poor ; and his jmsoners, those imprisoned in affliction by himself, or by human oppressors for his sake, he hath not despised, and therefore never will. The general inference here drawn from the speaker's own experience is the same as in Ps. xxii. 25 (24) above. 35 (34). Let heaven and earth praise him, seas and everything creeping in them, i. e. moving with an animal or vital motion. In the particular mercy experienced by himself he sees a pledge of gifts deserving and de- manding universal praise. 36 (35). For God will save Zion, and will build the cities of Judah, and they shall dwell in them and possess them. He who is thus faithful to the the individual believer must be faithful to the whole church. It is charac- teristic of the ancient saints to regard every personal mercy as a pledge of greater favours to the body of God's people. .This is peculiarly appropriate in such a case as this, where the words are those of an ideal person repre- senting a whole class, and that a class including, as its most conspicuous member, the Messiah himself. There is no need of supposing an allusion, either prophetical or historical, to the restoration of the Jews from Babylon, the rather as the temple is referred to in ver. 10 (9), as still standing. They in the last clause are the poor of ver. 34 (33), i. e. the righteous or God's people. 87 (36). And the seed of his servants shall inherit it, i.e. Judah or the land of promise, and the lovers of his name, of his revealed perfections, shall dwell (quietly and safely) in it. The foregoing promises are not restricted to a single generation, but extend to the remotest posterity. Inherit it, possess it by hereditary right from generation to generation. As temporal and spiritual blessings were inseparably blended in the old dispensation, the promise of perpetual possession and abode in Palestine is merely the costume in which that of everlasting favour to the church is clothed in the Old Testament. Psalm 70 The Fortieth Psalm, as we have seen (p. 177), consists of a thanksgiving for dehverances experienced already, ver. 2-14 (1-13), and of a prayer for fresh occasion of thanksgiving, ver. 15-18 (14-17). The latter portion is here repeated by itself, as a kind of appendix to the sixty-ninth and preface to the seventy-first, with both which it has several points of contrast and resemblance. The mutual relation of the two editions is the same as that between the fourteenth and the fifty-third. The supposition of an erroneous copy or an accidental repetition is forbidden by the fact that both are left on record, and by the appearance of an uniform design in the variations. In this case, as in that of the fifty-third Psalm, no comments will be made upon those expressions which are common to both forms and have therefore been explained already. 1. To the Chief Musician. By David. To remind, i.e. ioremmdi Godi of the Psalmist's necessities. The same inscription is prefixed to Ps. xxxviii. The phrase by David represents him as the author, not of the fortieth Psalm merely, but of this abridgment. See above, on Ps. Uii. 1, and com- pare p. 87. 2 (1). 0 God, to deliver me, 0 Lord, to help me, hasten! The first word 306 Psalm? 1:1, 2 of Ps. xl. 14 (13), he pleased, is here omitted, for the purpose, as some sup- pose, of making the commencement more abrupt, and thereby marking the whole composition as a fragment. Another variation, which interpreters have laboured to account for as significant, is the sustitution of Elohim in the first clause for Jehovah, the only Divine name which appears in the fortieth 'psalm at all. It is quite as probable, to say the least, that the names were interchanged as God and Lord are often by ourselves, without special reason or design. 3 (2). Ashamed and confounded shall he (those) seeking my soul ; turned hack and disgraced shall he (those) desiring (or delighting in) my hurt. See above, on Ps. xl. 15 (14). The only variation consists in the omission of the words together and to destroy it, in accordance with the obvious design of condensation and abridgment. 4 (3). They shall turn back on account of their shame, i. e. retreat from their assault on me confounded and ashamed — those saying, Aha, aha ! See above, on Ps. xl. 16 (15). For the strong expression, they shall be desolate, we have a milder one borrowed from Ps. vi. 11 (10). The only other variation consists in the omission of the tmimportant phrase to me. 6 (4). They shall rejoice and be glad in thee — all (those) seeking thee ; and they shall say always, great be Jehovah — (those) loving thy salvation. See above, on Ps. xl. 17 (16). The only variation here is the insertion of the copulative and at the beginning of the second clause. 6 (5). And I am afflicted and poor — 0 God, hasten unto me I My help and my deliverer (art) thou — 0 Jehovah, linger not, do not delay ! See above, on Ps. xl. 18 (17). Instead of God, the parallel passage has Jehovah, and instead of Jehovah, in the second clause, my God. Another variation is that the significant expression, he will think of me (or for me), is exchanged for the petition hasten to me, thus bringing back the prayer to the point from which it started. Psalm 71 A SUFFERER from the spite of wicked enemies prays for deliverance, ver. 1-3. He acknowledges God's goodness to him in early life, ver. 4-8, and prays that it may be continued in old age, ver. 9-18. He confidently anticipates an answer to his prayers, ver. 14-21, and promisee a suitable return of praise, ver. 22-24. This psalm bears a strong resemblance to the others in which the sufier- ings of the righteous are the'great theme, such as the twenty- second, thirty- fifth, thirty-eighth, and fortieth, a portion of which last seems to have been prefixed to it, as a kind of text or theme, or for the purpose of connecting it with the whole class of compositions just referred to. This explains the absence of a title or inscription in the psalm before us, as in the case of the second, tenth, forty-third, and others. 1. In thee, 0 Jehovah, have I trusted, taken refuge ; let me not he shamed, disappointed and confounded, to eternity, for ever. This verse and the next two are borrowed, with slight variations, from the beginning of Ps. xxxi. 2. In thy righteousness thou wilt deliver me and cause me to escape ; incline to me thine ear and save me. See above, on Ps. xxxi. 2, 3 (1, 2), where the imperative form of the preceding clause is still retained, instead of being changed, as here, into the future. The verb deliver me there occurs in what Psalm71:3-ll 307 is here the second clause ; and the qualifying term, haste or quickly, is omitted in the case before us. The division of the sentences is also differ- ent, so that the verses do not exactly correspond. 3. Be thou to me for a rock of habitation, a rock where I may safely dwell and make my home, (whither I may be able) to come always, i. e. whenever it is necessary ; thou hast commanded to save me, my dehverance is decreed already ; for my rock, my hiding place, and my fortress art thou. The images presented and the terms used are similar to those in Ps. xviii. 3 (2). Commanded to save me ; see above, on Ps. xliv. 5 (4), Ixviii. 29 (28). The imitation of Ps. xxx. here insensibly merges into a new and independent composition. 4. My God, free me, cause me to escape, from ike hand of\he wicked, from the palm, a poetical equivalent to hand, of the perverse and corrupt doer. The last word in Hebrew occurs only here, b*ut from its form appears to be the particle of a verb that means to be (or become) sour, to ferment, to putrefy. The infinitive of the same verb is applied to moral evil in Isa. i. 17. 5. For thou [art) my hope, 0 Lord, Jehovah, my confidence, the object of my trust, from my youth. Compare the combination Lord Jeliovah with those in Ps. Ixviii. 21 (20), Ixix. 7 (6), and the phrase my confidence with Ps. xl. 5 (4). 6. Upon thee I leaned, or by thee was held up, sustained, from the womb ; from the bowels of my mother, a synonymous expression, thou {art) my hing- ing out, the one that brought me out, a different expression of the same idea as in Ps. xxii. 11 (10). The meaning of the verb here used, both in its transitive and in transitive forms, may be gathered from Ps. xc. 10, Num. xi. 31. In thee is my praise always ; it originates, revolves, and ends in thee. Compare the analogous expression in Ps. xxii. 26 (25). 7. ^s a prodigy, or wonder, an object of contemptuous astonishment, u'as I, or have I been to many, on account of my extraordinary sufferings ; but thou art my refuge of strength, my strong refuge, at once my protector and my hiding place. With the first clause compare Deut. xxviii. 46, Isa. Uii. 14, 1 Cor. iv. 9. 8. Filhd shall my mouth be (with) thy praise, and all the day {with) thy beauty, or glory, as the subject of that praise. The sight of thine excel- lency now excites, and will excite for ever, my admiration and my praise. 9. Cast me not off, at the time of old age ; as my strength fails, literally according to the failure of my strength, leave me not, do thou not abandon or forsake me. He here prays that the grace which he experienced in youth, and which he has already acknowledged in the foregoing context, may be continued and extended to his old age. Compare Isa. xlvi. 3, 4. 10. For my enemies have said (so) to me, i. e. have told me that God would forsake or had forsaken me, and as a proof that they believe it, the watchers of my soul, those who watch and lie in wait for its destruction, have consulted together, i. e. against me, which they would not have done if they had really believed me to be under the Divine protection. Instead of to me in the first clause, we may read of {i. e. concerning) me, without any violation of usage or material change of meaning. See above, on Ps. iii. 3 (2). 11. Saying, God hath forsaken him, pursue and seize him, for there is no deliverer, literally none delivering. This verse is an amplification of the phrase they say [so) in the verse preceding. It gives the very words in which they say so. With the first clause compare Ps. iii. 3 (2), xli. 6 (5), 308 Psalm 71:12 -19 and the words of Ahithophel in 2 Sam. xvii. 1, 2, to which there may be a direct allusion, as an actual instance of the thing ideally described in David's own experience. With the last clause compare Ps. vii. 3 (2). 12. 0 God, be not far from me ; 0 my God, to (or for) my help hasten. Compare the similar expressions of Ps. xxii. 20 (19), xxxv. 22, xxxviii. 22, 23, (21, 22), xl. 14 (13), Ixx. 2 (1). The stronger expression my God, in the second clause, urges his covenant relation to God, as a reason for ex- pecting to be heard. 13. They shall he shamed, they shall cease (or he consumed) — the adver- saries of my soul ; they shall put on (or he clothed with) reproach or disgrace — the seekers of my hurt. The verbs may also be translated as optatives, let them he shamed, &c. But this is really included in the strict sense of the future. Compare the parallel passages, Ps. xxxv. 4, 26, xl. 15 (14), Ixx. 3 (2). 14. And I ivill always hope, and add to (Uterally add upon, accumulate, increase) all thy praise. To all thy praise which I have uttered hitherto, I will continue still to add. 15. My mouth shall recount thy righteousness, all the day {long) thy salva- tion, for I know not numbers (to express them), I cannot number them, they are innumerable. The righteousnesss or rectitude of God, including his veracity or faithfulness, is here referred to as the cause of his salvatioyi, the salvation of which he is the source and author. 16. / will come with the mighty deeds of the Lord Jehovah ; I will men- tion (or commemorate) thy righteousness, thine only. The first phrase may also be translated, / toill enter into the mighty deeds, &c., as we speak of entering into the particulars of a subject. But this is rather an English than a Hebrew idiom. The common version, / will go in the strength of the Lord God, is at variance with the usage both of the verb and noun, as the former does not mean to go absolutely, but either to enter or to come to a particular place, expressed or understood. The ellipsis here may be sup- plied from Ps. V. 8 (7) and 1x\t. 13, in both which places the same verb denotes the act of coming to God's house for the purpose of solemn praise, and in the second passage cited is followed by the same preposition, / wiU come into thy house with burnt-offerings, i. e. I will bring them thither. This sense agrees well with the vow to pi'aise God in the two preceding verses, and with the promise of commemoration in the other clause of this verse. See above, on Ps. xx. 8 (7). It also enables us to give the noun (JlT)1iJ) its usual sense of God's exploits or mighty deeds. See below, Ps. cvi. 2, and compare Deut. iii. 24. Thine only, not my own or that of any crea- ture. See above, on Ps. xliv. 4, 7 (3, 6). 17. 0 God, thou hast taught me (to praise thee) from my youth, by thy providential dealings with me, i.e. given me occasion to celebrate thy praise, and until now I will declare, i. e. I am still declaring, still have reason to declare, tJcy wondrous works. See above, on Ps. ix. 2 (1), xxvi. 7, xl. 6 (5). 18. And also (or even) unto old age and hoary hairs, 0 God, forsake me not, till I declare thine arm, i. e. the exertion of thy power, to the (next) generation, (and) to every one that is to come thy power. The last clause determines the sense of the indefinite expression, a generation. See above, on Ps. xxii. 31 (30). With the phrase thy arm, compare Ps. xliv. 4 (3). 19. And thy righteousness, 0 God, (reaches) even to the height (or high place), i. e. heaven, (thou) who hast done great things, 0 God, who is like thee ? With the first clause compare Ps. xxxvi. 6 (5), Ivii. 11 (10) ; with the last, Exod. xv. 11, Deut. iii. 24, 2 Sam. vii. 22. Psalm 7 1:20 -24 309 20. (Thou) who hast shewed us, made us see, i. e. caused us to experience, distresses many and severe (or many distresses and evils) wilt return (and) make us live, revive or quicken us, and from the depths of t/ie earth wilt return (and) bring us up, make or cause us to ascend. The sudden change from the singular to the plural form, in reference to the same subject, led the authors of the masoretic punctuation to restore the singular in this verse also ; but the reading in the text is no doubt the original and true one. As the word translated depths is elsewhere invariably appHed to water, some suppose an allusion to the deluge, as in Ps. xxix. 10, xxxii. 6, xxxvi. 7 (6). Compare Isa, viii. 7, 8. The verb return, twice used here, may, agreeably to Hebrew usage, merely qualify the verbs to which it is prefixed, thou wilt quicken us again, thou wilt bring us again. But the similar expres- sion in the next verse makes it probable that the verb was meant to have an independent meaning, and to point out the dependence of the quickening and the restoration here expected on Jehovah's return to his forsaken people. See above, on Ps. xiv. 7. 21. Thou wilt increase my greatness, and wilt turn (and) comfort me. As the word translated greatness is elsewhere applied to the great things done by God for the protection and deliverance of his people (Ps. cxlv. 3, 2 Sam. vii. 23) my greatness may have here the objective sense of great things done to or for me. See above, on ver. 19, and compare Ps. xl. 6 (5). 22. Also I will thank thee with a harp-instrument, i.e. with a harp or lyre as the instrument of praise, (for) thy truth, or as to thy truth, veracity and faithfukiess ; / unll play to thee, make music to thee, praise or celebrate thee, with a lyre, (thou) Holy (One) of Israel, i.e. his peculiar God, pos- sessed of all divine perfections. See above, on Ps. xxii. 4 (8). From this place the title has been borrowed by the prophets, and by none so frequently as by Isaiah. 23. 31y lips shall sing when I play to thee, and my soul which thou hast redeemed. The first clause, as above translated, seems to promise the combination of vocal and instrumental praise. But as the first verb usually means to shout or sing for joy, and sometimes simply to rejoice, and the second commonly conveys the idea, not of music merely, but of praise, the clause may be explained, my lips shall rejoice, for I will sing to thee (or praise thee), and my soul (shall also rejoice). With the last clause compare Ps. xxxiv. 23 (22). 24. Also my tongue all the day shall muse of thy righteousness, because they are ashamed, they blush — the seekers of my hurt. The verb in the first clause means to think aloud, to talk to one's self, and therefore suggests the idea both of thought and sound. It is here applied to the tongue, as the instrument by which one's thoughts are thus expressed, not to others but himself. See above, on Ps. i. 2, ii. 1, xxxv. 28, xxx\di. 30, xxxviii, 13 (12), Ixiii. 7 (6), and below, on Ps. xc. 9. The position of the subject at the end of the last clause is emphatic, as in ver. 13 above. The preterite form of the verbs represents the efiect as one already past, though really still future. Psalm 72 A GLOWING description of the reign of the Messiah, as righteous, ver. 1-7, universal, ver. 8-11, beneficent, ver. 12-14, perpetual, ver. 15-17, to which are added a doxology, ver, 18, 19, and a postscript, ver. 20. 310 Psalm72:l-5 1. By Solomon. 0 God, thy judgments to the king give, and thy right- eousness to the king's son. The form of expression in the first clause or title is precisely the same' as in the phrase so often rendered, by David. That it designates the author, may be argued, not only from this usage, but from the fact, that the imagery of the psalm is as evidently borrowed from the peaceful and brilliant reign of Solomon, as that of. the second from the martial and triumphant reign of David. The prayer in this verse is virtu- ally a prediction, as the Psalmist only asks what he knows that God will give. The judicial power, under the theocracy, was exercised in God's name and by his representatives. See Deut. i. 17, Exod. xxi. 6, xxii. 7, 8, Prov. viii. 15, 2 Chron. xix. 6. The Messiah was therefore expected to ex- hibit this peculiar character in its perfection. See Isa. xi. 2, 3. By the king and the king's son we are not to understand the descendants and suc- cessors of David indefinitely, but the last and greatest of them in particular. 2. He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy afflicted [ones) tvith judgment. This is stated as the necessary consequence of the granting of the prayer in the preceding verse. " Give him thy righteousness, and then he shall judge," &c. There is no need, therefore, of putting an optative sense upon the future, " Let them judge," &c., especially as it would then be necessary to extend the same construction to the verses fol- lowing, and so long a series of optative expressions is without example. 3. (Then) shall the mountains bear peace for the people, and the hills, by righteousness. The effect of the divine gift asked at the beginning of the psalm is still described in this verse, under the figure of a general growth or harvest of peace, to spring up in the whole land. Bear, in the sense of bringing forth, producing. Mountains and hills are mentioned as the salient points or prominent features of the country. This was the more natural, as the hills of Palestine were carefully tilled in ancient times, as appears from the ten-aces still visible. See above, Ps. Ixv. 13 (12), and below, Ps. cxlvii. 8, and compare Deut. xxxiii. 15. Peace, as opposed to war and its accompanying evils. This is often mentioned as a characteristic trait of the Messiah's reign. See Isa. ii. 4, ix. 6, 7 (5, 6), xi. 9, Ixv. 25, Micah iv. 3, Zech. ix. 10. It was typified by the peaceful reign of Solomon (1 Kings V. 4), whose very name suggests it. The hills, i. e. the hills shall bear peace or produce it. The words by righteousness belong to both clauses, and denote that the peace here promised was to be the fruit of righteous government. 4. He shall judge the afflicted of the people ; he shall save (or bring salva- tion) to the sons of the needy, and shall crush (or break in pieces) the ojypressor. To judge them is to do them justice, to redress their wrongs and vindicate their rights. The afflicted of the people, those who suffer among the chosen people. The needy or the poor man is an ideal person, representing the whole class, whose individual members are described as his sons or childi-en. 5. They shall fear thee with the sun, and before the moon, generation of generations. The first verb may be construed with the sons of the needy, or taken indefinitely, men shall fear thee, which is nearly equivalent to saying, thou shalt be feared. The verb itself denotes religious reverence or awe, and is here put for worship. The object of address, here and throughout the psalm, is God, whose worship is described as one fruit of the righteous reign predicted. With the sun, as long as they have the sun with them, i. e. possess or enjoy him. Before the moon, in her presence, as long as she continues to be visible, or to afford them light. This is one of the scrip- tural expressions for perpetual duration, an idea which is also expressed by Psalm 72:6 -10 311 the idiomatic phrase, generation of generations, i. e. through all generations, or from one generation to another. 6. He shall come down like rain upon moicn (grass), like showers, the water- ing of the earth (or land). This beautiful comparison suggests the idea of a gentle yet refreshing and fertilising influence, to be exerted by the king, whose reign is here foretold. The word translated showers, by its etymolo- gical afiinities, suggests the idea of abundance or copiousness. The noun which follows occurs only here, but may be traced to verbal roots which mean to drop or to flow. 7. In his days shall the righteous sprout, spring up, or shoot forth, and abundance of peace, till the failure (or cessation) of the moon. The idea is the same as in ver. 3, 5, with a slight change in the form of the expression. By a lively figure, the righteous man is substituted for righteousness in the abstract, as the fruit of the earth and the productive cause of peace. The idea of perpetuity is again conveyed by repeating one of the comparisons in ver. 5. 8. And he shall rule from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth. There is here an obvious allusion to the limits of the land of pro- mise, as defined in Exod. xxiii. 31 ; but that these are not directly intended in the case before us, is clear from the mention of foreign kings and nations in the following verses. The meaning rather is, that as the realm of the theocratic kings was bounded by the Mediterranean and the Euphiates, that of the Messiah, whom they represented, should extend from sea to sea, i. e. from any sea to any other, even the most distant, or from any sea around to the same point again, and from the river (Euphrates), or from any other river, as a terminus a quo, to the ends of the "earth. In other words, it should be universal. The same mode of describing the extent of Christ's dominion is adopted by the prophets. See Zech. ix. 10, and compare Amos viii. 12, Micah vii. 12. 9. Before him shall crouch uild [men), ^and his enemies the dust shall lick. The first noun denotes dwellers in the wilderness, and is applied both to brutes (Isa. xiii. 21, xxxiv. 14, Jer. 1. 39) and men (Ps. Ixxiv. 14). The common version of the first verb (how) is too weak in itself and in com- parison with the parallel expression, lick the dust, implying the most uncon- ditional and abject submission. 10. The kings of Tarshish and the Islands an ohlation shall send back ; the kings of Sheha and Seba a rnvard shall bring near. The last noun in the first clause, and the verb in the second, are technical terms of the Mosaic law, the first denoting specially a vegetable off'ering, and the other the solemn act of presentation in God's presence. The use of these expres- sions implies that what is here described is not the mere paj-ment of tribute or the presentation of friendly gifts, but a religious oflering. It is also worthy of remark, that the verb in the first clause, and the last noun in the second, both suggest the idea, not of a simple gift, but of a recompence or requital, perhaps in allusion to the benefits which Christ was to bestow upon the nations, and of which these gifts would be a thankful acknowledgment. The verb return, however, is used elsewhere to denote the simple act of paying tribute. See 2 Kings iii. 4, xvii. 3. The proper names in this verse are mere specimens or samples of the nations generally. Tarshish is mentioned, both as a well-known mart or source of wealth, and as a repre- sentative of the extreme west. The Islands, agreeably to Hebrew usage, include all distant sea-coasts, but particularly those of the Mediterranean. The distant south is represented, in like manner, by Sheba, a province of 312 Psalm72:ll-16 Arabia Felix, and Seba, now commonly supposed to be Meroe, a part of ancient Ethiopia, both famous for their wealth and commerce. The obvi- ous allusion to the Queen of Sheba's visit to Jerusalem (1 ffings x. 1-10) is another stroke in this prophetic picture evidently boiTowed from the times of Solomon. 11. And to him shall all Idufjs how (ov ])rostrate themselves), all nations shall serve him. That the preceding verse contains only a sample of the nations over whom the IMessiah was to reign, is distinctly intimated by the universal and unqualified expressions of the verse before us. The act de- scribed in the first clause is one expressive both of civil homage and religious worship. The same thing is true of the verb in the last clause, which may be applied either to the ciAal service of a sovereign by his subjects, or to the religious service of a deity by his worshippers. In this case, as in ver. 10, both were meant to be included. 12. For he tvill deliver the needy crying (to him for help), and the sufferer, and him that hath no helper. The literal translation of the last clause is, and there is no one helping him, or, and there is no helper to him. By referring the pronoun to the sufferer mentioned just before, we may take this, not as the description of a third class, but as a further description of the second, the suferer to whom there is no helper. The whole verse repre- sents Jie king in question as the protector, not the oppressor, of his sub- jects, and assigns a reason for their tribute being represented as a requital of benefits received. See above, on ver. 10. 13. He will have pity on (or spare) the poor and needy, ami the souls (or live'i) of the needy he will save. In the first clause the adjectives are of the singular number, and properly denote the poor (man) and the needy (man). The change to the plural in the second clause, needy (ones) or needy (people), shews that the singular was not meant to denote a real individual, but rather an ideal person, representing a whole class, which is then directly designated b}- the plural. 14. From oppression and from violence he will redeem their soid, and precious shall their blood be in his eyes (or sight). This last is an idiomatic expression of the idea, that a person sets such a value on the life of another that he will not sutler it to be destroyed. See below, on Ps. cxvi. 15, and compare 1 Sam. xxvi. 21, 2 Kings i. 14. 15. And he, the poor man thus delivered, shall live, shall be preserved alive, and, in token of his gi-atitude and willing subjection to such a sove- reign, he shall give to him, as tribute, of the gold of Sheba, one of the regions mentioned in ver. 10, and famous for its gold ; and he, meaning still the grateful tributary, shall pray for him continually, i. e. for the pro- gress and extension of Messiah's kingdom ; all the day (long) shall he bless him. i. e. praise him, as well for what he is in himself, as for the gifts which he bestows. By some interpreters the meaning is reversed, and the sentence made to signify that the Messiah shall live again, or live for ever, and give precious gifts to the believer, and by his constant intercession secure to him the blessing of Jehovah. This is a good sense in itself, and appropriate to the context ; but the dubious question of construction seems to be determined by the mention of the gold of Sheba, which, in this con- nection, far more probably denotes the tribute of the subject than the favour of the sovereign. See above, on ver. 10. 16. Let there be (but) a handful of corn in the land, in the top of the mountains ; its fruit shall wave (or shake) like Lebanon, and they shall flourish from the city like grass of the earth. The first noun in Hebrew Psalm72:17-19 313 occurs only here, and has been taken in senses directly opposite. The rabbinical tradition makes it mean a handful, the modern lexicographers a plenty, each relying on a doubtful etymology. According to the second explanation, the clause is a direct prediction of abundance, and should be translated, there shall heplentij of corn in the land. According to the other and more ancient view, the verse contains a beautiful antithesis between the small beginnings and the vast results of the Messiah's kingdom, not unlike that suggested by our Saviour's parable of the grain of mustard seed. This exegetical analogy, together with the striking character imparted to the verse by this interpretation, are sufficient to entitle it to the preference, even without regard to its antiquity and traditional authority. The apoco- pated future (>n^) may then be taken in its proper sense, as a concession or a ■wish, equivalent to saying, though there he hut a handful of corn in the land, and that in the least favourable situation, on the top of a mountain, which though cultivated (see above, on ver. 3), must of course be colder and less fertile than the plains below. Neither wave nor shake conveys the full force of the Hebrew verb, which suggests the additional idea of a rushing noise, like that of the wind among the cedars of Lebanon. This comparison is certainly more natural and obvious than that which some interpreters assume with the gi'ain-crops or harvest-fields of Lebanon itself. This would be merely likening one harvest to another, nor is any such allusion ever made elsewhere to the mountain, though its circumjacent plains and valleys were productive. See Hos. xiv. 5-7. The word trans- lated y?0M?•^s^ means originally to shine or glitter (Ps. cxxxii. 18), but is specially applied to the brilliancy of vegetation, and might therefore be translated hloom or hlossom. See Num. xvii. 23 (8), and compare Ps. xc. 6, xcii. 8 (7), ciii. 15. From the city seems to mean from Jerusalem or Zion, as the centre of Messiah's kingdom and his royal residence, out of which this productive influence was to go forth. Compare the form of ex- pression in this clause with Num. xxiv. 19, Job v. 25. 17. His name shall he for ever ; in the presence of the sun, i.e. as long as the sun shines, his name shall propagate (itself) ; and hy him shall they [i. e. men in general) hless themselves ; all nations shall felicitate him (or pronounce him happy). The form of expression in the second clause is borrowed from the patriarchal promises (Gen. xii. 3, xviii. 18, xxviii. 14), and is intended to suggest the idea there expressed, that the Messiah should be not only blessed himself, but a source of blessing to all nations. As the happiness of the parent is bound up in that of the children, and the prosperity of the sovereign inseparable from that of the subjects, the one part of this prediction necessarily implies the other. If the head is blessed, so must be the members, the whole body. If all nations are to call Mes- siah blessed, it must be because he is the author and the giver of their own prosperity, nay more, of their salvation. 18, 19. Blessed (be) Jehovah, God, the God of Israel, doing wonders alone, and blessed (be) his glorious name to eternity, aud filled with his glory be the whole earth. Amen and Amen. This is commonly explained as a doxology belonging, not to this psalm, but to the second book, of which it marks the close. See above, on Ps. xli. 14 (13). But as the psalm would end somewhat abruptly with the foregoing verse, and as this addition car- ries out the idea there expressed, by giving, as it were, the very words in which the nations shall pronounce him blessed, we have reason to believe that the doxology was added by the author, and that this conclusion of the 314 Psalm73:l psalm was not the effect but the occasion of its being placed at the close of one of the traditional divisions of the psalter. The wish in the second clause ef ver. 19 is borrowed from the promise in Num. xiv. 21, of which this whole psalm is in fact a prolonged echo. 20. Ended are the prayers of David, son of Jesse. The position of this sentence after the doxology, and its prosaic form, shew that it forms no part of the psalm, but relates to the whole series preceding. It does not therefore prove, as some suppose, that Solomon was not the author of the seventy-second psalm, since this exception and a very few others could not prevent the collection being called the prayers of David. A potiori fit (ienominatio. In like manner, the whole Psalter is still called the Psalm of David by many who believe it to contain some psalms by other waiters. That this is the conclusion of an original and separate collection is by no means probable, as there is no historical proof that such collections ever existed, and it would not be easy to account for the omission of so manj' psalms undoubtedly composed by David. On the whole, it is most pro- bable that these words were added to the first great subdivision of the whole collection, as entirely composed of Psalms by David and his contem- poraries, with a few added to them on account of some marked similarity in form or substance. The only remaining supposition is that these words are part of the original composition, and were added by Solomon to shew that what he here predicts would be the fulfilment of his father's wishes and the answer to his prayers. The objection to this, besides the form and position of the verse itself, is, that the verb is never used to denote fulfil- ment or accomplishment, except in the Hebrew of the later books. See Ezra i. 1, Dan. xii. 7. Psalm 73 1. A Psalm. By Asaph. Only good to Israel (is) God, to the pure of heart. This last expression is added to hmit or explain the application of the national name Israel, as here denoting not the race or nation, simply as such considered, but the true Israel, the sincere and spiritual members of the ancient church. To these God is good, and only good, i. e. never other- wise, never unmerciful, or even indifferent. This is the theme of the whole psalm, and the peculiar form in which it is propounded has reference to the previous conflicts and misgivings of the Psalmist, through which he had passed in reaching the conviction here expressed. As if he had said, " I once thought otherwise, but now I know that God is only good, and always good, to the true Israel, his real people." He then goes on to describe the conflicts thus tacitly referred to, first, by a statement of the facts out of which they sprang, ver. 2-11, then of the effect which these produced upon his mind, ver. 12-16, and then of the means by which he had been dis- abused, ver. 17-20, and under the influence of which he now condemns his own irrationahty, ver. 21, 22, adores the grace by which he had been rescued from the consequences of his error, ver. 23, 24, and concludes with an expression of his hearty reliance upon that grace for his safety and hap- piness hereafter, ver. 25-28. There is not the slightest ground for doubting the correctness of the title, which ascribes the psalm to Asaph, the con- temporary of David and his chief musician, and himself moreover an inspired psalmist. This last fact, which is matter of recorded history (see above, on Ps. 1. 1), together vnih the fact that where only one name is mentioned Psalm 73:2 -8 315 in the title of a psalm it is uniformly that of the writer, may suffice to set aside the supposition that Asaph is only named as the performer. 2. And I (or as for me), my feet were almost gone, my steps had well nigh slipped. The pronoun in the first clause is emphatic. I, who so confidently make this profession of my faith in God's unchanging goodness, am one whose feet were almost gone, literally inclined or hent, either from the straight course or from an erect position. See above, on Ps. Ixii. 3 (2), where the same verb is applied to a wall inclined or bent by violence. The phrases rendered almost and well nigh strictly mean like little and like nothing, and imply that it wanted little or nothing of a fearful fall on his part, in other words, that he had nan'owly escaped it. Slipped, Uterally poured out, which seems to be a figure both for weakness and divergence. Instead of pursuing a direct course, or remaining in a firm position, his steps were scattered and without effect, like water poured upon the ground. See above, on Ps. xxii. 15 (14). 3. For I was envious at the proud ; the peace of wicked (men) / see (and must see). He now proceeds to state more distinctly the nature of the fall from which he had so narrowly escaped. It was the sin and folly of deny- ing the justice and fidelity of God because of providential inequalities and mysteries. The proud or insolent, a general description of the wicked, as in Ps. v. 5 (4). The common version in both places [foolish) is less pro- bable, but does not materially change the sense. In the last clause, he reverts to his experience at an earlier date, and expresses himself as he might have done at that time. This relation of the clauses may be ren- dered clearer by supplying a word or phrase between them. " I was envious at the proud (and said), the peace," &c. Peace, as the negation and the opposite of all disturbing causes, really suggests the idea of prosperity in general. The future form of the verb has respect, not to the date of com- position, but to that of the events recorded, when the Psalmist not only saw, but expected long to see, the undisturbed prosperity of sinners. 4. For there are no hands at their death ; and fat, i. e. healthy or robust, (is) their strength. Some understand the first clause to mean that they are not bound or forced to die like other men. The more obvious sense is, that when they do die, they are not in bonds or chains like other men, but free, common figures for distress or suffering and its opposite. 5. In the labour of man they are not, they are not partakers in the com- mon troubles of humanity, and with mankind they are not smitlen (or afflicted). The use of the future is precisely the same as in ver. 3. They are not, and to all appearance never will be, sharers in the common cala- mities of life. 6. Therefore pride has enchained them, the garb of violence (injustice or cruelty) covers them. The first verb strictly means to encircle or adorn the neck, perhaps with allusion to the carriage of that member as indicative of pride. See Isa. iii. 16, Job xv. 26. 7. Their eyes stand out with fatness ; the imaginations of the heart pass (out, come forth, or are disclosed). The common version of the last clause, they have more than heart could wish, assumes as the literal meaning of the words, they sur2)ass the desires of their heart. According to the other con- struction above given, the meaning is that as their eyes stand out with fat- ness, so their hearts overflow with evil thoughts. Compare Mat. xii. 35, XV. 19, Mark vii. 21, Luke ii. 35, vi. 45. 8. They mock and speak in wickedness (or malice) ; oppression from on high they speak. To speak oppression is to speak words tending to the 316 Psalm 73:9 -14 injury of others. From on liiyh, proudly, with arrogant contempt of others. They speak as if from a superior position. 9. T'liey set their mouth in heaven, and their tongue goes on earth. The idea in the first clause is the same as in the last clause of the foregoing verse. Thej'^ speak as if they thought themselves superior beings, their mouth in heaven and their tongue on earth. Goes, runs, is actively em- ployed. 10. Tlierefore he hrings hack his people hither, and xuaters of fulness are wrung out to them (or drained by them). This obscure verse admits of several interpretations, the most natural of which understands the sense to be, that God still sufiers or requires his people to survey the painful spec- tacle and drain the bitter draught presented by the undisturbed prosperity of wicked men. According to the masoretic reading in the margin of the Hebrew Bible, the first verb is intransitive, his people shall {or must) return hither. See above, on Ps. xiv. 7, liii. 7 (6). 11. And they say, how should God know, and (how) can there he know- ledge in the Highest? Some interpreters regard these as the words of the prosperous sinners whom he has been describing. But according to the sense just put upon the tenth verse, the eleventh must express the misgiv- ings of God's people, with respect to the providential inequalities in ques- tion. When still brought back to the sight of these, they are constrained to ask how they can possibly be reconciled with the hypothesis of God's omniscience. This is much more natural than to suppose that the sinners themselves admit the being of a God, and yet gratuitously question his omniscience. In the latter case the how would be unmeaning ; in the former, it is the most natural expression of the doubt supposed. An atheist, whether theoretical or practical, would hardly ask, how can God know ? Even a wicked theist would be rather apt to say, he does not know. But nothing can be more appropriate in the mouth of a perplexed and tempted believer than the question, how can God know this and yet sufi'er it ? 12. Lo, these are luicked [men), and (yet they are) secure for ever, they increase strength (or substance). These are still the words of the perplexed believer, expressing his surprise at the prosperity of sinners. See, these are wicked men, and yet instead of being wretched, or prospering only for a little while, they are prosperers of eterj^ity, perpetually prospered and at ease, secure from change. See above, on Ps. xxx. 7. Instead of losing what they have, they still gain more, and go on adding to their wealth, and to the power which it gives them. See above, on Ps. Ix. 14 (12). 13. Only (in) vain have I cleansed my heart, and in innocence have washed my hands. These may be taken either indefinitely as the words of any person in the painful situation just described, or more specifically as the words of the Psalmist, by whom the whole class was, in fact, repre- sented. They contain the inference which would be naturally drawn in such a situation, even by a true believer, but one tempted to repine and doubt by the sight of providential enigmas. " Since, then, it is the wicked who enjoy God's favour, all my efi'orts to avoid sin and to do his will have been gratuitous and fruitless." With the first words of the verse compare Ps. xxxix. 6, 12 (5, 11). 14. And I have been smitten all the day, and my chastisement (has been inflicted) every morning, literally at (or in) the mornings. A similar form of expression occurs twice in Job vii. 18. Smitten, hterally touched, i. e. by the hand of God, a common expression for affliction, and especially for bodily disease considered as a divine judgment. The same idea was meant to be Psalm 73:1 5 -20 317 conveyed by the common version {plagued.) The psalmist here contrasts his own afflictions with the undisturbed enjoyments of his wicked neigh- bours. " While they, though wicked, still increase in wealth and seem secure for ever, I, who have faithfully endeavoured to avoid sin and to do the will of God, am subjected every day, and all day, to privation and distress." 15. If I have said, I will declare thus, behold, the generation of thy sons I have perfidiously treated. This is equivalent to saying, if I did say so, I should be acting falsely towards thy children. It is indeed the only He- brew form in which such a hypothetical proposition could weU be clothed. Said^ i.e. to myself, proposed it, formed the purpose. Thus declare, i. e. publicly express my doubts and sceptical misgivings. This, as it has been well observed, the true believer never does, until he is able to announce his conflict and his victory together. Behold, or lo, is here equivalent to our idiomatic why then, meaning in that case, or on that supposition, and express- ing at the same time some surprise at his own suggestion as a strange one. The generation of thy sons, the contemporary race of true believers, called the sons of God, not only as the objects of his love, but as partakers of his nature (2 Pet. i. 4). Treated perfidiously, proved false to them, by weakening the foundation of their hope, instead of strengthening their faith and allaying their misgivings. See above, on Ps. xxv. 3. 16. And I meditated to know this ; a trouble {was) it in my eyes. Al- though he abstained from openly expressing what he thought, he still did think, he pondered the whole matter, with a view to understand it, to dis- cover some solution of the mystery, which not only puzzled but distressed him. The apparent inequahty of God's providential dealings was a toil, a trouble, an unhappiness in his esteem. 17. Until I come to tJte sanctuaries of God, I will consider (or observe) their end. The futures have reference, as in ver. 3, 5, to the date of the anterior experience here recorded. " But I said to myself, I will wait till I come into God's presence and inquire of him, and then, or in the mean time, I will look at or attend to the end as well as the beginning and the progress of their lives." The plural form holy places, is the same as in Ps. Ixviii. 36(35). It denotes the sanctuary in its whole extent, as the earthly residence of God, and the place where he communed with his people. See above, on Ps. xxviii. 2. 18. Only in slippery places thou loilt set them, or art setting them, (and now) thou hast let {or mside) them fall into destruction. However honour- able and happy their position may appear to themselves, the Psalmist can see nothing but its danger, as implied in his use of the word only. Smooth- nesses, smooth or slippery places, where their foothold is precarious and fall inevitable. He sees God, by his providential favours, placing them in this desired but fearful situation, and then allowing them to drop into de- struction. The last word in Hebrew occurs only here and in the next psalm, where it means ruins. If this sense be adopted here, we must sup- pose a change of figure and an allusion to the fall, not of a man from a slippery precipice, but of a building crumbled by decay or violence. 19. How are they (brought) to desolation as (in) a moment ! They have ceased, they are consumed iiith terrors! He here expresses his surprise at the abruptness and completeness of their ruin. The meaning of the last clause seams to be, that their very apprehensions were sufficient to destroy them, much more the actual experience of what they apprehended. 29. As a dream on waking, Lord, in wa,king, their image thou wilt 318 Psalm 73:21 -24 scorn. The word translated image means an appearance, as opposed to the substance or reality. See above, on Ps. xxxix. 7 (6). The present prosperity of wicked men will seem hereafter, and to God's eye now seems, like an empty dream, worthy only of contemptuous obUvion. The only dubious expression in the verse is that translated waking in the second clause, which is entirely different from the one so rendered in the first clause. The He- brew phrase ("1^X?2) is used in more than fifty other places, and in all of them means in the city. See, for example, Ps. Iv. 10 (9). This mean- ing is retained by some interpreters in the case before us. The reference will then be either to the holy city, as in Ps. Ixxii. 16, or to the city where the previous scene is supposed to have been laid, as in Ps. xxxi. 22 (21). The old interpretation takes the word as an infinitive, from a verb which, however, is always transitive, and means to aivaJcen, except, perhaps, in Job viii. 6f and in Ps. xxxv. 23 above. To this interpretation it is fur- thermore objected, that it supposes an unusual contraction (T^S for 1*ITT3), and that the sense which it conveys is an incongruous one. But that God should despise them in the act of ivaking is, to say the least, as intelligible as that he should despise them m the city. In either case, the general meaning of the sentence is too clear to be mistaken. 21. For my heart is soured, and [i)i or as to) my reins I am pierced. The Hebrew verbs are of the future form, although really relating to past time, which the psalmist's memory recalls as a state of things then hkely to con- tinue. See above on ver 3, 5. The verbs are also properly reflexives, my heart exacerbates itself, I pierce myself, and are perhaps intended to describe his sufferings as the fruit of his ovm sin and folly. 22. And I (am) hrutish and know not (the true state of the case) ; a least have I been with thee. The last noun is in the plural number (beasts), as if to signify a beast by way of eminence, in which sense it is literally appUed to one of the wonders of the animal kingdom (Job xl. 15). With the first clause compare Prov. xxx. 2, and see above, on Ps. xlix. 11 (10). These strong expressions contain an acknowledgment of his own irration- ality in questioning God's faithfulness and kindness. In this verse there is an insensible transition from the present to the past, from the ideal to the real time of the events in question. With thee suggests an aggravat- ing circumstance, to wit, that this folly was committed in the presence of God, and as it were in his society. See above, on Ps. xviii. 26, 27 (25, 26). 23. And (yet) 2 {am) still with thee ; thou hast held (me) by my right hand. Notwithstanding his ungrateful' and irrational conduct in God's presence, he had not been driven from it, as he justly might have been. The word translated still propei'ly means ahoays, and denotes that there had been no change or interruption in the previous relation of the parties. There is a perfectly analogous usage of the French toujnurs. In the last clause he seems to return to the metaphor with which he set out. As the fatal error which he had escaped is in ver. 2 represented as a fall, so here his preservation from it is ascribed to God's having held him up by his right hand. See above, on Ps. xvii. 5, xli. 13 (12), Ixiii. 9 (8). 24. In (or by) thy counsel thou wilt guide me, and after glory thou toilt take me. The form of the original is such that it may either express con- sent or confident expectation ; but the latter in this case really includes the former. By thy counsel, thy instruction and advice, considered as a means of safety ; or in thy counsel, i. e. in the execution of thy plan or purpose, as the end to be accomplished. The last clause is obscure. To the com- Psalm 73 .25 - 28 319 mon version {and afterward receive me to glory) it has been objected, that it takes the preposition after as an adverb, and assumes an unusual sense and construction of the verb, and also that it makes the guidance and the glory too distinct and successive. The construction which it is proposed to substitute is, thou wilt take me after glory, i. e. make me overtake it, cause me to attain it, bi'ing me to it. The same construction may be made to yield another sense, to wit, after honouring me here thou wilt receive me to thyself, after honour thou wilt take vie. This, it is true, is liable to some of the objections brought against the usual construction. But the choice at best is one of difficulties, and some of the objections spring entirely from the wish to exclude a reference to a future state, which, however, is as evident in this verse as it is in ver. 16, 19, if interpreted in any natural and reasonable manner. 25. Whom have 1 in heaven ? And with thee I have not desired (any) upon earth. The literal translation of the first clause is, who [is) to me in heaven, i. e. what protector or provider ? The idea of another besides God may be supplied in this clause from the next, where ivith thee can denote either combination or comparison. I have desired none in addition or in preference to thee ; thou art alone and all-sufficient. 26. Spent is my flesh and my heart ; the rock of my heart and my por- tion (is) God to eternity. The first clause is by some understood as mean- ing even if ox even when my flesh, &c. But the Psalmist rather assumes the actual occurrence of the extreme case here described, or places himself in it as an ideal situation. Flesh and heart, body and soul, the whole man, or the whole life, outward and inward, bodily and mental. The rock of my heart, the support of my life, that on which it rests as on a solid basis. The idea is not simply that of strength but of a strong foundation. See above, on Ps. xviii. 3 (2). My portion, the source of my subsistence and my happiness. See above, on Ps. xvi. 5, and with the whole verse com- pare Job xix. 25-27. 27. For lo, those far from thee shall perish ; thou hast destroyed all (or every one) whoring from thee. This verse assigns his reason for relying upon God and making him his portion. Those far from thee, literally, thy far (ones). They certainly will perish, for all such have perished heretofore. The union between God and his people being often represented by the figure of a conjugal relation, their violation of the covenant is spoken of as spiritual whoredom or adultery. See above on Ps. xlv. 1, and compare Lev. XX. 6, Num. xiv. 33. In the same sense our Saviour calls the unfaithful Israel of his day a wicked and adulterous generation. See Mat. xii. 39, xvi. 4, Mark viii. 38. The persons threatened with destruction here are not merely sinners in general, but the wicked members of the ancient church or chosen people in particular. 28. And I, or as for me — the approach of God to me (is) good ; I have placed in the Lord Jehovah my trust, to declare all thy doings. The absolute nominative at the beginning puts himself in strong contrast with the apos- tates of the foregoing verse. Compare the beginning of ver. 2, 23, above. The nearness or approach of God is an ambiguous expression, as in Isa. Iviii. 2, where it may either mean God's drawing near to the people or their drawing near to him. In the case before us both may be imphed, as in James iv. 8, both are expressed. Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you. To me may be connected either with approach, as in Ps. xxvii. 2, or with good, as in ver. 1 above. Good is here to be taken in the absolute sense of the sum num bonam or chief good. The meaning is not merely 320 Psalm 74:1 that nearness to God is a good thing in itself, or a useful thing to man, but that it comprehends whatever he can wish or hope for. " Let apostates wander far from God and perish ; I am resolved to seek my highest happi- ness in being near him." The Lord Jehovah is a combination expressive of God's sovereignt}', self- existence, and covenant relation to his people. My trust, my hiding-place or refuge. See above, on Ps. xi. 1. The last clause shews that he wishes to be something more than a mere passive beneficiary. He desires not only to enjoy but to celebrate God's goodness. The word translated doings is applied both to acts and to afiairs or business. Psalm 74 The church praj's for deliverance from extreme distress, enforcing the petition, first by a description of the actual state of things, ver. 1-12, and then by an appeal to former mercies, ver. 13-23. The historical occasion is not given, but the terms of the description seem peculiarly appropriate to the state of Judah after the destruction of the temple and the holy city by the Babylonians, as described in Jer. lii. 12-34. 1. Moschil. By AsopJi. Why, 0 God, ha^t thou cast off for ever, smokes thy v.rath at the flock of thy pasture ? The description of the psalm as a didactic one shews that it was not meant to be used in reference to its original occasion merely, but in every emergency resembling it. For this reason the question, what that occasion was, is of little exegetical import- ance, although not without interest in connection with the critical inquiry as to the date of composition. The state of things assumed, and indeed described, is so unlike that which existed in the time of David, that we must either make the psalm prophetical, which is arbitrary and without analogy, or no less arbitrarily reject the title as a spurious addition to the text, or understand by Asaph the descendants of David's Chief Musician, among whom the gift and ofiice of their ancestors were hereditary. See above, on Ps. 1. 1, and compare 2 Chron. xxxv. 15, Ezra ii. 41, iii. 10, Neh. vii. 44, xi. 22. That this title indicates the author, and not merely the pei^former, can only be inferred from the general fact, that where a single name is given it is usually that of the -wTiter. See above, on Ps. xlii. 1, Ixxii. 1. The interrogation in this verse does not involve a disavowal of guilt or ill- desert, but is rather a passionate expostulation and indirect petition for deliverance. Cast of, a verb implving abhorrence and disgust. See above, on Ps. xliii. 2, xliv! 10, 24 (9, 23), Ix. 3, 12 (1, 10). As the object is easily supplied, namely, us or thy ^^eopJe, its omission adds to the strength of the expression. Cast off for ever, as it seems to us and others. "Why hast thou cast us off with what appears to be a final and perpetual rejection ? See above, on Ps. xiii. 2 (1). The interrogation is continued throughout the sentence. ( Why) s7nokes or tvill smoke ? The future form suggests the same idea as the /or ever in the other clause. " AVhy is thy wTath to con- tinue smoking ? " The presence of smoke presupposes that of fire ; but the former is particularly mentioned, perhaps for the purpose of adding to the primarj' idea of distress or destruction the secondary one of gloom and terror. At or ayainst thy people, literally in, amony them. See below, on Ps. Ixxx. 5 (4), and compare Deut. xxix. 19 (20). The sheep (or Jiock) of thy pasture, those who feed upon th}' pasture, or are fed by thee, a favourite designation of the chosen people, as the occupants of the Land of Promise. The figm-ative form of the description was originally furnished by the pas- Psalm 74 .2-4 321 toral experience of David, but from him was borrowed by other sacred writers. See below, Ps. Ixxix. 13, c. 3, 2. Remember thy congregation thou hast purchased of old, (and) redeem the rod of thine inheritance, this mount Zion thou hast dwelt in. The elhpsis of the relative in both the clauses of this verse is common to the Hebrew and the English idiom. The word translated congregation is one of those applied in the Old Testament to Israel as an organised body and the people of Jehovah. See above, on Ps. i. 5. Purchased, acquired, made thine own. The word translated of old is an noun meaning antiquity, but here used as an adverb of time. The full phrase occurs below in ver. 12. The next verb contains a specification of the first, to wit, that he purchased by re- deeming them from bondage, with particular reference to the exodus from Egypt. The rod of thine inheritance is a phrase which, to any Hebrew reader, would suggest the twofold idea of a chieftain's staff", the badge of authority in the several ti'ibes, and that of a measuring rod, here put for the portion of land measured. The whole senSe conveyed by these associa- tions is that of a definite province, with its population, of which God is the possessor and the sovereign. The last clause applies what had been said of the people and the land still more specifically to the central point of the theocracy. 3Iount Zion may be understood as a description of the whole of Jerusalem, including the temple upon mount Moriah. This mount Zion, with which the speakers were familiar, and at or near which they are sup- posed to be speaking. The explanation of tliis as a relative is gratuitous, nor could the idea [this mount Zion) have been well expressed in any other form of Hebrew words. The grand distinction of mount Zion, in the wide sense just explained, was the inhabitation of Jehoval;, which is therefore here expressly mentioned in the closing words. 3. Lift thy steps to the perpel^cal ruins, all the enemy has ill done in the holy place. The first phrase is a poetical expression meaning simply ad- vance, draw near, for the purpose of inspection. The word translated ruins occurs only here and in Ps. Ixxiii. 18. The whole phrase strictly means ruins of perpetuity, i. e. such as appears likely to continue for ever, and will certainly do so, unless God comply with this request to draw near. The construction of the second clause adopted by some ^vriters, the enemy has destroyed all (or every thing) in the holy place, is scarcely grammatical. To express that idea, the word all would have the article, as in Ps. xiv. 3, or a suffix, as in Ps. xxix. 9, whereas its intimate connection here with the fol- lowing verb in Hebrew is equivalent to a relative construction. Ill done, injured or destroyed, done mischief. 4. IViine adversaries have roared in the midst of thine assembly ; they have set their signs (as) signs. The tumultuous violence of the destroyers is described in the fixst clause by a figure borrowed from the habits of wild beasts, and elsewhere used as an expression of extreme distress. See above, on Ps. xxii. 2 (1), xxxii. 3, xxxviii. 9 (8). The word translated assembly is not the same that is rendered congregation in ver. 2, but one that strictly means a meeting by mutual agreement or appointment, and is specially applied to the meeting between God and his people at the sanc- tuary, which was therefore designated in the law as the tent of meeting OTV^ lyto); not merely the tent where the people assembled, but the place where they met with God by previous appointment. See Exod. xxv. 8, xxix. 42, 43, 45, 46, Num. xvii. 19 (4). The ideas suggested by the etymology and usage of the Hebrew noun are those of previous appointment, the act of 322 Psalm 74:5 -8 meeting consequent upon it, the persons met, and the place where they assemble. The full sense, therefore, of the phrase here used is, " In the midst of thy people assembled at the appointed time and place to meet thee." The exclusive local meaning put by some upon the words is quite gratuitous. The plural form which some assume {^thine assemblies) varies the meaning only by suggesting the idea of repeated convocations, " In the midst of thy people, whenever (or as often as) they meet thee thus," but without at all conveying the idea of numerous or even different places. Set, fixed, estabUshed ; or set up, exhibited, exposed to view. See above, on Ps. xviii. 44 (43), xxxix. 9 (8), xhv. 14, 15 (13, 14). ' The common ver- sion of the last words, ensigns for signs, conveys a false impression of the form of the original, in which the two nouns are identical. The word signs does not necessarily denote either military or religious ensigns, but rather signifies in general the insignia of sovereignty. For all that once marked the presence and authority of God the impious enemy had substituted the signs or tokens of their own ascendancy. In other words, they had usurped God's place in his very sanctuary, the spot which he had chosen for his earthly residence. 5. He is knoicn (or shall he known) as (one) raising on high, in the thicket of the ivood, axes. The most probable sense of this obscure verse is as follows : the ruthless enemy is known or recognised as dealing with the sanctuary no more tenderly than a woodman with the forest which he fells. On high seems to be added to suggest the force of the blow, and the sweep of the arm which deals it. The thicket may be mentioned for the purpose of contrasting the delicate and complicated wood-work of the temple with the worthless undergrowth which the woodman cuts away without scruple or discrimination. The word translated wood is often used as a collective, meaning trees. 6. And now the carvings thereof together (or at once) with sledge and ham- mers they beat (down). This completes the comparison begun in the preced- ing verse, with which the one before us is connected by the phrase and now, i.e. in this case. As in the case supposed the woodman deals with trees and thickets, so in the real case the spoiler deals with the costly fruits of art and skill. The word translated carvings is expressly used in the descrip- tion of the temple. See 1 lungs vi. 29, and compare Exod. xxviii. 11, xxxix. 6. The suffix Qhereof) has no grammatical antecedent in the sen- tence ; the form was probably determined by a word not expressed, though present to the ■^vriter's mind. At once does not mean quickly, suddenly, without delay, but all together, indiscriminately, in confusion. 7. They have set on fire thy holy place ; to the earth they have profaned the dwelling of thy name. The Uteral translation of the first clause is, they have sent (or cast) into the fire thy holy place. The construction in the last clause is a pregnant one, profaned to the earth, i. e. profaned by casting to the ground a sacred edifice. This form of expression would be inappro- priate to mere profanation by defilement, without actual prostration of the edifice itself. 8. They have said in their heart, let us destroy them togetJier (or at once) ; they have bunied all the assemblies of God in the land, by burning the only place where such assemblies could be held (Deut. xii. 5, 11). Others, vvdth less probability, suppose that the Hebrew word itself denotes the place of assembly, and that all such places means the only such place. The translation synagogues has no authority from Hebrew usage, or the ancient versions (LXX. «ograg Vulg. di^s festos. Jer. sohnnitates), and has been Psalm74:9-13 323 abused to prove that the psalm was written after the Babylonish exile, before which sjTiagogues are commonly supposed to have had no existence. 9. Our signs loe see not ; there is no more (any) 'prophet, and (there is) not with us (any one) knowing until what time, or how long, these things are to last. By signs we are here to understand the tokens of God's pre- sence, and of Israel's pecuUar gelation to him. One of these is then speci- fied, to wit, the gift of prophecy, Avhich seemed to cease at the time of the Babylonian conquest, although afterwards renewed. Even Jeremiah's ministry may be considered as then closing. The complaint of this, as of a recent loss, shews that the period meant is not that of the persecutions under Antiochus Epiphanes, when the gift of prophecy had., been withdrawn for many generations. 10. Till when, 0 God, shall the foe revile, the enemy contemn thy name /or ever f By making the last clause a distinct interrogation {shall the enemy despise thy name for ever f) we avoid the solecism of combining how long and for ever ; but this can occasion no more difficulty here than in ver. 1, and in Ps. xiii. 2 (1). The verb in the last clause means to treat contemptuously, to shew contempt by word or deed. Blaspheme expresses only one mode of doing this, and that too strongly. 11. Why wilt thou withdraio thy hand and thy right hand ? From the midd of thy bosom (draw it and) consume (them). The future here includes the present {why dod thou xoithdraw thy hand?) with the additional idea of continuance or perseverance in so doing. The hand, and especially the right hand, is the seat and symbol of strength. The and between thom is equivalent to the English even. To make the hand return, or draw it back, is to cease from action, the continuance of which cessation is described as hiding it in the bosom. 12. And God {is) my king of old, loorhing salvations in the midst of the land. Having pleaded the greatness of the danger and distress as a reason for imploi'ing the divine interposition, the church now pleads her covenant relation to him as her Sovereign and her Saviour in former emergencies, with particular reference to the plagues of Egypt, which makes it probable that land, and not earth, is the true translation of the last word. The very form of expression is borrowed from the narrative of Moses. See Exod. viii. 18 (22). Doing, working, as opposed to a mere promise or prediction. The participle signihes continued action, and extends the description be- yond the particular occasion specially referred to. God is described as He who, then and ever, works salvations or deliverances, the plural form imply- ing fulness and varietv. See above, on Ps. xviii, 51 (50), xxviii. 8, xlii. 6, 12 (5, 11), xliii. 5,"liii. 7. 13. Thou hast burst, with thy strength, the sea ; thou hast broken the heads of dragons on the water. The word translated dragons is applied to the largest class of aquatic animals. Some suppose these to be here emble- matic of Egypt and other hostile powers, as in Ezek. xxix. 3, 4, Isa. li. 9, 10. Others, with more probability, explain the verse as a description of God's power over nature, and particularly over the sea, as specially maru- fested in the passage of the Pied Sea. The dragons or sea-monsters are then added merely to complete the picture. As if he had said, " Thou hast subdued and crushed the sea, and its most terrible inhabitants." This is described as talcing place, not in or under the ivaters, the abode of the sea-monsters, but on the sm-face, v/here the contest becomes visible. The pronoun at the beginning is emphatic : " it is thou that hast done all this, and not another." 324 Psalm74:14-19 14. (It is) tliou (that) hast crushed the heads of Leviathan, (that) wilt give him (as) food to the -people, to the wild men, or the dwellers in the desert. See above, on Ps. Ixxii. 9. Leviathan, according to its etymology, denotes a coiled or crooked serpent, but like dragon in ver. 13, is used as a generic term for huge aquatic animals. Having no plural form, it is here used in a collective sense, as appears from the expression heads, unless we understand this as denoting a many-headed monster, to which, however, there is no analogy in Scripture. In the last clause, people seems to mean men in general, and is then rendered definite by the use of the specific term which follows. By the people of the desert some understand the savage beasts, by whom the Egyptians were devoured after the overthrow of Pharaoh ; others, with more probability, the wild men living on the shores of the Red Sea, and subsisting on its fish, and hence called by the Greeks the Ichthyophagi. The transition from the past tense to the future seems to represent the scene as actually passing, or the act as one that may be frequently repeated. " It is thou that hast done all this, and wilt do it again." 15. (It is) thou (that) didst cleave fount and food, (that) didst dry up rivers ever flowing. Fountain and flood is a kind of proverbial expression for smaller and greater bodies of water. The primaiy historical allusion here is to the passage of the Jordan. The original construction of the last phrase is streams of perpetuity, perennial or unfailing streams, as distin- guished from the winter torrents of the Holy Land, which disappear in summer. The common version, rivers of strength or mighty rivers, is not sustained by etymology or usage. 16. To thee (belongs) day, yea, to thee night ; thou hast prepared light and sun. From the mention of God's actual control over the elements, as exercised in certain memorable cases, the Psalmist here proceeds to assert his sovereignty by right of creation. Not only day but night, which seems to sense beyond the reach of government or regulation, is subject to God's power. 2'hou, and no other, as in the three preceding verses. Prepared for the place which they now fill and the work which they perform. Light and sun are related as the genus and the species, like hand and right hand in ver. 11, signs and prophet in ver. 9. Light, in the local sense of lumi- nary, which the same Hebrew word has in Gen. i. 14-16. 17. Thou hast set (or established) all the hounds of earth ; summer and winter — Ulou hast formed them. This is the seventh emphatic repeti- tion of the pronoun thou. The bounds of earth are supposed by some to be the limits of the land, by which it is separated from the sea. See above, on Ps. xxiv. 2. The description of God's power over nature is com- pleted by referring to it the revolution of the seasons as not only appointed but created by him. He is not only the ordainer of the change itself, but the author of the causes which produce it. 18. Bemcmher this ; an enemy has reviled Jehovah, and a foolish people have contemned thy name. For the meaning of the verbs see above on ver. 10, where the same facts are alleged, but are here recalled to God's remem- brance as a reason for his interposition. Jehovah may also be construed as a vocative, which makes the parallelism more exact. Foolish, in the strong sense of that word, as used in Scripture, to denote the irrationality of sin. See above, on Ps. xiv. 1, and compare Deut. xxxii, 6, firom which place the whole phrase is borrowed. 19. Give not to the greedy herd thy turtle-dove : the herd of thy afflicted (ones) forget not for ever ! The general import of this prayer is obvious, Psalm 74:20 -23 325 and the only doubtful point is the precise sense of the word (n|^n), twite translated herd above. It usually means an animal or living thing, and more especially a wild beast, as distinguished from domesticated cattle. This would yield a good sense in the iirst clause (greedy beast), but is inadmissible in the other. The same objection lies against the explanation of the first as meaning life, and the last as meamng flock. The only mean- ing equally admissible in both parts of the sentence is the one just men- tioned, that of animal collectively, and then a flock or herd of animals, from which it is sometimes transferred to human subjects. See above, on Ps. Ixviii. 11 (10). Greedy herd, hterally AercZ of appetite. See above, on Ps. xxvii. 12, xli. 3 (2). The turtle-dove is here used as an emblem of innocence and helplessness, as well as an expression of affectionate en- dearment. 20. Look to the covenant ; for filled are the darknesses of earth with homes of violence (or cruelty). The prayer in the first clause is equivalent to saying, Remember thy promise, fulfil thy covenant engagements. The reason assigned is, that the existing state of things is such as to require this fulfilment. The word translated darknesses has the form of a local noun, and may therefore mean dark places, not in the sense of hiding places, but in that of gloomy, dismal places. The same idea, of distress and gloom, which is always included ia the sense of the word elsewhere, may be obtained by making it an obstract, darkness, or supposing the plural form to be emphatic, profound darkness, not as an attribute of cer- tain places, but of the whole earth. As if he had said, the darkness of the earth, or this dark world, is filled with homes of cruelty. This word (DQn), here as elsewhere, comprehends the two ideas of injustice and violence. See above, on Ps. vii. 17 (16), xviii. 49 (48). The use of the word homes (or habitations) indicates that violence or cruelty is there domesticated, per- manently resident. See above, on Ps. xxv. 13. The meaning of the whole verse thus explained is, that the permanent establishment and pre- valence of " wrong and outrage " in the darkness of the world may be urged as a reason for the fulfilment of God's promise, nay, his solemn oath, that the whole earth shall be filled with his glory (Num. xiv. 21). 21. Let not the oppressed turn back confounded ; let the sufferer and the poor (man) praise thy name. The word translated oppressed vaeaxis strictly broken, bruised, or crushed. See above, on Ps. ix. 10 (9), x. 18. Turn back, abandon his pursuit, retire in despair. Confounded, disappointed, put to shame, by the frustration of his hopes and wishes. See above, on Ps. XXXV. 4, xl. 15 (14), Ixix. 7 (6), Ixx. 3 (2). 22. Arise, 0 God ! Plead thine own cause ! Remember thy reviling by the fool all day ! The first prayer is the common one, that God would put an end to his apparent inaction and indifference to the sufferings of his servants. See above, on Ps. iii. 8 (7), vii. 7 (6), ix. 20 (19), x. 12, xvii. 13, XXXV. 2, xliv. 27 (26). Plead thine own cause, literally strive thy strife. See above, on Ps. xHii. 1. " Remember how thou art reviled by the irrational transgressor, and arouse thyself to silence his reproaches." 23. Forget not the voice of thy joes, the noise of thy assailants, ascending always. The voice and noise here meant are the clamorous revilings and blasphemies of wicked men, continually going up into the ears of God, and calling down his wrath upon them. This striking figure, representing gross sin as a vocal and audible witness against him who commits it, is a common one in Scripture, from the earUest books downwards. See Gen. 326 Psalm 75:] -3 iv. 10, xviii. 21, six. 13, and compare Jonah i. 2. Thy assailants, or more literally thy insurgents, those who rise up against thee, in the way not only of attack but of rebellion. See above, on Ps. iii. 2 (1), xviii. 40. 49 (39, 48), xhv. 6 (5), and compare Exod. xv. 7, Deut. xxxiii. 11,2 Sam. xxii. 49. All this the Psalmist, or rather the Chui'ch, in whose behalf he speaks, recalls to the divine remembrance, as a ground or reason for imme- diate interference. Psalm 75 1. To the Chief Musician. Al-tashheth. A Psalm by Asaph. A song (of praise). See above, onPs. Ixviii, 1. In this psalm the ancient church expresses a confident anticipation of divine assistance and deliverance from the domination of some great hostile power, the catastrophe of which is here foretold. The immediate historical occasion we have no direct means of determining ; but the one to v/hich the psalm itself seems most appropriate is the destruction of the Assyrian host in the reign of Hezekiah. See above, on Ps. xlvi. 1, and below, on Ps. Ixxvi. 1, and compare Isa. xxxvi. and xxxvii. That the psalm has reference to a period of imminent and extraordinary danger, is moreover indicated by the phrase al-tashheth, or destroy not. See above, on Ps. Ivii. 1. 2 (1). We give thanks to thee, 0 God, we give thanks ; and [near) is thy name ; they recount thy wonders. The thanksgiving is in anticipation of some great event, and implies a strong faith in the certainty of its occur- rence. Tiiy name is near, a signal manifestation of thine attributes is just at hand, so that men begin already to recoimt thy wondrous works, as if actually past. Or this may mean that they recount God's former dealings with them, as a reason for expecting like or greater things to come. Another construction of the last clause, perhaps still more natural, is that adopted in the English Bible : thy name is near, thy wondrous works declare. For the sense and usage of the last word in Hebrew, see above, on Pb. ix. 2 (1), xxvi. 7, xl. 6 (5), Ixxi. 17. 3 (2). For I will take a set time ; I will equitably judge. The best in- terpreters are now in favour of explaining these as the words of God him- self, containing the promise upon which was built the hope expressed in the preceding verse. Take then includes the two ideas of choosing and using for the end proposed. The word translated set time is the same that means assembly in Ps. Ixxiv. 4, 8. The idea of constituted time, which is included even there, is here predominant. The same use of the word occurs in Ps. cii. 14 (13), Hab. ii. 3, Dan. viii. 19, xi. 27, 35. There is here an obvious allusion to the stated times at which justice is pubUcly administered. Com- pare Acts xix. 38. As if he had said, I will appoint a time, and when it comes, I will ascend the judgment-seat. The parties to be tried are the foes and oppressors of God's people. The pronoun is emphatic ; I, and no other, will be judge. See above, on Ps. 1. 6. Equitably, literally equities or rectitudes. See above, on Ps. xvii. 2, Iviii. 2 (1). The use of the plural, as an abstract, and that of the noun in an adverbial sense, are both familiar Hebrew idioms. The judging of the wicked at God's bar implies their con- demnation, and, as a necessary consequence, the deliverance of those whom they oppress or injure. 4 (3). Melted {are) the earth and all dwelling on it ; I have weighed the pillars of it. Selah. Dissolved with fear, enfeebled, or reduced to nothing. Psalm 75:4 -6 327 See above, on Ps. xlvi. 7 (6). The figui*e in the last clause is obscure. The act of weighing may be intended to suggest that of raising, bearing up. Compare Isa. xl. 12, 18, 16. Some suppose, however, that it means to measure, estimate, or value, and implies not only perfect knowledge but creative power. As a part of the promise or encouraging assurance begun in the preceding verse, the one before us must mean that God himself will prevent or rectify the evils caused or threatened by his enemies. 5 (4). 1 said to the boasters, Boast not, and to the wicked, Lift not up the horn I Some regard these as the words of the psalmist, speaking again in the person of the church. The sense will then be that, encouraged by God's promise of protection and deliverance, his people warn their adversaries not to triumph. It seems more natural, however, to explain them as a continua- tion of the words of God himself, whoso very assurance of protection to his people was in fact a warning of destruction to his enemies. The objection, that what follows must then be referred to the same speaker, is of Httle weight, as the transition from one person to another, in the psalms of a dramatic structure, is not commonly a marked one, and is often quite insen- sible. The concluding metaphor is borrowed from the habits of homed animals, and nearly equivalent to the act of holding the head high, as a sign of human pride. For a different application of the figure, see above, on Ps. xviii. 3 (2). 6 (5). Do not raise on high your horn (and) speak with a proud neck, or speak with (outstretched) neck proudly. The last word is an adjective meaning insolent or arrogant. See above, on Ps. xxxi. 19 (18). It may either agree with neck, and signify a position and carriage of the neck indi- cative of pride (Ps. Ixxiii. 6), or constitute the object of the verb, in which case vjith the neck may mean vnth outstretched or prolonged neck, not pro- jecting forwards but inclining backwards. See Isa. iii. 16, and compare Job XV. 26 in Hebrew. For a similar ellipsis, see below, Ps. Ixxvii. 16 (15). 7 (6). For not from east, and [not) from west, and not from the wilderness of mountains, is the judgment on these sinners to proceed, but from a very different quarter. The word translated east means properly the sunrise, or rather the place of his coming forth ; the parallel term the sunset, or the place of evening. A third point of the compass is denoted by the wilder- ness, the great Ai'abian desert lying to the south of Palestine. The last word in Hebrew (DHn) admits of two entirely different explanations. One of these, given in the English Bible, makes it the infinitive of the verb translated raise in ver. 5, 6 (4, 5), and supposes it to mean the act of raising, or a state of exaltation. The sense will then be that promotion Cometh not from any quarter upon earth, but from God and God alone. Others object that the question here is not one of promotion but of judg- ment, as appears from the foregoing and the following context. They accordingly adhere to the ancient versions in making (Q*""!)!) the plural of the common Hebrew word for hill or mountain, and explain the whole phrase to mean a hilly desert or a wilderness of mountains, a description eminently appUcable to Idumsea and Arabia Petraea. The essential idea is still that of the south, here added to the east and west, as a general descrip- tion of the countries contiguous to Palestine. The south is mentioned last, perhaps for the sake of an emphatic reference to Egypt, as the foreign power, on which the Jews were supposed by the Assyrians to rely with special confidence. Compare Isa. xxxvi. 4-6. The omission of the north may either be fortuitous or (as some suppose) intended to suggest that this 328 Psalm75:7-J0 was the quarter from which the hostile incursion had proceeded, as it was in fact, invaders even from the furthest east commonly entering the country from that side. The meaning of the whole verse then is, that the danger which impended from one quarter could not be averted by mere human aid from any other, but only by the means referred to in the next verse. 8 (7). For God (is) judge [or acinaW-y judging) ; this {one) he will humble, and this {one) will exalt. The for at the beginning introduces the reason of the negative statement in the verse preceding. It is not man, for it is God, who can perform this. The same relation of the sentences is com- monly expressed in our idiom by but. The act of judging, or the office of a judge, here implies absolute sovereignty. This and this is the idiomatic Hebrew phrase answering to one and another in English. See above, on Ps. XX. 8 (7). 9 (8). For a cup (is) in the hand of Jehovah, and the wine ferments, and it is full of mixture, and he pours out from this {cup) ; only its dregs shall they wring (or suck) out, shall they drink — all the wicked oj the earth (or land). This is a common figure in the Scriptures for the wrath of God, See above, on Ps. xi. 6. The cup contains the prescribed or allotted portion of the sinner to whom it is administered. Ferments or has fermented, implying that it is real wine and strong wine. The translation it is red is now sup- posed to rest upon a doubtful etymology. Some intei-preters explain the phrase, it foams idth nine ; but this construction is not only in itself less simple, but puts a sense upon the verb not entirely authorised by usage, and requires the noun (DIS) cup, which is elsewhere feminine, to be con- strued as a masculine. It (the wine) is fidl of mixture, i. e. mixed with spices to increase its strength and stimulating power. Only its dregs is an idiomatic Hebrew phrase, which does not mean, as it may seem to do in English, that they shall drink nothing but the dregs. The meaning rather is, that they shall have nothing left for it, no resource, or no alternative, except to drain the cup to the very dregs, i. e. to suffer God's wrath to the utter- most (1 Thess. ii. 16). The position given to the subject of the sentence at its close makes it more emphatic. See above on Ps. xl. 15 (14 j. 10 (9.) And I ivill declare for ever, I will sing praise to the God of Jacob. The emphatic pronoun puts him in opposition to the wicked of the earth or land. " While they are thus destroyed, I will declare," &c. The object of the verb in the first clause is determined by the second. Sing praise, make music, as a means of celebrating the divine praise. See above, on Ps. ix. 12 (11), XXX. 5 (4), xlvii. 7 (6), Ix^d. 4. To the God of Jacob, to him who has proved himself to be such, by fulfilling the promise made of old to Israel. The personal name of the patriarch is poetically substituted for the one which properly belonged to him as founder of the nation. See above, on Ps. xxiv. 6. 11 (10). And all horns of wicked ones will I cut off ; lifted up shall be the horns of the righteous. The same noim and verb, that were used in ver. 5, 6 (4, 5), to denote the self- exaltation of the wicked, are here used in a good sense to denote God's gracious exaltation of the righteous. Compare Mat. xxiii. 12, Luke xiv. 11, xviii. 14. In the first clause, to the simple cor- relative idea of humiliation is superadded that of violent destruction. While the horns of the righteous are to be exalted, those of the wicked are not only to be lowered but cut off. The change from the plural (wicked men) to the singular (a righteous man), if meant to be significant at all, may have reference to the speaker as an ideal individual. The construction of these words as those of God himself is a gratuitous and harsh one. They are Psalm 76:1 -4 329 rather uttered by the Church, as representing him, or acting in his strength and under his authority. Psalm 76 1. To the Chief Musician. With (or on) stringed instruments. A Psalm by Asaph. A so7ig (of praise). The resemblance of this title to that of the preceding psalm, their juxtaposition in the Psalter, and their internal similarity, all favour the opinion that they had respect originally to the same historical occasion, with this difference, that the first is rather an anticipation of the great deliverance as certain but still future, and the other a commemoration of the same as actually past or really experienced. In this, as in the other case, the event is ascribed to a wonderful divine inter- position, and described as one affecting the whole world or the nations generally, which was emphatically true of the great stroke, by which the power of Assyria was broken. 2 (1). Known in Judah (ts) God ; in Israel great [is) his name. Known as God, and as the God of Israel, his chosen people, which, after the great schism in the time of Rehoboam, continued to exist in the kingdom of Judah. • It was only in the ancient church that his name was fully known, his perfection clearly manifested. 3 (2). And in Salem was his tabernacle, and his home in Zion. This is explanatory of the first verse. He was best known there because it was his chosen earthly residence. Salem is evidently used poetically for Jerusalem. The former name means peaceful and secure, and some suppose it to be one of the elements of which the other name is composed, so as to signify a peaceful or secure possession. The same interpreters identify the Salein of Gen. xiv. 18 with Jerusalem. The word translated tabernacle properly means a bootfi, or shed composed of leaves and branches, in allusion to the moveable and temporary form of the first sanctuary. 4 (3). Thither he shattered the bolts of the boto — buckler and sword and hOittle. Selah. Some translate the first word there, but there is no clear instance of the Hebrew adverb being so used, and the best interpreters suppose the sense to be that he destroyed them on their way there, while in motion towards the Holy City. The word (mii;) translated shattered is an intensive species of the common verb (l^li^) to break. Both forms occur together in Ps. xxix. 5. See also Ps. iii. 8 (7). The ambiguous word bolts is used to represent a Hebrew one, which properly means thunderbolts or flashes of lightning, but is here applied to the flight of arrows, with or without allusion to the practice of igniting them (Eph. vi. 16). To the shield and sword, as the most important pieces of offensive and defensive armour, he adds, by a bold and striking figure, war itself, perhaps as a residuary aggregate of all other arms and weapons. 5 (4). Bright [art) thou, glorious, m.ore than the mountains of prey. The object of address is God, who had been previously spoken of, in the third person. The first word in Hebrew is a participle, meanmg illumi- nated, made to shine, and therefore bearing some afiinity to our word illustrious. The other epithet means grand, glorious, sublime. See above, on Ps. viii. 1. The common version (excellent) seems to restrict the praise to moral qualities. As mountains are standing sj-mbols of states and kingdoms, mountains of prey, i, e. mountains occupied by robbers, may 330 Psalm 76:5 - 9 denote oppressive powers, such as that of Assyria, to which the prophets apply similar descriptions. See Nah. ii. 11, 12, iii. 1. To all such hostile powers God is here represented as superior. 6 (5). Spoiled are the stout of heart ; they have slept their sleep ; and all the men of might have not found their hands. The meaning of the first clause seems to be, that the spoilers are themselves spoiled, by a signal providen- tial retribution. Some, however, explain the first word to mean snatched away, caused to disappear, or vanish. They have slept their own sleep, i. e. they, like others, in their turn, sleep the sleep of death. See above, on Ps. xiii. 4 (3), and compare Nah. iii. 18, 2 Kings xix. 85. Stout of heart suggests the two distinct ideas, courageous and hard-hearted. The same expression is used, in an unfavourable sense, by Isaiah (xlvi. 12). All have not found does not imply that some have found, but on the contrary, that none have found, or in other words that the negative proposition is true of all without exception. Found their hands is understood by some to mean regained their strength. But the direct sense of the word is, that they have not found the use of their hands, or been able to employ them with advantage. 7 (6). At thy rebuke, 0 God of Jacob, put to sleep (is) both chariot and horse. The pajiicle at the beginning is both temporal and causal, post hoc et propter hoc. After and because of thy rebuke. This noun denotes not merely a verbal but a real or practical expression of the divine displeasure. See above, on Ps. ix. 6 (5), Ixviii. 31 (80). God of Jacob, see above, on ver. 10 (9). Put to sleep is here used to translate a passive participle, denoting not a mere state or condition, but the violence by which it is pro- duced. The sleep meant is of course the sleep of death. The application of this figure to the chariot as well as to the horse, is less paradoxical in Hebrew, where the noun used is sometimes a collective meaning cavalry. See my note on Isaiah xxi. 7. At the same time there is beauty in the figure, as suggesting that the noisy rattle of the wheels is hushed in death- like silence. 8 (7). Thou (art) to be feared, (even) thou, and who shall stand before thee, when once thou art angry f The Hebrew passive participle often has the force of the future passive or gerundive in Latin. See above, on Ps. xviii. 4 (3). The repetition of the pronoun mades it highly emphatic and even exclusive, thou and no other, thou and only thou. Who shall stand ? includes the kindred question, who may or can stand? To stand before God means, in this connection, to stand one's ground in opposition to him, or in independence of him. See above, on Ps. i. 5. The common version of the last words, which is retained above, conveys correctly the idea, but without the peculiar form of the original, which is highly idiomatic, and not susceptible of literal translation. The last word strictly means thy anger and the one before it from then or from that time. The nearest approach to it in English would be since thy anger, a construction which is actually given in the latest German versions. 9 (8). From heaven thou hast caused judgment to be heard; the earth feared and rested, or, the earth was afraid and was still. From his throne in heaven God had pronounced judgment on his wicked enemies, the sound of which had struck the dwellers upon earth with awe and calmed their tumult. The last Hebrew verb is especially applied to repose after the noise and agitation of war. See Josh. xiv. 15, Judges v. 81, Isa. xiv. 7. 10 (9). In God's arising for the judgment, to save all the humble of the earth. This completes the sentence begun in the preceding verse, by assign- Psalm 76:10 -12 331 ing the date, and at the same time the cause, of the eflfect there recorded. The earth was awe- struck and reduced to silence when God arose to judg- ment, i. e. to act as judge or sovereign arbiter. In the last clause, as in many other places, the judgments of God upon his enemies are represented as occasions of deliverance to his people, here described by one of their characteristic qualities, not merely as the meek in temper, but as the lowly in spirit, the humble in the strong religious sense. See above, on Ps. ix. 13 (12), X. 12, 17, xxii. 27 (26), xxv. 9, xxxiv. 3 (2), xxxvii. 11, Ixix. 83 (32). The last word in the verse has here a kind of double sense, since the promise made directly to the humble of the land, i. e. the spiritual Israel, was really intended to include all the humble of the earth, i. e. all the truly pious, whether Jews or Gentiles. 11 (10). For the wrath of man shall praise thee (or acknowledge thee); the remainder of wraths thou shalt gird (about thee). The very passions which excite men to rebel against God shall be used as instruments and means of coercion. See above, on Ps. xxxii. 9. And so complete shall be this pro- cess, that even the remnant of such passionate excitement, which might be expected to escape attention, will be nevertheless an instrument or weapon in the hands of God. This last idea is expressed by the figure of a girdle, here considered as a sword-belt. So too in other cases the verb to gird is absolutely used in the sense of girding on a sword, or the still more general one of arming one's self. See above, on Ps. xlv. 4 (3), and compare Judges xviii. 11, 1 Kings xx. 11, 2 Kings iii. 21. Others, with less proba- bility, suppose the figure to denote the act of attaching to one's self, as in Ps. cix. 19, Isa. xi. 5, Jer. xiii. 11, and apply it to the future conversion of all remaining enemies. The plural in the last clause [wraths or angers) seems to be an emphatic designation of abundance or success. See above, on Ps. xviii. 51 (50). 12 (11). Vow and pay unto Jehovah your God, all {ye that are) round about him ; let them bring tribute to the Dread {One). The first clause may be understood to mean, pay now what you have vowed before, i. e. before the great deUverance and during the impending danger. The addition of your God shews that the object of address is Israel. Compare Deut. xxiii. 22 (21). According to the masoretic interpunction, all that are round about him belongs to the first clause, and denotes the host of Israel, in the midst of whom Jehovah's tent was pitched (Num. ii. 2). The English Bible, following the ancient versions, throws these words into the last clause, as the subject of the verb that follows, let all that are round about him bring presents, or they shall bring presents. This last word in Hebrew denotes tribute from the conquered or dependent to the conqueror or sovereign. See above, on Ps. Ixviii. 30 (29), and compare Isa. xviii. 7. This was literally verified in the case of Hezekiah's rescue from the power of Sennacherib. See 2 Chron. xxxii. 23. God is here called Fear or Terror, as an object to be reverenced or dreaded. Compare the similar expressions in Isaiah viii. 12, 13. 13 (12). He cuts of the spirit of princes ; he is feared (or to be feared) by the kings of earth. The fii'st verb is specially applied to the pruning or cutting of vines. See Jer. vi. 9, xxv. 30, xlix. 9, and compare Rev. xiv. 18, 19. Its future form includes a potential sense. He can do it when he will, and he will do it when he sees occasion. Spirit or breath is here put for the life or vital principle, to cut which is to kill. He who pos- sesses this alarming power is or ought to be an object of religious fear, not only to ordinary men, or to certain great men in particular, but to all the kings 332 Psalm 77:1 -5 of the earth. Compare Mat. x. 28, Luke xii. 5. These expressions shew that the historical occasion of the psalm was not an event of merely local interest, but a great historical and national catastrophe, such as the blow inflicted on the power of Assyria by the sudden destruction of Sennacherib's host. Psalm 77 1. To the Chief Musician over (the choir or family of) Jeduihun. By Asaph. A Psalm. For the meaning of this title, see above, on Ps. Ixii. 1. The psalm before us contains a complaint and prayer of the ancient church in times of deep distress. It consists of two parts. In the first, the church describes her sad condition, and complains of God's desertion, ver. 2-10 (1-9). In the second, she encourages herself by the remem- brance of former deliverances, and especially of that from Egypt, ver. 11-21 (10-20). The particular historical occasion is not specified ; but if, as some suppose, it be the crisis of aftairs in the reign of Josiah, the name Asaph must be understood as a description of the family, and not of its pro- genitor. See above, on Ps. 1. 1. There are several obvious imitations of this psalm in the third chapter of Habakkuk. 2 (1). My voice itnto God (I will raise) and will cry ; my voice unto God (I will raise), and he will give ear to me. Some make the last verb an im- perative, and (when I raise my voice) do thou give ear. But besides the sudden change of person, which, though common, is not to be assumed without necessity, the form of the Hebrew verb is that of an infinitive, to be determined by assimilation to the one before it. The last clause then really assigns a reason for the purpose expressed in the first. He would not pray if he despaired of being heard. 3 (2). In the day of my distress the Lord I sought ; my hand by night was spread, and grew not numb ; my soul refused to be comforted. Day is here put for time, but not without allusion to the mention of the night in the clause following, so as to express the idea that he prayed day and night. The verb translated spread means strictly spilt, poured out, scattered, but seems to be here poetically applied to the spreading of the hands as a customary gesture of entreaty. See above, on Ps. xliv. 21 (20). The common ver- sion, my sore ran, has no foundation in etymology or usage. For the meaning of the next verb, see above, on Ps. xxxviii. 9 (8). Its form is future, but the copulative particle, though separated from it by the nega- tive, may be considered as exerting a conversive force. 4 (3). I remember God and murmur ; I muse ^ and overwhelmed is my spirit. Selah. The recollection of God's former kindness, as contrasted with what seems to be his present desertion, extorts from the sufierer an expression of disquietude. The second verb in Hebrew is the same with that in Ps. xxxix. 7 (6), xhi. 6, 12 (5, 11), Iv. 18 (17). 31y spirit is not simply equivalent to myself, but suggests the additional idea of profound internal agitation. 5 (4). Thou hast held fast my eyes ; I am smitten and cannot speak. The word here rendered fast is properly a passive participle, meaning watched, kept, and here, from the connection, kept awake or open. This circumstance is added to enhance the description of his miserable state. 6 (5). / thought on days of old, years of antiquities (or perpetuities.') The contrast of the present with the past is again urged as an aggravating circumstance in his condition. Psalm 77:6 -13 333 7 (6). / will remember my song in the night, with my heart will I muse, and my spirit inquires. The futures of the first clause have reference to the time of actual suffering. The word translated song means strictly a stringed instrument, or that kind of music, but is here used more generally to denote the musical expression of thanksgiving. In the night qualifies the words immediately preceding {my song), not the remoter antecedent (/ remember). With my heart, i.e. in communion with it, with myself. My spirit inquires, i.e. I, from the bottom of my heart, ask the questions recorded in the following verses. 8 (7). For ever will the Lord reject, and will he no more favour ? It was thus that the spirit of the sufferer made inquiry. For ever, literally to eternities or ages. Reject, with abhorrence and contempt. See above, on Ps. xliii. 2, xliv. 10, 24 (9, 23), k. 3, 12 (2, 11), Ixxiv. 1. The idio- matic form of the last clause is, will he not add to favour again (or any longer) f 9 (8). Ceased for ever has his mercy, failed (his) word to generation and generation f The general term word here denotes specifically a word of promise. See above on Ps. xviii. 81 (30). Generation and generation, i.e. all generations in succession, are not mentioned as the objects of the pro- mise, to whom God's word was pledged, but as the period of its failure. 10 (9). Has the Mighty {One) forgotten to be gracious, or closed in wrath his mercies ? Selah. The use of the divine name El is here significant, as if it had been asked, does the goodness of God no longer bear proportion to his greatness ? The verb translated closed is one found only in poetical style. The original expression for his mercies suggests the idea of his bowels, according to the idiom which represents the viscera as the seat of the ten- derest affections. 11 (10). And T said, TJiis is my affliction, the years of the right hand of the Highest. This may be regarded as the turning point of the entire compo- sition. After all the repinings and misgivings just described, I said, at length, what I might and should have said before. My affliction, literally my sick- ness, that specific form of suffering being put for suffering in general, as inflicted by the hand of God. The use of the word years seems to imply that the trial was one of long continuance. The divine name or descrip- tion {Most High) suggests the duty and necessity of yielding to his sove- reign pleasure. 12 (11). I will commemorate the deeds of Jah ; for I will remember thy wonders of old. The forms of the verb in the two clauses are different, though needlessly assimilated by the masoretic critics and the versions. The second is the primitive verb remember ; the first its derivative, cause to be remembered, commemorate, celebrate. The literal meaning of the last words is from antiquity thy iconder, a collective and abstract expression for thy wondrou^'i works. For the origin and use of the divine name Jah, see above, on Ps. Ixviii. 5 (4), 13 (12). And I will meditate of all thy work, and of thy doings will I muse. The original expression is not of but in them, as if implying a com- plete absorption of the thoughts and feeling in the object. 14 (13). 0 God, in holiness is thy way. What Mighty (One) is great like God ? The common version, in the sanctuary, yields a good sense ; but the other is entitled to the preference on account of Exod, xv. 11, to which place there is evident allusion. Holiness here means the divine per- fection, all that distinguishes the Maker from his creatures. See above, on Ps. xxii. 4 (3). Thy way, i.e. thy mode of dealing with thy creatures, 334 Psalm 77:14 - 19 and particularly with thy people. The use of the name El is again significant. Who is there like God, even among the mightiest and most exalted beings ? 15 (14). Thou {art) the Almighty doing wonders ; thou hast made hnovon in the nations thy strength. Thou art the true Almighty as distinguished from all counterfeits. Doing, i. e. habitually, characteristically, doing won- ders. The next word has the singular form but a collective meaning, as in ver. 12 (11) above. In the nations, not only to them, but among them, in the midst of them, and in their own experience. The display of God's omnipotence had not been confined to his own people, but extended to sur- rounding nations. This is particularly mentioned in the history of the exodus from Egypt. See Exod. ix. 16, xv. 14. 16 (15). Thou hast redeemed tvifh the arm thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah. The particular display of the divine strength just referred to is now specified. Redeemed, recovered from captivity or bond- age. With the arm, i.e. by the exercise of power. See above, on Ps. xliv. 4 (3). Joseph is named as well as Jacob, in order to include the ten tribes in the statement, which might otherwise have been applied to Judah only, as the legitimate successor of the ancient Israel. In this clause some interpreters see a distinct allusion to the downfall of the kingdom of the ten tribes, as an event which had already taken place when the psalm was written. 17 (16). The uaters saw thee, God, the waters saw thee ; they shake, yea, the depths quake. The historical reference is of course to the passage of the Red Sea, but at the same time with allusion to the symbolical use of seas in Scripture. See above, on Ps. xlvi. 3 (2). The transition from the past tense to the future or present shews that the writer suddenly transports himself into the midst of the events which he commemorates. The yea or nay (C|^^) in the last clause is emphatic. Not merely the surface of the water moves ; its very depths are agitated and convulsed. 18 (17). 27ie clouds poured water ; the skies gave a sound: yea, thine arrows fly. These are natural phenomena of storms, here noted as betoken- ing God's presence. See above, on Ps. xviii. 12-15 (11-14). The skies, the vapours constituting the visible heavens. See above, on Ps. Ixviii. 85 (34). Gave a sound, uttered their voice, a beautifiul description of the thunder. The yea indicates a climax. There was not only rain and thunder but lightning, the flashes of which are poetically spoken of as arrows. See above, on Ps. xviii. 15 (14). The word translated y?^/ is an intensive form of the verb to go, implying swiftness and perhaps diversity of direction, hither and thither, to and fro. See above, on Ps. xxvi. 3, xxxv. 14. With this verse compare Hab. iii. 11. 19 (18). The voice of thy thunder (was) in the vihirlwind ; lightnings made the world shine ; (then) shook and quaked the earth. The word trans- lated whirlwind usually means a wheel, but is sometimes applied to anything whirled or driven round before the wind. See below, on Ps. Ixxxiii. 14 (13), and compare Isa. xvii. 13. Hence it may naturally be employed to desig- nate the whirlwind itself as the cause of this rotary motion. This is surely more agreeable to usage than to make it descriptive of mere swiftness or velocity. The common version, in the heaven, if not entirely arbitrary, must rest upon a supposed allusion to the convex appearance of the heavens. Made to shine, illuminated, lighted up. There is, however, no affinity be- tween the Hebrew word and that for lightnings. The whole description is remarkably like that of the theophany in Ps. xviii. See also Hab. iii. 14. 20 (19). In the sea {was) thy way and thy paths in great (or many) waters. Psalm 78: 1,2 335 and thy footsteps were not known. This may be understood as a general description of the divine operations as inscrutable, in which case the verbs supplied should have the present form, is thy way, are not known. It is more agreeable, however, to the context, and in far better keeping with the vivid graphic character of this part of the psalm, to imderstand the verse, at least in the first instance, as referring to the exodus from Egypt, when it might indeed be said that the way of Jehovah, as the deliverer and con- ductor of his people, was in the sea, and that his footsteps and theirs could not be traced, because the waters instantly rolled over them. With this verse compare Hab. iii. 15. 21 (20). Thou didst yuide like a flock thy people, by the hand of Moses and Aaron. Like a flock in perfect safety and with perfect ease. The com- parison of Moses, at this juncture, to a shepherd, reappears in Isa. Ixiii. 11-14. The conclusion of the psalm appears abrupt, but any devout Israelite could draw the inference for himself", that he who had so gloriously saved his people could deliver them again. Psalm 78 This psalm appears to have been written after David's elevation to the throne, and perhaps before he was acknowledged by the whole race of Israel (2 Sam. V. 5), Its design is to impress upon the public mind the true grounds of the transfer which had taken place, of the pre-eminence in Israel, from the tribe of Ephraim to that of Judah, as the execution of a divine purpose long before disclosed, and at the same time a just judgment on the sins committed by the people imder the predominant influence of Ephraim, from the time of Joshua to that of EH. The internal character of the psalm determines its external form, which is simple, and admits of no minute division, beyond that afi'orded by the historical succession of events and the logical design of the composition, to prove that the Israelites under the ascendancy of Ephraim were similar in character to the elder generation which came out of Egypt. 1:' Maschil. By Asaph. Listen, my people, to wy law ; incline your ear to the sayings of my mouth. This is eminently a didactic psalm, because it teaches the true meaning of events in the history of Israel which might otherwise seem to be mere matters of curiosity. For the same reason it was necessary that it should be so designated in the title or inscription. See above, on Ps.xxxii.l,xlii.l,lii. l,&c. TheAsaph meant, as we have seen, is probably the contemporary and chief musician of David, but also an inspired psalmist. See above, on Ps. 1. 1. In this verse he invites atten- tion, as if to something strange and unexpected. My people, fellow-mem- bers of the ancient church, not as individuals, however, but as an organised body. My law, my inspired instructions which, as such, have a binding authority and force. 2. / will open, in a parable, my mouth ; I will utter riddles from an' tiquity. By a parable we are here to understand an analogical illustration of divine truth. An exposition of the true design and meaning of the his- tory of Israel was in this sense a mashal or parable. Riddles, enigmas, not the events themselves, but their latent import, which escaped a merely superficial observation. See above, on Ps. xlix. 5 (4). Of old, or from an- tiquity, i. e. belonging to the early period of our national existence. Utter ^ literally pour forth, cause to flow or gush. See above, on Ps. six. 3 (2). 336 Psalm 78:3 - 13 3. Which we have heard, and have knovm them, and our fathers recounted to us. Here, as often elsewhere, the knowledge of God's ancient dealings with his people is ascribed to that national tradition, which they were not only suffered but required to cherish and perpetuate (Exod. xii. 14, Deut. vi. 20), but which was not at all exclusive of a written and authoritative record, 4. We will not hide {them) from their sons, to an after generation recount- ing the praises of Jehovah, and his strength, and his wonders which he did. The psalmist here recognises the obligation resting on the individual parent, but above all on the church as such, to continue the transmission of this knowledge to the latest generations. 5. And set up a testimony in Jacob, and a law established in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, to make them known unto their sons. The essential idea here conveyed still is, that the traditional transmission of God's mighty deeds entered into the very end or purpose for which Israel existed as a nation. 6. In order that the after generation might know, sons be bom, arise, and tell (if^ to their own sons. This prolonged reiteration of the same thing seems intended to preclude the thought or feeling, that the things about to be recounted were mere relics of antiquity, without interest or use to the contemporary race. 7. And might place in God their hope, and not forget the deeds of the Almighty, and his commandments might observe (or keep). The construction is continued from the verse preceding. The recollection thus enjoined was not a mere historical or speculative exercise, but designed to have a prac- tical effect, to wit, that of securing obedience. 8. And might not be as their fathers, a generation stubborn and rebellious, a generation that did not prepare its heart, and whose spirit was not true to God. A still more specific purpose is here mentioned, to wit, that of warning by means of bad examples. The fathers here meant are the elder race that came out of Egypt. The description stubborn and rebellious is borrowed from Deut. xxi. 18. To prepare the heart is to dispose or devote it to God's service. Compare 1 Sam. vii. 3, 2 Chron. xx. 33. 9. The sons of Ephraim, armed bowmen, turned (back) in the day of battle. The people, during the ascendancy of Ephraim, proved false to their great mission of subduing Canaan and destroying its inhabitants. This neglect is represented, in the history itself, as the source of all the national calamities that followed. As the bow among the ancients was one of the chief weapons of war, the description armed bowmen is equivalent to well anned soldiers, and is added to enhance the guilt and shame of those who thus betrayed their trust, in spite of every external advantage. 10. They kept not the covenant of God, and in his lata refused to walk. They violated the condition of their national vocation, and relumed to do the very thing for which they were brought out of Egypt. 11. And forgot his deeds and his wonders xvhich he shewed them. The second generation forgot the proofs of God's presence and power, which, in the person of their fathers, they had seen when they came out of Egypt. 12. Before their fathers he did a wonder, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan. "Wonder has here the same collective sense as in Ps. Ixxvii. 12, 15 (11, 14). Zoan, called by the Greeks Tanis, was the an- cient capital of Lower Egypt. See Num. xiii. 22. The field of Zoan yn^iS the country immediately adjacent to it. 18. He clave the sea, and let them pass, and made the waters stand as a Psalm 78:14 -21 337 heap. This last expression is derived from Exod. xv. 8. See above, on Ps. xxxiii. 7. 14. And led them by the cloud by day, and all (he night by light of fire. See Exod, xiii. 21, 22. The original expression, in the cloud, may denote something more than instrumental agency, to wit, the personal presence of the Divine Angel in the cloud itself. 15. He cleaves rocks in the wilderness, and gives them drink as a great deep. This last is a hyperbolical description of an abundant flow of water in the desert. Some account for it by supposing an allusion to the flood, from the account of which (Gen. vii. 11) some of the expressions are bor- rowed. The verse has reference to both miraculous supplies of this kind, one in the first, and one in the last year of the error in the wilderness. See Exod. xvii. 6, Num. xx. 8. 16. And brings out torrents from a rock, and brings down waters like the rivers. Ihis verse relates to the later miracle, recorded in the twentieth of Numbers. 17. And they continued still to sin against him, to rebel against the Highest in the desert. What ought to have been the efiect of these divine interpositions, is clearly implied in this description of the actual effect. The very means which should have made them more obedient made them more rebellious. The last word in Hebrew means a desert, properly bo called, a dry land, and may here be used to suggest the idea, that they foolishly and wickedly provoked God in the very situation where they were most dependent on him for protection and supplies. The extent of this dependence is impUed in the use of a divine name signifying sovereignty, supremacy. 18. And tempted God in their heart, to ask food for their soul. To tempt God is to require unnecessary proof of what should be believed without it. Instead of trusting in his bounty to supply them, they anxiously demanded what they looked upon as necessary for their sustenance. In their heart describes the first conception of the sin, as distinguished from its outward commission in the next verse. To ask, by asking, or rather, so as to ask. Such was their impious distrust of God, that they actually asked, &c. For their suul, for themselves ; or, for their appetite, to gratify their inordinate desire of bodily indulgence ; or, for their life, as absolutely necessary to preserve it. 19. And spake of God [and] said, Will the Almightg be able to set a table in the wilderness ? This they not only said, but said it speaking of or against God. The unreasonableness of the doubt is aggravated by the use of a divine name which impUes omnipotence. As if they had said, Can he do this who can do everj'thing ? 20. Lo, he smote the rock, and waters flow, and streams gush out; (but) can he also give bread or provide flesh for his people ? The same thing is now proved by an appeal to what he had done. The question is reduced to an absurdity by introducing as a kind of preamble, what ought to have prevented its being asked at all. The doubters are described in these two verses as virtually reasoning thus : God is almighty; but is he able to supply our wants ? He has given us water ; but can he give us bread or meat ? 21. Therefore Jehovah heard and was icroth, and fire was kindled in Jacob, and also anger came up in (or against) Israel. The first clause exemplifies a common Hebrew idiom, equivalent to saying, therefore when he heard he was angry. Heard, not the rumour or report of their offence, but the 338 Psalm 78:22 - 27 offence itself, which consisted externally in speaking against God. The second verb is a reflexive form of one that means to pass out or over, and properly denotes the act of letting one's self out or giving vent to the emo- tions. Fire seems to be a figure for this same wrath, with or without allusion to material fire as a destroying agent. Compare Num. xi. 1. Came up, in the mind. See 2 Sam. xi. 20. Or there may be an allusion to the visible ascent of smoke and flame, as in Ps. xviii. 9 (8). 22. Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation. Compare the terms of the history in Exod. xiv. 13, Num. xiv. 11. 23. And he commanded the cloud above, and the doors of heaven he opened. The connection of the sentences is correctly although freely given in the common version, though he had commanded, &c. Above, hterally//ow above, but see on Ps. 1. 4. The whole verse expresses the idea of a copious supply from heaven. In the last clause there seems to be a reference to the open- ing of the windows of heaven at the deluge. Compare Gen. vii. 11, and see above on ver. 15. 24. And rained upon them manna to eat, and corn of heaven gave to them. The expression rained is borrowed from the history, Exod. xvi. 4. The addition of the words to eat may have reference to the primary import of the word (]D) manna as an interrogative or indefinite pronoun, meaning what or somewhat, so that the words here might also bear the sense of something to eat. See Exod. xvi. 15, 31. It is called corii of heaven as a miraculous substitute for bread, and also in allusion to its granular form and appear- ance, Exod. xvi. 31. 25. Bread, of the mighty (ones) did {each) man eat; victual he sent them to the full. The first Hebrew word, as appears from the preceding verse, ; s used in its specific sense of bread, and not in the generic one of food, which is otherwise expressed in ver. 20. Some explain bread of the mighty to mean deUcate or costly bread, like that used by the rich and noble. But io these the epithet is nowhere else applied, as a similar one is to the angels in Ps. ciii. 20, a circumstance which favours the old explanation given in the Targum and the Septuagint, according to which manna is called angels' bread, not as being their food, but as comiag from the place where they re- side. Man is not used generically in antithesis to angels, which would have required another Hebrew word (OlX), but distributively in the sense of every one, as it is in the history of this very miracle, Exod. xvi. 16. The idea then is that enough was sent for all without exception. The word ti-anslated victual denotes specially provision for a march or journey. See Exod. xii. 39. To the full,' or to satiety, enough and more than enough to satisfy the appetite of eveiy individual ; another expression borrowed from the history. See Exod. xvi. 3. 26. He rouses an east-wind in the heavens, and guides hy his power a south-wind. The first verb is a causative of that used in Num. xi. 31, which strictly means to strike a tent or break up an encampment, and then to set out upon a march or journey, but is there applied to the sudden rise of a particular wind. The east and south are here named as the points from which the strongest winds were known to blow in that part of the world. The history itself contains no such specification. Guides, directs it in the course required for this purpose. 27. And he rained upon them, like dust, flesh, and like the sand of seas, winged fowl (or birds of wing). Here, as in the miracle of water, two miraculous supplies of flesh are brought together. See Exod. xvi. 13, Num. Psalm 78:28 -36 339 xi. 31, 32. To these two is transferred the figure of rain, which, in the history, is applied only to the manna. 28. Ayid let it fall in the midst of his camp, round about his dwellings. The pronoun his refers to Israel as a body, and may be rendered clearer by the use of the plural their. Several of the terms here used are borrowed from the Mosaic narrative. See Exod. xvi. 13, Num. xi, 31. 29. And they ate and uere sated exceedingly, dnd (thus) their desire he brings to them. The first clause is an amplification of the phrase to the full in ver. 25 above. Compare the history in Num. xi. 18-20. Their desire, i. e. the object of it, that which they had longed for. 30. They were not (yet) estranged from their desire; still {w&s) their food in their mouth. This is merely the protasis or conditional clause of- the sentence completed in the next verse. The first clause does not mean that the food had not begun to pall upon their appetite, but, as the other clause explains it, that it was still in their possession, in their very mouths, when God smote them. Compare Num. xi. 33. 31. And the wrath of God came up among them (or against them), ani slew among their fat ones, and the chosen (youths) of Israel brought low. The form of expression in the first clause is the same as in ver. 21 above. Among their fat ones, i.e. killed some or many of them. The parallel term, according to its etymology, means picked or chosen men, but its usage is applied to young men in their full strength and the flower of their age, and therefore fit for military service. Thus the youngest and strongest are de- scribed as unable to resist the exhibition of God's wrath against his people. 32. For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wonders. Not- withstanding all these favours and extraordinary interpositions, the genera- tion that came out of Egypt still persisted in their evil courses. The last clause does not charge them with denying the reality of the wonders which they witnessed, but with refusing to trust God on the strength of them. This appears from the history itself, Num. xiv. 11, to which there is obvi- ous allusion. 33. And (therefore) he wasted in vanity their days and their years in terror. As the preceding verse relates to the refusal of the people to go up against the Canaanites in the first year of the exodus, so this relates to the forty years of eiTor in the wilderness, by which that refusal was at once indulged and punished. The fruitless monotony of their existence during this long period, and their constant apprehension of some outbreak of divine wrath, are expressed here by the words translated vanity and terror. The meaning of the verb is that he suffered or caused their years to be thus unprofitably and miserably spent. Compare Ps. Ixxiii. 19. 34. // he slew them, then they sought him, and returned and inquired early after God. Whenever, during this long interval, he punished them with more than usual severity, a temporary and apparent reformation was the immediate consequence. The verb in the last clause denotes eager and importunate solicitation. See above, onPs. xliii. 2 (1). 35. And remembered that God (was) their Enck, and the Mighty, the Most High, their Redeemer . It was only at these times of peculiar sufl'ering that the people, as a body, called to mind their national relation to Jeho- vah, as their founder, their protector, and their refuge. See above, on Ps. xviii. 3 (2), and compare Deut. xxxii. 4, 15, 18, 31. 36. And (yet) they deceived him with their mouth, and with their tongue they lie to him. Even these apparent reformations only led to hypocritical professions. The verb in the first clause does not describe the effect but 340 Psalm 78:37 -42 the intention. It may therefore be_translated flattered, although this is not the strict sense of the Hebrew word. 37. And their heart was not fi,xed {or constant) with him, and they were not true to (or faithful in) his covenant. Their obedience was capricious and imperfect, and proceeded from no settled principle or genuine devotion to his service. They were false to the very end for which they existed as a nation. For the meaning of a fixed or settled heart, see above, on Ps. h. 12 (10), and compare Ps. Ivii. 8 (7). 38. And he, the Merciful, forgives iniquity, and does not (utterly) de- stroy; and he often withdrew his anger, and would not arouse all his wrath. The first clause relates rather to God's attributes, or to his method of pro- ceeding in the general, than to his proceeding in this particular case, which is not brought forward till the last clause. There is obvious allusion to the description of God's mercy in Ex. xxxiv. 6, 7. Forgives is a very inade- quate translation of the Hebrew word, which necessarily suggests the idea of expiation as the ground of pardon. Often withdrew, literally multiplied to withdraw his wrath, or cause it to return without accomplishing its object. 39. And he remembered that they (were but) flesh, a breath departing and returning not. Here, as elsewhere, the frailty and infirmity of man is assigned as a ground of the divine forbearance. Compare Ps. ciii. 14-16. Flesh, a common scriptural expression for humanity or human nature, as distinguished from superior beings, and especially from God. See above, on Ps. Ivi. 5 (4), and compare Gen. vi. 3, Isa. xxxi. 3. The idea of fragi- lity and brief duration is expressed still more strongly by the exquisite figure in the last clause. The melancholy thought with which it closes is rendered still more emphatic in Hebrew by the position of the verb and the irregular construction of the sentence, a breath going and it shall not return. 40. Hotv oft do they resist him in the wilderness (and) grieve him in the desert! Many particular occurrences are summed up in this pregnant ex- clamation. The future form of the verbs seems to have reference to the ideal situation of the writer, looking forward in imagination to the error as still futm-e, and saying as Moses might have said, if gifted with prophetic foresight of the sins of Israel, Notwitstanding all these favours and these high professions, how oft will they resist his authority and rouse his wrath ! 41. And they turned and tempted God, and (on) the Holy One of Israel set a mark. Having described the conduct of the first generation in the wilderness, the Psalmist now proceeds to shew that the younger gene- ration, after the death of Joshua (Josh. xxiv. 31), were like their fathers (ver. 57 below). The first verb may either have the independent meaning turned away, or turned, hack from his service, or qualify the next verb by denoting repetition of the action ; and they tempted again, or still tempted. They tempted God by doubting his supremacy, and practically challenging him to the proof of it. See above, on ver. 19. The last woi-d in Hebrew is of doubtful meaning. Some explain it, by a Syriac analogy, and on the authority of the ancient versions, to mean provoked or grieved. In the only other place where the Hebrew word occurs (Ezek. ix. 4) it mea,ns to set a mark upon a person, which some apply here, in the figurative sense of stigmatising or insulting. A cognate verb is used by Moses (Num. xxxiv. 7, 8) -to denote the act of laying ofi" or marking out a boundary, which is probably the origin of the common version, limited, i.e. prescribed bounds to the power of Jehovah in their unbelief. Holy One of Israel, see above, on Ps. Ixxi. 22) 42. They remembered not his hand, the day that he redeemed them from Psalm 78:43 -48 341 distress (or from the eneyny). The psalmist still confounds or identifies the several generations as one aggregate or national person. The younger race remembered not the miraculous favours experienced by their prede- cessors. His hand, the exertion of his power, a favourite Mosaic figure. See particularly Exod. vii. 5, xiii, 9, Deut. vii. 8. The last clause admits of two constructions. The day may be in apposition with his hand, and a collateral object to the verb, as in the common version; or it may be an adverbial expression qualifying what precedes. " They remembered not how his power was exerted in the day that he redeemed them from the enemy." The essential meaning is the same in either case. 43. {He) who set in Er/ypt his signs and his wonders in the field of Zoan. The miraculous interpositions at the exodus were signs of God's presence and immediate agency. To set these was to hold them up to view. See above, on Ps. Ixxiv. 4. The description of Egypt in the last clause is repeated from ver. 12 above. 44. And turned to blood their rivers, and their streams they cannot drink. The general statement of the preceding verse is rendered more specific by the mention of several of the plagues in detail, beginning with the first. See Exod. vii. 18-20. The word translated rivers is the plural of one commonly applied to the Nile, and supposed to be of Egyptian origin. It may here be understood as denoting either the natural branches of the Nile, or the artificial channels by which its waters are employed in the irri- gation of the country. In the last clause, by a very common trope, the writer speaks as he might have spoken at the time of the event. 45. He sends among them (or against them) flies and they devour them, and frogs and they destroy them. Two of the other plagues are here added, from the narrative in Exod. viii. The first noun in Hebrew was explained by the ancient writers as denoting a mixture of noxious animals ; but the best interpreters are now agreed that it means the Egj'ptian dog-fly, which Philo represents as feeding upon flesh and blood. 46. And he gave [up) to the caterpillar their produce, and their labour to the locust. Both the animal names in this verse are really designations of the locust, one meaning the devourer, and the other denoting the vast num- bers of that insect. Their labour, i. e. its effect or fruit. Compare the narrative in Exod. x. 12-19. 47. He kills with hail their vine and their sycamores with frost. The destruction of the vines is not mentioned in the history (Exod. ix. 23-32), though it is in Ps. cv. 33. It has even been denied that the culture of the vine was known in ancient Egypt ; but the fact has been fully established by modem investigation and discovery. The last word of the sentence occurs nowhere else. Some of the moderns explain it, from an Arabic analogy, to mean an ant ; but the parallelism favours the usual interpreta- tion which is derived from the ancient versions. 48. And delivered their cattle to the hail and their herds to the flames. The Hebrew verb strictly means shut up, and occurs, elsewhere in the com- bination to shut tip in the hand, i. e. abandon to the power, of another. See above, on Ps. xxxi. 9 (8), and compare 1 Sam. xxiii. 11. Here, as in Deut. xxxii. 30, the verb is used absolutely in the sense of the whole phrase. The word translated yZames occurs above in Ps. Ixxvi. 4 (3), and is here a poetical description of the lightning. The common version {hot thunder- bolts) is striking and poetical, but perhaps too strong. This verse does not relate to a distinct plague, but to the effects of the hail- storm upon animals, as its effect upon plants was described in the preceding verse. 342 Psalm 78:49 -55 49. He sends upon them the heat of his anger, wrath and indignation and anguish, a mission of angels of evil. Before mentioning the last and greatest plague of all, he accumulates expressions to describe it as the effect of the divine displeasure. The slaughter of the first-born is ascribed in the his- tory itself to a destroyer or destroying angel (Exod. xii. 23, Heb. xi. 28), which may be a collective as it seems to be in 1 Sam. xiii. 17, or denote the commander of a destroying host (Josh. v. 15), here called a mission or commission of angels. The destroying angel reappears in the history of David (2 Sam. xxiv. 16) and of Hezekiah (2 Kings xix. 35). The original construction in the case before us is peculiar, angels of evil [ones). This cannot mean evil angels, in the sense of fallen spirits, who are not described in the Old Testament as the executioners of God's decrees. The best explanation is perhaps to take the plural evils in an abstract sense, angels of evil, not moral but physical, i. e. authors of suffering or destruction. 50. He levels a path for his anger ; and he did not withhold from death their soul, and their life to the plague gave up. For the meaning of the first verb, see above, on Ps. Iviii. 3 (2). The meaning of the figure seems to be, that he removes all hindrance to his anger and allows it free scope. Not content with having smitten their possessions and their persons, he now extends his stroke to their Uves. The word translated life more usually means an animal or animals collectively. See above, on Ps. Ixviii. 11, 31 (10, 30), Ixxiv. 19. If we retain this meaning here, the verse may be referred to the death of the Egyptian cattle by the murrain (Exod. ix. 1-7). But the parallelism and the context rather favour the translation life, and the reference of the passage to the death of the first-born, which was pro- bably occasioned by a pestilence (Exod. ix. 15) and is expressly mentioned in the next verse. 51. And smote all the first-horn in Egypt, the first-fruits of strength in the tents of Ham. Compare the narrative in Exod. xii. 29, 30. The poetical description of the first-born in the last clause is derived from Gen. xUx. 3 (compare Deut. xxi. 17), and that of Eg^-pt from Gen. x. 6. 52. And brought out, like sheep, his people, and led them, like a flock in the wilderness. For the precise meaning of the first verb, see above, on ver. 26, and compare Exod. xii. 37, xv. 22. The guidance in the wilder- ness'includes that on both sides of the Red Sea, as appears from Exod. xii. 37. 53. And guided them in safety, and they did not fear, and their enemies the sea covered. They did not fear, because he removed all gi'ound of appre- hension. This was especially the case at the passage of the Red Sea, Exod. XV. 19, to which there is clearly a particular allusion. 54. And brought them to his holy border, this mountain (which) his right hand uon. The bound or border of his hoUness, the frontier of the land which he had set apart as holy. This mountain may, agreeably to Hebrew usage, mean this hilly country, as it does in Deut. iii. 25. But there is no doubt a particular reference to mount Zion, in the wide sense, as the central point of the theocracy, designated as such long before the conquest of Canaan. See Gen. xxii. 14, and compare Exod. xv. 13, 17. His right hand, the exertion of his strength. Won, purchased, not in the restricted modem sense of buying, but in the old and wide sense of acquiring. 55. And drove out before them nations, and assigned them by measure (as) a heritage, and caused to dwell in their tents the tribes of Israel. Before them, literally from their face or presence. Nations, whole nations, not mere armies, much less individuals. Assigned them, Uterally made them fall, by Psalm 78:56 -59 343 lot or otherwise, a common expression for the distribution and allotment of the land. See Num. xxxiv. 2. The pronoun (them) refers to the nations, put for their possessions, and especially their territory. The word trans- lated measure means primarily a measuring line, but then the portion of land measured. Hence we may also read, assigned them as (or for) a here- ditary portion. In the last clause, their tents means of com'se those of the Canaanites, not of the Israelites themselves, which would make the clause unmeaning. 56. And they tempted and resisted God, Most High, and his testimonies did not keep. Having brought down the narrative of God's dealings with the older race to the conquest of Canaan, the Psalmist now resumes his charge (against the following generations) of being no better than their fathers. To tempt God and resist him, or rehel against him, has the same sense as in ver. 18, 40. The divine title ]v?)!l suggests that their rebel- lion was against the highest and the most legitimate of all authority. His testimonies against sin, contained in his commandments ; hence the use of the verb keep. The form of expression, in both clauses of this verse, is borrowed from Deut. vi. 16, 17. 67. And revolted, and dealt falsely like their fathers; they were turned like a deceitful bow. He here resumes the thread dropped at ver. 8, for the purpose of relating what their fathers did and were, i. e. the older genera- tion who came out of Egypt. Having shewn this at great length, he now reiterates the charge that their descendants, after the days of Joshua, were no better, and proceeds to prove it. The first clause describes them both as rebels and traitors. 2'hey were turned, i. e. as some suppose, turned aside, swerved or twisted in the archer's hand, so as to give a wrong direc- tion to the arrow. Others understand it to mean, they were converted (or became) like a deceitful bow, i. e. one which deceives the expectation, and fails to accomplish the design for which it is employed. By a similar trope, falsehood or lying is ascribed to waters which are not perennial, but fail precisely when most needed. See Isa. Iviii. 11, Job vi. 15. The figure of a deceitful bow is borrowed from this passage by Hosea (vii. 16). 68. And made him angry with their heights, and with their idols made him jealous. Here, for the first time, idolatry is mentioned as the great national sin of Israel after the death of Joshua and the contemporary elders. This sin is intimately connected with the one described in ver. 9, since the failure to exterminate the Canaanites and gain complete possession of the country, with its necessary consequence, the continued residence of gross idolaters in the midst of Israel, could not fail to expose the chosen people to perpetual temptation, and afford occasion to their worst defections. In the last clause, graven images are put for the whole class of idols or created gods, of whom the true God must be jealous as his rivals, as well as indignant at the heights or high places, the hill-tops where these false gods were most usually wor- shipped. The whole form of expression is Mosaic. See Deut. xxxii. 16, 21, and compare Exod. xx. 5. 69. God heard and was indignant, and rejected Israel exceedingly. The same sin is followed by the same retribution as in ver. 21. Abhorred is an inadequate translation of the last verb, which denotes not merely an internal feeling, but the outward exhibition of it. It means not merely to abhor, but to reject with abhorrence. See above, on Ps. xv. 4. The addition of the intensive adverb, very or exceedingly, serves at the same time to enhance and to restrict the meaning of the verb which it quahfies. He abhorred them, not a httle but exceedingly, and as a token of his doing so, rejected 344 Psalm 78:60 - 64 them exceedingly, yet not utterly or altogether. As there is nothing to restrict the application of this statement, we must understand it in its widest sense, as meaning that the whole people was regarded with displeasui*e, and punished on account of its transgressions during the ascendancy of Ephraim. 60. And forsook the dwelling-place of Shilo, tlie tent (which) he caused to dwell among men. The punishment of Ephraim, not as the sole offender, but as the unfaithful leader of the chosen people, consisted in the transfer of the sanctuary, and the manifested presence of God in it, to the tribe which was intended from the first to have that honour (Gen. xhx. 10), but whose rights had been held in abeyance during the experimental chieftainship of Ephraim. The ark, after it was taken by the Philistines (1 Sam. iv. 17), never returned to Shiloh, but was deposited successively at Nob (1 Sam. xxi. 2) and at Gibeon (1 Kings iii. 4), until David pitched a tabernacle for it on mount Zion (2 Chron. xv. 1). See above, on Ps. xxiv. 1. Caused to dwell is an expression used in the very same connection in the history. See Josh, xviii. 1, and compare Deut, xii. 11, where the sanctuary is described as the place in which God caused his name to dwell. Among men implies that this was his only earthly residence, and hints at the true meaning of the sanctuary, as propounded in the law (Exod. xxv. 8). 61. And gave up to captivity his strength, and his beauty into the foeman's hand. This is a still more distinct allusion to the capture of the ark by the Philistines (1 Sam. iv. 17). The pronouns admit of two constructions, as they may be referred either to God or Israel. In the former case, the ark is called his strength, because it was the symbol of his saving presence and a pledge for the exertion of his power to protect and save his people. It is called his beauty or honour, as it marked the place where God was pleased to manifest his glory. At the same time it was Israel's strength, because it was considered as ensuring the divine protection (1 Sam. iv. 3), and his glory, because the possession of this symbol was his highest honour (1 Sam. iv. 21). Both these senses are so perfectly appropriate, that it is not easy to choose either, to the entire exclusion of the other. 62. And abandoned to the sword his people, and at his heritage was wroth. For the meaning of the first verb, see above on ver. 48, and for that of the second, on ver. 21. To the sword, to defeat and destruction in war, with particular reference to 1 Sam. iv. 10. The severity of these judgments is enhanced by their having been inflicted on his people and his heritage. 63. His youths (or chosen ones) the fire devoured, and his maidens were not praised. This may either mean that they attracted no attention on account of public troubles, or that they were not praised in nuptial songs, implying what is expressed in the text of the EngUsh Bible, to wit, that they were not given to marriage. The fire may be a figure for destructive war, as in Num. xxi. 28. The pronoun (his) refers to Israel as a whole or an ideal person. 64. His priests by tlie sword fell, and his widows weep not. The priests are particularly mentioned because, at the time specially referred to, the chief magistracy was vested in a sacerdotal family, and because Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli, were among the first victims of the great calamity in question. See 1 Sam. iv. 11, 17. In the last clause there seems to be allusion to the death of Phinehas's wife, whose sorrow for her husband and herself was lost in sorrow for the departing glory of Israel (1 Sam. iv. 21). In a wider sense, the words may represent the whole class of Israelitish widows as not weeping for their husbands, either because they were engrossed by their own perils and personal sufferings, or, as Psalm 78:65 - 71 345 Bome interpreters suppose, because the bodies of the slain were absent, and there could not therefore be a formal mourning in accordance with the oriental usage. The last words of this verse are copied in Job xxvii. 15. 65. Then awoke, as a sleeper, the Lord, as a hero rejoicing from wine. His apparent connivance or indifference to what was passing was abruptly exchanged for new and terrible activity. The Lord, the sole and rightful sovereign, both of men in general and of Israel in particular. A hero, mighty man, or warrior. See above on Ps. xiv. 8. From wine is not to be construed with awoke or awakes understood, but with rejoicing, exhilar- ated, cheered by wine. 66. And he struck his foes hack (and) disgrace cf eternity gave them. The idea of driving his assailants back, repelUng or repulsing them, is worthier in itself, and better suited to the context than the one expressed in the English Bible. Perpetual dishonour was in fact the doom of the Philistines from the time of the events in question. The successes parti- cularly meant are those of Saul and David. Gave them, or to them, as their portion. 67. And rejected the tent of Joseph, and the tribe of Ephraim did not choose. This is the completion and specification of the statement in ver. 60. Even after the punishment of Israel, as a whole, had ceased, Ephraim, though still a member of the chosen people, was deprived of the ascend- ancy, of which he had proved himself unworthy, and by means of which he had betrayed the whole race into grievous sin. The tent or house of Joseph (the progenitor of Ephraim) is particularly mentioned, because the honour taken from that family was the honour of God's dwelling in the midst of them. The last clause might be rendered, and the tribe of Eph- raim no (longer) chose. But the original contains a simple negative without qualification ; and according to the scriptural account, Ephraim never was the chosen tribe, but only allowed to act as such, for a particular purpose, just as the experimental reign of Saul afterwards preceded the commence- ment of the true theocratical monarchy in David. 68. And chose the tribe of Judah, the Mount Zion which he loved. He now assigned the visible pre-eminence to Judah, who had long enjoyed it in the divine purpose (Gen. xlix. 10). Zion is mentioned as the capital of Judah, the place of the sanctuary, and the seat of the theocratic monarchy. The name, as usual in this book, does not signify the single eminence so called, but the entire height on which Jerusalem was built. 69. And built like high (places) his sanctuary, like the earth (which) he founded for ever. Some give the adjective in the first clause the abstract sense of heights, which it never has in usage. Others supply heavens, but the construction most agreeable to usage is that which snpphes hills or mountains. The sanctuary is then described as being, not externally but spiritually, lofty as mountains and enduring as the earth. 70. And chose David (as) his servant, and took him from the sheep folds. Having spoken of the tribe and the particular locality preferred to Ephraim and Shiloh, he now brings into view the personal instrument or agent, by whom it pleased God that the theocratic kingdom should be founded. He did not choose David because he was his servant, i. e. a good man, but to be his servant, in the same pregnant and emphatic sense in which the title is apphed to him in Ps. xviii. 1. The sovereignty of the choice is indi- cated by the humble occupation and condition firom which he was promoted. 71. From behind the suckling {ewes) he brought him, to feed Jacob his people and Israel his heritage. From behind them, t. e. from following and 346 Psalm 79:1 - 6 watching them vi'iih. tender care, one of the chief duties of a shepherd. The next word in Hebrew is a participle, and means nursing, giving suck. The sense is incorrectly given in the common version of this place, and ambigu- ously in that of Isa. xl. 11. To feed expresses only one part of the mean- ing of the Hebrew verb, which signifies to do the work or exercise the office of a shepherd. See above, on Ps. xHx. 14 (13). The contrast pre- sented is, that he who had spent his youth in tending sheep was now to be the shepherd of a nation, nay, of the chosen people, of the church, the heri- tage of God himself. To this passage, and those portions of the history on which it is founded (2 Sam. vii. 8, 1 Chron. xi. 2), may be traced the con- stant use of pastoral images, in the later Scriptures, to express the relation which subsists between the Church and Christ, as its Chief Shepherd, and his faithful ministers as his representatives and deputies. 72. And he has fed them after his integrity of he^rt, and in the skill (or prudence) of his hands will lead them (still). This is no sudden interruption of the psalm, but the conclusion to which all was tending from the first. At the same time it implies that when the psalm was written, David was still reigning and expected to reign longer. Besides the divine attestation here afforded to his theocratical fidelity, the verse may be regarded as a beautiful tribute to the good and great King from his chief musician and fellow-seer. To lead, in the last clause, is to lead or tend a flock, and, with the parallel term feed, makes up the full description of a shepherd. Psalm 79 This psalm belongs to the same period with Ps. Ixxiv., perhaps that of the Babylonish conquest, and contains a description of the sufferings of the chosen people, ver. 1-4, a prayer for deUverance, ver. 5-12, and a promise of thanksgiving, ver. 13. 1. A Psalm. By Asaph. 0 God, gentiles have come into thy heritage ; they have defiled thy holy temple ; they have turned Jerusalem to heaps. The intrusion of heathen into the sanctuary was its worst dishonour, They have placed Jerusalem for heaps, or as a heap of ruins. This includes the destruction of the temple. Compare Ps. Ixxiv. 4. 2. They have given the corpse of thy servants (as) food to the bird of the heavens, the fiesh of thy saints to the (wild) beast of the earth. A common description of extensive and promiscuous carnage. The words translated corpse, bird, beast, are all collectives. The last has here its most specific and distinctive sense as denoting beasts of prey. See above, on Ps. Ixviii. 11 (10), Ixxiv. 19. 3. They have shed their blood like water round about Jerusalem, and there is none burying, or none to bury them. There is no period in the history of ancient Israel to which these terms can be applied without extra- vagance, except that of the Babylonian conquest. 4. We have been (or become) a contempt to our neighbours, a scorn and deri- sion to those round about us. See above, on Ps. xliv. 14 (13), where the very same expressions are employed. 5. Unto what (point), until when, how long, Jehovah, wilt thou be angry for ever, will burn like fire thy zeal [or jealousy)? With the first clause compare Ps, xiii. 2 (1), Ixxiv. 1, 10; with the second, Ex. xx. 5, Deut. xxix. 19 (20), Ps. Ixxviii. 58. 6. Pour out thy wrath against the nations which have not known thee, Psalm79:7-10 347 and upon kingdoms which thy name have not imwked. This is commonly explained as a prayer for divine judgments on the nations which combined for the destruction of Judah (2 Kings xxiv. 2). But it seems to be rather an expostulation and complaint that God had made no diflference between his own people and the heathen. As if he had said, If thou must pour out thy wrath, let it rather be on those who neither know nor worship thee than on thine own peculiar people. 7. For he hath devoured Jacob, and his dwelling (or his pasture-ground) they have laid waste. The singular verb in the first cause relates to the chief enemy, the plural in the last to his confederates. The wide sense of dwelling and the narrower one of pasture are both authorised by usage. See above, on Ps. xxiii. 2, kv. 13 (12), Ixxiv. 20. 8. Remember not against us the iniqitities of former [generations) ; make haste, let thy compassions meet us, for we are reduced exceedingly. Against us, literally, as to us, respecting us, which, in this connection, must mean to our disadvantage or our condemnation. Former iniquities is scarcely a grammatical construction of the Hebrew words usually so translated. The adjective, when absolutely used, always refers to persons, and means ances- tors or ancients. Personal and hereditary guilt are not exclusive but augmentative of one another. The sons merely fill up the iniquities of their fathers. The verb hasten ("IHD) may be either imperative or infinitive. If the latter, it qualifies the following verb, as in the English version, let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us. For the meaning of this last verb, see above, on Ps. xxi. 4 (3). Reduced, weakened, brought low, both in strength and condition. See above, on Ps. xl. 2 (1), where the cognate adjective is used. It was probably the verse before us that determined the position of this psalm, in close connection with Ps. Ixxviii., the great themo of which is the iniquity of former generations. 9. Help Its, 0 God of our salvation, on account of the glory of thy name ; and set us free and pardon our sins for the sake of thy (own) name. The title, God of our salvation, is expressive of a covenant obligation to protect his people, as well as of protection and deliverance experienced already. On account, literally for the word, or as we say in English, for the sake, which is used above, however, to translate a difierent Hebrew word. The glory of thy name, to maintain and vindicate the honour of thy attributes as hereto- fore revealed in act. See above, on Ps. v. 12 (11), xxiii. 3. Set us free, deliver us, from our present sufierings and the power of our enemies. Par- don our sins, literally make atonement for them, i.e. forgive them for the sake of the expiation which thou hast thyself provided. See above, on Ps. Ixxviii. 38. It is characteristic of the ancient saints to ask God's favour, not for their own sake merely, but for the promotion of his glory. 10. Wherefore should the nations say. Where (is) their God ? Known among the nations, in our sight, he the avenging of the blood of thy servants, the (blood) poured out, (or shed), as was described above, in ver. 8. This argument in favour of God's interposition, founded on the false conclusions which his enemies would draw fi:om his refusal, is of frequent occurrence in the Pentateuch. See Exod. xxxii. 12, Num. xiv. 13-16, Deut. ix. 28, and compare Joel ii. 17, from which the words before us are directly borrowed. Where is their God, the invisible, spiritual being whom they worship, but who cannot save them from external dangers ? Or the meaning may be. Where is the proof of that ahnighty power, and that love for his own people, of which they have so often and so loudly boasted ? The English Bible makes the verb in the second clause agree with God {let him be known), and 348 Psalm 79:11 - 13 supplies a preposition before vengeance {by the revenging). But the ancient versions, followed by the Prayer Book and the best modem interpreters, construe the verb and noun together [known he the avenging). The diversity of gender may be easily reduced to the general law of Hebrew syntax, that when the verb precedes its subject, and especially when separated from it, the former may assume the mascuhne form, not as such, but as the primi- tive and simplest form. In our sight, literally to our eyes, just as we say in Enghsh, to our faces. This aggravating circumstance is borrowed from Dent. vi. 22, and the idea of avenging blood from Deut. xrdi. 43. 11. Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee, according to the great- ness of thine arm, suffer to survive the sons of death (or of mortality). The nation is here viewed as an individual captive, not without reference to the literal captivity and exile occasioned by the Babylonian conquest, and with evident historical allusion to the bondage of Israel in Egypt, from the account of which (Exod. ii. 23-25) some of the expressions here are borrowed. Come before thee, reach thee, and attract thy notice. Compare the opposite ex- pression in Isa. i. 23. The arm, as usual, is the symbol of exerted strength. See above, on Ps. x. 15, xxxvii. 17, xliv. 4 (3). The whole phrase is a Mosaic one. See Exod. xv. 16, and compare Num. xiv. 19, Deut. iii. 24. The last verb in the sentence means to leave behind or over, to cause or suffer to remain. See Exod. x. 15, xii. 10, Isa. i. 9. The last noun in Hebrew occurs only here, but is an obvious derivative from (JTlD) death, bearing perhaps the same relation to it that mortalitas sustains to mors. According to a well-known oriental idiom, the whole phrase denotes dying men, or those about to die, or more specifically, those condemned or doomed to death. 12. And render to our neighbours sevenfold into their bosom their contempt (with) which they have contemned thee, Lord ! The first verb is a causative, and means to bring back or cause to return. See above, on Ps. Ixxii. 10. The neighbours are those mentioned in ver. 4, and the allusion here at least includes the expression of contemptuous incredulity in ver. 10. Sevenfold, a common idiomatic term denoting fi-equent repetition or abundance. See above, on Ps. xii. 7 (6). Into the bosom, an expression which originally seems to have had reference to the practice of carrying and holding things in the lap or the front fold of the flowing oriental dress, has in usage the accessory sense of retribution or retaliation. See my note on Isa. Ixv. 6, 7, and compare Jer. xxxii. 18, Luke vi. 38. The cognate noun and verb, translated contempt and contemned, denote not the mere internal feeling, but the oral expression of it by revilings, scoffs, and insults. See above, on Ps. xUi. 11 (10), Ixix. 10 (9). The Lord at the conclusion is by no means a mere expletive, but aggravates the sin of these despisers by describing it as committed against their rightful sovereign. 13. And we, thy people and flock of thy pasture, will give thanks to thee for ever, to generation and generation will we recount thy praise. Some inter- preters needlessly make two distinct propositions, we (are) thy people (and therefore) will give thanks, &c. The flock of thy pasture, that which thou feedest, that of which thou art the shepherd. See above, on Ps. Ixxiv. 1, Ixxviii. 70-72. For ever, literally to eternity. The following words, though thi-own into the first clause by the masoretic interpunction, belong to the second, as appears from the parallel structure of the sentence. Psalm 80: J, 2 349 Psalm 80 This pealm was probably occasioned by the overthrow and deportation of the ten tribes, and expresses the feelings of the ancient church in view of that event. Besides a title or inscription, ver. 1, it contains a lamentation or complaint, in reference to the strokes which had befallen Israel, ver. 2-8 (1-7) ; an exquisite picture of the vocation and original condition of the chosen race, under the image of a transplanted vine, ver. 9-14 (8-13) ; and an earnest prayer that God would again have mercy on his afflicted people, ver. 15-20 (14-19). The structure of the psalm is very regular, deriving a strophical character from the recurrence of a burden or refrain in ver. 4 (3), 8 (7), 20 (19). The disputed questions, as to the occasion and de- sign of the composition, will be considered in the exposition of the several verses. 1. To the Chief Musician. As to lilies. A Testimony. By Asaph. A Psalm. The first and last of these inscriptions shew that the composition was intended to be used in public worship. The preposition before lilies indicates the theme or subject, as in Ps. v. 1. Lilies, as in Ps. xlv. 1, Ix. 1, Ixix. 1, probably means loveliness, delightfulness, as an attribute of the divine favour which is here implored. Testimony is a term commonly applied to the divine law, as a testimony against sin, and in such cases as the pre- sent indicates the divine authority under which the Psalmist writes. See above, on Ps. Ix. 1. 2 (1). Shepherd of Israel, give ear, leading Joseph like a flock, sitting {ori) the cherubim, shine forth ! The description of Jehovah as the Shepherd of Israel is peculiarly appropriate in this connection, because borrowed from Jacob's blessing upon Joseph, Gen. xlviii. 15, xlix. 24. According to some interpreters, Joseph is simply a poetical equivalent to Israel, the son being put upon a level with the father in the usage of the language, on account of his historical pre-eminence and his being the progenitor of two of the twelve tribes. According to another view, Josqyh denotes the ten tribes as dis- tinguished from the kingdom of Judah, which is rendered more probable by the specification of certain tribes in the next verse. On this hypothesis, the verse before us is an invocation of Jehovah, as the patron and protector, not of Judah merely but of all Israel, including the posterity of Joseph and the tribes pohtically allied to them. Dwelling (between) the Cherubim, or sitting (enthroned upon) the Cherubim, a token of superiority to aU his crea- tures. See above, on Ps. xviii. 11 (10). 8 (2). Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh arouse thy strength and come to save us. The first clause alludes to the encampment and march through the wilderness, in which these three tribes always went together, as the descendants of one mother (Gen. xliv. 20, Num. ii. 18-24, x. 22-24). It has commonly been inferred from 1 Kings xii. 21, that the tribe of Ben- jamin adhered to the kingdom of Judah. But Hengstenberg has made it highly probable, at least, that those words relate only to the dwellers in Jerusalem and the immediately cir* umjacent country; that the tribe, as such, was reckoned one of the ten tribes, among which Simeon was not included, because, in fulfilment of Jacob's prophecy (Gen. xhx. 7), they had no dis- tinct or compact territory of their own, but certain towns within the bound- ary of Judah (Josh. xix. 1-9). Hence we are told expressly and repeatedly that in the great schism after the death of Solomon, but one tribe remained faithful to the house of David (1 Kings xi. 13, 32, 36, xii. 20), i. e. one 350 Psalm 80:3 -5 complete tribe, having a definite and independent share in the allotment of the land. That Benjamin should take part with Ephraim and Manasseh rather than with Judah, might have been expected from the near affinity and mutual affection of the sons of Kachel, and from the jealousy which must have been excited by the transfer of the crown from Saul, a Benjamite, to David, a Jew. The same thing incidentally appears from such passages as 2 Sam. xix. 21 (20), where Shimei, a Benjamite, speaks of himself as representing the whole house of Joseph. If this be admitted or assumed, the mention of Benjamin with Ephraim and Manasseh, in the verse before us, far from invalidating, seems to confii-m the application of the passage to the kingdom of the Ten Tribes, and that of the whole psalm to thefr overthrow and deportation by the Assyrians. Thus imderstood, the verse before us is a prayer, that God would again march at the head of the "jcamp of Ephraim," as he did of old. Arouse thy strength, awake from thy present state of seeming inaction and indifierence. See above, on Ps. xliv. 24 (23), Ixxviii. 65. Come, hterally go, which may mean go forth, march ; but see above, on (Ps. xlvi. 9 (8). To save us, literally /or salvation to us. 4 (3). 0 God, restore us, and let thy face shine; and let us he saved! The verb in the first clause would suggest two ideas to a Hebrew reader, both of which are here appropriate. The first is that of a hteral bringing back from exile or captivity; the other that of restoration to a former state, without regard to change of place or other local circumstances. In the case before us, the general and figurative sense of restoration includes that of Kteral return. The church prays to be restored to her integrity and normal state, by the redemption of the part which had gone into captivity. This prayer was substantially fulfilled in the return of many members of the ten tribes with Judah from the Babylonish exile, while the tribes themselves, as organised bodies, and the apostate kingdom which they constituted, ceased to exist. The petition, cause thy face to shine, i. e. look upon us with a favourable countenance, is borrowed from the sacerdotal blessing, Num. vi. 2?>. See above, on Ps. iv. 7 (6), xxxi. 17 (16). The last verb in the verse may also be explained as an expression of strong confidence, we shall be saved, which really involves the subjunctive sense preferred by some in- terpreters, that we may be saved. This sentence, which is solemnly repeated at the close of ver. 4, 20 (3, 19), is thereby marked as the theme or key- note of the whole composition. 5 (4). Jehovah, God, (God of) Hosts, how long dost thou smoke against the prayer of thy people ? The accumulation of di\'ine names involves an appeal to the perfections which they indicate, as so many arguments or reasons why the prayer should be favourably heard and answered. See above, on Ps. 1. 1, and for the meaning of the third title, on Ps. xxiv. 10. Bow long, literally until when ? The verb is preterite in form [hast thou smoked), implying that the state of things complained of had already long existed. Smoke is here (as in Ps. Ixxiv. 1) put for fire, the common emblem of divine wrath, for the sake of an allusion to the smoke from the altar of incense, the appointed symbol of the prayers of God's people. See Lev. xvi. 13, and compare Ps. cxli. 2, Isa. vi. 4, Rev. v. 8, viii. 3, 4, There is then a tacit antithesis between the two significations of the symbol. The smoke of God's wrath, and that of his people's prayers, are presented in a kind of conflict. 6 (5). Thou hast made them eat tear-bread, and made them drink of tears a tierce (or measure). The noun tear in Hebrew is commonly collective, Psalm 80:6 -10 351 but the singular and plural forms are here combined. See above, on Ps. vi. 7 (6), xxxix. 13 (12), Ivi. 9 (8). The same strong figure of tears as nourishment occurs above, Ps. xlii. 4 (3). The last word in Hebrew means a measure which is the third of another measure, thus corresponding to the old and wide sense of the English tierce. See my note on Isa. xl. 12. Measure here denotes abundance. 7 (6). Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours, and our enemies amuse themselves (at our expense). The future verbs imply a probable con- tinuance of this humiliating treatment unless God interpose to put an end to it, and thus suggest a reason for his doing so. Makest us, hterally put- test, settest up. See above, on Ps. xliv. 14 (13). A strife, a subject of contention, perhaps in reference to the emulous, desire of their neighbours to insult and aggravate their sufferings. Here, as in Ps. xUv. 14 (13), Ixxix. 4, these neighbours are the circumjacent nations, who always triumphed in the time of Israel's calamities (Amos i. 9, 11, Obad. 12). The hteral translation of the last words is will mock (or scoff) for them, i. e. for themselves, for their own gratification, and at their own discretion, as they will. 8 (7). 0 God, (God of) Hosts, restore us, and let thy face shine, and let us be saved! See above, on ver. 4 (3). The only variation in the case be- fore us is the addition of a second divine title, implying God's supremacy above the hosts of heaven, both material and spiritual, and thus indirectly urging a new argument for being heard and answered. See above, on ver. 9 (8). A vine out of Egypt thou transplantest, thou drivest out nations and plantest it. There is a twofold usage of the first verb in Hebrew, which imparts peculiar force and beauty to the sentence. Its primary meaning, to pluck up, is strictly appropriate to the act of transplanting, while its secondary but more usual sense of moving an encampment, marching, is equally appropriate to the removal of the nation which the vine here repre- sents, and is actually so appUed in Ps. Ixxviii. 52 above, as well as in the history itself, Exod. xii. 37, xv. 22. The next verb is also used in Ps. Ixxviii. 55 and Exod. xxiii. 28, xxxiii. 2, xxxiv. 11. The figure of planting occurs above, in Ps. xliv. 3 (2), that of a vine in Isa. v. 1-7. The points of comparison are probably assiduous culture, luxuriant growth, and fruit- fulness. The argument involved is that by forsaking Israel God would be undoing his own work. Compare Jer. xlv. 4. 10 (9). Thou didst clear (the way) before it, and it took root and filled the land. The first word means to clear by the removal of obstructions. See Gen. xxiv. 31, Lev. xiv. 36, and compare my notes on Isa. xl. 3, Ivii. 14, Ixii. 10. The sense may here be, thou didst clear (the ground), i. e. from weeds and stones (compare Isa. v. 2) before it, i. e. to make room for it or prepare a place for it. Took root, literally rooted its roots, the cognate verb and noun being combined by a common Hebrew idiom. See my note on Isa. xxvii. 6. 11 (10). Covered vjere the mountains (with) its shadoio, and with its branches the cedars of God. This is an amphfication and poetical exaggera- tion of the last words of ver. 10 (9). So completely did it fill the laud that its shadow was cast upon the highest hill-tops, and its tendrils overran the loftiest trees. Cedars of God, i. e. in their kind the noblest products of his power, the attribute suggested by (7K) the divine name here used. See above, on Ps. xxxvi. 7 (6). Some interpreters suppose the southern range of mountains west of Jordan, sometimes called Mount Judah or the 352 Psalm80:ll-16 Highlands of Judah, to be here specifically meant and contrasted with the cedars of Lebanon, the northern frontier of the Land of Promise, just as Lebanon and Kadesh are contrasted in Ps. xxix. 5-8. That Lebanon, though not expressly mentioned, is referred to, appears probable from the analogy of Ps. xxix 5, xcii. 13, civ. 16. The literal fact conveyed by all these figures is the one prophetically stated in Gen. xxviii. 14, Deut. xi. 24, Joshua i. 4. 12 (11). It sends forth its houghs to the sea, and to the river its shoots (or suckers). Compare the description in Isa. xvi. 8. If the north and south are indicated in the preceding verse, the other cardinal points may here be represented by the Mediterranean and the Euphrates. 13 (12). Why hast thou broken down its walls (or hedges), and all pluck it that pass by the way? See below, on Ps. Ixxxix. 41, 42 (40, 41), and compare Isa. v. 5. The last words are descriptive of the hostile powers of the heathen world, with particular reference to the neighbours of ver 6 (5). 14 (13). The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the beast of the field feeds upon it. For the precise sense of the word translated beast, see above, on Ps. 1. 11, the only other place where it occurs in such an application, being thus peculiar to the psalms which bear the name of Asaph. The essential idea conveyed by the figures of this verse is that of fierce and greedy enemies. If any more specific explanation be admissible, the wild boar may denote the Assyrian power, and the parallel term its alHes and dependents. Feeds upon it, as a sheep upon its pasture. See above, on Ps. xxxvii. 3. 15 (14). 0 God, (God of) Hosts, pray return, look from heaven and see and visit this vine. The expostulation and complaint are followed by an earnest prayer. Pray return is used to represent (KJ) the Hebrew particle of entreaty, expressed in the English Bible by a circumlocution {we beseech thee). The prayer that God will return, implies that the evils just com- plained of were occasioned by his absence. Visit, manifest thy presence and thy favourable disposition. See above, on Ps. viii. 5 (4). This vine, Israel, the church or chosen people, which, though robbed of some of its luxuriant branches, still hves and is yet to bear abundant fruit. 16 (15). And sustain ivhat thy right hand has planted, and over the child thou hast roared for thyself (do thou watch, or extend thy protection). The common version of the first words (and the vineyard) is countenanced neither by the ancient versions nor by Hebrew etymology and usage. By giving it, as a verbal form, the sense of covering, protecting (which belongs to some kindred roots), the over in the last clause may depend upon it, and no verb need in that case be suppUed. Thy light hand impUes an exertion of strength, and at the same time involves an allusion to the name of Benjamin (Son of the Right Hand), here perhaps representing the whole race, on account of the connection of that tribe with both the rival kingdoms, its central position, its possession of the sanctuary, and its historical relation to the infant monarchy under Saul the Benjamite. To complete the allusion, the other element in the name {]•!, a son) is then introduced and metaphori- cally applied to the vine, which is still the Psalmist's theme, by an assimi- lation of animal and vegetable life common in all languages. Reared, literally strengthened, made strong, i. e. raised, brought up. See my note on Isa. xUv. 14. For thyself, not for its own sake, but as a means of promoting the divine praise and glory. 17 (16). (It is) burnt with fire, cut (down or up) ; at the rebuke of thy Psalm 81:1 353 countenance they perish. The prayer is intemipted for a moment by a new description of the evils which occasioned it. The first clause alludes to the destruction of vineyards by fire and steel in ancient warfare, here recognised, however, as a divine judgment. At the rebuke, i. e. at the time, and also as a consequence of it. Any expression of disapprobation and displeasure, whether by word or deed, is a rebuke. See above, on Ps. Ixxvi. 7 (6). The rebuke is here supposed to be expressed in the countenance, a much more natural interpretation than that which makes ^% /ace mean thy presence. They perish, those who had before been represented by the vine transplanted out of Egypt. The future form implies that it will always be so, when God utters his rebuke. 18 (17). Let thy hand he on the man of thy riyht hand, on the son of man thou hast reared (or made strong) for thyself. Here again the component parts of the name Benjamin are introduced as parallels, precisely as in ver. 16 (15). The man of thy right hand may either be the man whom thy power has raised up, or the man who occupies the post of honour at thy right hand. That the words were intended to suggest both ideas, is a sup- position perfectly agreeable to Hebrew usage. A more doubtful question is that in reference to the first words of the sentence, let thy hand be upon him, whether this means in favour or in wrath. The only way in which both senses can be reconciled is by applying the words to the Messiah, as the ground of the faith and hope expressed. Let thy hand fall not on us but on our substitute. Compare the remarkably similar expressions in Acts V. 81. 19 (18). And (then) we will not backslide from thee ; thou wilt quicken us, and on thy name will we call. Forgiveness founded on atonement is the best security against relapses into sin. The first verb is the one used to describe the general apostasy in Ps. liii. 4 (3). Quicken, restore to life, or save alive, or simply make alive. Compare Ps. Ixxi. 20. The meaning of the last clause is, thee {alone) xoill we invoke, as the object of our trust and worship, a profession involving the repudiation of all other gods. 20 (19). Jehovah, God, (God of) Hosts, restore us, let thy face shine, and let us he saved ! While the prayer in this verse is identical with that in ver. 4 (3) and 8 (7), there is a kind of climax in the form of the address. In the first of the three places it is simply God, in the second God of Hosts, in the third and last Jehovah God of Hosts, as if to add to the general ideas of divinity and sovereignty those of self- existence, eternity, and covenant relation to his chosen people, as additional warrants for the hope and prayer, that he would turn them, smile upon them, save them. Psalm 81 1. To the Chief Musician. On (or according to) the Gittith. By Asaph. For the probable meaning of the Gittith, see above on Ps. viii. 1. In the absence of any proof to the contrary, the Asaph of this title must be assumed to be the contemporary of David. See above, on Ps. 1. 1. The psalm before us was probably intended to be sung at the Passover, as it consists of an exhortation to praise God for the deliverance of Israel from Egypt, ver. 2-8 (1-7), a complaint of their ingratitude, ver. 9-13 (8-12), and a glowing picture of the happy effects to be expected from obedience and fideUty, ver. 14-18 (13-17). 2 (1). Sing aloud unto God our strength, make a joyful noise unto the God 354 Psalm 81:2 -5 of Jacob I The first verb is properly a causative meaning make or let rejoice. See above, on Ps. kv. 9 (8), and compare Deut. xxxii. 43, in which place, and in this, it is commcnly supposed to be intransitive. The parallel verb is a generic term, applied both to shouting and the sound of a trumpet. See above, on Ps. xli. 12 (11), xlvii. 2 (1). God our strength, our strong protector and deliverer, in which character he specially revealed himself in the deliverance of Israel from Egypt, the main theme or subject of this psalm, and thereby proved himself to be indeed the covenant or tutelary God of Jacob. 8 (2). liaise the song, and beat the drum, the sweet harp with the lute (or lyre). Beat, literally give, i. e. give forth its sound, or sound it. See above, on Ps. xlvi. 7 (6), Ixviii. 34 (33), Ixxvii. 18 (17). This is to be understood as a mutual exhortation of the musicians to each other during the actual performance. 4 (3). Jilow, in the month, the trumpet, at the full moon, on the day of our feast. The month, by way of eminence, was the first month, in which the passover was celebrated (Exod. xii. 1,2). Here, as in the Hebrew of Lev. xxiii. 5, the month is first named, then the particular part of it. That this last was no imessential circumstance, appears from the fact, that when an extraordinary passover was kept, it was on the same day of another month (Nima. ix. 9-14), and that when Jeroboam changed the feast of tabernacles, he transferred it to the same day of the eighth month (1 Kings xii. 32). The time thus selected for religious observance seems to have been that of the fall moon. Compare the original and marginal translation of Prov. vii. 20. The day of our festival or feast, *". e. the great day of the Passover. Our feast, if emphatic, is intended to describe it as a distinctive national solemnity. The continued use of instrumental music at this festival appears from 2 Chron. xxx. 21. 5 (4)i For a law to Israel (is) this, a right (belonging) to the God of Jacob. The observance of this festival was not a mere matter of usage or conventional arrangement, but binding on the people and due to Jehovah as their God. The personal pronoun (it) at the end of the first clause is emphatic, and may be better expressed in English by a demonstrative. A right, jus, that to which he is rightfully entitled. 6 (5). (As) a testimony in Joseph he set it, in his coming out over the land of Egypt. A speech I knew not I am hearing. Besides the 'constant use of testimony in the sense of law, Ps. xix. 8 (7), Ix. 1, Ixxviii. 6, Ixxx. 1, the word is appropriate, in its strict sense, to the Passover, as a perpetual memento or memorial of the exodus from Egypt. Joseph is here put for Israel, on account of his pre-eminence during the residence in Egypt (Gen. xhx. 26, Exod. i. 8). He set it, i. e. God instituted or ordained the festi- val. In his coming, at the time, or in the very act, of his departure. Over the land of Egypt includes the usual expression, from or out of it (Exod. xxxiv. 18), but suggests the additional ideas of pubUcity and triumph. Israel, at the exodus, passed over a considerable tract of the Egyptian ter- ritory, and at the same time, as it were, over the heads of the humbled and terrified Egyptians. Compare Exod. xiv. 8, Num. xxxiii. 3. Speech, hteraUy lip, a common idiomatic expression for dialect or language. Accord- ing to the version of this last clause above given, it refers to the words of God that follow, and describes the people as having then heard what they never heard before. Some interpreters, however, understand it as describ- ing the condition of the people while in Egypt, by one of its most marked and painful circumstances, namely, that they there resided in the midst of Psalm 81:6 -10 355 a foreign and by implication heathen race. This agi-ees better with the figurative usage of Up elsewhere, and is strongly favoured by the analogy of Deut. xxviii. 49, Jer, v. 15, Ps, cxiv. 1. Compare my note on Isa. xxxiii. 19. Thus understood, the clause may be translated, (where) I heard a tongue I did not understand. The future form of the first verb has reference to the actual'time of the events, into which the speaker here transports himself. 7 (6). / removed from the burden his shoulder ; his hands from the basket escape. The first verb strictly means I caused (or suffered) to depart. The idea is borrowed from Exod. vi. 6, 7. The specific reference is no doubt to the carrying of bricks and monar, and the pot or basket of the next clause is the vessel used for that purpose, the form of which has been found delineated in a burial-vault at Thebes. Escape, literally pass away. 8 (7). In distress thou hast called and I have delivered thee ; I loill [yet) answer thee in the secret place of thunder ; 1 will try thee at the waters of Strife. The secret or hiding place of thunder is the dark cloud charged with tempest which overhung mount Sinai at the giving of the law (Exod. XX. 18). This is here anticipated or predicted, as well as the murmuring of the people at Meribah (Exod. xvii.. Num. xx.) as a signal instance of their unbelief and disobedience. Thus understood, the verse continues the words of God himself, at the crisis of the exodus. According to the other exegeti- cal hypothesis already mentioned, there is here a sudden change of speaker, and the future verbs in this verse are to be explained as historical presents. 9 (8). Hear, my people, and I will testify against thee, Israel, if thou wilt hearken to me. There is a strong resemblance between this verse and Ps. 1. 7. The conditional particle {if) in the last clause is by some taken optatively, Oh that thou wouldst hearken, or, as we might say in English, if thou wouldst but hearken. As examples of this usage, Ps. xcv. 7, cxxxix. 19, Prov. xxiv, 11, are cited. Other interpreters deny its existence and regard this as an instance of aposiopesis, if thou wilt hearken to me (thou shalt do well), like those in Exod. xxxii. 32, Luke xix. 42. See above, on Ps. xxvii. 13. A simpler and more natural construction than either is to make this the condition of the statement in the first clause. " I will speak, if thou wilt hear me." 10 (9). There shall not be in thee a strange god, and thou shalt not worship a foreign god. The divine name here used is the one denoting power. " Thou shalt acknowledge no Almighty but the true one." The prohibi- tory futures have a stronger sense than that expressed in some translations, let there be no strange god in thee, i.e. in the midst of thee, among you. A strange god, a god who is an ahen to Jehovah and to Israel. Worship, literally bow down or prostrate thyself.- A foreign god, a god of strange- ness, or belonging to foreign parts, in other words, a heathen deity. See above, on Ps. xviii. 45, 46 (44, 45). The specific reason here implied is that expressed in Deut. xxxii. 12. The general principle is the same that is propounded in the first commandment (Exod. xx. 3, Deut. v. 7). 11 (10). / am Jehovah, thy God, who brought thee up out of the land of Egypt ; open thy mouth xoide, and I will fill it. The reason of the precept in the foregoing verse is now explicitly declared. The {one) making thee ascend, or causing thee to come up. Open thy mouth wide, literally widen it. The supply of food is here put for that of all necessities. The reason here suggested for adhering to Jehovah is, that He not only had delivered them from Egypt, but was abundantly able to provide for them in Canaan and the wilderness. 356 Psalm81:ll-16 12 (11). And my "people did not hearken to my voice, and Israel did not consent unto me. God having once been introduced as speaking, the de- scription of the subsequent events is still ascribed to him. The phrase my people is designed to aggravate the guilt of their rebellion. My voice has special reference to the warning in ver. 7-11 (6-10), supposed to be uttered at the exodus from Egypt. Some interpreters, however, make the whole verse a general description. Consent unto me, acquiesce in my require- ments, and agree to do my will. The form of expression is like that in Deut. xiii. 9 (8). 13 (12). And I gave them tip to the corruption of their own heart ; they go on in their ovm counsels. The first verb strictly means / sent themjorth, i. e. to walk in the corruption of their own heart. The word translated corruption occurs elsewhere only in Deut. xxix. 18, and in Jeremiah's imi- tations of it (Jer. iii. 17, vii. 24, ix. 13, xi. 8). According to a Syriac analogy, and the most probable Hebrew etymology, it properly means hard- ness, corresponding to the 'Trw^ueig of the New Testament (Mark vii. 5, Rom. xi. 25, Eph. iv. 18). In their own counsels, in the execution of their own evil purposes and unwise plans. The verb in the last clause may be read as a concession or permission, by referring the words to an anterior point of time. "I gave them up, &c., (saying) let them go on in their own counsels." As to the fearful kind of retribution here denounced, see Prov. i. 30, 31, Rom. i. 24, 2 Thess. ii. 10, 11. 14 (13). If my people would {but) hearken to me (and) Israel in my ways would walk. The conditional particle at the beginning, although not the same with that in ver. 9 (8), is construed in the same way, but with a stronger optative meaning. To listen to God's teaching and commands impUes a docile and obedient spirit. To walk in his ways is to act as he approves and has required. 15 (14). Soon would I bow dovm their enemies, and on their foes bring lack my hand. The first Hebrew phrase strictly means like a little, but is used like the English yet a little, i.e. in a Uttle while. See above, on Ps. ii. 12, and compare Ps, Ixxiii. 2. To draw back the hand, in Ps. Ixxiv. 11, means to withdraw or withhold it from action ; but in this connection it conveys the opposite idea of bringing it again into action, with specific reference, as some suppose, to its use in former exigencies, ver. 8 (7). The phrase itself denotes mere action ; the idea of hostile or destructive action is suggested by the context. See my note on Isa. i. 25. 16 (15). The haters of Jehovah should lie to him, and their time should be for ever. The first phrase is intended to suggest the consolatory thought that the foes of God's people are the foes of God himself. There is no need, therefore, of referring him to Israel or my people, as in Deut. xxxiii. 29, from which the clause is borrowed. The plurals before and after render this less natural, and as the interests of God and his people are identical, the meaning is the same in either case. To lie is here to yield a feigned obedience to a conqueror or superior enemy. See above, on Ps. xviii. 45 (44), Ixvi. 3. Their time, i. e. the continued existence of Israel as the chosen people. Compare 2 Sam. vii. 24. 17 (16). And he would feed him with the fat of wheat, and from the rock with honey sate him. The first verb is a causative, and means would let (or make) him eat. The fat of wheat, its richest part or finest quality, another transfer of animal attributes to vegetable objects. See above, on Ps. Ixxx. 16 (15). Honey from the rock, some suppose to mean wild honey ; others, with more probability, honey suppUed by miracle, like the water from Psalm 82:] 357 the rock in the desert. All these strong expressions are borrowed from Deut. xxxii. 13, 14, and are imitated likewise in Ps. cxlvii. 14, Isa. xxxiv, 16. Wheat and honey, by a natm-al and primitive association, are here put for the necessaries and the luxuries of human sustenance, and these again for the highest enjoyment and prosperity. The EngUsh version refers these four verses all to past time, had hearkened, had walked, should have sub- dued, should have submitted, should have endured, should have fed, should have satisfied. This is in fact the true construction of the similar passage in Isa. xlviii. 18; but there the conditional or optative particle is construed with the preterite, and not with the future tense as here, which makes an essential difference of syntax. See Nordheimer's Hebrew Grammar, § 1078. Psalm 82 A BRIEF but pregnant statement of the responsibilities attached to the judicial office under the Mosaic dispensation. After declaring the relation which the judges bore to God, ver. 1, he rebukes their malversation, ver. 2, and exhorts them to a better practice, ver. 3, 4, and in case of their per- sistency in evil, ver. 5, notwithstanding their acknowledged dignity, ver. 6, threatens them with condign punishment, ver. 7, to which the church responds by praying God himself to appear as the universal judge and sovereign, ver. 8. 1. A Psalm. By Asaph. God stands in the assembly of the Mighty ; in the midst of the gods he judges. There is no reason for doubting that the Asaph mentioned in this title was the Asaph of the reign of David, in whose times the necessity for such a warning must already have existed, if not in the person of the king, who, perhaps on that account, is not particu- larly mentioned, yet in his chiefs or nobles, the exalted though inferior magistrates who executed justice under him. The judicial appearance of Jehovah here presented is like that in Ps. 1. 1. Stands, or, as the participle strictly means, (is) standing, stationing himself, assuming his position. The word translated assembly is one commonly applied to the congregation of Israel, as an organised whole or body poHtic. See Exod. xii. 3, xvi. 1, Lev. iv. 15, Num. xxvii. 17. Mighty is singular, not plural, in Hebrew, being one of the divine names Oii), and qualifies the congregation or assem- bly as belonging to God himself, i. e. instituted by him, and held under his authority. The parallel expression, in the midst of the gods, superadds to this idea an aUusion to a singular usage of the Pentateuch, according to which the theocratical magistrates, as mere representatives of God's judicial sove- reignty, are expressly called Elohim, the plural form of which is peculiarly well suited to this double sense or appUcation. See Exod. xxi. 6, xxii. 7, 8 (8, 9), and compare Deut. i. 17, xix. 17, 2 Chron. xix. 6. Even reverence to old age seems to be required on this principle (Lev. xix. 32), and obe- dience to parents in the fifth commandment (Exod. xx. 12), which really apphes to all the offices and powers of the patriarchal system, a system founded upon natural relations, and originating in a simple extension of domestic or parental government, in which the human head represents the original and universal parent or progenitor. The remarkable use of the name God in Exodus, above referred to, is concealed from the reader of the English Bible, by the arbitrary use of the word judges, as a translation of the Hebrew, which of course it cannot be. He judges, will judge, is about to jadge. The idea is, that as the judges were gods to other men, so he 358 Psalm 82:2 -6 would be a judge to them. Compare Isa. iii. 13-15, Micah iii. 1-4, Jer. xxii. 1—4. 2. How long will ye judge wrong ^ and tlie faces of wicked men accept? Selah. The question implies that they had done so long enough, nay, too long, since it was wrong from the beginning. Wrong, in the strongest moral sense, injustice, wickedness. Wrong, in Hebrew as in English, may be construed either as an adverb or a novm, or both, i. e. as a noun adverbi- ally used to qualify the verb. See the similar construction of its counter- part or converse, Ps. Iviii. 2 (1). The last clause exemplies one of the most peculiar Hebrew idioms. The combination usually rendered respect persons in the English Bible, and applied to judicial partiality, means lite- rally to take (or take up) faces. Some suppose this to mean the raising of the countenance, or causing to look up from deep dejection. But the highest philological authorities are now agreed, that the primary idea is that of accepting one man's face or person rather than another's, the precise form of expression, though obscure, being probably derived from the practice of admitting suitors to confer with governors or rulers face to face, a privilege which can sometimes only be obtained by bribes, especially though not ex- clusively in oriental courts. The Selah commends the implied charge of official malversation to the serious reflection of the accused parties. 3. Judge the weak and fatherless, (to) the sufferer and the poor do justice. The indirect censure of their evil deeds is followed by a dii-ect exhortation to do well. Compare Isa. i. 16, 17. The verb of the first clause is ex- plained by that of the second, which is a technical forensic term, meaning to make innocent or righteous, i. e. to recognise or declare as such by a judicial act. See Exod. xxiii. 7, Deut.^xxv. 1, and compare 2 Sam. xv. 4, Isa. V. 23, 1. 8. The word translated weak is appUed to the defect of bodily strength and of property or substance. See above, on Ps. xli. 2 (1). It is used by Moses in the same connection, Exod. xxiii. 3. The fatherless or orphans are continually spoken of, as proper objects both of mercy and of justice. See above, on Ps. x. 14, Ixviii. 6 (5), and compare Exod. xxii. 21 (22). The word translated poor seems strictly to denote one who has grown poor or become impoverished. See the verbal root in Ps. xxxiv. 11 (10). 4. Deliver the weak and the needy (man), from the hand of icicked (men) free (him). The first verb means originally to suffer or cause to escape ; the second to extricate or disembarrass. From the hand of the wicked im- plies from their power, as actually exercised for coercion. The structure of the sentence may be made more regular by disregarding the pause- accent and attaching the needy to the last clause, and the poor from the hand of the wicked set free. 5. They know not and they will not understand; in darkness they will (still) walk ; shaken are all the foundations of earth. This is the Lord's complaint of their incorrigible ignorance and indocility, which rendered even his divine instructions unavailing. The object of the first verbs is sug- gested by the context, as in Ps. xiv. 4. What they did not know and would not understand was their judicial duty and responsibility, the end for which they were invested with authority. Darkness is a figure both for ignorance and wickedness. See Prov. ii. 13. The denial or perversion of justice is described as disorganising society. Compare the figures in Ps. xi. 3, Ixxv. 4 (3). 6. I have said, Gods (are) ye, and sons of the Highest all of you. Their sin did not consist in arrogating to themselves too high a dignity, but in Psalm 82:7, 8 359 abusing it by malversation, and imagining that it relieved them from respon- sibility, whereas it really enhanced it. They were God's representatives, but for that very reason they were bound to be pre-eminently just and faithful. I have said, not merely to myself or in secret, but in my law ; referring to the passages in Exodus already cited. See above, on ver 1. Ye are gods, or God, i.e. ye occupy his place and are entrusted with his honour as a just and holy God. The pregnant significancy of the plural form is here the same as in ver. 1 above. The parallel expression, sons of the Most High, denotes the closest and most intimate relation to Jehovah, as the Supreme or Sovereign God. See above, on Ps. ii. 7. This verse is cited by our Lord (John x. 34, 35), to shew that if the divine name had been appUed by God to mere men, there could be neither blasphemy nor folly in its application to the incarnate Son of God himself. 7. (Yet) verily like mankind shall ye die, and like one of the princes shall ye fall. Our idiom requires an adversative particle at the beginning, to bring out the antithetical relation of the sentences. But the first word in Hebrew is properly a particle of strong asseveration, certainly, assuredly. See above, on Ps. xxxi. 23 (22), and compare my note on Isa. lui. 4. Like mankind, or rnen collectively, or like a. man indefinitely, i. e. any other man. So in the other clause, like one of the princes, i. e. any other prince, or person holding an exalted station. The clauses constitute a climax. The first merely describes them as sharers in the general mortality of man. The second threatens them with death, i. e. violent or untimely death, as a special punishment. Ye shall fall, by the sword (Jer. xxxix. 18), or in some analogous manner. The verb is often absolutely used in this way to denote a violent and penal loss of life. See above, Ps. xx. 9 (8), and below, Ps. xci. 7, and compai'e Exod. xix. 21, Jer. viii, 12. The general meaning of this verse, when taken in connection with the one before it, is that notwithstanding their exalted dignity, bestowed and recognised by God himself, they were not thereby exempted from the common mortality of men, nor even from those signal and destructive strokes, with which God often visits men as highly favoured and exalted as themselves. 8. Arise, 0 God, judge the ea 7-th; for thou art to possess all nations. This is not, as come interpreters suppose, a mere wish that God would do what he had just threatened ; for this would make the psalm end with a feeble anti-climax. It is rather a petition that, since the representative or delegated judges had proved so unfaithful, God would appear in person and reclaim the powers which had been so wickedly abused. And this he is besought to do, not only in Israel, where the proximate occasion of the prayer was furnished, but throughout the earth, over all whose nations he possessed, and was one day to make good, the same hereditary right, i. e. a right continuing unchanged through all successive generations. Psalm 83 1. A Song. A Psalm. Py Asaph. To the general description (mimor), there is here prefixed a more specific one {shir), which designates the com- position as a song of praise or triumph. The same combination occurs above, in the title of Ps. xlviii., a composition which, as we have there seen, was probably occasioned by the victory of Jehoshaphat over the Moabites, Ammonites, and their confederates, as described in 2 Chron. xx. This agrees well with the hypothesis, conclusively maintained by Hengstenberg, 360 Psalm 83:1 -4 that the psalm before us has relation to the same event, and that as the forty- seventh was probably sung upon the field of battle, and the forty- eighth after the triumphant return to Jerusalem, so the eighty-third was com- posed in confident anticipation of the victory. The points of agreement with the history will be indicated in the exposition of the several verses. After a general petition for divine help, ver. 2 (1), follows a description of the violence, craft, destructive purpose, and extensive combination of the enemies of Judah, ver. 3-9 (2-8), and then an earnest prayer for the re- newal of God's ancient deeds in similar emergencies, ver. 10-15 (9-14), •with a view to the promotion of his glory in the destruction of his irrecon- cilable enemies, ver. 16-19 (15-18). According to the view of the his- torical occasion above given, the Asaph of the title must denote some descendant of the ancient seer, as it seems to do in several of the preceding psalms. Now it happens, by a singular coincidence, that in the history (2 Chron. xx. 14), such a descendant is particularly mentioned, Jahaziel, upon whom the Spii'it of the Lord came in the midst of the assembly, and prompted him to take a leading part in the preliminary movements which resulted in the triumph of Judah (ib. ver. 15-18). Compare the similar coincidence in reference to the Sons of Korah, as the authors of Ps. xlviii. p. 213. 2 (1). 0 God, he not silent, hold not thy peace, and be not still, 0 Mighty (One) ! This is a general introductory petition, that God would not remain inactive and indifferent to the dangers which environed his own people. The peculiar form of expression in the first clause, let there not [be) silence to thee, is copied by Isaiah (Ixii. 6, 7). The next phrase is one that has occurred repeatedly before. See Ps. xxviii. 1, xxxv. 22, xxxix. 13 (12). The third petition, be not still or quiet, rest not, has the same relation to act that the others have to w^ord or speech. The use of this divine name (7^<) involves an appeal to God's omnipotence, as furnishing a reason for his in- terference. Why should He who is Almighty remain silent and inactive, when his people are in danger and his enemies apparently triumphant ? 3 (2). For lo, thine enemies roar, and thy haters raise the head. The general prayer in the preceding verse is now enforced by a description of the danger, beginning with the violence and confidence of the assailants. The lo is equivalent to see there, and converts the passage into a description of a present scene. The enemies of Israel are, as usual, identified with those of God, as a reason why he should appear for their destruction. The first verb means to make a noise, and is applied to the roar of the sea in Ps. xlvi. 4 (3), as it is to the howl of dogs in Ps. lix. 7 (6), and to internal commotions in Ps. xxxix. 7 (6), xlii. 6, 12 (5, 11). Lift up the head, as a natural indication of confidence and triumph. Compare the description of a conquered people, Judges viii. 28. 4 (3). Against thy people they take crafty counsel, and consult against thy hidden ones. To the qualities of violence and arrogance, the descrip- tion now adds that of treacherous cunning. The construction in the first clause is, they make (their) considtation crafty. For the meaning of the Hebrew noun see above, on Ps. xxv. 14, Iv. 15 (14), Ixiv. 3 (2). Thy hidden ones, those whom thou hast hidden for safe-keeping, the objects of thy merciful protection. See above, on Ps. xxvii. 5, xxxi. 21 (20). 5 (4). They have said, Come and let us destroy them from (being) a nation^ and let not the name of Israel be remembered any more. Not only were they turbulent and confident and crafty, but malignant and determined to de- stroy. The past tense of the first verb represents the combination as already Psalm 83:5-11 361 formed. The idiomatic phrase, from a nation, is used more than once by Isaiah (vii. 8, xxiii. 1). The expression for complete extirpation in the last clause is borrowed from the curse on Amalek, Exod. xvii, 14. Israel, as the name of the chosen people, was rightfully claimed by Judah after the great schism, even while the rival kingdom still existed. 6 (5). Fur they have consulted heartily together; against thee a covenant they ratify. The word translated heartily is really a noun meaning heart, but here used to quaUfy the verb by adding the idea, with the heart, ex animo, cordially, heartily. The phrase rendered one heart in 1 Chron. xii. 38, is altogether different. For the meaning of the last verb, see above, on Ps. 1. 5. The preterite and future tense represent the combination as already formed and still continued. 7 (6). The tents of Edam and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagarenes. The use of the word tents does not necessarily imply a wandering mode of life, as it may mean military tents, or be a figure for dwellings. See above, on Ps. Ixxviii. 67, and compare Judges vii. 8, 1 Kings xii. 16. The Ish- maelites inhabited a part of Desert Arabia (Gen. xxv. 18), as did also the Hagarenes or Hagarites, a people driven from their lands by the tribe of Simeon in the reign of Saul. See 1 Chron. v. 10, 19-22, and compare 1 Chron. xi. 38, xxvii. 31. 8 (7). Gebal and Amnion and Amalek, Philistia uith the inhabitants of Tyre. Gebal was probably a part of Idumea. Ammon and Amalek are joined in the same manner, Judges iii. 13, as Philistia and Tyre are, Ezek. xxxviii. 13, and Phihstia, Tyre, and Edom, Amos i. 6-10. 9 (8). Also Assyria was joined with them. (These) were an arm to the Sons of Lot. Selah. Assyria is put last, as the remotest and least interested in this combination against Judah. It had evidently not yet supplanted Babylonia as the dominant power of Western Asia. The last clause refers, not merely to Assyria, as the plural verb shews, but to all the confederates except the Sons of Lot, i. e. Moab and Ammon (Gen. xix. 37, 38), who are here referred to, as the authors and conductors of the expedition. 10 (9). Do to them as (thou didst) to Midian, as (to) Suera, as {to) Jabin, in the valley of the Kishon. This is a prayer for such deliverances as Israel experienced of old. The examples here selected are the victory of Gideon over the Midianites (Judges vii. viii.), and that of Deborah and Barak over Jabin and Sisera (Judges iv. v.) Between the first of these and the event which the psalm before us was designed to celebrate, there was this remark- able resemblance, that the enemies of Israel were in both cases made to destroy each other (Judges vii. 22, 2 Chron. xx. 23). Compare the allu- sions to the same event in Isa. ix. 4 (3), Hab. iii. 7. The Kishon is repeatedly mentioned in the history of Deborah and Barak's triumph (Judges iv. 7, 13, v. 21). 11 (10). They were destroyed at Endor, they were dung to the earth. This refers to the second of the battles mentioned in the preceding verse. Endor is not expressly named in the history, but is known to have been in the vicinity of Tabor, which is repeatedly there mentioned (Judges iv. 6, 12, 14). The last clause derives illustration from the extraordinary fruit- fulness of certain battle-fields in modem times, particularly that of Water- loo. Compare 2 Kings ix. 37, Jer. ix. 21 (22). 12 (11). Make them, (even) their nobles, like Oreh and like Zeeb ; and like Zebah and like Zalmunnah all their princes. He asks not only that the masses of the enemy may fare hke those of Midian, but that their chief men may be utterly destroyed as the kings and chiefs of Midian were by 362 Psalm 83:12 - 18 Gideon, See Judges vii. 25, viii. 5-21. The appeal to the historical associations of the people is greatly strengthened by this recital of familiar names. The first word properly means set or place them, i. e. put them in the same condition. 13 (12). Who have said, let us inherit for ourselves the dwellings {or pasture- grounds) of God. This relates not to the former but to the present enemies of Israel, and assigns the reason why they should experience the same fate with their predecessors. The double meaning of the word translated dwell- ings makes it peculiarly descriptive of the Holy Land, where God dwelt with his people, and where he fed them as a shepherd. See above, on Ps. xxiii. 3, Ixv. 13 (12), kxiv. 20. 14 (13). My God, make them like the whirling chaff before the wind. Make them, hteraUy place them, as in ver. 11. Like the whirling chaff, literally like the whirl (or whirlwind), like the chaff. See above, on Ps. Ixxvii. 19 (18), and compare Isa. xvii. 13. 15 (14). As fire consumes a forest, and as a fame kindles mountains. The original construction is like a fire (which) consumes, like a flame (which) kindles. By mountains we are here to understand what covers them or grows upon them. 16 (15). So wilt thou pursue them xoith thy storm, and with thy tempest scare them. There is no need of translating these futures as imperatives. It is one of those cases, so frequent in Hebrew, and especially in this book, where the form of direct petition alternates with that of confident anticipation. 17 (16). Fill their face vnth shame, and (men) will seek thy name, Jeho- vah ! With the first clause compare Ps. Ixix. 8 (7), Ixxxix. 46 (46). Some refer the last clause also to the enemies ; but their destruction is stiU anti- cipated in the next verse, and to seek the name of God can hardly be expressive of a compulsory humiliation. The word translated shame is very strong, and means contempt, disgrace, or ignominy. 18 (17). They shall be shamed and terror-stricken to eternity, and blush and perish. This no doubt includes a prayer or the expression of a wish, but it also includes a strong and confident anticipation. To discard the future form is therefore at the same time weakening to the sense and destructive of a characteristic feature of the language. With the first clause compare Ps. vi. 11 (10). The word translated terror-stricken is the same that was rendered scared in ver. 16 (15). See above, on Ps. ii. 5, vi. 4 (3), xlviii. 6 (5). 19 (18). And (men) shall know that thou, whose name (/s) Jehovah, (art) alone Most High over all the earth. The reference here, as in ver. 17 (16), is not to the impression made upon the minds of those destroyed, but upon men in general considered as spectators of their fate. See above, on Ps. lix. 14 (13), and compare 1 Sam. xvii. 46, 2 Kings xix. 19, Isa. xxxvii. 16, 20. The original construction is pecuHar : " they shall know that thou — thy name Jehovah — thou alone — art Most High over all the earth." The simple pronoun t.hoii is explained and amplified by the addition of the words, thy name Jehovah, i. e. thou who hast revealed thyself already as the self- existent and eternal God, and as the coa onant God of Israel. Psalm 84 1. To the Chief Musician . On [ov according to) the Giitith. By [or for) the Sons of Korah. The Psalmist celebrates the blessedness of intimate Psalm 84:1 -3 363 communion with God, ver 2-8 (1-7), and prays that he may himself enjoy it, ver. 9-13 (8-12). The resemblance of this psalm, in subject, tone, and spirit, to Ps. xlii., is the more remarkable because each stands at the be- ginning of a series inscribed to the Sons of Korah. The experience here recorded is so evidently David's, that we must either understand the Sons of Korah to be mentioned merely as the' musical performers, or suppose that they composed it to express the feelings of the king himself, a hypo- thesis which Hengstenberg illustrates by the case of David playing and singing before Saul, in order to alleviate his paroxysms of madness. For the arguments on both sides of the question, see above, on Ps. xlii. 1, and for the meaning oi the Gittith, on Ps. viii. 1, Ixxxi. 1. 2 (1). How dear (to me are) thy dwellmgs, O Jehovah, (God of) Hosts! The adjective is rendered by the Enghsh versions aviiahle, in the sense of the French aimahle, lovely. But the usage of the Hebrew word requires it to be understood as meaning dear, beloved, which is exactly the idea here required by the context. See above, on Ps. xlv. 1. The plural divellhigs has reference to the subdivisions and appurtenances of the sanctuary, and is apphed to the tabernacle in Ps. xliii. 3. Compare Ps. Ixviii. 36 (35). The divine titles are as usual significant. While one suggests the covenant relation between God and the petitioner, the other makes his sovereignty the ground of a prayer for his protection. The force of this impassioned exclamation is enhanced by the structure of the sentence, which consists of a single clause, like Ps. xviii. 2 (1). With the whole verse compare Ps. xxvii. 1-5, 3 (2.) Longs and also faints my soul for the courts of Jehovah, my heart and my flesh ; they sing (with joy) unto the living God. The first verb is expressive of intense desire, as in Ps. xvii. 12. Compare Gen. xxxi. 30. Instead of and also the English Bible has yea even, which is perhaps too strong, and indicates a climax not intended by the writer. Faints, fails, or is consumed with strong desire. The plural courts, i. e. enclosures, is to be explained like dwellings in ver. 2 (1). Solomon's temple had two courts ; but one was appropriated to the priests, 2 Chron. iv. 9. The courts of the tabernacle are mentioned as the place where God statedly communed with Israel. See above, on Ps. Ixv. 5 (4), and below, on Ps. xcii. 14 (13). They are here mentioned merely as a sign of the communion itself, which might be enjoyed in any place whatever. See above, on Ps. xxvii. 4, xxxvi. 9. Soul, heart, and flesh, denote the whole man. See above, on Ps. Ixiii. 2 (1). The Hebrew accents connect heart and flesh with the preceding words. A much more natural division is the common one, which construes them directly with the verb of the last clause. That verb elsewhere always denotes a joyM shout or song ; but the derivative noon (Hi)")) is used to signify a cry for help or earnest prayer, which meaning some attach to the verb itself in this place, so as to make the clauses strictly parallel. If the usual mean- ing of the verb be here retained, the clause shews that the speaker had already experienced that for which he prays. The living God, really exist- ing, 'and the giver of life to others. See above, on Ps. xlii. 3 (2). 4 (3). Yes, the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest, (in) which she lays her young, even thine altars, Jehovah, (God) rf Hosts, my King and my God. The first word properly means also, as in the preced- ing verse, and is by some translated even, as if he had said, " the very birds have nests in the sanctuary of God, while I am excluded from it." Compare Mat. viii. 20. But the fact thus alleged is highly improbable and nowhere recorded. A more natural interpretation is to make the spar- 364 Psalm 84:4 -6 row and the swallow (put for small and helpless birds in general) emblems of the worshipper himself. As if he had said, yes, this wandering bird has at last found a resting-place, or home, both for itself and for its young. That this is perfectly in keeping with Davidic usage, is plain from 1 Sam. xxvi. 20, Ps. xi. 1, Iv. 7 (6), Ivi. 1. The translation even thine altars supposes the Hebrew particle (PX) to indicate the object of the verb, as it does before the same noun in 1 Kings xix. 10, 14. It may, however, be a proposition meaning at or near, and this sense is preferred by those interpreters who suppose a literal nestling of the birds in the sanctuary to be here alluded to. The altars meant are those of burnt-offering and of incense, as in Num. iii. 31. They are particularly mentioned, because it was by means of sacrifice and prayer that communion between God and man was possible. Compare Ps. xxvi. 6. The young birds are introduced, not only to com- plete the picture, but to shew that the communion and divine protection, which the Psalmist so highly valued, were not merely personal but domestic and social privileges, which he desired both for himself and those dependent on him. The address, Jehovah (God) of [lasts, has the same sense as in ver. 2 (1). The same essential notions of supremacy and covenant relation are conveyed by the parallel expression, my King and my God, a combina- tion which occurs only here and in Ps. v. 3 (2). 5 (4). Happy the dwellers in thy house, (for) still they praise thee (or will praise thee). The first phrase is the idiomatic one with which the book begins, for the peculiar form and sense of which, see above on Ps. i. 1, ii. 12, xxxii. 1, 2, xxxiii. 12, xli. 2 (1). Dtoellers in, inhabitants of, thy house, i. e. members of thy family, as the same words literally mean in Jer. XX. 5. For the spiritual or figurative meaning, see above, on Ps. XV. 1, xxiii. 6, xxiv. 3, xxvii. 4, Ixi. 5 (4), Ixv. 5 (4). The privilege thus described might be enjoyed in any local situation ; but the outward sign of it, under the old economy, was the frequenting of the sanctuary. As in- mates, not mere visitors, they will still have occasion and opportunity of doing what they do when first admitted into God's household. They vjill still praise, because they will have renewed cause so to do. See above, on Ps. V. 8 (7), 1. 15, 23, Ixxix. 13. 6 (5). Happy the wan who (has) strength in thee, (who hB,ve) highways in their heart. The original consists of several exclamations or ejaculations — happy man ! — (there is) strength to him in thee ! — (there are) highways in their heart ? This last unusual and obscure expression is supposed by some to mean, in whose thoughts, (or affections) are the highways to Jerusalem, i. e. who still think of going up to worship there. But another explanation, which agrees far better, both with the immediate context and with usage and analogy, supposes the figure to be identical with that in Ps. I. 23, Prov. xvi. 17, Isa. xl. 3, 4, where the removal of all moral or spiritual hindrances to God's revisiting his .-people and communing with them, is poetically represented as the opening, levelUng, and raising of a causeway through a pathless wilderness or otherwise impracticable ground. The word translated highways is determined, both by etymology and usage, to denote not a mere beaten track or footpath, but a road artificially con- structed, and raised above the level of the ground through which it passes. The sudden change of number in the last clause shews that man is a gene- ric or collective term. 7 (6). Passing through the Vale of Tears, a spring they make it ; also with blessings is the teacher clothed. This is one of the obscurest verses in the book. Interpreters, however, are now commonly agreed as to the first Psalm 84:7 -10 365 clause. The explanation of Baca, as meaning the Valley of Mulberry or Baca-trees (2 Sam. v. 23, 24, 1 Chron. xiv. 13, 14), is nowvery commonly abandoned for the one given in the ancient versions, the Vale of Weeping or of Sorrow, a beautiful poetical description of the present life as one of suffering. To the /cms lacrymarum is opposed the fountain of salvation or of joy, a figure so familiar in the Scriptures, as to be readily suggested by the one word spring or fountain. See above, on Ps. xxxvi. 10 (9), xlvi. 5 (4), and compare Isa. xii. 3. The meaning of the clause, as thus explained, is, that the persons pronounced happy in the foregoing verse are a source of happiness, and convert the very Vale of Tears into a fountain of deUght. The meaning of the other clause is still disputed. As the first noun, by varying a single vowel-point, may mean either pools or blessings^ and the next, though it commonly means teacher (2 Kings xvii. 28, Prov. V. 13, Isa, XXX. 20), [has in one other place (Joel ii. 23) the sense of rain, or rather of the early rain in Palestine, the clause admits of several very dif- ferent explanations. 1. The rain also covers the pools. 2. The teacher is clothed in blessings. 3. The rain covers it with blessings. In favour of the second is its close adherence to the usage of the three leading words. It is also found substantially in the ancient versions. The meaning then is, that this strange transforming power is exerted by the good man as a teacher of righteousness, in which sense one of the disputed words (IT^iD) occurs in Joel ii. 23, which accounts for its being there repeated in the very same sentence, by a kind of paronomasia, in the sense of early rain, elsewhere denoted by a cognate form (mi^). Compare the sentiment with that in Ps. Ii. 15 (13). For the neuter or intransitive meaning of the last verb, see Lev. xiii. 45, Mic. iii. 7, Jer. xliii. 12. 8 (7). They shall go from strength to strength ; he shall appear to God in Zion. The change of number is the opposite of that in ver. 6 (5), but to be explained on the same principle. Or the singular verb in the last clause may refer to the Teacher in ver. 7 (6). The streng^ is that bestowed by God, in the experience of which they make continual advances. The form of expression in the last clause is one used in the Law to denote the stated appearance of the Israelites at the sanctuary. The meaning of the whole verse is, that they who answer to the previous description shall finally attain to the full finiition of that union with God in which their hap- piness resides. 9 (8). Jehovah, God, (Lord of) Hosts, hear my prayer ; give ear, 0 God of Jacob ! Selah. Here begins the second part of the psalm, containing the petition founded on the preceding view of the happiness arising from communion with God. The names appHed to him suggest, as usual, the grounds of the petition, namely, his eternity, self- existence, sovereignty, and covenant relation to his people. 10 (9). [Oh) our shield, see, (0) God, and behold the face of thine Anointed. Some make the first noun the object of the verb that (ollows, see our shield; but in ver. 12 (11) God himself is so described, as well as in Ps. iii. 4 (3), Gen. xv. 1. Its position, as a' vocative, is certainly unusual, but seems to be emphatic. Behold the face, i. e. behold it favour- ably, look Upon it graciously. Thine Anointed [One), i.e. David, by whom, or in whose name, the psalm was written. 11 (10). For better (is) a day in thy courts than a thousand ; I have chosen to occupy the threshold in the house of my God, rather than dwell in tents of wickedness. The comparison in both clauses is expressed, as usual 366 Psalm 85: 1,2 in Hebrew, by the preposition from, away from. " Good from, i. e. in comparison with, a thousand." " I choose from dwelling, i. e. rather than to dwell," The first clause of course means that one day in God's courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. 1 have chosen, and do still choose, a stronger expression than I would choose or would rather. The next verb occurs only here, and is evidently formed from the noun (C]D) sill or threshold. To he a door-keeper (guard the threshold), and to lie on the threshold, are too specific, and appear to add something to the sense of the original. The idea perhaps is, that he would rather stand at the door of God's house and look in (which was all that the worshippers could do at the Mosaic sanc- tuary), than dwell in the interior of tents or houses where iniquity prevailed. The use of the word tents in this clause makes it still more probable that the tabernacle, not the temple, is meant by the parallel expression, house of God. 12 (11). For a sun and a shield is Jehovah, God ; grace and glory will Jehovah give ; he will not refuse (anything) good to those ivalhing in a per- fect (way). The /or shews that this verse gives a reason for the preference expressed in that before it. God is here called a sun, as he is called a Ught in Ps. xxvii. 1. Both these figures represent him as a source of happiness ; that of a shield describes him as a source of safety, or a strong protector. Grace and glory (or honour) are related as the cause and the effect. The latter includes all the sensible fruits and manifestations of the divine favour. See above, on Ps. xlix. 17 (16). In a perfect is by some understood to mean as a perfect person, i. e. perfectly, uprightly. See above, on Ps. XV. 2, xviii. 24 (23), and compare Gen. xvii. 1. 13 (12). Jehovah (Lord of) Hosts, happy the man trusting in thee. The participle is expressive of habitual reliance. Trusting in thee, as I do. Psalm 85 1. To the Chief Musician. To (or hy) the Sons of Eorah. A Psalm. On the ground of former benefits, the Church prays for deliverance from present evils, ver. 2-8 (1-7), and joyfully anticipates a favourable answer, ver. 9-14 (8-13). There is nothing in the title, or the psalm itself, to determine its date or confine its application to any particular historical occasion. It seems to be appropriate to every case in which the fulfilment of the promise (Lev. xxvi. 3-13) was suspended or withheld. 2 (1). Thou wast gracious, 0 JehovaJi, to thy land; thou didst return {to) the captivity of Jacob. Some interpreters refer these words to favours recently experienced ; thou hast (now) been gracious, &c. But it is clear from ver. 5-8 (4-7), that the people were actually sufiering, and that the acknowledgments in ver. 2-4 (1-3) must relate to former instances of God's compassion. The idea, that the benefit acknowledged was deliverance from the Babylonish exile, has arisen from a false interpretation of the last clause, for the true sense of which see above, on Ps. xiv. 7. Captivity is a com- mon figure for distress, and God's revisiting the captives for relief from it. It is also worthy of remark, that the favour shewn was to the land, i. e. to the people while in possession and actual occupation of it. 8 (2). Thou didst take away the guilt of thy people; thou didst cover all their sin. Selah. The same form of expression occurs above, in Ps. xxiii. 1, 5. Both verbs suggest the idea of atonement as well as pardon. Psalm 85:3 -9 367 4 (3). Thou didst withdraio all thy vjrath ; thou didst turn from the heat of thine anger. There is probably an allusion here to the prayer of Moses in Exod. xxxii. 12. The Hebrew verb of the second clause corresponds strictly to the English verb in its transitive or causative sense. It is used, however, in the same way by Ezekiel (xviii. 30, 32), who, in one place (xiv. 6), has the phrase to turu away the face, of which the other.may be an abbreviation. 5 (4.) Return to us, 0 God of our salvation, and cease thine anger towards us. The recollection of former mercies is here followed by a prayer for their renewal. " As thou hast had pity on thy people heretofore, so have pity on them now." Return to us, revisit us again in mercy. See above, on ver. 2 (1), and on Ps. xiv. 7. The verb in the last clause means to annul or nullify, put an end to, cause to cease. It occurs above, Ps. xxxiii. 10. The word translated anger is one which properly expresses a mixed feeling of grief and indignation. See above, on Ps. vi. 7 (6). 6 (5). For ever wilt thou be angry ot us ? Wilt thou draw out thine anger to generation and generation ! The first Hebrew word strictly means to ages or eternities. The verb to draw out, protract, continue, is used in a favourable sense, Ps. xxxvi. 11 (10). The idea here expressed is the oppo- site of that in Ps. xxx. 6 (5). 7 (6). Wilt thou not return (and) quicken us, (and) shall (not) thy people rejoice in thee? With the first clause compare Ps. Ixxi. 20, Ixxx. 19 (18), Deut. xxxii. 39, Hos. vi. 2. With the second compare Ps. v. 12 (11), ix. 3 (2), xl. 17 (16). " Wilt thou not revisit us in mercy, raise us from the dead or dying state in which we now are, and give us, as thy people, fresh occasion to rejoice in our relation to thee, and in our union and com- munion with thee ? " The construction which continues the interrogation through the sentence is much simpler and more natural than that which makes the second clause contingent and dependent on the first, that thy people may rejoice in thee. At the same time, the interrogative form expresses a more confident anticipation than a bare petition. 8 (7). Let us see, 0 Lord, thy mercy ; and thy salvation thou wilt give unto us. The first petition is, that God would cause them to experience his mercy. In the last clause, as in many other places, the form of peti- tion is insensibly exchanged for that of anticipation. As if he had said, " We can confidently ask thee to shew us thy mercy, for we know that thou wilt grant us thy salvation." 9 (8). I will hear what the Mighty {God), Jehovah, will speak ; for he will speak peace to his people and to his saints ; and let them not return to folly. The first clause expresses the people's willingness to hear and to abide by God's decision. The second gives the reason of this willingness, to wit, because they know that the response will be auspicious. The third assigns the necessary limitation to this confidence, by stating the condition of God's favourable answer. The failure to comply with this condition accounts for the partial fulfilment of the promise, both in the case of indi- viduals and of the church at large. See above, on Ps. Ixxx. 19 (18), and compare the promise in Lev. xxvi. 3-13. His saints, the objects of his mercy and subjects of his grace. See above, on Ps. iv. 4 (3). And let them not turn is equivalent to saying, so (or therefore) let them not turn. The real connection of the clauses might be brought out still more clearly in our idiom by the paraphrase, " provided they do not return to folly." 10 (9). Only nigh to his fearers (is) his salvation, for glory to dwell in our land. As the limitation of the promise to those fearing God is an 368 Psalm 85:10 - 13 essential stroke in this description, there is no need of departing from the strict sense of (*nS) the particle with which the sentence opens. See above, on Ps. Ixii. 10 (9), Ixviii. 7 (6), and compare Ps. Iviii. 12 (11), Ixxiii. 1. The meaning then is, that salvation is provided by God's mercy for none but those who fear him. The last clause, which is literally rendered above, is equivalent to saying in our idiom, that glory may dwell in our land. Glory _has the same sense as in Ps. Ixxxiv. 12 (11). Dwell, reside perma- nently, long continue. 11 (10). Mercy and truth have met {together); righteousness and peace have kissed {each other). By truth, we are to understand the truth of God's promises, the divine veracity. See above, on Ps. xxv. 5. The same com- bination with grace or mercy occurs above, in Ps. xxv. 10, xl. 11 (10), Ivii. 4 (3), Ixi. 8 (7), and below, Ps. Ixxxix. 15 (14). Righteousness, con- sidered as the gift of God, justification, whether judicial or providential. Peace, immunity from all disturbing causes, which implies prosperity of every kind. See above, onPs. Ixxii. 3. Have met, in a peaceable and friendly manner, an idea still more strongly expressed by the kiss of reconcihation or affection in the last clause. A still more pointed and emphatic mean- ing may be put upon the sentence by supposing it to mean, that God's mercy or free favour to the undeserving is now seen to be consistent with his truth, which was pledged for their destruction, and their peace or safety with his righteousness or justice, which might otherwise have seemed to be wholly incompatible. 12(11). Truth from the earth is springing, and righteousness from heaven looks down. The truth of God's promise may be seen, as it were, springing from the earth in its abundant fruits, and its rectitude, or faithfulness to his engagements, looking down from heaven in the rain and sunshine. By this bold and beautiful conception, the certainty of God's providential care is expressed more strongly than it could be by any mere didactic state- ment. The beauty of the image in the last clause is heightened by the use of a verb which originally means to lean or bend over, for the purpose of gazing down upon a lower object. See above, on Ps. xiv. 2, and compare Judges V. 28, 2 Sam. vi. 16. 13 (12). Jehovah also will give the (material or earthly) good, and our land will give its produce (or increase). In other words, the promise shall be verified that stands recorded in the Law (Lev. xxvi. 4), from which the form of the expression is borrowed, as it is in Ps. Ixvii. 7 (6). 14 (18). Righteousness hefore him shall march, and set (us) in the way of his steps. The verb in the first clause is a poetical intensive form of one which means to walk or go. The idea here expressed seems to be that of public and solemn manifestation. The last clause is obscure, and of dubious construction. The latest interpreters understand it as meaning, and set its steps for a way, i.e. mark out by its own steps the way in which we are to walk. This yields, in the end, the same sense as the common version above given. Psalm 86 1. A Prayer. By David. Incline, 0 Jehovah, thine ear (and) answer me, for urretched and needy (am) /. The whole psalm is called a prayer, because entirely made up, either of direct petitions, or of arguments in- tended to enforce them. The tone and substance of the composition are Psalm 86:2 -5 369 well suited to David's situation in his days of suffering at the hands of Saul or Absalom, more probably the latter, on account of the repeated allusions to deliverance from former trials of the same kind. Some account for the position of this psalm in the midst of a series inscribed to the Sons ofKorah, by supposing that the latter composed it in the person or the spirit of David. See above, on Ps. Ixxxiv. 1. The same hypothesis is used by these interpreters to explain the many forms of expression borrowed from other psalms of David, as, if the Sons of Korah meant to comfort him by the repetition of his own consolatory words in other cases. Compare 2 Cor. i. 4. The psalm admits of no minute or artificial subdivision. The only marked diversity of the parts is, that in ver. 1-10, petition is combined with argu- ment, whereas in ver. 11-17, it is more unmixed. The first ground or reason is derived, in this verse, from the urgency of the necessity. At the same time, there is a tacit claim to God's protection, on the ground that he who asks it is one of his own people. According to the usage of the psalms, the afflicted and the needy denote sufi"erers among God's people. See above, on Ps. x. 2. 2. Keep my soul, for a gracious one {am) I ; save thy servant, even thou, my God, the (servant) trusting in thee. He prays for the safe keeping of his soul or life, because it was this that the enemy threatened. See below, ver. 14. The grounds assigned are two, or rather one exhibited in two forms. The first is, that he is a (TDH) saint or gracious one, a merciful object of God's mercy. See above, on Ps. Ixxxv. 8 (7). The other is that, as a servant of Jehovah, he believes and trusts in him alone. The origi- nal expression is not in but to or toioards thee, as if implying that the be- liever turns or looks away from every other ground of confidence to God alone. The same construction occurs twice above, in Ps. iv. 6 (5), xxxi. 7 (6). 3. Be gracious unto me, 0 Lord, for unto thee vnll 1 cry all the day. The prayer is still substantially the same, but enforced by two additional reasons : one implied in the divine name used, to wit, that God is his sove- reign, and as such bound to protect his subject ; the other expressed, namely, that his subject never ceases to invoke his aid. The future mean- ing of the verb includes the present, but suggests the additional idea of determination to pursue the same, course till the blessing is obtained. Com- pare Gen. xxxii. 27 (26), Luke xviii. 1. All the rfay is a common idiomatic phrase equivalent to all the time in English, and may therefore be consi- dered as including, though it does not formally express, the idea of every day or daily. See above, on Ps. xhi. 4, 11 (3, 10). 4. Gladden the soul of thy servant, for unto thee, Lord, my soul do I raise. The first clause is not a mere periphrasis for " make me glad," or " cause me to rejoice." It means " make me heartily rejoice, because I am thy servant," thus suggesting a new ground of his petition, different in form although substantially identical with that in the preceding verse. A similar analogy exists between the second clause of that verse and the second clause ofthis, the form of which, however, is boiTOwed from Ps. XXV. 1. Here, as there, to raise the soul to God is to regard him with affection and strong confidence. See above, on Ps. xxiv. 4. At the same time, there is an allusion to the strict sense of the Hebrew verb, as if he had said, " make my soul rejoice, since I bring it up or raise it to thee for this very purpose." The force of the future is the same as in ver. 4. 5. For thou, Lord, art good and forgiving, and rich in mercy to all (those) invoking thee. God is not only the sovereign of his people, and as 370 Psalm 86:6 -11 such bound by covenant to protect them, but benevolent or good in his own nature ; and that not merely in the general, or in reference to all his crea- tures, but especially in reference to the undeserving and the ill-deserving ; that is, to such of them as really desire his favour, and evince their willingness to have it by the act of asking for it. Rich {in) mercy, literally great (or much, abimdant, plenteous, as to) mercy. This expression, and indeed the whole description, is borowed from Exod. xxxiv. 6. 6. Give ear, Jehovah, to my prayer, and attend (or hearken) to the voice of my supplications. The same verbs are used in a similar connection, Ps. V. 2, 3 (1, 2). The last word in Hebrew, according to its etymology, denotes specifically prayers for favour, grace, or mercy. See above, on Ps. xxviii. 6, xxxi. 23 (22). There is no new ground or argument sug- gested here, beyond what is implied in the use of the word just explained, and of the divine name in the first clause. 7. In the day of my distress I loill invoice thee, for thou wilt answer me. The future includes the present, I do and will invoke thee, call thee to my aid, or call upon thee for assistance. The second clause assigns the reason, namely, his conviction that he shall not call in vain. The implied ground of this conviction is, tliat he never does and never did call, in the exercise of faith, without being favourably heard or answered. 8. There is none like thee among the gods, 0 Lord, and nothing like thy works (among their works). This last, which might seem to be needed to complete the sense and the parallelism, was suppressed perhaps in order to suggest the idea, that the gods have no works, even the Gentiles who wor- ship them being creatures of Jehovah, as is expressly stated in the next verse. Even the full comparison, however, in the first clause, does not necessarily concede the personal existence of the gods themselves, but only that of their material images, or at most the belief of their besotted wor- shippers. Compare with this verse its Mosaic models, Exod. xv. 11, Deut. iii. 24, and the Davidic imitations of them, 2 Sam. vii. 22, Ps. xviii. 32 (31). The exclusive Godhead of Jehovah is here urged as a dis- tinct ground or reason of importunate petition to him. 9. All nations which thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, 0 Lord, and give honour to thy name. The common relation of Jehovah to all men as their Maker, although now denied by most nations, shall be one day universally acknowledged, not in word merely, but in act, the most expressive act of worship, involving a believing recognition of the previous display of God's perfections, in the language of the Scriptures called his name. This prospective view of the conversion of the world to the belief and service of its Maker shews how far the Old Testament writers were from cherishing or countenancing the contracted nationality of the later and the less enlightened Jews. See above, on Ps. xxii. 28, 29 (27, 28), xlv. 13-17 (12-16), xlvii. 10 (9), and compare Jer. xvi. 19, Zeph. ii. 11, Zech. xiv. 9, 16. 10. For great (art) thou and doing wonders, thou (art) God alone. The only new idea here is the evidence afforded of Jehovah's sole divinity by his miraculous performances. The for, at the beginning of the verse, implies that these proofs of divinity must sooner or later have their full effect. 11. Guide me, Jehovah, {in) thy way ; I tvill ivalk in thy truth ; unite my heart to fear thy name. The common version of the first verb {teach me) is too vague, as it fails to bring out the peculiar suitableness of the term to express the kind of teaching here specifically meant. The original Psalm 86:12 -17 371 meaning of the Hebrew word is to point out or mark the wa}'. According to the usage of the Psalms, the way of God is here the course of his pro- vidential dealings, and his truth the truth of his promises, to walk in which is to assent to them, or acquiesce in them and trust them. See above, on Ps. XXV. 4, 5, xxvi. 3. That he ma}' be enabled to do this without distrac- tion or reserve, is the prayer of the last clause. The idea of a united heart is the opposite of a double heart. See above, on Ps. xii. 3 (2), and compare James iv. 8. 12. I will thank thee, 0 Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will honour thy name for ever. The first verb means not merely to praise in general, but to praise for benefits received. See above, on Ps. vi. 6 (5). This verse describes the effect that is to follow from the granting of the prayer at the close of the preceding verse. When his heart is once united to fear God, cordial and perpetual thanksgiving will follow as a necessary consequence. 13. For thy mercy (has been) great towards me, and thou hast freed rny soul from the lowest hell. The most natural explanation of these words is that which makes them an appeal to former mercies as a reason for expect- ing new ones. If the psalm belongs to the period of Absalom's rebellion (see above, on ver. 1), the reference here may be to David's dangers and dehverances from Saul. Towards me, literally on me, with an implication of descent from above. Hell, in the wide sense of death or the state of the dead. See above, on Ps. vi. 6 (5). Lowest, or lower, hang under, subter- raneous. The expression is derived from Deut. xxxii. 22. With this verse compare Ps. xviii. 6 (5), Ivi. 14 (13). 14. 0 God, proud [men) have arisen against me, and an assembly of violent [men) have sought my soid, and have not set thee before them. Nearly the same words had been used by David in reference to the Sauline perse- cution, Ps. liv. 5 (3). But instead of aliens, he here speaks of proffc^ ones, and before the parallel term violent, oppressive, or tyrannical (Ps. xxxvii. 35), inserts congregation or assembly, as if to imply organization, both which variations agree well with the hypothesis that this psalm relates to the re- volt of Absalom. 15. And thou,. Lord, [art) a God merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth. He here appeals to God's description of himself as warranting his prayer for mercy. See Exod. xxxiv. 6, and the imitations or quotations of it by Joel (ii. 13) and Jonah (iv. 2). See also Ps. Ixxxv. 11 (10). 16. Turn toivards me and be gracious to me ; give thy strength to thy ser- vant, and grant salvation to the son of thy handmaid. The first prayer.implies that God's face had previously been averted. Give thy strength, exercise it for his protection. The son of thy handmaid or female slave, i. e. a home- bom and hereditary servant, and as such entitled to defence and sustenance. The expression is borrowed from Exod. xxiii. 12, and reappears in Ps. cxvi. 16. The last verb is the common one meaning to save, but here con- nected with its object by the preposition to. 17. Shew me a token for good, and (then) my haters shall see and be shamed, because thou, Jehovah, hast helped me and comforted me. The phrase translated shew me strictly means do with me, and is here used be- cause the sign or token asked is neither a verbal declaration nor a miracle, but a practical or providential indication of God's favour, furnished by his dealings with him. The word translated good is the one used in Ps. xvi. 2, where, as here, it has the sense of physical good, welfare, happiness. A 372 Psalm 87:1 -4 token for good is a pledge of its possession and enjoyment. The oblique construction, that my haters may see, is really included in the direct future. Shamed, surprised, disappointed, and confounded. The preterites in the last clause have reference to the time when this effect shall be produced upon the enemy, and when the divine help and consolation shall have been ah-eady granted. Psalm 87 1. To (or hy) the Sons of Korah. A Psalm.. A Song. His foundation [is) in the hills of holiness. The first title decides nothing as to the date of composition. See above, on Ps. xlii. 1, xlvi. 1, xlvii. 1, xlviii. 1. It is not only a psalm, a religious lyric, bnt a song, i.e. a song of praise or triumph. See above, on Ps. Ixxxiii. 1. This agrees well with the tone of the com- position, which seems to indicate some great deliverance as its historical occasion. The only one that can be fixed upon with any great degree oi probability is that of Hezekiah from the power of Assyria. See above, on Ps. xlvi. 1, Ixxv. 1, Ixxvi. 1. In view of some such signal intervention in behalf of Israel, the psalm celebrates the actual security of Zion, ver. 1-3, and anticipates its future honours as the spiritual birth-place of the nations, ver. 4-7. His foundation, that which he has founded, meaning his sanc- tuary and his theocratical kingdom. The plural expression, hills of holiness, means Zion in the wide sense, including all the heights on which Jerusalem w^as built. It was peculiarly appropriate in this case, if the psalm was written in the reign of Hezekiah, because at that time Zion, in the strict sense, was no longer the exclusive residence of God on earth. At the same time, there is particular reference to Zion as the citadel, in which the strength of the royal city was concentrated. 2. Jehovah loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. This description of Jehovah's choice of Zion as his dwelling-place is similar to that in Ps. Ixxviii. 68. The gates of a walled city give access to it and power over it, and are therefore naturally here put for the whole. The Hebrew participle {loving) implies constant and habitual attachment. 3. Glorious things (have been) spoken in thee, 0 City of God. Seluh. Glorious or honourable things, in the way of prophecy and promise, the ful- filment of which is here implied. As if he had said, the promises I'espect- ing thee are great, but they are or shall be fully verified. So too in the other clause the meaning is, thou art well called the city of God, for he is in thee, to protect and honour thee. See above, on Ps. xlvi. 5 (4), xlviii. 2, 9 (1, 8). Instead of in thee some read of thee, but the former is entitled to the preference : first, because it is the strict sense, and therefore not to be rejected without reason ; then, because it really includes the other, but is not included in it ; lastly, because it suggests the additional idea of the holy city as the scene, no less than the theme, of the prophetic visions. 4. I vnll mention Rahah aad Babylon as knowing me. Lo, Philistia and Tyre with Ethiopia ! This [one) luas born there. Interpreters are com- monly agreed, that these are the words of God himself, though not ex- pressly so announced. The first verb in Hebrew is a causative, I will make to be remembered, celebrate, commemorate. See above, Ps. xx. 8 (7), xlv. 18 (17), Ixxi. 16 (15), Ixxvii. 12 (11). It here means to announce or proclaim. To know God is to love him and to be his servant. See above, on Ps. xxxvi. 11 (10), and compare Isa. xix. 21. Those knowing him in Psalm 87:5, 6 373 this sense are his people. As knowing me, literally to those knowing me, *'. e. belonging to their number. Or the sense may he, for knowers of me, I will recognise and reckon them for such. Compare the Hebrew of Exod. xxi. 2, he shall go out free, hterally ^br/ree, i.e. as free. The nations thus announced as belonging to God's people are mere samples of the whole gentile world, those being chosen for the purpose, who were or had been most connected with the history of Israel, and were at the same time ruhng powers of antiquity. Rahah is an enigmatical name given to Egypt by the Prophet Isaiah. See below, on Ps. Ixxxix. 11 (10), and compare my notes on Isa. XXX. 7, li. 9. Babylon is named instead of Assyria, perhaps be- cause in Hezekiah's reign the former began to supersede the latter as the dominant power of Western Asia. See my note on Isa, xxxix. 1. Com- pare the prophecy respecting Egypt and Assyria in Isa. xix. 23, 24. PhiHstia and Tyre are put together, as in Ps. Ixxxiii. 8 (7). As to the latter, see above, on Ps. xlv. 13 (12), and compare Isa. xxiii. 18. The conversion of Cush or Ethiopia had already been foretold by David, Ps. Ixviii. 32 (31), and by Solomon, Ps. Ixxii. 10. The last words are obscure, but may be rendered clearer by supplying before them, as to each of these it shall be said. The pronoun (this) is then to be referred not to individual men, but to the nations as ideal persons. The idea of regeneration or spiritual birth, applied in the New Testament to indi%dduals, is here applied to nations, who are represented as born again, when received into commu- nion with the church or chosen people. 5. And of Zion it shall be said, (This) man and (that) man was born in her, and He will establish her, the Highest. The strict translation of the first words is to Zion, but the subsequent use of the third person {in her) shews that the act described is that of speaking of a person in his presence, yet not directly to him, or, as we sometimes say in English, talking at him. See above, on Ps. iii. 3 (2), Ixxi. 10. The idiomatic phrase man and man means every one or each one severally. See the Hebrew of Esther i. 8, and compare that of Lev. xvii. 10, 13. The clause may then be understood as asserting of individuals what had just been said of whole communities, or as repeating the latter, in a more emphatic form, for the pm^ose of con- necting it with an additional promise, namely, that the church thus en- larged by the accession of the Gentiles, shall be permanently established and secured. The pronoun is emphatic, and is rendered more so by the epithet attached to it. He the Hig/iest, or the Highest himself. The pro- tector of the church is neither man nor angel, but the supreme and sove- reign God. See above, on Ps. xlvii. 3 (2), xlviii. 9 (8). 6. Jehovah shall count, in enrolling the nations : This (one) was horn there. Selah. The theme or idea of the whole psalm, that Zion should yet be the birth-place of all nations, is again repeated, imder a new figure, that of registration. Compare Ezek. xiii. 9. The meaning is that, as he counts the nations, he shall say of each, in turn or one by one, this one was also born there. In enrolling, literally writing, i. e. inscribing in a Ust or register. The common version [when he writeth -up the people) not only fails to reproduce the plural form of the last word, or to shew in any way that more than a single nation is referred to, but ascribes the act of writing to the Lord himself, which, though not so inadmissible in a figurative pas- sage as some writers think it, is not necessarily imphed in the original, where the form of expression is in the writing, i. e. at the time or in the act of doing so, whether the act be that of God himself or merely done by his authority and under his direction. 374 Psalm 88:1 7. And singers as well as well as players (shall be heard saying), All my springs are in thee. The construction in the first clause is pecuUar, singers as players. See above, on Ps. xlviii. 6 (5). The image present to the Psalmist's mind seems to be that of a procession or triumphal march, com* posed of the nations on their way to Zion. At the head of this procession are the minstrels, who, as the spokesmen of the rest, acknowledge that the source of their happiness is henceforth to be sought in Zion, not as a mere locality, but as the place where God was pleased to manifest his gracious presence. It matters little, therefore, whether the closing words {in tltee) be referred to God directly, or to Zion, as the channel through which he imparted spiritual blessings to the gentiles. Compare the figure of a spring or stream in Joel iv. 18 (iii. 18), Zech. xiii. 1, xiv. 8, Ezek. xlvii. 1, and see above, on Ps. Ixxxiv. 7 (6). The word joined with singers admits of a twofold derivation, and may either mean players upon instruments, or still more definitely, pipers, as the players on stringed instruments are named in the same connection, Ps. Ixviii. 26 (25) ; or as some of the latest interpre- ters prefer, it may mean dancers, as this indication of joy was commonly practised, in connection with singing, not only by women but by men. See above, on Ps. xxx. 12 (11), and below, on Ps. cl. 4. and compare Exod. XV. 20, 2 Sam. vi. 16. The Selah at the end of the preceding verse shews that the variations of the main theme are concluded, and separates the body of the psalm from this verse, which contains the words neither of the Psalmist nor the Church nor God himself, but of the converted Gentiles. Psalm 88 1. A Song. A Psalm. To (or by) the Sons of Korah. To the Chief Musician. Concerning afflictive sickness. A didactic Psalm.. By Heman the Ezrahite. The first word of this title elsewhere denotes a song of praise or triumph. See above, on Ps. xlii. 9 (8), Ixxxiii. 1. It is here prefixed, however, to the most despondent psalm in the collection, in which the complaints and lamentations are relieved by no joyful anticipations or ex- pressions of strong confidence. The only satisfactory explanation of these facts is afl"orded by the supposition, that Ps. Ixxxviii. and Ixxxix were in- tended to constitute a pair or double psalm, like the first and second, third and fourth, ninth and tenth, forty-second and forty-third, &c. The de- sponding lamentations of Ps. Ixxxviii. are then merely introductory to the cheering expectations of Ps. Ixxxix. This supposition also explains the unusual length of the inscription now before us, the first part of which may then be considered as belonging to both psalms, while the last clause cor- responds to tbe title of Ps. Ixxxix. Afflictive sickness, literally sickness to afflict or humble. For the figurative use of sickness, and the sense of this inscription, see above, on Ps. liii. 1. Heman the Ezrahite is mentioned, with Asaph and Ethan, as chief musicians in the reign of David, 1 Chron. vi. 18 (33), XV. 17, xvi. 41, 42. The Heman and Ethan, spoken of in 1 Chron. ii. 6 as Ezrahites {i. e. sons of Zerah), and in 1 Kings v. 11, as eminent for wisdom, are supposed by some to be difierent persons, because they were of the tribe of Judah, while others suppose that they were Levit'^s adopted into that tribe. The Psalm before us neither requires nor admits of any minute or artificial subdivision. 2 (1). Jehovah, God of my salvation, (by) day have I cried, and by night, be/ore thee. God of my salvation, the God in whom I trust to save me, Psalm 88:2 - 8 375 because he is a saving God, or God my Saviour. See above, on Ps. Ixxxv. 5 (4), Day and by night are related to each other here, as night and by day are inPs. Ixxvii. 3 (2). Before theeimiplies that his cries were not mere in- stinctive expressions of distress, but prayers addi'essed to God. With the whole verse compare Ps. xxii. 3 (2). 3 (2). Let my prayer come before thee ; incline thine ear unto my cry. The first petition is that his prayer may attract the divine attention, which is varied in the last clause by the figure of one bending down to catch a faint or distant cry. See above, on Ps. xvii. 6, xxxi. 3 (2), Ixxi. 2. 4 (3). For sated with evils is my soul, and my life to the grave draws near. Evils, sufferings, distresses. As life is plural in Hebrew, it can be construed regularly with the plural verb ; but as this is properly a causative, it may also be construed with evils, or with men indefinitely, they have brought my life near to the grave. The first construction is favoured by the analogy of Ps. cvii. 18. The grave, sheol, the state of the dead. See above, on Ps. vi. 6 (5). 5 (4). / am reckoned with those going down to the pit ; I am (or am be- come) as a man witth no strength. With the first clause compare Ps. xxviii. 1, cxliii. 7. With no strength, literally (to whom) there is no strength. The last word in Hebrew occurs only here, but a cognate form in Ps. xxii, 20 (19). There is in the original an antithesis, which cannot be conveyed by mere translation, arising from the fact that the first word for man is one implying strength. 6 (5). With (or among) the dead, free, like the slain, lying in the grave, whom thou rememberest no more, and they by (or from) thy hand are cut off. As to be God's servant is the highest privilege and honour (Ps. Ixxx^i. 16), 80 to be free from his service (Job iii. 19) is to be miserable. The refer- ence is not to death in general, but to death by violence and as a punishment. The slain, literally the (mortally) wounded. See above on Ps. Ixix. 27 (26). The latter half of the verse contains a strong poetical description of the wicked, as no longer the objects of God's protecting care. Of the two translations, from and by thy hand, the first conveys the same idea with the foregoing words, while the second represents the destruction of God's enemies as the work of his own hands. 7 (6). Thou hast placed me in a deep pit, in dark places, in abysses. A deep pit, literally a pit of low or under places. See above, on Ps. Ixiii. 10 (9), Ixxxvi. 13, and compare Ezek. xxvi. 20. The dark places are those of the invisible and lower world. Abysses, deeps, or depths of water. See above, on Ps. Ixix. 3 (2). 8 (7). Upon me weighs thy wrath, and (loith) all thy waves thou dost oppress me. Selah. The word translated waves corresponds etymologically to breakers. See above, on Ps. xlii. 8 (7). With the first clause compare Ps. xxxviii. 3 (2). The verb to oppress or ajlict is applied in historical prose to the oppression of Israel in Egypt, Gen. xv. 13, Exod. i. 12. The infinitive of the same verb occurs in the title of the psalm before us. The Selah indicates the depth of his distress, and the necessity of a pause before resuming the description. 9 (8). Thou hast put far my acquaintances from me ; thou hast made me an abomination to them ; (I am) shut up and cannot come forth The cir- cumstance complained of in the first clause, is one often mentioned as an aggravation of distress. See above, on Ps. xxxi. 12 (11), xxxviii. 12 (11), Ixix. 9 (8), and compare Ps. xxvii. 10. The next clause shews that he com- plains of something more than mere neglect. Made me, hterally put or 376 Psalm 88:9 - 16 jilaced me. See above, on Ps. xxxix. 9 (8). There may be an allusion to the statement in the history, that the Israelites were an abomination, an object of religious detestation and abhorrence, to their Egyptian masters. See Gen. xliii. 32, xlvi. 34. The last clause is by some understood to mean, I am encompassed by inextricable difficulties. Compare Lam. iii. 7, Job iii. 23. Others, with more probability, connect it with what goes before, and understand the sense to be, that he is not wilhng to expose himself to this unmerited hatred and contempt. See Job xxxi. 34, and compare Ps. xUv. 14 (13), Ixxx. 7 (6). 10 (9). My eye decays by reason of affliction ; I invoke thee, 0 Jehovah, evei-y day ; I spread out unto thee my hands. With the first clause compare Ps. vi. 8 (7), xxxi. 10 (9), xxxviii. U (10), Ixix. 4 (3). With the last com- pare Ps. xliv. 21 (20). The first Hebrew verb is one of rare occurrence ; a derivative noun is used by Moses, Deut. xxviii. 65. The preterites repre- sent the suffering as no new thing, but one of long continuance. 11 (10). Wilt thou to the dead do wonders, or shall ghosts arise (and) thank thee ? Selah. The argument implied is that the present life is the appro- priate time for those favours which belong to it. See above, on Ps. vi. 6 (5). The word Rephaim, in the last clause, is the name of a Canaanitish race of giants, but is applied poetically to the gigantic shades or spectres of the dead. See my note on Isa, xiv. 9. Do iconders, literally wonder, as in Ps. Ixxvii. 12 (11). 12 (11). Shall thy mercy he recounted in the grave, thy faithfulness in destruction ? The last word {Abaddon) appears elsewhere in conjunction with the grave and death, as a poetical equivalent. See Prov. xv. 11, Job xxvi. 6, xxviii. 22. 13 (12). Shall thy wonders he known in the dark, and thy righteousness in the land of forgeffulness ? These are varied metaphorical descriptions of the state of death, considered negatively as the privation or the opposite of life. Darkness is here opposed to the light of life or of the living, Ps. Ivi. 14 (13). The land of forge tfulness, where men forget, Eccles. ix. 5, 6, 10, and are forgotten, Ps. xxxi. 13 (12). 14 (13). And I unto thee, 0 Jehovah, have cried, and in the morning shall my prayer come before thee. What he has done he is still resolved to do, as the only means of safety. Hence the alternation of the preterite and future. The first verb means to cry for help. See above, on Ps. xviii. 42 (41). With the last clause compare Ps. v. 4 (3), Ivii. 9 (8), lix. 17 (16). The verb has its proper sense of coming before one or into his presence. See above, on Ps. xvii. 13, xviii. 6 (5), xxi. 4 (3). 15 (14). Why, 0 Jehovah, wilt thou reject my soul, wilt thou hide thy face from, me ? The first verb means to reject with abhorrence. See above, on Ps. xliii. 2, xliv. 10, 24 (9, 23), Ix. 3, 12 (1, 10), Ixxiv. 1, Ixxvii. 8 (7). The question impHes that such rejection would be inconsistent with God's faithfulness, and is therefore not expressive of entire despondence. 16 (15). Wretched [am) I and expiring from, childhood; I have home thy terrors ; I despair. Expiring, ready to perish, at the point of death, a strong description of extreme distress. The childhood may be that of the individual sufferer, or of Israel as a nation (Hos. xi. 1). Both applications may have been intended. 17 (16). Over me have passed thine indignations ; thy terrors have destroyed me. TIio image in the first clause is the same as in Ps. xlii. 8 (7). Indignations, literally heats or inflamations, but always applied to anger. The plural occurs only here. The unusual form of the last verb is supposed Psalm 89:1, 2 311 by some to have been coined by the writer, for the sake of an allusion to Lev. XXV. 23. 18 (17). They have surrounded me like waters all the day ; they have en- compassed me at once (or all toffether). The figure of overwhelming waves is still continued. The subject of the verbs can only be the indignations and the terrors of ver. 17 (16). 19 (18). Than hast put far from me lover and friend ; my acquaintances (are) darkness (or a dark place). The fu"st clause is a repetition of ver. 9 (8). The other is obscure, and is supposed by some to mean, my acquaintances vanish, disappear in darkness ; by others, my acquaintances give way to darkness, are succeeded by it ; my only friend is now the dark place, i. e. the grave or death. Thus understood, the sentiment is not unlike that in Job xvii. 14. Psalm 89 1. Maschil. By Ethan the Ezrahite. From the fact that Ethan and Jeduthun are both named with Asaph and Heman, but never named together, it has been inferred that they are two names of the same person, or rather that Ethan is the personal name, and Jeduthun (derived from a verb which means to praise) the official title. Heman and Ethan are both described as Ezrahites, i. e. adopted sons of Zerah, 1 Chron. ii. 5, but by birth were no doubt both Sons of Korah, 1 Chron. vi. 18, 22 (33, 37). To the lamenta- tions and complaints of Heman in the first part of this double psalm (Ps. Ixxxviii.) is now added an appeal to the divine promise by Ethan in the psalm before us. The particular promise here insisted on is that in 2 Sam. vii., which constitutes the basis of all the Messianic psalms. The hypothesis of Hengstenberg and others, that the psalm was composed in the interval between the death of Josiah and the Babylonish exile, by the Korhites of that period, who merely assumed the name and breathed the spirit of their great progenitors, could be justified only by extreme exegetical necessity, which does not here exist, since nothing is more natural than to assume, that these psalms were nearly contemporaneous with the promise itself, and intended to anticipate misgivings and repinings, which, although they existed even then in germ, were not developed till the period of dechne began, or rather till it was approaching its catastrophe. By far the larger part of this psalm is occupied in amplifying and expounding the great Messianic promise, ver. 2-38 (1-37), while the remainder, like Ps. Ixxxviii., teaches the chosen people how to apply it, in their times of sufiering and despondency, ver. 39-53 (38-52), a feature of the composition which fully warrants its descrip- tion in the title as a maschil or didactic psalm. 2 (1). The mercies of Jehovah for ever will I sing ; to generation and generation will I make known thy faithfulness with my mouth. The mercies particularly meant are the favours promised to David as the progenitor and type of the Messiah. The faithfulness mentioned in the other clause is that of God in the fulfilment of these promises. Compare my note on Isa. Iv. 3, where the same idea is expressed by the sure mercies of David. For e\',er, literally eternity ^ the noun being used adverbially, as its plural is in Ps. Ixi. 5 (4). The promise of perpetual commemoration shews that the Psalmist speaks not only for himself, but for the church of which he is the mouth or spokesman. 8 (2). For I have said, For ever shall mercy he built up. The heavens^ 378 Psalm 89:3 - 6 thou wilt fix thy faithfulness in them. The church will celebrate God's mercy and faithfulness for ever, because they will endure for ever, / have said, i. e. this is the view of the matter I have taken and expressed already. The scheme of God's gracious dispensations is conceived of as a building, already founded and hereafter to be carried up to its completion. The emphatic construction of the heavens as an absolute nominative [as to the heavens, thou vxilt fix, &c.) is inadequately represented in the common version [shalt thou establish in the very heavens). For the proverbial use of the heavens and the heavenly bodies as a standard of permanence and immutability, see above, on Ps. Ixxii. 5. The idea here is, thou shalt make thy faithfulness as £xed and stable as the frame of nature. 4 (3). / have ratified a covenant with my chosen [one) ; I have sivorn unto David my servant. These are the words of God himself, though not ex- pressly so described, as in ver. 20 (19) below. We have here a summary statement of the substance of the promise in 2 Sam. vii., upon which this and the other Messianic psalms are founded. Ratified a covenant, see above, on Ps. 1. 5. With my chosen, literally to my chosen, as in the parallel expression, because what is here called a covenant was really a conditional promise or engagement upon God's part. My servant, i. e. my chosen and appointed instrument in executing my designs. See above, on Ps. xviii. 1, and compare Ps. Ixxxvi. 16. 5 (4). Unto eternity will I confirm thy seed, and huild, to generation and generation, thy throne. Selah. Confirm thy seed, establish thy descendants in the permanent possession of the royal dignity. The same two verbs which, in the foregoing verse, are applied to the divine grace and fidehty, are here applied directly to their objects, the throne and family of David. 6 (5). And the heavens acknowledge thy wonders, Jehovah, likewise thy faithfulness (is acknowledged) in the assembly of holy {ones). The promise just cited is entitled to men's confidence, because the omnipotence and faithfulness of Him who uttered it are thankfully acknowledged by superior beings. The parallelism of heavens and holy ones shews that the former are here put for their inhabitants. For the true meaning of the first verb, see above, on Ps. vi. 6 (5), and for that of the following noun, on Ps. Ixxvii. 12 (11), Ixxxviii. 11 (10.) Wonders or miracles are here referred to, as proofs of a mighty power. The and, also, at the beginning of the clauses, have the force of even, yea, in our idiom. The word translated holy ones is entirely different from that usually rendered saints. The latter is always applied to men, the former usually to superior beings, i. e. angels. See Deut. xxxiii. 2, 3, Dan. viii. 13, Zech. xiv. 5, Job. iv. 18, xv. 15. 7 (6). For who, in the sky, can compare to Jehovah? (Who) is like and Jehovah among the Sons of the Mighty 9 The question involves a strong negation, or an affirmation that there is none like him, even in the orders of existence superior to man. This is given as a reason for the adoring re- cognition of his power and veracity in ver. 6 (5). The word translated sky is elsewhere used in the plural to denote the clouds collectively. See above, on Ps. Ixviii. 35 (34), Ixxvii. 18 (17), Ixxviii. 23. The singular form, in this sense, is peculiar to the psahn before us. See below, ver. 38 (37). The twofold usage of the EngHsh verb compare, as active and neuter, cor- responds exactly to that of the original expression, for the primary and proper sense of which, see above on Ps. v. 4 (3), xl. 6 (5), 1. 21. The Sons of the Mighty or Almighty are the angels. As to the pecuhar form of the description, see above, on Ps. xxix. 1, from which it seems to be directly borrowed in the case before us. Psalm 89:7 -9 379 8 (7). A God to be dreaded in the secret council of (his) holy (ones) greatly, and to be/eared above all [those) about him. This is not a distinct proposition, but a further description of the Being pronounced in the fore- going verse to be incomparable. The divine name (71^) here used implies that what makes him so terrible is his infinite power. The angels are again called holy ones, but furthermore described as the privy council, the confidential intimates, of God himself. See above, on Ps. xxv. 14. Iv. 15 (14), Ixxxiii. 4 (3). Yet even to these, as being endlessly superior, he is and ought to be an object of adoring fear. The intensive adverb greatly is the same with that in Ps. Ixii. 3, and like it is placed emphatically at the end of the clause. Compare Ps. xlviii. 2 (1), Ixv. 10 (9). Above may either mean more than, or by, with an implication of his vast superiority as the cause or reason. Those about him, i. e. those immediately surroimding him, his heavenly attendants, the angels. See the same expression, in a somewhat different application, Ps. lxx\'i. 12 (11). 9 (8.) Jehovah, God of Hosts, who (is) like thee, mighty, Jah, and thy faithfulness (is) round about thee. Th6 infinite superiority of God to men and angels is here expressed, or rather indicated, by an accumulation of descriptive titles. We have here the full phrase, Jehovah God of Hosts, which occurs so frequently in an abbreviated form. See above, on Ps. xxiv. 10. The word translated mighty is used only here ; but its sense is clear from the analogy of cognate forms, confirmed by the testimony of the ancient versions. As to Jah, the pregnant abbreviation or concentration of Jehovah, see above, on Ps. Ixviii. 5 (4). It may here be in apposition either with Jehovah, as a vocative, or with Jah, as a descriptive title. " Who is like thee, a mighty one, 0 Jah?" Or, "who like thee is mighty, who like thee is Jah?" Faithfulness, as elsewhere, is veracity or truth in the fulfilment of a promise. The word translated round about is the feminine or neuter form of that used in the preceding verse, and there appUed to persons. The meaning of the whole clause is that God's fidelity is never absent from him, but appears wherever he does, the proofs of its existence being visible on all hands. The English Bible supplies a preposition and assumes a second question, " who is hke thy faithfulness round about thee?" But the other construction, which is that adopted in the ancient versions, is much simpler and more natural, the elUpsis of the preposition in such cases being rare, whereas that of the substantive verb is the general rule of Hebrew syntax, to which its insertion is a mere exception. 10 (9). Thou rulest the sicell of the sea ; in the rise of its toaves thou stillest them. The general declaration of God's power is now rendered more distinct by specifying one of the most striking forms in which it manifests itself. At the same time, there is no doubt an allusion to the scriptural usage of the sea as an emblem of the world and its conflicting powers. See above, on Ps. xlvi. 3, 4 (2, 3), Ixv. 8 (7). The appropriateness of the words both to physical and moral changes affords an easy and beautiful transition to the latter in the next verse. The verbal form at the beginning is a participle, thou (art) ruling, i. e. habitually, constantly. The connec- tive particle may be retained by rendering it rulest over. The first noun is applied elsewhere (Ps. xvii. 10) to the swelHng or elation of the heart with pride ; but that this is only a derived and secondary meaning may be gathered from the use of the same word to denote the loftiness or majesty of God (Ps. xciii. 1), and also from the appUcationof the verbal root to the rise of water in an inundation (Ezek. xlvii. 5). The parallel term is an 380 Psalm 89:10 - 14 abbreviated infinitive used as a noun, and therefore well represented by the English rise, which is also both noun and verb. 11 (10). Thou didst crush, like the slain, Rahah ; with thine arm of strength thou didst scatter thy foes. This relates wholly to the sea of nations, in which Egypt stands first, as the earliest national enemy of Israel, and also perhaps because the power of Pharaoh, at the exodus, was literally broken in the sea. The first verb means to shatter, crush, or break in pieces. See above, Ps. Ixxii. 4. The pronoun is emphatic ; (it was) thou ?and none other that) didst crush, &c. The significant name Rahah, mean- ing pride or insolence, corresponds to the swelling of the sea, in the foregoing verse. See above, on Ps. Ixxxvii. 4. Like the slain, like one mortally wounded, especially in battle. See above, on Ps. Ixxxviii. 6 (5). The point of comparison is the sudden change from overbearing arrogance to helplessness and weakness. Thine arm of strength, or strong arm, tjje active exertion of thy power. See above, on Ps. x. 15, xxxvii. 17, xliv. 4 ^3), Ixxxiii. 9 (8). The last verb belongs to the dialect of poetry, and occurs above, in Ps. liii. 6 (5). See below, Ps. cxii. 9, cxli. 7. This verse relates only indirectly to the enemies of God in general. Even the last clause has specific reference to the enemies who perished in the Red Sea. 12 (11). To thee (belongs) heaven, also to thee earth, the world and its fulness, thou didst found them. The power of God is now described as universal and creative. Heaven and earth is the usual comprehensive phrase for the whole frame of nature or material universe. The last clause is evi- dently borrowed from Ps. xxiv. 1. Its fulness, that which occupies and fills it, its contents and its inhabitants. The verb to found suggests the two ideas of creation and sustentation. He not only called them into being, but made them permanent or lasting. See above, on Ps. Ixxviii. 69, and below, on Ps. civ. 5. The world, the cultivated and productive earth, as opposed to the desolate and barren sea. The EngUsh Bible, following the masoretic accents, construes the world and its fulness as absolute nomina- tives. A simpler construction is to put them in apposition with heaven and earth, and refer the pronoun at the end to all these antecedents. 13 (12). North and south, thou didst create them ; Tabor and Hermonin thy name rejoice. The pronoun at the end of the first clause is superfluous in English ; the original construction requires north and south to be taken absolutely, {as for) the north and south, thou hast created them. The word for north originally means concealment ; that for south the right hand. The east and west are represented by two mountains on either side of Jordan. As to Hermon, see above, on Ps. xlii. 7 (6). The points of the compass are here put, like heaven and earth in the preceding context, for the whole world, and described as rejoicing in God's name, i. e. praising his perfections by their very existence. 14 (13). To thee (is) an arm with strength ; strong is thy hand, high is thy right hand. This is simply another declaration of the divine omnipo- tence, under the usual emblems, arms, hand, and right hand. See above, on ver. 11 (10). 15 (14). Justice and judgment {are) the place of thy throne ; mercy and truth shall go before thy face. The word translated place may also have the more specific sense of dwelling-place. The meaning is that God reigns in the midst of perfect righteousness. See above, on ver. 9 (8). The verb in the last clause always means to go or come before, sometimes in the sense of coming into one's presence, sometimes in that of meeting or encountering, sometimes (as here) in that of being a forerunner. See above, on Ps. Ixxxv. 14 (13). Psalm89:15-22 381 16 (15). Happy the people hnovnng joyful noise ; Jehovah, in the light of thy face they shall walk. The unusual expression in the first clause seems to mean those who know how and have occasion to rejoice in the experience of God's favour. The last noun in Hebrew denotes any loud expression sf exultation, either by voice or instrument. See above, on Ps. xxvii. 6. The light of God's face is the cheering expression of his countenance as indicating favour or benignity. See above, on Ps. iv. 7 (6), xliii.* 3, xliv. 4 (3). To walk in this Hght is to live in the habitual enjoyment of it. This last clause gives the reason for their being pronounced happy in the first. 17 (16). In thy name they shall rejoice all the day, and in thy righteous- ness shall be exalted. In thy name, in the display of thy perfections. In thy righteousness, i. e. in the exercise of that essential rectitude which secures the performance of God's promise and thereby the salvation of his people. 18 (17). For the beauty of their strength (art) thou, and in thy favour thou wilt lift up our horn. God is at once their mighty ornament and their glorious protection. See above, on Ps. Ixxviii. 61. In thy favour, at the time, and by the means, of thy experienced favour. Lift our horn, enable us to triumph in security. See above, on Ps. Ixxv. 11 (10), and below, on Ps. xcii. 11 (10). 19 (18). For unto Jehovah (belongs) our shield, and to the Holy One of Israel our king. Our protectors are themselves protected by Jehovah. This construction is much simpler and more natural than that adopted in the English versions, which entirely overlooks the preposition in both clauses, or arbitrarily regards it as a sign of the nominative case. A better con- struction, although not precisely the true sense, is given in the margin of the English Bible. 20 (19). Then thou spakest in vision to thy gracious one and saidst, I have laid help on a Mighty [Man) ; I have raised one chosen from (among) the people. The Psalmist here returns to the vocation by David and the pro- mise made to him. See 2 Sam. vii. 17 (compare 1 Chron. xvii. 9), where the divine communication made through Nathan to David is called a vision. Thy saint or gracious one may signify either of these persons. The ancient versions, followed by the Prayer-Book and some eminent interpreters, have the plural form instead of the singular, thy saints, meaning Israel at large, to whom the promise was truly addressed. See 2 Sam. vii. 10, 1 Chron. xvii. 9. To lay help upon one is to impart it to him, with a strong impli- cation of descent from above. See above, on Ps. xxi. 8 (5). The gift in this case was not merely for himself, but for others through his agency. God helped him to help the people. Chosen has here its strict sense, but not without allusion to its specific use as signifying a young warrior. See above, on Ps. Ixxviii. 31, 68. 21 (20). / have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him. This verse removes all doubt as to the person primarily intended in the following verse, but without excluding his successors, and especially the last and greatest of them, to whom the royal dignity was given in the unction of Da^^d. See 1 Sam. xvi. 13. This act denoted not only consecration to the divine service, but the spiritual gifts required in order to its right performance. See above, on Ps. ii. 2. 22 (21). With whom my hand shall be ever present; also my arm shall strengthen him. Ever present, literally established, permanently fixed. See below, ver. 38 (37), and above, Ps. Ixxviii. 37. The hand and arm, as usual, are emblems of strength. See above, on ver. 11, 14 (10, 13). 23 (22). The enemy shall not vex him, and the son of iniquity shall not 382 Psalm 89:23 - 33 afflict htm. The verb in tlie first clause means specifically to annoy or per- secute as a creditor his debtor. The second clause is copied almost word for word, from 2 Sam. vii. 10. Compare 1 Chron. xvii, 9, 24 (23). And I will crush before him his foes, and his haters I will smite. The last verb is especially applied to strokes inflicted by the hand of God. 25 (24). Jnd my faithfulness and my mercy (shall be) with him, and in my name shall his horn be high. See above, on ver. 17, 18 (16, 17). Faith- fulness and mercy are combined, as in Ps. Ixxxviii. 12 (11). 26 (25). And I will set in the sea his hand, and in the floods his right hand. I will cause him to lay hands upon them, and exercise authority over them, as his own possession and domain. Hand and right hand, as in ver. 14 (13). Sea and floods, streams, or rivers, as in Ps. xxiv. 2. The watery parts of the earth are here put for the whole. Compare 1 Chron. xiv. 17. 27 (26). He shall call me (or cry unto me), Thou art my Father, my God, and the rock of my salvation. The emphatic pronouns in the original bring out more clearly the mutual relation and reciprocal action of the parties. With the first clause compare 2 Sam. vii. 14, 1 Chron. xxii. 10, Job. xvii. 14. With the second compare Ps. xviii. 3 (2), xxxi. 3 (2). The rock of my salvation, the rock that saves me, the hiding-place and stronghold where my safety hes. 28 (27). Also I (as mj) first-horn will give him, higher than kings of the earth. He shall be treated not only as the son but as the eldest son of God himself. The same description is applied elsewhere to Israel (Exod. iv. 22), to Ephraim (Jer. xxxi. 9), and to Christ (Heb. i. 6). The last clause is borrowed, both in form and substance, from Deut. xxviii. 1 (compare xxix. 16); but instead of high above, we have here high as to, in reference to (or in comparison with) the kings of the earth. 29 (28). For ever will I keep for him my mercy, and my covenant is sure to him. For ever, literally to eternity. Keep, i. e. keep it in reserve for him. My covenant, or conditional promise. See above, on ver. 4 (3). Sure, or more exactly, made sure, ratified, confirmed. Compare Isa. Iv. 3. 30 (29). And I will establish for ever his seed, and his throne as the days of heaven. See 2 Sam. vii. 12. The promise is now extended from David to his posterity. Establish, Hterally set or place. The pronoun in the second clause may refer either to David or his seed. In the latter case, it might be rendered its or their throne. The question, however, is purely grammatical, since the throne of David and the throne of his descendants are identical. In the last clause the idea of duration is again expressed by a reference to the stability of nature. See above, on Ps. Ixxii. 5, 7, 17, and compare Deut. xi. 21. 81-33 (30—32). If his sons forsake my law, and in my judgments will not walk; if my statutes they profane, and my commandments will not keep ; then will I visit with a rod their transgressions, and with stripes their guilt. The promise of perpetual favour to the house of David was not intended to insure impunity to its unfaithful members. To profane God's statutes is to deny in theory or practice their sacred obligation and divine authority. The and at the commencement of the last verse is equivalent to then in English after a conditional clause. The whole passage is an amplification of 2 Sam. vii. 14. 34 (33). And my mercy I will not withdraio from him, and will not prove false (or deal falsely) in my faith. Our idiom requires a but to render clear the relation of this sentence to the foregoing context. The verb in the first clause means to break or violate, but construed, as it here is, with Psalm 89:34 - 38 383 the preposition from, suggests the idea of breaking an engagement by with- drawing what was stipulated to be given and secured. Faith in the last clause means fidelity or truth, as in the phrases, good faith, keep faith, &c. See above, on Ps. xliv. 18 (17). The promise in this verse is not to them but him, not to the sinning individuals mentioned just before, but to the family or race as such, to David as still living in his natural descendants. Compare 1 Kings xi. 36, 2 Kings viii. 19, 2 Chron. vi. 42, Isa. xxxvii. 35. 35 (34). 1 will not profane my covenant, and the utterance of my lips 1 will not change. In the first clause there is obvious allusion to ver. 32 (31). What God requires of them he renders to them. The engage- ment is reciprocal. As they are not to profane his covenant by breaking it, neither will He. The obligation is a sacred one on both sides. See below, on the next verse, and above, on Ps. Iv. 21 (20). The utterance or outgoing of the lips is a technical expression of the Law, in reference to oral vows and other engagements. See Num. xxx. 13 (12), Deut. xxiii. 24 (23). It is a stronger expression than that which I have said or pro- mised, although this is really the meaning here. / will not change, evade the execution of my promise by altering its terms or its conditions. Com- pai"e the form of expression in Ps. xv. 4. 36 (35). One (thing) have I sworn in my holiness, I will not lie unto David. The first word in Hebrew is not an adverb of time {a^ra^, semel, once), but a numeral adjective in the feminine form, used as the neuter is in Greek and Latin. See above, on Ps. xxvii. 4. " Whatever else may fail, there is one thing that cannot, for I have sworn that it shall come to pass." In my holiness, as a holy God, including all divine perfection, but with special reference to moral rectitude. See above, on Ps. Ix. 8 (6). The last verb might be rendered, 1 cannot lie. See Num. xxiii. 19, 1 Sam. xv. 29, and compare Heb. vi. 18, vii. 20, 21. The form of the original is highly idiomatic, if I lie unto David. Compare the Hebrew of 1 Sam. xxiv. 7 (6), 2 Sam. iii. 35. 37 (36). His seed to eternity shall be ; and his throne as the sun before me. See above, on ver. 30 (29), and compare Ps. xlv. 7 (6). Shall be, shall continue to exist. Or the whole phrase may mean, shall be eternal. As the sun, see above, on Ps. Ixxii. 5, 17. Before me, in my sight and under my protection. 38 (37.) As the moon is fixed eternally, and the witness in the sky is sure. The verse thus translated, does not repeat the promise in the one before it, but merely confirms it by a further reference to the course of nature, as the customaiy standard of duration. It is equally grammatical, however, to translate, rts the moon it (the throne) shall be fixed for ever, and (as) the witness in heaven is sure. In either case the witness is the moon. See above, on ver. 7 (6), 29 (28), and compare Ps. Ixxii. 5. 39 (38). And (yet) thou hast cast off and rejected ; thou art loroth with thine Anointed. Having fully recited and expounded the great promise to the house of David, the psalm now contrasts it with the present reality, and seems to complain that it had not been verified. For a similar transi- tion, see above, Ps. xliv. 10 (9). There is no need of confining this de- scription to the last days of the kingdom of Judah, or to any other period of its history exclusively. If the psalm was really composed by Ethan, as we have no sufficient ground for doubting that it was, he may have designedly so framed it as to suit any season of distress and danger, in which the theocratic sovereign seemed to be forsaken of Jeho- vah. Both verbs in the first clause signify abhorrent and contemptuous 384 Psalm 89 .39-44 rejection. See above, on Ps. xv. 4, xliii. 2, xliv. 10 (9), Ixxviii. 59, 67, Ixxxviii. 15 (14). 40 (39.) Thou hast broken the covenant of thy servant ; thou hast pro- faned to the earth his crown. The first verb in Hebrew occurs only here and Lam. ii. 7. The usual explanation is conjectural, or founded on the ancient versions. A cognate verb in Arabic means to abhor, which would be appropriate in this place. The covenant of thj servant, i. e. thy covenant with thy servant. See above, on ver. 29, 35 (28, 34). The pregnant construction, profaned to the ground, i.e. profaned by casting to the ground, occurs above, Ps. Ixxiv. 7. The theocratical crown was a sacred or reli- gious dignity, any contempt of which might therefore well be called a pro- fanation. Compare what is said of the priestly diadem. Exod. xxviii. 86, xxix. 6. 41 (40.) Thou hast broken down all his walls ; thou hast made his de- fences a ruin. As the word translated walls is commonly used to denote the enclosures of vineyards, whether walls or hedges, this may be the figure here intended, which is then exchanged, in the last clause, for that of a walled town, with its defences or defensive works, its fortifications. See above, on Ps. Ixxx. 13 (12). Some interpreters allege that the last word always has the sense of terror ; but it may be doubted whether it ever has, whereas that of ruin often occurs, particularly in the Book of Proverbs. 42 (41). All spoil him that pass by the way; he has become a contempt to his neighbours. With the first clause compare Ps. Ixxx. 13 (12) ; with the last, Ps. Ixxx. 7 (6). These resemblances prove nothing as to the rela- tive antiquity of the two psalms, or the date of either. The figure is more fully carried out in Ps. Ixxx, but this no more proves that to be the original than it proves it to be the copy. If any such conclusion were legitimate, it would be easier to account for the amplification of the hint here thrown out by a later writer, than for the omission, in the case before us, of so many fine strokes in that admirable apologue. A contempt, an object of supercihous pity and disdainful wonder. 43 (42). Thou hast lifled the right hand of his foes, hcLst caused to triumph all his enemies. As the hand, and especially the right hand, is the sjTnbol of exerted strength, and a high hand that of triumphant superiority, espe- cially in war, so to raise the right hand in the first clause of the verse be- fore us, really means nothing more than the literal expression (caused to triumph) in the other. This seemed to be in direct contradiction to the promise in ver. 23, 24 (22, 23), as well as to the prayer in Ps. xxv. 2. 44 (43). Also thou turnest the edge of his sword, and dost not allow him to stand in the battle. The particle (t)^}) at the beginning indicates a climax. Not only was his enemy superior, but himself delinquent and dis- graced. Edge, Uterally rock, of his sword. The idea suggested may be that of hardness, as a hard edge is essential to a serviceable weapon. See my note on Isa. xxvii. 1. Some interpreters, however, think it best to adhere to the ordinary usage oirock in Hebrew as an emblem of strength, and to un- derstand the whole phrase as meaning the strength of his sword, either in the strict sense or in that of strong sword, both of which are here appro- priate. See above, on ver. 27 (26). The construction in the last clause is ambiguous, as the pronoun may refer to sword or rock, no less grammatically than to its possessor. The general sense remains the same, however, as in the similar case above, ver. 30 (29). 45 (44). Thou hast made {him) to cease from his brightness, and his throne to the earth cast down. Brightness is in various languages a figure Psalm 89:45 - 50 385 for distinction, eminence, celebrity, or glory. Compare with the last clause what is said of the crown in ver. 40 (39), and of the throne itself in ver. 5 (4). 46 (45). Thou hast shortened the days of his youth ; thou hast covered him with shame. Selah. His youth, his youthful energy and vigour. See Job xxxiii. 25. Thou hast made him an object of contempt by cutting short his vigorous career and rendering him prematurely old. This may be said of certain individual kings, as well as of the kingdom when approaching its catastrophe. Covered him with shame, literally covered shame upon him, i. e. heaped it on him so as to cover him. 47 (46). How long, Jehovah, wilt thou hide thy self for ever 7 (How long) shall burn, like fire, thy wrath? On the doubtful construction of the first clause, and the meaning of the combination, how long for ever, see above, on Ps. xiii. 2 (1), Ixxix. 5. How long, Uterally until what, i. e. until what point [how far), or until what time {hoiv long)? 48 (47). Remember what duration I have ; why {for) nought hast thou created all the sons of Man (or Adam) ? The construction in the first clause is obscure and broken, as if it consisted of incoherent exclamations. 0 remember — / — what — duration. For the meaning of the last word, see above, on Ps. xvii. 14, xxxix. 6 (5), and with the whole clause compare Ps. Ixxviii. 89, cxix. 84, Jobvii. 6, xiv. 1. The last clause is to be hypotheti- cally imderstood. " Why hast thou made all men in vain, as must be the case if their short Hfe is entirely filled with suffering ? " Or, " why dost thou give colour and occasion to the charge of having made men to no pur- pose ? Why, literally on what (account) or for what reason ? The next word in Hebrew (^}1Ii^) is a noun meaning vanity, nonentity, or nothing, here, and in Ps. cxxvii. 1, 2, used adverTsially in the sense of vainly, to no purpose, or for nought. 49 (48). What man shall live and not see death (but) rescue his soul from the hand of Sheol ? Selah. An indirect assertion of the melancholy fact that all must die, rendered still more pointed by the use of a word for man implying strength. See above, on Ps. Ixxxviii. 5 (4). As if he had said, what man is so strong as to live for ever and escape the common destiny of mortals ? This allusion cannot be preserved in any mere trans- lation. Rescue, literally cause to escape. His soul, considered as his Ufe or vital principle. Hand may be here, as often elsewhere, a figure for power ; or it may have its proper sense and denote the hand of Sheol, the Grave, Mortality or Death, as an ideal person. The Selah has the same force as in Ps. xxxix. 6, 12 (5, 11). 50 (49).' Where are thy former mercies, Lord, thou didst swear unto David in thy truth or {faithfulness). The first or former mercies of the Lord are those which he promised of old, especially to David, as expressly mentioned in the other clause. See above, on ver. 4, 36 (3, 35). The inquiry where they are implies that they have vanished, or that the fulfil- ment has not become visible. The last clause may be closely united with the first by supplying a relative between them, as in the common version, which thou swearest unto David. A simpler and more emphatic syntax is to make it a distinct proposition : thou didst swear unto David, and thy oath cannot be broken. See above, on ver. 36 (35). This last idea is involved in the concluding words, in thy veracity or faithfulness. "What God, as a God of truth, has sworn, not only will but must be executed. 51 (50). Remember, Lord, the reproach of thy servants, my heanng in my bosom all the many nations. The form of address is the same as in ver. 48 386 Psalm 89:5 J, 52 (47). The reproach of thy servants, the contempt and disgrace to which they are subjected. Thy servants, of whom I am one. Or the sudden transition to the first person singular may shew that the petitioner, in this whole context, is not an individual believer, but the Church at large. In my hosom may denote good measure or abundance. See above, on Ps. Ixxix. 12. Or hearing in my hosom may mean feeling in my heart, i. e. intensely, exquisitely, in which case nations must be put for the contempt of nations. More probable than either is the figure of gestation, according to which Zion, although now despised or hated by the nations, is one day to be their spiritual mother or their spiritual birth-place. See above, on Ps. Ixxxvii. 4, 6. The Hebrew adjective (D^2I1) may mean either great or many ; but the latter sense is more agreeable to usage and the collocation of the words in this case. The idiomatic plirase, all many nations, is equi- valent to saying, all the nations who are many in number. The word all might be used, however small the number of the nations. To express the whole idea, therefore, both words were required. 52 (51). Wherewith thine enemies have reproached, Jehovah, wherewith they have reproached the footsteps of thine Anointed. The connection indicated by the relative at the beginning is by no means clear. The common ver- sion, above given, makes reproach in ver. 51 (50) the antecedent. Some interpreters connect the relative with the verb at the beginning of that verse, and give it the force of a conjunction, "remember that (or how) thine enemies have reproached." Its proper meaning as a relative pro- noun may be retained by referring it to difi"erent antecedents. " (I) whom thine enemies have reproached, (thine enemies) who have reproached the steps of thine Anointed." This last expression seems to mean that they had tracked or followed him, wherever he went, with calumny and insult. 53(52). Blessed (he) Jehovah to eternity. Amen, and Amen. This is commonly regarded as no part of the psalm, but a doxology, marking the conclusion of the third book. See above, on Ps. xli. 14 (13), Ixxii. 18-20, and compare the Preface, p. 5. Psalm 90 The Fourth Book, according to the ancient traditional division of the Psalter, opens with the oldest Psalm in the collection. Or rather the author of the present arrangement, who was probably no other than Ezra, placed this sublime composition by itself, between the two great divisions of the book, containing respectively the Earlier and Later Psalms. See the Preface, p. 6. It may therefore be regarded as the heart or centre of the whole collection, and indeed as the model upon which even David, "the sweet psalmist of Israel " (2 Sam. xxiii. 1), formed that glorious body of psalmodic literature or hymnology, which, with its later but inspired and authoritative imitations, constitutes the present Book of Psalms. The date of the composition, though uncertain because not recorded, may with most probability be fixed near the close of the Error in the Wilderness, when the dying out of the older generation on account of their transgressions, and the threatened exclusion of Moses himself from the Promised Land, were exactly suited to produce such views of man's mortality and sinfulness as are here presented, but without destroying the anticipation of a bright futurity, such as really ensued upon the death of Moses, and is prospectively dis- closed in the conclusion of this psalm. Its great theme is the frailty and Psalm 90:1, 2 387 brevity of human life, considered as the consequence of sin, and as a motive to repentance and obedience. He first contrasts the eternity of God with the mortality of man, ver. 1-6, which is then described as the effect of the divine wrath on account of sin, ver. 7-11, and made the ground of apr-yer, with which the psalm concludes, for the speedy restoration of the divine favour, ver. 12-17. 1. A Prayer. By Hosts, the Man of God. Lord, a home hast thou heen to us, in generation and generation. The psalm is called a prayer, because the petition at the close (ver. 12-17) contains the essence of the composition, to which the rest is merely preparatory. For another case precisely similar, see above, on Ps. Ixxxvi. 1. The correctness of the title, which ascribes the psalm to Moses, is confirmed by its unique simplicity and grandeur ; its appropriateness to his times and circumstances, as ah-eady stated ; its resemblance to the law in urging the connection between sin and death ; its similarity of diction to the poetical portions of the Pen- tateuch, without the slightest trace of imitation or quotation ; its marked unUkeness to the psalms of David, and still more to those of later date ; and finally, the proved impossibility of plausibly assigning it to any other age or author. The arguments against its authenticity have com- monly been framed by a preposterous inversion of the evidence, con- verting into proofs of later date the very points of similarity which prove that this was the original and model psahn, the primeval basis upon which even David reared a noble superstructure of his own. The title Man of God is given to Moses, in Deut. xxxiii. 1, Josh. xiv. 6, Ezra iii. 2. and is often appHed to later prophets, especially Elijah and EUsha. See 1 Sam. ii. 27, 1 Kings xvii. 18, 24, xx. 28, 2 Kings i. 13, iv. 9, 21, 27, 42. It is here significant, implying that Moses wrote the psalm in this capacity. See above, on Ps. xviii. 1, xxxvi. 1, where David is in like manner called the Servant of Jehovah, a title given to Moses himself in the account of his death, Deut. xxxiv. 5, as David, on the other hand, is called the Man oj God, 2 Chron. viii. 14. Instead of hast heen some read art ; but though the preterite of other verbs may be used to express general truths, the pre- sent of the substantive verb is so commonly suppressed, that its form, when inserted, must have some significance. The truth seems to be, that the verse expresses only what God had been, but implies what he still was and still would be. A home, a fixed or settled dwelling, even while they wandered in the desert. The same noun is used by Moses, Deut. xxvi. 15, and a kindred form, Deut. xxxiii. 27. In generation and generation, in all successive generations. See above, on Ps. x. 6, xxxiii. 11, xlv. 18 (17), xlix. 12 (11), Ixi. 7 (6). 2. Before mountains were hom^ and (before) thou hadst brought forth earth and land, and (indeed) yVom eternity to eternity, thou (art) God. The mountains are first mentioned, according to a scriptural usage which de- scribes them as the oldest portions of the earth. See Gen. xlix. 26, Num. xxiii. 7, Deut. xxxiii. 15, Hab. iii. 6. By a strong but common and intel- ligible figure, creation is here described as generation. This is true not only of the first verb but of the second, which is too vaguely rendered in the common version {thou hadst formed). Earth, as opposed to heaven ; land, as opposed to sea. These are separately mentioned, as in the account of the creation. See Gen. i. 1,9. The last clause may also be translated, thou art, 0 God ! It then simply asserts his existence from eternity. Ac- cording to the other and more usual construction, it likewise asserts his omnipotence, the attribute denoted by the dinne name here employed. 388 Psalm 90:3 - 6 This is the fuller and more comprehensive sense ; bnt in favour of the other may be urged, that it is simpler and agrees best with the proximate design of the Psalmist to contrast the eternal God with short-Uved man. 3. Thou turnest man even to dust, and sayest, Return, sons of Man (or Adam) ! The evident allusion to Gen. iii. 19, which is also found in Job X. 9, xxxiv. 15, and reappears in Ps. civ. 29 (compare Ps. ciii. 14), may serve to determine the meaning of the word translated dust in the first clause, but which is properly an adjective signifying crushed, broken to pieces, ground to powder, and is figuratively applied, in Ps. xxxiv. 19 (18), to brokenness of heart. Compare Isa. Ivii. 15. The Hebrew preposition ("7^) is stronger than our to, and means as far as, even to. The full sense of the whole phrase is, even to the state of one completely crushed or ground to powder, even to a pulverised condition. The shortness and fragility of human life is thus brought into the strongest contrast with the eternity of God. 4. For a thousand years in thine eyes {are) as yesterday when it is past and a watch in the night. However long human life may appear to man himself, it is in God's sight evanescent and contemptible. Even the patri- archal measure, which so often approximated to a thousand years, was in God's sight like a single day in man's, or rather like a mere subdivision of it, a third part of the night, which was divided by the ancient Hebrews into three watches. See above, on Ps. Ixiii. 7 (6). That this division was as old as Moses, may be seen from Exod. xiv. 24. When it is past, or passing. It might also be translated, for it passes, i. e. no less hastily and swiftly. This verse is quoted and amplified, but without any change of meaning, 2 Pet. iii. 8. 5. Thou sweepest them away — a sleep are they — in the morning, like the grass, they pass away. The first Hebrew verb has no equivalent in Eng- hsh ; it means to sweep away or carry off, as by a di'iving rain. The sup- position of a reference to the flood is not necessary, though admissible. A derivative form of the same verb occurs above, Ps. Ixxvii. 18 (17). The comparison of human life to a sleep or dream is common in all languages. The morning is mentioned as the time of waking, the time when we are most impressed with the unsubstantial nature of our dreams. See above, Ps. Ixxiii. 20, and compare Ps. xxxix. 7 (6). The grass is an additional but obvious emblem of caducity. The last verb is not a plural form in Hebrew, but agrees with sleep, or rather with man, in the generic sense, whose life is here compared to sleep. 6. In the morning it blooms and (then) passes away, (for) at evening he mows and it withers. The mention of the morning, in ver. 5, as following the night, suggests the mention of the morning here, as followed by the evening. The first verb means not merely to flomish in the wide sense, but to bloom, as plants do. See above, on Ps. Ixxii. 16, and compare Num. xvii. 23 (8), which proves it to be a Mosaic expression. The verbs may agree with grass, or with man, whom the grass represents, more pro- bably the latter. The idea conveyed by supplying then is really involved in the grammatical relation of the Hebrew verbs, the second of which never means to grow or sprout, but always to pass or undergo a change. The third verb is active, but may be construed with an indefinite subject, and is then equivalent in meaning to a passive, he is mourn and withers. The withering is not here referred to as the effect of natural decay but of violent excision. With the whole verse compare Ps. xxxvii. 2, ciii. 15, Job xiv. 2. Psalm90:7-10 389 7. For we fail in thine anger, and in thy wrath are we affrighted. The natural decay or violent interruption of man's life is the effect of God's displeasure. The first verb means to waste away, decay, wear out, cease to exist. Compare its use in Ps. Ixxi. 9, Ixxiii. 26. The other verb is very inadequately represented by the English troubled. It means shocked, confounded, agitated, terror-stricken. See above, on Ps. ii. 5, vi. 3, 4 (2, 3), xlviii. 6 (5), Ixxviii. 33, Ixxxiii. 16 (15), and below, on Ps. civ. 29, and compare my note on Isa. Ixv. 23. It here denotes the natural instinc- tive dread of death. There is here a very sensible progression in the thought. Thus far the Psalmist had insisted merely on the frailty and bre- vity of human life ; but now he proceeds further and propounds the fearful doctrine, that this sorrowful mortality is not an accident but an infliction, the direct effect of the divine wrath. Whatever instrumental agencies may be employed to kill us, our real destroyer is the anger of our Maker. 8. Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret [sins) in the light of thy countenance. As man's mortality is the effect of God's wrath, so this wrath itself is the efl!"ect of sin. And this sin becomes the cause of death. See Gen. ii. 17, and compare Rom. v. 12. The verse before us represents God in the act of shortening man's life, and gives the necessary explanation of what might otherwise have seemed at variance with his in- finite benevolence. The Bible, as an eminent interpreter has well said, throws the blame of death entirely on man himself. When God slays man, he puts his sins before him, looks directly at them ; not only those which are notorious, but those which are concealed from every eye but that of omniscience. See Jer. xvi. 17, Heb. iv. 14, and compare Ps. xix. 15 (14), 1 Cor. iv. 4, 5. Another reading in the last clause, and most probably the true one, makes secret or concealed a singular and not a plural form, our secret ; but the reference is still to sin. The word translated light does not properly denote the element itself, but that from which it is derived, a luminary, just as we call a candle or a lamp a light. See above, on Ps. Ixxiv. 16. The precise sense seems to be, that God holds our sins to the light of his own countenance, and therefore cannot fail to see them. 9. For all our days are gone in thine anger ; we spend our years like a thought. The all in the first clause is emphatic. What he says is true of our whole Ufe. Are gone, literally turned away, as an act preparatory to departure. The word translated anger, though 6}Tionymous, is not identi- cal with either of those used above in ver. 7. It occurs, however, in Ps. vii. 7 (6), and according to its derivation properly denotes an outbreak of angry feeling. Spend, not as a mere synonyme of pass, but in the strong sense of consuming, wasting, as in Job xxxvi. 11 (compare xxi. 13). The Hebrew verb is the causative of that translated fail in ver. 7. The use of years as a parallel to days gives the sentence a climacteric effect. The word translated thought is elsewhere applied to audible sound (Ezek. ii. 10, Job xxxvii. 2), but only as the natural spontaneous expression of the thoughts and feelings, not to others but one's self. See above, on Ps. Ixiii. 7 (6), Ixxvii. 13 (12). By some strange misapprehension the Septuagint and Vulgate make it mean a spider, and the English versions have the singular periphrasis, a tale that is told. 10. The days of our years ! In them (are contained) seventy years, and if with strength eighty years, and their pride (is) trouble and mischief, for he drives (us) fast and we fly away. The parallelism of days and years in the preceding verse suggests their combination here, a combination used by Moses elsewhere in describing the long lives of the patriarchal history. See 390 Psalm90:ll-13 Gen. XXV, 7, xlvii. 8 (9). The words may here be taken simply as an absolute nominative, {as for) the days of our years, in them, &c. See above, on Ps. Ixxxix. 3 (2). But it adds to their significance, as well as to the beauty of the sentence, to explain them as a kind of wondering excla- mation, as if such a term scarcely deserved to be computed. In them are seventy years, this is what they comprise or comprehend, it is to this that they amount. The hfe of Moses was much longer (Deut. xxxiv. 7), but even in the history appears to be recorded as a signal exception to the general rule. If with strength, if accompanied with strength, or, as some prefer to construe it, if (the person be endued) with (more than usual) strength. The plural {strengths) may be an idiomatic form of speech, simply equivalent to the singular, or an intensive term denoting extraordi- nary strength. See above on Ps. xviii. 51 (50). Their pride, the best part of our days or years, the part in which we are most confident or most contented. The words translated trouble and mischief are in usage both applied to suffering at the hands or through the fault of others. The common version of the next verb {it is cut off) rests upon a doubtful etymology. In the only other place where the Hebrew verb certainly occurs (Num. xi. 31), it is appUed to the driving of the quails by a strong wind over the camp of Israel. It may here agree with God himself, or with a subject undefined, one drives (us), which is tantamount to saying, we are driven. Fast, literally {in) haste or hastily. And, as a necessary conse- quence we fly before the propellent power. 11. Who knows the power of thine anger and, according to thy fear, thy wrath f The separation of the clauses as distinct propositions makes the last unmeaning. The whole is one interrogation, implying strong negation, as if he had said, no one knows the power of thine anger. See above, on Ps. xiv. 4, Hii. 5 (4). The sense is no"t that no one can, but that no one wiU know it, as he might and ought. Knows, literally knowing, i. e. habi- tually. See above, on Ps. i. 6. The power of thine anger, its degree and the extent to which it operates. According to thy fear, as true piety or reverence for God demands. 21iy wrath, the same word that is used in the first clause of ver. 9 above. 12. To number our days thus make us know, and we will bring a heart of wisdom. The verb translated make us know is the causative of that in the preceding verse, to which there is an obvious allusion. It is therefore probable that they were meant to govern the same object. " "Who knows the power of thine anger ?" " So make us know (the power of thine anger)." The first words of the verse before us are then not immediately dependent on the phrase make {us) know, but merely indicate the end for which the knowledge was desired. "In order that we may number our days, i.e. know and feel how few they are, thus make us know, i. e. give us this know- ledge of the connection between God's wrath and our own mortality." The common version of the last clause {that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom) is forced and ungi-ammatical, without an arbitrary change of pointing. The only admissible construction of the masoretic text is that first given, which may either mean, as some of the rabbinical interpreters suppose, " we will bring into ourselves {i. e. acquire) a heart of wisdom," or "we will bring (as an ofi"ering to thee) a heart of -wisdom," with allusion to Gen. iv. 3, 4, where the same verb is absolutely used of Cain and Abel's ofierings. 13. Return, Jehovah ! How long (wilt thou forsake us) ? — And repent as to thy servants. To the prayer that the people may understand the causes of God's wrath is now added a prayer for its removal. The loss of Psalm90:14-17 391 God's favour is, as usual, represented as his absence. The aposiopesis in the question {hoio long ?) is hke that in Ps. vi. 4 (3), xiii. 2 (1). This clause being parenthetical, what follows is connected by the copulative particle with the imperative at the beginning. The meaning of the last clause is, so change thy dealing with thy servants as if thou hadst repented of afflicting them. The same bold form of speech is used by Moses else- where. See Exod. xxxii. 12, Deut. xxxii. 36, and compare the imitations in Judges ii. 18, Jer. xv. 6, Joel ii. 13, Jonah iv. 2, Ps. cxxxv. 14, 14. Satisfy us, in the morning, with thy mercy, and (then) we shall rejoice and be glad through all our days. God's gi-ace is here presented as the food required for the sustenance of his people. Satisfy or sate us, i. e. fill us, abundantly supply us. In the morning, early, speedily, perhaps with an allusion to the night as a common figure for affliction. See above, on Ps. v, 4 (3), xlvi, 6 (5), xlix, 15 (14), lix, 17 (16), Ixxxviii, 14 (13). The oblique construction of the last clause, that we may rejoice, dec, is really involved in the direct one, which is much more pointed and emphatic. In or through all our days, i. e. throughout the remainder of our Uves. The English idiom allows the suppression of the particle, as in the common version. 15. Make us glad according to the days thou hast afflicted us, the years we have seen evil. According to, literally as or like. The meaning is, com- pensate all our sufferings by proportionate enjoyments. The ellipsis of the relative is common in both idioms. The EngHsh Bible, by supplying it, enfeebles the expression without making the sense clearer. Days and years, as in ver. 9. The plui-al forms in the Hebrew are unusual and bor- rowed from Deut. xxxii. 7, a Mosaic feature of the psalm which cannot possibly be reproduced in any version. 16. Let appear unto thy servants thy doing, and thy glory on their sorts (or children). He prays that even to the elder generation there may be vouchsafed a token for good (Ps. Ixxxvi. 17), i. e. some assurance of the favours to be actually bestowed upon their children. Thus understood, the use of the two prepositions, to and on, is not unmeaning or fortuitous. God's work or doing is the course of his providential dealings, as in Ps. xcii. 5 (4) below; his glory, the manifestation of his divine perfections in external act. See above, on Ps. viii. 6 (5) xlv. 4 (3). This was to appear not only to but on the younger race> i. e. in their ovra experience. 17. And let the beauty of Jehovah our God be upon us, and the ivork of our hands establish upon us, and the work of our hands, establish thou it. While the glory of Jehovah is expected to be fully revealed only in his deal- ings with the next generation, he is still besought to grant their fathers the experimental knowledge of his beauty, loveliness, or all that renders him an object of affection. See above, on Ps. xxvii. 4. The work of our hands is a favourite Mosaic phrase for all that we do or undertake, all our affairs and interests. See Deut. xiv. 29, xvi. 15, xxiv. 19, xxviii. 12, xxx. 9. To establish or confirm it is to prosper and succeed it, to bring it to a favourable issue. The expression on m, as before, suggests the idea of an influence exerted and a favour granted from above. The yea of the com- mon version is substituted for the idiomatic repetition of the copulative and in the original. 392 Psalm 9 1:1 -4 Psalm 91 An amplification of the theme, that God is the dwelling-place and refuge of his people. This and other points of contact with the Prayer of Moses seem to mark it as an imitation of that psalm, and thereby account for its position in the Psalter. The most remarkable peculiarity of form in the psalm before us is the frequent change and alternation of the persons. The only division which can well be made is that into two stanzas or strophes, supposed to be marked by the recurrence in ver. 9 to the theine propounded in ver. 1. 1. Sitting (or dwelling) in the secret place of the Most High, in the shadow of the A Imighty he is lodged. The common version seems to make this an identical proposition, amounting really to this, that he whom God protects is protected by him. To avoid this, some make the whole verse a mere description of the person speaking in the next verse, and as this seems to be forbidden by the use of the first person there, they either make an arbi- trary change of pointing OQ>i) for (IQ^), or suppose a sudden change of person, as in other parts of this same psalm. Better than either of these constructions is a third, which makes the parallel clauses of this first verse descriptive of an ideal person, with whom the speaker is then tacitly iden- tified. As if he had said, " happy the man who dwells," &c., and then added, " such is my condition ; I can say," &c. For the figure of a secret place or covert, see above, on Ps. xxvii. 5, xxxi. 21 (20), xxxii. 7 ; for that of a shadow, on Ps. xvii. 8, xxxvi. 8 (7), Ivii. 2 (1). The divine titles, Highest and Almighty, suggest the reason of this perfect safety. The latter is the patriarchal title mentioned in Exod. vi. 3, where it is combined with (7l«^) a more familiar name denoting the same attribute. The last verb is strictly a reflective, and as such means to take up one's lodgings, to domes- ticate one's self, implying a voluntary choice more clearly than the primitive verb, as used above, in Ps. xxv. 13, xxx. 6 (5), xhx. 13 (12). 2. 1 vnll say to Jehovah, My refuge and my fortress, my God, 1 uill trust in him. The first verb, while it expresses purpose or determination, includes both a present and potential meaning. / can say, I have reason and a right to say ; and I do (habitually) say. In order to avoid another change of person, the common version and some others read of the Lord, which is admissible but needless. See above, on Ps. iii. 3 (2). Compare the other figures here used to denote divine protection with those in Ps. xviii. 3 (2), Ixxi. 7. In the last clause, I will trust in him, there may seem to be another sudden change of person ; but these words are really equivalent to a relative construction, in whom I trust, and may therefore be used even in a direct address. 3. For lo, he will free thee from the foider' s snare, from the plague of mis- chiefs. The confiding soul is now addressed directly in the tone of promise. The supposition of responsive choirs is a gratuitous refinement. The fowler s snare is a figure for insidious and complicated dangers. See above, on Ps. xviii. 6 (5), and below, on Ps. cxxiv. 7, and compare 2 Tim. ii. 26. The parallelism requires plague or ptestilence to be taken as a metaphor, no less than snare. Both probably denote dangers arising from the craft of wicked enemies, to which the word translated mischiefs is peculiarly appro- priate. See above, on Ps. v. 10 (9), Iii. 4, 9 (2, 7), Ivii. 2 (1). 4. With his pinion he ivill cover thee, and under his wings thou shaltfind Psalm91:5-ll 393 shelter ; shield and buckler (is) his truth. Compare the figure of an eagle, Deut. xxxii. 11. For the meaning of the first noun, see above, onPs. Ixviii. 14 (13). Cover thee, hterally cover [or provide a coverinrf) for thee. Find shelter or take refuge, see above on Ps. ii. 12. The word translated buckler is properly a participle, and means surrounding. See above, on Ps. xxxv. 2. 6. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night, for the arrow (that) files by day. Shalt not fear, i. e. shalt have no reason for alarm. Terror by night, literally of night, i. e. nightly or noctm^nal terror. There is no need of restricting this expression to any particular form of danger or distress, since all are usually aggravated by their occurrence in the night. Should any specific sense be put upon the figure of an arrow, fi'om analogy and usage, it would be that of human enmity. See above, on Ps. Iviii. 8 (7). The Hebrew preposition, in both clauses, properly means /rowi, i.e. arising or proceeding from, occasioned by, in consequence of, something else. 6. For the plague (that) in darkness walks, for the pestilence (that) wastes at noon. Here the words are to be taken in their proper sense, and not as in ver. 3, where they are figures for a different kind of danger, or for danger in the general. 7. There shall fall at thy side a thousand, and a myriad at thy right hand ; to thee it shall not come nigh. This is equivalent to saying in our idiom, though a thousand fall, dc, which, however, would not be an exact transla- tion, as it substitutes a hypothetical for an affirmative proposition, For the double sense and usage of the word translated myriad, see above, on Ps. iii. 7 (6), and compare the cognate form, Ps. Ixviii. 18 (17). Myriad represents the original term better than ten thousand, because it is wholly ditferent, in form and etymology, from that translated thousand. 8. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold, and the recompence of wicked (men) see. The only puts mere sight in opposition to experience or partici- pation. Compare Deut. xxxii. 85, 41. As usual in such cases, it is implied that the destruction of the wicked and deliverance of the righteous will be coincident and simultaneous. See below, on Ps. xcii. 12 (11). 9. For thou, Jehovah, (art) my refuge. The Most High hast thou made thy home (or habitation). The construction adopted in the EngHsh Bible is a forced one, only assumed in order to avoid the enallage or sudden change of person, which, however, is characteristic of this psalm. Equally needless and objectionable is the supposition of responsive choirs. 10. There shall not happen to thee (any) evil, and a stroke shall not approach into thy tent. The first verb is a causative passive, and strictly means, shall not be suffered or allowed to happen. Evil, i. e. natural evil, suffering or distress. The word translated stroke is very commonly appHed to God's strokes or afflictive judgments. See above, on Ps. xxxviii. 12 (11), xxxix. 11 (10). Into thy tent is an expression apparently intended to qualify the promise, which might otherwise have seemed too absolute and incon- sistent with the context, from which we learn that danger was to draw nigh, even to the righteous, but not so as actually to enter his tent, and take up its abode with him. 11. For his angels he will charge concerning thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. The plural angels shews that there is no allusion to a guardian spirit attending the individual believer, but merely to the angels collectively, as ministering spirits, the instrumental agents of God's providential care over his people. See Heb. i. 14. The promise here given does not extend to dangers rashly incurred or presumptuously sought, and was therefore no justification of the act to which our Lord was tempted by the devil, Mat. 394 Psalm 91 :12-]6 iv. 6. That the mere omission of the phrase in all thy ways was a part of the temptation, seems to be a gratuitous refinement, as our Lord himself makes no such charge ; as the first words of the sentence would of course suggest the rest ; and as ways, in the usage of the Psalms, does not mean ways of duty, but the ways in which a man is led by providence. Neither the tempter's argument nor our Lord's reply to it would be at all afiected by the introduction of the words suppressed. 12. Upon (their) hands shall they bear thee, lest thoustnke ayainst the stone thy foot. The dual form, denoting both hands, might be regarded as emphatic and suggestive of peculiar care ; but the Hebrew noun has no other plural form in common use. A smooth path and unimpeded walk is a common figure for prosperity and safety. Compare Prov. iii. 23. 13. On lion and adder thou shall tread ; thou shalt trample youny lion and drayon. These are commonly supposed to be strong figures for the two kinds of danger from which men need protection, open violence and secret treachery. The last word denotes a serpent, as in Exod. vii. 9. The specific meaning of the parallel term is unimportant. The young lion (not the lion's whelp) is mentioned as peculiarly fierce and greedy. See above, on Ps. xvii. 12, xxxiv. 11, xxxv. 17. From this verse our Lord derived the terms in which he promised protection to his followers, Luke X. 19. 14. For he has set his love v])on me, and I u'ill rescue him.; I xvill set him on hiyh because he knows my name. The first verb is a very strong expres- sion for the warmest and most violent attachment, corresponding in part with our idiomatic phrase to fall in love, and followed by a kindred preposi- tion. It seems to be here used to describe God as an object of supreme devotion to the true beUever. Rescue him, cause him to escape. Set him on hiyh, i. e. beyond the reach of danger. See above, on Ps. xviii. 3 (2), 49 (48), XX. 2 (1), Hx. 2 (1), Ixix. 80 (29). Knows my name, has aheady experienced my goodness and seen the evidence of my perfections. See above, on Ps. v. 12 (11), ix. 11 (10). 15. He shall call me and I will answer him. With him (am) I in trouble. I will deliver him and honour him. The meaning of the first clause is essen- tially the same as if he had said, ivhen he calls 1 will answer, but with much more directness and force in the expression. Calls vie to his aid, invokes me, prays to me. Ansiver him by granting his request, the idea commonly conveyed by the Hebrew verb here used. See above, on Ps. iii. 5 (4). The futures have their proper sense, as this is a direct and formal promise. I will be with him would have been expressed in the same manner ; but / am with him is still stronger, for it describes God as already present for the protection and deliverance of his people. Deliver him, extricate him from his embaiTassments and dangers ; and lest the promise should be thought to ensure mere safety, it is added, I will honour him, procure for him the respect of others by shewing that I favour him myself. 16. (With) lenyth of days will I satisfy him, and will shew him my salva- tion. With the first clause compare Exod. xx. 12, Deut. v. 16, Ps. xxiii. 6. Satisfy or satiate, i.e. abundantly supply and fully gratify his largest wishes. With the last clause compare Ps. 1. 23, where we have the same idiomatic construction of the verb to see with the preposition in, meaning to behold with strong emotion, and especially, emotion of a pleasurable kind. For a difierent application of the same phrase, see above, on Ps. xxxvii. 34. In the last three verses, God is himself the speaker, although not expressly so announced. See above, on Ps. xlvi. 11 (10), Ixxv. 3, 4 (2, 3), Ixxxvii. 4. Psalm 92:1 -8 395 Psalm 92 1, A Psalm. A Sonfjf. For the Sabbath-Day. The second title desig- nates the psalm as one of praise, in strict conformity to its contents. The immediate subject of the praise is the exhibition of God's power and wisdom in his providential dealings, both with the wicked and the righteous. As one main design of the Sabbath was to afford an opportunity for the admiring contemplation of God's works or doings, the psalm before us was peculiarly appropriate at such a time, and the third clause of the inscription is evidently correct. 2 (1). Good (is it) to give thanks unto Jehovah, and to make music to thy name, Most High I The duty about to be performed is here described as not only right but pleasant. For the meaning of the two verbs, see above, on Ps. vii. 18 (17). 3 (2). To declare in the morning thy mercy, and thy faithfulness in the nights. The sentence is continued from the preceding verse, the infinitive with which this opens being governed by the phrase it is good. In the morning, taken by itself, implies eagerness and promptness, and with the parallel phrase (in the nights) unremitting diligence and constancy. See above, on Ps. xvi. 7, xlii. 9 (8), Ixxvii. 7 (6), Ixxxviii. 14 (13), xc. 14 (13). Faithfulness in the fulfilment of promises. Faithfulness and mercy are here combined like truth and mercy in Ps. Ixxxix. 15 (14). 4 (3). On decachord and on lyre, on meditation luith a harp. The first word in Hebrew means a decade, a group or set of ten, and then an instru- ment of ten strings. See above, on Ps. xxxiii. 2. In the last clause, by a bold but intelligible figure, meditation is referred to as an instrument, pre- cisely as the lyre and harp are, the latter being joined with it as a mere accompaniment. 5 (4). For thou hast gladdened me, Jehovah, ivith thy work ; in the doings of thy hands I will rejoice. This verse introduces the theme or subject of the praise proposed, to wit, the work and doings of the Lord, i. e. his pro- vidential dealings. See above, on Ps. xc. 16, 17. The last verb denotes properly the vocal expression of an inward joy. 6 (5). Hoiv great are thy doings, Jehovah, (how) exceedingly deep thy thoughts ! Thoughts and doings are correlative expressions, signifying plan and execution. Deep, not mysterious, but vast, immense, and inexhaus- tible, corresponding to great in the othir clause. With this verse, compare Ps. xl. G (5), Isa. Iv. 9, Rom. xi. 23. 7 (6). A man-brute will not know, and a fool will not understand this. The compound term at the beginning means a man who is no better than a brute, i. e. equally irrational. See above, on Ps. xl. 21 (20), Ixxiii. 22, and below, on Ps. xciv. 8. Will not, cannot, or does not know. 2'his, i. e. what has just been said as to the depth of God's providential plans and purposes. 8 (7). In the springing up of wicked (men) like grass, and (when) all the doers of iniquity bloom, (it is) that they may be destroyed for ever. The infi- nitive, as well as the future, indicates the time of action. The literal translation of the last words is, for them to be destroyed until eternity. 9 (8). And thou (art) Most High to eternity, Jehovah ! This brief but pregnant proposition is the centre of the -psalm, and at the same time a summary of its contents. The superlative expression Most High is here used to translate a single Hebrew word whicli strictly means a height or 396 Psalm 92:9 -15 high place, but here denotes that which holds the highest place in the scale of being. For other applications of the same word, see above, on Ps. vii. 8 (7), X. 5, xviii. 17 (16). 10 (9). For lo, thine enemies, Jehovah — -for la, thine enemies shall perish ; dispersed shall be all the doers of iniquity. Jehovah must be the Most High, because his enemies not only yield to him, but perish in his presence. Here, as in Ps. Ixxxix. 11, 52 (10, 51), the enemies of God and of his people are identified. The last verb is properly a reflective, and may be translated, they shall scatter (or disperse) themselves, implying more activity and eager- ness than the simple passive, shall he scattered. Compare Job iv. 11. 11 (10). And thou hast raised, like the unicorn's, my horn ; I am anointed with fresh oil. He now contiasts his own experience with that of his ene- mies and God's. With the figure of the first clause compare Ps. xviii. 3 (2), Ixxv. 5, 6, 11 (4, 5, 10), Ixxxix. 18, 25 (17, 24). I am anointed or / anoint (my head), the Hebrew verb being elsewhere always active. The figure is borrowed from the ancient custom of anointing the head on festive occasions. See above, on Ps. xxiii. 5. Fresh oil, literally green, i. e. verdant, a quality properly belonging to the tree being here transferred to its most valuable product. 12 (11). And my eye has looked upon mj/ enemies ; of those rising up against w?, evil-doers, my ears shall hear. The sense is that he sees and hears what is become of them. Their destruction is implied, though not expressed. The word translated enemies occurs only here. According to the most probable etymology it means tuatchers, Hers in wait or ambush. See above, on Ps. xxvii. 11, liv. 7 (5), Ivi. 3 (2), lix. 11 (10), where a cog- nate form occurs. My insurgents, or those rising up against me, expresses the accessor}' idea of rebellion against rightful authority. See above, on Ps. iii. 2 (1), liv. 5 (3), Ixxxvi. 14. The addition of ma/t/ac^ors, evil-doers, shews that it is not merely as his enemies, but on account of their trans- gressions against God, that he expects his foes to perish. 13 (12). A righteous (man) like a palm-tree shall sprotd, like a cedar in Lebanon shall grow. Some suppose an allusion to the fact that these trees thrive even in the most unfavourable situations. All that it is necessary to assume, however, is that as trees in general are natural and common em- blems of a prosperous existence, so the same idea is conveyed with still more emphasis by the noblest species. The supposition of a reference to the decorations of the temple is gratuitous and far-fetched. 14 (13). Planted in the house of Jehovah, in the courts of our God they shall bloom (or flourish). See above, on Ps. Hi. 10 (8), where the same image is presented, in a still more specific form, the olive-tree being there particularly mentioned. 15 (14.) Still shall tMy bear fruit in old age ; fat and green shall they be. In old age, Hterally in grey or hoary hair. Of the epithets in the last clause one properly denotes an animal, the other a vegetable quality. The essen- tial idea is that of the foregoing verse carried out into detail. 16 (15). To declare that Jehovah is just — my Hock — and no unrighteous- ness in Him. See above on Ps. xviii. 3 (2), and compare Deut. xxxii. 4. The epithet jtist denotes the essential rectitude of God, including his vera- city and faithfulness to his engagements. See above, on Ps. xxv. 8. My Bock may be simply in apposition with Jehovah, Jehovah my Rock is just, or a second predicate, Jehovah is just (and) my Rock. Psalm 93:1 -5 397 Psalm 93 The theme of this psalm is God's superiority to all opposing powers, and the consequent safety of his church and people. There are strong reasons for beUeving that it was designed, with the one before it, to form a pair or double psalm. Besides those drawn from the number of verses and of the divine names, this whole psalm may be described as an amplification of the laconic dictum in Ps. xcii. 9 (8). There is nothing to determine its precise date ; but there seem to be expressions in it, which imply the existence of imminent danger to the theocracy from some great hostile power. 1. Jehovah reigns; (with) majesty he clothes himself; Jehovah clothes himself with strength (and) girds himself; also established is the world, it shall not be moved. The first clause does not simply affirm Jehovah's sove- reignty as a general truth, but announces the fact that he has just become king or begun to reign, {. e. manifested himself anew in his regal character. The same form of the verb is used in reference to the accession of earthly monarchs, 2 Sam. xv. 10, 1 Kings i. 11, 13, 2 Kings ix. 13. The word translated majesty is the one applied in Ps. Ixxxix. 11 (10) to the swelling of the sea. Its use here may be intended to suggest the superiority of God to the powers of this world. Clothes himself with^ literally puts on, wears. The other verb is reflective in form. The also introduces the consequence of this exaltation. See below, Ps. xcvi. 10, xcvii. 1, xcix. 1, and com- pare Isa. xxiv. 23, Obad. 21, Zech. xiv. 9, Rev. xi. 17, xix. 6. 2. Fixed [is) thy throne of old; from eternity [art) thou. Fixed, firmly established, permanently settled. Compare 2 Sam. vii. 13, 16, 1 Kings ii. 45. Of old, Hterally /rom then, as in the margin of the English Bible. Compare Prov. viii. 22, Isa. xlviii. 3, v. 7. With the last clause compare Ps. xc. 2, and with the whole verse Rev. i. 17. 3. The floods have raised, Jehovah, the floods have raised their voice; the floods will raise their crash, or crashing noise. The last Hebrew word occurs only here, but its etymology is obvious and perfectly analogous to that of waves or breakers in the next verse. The idea here conveyed is that of the noise made by the dashing of waves against each other or upon the shore. The preterite and future forms include the present, but suggest the additional idea of what has been heretofore and may be expected to continue hereafter. The emphatic repetition of the verb is like that in ver. 1, and reappears in this whole series (Ps. xci.-c.) as a characteristic feature. 4. More than the voices of waters — many — mighty — sea-billows — mighty in the high-place [is) Jehovah. More than, hterally /rom, away from, the particle by which comparison is commonly expressed in Hebrew. The common version of the next clause, mighty waves of the sea, is scarcely grammatical, as the adjective, according to analogy and usage, cannot agree with the noun following, but must be in apposition with the adjective before it, and agree with the same object. The word translated mighty corres- ponds, in part, to our epithets, sublime and grand. See above, on Ps. viii. 1. Sea-billows, literally breakers of the sea. Compare Ps. xlii. 8 (7), Ixxxviii. 8 (7), Jonah ii. 4 (3). That the comparison was meant to be be- tween the noise of the sea and that of thunder considered as the voice of God, is an admissible but not a necessary supposition. See above, on Ps. xxix. 5. 5. Thy testimonies are sure, very [snre) ; to thy house suits (or is becom- ing) holiness, Jehovah, unto length of days. The testimonies of God are all 398 Psalm 94:1 -3 the provisions of his Law, as in Ps. xix. 8 (7), xxv. 10, but with special reference, in this as in several other cases, to its promises. See above, on Ps. \x. 1, Ixxx. 1. The verb here used is a passive, meaning strictly to be founded, settled, or secured. From this clause is borrowed the form of expression in Rev. xix. 9, xxi. 5, xxii. 6. The intensive adverb very or exceedingly has the same effect as when in English we use an epithet and add extremely so or very much so. The verb translated suits (or is becom- ing) is the root of the adjective used in Ps. xxxiii. 1. Compare my note on Isa. Hi. 7. Holiness is by some understood to mean sacredness, immunity from profanation, and of course from violent intrusion. See above, on Ps. Ixxiv. 3. The house of God is here referred to, as the place where he dwelt with his people, and they with him. To length of days, see Ps. xxiii. 6. Psalm 94 This psalm may be divided into two parts, in the first of which the ancient church complains of Jehovah's absence and apparent desertion, and of the consequent triumph of his enemies, ver. 1-11, while in the second she asks and confidently looks for his return and their destruction, ver. 12-23. There is nothing to determine the precise date of the composition, much less to restrict it to any particular historical occasion. Though some things in it seem peculiarly appropriate to the state of Judah on the eve of the Babylonish conquest, it is so constructed as to be a vehicle of pious feeling to the church in various emergencies. 1. God of revenges, Jehovah, God of revenges, shine forth ! Some inter- preters, following the ancient versions, make the last Hebrew word a finite verb, as it certainly is in Deut. xxxiii. 2, Ps. 1. 2, Ixxx. 2 (1). The mean- ing then is, he has shined or shines, and the psalm opens with a confident anticipation of God's intervention, as in Ps. xciii. 1, xcvii. 1, xcix. 1. In this case, however, the tone of confidence does not reappear until ver. 12, and the imperatives in ver 2 make the similar construction of the verb in this case much more natural, though less agreeable to usage, than the other. The terms of this verse are borrowed from Deut. xxxii. 35, xxxiii. 2. See above, on Ps. 1. 2. The plural form (revenges) denotes fulness and variety. See above, on Ps. xviii. 51 (50). This expression, with the two divine names [El and Jehovah) recognise God as almighty, eternal, self-existent, bound by covenant to his people, and alone entitled to take vengeance. 2. Raise thyself, Judge of the Earth, return a recompence upon the proud. The first verb is equivalent in meaning to the more familiar term, arise, i. e. arouse thyself from inactivity, address thyself to action. See above, on Ps. iii. 8 (7). The specific sense, which some interpreters assume, " Ascend the judgment-seat," is not expressed by this verb, but suggested by the context. The word translated recompence strictly means the treatment of one person by another, to return which is to retaliate or recompense it. See above, on Ps. vii. 5 (4), and compare Ps. Ixxix. 12. The use of the particle upon implies the inequality of the parties or the superiority of the avenger, from whom the recompence, as it were, comes down upon the guilty. 3. How long shall wicked [men), Jehovah, how long shall wicked (men) triumph? The question, as usual in such cases, implies that they have already triumphed long enough or too long, and therefore really involves a prayer that they may triumph no longer. The interruption and resumption of the sentence is like that in ver. 1, and in Ps. xcii. 9 (8), xciii. 1, 3. Psalm94:4-10 399 4. (How long) shall they pour forth, utter insolence, talk of themselves — all the workers of iniquity f This is usually taken as an independent pro- position, they pour forth, &c. But it seems a more natural construction to continue the interrogation from the other sentence. Four forth is a figure for excessive and unad\ised speech. See above, on Ps. lix. 8 (7), and com- pare Ps. xix. 3 (2). TJtter in words, speak, talk. Insolence, arrogance, as in Ps. Ixxv. 6 (5). The last verb is a reflexive form of the verb (1DJ<) to say, occurring only here. According to the general analogy of those forms, it may mean to talk to one's self, or of one's self, or with each other. The second agrees best with what is said just before of their insolent or arrogant discourse. 6. Thy people, Jehovah, they grind (ox crush), and thy inheritance they humUe (or afflict). The first verb means to bruise, break in pieces, or re- duce to powder. The people and heritage of God are synonymous expres- sions, the people being so called because they belonged to him, and were possessed by him, from generation to generation. The terms of this verse seem to point out foreign persecutors or oppressors as the subject of complaint. 6. Widoio and stranger they kill, and orphans they murder. The strong- est description of injustice and violence is given by saying, that they not only wrong but murder the very classes of sufferers, who in the Law are constantly exhibited as objects of compassion. See Ex. xxii. 20-23 (21-24), Deut. X. 18. 7. And t J ley say, Jah will not see, and the God, of Jacob will not attend. The same impious presumption is expressed in Ps. x. 11, 13, xiv. 1, hx. 8 (7). The divine names are, as usual, significant. That the self-existent and eternal God should not see, is a palpable absurdity ; and scarcely less 80, that the God of Israel should suffer his own people to be slaughtered without even observing it. The last verb means to mark, note, notice. 8. Attend, ye brutish among the people ; and ye fools, when will ye act wisely ? See above, on Ps. Ixxiii. 22, xcii. 7 (6). The first verb is the same with that at the end of the preceding verse. It is stronger than the EngHsh word attend, implying in all cases an intelligent attention, so that it may be rendered, as it is by many, understand. The word translated brutish is a participle, denoting habitual conduct or a permanent condition. The question in the last clause is a virtual exhortation to being at once. The verb in this clause has its usual active meaning. See above, on Ps. ii. 10. xiv. 2, xH. 2 (1). In (or among) the people no doubt means in Israel itself, as in Judges v. 9, where the form of expression is the same. 9. Shall the planter of the ear — shall he not hear ? Or the former of the eye, shall he not see f The words translated planter and former are active participles, and denote something continually going on. The figure of planting suggests the two ideas of formation and insertion. By a similar figure we might speak in English of implanting the faculty or sense of hearing. The act denoted by the parallel Hebrew word is that of shaping, moulding. The participle here used, when employed as a noun, means a potter. See above, Ps. ii. 9. The peculiar form of the translation of the first clause is intended to represent that of the original, in which the inter- rogative but not the negative particle is repeated. This may be reckoned as another instance of the reduplicated forms by which this series of psalms is characterised. 10. Shall the reprover of nations — shall he not chastise — he that teaches 400 Psalm 94:11 - 16 mankind knowledge f The antithesis is not between Israel and the Gen- tiles, but between whole nations or all naankind and individual olFenders. Reprover, the one reproving or accustomed to reprove, warn, or admonish. See above, on Ps. ii. 10, xvi. 7. The parallel term is nearly synonymous, and means to correct by word or deed. The structure of the first clause is the same as in the verse preceding. In the last clause, by an aposiopesis not uncommon in the Hebrew idiom, the parallelism is left to be completed by the reader. The full sense seems to be, is he who teaches all mankind not competent to teach men individually ? He that teaches, literally the {one) teaching. 11. Jehovah knows the thoughts of mankind, that they (are) vanity. The verbal form is still that of a participle, knowing, habitually knowing, what they are and what they deserve. Such knowledge carries with it, as a necessary consequence, condemnation and punishment. See above, on Ps. i. 6. Thoughts, purposes, designs. See above, on Ps. xl. 5 (4). Instead of that, some give the particle its usual sense of /or, because, without a mate- rial change of meaning. The pronoun they seems in English to relate necessarily to thoughts; but in Hebrew the more natural antecedent is man as a generic or collective term, because the pronoun is masculine and thoughts feminine ; because the same thing is predicated, in the same form, of men themselves, Ps. xxxix, 6, 12 (5, 11); and because this idea is better suited to the context here. 12. Happy the man whom thou icarnesf, Joh, and from thy law teachest him. This is the turning point, at which the tone of the composition be- comes more encouraging. The word for man is the one implying strength, and here suggesting the idea, that he is truly fortunate whose strength arises from the divine counsel and control. Wamest and wilt warn, or admonish, the same verb that occurs in the first clause of ver. 10. From thy law may be partitively understood, as meaning something of thy law, a part or portion of it. But it more probably means out of, from, thy law, as the source of consolation and instruction. See above, on Ps. xxii. 26 (25). 13. To give him rest from, days of evil, until a pit be digged for the wicked. Compare Ps. xlix. 6 (5), cxii. 8. The first verb is a causative, to make him rest. From days of evil does not mean merely after them, but so as to escape them. The last clause ensures the safety of the righteous even during the prosperity and triumph of the wicked. 14. For Jehovah will not forsake his people, and his inheritance he will not leave. The reason why they are happy who confide in and obey the divine instructions is that God can never utterly forsake those who thus ti'ust him, although he may leave them for a time when they leave him. See Deut. xxxii. 15, Judges vi. 13, Isa. ii. 6. 15. For unto righteousness shall judgment turn, and after it (shall go) all the upright in heart. The apparent disturbance of the divine administration is to cease, and justice to return to its accustomed channels. In the last clause the righteous are described as following in its train or attending its triumphal march. 16. Who will arise for me with evil doers ? Who will stand up for me with workers of iniquity 9 Arise, address himself to action. See above, on Ps. iii. 8 (7). For me, for my support in my defence. V/ith, in conflict or contention with. Stand up, take a stand, assume a position. See above, on Ps. ii. 2. Evil-doers, as in Ps. xcii. 12 (11). Workers of Ini- quity, as in ver. 4 above. The interrogation in this verse prepares the way for the expression of confidence in that which follows. Psalm94:17-23 401 17. Unless Jehovah were a help for me, soon would my soul inhabit silence. The phrase a help for me occurs above, Ps. Ixiii. 8 (7), and a similar one, Ps. xliv. 27 (26). For the meaning of the phrase translated soon, see above, on Ps. ii. 12, Ixxxi. 15 (14). To dwell in (or inhabit) silence is to be constantly surrounded by the silence of the grave or of death. See above, Ps. xxxi. 18 (17), and below, Ps. cxv. 17. 18. If I say. My foot slips, thy wercy, 0 Jehovah, holds me up. If at any time my hope of safety from the Lord's protection yields to fear, his grace sustains and reinvigorates it. The preterites in the Hebrew of the first clause imply that such lapses or temptations have occurred in his ex- perience, when his foot seemed to have swerved or slipped already ; while the future at the close represents the act of sustentation as one which he expects to be continued or renewed hereafter. 19. In the multitude of my cares within me, thy comforts cheer my soul. The second noun, which is of rare occurrence, 'does not mean thoughts in general, but uneasy, anxious thoughts, solicitudes, or cares. The addition of within me renders still more prominent the idea that it was not mere external troubles that disturbed his peace. Thy comforts, the consolations of thy word. See above, on ver. 13. Cheer or shall cheer, gladden, or exhilarate. My soul not only completes the parallelism, but suggests the idea of a cordial genuine exhilaration. See above, on Ps. iii. 3 (2). 20. Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law. This, which is the version in the English Bible, yields a good sense, and the one preferred by some of the best interpreters. Others explain the last clause, framing mischief against law. In either case, framing means contriving, plotting. The first verb in Hebrew is supposed by some to be a passive form, shall it be associated or allied (with) thee, the connective particle being omitted by a common poetic licence, for another instance of which see above, Ps. v. 5 (4). Others explain it as an active verb corresponding with the dubious English verb to fellowship a person. Iniquity, or more exactly, crimes. See above, on Ps. v. 10 (9), xxxviii. 18 (12), Iii. 4, 9 (2, 7), Iv. 12 (11), Ivii. 2 (1), xci. 3. Both this word and its parallel translated mischief are applied in usage to the sufier- ings brought upon one person by the misconduct of another. With respect to the second term (70^), see above, on Ps. vii. 17 (16). T T ' 21. They crowd icpon the soul of the righteous, and innocent blood they condemn. The first verb means to rush in crowds or troops, and may therefore be expressed in English by the verbs, to crowd, to troop. Con- demn, literally make guilty, i. e. recognise and treat as such. The futures, as usual, suggest the probable continuance of the evil in question. 22. And (yet) Jehovah has been to me for a high place, and my God for the rock of my refuge. Our idiom would require but at the beginning of this sentence. The verb to be followed by for, is sometimes used in He- brew to express the meaning of our verb become, which may here be consi- dered as at least included. A high place, beyond the reach of danger. My rock of refuge, the rock where I take refuge from my enemies. See above, on Ps. ix. 10 (9), xviii. 3 (2), xlvi. 8, 12 (7, 11), xlviii. 4 (3), lix. 10, 18 (9, 17). 23. And he returns upon them their iniquity, and in their wickediiess he loill destroy them, (yes) destroy them will Jehovah our God. The first verb denotes retaliation or requital. The preposition upon suggests the idea of infliction by a superior power. Iniquity expresses their misconduct towards 402 Psalm 95:] -5 others, wickedness the general depravity which prompted it. In their wickedness, i. e. in the midst of it, and by implication on account of it. The verb destroy is the one used in Ps. liv. 7 (5), Ixix. 5 (4), ci. 5. The repetition of the last verb with its object is like that in Ps. xc. 17. Com- pare Ps. xcii. 8 (7), xciii. 4, xciv. 1. The force of this emphatic repe- tition may be partially secured in English by a particle of affirmation, yea or yes. Psalm 95 This psalm contains, first, an exhortation from the Psalmist to praise God as the creator and the sovereign of the earth, ver. 1-8, and then, a warning from God himself to his people not to imitate the obstinate unbe- lief of their fathers in the wilderness, ver. 9-11. The psalm is quoted in the New Testament (Heb. iv. 7) as what God said in David, which may either mean the Book of Psalms, so called from its chief author, or this particular psalm, as actually written by him. The latter supposition, although not necessary, is entirely admissible, because, however suitable the psalm may seem to particular junctures long posterior to David, the very generality of its expressions makes it probable that it was not com- posed in the midst of the events, but long beforehand. 1. Come, let us sing unto Jehovah, let us shout unto the roch of our salva- tion. The first verb properly means go, but is constantly used like come in other languages, as a formula of invitation, in summoning others to partici- pate in some act of the speaker. The two verbs in this verse are those commonly applied to the vocal expression of joy and triumph. The rock of our salvation, the strong ground of our confidence, the basis upon which our hope of safety rests. See above, on Ps. xviii. 3 (2), and compare Ps. bdi. 8 (7), xcii. 16 (15), xciv. 22. 2. Let us come before his face with thanksgiving, and in songs let us shout unto him. The first verb is here used in its primary and proper sense. See above, on Ps. x\'ii. 13. That of surprising, or taking by surprise, upon which some interpreters insist, is neither intelhgible in itself, nor suited to the context, nor justified by usage. To shout in songs is to sing aloud and with a voice of triumph, 3. For a great God [is) Jehovah, and a great King above all gods. This is not inconsistent with the doctrine elsewhere taught, that other gods have no real existence. See below, Ps. xcvi. 4, 5, where both truths are asserted together. The very name of God used in the first clause is expressive of omnipotence. 4. In ivhose hand are the depths of the earth, and the strength of the hills (belongs) to him. God's possession of the whole earth is so asserted as to leave no room for other gods. The word translated depths means, accord- ing to its etymology, places to be searched into, i. e. requiring search to find them, inmost recesses. The word translated strength is plural in Hebrew, and seems properly to mean fatiguing exertions, from which some derive the idea of strength, others that of extreme height, which can only be reached by exhausting eflbrt. 5. To whom (belongs) the sea, and he made it, and the dry land his hands did form. The land and water are here put together, as the depths and heights are in ver. 4, to describe the earth in its whole extent as subject to Jehovah, by virtue of his right as its creator. Psalm 95:6 -10 403 6. Come, let us how dawn and bend, let us Jcneel before Jehovah our Maker The come at the beginning of this verse is not a mere particle of exhortation, as in ver. 1, but an invitation to God's presence. The Hebrew verb is one that strictly means to come, and sometimes to enter. See above, on Ps. Ixxi. 16. This verse requires the external indication of devout emotion, and not the mere internal feeUng, although the latter is the most essential, as appears from what follows. 7. For He (is) our God, and we {are) the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand, to-day, if to his voice ye will hearken. The people of his pasture are those fed and nurtured by him. The sheep of his hand are those led and guarded by him. See above, on Ps. xxiii. 3, 4, Ixxiv. 1, Ixxx. 13 (12). We not only have been so, but are so now, to-day, provided we obey him. The last clause contains the condition of the first, precisely as in Ps. Ixxxi. 9 (8), In both cases this construction is more natural and satisfactory than either of the others among which interpreters have been divided ; some making if an optative particle, " if ye would only hear !" — some supplying an apodosis, as in Exod. xxiii. 21, 22, to which there seems to be an obvious allusion ; — some continuing the sentence into the next verse, which is forbidden by the change of person there. This last construction is adopted in the Septuagint, as quoted in Heb. iii. 9 ; but this decides nothing as to the Hebrew syntax. To hear (or hearken to) God's voice is a common Hebrew phrase for obeying his commands. 8. Harden not your heart like Meribah, like the day of Massah in the wilderness. Be not wilfully and obstinately insensible. Your heart, in the singlar number, because the people are addressed as an ideal person. Like Meribah, i. c. as your fathers did at Meribah. Like the day of Massah, as they did at that period of your national history associated with the name of Massah. The reference is to Exod. xvii. 7. The incident there recorded is here specified, for the sake of the significant names given to the place, Meribah (strife) and Massah (temptation). God himself is here abruptly introduced as speaking. See above, on Ps. xlvi. 11 (10), Ixxv. 3, 4 (2, 3), Ixxxvii. 4, xci. 14. 9. When (or where) your fathers tempted me ; they proved me (and) also saw my work. The fii-st word in Hebrew is the relative pronoun, which for in which, as in Ps. Ixxxiv. 4 (3). This may either mean in which place (where), or at which time (when), more probably the former, as the pre- ceding verse is full of local nouns. Tempted me, see above, on Ps. Ixxviii. 18, 41. Proved me, put me to the proof of my existence, presence, and power, by requiring me to work, i. e. to act in an extraordinary manner. And this desire, unreasonable as it was, I gratified. They not only de- manded but they likewise (DJl) saw my work, i. e. what I could do. Some restrict these last words to the previous displays of God's almighty power, especially the plagues of Egypt. " They proved me, or put me to the proof, although they had seen my work." But neither the sense thus put upon the likewise, nor the pluperfect meaning of the verb, should be as- sumed without a greater necessity than here exists. 10. Forty years I am vexed with a (wicked) generation, and say, A people of wanderers in heart (are) they, and they do not knoio my ways. The first verb strictly means to be sick of, or disgusted with, a thing or person. The future form expresses more distinctly the idea of protracted trial and annoyance. A generation, or contemporary race, as distinguished from mere individuals. This expression is the more appropriate because the threatening was fulfilled, with scarcely an exception, in the whole genera 404 Psalm 96: 1,2 tion that came out of 'Egypt. The qualifying epithet suppHed in the trans- lation is derived from Deut i. 35 (compare Deut. ii. 14). I say or said, i. e. I had occasion or good cause to say, I could have said with truth, or I was compelled to say. The next clause contains an allusion to their twofold wandering or error. They were not only wanderers in body but in heart, i. e. they erred from the path of duty, truth, and safety. This allusion seems to be continued in the last clause. They were not more bewildered in the mazes of the trackless waste, than ignorant of God's ways, i.e. of the meaning and design of his providential deahngs with them. Compare Deut. xxix. 3. 11. Unto whom I sware in my wrath, If they shall come into my rest (or resting-place). Here again the fii'st word is a relative pronoun, and may either be a dative, as in the common version of the first clause above given ; or an adverb of time or place {when or uhere), as in ver. 9 above ; or a con- junction (so that), as the latest interpreters prefer. The conditional clause, with which the sentence closes, is the strongest form of negation, being that employed in the most solemn oaths. See above, on Ps. Ixxxix. 36 (35). It is here equivalent to saying, they shall not come, &c. The form of speech is that actually used in the original threatening, as recorded by Moses, Num. xiv. 23, 30, Deut. i. 35. The word for rest is not an abstract but a local term, as indicated by its form. It is here applied to the Promised Land, as in Deut. xii. 9. There is something unusual and abrupt in the conclusion of this psalm, without any cheering prospect to relieve the threatening. This may be best explained by assuming, that it was not meant to stand alone, but to form one of a series. Psalm 96 A JOYOUS celebration of the universal spread of the true religion and conversion of the Gentiles. The structure of the psalm is perfectly simple, and all attempts at artificial subdivision and aiTangement are either wholly arbitrary or founded upon dubious hypotheses. The marked resemblance of the diction to that of Isaiah in his later prophecies, has been thought to fix the date of the composition as posterior to that prophet. This seems in- deed to be forbidden by the fact that in 1 Chron. xvi., as commonly inter- preted, this psalm, with portions of others, is said to have been sung at the dedication of the tabernacle on mount Zion in the time of David. But according to Hengstenberg, the true sense of that passage is, that David instituted the musical service of the sanctuary, of which samples are then given, taken not from the most ancient psalms, but from those most fami- liar to the people when the history was written. See below, the prefatory note to Ps. cv. and cvi. The psalm before us seem to form a pair or double psalm with that preceding, the Jews and Gentiles being then successively addressed, as in Isa. ii. 3-5, but in an inverted order. 1. Sing unto Jehovah a new song ; sing unto Jehovah all the earth. A new song implies fresh occasion to praise God, not for the mere repetition of his former favours, but for some new dispensation of his grace. See above, on Ps. xxxiii. 3, xl. 3 (2). The one here meant is the extension of his favour to the nations, who are therefore summoned in the last clause to celebrate his praise themselves. Compare Isa. xlii. 10, Rev. v. 9, 10. 2. Sing unto Jehovah, bless his name, proclaim from day to day his sal- vation. To bless his name is to praise him for the manifestation of his Psalm 96:3 - 9 405 attributes. The verb translated proclaim is constantly applied to joyful tidings. See above, on Ps. xl. 10 (9), Ixviii. 12 (11), and compare Isa. Ix. 9, lii. 7, Ix, 6. The phrase/rom day to day implies that the occasion of the praise required is not a transient one but permanent and perpetual. Bis salvation, that which he hast wrought, provided and revealed, not for the Jews only but for the Gentiles also. With this and the preceding verse compare 1 Chron. xvi. 23. 3. Recount among the nations his glory, among all the peoples his wonders. The use of glory, to denote the special manifestation of God's attributes, is a characteristic feature of Isaiah's later prophecies. To preclude all doubt as to the extent of the invitation, the ambiguous expression all the earth, in ver. 1, is here explained to mean the nations, and then still more absolutely all the peoples. The only variation of the parallel passage (1 Chron, xvi. 24) is the insertion of the objective particle if\i^) in the first clause. 4. For great [is) Jehovah, and to be praised exceedingly ; to he feared [is) He above all gods. He is not a mere local deity, as the heathen were disposed to imagine, even in reference to their own divinities. With this verse compare Ps. xlvii. 3 (2), xlviii. 2 (1), Ixxvii. 14 (13), Ixxxvi. 8, xcv. 3, xcvii. 8, xcix. 2. 5. For all the gods of ike nations are nothings, and Jehovah the heavens did make. Nothings, nonentities, a favourite description of idols in Isaiah's later prophecies. See e.g. Isa. xli. 24, and compare Lev. xix. 4, xxvi. 1, 1 Cor. viii. 4-6, x. 19. A less probable etymology of the Hebrew word makes it a diminutive of (bhJ) El, analogous to godlings, as an expression of contempt. The contrast intended is extreme and absolute. He called the world into existence ; they do not even exist themselves. See above, Ps. xcv. 4. 6. Honour and majesty [are] before him, strength and beauty in his holy place. The first combination occurs above, Ps. xlv. 4 (3). Before him, as his constant attendants or forerunners. Beauty, all that is lovely and admirable. See above, on Ps, Ixxi. 8, His holy place, his earthly resi- dence, regarded as a radiating centre even to the Gentiles ; or the place where God reveals himself, whatever it may be, 7. Give to Jehovah, ye famiUes of nations, give to Jehovah glory and strength. Compare Ps. xxix. 1. Here, as there, to give is to ascribe or recognise as belonging to him. The expression /am<7/>s of nations is Mo- saic. See Gen. xii. 3. The parallel passage (1 Chron. xvi. 27) has, strength and joy {are) in his place. 8. Give unto Jehovah the glory of his name ■; take an offering and come to his courts. With the first clause compare Ps. xxix. 2. The verb trans- lated take includes the ideas of taking up and carrj'ing. See above, on Ps. Ixviii, 30 (29), Ixxii. 10, Ixxvi, 12, and compare 2 Sam. viii. 2. The word offering is the one used to denote the bloodless or vegetable oblation of the Mosaic ritual. His courts, see above, on Ps. Ixv. 5 (4), Ixxxiv. 3 (2), xcii. 14 (13). The parallel passage (1 Chron, xvi, 29) has before him. 9. Bow down to Jehovah in beauty of holiness ; tremble before him, all the earth ? The first verb denotes the act of bowing to the ground, as prac- tised in the East. For the meaning of the next phrase, beauty of holiness, see above, on Ps. xxix. 2, from which place it is borrowed here. The last clause enjoins the reverential awe due to the exhibition of the di\nne ma- jesty. Compare Ps. ii. 11. The plural form of the verb {tremble ye) shews that the earth is put for its inhabitants. Before him, Uterally/rowi his face. The parallel passage (1 Chron. xvi. 80) has a double preposition, a He- 406 Psalm 96:10 - 13 brew idiom which cannot be reproduced in English, and which does not in the least affect the sense. We also find there added to the verse before us the middle clause or member of the next verse. 10. Say ye among the nations, Jehovah reigns ; likewise fixed is the world, it shall not he moved ; Be will judge the peoples in rectitmle. The object of address can only be the nations themselves, as in the foregoing context. They are therefore summoned to announce the joyful news to one another. Jehovah reigns, has begun to reign, i. e. visibly. See above, on Ps. xciii. 1, and compare Isa. xxiv. 23, lii. 7. As in Ps. xciii, 1, the con- servation of the world is ascribed to God's power, so here to his justice. Compare Ps. Ixxv. 4 (3). He will judge the nations ; see above, on Ps. vii. 9 (8), Ixxii. 2, 4, and compare Isa. xi. 4. In equities, see above, on Ps. Ixxv. 3 (2). It may here mean impartiality, without distinction be- tween Jew and Gentile. This last clause is omitted in the parallel passage (1 Chron. xvi. 31) which also has instead of say ye, they shall say, and joins it to what is here the next verse. 11. Let the heavens rejoice and the earth exult ; let the sea roar and its fulness. The optative form of the second verb determines the meaning of the other futures, which, however, really include a prediction, or what here amounts to the same thing, a confident anticipation. Its fulness, that which fills it, its contents. This verse does not necessarily imply a participation of inferior creatures in God's favour to his people (Rom. viii. 21), but may be understood as a strong poetical description of events so joyous that even the inanimate creation breaks forth into singing. Compare Isa. xliv. 23, Iv. 12. The verb translated roar is a cognate form of that which means to thunder, Ps. xxix. 3. 12. Let the field exult, and all that {is) in it ; then shall sing for joy all trees of the loood {or forest). The strict sense of the future, which was latent in the preceding verse, here, by a beautiful transition, reasserts itself. See below, on Ps. cxxvi. 2, and compare Isa. xxxv. 5, 6. The field is the cultivated and productive portion of the earth. All that is in it, with particular reference to its productions. Sing for joy is the transla- tion of a single verb in Hebrew. See above, on Ps. xcv. 1. The parallel passage (1 Chron. xvi. 32, 33) has precisely the same sense, but with two sHght variations in the words, a less familiar form being substituted in one case, and a more famiUar form in the other. 13. Before Jehovah, for he cometh,for he cometh to judge the earth ; he shall judge the world in righteousness, and nations in his truth {or faithfulness). The rejoicing described in the preceding verse is to take place in the pre- sence (literally to the face) of God when he assumes his universal sove- reignty, the judicial function of which is here made prominent, in order to suggest the moral perfection of his reign. In righteousness, not merely in a righteous manner, but in the exercise of his inherent and essential justice. The use of the word people, in the common version of the last clause, ob- scures the sense, by seeming to apply the verse to Israel, whereas it is expressly applied in the original to the nations generally. Even the truth or faithfulness of God, which commonly denotes his veracity in fulfilling his promises to the chosen people, has here a wider sense, as opposed to the dishonesty or partiality of human judges. In the parallel passage (1 Chron. xvi. 33) the emphatic repetition in the first clause, and the whole of the last clause, are omitted, perhaps because so striking and sono- rous a conclusion would not have been appropriate, when another psalm was to be added. Psalm 97:1 - 6 407 Psalm 97 Another exhibition of Jehovah's universal sovereignty, in which his judicial functions are again made prominent, but with special reference to the condemnation and destruction of the unbelieving nations. The struc- ture of the psalm is remarkably like that of the second, consisting of four stanzas of three verses each. The first describes the Lord's appearing as the Judge of the Nations, ver. 1-3. The second, its effects upon inani- mate creation, ver. 4-6. The third, its effects upon idolaters and Israel respectively, ver. 7-9. The fourth applies it as a present warning and encouragement to true believers, ver. 10-12. The characteristic feature of the psalm is its frequent citation of older scriptures, all anterior to the Babylonish exile, from which Hengstenberg infers, not only the date of this composition, but the fact that all the sacred writings of the ancient He- brews are now extant in the Bible. 1. Jehovah reigneth, let the earth exult ; glad he the many islands ! For the meaning of the first clause, see above, on Ps. xciii. 1, xcvi. 10; for that of the second, on Ps. xcvi. 11. The manifestation of the divine royalty is often represented as a cause for universal jo}', even when attended by direct advantage only to the chosen people, and by fearful judgments to mankind at large. See above, on Ps. xviii. 50 (49), xl\'ii. 2 (1), and com- pare Deut. xxxii. 43. The last clause bears a strong resemblance to Isa. xlii. 10, 12, the use of the word isles in both, to designate the Gentiles, being founded upon Gen. x. 5. See also Ps. Ixxii. 10. The many islands, see above, on Ps. Ixxxix. 51 (50). 2. Vapour and gloom [are) round him ; righteousness and judgment (are) the place of his throne. The images and terms in the first clause are bor- rowed from Deut. v. 22. Compare Exod. xix. 16, 18, and see above, on Ps. xviii. 10, 12 (9, 11). With the last clause compare Ps. Ixxxix. 15 (14). Righteousness and judgment seem to be here related as the attribute and act. The word translated place has, from its very derivation, the specific sense of a permanent or fixed place, and especially a dwelling-place. Com- pare 1 Kings viii. 13. The figures in the first clause are expressive of concealment or mystery, but only as a source of solemn awe, as in the great theophany on Sinai. 3. Fire before him goes, and hums up around {him) his foes. With the first clause compare Ps. 1. 3 ; with the last, Isa. xHi. 25. See also Ps. Ixxxiii. 15 (14). The future form is used because the verb describes not what the wrath of God is doing or has actually done, but what it will do when provoked by obstinate resistance. 4. His lightnings made the world shine ; (then) saxv and trembled the earth. Compare Ps. Ixxvii. 17, 19 (16, 18). Here begins the second stanza, in which, as in most cases of the same sort, inanimate creation is described as sharing in the powerful effects of the divine epiphany. See above, on Ps. x\'iii. 8 (7), xcri. 11, 12, and compare Judges v. 4, Nahum i. 5, Hab. iii. 6. Isa. Ixiv. 1. 5. Mountains like wax are melted from before Jehovah, from before the Lord of all the earth. Compare Micah i. 4, iv. 13. As in all such cases, while mountains are mentioned as the salient points of the earth, they sug- gest, at the same time, the idea of great states and kingdoms, of which they are a standing symbol. See above, on Ps. xxx. 8 (7), xlvi. 3 (2). 6. The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the nations see his glory. 408 Psalm97:7-12 With the first clause compare Ps. 1. 6, and with the lastlsa. xl. 5, kvi, 18. See also Isa. xxxv. 2, lix. 19. The manifestation of Jehovah's glory to the Gentiles is a favourite conception of Isaiah, and particularly frequent in his later prophecies. 7. Shamed shall he all serving a graven image and boasting themselves of idols. Bow down to him, all ye gods ! The first word means not merely ashamed, but disappointed, defeated, and confounded. All serving or all servers (i. e. worshippers) oj a graven image. Boasting themselves, exulting in the knowledge and possession and imagined favour of material images. Idoh, nothings or nonentities, as in Ps. xcvi. 5. The use of this word shews that in the following clause the false gods are invested with existence only to be treated with the more contempt. Compare Exod. xii. 12, Num. xxxiii. 4, Isa. xix. 1, xhi. 17, xliv. 9. The verb in this clause might be taken as a preterite, worship or have worshipiied ; but the imperative construc- tion seems to be required by the analogy of Ps. xcvi. 9. These words are not applied to Christ directly in Heb. i, 6. It is merely said that when God sends his Son into the world, he may be understood as saying again {iraXiv) of him, what is here said of himself, to wit, that even the false gods are required to worship him, much more the angels who have real existence. The passage was no doubt suggested to the mind of the New Testament writer by the fact that the Septuagint renders gods by angels, though he does not copy this erroneous version. 8. Zion hears and rejoices, and glad are the daughters of Judah, because of thy judgments, Jehovah ! While the heathen are confounded, the people of God rejoice. The terms of the verse are borrowed from Ps. xlviii. 12 (11), iu the note upon which the ambiguous phrase, daughters of Judah, is explained. The judgments here particularly meant are those inflicted on the unbelieving Gentiles. 9. For thou, Jehovah, (art) Most High above all the eavth ; greatly art thou exalted above all gods. Jehovah's infinite superiority to idols and their worshippers is once more solemnly asserted. With the first clause compare Ps. Ixxxiii. 19 (18) ; with the second, Ps. xlvii. 10 (9). It is remarkable that two psalms are here put together in quotation, which there is strong internal reason for supposing to have been occasioned by a victory of Jehoshaphat. 10. Lovers of Jehovah, hate evil I He keeps the souls of his gracious ones ; from the hand of wicked [men) he will set them free. The people of God are now exhorted not to do evil in the hope of thereby being safer. Evil, in the moral sense of wickedness, and more especially injustice. See above, on Ps. vii. 10 (9), xxxiv. 14, 15. With the first words of the verse com- pare Ps. V. 12 (11). He keeps, or rather, he (is) keeping, i.e. habitually, constantly preserving. The danger, against which they particularly need protection, is distinctly mentioned in the last clause, namely, that arising from the enmity of wicked men. Gracious ones, objects of God's mercy, subjects of his grace, a favourite description of the righteous or true believers, as a class. See above, on Ps. iv. 4 (3). 11. Light (is) sown for the just (jnan), and for right-hearted (men) joy. The figurative term light is explained by the literal one joy or gladness. Its being sown suggests the two ideas of diffusion and productiveness. Com- pare the similar and parallel expression, Ps. cxii. 4. The alternation of the singular and plural number shews that the just man of the first clause is an ideal person, representing a whole class. 12. Rejoice, ye righteous, in Jehovah, and give thanks to the memo )'y of his Psalm 98:1 -4 409 holiness. Since joy is the portion of the righteous, let them accept it and make use of it, but only in the Lord, i. e. in reference to the possession and enjoyment of his favour, as the reason and the warrant for rejoicing. At the same time let them testify their gratitude to that divine perfection which is treasured in their memory and suggested by the name of God. See above, on Ps. xxx. 5 (4), xxxii. 11, from which the language of this verse is borrowed. Psalm 98 This psalm is similar, in tone and structure, to the one before it, con- taining three stanzas of three verses each. The first propounds the subject of the praise to which the whole world is exhorted, ver. 1-3. The second prescribes the form in which it shall be rendered, ver. 4-6. The third de- termines its extent, or in other words, requires it to be universal, ver. 7-9. 1. A Psalm Sing ye to Jehovah a new song, for wonders he has done ; his right hand has wrought salvation for him, and his holy arm. This is the only case in which the word psalm ("^tolD) stands by itseK as a com- plete inscription. This fact has been ingeniously explained by supposing that the word was intended to distinguish this, as a purely lyrical composi- tion, from the one before it, which has more of the prophetic character and style. The first clause after this inscription is like Ps. xcvi. 1, where the words have been explained already. Wonders, or wondrous deeds, things wonderfully done, as in Ps. xcvi. 3. Wrought salvation, literally saved for him, i. e. enabled him to save his people. The idea and expression are both found in Isa. lix. 16, Ixiii. 5, as the expression arm of holiness (or holy arm) is in Isa. lii. 10. This is one of the cases in which holiness has the wide sense of divine perfection, as opposed to what is finite or belongs to the creature. See above, on Ps. xxii. 4 (3). With the whole verse compare Judges vii. 2. The allusion to Isaiah, or quotations from him, shew that the wonders to be celebrated are like those which constitute the theme of his later prophecies, namely, Jehovah's interpositions for the deliverance and protection of his people. 2. Jehovah hath made known his salvation, to the eyes of the nations he hath revealed his righteousness. He hath shewn the world his power and his willingness to save his own people according to his promise, with respect to which his righteousness and his salvation are related to each other as cause and effect. With this verse compare Isa. Hi. 10. 3. He hath remembered his mercy and his truth for the house of Israel ; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. The common version connects to the house of Israel with what immediately precedes, the mercy and truth which he formerly exercised towards the house of Israel. But according to the Hebrew idiom and the usage of the psalms, the pre- position is dependent on the leading verb: "He has called to mind his mercy and truth for the present benefit of the house of Israel." Truth, fidehty to his engagements. See the saine combination in Ps, xcii. 8. The last clause is another citation from Isa. hi. 10, which shews that the salva- tion primarily meant is that of Israel. This, however, is closely connected in prophecy with that of the Gentiles. 4. Shout to Jehovah, all the earth 1 Burst forth, and sing, and play I The second stanza prescribes the form or manner of the praise. This verse 410 Psalm 98:5 -9 accumulates the verbs denoting joyful noise, whether inarticulate, or instru- mental. The first clause differs from Ps. xcvi. 1, only by substituting one divine name for another. See also Ps. xlvii. 2 (1). The verb (TOE)) to burst forth (into praise or singing) is almost peculiar to Isaiah (xiv. 7, xliv. 23, xlix. 12, liv. 1). This very combination with the verb to sing occurs in Isa. lii. 9. 5. Make music to Jehovah with a harp, ivith a harp and a musical voice! The first verb is the one translated play in the preceding verse. Its repeti- tion is like that in Ps. xlvii. 2 (1). It is strictly apphed to instrumental music, but often extended to any musical expression, especially of praise to God. A musical voice, or a voice of singing, as distinguished from the voice of speech. The phrase occurs in Isa. li. 3. The repeated introduction of the verb 10T or its derivatives is supposed by some to be the reason of the title TIDTD- See above, on ver. 1. 6. With trumpets and sound of comet, shout before the King, Jehovah ! The first noun is supposed to denote the long straight trumpet, the other the cornet or curved horn of ancient music. These are named as the ac- companiments of the act described in the other clause, where the verb may therefore have the sense of shouting, which it has most generally in these psalms. The act described is the jo}'ful acclamation at the accession or public recognition of a sovereign. King Jehovah is a combination found in Isa. vi. 5. Compare Ps. xcv. 3, xcvi. 10, xcvii. 1. The whole is equiva- lent to saying, hail him who has now become your king ! 7. Let the sea thunder and ichat fills it — the land and those duelling on it. The last stanza represents the praise as universal. For the meaning of the first clause see above, on Ps. xcvi. 11 ; for that of the second, on Ps. xxiv. 1. The word there translated world is here used in opposition to sea, and therefore rendered land. See above, on Ps. xc. 2. 8. Let rivers clap the hand; together let mountains sing (or shout for joy) ! This bold but beautiful personification is also found in Isa. Iv. 12, the only other place where the clapping of the hands is ascribed to lifeless objects. This was a customary sign of joy, especially when joined with acclamation in honour of a sovereign, as it is not only here, and in Ps. xlvii. 2 (1), in highly figm-ative poetry, but also in historical prose, e. g. the account of the coronation of Joash, 2 Kings xi. 12. Together, not merely with each other, but at the same time and in concert with the applauses of the floods or rivers. 9. Before Jehovah, for he cometh to judge the earth; he will judge the world in righteousness and nations in equity. The acclamations must be uttered to Jehovah, not only as a sovereign king, but as a righteous judge. The first clause is like Ps. xcvi. 13, except that it omits the emphatic re- petition, which is also the case in 1 Chron. xvi. 33. The first verb might, in all these case^, bo more exactly and emphatically rendered, he is come. In equity, Hterally equities or rectitudes, the plural form denoting fulness and perfection. See above, on Ps. xcvi. 10. Psalm 99 The theme of this psalm, as of those immediately preceding, is the kingship of Jehovah, ver. 1 . The remainder falls into two stanzas of four verses each. In the first, Jehovah's goodness to his people is propounded as a subject of applause to all mankind, ver. 2-5. In the second, the same duty is en- Psalm 99:1 -5 411 forced by an appeal to historical examples, ver. 6-9. The strophical arrangement is marked by the resemblance of ver. 5 and 9. The psalm is related in the closest manner to those before and after it, as forming one connected series. See below, on Ps. c. 1. Jehovah reigns, the nations tremble; sitting on (or dwelling between) the cherubim (he reigns), the earth quakes. The second member of each clause describes the effect produced by the disclosure of the fact that God has be- gun to reign, is actually reigning. For the meaning of the phrase sitting on (or dwelling betweeii) the cherubim, see above, on Ps. Ixxx. 2 (1). As used in history, it always presupposes the presence of the ark as symbolis- ing that of God himself. See 1 Sam. iv. 4, 2 Sam. vi. 2, 2 Kings xix. 15. Its use here, therefore, shews that the psalm before us, and by necessary consequence, the series to which it belongs (Ps. xci.-c.), and by parity of reasoning, the later prophecies of Isaiah, were aU composed before the Babylonian conquest, when the temple was destroyed and the ark lost sight of. The futures have their strict sense, as this is a prediction. If they were optative {let the nations tremble, &c.) one of the verbs at least would have that form. 2. Jehovah in TJion (is) great, and high [is) he above all nations. Com- pare Ps. xlviii. 2 (1), xcv. 3, xcvi. 4, xcvii. 9. The addition of the quali- fying phrase in Zion shews that the reference is not to God's absolute essential greatness, but to some signal manifestation of his greatness to his people. The word translated high is originally a participle, and may be likened to our English towering. 3. They shall acknowledge thy name, great and terrible : Holy {is) He! The subject of the first verb is the nations mentioned in ver. 2. See above, Ps. xcvi. 9, xcvii. 7, xcviii. 1, 4. The verb itself means to acknowledge thankfully, to thank, to praise for benefits received. See above, on Pa. vi. 5 (4). TJiy name, the evidence already furnished of thine infinite per- fection. Great and feared, or to he feared, epithets derived from Deut. X. 17, xxviii. 58. In the last clause some would read. Holy {is) it, i. e. thy name. But the sense is determined by the analogy of ver. 5, 9, and the obvious allusion to Isa. vi. 3. This allusion is by some supposed to be the reason of the sudden change of person. He instead of 2'hou. But this may be still more readily accounted for, by making these the very words in which God is acknowledged by the nations : (saying) Holy is he ! Holy, in the wide sense which it has in the Old Testament, and more particularly in the Psalms. See above, on Ps. xxii. 4 (3). 4. And the king's strength loves judgment ; thou hast established equity : judgment and justice in Jacob thou hast done. Some continue the construc- tion from the preceding sentence ; they shall acknowledge thy name and the king's strength loving judgment. But as sentences of this length are unusual in Hebrew, and as HHhJ is not elsewhere a participle or verbal adjective, the best construction is the old one, which makes this an independent pro- position. The meaning of the first clause seems to be, that God's power is controlled in its exercise by his love of justice. To establish equity is to give it permanence by a habituall}^ pure administration of justice. The terms of the last clause are the same by which the history describes the judicial fidelity of David, 2 Sam. viii. 15, as if to indicate that it was a mere type of God's more perfect and infallible administration of impartial justice. 5. Exalt ye Jehovah our God, and prostrate yourselves to his footstool. Holy {is) He! With the first clause compare Ps. xxx. 2 (1), xxxiv. 4 (3); with the second, Ps. xcvi. 9, xcvii. 7. As in those cases, the address is to 412 Psalm 99:6 -9 the nations. Bow doton (or prostrate) yourselves, as an act of worship. Not at Ms footstool, as the mere place of worship, but to it, as the object, this name being constantly given to the ark, 1 Chron. xxviii. 2, Lam. ii. 1, Ps. cxxxii. 7, Isa. Ix. 13. Even in Isa. lx\a. 1, there is allusion to the ordinary usage of the terms. The ark is here represented as the object of worship, just as Zion is in Isa. xlv. 14, both being put for the God who was present in them. 6. Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel amovg those calling on his name — calling to Jehovah, and he answers them. The structure of the sentence is elliptical, and may be completed either by supplying are or were before among, or by making the participle calling mean are calling, call. In explaining the sentence due regard must be had to its parallel structure. As Moses and Aaron are evidently meant to be included among those who called upon the name of the Lord, so Samuel must be compre- hended among his priests. Moses and Samuel are so described because they were theocratic mediators between God and the people, and as such performed occasionally what were strictly sacerdotal functions. See Lev. "viii. 15-30, 1 Sam. ix. 13. The prayers here referred to are their inter- cessions for the people. See Exod. xviii. 19, xxxii. 11-30, Num. xi. 2, xiv. 9, xxi. 7, Deut. v. 5, ix. 18, 19, 1 Sam. vii. 9, xii. 23, Ps. cvi. 23. The connection of this verse with the foregoing context is obscure, but the idea seems to be, that as even the chiefs of the theocracy were under the necessity of seeking the divine favour, such prayer must, to say the least, be equally necessary in the case of others. 7. In a pillar of cloud he speaks to them. They kept his testimonies and the statute he gave unto them. The first clause may be figuratively under- stood as denoting any special divine communication, or what was literally time of Moses and Aaron (Exod. xxxiii. 9, Num. xii. 5, Deut. xxxi. 15) may be here applied to all three indiscriminately. The verse contains a second lesson drawn from the history of the theocracy, to wit, the necessity of obedience no less than of prayer. It was true, God spoke to these men in an extraordinary manner ; but it was for the purpose of making known his will, and that will they obeyed. For the meaning of testimonies, see above, on Ps. xciii. 5. The last clause may be construed as an independent proposition, and he gave a statute to them, i. e. he rewarded their obedience by revealing to them new laws. But the sense thus obtained is not so clear or natural as that afforded by the relative construction, and the statute {which) he gave them. 8. Jehovah our God, thou didst answerlthem ; a forgiving God wast thou to them, and (a God) taking vengeance on their crimes. The apostrophe to God himself adds solemnity and tenderness to the discourse. The pronoun is emphatic, they called and thou didst hear or answer. The following description is borrowed from Exod. xxxiv. 7. The divine name (7K), implies that he had infinite power to destroy, and yet forgave them. The last Hebrew word in the verse is used of God in a good sense, and of man always in a bad one. See above, on Ps, ix. 12 (11), xiv. 1, Ixxvii. 13 (12). There is here a beautiful transition from the representatives of the people to the people themselves. The pronoun in the first clause [them) can refer only to Moses, Aaron, and Samuel ; in the second, it is applicable both to them and to the people ; in the third, it relates to the latter exclusively. 9. Exalt ye Jehovah our God, and how down to his holy hill ; for holy {is) Jehovah our God. See above, on ver. 5, from which this differs only Psalm 100:1 -4 413 in the substitution of the holy hill for the equivalent expression footstool, and in the more distinct assertion of God's hoUness as a reason for the worship thus required. Psalm 100 This psalm is related to the ninety-ninth as the ninety-eighth is to the ninety-seventh. The prophecy there latent is here clothed in a genuine lyrical form. There is also the same likeness as to structure and arrange- ment. The theme, propounded in ver. 1, is ampUfied in two short stanzas, of two verses each. In both these an exhortation to praise God is followed by a reason for so doing. Men ought to praise him as their creator and preserver, ver. 2, 3. They ought also to praise him for his infiaiite good- ness, constancy, and faithfulness, ver. 4, 5. Besides completing the fore- going psalm, it closes the whole series or cycle of hannonious addresses to the nations or the world at large. 1. A Psalm. For thanksgiving. Shout unto Jehovah, all the earth! The title resembles that of Ps. xcvii., but is rendered more specific by the addition for thanksgiving. The version praise is too restricted. See above, on Ps. xcix. 3. The rest of the verse is identical with Ps. xcviii. 4. See also Ps. ii. 11, Ixvi. 1. 2. Serve Jehovah with joy, come before him with singing ! Since he is the king of the nations, they are his subjects, and as such bound to serve him. What they are required to do in Ps. ii. 11 with fear and trembling, as repentant rebels, they are here invited to do with joy and gladness, as his willing subjects. 3. Know ye that Jehovah is God; {it is) He {that) made us, and not we (ourselves), his people, and the sheep of his pasture. This is the first reason given for acknowledging Jehovah's sovereignty, to wit, that he has made his people what they are. With the fii'st clause compare Ps. xlvi. 11 (10). Instead of and not toe ourselves, the keri or masoretic reading in the margin of the Hebrew Bible has, and his we are. These phrases, though so unlike in English, difi"er only in a single letter, and not (N?) we, and to him (17) we. The first is adopted by the Septuagint and Vulgate, the second by the Targum and Jerome. In favour of the latter is the similar construction of the pronoun (linjJ^) we with iyoyl) his people in Ps. Ixxix. 13. xcv. 7. In favour of the other is its antiquity, and its greater significancy and appro- priateness to the context. Some who adopt it read, it is he that has made us (to be) his people the sheep, &c. But besides the violence of this con- struction, he made us has no doubt the same sense as in Ps. xcv. 6, and his people must mean us who are his people. Sheep (or Jlock) of his pasture, as in Ps. Ixxiv. 1, Ixxix. 13, xcv. 7. 4. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise ; give thanks unto him, bless his name I Compare Ps. Ixxxiv. 3 (2), xcii. 14 (13), xcv. 2, xcvi. 2, 8, xcvii. 12. The substance of the exhortation is, join in the worship of his people. That the reference to the sanctuary at Jerusa- lem is merely typical or metapljorical, is clear from the analogy of Isa. Ixvi. 23, where all mankind are required to come up every sabbath, a command which, if Hterally understood, is perfectly impracticable. The combination of the verb to thank (iniH) with its derivative noun (H^ii^) may throw some light upon the title, a psalm for thanksgiving {n'^SDT)- 414 Psalm 101:1 5. For good (is) Jehovah, to eternity his mercy, and even to generation and generation his faithfulness (or truth). This verse assigns a second reason for the invitation to praise Jehovah, namely, the goodness, truth, and constancy of the divine nature. With the first clause compare Ps. xxv. 8, xxxiv. 9 (8), Ixxxvi. 5 ; with the second, Isa. liv. 8, 10 ; with the third, Ps. Ixxxix. 2 (1), xcii. 3 (2). Here ends what Hengstenberg describes as a decalogue of Psalms (xci.-c), all intended to exhibit the relation between Israel and the world at large ; all of a cheering and triumphant character, without the slightest intermixture of complaint or lamentation ; all crowded with citations from the older Scriptures, or allusions to them ; almost all pointing to a glorious theophany still future ; and almost all distinguished by emphatic repetitions, and the frequent use of musical terms, especially the names of instruments. That these psalms are not thrown together at random, is apparent from the fact that the series begins with a general assurance of divine protection (Ps. xci.), and of God's power both to save the righteous and destroy the wicked (Ps. xcii.), followed by variations on the grand theme that the LoKD KEiGNETH (Ps. xciii.-xcix.), and closing with an earnest exhortation to the whole world to receive him as their sovereign (Ps. c). The mutual relation of the several psalms has been already indicated in the exposition. According to Hengstenberg, these ten psalms are in Psalmody what the later chapters of Isaiah (xl.-lxvi.) are in Prophecy ; and as the former are undoubtedly anterior to the exile, they confirm the genuineness of the latter. Psalm 101 After propounding as his theme the mercy and justice of the Lord, ver. 1, the Psalmist announces his determination to be blameless in his own walk, ver. 2-4, and so to exercise his power over others as to favour the godly and drive out the wicked, ver. 5-8. 1. By David. A Psalm. 31 ercy and judgment will I sing ; to thee, Jehovah, will I play (or make music). As such a declaration of a present purpose in the Psalms is always followed by its execution, the older inter- preters suppose mercy and judgme7it to be those which David meant to practise, as he states more fully in the remainder of the psalm. But be- sides that, he says nothing in what follows of his mercy, there is no usage of the Psalms more settled than that mercy and justice are combined to denote divine not human attributes, and that to sing and make music to Jehovah never means to praise something else in an address to him, but always to sing praises to himself. See above, Ps. ix. 12 (11), xiii. 6 (5), xviii. 50 (49), XXX. 5 (4), 13 (12), xxxiii. 2, Ixviii. 5 (4), Ixxi. 22, 23, in all which cases the form of expression seems to be derived from Judges v. 3. But the psalm before us contains no such celebration of God's mercy and justice beyond this first verse. The best solution of this fact appears to be the one proposed by Hengstenberg, according to which the execution of the purpose here avowed is contained in Ps. ciii., which then, together with the one before us, and of course the intervening one, compose a trilogy or series of three psalms, all by David, each complete in itself, and yet de- signed to be connected with the others and interpreted by them. Suppos- ing this to be the case, we must regard them all as psalms of David, whose name is prefixed to the third and the one before us, in which he lays down Psalm 101:2 -5 415 a rule, as it were, for his own government, and that of his successors in the regal office. The impression made by these inspired instructions on the first of those successors may account for the remarkable coincidences of expression between this psalm and the Book of Proverbs. 2. I will act wisely in a perfect way. When wilt thou come to me ? I will walk in the integrity of my heart within my house. As to the first verb, see above, on Ps. ii. 10, xiv. 2. Its form here is one expressing fixed determination. A perfect way, as in Ps. xviii. 31, 33 (30, 32). This and other figurative expressions of the same kind, Ps. xviii. 24, 26 (23, 25), XV. 2, are founded upon Gen. xvii. 1. When wilt thou come to me, and bless me, in fulfilment of thy promise? Exod. xx. 21, This interrogative ejaculation implies a sense of his dependence on divine aid for the execution of his purpose. Integrity (integritas, completeness) of my heart is an ex- pression borrowed from Gen. xx. 5, 6. See above, on Ps. Ixxviii. 72, and compare 1 Kings iii. 14, Prov. xx. 7. Way and walk are familiar figures for habitual conduct. Within, literally in the midst (or inside) of my house, i.e. at home, in private life, as distinguished from the house of God and his official conduct there, to which he afterwards adverts. 3. / urill not set before my eyes a word of Belial ; the doing of apostasies I hate, it shall not cleave to me. The positive terms of the preceding verse are now exchanged for negatives. Having said what he will do, he now says what he will not do. See a similar transition, but in the inverse order, Ps. i. 1, 2. Set before my eyes, as a model to be copied, or as an object of approving contemplation. A word of Belial, as in Ps. xli. 9 (8), except that word, which there most probably relates to slander or false ac- cusation, may here denote a proposition, and the whole phrase a worthless (i. e. wicked) plan or purpose. Apostasies, departui'es, deviations from the right course. See the verbal root as used in Ps. xl. 5 (4), and a cognate verb in Num. v. 12, 19. Some make the word here used a participle or verbal noun, as in the English Bible, the work of them that turn aside. But its form and the analogy of Hos. v. 2, entitle the other construction to the preference. It shall not cleave to me, I will not be concerned or impli- cated in it ; or more emphatically still, it shall not cleave to me as a re- proach or stigma. In favour of the former sense is the analogy of Deut. xiii. 18 (17), from which the expression seems to have been borrowed. 4. A crooked heart shall depart from me; evil I will not knoio. Crooked, froward, or perverse, as in Ps. xviii. 27 (26). Compare Prov. xi. 20, xvii. 20. The whole phrase might be understood to mean a person having such a heart, and the whole clause that the Psalmist would have no inter- course with such. The parallel term evil would then mean a wicked person, as translated in the English Bible. On the ground, however, that the person of the sinner seems to be reserved for the latter part of the psalm, the best interpreters take evil in the abstract sense of moral evil, wickedness, as in Ps. xxxiv. 17, Iii. 5 (3). The first clause will then natur- ally mean, my own heart shall not be perverse or froward. 5. (One) slandering in secret his fellow — him I will destroy ; (one) lofty of eyes and wide of heart — him I will not hear. Having declared what his own course of life should be, he now describes the conduct which he should require in his confidential servants. Here again the statement is both negative and positive, but in this case beginning with the former. See above, on ver. 3. It is not an improbable conjecture that in specify- ing slander, David had reference to his sufierings from that cause in the days of Saul. See above, on Ps. xviii. 1, Iii. 4-7 (2-5), and compare Ps. 416 Psalm 101:6 -8 XV. 3. The verb translared slandering occurs, in any of its forms, only here and Prov. xxx. 10. Wide of heart means neither magnanimous nor greedy, but proud, self-confident, as appears from Prov. xxviii. 25. Both figurative phrases here used are combined again in Prov. xxi. 4. The last verb in the sentence usually means to he able, but is here used absolutely, as in Isa. i. 13, 6. My eyes (are) on the faithful of the land, to dwell with me. (One) loalking in a perfect way — he shall serve me. On the faithjul, literally in ovwithihevQ.. See above, on Ps. xxxiv. 16, 17 (15, 16)), and compare Ps. xxxii. 8 (7). My eyes are on them is equivalent to saying, I will seek them out to dwell with me and serve me. The word translated faithful is pro- perly a passive participle meaning trusted, rehed upon, confided in. Another passive participle from the same root is commonly supposed to be used in the same sense, Ps. xii. 2 (1), xxxi. 24 (23). In the first words of the last clause there is manifest allusion to the form of expression in ver. 2 above. This clause is to be understood exclusively, such a person and no other. Shall serve ' iie, be employed by me, clothed with responsible and honour- able offices. 7. Not in the inside of my house shall dwell (one) practising fraud, telling lies ; not settled shall he be before my eyes. Here again the form of expres- sion corresponds to that in the first part of the psalm. Compare in the midst of my house with ver. 2, and before my eyes with ver. 3. Shall not dwell, or still more strongly, shall not (even) sit, which is the primary meaning of the Hebrew verb. The corresponding verb in the last clause means to be established, permanently settled, as opposed to a mere tempo- rary, transient presence. As if he had said, though they should even gain admission to my house, they shall not take up their abode there. 8. In the morning will I destroy all the wicked of the land, (so as) to cut off from the city of Jehovah all workers of iniquity. The first phrase literally means at the mornings, and may be intended to suggest the twofold idea of early and constantly, in the morning and every morniag. See above, on Ps. Ixxiii. 14, and compare Jer. xxi. 12. The last clause serves to shew, or to remind the reader, that this rigour was not simply prudential or poli- tical, but religious. It had reference not merely to Jerusalem as a city, but as the city of Jehovah, his earthly residence, the centre of the theocracy, the temporary seat of the true religion. See above, on Ps. xlvi. 5 (4), xlviii. 2 (1), Ixxxvii. 3. Under the pecuhar institutions of the old economy, the safety of the theocratic state required peculiar vigilance and rigour, in exer- cising even those powers which are common to all governments. Psalm 102 1. A Prayer. By a Sufferer, when he is troubled, and before Jehovah pours out his complaint. The psalm is called a prayer, because petition constitutes its substance. See above, on Ps. xc. 1. The translation for the sufferer (or afflicted) would also be grammatical, and perfectly consistent with the real design of the composition. But phrases of this kind, in the titles of the psalms, so constantly indicate the author or performer, and when only one occurs, the former, that a departure from this usage here is highly im- probable, and the assumption of it altogether arbitrary. At the same time, the indefinite expression, a sufferer, or an afflicted person, seems to be inten- tionally used for the purpose of giving the psalm an unrestricted appUcation, Psalm 102:1 -6 417 though the primary reference is no doubt to the suffering kings of Israel, in •whom the sufferings of the people were concentrated and represented. The other terms of the inscription all occur in psalms of David : troubled (or overwhelmed) in Ps. Ixi. 3 (2) ; complaint (or moaning) in Ps. Iv. 3 (2), Ixiv. 2 (1) ; and pouring out the soul in Ps. Ixii. 9 (8). This agrees with the general Davidic character of the composition, and favours Hengstenberg's hypothesis, not otherwise demonstrable, nor even very probable, that this psalm forms the connecting link between the pious resolutions of Ps. ci. and the joyful acknowledgments of Ps. ciii., and was composed in prophetic foresight of the straits to which the theocratical state should be reduced, and in which the sufferings of David, here immediately described, should, as it were, be reaUsed anew. The psalm may be divided into two parts, in the first of which the tone of lamentation or complaint predominates, ver. 2-12 (1-11), while in the second it is tempered and controlled by the con- templation of God's attributes, and confident anticipation of his favour, ver. 13-29 (12-28). 2 (1). Jehovah, hear my prayer, and let my cry (for help) unto thee come. With this verse compare Ps. iv. 2 (1), xvii. 1, xviii. 7 (6), liv. 4 (2). There is no more reason for regarding these resemblances as imitations by a later writer in tte case before us than in any of the others. And if not such, they may serve to shew, that David only asks, for the future or for others, that favour which he has himself sought and experienced already. 3 (2). Hide not thy face from me ; in the day (there is) distress to me, incline to me thine ear ; in the day I call, make haste (and) answer me Com- pare Ps. X. 1, xiii. 1, xvii. 6, xviii. 7 (6), xxvii. 9, xxxi. 3 (2), Ivi. 10 (9), Ixvi. 14 (13), Ixxi. 2. We find here accumulated nearly all the phrases used by David to express the same ideas elsewhere. This is not unnatural if we suppose him to have been preparing a form of complaint and suppli- cation for the use of his successors in their worst distresses. 4 (3). For wasted in smoke are my days, and my bones like a burning are kindled. With the first clause compare Ps. xxxvii. 20. The bones are mentioned as the seat of strength. See above, on Ps. vi. 3 (2), xxxi. 11 (10), XXXV. 10, xHi. 11 (10). This description, although strictly applicable to the case of individual sufferers, may also be appUed to the decline of the theocratic monarchy and the approach of its catastrophe. 5 (4). Smitten like grass and withered is my heart, for I have forgotten to eat my bread. The first verb is used to describe the effect of the sun on plants, Ps. cxxi. 6, Isa. xlix. 10. (Compare Jonah iv. 7.) The heart is mentioned as the seat of life. The common version of the last clause (so that I forget) is ungrammatical. The failure of the strength is rather de- scribed as immediately occasioned by the want of food (1 Sam. xxviii. 20), and this by loss of appetite from extreme distress. See below, on Ps. cvii. 18, and compare 1 Sam. i. 7, xx. 34, 1 Kings xxi. 4. Forgotten to eat, Uterally forgotten from eating, so as not to eat, a common idiomatic use of the pre- position/rom in Hebrew. 6 (5). From the voice of my groaning, my hone cleaves to my flesh. The word voice implies an audible and loud expression of distress. The first clause means, in consequence of the agony which makes me gi'oan. My bone may signify each of my bones, or be used collectively for the whole skeleton or framework of the body. The only natural explanation of this clause is that it describes emaciation, as a consequence and symptom of extreme distress. See above, on Ps. xxii. 15, 18 (14, 17). 7 (6). / resemble a pelican of the wilderness ; I am become like an owl 418 Psalm 102:7 -12 (haunting) ruins. The simple idea conveyed by these figures is that of extreme loneliness and desolation. Beyond the fact that they inhabit solitudes, the natural history of the birds mentioned is of no exegetical importance. 8 (7). 1 have watched, and have been like a sparrow dwelling alone upon a house-top. The first words suggest the idea of a solitary vigil. As to the word translated sparrow, see above, on Ps. Ixxxiv. 4 (3). The word dwelling is supplied in the translation of the last clause, in order to retain the form of the original expression, which is that of an active participle. Some suppose the idea to be that of a bird, deprived of its mate or of its young. 9 (8). All the day my enemies lave taunted me, my infuriated (foes) swear by me. The verb in the first clause suggests the ideas of contempt and hatred, calumny and insult. See above, on Ps. xlii. 11 (10). The first word of the last clause is a passive participle, my enraged (or maddened) ones, those who are mad {i. e. insane with enmity) against me. The last phrase does not mean swear at me, i. e. vent their rage by oaths and curses, nor are sworn against me, neither of which is justified by Hebrew usage ; but swear by me. i. e. use me as a formula of execration, imprecating upon others misery like mine. Compare Isa. Ixv. 15, Jer. xxix. 22. The pre- terite forms imply a long previous continuance of this furious persecution, as all the day does its constant, unremitted raging. 10 (9). For ashes like bread have I eaten, and my drink with weeping have mixed. The ashes, in which he sat, or with which he was covered, as a sign of mourning, became mingled with his food, and his tears fell into his drink. This last word is, in Hebrew, of the plural number, drinks or beverages, analogous to victuals as a simple synonyme of food. As an opposite example of the same idiomatic difierence, the word translated ashes is a singular in Hebrew. The whole verse is a strong poetical description of constant and extreme distress. 11 (10). Because of thine indignation and thy ivrath : for thou hast taken me up and cast me away. The first clause describes his suffering as the fruit of God's displeasure. See above, on Ps. xc. 7. The antithesis pre- sented in the common version of the last clause [lifted me up and cast me down) does not seem to be the sense of the original, in which there is pro- bably allusion to the figure of a storm or whirlwind catching things up and blowing them away. The Prayer Book version of the first verb [taken me up) is more exact. 12 (11). My days [are) like a shadow inclined, and I [myself) like the grass wither. An inclined shadow is an unusual and obscure expression, but seems to mean a shadow verging towards its disappearance, ready to vanish away. The double or reflexive pronoun (7 myself) in the translation of the last clause is necessary to convey the full force of the Hebrew pro- noun, which is seldom expressed, except when it is meant to be emphatic, / ivither, am withering, or about to wither. 13 (12). And thou Jehovah, to eternity shall sit, and thy memory (shall endure) to generation and generation Here again the pronoun is emphatic, and exhibits a strong contrast between God's eternity and human frailty. While I wither like the grass, thou endurest for ever, and not only so, but reignest, sittest on the throne. See above, on Ps. ix. 8 (7), xxix. 10, Iv. 20 (19). The word memory seems here to be employed for the sake of the antithesis which it implies. While I perish and am utterly forgotten, thy existence and thy memory shall last for ever. It may, however, have Psalm 102:13 -18 419 the same sense as in Ps. xxx. 5 (4), namely, the divine perfection, associated in our memory with the name of God. Thou shalt not only reign for ever, but be worthy, as an infinitely perfect being, so to do. 14 (13). Thoiiwilt arise, wilt have mercy upon Zion, when (it is) time to favour her, when the set time is come. The pronoun is again emphatic. Thou, the God, thus glorious and immutable, wilt certainly arise from thig apparent inaction, and have mercy or compassion on thy people, when the time fixed in thy eternal purpose is arrived. The sense of when, thus given to the Hebrew particle (^3), although less usual, is sometimes absolutely necessary, and is therefore admissible in this case, where it suits the sense much better than the ordinary sense of for. Or the one may be resolved into the other, by explaining the whole thus : thou wilt certainly arise and have compassion upon Zion, at the proper time, for there is a time fixed at which thou dost design to favour her. For the meaning of the word translated sei time, see above on Ps. Ixxv. 3 (2), 15 (14). IVhen thy servants love her stones, and her dust regard ivith favour. Both verbs in Hebrew mean to favour, or more strongly to delight in, to take pleasure in. See above, Ps. Ixii. 5 (4), Ixxxv. 2 (1). Stones unddust are here put for ruins or rubbish, as inNeh. iii. 34 (iv. 2), iv. 4 (10). The verse may be understood as a condition or a premonition of her restoration, that before it takes place, God will fill his servants with affectionate concern for her desolate condition. The same sense may be obtained without de- parting from the usual sense of the particle. Thou wilt have mercy upon Zion, FOR thy servants already look with interest and strong desire on her ruins, a sure sign of the approaching restoration. 16 (15). And nations shall fear the name of Jehovah, and all kings of the earth thy glory. The impression of awe, unavoidably produced by these exhibitions of Jehovah's attributes, shall not be limited to Israel, but extend to other nations, and even kings shall vie with each other in their reverential admiration of his regal honours. Compare the similar expres- sions of Isiah (lix. 19). 17 (16). Because Jehovah has built Zion ; he has been seen in his glory. These are not prceterita prophetica, describing future events as past ; nor are they to be taken as mere presents, but as denoting a relative past, de- pendent on the futures of the verse preceding. The nations and their kings are to fear because Jehovah has built [i. e. will then have built) Zion. Still another construction may seem possible, viz. "when Jehovah has built Zion he shall be seen in his glory." But in this case, Hebrew usage would require the last verb, if not both, to have the future form. 18 (17). He has turned unto the prayer of the destitide, and has not despised their prayer. This verse continues to assign the reason why the nations and their kings will be struck with awe, viz., because this great and glorious God has turned round, as it were, and listened to the prayer of the destitute and granted their petition. The word translated destitute occurs only here and in Jer. xvii. 6 ; but from its etymological afiinities and its intensive form, appears to mean stark naked, and then figuratively, stripped of everything, impoverished, entirely destitute. 19 (18). 'I'his shall be written for an after generation, and a people (yet to be) created shall praise Jah. This fulfilment of God's promise and il- lustration of his attributes is left on record for the learning or instruction of posterity. Compare 1 Cor. x. 11. An after generation, as in Ps. xlviii. 14 (13), Ixxviii. 4. Equivalent in meaning, but abridged in form, is the expression in the passage upon which these are founded, Ps. xxii. 31 420 Psalm 102:19 -23 (80). See also Ps. Ixxi. 18. Created may have the force of a gerundive, as the passive particle often has in Hebrew ; or it may mean {then) created {but not now). See above, on Ps. xxii. 32 (31). As the verb (h^")2) create is applied only to divine acts, its use here seems to indicate that what is meant is not merely a future generation, a race yet to come into existence* but a people in the strict sense, an organised body to be formed hereafter by sovereign authority and almighty power. Shall praise Jah, recognise Jehovah as possessing and as being all that is denoted by his name. 20 (19). For he has leaned from the high place of his holiness I Jehovah from heaven to earth has looked. The first word may also be translated that, and the verse be understood as an amplification of the pronoun this at the beginning of ver. 19 (18). This is what shall be written for a future generation ; this is what they shall praise Jah for ; viz. that he has looked, &c. To avoid the repetition of the English verb, as well as to add life to the description, the Hebrew verb is here represented by what seems to be its primary meaning. See above, on Ps. xiv. 2, Ixxxv. 12 (11), and com- pare Deut. xxvi. 15. 21 (20). To hear the groaning of the prisoner, to loose the sons of mor- tality. The construction is continued from the foregoing verse, and the design of God's thus looking down is stated. The word translated groan- ing is almost peculiar to the Psalms of David, and according to its etymo- logy properly denotes sufi"ocation. To loose, literally to open, sometimes applied to the opening of a dress for the purpose of removing it, as in Ps. XXX. 12 (11) ; then to the loosening of chains, as in Ps. cxvi. 16 ; then to the dehverance of the prisoner himself. Sons of mortality or death, i. e. those doomed to die. See above, on Ps. Ixxix. 11. 22 (21). To recount in Zion the name of Jehovah, and his praise in Jerusalem. This, according to the laws of Hebrew syntax, does not neces- sarily denote an act of God himself, as the similar construction in the pre- ceding verse does, but may have a vaguer sense equivalent to saying that his name may be declared in Zion. To recount God's name is to recount the mighty deeds which constitute it, and the celebration of which consti- tutes his praise. Zion is still represented as the great scene of Jehovah's triumphs, not, however, as the capital of Israel or Judah merely, but as the radiating centre of religious light and influence to all the earth. 23 (22). In the gatliering of peoples together, and kingdoms to serve Jeho- vah. This verse is necessary to complete and qualify the sense of that before it. God has looked down from heaven to deliver his people and receive their praise, not in their secluded, insulated state, but in their glorious reunion with the converted nations. The first verb is a passive infinitive in Hebrew, in their being gathered. The preposition in relates both to the time and to the act of convocation. To serve Jehovah, not only as a King, but as a God, to be both his subject and his worshipper. Compare Ps. ii. 11. 24 (23). He has humbled in the way his strength ; he has. shortened my days. The Psalmist here resumes the tone of complaint, but only for a moment, and as an introduction to what follows. Humbled, weakened, or afflicted. In or by the way of his providential guidance, as distinguished from the glorious end to which it led. His strength and my days seem clearly to refer to the same person. To avoid this harsh enallage, the masoretic critics changed a single letter, and for (inD) his strength read (^n3) my strength, which, though adopted in most versions, is an obvious Psalm 102:24 -28 421 evasion of a supposed difficulty. With the last clause compare Ps. Ixxxix. 46 (45). See also Ps. Iv. 24 (23). 25 (24). I will say, 0 my God, take me not up in the half of my days ; through generation of generations (are) thy years. Take up, cause to ascend, i. e. as some suppose, hke smoke, which is very forced and far-fetched. Others make it simply mean to take away, which gives a good sense, but is not sufficiently sustained by usage. Better than either is the supposition that death or removal out of life is here described by a figure corresponding to the actual departure of Enoch and Elijah. See Gen. v. 24, 2 Kings ii. 1, 3, 5, 10, 11. In the half (or midst) of my days ; see above, on Ps. Iv. 24 (23), and compare Isa. xxxviii. 10. Generation of generations, i. e. all generations, as in Ps. Ixxii. 5, Isa. li. 8. He prays that God, whose years are endless, would not, as it were, grudge the few days granted to his creatures. See above, on Ps. xxxix. 6 (5). 26 (25). At first thou the earth didst found, and the work of thy hands (are) the heavens. The phrase at the beginning means originally to the face and then before, as an adverb both of time and place ; but this would be ambiguous here, since it might be understood as a conjunction, hefore thou didst found the earth, expressing the same idea as in Ps. xc. 2. It here means long ago, of old, in the beginning. With the last clause compare Ps. viii. 4 (3), xix. 2 (1), xxxiii. 6. God's creative power is here added to his eternity, in order to enhance the contrast between his infinity and man's littleness, as a reason for compassion to the latter. 27 (26). They shall perish and thou shaJt stand, and all of them like a garment shall wear out, like a dress shalt thou change them and they shall change. The contrast is brought out as pointedly as possible in Hebrew, by the insertion of the pronouns they and thou, neither of which is gram- matically necessary to the expression of the meaning. Stand, stand fast, endure, remain, continue. All of them, without exception, even the noblest of God's works, shall at least lose their present form, and in that sense perish, a sense which may be still more readily put upon the parallel verb pass away or change. The twofold usage of the English verb, as active and neuter, or transitive and intransitive, makes it an appropriate representative of the primitive and derivative foi-ms of the Hebrew verb (P)^n). The cor- responding verb, in the second member of the sentence, means not only to wax old, but, as the necessary consequence, to wear out. See above, on Ps. xxxii. 3, and compare Ps. xlix, 15 (14). 28 (27). And Thou (art) He — and thy years shall not he finished. The construction of the first clause is disputed. Some read it, Thou thyself and thy years shall not end. Others, Thou art the same, giving Nin the same sense with the Greek 6 auro'j, which is actually used here to translate it in the Septuagint. In favour of the version first above given, is its agreement with the usage of the Hebrew words, with the analogy of Deut. xxxii. 39, and Isa. xliii. 10, and with the context here. The meaning then is. Thou art the Unchangeable One just described. Or, it is Thou, and nothing else, that shall thus endure. Be firiished, spent, consumed, as the Hebrew word invariably means. What is elsewhere literally said of the violent destruction of human hfe is here transferred to the lapse of time. 29 (28). The sons of thy servants shall abide, and their seed before thee shall be established. This might also be translated as a prayer, let the sons of thy servants continue, which is really included even in the prediction. Before thee, as in Gen. xvii. 1, Ps. Ixxxix. 87 (36). Be established, as in Ps. 422 Psalm 103:1,2 Ixxxix. 38 (37), ci. 7. With this conclusion of the whole psalm compare Ps. Ixix. 36, 37 (35, 36), xc. 16, 17. Psalm 103 The Psalmist calls upon himself to praise God for personal favours already experienced, ver. 1-5. From these he rises, in the body of the psalm, to the contemplation of God's attributes, in themselves considered and as manifested in his dealings vv^ith his people, ver. 6-19. He concludes as he began, with an exhortation to bless God, no longer addressed merely to himself, but to all creatures, ver. 20-22. According to the exegetical hypothesis already mentioned, this is the song of mercy and judgment pro- mised in Ps. ci. 1. The arguments in favour of this theory have been already stated. The principal objection to it, and that by no means a con- clusive one, is the want of unison and even concord, as to tone and spirit, between the psalm before us and the two preceding it. Be this as it may, the psalm before us is a complete and finished composition, being one of the most simple and yet regular in structure that the book contains. This has contributed, with other obvious pecuHarities, to make it a favourite vehicle of thankful praise among the pious of all ages. 1. By David. Bless, 0 my soul, Jehovah, and all within me (bless) his holy name ! The attempts which have been made by modern critics to discredit the inscription in the hi'st clause chiefly consist in representing the many imitations and allusions to this • noble composition in the later scriptures as a cento of citations from those scriptures by the writer of the psakn itself, a preposterous inversion of ihe laws of evidence to which the neological critics are especially addicted, and by which anything and every- thing can be disproved or proved at pleasure. Bless, when appUed to God, means to praise, but with a strong implication of devout affection. By calling on his soul to do this, he acknowledges his own obligation, not only to praise God, but to praise him cordially, with all the heart, according to the solemn requisition of the law (Deut. vi. 5), to which there is perhaps a reference in all such cases. See above on Ps. iii. 3 (2). The parallel expression, all within me, is the plural form of one repeatedly used else- where, and denoting the inside of anji-hing, and more especially of man, his mind or heart, as distinguished from his mere professions or external acts. See above, on Ps. v. 10 (9), xlix. 12 (11). The literal translation of the form here used is my insides or inner parts, the strong and compre- hensive meaning of the plural being further enhanced by the addition of all, as if to preclude exception and reserve, and comprehend within the scope of the address all the powers and affections. His name of holiness (or holy name), i. e. the revelation of his infinite perfections. See above, on Ps. V. 12 (11), xxii. 4 (3). 2. Bless, 0 my soul, Jehovah, and forget not all his dealings. The positive exhortation is repeated as a kind of foil to the negative one follow- ing, in which there seems to be allusion to the frequent admonition in the Law to Israel, not to forget the Lord who brought him up out of the land of Egypt. See Deut. vi. 12, viii. 11, 14. The last word in the verse before us is the passive participle of a verb which means to treat, and commonly to treat well. See above, on Ps. vii. 5 (4). The idea here conveyed is that of treatment, determined by the context to be kind and gracious treatment. The latitude of meaning and the plural form are both represented in the Psalm 103:3 - 5 423 English word dealings, which, though susceptible of either application can, in this connection, only have a good one. 3. Forgiving all thy guilt, healing all thy sicknesses. The participles are to be grammatically construed with Jehovah as the object of the praise re- quired, and assign a reason for the requisition, furnished by the personal experience of the soul itself. The original expression is still more definite, each participle having the article prefixed, the [one) forgiving, the {one\ healing. See a similar construction carried out still further in Ps. xviii. BB- SS (32-34), 48-51 (47-50). The last word in the verse is an unusual one borrowed from Deut, xxix. 21, Avhere sicknesses are joined with 2>l«gues or strokes, to signify calamities considered as penal inflictions. The same idea is expressed in other words, Exod. xvi. 26. The relation of the clauses, in the verse before us, may be that of cause and effect. Forgiving all thy guilt and thereby removing all the misery occasioned by it. 4. Redeeming from the grave thy life, croicning thee [with) mercy and compassions. The combination of the article and participle is the same as in ver. 3, the [one] redeeming, the {one) crowning. The continuation of the sentence in this form keeps the attention fixed upon the reasons for which, or the characters in which, the Lord is to be praised. As if he had said, Bless him as the one forgiving thee and healing thee, redeeming thee and crowning thee. Redeeming means delivering, but with a strong implication of cost and risk. For the twofold sense of (iin^i^) the word translated grave, see above, on Ps. xvi. 10, and compare Ps. xxx. 10 (9). The peculiar form of the possessive pronoun, in this verse and the one before it, has been represented as a proof of later date, but really belongs to the dialect of poetry, from which, in all languages, certain expressions are continually passing into that of common life, so that what in one age is poetical is in the next colloquial, and seems therefore to belong to the later period and to shew the recent date of any composition in which it occurs. The familiar use of such words as oftentimes, perchance, &c., in our own day may thus be used hereafter to prove the writings of our older poets spurious. The figure of crowning, which occurs above in Ps. Ixv. 12 (11), suggests the idea of dignity and beauty, while the absence of merit in the object, and the sovereign freeness of the gift, are indicated by making the crown itself a crown of mercy and compassion. The last word in Hebrew is expressive of the warmest and tenderest afi'ections. See above, on Ps. xviii. 2 (1), XXV. 6, xl. 12 (11). 5. Filling with good thy soul — [then) is renewed, like the eagle, thy youth. The peculiar construction of the two preceding verses is continued through the first clause of the one before us, and then suddenly abandoned. Fill- ing, the (one) filling, in the sense of satisfying or abundantly supplying, but without the accessory notion of satiety. See above, on Ps. Ixxxi. 17 (16), xci. 16. With good, literally the good, by way of eminence, the chief good or the real good. Thy soul is not a literal translation of the Hebrew term, which, in every other case where it occurs, means ornament or decora- tion. See, for example, Ps. xxxii. 9 (8). The translations mouth, life, &c., are gratuitous conjectures from the context. The best explanations is that furnished by the analogous word (li^S) honour, glory, which is sometimes applied to the soul as the nobler part of man. See above, on Ps. xvi. 9. This explanation is confirmed by the frequent combination of the noun soul and the verb to satisfy. See above, Ps. Ixiii. 6 (5), and below, Ps. evii. 9, and compare Isa. Iviii. 11. It is also sanctioned by the ancient 424 Psalm 103:6-8 versions ; for although the Targum makes it mean old age, a palpable con- jecture, the Septuagint and Vulgate have desire {i'^rtdvfMiav, desiderium), a frequent sense of (^33) soul in Hebrew, and Jerome translates it literally, ornamentum. The word then is introduced into the translation of the second clause, in order to retain the Hebrew collocation, which is not without its emphasis. Is renewed, or retaining the reflective form of the original, renews itself. The supposed allusion in this clause to a fabulous or real renovation of the eagle in its old age, rests upon a misconception of the language, as the only point of comparison with the eagle is its strength and vigour, as in 2 Sam. i. 23, Isa. xl. 31, and the whole verse may be para- phrased as follows : " So completely does his bounty feed thy strength, that even in old age thou growest young again, and soarest like an eagle." 6. Doing righteousnesses (is) JehovaJi, and judgments for all oppressed. Thus far the reasons urged for praising God were personal, i. e. derived from individual experience. With these, from the very constitution of our nature, all our grateful exercises must begin. But if genuine they do not stop there, as the Psalmist, at this point, ascends from private causes of thanksgiving to more general views of God's administration, as a basis for the universal call with which the psalm concludes. The connection here may thus be stated: " Such have been the Lord's compassions to myself, but these are only samples of his goodness. He is not only merciful to me, but to all who are oppressed, and to deliver whom he executes his judg- ments." There is no contrast here intended between mercy and justice, with respect to different objects of the Lord's compassion. The meaning is, that man's injustice is redressed by God's mercy. The redemption of his people is often represented as coincident with the condign punishment of their oppressors. Compare my note on Isa. i. 27. Doing, i.e. practis- ing in general, and executing in particular cases. The participle (doing) Bicnifies habitual and constant action ; the plural form (righteousnesses) com- pleteness and variety, adapted to all possible emergencies. Judgments, as usual, denotes judicial acts, as distinguished from mere attributes or principles. 7. He makes known his ivays to Mosetf, to the children of Israel his (mighty) deeds. The general statement of the fact in the preceding verse is now fol- lowed by the great historical example furnished in Jehovah's dealings with his people. This serves, not only to illustrate what was said before, but to shew that it was not a mere vague declaration of what God will do to all men, but a definite assertion of his purpose and his practice with respect to his own people. All the oppressed, to whom he grants or promises de- liverance, are not mankind in general, without distinction or excejrtion, but his own people when in that condition. The first clause contains an obvi- ous allusion to the prayer of Moses, as recorded by himself, Exod. xxxiii. 13, from which passage it appears that the ways of God, which he desired to know, were his modes of deaUng with his people, or the course of his dispensations towards them. See above, on Ps. xxv. 4, Ixvii. 3 (2). The knowledge thus impai-ted was experimental or afforded by experience. The parallelism between Moses and the Children of Israel shews that the latter were represented by the former. The last Hebrew word is one constantly ap- pUed to God's exploits or mighty deeds in behalf of Israel. See above, on Ps. ix. 12 (11), Ixxviii. 11. _ 8. Compassionate and gracious (is) Jehovah, slow to anger, and rich in mercy. See above, on Ps. Ixxvii. 10 (9), Ixxviii. 38, Ixxxvi. 15, in all which cases, as in this, the terms of tlae description are borrowed from Psalm 103:9 - 13 425 Exod. xxxiv. 6. There is here an evident progression in the thought. Not only is God good to me, but to all his people in distress ; not only did he prove this to Moses and to Israel by saving them from Pharaoh and their other enemies, but by bearing with their own offences. The previous con- text might have seemed to concede innocence, if not merit, to God's people, as the object of his kind regard ; but they are here exhibited as sinners, needing his forbearance and forgiveness. 9. Not to perpetuity will he strive, and not to eternity retain (his anger). This, of course, imphes that he is sometimes angry, even with his people, and sometimes strives in opposition to their strivings against him. But as he is always in the right, and they are always in the wrong, it is a signal proof of the divine compassion, that he does not strive and is not wroth for ever. The first clause is closely copied by Isaiah (Ivii. 16). The second is itself derived from Lev. xix. 18, where we find a verb meaning to retain or reserve used absolutely in the sense of harbouring a grudge or cherishing a secret spite. This remarkable form of expression is copied, in the case before us, and in Nah. i. 2, Jer. iii. 5, 12. The origiiM passage is a prohibition, in obeying which the Lord, as it were, here sets his people an example. Compare Mat. v. 48, 1 Cor. xi. 1, Eph. v. 1. 10. Not according to our sins has he done to us, and not according to our iniquities has he dealt with us. That the people stood in need of the divine forbearance, is now still more distinctly intimated. The last verb is the one of which the participle occurs in ver. 2, and might here be ren- dered, with still closer adherence to the strict sense of the Hebrew preposi- tion, has he bestowed upon us. See the same construction in the Hebrew of Ps. xiii. 6, cxvi. 7, cxlii. 8 (7). The past tense has reference to the previ- ous history of Israel as a nation, but involves the statement of a general truth. At the end of the verse, we may suppose it to be tacitly added : as he might have done, not only in strict justice, but in execution of his ex- press threatening, Lev. xxvi. 21. 11. For as the heavens are high above the earth, mighty is his mercy above those that fear him. The Hebrew preposition is the same in both clauses, and cannot be varied in translation without weakening the sentence. In the last clause it suggests the ideas of descent from above, superior power, and protection, in addition to that of mere relation or direction, which is all that is conveyed by the translation to or towards. The force of the original is likewise impaired by substituting great for strong or mighty. The idea meant to be conveyed is not that of mere extent but of efficiency. The literal meaning of the first words is, like the height of the heavens, or like their being high. His fearers, or those fearing him, is a common de- scription of the righteous, or God's people, who are more particularly cha- racterised in ver. 18. 12. As far as the east is from the west, he hath put far from us our trangressions. The form of expression at the beginning is the same as in ver. 11, like the distance of the east, or like its being far. The Hebrew words for east and west, according to their etymology, denote the place of sunrise and the place of evening. Put far from us, as no longer having anything to do with us, a figure which suggests the idea both of pardon and renewal, justification and sanctification. 13. As a father has compassion on (his) children, Jehovah has compassion on his fearers. The compound phrase, has compassion, is here substituted for the simple verb pity, in order to retain the preposition on, which fol- lows it in Hebrew, and also because the plural form, compassions, was neces- 426 Psalm 103:14 - 18 sarily employed in ver. 4 to translate the cognate noun. The Hebrew verb is peculiarly appropriate in speaking of parental love. See above, on Ps. xviii. 2 (1). The preterite forms represent the fact alleged as one already known and well attested by experience. 14. For he knows our frame, mindful that dust {are) ne. The fragility of man is here again assigned as a ground of the divine compassion. See above, on Ps. Ixxviii. 39, Ixxxix, 48 (47). Frame, formation, constitution, or as we say familiarly in English, our make, cur build. The Hebrew noun is derived from the verb used in Ps. xciv. 9, and may therefore be intended to suggest the same idea that is there expressed. He who formed us knows of course how we are formed. The same noun is applied to the moral constitution, Gen. vi. 5, viii. 21, Deut. xxxi. 21. The word trans- lated mindful is, in form, a passive participle, HOT) meaning remem- bered, but equivalent in use to the active, remembering, or the verbal adjective mindful, just as the like form (HiOIl) trusted is equivalent to trusting, Ps. cxii. 7, the English rejoicccZ to rejoicing, &c. We are dust, i. e. made of it, and tending to it. Compare Gen. ii. 7, iii. 19, Ps. xc. 3. 15. (As for) man, his days {are) like the grass; like the blossom of the field, so he blossoms. As the preceding verse expresses the fragility of man by referring to his origin and end, so this verse does the same by a familiar but beautiful comparison, borrowed from Ps. xc. 6, and repeated in Isa. xl. 6-8, Job xiv. 2. The very name here given to the race is one denot- ing frailty and infirmity. See above, on Ps. viii. 5 (4). 16. For a breath passes over him and he is not, and no more shall his place know him. The pronouns may with equal grammatical correctness, be referred to the grass and rendered it, its. The primary meaning of the first noun {breath) is, in this connection, stronger than the secondary {wind). The wind may be a whirlwind ; but to say that a mere breath is sufficient to destroy one is the strongest possible expression of fragility. That the wind is called the breath of God, as the thunder is his voice, is a striking and poetical but needless supposition. He is not or no more, there is none of him, no such thing or person. See above, on Ps. xxxvii. 10. With the first clause compare Isa. xl.7; with the second, Job vii. 10. The last verb means to recognise or know again, as in Ps. cxlii. 6 (4), and the whole clause, that death makes men strangers to the objects with which they have been most familiar. 17. And the mercy of Jehovah {is) from eternity even to eternity upon those fearing him, and his righteousness to children's children. Having carried the description of man's frailty to the furthest point, the Psalmist suddenly contrasts with it God's everlasting mercy. The use of the simple copulative and, in suph a marked antithesis, where but might to us seem indispensable, is one of the most striking and familiar Hebrew idioms. Upon those fearing him suggests the idea of a gift from above. To chil- dren s children simply means given (or belonging) to them. Unless we make the last clause a threatening of hereditary vengeance to the wicked his right- eousness can only mean his rectitude, including his veracity and faithfulness in exercising covenanted mercy. Children s children, literally sons of sons. 18. To the keepers of his covenant, and to the rememberers of his laws, to do them. This is the necessary qualification of a promise which might otherwise have seemed too absolute. Even to the descendants of those fearing him the promise availed nothing, unless they themselves were faith- ful to his covenant and obedient to his law. The last words {to do them) Psalm 103:19-22 427 shew that the remembrance of the law required was not merely intellectual but practical and tending to obedience. 19. Jehovah in the heavens has fixed his throne, and his kingdom over all rules. Not only is he infinitely merciful and faithful, but a universal and almighty sovereign, no less able than willing to fulfil his promises and execute his purposes of mercy. The word translated Jixed, like its English representative, suggests the two ideas of preparing and establishing. The same combination with throne occurs above, Ps. ix. 8 (7). See also Ps. xi. 4, xlvii. 9 (8). Ooer all ; the original expression is still stronger, over the whole, the universe, to cai/. The same phrase is applied to the entire human race, Ps. xiv. 3. The past tense of the last verb represents this unlimited dominion as already established or revealed. The future would have made its ulterior continuance the prominent idea. 20. Bless Jehovah, ye his angels, mighty in strength, doing his word, (so as) to listen to the voice of his word. Having finished his assertion of God's claims to universal praise, the Psalmist resumes the tone of exhortation with which he began. His appeal, however, is no longer to his own soul, but to the hosts of heaven, the noblest of God's creatures, the highest order of finite intelligences. Mighty in strength, more exactly mighty {ones) of strength, or, as the first word is applied as a substantive to warriors or conquerors, heroes of strength or mighty heroes. See above, on Ps. xxiv. 8, Ixxviii. 25. The construction in the last clause is obscure. The infinitive may here have the force of a gerund, auliendo, auscultando, by Ustening to the voice of his word, or, as in Ps. Ixxviii. 18, it may denote the extent or the efiect of their obedience, so as to hearken, or so that they hearken, i. e. listen for the faintest intimation of his will. The expression hearken to his voice, as thus applied, is a Mosaic one. See Deut. xxvi. 17, XXX. 20. 21. Bless Jehovah, ye his hosts, his ministers, the doers of his will. As the word hosts is applied both to the angels and the heavenly bodies (see above, on Ps. xxiv. 10), some interpreters, in order to relieve this verse of a tautology, suppose it to relate to the heavenly hosts in one sense, as the preceding verse does in another. In the same way they account for the change of expression in the last clause. Only intelligent creatures can be literally said to listen for God's word and to obey it ; but even the inani- mate creation may be said, without a metaphor, to execute his will. This last phrase occurs also in Ps. xl. 9 (8). 22. Bless ye Jehovah, all his works, in all places of his realm; bless thou, 0 my soul, Jehovah ! The angels and heavenly bodies, with men and every other creature, are now summed up in the comprehensive phrase, all his works, i. e. all that he has made, all creatures, and invited to bless God, which invitation the Psalmist then addresses once more to himself, and thus, by a beautiful transition, brings us back to the point from which we started. Psalm 104 We have here another of those psalms, in which the hopes of God's people are excited and their faith strengthened by a view of the authority and providential care which he exercises over the creation. The sum of the whole psalm is contained in the first verse, and its application indicated in the last. Here, as in Ps. viii., xix., xxix., Ixv., the description of God's 428 Psalm 104:1 -3 glory, as exhibited in nature, is entirely subservient to a moral and religious purpose, and the psalm is therefore fuUy entitled to a place in the collec- tion, and adapted to the permanent use of the church. The arrangement of the psalm is founded on the history of the creation, but with such varia- tions as were suited to the writer's purpose. After a general statement of this purpose, ver. 1, the Psahnist traces the creative and providential agency of God in the works of the first and second day, ver. 2-5, then in that of the third, ver. 6-18, then in that of the fourth, ver. 19-23, then in that of the fifth, ver. 24—26, with an allusion to the rest of the seventh day in ver. 81. The psalm closes with a summary statement of the dependence of all living creatures upon God's care and bounty, ver. 27-32, a resolution to glorify him accordingly, ver. 83, 34, and a pregnant inference, that they who are under such protection have nothing to fear from human enemies, ver. 35. According to Hengstenberg, this and the two next psalms com- pose a trilogy added to the Davidic one immediately preceding (Ps. ci.-ciii.) about the time of the Babylonish exile. This hj^othesis, he thinks, accounts for the occurrence of Davidic psalms in this part of the Psalter, which would otherwise have found their place among the Psalms of David in the first division of the book. But having been made the basis or the nucleus of later compositions, they were naturally placed with these in their proper chronological position. 1. Bless, 0 my soul, Jehovah I 0 Jehovah, my God, thou art great exceedingly ; honour and majesty hast thou put on. The resemblance of the first clause to Ps. ciii. 1 shews the designed connection of the two psalms. The remainder of the verse is a kind of response to this invocation, and contains, as it were, the words in which his soul does actually bless God. At the same time it exhibits in advance the sum and substance of the whole composition, the design of which is to describe the glories of creation and providence as the royal robe of the divine sovereign. Compare Ps. xlv. 4 (3), xciii. 1, xcvi. 6, Job xl. 10, Isa. li. 9. 2. Wearing light like a robe, spreading heaven like a curtain. In carrying out the idea summarily stated in the first verse, he begins where the cos- mogony in Genesis begins, with the light and the firmament, not the act of their creation, but their use, as the Creator's robe and curtain. It follows of course that light and heaven must be taken in their popular and ordinary sense, and not as denoting the heaven of heavens and the light inaccessible in which he is elsewhere represented as dwelling. The definite forms of the original, the robe, the curtain, as contrasted with the vaguer forms, light, heaven, may be intended to suggest the idea of the robe and curtain known and used in common life, which man puts on and stretches out with perfect ease, but not more easily than God puts on the light and stretches out the eky. Compare Gen. i. 6, Isa. xl. 22, Job ix. 8. 3. Framing with water his halls ; making clouds his conveyance ; moving on wings of the wind. The first word means laying beams or rafters. The next phrase may either mean in or with water. The first is more obvious, the last more striking^ as it represents a solid building, made of a liquid or fluid material. In the other case the waters meant are those above the firmament. See Gen. i. 6, 7, Ps. xviii. 12 (11), where the clouds and the wings of the wind are also mentioned in the same connection. The word translated halls denotes the highest room of an oriental house, which is frequently the largest. Hence the frequent mention, in the New Testament, of the b'Trtgff^ov as a place of assembly. Making, literally setting, placing. Chariot is too specific a translation of the Hebrew word, which means any- Psalm 104:4 -6 429 thing on which a person rides. The preposterous figure of walking on wings belongs entirely to the versions, ancient and modem. The Hebrew word, though often so applied, is a generic one, denoting all progressive move- ment, and nearly equivalent to our word going, which is not so agreeable, however, in this place, to English usage, as the more general and poetical term moving. See above on Ps. xviii. 11 (10). 4. Making his angels winds, his ministers flaming fire. According to the simplest and most obvious construction of this verse, it can only mean that God makes his angels or ministering spirits swift and ardent in his service. But such a statement would be wholly out of place in a psalm, the rest of which relates exclusively to the material creation. The best interpreters are therefore of opinion that angels and ministers are predicates, not subjects, or in other words, that the idea meant to be conveyed is, that he makes the winds his messengers or angels, and the flaming fire his minister or servant. This agrees exactly with the previous declaration that he makes the clouds his chariot or conveyance, and moves upon the wings of the wind. It may seem, however, to be inconsistent with the use made of the passage in Heb. i. 7, as a proof that . the angels are inferior to the Son of God. But how could this inferiority be proved by the fact that the angels are spirits, or even wind and fire ? The latter cannot be hterally true, and if metaphorical, can only mean that they are swift and ardent in God's service, which they might be and yet equal to the Son in nature, who, considered as a messenger or agent of the Father, exhibits precisely the same qualities. The truth is, that the passage, as thus understood, is perfectly irrelevant and useless to the argument, and therefore that this mode of explaining it is not entitled to the preference, whatever difficulties may attend the other. Let it be observed, too, that the Septuaglnt version, which is quoted in Heb. i. 7, is an exact transcript of the Hebrew, both as to the sense and collocation of the words, so that if the original admits of a difierent construction, it may be extended to the version likewise. The most satisfactary conclusion is, that the words are not quoted as an argu- ment or proof of the inferiority of angels, but merely as a striking yet familiar form of words in which to clothe the >vriter's own idea, which is this, that angels are mere messengers and ministers, and as such may be classed with the material agencies which God employs in execution of his purpose. The wind and the lightning are God's angels and his ministers, and are expressly so described in the Old Testament ; but they are never called his sons, much less addressed directly as the sovereign, eternal, righteous, ever-blessed God. Nor are the ministering spirits, who share with these material agencies the character of messengers and servants, ever so described or so addressed. By thus supplying the suppressed links of the chain of argument, the verse before us, in the only sense of which the con- text really admits, will be found not only as appropriate as the other to the pur- pose for which it is quoted in the New 'Testament, but incomparably more so. 5. He founded the earth on its bases ; it shall not be moved for ever and ever. The idea of bases is rather suggested by the context, and especially the yerh founded, than expressed by the Hebrew noun itself, which properly means places, or more specifically, fixed and settled places. See above, on Ps. Ixxxix. 15 (14), xcvii. 2, and with the whole verse compare Ps. Ixxviii. 69, Ixxxix. 12 (11), cii. 26 (25). 6. (With) the deep, like a garment, thou didst cover it ; above the moun- tains stand the xvaters. Next in importance to the separation of the land and water in the beginning (Gen. i. 9, 10), was the temporary confoundmg 430 Psalm 104:7 -10 of the two in the universal deluge (Gen. vii. 19, 20), which the Psalmist therefore here connects with the creation, as equally demonstrative of almighty power, and also for the purpose of founding on this seeming vio- lation of the promise in the last clause of ver. 5, a still more solemn repetition of it. The grammatical objection that the pronoun in the phrase didst cover it is masculine, and cannot therefore refer to earth which is feminine, is easily removed by a reference to the general licence of the Hebrew syntax with respect to genders, and the idiomatic tendency to use the masculine, not as a distinctive but as a generic form, in cases where the subject is sufficiently indicated by the context. There are, moreover, several clear examples of the mascuhne construction of this very noun (yiJ^) besides those in which earth or land is put for its inhabitants. See e. g. Gen. xiii. 6, Isa. ix. 18. The allusion in the last clause to Gen. vii. 19, 20, is too plain to be mistaken. 7. At thy rebuke they flee, at the voice of thy thunder they hasten away. The same power that produced the deluge put an end to it. The verbs agree with waters in ver. 6. The divine command that they should cease or disappear is poetically spoken of as a rebuke. See above, on Ps. xviii. 16 (15), Ixxvi. 7 (6), and compare Isa. 1. 2. The Hebrew pavticle means from, denoting both the time and cause of the effect described. The last verb is a passive meaning strictly to be panic- struck, or to flee in conse- quence of being panic-struck. See above, on Ps. xxxi. 23 (22), xlviii. 6 (5). The voice of thy thunder may be literally understood to mean the sound of thunder, or according to a well-known Hebrew idiom, thy voice of thunder, or thy thundering voice. 8. Tliey go up mountains, they go down valleys, to this place thou hast founded for them. The first clause is a beautiful description of the fluctua- tions which attend the subsidence of swollen waters, not only in the case of Noah's flood (Gen. viii. 4, 5) to which the words relate in the first instance, but in all other cases, where the same rule still holds good, so that the verse, by an insensible transition, founds the statement of a general truth on that of a particular event. The use of the demonstrative (this) is highly idiomatic. The original construction is, to a place, this {ivhich) thou hast founded for them. This form of expression is equivalent to pointing with the hand, and therefore adds not a little to the graphic vividness of the description. 9. A bound thou didst set, they shall not pass over, they shall not return to cover the earth. This grand exception to the law which governs the rela- tions between land and water is the only one to be permitted or expected. The limits broken were renewed with an assurance that henceforth they should be inviolable. See Gen. ix. 15. Besides the immediate reference to the flood, the verse contains the statement of a general fact in the eco- nomy of nature, and thus furnishes a natural transition to the similar state- ments of the next verse. 10. Sending springs into the valleys ; betiveen hills they go. The partici- pial construction, interrupted by the parenthetical account of the flood, is here resumed, the participle, like the others, agreeing directly with Jehovah understood, as the {one) sending, which is the precise form of the original. See above, on Ps. ciii. 3-6. Springs or fountains, not in the restricted sense, but comprehending both the source and stream, as in Joel iv. 18 (iii. 18). The word translated valleys is restricted in usage to such as have streams flowing through them. The last word is the one translated wallceth by the EngUsh Bible in ver. 3 above, but here run, although walk is given Psalm 104:1] -15 431 in the margin, as a more precise and literal translation, while Jerome inserts it in his text, ut inter mtdios monies ambulent. 11. They tvater every beast of the field ; (at them) wild asses quench their thirst. The subject of the first verb is still the waters. The verb itself means to water, in the sense of giving drink to animals, though sometimes metaphorically applied to irrigation. See Gen. ii. 10. The form of the parallelism in this verse is peculiar, although not uncommon in Hebrew poetry, the last clause containing a specification of the general statement in the first. What is first said of animals, or wild ones in the general, is then said of the wild ass in particular. Quench, literally break, i. e. sub- due, assuage. A derivative noun is applied in Hebrew to com or gi'ain, as that which breaks or assuages hunger, although most interpreters and lexicographers suppose a reference to the literal breakiBg or grinding of the corn itself. 12. Above them the birds of heaven dwell, from between the branches they give voice. The poetical character of the composition is in nothing more obvious than in these minute strokes of exquisite painting, superadded to the more essential parts of the description. At the same time these are not to be regarded as mere lavish or gratuitous embellishments, since the Psalmist's purpose is to celebrate God's wonderful and bountiful provision for his hving creatures, and the running brooks would fail to answer one of their most valuable ends, if there were no birds to give voice or sing among the branches of the overhanging trees. The word translated birds is a col- lective answering to the old 'English fowl, not as used in the version of this psalm, where it is plural, but in that of Gen. i. 20, 22, 26, 28. That pas- sage furnishes an explanation of the phrase /oiy^ (or birds) of heaven, in the fuller description (Gen. i. 20), fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven, i. e. through the air, across the face of the expanse or visible heaven. 13. Watering mountains from his upper rooms — from the fruit of thy works is the earth filled. He still returns to God as the author of these merciful provisions, and represents him by a beautiful figure, as pouring this abundant supply of water from his upper rooms, the same word that was rendered halls in ver. 3 ; but here the connection seems to reTjuire that its precise etymological import should be prominent. The fruit of thy works, the result or product of thy creative energy. Filled^ not in the sense of being occupied, which would require a different Hebrew verb, but in that of being abundantly supplied or saturated. See above, on Ps. ciii. 5. The sudden apostrophe to God himself enhances the poetical effect. 14. Causing grass to grow for the cattle and herb for the culture of man, (so as) to bring forth bread from the earth. In this verse there is a transi- tion from God's care of the inferior animals to his care of man. The word translated herb denotes any green plant or vegetable, and is here applied to such as constitute or furnish human food. The common version of the next words, for the service of man, can only mean for his benefit or use, a sense not belonging to the Hebrew word, which, as well as its verbal root, is applied to man's servitude or bondage as a tiller of the ground (Gen. iii. 17-19), and has here the sense of husbandry or cultivation, as in Exod. i. 14, Lev. XXV. 39, it has that of compulsory or servile labour. The in- finitive in the last clause indicates the object for which labour is imposed on man. 15. And wine gladdens the heart of man — (so as) to make his face shine 432 Psalm 104:16- 18 more than oil — and bread the heart of man sustains. The general expres- sion at the end of ver. 14 is now rendered more specific by distinctly men- tioning the great staples of production and subsistence in the Holy Land. The only doubt is whether two or three are mentioned. The text of the English Bible makes oil a distinct item in the catalogue, and oil to make his face to shine. But this is an impossible construction of the Hebrew, in which the infinitive {to make shine) bears the same relation to what goes before as the infinitive (to bring forth) in the verse preceding, and is there- fore expressive, not of a distinct cause and efiect, but of a consequence resulting from the one just mentioned. The true construction is given in the margin of the English Bible, to make his face shine with oil or more than oil. To the first of these alternative translations it may be objected that wine cannot make men's faces shine with oil, unless there is allusion to the festive unctions of the ancients, which, however, were restricted to the head. The other, therefore, seems to be the true sense, in which oil is merely mentioned as a shining substance. The description of food as sustaining the heart is very ancient. See Gen. xviii, 5, Judges xix. 8. 16. Full are the trees of Jehovah ; the cedars of Lebanon which he planted. Full, i.e. abundantly supplied, saturated, as in ver. 13. The English ver- sions supply sap ; but the idea suggested by the context is the more gene- ral one of moisture, irrigation. The mutual relation of the clauses is the same as in ver. 11. What is first said of trees, or of the noblest trees in general, is then said of the cedars in particular. The trees of Jehovah, like the cedars of God in Ps. Ixxx. 11 (10), are those which he has planted (Num. xxiv. 6), those which, by their loftiness or fruitfulness or beauty, bear the strongest impress of their Maker's hand. The cedars of Lebanon are often mentioned as the noblest and most famous of their kind. See above, on Ps. xxix. 5, xcii. 13 (12). 17. Where the (small) birds nestle ; [as to) the stork, the cypresses (are) her house He again recurs to the provision made for birds which is here connected with the trees, as it is in ver. 12. The word translated birds is not the one there used, but the same with that in Ps. Ixxxiv. 4 (3), cii. 7, where it is commonly translated sparrow, though supposed to be a general term for small birds, so called from their chirping, twittering noise. Here it may represent the smaller, and the stork the larger class of birds. The Hebrew name of the stork means merciful or pious, and is supposed to have reference to the natural kindness of that bird, both to its parents and its young. Nestle or build their nests. The choice between the old transla- tion, fir-trees, and the new one, cypresses, is exegetically unimportant. 18. Mountains, the high (ones), are for the wild goats — rochs {are) a refuge for the conies. The idea seems to be, that even the wildest situations, and the most inaccessible to man, afibrd shelter and subsistence to some form of hfe, and are therefore proofs of the divine benevolence and wisdom. Of the names of animals here mentioned, the first occurs also in the book of Job (xxxix. 1) ; the second in the list of unclean beasts, Lev. xi. 5, Deut. xiv. 7 ; and both in the writings of Solomon, Prov. v. 19, xxx. 26. Of the second, various explanations have been given, but none of them more probable than that derived from the rabbinical tradition. Nor is the ques- tion of the slightest exegetical importance, since the only pecuharities in- volved are those suggested by the text itself, to wit, that the animals intended must be such as inhabit rocks and mountains. Some supply a refuge in the first clause from the second ; but a better sense is yielded by the simpler construction, they belong to (or are intended for) the vcild goats. Psalm 104:19 -23 433 which agrees exactly with the drift of the whole psalm, to shew that all parts of the inanimate creation contribute something to the comfort of the living sentient creature. 19. He made the moon for seasons; the sun knows his selling. Even the heavenly bodies have a reference to man's advantage. The moon is a mea- sure of time, and the sun defines the period of active labour. The word translated seasons is the plural of the one translated set time in Ps. Ixxv. 8 (2), cii. 14, and the same that means assemblies in Ps. Ixxiv. 4, 8. It is here put for all divisions of time, including the succession of day and night, to which there is perhaps a special reference, as in the other clause, where the meaning seems to be, that the sun knows when and where to set, and does not make the day, -ndth its attendant toils, perpetual. This is a strong poetical description of an obvious and familiar fact, and no more presupposes a particular theory or system of astronomy than the similar language of uninspired poets among ourselves. 20. Thou tnakest darkness and it is night ; in it begins to move every beast of the forest. The first verb in Hebrew means to set or place, but is used precisely as a word of the same meaning is in ver. 3. Its abbreviated form does not indicate an optative meaning, but is substituted for the full form by poetic licence. It is night, or night is, night begins to be. The same inceptive meaning is expressed in the translation of the third verb which denotes animal motion, but is specially applied to that of reptiles. The idea of a secret, stealthy motion, as suggested by the common version {do creep forth), can hardly be intended, as the context shews the main idea of the passage to be this, that as the day affords a time for active motion to mankind and to domestic animals, the night affords a like time for the wilder beasts, or beasts of the forest, an expression which occurs above, in Ps. 1. 10. 21. The young lions roaring for the prey, and to seek from God their food. By translating the participle and infinitive both as presents, the common version makes this a distinct proposition. But in Hebrew it forms part of the preceding sentence, and contains a specification of the general state- ment there made. When night comes on, all the beasts of the forest are aroused, and among the rest the lion, roaring for his prey, (is roused) to seek his food from God. This last expression impHes no such purpose on the lion's part, but merely that he seeks what can only be bestowed by an almighty being, which idea is suggested by the name of God here used. 22. The sun rises — they are gathered — and in their dens lie doicn. The first clause may also be translated, let the sun rise, they are gathered, or paraphrased in more accordance with our idiom, uhen the sun rises they are gathered; but neither of these constructions is so striking and poetical as the exact version, first above given. Gathered, i. e. called in from their wanderings and dispersions. The word translated dens means abodes or homes, and is a cognate form to that in Ps. xc. 1 ; but the form here used is specially appHed to th€ lairs or resting-places of wild beasts, not only here but in Amos iii. 4. The last verb is also one appropriated to the lying down of animals. See above, on Ps. xxiii. 2. The construction is a pregnant one : they lie down to (or) into their dens, i. e. go into them and lie down. 23. Forth goes man to his work, and to his labour until evening. This verse presents the day- scene corresponding to the night- scene of the two preceding verses. When night comes on, the beasts of the forest are in motion ; when the sou appears, they gather to their lairs, and man comes 434 Psalm 104:24 - 27 forth to labour unlil evening, when the scene is shifted as before. Leav- ing out of view all higher claims to admiration and respect, the poetical merit of this whole description is of the highest order. The word trans- lated labour is the same that was translated culture in ver. 14. 24. How manifold are thy ivorks, Jehovah ; all of them in wisdom hast thou wrought ; full is the earth of thy riches. The first verb in Hebrew strictly means are many, but as the context has respect to the variety, and not to the mere number, of God's works, the sense is well conveyed by the term used in the English version {manifold). Works and wrought re- present a cognate verb and noun in Hebrew, a combination which adds point and animation to the sentence. The last word in the verse is derived from a verb which means to acquire, either by creation or by purchase. While the noun, therefore, strictly denotes acquisitions or possessions, its etymological afiinities would instantly suggest to every Hebrew reader the idea of creation, as the ultimate source of these pos- sessions, a modification of the thought which cannot be conveyed by any mere translation. 25. Here is the sea, great and wide on all hands ; there are moving things and without number, small animals with great. The exclamation or reflection in the preceding verse aflfords a transition to the survey of other parts of the creation, not included in the catalogue before recited, yet no less striking in themselvess, and as proofs or illustrations of the Maker's wisdom. Such is the sea, or here, for instance, is the sea, are the phrases which would probably be used in our idiom, to introduce the first example. The same thing was probably intended by the Hebrew phrase, this (is) the sea, as if the speaker at the same time pointed to it. See above, on ver. 8. Wide of both hands is another idiomatic phrase used also by Moses (Gen. xxxiv. 21), and Isaiah (xxxiii. 21). It obviously means stretching out in all directions. The sense of hand as thus used, is the same as in the English phrase on all hands, and is probably derived from the use of the right and left hand to distinguish position or direction. Moving things is here used to translate a single Hebrew word (ti'Ql) the cognate noun of the verb employed in ver. 20 to denote animal motion. It is applied to marine animals, as here in Gen. i. 9, Ps. Ixix. 35 (34). The use of the word beasts, in the common version of the last clause, is not con- sistent with its modern usage, which restricts it to terrestrial quadrupeds. 26. There the ships go — Leviathan — this (that) thou hast formed to play therein. While the ships connect the sea with man's activity and interests, Leviathan, the standing representative of aquatic monsters, may be here put for the population of the sea itself. To play therein, as in his native element. Compare Job xl. 20. The idiomatic use of this is like that in ver. 25. The word translated go, in the common version of the first clause, is the same that was rendered walk in ver. 3, and run in ver. 10. 27. All of them on thee rely, to give their food in its season. The all of them obviously relates to all the Uving creatures previously mentioned, and not to any one or more exclusively, the proposition being no less true of men than brutes, or of brutes than men. On thee rely is not an exact translation of the Hebrew, which indeed does not admit of one, because it combines a verb and preposition which cannot be combined in English. The form of the original is, to thee wait, expect, or hope, the verb expressing confidence, the particle the act of looking towards the object thus confided in. The description of the animals as thus expecting their supplies from God, is merely the poetical costume in which the Psalmist clothes the fact Psalm 104:28 -31 435 that they are really, although unconsciously, dependent on him. In pre- cisely the same manner, other poets represent the earth, in time of drought, as parched with thirst and longing for the rain, which expressions no sane man would either charge with falseho()d, or consider as implying a belief in the conscious personality of Earth. Compare my note on Isa. xlii. 4. In its season, i. e. when they need it. 28. Thoti givest to them, they gather ; thou openest thy hand, they are filled (with) food. The point of the significant antithesis is this, that God as easily bestows as they receive. He has only to give, they have only to gather. He has but to open his hand, and they are instantly provided, even to satiety. Filled, satisfied, abundantly supplied, as in ver. 13. The verb rendered gather means to pick up or collect from the ground. It is used in the history of the manna (Exod. xvi. 1, 5, IG), to which there is obvious allusion. The act of gathering from the ground seems to pre- suppose a previous throwing down from heaven. The common version, that (meaning what) thou givest them they gather, weakens the sentence, if it does not render it unmeaning. 29. Thou hidest thy face, they are confounded ; thou, withdraioest their breath, they expire, and to their dust return. The hiding of God's face is the opposite of looking with a favourable aspect. See above, on Ps. xiii. 2 (1). It here means the suspension or withdrawing of the various benefits before described. They are troubled is, in every case, a feeble version of one of the strongest words in the language, which has been already more than once explained. Even confounded, though much stronger, does not perfectly convey the idea, which is that of being agitated, terror-stricken, or convulsed. See above, on Ps. ii. 5, Ixxviii. 33, xc. 7. Their breath, the vital principle imparted by the Spirit of God (Gen. ii. 7), who is the God of the spirits of all flesh, i. e. the author of all life whatever. See Num. xvi. 22, xxvii. 16, and compare Heb. xii. 9. The verb exjire is used in the account of the destruction of all living creatures by the flood, Gen. vii. 21, 22, to which there is no doubt allusion, as there is in the next clause to Gen. iii. 19. Compare Ps. xc. 8, ciii. 14, Eccles. xii. 7. Their dust, their own, their native dust, to which they belong, and from which they sprang. 30. Thoii sendest thy breath, they are created, and thou reneivest the face of the earth. The absolute power of God over the life of his creatures is expressed by representing him as annihilating and creating the whole race at pleasure, by a breath. With equal correctness we might read thy spirit, but thy breath is more poetical, and therefore better suited to the context as the primary meaning, though the spirit be really intended. 2 hey are created refers the effect more directly to God's power than they live or they revive would do. In the last clause there is evident allusion to the renova- tion of the earth desolated by the flood, and the joyous change of its face or aspect when re-peopled. 31. Let the glory of Jehovah be for ever ; let Jehovah rejoice in his works. The optative form of the first verb here determines the meaning of the other. It would also be grammatical, though much less natural in this connection, to regard the abbreviated form of the first verb as a mere poetic licence, and explain both as futures proper. The glory of Jehovah shall be to eternity ; Jehovah shall rejoice in his worJcs. The grammatical question is of less importance, because one of these senses really implies the other. The wish is not for something doubtful but infallibly certain, and the pre- diction is in strict accordance with the wish of him who utters it. In this 436 Psalm 104:32 -35 verse some interpreters suppose an allusion to God's satisfaction in his own work of creation when he rested from it on the seventh day. See Gen. ii. 1, 2. 32. He that looks at the earth and it quakes, touches the hills and they smoke. There is something in the form of this verse similar to that of yer. 28. God has only to look at the earth to make it quake. He has only to touch the mountains and they smoke. His controlling and terrifying acts are as prompt and easy as his acts of grace. There seems to be a reference to the words of Moses in describing the efiects of the theophany at Sinai, when its summit smoked, and its very roots or bases were on fire. See Exod. xix. 18, Deut. xxxii. 22. To those familiar with the constant use of mountains as a symbol of great monarchies, this verse would necessarily suggest the thought, that God's power over states is no less absolute than that which he exercises over individuals, or over the inanimate creation. 33. / will sing to Jehovah while I live, I xoill make music to my God while I still (exist). This is the Psalmist's conclusion from the view which he has taken, with respect to his own interest and duty. If the Lord be such a God to all his creatures, then I can do no better than expend the remainder of my life in praising him. The two verbs are those continually joined to denote vocal and instrumental pritise. The closing words of each clause, and especially the second, have a highly idiomatic character. The phrase translated while I live means literally in my life or lives. The corresponding one can scarcely be translated, as it is composed of the pre- position in, the adverb yet or still, and the pronoun of the first person, in my yet, i. e. in my (being) yet, while I still am, or continue to exist. 34. Sweet shall be of him my meditation ; I will rejoice in Jehovah. The ancient versions and the Prayer Book, with some of the best interpreters, put an optative sense upon the first clause, may my thought (or speech) be acceptable to him. In favour of this interpretation is the fact that a synonymous verb, followed by the same preposition (7^), means to be pleasing to a person, in Ps. xvi."6. In favour of the other is want of any- thing to indicate a wish, and the parallelism of the second clause, which relates to the expression of his own feelings towards" Jehovah, not to the dis- positions of Jehovah towards himself. Thus understood, the whole verse completes the Psalmist's practical conclusion from the view which he has taken of God's power, wisdom, and goodness, namely, that the know- ledge and possession of this God is happiness. 35. Consumed are sinners from the earth, and (as for) wicked men, they are no more. Bless, 0 my soul, Jehovah. Hallelujah ! This verse has no perceptible connection, either with the verse immediately before it, or with the general drift of the whole psalm, except upon the supposition, that the whole psalm was intended to derive, from the view of God's authori- tative care over his works, an encouraging assurance that his people must be safe ; that he who feeds and shelters the inferior animals, and makes provision for the physical necessities of men in general, cannot fail to pro- vide for the security and happiness of those whom he has set apart for himself, or to free them from the malice of those sinners who are equally the enemies of God and of his people. The psalm, like the one before it, closes with the same words which began it. The last word. Hallelujah (praise ye Jah), occurs here for the first time, and is supposed by some to form no part of the original composition, but to have been added for the purpose of adapting it to some public service at a later date. Psalm 105:1 - 5 437 Psalm 105 This, like the Seventy-Eighth, is a historical psalm, recounting God's ancient dealings with his people, especially in Egypt. The practical design of the commemoration is not to bring the people to repentance, as in the case referred to, but to excite their hopes of an analogous deliverance. According to a theory already mentioned, this is the second member of a trilogy, added to one of older date (Ps. ci.-ciii.) during the time of the captivity. It differs from the psalm before it in deriving from history the same consolation which is there derived from nature. After the intro- duction, ver. 1-7, the arrangement is simply chronological, beginning with the promise to Abraham, and ending with the conquest of Canaan, ver. 8—44. The first fifteen verses of this psalm are found in 1 Chron. xvi., combined with Ps. xcvi. and three verses of Ps. cvi. See above, on Ps. xcvi. 1. 1. Give thanks unto Jehovah, call vpon his name, make known among the nations his exploits. The original meaning of the second phrase is, call (him) by his name, i. e. give him the descriptive title most expressive of his divine perfections ; or more specifically, call him by his name Jehovah, i.e. ascribe to him the attributes which it denotes, to wit, eternity and self- existence, together with that covenant relation to his people, which, though not denoted by the name, was constantly associated with it, and therefore necessarily suggested by it. The meaning of the next phrase is obscured, if not entirely concealed, in the common version, among the people. The plural form and sense of the original expression are essential to the writer's purpose, which is to glorify the God of Israel among all nations. See above, on Ps. xviii. 50 (49), Ivii. 10 (9). For the meaning of the last word, see above on Ps. ciii. 7. 2. Sing to him, play to him, muse on all his wondrous deeds. The exhor- tation seems to be addressed to the Gentiles, who are called upon to join in the praises and to share the blessings of the chosen people. For the mean- ing of the last verb, see above, on Ps. civ. 34. 3. Glory in his holy name ! Glad shall be the heaH of those who seek Jehovah. Congratulate yourselves that you possess a right and interest in the favour of so glorious a Being. The last clause presents as an induce- ment, that to seek the favour of this God is a source, and by implication the only source, of joy and happiness. Compare Ps. xxxiv. 3 (2), xl. 17 (16), Ixix. 7 (6). 4. Seek Jehovah and his strength, seek his face evermore. The Hebrew verbs, although synonymous, are not identical. And his strength, the pro- tection secured by his almighty power. Seek him, not as a finite being, but as the omnipotent Jehovah, the source, as well as the possessor, of all strength. Seek his face, not merely his presence, but his countenance, his favourable look or aspect. With the several expressions of this verse com- pare Ps. ix. 11 (10), X. 4, xiv. 2, xxiv. 6, xxxiv. 6 (4)^ Ixi. 4 (3), Ixii. 8 (7), Ixiii. 3 (2), Ixviii. 35 (34), xcvi. 7. 6. Remember his wondrous deeds tchich he did, his miracles and the judg- ments of his mouth. They are exhorted not to forget them, as Israel is charged with doing, Ps. Ixxviii. 11. Miracles, prodigies or wonders, proofs of divine power. There is no need of identifying these with the judgments of his mouth, which include his laws and the sentences pronounced upon his enemies. The latter is probably the prominent idea, as best suited to this context. 438 Psalm 105:6- 12 6. Ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye sons of Jacob, his chosen (ones). Descendants of the patriarchs, and therefore heirs of the patriarchal pro- mises. The common version of the last phrase {his chosen), though exact, conveys a wrong idea, as it seems to make chosen an epithet of Jacob, which would also seem to be required by the parallelism ; but the Hebrew word is plural, and describes the object of address as the church or chosen people. Compare Isa. Ixv. 9. Abraham is called the servant of God, in an emphatic sense, as being his chosen instrument and confidential agent. See above, on Ps. xviii. 1, and compare Ps. xc. 1. The parallel passage (1 Chron. xvi. 13) has Israel his sercant. 7. He is Jehovah our God ; in all the earth [are) his judgments. His covenant relations are with us the seed of Abraham ; but the proofs of his existence and vindicatory justice are common to all nations. This whole introduction seems intended to dispose both Jews and Gentiles to the praise of God. 8. He remembered for ever his covenant, the word he commanded for a thousand generations. There is here a kind of antithetical allusion to the exhortation in ver. 5. They should remember what he did, since he remem- bers what he promised. What he has done involves a pledge of what he will do. He has remembered (and will remember) his covenant to eternity. The ivord is the word of promise. He is said to have commanded it, partly because his promise is conditional and annexed to his commandment, and for that reason called a covenant ; partly because all that God says must of necessity be said with authority, so that even his promises partake of the nature of commands. The last phrase, a thousand generations, is Mosaic. See Deut. vii. 9, and compare Exod. xx. 6. 9. Which he ratified with Abraham, and his oath to Isaac. The sentence is continued from the foregoing verse. lialified, literally cut ; see above, on Ps. 1. 5. His oath (which he sware) to Isaac, or, his oath for (the benefit of) Isaac. The distinction, if any be intended, is that the covenant was formally made only with Abraham, and merely sanctioned or confirmed by oath to his successors. See Gen. xv. 18, xxvi. 3, xxviii. 13. His oath is governed by remembered in ver. 8. Compare Ps. Ixxxix. 28, 34 (27, 33). 10. And confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, to Israel (for) an everlasting cove- nant. Confirmed it, literally made (or let) it stand, instead of suffering it to expire with the person to whom it was originally given. A statute, in the wide sense of a permanent arrangement, a perpetual constitution, or as it is called in the last clause, a compact of eternity, an everlasting covenant. See Gen. xxviii. 13, xxxv. 12. 11. Saying, To thee will I give the land of Canaan, as the portion of your heritage. The subject or substance of the promise is now more distinctly stated. The word translated portion primarily means a line, especially a measuring line, and then what is measured by it, to wit, a piece of land, a lot of ground. This was not to be given to the patriarchs in person, but to their descendants, as the portion of their heritage or their hereditary por- tion. The plural your may refer, however, to the patriarchs themselves, as the promise was repeated to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 12. When as yet they could be numbered — very few, and strangers in it. The first clause involves an antithetical allusion to the promise, afterwards fulfilled, that they should be innumerable as the stars, or as the sand upon the shore. Gen. xxii. 17. The form of the original is highly idiomatic, in their being men of number, like a little, or like littleness itself. See above, on Ps. Ixxiii. 2, and compare Isa. i. 9. Strangers, sojourners, living on the Psalm 105:13 - 16 439 lands of others, at their will, or by their sufferance. See above, on Ps. xxxix. 13 (12). In it, the land of Canaan, mentioned in the preceding verse. The whole verse qualifies the previous account of the patriarchal covenant, which was not made with Israel when already a great nation, but with their ancestors when few in number and without a settled home. The parallel passage (1 Chron. xvi. 19) has when ye were. See Gen. xxxiv. 30, and compare Deut. xxxiii. 6, Isa. x. 19. 13. And they went about fromnat ion to nation, from Jcinr/dom to another people. This may be regarded as in contrast with ver. 12, and (yet) they went about, notwithstanding their small number and their being strangers. Or ver. 12, 13, may be the protasis of the sentence, and ver. 14 its apo- dosis. " When they were few and strangers, and went from nation to nation, he let no man," &c. This verse describes the characteristic feature in the condition of the chosen people, during the patriarchal period of their his- tory, namely, their migratory intercourse with various nations. These are mentioned in the first clause as distinct races, in the last as distinct states or bodies poHtic. Where we might have expected /rowi kingdom to kingdom, the ear is somewhat disappointed by the phrase from Jcingdom to another people, which may have been intended to distinguish the Egyptian and other monarchies from the more democratical or patriarchal institutions of the Arabians and other nations. They went about seems to be the force of the reflexive or frequentative verb, as distinguished from that of the primi- tive, they went. See above, on Ps. xxvi. 3, xxxv. 14, ci. 2, and compare Gen. V. 22, xvii. 1, xxiv. 6, 9, 40, xlviii. 15. 14. He suffered no man to oppress them, and reproved, for their sake, kings. The precise sense of the first clause is, he suffered not man (or men in general) to oppress them. The protection of the patriarchs is cer- tainly one of the most striking facts in sacred history. The kings men- tioned in the last clause are the kings of Egypt and Gerar (Gen. xii. 17, XX. 3), not without reference perhaps to those mentioned in Gen. xiv. 1. 15. Touch not mine anointed ones, and to my prophets do no harm. These are the words of God himself, and are designated as such in the English Bible, by supplying the word saying, which is expressed \n the analogous case, ver. 11. Toucli not, as in Gen. xxvi. 11, 29. In the Old Testament, unction is the symbol of spiritual gifts, and especially of those imparted to the great theocratical ofiices. See above, on Ps. ii. 2. From the case of Elisha (1 Kings xix. 16) it would seem that prophets were anointed when inducted into ofiice. The patriarchs are here called prophets in the proper sense of the term, as denoting men inspired of God, and admitted to confi- dential intercourse with him. The allusion here is to Gen. xx. 7, where God says to Abimelech of Abraham, «' Restore the man his wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for thee, and thou shalt live." 16. And he called {for) a famine on the land ; every staff of bread he brake. The Psalmist now passes from the Patriarchal to the Egyptian period of the history, by stating the occasion of Israel's migration into Egypt. The meaning of the first clause seems to be, that he summoned famine, as his instrument or servant, to come down upon the land, as sent from above, that is to say, from himself. The meaning of the last clause is, that the people were deprived of every customary means and source of subsistence. The figure of a staff or stay is a Mosaic one. See Lev. xxvi. 26, and com- pare Isa. iii. 1. It is near akin to the description of food as staying or sustaining the heart. See above, on Ps. civ. 15. The historical reference in the verse before us is to Gen. xH. 54. 440 Psalm 105:17 -22 17. He sent he/ore them a man ; soldjor a slave was Joseph. The same providential purpose is assigned to Joseph's bondage by himself, Gen. xlv. 5. With the last clause compare Gen. xxxvii. 36. Some interpreters, assum- ing, as we have already seen, that this psalm was composed in the time of the captivity, suppose a parallel, in this verse, between Joseph and Daniel, both of whom, in addition to their personal qualities, were sent into cap- tivity before the body of their brethren ; both gained the royal favour, and were exalted to high station in the land of their captivity ; and both employed the influence thus gained for the advantage of their countrymen. To the Jews in exile such a parallel must have been not only interesting, in a historical or poetical point of view, but consolatory and encouraging as a token for (food, a sign that God was about to renew the exodus from Egypt in an exodus from Babylon. 18. They hurt, with the fetter, his feet; into iron came his soul. That Joseph was actually chained or fettered is included in the true sense of the word bound, applied' to him in the history. See Gen. xl. 3, and compare Gen. xxxix. 20, 22. They, the Egyptians, or his gaolers ; or the v^rb may be indefinitely construed, as if it had been said, his feet were hurt. The verb means elsewhere to humble or mortify, but is here used in its strict sense of afflicting, causing to suffer. The Prayer Book version of the last clause, the iron entered into his soid, is ungrammatical, the word for iron being mascuUne, while that for soul is, like the verb, feminine. The general sense is given in the text of the English Bible, and the exact form in the margin. The mention of the soul, as in many other cases, is of course not meant to be exclusive of the body, but to suggest the idea of intimate and heartfelt suffering. See above, on Ps. iii. 3 (2), xi. 1, &c. 19. Until the time that his pord came (to pass), the saying of Jehovah tried him. The last verb properly denotes the assaying of metals, but is figuratively applied to moral trial and purgation. See above, on Ps. xii. 7 (6), xvii. 3. xviii. 31 (30), xxvi. 2. The most probable meaning of the verse is, that during the two years which intervened between his expla- nation of the prisoners' dreams, and the favourable issue to which it ulti- mately led, his faith in the divine promise both to himself and to his people, was severely but favourably tried. Compare the history in Gen. xl. xli. 20. The King sent and loosed him — the ruler of nations, and set him free. Both verbs strictly apply to the removal of his fetters, the first meaning properly to knock off (Isa. Iviii. 6), the other to open for the purpose of removing. See above, on Ps. xxx. 12 (11). The king of Egypt is called a ruler of peoples, either in reference to the tribes or nomes of Egypt itself, or because there were other nations tributary to him. 21. He made him Lord of his house and ruler of all his wealth. The literal meaning of the first clause is, he placed him lord to his house. See Gen. xH. 40, 41, 43, xlv. 8. For the meaning of the last word in the sentence, see above, on Ps. civ. 24 It is one of the points of resemblance which are thought to identify the two psalms as the work of.the same author. 22. To hind his chiefs at his phasure, and his elders to make wise. The words translated chiffs and elders are those commonly applied to the heads of tribes and families, the hereditary magistrates under the patriarchal sys- tem. The appHcation of the second word to Egypt is found also in the histoiy, Gen. 1. 7. At his pleasure, literally with his soul, which some explain as a bold metaphor, describing Joseph's mind or soul as the cord Psalm 105:23 -28 441 or chain with which he bound the Egyptians, i. e. forced them to perform his will. But see Ps. xvii. 9, xxvii. 12, xli. 3 (2). 23. And (so) Israel entered Egypt, and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham. This was the main event, to which those just recited were prepara- tory. Israel and Jacob are the names both of the individual patriarch and of his descendants as a nation. In this case both the applications are ad- missible, or rather requisite, in order to exhaust the writer's meaning. The patriarch himself came into Egypt, but his sons literally came with him, and all his descendants figuratively in him. The land of Ham, from whom Mizraim was descended. See above, on Ps. Ixxviii. 51. 24. And he increased his people greatly, and made them stronger than their enemies. Increased, literally rendered fruitful. The same verb ia used in the promise to Abraham and Jacob (Gr3n. xvii. 6, xxviii. 2), and in the history of Israel in Egypt, Exod. i. 7. The word here used for enemies is one implying persecution and oppression. The singular pronouns in the Hebrew, made him stronger than his enemies, are in strict grammatical agreement with the collective noun people. 25. He turned their heart to hate his people, to deal craftily with his servants. The first clause asserts God's sovereign control even of the free acts of his sinful creatures, a truth repeatedly affirmed in the history which this psalm recapitulates. See Exod. iv. 21, vii. 3, and compare 1 Sam. xxvi. 9, 2 Sam xvi. 10, xxiv. 1. The last verb occurs only in the history of Joseph, Gen. xxxvii. 18. The corresponding term in Exodus (i. 10) is let its deal wisely, or more exactly, let its make ourselves wise, as the verb in this case may be rendered, let us make ourselves subtle or crafty, both being reflexive forms. The historical allusion is of course to the murderous poUcy, which preceded the violent oppression of the Hebrews. 26. He sent Moses his servant (and) Aaron whom he chose. The meaning is not Moses (who was) his servant, or (because he was) his servant, but (to be) his servant, his instrument in the great work of delivering his people. See above, on ver. 6, and on Ps. xviii. 1, xxxvi. 1, Ixxviii. 70. 27. They placed among them the words of his signs and wonders in the land of Ham. The first phrase seems to mean nothing more than set before them, or exhibited to them. Words of signs is by some understood to mean matters (or a^airs) of signs, and to be either a pleonastic phrase for signa alone, or an emphatic phrase denoting all the signs. See above, on Ps. Ixv. 4 (3). The first is a gratuitous assumption, the last a forced interpre- tation. Better than either is the explanation which gives to words its proper meaning, and supposes stress to be intentionally laid on the divine word of Jehovah, and the prophetic word of Moses and Aaron, in the way of threatening and command, as well as on the physical efi'ects which followed these denunciations. Compare the use of words in Ps. vii. 1, and the expla- nation there given. Signs, i. e. tokens of God's presence and activity, and indications of his will. Wonders, prodigies, miracles, the same word that occurs above in ver. 5. 28. He sent darkness and made it dark, and they did not resist his words, or according to the marginal reading, his word. This is by some under- stood to mean the plague of darkness, which immediately preceded the slaughter of the first-bom, Exod. x. 22. But to this explanation there are two objections : first, that it entirely disturbs the order of the plagues, which is otherwise observed with great exactness, the only deviation being very trivial compared with this ; secondly, because it would then be necessary to apply the last clause to Moses and Aaron, or to Israel in general, there- 442 Psalm 105:29 -37 by making it unmeaning, or else to admit a contradiction of the history, which expressly says that the Egyptians did resist the word of God even after the plague of darkness, Exod. x. 27. The only remaining explanation is, that darkness, in the verse before us, as in many other cases, is a figure for calamity in general, and applied not to one plague in particular, but to the whole series, of which a more detailed account is then subjoined. 29. He turned their waters to Uood and killed their fish. Here begins the more particular enumeration of the plagues of Egypt. Compare Ps. Ixxviii. 44, where the inconvenience specified is that they could not drink the water, whereas here it is the loss of their accustomed food. This last word is used as a collective in both languages. 30. Their land teemed with frogs — in the chamlers of their kings. That even these were not safe from the hateful intruders, is an aggravating cir- cumstance, particularly mentioned in the original threatening, and implied in the narrative of its execution. See Exod. viii. 3, 9. The first verb means to bring forth in abundance, and is so used in the history of the creation, with particular reference to the genesis of animals. Gen. i. 20. 31. He said, and the fiy came and gnats (or lice) in all their border. See above, on Ps. Ixxviii. 45, where the gnats or lice are omitted, and the flies precede the frogs. So here, the flies precede the lice, a slight departure from the order of the history. See Exod. viii. 5, 16. He said, i. e. he said so, which is tantamount to saying, he commanded. In all their border, i. e. every where within it, throughout the land. This expression is bor- rowed from the history. See Exod. viii. 2 (vii. 27). 32. He gave them hail for rain (and) flaming fire in their land. This, which is the common version, represents the sense correctly, but with a deviation from the form of the original, which is highly idiomatic. A bald translation is, he gave their rains hail, fire of flames in their land. The terms are chosen for the sake of an allusion to the promise in Lev. xxvi. 4, / will give your rains in thdr season. Instead of these he gave the Egyptians a destructive hail-storm. Compare Ps. Ixxviii. 48. 33. And smote their vine and their fig-tree, and shattered the trees of their border. Compare Ps. Ixxviii. 47, where sycamores are particularly mentioned. The history says nothing of the vines, but speaks of the break- ing of the trees, using the same intensive verb as here. See Exod. ix. 25. Their border, as before, means their land or territory in its whole extent, just as the ends of the earth is put for all its parts. See above, on Ps. ii. 8. 34. He said, and the arbeh came, and the yeleh, anc? (that) without num- ber. The two Hebrew words, here retained, denote varieties of the locust, and have no equivalents in English. See above, on Ps. Ixxviii. 46, where the first word here stands second, and the place of the other is supplied by hasil, another distinctive term of the same kind. Without number, Uterally there is no number. See the same expression, Ps. civ. 25. 35. And devoured every herb in their land, and devoured the fruit of their ground. The verb, though varied in the common version, is the same in both clauses of the Hebrew. See above, on Ps. xlviii. 46, and compare the original narrative, Exod. x. 5, 15. 36. And he smote all the first-born in their land, the first-fruits of all tlieir strength. For the meaning the last clause, see above, on Ps. Ixxviii. 51 , and compare Exod. xii. 29, 30. 37. And he brought them out with silver and unth gold, and there was not in his tribes a totterer (or stumbler). The first clause relates to the spoiling Psalm 105:38 -45 443 of the Egyptians, Exod. xii. 35, 36. The last word denotes a person unfit for military service. Compare Isa. v. 27. 38. Glad was Egypt at their going forth, for their fear had fallen upon, them. This panic terror, which followed the last plague and faciUtated the escape of Israel (Exod. xi. 1, xii. 31-33), accounts for the readiness with which the Egyptians gave whatever was demanded, and completely vindicates the children of Israel from the charge of borrowing what they never meant to pay. The terms used in the history denote the acts of asking and giving, not those of borrowing and lending. The terms of the last clause are derived from Exod. xv.- 16, Deut. xi. 25. 39. He spread a cloud for a covering, and fire to give light by night. See above, on Ps. Ixxviii. 14. The poetical description of the cloud as covering the host is derived from the statement that " the cloud of Jehovah was over (or above) them by day," Num. x. 34. Compare Num. ix. 16, Neh. ix. 12, Isa. iv. 5, 6. 40. (The people) asked and he made quails come — and bread of heaven satisfied them. See above, on Ps. Ixxviii. 25-27, and compare Exod. xvi. 4-13, Num. xi. 31. As to the alternation of the singular and plural forms, see above, on ver. 24. Bread may be either the subject of the verb, as given above, or a qualifying term, [xcith) bread. 41. He opened a rock and forth gushed waters ; they ran in the wastes, a river. See above, on Ps. Ixxviii. 16, 20. The word translated wastes means, according to its etymology, dry places. 42. Because lie remembered his holy word with Abraham his servant. This brings us back to the statement in ver. 8, 9, in proof of which this long array of facts has been presented. Nothing of all this would have taken place if God had been forgetful of his covenant. This covenant is here meant by his holy word, which is therefore followed by the preposition with, as in Exod. ix. 24, where the covenant is expressly mentioned. 43. And brought out his people in joy, in triumph his chosen (oiies). He remembered his promise, and in execution of it brought out his people, &c. The parallelism oi people and chosen throws light upon the latter term, as used in ver. 6. 44. And gave to them nations' lands, and peoples' labour they inherit. The prominent idea is not that of gentiles or heathen, in the religious sense, but that of other nations, and whole nations, to whose place and possessions they succeeded. Labour is put for its result or product, as a synonjrmous Hebrew word is in Ps. Ixxviii. 46. 45. To the end that they might keep his statutes and his laws observe. Hallelujah ! The emphatic phrase at the beginning, corresponding to our phrases, to the end, for the purpose, or in order that, points this out as the qualification or condition of the promise which had been so gloriously verified. The same condition is expressed or implied elsewhere. See above, on Ps. Ixxviii. 7, and compare Gen. xviii. 19, Deut. iv. 40, xxvi. 17. Hallelujah [praise ye Jah), as above, in Ps. civ. 35. Psalm 106 After an introduction, praising the divine goodness, and expressing the hope of a participation in it, ver. 1-5, this psalm contains a solemn con- fession of the sins of Israel through all the periods of his history : in Egypt, ver. 6-12 ; in the wilderness, vej. 13-33 ; in Canaan, ver. 34-43 ; 444 Psalm 106:1 - 5 and a prayer, founded on encouraging tokens of the Lord's compassion, that he will save his people from the punishment incurred by their unfaithfulness, ver. 44-48. According to Hengstenberg's hypothesis already mentioned, this is the third psalm of the trilogy added to Ps. ci.-ciii., in the times of the captivity, and a direct continuation of the series, since the moral con- dition of God's covenant, propounded at the close of Ps, cv., is here acknow- ledged to have been violated by his people, who are also represented as actually suffering the punishment of this violation, but encouraged by returning tokens of a favourable change, to hope and pray for the forgiveness of their sins and the removal of the judgments which they have so well deserved. The first verse and the two last form a part of the mixed com- position in First Chronicles, which has been already mentioned. See above, on Ps. xcvi. 1. But a still more interesting parallel to this psalm is the prayer or confession in the ninth chapter of Daniel, which resembles it so much in subject, tone, and diction, that although not otherwise demonstrable, it would not be absurd to regard the psalm before us as a lyrical paraphrase of that confession, prepared for permanent and public use by Daniel himself or some contemporary writer. 1. Hallelujah! Give thanks unto Jehovah, for {he is) good, for unto eternity (is) his mercy. The Hallelujah (praise ye J ah !) which concludes the two preceding psalms, stands both at the beginning and the close of this. The exhortation to give thanks unto Jehovah is also found at the beginning of Ps. cv. The reason here assigned, that he is good, and his mercy endures for ever, is expressed in the same words, Ps. c. 5. 2. Who shall tell the mighty deeds of Jehovah / (Who) shall utter all his praise ? The potential meaning (who can tell ?) is here included in the simple future. Mighty deeds answers to a single word in Hebrew meaning strengths or powers. The expression is borrowed from Deut. iii. 24, where the English Bible has the singular form might. The verb translated utter is a causative, who shall cause to hear or to be heard ? See above, on Ps. xxvi. 7. The interrogation involves a negative assertion, namely, that they cannot be fully expressed or duly celebrated. 8. Happy the keepers of judgment, the doer of righteousness at every time. The form of expression at the beginning is the same as in Ps. i. 1. The keepers of judgment are those who observe justice as the rule of their con- duct, the same idea that is afterwards expressed in other words, the doer (or practiser) of righteousness, not occasionally merely but at all times. The change from the plural to the singular is common, where the latter denotes an ideal individual, the representative of a whole class. The condition here propounded is identical with that in Ps. cv. 45, ciii. 18, Dan. ix. 4. 4. Remember me, Jehovah, with the favour of thy people ; visit me with thy salvation. The speaker is the Church or chosen people, and therefore prays to be remembered with the kindness due to her as such. Visit me, manifest thy favourable presence. See above, on Ps. viii. 5 (4). Such a prayer, uttered by the church itself, impjies that the tokens of God's favourable presence had been interrupted or withdrawn. 5. To uitness the welfare of thy chosen [ones), to irjoice in the joy of thy nation, to glory with thy heritage. Our idiom requires the subject of the verb to be more distinctly indicated. The meaning evidently is, that I may witness, that 1 may rejoice, that I may glory. The phrase translated witness the welfare literally means to see in the good, i. e. to look on, to be a spec- tator, when thy chosen ones are in possession or enjoyment of good. Thy nation is here used instead of the customary phrase thy people, perhaps Psalm 106:6 -9 445 because the meaning Is, the nation which is thy chosen people. The general meaning of the whole verse is, that I may once more be recognised and treated as thy people. 6. We have sinned with our fathers, we have done perversely, we have done wickedly. The connection with the foregoing context may be made clear by supplying a few intermediate thoughts. " True, we have no right to expect this, much less to demand it. We have not performed the con- dition of thy covenant ; we have not kept thy statutes or observed thy laws ; we have not kept judgment or done righteousness." The national confes- sion here begun is nearly co-extensive with the psalm itself. The terms of this verse are borrowed, here as well as in Dan ix. 5, from that great model of ecclesiastical and national devotion furnished by Solomon, in his prayer at the dedication of the temple, 1 Kings viii. 47. Compare Isa. hx. 12. With our fathers, not merely like them, but as sharing their responsibility and guilt. Of the three verbs used in this confession, the first denotes failui-e to discharge one's obligations, the second wilful perversion or distor- tion, the third disorderly or turbulent transgression. See above, on Ps. i. 1. 7. Our fathers in Egypt did not understand thy wondrous works, they did not remember the abundance of thy mercies, and rebelled upon the sea, at the Red Sea. The general confession in ver. 6 is now followed by a more de- tailed acknowledgment, beginning with the exodus from Egypt. The wondrous works of God, the things done wonderfully by him, then and there, for the deliverance of his people, the great body of them did not understand. Even those who referred them to their true source and author, did not fully appreciate the end for which they were performed, or enter into the majestic plan, in executing which they were permitted to be God's co-workers. The truth of this charge is abundantly established by the narrow, grovelling, selfish views and feelings so repeatedly betrayed by the generation which came out of Egypt, shewing clearly that they did not practically understand God's dealings with them. This is probably the idea meant to be conveyed by the Hebrew verb, which usually means to act wisely, but is here modified by governing a noun directly. See above, on Ps. ii. 10, xiv. 2. The twofold local designation, on the sea, at the Bed Sea, was probably suggested by the parallelism in Exod. xv. 4. The variation of the particle seems merely a poetical embellishment ; the difference in meaning is no greater than in our on and at. The Sea of Sea-weed was the name given by the Hebrews and Egyptians to that bay or gulf of the Indian Ocean, which was called the Red Sea by the Greek geographers. 8. And he saved them for his name's sake, to make known his might. This is an answer to a tacit objection, namely, that their conduct had been sanc- tioned by God's saving them. True, he did save them, because they were necessary to his purpose. He saved them not for their sake but his own, to accomplish his own ends, and exhibit his own power. 9. And he rebuked the Bed Sea and it dried up, and he made them go through the deeps like the desert. This is merely a specification of the general statement in the preceding verse. The divine intervention here commemorated was the more remarkable because it took place on the very spot where they first rebelled, as mentioned in ver. 7. Though they dis- obeyed him at the Red Sea, he nevertheless dried the Red Sea, i. e. as much of it as was required to furnish them a passage. Bebuked, as in Ps. civ. 7. Like the desert, as in the desert, i. e. in a level and extensive plain, without obstruction or unevenness. See my note on Isa. Ixiii. 13, where the same comparison is used. 446 Psalm 106:10 - 19 10. And Tie saved them from the hand of the hater, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. Both epithets are intended to apply to Pharaoh, not only as a personal oppressor of the Israelites, but as the representative of Egypt, all of which now feared and hated the occasion of its multiplied and aggravated sufferings. 11. And the waters covered their adversaries ; not one of them was left. The Psalmist dwells upon the completeness of the overthrow and destruc- tion experienced by Pharaoh and his host, in order to aggravate the previous and subsequent ingratitude of Israel, as well as to enhance the free grace of Jehovah, and the MeHty with which he executed his engagements, even to the faithless. 12. And they believe his words, they sing his praise. Then (and not till then) do they believe. This is not an encomium on their faith, but a con- fession of their unbelief. It was not till the promise was fulfilled that they believed it. With the first clause compare Exod. xiv. 31 ; with the second, Exod. XV. 1. 13. They made haste, they forgot his deeds, they did not wait for his counsel. Their propensity to evil was so strong that they are said to have hastened to forget what God had done for them, which means much more than that they soon forgot it. They did not even wait for the promise to be verified by the event. The expression in the first clause is borrowed from Exod. xxxii. 8. The works or deeds of God are not in this case, as in Ps. ciii. 22, civ. 24, the works of nature, but the plagues of Egypt. See Deut. xi. 3, and compare Dan. ix. 4. 14. And they lusted a lust in the wilderness and tempted God in the desert. The confession now passes from their sins in Egypt to their sins in the wilderness. The strong expression in the first clause relates to their wanton craving of animal food. See Num. xi. 4, 34. With the last clause compare Ps. Ixxviii. 18. The two words for wilderness and desert are the same as those in Ps. Ixxviii. 40. See also Ps. Ixviii. 8 (7). 15. And he gave them their request and sent [them) leanness in their soul. The last phrase is by some translated against, by others into their soul ; but it is really a qualifying phrase, designed to shew that the emaciation or decay which was sent upon them was not bodily but spiritual. See Num. xi. 18, and compare Ps. Ixxviii. 10, 18. 16. And they were envious at Moses in the camp, at Aaron, the Holy One of Jehovah. This is another of their wilderness sins. See Num. chap. xvi. Aaron is not called the Saint of the Lord in reference to his personal holi- ness, which does not seem to have been eminent, but his Holy (or Conse- crated) One, in reference to his sacerdotal dignity. 17. (Then) opens the earth and sivallows Dathan, and covers over the com- pany of Abiram. This relates to the destraction of those followers of Korah who were not Levites. See Num. xvi. 32, 33, and compare Deut. xi. 6. From the ficrst of these passages some interpreters supply her mouth after opens; but the absolute use of the verb is perfectly consistent with our idiom. 18. And a fire devours their company, a flame consumes (those) wicJced (men). This relates to the destruction of Korah himself and his Levitical followers. See Num. xvi. 35, xxvi. 10. 19. They make a calf in Horeb, and boiv down to a molten image. This was a third sin committed in the wilderness. See Exod. xxxii. 1-6, and compare Exod. xxxiv. 4. The golden calf appears to have been an imper- fect and diminutive copy of the bull Apis, worshipped in Egypt. Psalm 106:20 -28 .447 20. And exchange their glory for the likeness of an ox eating grass. This must be read in the closest connection with ver. 19, in order to complete it. Their folly consisted in exchanging the true God, whose worship and whose favour was their highest honour, for the mere likeness of an irra- tional brute. Eating grass, not in the act, but in the habit, of so doing. Although the golden calf at Horeb, and the golden calves at Dan and Beer- sheba, were all regarded as representatives of Jehovah himself, their worship was uniformly treated as idolatry, and as a virtual though not a formal or avowed renunciation of his service. Compare Jer. ii. 10-13. 21. They forgot God that saved them, that did great (things) in Egypt. That saved, that did, literally saving, doing. 22. Wonderful (things) in the land of Ham, terrible (things) on the Red Sea. Wonderfid, literally (things) made wonderful or strangely done. Terrible, literally to be dreaded. Compare Ps. cv. 23, 27. 23. And he said he would destroy them — unless Moses his elect had stood in the breach before him-, to turn back his wrath from destroying. The first and last verbs are different in Hebrew, but have only one exact equivalent in English. The second clause is not a part of what God said, but a his- torical statement of what really prevented the execution of his threatening. He said he would destroy them, and he would have done so, had not Moses, &c. Moses is called the Elect or Chosen of Jehovah, as having been selected and set apart to be God's instrument in the great work of deliver- ance and legislation. The plural is elsewhere apphed to the whole nation as the chosen people. See above, ver. 5, and Ps. cv. 43. Stood in the breach is a militaiy figure, dra\vn from the desperate defence of a besieged town or fortress. Compare Jer. xv. 1, Ezek. xiii. 5, xxii. 30. The histo- rical reference is to Exod. xxxii. 11-14, Deut. ix. 18, l9. To turn back his wrath is to prevent its accomplishing its object. See above, on Ps. Ixxviii. 88, and compare Num. xxv. 11. 24. And they rejected the pleasant land, they did not believe his word. This refers to the refusal of the people to invade the land of Canaan in the first year of their exodus from Egypt, and to their believing the report of the ten spies in preference to God himself. See above, on Ps. Ixxviii. 22, 32, and compare Num. xiv. 31. The land of desire, the desired or desir- able land, is a name also found in Jer. iii. 19. 25. And they murmured in their tents ; they did not hearken to the voice of Jehovah. Tho fonn of expression in the first clause is borrowed from Deut. i. 27 ; in the second from Num. xiv. 22. 26. And he lifted his hand to them, to make them fall in the wilderness. The first phrase does not mean, he raised his hand against them, or to strike them, but as the ancient gesture of swearing. See Num. xiv. 28, 30, Deut. i. 34, ii. 14. The last clause contains the oath itself, or what he swore, to wit, that he would make them fall, slay them, in the wilder- ness. See Num. xiv. 29, 32. 27. And to make their seed fall in the nations, and to scatter them in the lands. As the appointed punishment of the older generation was to die in the wilderness, so that of their descendants was to die in dispersion and captivity among the Gentiles. See Lev. xxvi. 33, 38, and compare Deut. xxviii. 32, 36, 64, 68. The recollection of this threatening must have been pecuHarly affecting to the Jews in Babylon. 28. And they joined themselves to Baal Peor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead. He now adds a sin committed near the end of the long error, and on the very borders of the Promised Land. The first verb is properly pas- 448 Psalm 106:29 -35 sive, they were joined, but this of course does not mean by others but themselves, and thus the simple passive comes to have a reflexive meaning. Baal Peor is the name given to Baal, or the supreme god of the Tyriaus and Moabites, as he was worshipped, with licentious rites, at Peor, a mountain in the land of Moab. See Num. xxv. 1-3. The dead, not dead men, in allusion to necromantic superstitions, but the dumb or lifeless gods whom they worshipped. See below, on Ps. cxv. 4-7, and compare 1 Cor. xii. 2. 29. Aoid they provoked him hy their crimes, and the plague broke out among them. The first verb means to excite both grief and indignation. Compare the use of the cognate noun in Ps. vi. 8 (7), and of the verb itself in Ps. Ixxviii. 58. The word translated plague, like its English equivalent, has both a generic and specific meaning ; that of a divine stroke or inflic- tion in general, and that of a pestilential disease in particular. See Num. xxv. 18, 19. 30. Then stood vp Ph'mehas and judged, and (so) ivas stayed the plague. He stood (or rose) up from among the rest, presented himself before the people. He judged, i. e. assumed the ofiice and discharged the duty, from which the regular official judges seemed to shrink. The verb includes the act both of pronouncing and of executing judgment. See the narrative in Num. xxv. The form of expression in the last clause is borrowed from Num. xvii. 13 (xvi. 48). 81. And it uas reckoned to him for righteousness, to generation and gene- ration, even to eternity. The form of expression is borrowed from Gen. XV. 6 ; but what is here meant is evidently not a justifying act by which Phinehas was saved, but a praiseworthy act for which he, a justified or righteous man already, received the divine commendation and a perpetual memorial of his faithfulness. Compare Deut. vi. 25, xxiv. 13. The par- ticular reward promised (Num. xxv. 13), that of a perpetual priesthood, is riot here mentioned, but was famiUar to the mind of every Hebrew reader. 32. And they angered (him) at the waters of Strife, and it went ill with Moses, on their account. See above, on Ps. Ixxxi. 8 (7), xcv. 8, xcix. 8. The Hebrew word for strife is the name given to the place, Meribah. The object of the first verb is Jehovah, as in ver. 29. It went ill with Moses, or, more hterally, it tvas had for Moses. 33. For they resisted his spirit, and he spake unadvisedly with his lips. His spirit may grammatically signify either that of God or that of Moses. The latest writers are in favour of the first construction, which is not with- out analogies in other parts of Scripture (Isa. Ixiii. 10, Eph. iv. 30), but the other seems entitled to the preference in this connection, because the first clause then contains the ground or reason of the other. It was because the mind of Moses was excited by their opposition, that he spake unad- visedly with his lips. The last verb is one used in the law to denote a precipitate inconsiderate engagement, Lev. v. 4. 34. They did not destroy the nations which the Lord said to them. The confession now passes from the sins of the wilderness to those of Canaan. The neglect to destroy the Canaanites completely was not only a direct violation of God's precept, but the source of nearly all the public evils that ensued. There is no need of giving to the last verb a rare and dubious sense {commanded). The meaning of the clause is, which Jehovah said to the^n (must be destroyed). 85. And they mixed themselves with the nations and learned their doings. The reflexive verb at the beginning indicates an active and deliberate amal- Psalm 106:36 - 42 449 gamation, as distinguished from a passive and involuntary one. The nations of the Canaanites, and those which inhabited surrounding countries. The primary idea is not that of gentiles or heathen, in the rehgious sense. Learned their doings or practices, learned to do as they did. With the first clause compare Josh, xxiii. 12, 13, Judges iii. 6 ; with the second, Deut. xviii. 9, xx. 18. 86. And served their idols, and they were to them for a snare. The word translated idols, by its etymological affinities, suggests the idea of vexations, pains. See above, on Ps. xvi. 4. A snare, i. e. a temptation to idolatry. Compare Deut. vii. 16. 37. And they sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons. This last is the Septuagint version, and, if not directly sanctioned, is at least referred to in the New Testament (1 Cor. x. 20). That the worship of idols was connected with that of fallen spirits, is neither improbable in itself nor contradictory to Scripture, According to the modern etymologists, the Hebrew word means lords or masters, and is a poetical equivalent to Baalim, which means the same thing. Compare Deut. xxxii. 17, and the xvgioi of 1 Cor. viii. 5. The word translated devils in Lev. xvii. 7 is entirely different. 38. And they shed innocent hlood, the blood of their sons and daughters, which they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan ; and defiled was the land with bloods. The first verb means to pour out, and here implies a copious or abundant bloodshed, corresponding to the next verb, which is an intensive form of that used in ver. 37. Blood, in the singular, is used in a physical sense ; the plural bloods, in a moral one, always implying guilt, and especi- ally the guilt of murder. See above, on Ps. v. 7 (6), xxvi. 9, U. 16 (14), Iv. 24 (23). The first three members of the sentence have respect to the prohibitions in Deut. xii. 31, xviii. 10, xix. 10. With the last clause com- pare Num. XXXV. 33. 39. And they were polluted by their own doings, and went a whoring by their own crimes. They defiled not only the land of promise but them- selves. Or rather, this verse is explanatory of the last clause of ver. 38, and shews that the^pollution of the land was nothing more nor less than that of its inhabitants. The figure of spiritual whoredom or adultery is often used to signify the violation, by the chosen people, of their covenant with God, which is constantly described as a conjugal relation. See above, on Ps. xlv., and compare Ps. Ixxiii. 27. This is not stated as an additional offence, but as an aggravating circumstance attending the iniquities already mentioned. 40. And the anger of Jehovah was enkindled at his people, and he abhorred his heritage. This is the strongest form in which his detestation of their sins could be expressed, but does not necessarily imply the abroga- tion of his covenant with them. The feeling described is like that of a parent towards his wicked children, or of husbands and wives, who do not cease to love each other, though grieved and indignant at each other's sins. The word heritage adds great point to the sentence. He abhorred the very people whom he had chosen to be his, not merely for a single generation, but for many. See above, on Ps. Ixxviii. 59, 62. 41. And he gave them into the hand of nations, and over them ruled tludr haters. The same nations whom they had rebelliously spared, with others of Uke spirit, — the same nations who had led them into sin, — were used as instruments of punishment. Compare Lev. xxvi. 17, Judges ii. 14. 42. And their enemies oppressed them, and they were bowed down under 450 Psalm 106:43 -48 their hand. They not only governed them, but governed them tyrannically, so that they were not only under coercion and constraint, but humbled and degraded from the rank of an independent state to that of tributaries and bondsmen. With the terms of this verse compare Judges i. 34, iii. 30, iv. 3, viii. 28. 43. Many times he frees them, and they resist (him) hy their counsel, and are brought low by their guilt. Having given in the preceding verses a brief but lively summary of the Book of Judges, the Psalmist now passes, by an almost insensible transition, to the later periods of the history, and indeed to its catastrophe ; for the meaning of the last clause seems to be, that after all their fluctuations, they at length sink or fall into a ruinous condition, as the ultimate fruit of their rebellions. The meaning of the first clause is, that by their self-willed plans and projects they continually come into collision with the will of God, and with that great providential purpose, in promoting which it was their duty, and would have been their happiness, to co-operate. With the last clause compare Lev. xxvi. 39, Ezek. xxxii. 10. 44. And he has looked at their distress uhen he hard them cry. The idiomatic form of the original may thus be represented by a bald translation, and he saw in the distress to them in his hearing their cry. As this follows the brief statement of their downfall, there is much probability in the opinion, that it relates to the " tokens for good," which were granted to the exiled Jews in Babylon long before their actual restoration. With the first clause compare Exod. ii. 25, iv. 31, Deut. iv. 30, Ps. xviii. 7, cii. 3. 45. And he has remembered for them his covenant, and repented accord- ing to the abundance of his mercy. For them, i. e. in their favour, for their benefit. It does not qualify covenant, but remembered. With the first clause compare Lev. xxvi. 42, 45, Ps. cv. 8, 42 ; with the second. Num. xiv. 19, Ps. V. 8 (7), Ixix. 14 (13), Neh. xiii, 22. The common version of the last word (mercies) rests upon the marginal or masoretic reading ; the more ancient text is mercy. 46. And has given them favour before all their captors. The literal translation of the first clause is, and has given, them for mercies or compas- sions. This remarkable expression is borrowed from 1 Kings viii. 50 (compare 2 Chron. xxx. 9), not only here but in the history of Daniel and his fellow- captives (Dan. i. 9), which makes it not at all improbable, that what is there recorded is among the indications of retux'ning divine favour here referred to by the Psalmist. 47. Save us, Jehovah, our God, and gather us from the nations, to give thanks unto thy holy name, to glory in thy praise. Encouraged by these tokens of returning favour, the church prays that the hopes thus raised may not be disappointed, but abundantly fulfilled in the restoration of the exiles to their own land, in return for which she indirectly engages to render praise and thanksgiving to Jehovah as her liberator. We are thus brought back to the beginning of the psalm, and the voice of confes- sion is again lost in that of anticipated praise. Instead of our God, the parallel passage (1 Chron. xvi. 86) has God of our Salvation. The word translated glory occurs only in that passage and the one before us. It is synonymous, however, with the one used in Ps. cv. 3, and often elsewhere, both meaning properly to praise one's self. With the second clause com- pare Ps. xxx. 5 (4). 48. Blessed (be) Jehovah, God of Israel, from eternity even to eternity. And all the people says Amen. Hallelujah ! Some interpreters regard the psalm as closing with the preceding verse, and the one before us as a doxo- Psalm 107:1 -3 451 logy added to mark the conclusion of the Fourth Book. But here, as in Ps. Ixxii. 19, it is far more probable that this doxology was the occasion of the psalm's being reckoned as the last of a Book, notwithstanding its inti- mate connection with the one that follows. This probability is strengthened, in the case before us, by the addition of the words, and all the people says Amen, which would be unmeaning, 'unless the doxology formed part of the psalm itself. The additional words are borrowed from Deut. xxvii. 15-26. The parallel passage (1 Chron. xvi. 36) has, Aiid all the people said Amen and give praise (or gave praise) to Jehovah, which last words are represented, in the verse before us, by the Hallelujah {Praise ye Jah !) Psalm 107 After propounding as his theme the goodness of God in delivering his people, and especially in bringing them back from their dispersions, ver. 1-3, the Psalmist celebrates this great event, under the various figures of safe conduct through a desert and arrival in a populous city, ver. 4-9 ; emancipation from imprisonment, ver. 10-16 ; recovery from deadly sick- ness, ver. 17-22 ; deliverance from the dangers of the sea, ver. 23-32 ; then describes, in more direct terms, the fall of the oppressor, the restora- tion of Israel, and his happy prospects, ver. 33-42 ; ending, as he began, with an earnest exhortation to remember and commemorate Jehovah's good- ness, ver. 43. The psalm is so constructed as to admit of being readily applied, either literally or figuratively, to various emergencies : but its primary reference to the return from exile seems to be determined by ver. 2, 3. According to Hengstenberg's hypothesis, this psalm was added to the double trilogy by which it is preceded (Ps. ci.-cvi.), immediately after the return from exile, when the holy city was re-peopled, and the first harvest had been gathered, but the rebuilding of the temple had not yet begun. The whole seven then compose one series or system, intended to be used together in the public worship of the ancient church. 1. Give thanks vnto Jehovah, for he (is) good, for unto eteimity (is) his mercy. The repetition of the first words of the foregoing psalm, as the beginning of the one before us, strongly favours the opinion, that the latter was designed to be a kind of supplement or appendix to the former. 2. (So) say the Redeemed of Jehovah, whom he has redeemed from the hand «f distress (or of the enemy). What they are to say is not the exhorta- tion in the first clause, but the reason for it in the last clause, of the fore- going verse. Let them acknowledge his unceasing mercy, who have just experienced so remarkable a proof of it. The ambiguous word ("IH) should probably be taken in the same sense which it elsewhere has throughout this psalm. See below, ver. 6, 13, 19, 28, and compare Ps. cvi. 44. Indeed, the two senses may be reconciled by simply supposing the distress to be personified. Compare the unambiguous expression in Ps. cvi. 10. The Redeemed of the Lord is a favourite expression of Isaiah (xxxv. 9, 10, Ixii. 12, Ixiii. 3). 8. And from the lands has gathered them, from the east and from the west, from the north andfrom the sea. The Babylonish exile is continually spoken of as a dispersion, either because it is considered as including other minor deportations, or because the migration of the great mass of the peo- ple into Babylonia was unavoidably accompanied, followed, or preceded, by a less extensive and more scattering migration of many individuals and 452 Psalm 107:4 - 7 families to other quarters. On the false assumption of ^ perfect parallelism as indispensable, some have supposed that sea is here put for the south. But this is not the only case in which the enumeration of the cardinal points is complete only in number. See Isa. xlix. 12, and compare Isa. xliii. 5, 6, Ivi. 8. The mention of the sea instead of the south may perhaps have reference to the prophecy in Deut. xxviii. 68. The verse before us records the answer to the prayer in Ps. cvi. 47, and thus aflfords another indication, that the writer of the later composition had the earHer in his eye, and wrote with some intention to illustrate or complete it. 4. They wandered in the wilderness, in a desert way ; a city of habitation found they not. Here begins the first metaphorical account of the Captivity and Restoration, in which the exiles are described as wanderers in a desert way, i. e. as some suppose a pathless desert, which sense, however, can scarcely be extracted from the Hebrew words. Others understand the phrase to mean a way, i. e. a course, a region to be traversed, which is desert ; but this supposes ivay to be the subject and desert the quaUfying term, as they would be in English, but in Hebrew the precise sense is a desert of way, or a way-desert, which some intei"preters explain* to mean a desert in reference to its ways or paths, thus arriving, by a different course, at the meaning first suggested, namely that of a pathless wilderness. City of habitation may mean a habitable or inhabited city in general, or a city for them to inhabit in particular. The latter is more probable, because the word translated habitation is not an abstract but a local noun, meaning the place where men sit or dwell, according to the primary and secondary meaning of the verbal root. See above, on Ps. i. 1. It may here be either governed by city, as above, or in apposition with it, a city, a dwelling-place, i. e. a city in which they might dwell. There is obvious allusion to Jeru- salem, as well as to the great Arabian wilderness, although the contrast of the city and the desert suggests the idea of suffering and reUef, by a natural as well as a historical association. See Ezek. xxix. 5, and compare Job xii. 24. 5. Hungry — also thirsty — their soul in them shrouds itself. This verse continues the description of the wanderers in the desert. To avoid the ambiguity of an exact version, in which hungry and thirsty might seem to agree with soul, the substantive verb may be supplied in the first clause, (they are) hungry, also thirsty. The primary sense of the reflexive verb at the end of the sentence seems to be that of covering one's self with dark- ness, or sinking overwhelmed beneath some great calamity. See above, on Ps. Ixxvii. 4 (3), and compare the cognate forms in Ps. Ixi. 3 (2), Ixv. 14 (13), cii. 1, Isa. Ivii. 16. 6. And they cried to Jehovah in their distress ; from their straits he frees them. Both the nouns, according to their etymology, convey the idea of pressure, compression, painful restraint. In their distress, literally in the distress to them, that which they had or suffered. See above, on Ps. cvi. 44, and compare Deut. iv. 30. The change from the past tense to the future seems intended merely to describe the act denoted by the second or more recent. 7. And he led them in a straight course, to go to a city of habitation. No exact version can preserve or imitate the paronomasia arising from the etymological affinity of the first verb and noun, analogous to that between the English walk and to walk, though the Hebrew forms are only similar and not identical. The idea of physical rectitude or straightness necessarily suggests that of moral rectitude or honesty, commonly denoted by the Hebrew word. Psalm 107:8 -12 453 8. Let (sucli) give thanks to Jehovah {for) his mercy, and his wonderful works to the sons of man. Some interpreters make this the close of a long sentence, beginning with ver. 4, and adopt, in all the intervening verses, a relative construction, as if he had said, let such as wandered in the wilder- ness, whose soul fainted in them, who cried unto the Lord, whom he led, &c., let such give thanks unto his name. But although this is certainly the logical connection of the passage, its involution and complexity of form are as far as possible removed from the simplicity of Hebrew syntax, which prefers a distinct enunciation of particulars to all such artificial combina- tions. This verse constitutes the burden or chorus of the psalm. 9. For he has satisfied the craving soul, and the hungry soul has filled with good. This is merely the conclusion of the first scene or picture, with a change of figure but a very slight one, as the want of food is one of the most painful and familiar hardships of a journey through a desert, and as such would necessarily occur to every Israelite who knew the story of the eiTor in the wilderness. The first verb has the same sense as in Ps. civ. 13 ; the last noun the same sense as in Ps. ciii. 4, civ. 28. The unusual word translated craving is borrowed from Isa, xxix. 8. 10. Dwelling in darknees and death-shade, hound in afiHiction and iron. Here begins the second picture, which exhibits the same suff"erers, no longer as wanderers in the desert, but as closely confined prisoners. The darkness primarily meant is that of the dungeon, but not without reference to the frequent use of darkness in general as an emblem of misery. See above, on Ps. Ixviii. 7 (6). The idea of darkness is then expressed in a still stronger form by the striking compound death-shade or shadow of death, a bold but beautiful description of the most profound obscurity. See above, on Ps. xxiii. 4. The leading words of the two clauses might, in one respect, be more exactly rendered, inhabitants of darkness, prisoners of afiliction. See above, on Ps. Ixxviii. 61. There is no mixture of Uteral and figurative terms in the last clause, but only the addition of a specific to a general term. The afiiiction particularly meant is that produced by iron, i.e. chains or fetters. See above, on Ps. cv. 1 8, and with the verse before us compare Isa. xlii. 7, xhx. 9, Job xxxvi. 8, Luke xiii. 16. 11. Because they resisted the words of the Mightiest, and the counsel of the Highest contemned. This verse introduces what was wanting in the first scene, the fact that these were not innocent sufferers. However cruel or unjust their sufl'erings at the hands of men, they were but condign punish- ments as sent by God. This is a point of contact and resemblance with the preceding psalm, which is not without importance. Resisted, rebelled against, a favourite expression in these psalms. See above, on Ps. cv. 28, cvi. 7, 83, 43. Words or sayings, commonly applied to promises, and even here combining that idea with the sense of command, because the command which they resisted or rebelled against had reference to the plan or counsel of the Lord for the deliverance of his people. The word translated mightiest is (7K) one of the divine names, here represented by an Enghsh superlative, in order to preserve the antithesis with Most High in the other clause. 12. And he brought down, with trouble, their heart ; they stumbled and there was no helper. The remedial design and efiect of their punishment are beautifully set forth in the first clause. The word translated trouble means originally work or labour, then the pain attending it or flowing from it. Stumbled may here be put ior fell, or have the milder sense of tottering or stumbling, as distinguished from a total fall. No helper, or none helping. 454 Psalm 107:13 -20 except God, as intimated in the next verse ; or against God, wlien he chose to punish them. 13. And they cried to Jehovah in their distress ; out of their straits he saves them. An exact repetition of ver. 6, except that the first verb is exchanged for a cognate one, differing only in a single letter, and the last verb for a synonyme still more familiar. As to the consecution of the tenses, see above, on ver. 6. 14. He brings them out from darkness and deathshade, and their bonds he severs. The terms used in describing the deliverance are studiously made to correspond with the account of the captivity in ver. 10. It is more remarkable, though possibly fortuitous, that the words of the second clause are the same which David puts into the mouth of the revolted nations, Ps. ii. 3. The English word severs is here used instead of breaks, in order to represent the more uncommon and poetical term used in Hebrew. 15. 16. Let (such) give thanks unto Jehovah {for) his mercy, and his wonderful works to the sons of man, because he has broken doors of brass, and bars of iron has cut asunder. The burden in ver. 15 is in all respects identical with ver. 8, but the supplementary verse differs, according to the prominent figures in the two scenes or pictures. As the idea of famine was selected, in ver. 9, from among the hardships of the wilderness, so here the fasten- ings of the prison are presented in precisely the same manner. In this striking regularity of form, combined with vividness and beauty of concep- tion, there is evidence of art and skill as well as genius. The verb in the first clause of ver. 16 is an intensive form of the verb to break, and might here be rendered shattered, shivered, or the like. The corresponding verb in the last clause is a similar intensive of the verb to cut. The whole verse is copied from Isa. xlv. 2, where we find the promise, of which this is the fulfilment. 17. Fools by their course of transgression, and by their crimes, afflict them- selves. Here begins the third scene or picture, at the very opening of which the charge of folly is added to the previous one of guilt. The reflexive meaning of the verb is essential, and cannot be diluted into a mere passive without weakening the whole sentence, the very point of which consists in making them the guilty authors of their own distresses. The word for transgression is the one that originally means revolt from God, apostasy. See above on Ps. xxxvi. 2 (1). Course, literally way or path. By, Uterally from, as when we speak of an effect as arising or proceeding from a cause. 18. All food their soul abhors, and they draw near to the very gates of death. This verse abruptly brings before us the same persons whom we lately beheld wandering in the desert, and then chained in a dark dungeon, now suffering from disease, such as not only mars their pleasures, but threatens to abbreviate their lives. Compare Ps. cii. 3, Job xxxiii. 20. The expression very gates, in the translation of the last clause, is intended to convey the full force of the Hebrew preposition ("ly) which is stronger than (/M) to. See above, on Ps. Ivil. 11 (10). With the last clause com- pare Ps. ix. 14, Ixxxviii. 4 (3), Job xxxiii, 22, Isa. xxxviii. 9. 19. And they cry to Jehovah in their distress ; out of their straits he saves them. See above on ver, 6, 13, with the last of which this agrees exactly. 20. Be sends his word and heals them, and makes them escape from their destructions, i. e. those which threatened them, and fi-om which escape appeared impossible. He sends his word, he issues his command, exerts his sovereign power and authority. The last word in the Hebrew occurs Psalm 107:21 - 25 455 only here and once in Lamentations (iv. 20). The modem interpreters have pits or graves ; but such a derivation from the verbal root is without example or analogy. See above, on Ps. xvi. 10. With the first clause compare Ps. xxx. 3 (2), xxxiii. 9, Isa. Ivii. 18; with the last Ps. ciii. 4. 21, 22. Let (such) give thanks unto Jehovah, (for) his mercy and his won- derful works to tke sons of man; and let them sacrifice sacrifices of thanks- giving, and recount his deeds with {joyful) singing. The freedom from technical and artificial rules of rhetoric or versification, even in those parts of the composition which exhibit most of art and skill, is peculiarly observ- able in this verse, where, instead of adding to the uniform chorus or refrain some particular image from the scene just closing, as in ver. 9, 16, the Psalmist continues and completes the sentence by repeating the exhortation to give thanks, in another but still figurative form, derived from the musical and sacrificial customs of the temple worship. They must not only utter thanks but offier them in sacrifice. They must not only offer them in sacri- fice, but sing them. With the first clause compare Ps. 1. 14. 23. Going down the sea in ships, doing business in the many waters. Here again the scene is shifted, and the exiles pass before us, not as wanderers in the desert, or as captives in the dungeon, or as sufiering from sickness, but as mariners engaged in an adventurous voyage. Descending, going down, seems to be an idiomatic phrase, borrowed from Isa. xlii. 10, and equivalent to going out to sea in English. The expression may have refer- ence to the general elevation of the land above the water (see above, on Ps. jcxiv. 2), but is directly opposite to our phrase, the high seas, and to the classical usage of ascending ships, i. e. embarking, and descending, i. e. land- ing. Doing business has its ordinary sense, as applied to trade or traffic. The last words may also be translated great or mighty waters ; but the usage of the Psalms is in favour of the version many waters, which, more- over, forms a beautiful poetical equivalent to sea or ocean. This image could not fail to suggest, however, indirectly, the idea of the world with its commotions, of which the constant emblem is the sea. See above, on Ps. xlvi. 4 (3), Ixv. 8 (7), Ixxxix. 10 (9), xciii. 3, 4, and compare Mat. viii. 23- 26, Mark iv. 36-41, Luke viii. 22-25. 24. They saw the works of Jehovah, and his wonders in the deep. The pronoun at the beginning is emphatic, (it is) they (that) see (or saw) the works of the Lord, as if others could lay claim to no such privilege or honour. Both the senses of the phrase God's works are appropriate in this connection, his works of creation and his works of providence. The last word is another poetical equivalent to sea or ocean. See above, on Ps. Ixix. 3 (2). 25. And he said — and there arose a stormy wind, and it lifted up his waves. He now parenthetically specifies some of the divine works which he had just mentioned ia the general. The form of expression at the be- ginning, as in all like cases, involves an allusion to the history of the creation, where each creative act is preceded by God's saying, let it be. So here the full sense is, and God said (let a stormy wind arise) and a stormy wind arose. See above, on Ps. xxxiii. 9. Arose, literally stood, stood up, as in Ps. cvi. 30. A stormy wind, literally a wind of storm or tempest. Instead of his waves we may read its waves, and refer the pronoun to the remoter antecedent {sea) in ver. 23. Deep, in ver. 24, is of a difierent gender. It is equally correct, however, and more natural, to refer it to Jehovah, as the maker of the sea and the ruler of its waves. Compare the expression thy waves and thy billows in Ps. xlii. 8. See also Isa. li. 15, Jer. xxxi. 85. 456 Psalm 108:26 -32 26. They rise (to) the heavens; they sink (to) the depths; their soul with evil dissolves itself. That the verbs in the first clause relate not to the waves but to the mariners, is evident from the last clause. The words rise and sink are used instead of ascend, descend, or go up, go down, because the Hebrew verbs have no etjmiological affinity, nor even a single letter common to their roots. The ellipsis of the preposition to is frequent, or rather verbs of motion in Hebrew may be construed directly with a noun, where our idiom requires the intervention of a particle. Evil in the last clause may denote their evil state or painful situation, with all the circumstances com- prehended in it ; or, more specifically, their distress and painful feelings. Compare Gen. xli. 29. The reflexive form of the last verb is not essential to the meaning of the sentence, as in ver. 17, and may therefore be ex- plained as an intensive or emphatic passage, it is melted. See above, on Ps. xxii. 15 (14). With the whole verse compare Ps. civ. 8. 27. They reel and stagger like a drunken (man), and all their wisdom is confounded. By wisdom we are here to understand reason, common sense, that which makes men rational and raises them above the brutes. This is plain from the comparison with drunkenness, the only point of which must be the loss of reason. The reeling and staggering may relate to the irre- gular and violent motion of a vessel in a storm, or, as the last clause does, to the mariners themselves. The last verb literally means is swalloxoed up, or retaining the reflexive form, still more strongly, swallows itself up. But see above, on the last word of ver. 26. 28. And they cried to Jehovah in their distress, and out of their straits he brings them forth. The consecution of the tenses corresponds to the relation of the acts which they denote, as ^'iewed by a spectator. " Now they have cried to the Lord, and now he is bringing them forth." The verse differs from ver. 13, 19, in the first verb, which agrees with ver. 6, and in the last verb, which is unlike both. 29. He stills the storm to a calm, and silent are their waves. This is an amplification of the last phrase in ver. 28, and shews how it is that he brings them forth. The first verb strictly means he makes it stand, but in a sense directly opposite to that of a synonymous though difierent verb in ver. 25. Calm, literally silence, stillness. Their waves, the waves from which they suffer, by which they are buffeted. Compare his waves, in ver, 25. 30. And they are glad that they are quiet, and he guides them to their desired haven. The connection might be rendered clearer by translating with the English Bible, then are th^y glad, &c. The last word in the verse occurs only here, and is by some translated shore, by others goal : but it is safer to retain the old interpretation, which affords a perfectly good sense, and rests upon the joint authority of the Rabbinical tradition and the Sep- tuagint version. 31. 32. Let (such) give thanks to Jehovah [for) his mercy, and his won- derful works to the sons of man ; and let them exalt him in the congregation of the people, and in the session of the elders praise him. Here again we have a striking instance of variety combined with uniformity. The burden or chorus, as in ver. 22, is followed by a solemn exhortation to connect the required thanksgiving with the forms of pubUc worship. But instead of the temple with its sacrifices and its chants, the reference in this case, it should seem, is to the spiritual worship of the synagogue. The word translated congregation is one constantly applied to Israel, as actually gathered at the place of worship. See above, on Ps. xxii. 23 (22). The Psalm 107:33 -38 457 word session is employed in the translation of the last clause, not for the sake of a verbal coincidence with Presbyterian institutions, a coincidence, however, which is not to be denied, but because it adequately represents the Hebrew (2I£^iQ) in its double acceptation, as denoting both the act and the place cf sitting, and especially of sitting together. See above, on ver. 4. The elders, here as elsewhere, are the heads of tribes and families, the hereditary chiefs and representatives of Israel. 33. He turns streams into a v/ildernesSy and springs of water to a thirsty place. As the shifting of the scene is not renewed in the remainder of the psalm, which, on the other hand, if viewed as a distinct and independent portion of the poem, mars its symmetry of structure, it seems best to regard these verses as an episode belonging to the last scene and containing the praises of the people and their elders. The figures in this verse are often used, particularly by Isaiah, to denote an entire revolution, whether physical or moral, social or political. Compare Isa. xliv. 26, 27, 1. 2, Jer. 1. 88, li. 36. It thus prepares the way for the subsequent rejoicings in the down- fall of Babylon and the restoration of the exiled Jews. 34. A fruitful land to saltness,for the vdckedness of those dwelling in it. The sentence is continued fi-om the foregoing verse, the nouns being governed by the verb he turns. The first phrase literally means a land of fruit. The next noun may be taken either in the abstract sense of saltness or the concrete one of a saline soil or region, and by implication barren. For, literally/rom, as in ver. 17 above. Compare the threatening in Isa. xiii. 19, and the great historical type of all such judgments, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. 35. He turns a desert to a pool of water, and a dry land into springs of water. This is the reverse of the description in ver. 33, to which the terms are studiously conformed. In both cases the first verb literally means he sets or puts, and the noun translated springs means issues or places where the waters issue. Compare Isa. xxxv. 7, xli. 18, xliii. 20. 36. And has settled there famished (men), and they have established a city to dwell in. There is no need of assuming, that the desert thus transformed is Palestine or Canaan. It is better to adhere to the general import of the figures, which is change for the better. Settled, Hterally caused to dwell. The primary meaning of the last clause is that those once homeless have a home ; but there is of course a reference to the repossession and rebuilding of Jerusalem. The last phrase in Hebrew is the same with that translated city of habitation in ver. 4. 37. And have sowed fields, and planted vineyards, and made fruits of increase. The form of all these verbs requires them to be understood, like those of ver. 36, as referring to time actually past, from which some have inferred that the date of the psalm itself lay between the first ingathering of the fruits by the returned Jews and the founding of the temple, to which there is here no allusion. The w^ord translated increase is applied elsewhere to the annual productions of the earth. See Lev. xxv. 16. To make these is to gain or acquire them by cultivation, as we speak of making money, but of raising com. See above, on Ps. Ix. 14 (12). 88. And he has blessed them, and they have increased greatly, and (even) their cattle he does not diminish. Increased, not in numbers merely, but in wealth, strength and prosperity. See Deut. xxx. 16. The verb to diminish is borrowed from Lev. xxvi. 22. The negation may be understood as a meiosis, meaning to increase or multiply. The whole of this description 458 Psalm 108:1,2 agrees well with the encouraging appearances, by which the Restoration was attended and immediately followed, before the colony experienced reverses or had lost the fresh impression of their recent suflferings and priva- tions, which are mentioned in the next verse* 39. And they were diminished and brought low, from oppression, suffering, and grief. The only grammatical construction of the verbs is that which refers them to a former time, *'. e. to the condition of the people under Babylonian oppression. The sense is therefore quite mistaken in the English, though correctly given in the ancient versions. The contrast is intended to enhance the joy and thankfulness of the restored exiles. These, now so prosperous, are the very men who lately were in abject misery. 40. Pouring contempt on princes — and he has made them wander in a waste (where there is) no way. From the exiles he reverts to their Deliverer, and describes him as spuming the most lordly of their persecutors — nay, as making them take the place of those whom they oppressed, which idea is conveyed by the figure before used of wanderers in a pathless desert. See above, on ver. 4, and compare Job xii. 21, 24. The word for waste or void is one of those used in Gen. i. 2, to describe the original condition of the earth. 41. And has raised the poor from affliction, and made like a flocJc families. The first verb suggests the twofold idea of elevation from a wretched state, and security from future danger. For its ordinary sense, see above, on Ps. XX. 2 (i), xci. 14. The last clause simply means, he has increased the people who were so reduced in strength and numbers, 42. The righteous shall see and rejoice, and all iniquity stop her mouth. The righteous are the true Israel, as in Ps, xxxiii, 1, Num. xxiii, 10, Dan. xi. 17, With the last clause compare Job v, 16, Isa. lii. 15. 43. Who {is) wise and will observe these things, and attentively consider the mercies of Jehovah ? The change of number in the Hebrew does not aflfect the meaning. Whoever is wise will observe these things, and all who are wise will consider them. With this conclusion compare Hosea xiv. 10, Isa. xlii. 23, Jer. ix. 11. Psalm 108 1, A Song. A Psalm. By David. This is not an original or inde- pendent composition, but a compilation from two other psalms, which have afready been explained. The introduction, ver. 2-6 (1-5), is substantially identical with Ps. Ivii. 8-12 (7-11) ; the body of the psalm, ver. 7-13 (6-12), with Ps. Ix. 7-14 (5-12), The supposition of erroneous copies, or of later corruptions, is still more improbable in this case than in those of Ps, xviii,, liii., Ixx. The best solution which has been proposed is, that David himself combined these passages to be the basis of a trilogy (Ps. eviii.-cx.), adapted to the use of the church at a period posterior to the date of Ps, Ivii, and Ix. The comments here will be confined to the varia- tions, as in Ps, liii. and Ixx. 2 (1). Fixed is my heart, 0 Ood, fixed is my heart; I will sing and play — also my glory. See above, on Ps. Ivii. 8 (7). The words here added, also my glory, correspond to the first clause of the next verse in that psahn, awake my glory ! 3 (2). Awake lute and harp ! I will awaken the dawn (or morning). See above, on Ps. Ivii. 9 (8). The only variation is the one already mentioned, Psalm 108:3 -J3 459 the omission here of the words awake my gloi~y, for which the last clause of ver, 2 (1) is a substitute. 4 (3). / xicill thank thee among the nations, 0 Jehovah, I u-ill praise thee among the peoples. See above, on Ps. Ivii. 10 (9). The only variation is the substitution of the name Jehovah for Adhonai, a change scarcely per- ceptible in the English versions. 5 (4). FW great /win above the heavens (is) thy mercy, and unto the clouds thy truth. See above, on Ps. Ivii. 11 (10). The only variation is the change of (Tfy) tmto into O'^D). from above, apparently intended to suggest the idea of God's mercy as descending upon man. 6 (5). Be thou high above the heavens, 0 God, and above all the earth thy glory. See above, on Ps. Ivii. 12 (11). The only variation is the intro- duction of the copulative and at the beginning of the second clause. 7 (6). In order that thy beloved (ones) may be delivered, save with thy right hand, and hear (or ansucr) us. See above, on Ps. Ix, 7 (5), with which this verse agrees in all points, not excepting the keri or various reading in the last word {me for us). 8 (7). God hath spoken in his holiness (and therefore) I uill triumph, I will divide Shechem., and the valley of Succoth I will measure. See above, on Ps. Ix. 8 (6), with which this verse agrees exactly. 9 (8). To me (belongs) Gilead, to me 31anasseh, and Ephraim the strength of my head, Judah my lawgiver. See above, on Ps. Ix. 9 (7). The only variation is the omission, in the verse before us, of the and after Gilead. 10 (9). Moab (is) my wash-pot ; at Edom will I throw my shoe ; over Philistia will I shout aloud. See above, on Ps. Ix. 10 (8). At the end of this verse is the most material variation in the whole psalm, which, however, is evidently not fortuitous or by a later hand, but intentional and made by the original writer. I will shout aloud, as an expression of triumph over a conquered enemy. 11 (10). Who will bring me (to) the fortified city ! Who leads (or has led) me up to Edom f See above, on Ps. Ix. 11 (9), The only variation is the change of one synonymous word for another, to express the idea of a fortified city. 12 (11). (Is it) not God who has cast us off, and uilt not go forth with our hosts f See above, on Ps. Ix. 12 (10). The only variation consists in the omission of the emphatic pronoun thou, which is expressed in the paral- lel passage, and only imphed in the one before us. Some interpreters sup- pose a sudden change of construction from the third to the second person. Is it not God — (even thou who) didst cast us off, &c. 13 (12). Give tw help from the enemy (or from distress) ; and (the rather because) vain is the salvation of man, meaning that which he afi"ords. See above, on Ps. Ix. 13 (11), which agrees with this exactly. 14 (13). In God we will make (i.e. gain or gather) strength, and he will tread down (or trample on) our adversaries (persecutors or oppressors). See above, on Ps. Ix. 14 (12), between which and the verse before us there is not the slightest difference. Psalm 109 This psalm consists of three parts ; a complaint of slanderous and malig- nant enemies, ver. 1-5 ; a prayer for the punishment of such, ver. 6-20 ; 460 Psalm 109:1 - 6 and a prayer for the suflferer's own deliverance, with a promise of thanks- giving, vcr. 21-31. According to the theory repeatedly referred to, this is the second psa'm of a Davidic trilogy. See above, on Ps. cviii. This psalm is remarkable on two accounts : first, as containing the most striking instances of what are called the imprecations of the psalms ; and then, as having been applied in the most explicit manner to the sufferings of our Saviour from the treachery of Judas, and to the miserable fate of the latter. These two peculiarities are perhaps more closely connected than they may at first sight seem. Perhaps the best solution of the first is that afforded by the second, or at least by the hypothesis, that the Psalmist, under the direction of the Spirit, viewed the sufferings of Israel, which furnished the occasion of the psalm, as a historical type of the Messiah's sufferings firom the treachery of Judas, representing that of Judah, and that with this view he expresses his abhorrence of the crime, and acquiesces in the justice of its punishment, in stronger terms than would have been, or are elsewhere, employed in reference to ordinary criminals. 1. To the Chief Musician. By David. A Psalm. God of my 'praise^ he not silent. The first inscription was particularly necessary here, because the psalm might otherwise have seemed to be a mere expression of strong personal feeling. See above, on Ps. li. 1. God of my praise, i. e. the object of it, whom I delight, or am accustomed, or have caus6, to praise. Be not. silent means not merely do not refuse to cnsicer, but amidst the threats and railings of my enemies, let thy voice be heard also. See above, on Ps. xxviii. 1, xxxv. 22, xxxix. 13 (12). 2. For a wicked mouth and a mouth of deceit they have opened ; they have spoken against me with a tongue of falsehood. Compare Ps. xxxv. 11, Iv. 4 (3). The subject of the first verb is his enemies, and not the nouns preceding, as the verb translated open is elsewhere always active. Against me, literally uith me, implying that they charged him falsely to his face, a circumstance remarkably fulfilled in Christ. See Mat. xxvi. 59. 3. And with words of hatred they have compassed me, and have fought against me without cause. See above, on Ps. xxxv. 20, xxxvi. 4 (3.) 4. In return for my love they are my adversaries — and I (am) prayer. The fii-st word in Hebrew strictly means instead or in lieu of. The unusual expression at the end can only mean, I am all prayer, I do nothing but pray, which some understand to signify, I bear their persecution meekly and continue my devotions undisturbed by their calumnies and insults. But as the whole context is descriptive, not of the sufferer's behaviour but of his enemies', a more probable sense is, I am forced to be continually praying for protection against them and deliverance from them. 5. T/iey lay upon me evil instead of good, and hatred instead of love. The first verb literally means they set or place. Instead of the good and the love which they owed me, or in return for my kindness and love to them, as in ver. 4. 6. Appoint thou over him a wicked one, and let an adversary stand upon his right hand. The first verb in Hebrew means to place one in authority or charge over another. See Gen. xxxix. 5, xli.34. Num. i. 50, and com- pare Lev. xxvi. 16, Jer. xv. 3. Wicked one and adversary (Satan), although here used as appellatives or common nouns, are the very terms applied, in the later scripture to the Evil Spirit, or the Devil. See Job i. 6, ii. 1, 1 Chron. xxi. 1, Zech. iii. 1, 2. In the place last cited he stands too at the right hand of the siimer to accuse him. The change of number in the verse before us might, in conformity with usage, be explained as a mere Psalm 109:7 -14 461 difference of form, the ideal person denoted by the singular being really the type and representative of the whole class denoted by the plural. But the constancy with which the change, in this case, is adhered to, rather favours the conclusion, that a real individual is meant, to whom the Psalmist turns from the promiscuous crowd of his oppressors. For a similar transition, see above, on Ps. Iv. 13 (12). 7. When he is tried he shall go forth guilty^ and his prayer shall Je Jbr sin. The future meaning of the second verb is determined by the form of the third, which is not apocopated, as in ver. 12, 13. When he is tried, literally, in his being tried. The next phrase simply means that he shall be condemned ; the last clause, that his very prayer for mercy shall be reckoned as a new offence, a strong description of extreme judicial rigour and inexorable justice. 8. Let his days be few — his office let another take. The word translated office is a collateral derivative of the verb at the beginning of ver. 6, and means commission, charge. This expression makes it still more probable that a real individual is referred to, as the possession of a charge or office could not be common to the whole class of malignant enemies. The Sep- tuagint version is ivtaxoirriv, oversight or supervision, corresponding exactly to the meaning of the Hebrew verb in ver. 6. This translation is retained in Acts i. 20, where the verse before us is expressly quoted by Peter as " written in the book of Psalms," and applied to the case of Judas Iscariot. 9. Let his sons be orphans and his wife a widow. He here passes from the person of the criminal to the sufferings of those dependent on him, See Exod. xx. 5. 10. And wander — wander — let his sons and beg, and seek (their food)/rom (among) their ruins. The emphatic repetition of the first verb is expressed in the English Bible, by a paraphrase, let his children be continually vaga- bonds. The last clause is extremely graphic, representing them as creep- ing forth in search of food from amidst the ruins of their habitations. 11. Let a creditor entrap all he has, amd strangers plunder (the fruit of) his labour. The first noun originally means a lender, but in usage has the accessory sense of a hard creditor, an extortioner. The verb means to lay a snare for, as in Ps. xxxviii. 19 (12.) Strangers, not his natural heirs, not members of his family. See Deut. xxv. 5. 12. Let there he no one to him extending mercy, and let there be no one shewing favour to his orphans. The verb translated extend literally means draw out, prolong, and is applied to the continued indulgence both of hostile and amicable feelings. See above, on Ps. xxviii. 3, xxxvi. 11 (10), Ixxxv. 6 (5). Shewing favour, exercising mercy, as in Ps xxxvii. 21. 13. Let his posterity be cut off; in the next generation, blotted out be their name. The word for posterity strictly means futurity, after part, or latter end. See above, Ps. xxxvii. 37^ 38. Cut off, literally for cutting off. The next or .after generation, as in Ps. xlviii. 14 (13). The plural pronoun their refers to the collective noun posterity. 14. Let the guilt of his fathers be remembered by Jehovah, and his mother's sin not blotted out. This is perhaps the most fearful imprecation in the psalm, as it extends the consequences of transgression, not merely to the children, who might naturally be expected to partake of them, but to the parents. It is not to be forgotten, however, that in all such cases, the personal guilt of the implicated parties is presupposed, and not inferred from their connection with the principals. Remembered by (literally to) 462 Psalm 109:15 -21 Jehovah, which may possibly mean brought to his remembrance, recalled to mind by another, perhaps by the accuser before mentioned. 15. Let them he before Jehovah always, and let him cut off from the earth their memory. The subject of the first clause is the gvilt and sin men- tioned in the verse preceding. Be/ore Jehovah, in his sight, an object of attention to him. See above, Ps. xc. 8. With the last clause compare Ps. ix. 7, (6), xxxiv. 17 (16). 16. Because that he did not remember to do mercy, and persecuted an affiicted and poor man, and one smitten in heart, to kill (him). There is an antithesis between the remember of this verse and the remembered of ver. 14. Though he did not remember mercy, G-od remembers guilt. The last phrase, to kill, denotes both the design and the extent of the malignant persecution which was deadly or to death. The object of the persecution is the psalmist himself, or the ideal person whom he represents. See ver. 22. 17. And he loved a curse, and it has come [ujwn) him ; and he delighted not in blessing, and it has removed far from him. This verse contemplates the event as actually past. The optative meaning, given to the verbs in the English Bible, is as inconsistent with the form of the original as the future meaning given in the Prayer Book and the ancient versions. 18. And he has put on cursing as his garment, and it has come like water into his inside, and like oil into his bones. There is an obvious cUmax in this verse. That which is first described as the man's exterior covering, is then said to be within him, first as water, then as oil or fat, first in the vessels of his body, then in his very bones. The general idea is that the curse, which he denounced and endeavoured to inflict on others, has taken possession of himself, both within and without. Compare Num. v. 22, 24, 27. The first clause admits of a different construction, which would make it descriptive of the crime and not the pvmishment. He put on curs- ing as his garment, and (now) it has come, &c. This construction intro- duces an antithesis, and thereby adds to the point of the sentence, and. is also recommended by the analogy of ver. 17. 19. Let it be to him as a garment (that) he wears, and for a belt let him always gird it. This is not a mere reiteration of the figure in the first clause of ver. 18, but conveys the additional idea of a habitual and constant presence. The word belt is used in the translation of the last clause, be- cause the Hebrew word to which it corresponds is not the usual derivative of the verb that follows, but etymologically unconnected with it. 20. [Be) this the wages of my adversaries from Jehovah, and of those speaking evil against my soul. The pronoun this in the first clause refers to the whole preceding series of denunciations. The word translated wages means originally work, and secondarily the price or recompence of work or labour, and is so used in the law of Moses. See Lev. xix. 13. It is here pecuharly appropriate, because it represents the misfortunes of his ene- mies as the direct finit of their own misconduct. No single word in Eng- lish can express this double meaning of the Hebrew. Such is their work and such their wages. The word translated adversaries is a cognate form to that used in ver. 6, and might suggest the idea of my Sqtans ; but this would probably convey too much. From Jehovah, their reward or recom- pence to be expected from him, or already bestowed by him. The descrip- tion in the last clause includes insult, slander, and mahcious plotting. 21. And thou, Jehovah, Lord, do with me for thy names sake, because good is thy mercy set me free. The emphatic thou at the beginning indi- Psalm 109:22 -29 463 cates a contrast between God and his oppressors. Do with me is a com- mon English phrase meaning deal with me, dispose of me ; but no such idiom exists in Hebrew, and the best authorities regard the construction as elhptical, and make it mean, do kindness (or shew mercy) to me. With the last clause compare Ps. Ixiii. 4 (3), Ixix. 17 (16). 22. For afflicted and poor (am) I, and my heart is wounded within me. This, though indefinite in form, is equivalent to sa}'ing, I am the afflicted and poor man whom the mahgnant adversary persecuted, as was said, in ver. 16. The word translated wounded strictly means pierced or perforated, a stronger expression than the one in ver. 16. With the first clause compare Ps. xl- 18 (17), Ixix. 30 (29). 23. Like a shadow at its turning I am gone ; I am driven away like the locust. The first comparison is the same with that in Ps. cii. 12. Our idiom enables us to imitate the phrase / am gone, a passive which in He- brew occurs only here. The other verb is rare, but its meaning is suffi- ciently determined by usage. The allusion here is to the violence with which a cloud of locusts in the east is scattered by the wind. Compare Exod. X. 19, Joel ii. 20, Nah. iii. 17. 24. My knees totter from fasting, and my flesh fails from fatness. The last phrase is obscure, but seems to mean from being fat, so that it is not fat ; the privative usage of the preposition being very common. The sense thus put upon the verb is justified by the analogy of Isa. Iviii. 11, where an equivalent expression is applied to failing waters. Some interpreters, how- ever, insist upon retaining the strict sense both of verb and noun, and understand the clause to mean, my flesh lies or deceives the eye, by no longer appearing as it once did, or by seeming to exist when it is gone, from oil, i. e. from want of oil, because no longer taken care of and anointed. But no construction could well be more forced and far-fetched. It may also be objected that the external use of oil was to anoint the head on festive occasions, not to fatten the person or preserve the flesh. 25. And 1 have been a reproach to them, they see me, they shake their head. A reproach, an object of contempt, as in Ps. xxii. 7 (6), xxxi. 12 (11). As to the meaning of the gesture mentioned in the last clause, see above, on Ps. xxii. 8 (7). 26. Help me, Jehovah, my God, save me, according to thy mercy. The renewed description of his sufierings, in ver. 22-25, is followed by a re- newed petition for deliverance, corresponding to that in ver. 21. Accord- ing to thy mercy, i. e. in proportion to its greatness and the freeness with which it is exercised. 27. And they shall know that this (is) thy hand ; thou, Jehovah, hast done it. The optative construction, let tliem know, and the subjunctive one, that they may know, are really involved in the more exact translation, they shall know. The subject of the verb may be men in general, or the persecuting adversaries in particular, more probably the latter, because they are referred to both before and after. This is thy hand, i. e. this deUver- ance is the product of thy power. Compare Ps. lix. 14 (13). 28. They will curse, and thou wilt bless ; they have risen up, and shall be shamed, and thy servant shall be glad. The first clause, expressed in our idiom, would be, they may curse, but thou wilt bless. Risen up, i. e. against me, a favourite expression in the Psalms. Shamed, in the pregnant sense of being disappointed, defeated, confounded. Thy servant, i. e. I, as such, in that capacity or character. 29. Clothed shall my adversaries he with confusion, and dressed, as a robe, 464 Psalm 110:1 in their shame. This is not the mere expression of a wish, like that in ver. 18, which would here be out of place, but a confident anticipation, with which he concludes the psahn. Compare Ps. kxi. 13. The word tran- slated rohe denotes a garment reaching to the feet, and expresses therefore still more strongly the idea that his foes shall be completely covered with confusion. 80. / will thank Jehovah greatly toith my mouth, and in the midst of many will I praise him. He vows that his thanksgiving shall not be merely mental or domestic, but audible and public. With the last clause compare Ps. xxii. 23 (22). 31. For he will stand at the right hand of a poor (man), to save (him) from the judges of his soul. This assigns the special reason of his promised praise. The verse is in strong contrast to ver. 6 above, especially if Satan be there taken as a proper name. The right hand here is not the place of honour but ol pretection. A poor man, as in ver. 16, means this poor man, i. e. me a poor man. Compare Ps. xxxiv. 7 (6). The last clause is correctly paraphrased in the common version, those that condemn his soul. Psalm 110 This is the counterpart of the Second Psalm, completing the prophetic picture of ithe conquering Messiah. The progressive development of the Messianic doctrine lies in this, that the Kingship of Messiah, there alleged and confirmed by a divine decree, is here assumed at the beginning, and then shewn to be connected with his Priesthood, which is also solemnly proclaimed, and its perpetuity ensured by a divine oath. This constitutes the centre of the psalm, ver. 4, to which all the rest is either introductory, ver. 1-3, or supplementary, ver. 5-7. The repeated, explicit, and emphatic appUcation of this psalm, in the New Testament, to Jesus Christ, is so far fi*om being arbitrary or at variance with the obvious import of the psalm itself, that any other application is ridiculous. The chief peculiarity of form is a frequent change of person, not unlike that in Ps. xci. 1. By David. A Psalm. Thus saith Jehovah to my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until 1 make thine enemies thy footstool. The ascription of the psalm to David is not only uncontradicted by external evidence, but corroborated by the internal character of the composition, its laconic energy, its martial tone, its triumphant confidence, and its resemblance to other undisputed psalms of David. In addition to all this, we have the authority of Christ himself, who not only speaks of it as David's, but founds an argument upon it, the whole force of which depends upon its having been composed by him. See Mat. xxii. 43, Mark xii. 36, Luke xx. 42, and compare Acts ii. 34. As a further confirmation of the truth of this inscription, some allege the obvious relation of this psalm to those before it, as forming with them a Davidic trilogy. See above, on Ps. cviii. 1. Thv^ saith Jehovah, or more exactly, a dictum (or saying) of Jehovah. For the origin and usage of this formula, used only in prophetic declara- tions, see above on Ps. xxxvi. 2 (1). My Lord, i. e. David's, as our Saviour explicitly declares in the passages already cited, yet not of David merely as a private person, nor even as an individual king, but as repre- senting his own royal race and the house of Israel over which it reigned. The person thus described as the superior and sovereign of David and his Psalm 110:2 465 house, and of all Israel, could not possibly be David himself, nor any of his sons and successors except one, who, by virtue of his twofold nature, was at once his sovereign and his son. See Rom, i. 3, 4. That the Lord here meant was universally identified with the Messiah by the ancient Jews, is clear, not only from their own traditions, but from Christ's assuming this interpretation as the basis of his argument to prove the Messiah's super- human nature, and from the fact that his opponents, far from 'questioning this fact, were unable to answer him a word, and afraid to interrogate him further (Mat. xxii. 46). The original fonn of expression, in the phrase Sit at my right hand, is the same as in Ps. cix. 31. A seat at the right hand of a king is mentioned in the Scriptures as a place of honour, not arbitra- rily, but as implying a participation in his pov/er, of which the right hand is a constant symbol. See above, on Ps. xlv. 10 (9), and compare Mat. xix. 28. The sitting posture is appropriate to kings, who ai'e frequently described as sitting on their thrones. See above, on Ps. xxix. 10. In this case, however, the posture is of less moment than the position. Hence Stephen sees Christ standing at the right hand of God (Acts vii. 55, 56), and Paul simply says he is there (Rom. viii. 34). The participation in the divine power, thus ascribed to the Messiah, is a special and extraordinary one, having reference to the total subjugation of his enemies. This idea is ex- pressed by the figure of their being made his footstool, perhaps with allusion to the ancient practice spoken of in Josh. x. 24. This figure itself, how- ever, presupposes the act of sitting on a throne. It does not imply inactivity, as some suppose, or mean that Jehovah would conquer his foes for him, without any intervention of his own. The idea running through the whole psalm is, that it is in and through him that Jehovah acts for the destruction of his enemies, and that for this very end he is invested with almighty power, as denoted by his session at the right hand of God. This session is to last until the total subjugation of his enemies, that is to say, this special and extraordinary power of the Messiah is then to terminate, a representation which agrees exactly with that of Paul in 1 Cor. xv. 24—28, where the verse before us is distinctly referred to, although not expressly quoted. It is therefore needless, though grammatical, to give the until an inclusive meaning, namely, until then and afterwards, as in Ps. cxii. 8 below. This verse, it has been said, is more frequently quoted or referred to, in the New Testament, than any other in the Hebrew Bible. Besides the passages already cited, it hes at the foundation of all those which represent Christ as sitting at the right hand of the Father. See Mat. xxvi. 64, 1 Cor. XV. 25, Eph. i. 20-22, Phil. ii. 9-11, Heb. i. 3, 14, viii. 1, X. 12, 13, 1 Pet. iii. 22, and compare Rev. iii. 21. 2. The rod of thy strength will Jehovah send forth from Zion ; rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. The Psalmist now addresses the Messiah directly. The idea latent in the figures of the first verb, namely that of power, is here expressed. The word (HISD) translated rod never means a sceptre, as the synonymous term (ZOD^) sometimes does, from which it is distinguished by Ezekiel (xix. 11), but a rod of correction and of chastise- ment. See Jer. xlviii. 12, and compare Isa. ix. 3 (4), x. 5, 15, xiv. 4, 5, Ezek. vii. 10, 11. It is here named as the instrument with which the foes are to be subdued. Compare Ps. ii. 9. There may be an allusion to the rod of Moses. See Exod. xiv. 16, 21, and compare Isa. x. 24, 26. The rod of thy strength, or thy rod of strength, thy strong rod, or rather the rod by means of which thine own strength is to be exerted. Aa 466 Psalm 110:3 this strength is not human but divine, it is said to be sent forth by Jehovah out of Zion, considered as his earthly residence, the seat of the theocracy. See above, on Ps. xx. 3 (2). The verb translated rule is not appUed in usage to a peaceful reign, but to coercive or compulsory dominion over conquered enemies. See above, on Ps. xlix. 15 (14), and compare Num. xxiv. 19. The imperative here involves prediction in its strongest form. As if he had said. All is ready for the conquest ; there is no resistance ; there can be no doubt of the result ; rule, therefore, in the midst thine enemies, i. e. over the very enemies by whom thou art surrounded, and who threatened to dethrone thee. 3. Thy people (are) free-mll-qfferings in the day of thy power, in holy decorations, from the womb of the daivn, to thee {is) the dew of thy youth. Every member of this very obscure verse has been a subject of dispute and of conflicting explanations. The common version of the first words {thy veople shall be vnlling) is entirely inadmissible as an exact translation, since the word translated willing is a plural substantive of the feminine gender, and not an adjective agreeing with the masculine singular noun -people. The idea, however, is the same, but expressed with far more strength and beauty. The plural noun just mentioned is the one used to denote spon- taneous gifts, or free-will-offerings, under the law of Moses. See above, on Ps. Uv. 8 (7), and compare Exod. xxv. 2, xxxv. 29, xxxvi. 3, Lev. xxii. 23. By supplying the correlative verb, which may be considered as latent in the noun, we obtain the sense, thy people (offer) voluntary gifts. But by supplying the substantive verb, which is far more natural and common, we obtain the still more striking sense, thy people are themselves such gifts, i. e. they fireely consecrate themselves to God. In this sense of voluntary self- dedication, the reflexive form of the verbal root is used even in historical prose (1 Chron. xxix. 14, 17), especially in reference to military service (Judges V. 2, 9, 2 Chron. xvii. 16). The day of thy power, the day in which it is exerted and displayed in the subjugation of thine enemies. The next phrase literally means, in beauties (or ornaments) of holiness, which may either have its obvious spiritual sense, as in Ps. xxix. 2, or that of holy decorations, with allusion to the sacerdotal dress, which is expressly called garments ojf holiness, Lev. xvi. 4. The last is the sense put by the modem interpreters upon the phrase, which then means that the people, when they make this solemn offering of themselves to God, appear clothed in sacerdotal vestments, as the servants of a priestly" king (ver. 4 below), and themselves a " kingdom of priests " (Exod. xix. 6). The womb of the dawn (or day- break) is a very strong poetical description of the origin or source of the dew which immediately follows, and the sense of which must determine that of the whole clause. The most probable opinions as to this point are the following. Some suppose the clause to be descriptive of the multitude of warriors who devote themselves to the Messiah, and who are then described as no less numerous than the drops of dew born from the womb of morning. The objection to this is, that it lays too much stress upon mere members, and expresess that idea by a figure neither common nor altogether natural. Another explanation makes the point of the comparison with dew, not numbers, but beauty, brilliancy thus corresponding to the holy decorations of the other clause. Here again the comparison selected is by no means obvious, much less familiar. Lovely or beautiful as dew is not a combina- tion likely to occur to the mind of any writer. In the two interpretations which have now been given, youth must be taken in the sense of young men, like the Latin pubes and juventu^, when applied to a youthful soldiery, or Psalm 110:4 467 made to qualify the noun before it youthful dew, still meaning the young warriors. But of such a figure there is not a trace in Hebrew usage, and in the only other place where the word (miT) occurs, it evidently means youth, as a period of human life (Eccles. xi. 9, 10). Free from all these objections is the supposition, that the clause relates not to the numbers or the beauty of Messiah's people, but to their perpetual succession, expressed by a fine poetical comparison with dew, engendered afresh daily from the womb of the morning. Youth will then have its proper sense, as denoting the perpetual youth of the Messiah, whose body is thus constantly renewed by the successive generations of his people. This construction also enables us to divine the clause more equally than in the masoretic interpunction, which, at all events, is either incorrect or rather musical than logical. 4. Sworn hath Jehovah, and toiil not repent, Thou {shalt he) a priest for ever, after the order of Melchizedek. The declaration in the last clause of ver. 3 is here repeated in another form, and with a statement of the ground or reason upon which it rests. What was there poetically represented as the perpetual youth of the Messiah is here more solemnly described as a perpetual priesthood, indissolubly blended with a perpetual kingship, both secured by the oath of God himself. He will not repent, there is no fear or even possibility of his breaking or retracting this engagement, for such it is, and not a mere declaratory attestation of the present fact or general truth, as it might seem to be from the common version, not only here but in Heb. V. 6, vii. 17, 21, in every one of which places the Greek conforms exactly to the Septuagint version and the Hebrew text, the art being constantly Bupphed by the translators. That the clause is a promise, and as such relates directly to the future, is clear from the whole tenor of the psalm as a prophetic one, as well as from the oath, which is not used in Scripture to attest mere matters of fact, but to confirm the divine promise and threaten- ings. The indefinite expression, a priest, is intended to describe the oflice in itself considered, without reference to temporary distinctions and grada- tions. It therefore comprehends whatever appertained to the ofiice of the High Priest, as the head and representative of all the rest. After the order, i. e. according to the manner, character, or institution. It is remarkable that this phrase (like mi/!! in ver, 3) is almost peculiar to this psalm and the book of Ecclesiastes, being found besides in only one place (Job v. 8). In aU the direct quotations of the verse in Hebrews, the Septuagint version of this word (rd^iv) is retained. But in one of the more indirect citations (Heb. vii. 15) another word (o^co/oxTjra) is substituted, shewing that the essential idea is that of likeness or resemblance. This, likeness consists primarily in the union of the regal and sacerdotal ofiices. See Gen. xiv. 18. The meaning of the verse in its original connection is, that this royal con- queror is also a priest, who makes atonement for the sins of his people, and thus enables and disposes them to make the dedication of themselves described in the preceding verse. The perpetuity of this relation, and its confirmation by the oath of God, are attendant circumstances but essential, and as such insisted on by the apostle, Heb. vii. 20-24. The coincidences founded on the meaning of the names Melchizedek and Salem (Heb. vii. 2), and on the want of hierarchical succession in both cases (Heb. vii. 3), are perfectly legitimate, but not essential to the understanding of the verse in its original connection. The inspired commentary on this sentence, which occupies the whole seventh chapter of Hebrews, is not intended merely to explain its meaning, but also to make use of its terms, and the 468 Psalm 110:5 -7 associations coupled with them, as a vehicle of other kindred truths, belong- ing to the Christian revelation, and not necessarily suggested by the psalm to its original readers. 5. The Lord on thy right hand has smitten, in the day of his anger, kings. Some suppose this to be addressed to Jehovah, and the Lord to moan Messiah, on the ground that they could not each be on the right hand of the other. See above, ver. 1. That they could be so, however, only shews that the whole description is a figurative one, and that the principal figure has a twofold meaning. On the right hand has precisely the same meaning here as in Ps. cix. 81, where it denotes the place of protection or assistance, the figure being probably derived from the usages of war, in which one who succours or protects another may be said to strengthen his right hand, as the member which he uses in his own defence. In one sense, therefore, the Lord is at the right hand of Jehovah ; in another sense, Jehovah is at his. This assistance, far from excluding, presupposes his own action, or rather, what Jehovah is described as doing for him he does through him. See above, on ver. 1. The word translated smite is very strong and has repeatedly occurred before. See above, on Ps. xviii. 39 (38), Ixviii. 22, 24 (21, 23). The day of Jehovah's wrath is coincident with that of the Lord's strength in ver. 3. The strength of the Messiah, as a conqueror, is to be exerted in giving eflfect to Jehovah's wrath against his enemies. The position of the word kings at the end of the sentence, although harsh and almost ungrammatical in English, is retained in the translation for the sake of its effect upon the emphasis and point of the description. The objects of Jehovah's \vrath and the Messiah's strokes are not to be mere ordinai-y men, but kings, if they continue to oppose themselves. See above, on Ps. ii. 2, 10. The tense of the verb may be regarded as an instance of prate- ritum phropheticum, describing what is certainly to happen as ahead}' past. 6. He will judge among the nations — he has filled (them) with corpses — he has smitten the head over much land (or over the wide earth). By another sudden change of form, the Messiah is again spoken of as a third person. The judgment here ascribed to him is only another name and figure for the conquest just described. The form of expression in the last clause is unusual and obscure. The common version makes both head and land collectives, the heads over many countries. Some interpreters explain the second word in this way, but the first more strictly, as denoting a single ruler over many countries. Others invert the t'^.rms, and understand by head the various chiefs of nations, but by earth the v/hole earth with its qualifying epithet of great or wide. Amidst these questions of construction or minute interpretation, the general idea is clear enough, to wit, that of universal conquest on the part of the Messiah, and extending to all earthly principalities and powers. 7. From the brook in the way he will drink, therefore will he raise the head. According to the masoretic interpunction, in the tvay does not qualify the brook but he will drink, a distinction of little exegetical importance. Unlike the foregoing verse, the one before us is perfectly clear in its parti- cular expressions, but obscure in its general import and relation to the context. The most probable meaning of thr first clause is, that he shall not be exhausted Uke those wandering in thfe desert (Ps. cii. 24, cvii. 4, 5) but refreshed and strengthened, with a reference, as some suppose, to the relief experienced by Samson (Judges xv. 18, 19). The raising of the head, in the last clause, is an obvious and intelligible figure for exhilaration, or relief from dejection and depression, which is naturally indicated by the Psalm ]] J.J -3 469 hanging of the head. The only question is whether this effect is here sup- posed to be produced in the conqueror himself or in others. In favour of the former explanation is the parallel clause, which represents him as assuaging his own thirst. In favour of the other is the analogy of Ps. iii. 4 (8), xxvii. 6, where God is said to raise the head of man. As in other doubtful cases, where the senses are not incompatible or exclusive of each other, it is safe, if not entirely satisfactory, to leave them side by side, the rather as the words could probably not fail to suggest both ideas to the Hebrew reader. Psalm 111 This is an alphabetical psalm, in which the Hebrew letters mark the be- ginning not of verses but of clauses. The first eight verses contain each two clauses; the last two consists of three. The psalm begins with an in- vitation to the public praise of God, ver. 1, then assigns, as the ground and object of this praise, his dealings with his people, ver. 2-9, and ends with the conclusion, that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, ver. 10. There is nothing in the psalm itself to determine its date or its historical occasion. According to Hengstenberg, it is the first psalm of a trilogy, added to the ancient one preceding (Ps. cviii.-cx.) after the return from exile. 1. Hallelnjah ! I will thank Jehovah with a whole heart, in the company of the upright and in the congregation. The Hallelujah [praise ye Jah) marks the designation of the latter psalms for permanent use in pubHc wor- ship, as the inscription to the chief musician does that of the older ones. With a whole heart, or with all {my) heart, as it is fully expressed in Ps. Ixxxvi. 12. Compare Ps, cxix. 2. The word translated company means properly a circle of confidential friends. See above, on Ps. xxv. 14, Iv. 15 (14), Ixiv. 8 (2), Ixxxiii. 4 (8). It is here appUed to the church or chosen people, as constituting such a company or circle, in opposition to the world without. It is not, therefore, really distinct from the congregation men- tioned in the last clause, but another name for it. The upright (or straight- forward) is a title given to the true Israel, from the days of Balaam downwards. See Num. xxiv. 10. 2. Great are the works of Jehovah, sought (according) to all their desires. The common version of the last phrase, all them that have pleasure therein, supposes the text to be difi'erently pointed, as in Ps. xl. 15 (14), Ixx. 3 (2). The received text can only mean to (for or according to) all their wishes. The antecedent of the pronoun [their) seems to be the upright in ver. 1. For a similar construction of the same pronoun, see below, on ver. 10. The clause, thus construed, is obscure, but may be understood to mean, that when the works of God are sought out, investigated, or explored, their great- ness fully satisfies the hopes and wishes of his people. Another possible sense is, that they are sought for, i. e. the experience or knowledge of them eagerly desired, with (literally as to) all their wishes, i. e. with avidity, or, as it is expressed in the preceding verse, with all the heart. 3. Honour and majesty [is) his work — and his righteousness standing for ever. In the first clause, work is the subject of the proposition, honour and majesty the predicate. His work is honour and majesty, i.e. all that ho does is noble and majestic, worthy of the great King, to whom these epithets are often applied elsewhere. See above, on Ps. civ. 1. His work means 470 Psalm 110:4 -9 specifically here what he does for the protection and deUverance of his people. In the last clause, as in many other places, this work is referred to his righteoxisness^ not his justice, in the technical and strict sense, but his rectitude, including his fidelity to his engagements, and securing the exercise of his covenanted mercy. This seems more natural than to explain it as meaning the practical justification of his people by his providential care of them. Standing to eternity (or perpetuity), not fitful or capricious, not confined or temporary, but perpetual and constant. 4. A memory has he made for his wonderful ivorks; gracious and compas- sionate (is) Jehovah. The first clause, though not exactly rendered, is correctly paraphrased in the English Bible, he hath made his wonderful works to be remembered, and still more freely in the Prayer-Book version. The last clause shews that the wonderful works of the first are not the wonders of creation, nor those of providence in general, but those wrought for the benefit of Israel. The terms of this clause are borrowed from Exod. xxxiv. 6. See above, on Ps. ciii. 8. 5. Prey hath he given to those fearing him; he xoill rerrhemher to eternity his covenant. The first word properly denotes the food of wild beasts, and may here be either a poetical equivalent to food, provision, as in Prov. xxxi. 15, Mai. iii. 10, or intended to suggest the additional idea of food ob- tained at the expense of enemies. In either case there seems to be no reason for restricting the clause to the supply of Israel in the desert, although that would necessarily occur to every reader, as the great historical example of the general fact alleged, and in the last clause represented as a proof of God's fidelity to covenant engagements. 6. The power of his works he has declared to his people, (so as) to give to them a heritage of nations. He has shewn them what powerful things he can do, by favouring them so far as to drive out nations from their seats, and make his people their successors and, as it were, their heirs. This re- fers to the conquest of Canaan, as the first in a long series of such dispos- sessions, including all the territories gained in war from the surrounding nations, tiU the death of David. The construction of to give as a gerund (by giving) is not a Hebrew idiom, and restricts the meaning of the clause unduly. See above, on Ps. Ixxviii. 18. 7. The works of his hands are truth and judgment ; sure [are) all his precepts. The second clause is not an iteration of the first, but an inference from it. If what God does himself is always done in faithfulness and justice to his people, then what he requires them to do must certainly be right and best, and his requisitions therefore may be trusted and confided in, the true sense of the adjective or participle here employed. 8. Settled for ever and ever, done in truth and right. The subjects are the same as in ver. 7, but presented in an inverse order, the first clause re- lating to the precepts, the last to the works, of God. The former are settled, firmly supported, founded, or established, not capricious and precarious. The latter, by which they are recommended and attested (see above, oa ver. 9), and works of faithfulness and rectitude. The last word in Hebrew is an adjective used as a neuter or abstract noun, in which respect the English right resembles it. 9. Redemption he has sent to his people ; he has ordained to eternity his covenant; holy and fearful is his name. That this verse was intended to consist of three clauses, is clear from the fact that it contains three letters of the alphabet in regular succession. The same thing is true of the re- maining verse. The first clause relates mainly, not exclusively, to the Psalm 112:1 -3 471 deliverance from Egypt. As in ver. 5, the second clause aflEinns a general truth, attested and exemplified by the particular fact mentioned in the first. Fearful, not merely to his foes but to his people, who can never cease to worship him with holy awe. 10. The beginning of wisdom is the fear of Jehovah ; a good understanding (is) to all (those) doing them ; his praise endureth for ever. This is the conclusion drawn from all that goes before. Since all God's dealings with his people are in faithfulness and truth, and his commands not only are but must be right, then the first step in wisdom, its first principle or element, is reverence for such a Being, proved by obedience to his will. The same sentiment occurs in Prov. i. 7, ix. 10, Job xxviii. 28, The intimate con- nection of the verse, notwithstanding its proverbial or aphoristic form, with the foregoing context, is apparent from the reference of the pronoun them to the plural nouns of the preceding verses. Endureth for ever, literally (is) standing to eternity. This is equivalent to saying that he will and must be praised for ever, corresponding to the Halleujah at the beginning of the psalm. Psalm 112 Another alphabetical psalm of precisely the same character, coinciding with the one before it, even in the number of verses, and the number of clauses in each verse. This formal agreement shews the intimate connec- tion of the two compositions, and makes it highly probable that they belong not only to the same age but to the same author, and were meant to form parts of one continued series or system. This psalm begins precisely where the one before it ends, i. e. with the happiness arising from the fear of God, ver. 1, the blessed efiects of which are then recounted under several parti- culars, ver. 2-9, and finally contrasted with the fate of the ungodly, ver. 10. 1. Sappy the man fearing Jehovah, in his commandments delighting greatly. There is here not only an obvious connection with the close of the preceding psalm, but an obvious advance upon it or progression of ideas. As the fear of the Lord is there declared to be the principle of all true wisdom, so here it is declared to be the source of all true happiness. The second clause defines the meaning of the first, by shewing that the fear there mentioned is a fear consistent with, or rather necessarily involving, a complacent acquiescence in God's will, thus entirely excluding a mere slavish dread, which is incompatible with such a disposition. • 2. Mighty in the earth shall he his seed ; the race of the upright shall bt blessed. The first phrase is borrowed from Gen. x. 8, and would at once suggest to every Hebrew reader the idea of a mighty man like Nimrod and the other ancient heroes. Now a promise of personal heroism is perhaps without analogy, especially as given to the son, to the exclusion of the father. This anomaly can be avoided only by assuming, what is probable enough in itself, that the ideal person here described represents the chosen people, the upright of the other clause, each successive generation of whont might be expected to excel its predecessors in heroic eminence. 3. Wealth and riches (are) in his house, and his righteousness endu/reth fot ever. Not only in his dwelling but in his family, so that his wealth or prosperity might have been said to endure for ever as well as his righteous^ ness, i. e. his recognition and reception as a righteous person, his justifica- tion, Endureth, literally (is) standing, the same expression that is used in 472 Psalm 112:4 -7 Ps. cxi. 3 of God himself. There is also an analogy, at least in form, be- tween the majesty and honour of the righteous God and the loealth and riches of the righteous man. 4. There arises in the darkness light to the upright — Jcind, and compas- sionate, and righteous. The figure in the first clause is a natural and com- mon one, denoting relief from deep distress. See above, on Ps. xcvii. 11. In the last clause we have another instance of the singular way in which terms applied to God in the preceding psalm are copied and applied to man in this. The first two epithets in this clause are employed above in Ps. cxi. 4. The principle involved may be the same as in Luke vi. 36. " Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful." Compare Matt. v. 48. To these two epithets is added that of righteous, in the wide sense including both the others. The construction of the sentence is unusual and doubtful; but most probably the second clause sustains the same relation to the other, as in ver. 1 ; that is to say, it limits and defines the general description upright, by confining it to such as have the quahties expressed by the three adjectives that follow. The alternation of the numbers is familiar where the smgular denotes an ideal individual including many real ones. 5. Happy the man shewing favour and lending ; he shall sustain his affairs hy justice. The first word in Hebrew, which means good, is here descrip- tive not of character but of condition, and denotes good fortune. It is used in the same sense by Isaiah (iii. 10) and Jeremiah (xliv. 17). The com- mon version (a good man) is forbidden by the Hebrew collocation. Lending, not as a financial or commercial operation, but as an act of charity, lending to the poor. The verb in the last clause strictly means to provide for or sustain, especially with food. See above, on Ps. Iv. 23 (22). It is here applied to the control and management of all one's interests. Affairs, literally words, but in the wider sense of that which words denote, namely things, afiairs, in which sense it is sometimes applied to causes or suits at law. The last word is commonly translated judgment, not in the sense of discretion, given in the English versions, but in that of practical justice, righteous conduct. He shall best secure his own interests by treating those of others justly and generously. 6. For to eternity he shall not he moved; to the memory of eternity he shall he righteous. The /or assigns the reason for his being pronounced happy. Moved, i. e. from his prosperous condition, or from his position as a righteous man. The construction of the last clause in the English versions [the righteous shall he in everlasting rememl/rance) is grammatical, and yields a good sense ; but the latest interpreters prefer another, which makes to ever- lasting remembrance mean the same as to eternity. As long as he shall be remembered, he shall be remembered as a righteous man. This construction has the advantage of making the parallelism more exact. 7. From evil tidings he shall not fear ; fixed is his heart, trusting in Jehovah. The first Hebrew noun is in the singular number, and is properly a participle passive meaning heard, used absolutely as a noun denoting what is heard, a rumour or report, news or tidings. The common version {he shall not he afraid of evil tidings) seems to confine the negation to the mere apprehension or anticipation of bad news, whereas the original expression comprehends, and indeed more properly denotes, being frightened when the evil tidings are heard. A fixed heart is the negation both of fickleness and cowardice. See above, on Ps. li. 12 (10), Ivii. 8 (7), cviii. 1. Instead of the active participle trusting, the Hebrew has the passive trusted, analogous to that in Ps. ciii. 14. Psalm] 13:1 -3 473 8. Settled (is) his heart, he shall not fear, -until he look upon his foes (with triumph). The first word is another expression borrowed from the foregoing psalm, but applied in a manner altogether different. See Ps. cxi. 8, where the plural of the same participle is applied to God's commandments. The construction in the last clause is the idiomatic one of the verb see with the preposition in, which usually means to see with strong emotion, and espe- cially with joy or triumph. See above, on Ps. 1. 23, liv. 9 (7). Until does not imply that he shall then fear, but that there will then be no occasion so to do. See above, on Ps. ex. 1. 9. He has scattered, he has given to the poor, his righteousness endureth for ever, his horn shall he high with honour. The first verb denotes profuse munificence, as in Prov. xi. 34. This is alleged not as the cause but the effect, and therefore as the evidence of his being righteous. The next clause is the same as the last of ver. 3. With the last clause compare Ps. Ixxv. 5 (4), Ixxxix. 18 (17). 10. The wicked shall see and fret ; his teeth he shall gnash, and shall melt axcay ; the desire of the wicked shall perish. He shall see, but not with triumph or delight, like the righteous in ver. 8. The word translated fret means both to grieve and be angry, and has no exact equivalent in English. See above, on Ps. vi. 8 (7), x. 14, xxxi. 10 (9). Gnash with his teeth, a strong expression of impotent malignity. See above, on Ps. xxxv. 16, xxxvii. 12. Melt away, Uterally be melted, i.e. waste or decay. See above, on Ps. xxii. 15 (14), Ixviii. 3 (2). The desire of the vdcked is his wish to see the righteous perish. Compare Prov. x. 24, 28, Job viii. 13, and the contrary promise to the humble, Ps. ix. 19 (18). Psalm 113 The Psalmist celebrates the majesty of God, ver. 1-5, in contrast with his gracious condescension to his suffering creatures, ver. 6-9. According to a Jewish usage, which appears to have existed even in the time of Christ, the six psalms beginning with this one constitute the Greater Hallel, sung at the annual festivals, especially the Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles. According to Hengstenberg's arrangement, this psalm closes a second trilogy, added to the Davidic one (Ps. cviii.-cx.) after the return from Babylon. 1. Hallelujah ! Praise, O ye servants of Jehovah, praise the name of Jehovah ! As the title. Servant of Jehovah, is applied to eminent leaders of the chosen people (Ps. xviii. 1, xxxvi. 1, xc. 1, cv. 6), so the plural. Servants of Jehovah, designates his chosen people itself. See above, Ps. xxxiv. 23 (22), Ixix. 37 (36), and below, Ps. cxxxvi. 22, and compare Ezra v. 11, Neh. i. 10, firom which last places it appears, that this was a familiar form of speech with the returned exiles. 2. Be the name of Jehovah blessed, from now and even to eternity. In this as well as the preceding verse, the name of Jehovah involves the usual allusion to the manifestation of his nature in his former acts. See above, on Ps. V. 12 (11). The wish expressed in this verse implies a perpetu^ continuation or renewal of the evidence already furnished. 3. From the rising of the sun even to its setting, (to be) praised (is the) name of Jehovah. With the first clause compare Ps. 1. 1. The last clause might be grammatically construed as a wish, like that in the preceding verse, praised (be the) name of Jehovah. It is more probable, however, 474 Psalm 113:4 -9 that the passive participle (laudatus) was meant to have the force of a gerundive (laudandus). See above, on Ps. xviii. 4 (3). 4. High above all nations (is) Jehovah ; above the heavens {is) his (glory). The two clauses are declaratory of his infinite superiority, both to the animate and inanimate creation, each being represented by its noblest part ; the former by mankind, and that considered not as individuals but nations ; the latter by the heavens. This is certainly more natural, and yields a better sense, than to give the prept)sition (7^) a different meaning in the two clauses, in the first that of above, in the second that of on, in which case it is necessary to explain on heaven as meaning in heaven, just as on the earth and in the earth are convertible expressions. See above, on Ps. Ivii. 6 (5). 5. Who is like Jehovah, our God, the (one) dtvelUng high? The verb denotes not merely dwelling, but sitting enthroned, sitting as a king. The original construction of the last clause is peculiar, the (one) making high to sit (or dwell). 6. 2'he one seeing deep — in heaven and in earth. The construction of the first clause is precisely the same with that of the last clause in ver. 5, and must be explained in the same manner. As making high to dwell means dwelling high, so making low (or deep) to see must mean seeing deep, i. e. far below. It also follows fii'om the exact correspondence of these clauses, that the remaining words of ver. 6 are to be connected with the first words of ver. 5. Who is like Jehovah, our God . . . in heaven, and in earth ? The rest will then be read as a parenthesis. This construction is confirmed by the analogy of Deut. iii. 24. 7. Raising from the dust the poor — -from the dunghill he will lift the needy. The mention of God's seeing far below him suggests the idea of his conde- scension to the humblest objects which he thus beholds. The word trans- lated poor is one of wide signification, meaning sometimes poor in flesh and Bometimes poor in purse. See above, on Ps. xli. 2 (1). The parallel term means poor in the strict sense, *. e. needy, destitute. Dust and dunghill, common figures in all languages for a degraded social state. The terms are borrowed from the prayer of Hannah, 1 Sam. ii. 8. Compare Ps. xliv. 26 (25). 8. To make him sit with nobles, with the nobles of his people. Not merely to dwell, which is too vague, but to sit with them, as their equal and asso- ciate. There is also a cUmax in the last clause. He not only raises the poor to an equality with nobles in general, but with the nobles of his people, »'. e. with the noblest of mankind. See again, 1 Sam. ii. 8. 9. Making the barren (one) of the house to sit a joyful mother of children. Eallelujah I The common version (to keep house) is founded upon Ps. Ixviii. 7 (6), but is here at variance both with Hebrew usage and the masoretic accents, which require Cn*|p^) barren and (JT'3J1) the house to be closely united in construction, as above. The form of expression is like one in Ps. Ixviii. 13 (12). To sit might be rendered to dwell without any material change of sense ; but the former keeps up the uniformity with ver. 6, 8, where the same Hebrew word is used. The historical allusion ia to Hannah who, with other long childless mothers mentioned in the sacred history, was a type of the Church in its low estate, and more especially in exile. Compare Isa. liv. 1. Psalm 114:1,2 475 Psalm 114 As the preceding psalm encouraged the people of God, in a time of trial, by reminding them that, although infinitely exalted, he condescends to notice and relieve the sufterings of his creatures, so the one before us is intended to produce the same efiect, by bringing to their recollection what he actually did for Israel in the period of the exodus from Egj'pt. By that deliverance he acknowledged Israel as his chosen people, ver. 1, 2, and attested the acknowledgment by miracle, ver. 3, 4. Nature herself, whose course was interrupted, is appealed to as a witness, ver. 5, 6, that she is subject to the God of Israel, ver. 7, 8. There is no improbabiUty in the opinion that this psalm, with those which immediately follow, was intended to continue the series begun in the two preceding trilogies (Ps. cviii.-cx., cxi.-cxiii.), and intended to sustain the hopes of the Jewish Church after its return from Babylon. 1. Ill the coming forth of Israel from Egypt, of the house of Jacoh from a people of strange language. The first phrase is not to be restricted to the very act or moment of the exodus, but comprehends the whole Mosaic period, of which this was the characteristic and critical event. The house of Jacoh is a phrase pecuharly appropriate to those who entered Egypt as a family, and left it as a nation. Of strange language is a paraphrase of one Hebrew word, apparently a participle and occurring only here ; but according to its obvious etymological aflinities, it probably means stammer- ing, and then, by an association common in antiquity, speaking barbarously i. e. in a foreign language. All such expressions may perhaps involve an allusion to the pre-eminence of Hebrew, as the primitive and sacred lan- guage. It was no small part of the humihation to which Israel was subjected in Egypt, that the people of God should sustain for ages a relation of de- pendence to a nation who did not even speak the sacred language, much less profess the true religion, so inseparably blended with it. See above, on Ps. Ixxxi. 6 (5), and compare my note on Isa. xxxiii. 19. 2. Judah became his sanctuary, Israel his dominion. Judah is put as an equivalent to Israel, not only because it had really become so, when the psalm was written, but because it was destined to become so from the fii-st. See Gen. xlix. 10. Became, Uterally was for, which might mean nothing more than served as or was treated as ; but this construction of the verb to be with to or for is the only representative in Hebrew of our word become. The sense thus obtained is entirely consistent with the call- ing of Abraham, because what is here meant is that Israel, as a nation, was now publicly declared to be the chosen or peculiar people, an idea expressed by the phrase his sanctuary or holy thing, i. e. something set apart exclu- sively to his use and service. The parallel word in the original is plural, dominions or domains, in reference, as some suppose, to the plurality of tribes, but according to others, in contrast with the lordships and dominions of the world, to all which Israel is described as more than equipollent, just as the infinite superiority of the true God to all false gods is expressed or suggested by the plural name Elohim. Here, as in Ps. Ixxxvii. 1, the pro- nouns are without an antecedent in the sentence. The reference to God is so self-evident, that the only question has respect to the unusual form, which some explain by supposing that the psalm was originally part of the preceding one, or at least designed to be always read or sung directly after it. The latest interpreters prefer the explanation, that the name of God 476 Psalm J 14:3 -8 was designedly suppressed, in order that the questions in ver. 5, 6, might appear more natural and yet more striking. 3. The sea saw and fled — the Jordan turns back. By supposing the con- versive prefix to affect both verbs, we may render the last also as a prete- rite, turned back. The historical allusion is to Exod. xiv. 21, Josh. iii. 14— 17. At the same time, as seas and rivers are familiar emblems of the world and its nations, the reminiscence is adapted to suggest the hope, that other seas and other rivers may be yet controlled by the same power. See above, onPs. Ixxvii. 17 (16), xciii. 3, cvii. 23. 4. The mountains skipped like rams, (the) hills like the young of sheep. As the Psalmist is reciting actual events, to be used as symbols and pledges of others, this cannot be explained as a poetical figure, but must be understood as referring to the concussion of Sinai, with its various peaks and neigh- bouring mountains. See Exod. xix. 18, Judges v. 4, Ps. Ixviii. 9 (8), xcvii. 4, 5, Hab. iii. 6. Here again the familiar use of mountains to denote states and empires is suggestive of the same consolation as in ver. 3. 5. What aileth thee, 0 sea, that thou fleest — 0 Jordan (that) thou turnest back ? By a fine poetical apostrophe, the Psalmist, instead of simply stat- ing the cause of these effects, puts the question to the natural objects which thus witnessed and attested the divine presence. The first phrase literally means, what (is) to thee, the nearest approach that the Semitic dialects can make to our expression, what have you, which in some languages, the French for instance, is the usual equivalent to what ails you ? 6. Ye mountains, (that) ye skip like rams — ye hills, like the young of sheep ? The sentence is continued from the foregoing verse, being still dependent on the question there asked. In this interrogation the terms of ver. 3, 4, are studiously repeated. The young of sheep, literally sons of the flock. 7. From before the Lord tremble, O earth, from before the God of Jacob. As in other cases of rhetorical interrogation, the writer or speaker answers his own question. The imperative mood is here peculiarly significant, in- cluding both a recollection and prediction ; as if he had said, the earth might well tremble at the presence of the Lord, and may well tremble at it still. From before is better than at the presence of, because the very form of the expression necessarily suggests the ideas of recoil and flight. Before is it- self a compound term in Hebrew, meaning to the face of. The word trans- lated Lorrf is the simple or primitive form of Adhonai, and is applied both to God and man, in the sense of lord or master. See Exod. xxiii. 17, Mai. iii. 1. 8. Turning the rock (into) a pool of water, the flint to springs of water. This refers to the miraculous supply of water in the desert. See above, on Ps. cvii. 85, and compare Exod. xvii. 6, Num. xx. 11, Deut. viii. 15, xxxii. 13, Isa. xli. 18. The connection with the preceding verse is still more marked in the original, the first words of which strictly mean the (one) turning, &c. The reader is left to draw for himself the natural and obvious conclusion, that the God, who thus drew water from a flinty rock for the supply of Israel, can still educe the richest blessings from what seem to be the hardest and most inauspicious situations. When this thought is sup- pHed, the psalm no longer seems unfinished or abrupt in its conclusion. Psalm 115 God is entreated by his people to vindicate not their honour but his own, ver. 1, 2, which is contrasted with the impotence of idols and their worship- Psalm 115:] -7 All pers, ver. 3-8, and urged as a reason why his people should trust in him, for a large increase, ver. 9-15, and a fulfilment of his purpose to glorify himself by the praises of the living, not the dead, ver. 16-17, in the promo- tion of which end the church declares her resolution to co-operate for ever, ver. 18. The general tenor of the psalm, thus stated, and its particular contents, make it perfectly well suited to the state of things in which the series is supposed to have been written, namely, that succeeding the return from exile, but before the actual rebuilding of the temple. 1. Not unto us, Jehovah, not unto us, but to thy name give glory, for thy* mercy, for thy truth. The glory meant is not that of former but of future deeds. The implied petition is, that God would interpose for the deUver- ance of his people, not to do them honour, but to glorify himself, and especially to vindicate his mercy and fidelity, which seemed to be dis- honoured by his desertion of the chosen people. See above, on Ps. Ixxix. 9, and compare Num. xiv. 16, Isa. xliii, 7, 25, xlviii. 9, 11, Dan. ix. 18. The favour sought is the completion of the work of restoration, still imperfect, though auspiciously begun. 2. Why should the nations say, Where now is their God ? Why should they have occasion so to ask ? The form of expression is borrowed from Ps. Ixxix. 10, with the addition of (S3) now, which is not a particle of time, but of entreaty, or, in this connection, of triumphant demand. Where, pray, is their God ? This verse is explanatory of the one before it, by shew- ing that there really was need of something to silence the reproaches of the heathen, a description exactly corresponding to the state of the Jews at the Restoration. 3. And our God (is) in heaven; all that he pleased he has done. The and, though foreign from our idiom, adds sensibly to the force of the ex- pression. They ask thus, as if our God were absent or had no existence ; and yet all the while our God is in heaven, in his glorious and exalted dwelling-place. Compare Ps. ii. 4, xi. 4, ciii. 19. The same phrase, but in the future tense, is used by Solomon (Eccles. viii. 3). The same idea is expressed in other words. Gen. xviii. 14, Job xxiii. 13. 4. Their idols (are) silver and gold, the work of the hands of man. Here begins the contrast between the true God and all others. Their idols, those of the Gentiles, who reproach us with the absence or indifference of our God. For the associations coupled with the word for idols, see above, on Ps. cvi. 38. Hands of man, not of a man, but .of mankind, i. e. human hands. With this whole passage compare Isa. xl. 18-20, xli. 7, xliv. 9-20, xlvi. 5-7, Jer. ii. 28, x. 3-15. 5. I'hey have a mouth and speak not ; they have eyes and see not. As the verb to have is wanting in the Hebrew and its cognate languages (see above, on Ps. cxiv. 5), it is not a literal translation of the original expression, (there is) a mouth to them, (there are) eyes to them. The future includes not only a simple affirmation, they speak not, they see not, but the future and potential sense, they never will or can speak or see. 6. They have ears and hear not, they have a nose and smell not. The antithesis is that expressed in Ps. xciv. 9, that God is the former of the eye and the planter of the ear in man ; much more than can he see and hear himself. 7. They have hands, and feel not ; they have feet, and walk not ; they do not mutter in their throat. The sameness of this long enumeration, the force of which is logical and not poetical, is partially reUeved by a change in the form of the original, which cannot well be imitated in translation. 478 Psalm 115:8 -14 Their hands, and they /eel not ; their feet, and they walk not. Some make the first words in each clause nominatives absolute ; their hands — they feel not ; their feet — they walk not. But in the preceding parts of the descrip- tion, the verbs relate not to the particular members, but to the whole per- son. It is better, therefore, to supply a verb — their hands (are there), and (yet) they feel not — their feet (are there), and (yet) they go not. The Eng- lish feel is to be taken in its physical and outward sense, corresponding to the Latin palpo, here used by the Vulgate and Jerome. A less equivocal translation would be touch. The other verb denotes all piogressive move- ments of the body, comprehended in the English go. See above, on Ps. civ. 8. The meaning of the last clause is, that they cannot even make the faintest and most inarticulate guttural noise, like the lower animals ; much less speak as men do. See above, on Ps. xxxv. 28, Ixxi. 24. 8. Like them shall be those who made them, every one who trusts in them. The last clause forbids the application of the first to the mere artificers, as Buch, and fastens it on those who trust in idols, whether made by them or by others for them. However formidable now, they shall hereafter be as powerless and senseless as the gods they worship. The translation are is contrary to Hebrew usage, which requires the present tense of the substan- tive verb to be suppressed. 9. 0 Israel, trust thou in Jehovah ; their help and their shield [is) He, This is the practical appUcation of the conti-ast just presented. Since idols are impotent and God almighty, it is folly to fear them or their servants ; it is worse than folly not to trust in Him. The last clause is borrowed firom Ps. xxxiii. 20. After addressing Israel directly in the first clause, he resumes the third person in the second, and, as if speaking to himself, assigns the reason for the exhortation. The first clause is, as it were, uttered in a loud voice, and the second in a low one. 10. 0 house of Aaron, trust ye in Jehovah ; their help and their shield (is) He. Before the exile this particular address to the priests would have been surprising. It is perfectly natural, however, after the return from Babylon, when the priests bore so large a proportion, not only to the other Levites, but to the whole nation, and naturally exercised a paramount influence in its afiairs. 11. Fearers of Jehovah, trust ye in Jehovah ; their help and their shield (is) He. He turns again to the people at large, vho are here described as fearers of Jehovah, not in reference to the actual character of all the indi- vidual members, but to the high vocation of the body. See above, Ps, xxii. 24 (23), cxi. 5. 12. Jehovah hath remembered i« ; he will bless, he will bless the house of Israel ; he will bless the house of Aaron. The exhortation to confide in God does not imply that he has yet done nothing. He has already shewn his gracious recollection of us by beginning to bless us, and he will still go on to bless us ; an idea simply but beautiftilly expressed by the repetition of the verb, the efiect of which is spoiled in the common version by need- lessly supplying us. 13. He will bless thefenrers of Jehovah, the small with the great. There is no need of explaining the great to be the priests and the small the laity. It is much more natural to understand this as an instance of a common Hebrew idiom, which combines small and great in the sense of all, just as neither good nor evil means neither one thing nor another, i. e, nothing. Compare 2 Kipgs, xviii. 24, Jer. xvi. 6, Kev. xiii. 16, xix. 6. 14. May Jehovah add to you, to you and to your children I This implies Psalm 115:15 -18 479 a previous diminution of the people, such ag really took place in the Baby- lonish exile. The optative meaning of the verb, both here and in Gen. XXX. 24, is clear from Deut. i. 11, 2 Sam. xxiv. 3. The Hebrew preposi« tion strictly means upon you, and conveys the idea of accumulation much more strongly. See above, on Ps. Ixxi. 14, where we have an example of the same construction. 15. Blessed are ye of Jehovah, Maker of heaven and earth. Ye are the people blessed of old in the person of your father Abraham, by Melchizedek, priest of the Most High God, saying, " Blessed be Abraham of the Most High God, creator of heaven and earth," Gen. xiv. 19. Of Jehovah, lite- rally to Jehovah, as an object of benediction to him. Or the Hebrew pre- position, as in many other cases, may be simply equivalent to our hy. The creative character of God is mentioned, as ensuring his ability, no less than his willingness, to bless his people. 16. The heavens {are) heavens for Jehovah, and the earth he has given to the sons of man. This verse suggests another reason why God would in- crease them, namely, that although he reserved heaven for himself, ho designed the earth to be filled and occupied by man, and hence in the primeval blessing on mankind, as originally uttered, and as repeated after the flood (Gen. i. 28, ix. 1), the command to increase is coupled with that to fill the earth. Now if it is not God's will that the race should be dimi- nished and reduced to nothing, much less can such be his intention with respect to his own people. The form of expression in the first clause is unusual. The construction given in the English Bible {the heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord's) is entirely gratuitous, the distinction of numbers (heaven, heavens), and the emphatic even, being both supplied by the trans- lators. The Hebrew word is plural in both cases, and is indeed used only in that number. 17. (It is) not the dead (that) are to praise Jah, and not all (those) going down in silence. This may be regarded as a further reason for expecting the divine protection. God has chosen a people, from among the nations of the earth, to praise him, not when dead but living, not in the silence of the grave, but with their voices in the present life. Thus understood, the verse teaches nothing as to the employments of the disembodied spirit, or of soul and body in the future state. All that is affirmed here (and per- haps in other places like it) is that the praises of the chosen people, as such, must be limited to this life. See above, on Ps. vi. 6 (5), xxx. 10 (9) Ixxxviii. 11-13 (10-12), and compax'e Isa. xxxviii. 18. Silence, a poetical description of the grave or the unseen world, as in Ps. xciv. 17. 18. And (therefore) we will bless Jah from now even to eternity. Hal- lelujah I As it is not the dead who are to do it, and as we are still pre- served alive, let us answer our vocation and the very end of our existence. The insensible transition from temporal to eternal praise is altogether natural. The hallelujah refers back to the expression praise Jah {yehalle- lujah) in ver. 17. As if he had said, Let us do what the dead can not, shout Hallelujah ! Psalm 116 The Church declares her resolution to praise Jehovah for the deliverance which she has experienced, ver. 1, 2, and which is then described with some particularity, ver. 3-10, followed by a declaration of the way in which 480 Psalm 116:1 -6 the Church means to express her gratitude, ver. 11-19. The Septuagint and Vulgate, which combine the two preceding psalms as one, divide the one before us into two, with as httle reason in the one case as the other. The state of things referred to in this psalm, as one of mingled joy and grief, and its peculiarities of language, all combine to fix its date imme- diately after the return from Babylon. 1. / love — because Jehovah hears my voice, my supplications. The com- mon version gives the sense correctly, but by a transposition of Jehovah, avoids the singular peculiarity of form in the original. The object of the verb I love is easily supplied from the remainder of the sentence. Compare Ps. xviii. 2 (1), Deut. vi. 6. Both verbs maybe translated in the present, though of different tenses in the Hebrew. The preterite form of the first (/ have loved) implies that the occasion had already been afforded ; the future form of the second {he will hear), that it was continued and would be continued. The last word, according to its etymology, means prayers for grace or favour. 2. For he has inclined his ear to me, and in my days 1 will call {upon him). The original idea of the figure in the first clause seems to be that of leaning forward to catch a sound otherwise too faint to be distinctly audible. See above, on Ps. xxxi. 3 (2), and compare Ps. xvii. 6, Ixxi. 2, Ixxviii. 1, cii. 8. In my days is commonly understood to mean through all the days of my life, or as long as I Hve. Compare Isa. xxxix. 8, and see above, on Ps. civ. 38. / will call might be understood to mean, I will still pray to him who has hitherto answered my petitions. But to call upon God is applied not only to prayer but to thanksgiving, as appears from ver. 13 below, where indeed we have the execution of the purpose here avowed. 8. The bands of death enclosed me, and the pangs of hell found me ; dis- tress and grief 1 find. Here begins the description of the sufierings from which God had delivered him. The expressions are borrowed from Ps. xviii. 5, 6 (4, 5). The twofold use of the yerh find in this verse is analo- gous to that of the synonymous verbs catch and seize in English, when a man is said to catch a disease, and the disease is said to seize the man. Compare Ps. cxix. 148 with Prov. vi. 83. Bell, in the wide sense corre- sponding to sheol, the grave, death, or the state of the dead. See above, on Ps. vi. 6 (5). 4. And on the name of Jehovah I call; ah now, Jehovah, deliver my soul ! The future in the first clause may be strictly translated (7 will call) as expressing the determination which he formed in the midst of his dis- tress. See above on Ps. xviii. 5, 7 (4, 6). Ah now corresponds exactly, both in origin and meaning, to the intensive particle of entreaty {7M^ for Uiik from Hhi and Ki), which the common version paraphrases, I beseech thee. One of the elements of which it is compounded occurs above, Ps. cxv. 2. 5. Gracious {is) Jehovah and righteous, and our God shews pity. With the first clause compare Ps. cxi. 4, cxii. 4. The last word in Hebrew is the active participle of the verb to pity, to compassionate, and is here used to denote a habit as distinguished from a momentary feeling. 6. A preserver of the simple {is) Jehovah ; I was brought low, and to me he brought salvation. Here again the first word is an active participle, keeping the simple, i. e. habitually watching over them. For the meaning of the simple, see above, on Ps. xix. 8 (7). The word brought, twice used in translating this verse, has nothing distinctly corresponding to it in the Psalm] 16:7 -]3 481 Hebrew, but by a fortuitous coincidence, enters into two English phrases, by which the original verbs may best be represented. The verb translated brought low means to be reduced, in person, strength, or circumstances. See above, on Ps. Ixxix. 8, and compare the cognate adjective in Ps. xU. 2 (1). The other is the common Hebrew verb to save, here expressed by a circimilocution, for the purpose of retaining the original construction with the preposition to, which also occurs above, Ps. Ixxii. 4, Ixxxvi. 16. 7. Return, 0 my soul, unto thy rest, for Jehovah hath bestowed upon thee (favour). By calling on his soul, which had been agitated and alarmed, to return to its repose, he impUes the cessation of the danger. Best, hteraUy rests or resting-places, implying fuhiess or completeness of repose. See above, on Ps. xxiii. 2. For the sense and usage of (TDi) the last verb, see above, on Ps. xiii. 6 (5), and compare Ps. vii. 5 (4), ciii. 10. The un- usual grammatical forms in this verse are similar to those in Ps. ciii. 2, 5. 8. For thou hast delivered my soul from death, my eye J'roin weeping, my foot from falling. By a sudden apostrophe, God is now addressed directly. The first and last members of the sentence are borrowed from Ps. hri. 14 (13). The second bears some resemblance to Ps. Ivi. 9 (8) and Jer. xxxi. 16. 9. 1 will walk before Jehovah in the land of life (or of the living). This is also borrowed from Ps. Ivi. 14 (13), with the substitution of land (Ute- rally lands) for light. Compare Ps. xxvii. 18. The hope here expressed is in contrast with Pa. cxv. 17. 10. / believed, for (thus) / speak ; I was afflicted greatly. I must have exercised faith, or I could not thus have spoken. The Septuagint version, retained in the New Testament (2 Cor. iv. 13), clothes the same essential meaning in a different form, I believed, therefore have 1 spoken. It was because his faith enabled him to speak, so that his speaking was a proof of faith. 11. I said in my terror. All mankind {are) false. The form of expres- sion in the first clause is borrowed from Ps. xxxi. 23 (22). But instead of being a confession of error it is here rather a profession of faith. Even in the midst of his excitement, terror, panic, he could turn away from all human aid and trust in God alone. The proposition, all mankind are false, i. e. not to be trusted or relied upon, implies as its complement or converse, therefore God alone is to be trusted. See the same contrast stated more explicitly in Ps. cxviii. 8, and compare Ps. Ixii. 9, 10 (8, 9), cviii. 18 (12), cxlvi. 8, 4. 12. How shall I requite to Jehovah all his hestouments upon me. Be- tween this verse and that before it, we must supply the thought that his faith was rewarded and justified by the event. This is indeed implied in the interrogation now before us. How, Uterally what, i. e. (in) what {way), or {by) what {means) f See Gen. xliv. 16. The mmsn&lyfOYd bestowmenls is here used to represent a Hebrew one occurring only here, but evidently formed from the verb QDil) to confer or bestow upon, employed in ver. 7 above. The pecuUar form both of the noun and pronoun (\1^7-')DJlJri) is regarded by the highest philological authorities as fixing the date of the composition after the Captivity. 13. The cup of salvations I wiU take up, and on the name of Jehovah will call. This is commonly explained by a reference to the Jewish tradi- tion of a cup of thanksgiving which accompanied or followed the thank- 482 Psalm 116:14 - 19 oflferings. But we read of no such cup in Scripture, and its origin may probably be traced to the rabbinical interpretation of this very passage, Interpreted by Scriptural analogies, it simply means, I will accept the por- tion God allots me. For this figurative use of cup, see above, on Ps. xi. 6, xvi. 5. The plural form, salvations, denotes fulness or completeness, as in Ps. xviii. 52 (51), liii. 7 (6). TaJce up, as if from the table where the hand of God has placed it ; or lift up, towards heaven as a gesture of acknowledgment. 14. My vows tiO Jehovah will I pay — in the presence of all his people. The word now, in the common version, misleads the English reader, who can scarcely fail to understand it as an adverb of time, meaning at present, immediately, without delay, whereas it is the particle of entreaty (Ki) used in Ps. cxv. 2, and here employed to modify the bold avowal of a purpose, by makiag it dependent on divine permission. As if he had said : my vows to Jehovah I will pay — let me do it in the presence (I entreat) of all his people. The same meaning is attached by some to the augmented or paragogic form of the word translated presence, and which strictly means the front or forepart. Both these peculiarities are reckoned among the indica- tions of a later age of Hebrew composition. 15. Precious in the eyes of Jehovah {is) the death of his gracious ones (or saints). The idea and expression are borrowed from Ps. Ixxii. 14, where the same thing is said of their blood. The word for death has the same peculiarity of form as that for presence in ver. 14, and is construed in the same way with the preposition to, the death to his saints, i. e. the death belonging to them, which they die. These are regarded by the critics as additional tokens of the age in which the psalm was written. The verse assigns the reason for the preceding vow, to wit, that God counts the death of his people too costly to be lightly or gratuitously suffered. 16. Ah now, Jehovah — -for I {am) thy servant, I [am) thy servaut, the son of thy handmaid ; thou hast loosed my bonds. The expression of en- treaty at the beginning has reference to some thing not expressed, though easily supplied, namely permission thus to testify his gratitude. Ah now, Lord (suffer me thus to do) for I am thy servant, &c. The additional phrase, son of thy handmaid, is much stronger than thy servant, and de- scribes him as a home-born slave. See above, on Ps. Ixxxvi. 16. In the last clause we have another instance of a preposition (7) intei'posed between the active verb and its object, in a way unlmown to the older Hebrew. It is possible, however, to translate the words, thou hast freed {me) as to {i. e. from) my bonds. 17. To thee will I sacrifice a sacrifice of thanks, and on the name of Jehovah will I call. The sense is not, I will offer thanks instead of an oblation, but an oblation really expressive of thanksgiving and appointed for that purpose. 18. ]\Iy vows to Jehovah will I pay in the presence (I entreat) of all his people. An exact repetition of ver. 14, with all its singularities of form. 19. In the courts of the house of Jehovah, in the midst of thee, Jerusalem. Hallelujah ! This verse completes the one before it, and explains the phrase, before all his 23eople. Some regard it as a proof that the psalm was composed after the actual rebuilding of the temple. But in Ezra ii. 68, iii. 8, we find the designation house of God applied to the consecrated site. The use of the word courts is still more natural, because it originally means enclosures, which might be and no doubt were defined, long before the temple was rebuilt. This explanation seems to be confirmed by the Psalms 117—118:] 483 addition of the last clause. In the courts of the Lord's house, that is, on the consecrated spot in the midst of thee, 0 Jerusalem, the Holy City. Psalm 117 This, which is the shortest psalm in the collection, has evidently no in- dependent character or even meaning of its own, but was designed to be a chorus or doxology to a longer composition. Its position is sufficiently accounted for by the assumption, that it was primarily meant to serve the pur- pose just described with reference to the psalm or to the trilogy immediately preceding ; while its being separately written as an independent psalm may have arisen from the purpose to use it sometimes in a different connection, with which view it would naturally be left moveable, like the doxologies in our modern books, which may be attached to any psalm or hymn, at the discretion of the person who conducts the service. 1. Praise Jehovah, all ye nations; laud him, all ye peoples. The last word is a different plural from that in Gen. xxv. 16, Num. xxv. 15, and belongs, no doubt, to the later Hebrew. Here, as in Ps. xlvii. 2 (1), Ixvi. 8, xc\-iii. 4, the whole world is invited to praise God for his favours shewn to Israel. 2. For mighty over us has been his mercy, and the truth of Jehovah (is) to eternity. Hallelujah ! The verb at the beginning means not merely to be great, but to be strong or powerful. See above, on Ps. ciii. 11. The pre- position over suggests the idea of protection, or, if translated on, that of favour descending from above. Psalm 118 After an invitation to praise God for his goodness to his people, ver. 1-4, the occasion of this praise is more particularly stated, namely, that he has delivered Israel from great distress, and thereby proved himself worthy of their highest confidence, ver. 5-14. After another statement of the favour just experienced, ver. 15-18, the people are described as entering the sanctuary, there to give thanks and implore the divine blessing on the en- terprise in which they are engaged, ver. 19-29. The ideal speaker, through- out the psalm, is Israel, as the Church or chosen people. The deliverance celebrated cannot be identified with any one so naturally as with that from the Babylonish exile. Some, on account of supposed allusions to the temple as already built, refer the psalm to the times of Nehemiah. Others, with more probability, though not with absolute conclusiveness, infer from the tone of lively joy and thankfulness pervading the whole composition, that it was written and originally sung soon after the return ; and from the allusions in ver. 22, 25, that it has reference to the founding of the second temple, and is the very psalm, or one of the psalms mentioned in the history, Ezra iii. 10, 11, where its first and last words are recited. The mention of David in that passage is accounted for by the assumption that this psalm was sung only as a part of the whole series, which opens with a Davidic trilogy, Ps. cviii.-cx. 1. Give thanks unto Jehovah, for {he is) good, for unto eter)uty (is) his mercy. The opening formula is common to this psalm with Ps. cvi. and cvii. Its elements are also found, combined with others, in Ps. c. 4, 5. With the second member of the sentence compare Ps. xxv. 8, Ixxiii. 1. 484 Psalm 118:2 -9 2. Oh that Israel would say — -for unto eternity (is) his mercy. The first clause of this translation is a paraphrase of the original, to which the particle of entreaty (S3) gives a strong optative meaning. Here, as in Ps. cxvi. 14, 18, the common version (now) is equivocal. That version also has that instead of for, in the last clause of this and the two next verses. This translation is perfectly grammatical, and makes the sentence more complete in itself. But besides that it breaks the studied uniformity of the context by varying the version of the particle 03), the dependence of the clause on the preceding verse, required and denoted by the use of the word for, is really essential to the writer's object. It is as if he had said, the reason for thus urging man to praise Jehovah is because his mercy endureth for ever, and oh that Israel would join in affirming this reason. Oh that Israel would say (I will give thanks), for his mercy endureth for ever. 3, 4. Oh that the house of Aaron would say — 'for unto eternity (is) his mercy. ^ Oh that the fearers of Jehovah would say — 'for unto eternity (is) his mercy.' The succession of Israel, the house of Aaron, and the fearers of Jehovah, in this and the following verses, is the same as in Ps. cxv. 9-11. This and the trine repetitions in ver. 10-12, 15, 16, compared with that in Ps. cxv. 12, 13, are corroborations of the assumed affinity between the psalms of this whole series, both in origin and purpose. 6. Out of anguish I invoked Jah ; heard me in a wide place Jah. The first noun is a rare one, common to this place and Ps. cxvi. 3, another in- dication of affinity. Heard, in the pregnant sense of heard favourably, heard and answered. See above, on Ps. xxii. 22 (21). As the word tran- slated anguish originally means pressure, confinement, the appropriate figure for relief from it is a wide room, ample space, enlargement. See above, on Ps. iv. 2 (1). To answer in a wide place is to grant his prayer by bringing him forth into such a place. 6. Jehovah (is) for me ; I will not fear ; what can man do to me? In- stead of /or me, i. e. in my favour, on my side, the Hebrew (v) may also be translated to me, i. e. is or belongs to me, is mine. See above, on Ps. Ivi. 5, 10, 12 (4, 9, 11). Man does not here mean a man, but mankind, or Man as opposed to God. 7. JehovaJi is for me, among my helpers, and I shall look upon my haters. Here again, the first clause may be rendered, Jehovah is to me (or I have Jehovah) among or with my helpers. With this last expression compare Ps. xlv. 10 (9), xcix. 6. The construction in the last clause is the idio- matic one meaning to see with joy or triumph, or to see their punishment and subjugation. See above, on Ps. liv. 9 (7), and with the whole verse compare Ps. liv. 6 (4). As the ideal speaker is the ancient church or chosen people, the haters or enemies here meant are primarily heathen persecutors and oppressors. 8. It is good to confide in Jehovah (more) than to trust in man. This and the next verse affirm clearly and fiilly what is more obscurely intimated in Ps. cxvi. 11. As the Hebrew has no distinct form of comparison, this is the nearest possible approach to saying, it is better. Than, literally from, away from, implying difference, and then comparison, but not ex- pressing it. The verb confide is the expressive one originally meaning to take refuge or find shelter. See above, on Ps. ii. 12. 9. Il is good to confide in Jehovah (more) than to trust in nobles. This merely strengthens the foregoing declaration, by rendering it more specific and emphatic. The Lord is more to be confided in, not merely than the Psalm 118:10- 13 485 mass of men, but than their chiefs. Nobles is a better translation than j.rinces, because it keeps up the association with the adjective sense noble, generous, hberal, spontaneous, which is otherwise lost sight of. See above, on Ps. li. 14 (12). Even the Persian patrons and protectors of the Jews had not entirely deserved their confidence ; nor at all, in comparison with Jehovah their covenanted God. 10. All the nations surround me ; in the name of Jehovah — that I will cut them off. The hyperbolical expression, all the nations, is less strange than it might otherwise appear, because (D^il) nations had now begun to be familiarly applied to the gentiles or heathen, not as organized bodies merely, but as individuals, especially when numerous. There is nothing unnatural, therefore, in the use of this expression to describe the heathen adversaries of the Jews at the period of the Kestoration, not excepting the Samaritans, who, though they claimed to be a mixed race, were really heathen, both in origin and character. Another way in which the hyperbole may be ex- plained, or rather done away, is by supposing the first clause to be sub- stantially although not formally conditional. Should all nations (or thoug all nations should) surround me. The strongest sense may then be put upon the words all nations, as the act ascribed to them is merely hypothe- tical. The construction of the last clause is unusual and doubtful. Some arbitrarily make the ^3 a particle of affirmation, yea, yes, verily, &c. Others gain the same sense by explaining the whole phrase to mean, (it is true, or it is certain) that I will cut them off. The same use of the particle is thought to be exemplified in Isa. vii. 9. Perhaps the best solution is the one afforded by the Hebrew usage of suppressing the principal verb in oaths or solemn affirmations. If this may be omitted even when there is nothing to denote the character of the expression, and when the form of the expres- sion itself is liable to misconstruction, as for instance in the formula with if, much more may it be omitted where the sense of the expression is quite clear, and its juratory or imprecatory character denoted by accompanying words. The sense will then be, in the name of Jehovah (I swear or solemnly affirm) that I will cut them off. This last verb always means to cut, and except in Ps. xc. 6, where one of its derived forms is used, to circumcise. It was here used, as some suppose, to suggest that the uncir- cumcised enemies of Israel, as they are often called, should be cut or cut off" in another sense. Compare the play upon the corresponding Greek words in Phil. iii. 2, 3. 11. They surround me, yea they surround me; in the name of Jehovah (I declare) that I will cut them off. The same sentence is repeated with a slight variation, which consists in the omission of the subject and the iteration of the verb, rendered more emphatic by a change of form. The word translated yea means also, likewise, but cannot be so used in the English idiom. The climax indicated may be, that the act described is no longer hypothetical but actual. They surround me; yes, they really, in fact, surround me. 12. They surround me like bees ; they are quenched as a fire of thorns ; in the nams of Jehovah (I declare) that luill cut them off. This completes the trina repetition so characteristic of these psalms. The point of comparison with bees is their swarming multitude and irritating stings. Compare Deut. i. 44. That with thorns is the rapidity and ease with which they are both kindled and extinguished. See above, on Ps. Iviii. 10 (9). 13. Thou didst thrust, thrust at me, to (make me) fall, and Jehovah 486 Psalm 118:14 -19 helped me. By a lively apostrophe the enemy is here addressed directly, that is, the hostile heathen power, from whose oppression Israel had just been rescued. See above, on ver. 7. The verb to thrust or strike at is the root of the noun translated /a?/m^ in Ps. Ivi. 14 (13), cxvi. 8. 14. 3fy strength and song (is) Jah, and he has become my salvation. These words are from Exod. xv. 2. The first clause is also borrowed by Isaiah (xii. 2). My strength and song, my protection or deliverer, and as such the object of my praise. Become my salvation, literally has been to me for salvation, a strcoiger though synonymous expression for my saviour. 15. T/ie voice of joy and salvation in the tents of the righteous — the right hand of Jehovah has made strength. The word translated joy means properly the audible expression of it by shout or song, and is sometimes applied even to a cry of distress. Compare Ps.xxx. 6 (5),xlii. 5(4),xlvii. 2(l),withPs. xvii.l, Ixi. 2 (1). Joy and salvation are related as cause and effect, joy occasioned by salvation. Tents, a poetical expression for dwellings. See above, on Ps. xci. 10. The righteous, the true Israel, the people of God, as such considered. See above, on Ps. xxxiii. 1. The substantive verb (is) may be supplied in this verse, so as to make it a complete proposition ; or it may be a kind of exclamation, as if he had said. Hark! the voice of joy, &c. Compare Isa. xl. 3, 6. The last clause may then be understood as contain- ing the words uttered by the voice. The idiomatic phrase at the end may either mean that God has acquired or exerted strength. See above, on Ps. Ix. 14 (12), cviii. 14. 16. The right hand of Jehovah is raised, the right hand of Jehovah makes strength. This, with the last clause of ver. 15, makes another of the trip- lets or trine repetitions, which are characteristic of these psalms. See above, on ver. 2-4, 10—12. Instead of is raised some read raises or exalts, which is equally grammatical, as the active and passive forms in this case are coincident. The meaning then is, that his right hand raises or exalts his people, as the other clause says that his right hand gains or exercises strength in their behalf. It seems more natural, however, to explain it as an instance of a common figure which describes God's hand as raised, when he exerts his power. 17. I shall not die but live, and recount the works of J ah. The existence thus to be preserved is that of Israel, and the last clause describes the final cause of that existence, which is here stated as a ground of confidence, and is elsewhere urged as an argument in prayer. See above, on Ps. cxv. 17, cxvi. 9, 15, and compare Ps. Ixxi. 20. The original construction of the first clause is, I shall not die, for I shall live. 18. Surely has Jah chastened me, but to death did not give me. This verse, though simple in its structure and transparent in its meaning, is highly idiomatic in its form. The adverb used in the translation represents the emphatic repetition of the verb in Hebrew, which is sometimes imitated in the English Bible (chastening has Jah chastened me), but seldom so as to convey the whole idea. Of such a repetition we have had an instance in ver. 13. Another unavoidable departure from the original form consists in using but for and, at the beginning of the second clause. Did not give, give up, give over or abandon. The chastisement here mentioned must be the calamity from which the people had been recently deUvered, and in which we have already seen good grounds to recognise the Babylonish conquest, domination and captivity. 19. Open ye to me the gates of righteousness, I will come in hy them, I mil thank Jah. This may have been intended to accompany the entrance of Psalm 118:20-23 487 the priests and people into the sacred enclosure, for the purpose of laying the foundation of the temple, as when David pitched the tabernacle on Mount Zion. See above, on Ps. xxiv. 20. This {is) the gate (that belongs) to Jehovah ; the righteous shall come in by it. Or the meaning may be, since this is the Lord's gate, let the righteous (and no others) enter at it. Many interpreters find obvious indi- cations here of double or responsive choirs, by which the psalm was to be Bung. But this, though possible, is not a necessary supposition, nor is there any certain trace of such a usage oi arrangement elsewhere in the book of Psalms. See above, pp. 109, 110, 112. 21. I will thank thee, for thou hast answered me, and hast become 'my salvation. This verse assigns the reason for their entrance. Answered, in the specific sense of answering or granting prayer. See above, on ver. 6. The last clause is from ver. 14. 22. TJie stone (which) the builders rejected has become the head of the corner. This is a proverbial expression, and as such applicable to any case, in which what seemed to be contemptible has come to honour. This mode of expressing the idea was most probably suggested by the founding of the temple. There is no need, however, of supposing any actual dispute among the Jewish builders in relation to tbe corner stone of the sacred edifice. The sight of the stone, or the act of laj-ing it, would be sufiicient to suggest the proverb and its application to the happy change experienced by Israel, so lately blotted from the list of nations, and regarded by the heathen as un- worthy even of an humble place in the proud fabric of consolidated empire, but now restored not only to a place, but to the highest place among the nations, not in point of power, wealth, or worldly glory, but as the chosen and peculiar people of the Most High God. As this psalm was sung by the people at the last Jewish festival attended by our Saviour, ho applied this proverb to himself, as one rejected by the Jews and by their rulers, yet before long to be recognised as their Messiah whom they had denied and murdered, but whom God had exalted as a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance to Israel and remission of sins (Acts v. 31). This, though really another appUcation of the proverb in its general meaning, has a certain affinity with its original application in the verse before us, because the for- tunes of the ancient Israel, especially in reference to great conjunctures, bore a designed resemblance to the history of Christ himself, by a kind of sym- pathy between the Body and the Head. Even the temple, which suggested the original expression, did but teach the doctrine of divine inhabitation, and was therefore superseded by the advent of the Son himself. The head of the corner means the chief or comer-stone of the foundation, even in Zech. iv. 7, where it is translated head stone. The application of the verse before us made by Christ himself (Matt. xxi. 42) is renewed by Peter (Acts. iv. 11.) 23. From Jehovah is this ; it is wonderfully done in our eyes. This signal revolution in the condition of the chosen people is not the work of man but of God. From the Lord, i. e. proceeding from him as its author. 7s this, literally has been, i. e. happened, come to pass. In the last clause it is said to be not merely wonderful, but wonderfully done, the Hebrew word being a passive participle, which strictly means distinguished, made to difier, made strange, strangely done. Its plural is continually used as a noun in application to God's wondrous works or doings. This, no less than the proverb to which it is attached, was as appropriate to the case of the Messiah as to that of his people, and is accordingly applied in the same manner by himself (Matt. xxi. 42). 488 Psalm 118:24-27 24. This is the day Jehovah has made, we will rejoice and triumph in it. By the day we are here to understand the happier times which Israel, through God's grace, was permitted to enjoy. This day he is said, as the author of this blessed revolution, to have made, created. Some understand by day the festival or celebration, at which the psalm was intended to be sung. The day, in this sense, God is said to have made or instituted, not so much by positive appointment as by having providentially afforded the occasion for it. In a still higher sense, the words may be applied to the new dispensation, as a glorious change in the condition of the church, com- pared with which the restoration from captivity was nothing, except as a preUminary to it and a preparation for it. There is no allusion to the weekly Sabbath, except so far as it was meant to be a type of the rest of the church from the heavy burdens of the old dispensation. 25. Ah now, Jehovah, save, we beseech thee! Ah now, Jehovah, prosper, we beseech thee ! The circumlocution, we beseech thee, is the only form in which the force of the supplicatory particle (^Hi^i^) happiness or happy. 9. By uhat (means) can a youth cleanse his path, (so) as to keep (it) ac- cording to thy word ? To cleanse is here to keep clean or pure from the stain of sin. Most interpreters regard the last clause as an answer to the question in the first. But this requires the infinitive to be construed as a gerund [by keeping), a construction too rare and doubtful to be anywhere assumed without necessity. See above, on Ps. Ixxviii. 18, cxi. 6. It is much more simple and agreeable to usage to regard the whole as one inter- rogation, and the second clause as supplementary to the first. To keep m&j then mean to adhere to it, or rather, in accordance with the figure of the first clause, to preserve it clear or pure as God requires. The answer is suppressed, or rather left to be inferred from the whole tenor of the psalm, which is, that men, and especially the young, whose passions and temptations are strong in proportion to their inexperience, can do nothing of themselves but are dependent on the grace of God. The omission of an an answer, which is thus suggested by the whole psalm, rather strengthens than impairs the impression on the reader. 10. With my whole heart have I sought thee ; let me not err from thy com- mandments. While the first clause alleges his sincerity in seeking God, the second and third owns his dependence on him for success and safety. 11. In my heart have I hid thy saying, that I may not sin against thee. The first phrase means within me, as opposed to a mere outward and cor- poreal possession of the written word. Not in my house, or in my hand, but in myself, my mind, with special reference, in this case, to the memory. Hid, not for concealment, but for preservation. The word saying, else- where used to signify God's promise, here denotes his precept, as it does in ver. 67 below. Against thee, Hterally as to, with respect to thee. See above, on Ps. li. 6 (4). 12. Blessed (be) thou, Jehovah ! Teach me thy statutes I The doxology seems designed to break the uniformity of this series of aphorisms, by an occasional expression of strong feeling. At the same time, it furnishes a kind of ground for the petition in the last clause. Since thou art the blessed and eternal God, have pity on my weakness, and instruct me in the knowledge of thy will. 13. With my lips have 1 recounted all the judgments of thy mouth. I have not confined the knowledge of thy precepts to my own mind, but im- 492 Psalm 119:14 -24 parted it to others. See above, on Ps. xl. 10, 11 (9, 10). Judgments, judicial decisions, determinations as to what is right and binding, a descrip- tion perfectly appropriate to the divine precepts. 0/ thy mouth, which thou hast uttered. There seems to be allusion to the phrase with my lips in the first clause. 14. In the way of thy testimonies I rejoice as over all wealth. Not merely in the knowledge of God's will, but in the doing of it, in treading the path which he prescribes for us. Over may be simply equivalent to in, or intended to suggest the additional idea of superiority, above, (or more than) all wealth. As over, as I do over all the wealth I have, or as I should do over all wealth if I had it. 15. In thy precepts will I meditate, and look (at) thy paths. Not only of thy precepts or concerning them, but in them, while engaged in doing them. Look has the same sense as in ver. 6. 16. In thy statutes I will delight myself; I will not forget thy word. Delight or enjoy myself, seek my pleasure, find my happiness. Here ends the second stanza, in which all the verses except one (ver. 12) begin not only with the same letter but the same word, the preposition (2) in. 17. Grant to thy servant (that) I may live, and I will keep thy word. Grant to, bestow upon, thy servant this favour. See above, on Ps. xiii. 6 (5). There may be an allusion to the way in which the law connects Ufe and obedience. See Lev. xviii. 5, Deut. vi. 24. 18. Uncover my eyes and I toill look — wonders out of thy law! The last clause is a kind of exclamation after his eyes have been uncovered. This figure is often used to denote inspiration, or a special divine communication. Out of thy law, i. e. brought out to view, as if from a place of concealment* 19. A stranger {am) I in the earth ; hide not from me thy commandments. A stranger, an exile, one without friends or home, a poetical description of calamity in general, not without allusion to the captivity both in Babylon and Egypt, and to the consequent mention of strangers in the Law as objects of compassion. The prayer in the last clause is, that God will not withhold from him the knowledge of his will. 20. My soul hreaketh with longing for thy judgments at every time. The Hebrew verb occurs only here, but its meaning is determined by the cognate dialects. The word translated longing belongs also to the later Hebrew. Its verbal root occurs below in ver. 40, 174. Judgments includes God's precepts mentioned in ver. 19, and his penal inflictions on the wicked men- tioned in ver. 21. 21. Thou hast rebuked the proud, the accursed, those wandering from thy commandments. Compare Ps. ix. 6 (5). Kebuked, not merely by word but by deed, i. e. punished. 22. Boll from off me reproach and contempt, for thy testimonies I have kept. The first verse coincides in form with that at the beginning of ver. 18, but is from a difierent root. There is an obvious allusion to the rolling off of the reproach of Egypt, Joshua v. 9. 23. Also princes sat and at me talked together, and thy servant muses of thy statutes. This is one of the expressions in the psalm not literally appli- cable to the individual believer, and regarded therefore as a proof of its national design and import. The princes are then the chiefs of the sur- rounding nations. The also (DJl) seems to be inserted merely on account of the alphabetical arrangement which requires the letter gimel. 24. Also thy testimonies {are) my delights, the men of my counsel. He Psalm 119:25 -31 493 calls them his counsellors, in opposition to the malignant counsels of the enemy. Delights, enjoyments, happiness, the plural form denoting fulness and completeness. Two of the verses in the stanza ending here begin with (DJ) also, and two with pj), though in different senses. 25. My soul cleaveth unto the dust ; quicken thou me according to thy word. The first clause seems intended to suggest two consistent but dis- tinct ideas, that of deep degradation, as in Ps. xHv. 26 (25), and that of death, as in Ps. xxii. 30 (29). The first would be more obvious in itself, and in connection with the parallel referred to ; but the other seems to be indicated as the prominent idea by the correlative petition in the last clauf e. Quicken, i. e. save me alive, or restore me to Ufe, the Hebrew word being a causative of the verb to live. See above, on Ps. xxx. 4 (3). Thy 'word, the promise annexed to thy commandment, as in ver. 28 below. 26. My ways have I recounted, and thou hast answered me ; teach me thy statutes. The first clause is not to be restricted to a confession of sin, though that may be included, but extended to a statement of his cares, anxieties, and affairs in general. Hence the correlative expression, thou hast answered me, the Hebrew verb being specially appropriated to the hear- ing or answering of prayer, i. e. granting what it asks. The last clause expresses a desire to testify his gratitude for God's compassion by obeying his commandments, with the usual acknowledgment that these cannot be executed without divine assistance, or even known without divine instruction. 27. The ivay of thy precepts make me understand, and I will muse of thy wonders. The first clause expresses the same wish, arising from the same consciousness of weakness, as in ver. 26. The verb in the last clause is one of those in the usage of which the ideas of speech and meditation run continually into one another. See above, on Ps. Iv. 18 (17), Ixix. 13 (12), Ixxiv. 4, 7 (3, 6), cv. 2. 28. My soul weeps from sorrow ; raise me up according to thy word. The meaning of the first verb seems to be determined by Job xvi. 20, where the same thing is predicated of the eye. The oldest versions make it mean to slumber (LXX. svvsra^sv. Vulg. dormitavit), which would make the clause remarkably coincident with Luke xxii. 45. 29. The way of falsehood remove from me, and thy law grant unto me graciously. The way mentioned in the first clause is that of unfaithfalnesa to God's covenant, or of apostasy from it. See above, ver. 21. Remove, a causative in Hebrew, meaning make to depart. The common version of the last verb, as above given, is a correct paraphrase of the Hebrew verb (iJn) to be gracious, to act graciously, and here still more specifically, to give graciously, to bestow as a free favour. To give the law is still, as in the preceding verses, to make it known by a divine illumination. 30. The way of truth have I chosen ; thy judgments have I set (before me). Truth, in the sense of faithfulness, fidelity to obligations, the opposite of the falsehood mentioned in ver. 29. His own choice coincides with the divine requisitions. Judgments, as in ver. 7, 13, above. / have set, i. e. before me, as an end to be aimed at, and a rule to be followed. The Hebrew verb occurs above, Ps. xviii. 34 (33), xxi. 6 (5), Ixxxix. 20 (19), and the full phrase, Ps. xvi. 8. The Septuagint renders it here, / havenot forgotten. 31. I have cleaved unto thy testimonies, 0 Jehovah, put me not to shams. The first verb is the same with that in ver. 25. XJrtto, literally in, as if implying a complete absorption in the object. See above, on Ps. i. 2. Testi- 494 Psalm 119:32 -39 monies, precepts, as in ver. 2. Shame me not, suflFer not my hopes to be disappointed and confounded. The Hebrew verb is a causative of that in ver. 6. 32. 77ie way of thy commandments will I run, for thou wilt enlarge my heart. The verb to run expresses a more zealous obedience than the usual expression walk. To enlarge is sometimes to relieve from confinement. See above on Ps. cxviii. 5. But the whole phrase, to enlarge the heart, Beems, especially in this connection, to denote a change in the afiections leading to more prompt obedience. Of the eight verses in this stanza five begin with the noun C^TjT) way or its plural, and two with the verb Q?^"^) to cleave. 83. Guide me, Jehovah, (in) the way of thy statutes, and I will keep it (to the) end. The first verb is here used ia its primary sense of shewing or pointing out the way, from which is deduced the secondary one of teaching. Keep it, observe it, adhere to it, keep in it. The last word in Hebrew, which occurs above, in difierent senses and connections, Ps. xix. 12 (11), xl. 16 (15), Ixx. 4 (3), is used adverbially here and in ver. 112 below. 84. MaJce me understand (it) and I will keep thy law, and will observe it vnth a whole heart. The first verb is too vaguely rendered in the English versions (give me understanding). It has here the same sense as in ver. 27, and the object is to be supplied from the next member of the sentence. The form of the last verb is one expressing strong desire and fixed deter- mination. With a whole heart, or unth all (my) heart, as in ver. 2. 85. Make me tread in the path of thy commandments, for in it do I delight. The first verb is the causative of that used in Ps. vii. 13 (12), xi. 2, xxxvii. 14, xci. 13. 1 delight, have delighted, not at present merely but in time past. 36. Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to gain. Here again the sense of absolute dependence or divine influence is strongly implied. Testimoriies, as in ver 31. Gain, profit, lucre, as in Ps. xxx. 10 (9), but here put for overweening love of it, supreme devotion to it. 37. Turn away my eyes from seeing falsehood ; in thy ways quicken me. The first verb strictly means to cause to pass (or turn) away. Falsehood is not the word so rendered in ver. 29, but the negative term (l^lliO meaning vanity, nonentity, and here applied to all objects of religious trust besides God. These the Psalmist desires not even to see, much less to gaze at with dehght and confidence. See above, Ps. xxxi. 7 (6), xl. 5 (4), Ix. 13 (11), Ixii. 10 (9). Quicken me, save me or make me alive, as in ver. 25. In thy ways, by leading me in the way of thy commandments. 38. Make good to thy servant thy word which (thou hast spoken) to thy fearers. The first verb means to cause to stand, to set up, to establish, to confirm, and in this connection to fulfil or verify. To thy servant, not merely to me, but to me who am thy servant, in a special and emphatic sense, which is applicable either to the chosen people as a whole, or to its indivi- dual members. Thy word, as in ver. 25, 28. To thy fearers, literally to thy fear, the abstract being put for the concrete term : or it might be ren- dered/or thy fear, that thou mayest be feared. See below, on Ps. cxxx. 4. 39. Turn away my disgrace which 1 dread, for thy judgments {are) good. The first word is the same with that in ver. 37, meaning make (or cause) to pass away. In this connection it might either mean to remove or to avert ; bnt the latter agrees better with the next phrase, which I dread. The Psalm 119:40-46 495 original is not the common Hebrew word for fear, but one used by Moses in precisely the same sense as here. See Deut. ix. 19, xxviii. 60, and com- pare Job ix. 28. Thy judgments are good, i. e. prompted and controlled by infinite goodness, and should therefore fall upon the wicked, not the righteous. 40. Behold,, I long for thy precepts ; in thy righteoxisness quicken me. The first word is equivalent to see (or thou seest) that it is so, and involves an appeal to the divine omniscience. The first verb is the root of the noun longing in ver. 20. To long for God's precepts is to long for the know- ledge of them and for grace to obey them. The last clause prays that since God's judgments are good (ver. 39), instead of killing they may make alive. See above, on ver. 17, 25, 37. In the stanza closing with this verse, only one initial word is repeated, namely (l^yn) cause to pass or turn away. 41. And let thy mercies come (unto) me, 0 Jehovah, thy salvation, accord- ing to thy word. That the stanzas were not meant to be regarded as dis- tinct and independent compositions, is clear from the copulative {and) at the beginning of this verse. Mercies, suited to my various necessities. Come to me, or upon me, or into me, which are the ideas commonly expressed by this verb when construed directly with a noun. See above, Ps. xxxv. 8, xxxvi. 12 (11), c. 4. Salvation is in apposition with mercies, being that in which all other gifts and favours are summed up and comprehended. With the last words compare ver. 38 above. 42. And (then) / will answer my reviler a word ; for I trust in thy word. The best answer to the calumnies and insults of his enemies is that afforded by his manifest experience of God's favour, and the practical vindication thereby afforded. The addition of tvord, which in our idiom is superfluous, may have some reference to its use in the corresponding clause. As if he had said. Only let thy word be fulfilled, and I shall have a word to say in answer to my enemies. 43. A?id take not out of my mouth (this) word of truth utterly, for in thy judgments do I hope. Deprive me not of this conclusive answer to my enemies, by withholding that providential vindication of my character and practical attestation of thy favour towards me, which I confidently look for. The first verb is used in its primary sense (Gen. xxxii. 12), from which comes the usual but secondary one of snatching out of danger, extricating, saving. For the literal meaning of the Hebrew phrase translated utterly, see above, on ver. 8. The last phrase in the verse means, for thy judgments I have waited, i. e. confidently looked for their appearance. 44. And I will observe thy laio always, tmto eternity amd perpetuity. Not merely for a time, or for the purpose of securing this triumph over his enemies, but for ever, to express which idea the three strongest terms afi'orded by the language are combined. As the keeping of the law, so often mentioned in this psalm, has evident reference to the present life, the strong promise of perpetual obedience, in the verse before us, is considered by some writers as a proof that the ideal speaker is not an individual beUever, but the church or chosen people. 45. And 1 will walk in a wide place, for thy precepts have I sought. Free from the pressure and confinement to which he had been previously subject. See above, on Ps. cxviii. 5. Sought thy precepts, i. e. sought to know them and to do them. Compare the combination, k^ep and seek, in 1 Chron. xxviii. 8. 46. And I will speak of thy testimonies hifore kings, and will not he ashamed. 496 Psalm 119:47 -50 Here again some eminent interpreters have found an indication of the national design and meaning of the whole psalm, as the individual believer could not be expected to bear witness to the truth in such a presence. He might, however, do so, as one of the component parts of the whole body. But the words are really expressive only of a readiness to declare the divine testimony against sin, in any presence, even the most august, if it should be necessary. This passage seems to have been present to our Saviour's mind when he uttered the prediction in Mat. x. 18. Ashamed has here its strict sense, as denoting a painful feeling of humiliation. 47. And I will delight myself in thy commandments which I love. I will not obey them merely from a selfish dread of punishment or painful sense of obligation, but because I love them and derive my highest happiness from doing them. See above, on Ps. xix. 12 (11). The first verb has the same sense as in ver. 16. The past tense of the last verb (I have loved) represents his love to God's commandments as no new-bom and capricious passion, but a settled habit and affection of his soul. 48. And I will raise my hands to thy commandments which I love, and I will muse of thy statutes. The raising of the hands is a symbol of the Taising of the heart or the affections to some elevated object. See above, on Ps. xxviii. 2. Which I love, or have loved, as in ver. 47, the terms of which are studiously repeated with a fine rhetorical eflect, which is further heightened by the and at the beginning, throwing both verses, as it were, into one sentence. As if he had said, I will derive my happiness from thy commandments, which I love and have loved, and to these commandments, which I love and have loved, I will'lift up my hands and heart together. For the meaning of the last clause, see above, on ver. 27. The connective force of the conjunction and must not be urged in this verse, as it was needed to supply the initial vau, a letter with which scarcely any Hebrew words begin. 49. Remember (thy) word to thy servant, hecause thou hast made me to hope. The obvious meaning of the first clause is, remember the word (spoken) to thy servant. But Hebrew usage makes it probable, that the first and last words of the clause are to be construed together, so as to mean remember for thy servant, i. e. for his benefit, as in Ps. xcviii. 8, cvi. 45. Word is then absolutely put for promise, as in Ps. Ivi. 11 (10), and the meaning of the whole clause is, remember thy promise in com- passion to thy servant. The common version of the last clause {upon which, dc.) is forbidden by the facts, that the Hebrew verb is never con- strued elsewhere with the preposition on, and that Hebrew usage would require a different combination {vb}f 'Wi^) to convey the sense Supposed. That the one here used ("nifK by) may mean because, is clear from Deut. xxix. 24, 2 Sam. iii. 30. The same verb that means to hope in ver. 43 is used as a causative, to make hope, here and in Ezek. xiii. 6. 50. This (is) my comfort in my suffering, and thy word quickens me. The reference to continued sufiering in the first clause, and to its partial cessation in the second, agrees well with the condition of the chosen people when restored from exile. The terms, however, are so chosen as to be equally appropriate to personal afflictions, restorations, and deliverances. The word for comfort occurs elsewhere only in Job vi. 10, where it has precisely the same form. Thy word includes thy decree or order and thy promise. Quickens, saves alivcj or restores to Ufe, according to the prayer in ver. 25, 37, 40. The past tense (has quickened) impUes that the con- Psalm 119:51 -56 497 Bervative or restorative effect has already been experienced, though not yet perfected. 51. Proud {ones) deride me greatly ; from thy law I swerve not Both verbs are in the past tense, which would seem to indicate that the derision here complained of, although recent, had now ceased or been abated. The clause agrees well with the scOrn excited in the heathen neighbours of the restored Jews by what seemed to be their mad attempt to build the temple. The omission of a connective makes the antithesis more pointed. Swerved, dechned, or turned aside. See above, on Ps. xliv. 19 (18), and tompare Ps. xl. 5 (4). The first word in the verse is one commonly applied to pre- sumptuous high-handed sinners. Sec above, on Ps. xix. 14 (13). 52. / liave remembered thy judgments from eternity, Jehovah, and con- soled myself. His faith and hope under present trials are sustained by recollection of the past. Thy judgments, not merely the punishments inflicted on thy enemies, but all the exhibitions of thy righteousness in outward act, including the deliverances of thy people. From eternity, or from an indefinite antiquity, which is the primary meaning of the Hebrew word. There is no reason for discarding the reflexive form of the last verb, as some versions do, especially as it suggests the idea, ijot of a mere passive reception of the comfort, but of an active effort to obtain it. 53. Bage has seized me from wicked (men) abandoning thy law. No English word is strong enough to represent the first one in the Hebrew of this verse except rage or fury. See above, on Ps. xi. 6. It here denotes the highest pitch of indignant disapproval. From, i. e. arising or proceed- from, because of. Forsaking thy law, not only refusing in practice to obey it, but avowedly abjuring its authority. 54. Songs for me have been thy statutes in the house of my sojournings. Instead of abjuring them as presumptuous sinners do, I make them the subject of my thankful and triumphant songs (Isa. xxiv. 16), even while I sojourn as a pilgrim and a stranger in a strange land. The house of my sojournings, i. e. the house where I sojourn, is an imitation of the phrase, land of sojournings, which occurs so often in the patriarchal history. See Gen. xvii. 8, xxviii. 4, xxxvi. 7, xxxvii. 1 . Pilgrimage is less exact, because it suggests the idea of locomotion rather than of rest. The statutes of God are thus rejoiced in, not as mere requisitions, but as necessarily including promises. 55. / remember in the night thy name, Jehovah, and observe thy law. The night is mentioned as the natural and customary season of reflection and self-recollection, and also as the time when pains of every kind are usually most acute. See above, on Ps. xci. 5. With this clause and the verse preceding compare Job xxxv. 10. Thy name, i. e. all that is denoted by thy names, and more especially by the one here mentioned, thy eternal self-existence and thy covenant relation to thy people. 56. This has been to me, for thy precepts I have kept. The usual inter- pretations, this I had because I kept thy precepts, and this I have (namely) that I keep thy precepts, are almost unmeaning. When taken in connection with the one before it, the true sense of the verse appears to be, that what he was thus wont to promise or resolve, he had performed. The substan- tive verb is to be taken in the sense which it so often has in history. This has happened to me, come to pass, been verified in my experience. In the stanza which here ends, three verses begin with some form of- the verb (")!)?) to remember, and two with the pronoun (/^hit) this. 498 Psalm 119:57 -62 57. My portion, 0 Jehovah, I have said, {is) to keep thy words. This construction is rejected by Hengstenberg and others, as forbidden by the accents and the analogy of Ps. xvi. 5, Ixxiii. 26. But as the same words may either express the sense here given or my portion (is) Jehovah, we are at liberty to choose the one best suited to the context, even in opposition to the accents, which cannot be regarded as an ultimate authority. In favour of the sense first given is its perfect agreement with the close of the pre- ceding stanza. In reference to the resolution there recorded and described as having been fulfilled, he here adds, thus have I said (declared my pur- pose), 0 Lord, to obey thy words. 68. I have sought thy favour with all (my) heart ; he gracious unto me according to thy word. In the first clause, we have a repetition of the sin- gular and striking idiom used in Ps. xlv. 13 (12), and explained by some as meaning strictly to soothe or stroke the face, and by others to soften or subdue it, i. e. the hostihty or opposition expressed by it. With all {my) heart, or with a whole heart, as in ver. 2, 34, above. Thy word or saying, i. e. thy promise. The original expression is not (I^T), the one so constantly employed in this psalm, but (HIDK), that used- in ver. 10, 41, and derived from tiie verb (■^D^<) to say. 59. I have thought on my ways, and turned back my feet to thy testimonies. The first verb here means thought over, pondered, as in Ps. Ixxvii. 6 (5). My ways, i. e. as appears from the last clause, my departures from thy tes- timonies or commandments. See above, on ver. 2, 14, 31, 36, 46. The common version of the last verb {turned), although correct, is not sufficient to convey the full force of the Hebrew word, which is a causative, meaning to bring back or make to return, and implying previous departure, whereas the primitive verb turn carries with it no such implication. While this verse is exactly descriptive of the process of personal conviction and conver- sion, it is also strikingly appropriate to the effects of the captivity on Israel, as a church and nation. 60. / hastened, and delayed not, to observe thy commandments. This con- tinues the account of his conversion, begun in the preceding verse. The first clause exemplifies the idiomatic combination of a positive and negative expression of the same idea. The second verb is peculiarly expressive, and seems to be applied, in the most ancient Hebrew books, to a trifling and unreasonable tarrying in great emergencies. See Gen. xix. 16, xliii. 10, Exod. xii. 39. In this respect, as well as in relation to its singular redupli- cated form, the Hebrew verb bears some analogy to certain familiar terms in English, which are colloquially used in the same manner. 61. The hands of wicked men environed me, (but) thy law I did not forget. As descriptive of personal experience, this may be translated in the present {environ me, forget not) ; but in order to include a reference to the Baby- lonish exile, and the preservation of the people from apostasy at that event- ful crisis, the preterite forms of the original must be preserved. The figure of the first clause is borrowed from Ps. xviii. 5, 6 (4, 5), but with the substitution of a verbal form used only here, and represented by the word environed. The relation of the clauses, to denote which in Enghsh hut has been supplied, is the same as in ver. 51 above. 62. At midnight 1 will rise to give thanks unto thee on (account of) the judgments of thy righteousness. The first phrase, which literally means the half (or halving) of the night, is borrowed from the history of the midnight massacre in Egypt, Exod. xi. 4, xii. 29, to which there is also a historical allusion, as a signal instance of divine interposition and miraculous deliver- Psalm 119:63 -66 499 ance. A similar allusion may be traced in Job xxxiv. 20. The judgments of thy righteousness, tby judgments of righteousness, thy righteous judgments, cannot be altogether different in meaning from the very same words in ver. 7, as supposed by some interpreters, who there explain the phrase to mean God's precepts or his requisitions, here his penal inflictions. The solution of the difficulty lies in this, that the words mean neither of these things specifically, but something which comprehends them both, viz., the actual manifestations of God's righteousness, in word or deed, by precept or by punishment. 63. A fellow (rtw) I to all uho fear thee, and to the keepers of thy precepts. Not merely a companion or frequenter of their company, but an associate, a congenial spirit, one of the same character. Compare the use of the same Hebrew word in Ps. xlv. 8 (7), where the plural is translated fellows in the English Bible. The verse before us is one of those which it seems most difficult to understand of Israel as a whole ; for in what sense was the church or chosen people a companion of those fearing God and keeping his com- mandments, when all the people in the world of that description were em- braced within her own communion ? The force of this objection is so great that Hengstenberg applies the description to the pious ancestors of the returned Jews, and refers to Mai. iii. 24 (iv. 6). The necessity of such a forced construction goes far to confirm the exegetical hypothesis, already stated as most probably the true one, that the psalm was intended to express the feelings of an individual believer, but that some of its terms are, from parity of circumstances, equally descriptive of what had been experienced by the house of Israel as a church and nation. 64. Of thy mercy, 0 Jehovah, full is the earth ; thy stattites teach me. Since thy mercy fills the whole earth, let it reach to me, enabling me to understand thy will and to obey it. The relation of the clauses is not unlike that in ver. 12. The stanza closing with this verse is the first in which the initial words of all the verses are entirely different. See above, on ver. 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, 48, 56. 65. Good hast thou done to thy servant, 0 Jehovah, according to thy word The common version of the first clause (thou hast dealt well with thy servant) is equally correct, and has the advantage of retaining the preposition with, which may be used in English after deal, but not after do. The sense expressed by both translations is the same, to wit, thou hast treated him graciously or kindly. According to thy word, i. e. the promise annexed to thy commandments, as in ver. 25, 28 (compare ver. 41, 58). This verse is equally appropriate as a personal thanksgiving, and an acknowledgment of national deliverances, such as that from Babylon. 66. Goodness of judgment and knowledge teach me, for in thy command- ments I believe. The first word in Hebrew is not (3*110) the adjective good, as in ver. 65, but (mO) the corresponding abstract noun meaning goodness, as in Ps. xxv. 7, xxvii. 13, xxxi. 20 (19). That it here denotes not moral but intellectual excellence, is determined by the addition of (DJ^Q) a word originally meaning taste, and then transferred to reason, judgment, under- standing. See above, on Ps. xxxiv. 1. Teach me good judgment, i.e. im- part it by divine instruction. Judgment and knowledge may be here dis- tinguished as in common parlance, the one denoting the faculty employed, the other the result of its exertion. The knowledge meant is that continually prayed for in this psalm, to wit, the knowledge of God's willi The connec- tion of the clauses seems to be, that he has faith and would fain have 500 Psalm 119:67 -71 knowledge ; he takes God's precepts upon trast, but then prays that he may understand them. To believe in God's commandments is to believe that they are his, and therefore right and binding. 67. Before I suffered I (was) going astray, and now thy saying I observe. Going astray, wandering, erring, i.e. habitually, ever straying. And now (on the contrary), where our idiom would require a but. The saying of God is what he says, including both commands and promises, which indeed are represented in the Old Testament, and especially in this psalm, as insepa- rable. Observe, attend to, keep in view, according to the nature of the object, trusting the promise, obeying the command. The last verb strictly means / have observed, implying that the salutary fruit of the affliction was already realised and still continued. The sentiment of this verse has been echoed, and its very words repeated, by the godly sufferers of every age, a strong proof that it was meant to be so used. At the same time it furnishes an exquisite description of the effect produced upon the Jews, as a body, by the Babylonish exile, and especially the end which it for ever put to their continual lapses into idolatry, by which their early history was characterised, and with respect to which the whole race might well have said, Before I suffered I was (ever) straying. 68. Good (art) thou and doing good — teach me thy statutes ! Good, both essentially and actively or practically ; good in thyself and good to others. The participle, as in ver. 67, denotes habitual, constant action, (ever) doing good. It is characteristic of this psalm, that the petition founded on the goodness of God's nature, on his beneficence, and even on his infinite per- fection, is still, teach me thy statutes ! Make me acquainted with thy will, and shew me how to do it ! See above, on ver. 12, 64. 69. Proud {men) have forged a he against me ; I, with all {my) hearty mil keep thy precepts. Proud, presumptuous, overbearing sinners, as in ver. 51. Forged expresses the essential meaning of the Hebrew word, but not its figurative foi-m, which seems to be that of sewing, analogous to that of weaving, as applied to the same thing, both in Hebrew and in other lan- guages. We may also compare our figurative phrase, to patch up, which, however, is not so much suggestive of artifice or skill as of the want of it. The connection of the clauses is, that all the craft and mahce of his enemies should only lead him to obey God with a more undivided heart than ever. See above, on ver. 58. With the same surprising skill and wisdom as in many other cases which have been already mentioned, this verse is so framed as to be equally well suited to such national and pubHc evils as those described in the fourth chapter of Ezra, and to the sufferings of the pious individual, arising from the pride and spite of wicked enemies. 70. Fat as grease {is) their heart. J {in) thy law delight. The con- nection of the clauses lies in the figurative use of fat to denote insensibi- lity. See above, on Ps. xvii. 10, Ixxiii, 7. While they are utterly insensible to spiritual pleasures, and especially to those springing from the knowledge of thy law, I find therein my highest happiness. The verb in the last clause is a cognate form to that in ver. 16, 47, and identical with that in Isa. xi. 8, where it means to play, sport, or enjoy one's self. 71. (It is) good for me that I icas made to suffer, io the end that I might learn thy statutes. The prayer so frequently repeated, teach me thy statutes, is now proved to be sincere by a hearty acquiescence in the painful discipUne by which it had been partially fulfilled already. Good for me, and therefore good on God's part. The idea of compulsory subjection to this salutary process is suggested by the passive causative form of the verb Psalm 119:72 -79 501 used in ver. 67. To the end or intent, a phrase corresponding, both in form and meaning, to the Hebrew. 72. Good for me is the law of thy mouth, [more) than thousands of gold and silver. For me, for my use as well as in my estimation. The law of thy mouth, that which thou hast uttered. See above, on ver. 13. Than, lite- rally from, away from, as distinguished from, as compared with, which is just the meaning of the English than. The combination good than, or good from, is the nearest approach of which the Hebrew idiom admits, to letter than. The indefinite term thousands may refer to weight or number, to coin or bullion ; to coins in general, or to shekels or talents in particular. While this verse primarily expresses the changed estimate which Israel learned in exile to put upon the law, it is equally expressive of th6 feeling cherished by aU true believers, in their best estate, as to the value of the word of God. Here ends the ninth stanza, of which five verses begin vrith the word {yjiiH) good. 73. Thy hands made me and fashioned me ; make me understand and let me learn thy commandments. As I owe my existence to thy power, so too I rely upon thy grace for spiritual illumination. Compere Deut. xxxii. 6. Fashioned, literally fixed, established, i. e. framed my constitution as it is. 74. Thy fearers shall see me and rejoice ; for in thy word have I hoped. Compare Ps. v. 12 (11), xxxiv. 3 (2). They shall rejoice in my case, as a new proof that they who trust in God cannot be disappointed. The literal meaning of the last clause is, because for thy word I have waited, i. e. patiently and trustfully awaited its fulfilment. 76. I know, Jehovah, that righteouness are thy judgments, and (m) faith- fulness thou hast ajlicted me (or made me suffer). Thy judgments, thy sovereign decisions and their execution, are righteousness itself, i. e. per- fectly righteous. So in the next clause, for in faithfulnes we may read as faithfulness itself, as one absolutely faithful to his promise and engage- ments. This confession would be untrue, if those who made it were not conscious of their guilt and ill-desert. Compare Deut. xxxii. 4. 76. Oh that thy mercy might be for my comfort, according to thy saying to thy sei-vanl. The optative expression, oh that, is here used to represent the Hebrew particle of entreaty (KJ)> correctly paraphrased in the EngUsh Bible, I pray thee. For my comfort, literally