THE
BOOK OF PSALMS
A NEW TRANSLATION
WITH
INTRODUCTIONS AND
NOTES
EXPLANATORY AND
CRITICAL
By
J.
J. STEWART PEROWNE,
Canon
Residentiary of Llandaff
Hulsean Professor of
Divinity at
Hon. Chaplain
to the Queen
Late Praelector in Theology and
Fellow of
VOL. I
PSALMS 1-72
George Bell and Sons in 1878, 4th
edition.
Digitized by Ted
Hildebrandt: Gordon College 2006
with the help of Kim Spaulding, Apurva
Thanju, and Brianne Records
PREFACE TO THE FOURTH EDITION
ALTHOUGH the Fourth Edition of this
work does not differ
very materially from those that
have preceded it, either in
the translation or in the
notes, yet in one respect it will
I hope, be found much more
complete and accurate. In
preparing it, I have had the
advantage of consulting
many original authorities in
Talmudical and Rabbinical
literature which before were
not within my reach, and I
have consequently been able to
correct several errors of
quotation from these sources,
some of which have found
their way into many commentaries,
one writer having often
merely copied and repeated the
blunders of another. And,
further, I have had throughout
the valuable assistance of
Dr. Schiller-Szinessy, the
learned Reader in Talmudical and
Rabbinical Literature in this
University, who is a master
of Jewish lore, and who has
most kindly spared no labour
in verifying and correcting my
references. Their greater
accuracy is, in a large
measure, due to the conscientious
care which he has bestowed upon
them, and of which
I am the more sensible, because
I know that it has been
viii PREFACE TO THE FOURTH EDITION.
bestowed notwithstanding the
pressure of other numerous
and heavy engagements. It is a
pleasure to me to take
this opportunity of expressing
my obligations to him, and
my sense of the ready kindness
with which his learning is
always placed at the disposal
of others.
March
7, 1878.
PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION
IN preparing a Third Edition of this work for the press,
I have availed myself of the
following critical aids and
authorities:--
I. Baer's critical text of the Psalter. His preface on
the
Metrical Accentuation of the
Poetical Books deserves notice.
2. Field's admirable Edition of Origen's Hexapla. I have
corrected by reference to it
many quotations which were
given in my former editions on
the authority of Montfaucon.
3. Moll's Commentary in Lange's Bibelwerk.
4. The 2nd Edition of Delitzsch's Psalter.
5. The 3rd Edition of Ewald's work on the Psalms.
6. The 2nd Edition of Hitzig's Commentary.
7. Dr. Kay's Psalms with Notes.
8. Professor Conant's Translation.
9. The 2nd Edition of Dr. Phillip's Commentary.
My special thanks are due to R.
L. Bensly, Esq., Fellow of
Gonville and
revise the sheets of the work
as it passed through the press;
to his knowledge and accuracy I
am greatly indebted.
April 22, 1873.
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION
THE
Second Edition of this work will not be found to differ
very
materially from the First. I have made a few additions,
more
particularly to the Critical Notes in some of the earlier
Psalms;
and I have corrected errors wherever I have dis-
covered
them, or where they have been pointed out to me
by
friends. All the references have been carefully revised.
Many
of the apparent mistakes in the references of the First
Edition
were due to my having used the Hebrew Bible,
without
taking due care to mark where the Hebrew divisions
of
chapters or verses varied from the English. Where these
differ,
it will now be found, I hope, that both references are
given,
those to the Hebrew text being enclosed in square
brackets.
If, however, the double reference has still been
omitted
in some cases, it may be borne in mind that in all
Psalms
which have an inscription, the inscription is reckoned
as
a verse (occasionally as two verses) in the Hebrew text,
whereas
this is not the case in the English. Consequently
the
first verse in the English may be the second or even the
third
in the Hebrew, and so on all through. In the Critical
Notes
the references are always to the Hebrew text.
xii PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.
In revising my translation I have
approached in several
instances
more nearly to the Authorized Version, and I have
more
frequently than before left the literal rendering of a
clause
for the note, giving the freer and more idiomatic in the
text.
In doing this, I have listened to the suggestions of my
critics,
some of whom, not agreeing in other respects, have
agreed
in censuring my trnaslation. And now as there is at
last
some reasonable hope that a revision of our Authorized
Version
will be undertaken by competent scholars, this ques-
tion
of translation possesses far more than a merely personal
or
temporary interest. Even a translator who has failed, if
he
has done his work honestly and conscientiously, may be a
beacon,
if he cannot be a guide, to those who come after him.
I
shal therefore be pardoned perhaps, if I discuss more fully
than
I should otherwise have done, some of the points that
have
been raised.
The objections that have been
brought against me are of
this
kind. One of my reviewers observes that, after having
said
that I had not “needlessly departed” from our Authorized
Version,
I have “judged if needful often enough to give an
entirely
new air to my translation.” Another
writes: “The
gain
which is acquired by the greater accurarcy of the version
by
no means compensates for the loss of harmony and
rhythm
and sweetness, both of sound and of association.
An
English reader could undrestand the Psalms no
better,
and
he could not enjoy them half so well.”
I have been
charged
with going directly against “existing standards of
public
tastes and feeling,” in following the Hebrew order of
the
words, where such order is not the most natural in
English.
This is “to undo the work of such men as
Wordsworth
and Tennyson.” Again, “In the original, the
paronomasia
or alliteration” [to preserve which the structure
of
the sentence in English has been made to accomodate
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. xiii
itself
to the structure in Hebrew] “amounts only to a delicate
hint,
which may pass unnoticed except to an observant eye;
in
the translation it obtrudes itself as a prominent feature of
the
style.” And both critics concur in thinking that I have
myself
fallen into the very errors in point of taste which
I
have condemned in other translations.
Now I may at once say that to some
extent, if not to the
whole
extent alleged by the reviewers, I plead guilty to the
indictment.
I have carried minute and punctilious accuracy
too
far. I have sometimes adhered too closely, without any
adequate
and compensating result, to the order of the words
in
the Hebrew. It will be an evidence of the sincerity of my
reprentance
on this head, that in the present edition I have in
many
instnaces corrected both the one fault and the other.
But
I cannot concede all that the critics demand of me.
I. In the first place, I did not
say, in the preface to my
first
edition, that I had not “needlessly departed from our
Authorized
Version,” but that I had “not needlessly departed
from
the sound English of our Authorized
Version;” and
my
meaning was evident, because I immediately gave as
instances
of departure the use of the verb “to seize” and
of
the noun “sympathy.”*
2. In the next place, I feel quite
sure that those who lay
so
much stress upon “harmony and rhythm and sweetness,”
are
thinking more of the Prayer-Book Version of the Psalms,
than
of that of King James’s translators. The former is far
more
musical, more balanced, and also more paraphrastic
than
the latter; and from constantly hearing it read in the
Church
Services, we have become so thoroughly habituated
to
it that almost any departure from its well-known cadences
* So it ought to have stood: the
verb “to sypmpathize” was put by
mistake
for the noun “sympathy.” I have only used it once in Ps. lxix.,
and
there to express a Hebrew noun which occurs nowhere else.
xiv PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.
offends
the ear. Indeed our familiarity with this version is
such,
that not only would most English Churchmen having
occasion
to quote a verse of a Psalm quote it as it stands in
the
Prayer-Book, but they would often be very much sur-
prised
if they were told that the very sense of the Bible
Version
was different. Of the multitude of persons who are
familiar
with the phrase, "The iron entered into his soul," how
many
are aware that the rendering in our Bible is, “He was
laid
in iron” There can be no question as to which is
the
more rhythmical and the more expressive; but there can
also
be no question that the Authorized Version faithfully
represents
the Hebrew, which the other does not. It would
be
no difficult task to quote a number of passages from the
Bible
Version of the Psalms which fail essentially in rhythm
just
because they are faithful to the original.
Take for instance the following (Ps.
lviii. 7):—"Let them
melt
away as waters which run continually:
when he bendeth
his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be
as cut in pieces."
Now contrast with this the freer but
inaccurate rendering
of
the Prayer-Book Version:--"Let them fall away like water
that
runneth apace; and when they shoot their arrows, let
them
be rooted out."
Again, the Bible version of lix. 19
is:---"God shall hear
and
afflict them, even He that abideth of old. Because they
have
no changes, therefore they fear not God."
Whereas the Prayer-Book Version
(again very inaccurate,
but
much smoother) is:—"Yea, even God, that endureth for
ever,
shall hear me, and bring them down: for they will not
turn
nor fear God."
In the Bible, Ps. lxviii. 19
stands:—"Thou, 0 God, didst
send
a plentiful rain, whereby Thou didst confirm Thine
inheritance,
when it was weary."
In the Prayer-Book Version it
is: “Thou, 0 God, sentest
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. xv
a
gracious rain upon Thine inheritance, and refreshedst it
when
it was weary."
Or compare the two versions in xlix.
7-9, or in cxxx.
1-4,
and the same phenomenon presents itself, as it does in
many
other instances; the Bible is the more accurate, the
Prayer-Book
the more rhythmical version. But if this is the
case,
then in estimating a new translation, the object of which
is
avowedly to give as exactly as possible the sense of the
original,
justice requires that it should be compared with the
language
of the Authorized Version, not with that of the
Prayer-Book.
3. Thirdly, I have been censured for
adhering too closely to
the
form of the Hebrew, both in its idiom and in the structure
of
the clauses. Perhaps I have gone too far in this direction.
But
before a question of this kind can be decided, it is im-
portant
to lay down as clearly as possible to the mind what
it
is we aim at in a translation. "There are two maxims of
translation,"
says Goethe: "the one requires that the author
of
a foreign nation be brought to us in such a manner that we
may
regard him as our own; the other, on the contrary, de-
mands
of us that we transport ourselves over to him, and,
adopt
his situation, his mode of speaking, his peculiarities.
The
advantages of both are sufficiently known to all in-
structed
persons, from masterly examples." Each of these
methods
"is good," says Mrs. Austin, the accomplished trans-
lator
of Ranke's History of the Popes,
"with relation to its ends
—the
one when matter alone is to be transferred, the other
when
matter and form." And she adds very truly: "The
praise
that a translated work might be taken for an original,
is
acceptable to the translator only when the original is a work
in
which form is unimportant." She
instances Pope's Homer
as
essentially a failure, because we want to know not only
what Homer said, but how he said it. "A light
narrative," she
xvi PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.
continues,
“a scientific exposition, or a plain statement of
facts,
which pretends to nothing as a work of art, cannot be
too
thoroughly naturalized. Whatever may be thought of the
difficulties
in the way of this kind of translation, they are
slight
compared with those attending the other kind, as any-
body
who carefully studies the masterpieces in this way must
perceive.
In the former kind the requisites are two—the
meaning
of the author, and a good vernacular style; in the
latter,
the translator has, as far as possible, to combine with
these
the idiomatic tone of the author—to place him before
the
reader with his national and individual
peculiarities of
thought
and of speech. The more rich, new, and striking these
peculiarities
are, the more arduous will the task become; for
there
is manifestly a boundary-line, difficult if not impossible
to
define, beyond which the most courageously faithful trans-
lator
dares not venture, under pain of becoming unreadable.
This
must be mainly determined by the plasticity of his lan-
guage,
and by the taste of his fellow-countrymen. A German
translator
can effect, and may venture, more than an Egnlish;
an
English than a French;--and this, not only because his
language
is more fulll and pliant, but because Germans have
less
nationality, and can endure unusual forms of speech for
the
sake of gaining accurate insight into the characteristics of
the
literature of other countries.”
It is on these grounds that Mrs.
Austin defends her own
“Germanisms”
in her translation of Goethe into English.
It
is on similar grounds that I would defend “Hebraisms”
in
the rendering of the Psalms and the poetical portion
of
the Hebrew Scriptures into English. In the poetry of a
people,
more than in any other species of literature, form is
of
importance. Hence we find Mrs. Austin, whose skill as
a
translator has been universally admitted, not shunning
*Characteristics of Goethe, vol. i.
pp. xxxv-xxxxvii.
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. xvii
inversions
of language in her translations from Goethe, where
“fidelity”
and “literalness” are her object. Thus, for in-
stance,
the lines in the Metamorphose der Pflanzen:
“Dich verwirret, Geliebte, die
tausendfaltige Mischung,
Dieses Blumengewuhls uber dem Garten umber;”
are
rendered by her—
“Thee perplexes, beloved, the
thousandfold intermixture
Of this flowery throng, around in the garden.”
And
again,
“Blattlos aber und schnell erhebt
sich der zartere Stengel,
Und ein Wundergebild zieht den Betrachtenden an,”
is
translated—
“Leafless, however, and rapid, up
darts the slenderer flower-stalk,
And a wonderful picture attracts the observer’s eye.”
I have in the same way deliberately
preferred, where the
English
idiom did not absolutely forbid it, to retain the order
of
the words in the Hebrew, because I felt that in sacrificing
the
form, I should be inflicting a loss upon the reader. How-
ever,
as I said, in revising my work I have somewhat
modified
my practice in this respect, and have contented
myself
on several occasions with putting the more literal
rendering
in a note.
4. Besides being guilty of too great
“punctiliousness” and
“inelegance,”
where idiom and harmony are concerned, I
have
sinned, according to one of my reviewers,* in the intro-
duction
of the word “Jehovah” instead of “the Lord,” which
has
for centuries been its customary equivalent. The change,
he
says, would be perfectly legitimate, if I were professing to
make
everything give way to verbal exactness. But as I
allow
other considerations to come in, he thinks that the
perpetual
recurrence of the Hebrew form of the word is in
the
highest degree strange and unpleasant. “As the name
*Saturday Review, July 2, 1864.
xviii PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.
had
fallen out of use in the Jewish Church, and never became
current
in the Christian, our old translators did well to prefer
the
idea to the name; and the attempt to bring back the
name
seems now to force into prominence its local and
national
character, where everything calls for a word which
has
nothing local or national about it." In reply to these
objections,
it might be almost sufficient to observe that in
retaining
the Hebrew name I have only followed the example
of
every modern translator of eminence. But of course it is
still
a question for consideration, whether there are sufficient
grounds
for the change. I think there are very
cogent
grounds,
which the reviewer in his dislike of novelty, or his
dislike
of Puritanism, has entirely overlooked, (I) In the
first
place, our translators in their use of the word "Lord"
make
no distinction between two names, "Jehovah and
"Adonai,"
perfectly distinct in Hebrew, and conveying
different
conceptions of God. (2) In the next place, it is
well
known that whole Psalms are characterized, just as
sections
of the Pentateuch are characterized, by peculiar
names
of God, and it is surely of some importance to retain as
far
as possible these characteristic features, especially when
critical
discussions have made them prominent, and questions
of
age and authorship have turned upon them. (3) What the
reviewer
regards as a disagreeable innovation, has been held
by
very good authorities to be a desirable emendation in our
Authorized
Version. "Why continue the translation of the
Hebrew
into English," says Coleridge, "at
second hand,
through
the medium of the Septuagint? Have we not
adopted
the Hebrew word Jehovah? Is not the Ku<rioj, or Lord,
of
the Septuagint, a Greek substitute in countless instances
for
the Hebrew, Jehovah? Why not, then,
restore the
original
word; and in the Old Testament religiously render
Jehovah,
by Jehovah; and every text in the New Testament,
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. xix
referring
to the Old, by the Hebrew word in the text referred
to?"*
No one could be a better judge on such a point than one
who,
like Coleridge, was both poet and critic; and it is observ-
able
that he would have carried the change even farther than
to
confine it to the Old Testament. And the late Professor
Blunt,
quoting this passage, remarks that "though we may
not
agree with him to the full extent of his conclusion that
‘had
this been done, Socinianism would have been scarcely
possible
in
translation
of the divine name has had its effect in fostering it."†
(4)
If owing to merely superstitious scruples the name fell
out
of use in the Jewish Church, and if owing to a too slavish
copying
of the Greek and Latin Versions our own Version
lost
the word, these are reasons of no force whatever against
a
return to the original use. It is no doubt a question how
the
word should be written when transferred to another lan-
guage.
"Jehovah" certainly is not a proper equivalent for
the
Hebrew form; for it is well known that the Jews, having
lost
the true pronunciation of the name, transferred to it the
vowels
of the other name "Adonai," which in reading they
have
for centuries substituted for it. Some of the Germans
write
"Jahveh," others "Jahaveh;" and Hupfeld, despairing of
any
certainty as to the vowels, retains merely the consonants
and
writes "Jhvh." Probably the most correct equivalent in
English
would be "Yahveh" or "Yahaveh," but this would
look
pedantic, and would doubtless shock sensitive eyes and
ears
far more than the comparatively familiar form, Jehovah.
Nor
must it be forgotten that this Hebrew form is sometimes,
though
rarely, admitted by our translators, as is also the still
less
euphonious form, Jah. (5) Lastly, I cannot feel that it is
any
objection that the use of the Hebrew name "forces into
* Coleridge's Remains, iv. p. 226.
† Blunt, Duties of the Parish Priest, Lect. II. p. 41.
xx PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.
prominence
its local and national character." On the contrary,
if
we are to read the Old Testament with anything like discern-
ing
appreciation, if we are not to confound the New Testament
with
the Old, as the majority of ancient Commentators and
a
large number of modern Commentators do, thus effacing
altogether,
as far as in them lies, the progressive character of
Revelation,
we shall be anxious to retain all that is distinctive
and
characteristic in the earlier Scriptures, that we may give
to
each portion its proper value. We shall not wish to efface
a
single character by which God helps us the better to trace
His
footsteps, but shall thankfully remember that He who
"in
many portions and in many manners spake to the fathers
by
the prophets, hath in these last days spoken to us in
a
Son."
Having said so much on this subject
of translation, I will
venture
to add a few words on the proposed revision of our
Authorized
Version.
It appears to me a matter of real
congratulation to the
Church
that such a revision has at length been seriously
entertained
by Convocation. I do not share the feelings of
those
who look upon any attempt to correct manifest errors
with
dislike and apprehension. Indeed the objectors have in
this
instance suffered their fears very grossly to exaggerate
the
evil against which they protest. Nothing surely can be
more
moderate, or more cautiously framed, than the language
of
the resolution adopted by the Southern Province in Con-
vocation.
They only advise that those passages in the
Authorized
Version should be amended "where plain and
clear
errors . . . . shall on due investigation be found to
exist."
Yet it has been assumed, by nearly every writer
and
speaker who is opposed to revision, that revision is
equivalent
to reconstruction. It has been assumed that a
Commission
would not leave of the existing structure one
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. xxi
stone
upon another—would scarcely even make use of the
stones
of the old building for the construction of the new. The
whole
strength of the objectors' case rests on this assumption.
Yet,
even setting aside the distinct avowal of the resolution
to
the contrary, scholars and men of taste and judgement are
not
likely to agree together to be guilty of any such ruthless
demolition.
The probability is that among those to whom
the
task of revision would be entrusted, there would be found
many
men whose veneration for our Authorized Version is
quite
as great, and quite as intelligent, as that of those who
object
to any alteration. Men of this kind would not be for
rash
and hasty corrections, or for trivial emendations. They
would
not suffer wanton injury to be done. They would
religiously
preserve the fine old diction, the mother idiom, the
grace
and the strength of the existing Version. These are
too
precious a heritage, they would feel, to be lightly sacri-
ficed.
Keeping close to the terms of the Resolution, they
would
only give a true rendering to passages which have
undoubtedly been wrongly
translated.
With the overthrow of this
assumption, all the other argu-
ments
against revision lose their force. It has been said, for
instance,
that the specimens of new translations which have
lately
appeared are not such as to hold out any prospect of
improvement
in the new Version. They may be more literal,
but
they are less idiomatic than the Authorized Translation.
But
it is one thing for an individual to put forth a translation
which
he believes gives the nearest and most literal rendering
of
a book; it is another thing to revise an existing transla-
tion.
In the former case, the utmost liberty may be claimed
in
the latter, the work has its own obvious limitations. The
difference
is the difference between the architect who builds
a
new church as a rival to the old, or with the view of
securing
some particular advantages, acoustic properties for
xxii PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.
instance,
which the old did not possess, and the architect who
restores
an ancient and glorious cathedral, removing only
defects
and scrupulously preserving all its characteristic
features.
So, again, with regard to the
objection that the new Version
would
not gain universal acceptance, as that of 1611 has done;
this
surely depends upon the manner of its execution. No
doubt
even those comparatively few and moderate corrections
which
alone are designed would at first be regarded with
some
suspicion, especially because, as the Bishop of St. David's
pointed
out, clergymen and Dissenting ministers would
thereby
be robbed of some of their favourite texts, No doubt
there
would be some sharp criticism of the work. But if
learned
men of all parties, Nonconformists as well as Church-
men,
are associated in the revision, and if the revision is wisely
and
carefully made within the assigned limits, there seems no
very
obvious reason why the new book should not find accept-
ance
gradually, and eventually supersede the old. If it did
not,
it would fall by its own demerits, and no amount of
"authority"
would ensure its success.
The limitation of the revision to
"plain and clear errors,"
does
away also with the objection, of which so much
has
been made, that the faith of the ignorant would be
unsettled
if they were led to suppose that what they had
been
accustomed to receive as the word of God, was not the
word
of God. This is precisely the kind of argument which
would
have stopped the Reformation. And the objectors
seem
to forget that the mischief they apprehend is already
done,
when ministers of religion give, as they often do, cor-
rections
of the existing Version in their pulpits, and when
designing
men lay hold of manifest mistranslation as an
instrument
whereby to shake the faith of the multitude in
the
Bible.
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION xxiii
One
more objection only I shall notice. It has been
argued
that no essential doctrine would be affected by the
change,
and that therefore the change is not worth the risk
which
it entails. Those who rely most on this argument
are
the very last who ought to make it. For though it may
be
quite true that no doctrine of importance would be
touched,
yet holding, as they do, that "all Scripture is
given
by inspiration of God," they ought to hold that its
exact
sense is everywhere of importance. But I am not
prepared
to admit the allegation in all its breadth. There
are
passages in our Bible where great truths are at least
grievously
obscured by a wrong translation. Take, for in-
stance,
that very striking prophecy* in the latter part of the
eighth
and the beginning of the ninth chapter of the Prophet
Isaiah.
Perhaps there is no more, remarkable prophecy in
the
Bible; yet it is worse than obscure as it stands in our
Authorized
Version. The sense given in the Authorized
Version
is even the exact opposite of the true sense. The
prophecy
ceases to be a prophecy at all. The prophet had
been
speaking of a thick darkness which should settle upon
the
land. Men in their perplexity, instead of seeking
counsel
of God and His Word (viii. 19, 20), were seeking to
necromancers
and to "wizards that chirp"
(E. V. peep, i.e.
pipe
like birds, the Latin pipiare), and
that mutter. The
inevitable
result was a yet more terrible hopelessness.
"And they shall pass along
hardly bestead and hungry; and it shall
come
to pass that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves,
and
they shall curse their king and their God; and they shall look
upward,
and they shall look to the earth, and behold trouble and anguish,
and
distressful gloom. But the darkness is driven away. For there shall
no
more be gloom where there was vexation. As in the former time He
lightly
esteemed the
* This is the passage to which the
Bishop of Llandaff referred in his
speech
in Convocation.
xxiv PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.
latter
time He hath made her glorious by the way of the sea, beyond
have
seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of
death,
upon them hath the light shined. Thou hast multiplied the nation,
Thou
hast increased their joy: they joy before Thee according to the
joy
in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For Thou
hast
broken the yoke of his burden and the staff (laid upon) his shoulder,
the
rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian. For every greave of
the
greaved warrior in the battle-tumult, and the garment* rolled in
blood,
shall be for burning, for fuel of fire. For a child is born unto us,
a
Son is given unto us; and the government shall be upon His shoulder,
and
His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Father
of
Eternity,† Prince of Peace."
I have purposely abstained from any
needless departure
here
from the Authorized Version. I have only corrected
“plain
and clear errors.”
The alterations which I have made in
the above passage
are
such as I believe, with one exception (that at the end
of
viii. 22, "but the darkness is driven away"), would be
accepted
by all Hebrew scholars. And I would ask any
one
who recollects that this important passage is read every
Christmas-day
in the ears of the people, and who has felt
how
impossible it is to extract any intelligible sense from it,
whether
the mere correction of acknowledged errors would
not
be an immense boon, whether it would not make at least
one
great prophecy concerning Christ shine with tenfold
brightness?
Are such corrections valueless? Would any
injury
or any loss follow from them? If not, is it not at
least
worth while to make the trial, to see whether we can
improve
without injuring our Authorized Version?
Since
the first edition of this volume was published,
several
works have appeared in
* Properly, the soldier's cloak.
† Or perhaps, "Father of the
age to come," or "Author of a new
dispensation."
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. xxv
less
directly on the interpretation of the Psalms. Bishop
Wordsworth's
Commentary is well known. It keeps to
the
beaten
track of ancient exposition. The Psalms
by Four
Friends is a fresh and
suggestive contribution to the litera-
ture
of the subject. But it is impossible not to feel some re-
gret
that men who have done their work in other respects
so
well should have followed so arbitrary an authority as
Ewald
in his chronological arrangement. The Rev. Charles
learning
and ability many of the questions connected with
the
interpretation of the Messianic Psalms and the Psalms
of
Imprecation. Still more recently, Dr. Binnie of
has
published a work on the Psalms, in which he discusses
their
history and poetical structure, their theology, and their
use
in the Church. In his chapters on the theology of the
Psalms,
he maintains the most commonly received views
respecting
the Messiah, a future life, the imprecations, &c.,
but
he handles these subjects with learning and moderation.
I
must not omit to add to these works, Professor Plumptre's
volume
of Biblical Studies, in which he has
republished
a
very interesting paper on "the Psalms of the Sons of
Korah."
I have had so little leisure for the
revision of my own
volume
that I have not been able to make all the use of
these
different works which I could have desired. But I
am
indebted to them as well as to many correspondents,
known
and unknown, for valuable suggestions, which per-
haps
at some future time I may be able to turn to better
account.
ST.
DAVID'S COLLEGE, LAMPETER,
March 14, 1870.
PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION
THIS work is designed to be a
contribution to the study
of
the Old Testament. In preparing it for the press, I have
kept
before me the wants of two classes of readers: those
who
have, and those who have not, an acquaintance with the
original
text; and I am led to hope that thus the Commentary
will
be more widely useful than if it had been merely popular
on
the one hand, or exclusively critical on the other.
It will be seen, that I have
endeavoured to accomplish
three
things.
I. In the first place, I have given
a new translation of the
Psalms,
which it has been my object to make as faithful
and
as accurate as possible, at the same time that I have
sought
to avoid rather than to imitate that punctiliousness
of
rendering which, especially among our Commentators on
the
New Testament, has been so much in fashion of late.
In
many instances, this too scrupulous accuracy is so far
from
helping to the better understanding of an author, that
it
has exactly the reverse effect. The idiom of the English
language
is sacrificed to the idiom of the Greek; and nothing
whatever
is gained by the sacrifice. What is supposed to be
xxviii PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.
extreme
accuracy is, in fact, nothing but extreme inelegance.
The
consequence is, that the hybrid English, which is designed
to
represent the Greek so exactly, stands bald and ragged,
in
the garb of a beggar as well as a foreigner, and fails to
convey
any intelligible idea at all, unless it be to a reader
who
already is acquainted with the Greek. The Old Testa-
ment
has not as yet been subjected, to the same extent, to
this
starving, denaturalizing process, though it has not alto-
gether
escaped. Indeed, it would be no difficult matter to
cite
passages from recent English translations, rendered
evidently
with the greatest care and apparent fidelity to the
original,
which are wanting in all the essentials of a good
translation,
having neither rhythm, nor force, nor elegance.
I
am not so presumptuous as to assert that where others have
failed,
I have succeeded. I can only say I have striven to
the
utmost to produce a faithful but not a servile translation.
Perhaps
it is hardly necessary to add, that a new translation
implies
no disparagement to our Authorized Version. To
the
many excellences of that Version, no one can be more
alive
than I am: the more it is studied, the more these
will
be appreciated; the more its noble simplicity, its unap-
proachable
grandeur, its rhythmic force of expression will be
felt.
But it is obvious that, since the time when it was made,
our
knowledge of the grammar of the Hebrew language, of
the
structure of Hebrew poetry, and of many other subjects
tending
to the elucidation of the sacred text, has been largely
increased.
A modern interpreter is bound to avail himself
of
these new stores of knowledge, and may reasonably hope
to
produce, at least in some passages, a more accurate ren-
dering
of the Hebrew than that which our translators have
adopted.
But, as a rule, I have not needlessly departed from
the
sound English of our Authorized Version. Two or three
words
not used by our translators, such as the verb "to
PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. xxix
seize,"
and the noun "sympathy,"* I
have ventured to employ
where
they seemed to me, in the particular passage, most
exactly
to convey the meaning of the original words. I have
also
adhered more closely than is usual in the English
Version,
to the order of the words in the Hebrew, because
in
many instances, as might be expected in a language so
antithetical
in its structure, the special force of certain words
is
thus maintained, or some delicate shade of meaning more
clearly
brought out, which would otherwise be lost. How far
the
attempt thus made has been successful, it is for others
to
judge.
II. In the next place, I have
endeavoured by means of
Introductions
to the several Psalms, and by Explanatory
Notes,
to convey to the English reader a true idea of the
scope
and meaning of each. Here I have availed myself of
the
best Commentaries, ancient and modern. I have used
them
freely, but have laid it down as a rule to express my
obligations,
and to give the name of the writer from whom
I
have borrowed. If in some few instances I may have
neglected
to observe this rule, it has not been done inten-
tionally.
From the Fathers I have gleaned but little, their
style
of exposition being such as to lead them to disregard
the
literal sense, and to seek for mystical and allegorical
interpretations.
For the first true exposition of Scripture, of
the
Old Testament more especially, we must come to the
time
of the Reformation. Here, Luther and Calvin hold the
foremost
place, each having his peculiar excellence. Luther,
in
his own grand fearless way, always goes straight to the
heart
of the matter. He is always on the look-out for some
great
principle, some food for the spiritual life, some truth
* Both of these words are good old
English words, and used by our
best
writers. The first is as old as R. of Gloucester, the second as early
at
least as Spenser. Shakespeare's is "condolement."
xxx PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.
which
can be turned to practical account. He is pre-
eminently
what in modern phrase would be called subjective,
as
a commentator. Every word of Scripture seems to him
instinct
with life and meaning for himself and his own imme-
diate
circumstances. But on that very account he not unfre-
quently
misses the proper and original force of a passage,
because
he is so intent on a personal application; not to
mention
that he cannot always shake himself free of the
allegorical
cobwebs of patristic interpretation. They still
cling
to the mane of the lion, who in his strength has trodden
down
the thicket.
Calvin, on the other hand, may
justly be styled the great
master
of exegesis. He is always careful to ascertain as
exactly
as possible the whole meaning and
scope of the
writer
on whom he comments. In this respect his critical
sagacity
is marvellous, and quite unrivalled. He keeps close,
moreover,
to the sure ground of historical interpretation, and,
even
in the Messianic Psalms, always sees a first reference to
the
actual circumstances of the writer. Indeed, the view
which
he constantly takes of such Psalms would undoubtedly
expose
him to the charge of Rationalism, were he now alive.
In
many parts of the Forty-fifth Psalm he boldly denies any
Messianic
meaning at all. In expounding the Seventy-
second,
he warns us against a sophistical application of words
to
Christ, which do not properly belong to Him. In writing
on
the Fortieth Psalm, he ventures to suggest, that the quo-
tation
from it in the Epistle to the Hebrews is not made
in
accordance with the genuine sense of the passage as it
stands
in the Psalm. I quote these things simply to show
what
has been said by a man who, though of course a
damnable
heretic in the eyes of the Church of Rome, is by
a
considerable section of our own Church regarded as a high
and
weighty authority. Even Luther is not guilty of those
PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. xxxi
forced
and unreal expositions which, it is to be feared, are now
becoming
common. In writing on the Twentieth Psalm, he
says: "This Psalm almost all expounds of
Christ. But such
an
exposition appears to me to be too far-fetched to be called
literal."
Calvin's method of interpretation, in this and similar
instances,
will be abundantly evident to any one who will
read
the following Commentary, where I have constantly
and
largely quoted from him. In some cases, as in the
Seventeenth
Psalm, where he denies all reference to a future
life,
I have felt constrained to differ from him: in others, as
in
the Imprecatory Psalms, I have thought that he hardly
carries
out his own principles consistently. But of the
general
soundness of his principles of exegesis, where he is
not
under the influence of doctrinal prejudices—as, indeed,
he
rarely is in his Commentary on the Psalms—I am
thoroughly
convinced. He is the prince of commentators.
He
stands foremost among those who, with that true courage
which
fears God rather than man, have dared to leave the
narrow
grooves and worn ruts of a conventional theology
and
to seek truth only for itself. It is well to study the
writings
of this great man, if only that we may learn how
possible
it is to combine soundness in the faith with a
method
of interpretation varying even in important par-
ticulars
from that commonly received. Nothing, I be-
lieve,
is so likely to beget in us a spirit of enlightened
liberality,
of Christian forbearance, of large-hearted mode-
ration,
as the careful study of the history of doctrine
and
the history of interpretation. We shall then learn
how
widely good men have differed in all ages, how much
of
what we are apt to think essential truth is not essential,
and,
without holding loosely what we ourselves believe to
be
true, we shall not be hasty to condemn those who differ
from
us.
xxxii PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.
Amongst more modern Commentators, I
am indebted
chiefly
to the Germans. The valuable works of De Wette,
Tholuck,
Stier, Delitzsch, Ewald, Hupfeld, and Bunsen, I
have
always consulted with advantage.* Ewald
is very often
arbitrary,
no doubt, and with many of his conclusions I am
quite
unable to agree but his intuitive faculty is admirable,
and
much may be learnt from him, even where I, with others,
may
deem him most at fault. He holds deservedly a high
position,
but he would hold a higher, were he less severe and
unjust
in his condemnation of those who differ from him.
Hupfeld's
Commentary is the most exhaustive that has yet
appeared,
and, in point of grammatical analysis, by far the
most
masterly. Indeed, I know of none, on any part of the
Old
Testament, at all to be compared to it in these respects.
Delitzsch
represents a different school both of grammatical
interpretation
and of theology. He has a very extensive
acquaintance
with Talmudical and Rabbinical lore, and leans
to
the Jewish expositors. In depth and spiritual insight, as
well
as in the full recognition of the Messianic element in the
Psalms,
he is far before dither of the others. The laborious
dulness
of Hengstenberg renders it a tedious task to read his
Commentary;
and the English translation makes matters ten
times
worse.† The notes in Bunsen's Bibelwerk are, as a
rule,
excellent; in many instances where I have ventured to
dissent
from Hupfeld, I have had the pleasure of finding
* No candid reader of this volume
will, I hope, be left in doubt how
far
I agree, or disagree, with writers who differ so widely from one
another
as some of those just named. But to lay down exactly here the
theological
position of each of these writers would be a difficult and
delicate
task, and one to which I do not feel I am called.
† I give two specimens taken at
random. "By the lowly is to be
understood
such a person, as at the time feels his lowliness; as also under
the
proud, he who is such in his own eyes, are to be thought of."—Vol. iii.
p.
489. "The hero David, the deforcer
of the lion, and the conqueror of
Goliath."—Ibid. xix.
PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. xxxiii
myself
supported by Bunsen in my rendering of a passage.
It
is a matter of deep regret that the illustrious author did
not
live to witness the completion of a work in which his
learning
and his piety both shine so brightly, and which he
had
so greatly at heart.*
English expositors who have preceded
me on the same
path,
have not, I hope, been overlooked. Bishop Horne's
Commentary,
the notes of Hammond and Horsley, the work
of
the Rev. G. Phillips (now President of Queen's College,
more
or less directly bearing on the interpretation of the
Psalms,
have been consulted.† Dean Alford, in
his Com-
mentary
on the Epistle to the Hebrews, has everywhere
recognised
and maintained, as it seems to me, the soundest
principles
of interpretation with reference to the Psalms,
more
especially the Messianic Psalms, and it is only to be
regretted
that this able expositor has not devoted some of
that
time and those energies to the elucidation of the Old
Testament,
which, in their devotion to the New, have already
borne
noble fruit. And here I cannot refrain from expressing
my
wish that our great English scholars had not been so
exclusively
occupied with the criticism and interpretation of
* In many things I differ materially
from Bunsen, nor do I appear as
the
advocate of all his theological views; but of this I am sure, that in
England
he has been greatly misunderstood and misrepresented: and I
cannot
refrain from expressing my admiration of one who, amidst the
anxious
demands of public duties, could find time for the prosecution of
studies
as manifold and various as they were important, and who to the
splendour
of vast attainments, and the dignity of a high position, added
the
better glory of a Christian life.
† The Notes which accompany the
Tract Society's Paragraph Bible
deserve
high commendation. They are brief, and to the point, and,
without
any affectation of learning, often give the correct sense of difficult
passages.
An unpretending, but useful little volume, has also been
published
by Mr. Ernest Hawkins, containing annotations on the Prayer-
Book
Version.
xxxiv PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.
the
New Testament, to the comparative neglect of the Old.*
The
contrast between ourselves and the leading German com-
mentators
is, in this respect, very remarkable. In
those
who have been most successful in their elucidation of
the
Greek text of the New Testament, have, in most cases,
come
to it well furnished and equipped with Hebrew lore,
De
Wette, Bleek, Tholuck, Umbreit, Stier, Delitzsch, and
others,
to whom we owe some of the most valuable com-
mentaries
on the Gospels and Epistles, are men who have
interpreted,
with no less ability and success, various portions
of
the Old Testament; and it is impossible not to feel how
materially
their familiarity with the latter has assisted them
in
their exposition of the former. To Bleek and Delitzsch
we
are indebted for the two most thorough and exhaustive
commentaries
which have yet been written on the Epistle to
the
Hebrews. A glance at Dean Alford's volume will show,
what
it is no disparagement to him to remark, how largely
he
has borrowed from their accumulated treasures. Of that
Epistle,
perhaps more than any other portion of the New
Testament,
it may be safely said that it cannot be understood
without
a profound and accurate knowledge of the Penta-
teuch,
the Psalms, and the Prophets. But the same remark
* This is a reproach which is not
likely to attach to us much longer.
Dr. Pusey has already led the way in his
elaborate Commentary on the
Minor
Prophets, a work full of erudition. We are also promised a
Commentary
on the whole Bible, under the editorship of the Rev. F. C.
Cook,
which is intended to convey to English readers the results of the
most
recent investigations into the criticism and interpretation of the
sacred
text. There is no lack of scholarship in England fully equal to
such
a task. Such accomplished scholars as the Deans of St. Paul's and
Westminster,
Mr. Grove, Mr. Plumptre, and many of the contributors to
Smith's
Dictionary of the Bible, have already
cast a flood of light on the
history,
geography, antiquities, &c. of the Old Testament. The Bishop
of
Ely, in his Lectures on the Pentateuch
and the Elohistic Psalms, and
Mr.
Pritchard, in his reply to Bishop Colenso, have given further and
abundant
proof that the criticism of the Old Testament is no unknown
field
to our English divines.
PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.
xxxv
holds
good of the other Books. As both Testaments were
given
by inspiration of the same Spirit; as both speak one
truth,
though in divers manners and under different aspects,
it
is obvious that the more complete our understanding of
the
one, the more complete also will be our understanding
of
the other.
III. Lastly, I have appended a
series of notes, in which I
have
discussed the criticism of the text, the various readings,
the
grammatical difficulties, and other matters of interest
rather
to the scholar than to the general reader. These have
been
placed separately, for the most part, at the end of each
Psalm,
in order not to embarrass those who know nothing of
Hebrew.
Here, as indeed in the notes
generally, it will be seen that
I
have been fuller in the later Psalms than in the earlier.
The
reason for this is, that I had at one time hoped to finish
the
whole work in the compass of one volume, a design which
I
was afterwards compelled to abandon. But I trust that in
no
instance has any essential point been overlooked. For
the
ordinary grammatical rules and constructions, the lexicon
and
grammar must be consulted; I have only handled those
more
exceptional cases which present 'some real difficulty,
verbal,
textual, or grammatical.
The critical aids of which I have
availed myself are the
following:
I. The well-known collections of
Kennicott and De Rossi,
whence
the various readings of the principal MSS. have been
gathered.
These various readings are, unhappily, of com-
paratively
little value in ascertaining the true text of the
Hebrew
Bible, as none of the MSS. are of any high antiquity.
A
useful digest will be found in Dr. Davidson's Revision of
the Hebrew Text of the
Old Testament.
xxxvi PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.
2. The Versions. The text of the
LXX. which I have
followed
is that of Tischendorf's last edition. For the other
Greek
versions, Montfaucon's edition of Origen's Hexapla
has
been used.
The Chaldee, Arabic, and Syriac
versions have been con-
sulted
in Walton's Polyglot, and the last also in Dathe's
edition
of the Syriac Psalter. For Jerome's versions I have
used
Migne's edition, and for the Vulgate the small Paris
edition
of 1851. I have also made use of the Anglo-Saxon
version,
and the ancient Latin version which accompanies it,
which
were edited by Thorpe.
Besides these, I have constantly had
before me the versions
of
Luther, Diodati, Mendelssohn, Zunz, and others.
To these aids I must add Furst's Concordance, and the
Thesaurus of Gesenius, both of
them wonderful monuments
of
learning and industry. The grammars which I have used
are
those of Gesenius, the English edition by Davidson, based
on
the sixteenth German edition (Bagster, 1852); and Ewald's
Lehrbuch, 6te
Auflage, 1855. The commentaries already re-
ferred
to, especially those of Hupfeld and Delitzsch, have
assisted
me materially here, as well as Reinke's on the Mes-
sianic
Psalms. I have also found Maurer and De Wette of
service,
more so, indeed, critically than exegetically: Hitzig
and
Olshausen I only know at second-hand.
To three friends I am under great
personal obligation: to
the
Rev. J. G. Mould, formerly Fellow and Tutor of Corpus
formerly
Fellow of St. John's College [now Savilian Pro-
fessor
of Astronomy in the
valuable
suggestions; and to Mr. W. Aldis Wright, the
learned
librarian of
a
great part of the work. I am only sorry that the earlier
PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION, xxxvii
sheets
had been printed before he saw them, and contain
therefore
many more inaccuracies, I fear, than the later.
Thus I have explained what I have
done, or, rather, what
I
have attempted to do. Many faults there must be; but, to
quote
the words of Calvin, “Even if I have not succeeded
to
the full extent of my endeavours, still the attempt itself
merits
some indulgence; and all I ask is, that each, according
to
the advantage he shall himself derive therefrom, will be an
impartial
and candid judge of my labours.”
Among the students of Hebrew in
to
me to think that I may count many of my former and
present
pupils, many who have heard from me in the lecture-
room
of King's College,
Lampeter,
the explanations and the criticisms which I have
here
placed in a more permanent form. I cannot help in-
dulging
the hope that they will welcome the book as coming
from
one who can never cease to feel the liveliest interest in
all
that concerns them. It would be no common gratification
to
me to know that it had served in some instances, perhaps,
to
continue a work which I had begun, or had even revived a
study
which the pressure of a busy life had compelled some
of
them to lay aside.
And now I commit to the Great Head
of the Church this
attempt
to interpret some portion of His Holy Word, humbly
beseeching
Him to grant that it may bring forth fruit to His
glory
and the edification of His Church.
Truth has been my one object, I can
truly say, mindful, I
hope,
that truth can only be attained through "the heavenly
illumination
of the Holy Ghost." Yet I would not forget
what
Luther has so beautifully said, that none can hope to
understand
for himself or teach to others the full meaning of
every
part of the Psalms. It is enough for us if we under-
stand
it in part. "Many things doth the Spirit reserve to
xxxviii PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.
Himself
that He may ever keep us as His scholars, many
things
He doth but show to allure us, many more He
teacheth
to affect us; and as Augustine hath admirably said,
No
one hath ever so spoken as to be understood by every one
in
every particular, much more doth the Holy Ghost Himself
alone
possess the full understanding of all His own words.
Wherefore
I must honestly confess, that I know not whether
I
possess the full and proper (ligitimam)
understanding of
the
Psalms or not, though I doubt not that that which I give
is
in itself true. For all that
Athanasius,
Hilary, Cassiodorus, and others, have written on
the
Psalter is very true, though sometimes as far as possible
from
the literal meaning. . . . One fails in one thing, another
in
another . . . others will see what I do not. What then
follows,
but that we should help one another, and make
allowances
for those who err, as knowing that we either have
erred,
or shall err, ourselves, . . . I know that he must be a
man
of most shameless hardihood who would venture to give
it
out that he understands a single book of Scripture in all
its
parts: nay, who would venture to assume that one Psalm
has
ever been perfectly understood by any one? Our life
is
a beginning and a setting out, not a finishing; he is best,
who
shall have approached nearest to the mind of the
Spirit."*
March 1, 1864.
*
Luther, Praef. in Operationes in Psalmos.
[Tom. xiv. p. 9. Ed.
Irmischer.]
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER I.
PAGE
DAVID
AND THE LYRIC POETRY OF THE HEBREWS 1
CHAPTER II.
THE
USE OF THE PSALTER IN THE CHURCH AND BY INDIVIDUALS 22
CHAPTER III.
THE
THEOLOGY OF THE PSALMS 41
CHAPTER IV.
THE
POSITION, NAMES, DIVISION, AND PROBABLE ORIGIN AND
FORMATION
OF THE PSALTER 70
CHAPTER V.
THE
INSCRIPTIONS OF THE PSALMS 84
THE PSALMS.
BOOK I.
PSALMS
I.- XLI 107-344
BOOK II.
PSALMS
XLII.—LXXII 347—576
BOOK OF PSALMS
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER I.
DAVID
AND THE LYRIC POETRY OF THE HEBREWS.
THE
Poetry of the Hebrews is mainly of two kinds,
lyrical
and didactic. They have no epic, and no drama.
Dramatic
elements are to be found in many of their odes,
and
the Book of Job and the Song of Songs have some-
times
been called Divine dramas; but dramatic poetry, in
the
proper sense of that term, was altogether unknown to
the
Israelites. The remains of their lyric poetry which
have
been preserved--with one marked exception, the
Lament
of David over Saul and Jonathan—are almost
entirely
of a religious character, and were designed chiefly
to
be set to music, and to be sung in the public services of
the
sanctuary. The earliest specimen of purely, lyrical
poetry
which we possess is the Song of Moses on the
overthrow
of Pharaoh in the
expression
of a nation's joy at being delivered, by the
outstretched
arm of Jehovah, from the hand of their
oppressors.
It is the grandest ode to liberty which was
ever
sung. And it is this, because its homage is rendered,
not
to some ideal spirit of liberty, deified by a people in
the
moment of that passionate and frantic joy which
follows
the successful assertion of their independence, but
because
it is a thanksgiving to Him who is the one only
Giver
of Victory and of Freedom. Both in form and
spirit
it possesses the same characteristics which stamp
all
the later Hebrew poetry. Although without any
2 DAVID AND THE LYRIC
regular
strophical division, it has the chorus, "Sing ye to
Jehovah,
for He hath triumphed gloriously," &c.; it was
sung
evidently in antiphonal measure, chorus answering to
chorus
and voice to voice; it was sung accompanied by
dancing,
and to the music of the maidens playing upon
the
timbrels. Such is its form. In its spirit, it is like all
the
national songs of the people, a hymn sung to the glory
of
Jehovah. No word celebrates the prowess of the armies
of
is
become glorious in power; Thy right hand, O Jehovah,
hath
dashed in pieces the enemy." Thus it commemorates
that
wonderful victory, and thus it became the pattern
after
which all later odes of victory were written. The
people
from whom such poetry could spring, at so early
a
period of their history, could not have been the rude
ignorant
horde which some writers delight to represent
them;
they must have made large use of Egyptian culture,
and,
in these respects, in poetry and music, must have far
surpassed
their Egyptian masters.
Some fragments of poetry belong to
the narrative of the
wanderings
in the wilderness. One of these (Num. xxi.
14,
15), too obscure in its allusions to be quite intelligible
now,
is quoted from a book called "The Book of the Wars
of
Jehovah," which was probably a collection of ballads
and
songs, composed on different occasions by the watch-
fires
of the camp, and, for the most part, in commemoration
of
the victories of the Israelites over their enemies. Another
is
the little carol first sung at the digging of the well in the
plains
of
monly
used by those who came to draw water. Bright,
fresh,
and sparkling it is, as the waters of the well itself.
The
maidens of
another,
line by line, as they toiled at the bucket, and thus
beguiled
their labour. "Spring up, O well!" was the
burden
or refrain of the song, which would pass from one
mouth
to another, at each fresh coil of the rope, till the full
bucket
reached the well's mouth.*
* See the article on the Book of
NUMBERS, in Smith's Dictionary
of
the Bible,
vol. ii. p.583.
POETRY OF THE HEBREWS.
3
The
Blessing of the High Priest (Num. vi. 24-26), and
the
chants which were the signal for the
when
the people journeyed, and for it to rest when they
were
about to encamp, are also cast in the form of poetry.
But
these specimens, interesting as they are in themselves
and
from the circumstances which gave birth to them, are
brief
and fugitive. A far grander relic of that time has
survived.
The Ninetieth Psalm is "The Prayer of Moses
the
Man of God," written evidently towards the close of
the
forty years' wandering in the desert. It is touched
with
the profound melancholy of one who had seen his
dearest
hopes disappointed, who had endured trials of no
common
kind, who had buried his kindred in the desert,
who
had beheld the people that he led out of
smitten
down by the heavy wrath of God, who came to
the
borders of the Promised Land, looked upon it, but was
not
suffered to enter therein. It is the lofty expression of
a
faith purified by adversity, of a faith which, having seen
every
human hope destroyed, clings with the firmer grasp
to
Him of whom it can say, "From everlasting to ever-
lasting
Thou art God." This Psalm is like the pillar of
fire
and of a cloud which led the march of
is
both dark and bright. It is darkness as it looks, in
sorrowful
retrospect, upon man; it is light as it is turned,
in
hope and confidence, to God.
During the stormy period which
followed the first
occupation
of
cultivated.
Yet it would be a mistake, as Dean Milman
has
pointed out,* to conclude that the whole period from
Joshua
to Samuel was a period of
"alternate slavery and
bloody
struggles for independence," or that, during the
greater
part of it, the Israelites were subject to foreign
oppression.
Such seems by no means to have been the
case.
The wars of the time were wars, not of the whole
people,
but of the several tribes with their immediate
neighbours.
The conflicts were confined to a very limited
area;
and out of a period of about four hundred and sixty
* History
of the Jews, vol. i. p. 219 (2d edition). See also Mr.
Drew's
Scripture Studies, p. 143.
4
DAVID
AND THE LYRIC
years,
more than three hundred were, it may be inferred
from
the silence of the narrative, years of peace and
prosperity.
The struggles for independence, however,
which
did take place, were such as roused the national
spirit
in an extraordinary degree: it was the age of heroes;
and
the victory, in one instance at least, was commemorated
in
a poem worthy of the occasion. Of the song of Deborah
Dean
Milman says: "The solemn religious commencement,
the
picturesque description of the state of the country,
the
mustering of the troops from all quarters, the sudden
transition
to the most contemptuous sarcasm against the
tribes
that stood aloof, the life, fire, and energy of the
battle,
the bitter pathos of the close—lyric poetry has
nothing
in any language which can surpass the boldness
and
animation of this striking production."
But the great era of lyric poetry
begins with David.
Born
with the genius of a poet, and skilled in music, he
had
already practised his art whilst he kept his father's
sheep
on the hills of
proficient
on the harp is evident from his having been sent
for
to charm away the evil spirit from Saul, in those fits of
gloomy
despondency and temporary derangement to which
that
unhappy king was subject. It is probable that he had
added
careful study to his natural gifts, for we find him
closely
associated with Samuel and his schools of prophets
—men
who, like himself, were both poets and musicians.
The
art which he had thus acquired, and thus carefully
studied,
was his solace through life. His harp was the
companion
of his flight from Saul and of his flight from
Absalom.
It was heard in the caves of Engedi, on the
broad
uplands of Mahanaim, on the throne of
have
songs of his which date from all periods of his life;
from
the days of his shepherd youth to his old age, and
within
a short time of his death. Both his life and his
character
are reflected in his poetry. That life, so full of
singular
vicissitudes, might of itself have formed the
subject
of an epic, and in any other nation but that of the
Hebrews
would certainly have been made the groundwork
of
a poem. It is a life teeming with romantic incidents,
POETRY OF THE HEBREWS. 5
and
those sudden turns of fortune which poets love to
describe.
The latter portion of his history, that which
begins
with his great crimes, and which traces step by step
their
fearful but inevitable chastisement, is itself a tragedy
—a
tragedy, in terror and pathos, equal to any which the
great
poets of the Grecian drama have left us, and, in
point
of human interest as well as Divine instruction,
incomparably
beyond them.
But the Poets of Israel did not make
their national
heroes,
however great, the subjects of their verse, or, if
they
did, no works of this kind have come down to us.
Designed
to be the great teachers of a pure faith to men,
chosen
of God to speak His words, to utter the yearnings
and
the hopes of men's hearts towards Him, they were not
suffered
to forget this their higher vocation, or, when they
did
forget it, their words perished. Even the fame of Solo-
mon
could not secure for his thousand and five songs,
which
were probably merely of a secular kind, the meed of
immortality.
Hence it is that we have no Hebrew Poems
on
the life of David; and hence also it is that the perils
and
adventures through which he passed are not described
in
David's songs as they would have been by more modern
poets.
We are often at a loss to know to what particular
parts
of his history, to what turns and circumstances of
his
fortunes, this or that Psalm is to be referred. Still it
is
impossible to read them and not to see that they are
coloured
by the reminiscences of his life. A Psalm of this
kind,
for instance, is the Twenty-third.* He who speaks
there
so beautifully of the care of God, under the figure of
a
shepherd, had known himself what it was to tend his
sheep—"to
make them lie down in green pastures," to lead
them
to the side of the brook which had not been dried up
by
the summer's sun. Another image in that Psalm we
can
hardly be wrong in conjecturing is borrowed from
personal
experience. It was scarcely a figure for David
to
speak of God as spreading a table for him "in the
*
Even Ewald
almost inclines to allow that this may have been a
Psalm
of David's, though his final verdict is in favour of a later,
though
not much later, poet.
6
DAVID AND THE LYRIC
presence
of his enemies." It was "in the presence of his
enemies
" that Barzillai and others brought their plentiful
provision
of "wheat, and barley, and flour, and parched corn,
and
beans, and lentiles, and parched pulse, and honey, and
butter,
and cheese of kine, for David, and for the people
that
were with him, to eat, when they were hungry, and
weary,
and thirsty in the wilderness." (2 Sam. xvii. 28, 29.)
Or take, again, the Eighteenth Psalm,
which we know
from
the express testimony of the history, as well as from
its
inscription, to be David's, and which is on all hands
admitted
to be his. How thickly sown it is with meta-
phors,
which, in his mouth, have a peculiar force and
beauty.
Such are the names by which he addresses God.
Thrice
he speaks of God as a rock: "Jehovah is my rock,
my
fortress, my buckler, the horn of my salvation, my
high
tower." And again, "Who is a rock, save our
God?"
And yet again, "Jehovah liveth, and blessed be
my
rock." How suitable are such epithets as coming
from
one who when hunted by Saul had so often taken
refuge
among the rocks and fastnesses, the almost inacces-
sible
crags and cliffs, of
swiftness
of foot, so he tells how God had made his feet
like
the feet of the hinds or gazelles, which he had so often
seen
bounding from crag to crag before his eyes, and had
set
him "upon high places" beyond reach of the hunter's
arrow.
To the same class of metaphors belong also others
in
the same Psalm: "Thy right hand hath holden me up,"
"Thou
hast made room for my steps under me, that my
ankles
have not slipt;" whilst the martial character of
the
whole is thoroughly in keeping with the entire tenor
of
David's life, who first, as captain of a band of outlaws,
lived
by his sword, and who afterwards, when he became
king,
was engaged in perpetual struggles either with foreign
or
with domestic enemies.
It would be easy to multiply
observations of this kind.
One
other feature of his poetry, as bearing upon our pre-
sent
subject, must not be overlooked. It is full of allusions
*
Ps. xviii. 1, 2. See also verses 30, 31, 46. Compare lxii. 2,
6,
7, where, in like manner, God is thrice called a rock.
POETRY OF THE HEBREWS. 7
to
sufferings, to distresses, to persecutions; it abounds with
complaints
of the faithlessness of friends, of the malice of
enemies,
of snares laid for his life; it tells of constant
perils
and wonderful deliverances. Such expressions might
naturally
have come from David's lips again and again.
But
they are general, not special. Saul is not mentioned,
nor
Doeg, nor Ahithophel, nor Shimei. Very rarely is
there
an allusion of which we can say with certainty that
it
connects itself with one particular event rather than with
another.
We have enough to convince us that the words
are
David's words, but not enough to tell us under what
pressure
of calamity, or by what joy of deliverance, they
were
called forth. Shepherd, courtier, outlaw, king, poet,
musician,
warrior, saint--he was all these; he is all these
in
his Psalms, yet we can lay our finger but upon one or
two
that seem to exhibit him in one of these characters
rather
than in another. The inference is obvious: the
Psalms
were designed not to be the record of a particular
life,
but to be the consolation and the stay of all those who,
with
outward circumstances widely different, might find in
them,
whether in sorrow or in joy, the best expression of
feelings
which they longed to utter.
But if the Poems of David throw
comparatively little
light
on the external circumstances under which they were
written,
they throw much upon his inner life. And here
their
value cannot be over-estimated. The notices of the
history,
indeed, leave us in no doubt as to the reality of
his
faith, the depth and sincerity of his piety. But the
Psalms
carry us further. By the help of these we see him,
as
we see but few men, his heart laid open in communion
with
God. We see the true man, in the deep humiliation
of
his repentance, in the invincible strength of his faith, in
that
cleaving to God in which he surpassed all others.
How
imperfect, if we had nothing but the narrative in the
Books
of Samuel to guide us, would be our knowledge of
that
saddest page in David's history, when "the man after
God's
own heart" became stained with the double crime of
adultery
and murder. We might have pictured to our-
selves,
indeed, the workings of a terrible remorse. We
8
DAVID AND THE LYRIC
might
have imagined how often, as he sat alone, his uneasy
thoughts
must have wandered to that grave beneath the
walls
of Rabbah, where the brave soldier whom he had
murdered
lay in his blood. We might have tried to fill up
with
words of confession and penitence and thanksgiving,
those
few syllables, "I have sinned," which are all the
history
records. But what a light is cast upon that long
period
of remorseful struggle not yet turned into godly
sorrow,
by those words in the Thirty-second Psalm:
"While
I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my
roaring
all the day, for Thy hand was heavy upon me day
and
night, and my moisture was turned into the drought of
summer."
What a keen, irrepressible sense of his crime in
that
cry in the Fifty-first: "Deliver me from bloodguilti-
ness,
O God, thou God of my salvation." What a know-
ledge
of sin not only in act, but in its bitter and hidden
root---a
sinful nature, in the acknowledgement, "Behold, in
iniquity
I was brought forth, and in sin did my mother
conceive
me." What a yearning for purity, for renewal,
for
conformity to the will of God, in that humble earnest
pleading,
"Create for me a clean heart, O God, and a
steadfast
spirit renew within me." What a clinging, as of
a
child to a father, in the prayer, "Cast me not away from
Thy
presence, and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me."
What
a sense of the joy of forgiveness and reconciliation,
when,
raised up again and restored, he says, "Blessed is he
whose
transgression is taken away, whose sin is covered.
Blessed
is the man to whom Jehovah reckoneth not iniquity,
and
in whose spirit there is no guile." It is confessions,
prayers,
vows, like those recorded in his Psalms, which
reveal
to us the true man, which help us better to
understand
him than many histories, many apologies.
But as David's life thus shines in his
poetry, so also does
his
character. That character was no common one. It
was
strong with all the strength of man, tender with all the
tenderness
of woman. Naturally brave, his courage was
heightened
and confirmed by that faith in God which
never,
in the worst extremity, forsook him. Naturally
warm-hearted,
his affections struck their roots deep into
POETRY OF THE HEBREWS.
9
the
innermost centre of his being. In his love for his
parents,
for whom he provided in his own extreme peril—
in
his love for his wife Michal—for his friend Jonathan,
whom
he loved as his own soul—for his darling Absalom,
whose
death almost broke his heart—even for the infant
whose
loss he dreaded,—we see the same man, the same
depth
and truth, the same tenderness of personal affection.
On
the other hand, when stung by a sense of wrong or
injustice,
his sense of which was peculiarly keen, he could
flash
out into strong words and strong deeds. He could
hate
with the same fervour that he loved. Evil men and
evil
things, all that was at war with goodness and with
God—for
these he found no abhorrence too deep, scarcely
any
imprecations too strong. Yet he was, withal, placable
and
ready to forgive. He could exercise a prudent self-
control,
if he was occasionally impetuous. His true cour-
tesy,
his chivalrous generosity to his foes, his rare delicacy,
his
rare self-denial, are all traits which present themselves
most
forcibly as we read his history. He is the truest of
heroes
in the genuine elevation of his character, no less than
in
the extraordinary incidents of his life. Such a man
cannot
wear a mask in his writings. Depth, tenderness,
fervour,
mark all his poems.
The Third Psalm, written, there can be
little doubt, as
the
title informs us, on his flight from Absalom, combines
many
traits:—his undaunted courage: "I laid me down
and
slept; I awaked; for Jehovah sustaineth me: I will
not
fear ten thousands of the people, who have set them-
selves
against me round about" (ver. 5:6); his strong
conviction
that he had right on his side, and that therefore
his
foes would be overthrown: "Thou has smitten all mine
enemies
on the cheekbone; Thou hast broken the teeth
of
the ungodly" (ver. 7); the generous prayer for his
misguided
subjects: "Thy blessing be upon Thy people"
(ver.
8).
So again, in the Fifth Psalm, what
burning words of
indignation
against the enemies of God and of His chosen:
"Punish
Thou them, O God; let them fall from their
counsels;
in the multitude of their transgressions cast them
10 DAVID AND THE LYRIC
away;
for they have rebelled against Thee" (ver. 10).
(Comp.
vii. 14-16.) In the Seventh, what a keen sense of
injury,
what a lofty, chivalrous spirit: "O Jehovah my
God,
if I have done this; if there be iniquity in my hands;
if
I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with
me;
(yea, rather, I have rescued him that without any
cause
was my enemy:) let the enemy persecute my soul,
and
take it; yea, let him tread down my life upon the
earth,
and make my glory abide in the dust" (ver. 3-5).
In
the Fifteenth, what a noble figure of stainless honour, of
the
integrity which can stand both before God and before
man!
In the Sixteenth (ver. 8-11), Seventeenth (ver. 8-15),
and
Eighteenth (ver. 1, 2), what deep personal affection
towards
God, an affection tender as it is strong, yet free
from
the sentimentalism which has so often degraded the
later
religious poetry of the Church!
One Psalm in particular exhibits with
singular beauty
and
truth both sides of David's character. It is the Sixty-
third.
The same tenderness of natural affection, the same
depth
of feeling, which breathes in every word of his elegy
upon
Jonathan, is here found chastened and elevated, as he
pours
out his soul towards God. It is the human heart
which
stretches out the arms of its affections, yearning,
longing
for the presence and love of Him who is more
precious
to it than life itself. This is the one side of the
Psalm.
The other is almost startling in the abruptness of
its
contrast, yet strikingly true and natural. It breathes
the
sternness, almost the fierceness, of the ancient warrior,
hard
beset by his enemies. From that lofty strain of
heavenly
musing with which the Psalm opens, he turns to
utter
his vow of vengeance against the traitors who are
leagued
against him; he triumphs in the prospect of their
destruction.
They shall perish, so he hopes, in his sight,
and
their carcases shall be the prey of jackals in the
wilderness.
I have lingered thus long upon David,
upon his character
and
his writings, because, in even a brief outline of Hebrew
poetry,
he, of necessity, occupies a foremost place, and
because
the Book of Psalms is almost identified with his
POETRY OF THE HEBREWS.
11
name.
Nor must it be forgotten, that he not only thus
personally
contributed more than any other individual to
the
great national collection of religious songs and hymns,
but
that he may be said to have founded a school of sacred
poetry
among the Jews. Asaph, Heman, and Ethan (or
Jeduthan)
whom he appointed as his three chief musicians,
were
all, it would appear, poets; the first of them so
famous
as to have reached to a position almost equal to
that
of David himself. Some of the Psalms, it is true,
which
go by his name could not have been written by him,
as
they bear manifest traces of later times. Others are,
with
more probability, ascribed to him. And these, the
Psalms
of the sons of Korah, and a few which are anony-
mous,
have many resemblances of thought and expression
to
those of David. He was the model after which they
copied;
his the fire which kindled theirs. So great a poet
inevitably
drew a host of others in his train.
Under Solomon, religious poetry
does not seem to have
flourished.
His own tastes and pursuits were of another
kind.
The Proverbs can scarcely be called poetry, except
that
they are cast in a rhythmical form. They are at least
only
the poetry of a sententious wisdom; they never rise
to
the height of passion. The earlier portions of the
Book
contain connected pieces of moral teaching, which
may
be styled didactic poems. In two passages especially
(iii.
13-20, viii. 22-31), where Wisdom is described, we
have
a still loftier strain. But there was no hand now to
wake
the echoes of the harp of David.* Lyric poetry had
yielded
to the wisdom of the mâshâl, the proverb, or
parable;
the age of reflection had succeeded to the age
of
passion, the calmness of manhood to the heat of youth.
Solomon
is said, indeed, as has already been remarked, to
have
written a thousand and five songs (1 Kings v. 12),
but
only two Psalms, according to their Hebrew titles, go
by
his name; and of these, one, the Seventy-second, may
*
Unless, indeed, we assume with Delitzsch that Psalm 1xxxviii.
which
is attributed to Heenan, and Psalm lxxxix. to Ethan, were written
in
the time of Solomon. From 1 Kings iv. 31 it may perhaps be
concluded
that Asaph was already dead.
12 DAVID AND THE LYRIC
perhaps
have been written by him: the other, the Hundred
and
Twenty-seventh, most probably is of much later date.
Besides these, two other of the
Poetical Books of the
Bible
have been commonly ascribed to Solomon. One
of
them bears his name, "The Song of Songs which is
Solomon's;"
the other, whether written by him or not,
represents
with singular truth and fidelity the various
phases
of a life like that of Solomon. But Ecclesiastes
is
not a Poem. It is the record of a long struggle with the
perplexities,
the doubts, the misgivings, which must beset
a
man of large experience and large wisdom, who tries to
read
the riddle of the world, before his heart has been
chastened
by submission, and his spirit elevated by trust
in
God. The Song of Songs is a graceful and highly-
finished
idyll. No pastoral poetry in the world was ever
written
so exquisite in its music, so bright in its enjoy-
ment
of nature, or presenting so true a picture of faithful
love.*
This is a Poem not unworthy to be called "the
Song
of Songs," as surpassing all others, but it is very
different
from the poetry of the Psalms.
From the days of Solomon till the
Captivity, the culti-
vation
of lyric poetry languished among the Hebrews,
with
two memorable exceptions. These were in the reigns
of
Jehoshaphat and Hezekiah. Both monarchs exerted
themselves
to restore the
for
the musical celebration of its services. To both, in
circumstances
of no common peril, were vouchsafed won-
derful
deliverances, which called forth hymns of praise
and
thanksgiving.+ Both were engaged in meritorious
efforts
for the promotion and cultivation of learning.
Jehoshaphat
appointed throughout his dominions public
instructors,
an institution similar, apparently, to that of
the
Corlovingian missi; Hezekiah, who has been termed
*
This is not the proper place to enter upon the question of the
religious
meaning of this Book: I am speaking of it simply as poetry.
But
I may say generally that I accept the interpretation of the poem
given
by Dr. Ginsburg in his valuable commentary. No objection can
be
made to that interpretation, on the score of the place that the
Book
occupies in the Canon, which would not apply equally to
Deborah's
Song, or to the Lament of David over Saul and Jonathan.
+
2 Chron. xx. 21, 29 ; xxix. 25, 30.
POETRY OF THE HEBREWS. 13
the
Pisistratus of the Hebrew history,* established a
society
of learned men (Prov. xxv. I), whose duty it was
to
provide for the collection and preservation of all the
scattered
remains of the earlier literature. To their pious
labours
we are doubtless indebted for many Psalms which
would
otherwise have perished. The arrangement of some
portion,
at least, of the present Psalter, it may reasonably
be
supposed, was completed under their superintendence.
Smaller
separate collections were combined into one; and
this
was enriched partly by the discovery of older hymns
and
songs, and partly by the addition of new.+ A fresh
impulse
was given to the cultivation of Psalmody. The
use
of the ancient sacred music was revived, and the king
commanded
that the Psalms of David and of Asaph
should
be sung, as of old time, in the
self
encouraged the taste for this kind of poetry by his
own
example. One plaintive strain of his, written on his
recovery
from sickness, has been preserved in the Book
of
the Prophet Isaiah (chap. xxxviii.). In some Latin
Psalters,
several Odes, supposed to belong to the time of
the
Assyrian invasion, have his name prefixed to them.
How far any of the Psalms found in
our existing collec-
tion
can be placed in the time of Jehoshaphat is doubtful;
on
this point critics are divided: but there can be no doubt
that
several are rightly assigned to the reign of Hezekiah.
Amongst
these are a number of beautiful poems by the
Korahite
singers. The Forty-second (and Forty-third)
and
Eighty-fourths Psalms were written, it has been con-
jectured++
by a Priest or Levite carried away into captivity
by
the Assyrians. The Forty-sixth, Forty-seventh, and
Forty-eighth
still more certainly refer to that period.
These
must all have been written shortly after the over-
throw
of Sennacherib and his army. The first has many
striking
coincidences of thought and expression with the
prophecies
of Isaiah, delivered not very long before under
Ahaz.
The last opens with a vivid picture of the approach
*
See Delitzsch, Commentar über den Psalter, ii. 377.
+
For the proof of this see below, Chapter IV.
++
Bleek, Einl. in das A. T., p. 168.
14 DAVID AND THE LYRIC
of
the Assyrian army, and of its sudden and complete
overthrow—a
picture rivalling in its graphic force and
concentrated
energy the delineations of the same Prophet
in
sight of the same catastrophe—and concludes with a
grand
burst of religious and patriotic exultation, such as
might
naturally be called forth by an occasion so memor-
able.
Religion and patriotism are here blended in one,
and
find, united, their truest and noblest expression.* To
the
same period of the Assyrian invasion may be referred
the
Sixty-fifth and Seventy-sixth Psalms, and possibly,
also,
the Seventy-fifth.
But from this time till the return
from the Captivity,
comparatively
few Psalms were written. It is probable,
indeed,
that as there was no period during the existence
of
the Jewish monarchy when the voice of Prophets was
not
heard, so also there was no long period during which
the
sweet singers of
Prophets
themselves were Psalmists: Jonah (chap. ii.),
Isaiah
(chap. xii.), Habakkuk (chap. Hi.), were all lyric
poets.
It would be but natural that, in some instances,
their
sacred songs should be incorporated in the public
liturgies.
After the Exile, when the Prophets took so
active
a part in the rebuilding of the
restoration
of its services, this seems almost certainly to
have
been the case.+ Before the Exile the same thing
may
have happened. Two Psalms, the Thirty-first and
the
Seventy-first, have been supposed by eminent critics
to
have been written by Jeremiah; a supposition which
derives
countenance from their general character, from the
tone
of sorrowful tenderness which pervades them, from
the
many turns of expression like those to be met with in
the
writings of the Prophet, and, in the case of the latter
Psalm,
also from its Inscription in the Septuagint, accord-
*
See the Notes on these Psalms.
+
The Seventy-sixth is expressly styled in the Inscription of the
LXX.
w]dh> pro>j to>n ]Assuri<on. With less probability
they entitle Ps.
1xxx. yalmo>j u[pe>r tou?
]Assuri<ou.
++
Several of the later Psalms are, by the LXX. Syriac and Vulgate,
said
to have been written by Haggai and Zechariah. See the Article
ZECHARIAH
in Smith's Dictionary of the Bible.
POETRY OF THE
HEBREWS. 15
ing
to which it was a favourite with the Rechabites and
the
earlier exiles.
Even in
the
Hundred and Second Psalm was evidently composed,
towards
the close of the Seventy Years, and in prospect of
the
speedy restoration of the captives to the land of their
fathers;
there possibly, also, at an earlier period, the
Seventy-fourth
and the Seventy-ninth, which describe
with
so much force of pathos the sack of
burning
of the
inhabitants.
Still, during the five hundred years
which elapsed from
the
death of David to the time of Ezra, a period as long
as
from the days of Chaucer to our own, no great suc-
cessors
to David appeared; no era but that of Hezekiah,
as
has already been observed, was famous for its sacred
singers.
Here and there a true Israelite, in his own
distress,
or oppressed by the sins and calamities of his
nation,
poured out his Complaint before God; or for his
own
or his people's deliverance sang aloud his song of
thanksgiving.
And some few of these songs and com-
plaints
may have been collected and added to the earlier
Psalms;
some even, whose authors were unknown, may
have
been ascribed to David, the great master of lyric
poetry.
But what Eichhorn has remarked, remains true,
that
the Psalms belong, as a whole, not to many, but
chiefly
to two or three periods of Jewish history,—to the
age
of David, to that of Hezekiah, to the return from the
Babylonish
Captivity.
This, indeed, is only in accordance
with what has been
observed
in other nations, that certain great crises of history
are
most favourable to poetry. From the throes and travail-
pangs
of a nation's agony are born the most illustrious of
her
sons in arts as well as in arms. The general commo-
tion
and upheaving, the stir and ferment of all minds, the
many
dazzling occasions which arise for the exercise of the
loftiest
powers,—all these things give a peculiar impulse, a
higher
aim, a nobler resolve, to those who, by the preroga-
tive
even of their natural gifts, are destined to be the
16 DAVID AND THE LYRIC
leaders
of the intellectual world. Hence, likewise, poets
appear
in clusters or constellations; for only in seasons
of
great peril, or signal and splendid triumph, are those
deeper
and stronger feelings called forth which are the soul
of
the truest and most perfect poetry.
Such a crisis to the Jews was the Return
from the
Captivity.
And, accordingly, to this period a very con-
siderable
number of Psalms, chiefly in the Fourth and
Fifth
Books, may without hesitation be referred. The
Jews
had carried with them to
and
the Psalms of David and his singers. The familiar
words
associated with so many happy memories, with the
best
and holiest hours of their lives, must often have
soothed
the weariness of exile, even if their hearts were
too
heavy to sing the song of Jehovah in a strange land.
The
fact that their heathen masters "required of them a
song"
to enliven their banquets, shows how great a skill in
music
they possessed, and how well it was appreciated.
Nor
did exile make them forget their cunning. When the
first
joyful caravan returned under Zerubbabel, we are
particularly
informed that it comprised singing men and
singing
women.
The first expression of their joy was in
Psalms.
Many of the beautiful little songs in that ex-
quisite
collection entitled "Pilgrim Songs," or "Songs of
the
Goings-up," must have been first called forth by the
recollection
of their going up from
if
not first sung by the way. They are full of touching
allusions
to their recent captivity, full of pious affection for
their
land, their city, their temple. They were afterwards
comprised
in one volume, and were then intended for the
use
of the pilgrims who went up from all parts of the
with
something of its former splendour, notwithstanding
all
that had been irreparably lost when the beautiful house
wherein
their fathers had worshipt was laid in ashes, many
hymns
and songs were especially composed. Amongst
these
was that long series of Psalms which open or close
with
the triumphant Hallelujah, a nation's great thanks-
POETRY OF THE
HEBREWS. 17
giving,
the celebration of a deliverance so wonderful, that
it
eclipsed even that which before had been ever regarded
as
the most signal instance of God's favour towards them,
the
deliverance of their fathers from the bondage in
Hallêl,"
* or, as it was sometimes called, "the Egyptian
Hallêl,"
as if with the purpose of bringing together the
two
memorable epochs of the national history, was sung at
the
great festivals in the
at
Pentecost, at the Feast of Tabernacles, and also at the
Feast
of Dedication and at the New Moons. This was
doubtless
"the hymn " which our Lord and His Apostles
are
said to have sung+ at His last solemn Passover before
He
suffered.
Nearly all these later Poems are in
character and style
unmistakeably
different from the earlier. They have the air
and
colouring of another age, of a different state of society.
They
are, for the most part, no longer individual, but
national,
a circumstance which of itself, perhaps, in some
instances
abates their interest. They want the terseness,
the
energy, the fire, of the Psalms of David. They have
neither
the bold vehemence nor the abrupt transitions
which
mark his poetry. They flow in a smoother and a
gentler
current. We hardly find in the Anthems which
were
intended for the service of the
the
vigour, the life, the splendour, the creative power,
conspicuous
in those which, when the
its
resting-place on the holy mountain, rolled from the
lips
of "the great congregation," like "the voice of many
waters,"
beneath the glorious canopy of a Syrian heaven.
The
last age of Hebrew Poetry, if poetical excellence alone
be
considered, was scarcely equal to the first. But it has
its
own peculiar interest: it was a second spring, and it
was
the last.
One question remains to be considered
before we
conclude
this rapid and necessarily very imperfect sketch
*
Delitzsch, Psalmen, ii. 16o n. (1st Edit.) He points out that "the
Great
Hallêl" is the name, not of these Psalms, but of Ps. cxxxvi.
+
Matt. xxvi. 30 ; Mark xiv. 26.
VOL.
I.
18 DAVID AND THE LYRIC
of
Hebrew Lyric Poetry. Are any of the Psalms in our
present
Psalter later than the times of Ezra and Nehemiah?
Three
or four critics, with that strange perverseness so
often
to be found in minds naturally rather acute than
profound,
have insisted that more than one-half of the
entire
collection is as late as the days of the Maccabees.
But
this singular literary heresy apart, the verdict is
almost
unanimous the other way; the large majority have
maintained
that not a single Psalm in the collection can
be
brought down to a period so late. It has been argued
and
repeated again and again, that the history of the
Canon
precludes the possibility of Maccabean Psalms.
That
history shows us, it has been said, that the whole
volume
had long before received its recognised place as a
Canonical
book. The argument advanced on this side
of
the question rests on the following grounds:--First, in
the
Prologue to the Book of Ecclesiasticus, written some
time
before the outbreak of the Maccabean struggle, a
threefold
division of the Scriptures is recognised,--the
Law,
the Prophets, and "the other books of the fathers."
This
last expression has been generally supposed to
denote
that division of the Scriptures commonly called the
Hagiographa,
and in which the Psalms were comprised.
Secondly,
we are told in the Second Book of Maccabees
(ii.
13), that Nehemiah made a collection of the sacred
writings
which included "the works of David." Hence it
has
been inferred that the Psalter was finally brought to
its
present shape, and recognised as complete, in the time
of
Nehemiah. But this is thoroughly to misunderstand
the
nature of the formation of the Canon, which was
manifestly
a very gradual work.* Even granting that by
"the
works of David" we are to understand a general
collection
of Psalms, it does not follow that the collection
contained
the exact number, neither more or less, now
comprised
in the Psalter. The Canon itself was not closed
under
Nehemiah. Additions were made by him to other
Books.
Why should not additions be made at a later
*
See Prof. Westcott's able article on the CANON in Smith's Dic-
tionary
of the Bible.
POETRY OE THE
HEBREWS. 19
period
to the Psalter? Ewald himself, who strenuously
maintains
that no Psalms are so late as the Maccabean
period,
admits nevertheless that under Judas Maccabeus a
large
number of books were added to the Canon—the
Proverbs,
the Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, Job, Daniel,
Esther,
the Chronicles.* But if so, on what possible
grounds
can it be alleged that the Psalter, merely because
collected
into a whole under Nehemiah, was finally closed
against
all later additions?
A far stronger argument on that side of
the question
would
be found in the Septuagint Version, if it could be
shown
that the translation of the Psalms was finished at
the
same time with that of the Pentateuch under Ptolemy
Lagi
(B.C. 323—284). This, however, cannot be proved,
though
the expression in the Prologue to Ecclesiasticus
may
seem to imply it. But it is worthy of notice, that
the
writer of the First Book of the Maccabees is evidently
acquainted
with the Alexandrine Version, and that this
Version,
though it ascribes some Psalms to Haggai and
Zechariah,
mentions none of a later date.
The question, therefore, still remains
an open one; and
there
is no reason, so far as the History of the Canon is
concerned,
why we should refuse to admit the existence
of
Maccabean Psalms. Psalms like the Forty-fourth, the
Seventy-fourth,
and the Seventy-ninth, seem more easily
explained
by referring them to that period of Jewish
history
than to any other; though the last two, as has
already
been remarked, may, not without some show of
probability,
be referred to the time of the Chaldean
invasion.+
Such, in its merest outline, is the
history of Sacred
Psalmody
among the Hebrews. It occupies between its
extreme
limits a period of a thousand years, from Moses
to
Nehemiah, or perhaps even to a later age. During a
large
portion of that period, the Psalms shine like "a light
*The
passage in 2 Maccabees ii. 13 is as follows:—e]chgou?nto
de> kai>
e]n tai?j
a]nagrafai?j kai> e]n toi?j u[pomnhmatismoi?j toi?j kata> to>n
Neemi<an ta>
au]ta<, kai>
w[j kataballo<menoj biblioqh<khn e]pisunh<gage ta> peri> tw?n
basile<wn
kai> profhtw?n
kai> ta> tou? Daui>d kai> e]pistola>j
basile<wn peri a]naqema<twn.
+See
more on this subject in the Introduction to those Psalms.
20 DAVID AND THE LYRIC
in
a dark place." They tell us how, amidst corruption,
idolatry,
and apostasy, God was truly loved and faithfully
worshipt.
Not only as "given by inspiration of God"
are
they a witness to the fact that God was teaching His
people.
So far they are what the Prophetical Books are.
Psalmists
as well as Prophets were chosen by Him to be
the
interpreters of His will, to declare His truth. Both the
one
and the other are the organs and vehicles of the Divine
communications.
But there is this further significance in
the
Psalms. They are not only, not chiefly, it may be
said,
the voice of God to man. They are the voice of man
to
God. They are prayers, indeed, far beyond merely
human
utterances; they are prayers which the Spirit of
God
himself has given as the model of all prayer and
intercession.
But they bear witness at the same time to
the
reality of the soul's spiritual life in those who uttered
them.
Truly divine, they are also truly human. They go
infinitely
beyond us; they have a depth and height, and
length
and breadth of meaning, to which the best of us
can
never fully attain. We feel that they rise into regions
of
peaceful and holy communion with God to which we
may
aspire, but which we have not reached. But mean-
while
they have a reality which satisfies us that they are
the
true expression of human hearts pouring themselves
out
towards God, though often themselves carried beyond
themselves
through the power of the Holy Ghost.
There are times, no doubt, when we
read one and
another
of these Psalms with something like a feeling of
disappointment.
There are times when we cannot repress
the
wish to know more of the circumstances which called
them
forth, of the feelings, the views, the hopes, with which
they
were written. We ask ourselves what the peril is
from
which the Sacred Poet has barely escaped; who the
enemies
were whose machinations so terrified him; what
the
victories, the successes, the deliverances, which he
celebrates
with such loud songs of thanksgiving. We
should
read them, we think, with fresh interest, could
we
tell with certainty when and by whom they were
written.
But if we could do this, if the picture of those
POETRY OF THE HEBREWS. 21
circumstances
were clear and well-defined, we might lose
more
than we should gain. For the very excellence of the
Psalms
is their universality. They spring from the deep
fountains
of the human heart, and God, in His providence
and
by His Spirit, has so ordered it, that they should
be
for His Church an everlasting heritage. Hence they
express
the sorrows, the joys, the aspirations, the struggles,
the
victories, not of one man, but of all. And if we ask,
How
comes this to pass? the answer is not far to seek.
One
object is ever before the eyes and the heart of the
Psalmists.
All enemies, all distresses, all persecutions, all
sins,
are seen in the light of God. It is to Him that the
cry
goes up; it is to Him that the heart is laid bare; it
is
to Him that the thanksgiving is uttered. This it is
which
makes them so true, so precious, so universal. No
surer
proof of their inspiration can be given than this,
that
they are "not of an age but for all time," that the
ripest
Christian can use them in the fulness of his
Christian
manhood, though the words are the words of
one
who lived centuries before the coming of Christ in
the
flesh.
CHAPTER
II.
THE
USE OF THE PSALTER IN THE CHURCH AND BY
INDIVIDUALS.
DEEP
as is the interest attaching to the Psalter as the
great
storehouse of Sacred Poetry, and vast as is its
importance
considered as a record of spiritual life under
the
Old Dispensation, scarcely less interest and importance
attach
to it with reference to the position it has ever
occupied
both in the public worship of the Church and in
the
private life of Christians. No single Book of Scripture,
not
even of the New Testament, has, perhaps, ever taken
such
hold on the heart of Christendom. None, if we may
dare
judge, unless it be the Gospels, has had so large an
influence
in moulding the affections, sustaining the hopes,
purifying
the faith of believers. With its words, rather
than
with their own, they have come before God. In
these
they have uttered their desires, their fears, their
confessions,
their aspirations, their sorrows, their joys,
their
thanksgivings. By these their devotion has been
kindled
and their hearts comforted. The Psalter has been,
in
the truest sense, the Prayer-book both of Jews and
Christians.
The nature of the volume accounts for
this; for it is in
itself,
to a very great extent, the converse of the soul with
God.
Hence it does not teach us so much what we are to
do,
or what we are to be, as how we are to pray; or, rather,
it
teaches us what we are to do and to be through prayer.
"This,"
says Luther, "is the great excellence of the Psalter;
that
other books, indeed, make a great noise about the
works
of the saints, but say very little about their words.
But
herein is the pre-eminence of the Psalter, and hence
22
THE USE OF THE PSALTER. 23
the
sweet fragrance which it sheds, that it not only tells
of
the works of the saints, but also of the words with which
they
spake to God and prayed, and still speak and pray."
Nor is the influence of this Book on
the Church at
large
and on our public Liturgies less remarkable. "The
primitive
Church," says Bishop Taylor, "would admit no
man
to the superior orders of the clergy, unless, among
other
pre-required dispositions, they could say all David's
Psalter
by heart." Tertullian, in the second century,
tells
us that the Christians were wont to sing Psalms at
their
agap, and that they were sung antiphonally. From
the
earliest times they formed an essential part of Divine
Service.
We learn from Augustine and other writers, that,
after
the reading of the Epistle, a whole Psalm was sung,
or
partly read, partly sung—taking them in the order in
which
they stood in the Psalter--and that then followed
the
reading of the Gospel.+ Hilary, Chrysostom, Augustine,
all
mention the use of the Psalms in the public service, and
describe
them, sometimes as being sung by the whole
congregation,
at others as being recited by one individual,
who
was followed by the rest. The practice of antiphonal
chanting
was common in the East, and was introduced by
Ambrose
into the
sang
the verses of the Psalm alternately, in two choirs, the
one
answering to the other, or, sometimes, the first half of
the
verse was sung by a single voice, and the other half
by
the whole congregation.
We learn from the Talmud, as well as
from the Inscrip-
tions
of the LXX., that certain Psalms were appointed in
the
same
custom also obtained in the Christian Church. The
Morning
Service used to begin with Psalm lxiii., the
Evening
Service with Psalm cxli. In Passion Week, Psalm
xxii.
was sung. Since the time of Origen, Seven Psalms
have
received the name of Penitential Psalms, which were
used
in the special additional services appointed for the
*
Sermon on the Whole Duty of the Clergy. Works (
vol.
viii, p. 507.
+
August. Serm. 176, Opp. torn. v. pp. 1212-14.
24 THE USE OF THE PSALTER
season
of Lent. These were Psalms vi. xxxii. xxxviii. li.
cii.
cxxx. cxliii.*
In the Church of Rome, Psalms occupy a
prominent
place
in the Service of the
consist
of three parts: the Sacramentary, containing the
prayers
of the officiating priest; the Lectionary, containing
the
lessons from the Bible; and the Antiphonary, contain-
ing
the Psalms and antiphons, or verses from the Psalms
and
Prophets which served as the Introit, and received
the
name from their being sung responsively. The term
"gradual
" in the Mass is a remnant of the ancient custom
before
referred to. The Psalm which was sung before the
Gospel
was called Responsorium graduale, because it was
intoned
by two voices from the steps (gradus, whence the
name)
of the ambon, and then taken up by the people.
In
the Seven Canonical Hours, as they are called, the
Psalms
form no inconsiderable part of the service; and
the
Romish priest prays them daily in his Breviary. Our
own
Church has provided for the daily recital of some
portion
of them in her services, and has so distributed
them
in her Liturgy, that the whole book is repeated every
month.
In a very large part of the Reformed Churches
they
take the place of hymns. Thrown into metrical
versions,
they are probably sung by most congregations
of
professing Christians amongst ourselves, little as any
metrical
version has succeeded in preserving the spirit and
glow
of the original. In many places, especially among
Protestant
communities abroad, it is usual to bind up
the
Psalter with the New Testament, from the feeling,
doubtless,
that, more than any other part of the Old, it
tends
directly to edification. Nor is this feeling modern,
or
peculiar to Protestants. Two facts will show how widely
it
has prevailed. The one is, that when the Council of
a
special exception was made in favour of the Psalter:
*
The seven Psalms were selected with reference to the sprinkling
of
the leper seven times in order to his cleansing, and the command
to
Naaman to wash himself seven times in the
say,
as corresponding to the seven deadly sins. (See I)elitzsch on
Ps.
cxliii.)
IN THE CHURCH AND BY
INDIVIDUALS. 25
the
other is, that the Psalter was the first portion of the
Hebrew
Bible which ever issued from the press.
To follow the history of such a Book, to
listen to the
testimonies
which have been borne to it by God's saints
in
all ages, must be a matter of no little interest. I will,
therefore,
set down here some of the most striking of these
testimonies.
I will first cite Athanasius, Bishop
of Alexandria in the
fourth
century, who, in his Epistle to Marcellinus, prefixed
to
his Interpretation of the Psalms, professes to tell him
the
opinion of an old man whom he once met, concerning
the
Book of Psalms. He says:
"He who takes this Book in his
hands, with admiration
and
reverence goes through all the prophecies concerning
the
Saviour which he finds there as in the other Scriptures;
but
the other Psalms he reads as if they were his own
words,
and he who hears them is pricked at the heart
as
if he said them himself." No one, he goes on to
observe,
can take the words of the Patriarchs, or Moses,
or
Elijah, to himself, and use them always as his own; but
he
who uses the Psalms "is as one who speaks his own
words,
and each one sings them as if they had been written
for
his own case, and not as if they had been spoken by
some
one else, or meant to apply to some one else."
Again:
"To me, indeed, it seems that the Psalms are to
him
who sings them as a mirror, wherein he may see
himself
and the motions of his soul, and with like feelings
utter
them. So also one who hears a psalm read, takes it as
if
it were spoken concerning himself, and either, convicted
by
his own conscience, will be pricked at heart and repent,
or
else, hearing of that hope which is to God-wards, and
the
succour which is vouchsafed to them that believe, leaps
for
joy, as though such grace were specially made over to
him,
and begins to utter his thanksgivings to God" (§ 12).
Again: "In the other Books (of
Scripture) are dis-
courses
which dissuade us from those things which are evil,
but
in this has been sketched out for us how we should
abstain
from things evil. For instance, we are commanded
to
repent, and to repent is to cease from sin; but here has
26 THE USE OF THE PSALTER
been
sketched out for us how we must repent, and what we
must
say when we repent. And again, Paul hath said:
'Tribulation
worketh patience for the soul, and patience,
proof,'
&c.; but in the Psalms we find written and engraven
how
we ought to bear afflictions, and what we should say
in
our afflictions and what after our afflictions, and how
each
one is proved, and what are the words of them that
hope
in the Lord. Again, there is a command in every-
thing
to give thanks; but the Psalms teach us also what to
say
when we give thanks. Then when we hear from others,
'They
that will live godly shall be persecuted,' by the
Psalms
we are taught what we ought to utter when we are
driven
into exile, and what words we should lay before
God,
both in our persecutions and when we have been
delivered
out of them. We are enjoined to bless the Lord
and
to confess to Him. But in the Psalms we have a
pattern
given us, both as to how we should praise the
Lord
and with what words we can suitably confess to Him.
And,
in every instance, we shall find these divine songs
suited
to us, to our feelings, and our circumstances" (§ 1o).
These words of Athanasius are doubly
interesting when
we
remember what his own life had been; how often he
had
been driven into exile; what persecutions he had
endured;
from how many perils he had been delivered.
Let us hear next Ambrose, Bishop of
Milan in the fourth
century,
in the preface to his Exposition of Twelve of the
Psalms
of David.* "Although all divine Scripture breathes
the
grace of God, yet sweet beyond all others is the Book
of
Psalms," . . . "History instructs, the Law teaches, Pro-
phecy
announces, Rebuke chastens, Mortality [? Morality]
persuades:
in the Book of Psalms we have the fruit of all
these,
and a kind of medicine for the salvation of man."
…"What
is more delightful than a Psalm? It is the
benediction
of the people, the praise of God, the thanks-
giving
of the multitude, . . . the voice of the Church, the
harmonious
confession of our faith," &c.+
*
Opp. Venet. 1748, tom. ii. In
+Afterwards,
in enumerating other excellences of the Psalms, he
throws
a curious light on the state of the churches in
IN THE CHURCH AND BY INDIVIDUALS. 27
With deep feeling Augustine narrates what
the Psalms
were
to him in the days of his first conversion to God.
"What
words did I utter to Thee, O my God, when I read
the
Psalms of David, those faithful songs, those pious
breathings
which suffer no swelling spirit of pride, when I
was
as yet uninstructed in all the truth and fulness of Thy
love,
a catechumen in that country-house, keeping holiday
with
the catechumen Alypius, whilst my mother remained
with
us, in the garb of a woman, (but) with the faith of
a
man, with the calmness of an old woman, with the
affection
of a mother, with the piety of a Christian. What
words
did I utter to thee in those Psalms; how was my
love
to Thee inflamed thereby; how did I burn to recite
them,
were it possible, through the whole world, against
the
proud swelling of men! And yet they are sung
through
the whole world, and there is none who is hidden
from
Thy heat.* How vehement and how sharp was my
grief
and indignation against the Manicheans; + and yet,
again,
how I pitied them because they knew not these
sacraments,
these medicines, and showed their insanity in
rejecting
the antidote which might have restored them to
sanity!
How I wish they could have been somewhere near
me,
and, without my knowing that they were there, could
have
seen my face and heard my words when I read the
Fourth
Psalm, in that retirement in which I was, and have
known
all that that Psalm was to me!" And then he goes
through
the whole Psalm, describing the feelings with
which
he read it, and the application which he made of it
to
his own case—an application very wide indeed of the
proper
meaning of the Psalm, but one which, nevertheless,
poured
light and peace and joy into his soul.
We pass on to the time of the
Reformation. Let us
hear
how two of its great master spirits speak. "Where,"
celebration
of Divine Service. "What difficulty there is," he says, "to
procure
silence in the church when the Lessons are read! If one
speaks,
all the rest make a noise. When a Psalm is read, it produces
silence
of itself. All speak, and no one makes a noise."
*
In allusion to Ps. xix. 7.
+
Because, as rejecting the Old Testament, they robbed themselves
of
the Psalms.
28 THE USE OF THE PSALTER
says
Luther, in his Preface to the Psalter (published in
1531),
"will you find words more aptly chosen to express
joy,
than in the Psalms of praise and the Psalms of thanks-
giving?
There thou mayest look into the heart of all the
saints,
as into fair delightful gardens, yea, even into heaven
itself,
and note with what wonderful variety there spring
up
therein, like so many exquisite, hearty, delightful
flowers,
sweet and gladsome thoughts of God and His
benefits.
On the other hand, where canst thou find deeper,
sadder,
more lamentable words of sorrow than are to be
found
in the Psalms of complaint? There again thou
mayest
look into the heart of all the saints, as into death,
yea,
as into hell. How dark and gloomy it is there with
the
manifold hiding of God's countenance! So likewise
when
the Psalms speak of fear or hope, they speak in such
manner
of words that no painter could so paint the fear
or
the hope, and no
express
them to the life more happily."
Again, in the Preface to his Operationes
in Psalmos,* he
observes:
"This Book is, in my judgement, of a different
character
from the other books. For in the rest we are
taught
both by word and by example what we ought to
do;
this not only teaches, but imparts both the method
and
the practice with which to fulfil the word, and to copy
the
example. For we have no power of our own to fulfil
the
law of God, or to copy Christ; but only to pray and to
desire
that we may do the one and copy the other, and
then,
when we have obtained our request, to praise and
give
thanks. But what else is the Psalter, but prayer to
God
and praise of God; that is, a book of hymns? There-
fore
the most blessed Spirit of God, the father of orphans,
and
the teacher of infants, seeing that we know not what or
how
we ought to pray, as the Apostle saith, and desiring
to
help our infirmities, after the manner of schoolmasters
who
compose for children letters or short prayers, that they
*
D. Martini Lutheri Exegetica Opp. Latina, Ed. Irmischer, torn.
xiv.
p. 1o. This Preface bears the date Wittenbergae, sexto calen.
Aprilis,
Anno M.D.xix. I have to thank Dr. Binnie (The Psalms, their
Teaching
and Use,
p. 381) for correcting an error in the reference in
the
first of my two quotations from Luther.
IN
THE CHURCH AND BY INDIVIDUALS.
29
may
send them to their parents, so prepares for us in this
Book
both the words and feelings with which we should
address
our Heavenly Father, and pray concerning those
things
which in the other Books He had taught us we
ought
to do and to copy, that so a man may not feel
the
want of anything which is of import to his eternal
salvation.
So great is the loving care and grace of our
God
towards us, Who is blessed for evermore."
The following passage from Calvin's
Preface to his Com-
mentary
will show the high value which he set upon the
Psalms.
"If," he says, "the
much
benefit from (the reading of) my Commentaries, as I
have
myself derived from the writing of them, I shall have
no
reason to repent of the labour I have taken upon me.
....
How varied and how splendid the wealth which this
treasury
contains it is difficult to describe in words; what-
ever
I shall say, I know full well must fall far short of
its
worth. . . . This Book, not unreasonably,am I wont to
style
an anatomy of all parts of the soul, for no one will
discover
in himself a single feeling whereof the image is
not
reflected in this mirror. Nay, all griefs, sorrows, fears,
doubts,
hopes, cares, and anxieties—in short, all those
tumultuous
agitations wherewith the minds of men are wont
to
be tossed—the Holy Ghost hath here represented to the
life.
The rest of Scripture contains the commands which
God
gave to His servants to be delivered unto us; but
here
the Prophets themselves, holding converse with God,
inasmuch
as they lay bare all their inmost feelings, invite
or
impel every one of us to self-examination, that of all the
infirmities
to which we are liable, and all the sins of which
we
are so full, none may remain hidden. It is a rare and
singular
advantage when, every hiding-place having been
laid
bare, the heart is cleansed from hypocrisy, that foulest
of
plagues, and is brought forth to the light. Lastly,
if
calling upon God be the greatest safeguard of our
salvation,
seeing that no better and surer rule thereof can
be
found anywhere than in this Book, the further any man
shall
have advanced in the understanding of it, the greater
will
be his attainment in the
30
THE
USE OF THE PSALTER
prayer
springs first from a feeling of our necessity, and
then
from faith in the promises. Here the readers will
both
best be awakened to a due sense of their own evils,
and
warned to seek the proper remedies for them.
"Moreover, whatever would serve to
encourage us in our
prayer
to God is shown us in this Book. Nor yet are they
only
promises that meet us here; but we have often set
before
us one who, with the invitation of God calling one
way,
and the hindrances of the flesh another, girds him-
self
bravely to prayer; so that if ever at any time we be
harassed
by doubts of one kind or another, we may learn
to
wrestle against them, till our soul takes wings and
mounts
up with glad freedom unto God. Nor that only,
but
that through hesitations, fears, alarms, we may still
strive
to pray, till we rejoice for the consolation. For this
must
be our resolve, though distrust shut the door to our
prayers,
that we must not give way when our hearts are
shaken
and restlessly disturbed, till faith comes forth
victorious
from its struggles. And in many passages we
may
see the servants of God, so tossed to and fro in their
prayers
that, almost crushed at times, they only win the
palm
after arduous efforts. On the one side the weakness of
the
flesh betrays itself; on the other the power of faith
exerts
itself. . . . This, only in passing, is it worth while to
point
out, that we have secured to us in this Book, what is of
all
things most desirable, not only a familiar access unto
God,
but the right and the liberty to make known to Him
those
infirmities which shame does not suffer us to confess
to
our fellow-men. Further, the sacrifice of praise, which
God
declares to be a sacrifice of sweetest savour and most
precious
to Him, we are here accurately instructed how to
offer
with acceptance. . . . Rich, moreover, as the Book is
in
all those precepts which tend to form a holy, godly, and
righteous
life, yet chiefly will it teach us how to bear the
cross;
which is the true test of our obedience, when, giving
up
all our own desires, we submit ourselves to God, and so
suffer
our lives to be ordered by His will, that even our
bitterest
distresses grow sweet because they come from His
hand.
Finally, not only in general terms are the praises
IN
THE CHURCH AND BY INDIVIDUALS. 31
of
God's goodness uttered, teaching us so to rest in Him
alone,
that pious spirits may look for His sure succour in
every
time of need, but the free forgiveness of sins, which
alone
reconciles God to us, and secures to us true peace
with
Him, is so commended, that nothing is wanting to the
knowledge
of eternal salvation."
He adds, that his best understanding
of the Psalms had
come
to him through the trials and conflicts which he had
himself
been called upon to pass through; that thus he
was
not only able to apply better whatever knowledge he
had
acquired, but could enter better into the design of each.
writer
of the Psalms.
Hooker, reasoning in his immortal work
with the sectaries
of
his times, and defending the use of Psalms in the Liturgy,
says:
"They are not ignorant what
difference there is between
other
parts of Scripture and the Psalms. The choice and
flower
of all things profitable in other books, the Psalms
do
both more briefly contain and more movingly also ex-
press,
by reason of that poetical form wherewith they are
written.
. . . What is there necessary for man to know which
the
Psalms are not able to teach? They are to beginners
an
easy and familiar introduction, a mighty augmentation
of
all virtue and knowledge in such as are entered before,
a
strong confirmation to the most perfect among others.
Heroical
magnanimity, exquisite justice, grave moderation,
exact
wisdom, repentance unfeigned, unwearied patience,
the
mysteries of God, the sufferings of Christ, the terrors
of
wrath, the comforts of grace, the works of
over
this world, and the promised joys of that world which
is
to come, all good necessarily to be either known, or done,
or
had, this one celestial fountain yieldeth. Let there be
any
grief or disease incident unto the soul of man, any
wound
or sickness named for which there is not in this
treasure-house
a present comfortable remedy at all times
ready
to be found. Hereof it is that we covet to make the
Psalms
especially familiar unto all. This is the very cause
why
we iterate the Psalms oftener than any other part of
Scripture
besides; the cause wherefore we inure the people
32
THE USE OF THE PSALTER
together
with their minister, and not the minister alone, to
read
them as other parts of Scripture he doth."*
Donne says: "The Psalms are the manna
of the Church,
As
manna tasted to every man like that he liked best, so
do
the Psalms minister instruction and satisfaction to every
man,
in every emergency and occasion. David was not
only
a clear Prophet of Christ himself, but of every
particular
Christian; he foretells what I, what any, shall
do,
and suffer, and say." +
In later times we find similar
testimonies repeated in
great
abundance. A. H. Francke, in his Explanation of
the
Psalms with a View to Edification (
p.
904), thus expresses himself: "So long as a man has not
the
Spirit of Christ, so long as he does not deny himself,
and
take up his cross daily and follow Christ, no Psalm
seems
sweet to him. He has no pleasure therein; it seems
to
him all like dry straw, in which he finds neither strength
nor
juice. But when he is himself led through a like course
of
suffering and affliction, when he is ridiculed, scorned,
and
mocked by the world for righteousness' sake and
because
he follows Christ, and sees what it is to press
through
all the hindrances which meet him from within
and
from without, and to serve God the Lord in truth,—
then
it is that he observes that in the heart of David far
more
must have gone on than that he should have troubled
himself
merely about his outward circumstances. He is
conscious,
in his daily struggle, of the same enmity, which
has
been put by God between Christ and Belial, between
those
who belong to Christ, and those who belong to the
devil,
and that precisely the same contest in which so much
is
involved is described in the Psalms; and of which, in
fact,
even the First Psalm speaks, when it says, ‘Blessed
is
the man who walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,’
&c.
He therefore that denies himself and the world, with
all
its greatness, with all the riches and the favour of men,
who
will have nothing but God's word as his rule, and seeks
*
Hooker, Eccl. Pol., Book v. ch. xxxvii. § 2.
+
Donne, Sermon lxvi. Works, vol. iii. p. 156 (Alford's edit) See
also
the Introduction to Psalm lxiii.
IN THE CHURCH AND BY INDIVIDUALS. 33
to
take a cheerful conscience with him to his death-bed,
learns
by experience what a real struggle it costs to effect
this.
But he who learns this, learns also how to understand
the
Psalms aright."
From many passages which might be
quoted from
Herder's
writings I select one: "Not merely as regards
the
contents, but also as regards the form, has this use of
the
Psalter been a benefit to the spirit and heart of men.
As
in no lyric poet of
teaching,
consolation, and instruction together, so has there
scarcely
ever been anywhere so rich a variation of tone in
every
kind of song as here. For two thousand years have
these
old Psalms been again and again translated and
imitated
in a variety of ways, and still so rich, so compre-
hensive
is their manner, that they are capable of many a
new
application. They are flowers which vary according
to
each season and each soil, and ever abide in the fresh-
ness
of youth. Precisely because this Book contains the
simplest
lyric tones for the expression of the most manifold
feelings,
is it a hymn-book for all times."*
From Bishop Horne's Preface to his
Commentary, I will
quote
a few lines, partly because of the striking coincidence
of
expression which they exhibit with two passages already
quoted,
the one from Donne, and the other from Calvin.
"Indited," he says,"under
the influence of Him to whom
all
hearts are known, and events foreknown, they suit
mankind
in all situations, grateful as the manna which
descended
from above and conformed itself to every
palate.
. . . He who hath once tasted their excellences
will
desire to taste them again; and he who tastes them
oftenest
will relish them best.
"And now, could the author flatter
himself that any one
would
take half the pleasure in reading the following
exposition,
which he hath taken in writing it, he would not
fear
the loss of his labour. The employment detached him
from
the bustle and hurry of life, the din of politics, and
the
noise of folly; vanity and vexation flew away for a
*
Abhandlungen and Briefen zur schonen Literatur. Sämmtliche
Werke.
Th. xvi. p. 17.
VOL.
I.
34
THE
USE OF THE PSALTER
season,
care and disquietude came not near his dwelling.
He
arose, fresh as the morning, to his task; the silence of
the
night invited him to pursue it: and he can truly say
that
food and rest were not preferred before it. Every
Psalm
improved infinitely upon his acquaintance with it,
and
no one gave him uneasiness but the last, for then he
grieved
that his work was done. Happier hours than those
which
have been spent in these meditations on the songs of
Sion,
he never expects to see in this world. Very pleasantly
did
they pass, and moved smoothly and swiftly along: for
when
thus engaged, he counted no time. They are gone,
but
have left a relish and a fragrance upon the mind, and
the
remembrance of them is sweet."
“. . .The songs of
soul
and varied as human life; where no possible state of
natural
feeling shall not find itself tenderly expressed and
divinely
treated with appropriate remedies; where no con-
dition
of human life shall not find its rebuke or consolation:
because
they treat not life after the fashion of an age or
people,
but life in its rudiments, the life of the soul, with
the
joys and sorrows to which it is amenable, from con-
course
with the outward necessity of the fallen world.
Which
breadth of application they compass not by the
sacrifice
of lyrical propriety or poetical method: for if there
be
poems strictly lyrical, that is, whose spirit and sentiment
move
congenial with the movements of music, and which,
by
their very nature, call for the accompaniment of music,
these
odes of a people despised as illiterate are such. For
pure
pathos and tenderness of heart, for sublime imagina-
tion,
for touching pictures of natural scenery, and genial
sympathy
with nature's various moods; for patriotism,
whether
in national weal or national woe; for beautiful
imagery,
whether derived from the relationship of human
life,
or the forms of the created universe; and for the
illustration,
by their help, of spiritual conditions: more-
over,
for those rapid transitions in which the lyrical muse
delighteth,
her lightsome graces at one time, her deep and
full
inspiration at another, her exuberance of joy and her
IN THE CHURCH AND BY
INDIVIDUALS. 35
lowest
falls of grief, and for every other form of the natural
soul,
which is wont to be shadowed forth by this kind of
composition,
we challenge anything to be produced from
the
literature of all ages and countries, worthy to be
compared
with what we find even in the English Version of
the
Book of Psalms."*
This array of testimonies, so various
and yet so accordant,
shall
be closed with three from our own time. The first,
unhappily
a mere fragment, is from one of the most
original
thinkers and most eloquent preachers whom our
Church
has in these later times produced. The second is
from
the dying bed of one who was the ornament and the
pride
of a sister
The
third is from a devout and attached member of the
Church
of Rome.
"The value of the public reading
of the Psalms," says
the
late F. W. Robertson of
for
us, indirectly, those deeper feelings which there would
be
a sense of indelicacy in expressing directly. . . . There
are
feelings of which we do not speak to each other; they
are
too sacred and too delicate. Such are most of our
feelings
to God. If we do speak of them, they lose their
fragrance;
become coarse; nay, there is even a sense of
indelicacy
and exposure. Now, the Psalms afford precisely
the
right relief for this feeling: wrapped up in the forms of
poetry
(metaphor, &c.), that which might seem exagge-
rated,
is excused by those who do not feel it: while they
who
do, can read them, applying them without suspicion of
uttering
their own feelings. Hence their soothing power,
and
hence, while other portions of Scripture may become
obsolete,
they remain the most precious parts of the Old
Testament.
For the heart of man is the same in all
ages."
+
"It is this truth of human feeling
which makes the
Psalms,
more than any other portion of the Old Testa-
ment,
the link of union between distant ages. The
historical
books need a rich store of knowledge before
*
Collected Works, vol. i. pp. 386, 387.
+
Sermon IX. (Second Series), p. 119.
36 THE USE OF THE PSALTER
they
can be a modern book of life; but the Psalms are
the
records of individual experience. Personal religion is
the
same in all ages. The deeps of our humanity remain
unruffled
by the storms of ages which change the surface.
This
Psalm (the Fifty-first), written three thousand years
ago,
might have been written yesterday: describes the
vicissitudes
of spiritual life in an Englishman, as truly as
in
a Jew. 'Not of an age, but for all time. ' "*
Adolphe Monod, whilst suffering from the
cruel malady
of
which he died, speaks thus to the friends who were
gathered
about his sick-bed: "We must read the Psalms
in
order to understand the sufferings of David. The
Psalms
discover to us the inner man of David, and in the
inner
man of David they discover to us in some sort the
inner
man of all the Prophets of God. Well, the Psalms
are
full of expressions of an unheard-of suffering. David
speaks
in them constantly of his evils, his sicknesses, his
enemies
without number: we can scarcely understand, in
reading
them, what he means by the enemies of which he
speaks
so constantly; but they discover to us at least an
inner
depth of affliction, of which, with the mere history
of
David in our hands, we should scarcely have formed an
idea.
It is one of the great advantages of the Psalms."
He
then refers to the Thirty-eighth Psalm as an illustra-
tion.
Subsequently he says: "The capital object of the
mission
which David received of God for all generations
in
the Church was the composition of Psalms. Well, he
composes
his Psalms, or a great part of them, in the midst
of
the most cruel sufferings. Imagine then, bowed down
by
suffering, physical, moral, and spiritual, you were called
upon
to compose a Psalm, and that from the bosom of all
these
sufferings, and at the very moment when they were
such
as those which he describes in Psalm xxxviii., should
issue
hymns to the glory of God, and for the instruction of
the
Church. What a triumph David gains over himself,
and
what a humiliation it is for us, who in our weakness are
mostly
obliged to wait till our sufferings are passed, in order
to
reap the fruit of them ourselves, or to impart the benefit
* Sermon VII. (Second Series), p. 96.
IN THE CHURCH AND BY INDIVIDUALS. 37
to
others. But David, in the midst of his sufferings, writes
his
Psalms. He writes his Thirty-eighth Psalm whilst he
undergoes
those persecutions, those inward torments, that
bitterness
of sin. I know it may be said that David wrote
that
Thirty-eighth Psalm coldly, transporting himself into
sufferings
which he did not feel at the time, as the poet
transports
himself into sufferings which he has never ex-
perienced;
but no, such a supposition offends you as much
as
it does me: it is in the furnace, it is from the bosom of
the
furnace, that he writes these lines, which are intended
to
be the encouragement of the Church in all ages. O
power
of the love of Christ! O renunciation of self-will!
O
grace of the true servant of God! O virtue of the
Apostle,*
and virtue of the Prophet, virtue of Christ in
them,
and of the Holy Ghost! For never man (of him-
self)
would be capable of such a power of will, of such a
triumph
over the flesh." +
Frederic Ozanam, writing shortly before
his death to a
Jew
who had embraced Christianity, says: "The hand of
God
has touched me, I believe, as it touched Job, Ezechias,
and
Tobias, not unto death, but unto a prolonged trial. I
have
not, unfortunately, the patience of these just men: I
am
easily cast down by suffering, and I should be incon-
solable
for my weakness, if I did not find in the Psalms
those
cries of sorrow which David sends forth to God, and
which
God at last answers by sending him pardon and
peace.
Oh, my friend, when one has the happiness to
have
become a Christian, it is a great honour to be born
an
Israelite, to feel one's self the son of those Patriarchs
and
Prophets whose utterances are so beautiful that the
Church
has found nothing finer to place on the lips of her
children.
During many weeks of extreme languor the
Psalms
have never been out of my hands. I am never
wearied
of reading over and over those sublime lamen-
tations,
those flights of hope, those supplications full of
love,
which answer to all the wants and all the miseries
*
He had shortly before mentioned
of David.
+ Adieux á ses Amis, &c. pp. 101-106. 7e edit.
38 THE USE OF THE PSALTER
of
human nature. It is nearly three thousand years since
a
king composed these songs in his days of repentance and
desolation,
and we still find in them the expression of our
deepest
anguish and the consolation of our sorrows. The
priest
recites them daily; thousands of monasteries have
been
founded in order that these Psalms might be chanted
at
every hour, and that this voice of supplication might
never
be silent. The Gospel alone is superior to the
hymns
of David, and this only because it is their fulfil-
ment—because
all the yearnings, all the ardours, all the
holy
impatience of the prophet find their accomplishment
in
the Redeemer issued of his race. So great is the bond
between
the two Testaments, that the Redeemer Himself
had
no name dearer to Him than that of Son of David.
The
two blind men of
often
cry out to Him with them, 'Son of David, have
mercy
on us!' " * It is said of Ozanam in his sufferings
that
"it was sufficient to recite aloud some verses of the
Psalms
while he was suffering most to make him forget his
own
pain and the distress of those who were striving to
alleviate
it." +
How great, then, is the history of the
Psalms! David
sang
them, and Isaiah, and Jeremiah, and all the Prophets.
With
Psalms Jehoshaphat and Hezekiah celebrated their
victories.
Psalms made glad the heart of the exiles who
returned
from
to
the Maccabees in their brave struggles to achieve their
country's
independence, and were the repeated expression
of
their thanksgivings. The Lord of Psalmists, and the
Son
of David, by the words of a Psalm, proved Himself to
be
higher than David; and sang Psalms with His Apostles
on
the night before He suffered, when He instituted the
Holy
Supper of His Love.++ In His last awful hour on the
Cross
He expressed in the words of one Psalm, "His fear
and
His need of God," and in the words of another gave
up
His spirit to His Father. With Psalms, Paul and Silas
praised
God in the prison at
*
Life of Frederic Ozanam, O'Meara, pp. 438, 439.
+
Ibid. p. 451. ++ Matt. xxvi. 30.
IN THE CHURCH AND BY INDIVIDUALS. 39
made
fast in the stocks, and sang so loud that the prisoners
heard
them. And after his own example, the Apostle
exhorts
the Christians at
and
admonish one another with Psalms and hymns and
spiritual
songs. Jerome tells us, that in his day the Psalms
were
to be heard in the fields and the vineyards of Pales-
tine,
and that they fell sweetly on the ear, mingling with
the
songs of birds, and the scent of flowers in the spring.
The
ploughman as he guided his plough chanted the Hal-
lelujah,
and the reaper, the vine-dresser, and the shepherd
sang
the songs of David. "These," he says, are our love
songs,
these the instruments of our agriculture." Sidonius
Apollinaris
makes his boatmen, as they urge their heavily-
laden
barge up stream, sing Psalms, till the river-banks
echo
again with the Hallelujah, and beautifully applies the
custom,
in a figure, to the voyage of the Christian life.*
With
the verse of a Psalm, "Turn again, then, unto thy
rest,
O my soul," the pious Babylas, Bishop of Antioch,
comforted
himself, while awaiting his martyrdom in the
Decian
persecution, saying, "From this we learn that our
soul
comes to rest when it is removed by death from this
restless
world." Paulla, the friend of Jerome, was seen by
those
who were gathered around her in her last hour to
move
her lips, and when they stooped to listen, they heard
the
words, "How lovely are Thy tabernacles, O Lord of
hosts."
A Psalm was the best utterance for the over-
flowing
joy of Augustine's heart at his conversion,+ and a
Psalm
was his consolation when he lay upon his death-bed.++
With
the words of Psalms, Chrysostom comforted himself
in
his exile, writing thus: "When driven from the city, I
cared
nothing for it. But I said to myself, If the empress
wishes
to banish me, let her banish me; 'the
earth is the
Lord's,
and the fulness thereof.' " And
again: "David
clothes
me with armour, saying, 'I will speak of Thy testi-
monies
before kings, and will not be ashamed.' " With the
* " Curvorum hinc chorus
helciariorum
Responsantibus Alleluia ripis
Ad Christum levat amnicum celeusma.
Sic, sic psallite, nauta et viator!
"
+
See above, p. 27. ++ See
Introduction to Psalm xxxii.
40 THE USE OF THE PSALTER.
words
of a Psalm, holy Bernard expired. With the words
of
a Psalm, Huss and Jerome of Prague gave up their souls
to
God, without fear, in the midst of the fire. Chanting the
twelfth
verse of the Hundred and Eighteenth Psalm with
voices
that rose high above the din of battle, the Protestant
army
rushed to victory at Courtras. With the voice of a
Psalm,
Luther entered
pope
and cardinals, and all the gates of hell. With Psalms,
that
faithful servant of God, Adolphe Monod, strengthened
himself
to endure the agonies of a lingering and painful
disease.
And in the biography of a late eminent prelate
of
our own Church, no page possesses a deeper interest, a
truer
pathos, than that which records, that for many years
before
his death the Fifty-first Psalm had been his nightly
prayer.*
And what shall I say more? The history of the
Psalms
is the history of the Church, and the history of
every
heart in which has burned the love of God. It is
a
history not fully revealed in this world, but one which
is
written in heaven. It is a history which, could we know
it,
might teach us to hush many an angry thought, to recall
many
a bitter, hasty, uncharitable speech. The pages of
that
Book have often been blotted with the tears of those
whom
others deemed hard and cold, and whom they treated
with
suspicion or contempt. Those words have gone up
to
God, mingled with the sighs or scarcely uttered in the
heart-broken
anguish of those whom pharisees called
sinners,
of those whom Christians denounced as heretics
or
infidels, but who loved God and truth above all things
else.
Surely it is holy ground. We cannot pray the
Psalms
without realizing in a very special manner the
communion
of saints, the oneness of the Church militant
and
the Church triumphant. We cannot pray the Psalms
without
having our hearts opened, our affections enlarged,
our
thoughts drawn heavenward. He who can pray them
best
is nearest to God, knows most of the Spirit of Christ,
is
ripest for heaven.
* Memoir of Bishop Blomfield, vol. ii. p.
266.
CHAPTER III.
THE THEOLOGY OF THE PSALMS.
THERE
are some topics connected with the interpretation
of
the Psalms which have been the subject of so much
discussion
that it was scarcely possible to treat them satis-
factorily
in the notes. I propose, therefore, in this chapter
to
handle them more at large. How far we are to look in
the
Psalms for predictions of the Messiah, or the hope of a
future
life; in what sense the assertions of innocence
which
meet us on the one hand, and the imprecations of
vengeance
on the other, are to be understood: these, and
questions
like these, must present themselves to every
thoughtful
reader of the Psalms; and to give some answer
to
these questions will now be my endeavour.
I. The first question, and the most
important, is this:
What
is the nature of the Messianic hope, as it meets us
in
the Psalms?
On this subject it may be said broadly,
that three views
have
been entertained.
I. There have been expositors, more
especially in recent
times,
who have gone so far as to affirm that none of the
Psalms
is in any proper sense Messianic, or that if the
hope
of the Messiah finds expression at all, it is traced in
colouring
so faint, in outlines so uncertain, that it ceases to
be
anything more than a vague anticipation at best. With
such
interpreters I shall not attempt to argue. To me
the
whole history of the Jewish nation becomes the most
unintelligible
of all enigmas, apart from the hope of Him
who
was to come. This hope is interwoven with all the
tissues
of the web of that history, and is the stay and the
41
42
THE
THEOLOGY OF THE PSALMS.
strength
of all. Nor can I understand how, with the his-
torical
fact before us of the promise given to David, we
can
hesitate to admit that in his Psalms, at least, some
references
to that promise would be found. A hope so
great,
a promise so distinctly given, must, by the very
necessities
of the case, have occupied the mind of David,
and
have reappeared in his Psalms. It would be far more
perplexing
to account for the absence than for the presence
of
the Messianic hope in his writings.
2. Others, again, and more especially
the Patristic and
Mediaeval
writers, have gone to the opposite extreme.
To
them every Psalm has some direct prophetical refer-
ence
to our Lord, to the circumstances of His life, or His
passion.
So Tertullian takes the whole of the First Psalm
as
a prophecy of Joseph of Arimathea; Augustine gives to
each
a reference to Christ and His Church; and Albertus
Magnus,
asserting that it is a well-known fact that the
whole
Book is concerning Christ (constat quod totus
iste
de Christo est),
interprets the First Psalm "of Christ,
and
His body the Church."
3. But all sober interpreters since
the time of the Refor-
mation,
following the guidance of Luther and Calvin, have
avoided
both extremes of error. On the one hand, they
have
recognised the existence of the Messianic element;
on
the other, they have abandoned those strained and
fanciful
interpretations by which violence is done to the
plain
language of many Psalms, when they are regarded
as
predictive of our Lord.
Still much difference of opinion exists,
more especially
amongst
English commentators, as to the principle of
interpretation
to be followed in those Psalms which are
confessedly
Messianic. One class of expositors, of whom
Bishop
Horsley may be taken as a chief representative,
have
laid it down as a certain principle, that whenever
any
part of a Psalm is by any of the writers of the
New
Testament applied to our Lord, there we are bound
to
explain the whole Psalm as prophetical of Him. Nay,
every
Psalm, it has been contended, which may reasonably
be
held, even without express New Testament sanction, to
THE THEOLOGY OF THE PSALMS. 43
be
Messianic, is Messianic in all its parts from first to last.
For,
it is urged, we are otherwise left without compass or
star
to guide us. Where, if this principle be abandoned, are
we
to draw the line, or what is to be the criterion of inter-
pretation?
Can we take one verse, and say, This applies
to
David; and another, and say, This applies to Christ?
Does
not our application of the Psalm thus become vague
and
arbitrary? Left without any standing rule or principle
of
interpretation, each can take or reject what he pleases.
But,
in the first place, this canon of interpretation fails,
because
it, at least tacitly, assumes that in all these Psalms
the
writer is consciously uttering a prediction; that the
Psalmist,
although he is speaking, it may be, in some lower
sense
of himself, has ever consciously before the eye of his
mind
One greater than he, in whom he knew that his words
would
find their ultimate fulfilment. But there is no proof
that
such is the case, but rather the reverse. In many
Psalms
it seems very evident that the writer is speaking
of
himself, of his own sufferings, of his own deliverance,
apparently
without thinking of another; although being a
prophet,
and therefore a type of Christ, he is led to use
unconsciously
words which, in their highest and truest
sense,
are applicable only to Christ.
In the next place, the difficulties
involved in the canon
of
interpretation to which I refer are far more serious than
those
which it is intended to surmount. It compels us
constantly
to take words and phrases in a sense which is
obviously
not their proper and natural sense. We find in
many
of these Psalms, passages of which are said to have
been
fulfilled in the circumstances of our Lord's life or pas-
sion,
confessions of sinfulness, maledictions of the writer's
enemies,
expressions of hatred and revenge, none of which
can,
in their plain literal sense, be transferred to our Lord.
It
is therefore necessary, in order that the canon may hold
in
its application, to give to all such words and expressions
a
very modified and altered meaning; an expedient to
which
we surely ought not to resort, unless no other way
of
escape were open to us. The words of Scripture may
have
a far deeper meaning than that which lies on the
44 THE THEOLOGY OF THE PSALMS
surface,
but surely not an altogether different meaning—a
meaning
which can only be extracted by ingenious contri-
vances,
or by doing violence to the simplest rules of lan-
guage.
If, in order to maintain some rule of interpretation
which
we assume to be necessary, we are compelled to
introduce
words and thoughts into passages where those
words
are not found, it may be worth while to ask our-
selves
whether our rule itself is not bent and twisted, and
fit
only to be thrown away.
Let us test the rule, then, in one or
two well-known
instances.
In the Fortieth Psalm there occurs a passage,
the
Septuagint Version of which is quoted in the Epistle to
the
Hebrews. The quotation runs thus: "Wherefore when
He
cometh into the world He saith: Sacrifice and offering
Thou
wouldest not, but a body hast Thou prepared me:
In
burnt-offerings and sacrifices for sin Thou hast had no
pleasure.
Then said I, Lo, I come; in the volume of the
book
it is written of me, to do Thy will, O God." The
citation
is made in illustration of the writer's argument
against
the perpetuity of the Jewish sacrifices. He shows
that
those sacrifices were but a part of a Law which was a
shadow
of good things to come, a Law which confessed its
own
incompleteness, which contained the elements of its
own
dissolution, which itself prophesied the destruction of
its
own body of death, and its resurrection to a life spiritual
and
eternal. He argues that the very repetition of those
sacrifices
is a proof of their incompleteness: and further,
that
the nature of the sacrifices was such, that they could
have
only a typical, not a moral efficacy. "It is impossible
that
the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sin,"
&c.
With these he contrasts the offering of Christ, the
great
virtue of which lay in the fact, that it was the offering
of
an obedient will, and therefore essentially moral and
spiritual
in its character. And in order to express this
truth
in a forcible manner, and to put it in a light which
for
his readers would have an especial attraction, the
writer
of the Epistle claims the words of the Psalmist as
having
found their fulfilment in the mouth of Christ. The
fact
that the passage as cited by him from the Version of
THE THEOLOGY OF THE PSALMS. 45
the
LXX. differs in a material point from the Hebrew text,
however
interesting and instructive in itself, has no bearing
on
my present argument. What it is of importance to
observe
is, that those words quoted as having found their
highest
realization, their most perfect meaning, in the lips
of
our blessed Lord,* are followed by other words in the
Psalm,
which in their plain grammatical sense cannot
possibly
be considered as spoken by Him. For what
follows
this lofty expression of a ready obedience, of a will
in
harmony with the will of God? A sad confession of
human
sinfulness and misery. A cry for mercy, as from
one
who has sinned, and who has suffered for his sin.
"Thou,
O Jehovah, wilt not refrain Thy tender compas-
sions
from me. . . . For evils have come about me without
number;
My iniquities have taken hold upon me that I
cannot
see: They are more than the hairs of my head,
And
my heart hath failed me." Then follow further, a
petition
for help, and a prayer for confusion on his enemies.
Now,
how is this latter part of the Psalm made to apply to
Christ?
How, in particular, are the words in ver. 12,
"my
iniquities,"
interpreted? That I may not be guilty of any
exaggeration,
I will quote Bishop Horsley's note on the
passage:
“AErumnae meae” [my distresses], says
Houbigant;
piously
thinking that the person who speaks throughout
the
Psalm had no sins with which to charge himself. But
since
God 'laid upon Him the iniquities of us,' therefore
the
Messiah, when He is personated in the Psalms, per-
petually
calls those iniquities His own, of which He bore
the
punishment."
But of the two explanations Houbigant's
is the more
tolerable.
The word rendered "my iniquities" might, in
accordance
with the opinion of competent scholars, be
rendered
"my punishments," the word being the same as
in
Gen. iv. 14, where our Authorized Version has, "my
punishment
is heavier than I can bear." But even then, as
punishment
for personal guilt is meant, it is obvious that
* This, I think, it may fairly be concluded,
considering the general
nature
of the argument of the Epistle, is the writer's view, although it
is
not expressly said that the Scripture was fulfilled.
46
THE THEOLOGY OF THE PSALMS.
only
by a remote, and circuitous, and tortuous method, can
the
proposed application be made.
But as to Horsley's own
interpretation, it is far more
indefensible
than that which it is intended to supersede.
The
passage which he quotes in support of his interpreta-
tion
fails really in its most essential particulars. For that
does
express the very idea which here is not expressed,
and
which is only assumed, but not proved, to be implied.
There
we do not find "our iniquities" spoken of as the
iniquities
of Christ, but they are distinctly said, on the one
hand,
to be "the iniquities of us all," and as distinctly said
on
the other, to have been "laid upon Him." Nor will
similar
passages which are sometimes appealed to in the
New
Testament bear the stress of the argument drawn
from
them. We are reminded, for instance, that our Lord
is
said "to bear our sins in His own body on the tree;"
and
that we even read that "God made
Him who knew no
sin
to be sin for us;" and it is contended that such lan-
guage
justifies the interpretation which Horsley has given
of
the Psalm. But I ask, is there no difference between
these
alleged parallel passages? Is not the difference,
on
the contrary, so great, that the one cannot be fairly
explained
by the other? Surely it is one thing for us to
be
told that God made Christ sin; and it is quite another
thing
for our blessed Lord himself to speak of the iniquities
of
others as His own. As a fact He never does so. And
the
step in the argument is prodigious. The two ideas
have
scarcely an intelligible connection. The one expres-
sion
seems even to exclude the other. A judge might
condemn
an innocent man to death in behalf of the guilty,
but
surely that innocent man would never speak of himself
as
guilty. Rather would he hold fast his integrity, as that
which
gave additional worth to his self-sacrifice.
Let us take one more instance, if
possible still more
strikingly conclusive against the mode of
interpretation
which
I am impugning. It shall be taken from the next
Psalm
in the series, the Forty-first. If this Psalm be the
composition
of David, there call be little doubt that he had
in
his mind the cruel desertion of some friend, perhaps
THE THEOLOGY OF THE
PSALMS. 47
Ahithophel,
in the season of his extremity, 2 Sam. xv. 31;
xvi.
20, &c. The words of the 9th verse, which so feelingly
describe
the bitterest drop in the cup of sorrow, the faith-
lessness
of a known and trusted friend, are by our Lord
himself
applied to the treachery of Judas.* But it is very
instructive
to observe the manner in which the quotation is
made,
especially where, as in this instance, it is introduced
with
the formula, "That the Scripture may be fulfilled."
Our
Lord drops from the quotation words which could not
apply
to Himself: "Mine own familiar friend in whom I
trusted;"
for He never did trust Judas. He knew from
the
beginning who should betray Him. It is clear, then,
that
we have our Lord's own authority for taking a portion,
not
only of a Psalm, but even of a particular passage in a
Psalm,
as prophetic of Himself and the circumstances of
His
life. Indeed, in this Psalm the difficulties are abso-
lutely
appalling, if we try to expound it throughout of
Christ.
How, then, interpret the 4th verse: "Heal my
soul;
for I have sinned against Thee;" or the l0th, "But
Thou,
O Jehovah, be gracious unto me, And raise me
up,
that I may requite them" ? Horsley's note on the
former
verse is one of the most remarkable instances of a
forced
interpretation which it was ever my lot to meet with.
He
says: In this Psalm the Messiah is the
speaker, who
in
His own Person was sinless. But the words may be
rendered,
'Surely I bear blame before Thee,' Personam pec-
catoris
apud te gero.
So the word xFH is used, Gen. xliii. 9,
of
the A. V." Kennicott renders the sentence as a
question,
"Have I sinned against Thee?" But Horsley
was
quite right in adding, "But I much doubt the use of
the
particle yKi
as an interrogative." It would be as
reasonable
to make o!ti
or ga>r an interrogative in Greek.
To
return, however, to Horsley's explanation, what meaning
after
all does it convey? What sense is there in saying,
"Heal
my soul, for I bear the blame before Thee. Heal
my
soul, for I am not a sinner, but only in the character
of
a sinner"? Such interpretations introduce the idea
* ]All ] i!na h[ grafh> plhrwq^?, o[
trw<gwn met ] e]mou? to>n a@rton e]p^?ren e]p ]
e]me> th>n pte<rnan au]tou?. John. xiii. 18.
48
THE THEOLOGY OF THE PSALMS.
which
their authors think they find in a passage, and then
the
passage itself is said to contain the idea.
We need not carry this argument
further. It is won-
derful,
indeed, that so arbitrary a canon of interpretation
should
have been invented, that it should have been
maintained
so perseveringly, and that its manifest defects
should
not have made its soundness suspected.
Besides these inherent difficulties,
the canon has all
analogy
against it, as well as the authority of the New
Testament
writers. It has analogy against it; for no one
thinks
of expounding the prophetical books in this manner.
Thus,
no one contends that because part of a prophecy is
Messianic,
therefore every portion of it must be Messianic.
No
one, for instance, would argue that the whole of Isaiah's
prophecy
delivered to Ahaz, on the invasion of Rezin and
Pekah,
must be applied down to its minutest details to
Christ,
because St. Matthew leads us to see a fulfilment
of
one portion of his announcement in the birth of Jesus
of
which
we do not apply to the Prophets?
But in the next place, the invariable
practice of the New
Testament
writers overthrows the canon referred to, and
establishes
for us a safe and consistent rule of interpreta-
tion.
Never does any writer of the New Testament, Evan-
gelist
or Apostle, never does our Lord himself, sanction the
application
of any passage of the Old Testament to Him in
which
the writer confesses and deplores his own sinfulness.
This
fact of itself ought to be a guide to us in our interpre-
tation.
It is a beacon against the shoals and quicksands
of
human error. Frequently and freely as the New Testa-
ment
writers cite passages from the Old Testament, and
especially
from the Psalms,* as fulfilled in Christ—some
perhaps
which, without their authority, we should hardly
have
dared so to interpret—they most cautiously abstain
from
that perversion of language which in modern theology
has
been pushed to such an extreme. To them it would
*
It is a remarkable fact, that of all the citations in the New
Testament,
from the Old, which have a Messianic reference, nearly
one-half
is made from the Psalms.
THE THEOLOGY OF THE PSALMS. 49
have
seemed nothing short of an awful profanation to have
spoken
of the sins laid upon Christ as His sins. They
would
never have thought it possible to speak of Him as
a
sinner, who to them was the Holy One of God. Words
which
expressed devotedness, self-sacrifice, high and holy
aspirations,
these they felt, and we all feel, however true in
some
sense of a righteous Israelite of old, uttering them in
the
communion of his heart with God, and carried beyond
himself
while he uttered them, were infinitely truer, yea,
only
true in the fullest sense, of Him who came not to do
His
own will, but the will of Him who sent Him. Hence
these,
even where no direct prediction was intended, were
more
fitting in His mouth than in theirs. So likewise the
language
of sorrow, the cry poured out from the depths of
a
troubled spirit, however truly expressive of the feelings
of
a pious Jew bowed down by calamities, persecutions,
miseries
untold, never came with so true a force of utter-
ance
from any lips as from the lips of Him, whose sorrows
and
whose sufferings were such as it hath not entered into
the
heart of man to conceive.
What, then, is the conclusion at which
we arrive from
these
observed facts? Surely it is this: that the Psalms
to
a large extent foreshadow Christ, because the writers of
the
Psalms are types of Christ. And it is of the very
nature
of a type to be imperfect. It fortells in some par-
ticulars,
but not in all, that of which it is the type. Were
it
complete in itself, it would not point further; through
its
very incompleteness it becomes a prophecy. Now, the
Psalms
are typical. They are the words of holy men of
old—of
one especially, whose life was fashioned in many
of
its prominent features to be a type of Christ. But just
as
David's whole life was not typical of Christ, so neither
were
all his words. His suffering and his humiliation first,
and
his glory afterwards, were faint and passing and eva-
nescent
images of the life of Him who was both Son of
David
and Son of God. But the sorrowful shadow of pollu-
tion
which passed upon David's life, that was not typical,
and,
therefore, the words in which it was confessed are not
typical
or predictive, or capable of application to our Lord.
VOL.
I.
50
THE
THEOLOGY OF THE PSALMS.
Once
let us firmly grasp this idea, that any Psalm in which
a
suffering saint of God under the Old Testament addresses
God
has but a typical reference to Christ, where it has any
such
reference at all, and we are freed at once from all em-
barrassment
of interpretation. Then we can say without
hesitation:
Every word in that Psalm is the true expres-
sion
of the feelings of him who wrote it; the suffering
is
a real suffering; the sorrow is a real sorrow; the
aspiration,
so high, so heavenly, is a real aspiration; the
joy
and the triumph of deliverance are real; the con-
fession
of sin comes from a heart to which sin is a real
burden.
But the sorrow, the suffering, the aspiration, the
joy,
the triumph—all but the sin—never found all their
fulness
of meaning save in the life and on the lips of the
Perfect
Another great advantage of this system of
interpreta-
tion
is, that it not only saves us from a forced and un-
natural
interpretation of language in particular instances,
but
that it falls in so completely with the whole history of
the
Old Testament. That history is throughout typical.
We
have the key to its meaning in that quotation by the
Evangelist
Matthew: "Out of
son."
The history of
in
a certain sense, one. And as the history of
fashioned
to be typical of the history of Redemption, in
its
capital features, so the history of the great: represen-
tative
characters in
each
in some distinct particular, the life of Christ. Christ
our
Lord is Prophet, Priest, and King. All these offices
find
their highest significance in Him; and, accordingly,
those
who bore these offices in the Mosaic economy were,
in
their several degrees, types of Christ.
I. The Prophet was the teacher of the
truth which he
had
received by solemn commission from the mouth of
God.
He came to the people, as one sent by God, bear-
ing
the message of God on his lips. He spake of truth,
of
righteousness, of mercy; he revealed God’s will, he
threatened
God's judgements; he rebuked the prevalent
formalism
and the prevalent hypocrisy. He was the
THE
THEOLOGY OF THE PSALMS. 51
majestic
witness for God against the Priest whose lips
no
longer kept knowledge, against the King who forgot
that
he was the servant of the Highest, and against the
people
who clung to the letter of the Law with the more
scrupulous
tenacity, in proportion as they forgot and de-
parted
from its spirit. But the Prophet himself did not
speak
all the truth. He often spoke dimly; he revealed
only
those portions and fragments of truth which it was
his
especial mission to proclaim. Such was the Prophet in
his
teaching. But what was he in his life? He went in
and
out before the people, and he was one with them. He
was
better, for the most part, than those whom he rebuked,
but
there were blots and imperfections in his life. Sin,
and
error, and infirmity might be seen even in the teacher
sent
from God. The true Prophet had not yet come.
God
gave His people the type, but with His own hand He
brake
it in pieces before their eyes, that they might wait
for
the Great Prophet of His Church, for Him who should
not
only teach the Truth, but be the Truth; for Him who
should
not only speak the Word, but be the Word; the
only-begotten
Son, who, alike in life and speech, should
declare
the Father unto men.
2. So likewise was it with the Priest.
The Jewish
High
Priest was the intercessor between man and God.
As
the Prophet was the messenger from God to man, so
the
Priest was the representative, of man with God. He
was
taken from among men. Once in the year he entered
into
the most holy place, there to make atonement for sin.
But
that holy place itself was typical and shadowy; it was
but
the figure of heaven. The victim whose blood was
there
sprinkled to make atonement, showed that the
earthly
sanctuary needed itself to be cleansed. The blood
was
the blood of a dumb animal, which could never take
away
sin. The High Priest confessed his own imperfec-
tion
in the very act of atonement, because he must offer
sacrifice,
first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the
people.
The Priest, therefore, though a representative of
the
people, was an imperfect representative, entering into
an
imperfect sanctuary, offering an imperfect sacrifice.
52 THE THEOLOGY OF THE PSALMS
God
gave His people the type, but He brake in pieces
the
type before their eyes, and thus He led them to look
for
the true Priest, for Him who should make atonement
with
His own blood and for ever put away sin by the
sacrifice
of Himself; whose sympathy would be perfect,
because
He could bear all hearts in His; whose sacrifice
would
be perfect, because it was the sacrifice of Himself;
whose
intercession would be all-prevalent, because He ever
liveth
at the right hand of God.
3. There was another prominent character
in the Jewish
theocracy.
The King was emphatically the Anointed of
God,
His vicegerent upon earth. He was to be the wit-
ness
for a Divine Government, the pattern of the Divine
righteousness,
filled with the spirit of wisdom and under-
standing.
"Give the king Thy judgements, O God, and
Thy
righteousness unto the King's son." Such was the
prayer
uttered, perhaps, by Solomon, and conveying in its
expression
the true conception of what a king should be,
as
ruling by the grace of God, and, in some sort, even
representing
God to man. God made a covenant with
David,
gave him promises great and glorious, seated his
son
upon his throne. But that son disappointed all the
hopes
which once gathered around him so brightly. The
morning
of his reign which was so fair, like a morning
without
clouds, was quickly overcast, and his sun set in
the
disastrous gloom of a gathering tempest. He who
had
been the mirror of justice and wisdom ended by
cruelly
oppressing his subjects. Too surely and too
lamentably
was it made evident, that he was not the
righteous
king whose rule was to be a blessing to the
world.
He was not the defender of the poor and the
scourge
of evil-doers; his dominion was not from sea to
sea,
nor from the river to the ends of the earth. After him
the
sceptre which he had held was broken in twain. And
as
one after another of his descendants sat upon David's
throne,
the earthly hope waxed fainter and fainter. If
for
a moment it revived with the pious Hezekiah, with the
good
Josiah, it was but to sink at last into a deeper dark-
ness.
Wrong and violence were in the city; and none sat
THE
THEOLOGY OF THE PSALMS. 53
in
the gate to do justice. The poor cried, but he had no
helper;
the oppressed, and there was none to deliver. The
king
was stained with crimes, and used the almost despotic
power
of an oriental prince unscrupulously and without
remorse.
The fair image of righteousness, associated with
the
very name of king, and of which the bright ideal had
never
been conceived as it was in Judaism, where was it to
be
found? The true Son of David was not yet come.
Men's
hearts and eyes failed them for longing and looking
for
His coming. God took the earthly type and brake
it
in pieces before their eyes, that they might thus wait
for
Him who should be King of Righteousness and King
of
Peace.
Of these three principal figures in the
Jewish typical
system,
two appear prominently in the Psalms, the Prophet
and
the King. This is what might be expected. The
Priest
was typical by his acts rather than by his words.
And
sacrifice and ritual might be enjoined and described
in
the Law, but they find no place in the Psalms. They
are
mentioned only to be depreciated. Hence in one
Psalm
only does Messiah appear as Priest, and there He
is
both King and Priest. There, moreover, He stands as
a
Priest after the order of Melchisedec, and not after
the
order of Aaron. But with regard to the other two
offices—those
of Prophet and King—the Messianic
Psalms
may be divided into two classes, according as
they
are represented by the one or the other of these
two
characters.
1. We have a series of Psalms—the
Second, the
Twentieth,
the Twenty-first, the Forty-fifth, the Seventy-
second,
the Hundred and Tenth—in all of which a King is
celebrated.
In one Psalm a King is described who goes
forth
conquering and to conquer; in another, a King
whose
reign is a reign of righteousness and peace. In
another,
the occasion of the royal nuptials has been
selected
as the subject. In all, some Jewish monarch,
either
on his accession, or at some critical period of his
reign,
is the immediate object before the eyes of the
inspired
Poet. But in all the monarch grows larger and
54 THE THEOLOGY OF THE PSALMS.
fairer
than the sons of men. He is seen ever in the light
of
the promise made to David, and in that light he is
transfigured.
Human he is, no doubt: many words
spoken
of him pertain only to a human king; but many
also
are higher; many cannot, except by force of exagge-
ration,
be made to apply to one who wears the frailty
together
with the form of man. There is but one in-
terpretation
by which the apparently discordant elements
in
these Psalms can be held together. It is that according
to
which the Psalms are regarded, not as simply predictive,
but
as properly typical in their character.
2. Many other Psalms there are, which,
in the New
Testament,
are said to have their fulfilment in the suffer-
ings
of Christ. In these, again, the writer himself is a
type
of Christ; and he is so in his character as a prophet, or
preacher
of righteousness. In all these Psalms, a servant
of
God appears as a sufferer, and a sufferer for righteous-
ness'
sake; often, indeed, confessing that he suffers the
just
punishment of his sins at the hands of God, but always
complaining
that he is unjustly persecuted of men. In
such
Psalms, more particularly, as the Twenty-second
and
Sixty-ninth, we find, moreover, language used which
implies
that the sufferer occupies a prominent position,
and
that he is, in some sense, the representative of
in
his sufferings. The issue of those sufferings is to be a
subject
of joy and thanksgiving, not to himself only, but
to
all who, like himself, fear God, and endure persecution
for
His Name's sake. Hence the Psalmist, both as prophet
and
as righteous sufferer, is a type of Christ; for every
Jewish
prophet or preacher was also conspicuous as a
sufferer,
a martyr for the truth.
But we never find these two
characters—that of the
suffering
prophet and the victorious king—united in the
same
Psalm. This, of itself, is surely remarkable. This
of
itself teaches us how purely typical the Psalms are, so
far
as their Messianic import is concerned. Everywhere
we
find imperfection, everywhere only a partial representa-
tion
of that which could not, as yet, be conceived of in its
completeness.
THE THEOLOGY OF THE PSALMS. 55
Lastly, there is another remarkable
circumstance, which
lends
ample confirmation, were confirmation needed, to
the
view I have advocated. It is this. Nowhere in the
Psalms
are the redemption of the world and
glory
bound up with the coming of the Messiah. The
Messiah
is, for a time at least, associated with the present,
and
only with the present. The Anointed of God is
David,
or Solomon, till both the one and the other fail
to
fulfil the longings of men's hearts. But the Advent to
which
It
is He who is
which
shall be her redemption and her glory; but His
coming
is never identified with the coming of the Messiah.*
The
early hope and the heavenly run on in parallel
lines,
but they never meet. In the light of the New
Testament
only do we see how David's Son is also his
Lord.
All these facts, then, point in one
direction. The fact
that
the Messiah and the Divine deliverer are not as yet
seen
by the Psalmists to be the same; the fact that the
King
and the Sufferer are two, not one; the fact that the
New
Testament writers never quote confessions of sinful-
ness
as in any way applicable to Christ, whilst they do
quote
other words expressive of devotion or suffering
as
so applicable: all these tend to the same conclusion,
namely,
that whilst all the great characters of Israelitish
history
are typical of Him, they are so only partially and
imperfectly.
Hence we can freely and safely adopt this
principle
of interpretation in all cases. We can see in
every
Psalm which may reasonably be regarded as
Messianic,
a primary reference to the writer and to
his
own circumstances; and, so far as confessions of sin
meet
us, an exclusive reference; whereas in all else, without
maintaining
a conscious prophecy, we can recognise the
language
of a type waiting its proper accomplishment in
the
Antitype.
II. We turn now to the relation in
which the Psalmists
*
See this beautifully stated by Delitzsch, in the note which I have
quoted
on Ps. lxxii.
56 THE THEOLOGY OF THE PSALMS
stand
to the Law of God. And here we may notice, first
the
strong affection expressed for the Law of God in itself
and,
next, the remarkable recognition of its higher and
more
spiritual requirements, as contrasted with its merely
ceremonial
enactments.
I. We have, first, the expression of a
strong personal
affection
for the Law of God. "The Law of Jehovah," it
is
said in the Nineteenth Psalm, "is perfect, restoring the
soul;
the testimony of Jehovah is sure, making wise the
simple.
The statutes of Jehovah are right, rejoicing the
heart;
the commandment of Jehovah is pure, enlightening
the
eyes… The judgements of Jehovah are truth, they
are
righteous altogether. More to be desired are they
than
gold, yea than much fine gold; sweeter also than
honey,
and the droppings of the honeycomb. Moreover
Thy
servant is enlightened by them, and in keeping of
them
there is great reward." In the First Psalm, where the
character
of the righteous man is pourtrayed in contrast
with
that of the wicked, it is summed up in these words:
"In
the Law of Jehovah is his delight, and in His Law
doth
he meditate day and night." The longest Psalm in
the
whole collection, the Hundred and Nineteenth, might
be
entitled "The Praise of the Law;" for it sets forth in
ceaseless
variety of application the value of the law, the
statutes,
the judgements of God. What then was this Law,
which
seemed so precious, so infinitely beyond all gold and
silver,
to the Psalmists of Israel, which was to them as a
light
to their feet, and as sweet food to their mouth, and
which
was their meditation all the day? Is it the same
Law
which to
the
strength of sin, as making him feel his wretchedness,
as
pronouncing his condemnation? Calvin has thrown out
the
question in his Commentary on the Nineteenth Psalm,
and
has partly answered it. "How," he asks, "shall these
things
agree, that the Law restores the soul, and yet is a
dead
letter; that it cheers the heart, and yet brings with it
the
spirit of a slave and inspires us with terror; that it
enlightens
the eyes, and yet, by putting a veil before them,
darkens
the light within?" "
THE THEOLOGY OF THE
PSALMS. 57
Psalmist,
are regarding the Law from two different points
of
view. David does not speak of the Law as opposed to
the
Gospel, but of the Law as including the promise. To
him
the Law is not merely the code, the bare precepts, but
the
whole revelation of God, so far as it was then given,
including
Christ Himself, on whom the adoption of
rested.
verse
interpreters of the Law, who were for separating it
from
the grace and spirit of Christ; whereas, apart from
Christ,
the Law, inexorable in its requirements, can only
expose
the whole world to God's wrath and curse." This,
no
doubt, is true so far as it goes.
the
Law merely as a covenant of works: "The man that
doeth
these things, he shall live by them;" and he felt
deeply
his own inability to live by them. He saw, on the
one
hand, the holiness of God reflected in the Law, and,
on
the other hand, the impossibility of keeping the Law.
The
impossibility of keeping it filled him, with terror
and
dismay, but, so far as it was the reflection of God's
holiness,
he could say, as truly as David, " I delight in the
Law
of God after the inner man." He too could say,
"The
Law is holy, and the commandment is holy, and
just,
and good." Viewed in itself, viewed as an expression
of
the mind of God, it was all that the Psalmist declared
it
to be. It was only when it was looked at as an instru-
ment
of justification that it became clothed with terror.
When
a man heard that in order to be saved he must
obey
the Law, and when conscience told him that he was
a
perpetual transgressor of the Law, then, indeed, he saw
nothing
but condemnation. But this relation to the Law,
so
distinctly felt, so clearly understood, is peculiar to the
Gospel.
The work of the Spirit of Christ has given us,
it
cannot be doubted, a deeper insight into the nature of
sin,
and therefore, also, into the condemning power of
the
Law. But, under the Old Testament, the opposition
between
the Law and sin does not appear with anything
like
the same sharppess of outline. The love and affection
which
are expressed towards the Law here, are expressed
towards
it regarded simply as the reflection of the pure,
58 THE THEOLOGY OF THE PSALMS.
and
perfect, and holy will of God. To the spiritually-
minded
Jew under the Old Testament, that Law was
not
merely an outward letter of restraint; his heart and
conscience
consented thereto.* And one capital object of
the
teaching of the Prophets was to represent it in its truly
spiritual
meaning, and so to set it forth as a proper object
of
affection to every heart which waited upon God.
2. But, again, we find in the Psalms a
thoroughly spi-
ritual
appreciation of the ceremonial part of the Law.
Samuel
had already led the way here. "Hath the Lord
as
great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices as in obey-
ing
the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than
sacrifice,
and to hearken than the fat of rams." The same
truth
in one Psalm (the Fortieth) is represented as having
been
immediately communicated by Divine teaching to the
writer
of the Psalm. David may both have learnt it from
Samuel,
when he was living among "the sons of prophets,"
and
have had the lesson confirmed by the direct inspira-
tion
of the Holy Ghost. "Burnt-offering and sacrifice,"
he
declares, "Thou wouldest not. The sacrifices of God
are
a broken spirit." In the grand prophetic strain of the
Fiftieth
Psalm, the relation of sacrifice to obedience is no
less
explicitly taught; the comparative worthlessness of the
one,
the real value of the other. It is of importance to
bear
in mind, that this, and this only, is the view taken
of
the Mosaic sacrifices by the spiritually-enlightened Jew
under
that dispensation. He evidently did not regard
those
sacrifices, as so many Christian writers have regarded
them,
as having, in the case of those who offered them in
penitence
and faith, a spiritual efficacy. Their only efficacy
to
him was the efficacy which the Law itself assigned to
*
Luther, in commenting on those words of the First Psalm, "His
delight
(or, as he renders it, will) is in the Law of Jehovah," beau-
tifully
observes: "Now this will is that pure satisfaction of the heart,
and,
so to speak, pleasure in the Law, which does not ask what the
Law
promises, or what it threatens, but only this, that the Law is holy,
just,
and good. It is, therefore, not only a love of the Law, but a loving
delight
in the Law, which neither by any prosperity nor by any adversity
can
the world and the prince of the world take away or overcome, but
through
the midst of want, infamy, the cross, death, hell, it forces its
victorious
way; for it shines forth chiefly in adversities."
THE THEOLOGY OF THE
PSALMS. 59
them;
they were the instruments of restoring him, when
he
had transgressed, to his place as a member of the
theocracy,
a citizen of the visible
they
did not confer, or convey, the remission of sins. They
were
external, and their efficacy was external. They were
typical, no doubt, of Christ's
sacrifice; and the forgiveness
which
they procured, and which resulted in the re-admis-
sion
of an offender to the privileges of his Jewish citizen-
ship,
was typical of the forgiveness of sins under the
Gospel
dispensation. But it is no less certain that the legal
sacrifices
did not take the place in the Old Testament of
the
sacrifice of Christ in the New, that it was not through
his
sacrifices that
the Old Testament believer looked for
the
forgiveness of his sins. Had it been so, we could not
have
found the constant opposition between sacrifice and
obedience,
the studied depreciation of sacrifices, which
meets
us everywhere in the Psalms and the Prophets, and
which
is, in fact, fully confirmed by the whole argument of
the
Epistle to the Hebrews. How far the Jewish believer
saw
into the typical meaning of his sacrifices, is a question
which
cannot now be answered. It is however somewhat
remarkable
that the Prophets, earnestly as they expostu-
late
with the people on the subject of their sacrifices, never
say
one word on this aspect of them, never speak of this
their
hidden meaning. But the typical meaning and the
real
efficacy are two very different things. In truth, as has
been
ably argued,* if we assign to the type the virtue of
the
antitype, if we make the remission of sins procured by
the
one co-extensive with the remission of sins procured
by
the other, we destroy the type altogether. The sacrifice
had
no moral value. Hence the Psalmist says, not sacrifice
but a broken heart. Could
he have said this, if through
the
sacrifice he looked for forgiveness of sin?
III. We find in the Psalms, on many
occasions, asser-
tions
of uprightness, of innocence, of freedom from trans-
gression,
which almost startle us. Such
expressions,
*
See the clear and satisfactory statement of the whole question in
Dean
MacDonnell's Donnellan Lectures. Appendix to the First
Sermon.
60 THE THEOLOGY OF THE PSALMS.
indeed,
have sometimes given offence, as if they savoured
of
a self-righteous spirit. But a little reflection will show
how
mistaken such a notion is. We have but to turn to
the
passages in which they occur to see at once that the
words
are not the words of a proud boaster, ignorant alike
of
his own heart and of the law of God. Take, for instance,
such
passages as these: "Thou hast proved my heart;
Thou
hast visited me by night; Thou hast tried me and
findest
no evil thought in me; neither doth my heart trans-
gress
" (Ps. xvii. 3). The words are bold words, no doubt.
Such
an assertion of innocence is one which we might
tremble
to make. But it is not self-righteous. It is not
the
utterance of the Pharisee, "God, I thank Thee I am
not
as other men are, or even as this publican." It is
made
solemnly in the presence of God, with a direct appeal
to
Him as knowing the heart: "From Thy presence let
my
judgement go forth; Thine eyes behold uprightness"
(ver.
2). It is fully explained by other language imme-
diately
preceding: "Give ear to my prayer which (is
uttered)
by no deceitful lips." These last words show us
the
sense in which such a passage is to be taken. The
Psalmist
is not asserting his freedom from sin, but the
uprightness
and guilelessness of his heart towards God.
He
is no hypocrite, no dissembler; he is not consciously
doing
wrong.
Language equally strong, or stronger,
we find again in
the
next Psalm: "Jehovah rewarded me according to my
righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands did
He
recompense me. For I have kept the ways of Jehovah,
and
have not wickedly departed from my God. . . I have
also
been perfect with Him, and have kept myself from my
iniquity."
Such words are, no doubt, enough to make us
pause
and look within, and ask ourselves if we can utter
them
in sincerity, but they are manifestly not said in a
boastful,
arrogant spirit. The whole Psalm is full of a
childlike
trust and confidence in God, the very opposite of
the
spirit of self-righteousness. It may be, perhaps, that
we
meet with such expressions more frequently in the
Psalms
than we do in the New Testament, because the
THE THEOLOGY OF THE
PSALMS. 61
sense
of sin under the old dispensation was not so deep as
under
the new. That it was not, and could not be, the
New
Testament itself teaches us. The Law was given to
restrain
outward acts, but it could not touch the conscience.
There
were foreshadowings of the sacrifice of Christ, but
that
sacrifice had not been offered. And therefore, as the
power
and efficiency of that atonement could not be under-
stood,
so neither could all the depth and malignity of sin
be
discovered. The Spirit of God, though He undoubtedly
was
the source of all righteousness then, as now, in the
hearts
of believers, yet did not, it is plain, exercise the
same
influence as He does in the present dispensation.
We
are distinctly taught that, till the Ascension of Christ,
"the
Holy Ghost was not given." That gift, it is intimated,
was
in some special sense the great glory and privilege of
the
Christian Church. "It is expedient for you that I go
away;
for if I go not away the Comforter will not come
to
you, but if I depart I will send Him unto you." Nor
was
the distinguishing feature of His mission the imparting
only
of extraordinary miraculous gifts. In His other ope-
rations,
also, He works now as He did not then. Coming
as
the Spirit of the Father and the Son, it is His office in
a
sense before unknown, because connected immediately
with
the work of Christ and His going to the Father, to
convince
the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judge-
ment.
All, therefore, that was taught under the legal
economy
on these subjects, though true, because taught
by
the same Spirit, yet was nevertheless comparatively
imperfect,
because He had not yet come as sent by the
risen
Saviour.
Still, while we admit this, because
the whole tenour and
scope
of God's Revelation compel us to admit it, we must
not
forget how true, how real, how widely different from
anything
to be met with elsewhere in the ancient world, is
the
sense of sin expressed in the Psalms. It may be, no
doubt,
and it often is, first awakened by suffering. The
sharpness
of the rod seems the measure of the trans-
gression.
It may be that more frequently acts of sin are
regarded
than the bitter root whence these spring—the
62 THE THEOLOGY OF THE PSALMS.
sinful
nature. So far as this is the case, we may allow that
such
representations are in accordance rather with the Old
Testament
than with the New. But even granting this, we
have
still the truest view of sin before us in the Psalms.
We
do find there (in the Fifty-first Psalm) the confession
of
a sinful nature, as well as of sinful acts. We find the
confession
that all sin, as sin, is committed against God,
even
when the act is done against our neighbour. We find
the
ever-living consciousness that God looks at the heart,
and
not merely at the outward act. "The righteous God
trieth
the hearts and reins." We find the blessedness of
forgiveness
stated in words which the Apostle Paul cites in
his
Epistle to the Romans, when asserting the doctrine of
justification
by faith. We find the need, and the longing
for
sanctification through the Spirit, plainly and feelingly
declared.
IV. One other point, bearing upon the
moral position of
the
Psalmists, remains to be considered, and it is, perhaps,
that
which has occasioned more real perplexity than any
other.
We find in some of the Psalms terrible denun-
ciations
of the writer's enemies, withering anathemas, im-
precations
so awful that we almost tremble to read them.
How
are we to explain the occurrence of such prayers for
vengeance?
Are they justifiable? Are they, not the mere
outbursts
of passionate and unsanctified feeling, but the
legitimate
expression of a righteous indignation? Or are
they
Jewish only, and not Christian? And if so, then how
are
we to reconcile this with a belief in the Divine autho-
rity
and inspiration of the Scriptures? Such language is
certainly
very different from anything that we meet with
in
the New Testament; and yet, if it is not legitimate, if
we
may not use it ourselves, then how can it be said to
be
given by inspiration of God?
This is a real difficulty, and it seemed
so real a difficulty
even
to a mind like that of
in
what must be called a non-natural interpretation, and
argued
that such language could be lawfully used now,
only
with reference to the enemies of our soul's peace.
Yet
it is obvious how impossible it is to carry out this
THE THEOLOGY OF THE PSALMS. 63
principle
of interpretation. How, for instance, in wrestling
with
spiritual enemies, could we adopt with any definite
meaning
such words as these: "Set Thou a wicked man
over
him, and let Satan stand at his right hand. When he
shall
be judged, let him be condemned; and let his prayers
become
sin. Let his days be few, and let another take
his
office. Let his children be fatherless and his wife a
widow,"
&c. It is manifestly out of the question: the
gulf
is too wide between the original sense and the
attempted
application.
I have so fully explained, in a note on
the Thirty-fifth
Psalm,
what I believe to be the right principle of inter-
pretation
in passages of this imprecatory character, that
I
need not go over the ground again. I will only make
two
remarks. First, let the English reader be on his guard
against
the well-meant assertions of Bishop Horne and
other
writers, that the verbs which are correctly rendered
in
our Authorized Version as optatives might, with equal
propriety,
be rendered as futures. This method of trans-
lation
would escape from the difficulty by giving us
predictions
for imprecations. Thus, for instance, instead of
reading:
"Let his days be few: let his children be father-
less,"
&c., these expositors would have us read: "His days
shall
be few:
his children shall be fatherless," &c. But
this
is an expedient which does violence to the most certain
rules
of language. The tense in Hebrew which by the
older
grammarians is commonly called the future, and, by
the
more recent, either the present or imperfect, but which
I
venture to think ought to be called the aorist, has two
forms.
One of these is used to denote sometimes present,
sometimes
past, sometimes future action. The other, an
apocopated
or shortened form, is used to denote the expres-
sion
of a wish.* It is this last which occurs in all the
*
In order to make this clear to a person ignorant of Hebrew, I
will
attempt an illustration from the Latin. Amabit, "he will
love,"
is
the third person future of amo; now suppose that instead of
employing
a distinct form, as the Latin language does, to express "let
him
love," it were to convey this optative meaning by contracting the
future
amabit into ambt, such a process would, as nearly as possible,
represent
what takes place in Hebrew.
64 THE THEOLOGY OF THE PSALMS.
passages
where the English Version has employed, and
rightly
employed, the auxiliary verb "let" as an equivalent.
This,
then, is certain: we have in the Psalms imprecations,
prayers
for vengeance, and not merely the threatening of
God's
wrath against impenitent sinners. The verbs are
optatives,
not futures.
My next remark is designed to meet, if
possible, a mis-
representation
of my meaning in what I have said in the
Note
before referred to. I have there endeavoured to
show
that, whilst we need not suppose that the indignation
which
burns so hotly is other than a righteous indignation,
yet
that we are to regard it as permitted under the Old
Testament
rather than justifiable under the New. Surely
there
is nothing in such an explanation which in the
smallest
degree impugns the Divine authority of the earlier
Scriptures.
In how many respects have the harsher outlines
of
the legal economy been softened down by "the mind
that
was in Christ Jesus." How much of it is declared to
be
antiquated, even though it still stands for our instruction
in
the volume of the Bible. How clearly our Lord Himself
teaches
us, that His Spirit and the spirit of Elijah are not
the
same. Yet surely no prophet of the Old Testament
occupies
a higher place, as an inspired messenger of God,
than
the prophet Elijah. Our Lord does not condemn the
prophet
for his righteous zeal: He does forbid the mani-
festation
of a like zeal on the part of His disciples. As
in
the Sermon on the Mount He substitutes the moral
principle
for the legal enactment, so here He substitutes
the
spirit of gentleness, meekness, endurance of wrongs,
for
the spirit of fiery though righteous indignation. The
Old
Testament is not contrary to the New, but it is
inferior
to it.
And there is a peculiarity in the
circumstances under
which
our Lord's remarks were uttered when He forbade
His
disciples to call down fire from heaven upon the
Samaritan
village, which makes His remarks on that
occasion
strictly applicable to the question we are dis-
cussing.
The disciples, it is plain, were not actuated by
selfish
or interested motives. It was not their own quarrel,
THE THEOLOGY OF THE PSALMS. 65
but
their Master's, in which they were engaged. The insult
had
been offered to Him, and therefore they would have
avenged
Him as Peter did, when he drew his sword and
cut
off the ear of Malchus. Their indignation was righteous,
as
Elijah's indignation was righteous. But because they
were
disciples of the Gospel of peace, not the stern soldiers
of
an exclusive and peremptory law, the zealous work
of
vengeance was forbidden them. Surely, then, we are
justified
in saying that the imprecations in the Psalms,
though
springing from a righteous zeal for the glory of
God,
and not from any mere thirst of personal revenge,
still
are not such as a Christian can lawfully, in their
natural
sense, use now. They may have their lesson for
us,
nevertheless. They may show us what zeal for God
is;
how it consumes one who is truly filled by it. They
may
be a warning against laxity of belief, indifference,
softness
of spirit, even whilst we know that our zeal is to
be
a zeal of love, not of hate; our fervour, a fervour of
devotion
to God, rather than of opposition even to those
whom
we may count to be His enemies. The imprecations
which
may not pass over our lips, where one of our own
enemies,
or even one of God's enemies, is concerned, may
still
remind us that there is a holy jealousy of love, may
rouse
us to greater moral earnestness, may rebuke us, and
put
us to shame because we are neither cold nor hot. Such
words
of Scripture may be profitable for reproof, if they
are
not profitable for doctrine.*
V. Before we quit the general subject
of the Theology
of
the Psalms, one other topic requires a few words of
notice.
I have touched upon it frequently in the Notes,
but
an allusion to it here will not be out of place. What
do
we gather from the Psalms with respect to a future life?
Does
the hope of that life, and of the resurrection of the
dead,
occupy any prominent place among those motives by
which
the saint of God strives to sustain his faith amidst
the
wrong-doing which he sees in the world, the persecu-
*
See Coleridge's Confessions of an Enquiring Spirit, Letter III.;
and
Dean Stanley's Jewish Church, Lect. XI. p. 249, &c. I have
said
more on the subject in my Sermons. Sermon V.
66 THE THEOLOGY OF THE PSALMS.
tions
to which he is exposed, the sorrows and the sufferings
which
lay so heavily upon him? Very rarely indeed is
this
motive appealed to: still more rarely is it made a
ground
of consolation in the midst of suffering. Some
half-dozen
passages in the Psalms are all that can be
pointed
out, where the bright hope of everlasting life casts
its
light upon the present. In this, as in all things else,
God's
revelation was gradual. At no time could they
who
trusted in God and loved Him dream that their trust
and
love were only for this world. But in the life of
Abraham,
nothing is said of his hope after death. In the
life
of Moses it is the same. With David the hope begins
to
assert itself; it is not, indeed, clear; it speaks in no
certain
accents; but still it wears the aspect, and utters the
voice,
of a hope. It is a hope of that which may be, rather
than
of that which shall be: but yet, even in its weakness,
it
tramples upon the world, and time, and death. With
Isaiah
this hope becomes clearer. Ezekiel, in the parable
of
a national resurrection, draws his image from the resur-
rection
of the dead. Daniel asserts it in language which
cannot
be mistaken. From this time onward it becomes an
undoubted
article of Jewish belief. They who deny it are
counted
for a sect, and our Lord confutes them with an
unanswerable
argument drawn from the books of Moses.
Finally,
by His Resurrection, life and immortality were
brought
to light; and from the days of the Apostles to the
present
hour, Jesus and the Resurrection have been the
prominent
subjects of all Christianity, and a future life the
most
consoling hope in all times of affliction, and in the
presence
of death. But it was otherwise with the fathers
of
the Jewish Church. God was teaching them the capital
truth
on which all other truth was to rest, that He, and
nothing
else, was their sufficient portion. "I am thy shield,
and
thy exceeding great reward," this was His great word
to
Abraham. It was by this that Abraham lived. All
else
was promise; this was present possession. The pro-
mised
land he could never call his own; the promised seed
was
given to him only to be demanded back by Him who
gave
it. The whole discipline of Abraham's life had this
THE THEOLOGY OF THE PSALMS. 67
purpose
in it; to lead him to find in the everlasting God,
his
strength, his portion, his all. He was called "the friend
of
God;" and he who had God for his friend could need,
could
have, nothing more; for all was implied in this. On
this
fact Abraham's life was built; on this the lives of all
his
true children. The Jews were not merely designed to
be
witnesses to the world of the unity of God. They were
this,
no doubt; but they were far more. They were wit-
nesses
to a better truth,—that the Eternal God loves men,
and
calls them His children and His friends, and that men
can
be, and know themselves to be, His friends and His
children.
It is of this truth that the Psalms are full.
They
give proof in every verse of the reality of a com-
munion
and fellowship between the living God and His
creatures.
The poetry of the Hebrews, it has been well
said,
is a "poetry of friendship between God and man."*
And
it seems to have been designed that the truth of this
Divine
communion should occupy so commanding a posi-
tion,
that no other truth should be suffered, as it were, to
come
into competition with it. + This was to stand alone
in
its grandeur, because it is upon this that man's life must
be
built. We must rest upon the broad foundation of faith
before
we can have the hope which maketh not ashamed.
If
hope is the anchor within the veil, faith is the victory
which
overcometh the world. We cannot wonder, there-
fore,
that so little, comparatively, is said of a future life
in
the Psalms. It was not yet time. God was training
His
children to lean only upon Him. When the fulness
of
the time was come, the veil was rent away, Paradise
opened,
and the Church militant made one with the Church
triumphant.++
*
"Eine Freundschaftspoesie der Menschen mit Gott sollte sie
seyn; eine Kindespoesie schwacher Menschen vom
väterlichen höch-
sten
Wesen, die sick an seinen Bund erinnern, auf sein gegebenes
Wort
beziehen, und ihr Herz durch Thaten Gottes stärken."– HERDER,
Sämmtl. Werke, i. 213
+
See Dean Stanley's Jewish Church, Lect. VII. p. 154, and Mr.
Isaac
Taylor's admirable work, The Spirit of the Hebrew Poetry,
where
this abstinence from the theme of a future life is strikingly
brought
out.
+
I have discussed this whole question more fully in my Hulsean
Lectures on "Immortality,
" Lect. III.
68 THE THEOLOGY OF THE PSALMS.
I have thus endeavoured to trace some of
those differ-
ences
between the Old Testament and the New, which
meet
us in the Psalms; and which meet us peculiarly
there,
because there, more than anywhere else, we can see
what
the life of the saints, their true life, was towards God.
Such
an attempt must be made carefully, lest we either
exaggerate
differences on the one side, or fail to see them
on
the other. That there are differences, our Lord Himself
has
taught us. In His Sermon on the Mount, and in the
discourse
with His disciples before referred to, He has
distinctly
recognised them. It is for us to strive to see
them
in His light:, not according to our own prepossessions.
We
read the Old Testament now with our Christian illu-
mination;
we read it, therefore, in a Christian sense; we
cannot
help doing so. But we should also remember, that
that
sense is not the sense which it once possessed; but one
which
has superseded, or softened, or transfigured the other.
We
must not attribute to them of old time a knowledge
and
an insight which they did not possess, even whilst we
thankfully
use their words as the best expression of our
own
Christian faith, and hope, and love.
Let me venture here to add a comparison
by which I
have
sometimes endeavoured to illustrate to my own mind
the
difference between the Old Covenant and the New.
They
who belonged to the former were like men living in
a
valley, above whose heads hung heavy masses of vapour,
hiding
from them the mountain-peaks which rose near, and
the
light resting on their summits. Now and then, through
a
sudden rift in the vapour, there stole a ray of light, and
lingered
for a moment on some favoured spot in the valley
beneath.
Now and then some one dwelling in that favoured
spot,
and endowed with a keener sight than the rest, fol-
lowed
that ray of light, till his eye rested upon the mountain
summit.
It was but for a moment that he was permitted
to
see such things, yet it was long enough to make him
rejoice
in hope; long enough to make him a preacher to
others
of what he had himself been privileged to see. We,
on
the other hand, stand on the mountain-top on which the
Sun
has risen, on which the full light now shineth. The
THE THEOLOGY OF THE PSALMS. 69
vapours
which once hid the valley are rolled away. To us
the
whole landscape is disclosed. We see, therefore, not
the
mountain only, but the valley. We see it far more
truly
than those who dwelt in it, for we see, not a part
only,
but the whole. We see it, not by means of a partial
illumination
only, mist and light struggling and confused,
but
all unveiled in its cloudless splendour. We see both
mountain
and valley, radiant with a Divine glory, bright
with
the everlasting sunshine of God.*
*
A further discussion of some of the topics treated of in this
Chapter
will be found in the Appendix to Vol. II. of this Edition.
CHAPTER IV.
THE
POSITION, NAMES, DIVISION, AND PROBABLE ORIGIN
AND FORMATION OF THE PSALTER.
I. Place of the Psalms in the Bible.—The
Psalter is a
Part
of the third great division of the Hebrew Bible, which
is
styled the K'thubhîm, or Hagiographa. In this division
it
has commonly occupied the first place, and hence we find
the
whole of the Old Testament summed up under the
three
names of the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms.*
This
order, however, has not been uniformly followed. It
is
observed in the German MSS. and in most printed
editions,
where the several Books stand as follow: Psalms,
Proverbs,
Job, and then the Five Megilloth, as they are
called,
viz. the Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Eccle-
siastes,
Esther. But the Massoreth and the Spanish MSS.
arrange
differently: Chronicles, Psalms, Job, Proverbs, the
Megilloth,
Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah; the intention being,
no
doubt, thus to bring the Books of Chronicles into imme-
diate
juxtaposition with the Books of Kings, but with the
obvious
disadvantage of separating Chronicles from Ezra
and
Nehemiah. According to the Talmud the order is:
Ruth,
Psalms, Job, Proverbs; the Book of Ruth being pre-
fixed
as a kind of Prologue to the Psalms, because David
was
descended from Ruth. But the natural order is that
which
places the Psalms first, as representing, in a con-
siderable
portion of it, the age of David; and then Proverbs
and
Job, as representing the age of Solomon.
II. Names of the Psalms.—The
Psalms are called, in our
Hebrew Bibles, by the general name of Myl.ihiT; (T’hillim),
"Praises,
Songs of Praise," or Myl.ihiT; rp,se, "Book of
* Luke xxiv. 44.
70
FORMATION OF THE PSALTER. 71
Praises;"
frequently written in a shorter form, Myl.iTi (or
with
the Aramaic termination NyliTi), or even still further
abbreviated,
by rejection of the final Mem, into yl.;Ti (Tilli).*
It
is remarkable, however, that only one single Psalm, the
145th,
is styled a T'hillah, or "Song of Praise," in its
Inscription;
and as most of the Psalms are not, strictly
speaking,
hymns, but rather of an elegiac or didactic cha-
racter,
it has been thought surprising that they should be
styled
collectively "Songs of Praise." De Wette, indeed,
objects
to the title, as not representing sufficiently the
general
character of the Book; but a more suitable one
could,
perhaps, hardly be found; for thanksgiving is the
very
life of the Psalms, even of those in which there
breathes
most the language of complaint. "To the Glory
of
God" might stand as the Inscription of each. The
narrative
Psalms praise, whilst they record, His mighty
deeds;
the didactic Psalms declare His goodness as worthy
of
grateful acknowledgment; the Psalms of sorrow are
turned
into songs of joy, in the recollection or anticipation
of
His saving help. "The verb lle.ha"+ says Delitzsch,
"includes
both the Magnificat and the De Profundis."
Another name, given, however, not to the
whole Psalter,
but
only to a portion of it, is tOl.piT; (T’philloth),
"Prayers."
At
the end of the Seventy-second Psalm there is appended
a
notice, which is designed, as some have supposed, to
apply
to the Second Book, but which more probably ap-
plies
to the whole collection ranging from Ps. i. to Ps. lxxii.,
"The
prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended." Here,
as
in the former instance, the name is not borrowed from
the
Inscriptions of the Psalms, for only one in that col-
lection,
namely the Seventeenth, is expressly styled "a
Prayer."
In the later Books a few other Psalms are
entitled
"Prayers;" such are Psalms lxxxvi., xc., cii., cxlii.
*
Hippolytus attempts to express the title in Greek letters: [Ebrai?oi
perie<grayan th>n bi<blon Se<fra qelei<m and Jerome in Latin (in
the Pre-
face
to his translation juxta Hebraicam Veritatem) : "Et titulus
ipse
Hebraicus SEPHAR THALLIM, quod interpretatur volumen
hymnorum Apostolice auctoritati congruens non plures
libros, sed
unum
volumen ostendit." In later Jewish writings, the feminine form
tOl.hiTi occurs.
+
"To praise;" retained in the English, Hallelujah.
72
THE
PROBABLE ORIGIN
But
here, again, the title, as a general title, is justified by
the
contents of most of the Psalms. Psalms, it is true,
like
the First, the Second, the Thirty-third, the Thirty-
seventh,
contain no address to God, and many others, which
contain
petitions and supplications, are not throughout in
the
form of prayers. And yet, if prayer be the eye of the
heart
turned towards God, then each Psalm is a prayer,
just
as Hannah's Song of Praise is styled a prayer. "And
Hannah
prayed and said," &c. Thus the very names of
the
Psalms, "Praises and Prayers," not only tell us what
they
are, but remind us, in the language of the Apostle,
"in
everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanks-
giving, to make known our
requests unto God.''*
In the Septuagint, the whole collection
is styled yalmoi<
(Psalms),
songs sung to a musical accompaniment; and,
elsewhere
in Hellenistic Greek, sometimes yalth<rion, a
word
properly denoting, in the first instance, a stringed
instrument
(psantêrin in the Book of Daniel; English,
psaltery), and then the song or
songs sung thereto (English,
psalter). In the N. T. the
Psalter is called bibloj yalmw?n,
"the
Book of Psalms" (Luke xx. 42, Acts i. 20). From
the
LXX. the name was adopted by the Vulgate, and so
came
into general use in the Christian Church.
III. Existing Division of the Psalms.—The
Psalms are
divided
in our Hebrew Bibles into five Books, the close of
each
of the first four being marked by a doxology: the
150th
Psalm itself, perhaps, as Delitzsch suggests, occupy-
ing
the place of a doxology at the end of the last. These
Books
are distributed as follow: Book I. contains Psalms
i.—x1i.;
Book II. Psalms xlii. —lxxii.; Book III. Psalms
lxxiii.—lxxxix.;
Book IV. Psalms xc.—cvi; Book V. Psalms
cvii.—cl.
Hilary (Prol. in Librum Psalmorum) mentions
this
division, and observes on the fiat, fiat (Amen, Amen),
*
The Massoreth styles the Psalter, xlylh, Hallêla. In
Syriac it is
called
ketobo demazmûre; in the Koran, zabûr; this last meaning in
Arabic
nothing more than "writing," or "scripture," though
Delitzsch
conjectures
it may be a corruption of mizmor, whence, in Jewish oriental
manuscripts,
is formed a broken plural, mezâmîr. In the O. T. there
occurs
no plural of mizmor. In later Hebrew, both mizmorim and
mizmoroth are occasionally
employed as names of the Psalms.
AND FORMATION OF THE PSALTER. 73
with
which the several Books conclude, but thinks himself
bound
by the authority of the Apostle (Acts i. 20), who
speaks
of the Book of Psalms, to reject this division. On
the
other hand, he considers it absurd to call them "the
Psalms
of David," because the names of so many other
authors
are given in the Inscriptions. Cassiodorus, in like
manner,
declares for one Book instead of five, but strangely
assigns
the existing fivefold arrangement to Jerome, who,
in
the Preface to his Psalter, expressly discards it. Augus-
tine
(on Ps. cl.) is of the same opinion, confessing that he
can
discern no reason for the division. Hippolytus, on the
other
hand, whose words are afterwards quoted by Epipha-
nies,
styles the Psalter "a second Pentateuch." His words
are:
Tou?to< se mh> pare<lqoi, w# filo<loge, o!ti
kai> to> yal-
th<rion ei]j
pe<nte diei?lon bibli<a oi[
[Ebrai?oi, w!ste ei#nai kai>
au]to> a@llon
penta<teuxon . In
accordance with this is the
Midrash
on Psalm i. I: "Moses gave to the Israelites the
Five
Books of the Law, and corresponding to these
(Mdgnk) David gave them the
Book of Psalms, which
consists
of Five Books." "This division," says Delitzsch,
perhaps
somewhat fancifully, "makes the Psalter the coun-
terpart
of the Law, which it also resembles in this, that as
in
the Law Jehovistic and Elohistic sections alternate, so
here
a group of Elohistic Psalms (xlii.—lxxxiv.) is inserted
between
two groups of Jehovistic Psalms (i.—xli ; lxxxv.—
cl.).
The Psalter is also a Pentateuch, the echo of the
Mosaic
Pentateuch from the heart of Israel; it is the five-
fold
Book of the congregation to Jehovah, as the Law is
the
fivefold Book of Jehovah to the congregation."
The doxologies which stand at the end of
Psalms xli.,
lxxii.,
and lxxxix., stand there appropriately, as marking
the
close of certain groups, or distinct collections of Psalms.
But
there seems no such natural appropriateness in the
position
of the fourth doxology. There is no reason, as
Ewald
has observed, why Psalm cvi. should be separated
from
Psalm cvii. It was placed here, therefore, by the last
collector
or editor of the Psalms, in order to make up the
fivefold
division. Three divisions already existed from an
earlier
date. The rest of the Psalms, from Psalm xc. to cl.,
74 THE PROBABLE ORIGIN
gradually
collected, most of them after the Exile, would
have
formed one long Fourth Book, out of proportion to
the
rest, but for this division, which, making two Books out
of
one, brought the whole into conformity with the arrange-
ment
of the Law. It is not improbable, indeed, that this
division
into Five Books was made after the model of the
Pentateuch;
but when, or by whom, it was made, it is now
impossible
to say, All that we know is, that the division
is
as old as the Book of Chronicles, and therefore as old as
the
time of Nehemiah; for in I Chron. xvi. 35, 36, there
is
a free citation of verses 47, 48, of the 106th Psalm, the
latter
of which forms the doxology with which the Fourth
Book
concludes. But this doxology, there is every reason
to
suppose, was added later than any of the others. The
first
three Books represent, in the main, three original
collections,
as we shall see; the First belonging to the early
period,
the Second and Third to what may be called the
middle
period of the Jewish monarchy.
IV. The gradual formation of the
Psalter.---I. One of
the
first things which strikes us in an examination of the
Inscriptions,
is that for the most part groups of Psalms by
the same author are brought together. This
fact is an
indication
that originally a number of smaller collections
must
have existed independently, which were afterwards
united
in one. The First Book consists, with two or three
exceptions,
of Psalms of David; the Second, of a series of
Psalms
by the sons of Korah, and another series by David;
the
Third, of two minor collections, one supposed to be by
Asaph,
and the other by the sons of Korah. In the Fifth
we
have one group of "Pilgrim Songs," and another group
of
"Hallelujah Psalms," each of them manifestly, in the first
instance,
distinct hymn-books or liturgies.
2. Again, a new Book frequently begins
with a new
collection,
and this is followed by a series of Psalms, in-
tended
to be a supplement to the preceding Book. So, for
instance,
Book II. was a Korahite selection, enlarged by
the
addition of a number of Psalms of David, which had
escaped
the notice of the compiler of the First Book.
3. The same Psalm occurs in different
Books, with some
AND FORMATION OF THE PSALTER. 75
variation,
such as would be due partly to accident in its
transmission
from mouth to mouth, partly to design where
it
had been adapted to new circumstances, and to express
particular
feelings. The fact, however, that certain Psalms
(the
14th and 53rd, the latter part of the 40th and the l0th,
the
57th, 60th, and 108th) are thus repeated in different
Books,
proves incontestably that these Books were originally
separate
collections.
4. The distinct use of the Divine Names
lends a charac-
teristic
feature to some of the Books. Thus, in the First
Book,
Jehovah occurs 272 times, and Elohim but 15. The
next
two Books are chiefly Elohistic, at least as far as
Ps.
lxxxiv. From Ps. lxxxv. to the end of the Psalter, the
name
Jehovah again becomes prevalent, and to such an
extent,
that in Books IV. and V. it occurs 339 times, and
Elohim,
of the true God, but once (cxliv. 9). It is owing
to
this peculiarity in the use of the Divine Names, as it
would
seem, that the Korahite Ps. lxxxiv. is subjoined to
the
Elohistic Psalms of Asaph, which immediately pre-
cede.
Of David's 71 Psalms, 18 are Elohistic; of the
Korahite,
2; of Asaph's, all. Add to these one of Solo-
mon's,
and 4 anonymous ones, and we have in all (reckon-
ing
Pss. xlii. xliii. as one) 44, in which the name Elohim
predominates.
They form the middle portion of the
Psalter,
and have preceding them 41, and following them
65,
Jehovistic Psalms.*
*
Delitzsch, Ueber den Psalter, II. 388.
No probable explanation of this phenomenon
has yet been given.
Ewald
supposes that the collector of the Second Book purposely
changed
the name throughout all these Psalms from Jehovah to Elohim,
influenced
perhaps by the same sort of superstitious feeling which
prevents
the modern Jews from uttering the sacred Name Jehovah.
But
there is no foundation for such an hypothesis, nor is it consistent
with
the fact that the later Psalms have, by preference, the name
Jehovah.
The attempts of Hengstenberg and others, and recently of
some
English critics, to show that the two names are always used with
reference
to their distinct meaning—Jehovah as the covenant God
of
Israel, Elohim as God the creator and governor of the world—must
be
regarded as equally unsatisfactory. One fact entirely overthrows
it,
viz., that the same Psalm appears both in a Jehovistic and an
Elohistic
recension. Bishop Colenso's theory is the most extravagant
of
all. As, according to him, Samuel introduced the name Jehovah,
so
this name is first found in the later Psalms of David, and in those
76 THE PROBABLE ORIGIN
Let
us now examine the several Books more closely, and
endeavour
to ascertain how far the original collection ex-
tended.
The First Book consists entirely of Psalms attri-
buted
to David, with the exception of four, which in the
Hebrew
text are without any name; the First, the Second,
the
Tenth, and the Thirty-third. But the first was regarded
usually
(see Introduction to the Psalm) as a general pro-
logue
to the Book, and according to an ancient arrange-
ment,
the Second Psalm was united with the First. In the
version
of the LXX., the Tenth Psalm forms one with the
Ninth;
and the Thirty-third, however wrongly, is called a
Psalm
of David. In later Books we find in the same way
shorter
collections of songs supposed to be David's, and
these
for the most part grouped together.
But did the original collection end
here, or did it extend
beyond
the First Book? At first sight we might be dis-
posed
to think that it extended as far as Psalm lxxii.,
which
closes with a notice implying that up to that point
none
but Psalms of David, or Psalms at least of his time,
had
been collected. This collection, too, it might be
argued,
was formed by Solomon, who concluded it with a
Psalm
either written by himself, or, as some have conjec-
tured,
composed by David originally, and reduced to its
present
form by Solomon. It is far from improbable, as I
have
pointed out in the Introduction to Psalm i., that that
Psalm
was written by Solomon, and by him prefixed to the
first
collected edition of his father's poetry.* We might
portions
of the Pentateuch which are later than Samuel, the Elohistic
Psalms
being earlier than the Jehovistic sections of the Pentateuch.
But
all the facts are against such a theory. The Psalms of the First
Book
(which he scarcely notices) are, by the consent of all critics, the
earliest
in the collection, and these are Jehovistic. Many of David's
later Psalms (as the 51st,
the 60th, the 63rd, &c.) are Elohistic; many
of
his earlier, Jehovistic. Other Psalms of the age of Hezekiah (or at
the
earliest of Jehoshaphat), as xlvi.—xlviii., and Psalms confessedly of
the
period of the Exile, are Elohistic. How impossible, then, it is to
contend
that Elohim is a mark of antiquity in a Psalm, Jehovah of a
more
recent date. This has been well argued by Professor Harold.
Browne
(now Bishop of Ely), in his Reply to Bishop Colenso. His
criticisms,
both on the Psalms and on the Pentateuch, are, I rejoice to
find,
on many important points, confirmatory of my own.
*
I can now add a circumstance in favour of that hypothesis, for the
notice
of which I am indebted to my friend Mr. George Grove. He
AND FORMATION OF THE PSALTER. 77
thus
suppose the royal editor to have published the book
with
a preface and a conclusion of his own. But the
internal
evidence of the Second Book overthrows this
hypothesis.
The First Book contains few Psalms that can
be
certainly assumed to be later than the time of David.
The
Second Book contains some unquestionably Davidic
songs,
and one of Asaph, which may possibly be the
genuine
work of Asaph the seer. But it contains also a
series
of Psalms ascribed to the Korahite singers, many of
which,
it is perfectly clear, could have been written by no
contemporary
of David. The 46th Psalm (perhaps the 47th)
and
the 48th are almost certainly as late as the time of
Hezekiah,
and are songs of triumph celebrating the defeat
of
Sennacherib. By some critics, indeed, they are placed
in
the reign of Jehoshaphat, but no commentator of repute
has
placed them earlier. The date of the 44th has been
much
questioned, but it may perhaps be Maccabean, as
Calvin
was disposed to think. It contains an assertion of
national
innocence strangely at variance with all that we
know
of the earlier history of Israel, and with the uni-
form
language of the Prophets. The 65th, 66th, and
67th
Psalms may be referred most probably to the times
of
the Assyrian invasion, the 71st to the time of Jere-
miah,
and indeed it may have been written by the Prophet
himself;
the 69th seems to have been as late even as
the
Exile.
The internal evidence, then, leads
irresistibly to the con-
clusion,
that the original collection was of smaller compass,
and
consisted, we may reasonably suppose, of those Poems
mainly,
if not exclusively, which are now classed in the
remarked
to me that the writer of the First Psalm must, he thought,
have
been a dweller in Northern Palestine, or one familiar with its
scenery.
To such a person the image of the tree planted by the
channels
of waters, whose leaf does not wither, would be far more
natural
than to an inhabitant of the southern district, where the streams
only
run in winter, and are soon dried up. Now Solomon, we know,
had
his summer-palace of Lebanon, and must consequently have often
passed
through a country which would have suggested the image
employed
in the Psalm. Indeed, would not such a phenomenon be
more
striking to one who saw it occasionally, than to one who had it
constantly
before his eyes?
78 THE PROBABLE ORIGIN
First
Book. These, I incline to think, were first collected
by
Solomon, who would naturally provide for the preserva-
tion
and transmission of his father's poetry, the more so as
the
musical services of the Temple were by his direction
conducted
with the utmost magnificence, though he himself
apparently
contributed little or nothing to the anthems and
liturgies
of that service. It is not, however, necessary
therefore
to assume that all the Psalms of the First Book
were
written by David or his contemporaries; for at a later
period
some might have been added to the collection as
first
made by Solomon.
The next collection was probably not
completed till the
time
of Hezekiah. To "the men of Hezekiah" we owe
the
preservation of many proverbs of Solomon not in-
cluded
in the first collection of his Proverbs (xxv. I). To
them
we may in like manner be indebted for the discovery
and
preservation of many of those Psalms attributed to
David,
which we find grouped together in the Second Book.
The
peculiarity of this Book is, that it consists first of a
group
of Psalms attributed to the sons of Korah, then of a
single
Psalm said to be by Asaph, then of another group
mostly
bearing the name of David. In the Third Book
we
meet with a similar phenomenon. Here we have but
one
Psalm, the Eighty-sixth, which is said to be a Psalm of
David,
and we have first a group of Psalms called Psalms
of
Asaph (lxxiii.---lxxxiii.), and then a group of Korahite
Psalms,
forming a supplement to those in the Second Book,
precisely
as David's Psalms in the Second Book form a
supplement
to those in the First.
Now we are told, in 2 Chron. xxix.
30, that Hezekiah,
when
he kept that great Passover which filled all Jerusalem
with
joy, and which seemed the beginning of a better and
happier
time, appointed the Levites "to praise Jehovah in
the
words of David and of Asaph the seer." Such a fact
harmonises
exactly with what we have seen as to the
formation
of the Second and Third Books of the Psalms.
Psalms
of David are contained in the one, Psalms of
Asaph
in the other. And what more likely than that the
compiler
(or compilers) of these two Books should have
AND FORMATION OF THE PSALTER. 79
appended
the remark at the end of lxxii. 20, in order to
intimate
that he knew of no more Psalms which could with
any
show of reason be assigned to David? The fact that
we
have but one Psalm going by his name in the Third
Book,
lends colour to the supposition that the person who
compiled
that Book wrote the words which now stand as
the
conclusion of Psalm lxxii.
No further additions were made to the
Psalter till the
times
of Ezra and Nehemiah, when it was enriched by a
large
number of songs written during and after the Exile.
To
this period are due, in the main, the Fourth and Fifth
Books.
With these later Psalms were incorporated, how-
ever,
some gleanings from earlier times; some precious
relics
of the ancient Psalmody of Israel not hitherto classed
in
any collection, and possibly preserved some of them
only
by oral repetition from father to son. The Fourth
Book
opens with a Psalm said to be "a Prayer of Moses,
the
Man of God." Then follows a series without names,
and
in this Book two only, the 101st and 103rd, are said
to
be by David. In the Fifth Book we have fifteen more
attributed
to him, some obviously by mistake, others, as
the
110th, beyond all doubt rightly so attributed. From
all
this we conclude, first, that the formation of the present
Psalter
was a gradual work; and next, that though several
individual
Psalms have been dislocated, so as to disturb
the
chronological order, another order having been sub-
stituted
for that of sequence in time, yet that in the main,
the
oldest Psalms stand first; the latest, last. The most
ancient
songs, those of David and of David's time, are
chiefly
contained in Pss. i.—xli. In xlii.—lxxxix. mainly
those
of the middle period of Hebrew poetry. In xc.---cl.
by
far the majority are of a later date, composed during or
after
the Babylonish captivity.
But as in the Prophecies of Isaiah,
Jeremiah, Ezekiel, so
here
the chronological order seems to be recognised, only
to
be crossed and broken by another. The groups, as a
whole,
are chronologically disposed, but not so the several
Psalms.
Here a different principle of arrangement has
been
observed, and one to a great extent of a merely
80 THE PROBABLE ORIGIN
external
kind. Psalms are placed together, sometimes
because
the instruction conveyed in both is the same;
sometimes
because the same word or expression occurs
in
both: thus, for instance, Ps. li. (David's) follows Ps. 1.
(Asaph's),
because both disparage the sacrifices of slain
beasts,
as compared with the personal sacrifice of a broken
heart
and an obedient will: again, Psalm xxxv. follows
Psalm
xxxiv., because in both mention is made of "the
Angel
of Jehovah." Psalms 1iv. and 1v. are associated,
because
in ver. 4 of the one we have "O God, hear my
prayer;"
and in ver. 2 of the other, "Give ear, O God, to
my
prayer."
This principle being once recognised,
we may under-
stand
how it comes to pass that later Psalms may be found
in
the earlier Books, and earlier Psalms in the later.
Psalms
by the same author would, almost as a matter of
course,
be characterised by certain peculiarities of expres-
sion.
Some proof of this will be given in the next chapter.
Hence,
many such Psalms, originally placed together,
would
be left as they were first placed, and others, again,
would
be inserted here and there, where some link of
affinity
suggested that a place might be found for them.
Thus
it was that the chronological order held its ground
partially;
and thus we can account for the exception to,
and
deviation from, that order. Beyond this, it would be
folly
to attempt to go. To give a reason for the place of
each
Psalm, is as impossible as to give a reason for the
order
of the different Suras in the Koran; though there,
in
like manner, we see a general principle adhered to, the
larger
Suras coming first, and the smaller afterwards, with-
out
any regard to chronological sequence. In the Divan
of
Armul Kais, the Poems are differently arranged in
different
MSS., without any apparent reason or plan being
discernible.
In the Vedas, on the other hand, it has been
*
Delitzsch, both in his Commentary and in his Symbolae ad
Psalmos
illustrandos,
has endeavoured to show that the order of all
the
Psalms rests upon a principle of this kind. Qimkhi (on Ps. ii.)
says:
The reason why one Psalm follows another in a particular
order
is not known to us, only we know that they are not arranged
chronologically.
AND FORMATION OF THE PSALTER. 81
noticed
that there are the same external points of con-
nection
as in the Psalms. Invocations addressed to the
same
divinities (as in the Psalms the same Divine Name),
hymns
referring to the same circumstances, and prayers
for
similar occasions are usually classed together.*
V. Numbering of the Psalms.—Two
other points require
some
notice: (I) the separation of the several Psalms from
one
another; and (2) the integrity of each in the form in
which
we have them in our existing collection.
(I) As regards the first, every Psalm
which is provided
with
an Inscription, is by that very circumstance separated
from
the Psalm immediately preceding: but it is otherwise
with
those which have no Inscription. Here, in the MSS.
of
the original collection, there would be little to distin-
guish
between the end of one Psalm and the beginning
of
the next; nothing more, perhaps, than a small space
between
the two; or, at the most, the beginning of the
Psalm
would be marked by the beginning of another line.
Hence
copyists might easily make mistakes, and we find
that
the LXX. (who are followed by the Vulgate) make, in
four
instances, a distribution different from that of the
Hebrew
text. They combine Pss. ix. and x., and also
cxiv.
and cxv. into a single Psalm. On the other hand,
they
divide cxvi. into two, ver. I—9, 10—19; and in like
manner
cxlvii. into two, ver. I--II, 12—20.
The following table will exhibit the
respective arrange-
ments
of the two texts :
HEBREW. LXX. VULGATE.
Ps. i.-viii. Ps.
i.-viii.
ix, x. ix.
xi.-cxiii. x.-cxii.
cxiv., cxv. cxiii.
cxvi.
cxiv.-cxv.
cxvii.-cxlvi.
cxvi.-cxlv.
cxlvii.
cxlvi., cxlvii.
cxlviii.-cl.
cxlviii.-cl.
In these cases, the
division in the Hebrew text seems
preferable
to the other. There are several other instances
* Stähelin, Einleitung, pp. 382,
383.
82 THE PROBABLE ORIGIN
in
which, although the two texts harmonize, yet the
existing
division appears doubtful.
Thus, it is almost certain that Pss.
xlii., xliii., were
originally
but one poem. Less probably the same may
have
been the case with cxiii., cxiv.; and cxvii. (which is
only
two verses) may have originally belonged to cxviii.
On
the other hand, some Psalms which now appear as
one
have been formed, it has been conjectured, out: of
two.
As, for instance, Ps. xix. ver. I—6, and ver. 7—14 ;
xxiv.
ver. 1—6, and ver. 7—10; xxvii. ver. I—6, and
ver.
7—14 ; xxxii. ver. 1—7, and ver. 8-11.
But in most of these cases there is
little reason for
disturbing
the existing arrangement.
(2) Many of the Psalms have not come down
to us in
their
original form. (a) Later additions, omissions, and
other
alterations have been purposely made, in order to
adapt
them to special occasions. (b) Owing to a long-
continued
and widely-spread oral transmission, various
lesser
changes in the text would of necessity take place.
We
have an instance of the variations which would thus
arise
in comparing the two versions of the Eighteenth
Psalm,
the version which is found in 2 Sam. xxii.
being
the more popular of the two. Other examples of
deviation,
partly accidental, partly due to design, may be
found
on comparing Ps. lxx. with the latter portion of
Ps.
xl., from which it was both detached and altered; and
Ps.
liii. with Ps. xiv. In the last instance the changes seem
to
have been made purposely to adapt the Psalm to a
particular
emergency.
We have a striking instance of addition
to an ancient
poem
in Ps. li., of which the two last verses were obviously
added
at the time of the return from the Exile, the Psalm
itself
having been written by David, as the title correctly
informs
us.
Psalm cviii. is compounded of portions
of two other
Psalms,
lvii. 8—12, and lx. 7—14. Similarly the Psalm
given
in I Chron. xvi. 8—36, is a composition from Pss.
xcvi.,
cv., and cvi. I, 47. It is possible, in like manner,
that
the two parts of Ps. xix. were borrowed from two
AND FORMATION OF THE
PSALTER. 83
originally
distinct poems, and designedly placed together
by
some later hand. Design is manifestly shown in the
juxtaposition
of the two, the glory of God in nature, and
the
glory of God in His Law; and, at the same time, the
style
of the two portions is widely different.
It is plain, then, that these ancient
Hebrew songs and
hymns
must have suffered a variety of changes in the
course
of time, similar to those which may be traced in
the
older religious poetry of the Christian Church, where
this
has been adapted by any means to the object of some
later
compiler. Thus hymns once intended for private
use
became adapted to public. Words and expressions
applicable
to the original circumstances of the writer, but
not
applicable to the new purpose to which the hymn was
to
be put, were omitted or altered. It is only in a critical
age
that any anxiety is manifested to ascertain the original
form
in which a poem appeared. The practical use of
hymns
in the Christian Church, and of the Psalms in the
Jewish,
far outweighed all considerations of a critical kind;
or
rather these last never occurred. Hence it has become
a
more difficult task than it otherwise would have been to
ascertain
the historical circumstances under which certain
Psalms
were written. Some traces we find leading us to
one
period of Jewish history; others which lead to another.
Often
there is a want of cohesion between the parts of a
Psalm;
often an abruptness of transition which we can
hardly
account for, except on the hypothesis that we no
longer
read the Psalm in its original form.
CHAPTER V.
THE INSCRIPTIONS OF THE
PSALMS.
THE
Inscriptions of the Psalms are chiefly of three
kinds.
I. Those which mark their musical or
liturgical
character.
II. Those which assign them to particular
authors.
III. Those which designate the particular
circumstances
under
which a Psalm was composed.
Any of these may occur separately, or be
combined to
form
one Title.
I. We distinguish here between what may be
called the
liturgical
and the musical notices.
i. To the former belong such formulae as
the often
repeated
Hacenam;la (lam’natsäach), "For the Precentor,"
or
leader of the Temple choir. E. V. "To the Chief
Musician."
It occurs fifty-five times in the Inscriptions.
The
word is derived from Hcn, "to be strong;" in the
Piel,
"to have the mastery;" and is used in 2 Chron. ii. 17,
in
the general sense of "leader." It may mean, therefore,
either
the leader of the band, or of the singers; or,
perhaps,
rather (comp. Hab. iii. 19; Pss. iv., vi.) the person
to
whom the song was given in order that it might be set
to
music for the Temple service, and who superintended the
practice
of the Levitical choirs.* In three Psalms (xxxix.,
*
Ewald, Poet. B. i. 171; Delitzsch, Psalm. ii. 391. Stähelin, Einl.
374.
In this case the l; may be used in a sense more nearly approach-
ing
its use when prefixed to the names of the authors of the Psalms.
It
may mean not "for" the Precentor, but "of"
the Precentor, as sig-
nifying
that the musical accompaniment of the Psalm came from him.
THE INSCRIPTIONS OF THE PSALMS. 85
lxii,,
lxxvii.) the name of Jeduthun (or Ethan) is added,
who
we know was one of David's three famous choir-
masters,
It is worthy of remark that, except in the case
of
two Psalms (lxvi., lxvii.), which are anonymous, this
title
is only prefixed to Psalms of David, Asaph, or the
Korahites.
dm.elal; (l’lammêd),
"For teaching," Ps. 1x. This may
perhaps
intimate that the Psalm was intended to be taught
publicly
by the Levites to the people, but it may also
mean
that it was to be taught to the Levites themselves.
Delitzsch
connects it with 2 Sam. i. 18, where David gives
his
elegy to be sung when the children of Judah are taught
the
use of the bow, tw,qA ‘y ‘B
dm.elal;,
or the song itself may
have
been entitled "the bow."
ryKiz;hal; (l’haskîr),
"To bring to remembrance," Ps.
xxxviii.
and lxx. (see note on the Title of the former).
In
i Chron. xyi. 4, it is joined with lle.hal;U tOdOhl;,
"to
give thanks and to praise," as a part of the special
duties
of the Levites who were set by David before the
Ark,
and there it would seem to mean "to call to
memory,"
so as to praise and celebrate the goodness of
Jehovah.
Delitzsch (on Ps. xxxviii. I) connects it with
the
hrAKAz;xa (azkarah), or "offering of incense," at
the
time
of offering which these Psalms were to be sung.
Ewald,
on the other hand, admitting that such may
have
been its use, interprets it "to use as incense," and
supposes
it to mean a prayer offered in the Temple,
which
ascends to heaven, and reminds God of men,
Ps.
cxli., 2, Rev. viii. 4.
hdAOtl; (l'thodah),
"For thanksgiving," Ps. c., Delitzsch
explains
in like manner, as a direction that the Psalm should
be
sung when the thank-offering was offered: Ewald, that
it
should be sung as a thanksgiving.
ii. Notices of a musical kind,. Such are, (a)
the different
names
by which a Psalm is described.
rywi (shîr), "A
song," xlvi., the most general name, and
rOmz;mi (mizmôr), "A Psalm,"
properly as sung with instru-
mental
accompaniment, from which means both "to
86 THE INSCRIPTIONS OF THE PSALMS
sing"
and "to play." * These two are frequently united
(rOmz;mi
rywi),
xlviii., lxvi., lxxxiii., lxxxviii., cviii., and in
the
reverse order, ‘w ‘m, xxx., lxvii., lxviii.,
lxxxvii., xcii.),
which
may perhaps be explained, as Stahelin suggests, by
the
fact that there were different editions of the same
Poem;
for in lxv., lxxv., lxxvi., the words are separated
from
one another by intervening words, which shows that
they
are not merely a compound expression, but represent
the
same Psalm in two different musical aspects.
MTAk;mi (michtam), LXX. sthlografi<a, Ps. xvi. (see
note
a there) and lvi,—lx; perhaps a "Golden Poem," or it
may
be connected with the Arabic
"to hide," and so
"a
mystery," " a song of deep import."
lyKiW;ma (maskil), LXX. sune<sewj, ei]j su<nesin,
"A finely,
skilfully
constructed Ode," xxxii. (see note there), xlii.,
xlv.,
lii.—lv., lxviii., lxxiv., lxxviii., lxxxviii., lxxxix., cxlii.
So
I think Ewald has rightly explained the word, and some
such
meaning is rendered necessary by its use, not in the
Inscription,
but in the body of the Psalm, in xlvii. 7 [8],
where
as following it must mean either "in a skilful
strain,"
or, "a skilfully constructed song."
NOyGAwi (shiggaion), Ps.
vii. (see note there), perhaps "An
irregular
or dithyrambic Ode," from hgw, "to wander."
The
LXX. render it by yalmo<j, the Arab. "a
lament,'" the
Syr.
"a hymn." But all these renderings are doubtful, as
in
Hab. iii. we find tOnOyg;wi lfa "Upon
shigionoth," the
preposition
denoting, in the Inscriptions of the Psalms,
either
the instrument upon which, or the melody after which,
the
Psalm was to be sung. Ewald, however (Poet. B. i.
176),
explains "After the manner of dithyrambs," or "To
dithyrambic
measures," and contends that lfa is used as in
the
phrases "Upon 'Alamoth,"
"Upon the Sheminith.
*
Ewald (Poet B. i. 24) has rightly explained the root-idea as ex-
pressing
that which is pure, clear, well-ordered. Hence (I.) in its
lower
sense (in the active form of the verb) it is "to purge," "to,
prune,"
putare, amputare, said of taking away the superfluous wood of
a
vine, or of "snuffing" a candle; (2) it means also computare,
"to
number,"
and so to "arrange" in proper rhythm, and with proper
music
to sing and play, as numerus = ruqmo<m, a]riqmo<j. It is used of a
song
as accompanied by any instruments, not merely stringed instru-
ments,
as is evident from the Aram. rmAz,, Dan. iii. 5, 6, which
means
music in general.
THE
INSCRIPTIONS OF THE PSALMS. 87
(octave),"
to denote, not the melody to which the Psalm
was
to be sung, but a particular kind of music.
Four other names occurring in the
Inscriptions are not
properly
of a musical character. These are:
(I) hlA.hiT; (t'hillah),
"A praise," only found in Ps. cxlv.,
though
properly applicable to a large number of the
Psalms.
All which were composed on any occasions of
joy,
triumph, thanksgiving, and designed for public worship,
might
fittingly be described as "praises" or "hymns."
(2) hlA.piT; (t'phillah),
"A prayer," Ps. xvii., lxxxvi , xc.,
cii.,
cxlii.(See also Hab. iii.) A whole collection of
David's
songs are styled "the Prayers of David," lxxii. 20.
(3) tOdydiy; rywi (shîr y' dîdoth),
"Song of loves," Ps. xlv.,
a
song, that is, the subject of which is love.
(4) tOlfEma.ha rywi (shîr hamma'abath),
"Song of the
ascents."
LXX. w]dh> tw?n a]nabaqmw?n. Ital. and Vulg.
canticum
graduum.
E.V. "Song of Degrees." Ps. cxx.—
cxxxiv.
This has been variously explained. a. Gesenius,
who
is followed by Delitzsch and others, supposes that by
this
title the peculiar rhythmical structure of these Psalms
is
denoted, according to which, a word or expression in one
verse
is taken up and repeated in the next, this being done
in
a sort of ascending scale or ladder, whence the name.
But
there are two objections to this view: first, that all the
Psalms
bearing this title have not this rhythmical struc-
ture;
and next, that this structure is not peculiar to these
Psalms.
It is found also in Ps. xxix., in Is. xvii. 12, xxvi.
5,
&c., and in the song of Deborah, Judg. v. b. Some of
the
later Jewish expositors suppose that these fifteen
Psalms
were sung upon the fifteen steps leading from the
court
of the men to the court of the women; but the
Talmud
(Middoth, ii. 5 ; Succa, 51 b) only compares the
fifteen
Psalms to the fifteen steps, and gives a different
explanation
of the title elsewhere (Succa, 53 a). y. Others,
again,
explain "songs of the goings-up," i.e. from Babylon,
songs
sung by the exiles on their return, comp. Ezra vii. 9,
where
the return is spoken of as lb,BAmi hlAfEma.ha. "the
going-up
from Babylon." And there can be no doubt that
88 THE INSCRIPTIONS OF THE PSALMS.
the
contents of most of these Psalms favour such an
explanation.
d.
But the plural tOlfEma.ha makes it more
probable
that the yearly "goings-up " to keep the great
festivals
at Jerusalem are meant. Hence the title "song of
the
goings-up"="a pilgrim song." That the caravans
"went
up" with singing, is evident from Is. xxx. 29. The
allusions
to the Exile are readily explained by the fact that
these
Psalms, or some of them, were composed for the
pilgrimages
to the Second Temple.
(b) Particular instruments by
which the Psalm was to be
accompanied,
when sung.
tOlyHin;.ha-lx,, "To the
flutes," or with flute accom-
paniment,
or wind instruments, Psalm v., seems equivalent to
tOlyliHE-lx,.
tOnyGn;Bi "With stringed
instruments," Ps. iv., vi., liv., lv.,
lxvii.,
lxxvi.; tnayGin;-lfa "Upon a stringed instru-
ment,"
lxi.
But Ewald objects to the first, that
flutes were not used
in
the Temple-service. To this Delitzsch (on Ps. v.) re-
plies,
by referring to Is. xxx. 29, and compares 1 Sam. x.
5,
I Kings i. 40, which would at least show that the flute
(châlîl)
was used in religious services, and flutes are men-
tioned
in the Mishna and Gemara, Erachin 10a, among the
instruments
of music used in the Second Temple.
To the interpretation of 'al n'gînath
Ewald also objects,
because
he says the preposition ought to be B;, not lfa
though,
as he admits that the latter preposition is employed
in
xcii. 4, this objection is not fatal to the common view
(Poet.
B. i. 175.)
(c) A particular tone or measure
to which the Psalm was
to
be adapted.
Two of these, tOmlAfE-lfa, Ps. xlvi., "After
the manner of
maidens,"
and tyniymiw;.ha-lfa, " Upon the octave
(below),"
occur also in the historical books, I Chron. xv. 20,
21,
and it has been conjectured that the former refers to the
high
voice of the women singers, the soprano,—the latter to
the
deep voice of the men, the bass, upon the lower octave.
Ewald
objects, in one place, that we have no evidence that
THE INSCRIPTIONS OF THE PSALMS. 89
the
Hebrews were acquainted with the octave in music; in
another,
he observes that the prep. lfa cannot be here em-
ployed
to denote different kinds of melodies, because these
two,
"Upon 'Alamoth" and "Upon the Sheminith," were
to
be united in the same solemn procession. It is equally
plain
that the two words do not mean instruments, because
they
are in each case associated with instruments; the first
with
the lute (nabla), the second with the harp (kinnor).
But
there is no reason why different voices, sopranos and
basses,
or tenors and basses, should not have sung together.
He
finds the first formula again probably at the conclu-
sion
of Ps. xlviii., where the present Massoretic reading is
tUm-lfa, and again in the Inscription of Ps.
ix., where he
supposes
NBela tUm-lfa to be a longer form of the same
notice.
He would read tUml;fa, one word, as it is found in
some
MSS., and suggests that it is a noun formed after the
analogy
of tUdl;ya and that thus the inscription may mean
"youthful
vigour hath the son."
tyTGiha-lfa, Ps. viii., "Upon
the Gittith," or, as the form
of
the word seems to imply, "after the Gittite manner," or
"manner of Gath," some particular
measure or style of
music
which had been borrowed from the Philistines, and
named
after one of their chief cities, as among the Greeks
there
were Phrygian and Lydian measures, &c.
NUtUdy;-lfa, "Upon, i.e.
after the manner of, Jeduthun,"
one
of the famous singers of David, who was per-
haps,
as Ewald suggests, the inventor of this particular
measure.
tlaHEma-lfa, l Ps. liii., and
joined with tOn.fal;, lxxxviii.,
"To
sing after the manner of Machalath," may possibly be
an
inscription of the same kind, though other interpretations
of
it have been given. See note a on Ps. liii.
(d) A particular melody after
which the Psalm was to
be
sung. Popular airs already in vogue were adapted to
the
service of the Temple. Such is the case, Delitzsch ob-
serves,
with a great deal of the old Church music; and the
hymns
of the Synagogue (the Pijut) are set to old popular
tunes.
Inscriptions of this kind are to be found in Ps. xxii.
"After
the song beginning, Hind of the dawn;" Ps. lvi.
90 THE INSCRIPTIONS OF THE PSALMS.
"After
the song, The silent dove in far-off lands," or
perhaps
"The dove of the distant terebinths." Similarly
we
find "Destroy not," Ps. 1vii.—lix., lxxv., these being
probably
the first words of some well-known song; and
"After
lilies," xlv., lxix., "After lilies, the testimony,"
lxxx.,
or "After the lily of the testimony," lx. ; though
some
would explain this of a lily-shaped instrument.
Perhaps
the Inscription of Ps. ix. admits of a like inter-
pretation.
The preposition lfa may there denote that the
Psalm
was to be sung to an air beginning with the words,
"Death
of the son," or, as Delitzsch would render, "Death
makes
wise." See above under (c).
The older interpreters regarded all
these expressions as
so
many mottoes or devices, designed to convey, with enig-
matical
brevity, the purport and meaning of the Psalm.
Thus,
for instance, in Ps. xxii., "the hind " was emble-
matical
of suffering; "the dawn," of deliverance. In lvi.
"the
silent dove " was innocence suffering in patience, and
so
on. Paulus Melissus, in his translation of the Psalter
(1572),
was the first who suggested what may now be
called
the generally received explanation; and J. H. Alsted,
in
his Triumphus Bibliorum Sacrorum (1625), anticipated
and
even surpassed, says Delitzsch, all modern investiga-
tions
on this subject. That this class of notices is properly
musical,
is evident, from the fact that they only occur in
those
Psalms which have "For the Precentor (or Chief
Musician)
" in their Inscriptions. They are clearly there-
fore
not intended, as Hengstenberg still takes them, to
denote
the subject of the Psalm.
Though the Psalms, as a whole, were
collected for litur-
gical
use, still it may be doubted whether they were all
originally
intended for the public worship of the Sanctuary.
Psalms
like the 3rd, the 4th, the 7th, seem, as Stahelin
remarks,
to have been composed with no such purpose.
These
and other Psalms, especially in the First Book,
appear
rather, like the Olney Hymns, to have been the
outpouring
of personal feeling, the utterance of the sorrows
and
joys of the heart in its communion with God, with a
view
to private edification, and the relief of feelings which
THE
INSCRIPTIONS OF THE PSALMS. 91
it
was almost impossible to restrain (see Ps. xxxix.).*
Indeed,
the Psalms of the First Three Books, Pss. i.—
lxxxix.,
are in this respect different from the remaining
Psalms,
which are of a less personal and more general
character.
It may perhaps be owing to this circumstance,
as
Stahelin has suggested, that Hacem;la., “For the Pre-
centor,"
which occurs fifty-five times in all, in the Inscrip-
tions,
is found fifty-two times in the First Three Books.
In
the case of the latter Psalms, it was understood, as a
matter
of course, that they were designed for the
service;
but in the case of the earlier Psalms, this direc-
tion,
"For the Precentor," was prefixed with the very
object
of making them liturgical. The three Psalms,
cix.,
cxxxix., cxl., where this direction appears in the later
Books,
are such as, by their contents, required to be
thus
clearly marked as intended for public worship.
Whereas,
on the other hand, Psalms like the 8th, the 29th,
the
33d, in the First Book, did not require any such speci-
fication,
because from their general character they might at
once
be assumed to be liturgical.
The same conclusion may be drawn from
the occurrence
of
another musical sign, which, though not found in the
Inscriptions
of the Psalms, may be noticed here; namely,
the
Selah. In the Fifth Book this occurs but four times,
and
of this number three times in one Psalm, the 140th,
perhaps
because, like the words "For the Precentor," it
stamped
the Psalm with a liturgical character.
It is almost hopeless to attempt to give
a satisfactory ex-
planation
of this word Selah. By the Targum, the Talmud,
and
Ps.
lxi. 5, and lxxxix. 38, it seemed to stand parallel with
MLAOf, "for ever; " by Ab. Ezra,
"Amen;" by Gesenius,
"Pause,
stillness, rest:" he derives it from hls, or xls,
which
he doubtfully connects with hlw, but such an inter-
change
is hardly defensible, and, moreover, the meaning
thus
obtained does not apply where the Selah stands in the
*
Reuss appears to me to be entirely mistaken in regarding all, or
nearly
all, the Psalms as national, not individual, even when the ex-
pression
of feeling is in the first person singular.
92 THE INSCRIPTIONS OF THE PSALMS.
middle
of a verse, or interrupts the sense, as in lv. 19 [20],
lxvii.
7 [8], 33 [34], Hab. iii. 3, 9, or at the end of a Psalm,
as
in iii., ix., xxiv., where the "rest," i.e. the cessation of
the
music
or singing, would be understood of itself, and would
not
need to be pointed out. Others, again, would connect
it
with lls,
and explain it in the sense of "elevation,"
"lifting
up," whether of the voice or of the music. As,
however,
it is most frequently introduced at the end of a
strophe,
it would seem more probably to imply the inter-
vention
at the particular place of a musical symphony.
Hence
the LXX. render it dia<yalma. And in the hopeless
perplexity
and darkness which beset the whole subject
of
Hebrew music this may be accepted as the least
improbable
interpretation. The word derived from the
root
"to lift up," was intended as a direction to the
musicians
to strike up in a louder strain. During the
singing,
the accompaniment would be soft and gently
modulated.
At particular parts the voices would cease,
and
then the louder instruments, such as the trumpets, &c,
would
be heard with full effect. So that, as Ewald says,
the
word would be equivalent to "Up! Aloud!" or in
German,
die Musik laut! This musical sign is clearly very
ancient,
inasmuch as it is found in all the old Versions,
and
inasmuch also as even then its meaning was matter of
debate
and uncertainty.
For a full discussion of this subject, I
would refer to
Mr.
Wright's Article in Smith's Dict. of the Bible, where the
various
hypotheses are discussed. In this and in his other
Articles
on the Titles of the Psalms, he has exhausted the
question,
but not without admitting how little that is really
satisfactory
can be said.
Each of these various notices was
intended, though we
have
now lost the key to them, to give to the Psalm to
which
it was prefixed, as has been said, its proper musical
or
liturgical designation, and, except the Selah, they are
all
found in the Titles of the Psalms.* Further, as regards
*
The only possible exception to this rule is in Ps. xlviii., where a
musical
notice may have been placed at the end (see note there), as
it
is also in Hab. iii. 19.
THE INSCRIPTIONS OF THE PSALMS. 93
the
order of the notices themselves, the direction "For the
Precentor"
stands, as a rule, first, and then the particular
instrument,
or melody, to which the Psalm was to be sung.
The
exceptions to this are in xlvi., where the name of the
author
is inserted between the musical references, and
lxxxviii.,
where the words "A song. A Psalm of the sons
of
Korah," precede them. It is possible that in these
instances
the title was not correctly copied.
Why it is that in the heading of one
Psalm we have
only
"For the Precentor," why in another the particular
instrument
is added, and in a third the particular tone
or
melody to which it was to be sung, cannot now be
explained.
There seems to be no reason, in the nature
of
the case, for these variations. All we can infer from
the
existing irregularity is, that these variations must
have
been as old as some of the separate collections, and
that
it was with them as with our modern hymn-books,
some
of which have prefixed to each psalm or hymn the
tune
to which it is to be sung, while others are published
without
such direction.
II. We have next to consider those
Inscriptions which
give
us the name of the Author.
This is always prefixed with the
preposition l;, "belong-
ing
to." So a Psalm is said "to belong to" David, or
Solomon,
or Asaph, according as it was written by one or
the
other. Out of the Psalter we find the same usage in
Is.
xxxviii. 1, and Hab. iii. I; and a similar one exists in
Arabic.
In some instances we have only the name, with
the
preposition prefixed: in others we have the fuller form
of
expression, ‘l rywi, song of . . . , or, ‘l
rOmz;mi, Psalm
of . . . , or the rarer
words denoting the particular kind of
poem,
such as lyKiW;ma, MTAk;mi, NOyGAwi, &c., on the
meaning
of
which see above, p. 86. In one or two instances we
find
what may be called an historical description of the
Poem,
joined with the name of the author, as is the case
with
some of the Pilgrim-Songs, and also with the title of
Psalm
xxx., "Song of the Dedication of the House."
I. David. ---His name is prefixed
to all the Psalms in the
First
Book, with the few exceptions already noticed; and
94 THE INSCRIPTIONS OF THE PSALMS.
to
most of the Psalms in the second half of the Second
Book,
li.—lxx., except lxvi. and lxvii. After this his name
appears
once in the Third Book, Ps. lxxxvi.; twice in the
Fourth,
ci. and ciii.; fifteen times in the Fifth, cviii., cix.,
cx.,
cxxii., cxxiv., cxxxi., cxxxiii., cxxxviii.—cxlv. In all,
therefore,
he is said to have written seventy-three Psalms.
In
two Psalms of the First Collection, the high title of
"servant
of Jehovah" is added to his name.
2. David's Singers.—These appear
in the Second and
Third
Books, as already noticed.
(a) The Sons of Korah.—Eleven
Psalms, xlii.—xlix.
(xlii.
and xliii. being reckoned as one), 1xxxiv., lxxxv.,
lxxxvii.,
and lxxxviii. (according to the first of its two
inscriptions),
are ascribed to them. According to Num.
xxvi.
58, I Chron. vi. 22, ix. 19, xii. 6, they were one of
the
oldest Levitical families, long before the time of David,
and
related to the still more ancient family of Kohath, the
son
of Levi. In the time of David, Heman the son of Joel,
a
member of this family, became famed for his skill in
music
and song; and hence, apparently, the Korahites
obtained
the name of "singers " (2 Chron. xx. 19). Hence
it
is that in the Inscription of Ps. lxxxviii. we have, first,
the
general title assigning it to "the sons of Korah," and
then
the special, assigning it to Heman.
(b) Asaph.—He is said to
have written twelve Psalms,
1.,
lxxiii.—lxxxiii. He is one of the three famous singers
of
David, and holds amongst them, indeed, the foremost
place,
I Chron. xvi. 5, and xv. 17-21. In later times, he
alone
ranks with David, Neh. xii. 46, I Chron. vi. 29---32.
In
the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles, the
"sons
of Asaph" are mentioned in the same way as the
"sons
of Korah " in the Inscriptions.
(c) Ethan, the Ezrahite.—He
is named only as the author
of
one Psalm, the Eighty-ninth. He is the third of David's
great
singers. See the passages quoted above.
Of these three leading men we know but
little more;
the
notices of them in the historical books are but
scanty.
It would seem, however, that whilst (according
to
I Chron. vi.) each of the three was descended from
THE INSCRIPTIONS OF THE PSALMS. 95
one
of the three great Levitical houses of Kohath,
Gershom,
and Merari, yet a comparison of I Kings v. II
[E.
V. iv. 31], and Pss. lxxxviii., lxxxix., with I Chron. ii. 6,
might
rather lead us to conclude that Heman and Ethan
were
originally, like David, of the tribe of Judah, and only
because
of their high reputation and their great skill in
music,
which led them to establish and train Levitical
choirs,
were afterwards, by way of honour, enrolled in the
tribe
of Levi, as we find in the post-Exile Books.*
3. Besides these seventy-three Psalms of
David, and
twenty-four
of his singers, we have, according to the
Hebrew
Inscriptions, two of Solomon's, lxxii. and cxxvii.
4. One Psalm, the Ninetieth, is
attributed to Moses,
"the
man of God."
5. The LXX., in the title of Ps.
cxxxvii., add to the
name
of David that of Jeremiah (t&? Daui>d ]Ieremi<ou), and
in
the titles of cxxxviii., cxlvi.--cxlviii., give the names of
Haggai
and Zechariah, whereas the three last have no
inscription
in the Hebrew text. In lxxi. they add to the
name
of David, "Of the sons of Jonadab, and of those
who
were first led captive."
About a third, therefore, of the
Psalms are anonymous.
The question here arises, how far are
these Inscriptions
trustworthy?
That in some cases the authors themselves
may
have prefixed their names to their poems may be
granted.
It may have been so, perhaps, in such instances
as
Is. xxxviii. 9, Hab. iii. I; yet it would be too much to
infer,
from these passages, that such was the custom of the
Hebrew
poets. There still remains the remarkable fact,
not
to be accounted for on that hypothesis, that so large
a
number of Psalms, especially of those in the Fourth and
Fifth
Books, are anonymous.+ Why is this? Why is it
that
David's name, and those of his singers, figure so pro-
minently,
whereas scarcely another author is mentioned?
*
Ewald, Poet. Büch. i. 212, 213.
+
In particular, it is strange that none of the Psalms are, in the
Hebrew,
ascribed to any of the Prophets, though some of them, as
Isaiah
and Habakkuk, are conspicuous as religious poets. The LXX.
do
assign some of the later Psalms to Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Haggai, and
Zechariah.
96 THE INSCRIPTIONS OF THE PSALMS.
It
has sometimes been argued that we have evidence of
David's
own custom in this respect, in the title of Ps. xviii.,
as
confirmed by 2 Sam. xxii. I; but in the title of Ps. xviii.
David
is styled "the servant of Jehovah," and judging by
the
analogy of such cases as Deut. xxxiv. 5, Josh. i. I,
xxiv.
9, Judg. ii. 8, it seems most likely that this title was
not
bestowed upon him till after his death, and conse-
quently
that the Inscription was not written by him. Nor
is
the question settled by an appeal to the practice of the
Arabian
poets.* For there seems every reason to doubt
whether
it was a custom with them to inscribe their poems
with
their names; otherwise there could not be so much
uncertainty
respecting the authorship of very much of
their
poetry.+ The same uncertainty has been observed
in
the case of the hymns of the Vedas, and those in the
Zendavesta.++
When we come to examine the Psalms more
closely, and
to
compare their contents with their reputed authorship,
we
find ourselves compelled very often to reject the latter.
Not
only is it very difficult to believe that the author of
Pss.
iii., iv. could have been the author of Pss. ix., x.; not
only
is it evident, as in the inscription of Ps. cxxvii., where
a
misunderstanding of the words "except Jehovah build
the
house," which were supposed to allude to the building
of
the Temple, led the Psalm to be ascribed to Solomon,
that
the Inscriptions must sometimes have been due to the
guess
of a later collector; but what is still more astonish-
ing,
some of the Inscriptions involve us in glaring anachro-
nisms.
Psalms lxxiv., lxxix. for instance, which describe
the
destruction of Jerusalem, and the burning of the
Temple,
are said to be Psalms of Asaph, the contemporary
of
David.
An attempt has sometimes been made, in
order to main-
tain
at all hazards the correctness of the Inscriptions, to
explain
such anomalies. Hengstenberg, for instance, and
*
Keil in Hävernick’s Einleit. p. 131.
+Stähelin, Einleit. p. 387.
++ De Wette, Comm. Einl. p. 77. Rückert, Hamasa,
i. pp. 23,29;
see
also p. 45, where a poem of the famous Muhelhil Ibn Nobata,
is
ascribed to an unknown author.
THE INSCRIPTIONS OF THE
PSALMS. 97
Keil,
would give a different meaning to the preposition l; in
cases
like the last mentioned. According to these critics, it
denotes
here, not that these Psalms were written by Asaph,
but
only that they were written by the family of Asaph, his
name
being prefixed because of his celebrity as head of the
Levitical
choir. But as Stähelin observes, this is really to
make
"the sons of Asaph" guilty of a literary imposture,
in
prefixing the name of their ancestor to their own pro-
ductions,
in order to clothe them with a fictitious splendour.
Besides,
as we have in the corresponding form of Inscrip-
tion
"the sons of Korah," there seems no reason why we
should
not have had here, "the sons of Asaph." Such
facts
prove convincingly that all the Inscriptions are not
trustworthy,
and consequently that they must be tested by
a
careful examination of the style and contents of the
Psalms
to which they are severally prefixed. The question
may,
however, be asked, How came Psalms which are so
manifestly
not the work of Asaph, to be ascribed to him?
Can
we account for the Inscription in such instances?
Perhaps
we can.
These Psalms are stamped by several
peculiarities, which
have
been partly pointed out by Delitzsch, and still more
fully
by Stähelin.
(I) In these Psalms God is for the most
part spoken
of
as JUDGE; as exercising that judgement for His own
glory,
both in Israel and among the nations of the world.
See
Psalms 1., lxxv., lxxvi., lxxxii. Psalm lxxiii., though
it
does not expressly mention God as Judge, is an acknow-
ledgement
of His righteous judgement upon earth; the
more
impressive, because it is the result of many doubts
and
questionings. Similarly, Pss. lxxviii. and lxxxi. are in
substance
records of the Divine judgement in the history
of
Israel.
(2) I may add, God is described
frequently in these
Poems
as the SHEPHERD, and Israel as the flock, lxxiv. I,
lxxvii.
20 [21], lxxviii. 52, 71, 72, lxxix. 13, lxxx. I [2].
The
figure is employed elsewhere in the Psalms of the
people of Israel, only in
xxviii. 9, xcv. 7, c. 3.
(3) In the next place, we find in these
Psalms God
98 THE INSCRIPTIONS OF THE PSALMS.
Himself
introduced as speaking, and that not merely in a
brief
and passing manner, as in other Psalms, but in a
sustained
and solemn discourse, continued through several
verses:
1., lxxv., lxxxi., lxxxii.
(4) In several of these Poems we find
references to the
giving
of the Law on Sinai, to the march through the
wilderness,
and to other portions of the ancient history of
Israel,
such as do not occur at least in the Psalms of the
first
Two Books. Comp. 1., lxxiv., lxxviii., lxxx., lxxxi.,
lxxxiii.
(5) In all these Psalms, both the Divine
Names, Jehovah
and
Elohim, occur, and the former usually towards the
end,
where the language of the Psalm changes to sup-
plication.
See lxxiii. (where, however, 'Adonai Jehovah),
lxxiv.
18, lxxvi. II [12], 1xxx. 19 [20], 1xxxi. 15 [16],
lxxxiii.
16, 18 [17, 19]. Only 1. has in the
first verse
Jehovah.
(6) Other Names of God which are
frequent in these
Psalms
are 'El (lxe),
which, occurring in the whole Psalter
sixty-four
times, is found in the Psalms of Asaph alone
sixteen
times: and 'Elyon (NOyl;f,), "Most High," which
occurs
in these Poems eight times, and in the rest of the
Psalter,
in all, twenty-two times.
(7) Again, Jacob and Joseph are
mentioned together as
representatives
of the whole nation, lxxvii. 15 [16], and
Israel
and Joseph, lxxx. 1 [2], lxxxi. 4, 5 [5, 6]; in the last
two
places Joseph stands in the parallelism, and therefore
as
synonymous with Israel.
(8) Other modes of expression there are,
which, if not
peculiar
to these Psalms, occur in them most frequently,
such
as faypiOh, to shine forth, 1. 2, lxxx, I [2], only in xciv.
1,
besides; ydaWA zyzi that which moveth in
the field, 1. II, and
lxxx.
13 [14] ; the peculiar form of the stat. constr. Oty;Ha,
1.
10, lxxix. 2; the use of the verb ghn, to describe God's
leading of His people, lxxx. 1
[2], lxxviii. (26) 52, elsewhere
only
xlviii. 14 [15], and the same thought lxxvii. 20 [21];
tyfir;ma Nxco, lxxiv. I, lxxix. 13;
only twice besides in the
Psalms;
hv,nA,
hxAnA pasture, lxxiv. 20, lxxix. 7, lxxxiii.
12
[13].
The verb hfr,
to feed a flock, is also common in
THE INSCRIPTIONS OF THE PSALMS. 99
these
Psalms, see above (2). The verb JrW, to burn, which
is
found only three times in the Psalter, occurs in lxxiv. 8,
lxxx.
16 [17]; Fb,we
in the sense of tribe, lxxiv. 2, lxxviii.
55,
68 (besides only in cv. 37, cxxii. 4). tOxUw.ma , destruc-
tions, only lxxiii. 18,
lxxiv. 3. wDAq;mi, sanctuary, lxxiii. 17,
lxxiv.
7, lxxviii. 69, elsewhere only in lxviii. and xcviii.
There are, then, certain points of
resemblance in all these
Psalms
sufficiently striking to have arrested the attention of
transcribers,
and to account for their having been ascribed
to
the same author. The selection, it is evident, must have
rested
on critical grounds—on the similarity of style, on the
coincidence
of the thoughts—and yet it is not a little
remarkable
that no attention seems to have been paid to
the
historical features of these Psalms. It is a manifest
anachronism,
as has been said, which would assign Psalms
like
the Seventy-fourth and Seventy-ninth, which speak of
the
destruction of the Sanctuary, to Asaph, the contem-
porary
of David. Either the more ancient tradition
ascribed
some of these Psalms to Asaph, and the rest were
conjecturally
placed with them from their general resem-
blance
to those which went by his name, or perhaps there
may
have been originally a small separate collection
entitled
"Psalms of Asaph," into which others, at a later
period,
may have crept. How easily this might have
occurred
we see from the whole history of hymnology. It
has
repeatedly happened that the hymns of one author
have
been ascribed to another, either from conjecture when
the
author was unknown, or from carelessness when his
name
might have been ascertained.
If we now turn to another principal
group of Psalms
inscribed
with the name of their authors—those attri-
buted
to the sons of Korah--we shall again find them
stamped
by certain features of resemblance. This group
consists
of Psalms xlii.—xlix., lxxxiv., lxxxv., Ixxxvii.,
lxxxviii.
(I) As the Psalms of Asaph, for the most
part, regard
God
as the JUDGE of the earth, so these Psalms delight to
represent
Him as KING. Compare xliv. 4 [5], xlvii. 2 [3],
6,
7 [7, 8], lxxxiv. 3 [4], and even in xlv. 6 [7], the earthly
100
THE
INSCRIPTIONS OF THE PSALMS.
King
is pourtrayed as the symbol and visible type of the
heavenly,
as may be seen by comparing xlv. 6 [7] with
xxvii.
3 [4].
(2) These Psalms are decidedly
Elohistic, though in five
of
them, viz. xlvi., xlvii., xlviii., lxxxiv., lxxxvii., the name
Jehovah
also occurs. In two of these Psalms, xlii. 2 [3],
lxxxiv.
2 [3], God is called "the Living God " (yHa
lxe), and
nowhere
else in the Psalter. Another Name of God occur-
ring
several times in these Psalms, and but once beside in
the
Psalter (xxiv. 10), is "Jehovah of Hosts," xlvi. 7 [8], 11
[12],
xlviii. 8 [9], lxxxiv. 1 [2], 3 [4], 12 [13], though we
have
in other Psalms "Adonai, Jehovah of Hosts," lxix.
6
[7]; "Jehovah Elohim (of) Hosts," lix. 5 [6], where see
note,
lxxx. 19 [20]; and "Jehovah God of Hosts."
(3) Jerusalem is represented as being ever
under the
watchful
care and protection of God, xlvi., xlvii., xlviii.,
lxxxvii.,
and hence is called "the city of God," xlvi. 4 [5],
xlviii.
8 [9], lxxxvii. 3; only once besides "the city of
Jehovah,"
ci. 8.
(4) Other words and phrases characteristic
of these
Psalms
link them with the Psalms of Asaph, where, how-
ever,
they are of less frequent occurrence. Such are
j`wAHEma, lxxxviii., 6 [7], 18 19], comp. lxxiv.
20 (besides
only
cxliii. 3); the plural of NKAw;mi, "dwellings,"
or "taber-
nacles,"
xciii. 3, xlvi. 4 [5], xlix. 11 [12], lxxxiv. I [2], else-
where
only lxxviii. 28 (A Psalm of Asaph), and cxxxii.
5,
7. The noun xl,P,, "wonder," occurs three times
in the
Psalms
of Asaph, and twice in those of the sons of Korah;
MyriBAwmi, "breakers," in xlii. 7 [8],
lxxxviii. 7 [8], besides
only
in xciii. 4, and 2 Sam. xxii. 5. Psalms x1ii. xliii.,
describe
the same longing for the House of God, the same
delight
in visiting it, which are expressed in lxxxiv.
Two principal ideas stamp these Psalms:
the one, the
delight
in the worship and service of Jehovah; the other,
the
thankful acknowledgement of God's protection vouch-
safed
to Jerusalem as the city of His choice.
On the whole, there are many points of
resemblance, not
only
between the Psalms belonging to each several group,
but
between the two groups themselves. Not so special
THE INSCRIPTIONS OF THE PSALMS. 101
and
personal as most of those ascribed to David, and not
so
general as those of the later Books, inasmuch as they
have
some definite historical groundwork, they occupy
a
middle place between the two. The Korahite and
Asaphite
Psalms are, for the most part, national songs;
either
prayers for the nation in its distresses, or thanks-
givings
for deliverance vouchsafed: whilst the fact that so
much
is said in them of the Sanctuary, so much longing
for
its solemn services, so much joy and delight therein,
lends
no doubt confirmation to the hypothesis that they
were
written by members of Levitical families. All tends
to
show that some kind of criticism was exercised in the
arrangement
of these Poems. Possibly some tradition
existed
as to the style and manner of Korahite Psalms,
for
it is quite in accordance with the Oriental genius that
a
particular style of poetry should be perpetuated in the
same
family.
III. The third class of notices is that
which purports to
give
an account of the particular occasion for which a Psalm
was
composed. These seem, for the most part, nothing
more
than a kind of scholia, added by a later hand, though
some
of them may rest upon a genuine tradition.
The majority of them are questionable on
the following
grounds:
a. They occur only in the Psalms
of David. But if
David's
singers copied his example so closely as Heng-
stenberg
would persuade us, and David himself prefixed
these
notices to his own Psalms, how is it that we find
none
in the Psalms ascribed to Asaph, Heman, &c.?
The
fact that we find these notices in the Psalms of
David
exclusively is easily accounted for, because the
history
of David is so much better known than that of the
other
Psalmists; and hence it would be comparatively an
easy
thing to fit particular Psalms to particular occasions
in
his life.
b. Nearly all these notices refer to
events which are
recorded
in the history more at length, and many of them
are
borrowed, almost word for word, from the historical
books.
The Inscription of Ps. xxxiv. is borrowed, but with
102 THE INSCRIPTIONS OF THE PSALMS.
some
confusion, from I Sam. xxi. 14; that of Ps. lii. from
I
Sam. xxii. 9, &c.; that of Ps. liv. from I Sam. xxiii.
19;
that of Ps. lvi. alludes to I Sam. xxi. II—15 (but,
as
it deviates somewhat from the narrative there, may
perhaps
be taken from some independent and trustworthy
source);
that of Ps. 1vii., which is obscure, possibly refers
to
I Sam. xxii , as also Ps. cxlii.
c. We can trace, in some
instances, how the notice in the
Inscription
has been derived from words or allusions in the
Psalm,
even when it finds no support in the general tenour
of
the Psalm. Thus in Ps. xxxiv. the notice seems to have
been
derived from ll.ehat;Ti, ver. 3, and OmfEFa, ver. 9, com-
pared
with I Sam. xxi. 14. The notice in Ps. lix., "when
Saul
sent, and they watched the house to put him to
death,"
rests, apparently, on the allusions in ver. 6 [7], 10
[11],
14 [15].
d. The additions and deviations
in the historical notices
of
the LXX. (comp. Pss. lxxi., xciii., xcvi., xevii., cxliii.,
cxliv.)
show how common it was for the collectors to
adopt
different traditions, or perhaps to follow mere
conjecture.
e. The analogy of the Arabic
Anthology of the Hamasa
confirms
the view above taken. The Inscriptions are not
derived
from the author, but, as Rückert in his translation
has
shown (Band i. 7, 13, &c.), are often merely guessed at
from
the contents, and that contrary to all probability.*
Some of these historical notices,
however, as I have
said,
are, beyond all reasonable doubt, ancient and trust-
worthy.
Such are those chiefly in the First Book; as, for
instance,
those contained in the titles of Pss. iii., vii., and
xviii.,
the last of which is further confirmed by its recur-
rence
in that edition of the Psalm which is given in the
history,
2 Sam. xxii. Much may also be said in favour of
the
notice in Ps. lx. This, though it alludes to the events
mentioned
in 2 Sam. viii. 13, 14 (comp. x. 16, and I Chron.
xviii.),
yet, as Ewald has observed, is clearly derived from
other
independent sources; the word, hcAHi is a rare and
ancient
word; and the Psalm itself, though in its present
* Stähelin, Einleitung,
p. 398.
THE
INSCRIPTIONS OF THE PSALMS. 103
form
apparently adapted to a later occasion, is, in part,
as
old as David, and therefore the Inscription may be
as
old as those of iii., vii., xviii.
The conclusion, then, at which we arrive
here, is the same
as
in the case of the alleged authorship of certain Psalms.
The
Inscriptions cannot always be relied on. They are
sometimes
genuine, and really represent the most ancient
tradition.
At other times they are due to the caprice
of
later editors and collectors, the fruits of conjecture,
or
of dimmer and more uncertain traditions. In short,
the
Inscriptions of the Psalms are like the Subscriptions
to
the Epistles of the New Testament.* They are not of
any
necessary authority, and their value must be weighed
and
tested by the usual critical processes.
* Mr. Armfield, Gradual Psalms,
chap. ii., finds fault with the com-
parison,
because, as he says, "we have the very best evidence from
without
that they (the Subscriptions to the Epistles) are an interpola-
tion,"
whereas we have no such evidence in the case of the Titles to
the
Psalms. He seems to have forgotten that our earliest MS. of the
O.
T. of which the date is certain is of the tenth century, whereas we
have
MSS. of the N. T. of the fourth, a century earlier than the date
at
which the Subscriptions were added. If the MSS. of the O. T.
were
of corresponding antiquity, we might in the same way be able to
trace
the addition of the Inscriptions. And this is rendered almost
certain
when we observe the variations of the LXX. and the Syriac,
and
when we further bear in mind that the historical Inscriptions are
prefixed
only to David's Psalms.
THE PSALMS
BOOK I.
PSALMS
I.-XLI.
104
PSALM I.
THIS Psalm seems to have been placed
first in the collection,
because,
from its general character and subject, it formed a suitable
introduction
to the rest. It treats of the blessedness of the righteous,
and
the misery of the wicked, topics which constantly recur in the
Psalms,
but it treats of them as if all experience pointed only in one
direction.
The moral problem which in other Psalms troubles the
ancient
poets of
good
oppressed, has here no place. The poet rests calmly in the
truth
that it is well with the righteous. He is not vexed with those
passionate
questionings of heart which meet us in such Psalms as the
37th
and 73d. Hence we may probably conclude that his lot was
cast
in happier and more peaceful times. The close of the Psalm,
however,
is, as Ewald remarks, truly prophetical, perpetually in force,
and
consequently descriptive of what is to be expected at all times
in
the course of the world's history.
In style the Psalm is simple and
clear. In form it is little more
than
the expansion of a proverb.
The absence of any inscription,
which is rare in the First Book,
seems
to indicate that this Psalm was from the first regarded in the
light
merely of an introduction (prooi<mion braxu<, as Basil calls it),
and
perhaps as Ewald suggests, originally to some older and smaller
collection.
In some MSS. it is not numbered at all, being treated
simply
as a prologue or preface. This must have been a very early
arrangement,
as our present Second Psalm is quoted as the First
(according
to the best reading) in Acts xiii. 33, where the words,
"Thou
art my Son," &c., are cited as found e]n t&?
prw<t& yalm&?.
In
other
MSS., again, the two Psalms appear as one. And accordingly,
Albertus
Magnus says, "Psalmus primus incipit a beatitudine, et ter-
minatur
in beatitudine," alluding to the "Blessed
is the man," &c,
and
"Blessed are all," &c.
ii. 12. (So, too, the Jewish tradition,
Berachoth, 9 b.) This last
arrangement, however, is certainly wrong.
There
is no connexion of subject between the two Psalms, and in
style
and character they are totally unlike. They, may, however, be
107
108 PSALM I.
regarded
as forming a double introduction to the Psalter, they em-
brace
the two principal features of the ancient Revelation, they are
the
spiritual and poetical embodiment respectively of the Law and
the
Promise.
By some of the Fathers, and in some
MSS. of the LXX., this
Psalm
has been ascribed to David, in accordance with the common
practice
of assigning to him all the Psalms which are not expressly
said
to have been written by other authors. But there is no his-
torical
or traditional basis for the statement, nor is it in itself probable.
Perhaps
the following considerations may help us to fix the date of
the
Psalm with some degree of probability. (1) It is earlier than the
time
of Jeremiah, for it is his habit to quote from, or allude to,
earlier
writers; and in xvii. 5-8, there is a manifest borrowing of
the
image employed in ver. 3 of this Psalm. (2) The word rendered
"scorners,"
"mockers," ver. 1, occurs nowhere else in the whole
Psalter,
but is frequently applied in the earlier chapters of the
Proverbs
to those who set themselves to despise and scoff at religion.
(See
the definition of the word, Prov. xvi. 24.) This, and the senten-
tious
and somewhat proverbial form of the Psalm, might lead us even
to
ascribe it to Solomon himself. (3) The general doctrine of the
poem,
moreover, falls in with his reign, and with what may be
gathered
from the Proverbs as to the religious condition of the
nation.
It was a time when “wisdom uttered her voice,” under the
favour
of power, and when the righteous were honoured but it was
also
a time when, in the midst of abounding wealth and luxury, men
disregarded
the restraints of religion in their life (see chaps. i.—vii.),
and
even made an open scoff at its authority (i. 22). (4) The
imagery
of the Psalm is such as Solomon might naturally have
employed.
(See General Introduction, chap. iv. p. 76, note.)
(5)
If, as appears probable, Solomon made a collection of his father's
poetry
for the service of the
Psalm
by way of preface, and this circumstance would account for
the
absence of any inscription.
1
BLESSED is the man that path not walked in the counsel
of the wicked,
Nor stood in the way of sinners,
Nor sat in the seat of the scorners;
1.
BLESSED IS THE MAN, lit. such
persons are few upon earth,
"The
blessedness (plur.) of the breaks
forth suddenly and says,
man,")
cf. ii. 12, xli. i [2]). Not an Blessed is the man."---Luther. The
exclamation,
but the recognition of structure
of the verse is very exact,
a
fact. "The prophet seeing that the
parallelism in each member
2
But in the Law of Jehovah is his delight,
And in His Law doth he meditatea
day and night.
being
carefully preserved; a kind of
climax has also been noticed in the
choice of expressions. Thus we have,
first, three degrees of habit in the
verbs "walked," "stood," "sat;" —next,
three degrees of evil in the character:
the "wicked," described as
the passionate, or restless (cf. Is.
lvii. 20, Job iii. 17); or perhaps, simply,
as the unrighteous, the false;
"the sinners," as the active, habitual
doers of iniquity (from the Piel
form of the verb, Gen. xiii. 13); "the
scorners " (Prov. xxi. 24), who make
an open scoff, and blaspheme: lastly,
three degrees of openness in the
evil doing, the "counsel" re- ferring,
apparently, to hidden de- signs
(cf. Job xxi. 16, xxii. 18; Jer. vii.
24); "the way" to public life; "the
seat " (so the LXX., as in 1
Sam. xx. 18, 25), or perhaps, "as- sembly")
so the Syr., as cvii. 32, Jer.
xv. 17), consessus, to a deli- berate
confederacy in wickedness. Calvin
remarks: "Because it is difficult
for us to separate ourselves altogether
from the wicked with whom
we are mixed up, the Prophet heaps
up his words (verborum con- gerie utitur), in order to
increase the
force of his exhortation." And again,
in the order both of the nouns and
verbs, he sees a warning, "how men
are wont to turn aside little by
little from the right way." Simi- larly Grot.: "Tres hic gradus de- scribuntur, male viventium, eorum qui incipiunt, eorum qui perstant, corum qui plane jam in mala vita
acquiescunt." Hupfeld, on the other
hand, finds no climax in the three
members of the verse, but regards
them all as parallel and nearly
equivalent expressions, merely poetic
variations of the one thought, "Blessed
is he who has no fellow- ship
with the wicked in their doings,"
the parallelism being beau- tifully
preserved by the use of three words
to describe the wicked, three to
describe their conduct, and three to
denote intercourse and fellow- |
ship
with them. So also Musculus gives
the sense of the verse: "Bea- turn
esse qui nec ullum, nec in ulia re,
nec cum ullo reproborum homi- rium
genere consortium habet." 2. In the former verse the righ- teous
man is described negatively by
that which he avoids, by that which
he is not. Here his charac- ter
is drawn on the positive side. And
it is very remarkable that it should
be summed up in the cha- racteristic
feature that he delights and
meditates in the Law of Jeho- vah.
This again seems to point to quiet
and peaceable times, when a rnan
lived "under his own vine and his
own fig-tree, none making him afraid."
The Law here meant is not so
much Divine revelation generally (as
in Is. i. 10, for instance) as the Law
of Moses, the Book of the Law, as
is plain from the manifest allu- sion
to Josh. i. 8. (See also Deut. v. 31, xi. 18—20, xvii. 19; Ps. xl. 7, 8 [8, 9].) HIS DELIGHT, the one
word which
describes the whole inner man,
in striking contrast to the preceding
amplification. DOTH MEDITATE; a strict aorist, "is
wont to meditate." The verb answers
more nearly to the Latin meditor than any other word. Strictly,
it means to utter any dull, confused
sound: and hence it is employed
of inward utterance, of the
words a man speaks to him- self;
and also of giving open and loud
expression to the thoughts. The
emphasis laid on the Law is noticeable.
"Repetitur denuo no- men
legis ceu rei adeo carae ac pre- tiosae cujus vel solo nomine intime delectantur
pii." — Geier. It is scarcely
necessary to remark, that no
merely outward observance of the
Law is here meant. The man described
is one who "keeps it with
the whole heart," who "de- lights
in it after the inner man." The
Law here, moreover, is not to be
taken in its most limited sense, |
110 PSALM I.
3
So is he like a tree planted by streams of water,
That bringeth forth its fruit in its
season,
Whose leaf also loth not wither:
And all that he doeth he maketh to prosper.b
4
Not so are the wicked;
But (they are) like the chaff which
the wind driveth
away,
5
Therefore the wicked shall not stand in the judgement,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the
righteous.
as
apart from the promise which accompanied
it. The very expres- sions,
"his delight," and
"medi- tates
in it day and night," show clearly
enough that the Law to such a
man was more than a mere rule after
which he was to frame his outward
life, that it was the food and aliment
of his spirit. 3. SO IS HE, or, "So shall he be."
The pret. with the Vav either marks
the consequence of his de- light
in the Law, or introduces a kind
of apodosis to verse 1, an ex- pansion
of the "blessed" there; in which
case we may simply render, "he shall be," &c. The figure which follows pos- sessed,
for an Eastern mind, a vividness
of which we can form but a
faint conception. When all else was
parched and sterile, the "brooks of
water" and the "torrent-beds" had
their bright strip of verdure (1
Kings xviii. 5). There the grass was
freshest and greenest, and there
the trees flourished most luxu- riantly.
(See the same figure used of
outward prosperity, Job viii. 16, 17,
Ezek. xix. 10, and also of the confidence
and strength of the righteous,
Ps. lii. 8 [10], xcii. 12 [13],
Is. xliv. 4, Jer. xvii. 8, Ezek. xlvii.
12.) STREAMS OF WATER, prop. "lesser
streams or brooks," so called
from their dividing them- selves
(r. glp,
dividere) into dif- ferent
branches, and not artificial canals
divided and distributed by human
labour. (LXX die<codouj.) |
This
is clear from other passages where
the word, which is a poetical one,
occurs (xlvi. 4 [5]; lxv. 9 [10], of
the rain; Is. xxx. 25). AND ALL, &c. A transition from the
figure of the tree to the person who
is compared to the tree. But apparently,
the verbs are chosen so as
to carry on the metaphor; for both
of them would refer to the tree
as well as to the man. See Critical
Note. 4. NOT SO. A simple but em- phatic
contrast. The LXX., Vulg., and
Syr. have repeated these words: "Not
so are the wicked, not so." The
wicked perish even more utterly than
the dry and withered tree. They are
as "the chaff." Again, far more striking
as an Eastern image than among
ourselves. In Is. xvii. 13, "chaff
of the mountains;" because the
threshing-floors were usually on high,
exposed spots, where the wind would
sweep over them the more freely.
(See the same figure, Ps. xxxv.
5, Job xxi. 18, Is. xxix. 5, xli. 2;
Hos. xiii. 3. Cf. Matt. iii. 12.) 5. THEREFORE, i.e. because they are
in their very nature hollow, worthless,
dry, bearirg no fruit, &c. IN THE JUDGEMENT. Primarily no
doubt referring to the general course
of God's righteous judge- ments,
with an allusion to the forms
of a human tribunal:—but reaching
further to the final judge- ment.
Chald.: "in the great day." Rashi
and Qimchi, "in the day of judgement."
The latter adds: "i.e. the
day of death . . . for the righ- |
PSALM I. 111
6
For Jehovah knoweth the way of the righteous,
But the way of the wicked shall
perish.
teous
when they die shall have a resurrection,
but the wicked shall have
no resurrection, but their souls shall
perish with their body in the day
of their death." CONGREGATION OF THE RIGH- TEOUS,
i.e. the true Israelites who are
separated from the congrega- tion
of the evil-doers. (Cf. Ezek. xiii.
9.) |
6. KNOWETH, i.e. regards with watchful
care and love (xxxi. 7, cxliv.
3, Job xxiii. 10). The parti- ciple
denotes that this is the cha- racter of Jehovah. THE WAY, i.e. as in verse I, "the life,
the whole course of action." SHALL PERISH, or,
"perisheth," must
perish from its very nature in the
righteous judgement of God. |
a hghy. "The imperfect," says Hupfeld, "
used to express the present,
whereas
in ver. 1 perfects are employed: for
in Hebrew as in Arabic both
tenses
are used for the present; not, however, quite arbitrarily, but with
a
nice distinction. Usually the imperfect
is employed in general state-
ments,
in expressing what happens as a rule, without any definite mark of
time,
and when such statements include in a certain sense a promise in
themselves
[so that they have a future character as well as a present]; the
perfect, in definite
assurances, in cases where a thing is supposed to have
been
in reality and for a long time existing, or when it stands in oppo-
sition
to some consequence flowing therefrom; a distinction partly, it is
true,
depending on the time and character of the utterance, and therefore
one
of which the limits are not to be strictly defined. In this place it is
clear
there must be some reason for change of tense. Evidently the
negative side of the righteous
man's character, his decided aversion from
evil,
is regarded as an already accomplished fact, and therefore put in the
perfect;
the positive side, on the other hand, as that which is eternal (das
ewige
Moment), is put in the imperfect."
I would rather say, the perfect
expresses the past resolve and conduct
of
which the effects still abide; the imperfect or aorist, the character as it
presents
itself at any moment, irrespective of all question of time.
b hWf with yriP; Jer. xvii. 8, and Hlc, in like manner spoken
of the
growth
of a tree (Ezek. xvii. 9, 10). It is uncertain whether the latter
verb
here is to be taken in its strict Hiph. signif., lKo being the obj.
"all
that
he doeth he maketh to prosper" (as Gen. xxxix. 3); or whether the
Hiph.
should be taken in its neuter sense, "in whatsoever he doeth, he
prospereth:"
both constructions are equally. admissible, and either is
perhaps
better than with the E. V. to make lKo the subject
"whatsoever
he
doeth, shall prosper."
112 PSALM II.
PSALM II.
THIS Psalm, like the last, is
without any inscription, and it is
probably
owing to this circumstance that in a few MSS., four of
Kennicott's
and three of De Rossi's, the two Psalms are found written
as
one. But Qimchi observes, that in all correct MSS. a new Psalm
begins
here; but many of the Rabbis have said that the two Psalms
are
one, alleging that each division which was particularly dear to
David,
opens and closes with the same word, as in this instance with
the
word "Blessed," at the beginning of Ps. i. and at the end of Ps. ii.
No
two Psalms can possibly be more unlike in style and subject,
and
therefore it was not on any ground of internal connection that
they
were thus joined together. The First suggests, as we have seen,
a
time of profound peace. This rings with the tramp of gathering
armies,
and notes of lofty challenge addressed by the poet to the
invaders
of his country. It must have been written at a time when
perhaps
on the accession of a new monarch, the youth and inexperi-
ence
of the king or the defenceless state of the kingdom having led
them
to anticipate an easy triumph.
It is plain, from the language which
the poet puts into their mouth
—"Let
us break their bonds asunder," &c.—that the allies were
vassal
or tributary monarchs, who, having been subdued in former
wars,
or having in some other way tendered their allegiance, had
seized
this opportunity to assert their independence. We may
suppose
the song to have been written when the news of their
approach
reached
by
reminding them of the covenant made with David's house, and
predicts
for their enemies a disastrous overthrow. Their enterprise
is
in its very nature "a vain thing." It cannot but come to nought,
because
the king whom they would dethrone is the son and vice-
gerent
of Jehovah Himself. The poet therefore counsels the rebels
to
return to their allegiance before it be too late.
It is quite impossible now to say
what the event was which occa-
sioned
this poem. The older interpreters (especially the Jewish)
referred
it to David, and the attacks made upon him by the Philistines
(2
Sam. v.). So Qimchi, who, however, strangely explains the
"bonds"
and "cords," not of the power which had hitherto held the
insurgents
in subjection, but of the confederation of the different
tribes
which had united to support David on his accession. Others,
again
(Ewald, Bleek), suppose Solomon to be the king spoken of.
PSALM
II. 113
But
we hear of no gathering of hostile nations during any part of
Solomon's
reign, and the words of the poet are too large to apply to
the
weak attempt of the Philistines on David's accession. It would
be
better to connect the Psalm with the events mentioned in 2
Sam.
x. There we find a confederacy of Syrians, Ammonites, and
others,
who had formerly been subdued (2 Sam. vii. 3, 12), and who
were
now making a last effort for their independence. Just about
this
time too (chap. vii. 14), the promise was given to which allusion
seems
to be made in ver. 7 of the Psalm.
Others
(as Delitzsch) have found the groundwork of the poem in
events
connected with the earlier part of the reign of Ahaz. That
monarch
was threatened by the combined forces of Rezin and Pekah;
and
behind these, in the distant background, but visible to the eye of
the
Prophet, was the huge power of
such
fearful ravages in
Isaiah
was sent to Ahaz with that very remarkable promise of de-
liverance
which is recorded in the seventh chapter of his Book. In
its
general character, indeed, there is a considerable affinity between
this
Psalm and that part of the prophecy of Isaiah which speaks of
Immanuel
and
world
are seen gathered against the house of David: and there a like
challenge
is given,—"Associate yourselves and be broken in pieces;
gird
yourselves and be broken in pieces; for God is with us." The
objection
to this view is, that Rezin and Pekah were not vassals, and
did
not rebel.
But though the poem was occasioned
by some national event, we
must
not confine its application to that event, nor need we even
suppose
that the singer himself did not feel that his words went
beyond
their first occasion. He begins to speak of an earthly king,
and
his wars with the nations of the earth; but his words are too great
to
have all their meaning exhausted in David, or Solomon, or Ahaz,
or
any Jewish monarch. Or ever he is aware, the local and the
temporal
are swallowed up in the universal and the eternal. The
king
who sits on David's throne has become glorified and transfigured
in
the light of the Promise. The picture is half ideal, half actual. It
concerns
itself with the present, but with that only so far as it is
typical
of greater things to come. The true King, who to the
Prophet's
mind is to fulfil all his largest hopes, has taken the place
of
the visible and earthly king. The nations are not merely those
who
are now mustering for the battle, but whatsoever opposeth and
exalteth
itself against Jehovah and His Anointed.
Hence this Psalm is of the nature of
a prophecy, and still waits for
its
final accomplishment. The first Christians saw a fulfilment of it in
PSALM II 114
the
banding together of Herod and Pontius Pilate against Jesus (Acts
iv.
25-27). But this was not a literal one. Pontius Pilate was not
a
king: nor was it the heathen nations (Myvg), but the Jews, who
were
the
chief enemies of Christ when He appeared on earth. "Ye,"
says
St. Peter, addressing the Jews, "have with wicked hands slain
the
Lord of Glory." Only, therefore, in a partial sense, rather per-
haps
in the way of application than anything else, did the words of
this
Psalm correspond to that event. But it may be said to have
an
ever-repeated fulfilment in the history of the Church, which is a
history
of God's kingdom upon earth, a kingdom which in all ages has
the
powers of the world arrayed against it, and in all ages with the
same
disastrous result to those who have risen “against the Lord,
and
against His Anointed.” And so it shall be to the end, when,
perhaps,
that hostility will be manifested in some yet deadlier form,
only
to be overthrown for ever, that the kingdoms of this world may
become
the kingdom of our Lord and His Christ.
That the Messianic interpretation of
this Psalm was the earliest, is
admitted
by the Jews themselves. Qimchi says, "Some interpret this
Psalm
of Gog and Magog, and ‘the Anointed' is King Messiah, and
so
our Rabbis of blessed memory have expounded it; and the Psalm
so
expounded is clear; but it is more natural to suppose that David
spake
it concerning himself, as we have interpreted." R. Sol. Isaki
(Rashi)
makes the same statement as to the ancient interpretation,
but
with remarkable candour adds: "In
order, however, to keep to
the
literal sense, and that we may be able to answer the heretics
(i.e.
Christians), it is better to explain it of David himself with
reference
to what is said 2 Sam. v. 17."
See Pococke, Porta Mosis, p. 306, &c.; and the remarkable
passage
from the Midrash Tillim, quoted by Raymundus Martinus,
Pug. Fid., Pars. III. Dist. i.
cap. viii. § 14., p. 527, ed. Carpzov.
In form, the Psalm is dramatic, the
action being carried on by
different
speakers, who successively take their parts. It consists of
four
strophes:--
I. The singer sees with astonishment
the nations gathering to-
gether,
and their Princes conspiring to cast off the yoke of Jehovah
and
His Anointed. Ver. 1—3.
II. Jehovah, sitting throned in
heaven, mocks their designs, and
confounds
them with His word. Ver. 4—6.
III. The anointed king announces the
Divine decree by which he
rules,
which assures him of victory in the struggle, and of boundless
dominion.
Ver. 7-9.
PSALM
II.
115
IV. The poet, in consequence of what
he has seen, counsels the
rebellious
monarchs to submit themselves to the sway of their lawful
sovereign.
Ver. 10—12.
I
WHY have nations raged,
And (why do) peoples meditate a vain
thing?
2
Kings of the earth set themselves,
And princes have taken counsel
together
Against Jehovah and
against His Anointed:—
3
"Let us break their bonds asunder,
And cast away their cords from
us."
I. WHY—a question at once of wonder
and horror. Looking with amazement
on the gathering stir and
tumult of the rebellion, nations in
the full tide of insurrection, kings and
princes placing themselves at the
head of it, the loyal heart breaks forth
with the question, Why this attempt
to throw off the yoke of the true
king? It is not a tyrant against whom
they are leagued. It is Je- hovah
Himself who is assailed in the
person of the king whom He has
set on the throne. Such an enterprise
cannot but fail. In its very
nature it is "a vain thing." In
this word, says Luther, is com- prised
the argument of nearly the whole
Psalm. How can they suc- ceed
who set themselves against Jehovah
and against His Christ? The
abrupt question is in the true spirit
of lyric poetry. So Horace, gazing
with horror on the spectacle of
civil strife, breaks forth: "Quo- quo
scelesti ruitis? aut cur dexteris, Aptantur
enses conditi?" Why HAVE (pret.) they RAGED, or "gathered
tumultuously" (Aq. e]qoru- bh<qhsan, LXX. e]fru<acan, cf. Acts iv. 25),
i.e. What is the reason of their attempt?
and why do they imagine (pres.),
i.e. what is the design, the object
they have before them? So Delitzsch
explains (and I think rightly)
the difference of tense in the
two clauses. A VAIN THING, lit. "vanity." The
verb "meditate" is the same as
in i. 2, where see note. |
2. SET THEMSELVES—Of assum- ing
deliberately a hostile attitude, as
of Goliath, I Sam. xvii. 16; of the
angel who meets Balaam, Num. xxii.
22. This verb is in the pre- sent; for the singer sees,
as it were, their
hostile array before his eyes. The
next is again in the past, "they
have banded themselves," the
conspiracy and confederacy having
preceded the mustering of their
hosts to the battle. After the double parallelism with which
the Psalm opens, there comes the
single line which, in its majestic simplicity,
at once reveals the de- sign,
and the hopelessness of the design,
"Against Jehovah and against
His Anointed." Luther bids us observe how con- solatory
this truth is to the militant Church.
For the rage of our ene- mies
is not aimed at us, but at the Lord
and His Christ. They can only
reach us through him. "Sed ideo
quoque sic ordinat verba ut pro nostra consolatione et exhortatione discamus, nunquam nos pati inju- riam, quin prior et magis offendatur Deus quam nos, et tantam esse super nos Dei Patris curam, ut ante sentiat, indigniusque ferat nostram injuriam quam nos ipsi," &c. 3. But the singer not
only sees the
gathering host; he hears their menace
of rebellion: "Let us burst their
bonds asunder" (i.e. those of Jehovah
and His Christ), &c. The metaphor
is borrowed from restive animals
which break the cords, and |
116 PSALM II.
4
He that is throned in the Heavens laughs:
The Lord hath them in derision.
5
Then He speaketh unto them in His wrath,
And in His sore displeasure
terrifieth them:
6
—" But I have seta My King
On
throw
off the yoke. Cf. Is. x. 27, lviii.
6. The phrase occurs again, cvii.
14, and often in Jeremiah. "Legem Christi," says Luther, "qum libertatis et suavitatis est, vincula et jugum appellant, servitutem et difficultatem arbitrati, rursus suam legem quae vera est servitus et infirmitas libertatem
et facilitatem esse credunt." 4-6. And now from all this wild tempest
of confusion upon earth, from
the trampling of gathering armies,
and the pride of kingly captains,
and their words of haughty menace,
the poet turns his eye to heaven.
There, on His everlasting throne,
sits the Almighty King, in whose
sight all nations and kings are
but as a drop of the bucket. Luther,
in his characteristic way, seizing
on the eternal truth of the words,
reminds us that "What is here
written touching Christ, is an example
for all Christians. For any
man who sincerely desires to be
a Christian, especially if, more- over,
he be a teacher of the word, will
have his Herods and Pilates, his
princes, kings, nations, and people
raging against him, medi- tating
a vain thing, setting them- selves
up, and gathering together. And
if men do not so trouble him, devils
will, and finally his own con- science,
at any rate when he comes to
die. Then will he find it needful to
remember this and such-like consolation,
‘He that dwelleth in the
heavens,’ &c., and in this hope to
stand firm, and on no account to
give way." HE THAT IS THRONED, &c. I have omitted
in this edition the passage from
the Mechilta, because it ap- plies
these words, not to the Mes- siah,
but to the boasting of Pharaoh |
against
the children of will
be found discussed with other Messianic
passages in the Appendix to
Vol. II. of this edition. There is something very awful in the
representation here given of God.
First, as if in calm contempt, "He
laughs;" then there is the bitter
derision which, in its effects, brings
their counsels to nought, and baffles
their purposes, "He mocks them:"
lastly, with the thunder of His
word He discomfits them. THEN,
at last; that is, after long patience,
in the moment of their godless
security, when their end seems
almost gained. 5. The change in the rhythm of the
original is worthy of notice; it
becomes full and sonorous, "donnerartig"
as Delitzsch calls it,
rolling like the thunder, and is
rendered the more effective by its
contrast with the quiet manner of ver. 4. 6. As the first strophe closed with
the words of the rebels, so this
with the words of Jehovah. And
in the words BUT I, we have the
central truth of the Psalm. The "but"
is to be explained as refer- ring
to an unexpressed "ye may plot,"
or some thought of the kind, in
the mind of the speaker. It is God's
own answer to them that oppose
Him. I (the pronoun is emphatic
in the Heb.), the King of heaven
and earth, have set my own King,
my Son and my vicegerent, on
the throne. (Cf. I Sam. xvi. I.) ON the
King was anointed, for that would
hold neither of type (whe- ther
David or Solomon) nor of antitype:
but as the seat of domi- nion,
the centre from which His law
goes forth, &c. Cf. cx. 2; and |
PSALM II. 117
7
I will tellb of the decree:
Jehovah said unto me: "Thou art
my Son,
This day have I begotten thee:c
8
Ask of Me, and I will make the nations thine
inheritance,
And the uttermost parts of the earth thy
possession.
9
Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron;
Like a potter's vessel shalt thou dash
them in pieces."
10
Now therefore, 0 ye kings, be wise!
Receive instruction, ye judges of the
earth!
in
the fact that His throne is on "the
holy mountain," there is a kind
of anticipative hint of the great
truth which is first distinctly taught
in the 110th Psalm, that the Anointed
King should also be the Anointed
Priest. 7. A sudden change of speakers takes
place. The Son, the Anointed King,
appears, and proclaims the Father's
counsel concerning Him. He
has received of Jehovah a de- cree—the
new law of His kingdom. He
reigns not by the will of man, but
by the grace of God; not by right
only as the Son of Jehovah, but
by covenant and promise like- wise.
(See the stress laid on this Divine
calling as fulfilled in Christ in
Heb. v. 5.) This is true of the type
in a primary sense, 2 Sam. vii.
14, "I will be his father, and he shall
be my son" (with which com- pare
Ps. lxxxix. 26 [27], "He shall call
me, Thou art my Father," &c.). But
the emphatic, "this day have I begotten
thee," is true in its highest sense
only of Him whom the Father sanctified,
and sent into the world. (Compare
the argument in Heb. i. 5.) The expression, "I this day have begotten
thee," can only mean, This day
have I declared and manifested thee
to be my Son, by investing thee
with thy kingly dignity, and placing
thee on thy throne. teaches
us to see the fulfilment of these
words in Christ's resurrection from
the dead. It was by that that He
was declared to be (marked out |
as,
in a distinct and peculiar sense, o[risqe<ntoj) the Son of God. ( i.
4; cf. Acts xiii. 33.) The day of Christ's
coronation was the day of His
resurrection. From henceforth He
sits at the right hand of the Father,
waiting till His enemies be made
His footstool. 8. ASK OF ME. A poetical figure, by
which is represented God's will- ingness
to give to His Anointed the
kingdoms of the world. The Father's
love will withhold nothing from
the Son. The iron sceptre is not
only the symbol of an older and
sterner dispensation. The Saviour
is also the Judge. Even at His
first coming it was said of Him, "whose
fan is in His hand," &c., and
He Himself, declared, "for judgement
am I come into this world."
And in the Apocalypse He
appears as the King who makes' war,
and who should rule all nations with
a rod of iron, chap. xix. 15 and xii.
5, and especially chap. ii. 27, where
He gives a share in this His power
and prerogative to all His true
and faithful soldiers. 10-12. Finally, the poet, who has heard
the words of Jehovah, and the
words of His Anointed, seeks by wise
counsel to dissuade the rebels from
their mad enterprise. 10. Now THEREFORE, or, "and now,"
drawing a conclusion from what
precedes (Prov. v. 7, Is. xxviii. 22;
cf. kai> nu?n, I John 11. 28). JUDGES OF THE EARTH, as in ver.
2, "kings of the earth," who |
18 PSALM II.
11
Serve Jehovah with fear,
And exultd with
trembling!
12
Kiss the Sone lest He be angry
And ye perish in (your) way;
For soonf is His wrath kindled:
Blessed are all they that find
refuge in Him!
had
placed themselves at the head of
the insurrection. LEARN WISDOM . . . RECEIVE INSTRUCTION.
Submit yourselves; not
only in a political sense, but also
in a religious sense, become His
true worshipers. In the Jewish mind
the two ideas would never be dissociated. 12. KISS THE SON, i.e. Do hom- age
to him: see I Sam. x. 1; cf. I
Kings xix. 18, Hos. xiii. 2, Job xxxi.
27. LEST HE BE ANGRY. Who? not
necessarily the Son. The sub- ject
of the verb may be Jehovah. Do
homage to the Son or "proffer pure
homage" (see more in critical note),
lest He (i.e. Jehovah) be |
angry.
And so afterwards, "Blessed are
all they that find refuge in Him," i.e.
in Jehovah. Still, there can be no
objection to taking "the Son" as
the subject. It should be observed that two of
the names given by the Jews themselves
to the Hope of Israel were
taken from this Psalm (and Dan.
ix. 25), the Messiah, ver. 2, and the
Son of God, ver. 7. Nathanael says
to Jesus, su> ei# o[ ui[o>j tou? qeou?, John
i. 49, and both names are joined
together by the High Priest, Matt. xxvi. 63, ei] su> ei# o[ Xristo>j o[ ui[o>j tou?
qeou?. In like manner the name
o[ ui[o>j tou? a]nqrw<pou is taken from
Ps. viii. 4, and Dan. vii. 13. |
a
yTik;
this
rendering is apparently supported both by the HaywimA going before.
and
also by the derivative j`ysinA, "a prince." But the verb
nowhere else
occurs
in this sense; it means "to pour out," and then "to pour metals
in
a state of fusion into a mould:" hence it passes over into the meaning
of
setting fast, establishing, &c.
So the Niph. Prov. viii. 23, and hence
j`ysinA means not "one anointed," but
"one appointed" to his office.,
b hrAP;saxE. The optat. form,
"Let me tell," or "I would fain tell." For
the
construction with lx,, see lxix. 27, similarly with rmaxA, Gen. xx. 2, Jer.
xxvii.
19. qHo in like manner without
the art. Is. xxiv. 5. In the T.
B.
Succah., fol. 52a, the words are explained, "I will tell it for a
decree,
i.e. that it may be a statute, that the Messiah, the true Son of
David,
will certainly come." Qimchi: "These are the words of David,
who
says, ‘I will make this announcement a statute and a law to myself;'
and
what is the announcement?—that the Lord said unto me, Thou art
my
Son, &c."
The LXX. and the Vulg. join this
clause with the preceding verse
(where
they have the passive verb) by rendering ‘sx as if it were a parti-
ciple;
the LXX. and Jerome also repeat " Jehovah," making it first the
genitive
after qHo
and then the nom. to the following verb "said." Thus
ver.
6 is the words of the king, e]gw> de> katesta<qhn
basileu>j u[p ] au]tou? . . .
diaggelw?n to> pro<stagma
kuri<ou.
PSALM
II.
119
c
j~yTid;liy; (instead of j~yTid;lay;). According to Gesen.
from a form dleyA, as
vyTil;xiw; I Sam. i. 20, from lxewA. (Gram. § 44, 2 Rem.
2.) But Hupf., who
says
truly that there is no trace of such a form in Hebrew, thinks that i
instead
of a is to be explained by the throwing
forward of the tone, and
compares
the Hiph. UhyTimihE, where the tone is thrown forward, with TAmahe,
wliere
the a remains, because the place of
the tone is not altered.
d UlyGi generally rendered
"fear" or " tremble," because of the following
hrAfAr;Bi, as if connected with rvg, rgy, with the former of
which, indeed,
it
is found parallel, Hos. x. 5. The LXX. however, a]gallia?sqe
aut&? e]n
tro<m&. And this is the usual
meaning of the verb. Nor is there any
reason
for departing from it here. "Rejoice" that ye are called to
worship
Jehovah, but rejoice with awe and holy fear. The older Versions
generally
paraphrase the word. Thus the Chald. "pray," Syr. "cleave
to
him." Arab. "praise him."
e rba-Uqw;.na. The interpretation of these words has always
been a dif-
ficulty.
(I ) The Chald. has xnplx vlybq, "receive
instruction;" LXX.
dra<casqe paidei<aj. Vulg. apprehendite disciplinam; rBa
being thus,
as in
Arabic,
"piety, obedience," &c. Hence Saadia, " Prepare yourselves
with
purity,
that is sincerity, to obey him." (2.) Others have taken it as an adverb.
Jerome
(in his text) Adorate lure. Aq. katafilh<sate
e]klektw?j.
Symm.
proskunh<sate kaqarw?j. (3.) Others, again,
" the chosen one" (from rrb)
without
the article, as j`l,m,, xxi. 1. (4.) Of the older Versions,
only the
Syriac
has its , "kiss the
Son." Jerome however, in his Apologia
adv. Rufin. lib. i. § 19, admits
this as an alternative rendering. After
observing,
that he rendered the verb vqwn (the literal renderings
of which
in
Greek and Latin would be katafilh<sate and deosculamini) by adorate,
"worship,"
as conveying the true sense of the word, because they who
worship
are wont to kiss the hand and bow the head (quoting Job xxxi. 27
in
proof); and after insisting on the ambiguity of the noun, which he
says
means not only "son," as in Barjona, Bartimxus, &c., but also
"wheat,"
and "a bundle of ears of wheat," and "elect," and
"pure," he
thus,
defends himself from the charge of inconsistency: "In my little
commentary,
where there was an opportunity of discussing the matter, I
had
said Adorate filium, (but) in the
body of the work (the translation),
not
to appear a violent interpreter and not to give occasion to Jewish
calumny,
I said Adorate pure sive electe, as
translated.
What injury then is done to the faith of the Church, if the
reader
is instructed in how many different ways a verse is explained by
the
Jewish commentators (apud Hebraeos)?"
Qimchi observes that rb may either be the same
as the common Hebrew
Nb, as in Prov. xxxi. 2, or may mean
"pure," as in the phrase "pure of
heart."
"If," he says, "we adopt the reading son, then the sense will
be,
‘kiss
the son whom God hath called a son,' saying, ‘Thou art my son;’
and
the verb must be explained by the custom of slaves kissing the hand
of
their masters. But if we adopt the reading pure, it means, ‘What have
I
to do with you? for I am pure of heart, and there is no iniquity in me
that
you should come and fight against me; but it is your part to kiss me
120 PSALM
and
to confess that I am king by the ordinance of God.' And it is possible
to
refer the word to a root meaning to
choose, as in ‘Choose ye (vrb) a
man.'"
Among the Jewish commentators, Aben Ezra and Maimon. (quoted
in
Benzev), who both refer to the yniB; above, render
"Son." So also
Mendelss.
"dem Sohne huldiget;" and so Ges. and De Wette, who
cannot
be accused of any dogmatic bias in favour of their interpretation.
The
only objection to this, of any weight, is the
rBa, which occurs (except in the Chaldee of Daniel
and Ezra) but once
again,
Prov. xxxi. 2, manifestly a later passage, and not free from other
Chaldaisms.
But to this it may be replied with Dr. Pusey (Daniel, p. 477)
that
the form Bar is in fact not Chaldee,
but old Phoenician. Hupf.
indeed
alleges, besides, the absence of the article, and the change of
subject
in the following verse. The former, however, may be explained
by
poetic usage, and the latter is not uncommon in Hebrew.
that
an Arabic grammarian would explain the absence of the article as
equivalent
to saying: "Kiss a son, and what a son!" Cf. Heb, i. 1, e]n
ui[&?, “by a Son, not by any inferior being;”
and j`l,m,l;, Ps. xlv. 2.
It will be seen from the above
renderings, that the verb has been taken
in
two different senses: (i) "to cleave, adhere to, lay hold of,"
&c.--a
sense
which is not supported by usage: and (2) "to kiss," i.e. according
to
the Eastern custom, to proffer homage and service. (Cf.. 1 Sam. x. i.)
Gen.
xli. 40 is probably to be explained in the same way (see Ges. Thes.
p.
923). The word is also used of the worship paid to idols, 1 Kings xix.
18,
Hos. xiii. 2. We must therefore either render (with the Syr.) "Do
homage
to the Son," or (with Jerome) "proffer pure homage, worship in
purity."
Both translations are admissible. Nor does it seem very impor-
tant
which we adopt, though the interpretation of this clause has some-
times
been debated, as if the Messianic character of the Psalm depended
upon
it. But that must be determined by the general scope of the Psalm,
not
by a single phrase; not to mention that ver. 6, 7 are quite as emphatic
as
ver. 12.
f Ffam;Ki, either (1) "within
a little," "almost," "all but," = parum abest
quin; often with the perf. parum aberat quin; but also as here with
the
pres.
2 Sam. xix. 37; or (2) "quickly," "soon." Hupf. doubts
this, but
besides
Job xxxii. 22, and Ps. lxxxi. 15, which admit this meaning better
than
the other, the, phrase Ffam;Ki fgar,, Is. xxvi. 20, is
decisive that Ffam;Ki
may
be used of time; and so it is best understood here.
PSALM III.
THIS and the following Psalm have
several links of connection, are
in
the same strain of thought and feeling, and were probably com-
posed
under the same circumstances. From the inscription of this
Psalm
we learn what those circumstances were. It was written by
PSALM III. 121
David
when he fled from his son Absalom. Both Psalms, it has
been
conjectured, were composed on the same day; the one in the
morning,
the other in the evening of the day following that on which
the
king quitted
were
composed at a later time, written whilst the sense of the peril
and
the deliverance were still fresh in David's mind, written in the vivid
recollection
of all the events of that memorable day, but not written
in
the actual hurry and confusion of the flight. It has been urged,
indeed,
against this reference, that there is an absence of all allusion
to
Absalom, that the language is of the same general kind as that
employed
in other Psalms where the writer is surrounded by enemies,
and
that there is nothing to indicate that the author is a person of
importance,
much less a king. But we rarely find in any Psalm those
clearly
defined notes of time and those distinct personal allusions
which
lead us to connect it with one event rather than another. We
need
not, therefore, assume on this ground that the inscription is false.
The
titles may preserve a genuine ancient tradition, unless there be
anything
in the language of a Psalm which directly contravenes them;
and
there is certainly no word here which would warrant us in re-
jecting
the inscription. The absence of any allusion to Absalom may
be
accounted for, in some measure at least, by the tender feeling of
the
father for his rebellious son. Or the mind of David may not have
been
suffered to dwell on so harassing a thought, in order that he
might
trust the more entirely in God as to the issue of the struggle.
Even
the recollection of his past sin, grievous as it was, and though
he
was now reaping the fruits of it, was not allowed to trouble him.
His
soul was at rest in the sense of God's forgiveness, and the Psalm
which
recalls the feelings of that eventful day breathes the same sense
of
inward peace. The words are the words of one who had often
sought
and found help from God (iii. 4, iv. 3); and who, even in this
his
sorest strait, calmly reposes, knowing that Jehovah is “his Glory
and
the Lifter-up of his head.”
From ver. 5 we gather that the Psalm
is, as has been said, a morning
hymn.
With returning day there comes back on the monarch's
heart
the recollection of the enemies who threaten him,—a nation
up
in arms against him, his own son heading the rebellion, his wisest
and
most trusted counsellor in the ranks of his foes (2 Sam. xv.—
xvii.).
Never, not even when hunted by Saul, had he found his
position
one of greater danger. The odds were overwhelmingly against
him.
This is a fact which he does not attempt to hide from himself
"How
many are mine enemies;" "Many rise up against me;"
"Many say to my soul;" "Ten thousands of the people have set
themselves
against me." Meanwhile where are his friends, his army,
122 PSALM 111.
his
counsellors ? Not a word of allusion to any of them in the Psalm.
Yet
he is not crushed, he is not desponding. Enemies may be
thick
as the leaves of the forest, and earthly friends may be few, or
uncertain,
or far off. But there is One Friend who cannot fail him,
and
to Him David turns with a confidence and affection which lift
him
above all his fears. Never had he been more sensible of the
reality
and preciousness of the Divine protection. If he was sur-
rounded
by enemies, Jehovah was his shield. If Shimei and his crew
turned
his glory into shame, Jehovah was his Glory; if they sought to
revile
and degrade him, Jehovah was the Lifter-up of his head. Nor
did
the mere fact of distance from
and
his God. He had sent back the ark and the priests, for he would
not
endanger their safety, and he did not trust in them as a charm, and
he
knew that Jehovah could still hear him from "His holy mountain"
(iii.
4), could still lift up the light of His countenance upon him, and
put
gladness in his heart (iv. 6, 7). Sustained by Jehovah, he had
laid
him down and slept in safety; trusting in the same mighty pro-
tection,
he would lie down again to rest. Enemies might taunt (iii. 2)
and
friends might fail him, but the victory was Jehovah's, and He
could
break the teeth of the ungodly (iii. 7, 8).*
The Psalm may be devided into four
strophes:
I. The present danger and distress.
Ver. I, 2.
II. The recollection of mercy and
help in tires past. Ver. 3, 4.
III. As arising from this, the sense
of peace and security even in
the
midst of the present danger. Ver. 5, 6.
IV. The prayer for help against
enemies, and for blessings upon
[A
PSALM OF DAVID, WHEN HE FLED FROM THE FACE OF HIS SON
ABSALOM.]
1 JEHOVAH, how many are mine
adversaries,
Many are they that rise up against me!
1.
How MANY, &C.: nearly all THAT
RISE AGAINST ME. The
xvii.
I, 11-13, with xv. 18. Cushite
who brings tidings to David
*
In a very interesting paper on "The Revolt of Absalom" in Good
Words for March, 1864, Mr.
Plumptre has taken a similar view of these
Psalms.
PSALM III.
123
2
Many there be that say to my soul:
"There is no helpa for him in
God."—[Selah.]
3
But THOU, 0 Jehovah, art a shield about me;
My Glory and the Lifter-up of my
head.
4
With my voiceb to Jehovah do I cry,
And He answereth me from His holy
mountain.--[Selah.]
5
I laid me down, and slept;
I awaked; for Jehovah sustaineth me.
of
the death of Absalom, and the defeat
of the rebels. (2 Sam. xviii. 31,
32.) 2. TO MY SOUL, rather than "OF my
soul," though this is implied: but
they aim at, and strike to, his soul.
He feels it, and feels how deadly
the aim is. "My soul" here
is not a mere periphrasis for the
personal pronoun, any more than
in xxxv. 3, "Say unto my soul, I
am thy salvation." NO HELP, or "salvation" (see the
same
noun in ver. 8 and the verb in
ver. 7), i.e. God as well as man is
against him, his destruction is certain,
prayer itself will be of no avail.
Hence the general name of God
(Elohim) instead of Jehovah, which
otherwise is characteristic of the
Psalm. David was thinking perhaps
of what Shimei had said: The
Lord hath returned upon thee all
the blood of the house of Saul, in
whose stead thou bast reigned; and
the Lord hath delivered the kingdom
into the hand of Absalom thy
son" (2 Sam. xvi. 8). This however
is the common scoff of the
ungodly, as they mock the trust of
the righteous: xxii. 7, 8 [8, 9], xlii.
3 [4], 9 [10]. And not only enemies
thus reproached, but friends seemed
to despair. See on iv. 6. 3. BUT THOU. Emphatically op- posed
to all such assertions as that in
ver. 2. A SHIELD. Such God had de- clared
Himself to be to Abraham in
Gen. xv. 1, and. that, it should be
remembered, just after Abraham had
returned from the battle with |
the
kings. We cannot wonder that such
a name of God should have had
a peculiar preciousness for David.
No man was ever harder pressed
by enemies, and no man had
ever more cause to rejoice in the
thought that God was his shield. MY GLORY AND LIFTER-UP, &c.;
primarily, perhaps, with refer- ence
to the kingly dignity which God
had given him, but not to be confined
to that, but to deliverance out
of trouble, exaltation, &c. (Cf. xxvii.
5, 6; cx. 7.) 4. Expresses not a single act, but
the habit of a life. Whenever I
cry, God hears me from His holy hill,
i.e. the
covenant. The Priests and Levites, when he left
the
ark after him. But with that faith
which can alone teach true resignation,
he says, "Carry back the
ark of God into the city: if I shall
find favour in the eyes of Jehovah,
He will bring me again, and
show me both it and His habi- tation."
To David the ark was no mere
talisman. The presence and favour
of Jehovah were not bound to
the local symbol of His presence. "In
the heart, not in the hands," was
David's feeling. It was the very
opposite of that superstitious impulse
which led the Israelites to take
the ark with them into battle, 1
Sam. iv. 3-6. (2 Sam. xv. 25.) 5. I LAID ME DOWN. The pron. is
emphatic, as if he would say, "I,
my very self, hunted and cursed |
124 PSALM
III.
6
Iwill not be afraid of ten thousands of the people,
Which have set (themselves) against
me round about.
7
Arise, 0 Jehovah! Help me, 0 my God!
For Thou hast smitten all mine
enemies upon the
cheek-bone;
Thou hast broken the teeth of the
ungodly.
8
To Jehovah belongeth the victory.
Thy blessing be upon Thy
people.—[Selah]
by
my enemies, have tasted the goodness
of the Lord even in the night
that is past." The tenses require the rendering as
given above. I laid me down —I
went to sleep—I woke up again —for
Jehovah sustaineth me (an aorist,
as " I cry," in the last verse); His
hand is my pillow. 6. Then from that thought there arose
fresh confidence in his heart, "I
will not be afraid of countless hosts,"
&c. HAVE SET THEMSELVES. A mili- tary
expression. (Cf. Is. xxii. 7; Kings
xx. 12, &c.) It is not necessary
to supply an accus. such as
“camp” or "battle." The word may
be used intransitively. 7. HELP, or "save," see notes
on ver.
2, 8. FOR THOU NAST SMITTEN. An
appeal to the past: O Thou
that hast destroyed mine enemies
on every side, ALL mine enemies,
be they many, or be they few,
rise up now for me against them
that rise up against me. Or possibly,
as in many other instances the
perfects may anticipate the result,
they express the sure con- fidence
that God will crush his enemies,
which he speaks of as an already
accomplished fact. It is impossible not to feel how
appropriate this metaphor, smiting
on the cheek-bone, break- ing
the teeth, &c.—is in David's |
mouth.
As he himself had smitten the
bear and the lion when they came
against him, so should God smite
his enemies coming fierce and
open-mouthed against him. 8 THE VICTORY, or, "THE help,"
or "salvation." The article is
emphatic, and includes help and deliverance
in all its fulness, as the preposition
denotes that it belongs exclusively
to, is at the entire dis- posal
of, Jehovah. Such is his confident, courageous answer
to the timorous whispers of friends,
and the mocking exulta- tion
of enemies. They said, "There is
no help for him in God." He replies,
To Jehovah belongeth help, help
not in this strait only, but in all
times and places. Finally, how noble the prayer of the
royal exile, asking not for him- self
alone, but for his poor, mis- guided
subjects—"Let Thy bless- ing
be upon Thy people," upon the whole
nation, of whom David is the
Father, as he is the King, not merely
that portion of his subjects who
remained true in their allegi- ance.
What a glimpse this gives us
of the greatness and generosity of
that kingly heart! He is the type,
as Delitzsch observes, of the true
David who prayed for the people
who crucified Him, "Father, forgive
them." THY BLESSING. "Benedictio Dei est
Dei beneficentia." |
a On the form htAfAUwy;, Hupfeld's note should
be consulted. He main-
tains
that the termination h-A, by which the original form (hfAUwy;) is
lengthened,
is a remnant of the old accusatival termination, and in words
of
this kind denotes the acc. of purpose or aim; strictly, therefore, it is the
PSALM IV. 125
Lat.
saluti, as htArAz;f,, auxilio, xliv. 27, lxiii. 8, xciv. 17, = hrAz;f,l;, and
j~l; hlAyliHA = religion tibi sit.. And so also in lxxx. 3, UnlA
ytAfawuyli hkAl;,
where,
however, the accus. is rendered superfluous by the prep. as often
(e.g.
hlAFEmal;, hlAxow;li, hBAn;n,Ba, &c.), the
signification of the termination having
been
lost. The following dative Ol points to the same
construction here,
but
in consequence of the ‘xB, in God,
the termination goes for nothing,
and
the noun is used as a nominative, as in Jon. ii. 10, and similar forms
elsewhere.
b xrqx ylvq. 'According to Hupf. a
double subject of the person, and
the
active member or instrument, as often in the poets, xii. 3, xvii. 10, 13,
14,
xxxii. 8, xliv. 3, &c.; and even in prose, Ex. vi. 3, I Sam. xxv. 26, 33.
Gesen.
on the other hand assumes an accus. of the instrument (§ 138,
3),
quoting such passages as cix. 2, Prov. x. 4, Ezek. xi. 13, on which
Hupf.
remarks that in all these instances not only is there no pronominal
suffix,
but the noun stands with an adjective which describes the manner
of
the action, as elsewhere the inf. absol.
or an abstract alone, whereas
here
we have a concrete. On
"Selah," see the General Introduction.
PSALM IV.
DAVID had said in the previous
Psalm, "I laid me down and slept:"
he
says in this, "I will lay me down in peace, and sleep." These
words
evidently connect the Psalms together. That was a morning,
this
is an evening hymn. That was written with a deep sense of
thankfulness
for the undisturbed rest which had followed the most
anxious,
in some respects the dreariest, day of his life; this was
written
with a calm confidence, flowing directly from the previous
experience.
The interval between the two Psalms or the occasions
to
which they refer may only have been the interval between the
morning
and evening of the same day. The thoughts and turns of
expression
in the one are not unlike those in the other. As in the
former
he heard many saying to his soul, "There is no help for him
in
God" (ver. 2), so in this he hears many saying, "Who will show
us
any good?" (ver. 6). As in that he knew that, though at a dis-
tance
from the Tabernacle, he was not at a distance from God, but
would
receive an answer to his prayer from the "holy mountain"
(ver.
4), so in this, though the Priests have returned with the
to
which
is better than the Urim and Thummim of the priestly ephod.
126 PSALM. IV
The Psalm opens with a short prayer,
in which David's faith stays
itself
on his experience of past mercies. Then his thoughts run upon
his
enemies, on the curses of Shimei, on the treachery of Ahithophel.
"O
ye sons of men,"— thus he turns to address them, and the
expression
denotes persons of rank and importance,—"how long will
ye
turn my glory into shame?" How long will ye trample my
honour
as a king in the dust, refusing me the allegiance which is my
due?
How long will ye love vanity (or emptiness), and seek after
lies?
How is it that ye are bent on this mad enterprise, and persist
in
using the weapons of falsehood and slander to my prejudice? He
reminds
them that, in assailing him, they are assailing not him, but
God,
who chose him and appointed him to his office (ver. 3). "For
them,
if his words could reach them, as they were lying down to rest,
in
the pride of their successful plots, his counsel would be, ‘Stand
in
awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed,
and
be still.' Let the watches of the night be given to self-searching;
let
the voice of scorn and reviling be hushed in silence. Then, when
that
scrutiny and solemn awe have done their work, and repentance
comes,
‘offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the
Lord.'"*
Once more, David, ere he lies down to rest, lifts his eyes
to
Heaven. Many, in such circumstances, might be ready to despair:
many,
probably, among his own friends were then saying, "Who will
show
us any good?" David knows where true good is to be found.
There
is a Light which can "lighten his darkness," whether it be the
darkness
of night or the darkness of sorrow. The light of God's
countenance
lifted up upon him can fill his heart with greater joy
than
the joy of the threshing-floor or the vintage. And in that con-
fidence
he can lie down and take his rest, knowing that Jehovah
Himself
will keep him in the watches of the night.
It is worthy of notice that David
does not cry to God for vengeance
on
his enemies, but earnestly seeks to bring them to a better mind.
The
strong feeling of injured innocence prompts no thought of re-
venge,
but only the noble desire to teach those who have done the
wrong
a more excellent way. The monarch does not forget that he
is
a monarch; and with a monarch's heart, lifted here at least above
the
littleness of personal resentment, he tries to win over the subjects
who
have rebelled against him.
The Psalm may be said to fall into
three unequal strophes:--
I. The cry directed to God. Ver. I.
* See Mr. Plumptre's paper on
"The Revolt of Absalom" in Good
Words for March, 1864, p. alt.
PSALM IV.
127
II. The earnest warning addressed to
his enemies, in two parts.
Ver.
2-5.
III. The calm expression on the part
of David of his peace and
confidence
in God. Ver. 6-8.
[FOR
THE PRECENTOR. UPON STRINGED INSTRUMENTS.a A PSALM
OF DAVID.]
1
WHEN I cry, answer me, 0 God of my righteousness!
Thou that in straitness
hast made room for me:
Be gracious unto me, and hear my
prayer.
2
Ye sons of men! how long shall my glory be (turned)b
into shame?
(How long) will ye love vanity, will
ye seek after lies?—
[Selah.]
3
Know then, that Jehovah hath separatedc for Himself one
whom He loveth.d
Jehovah hearkeneth when I cry unto
Him.
1. GOD OF MY RIGHTEOUSNESS, i.e.
Thou who maintainest my right and
my cause, asserting my righte- ousness
against the slanders of my enemies.
(Cf. lix. 10 [11]). But not to
be confined to this: it also means who
knowest the righteousness, the sincerity
of my heart and life, and, moreover,
art Thyself the ground and
source of all righteousness in
me. So Leighton: "Qui ipse justus es et justitie mean patronus. Justitae meae, id est, justae tum causae,
tum vitae." The second clause of this verse is
undoubtedly a relative clause, with
the usual omission of the rela- tive.
It is certainly not to be taken (with
De Wette) as imperative. On these
two things he builds his plea, God's
righteousness as pledged to himself,
and God's goodness, as experienced
either in past tunes, or in
the present emergency. 2. SONS OF MEN. Generally "men
of high degree," nobles, &c., as
opposed to MdAxA ynEB;, "men of low degree,"
xlix. 2 [3], lxii. 9 [10]. So Qimchi
understands by it men of high
rank who had joined Absalom. And
Luther translates, liebe Herren, |
and
in the margin Ihr grossen Han- sen. Some would see in it
only a term
of "ironical honour." Hupf. suggests
that the expression thus nakedly
used may rather denote human
weakness, and that there is a
sort of emphasis in the expression, "children
of men," when the Psalm turns
to them from God; but surely in
that case another Hebrew word would
have been emplpyed: 'ish is vir, not homo. MY GLORY, i.e. personal honour, character,
as in lxii. 7 [8], Job xix. 9;
here, perhaps, my state and dig- nity
as king, though it is frequently used
in a more extended significa- tion.
(See on vii. 5.) 3. KNOW THEN. The conjunc- tion
here introduces a marked an- tithesis,
as in ii. 6, iii. 3 [4]. Ye may
seek to bring my glory to shame,
yet know that it is one whom He
loves (see critical note, and on xvi.
to) that God hath separated and
chosen for Himself. HATH SEPARATED, or "hath mar- vellously
chosen;" for the notion of
something wonderful is found in
the root. David would naturally feel
that his own career from the |
128 PSALM
IV.
4
Tremble and sin not:
Commune with your heart upon your
bed, and be still.—
[Selah.]
5
Offer sacrifices of righteousness,
And put your trust in Jehovah.
6
There be many that say: "Who will show us (any) good?"
Lifte Thou upon us the
light of Thy countenance, 0
Jehovah?
7
Thou hast put gladness in my heart,
Moref than when their corn and their wine abound.
sheepfold
to the throne was at every step
an instance of this marvellous choice
and separation. ONE WHOM HE LOVETH, or "the godly
man," i.e. His true worshiper. The
word often occurs in the same sense
as piius in Latin. (See more in
the critical note.) 4. He passes on to wise and loving
counsels. TREMBLE. i.e. be- fore
God, not before me, and sin not
against Him. The verb ex- presses
any sort of disquietude, or strong
emotion, the agitation of anger
as well as fear. Hence the rendering
of the LXX. o]rgi<zesqe kai> mh> a[marta<nete, "Be ye angry
and sin
not," i.e. "do not suffer your- selves
to sin in your anger," is certainly
a possible rendering of the
words, but not suitable here. words
as they stand in the Greek version,
not, however, in the way of direct
citation. COMMUNE WITH, lit, say (it) in your heart, i.e. reflect,
meditate on the
truth I have already declared, ver.
3. Let the still hours of the night
bring calmer and wiser thoughts
with them. 5. OFFER SACRIFICES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS,
Or, RIGHTEOUS SACRIFICES,
as in li. 19 [21]. The phrase
occurs first in Deut. xxxiii. 19, and
denotes either (a) sacrifices that God
will accept, because they are offered
not merely according to the ritual
of the Law, but with clean hands
and pure hearts (Is. xxix. 13); |
or
(b) fitting sacrifices, such as past Sin
requires, in order to put it away. Thus,
"draw nigh to God, and He will
draw nigh to you." The advice to
offer these sacrifices follows from the
general exhortation in the pre- vious
verse to religious awe and reflection.
Those who, like Absalom and
his party, were in possession of in
the appointed place and with all legal
observances, but the sacrifices would
be of no worth unless offered in
righteousness. "Offer them in a
right spirit and trust in Jehovah Himself,
and not merely in the offering
and the lip-service." 6. THERE BE MANY THAT SAY. Not
the enemies addressed before. The
reference may be to the friends and
companions of David, whose heart
failed them in the day of trouble;
or more widely, to the general
proneness of men to walk by
sight rather than by faith. But David has learnt a better lore.
Though far from "the holy mountain,"
there still dwells in his heart
the blessing wherewith the priests
of Jehovah had there blessed His
people. "Jehovah make His face
to shine upon thee . . . Jehovah lift
up His countenance upon thee, and
give thee peace." To that re- membered
blessing his heart now gives
the echo in the prayer, "Je- hovah,
lift Thou up the light of Thy
countenance upon us ... , In peace
I will lay me down," &c. 7. THEIR CORN AND THEIR WINE. |
PSALM
IV.
129
8
In peace, at once will I lay me down and sleep;
For THOU, Jehovah, alone makest me
to dwell in safety.
To
whom does the pronoun refer? Hengstenberg
and others have sup- posed
the allusion to be to Zibah (2
Sam. xvi.), and the supply which he
brought for David and his band. Others
(as Ew. and Olsh.) think the pronoun
is used indefinitely, as in lxv.
9 [10], "Thou preparest their corn,"
i.e. the corn of men in general. Hupfeld
thinks the reference of the pronoun
is to the "many" of the previous
verse. They in their worldly-mindedness
look for their happiness
in the abundance of their
earthly things. Hence when adversity
threatens they begin to despond.
David, on the other hand,
has a source of joy, deeper and
more unfailing because it flows from
above. But perhaps David is
thinking of his enemies. They have
at their command all earthly means
of support and enjoyment. He
finds it difficult to collect supplies
for himself and his army (2
Sam. xvi. t, xvii. 26, &c.), yet God
has given him a better joy than
that of harvest or vintage. For the comparison with the joy of
harvest and vintage as the great occasions
of festive mirth, see Is. ix.
3 [2], Jer. xlviii. 33. Some have seen in this verse an answer
to the prayer of the previous verse.
David prays for the light of God's
countenance; the answer is given
in this gladness of heart. But
it is better to take the words, "Thou
hast put," &c., as the record of
a past as well as present experi- ence,
though it still remains true that
the "light" is the source of
the "gladness." |
8. AT ONCE, sc. as soon as I lie down
I sleep, not harassed by dis- turbing
and anxious thoughts. For this
meaning of the adverb, see cxli.
10, Is. xlii. 14. THOU ALONE. This rendering is in
accordance with the accentua- tion,
with the order of the words and
with the context, in which the contrast
is implied that however others
may fail, or oppose, God alone
is sufficient; and the sense may
be supported by Deut. xxxii. 12.
On the other hand, all the Ancient
Versions, and many recent interpreters,
refer the adverb to the speaker:
"Thou makest me to dwell
alone in safety" as in Jer. xlix.
31 the same word is used of a nation
dwelling without bars or gates,
alone, i.e. securely. Riehm says:
"The thought that Jehovah is
the only protection is without motive
in the context; as it is not said
that he lacked other protection, nor
of the many that they sought protection
elsewhere. [But in answer to
this see ver. 6.] The two ad- verbs
‘alone’ and ‘in safety’ are parallel,
and express a common idea
as the two verbs in the first number." Delitzsch remarks: "The iambics with
which the Psalm closes are as the
last sound of a cradle-song which
dies away softly, and, as it were,
falling to sleep itself. Dante is
right: the sweetness of the music
and harmony of the Hebrew Psalter
has been lost in the Greek and
Latin translations." |
a See General Introduction, p. 88.
b For a similar construction, see
xxxvii. 26, lxxiii. 19, Is. ix. 4.
c hlAp;hi. Many MSS. (37 of
Kennic. and 28 De-Rossi) have xlph, and
the
roots are no doubt closely allied. The idea of separation is the
fundamental
idea. (Cf. Exod. viii. 18, ix. 4.) To the form with x attaches
more
commonly the further idea of something "wonderful," something
130 PSALM V.
out
of the common course of things. (Is. xxix. 14.) But the same idea
is
also found with the form in h. (xvii. 7, cxxxix. 14.)
d dysiHA. (i.) The passive form
of the word seems to denote "one who
is
the object of (the Divine) mercy," i.e. one who is in covenant with
Jehovah,
a true Israelite (see 1. 5). Parallel with MyniUmx<, xii. 2, as ds,H,
often
is joined with tm,x<, "mercy and truth." (2.) It
passes over some-
times
apparently rather into an active signification, and means one who
shows
mercy or kindness to others (xviii. 26). In xviii. i, dysiHA
xlo,
"the
unmerciful." Hupfeld's note on this word should by all means be
consulted.
e hsAn;, a doubly anomalous
form for xWAn;;
which is found in one M S. of
Kenn.
in the text.
f A pregnant brevity of
construction. Fully, "a gladness greater than
the
gladness of the time when their corn and their wine are multiplied."
There
are therefore three ellipses: (I) of the adjective
"greater," as lxii.
to,
Job xi. 17, and often; (2) of the noun
"gladness," as in Is. x. 10, Job
xxv.
2; (3) of the relative. This last
ellipsis should, according to the
accents,
be supplied before the verb. Then the rendering would be,
more
than the gladness of the season of their corn and wine, which
are
(or, when they are) increased." The Jewish interpreters, Ab. Ez.,
Kimchi,
and others, avoid all ellipse, except that of the relative, by ren-
dering
Nmi
as a particle of time, " since
their corn," &c. The LXX. a]po>
ka<rpou (1. kairou?) si<tou
kai> oi@nou
. . . au]tw?n e]plhqu<nqhsan, thus making
men the subject of the
verb.
PSALM V.
LIKE
Psalm III. this is a morning prayer. But the circumstances.
of
the singer are different. He is not now fleeing from open enemies
but
he is in peril from the machinations of those who are secretly lying
in
wait for him (ver. 9, 10). He is not now an exile, but can still
enter
the house of the Lord and bow himself towards His holy
dwelling-place
(ver. 7).
Throughout the Psalm there breathes
a strong feeling that God is
pledged,
by His very character as a righteous God, to defend and
bless
the righteous. And David (if the Psalm be his) speaks as if in
the
full consciousness of his own uprightness. Yet the words are not
the
words of a self-righteous boaster; for though no hypocrite or evil-
doer,
he confesses that it is only in the lovingkindness of God that
he
can enter His holy temple.
PSALM V. 131
This last expression, “holy temple,”
it has been thought could not
have
been used by David, in whose time the Tabernacle was yet
standing.
But for the discussion of this question, see the Note on
ver.
7.
The Psalm consists of three parts:--
I. An earnest entreaty that God
would hearken to the sigh of his
heart
and the voice of his lips. Ver. 1—3.
II. Strophe A. The confidence of the
righteous man in going to
God
as a God who hates iniquity. Ver. 4-7.
III. Strophe B. The prayer grounded
on this confidence, (I) for
guidance
for himself: (2) for the destruction of his enemies: (3) for
the
protection and blessing of all those who, like himself, love the
Lord.
Ver. 8—12.
A kind of parallelism may be traced
in the structure of the two
strophes.
The reason given in ver. 4 for the prayer corresponds to
the
reason given in ver. 9: ver. 4 -6 (the character of God) to ver. 10,
where
the Psalmist prays Him to manifest
that character in righteous
vengeance:
ver. 7 (the individual believer) to ver. 10, 12 (the
collective
body).
[FOR
THE PRECENTOR. WITH FLUTE ACCOMPANIMENT.a A PSALM
OF
DAVID.]
1
GIVE ear to my words, O Jehovah,
Consider my meditation.
2
Hearken unto the voice, of my cry,b my King and my
God,
For unto Thee do I pray.
1-3. The first Strophe or In- troit.
An earnest prayer to be heard. The
thoughts are simple, but the language
(ver. 1) carefully chosen. MyrimAxE (" words ")
is a word peculiar to
the poets and prophets: Nyzix<h, ("give
ear") more common in poetry
than prose: gygihA (" medita- tion
") occurs only in two Psalms, here
and xxxix 4. It is applied to a
scarcely audible utterance, or a prayer
like that of Hannah's, whose |
lips
moved when her voice was not heard
(meditata murmura). See i.
2. Then follows (ver. 3) the loud utterance,
" the voice of my cry." 2. MY KING. The title is given to
God, not merely in a general sense
as Ruler of the world—as the Canaanites
and others called their gods,
Moloch and Milcom, or the Greeks
addressed Zeus as a"a@nac and
basileu<j—but with the dis- tinct
recognition of His theocratic |
132 PSALM V.
3
Jehovah, in the morning shalt Thou hear my voice,
In the morning will I set in order
for Thee (my prayer)
and will watch.
4
For Thou art not a God that hath pleasure c in wickedness,
Evil cannot sojourn with d
Thee.
5
Fools e cannot stand in Thy sight;
Thou hatest all workers of iniquity.
6
Thou destroyest them that speak lies;
The bloodthirsty and deceitful man
doth Jehovah abhor.
relation
to the people of The
King of the nation is here also
claimed by the individual as his
king, the more emphatically, if the
Psalm was written by David, by
one who was himself a king. See
the notes on xliv. 4, lxxiv. 12. UNTO THEE, i.e. not to man or angel;
to Thee, for thou wilt hear. (Cf.
xvii. 6.) 3. IN THE MORNING. Emphatic. (Accus.
of time, as lv. 18.) I WILL SET (or "lay" IN ORDER) (viz.
my prayer). The word is used of
laying in order the wood (Lev. i. 7)
and the victim (Lev. i. 8, vi. 12 [5]) for
the sacrifices. One of the first duties
of the priest, as soon as day dawned,
was to lay the wood in order
for the morning sacrifice (Lev. vi.
12 [5], Numb. xxviii. 4). So the Psalmist
brings his offering, prepares himself
as a spiritual sacrifice, and lays
before God the fruit of his lips. (The
idea is expressed at length in Ps.
cxli. 2, "and the lifting up of my
hands as the evening sacrifice.") And
then he "watches," "looks out"
(the same verb as in Hab. ii. 1), for
an answer to his petition, as the
priest might look (or as Elijah looked
on heaven
to descend and consume the
victim. 4-7. Jehovah is a righteous God,
and therefore He hateth and punisheth
evil-doers, but will be merciful
to him who worships Him aright. 4. The Psalmist expects to be |
heard,
for only the righteous can approach
a righteous God. "Ra- tiocinatur,"
says Calvin, "ab ipsius Dei
natura." "Evil (personified) cannot guest
or friend of Thine; cannot tarry
in Thy house," as xv. I, lxi. 4
[5]; not merely however with a reference
to the spiritual
abiding in the presence of God,
and in the light of His coun- tenance,
which is the joy only of them
that are true of heart. To the wicked
the light of God's counte- nance
is a consuming fire. 5. FOOLS, or perhaps rather, "the arrogant,"
"the vain-boasters," men who
carry impiety to the height of madness.
See Critical Note. CAN- NOT
STAND, lit. "set themselves," the
same word as in ii. 2. The allusion
may be (I) to the judge- ment,
"cannot stand before God's holiness
and power as armed against them,"
as in Deut. vii. 24, ix. 2, &c.; or
(2) to the privilege of nobles and others
who stand in the presence of the
King, cf. Prov. xxii. 29. So the angels
are said to stand before God
(Job i. 6, ii. 1). WORKERS OF INIQUITY occurs frequently
in Job and the Psalms as
a description of the wicked, and has
been adopted by our Lord in the
N. T., oi[ e]rgazo<menoi th>n a]nomi<an, Matt.
vii. 23. 6. BLOODTHIRSTY . . . MAN, lit. "Man
of bloods," the plur. being used
of bloodshed, murder, as the plur.
qa<natoj in Greek of violent death. |
PSALM
V.
133
7
But as for me—in the multitude of Thy loving-kindness
will I enter Thy house;
I will bow myself towards Thy holy temple
in Thy fear.
8
0 Jehovah, lead me in Thy righteousness, because of
them that lie in wait
f for me,
Make Thy way plain g
before me;
7. TOWARDS. Reuss: "In thy holy
temple;" but the other ren- dering
is preferable. As the Psalm is
a morning hymn, the Futures may
be taken strictly, "I will enter,"
&c. But there is also something
of the potential mean- ing
about them: sc. the wicked cannot enter, but I may (and will) enter
Thine house. The words tyiBa (bayith)
and lkAyhe (heycal) seem at
first sight decisive against the Davidic
authorship of the Psalm, as
being only applicable to the plied
to the sanctuary of The
former is used of the Taber- nacle,
Josh. vi. 24, 2 Sam. xii. 20, as
it is even of tents or moveable dwellings
like those of the Patri- archs
(Gen. xxvii. 15). Hupfeld thinks
it need not refer here to the ratively
with reference to the verb "sojourn,"
ver. 4. [5], so that the meaning
would be, Evil cannot find a
welcome with Thee, but I may hope to
be received by Thee as a guest and
friend. But though, as was observed
on ver. 4, and as appears from
many other passages in the Psalms
(see e.g. xxiii. and lxxxiv.), the
two ideas of the earthly sanc- tuary
and the spiritual enjoyment of
God's Presence may not be very carefully
distinguished by the writer, it
is most natural to understand by the
house of God the literal struc- ture,
whether tabernacle or temple; and
this is confirmed by the paral- lelism
in the next member of the verse.
The other word lkAyhe, which means
properly a large building, "a
palace" (cf. xi. 4), no doubt presents
more difficulty. It is used
of the sanctuary at |
I
Sam. i. 9, iii. 3. But that seems
to have been not a taber- nacle,
but a building of a more substantial
kind. We read at any rate
of posts and folding-doors (1
Sam. i. 9, iii. 15); whereas in the
time of David, "the ark of the covenant
of the Lord remained under
curtains" (1 Chron. xvii. 1). And
there is certainly no proof that lkAyhe is ever used of this temporary structure.
Still it is possible that the
word, which had already been employed
when speaking of the house
in employed
when only a tent was pitched
for the ark (I Chron. xv. 1). It
might still be called a lkyh not because
of its size (r. lky =lvk,
llk, cabax esse), but because of its solemn
dedication as the house of
God, the palace of the Great King. IN THE MULTITUDE OF THY LOVING-KINDNESS.
The Psalmist has
access to God not only because he
is of a different character from those
mentioned in ver. 7, but because
the King of kings, of His grace
and goodness, permits him to
draw near. Therefore also he adds
"in Thy fear." We see here the
mingled feeling of confidence and
liberty of access with solemn awe
and deep humility which befits every
true worshipper. 8-10. In the former part of the Psalm,
David has placed himself in
sharp contrast with "the workers of
iniquity," with "them that speak lies,"
&c., and on this ground has claimed
the protection and favour of
Jehovah. Now he entreats more directly
guidance for himself and the
destruction of his enemies, as |
134 PSALM
V.
9
For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; h
Their inward part is a yawning gulf;i
Their throat is an open sepulchre,
(While) they make smooth their
tongue.
10
Punish k Thou them, 0 God:---
Let them fall throughl their
own counsels:
In m the multitude of their
transgressions thrust them away;
For they have rebelled against Thee.
11
And all who find, refuge in Thee shall rejoice;
For ever shall they shout for joy;
false
and treacherous men, like those whom
he has already described and whom
"Jehovah abhors." 8. LEAD ME (strictly, as a shep- herd,
cf. xxiii. 2, 3, xxxi. 3 [41), used almost
exclusively of Divine guid- ance,
whether of the nation or of individuals. IN THY RIGHTEOUSNESS. This may
be understood (1) of God's own character.
His righteousness itself is
pledged to succour those who worship
Him and seek His guid- ance;
cf. cxliii. I. Or (2) it may mean
"the way of God's righteous- ness"
(cf. for instance; Prov. viii. 20,
xii. 28), called God's righteous- ness,
not only as pleasing to Him, but
as coming from Him as its source,
a righteousness of which He is
the law and measure, as well as that
which He has appointed for men
to walk in. So dikaiosu<nh qeou? in
the N. T. means both God's own attribute
of righteousness (as in Rom.
iii. 5), and also the righteous- ness
which He requires of men, and gives
to men, Rom. i. 17, iii. 21, 22. Both
senses seem to be blended in Rom.
iii. 25, 26. MAKE THY WAY. The way in which
Thou wouldst have me to go, not
any self-devised way of my own. This
is to be preferred to the read- ing
of the LXX., Vulg., and Arab.: "Make
my way plain before Thy face." PLAIN OR STRAIGHT, lit. "level"
(cf.
xxvii. 11, and Note on cxliii. 10), free
from hindrances and tempta- |
tions,
lest I stumble and fall into the
hand of my adversaries. The "straight
way" may be either (morally)
the path of purity, up- rightness,
&c.; or (physically) the path
of safety, prosperity; or rather, both
ideas are combined. 9. FOR. This gives the reason for
the prayer, "Lead me because of
them that lie in wait for me:" for their
malice is such that I need Thy
care and guidance. With them, mouth,
heart, throat, and tongue are
all instruments of evil. NO FAITHFULNESS, lit. "nothing firm,
settled." The expressions point not to foreign
oppressors, but evidently to
ungodly men in the nation itself who
had recourse to slander and treachery
when they dared not use open
violence. It is the opposition and
the contest ever repeated between
the Church and the world. Cf.
Gal. iv. 29. 10. AGAINST THEE. The ene- mies
of David are the enemies of David's
God. "Whoso toucheth you,
toucheth the apple of Mine eye."
"Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou
Me?" 11. AND ALL . . . . SHALL, or, SO
SHALL ALL. For the cause of David
is the cause of all who have David's
heart and fear David's God. The
overthrow of his enemies is the
overthrow of the enemies of the Church.
If one member suffer, all suffer;
if one triumph, all will be partakers
in the triumph. |
PSALM V.
135
And Thou wilt defend
them:
And they who love Thy Name shall exult in
Thee.
12
For Thou, 0 Jehovah, dost bless the righteous,
With favour dost Thou compass him n
as with a shield.
The verse might also be rendered, as
in the E.V., Luther, Ewald, and in
former editions of this work, in the
optative: "And
let all who find refuge in Thee rejoice; Let
them ever shout for joy; And
do Thou defend them: And
let them who love Thy Name exult in Thee." But
ver. I1 seems not so much to carry
on the wish, as to express the consequence
which will certainly follow
the fulfilment of the prayer in
ver. 10. AND THOU WILT DEFEND. This is
almost equivalent to, "because Thou
wilt (or, dost) defend," but the clauses,
as is common in Hebrew, are
simply linked together by the copula.
The verb means strictly to cover, and the figure is
either taken
from the cherubim with outstretched
wings covering the |
mercy-seat
(hence of God, xci. 4); or
from the booth or tabernacle (Heb.
succah), used figuratively of God's
house as a place of shelter and
refuge from the world. See the expansion
of the figure, Is. iv. 5, 6. THY NAME. God's name is that whereby
He makes Himself known: His
revelation of Himself as a God of
Love and Grace to His people. 12. FOR. If we take the preceding verse
in an optative sense, this must be
explained, let them rejoice, "for" this
is an eternal truth, that Thou dost
bless the righteous: or we may render,
let them rejoice that Thou dost
bless, &c. SHIELD. The word denotes properly
the large shield (Heb. Tsinnah,
scutum) which covered the
whole body; used of the shield of
Goliath, I Sam. xvii. 7. For the difference
between this and the other
word used in iii. 3, see Smith's Dict. of the Bible, Art. ARMS. |
a tOlyHin;-lx,, LXX. u[pe>r th?j
klhronomou<shj,
which is clearly wrong.
tOlyHin;, sing. hlAyHin; = hl.AHin; (from the Niph. of llH) is the name of a
musical
instrument, probably the same as lyliHA, a hollow reed or
flute.
That
this was in use in the
I
Sam. x. 5, I Kings i. 40. Perhaps with lx,, not lfa, because it was used
as
an accompaniment (so Lat. canere ad);
but no stress can be laid on
this,
as the two prepositions are constantly interchanged.
b yfiv;wa only here, but
doubtless from a noun fvaw,, instead of the more
usual
hfAv;wa, from the root fvw, which only occurs in
the Piel (connected
with
Hvc,
AEth. fvc,
to cry). There is no need with Rod.
in Ges. Thes. to
take
the word as inf. Piel with Dagesh omitted.
c CPeHA, as a verb most
commonly, and in a stronger sense followed by
B;= delectari
aliquo, and used with reference both to persons and things;
in
a weaker sense with the accus. only of things (abstracts); and so here
the
part. or verbal adj. which in the sing. is always followed by the accus.
as
in xxxiv. 13, xxxv. 27, &c.; in the plur. it is sometimes in the stat.
constr.]
136 PSALM V.
d j~r;nuy the shortened form, in
consequence of the drawing back of the
accent,
with accus. (as cxx. 5, Is. xxxiii. 14), instead of Mfi, a construction
which
is common enough with verbs of dwelling, when there follows not
only
the place in which, but also the persons with whom, the dwelling is
made,
as here, and lvii. 5, lxviii. 19, cxx. 5, Gen. xxx. 20.
e Mylil;Oh, a strong word,
denoting fools who carry their folly to the
height
of madness. According to Hupfeld, the root-idea is that of empty
space (as in German
empty, hollow, fig. vain, foolish = llx (lylx), lhx, lvx
(lyvx): so part.
Qal.
as here and fut. lxxvi. 5; trans. Po.; reflex. Hithpo.; (2) to shout,
call,
boast (comp. eu@xesqai and au]xei?n), = llx, lly (also to lament); so in
Piel
and Hithp.; (3) to be clear, shine,
especially Hiph. trans. According
to
Delitzsch, the primitive idea is that of making
a noise, shouting, &c.
See
Note on lxxiii. 3.
f yrAr;Ow. This is usually supposed to be for yrAr;Owm;, part. Pal. of rvw,
observare, as Jer. v. 26, Hos.
xiii. 7, and so Aq. e]fodeu<onta<j mou, and
Jerome,
insiadiatores meos. See on the dropping
of the m,
cxviii. Note e.
But
Hupf. regards it only as a kindred form of Myrif;Oc. Comp. hUAwi and
hUAci, fUawi and HaUc &c.
g rwvh, Kethibh, to be read rwaOh. The Qeri rway;ha, as in Prov. iv. 25.
In
Gen. viii. 17, Is. xlv. 2, there are similar corrections of the Hiphil, but
apparently
without sufficient reason.
h UhypiB;. Sing. suff. for plur. by a common enallage of
number, espe-
cially
in the suff. of the third pers., not only in different clauses, but even
in
the same clause (see Ixii. 5, Is. ii. 20, v. 23, Jer. xxxi. 15), to be
explained
by
the fact that a class or species may be regarded either as many, or as
one,
or the sing. may be distributive in ore
uniuscujusque eorum. The
word
is interposed between Nyxe and its genitive, as in vi. 6, xxxii. 2. This
is
more usual with pronominal forms such as
10,
11, Is. i. 6. hnAOkn; is fem. part. Niphal of Nvk, used here as a neuter.
i tOUha, a poetical word
occurring only in Psalms, Proverbs, and Job,
and
mostly in plur. in the sense of "mischief wrought through human
wickedness."
It comes from a root hvh (cognate with hvx, hbx, &c. root
vh-vx, bh-bx) to breathe, prop. from
an open mouth; hence it marks (I) the
act,
the open mouth, the yawning chasm (hiatus,
rictus oris, xa<w, gap),
and
(2) the feeling denoted thereby, the breathing, panting, and hence the
eager
desire, but always used in a bad sense of evil
desire, as in lii. 7 [9]
(see
Note on lii. 2), and Prov. x. 13, xi. 6, Mic. vii. 3. The word occurs
in
the sing. and in a physical sense, only Job vi. 2, xxx. 13 (in both with
Keri,
hyh),
elsewhere only in plur. and with a moral meaning, but denoting
not
merely evil generally, but always evil or destruction purposed and
prepared. So here, where the
notion of a yawning abyss may be retained
as
supported by the parallelism, "no faithfulness," lit. "nothing
firm,"
"no
sure ground." See Hupfeld's note here.
k MmeywixEha. The Hiph. only here.
In Qal the verb means to incur
guilt, and then, by a natural
transition, to suffer as guilty, to be punished
PSALM VI.
137
(as
in xxxiv. 21, 22 [22, 23], Hos. v. 15, x. 2, xiv. I, with a double sense
Jer.
ii. 3, and elsewhere). Hence in Hiph. to
pronounce guilty, condemn,
leave to punishment (like fywrh, as the opp. qydch). So the LXX.
kri?non au]tou<j. Jerome, condemna. This usage in Hebrew has a
profound
moral
basis. Sin and chastisement, righteousness and the manifestation
of
that righteousness, are inseparable. The reward and the punishment
partake of the nature of the things (or
persons) rewarded and punished.
Hence
the same word means both guilt and punishment. Akin to this is
the
well-known use of the word sin for sin-offering.
1 ‘vm.mi. The prep. Nmi is probably used here
of the cause, as in Hos.
xi.
6 (with the same word), through or because of their counsels. Others,
however,
as Ges., De W., Ew., render, "let them fall from their counsels;"
and
so in the 1st edit. of this work. So in Latin, Excidere spe, excidere
ausis, and in Greek, pi<ptein
a]po> th?j e]lpi<doj, Sir. xiv. 2. But it does not
seem
sufficiently justified by Hebrew usage, and I have therefore aban-
doned
it. The other interpretation, too, accords better with the paral-
lelism,
"In the multitude of their transgressions."
m broB;. The prep. gives here
not so much the reason, "on
account of,"
as
the means by which, and the condition
in which, they are to be cast
away.
Delitzsch well compares John viii. 21, 24, " Ye shall die in your
sins,"
e]n a[marti<aij u[mw?n.
n Un.r,F;f;Ta. The verb is Qal. and
not Hiph. as Ibn Ezra makes it, but
he
rightly explains the constr. as that of the verb act. with double accus.
of
the object (after the analogy of verbs of covering). The second accus.,
contrary
to rule, is placed first; and not only so, but hn.AciKa, which is in
apposition
with the second accus., is placed before instead of after it,
so
that there is a complete inversion of the usual order, which would be:
'fk ‘r
‘ft
PSALM
VI.
THE first of the seven Penitential
Psalms. (See Introduction,
p.
24.)
In great peril from his enemies, and
in great anguish of heart,
David
cries to God for mercy. In the malice of his enemies he sees
the
rod of God's chastisement; and therefore he makes his prayer to
God
for deliverance. The struggle has lasted so long, the grief is so
bitter,
that his health has given way, and he has been brought to the
gates
of the grave. But even whilst thus pouring out the anguish of
his
spirit, light and peace visit him, and he breaks forth into the joy
of
thanksgiving.
138 PSALM VI.
The Psalm is said to be a Psalm of
David, and there is no reason
to
question this, although at the same time there is nothing in it to
guide
us to any peculiar circumstances of his life.
The Psalm falls into three
strophes:--
heart
in a cry for mercy, and in both it springs from the deep misery
of
the sufferer. But in II. this is dwelt upon more at length as a
motive
for deliverance.
III. The joyful assurance that
already his prayer has been heard,
and
that all his enemies shall perish. Ver. 8-10.
Accordingly S. Schmid divides the
Psalm into two parts, and
says:--
"Preces hominis in angustia
hostium et conscientix constituti :
II.
se auditoria credens contra hostes gloriati r, ver. [9—11] 8-10."
[FOR
THE PRECENTOR. UPON STRINGED INSTRUMENTS.a UPON
THE OCTAVE.b A PSALM OF
DAVID.]
I
JEHOVAH, in Thine anger rebuke me not;
Neither
in Thy hot displeasure chasten me.
1.
ANGER . . . . DISPLEASURE. The
prayer occurs again, in almost the
same words, xxxviii. 1 [2]. All God's
chastisements are not in anger.
There is a fatherly correc- tion
of love. "As many as I love I
rebuke and chasten," Rev. iii. 19. See
also Ps. xciv. 12, cxviii. 17, 18; Prov.
iii. 11, 12; and based upon this
passage, Heb. xii. 3-11. In- deed
the whole Book of Job is intended
to correct the error that "God's
chastisements are always an evidence
of His displeasure." And the
sufferings of Christ are a witness to
the contrary; for that "the Father loveth
the Son" is eternally true. Does the Psalmist then pray that God
would chasten him indeed, but
in love, not in anger? This is
Luther's interpretation: "This he
regards not, nay, will readily suffer
that he be punished and chastened:
but he begs that it |
may
be done in mercy and good- ness,
not in anger and fiery . . . he teaches
us therefore that there are two
rods of God; one of mercy and
goodness, another of anger and fury.
Hence Jeremiah prays, chap. x.
24, ‘0 Lord, correct me, but with judgement;
not in Thine anger, lest Thou
bring me to nothing.'" But though
there is nothing against this view
considered in itself, yet it does not
harmonize with the context. David
does not ask that the chasten- ing
may be a chastening of love, or that
its severity may be mitigated, he
asks that it may altogether cease. The
chastisement has been so heavy, it
has endured so long, and his own sense
of sin is so grievous, that he begins
to fear lest God should shut up
His tender mercies in displeasure, and
should even consume hirn in His
wrath. The meaning, says Calvin, is: "I |
PSALM
VI.
139
2
Be gracious unto me, 0 Jehovah, for I languish; c
Heal me, 0 Jehovah, for my bones are
vexed.
3
My soul also is sore vexed;
But Thou, 0 Jehovah, how long?
4
Return, 0 Jehovah, deliver my soul:
0 save me for Thy loving-kindness'
sake.
5
For in death there is no remembrance of Thee:
In the unseen world d who
shall give Thee thanks?
indeed
confess that I deserve no- thing
but destruction: but because I
could not endure the severity of
Thy judgement, deal not with me
after my deserts; yea rather, forgive
the sins whereby I have provoked
Thine anger against me." 2. MY BONES ARE VEXED, or terrified."
"Nec carnem nominat quae
tenerior est, sed ossium nomine intelligit
praecipuum robur suum fuisse
tremefactum."—Calvin. 3. MY SOUL. LXX. h[
yuxh< mou e] by
our Lord in John xii. 27. BUT THOU, O JEHOVAH, HOW LONG?
Deep and troubled emotion suffers
him not to complete the sentence.
Perhaps we may supply, "How
long wilt Thou delay to have mercy
upon me?" Cf. xc. 13. "Domine,
quousque?" was Calvin's motto.
The most intense grief in trouble,
it is said, could never extort from
him another word. 4. The beginning of this strophe is
closely linked to the end of the last. RETURN; for it seems to the sufferer
as if God had been absent during
his affliction. And there is no
hope for him but in God. There- fore
the repeated prayer, Do Thou be
gracious unto me:—how long wilt
Thou be absent? Return Thou, &c.
And observe, not only "be gracious, for I languish," but " de- liver
me for Thy loving-kindness' sake." Any man may
use the first argument:
only one who has tasted that
the Lord is gracious can use the
last. |
5. Exactly parallel to this is Hezekiah's
language, Is. xxxviii. 18, "For
the grave cannot praise Thee; Death
cannot celebrate Thee; . . . The
living, the living, he shall praise Thee."
The argument here em- ployed
is no doubt characteristic of the
Old Dispensation. They who then
feared and loved God, never- theless
walked in shadows, and their hope
was not yet full of immortality. Hence
their earnest clinging to life, so
different from to
depart," to which there is nothing parallel
in the Old Testament. It was
not that they dreaded annihila- tion,
but rather a kind of disem- bodied
existence apart from the Light
of God's Presence. Prema- ture death in particular
seems to have
been deprecated, as if it were a
token of God's displeasure. "I said,
0 my God, take me not away in
the midst of my days." So also Hezekiah
prays, "Mine age is de- parted
and is removed from me as a
shepherd's tent: I have cut off like
a weaver my life." As Calvin remarks, ". . . dicendum quod non simpliciter mortem sed iram Dei, et quidem non vulgarem, fuerit depre- catus."
And further, the desire to continue
in life is always connected with
the desire to praise God. Cf. xxx.
9 [10], lxxxviii. 11—13, cxv. 17, and
Is. xxxviii. 18, ff. The Old Testament
saint pleaded with God for
life, in order that that life might be
consecrated to His service. And it
is very touching to see how, with the
weakness of man's heart trem- bling
at dissolution, there mingles |
140 PSALM VI.
6
I am weary with my groaning:
Every night make I my bed to swim,
I water my couch with my tears.
7
Mine eye wasteth away because of grief,
It waxeth old because of all mine
adversaries.
8
Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity,
For Jehovah hath heard the voice of
my weeping;
9
Jehovah hath heard my supplication,
Jehovah will receive my prayer.
10
All mine enemies shall be ashamed and sore vexed;
They shall turn backward, they shall
be ashamed
suddenly e
the
child-life confidence which fears not
to advance the plea that God's glory
is concerned in granting its request. “Through Christ not only has a change
been wrought in men's con- ceptions of the unseen world,
but a change
has been partly wrought and partly
made possible in the condition of
the departed."—Moll in Lange's Psalter. 6, 7. A further description of his distress.
The heart can make all known
to God. Thoughts, and feel- ings,
and acts that we should be ashamed
to confess to our fellow men,
we fear not to confess to Him. Nor
is this exaggeration. "They who
know only in some small de- gree,"
says Calvin, "what it is to wrestle
with the fear of eternal |
death,
will find in these words no exaggeration." 8 -10. Mark the sudden change, as
of sunrise upon night. Already the
prayer and the weeping have been
heard. Already Faith has triumphed.
Already he can defy the
enemies who have been ma- liciously
anticipating his end, and tell
them they shall be disappointed with
a suddenness which only makes the
disappointment more bitter. 8. WORKERS OF INIQUITY. See on
v. 5 9. HATH HEARD--WILL RE- CEIVE.
The last is a consequence of
the first, not a mere variation of tense.
He will grant, for He has heard.
The verb RECEIVE is used here
in the sense of favourably accepting,
as gifts, offerings, &c |
a See note on the Inscription of Ps.
iv.
b tyniymiw;.ha-lfa. (Cf. Ps. xiii. I, and
I Chron. xv. 20, 21.) We read in
this
last passage of tvmlf lf Mylbn (psalteries on
and
tynymwh lf tvrnk (harp on the Sheminith). Now if by Alamoth,
maidens,
we may understand "women's voices, i.e. sopranos," we may
suppose
"upon the Sheminith" or octave," to mean that it was to be
sung
by men's voices.
c ynixA
llam;xu.
Many of the modern grammarians take this as Pret. Pul.
3d
pers. Then in order to bring this into agreement with the pron. of
PSALM VII.
141
the
1st pers. ynxA,
either (a) an ellipse of the relative is assumed: "one
who
languishes as I do,"--a construction which has no real parallel in
such
examples as ds.ayi ynin;hi, Is. xxviii. 16 (see
also Is. xxix. 14, xxxviii. 5),
where
ynin;hi stands first, and the perf. as often takes the place of the
future,
which are commonly alleged as justifying it; or (b) the pron. ynixA
is
supposed to stand for the afformative = yTil;lam;xu (Ges. § 44, 1 Not.).
Ibn
Ezra observes that R. Mosheh Hakkohen says that this is defective
for
yTil;lam;xu, as Lam. iii. Is. xxxvii., and adopts the view himself. But
the
word can only be either an adj.=llmexE, Neh. iii. 34 (Qimchi,
Ew.
Lehrb.,
§ 157 b), or part. Palal, with loss of the m for llAm;xum; (which is
not
unusual in part. Pual), and the further shortening of Kametz into
Pathach
may readily be explained by the accentuation, the two words
having,
in fact, but one accent (Merka mahpachatus),
as i. 3, ii. 7, though
here,
as in many other cases, the Makkeph is omitted.
d l.xow;. The derivation of the
word has been much disputed. The old
etymology
from lxw,
to ask, as descriptive of the insatiable character of
Hades
(Prov. xxx. 15; comp. the orcus rapax
of Catullus), is now generally
abandoned.
Most probably it is from a root lfw(with softening of. the f
into
x)
not in use, the meaning of which is preserved in the noun lfawo, the
hollow palm, lOfw;mi, a hollow way, so that Sheol would mean the hollow
(subterranean)
place. Cf. the German Hölle and Höhle, Gothic halja,
English
hole and hell. So Böttcher, Ewald, Maurer, Gesen. and others.
Hupfeld,
on the other hand, would connect the root with lvw, llw, hlw,
lwn, in the sense of that which is loose, lax, hanging down, with the
double
notion of sinking down and separation (as in xa<w, hio, xala<w, &c.):
hence
in lxw;
there is the notion both of sinking, abyss, depth (as in the
poetic
Cr,x, tOy.TiH;Ta, and also that of chasm, hollow, empty space,
as in the
German
Hölle, and in xa<sma, xa<oj. This view has been
maintained at
length
by
Gesen.
Thes. s. v. in thinking " nec
minima quidem veri specie, quum
penduli,
laxique notio a nopione inferni prorsus aliena sit."
e The Milel accent in
the three last words makes the conclusion the
more
imposing. Observe; too, the play on the words yashubhu, yebhoshu.
PSALM
VII.
"SHALL not the Judge of all the
earth do right? "might stand as
the
motto of this Psalm. In full reliance on God's righteousness,
David
appeals to Him to judge his cause. The righteous God
cannot
but save the righteous, and punish the wicked. This David
believes
to be the law of His moral government: and he applies it
142 PSALM VII.
to
his own case. His heart bears him witness that he has done
no
wrong to any man (ver. 3, 4), whereas his enemies have plotted
unceasingly
to take away his life. He therefore confidently antici-
pates
his own deliverance and their overthrow (ver. 17, 18), as the
manifestation
of the righteous judgement of God.
According to the Inscription, this
Psalm was written by David, and
was
occasioned by the words of
very
little doubt that the Inscription in this instance preserves an
ancient
tradition. It is accepted by Ewald, as it is by the majority of
critics,
and the Psalm unquestionably bears every internal evidence
of
having been written by David. There is, however, more difficulty
in
fixing the precise circumstances under which he wrote it. Who
with
the Cushite (2 Sam. xviii., where the E. V. gives Cushi as a
proper
name), who brought the tidings of Absalom's death to the
king.
But the language of the Psalm does not harmonize with such
a
supposition. The Cushite was the bearer of heavy tidings, but
there
is no reason to suppose he was an enemy of David's, or he
would
not have been selected by Joab for such an errand. Others
have
conjectured that "
nickname
or term of reproach, equivalent to "the black," "the
blackamore,"
or "the negro," as describing, however, not the face,
but
the character. In this sense it has been applied to Shimei as the
bitterest
and most foul-mouthed of David's enemies. But the Psalm
falls
in far better with the persecution of Saul than with the flight
from
Absalom. Others, again, and in particular the Jewish com-
mentators,
think that the epithet designated Saul as the man of
"black"
heart. But this is not very probable; nor is it likely that
David
would have used such language as that of ver. 14—16 in
reference
to Saul. It is more probable that this Benjamite named
an
active part against David, and was conspicuous among the
calumniators
of whom David complains to the king. His "words,"
it
seems, were bitter and unscrupulous, words which kindled a fire of
indignation
in David's soul, and led him to repel the charges brought
against
him in the same eager and passionate way in which he protests
his
innocence to Saul.
The language is remarkably like the
language which he addresses
to
Saul when he leaves the
the
words of ver. 3, 4:
If there be iniquity in my hands;
If I have rewarded evil unto him
that was at peace with me;
Yea rather, I have rescued him that
without cause is mine adversary:--
PSALM
VII.
143
with
his words in i Sam. xxiv. 11 [i 2], "Know thou and see that
there
is neither evil nor transgression in mine hand; and I have not
sinned
against thee; yet thou huntest my soul to take it;"—and with
Saul's
confession immediately afterwards (ver. 17 [18]), "Thou art
more
righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I
have
rewarded thee evil." "How forcible, read in this connection,"
it
has been said, "is the singular reiteration in the narrative of the
phrase
'my hand,' which occurs six times in four verses. The
peculiarly
abrupt introduction in ver. 4 of the clause ‘I delivered
him
that without cause is mine enemy,’ which completely dislocates
the
grammatical structure, is best accounted for by supposing that
David's
mind is still full of the temptation to stain his hand with
Saul's
blood, and is vividly conscious of the effort which he had
made
to overcome it. And the solemn invocation of destruction
which
he dares to address to Jehovah his God includes the familiar
figure
of himself as a fugitive before the hunters, which is found in
the
words already quoted, and which here as there stands in immediate
connection
with his assertion of clean hands."*
So again the solemn appeal to God's
righteous judgement, the
deep
consciousness of his own integrity which was so fully admitted
by
Saul, are but the echo in the Psalm, only expressed in a lofty
strain
of poetry, of the same thought which is repeated with so much
emphasis
as he speaks to Saul on the hill-side: "Jehovah judge
between
me and thee, and Jehovah avenge me of thee: but mine
hand
shall not be upon thee. . . . Jehovah
therefore be Judge, and
judge
between me and thee, and see and plead my cause, and do me
justice
at thy hand," ver. 12, 15 [13, 16].
We must look then to circumstances
like those recorded in the
24th
and 26th chapters of the First Book of Samuel, and to the
reproaches
of a Benjamite named
partisan
of Saul's, as having given occasion to the Psalm.
We have the following divisions
I. An Introduction, consisting (1)
of an expression of confidence
in
God; and (2) of a prayer for deliverance from enemies. Ver. 1, 2.
II. A solemn protestation of
innocence before God. Ver,. 3-5.
III. An appeal to God as the
righteous Judge of all the earth, to
manifest
in the most public manner (ver. 6, 7) His righteousness in
* Rev. A. Maclaren in Sunday at Home for 1871, p. 372, where
the
parallel
is well worked out.
144 PSALM
VII.
pronouncing
sentence both upon the Psalmist himself (ver. 8) and
upon
his enemies (ver. 9.), with a confident assertion (ver. 10) as to
the
result. Ver. 6-10.
IV. A description of God's dealing
with the wicked, (I) in the
way
of direct punishments, and (2) as leaving the wicked to be
snared
in his own devices. Ver. 11 —16.
V. A short thanksgiving on review of
the righteous judgement of
God.
Ver. 17.
[SHIGGA
ION a OF DAVID, WHICH HE SANG UNTO JEHOVAH, CON-
CERNING THE WORDS OF
1
JEHOVAH, my God, in Thee have I found refuge.
Save me from all my pursuers, and
deliver me!
2
Lest he tear my soul, 'like a lion,
Rending in pieces, while there is
none to deliver.
3
Jehovah, my God, if I have done this;
If there be iniquity in my hands;
4
If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with
me:--
Yea rather I have rescued b
him that without cause is
mine adversary:--
1. With that word of Faith, Hope, and
Love, "in Thee have I found refuge,"
David begins his prayer. Cf.
xi. I, xvi. I, xxxi. I, lxxl. I. From
that refuge, far safer than cave
or rock or mountain fastness, he
can watch his pursuers, thirsting for
his blood. MY PURSUERS. David being like a
bird (xi. I), "a partridge of the mountains,"
or like a roe or a gazelle chased
by the lions. 2. The transition from the plural "pursuers,"
to the singular "lest he," &c.
has been explained by the fact that
some one of those enemies is
prominently before the singer's mind.
David was thinking, per- haps,
of Saul, or of that Benjamite whose
name appears in the Inscrip- tion.
But such transitions are very common
in Hebrew; often where no
individual is meant the singular |
is
used collectively, the many being now
regarded as one. See on v. Note
h. 3. With a quick turn he protests passionately
his innocence, his soul surging
with emotion, his words broken
by the vehemence of his feelings,
as he thinks how unjustly he
has been assailed. Again as in v.
I, "my God," IF I HAVE
DONE THIS,
Sc. what follows, or rather "this
thing that I am charged with." Under
a deep sense of wrong, in- dignation
choking him, he calls it "this,"
without stopping to explain. IF
THERE BE INIQUITY. Comp. what
David says to Saul, I Sam. xxiv.
12, xxvi. 18. 4. HIM THAT WAS AT PEACE WITH
ME, cf. xli. 10, Jer. xxxviii. 22. YEA
RATHER, &c. The allusion may
perhaps be to what is recorded I
Sam. xxiv. 4—7. |
PSALM
VII.
145
5
Let the enemy pursue after c my soul and overtake (it);
Yea, let him tread down my life upon
the earth,
And make my glory abide in the
dust.—[Selah.]
6
Arise, 0 Jehovah, in Thine anger!
Lift up Thyself against the fierce
wrath of mine adver-
saries;
Yea awake for me!—Thou hast
commanded judge-
ment--
7
And let the congregation of the people come about Thee,
5. The expressions may imply either
the depth of humiliation and degradation,
or absolute destruc- tion. MY GLORY may either mean (a) as
in iv. 2 [3], Job xix. 9, "character, good
name, honour, position," &c. and
then to lay this in the dust will mean
of course to degrade and to dishonour
(as in many similar phrases,
e.g. lxxiv. 7, lxxxix. 39, Job xvi.
15, xl. 13); or (b) as in xvi. 9, xxx.
12 [13], lvii. 8 [9], Gen. xlix. 6, "the
soul" (so Ibn Ez.), as that which is
noblest in man, that which most distinctly
severs him from other crea- tures
and links him to God,—a sense which
here accords with the parallel- ism
in the two previous members of the
verse—and then THE DUST must mean
"the grave" or "death," as in
xxii. 15 [16], 29 [30]. The phrases "to
tread down," "lay in the dust," may,
however, still refer (Hengst. Hupf.)
to a death of ignominy. 6-8. The rapid utterance of feel- ing
has here again somewhat broken the
poet's words. Hitherto he has protested
his innocence; now in the full
consciousness of that innocence he
comes before the very judge- ment-seat
of God, and demands the fullest
and most public vindication. Then
he sees as it were in a vision the
judgement set: "Thou hast com- manded
judgement." Next, that sentence
may be pronounced with due
solemnity, he calls upon God to
gather the nations round Him, and
to seat Himself upon His judgement-throne.
Lastly, he prays |
God,
as the judge of all nations, to judge
himself. 6. LIFT UP THYSELF, i.e. mani- fest
Thyself in all Thy glory as the true
and righteous Judge, cf. xciv. 2, Is.
xxxiii. 10. FIERCE WRATH. I have en- deavoured
by the epithet to express the
plural as an intensive form, though
it may also be used to denote
the many acts in which the wrath
was exhibited. THOU HAST COMMANDED JUDGE- MENT.
I give this in accordance with
the accents as an indepen- dent
clause; but there may be an omission
of the relative, "Thou who
hast," &c. or of the casual con- junction,
"Inasmuch as Thou hast," &c.
The E. V. "Awake for me (to)
the judgement (that) Thou hast commanded,"
takes the same view of
the construction as the LXX., Syr.,
and Jerome. The "judge- ment"
may either be generally that justice
which God has ordained in His
word,—Thou who art the source of
justice, Thou who hast com- manded
men to practise justice, manifest
that justice now; or it may
refer to the particular act of judgement,
mentioned in the next two
verses. 7. Let there be a solemn, delibe- rate,
and public vindication of my innocence.
Mendelssohn renders freely: "Versammle Volker um den Richterthron, Und wende dich gen Himmel über sie." |
PSALM
VII.
147
And over it do Thou return on high.
8
Jehovah ministereth justice to the peoples;
Judge me, 0 Jehovah, according to my
righteousness,
And according to my integrity be it
done to me.d
9
0 let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end,
And establish Thou the righteous!
For Thou that triest e
the hearts and reins art a righteous
God.
10
My shield is upon God,
Who saveth them that are upright of
heart.
11
God is a righteous Judge,
And a God who is angry every day.
12
If (a man) will not turn, He whetteth His sword;
He hath bent His bow, and made it
ready.
OVER IT, &c. God is represented as
coming down to visit the earth, and
to gather the nations before Him,
and then as returning and sitting
down above them on the judgement-seat. The clause cannot mean that when
God has delivered His judicial sentence,
He is to return to His heavenly
throne (Wordsworth). Ac- cording
to this explanation, the words
"over it," i.e. the congrega- tion
of the people, are pointless, and moreover,
the whole verse evidently describes
the act of judgement, the crowd
assembled to hear the sen- tence,
and then the delivery of the sentence.
The verb RETURN may mark
that God has resumed the office
of Judge, which for a time He had
seemed to abandon; or it may be
explained as above. 8. We may paraphrase: "O Thou who
art the judge of all the world, judge
me." MINISTERETH JUSTICE. The verb
implies ruling as well as judg- ing.
For the difference between this verb
and that in the next clause see note
on lxxii. 2. 9. WICKEDNESS OF THE WICKED. Comp.
I Sam. xxiv. 14, to which there
may possibly be an allusion. |
The
second clause of the verse does in
fact (though not in form) give the
reason for the prayer contained in
the first clause. God is kardio- gnw<sthj, and being a God of
know- ledge
is also a God of justice. He therefore
both can and will requite each
one according to his deserts. 10. A personal application to himself
of the truth that God "es- tablisheth
the righteous." Lit. "My shield
is upon God," i.e. my defence rests
upon Him (as lxii. 7 [8], "my salvation
rests upon God"), instead of
the more usual form, "God is my
shield." 11-16. God's dealing with the unrighteous
vividly pourtrayed. 11. ANGRY, the same word as Nah.
i. 2, 6. 12. God is long-suffering, but if a
man (if the wicked) will not turn, He
will punish him in his wicked- ness.
He whetteth His sword (cf. Deut.
xxxii. 41). The first mem- bers
of this verse might however be rendered,
in accordance with a well- known
Hebrew idiom, "Surely He (i.e.
Jehovah) will again whet His sword."
And the first member of verse
13 will then be rendered: "He
hath also prepared for Him- self
the weapons of death," &c. |
PSALM
VII.
147
13
Yea for that man He hath made ready the weapons of
death;
His arrows He maketh fiery (arrows).f
14
Lo, he travaileth with iniquity:--
He hath both conceived mischief and
brought forth false-
hood;
15
He hath digged a pit and hollowed it out ;
And falleth g into the
pitfall of his making.h
16
His mischief shall return upon his own head;
And his violent dealing shall come down
upon his own
pate.
17
0 let me give thanks to Jehovah according to His righte-
ousness:
And let me sing praise to the Name of
Jehovah Most
High.
13.
YEA FOR (i.e. against) THAT MAN
(the pron. is placed first as emphatic)
He hath (already) aimed the
instruments of death. 14. Not only the justice of God punishes,
but the wickedness of the
wicked effects his own destruc- tion. The three verbs, "he travaileth, —
he hath conceived,— he hath brought
forth," are not to be ex- plained
by an inversion of order in the
first two. But the first verb (in the
fut.) contains the general sen- timent
(strictly an aorist), which is then
further broken up into two |
parts
in the two perfects which follow.
" He hath conceived mis- chief,"
"he hath brought forth false- hood,"
are the further extension of the
first clause, "he travaileth with iniquity."
Both the accents and the
tenses point to this as the true interpretation. 15. HE HATH DIGGED A PIT, as a
hunter to catch wild animals, but the
loose treacherous soil gives way with
him as he digs, or, in his haste to
catch his prey, he does not notice the
lightly-covered pitfall, and falls headlong
into it. 16. Comp. I Sam. xxv. 39 |
a NvyGAwi, probably (from the
root hgw,
errare), a poem in irregular
metre,
a Dithyrambic Poem. "Ode erratica,
Dithyrambus," Röd. Cf.
Habak.
iii. 1. The word is of the same form as NvyGh, Higgaion, ix. 17,
and
Hupf. thinks of the same signification with substitution of w for h
(hgw = hgh), so that it would be
nothing more than "poem," "psalm "
(as
indeed the LXX. render yalmo<j). yreb;Di-lfa may either mean because
of,
as in Deut. iv. 21, Jer. vii. 22, or literally, on account of the words of.
b ‘r ;c hclHxv. The true
interpretation of this clause is doubtful. It
may
be rendered: (I) "And (if) I have spoiled him that without cause,"
&c.,
in which case it forms one in the chain of suppositions which is
denied;
or (2) in a parenthesis: "Yea (rather) I have delivered him
148 PSALM
VII.
that,"
&c., the clause then being antithetical to the two preceding. The
objection
to the first of these renderings is that the verb never occurs in
the
Piel in the sense of spoiling, but
always in that of delivering. It is
true
it
is found in that sense in the corresponding conjugation of the Syriac, and
that
the noun hcAyliHA means exuviae. It
is also true that the construction
seems
to flow more readily on this interpretation. On the other hand the
sense
is not very satisfactory: If I have rewarded evil to my friend, if I
have
spoiled him that without cause is my
adversary. It is at least an
anti-climax.
On the whole, therefore, (2), which is the rendering of the
Eng.
Vers., and which is supported by the authority of Ibn Ezra and
Qirnchi
among the ancients, and by such scholars as Ewald and Hupfeld
among
the moderns, is to be preferred.
Examples of similar parentheses
with v; especially with the fut.
paragog., are to be found xl.
6, li. a, lv. 13.
c JDorayi. A sort of hybrid form,
half Kai. half Piel. The requirements
of
rhythm may possibly account for its introduction here. Or it may be
a
corrupted form; JdorEyi (like j`lmETi, Jer. xxii. 5, qHacEyi, Gen. xxi. 6). See
Gesen.
§ 114. 2 i Ewald, § 224 a.
d ylAfA. We may either
understand yhiy; sc. "let it be done unto me:"
or
the
expression may (like ylifA ywip;na ) "my integrity which is in me," quae
est
penes me.
e NheboU. The sentence runs
literally: "And a trier of the hearts and
reins
is the righteous God." This in fact gives the reason for the prayer
and
the hope expressed just before : so that the is here equivalent to for,
just
as in the same participial construction, xxii. 29, lv. 20. We may,
however,
supply the pron. of the 2d person as virtually contained in the
previous
imperative, "For Thou that triest the hearts and reins art a
righteous
God:" or, "For Thou, 0 righteous God, triest," &c. Similar
omissions
of the pron. occur, of the 2d pers. in Hab. ii. 15, and of the
1st
pers. in Hab. i. 5, in both of which cases it may be supplied from the
suffix
following. In the latter many would retain the 3d person.
f Myqil;dol;= Myqe.zi (Lat. malleoli), arrows wrapped round with
some in-
flammable
material, which became ignited in their passage through the
air,
and set afire whatever they lighted upon. Sim. be<lh
pepurwme<na.
Eph.
vi. 16.
g lfAp;yi ‘wB;
lPoyiva.
The verb as in ver. 13 [14]. Strictly a present:
"which
he is now in the act of making." But then we ought rather to
read
lPoyiv;, "and he shall fall." I have endeavoured to
preserve in the
translation
something of the play upon sound in this passage.
h lfAP;yi. The change in tense is
noticeable:—the act of preparing the
arrows
is described as going on = "whilst he makes his arrows fiery
arrows."The
succession of tenses in ver. 12, 13, is worthy of obser-
vation.
PSALM
VIII.
149
PSALM
VIII.
THIS is the first of a number of
Psalms which celebrate the praise
of
God in the phaenomena of the natural world. The sun by day
(Ps.
xix.), the moon and the stars by night (Ps. viii.), the glory and
the
order of Creation (Ps. civ.), the terror of the thunder-storm and
the
earthquake (Ps. xxix.), are all dwelt upon in Hebrew verse, and
are
described with a force and animation, a magnificence of imagina-
tion
and colouring, which have never been surpassed in the poetry of
any
nation.
But the Hebrew odes are never merely
descriptive. There are
pictures
in them of extreme beauty and vividness, but the picture is
never
painted for its own sake. Nature is never regarded, whether in
her
aspect of terror or of grace, whether in her tumult or her repose,
as
an end in herself. The sense of God's presence of which the
Psalmist
is so profoundly conscious in his own spiritual life is that
which
gives its glory and its meaning to the natural world. There is
a
vivid realization of that presence as of a presence which fills the
world,
and from which there is no escape; there is a closeness to
God,
as of One who holds and compasses us about (Ps. cxxxix.), in
the
minds of the inspired minstrels of
istic
of the Semitic races at large, is certainly in an emphatic degree
characteristic
of the Hebrews. The feeling lends its colouring to
their
poetry. Nature is full of God; Nature is the theatre of His
glory.
All admiration of Nature in a rightly tuned heart is a
confession
of that glory. To such a heart there can be no praise of
Nature
apart from the praise of God. All things are "of Him and
through
Him and to Him." The sun and the moon are His witnesses
and
heralds, the light is His robe, the clouds are His chariot, the
thunder
is His voice, the flashes of the lightning are His arrows and
His
spear. Apart from Him the universe is void and waste; He
gives
it its life and meaning.
This Eighth Psalm describes the
impression produced on the heart
of
David as he gazed upon the heavens by night. In such a country
as
stars"
would appear with a splendour and a brilliancy of which we
can
scarcely conceive; and as he fixes his eyes upon them, awed
and
solemnized and yet attracted and inspired by the spectacle, he
breaks
forth into admiring acknowledgement of that God, who, as the
150 PSALM VIII.
God
of Israel, has set His glory so conspicuously in the heavens, that
it
is seen of all eyes and confessed even by the lisping tongues of
children.
They praise Him, and their scarcely articulate homage is
a
rebuke to wicked men who disregard or resist Him.
But as the Poet gazes on into the
liquid depths of that starry sky
there
comes upon him with overwhelming force the sense of his own
insignificance.
In sight of all that vastness, before all that evidence
of
creative power, how insignificant is man! "What is man that
Thou
art mindful of him?" is the natural utterance of the heart—
What
is man, man in his frailty, his littleness, his sin? What in the
sight
of Him, who made those heavens and planted in them those
glittering
orbs? This is the first feeling, but it is immediately
swallowed
up in another,—the consciousness of man's true greatness,
in
nature all but Divine, of the seed-royal of the Second Adam, of
highest
lineage and dignity, crowned and sceptred as a king; "Thou
hast
put all things under his feet." This is the principal thought, not
man's
littleness, but his greatness. This subject is boldly but briefly
handled,
and then the Psalm is brought to a fitting close with the
same
ascription of praise with which it opened.
Nearly all critics are unanimous in
regarding this as one of David's
Psalms;
there is more difference of opinion as to the time when it
was
composed. The Psalm furnishes us with no notes of time. But
there
are indications of another kind which may serve to guide us.
David, it may almost certainly be
said, is still young; he has not
yet
been schooled by sorrow; he has not yielded to temptations
which
have darkened his heart; he has no personal enemies to
contend
with. The only enemies who for a moment cross his
thought
are the fierce and turbulent men who set themselves up
against
God, the revilers and contemners of
His majesty, the men
who
will not behold His glory, plainly as
it is manifested in Creation.
It
may be fanciful to see in the allusion to children and sucklings a
reference
to the youth of David, but there can be no doubt; that the
freshness
of spirit, the joyousness of tone which pervade the Psalm,
are
such as would lead us naturally to associate it with his earlier
years.
It is undimmed by memories of sin, it bears no trace of
struggle
and anguish. There is a buoyant faith, there is the natural
sense
of wonder, there is joyful acknowledgement of God, there is
the
consciousness of man's high destiny as created in the image of
God.
The thought of man's royal prerogatives, of his kingly rule
over
creation, is no doubt derived from the early and simple record
in
the first chapter of Genesis, a record with which David must
have
been familiar. This Psalm has indeed been called the "lyric
echo"
of that chapter; a title, however, which might more aptly be
PSALM
VIII.
151
given
to the 104th Psalm. But this sovereignty of man is just one
of
those points on which, it has been truly remarked,* a high-souled
youthful
poet would most naturally dwell. There are touches in
the
Psalm which might even lead us to connect it with David's
shepherd
life. He may have written it while he was keeping
"those
few sheep in the wilderness," "far from men but near to
God,"
whiling away the hours of his night-watch in contemplation of
the
heavens and in communion with his Maker. Nor do I see why
such
a supposition as to the origin of the Psalm should be described
as
"extremely improbable."† At
the same time it must be admitted
that
the language of ver. 2 implies a larger acquaintance with the
world
than we can suppose David's life at
furnished.
The conjecture that the Psalm was
written after his combat with
Goliath
turns no doubt on a false interpretation of the Inscription,
but
it rests also partly on the contrast in ver. 2 between "children"
and
"the enemy." This reference, however, is scarcely now main-
tained
by any critic of eminence.
One thing seems clear, that even if
the Psalm were not written
during
David's shepherd life, it must at least have been written while
the
memory of that time was fresh in his heart, and before the bitter
experience
of his later years had bowed and saddened his spirit.
Beyond
this we cannot speak with anything like certainty.
The Messianic import of the Psalm is
not of a direct kind. It is,
however,
necessarily implied in that mysterious relation of man to
God
and that kingship over the inferior creatures of which the Psalm
speaks,
for this rests upon the Incarnation. Man is what he is,
because
the Son of God has taken upon Him man's nature. Man is
very
near to God, higher than the angels, because the Christ is both
God
and
character
of the Psalm depends. This truth is the key to its
interpretation.
But it does not follow that David
saw this distinctly. He takes
what
must in any case be the religious view of Creation, and of man's
relation
to God on the one hand, and to the inferior animals on the
other.
Some interpreters indeed have thought that David is
describing,
not man's actual position marred and broken by the Fall,
but
his original condition as created in the image of God. It is the
ideal,
it is the design and purpose of God, which for the moment
hides
from his sight the havoc and confusion which have been wrought
* By Mr. Maclaren, "Life of
David in his Psalms," in Sunday at
Home for 1871, p. 102.
† "Höchst
unwahrscheinlich." Moll in Lange's Bibelwerk.
152 PSALM VIII.
by
sin, the broken sceptre and the discrowned king. Others, again,
think
that the whole Psalm is prophetic, or rather predictive. They
conceive
that it tells us what man shall be hereafter, redeemed and
restored
in the Second Adam to his rightful supremacy.
But the language of the Psalm, taken
in its obvious sense, favours
neither
of these interpretations. David is manifestly speaking of the
present.
He sees the heavens witnessing for God; he sees, man
placed
by God as ruler upon earth; he feels how high an honour has
been
put upon man; he marvels at God's grace and condescension.
Man
is king, however his authority may be questioned or defied.
When we turn to the New Testament,
where verses of this Psalm
are
twice applied to Christ (besides our Lord's own quotation of
ver.
2), we see at once the principle on which the quotations rest.
It
is precisely that which I have already laid down. The Incarnation
explains
it. In t for. xv. 27,
using
the third person instead of the second, the words of ver. 6,
"Thou
hast put all things under his feet," as describing accurately
the
complete subjection of the universe to Christ. The words may
be
true of man, but they are in their highest sense only true of Christ
as
the Great Head of mankind, and of man only in Him. Similarly
the
writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews (ii. 6—9) argues that the
words
"Thou hast put all things under his feet" have not yet been
literally
fulfilled of man, and declares that their proper fulfilment is
to
be seen only in Jesus, whom God had made "a little lower than
the
angels," * and had "crowned with glory and honour." He does
* That the quotation should be made
so as to agree with the LXX.
rather
than the Hebrew is characteristic of the writer of the Epistle,
and
is in itself a matter of little moment; for as Calvin observes,
"we
know what liberty the Apostles allowed themselves in citing
passages
of Scripture; not indeed that they twisted them to a sense at
variance
with the true one, but because it was enough for them to indi-
cate
(digito monstrare) that their
teaching was confirmed by the oracles
of
God. Wherefore, provided the main point was adhered to (modo de
summa re constaret), they did not hesitate
to alter a word here and
there."
But there is, as he points out, a greater difficulty than the mere
substitution
of "angels" for "God" in this quotation. For David is
speaking
of man's greatness as being little less than divine; the writer of
the
Epistle applies the passage to the
humiliation of Christ. Now first,
what
is said of man is applied to Christ,
because He is not only "the
first-born
of all creation," but also because He is the Second Head of the
human
race. All the riches of glory which the Father has bestowed upon
Him
in His human nature, He has bestowed on Him for our sakes. Out
of
His fulness we all receive. And if it be said that the exclamation of
astonishment,
"What is man that Thou art mindful of him?" cannot
apply
to Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, Calvin replies, that so far
as
the human nature of Christ is concerned, all that has been bestowed
upon
it has been bestowed freely, and that in this mirror the mercy of God
is
most brightly reflected, that a mortal man and a son of Adam is also
PSALM
VIII.
153
not
make use of the Psalm as a direct prediction, but he shows that
man's
place in creation is his in Christ; his destiny as depicted in
the
Psalm is not, and cannot be, accomplished out of Christ. He-is
the
true Lord of all. In Him man reigns, in Him man shall yet be
restored
to his rightful lordship, and shall really and completely be
in
the new world of Redemption (h[ oi]koume<nh h[
me<llousa)
what now
he
is but very imperfectly, God's vicegerent, ruling a subject creation
in
peace and harmony and love.
[FOR
THE PRECENTOR. UPON THE GITTITH.a A PSALM OF DAVID.]
1
JEHOVAH our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all
the earth,
Who hast set b Thy glory
above the heavens!
2
Out of the mouth of children and sucklings Thou hast
founded strength,
1.
OUR LORD. For the first time in
the Book of Psalms the personal feeling
is lost sight of in the national. Jehovah
is not the God of David only,
but of to
a Psalm which forgets the indi- vidual
in the contemplation of God's glory
in the universe. The thought which
here appears is, in fact, the |
thought
which is the key to the Book
of Genesis, and indeed to the whole
history of the Old Testament. The
God who makes Himself known to
their
Redeemer, is the God who created
the heavens and laid the foundations
of the earth. 2. CHILDREN, not "babes," as
the |
the
only Son of God, and the Lord of glory and the Head,of the angels.
As
to the other point, that it is the humiliation
and not the greatness which
forms
the point of the quotation in HeB). ii. 7, this, Calvin remarks, "is
not
an interpretation, but the writer turns to his own purpose (ad suum
institutum deflectit) kat
] e]pecergasi<an,
what had been said in a different
sense.
In like manner
Moses
in Deut. xxx. 22. The Apostle therefore did not merely have an
eye
to David's meaning, but, in allusion to the two ideas of humiliation
and
glory, referred the one to the death, the other to the resurrection of
Christ.
Similarly, in quoting Ps. lxviii. 19 in Eph. iv. 8,
so
much give an interpretation as with a pious turn apply the passage to
the
person of Christ (pia deflexione ad
Christi Personam accommodat)."
Still
it is important to bear in mind that the writer of the Epistle does
not
set aside the reference to man in the Psalm. On the contrary he
admits
it, and bases his argument upon it. The Psalm speaks of man,
tells
us of the great things God had done for him, putting a crown on his
head
and a sceptre in his hand, and making him little less than the angels
in
glory and power. Now the author of the Epistle says, "All this has
never
been fully accomplished in man hitherto: the great idea and pur-
pose
of his creation has never been fulfilled but in the One Perfect Man,
in
Him who first stooped to put on human nature, and then was raised
in
that nature to lordship over all creation."
154 PSALM VIII.
Because of Thine
adversaries,
That Thou mightest still the enemy
and the avenger.
3
When I see Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers,
The moon and the stars which Thou
hast ordained:--
4
What is man, that Thou art mindful of him,
And the son of man, that Thou
visitest him?
E.V.;
they are more advanced in age than
the SUCKLINGS; so that there is
a kind of climax, "not children only,
but sucklings." As Hebrew mothers
did not wean their children till
they were two, or even three years old,
this is no mere figure of speech. THOU HAST FOUNDED STRENGTH, i.e.
Thou hast built up a bulwark, a defence,
&c. The LXX. kathrti<sw ai#non, and Jerome, fecisti laudem, are
clearly wrong : Aq. rightly, e]qemeli<wsaj kra<toj. Cf. Jer. xvi. 19. Reuss, who renders "sur la voix
des enfants . . . to fondes to puissance," notices the
fine poetic effect
of the paradox that God has established
His power on that which is
weakest. When expositors introduce here the
teaching of I Cor. i. 26-28, they depart
from the simple language of the
Psalm. David speaks literally of
children. And so our Lord Him- self
applies the words, Matt. xxi. 16. Even
the faith of a little child is bulwark
enough against the folly of
men of corrupt heart and per- verted
intellect, who can look upon
the heavens and see there the glory
of the
glory of God. THE ENEMY AND THE AVENGER occurs
again, xliv. 17. "Avenger" in
modern English hardly conveys the
sense of the Hebrew word; it denotes
"one who thirsts for or breathes
revenge, one who is swift to
avenge his own quarrel;" der Rache schnaubt, as Mendelssohn renders
it. 3. David has spoken generally of
the glory of Jehovah, as seen in the
earth and the heavens, and which
is so conspicuous that even children
can discern and acknow- |
ledge
it; he now passes to a parti- cular
instance of its manifestation, and
one of the most impressive, and draws
thence the lesson of God's marvellous
condescension. WHEN I SEE, i,e. "as often as I see
" . . . (then the thought arises within
me, or then I say) "What is man?"
&c. Cf. cxliiv. 3, and for similar
expressions as denoting a like
sense of unworthiness, I Sam. xviii.
18, 2 Sam. vii. 18. 4. WHAT IS MAN. The first feeling is
an overpowering sense of man's insignificance
in presence of the vastness
and splendour, the myste- rious
depth, and the exceeding glory of
the heavens, as seen at night. "The
vault of the sky arched at a vast
and unknown distance over our
heads; the stars apparently in- finite
in number, each keeping its appointed
place and course, and seeming
to belong to a wide system of
things which has no relation to the
earth; while man is but one among
many millions of the earth's inhabitants;—all
this makes the contemplative
spectator feel how exceedingly
small a portion of the universe
he is; how little he must be
in the eyes of an Intelligence which
can embrace the whole." Add
to this revelation of dark- ness
the revelation of silence; the man
is alone; the stir and noise of his
own works, which in the light of
day filled and absorbed hire, are hushed
and buried in darkness; his importance
is gone:—and "every person
in every age and country will
recognise as irresistibly natural the
train of thought expressed by the Hebrew
Psalmist." It is needless to
remark, if this be the feeling of the
untaught mind, how infinitely |
PSALM
VIII. 155
5
And Thou hast made him little lower c than God,
And crownest him with glory and
honour.
6
Thou makest him to have dominion over the works of
Thy hands:
Thou hast put all things under his
feet;
the
impression must be deepened in
one who looks upon the universe with
the aid of astronomical dis- covery
and theory. Such a person may
well feel "lost, confounded, overwhelmed,
with the vastness of the
spectacle" . . . "the distance between
him and the Creator ap- pears
to be increased beyond mea- sure
by this disclosure. It seems as
if a single individual could have no
chance and no claim for the regard
of the Ruler of the whole." (Whewell,
Asir., &c. Bk. iii. ch. iii.) MAN.
The Hebrew word denotes man
in his weakness and frailty (see
ix. 19, 20), as in the next member
SON OF MAN (son of Adam)
refers also to his earthly nature
as formed out of the ground. 5. But through God's marvellous condescension
how great is man, little
less than Divine in nature, and
lord of all creation. AND THOU HAST, &c., or, more freely,
"And that having made him little
less than divine, Thou crownest
him," &c. LITTLE LOWER, lit. "And Thou hast
made him to want but little (or, to
come short but little) of God." LITTLE,
i.e. in degree--whereas the
braxu< ti of the LXX. as applied to
Christ may (possibly, though by no
means certainly; see Alford on Heb.
ii. 7) refer to time. "Thou madest
Him for a little time lower," &c. LITTLE LOWER THAN GOD, or "little
less than divine." The LXX. h]la<ttwsaj
au]to>n braxu< ti par ] a]gge<louj. And so of course in
the Epistle
to the Hebrews, which quotes
the Alexandrian text. So also
the Targum and the Jewish interpreters
generally. And so the E.V.
"than the angels." But there is
obviously a reference in ver. 6 to |
Gen.
i. 26, and therefore here doubt- less
an allusion to the creation of man
in the image of God. Besides, the
word Elohim (God) nowhere occurs
in the sense of angels. The phrase
is sons of God. On the other
hand, ELohim expresses the abstract
idea of Godhead, Divine nature,
and so (without the article) that
which is godlike, superhuman, Zech.
xii. 8, and I Sam. xxviii. 13. Hence
Hengst translates rightly "Wenig
unter göttlichen Stand erniedrigst du ihn." Cf. Cicero's "Homo mortalis Deus." GLORY AND HONOUR, a
common expression
for the Divine majesty, and
thence for the kingly as a re- flection
of the Divine. The former word
etymologically means dignity, as
that which is weighty; the latter represents
the external show and splendour. "Equidem non
dubito," says Calvin, "quin praeclaras dotes commendet, quae declarent homines ad imaginem Dei formatos esse, et creatos
ad spem beatae vitae et im- mortalis.
diti sunt, qua discernant inter bonum et malum, quod illis inditum est religionis semen, quod mutua est inter eos communicatio, sacris quibusdam vinculis astricta, quod inter eos viget honesti respectus et pudor, et legum moderatio; haec non obscura sunt summae et coelestis sapientiae
signa." 6. Man is a king. God has put a crown
upon his head, and not only so,
but has given him-a territory and
subjects. "All things under his feet,"
with evident reference to the "let
them have dominion" of Gen. i.
26. What David means by "all things"
is then explained—beasts, birds,
and fishes, which are in the same
manner enumerated in Gen. i. |
156 PSALM VIII.
7
Sheep d and oxen, all of them,
Yea, and the beasts of the field,
8
The fowls of heaven and the fishes of the sea,
(And whatsoever) passeth e
through the paths of the
seas.
9
Jehovah our Lord,
How excellent is Thy name in all the
earth
ing
of the "all things " far beyond this.
Jesus, as the true Lord of all, shall
have a universal dominion, He
must reign till He have put all enemies
under His feet. But as yet
we see not all things put under Him.
Sin, and death, and hell are up
in arms against Him, and these are
yet to be subdued. Death, says the
Apostle, is the last enemy which shall
be destroyed. It is evident, then,
that David's "all things" and Paul's
"all things" are not the same.
The one is thinking of the visible
world, the other of the in- visible.
The one is praising God for
His goodness to man in making |
him
lord over beasts, and birds, and
fishes; the other is thinking of a
conflict with principalities and powers,
which Christ conquers and which
man can only conquer in Christ.
The one speaks of that which
is, the other of that which is to
come. 9. The Psalm closes with the same
expression of loving admira- tion
with which it opened, but with added
emphasis after the singer has
told the tale of God's goodness to
man: just as the repetition of a passage
in music falls more sensibly on
the ear, and touches the heart with
quicker emotions, than the same
passage when it first occurs. |
A thousand years later other
shepherds were keeping watch over their
flocks
by night on the same hills of
looked
down upon them from heaven. But a brighter glory than the
glory
of the stars shone round about them; and they knew better than
David
himself the meaning of David's words, "Lord, what is man that
Thou
art mindful of him? "For to them it was said by the angel, "Unto
you
is born this day, in the city of
Lord."
a UPON THE GITTITH. The same
inscription, lxxxi. lxxxiv. tyTiGi (in
form
a fem. adj. from tGa
name),
either an instrument, which took its
name from the city (so
Chald.),
as there was an Egyptian flute, and a Doric lyre; or a kind of
measure
or melody (as the Greeks had Lydian, Dorian,. &c.).
b The word hnAT; is very perplexing. (I)
As it stands it can only be the
imperat.
of the verb Ntn. And this would compel us to translate:
"Which
glory
of Thine do Thou set in the heavens" (as Gesen. does). But this is
against
the whole scope of the Psalm. God's glory is in the heavens;
David
sees it there, and does not call upon God to make it manifest.
PSALM VIII. 157
Kay
retains the imperat. and says in his note: "Lit. ‘who—oh set Thou;’
or,
‘whereas—oh set Thou.’" But this does not seem to justify his render-
ing
in the text: "Who mightest have set Thy grandeur upon the heavens."
(2)
According to Delitzsch and others, hnAT; is an irregular form of
the inf.
constr.
after the analogy of hdAr;, Gen. xlvi. 3, verbs n’’P and y’’P having a
certain
symmetry of formation. The rendering would then be: "Thou,
the
setting of whose glory is above the heavens." But the instance quoted
is
a solitary one, and, as Hupfeld remarks, the prep. accounts for the
alteration
there hdAr;me instead of td,r,me, with the usual
interchange of
trochaic
and iambic forms, according to the requirements of the rhythm.
(3)
Others again, as Ewald, suppose hnAT; to be a defective form
for hnATA,
and
render: "Thou whose glory is extended,"
&c., hnt
being supposed to
be
kindred with Nnt, and the Indo-Germ. root tan, whence tei<nw, tendere,
&c.
The root however does not occur in this sense, but in the sense to
sing, to praise; whence it has been
proposed to read hn.ATu, (Pual), "whose
glory
is praised." Other explanations are still less satisfactory. (4) Only
one
thing remains, viz. to suppose a corruption of the text, and read
hTAtanA. This is the usual phrase, lfa
dOh NtanA.
The older versions are
divided:
Chald. xtbhyD,
Syr. , qui dedisti. Symm. o{j e@tacaj.
Jerome, "Qui posuisti gloriam tuain super caelos."
LXX. o!ti
e]ph<rqh
h[
megalopre<peia< sou. Vulg. "Quoniam
elevata est magnificentia tua."
The
Arab. follows the LXX. in giving the passive. The choice therefore
seems
to lie between (3) and (4). In Zunz's Bible the construction is
carried
on into the next verse: "Du, dessen Glanz über den Himmeln
man
verkündet, Hast aus dem Munde der Kinder and Saüglinge dir Sieg
gegründet,"
&c. In the Arab. the construction is similar.
c Uhres.;HaT;va. The change in tense
here (fut. consec.) takes us back to
the
original act, the creation of man, but only so as to mark that the
Divine
act abides in force. Hence we have 6 a perfect (fut. with v; con sec.),
6
b and 7 a present, 7 b perfect. Throughout David speaks of what man
is
in the present, though with a glance at the first creation. Hupf. was
certainly
wrong when in his 1st Ed. he translated all the verbs in ver. 5—7
as
preterites, and supposed the Psalmist
to be referring throughout to the
original
creation of man. In his 2nd Edition he has corrected this, and
renders
the tenses as past and present respectively.
d The language in ver. 7, 8 is
highly poetical. hn,co instead of the
prosaic
Nxoc,
MypilAxE instead of rqABA, ydAWA tOmhEBa; instead of Cr,xAhA
ty.aHa, and
ydAWA
instead of hd,WA. Even ‘W rpci is instead of the more
common
‘Wh
Jvf.
e
rbefo.
The part. sing., in apposition therefore (as a sort of neuter
collective),
not in agreement with ‘h yGd. So LXX. ta>
diaporeuo<mena.
OEth.
quicquid ambulat. "The paths of
the seas," cf. the Homeric u[gra>
ke<leuqa.
158 PSALM IX.
PSALM
IX.
A THANKSGIVING to God, the righteous
Judge, who punishes the
wicked
and defends the cause of the oppressed. Throughout, with
the
exception of verse 13 (see note there), the Psalm is one continued
strain
of triumph. Hence, by many it has been regarded as a song
of
victory, composed perhaps by David at the conclusion of the
Syro-Ammonite
war, or after one of his victories over the Philistines.
From
the times of the LXX. this Psalm has often been considered
as
forming one poem with the Psalm immediately following. This
has
arisen probably from the fact that the Tenth Psalm has no super-
scription,
an uncommon thing in the First Book, as well as from
the
alphabetical arrangement, partially at least discernible in both
Psalms,
and certain phrases and turns of expression found in both
and
not found elsewhere. (See Critical Notes.) But this last circum-
stance
only proves that the two Psalms are to be referred to the same
author,
not that they originally constituted one poem. And the
alphabetical
arrangement is exceedingly imperfect, especially in the
Tenth
Psalm; nor does it properly complete the defective portion
of
Psalm ix. Whereas, if we look to the general character or the
two,—the
first, all triumph and hope; the last, all prayer against the
deeds
of violence and blood, which the poet mourns over,----the
Hebrew
division must certainly be allowed to have much in its
favour.
The strophical arrangement is as
follows:
II. (h, g, B) Reason for this: viz.
His righteousness as manifested
(a)
personally. Ver. 3, 4. (b) generally. Ver. 5, 6.
III. (v) Moreover, Jehovah is
the only true and everlasting Judge
(ver.
7, 8), and therefore not only the destroyer of the wicked, but
the
fortress of those that trust in Him. Ver. 9, 10.
IV. (z) An exhortation to
praise Jehovah because of this His
righteousness.
Ver. II, I2.
V. (H) Prayer that this
righteousness may be manifested to the
singer
himself personally. Ver. 13, 14.
VI. (F) The destruction of the
nations, by being taken in their
own
devices, a witness to God's righteousness. Ver, 15, 16.
PSALM
IX.
159
VII. (y) Further amplification
of this destruction as contrasted
with
the hope of the poor. Ver. 17, 18.
VIII. (q) A prayer that God
would yet again declare the majesty
of
His righteousness, as He had already done in times past. Ver.
19,
20.
[FOR
THE PRECENTOR. TO THE TUNE "DEATH OF THE SON."a
A PSALM OF
DAVID.]
x 1 I WILL give thanks unto Jehovah with my whole
heart,
I will tell of all Thy wonderful
works;
2 I will be glad and exult in Thee,
I will sing to Thy Name, 0 Thou Most
High;
b 3 Because b mine enemies are turned
backward,
(Because)
they stumble and perish at Thy presence.
4 For Thou hast maintained my right and my
cause,
Thou hast sat down on (the) throne,
a righteous Judge.
g 5 Thou hast rebuked (the) nations, Thou hast
destroyed
the wicked;
Their name hast Thou blotted out for
ever and ever.
h 6 The enemy is cut off,—they are perpetual
ruins;
And cities which Thou hast rooted
out,—the very
memorial of them is
perished.
1, 2. In this first strophe each line
begins with the first letter of the
alphabet (x). 2. SING, rendered in our P.B.V. "sing
psalms"(E.V. "sing praises"). The
verb is from the same root as the
noun mizmor, "psalm," and
means
both "to sing" and "to play." 4. MAINTAINED MY RIGHT, lit. "executed
my judgement." 6. THE ENEMY IS CUT OFF. There
can be no doubt that the sing.
noun is here to be regarded as
a collective, and so taken with the
plural verb, cf. Is. xvi. 4, Prov. xxviii.
I, &c., and for the noun with art.
preceding the verb as here, Judg.
xx. 37. The construction is |
the
same in that much misquoted and
misinterpreted passage, Hag. ii.. 7,
"And the desirable things," i.e. delights,
treasures, &c. (noun collect, sing.),
"of all nations shall come," i.e.
into the temple (verb plural). It is
quite impossible, without doing violence
to the plainest rules of grammar,
to interpret that passage of
the Messiah. The fact that the verb
is in the plural settles the question.
Besides, the context (v. 8),
"Mine is the silver, and Mine the
gold," &c. shows what the de- sirable
things are. THEY ARE RUINS; Or rather, perhaps,
SO AS TQ BECOME RUINS FOR
EVER, these words being a further
predicate, enlarging the |
160 PSALM IX.
v 7 And Jehovah sitteth (as King) for ever,
He hath prepared His throne for
judgement:
8 And He will judge the world in
righteousness,
He will minister justice to the
peoples in uprightness,
9 That so Jehovah may be a high tower to
them that are
crushed,c
A high tower in times of trouble.
10 And they that know Thy Name shall trust
in Thee,
Because Thou hast not forsaken them
that seek Thee,
0 Jehovah.
z 11 I Sing
ye to Jehovah, who dwelleth in
Declare among the peoples His doings;
12 For He that requireth blood remembereth
them,
He hath not forgotten the cry of the
affiicted.d
idea
contained in the verb "cut off."
May they not, however, be a predicate
by anticipation of the sentence
following? THE VERY MEMORIAL, lit. "their memorial
is perished—(even) they themselves."
The pron. is thus repeated
in order to produce the greatest
possible emphasis (exactly parallel
are Num. xiv. 32, Prov. xxiii.
15; see also i Sam. xx. 42, Prov.
xxii. 19, Ezek. xxxiv. 11, Hag. i.
4). The antithesis which accounts for
this emphasis is to be found in the
following verse: "The enemy has
been utterly annihilated whilst Jehovah
remains King for ever." 8. HE (emphatically) and not any human
judge: the world shall yet see
a rule of righteousness. JUDGE . . . MINISTER JUSTICE. On
the difference between the two words,
of which the latter is the more
formal and technical, see note on
lxxii. 2. 9. THAT SO, i.e. by virtue of His righteous
exerciser of judgement. MAY
BE, or rather MAY BECOME, i.e.
"prove Himself to be" a
place of
refuge and security. 10. WHO KNOW THY NAME. See
notes on i. 6, v. 11. THEM THAT
SEEK THEE, not to be para- |
phrased
coldly, that honour Thee, worship
Thee, &c. They who seek God seek Him for Himself; not like
the worshippers of heathen deities,
who ask for other things of
their gods—wealth, honour, power,
&c. 11. Jehovah dwells in Zion. There
is the visible seat of His dominion—but
that dominion ex- tends
to the whole earth--therefore "publish
among the nations His doings."
Jehovah is "the Dweller in
Zion," since the ark was brought thither,
lxxvii. 3. 12. REQUIRETH, or, "maketh in- quisition
for blood" (E.V.), i.e. "demandeth
satisfaction for blood- shed."
This is God's character, as opposed
to the scoff of the wicked, "He
requireth not," x. 4, 13
(where the
same verb is used). Like the "Goel
haddam,"the next of kin, who was
bound to avenge the murder of his
kinsman, so God calls the mur- derer
to account, requires satisfac- tion at his hand, Gen. ix.
5, Deut. xviii.
19, and in a spiritual sense, Ezek.
xxxiii. 6, 8, xxxiv. 10. THEM, i.e. "the afflicted," in
the next
clause, the pronoun being placed
first emphatically. THE AFFLICTED. This seems at |
PSALM
IX.
161
H 13 Be gracious e unto me, 0 Jehovah,
See mine affliction (which I suffer)
from them that
hate me,
0 Thou that liftest me up from the
gates of Death,
14
That so I may tell all Thy praise f in the gates of the
daughter of
That I may exult in Thy saving help.
F 15 The nations have sunk down in the pit that
they made,
In the net which g they
hid is their own foot taken.
16 Jehovah hath made Himself known, He
hath executed
judgement;
In the work of his own hands is the
wicked snared.h
[Higgaion—Selah.]
y 17 The wicked must return to the unseen world,
(Even)
all the nations that forget God.
18 For not for ever shall the poor be
forgotten;
The hope of the afflicted shall not
perish eternally.
least
the primary notion of the word
and its kindred form, though they
acquire also a moral significa- tion,
"the meek, the humble." The afflicted in the first instance
would be
the faithful part of the nation persecuted
and oppressed by the ungodly
and the powerful, and (2) the
nation itself, trodden down by foreign
tyrants. In either case it is
they who through this very dis- cipline
learn meekness, submission, resignation,
who "in patience pos- sess
their souls." In scarcely any instance
is the primary meaning altogether
in abeyance. In Num. xii.
3, where our Version has "Now the
man Moses was very meek," &c. the
other rendering, afflicted, is cer- tainly
more in harmony with the context.
(See also Num. xi. 11- 15,
Deut. i. 12.) And so Luther: "Der
Mann war geplagt vor alien Menschen." 13, 14. These two verses, accord- ing
to Delitzsch, contain the cry of |
the
afflicted. If we take them as the
prayer of the singer himself, they
disturb, he thinks, the unity of
the Psalm, and interfere awk- wardly
with its general strain of triumph.
But this sudden change of
feeling is not uncommon in the Psalms,
and the thought of God as the
avenger of all the oppressed, naturally
drew forth the prayer that He
would look graciously upon the Psalmist
himself. 14. IN THE GATES, &C. As the most
public place of concourse, this being
in the East, what the a]gora< was
to the Greeks, and the forum to
the Romans. 17. MUST RETURN. Not "be turned," as E. V. The
Biblical idea
is that of a returning to the dust,
taken from the original passage
in Gen. iii. 19. Cf. Job xxx.
23, of a return to Sheol (i.e. Hades,
the unseen world), as here and
Ps. xc. 3: "Thou makest man
return to destruction," expres- |
162 PSALM
lX
19
Arise, 0 Jehovah, let not mortal man be strong,
Let the nations be judged in Thy
sight.
20
Put them in fear,i 0
Jehovah;
Let the nations know that they are
but mortal men.
[Selah.]
sions
only to be explained by the dimness
which then hung over the grave
and the life beyond it. The meaning
is, that even now, before the
eyes of men, God's righteous- ness
shall be seen in cutting off the wicked
by a sudden and premature end,
and helping and exalting the righteous. THE UNSEEN WORLD. E. V. |
"hell,"
which, now that the word has
lost its original meaning and is used
exclusively of the place of torment,
is quite misleading. 19. ARISE. A solemn appeal to God
to show Himself to be that which
He is,—the Judge of the earth,
with reference perhaps to Num.
x. 35. Cf. Ps. iii. 8 ; vii. 7. |
(1.) The following is a list of
certain turns of expression characteristic
of
this and the next Psalm: the very peculiar phrase hrAc.ABa
tOTfil;,
" in
times
of trouble," ix. [10] (see note), x. 1; j` "the crushed,"
ix.. 9
x.
18 (only occurring besides lxxiv. 21); wOnx< 1i!t (in this special
sense),
"mortal
men," 19, 20 [20, 21], x. 18; HkawA with MyvinAfE, ix. [13], [19], x. 12,
with
Hcan,lA, ix. [19], x. 11; Uz, ix. [16], x. 2; df,vA MlAOf, ix. [6], x. 16; hmAUq,
ix.
[20], x. 12 (concluding both Psalms). Both Psalms end with the same
prayer
against weak (mortal) men; both
anticipate the judgement and
overthrow
of the (heathen) nations, MyiOg UFp;wA.yi, ix. 19 [20], MyiOg
Udb;xA.
16,.
(2.) As regards the alphabetical
arrangement it is exceedingly irregular.
Ver.
[2, 3] begin with x; ver. [4] with b; ver. [6] with g; the letter d is,
wanting,
and ver. [7] begins with h; we have then four verses beginning.
with
v,
and not till ver. [12] do we find z; ver. [14] H: ver. [16] F; ver,
[18]
y;
ver. [19] k.
The alphabetical order ceases here, and does not.
reappear,
unless the l; in x. i is part of the alphabetical
arrangement, till
ver.
12 of the next Psalm, where (the six intervening letters having been
left
out) we find q, r, w, t, concluding the Psalm.
An ingenious attempt to restore the
alphabetical arrangement through-
out
has been made by Miss Evans, a learned lady, lately deceased.
a The title has been much discussed,
but with little satisfactory result.
The
older Jewish commentators found in NBela a proper name. Accord-
ing
to Qimchi, who adopts the view of his father Jos. Qimchi, the subject
of
the Psalm is Goliath, and the name of the author is one Ben, the Levitical
singer
mentioned I Chron. xv. 18. Others suppose Absalom to be meant,
and
render it "On the death of the Son." But it is better to take the
prep.
lfa
in its usual meaning in such cases, as denoting "after the
manner
of;" and the words which follow, as indicating some other poem
beginning
"Die for the son," or "Death of the son," to the music of
which
this was to be set.
PSALM IX. 163
b The older Versions, without
exception, take the prep B; here as a
prep.
of time, = "when" or "
whilst (i e. now that) mine enemies," &c.;
the
Anglo-Saxon being the first, so far as I know, which takes it in a
causative
sense, " Forcamou gewhyrfdest," &c., Because, &c. But in any
case
this verse is connected immediately with the preceding, and clause
(b)
continues the construction in clause (a), the finite verb as usual taking
the
place of the inf. with the prep. (Ges. § 129, Rem. 2). Perhaps the
temporal
and causative meanings of the prep. may both be combined, as
in
the Lat. abl. absol.
e j`DA, lit. one who is
crushed to powder (r. jkd = xkd, qqd). In hrAcA.Ba
the
b
is not servile as Ges. asserts, but it is one word, from r. rcb, coer-
cuit, formed from the Piel,
as hwAq.ABa from wq.eBi, hsAlA.qa, &c. Literally it
means
therefore " the state of being shut up, cut off from resources,"
&c.,
and
is kindred with tr,coBa (Jer. xvii. 8), "drought," cohibitio, sc. pluviae.
Ewald
would give the same meaning here.
d MyvinAfE. So the Q'ri, as correction
of the K'thibh MyyinifE. Just the con-
trary
ver. 19. See also x. 12. These seem quite arbitrary corrections.
Generally
it is supposed that ynifA, refers to external condition, "one
who is
bowed
down, i.e. oppressed, afflicted;" vnAfA, to the inner spirit,
“one who
is
meek, gentle," &c. (tapeino<j, prau~j). But this distinction
rests chiefly on
the
fact that the abstr. hvAnAfE means "meekness," and that in
the Targums
xyAn;fa ( = ynifA) means
"afflicted;" and NvAn;fi (=vnAfA) "meek." It
is not
clearly
established by Biblical usage, for it is often impossible to say in
the
use of either word which meaning was uppermost in the writer's
mind;
the one passes indeed readily into the other, the afflicted being
also
the lowly of heart. (See more on these words in Hupfeld's note.)
e ynien;;HA, an unusual form for ynine.HA. According to another
reading yninen;Ha,
which
was the only reading known to Qimchi, who, however, makes it
wrongly
imper. Piel. It is imper. Kal from an intr. form NnaHE.
f jytlht, a sing. noun with
plur. suffix (as Ezek. xxxv. 11, j~yt,cxAn;Wi, and
xvi.
51, 55, 61, j`yitaOHxE; see also Is. xlvii.
13), but apparently a Massoretic
freak,
unless as Hitz. (Prov. vi. 3) suggests, the y was intended in the
absence
of vowels to mark the pausal forms of the noun with Segol.
Qimchi
maintains that this is a masc. plur. Mytlht, instead of the fem.
The
Cambridge MS. Add. 465 has simply jtlht although the scribe had
originally
written a y.
It is his own correction, as if he saw his mistake.
g Uz, the old demonstrative
form here used as a relative.
h wqeOn is clearly the part.
Kal from a r. wqn, not
a Niph. for wqaOn as if
from
wqy.
i hrvm, apparently incorrectly
written for xrvm, "fear," or perhaps a
"terrible
example." The LXX., Syr., and Vulg. seem to have read hr,Om,
and
render accordingly, " set a teacher or master over them."
k wOnx< used here and in the
preceding verse to denote man in his
frailty
and impotence ; hence the oxymoron, ver. 20, wOnx<
zfoyA lxa,
"let
not
weak man carry himself as if he were strong."
164 PSALM X.
PSALM X.
THE Psalmist calls upon God to
chastise the unbridled insolence
and
scorn of the wicked. These have reached such a pitch, that it
seems
as if God winked at evil. Men are not only doing wickedness,
but
boasting of their wickedness. and finding that justice does not
overtake
them, are acting as if in the conviction that there is no God.
The
prosperity (ver. 5), security (ver. 6), insolence (ver. 4, 11), deceit
(ver.
7), and violence (ver. 8—10) of these despisers of God is vividly
pourtrayed.
The Psalm concludes with the triumphant assertion of
faith,
that despite all seeming disorders, Jehovah is King, and that
He
does hear and answer the cry of the oppressed.
It is impossible to say to what
period of Jewish history the Psalm
is
to be referred. The state of society which it supposes is peculiar.
The
violent oppressors belonged apparently to heathen nations, who
had
not yet been finally driven out of the land, but whose speedy
destruction
the poet anticipates (ver. 16). Compare Psalm ix. 15, 16
[16,
17]. In that Psalm, too, in a still more marked manner than
in
this, "the wicked" and "the (heathen) nations" are identified.
See
ver. 5 [6], 17 [18], 19, 20 [20, 21]. The only limit of time is
that
furnished by Psalm ix. 11 [12], 14 [15], from which it is certain
that
the Ark had already been placed on Mount Zion.
On the connection between these two
Psalms see the Introduction
and
Notes to Psalm ix.
The Psalm consists of two principal
divisions:
I. The first contains a forcible
description of the wicked in the
ull
maturity both of his impiety and of his power, together with a
complaint
to God against him. Ver. I—11.
II. The second is an appeal to God
to arise and show Himsel
the
avenger of the oppressed and the destroyer of the proud. Ver.
12-18.
1.
1 WHY, 0 Jehovah, standest Thou afar off?
(Why) hidest Thou (Thine eyes) in
times of trouble?
xxii.
2, 12, 20; xxxv, 22; xxxviii 12,
22. HIDEST, viz. "Thine eyes.'' So the
ellipse is to be supplied. See |
I. STANDEST . . . AFAR OFF, i.e. like
an idle passive spectator, un- concerned
at the misery which he sees
but refuses to relieve. See |
PSALM X.
165
2
Through the pride of the wicked the afflicted is hotly
vexed;
They are taken in the devices they have
imagined.
3
For the wicked boasteth of a his soul's desire,
And he blesseth the robber; b
he despiseth Jehovah.
4
The wicked, such is his scornfulness, (saith) " He re-
quireth not."
"There is no God," is the
sum of his devices.
5
His ways are sure c at all times:
Thy judgements are far above out of his
sight:
Is.
i. 15. The same phrase is used of
men who leave wickedness un- punished
(Lev. xx. 4; I Sam. xii. 3), or
who disregard the misery of others
(Prov. xxviii. 27). LXX. u[peror%?j. IN TIMES OF TROUBLE. See on ix.
9 [10], Note b. 2. THE AFFLICTED Or " humble."
See
on ix. 12. IS HOTLY VEXED, lit. "burns."
LXX.
e]mpuri<zetai, Aq. e]kkai<etai, Symm.
fle<getai. Hengstenberg explains
this of the indignation felt by
the oppressed against their per- secutors,
which, however, is hardly probable.
It is more natural to understand
it of the suffering en- dured,
whether mental or bodily. Through
the proud dealing of the wicked
their victims are placed in the
fire or furnace of affliction. The verb
is intransitive; see vii. 13 [14]. The second clause of this verse is
capable of two interpretations: either
(i) they (i.e. the humble) are taken
in the devices which the wicked
have imagined; or (2) they (i.e.
the wicked) are (or rather, shall be) taken in the devices
which they themselves have imagined. In the
former
case we have the common change
from the singular to the plural,
"the afflicted" in the first clause
meaning, of course, not an individual
but a class. 3-10. The conduct of the wicked described
as the reason of the singer's complaint.
Hence introduced by "for." |
3. Both members of this verse have
been differently explained. The
first may be rendered either (I)
boasteth of his heart's desire; or (2)
boasteth after, according to, &c.;
or
(3) giveth praise to his heart's desire
(instead of praising Jehovah). This
last is the interpretation of both
Ewald and Hengstenberg, who refer
to Hab. i. 11—16 in support of
it. But on this, and the ren- dering
of the second member, see Critical
Note. 4. All the older versions render, "the
wicked in (or, according to) his
pride (lit. height of his nostril) will
not inquire," viz. after God---- never
troubles himself, that is, whe- ther
God approves his conduct or not.
But the other interpretation, which
makes the words "He (i.e. God)
will not require" the words of the
evil-doer, accords better with the
clause following, and also with the
similar expression, ver. 13, "He hath
said in his heart, Thou wilt not
require." THERE IS NO GOD: not that he is
literally an atheist, but that the whole
of his conduct, all his pur- poses
and schemes, are carried on as
if there were no God, in a prac- tical denial of His
existence. See xiv.
I. Others render: "All his thoughts
are, There is no God;" but the
noun properly means schemes, devices, rather than thoughts. 5. FAR ABOVE, accusative used adverbially,
as xcii. 9, Is. xxii. i6. The
expression is just the opposite |
166 PSALM X.
As for all his adversaries, he
puffethd at them;
6
He saith in his heart: "I cannot be moved;
From one generation to another I
shall have e no
misfortune."
7
Of cursing is his mouth full, of deceit and oppression;
Under his tongue is mischief and
iniquity.
8
He sitteth in the lurking-places of the villages,
In secret corners doth he slay the
innocent;
His eyes are privily set against the
helplessf.
9
He lurketh in his hiding-place, as a lion in his lair;
He lurketh to catch the afflicted;
He doth catch the afflicted, drawing
him in his net.
10
So he is crushed,f sinks down
and falls;
The helpless g (perish)
by means of his strength.h
11
He saith in his heart: "God hath forgotten;
He hath hidden His face; He will
never see it."
to
xviii. 22 [23], "all His judge- ments
are before me;" whereas they are
so far out of the sight of the wicked,
that he acts as if they could never
reach him. See Job xxii. 12,
&C. 7. CURSING; apparently, from what
follows, "perjury" (though the word
does not of itself mean this), reckless
false swearing in order to effect
his evil purposes. See lix. 12
[13], and Hos. iv. 2, in both which
passages the same words "swearing
and lying" occur toge- ther,
as here "swearing and deceit." UNDER HIS TONGUE,—not to be explained
by a reference to the poison-bag
of serpents, because the same
phrase occurs also in a good sense,
lxvi. 17, Cant. iv. 11. Just in the
same sense, "upon the
tongue," xv.
3, 2 Sam. xxiii. 2. 8-10. The crafty schemes of the
wicked in order to entrap their victims. 8. VILLAGES. The word is ex- plained,
Lev. xxv. 31, to mean a collection
of houses not enclosed within
a wall. But it is doubtful whether
the villages are mentioned |
because,
from their defenceless state,
it was easier there to plunder and
kill; or whether by these vil- lages
are meant the haunts of the robbers
themselves, the places in which they lurked, not against which they formed their
designs; nomad
encampments of predatory Bedouins,
who thence fell upon help- less
travellers. This last seems more probable.
Compare Gen. xxv. 16. 9. There is some confusion in the metaphors
employed. The wicked is
compared first to the lion watch- ing
for his prey, and then to the hunter
taking wild animals in his net.
Whereas, again in ver. 10 we seem
to have the image of the wild beast
crushing his prey. 10. For the explanation of this verse
see Critical Notes. 11. A repetition of the statement in
ver. 4, which at once puts in a more
forcible light the character of these
men, and lends greater ear- nestness
to the prayer which follows. See
for the same sentiment, Zeph. i.
12. In the last clause of the verse
the verb is in the preterite: "He
hath not seen it for ever," |
PSALM X.
167
II. q 12 Arise, 0 Jehovah! 0 God, lift up i Thine hand:
Forget not the
afflicted.
13 Wherefore should the wicked despise
God?
(Wherefore should he)
say in his heart, "Thou wilt
not require
(it)"?
r 14 Thou hast seen (it); for THOU considerest
mischief
and vexation,
That (men) may put k (the
matter) into Thy hand.
The helpless f leaveth (it) to
Thee:
Thou hast been the helper of the
orphan.
w 15 Break thou the arm of the wicked;
And as for the evil man, when his
wickedness is
sought for, let it no
more be found.
which
expanded="He hath not seen
it—and He will not see it for ever." 12—18. Second principal division of
the Psalm, in which the poet (i) cries
earnestly to God for help and vengeance
upon his enemies (12— 15);
and then (2) expresses his con- fidence
that his prayer has been heard
(16—18). 13. The argument is that God's honour
is concerned in the reproach which
is brought against it by the success
of the wicked. WHEREFORE SHOULD, &c. lit. "Wherefore
hath ,the wicked de- spised
God?" See xi. 3 (Heb.). 14. THOU HAST SEEN (IT). An emphatic
energetic protest against the
words immediately preceding, and
also with a reference to the "He
will never see," ver. 11, throw- ing
back the word in the mouth of the
wicked. (Cf. xxxv. 22.) There is
a time coming, he feels assured, when
all this disorder will be set right.
God is not the passive spec- tator
of human affairs which these men
deem Him. He "considers" (i.e.
regards with interest and sym- pathy)
what is going on. See the same
word, xxxiii. 13, lxxx. 15, Hab. i.
3, 13, and in many other passages. The
helpless, therefore, may leave all
to God;—and with the more |
confidence,
because God has been the
helper of those who, like the orphan,
are deprived of human protectors.
This appeal to past experience
is always a ground of confidence.
The road we are now travelling
may be very dark, but let
us look back, and on some spot which
we have passed we shall see the
light shining. 15. WHEN HIS WICKEDNESS, &c. Ordinarily
such as expression mig it seem
to denote a wish that his wickedness
should be forgiven on repentance,
but that clearly is not the
sense here. The meaning must be,
"Let the wicked and his wicked- ness
disappear, so that even when sought
for it cannot be found." "To
seek and not find" is a pro- verbial
expression, signifying that an
object has utterly perished or disappeared,
so as to leave no trace of
its existence. See xxxvii. 36, Is. xli.
12. Cf. John vii. 34, Zhth<sete< me, kai> ou]x
eu[rh<sete. But what is the subject
of the verbs? And are the verbs
in the second or third person? If
in the second, then two render- ings
are possible; (I) "Thou (Je- hovah)
shalt seek" (i e. require so as
to punish—which is the meaning of
the same verb in ver. 4, 13), or rather,
imperative: "Seek, i.e. punish
his wickedness," (and) find |
168 PSALM X.
16
Jehovah is King for ever and ever:
The nations have
perished out of His land.
t 17 The
desire of the afflicted hast Thou heard, 0 Jehovah;
Thou establishest their
heart;
Thine ear hearkeneth
(unto them),
18 That Thou mayest judge (the cause of)
the orphan
and the oppressed,
So that mortal man of the earthl
may no more
terrify.
nothing
(more to punish); punish his
wickedness, till it be clean gone; or
(2) the second person is employed in
a vague general sense, "Thou (i.e.
anybody) shalt seek, &c." so that
the sentence is equivalent to the
impersonal "it shall be sought for,"
&c. So the LXX. zhthqh<setai h[ a[marti<a
au]tou?, kai> ou] mh> eu[req^?. Of these
two explanations the last is certainly
preferable, as preserving the
proverbial character of the phrase,
which is quite lost sight of in
the other. A third, however, is possible.
The verb may be in the third
person, the noun, "his wicked- ness,"
being the subject (personi- fied).
The rendering would then be,
"And as for the evil man" (ac- cording
to the Massoretic punctua- tion
this belongs to the second member
of the verse), "let his wickedness
seek him, and no more |
find
him." But this, though not otherwise
than forcible, seems some- what
artificial. 16. The triumph of faith, which, knowing
that Jehovah is King, already
sees by anticipation His righteous
judgement executed. The bold
plunderers who have so long infested
the land are already swept away,
says the singer, so sure is he of
the issue. The land, which is Jehovah's
land, must "be purged of
all evil-doers," as once of the Canaanites,
who were driven out. Israel
maybe "mightily oppressed," as
by Sisera of old, but God will hear
his cry, and give strength to his
trembling heart (ver. 17), and so
manifest His power that these tyrants
who, with all their boast- ing,
are but weak mortal men (ver. 18),
shall no longer oppress His people. |
a lle.hi with lfa apparently as in Ps.
xliv. 9, with 3, "He maketh his
boast
of," &c. ‘n
tvaxETa is
then either abstract, "the desire itself," the
boasting
concerning which is the utmost height of wickedness (c f. Is. iii.
9);
or, "the satisfaction of the desire:" or concrete, "the object
of
desire,"
as xxi. 3, lxxviii. 29, 30. The Syr. renders " he boasteth himself
in,"
&c., LXX. e]painei?tai, and Jerome, laudabitur in, but in some MSS.
laudabit desiderium. But there is no other
instance of this construction
with
lfa.
Hupfeld, therefore, would render, "he boasts according to the
desire,"
&c. i.e. he merely follows the promptings and suggestions of his
heart,
regardless of right or wrong. Cf. Is. xxvi. 8. But this is not very
satisfactory,
and ll.ehi
is never used absolutely like the Hithp. in the sense
of
boasting.
b Two questions have here to be decided.
First, is faceBo
the subject or
the
object of j`r,Be;
and next, what is the meaning of j`reBe? Some would
render,
"And the robber (or the covetous) curseth (and) despiseth
PSALM
X. 169
Jehovah."
But Schultens on Job, p. 12, has proved that the verb jrb
never
has this meaning. At most it can only mean "to bid farewell to"
(because
at parting men blessed one another), and so " to renounce "—
"And
the robber renounceth and despiseth Jehovah." Hengst. however,
who
also makes faceBo the subject,
retains the usual meaning of j`reBe, and
renders
"he blesses [and yet] despises Jehovah;" i.e. he blesses Jehovah
for
his ill-gotten gains, and yet all the while despises Him. In support of
this
interpretation he refers to Zech. xi. 5, where the owners of the flock
slay
them and hold themselves not guilty, and they that sell them say,
"Blessed
be Jehovah, for I am rich." On the whole, however, it seems
better
to retain the same subject, as in the former member of the verse,
viz.
fwArA,
and to make facEBo the object of the verb. We then get,
"he
blesseth
the robber," parallel to "he boasteth of (or, after) his heart's
desire;"
and the contrast, rendered more effective by the asyndeton, "He
blesseth
the robber—he despiseth Jehovah."
c UlyHiyA, "are strong,
sure, prosperous." Cf. Job xx. 21, and the noun
lyiHa, "strength." The LXX. bebhlou?ntai, evidently by a mistake
connect-
ing
the word with the root llH, lylH, profanum. Similar the Syr.
,
profanae sunt viae ejus, rendered by
Dathe solutae sunt. Jerome, partu-
riunt. Others give, "are
crooked." But all these rest on mistaken
interpretations
of the root.
d HaypiyA, "puffeth,"
i.e. in scorn or contempt. See Mal. i. 13. So the
Syr. , and Jerome despicit. Others, "bloweth upon them," i.e. He
has
only to blow and they wither. Hengst. compares Is. xl. 24, and the
expression
in Plautus, Mil. Glor. 1, 17,
"Cujus to legiones difflavisti
spiritu quasi folia ventus." So Symm. e]kfus%?. Either of these
renderings
is
admissible; but the first is the simpler, and more in accordance with
the
context, where the pride of the
wicked man is the leading idea.
e rw,xE. The construction of
this word has perplexed the interpreters.
The
Chald. has "from generation to generation I shall not be moved from
doing
evil." The Syr. "he meditates evil," following, however, perhaps
a
different
text. The LXX. omit the relative altogether, and have merely
a@neu kakou?. Jer. sine malo. Symm. ou] ga>r e@somai e]n kakw<sei. The simplest
way,
perhaps, is to refer the relative to the words immediately preceding,
rdovA rdo, "through generations which are
free from evil." Others make
rw,xE = rw,xEBa, or rw,xE lfa, "inasmuch as, or
because I am (or, shall be)
free
from misfortune." Hengst. will have it emphatic = "I am one who
shall
not," &c. which he attempts to defend by Is. viii. 20; where, how-
ever,
rw,xE
does not introduce the apodosis, as he asserts. According to
Hitz.
rw,xE
depends upon rmx and introduces the direct discourse, as e .
2
Sam. i. 4, only that, instead of standing at the beginning of the clause,
it
stands after other words, as in Zech. viii. 20, 23. " He hath said that
from
generation to generation," &c.
f hkdv = hK,d;yi, according to the Q'ri;
which is then generally ex-
plained,
"he crouches down the better to conceal himself; or, gathers
170 PSALM
X.
himself
together as if the better to make his spring." But there is no
proof
that the verb hkd ever has this meaning. In Qal it does not occur
elsewhere.
In Piel it means "to crush, to grind to fine powder," But
retaining
the K'thibh with other points we may read hk,dAv; (so Gesen. and
Hupf.)
as an adjective with intransitive or passive meaning (like j`DA, ver,
18),
"one who is crushed." Then we may render either "and crushed,
he
(the humble) sinks down;" or, "the crushed men, the oppressed, sink
down."
So Symm. o[ de> qlasqei>j kamfqh<setai. He may, however, have
read
hK,d;yi (taking it intransitively), and have meant merely to express
the
two
Hebrew verbs by the participle and verb in Greek. The LXX. con-
nect
it with the foregoing verse, e]n t^? pagi<di au]tou?
tapeinw<sei au]to<n.
Jerome, Et conjractum subjiciet.
g hkAl;He. The word occurs only
in this Psalm: here and ver. 14, and
again
in the plural MyxiKAl;he, ver. 10. The
Massoretic punctuation evidently
intends
us to take hkAl;He as = j~l;yHe, from lyH with the suffix;
"thy host,"
or
"thy company" (the form in ver. 14 being pausal; where, in correct
texts,
we have a Segol hkAl,He, not a Tsere); and MyxiKAl;He, ver. 10, as two
words,
MyxiKA lyHe, "the company of the afflicted, or terrified."
But the
punctuation
is manifestly wrong. It is clear that we have the singular
and
plural forms of the same word. We must, therefore, assume an ad-
jective,
hK,l;HA, formed after the analogy of ywip;hA but with the termination
h-, (originally the Aramaic y-a) instead of y-i from a root j`l,Ho, "weakness,
helplessness,"
which, though it does not occur in Heb. is found in. Arab.
"to be black," and so
"to be miserable." For the introduction of the x in
the
plural, may be compared MyxitAP; from ytiP;, and MyxilAF; from yliF;
or hl,FA.
The older Versions generally support
this. They all render it as one
word,
"the poor," "the weak," &c. So Chald., Syr., Arab.,
though the
Chald.
fluctuates somewhat, using in ver. 8 xyA.naK;s;mil;, and in ver. 10 xyAn;fa,
whilst
in ver. 14 it introduces the suffix j`y.AnifE. The LXX. use pe<nhtej
and
ptwxoi<. Aq. and Symm. a]sqenei?j.
h vymAUcfE, rendered by many
"his strong ones," and supposed to refer to
the
young of the lion, the metaphor already used being continued. Others
again
supply some noun, such as "claws" or "teeth." Ewald
supposes
the
form to be dual, and translates "claws." But MymiUcfE
may be
an
abstract plural noun, meaning "strength." So the Chald. interprets it
by
Jvqt,
and Jerome viribus suis.
i xWAn;, the fuller form,
instead of xWA. Similarly, but with different
though
similar letters, hsAn;, iv. 7.
k ‘B; ttelA. This is commonly
explained by reference to Is. xlix. [6,
j`ytiq.oHa MyiPaKa lfa, “I have graven thee
upon the hands;" and the phrase is
supposed
to mean that God has so engraven all this evil-doing as it were
on
His hands, that He cannot forget it, and will therefore surely punish it.
But
the simple phrase dyb Ntn cannot possibly mean "to engrave on
the
hand."
It can only mean, either "to take into the hand," or "to put
into
the
hand." The latter is the preferable rendering: "Thou considerest
PSALM XI. 171
mischief
and vexation, to put it (i.e. that men may put it, that it may be
put)
into Thy hand." And this agrees with what follows: "the helpless
leaveth
it to Thee." So LXX. tou? paradou?nai au]tou>j
ei]j xei?ra<j sou.
Jerome,
Ut detur in manu tua. And the Syr.
"Thou waitest for it to be
delivered
into Thy hands." Calvin gives a similar turn to the passage,
for
he remarks: "Nostrum est patienter quiescere
quamdiu in manu Dei
reposita
erit vindicta." But he explains 'B; ttelA, "That Thou mayest
take
(it) into Thy hand:" "Ut ponas
in mannum, quod nihil aliud quam
serio et cum effectu cognoscere."
l The second clause of
ver. 18 is capable of different interpretations,
according
as we join Cr,xAhA Nmi with the verb CrofEla or with wOnx<. In the
former
case the rendering would be "that they (the wicked, or men
generally,
the subject not being determined) may no more terrify men out
of
the land," i.e. that the heathen persecutors may not drive out the
Israelites
from Canaan. But wOnx< is not used of the sufferers but of
their
tyrants
(ix. 20), and we should expect Myiy.infE, or some such word. In
the
latter
case, 'hA Nmi wOnx< "frail man of the earth," would seem
to be an ex-
pression
designedly chosen to pour contempt on the haughty plunderers
described
above. Similarly xvii. 14, dl,H,me
Mytim;,
"men of the world."
Then
the rendering will be, "That mortal man may no more terrify," or,
taking
Crf
not in the sense of "to terrify" but "to oppose, to
resist," as in
Is.
xlvii. 12, "That mortal men, &c. may no more resist (Thee)." So
the
LXX.
megalauxei?n and then this clause would be exactly parallel to the
wOnx< zfoyA lxa, ix. 20. Perhaps, too,
there is, as Calvin suggests, a tacit
opposition
between these men of the earth and the heaven where God
dwells: "E
terra tacitam continet antithesin inter humile terrae domicilium
et coelorum altitudinem. Unde enim ad oppugnandos Dei
filios prodent ?
E terra scilicet, perinde ac si vermiculi e terrae
fissuris emergerent. Atqui
hoc
modo Deum ipsum impetunt, qui e coelo auxihum servis suis pro-
mittit."
PSALM XI.
THE singer is in danger of his life;
and timorous and faint-hearted
counsellors
would fain persuade him to seek safety in flight. But,
full
of unshaken faith in God, he rejects their counsel, believing
that
Jehovah the righteous King, though He tries His servants, does
not
forsake them. Not the righteous, but the wicked have need to
fear.
The Psalm is so short and so general in its character, that it
is
not easy to say to what circumstances in David's life it should
be
referred. The choice seems, however, to lie between his perse-
cution
by Saul and the rebellion of his son Absalom. Delitzsch
decides
for the last, and thinks the counsel (ver. I), "flee to your
mountain,"
comes from the mouth of friends who were anxious to
172 PSALM XI.
persuade
the king to betake himself, as he had before done when
hunted
by Saul, to "the rocks of the wild goats " (I Sam. xxiv. 3).
It
is in favour, to some extent, of this view that the expression in
ver.
3, "when the foundations are destroyed," points to a time when
lawful
authority was subverted.
The Psalm consists of two strophes,
which may be briefly charac-
terized:--
I. The timid counsels of the
faint-hearted. Ver. I-3.
II. The answer of faith. Ver. 4-7.
The first strophe, however, it
should be observed, opens with the
calm
assertion of confident trust, before we hear a word of expose
lation
with those whose advice the Psalmist rejects.
[FOR THE PRECENTOR. (A PSALM) OF
DAVID.]
1
IN Jehovah have I found refuge:
How say ye to my soul:
"Flee ye a to your
mountain, (like) a bird;
I. IN JEHOVAH — under the shadow
of His wings (xxxvi. 7 [8]) —HAVE
I FOUND REFUGE; I need no
other refuge: how can ye say to
me, &c.; my feet are on the true Rock,
why should I look elsewhere for
safety? This is the full force of
the expression. There is more- over
a force in the perfect, "I have found."
It is an exclamation of joyful
confidence in the thought that
he has such a refuge, it is not yet
to seek. The advice here given and
which he repels is that of timid and
desponding friends, who would persuade
him that all is lost, and that
the highest wisdom is to yield to
circumstances, and to seek safety not
in resistance but in flight. But in
fact the voice which thus speaks is
the voice of the natural heart, of
the selfish and therefore short- sighted
and cowardly instinct, which
always asks first, not What is
right? but, What is safe? The advice
may be well meant, but it is unworthy.
(Cf. iii. 3, iv. 6 [7].) This is
the victory that overcometh the world,
even our faith. But it is |
often
a sorer trial for faith to have to
withstand the pleadings of well- meaning
friends than to arm itself against
open enemies. TO MY SOUL. Cf.
iii. 2 [3]. ''Sig- nificans pectus suum fuisse con- fixum
probrosa rejectione."-- Calvin. FLEE YE, plural, because, though the
words are aimed chiefly at David,
and addressed to him ("to my soul"), yet his
friends and partisans,
who are involved in the same
peril, are also included. (LIKE)
A BIRD, or "like birds," the sing.
being here collective, for the plural,
as often. TO YOUR MOUNTAIN. This partly
perhaps follows the image of
the bird, "which, when hunted on
the plain, betakes itself to the woods
and mountains" (De Wette; but
the mountains, caves, and fast- nesses
of Palestine would be the natural
hiding-place of persons in danger.
(Cf. Jud. vi. 2, I Sam. xiii. 6,
I Macc. ii. 28, Matt. xxiv. 16,) Hengst.
sees an allusion to Gen, xix.
17, and Tholuck to the rocks |
PSALM
XI.
173
2
For lo! the wicked bend the bow,
They have aimed their
arrow upon the string,
To shoot in the dark at them that
are upright in
heart.
3
When b the foundations are destroyed,
What can the righteous do?"
4
Jehovah is in His holy temple;
Jehovah,—His throne is in heaven:
His eyes behold, His
eyelids try the children of men.
5
Jehovah trieth the righteous,
But the wicked and him that loveth
violence doth
His soul abhor.
6
May he rain upon the wicked snares,
in
the wilderness of Judah to which David
betook himself, I Sam. xxvi. 20;
see also xxiii. 25—28, xxiv. 3. 2. Observe the change of tense: "they
are bending; nay, they have already
armed." The image here used
of the bird pursued by the hunters
reminds us of what David says
to Saul, 1 Sam. xxvi. 20, "The king
hath come to seek me, as when
one hunteth a partridge in the
mountains." 3. A further reason for the adop- tion
of a timid policy. All is in hopeless
disorder and confusion. THE
FOUNDATIONS, or "pillars," may
either mean the principal persons (such as magistrates
and others
in authority, cf. Is. xix. io, and
stu<loi of the Apostles, Gal. ii.
9), or the very principles of law and
order (see lxxxii. 5, Ezek. xxx. 4..) which
were now subverted. 4-7. The answer of Faith, the glance
directed from earth to heaven,
the full trust in the righteous
and all-seeing Lord, the confidence
that whatever the appa- rent
confusion and disorder of the lower
world, there is an Eye that sees
and a Hand that directs all, that
even the suffering of the righ- teous
is part of a Divine purpose of
love. |
4. This verse might also be rendered: Jehovah
in His holy temple, Jehovah
(whose) throne (is) in heaven, His
eyes behold, His eyelids try, &c. In any case the emphasis rests upon
the verbs in this last clause, which
are the real predicates. HOLY TEMPLE, or, PALACE, used
not only of the Temple or Tabernacle
in Jerusalem (see on v.
7), but also of the heavenly temple,
xviii. 6 [7], xxix. 9, Is. vi., Hab.
ii. 20, Mic. i. 2. Here the parallelism
would rather favour the latter. 5. TRIETH. The same verb as in
the previous verse, but used here in
a more definite sense with refer- ence
to the result of the trial: puts them
into the furnace (the word is used
of the testing of metals), that they
may come forth as pure gold. Cf.
xvii. 3, Job xxiii. 10. 6. The figures in this verse are borrowed
from the destruction of Sodom
and Gomorrah. MAY HE RAIN. We might rather have
expected the future, "He will rain,"
as marking the certainty of the
coming judgement. But the form is
optative, and must therefore be |
174 PSALM XI.
Fire and brimstone, and a burning
wind,c as the
portion of their cup.
7
For righteous is Jehovah, He loveth righteousness;
They that are upright shall behold
His face.d
so
rendered. David, who has just said
that Jehovah abhors the wicked.
thus places himself as it were
on the Lord's side. SNARES. The word presents some
difficulty. It seems a harsh metaphor
to speak of raining snares, especially
in immediate juxtaposi- tion
with fire and brimstone. Still we
must recollect that the Hebrew poets
were not always careful to avoid
incongruity of metaphor. We have
immediately following a me- taphor
of an entirely different kind,
"the portion of their cup." Ewald
reads wxe ymiHEPa, "coals of fire,"
and arranges the clauses as follow: "
On the wicked He raineth coals of fire and brimstone; A
burning wind is the portion of their cup." The
first line gives, as he says, the image
of a fiery rain from heaven, as
in the overthrow from Sodom: the
second, that of a poisonous Simum,
drunk in as it were from |
an
envenomed cup; others again take
the word SNARES as inapposi- tion
with the following nouns: "fire and
brimstone as snares or nets," or,
"in flakes, masses," this last sense
of the word being derived from
its use in Num. xvi. 38, where it
means "thin plates." 7. Thus Faith kindles into Hope. Not
only does David make Jehovah his
refuge in calamity, but he can rejoice
in the thought that he shall behold
the face of God,—behold now
the light of His countenance even
in the midst of gloom and darkness.
(Cf. iv. 7, xxi. 7.) Did his
hope reach beyond this, and are we
to suppose that here he looks forward
to seeing God in the resur- rection?
We cannot tell. But see xvi.
11, xvii. 15. To us, however, his
words maybe the expression of a
"hope full of immortality." "We know
that our light affliction worketh
out for us a far more exceeding
and eternal weight of glory."
We know that "when He shall
appear . . . we shall see Him as He is." |
a
vdvn.
It is better to adopt the K'thibh in this case than the Q'ri, ydvn,
because
of the plural suffix which follows. The correction to the sing.
was made to suit the preceding but with the
obvious disadvantage
of
clashing with the plur. suffix in ywip;na. Nor can this be
defended by
Micah
i. 11, ‘w ‘vy
Mk,lA yrib;fi,
because there the subject is a city, and the
plur.
therefore naturally refers to the inhabitants.
rOPci,
either with the
particle
of comparison omitted, as in xxii. 14, xlviii. 8, and elsewhere, or
simple
vocative, "ye birds," the persons themselves being so addressed
(metaphor
instead of comparison, as xii. 6 [71). The accentuation of the
three
last words of the verse is very peculiar: Rebia geresh, Tiphcha
finale
(Tarcha) Silluk, instead of the usual accents after Athnach, viz.
Tarcha,
Munach, Silluk. But we find another instance of exactly the
same
kind in lxxiii. 9.
b The construction is unusual. yKi
"when,"
in the protasis followed by
a
question in the apodosis with the verb in the perfect. The only other
passage
like it is Job xxxviii. 41, but there we have the future in the
PSALM
XII.
175
apodosis.
We have, however, yKi followed by hm in Ps. viii. 4, 5, but
without
any verb expressed in the interrogative clause. The perfect here
with
the interrogation is remarkable. Lit. "What hath the righteous
done?"
i.e. what good has he effected by all his efforts ? Or perhaps,
hypothetically,
" Quid fecerit, s. efficeret contra tantam
insolentiam."
c The word hpflz occurs Lament. v. 10,
of hunger, and Ps. cxix. 53 as
synonymous
with hxnq.
tnAm;, stat. construct. of hnAmA, for tnam;; with
Kametz,
because = tyan;mi as tcAq; = tvac;qa. The word occurs only
as
construct.
See on xvi. note h.
d rwAyA, "the
upright," singular, but in a collective sense, and therefore
followed
by a plural predicate (as ix. 7). The suffix Omy-- may be singular
as
well as plural, especially when used,
as here, in reference to God.
PSALM
XII.
THIS, according to the title, is one
of David's psalms; but there
is
nothing in the circumstances, so far as we know them, of his
history,
which can lead us to associate the Psalm with any particular
period.
Tholuck thinks it is aimed at persons by whom David
was
surrounded in the court of Saul. Others suppose that it was
occasioned
by the treachery of the Ziphites, 1 Sam. xxiii. 19, or the
treachery
of Ahithophel in Absalom's rebellion. But it is not one or
two
prominent individuals whose conduct forms the burden of the
Psalmist's
complaint. He is evidently smarting from the falseness
and
hypocrisy of the time. The defection which he deplores is a
national
defection. Like Elijah in the deserts, he feels himself alone.
"there
is not one godly man left: the true-hearted are cut off."
A
taint has spread through society (to use the modern expression,
for
which the Hebrew poet says, " this generation "). Falsehood is
everywhere:
truth nowhere. The heart of men is double; their lips
are
flattering lips (ver. 3). And whilst they utter slander, hypocrisy,
and
lies, they boast of their power; and not only give their tongues
licence,
but justify the licence: "Our lips are our own; who is lord
over
us?"
Now this utter hollowness and
insincerity are very hard to bear.
The
few who, in the midst of the general corruption, still retain their
integrity
are persecuted, and sigh for deliverance. This deliverance
is
promised them in the form of a Divine interposition. The singer,
filled
with the Spirit of prophecy, consoles himself, and those afflicted
176 PSALM XII.
like
himself, not in his own words, but in the words of God (ver. 6).
And
then remembering how pure those words are, how unalterably
true—not
like the words of men which seem so
fair, but are so false—
he
feels that there he can rest, calm in the conviction that, though
the
wicked walk on every side, Jehovah will save them that love
Him
from all their machinations (ver. 8).
Both the circumstances of the
Psalmist and his prayer are very
similar
to what we find in the two immediately preceding Psalms.
The
belief here expressed as to the overthrow of the wicked (ver. 5—
8
[6—9]) may be compared with xi. 5—7. In the latter passage
that
belief is based upon God's character
as a righteous God. In
this
Psalm it rests apparently upon a special promise,
but in fact upon
God's
word. But God's word teaches us what
God's character is.
The
difference therefore is formal, not real.
The Psalm then consists of two
principal divisions:--
I. A complaint. Ver. 1—4.
II. The answer to that complaint.
Ver. 5-7.
These two principal sections may be
further subdivided as follow :
I. (i) The cry for help because
(a) good men are nowhere
to be found; and
(b) lies, and flattery,
and insincerity prevail. Ver 1, 2.
(2) The prayer that flatterers and
liars may be destroyed.
Ver.
3, 4.
II. (3) God's promise of help in
answer to the cry for help: and
the
Psalmist's Amen. Ver. 5, 6.
(4) The assurance and hope built
upon the promise. Ver. 7, 8.
[FOR
THE PRECENTOR. UPON THE OCTAVE.a (A PSALM) OF DAVID.]
I
SAVE, Jehovah, for the good man ceaseth,b
For the faithful fail c
from among the children of men,
I. SAVE. More emphatic, be- cause
no object is expressed. Cf. cxvi.
I, where in like manner the verb
"I love" stands without its object. THE GOOD . . . THE FAITHFUL. The
former (an adjective from the same
root as the noun commonly rendered
"loving-kindness") is either
(I) one who is the object of God's
loving-kindness, or (2) one |
who
shows love to God or to man: it
describes the good man both in his relation
to God and in his relation to
men. (See on iv. 3, note d, and on
xvi. 10.) The latter are those who
are honest and true-hearted, lit.
who are steadfast, unchanged by
the evil influences around them; men
that may be relied on (Nmx, see
lieut. xxxii. 21, to be firm, stable). Luther glosses:
"Amens- |
PSALM
XII.
177
2
They speak vanity, every one with his neighbour;
With flattering lips and a double
heart do they speak.
3
May Jehovah cut offd all flattering e lips,
(And) the tongue that speaketh great
things,
4
Which say: "With our tongue we are strong,f
Our lips are our own: who is lord
over us?"
5
"For the desolation of the afflicted,
For the deep sighing of the poor,
Now will I arise," saith Jehovah,
"I will set him in the safety
for which he longeth."g
Leute,"
Amen-folk, i.e. those whose heart
towards God and their neigh- bours
is true and earnest, like the Amen
of a prayer. 2. THEY SPEAK VANITY, i.e. emptiness,
untruth (as xli. 7; cxliv. 8.
11). EVERY ONE WITH HIS NEIGH- BOUR.,
See the exact opposite of this
enjoined, Eph. iv. 25, and the duty
grounded on the fact that we
are members one of another. But
the word "neighbour " must not
be pressed. "Neighbour" and "brother"
are used in Hebrew with- out
thinking of the exact relation implied
in the words, where we should
simply say "another.” WITH A DOUBLE HEART, lit. "with
a heart and a heart;" sc. altero quem proferunt,
altero quem recondunt. We have the opposite
expression,
I Chron. xii. 33; and in
ver. 38 the parallel expressions to
this last, "a perfect heart," "one heart." 3. The burning of a righteous indignation
uttering itself in a fer- vent
prayer for the uprooting of
the whole kingdom of lies. "Querelae
imprecationem annectit." —Calvin. 3, 4. At first thought there seems to
be a contradiction in speaking of
flattering lips, and a tongue that speaketh
great, i.e. proud words. But
only at first thought. The men here
described are evidently men occupying
a high position, smooth and
supple courtiers, perfect in the |
art
of dissembling, yet glorying too in
their power of saying what they list,
however atrocious the false- hood
or the calumny. So Calvin "Aulicos calumniatores perstringit, qui non modo suaviter se insinuant, sed
grandiloqua mentiendi libidine obruunt
miseros homines." 5. A remarkable instance of the close
affinity between the Poet and the
Prophet among the Hebrews. Each,
though in different ways,was the
teacher of that Eternal Truth which
he received from God. And this,
by the way, suggests to us what
every true Poet should be. Broadly
speaking, the difference lay here,
that the Poet gave utterance to
the longings, aspirations, fears, doubts,
anxieties of man's heart; whereas
the Prophet was com- missioned
to address himself di- rectly
to the people, as conveying to
them the message of God. The one
represented, so to speak, the human
side of the truth—what man feels
and is; the other the Divine —what
God is and requires. The one
speaks for man to God; the other
for God to man. Here, how- ever,
David, instead of expressing his
own feeling of confidence that God
will answer him, seems as it were
to hear God himself speaking ("Deum
ipsum inducit loquentem," Calvin). See the prophetic
coun- terpart
of this, Is. xxxiii. To. Now WILL I ARISE; emphat. as if
after long silence and much for- bearance,
now at length, &c. |
178 PSALM
XII.
6
The words of Jehovah are pure h words,
(Like) silver fined in a furnace
i in the earth, purified
seven times.
7
Thou, 0 Jehovah, wilt keep them,
Thou
wilt preserve them from this generation for ever.
8
The wicked walk to and fro on every side,
When a rabble k lifts
itself up over the children of
men.
6. The Poet dwells on the purity and
perfect truth of God's promises, not
only as opposed to all lying lips of
men (though that, I believe, was in
his mind), but also that he may thus
more deeply print upon the heart
of the afflicted the certain fulfilment
of the promise. This emphatic
assertion was rendered necessary
by the wide-spread and apparently
long-prevailing corrup- tion.
For those who were weak in faith
might begin to doubt whether the
truth of God itself had not failed. 7. The faith and hope which rest upon
the fact just before stated, that
the words of Jehovah are pure words. THEM, i.e. "the afflicted and poor,"
in ver. 5. In the second clause,
the pronoun in the Hebrew is
in the singular used distri- butively,
"him," i.e. each one of them. THIS GENERATION, spoken of those
who not only live in the same
age, but are pervaded by the spirit
of that age. So Is. liii. 8. |
Here,
the world as opposed to the Church. 8. This verse is no doubt per- plexing,
as it seems to contradict the
confidence expressed in ver. 7. Hupfeld
therefore would either (I) interpret:-- (Though)
the wicked walk about on every side, (It
is only) as when a rabble lifts itself up, &c. i.e.
their pride and insolence will be but
for a short time; it will come to
an end very soon, like the out- break
of a mob. Or (2) he would transpose
verses 7 and 8 so as to make
the confident assurance of preservation
close the Psalm. De- litzsch,
on the other hand, thinks that
the heart having lifted itself up
to the hope of the future, sinks again
at the sight of the gloomy present.
He calls the Psalm a ring, of
which the oracle, ver. 5, is the precious
stone. But this return to gloom
and doubt is, I believe, with- out
parallel at the conclusion of a Psalm. |
a ON THE OCTAVE. See above, vi. I.
b rmn, intransitive, as vii.
to.
c ssp, a!p.
leg. Rashi
observes that vsp is the same as vspx, "have
come
to an end." Qimchi compares Mymd spx, 1 Sam. xvii. 1, with
Mymd sp, 1 Chron. xi. 13. Mynvmx, not the plur. abstr. from NUmxe (as the
LXX.
render a]lh<qeiai, Symm. pi<steij, &c.) but as the
parallel dysiHA
shows,
an
adjective, "the true, the faithful." This is certain from the
recurrence
of
the same parallelism, xxxi. 24 (see also 2 Sam. xx. 19, where the word
occurs
likewise as an adj.), as well as from the analogy of Micah vii. 2.
PSALM
XIII. 179
d trek;yA, apoc. fut. in its
proper opt. sense.
e tOqlAHE, a plur. abstr. from hqAl;H, (not from qlAHA as Rosenm.). This
may
be accus. of the instrument according to Gesen. § 135, Rem. 3, or
the
b
instrumenti may be supplied from the
next clause.
f Unnewol;li, either (i) "over
our tongue have we power," we can do with
it
as we like, so Hupf.; or (2) "as to
our tongue (l of reference) are we
strong,"
the Hiph. in either case being = Qal. Our
lips are our own, lit.
"with
us," sc. as allies (txe, as 2 Kings ix. 32). Cf. xxxviii. 10 [11],
"The
light
of mine eyes is not with me," yTixi Nyxe, i.e. it is gone—I can
no longer
make
use of it.
g vl Hypy, either (i) "for
which (sc. fwy) he panteth;" or (2) "that he
may
recover breath," vl, being used in a
reflective sense. Hvp, to breathe
hard,
to pant (so Hab. ii. 3, "it panteth for the end," i.e. longeth for
its
accomplishment).
h tOrhF;, cf. Ps. xix. 9, 10.
The image here expanded is hinted at else-
where
in the use of the word Jvrc as applied to God's word, xviii. 31,
cxix.
140, Prov. xxx. 5.
i lylifE (prop. officina, r. llf, of operari ), "furnace" for
smelting of metals.
It
is difficult to say how Cr,xAlA should be construed. Commonly, as de-
scribing
the material of in a furnace of earth."
But Cr,x,
is never
used
in this sense. Better therefore, "belonging
to (i.e. fixed upon) the
earth."
Comp. in Schiller's Glocke:
"Fest gemauert in der Erden
Steht die Form aus Lehm
gebrannt."
k tUqzu (r. llz, conn. lld, llt, &c., to be weak, languid, slack,
worthless) = Arab. vilitas,
that which is contemptible and so vile,
morally
as well as socially. Abstr. for concr. Symm oi[ eu]telei?j. Aq.
eu]wnisme<noi. Jerome, vilissimi.
PSALM XIII.
IN this Psalm we see a servant of
God long and sorely tried by
the
persecutions of unrelenting enemies, and, as it seems to himself,
forgotten
and forsaken of God, pouring out the agony of his soul in
prayer.
It is a long and weary struggle, it is a daily and hourly
martyrdom;
and wrestling with his despair, he can but cry (like the
souls
under the altar, Rev, vi. 10), How long? And then calmer
words
of prayer rise to his lips, ver. 3, 4. And at last Faith asserts
180 PSALM XIII.
her
perfect victory (ver. 5). The rapid transition of feeling, from a
depth
of misery bordering on despair, to hope, and even joy, is very
remarkable.
We have three strophes:--
I. The first is "the deep
sighing" of a heart overwhelmed with the
agony
of its despair. Ver. 1, 2.
II. The calmer supplication
succeeds, as if the very utterance of
its
grief had made the burden less. Ver. 3, 4.
III. Prayer kindles into hope,
lighted up with something even of
joy.
Ver. 5.
[FOR THE PRECENTOR. A PSALM OF
DAVID.]
1
How long, 0 Jehovah, wilt Thou forget me for ever?
How long wilt Thou hide Thy face
from me?
2
How long must I take counsel in my soul,
1. It is quite unnecessary to point thus:
"How long wilt Thou forget me?
for ever?" as if there were two distinct
questions. (See the same double
question, lxxix. 5; lxxxix. 46
[47]). It is natural to a per- turbed
and doubting heart thus to express
itself, in a confused and almost
contradictory manner. In its
despair it thinks "God hath for- gotten
me;" and yet out of the very midst
of its despair there rises up the
conviction,--"No, not for ever;" and
then its hopelessness is changed to
expostulation, "How long wilt Thou
forget me? "We may, if we choose
it, paraphrase, "How long wilt
Thou make as if Thou wouldst forget
me for ever?" God's anger, the
hiding of His countenance, as Delitzsch
observes, cannot but seem
eternal to the soul which is conscious
of it. Nevertheless Faith still
cleaves to the Love which hides itself
under the disguise of severity, and
exclaims, "Though He slay me,
yet will I trust in Him." "When we
have long been crushed by suf- ferings,
and no sign appears that God
will succour us, the thought will
force itself upon us, God hath forgotten
me. For by nature we do |
not
acknowledge that God cares for us
in our afflictions; but by faith we
lay hold of His invisible provi- dence.
So David, so far as he could
judge from the actual state in
which he was, seemed to himself forsaken
of God. But at the same time,
because the Light of Faith was
his guide, he, with the eyes of his
mind, looked through and he yond
all else to the Grace of God, far
as it might seem hidden from his
sight "—Calvin. And Luther : "Does
he not pourtray in fitting words
that most bitter anguish of spirit,
which feels that it has to do with
a God alienated, hostile, impla- cable,
inexorable, whose wrath is (like
Himself) eternal? This is a state
in which Hope despairs, and yet Despair hopes at the same time; and
all that lives is ‘the groaning that
cannot be uttered,’ wherewith the
Holy Spirit maketh intercession for
us, brooding over the waters shrouded
in darkness, to use the expression
in Gen. i. This no one understands
who has not tasted it," 2. The "how long" four times repeated;
for the long duration of the
conflict is here the sting of the Poet's
grief. |
PSALM
XIII.
181
(Having)
sorrow in my heart daily?a
How long shall mine enemy lift up himself
against me?
3
Consider,—answer me, 0 Jehovah my God,
Lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the
(sleep of) death.
4
Lest mine enemy say: "I have prevailed against him;"b
(Lest) mine adversaries exult
because I am moved.
5
But as for me—in Thy loving-kindness have I trusted;
HOW LONG MUST I TAKE COUN- SEL?
Lit. "put counsels or delibe- rations
in my soul." See a similar use
of the verb, Prov. xxvi. 24. This
strikingly describes the help- less
embarrassment of the sufferer. Plan
after plan suggests itself, is resolved
upon, and then abandoned in
despondency as utterly unavail- ing.
As Luther says: "His heart is
like a raging sea, in which all sorts
of counsels move up and down; he
tries on all hands to find a hole through
which he can make his escape;
he thinks on various plans, and
still is utterly at a loss what to advise."
Well must David have understood
what this was, when, hunted
by Saul, he knew not where to
betake himself, at one time seek- ing
refuge among the Moabites, at another
in the wilderness of Ziph; now
an outlaw hiding himself in the
captain
in the service of the King of
the Philistines; and amid all his projects,
haunted by the mournful conviction,
"I shall now one day perish
by the hand of Saul." "Quan- quam
autem Dominus Spiritum consilii
fidelibus se daturum pro- mittit,
non tamen semper ipsum in primo
articulo suppeditat, sed quasi per
flexuosas ambages ad tempus discurrere
patitur, vel perplexos inter
spinas haerere."—Calvin. SORROW IN MY HEART. Not only
parallel to, but flowing from "counsels
in my soul," the burden of
a heart saddened by its own thoughtfulness. 3. The lamentation now passes into
prayer; and to the fourfold complaint
of the first strophe an- |
swers
the fourfold petition of the second,
though the several members of
the one do not exactly corre- spond
to the several members of the
other. CONSIDER; "look upon me," op- posed
to the hiding of the face, I b. ANSWER
ME, opposed to the for- getting,
1 a. First, look; then, hear
and succour. "Thus," says Calvin,
"does the Holy Ghost pur- posely
accommodate the forms of prayer
to our feelings." First, we must
have the conviction that God sees
us, and then we can cry to Him;
first the assurance that He is,
and then that He is the Rewarder of
them that diligently seek Him. LIGHTEN MINE EYES, said not of spiritual
but of physical support, as is
clear from what follows, "lest I sleep
the sleep of death;" and also from
the other passages where the same
idiom occurs, I Sam. xiv. 27 and
29 (where the eyes of Jonathan are
said to be enlightened, when, after
being reduced to the extremity of
faintness, he partakes of food), and Prov. xxix. 13. "Instaura lu- cem vitae oculis obtenebrescenti- bus."—Rud. Such is the fearfulness of the spiritual
conflict, that it seems as if death
only could be the end. He knew
this who said: "My soul is ex- ceeding
sorrowful even unto death." 4. LEST MINE ENEMY SAY. An- other
reason why his prayer should be
answered; not because he is an enemy,
but because God's honour and
God's cause upon earth are in peril.
(Cf. v. 9.) 5. Supplication passes into the expression
of a joyful confidence. |
182 PSALM XIV.
Let my heart exult in Thy salvation:
Let me sing c to Jehovah,
Because He bath dealt bountifully
with me.d
Faith,
strengthened by prayer, rises above
the present with its sorrows, and
sees what is not as though it were;
and hopes yet to praise God with
a song because of His good- ness. IN THY LOVING-KINDNESS, not in
personal merit, nor in the justice of
my cause. "I have trusted—let me rejoice —let
me sing—because of the ex- perience
I shall have that Jehovah has
dealt bountifully with me." "Whilst the thunder and the |
lightning
are still raging around him,
David sings his songs of praise, as
Luther also says: ‘While Satan rages
and roars about him, he meanwhile
sings quietly his little Psalm.'"—Tholuck. With the two Iambics, gamal alai, the Ps. ends, the
very rhythm of
the words conspiring as it were with
the sense of peace in the singer's
breast, and the waves of song,
stirred so tumultuously at the beginning,
sinking down into the breathless
calm of an unruffled sea. |
a MmAOy, elsewhere, "in
the day," as opposed to hlAy;lA. And so the LXX.,
Aq.,
Th. h[me<raj. Here, however, apparently = MOy-lKA, as Symrn. kaq
]
h[me<ran. Similarly Ezek. xxx.
16, MmAvy yrecA, "daily adversaries," i.e. who
continually
assail.
b vyTil;kAy;=
vl yTl;koyA.
Cf. cxxix. 2, Gen. xxxii. 26.
c hrAywixA, "I fain would
sing," I p. cohort. answering to lneyA, 3 p. jussive.
ynixE, emphatic, as opposed to the enemies
mentioned above. (Cf. iii. 6.)
d ylAfA lmaGA, cf. cxvi. 7, cxix. 17,
where the phrase occurs in the same
sense.
PSALM XIV.
THE feeling expressed in this Psalm
is in some measure the same
which,
as we have already seen, must have given occasion to the
Twelfth
Psalm. The singer, keenly alive to the evils of his time, sees
everything
in the blackest colours. The apostasy is so wide-spread
that
all are involved in it, except the small remnant (implied in
ver.
4); and the world seems again ripe for judgement as in the days
of
Noah (ver. 2).
Both in this Psalm and in Psalm xii.
the complaint is made that
the
wicked oppress and devour the righteous. In both, corruption
has
risen to its most gigantic height, but here the doings of bad men,
there
their words, form the chief subject
of complaint.
PSALM XI
V.
183
In form the ode is dramatic, or
quasi-dramatic. A great tragedy
is
enacting before the eyes of the poet. Sin is lifting itself up in
Titanic
madness against God, and God looks down upon its doings
as
once upon the builders of
He
speaks from heaven (ver. 4), and the evil-doers are confounded
at
the word of His mouth (ver. 5). "It would scarcely be possible,"
says
Ewald, "for a great truth to be sketched in fewer or more
striking
outlines."
There is nothing in the Psalm which
can lead us to fix its date or
authorship
precisely. The feeling is common enough at all times in
men
of earnest mind. Filled with a holy jealousy for God, no age
seems
to them so corrupt as their own, because they are engaged in
perpetual
and, as they are apt to think, hopeless encounter with its
evils.
Indeed, despair would be the result, did not the promise of
the
future lift them above the present (ver. 7).
Ver. 7 is not so decisive of a later
date as has sometimes been
supposed.
For first, this might be a sort of liturgical doxology added
to
the original Psalm during the Exile; and next, it is not even cer-
tain
that the reference is to the hope of return from the Babylonish
captivity
(see Note on this verse).
This Psalm (Jehovistic) appears
again with some variations, espe-
cially
in ver. 5, 6, as Psalm liii. (Elohistic). It is not certain which
of
the two may claim the merit of being the original poem. Its place
in
the collection may incline us to give this the preference. And the
change
in the Fifty-third might very well have been introduced to
adapt
it to the peculiar circumstances of the time.
The Psalm cannot be broken up into
strophes; but the first verse
answers
to the third, and the second to the fourth.
In ver. I, if we take the first
member (a) as introductory, then the
two
remaining, (b) and (c), correspond to the two, (a) and (b), of
ver.
3.
On the other hand, the idea in (b)
of ver. 2 is expanded into two
members
(a) and (b) in ver. 4, whilst (c) in ver. 2 corresponds to (c)
in
ver. 4.
[FOR THE PRECENTOR. (A PSALM)
OF DAVID.]
I THE fool a hath said in his
heart, There is no God.
I.
THE FOOL. Thus the Bible ever
speaks of those who have cast off
the fear of God. They are those whose
understanding is darkened; who,
professing themselves to be wise,
become fools. Such men, who make
a boast of their reason and |
would
fain walk by the light of their
reason, prove how little their reason
is worth. The epithet is the
more cutting, because persons of
this kind generally lay claim to more
than ordinary discernment. IN
HIS HEART. Rather a prac- |
184 PSALM
XIV.
Corrupt, abominable are they in
their doing;b
There is none that doeth good.
2
Jehovah hath looked down from heaven upon the children
of men,
To see if there be any that hath
understanding,
That seeketh after God.c
3
They are all turned away, together they have become
corrupt:
There is none that doeth good; no,
not one.
4
"Have they no knowledge, all the workers of iniquity,
tical
than a theoretical atheism; not
so much a denial of the being of
a God as a denial of His moral government of the world (cf. x.
5); and
this evinced in actions rather than
in words. The life shows what
the thought of the heart is (as
indeed immediately follows). "The
fool" is not the philosophic atheist
with his arguments ("sub- ducta ratione vel formatis syllogis- mis,"
Calvin); but the man who by the
practice of wickedness so stifles and
corrupts within him the know- ledge
of God that he virtually acknowledges
no God. South, in his sermon on this verse
(vol.
iv. p. 19, Tegg's edit.), lays a stress
on these words, as implying that
the Atheist dare not avow his atheism,
but only cherishes it within. But
the occurrence of the phrase elsewhere,
e.g. x. 6, 10, 13, does not justify
this stress. Bacon (Essays, xvi.
"Of Atheism,") draws another distinction:
"It is not said, ‘The fool
hath thought in his heart,’ so as
he rather saith it by rote to him- self
as that he would have, than that
he can thoroughly believe, or be
persuaded of it; for none deny there
is a God, but those for whom it
maketh there were no God." 2, 3. God appears as Witness and Judge
of what is done upon earth. 2. LOOKED DOWN. The word used strictly
of looking out of a window, 2
Kings ix. 30; and again of God looking
upon the earth, cii. 20. As "they
have corrupted," reminds us of
the Flood ("all flesh had cor- |
rupted
his way on the earth," Gen. vi.
12), so this "looking down" of the
Tower of Babel, Gen, xi. 5. (Cf.
xviii. 21.) 3. NO, NOT ONE. "See," says Luther,
"how many words he uses that
he may comprehend all, ex- cluding
none. First he says all, then
together, and then no, not one." This
and the two previous verses are
quoted freely by St. Paul (he does
not adhere even. to the LXX.) in
Rom. iii. 10, &c., in proof of his position,
that Jews as well as Gen- tiles
are under sin. As his argu- ment
is at this point addressed particularly
to the Jew, he reasons, not
from the sense of sin or the voice
of conscience, but from the Scriptures,
whose authority the Jew acknowledged.
The Jew would, of course,
admit the inference as to the
state of the Gentile world. The rest of the quotations which follow
the above in the Epistle to the
Romans are brought together by
the Apostle from different parts of
the Old Testament. But in some MSS.
of the LXX., in the Vulg., and
both Arab. Syro-Arab. and Copto-Arab.,
and strangest of all in the
Syro-Hex., they are found in the Psalm,
having evidently been trans- ferred
hither from the Epistle. So also
in our Prayer-Book Version, which,
it should be remembered, is, in
fact, Coverdale's (1535), and was made,
not from the original, but mainly
from the Latin and German. 4. God himself is introduced as speaking. |
PSALM
XIV.
185
Who eat my people, (as) they eat
bread,
(And) call not on Jehovah?"
5
There were they in great fear;
For God is in the generation of the
righteous.
6
Though ye shame the counsel of the afflicted,
Yet Jehovah is his refuge.
7
Oh that the salvation of
When Jehovah bringeth back the captivityd
of His
people,
Then may Jacob exult, then may
NO KNOWLEDGE, used absolutely as
in Is. i. 3. "Israel doth not know,"
is stupid like the brutes. WHO EAT, lit. "who eating my people,
eat bread;" who, so far from
being conscious of their guilt, devour
the righteous with the same unconsciousness
with which they would
take their accustomed meal. See
the figure still further carried out,
Mic. 1-3. Cf. also for similar
expressions, Jer. x. 21, Hos. vii.
7, in both of which passages the evil-doers
are described (as here) as men
who do not pray, "they call not upon
Jehovah;" therefore are they so
brutish. But see further on liii. 4. MY PEOPLE. So, then, even in the
worst times there is a remnant, the
salt of the earth, "the righteous generation,"
as they are afterwards called. 5. THERE WERE THEY, &C., lit. "There
did they fear a fear." THERE;
when God thus speaks to them
in the terribleness of Divine judgement.
Calvin well explains: "Exprimitur
poenae quam daturi sint certitudo,
ac si earn digito mon- straret." BY GENERATION we are not to understand
merely contemporaries. Here,
as often elsewhere, a moral meaning
attaches to the word, and it
denotes those who are of the same spirit, whether that be the spirit
of the world (xii. 8) or the spirit
which is of God (xxiv. 6; lxxiii. 15). In like manner genea is used in
the N. T. to denote " the race |
with
all its moral characteristics," not
merely " the people now alive." 6. THOUGH YE SHAME, or, "ye may
put to shame" (yet ye shall not
succeed), for God, &c. The A.V.
is clearly wrong in rendering, "Ye
have shamed," as if the verb were
in the past tense. THE COUNSEL OF THE AF- FLICTED,
i.e. all that is done by those
who bear the reproach of Christ
to advance God's glory upon earth.
The children of the world cannot
bring all this to nought, for in fighting
against the righteous they fight against
God, who is in the midst of them. 7. This last verse looks certainly very
much like a later liturgical addition
(as ver. 18, 19 [20, 21] of Psalm
li.). The exiles in Babylon hoped
yet for deliverance from Zion.
Jehovah, they believed, had not
forsaken His holy mountain, though
He had suffered them to be
scattered among the heathen. Daniel,
we know, in prayer turned himself
towards Jerusalem (Dan. vi.
11). And it would be natural enough
for a poet of that time to give utterance
to the wish contained in this
verse. It cannot, however, be denied,
that the phrase, "to bring back
the captivity," is used in other passages,
metaphorically, of any deliverance
from misery and re- storation
to prosperity. So of Job (xlii.
10), and so also Ezek. xvi. 53. It
is better to adopt one of these ex- planations
than to throw the whole Psalm
as late as the Exile. |
186 PSALM XV.
a The Hebrew is rich in epithets to
describe different degrees of this
infatuation.
(I) ytiP,,
the simple, one whose folly consists
in being easily
led;
lit. one who is open (r. htp) to the influence of others. (2) lysiK;,
which
denotes a grosser and almost brutish stupidity ; such "" hate know-
ledge,"
Prov. i. 22 (r. lsk, “to be fat,” and then "sluggish").
(3) lbAnA,
the fool, as one who is flat, insipid (r. lbn, "to wither
"), without taste or
discernment.
(Cf. in the opposite sense MfaFa, which means properly
"taste,"
and then "understanding ;" just as in the Latin saplere, the tran-
sition
is made from the bodily to the mental perception.) (4) lyvix<
and
lleOh, by which are denoted more outrageous
forms of folly, amounting to
madness.
See on the latter word, v. 5, note e. For a fuller description
of
the lbAnA,
see Is. xxxii. 6.
b hlAylifE the suffix omitted, as
often in poetry, but not a loosely appended
accus.
The Hiphil verbs, though frequently used absolutely, are here
followed
by the direct object cf. Zeph. iii. 7, Gen. vi. 12. Lit. "they
have
made corrupt, they have made abominable (their) doing."
c txe. There is no departure
here from the usual rule as to the use of
txe, the Divine Name being of course considered as
a proper name,
d tvbw
bvw. The
Kal form seems to be used in this phrase in prefer-
ence
to the Hiph., for the sake of the alliteration. bvw has occasionally
elsewhere
in Kal a transitive signification; cf. lxxxv. 2, 5, Nah. ii. 3. See
also
Ezek. xlvii. 7, ynbeUwB;, where, if the verb had been intrans.,
we should
have
had ybiUwB; and, besides, the Hiph. ynbeywiy;va immediately precedes,
which
shows that here, at least, bvw=bywh, cf. Deut. xxv. 3.
PSALM
XV.
THIS Psalm is commonly supposed to
have been written on the
occasion
of the removal of the
the
Tent, or Tabernacle there, 2 Sam. vi. 12-19. (Cf. I Chron. xv.
16.)
The subject of the Psalm, and the occurrence of a similar
question
and answer in xxiv., which was certainly composed for that
occasion,
might indeed dispose us to adopt this view.
On the other hand, the name
"holy mountain " (ver. I), as applied
to
The form of the Psalm is very
simple. Properly speaking, it has no
strophes
or divisions. It is a question (ver. I), and an answer to the
question
(ver. 2-5). It teaches simply what is the condition of man's
PSALM
XV.
187
approach
to God with acceptance. There is implied in it, no doubt,
that
all merely outward service is vain; but the Psalm can scarcely
be
said to be specially directed (like Psalm 1.) against lip service and
hypocritical
worship. It describes rather the perfect character, the
man
who can draw near to God and live in His presence. Eleven
particulars
are enumerated in which this character is summed up.
Hence
in the Gemara (T. B. Makkoth, f. 24
a), it is said that David
reduced
the 613 commands of the Law given on Sinai to eleven;
Isaiah
(it is added) to six (xxxiii. 15); Micah to three (vi. 8); Amos
(v.
4), or rather Habakkuk (ii. 4), to one (viz., trust in God).
[A (PSALM) OF
DAVID.]
1
JEHOVAH, who may sojourn in Thy tabernacle?
Who may dwell on Thy holy mountain?
2
He that walketh perfectly,a and worketh righteousness,
And speaketh truth in his heart;
1. That this Psalm is no mirror for
the self-righteous to see them- selves
in, is evident from its first word,
JEHOVAH. It is in the pre- sence
of God and in the light of God
that the singer draws his por- trait
of the godly man. In His sight
neither the hypocrite nor the formalist
can stand. And on this account,
and not as a mere matter of
form, does David direct his question
to God. The answer is not
to be considered as if coming from
the heavenly oracle, but the Poet
himself gives it, speaking by the
light of the Spirit of God, as cast
upon his own heart, upon the word
of God, and upon the world about
him. So the Anglo-Saxon Version
paraphrases: "Then the Lord
answered the prophet through inspiration
of the Holy Ghost, and the
prophet said: I know, yet I ask,
who dwells there?" &c. TABERNACLE .... HOLY MOUN- TAIN.
These words must not be explained
away as mere figures of
speech. TABERNACLE, or rather TENT,
does not mean merely "dwelling,"
as when it is said, |
"The
tabernacle or God shall be
with men," nor can we with Venema
interpret the HOLY MOUN- TAIN
as merely equivalent to a safe
and indestructible abode. It always
means Zion, and nothing else.
But the Psalmist asks, Who is
worthy to dwell, like Eli and Samuel
of old, in the sacred courts;
who is fitted for that close and
constant communion with God which
such a dwelling implies? for God's
Presence and His Revelation of
Himself were, under the Old Testament,
connected with a cer- tain
place. And hence the love and
ardent desire so constantly expressed
for the place itself. (Cf xxiii.
6; xxvi. 8; xxvii. 4, 5 lxxxiv.
I [2], 5 [6], &c.) Of the two verbs,
"sojourn" and "abide," the first
denotes an occasional, the next a
permanent, dwelling in a place. The
first might be used of pilgrims coming
up to Jerusalem; or of a guest
lodging for a time at an inn, or
in his friend's tent. But here they
are apparently synonymous. 2, 3. The man with whom God will
hold communion is now de- |
188 PSALM XV.
3
(That) hath not slandered with his tongue,
Hath done no evil to his friend,
Nor taken up a reproach against his
neighbour;
4
In whose eyes a vile person is contemned,b
But he honoureth them that fear
Jehovah;
(Who) sweareth to (his own) hurt, and
changeth not;
scribed,
first as to what he is (ver. 2),
and then as to what he is not (ver.
3). (a) He is a man (1) of whole heart
and life; (2) who does the will
of God; and (3) speaks the truth
because he loves it: it dwells in
his heart, and he speaks it there first,
before he speaks it with his tongue.
"It is a beautiful order," says
Luther. "First the person must
be acceptable by cleanness (alluding
to the Vulg. translation, qui ingreditur sine
macula);
then the
work by righteousness; then the
word by truth. So God has regard
to Abel (himself) first, and then
to his gifts." "Pulcher ordo, primo
persona grata requiritur per munditiam,
deinde opus per justi- tiam,
tandem verbum per verita- tern.
Sic respicit Deus ad Abel primum deinde et ad munera ejus." —Oper. in Psalm. ii. 326. (b) He is not one who injures others
either (I) by word; or (2) by deed;
or (3) by listening to and propagating
slander. This is, I think,
the meaning of this last clause.
It may be rendered either:--
"hath not received (i.e. from
others) a reproach," &c. (That
the verb will bear this meaning
is certain. See Gesen. Thes.
v. Nn.) Or, "hath not taken
up;" i.e. has not stooped, so to
speak, to pick up dirt out of the dunghill
that he may cast it at his neighbour;
or, "hath not lifted up,"
i.e. so as to place it like a burden
upon his neighbour. 4, 5. Again, his character is further
described by affirmations and
negations. (a) He is one who turns away from
the evil and honours the good, |
who
regards as inviolable the sanctity
of an oath (not a casuist who
sets himself to find a pretext for
breaking his word, when it is inconvenient
to keep it). (b) He is not one who loves usury
or takes bribes. The taking of
usury is strictly forbidden in the Law
(Exod. xxii. 25 [24]; Lev. xxv. 36,
&c.), and denounced by the Pro- phets
(Is. xxxiii. 15, "gain of op- pressions;" Ezek. xviii. 8, 13, xxii. 12, &c.). Qimchi's casuistic dis- tinction,
that it is lawful for the Jew to
take usury of strangers who are
not kind to Israel, but not of
his own people, is very signifi- cant;
and, like too many Chris- tian
as well as Jewish interpreta- tions
of Scripture, framed to sup- port
a convenient and profitable practice. Thus, in heart, in tongue, its actions,
in his conduct as a mem- ber
of society, he is alike free from reproach. Such is the figure of stainles- honour
drawn by the pen of 3 Jewish
poet. Christian chivalry has
not dreamed of a brighter. We
have need often and seriously to
ponder it. For it shows us that faith
in God and spotless integrity may
not be sundered; that religion does
not veil or excuse petty dis- honesties;
that love to God is only then
worthy the name when it is the
life and bond of every social virtue.
Each line is, as it were, a touchstone
to which we should bring
ourselves. To speak truth in the
heart—to take up no reproach against
a neighbour--would not the Christian
man be perfect (rams) of
whom this could be said? And that
other trait in this divine cha- |
PSALM XV.
189
5
Who hath not put out his money to usury,
Nor taken a reward against the
innocent.
He that doeth these things shall never be
moved.
racter,
"who honoureth them that fear
the Lord "—is there a surer test
of our spiritual condition than this,
that we love and honour men because they love
Christ? 5. Instead of "he that doeth these
things
shall dwell in the house of Jehovah,"
&c., the answer is varied in
form, "shall never be moved," which
is, in fact, the same truth in another
and larger form. Such a |
man
may not take up his dwelling in
the earthly courts of the Lord; but,
at least, he shall so live in the presence
of God, and under the care
of God, that his feet shall be upon
a rock. The Epistle of St. James is the New
Testament expansion of, and comment
upon, this Psalm. For another
treatment of the same sub- ject
in the Old, see Is. xxxiii. 13-16. |
a MymiTA
j`leOh
occurs also Prov. xxviii. i8. Similar is tOqdAc; j`leOh, Is.
xxxiii.
15. We find also MymitAB; ‘h, lxxxiv. 12. And more
fully MymiTA j`r,d,B; ‘h,
ci.
6, and j`leOh rwAy.Aha, Mic. ii. 7. There can be no doubt, therefore,
from a
comparison
of these passages, that the adj. MymiTA is not a nom.
predicate,
but
is an acc. defining the action of the verb, the adj. being here used as
a
neut. abstr., so that 't 'h is lit. " one who
walks perfectness, i.e. makes
perfectness
his way;" and so in Is. 1. c. 'c ‘h, "one who makes
righteous-
ness
his way." Hupf. will have it that MymiTA is not an adj., but a
neuter
noun,
after the analogy of lykirA (Jer. vi. 28, Ezek. xxii. 9).
b Verse 4 is difficult. In clause
(a) the subject and the predicate are
not
clearly marked. Most take MxAm;ni as the subject, "the reprobate [see
Jer.
vi. 30] is despised in his eyes" ('b 'n); but, as Hupf.
remarks, this is
contrary
to the accents, which make hz,b;ni the subj. "The
despised (con-
temptible)
person is rejected in his eyes." For this use of hz,b;ni) cf. Mal.
i.
7, ii. 9. Another rendering however is possible, and is perhaps the true
one.
We may take both hz,b;nii and MxAm;ni, as predicates, the
suff. in vynAyfeB;
as
possessive, and render," he (i.e. the subject of the Psalm) is despised
and
rejected in his own eyes," he thinks lowly of himself. The objection
to
this is, that MxAm;ni seems too strong a word to express
merely a man's
low
opinion of himself.
c frahAl;, LXX. t&?
plh<sion au]tou?,
and so Syr., Vulg., Arab., but then the
Hebrew
must have been Uhferel;. Nor can it stand for fralA, "to the
evil,"
implying
that even to the wicked he will keep his oath. The Chald.
rightly,
"so as to afflict himself." The word is inf. Hiph. of ffr for farehAl;,
and
there is a reference, no doubt, to the formula in Lev. v. 4, byFiyhel;
Ox frahAl;,
i.e.
let the consequences be what they will (to himself of course), whether
good
or evil. In our Prayer-Book Version the rendering of the LXX.
seems
to have been combined with the true rendering of the Heb., "He
that
sweareth unto his neighbour and
disappointeth him not, though it
were to his own
hindrance."
See another similar instance of combined
readings
in xxix. I.
190 PSALM XVI.
PSALM
XVI.
FROM the opening words of this
Psalm, "Keep me, 0 God; for in
Thee
have I found refuge," as well as from the conviction expressed
in
ver. 10, "Thou wilt not leave my soul to the unseen world," it has
been
conjectured that the Psalm was written by David in time or peril.
But
if so, the thought of peril is quite swallowed up inn the conscious-
ness
of God's presence and love. The Psalm is bright with the to utter-
ance
of a happiness which nothing earthly can touch. It expresses the
conviction
of a life rather than of any sudden emergency. The living
God
himself is David's portion and inheritance (ver. 5, 6)--stands at
his
right hand (ver. 8)—is the joy of his heart now (ver. 9)—and we
fill
him with joy and gladness for evermore.
A comparison of the Psalm with I
Sam. xxvi. 19 might suggest
that
it was written by David when he was in the wilderness of Ziph.
"They
have driven me out this day," he says, "from the inheritance
of
Jehovah,” saying, "Go, serve other gods." The feeling that he was
thus
cut off from the service of Jehovah, and compelled to live
amongst
idolators, may have led him to write the words in ver. 4, 5
of
the Psalm. And so again the consciousness that he was "driven
out
from abiding in the inheritance (tlHn) of Jehovah,"
might make
him
cleave the more stedfastly to the truth, that not the lend of
Jehovah,
but Jehovah himself was his
inheritance.
It is possible, however, that the
contrast here brought out so strongly
between
the happiness to be found in the love of God, and the
infatuation
and misery of those who had taken some other to be the
object
of their worship, may have been suggested by the very posi-
tion
in which an Israelite dwelling in the land
would be placed with
reference
to surrounding nations. "We very imperfectly imagine the
force
of such a contrast," says Isaac Taylor, "as it must have pre-
sented
itself to an Israelite of the higher and brighter eras of Jewish
history.
. . . The great controversy of truth was maintained, single-
handed,
by the pastoral and agricultural tribes of
against
all mankind beside. . . . It was a people simple in manners,
and
not distinguished either in art or science, against nations con-
spicuous
in all that could give lustre and strength to empire. Abstract
as
well as mechanical philosophy, and the arts of luxury, and great
experience
in commerce, and much wisdom in government, together
with
the glories of conquest, contributed to recommend and illus-
PSALM
XVI.
191
trate
the seductive idolatries of the mighty countries by which the
clans
of Judah, Ephraim, and Benjamin were hemmed in." After
observing
that the splendour and licentiousness of the idolatrous
worship
proved too often a snare to a large part of the Jewish people,
and
that this rendered the protest against it the more needful, he
continues,
"Nevertheless, though all visible recommendations were
possessed
by those gods ‘of wood, and of stone, and of gold,’ yet the
poet-king
of
could
confidently revert to the heights of
of
joy and the acclamations of genuine and holy pleasure were heard
in
that ‘Tabernacle of the righteous,’ and nowhere else. . . . None
could
dare to affirm that it was Joy that dwelt in the temples of the
demon-gods
of
would
not have blushed to have said that perpetual PLEASURES filled
the
courts of Chemosh, of Ashtaroth, of Dagon, of Baal, of Mithri?
What
did the grove conceal? Lust—blood—imposture. What
sounds
shook the fane? Alternate screams of anguish, and the
laughter
of mad votaries. What was the priest? The teacher of every
vice
of which his god was the patron and the example.—What were
the
worshippers? The victims of every woe which superstition and
sensuality
can gender, and which cruelty can cherish.
"It was not then a blind
national prejudice, any more than it was
spiritual
arrogancy, that made the prophet-poet and king of
exult
in the distinction of his people. Rather it was a righteous
scorn
which made him exclaim, when he thought of the errors of the
nations,
‘Their drink-offerings of blood will I not offer, neither take
their
names into my lips.’"—Saturday
Evening, pp. 303-6, Edit.
1855.
But a few words on the prophecy
contained in the latter part of
the
Psalm. That we have here a prediction, and moreover a con-
scious
prediction on the part of David, is distinctly affirmed by
St.
Peter, speaking under the immediate inspiration of the Holy
Ghost
(Acts ii. 30, 31). The language which he uses is very re-
markable.
Alleging ver. 8—11 in proof of the resurrection of Christ,
he
tells us that David here spoke as a prophet (profh<thj
ou#n u[pa<r-
xwn); that he knew
that his great descendant would be the Messiah,
and
that God would place Him on his throne (ei]dw>j o!ti
o!rk& w@mosen
au]t&? o[
qeo>j, e]k karpou? th?j o]sfu<oj au]tou? [to>
kata> sa<rka a]nasth<sein
to>n Xristo>n] kaqi<sai
e]pi> tou? qro<nou au]tou?); and that he foresaw and
slake
of the resurrection of Christ (proi*dw>n e]la<lhsen
peri> th?j a]na-
sta<sewj tou? Xr.). It is plain from all
this—the profh<thj, the ei]dw<j,
the
proi*dw<n—that, according to St. Peter's view, David not only
uttered
words which might be applied to Christ, but that he used
192 PSALM XVI.
prophetic,
that is, inspired language, and knew himself that he was
prophesying.
But we may still allow a primary and lower reference
of
the words to David himself, without lessening their prophetic
import;
in some parts even an exclusive reference, for it is not
necessary
(and indeed seems scarcely possible) to refer the whole
Psalm
to Christ, because a part of it points to Him.
[A MICHTAM a
OF DAVID.]
1
KEEP me, 0 God; for I have found refuge in Thee.
2
I have said b of Jehovah, "Thou art my Lord:c
I have no good beyond Thee,"
d
3
Of the saints e who are in the land,
They are the excellent in whom is
all my delight.
4
Their sorrows f shall be many who take another g (god)
instead (of Jehovah)-
1-4. These verses express gene- rally
the principle that love to God and
loyal trust in Him imply on the one
hand union and fellowship with all
who love Him; on the other, the
most decided and open sever- ance
from all idolaters. 2. I HAVE NO GOOD BEYOND THEE.
Lit. My good (my happi- ness),
as in cvi. 5, Job ix. 25, is not
beyond or beside Thee. (See Critical
Note.) The "good" here spoken
of is in contrast with the "sorrows"
in ver. 4, and answers to
the words, "my lot, my cup, my inheritance,"
in ver. 5, 6. For the sentiment,
may be compared lxxiii. 25,
"Whom have I in heaven but Thee?"
&c. Hengstenberg observes that
as "Thou art the Lord" is the soul's
response to the words in Exod. xx.
2, "I am the Lord thy God;" so
this, "Thou alone art my salva- tion"
(or "I have no good beyond Thee"),
is the response to the com- mand,
"Thou shalt have no other gods
beside Me." This is the one grand
thought which stamps the Psalm,
"Thou, 0 Lord, art my portion,
my help, my joy, my all in
all." 3. THE SAINTS. In God's land there
are others who, like David |
himself,
cleave to God, and with these
he claims fellowship. Or, "the
saints" may be all Israel, set apart
as a nation, and severed from the
surrounding heathen. See the original
designation of Israel to be "a
kingdom of priests and a holy nation,"
Exod. xix. 6. See also Deut.
vii. 6. THE EXCELLENT, properly "the outwardly
illustrious:" the root- meaning
is that of "glitter, splen- dour,"
&c. But the same adj. is applied
to the name of God in viii. I
[2], and hence may contain the idea
of a moral as well as of a merely
outward glory. "Eadem causa
praeclaros vocat, vel magni- ficos, quia justitia et sanctitate In quibus relucet Spiritus ejus claritas, nihil pretiosius esse nobis debet."-- Calvin. 4. THEIR SORROWS. This is opposed
in the conviction of su- preme
and perfect blessedness in Jehovah,
ver. 2; see also ver. 11. WHO TAKE, i.e. in exchange, “acquire
by barter.” The word is properly
used of obtaining a wife by
the payment of a dowry, Exod. xxii.
16 [15]. (See Critical Note, or
comp. Jer. ii. 11.) ANOTHER, i.e. a false god (das |
PSALM XVI. 193
I will not pour out their
drink-offerings of blood;
Neither will I take their names upon
my lips.
5
Jehovah is the portionh of my allotment and of my cup:
Fremde, Zunz), or that which
is not God
(Is. xlii. 8, xlviii. 11), but purposely,
perhaps, put in this in- definite
form to signify "all besides God
and against God that a man can
make an idol of." With such persons David will have
nothing to do. He is joined to
the saints, and he holds fast on Jehovah.
With the utmost strength of
abhorrence, he repudiates the worship, horrid
and foul, of the surrounding idolaters. THEIR DRINK-OFFERINGS OF BLOOD:—not
offered with hands stained
with innocent blood (De- litzsch);
or loathsome as if they were
of blood (Hupfeld), but as associated
with bloody rites, i.e. such
rites as those of Moloch and Chemosh,
where the blood was the blood
of human sacrifices. "In the Levitical
ritual," says Prof. Robert- son
Smith, "libations had a very subordinate
place; but in the idol- atrous
worship practised in Israel the
drink-offering must have had higher
importance, as appears from many
references in the Prophets . . . . (Jer.
xix. 13, xxxii. 29, xliv, 17, 18). The
libation was supposed to be actually
drunk by the gods (Deut. xxxii.
38) .... It is natural there- fore
to suppose that libations of sacrificial
blood are here alluded to."
But, as he proceeds to re- mark,
the Psalmist indicates that these
bloody offerings were in their nature
hideous and detestable, and therefore
had in view not ordinary sacrifices,
but the shedding of hu- man
blood in sacrifice (Hos. vi. 8, Is. lix. 3). THEIR. The pronoun may refer to
the idols implied in the word "another."
Then "their drink- offerings"
would mean those poured out
in honour of them. But the pronoun
seems to be used some- what
vaguely, first with reference to
the idolaters, and then with |
reference
to the idols. So deep is David's
loathing of idolatry that he will
not even pollute his lips by mentioning
the names of false gods, in
accordance with the command in
Exod. xxiii. 13, "The name of other
gods ye shall not mention; it
shall not be heard in thy mouth." (Cf.
Hos. ii. 17, Zech. xiii. 2.) 5. He now expresses more fully his
own choice and resolve, en- larging
upon what he had said in ver. 2. THE PORTION OF MY ALLOT- MENT,
or "of my share," i.e. the portion
assigned to me in the divi- sion
of the territory. There is an allusion,
probably, to the division of
the Land of Canaan among the tribes,
no part of which was as- signed
to the tribe of Levi, because, as
was expressly declared, Jehovah would
be their portion or share (ql,H,, Num. xviii. 20), the
same word
which occurs here), and the gifts
consecrated to Jehovah the provision
for their support: Deut. x.
9, xviii. I, &c. In Jer. x. 16, Jehovah
is said to be "the portion" of
the whole nation, especially as contrasted
with the idolatrous na- tions.
But that which was true of the
nation at large, and of the tribe of
Levi in particular, was true in its deepest
spiritual import of every believing
Israelite. Hence the indi- vidual
believer addresses God as his
"portion," Ps. cxix. 57, cxlii. 5, and
thus makes his own the great truth
on which the national reli- gious
life was based. "What must not
he possess," says Savonarola, "who
possesses the Possessor of all?"
In the words of St. Paul, "All
things are yours, for ye are Christ's,
and Christ is God's." AND OF MY CUP. This also de- pends
on the word "portion." See the
same expression, "portion of the
cup," xi. 6, but there used in |
194 PSALM XVI.
Thou maintainest i my
lot.
6
The lines have fallen unto me in pleasant places,
Yea, I have a fair heritage.k
7
I will bless Jehovah who hath given me counsel:
Yea, in the night-seasons have my
reins admonished me.
8
I have set Jehovah before me always;
Because He is at my right hand, I
shall not be moved.
malam partem. The "cup"
seems to
be put by synecdoche for the whole
meal. He thus speaks of God
as the daily food by which he lives.
See our Lord's words in John
vi., and connect this with the expression
of trust with which the Psalm
opens. THOU MAINTAINEST MY LOT, or,
"boldest my lot in Thy hand." Therefore
no creature can rob me of
it. "Nor is the third comparison unnecessary,"
says Calvin, "for it often
happens that the rightful owners
are thrust out from their own
possession, because there is none
to defend them. But God hath
given Himself to us as our inheritance
in such wise, that by His
aid we are ever maintained in the
enjoyment thereof." 6. THE LINES HAVE FALLEN. In allusion
to the ancient custom of marking
out plots of land by mea- suring
lines. See the same phrase, Josh.
xvii. 5. The line was said to "fall"
as being "thrown" by lot. See
Micah ii. 5. But again, this is
no earthly inheritance, but God's own
gift of Himself. I HAVE A FAIR HERITAGE, or, "mine
inheritance pleaseth me well." 7. In the joyful remembrance that he
has such a possession, he breaks forth
into a strain of thanksgiving. WHO HATH GIVEN ME COUNSEL, i.e.
through whose grace I have been
enabled to choose Him for my
portion (ver. 5, 6). David con- fesses
that he owes his blessedness to
God. This is the Divine part: the
next clause gives us the human. MY REINS, here app. = "my heart."
(See Job xix. 27, "my reins |
in
my bosom.") "The reins are opposed
to the mouth (Jer. xii. 2), as
the heart to the lips (Is.. xxix. 13)." "Reins
and heart are the region of the
inmost personal life (vii. 9, xxvi. 2,
&c.), and embrace various func- tions,
intellectual as well as emo- tional,
for which we have distinctive words."
God has led me to find my
joy in Him, and now in the night-seasons,
as the time most favourable
to quiet thought, I meditate
thereon. The heart itself is
said to admonish, because it anxiously
listens to the voice of God,
and seeks to conform itself thereto.
The meditation is of a directly
practical kind, with a view to
conduct. Luther, who interprets the
words directly of Christ, explains them
by a reference to Heb. v. 8 and
Matt. xxvi. 41, and sees here the
struggle between the flesh and the
spirit. He says: "Dictum est supra Ps. vii. renes significare de- lectationes seu vim concupiscibi- lem, quae tristitias odit, delicias ac quietem amat, quae in omnibus hominibus etiam Christo facit, ut dura et amara sit passio et mors, quam spiritu consilii et fortitudinis oportet superari." 8. Further expression
of his con- fidence.
Not in the moment of peril
only, but at all times has he his
eye fixed upon God. AT MY RIGHT
HAND. See cix. 31, cx. 5, cxxi.
5. God in David's eyes is no
abstraction, but a Person, real, living,
walking at his side. 9. MY HEART ... MY GLORY (i.e. soul)
... MY FLESH; in other words, the
whole man. In like rnanner "soul,"
"heart," and "flesh," lxxxiv. 2
[3]; and "soul" and. "flesh," lxiii. |
PSALM
XVI.
195
9
Therefore hath my heart rejoiced, and my glory exulted;
Yea also my flesh shall dwell in
safety;
10
For Thou wilt not leave my soul to the unseen world;
Thou wilt not suffer Thy beloved1
to see the pit. m
11
Thou wilt make me know the path of life;
1
[2]; "heart" and "flesh," lxxiii. 26. So
pneu?ma, yuxh<, and sw?ma, I Thess. v.
23. FLESH, here as always, the living
body: it never means the corpse.
So also the phrase SHALL DWELL
IN SAFETY must be under- stood
of this life. (See Deut. xxxiii. 29
[28]; Ps. iv. 8 [9]; xxv. 13.) The rendering
of the LXX. "shall dwell in
hope," as if the reference were to the
hope of a resurrection, is quite inadmissible.
Hence these words as
they stand in the Hebrew cannot be
regarded as a prophecy that Christ's
body should rest safely in the
tomb. They are the expression of
David's confidence that God would
watch over his life, and pre- serve
him from death. In this sense,
of course, they are also ap- plicable
to our Lord. 10. TO THE UNSEEN WORLD. Not
as in our Version, and in that of
Luther and others, "in
hell." David
says nothing about what shall
happen to him after death, but
is expressing his conviction that
God will not leave him to perish—will
not give him up to be the
prey of the grave, nor suffer him
(as follows in the next clause) to
see the pit. So too, in Acts ii. 27, St.
Peter says, ei]j %!dou (or as Lach- mann
reads, %!dhn). This was true in
a different sense of Christ; for though
He died, God did not leave Him
to Hades, did not suffer His soul
to remain there, or His body to
rest in the grave. But that no stress
can be laid upon the word "leave,"
that it means only "give over
to," is plain from xxxvii. 33 (cf.
xlix. 10 [11], Job xxxix. 14). The
sense is in fact the same as in Ps.
xlix. 15 [16]. See Umbreit, Brief an die Römer, S. 172. THY BELOVED. I have ven- tured
thus to render the word, be- |
cause
it may just as well mean "one
who has obtained favour of the
Lord," as one who shows love to
God and love to men. See above
on Ps. iv. 3 [4], note c. If we take
it in the latter sense, we must render
"Thy pious, or, Thy godly one,"
not "Thy holy one." The word
dysiHA (chasid) never
means "holy."
On the question whether this
word is singular or plural, as also
on the meaning of the phrase "to
see the pit," or "to see destruc- tion,"
see the Critical Note. II. THE PATH OF LIFE. Not merely,
that is, the life of the body. This
is shown by the pleasure and the
joy spoken of afterwards, which are
to be found in God's Presence, and
in communion with him. Life, in
the only true sense, is union with God;
and from that springs, of ne- cessity,
the idea of immortality. It seems
impossible to suppose that David,
who here expresses such a fulness
of confidence in God, such a
living personal relationship to Him,
could have ever dreamed that such
a relationship would end with death.
In this psalm, and in the next,
there shines forth the bright hope
of everlasting life. Why should
men question this? Even the
heathen struggled to believe that
they should abide after death. Would
they to whom God had revealed
Himself, and who were bound
to Him in a personal cove- nant,
be left in greater darkness? Impossible.
The argument which our
Lord used with the Sadducees applies
here with especial force--- God
is not the God of the dead, but
of the living. They to whom God
has made Himself known, they
who are one with Him, cannot lose
that Divine Life of which they are
made partakers. Immortality |
196 PSALM
XVI.
Fulness of joy is in Thy Presence,
Pleasures are at Thy right hand for
evermore.
and
a Resurrection, see on xvii. 15) follows
from the life of the spirit. And
though probably there would be
many fluctuations of belief (see above,
note on vi. 5); though the spiritual
eye would not be always equally
clear; it seems impossible to
doubt, when we read passages such
as this, that there were times at
least when the hope of a life be- yond
the grave did become distinct and
palpable. At the same time, in the utter- ance
of this confident persuasion and
hope, David was carried be- yond
himself. He spake as a pro- phet,
knowing that God had pro- mised
of the fruit of his body to raise
up Christ to sit on his throne. The
hope of his own immortality was
based upon, and bound up in, the
Life of Him who was at once his
Son and his Lord. What was true
of David in the lower sense, was
true in the fullest and highest |
sense
of Christ; was only true of David,
because it was true of Christ; and
is only true of any of us in and through
Him, according to His own words,
"Because I live, ye shall live
also." Briefly, then, it must be
said that ver. 9-11, so far as they
refer to David, express his confidence
in God's protecting care in
this life and his hope of a life to come.
But as a prophecy of Christ they
mean all that is drawn from them
by St. Peter and St. Paul. In Christ's
deliverance from the grave and
His Resurrection, the whole fulness
of their meaning is ex- hausted.
See this well stated by Umbreit, Brief an die Römer, S. 172
if. See also the Critical Notes. For a very able and interesting discussion
of the questions touched on
in this Note I would refer my readers
to Prof. Robertson Smith's Paper
on this Psalm in the Expo- sitor for Nov. 1876. |
a MTAk;mi. This occurs in the
inscription of five other Psalms, lvi.—lx.
The
meaning of the word has been much questioned. The Rabbinical
commentators
connect it with Mt,K,, "gold," in the sense of
"a golden
or
precious poem," like the term xrusa? e@ph, applied to the poems
of
Pythagoras
for instance: and as in Arabic, the Moallakat are termed
"golden."
The LXX. sthlografi<a. Vulg. tituli
inscriptio. Chald.
xcyrt xpylg; sculptura recta, as though it were engraven, marked,
stamped
with a peculiar impress; as, for instance, with peculiar words
and
turns of phrase, as Del. tries to show. Jer. humilis et simjlicis.
Aq. tou? tapeino<fronoj kai> a[plou? (Symin. a]mw<mou) t.
Daui<d.
Others, again,
connect
Mtk
with btk,
so that micihtam would merely be "'a writing."
But
the meaning can be only a matter of conjecture.
Ver. 2, 3. The oldest interpreters as well as
the latest have found these
verses
a stumbling-block in their path. I will subjoin the renderings of the
principal
Versions, before I proceed to the criticism of particular words.
They
may be arranged as follows: (1) The LXX. have ei#pa
t&? Kuri<&,
Ku<rio<j mou
ei# su<, o!ti tw?n a]gaqw?n mou ou] xrei<an e@xeij. toi?j a[gi<oij
toi?j
e]n t&? g^?
au]tou? e]qauma<stwse pa<nta ta> qelh<mata au]tou? e]n au][toi?j. This
is
closely followed (with the exception of one word) by the Vulg., "Dixi
Domino;
Deus meus es tu, quoniam bonorum meorum non eges. Sanctis qui sent in
terra
ejus, mirificavit omnes voluntates meas in eis." The Arab. has, "I
said
to the Lord, Thou art my Lord, and indeed Thou needest not my
good
actions. He hath manifested among His saints His marvels in His
PSALM
XVI.
197
land;
and hath wrought in them all His pleasure." (2) The Syr., "I said
to
the Lord, Thou art my Lord, and my good (or happiness) is from Thee
( ): also to the
saints who are in the land, and
the
illustrious in whom is all my delight" (which apparently means that
the
happiness of the saints is also from God). Similarly
Jerome
"Dixi
Domino, Dominus meus es tu
Bene
mihi non est sine te.
Sanctis
qui in terra sunt, et magnificis,
Omnis voluntas mea in
eis."
It
is doubtful, however, whether he intends to separate ver. 3 altogether
from
ver. 2. The dative sanctis may depend
on Dixi. Symm. also,
renders
j~yl,fA-lBa ytibAOF by a]gaqo<n moi
ou]k e@stin a@neu sou?.
With these
the
Chald. agrees in its interpretation of the latter clause of ver. 2,
whilst
in other respects it is peculiar: "Thou hast said, 0 my soul, before
Jehovah,
Thou art my God: surely my good is not given save of Thee.
(As)
for the saints that are in the land, they have made known the strength
of
my power from the beginning; and they that are glorious in good
works,
all my good will is in them." This is singular: still more singular
is
(3) the Anglo-Saxon paraphrase: "Have I not said to Thee, 0 Lord,
that
Thou art my God; seeing Thou hast given me all the good that I
have,
and Thou hast no need to take aught again from me? The Lord
hath
fulfilled all my will, and bath given me power to overcome the
nations
that were opposed to me, and to overthrow their idols, after mine
own
will." This widely departs in the last clause from the Lat. Vers.
which
accompanies it, and which is here the same as the Vulg. The
former
part is an expansion merely of the bonorum
meorum non indiges
of
the Vulg.
We come now to the detailed
criticism of the separate words.
b And first the word T;r;maxA, according to the
present punctuation of the
verb,
is 2 fem., and this has been defended by supposing, as the Chald.
evidently
does, an ellipse of ywip;na. But such an ellipse
would be exceed-
ingly
harsh here, there being nothing whatever to indicate it. It is better
to
take T;r;maxA as a defective reading with omission of the final y, for
yTir;maxA. This sort of writing n for occurs in
four other passages:
cxl.
13, job xlii. 2, I Kings viii. 48, Ezek. xvi. 59. The reading of two
MSS.
of De-Rossi's, Tir;maxA, is wholly ungrammatical, and merely
intended
to
indicate that the word is here in the first person. The omission of the
y may have been due to rapid pronunciation
(Ritz.), or it may indicate an
Aramaic
form, or be analogous to 2 sing. fem. where the omission of the
final
y has
become constant.
c ynAdoxE. This form commonly
denotes the Divine Name absolutely
(without
the suffix), "the Lord." But here it probably stands, as in xxxv.
23,
as = ynadoxE "my Lord." So the LXX., Syr., and Vulg. take it.
d j~yl,fA-lBa
ytibAOF "my
good, i.e. my happiness, the prosperity which I
enjoy,"
&c. (not as Aq., "my goodness is not beyond Thee"). This,
which
is substantially the rendering of the Syr., Symm., and Jerome,
198 PSALM XVI.
seems
to be the best. It is doubtful, however, whether lfa should be
rendered
"besides," or "beyond." For the former, Exod. xx. 3, ynAPA
lfa,
is
usually quoted, though it is scarcely a strict parallel: for the latter,
lxxxix.
8, Gen. xlix. 26. Rashi says "my happiness is not (incumbent)
upon
Thee—Thou art not bound to do me good," in which sense lfa
occurs Ezra x. 12, Prov. vii. 14. But this does not suit
the context.
Qimchi
(as his father's explanation), "my goodness does not reach (influ-
ence)
Thee." Hupfeld suggests that lBa may here mean “only,” non nisi,
"My
happiness rests only upon Thee." But this seems questionable, and
the
difficulty might be avoided by a very slight emendation. We have
only
to read lKA for
lBa,
and then we get "My happiness rests wholly upon
Thee."
[Since writing the above, I find that this very natural correction
is
actually the reading of two MSS.]
e MywiOdq;li. The great difficulty,
no doubt, begins with this verse. And
the
first question is, Does the verse form a complete whole in itself, or is
it
connected with the preceding, or with the following verse? Those who
regard
it as containing an independent proposition, render: (I) "As for
the
holy ones who are in the land, and the noble, all my delight is in
them."
But the objections to this are, first, that this use of l before she
subject
is questionable, though it has been defended by Is. xxxii. I. And
next,
that no satisfactory example can be alleged of the use of the stat.
constr.
for the absol.: 'b 'H 'k
yreyDixa is
a relative clause with the common
omission
of the relative. Other instances of the use of the stat. constr.
before
the relative clause are yTif;dayA xlo Mfa, xviii. 44; 'y ‘l
tpaW;,
1xxxi, 6.
See
also lvi. 4, xc. 15 (a double example), Job xviii. 21, Is. xxix. 1. Or
(2)
"As for the saints, &c. . . . they are the excellent, in whom is all
my
delight,"
the v;
in yreyDixav; thus introducing the apodosis. But the could
scarcely
thus stand alone, and we should certainly expect the demonstra-
tive
pronoun in the second clause. Accordingly Delitzsch transfers the v;
to
the beginning of the verse (MywOdq;liv;), and makes the
demonstr. hmA.he
being
the apodosis. He also (as many others do) makes the l in this
verse
co-ordinate with the l in ver. 2. "I said to (or, of)
Jehovah," . . .
"I
said to the saints, &c. they are the noble in whom is all my delight;"
i.e.
I love God, and I love His saints, and I keep aloof from all idolaters.
Others
again, supposing the l as above to depend on yTir;maxA, carry on the
constr.
into the next verse, "I said to the saints, that are in the land, and
the
excellent, &c. . . . their sorrows shall be multiplied." Ewald
renders,
"As
for the saints that are in the land, and the noble who have all my
love--Many
are their gods, they take strange gods instead [of the true
God]—they
whose bloody drink-offerings I cannot offer, nor take their
names
upon my lips." He supposes the poet
in exile to be contrasting
his
own lot, happy as he was, even in a far land, because Jehovah was
with
him, with the lot of those who, though "called to be saints," as
belonging
to the chosen people, had renounced their privileges, and had
become
worshippers of idols. But (I) the allusion to "the land" does
not
compel us to suppose that the Psalmist himself was an exile. (2)
Those
who had become idolaters would hardly still be called MywiOdq;; and
(3)
the construction is somewhat awkward when thus carried on from
PSALM XVI. 199
ver.
3 into ver. 4. On the whole, however, it seems more satisfactory to
connect
this verse with the preceding. We have, then, still a choice of
renderings:
(a) we may repeat j~yl,fA-lBa from the preceding
verse, "There
is
nothing beyond Thee to the saints who," &c. (So Mendelssohn.)
(b)
We may take l in the sense of "belonging to,"
"joining myself to;"
and
the passage would mean, "I have no good beyond Thee, belonging
as
I do to the fellowship of the saints, and the noble in whom," &c. And
some
such meaning seems to be favoured by the context; for it is evident
that
it is the design of the Psalmist to contrast his own happy lot, and
that
of others who, like himself, had found their happiness in Jehovah,
with
the miserable condition of those "whose sorrows were increased,"
because
they went after other gods. (c) We may take ‘ql as depending
on
yTir;maxA and make the apodosis begin with hmh, and either with Del.
transfer
the v;
from yreyDixav; to the beginning of ver. 3, or strike it out alto-
gether
as having crept in by mistake. Then the rendering will be as
given
in the text in this (4th) edition. In previous editions I adopted
explanation
(b).
f MtAObc;.fa. The first clause of
this verse has again been very differently
interpreted.
The LXX. e]plhqu<nqhsan ai[ a]sqe<neiai au]tw?n, meta>
tau?ta
e]ta<xunan, which is followed by the
Vulg. and Arab. The Syr. also renders
MtAObc;.fa by "their sorrows." On
the other hand, the Chald., Jerome
and
Theod. (see Montef.'s note) take 'c;.fa to mean "their idols."
The
Chald.:
"They multiply their idols, and afterwards hasten to offer their
gifts."
Jerome: "Multiplicabantur idola eorum post tergum sequentium."
So
far as the etymology goes, the word 'cf might no doubt mean
either
"idols"
or "sorrows," but in this form
it only occurs in the latter sense,
cxlvii.
3, Job ix. 28, whereas the form MyBicafE is used exclusively of
idols.
g rHexa "another,"
i.e. a false god—not only in plur. with Myhilox< (Exod.
xx.
3, xxiii. 13, &c.), but in sing. and absolutely, Is. xlii. 8, xlviii. 11.
UrhAmA not "they
hasten," which is the meaning of the verb only in the
Piel.
In Qal it signifies "to buy" (Exod. xxii. 15): here, according to
the
original meaning of the root, "to exchange, to barter." Cf. rymh in
the
same sense, cvi. 20, Hos. iv. 7, Jer. ii. 11.
h tnAm;, stat. constr. of hnAmA, with a instead of a,
owing to the omission of
the
radical y
or v. The proper stat.
constr. of hnAmA would be tyan;mi, whence
tnAm; and (to mark the omission of the y) tnAm;. The y appears in the plur.
tOynAm;, Neh. xii. 57, for which we have x in the alt. form, v.
44, tOxnAm;.
This,
which is beyond all doubt the true explanation of the appearance of
the
long vowel instead of the short, is due to Hupfeld. See his note on
Ps.
xi. 6, where the same form occurs. Furst (Concord. in v. tnAP;) explains
these
forms and similar nouns as formed by the addition of t to the fem.
termination
x-A.
i j`ymiOT. App. a fut. Hiph. from
a root jmy,
which Schultens assumes
and
supposes to be kindred with an Arab. root
, amplum esse,"Thou
enlargest
my lot." But no such verb exists either in Heb. or Arab. It is
200 PSALM XVI.
better,
therefore, to take it as = j`meOT, (the y having crept in, and
the
Chirek
consequently having been written by mistake under the m), part.
Qal
of jmt,
which means both "to hold in the hand" (Amos i. 5, Prov.
xxxi.
19), and "to support with the hand" (xvii. 5, xli. 13, &c.). No
other
exactly analogous form occurs, but there is a similar introduction
of
y
in the form bybEso, 2 Kings viii. 21.
k tlAHEna for yTilAHEna, parallel with ylirAOG above. Sim. trAm;zi, Exod.. xv. 2
(after
yz.ifA;
see the same phrase repeated, Is. xii. 2, Ps. cxviii. 14); or it
may
be for hlAHEna, as trAz;f,, for hrAz;f,, lx. 13, cviii. 13. See
also similar
forms,
cxxxii. 4, Num. xi. 32, Jonah iv. 7. The LXX. and the Syr. sup-
port
the former explanation, as they express the pronoun : the amid. and
Jerome
(" haereditas speciosissima mea est ") the latter. Either, therefore,
(i)
"my inheritance pleases me well" or (2) " it is an inheritance
which
pleases
me well " (lit. is fair for me, or in my estimation). Comp. civ. 34,
vylAfA braf<y,, " may it please
Him, be sweet for Him."
1 j~ydysH. Does this stand for j~yd,ysiHE, "thy beloved
ones" (plur.), or
are
we to adopt the correction of the Massoretes, who give j~d;ysiHE as the
Q'ri?
The plur. has found favour with most of the modern critics (except
Delitzsch
and Stier); but the weight of critical authority is decidedly in
favour
of the sing. All the ancient Versions, without exception, have the
singular.
So also have St. Peter (Acts ii. 27) and St. Paul (xiii. 35). Further,
the
singular is found in the Babylon Talmud, 'Erubin
19a, the Midrash
Tehillim,
the Yalqut Shime'oni (in loco, § 66)
and many of the Rabbinical
writers.
It is also the reading of 269 MSS. (being more than half of the
existing
number); whilst in seven others the y is added by a later
hand,
and
in four it is crossed out. Moreover, among these are the oldest and
best
MSS. On the other hand, in those in which the K'thibh stands, it is
with
the punctuation of the singular, and often with the marginal annota-
tion
y ryty,
"the Yod is superfluous." Against all this it is in vain to urge
that
the plur., as the more difficult reading, ought to be retained. The
plur.
certainly might stand, for the
Psalmist had already spoken of other
"saints
in the land," as well as of himself, and the change of number is
not
more abrupt than the Unylexe in xl. 6. Nor would this overthrow the
reference
to Christ. That which is true of the members, is true in its
highest'sense
of the head, and is only true of the members because they
are
joined to the head. But the weight of evidence clearly supports the
singular,
and this must have been felt from the earliest times; for it would
have
been to the interest of the Jews to have retained only the K'thibh.
m thawa. This is rendered here
by the LXX. diafqora<n, though elsewhere
they
give other equivalents. In vii. 16, xciv. 13, Prov. xxv:i. 27, they have
bo<qroj: all the other ancient
interpreters, without exception, give the
meaning
of "corruption," in this passage. But to this it has been ob-
jected,
that the word elsewhere means either "a pit," or "the
grave," and
that
such must be its meaning, because it is formed from the r. Hvw, "to
sink
down," not from r. tHw, "to destroy." Only one passage can
be
alleged,
viz. Job xvii. 14, where tHawa seems to require the rendering
"corruption,"
and that because of the parallelism with the word "worm."
PSALM
XVII.
201
Hence
Winer's Simonis gives in that one passage the signification cor-
ruptio, putredo. (And so does Prof. R. Smith,
regarding it as a distinct
word
from a different root, being in that passage masc., the other word
being
always fem.—a distinction which seems very doubtful, as the pron.
hTAxa may be attracted into the gender of the
immediately preceding
noun
ybixA)
But, as Ges. (Thes. v. Hvw) remarks, "grave" may be the
parallel
to "worm," as well as "corruption." He, however, admits the
meaning
“destruction” in Job xxxiii. 18, 22, 30; "exitium, interitus (hoc
etiam ex foveae vel ipsius sepulcri imagine ductum)."
What, then,
it
may
be asked, becomes of
"David
did see corruption, whereas He whom God raised up saw no
corruption"?
It is not essentially shaken. In the first place, even if we
follow
the LXX., we ought to translate, "David did see destruction,"
&c.;
for
diafqora< means "destruction," not "corruption"
(see their rendering
of
ix. 15, xxxv. 7; and in the next, if we adhere to the Hebrew, "David
did
see the grave, but He (Christ) . . . . did not see the grave," the argu-
ment
is still true, if only we take the phrase "to see the grave," in its
proper
acceptation of dying as men generally do,—dying and abiding in
death.
So the expression occurs Ps. xlix. 9 [10]. Cf. lxxxix. 48 [49],
"see
death." Christ did not see the grave in the same sense as David
did;
for He could not be holden of it. That this is the true meaning of
"seeing
the grave," is further established by the use of the opp. phrase,
"seeing
life," i.e. abiding, remaining alive. This is substantially the in-
terpretation
of Hengstenberg (stigmatized by Dr. Pusey, Daniel,
p. 501,
as
an "unhappy compromise"), and of Umbreit, Brief an die Römer,
S.
174, who, though he admits that tHawa, may mean
"corruption," denies
any
direct prediction here of the resurrection of Christ.
PSALM
XVII.
IN this Psalm, a servant of God,
conscious of his own uprightness,
and
surrounded by enemies, prays to be kept from the evil world,
and
from evil men who persecute him ; and then from the dark
present
looks forward with joy to the bright future.
Every tried and tempted servant of
God may find in it the touch-
stone
whereby to prove himself; the sure refuge whither to betake
himself;
the hope which is the anchor of the soul, and which entereth
within
the veil. The Psalm may be, as the inscription states, a Psalm
of
David; and if so, we may probably attribute its composition to
the
time of Saul's persecution.
It may be divided into three
strophes:
I. The Psalmist's confidence in his
appeal to God. Ver. 1-5.
202 PSALM XVII.
(a) This
is based upon the righteousness of his cause, and the
absence
of all hypocrisy in his prayer. Ver. I, 2.
(b) The consciousness of this integrity
further declared, and that
even
on the closest scrutiny. Both heart (ver. 3) and life (ver. 4, 5)
are
free from reproach, notwithstanding the evil by which he is
surrounded.
II. Prayer to be kept in the evil world. Ver.
6-12.
(a) The appeal now lies to God's marvellous
loving-kindness and
tender
affection, that he may be protected against his enemies.
(b) The description of their bitterness
(ver. 9), their pride (ver. 10),
and
their relentless persecution (ver. 11, 12) is then given.
III.
The spirit of the world, and the spirit which is of God.
Ver.
13-15.
(a) Prayer that the sword of Jehovah may
overtake his enemies.
(b) And then the broad contrast, not
without its consolation: their
portion,
at the best, is for this life, and then perishes; mine is in the
Presence
and the Vision of God, and therefore cannot be taken
from me.
[A PRAYER OF DAVID.]
I. 1
HEAR, O Jehovah, righteousness;
Hearken to my cry;
Give ear to my prayer
Which (is uttered) by no
deceitful lips.
2
From Thy presence let my judgement go forth;
Thine eyes behold
uprightness!
3
Thou hast proved my heart;
Thou hast visited (me)
by night;
1. Not only a righteous cause, but
a righteous prayer, offered in all
sincerity, with no hypocritical reserve
or pretence, are urged as motives
why God should hear him. Calvin
remarks on the importance of
joining prayer to the testimony of
a good conscience, lest we de- fraud
God of His honour by not committing
all judgement to Him. 2. In this verse both verbs may be
either presents or optatives. Hence
we may render, (i) " Let my
sentence ... may Thine eyes behold,"
&c.; so the LXX., Syr., |
Vulg.,
and Arab.: or (2) " Thy sen- tence
goes forth . . . . Thine eyes behold,"
&c.: or (3) the first verb may
he opt., and the second we- sent,
which is Hupfeld's rendering; and
so also Stier and Mendels- sohn. 3. This has given offence to some as
an over-bold assertion of inno- cence.
Hence the Jewish inter- preters
supposed it to have been written
by David before his fall. Others,
as Zunz, make the sentence conditional. " Prüfst du mein Herz . ... — dass du nichts fandest! |
PSALM
XVII. 203
Thou hast tried me (and) findest no evil
thought a
in me,
Neither doth my mouth transgress.
4
As for b the doings of men,—by the word of Thy lips
I have kept (me from)
the ways of the destroyer:
5
Holding fast c with my goings in Thy paths,
My footsteps have not been
moved.
II.
6 As for me - I have called upon Thee, for
Thou
answerest me, O God:
Incline Thine ear unto me; hear my
speech.
Hab'
ich Böses gesonnen, dass es nicht
gehe über meinen Mund!" But
it is not absolute innocence which
the Psalmist here asserts: he
is not indulging in self-righteous boasting,
but appealing to God as knowing
his uprightness of heart and
honesty of purpose. Calvin gives
the sense very well: "Tu, Domine, qui creando omnes cordis mei sensus tenes, sicuti tuum est probare homines, optime nosti me non
esse duulicem nec quicquam fraudis intus alere." HAST PROVED—HAST TRIED— both
words used of the testing of metals,
and especially the latter, which
means properly to melt in the
fire, so as to separate the dross from
the ore. BY NIGHT, as the season of quiet thought
and self-examination. Comp.
iv. 4 [5], xvi. 7. The latter half of this verse might be
rendered with Delitzsch, "Thou hast
tried me and findest nothing: Have
I entertained an evil thought? —
it shall not pass my mouth," for
(I) the accent in ytmz is not conclusive
against it (see Critical Note),
and (2) rbf
by itself does not
seem to be used in the sense of to transgress or sin. 4. THE DOINGS OF MEN, i.e. the common
course of action of worldly men.
"Men" = the great mass of men
(opposed to the "doings of Jehovah,"
xxviii. 5), and here con- |
trasted
with "the word of God." Comp.
the expression "after the manner
of men" (Hos. vi. 7, Job xxxi.
33). Whatever men in general may
do or say, I have but one guide
and rule of action, viz. Thy word.
This is the first mention of the
opposition to which he was ex- posed,
and of that contrast which comes
out more clearly in the next strophe,
and which is completed in the
last. I HAVE KEPT (ME FROM), lit. "I have
watched, observed," but here evidently
with the further notion of watching
so as to avoid: and so rightly
Symm. e]gw> e]fulaca<mhn o[dou>j paraba<tou. The pron. is
emphatic, as
again ver. 6, and may be ex- plained
both by the strong sense on
the one hand of the Psalmist's uprightness
and consequent rela- tion
to God, and on the other as a
tacit opposition to the enemies spoken
of ver. 9, 10. He seems anxious,
as it were, to place himself in
his distinct and proper character before
God, and to isolate himself' from
the wicked. 5. See Job xxiii. II, Ps. xli. 12 [13]. 6-12. The prayer to be kept in. the
evil world. The earnest, affect- tionate
cleaving to God, the prayer to
be hidden in the shadow of His wings,
is proof enough that the former
part of the Psalm is no merely
self-righteous boast. |
204 PSALM
XVII.
7
Show Thy marvellousd loving-kindnesses, O Thou that
savest those who find
refuge (in Thee)
From them that lift themselves up
against Thy right
hand.
8
Keep me as the apple—as the pupil—of an eye,
Hide me in the shadow of
Thy wings,
9
Because of the wicked who would destroy me,
(Because of) mine
enemies who eagerly compass me
about.
10 (In) their fat have they
enclosed (themselves),
With their mouth they
speak proudly.
11
Whithersoever we go, have they now surrounded us;
7. SHOW, &c., lit. "make won- derful,"
i.e. exhibit in a marked manner
Thy loving-kindness, which looks
at first sight as if David ex- pected
a special miracle to be wrought
in his favour. Hence vin
excuses the prayer by the great- ness
of the strait and peril which drove
him to ask for this extra- ordinary
deliverance. But the truth
is, that the notion contained in
the verb only expresses the gene- ral
well-known character of God's loving-kindness,
which is always wonderful
(so De Muys, " exsere omnem
illam mirificam tuam cle- mentiam"),
and this David desires to
experience as others have expe- rienced
it before him, as follows. THOSE WHO FIND REFUGE, ab- sol.
as Prove xiv. 26; comp. oi[ kata- fugo<ntej, Heb. vi. 18. 8. Both the images in this verse, alike
expressive of the affection of the
Psalmist and of his deep sense of
God's tender care and love to him,
are borrowed from the beau- tiful
passage in Deut. xxxii. 10, 11. For
the former, see also Zech. ii. 8. The
latter occurs frequently. In the
New Testament our Lord uses the
still more tender image of the hen
gathering her brood under her wings
(Matt. xxiii. 37). 9. EAGERLY, lit. "with the
soul," i.e. with the longing
desire to de- |
stroy
me. (So the Chald. "with the
desire of their souls.") Others, "my
enemies against the soul" (so the
Syr. "enemies of my soul"), i.e.
"my
deadly enemies;" but this is harsh,
especially with the omission of
the pronoun (we should expect it
to be expressed), and the former is
supported by xxvii., 12, xli. 2 [31 where
the word "soul" is used, in the
same way. 10.
IN THEIR FAT, &c. lit. "Their fat
have they shut up." This may refer
both to the outward condition and
the state of heart. These risen led
a luxurious and selfish life (as is
further said, ver. 14), in conse- quence
of which they had become proud
and unfeeling. For this double
meaning of "fatness," co alp. on
the one hand Deut. xxxii. r 5, Job
xv. 27, and on the other, Ps. cxix.
70, Isa. vi. 10. Others render, "
they have closed their heart"
(see for
this meaning of the word, Ges. Thes. in v., and Hupfeld
in his Comm.), i.e. they have no feeling of
compassion, like klei<ein ta> spla<g- xna, I John iii. 17, and so Theo- doret, a]poklei<santej eu]splagxni<an= eu@noia kai> filadelfi<an. 11. WHITHERSOEVERWE GO, lit. "Our steps, have they now sur- rounded
us," there being thus a double
object of the verb, viz. the person
and the part of the person, |
PSALM
XVII. 205
Their eyes do they set
to cast (us) down to the
earth,
12 Like as a lion that is greedy to ravin,
And as a
young lion lurking in (his) lair.
III.
13
Arise, O Jehovah, go forth to meet him, cast him
down;
Deliver my soul from the wicked, by Thy
sword.
14 From men, O Jehovah, by Thy
hand,—from men of
the world,e
Whose
portion is in (this) life, and whose belly Thou
fillest with
Thy treasures,
Who are satisfied with
sons, and leave their substance
to their
children.
just
as in iii. 7 [8], " Thou hast smitten
all mine enemies on the cheek-bone." To CAST DOWN, in same sense as in
xviii. 9 [10], lxii. 4 [5]. No object is
expressed. We may supply "us," or,
"our steps," from the first hemistich;
cf. lxxxiii. 2, or more widely,
"whatever comes in their way." I2. LIKE AS A LION, lit. "his likeness
is (that of) a lion," where the
sing. may be distributive, viz. each
of them is as a lion; or one particular
enemy, as leader of the rest,
may be present to his mind. 13. If the enemy be thus fierce and
powerful, the more need for a powerful
protector. The image is a
common one in the Psalms, but may
have been suggested in the first
instance by David's personal experience.
See note on iii. 7 [8]. GO FORTH TO MEET HIM, just as
David himself went forth, to meet
first the lion and the bear, and
afterwards the champion of BY THY SWORD, and in ver. 14, By
THY HAND. These words are accusatives
further defining the action
of the verbs: they denote the
instrument with which the de- liverance
was to be effected, and |
are
not in apposition with the nouns after
which they are placed. David does
not here regard the wicked as the
sword of God, as Isaiah (x. 5) does
the Assyrian as the rod of His anger—a
thought which would be quite
at variance with the whole scope
of the Psalm—but calls upon God
to destroy them. 14. MEN OF THE WORLD. The word
here used for "world" (cheled)
denotes
the transitory nature of the
world as a thing of time. Men of
the world are those who have made
it their home, and who, to- gether
with the world and the lust thereof,
are passing away. (Comp. "men
of the earth," Ps. x. 18.) In the
New Testament they are the ko<smoj of ai]w?noj
tou<tou, Luke xvi. 8. Being thus
worldly-minded, they have their portion in life, i.e. in the brief years
of their existence upon earth. (For
this absolute use of the word LIFE,
see Ecc1. vi. 12, ix. 9.) Then this
love of the world is opposed to
the love of the Father, not the present
to the future, so much as the
temporal to the eternal, the world
to God. The contrast to "their
portion in this life" is to be found
in xvi. 5, "Jehovah is my portion;"
and in ver. 15 of this |
206 PSALM
XVII.
15 As for me—in righteousness
let me behold Thy face;
Psalm.
On the one side, the Out- ward,
the Transitory, the Unreal: on
the other, the Inward, the Abid- ing,
the True. We have here a view
of the world and of life very remarkable
for the Old Testament —a
kind of anticipation of the con- trast
between the flesh and the spirit
which the
love of the world and of God, of
which 15. Worldly men have their satis- faction in this life, in
treasures, in children;
David hopes to be satis- fied with the likeness, or
rather real, manifest
bodily form (hnAUmT) of God.
The personal pron. stands emphatically
at the beginning of the
verse, in order to mark the contrast
between his own feelings and
those of the men of the world. He
hopes (as Job also does, xix. 26,
27) to see God. (The parall. of the
next clause shows that this must
mean more than merely "to enjoy
His favour, the light of His countenance,"
&c. as in xi. 7.) There
is an allusion probably to such
a manifestation of God as that
made to Moses, Numb. xii. 8, where
God declares that with Moses He
will speak "mouth to mouth, even
apparently, and not in dark speeches; and
the similitude (rather form, the
same word
as here) of Jehovah shall he behold." WHEN I AWAKE. How are we to
understand these words? (1) Certainly
not "when I wake up from
sleep," as Ewald and others explain,
because of the reference to
the night in ver. 3. This would give
a lean and hungry sense in- deed.
Why should David expect a
clear vision of God, and especially of
His form, on the following morn- ing,
or on the morning of any day, more
than at any other time? (2)
Nor again does he mean by "waking,"
a deliverance from the present
night of sorrow and suffer- ing,
as though he would say, This my
sorrow shall pass away, and then
I shall see God as my deliverer |
(which
may perhaps be the meaning of
the hope which Job expresses, chap.
xix.). So Calvin explains the "waking"
of which David speaks, "ut
tantundem valeat ac respirare a
tristitia," and supposes him to have
been so worn out by his afflic- tions
as to have fallen into a kind of
sleep or lethargy. But this seems
an inadequate explanation. The
night might be used as a figure of
suffering, but the sufferer would scarcely
be said to sleep in his suffering,
and then to awake out of it.
I cannot doubt that the reference is
to "the waking from the sleep of death,"
and therefore to a resurrec- tion.
In opposition to this inter- pretation,
it is commonly asserted that
the truth of a resurrection had not
yet been revealed, and that, consequently,
if we find the doc- trine
here, the Ps. must be or later date,
after the Exile. (So De Wette.) But
this is mere assertion. First, as
regards the use of the figure. "Waking"
from death occurs in 2
Kings iv. 31. Death is spoken of
as a sleep from which there is no
awaking; Job xiv. 12, Jer. li. 39. Next,
Is. xxvi. 19, "Awake — ye that
sleep in the dust," plainly re- fers
to the resurrection. (Hence critics
who think this truth could not be known before the
Exile, are obliged
to suppose that this chapter was
written after that time.) Again, why
should not David have attained, in
some degree, to the knowledge of
a truth, which in later times was so
clearly revealed as it was to Ezekiel
(who makes use of it as the image
of the resurrection of xxxvii.
1---14) and to Daniel (xii. 2)? Is
it astonishing that a truth should first
appear somewhat dimly ex- pressed,
and afterwards shine with a
greater brightness? Is it strange that
a conviction should be pos- sessed
and uttered by one man ages
before it becomes the common heritage
of all? May there not be even
now truths slumbering in the Bible
which have not yet been fully |
PSALM XVII 207
Let me be satisfied, when I awake,
with Thine image.
grasped
by Christian men? In all times
there are men whom God takes
into a nearer communion |
with
Himself, and who attain to an insight
and an utterance beyond that
of the dull unripe world. |
a ytiOm.za. This looks like 1
perf. of Mmz,
and so perhaps it was taken by
the
Chald., which, however, seems to fluctuate in its rendering; but this
is
not in accordance with the accent, which is on the last syllable. [
however
refers to Deut. xxxii. 41, Is. xliv. 16, as containing examples
of
a similar accentuation of the perfect.] Nor is it a noun with suff.
from
hm.Aza=hm.Azi
(Ges. Lex.), but an infinitive of verb f ‘’
f, like tOl.Ha,
tOmwa, tOn.Ha, with the fern.
termination tO-, borrowed from verbs h’’l.
According
to the Massoretic punctuation, it is to be joined to the words
following.
Hence many render, "my thought varies not from (lit. passes
not
by rbAfEya) my mouth," i.e.
I do not think one thing, and say another:
others
taking yPi
as subj. not as obj., " my mouth goes not beyond my
thought,"
i.e. I do not say more than I think.
But Mmz
and hmA.zi
com-
monly
refer to evil thoughts and devices
(see x. 4). Hence it would be
better
to render, "No evil thought of mine passes over my mouth." But
it
seems best, following most of the older Vers., to connect ytiOm.za with the
preceding
words. So the LXX. ou]x eui[re<qh e]n e]moi>
a]diki<a.
So too the Syr.,
Chald.
(altern.), Arab., and Æth., but not
Jerome (as Hupfeld asserts), at
least
not in the best MSS., which have "cogitatio mea utinam non trans-
isset
os meum;" others, however, read "non invenisti cogitationes
meas."
b ‘x
tOlfup;li.
The l;
here either the prep. of general reference, "with
regard
to," or the l; of time,
as in xxxii. 6, JF,w,l; (Hupf.), or condition, as
in
lxix. 22 (Del.). But neither of these instances is exactly parallel to
that
in the text. Many of the older interpreters join these words with the
preceding
verse. The LXX. o!pwj a}n mh> lalh<s^ to>
sto<ma mou ta> e@rga
tw?n a]nqrw<pwn. Vulg. "non
loquatur os meum opera hominum." Syr.
"Nor
have the works of men passed over my mouth in the discourse of
[my]
lips."
c j`OmTA. The infin. absol.
perhaps used for the finite verb (not for the
imperat.,
which is against the connection, and moreover would require a
fut.
instead of a pret. in the next member); and either for the 1st pers.
sing.,
or for 3rd pers. plur., " I have held with my goings," or,
" my goings
have
held." Or the infin. may be (as Hupf. suggests) like the Lat. gerund
in
-do, the first member of this verse
being connected either with the last
of
ver. 4, "I have kept me . . . . by holding fast," &c., or with
the one
immediately
following, "By holding fast, my footsteps have not moved."
See
the same constr. in xxxv. 15, 16.
d hlep;ha prop.
"separate," "set apart," but with the further idea of
something
that is wonderful or miraculous = xlep;ha. Comp. Ex. xxxiii.
16,
and Ps. cxxxix. 14, and see above, note on iv. 4. See the same phrase
in
xxxi. 22, ODs;Ha xylip;hi. The LXX. qauma<stwson ta> e]le<h sou. In the
same
way the idea contained in the verb passes over to the noun in
Is.
xxviii. 29, hcAfe ‘h.
208 PSALM XVIII.
e dl,H,=
MlAOf, ai]w<n, aevum, prop. "time," "life-time," xxxix. 6,
lxxxix. 48
(dl,HA
hm, ynixE, ego quanilli sim avi), Job xi. 17 (life itself); then, that
which
is subject to time, the world (comp.
the later uses of MlAOf, ai]w<n, and
saculum), as in xlix. 2, H
‘y "inhabitants of the world." The root signif.
may
be that of transitoriness, the same
as ldH
by mere transposition of
letters,
or it may be connected with the Syr.
"to creep, to crawl,"
whence
in Heb. dl,Ho,
and words from the same root in Syr. and Arab.
mean
"a mole." The idea therefore of dl,H, is that of time as slowly
creeping on. In Arab. is " to grow gradually
old."
___________________________
PSALM XVIII.
IN this
magnificent hymn the Royal Poet sketches in a few grand
outlines
the tale of his life—the record of his marvellous deliverances
and
of the victories which Jehovah had given him—the record, too,
of
his own heart, the truth of its affection towards God, and the
integrity
of purpose by which it had ever been influenced. Through-
out
that singularly chequered life, hunted as he had been by Saul
before
he came to the throne, and harassed perpetually after he
became
king by rivals who disputed his authority and endeavoured
to
steal away the hearts of his people—compelled to fly for his life
before
his own son, and engaged afterwards in long and fierce wars
with
foreign nations—one thing had never forsaken him, the love
and
the presence of Jehovah. By His help he had subdued every
enemy,
and now, in his old age, looking back with devout thank-
fulness
on the past, he sings this great song of praise to the God of
his
life. With a heart full of love he will tell how Jehovah delivered
him,
and then there rises before the eye of his mind the whole force
and
magnitude of the peril from which he had escaped. So much
the
more wonderful appears the deliverance, which accordingly he
represents
in a bold poetical figure, as a stooping of the Most High
from
heaven to save him—who comes, as He came of old to Sinai,
with
all the terror and gloom of earthquake, and tempest, and thick
darkness.
But God delivers those only who trust in Him,, and who
are
like Him. There must be an inner life of communion with God,
if
man will know His mercy. Hence David passes on to that cove-
nant
relationship in which He had stood to God. He had ever been
a
true Israelite, and therefore God, the true God of Israel, had dealt
with
him accordingly. And thus it is at the last that the servant of
PSALM XVIII.
209
Jehovah
finds his reward. Jehovah, to whom he had ever looked,
did
not forsake him, but girded him with strength to the battle, and
made
even distant nations the vassals of his sway.
The hymn concludes as it had opened, with a
joyful thanksgiving
to
Jehovah, who had done so great things for him.
The inscription, which informs us that this
hymn was composed
towards
the close of David's life, is confirmed by the fact that we
have
the same account given of its composition in 2 Sam. xxii., where
this
hymn is also found, though with a number of variations. The
internal
evidence, too, points in the same direction; for we learn
from
ver. 34 [35] and 43 [44] that the Poet is both warrior and
king;
and every part of the description suits the events and circum-
stances
of David's life better than those of any other monarch.
The
Psalm consists of three principal divisions or strophes, together
with
an introduction and conclusion:--
I. Introduction, setting forth all that
Jehovah is to the Psalmist.
Ver.
1-3.
II. Strophe I. The record of David's sufferings
and peril, and
the
mighty deliverance by which he was rescued. Ver. 4—19.
III. Strophe II. The reason for this
deliverance as based upon
the
character of God and the principles of His moral government.
Ver.
20—30.
IV. Strophe III. The blessings which he had
received in his life;
his
own preservation and that of his race (ver. 28); help and strength
in
battle, rule over all enemies. Ver. 31-45.
V. Conclusion, consisting of a joyful
thanksgiving and acknow-
ledgement
of all God's mercies. Ver. 46—50.
[FOR THE
PRECENTOR. (A PSALM) OF DAVID, THE SERVANT OF
JEHOVAH, WHO SPAKE UNTO JEHOVAH THE WORDS
OF THIS SONG,
IN THE DAY THAT JEHOVAH DELIVERED HIM OUT
OF THE HAND
OF ALL HIS ENEMIES, AND OUT OF THE HAND OF
SAUL: AND
HE
SAID:]
I
FERVENTLY do I love Thee, O Jehovah, my strength.
SERVANT OF JEHOVAH. Also in the
inscr. of Ps. xxxvi., and, in the mouth
of God, " my servant," lxxxix. 3
[4], 20 [21], as 2 Sam. iii. 18, vii. 5.
David is so called in a special sense
as one put in office, and com- missioned
by God. The same title is
applied also to Moses, Joshua, |
the
Prophets, the Angels, &c., as sent
by God to do His work. It is strictly
an official designation, but is
never applied by any person to himself.
In this it differs from the dou?loj qeou? (Xristou?) of the New Testament.
(Philip. i. I; Tit. i. I.) 1-3. Looking back upon his |
PSALM
XVIII.
209
2
Jehovah is my stronghold and my fortress, and my
Deliverer,
My God is my rock wherein I find
refuge,
My shield and the horn of my
salvation, my high tower.
3
I will call upon Jehovah who is worthy to be praised,a
So shall I be saved from
mine enemies.
4
The
bands of death compassed me,
eventful
life, a life full of peril and full
of mercy, David pours out his heart,
first in the expression of strong
and tender love (MHr, the verb
in Qal, and in this meaning, occurs
only here) to his God; and then
in the attempt to set forth in some
measure, by employing one figure
after another, all that God had
been to him during the days of
his pilgrimage. The images, which are most of them
of a martial character, are borrowed
from the experience of David's
life, and. the perpetual struggles
in which he was engaged. Some
of them were suggested by the
natural configuration of Pales- tine.
Amid the "rocks" and "fast- nesses"
of his native land, and the "high
tower" perched on some in- accessible
crag, he, with his band of
outlaws, had often found a safe hiding
place from the wrath of Saul. The "shield" and the
"horn" seem
to stand respectively for all weapons
of defence and offence. The shield,
as covering the body; the horn,
as a symbol of strength in attack
(itself an image, borrowed from
animals who push with their horns).
Comp. Deut. xxxiii. 17; I
Kings xxii. 11. The image is very
common in the Psalter. For a like crowding
together of metaphors in address to God,
see the opening of Pss. xxxi. lxxi. 3. I WILL CALL. The futures in this
verse do- not express a present resolution,
but are either (I) aorists, and
mark the constant habit of his past
life = "it has ever been my wont
to call upon Jehovah, and He has
saved me," a statement which |
is
then further expanded in what follows:
or (2) they may express the conviction
of faith = "whenever I
cry, I shall be delivered." (See note
on iii. 4 [5].) Then follows the record
of his past experience, which gives
the reason both for his love of Jehovah,
and his prayer to Him. 4-6. As he looks back on the past,
he gathers into one all the perils
to which he had been exposed, all
the sufferings which he had en- dured,
and so measures them not by
the depth or intensity of any one,
but by their aggregated volume and
pressure. It was as if they had
risen and swelled above him wave
upon wave; he had been as a swimmer,
beaten and buffeted to and
fro till his strength was spent, and
it had like to have gone hard with
him for his life. He was sink- ing
(comp. xxx. 3 [4]; xxxii. 6; xl. 2
[3]; lxix. 1, 2 [2, 3]), and, like Jonah,
seemed beyond reach of succour
(Jon. ii. 4, 6, 7):-- or, vary- ing
the figure, he had been talc en in
the toils, which Death, like a mighty
hunter, had cast about him (ver.
5). But even in this his utter- most
strait he was not beyond the reach
of God's arm. Neither the depths
of the sea nor the gates of Death
can resist Jehovah's power. Therefore,
when from the lowest depths
the prayer goes up to Je- hovah
in heaven, He reaches forth His
hand from the highest heaven to
the uttermost abyss, and plucks His
servant from the jaws of Death. 4. THE BANDS OR "CORDS." LXX.
w]di?nej qana<tou (cf. Acts ii. 24), "the
pains or pangs of Death;" a possible
meaning, but not so suit- |
PSALM
XVIII.
211
And the floods of
ungodliness b made me afraid.c
5
The bands of hell surrounded me,
The snares of death came
upon me.
6
In my distress I called upon Jehovah,
And unto my God did I
cry:
He heard my voice out of His temple,
And my cry before Him
came unto His ears.
7
Then the earth was moved and did quake,
able
here to the context, where Death is
represented, as in the next verse, as
a hunter (cf. xci. 3). But in Sam. the
word employed means "bil- lows,"
or lit. "breakers," instead of "bands." 5. HELL, lit. "Sheol," "the un- seen
world," or here = "the grave." 6. tabernacle
(see v. 7 [81), on Mount wherein
God especially manifests His
glory, and where He is worshipt by
the heavenly hosts —a place which
is both temple and palace. See
xi. 4, xxix. 9. All the verbs in this verse are im- perfect,
expressing habit. It might be
rendered: "In my distress I would
call upon Jehovah, and unto my
God would I cry; He would hear
my voice out of His temple; and
my cry before Him would come unto
His ears." On the constant interchange of the
preterite with the imperfect or aorist
in this Psalm, see more in the critical
notes. 7-19. The deliverance is now pictured
as a magnificent theo- phany.
God comes to rescue His servant
as He came of old to Sinai, and
all nature is moved at His coming.
Similar descriptions of the Divine
manifestation, and of the effects
produced by it, occur lxviii. 7,
8 [8, 91, lxxvii. 14--20 [15—21], Ex.
xix. Judg. v. 4, Am. ix. 5, Micah
i. 3, Hab. iii.; but the image is
nowhere so fully carried out as here.
David's deliverance was of course
not really accompanied by such
convulsions of nature, by |
earthquake
and fire and tempest, but
his deliverance, or rather his manifold
deliverances, gathered into one,
as he thinks of them, appear to
him as marvellous a proof of the Divine
Power, as verily effected by the
immediate presence and finger of
God, as if He had come down in visible
form to accomplish them. The image is carefully sustained throughout.
First, we have the earthquake,
and then, as preluding the
storm and as herald of God's wrath,
the blaze of the lightning (ver.
7, 8). Next, the thick gather- ing
of clouds, which seem to touch and
envelope the earth; the wind, and
the darkness, which shrouds Jehovah
riding on the cherubim (9-11).
Lastly, the full outburst of
the storm, the clouds parting before
the presence and glory of Jehovah,
and pouring upon the earth
the burden with which they were
heavy—the thunder, and the lightning,
and the hail,—the weapons of
Jehovah by which, on the one hand
He discomfits His enemies, and,
on the other, lays bare the depths
of the sea and the very foundations
of the world, that He may
save His servant who trusts in Him
(12-16). The image with which the de- scription
opened in ver. 4, of a sink- ing,
drowning man, is resumed in ver.
16, and thus completes the whole.
In ver. 17—19 the figure is dropped,
and the language falls into a
lower key. 7. The earthquake. In Sam., in- stead
of foundations of the moun- tains,
"foundations of heaven," by |
212 PSALM
XVIII.
And the foundations of
the mountains began to tremble,
And were moved to and
fro because He was wroth.
8
There went up a smoke in His nostrils,
And a fire out of His
mouth devoured,
Coals were kindled by it.
9
And He bowed the heavens, and came down,
And thick darkness was
under His feet.
10
And He rode upon a cherub and did fly,
And came flying upon the
wings of the wind.
11
He made d darkness His secret place, His pavilion round
about Him,
Dark gloom of waters,
thick clouds of the skies.
which
probably the mountains are meant,
which elsewhere are com- pared
to pillars which bear up the heaven
(Job xxvi. 11). 8. The swift approach of the storm
is vividly described. The smoke and the fire are symbols of the
Divine wrath before which all creation
must tremble (see ver. 7): here
they are the clouds and the lightning
of the storm, probably as seen
about the mountain summits and
in the distance. IN HIS NOSTRILS. Some have taken
offence at the apparent coarse- ness
of the figure, and would there- fore
render, "in His anger." But the
other is more in accordance with
the parallelism, "out of His mouth,"
in the next clause, and may be
defended by " the blasting of the breath
of Thy nostrils, "ver. 15. Cf. Deut.
xxix. 19 [E.V. 20]: "The anger
of Jehovah . . . shall smoke against
that man." 9. HE BOWED THE HEAVENS, which,
with their dark masses of low
hanging clouds, seemed almost to
touch the earth. Comp. cxliv. 5 and
Is. lxiii. 9. 10. AND HE RODE. In the midst of
the storm, though hidden, is Jehovah
Himself. The wrath of the elements
is no blind power, but is guided
and controlled by Him. UPON A CHERUB; or, perhaps, rather
a collective noun, and so |
used
for the plural. The cherubim are,
as it were, the living chariot of Jehovah,
and in their form, being compounded
of a man, a bull, a lion,
and an eagle (see Ezek. i. and x.),
seem to symbolize the powers of
nature. As to the etymology of the
word "cherub," we are still quite
in the dark. It remains what Bahr
calls it, a crux interpretum. But
there can be little doubt that the
cherubim—the living creatures of
Ezekiel—were emphatically the representatives
of the life of the creature,
and that in its most per- fect
form The four animals of which
the cherub is composed belong
to the highest class of or- ganized
beings, so that the old Jewish
proverb (T. B. Chagigah, 13b)
says: "Four things are chiefest
in the world. The lion among
beasts, the bull among cattle, the
eagle among birds, and man among
all (creatures); but God is the
Most High over all." See Bahr, Symbol d. Mos. Cult. i. pp. 311, 340, &c.;
Herder, Geist d. Heb. Poes. i.
I, 6, &c. There is evidently a connection
between this and the heathen
symbols, such, for instance, as
they appear on the Assyrian monuments.
Compare, too, the description
in the Prometheus of Æschylus,
of the approach of Oce- anus,
who comes to>n prerugwkh? to<nd ‘ oi]wno>n gnw<m^ stomi<wn
a@ter eu]qu<nwn. |
PSALM
XVIII. 2I3
12
At the brightness that was before Him, His thick clouds
passed,e
–
Hail-stones and coals of
fire.
13
Jehovah also thundered in the heavens,
And the Highest gave His
voice,
Hail-stones and coals of
fire.
14
And He sent forth His arrows, and scattered them,
And lightnings
innumerable,f and discomfited them.
15
Then the channels of water were seen,
And the foundations of
the world were discovered,
At Thy rebuke, O Jehovah,
At the blasting of the breath of Thy
nostrils.
16
He sent from above; He took me,
He drew me out of many
waters,
17
He delivered me from my strong enemy,
And from them that hated
me; for they were too strong
for me.
18
They came upon me in the day of my calamity,
But Jehovah was my stay.
19
And He brought me forth into a large place,
He delivered me, because
He delighted in me.
20
Jehovah rewarded me according to my righteousness,
According to the
cleanness of my hands did He recom-
pense me.
21
For I have kept the ways of Jehovah,
And have not wickedly
departed from my God.
22
For all His judgements are before me,
And His statutes do I
not put away from me.
12.
AT THE BRIGHTNESS, &C., i.e. the reflection of His
glory, which seems
to pierce and part the clouds, which
then discharge the hail, the lightning,
and the thunder. The repetition
of the words, "hailstones and
coals of fire," adds much to the force
of the description: "Hail is rare
in terrible
and destructive when it does |
fall.
Comp. Job xxxviii. 22, Josh. x.
II."—Ewald. 20—30. Next follows the reason for
this deliverance—the first hint of
which had already been given in the
preceding verse in the words, "because
He delighted in me." God
deals with men according as He
sees their heart to be towards Him.
Those who walk before Him |
214 PSALM
XVIII.
23
I have also been perfect with Him,
And have kept myself
from iniquity.
24
Therefore Jehovah recompensed me according to my
righteousness;
According to the
cleanness of my hands in His eyesight.
25
With the good Thou wilt show Thyself good,
With a perfect man Thou
wilt show Thyself perfect.
26
With the pure Thou wilt show Thyself pure,
And with the perverse
Thou wilt show Thyself froward.
27
For THOU savest the afflicted
people,
And bringest down high
looks.
in
simplicity and uprightness of heart
may expect His succour. And David
here, as in the last Psalm, asserts
not his freedom from sin, but
the consciousness of his own integrity.
Some, indeed, have seen in
the language a too boastful spirit, and
therefore would refer this Psalm, as
well as the last, to the time before David's
fall. Bunsen even thinks that
the self-righteous feeling here betrayed
laid him open to tempta- tion,
and was the first step in his departure
from God. But such a notion
has no support from the general
tenour of the Psalm, which everywhere
breathes a spirit of con- fidence
and trust in God, as far removed
as possible from the spirit of
self-righteousness. The words are,
in truth, words of childlike, open-hearted
simplicity, not of arrogant
boastfulness. Some allow- ance,
too, must perhaps be made for
the fact that under the Old Covenant
the knowledge of sin was more
superficial than it is under the New.
Yet tate
to say: "I have lived in all good conscience
before God unto this day;"
and a man may call him- self
a miserable sinner, and yet be more
of a Pharisee than one who asserts
his own righteousness. [It may,
however, be fairly doubted whether
David would have used such
language as this after his fall; and
although the Psalm is placed |
in
2 Sam. at the end of David's history,
it does not follow that it was
written at the close of his life. The
special mention of Saul in the inscription
would rather favour an earlier
time, perhaps the "rest" mentioned
in 2 Sam. vii. I.] 23. The language seems very strong,
but is really to be explained (by
a reference to the preceding and
the following verse) of the desire
and intention of the heart, and
the earnest endeavour to avoid all
known sin. Compare with this, David's
testimony concerning him- self,
I Sam. xxvi. 23, 24; the testi- mony
of God, I Kings xiv. 8; and the
testimony of the history, I Kings
xv. 5. 26. THOU WILT SHOW THYSELF FROWARD.
The expression seems rough
and harsh, but is no doubt designedly
employed in contrast with
what goes before. The mean- ing
is—him who is perverse God gives
up to follow his own perverse way,
till it brings him to destruc- tion.
(See lxxxi. 12 [13], and Rom. i.
28.) It is also, of course, true, that to
the perverse heart God Himself appears
perverse. The wicked man thinks
that God is "altogether such an
one as himself;" but this idea is not
so prominent here as the other. The Chaldee Paraphrase gives Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob as ex- amples
of "the good" or "pious," the
"perfect" and the "pure," re- |
PSALM
XVIII. 215
28
For THOU givest light to my lamp,
Jehovah my God maketh my
darkness to be bright.
29
For by Thee I can rush against g a troop;
And by my God I can leap
over a wall.
30
As for God—His way is perfect;
The word of Jehovah is
tried;
He is a shield to all
who find refuge in Him.
31
For who is God but Jehovah,
And who is a rock save
our God?
32
The God who girdeth me with strength,
And maketh my way
perfect;
33
Who maketh my feet like hinds' feet,
And setteth me on my
high places;
34
Who traineth my hands for war,
So that mine arms can
bend h a bow of brass.
spectively;
and Pharaoh and the Egyptians
as "the perverse," "whom,
because they imagined evil devices
against Thy people, Thou didst
confound in their devices." 28. MY LAMP. Still more forcibly in
Sam. "Thou, O Jehovah, art my lamp."
The lamp lighted in the house
is the image at once of pro- sperity and continuance of life and happiness.
See cxxxii. 17, and of the
house of David, 1 Kings xi. 36, xv.
4; 2 Kings viii. 19. So, on the other
hand, the extinction of the royal
race is compared to the quenching
of the lamp, 2 Sam. xxi. 17. 29 FOR. Co-ordinate with the "for"
in the two previous verses. 30. TRIED, i.e. like metal purified in
the fire; in God's promise there is
no admixture of alloy: see xii. 6 [7]. 31-45. For this, the third prin- cipal
division of the Psalm, the way has
already been prepared in ver. 28-30,
as descriptive both of what God
is and of the help which He had
vouchsafed to His servant. David
now dwells in a strain of triumph
on the victories and suc- cesses
which God had given him. |
We
see, therefore, how Strophes I. and
III. are connected with Strophe II.
The central thought is the relation
in which David stands to God.
Before the holy God he has walked
in his integrity (ver. 20— 27);
and therefore on the one hand God
delivered him from his peril (4-19),
and on the other made him
victorious over all enemies (31-45). 31. The reference is to Deut. xxxii. 4,
15, 18, &c. 32. MAKETH MY WAY PERFECT, correlative
to "His way is perfect," ver.
30. 33. ON MY HIGH PLACES, i.e. the mountain
strongholds which I have seized
(as in taking the stronghold of
of
these military positions would depend
the possession of the whole country. 34. In the preceding verse the comparison
with the hind denoted the
extraordinary swiftness, which, whether
for attack or escape, was considered
a great excellence in the warriors
of ancient times. Here, the
bending of a bow of brass (or bronze
rather, xalio<j, which seems to
have been tempered and rendered |
216 PSALM
XVIII.
35
And Thou hast given me the shield of Thy salvation,
And Thy right hand hath
holden me up,
And Thy graciousness
hath made me great.
36
Thou hast made room for my footsteps under me,
That mine ankles have
not slipped.
37
I pursued mine enemies and overtook them,
Neither did I turn again,
until they were consumed.
38
I have smitten them, that they were not able to rise,
They are fallen under my
feet.
39
For Thou hast girded me with strength to the battle;
Thou hast bowed down
under me those that rose up
against me,
40
Mine enemies also Thou hast made to turn their backs
before me,
So that I destroyed them
that hate me.
41
They cried,—but there was none to save them,
Even unto Jehovah, but
He answered them not.
42
And I beat them small as the dust before the wind,
Like the mire of the
streets I emptied them out.
43
Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people;
Thou hast made me Head
over the nations:
A people that I know not, serve me.
44
At the hearing of the ear, they obeyed me,i
The sons of the alien
came crouching unto me.
pliable
like steel with us) indicates his
great strength (comp. Job xx. 24).
In Homer, Ulysses leaves be- hind
him at one
but himself could bend. 35. Yet it is not the bow of brass which
has been David's protection, but
Jehovah's shield covered him; Jehovah's
right hand held him up; Jehovah's
wonderful condescension (by
which he was taken from the sheepfolds
to be king) made him great;
Jehovah made room for him to
stand, and subdued those that rose
up against him. THY GRACIOUSNESS, lit. "meek- ness,"
"lowliness," a very remark- able
word as applied to God, and |
just
one of those links connecting the
Divine with the human, which in
the Old Testament so strikingly foreshadow
an incarnation. [It is easy
to exclaim against anthropo- morphisms,
but they speak to the heart,
which is never touched by cold
philosophic abstractions.] 41. The cry extorted in terror, and
not coming from an upright heart
(ver. 24, &c.), is not heard. See
the opposite, ver. 6. 44. AT THE HEARING OF THE EAR,
i.e. even at a distance, without seeing
me, as soon as they heard my
command. (See Job xlii. 5.) OBEYED,
or "shall obey." (See Critical
Note.) |
PSALM XVIII. 217
45
The sons of the alien faded away,
They came trembling out
of their fortresses.
46
Jehovah liveth, and blessed is my Rock,
And exalted the God of
my salvation;
47
(Even) the God who giveth me vengeance,
And (who) subdued
peoples under me.
48
Thou art He that deliverest me from mine enemies;
Yea, Thou liftest me up
above those that rise against me;
Thou hast delivered me from men of
violence.
49
Therefore will I give thanks unto Thee, O Jehovah, among
the nations;
And to Thy Name will I
sing praises:
CAME CROUCHING, lit. "lied unto
me," so descriptive of the abject, fawning submission of the Oriental.
Cf. lxvi. 3 (where see note),
lxxxi. 15 [16], "feigned sub- mission." 45. FADED AWAY, i.e. before the victorious
might of David, like plants
scorched and shriveled be- fore
the hot blast of the simoom (Is.
xl. 7). CAME TREMBLING (lit. trembled out
of, &c.), i.e. in order to give
in their
submission and to implore the clemency
and protection of the con- queror
(Micah vii. 17). The verbs in
this and the preceding verse may be
rendered as futures, as in the E.V.,
and then they will express David's
sure hope, based upon the past,
of the final subjugation of all his
enemies. FASTNESSES, lit. places in which they
had shut themselves up. 46—50. The hymn now concludes with
the praise of Jehovah, who had done
so great things for David and for
his seed. And as Jehovah has not
only placed him on the throne of
dominion
over foreign nations, he will
proclaim amongst these also the
Name and the praises of his God.
Here we have the first utter- ance
of a hope, which in later times became
clear and distinct, that the |
heathen
should learn to fear and worship
Jehovah. The Chald. phrast
on ver. 31 [32] gives a remark- able
prominence to this expectation. After
applying ver. 27, 28 [28, 29] to
the deliverance of captivity
("Thou wilt light the lamp of
captivity,"
&c.), he thus expands ver.
31 [32]:—Because of the wonder and
the redemption which Thou wilt
accomplish for Thine Anointed, and
for the remnant of Thy people which
shall be left, all peoples, nations,
and tongues shall praise (Thee),
and shall say, "There is no God
but Jehovah; for there is none but
Thou only;" and Thy people shall
say, "There is none strong save
our God." 49. xv.
9, as well as Deut. xxxii. 43, and Ps.
cxvii. I, as proof that the salva- tion
of Christ belonged, in the pur- pose
of God, to the Gentiles as well as
the Jews. The Psalm therefore looks
beyond David. David and David's
rule over the nations are but
a type and image of Christ, and of
that spiritual kingdom which He came
to establish. "Nec enim dubium
est," says Luther, "Davidis bella et victorias Christi passionem et resurrectionem figurasse." At the
same time he admits that it is very
doubtful how far the Psalm |
218 PSALM
XVIII.
50
Who giveth great deliverance to His King;
And showeth
loving-kindness to His Anointed,
To David and his seed
for evermore.
applies
to Christ, and how fat to David, “nec ipse hactenus certus factus sum utra intelligentia sit germana et propria ut citra peri- culum
no queam hic versari.” It |
would
be well if the modesty of this great
man were found in those who, having
neither his faith nor his learning,
pronounce their confident decisions
on such questions. |
a ll.Ahum;. This word, by most of
the older translators, is taken in an
active
sense, as if they read lle.ham;. The LXX. ai]w?n
e]pikale<somai k.t.k.
Vulg.
Laudans. Chald. "In a hymn of
praise do I utter my prayer."
The
Syr. joins it as an epithet to yBigaW;mi in the previous verse,
"my
glorious
refuge." Strictly it means "who is praised." So Jerome,
Laudatum invocabo
Dominurn.
But it may also mean "worthy to he
praised,"
"glorious," as the one great object of praise, after the analogy
of
xrAOn,
dmAH;n,. Ewald takes it as a predicate: "Worthy to be praised
is
Jehovah, do I cry."
b lfay.aliB; “Belial,” lit.
"worthlessness (fr. yliB; and lfaya fut. of hlf, in
the
sense of the cogn. root, Hiph. lyfiOh "to profit, to be
of service.")
Here
used perhaps of physical rather than
of moral evil, from the
parallelism
with Death and Sheol. The older interpreters generally
take
it in the moral sense = "wickedness." So the LXX., xei<mar]r[oi
a]nomi<aj, as a designation of
David's enemies, the abstract being put for
the
concrete. Finally, many give the word a personal rneaning, and
understand
by it the Evil One, Satan (as Belia<l, 2 Cor, vi. 15). So
Jerome,
torrentes diaboli, a meaning,
however, which is certainly later
than
the Old Testament. At any rate, physical
evil can hardly be ex-
cluded
here. Comp. xli. 9; Nahum i. II. The E. V. never renders the
word
as a proper name except in the Historical Books, in the phrases
"sons
of Belial," "daughters of Belial;" everywhere else the word is
translated.
The LXX. never render it as a proper name.
c yniUtfEbay;, "began to
terrify," or " were terrifying me." The verb must
refer
to the past because of the pret. ynUppAxE going before. But the
con-
stant
interchange of the preterites and futures (so called) in this Psalm is
remarkable,
and in many cases very perplexing. The context sometimes
determines,
as here, that the fut. must be taken as an imperf. or aorist,
the
time being, in fact, conditioned by the preterite preceding. So in
ver.
7 (Heb.) xrAq;x, must mean "I was wont to cry," . . . fmaw;yi "he would
ever
hear," &c. (The text in Sam. has fmaw;yi.va) And then the
consequence
of
this hearing is marked by the v consec. at the
beginning of ver. 8,
wfag;tiva. Again, UzGar;yi. must of necessity
refer to the same time as the pre-
ceding
verbs with the v consec. Precisely in the same way in ver. 14 we
have
Mfer;y.ava followed by NTeyi, where this last may be
rendered "kept
giving,"
as referring to the repeated crash of
the thunders. The con-
tinued
use of the futures, however, in ver. 17, 18, 19, is more noticeable.
They
do not alternate here, as in the previous instances, with preterites,
PSALM XVIII. 219
or
futures with v consec. Yet they can only refer to past time,
and then
not
to repeated action, but to the
deliverance which was the result of the
Theophany.
In verses 26—29 (in the Eng. Vers. 25—28) the futures are
strict
aorists, denoting habit. In ver. 30, they may either be futures
proper,
or—which seems to me better—have a sort of potential meaning.
In verses 38, 39, 43, 44.—46, there is
again considerable doubt as to
the
proper rendering of the futures. Most of the old Verss. here give the
strict
future meaning. So the Chald., except
in ver. 43. The LXX. in
38,
39, and 43, 44. Jerome in 37, 38, and 42—46. The Syr. in the whole
passage,
38—46; even where the fut. with v consec. occurs in ver.
40, and
the
pret. in ver. 41. The English Version adopts the fut. only in the last
member
of ver. 44, and in ver. 45, 46 (in the English Vers. 43-45).
Hupfeld
also contends for the future,
beginning at ver. 38. He thinks
that
we have not mere narration, but a general expression of confidence
for
all future time, based upon and flowing out of the deliverance already
accomplished.
(This is, no doubt, somewhat confirmed by the fact, that
in
2 Sam. we have the optat. form, hpAD;r;x, in the parallel
passage.)
Others,
as Ewald, Hengstenberg, &c., take the futures here as presents.
I
incline, however (with Maurer), to think that the reference of the verbs
is
still to the past, and I would explain them as aorists, of repeated past
action,
though it is quite possible that David, here transferring himself
into
the past, might use these futures as proper futures, speaking from the
past, and not from the present.
d tw,yA In 2 Sam. tw,yA.va the historic tense,
which seems almost neces-
sary. tw,yA may, however, stand, as
introducing a subordinate explanatory
clause,—"whilst
He made," &c.
e This has been
differently interpreted: (1) "At the brightness that was
before
Him, His thick clouds passed away—or, separated themselves—
(so
that) hail and coals of fire (issued from them);" (2) . . . "His
clouds
went
forth, viz. hail and coals of fire." So Vat., "e splendido conspectu
ejus
egrediuntur nubes in quibus
generantur fulmina,'' &c.; (3) "Out of
the
brightness before Him, there passed through His clouds hailstones,"
&c.,
i.e. the lightning coming from the
brightness of God's Presence, (and
accompanied
by hail) burst through the clouds. Hupfeld decides for (3)
as
the only one consistent with grammar. It must be admitted that in
(I)
the ellipsis is somewhat harsh, yet not more so, perhaps, than is con-
sistent
with the boldness of lyric poetry, and the sense
is certainly the
most
satisfactory. In (2) the apposition is weak, and it is not natural to
speak
of the clouds as coming forth from the brightness before Jehovah.
f brA Many (after Qimchi)
render, "he shot out," referring to Gen.
xlix.
23. The LXX., e]plh<qune Syr., Jerome, multiplicavit. It
may,
however, be an adverb, " in abundance," subjoined to the noun
instead
of an adj , as Ffm commonly is. So app. the Chald., who express
it
by an adj. Nyxygs Nyqrbv.
g Cruxi. This has been taken by
Ewald and others as a fut. from Ccr
(instead
of croxA),
as in Is. xlii. 4, Eccl. xii. 6. But it is better to take it
as
fut. of Cvr
(in 2 Sam. we have the fuller form). The verb is used of
220 PSALM
XIX.
hostile
attack, lix. 5, Joel ii. 7; and with prep., lfE and lx, Job xv. 26, xvi.
14,
Dan. viii. 6. Here with the acc. after the analogy of verbs of motion.
Cf.
Job vi. 4, with iii. 25, xv. 21.
h htAHeni, not (as Qimchi, Lib. Rad.) Niph. of ttH, "is broken,"
but Piet
of
hHn,
"to press down, and so to bend," fern. sing. with plur. subj. as
Gen.
xlix. 22, Joel i. 20, Zech. vi. 14.
i Ufm;wAyi. The Niph. (instead of
the Qal, which is more usual) must
Hithp.
Showed themselves obedient, as Dan.
vi. 27. Cf. for the same use
of
the Niph. Exod. xiv. 4, Numb. xx. 13, Is. V. 16.
A comparison of the two texts leads to the
conclusion that in almost
every
instance where they differ, that of 2 Sam. is inferior to the other.
In
two instances only does it preserve readings of any importance: (1)
traw;Ha 2 Sam. xxii. 12 (instead of tkw;H, in the Psalm), a a!p.
leg. “a
gathering,
collection," of waters; the root is not found in Heb. but there
is
a kindred root in Arab. "to
collect" (comp. also Heb. rwq); and
(2)
in ver. 16, MyA yqeypixE, "channels of the
sea," is perhaps the original
expression.
In ver. 5 yreB;w;mi (text of Sam.) seems preferable, as avoiding
the
repetition of yleb;H,; and so Myima is used with the same
verb ynUppAxE,
"the
waters took hold on me," Jon. ii. 6. In many cases the variations
seem
to have arisen from the licence of popular expressions creeping into
the
text. In ver. 27 the forms rbATATi and lPATaTi are completely in
defiance
of
all grammar.
________________________
PSALM XIX.
THIS Psalm consists of two distinct parts, in which
are contrasted
God's
Revelation of Himself in Nature, and His Revelation of
Himself
in His Word. It speaks first of His glory as seen in the
Heavens,
and then of His glory as manifested in His Law.
It may have been written perhaps in the
first flush of an Eastern
sunrise,
when the sun was seen “going forth as a bridegroom out of
his
chamber, and rejoicing as a mighty man to run his course." The
song
breathes all the life and freshness, all the gladness and glory, of
the
morning. The devout singer looks out, first, on the works of
God's
fingers, and sees all creation bearing its constant though silent
testimony
to its Maker; and then he turns himself with a feeling of
deep
satisfaction to that yet clearer and better witness concerning
Him
to be found in the inspired Scriptures. Thus he begins the
day;
thus he prepares himself for the duties that await him, for the
temptations
that may assail, and the sorrows that may gather as a
PSALM
XIX.
221
cloud
about him. He has made trial of the preciousness of that
word.
He knows its deep, hallowing, soul-sustaining power. He
knows
that it is full of life and healing. But he knows also that it is
a
word that searches and tries the heart, that reveals the holiness of
God,
and the sinfulness of man; and therefore he bows himself in
prayer,
saying, "As for errors,—who can understand them? Cleanse
Thou
me from secret faults."
The difference of style observable between
the two parts of the
Psalm,
and the abruptness of the transition from one part to the
other,
have led some critics to the conclusion that these did not
originally
constitute one Poem. Thus Ewald speaks of the former
half
as a beautiful torso—a splendid but unfinished fragment of the
time
of David, to which some later bard subjoined the praise of the
Law.
But it is not absolutely necessary to adopt such a supposition.
No
doubt there is a very considerable difference between the sustained
lyric
movement of verses 1—6, and the regular didactic rhythm of
the
latter half of the Psalm. But it may fairly be argued that the
nature
of the subject influenced the change in style. The apparent
suddenness
of transition, too, though it cannot be denied, may not
only
be accounted for by the nature of lyric poetry, but was probably
the
result of design in order to give more force to the contrast. That
such
is the effect it is impossible not to
feel.
This is one of the Psalms appointed by the
Church to be read in
her
service on the Festival of the Nativity. But the selection surely
does
not rest on any of those merely external and superficial points
of
connection which are commonly supposed to have guided it. Thus,
for
instance, it has been said that the Psalm speaks, of the glory of the
natural
sun as seen in the heavens, and the Church celebrates on
that
day the rising of "the Sun of righteousness" upon the earth.
Or
again,
the
world by words borrowed from the Psalm (
hence
it may be naturally associated with the Incarnation which led
to
that diffusion. But it is obvious that, if this quotation influenced
the
selection, the Psalm would far more appropriately have been
appointed
for Ascension Day or Whitsunday.*
No, it is with a far profounder wisdom that
the Church puts this
Psalm
into our lips on Christmas Day. What is the great truth
which
the Church brings before us so prominently on that day?
Not
only the Incarnation, but the truth that in the Incarnate Jesus
____________________________________________________________________________________
*
"In the Latin Church this Psalm is appointed for use also on the
festivals
of the Ascension and of Trinity Sunday; so likewise it was in
the
Sarum Use; and in the Gregorian Use it is appointed for the
Annunciation."—Wordsworth.
222 PSALM
XIX.
we
have the perfect Revelation of God. It is the Word who was
with
God and was God, who being in the bosom of the Father
declared
the Father, who as on that day became flesh. And what
does
the Psalm speak of, but two other imperfect and partial and
preparatory
Revelations of God, His Revelation in Nature and His
Revelation
in His written word? Thus we are led step by step from
the
first and lowest Revelation in the natural world, to the Revelation
in
the written word, and then beyond and above these to the one
great,
perfect, all-embracing, all-completing, Revelation in His Son.
The
Gospel and Epistle for the Day give the true explanation of the
choice
of this Psalm. It begins, and they finish, the cycle of Divine
Revelation
to man.
The strophical arrangement of the
Psalm is as follows:--
I. The Glory of God in Creation.
Ver. 1-6.
(1) The witness of the heavens to
God as their Creator (ver. 1).
(2) The nature of the witness as
continuous (ver. 2), though not
audible (ver. 3); and universal (ver. 4 a, b).
(3) The witness especially of the
sun, who, as the most glorious
of the heavenly bodies (" dux et
princeps et moderator luminum
reliquorum"), is chiefest herald of
God's praise (ver. 4c-6).
II. The Glory of God in His Word.
Ver. 7-14.
(1) The excellence and power (ver.
7-9), and the exceeding
preciousness (ver. 10, 11 ), of the Law
of Jehovah.
(2) The prayer of the servant of
Jehovah in the light of that Law,
to be kept from unconscious errors, as
well as from open trans-
gressions (ver. 12, 13), from sins of the
lip, and sins of the heart
(ver. 14).
[FOR THE PRECENTOR (A
PSALM) OF DAVID.]
I.
I. THE heavens are telling the glory of God;
And the work of His
hands doth the firmament
declare.
1. The Psalm opens with the impression
produced on the Poet's mind
by the magnificence and the order
of Creation. Of the two clauses
of this verse, the first states the
fact that the heavens publish God's
glory; the second explains how this is done, viz. by
testifying |
that
He has made them. Comp. viii.
I [2], 3 [4], Rom. i. 20, Acts xiv. 17.
This is the true meaning of the heavens
and their pomp. That splendour
which fills their arch, that
beauty which so attracts the eye,
that everlasting order by which Day
and Night follow in sweet |
PSALM
XIX. 223
2
Day unto day poureth forth speech:
And night unto night
revealeth knowledge.
3
There is no speech, and there are no words,
Their voice is not
heard: a
4
Through the whole earth hath their line b gone forth,
And their words unto the
ends of the world.
For the sun hath He set a tabernacle in them;
vicissitude—these
things are not the
offspring of Chance; they are not
the evolution of some blind spirit
enchained within the mass which
it vivifies; much less are they
the work of some evil power whose
kingdom and whose triumph are
to be seen in the material uni- verse.
God created them, and they show
forth His glory. His fingers fashioned
them. He clothed them with
light as with a garment, and put
the sun in the midst of them to show
forth His praise. 2. To the personification of the Heavens
succeeds that of Day and Night.
The words may either be rendered
as in the text, or, "one day
after another," " day after day, night
after night," &c. This verse expresses
not so much the progres- sive
character, as the never-failing continuance
of the testimony. There is
no pause, no change in the stately procession;
none of them thrusts or
breaks his ranks; for ever they abide
the same. 3. THEIR VOICE IS NOT HEARD, lit.
"is inaudible." This seems to be
a kind of correction or explana- tion
of the bold figure which had ascribed
language to the heavens. They
have a language, but not one that
can be classed with any of the dialects
of earth. They have a voice,
but one that speaks not to the
ear, but to the devout and understanding
heart. The sense is
very well expressed in the well- known
paraphrase of "What
though in solemn silence all Move
round this dark terrestrial ball, * * *
* |
In
reason's ear they all rejoice, And
utter forth a glorious voice," &c. 4. Once more, this testimony is not
only full, and clear, and un- broken,
it is universal. Everywhere the
heavens span and compass the earth,
and everywhere they preach the
same divine sermon. If no fire of
love to God burned in any heart of
man, still He would not have left
Himself without a witness in yon
blue vault and those shining orbs.
the
former part of this verse in illustration
of the progress of the Gospel.
"Faith," he says, "cometh by
hearing," and then asks, " Have they
(i.e., the nations at large) not heard?"
Yea, rather, so widely has
the Gospel been preached, that its
progress may be described in the
words in which the Psalmist tells
of God's revelation of Himself in
Nature. The one has now be- come
co-extensive with the other. The
præconium cœlorum is not more
universal than the præconium evangelii. The older
interpreters, not
perceiving the drift of the Apostle's
quotation, supposed that his
authority compelled them to give
an allegorical explanation of the
former part of this Psalm, and therefore
took the heavens as a figure
of the Church, and the Sun as
a figure of the Gospel. Luther, too,
contrary to his wont, adopts here
this strange fancy, instead of adhering
to the literal meaning of the
text. IN THEM, i.e. in the heavens, hath God
set a tent or pavilion, &c. In like
manner a tabernacle or pavilion |
224 PSALM
XIX.
5 And he is like a bridegroom that goeth forth
out of
his chamber;
He rejoiceth as a mighty man to run (his) course.
6
From (one) end of the heaven is his going forth,
And his circuit as far as the (other) ends thereof;
Neither is anything hid
from his heat.
is
ascribed to the sun, Hab. iii. 11. But
it is doubtful whether the heavens
themselves are the royal pavilion—"tentorium
augustale et prætorium
. . . . sol tanquam rex cœlgrum,"
as Venema says (and so also
Stier); or whether the sun is supposed
to issue from a tent when he
rises, and return to it when he sets.
The former certainly accords best
with the passage in Habakkuk. 5, 6. Nothing can be more striking than
the figures in which the fresh- ness
and gladness of the young morning,
and the strength of the sun's
onward march, are described. "The
morning light," says Delitzsch, "has
in it a freshness and cheerful- ness,
a renewed youth. Therefore the
morning sun is compared to a bridegroom,
the desire of whose heart
is satisfied, who stands as it were
at the beginning of a new life,
and in whose youthful counte- nance
the joy of the wedding-day still shines." 7. But the singer turns from God's
Revelation of Himself in Nature,
to His Revelation of Him- self
in His written word. He turns
from that which was the common
property of all, to that which
was the special privilege of the
Jew. In accordance with this change
of subject is the difference in
the use of the Divine Names. "The
word of Nature declares to us
God (lxe,
'El) ; the word of Scripture,
Jehovah (hvhy): the one God's
creative might and majesty, the
other His counsel and will."— Bacon,
" Cæli enarrant gloriam Dei; but it is not
written, Cæli enarrant voluntatem Dei, but of that
it is said, Ad legem et testimo- |
nium,
si non fecerint secundum ver- bum istud," &c. (Adv.
of Learning, Book
II.) The transition to this new
subject is no doubt somewhat abrupt,
but this only renders the contrast
the more forcibly striking. There
is a quick rebound of the heart
as it were from the world of Nature,
beautiful and glorious as it is,
to that which is far more beau- tiful
and more glorious, the word of
Revelation. But despite the seeming
abruptness, there is a point
of connection between the two
portions of the Psalm. What the
sun is in the natural world, that the
Law is in the spiritual: the one quickens
and cherishes all animal life—nothing
being hid from his heat;
the other quickens and cherishes
the life of the soul. 7—1o. It would be difficult to find a
more perfect example of Hebrew parallelism.
In ver. 7, 8, we have in
each member of each verse the Law
of Jehovah described, first, by means
of a simple attribute setting forth
its inherent character; and then
subjoined, without a copula, what
it is in its effects upon the heart
and spirit of men. The second
division, too, of each mem- ber
is constructed in both verses exactly
on the same principle: it consists,
that is, of an active par- ticiple
in the stat. constr. followed by
the object of its action. Thus to
"perfect " in one clause, answers "sure"
in the next: to "restoring the
soul," "making wise the simple," and
so on. In ver. 9 the parallelism is
no less strictly observed, but it is thrown
into a different form, the latter
half of each member being now
a further predicate of the nature of the Law considered
in |
PSALM
XIX. 225
7
The law of Jehovah is perfect, restoring the soul;
The testimony of Jehovah
is sure, making wise the
simple.
8
The precepts of Jehovah are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of
Jehovah is pure, enlightening
the eyes.
itself, not in its effects. In ver. 10 we
have not the effects of the Law, as
before, but its preciousness and sweetness
set forth; and here again there
is the most exact parallelism between
the two members of the verse. 7. THE LAW . . . . THE TESTI- MONY.
These are the collective terms
embracing the whole body of "statutes,"
"judgements," &c. after- wards
mentioned: "totum illud doctrinæ
corpus," as Calvin says, "ex quo constat vera religio et pietas."
This revelation has the name
of "testimony," as testifying, bearing
witness of, God's character both
in His good will towards those who
obey Him, and in His dis- pleasure
against transgressors, espe- cially
in the latter sense. It is, as Harless
says, " the word of God, testifying
of Himself, and affirming what
He, is, in opposition to the apostasy
of man." (Ethik, § 14, Anm.)
See Deut. xxxi. 26, 27. Hence
the force of its connection with
the ark and the mercy-seat (tr,PoKa, Exod. xxv. 16, xxvi,
34, Lev.
xvi. 13; the symbol of God's righteous
severity against sin being hidden
beneath the symbol of His grace
and mercy. With affectionate tenderness
the sacred Poet lavishes his
epithets of admiration upon this word
of God. In its nature he de- clares
it to be perfect, sure, right, pure,
standing fast for ever, the very
truth itself, righteous altoge- ther.
These epithets mark it as reflecting
the holiness of God (pure, righteous,
&c.), as being in its na- ture
worthy of all reliance, as that which
cannot be set aside or tam- pered
with. It is no leaden rule that
may be bent and twisted by |
the
unsteady hand of human caprice to
suit its own selfish purposes; but the truth that we may believe
it, pure that it may lift us
out of our sin,
standing fast for ever that we may
find in it at all times the same unerring
guide. Next we have its marvellous effects
declared. RESTORING THE SOUL, i.e. it calls it
back from its wanderings by re- minding
it of its ingratitude, by setting
before it its high destiny, by
bringing it to its true Shepherd and
Guardian. MAKING WISE THE SIMPLE. It gives
to each one who studies it with
open, unprejudiced, candid mind,
that divine wisdom whereby he
attains to salvation. Comp. 2 Tim.
iii. 15, "the sacred scriptures which
are able to make thee wise (sofi<sai) unto
salvation." The pur- poses
for which Scripture is there said
to be profitable should be compared
with what is said here. THE SIMPLE, lit. "the open "
(r. htp patere,
to be open), not here "the
foolish," as often in Proverbs, but
he who is ready to become a fool,
that he may be wise, who has the
true child-like spirit (Matt. xi. 25,
I Cor. i. 27) which best fits him to
become a disciple in the school of
God. 8. RIGHT, i.e. straight, as opposed to
the crooked ways of man. REJOICING THE HEART, filling it with
joy in God, by manifesting Him
as the portion of the soul, and so
lifting it above the joys as well as
the sorrows of earth. ENLIGHTENING THE EYES. Ac- cording
to the expressive Hebrew idiom,
it is to the soul what food is to
the worn and fainting body. It |
226 PSALM XIX.
9
The fear of Jehovah is clean, standing fast for ever;
The judgements of
Jehovah are truth, they are
righteous
altogether.
10
More to be desired are they than gold, yea than much
fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the
dropping of the
honeycomb.
11
Moreover thy servant is enlightenedc by them,
In keeping of them there
is great reward.
12
As for errors,—who can perceive (them)?
From secret (faults) do
Thou pronounce me innocent,
13
Also from presumptuous (sins)d keep Thy servant back;
Let them not have
dominion over me
Then shall I be perfect,e
And innocent from great
transgression.
is
what the honey which he found in
the wood was to Jonathan, when he
returned wearied and exhausted from
the pursuit of his enemies. Cf.
cxix. 18, Acts xxvi. 18, Eph. i.
18. 9. THE FEAR OF JEHOVAH. Another
name for the Law, but as contemplated
not so much in its outward
aspect, as in its working on
the heart. Not the religious feeling
itself is here meant, but the Law
as intended to evoke and guide that
religious feeling, and therefore identified
with it: "doctrina quæ praescribit
quomodo Deum timere oporteat."-Calvin. 11. Personal experience of the blessedness
of obeying God's Law, inasmuch
as it brings with it both enlightenment and reward. 12. But with all this affection for God's
word, there is mingled awe and
reverence. That word lays a man
bare to himself. It judges him:
it shows him what is in him, convinces
him how much there is that
needs to be purged, how far even
one who loves it is from a perfect
obedience. It is at once a copy
of the will of God, and a mirror
of the heart of man. Hence |
it
calls forth the penitent confession, "As
for errors, who can understand them?"
and the prayer both to be absolved—"pronounce me free" (like
the New Testament dikaiou?n)— and
to be kept from sin; first for pardon,
and then for sanctification. ERRORS, only here sins both of ignorance
and infirmity, those which are
done unintentionally and uncon- sciously;
"For we are entangled in so
many nets and snares of Satan, that
none of us can perceive the hundredth
part of the evils that cleave
to him."-Calvin. SECRET (FAULTS), lit. things hidden,
i.e. not only from others, but
from our own hearts, through inobservance,
through a too ready forgetfulness
of them when ob- served,
through the habit of self- deception,
or even through their being
wilfully cherished. PRONOUNCE ME INNOCENT, or perhaps,
"clear me," or "acquit me,"
as the E.V. renders in other passages. 13. PRESUMPTUOUS (SINS). This neuter
sense of the word seems re- quired
by the context. (See Critical Note.)
These are sins done with a high
hand; see Numb. xv. 27— 31. |
PSALM
XIX. 227
14
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my
heart be
acceptable before Thee,
O Jehovah, my Rock and
my Redeemer!
Against
these he prays that they may
not get the full mastery over him.
This completes the climax, which
begins with involuntary, and advances
to hidden, presumptuous, and
at length ruling sins, which leave
a man their hopeless slave. 14. BE ACCEPTABLE, the usual formula
applied to God's acceptance of
sacrifices offered to Him (Lev. i.
3, 4, &c.). Prayer to God is the |
sacrifice
of the heart and of the lips. Comp.
Hos. xiv. 2, "So will we offer our
lips as calves." The name of Jehovah is repeated for
the seventh time. The epithets "my
Rock," "my Redeemer," have here
a peculiar force. For He is my strength
in keeping the Law; my Redeemer
as delivering me from the
guilt and the power of sin. |
a The rendering given in
the text is that of Qimchi, who has been
followed
by Hengstenberg and Hupfeld. Qimchi says: "Their words
are
not like the words of the children of men, but the work which they
perform
that is their words." The second clause would be more literally
rendered,
"their voice is an inaudible one." Delitzsch objects to this
that
such a meaning would require a Vau adversative, = "but," or "but
yet,"
in the next verse, and that the sense moreover is flat and in contra-
diction
to what had been said before: he accordingly renders (following
Vitringa):
"It is not a speech, and it is not words, The voice (sound)
whereof
is inaudible;" i.e. the
utterance of the heavens is in discourse,
that
all can catch, in words that all can understand, one that is fanero<n,
Rom.
i. 19. But would not this require xlo instead of Nyxe?
The rendering of our own version, which is
that of Luther, Calvin, and
others,
"There is no speech or language, but their voice is heard among
them
" (i.e. all nations hear their
tidings), must be rejected: first, because
rm,xo does not mean "a language,"
but only "speech, utterance," as in
ver.
2; it must have been NOwlA or hpAWA (Gen. xi. 1): and next,
because
is
here construed with a participle, not with a finite verb. "Without their
voice
being heard," must have been fmaw;ni yliB; (Gen. xxxi. 20) or yliB;
(Job
xli. 18, Hos. viii. 7). With the participle has the same effect as
the
Greek a privat. See 2 Sam. xii. 1.
b vqa, prop. "a line,
plummet-line" (as used in building, Zech. i. 16, or in
pulling
down, Is. xxxiv. i i, al.), also "a measuring line" (for marking out
the
extent of a city, Jer. xxxi. 39, where it is also used with xcy, Ezek.
xlvii.
3). Hence, as the Heaven seems to measure and mark out the earth
(whence
the term horizon or boundary), here "their line, or boundary."
Others
interpret "their writings or characters," as in Is. xxviii. 10,
"line
upon
line." Others, again, " their sound." So LXX. fqoggo<j. Cf.
x.
18. Symm. h#xoj.
Jerome and Vulg. sonus. Others,
again, connect it
with
the Arab. , and render "intensio," sc. vocis, like to<noj fr. tei<nw.
The last member of the verse, in which the
Sun is introduced, more
naturally
begins a new strophe. The suffixes "their," "in them,"
&c., all
refer
to "the heavens," ver. 2.
228 PSALM XX.
c rhaz;ni "enlightened"
(from the root signif. to shine, be
bright), hence
"instructed,"
"taught," as P. B. V. The LXX. seem to have read rmeOw
MtAxo as they render fula<ssei
au]ta<.
Vulg. custodit ea.
d Mydize. In form this word no
doubt is masc., and would naturally be
explained
after the analogy of rGe, Cle, &c., "proud,
bold, transgressors,"
as
the word is translated everywhere else; but this sense is quite at
variance
with the context. Hence the neuter sense is preferable. Comp.
MyFise ci. 3, Hos. v. 2. So Qimchiand Rashi
explain it by tOnOdz;, and the
Rabb.
use of NOdzAB;, as opposed to hgAgAw;Bi, points the same way.
Aq. or-
Symm.
(see Field's Hex.) a]po> tw?n u[perhfa<nwn.
Calvin,
superbiæ. So also amongst more modern
commentators, Stier
and
Delitzsch.
e MtAyxe. Fut. Qal for Mtaxe, the y having been incorrectly
inserted (as a
scriptio plena), from Mmt, like hW,fAyte Exod. xxv. 31.
___________________________
PSALM
XX.
THIS is evidently a liturgical Psalm, and
was intended originally,
it
would seem, to be sung on behalf of a king who was about to go
forth
to war against his enemies. The structure of the Psalm, and
the
change from the plural to the singular, render it probable that it
was
chanted in alternate measure by the congregation and the Priest
or
Levite who led the choir. As the king stands within the sanctuary
offering
his sacrifice, the whole assembled crowd of worshipers in the
spacious
courts lift up their voices in the prayer, that Jehovah would
graciously
accept those sacrifices, and send him help and victory in
the
battle.
For what special occasion the Psalm was
first composed, it is of
course
now quite impossible to say. Some, following the Syriac
translator,
would refer it to the time of David's war with the Syrians
and
Ammonites (2 Sam. x.); but obviously it would apply to other
circumstances
equally well. From the way in which the king is
spoken
of in the third person, the Rabbinical and other later com-
mentators
have concluded that the Psalm was not written by David
himself,
but by some other poet in his honour. Calvin, however,
argues
that there is no absurdity in supposing David to be the
author,
provided we recollect that he is here speaking in his pro-
phetical
character, and instructing the Church how to pray for the
safety
of that kingdom which God has set up.
The Psalm has no doubt a prophetical
aspect, from the fact that
the
Jewish king was by virtue of his office a type of Christ. Luther,
indeed,
observes: "This Psalm almost all expound of Christ. But
PSALM
XX.
229
such
an exposition appears to me to be too far-fetched to be called
literal
(remotior quam ut literalis dici possit).
Accordingly, in its more
simple
and evident meaning, I think it to be a kind of general litany
for
magistrates and those who are placed in high office, for whom the
Apostle
also (1 Tim. ii.) bids us first of all pray, that we may lead a
quiet
and peaceable life." Calvin, however, is right in saying that
inasmuch
as this kingdom differed from all other kingdoms, because
God
had determined to govern and defend His people by the hand
of
David and of his seed, therefore we ought to recognise under the
type
of the temporal kingdom that better rule on which the joy and
happiness
of the Church depend.
The Psalm consists of three parts:--
I. The prayer of the congregation. This was
probably chanted
by
the Levites, whilst the smoke of the sacrifices ascended towards
heaven.
Ver. 1-5.
II. Either the king himself, strengthened
and encouraged by the
prayer
of the congregation, or more probably one of the Levites, now
takes
up the strain, gives utterance to his faith in God, and already
in
spirit sees his enemies, great and powerful as they were, broken
and
overthrown. Ver. 6-8.
III. The congregation once more respond,
and taking up the
words
of the king or the Levite (ver. 6), change them into a prayer
for
the king, adding also a petition that their prayer may be heard.
Ver.
9.
[TO THE PRECENTOR. A
PSALM OF DAVID.]
The congregation led by the Levites.
1 JEHOVAH
answer thee in the day of distress,
The Name of the God of Jacob defend thee.
2 Send
thee help from the sanctuary,
And uphold thee out of
3
Remember
all thine offerings;
Ver. 1-4. The futures are all optative,
the prayers and wishes of
the people accompanying the offering
of the sacrifice. I. THE NAME OF THE GOD OF JACOB
(see above, Ps. v. 11 [12]), Al-sheikh
sees a reference to Gen. xxxv.
3, where Jacob says, "I will make
there (at unto
God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me
in the way which I went." |
2. SEND THEE HELP, lit. send "thy
help." SET THEE UP ON HIGH, cf. lxix. 29
[30] xci. 14, i.e. as in a fortress where
no enemy can do thee harm, or
on a rock at the foot of which the
waves fret and dash themselves in
impotent fury. 3. The king offers, as was usual, before
going into battle (I Sam. xiii. 19,
&c.), his whole burnt-sacrifices (hlAOf), together with the
bloodless |
230 PSALM
XX.
And graciously accept a
thy burnt sacrifice. [Selah.]
4
Give thee according to thy heart's desire;
And fulfil all thy
counsel!
5
So will we shout for joy because of thy salvation,
And in the Name of our
God will we wave our
banners.b
Jehovah fulfil all thy petitions.
The King or a Levite.
6
Now know I that Jehovah saveth His Anointed;
He will answer him from
His holy heaven
offering
hHAn;mi of fine flour, mixed with
oil and frankincense. To this last
the verb "remember" is
pecu- liarly
applicable. For the priest was to
take a handful of it, and burn it as a
"memorial" (hrAKAz;xa, mhnmo<sunon, cf.
Acts x. 4) upon the altar, to be an
offering made by fire of a sweet savour
unto the Lord, Lev. ii. 2. GRACIOUSLY ACCEPT, lit. "make fat"
(xxiii. 5), but here in a decla- rative
sense, "regard as fat," and so
"receive as fat," i.e. as
worthy to be
offered, the fattest of the flock being
chosen for sacrifice. Very excellent are Luther's re- marks
here, and capable of wide application.
After observing that the
sacrifices of the Old Law are done
away in Christ, he continues, "Notwithstanding
at the present day others
as well as David may use this
Psalm in prayer, for as the person,
the circumstances, the time and
place are all different in the New
Law, so likewise is the sacri- fice;
but one faith and one spirit abide
through all ages, and amid all
diversities of places, works, persons.
The external varies, the internal
remains ever the same."— Operat. in Ps. xix. [xx.] 4. THY COUNSEL, i.e. all thy plans
and measures in the war. 5. The form of the verb here (with h paragog.) marks the
con- clusion
following from, the resolve based
upon, what goes before, yet still
as a prayer or wish. Rather "so
may we shout for joy" (i.e. do |
Thou
grant this as the result) than "so
will we," &c. THY SALVATION, or, "victory." This
may mean "the help and victory
vouchsafed by God to the king,"
as in xxi. 5; but Thrupp observes:
"The almost instinctive dependence
of the Israelites upon their
king, as the man who should save
them (cf. I Sam. x. 27), fully
justifies us in interpreting the expression
thy salvation, ver. 5, in its
most natural sense, not as the salvation
bestowed by God upon the
king, but as that wrought by the king
for his people." 6. The second division of the Psalm.
The offering of the sacri- fices
had, we may suppose, been concluded;
and now, after a pause of
some duration, a single voice (pro- bably
of one of the Levites) is heard, declaring
that the sacrifice has been
graciously received, and thence drawing
an augury of success. The hope suddenly changes into certainty,
Now know I, that Jeho- vah
hath saved, hath given the victory.
The singer speaks in the full
assurance of faith, that the prayer
is heard, and as if he already saw
the victory gained. The prayer had been (ver. 1, 2) that
God would hear and send help from
the earthly sanctuary or Now
the answer is said to come from
His holy heaven. For if God then
condescended to dwell in visi- ble
glory among men, yet He would teach
His people that He is not |
PSALM XX. 231
With the strength of the
salvation of His right hand.
7
Some of chariots and some of horses,
But we will make mention of the Name of Jehovah
our God.
8
They have bowed down and
fallen,
But we have risen and
stood upright.
The people and
Levites.
9
O Jehovah, save the king!
May He answer us when we
cry (unto Him)!
limited
by the bounds of time and space.
He is not like the gods of the
heathen, the god of one city or country.
He sends help out of but
the heaven of heavens cannot contain
Him. (See the recognition of
this truth in Solomon's prayer, I
Kings viii. 27, &c.) Calvin sees expressed
in the earthly sanctuary made
by hands the grace and con- descension
of God to His people; in
the heavenly, His infinite power, greatness,
and majesty. STRENGTH OF THE SALVATION, or,"saving"
or "victorious strength." 7. SOME OF CHARIOTS, i.e. make mention
of chariots, the verb being supplied
from the next member, and
the construction being precisely the
same. Others, as the E.V. sup- ply
another verb: "some trust in chariots,"
&c. According to the tain
a standing army. See the direc- tions
concerning the king, Deut. xvii.
i6. This law, however, does not
seem to have been observed, at least
in later times. Solomon at any
rate gathered together chariots and
horsemen, I Kings x. 26-29. With the sentiment here ex- pressed,
comp. David's words to Goliath,
I Sam. xvii. 45, and Ps. xxxiii.
i6, &c. Similar language is common
in the Prophets. The |
basis
of it all is to be found in the Law,
Deut. xx. 2-4, xxxii. 30. 8. Again preterites of confidence, describing
what shall be in the war, as
what already is accomplished. "Great
certainly is the Faith," says Luther,
"which hath such courage by
remembering the name of the Lord.
Soldiers in our day are wont, when
they go into battle, to recall to
mind the brave exploits of their fathers,
or former victories, and the like,
wherewith to warm and stir their
hearts. But let our princes re- member
the Name of God, wherein all
salvation and victory do stand." 9. After the solo, the Chorus again
take up the strain. O JEHOVAH, SAVE THE KING, &c.
Such is the rendering of the LXX.,
which is also followed by the Vulg.,
Domine, salvum fac regem, whence
our "God save the King." According
to the Massoretic punc- tuation,
on the other hand, the ren- dering
would be, " Save, O Jehovah; May
the King answer us," &c. This last
is adopted by Delitzsch [but not
in his 2nd edit.], who, how- ever,
understands by the king, Jehovah,
(referring to xlviii. 2 [3]) which
is quite unnecessary, and only
introduces confusion into the Psalm.
The king is "the Anointed" of
ver. 6. See also note on ver. 5. |
a hn,w;day;, Piel with termination h-, for h-A optative, as in I Sam.
xxviii. 15.
b lGod;ni.“We will set up,” or
rather, “wave our banners.” Mendelss.
“lassen
wehen unser Siegspanier.” The LXX apparently
read lDeGn;
they render megalunqhso<meqa.
232 PSALM
XXI.
PSALM XXI.
THE last Psalm was a litany before the king
went forth to battle.
This
is apparently a Te Deum on his return. In that the people
cried,
"Jehovah give thee according to thy heart's desire:" in this
they
thank God who has heard their prayer,"The wish of his heart
hast
Thou given him."
Hupfeld's objection to this view of the
Psalm, viz. that the latter
part
of it speaks of future victories, and
that therefore, if composed
for
any special occasion at all, it was more likely intended as a hymn
on
going into battle, is surely of no force. What singer in writing
an
Ode of Thanksgiving for the past, would not utter a hope for the
future?
The victory which he celebrated was, he would believe, but
one
in a long series of brilliant successes which Jehovah would
vouchsafe
to the arms of His Anointed. He could not but augur a
glorious
future from a glorious past.
Again, it has been said that the expression
in ver. 3, "Thou puttest
a
crown of gold upon his head," makes it more probable that the
Psalm
was composed on the occasion of a coronation, (though some
think
the allusion is to the crown of the king of Rabbah which David
took,
and "it was set upon his head," 2 Sam. xii. 30,) and ver 4,
"He
asked life of thee," &c., seems to intimate that long life, and not
victory
over enemies, was the subject of the wish and request men-
tioned
in ver. 3. On the other hand, the past
tenses in ver. 2 and 4
compel
us to suppose that the monarch had already reigned for ,some
time,
and so exclude the idea of a coronation. See further in the
note
to ver. 3.
The Psalm was evidently sung in the
congregation,
or by a choir of Levites. Like the last, it is Messianic,
and
in the same sense. Each Jewish monarch was but a feeble type
of
hearts,
however they might have for their immediate
object the then
reigning
monarch, whether David himself or one of David's children,
still
looked beyond these to Him who should be David's Lord as
well
as his Son.
The Targum renders j`l,m, "king," in
ver. 1, by xHywm jlm, "King
Messiah;"
and Rashi observes: "Our old doctors interpreted this
Psalm
of King Messiah, but in order to meet the Schismatics (i.e. the
Christians)
it is better to understand it of David himself."
PSALM
XXI. 233
It falls into two strophes: -
I. A Prayer to Jehovah on behalf of the
king. Here we have the
gladness
of the king ascribed (1) to what Jehovah has done, is doing,
and
will do in his behalf; and (2) to the fact that the king trusteth
in
Jehovah. Ver. 1—7.
II. Good wishes and words of happy augury
addressed to the
king
himself, who is assured of victory over all his enemies
Ver.
8—12.
[FOR THE PRECENTOR. A PSALM OF DAVID.]
1 JEHOVAH,
in Thy strength shall the king be glad,
And in Thy salvation how greatly shall he exult!
2 The
wish of his heart hast Thou granted him;
And the desirea of his lips hast Thou not refused. [Selah.]
3 For
Thou comest to meet him with blessings of prosperity,
Thou puttest a crown of fine gold upon his head.
4 He
asked life of Thee:—Thou gavest (it) him,
Length of days, for ever and ever.
I, 2. Introduction. Jehovah has answered
the prayer of the king, and
so filled him with joy. I. STRENGTH . . . SALVATION (or, SAVING
HELP), words used especially of
strength and succour vouchsafed in
battle. The former may either =
vfomA (as viii. 2 [3], xxviii. 8), "a bulwark,
defence," &c., or it may mean
"the Divine strength as im- parted
to the king, and manifested by
him in the war" (as lxviii. 28 [29]). Ver. 3—6. The manner in which the
king's prayer has been answered. The blessings vouchsafed to him. BLESSINGS
OF PROSPERITY, i.e. blessings
which bring and consist in
prosperity; cf. Prov. xxiv. 25. The
verbs in 3, 5, 6 are best ren- dered
as presents (not with Calv. and
others as futures, and certainly not
with Hupf. as preterites). In each
case they are employed to represent
the result or consequence of
the past action denoted by the preterites
immediately going before. The
singer looks on as it were and sees
the petition granted before his |
eyes.
"Thou hast not refused his request—for
Thou contest to meet him
with blessings," &c. A CROWN OF FINE GOLD. I see no
reason to suppose a reference either
to David's first coronation, or to
his taking the crown of the king of
Rabbah, 2 Sam. xii. 30. "Thou puttest
a crown of fine gold upon his
head" may only mean, "Thou givest
him kingly dignity and pre- sence."
The parallelism with the first
member of the ver. "Thou comest
to meet him," &c. would lead
us rather, I think, to under- stand
this member as a poetical figure,
than as the literal assertion of
an historical fact. 4. FOR EVER AND EVER. There is
no difficulty in this expression even
as applied to David. It was usual
to pray that the king might live
for ever (1 Kings i. 31, Neh. ii. 3,
&c.), and a like anticipation of an endless
life occurs in other Psalms (xxiii.
6, lxi. 6 [7], xci. 16). The Chald.,
the older Rabbinical, and other
commentators have been led |
234 PSALM
XXI.
5 Great
is his glory through Thy salvation;
Honour and majesty dost Thou lay upon him.
6 For
Thou makest him (full of) blessings for ever;
Thou dost gladden him with joy in Thy presence.
7 For
the king trusteth in Jehovah,
And through the mercy of the Most High he shall not
be moved.
(To the King.)
8 Thy
hand shall find b all thine enemies,
Thy right hand shall find out them that hate thee,
9 Thou
shalt make them as a furnace of fire in the time
of thy wrathfulness:
by
the form of expression here and ver.
6, which they supposed to be inapplicable
to any earthly monarch, to
refer the Psalm to the Messiah. Still,
this would not exclude a pri- mary
reference to David, although we
know that whatever was true of the
glory, and dignity, and length of
life of David as king of far
truer in its spiritual and eternal sense
of Christ the Son of David. 5. SALVATION, see on ver. I and xx.
5. 6. Lit. "Thou makest him bless- ings," i.e. blessed
himself and the bearer
of blessing to others. Comp. Gen.
xii. 2, Is. xix. 24, Ezek. xxxiv. 26.
For the expression, JOY IN THY
PRESENCE, comp. xvi. 11. 7. A reason why the blessing is vouchsafed.
It is a blessing given to
faith. The king trusts not in himself,
not in chariots or horses, but
in the Most High. This verse does,
it is true, prepare the way for what
follows, but it is not to be re- garded
(with Hengst. and Delitzsch) as
the beginning of a new strophe. It
most appropriately closes the strophe
which begins with the words "In
Thy strength," &c. Nothing is more common in the Psalms
than for a new strophe to begin
by a resumption of the thought with
which the strophe immediately preceding
concludes. The king who |
was
spoken of in the 3d pers. at the beginning
of the Psalm is here again also
spoken of in the 3d person. And
thus a preparation is made for the
transition to a direct address, with
which the next strophe opens. 8. The hope passing into a pro- phecy
that in every battle the king will
be victorious over his enemies. 9. THOU SHALT MAKE THEM AS A
FURNACE OF FIRE. This is capa- ble
of two interpretations: (I) we may
take the word "as a furnace" as
the accus., in apposition with the pron.
suffix, so that it will be equi- valent
to "as if they were in a fur- nace,"
or by a metonymy the furnace may
be put for the fuel which it consumes
(as lxxxiii. 14, "Thou wilt
make them . . . as the fire which consumeth
the wood," instead of "as
the wood which the fire con- sumes;"
see also Zech. xii. 6). (2) "As
a furnace" may here be nomi- native,
and so not his enemies, but the
king himself be compared to a furnace.
"Thou shalt do with them, as
a furnace would, viz. consume them."
There is a similar ambiguity in
the reference of the image in xxxix.
11 [12]. IN THE TIME OF THY WRATH- FULNESS,
lit. "of thy countenance," here,
as turned in anger upon his enemies,
or the word may mean simply,
"presence." Hupfeld argues |
PSALM
XXI. 235
Jehovah in His anger shall consume them;
And a fire shall devour them.
10 Their
fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth,
And their seed from among the children of men.
11 For
they intendedc evil against thee;
They imagined a mischievous device—which they
cannot perform.
12 For
thou shalt make them turn their back: d
On thy strings thou shalt make ready (thine arrows)
against the face of
them.
13 Be
Thou exalted, Jehovah, in Thy strength;
So will we hymn and
praise Thy might.
that
this phrase can only be em- ployed
of God, not of any human monarch,
and consequently inter- prets
the whole of this second divi- sion
of the Psalm as a prayer to God.
But the word is used of the presence
of a king, 2 Sam. xvii. 11 (where
E. V. has, " that thou go to battle
in thine own person;" lit. "thy
face or presence goeth "), and we
find the same sentiment Prov. xvi.
14, xix. 12. Observe the rhythmical structure; two
long lines, (ver. 9, (a) and (b),) followed
by two short ones (ver. 10, |
(a) and (b).) The first describe the process
of destruction, the last its consummation. 10. THEIR FRUIT=children, pos- terity,
&c. Lam. ii. 20, Hosea ix. 16; more
fully "fruit of the womb," cxxvii.
3, cxxxii. II. 13. The singer has done with his good
wishes and prophecies for the king.
Now he turns to the Giver of victory,
and prays Him to manifest Himself
in all His power and glory, that
His people may ever acknow- ledge
Him as the only source of their
strength. |
a tw,r,xE The word occurs only
here: no doubt connected with wry,
wvr; lit. to
be empty, hence to want, desire,
&c. (Arab. avidum
esse.) The LXX. rightly
render de<hsij.
b l;
xcm in
clause (a), as Is. x. 10, and xcm with acc. in (b), as 1 Sam.
xxiii.
17. The difference seems to be that the former means "to reach
after, to aim at;" the latter, "to find out, attain to." But see cxxxv.
10,
11, where the verb grh is followed both by the accus. and the prep.
without
any difference of meaning.
c yKi gives the reason for
this destruction of the king's enemies. Or
perhaps
logically the perfects are concessive, "for though they have in-
tended,
&c. . . . yet they can effect nothing." j~yl,fA
UFnA either
they have
spread
against thee evil (like a net, Lat. tendere
insidias): or they have
bent
against thee, &c. (like a bow, Lat. tendere
arcum).
d Turn the back, lit. "the
shoulder," Mkw tyw= Jrvf Ntn, xviii. 41.
NneboT;, "Thou shalt aim" (sc. thine arrows), as xi. 2, et al.
236 PSALM XXII.
PSALM XXII.
IN the midst of enemies who are thirsting
for his life, and in
anguish
of mind almost bordering on despair, a sufferer cries to God
for
help. There is perhaps no Psalm in which the sense of loneliness
is
so utter, none in which the peril is so imminent; for "the parting
of
the raiment" is only the last act of indignity before he is put to
death.
The Psalm which has the nearest resemblance
to this is the 69th;
but
there is this observable difference between the two, that in this
Psalm
we hear only the accents of lamentable complaint, the cry of
suffering
and of sorrow, whilst in that the complaint of the sufferer
turns
finally into bitter imprecation upon his enemies.
According to the Inscription, this is one
of David's Psalms. We
know,
however, of no circumstances in his life to which it can possibly
be
referred. In none of his persecutions by Saul was he ever reduced
to
such straits as those here described. Nor is Calvin's explanation
satisfactory,
when he suggests that David gathers up into one view
the
whole history of his past sufferings and persecutions. There is
a
distinctness in the enumeration of circumstances, as in ver. 18, 19,
which
connects the Psalm evidently with some particular occasion.
The older Jewish interpreters felt the
difficulty, and thought that
the
sorrows of
plaint.
Qimchi, citing this opinion, thinks that by "the hind of the
dawn"
is meant the congregation of
Rashi,
that David here prophesied of the exile in
were
led to this view, no doubt, in some measure by the high hopes
entertained
in the latter part of the Psalm of the conversion of all
nations
to the faith and worship of Jehovah, hopes which could not,
it
seemed to them, be the fruit of an individual's
suffering. Without
adopting
this view to the full extent, it is so far worthy of considera-
tion
that it points to what is probably the correct view, viz. that the
Psalm
was composed by one of the exiles during the Babylonish cap-
tivity.
And though the feelings and expressions are clearly individual,
not
national, yet they are the feelings and expressions of one who
suffers
not merely as an individual, but so to speak in a representative
character.
Naturally, one who was made the scoff and
derision of the heathen,
and
the object of their worst cruelty, would cling to the thought that
he
suffered not only as an individual, but as one of the chosen of
PSALM
XXII.
237
God.
The bitterness of his grief was that God—so it seemed—had
forsaken
him: the joy born out of that grief was that he should yet
praise
God for His saving health in the midst of his brethren (de-
livered
like himself out of the hands of their oppressors) and that
thus,
and as a consequence of this deliverance, all the kindreds of
the
nations should worship before the Lord.
And we must not narrow the application of
the Psalm to the cir-
cumstances
of the original sufferer. It has evidently a far higher
reference.
It looks forward to Christ. It is a foreshadowing of Him
and
of His passion: and arguing from the analogy of the 16th Psalm,
we
might even say a conscious foreshadowing. He who thus suffered
and
prayed, and hoped in the land of his captivity, might have seen
by
the eye of Faith that Another far mightier than he must also
suffer,
and be set at naught of the heathen, and rejected of men, that
through
Him salvation might come to the Gentiles. This truth of a
suffering
Messiah seems, indeed, to have been taught more clearly
towards
the latter days of the nation's history; and surely it was
most
fitting that at the very time when the nation itself was shown
how,
through its own sufferings in exile, the heathen were to be
claimed
for Jehovah, it should also learn how, through the sufferings
of
the Great Deliverer, all its hopes would be fulfilled. Thus the
history
of
demption,
as well as that of the individual Israelite to be typical
of
Christ.
The references in the New Testament to this
Psalm, as fulfilled in
Christ,
are many. The first words of it were uttered by Jesus on the
cross,
Matt. xxvii. 46. The scorn of the passers-by, and the shaking
of
the head in ver. 7, have their counterpart in the story of the
crucifixion,
Matt. xxvii. 39. The words of ver. 8 are found in Matt.
xxvii.
43: the intense thirst, "my tongue cleaveth to my jaws," of
ver.
15 in John xix. 28; the parting of the garments, &c. ver. 18, in
John
xix. 23; the piercing (if that is a correct rendering; see note
on
the ver.) of the hands and feet in ver. 16, in the nailing to the
cross.
Similarly we are justified in interpreting, the latter part of
the
Psalm of the fruit of Christ's Passion and Resurrection by the
way
in which ver. 22 is quoted, Heb. ii, II, &c.
Dr. Binnie, who holds the Psalm to be not
typical but directly
prophetical,
remarks: "In one respect the Psalm stands alone in the
Scriptures,
and indeed in all religious literature. It is a cry out of
the
depths,—the sorrowful prayer of One who is not only persecuted
by
man, but seems to himself, for the time, to be utterly forsaken of
his
God. Yet there is no confession of sin, no penitent sorrow, no
trace
of compunction or remorse. This distinguishes the Psalm,
238 PSALM XXII.
quite
unequivocally, not only from ordinary psalms of complaint, but
from
those in which Christ speaks in the person of David his type.
The
complaints found in them are never unaccompanied with con-
fession
of sin. If David, or any other ancient saint, had written the
22nd
Psalm, as the expression of his own griefs and hopes, there
would
certainly have been audible in it some note of penitence."--
The Psalms, pp. 190, I9I.
The remark is of value, but the inference
based on it is refuted lby
reference
to the 44th Psalm, where in like manner there is not only
the
sorrowful complaint without any confession of sin, but the strong
sense
and assertion of righteousness.
This Psalm "as we learn from
Augustine, was sung in the North
African
congregations at the Easter celebration of the Lord's Supper.
More
than fourteen centuries have passed since the Vandals drowned
those
songs in blood ; but a stranger who happens to look in upon a
Scottish
congregation on a Communion Sabbath, will be likely enough
to
find the Psalm turned to the same holy and solemn use."—The
Psalms, their History, &c., by W. Binnie,
D.D. pp. 172, 173.
According to the Rabbinical Tradition
mentioned by Rashi and
Qimchi,
the Psalm "is spoken concerning Esther and the
time;"
and is appointed in the Synagogue for the Feast of Purim.
The Psalm consists of two parts:
I. Complaint and Prayer. Ver. 1—21.
II. Vows and Hopes. Ver. 22—31.
Each of these principal divisions admits of
its subdivision. For
we
have -
I. First, the pouring out of the heart's
sorrow, with one of the
tenderest
appeals to God's compassionate Love that ever trembled
on
human lips (ver. 2—II); and next, the earnest entreaty for help,
because
of the greatness and nearness of the peril (ver. 12-22).
The
peril so near, and God so far off—this is the thought which
colours
all, both complaint and prayer.
II. In the second part, again, we have,
first, the vows of thanks-
giving
for deliverance, and the praising of God's Name in the
“midst
of the congregation” (ver. 23—27). Next, the confident
hope
that God's kingdom shall be set up in all the earth, and that
all,
great and low, shall submit themselves to Him (ver. 28—32).
According
to a different and more general arrangement, the Psalm
consists
of three parts:--
I. Complaint. Ver. I—10.
II. Prayer. Ver. 11—21.
III. Expression of Hope. Ver. 22-31.
PSALM XXII.
239
[FOR
THE PRECENTOR. TO THE MELODY "THE HIND OF THE
DAWN." A PSALM OF DAVID.]
I.
1 MY God, my God, why hast Thou
forsaken me?
(Why art Thou) far from helping me, (and from) the
words of my roaring?
2 O my God, I cry in the day-time,
but Thou answerest not,
And in the night season, and keep not silence:
3 And Thou art Holy, throned above
the praises of
I. WHY? Not the "why " of im- patience
or despair, not the sinful questioning
of one whose heart re- bels
against his chastening, but rather
the cry of a lost child who cannot
understand why his father has
left him, and who longs to see his
father's face again. It is the question of faith as well as
of an anguish that cannot be told.
For he who asks "why," nevertheless
calls God "my God," and
repeats the appropriating word again
and again with the very em- phasis
of Faith. Indeed, such a question
can only be asked by one whom
God has taken into covenant with
Himself, and to whom he has vouchsafed
His promises. What these words were in the lips
of the Holy One of God, heart of
man may not conceive. For a moment
in that last agony, the Per- fect
Man was alone, alone with the sin
of the world. But it is going beyond
Scripture to say that a sense of
God's wrath extorted that cry. For
to the last breath He was the well-beloved
of the Father, and the repeated
“My God," " My God," is
a witness even then to His con- fidence
in the Father's Love. Stier says
with great truth:" Neither could
the damned in hell so call to God
and ask, nor could Christ have done
so if He were really to be con- sidered
here as suffering in their place."
Our Lord uses the Aramaic word
sabaxqani< (which the Chald. |
paraph.
gives yntqbw) instead of the
Hebrew. There is some doubt as to the rendering
of the latter part of the verse.
The LXX. are clearly wrong, makra>n a]po> th?j swthri<aj
mou oi[ lo<goi tw?n paraptwma<twn mou. Jerome has "longe
a salute mea verba rugitus mei."
"Far from my help are the words
of my roaring," i.e. there is
a great
gulf between my cry for help, and
the obtaining of that help. Rashi
and others repeat the prep. with
the second noun, "Why art Thou
far from my help (and) from the
words of my roaring?" A third interpretation
is also possible, " My God,
&c . . . . Why art Thou far from
my help? are the words of my roaring."
Mendelss.: "Warum sind
meine Klagen so fern von Hilfe?" 2. Again "my God." And this verse
further explains the "why" of
the first verse. It is as if he said,
"I cannot understand this darkness.
It is not that I have forgotten
Thee. Day and night I cry—to me (yli) there is no
silence." 3. "Yea, moreover, Thou art Holy
[or, the Holy One]. Thou canst
not have changed. The his- tory
of the past, too, witnesses to Thy
faithfulness: our fathers trusted in
Thee, and Thou didst deliver them.
But I—ah ! I am not worthy of
Thy help. I am but a worm, not
a man. It is not that I have ceased
to seek Thee: it is not that |
240 PSALM
XXII.
4
In Thee our fathers trusted;
They trusted, and Thou
didst rescue them:
5
Unto Thee did they cry and were delivered,
In Thee they trusted and
were not ashamed.
6
But as for me—I am a worm, not a man,
A reproach of men, and
despised of the people.
7
All they that see me, laugh me to scorn,
They
shoot out the lip, they shake the head,
(saying,)
Thou
hast ceased to be Holy: it is not
that Thou canst not help, for Thou
hast helped others:—why, then,
hast Thou forsaken me?" It is
impossible to describe the sad- ness,
the humility, the tenderness, the
longing of this complaint. HOLY. Does it seem strange that
the heart in its darkness and sorrow
should find comfort in this attribute
of God? No, for God's holiness
is but another aspect of His
faithfulness and mercy. And in
that remarkable Name, "the Holy
One of that,
He who is the Holy God is also
the God who has made a cove- nant
with His chosen. It would be impossible
for an Israelite to think of
God's holiness without thinking also
of that covenant relationship. "Be
ye holy; for I the Lord your God
am holy," were the words in which
relation
to God. (See especially Lev.
xix. 2 [I].) We see something of
this feeling in such passages as Ixxxix.
15—18 [16—19], and xcix. 5—9
; Hos. xi. 8, 9 ; Is. xli. 14, xlvii.
4. THRONED ABOVE THE PRAISES, &c.,
or inhabiting the praises, ap- parently
with allusion to the phrase "dwelling
between the cherubim," I
Sam. iv. 4; 2 Sam. vi. 2; cf. lxxx. 1
[2], xcix. I; but describing in a more
spiritual manner the dwelling of
Jehovah in His temple. THE PRAISES
(plur.), with reference to the
many acts of deliverance and redemption
which had from time |
to
time called forth a thankful re- membrance.
There is perhaps an allusion
to Exod. xv. 11, 12. The reading of the P.13.V.: And Thou continuest holy, O thou Worship of follows
Qimchi, who takes the participle,
not in the sense of "throned
upon" (or "inhabiting" as
the A.V.), but in the other sense which
it often has of "abiding." He
explains:" Thou that abidest holy
for ever, hast often been (the object
of) the praises of have
sung praises to Thee for Thy deliverance." 4, 5. Thrice "they trusted,"
and only
once "they cried." 5. UNTO THEE. Emphatic: "and
not to other gods."—Qimchi. 6. Every word of this verse finds its
echo in Isaiah. There "a
worm," xli. 14. And there "the servant
of Jehovah" is one whose "visage
is so marred that he is not
like a man," liii. 14. See, also, Is.
xlix. 7, 1. 6, and Iiii. 3, where "not belonging
to men" = "not a man," here. 7. St. Luke, in his account of our Lord's
crucifixion (xxiii. 35), has used
the verb employed by the LXX.
who render here, e]cemukth<- risa<n me. SHOOT OUT THE LIP. Cf. xxxv. 21,
Job xvi. 10. SHAKE THE HEAD—Clearly not as
an expression of compassion, but of
malicious joy. Cf. cix. 25, xliv. |
PSALM
XXII.
241
8
"Cast b (thyself) upon Jehovah—let Him rescue him,
Let Him deliver him,
seeing He delighteth in him."
9
For Thou art He that took me c out of the womb,
Thou didst make me
trust, (when I was) on my
mother's breasts.
10 On
Thee was I cast from the womb,
From my mother's belly THOU art my God.
II. 11
Be not far from me; for trouble is hard at hand,
For there is none to
help me.
12
Many bulls have come about me:
13
They have gaped upon me with their mouth,
(As) a ravening and
roaring lion.
14
Like water am I poured out,
And all my bones are out
of joint;
My heart is become like wax,
It melteth in the midst
of my body.
15
My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
And my tongue cleaveth to my jaws;
And Thou wilt lay me a
in the dust of death.
14
[15], lxiv. 8 [9], where see Note. See
also Matt. xxvii. 39. 8. LET HIM. Perhaps, with still bitterer
scorn, in the future, He will rescue him, He will deliver him, &c. HE DELIGHTETH, i.e. either God in
the man, or the man in God. 9. Faith turns the mockery of his
enemies into an argument of deliverance.
They mock my trust in
Thee—yea, I do trust in Thee; for
Thou art He, &c. In the first strophe the scorn and derision—in
this the violence of his enemies—is
the great subject of complaint. 11. Be not far (with reference to ver.
I), for trouble is near. 12. "Mighty
bulls of sense
is given by the LXX., tau?roi pi<onej, who are in the habit
of ren- Dering
|
dashen, "fat," and
not the name of a
country) by pi<wn, see on lxviii. 15 [16].
The brated
for its fat pastures (cf. Deut. xxxii.
14, and Amos iv. 1; Ezek. xxxix.
18), extending from Jabbok to
the
extreme boundary of 14. After speaking of the vio- lence
of his tormentors, he passes on
to speak of the effects of their violence
upon himself. I AM POURED
OUT. Thus he describes the
utter melting away of all strength
of body and courage of heart,.
in his fear and pain. Cf. Lam.
ii. 11. MY BONES ARE OUT OF JOINT. Lit.
" have separated themselves," as
of a man stretched upon the rack. BODY so in P.B.V. Lit.
"bowels." 15. AND THOU WILT LAY ME. Death
must be the end, and it is Thy
doing. Thou slayest me. So |
242 PSALM
XXII.
16
For dogs are come about me,
The assembly of
evil-doers have enclosed me,
Piercing d my hands and my feet.
17
I can tell all my bones:
They stare, they look
upon me.
18
They part my garments among them,
And upon my vesture do
they cast lots.
19
But Thou, O Jehovah, be not far (from me);
O my Strength, haste
Thee to help me.
20
Deliver my soul from the sword,
does
the soul turn from seeing only the
instruments of God's punish- ment,
to God who employs those instruments.
Even in the extremity of
its forsakenness it still sees God above
all. We are reminded of Peter's words,
"Him, being delivered ac- cording
to the determinate counsel and
foreknowledge of God, ye have taken
and with wicked hands have crucified
and slain." 16. FOR DOGS ARE COME ABOUT ME.
The enemies are still com- pared
to savage animals, but the figure
is somewhat different: "dogs" not
only as fierce, but as unclean. Almost
the only trait of bitterness in
the Psalm. We must remember that
these dogs are the savage wild dogs
of the East, 1 Kings xiv. 11; Ps.
lix. 6 [7], 14, 15 [15, 16]. PIERCING MY HANDS AND MY FEET.
The Massoretic punctuation, if
adhered to, would require the rendering,
"Like a lion, (coming about)
my hands and my feet." And it
derives some support from the mention
of the dog and the lion together,
in the same way, in vers. 20,
21. But see more on this in the
Critical Note. 17. I CAN TELL. Before: "all my
bones are out of joint." Hence it
would seem that the body was racked
by some violent torture; not
merely emaciated by starvation and
suffering. And thus in his utter
misery he is a gazing-stock to them
that hate him: "they look |
upon
me," i.e. with malicious
satis- faction
at my sufferings. 18. And now follows the last act of
indignity, perpetrated as it were in
sight of his death: his very clothes
are stript from him, and are
shared as plunder among his foes.
This passage clearly cannot apply
to David. On the other hand, there
is nothing to lead us to sup- pose
that we have here naked pre- diction.
There is no change in the speaker.
He continues to speak of his own sufferings. Why may
not some
Jew in exile have really suffered such
things, and so have prefigured in
history the sufferings of Christ? If
Daniel was cast to the lions, and the
Three Children into the furnace, others
may have been exposed to other
forms of death not less terri- ble.
Whether, however, we take the Psalm
as typical or predictive, in any
case it is a prophecy of Christ and
of His sufferings on the cross. All
this was fulfilled to the letter in Him.
See John xix. 23, &c. 19. Again the anxious prayer, "Be
not far." First, Why art Thou far
from helping me (ver. I); then, Be
not far from me . . . for there is none
to help. Now with yet greater emphasis,
as in the last extremity, But
Thou (emphatic, as he turns from
his persecutors and his suffer- ings,
to fix his eyes upon his God), O
Jehovah, be not far: O my Strength,
haste Thee to help me. 20. MY ONLY ONE, or, as English Version,
my darling. From the |
PSALM
XXII. 243
My only one from the
power of the dog.
21
Save me from the lion's mouth,
And from the horns of
the wild oxen e—Thou hast
answered me.
III. 22
So will I tell Thy name to my brethren,
In the midst of the
congregation will I praise Thee:
(saying,)
23
"Ye that fear Jehovah praise Him,
All ye the seed of Jacob
glorify Him,
And stand in awe of Him,
all ye the seed of Israe!
24
For He hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction
of the afflicted,
Neither hath He hid His face from him;
parallelism
= my soul, my life. In similar
connection, xxxv. 17. The LXX.
in both places, th>n monogenh? mou, Vulg. unicam meam. It occurs besides,
Judges xi. 34, of Jephthah's daughter
(see Gen. xxii. 2 ; Prov. iv.
3). The life is so called either because
man has but one life, or because
it is the most precious of all
things. Comp. Homer's fi<lon kh?r, and Plato's timiota<th
(yuxh<). Jerome
renders solitariam, i.e. for- saken:
which may be defended by xxv.
16, lxviii. 6 [7], but the other is preferable. FROM THE POWER (Heb. hand) of
the dog. Similarly "from the hand
of the lion and the bear," I
Sam. xvii. 37 ; "from the hand of the
flame," Is. xlvii. 14. 2I. THOU HAST ANSWERED ME. Are
we to take this strictly as a pret.
or as an imperative ? It cer- tainly
may be the latter. (Ew. Gr. §
346 b, Ges. § 126, 6, c.) Here per- haps
it is better to take it as a strict past,
Thou HAST answered me, God's answer
of peace and deliverance having
come to the soul in the midst
of its uttermost distress. "From
the horns of the wild oxen —Thou
hast heard and delivered me"
(opp. to ver. 3, "Thou hearest not
"). Before it had been " Thou answerest
not,"—now at the most |
critical
moment Faith asserts her victory,
"Thou hast answered." See
the same sudden transition, the same
quick assurance that prayer has
been heard, vi. 2, xx. 7, xxvi. 12, xxviii.
6, xxxi. 22. The vows and thanksgivings
which follow are a consequence
of this assurance. 22. SO or THEREFORE WILL I TELL.
(Obs. the form with h paragog. as
marking a consequence from what precedes.)
"My brethren = the con- gregation = ye that fear Jehovah," ver.
23, i.e. the whole nation of singer
calls upon the Church (lhAqA =e]kklhsi<a) to praise God. In
ver. 24
he gives the reason for this exhortation;
the experience, viz, of God's
mercy, and truth, and conde- scension,
chiefly to himself, though not
to the exclusion of others. For God
is not like the proud ones of the
earth. He does not despise the afflicted. 24. THE AFFLICTION OF TILE AFFLICTED.
The same word is used
with Messianic reference, Is. liii.
4, 7 ; Zech. ix. 9. NEITHER HATH HE HID (cf. x. I, xiii.
I [2] ... WHEN HE CRIED HE HEARD.
What a contrast to ver. I, 2!
Very remarkable is this confi- dent
acknowledgement of God's goodness
in hearing prayer. |
244 PSALM XXII.
And when he cried unto
Him, He heard."
25
From Thee is my praise in the great congregation;
My vows will I pay
before them that fear Him.
26
The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied;
They shall praise
Jehovah that seek Him:
May your heart live for ever!
27
All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn unto
Jehovah,
And all the families of the nations shall worship
before Thee.
28
For Jehovah's is the kingdom;
And He ruleth among the
nations.
29
All the fat ones of the earth have eaten and worshipt,
Before Him shall all
they that go down f into the dust
bend the knee,
25. He has spoken to the con- gregation:
he turns again to the Giver
of his salvation, who has thus suffered
him to praise Him in the great
congregation. FROM THEE, not merely OF THEE,
which might mean that God was
the object only of his praise. He
is both source and object. It is God
Himself who has put this great subject
of praise into his heart and into
his mouth. The will and the power
to praise as well as the deli- verance
come from Him. Comp. cxviii.
23, where the construction is precisely
the same, "from Jehovah is
this." MY vows, thank-offerings vowed in
his trouble. The flesh of the sacrifice
in such cases was to be eaten
(Lev. vii. 16): hence the ac- count
of the banquet which follows, "they
shall eat and be satisfied." 26. MAY YOUR HEART LIVE. This would
have sounded more natural to
our ears if it had been, "Their heart
shall live (be strong, rejoice, &c.)
for ever." This abrupt transi- tion,
however, from narration in the
third person to address in the second,
is not unusual in Hebrew. See
the next verse, and Zech. xiv. 5. "The
Lord my God shall come, |
and
all the saints with Thee," in- stead
of "with Him." That the thank-offering and the meal
which follows it are to be con- ceived
of after a spiritual and not after
a ritual manner, is clear from the
high anticipations of the next verse. 27. For all the ends of the earth, all
the families of the nations, are to
acknowledge the God of Israel as
the true King of the earth: He is the Ruler of the
world, and His kingdom
shall be visibly set up, and
His lordship confessed. 29. The poet again returns to the figure
of the banquet, and uses here the
past tenses instead of the future, as
is very usual with the Prophets, because
in vision he already beheld his
hopes fulfilled. Hence he speaks of
what is to be as if it already were. All
"the fat ones of the earth" (the rich
and mighty) as well as the poor,"
who cannot keep his soul alive,"
i.e. who is so poor that he has
not the bare means of sub- sistence,
shall sit down together at that
banquet in the kingdom of heaven.
(The same banquet which is
spoken of Is. xxv. 6.) THEY THAT GO DOWN INTO THE DUST.
Here not literally " the |
PSALM
XXII. 245
And whosoever cannot
keep his soul alive.g
30
A seed shall serve Him;
It shall be told to the
generation (to come) h concern-
ing the Lord.
31
They shall come, they shall declare His righteousness
To a people that shall be born, that He hath done (it).
dead,”
as in the expression “they that
go down into the pit,” &c., but rather
they who are “ready to go down,”
whose misery is so great that they are at the point to die. 30. A SEED. The P.B.V. follow- ing
the Vulg. has “my seed;” the LXX.
“his seed.” IT SHALL BE TOLD,
i.e. they shall hear of Him and
of His saving help. 31.
THEY, i.e. this new genera- tion,
this church which the Lord has
planted. HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS not only as manifested
in the deliverance of His righteous
servant, but as manifested in
all His great work of salvation, both
in the suffering and in the exaltation
of Christ, and also in providing
the feast for all who will partake
thereof. In the latter part of the Psalm, - from
the words “Thou has answered me”
(ver. 21) to the last word, “He hath
done it,” - the heart lifts itself up
on the wings of Faith, and the prophet
sees visions ever brighter and
brighter opening before his gaze. First, he will praise God in the
congregation of known
His name to his brethren. Then,
all nations shall come and sit
down at the banquet of fat things,
and worship before the Lord. Lastly,
to future ages also shall God’s
righteousness be declared. This
hope of the conversion of other
nations to the faith of God’s |
elect,
was in an especial manner characteristic
of the period of the return
from the Babylonish cap- tivity. The prophecies of Zechariah are
full of it; and so are many of the Psalms which probably date from that
period. It is impossible not to feel how far
such hopes must have extended beyond
the personal fortunes of the singer,
or any results that he could possibly
have anticipated from his own
sufferings. If even in those sufferings
he was but a feeble type of
the Great Sufferer who should give
His life for the world, certainly in
the thanksgiving of his deliver- ance,
and the results of that de- liverance,
there must have been but a
very faint foreshadowing of the joy
set before Him who endured the Cross,
and who saw of the travail of
His soul and was satisfied. Un- natural
as I cannot help thinking that
interpretation is, which assumes that
the Psalmist himself never felt the sorrows which he describes, nor the
thankfulness which he utters, but
only put himself into the place of
the Messiah who was to come, - I
hold that to be a far worse error which
sees here no foreshadowing of
Christ at all. Indeed, the coin- cidence
between the sufferings of the
Psalmist and the sufferings of Christ
is so remarkable, that it is very
surprising that any one should deny
or question the relation be- tween
the type and the antitype. |
a UPON THE HIND OF THE DAWN. The LXX. render u[pe>r
th?j
a]ntilh<yewj th?j e[wqinh?j, Vulg, pro susceptione matutina, renderings
which
are based on a confusion between tlyx and tvlyx, which occurs
ver.
20 (Heb.). Theodoret, adopting this,
gives as an explanation a]nt.
e[wq. h[ tou? swth?roj h[mw?n
e]pifa<neia. Rashi says that it is the name of a
musical
instrument, but that another account refers it to the congregation
246 PSALM XXII.
of
morning-dawn"
(Song of Sol. ii. 7, vi. 10). Luther and others, of "a
hind
early chased," with reference to our Lord, as having been brought
in
the early morning before the Council. Jerome, "pro
cervo matutino,"
which he explains, "Ipse (Christus) et non alius
quasi mane et aurora
paratus
est nobis." The Midrash refers to Song of Sol. ii. 8, and the
Targ.
sees an allusion to "the morning-sacrifice," which was offered so
soon
as the watchman on the pinnacle of the
(T.
B. Yomah, 28 b), "the
rays of the morning do lighten." The most
natural
view of the words, however, is that first given by Aben-Ezra,
according
to whom, "the hind of the morn" are the first words of some
other
song, to the music of which this was to be sung. The prep. lfa
occurs
in this sense in the inscriptions of other Psalms, as ix., lvi., lx., &c.
The
phrase itself seems to have arisen from comparing the rays of the
early
sun shooting above the horizon to the horns of the hind. Hence
the
Arabian poets, too, speak of the morning or sunrising as "the horns
of
the dawn."
b lGo is neither inf. abs.
(as bqo,
Num. xxiii. 25), nor 3 pret. after the
analogy
of rOx
and wOB,
but imperat , as xxxvii. 5, Prov. xvi. 3. Lit.
"roll,"
viz, thy burden, or thyself, upon Jehovah. The abrupt transition
from
the 2d to the 3d pers. is too common to occasion any difficulty. The
LXX.,
it is true, have h@lpisen e]pi> Ku<rion; and similarly in the
words of
the
mockers under the cross, pe<poiqen e]pi> to>n qeo<n. Matt. xxiii. 47. Ac-
cording
to Qimchi lGo
is an adjective of the same form as MHo and MTo, and
means"
one who turns his ways, his petitions, and his prayers to God."
c yHiGo (part. of Hvg) = yHiGA. This form of the part.
of verbs v’’f is found
in
other instances, and not only in the case of intrans., but also of trans.
verbs
(cf. FOl,
Is. xxv. 7; Zech. x. 5). See Gesen. Gram. § 72, Remark 1.
This
verb occurs intrans. Job xxxviii. 8, "breaking forth," i.e. from the
womb;
trans., Micah iv. 10. Others take yHiGo as the infin., "my
breaking
forth,"
i.e. the author, cause, &c. of my breaking forth. So-Rosenm.: "Tu to>
prodire meum, i.e. auctor proditus
mei ex utero, per metonymiam effectus,"
&c.
But such a metonymy is harsh and grammatically unnecessary.
d yrxk. There is scarcely any
passage of the Old Testament, the true
reading
and interpretation of which have given rise to so much discussion.
The
grounds for a critical conclusion are furnished, first, by the MSS;
and
secondly, by the Ancient Versions.
I. The MSS., almost without exception, have
(I) the present Massoretic
reading,
i.e. either yrixEKA or yrixEKa, "like a
lion." The Targ. in the
Polyglot
has ylgrv ydyx Nytkn with a various reading, "post Nytkn add. in
aliis
hyrxk jyh (or hyrx jyh)," and with this addition it is
found in
Walton's
Polyglot. (2) In only two genuine Jewish MSS. do we find
vrxk. But in one of these (Kenn. 39) it would seem
that the y
has
been
altered by a later hand into v, and the other
(De-Rossi, 337) has
vrxk, a union of both readings. Jacob Ben Chayyim,
however, in the
Massora
finalis, says that he had found vrxk as the K'thîbh, and yrxk as
the
Q'ri in good MSS., and this is supported by the Massora Magna on
PSALM XXII. 247
Numb.
xxiv. 9. (3) For vrk there is still less to be said. It is only
found
in
three late MSS., and in two of these on the margin; and is generally
attributed
to Christians, as it is by Joseph and David Qimchi. In the
Bereshith
Rabba of R. Moses Hadarshan, however, if we are to credit
R.
Martini (Pug. Fid. fol. 244), it is
ascribed to the Tikkun Sophiherim.
II. On the other hand, the Ancient Versions
are all in favour of a verb,
though
they attach to it different significations: (I) "They pierced,
bored
through” (the root rxk being regarded as a cognate form of rvk
and
hrk).
So the LXX. w@rucan, Syr. , Arab.
, Vulg. foderunt.
(2)
"They bound." So Aq. in his 2d edition, e]pe<dhsan (s. sunepo<disan),
Symm.,
w[j zhtou?ntej dh?sai, and Jerome, who in some MSS. has vinxerunt,
in
others fixerunt. In this case the
word must have been associated with
the
Arab. root , "to gather
together," and so "to bind," &c. (3) "They
put
to shame." Aq. 1st ed. perhaps ^@sxunan (if the reading is
correct), no
doubt
because he supposed it to be cognate with
rvxK and rfK; cf. the Syr. pudefecit.
But as regards interpretation
(2),
it may be observed it is very doubtful whether the Arabic root can pro-
perly
mean "to bind," as Gesen., De Wette, and Winer maintain. In the
Kamus
it is said that the verb (in the 2d
conjug. means "to dig the
earth,”
and with ace. of the pers. is equivalent
, "to pierce
through."
(See this fully discussed in Reinke's note.) As regards (3),
the
Syr. , means " to put to shame
in the way of rebuke and
reproach,"
not of bodily wounding or disfiguring, as
understood
it. Field remarks that the rendering of the LXX. in the
Syro-Hex. is the equivalent of the Greek e@trhsan,
e@trwsan, e@rrhcan,
die<rrhcan, but never, unless he
is mistaken, of w@rucan.
III. How is this direct opposition between
the apparent reading of the
MSS.
and the interpretations of the Versions, to be reconciled? This can
only
be done by neglecting the Massoretic punctuation,
whilst we retain
the
reading yrxk.
This word, with different vowels, may be a participle
instead
of a noun, and we may thus obtain the required verbal meaning.
It
will then be a plur. constr., and should be either written yrexEKo if we
assume
a form rxk
or yrexKA,
if, as is probable, the root is rvk, the x being
introduced
as in Mxq,
Hos. x. 14; hmAxErA Zech. xiv. 10. (See Gesen. § 71,
A.
1.) Others would retain the Massoretic punctuation, and regard yrixEKA
as
an imperfect plural absol., with termination y-i instead of My-i. The
existence
of such an apocopated plur. is recognized both by Gesen. § 86,
b, and Ew. § 177, a, but the examples are questionable,
and we should
then
have two unusual forms combined in
the same word.
It seems probable, therefore, that the
Massoretic interpretation ought
to
be given up, especially as "like a lion" is not very forcible, and
leaves
the structure of the sentence incomplete, although the verb may
certainly
be supplied from the first clause, "like a lion have they come
about
my hands and my feet " (see e.g.
x. 10); but unless we accept this,
we
are left to follow the Versions in rendering either "piercing, trans-
fixing,"
or, "binding my hands and my feet."
248 PSALM XXIII.
IV. It may be observed that the Massoreth
on Is. xxxviii. 13 says, that
the
form yrxk
occurs in two different senses (ynvwl yrtb) there and here,
but
it does not say what the meaning is here. The Targum (which, accord-
ing
to Jahn, is as late as the 7th, or 8th, century) combines both meanings,
and
gives xyrxk jyh Nytkn mordentes
sicut leo. And Abraham of Zante,
in
his Paraphrase in rhyme (quoted by Delitzsch), vrsx ylgrv
ydy yrxk Mg.
"Like
a lion (i.e. as men bind a lion) they
have bound my hands and
my
feet."
e Mymire, an abbrev. form of Mymixer;, xxix. 6, "wild
oxen,"which still are
found
in herds on the east of the
unicornium, whence the rendering
of E. V.
yder;Oy, "ready to go down." Comp. dbeOx (Prov. xxxi. 6),
"one who is
ready
to perish."
g ‘H’l
Owp;nav;, a
relative clause (with the common omission of the relat.)
instead
of the part. here necessary (comp. xxxvii. 21, lxxviii. 39), because
xl cannot stand before the part. or inf. For ‘n
hyA.Hi,
comp. Ezek. xviii. 27.
Lit.
"and he who hath not (hitherto),
and so cannot keep his soul
alive."
h rOKla “to the
generation," i.e. the future one
= ‘x rvdl (xlviii. 14).
So,
too, even without the article, lxxi. 18. The article here, I think,
necessitates
this interpretation, which, moreover, agrees with what follows
as
to the continuance and propagation of this testimony concerning the
Lord.
(For this use of l see the Lexicons.) Delitzsch renders: "A
seed,
which
shall serve Him, shall be reckoned to the Lord for the generation"
(i.e. which peculiarly belongs to, and
serves Him), and refers to Ps.
lxxxvii.
5 for a similar use of rPAsuyi, "counted as in a census." But
the
other
is preferable.
________________________________
PSALM XXIII.
THIS Psalm breathes throughout a spirit of the
calmest and most
assured
trust in God: it speaks of a peace so deep, a serenity so
profound,
that even the thought of the shadow of death cannot
trouble
it. Perhaps there is no Psalm in which the absence of all
doubt,
misgiving, fear, anxiety, is so remarkable; and certainly no
image
could have been devised more beautifully descriptive of rest
and
safety and trustful happiness, than that of the sheep lying down
in
the deep, rich meadow-grass, beside the living stream, under the
care
of a tender and watchful shepherd. This feeling of confidence
is
expressed in three different ways: first, "I cannot (or, shall not)
want;"
next, "I will fear no evil;" lastly, "I will dwell in the house
of
Jehovah for ever."
On the other hand, God's care for the soul
is represented under a
PSALM XXIII. 249
twofold
image. First, Jehovah is the true shepherd, ver. 1, 2. Next,
He
is the bountiful host, ver. 5, who exercises princely hospitality
towards
His guests. But there is no marked transition from the one
to
the other. In ver. 3, 4, the figure of the shepherd
is gradually lost in
the
representation of Jehovah as the faithful guide
of His people, and
so
the way is prepared for the introduction of the next image, which
occupies
the rest of the Psalm. But the one thought, the one feeling
which
gives unity to the Psalm, is the thought, the feeling of trust in
God.
"This," says Mr. Stopford Brooke, of this Psalm, "enters
into
all the images and their ideas. This it is which harmonises
all
its contrasts, mellows all its changes, and unites into one whole
the
quiet contemplation of the first verses, the gloom of the fourth,
the
triumph of the fifth, and the combined retrospect and prophecy
of
the last; David's spirit of trust in God pervades the whole."
It is unnecessary to refer this Psalm to
any particular period of
David's
history. As the outpouring of a heart which has found per-
fect
rest in God, it was most probably written in advanced years,
after
a long experience of God's goodness. Its language is coloured
by
the reminiscences of his past life. His own shepherd experience
no
doubt suggested the image of the former part; and in the latter
we
may perhaps trace a recollection, more or less distinct, of the
circumstances
mentioned 2 Sam. xvii. 27-29, when, on David's
coming
to Mahanaim, during Absalom's rebellion, he and his party
were
succoured and refreshed in their faintness and weariness, through
the
kindness of Barzillai and other friends who supplied their wants.
The simplicity of diction which has led
some persons to the conclu-
sion
that the Psalm was written in early youth, may be otherwise
accounted
for, as Mr. Stopford Brooke has remarked. Referring the
Psalm
to David's sojourn at Mahanaim, he accounts for it by the
bitter
grief of David at the rebellion of his son. "One of the most
remarkable
effects of intense grief," he observes, " is that it brings
back
to us the simplicity of childhood." But in any case the
simplicity
of diction so perfectly in harmony with the thoughts and
images
of the Psalm, might be looked for more naturally in mature
years,
than in the fervid glow and rush of early enthusiasm, strug-
gling
to express itself, and breaking into bold thoughts and rough
forms
of language.
[A
PSALM OF DAVID.]
I
JEHOVAH is my Shepherd, I shall not want.
I.
MY SHEPHERD. Faith appro- priates
God. The image, natural amongst
a nation of shepherds, is |
first
employed by Jacob, Gen. xlviii. 15,
“The God which feedeth me,” lit.
“my Shepherd;” xlix. 24. There |
250 PSALM
XXIII.
2
In pastures a of grass He maketh me to lie down;
Beside waters of rest
doth He guide me.
as
here, God is the Shepherd of the individual, cf. Ps. cxix. 176,
still more
frequently of His people; lxxviii.
52, Ixxx. I [2] ; Micah vii. 14
; Is. lxiii. 13, and especially Ezek.
xxxiv.: most beautifully and touchingly
in Is, xl. II. So in the New
Testament of Christ, John x.
1—16, xxi. 15—17; Heb. xiii. 20; I
Pet. ii. 25, v. 4. To understand all
the force of this image, we must remember
what the Syrian shepherd was,
how very unlike our modern western
shepherd. "Beneath the burning
skies and the clear starry night
of Robertson,
"there grows up between the
shepherd and his flock a union of
attachment and tenderness. It is the
country where, at any moment, sheep
are liable to be swept away by
some mountain torrent, or car- ried
off by hill-robbers, or torn by wolves.
At any moment their pro- tector
may have to save them by personal
hazard." It is the coun- try,
too, we may add, of long, scorching
summer days, and intense and
parching drought, when the fresh
herbage and the living stream are
beyond all price, and the shep- herd's
care and skill must be taxed to
provide for his flock. "And thus
there grows up between the man
and the dumb creatures he protects,
a kind of friendship. . . . Alone
in those vast solitudes, with no
human being near, the shepherd and
the sheep feel a life in common. Differences
disappear, the vast in- terval
between the man and the brute:
the single point of union is felt
strongly. One is the love of the
protector; the other the love of the
grateful life: and so between lives
so distant there is woven by night
and day, by summer suns and winter
frosts, a living network of sympathy.
The greater and the less
mingle their being together: they
feel each other. The shep- herd
knows his sheep, and is known of
them.'" |
Again,
on our Lord's appropria- tion
of the figure to Himself, the same
writer says with much force and
beauty, “‘I am the Good Shepherd.’
In the dry and mer- ciless
logic of a commentary, try- ing
laboriously to find out minute points
of ingenious resemblance in which
Christ is like a shepherd, the glory
and the tenderness of this sentence
are dried up. But try to feel,
by imagining what the lonely Syrian
shepherd must feel towards the
helpless things which are the companions
of his daily life, for whose
safety he stands in jeopardy every
hour, and whose value is measurable
to him, not by price, but
by his own jeopardy, and then we
have reached some notion of the
love which Jesus meant to re- present,
that Eternal Tenderness which
bends over us — infinitely lower
though we be in nature—and knows
the name of each, and the trials
of each, and thinks for each with
a separate solicitude, and gave Himself
for each with a Sacrifice as
special, and a Love as personal, as
if in the whole world's wilder- ness
were none other but that one."
(Sermons, 2d Series, pp. 286,
&c.) I SHALL NOT WANT, Or, perhaps, "I
cannot want," as describing not only
the present experience, but as
expressing confidence for all time
to come. Observe the abso- lute,
I shall not want, stronger than in
xxxiv. to [11], or Deut. ii. 6, or viii.
9. These words are the key- note
of the Psalm. David speaks them
out of the fulness of his own experience.
As he had watched over,
and provided for, and tended his
flock, leading them to the greenest
pastures, and finding for them
the water which in that country
was so scarce, and guard- ing
them by night from beasts of prey,
so he felt his God would pro- vide
for and watch over him. 2. WATERS OF REST or "refresh- |
PSALM XXIII. 251
3
He restoreth my soul;
He leadeth me in the
paths of righteousness,
For His Name's sake.
4
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of
death,b
I will fear no evil, for
Thou art with me:
Thy rod and Thy staff—they comfort me.
ment."
(Not "still waters," as in the
very different phrase, Is. viii. 6.) LXX.
rightly u!data a]napau<sewj. 3, 4. The image of the shepherd is
here partially lost in the use of proper,
instead of figurative terms. 3. RESTORETH. "He does not only give us comfort; that
would weaken
character. He gives us power;
for the true comforter is the strengthener
in pain, not the remover
of pain."--Stopford Brooke. 3. PATHS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. This
can hardly mean only "straight
paths," as opposed to crooked;
i.e. as Ibn Ezra explains it,
"He will not make me go over hills
and valleys, but on smooth, level
ground." There is rather a blending
of the natural image with its
spiritual counterpart. It makes some
difference, no doubt, whether, we
suppose the Psalmist to be speaking
here only of God's provi- dential care in giving him
" the blessings
of this Life," or whether we
suppose him to refer also to God's
dealings in grace: apparently he
is speaking chiefly of the former,
but certainly not exclu- sively;
and, indeed, what truly devout
mind would be careful to separate
the two? The God of providence
is the God of grace, and who
can tell where the one ends, and
the other begins? runs
up into grace, and grace loses itself
in providence. Hence he adds, FOR HIS NAME'S SAKE—not for my
deserving, but out of His own goodness,
for the manifestation of His
own glory, and the furtherance of
His kingdom upon earth. 4. This consciousness of Divine |
protection
is his support, not only in quiet
times, but even when dangers threaten.
"Even though I should be
called upon to walk," &c, VALLEY, or, rather, " deep
cleft," or
"ravine;" horrid with frowning rocks
and long deathly shadows growing
deeper and more chilling as
the sun sank. SHADOW OF DEATH, or simply "dark
shadow." (See Critical Note.) THEY,—emphatic, because they are
Thy rod and Thy staff. Cal- vin: "Neque tamen se omni metu vacuum
esse jactavit David, sed tantum
fore superiorem, ut intre- pide, quocumque deductus fuerit a pastore suo, pergat: quod ex con- textu melius patet. Primo dicit: non timebo malum: sed causam mox
reddens, aperte fatetur se in baculi
pastoralis respectu quærere timoris
remedium. Quorsum enim consolatio
ista, nisi quia metus eum solicitat?” It matters little, Stier observes, in which
order the connection in ver. 2—4
is taken. "Either the soul begins
with the certainty of the present
consolation, and the secret, inner
refreshment in the paths of righteousness
where the Lord leads, in
order thence to derive confidence for
the rest of the way, or it looks forward
at once, in hope, ver. 2 [supposing
the verbs there to be rendered
as futures instead of presents], to the future rest in the pastures,
and by the waters of eter- nal
life, in order that thence a light may
fall on the dark valley of its present
pilgrimage. For to compre- hend
both fulfilment and foretaste in
one consolation, which shall be |
252 PSALM
XXIII.
5
Thou preparest a table before me,
In the presence of my
foes:
Thou hast anointed my head with oil,
My cup runneth over.
6
Surely goodness and loving-kindness shall follow me all
the days of my life,
And I shall dwellc in the house of Jehovah
for length
of days.
suitable
to each varied feeling and circumstance,
is the purpose of the Spirit
in this Psalm, which cannot be
exhausted by any merely one- sided
interpretation." 5, 6. A guest at a royal banquet. God
is even more than a shepherd who
provides for the wants of his sheep.
He is a king who lavishes his
bounty in rich provision for his guests.
This is an image also adopted
by our Lord in His para- bles.
(Matt. xxii. 1, &c. ) 5. PREPARE A TABLE, the com- mon
formula for furnishing a meal, Prov.
ix. 2; Is. xxi. 5; Ezek. xxiii.41. IN THE PRESENCE OF MY FOES, i.e.
who look on, but cannot harm me.
The addition of this remark would
intimate that we have more here
than merely a figure. Some recollection
of the past seems to break
out which probably sug- gested
it. On the anointing the head, which was
customary at banquets, comp. xcii.
10 [11]. 6.
I SHALL DWELL IN THE HOUSE |
OF
JEHOVAH FOR LENGTH OF DAYS. What
did the Psalmist mean by this?
The house of Jehovah might
refer primarily to the taber- nacle,
as later to the temple. And if
so, that to which he looked for- ward
was access to God in His sanctuary,
and the blessedness of communion
with Him there. But is
there no more than this? no an- ticipation
of a more perfect and abiding
blessedness in the everlast- ing
sanctuary above? To us the language
seems to bear such a meaning.
It may not have done so
to David. To him it was enough that
he was the sheep for whom the
Divine Shepherd cared, the guest
for whom the Divine Host provided.
He was thinking, per- haps,
of this life more than of the next.
Calvin, however, remarks: "Habitabo in domo Jovae. Hac clausula aperte demonstrat, se in terrenis
voluptatibus aut commodis minime
subsistere, sed scopum sibi in
coelo figere ad quem omnia referat." |
a tOxn; only occurring in the
plural, and in poetry. (A sing. constr. tvan;
only
in Job viii. 6; for in lxviii. 13, the same form is an adjective; and
a
plur. constr. tOn;; only Zeph. ii. 6.) It probably means
"meadows,
pastures
: " this at least seems the most suitable in passages like lxv. 13;
Joel
i. 19, ii. 22; Amos i. 2, &C. In other places, however, it means
"habitations,"
as lxxiv. 20; Jer. xxv. 37, from a root hxn, hvn; "to sit, to
rest."
Hence some would interpret it here “resting-places," but the
former,
which is supported by usage, is preferable.
b tv,mAl;ca. Hupfeld, following
earlier authorities referred to by Abul-
walid
and Qimchi, objects to this being regarded as a compound word,
"shadow
of death," because, as he justly observes, such compound forms
PSALM XXIV.
253
are
extremely rare in Hebrew, except in proper names, and the general
signification
of "darkness" is all that is required. He therefore supposes
that
it ought to be pointed tYnklca, formed from Ml,c," shadow,
darkness,"
&c.
after the analogy of tUdl;ya, tUkl;ma, &c.
c yTib;wa, according to the
present punctuation, can only be pret. of bvw,
and
then B; bUw
would be for B; xObU bUw. Others take it as a
defective
writing
for yTi;b;wayA. It is better, however, to regard it as the inf. with
suff.,
from
bwy,
yTib;wa being for yTib;wi; cf. xxvii. 4.
PSALM XXIV.
THIS grand choral Hymn was in all
probability composed and
sung
on the occasion of the removal of the
Obed-Edom,
to the city of
was
a day of solemn gladness and triumph. No long period had
elapsed
since David had wrested the stronghold of
last
remnant of the hill-tribes of the Canaanites which lingered in
inhabitants
impregnable, was selected by the conqueror as the seat
of
the royal residence, and the centre of religious worship; and
thither,
after having subdued his enemies, he determined to bring
the
Kirjath-Jearim.
It is difficult for us to conceive the feelings which
would
be awakened in the hearts of the people by such an event,
feelings
of the most exalted and fervent patriotism, as, well as of the
deepest
religious enthusiasm. The land was now indeed their own
land;
the king of their choice reigned over them; the most sacred
emblem
of Jehovah's presence and blessing was to be fixed in a central
and
permanent abode. The first attempt to remove the
miscarried,
and the death of Uzzah, on that occasion, had filled the
heart
even of David with dismay: he feared to bring the symbol of
so
awful a presence to his city. But the blessing which had descended
on
the house of Obed-Edom, during the three months for which the
off
by the judgement upon Uzzah, was resumed; and king, and
priests,
and people, the elders of
thousands
(I Chron. xv. 2), in solemn procession, and with all the
accompaniments
of music and song, conducted the
resting-place
on the holy mountain. It was then that this majestic
254 PSALM XXIV
anthem
rose to heaven: "Jehovah's is the earth, and the fulness
thereof,"
and the gates of that grey old fortress were bid to lift
themselves
up, as being too narrow to admit the King of Glory.
It seems quite evident that the Psalm was
intended to be sung in
antiphonal
measure, voice answering to voice, and chorus to chorus.
Seven
choirs of singers and musicians, so Josephus tells us, preceded
the
upon
the harp, and dancing before Jehovah with all his might.
We may suppose the whole congregation, as
they wound in festal
procession
up the sacred hill, to have begun the solemn strain:
“Jehovah’s
is the earth, and the fulness thereof," &c. (ver. 1, 2).
Then
one choir, or it may have been only a single voice, asked the
question
in ver. 3, "Who shall ascend into the hill of Jehovah?" &c.,
and
was answered by another choir, or another voice, in ver. 4, "He
that
is clean of hands," &c.; whilst both finally united in ver. 5, 6,
"He
shall receive a blessing," &c. After this prelude, the singing
ceased
for a time (as the Selah seems to,
indicate), and the musical
instruments
only were heard. In the second part, a band of Priests
and
Levites heading the procession have already passed within the
gates,
as representatives of the holy nation. And whilst the rest of
the
vast assembly, as it still ascends, bursts forth with the magnificent
choral
hymn, "Lift up your heads, O ye gates," &c., the company
from
within reply, "Who is the King of Glory?" who thus demands
admittance;
and again the answer peals back from the choir without
as
with a voice of many waters, "Jehovah of Hosts, He is the King
of
Glory."
There is no reason to conclude, with
Ewald, that in this Psalm the
fragments
of two ancient compositions have been united. The open-
ing
of the Psalm, which claims for Jehovah universal dominion, is
quite
in keeping with its close. The feeling thus expressed is
remarkably
characteristic of the great Hebrew Poets and Prophets.
Jehovah
is to them, indeed, the covenant God of Israel, but He is
also
the Lord of heaven and earth. And the verses which declare
the
characters of His true worshipers, were not only most fitting at
such
a season, but may perhaps have been suggested by the death of
Uzzah,
or at any rate would have received a force of sanction from
that
event, which reminded all who witnessed it, in so awful a
manner,
of the holiness of Him who had stooped to make His
dwelling
among them.
The Psalm, then, consists of two principal
divisions
I. The preparation for the entry of
Jehovah into His holy
mountain.
Ver. 1-6.
II. The entry itself. Ver. 7-10
PSALM
XXIV.
255
[A PSALM OF DAVID]
I. 1
JEHOVAH'S is the earth, and the fulness thereof;
The world, and they that
dwell therein:
2
For HE hath founded it upon (the) seas,
And upon (the) streams doth
He make it fast.
3 “Who shall ascend into the
And who shall stand in His
holy place?”
4 "He that is clean of hands and
pure of heart,
Who hath not lifted up his
soula unto vanity,
And hath not sworn
deceitfully."—
5 He shall receive a blessing from
Jehovah,
1, 2. Jehovah, the God of is
also Creator of the world, and therefore,
of right, Lord of the world and
all its inhabitants. He is no merely
local or national deity, like the
gods of the heathen (see the same
idea, xxxiii., and comp. 1. 12, lxxxix.
11 [12]; see also Jonah i. 9, and
Is. xxxvii. 16); the more mar- vellous
therefore, and the more worthy
to be praised, are His con- descension
and grace in having chosen
2. SEAS—STREAMS. The refer- ence
is no doubt to the account of the
creation, in Genesis, the dry land
having emerged from the water,
and seeming to rest upon it. (Comp.
cxxxvi. 6, Prov. viii. 29.) It would,
however, be quite out of place to
suppose that in such language we have
the expression of any theory, whether
popular or scientific, as to the
structure of the earth's surface: Job
says (xxvi. 7), " He hangeth the earth
upon nothing." Such expres- sions
are manifestly poetical. (See Job
xxxviii. 6.) It may be mentioned as a curi- osity
of Romish interpretation, that the
Vulgate super maria, "upon the
seas,"
was converted into super Maria, "upon (the
Virgin) Mary." |
See
Selnecker's Commentary as referred
to in Delitzsch. 3-6. The moral conditions which are
necessary for all true approach to
God in His sanctuary. The Psalm
passes as usual from the general
to the parti cular, from God's relation.
to all mankind as their Creator,
to His especial relation to His
chosen people in the midst of whom
He has manifested His pre- sence.
The Almighty God is also the
Holy God. His people there- fore
must be holy. This part of the Psalm
is almost a repetition of Ps. xv.
1, &c. See also Is. xxxiii. 14, 15. 4. LIFTED UP HIS SOUL. In Deut.
xxiv. 15, the same phrase is rendered
in the E. V., "setteth his heart
upon." UNTO
VANITY, i.e. either (1) the perishing
things of earth, Job xv. 31;
or (2) falsehood, Job xxxi. 5, which
signification passes over into a
wider one of moral evil in general, cxix.
37; or (3) false gods, idols, xxxi. 6
[7]. It may be taken here in the widest
sense of all that the human heart
puts in the place of God. 5. We are here told in other words
(as at the close of Ps. xv.) who
is thus worthy to enter the holy place. |
256 PSALM XXIV.
And righteousness from the God of
his salvation.
6 This is the generation of them that seek
after Him,
That seek Thy face, [O God of]
Jacob!" [Selah.]
II.
7 " Lift up your heads, O ye gates;
And be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors,
That the King of Glory may come
in."
8 “Who, then,b is the King of
Glory?"
“Jehovah, strong and mighty;
Jehovah, mighty in battle."
9 " Lift up your heads, O ye gates,
Yea, lift them up, ye everlasting
doors,
That the King of Glory may come
in!"
A BLESSING, such as Abraham's seed
might look for (Gen. xv. 6). RIGHTEOUSNESS, not in the New Testament
sense of justification,but in
the Old Testament acceptation of inward
and outward holiness; but still
even this regarded as a gift from
the God of his salvation. For this
connection between salvation and
righteousness, see the note on lxxiv.
15, and cf. cxxxii. 9, i6, and especially
the prophecy of Isaiah, xlv.
22, 24, xlvi. 13, 1. 5, lvi. I. 6. THIS IS THE GENERATION OF THEM,
i.e. Such are they, this is their
character. As the text at present stands, in the
Heb. "That seek thy face, Jacob,"
the only way of explaining it
is by taking the word "Jacob" as
in apposition with " the genera- tion
that seek Thy face." The meaning
would then be, "This is the
generation that inquire after God,
and seek His face, viz. Jacob," i.e. the true ship
in spirit and in truth. But this
seems harsh, and the word yhelox< may have slipt out of
the text, as
may be inferred from the render- ings
of the LXX. and Syriac. I have
therefore adopted this view. 7-10. The entry of Jehovah as |
the
King of Glory into His sanc- tuary.
The festal procession has now
reached the gates of the city of minstrels
follow after," and in the midst
of these is the name
is called by the name of the Lord
of Hosts, that dwelleth be- tween
the cherubim" (2 Sam. vi. 2); so
that the entry of the entry
of Jehovah Himself into (Num.
x. 35). By a sublime figure the
poet bids " the everlasting gates"
of that grey old fortress be lifted
up; for the greatest and most glorious
of all kings is He who now enters
in, to claim it for Himself. David
had taken the stronghold from
the hands of the Jebusites. But
not David, but Jehovah, is the true
King of Zion. The gates are termed
"gates of old," or "ever- lasting,"
as being of a :hoar anti- quity,
possibly also with the hopeful anticipation
that they would abide for
ever. This Psalm is no doubt prophetic or
rather typical in its character. It
has been appointed by the Church
as one of the Psalms for Ascension
Day; and most fitly, in its
Christian application, celebrates the
return of Christ as the King of |
PSALM
XXV.
257
10 “Who, then, is that King of Glory?”
“Jehovah of Hosts,
He is the King of
Glory." [Selah.]
Glory
to His heavenly throne, and the
inauguration of that dominion which
He thence exercises in the world.
It will be fully accomplished when
the doors of all hearts, all |
temples,
and all kingdoms, shall be
thrown wide before Him; when He
shall be acknowledged upon earth
as He is acknowledged in Heaven. |
a The reading fluctuates
between ywip;na and Owp;na. The former has been
supposed
by some of the Rabbinical commentators to be equivalent to the
personal
pronoun ytixo,
referring to God (cf. Jer. I. 14, Amos vi. 8), or rather
to
be equivalent to ymiw; in Exod. xx. 7, where the same phrase xvwl
xWn
occurs.
But such an expression as "who hath not taken up Me, or My
soul
in vain," spoken of God would be extremely harsh; and moreover
God
is nowhere introduced in the Psalm as speaking in the first person.
b hz,, not "Who is
this," &c., but hz, is employed adverbially in inter-
rogations,
as making the interrogation more emphatic. German, Wer
denn? In a still stronger
form below, ver. hz xvh ym.
Cf. Jer. xxx. 21.
So
again in 1 Kings xviii. 7, "Is it thou (not as in E. V., Art thou that),
my lord Elijah?"
-------------------------------------------------------
PSALM XXV.
THIS is an acrostic or alphabetical Psalm,
the first verse beginning
with
the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and the other letters
following
in order at the beginning of each successive verse. The
order
indeed is not perfectly observed: for according to the present
text
the second verse begins with x, Aleph, instead of b Beth; the
letter
v,
Vau, is altogether omitted; r, Resh, is repeated ver.
18, 19,
whereas
the former verse should have begun with q, Koph. And a
last
verse, added to make up the number 22, commences with, p Pe.
This
peculiarity, as well as the omission of the v, Vau, in its proper
place,
occurs also in the 34th, another alphabetical Psalm. Indeed,
the
last verse of these two Psalms not only begins with the same letter
but
with the same word, hdp, "redeem."
Here the prayer is that God
would
redeem Israel; there it is said that
Jehovah redeems the soul of
His
servants.* This looks like design. It would seem to indicate that
*
Lagarde's notion that in the two first words of this last verse the
writer
conceals his own name has little to recommend it. I have noticed
it
elsewhere.
258 PSALM XXV.
the
same person was author of both poems, and that the condition of
the
people was the same at the time they were written. We have no
means
of fixing what that time was, but they probably both belong
to
the later period of the history—perhaps to the time of the Exile.
Other
Psalms which are constructed on a similar principle are the
37th,
the 111th, 112th, 119th, and 145th. The general character of
all
these Psalms is didactic, and it is probable that this artificial
arrangement
was intended to be an assistance to the memory.
The Psalm hardly admits of formal
division. It is a prayer for
instruction
and forgiveness.
The recurrence of certain expressions,
such as "waiting” and
"being
ashamed " (ver. 2, 3, 5, 20, 21); "affliction "and"
afflicted"
(ver.
9 bis, 16, 18) ; the prayer for
"instruction " (ver. 4, 5, 8, 9,
12,
14), together with earnest entreaty for “forgiveness” (ver. 7, 11,
18),
gives a peculiar character to the Psalm. Its prevailing thought
is
that God is the teacher of the afflicted, and the guide of the
erring:
and this is constantly repeated either in the way of statement
or
of prayer.
[(A PSALM) OF DAVID.]
I. I
x
UNTO Thee, O Jehovah, do I lift up my soul.
2 x O My God, in Thee have
I trusted;
Let me not be ashamed,
Let not mine enemies triumph
over me.
3 g Yea, none that waita
on Thee shall be ashamed;
They shall be ashamed who are
faithless b without
cause.c
4 d Thy ways, O Jehovah,
make me to know;
Teach me Thy paths:
5 h Lead me in Thy truth,
and teach me;
1. UNTO THEE, emphat., not to any
false god, or to any human deliverer.
Similarly ver. 2, 5. 2. This ver. begins with an x in- stead
of a b,
as it should do, accord- ing
to the acrostic arrangement. Possibly
the first two words of the ver.
have been transposed. At any rate
we must not (with Ewald and others)
refer yhalox< to the former verse. 3. The writer passes from the optative
with lxa,
ver. 2, to the |
future
with xl
(ou@).
Here he ex- presses
not so much a general truth as
his own individual conviction, and
includes tacitly himself in the number
of those who thus hope. The
LXX. are mistaken in return- ing,
in the second clause of the verse,
to the optative. For the sentiment, cf. Rom. v. 5, h[ de> e]lpi>j ou] kataisxu<nei. 5. LEAD ME IN THY TRUTH, more
lit. "Cause me to walk in Thy
truth," i.e. let me ever live
in |
PSALM
XXV. 259
For Thou art the God of my
salvation:
On Thee d do I wait all
the day.
6 z Remember Thy tender
mercies, O Jehovah, and Thy
loving-kindnesses,
For they have been ever of old.
7 H The sins of my youth
and my transgressions re-
member not;
According to Thy loving-kindness
remember THOU
me
For Thy goodness' sake, O Jehovah.
II.
8 F
Good and upright is Jehovah,
Therefore doth He teach sinners in the way.
9 y He leadethe
the afflicted in judgement,
And teacheth the afflicted His way!
10 k All the paths of Jehovah
are loving-kindness and truth,
To them that keep His covenant and
His testi-
monies.
11 l For Thy Name's sake, O
Jehovah,
Pardon f mine iniquity,
for it is great.
the
experience of it, that I may not be
like the faithless ones who are put
to shame. So Calvin: "Pos- tulat
ut Deus servum in fide pro- missionum retineat, i.e. sibi pate- fieri quam verax et fidelis Deus sit in
promissis suis, promissa Dei penitus
cordi suo insculpi."Rightly, for
the Hebrew word here em- ployed
means truth not as appre- hended
by man, but as an attribute of
God. Comp. xxvi. 3, lxxxvi. I I. 6. Comp. Gen. viii. I, ix. 15, xix. 29,
&c. An appeal to the unchange- ableness
of God's nature, as well as a
calling to mind of past mercies. But
sin is that which shuts out God's
mercy, and hence the prayer for
forgiveness in the next verse. 6, 7. "Tender mercies,"
"loving- kindnesses,"
"loving-kindness," "goodness."
How the soul dwells on
these attributes of God, and cleaves
to them when it is troubled |
with
the sad recollection of "the sins
of its youth," and its "trans- gressions! 8, 9. Again an appeal to God's attributes
as the ground of His dealings
with man. 8. SINNERS, here apparently with reference
to the etymology of the word,
those that "have erred and strayed"
from the way. 9. THE AFFLICTED, see on ix. I2. 10. LOVING-KINDNESS (or grace) AND
TRUTH, the xa<rij kai> a]lh<qeia of John
i. 17. These paths—the ways in
which He leads His people— "are
loving-kindness, for the salva- tion
of men is the end thereof, and truth,
for they give proof at every step
of the certainty of His pro- mises.
Grace is their Alpha, and truth
their Omega."—Delitzsch. II. Again a prayer for forgive- ness,
that the grace and truth (ver. 10)
may be manifested to his soul. |
260 PSALM XXV.
12 m What man is he that
feareth Jehovah?
Him doth He teach the way
that he should choose.
13 n His soul shall dwell at ease,
And his seed shall inherit
the land.
14 s The secret g
of Jehovah is for them that fear Him,
And His covenant doth He make
them know.
15 f Mine eyes are ever
towards Jehovah,
For He shall pluck my feet
out of the net.
16 p Turn Thee unto me, and
be gracious to me,
For I am desolate and
afflicted.
17 c My heart is (full of)
troubles: O set it at liberty,h
And bring me forth out of my
distresses.
18 r Look upon my affliction
and my trouble,
And forgive all my sins.
19 r Look upon mine enemies;
for they are many,
And they hate me with cruel
hatred.
20 w keep my soul, and
deliver me.
Let me not be ashamed; for I
have found
refuge in Thee.
21
t
Let perfectness and uprightness preserve me;
For I wait on Thee.
The
mention of the keeping of the covenant
(ver. 10) suggests the thought
of manifold failure, and the consequent
need of pardon. 12. WHAT MAN IS HE? or simply,
"Whosoever he is that feareth,"
&c. ; see xxxiv. 12 [13]. THE WAY THAT HE SHOULD CHOOSE,
i.e. the best way. So Luther
(whom Ewald follows), den besten Weg. 13. SHALL DWELL, lit. "pass the night,"but
used in the more ex- tended
sense, as in xlix. 12 [13], xci. 1,
Prov. xix. 23. AT EASE, lit. "in
prosperity." SHALL INHERIT THE LAND. |
Cf.
Exod. xx. 12, Lev. xxvi. 3, Deut.
iv. 1, &c. 14. SECRET. As God said, Gen. xviii.
17, "Shall I hide from Abra- ham
that thing which I do?" Or the
word may mean "close and in- timate
communion," in which God makes
Himself known to the soul. See
lv. 14 [15], Prov. iii. 22, Job xxix.
4. God alone possesses the truth,
for He is the truth, and there- fore
He alone can impart it, and He
imparts it only to them that fear
Him. 15. PLUCK, lit. "bring forth,"
the same
word as in ver. 17. |
PSALM XXV.
261
22 p Redeem
Out of all his troubles.
22.
This last verse, which con- tains a prayer for the
whole congre- gation, was perhaps
added in order to adapt the Psalm to
liturgical use. |
(Cf. Ii. 18, 19 [20,
21].) The name of God is here Elohim,
whereas throughout the rest of
the Psalm it is Jehovah. |
a j~yv,qo Part. Qal (the fin.
verb being Piel), occurring, however, only in
st.
constr. or with suff, which seems to rest on the constr. of the verb
with
the accus. (ver. 5, 21) as well as with l; or rather perhaps on the
affinity
between the part. and the noun. Sim. MqA is more common in
plur.with
suff., than with the prep. lfa which the verb
requires.
b Mydig;OBha. LXX. oi[
a]nomou ?ntej diakenh?j. Aq., oi[ a]qetou?ntej. Sym oi[
a]q. ei]kh?. S.’ a]postatou?ntej. dgeBo
"one
who acts treacherously," whether
against
God (xxxviii. 57, Jer. iii. 20, &c.) or man ( Judges ix. 23, Job vi. 5,
Mal.
ii. 14, &c.), often opp. in the Proverbs, to and rendered by
the
LXX. para<nomoj, used by the prophets of plunderers and
oppressors
(Is.
xxi. 2, xxiv. 16, Hab. i. 13).
c . MqAyre either "without
cause," or, as qualifying the preceding word„
"vainly,
emptily." Cf. Nv,xA ydeg;Bo , lix. 6; bzAkA yFeWA xl.5. So Luther, die
losen Verächter.
d Some of Kennicott's and De-Rossi's MSS. read jtvxv, making a fresh
verse
begin here. This would restore the alphabetical arrangement (see
Introd.
to the Psalm). The LXX., Syr., Arab., and Vulg. seem also to
have
had this reading.
e j`red;ya, properly an optative,
though nearly all commentators take it as
fut.
or pres. But the ver. might very well be rendered as a prayer. "May
He
lead," &c.
f TAH;lasAv;. This is one of the most remarkable instances
of the use of
the
pret. with Vau emphatic, for the imperative. Usually where this is
the
case, an imperat. has gone before. But not so here, and this should
have
been noticed by Gesen., when he classed this amongst examples of
the
ordinary constr., § 124, 6. a.
g So Svmm. renders o[mili<a; while Aq. has a]po<r]r[hton, and Theod. mus-
th<rion. The LXX. have kratai<wma, as if they read dOsy; instead of dOs.
And
in Rabb. literature the words are sometimes used interchangeably.
The second clause may be rendered in three ways
: (1) "That He may
make
them know His covenant.." (2) "And His covenant is for their in-.
struction."
(3) " And His covenant He doth (or will) make them know."
The
last rendering is in accordance with the not uncommon substitution
of
the inf. with l;, for the fut. Cf. Is. xxi. 1, xxxviii. 20,
Prov. ix. 8.
Gesen.
§ 129, Rem. I; and see on lxii, note g.
h vbyHrh. The older translators
generally have taken this in an intr. or
pass.
sense, as E. V. But the verb nowhere else occurs, except in a trans.
262 PSALM XXVI.
sense.
As the text now stands, we can only render, "Distresses have
enlarged
my heart," i.e. have made room
for themselves, as it were, that
they
might come in and fill it; or have rushed in like a flood of water,
swelling
the stream till it overflows its banks, and so spreads itself over a
wider
surface. So Bakius: "fecerunt latitudinem quaquaversum undi-
quaque, metaphora sumta ab aquis subito per omnes campos
se diffun-
dentibus."
Unless, indeed, we take the word in the same meaning as in
cxix.
32, where to enlarge the heart = to open it to instruction. But that
sense
is scarcely suitable here. Most modern editors read ytqvcmmv
byHrh
(imperat.),
instead of ‘m vbyHrh. The rendering then is: "My heart
is
troubles
(i.e. is nothing but troubles, is
full of troubles), O set it at liberty!
And
out of my distresses," &c.
-----------------------------------------
PSALM XXVI
This Psalm has some points of resemblance,
both in thought and
expression,
to the last. Both open with the same declaration of
trust
in God (xxv. 2, xxvi. I); in both there is the same prayer that
God
would redeem (xxv. 22, and xxvi. 11) and be gracious (xxv. 16,
xxvi.
11) to His servants. Other points of contact may be found in
xxv.
21, xxvi. 11, and xxv. 5, xxvi. 3. There is, however, this marked
difference
between the two, that there are wanting, in this Psalm,
those
touching confessions of sinfulness and pleadings for forgiveness
which
in the other are thrice repeated. Here is only the avowal of
conscious
uprightness, an avowal solemnly made as in the sight of
the
Searcher of hearts, and deriving, no doubt, much of its intensity
and
almost impassioned force, from the desire, on the part of the
singer,
to declare his entire separation from, and aversion to, the vain
and
evil men by whom he is surrounded.
The Psalm furnishes no direct
evidence as to its date, but it may
have
been composed during Absalom's rebellion. His partisans may
especially
be hinted at in the "vain men" and "dissernblers" of
ver.
4, who had only recently been unmasked; for Absalom, it is
said,
"had stolen the hearts of the men of
The Psalm scarcely admits of any
strophical division. The flow
of
thought is natural and unbroken throughout. The singer begins
by
appealing to God as the witness of his sincerity and uprightness,
ver.
1-3. He then passes on to state how this sincerity has mani
fested
itself, in complete separation from the wicked on the one hand,
ver.
4, 5; and on the other, by the love of God's house and worship,
ver.
6-8. Hereupon follows, first, a prayer that he who is thus
PSALM
XXVI.
263
upright
(ver. 11) should not be involved in the lot of the wicked,
but,
on the contrary, experience God's redeeming love and grace,
ver.
9—11; and next, the confident sense of security which is the
very
answer to his prayer, together with the resolve expressed, to
declare,
in the most public manner, his thankfulness to God, ver. 12.
[(A
PSALM) OF DAVID.]
1 JUDGE me, O Jehovah,
For I have walked in my integrity,
And in Jehovah have I trusted without
wavering.
2 Prove me, O Jehovah, and try me,
Purify b my reins and my
heart:
3 For Thy loving-kindness is before mine
eyes,
And my conversation hath been in
Thy truth.
4 I have not sat with vain persons,
Neither do I go in with dissemblers;
1. JUDGE ME, i.e. vindicate my cause,
so that my innocency may be
made manifest:—do me justice (as
vii. 8 [9], XXXV. 24). INTEGRITY,
not moral perfection, but
uprightness of heart, conscious sincerity
of intention, is meant (see Gen.
xx. 5, 1 Kings xxii. 34) ; and this,
as resting on that unwavering trust
in God which follows. 2. PROVE . .. . PURIFY. Words used
of the testing of metals, the last
especially of trying and re- fining
them by means of smelting, xii.
6 [7], lxvi. 10. The REINS, as the
seat of the lower animal pas- sions
(but also the seat of counsel, xvi.
7); the HEART, as comprising not
only the higher affections, but also
the will and the conscience. He
thus desires to keep nothing back;
he will submit himself to the searching
flame of the Great Re- finer,
that all dross of self-deception may
be purged away. 3. This verse gives the reason for the
foregoing prayer. LOVING-KINDNESS . . . . TRUTH. See
above on xxv. To. MY CONVERSATION HATH BEEN, |
lit.
"I have walked to and fro in Thy
truth." The verb is used like the
Hellen. peripatei?n, of the gene- ral
conduct and behavour. We have here again those strong assertions
of conscious innocence, united
even with an appeal to the searching
scrutiny of God Himself, which
we. have noticed in other Psalms.
(See xvii. 3, xviii. 20-24.) The
explanations given on those passages
will apply here. It is clear, on
the one hand, that this is no Pharisaic
boast. The trust in God, the
eye fixed on His loving-kindness, the
prayer to be proved and tried, could
not proceed from a Pharisee. On
the other hand, it must always be
borne in mind, that the full depth
and iniquity of sin was not disclosed
to the saints of the Old Test.
Sin could only appear to be sin
in all its blackness and malig- nity,
when it was brought into the full
light of the Cross of Christ. And
it is only as any man grasps that
cross, that he can bear to look into
the pollution which cleaves to his
nature. 4. VAIN PERSONS, or, "men of |
264 PSALM XXVI.
5 I hate the congregation of evil-doers,
And with the wicked do I not sit.
6 I wash my hands in innocency,
That so I may compass Thine altar,O
Jehovah,
7 To make the voice of thanksgiving to be
heard,c
And to tell of all Thy wondrous
works.
8 Jehovah, I love the habitation of Thine
house,
And the place where Thy glory
dwelleth.
9
Gather not my soul with sinners,
Nor my life with bloody men;
10 In whose hand are wicked devices,
And whose right hand is full of
bribes; --
vanity,"
as Job xi. 11. On this word "vanity
" see note on xxiv. 4. It sig- nifies
all the emptiness of the crea- ture
apart from God, "the chaotic void
of estrangement from God, the
terrible Nay into which man perverts
the divinely ordained Yea of
his being."—Delitzsch. 6. I WASH MY HANDS. Here of course
only a figurative expression, though
the action itself was often symbolical (Deut. xxi. 6, Matt. xxvii. 24),
after the fashion of the East, where
it is common to address the eye
as well as the ear. The figure is
borrowed apparently from Exod. xxx.
17-21, where Aaron and his sons
are commanded to wash their hands
and feet, before they ap- proach
to do service at the altar. THAT SO I MAY COMPASS. The form
of the verb requires this ren- dering.
It is the cohortative, not the
simple future. It may, how- ever,
here be used rather in an op- tative
sense: "And so may I compass—so
may I not be con- sidered
unworthy to compass— Thine
altar." So Olshausen, who is followed
by Delitzsch. This com- passing,
or going round the altar, was,
it would seem from this pas- sage,
a part of the ritual of Divine worship,
and was performed with the
accompaniment of music and singing,
as may be gathered from |
the
next verse. If so, it is remark- able
that no such custom is pro- vided
for in the Law, or alluded to in
the history. That the notice of such
a custom should have been preserved
in a Psalm may readily be
accounted for, from the fact that the
Psalms were most of them in- tended
for liturgical use. But could David
hope to be permitted thus to join
with the Priests and Levites in near
approach to the altar? De- litzsch
replies, that as the Priests represented
all of
worship they performed, each Is- raelite
might be said to perform in them
; and that thus David, having the
priestly heart, might use also the
priestly expression. But Moses (xcix.
6), Samuel, David, Solomon, all
took a prominent part in public worship;
so that we need not shrink
from taking the passage in
its literal and obvious meaning. 7. To MAKE, or, confining the construction
as before, "that I may make,
&c…..and may tell, &c." 8. I LOVE, &c., the antithesis to ver.
5, "I hate the congregation of evil-doers." 9. Thus he would have God judge
him (ver. 1), i.e. declare what he
is, by separating him from the wicked. 10. WICKED DEVICES. The Heb. is
in the singular "a wicked de- |
PSALM XXVII. 265
11 Whilst as for me, I walk in mine
integrity:
Redeem me and be gracious unto
me.
12 My foot standeth upon even ground:
Among the congregations will I
bless Jehovah.
vice,"
but this may be used col- lectively,
like the word "bribe " in the
next line. 11. Asserting again the integrity of
his own character, in opposition to
the violence and unscrupulous- ness
of his enemies, he makes on this
ground a fresh appeal to God for
deliverance from their devices. |
12. His prayer has been heard. He
is safe. He stands on the open, level
table-land, where he has room to
move, and where his enemies cannot
hem him in, and therefore he
fulfils the resolve made before (ver. 7), and publicly pours out his thanksgivings
to God. |
a dfAm;x,
xlo, a subjoined adverbial clause, "without
being moved," like
fdaye xlo, xxxv. 8, and not a distinct and
independent assertion.
b hpAOrc;. So the K'thibh is to
be read, according to similar 'forms in
Is.
xxxii. i I. See also Judges ix. 8, 12 ; I Sam. xxviii. 8.
c faymiw;la
for faymiw;hal;. Cf. Is. xxiii. 11. It
may be here used without any
object
expressed, as in I Chron. xv. 19, 2 Chron. v. 13, “to sing aloud."
In
Ps. lxvi. 8, lOq is the direct object of the verb; but in 2
Chron. v. 13,
it
seems to be used as the accus. of the instrument "with one voice." So
here,
the prep. may be used to mark the instrument; or perhaps we may
take
lOqB;
as itself the object of the verb (for the construction with the
prep.,
see Ezek. xxvii. 30), and render, "to make the voice of thanksgiving
to
be heard."
------------------------------------------------
PSALM
XXVII.
THIS Psalm, like the last, and the one
which follows, may very
probably
be referred to the time of Absalom's rebellion. All alike
are
characterised by the affectionate remembrance of God's sanctuary,
as
of one who was debarred from the privilege of constant and un-
interrupted
access to it. This feeling, however, is most vivid, this
yearning
after the service and ordinances of His Tabernacle is most
intense,
in this Psalm. It seems as if all other desires of the heart
were
concentrated and swallowed up in this one: “One thing have
I
desired." The feeling of calm unshaken confidence in God, in the
former
part of the Psalm, reminds one of Psalm iii., which may
undoubtedly
he referred to the same circumstances.
266 PSALM XXVII.
The Psalm consists of two parts. The first
(ver. 1- 6) is an ex-
pression
of the most assured confidence in Jehovah, whatever enemies
may
threaten. The second (ver. 7-14) is an earnest cry for help
and
comfort in present need, out of which the soul rises again to
hopeful
trust in God.
As still further subdivision we have --
I. The Psalmist's confidence in God:
A 1. As his refuge against all
fear (ver. 1):
2. As his protection in times
past (ver. 2);
3. As his hope at all times.
B Further
expression of that confidence in the longing to
abide ever in the
house of Jehovah (ver. 4).
1. For there will he find
safety (ver. 5);
2. And so may confidently
hope for victory over his
enemies (ver. 6).
II. The Psalmist's prayer in time of need:
A Forsake
me not!
1. For I plead thy word (ver.
8).
2. I am Thy servant whom Thou
hast saved (ver. 9).
3. I am desolate and forsaken
(ver. 10).
B But
deliver me,
1. By showing me Thy way;
2. By saving me from my
enemies.
C I
know in whom I have believed.
Therefore 1. My trust in Him still supports me (ver.
13).
2. Let me trust Him evermore.
[A PSALM OF DAVID.]
I. 1 JEHOVAH is my Light and my Salvation:
Whom shall I fear?
Jehovah is the defence of my life:
Of whom shall I be afraid?
1—3.
The fearlessness of the man
who has made Jehovah his confidence. I. MY LIGHT, MY SALVATION … THE
DEFENCE (or bulwark) OF MY LIFE.
This, says Calvin, is the triple
shield which he opposes to all |
the
different terrors which threaten him.
MY LIGHT—the only instance of
the direct application of this name
to God in the Old Test. But see
xviii. 28 [29], xxxvi. 9, lxxxiv. I
I [12], and Deut. xxx. 20, "He is thy
Life." |
PSALM
XXVII. 267
2 When the evil-doers came near unto
me
To eat up my flesh --
My adversaries and mine enemies to
(do) me (harm),
They themselves stumbled and
fell.
3 Though a host should encamp against
me,
My heart will not be afraid:
Though there rise up war against
me,
For all this do I trust.
4 One thing have I asked of Jehovah,
That will I seek after:
That I may dwell in the house of
Jehovah
All the days of my life;
To behold the beauty of Jehovah.
2. This verse may be regarded, with
most commentators, as record- ing
David's past experience of God's protection.
Stier, however, sees in it
the confidence of Faith with re- gard
to the present and the future, David
being so sure of the defeat of
his enemies, that he speaks of it as
already accomplished : "When mine
enemies come upon me, &c. .
. . they have stumbled and fallen," i.e. such is their inevitable
fate. TO EAT UP MY FLESH, an image taken
from wild beasts; see Job xix,
22. TO (DO) ME (HARM). The use of the
pronoun here is not pleonastic, but
emphatic, and is evidently put in
immediate and designed opposi- tion
to the pron. "they," referring to
his enemies, which follows. 3. A HOST. Lit. "though a CAMP should
encamp against me," but the English
idiom would hardly admit of
such a rendering. FOR ALL THIS. So the same ex- pression
is rightly rendered in the E.V.
of Lev. xxvi. 27. The fuller form
occurs lxxviii. 32, Job i. 22. Cocc.,
rightly, hoc non obstante, "in
spite
of this," and Mendelssohn, "Auch
dann(even then, even in this
case), bleib' ich getrost." The Rabb.
commentators, as Rashi and Ibn
Ezra, explain, "In this," viz. |
that
the Lord is my light, &c., ver. 1, "do
I trust." Rosenm. refers the pronoun"
this "to the war men- tioned
just before, "even in the battle
itself," in ipsa pugna. But the
first rendering is more forcible. 4. Such happiness had he expe- rienced
in the service of God in His tabernacle,
such peace and joy had he
found there, that there, if it might
have been, he would have chosen
always to remain. For there God
vouchsafed to dwell; there He manifested
His immediate Pre- sence;
there David seemed, as it were,
to abide under the very shadow
of the Almighty. The su- preme
blessedness of a life entirely devoted,
like that of the priests, to the
service of God, seems often to have
forced itself upon the minds of
the holy Psalmists (see xv., xxiii., lxv.,
lxxxiv., &c., and note on xxvi. 6),
and upon none more than upon that
of David, who was compelled so
often to wander at a distance from
the sanctuary. There is the same
feeling here of the perfect security
and abounding happiness of
such a dwelling-place as in Psalm xxiii.
6. Indeed the two Psalms have
much in common. BEAUTY, apparently with refer- ence
to the ordinances of the sanc- tuary,
the worship as there con- |
268 PSALM XXVII.
And to look with pleasure upon His
temple.
5 For He shall keep me privily in His
tabernacle in the
day of evil;
He shall hide me in the hiding-place
of His tent;
On a rock shall He lift me up on
high.
6 And now shall my head be lifted up
above mine
enemies round about me:
So will I offer in His tent
sacrifices of shouting,
So will I sing, yea I will make
melody unto Jehovah.
II. 7 Hear, OJehovah, when I cry with my
voice,
Be gracious also unto me and
answer me.
ducted, &c. (So Luther: "die
schönen Gottesdienste des Henn.") But of course not to be confined merely to the external glory of the tabernacle, but to be understood chiefly of that glory which is unveiled to the eye of faith. Others, however, explain the word here, as in xc. 17, in the sense of "kindness,"
"loving fa- vour." ( English word "favour" is
perhaps the nearest equivalent to the He- brew word, as expressing at once beauty of person (E.V. of Prov. xxxi. 30) and kindness shown to others.
CONSIDER, or "look with pleasure upon." The verb denotes "to
look at a thing earnestly," to
"mark," "survey it with care,"
&c., so as to take pleasure in it; sec Lev. xiii. 36, Prov. xx. 25, and comp. Ps. xlviii. 12 [13], which expresses at length the same thing. The LXX. e]piske<ptesqai
to>n nao>n au]tou?. E.V., “to inquire in his temple."Leeser (apparently adopting a wrong deri- vation): "to be every morning
early in His temple."
what follows, applied to the taber- nacle. (See note on Ps. v. 7.) But I have retained the word, as it is employed by our translators, in I Sam. iii. 3, to denote the building at
5. TABERNACLE Or "covert," see lxxvi. 2 [3], and note there. Mr. George Grove notices "a curious |
progression in the mention of the verses. (1) the house; (2) the sanctuary (?) hêycal; (3) the taber- nacle or covert, sōkh (i.q. sukkah);
(4) the tent; and lastly (5) the rock protruding (?) from the floor, like the rock of the Sakrah at present, on which, when David was mounted, he was out of reach, and could burst into a secure hurrah."He suggests that "the rock may be the rock of Araunah's threshing-floor."
5. The tent here spoken of was not the Mosaic tabernacle of the congregation—for that remained at the the tent which David erected for the (2 Sam. vi. 17).
6. SACRIFICES OF SHOUTING: Vulg. vociferationes, LXX. a]lalagmou?,
a stronger form of expression than the usual "sacrifices of thanks- giving,"and equivalent to
"sacri- fices accompanied with the loud and glad expression of thankful- ness," with perhaps an allusion to
Num. x. 10.
7. The triumphant strain of con- fidence now gives way to one of sad and earnest entreaty. Is it (as Calv.) that the Psalmist sought in the former part of the Psalm to comfort himself with the review of God's unfailing strength and pro- tection, that he might with the more |
PSALM
XXVII. 269
8 To Thee hath my heart said: " Seek ye
My face—"
“Thy face, Jehovah, will I
seek."
9 Hide not Thy face from me;
Put not Thy servant away in anger:
Thou hast been my help; cast me not away,
Neither forsake me, O God of my
salvation.
10 For my father and my mother (may) have
forsaken me;
But Jehovah taketh me up.
11 Teach me Thy way, O Jehovah,
And lead me in an even path,
Because of them that lie in wait for
me.
12 Give me not over into the will of mine
adversaries;
For false witnesses have risen
up against me,
And they that breathe outa
violence.
reason
utter his prayer for help ? Or
is it not rather, that even whilst he
is thus strengthening himself in his
God, a sudden blast of tempta- tion
sweeps over his soul, freezing the
current of life,—some fear lest he
should be forsaken, some thought of
the craft and malice of his ene- mies,—till
now the danger which threatens
him is as prominent an object
as the salvation and defence were
before? 8. The words SEEK YE MY FACE are
the words of God, which the servant
of God here, as it were, takes
from His mouth, that so lay- ing
them before God, he may make his
appeal the more irresistible. Thou
hast said, "Seek ye My face:" my
heart makes those words its own,
and builds upon them its re- solve.
It takes them up and repeats them,
"Seek ye My face." It first claims
thus Thine own gracious words,
O Lord, and then its echo to those
words is, "Thy face, Lord, will I
seek." The P. B. V. gives the sense,
"My heart hath talked of Thee."
Such is the soul's dialogue with
itself, when it would comfort itself
in God. We are reminded of that
touching scene in the Gospel history,
where another, a woman of |
the
Saviour with His own words: "Yea,
Lord, yet the dogs eat of the crumbs,"
&c. Another possible rendering is: "To
thee, 0 my heart, hath He said,"
&c. But the usual form in Heb.
of self-address is "O my soul." 10. Some have supposed that the allusion
in this verse is to the time of
Saul's persecution, when David was
compelled to separate from his parents,
and leave therm under the protection
of the king of 1
Sam. xxii. 3. But, as Delitzsch ob- serves,
he left them, not they him. It
is better therefore to under- stand
the expression hypothetically: "(Though)
my father and my mother
may have forsaken me,"i.e. though
my condition be helpless and friendless
as that of a child deserted of
his parents, there is One who watches
over me and will take me to
His bosom. See Is. lxiii. i6, xlix. 15.
The phrase has, as De Wette says,
somewhat of a proverbial character. TAKETH ME UP. The verb is here
used in the same sense as in Deut.
xxii. 2, Josh. xx. 4, "receives me
under His care and protection," or
perhaps, as Stier suggests, |
270 PSALM
XXVIII.
13 Oh did I notb believe to see
the goodness of Jehovah
In the land of the living!
14 Wait on Jehovah,
Be of good courage, and let thine
heart be strong;
Wait, I say, on Jehovah.
"adopts
me as His child; " see xxii.
10 [11]. Our
Version gives the sense very well
in supplying "I had fainted;" but
the words refer to the present, not
to the past. The holy singer feels
now, at this moment, when the |
false
and violent men are before his mind,
how helpless he would be, did he
not trust and hope in his God: "There
were an end of me--or what would
become of me, did I not believe,"
&c. 14. See the same expression xxxi.
24. |
a Hapey;, stat. constr. of a
verbal adjective, HapeyA (= HaypiyA), and formed un-
doubtedly
from the future of the verb. The plural does not occur. The
sing.
is here used in a collective sense.
b xleUl. See similar instances
of aposiopesis with an omitted apodosis
after
6, Gen. 1. 15, and after yleUl with the apodosis introduced with yKi
Gen.
xxxi. 42, xliii. 10, I Sam. xxv. 34, 2 Sam. ii. 27; and see also Num.
xxii.
33. The preterite after xleUl may have either a pluperfect meaning,
as
Gen. xlii. 10, Ps. cxxiv. 1, or an imperf., as Deut. xxxii. 29, where an
imperf.
(fut.) follows, and so here.
-------------------------------------------------
PSALM XXVIII.
AFTER earnestly beseeching God to hear him
(ver. 1, 2), the
Psalmist
prays that he may not be involved in the evil doings of the
wicked
(ver. 3); and that they may receive righteous punishment
(ver.
4, 5). He thanks God that He has heard his prayer (ver. 6, 7),
and,
acknowledging Him as the Saviour both of king and people
(ver.
8), entreats Him to help, and bless, and feed His heritage for
ever
(ver. 9).
The structure of the Psalm is based
on the common principle of
dipodia,
or strophes of two verses ; the only exception being in the
central
one, which consists of three verses.
Hitzig thinks that Jeremiah, and
Ewald suggests that Josiah, may
have
been the author of the Psalm. But these are guesses which
have
little to recommend them: and there is no valid reason why we
should
reject the traditional title which gives the Psalm to David.
PSALM
XXVIII.
271
Like
the two preceding Psalms, it might very well have been com-
posed
at the time of Absalom's rebellion. Verses 2 and 3 bear a
close
resemblance to Ps. xxvi. 8, 9.
[(A
PSALM) OF DAVID.]
1 UNTO Thee, 0 Jehovah, do I cry;
O my Rock, hold not Thy peace from
me!
Lest if Thou keep silence from me,
I become likea them
that go down into the pit.
2 Hear the voice of my supplications when I
cry unto Thee,
When I lift up my hands toward the
innermost
placeb
of Thy sanctuary.
3 Draw me not away with the wicked,
And with the workers of iniquity;
Who speak peace with their neighbours,
But wickedness is in their hearts.
4 Give them according to their work,
And according to the wickedness of their
doings;
According to the operation of their
hands give them,
Requite them that they have
deserved;
1, 2. The earnestness of the cry is
to be measured not only by the greatness
of the peril which threat- ened,
but by the faith which cleaves to
God, knowing that in Him only is
there help. HOLD NOT THY PEACE
FROM ME: IF THOU BE SILENT
(or dumb) FROM ME. The prep.
in both cases, used with some- thing
of a pregnant meaning, = "Turn
not away from me in silence." The
expression is often applied to God,
with reference to prayer which seems
to remain unanswered : see XXXV.
21, xxix. 12 [13], lxxxiii. 1 [2],
cix. 1, &c., for the one verb ; and
Is. lxii. 1, 6, lxiv. 12, 13, for the other. 3. DRAW ME NOT AWAY, viz. to destruction
with them, as in Ezek. xxxii.
20. See also job xxiv. 22. The
same sentiment above, xxvi. 9. WHO SPEAK PEACE, &c. Per- haps
the same as the "dissemblers," in
xxvi. 4. We might almost sup- |
pose
a reference to the arts by which Absalom
secretly undermined Da- vid's
authority, and "stole away the hearts"
of the people, before he broke
out into open rebellion. But the
prayer which follows in the next verse
David would not have offered against
Absalom. The aiders and abettors
of the rebellion may, how- ever,
have been in his mind. 4. The second petition is for the destruction
of his enemies, as the first
was for his own preservation. GIVE THEM: of a judicial act, Hos.
ix. 14. With the language of this
and the next verse, comp. Is. i. 16,
iii. 8-11, v. 19. I have spoken elsewhere
of these prayers for ven- geance
upon the wicked, which sometimes
meet us in the Psalms. (See
note at the end of Psalm xxxv.) In
this instance certainly there is no
trace of the expression of per- sonal
animosity and the mere desire of
revenge. It is rather an appeal |
272 PSALM XXVIII
5 For they have no regard to the works of
Jehovah,
Nor to the operation of His hands:
(Therefore) shall He break them down, and not
build
them up.
6 Blessed be Jehovah,
For He hath heard the voice of my supplications.
7 Jehovah is my Strength and my Shield;
In Him hath my heart trusted, and I am helped;
Therefore doth my heart exult.
And with my song will I praise Him.
8 Jehovah is their strength,
And He is the saving defence of His Anointed.
9 O save Thy people and bless Thine
inheritance:
Feed them also, and bear them up for ever.
to
God's justice to deal with the righteous
and the wicked according to
their deserts. See Calvin's ex- cellent
remarks upon the passage, who
warns us against praying for the
destruction of the wicked, unless we
can first lay aside all passionate and
vindictive feelings. 5. The reason why God's judge- ment
should overtake the wicked, not
their malice against the Psalmist, but
their disregard of the Most High. See
x. 4, and Is. v. 12, 19. The works of
Jehovah, and the operation of His hands,
are in manifest opposition to those
of the wicked in ver. 4. SHALL HE DESTROY. Thus the Psalmist's
prayer passes into the expression
of confidence that God will
so dealwith them; a confidence based
upon the very attributes of God.
And thus the way is paved for
the thanksgiving which imme- diately
follows. 6. In his own heart he has already received
the answer to his prayer. He
knows that God will fulfil his petitions,
and therefore breaks out in
the glad certainty of faith, "Blessed
be Jehovah," &c. The certainty
that prayer is heard, anti- cipates
its visible fulfilment. 7. The two preterites mark that the
trust and the hclp belong to |
one
and the same time, whilst the joy which follows from
the help is expressed
by the verb in the fut. consec.,
which here may be = a present
(as in Job xiv. 2). All three verbs
may, however,, be rendered strictly
as perfects. WITH MY SONG, lit. out of my song
; the song being, as it were, the
source from which the praise flowed. 8. THEIR STRENGTH: the pron. thus
emphatically mentioned before the
word "people," to which it refers in
the last verse. See a similar instance
in ix. 12 [13], Ixxxvii., 1. SAVING
DEFENCE, lit. "strong- hold
of salvations." First the peo- ple,
then himself their monarch, but
not David the man, but David the
king as anointed of God, and chosen
to feed His people. 9. Thy
PEOPLE, Thine INHERIT- ANCE.
In those words are his plea with
God. It is impossible not to see
in these tender, loving words, "feed
them and bear them," the heart
of the shepherd-king. Feed them,
0 Thou true Shepherd of them
in Thine arms ([[s. lxiii. 9, xl, 11).
The reference may be to Deut. i.
31 ; xxxii. 11. Compare with this the
conclusion of Ps. iii. |
PSALM XXIX.
273
a yTil;wam;niv;. This depends on NP,, although the accent is
on the penulti-
mate,
not on the last syllable, which is its proper accentuation as perf.
consec. following the future. There are, however, occasional
exceptions
to
this rule (see Deut. viii. 12—14, Prov. xxx. 9), so that this need not
have
been classed as a license by Ewald, § 234 c. It is to be explained on
a
principle of attraction, the second clause being, as is usual in Hebrew,
coordinate
with, instead of being subordinated to, the first (comp. xxvii.
1o).
The perf marks the consequence which
then would take place if
the
condition implied in the previous future were fulfilled (e.g. Gen. iii. 22,
Is.
vi. to). This is especially the constr. where the conditional clause is
repeated.
See Exod. xxxiv. 12—15, Jos. Vi. 18, and Deut. xxv. 3. The
following
are the constructions of NP, when a sentence of more than one
member
depends upon it : (1) fut. and perf., the last either with the tone
of
the perf. consec., as for instance, Exod. xxxiv. 15, or without it, as here,
and
in the examples given above. (2) fut. and fut. as Deut.
xx. 6, Ps. ii.
12,
Jer. li. 46, in which case the second future denotes a consequence
immediately
springing from the first, the first being assumed as certain.
(3)
fut. and perf. without Vau consec. (4) Even perf. and fut. consec., as
2
Kings ii. 16.
b rybiD;. Elsewhere only in the
books of Kings and Chron. (See i
Kings
vi. 5, 19—22 ; 2 Chron. iii. 16, iv. 20, &c.) The adytum, or inner-
most
part of the Sanctuary, where was the Ark of the Covenant : not
however
so called because thence answers and oracles were given, as if
from
the root rB,Di,
as the Rabbis explain, and as Aq. and Symm. render
xrhmatisth<rion, and Jerome, oraculum; but connected no doubt with
the
Arab , pone
fuit, pars postica.
Hence also the Talmud. rbvdb,
which
Baal Aruch explains retrorsum, but is
written as two words in the
Talmud
(Berachoth, 6 b), and is
explained by Rashi, " one who believes in
a
double (vd)
principle (rb)."
-------------------------------------------------
PSALM
XXIX.
THIS Psalm is a magnificent description of
a thunder-storm. Its
mighty
march from north to south, the desolation and terror which it
causes,
the peal of the thunder, the flash of the lightning, even the
gathering
fury and lull of the elements, are vividly depicted.
The Psalm consists of five parts; a
prelude, the body of the poem
in
three divisions, and a conclusion. The structure* of the whole is
highly
artificial, and elaborated with a symmetry of which no more
* This was
first fully explained by Ewald in his Jarhbücher,
viii. 68—
73,
to whose masterly analysis I am here indebted.
274 PSALM
XXIX.
perfect
specimen exists in Hebrew. But this evidently artificial
mode
of composition is no check to the force and fire of the Poet's
genius,
which kindles, and glows, and sweeps along with all the
freedom
and majesty of the storm; the whole Psalm being one
continued
strain of triumphant exultation.
I. In the prelude, the singer lifts our
thoughts at once from earth
to
heaven, by calling on the angels who stand around the throne of
God
to praise Him who manifests His glory in the thunder and
lightning
which He sends upon the earth. Ver.1, 2.
II. Then follows the description of the
storm in the three strophes
which
constitute the main body of the Poem. These are so con-
structed,
that the first (ver. 3, 4) gives us the beginning of the storm,
the
low, faint, muttering thunder in the distant heavens; the next
(ver.
5—7) describes the storm at its height, when it crashes the
cedars,
and shakes the mountains; the last (ver. 8, 9) tells how it
passes
on over the plain country to the
south,
where it dies away.
But not only the arrangement of the three
strophes, but the struc-
ture
of each separate strophe, contributes in a very striking degree to
the
whole effect of the Poem. Each consists of five members, and
each
begins with a fresh burst, and closes with a lull in the tempest.
i. Thus, in the first strophe, we hear the
first yet distant sound of
the
thunder in the words, "The voice of Jehovah is upon the waters."
In
the next two clauses, “The God of glory thundereth; Jehovah is
upon
many waters," the long loud peal grows more distinct, whilst
ver.
4 again is pitched in a lower key, as if telling us of a pause in
the
storm.
ii. In the next strophe we have again, (a)
first, the renewed fury of
the
tempest, as, coming nearer yet, it falls on the glory of
and
breaks her cedars in its might: "The voice of Jehovah breaketh
the
cedars," &c. (b) Next, gathering with a wilder intensity of wrath,
it
bursts upon the mountain peaks, roaring amid their rocks and
shattering
them, and making the everlasting hills themselves to
tremble
as with the throes of an earthquake, so that "
Sirion
skip like young buffaloes." (c) Lastly, we hear it sinking down
in
the line which describes the flashing of the forked lightning:
“The
voice of Jehovah cleaveth the flames of fire." Ver. 5-7.
iii. Again the same structure is
observable. One long peal after
another
has rolled and reverberated along the sky, and now the storm,
in
its jubilant strength, sweeps the whole land from north to south.
(a) Again it is up in its
majesty: "The voice of Jehovah maketh
the
wilderness to tremble." (b)
Again its last fury is poured out
PSALM XXIX. 275
upon
the wilderness of Kadesh. The very hinds bow themselves in
travail-pangs,
and the forest is torn open and laid bare, as the
hurricane
drives through it in its path. (c)
And again the tempest is
stilled,
but this time its voice is hushed and lost for ever in the rnusic
and
songs of the heavenly host: "In His temple all that are therein
cry,
Glory." Ver. 8, 9.
III. The conclusion consists, like the
prelude, of two verses, each
of
two members. And here we are beautifully reminded that
Jehovah,
whom the angels praise, and who both rules
and stills the
elements
in their wildest uproar, is the same Jehovah who gives
strength and peace to His people. Ver. 10, 11.
It is further observable, in proof
of the evidently artificial structure
of
the whole, that each of the three central strophes has the same
characteristic
double line: --
(1) The voice of Jehovah is upon the waters,
Jehovah is upon many
waters.
(2) The voice of Jehovah breaketh the
cedars,
Yea Jehovah breaketh the
cedars of Lebanon.
(3) The voice of Jehovah maketh the
wilderness to tremble,
Jehovah maketh the
wilderness of Kadesh to tremble.
In
each of these instances, we have first, “The voice of Jehovah,"
and
then "Jehovah," and in each the second line is an amplification
or
strengthening of the first. It is further to be noticed that the ex-
pression
"voice of Jehovah " occurs seven
times in the three principal
divisions
of the Psalm, thus reminding us of the e[pta>
brontai<,
"the
seven
thunders," of the Apocalypse.
According to the tradition preserved in
the inscription of the
LXX.,
e]codi<ou (al e]co<dou) skhnh?j, it would seem that in
the Second
(e]co<dion, Lev. xxiii. 36) of the
Feast of Tabernacles. In the modern
Ashkenazic
(i.e. German, Polish, and Dutch)
synagogues, however,
this
Psalm stands in the Jewish liturgy, to be used on the first day
of
Pentecost (Shebuoth); in the Sephardic (Spanish, Portuguese,
Greek,
&c.) the 68th Psalm is recited on that day.
[A PSALM OF DAVID.]
1 GIVE unto Jehovah, 0 ye sons of God,a
Give unto
Jehovah glory and strength.
1.
SONS OF GOD, or perhaps, simply
"godlike ones," i.e.
"the angels,"
so called also in other |
passages,
or we may render "sons of
the mighty." See this more fully discussed
in the Critical Note. |
276
PSALM XXIX.
2 Give unto Jehovah the glory due to His
Name.
Worship Jehovah in holy attire.
3 The voice of Jehovah is upon the waters,
The God of glory thundereth;
Jehovah is upon many waters;
4 The voice of Jehovah is in might,
The voice of Jehovah is in majesty.
5 The voice of Jehovah breaketh the
cedars,
Yea Jehovah breaketh the cedars of
Lebanon
6 And He maketh them to skip like a calf,
7 The voice of Jehovah cleaveth flames of
fire.
8 The voice of Jehovah maketh the
wilderness to tremble,
Jehovah maketh the wilderness of
Kadesh to tremble.
2. IN HOLY ATTIRE, Mendelss. "heilig
geschmückt," LXX. Syr. and
others "holy sanctuary." Per- haps
we may keep "beauty of holiness"
as covering both ideas; heaven
being thought of as one great
temple, and all the worshipers therein
as clothed in priestly gar- ments,
and doing perpetual service. In
the earthly temple, in like man- ner,
Priests and Levites arrayed themselves
on occasions of solemn pomp.
Cf. 2 Chron. xx. 21, where E.V.
has "beauty of holiness," Ps. cx.
3, where see note. 3. THE WATERS. This may either refer
to the which
the storm comes up (as J. D. Michaelis),
or to the waters above the
firmament," the dense lowering masses
of the storm-cloud charged with
water. Probably the latter. See
xviii. 11 [12]. 4. IN MIGHT—IN MAJESTY. The attributes
of God as displayed in the
storm. The expression is more forcible
than if adjectives denoting these
qualities (" mighty," "majes- tic")
had been used. Comp. e]n e]cousi<a, Luke iv. 32; e]n
i]sku<i*
(rec.) Apoc.
xviii. 2. 6. STRION, i.e. Anti-Lebanon, |
acc.
to Deut. iii. 9, the Sidonian name
of Hermon. The force of the tempest
bursts on these mountains, and
is accompanied perhaps by an earthquake,
though we need not press
what may be only a strong poetical
figure. 7. With every thunder-peal comes the
terrible forked lightning, so striking
in tropical and Eastern lands.
Its vivid, zigzag, serpent- like
flash is given in a few words. CLEAVETH FLAMES OF FIRE, i.e. parts
the blaze of the lightning, so
as to give it the forked appear- ance. 8. KADESH, in the south of. Pales- tine,
thus indicating the course taken by
the storm. It sweeps the land from
north to south. "The geo- graphical
notices of its situation," says
"are
unfortunately too slight to be of much
service. Yet thus much they fix,
that it was ‘in the wilderness of Zin,’
that it was ‘on the edge of the border
of southern
point to which the territory of
then
gives reasons for identifying Kadesh
with |
PSALM XXIX. 277
9 The voice of Jehovah boweth the hinds in
travail-pangs,
And strippeth the forests (bare):--
And in His temple all that is therein
uttereth "Glory."
10 Jehovah sate throned above the Flood:
Yea Jehovah sitteth throned a King for ever.
11 Jehovah giveth strength to His people;
Jehovah
blesseth His people with peace.
the
direction it did, the storm would first
reach the 'Arabah, and then pass
on to the acacias, and palms, and
vegetation which clothe the rocks
of sandstone in the neigh- bourhood
of interesting
account of his journey in
the opposite direction, from to
(Sinai and Palestine, p. 94, &C.) 9. IN TRAVAIL-PANGS. This is a phenomenon
which is also noticed and
recorded as a fact by Arabian poets. ALL THAT IS THEREIN, lit. " all of
it." 10. ABOVE, or more literally
"at," so
the Chald. paraphrases—"The Lord
sat in the generation. of the deluge." FLOOD, i.e. the Deluge. The word
here employed occurs nowhere else,
except in the story of the Flood (Gen.
vi.—xi.), and therefore refers, I
cannot help thinking, to that great act
of judgement, and not merely to a
recent inundation caused by the storm,
the mountain-torrents having been
swollen by the rain, and having flooded
the country. This might have
happened. But the selection of
so peculiar a word (lUBma, "flood "), |
as
well as the fact than the verb is in
the past tense, "sate
throned," makes
the other more probable. Very beautiful is the conclusion of
the Psalm. If, in His heavenly temple
above, all that are therein ascribe
"glory " to God, upon earth too
He has manifested that glory. He
sat as King when He sent the flood
of water to destroy the earth.. He
sits now, and for ever will sit, as King.
As then He saved the righ- teous
man from death, so now He watches
over His people: for Je- hovah
is the God of Israel. It was He
who, when the storm waxed strong,
gave it its strength: it was He
who, when it was hushed, spread over
earth, and sea, and sky, the sweet
sabbath stillness of peace. And
He whose almighty power was
seen in the march of the tern- pest,
whose voice was heard in its wildest
uproar, and whose words stilled
its fiercest war, shall He not give
both strength and peace? Yea, Jehovah,
who is strong and mighty, will
give His own strength to His people;
and He who is the Prince of
Peace will bless His people with peace.
Thus the Psalm begins, as Delitzsch
says, with a Gloria in ex- celsis, and ends with a Pax in terris. |
a Mylixe
yneB; “sons of God," not the mighty upon
earth, as NOyl;f, yneB;, lxxxii.
6,
but the angels, who are called
elsewhere (as Job ii. 1) "sons of God."
The
word Mylixe,
however, is difficult, though it occurs in the same phrase,
lxxxii.
7. It is never found by itself meaning "God " = Myhilox<, but
always
"the gods," Exod. xv. 11, Dan. xi. 36. It would seem therefore as
if
the word "sons" were here used after the Hebrew idiom, somewhat
vaguely:
as NOyb;x, yneB; "sons of the poor," i.e. poor persons, so here ‘x
‘b
"sons
of the gods," may only mean, "godlike beings." The Chald.
explains
278 PSALM XXX.
it
"angels." The Syr. takes the words as the acc., and renders
"young
rams."
The LXX. and Vulg. followed by our P.B.V. curiously combine
both
interpretations. The former has e]ne<gkate
t&? kuri<& ui[oi> qeou?, e].t.k.
ui[ou>j kriw?n. The latter, Afferte Domino, filii Dei, afferte Domino filios
arietum. Mendelssohn takes Mylixe as = Myliyxe, and interprets,
"sons of
the
great ones," in the sense of bxAOm yleyxe the mighty men, or
princes of
"the
children of
and
Jacob.
PSALM XXX.
THIS
Psalm was composed after recovery from a sickness which
had
very nearly proved fatal. The singer begins with an ascription
of
praise to God for His great goodness, and calls upon all who, like
himself,
had known the loving-kindness of Jehovah (vydAysiHE), to join
him
in his thanksgiving., Thence he passes (ver. 6) to a recital of
his
own experience, his pleading with God in his affliction, and God's
answer
to his prayer.
According to the inscription, the Psalm
was composed "at the
dedication
of the house." But what house? Some would understand
the
dedication of the spot on which the Temple afterwards stood, and
which
David purchased of Araunah (2 Sam. xxiv., I Chron. xxi.).
This
spot, it is true, together with the altar erected there, might be
called
"the house of Jehovah " (as it is I Chron. xxii. I), or abso-
lutely
"the house," even before the Temple was built. But if the
Psalm
were written for this occasion, it could not have been written
by
David, as he himself did not fall sick in the time of the pestilence
(2
Sam. xxiv. 17).
Others conjecture that by “the dedication
of the house," is meant
a
purification and reconsecration of David's palace which Absalom
had
defiled (2 Sam. xx,. 3). But hKAnuHE, “dedication,"
according to
J.
H. Mich., is only used of the original dedication of an object,
never
of its reconsecration. And besides, the Psalm speaks not of
escape
from enemies, but of recovery from sickness.
But perhaps, if the inscription is
trustworthy, it refers to the house
which
David built in his new city of Zion, and the building of which
he
seems to have regarded as a pledge of the security and prosperity
of
his kingdom (2 Sam. v. 11, 12). We must, however, still suppose
that
he had suffered just before from a sickness, about which the
history
is silent.
The Psalm is used by the Jews to this day
on the Festival of the
PSALM
XXX.
279
Chanucah, or re-dedication of
the
by
Antiochus Epiphanes.
It consists of two principal divisions:--
I.
A thanksgiving on recovery. Ver. 1-5.
(1) An ascription of praise. Ver. 1. The
reason, viz, that God
had brought him back to life from the gates
of death. Ver. 2, 3.
(2) An exhortation to others to unite
with him in praise. The
reason,
because God keepeth not His anger for ever. Ver. 4, 5.
II. A recital of the Psalmist's
experience during his sickness.
Ver.
6-12.
(1) The sudden change by which he had
been brought low. Ver.
6,
7.
(2) His prayer in his sickness. Ver.
8-10.
(3) The answer to his prayer and
thanksgiving thereupon, Ver.
11,
12.
[A
PSALM OF DAVID. A SONG AT THE DEDICATIONa OF THE HOUSE.]
I. 1 I WILL extol Thee, 0 Jehovah, for
Thou hast lifted
me up,
And bast not made mine enemies
to rejoice over me.
2 O Jehovah, my God,
I cried unto Thee, and Thou
hast healed me.
3 O Jehovah, Thou hast brought up my soul
from the
unseen world:
Thou hast kept me alive, that
I should not be of
them that go down
b into the pit.
4 Sing praises unto Jehovah, O ye
beloved of His,
And give thanks to His holy
name:
1. Thanksgiving, ver. 1-5. 2. THOU HAST LIFTED ME UP, lit. "Thou
bast drawn me up" (i.e.) as a
bucket is drawn up out of a well). It
has been inferred from this ex- pression,
that the Psalm was written by
Jeremiah when he was taken up out
of the dungeon. But this is turning
poetry into prose. The word is
clearly metaphorical. 3. KEPT ME ALIVE. So the verb |
is
used in xxii. 29 [30]; see also Exod.
i. 17, 22. 4. BELOVED, more literally, "who have
obtained mercy of Him" (as Hupfeld),
or, "ye His godly ones; " but
see note on xvi. To. His HOLY NAME, lit. "His holy memorial,"
with reference, no doubt, to
the passage, Exod. iii. 15, "This is
my name for ever, and this is my memorial to all
generations." God's |
280 PSALM XXX.
5 For His anger is but for a moment,
His favour for a life long c:
At even, weeping may come in for a
night,
But with the morning is a shout
of joy.
II. 6 And as for me--I had said, in my
prosperity,
"I shall not be moved
for ever."
7 Thou, O Jehovah, by Thy favour
hadst made my moun-
tain to stand strong:
Thou didst hide Thy face:—I
became troubled.
Name
is His revelation of Himself, in
all His various attributes of Love, Wisdom,
Power, Holiness, Truth, Righteousness.
God's memorial is that
great history of redemption which
was, so to speak, the setting up
of a monument to His glory, on which
all these attributes were in- scribed. 5. A reason why God's saints should
praise Him, because He manifests
Himself to them in love, not
in wrath, or if in wrath, but for a moment.
Love rules over all. The literal
rendering of the verse is: "For
in His anger is (but) a moment, in
His favour a life: in the evening, weeping
may come in to pass the night;
but with the morning (there is)
a shout of joy." The parallelism is
preserved in each member: "anger—favour;"
"a moment—a life;"
"weeping joy." The only objection
to this rendering is that the
Heb. word for " life " does not elsewhere
denote the duration of life.
See Critical Note. We must not repeat the verb "pass
the night," with the second clause.
Weeping is described in the first
under the image of a wayfarer who
comes in at evening to lodge for the
night. (Jer. xiv. 8.) The sud- denness
and surprise of gladness, on
the other hand, in the morning, are
beautifully represented by the simple hn.Ari rq,Bola "at dawn, a
shout of
joy,"without a verb. Just as the sun in
Eastern lands, without any long prelude
of twilight to announce his coming,
leaps as it were in a mo- |
ment
above the horizon, so does the
light of God's love dispel in a moment
the long night and dark- ness
of sorrow. See the beautiful parallel,
Is. liv. 7, 8. II. The recital of his experience. Ver.
6-12. 6. AND AS FOR ME. The pro- noun
with the conjunction, thus at the
beginning of a clause, is always emphatic,
and generally stands in opposition
to something going be- fore,
either expressed or understood. Here
there is a tacit opposition between
the Psalmist's present and his
former experience. Now he had learnt
through the lesson of suffer- ing
to trust in God. Before that suffering
came, he had begun to trust
in himself. "I seemed so strong,
so secure, I began to think within
myself, I shall never be moved;
Thou hadst made my mountain
so strong. And then, Thou
didst hide Thy face, and I was
troubled." Obs. that the last three
clauses follow one another without
a copula, "Thou hadst made,"
&c., "Thou didst hide," &c., "I
became," &c., as if to mark how rapidly
the one followed upon the other.
The security was followed, as
its necessary consequence, by the hiding
of God's countenance, and this
by terror of spirit. 7. HADST MADE STRONG, lit. "Thou
didst make strength to stand to
my mountain:" or perhaps "Thou
didst place a fortress upon my
mountain." The language is clearly
figurative, though the em- |
PSALM XXX. 281
8 (Then) to Thee, 0 Jehovah, did I begin to
cry,d
Yea to Jehovah I made supplication: (saying,)
9 “What profit is there in my blood, when I
go down to
the
pit?
Shall the dust give thanks to Thee?
shall it declare
Thy truth?
10 Hear, O Jehovah, and be gracious unto me;
O Jehovah, be Thou my helper."
11 (And) Thou didst turn for me my mourning
into
dancing:
Thou didst put off my sackcloth, and
girdedst me
with gladness;
12 To the end that (my) glory e
should sing praise to
Thee, and not be silent.
O Jehovah, my God, I will give thanks
unto Thee
for ever.
blem
no doubt is borrowed from the
stronghold of "fortunas
meas ita stabiliveras ut firmissimi
montis instar haberent." 9. He now gives us the words of his
prayer. WHAT
PROFIT ? (quid lucri? ti< o@feloj). The earnest prayer for life, so
frequent with the Old Testament saints
who walked in shadows, and who
only now and then caught a glimpse
of the world beyond the grave.
Their faith and hope were in
God, and therefore could not be bounded
by things temporal; but we
must remember that the promises made
to them were mostly of a tem- poral
character, and that life and immortality
were not yet brought to
light. In seasons of despondency, therefore,
the abode of the dead (Sheol)
seemed dark and cheerless: and
there was not only a natural but
even a religious recoil from death,
because in this life only could men
praise God. In the land of for- getfulness
no Psalms could be sung. Hezekiah's
thanksgiving, Is. xxxviii., |
and
many expressions in the Book of
job, which last seems to have been
in the Psalmist's mind, are in the
same strain. The truth seems to
be, that whilst the Faith of the Old
Testament saints in God was strong
and childlike, their Hope of Immortality was at best but dim and
wavering, brightening perhaps for
a moment, when the heart was rejoicing
in God as its portion, and then
again almost dying away. 11.
How his prayer was heard. This
is described by its effects upon himself.
(A return to the past tenses, as
in ver. 6.) The copula (which I have
inserted in the translation, to mark
the connection more clearly) is
omitted in the Heb., because the answer
to the prayer is regarded as simultaneous
with the prayer itself. Comp. Jer. xxxi. 13, Lam. v. 15. The sackcloth
of his humiliation God had
taken off from him, and had clothed
him with the garment of praise.
(Is. lxi. 3.) How should he do
otherwise than praise God for ever
for His goodness ? |
a The first Psalm which is
called rywi,
and the only one in this book,
hKAnuHE "dedication." LXX., e]gkainismo<j. Various ceremonies of
dedica-
282 PSALM XXXI.
tion
are mentioned : of the sanctuary, Exod. xl.; of the altar, Num. vii. 10,
&c.;
of a house, Deut. xx. 5 ; of Solomon's temple, I Kings viii. 63; of
the
new walls of
dedication"
in the Jewish ritual (see Tract. Sopherin
c: 18, § 2). For
the
origin of the feast, see i Macc. iv. 52, &c.
b The Q'ri ydir;yA.mi = ita ut non descenderern, is ungrammatical in form;
for
an inf., droy;
instead of td,r,, nowhere occurs (though we find a
similar
anomalous infin., ydis;yA, Job xxxviii. 4). There can be no doubt that the
K'thibh
yder;Oy.mi is right; see xxviii. I. So the LXX., e@swsa<j
me a]po> tw?n
katabaino<ntwn
ei]j la<kkon.
c MyyiHa seems here to be used
of duration of life (Hupf. Del.),
though it
would
be difficult to support the usage. Hence the rendering of the E.V.
may
certainly be defended (though it injures the parallelism), " In His
favour
is life." The LXX. o!ti o]rgh> e]n t&? qum&?
au]tou?, kai> zwh> e]n t&? qelh<mati
au]tou?; Vulg. "Quoniam ira in indignatione
ejus, et vita in voluntate
ejus;"
Syr. "Rebuke is in His anger, life in His favour";—all giving a
different
meaning to fgar,.
d The futures here are
properly imperfects (or what Hupf.
terms relative
preterites, and what the Arabs
call "the present in the past "). xrqx, sc.
Then
when I was in trouble I began to call, &c. Or we may suppose the
poet
to throw himself back into the past, and speak from the past, in
which
case we may keep the strict future, as describing his resolve at
the
time, and supply the ellipse, " Then I thought," or " Then I
said I
will
call," &C., e]n toi?j kakoi?j geno<menoj
e@legon, pro>j se<, Ku<rie, boh<sw, Symm.
e dObkA, app. for ydiObK;, "my glory" =
my soul. LXX., h[ do<ca mou. But
Jerome,
ut laudet to gloria. Aq. Symm. and Theod. in like manner omit
the
pronoun. The Chald., taking it as abstr. for concr., dvbk = Mydbkn
renders
"the nobles of the world." The Syr. as accus, after the verb,
"therefore
will I sing to Thee glory," and changing the third pers. of the
verb
into the first. This last interpret. has very much in its favour, for it
is
remarkable, that of the older Versions, the LXX. alone have the pro-
noun.
But it requires a change in both the verbs rmzy and Mdy, into rmzx
and
Mdx.
However, the 3d pers. may be used impersonally "that one
may
sing glory to Thee, ascribe glory to Thee, in his song," &c.
------------------------------------
PSALM
XXXI.
A PSALM in which earnest prayer for
deliverance from trouble is
kindled
and animated throughout by a lively trust and hope in God.
This
Psalm may be compared throughout with Psalms ix. and xxvii.
and
especially with the latter, with which it has many points of
resemblance.
It consists of three principal
divisions:--
I. The singer prays God to be gracious to
him in his trouble,
PSALM XXXI. 283
expressing
at the same time his trust in Him, who in times past had
been
his deliverer. Ver. 1-8.
II. He pours out before God the story of
his sufferings and his
sorrows,
beseeching Him again to lift upon him the light of His
countenance,
and to put his enemies to shame. Ver. 9-18.
III. He concludes with praise and
thanksgiving to God for His
goodness
to all who trust in Him, and particularly to himself, and
calls
upon all the righteous to love the Lord. Ver. 19-24.
The older interpreters, for the most part,
supposed the Psalm to
have
been composed by David when he fled from Saul into the
wilderness
of Maon (I Sam. xxiii. 24). The chief support for this
view
was found in the use of yzip;HAB; (ver. 23, Heb.), compared with
zPAh;n, (I Sam. xxiii. 26). But this, in any
case, would be far too slight
a
ground to rest upon, not to mention that the noun here is clearly
used
in a different sense from the verb there (see note on the word).
In some of its expressions the Psalm is
not unlike Psalms vi.,
xxxviii.,
xxxix. On the whole, however, it reminds us more of some
parts
of Jeremiah than of any other of the Old Testament writings.
In
its tender and plaintive character it resembles Lament. iii. The
phrase
bybysAmi rOgmA, “Fear on every side” (ver. 13 [14]), occurs no
less
than six times in Jeremiah; and the first member of the same
verse
is repeated word for word in Jer. xx. to. Hence Ewald and
Hitzig
have concluded that the Psalm was written by Jeremiah.
Two
other suppositions are, however, admissible, viz. either that the
Prophet,
with whom this may have been a favourite Psalm, borrowed
from
the Psalmist, or that the Psalmist (who may have been one of
the
later poets) borrowed from the Prophet.
On other grounds there is no reason why
the Psalm should not be
David's.
It breathes throughout his rare tenderness of spirit, as well
as
his faith and courage. The figures of the stronghold and the
rock
so often repeated, ver. 2-4, are most suitable in his mouth
(comp.
Ps. xviii.), and so are the expressions in ver. 8 and ver. 21.
[FOR THE PRECENTOR. A PSALM OF DAVID.]
I. I IN Thee, 0 Jehovah, have I made my
refuge,
Let me
never be ashamed;
In Thy righteousness rescue me.
Ver. 1—3 are found with slight variation
in lxxi. 1—3. 1. NOT ... FOR EVER= "never:" not as Hengst. and others
interpret. |
"Though
I am put to shame now, yet
let not that shame last for ever," Ps.
xxx. 5 [6]. IN THY RIGHTEOUSNESS. See iv. I
[2] v. 8 [9]. |
284 PSALM XXXI.
2 Incline Thine ear unto me,
Make haste to deliver me
Be Thou to me a strong rock,
A house of fortresses to save me.
3 For Thou art my rock and my fortress,
And for Thy Name's sake Thou wilt lead me and
guide
me;
4 Thou wilt bring me forth out of the net
they have laid
privily for me,
For THOU art my stronghold.
5 Into Thy hand I commend my spirit:
2. The figures here employed are the
same as in xviii. STRONG ROCK, lit. "a rock of stronghold,"
i.e. not a rock with a castle
upon it, but "a rock which is
itself a stronghold." A HOUSE OF FORTRESSES; a po- etical
expression = a fortified place. 3. FOR THOU ART, &c. "Be to me
a rock, &c., for Thou art my rock."
This has been called illogi- cal.
But is it so illogical as it seems? The
Psalmist prays, "Be Thou to me,"
or rather, " become to me, prove Thyself to be, my rock and house
of defence; for I know that Thou,
and Thou only, art my refuge." This
is the logic of the heart, if not of
the intellect; the logic, it may be added,
of every prayer of faith. The word "rock" here is dif- ferent
from that in v. 2, and denotes a
precipitous rock, or crag. FOR THY NAME'S SAKE ... LEAD ME
AND GUIDE ME, exactly as in xxiii.
2, 3. The futures here and in the
next verse are not to be ren- dered
as imperatives. They ex- press
the strong hope and confi- dence
that it will be done according to
his faith and his prayer. 5. INTO THY HAND, &C. Upon the
expression of confidence in the Power
and Faithfulness of God fol- lows
the expression of the singer's resolve.
My spirit (ruach) more than
my soul or life (nephesh). It is
not only from sickness and death, but
from sin and all ghostly enemies, |
that
the man of God would be kept, and
therefore he commends to God, not
his body or his bodily life alone, but
the life of his spirit, which is more
precious (comp. Is. xxxviii. 16, "life
of my spirit "). I COMMEND (parati<qemai), i. e. place
as a deposit, entrust. With
these words our Lord breathed
out His life, Luke xxiii. 46, as
He had before used words from another
Psalm in His agony on the cross.
The first words were from a Psalm
(the 22nd) which, typically at least,
foreshadowed His sufferings; whereas,
this is not in the same way predictive.
But the Holy One of God,
in that last hour of mortal agony,
chose these words of one of His
servants, to express the solemn surrender
of His life. And in so doing
he gave them a new inter- pretation.
The Jewish singer only meant
by them that he put himself and
all his hopes into the hand of God.
Jesus meant by them, that by His own act, of His
own . free will,
He
gave up His spirit, and there- with
His life, to the Father. (Obs. how
the Evangelists carefully choose their
expressions, a]fh?ken to> pneu?ma, Matt.;
pare<dwken to> pn., John.) And they
who have died with their Lord, have
died with the same words on their
lips. These were the last words of
Bernard, of Huss, of Jerome of and
many others. "Blessed are they,"
says Luther, "who die not |
PSALM XXXI.
285
Thou
hast redeemed me, Jehovah, Thou God of Truth.
6 I hatea them that observe
lying vanities;
But as
for me—in Jehovah do I trust.
7 Let me exult and be glad in Thy loving-kindness,
For Thou
hast seen my affliction,
Thou
hast known my soul in adversities,
8 And hast not shut me up into the hand
of the enemy;
Thou
hast set my feet in a large room.
II. 9 Be gracious unto me, O Jehovah, for I am in
trouble:
Mine eye is consumed with vexation,—my soul
and
my
body.
10 For my life is spent with sorrow,
And my
years with sighing:
My strength bath failed because of
mine iniquity,
And my
bones are consumed, because of all my
adversaries.
11 I am become a reproach to my neighbours
exceed-
ingly,b
And a
fear to mine acquaintance:
only
for the Lord, as martyrs; not only
in the Lord, as all believers; but
likewise with the Lord, as breathing
forth their lives in these words,
‘Into Thy hand I com- mend
my spirit.’" The words are used
by all dying Israelites to this day. THOU HAST REDEEMED ME. This gives
the reason why he entrusts his spirit
to God. (It may be rendered as
a relative clause, Thou who hast, &c.)
It is = "Thou hast been, and Thou
art, my Redeemer;" and fur- ther,
there is implied, "because Thou
changest not, I confidently anticipate
redemption from this present
calamity." The past con- tinuing
up to the present moment (strict
perfect), is in the singer's mind
a pledge of the future, espe- cially
because God is the GOD OF TRUTH,
as opposed to the lying vanities
(in the next verse), i.e. all false
objects of trust, here perhaps |
especially
false gods. Comp. 2 Chr. xv.
3. [In Deut. xxxii. 4, hnAUmx< lxe not
very different, except that tm,x, here
refers rather to the Being and Nature
of God, who is the abso- lutely
true, hnAUmx<, to His dealings with
His creatures, in which, His faithfulness is shown.] 7. HAST SEEN, &C., cf. Exod. iii.
7. HAST KNOWN. See note on i.
6. 8. SHUT ME UP, cf. I Sam. xxiii. 11;
Deut. xxxii. 30. A LARGE ROOM, as in xviii. 19[20]. 9--13. The prayer of the Psalmist now
bases itself upon the greatness of
his suffering. 10. BECAUSE OF MINE INIQUITY. See
how the eye is turned within, as
well as without upon his enemies. Suffering
does its work when it leads
us to commune with our own hearts,
and to discover the evils which
are hidden there. |
286 PSALM XXXI
They that did see me in the streets
fled from me.
12 I have been forgotten as a dead man out
of mind;
I am become like a broken vessel.
13 For I have heard the slander of many,
Terror on every side;
Whilst they took their counsel
together against; me,
They devised to take away my life.
14 But as for me, I have trusted in Thee, O
Jehovah;
I said, "Thou art my God."
15 My times are in Thy hand:
Deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and
from
them that persecute me.
16 Make Thy face to shine upon Thy servant;
O save me in Thy loving-kindness!
17 O Jehovah, let me not be ashamed, for I
have called
upon
Thee:
Let the wicked be ashamed, let them be put to
silencec in the
grave;
18 Let the lying lips become dumb,
Which speak stoutly against the righteous,
With pride and contempt.
III.
19 O how great is Thy goodness,
12. OUT OF MIND, lit. “Out of heart;"sim.
"out of the mouth," Deut.
xxxi. 21. 13. FOR, not as giving the reason of
his comparison of himself to a broken
vessel, but as a further ex- planation
of "because of all mine adversaries,"
ver. 10. From the effects
he goes back to the cause. The
verbs are in the pret., because this
state of things had lasted long. The
first two members of the verse occur
again, word for word, Jer. xx. 10,
and the phrase, "terror round about,"
Jer. vi. 25, xx. 3, 4, xlvi. 5, xlix.
29 ; Lam. ii. 22. 14-18. Again wonderful words of
trust, out of which flow his peti- tions,
"Thou art my God." Mighty strength
of faith when a man, con- scious
of his own sinfulness (ver. |
10),
and with a world in arms against
him, yea, forsaken of his own
friends (ver. I1), can still turn to
God and say, Thou art my God.
15. MY TIMES, i.e. all my
life with
its "sundry and manifold changes,"
its joys and sorrows, its hopes
and conflicts, are not the sport
of chance, or the creatures of a
blind fate, but are in Thy hand, O
Thou living, personal Redeemer. On
this confidence are grounded the
petitions which follow, and. the hopes
expressed,ver. 18. The second of
the petitions, ver. 16, is borrowed from
the sacerdotal benediction, Num.
vi. 25. Comp. Ps. iv. 6 [7]. 19-24. "His well-grounded hope now
brings triumphant certainty, and
this breaks forth in glad ac- knowledgement
of God's goodness |
PSALM XXXI. 287
Which Thou hast laid up for them that fear Thee,
Which Thou hast wrought for them that find
refuge
in
Thee,
In
the presence of the sons of men.
20 Thou hidest them in the hiding-place of
Thy presence
from the conspiracies of men;
Thou keepest them privily in a tabernacle from
the
strife of tongues.
21 Blessed be Jehovah,
That He hath showed me His marvellous loving-
kindness in a fenced city:
22 As for me—I had said in my confusion,
"I am cut off from the sight of Thine
eyes."
Yet surely Thou didst hear the voice of
my supplica-
tions
When I cried unto Thee.
23 O love Jehovah, all ye beloved of His!
Jehovah preserveth the faithful,
And plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.
to
the righteous, and an exhortation to
all to wait on Him in unshaken confidence
of heart." 19. THOU HAST LAID UP, lit. "hidden,"
or "kept privily," the same
word as in ver. 20. God's loving-kindness
and God's saints are
both "hidden," "laid up," as treasures;
comp. xvii. 14, and " the hidden
manna," Rev. ii. 17. This is
the love of God manifested to the
soul in secret; the next clause tells
of its open manifestation, “Thou
Hast wrought." Compare with the language of this
and the next verse the very similar
passage xxvii. 5. 20. THE HIDING-PLACE OF THY PRESENCE,
or "of Thy counte- nance
: " elsewhere, of God's taber- nacle,
xxvii. 4 [5]; or of His wings, lxi.
5, or of His shadow, xci. 1. But this
is the most striking figure of all:
to be hidden in the light of God's
face, hidden in that splen- dour
where His power is hidden (nab.
iii. 4); what an image at |
once
of safety and blessedness! with
excess of bright," explains how it
is possible to be hidden in light. 21. David now turns to his own experience.
HATH SHOWED ME, &c.
Mendelss. "Wunderbar bewies er seine Güte mir." But what is the
fenced or fortified city? I in- cline
to think there is an historical reference
in the words. Possibly Ziklag
may be meant (as gests).
Most, however, understand it
metaph.=with Thee I am as if I were
in a fortified place. 22. IN MY CONFUSION (in stu pore meo, Jerome; e]kplh<cei, Symm.; in trepidatione mea, Calv.). I AM CUT OFF— so did his faith
begin to waver, and yet in the
midst of this confusion he betook
himself to prayer. "Nec obstat,"
says Calvin, "carnis infir- mitas quo minus (sancti) etiam fere dejecti indefessos Deo athletas se præbeant." 23. And now because
God had |
288 PSALM XXXI.
24 Be of good courage, and let your heart
be strong,
All ye
that hope in Jehovah.
heard
his prayer of faith, and been better
to him than his unbelief, he calls
upon all to whom God has been
gracious to love Him. 24. ALL YE THAT HOPE. (The Psalm
ends nearly as Psalm xxvii.) Hope
and waiting are marks pecu- liarly
of the Old Testament dispen- sation.
It is true even in the New, one
apostle writes, "We are saved by
hope." And another says, "It
|
doth
not yet appear what we shall be:
"but he adds what no believer in
the day of types and shadows could
have said, "We know that when
He shall appear, we shall be like
Him, for we shall see Him as He
is." Wonderful indeed is the hopeful
trust of the saints of old in God,
when we remember that they did
not know Him as God manifest in
the flesh. |
a ytixnEWA. The LXX., Syr., Arab.
(and in some MSS. Jerome), have
here
the second pers., "Thou
hatest." And this has been adopted by
Ewald,
Hitzig, and others, because of the opposition in the following 1421,
"but
as for me." The opposition, however, may be in thought between
himself
and those who adhere to false gods. Myrim;wo.ha, lit. "who
keep," or
as
the P. B. V., "hold of," hence "who follow, obey," &c,
(cf. the similar
use
of the Latin observare, Virg. Georg.
iv. 212), as in Hosea iv. io (E. V.
"take
heed"), Prov. xxvii. 18 (E. V. "wait on"). In Jonah ii. 9 we
have
the
same phrase, but with Piel instead of Qal.
b This verse is
difficult. According to the Massoretic text it stands :
"Because
of all mine adversaries I am become a reproach, and to my
neighbours
exceedingly, and a terror to mine acquaintance," &c. But this
reads
lamely. The word dxom; comes in very awkwardly
even we repeat
hPAr;H, ytiyyihA with the second member.
Hence Ewald joins the words
yrAr;co with the previous verse; and this
completes the parallelism in ver.
11,
and is on the whole satisfactory, except that the v; in ynakew;liv; is not well
accounted
for. It is true that most commentators, while retaining the
present
division of the verse, take the here to be = "even;" "etiam
vicinis
meis," Calv.; "selbst
meinen Nachbarn Schmach," Mendelss. But
the
passages generally quoted in support of this meaning of the conjunc-
tion
are, as Hupf. has shown, not to the point. It does occur in the sense
of
"and that," idque (Ges.
Thes.); a sense, however, which does not suit
here.
meaning
"a burden," formed from a root dvx, cogn. with the Arab.
root
, onus.
Then the verse would read, "Because of, &c.... I am become
a
reproach to my neighbours, a burden," &c.
c UmD;yi may either be fut. Qal.
for Um.doyA (Ges. § 67), or Niph. for Um.Dayi,
"shall
be silent, or be made silent to Sheol," i.e. shall be reduced to
silence
by being laid in the grave.
PSALM
XXXII.
289
PSALM
XXXII.
THIS is the second of the Seven
Penitential Psalms, as they are
called,
"which," says Selnecker, "
with
weeping heart and eyes, and which, before his death, he had
written
on the wall over against his sick-bed, that he might exercise
himself
therein, and find comfort therein in his sickness." St. Augus-
tine's
own words, "intelligentia prima est ut to noris peccatorem,"
might
stand as its motto.
Beginning with the recital of his
own experience, David here turns
it
into instruction and warning for others. He had long struggled
with
the sense of his sin, had long been crushed to the earth with his
burden,
because he would not humble himself before God; but God
had
given him again the heart of a child. He had gone to his Father
with
the penitent confession, "I have sinned and as in the parable,
the
Father's heart moved towards histi prodigal son when he was yet
a
long way off, so David found that his Father was ready to forgive
—"I
said, I will confess,"and " Thou tookest away the guilt of
my
sin."
There can be little doubt, I think,
that this Psalm was composed
after
Nathan came to him. Psalm was the confession of his great
sin
and the prayer for forgiveness. This Psalm is the record of the
confession
made and the forgiveness obtained, and the conscious
blessedness
of his position as a son restored to his Father's house.
There
was a shelter for him there ndw—"Thou art my hiding-place."
There
was joy and gladness on his return—"Thou shalt compass me
about
with songs of deliverance." And here he carries out the resolve
of
Psalm li., "Then will I teach transgressors Thy way, and sinners
shall
be converted unto Thee."
The instruction of the Psalm maybe
summed up in the words of
Prov.
xxviii. 13, or in those of I John i. 8, 9.
[A
MASKILa OF DAVID.]
I. 1 BLESSED is he whose transgression is
taken away,
whose sin is covered:
I, 2. Sin is here (as in Ex. xxxiv. 7)
spoken of under three appella- tions,
so as to include the whole |
idea
of sin in all its manifestations: First,
as "transgression" (fwaP,) or departure
from God, and open |
290 PSALM XXXII.
2 Blessed
is the man to whom Jehovah reckoneth not
iniquity,
And
in whose spirit there is no guile.
3 For (while) I kept silence, my bones waxed
old
Through my roaring all the day long.
defection
from His covenant; or as Donne
says in his sermon on this Psalm,
"It is a malicious and a forcible
opposition to God: it is when
this Herod and this Pilate (this
body and this soul of ours) are
made friends and agreed, that they
may concur to the crucifying of
Christ." Secondly, as "a coming short
of the mark" (hxAFAHE, a de- flection
from an aim, a not doing of our
duty (see the original meaning of
the root, Judg. xx. 16;, where the Benjamites
are said not to miss the mark
by a hair's breadth). Thirdly, as
including in the idea of wrong- doing,
the guilt, and also the punish- ment
(NOfA). And there is a threefold blessed- ness.
The man is one who has his transgression
taken away (lit. who is lightened of the
burden
of sin), comp. Exod.
xxxiv. 7, John i. 29; who has his
sin covered, so that he is in God's sight
as one who has not done the sin,
cf. lxxxv.2 [3], and Is.. xxxviii. 17, xliii.
25, xliv.22;—for as Donne says, "Our
merciful God, when He sees us
under this mantle, this covering, Christ
spread upon His church, conceals
His knowledge of our sins and
suffers them not to reflect upon our
consciences, in a consternation thereof;"—he
is also one to whom iniquity is not reckoned (ver. 2), which,
according to terpretation,
Romans iv. 6—9, is equivalent
to saying that he is one
whose faith is reckoned for righteousness.
The non-reckoning of
iniquity, and the reckoning of righteousness,
are convertible terms: and
the righteousness so reckoned is
faith, or a righteousness without works.
But God only thus forgives and
justifies one who, with all truth
and sincerity of heart, con- fesses
his sin, making no reserva- |
tion,
no excuses, no attempts still to
hold fast and hide some darling lust, as De Muis says: "qui non peccat
animo poenitendi, aut non poenitet
animo peccandi„" "As the prophet
David's principal. purpose in
this text is, according to the in- terpretation
of the
blessedness of man from God: so
it is also to put some conditions in
man, comprehended in this, That there be no guile
his spirit.
.
. . He that makes half repent- ance,
makes none.''' (The clause may
be a relative clause, or may be taken
conditionally, as Seb. Schmid, "modo
non sit in spiritu ejus dolus.")
The two things are, at any rate,
"connected as conspiring to the
blessedness of the man (as Leighton
says), viz. the free remis- siori
of sin, and the inner cleansing of
the heart." NO GUILE: no falseness, that is, either
to himself or to God. Of this
guilelessnessLeighton remarks, "Nothing
is more pleasing to God, who
seeth the heart, nothing more like
to God; and therefore is it most
pleasing to Him, because it is most
like Him."—Meditat. Ethico- Crit. in Ps. xxxii. 3 FOR, as explaining how he had come
to know what he had just before
said. David had felt the need
of this guileless spirit, for he had
"kept silence," had striven but too
long to smother the sense of his
guilt, which was meanwhile like a
smouldering fire within him. Afraid
to confess his sin to him- self,
afraid to confess it to God, he could
not still escape the goading and
pricking of his conscience, and hence
his misery. MY BONES; see vi. 2 [3], and cf.
Job xiii. 28. THROUGH MY ROAR[NG, i.e. the |
PSALM
XXXII.
291
4 For day and night Thy hand was heavy
b upon me;
My moisture was turned into the drought of
summer. [Selah.]
5 (I said) I would acknowledge c
my sin unto Thee,
And mine iniquity did I not cover,
I said, “I will confess my
transgressions unto
Jehovah,"
And THOU didst take away the iniquity of my sin.
[Selah.]
II. 6 For this cause let every godly man pray
to Thee
cry
extorted from the anguish of his
spirit so long as he KEPT SILENCE, i.e. refused to confess his sin.
" Sin is a serpent, and he that
covers sin does but keep it warm,
that it may sting the more fiercely,
and disperse the venom and
malignity thereof the more effectually."—Donne. This "roar- ing"
brought him no relief, be- cause "deerat adhuc vox illa, cui semper resonant viscera paterna, vox filii revertentis et errores con- fitentis."—Leighton. 4. FOR (this gives the reason of his
roaring) God's hand was heavy upon
him (cf. I Samuel v. 6, 11; Job
xxiii. 2; Ps. xxxviii. 2 [3]), and that
hand is "premens gravissima, sublevans suavissima et poten- tissima." MY MOISTURE, i.e. the juices of life.
By the inward anguish in the struggle
not to confess, these were turned
(as it were) into the drought of
summer. "He would not be humbled
by the confession of his sin,
and therefore he was humbled by
the weight of God's hand." Thus,
in his attempt to spare him- self,
he was guilty of the worst cruelty
to himself; "sub specie par- cendi vere sibi crudelis est." Cf. cii.
3 [4], where the particle of com- parison
is supplied. In Job xxx. 30, it
is omitted as here. Symm. w[j kau?soj qerino<n. 5. The end of the struggle—con- fession,
and so forgiveness and |
peace.
God covers sin, but man must
not cover his sin before God. "If
we confess our sins, He is faith- ful.
and just to forgive us our sins." (1
John i. 9.) The former part of this
verse contains the resolve, "I
would acknowledge," &c.; the second,
the expression of the re- solve,"
I said," &c. (See more in Critical
Note.) AND THOU. The pronoun is emphatic:
it was God's doing. To Him
he made his confession: He forgave.
The same words are used here
of sin and its forgiveness as in
ver. 1. The confession and the taking
away are described as simul- taneous. "Vox nondum est in ore," says Augustine, "et vulnus sanatur in
corde." And Leighton:" Quam sit:
proclivis et facilis ad veniam misericordiarum
Pater,tanto clarius elucescit,
quod vel ad primam con- fessionis
vocem emissam, imo vel propositum
interius conceptum, emittitur
extemplo e curia ccelesti remissio,
seu indulgentia plenis- sima,
Dixi confitebor et to condo- nasti,"
&c. INIQUITY OF MY SIN. Many, after Symmachus
and Qimchi, have sup- posed
this to be equivalent to, "my very
great sin;" but perhaps the word
here and above (ver. 2), ren- dered
"iniquity," might better be rendered
"guilt," a meaning which it
often has. 6. And now because of the grace thus
vouchsafed to every repentant |
292 PSALM XXXII.
In a
time when Thou mayest be found;
(So) surely d when the
great waters overflow,
They shall not reach unto him.
7 Thou art my hiding-place;
Thou
wilt preserve me from trouble;
Thou wilt compass me about with songs e of
deliver-
ance.
[Selah.]
III. 8 I will instruct thee and teach thee
in the way thou
shouldest go,
I
will counsel thee with mine eye upon thee.f
9 Be ye not as horse, (or) as mule
without under-
standing,
sinner,
David would encourage all the
godly to seek Him who deals so
graciously with sinners. IN A TIME WHEN THOU MAYEST BE
FOUND, lit. "in a time of finding," no
object being expressed. The object
may either be Jehovah Him- self
(as Is. lv. 6; comp. Deut. iv. 29, Jer.
xxix. 13), or more generally "grace
and forgiveness," as in the common
phrase to find grace." See
also lxix. 13 [14] ; Is. xlix. 8. The LXX. e]n eu]qe<t& kair&?. It
has been well remarked, "Aptis- simum
inveniendi tempus, quando invenit
homo cor suum praeparatum ad
revertendum Deumque quaeren- dum."
He who thus seeks Jehovah when
He may be found shall not be swept
away when His judgements are
let loose like a flood of waters upon
the earth. 7. David's own joyful experience of
this safety, of which he is speak- ing
to others. Scarcely has he held out
the hope to others, when he turns with
a happy trustfulness to God THOU ART MY HIDING-PLACE. He
would be hidden in God. could
scarcely say more, "Our life is
hid with Christ in God." COMPASS ME ABOUT, i.e. give me abundant
cause, turn where I may, to
praise Thee. God will do this, and
so be the author as well as the object of his praise. Comp.
xxii. |
25
[26], "From Thee comes my praise." 8. Out of his past and present experience
he will now counsel others,
and especially those who are still
impenitent; and the tenour of his
counsel is, that they should not, like
brutes, resist and refuse sub- mission
till they are forced into it, but
that they should willingly come with
repentance and confession to God. The transition here to the di- rect
form of address in the first person
is certainly abrupt. Some have
supposed that these are the words
of God; but perhaps David himself
speaks with something of a father's
warning. I WILL INSTRUCT, &c. Comp. for this
word ci. 2 (" behave myself wisely,"
E.V.) with Prov. i. 3; and for
"teaching in the way," xxv. 8, 12,
with Prov. iv. 11 I WILL COUNSEL, &:C. Mendels. "Ich
rathe dir; mein Auge schaut auf
dich." The guidance with the eye is a gentle
guidance. A look is enough, as
opposed to that bit and bridle which
the mulish nature requires. "Thus
Christ counselled Peter with
his eye, Luke 61."—Ains- worth. 9. Then follows the warning against
a brutish and stubborn im- |
PSALM XXXII. 293
Whose trappingg is with bit and
bridle to hold
them,
Or else
they will not come nigh unto thee.h
10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
But whoso trusteth in Jehovah, loving-kindness
com-
passeth him about.
11Rejoice in Jehovah, and exult, O ye
righteous,
And shout for joy, all ye that are upright in
heart.
penitence,
with the not. Unfrequent comparison
of men to the lower animals
(comp. Is. i. 3, Jer. viii. 6). --James
iii. 3 10.
The usual contrast between |
the
lot of the ungodly and that of the
righteous, as the sum of all that has
been said, and as a great reli- gious
axiom. |
a lyKiW;ma. LXX. sune<sewj,
ei]j su<nesin,
and hence by many explained,
"giving
instruction," "a didactic poem." But this is a meaning often
not
applicable, as, for instance, xlv., where it is also found, nor in xlvii. 7
[8],
where, ‘m Urm;za must mean "play
skilfully." Hence it probably de-
notes
"a skilfully constructed or choice poem;" "ein feines
Lied," as
Ewald
renders it. See. more in the General Introduction.
b dBak;Ti. The fut. here seems to
be equivalent either to an aorist or an
imperfect,
and denotes either the frequent blow, or the continued blow.
c
bj~fEydiOx. The use of the fut. here again presents some
difficulty., It
evidently
refers to past time, as Hupfeld says, and hence he calls it a re-
lative
preterite. But I cannot see why it may not be designedly employed
not
to express the past action, but the
past resolve, the sentence being
somewhat
elliptical: "(Then I thought, then I resolved) I would ac-
knowledge."
Comp. a similar instance in xxx. 8. It may be indeed, as
Hupf.
suggests in his critical note (p. 177), that the yTir;maxA of the following
clause
has been misplaced, and should stand before j~fEydiOf at the begin-
ning
of the verse (as in lxxiii. 15, where it ought to stand, he thinks,
before
ver. 13), but then it must be repeated before hd,Ox. At any rate,
the
two futures correspond to one another as expressing the resolve,
first
as conceived, then as uttered and the two preterites as marking
the
consequence in each case. hd,Ox
only in this sense, besides, Prov
xxviii.
13, with lfa in the Hithp., Neh. i.
6, ix. 2.
d qra. Here used in strong assertion. It means
primarily "thin," then
"simple,
absolute." Thence it passes into the meaning of "only,"
"no-
thing
else but," and hence, as the strongest restrictive particle, is used in
affirmations;
for that which so takes place that nothing else takes place)
does
assuredly take place. It is a
particle not only of restriction and
exception,
but of opposition (I Kings viii. 18, xv. 5) and strong affirmation
(I
Kings xxi. 25, Prov. xiii. 10, Gen. xx. 11.)
294 PSALM XXXIII.
e ynerA is a plural construct.
formed from the infinitive NrA
( Job xxxviii. 7),
used
as a substantive, like yBeru
from br, yqe.Hu from qHo.
f hcAfEyxi. Evidently this is a constructio prægnans. The Chard.
explains
it:
" I will counsel thee and keep mine eye upon thee," some_ such verb
as
Mvw being supplied before yniyfe. It is, however,
unnecessary to do
this.
The words "mine eye upon thee" may be merely subjoined as a
further
explanation of the manner in which
the counsel would be given.
This
is better than to connect j~yl,fA with
hcAfEyxi. "I will consult
upon,
or
concerning, thee, i.e. for thy good;" yniyfe, "with mine eye," being
then
equivalent to "watching thee with mine eye." Hupfeld contends
that
yniyfe is not an accus. of the instrument, but that we
have here
an
instance of a double subject of the person and the
instrument, as in
iii.
5: he also explains the use of the prep. lfa,
as arising from the idea
of
"watching" in the verb:" I will counsel (thee), watching over thee
(j~yl,fa) with mine eye." –
g ydifE, harness, or trappings
(from hdf, "to put
on"). Ewald, following
the
older versions (LXX. e]n xalin&? kai> khm&?
kai> khm&? ta>j siago<naj au]tw?n
a@gcai tw?n mh> e]ggizo<ntwn
pro>j se> ,
and Jerome, in camo et frxno maxillas eorum
constringe
qui non approximant ad te"), takes ydifE in the sense of " jaw,"
connecting
it with the Arab. ,
"cheek." The sentence is a relative
one:
"(Whose) trapping (consists) in bit and bridle to hold (them)."
h bOrq; lBa. "not approaching,
or, there is no approaching, to thee."
An
asyndeton. We must supply "because," i.e. otherwise, and without
force,
they will not come nigh to men. This is the only instance in which
lBa stands before the inf.
or noun, elsewhere it is always yliB;.
-------------------------------------------------
PSALM
XXXIII.
GOD is the God of Creation, of Providence,
of Grace. This is, in
a
few words, the Psalmist's theme. Jehovah created the world (ver.
6,
ff.). Jehovah governs the world (ver. 10, ff.); and all nations and
kings,
whether they acknowledge Him or not, are but instruments in
His
hand. Jehovah especially reveals Himself in mercy and love to
His
own chosen people (ver. 18, if). The key-note of this last
sentiment
is already struck in ver. 12.
This is one of the few Psalms in the First
Book which in the
Hebrew
is without an inscription.
The Psalm consists of the following
divisions:--
I. An introduction, in which the singer
calls on the righteous to
praise
Jehovah with all manner of music. Ver. 1-3.
PSALM XXXIII. 295
Then follow the reasons why He is worthy
to be praised.
II. (I) First, because He is Good and
Faithful (ver. 4, 5); and
next
(2), because by His word all things were created. Ver. 4—9.
III. Because He is the All-wise (ver. To,
I I), All-seeing (ver. 13--
15),
and Almighty (ver. 16, 17) Ruler of Nations. Ver. 10-17.
IV. Lastly, because He watches over (ver.
18), preserves (ver. 19),
and
protects (ver. 20) all those that fear Him and trust in His Holy
Name.
Ver. 18—21.
The Psalm concludes with a short petition,
that it may be done
unto
Israel according to his hope.
1 SHOUT for joy, O ye righteous, in Jehovah;
For the upright, praise is comely.
2 Give thanks to Jehovah with a harp,
Upon a ten-stringed lute play unto Him.
3 Sing unto Him a new song,
Play skilfully on the strings with a loud noise.
4 For the word of Jehovah is upright:
And all that He doeth is faithfulness.
5 He loveth righteousness and judgement:
The
earth is full of the loving-kindness of Jehovah.
6 By the word of Jehovah were the heavens made;
And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.
3. A NEW SONG, not here one which
has new marvels of God's Power
and Grace for its theme, as in
xl. 3 [4], xcviii. i (comp. w]dh> kainh<, Rev. xiv. 3), but
rather one which
springs freshly from a thank- ful
and rejoicing heart; one which seeks
to put an old theme in a new light. 4, 5. First the moral attributes of God
are mentioned as a reason why the
righteous should praise Him. See
the same attributes enumerated in
xxxvi. 5, 6 [6, 7], with the same reference
to God's providential care of
His creatures. Comp. lxxxix. 14 [15]. 6. From the present proofs of |
God's
love in the earth, the thoughts of
the sacred Poet naturally go back to
the creation of all things. And as he had before declared what
the "word" and "work" of Jehovah
are their essential cha- racters
(ver. 4), so now he describes further
the operation of that word, and
the work which results therefrom. By THE WORD, explained further ver.
9, the creative fiat as in Gen. I. THE BREATH OF HIS MOUTH, apparently
almost the same thing as
"the word" before. So in Is. xi. 4,
"the breath of His lips," is used of
the sentence of judgement which thence
issues. (So Calvin.) It can |
296 PSALM XXXIII.
7 He gathereth the waters of the sea together as
an heap;
He
layeth up the depths in storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear before Jehovah;
Let
all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe
of Him.
9 For He said, and it was:
He
commanded and it stood fast.
10 Jehovah hath brought to naught the counsel of
the
nations;
He
hath made the thoughts of the peoples of none
effect.
11 The counsel of Jehovah standeth fast for
ever,
The
thoughts of His heart to all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is Jehovah,
The
people whom He hath chosen for His own
inheritance.
hardly
be understood here of the Spirit
of God who moved over the chaotic
mass as the great Source of Life
in Creation, at any rate not in the
personal sense, which is quite precluded
by the addition "of His
mouth." The two expressions are
designedly employed in the parallelism
"word" and "breath of His
mouth," to indicate that it was only by the utterance of
His will and
not by any work or effort that God
created all things. This is further
explained in ver. 9. 7. The heaven and the sea are mentioned
as the theatre of God's almighty
power, as the earth before of
His loving-kindness; and thus the
Universe is summed up. As
AN HEAP,a figure I think mani- festly
suggested by the appearance of
the waves of the sea. The ex- pression
may have been borrowed from
Josh. iii. 13-16, and Exod. xv. 8. Clericus finds the point of the comparison
(the tertium cornpara- tionis) in the fact that the
sea is shut
in by its shores as the heaps of
corn (Is. xvii. 11) are by the walls |
of
the granary in which they are stored.
This he thinks is confirmed by
the parallelism in the next mem- ber
of the verse which repeats the same
idea in a different farm. Both expressions
would thus refer to the original
act of creation, when the waters
were "gathered together" that
the dry land might appear. 9. A manifest reference to Gen. i. 3:
"And God said, Let Light be, and
Light was." 10, 11. After speaking of God's power
in creation, the Psalmist goes on
to speak of His providence as ordering
the world. As Calvin says, "Postquam
breviter attigit mundi creationem
ad institutum sermonem redit, quotidianos scilicet eventus certos esse providentiæ testes.' There
is a manifest antithesis be- tween
"the counsels and the thoughts"
of men which Jehovah brings to naught, and "the counsels
and
thoughts" of Jehovah which abide for ever. 12. This verse already anticipates what
is said more fully verses 18- 20,
and here we have the doctrine |
PSALM XXXIII. 297
13 From heaven hath Jehovah looked,
He
hath seen all the children of men.
14 From the place of His dwelling He hath looked
down
Upon all the inhabitants of the earth,
15 (Even) He who fashioneth their hearts
together,
Who considereth all their works.
16 A king doth not triumph by a great host,
A
mighty man is not delivered by great strength.
17 A horse is a vain thing for victory,
Neither can he deliver any by his great
power.
18 Behold, the eye of Jehovah is upon them that
fear
Him,
Upon them that hope in His loving-kindness,
of
God's universal Providence looked
at in its special application to
the chosen people, as often: see Ps.
xxiv. 1. It is, however, imme- diately
connected with the preced- ing
verse; for the fact that Jehovah's counsels
stand fast for ever is a matter
of consolation for the people whose
God He is (cxlvii. 19, 20), and
whom He hath chosen for His own
inheritance (xlvii. 4 [5]). Simi- larly
Calvin: "Apte hic versus co- h2eret cum proximo: quia parum prodesset quod de perpetuitate con- silii
Dei dictum fuit tenere, nisi ad nos
pertineret." 13-15. The Omnipresence and Omniscience
of God. He not only observes
men's doings, but knows their
hearts as having created them. This
is implied in ver. 15. As Calvin
well puts it: "Ab ipsa autem creatione
ratiocinatur; . . . etsi flexuosos
quisque recessus in ammo suo
occultet, ut mire alii ab aliis differant,
ac in tanta varietate con- fusa sit caligo, Dei tamen oculos non perstringi neque offuscari, quin idoneus
sit operis sui cognitor." (Comp.
Is. xxix. 15, 16, and see |
the
fuller statement of the truth, Ps.
xciv. 8 ff.) 16, 17. The weakness and insuf- ficiency
of all human 15ower however great,
as before of all human intel- lect.
"King, and mighty man, and horse
" (i.e. war-horse, as
elsewhere, "chariot
and horse "), are selected as
types of earthly power in all its greatness. TRIUMPH or, "gain the
victory." See
on next verse. 17. VICTORY. The word (hfAUwy;) does
not necessarily mean "salva- tion,"
"deliverance," &c. It occurs in
the sense of "victory," Habak. iii.
8, and the verb in ver. 16 of this
Ps. and in xliv. 3 [4]. 18. UPON: more literally, "to- wards." 18--22. HOPE—TARRY—TRUST —HOPE.
This attitude of hope and trust
is the attitude of the Church in
all ages, for she is not yet made perfect;
but the Jewish Church was in
a special sense the Church of the Future,
and therefore also in a spe- cial
manner a waiting and hoping Church.
The whole history of Israel may,
indeed, be summed up in |
298 PSALM XXXIV.
19 To deliver their soul from death,
And to keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul hath tarried for Jehovah;
He
is our Help and our Shield,
21 For in Him our heart rejoiceth,
Because we have trusted in His Holy Name.
22 Let Thy loving-kindness, O Jehovah, be upon
us,
According as we have hoped in Thee.
Jacob's
dying words: "I have waited
for Thy salvation, O Lord." The
Hebrew language has accord- ingly
several worth which express this
hoping, forward-looking atti- |
tude.
Besides the two words here, there
is the more common word which
occurs three times in Ps. xxv. (see
note on ver. 3), twice in xxvii. 14,
and often elsewhere. |
-----------------------------------------------
PSALM XXXIV.
THIS is, like the last, a Psalm in which
God's providence and
moral
government of the world are the subject of grateful acknow-
ledgement.
His guardian care of the righteous is more especially
celebrated,
and applied to the individual circumstances of the
Psalmist.
This is one of the alphabetical Psalms, on
which see the Introduc-
tion
to Psalm xxv. The order of the Hebrew alphabet is preserved,
except
that there is no verse* beginning with the letter v (Vau). The
number
of verses, however, is made to correspond with the number
of
letters in the alphabet, notwithstanding this omission, by means of
a
verse added at the end, which begins (as is also the case in Psalm
xxv.)
with the word hdp, "redeem."
No value can be attached to the
superscription with its historical
reference,
because while it is borrowed from I Sam. xxi. 13 [14],
Abimelech
is substituted for Achish, which looks like a confusion
with
the narrative in Gen. xx. xxi.; and further, the contents of the
Psalm
do not very readily, or naturally, harmonise with the supposed
circumstances.
The contents of the Psalm may generally be
distributed into pairs
of
verses. But the alphabetical order of course precludes anything
*
It may be noticed, however, that the second member of ver, 5 begins
with
Vau, which preserves the alphabetical order, though not the balance
of
the verses.
PSALM XXXIV. 299
like
very close connection. The principal thought of the Psalm is
God's
care of the afflicted, and this appears repeated in different
forms.
The closest connection is between ver.
12-15, which contain one
consecutive
piece of instruction.
[A PSALM OF DAVID, WHEN
HE CHANGED HIS BEHAVIOUR BEFORE
ABIMELECH;
WHO DROVE HIM AWAY, AND HE DEPARTED.]
x 1 I WILL bless Jehovah at all times,
Continually shall His
praise be in my mouth.
b 2 In Jehovah shall my
soul make her boast:
The afflicted shall hear
thereof and be glad.
g 3 O magnify Jehovah
with me,
And let us exalt His
name together.
d 4 I sought Jehovah, and
He answered me,
And delivered me out of
all my fears.
h 5 They looked unto Him,
and were lightened;
And may their faces not
be confounded.
z 6 This afflicted man called, and Jehovah
heard,
And saved him out of all
his troubles.
H 7 The angel of Jehovah
encampeth round about them
that fear Him,
And setteth them free,
5. THEY LOOKED, viz. "the af- flicted,"
mentioned in ver. 2; or it may
only mean generally men looked;"
others, i.e. besides myself, have
in like manner experienced God's
loving-kindness. WERE LIGHTENED, i.e. were bright
with gladness because He heard
them, reflecting as it were the Light
of His countenance; comp. iv.
6 [7]. The verb is clearly to be taken
in this sense here as in Is. Ix. 5.
In its more common acceptation it
means "to flow" (whence nāhār,
"a
stream," and n' hārāh,
"light"). The
connection between the two ideas
is obvious. AND MAY, &c., lit. "And their faces—may
they not be put to the blush?
"The use of the negative |
lxa here seems to require
an optative rendering. Delitzsch translates the verse: "Hinblickend
auf Ihn wird man licht, Und
solcher Antlitz darf errothen nicht." And
Hengstenberg very well ex- plains
the use of lxa (mh< = ne) by saying,
that "it signifies a shud- dering
at their being put to shame as
though it were something mon- strous."
But see on cxxi. 3. 7. THE ANGEL. Not apparently here
used of any particular angel, as
"the Angel of the Covenant," or "the
Captain of the Lord's host," but
rather in a collective sense, “troops
of angels." |
300
PSALM XXIV
F 8 O taste and see that
Jehovah is good!
Blessed is the man that findeth refuge in
Him.
y 9 O fear Jehovah, ye
His saints!
For there is no want to them that fear Him.
k 10 Young lions have
lacked and suffered hunger,
But they that seek Jehovah shall not want
any
(good thing).
l 11 Come, ye children,
hearken unto me,
I will teach: you the fear of Jehovah:
m 12 What man is he that
desireth life,
That loveth (many) days that he may see
good?
n 13 Keep thy tongue from
evil,
And thy lips from speaking guile;
s 14 Depart from evil and
do good,
Seek peace and pursue it.
f 15 The eyes of Jehovah
are towards the righteous,
And His ears (are open) unto their cry.
p 16 The face of Jehovah
is against the evil-doers,
To cut off the remembrance of them from the
earth.
c 17 They cried, and
Jehovah heard,
And delivered them out of all their
troubles.
q 18 Jehovah is nigh unto
them that are of a broken heart,
And saveth such as are of a contrite spirit.
r 19 Many are the
sufferings of the righteous,
But out of all of them doth Jehovah deliver
him.
SETTETH THEM FREE. Ains- worth,
"releaseth them." 8. 0 TASTE AND SEE. Comp. seu<sasqai Heb. vi. 5; I Pet.
ii. 3. "
Nisi gustaveris," says St. Bernard, "non videbis. Gustate, inquit, et videte, quoniam suavis est Domi- nus. Manna absconditum est, nomen novum est, quod nemo scit nisi qui accepit. Non illud eru- ditio,
sed unctio docet, nec scientia sed
conscientia comprehendit." 10. YOUNG LIONS. Instead of this
the LXX. have plou<sioi. 11. A form of address common in |
the
Proverbs. See chapters i.—ix. Similar
is the use of te<kna by St. John
in his Epistles. 13. On this taming of the tongue —of
which so much is said in the proverbs
of all nations--see xv. 3,
xxxix. 1—3 [2—41, cxli. 3; Prov.
iv. 24, xiii. 3, xxi. 23; James
iii. 2 if. 17. THEY, i.e. the righteous, mentioned
ver. 15, and again ver. 19, which is supplied by all the Versions.
See on this position of the
pronoun the note on ix. 12. |
PSALM XXXV. 301
w 20 He preserveth all
his bones;
Not one of them is broken.
t 21 Evil shall slay the
wicked,
And they that hate the righteous shall be punished.
p 22 Jehovah redeemeth
the soul of His servants,
And all they that find refuge in Him shall
not be
punished.
21. BE PUNISHED, or "condemned,"
or "held guilty." See notek
on
Ps. v. 10.
--------------------------------
PSALM XXXV.
THIS Psalm, if it be, as the inscription
tells us, a Psalm of David,
must
have been composed either during his persecution by Saul, or
during
the revolt of Absalom. It is usual to connect it with his
words
in I Sam. xxiv. 15 [16], "Jehovah therefore be judge, and
judge
between thee and me, and see, and plead my cause (the same
expression
as in ver. 1 of the Psalm), and deliver me by His judge-
ment
out of thine hand." Its peculiar feature is that the enemies on
whom
the Poet imprecates the righteous judgements of God, are men
who
had formerly been his friends, men for whom he had prayed in
their
sorrow “with a brother's heart,” and who now requited his love
with
ungrateful hatred. Such an enemy Saul may have been; but we
never
find any trace of bitterness in David's feelings towards Saul.
The
generous enemy whose heart smote him because he had cut off
Saul's
skirt, and who always recognised in Saul the Lord's anointed,
would
never have called down the judgements of God upon his head.
It
seems to me, therefore, more probable that the aiders and abettors
of
Absalom's conspiracy, men like Ahithophel and his associates, are
aimed
at in the Poet's burning words. But all this, and even the
authorship
itself, must be matter of mere conjecture.
The Psalm falls into three principal
divisions; each of which closes
with
a thanksgiving.
I. Ver. 1—10. I. Cry to God to come
forth as a champion
armed
for his defence (1—3).
2. Prayer for the confusion and
destruction of his enemies (4—8).
3. Thankful acknowledgement of God's
deliverance (9, 10).
302 PSALM XXXV.
II. Ver.
II-18. 1.
Contrast between the love and good-will
which
he had shown to his enemies, and the bitter hatred with which
they
had requited him (11-16).
2. Appeal to God against them, with vows
of thanksgiving (17, 18).
III. Ver. 19-28. 1. Prayer that they may
not triumph, with
description
of their craft and wickedness (19-21).
2. Again a prayer that God would appear to
vindicate his cause
and
put them to confusion (22-26).
3. The joy of all the righteous and of the
singer, because God
executeth
judgement upon the ungodly (27, 28).
[(A PSALM) OF DAVID.
I. 1 CONTEND,a O Jehovah,
with them that contend with
me:
Fightb Thou against them that fight against me.
2 Lay hold of shield and buckler,
And
arise up as my helper.
3 Draw out c also the spear and battle-axe
d
Against them that pursue me;
Say
unto my soul, I am thy salvation.
4 Let them be ashamed and brought to dishonour
that
seek after my soul;
Let
them be turned back and put to confusion
that devise my hurt.
5 Let them be as the chaff before the wind,
And
the angel of Jehovah thrusting e (them).
2. An amplification of the figure occurring
already in the Pentateuch, where
God is spoken of as a man of
war, Exod. xv. 3, Deut. xxxii. 41. The
bold anthropomorphic working out
of the figure is, however, remark- able.
It shows the earnest desire in
the Poet's mind to realize the fact
that God not only taught his fingers
to fight, but mixed in the battle,
fighting as it were by his side,
and assuring him of victory. |
4.
LET THEM BE DRIVEN BACK. Very
similar words occur ver. 26, Cf.
also xl. 14 [151, and lxx. 2, 3 [3, 4]. 5. AS THE CHAFF. See i. 4, and comp. 42 [43], lxxxiii. 13 [14]. THE ANGEL OF JEHOVAH, here perhaps,
as in the last Psalm, not to
be understood of any particular angel.
Delitzsch supposes the Angel of
Israel to be meant, "who took off
Pharaoh's chariot wheels, so that they
Brave them heavily." |
PSALM
XXXV. 303
6 Let their way be darkness and exceeding
slipperi-
ness,f
And the angel of Jehovah pursuing them.
7 For without cause have they hid for me
their net in
a
pit;g
Without cause have they digged (a pit) for my
soul.
8 Let destruction come upon him at
unawares, h
And let his net that he hath hidden catch
himself;
Into that very destruction i
let him fall.
9 So shall my soul exult in Jehovah,
It shall be joyful in His salvation.
10 All my bones shall say,
"Jehovah, who is like unto Thee?
Who deliverest the afflicted from him that is
too
strong for him,
Yea
the afflicted and the poor from him that
spoileth him."
II.
11 Violent witnesses rise up,
They
ask of me things that I know not,
12 They reward me evil for good
My
soul is bereaved.
13 But as for me, when they were sick, my
clothing was
sackcloth;
I
afflicted my soul with fasting,
And my prayer—may it return into my own bosom.
7. A common metaphor borrowed from
the artifices employed for taking
wild beasts. See more in Critical Note. II. VIOLENT,
i.e. unscrupulous or
"malicious" witnesses, marturej a@dikoi, LXX. See Exod. xxiii. i. ASK
OF ME, Or "question me concerning." 12. Very touching are the words "My
soul is bereaved," I am alone in
the world. I, who have ever sought
to help the friendless and comfort
the afflicted, and who prayed so
earnestly for others, am forsaken of
all. |
13. AND MY PRAYER, &C. These words
have been very differently rendered.
(I) Some, as Ewald and Delitzsch,
understand them as re- ferring
to the posture of prayer, sc. I
prayed with my head bowed on my
breast; an interpretation which they
support by I Kings xviii. 42, where,
however, it is not said that Elijah
prayed, nor was this, so far
as we know, a customary pos- ture
in prayer, not to mention that
the prayer is said not "to fall
upon," but "to return to," the bosom.
Such an interpretation, I confess,
seems to me almost ludi- |
304 PSALM XXXV
14 As though it had been my friend, my
brother, so did
I behave myself;
As one who sorroweth for a mother, I bowed down
mourning.
15 But when I halted, they rejoiced and
gathered them-
selves together,
They
gathered themselves together, smiting k (me)
when I knew it not.
They did tear (me) and ceased not;
16 With them that are profane in their
outlandish
mouthings,l
Gnashings upon me with their teeth.
17 O Lord, how long wilt Thou see (this)?
Bring back my soul from their destructions,m
My only one from the lions.
18 I will give Thee thanks in the great
congregation,
I will praise Thee among
muchn people.
crous,
and quite out of place here. It
is like the Jewish interpretation of
Is. xxvi. 2, quoted by Stanley on 1
Cor. xiv. 16. In any case this would
be a singular way of express- ing
the attitude of prayer: we should
have expected, "with head bowed
on my breast," or some- thing
of the kind. (2) Others take them
as referring to the inward act of
prayer, "in sinu precari;" but again
this is a sense which does not lie
in the Hebrew words. (3) Better, "was
repeated again and again," uttered
with increasing fervour. (4) "My
prayer returned (or shall, must return) into my bosom,"
ac- cording
to the usual signification of this
and similar phrases (lxxix. 12, Is.
lxv. 6, 7, &c.), would mean, as Hupf.
remarks, "This was all the return
I had for my prayer, that they
requited me evil for good." He
thinks there is something sarcastic
in the expression. This, however,
is doubtful. I prefer rendering:
"And my prayer--may it
return into mine own bosom." The
prayer I offered for them is |
a
prayer I might have offered for myself.
So true a prayer was it, so full
of love, that I could wish no- thing
more than that the blessings I
asked for them should be vouch- safed
to me. This passage was apparently
understood thus by the LXX.,
who have the imperative a]postrafh<tw. This agrees, too,
with what
follows, "As though for my friend
or my brother," &c. It may perhaps
be illustrated by reference to
Matt. x. 13, Luke x. 6. 14. MOURNING, i.e. with all the outward
signs of sorrow, especially the
garments (as the word particu- larly
denotes), perhaps also the untrimmed
beard, unwashed face, &c.,
which were tokens of Oriental mourning.
Comp. xxxviii. 6 [7], Job
i . 20, v. 11, &c. 15, 16. The cruel requital of all this
affection and sympathy. 16.
On the interpretation of this difficult
verse see the Critical Note. 17. MY ONLY ONE. See note on xxii.
20. 18. CONGREGATION, or "assem- |
PSALM
XXXV.
305
III. 19 Let not them that are mine
enemies falsely o rejoice
over me,
Neither let them that
hate me without a cause
wink with the eye,
20 For not peace do they speak,
But against them that
are quietp in the land they
devise words of deceit.
21 Yea, they opened their mouth wide against me;
They said, Aha, aha, our
eye hath seen (it).
22 Thou hast seen, O Jehovah: keep not silence;
O Lord, be not far from me.
bly,"
or "church," the Greek equi- valent
being e]kklhsi<a. 22. THOU HAST SEEN, with refer- ence
to the "our eye HATH SEEN" in
the preceding verse. This latter part of the Psalm is on
the whole calmer than the former, as
if the spirit had found rest in pouring
out its complaints. Though the
singer again calls for confusion on
his enemies, the expressions are not
so apparently vindictive as at the
beginning of the Psalm. Comp. ver.
25, 26, with ver. 4-6. But how are we to account for such
prayers for vengeance at all? We
find them chiefly in four Psalms, the
7th, 35th, 69th, and 109th, and the
imprecations in these form a terrible
climax. In the last, no less than
thirty anathemas have been counted.
Are these the mere out- bursts
of passionate and unsanc- tified
feeling, or are they the legi- timate
expression of a righteous indignation?
Are they to be ex- cused
as being animated by the "spirit
of Elias," a spirit not un- holy
indeed, but far removed from the
meekness and gentleness of Christ;
or are they stereotyped forms
in which the spirit of Chris- tian
devotion may utter itself? Are they
Jewish only, or may they be Christian
also? An uninstructed fastidiousness,
it is well known, has made
many persons recoil from reading
these Psalms at all. Many |
have
found their lips falter when they
have been called to join in using
them in the congregation, and
have either uttered them with bated
breath and doubting heart, or
have interpreted them in a sense widely
at variance with the letter. Some
have tried to reconcile them with
a more enlightened conscience, by
regarding such words not as the expression
of a wish, but as the utterance
of a prediction; but the Hebrew
optative, which is distinct enough
from the simple future, absolutely
forbids this expedient. Others
again would see in them expressions
which may lawfully be used
in the soul's wrestling against spiritual
enemies. And finally, some would
defend them as utterances of righteous
zeal for God's honour, and remind
us that if we do not sympa- thize
with such zeal, it may be not because
our religion is more pure, but
because our hearts are colder. Now the real source of the diffi- culty
lies in our not observing and bearing
in mind the essential dif- ference
between the Old Testament and
the New. The older dispensa- tion
was in every sense a sterner one
than the new. The spirit of Elias,
though not an evil spirit, was not
the spirit of Christ. (Luke ix. 55.)
"The Son of Man came not to
destroy men's lives, but to save them."
And through Him His dis- ciples
are made partakers of the |
306 PSALM XXXV
23 Arouse Thyself and awake to my judgement,
My
God and my Lord q to my cause.
same
spirit. But this was not the spirit
of the older economy. The Jewish
nation had been trained in a
sterner school. It had been steeled
and hardened by the disci- pline
which had pledged it to a war of
extermination with idolaters, and however
necessary such a discipline might
be, it would not tend to foster the
gentler virtues; it is conceivable how
even a righteous man, under it,
feeling it to be his bounden duty to
root out evil wherever he saw it, and
identifying, as he did, his own enemies
with the enemies of Je- hovah,
might use language which to
us appears unnecessarily vindic- tive.
To men so trained and taught, what
we call "religious toleration" was
a thing not only wrong, but absolutely
inconceivable. It may be quite true that we find revenge
forbidden as directly in the Old
Testament as in the New, as, for
instance, in Lev. xix. 18, "Thou shalt
not avenge," &c., though even there
there is a limitation "against the
children of thy people." And it
may be no less true that we find instances
of imprecation in the New,
as when iv.
14), "Alexander the coppersmith did
me much evil: the Lord reward him
according to his works: "[if we
accept the optative of the Textus Rec.,
though the future a]podw<sei, for
which there is good authority, slightly
softens the passage :] or when
he exclaims, Acts xxiii. 3, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall,"
or, "If any man love not the Lord
Jesus Christ, let him be ana- thema."
But even these expres- sions
are very different from the varied,
deliberate, carefully con- structed,
detailed anathemas of the
Psalms. And our Lord's de- nunciations,
to which Hengsten- berg
refers, are in no way parallel. They
are not curses upon indi- viduals,
but in fact solemn utter- ances
of the great truth, "Except |
ye
repent, ye shall all likewise perish."
But after all, whatever may
be said of particular passages, the
general tone which runs through the
two covenants is unquestion- ably
different. To deny this is not to
honour Moses, but to dishonour Christ.
(Matt. v. 43, xix. 8.) On the
other hand we must not forget that
these imprecations are not the passionate
longing for personal revenge.
The singer undoubtedly sees
in his enemies the enemies of God
and His Church. They that are
not with him are against God. And
because the zeal of God's house ever
consumes him, he prays that all
the doers of iniquity may be rooted
out. The indignation there- fore
is righteous, though it may appear
to us wrongly directed, or excessive
in its utterance. Once more, the very fact that a dark
cloud hid God s judgement in the
world to come from the view of the
Old Testament saints, may be alleged
in excuse of this their desire to
see Him take vengeance on His enemies
here. How deeply the problem
of God's righteousness ex- ercised
their minds, is abundantly evident
from numerous places in the
Psalms. They longed to see that
righteousness manifested. It could
be manifested, they thought, only
in the evident exaltation of the righteous,
and the evident destruc- tion
of the wicked here. Hence, with
their eye always fixed on tem- poral
recompense, they could even wish
and pray for the destruction of
the ungodly. The awful things of
the world to come were to a great
extent hid from their eyes. Could
they have seen these, then surely
their prayer would have been, not
"Let the angel of the Lord persecute
them;" "Blot them out of
Thy book;" but rather with Him
who hung on the cross: "Father,
forgive them; for they know
not what they do," |
PSALM XXXV. 307
24 Judge me according to Thy righteousness, 0
Jehovah
my God,
And let them not rejoice over me.
25 Let them not say in their heart, ‘Aha, so
would we
have r it;’
Let them not say, ` We have swallowed him up.'
26 Let them be ashamed and put to confusion
together
That rejoice at my hurt;
Let
them be clothed with shame and dishonour
That magnify themselves
against me.
27 Let them shout for joy and be glad
That have pleasure in my
righteousness,
And
let them say alway, ‘Jehovah be magnified,
Who hath pleasure in the
prosperity of His servant.’
28 So shall my tongue talk of Thy righteousness,
(Of) Thy praise all the
day long.
a byr,
properly used of a suit in a court of justice : here, however, of a
decision
by force of arms. Instead of the more common form ybyr hbyr
we
have here ybyry tx ‘r, txe
being here the prep., as Is. xlix. 25.
b MHl.
Qal instead of Niph. Cf. lvi. 2, 3.
NgemA, the buckler or smaller shield. hn.Aci the large shield which covered
the
whole person ; both mentioned to convey the idea of defence of all
kinds.
See v. 13, and cf. i Kings x. 16.
ytrAz;f,B;, "in my help," i.e. as my helper, in
that character, cf. Ex. xviii.
4,
Prov. iii. 26. So also Ex. vi. 3, yDawa lxeB;, "in the character
of the
Almighty
God." The b is the so-called Beth Essentiæe, used to introduce
the
predicate. (Gesen. § 154, 3a.) Possibly xxxi. 22 is to be explained
in
the same way, " in a strong city," i.e. in such a character God has been
to
me, Himself like a fortified city.
c qrehA, "draw out," properly from a sheath
(as a sword). But there is
no
evidence that spears were so carried. It may therefore be used in a
wider
and more general sense, as Abraham is said to "draw out" his
trained
men, Gen. xiv. 14.
d rGos;. There is no reason, as
far as the constr. is concerned, why we
should
not (with the older translators generally) take this as the imper. of
the
verb, with an ellipse of j`r,D, . The word is used
absol. Is. xxii. 22. So
the
LXX. su<gkleison, Targ. qOrF;. There is force,
however, in Hupf.'s ob-
jection
that txraq;li indicates the going
forth to meet an enemy, an attack,
and
not merely the passive resistance implied in the expression "bar the
308 PSALM XXXV.
way."
Hence he, Ew., and others, following the hint of Qimchi (ylk sw
hmHlm
ylkm), take
the word as a noun = sa<garij, "battle-axe"
(a Persian
and
Scythian weapon mentioned by Herod. and Xen.), Armen. sacr, and
this
interpretation is further favoured by the accents.
e MpAd;l. . . hH,Do Hupfeld suggests, with
much reason, that these
words
have changed places. We want the suffix with the first, and
moreover
hH,Do, "thrusting,"
does not agree with the figure of the chaff.
f tOq.laq;laHE, an emphat. form by reduplication for the simpler
tvqlH,
lxxiii.
18, as in Jer. xxiii. 12.
g MTAw;ri tHawa, "pit of their net," i.e. a pit
lightly covered over, and with
a
net concealed in it, in order to take wild animals. But it is not impro-
bable
that the text is wrong, and that tHawa belongs to the second clause of
the
verse. The Verss., however, support the existing text.
h fdaye xlo, a sort of adverbial clause improviso, "at unawares" (Aq.
rightly
ou] ginw<skonti), as Prov. v. 6, Is.
xlvii. 11; though probably the relat.
is
understood. Comp. lmoH;ya
xlo,
"pitilessly," Is. xxx. 14.
i ‘B ‘y hxAOwB;. I see no reason why we
should not render as the Eng.
Vers.
does, following all the older translators. The pron. is placed in
app.
with the noun by way of emphasis (see ix. 7), and the word hxAOw
refers
to the previous clause, "the net which he bath hidden:" so that it
is
not necessary to supply the ellipse with the Syr., "in foveam quam
foderunt
cadant." Others render, "with a violent overthrow, a crash, let
him
fall into it (i.e. the net)." So
Ewald explains: "Im Ungewitter das
ihn dabei treffen soll."
k bMykine a[p. leg., from a form hk,ne like hx,Ge, hf,re. The meaning, however,
is
doubtful. LXX. ma<stigej, so also the Syr. and
Vulg. But Symm.
better,
plh?ktai, and Jerome, percutientes. The Chald. paraphrases,
"the
wicked
who smite me with their words." Qimchi gave the word a pas-
sive
sense, "the smitten," i.e.
poor, miserable, worthless beings; whence
"the
abjects" of our Vers. But it is better to take it as active,
"smiters,"
i.e. either in a literal sense, as
denoting the violence of his
enemies;
or figuratively, as referring to their malicious use of their
tongues.
yTif;dayA xlov; may either mean, "And I was
innocent," or like the fdaye xlo
above, ver. 8, "without my
being aware of it."
l ‘m ‘l ypnHb. Very difficult. The word gOfmA, in I Kings xvii. 12, the
only
other passage where it occurs, means "a cake." Hence ‘m ‘l
is in-
terpreted
by Gesen. and others to mean, hangers-on at the tables of the
rich
(lit. "cake-mockers"), whose business it was, by witticisms and buf-
foonery,
to make entertainment for the guests, and who got their dinner
in
return, like the Gr. , ywmoko<lakej, knissoko<lakej, and the Mediaev. Lat.
buccellarii.
Then the words would mean, " amongst the profanest (JnH
never
means ‘hypocritical,' Gataker, Adverss.
Miscc. c. 22) parasites," or
as
our Version, "mockers in feasts." But ynefEla, in the only other pas-
sage
where it occurs (Is. xxviii. 11), means "stammerings," or rather
PSALM XXXVI. 309
"barbarisms,"
or the confused, unintelligible speaking of foreigners (it is
quite
unnecessary to make the word an adj. as Ges. does). That this is
the
meaning in Is. xxviii. is clear from the parallel tr,H,xa
NOwlA Comp.
Is.
xxxiii.
19, NOwlA gfal;ni
Mfa
parallel with hpAWA
yqem;fi Mfa.
And it is remarkable
that
none of the Ancient Versions here give gOfmA, the signif. "cake." They
all
evidently take ‘m
ygefEla
together, in the general sense of "mockery," or
the
like. LXX. e]cemukth<risa<n me mukthrismo<n. Symm. e]n u[pokri<sei, fqe<gmasi
peplasme<noij. Jerome: in
simulatione verboruna fictorum. Chald. "with
derisive
words of flattery." It is better, therefore, to refer gOfmA to the root
gvf, in the sense "to
turn, twist," &c. Cf. Talmud. hgf Nwl, of a foreign
language.
Thus the rendering would be, "with the profane in their foreign
stammerings,"
or, "amongst profane, foreign, barbarous stammerers."
With regard to the constr. of ypen;Ha that must depend on the
meaning we
attach
to ynefEla. If this be an
adjective, then the first adj. prefixed in stat.
constr. must have a partitive,
and according to the Heb. -idiom, a superla-
tive
signif., "Among the profane (i.e. the profanest) of foreign mockers,
or
feast-mockers." Cf. Prov. xiv. 1, Ezek. vii. 24, Micah vii. 4. If on the
other
hand ynefEl; be a noun, then ‘m ‘l may
be considered as one word, and
depend
immediately upon the adj. "Among those who are profane in
their
barbarous stammerings, outlandish mouthings, &c.;" or, keeping
the
play upon words in the Hebrew, we might render ‘m ‘l who jabber
gibberish,"
as has been suggested to me by a friend.
m Mhyxw, a form occurring only
here, app. a masc. plur. from the fem.
hxvw, ver. 8.
n MUcfA, "numerous,"
as in Gen. xviii. 18, Deut. ix. 14.
o rq,w,, "falsely,"
i.e. without any just cause, clearly parallel to Mn.AHi,
which
follows.
p ‘x yfg;ri, adj., as from fagerA, not found elsewhere,
but nouns from the
same
root occur Is. xxviii. 12, Jer. vi. 16.
q ynAdoxa with the Kametz as in
xvi. 2, though there the sense does not
absolutely
require "my Lord."
According to the Massoreth yndxv
occurs
three
times.
r vnwpn, lit. “It is our
pleasure, our desire." Comp wp,n,B; ybayxo, xvii. 9.
----------------------------------------
PSALM XXXVI.
This Psalm is not so distinct in its
features that we can assign it to
any
particular occasion in the life of David, or associate it with any
definite
period of Jewish history. It has, as De Wette has remarked,
some
points of resemblance with xii. and xiv., but there is no reason
to
conclude, as he does, that the wicked who are here described are
heathen
oppressors.
310 PSALM XXXVI.
The Psalm opens with a striking picture of
what a wicked man is,
who
abandons himself; without check or remorse, to the inspirations
of
his own evil heart. Ver. 1—4.
Next, as if oppressed and terrified with
the picture which he has
drawn
of secure and thoughtful wickedness, the holy Psalmist turns
with
a quick revulsion of feeling to Him whose Love and Truth are
at
all times a sure defence. Here he pours out all the fulness of his
heart.
Words seem to fail him as there rise before him, in all their
length
and breadth, the loving-kindness, the faithfulness, the righteous-
ness
of Jehovah. Ver. 5—9
Lastly, with his heart full of what God
is, he prays that God would
show
His loving-kindness and His righteousness to those who, like
himself;
were upright in heart, and would defeat the designs of the
wicked.
He concludes with the confident acknowledgment that his
prayer
had been heard. Ver. 10—12.
[FOR
THE PRECENTOR. (A PSALM) OF THE SERVANT OF JEHOVAH,
OF
DAVID.]
1 THE wicked hath an oracle of transgression
in his heart,a
There is no fear of God before his eyes.
2 For He flattereth him in his eyes,
To find out his iniquity, (and) to hate (it).b
3 The words of his mouth are wickedness and
deceit;
He hath left off to behave himself wisely to do
good.
1. IN HIS HEART. The evidence of
the older Versions (with the ex- ception
of the Chald. and Symm.) is
in favour of this reading. Trans- gression
is personified, and is repre- sented
as uttering its counsels to the
wicked man, and finding the same
ready obedience in his heart, as
the voice of God Himself in that
of the good man. (The word MxunA "utterance"
or "oracle," is everywhere
else used of a Divine utterance.)
Hence there is no fear of
God before his eyes; nay, so blinded
is he by his own evil heart, that
he thinks God to be verily such
an one as himself. In his eyes, i.e. in his opinion or
belief, God flatters
him or deals smoothly with him,
with respect to finding out his |
iniquity,
so as to punish it, and show
His abhorrence of it. Such seems
to be the general scope of the
passage, but its interpretation is very
doubtful. See a full discussion in
the Critical Note. Ver. 1—4 describe generally the character
of the ungodly: first, the sin
of his heart (ver. 1, 2); then the sin
of his lips (ver. 3); lastly, the sin
of his hands, the evil schemes which
he devises and executes (ver.
4): thought, word, and deed, as
in xvii. 3, 4. As there is a climax in the whole description
of the evil man, so espe- cially
is there a progress from bad to
worse in ver. 3, 4. (I) He hath left off to do good; (2) on
his bed he
meditates evil (iv. 4, Micah ii.
1); |
PSALM
XXXVI. 311
4 Wickedness loth he devise upon his bed,
He setteth himself in a
way that is not good,
He abhorreth not evil.
5 O Jehovah, high as the heavens is Thy
loving-kindness,
Thy faithfulness
(reacheth) unto the clouds:
6 Thy righteousness is like the mountains of
God,
Thy judgements are a
great deep.
Man and beast dost Thou preserve, 0
Jehovah.
(3)
he resolutely sets himself to do evil;
(4) his very conscience is hard- ened,
so that he does evil without repugnance
or misgiving. 4. UPON HIS BED. "Nocte
cum maxime scilicet vacet animus, tem- pus est, ut ad se homo redeat et meliora cogitet, si etiam toto die male vixisset.'—Rosenmuller.
And Calvin remarks: "Reprobos consilia male agendi intus coquere dicit, at- que ita quamvis nulla se illecebra objiciat, nullum eos incitet malum exemplum, sibi ipsis esse seelerum autores ac magistros absque alieno impulsu." HE ABHORRETH NOT, i.e. is far enough
from rejecting any instru- ment,
however sinful, for attaining his
purposes. 5-9. The transition from this de- scription
of the wicked to the praise of
God's goodness and faithfulness, is
certainly very abrupt ; and we can
feel no surprise that Hupfeld should
be inclined to doubt an ori- ginal
connection between the two portions
of the Psalm. Yet may we
not account for the abruptness here,
by a very natural recoil of feeling?
No good man can ever delight
to pourtray the workings of a
heart alienated from God. If the
evil he sees around him force him
for a time to trace it to its hidden
source, or watch its outward development,
with the more joy and thankfulness
will he find refuge (see ver.
7) from its hideous shadow in the
faithfulness and goodness of God. |
5. Words seem to fail him when he
would speak of the loving-kind- ness,
the faithfulness, the righteous- ness
of God. (See the same attributes associated
in like manner in xxiii. 4,
5, and there also in connection with
God's providential care of His creatures.)
The universe itself is too
little to set forth their greatness. (Comp.
ciii. I 1 ; Eph. iii. 18.) HIGH AS, lit. "in the heavens.” 6. MOUNTAINS OF GOD (SO "ce- dars
of God," lxxx. 10 [11]) . . . . A
GREAT DEEP (cf. Rom. xi. 33, w[j
a]necereu<nhta ta> kri<mata au]toi?): —the
mightiest things in creation, whether
in the height above, or in the
depth beneath. Not, however, are mountains of God " to be considered
as only' "highest mountains;"
but, like, "the trees of Jehovah,"
civ. 16, which are ex- plained
as "the cedars of Lebanon which
He hath planted" (comp. Numb.
xxiv. 6); and the river of God,"
lxv. 9 [10], i.e. the rain which He
sends down upon earth; so here
the mountains are spoken of as
the work of His hand. So too in Gen.
xiii. to, "the vah"is
not merely "a very fair gar- den,"
but the garden of Eden which He
Himself planted. The phrases, "to
God," "to Jehovah" (Myhiloxle hOAhyla are different, as in these the preposition
"to" = "in the sight of," or
"before;" and so in the New Testament
a]stei?oj t&? qe&?, Acts vii. 20,
is "fair before God," not "divinely
fair," or "exceeding fair." |
312 PSALM XXXVI.
7
How precious is Thy loving-kindness, 0 God!
And the children of men in the
shadow of Thy wings
find refuge;
8
They are abundantly satisfied with the fatness of Thy
house,
And Thou makest them drink of the
brook of Thy
pleasures;
9
For with Thee is the Fountain of Life;
In Thy Light do we see Light.
10
0 continue Thy loving-kindness unto them that know Thee,
And Thy righteousness to the upright
in heart.
11
Let not the foot of pride come against me,
Neither let the hand of the wicked
drive me away.
7.
The remembrance of God's goodness,
faithfulness, and right- eousness,
and of His care both of man
and beast, makes the singer to burst
forth in holy ecstasy: "How precious
is Thy loving-kindness, 0 God."
This preciousness (comp. cxxxix.
17) is then further enlarged upon.
God is viewed as the gra- cious
Host who provides for all who come
to His house and His table. See
the same figure, xxiii. 5, xxxiv. 8
[9]. Here the loving-kindness of God
is the great subject of praise, because
in this His faithfulness (in
fulfilling His promises) and His righteousness manifested in reward- ing
the righteous (as well as in the punishment
of the wicked) may be included.
In the same way when St.
John says, "God is Love," it is
because Love in fact embraces and
implies all other of the Divine attributes. CHILDREN OF MEN, purposely the
most general expression that could
be employed, every one who feels
his weakness and his sinful- ness,
and with that feeling seeks refuge
in God. SHADOW OF THY WINGS. See on
xvii. 8. 8. FATNESS OF THY HOUSE, i.e. generally
the rich provision made (comp.
Job xxxvi. 16, and Ps. xxiii. |
5).
If there is an allusion to the Temple,
as Hupfeld thinks, "fat- ness"
would=" fat sacrifices," and men
would be regarded as the priests
in the house, after the analogy
of Jer. xxxi. 14. 9.
These are some of the most wonderful
words in the Old Testa- ment.
Their fulness of meaning no
commentary can ever exhaust. They
are, in fact, the kernel and the
anticipation of much of the profoundest
teaching of St. John. THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE, i.e. of all
life, both animal and spiritual. God
only has Life in Himself, Life underived,
as our Lord says, John v.
29. IN THY LIGHT. Comp. Dan, ii. 12,
"The light dwelleth with Him;" and
I John i. 5-7. Out of God all
is darkness. The creature is darkness,
our own hearts and con- sciences
are darkness, our duties are
darkness, our deeds are dark- ness
(John iii. 19, 20), the very order and
constitution of the world, yea the
word of God itself, except as seen
in His Light, is darkness. 10. LOVING-KINDNESS. For the third
time he dwells on this attri- bute
of God, and again associates it,
as in ver. 5, 6, with the "'right- eousness"
of God. 11. DRIVE ME AWAY, lit. "make |
PSALM
XXXVI. 313
12 There have the workers of iniquity fallen;
They are thrust down,
and are not able to rise.
me
to wander," sc. from the temple and
the land; see i Kings xxi. 8. 12. THERE, pointing as it were to
the scene. The field on which God's
righteous judgement has been
manifested in the overthrow |
of
the wicked is before his eyes. "David
quasi e sublimi fidei specula procul
aspicit eorum interitum, nee minus secure de eo pronuntiat, quam si prope instaret."—Calvin |
a yBili, "my heart."
So the text at present stands in the Hebrew, and
in
accordance with this reading two renderings have been usual of the
former
part of the verse : (I) "That which Transgression saith to the
wicked
is within my heart, i.e. forms the subject
of my present medita-
tion."
So apparently the Chald., and so Calv., Ros., Delitzsch, and
others.
The objection to this is, that the revelation which Transgression
is
thus supposed to make to the wicked does not follow after all, but only
a
description of that transgression and its effects. (2) "An utterance
concerning
the transgression of the wicked is within my heart." So
Symm.,
fhsi> peri> a]sunqesi<aj tou? a]seboi?j e@ndoqen h[
kardi<a mou.
So Ges.,
De
Wette, Stier, and others. If the last rendering could be defended by
the
usage of Mxun; in
other passages, it would at once remove all difficulty.
But
Mxun;
effatum, oraculum, is never followed by the object or subject of
the
utterance, but always by the author or person from whom the utter-
ance
proceeds. It would be permitted therefore by usage to say, "The
utterance
of Transgression" (i.e. which Transgression makes, Transgres-
sion
being personified), but it would not be permitted by usage to say:
"An
utterance concerning transgression, &c."
There can be very little doubt that we
ought to read OBli, instead of yBili,
a
reading which is supported by the LXX., Vulg., Syr., Arab., and Jerome,
and
which is found even in some MSS. Then the rendering will be,
“The
wicked bath an oracle of transgression within his heart, i.e. his
wickedness
is to him a source of evil counsel, evil designs," &c. The
only
objection to this is the antachrestic use of Mxun;, which everywhere
else
is spoken of a Divine utterance, and this may be balanced against
the
difficulty above mentioned of rendering, "A saying concerning trans-
gression,"
as in either case we have an unusual mode of expression, so
that
the rendering, " That which God saith concerning the transgression
of
the wicked is within my heart," may perhaps, after all, be defensible.
It has also been suggested to take Mxun; by itself as a
description, or
title,
of the Psalm : "A Divine oracle. The transgression of the wicked
is
in my heart," i.e. "I am
pondering it, that I may tell of it to others."
b This second verse is still more perplexing than
the first ; for first,
what
is the subject of qyliH<H,? Is it transgression
which flatters the
sinner,
or is it the sinner who flatters himself in his own eyes, or who
deals
smoothly, hypocritically towards God, in His
sight? or is it God,
who
in his (the sinner's) eyes, i.e. in
his opinion, flatters, or deals gently
314 PSALM XXXVI.
with
him? And next, what is the meaning of OnOfE xcm;li, and of the sub-
ordinated
infinitive xnow;li? Now in the first place, vynAyfeB; in this clause
ought
to correspond with vynAyfeB; above; "in his eyes," i.e. in the eyes of
the
sinner, according to his belief. (So in a passage, generally misunder-
stood,
in the Proverbs, i. 17, "Surely in the eyes (in the opinion) of every
bird,
the net is spread in vain.") Next, the phrase ‘f
xcom;li
occurs else-
where
of the punishment of iniquity, Gen.
xliv. i6, Hos. xii. 9. (Hence
Ibn.
Ezra has rendered, "He flattereth himself in his own eyes, till God
find
out his iniquity and hate it:" and our A. V. "till his iniquity be
found
to be hateful.") Rashi apparently takes fwp as the subject of
qylHh, "Transgression flatters him."
Lastly, xnoW;li, is evidently a merely
subordinated
infinitive, further describing ‘f ‘ml, as below, in like
manner,
"to
be wise, to do good." There can be very little doubt, then, that it
‘f
xcm means
"to find out, so as to punish sin,"the subject of the verb
MyliH<h, must be Myhilox<, "God hath dealt
smoothly with him, as he thinks,
with
reference (, as often) to finding out," &c.
Ewald and Stier, however, both take ‘f
xcm in the
sense of "reaching,
attaining
to his wickedness," i.e. gaining
the evil objects he has in view
(and
so Qimchi, who refers to i Sam. xx. 21, 36, where, however, the verb
is
not followed by NOfA). Ewald renders: "It flattereth him in his
eyes,
to
accomplish his iniquity, to hate," i.e.
so as to gratify his hatred.
And
similarly Gesen. "ut odium foveat:" but this, it seems to me, is to
give
too much prominence to the manifestly subordinate verb xnoW;li. On
the
whole, therefore, I am inclined to explain: For He (God) seems to
deal
smoothly with the sinner in his own opinion, so far as the punish-
ment
and hatred of his sin is concerned. So in the main Hofmann and
Hupfeld,
except that the last connects the second clause of the verse with
the
words, "There is no fear of God before his eyes," treating the first
clause
as parenthetical.
I subjoin the renderings of the Ancient Versions:
The Chaldee: " Wickedness saith to
the sinner, in the midst of my
heart,
there is no fear of God before his eyes. For he flattereth him (hyl,
not
therefore "blanditur sibi,"
as in the Polyglot) in his eyes, to dis-
cover
sins, to hate instruction." Syr.: "The transgressor meditates
wickedness
in his heart, because there is no fear of God before his eyes.
Because
it is hateful in his eyes to forsake his sins and to hate them."
LXX.: "fhsi>n o[ para<nomouj tou? a[mata<nein e]n e[aut&?: ou]k e@sti
fo<boj qeou?
a]pe<nanti tw?n
o]fqalmw?n au]tou?. o!ti e]do<lwsen e]nw<pion au]tou? tou? eu[rei?n
th>n
a]nomi<an
au]tou? kai> mish?sai." Jerome: "Dixit
scelus impii in medio cordis
ejus: Non est timor Dei ante oculos ejus. Quia dolose egit
adversus eum
in
oculis suis: Ut inveniret iniquitatem ejus ad odiendum." Arab. (in
the
Par. and Lond. Polyglot): "He that
opposeth the law saith that he
will
sin within himself, and there is no fear of God before his eyes,
because
he bath dealt treacherously in his sight, after he discovered his sin
and
hated it." Sym . o!ti e]colisqai<nein ta> peri>
au]tou? dokei?, tou? eu[reqh?nai th>n
a]diki<an au]tou? ei]j to>
mishqh?nai au]th<n,
which is in favour of the interpretation
I
have given.
PSALM XXXVII. 315
PSALM XXXVII.
A PSALM wherein the righteousness of God's
providence is vindi-
cated
in His administration of the world. The Psalmist's own heart
had
no doubt at one time been shaken by the apparent successes and
triumphs
of the ungodly, for it is a common temptation to distrust
God
when we see "the ungodly in great prosperity." The advice
which
the Psalmist gives is "to wait," "to trust in the Lord," to
look
at
the end, and to observe how even in this life God manifests His
righteousness,
in rewarding the godly and punishing the wicked.
This
sentiment is repeated in various forms, and with much beauty
of
expression. The Psalm has something of a proverbial character
about
it, owing no doubt in some measure to the fact that the writer
chose
to fetter himself by an acrostical arrangement : for this is one
of
the Alphabetical Psalms, like Psalms xxv. and xxxiv.
The structure of the Psalm is exceedingly
regular. With few
exceptions,
the separate portions, as marked by the letters of the
alphabet,
consist of four members.
Tertullian calls the Psalm providentæi speculum: Isidore, potio contra
murmur:
Luther, vestis
piorum cui adscriptum: Hic sanctorurn
patientia
est.
[(A PSALM) OF DAVID.]
1 x FRET not thyself
because of the evil-doers,
Be not envious because of the workers of
iniquity.
2 For they shall soon be cut down like the
grass,a
And like the green herb shall they wither.
3 b I Trust thou in
Jehovah, and do good:
Dwell in the land, and enjoy safetyb
4 Delight thyself also in Jehovah,
And He shall give thee the petitions of thy
heart.
1.The whole verse is to be found almost
word for word, Prov. xxiv. 1.9;
the latter part of it also, Prov. iii.
31, xxiii. 17, xxiv. I. Comp. lxxiii.
3. The phrase "workers of iniquity"
differs in the Hebrew from
the phrase commonly em- rloyed
elsewhere, e.g. xxxvi. 12 13]. |
3. Trust in God is the true anti- dote
for the fretfulness and envy which
are before forbidden. DWELL IN THE LAND—for the promises
to glory
as a nation, were bound up with
the land. 4. DELIGHT THYSELF in Him, and
so thou wilt choose and love |
316 PSALM XXX VII.
5 g Cast thy way on
Jehovah,
And trust in Him; and He will bring (it) to
pass.
6 Yea He will bring forth thy righteousness
as the light,
And thy judgement as the noon-day.
7 d Hold thee still for
Jehovah, and hope in Him;
Fret not thyself because of him who prospereth
in
his way,
Because of the man who bringeth wicked devices
to
pass.
8 h Cease from anger and
let go wrath;
Fret not thyself, only to do evil.
9 For evil-doers shall be cut off;
But they that wait on Jehovah, they shall possess
the land.
10 v Yea, yet but a little
while and the wicked is not,
And thou shalt diligently consider his place and
he
is not (there).
11 But the meek shall possess the land.
And shall delight themselves in the abundance o
peace.
12 z The wicked deviseth
evil against the righteous,
And gnashed upon him with his teeth.
that
which He chooses and loves: therefore
He will give thee thy heart's
desires. 5. CAST, or ROLL. Cf. xxii. 8 [9], and
St. Peter's pa?san th>n me<rimnan u[mw?n e]pir]r[i<yantej e]p ]
au]to<n,
I Pet. v.
7. 6. HE WILL BRING like
the sun going forth (xcy) in the morning.
Cf. Jer. li. 10. 7. HOLD THEE STILL (so well rendered
in our Prayer Book Vers.), lit.
Be silent for or unto Him, i.e. with
reference to Him, and His will
(R. V. "Rest in;" Gen. "Wait patiently
upon)." A word expres- sive
of that calm resignation which leaves
itself absolutely in the hands of
God. This hushed, bowed tem- per
of spirit best befits us. Here is
the best cure for dissatisfaction |
with
the present, and for anxiety about
the future, that we leave both
in the hands of God. Here is
our highest wisdom even for the life
of our spirits, that we stay our- selves
not upon outward acts or inward
impulses, but on Him who worketh
in us both to will and to do
of His own good pleasure. 8 ONLY TO DO EVIL, i.e. nothing but
evil can come of it. (So Calv. "fieri
aliter non posse quin ad pec- candum
impellat.") 10. IS NOT (THERE) or, "is no more." 11. THE MEEK. See on ix. 12. THE LAND. Cf. xxv. 13, and Matt.
v. 5, where, however, the range
is wider, "shall inherit the earth." |
PSALM XXXVII 317
13
The Lord laugheth at him,
For He
hath seen that his day is coming.
14 H The wicked have drawn
the sword,
They
have also bent their bow,
That they may cast down the afflicted and the
poor,
That they may slay them that are upright in (their)
way.
15
Their sword shall enter into their own heart,
And
their bows shall be broken.
16 F Better is a little that
the righteous man hath,
Than the riches of many wicked.
17
For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
But
Jehovah upholdeth the righteous.
18 y Jehovah knoweth the days of the perfect,
And
their inheritance shall be for ever.
19
They shall not be ashamed in the evil time,
And
in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
20 k
But the wicked shall perish,
And
the enemies of Jehovah shall be as the glory of
the pastures:
They consume—in smoke they consume away.
21 l The wicked borroweth,
and payeth not again;
But the righteous is
gracious, and giveth.
13. LAUGHETH, cf. ii. 4. HIS
DAY, cf. cxxxvii. 7; Job xviii. 20;
Jer. 1. 27, 31; Obad. 12. 16. See a similar sentiment, Prov. xv.
16. 18. KNOWETH THE DAYS, i.e. watcheth
over, careth for, lovingly orders
all that befalls them. See the
same use of the verb, i. 6, xxxi. 7
[8], compared with 15 [16], "My times
are in Thy hand." 20. THE GLORY OF THE PAS- TURES
or meadows (not of the flocks,
cf. lxv. 13 [14], Is. xxx. 23), i.e. the grass and
flowers. IN SMOKE THEY CONSUME, &C. This
is generally supposed to refer to
the preceding figure, the grass being
conceived of as cut down and
heaped together, and set on |
fire.
But this is not necessary: two
distinct figures are employed, the
first that of the glory of the grass
fading away naturally; the next
taken from objects destroyed by
fire. From not observing this, probably
came the other rendering, "like
the fat of lambs," viz. which was
consumed on the altars, and so
ascended in smoke. 21, 22. The blessing and the curse
of God, as seen in the dif- ferent
lots of the righteous and the wicked.
The wicked, through God's curse
resting on him, is reduced to poverty,
so that he is compelled to borrow,
and cannot pay; whereas, the
righteous hath even abundance not
only for his own wants, but for the
wants of others. It is the |
318 PSALM XXXVII.
22 For they that are blessed of Him shall
possess the land
And they that are cursed
of Him shall be cut off.
23 m From Jehovah is it that
a man's goings are established,
So that He hath pleasure
in his way.
24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast
down,
For Jehovah upholdeth
his hand.
25 n I have been young, and
(now) am old;
Yet
have I not seen the righteous forsaken,
Nor his seed begging
bread.
26
All the day long is he gracious and lendeth,
And his seed is blessed.
27 s Depart from evil, and
do good;
So (shalt thou) dwell
for evermore.
28
For Jehovah loveth judgement,
And forsaketh not His
beloved.
[?f] For ever c
they are preserved;
But the seed of the
wicked is cut off.
29 The righteous shall possess the land,
And dwell therein for
ever.
30
The mouth of the righteous uttereth wisdom,
And his tongue speaketh
judgement.
31
The Law of his God is in his heart:
None of his steps shall
slide.
32 c The wicked lieth in
wait for the righteous,
And seeketh (occasion)
to slay him.
promise,
Deut. xv. 6, xxviii. 12, 44,
turned into a proverb. 23. He that would walk securely, and
so as to please the Lord, must trust
in the Lord to guide him. (Cf. Prov.
xx. 24, and xvi. 9.) The sen- timent
is put in a general form, but the
righteous man, as he appears in
the Psalm ("der Mann wie er sein
soll "), is meant, as is clear from the
next verse. The second clause is
ambiguous. It may be "And he
the man hath pleasure in His (God's)
way." 25. On this Bakius observes: "
Promissiones corporales intelli- gendar
sunt cum exceptione crucis |
et
castigationis." But it should be remembered
that temporal rewards were
distinctly held out to the Old Testament
saint, and he accepted them
as a proof of God's righteous dealing
even in this world. 26. See above, ver. 21, and comp. cxii.
5. The promise in Deut., quoted
in the note on ver. 21, no doubt
it was which made this cha- racteristic
of lending so prominent. 30. UTTERETH, or "talketh of,"
lit.
"meditateth." The word is used
both of thought and utter- ance.
See note on i. 2. 31. The Law within is the guiding principle
which directs his steps. |
PSALM XXX. III. 319
33
Jehovah will not leave him in his hand,
Nor condemn him when he
is judged.
34 q Wait on Jehovah and
keep His way,
So
shall He exalt thee to possess the land:
When the wicked are cut
off thou shalt see (it).
35 r I have seen a wicked man full of violence,
And spreading himself like
a green tree in its native
soil;
36
Yet he passed away, and lo he was not:
And I sought him, but he
could not be found.
37 w Observe the perfect
(man), and behold the upright,
That the man of peace
hath a posterity;
38
But the transgressors are
destroyed together;
The posterity of the
'wicked is cut off.
39 t The salvation also of
the righteous is of Jehovah,
Their fortress in the
time of trouble.
40
And Jehovah helpeth them and rescueth them,
He rescueth them from
the wicked, and saveth them,
Because they have found refuge in Him.
33. Men may condemn, but God acquits.
Here, as in I Cor. iv. 3, the
righteous judgement of the Great Judge
is opposed to the a]nakri<nein of
human judgement (h[me<ra). So Tertullian
: "Si cotldemnamur a mundo,
absolvimur a Deo." 34. WAIT ON JEHOVAH. Keep thine
eye fixed on Him (cf. a]poble<pein, Heb.
xii. 2) despite the prosperity
of the wicked, and the
persecutions which thou suf- ferest. THOU SHALT SEE IT, or thou shalt
look upon it with satisfac- tion. 35. FULL OF VIOLENCE or in- spiring
terror. The adjective occurs in
Jer. xx. IT, as an epithet of God. A TREE IN ITS NATIVE SOIL (one
word in Hebrew, well ren- dered
by Jerome, indigenam), one that
has never been transplanted |
or
disturbed, that has therefore struck
its roots deep, and shot out with
luxuriant strength. 36. HE PASSED. Others note LXX.
render "I passed." Or the third
person may be used imper- sonally
"one passed by." 37. HATH A POSTERITY. As opposed
to the wicked in the next clause,
whose posterity is cut off. Then
it would be = "Thou shalt see
thy children's children and peace
upon "a
residue;" and others under- stand
by the word "the future," the
end that yet awaits him. Cf. Prov.
xxiv. 14, and in ver. 19 of the
same chapter, a quotation from ver„
1 of this Psalm. Cf. Jer. xxix.
11. 40.
He delivereth them; because they
trust in Him. The whole lesson
of the Psalm lies in these words. |
320 PSALM XXXVII.
a Ulm.Ayi; fut. Qal of llemA=lmx, in the sense,
"they wither away," the
form
being pausal for Olm;yi, as Job xxiv. 24. (Ges. § 67.) But it
may
perhaps
be fut. Niph. for Ul.mayi, lmn.
b hnAUmx<
Hfer;.
These words have been very variously rendered. The
Chald.
has xtAUnmAyheB; NseHE, fortis
esto in fide. LXX., poimanqh<s^ e]pi> t&?
plou<t& au]th?j. So too the Vulg.,
pasceris in divitiis ejus. Symm.,
poimai<nou
dihnekw?j. But Jerome, pascere
fide. Syr., ,
quaere
fide. Aq., ne<mou pi<stin. Luther, "nähre dich
redlich." Diodati,
"vi
pasturerai in confidanza." Zunz and Delitzsch, "pflege Treue."
Ewald,
"geniessend Sicherheit." The Hebrew, indeed, is capable of
several
interpretations, both the verb and the noun admitting of different
renderings
: (I) Cherish confidence (sc. in God), cf. Hab. ii. 4 ; and so
Maurer
explains, sta in fide Jovæ. (2)
Cherish or delight in truth and
faithfulness,
&c. towards men (so Gesen., delectare
veritate). (3) Enjoy,
or
delight in, security, hnAUmx<; being taken in the
same sense as in Is.
xxxiii.
6. The verb hfr, with accus. of pers. "to be a friend
of;" Prov.
xii.
20, with accus. of thing, "to have pleasure in," Prov. xv. 14. Or (4)
if
hfr is taken abs. in the sense of feeding, we must
render: “Feed in
security"
(Horsley), or "feed, i.e. live,
in faith" (
constr.
see Is. xxx. 23.
The second member of this verse, though
the words are imperat., has
something
of a future colouring, = Trust in Jehovah and do good, so shalt
thou
dwell in the land and enjoy safety. For "dwelling in the land" is
everywhere
_promised as a special blessing, xxv. 13, Deut. xxxiii. 28, &c.
Comp.
vers. 9, II, 22, 29, 34, of this Psalm. All the Ancient Versions, it
is
true, take this clause, "dwell in the land," as a proper imperative,
but
that
the imperative in certain cases may stand for the future is certain
(Ges.
§ 127). It depends, however, on the meaning we give to ‘x
hfer;,
whether
we take these as strict imperatives, or as imperatives with a
future
meaning. If we render "cherish faithfulness," then, as this is
clearly
an exhortation, so must the preceding imperative be; "dwell in
the
land," i.e. regard it as a duty,
occupy there the position in which God
has
placed you as a member of the Theocracy, and be thankful that He
has
so placed you, and accordingly "cherish faithfulness, or confidence,
in
Him."
c Up to this point the alphabetical
arrangement has been strictly pre-
served.
Here, apparently, the f has dropped out. The structure of the
Psalm
is, on the whole, so regular, that there can be no doubt that the V
strophe
should begin with the second distich of this verse. We should
then
have the s
and the f
strophes, each consisting of a tetrastich.
Hence
Ewald supposes the words bOF yWefo to have dropped out. Others
would
supply MyliUAfa, which occurs several times in Job (Hitz. MyciyrifA), and
read
UdmAw;ni instead of UrmAw;ni which finds some
support in the LXX., a@nomoi
de> (B. a@mwmoi)
e]kdiwxqh<sontai, kai> spe<rma a]sebw?n e]coloqreuqh<setai, and Symm.
PSALM XXXVIII. 321
a@nomoi
e]carqh<sontai. But
MyliyvifE or MyliUAfa is not a word which occurs in the
Psalms,
and MyciyrifA is too special a word for the context. Delitzsch, I
believe,
is right in suggesting that the l in MlAOfl; goes for nothing, and
that
the f
of Mlvf
is the acrostic letter, just as in ver. 39 the t strophe
begins
with tfaUwt;U, where the v goes for nothing.
------------------------------------
PSALM XXXVIII.
THIS Psalm tells the story of a bitter
suffering. The suffering
is
both in body and in mind. The body is wasted by a cruel and
loathsome
disease, and the mind is full of anguish, arising partly
from
a deep sense of sin, and partly from the fear of relentless, and
now
rejoicing enemies. Body and mind, in such circumstances act
and
react upon one another. Mental anguish impairs the strength of
the
body; and bodily suffering and weakness make us less able to
face
with steady and resolute courage the horrors which crowd upon
the
mind.
To add to his distress, the sufferer is
deserted even of his friends.
They
to whose kind offices he might naturally have looked at such a
time,
they who had been his friends in his health and prosperity, and
who
might now have watched by his sick bed, and spoken words of
comfort
to him in his sorrow, turned coldly away and left him alone
with
his grief. A burning fever consumed him (ver. 7), his heart beat
hotly,
his eyes failed him, the bitter remembrance of his sin was with
him:
there was the consciousness and the fear of God's displeasure,
and
as if this were not enough, there was, besides all this, the utter
loneliness,
never so hard to bear as in such a season of bodily and
mental
prostration; the weary couch never so weary as when no
hand
is there to smooth it; the pain of the disease far more acutely
felt,
because none offered sympathy; the terrors of conscience and of
the
imagination aggravated, because they had to be endured in soli-
tude.
Suffering seems here to have reached its height. But out of
the
very midst of the furnace the sufferer can say, "Lord, before
Thee
is all my desire—in Thee, O Jehovah, have I hoped; "can cry
with
all the earnestness of a faith purified by affliction, "Leave me
not,
be not far from me, O Lord, my Salvation."
The Psalm may be said to consist of three
principal parts, each of
which
opens with an address to God. Each of these contains an
appeal
to God's mercy—each rests it on different grounds.
322 PSALM XXXVIII
The first of these is based on the greatness of the suffering. Ver.
1-8.
The second on the patience of the sufferer, as well as on the suffer-
ing.
Ver. 9-14.
The third on the fear lest, through his fate,
wicked men should
have
an occasion of triumph. Ver. 15-22.
[A PSALM OF DAVID. TO BRING
TO REMEMBRANCE.a]
1 O JEHOVAH, in Thy wrath b
rebuke me not,
Neither in Thy hot displeasure chasten me.
2 For Thine arrows stick fast c
in me,
And Thy hand presseth upon me.
3 There is no soundness in my flesh because
of Thine indig-
nation;
There is no health in my bones because of my
sin.
4 For mine iniquities have passed over my
head;
Like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.
5 My wounds stink, they are corrupt,
Because of my foolishness.
1. See note on vi. 1, where very nearly
the same words occur. Most of
what has been said on that Psalm is
applicable here, and need not be repeated.
Bakius interprets: "Cor- ripe
sane per legem, castiga per cru- cem, millies promerui, negare non possum; sed castiga, quæso, me ex amore ut pater, non ex furore et fervore ut judex; ne punias justiti rigore,
sed misericordi dulcore." 2. There is here, and in what follows,
as Calvin observes, a tacit appeal
to God's promises. Why is it that
the saint of God thus sets forth all
his sufferings, but because he knows
that his God will not lay on him
a punishment heavier than he can
bear? It is not therefore merely as
a complaint, but as an appeal to the
mercy of God, that he tells all his
woe. There is a yet further appeal
in the recognition of God's hand.
“Thine arrows . . . . Thy hand."
It is this conviction that |
God
has inflicted the chastisement, that
leads him to seek the remedy from
the same source. PRESSETH UPON ME, lit. hath lighted
upon me. 3. No SOUNDNESS. Comp.Is.i.6. No
HEALTH, or "wholeness." Such
is the proper and original meaning
of the word MOlwA (shalom),
integritas, "peace"
being the de- rived
meaning, peace only there properly
existing, where all is com- plete and entire, nothing
wanting. 4. HAVE PASSED. A metaphor, as
often, from waves passing over the
head. Comp. xviii. 16 [17], lxix. 2
[3], 15 [16]. 5. FOOLISHNESS. His sin, as seen now
in its true light, showing itself to
be folly, for all sin is self-destruc- tion.
"Hoc sensu," says Calvin, "David de stultitia sua loquitur: ac si diceret se fuisse mente aliertatum, et instar pecudis abreptum, et cir- cumactum
bruto impetu, dum neg- |
PSALM XXXVIII. 323
6 I am bent, I am bowed down sore,
All the day long have I gone mourning;
7 For my loins are full of burning,
And there is no soundness in my flesh.
8 I am benumbed and sore broken,
I have roared by reason of the unrest of my
heart.
9 Lord, before Thee is all my desire,
And my deep sighing is not hid from Thee.
10 My heart throbbeth,d my strength bath
failed me,
And the light of mine eyes—even that e is gone
from
me.
11 My friends and my companions stand aloof
from my
plague,
And my kinsmen have stood afar off.
12 They also that seek after my soul, Iay
snares,
And they that strive to do me evil speak
mischievous
things,
And
meditate deceits all the day long.
lecto
Deo suas cupiditates secutus est."
This confession of his sin is, in
fact, at the same time, a confes- sion
of the justice of his punish- ment. WOUNDS as of stripes. ARE CORRUPT
or "putrefied." 6. I AM BENT, properly, as writh- ing
with pain, as Is. xxi. 3. MOURNING, or rather, "as a mourner."
See on xxxv. 14. 8. I AM BENUMBED, lit. I have be- come
deadly cold, cold as a corpse; possibly
with reference to the burn- ing
inflammation in the previous verse,
as marking the alternations in
the fever-fit. 9. The one gleam of comfort and refreshment
in his misery; the one bright
ray which lights up the dark- ness;
the one thought which sus- tains
him, that he may "unburden himself
of all his griefs in the bosom of
God." We have but to read the first
fourteen verses, without this verse,
to see how much blacker the night
of suffering grows. |
11. Up to this point he has spoken of
his suffering as arising from his own
state both of body and mind. He
describes now its aggravation from
the conduct of others; first of friends
who deserted him, and next of
enemies who plotted against him. And
this aggravation of his misery is
again a fresh argument with God, —an
argument borrowed, as Calvin reminds
us, from the word of God, and
one intended for our use. He remarks:
" Si nos deficiunt omnia mundi
paesidia, alii nos fraudant justis
officiis, alii nihil quam caedem nostram
spirant; veniat nobis in mentem,
non frustra hoc inter pre- candum
Deo proponi, cujus pro- prium
est succurrere miseris, perfide desertos
ac proditos in suam tutelam suscipere,
compescere improbos," &c. MY PLAGUE, lit. "my blow," a word
always used of punishment as
inflicted by God. 12. MISCHIEVOUS THINGS, lit. "a yawning
gulf of destruction," as |
324 PSALM XXXVIII.
13 But as for me, as a deaf man, I could not
hear,
And (I was) as a dumb man that openeth not his
mouth.
14 Yea, I was as a man that heareth not,
And (as one) in whose mouth are no replies.
15 For in Thee, O Jehovah, have I hoped;
Thou wilt answer (for me), 0 Lord my God.
16 For
I said,—Lest they rejoice over me,
(Lest) f when my foot slippeth, they
magnify them-
selves
against me;
17 For as for me, I am ready to halt,
And my pain is ever before me;
18 For I must confess my iniquity,
I am in heaviness because of my sin;
though
they would swallow me up. See
on v. 9, Critical Note. 14. No REPLIES, not here "re- proofs"
or "rebukes," but answers, in
self-vindication, to the calumnies of
his enemies. "Arguments," as the
word is rendered in the A.V. of Job
xxiii. 4. Calvin sees two reasons for this comparison
of himself to a dumb man:
first, that he was compelled by
the injustice of his enemies to be silent;
they would not suffer him to speak:
and next, his own patient submission
to the will of God. But I
think the last only is prominent here.
It was not that David could not,
but that he would not, answer. Comp.
Rom. xii. 19. In this, he was the
type of a greater Sufferer in a more
august agony (Is. liii. 7; I Pet. ii.
23). 16. I SAID, i.e. within myself: LEST,
with the usual ellipsis of some
verb, such as "I fear," but again
addressed as an argument to God;
the argument being, that His honour
is concerned in upholding His
servant, lest the wicked should triumph.
Therefore, too, he leaves it
to God to answer, lest by answer- ing
himself he should give occasion to
the enemy to blaspheme. |
17. PAIN or "suffering,"
arising not
only from the outward perse- cution,
but also from the inward sense
of sin, or the "pain" may refer
to the " plague" in ver. 11. 18. FoR. The conjunction recurs here
for the fourth time in verses 15-18.
But it is hardly used in so
loose a manner as Hupfeld and others
suppose. It seems in each case
to supply a link in the train of thought.
In ver. 15 it gives the reason
why David made no reply to his
enemies, for God, he felt, would answer
for him. In ver. 16 it gives the
reason why he would have God answer--
for he feared that if he took
the matter into his own hand, his
enemies would have occasion to triumph.
In ver. 17 the for gives a further
reason why this was pro- bable,
viz.,his own weakness; and In- ver.
18, the reason for the weakness, with
another for, is found in his sin which
he has to confess, whilst, on the
other hand (ver. 19), his enemies are
full of strength, and numerous as
they are strong. This, I believe, is
the connection between the dif- ferent
verses. I AM IN HEAVINESS, LXX. merimnh<sw, " I will be careful" or "anxious." Ges. solicitus. |
PSALM
XXXVIII
325
19 And mine enemies are vigorous g
(and) strong,
And they are many that hate me without cause;
20 And requiting evil for good,
They withstand me because I followh
that which is good.
21 Leave me not, O Jehovah;
My God be not far from me.
22 Haste (Thee) to help me,
O Lord, my Salvation,
19. VIGOROUS, lit. "alive," in full
lusty life, as opposed to the state
of quasi-death in which the Psalmist
is. |
21, 22. With this conclusion of the
Psalm compare the similar ex- pressions, xxii. 11 [12], 19 [20], xxxv. 22, xl. 13 [14], &c. |
a ryKiz;hal; found also in the
superscription of Psalm lxx., "to bring to
remembrance,"
i.e. either as a memorial of
suffering and deliverance, or,
"to
bring me into remembrance with
God." So the Chald., "to bring
a
good remembrance upon man;" Rashi, " to remind the sufferer to
pray
to God;" similarly, Ges., Hengst. The last explains it of com-
plaints
and prayers, as opposed to praises and thanksgivings, with
reference
to I ti Chron. xvi. 4. There is perhaps an allusion to the
hrAKAz;xa (see xx. 4, and Is. lxvi. 3), or
offering of incense, the smoke of
which
went up for a memorial before God.
b Jc,q,, is wrath, as an outburst of passion; hmAHe, as a burning glow;
Mfaza, as a
foaming up.
c UthEni, "have sunk down,
entered deep." Niph. of the form hHn,
which
immediately follows in the Qal, unless, indeed, this is only a false
punctuation
for 1111, used intransitively.
d yHar;Has;, Pealal, as descriptive
of the rapid pulsations of the heart in a
state
of fever:, but according to Hupfeld the form is not intensive, but
diminutive,
the pulsations being less in proportion to their rapidity.
e Mhe MG. This is not a fresh
nominative, but is in apposition with T?,
as
the pronoun sometimes is with a casus obliquus, and therefore a geni-
tive
= et ipsorum, "The light of my
eyes, even of them, I say, is not
with
me." Gesen. § 121, 3. Vulg. et lumen
oculorum meorum, et ifisum.
f On the construction of NP,, as covering both the
verbs in this verse,
see
note a, on xxviii. I.
g Myy.iHa. For this Houbigant
would read MnAHi, and he is followed by
Hupfeld,
Ewald, and others. No doubt this answers to rq,w, in the next
clause,
and is a common form of expression. But the other reading is at
least
as old as the LXX., oi[ dee> e]xqroi< mou zw?si
kai> kekratai<wntai u[pe>r e]me<.
h ypvdr. The Q'ri is yPid;rA as xxvi. 2, hpAr;cA instead of (Comp.
the
future form, Is. xviii. 4.) But the K'thibh might stand here ypOdr; as
the
last word but one has sometimes the pausal form, when the last word
is a monosyllable (Deut. xxxii. 37), or has the tone on
the penultimate
(
Josh. xiii. 9).
326 PSALM XXXIX.
PSALM XXXIX
"THE most beautiful," says
Ewald," of all elegies in the Psalter."
It
is the sorrowful complaint of a heart, not yet subdued to a perfect
resignation,
but jealous with a godly jealousy, lest it should bring
dishonour
upon its God, and longing for light from Heaven to scatter
its
doubts. The holy singer had long pent up his feelings; and
though
busy thoughts were stirring within him, he would not give
them
utterance. He could not bare his bosom to the rude gaze of
an
unsympathising world. And he feared lest, while telling his per-
plexities,
some word might drop from his lips which would give the
wicked
an occasion to speak evil against his God. (This feeling is
one,
the expression of which we have already had in the preceding
Psalm.)
And when at last, unable to repress his strong emotion, he
speaks,
it is to God and not to man. It is as one who feels how
hopeless
the problem of life is, except as seen in the light of God. It
is
with the deep conviction of personal frailty (ver. 6) and sinfulness
(ver.
9), as well as of the frailty and sinfulness of all men. It is with
the
touching sadness of one who cannot be comforted. And yet the
weeping
eye is raised to heaven, and amidst all his grief and per-
plexity,
notwithstanding all that is so dark and cheerless in the world,
pilgrim
and stranger as he is, the Psalmist can still say, "My hope is
in
Thee." Ver. 7.
The Psalm consists properly of two
parts:--
I. A preface descriptive of the circumstances
under which it was
composed.
Ver. 1-3.
II. The expression of the Psalmist's
feelings at the time. Ver.
4—13.
This latter part, however, may be again
subdivided into three
sections,
the first two of which close with the refrain and the Selah.
(1) A prayer to be taught rightly
concerning the vanity of life.
Ver.
4, 5.
(2) A confession of that vanity— a
cleaving to God, and an ac-
knowledgement
that sin deserves chastisement. Ver. 6-11.
(3) A further prayer that God would hear
him, because he is but
a
stranger, and his days few upon earth. Ver. 12, 13.
PSALM XXXIX. 327
[FOR
THE PRECENTOR. FOR JEDUTHUN.a A PSALM OF DAVID.]
1 I SAID, Let me keep (watch over) my ways,
That I sin not with my tongue:
Let me keep a bridle upon my mouth,
While the wicked is yet before me.
2 I remained dumb in silence;
I held my peace, and had no comfort,b
And my sorrow was stirred.
3 My heart was hot within me;
While I was musing a fire kindled;
(Then) spake I with my tongue:
4 O Jehovah, make me to know mine end,
And the measure of my days what it is,
Let me know how frail c I am.
this
resolution. (Comp. xxxviii. 16 [17].)
And the resolution was not to
sin with his tongue. He feared lest
his complaint should be mis- interpreted
as murmuring against God.
But the sadness of his heart prevails
against his resolution; the more
the feeling was checked the more
hotly it burned (comp. Jer. XX.
9), till at last it could be re- strained
no longer. Mozley (Sermons, p. 256, 1st ed.) understands
this of the determina- tion
of the Psalmist to repress his judgement
concerning the ungodly. "He
had deep thoughts about the world,but
they must not be uttered." .
. . "He repressed himself; and all
repression is difficult and griev- ous
when a man is full of some truth.
But he saw that the condi- tion
of things here was such that it would
not admit of the unqualified divulgement
of such truth as this." And
he proceeds to remark on the great
"strength not only of self- control,
but of actual feeling and passion,"
shown in such a temper of
mind. But however true these |
remarks
may be in themselves, this
can hardly be the meaning of the
Psalmist. He does not repress his
judgement upon the wicked, but
fears to utter what they will misunderstand,
as looking like complaints
of God. 4. Herder supposes that the words which
the Psalmist "spake with his tongue"
are not given, but that, in- stead
of this, he turns to God with the
prayer to be taught resignation. Delitzsch
takes the same view. But this
I am persuaded is not the most natural
interpretation. The words that
he "spake with his tongue" are those
which follow to the end of the Psalm.
The introduction is merely the
record of that inward struggle out
of which the Psalm itself arose. And
the words that he does speak are
directed to God in prayer for teaching,
not to man in complaints. But in what relation does the prayer
which follows stand to the perplexity
which gave birth to it? Why
does he ask, MAKE ME KNOW MINE
END? It is not (as Hengst. supposes)
an expression of impa- tience,
"I am weary of this suffer- |
328 PSALM XXXIX.
5 Behold, Thou bast made my days as
hand-breadths,
And my life-time is as nothing before
Thee:
Surely every man, at his best estate, is nothing
but a
breath. [Selah.]
6 Surely as a shadow doth a man walk to and
fro;
Surely for a breath are they disquieted:
He heapeth up (treasures), and knoweth not who
shall
gather them.
7 And now what have I waited for, O Lord?
My hope is in Thee.
ing:
tell me when my life shall end, and
so my suffering end; "nor is it an
expostulation with God (as Qim- chi
and Calv.), as if he would say, "See
how short my life is; is such a
life long enough for all Thou lay- est
upon me?" Such interpretations are
at variance with the tone of sad resignation
which breathes through the
Psalm. It is rather this: "Make me
rightly to know and estimate the
shortness and uncertainty of human
life, that so, instead of suf- fering
myself to be perplexed with all
that I see around me, I may cast myself
the more entirely upon Thee," as
indeed follows, "And now, Lord, what
wait I for? "The prayer in xc.
12 is somewhat similar, though it
stands there in a different con- nection. 5. LIFE-TIME. On this word see xvii.
14, note!. AT HIS BEST ESTATE, lit. "stand- ing
fast," i.e. however firmly esta- blished
he may be. A BREATH. Such is the literal meaning
of the word "a mere vapour"
( word
occurs Prov. xxi. 6, "a vanity
tossed to and fro," E.V., or
perhaps rather "a breath that is
driven away." In xc. 9, a differ- ent
word is used; see note there. 6. With this verse, as is evident both
from the refrain at the end of
the last, and the Selah, a new strophe
or division of the Psalm begins.
Hence Delitzsch divides |
wrongly
when he makes this verse close
a strophe. Nothing is more usual
than the resumption, in a fresh
strophe, of a sentiment which has
occurred before. As A SHADOW. The preposi- tion
is what is called the Beth es- sentia, which serves to
introduce the
predicate. See on xxxv. note b, xxxvii.
20. WALK TO AND FRO, or "come and
go,"va e viene, as Diodati, with
an exact appreciation of the Hebrew,
renders it. ARE THEY DISQUIETED, lit. "do they
make a noise, or commotion." All
the fret and stir, all the eager clamour
and rivalry of men, as they elbow
and jostle one another to obtain
wealth and rank, and the enjoyments
of life, are but a breath. Comp.
describing
the busy scene, the buyers
and sellers thronging the market-place,
and full of the thought of
their trade and of their specula- tions
for the year, he solemnly asks, "For
what is your life? For it is a vapour
(a]tmi<j) which appeareth for a
little while, and then vaniisheth away." 7. AND NOW, turning away, as it were,
with a sense of relief from the sad
contemplation of man's fleeting, transitory
life, to fix the eye of his heart
on Him who abideth for ever. We
seem almost to hear the deep sigh
with which the words are uttered.
It is remarkable that even |
PSALM XXXIX. 329
8 From all my transgressions deliver me;
Make me
not a reproach of the fool.
9 I was dumb,--I could not open my mouth;
Because
Thou didst it.
10 Turn aside Thy stroke from me,
I am
(even) consumed by the blow of Thine hand.
11 (When) with rebukes for iniquity Thou
hast chastened
man,
Like the moth Thou makest his beauty
to melt away.d
Surely every man is (but) a breath. [Selah.]
here
it is on God Himself, not on a life
to come, that his hope sustains itself. "Although not expressly assured of
a future life of blessedness, his faith,
even in the midst of death, lays
hold on Jehovah as the Living One,
and as the God of the living. It
is just this which, as Hengsten- berg
also here observes, is so heroic in
the Old Testament faith, that in
the midst of the riddles of the present,
and in view of a future, losing
itself in a night of gloom, it casts
itself absolutely and without hesitation
into the arms of God." Delitzsch. Calvin, who says that the Psalm consists
partly of true prayers, and partly
of hasty complaints, observes that
it is here that David begins truly
to pray. 8. FROM ALL MY TRANSGRES- SIONS.
He now strikes at once at the
root of all his sufferings and all his
perplexities. "Pergit in con- textu
piae sanctaeque precationis. Neque
enim jam rapitur dolaris impetu,
ut cum Deo expostulet, sed reum
se coram Dec) suppliciter statuens,
ad misericordiam ejus confugit: quia dum se a sceleribus eripi postulat, Deo justitiae laudem adscribens, miseriae quam sustinet culpam in se suscipit : neque unius tantum peccati se accusat, sed fate- tur multiplici reatu se esse obstric- tum."—Calvin. MAKE ME NOT A REPROACH-- said,
it would seem, with reference |
to
the temptation which had as- sailed
him before, to give utterance to
his disquietude even in the pre- sence
of the ungodly. But the con- nection
is difficult, and it may only mean,
"Do not so chasten me that
fools will rejoice at my suf- fering." 9. I WAS DUMB. This clearly refers
to the resolve and conduct described
in ver. 1, 2. It does not introduce
the expression of a fresh resolve,
as many have supposed. I COULD NOT OPEN; or simply as
a subordinate clause to the preceding,
"without opening my mouth."
He thus reiterates before God
how careful he had been to avoid
giving offence by any hasty word;
alleges the reason for this, because
he felt that his suffering was
God's doing; and urges it as a motive
with God in the entreaty which
follows. Qimchi explains this verse with reference
to the preceding, thus: I could
not complain of man, for it was
God's doing: I could not com- plain
of God, for it was because of my
sin. 10. BLOW, lit. "attack, conflict; the
word only occurs here—parallel with
STROKE, which precedes. For this
last word, see on xxxviii. 11 [12].
The pron. "I" expressed is emphatic,
and implies a tacit con- trast
between his own weakness and the
power of God, whose hand was laid
upon him. 11. This verse contains a further |
330
PSALM XXXIX.
12 Hear my prayer, O Jehovah,
And give ear unto my cry;
At my
weeping be not silent:
For I am a stranger with Thee,
A sojourner, as all my fathers (were).
13 Look away from me, that I may recover
strength,
Before I
go hence, and be no more.
reason
why God should take away His
stroke. LIKE THE MOTH. This may either
mean (I) that man's beauty is
like the moth, frail and perish- ing;(cf.
Job iv. 19, "crushed before the
moth," xxvii. 18); or (2) the action
of God upon man may be compared
to the silent, secret, yet
'sure, effect of the moth in fretting
a garment, as in our P. B.V., where
the words are paraphrased, "like
as a moth fretting a gar- ment."
This last may be sup- ported
by Hos. v. 12, "I will be to
Ephraim as a moth." 12. The Psalm closes with a yet more
earnest appeal to God's pity- ing
mercy, based still on that very transitoriness
of life which is the burden
of the whole. A
STRANGER, A SOJOURNER. LXX. pa<roikoj kai> parepi<dhmoj,
as I Pet. ii. II, ce<noj kai> parepi<dhmoj, Heb.
xi. 13, borrowed from Gen. xxiii.
4. Comp. the confession of David,
I Chron. xxix. t s, "For we |
are
strangers with Thee, and so- journers,
as all our fathers (were). As
a shadow are our days upon the earth,
and there is no hope (here)." A
STRANGER (rGe), "one who is but a
passing guest:" A SOJOURNER, "one
who settles for a time in a country,
but is not a native of it." As ALL MY FATHERS : as the patriarchs
had been in the land which
was theirs only by promise. He
himself, he felt, and all men were
on the earth, what Abraham was
in the land of promise : he could
not call one foot of it his own. Comp.
also Lev. xxv. 23. 13. The last verse is borrowed from
Job vii. 19, X. 20, 21. See also Job
vii. 8, ix. 27, xiv. 6. LOOK
AWAY, i.e. keep not thine eye
fixed upon me in anger; it an- swers
to "Turn aside Thy stroke," in
ver. 10. THAT I MAY RECOVER STRENGTH, prop.
applied to the countenance, "that
I may become cheerful," "Dass
ich mich erheitere."—.Del. |
a Nvtvdy,--found also in the
inscriptions to Pss. lxii. and lxxvii.,--the
name
of one of David's three choir-masters, as we learn from I Chron.
xvi.
41, 42, xxv. 1-6. See also 2 Chron. v. 12. In 2 Chron. xxxv. 15 he
is
called "the king's seer," and was probably the same person as Ethan,
I
Chron. xv.
According to the K'thibh, the form here
is Nvtydy,
as also lxxvii. 1,
1
Chron. xvi. 38, Neh. xi. 17, to be explained by the constant and ready
interchange
of y-i
and U.
The Keri, however, is more in analogy with
other
forms, such as NUlUbz;, NUrwuy;.
b bOF.mi. This has been very
differently explained. The Chald., Aq.,
and
the older interpreters generally, as the E. V., "I was silent even from
good,"
taking the "good " however in different senses, such as "the
law,
PSALM XL. 331
"the
praise of God," or such "good words" as might have been a reply
to
his adversaries. This, however, is not defensible. Nmi, after the verb
of
silence, can only allow, as Hupfeld rightly maintains, of one of two
interpretations,
either, (1) "far from good,"
i.e. without comfort, joy, or
the
like, comp. Job xxviii. 4; or, (2) as the negative consequence of the
silence
(bOF
being an infin. for yli bOF.mi, "so that it was not
well with
me,"
or, " without its being well with me," parallel with what follows,
"and
my sorrow was stirred."
c ldeHa-Hm,. The LXX. ti<
u[sterw?,
Vulg. quid desit mihi, i.e. "how
much
of
my life yet remains;" Chald. "when I cease to be in the world,"
ldehA is lit. "that which ceases, or has
an end," and so transitory, frail, &c.
Hence
it is not necessary to correct with Hupf.
dl,H,-hma , quantilli sim
ævi, as lxxxix. 48.
There can be no doubt that there is a confusion of
the
two words in Is. xxxviii. 11, where for ld,HA we must read dl,HA.
d sm,T,va, fut. apoc. Hiph.
of hsm
(Ges. § 75, Rem. 16), following the
perfect conditional. But see on lviii. 8
[9], Critical Note.
OdUmHE is properly a part.
pass. (like dmAH;n,), with suff., and means strictly
"that
which is lovely, precious, &c." as Job xx. 20, Is. xliv. 9; here
"beauty,
loveliness.
-------------------------------------------------
PSALM
XL.
THIS Psalm consists of two parts. The
first (ver. 1—10) tells the
story
of God's mercies in a former time of trouble; the second (ver.
11—18)
is a cry for the like help and deliverance, now that fresh
calamities
are come. The singer, looking back to the past, tells how
he
had been brought into the deepest abyss of misery; he had been
like
one falling into a pit, or sinking in a deep morass, where there
was
no resting-place for his feet; but God of His great mercy had
heard
him when he cried, had delivered him from his trouble, had
set
his feet on a rock, and established his goings (ver. 3): and not
only
had He done this, but He had also given him a heart and a
tongue
to praise Him (ver. 3). Then follows the expression of his
feelings
at the time. Here, after speaking of the blessedness of trust-
ing
in Jehovah, and of the wonders of His goodness, not only to the
singer
himself, but to all Israel (comp. lxxiii. 1), he further declares
what
had been the great lesson of his affliction,—how he had learnt
that
there was a better sacrifice than that of bulls and goats, even the
sacrifice
of an obedient will; and how, moreover, he had found that
this
truth which God had opened his ears to receive (ver. 6) was in
most
perfect harmony with the truth taught in the written law (ver. 7);
332 PSALM XL
and
lastly, how, constrained by a sense of gratitude, he had published
to
"the great congregation" the loving-kindness and truth of the Lord.
In the second division of the Psalm, he pleads
the past, and his
own
conduct in the past, as a ground for renewed mercies being
vouchsafed
to him, now that he is in fresh trouble, bowed down by
the
burden of his sins (ver. 9), and cruelly pursued by his enemies
(ver.
14). Thrice he prays earnestly for himself (ver. 11, 13, 17);
the
last time, faith having vanquished in the struggle, there mingles
with
the cry for help the touching expression of confidence in God:
"But
as for me, miserable and helpless though I be, the Lord thinketh
upon
me." With these personal petitions are joined others against
the
malice of his enemies (14, 15), and intercession on behalf of all
those
who, like himself, love and seek Jehovah.
This second part, or rather the portion of
it from ver. 13 to ver. 17,
appears
again, in an independent form, as Psalm lxx. But it is, I
think,
almost certain, that the Psalm in its present form is the original,
and
the latter verses were subsequently detached and slightly altered,
in
order to form a distinct poem. In proof of this, it may be observed,
(I)
that the two parts of the Psalm are always found united in all
ancient
Versions and MSS.; (2) that the differences of language
which
occur in Psalm lxx. are more easily explicable, on the suppo-
sition
that it was detached from Psalm xl., than on the opposite
hypothesis;
(3) that there is a play in the second half of the Psalm on
words
already occurring in the first half, which shows an original con-
nection
between them. (See more in the notes here, and on Ps. lxx.)
Whether David was the author of this Psalm is a question which
we
can hardly hope now to decide. There are expressions in it not
unlike
those which we find in Psalms unquestionably his: but we
cannot
pretend to point to any circumstances in his life to which it
undoubtedly
refers. Ewald thinks that the prominence given to the
roll
of the book in ver. 7 is an indication that it was written about
the
time of Josiah's reformation, and shortly after the discovery of
the
Book of the Law in the Temple. This, however, is one of those
external
coincidences of which too much may easily be made.
With regard to the predictive character
of the Psalm, and the
reference
of one portion of it in the Epistle to the Hebrews to Christ,
something
will be found on that subject in the notes on ver. 6, as
well
as in chap. iii. of the General Introduction. The great principle
of
a typical predictiveness in all
Jewish history is the most satisfac-
tory
principle of interpretation in this and in all similar cases.
The
first division of the Psalm consists of ten, and the second of
seven
verses.
PSALM XL. 333
I. The first may again be subdivided into
two strophes, consisting
of
five verses each. Here, ver. r—5 declare what God had done;
ver.
6—10, what return the Psalmist had made. (I) In the former
strophe,
ver. 1—3 speak of the Divine aid as vouchsafed to the indi-
vidual;
ver. 4, 5, as extended to all His people. (2) In the latter
we
have, first, the thanksgiving of act,
ver. 6—8; and then the
thanksgiving
of word, ver. 9, 10.
II. The second part has also its
subdivisions, though not so clearly
marked.
We may either regard it as consisting of two strophes, the
first
of three verses (ver. 11—13); and the second of four (ver. 14—
17);
or we may distribute it into three parts, ver. 11, 12, ver. 13—15,
ver.
16, 17. According to the last division we have, first, the appeal
to
God based on the greatness of the Psalmist's personal sufferings;
and
next, as directed against the power of his enemies: and finally,
the
confident hope in God's care and love which never fails those
that
seek Him.
[FOR THE PRECENTOR. A
PSALM OF DAVID.]
1 TRULY I had waited upon Jehovah,
And He inclined unto me, and heard my cry;
2 And He brought me up out of the pit of
destruction,a
Out of the miry swamp,
And set my feet upon a rock,
(And) made my footsteps firm;
1, 2. He tells how Jehovah had rewarded
his trust by answering his prayer,
and how He had rescued him
from imminent destruction. I. TRULY I HAD WAITED, or "I did
indeed wait," as implying there was
such a thing as an opposite temper
of mind, and that this had been
carefully avoided. This use of the
infinitive absol. with the finite verb
may serve to assert a fact strongly
in opposition to some other fact
implied or expressed; and not only
to emphasize the idea con- tained
in the verb itself. The latter usage
may have been intended here: and
if so, the long-continued, patient waiting
will be the prominent no- tion.
In the former case, the wait- ing
as opposed to the not waiting; in
the latter, the nature of the wait- ing
itself, is described. |
2. The deliverance. The meta- phor
of the pit may be used either with
reference to a pitfall for 'wild beasts,
as vii. 15 [16], or a dungeon, such
as that into which Jeremiah was
cast (Jer. xxxviii. 6), and which would
often have a damp and miry bottom. MIRY SWAMP, lit. "mire of
mud," an
almost pleonastic expression; comp.
lxix. 2 [3]. The expressions are
clearly metaphorical. This I mention,
because some expositors have
maintained that the Psalm was written
by Jeremiah, and that the reference
is to the literal pit, or dun- geon,
into which he was cast. If so, where,
asks Maurer, was the rock on which
his feet were placed? MADE MY FOOTSTEPS FIRM, i.e. did
not merely bring me into a place
of safety and there leave |
334
PSALM XL.
3 And He put a new song in my mouth,
(Even) praise unto our God:
Many shall see (it) and fear,
And shall put their trust in Jehovah:
4 Blessed is the man who hath made Jehovah
his trust,
And hath not turned to the proud,b
and to such as
aside falsely.c
5 Thou hast greatly multiplied,d
O Jehovah my God,
Thy wonders, and Thy thoughts towards us;
They cannot be set in order unto Thee:
Would I declare them, and speak of them,
They are more than I can tell.
me,
but provided for my future security. 3. A NEW SONG, i.e. one cele- bratingwith
all the power of a recent gratitude
a new and signal act of de- liverance.
The old forms, the cus- tomary
expressions, the well-known hymns
were not enough. See on xxxiii.
3. So Calvin: "Novum ponit pro
singulari et exquisito: sicuti genus
liberationis non vulgare erat, sed
aeterna memoria dignum." Ewald
thinks that there follows, partly
a reminiscence, and partly the
very words of this new song, as it
had been sung at the time of the deliverance.
The words "praise unto
our God" are, he supposes, a reminiscence,
the Psalm having pro- bably
begun, "Praise ye Jehovah." So
too the-words, "many shall see it
and fear," &c., may have appeared in
the song in the form of an ex- hortation:
"see it and fear, and put your
trust," &c. Finally, the words of
verses 4, 5 are, according to him, words
of the former song quoted in this.
I was at one time disposed myself
to regard the latter part of ver.
3, "Many shall see . . . trust in Jehovah,"
as parenthetical, and ver. 4—10
as the very words of the new song.
But such a supposition is perhaps
unnecessary. The train of thought
is sufficiently clear without having
recourse to it. |
4. HIS TRUST, i.e. object of trust, as
lxv. 5 [6], Is. xv. 5, and elsewhere. This
obviously is a continuation of the
last clause of the preceding verse. "Many
shall trust in Jehovah, and blessed
are they who do so." The next
verse again gives the reason for this
trust, the manifold and marvel- lous
deliverances which God had ever
vouchsafed to Israel. HATH NOT TURNED, a word used especially
of apostasy from the true God
to idols, as Lev. xix. 4, Deut. xxix.
18 [17], Hos. iii. 1,, and often. 5. THOU HAST GREATLY MULTI- PLIED,
&c. lit. "many hast Thou made
Thy wonders," &c. Three different
renderings of the former part
of this verse are possible. (I) "Thou hast multiplied Thy wonders
and Thy thoughts to us- ward:—There
is none that can be compared
unto Thee—Would I de- clare,"
&c. (2) "Thou hast multi- plied,"&c.
(as before) . . . "It is not possible
to set them in order unto Thee,
&c." (3) "Thou hast mul- tiplied
Thy wonders; and Thy thoughts
towards us, it is not pos- sible
to set in order," &c. See more in
the Critical Note. Similarly in the
latter part of the verse, there is a
choice as to the way in which we connect
the clause, "Would I de- clare
them," &c. with what goes before,
or with what follows: "They |
PSALM XL. 335
6 In
sacrifice and offering Thou hast not delighted,
—Mine ears hast Thou opened,
Burnt-offering and sin-offering hast
Thou not required.
cannot
be set in order, would I de- clare
them," or "Would I declare ..
, they are moire," &c. 6. He proceeds now to declare the great
truth which God had taught him,
and which it would seem he had
learnt in his affliction, that God desires
the sacrifice of the will rather than
the sacrifice of slain beasts. We may perhaps paraphrase ver. 5--8
as follows: My heart is full to overflowing
with the thought of Thy goodness.
How can I express, how can
I acknowledge it? Once I should
have thought sacrifices and offerings
a proper and sufficient acknowledgement.
Now I feel how inadequate
these are; for Thou hast taught
me the truth; my deaf un- willing
ears didst Thou open, that I
might understand that a will- ing
heart was the best offering I could
render. Then, being thus taught
of Thee, I said, Lo I come, presenting
myself before Thee, not with
a dead and formal service, but with
myself as a living sacrifice. The
truth here inculcated is stated fully
in Ps. l., and is often insisted on
by the Prophets. Comp. I Sam. XV.
22, Ps. li. 16 [i8], lxix. 30, 31 [31, 32],
Is. i. 11, Jer. vii. 21, &c.; Hos. vi.
6, Mic. vi. 6-8. SACRIFICE, properly of slain beasts.
OFFERING, i.e. the bloodless offering
of fine flour, &c. BURNT- OFFERING,
the object of which was to
obtain the Divine favour; where- as
that of the SIN-OFFERING was to make
propitiation. But the four are here
mentioned only with a view to express
in the largest way all manner of sacrifices. MINE EARS HAST THOU OPENED, lit.
"Ears hast Thou dug (or pierced) for
me; " "given me open ears." This
is a parenthetical clause, which has
been variously explained. (1) Aq. w]ti<a de>
e@skaya<j moi. Symm. w]ti<a de> kateskeu<asa<j moi Theod. and Gr.
5 and 6, w]ti<a kathrti<sw moi. |
Jerome, aures
fodisti mihi. Syr. "ears
hast Thou pierced for me." Vulg.
aures perfecisti mihi. The same
sense was probably designed by
these different interpretations, Aquila
and Jerome giving the literal rendering,
whilst the others exhibit the
meaning= “Thou hast so con- structed
my ears that they have an open
passage through which Thy instructions
can reach me," or as Rud. explains, "meatus aurium mearum aperuisti mihi, et aptasti ut pateant tibi." (Comp. Cie. Tusc. Quæst. i. 20, ". . . viæ quasi sunt .. . ad
aures . . . a sede anim e perforate. Foramina ilia quæ patent adanimum a corpore, callidissimo artificio na- tura fabricata est." Hence, "Thou hast
dug (or constructed) ears for me,"
would be equivalent to saying, "Thou
hast given me ears to hear;" that
which is literally true of the structure
of the bodily ear being here
transferred in a figure to the spiritual ear, as is evident
from the context.
(So in the parallel phrases "eyes
to see," "'a heart to under- stand,"
&c. Is. vi. 9, 10; Deut. xxix. 4
[3], &c.) (2) Others again take the expres- sion
here, "to dig the ears," as= "to
pierce the ear," in the same sense
as the phrases "to open the ear,"
Is. xlviii. 8, 1. 4, 5, "to un- cover the ear," I Sam.
ix. 15, xx. 2, 12,
13, Job xxxiii. 16, and many other
passages, as implying a Divine
communication, a super- natural
impartation of knowledge. Then,
"ears bast Thou pierced for me"
would mean, "This truth hast Thou
revealed to me;" which comes to
very much the same thing as the last,
" This hast Thou enabled me to
receive and understand." It is not
a sufficient objection to these interpretations
that the verb hrk means
only "to dig," not "to pierce."
See on xxii., note d. (3) The Rabbinical commenta- |
336 PSALM XL.
7 Then said I, " Lo, I come;
—In the roll of the Book it is
prescribed to me,
tors,
for the most part, interpret the phrase
to mean, "Thou hast made me
obedient," the connection be- tween
hearing and obedience being common
enough, with reference to I
Sam. xv. 22, "to obey (lit. hear) is
better than sacrifice," and Jer. 22. (4) There is certainly no allusion to
the custom of nailing the ear of the
slave to the door-post as a symbol
of perpetual servitude and obedience
(Exod. xxi. 6). For this, the
technical word fcr is used; only
one ear was thus pierced; and the
allusion would be far-fetched and
quite out of place here,—coacta argutia, as Calvin calls it. (5) The LXX. have the singular reading
sw?ma de> kathrti<sw moi, "a body
hast Thou prepared me." [All
the other Greek versions (and even
some MSS. of the LXX.) have )T
a, and the Vulg., which is trans- lated
from the LXX., aures.] This reading,
which appears also in Heb. X.
5, 7, where this passage is quoted, is
commonly supposed to have arisen
from a corruption of WTIA into
CWMA;
the C being repeated from
the previous HQELHCAC and
the TI
being changed into M. But
it is more probable that the LXX.
intended to give a paraphrase rather
than a literal rendering of the
passage. An old Scholion sup- poses
the writer of the Epistle to the
Hebrews to have made the change
himself purposely (pro>j oi]kei?on sko<pon tou<t&
xrhsa<menoj). And
Calvin almost intimates that this
might have been the case: "Corporis vocem ad suum propo- situm
deflexit." Grotius suggests that
the word sw?ma may even have found
its way from the Epistle into the
MSS. of the Alexandrine Ver- sion,
the like to which has certainly happened
in other instances: see |
on
xiv. 3. Bengel says, that the writer
of the Epistle merely inter- prets
the Psalmist as putting the part,
"the ears," for the whole, "the
body." It should be noted, however, that this
change in a word, considerable as
undoubtedly it is, is not such as very
materially to affect the argu- ment
in the Epistle to the Hebrews, where
the purpose of the writer is not
so much to insist on the fact that
our Lord's sacrifice was the sacrifice
of a human body—that was
already implied in His "coming into
the world," His incarnation,— but
that it was the offering of an obedient
will. It should also further be
observed, that the words are not quoted
as a prophecy which was fulfilled
in Christ, but the writer finds
words which once expressed the
devotion of a true Israelite to be
far more strikingly expressive, indeed,
in their highest sense, only truly
expressive, of the perfect obe- dience
of the Son of God. All true words
of God's saints of old, all high
and holy aspirations, however true
and excellent in their mouths, went
far beyond themselves, and found
their perfect consummation only
in Him who was the Perfect Man.
(This view of these and like Messianic
passages will be found enlarged
upon, and fully justified, in
the General Introduction.) 7. LO, I COME, i.e. to appear be- fore
Thee; a phrase used to indi- cate
the coming of an inferior into the
presence of a superior, or of a slave
before his master, Num. xxii. 38,
2 Sam. xix. 21:—as in the simi- lar
expression "behold, here I am," —generally
expressive of willing- ness. IN THE ROLL OF THE BOOK. Another
parenthetical clause, cor- responding
to the former, "Mine ears
hast Thou opened," that which Thou
hast taught me is that which is
contained in Thy Law; I find |
PSALM XL.
337
8 To do Thy pleasure, O my God, I delight,
Yea Thy Law is in my inmost heart."
9 I have published righteousness in the
great congregation:
Lo, I would not refrain my lips,
O
Jehovah, THOU knowest,
10 I have not hid Thy righteousness within
my heart.
Thy faithfulness and Thy salvation have I
uttered,
I
have not concealed Thy loving-kindness and Thy truth
From the great congregation.
there
the same truth which Thy Spirit
bath already written on my heart.
The BOOK is the Book of the
Law of Moses. The ROLL shows
that it was written upon parchment;
this is a word common enough
in Jer. and Ezek. IT IS PRESCRIBED TO ME, or laid upon
me as a duty, exactly in the same
sense as the words occur 2 Kings
xxii. 13, where, on the dis- covery
of the Book of the Law, it is
said, "Great is the wrath of Je- hovah—because
our fathers heark- ened
not to the words of this Book, to
do according to all which is pre- scribed
to us;" where our Version has,
"which is written concerning us,"
just as in this passage it has, "it
is written of me," in this
follow- ing
the interpretation of the LXX. peri> e]mou?; an interpretation
which is
adopted in the Epistle to the Hebrews. Ewald, Delitzsch, and others, strangely
enough render, " Lo, I come
with the roll of the Book," &c.
as if the Psalmist actually took the
roll of the Pentateuch (or of Deuteronomy,
a copy of which the king
in particular was commanded to
have, Deut. xvii. 14—20) with him
into the Temple. What the propriety
or significance of such an
act could be, I am at a loss to imagine.
They then explain the prep.
lfa
differently. Ew. "für mich," "for me." Del. "über
mich,"con- cerning
me," i.e. as prescribing to me
my duties as a king. De Wette, "Lo,
I come with .the roll of the Book
written upon me," i.e. upon |
my
heart, referring to Jer. xxxi. 33, Prov.
iii. 3. But first it seems very doubtful
if ylafA, "upon me," could stand
thus nakedly for "upon my heart"
(xlii.4 [5] is not strictly paral- lel,
as "my soul" follows): secondly, though
the Law might be said to be
written on his heart, to say that the
roll of the Book was written upon
his heart, would be a very dif- ferent
and a very harsh expression. 8. TO DO THY PLEASURE (Or will).
These words would seem naturally
to depend on the fore- going,
"Lo, I come," and so they are
twice cited in Heb. x. 7, 9. In- stead
of that, however, a new verb is
supplied, "I delight." IN MY INMOST HEART (lit. " in the
midst of my bowels," as the seat
of the affections), written there on
its "fleshy tables," and not merely
in the Book. Comp. xxxvii. 31,
Deut. vi. 6, and see the pro- phetic
promises that so it should be
with the whole nation (Jer, xxxi. 33,
Is. Ii. 7). 9. But not obedience only, but thanksgiving
also shall form a part of
his grateful acknowledgement of God's
goodness; he will both do the
will and speak the praises of Jehovah.
This last, too, is better than
sacrifice, I. 14, 15, 23. On the enumeration of the vari- ous
attributes of God, see above, xxxiv.
5—7. 9, 10. I HAVE PUBLISHED ... I WOULD
NOT REFRAIN ... I HAVE NOT
HID . . . I HAVE UTTERED . . . I
HAVE NOT CONCEALED: words are heaped
upon words to express the |
338 PSALM XL.
11 Thou, O Jehovah, wilt not refrain
Thy tender compas-
sion from me;
Let Thy loving-kindness and
Thy truth alway defend
me.
12 For evils have come about me
without number;
My
iniquities have overtaken me that I cannot see:
They
are more than the hairs of my head,
And my heart hath failed
me.
13 Be pleased, O Jehovah, to deliver
me;
O
Jehovah, haste Thee to help me,
14 Let them be ashamed and confounded
together
That seek after my life to destroy it!
Let
them be turned backward, and brought to dishonour,
That delight in my hurt!
eager
forwardness of a heart burn- ing
to show forth its gratitude. No elaborate
description could so well have
given us the likeness of one whose
"life was a thanksgiving." 11. The Psalmist turns to earnest entreaty.
Apparently, therefore, he has
recalled a former deliverance, in
order to comfort himself there- with
in his present sorrow, and pleads
his conduct in the past as a ground
for fresh mercies. THOU WILT
NOT REFRAIN, with evident reference
to the I WOULD NOT RE- FRAIN,
ver. 9. Again, THY LOVING- KINDNESS
AND THY TRUTH, with like
reference to the preceding verse,
"As I have not concealed them
from others, so let them ever defend
me." 12. MY INIQUITIES. This verse is
quite decisive as to the question which
has been raised respecting the
Messianic interpretation of the Psalm.
It is quite impossible to refer
such words as these to Christ; and
when expositors choose to say that
"my iniquities" mean "the iniquities
laid upon me," they are doing
violence most unjustifiably to
the plain words of the text. |
Such
interpreters can hardly find fault
with Romanists for adding to the
Word of God. FAILED, lit. "forsaken." 13. From this verse to the end appears
in a separate form as Ps. lxx.,
where consult the notes for the variations,
&c. Hupfeld maintains that
Ps, lxx. is the original which has
been appended here; but then, in
order to support this hypothesis, he
is obliged to make Ps. xl. end with
ver. 1l, feeling, no doubt, that with
ver. 12 the conclusion would be
lame and imperfect. But it is, on
the face of it, improbable that Ps,
lxx. should have been joined on here
by means of an intercalated verse.
It is more likely that the latter
part of this Psalm was de- tached
and altered by a later writer, who
felt, perhaps, that he could not so
well use the former part in his own
case. BE PLEASED (omitted in Ps. lxx.), here
used apparently with reference to
"Thy pleasure," ver. 8. The whole of the conclusion of this
Psalm reminds us of the con- clusion
of Ps. xxxv. |
PSALM XL. 339
15 Let them be struck dumb as a reward of
their shame,
That say unto me, Aha, Aha!
16 Let all those that seek Thee rejoice and
be glad in Thee!
Let such as love Thy salvation say
alway,
" Jehovah be magnified."
17 And as for me,—afflicted and poor, the
Lord thinketh
upon me.
Thou art my Help and my Deliverer:
O my
God, make no long tarrying.
a NOxwA rOBmi. LXX. e]k la<kkou
talaipwri<aj. Others,
"pit of roaring
(waves)."
And NOxwA
no doubt generally occurs in this sense (I) of the
noise
of waters, as lxv. 7 [8], Is. xvii. 12, 13, and then of the noise of
multitudes;
but in Jer. xlvi. 17, it can only mean "destruction" (abstr. for
contr.).
This must likewise be the meaning here, for waters do not rage
in
a pit or cistern. Hence it is allied to other words from the same root
as
txwe,
interitus, Lament. iii. 47, and hy.Axiw;, ruinæ, Is. xxiv. 12.
b MybihAr;. The plur. only occurs
here. Most take the words as an ad-
jective
from a sing. bhArA, which does not exist, and this agrees
with the
following
bzAkA yFeWA. The Targ. xy.AnaBAr;Us. The LXX. ei]j
mataio<thtaj,
and
Jerome
also renders it as a noun, superbiæ,
plur. for sing., as is common
with
abstr. nouns. The sing. bhara is used as a name of Egypt, to denote
its
noisy, boastful reliance upon its own
strength, a reliance therefore
which
could only be shamefully disappointed.
c yFeWA, another a!p.
leg. part.
plur. constr. of a form FvW not in use
instead
of hFW.
Most take the following bzAkA as the object to which this
deflection
is made, "who incline to lies," (like rOb yder;Oy, "who go down to
the
pit,") i.e. who have recourse to
some false and deceitful object of help.
But
as Hupf. justly remarks, dry, like xvb, hlf, &c., always takes
the
accusat.
of direction after it, and D''t ' does not mean merely "those who
incline
themselves," but "those who turn aside," i.e. apostates. Hence
he
takes bzAkA
as a qualifying word, explaining the nature
of the apostasy,
"lying
apostates," like Nv,xA ydeg;Bo, in lix. 6. LXX. mani<aj
yeudei?j. Vulg.
insanias
falsas. Jerome, pompas
mendacii.
d The connection of the
different clauses of this verse issZ somewhat
doubtful.
Symrn. pa<mpolla e]poi<hsaj . . . tera<stia< sou
kai> tou>j dialogismou<j
sou tou>j
u[pe>r h[mw?n. Jerome, . Multa
fecisti . . . mirabilia tua et
cognitationes
tuas pro nobis. The LXX., on the other
hand, connect the last words with
what
follows: kai> toi?j dialogismoi?j sou ou]k e@sti tij
o[moiwqh<setai soi<.
Much
depends
on how we render the words, j~yl,xe j`rofE Nyxe (I) These may be
rendered,
"there is none (lit. nothing) that can be put in comparison of
Thee."
jrf with
l,
as lxxxix. 7. Comp. Is. xl. 18. So the LXX. and
Syr.
They will . then stand in a parenthesis, and we must join "Thy
340 PSALM XLI.
marvellous
works and Thy thoughts" (i.e.
purposes whence the works
spring),
as objects alike of the verb tAyWifA. But (2) jrf may also mean
"to
set forth" (see note on v. 3 [4]). "There is no laying forth of them
unto
Thee," i.e. as follows in the
parallelism, they are beyond enumeration.
So
the Chald., and so Symm., ou]k e@stin e]kqe<sqai
e]pi> sou?,
and Jerome, non
invenio ordinern coram
te.
Similarly Qimchi, Calv., Ros., Stier, &c. And
again,
these words may either stand in a parenthesis, or, following the
constr.
(not the sense) of the LXX., be joined with what follows, "And
Thy
thoughts which are to uswards, there is no setting forth unto Thee."
tOBra is clearly the predicate.
------------------------------
PSALM XLI
THIS Psalm seems to have been written in
a season of recovery
from
sickness, and under a deep sense of the hypocrisy and ingrati-
tude
of false friends, who came to the Psalmist pretending to condole
with
him in his sickness, whilst in reality they hated him in their
hearts
and wished for his death. In this respect the Psalm has some
resemblance
to Ps. xxxviii., except that there the sufferer is deserted
by
his friends, and has to complain of their coldness rather than of
their
treachery.
The Psalm opens with a eulogy pronounced
on those who know
how
to feel for and show compassion to the miserable and the suffer-
ing.
This is evidently designed in order to condemn more forcibly,
by
way of contrast, the opposite line of conduct which is the subject
of
complaint. The Psalmist's own experience of the baseness and
hollowness
of the men who surrounded him made him only appreciate
more
sensibly the great value of faithful sympathizing friends in a
season
of affliction. Ewald throws the whole of what follows into
the
past. He supposes the sacred Poet to be recalling his own feel-
ings,
the words of his enemies, and his prayers on that occasion; and
that
in his suffering he had learnt a great truth, viz, that the merciful
should
obtain mercy, and the unsympathising and the hard-hearted
meet
with the destruction they deserve. But, as Hupfeld observes,
the
Psalm only pronounces a blessing on the compassionate, it says
nothing
of the fate of the unfeeling; the sentiment expressed can
hardly
be called a great truth; and it is forced and unnatural to sup-
pose
that the whole passage, ver. 4-11, is a narrative of some long
past
event. The danger is one, as is evident from ver. 10, which
is
not yet past. The period is one of convalescence, but of not yet
established
health. Compare verses 3, 5, 6, 8, 10.
PSALM XLI. 341
The Psalm consists of three
parts:--
I. A blessing on those who with watchful
love and compassion are
ever
ready to succour the needy and the distressed. Such men shall
themselves
experience the favour and loving-kindness of Jehovah
when
they are laid on a bed of sickness. Ver. 1-3.
II. The Psalmist himself had found no
sympathy. On the con-
trary,
although (as I think is implied in the former part of the Psalm)
he
had ever been ready to sympathize with others, he found, now
that
he was himself in pain and suffering, the utter hollowness of
those
who in brighter hours had called themselves his friends.
(One
is reminded of the complaint of Job, chaps. xxix. xxx.) Even
the
most trusted counsellor, the most honoured guest, had treacher-
ously
turned against him. Ver. 4-9.
III. A prayer that being restored to
health, of God's mercy, he
may
be permitted to chastise his enemies; and an expression of his
confidence
that God will not suffer his enemies to triumph, but will,
as in times past, so now also
deliver him. Ver. 10-12.
[FOR THE PRECENTOR. (A
PSALM) OF DAVID.]
1 BLESSED is he that considereth a the
miserable:
In the day of evil Jehovah will deliver him.
2 Jehovah will keep him, and save him
alive;
He shall be blessed b in the land:
And give Thou not hirn over to the will of his
enemies
1-3. It is not easy to decide whether
the verbs here should be taken
as simple. futures or presents, or
whether they should be rendered as
optatives. The last clause of ver.
2, "and give Thou not," &c., [where
obs. the negat. lxa], favours the
latter construction. This is also
supported by the LXX., who, though
they give the fut. in ver. 1, r[u<setai have rendered all the
verbs in
ver. 2 and the first member of ver.
3 in the opt. On the other hand,
it may be said that the perf in
the latter clause of ver. 3, "Thou hast
changed," requires the pre- ceding
verbs to be either presents or
futures: and further, in other instances
where a Psalm begins |
with
yrew;xa "blessed," &c., there fol- lows
a description of the blessed- ness
itself, an enumeration of the particulars
in which that blessed- ness
consists. Comp. the opening of
Pss. i. xxxii., cxii., cxix., cxxviii. 1. THE MISERABLE, Or "the suffering:
" the word is one of wide meaning,
and is used of the poor (as
in Exod. xxx. 15), of the lean and
weak in body (as Gen. xli. 19), of
the sick in mind (as 2 Sam. xiii.
4). 2. IN THE LAND. On this Calvin remarks:"
It might indeed appear absurd,
that he promises himself a happy
life in the world, for our con- dition
were hard indeed if a better lot
did not await us elsewhere: but |
342 PSALM XLI
3 Jehovah will support him upon the couch
of languishing:
All his bed hast Thou changed in his sickness.
4 As for me--I said: "Jehovah, be
gracious unto me;
Heal my soul, for I have sinned against
Thee."
5 Mine enemies say evil of me:
"When will he die and his name have
perished?"
6 And if he come to see (me), he speaketh
vanity,
His heart gathereth iniquity to itself;
(When) he goeth abroad, he speaketh (it).
7 Together against me do all that hate me
whisper;
Against me do they devise evil for me:
8 "Some shocking thing (they say) is
poured outc upon
him,
because
many had despaired of his recovery,
he expressly says that he shall
still survive, and that not with- out
manifest tokens of God's grace: --words
which by no means exclude the
hope of a better life." The ex- pression
is, of course, due to that prominence
given to temporal re- ward
which was characteristic of the
Old Testament. 3. HIS BED. The word above rendered
"couch" means more strictly
the bed itself, whereas this denotes
rather the keeping the bed in
sickness. HAST THOU CHANGED. Many understand
this of the refreshment and
ease given to the sufferer by the
smoothing of the pillow, &c.; and
hence the E. V., "Thou wilt make all his bed,"
&c. But the meaning
rather is: "it is no longer a
sick bed, for Thou hast healed him of
his disease." The past tense ex- presses
here a common experience, not
a single circumstance, as J. H. Mich.
rightly explains, "Ut vertisti,
ita et in posterum vertes
melius." 4-9. The hypocrisy of
his pre- tended
friends described. Their conduct
is precisely the opposite of that
which he has just before com- mended.
They come to visit him indeed,
but not from motives of compassion,
but with the secret hope
that they may see him perish. |
4. AS FOR ME—I SAID. The pron.
is emphatic, and marks both the
transition from the previous eulogy
of the compassionate man to
the Poet's personal feelings and
desires, and also the opposi- tion
to the "enemies" in the next verse. FOR I HAVE SINNED, i.e. It is my
sin which has brought this suf- fering
on me: but obs. the prayer is,
"Pardon my sin," not "take away
my suffering."These words absolutely
forbid an application of the
whole Psalm to Christ. 5. SAY EVIL OF ME, or "say there is
evil to me," or "I am in an evil plight." HAVE PERISHED. Fut. perf., which
has been observed by Diodati (though
generally overlooked): " E quando
sarà periot it suo nome?" 6. IF HE COME. Sing. not im- personal,
but because the Psalmist has
in mind some individual whose hostility
was peculiarly active. Here again
Diodati shows his accuracy. "E se alcun
di loro viene," &c. "To
see" = "to visit in sickness," as
2 Sam. xiii. 5, 2 Kings viii. 29. Symm.,
e]piskoph?sai, or e]piske<ya- sqai. Three things are mentioned of
them: a lying mouth, an evil heart,
a love of slander. 8. SOME SHOCKING THING, Heb. "thing
of Belial," which may mean |
PSALM XLI. 343
And (now that) he lieth, he shall rise up no
more."
9 Yea mine old familiar friend, whom I
trusted,
Who did eat of my bread,
Hath lifted up his heel against me.
10 But Thou, O Jehovah, be gracious unto me,
And
raise me up, that I may requite them:
either
physical or moral evil. See xviii.
4 [5], note . But the latter signification
is the more common. Here
the same form of expression occurs as in ci. 3; cf. Deut. xv. 9, in
both of which passages moral evil
is meant. Perhaps, however, "a
thing of Belial" is = a punish- ment
which comes for evil-doing, a
moral cause with a physical re- sult.
So Rashi. 9. WHO DID EAT OF MY BREAD. The
Oriental feeling as to the sacredness
of hospitality would stamp
such conduct with peculiar blackness.
If David wrote the Psalm,
the ingratitude was the worse,
because of the honour con- ferred
on one who was admitted to the
king's table. (2 Sam. ix. 10 ff., I
Kings xviii. 19.) Part of this verse is quoted by our
Lord in John xiii. 18 as applica- ble
to the treacherous conduct of Judas,
but with the significant omission
of the words "mine own familiar
friend whom I trusted;" for
our Lord knew what was in Judas
from the beginning, and therefore
did not trust him. Nothing can
be more decisive both as to the way
in which quotations were made, and
also as to the proper interpre- tation
of the apparently strong phrase
i!na h[ grafh> plhrwq^? with which
the quotation is introduced. First,
it is plain that particular ex- pressions in a Psalm may be ap- plicable
to events which befel our Lord,
whilst the whole Psalm is not
in like manner applicable. And next
it is evident that "the Scrip- ture
is fulfilled "not merely when a prediction
receives its accomplish- ment,
but when words descriptive |
of
certain circumstances in the life of
the O. T. saints find a still fuller and
truer realization—one not fore- seen
by the Psalmist, yet one no less designed
of God—in the circum- stances
of our Lord's earthly life. This
will be peculiarly the case here if
Ahithophel be meant; for as David
was in much of his life a type
of Christ, so the treachery of his
trusted counsellor would be a foreshadowing
of the treachery of Judas. The renderirtg in John xiii. o[
trw<- gwn met ] e]mou? to>n a@rton,
e]ph?ren e]p] e]me> th>n pte<rnan au]tou?, is independent of
the LXX., who have here more literally,
e]mega<lunen e]p
] e]me> pterni- smo<n. The Heb. phrase is
"hath made great his heel," which
may either
mean "he has Iifted it on high,
so as to trample on the object of
attack," or "has given a hard violent
blow with it." 10. THAT I MAY REQUITE THEM. Such
a wish cannot be reconciled with
our better Christian con- science.
We find a purer and nobler tone
of feeling in vii. 4 [5]; and Saadia
would here supply, "good instead
of evil," which however is plainly
not the meaning of the Psalmist.
Calov's attempt to turn the
edge of the words is worse: "Hinc constat, non Davidem, qui ipsi etiam Simei condonavit, sed Christum, cujus est vindicta, hoc loqui." The true explanation of such expressions
is, I believe, that given in
a note on xxxv. Delitzsch, how- ever,
defends the wish here by say- ing
that such a wish was justifiable in
David as a lawful king who had been
dethroned by rebellious sub- jects,
and one which by the help |
344 PSALM XLI.
11 By this I know that Thou delightest in
me,
That mine enemy doth not shout over me.
12 And as for me,—in mine integrity Thou
hast upheld me
And settest me before Thy face for ever.
13 Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel,
From everlasting and to
everlasting.
Amen, and Amen !
of
God he actually accomplished when
he crushed the rebellion of Absalom. 13 This last verse is no part of the
original Psalm, but is merely a |
later
doxology appended here when the
Psalms were collected in order to
mark the conclusion of the First Book.
Similar doxologies occur at the
end of the three following Books. |
a lykWh may either mean
"to consider," "regard," i.e. look with an eye
of
compassion upon; comp. Neh. viii. 13, and with lfa, Prov. xvi. 20, with
l, Prov. xxi. 11, 12: or it may mean "to
deal wisely," i.e. with the true
wisdom
of righteousness; cf. Ps. xiv. 2, where the wise man = the man
who
loves God. The LXX. give the first of these meanings, o[
suniw?n
]pi> ptwxo<n. A scholiast, the last,
o[ e]nnow?n a} prosh?ke peri> tw?n penh<twn.
Verss.
and Commentt. are divided between these two meanings. Vulg.
qui
intelligit super egenum et pauauperem. Luther, "der
sich des Durftigen
annimmt." Diodati, "che si porta saviamente inverso
'1 povero e misero."
Mendels.
"der fur den Armen sorgt." Hupf. "der achtsam (fromm) ist
gegen
den Schwachen (Bedrängten)."
b rw.axuy;, to be preferred to the
Q'ri rw.axuv;, which seems to have arisen
from
an attempt to supply the conj. Either (I), Pual of rwe.xi, "to pro-
nounce
happy." (Symm. markaristo>j e@stai), "he shall be
pronounced
happy,"
or simply as echoing yrew;xa, ver. 2, "shall be happy," as
in Prov.
iii.
18, the only other place where the word occurs : or (2), from rwe.xi, "to
lead
in the right way;" so J. H. Mich. "feliciter in
via salutis dirigetur."
t lx, a sudden transition from the description of
the good man's lot to
a
prayer on his behalf. See note on xxxvi. 5. On wp,n, in this sense, see
xxvii.
12.
c qvcy, Part. Pual fr. qcy, occurring also I Kings
vii. 24, 30; Job xli.
15,
16. Perhaps the same figure as in Jer. xlii. 18. "Is poured out," i.e.
so
as to cover him and penetrate his whole body, like metal poured into a
mould
which fills and adheres to every part. E. V. "cleaveth fast unto
him,"
as if from root qvc.
T H E P S A L M S
---------------------------------------
BOOK II
PSALMS XLII-LXXII
The Second Book of the Psalms
differs from the first by one distin-
guishing
characteristic,--its use of the Divine Name.
In the Frist,
God
is spoken of and addressed as Jehovah; in the Second, as
Elohim,
the latter name being that which, in our Version, is rendered
“God.” According to the computation given by
Delitzsch, Jehovah
occurs
272 times in the First Book, and Elohim but 15 times;
whereas
in the Second, Elohim occurs 164 times, and Jehovah only
30
times. There is also another observable difference between the
two
Books. In the First, all those Psalms which have any inscription
at
all, are expressly assigned to David as their author; whereas in the
Second,
we find a whole series attributed to some of the Levitical
singers.
These inscriptions will be found noticed in their places.
With
regard to the meaning of the Divine Names, and their peculiar
and
characteristic occurrence, it may suffice to refer to the articles
JEHOVAH,
GENESISI, and PENTATEUCH, in Smith’s
Dictionary
of the Bible.
346
PSALM XLII.
THIS Psalm, though its date and authorship
are uncertain, leaves
us
in no doubt as to the locality in which it was written. The Sacred
Poet
was in the land beyond the
Hermon
(ver. 6), in that land which was “emphatically the land of
exile—the
refuge of exiles.” Many expositors are of opinion that the
Psalm
was written by David on the occasion of his flight from his son
Absalom,
when, as we read 2 Sam. xvii. 24 &c., having crossed the
fords
of the
took
refuge at Mahanaim. It was at this spot, consecrated in patri-
archal
times by the vision of the Hosts of God to Jacob,—this
“sanctuary
of the trans-Jordanic region,”—that the exiled monarch
stationed
himself, whilst the people that were with him spread them-
selves
in the neighbouring wilderness. The words of the Psalm are
supposed
to describe his sense of the greatness of his loss as debarred
from
all access to the sanctuary of God in
pressions
in it which are clearly not applicable to David's circum-
stances
at the time. David was not amongst enemies who would
mock
him for his trust in Jehovah (xlii. 3, 10); on the contrary, he
was
surrounded by friends who were full of devotedness to his person
and
who possessed the same religious faith with himself (2 Sam. xvii.
27—29).
David could hardly say at such a time, “I go mourning
all
the day because of the oppression of the enemy” (xlii. 9, xliii. 2),
however
bitterly he might feel the unnatural conduct of his son and
the
alienation of his subjects. Hence Paulus, who has been followed
by
De Wette, Maurer, and others, conjectured that the Psalm is the
lamentation
of a Priest, who either in the time of Jeroboam was shut
out
from all access to the
were
carried away by the Chaldxans after the capture of
and
who from these hills looked back on
“last
sigh” before it vanished for ever from his sight. Vaihinger
supposes
it to have been written by one of the Levites who was
banished
by Athaliah. Ewald thinks that the words may have been
those
of King Jehoiakim himself, when in the hand of his captors,
who
perhaps halted somewhere in this neighbourhood for a night, on
their
return to
347
348 PSALMS XLII. &
XLIII.
that
of one looking for speedy restoration
to his native land, than of
one
carried away into enduring captivity in
“From these heights [beyond
his
flight from the Philistines, and David in his flight from Absalom,
and
the Israelites on their way to
one
plaintive strain which sums up all these feelings,—the 42d Psalm.
Its
date and authorship are uncertain; but the place is, beyond
doubt,
the trans-Jordanic hills, which always behold, as they are
always
beheld from, Western
exile
the ‘gazelle’ of the forests of
streams
of water which there descend to the
panted
after God, from whose outward presence he was shut out.
The
river with its winding rapids, ‘deep calling to deep,’ lay between
him
and his home. All that he could now do was to remember the
past,
as he stood ‘in the
‘Hermon,’
as he found himself on the eastern heights of Mizar, which
reminded
him of his banishment and solitude. As we began, so we
end
this brief account of the Peraean hills. They are the ‘Pisgah’
of
the earlier history: to the later history they occupy the pathetic
relation
that has been immortalized in the name of the long ridge
from
which the first and the last view of
are
the ‘last sigh’ of the Israelite exile.”—Sinai
and
viii.
§ 6.
There are good grounds for concluding that
this Psalm and the next
constituted
originally but one Poem. The internal evidence favours
this
hypothesis. Besides the refrain at the end of xliii., which is the
same
as that which occurs twice in xlii. (ver. 5 [6], and 11 [12]),
there
is the remarkable coincidence of thought and language in xliii.
2
and xlii. 9 [10]. The longing, too, for the sanctuary in xliii. 3, 4,
with
the hope again to visit it, may be compared with the regret to
which
it answers in xlii. 4 [5]. Nor is external evidence wanting
which
points the same way. Thirty-seven of Kennicott's MSS. and
nine
of De-Rossi's have but one Psalm instead of two. The LXX.,
it
is true, make a distinct Psalm of the 43d. But, according to.
a
Midrash which reckons 147 Psalms in all, these two must be
reckoned
as one, as well as Psalms ix. x., and xxxii. xxxiii.
On
the other hand, there can be no doubt that each Psalm is com-
plete
in itself; and it is conceivable that, though originally existing
as
one Poem, the present arrangement might have been adopted, the
better
to suit the purposes either of personal or liturgical use. The
language
of the 43d Psalm, it is obvious, might be used by those who
were
not in the circumstances indicated in the 42d. We have traces
PSALMS XLII. & XLIII. 349
of
a similar separation in Ps. xl., the latter part of which appears in
a
detached form as Ps. lxx., and probably for the same reason.
Assuming, then, that the two Psalms are in
fact one, the whole
may
be divided into three strophes, each consisting of five verses,
and
each closing with the same words.
I. The first expresses the longing of the
soul after God and the
service
of His sanctuary (xlii. 1, 2); the deep sorrow occasioned by
the
taunts of scoffing enemies (ver. 3); the attempt to find comfort
in
the recollection of past occasions of spiritual blessing (ver. 4).
The
expostulation at the close forms a refrain with which the two
following
strophes are also concluded (ver. 5).
II. The sense of distance from God and of
the loss of His Presence
oppresses
the soul yet more (ver. 6, 7); yet still there is the effort to
rise
out of this despondency (ver. 8); but again the enemies who
reproach
and who triumph occupy the foreground, while God seems
to
have forgotten, and His help to be far off (ver. 9). The expostu-
latory
refrain recurs as at the end of the first strophe.
III. The tone here is throughout more
hopeful. First there is the
appeal
to God's justice (xliii. 1); then the ground of that appeal (ver.
2
a); then a further expostulation
(ver. 2 b, c); then the prayer for
Divine
light and truth (ver. 3); and lastly, the confident hope of
restoration
to the land, and of being permitted again to join in the
services
of the sanctuary (ver. 4). The refrain as before (ver. 5).
[TO
THE PRECENTOR. A MASKIL, OF THE SONS OF KORAH.a]
So panteth my soul after Thee, O God.
2 My soul is athirst for God, for the
Living God:
2. MY SOUL IS ATHIRST. The figure
occurs again lxiii. 1 [2]. Comp.
xxxvi. 8, 9 [9, 10], and Is. xli. 17,
1v. 1, Jer. ii. 13. Of this thirst Robertson
beautifully says: “There is
a desire in the human heart best described
as the cravings of infini- tude.
We are so made that nothing which
has limits satisfies. . . . Man's destiny
is to be not dissatisfied, but for
ever unsatisfied. . . . Infinite goodness--a
beauty beyond what eye
hath seen or heart imagined, a |
justice
which shall have no flaw and
a righteousness which shall have
no blemish—to crave for that, is
to be ‘athirst for God.’” (Ser- mons, 2nd Series, pp. 120,
121.) THE LIVING GOD. Comp. lxxxiv. 2
[3], not only as opposed to the gods
of the heathen, nor as Stier suggests
(and as the old Latin pa
phrast, fontem vivum, and the A.-S.
se libbenda wylle), with an allusion
to the expression “living waters;”
but in opposition to all |
350 PSALMS XLII. &
XLIII.
When shall I come, and appear before
God?
3 My tears have been my food day and night,
While they say unto me continually,
“Where is thy
God?”
4 These things would I remember,c
and pour out my
soul in me,d--
dead
abstractions, all vague head- notions,
as the Living Person, the Source
and Fountain of all life, loving
and loved in return, as xxxvi.
9 [10]. Again I cannot deny myself
the pleasure of quoting from Robertson:
“What we want is, we shall
find, not infinitude, but a boundless
One; not to feel that love
is the law of this universe, but to
feel One whose name is Love. For
else, if in this world of order there
be no One in whose bosom that
order is centred, and of whose Being
it is the expression: in this world
of manifold contrivance no Personal
Affection which gave to the
skies their trembling tender- ness
and to the snow its purity: then
order, affection, contrivance, wisdom,
are only horrible abstrac- tions,
and we are in the dreary universe
alone. . . . It is a dark moment
when the sense of that personality
is lost; more terrible than
the doubt of immortality. For of
the two—eternity without a per- sonal
God, or God for seventy years
without immortality—no one after
David's heart would hesitate. ‘Give
me God for life to know and be
known by Him.’ No thought is
more hideous than that of an eternity
without Him.” Calvin interprets this longing for God,
as a longing for His sanctuary and
its ordinances. “Clamavit igitur
David ad Deum . . quia ab externo cultu erat exclusus, quod vinculum est sacrae cum Deo con- junctionis: non quod per se Deo nos ceremoniae concilient, sed quia pietatis sunt exercitia, quibus carere non sustinet nostra infirmitas. Itaque a sanctuario exulans David, non aliter anxius est quam si a Deo |
ipso
esset alienatus.” And this is no
doubt supported by the expres- sion
which follows: WHEN SHALL I . . . APPEAR BEFORE
GOD? For this is a phrase commonly
used of going to the sanctuary
or temple, lxxxiv. 7 [8]; Ex.
xxiii. 17; and still more often “before
the face of God,” Ex. xxxiv. 24; Deut. xvi. 16, xxxi. 11; 1 Sam. i. 22. Here the verb is construed with
the simple accus. without a preposition,
as in Ex. xxiii. 15; Is. i.
12. But the longing for the sanc- tuary
was because God's Presence was
there peculiarly manifested. 3. MY TEARS HAVE BEEN, &c. i.e. they have been my
daily por- tion,
like my daily meal. See lxxx. 5
[6], cii. 9 [10], and Job iii. 24. Comp. Plaut. Asinar.
“pro cibo habes te verberari.” Ovid. Metam. x.
288, “Cura dolorque animi lacri- maeque
alimenta fuere.” WHERE IS THY GOD? The bitterest
of all taunts, see lxxix. 10, cxv.
2; Joel ii. 17; Micah vii. 10, and
comp. xxii. 8 [9], with Matt. xxvi.i.
43. “This is ever the way in
religious perplexity: the un- sympathizing
world taunts or mis- understands.
In spiritual grief they ask,
Why is he not like others? In bereavements
they call your deep sorrow
unbelief. In misfortune they
comfort you, like Job's friends, by
calling it a visitation . . . they call
you an infidel, though your soul
be crying after God. Specially in
that dark and awful hour, ‘Eloi, Eloi,’
He called on God: they said, ‘Let
be, let us see whether Elias will
come to save Him.’”—Robert- son. 4. THESE THINGS WOULD I RE- MEMBER,
or, “let me remember,” |
PSALMS
XLII.
& XLIII. 351
How I passed with the festal throng,e
How I led them in procession f
to the House of God,
With the voice of loud song and thanksgiving,—a
multitude keeping holy-day.
5 Why art thou bowed down, O my soul,
And (why) art thou disquieted within
me?
Hope in God; for I shall yet give Him
thanks,
“fain
would I remember.” In such a
recollection there would be min- gled
feelings of bitterness and con- solation.
No doubt the thought of those
happy days in which he had travelled
with the festal caravan to the
holy city, would make him feel more
intensely his present loneli- ness,
but it would also be a kind of
solace in his sorrow, or, as Delitzsch
terms it, “a bitter-sweet remembrance.” THESE THINGS, viz. what follows, how
I once led the rejoicing multi- tudes
in procession to the house of God.
On the construction, see Critical
Note. WITH THE VOICE OF LOUD SONG,
&c. These pilgrim caravans went
up to accompaniments
of music and song (see
2 Sam. vi. 5, and the beautiful little
collection of pilgrim songs preserved
in Psalms cxx.—cxxxiv., which
were inspired by and adapted to
such occasions). A MULTITUDE (a word occurring with
the same reference, 2 Sam. vi. 19),
in apposition with the THRONG mentioned
above: KEEPING HOLY- DAY,
or festival; the word is used absolutely,
as in Exod. xxiii. 14. 5. WHY ART THOU BOWED DOWN?
lit. “Why bowest thou thy- self
down?” The verb only occurs here
and in the next Psalm, in this reflexive
form (Hithpael). “David here
presents himself to us,” says Calvin,
“divided into two parts.” It
is the struggle between the spirit of
faith and the spirit of dejection, between
the higher nature and the lower,
between the spirit and the flesh.
The true I speaks; the faith which
is born of God rebukes the |
depression
and gloom of his natural infirmity. DISQUIETED, a word used else- where
of the raging and roaring of the
sea (as xlvi. 3 [4]): His soul is tossed
and agitated like an angry sea. HOPE. “Distinguish between the feelings of faith that God is
pre- sent,
and the hope of faith that He will
be so. . . . There are hours in which
physical derangement dark- ens
the windows of the soul; days in
which shattered nerves make life
simply endurance: months and years
in which intellectual difficul- ties,
pressing for solution, shut out God.
Then faith must be replaced by
hope. ‘What I do thou know- est
not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.’
‘Clouds and darkness are
round about Him: but Right- eousness
and Truth are the habita- tion
of His Throne.’ ‘My soul, hope
thou,’” &c.—Robertson. IN GOD. “This hope was in God. The mistake we
make,” says Robertson,
“is to look for a source of
comfort in ourselves: self-con- templation
instead of gazing upon God;”
and then, after showing that it
is impossible to derive consola- tion
from our own feelings, because they
are so variable, or from our own
acts, because in a low state no man
can judge of these aright, and warning
us that besides, whilst en- gaged
in this self-inspection, we lose
time in remorse, he continues, “When
we gaze on God, then first the
chance of consolation dawns. He
is not affected by our muta- bility:
our changes do not alter Him.
When we are restless, He remains
serene and calm: when we |
352 PSALMS XLII. & XLIII.
(Who is) the health of my countenance
and my
God.g
II.
6 [My God,] my soul is bowed down within me:
Therefore do I remember Thee from
the land of
And (from) the Hermons, from the
mountain of
Mizar.
are
low, selfish, mean, or dispirited, He
is still the unalterable I AM, the same
yesterday, to-day, and for ever,
in whom is no variableness, neither
shadow of turning. What God
is in Himself, not what we may chance
to feel Him in this or that moment
to be, that is our hope. ‘My
soul, hope thou in GOD.’” I SHALL YET GIVE HIM THANKS, i.e. I shall do again as I
have done before.
Once I went . . . with the voice
of song and thanksgiving, ver.
4., . . . and again I shall give Him
thanks. (WHO IS) THE HEALTH, &c. According
to the present Hebrew text,
the rendering would be: “For the
health of His countenance.” But
see Critical Note. 6. The first division of the Psalm ends
with the expostulation ad- dressed
to the soul in its despon- dency,
“Why art thou cast down?” and
with an effort to rise into a brighter
region of hope. But the gloom
is too deep to be so soon dispersed.
Therefore this second strophe
opens with the complaint, “My
soul is bowed down.” Throughout this second portion of
the Psalm, the constant fluctua- tions,
the alternations of despon- dency
and hope, are very remark- able.
“My soul is cast down,— therefore
will I remember Thee. All
Thy waves and Thy billows are gone
over me,—Jehovah will corn- inand
His loving-kindness. I will pray
unto God,—though my prayer be
nothing but the outpouring of my
complaint. God is my Rock, —even
whilst I say, Why hast Thou forgotten
me?” MY SOUL IS BOWED DOWN. The |
rendering
of the LXX. here, h[ yuxh< mou e]taraxqh, and that in the pre- vious
verse, of the words, Why art thou
cast down, &c., ti peri<lupoj, are
both appropriated by
our Lord; the former in John xii.
27, the latter in Matt. xxvi. 38. THEREFORE DO I REMEMBER, in that
strange land so much the more. Comp.
the prayer of Jonah, ii. 8. THE mentioned
in the Introduction, the country
east of the had
this special designation. THE HERMONS, or the peaks or ridges
of Hermon, the plural being used
either because of the two peaks of
the mountain (Wilson, Land of the Bible, ii. 161), or perhaps
with reference
to the whole range of its snowy
heights. MIZAR, apparently the name of some
one of the lesser peaks of the same
mountain range, though the particular
peak cannot now be iden- tified.
The older translators gene- rally
supposed the word to be used merely
as an appellative, in its lite- ral
sense, of “littleness” or “con- tempt”
(comp. the play on the word
“Zoar,” from the same root, Gen.
xix. 20), as if the Sacred Poet were
anxious to express how little in
his eyes seemed even that giant range,
with all its snows and forests, compared
with the true greatness and
dignity of the holy hill of Zion: as
Rosenm. explains, “religionis studio
ita ardebat ut sorderent ei prae
monte Sion omnia.” But the objection
to such an interpretation is,
that the Hebrew Poets do not seek
to depreciate the greater moun- tains
of Hermon and comparison
with |
PSALMS
XLII. & XLIII. 353
7 Deep calleth unto deep at the voice of
Thy cataracts;
All Thy breakers and Thy billows have
passed
over me.
8 (Yet) in the day-time will Jehovah
command His
loving-kindness;
And in the night His song shall be
with me,
A prayer unto the God of my life.
9 So will I say unto God my Rock, “Why hast
Thou
forgotten me?
Why go I mourning because of the
oppression of
the enemy?”
to
raise it
above these. Hengstenberg sup- poses
that the name of “contempt” designates
not the particular moun- tain,
but the whole trans-Jordanic territory. 7. DEEP CALLETH UNTO DEEP. An
image borrowed, (see
the passage quoted in the In- troduction
to this Psalm), from the winding
rapids of the litzsch,
from the rushing mountain torrents
which dashed and foamed before
his eyes. But so common an image
as that in which sorrows and calamities
are compared to floods and
waves (see xviii. 16 [17]), need not
have been suggested by any external
object then immediately present.
Besides, the word “deep” is
properly used only of “the sea” or
of “the great subterranean re- servoir
of waters” (Gen. vii. 11), and
probably it is used in this last sense
even in Ezek. xxxi. 4, 15, where
the cedars of Lebanon are supposed
to be nourished by it. One
vast body of water seems to summon
another, as if on purpose to
swallow him up. Comp. Eur. Suppl. 614, di<ka
di<kan ka<lesse kai> fo<noj
fo<non. AT THE VOICE OF, i.e. accom- panied
by the sound of, &c. THY CATARACTS,
or waterfalls; such seems
to be the meaning here. LXX.
katarra<ktai. The only other place
where the word occurs is 2 Sam.
v. 8, where it is in the sin- |
gular,
and is rendered in the E.V. “the
gutter,” but probably means rather
“the watercourse.” Hence it
would appear that, like many other
words (lHana for instance), it might
denote both the bed or chan- nel
itself, and the water in the chan- nel.
(Comp. rTAn;ca, Zech. iv. 12). BREAKERS . . . BILLOWS. The first,
from the verb rbw (shabhar),
“shiver,
break,” with the same idea
in Hebrew as in English, of the
waves breaking on the shore; the
last of the waves as rolling. 8. WILL COMMAND. Clearly not to
be referred to the past, as Ibn Ezra
and others have supposed. It is
a bright ray of hope which gleams upon
the singer in the midst of his present
despondency. God will command,—send,
that is, like a di- vine
Iris, or heavenly messenger, His
loving-kindness. So xliii. 3, “Send
Thy Light and Thy Truth,” &c. IN THE NIGHT, not to be empha- sized,
as if intended in opposition to
IN THE DAY, but day and night are
used poetically to describe the continuance of the action. HIS SONG, comp. Job xxxv. 10. 9. SO WILL I SAY. The resolve which
follows (expressed by the opta- tive
form of the verb), based on this his
hope in the goodness of God. MOURNING, or rather, “as a mourner,”
“in mourning attire.” See
on xxxv. 14. |
354
PSALMS XLII.
& XLIII.
10 As though they would breakh
my bones, mine enemies
reproach me,
While they say unto me all day
long, “Where is
thy God?”
11 Why art thou bowed down, O my soul,
And (why) art thou disquieted in
me?
Hope in God; for I shall yet give Him
thanks,
(Who is) the health of my
countenance, and my God.
XLIII.
III.
1 JUDGE me, O God,
And plead my cause against a cruel nation;
From the man of deceit and wrong rescue me
2 For Thou art the God of my strength:
Why hast Thou cast me off,
Why go I to and fro mourning because of the
oppression of the enemy?
3 O send forth Thy Light and Thy Truth;
let them
lead me,
Let them bring me to Thy holy
mountain, and to
Thy tabernacles.
4 So will I come unto the altar of God,
Unto God my exceeding joy:
1. JUDGE ME, i.e. “show the justice
of my cause,” “pronounce sentence
for me,” as often else- where.
AGAINST, lit. “from.” A brief
form of expression for the fuller
“Plead my cause, so as to deliver
me from.” UNGODLY, lit. “not godly,” or perhaps
“not-good,” if the adjec- tive
be taken here as in xii. 1 [2], in
its active sense; hence “cruel,” “unmerciful.” 2. The question is repeated from xlii.
9 [10], but in a stronger form. Not
“Why hast Thou forgotten?” but
“Why hast Thou cast off?” 3. The one object of his heart's desire
is to be restored to the house of
God. |
LIGHT and TRUTH (instead of the
more usual Loving-kindness and
Truth)—these shall be to him, so
he hopes, as angels of God, who shall
lead him by the hand, till they bring
him to the holy mountain, to the
tabernacle, and to the altar, there
to offer his thank-offerings. Or
possibly there may be an allu- sion
to the Urim and Thummim, as
the symbol of Light and Truth. See
the article “Urim and Thum- mim,”
by Prof. Plumptre, in Smith's Dict. of the Bible. TABERNACLES. The plural may denote
the several parts of the building;
but see on lxxxiv. 1. 4. GOD MY EXCEEDING JOY, lit. “God
the joy of my exultation.” |
PSALMS XLII. &
XLIII. 355
Yea, upon the harp will I praise Thee, O
God, my God.
5 Why art Thou bowed down, O my soul,
And why art thou disquieted in me?
Hope in God; for I shall yet give Him
thanks,
(Who is) the health of my
countenance, and my God.
a lyKiW;ma. See on Ps. xxxii. note a.
Hraqo ynebeli. These words are first found in the
inscription of this and the
six
following Psalms. Jebb supposes this title to denote not the authors
of
the Psalms, but the Levitical singers and musicians for whom they
were
composed. He would, therefore, take the l; not as in dvidAl;, but as in
Hace.nam;la. It is more natural,
however, to consider the l; here as expressive
of
authorship; and so the LXX. toi?j ui[oi?j Kore<, as in other Psalms, t&?
Daui<d.
It is remarkable that the inscription should assume this anony-
mous
character, mentioning not the individual singer, but only the family
to
which he belonged; especially when, as Delitzsch has remarked, we
have
in the inscriptions of other Psalms (as, for instance, lxxiii.—lxxxiii.)
the
individual JsAxAl;, instead of the family MwAr;Ge-yneb;li, or the like. This
may
be owing to some circumstance with which we are unacquainted.
These
Levitical singers may have been like the Bardic families or colleges
in
other nations, especially those living in mountain regions. All may
have
made poetry and music their profession, and only in rare cases did
an
individual, perhaps like Asaph, acquire great personal reputation.
The
“Korah” whose “sons” are here spoken of, is the Levite who
headed
the insurrection against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness
(Numb.
xvi.). We find his descendants existing as a powerful Levitical
family
in the time of David, at least if they are to be identified, as is pro-
bable,
with the Korahites mentioned in 1 Chron. xii. 6, who, like our own
warlike
bishops of former times, seem to have known how to doff the
priestly
vestment for the soldier's armour, and whose hand could wield
the
sword as well as strike the harp. These Korahites were a part of
the
band who acknowledged David as their chief at Ziklag; warriors
“whose
faces,” it is said, “were like the faces of lions, and who were (for
speed)
like gazelles upon the mountains.” According to 1 Chron. ix. 17,
the
Korahites were, in David's time, keepers of the threshold of the
Tabernacle;
and still earlier, in the time of Moses, watchmen at the en-
trance
of the camp of the Levites. In 1 Chron. xxvi. 1-19, we find two
branches
of this family associated with that of Merari, as guardians of
the
doors of the
office
in Ps. lxxxiv. 11. But the Korahites were also celebrated musicians
and
singers, 1 Chron. vi. 16-33, where Heman, one of the three famous
musicians
of the time, is said to be a Korahite (comp. 1 Chron. xxv.). The
musical
reputation of the family continued in the time of Jehoshaphat,
2
Chron. xx. 19, where we have the peculiar doubly plural form yneB;
Myhir;q.Aha, “sons of the Korahites.”
356 PSALMS XLII. &
XLIII.
b grofETa. We have three points
to consider with reference to this verb:
(1)
its meaning, (2) its gender, (3) its construction in the sentence.
(1) The word only occurs here and Joel i.
20, where it is spoken of
“the
beasts of the field.” The older interpreters seem to have guessed
at
the meaning of the word, as they explain it differently in the two pas-
sages.
Here the LXX. have e]pipoqei?; similarly the Chald. gGeram;. Jerome
renders:
“Sicut areola praeparata ad irrigationes aquarum: sic anima
mea
praeparata (h. desiderat) ad te, Deus.” In Joel i. 20, the LXX. have
a]ne<bleyan, Chald. xrAB;sam;, Jerome, suspexerunt, but he has there the re-
markable
gloss, quasi area sitiens imbrem,
which seems to have been
borrowed
from this Psalm, and looks as if he wished to explain both the
verb
and the preposit. lx,, by this rendering; the suspexerunt referring to
the
latter, and the sitiens, &c. to
the former. The Rabbinical commen-
tators,
following the lead of the Syr., suppose the word to describe the
peculiar
cry of the stag, as hfg does the lowing of the ox, and gxw the
roar
of the lion. The word, however, is probably cognate in root with the
Arab. which means (not as Gesen. ascendere, and hence with the
prepos.
desiderare, appetere, but) inclinare, flectere. Comp. , ad occa-
sum vergere, II. V. intentum esse, instare, &c. So
Hupfeld. It is evident
from
the passage in Joel, as well as from this, that the word is used pro-
perly
of the longing of animals for water. It is said there, “that the
water-brooks
are dried up;” it expresses therefore the panting
of the stag
in
the burning heat of the steppes, or perhaps when hard pressed by the
hunters.
The Gr. o]re<gesqai is apparently a kindred root.
(2) The verb is fem. though the noun ly.Axa is properly masc. The
irre-
gularity
is best explained by regarding ly.Axa as a collect. or
epiccene noun
(like
rOw,
rOmHE).
(3) As regards the construction, lyA.xa is usually taken here
as a conjunc-
tion, as a matter of course,
as if it were = ly.Axa, “as
a hart panteth.”
Its
normal use as a particle of comparison is certainly as a preposition;
so
that it belongs only to the noun to which it is prefixed. The accentu-
ation,
too, commonly restricts it to the noun, and separates it from the
following
verbal clause, which must consequently be a relative clause. So
here,
‘t ‘xk will be, “As a hart which panteth.” Hupfeld, indeed, main-
tains
that can be used as a conjunction, and gives several passages in
which
he says such a construction is necessary, xc. 5, cxxv. 1, Is. liii. 7,
xi.
11. In all these passages the ordinary construction of K; as a prep. is
not only admissible, but
preferable.
c hrAK;z;x,, optative. Two
constructions are possible: either that of the
E.
V., “When I remember these things, then I pour out my soul in me:
for,” &c., in which
case the paragogic form is used both in protasis and
apodosis,
and the apodosis is introduced by v;. So Ewald. (Comp. the
use
of h
paragog. in the protasis xl. 6). Or, the second clause may be
parenthetical.
“Fain would I remember these things—and (in the re-
membrance)
pour out my soul—how,” &c. In
this case yKi
depends on the
verb
hrAK;z;x,, and, in fact, explains hl,.xe. Hence Mendelssohn
paraphrases:
PSALMS XLII. &
XLIII. 357
“Ueber
Gefolg,”
&c.
d ylafA, lit. “upon me,” “with
me,” penes me, as (besides vers. 6,
7, 12, in
this
and ver. 5 in the next Ps.) in cxlii. 4, cxliii. 4, where it is parallel with
yKiOtK;. Comp. Job xxx. 16.
e j`sA, only occurring here,
but kindred with j`so, hKAsu (Chald. j`sa), pro-
perly
a thicket, and so any dense
interwoven mass; here, the densely-
crowded
caravan of pilgrims to the
supposing
the Tabernacle to be meant, and so the Ethiop., but
Rashi
rightly Mdx ynb ydvdg.
f MDeDax,, Hithp., of a r. hdd, not in use, for hD,Dat;x,; occurs only here and
Is.
xxxviii. 15, “to move slowly,” here of the slow march of the proces-
sion,
but the pronom. suffix with the Hithp. is an anomaly, as the suffix
must
then = Mh,lA
or Mh,m.Afi; the Hithp. cannot have the transitive meaning
“to
lead.” Hence, either the suffix should be omitted; or we should
point
MDedaxE, Piel. The Piel HDADi is found in the Talmud,
and means there
“to
lead children and young animals.” This verb and the preceding
rbof<x, are both proper
imperfects, as expressing a past habit.
g According to the present Hebrew text, vynAPA
tOfUwy;, we
must render
with
the E.V., “for the help of His countenance” (so the Chald.
“the
redemption which comes from before Him”); or with Ibn
Ezra,
“His countenance or presence is salvation.” But in both the
other
instances of the refrain, ver. 11 [12], and xliii. 5, the reading is
yhAloxve ynaPA ‘y, and this may have been
the case originally here, as the next
verse
now begins with yhalox<. The alteration is
extremely slight—the re-
moval
merely of the v from the end of the one word to the beginning of
the
next;
yhAloxve ynaPA instead of yhAlox<: vyniPA. Hengst. argues, on the
other hand,
that
slight variations are of constant occurrence in the refrains of other
Psalms—xlix.
13, 21; lvi. 5, 11; lix. 10, 18—and thinks that the address
to
God is necessary at the beginning of the next verse. It is, I think,
more
natural, notwithstanding Hupfeld's remark to the contrary, that the
next
verse should contain a direct address to God. In xliii. 1, we have in
like
manner a direct address after the refrain. In this case the reading
may
have been originally yhalx<: yhAlxvE ‘p
‘y, and the repetition of
the word
may
have occasioned first its omission at the end of ver. 5 [6], and then
the
alteration of the text.
h ‘B Hcar,, “a breaking in my bones,” instead of “a breaking of,” &c.
The
first B;
before Hcar,
(lit. “consisting in”) serves here, in some measure,
to
introduce a comparison, comp. xxxviii. 20. Hence, “With a breaking in
my
bones,”—“like a shattering blow, crushing the very bones, is the taunt
of
the foe.” Comp. lxix. 21. Hcar, is, properly,
“breaking,”—as in Ezek.
xxi.
27, and the verb in Ps, lxii. 4, in both of which passages it is used of
the
breaking down of walls; LXX. kataqla?sqai—not “murder,” as Symm.
w[j sfaghn dia> tw?n o]ste<wn mou; Luther, “als Mord;”
nor as in E.V. “as
with
a sword.”
358 PSALM XLIV.
PSALM
XLIV.
There is scarcely any Psalm which
seems at first sight to furnish
a
more decided clue to the probable date of its composition than this,
and
yet leaves us, after all, in so much uncertainty. The notes of
time
are apparently three.
1. The conquest of
“the
times of old.”
2. The period was a period of great
national distress; the people
were
hard pressed by enemies.
3. All this had come on them not as a judgment for national sin:
hence
the age must have been one when the nation was holding fast
to
the worship of Jehovah and eschewing idolatry.
This last circumstance is so
peculiar, that we might expect it to
decide
the question.
Now we know of no period of Jewish
history previous to the
Exile,
when the assertion would be true that the people had not for-
gotten
God, nor “stretched out their hands to any strange god.”
Hence
many interpreters refer the Psalm to the times of the Macca-
bees,
and the persecution of Antiochus Epiphanes (2 Macc. v. 11-
23).
The nation was then free from the taint of idolatry, and it suf-
fered
cruelly. So far as the internal evidence goes, it is unquestion-
ably
in favour of this period. But the history of the Canon is said to
be
against it. Gesenius and others have argued, that Psalms com-
posed
at so late a date would not have been received into the Canon,
which
was finally settled in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah. This,
however,
is an entire mistake. The formation of the Canon was a
slow
and gradual work, extending over a very considerable period
of
time, and cannot be said to have been finally completed before
the
age of the Maccabees. See the able article of the Canon by
Prof.
Westcott in Dr. Smith’s Dict. of the
Bible.
Some, as De Wette (in his last
edition) and Tholuck, refer the
Psalm
to the time immediately preceding the Exile, after Josiah’s
reforms;
others, to the Exile itself, or the interval between the re-
building
of the
Others again, as Hengstenberg, Keil,
and Delitzsch, suppose the
Psalm
to have been written in the time of David; and to have been
occasioned
by an invasion of the Edomites into the land which was
left
defenceless during the time that David was engaged in his wars
PSALM
XLIV. 359
with
the Syrians (2 Sam. viii. 13, where, no doubt, Mdox<
th>n
]Idoumai<an,
should be read, instead of MrAxE,
hence
the fearful vengeance which he took upon them; see ver. 14,
and
comp. I Kings xi. 15. They refer Psalm lx. to the same occasion,
—to
the time, that is, which elapsed between the Edomite invasion,
when
some Israelites were carried away (hence the complaint, Thou
hast
scattered us among the heathen") and the retribution which was
executed
by Joab. But this is obviously an improbable view. The
language
of the Psalm is altogether too large to be applied to a sudden
attack.
It describes a more serious and lasting calamity.
Calvin says with perfect truth that,
if anything is clear, it is that
the
Psalm was written by any one rather than by David. The com-
plaints
which it contains, he observes, are most suitable to the
wretched
and calamitous time when the cruel tyranny of Antiochus
was
exercised without check; or we may extend it more widely,
inasmuch
as almost any time after the return from the Exile was a
time
of trouble and rebuke.
This Psalm, if not composed in the
time of the Maccabees, was, we
are
told, used daily in the liturgy of that time. Each day the Levites
ascended
the pulpit (Nkvd) and cried aloud, "Awake, why sleepest
Thou,
O Jehovah?" These Levitical Muezzin were termed "wakers"
(Myrir;fom;). John Hyrcanus put an
end to this custom, saying, "Doth
God
sleep? Hath not the Scripture said, ‘The Keeper of Israel
slumbereth
not, nor sleepeth'? It was only in reference to a time when
was
said, 'Awake, why sleepest Thou, O Jehovah?'" (See Delitzsch,
i.
342, note 2.)
The Psalm consists of four principal
divisions:
I. The Sacred Poet calls to mind the
great deeds which God had
wrought
for His people in the days of old. God alone, he confesses,
had
given them possession of the
their
enemies before them. Remembering this, they had ever made
their
boast in His Name, and would still continue to praise Him.
Ver.1-8.
II Most painful is the contrast of
the present with the past. God
has
forgotten His people. He has given them over into the hand of
enemies,
who hate, and insult, and slay them. God goes not forth
now
with their armies, as He had done when He brought them into
Ver.
9-16.
360 PSALM XLIV.
III. And yet this cannot be a
chastisement for their transgres-
sions;
for they have not forgotten God, but, on the contrary, die the
death
of martyrs for His truth. Ver. 17-22.
IV. Therefore he prays that God the
Saviour of His people, and
the
Giver of Victory, would again be favourable unto them, as of old,
and
redeem them from their enemies. Ver. 23-26.
[FOR
THE PRECENTOR. OF THE SONS OF KORAH. A MASKIL.]
I.
1 O GOD, with our ears we have heard,
Our fathers have told
us,
A work which Thou didst work in
their days,
In the days of old.
2
Thou, with Thine own hand, didst dispossess (the)
nations.
And didst plant them in:
1. The Psalm opens with a glance at
the past history of the nation, and
the acknowledgement that from the
first, every victory which they had
won, had been won, not by their
own strength, but by the im- mediate
hand of God. This was, it
might be said, the perpetual lesson
of their history. They did not
rise upon their Egyptian mas- ters,
but God bowed the heart of the monarch
and the people by His signs and
wonders, till they thrust them out
in haste. At the did
not turn to fight with the cha- riots
and the horsemen of Pharaoh: they
were but to stand still, and see the
victory of Jehovah. When they came
to was
not a feat of arms; for fell
by a miracle. The Roman army,
by the buted
its victory to the two myste- rious
horsemen who, on their white horses,
led the charge. The Jew- ish
host with a better faith believed that
in every battle an invisible Captain
led them, and knew that, whenever
they conquered their ene- mies,
it was because an invisible arm
gave them the victory. OUR FATHERS HAVE TOLD US, in accordance
with the duty so often |
impressed
upon the minds of the people,
to perpetuate from genera- tion
to generation "the mighty acts"
of Jehovah, on their behalf. See
Exod. x. 2, and comp. xii. 26, &c., xiii. 8, 14 ; Deut. vi. 20 ; Judges vi. 13. A WORK; emphat. as in
lxiv. [10],
xcv. 9. The same phrase, "to work
a work," "do a deed," occurs with
like meaning in Hab. i. 5. It seems
to be employed here collec- tively,
gathering up in one the de- liverance
from through
the wilderness, and the settlement
in As regards the construction, this may
either be an independent clause,
or it may be a relative clause,
with the common omission of
the relat., "Our fathers have told
us a work (which) Thou didst,"
&c. 2. THINE HAND. It is simplest, I
think, to take this as the accus. of
the instrument, as is usual in Hebrew,
though Hupfeld contends for
a double subject: "Thou, Thy hand,"
as Is. xlv. 12, "I, my hands," and
as he also explains, Ps. iii. 4 [5],
"my voice, I cry." DIDST PLANT them IN . . . DIDST SPREAD
them ABROAD. In each |
PSALM
XLIV.
361
Thou didst afflict (the) peoples,
And cause them to spread abroad.
3
For not by their own sword gat they the land in
possession,
Neither did their own arm give them
the victory;
But Thy right hand, and Thine arm,
and the Light
of Thy countenance,
Because Thou hadst a favour unto
them.
4
Thou, even Thou Thyself a art my King, O God;
Command the victories of Jacob.
5
Through Thee shall we push down our adversaries;
In Thy Name shall we tread them
under that rise
up against us.
case
the pronoun refers to "our fathers,"
who are thus emphatically contrasted
with the “nations” and "peoples" who were dispossessed. The
figure is taken from the plant- ing
and growth of a vine, and is carried out in Ps. lxxx. It first occurs in Exod. xv. 17, "Thou wilt plant them in the mountain
of Thine
inheritance." Comp. 2 Sam. vii. to, and Ps. lxxx. 8 [9]. For the other
verb," Thou didst spread them
abroad" (like the roots and branches of a tree), comp. lxxx. 11 [12], Jer. xvii. 8, Ezek. xvii. 6. "Veteres incolas terrae Chanaan comparat arboribus, quia longa possessione illic radices egerant. Subita igitur quae contigit mutatio perinde fuit ac si quis revulsis arboribus
in earum locum alias substituat."—Calvin. 3. FOR, a more emphatic insist- ing
upon the truth that God's power alone had achieved all. GIVE THEM THE VICTORY. Such seems
here, and generally in this Psalm,
to be the force of the word usually rendered "save,"
"help." See
above, xxxiii. 17. Not very unlike
is the use of swthri<a some- times
in the N. T. Cf. for instance I
Pet. i. 5, where, as Alford re- marks,
it has more than a negative |
idea. So in the next verse, "the victories
of Jacob = the salva- tion of Jacob " liii. 6. The RIGHT HAND and the ARM, as
emblems of power: the LIGHT or
THY COUNTENANCE, as the manifestation
of God's grace; the last
further explained by "because Thou
hadst a favour," &c. Comp. Deut.
iv. 37. 4-8. Application of this acknow- ledged
truth to the present and to the future. 4. MY KING, apparently with a personal
application to himself, the Poet
individually claiming his own place
in the covenant between God and His people. The singular fluctuates
with the plural in the Psalm;
see ver. 6 and 15, where the individual is again prominent. COMMAND, in Thy royal majesty, as an act of sovereign authority. 5. PUSH DOWN, in the sense of butting,
an image taken from horned cattle,
and of common occurrence in
the Old Testament, borrowed, in the
first instance, it would seem, from
the fat buffalos in the pastures of Comp.
also Ps. lxxv. 4 [5], 10 [11] Ezek.
xxxiv. 21; Dan. viii. 4; I Kings
xxii. I r. TREAD UNDER, as lx. I2 [14], |
362 PSALM
XLIV.
6
For not in my bow do I trust,
And my sword cannot give me the victory:
7
But THOU hast given us the victory over our adver-
saries,
And hast put to shame them that hate
us.
8
In God have we made our boast b all the day long,
And to Thy Name will we for ever
give thanks.
[Selah.]
II.
9 But c Thou hast cast (us) off, and put us to confusion,
And goest not forth with our hosts.
10 Thou makest us to turn back from (the)
adversary,
And they which hate us have spoiled for them-
selves:
11
Thou makest us like sheep (appointed for) food,
And Thou hast scattered us among the nations.
12 Thou sellest Thy people for nought,
Is.
xiv. 19, 25, lxiii. 6. The verbs in
this verse are strictly aorists of repeated action. 6. The same contrast here and in the next verse as before in ver. 3. 8. The past experience of God's saving
might is the reason that they praise and thank Him. 9-16. The painful contrast in the
experience of the present, to all the
warrant of the past, and all the hopes
which had sprung from the past. 9. THOU HAST CAST OFF (the obj.
omitted, as in ver. 23 [24], and in lxxvii. 7 [8], lxxxix. 38 [39], preterite,
expressing the completed action,
whilst the following future (or
present) "goest forth" expresses the consequence
of the action. Comp.
xlvi. 6 [7], "He uttered His voice
(past action); the earth melt- eth (consequence)." GOEST NOT of the army (see Jud. iv. 14, 2 Sam. v.
24), as once visibly with the pillar of
a cloud, and the pillar of fire before the host in the desert. This verse
occurs almost word for word |
in Ps. lx., with which, and lxxxix., this
Psalm has many points of resemblance. 10. FOR THEMSELVES. "At their
own will; "as Calvin well explains:
"quod hostes pro arbi- trio et sine ulla repugnantia quasi suam prxdam diripuerint." 11. MAKEST US LIKE. See the same construction in Is. xli. 2, Ezek.
xvi. 7. HAST SCATTERED. This may perhaps
refer to the Babylonish captivity. De Wette, however, who in
the first edition of his Commen- tary
thought this and the next verse most
applicable to the time of An- tiochus Epiphanes, quotes 2 Macc. v.
11-23, where we are informed that
Antiochus Epiphanes, on his return
from lem
by storm, slew in three days 40,000
Jews, and had as many more sold as captives. Hence, according to
him, the allusion in the following verse. 12. THOU SELLEST. This need not
be explained literally of an his- torical
fact (see note on last verse): |
PSALM XLIV. 363
And hast not increased (Thy wealth)
by their
13
Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbours,
A scorn and a derision to them that
are round
about us.
14
Thou makest us a proverb among the nations,
A shaking of the head among the
peoples.
15
All the day is my confusion before me;
And the shame of my face hath
covered me;
16
Because of the voice of him that reproacheth and
blasphemeth,
Because of the enemy and the
avenger.
it
is a figure expressive of God's giving
up His people into slavery to
their enemies, just as, on the other
hand, their deliverance is de- scribed as
redemption, ransoming. The
figure, Hupfeld thinks, is bor- rowed
from the right of the father to
sell his children as slaves: but the
Jewish law gave him no such right, the case mentioned in Exod. xxi.
7 being altogether exceptional. We
have the same figure in Deut. xxxii.
30, Judges ii. 14, iii. 8, and in many other passages. FOR NOUGHT, lit."for
not-riches," i.e.
for that which is the very op- posite of riches, a mere nothing. Comp.
for similar composition of nouns
with the negative, Is. x. 15, "not-wood,"
i.e. something the very opposite of wood; Ps. xxii. 6 [7], "not-man,"
&c., and for the idea, Is.
lii. 3, Jer. xv. 13. HAST NOT INCREASED, i.e. hast gained nothing. The verb is used absol., as the Hiph. in
Prov. xxii. 16,
"he that oppresseth the poor to make himself rich." Eccl. ii. 9, "I added to my wealth." This verse is almost an expostulation with God. An
earthly ruler might sell men like cattle
to increase his own wealth, but
God cannot be richer by such merchandise. Calvin's remark, however,
is of importance, as bear- ing
on all this attributing of their calamities
to God: "We must ob- serve,
however, that God is re- presented
as the author of these |
i
calamities, not by way of reproach- ing
Him (non obstrependi causa), but
that the faithful may with the more
confidence seek the remedy from
the Hand which hath smitten and wounded." 13. THEM THAT ARE ROUND ABOUT
US (lit. "our surroundings," lxxix. 4, comp. lxxx. 6 [7]), i.e. nations like
the Philistines, Edomites, Moabites,
and Ammonites, the bit- terest
enemies of the Jews, whose insulting
mockery in the day of their
triumph is often the subject of complaint in the later Prophets. 14. A PROVERB (mashal) or "by- word,"
often used of words uttered in mockery. Comp. 1xix. 11 [12], Is.
xiv. 4, possibly also the verb, Num.
xxi. 27 ("they that speak in proverbs,"
E.V.), where the taunt- ing Amorite song is quoted. SHAKING OF THE HEAD. See on xxii. 7 [8]. 15. THE SHAME, &c.
This ren- dering
is favoured by the accent (Tiphcha
conj.), the shame seen in the
face being regarded as a mantle enveloping
the whole man, the con- struction being the same as in xlix. 6,
"the iniquity of my heels corn- passeth
me about," where see note; but
the grammatical construction may
be that of the double object, "shame
hath covered me as to my face." The meaning here is evident from the simpler phrase in lxix. 7 [8.] 16. THE AVENGER. See on viii. 2
[3]. |
364 PSALM XLIV..
III.17
All this is come upon us, and yet we have not
forgotten Thee,
Neither have we dealt falsely in Thy
covenant;
18
Our heart is not turned back,
Neither hath our step declined from
Thy path,
19
That d Thou hast crushed us in the place of jackals,
And covered us with the shadow of
death.
17-22.
A complaint that all these calamities
have come upon them without
any fault or demerit on the part of the nation. Such a com- plaint is doubly remarkable. First, because
as an assertion of national innocence
and faithfulness to God's covenant
it is without parallel in the
Old Testament, and next, be- cause
it wears the air of a re- proach
cast upon the righteousness of
God, in permitting the chastise- ment. (i) We often find an individual declaring
that he suffers unjustly for
the sake of God, and appealing to
God to do him right, because of his innocence. Comp. 1xix. 7 [8], "For Thy sake," &c., and Jer.
xv. 15,
Is. lxvi. 5, &c. But here the whole
nation is said to have adhered steadfastly
to God, and, because of this
steadfastness, to have brought upon themselves persecution. The expression,
"For Thy sake," has been
supposed to indicate that the persecution
was a religious one, that
the sufferers were martyrs for their
faith: and hence it has been inferred
that the Psalm was written in
the time of the Maccabees, the only
time in which the nation, as a nation, so suffered. The national abjuration
of idolatry, verse 20, seems
also to show that the date of
the Psalm must be subsequent to the Exile. It is not certain, indeed, that
the words of verse 22 refer to religious
persecution. The lan- guage
would hold good of all suf- ferings
endured in the service of God (as Hupfeld observes,
referring to I Sam. xvii. 45, Is. X. 9 if.,
xxxvi. 18
if., xxxvii. 4, 10 ff.). But we know
of no earlier period in Jewish |
history
when it could be said with truth
of the nation at large, "Our heart
is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from Thy path." (2) It is on the ground of this national
adherence to the covenant, that
the Psalmist expostulates with God,
who has given them over into the
hand of their enemies., Such chastisement
appears to him un- merited. There is nothing appa- rently
in the conduct of the nation at large to call for it. God seems pledged
by His very faithfulness to take away the rod. Such an ex- postulation,
however, it is clear, can
only be defended as coming from
a saint under the Old Testa- ment dispensation. No nation, no Church
now could, in the eyes of any
of its members, be so pure, that
chastisement laid upon it would seem undeserved or unneeded. The work
of the Spirit has given a deeper
view of sin, has shown how much
hidden corruption may con- sist
with the open profession of godliness,
and has taught us to confess
national guilt in every national punishment. 17. Is COME UPON US. The con- struction is the same as in xxxv. 8, xxxvi. II [12]. Comp. Jud. Vi. 13. 18. The negative must
be re- peated
with the second clause of the verse from the first. 19. PLACE OF JACKALS, or "howling creatures." A dreary, waste,
howling wilderness, com- monly
described by the Prophets as inhabited by such creatures (Aq. e]n
to<p& a]oikh<t&). See the similar expression,
"a dwelling of jackals," used
with a like figurative meaning, Jer.
ix. 10, x. 22, &c. |
PSALM XLIV. 365
20
If we had forgotten the Name of our God,
And stretched out our hands to any
strange god,
21
Would not God search this out?
For He knoweth the secrets of the
heart.
22
But for Thy sake are we slain all the day long;
We are counted as sheep for the
slaughter.
IV.
23 Up, why sleepest Thou, O Lord?
Awake, cast not off for ever.
24
Wherefore hidest Thou Thy face?
Why forgettest Thou our affliction
(and) our op-
pression?
25
For our soul is bowed down to the dust;
Our body cleaveth to the earth.
26
Do Thou arise, to be a help unto us!
And redeem us, for Thy
loving-kindness' sake.
20. STRETCHED OUT, or "spread between
the tone of the Psalmist
forth,"
i.e. in prayer. Comp. cxliii. and
the tone of the Apostle. The
6,
and see xxviii. 2. former cannot understand
the chas-
21. This solemn appeal to God's tening,
complains that God's heavy
omniscience
shows the honest con- hand has been laid
without cause
viction
of the national integrity, upon
His people: the latter can re-
while
it is an indication at the same joice in persecutions also, and ex-
time
that the sense of sin was corn- claim, "Nay, in all these things
we
paratively
superficial. are more than conquerors, through
22. BUT, or perhaps, “nay," Him that loved us."
FOR
THY SAKE. This passage 23. AWAKE, &c. See vii. 6 [7].
is
cited by
36,
apparently from the LXX., in 5 [6]. CLEAVETH TO THE EARTH,
illustration
of the fact, that the alluding
to the custom of mourners
been
a persecuted Church. But
See xxxv. 14.
there
is this remarkable difference
a
xUh-hTAxa. The pronoun of the third person is thus subjoined to the
pronouns
of the first or second person, in order to render them emphatic,
like
au]to<j in Greek. So the LXX. here, su> ei#
au]to>j o[ basileu<j mou. Comp.
Is.
xliii. 25, ‘gv hH,mo xUh yknoxA ykinoxA; 2 Sam. vii. 28, Myhlx<hA
xUh-hTAxa.
In
cii.
28, and Deut. xxxii. 39, to which Hupf. (1st edit.) refers, the construc-
tion
is different, xUh being there the predicate. Calvin renders,
"Tu ipse
rex
meus," and remarks: "Hoc valet (meo judicio) demonstrativum xvh;
ac
si Propheta longam beneficiorum Dei seriem in prima redemptione
contexeret; ut appareat, Deum qui semel redemptor fuerat
populi sui non
dissimilem fuisse erga posteros. Nisi forte emphatice
positum sit asse-
rendi causa, ut omnibus aliis exclusis et valere jussis
Deum unum salutis
sua?
prxsidem celebrent."
366 PSALM XLV.
b ll.ehi with B;, of the object, as
elsewhere Hithp., "to make one's boast
of
a thing." Cf. the noun hl.AhiT; with B;, in like manner, lxxi.
6. In lvi. 5,
it,
the construction is different.
c Jxa, a particle which may
be used not only in advancing from a minor
to
a major proposition, but also to introduce a contrast, as lviii. 3, lxviii.
17,
Job xiv. 3. Comp. Ew. § 341 b.
d yKi Rosenm. renders quando.
does
this merely for the sake of perspicuity, and that he considers it =
quod.
Hupfeld also rejects the meaning when, and says: "The particle
introduces
the reason of what goes before; the fact, on which the re-
proach
rests, weil or Bass (in Greek, ga<r), [it would have been
better to
say
o!ti,]
as Gen. xx. 9, 10, ‘In what have I sinned, that,' &c., ‘What bast
thou
seen that,' &c., and xxi. 7, xxxi. 15, xl. 15, Ex. iii. 11 ( ‘Who am I
that,'
&c., as Num. xvi. &c.), Num. xi. 12, 13, Is. Vii. 13, xxxvii. 19,
20."
Many
of these and other passages are also given by Gesenius, Thes.
p.
679. But not to mention that it is not an indifferent matter whether
yKi here means "because" (well), or
"that" (dass),—for in the former
case
it would be implied that the chastisement had not led to apostasy;
in
the latter, that the chastisement was not
on account of apostasy,—I
cannot
satisfy myself that the passages quoted are strictly parallel, the
form
of the sentence being in nearly every instance interrogative (except
in
Hos. i. 6, quoted by Gesen. "I will no more have compassion on the
house
of
every
instance depending immediately on the
interrogative, or a verb in
the
primary clause. [In Is. xxxvii. 19, 20, the construction is quite dif-
ferent.]
However, Gen. xl. 15, "Neither have I done anything that they
should,"
&c. is a sufficiently near parallel to justify the rendering that
here.
Otherwise we might retain the usual signification of for, and
regard
ver. 19 as conveying a further reason for the complaint made. It
will
then belong to those cases respecting which Gesen. remarks (loc.
cit.): "Nonnunquam vis causalis particulx non statim
in oculos incurrit,
sententiarum
tamen nexu accuratius perpenso revera in ea inest." See
Exod.
xiii. 17, where (and in two other passages, Ps. xlix. 19, cxvi. to)
Gesen.
wrongly gives the meaning etsi.
__________________
PSALM XLV.
THIS
Psalm is evidently a Marriage-song composed for some day
of
royal espousals. It celebrates the nuptials of a Jewish king with
a
princess, apparently of foreign extraction: but in honour of what
particular
king it was written, is matter of conjecture. The older
and
perhaps the more common interpretation refers it to Solomon's
PSALM XLV 367
nuptials
with the daughter of Pharaoh, king of
thinks
that the princess here celebrated was not an Egyptian, but a
daughter
of Hiram, king of
he
renders the words, "daughter of
Poet
were there addressing the new Queen. The history (I Kings
xi.
I, &c.), he observes, mentions Zidonian
(= Tyrian, Is. xxiii. 12)
princesses
among Solomon's foreign wives. Hitzig refers the Psalm
to
the marriage of Ahab with Jezebel, daughter of Ethbaal, "King of
the
Zidonians " (I Kings xvi. 31), and sees an allusion to Ahab's ivory
house
(I Kings xxii. 39) in ver. 8 [9]. Delitzsch thinks Joram, "the
son
of Jehoshaphat, the second Solomon of the Jewish history," is
the
king mentioned in the Psalm, and Athaliah the queen. This ac-
counts,
he says, for the use of the word lgAwe (shegal), as applied to
the
queen-consort,
which occurs elsewhere as a Chaldee (Dan. v. 2) or
Persian
(Neh. ii. 6) title; and which would be more of a
tine
than a Jewish word. For Athaliah was of Tyrian origin, and of
the
royal family of
exhortation
to forget "her father's house: "and hence, too, the
homage
demanded especially of
seems
to have had something of Solomon's passion for foreign trade
(though
he was unsuccessful in it), which explains, according to
Delitzsch,
the allusions to gold and ivory; or perhaps the "ivory
palaces"
may refer to the "ivory house" of Ahab, who was Athaliah's
father
(I Kings xxii. 39, comp. Amos iii. 15). Finally, some commen-
tators
have supposed the Psalm to have been written in honour of a
Persian
king's bridal, because of the Persian title given to the queen,
because
the Tyrians bring tribute, and because the "princes in all
lands"
(ver. 16 [17]) applies best to Persian satraps. But these
reasons
are of no weight at all, as may be gathered from what
has
been already observed; and, on the face of it, it is extremely
improbable
that such an ode as this should have been inspired by
the
harem of a Persian monarch.
On the whole, the general character
of the Psalm, describing as
it
does the majesty and persuasive eloquence of the king, the splen-
dour
of his appearance and of his palace, and the hopes which he
raised
for the future, is such as to make it more justly applicable to
Solomon
than to any other of the Jewish monarchs, so far as we are
acquainted
with their fortunes. Nor is it necessarily an objection to
this
view, that the monarch in the Psalm is spoken of as a warrior,
whilst
Solomon was peculiarly "a man of peace." Something must
be
allowed to poetry. An extended dominion would naturally be
associated
with ideas of conquest. And, with the recollection of the
father's
exploits fresh in his mind, the Poet could not but regard
368 PSALM XLV.
warlike
virtues as essential to the glory of the son. Besides, Solomon
himself
does not seem to have been deficient in military spirit.
Either
in person or by his captains he carried his arms far to the
east,
and conquered the district Hamath Zobah, lying near the
towns
in his dominions, as well as the "Millo" or citadel of Jeru-
the
introduction of a new kind of force, consisting of chariots and
horses,
and amounting, we are told, to 1,400 chariots and 12,000
horsemen.
Why should not the Poet say, addressing such a king,
"Gird
thee with the sword upon thy thigh—in thy majesty ride forth
and
prosper"?
But "a greater than Solomon is
here." Evident as it is that much
of
the language of the Poem is only properly applicable to the cir-
cumstances
of the royal nuptials which occasioned it, it is no less
evident
that much of it greatly transcends them. The outward glory
of
Solomon was but a type and a foreshadowing of a better glory to
be
revealed.
of
whom they, at the best, were only faint and transient images. A
righteous
One was yet to come who should indeed rule in truth and
equity,
who should fulfil all the hopes which one human monarch
after
another, however fair the promise of his reign, had disappointed,
and
whose kingdom, because it was a righteous kingdom, should
endure
for ever. Such a ruler would indeed be the vicegerent of
God.
In such an one, and by such an one, God would reign. He
would
be of the seed of David, and yet more glorious than all his
fellows;
human, and yet above men. It was because of this won-
derfully
close and real relation between God and man—a relation
which
the true king would visibly symbolize—that the Psalmist could
address
him as God. In him God and Man would in some myste-
rious
manner meet. This perhaps he did see; more than this he
could
not see. The mystery of the Incarnation was not yet revealed.
But
David knew that God had made man to be but little short of
divine
(Ps. viii. 5 [6]). And he and others, full of hopes, the very
greatness
of which made them indistinct, uttered them in words that
went
far beyond themselves.
The mistake so commonly made in
interpreting this Psalm and
the
Song of Solomon, is to suppose that we have in them allegories,
every
part of which is to find its appropriate spiritual interpretation.
The
earthly fact has, as a whole, its
spiritual counterpart. For Christ
speaks
of Himself as "the Bridegroom," and of the Church as His
"bride,"
and of the
feast.
(Matt. xxii. 1, &c., xxv. and ix. 15. See also Ephes. v. 32,
PSALM XL V. 369
2
Cor. Xi. 2, and Rev. xix. 7, xxi. 2.) The same figure also occurs in
the
Old Testament. God speaks of Himself as the bridegroom of
the
Jewish people (Is. liv. 5, Jer. iii.
I, Ezek. xvi. 8, Hos. i. ii.),
though
never, observe, of an individual, as
the Mystics are wont to
speak.
But this Psalm is not an allegory. It is the actual celebration
of
a circumstance in Jewish history, and derives its higher meaning
from
the fact that all Jewish history is typical.
The Messianic interpretation of the
Psalm is the most ancient.
The
Chaldee paraphrast on ver. 2 [3] writes: "Thy beauty, O King,
Messiah,
is greater than that of the sons of men." And even the
later
Jews take the same view. Ibn Ezra says: "This Psalm treats
either
of David or of his son Messiah, for that is His name, Ezek.
xxxiv.
24, ‘And David My servant shall be their
prince for ever.'
In the Epistle to the Hebrews (i. 8,
9) the writer rests upon this
Psalm,
among others, his argument for the Divine Nature of Christ.
The Psalm consists of two principal
divisions, and a brief con-
clusion
in the shape of auguries for the future.
I. The praise of the royal bridegroom.
His more than human
beauty,
his persuasive eloquence, his might and prowess in war, his
Divine
Majesty, and the righteousness of his sway, are extolled.
Ver.
1-9.
II. The description of the royal
bride, her gold-inwoven garments,
the
virgins who follow in her train, the music and songs of the bridal
procession.
Ver. 10-15.
III. Anticipations and hopes
expressed for the children by the
marriage,
who shall perpetuate the dynasty of the monarch, so that
his
name shall be famous for ever. Ver. 16, 17.
[FOR THE PRECENTOR. "ON THE
LILIES." a OF THE SONS OF
KORAH. A MASKIL. A
SONG OF LOVE.]
I My
heart is overflowing with a goodly matter;
I speak; my work b
is for a King:
I.
This verse is a kind of preface of
a very unusual kind in Hebrew poetry,
in which the singer tells how
great his subject, and how full his
heart is of it. IS OVERFLOWING, lit. boils or bubbles
up (the word only occurs here,
though the noun formed from it
occurs Lev. ii. 7, vii. 9), his heart |
being
stirred within him by the greatness
of his subject (Symm. e]kinh<qh h[ kardi<a mou). The meta- phor may be taken either from boiling
water, or from a fountain bubbling
up from its source. (See Stanley,
Jewish Church, i. 435.) And
that which inspires him is A GOODLY
MATTER (ein feines Lied, |
370 PSALM XLV.
My tongue is the pen of a ready
writer.
2
Fair, fair c art Thou beyond the children of men;
Grace is shed upon Thy lips:
Therefore d hath God
blessed Thee for ever.
3
Gird Thy sword upon the thigh, 0 mighty One,
Thy glory and Thy majesty.
4
Yea in Thy majesty ride on prosperously
On behalf e of truth and
righteous meekness; f
And let Thy right hand teach Thee
terrible things.
Luther),
a subject worthy of his highest
efforts (cf. Is. lii. 7, Zech. i.
13). I SPEAK—sc. it is thus that I begin.
MY WORK, i.e. my poem (Theod.
poi<hma), the work or creation
of my imagination, is for a
king, is dedicated to and inspired by
him. FOR A KING. I see no reason to
supply the article which is want- ing
in the Hebrew, though inter- preters,
ancient and modern, with one
consent render, "the King." The
absence of the article only makes
it more emphatic. It is a King—not
a meaner person who is the
object of my song. Comp. iv ui[&?, Heb. i. I. 2. The beauty of the monarch first
calls forth the Poet's praise (Is.
xxxiii. 17), and then his per- suasive eloquence (Eccl. x. 12). Cf. Cic.
Clar. Orat. lix. 15, "suadelam
sessitasse
in labris ejus." Calvin observes,
it were more kingly for kings
to win their subjects' hearts by
gracious words, than to rule them
by brute force. So, too, of the
Great Antitype, the true King, we
read that men wondered at the
gracious words (the lo<goi th?j xa<ritoj, Luke iv. 22) that
proceeded out
of His lips: for the Lord had given
Him the tongue of the learned,
that He might know how to
speak a word in season to them that
were weary (Is. 1. 4). THEREFORE, i.e. beholding this beauty
and this grace, do I con- clude
that God hath blessed thee |
for
ever. Such gifts are the proof of
God's good-will towards thee. 3. But the king is not only fair to
look at, and gracious of speech, but
he is mighty in battle. The nations
shall fall under him. Ne- vertheless,
"in righteousness cloth he
make war," to uphold truth, and to
avenge the oppressed. Instead, however,
of directly celebrating his
prowess, the singer calls on the
king to go forth to battle, and predicts
his victory. THY GLORY AND THY MAJESTY, a
second accusative, not in appo- sition
with "Thy sword," but de- pendent
on the verb "gird on," in the
first clause. 4. YEA IN THY MAJESTY: Pe- peated
for the sake of emphasis. Hupfeld,
with utter want of poetic feeling,
would reject the words as a useless
repetition. RIDE ON PROSPEROUSLY, lit. "make
thy way, ride on," the first verb
being used adverbially, to add force
to the other (Ges. § 142, obs. 1),
"make thy way," i.e. either lit. "pass
through" the ranks of the enemy,
and overcome all obsta- cles,
or metaph. "be successful:" RIDE,
either in the war-chariot (I
Kings xxii.), or on the war-horse, as
in the Apocalyptic vision, xix. 11. ON BEHALF OF, i.e. in order to assert
and uphold, &c.; so the LXX. e!neken a]lhqei<aj. Luth. der Wahrheit zu gut. This is the very
loftiest conception
of kingly might. The wars
which such a king wages are not
to acquire territory or renown. |
PSALM
XLV. 371
5
Thine arrows are sharp;—peoples fall under Thee;
(They are sharp) in the heart of the
King's enemies.
6
Thy throne, 0 God,g is for ever and ever;
A sceptre of uprightness is the
sceptre of Thy kingdom.
6. THY THRONE, 0 GOD. I have retained
the vocative, which is the rendering
of all the ancient Ver- sions;
and so the passage is quoted in
Heb. i. 8. This rendering seems indeed
at first sight to be at variance with
the first and historical applica- tion
of the Psalm. Can Solomon, or
any Jewish king, be thus directly addressed
as God? We find the title
given to rulers, kings, or judges, lxxxii.
6, 7, "I said, ye are gods,"
(see
our Lord's comment, John x. 35);
Exod. xxi. 6. Calvin, in- deed,
objects that Elohim is only thus
used when more than one per- son
is meant, or with some restric- tion,
as when Moses is said to be made
a God (Elohim) unto Pha- raoh
(Exod. vii. I). But the word is
evidently used of one person in I
Sam. xxviii. 13, as is plain from Saul's
question, "What form is he of?"
though our Version renders, "I
saw gods ascending." Calvin, however,
admits the first applica- tion
to Solomon, only observing, that,
"though he is called God, be- cause
God hath stamped some mark of
His glory upon kings, yet so high a
title must go beyond any mere man."
It is one of the indications, as
he rightly remarks, that the Poet is
thinking of a greater King, and a
more illustrious kingdom ("canti- cum
hoc altius quam ad umbratile regnum
spectare"). The difficulty is
to understand how far the writer himself
saw the purport of his own words.
That they have a meaning which
is only fully realized in Christ,
and that God designed this fulfilment,
I unhesitatingly admit. But
on the other hand, it is im- possible
to suppose that the mystery
of the Incarnation was distinctly
revealed, and clearly un- derstood,
under the Old Testament dispensation.
God does not thus |
make
haste with men. I conclude, therefore,
that in the use of such language
the Psalmist was carried beyond
himself, and that he was led
to employ it by a twofold con- viction
in his mind, the conviction that
God was the King of Israel, combined
with the conviction that the
Messiah, the true King, who was
to be in reality what others were
but in figure, was the son of David.
In this sense I subscribe to Calvin's statement: "Itaque non dubium est quin Divina Christi majestas
hic notetur." Again, he beautifully
observes: "Jam vero notare
operae pretium est, sermo- nem hic de Christo haberi qua- tenus Deus est manifestatus in carne. Etsi enim Deus vocatur, quia Sermo est a Patre genitus ante secula,
hic tamen statuitur in per- sona Mediatoris: unde et paulo post Deo subjicitur. Et certe si ad Divinam ejus naturam restringas quod dicitur de aeterno ejus regno, peribit nobis inaestimabilis fructus quem ex hac doctrina percipimus: dum intelligimus quatenus caput est Ecclesiae, et salukis nostrae cus- tos
ac praeses, non regnare ad tempus,
sed aeterno imperio potiri, quia
hinc nobis solida tam in vita quam in morte securitas. Clare etiam ex proximo contextu patet, Christum
nobis Mediatorem pro- poni,
quia unctus a Deo suo pro- ponitur, et quidem prae sociis. Id autem
in aeternum Dei Sermonem non competit sed in Christum carne indutum, in qua et servus Dei est, et
frater noster." A SCEPTRE OF UPRIGHTNESS, and
in the next verse, "Thou hast loved
righteousness." Not only is righteousness
the kingliest of all virtues,
but it is the necessary basis of
a throne and a kingdom which are
to endure for ever. |
372 PSALM XLV.
7
Thou hast loved righteousness and hated wickedness,
Therefore God, (even) Thy God hath
anointed Thee
With the oil of gladness above Thy
fellows.
8
Myrrh and aloes (and) cassia are all Thy garments;
Out of ivory palaces music h
hath made Thee glad.
9
Kings' daughters are among Thy beloved,i
The queen-consort stands at Thy
right-hand in gold of
Ophir.
10. Hearken, 0 daughter, and see, and incline
thine ear:
/. But this Divine King is never- theless
a distinct person from God Himself.
GOD, EVEN THY GOD, peculiar
to this Book of the Psalms, instead
of "Jehovah Thy God." See
xliii. 4, contrary
to all usage to render the first
noun as a vocative, "O God, Thy
God hath," &c. See more in Critical
Note. WITH THE OIL OF GLADNESS. Scarcely
therefore is this the act of
coronation, the anointing to His office
(cf. lxxxix. 20 [21], with Acts x.
38), but rather the meaning is, that
this king is, as it were, the very
personification of gladness, beyond
all the kings upon earth. FELLOWS may either mean "other kings,"
or the friends who escorted him
at his marriage, paranu<mfioi. 8. The song of loves here reaches its
culminating point in the de- scription
of the king. It has pour- trayed
the king as man, as warrior, as
godlike ruler; now it pictures him
as bridegroom on the day of his
espousals. (Compare with this the
vision of the Apocalypse, where the
"King of kings" goes forth to war,
followed by the armies in heaven,
after which there follows "the
marriage of the Lamb," Rev. xix.
7, &c.) MYRRH AND ALOES (AND) CAS- SIA.
(Cf. Prov. vii. 17.) The royal garments
are so filled with perfumes, that
they seem to be nothing but perfumes. And the marriage procession is |
accompanied
by music. (See Criti- cal
Note.) 9. KINGS' DAUGHTERS; other wives
and concubines of the mon- arch.
Such, as Calvin observes, is the
evident meaning of the words, although,
as polygamy had only the
permission, not the sanction, of God,
it may seem strange that this should
be mentioned as a feature in
the splendour of the monarch. But
polygamy was practised even by
the best of kings; and the Psalmist
is describing the magnifi- cence
of an Oriental court, such as it
actually existed before his eyes, not
drawing a picture of what ought to
be in a perfect state of things. "In
summa, quam liberaliter Deus rerum
omnium abundantiam in Solomonem
effuderit, hic narrator. Quod
autem sibi coacervavit multas uxores,
nec frugalem modum in splendore
adhibuit, hoc est quasi accidentale."—Calvin. THE QUEEN-CONSORT (shegal), the
distinguishing title of the newly- married
princess; a word occur- ring,
except here, only in the later books. STANDS, lit. "hath placed her self,"
"taken her position." AT THY RIGHT HAND, as the place
of honour; so Bathsheba, as queen-mother,
sits at the right hand of
Solomon, 1 Kings ii. 19. 10. The sacred Poet now turns to
address the Bride. He bids her forget
her father's house, and de- vote
herself in reverent affection to |
PSALM
XLV.
373
Forget also thine own people and thy
father's house;
11
That the King may desire k thy beauty;
For He is thy lord, and do thou bow
thyself down
before Him.
12
And the daughter of
The rich among the people shall
entreat thy favour.
13
All gloriousl is the King's daughter in the inner palace,
Of thread of gold is her clothing.
her
new lord, promising her at the same
time that rich gifts shall be poured
out at her feet. O DAUGHTER (like "my son," in the
Book of Proverbs), a common Oriental
style of address, when the person
who employed it, either from age
or authority, or as divinely com- missioned,
had a right to give in- struction,
such as a father might give
to his child. 11. THY LORD. Cf. Gen. xviii. 12. 12. Maurer has, I believe, rightly explained
the construction, when he
says that the two clauses of this verse
must each have a word sup- plied
from the other. He renders "Et Tyrii
muneribus adulantur tibi; Tibi
adulantur muneribus ditissimi quique
populi." The "seek thy favour" of the second
clause must be supplied with the
first; the "with a gift" with the
second. The "daughter of tion
of the people of ing
to the well-known Hebrew idiom,
"daughter of According
to this explanation, there is
no force in Hupfeld's objection, that,
as a personification, it cannot be
construed with a plural; for the
verb may be supplied in the singular in the first clause,
though it
stands in the plural in the second. He
further objects that never
subject to the Israelites. But gifts
might be brought by nations that
were not tributary, as Hiram gave
large presents to Solomon. The
Tyrians are mentioned only as one
nation among many. Hupfeld himself
(following Jerome, et o filia |
fortissimi) renders, "And,
0 daugh- ter
of being
a Tyrian, and, as a king's daughter,
a representative, as it were,
of the people, so that she might
be termed a daughter of her people.
And Maurer admits the possibility
of this rendering: "Et o filia
Tyri, muneribus adulantur tibi
ditiores populi (Judaici), to Tyriam,virginem peregrinam,quam ad nos adduxit rex, oblatis mune- ribus venerantur ditissimi quique novae quam nacta es patriae." The strongest
objection to this view lies, I
think, in the conjunction "and" prefixed,
which is never prefixed to a
vocative, except to join it to a vocative
preceding. Riehm refers to
vi. 4, as an instance to the con- trary,
but there the conjunction is prefixed
to the pronoun, and the sentence
is elliptical. THE RICH AMONG THE PEOPLE, or,
"the richest of the people; " so
in the same construction, Is. xxix.
19, "the poorest of men." ENTREAT THY FAVOUR, lit. smooth,
or stroke, thy face (de- mulcere faciem, Ges.), Job xi. 19, "make
suit unto," Prov. xix. 6, and
used often of imploring the favour
of God. 13. A description of the magnifi- cent
appearance presented by the queen,
as she stands, or perhaps sits,
beside the king on the throne, arrayed
in her royal and bridal apparel
in the inner apartments of the palace—the presence-chamber where
the throne was placed. Her arrival
there is anticipated in this verse,
as the bridal procession is |
374 PSALM XLV.
14
On tapestry of divers colours m is she conducted unto the
King:
The virgins in her train, (that be)
her companions,
Are brought unto Thee.
15
They are conducted with great joy and exultation;
They enter into the King's palace.
16
Instead of Thy fathers, shall be Thy children,
Whom Thou shalt set as princes in
all the earth.
17
Let me (then) make Thy name known through all
generations;
Therefore shall the peoples give
Thee thanks n for ever
and ever.
subsequently
described; unless, as Maurer
suggests, this was not the king's
palace but some other, where the
bride was first lodged, and whence
she was conducted to the king. IN THE INNER PALACE (not "within,"
as E.V., whence the common
interpretation, that the bride,
the Church, must be pure within;
the LXX. e@swqen and the Vulg.
ab intus are ambiguous), e]n toi?j e]nwpi<oij, the further wall of the
house, which was over against the
principal entrance, and where the
throne stood. 14, 15. The bridal procession described.
The bride walks in Oriental
fashion on the richly woven
carpets spread for her feet, accompanied
by her maidens, and a
festive band with music, danc- ing,
&c. 14. TAPESTRY OF DIVERS COLOURS,
or perhaps, "embroider- ed
carpets." 15. GREAT JOY, lit. "joys," the
plural
denoting fulness and mani- foldness
: see on Ixviii. 35. 16. After having thus dwelt on the
personal graces of the royal pair,
the magnificence of their at- tire,
and the splendour of their re tinue,
the Poet again addresses the King,
and concludes with congra- tulations
and hopes expressed as to the
issue of the marriage. The |
monarch
cannot trace his descent from
a long line of kings, but his children
shall be better to him than royal
ancestry. They shall be made
princes in all the earth—or perhaps
in all the land. Comp. Solomon's
princes, I Kings iv. 2, and
Rehoboam's sons, 2 Chron. xi.
23. This verse and those immedi- ately
preceding are, to my mind, evidence
sufficient that this Psalm cannot,
as a whole, be regarded as prophetical
of the Messiah. It is only
by doing violence to language that
the spiritual sense is extracted; and
it seems to me far wiser to acknowledge
at once the mixed character
of such Psalms as this. It
does speak, no doubt, of One who
is higher than the kings of earth,
but it does so under earthly images.
It is typical, partially, yet not
altogether. ("Necesse non est singula
membra curiose ad Chris- turn
aptari."—Calvin.) The Sacred Poet
sees the earthly king and the human
marriage before his eyes, but,
whilst he strikes his harp to celebrate
these, a vision of a higher glory
streams in upon him. Thus the
earthly and the heavenly mingle.
The Divine penetrates, hallows,
goes beyond the human; but
the human is there. See far- ther
in Introduction and notes to Ps
cx. |
PSALM
XLV
375
a On, or after the manner of,
lilies. See the same inscription Ps. lxix.
and
lxxx., and a similar one, Ps. lx. Some suppose an instrument shaped
like
a lily to be meant (but not one of
six strings, as if derived from wwe,
which
grammar forbids); others take lfa in the usual sense,
"after the
manner
of," and suppose the reference to be to the measure according to
which
the Psalm was to be sung. Others again, metaphorically, " con-
cerning
her who is like the lilies," connecting it with the rest of the title
"a
song of loves," or, "of sweet, delightful things." Aq. (more
abstract)
a#sma prosfili<aj, with which the me<loj
prosfile<j
of Theocritus has been
compared.
On Maskil, see xxxii. note a.
b ynixA rmexo. It is doubtful whether
this should be taken with what fol-
lows,
or as an independent clause. The older Versions all render, " I am
speaking
my works," &c. LXX. le<gw ta> e@rga mou
t&? basilei?.
Theod.
e]caggelw? ta< poih<mata< mou. But the accents
separate the clauses, "I am
speaking:—my
work is (or, may it be) for," &c. yWafEma is sing. not plur.,
the
inflexion being that of a word with 3 ra.d. h (or y). See Gesen. § 93,
Rem.
9.
c tAypiyAp;yA. A passive, by
reduplication of the first two radicals (of hpy,
ground
form ypy),
of which there is no other instance; formed according
to
Ew. § 131 g., from an act. tAypiypey;, Pealal (Gesen. § 55,
3). Hupf. how-
ever
thinks, that according to the analogy of hy.APi-hpey; (or as some MSS.
hy.Apiypey; adj. dimin.), Jer. xlvi.
20, and such forms as rHar;Has;, xxxviii. 11;
rmar;mAHI, Lam. i. 20; we ought to punctuate tAypiypey;; but he objects that,
as
these
are diminutives, such a form would not be applicable here. Hence,
as
the ancient Versions have two words—LXX. w[rai?oj ka<llei, Aq. ka<llei
e]kalliw<qhj, Symm. ka<llei
kalo>j ei#,
Jerome, decore pulchrior es—he thinks
the
original reading may have been ypiy; or ypiyA, before hpoyA, but prefers
reading
simply tAypiyA. As regards the Versions, they may have merely
endeavoured
thus to express by periphrasis the reduplicated form. And
as
regards the diminutive, Gesenius observes that this is employed in all
languages
to express affection or praise, and instances the Spanish bonito,
bonitino.
(Thes. p. 612.)
d NKe-lfa "therefore,"
it never means anything else: though it has been
usual
to take it here as standing for rw,xE NKe-lfa, "because;"
the sense,
apparently,
requiring this rendering. It may however be explained as in
the
note—"therefore," i.e. because one good gift of God draws another
after
it.
e rbaD;-lfa; because bkar;, "ride," does
not occur elsewhere absolutely;
some
join it with rbaD;-lfa and render (with the
Syr. and Joseph Qimchi),
"ride
upon the word of truth," &c., the truth itself being compared to the
horse
or chariot. And Calvin remarks, "Aptissime has virtutes vehiculis
comparat,
quae Regem in sublime attollant." Hupfeld, adhering to the
more
usual meaning of dbaD; lfa, "because of," regards
"the truth" and
"meekness,"
&c. as the attributes of the monarch himself: "because of
thy
truth," &c.
376 PSALM XLV.
f
qd,c, hvAn;fa. How are we to account for the juxtaposition of
these two
words
without a copula? Perhaps it is an asyndeton, such as occurs
below,
ver. 9, "myrrh and aloes (and) cassia." But hvAn;fa seems to be a
sort
of middle form between the abs. hvAnAfE and constr. tvan;fa, so that
instead
of the first noun being in constr. it is in very close apposition
with
the other, "a meekness which is also righteousness."
g Myhilox<. But few modern
interpreters take this word as a vocative.
They
explain either (z) Thy throne of God, i.e. thy throne Divine--as
Solomon's
throne is called the throne of Jehovah, i Chron. xxix. 23, cf.
xxviii.
5—thy throne which God has given thee, and which He evermore
protects,
is, or stands fast, for ever (cf. 2 Sam. vii., Ps. lxxxix.). The pron.
suff.
with the noun in constr. is defended by such examples as zfo
ysiHEma,
lxxi.
7; zfA ybiyxo, 2 Sam. xxii. 18; lyiHe yz.fumA, ib. 33; dba
ODmi, Lev.
vi. 3;
hmA.zi j`ker;Da, Ezek. xvi. 27; hfAUwy;
j~ytboK;r;ma,
Hab. iii. 8. But it is of im-
portance
to observe, that in all these instances, the noun with the suffix
may
be explained as being in ap osition (not in construction) with the
noun
following: "my refuge which is strength;" "his garment which is
linen,"
&c.; but it would be absurd to say, "Thy throne which is God."
The
constructions therefore are not identical.
(2) Thy throne is (a throne) of God
(xs.eKi
being repeated before Myhilox<,
the
constr. being as in tyriB;ha NOrxAhA, tOxbAc;
hOAhy;,
&c.). So Ibn Ezra, and
Ewald,
who objects to ‘v MlAOfl; as a predicate, but see Lam. v. 19.
(3) "Thy throne is God"
(like " God is my rock," &c.), Döderlein;
which
is also the rendering of the " Improved Version" of the N. T.
published
by the Unitarian Society, in Heb. i. 8, but which is, to say
the
least of it, very harsh and unnatural, and very different from the
examples
which are supposed to justify it, such as "God is our
dwelling-place,"
"God is my rock, my shield," &c. Dr. Hort has, how-
ever,
recently maintained that this is the most probable rendering of
the
words as they stand in the Greek of Heb. i. 8, o[
qro<noj sou o[ qeo>j ei]j
to>n ai]w?na [tou?
ai]w?noj].
He observes that there is no philological difficulty
in
the way of the rendering (the separation of "thy throne" from
"for
ever
and ever," having a parallel, e.g. in Ps. lxxiii. 26); and that it is
made
almost certain by that reading of the second clause which appears
to
him to have the support of the best MSS., viz. kai> h[
r[a<bdoj th?j eu]qu<thtoj
r[a<bdoj th?j
basilei<aj au]tou? (x B); though the LXX.
following the Hebrew
have
sou,
a rendering which has other support. No doubt, if the reading
au]tou? is correct, the first clause must be
rendered " God is thy throne,"
&c.,
otherwise aurou has no antecedent. But even retaining sou, Dr. Hort
still
contends for this rendering. For in the second clause it will be
observed
the place of subject and predicate is inverted in the Greek:
"And
the sceptre of uprightness is the sceptre of thy [his] kingdom."
"'The
sceptre of uprightness,' then, can only be a periphrasis for ‘God's
sceptre,’
the pre-eminent sceptre of uprightness ; and the affirmation must
be
that God's sceptre does itself rule the kingdom of the king addressed."
But
Dr. Hort admits that with oov there is some awkwardness of language:
"We
should not expect to find God's sceptre described as a sceptre of the
PSALM
XLV.
377
king's
kingdom, or the attribution of a Divine character transferred from
the
grammatical predicate to the grammatical subject. When sou
is
replaced
by au]tou? everything falls into its right place . . . . the statement
is
that the king's sceptre is a sceptre of God's own kingdom, even as his
throne
is God Himself." He thinks that a passing sentence in Jerome's
exposition
of this Psalm (Ep. 65 ad Princ. c. 13), shows that the
identifica-
tion
of o[ qeo<j with the throne, not the king, obtained at least some
acceptance
in its theological application in ancient times: ‘quanquam
enim Pater in Filio et Filius in Patre, et alter utrunz sibi et habitator et
thronus sint, tamen in hoc loco ad
regem qui Deus est sermo dirigitur.'"
It
must be observed, however, that this rendering turns entirely upon the
Greek
text of the Ep. to the Hebrews. Aq. has the vocative expressly,
qee<. Symm. clearly intends o[
qeo<j to
be a vocative when he renders, o[
qro<noj sou, o[ qeo<j,
ai]w<nioj kai> e@ti.
The LXX. and Theod. (o[ qro<noj sou,
o[ qeo<j, ei]j, k.t.l.) are ambiguous, but may
be said almost certainly to have
intended
o[ qeo<j as a vocative (see below), and the LXX. have not the
inversion
of predicate and subject in the second clause, which is found in
x B in the Ep. to the Hebrews; nor has any ancient
Version a trace of
au]tou? for sou. Jerome, commenting on
the passage (Ep. 65
" Aquila ELOIM verbum Hebraicum non nominativo casu
sed vocativo
interpretatur, dicens qee<, et nos propter
intelligentiam Dee posuimus
[this,
however, is not in any MS. of Jerome's text, which runs, Sedes tua
Deus
in seculum seculi], quod Latina lingua non recipit; ne
quis perverse
putet Deum dilecti et amantissimi et Regis bis Patrem
nominari." And
commenting
afterwards on ver. 7, he contends for the vocative there like-
wise, " Quod sequitur, Unxit te, Deus, Deus tuus, primum nomen Dei
vocativo casu intelligendum est, sequens nominativo. Quod satis miror,
cur
sit,
sed nominativo." I may add that Saadia, who paraphrases "God
shall
establish thy throne for ever," &c., must have supposed the con-
struction
to be that of the nominative and not the vocative.
The truth is, Dr. Hort attaches far
too much importance to the two
MSS.
K B, and, so far as the Hebrew is concerned, does not allow
sufficient
weight, I think, to such a passage as I Sam. xxviii. 13, or to
our
Lord's words in Job. x. 35, commenting on Ps. lxxxii. 6, 7.
Dr. Pusey (Daniel, pp. 471-4) has discussed the construction here with
learning
and bitterness.
h yn.imi. A difficult word. It
has been taken (r) as a repetition of the Nmi
preceding
(in its poetical form), in which case we must render, "out of
ivory
palaces, whence they gladden thee " (but this is a very harsh con-
struction,
inasmuch as the prep. thus stands alone, though it may be
parallelled
by the repetition of lfaK; Is. lix. 18); or perhaps it is better,
with
the LXX., to carry on the constr. into the next verse, e]c
w$n hu@frana<n
se qugate<rej
basile<wn e]n t^? tim^? sou. So also the ancient Lat.
Vers. pub-
lished
by Thorpe, "Ex quibus te delectaverunt filiae regum in honore
tuo."
And Jerome, " Quibus latificaverunt te filiae," &c. We find this
form
of the prep. in xliv. 11, lxxxviii. 10), and elsewhere, but there it is
followed
by its case.
378 PSALM XLV.
Or (2) to mean a district of Armenia (as in Jer. li. 27), "ivory
of the
would
incline, because of its simplicity, if there were any evidence that
with
ivory.)
Or (3) as an apoc. plur. for Mynimi, "viols,"
"stringed instruments," cl. 4.
But
the existence of such an apoc. plur. is disputable (see xxii. 17, 2 Sam.
xxii.
44, and comp. the apoc. dual ydayA, Ezek. xiii. 18). But
Maurer sug-
gests
that yni.mi
may either be = fides mea, or =fidicen, the singular being
in
this last case put collectively for the plural. So Ges. Thes. "fides (i.e.
con centus musici) exhilarant te, and Reuss : "des
concerts te rejouissent."
i j~yt,Orq.;yBi. Both the meaning and
the form are subjects of debate.
rqAyA means precious, costly, and so dear,
beloved (Prov. vi. 26, comp. Jer.
xxii.
20); hence, here, "thy beloved ones," i.e. the ladies of the harem.
Hengst.
renders deine herrlichen, i.e. as
magnificently appareled. Others
"in
thy precious things," i.e. arrayed in the ornaments and costly ap-
parel
presented her by the king. Or, "among
thy precious things, or
treasures."
As regards the form, the reading received is that of Ben-
Naphtali,
instead of that of Ben-Asher, j~yt,Orq;yiB; (though the Jews, as a
rule,
prefer the reading of the latter to that of the former). In Prov. xxx.
17,
is the exactly anal. form thaq;.yli (thaq;.yi, Gen. xlix. 10):
similar are tlal;yvi,
Jer.
xxv. 36; NOrt;yKi, Eccl. ii. 13, where the orthography of Ben-Naphtali
is
also followed. In this case the Dagesh is merely euphonic. Saadia,
Rashi,
and others, however, derive the word, not from rqy, but from rq.eBi
making
the y merely
a mater lectionis after the analogy
of hs.Aywim; Is. xlii.
24.
See the whole question fully discussed in Hupfeld's note, and comp.
Ew.
§ 53 e, and Luzzatto, Gramm. Bella Lingua
Ebraica, § 193.
k vxAt;yiv;. Fut. apoc. here
introducing the apodosis, as the foregoing
clause
with the verb in the imperative may
be considered as equivalent to
a
conditional clause, " If thou
forget, &c., then, so will the king delight
himself
in," &c.
1 hdAUbK;-lKA
lit.
"all-glory," "nothing but glory." Comp. dObKA-lK, Is. iv.
5;
and Ps. xxxix. 6, lb,h,-lKA "nothing but a
breath." The form is in-
correctly
written for hDAbuK; (arising from the later fluctuation
between
lengthening
the vowel and doubling the consonant), either adj., as Ezek.
xxiii.
41, or subst., as Jud. xviii. 21. Here the last, because it is joined
with
lKA.—Hupfeld
m tOmqAr;li. Most understand this of "variegated or
embroidered gar-
ments" Jud. v. 30, Ezek. xvi. 18, xxvi. 16, in the last passage
spoken of
the
robes of princes). But I think Maurer is right in rendering In stra-
gulis versicoloribus. He observes that the
dress of the bride has already
been
mentioned twice, ver. 9 Do], and 13 [14]; and that the prep. l;
is not
used
of motion to a place, but of rest in a place. It is used of walking
on, or over, Hab. i. 6. The very instances
which Hupfeld quotes in
379 PSALM XLV.
support
of the other interpretation HFab,lA, CUHlA, are most decidedly in
favour
of Maurer's rendering. Reuss too has: "sur des tapis diapres."
I
would compare AEsch. Agam. 881-883 :-
dmwai>, ti< me<lleq’, ai$j e]pe<staltai
te<loj
pe<don keleu<qou
strwnnu<nai peta<smasin;
eu]tu>j gene<sqw
porfuro<strwtoj po<roj.
and
896:
e]n poiki<loij .
. . . ka<llesin
bai<nein.
n j~UdOhy;, the fuller form for j~UdOy; see on lxxxi. 5 [6],
and cxvi. 6,
note
c.
PSALM
XLVI.
THIS and the two following Psalms
are hymns of triumph, com-
posed
on the occasion of some great deliverance. I am inclined to
think
that they all celebrate the same event, the sudden and miracu-
lous
destruction of the army of Sennacherib under the walls of Jeru-
fallen
into the power of the conqueror. The career of Sennacherib
and
his captains had been one uninterrupted success. The capital
itself
alone held out, and even there the enfeebled garrison seemed
little
likely to make a successful resistance. The swollen river had,
in
the language of the prophet, overflowed all his channels, and risen
even
to the neck. It was at this crisis that deliverance came. When
there
were no succours to be expected, when neither king nor army
could
help the city, God helped her. He, the Lord of Hosts, was
in
the midst of, her, keeping watch over her walls and defending her
towers.
His Angel went forth at dead of night and smote the host
of
the Assyrians, and when men awoke in the morning, there reigned
in
that vast camp the silence and the stillness of death. Such a
deliverance
must have filled the whole nation with wonder and joy.
The
old days of Moses and David would seem to have returned.
The
hopes of Prophets, so great and so glowing, yet so often appa-
rently
defeated, seemed now nearer to their accomplishment. The
times
were at hand when
whole
earth, when all nations should acknowledge Jehovah as their
King.
Her towers, her palaces, the temple of her God, stood in all
their
beauty, saved by a miracle from the spoiler's hand. God had
made
Himself known there as a sure refuge, and henceforth His
Name
would be acknowledged in the earth.
380 PSALM XLVI.
We should expect to find such a deliverance
celebrated by songs
of
thanksgiving and triumph. We should expect to find in these
songs
some indications of the particular events which they were
intended
to commemorate. Accordingly we do find, especially in this
Psalm,
and in the 48th, certain expressions which are most natural and
most
intelligible, on the supposition that they were written at this time.
In
this Psalm there occur, moreover, very remarkable coincidences,
both
of thought and expression, with those prophecies of Isaiah which
were
uttered in prospect of the Assyrian invasion. The prophet had
compared
the Assyrian army about to come, to a mighty river, the
Nile
or the
and
wide, rising till it had submerged all but the most prominent
objects.
The Psalmist employs a like image when he compares the
enemies
of his country to an angry sea, its waves roaring, and the
mountains
trembling at the swelling thereof. Isaiah had described
the
peace and safety of
seemed
to all eyes but the eye of Faith, under the emblem of her
own
gently-flowing stream of Siloam (viii. 6). The Poet also sings
the
praises of that stream, whose channels make glad the city of
God.
Thus each has recourse to similar metaphors, and each
heightens
their effect by contrast. Again the Prophet had assured
the
house of David that it had a better defence than that of chariots
and
horses; had laughed to scorn the power of the enemy, saying,
“Associate
yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces . . . take
counsel
together, and ye shall come to nought . . . . for GOD IS
WITH
US” (Immanu’ El); and had symbolized
the promised deliver-
ance
by the birth of the child, Immanuel.
The ever-recurring thought
of
the Psalm is, “God is our refuge and defence;” “God is in the
midst”
of the
(Immanu). The burden alike of Prophecy
and Psalm is IMMANUEL,
GOD
WITH US.
Delitzsch (following Hengstenberg) refers this
and the two follow-
ing
Psalms to the victory of Jehoshaphat over the allied forces of
the
Moabites, Ammonites, and Edomites, recorded in 2 Chron. xx.,
but
he admits how thoroughly this Psalm is conceived in the spirit,
and
coloured by the language, of Isaiah. He compares it more par-
ticularly
with Is. xxxiii., and remarks that the principal idea of the
Psalm
appears in Is. xxxiii. 2 (referring to Is. xxv. 4, in proof of the
similarity
of language between the Psalmist and the Prophet); that
its
concluding address resembles Is. xxxiii. 13, and that the image
of
the stream in ver. 4 of the Psalm is repeated, but in a bolder
form,
in ver. 21 of the same chapter. The “I will be exalted” in
ver.
10 of the Psalm is to be found in Is. xxxiii. 10, whilst the hope
PSALM XLVI. 381
that
war shall cease throughout the world is in harmony with the
bright
picture of universal peace which the Prophet draws (chap. ii.).
According
to the view of Delitzsch, however, the Prophet copies
the
Psalmist, and “Ps. xlvi. is not an echo but a prelude of Is.
xxxiii.”
Luther's noble hymn, “Ein’ feste Burg ist
unser Gott,” is based
upon
this Psalm.
The Psalm consists of three strophes, the
conclusion of each being
marked by the Selah, and that
of the last two by the refrain.
I. In the first, God is magnified as the
one sure defence at all
times.
Those with whom God dwells can never fear, whatever perils
may threaten. Ver. 1-3.
II. The peace of
in her; and the discomfiture of
all her foes is certain. Ver. 4-7,
III. God has manifested but even now His
saving might, in the
great
deliverance which He has wrought. His arm has been made bare,
His
voice has been heard, He is exalted in the earth. Ver. 8-11.
[FOR
THE PRECENTOR. OF THE SONS OF KORAH. UPON ’ALAMOTH.a
A SONG.]
I.
1 GOD is unto us a refuge and stronghold,
A very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore do we not fear, though (the)
earth be
changed.b
And though (the) mountains be moved into the
heart
of (the) seas;
1--3. First Strophe. The safety and
security of the people of God, even
when the earth itself and the strong
foundations of the earth are shaken.
The revolutions and com- motions
of the political world are here
described by images borrowed from
the convulsions of the natural world,
the earthquake which makes the
mountains to tremble, the roar- ing
of the seas, &c. See below, ver.
6, where the figure is dropt. A VERY PRESENT HELP, &c., lit. “a
help in trouble is He very surely found.” |
2. THOUGH THE MOUNTAINS, &c.
The strongest figure that could be
employed, the mountains being regarded
as the great pillars of the earth.
See xviii. 7 [8], lxxv. 3 [4], lxxxii.
5, Job ix. 6. INTO, not “in the heart,” as Je- Vulg.,
rightly, transferentur in cor maris. HEART OF THE SEAS. So “heart of
heaven,” Deut. iv. 11; “heart of the
oak,” 2 Sam. xviii. 14. For the general sentiment of the verse, comp. Horace, Od. iii. 3, “Si |
382 PSALM
XLVI.
3 Though the waters thereof c
roar, though they be
troubled,
Though the mountains quake with the
swelling
thereof. [Selah.]
II.
4 A stream (there is) whose channels make glad the city
of God,
The holy placed of the
dwellings of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her; she shall
not be moved;
God shall help her, when the morning
dawns.
6 Nations roared; kingdoms were moved;
fractus
illabatur orbis, Impavidum ferient
ruinae.” 3. The first strophe does not close with
the refrain, as the second (ver. 7)
and the third (ver. 11) do. There is
no reason for inferring, with Hup- feld,
an error in the text. We must not
expect to find the same regu- larity
in these early lyrics, that we should
in a modern ballad. Besides, there
is a sufficient reason for the omission
of the refrain here. It may
have been purposely omitted, in
order to bring into more striking contrast
the roaring waves of the troubled
sea, and the gentle, peace- ful
flow of the brook of Siloam, in the
next verse. This contrast, as has
been said, may have been sug- gested
by the figures employed in the
prophecy of Isaiah. Another contrast,
the same in spirit, though the
image is different, occurs in the same
Prophet. On the one side, the
Assyrian, in the day of his might,
is compared to the forest of branching
cedars: and on the other,
the Saviour of slender
shoot, springing from the stem
of Jesse (Is. x. 33, 34, xi. 1). The
division of the chapters here has
most unhappily marred the effect
of this contrast, which is very striking,
and which is conceived in the
truest spirit of poetry. SWELLING, or “pride.” 4-7. The peace and tranquillity of
the city of |
uproar
and confusion without her walls. 4. A STREAM. The one never- failing
stream of water with which in
its gentle, undisturbed, refresh- ing
flow, was an image of the peace and
blessing which the enjoyed
under the protection of her
God. (See Stanley, Sinai and allusion
to Is. viii. 6 has been al- ready
remarked on, and the meta- phor
may have been borrowed de- signedly,
as Calvin suggests, “that the
faithful might learn that, with- out
any aid from the world, the grace
of God alone was sufficient for them....
Therefore, though the help of
God may but trickle to us, as it were,
in slender streams, we should enjoy
a deeper tranquillity than if all
the power of the world were heaped
up all at once for our help.” 5. SHE SHALL NOT BE MOVED. The
antithesis to this follows in the next
verse, “Kingdoms were moved.” WHEN THE MORNING DAWNS, lit.
“At the turning of the morn- ing,”
as Exod. xiv. 27, Jud. xix. 26, and
the same phrase of the evening, Gen.
xxiv. 63; not “early,” as E.V., Ros.,
and others, nor “every morn- ing,”
as Calvin, De Wette, but in the morning
of redemption and triumph, as
opposed to the night of disaster and
sorrow. See note on xxx. 5 [6]. 6. There is a manifest reference to
verses 2, 3, though the figure |
PSALM XLVI. 383
He uttered His voice,e—the
earth melteth.
7 Jehovah (God of) Hosts is with us;
A high tower unto us is the God of
Jacob. [Selah.]
III.
8 Come, behold the deeds of Jehovah,f
Who hath done terrible things
g in the earth;
9 (Who) stilleth wars unto the end of the
earth,
Who breaketh (the) bow and cutteth
(the) spear in
sunder.
(And) burneth (the) chariots in the
fire.
10 “Cease ye, and know that I am God,
I am exalted among the nations,
I am exalted upon
the earth.”
there
employed is now dropt, ex- cept
so far as we are reminded of it
by the use of the same verbs, “roared,”
“were moved,” words which
are employed in other pas- sages,
both of natural and political convulsions. The absence of any copula in the verse
adds much to the force of the description.
The preterites are not hypothetical
(as Delitzsch explains). Each
act of the drama is, so to speak,
before the eyes of the Poet. UTTERED HIS VOICE, i.e. in thun- der
(past tense), on which the melt- ing
of the earth (present tense) is described
as following immediately (without
a copula). The thunder (called
also in xxix. “the voice of Jehovah”)
is the symbol of the Divine
judgement. Comp. xviii. 13 [14],
and especially as explaining this
passage, lxxvi. 8 [9]. 7. JEHOVAH (GOD OF) HOSTS. The
name first occurs in the mouth of
Hannah, 1 Sam. i. 11, and is applied
to God as the Great King whom
all created powers, the armies both
in heaven and in earth, obey. To
this Name the Psalmist imme- diately
subjoins another, “the God of
Jacob,” the covenant God of His people.
Thus we are reminded, as Calvin
remarks, of the double prop on
which our faith rests; the infi- nite
power whereby He can subdue |
the
universe unto Himself, and the fatherly
love which He has revealed in
His word. Where these two are joined
together, our faith may tram- ple
on all enemies. The Talmud says
that this verse should never de- part
from the mouth of an Israelite. 8--11. The application of the general
truth of God s Presence and help
to the particular circumstances of
the nation at the present crisis. Hence
“Come, behold.” Comp. lxvi.
5. 9. STILLETH. The participle ex- presses
the continuance of the ac- tion.
Who not only does so now, but
will do so evermore, till His kingdom
of peace shall be set up in
all the earth. This hope, how- ever,
is not prominent here, as it is in
Mic. iv. 3, Is. ii. 4, and ix. 5 [4]. “For
every greave of the greaved (warrior)
in the battle-tumult, and the
(soldier’s) cloak rolled in blood, shall
be for burning, and fuel of fire”
(where our Version has most unhappily
marred the sense, by in- serting
“but this”), on which follows the
reign of peace of the Messiah. 10. CEASE YE. The verb is used absolutely
here, as in 1 Sam. xv. 16,
“stay, and I will tell thee,” but, strictly
speaking, the expression is elliptical,
Lit. “Let your hand sink down,”
i.e. cease your efforts. God
Himself here “utters His |
384 PSALM
XLVI.
11 Jehovah (God of) Hosts is with us;
A high tower unto us is the God
of Jacob. [Selah.]
voice,”
as sole Judge and Arbiter of
the world. (So the A.-S. para- phrase
supplies “Then God an- swered
and said by the Prophet.”) |
What
are all the fret and stir of armies,
and captains of armies, and kings
and kingdoms, in His sight, who
is the Ruler and the Judge of all! |
a tOmlAfE-lfa. See on vi. note a. Not as Bottcher, De Inferis, p. 192, ad
voces puberes, “to be sung by tenor
voice,” but ad voces puellarum; as
Perret-Gentil, chant
avec voix de femmes, and Armand de Mestral still
more
exactly, en soprano. In lxviii. 26,
maidens playing on the timbrels
accompany
the Ark. They may also, like Miriam, have joined in the
singing, and taken their
several parts.
b rymihAB;. The inf. may here be impers., as xlii. 3 [4],
Gen. xxv. 26,
Exod.
ix. 16, with a passive idea, “when one changes” being = “when
it
is changed.” Cr,x, would then be accus., as in the passages
quoted in
Gen.
and Exod.; but perhaps it is better, with Gesen. (§ 133, 2) and
Hupfeld
to take Cr,x,
here as the subject in the nominative, “when the
earth
changes.” According to the latter, the Hiph. is here used in a
passive
sense, instead of the Niph. or Hoph., which are not in use. But
the
Hiph. may perhaps be explained as expressing a state or condition,
Gesen. § 53, 2.
e vymAyme. The sing. suffix in this word and in OtvAxEgaB; can only refer to
Mym.iya, which is merely a plural of poetic
amplification. In the same way
cvii.
25, vyl.AGa refers to MyBira Myima ver. 23. Comp., as
applied to the sea,
tUxGe, lxxxix. 10. The futures in this verse
carry on the construction of
the
previous verse. This transition from the infin. constr. to the finite
verb
is very usual. Others take the futures as concessive, a new sentence
beginning
here. So Maurer, Fremant, aestuent aquae
ejus! Contremis-
cant, &c. (nihil
timebimus, or something of the kind, being supplied).
Hupfeld
rejects both explanations, and thinks that this verse forms the
protasis
of a sentence which in the present text stands incomplete; the
apodosis
he finds in the refrain, which he thinks ought to stand here
before the Selah, as in ver. 7,
11. But see on ver. 3.
d wdq;, either with transposed
vowel for wd,qo
(see the same form as a
noun
lxv. 5, and Is. lvii. 15, and comp. ldoG;, Exod. xv. 16, and so
Symm.
to> a!gion th?j kataskhnw<sewj, or adj., agreeing with
“City of God,” i.e.
“holy in (or, because of) the
dwellings,” &c.
e OlOqB; NtanA. This constr. of the
verb with the prep. occurs also lxviii.
34,
Jer. xii. 1. Gesen. explains it as elliptical = edere (strepitum, fre-
mitum)
voce, and compares the similar
phrases “to shake the head,” and
“with the head,” “to gnash the teeth,”
and “with the teeth” (§ 135, 1,
Rem.
3, note). Hupfeld denies any ellipse, and thinks that Ntn itself
means
“to sound:” which, however, is a meaning confined to the Piel;
comp.
hnA.Ti
and Myni.Ta, “jackals,” lit. “howlers.”
PSALM XLVII.
385
f hvhy. For this many MSS. (32 Kenn., 46 De-Rossi)
have Myhlx
which
would be more in accordance with the Elohistic character of the
Psalm.
The variation is as old as the Talmud [Babli],
Norzi
(i.e. R. Shelomoh Yedidyah of Norcia)
inclines to it, and Biesenthal
adopts
it in his Edit. of the Psalter. Comp. lxvi. 5. Hupfeld's note (1st
Edit.),
by mistake, refers to the preceding verse. He is wrong in saying
that the Chald. favours the
reading x.
g tOm.wa, plur., here only
instead of the sing. hm.Awa, unites the two mean-
ings
of “desolation” and “wonder, astonishment” (as the verb also does),
either
of which is suitable here. The first is that usually adopted.
Jerome,
solitudines, and so Calv., Ros., and
others. The second, “asto-
nishing,
i.e. terrible things,” is preferred
by Ewald and Hupf., following
the
LXX. (te<rata) and the Syriac. The A.-S. also has "and his wundru
be
he wyrcd.”
--------------------------------
PSALM XLVII.
A HYMN of triumph, in which the singer
calls upon all the nations
of
the earth to praise Jehovah as their King, and joyfully anticipates
the
time when they shall all become one body with the people of the
God
of Abraham. In this sense the Psalm may be called Messianic,
a
prophecy of the final triumph of God's kingdom upon earth. The
older
Christian expositors, for the most part, suppose it to have been
written,
like Psalm xxiv., on the occasion of the removal of the
Christ,
and of His kingly rule, as sitting at the right hand of the
Father.
The Rabbipical interpreters regard the Psalm as Messianic.
By Venema, Hengstenberg, and Delitzsch, it
has been referred,
like
the last, to the victory of Jehoshaphat over the Moabites,
Ammonites,
Edomites, and Arabians, 2 Chron. xx. Hengst. relies
especially
on the fact that the sons of the Korahites are said to have
been
present with the army on that occasion, ver. 19, and supposes
this
Psalm to be alluded to, ver. 26. R. Mosheh Hakkohen thinks
it
was composed in
return
of Jehovah into His temple, and in consequence of the hopes
then
kindled of the conversion of the nations to the God of Israel.
Eichhorn,
who connects Psalms xlvi. and xlviii. with the defeat of
Sennacherib,
considers this Psalm to belong to David's time: it
alludes,
he thinks, to the final subjugation of the Canaanites, when
the
Jebusites were driven out of their stronghold, and celebrates
the
bringing up of the
however,
that the Psalm was not written by David, but either by
386 PSALM XLVII.
a
contemporary, or by a later Poet, who transferred himself in
imagination
into those times.
I see no reason, however, why the Psalm
should not have been
composed,
like the 46th and 48th, after the defeat of Sennacherib;
and
Hupfeld is, I think, right in calling it “a lyrical expansion of
the
idea prominent in xlvi. 10 [11], that Jehovah is high exalted
above
the nations, and the great King over all the earth.”
We have two strophes, the end of the first
being marked by the
Selah;
but the subject of both is in fact the same, the second, ver.
5--10,
being only a lyrical variation of the first, ver. 1--4. The chief
difference
is, that what is expressed as a wish or hope in the first part
(ver.
3, 4), viz. that God would make the nations the inheritance of
Very
probably this Psalm, like the 24th, was sung in choral anti-
phonies,
one company of Levites beginning with the words “O clap
your
hands,” &c. (ver. 1, 2), and another answering “He subdueth,”
&c.
(ver. 3, 4). Then, again, the first company would take up the
words,
“God is gone up,” &c. and would sing ver. 5, 6. The anti-
choir
would respond in ver. 7 and 8; and finally both would unite in
ver.
9, 10.*
[FOR
THE PRECENTOR. OF THE SONS OF KORAH. A PSALM.]
1 O ALL ye peoples clap (the) hand;
O shout unto God with the voice of
triumph!
2 For Jehovah, Most High, is terrible,
A great King over all the earth.
3 He subdueth peoples under us,
And nations under our feet!
1, 2. The nations called upon to do homage
to Jehovah. Cf. Ps. lxvi. 1. 1. CLAP (THE) HAND ... SHOUT, as
demonstrations of joy, in solemn, festal
procession. We have the former
at the coronation of a new king,
2 Kings xi. 12, and so here the
nations are to rejoice before their
new monarch. See also 1 Sam.
x. 25, and comp. Num. xxiii. 21,
“the shout of a king.” |
TRIUMPH, lit. “singing” or “joyful
song.” 3, 4. There is considerable diffi- culty
in satisfactorily explaining these
verses. They seem, at first sight,
to refer to the past--to the destruction
of the Canaanites, and the
establishment of promised
inheritance. So the LXX. u[pe<tace laou>j h[mi?n . . .
e]cele<cato h[mi?n th>n klhronomi<an au]tou?. Jerome, con- |
* In the Ashkenazic synagogues, this Psalm
is recited seven times
before
the blowing of the ram's horn trumpet on New Year's Day. In
all
other synagogues, once on the same
occasion.
PSALM XLVII
387
4 He chooseth for us our inheritance,
The excellency of Jacob whom He loveth! [Selah.]
5 God is gone up with a shout,
Jehovah with the voice of a trumpet.
6 Make melody to God, make melody;
Make melody to our King, make
melody!
7 For God is King of all the earth;
Make melody in skilful strains.
gregavit (Vulg. subjecit) ... Elegit, &c.
Calv. ordinavit.... subjecit. Luther
makes the first verb fut., “Er
wird . . zwingen,” and the second
pres.,”Er erwahlet.” Our own
Version renders both as future. Hupfeld
translates both as opta- tives, and, in the case of
the first verb,
this seems required by the form
(but see Is. 1. 9), “May He subdue,
&c. . . . May He choose (them)
for us (as) our inheritance, (as)
the pride of Jacob,” &c. Ac- cording
to this view,” the inherit- ance”
cannot refer to the Holy Land
immediately, but to the na- tions
who are to be gathered in; they
are to be the heritage of the
heathen Thine inheritance” (the
same word as here). There is, however,
a difficulty still, even with
this explanation. The word “choose”
is not the word we should expect.
It sounds awkward to say, “May
He choose,” &c., instead of “May
He make the nations our in- heritance.”
Hence Hupf. proposes to
read bHer;ya, “May He make wide, enlarge,”
&c., but there is no sup- port
for such a conjecture, either in MSS.
or Versions. I am inclined therefore,
with Ewald, Hengst., and
Bunsen, to take both verbs as presents (which the previous
con- text
seems to require), either as re- ferring
to a recent act of God, or (as
Delitzsch) to a continued act— “God
is ever choosing heritance
anew, inasmuch as He shows
Himself to be the true and mighty
Protector thereof.” The present may be used, as in
civ. 2, |
where
the act of creation is spoken of
as present, because its results are present.
Comp. Is. xiv. 1, where another
choosing. 4. THE EXCELLENCY. In the sense
of that by which as God’s gift, Jacob
excels every other people (cf.
cxxxv. 4). Others, “the pride.” Apparently
the styled
here; probably also in Amos vi.
8 (where “his palaces,” and “the city,”
stand in the parallelism), and perhaps
in viii. 7, though not appa- rently
in Nahum ii. 3. The Holy Land
is so called, as the glorious possession
wherein Jacob prides himself,
because it is the gift of God's
love and favour. 5. GOD IS GONE UP. An expres- sion
taken from the entry of the ark
into the city of David, 2 Sam. vi.
15. Here God is said to ascend His
royal Throne either in heaven, or
in of
the triumphal procession. Cf. lxviii.
18 [19], and ix. 4 [5], vii. 6 [7]. WITH A SHOUT (A.-S. “with winsome
song”). See note on ver. 1. 6. SING PSALMS. The word means
both to sing and to play. The
LXX., rightly, Ya<late. Hupf. Singet. 7. This verse contains the great subject
of the Psalm, the reason why
all nations are called to unite in
this festal joy. SING PSALMS, or “sing and play.” IN SKILFUL STRAINS, lit. “a skilful
song,” a song either fine in its
structure, or beautiful in its melody.
See xxxii. notea. Hup- |
388 PSALM XLVIII.
8 God is King over (the) nations;
God sitteth upon His holy throne.
9 The princes of (the) peoples are gathered
together,
(To be) a peoplea of the
God of Abraham:
10 For to God (belong) the shields of the
earth;
Very high is He exalted.
feld,,
ein Lied (e.g. eine Lehre); Delitzsch,
Oden (the ode being, he says, something of a reflective cha- racter,
between a purely subjective song,
and an objective hymn). But these
renderings rest upon a mis- taken
notion as to the meaning of
the
root. LXX. sunetw?j, Jerome, erudite, rightly as regards
the sense. 8. Is KING, lit. “hath become King,”
has asserted and is exer- cising
His sovereignty. Calvin, “regnum
obtinuit,” because, as he
says,
“verbum sub tempore prae terito
continuum actum designat;” and
so in the next clause, hath taken
His seat.” |
9. The prayer is answered, the hope
is accomplished. The princes of
, the nations are gathered toge- ther,
are come in one body, as it were,
on a day of solemn corona- tion,
to do homage as vassals to their
liege Lord and King, cii. 22 [23],
Is. lxvi. 18, and cf. Is. xiv. 1. 10. SHIELDS OF THE EARTH, i.e. Princes
as the defenders and cham- pions
of their people. See the same figure
Hos. iv. i8. They are incorporated with the Jews,
they are one people. Hence we
might perhaps render, “to be “the
people,” the noun being defined by
the following genitive. But Mendelss.
“zu einem Volke.” |
a ‘x Mfa. These words can only be in apposition with
the foregoing.
The
older translators (except Symm. and Chald.) not seeing this, render
as
if the reading were Mfi, instead of Mfa. So also Qimchi and Ewald.
Others,
as Ros., understood the prep. lx, or l;
before Mfa, but possibly
Mfi has dropt out. De Wette 3, and Hengst. explain
the constr. as
accus.
of direction. But it is much simpler to take it as above, in appos.
To
‘f ybeydin;. Ibn Ezra, ‘x
lxl Mf tvyhl.
-------------------------------
PSALM XLVIII.
THIS Psalm, there is every reason to
suppose, was composed on
the
same occasion as the two preceding, It celebrates God’s pro-
tecting
care of
from
the army of Sennacherib (2 Kings xviii. 19, Is. xxxvi. &c.), as
may
be inferred from the many verbal coincidences which present
themselves,
on a comparison of the Psalm with the prophecies of
Isaiah
relating to the Assyrian invasion (chaps. viii., xxxiii., xxix.
1--7,
xxxiii.). See the introduction to Psalm xlvi.
PSALM
XLVIII.
389
From ver. 9 it may be inferred that the Psalm
was intended to be
sung
in the Temple-service. Hupfeld says that the Rabbinical com-
mentators
refer this like the preceding Psalms, to the times of the
Messiah,
and the struggle with Gog and Magog, which was to issue
in
the everlasting glory of
or
Ibn Ezra.
It consists of three parts or strophes.
I. An Introduction which, after an
ascription of praise to God,
describes
the glory (ver. 2) and the security (ver. 3) of
city
in which God had made Himself known. Ver. 1—3.
II. The defeat of the enemy. Because God
thus dwells in
and
loves
That
mighty host, led by its kingly captains, did but look upon the
city,
and were confounded, as in a moment, broken as with the east
wind,
which breaks the ships of Tarshish, melting away “like snow
in
the glance of the Lord.” Ver. 4—8.
III. Thanksgiving to God, whose praise is
not only in
all
the earth: the Poet would have His great goodness in delivering
His
people remembered in all time to come. Ver. 9—14.
[A SONG. A PSALM. OF THE SONS OF KORAH.a]
1 GREAT is Jehovah, and highly to be
praised,
In the city of our God, in His holy
mountain.
2 Beautiful in elevation,b the
joy of the whole earth,
1--3. It is because city
of passes
all other cities in beauty and renown.
It is the Glory of His Presence
which makes her glorious: the
strength of His Presence which makes
her safe. 1. GREATLY TO BE PRAISED. See
xviii., notea. Comp. xcvi. 4, cxly.
3. THE CITY OF in
ver. 8. Comp. xlvi. 4 [5]. 2. BEAUTIFUL IN ELEVATION, or
“rising aloft in beauty.” This is
precisely one of the most striking features
in the topography of Jeru- ley,
“is remarkable, occasioned not from
its being on the summit of one
of the numerous hills of like
most of the towns and villages, but
because it is on the edge of one |
of
the highest table-lands in the country.
still,
by some hundred feet; and from
the south, accordingly, the approach
to descent.
But from every other side the
ascent is perpetual; and to the traveller,
approaching from
the west or east, it must have always
presented the appearance, beyond
any other capital of the then
known world—we may add, beyond
any important city that has ever
existed on the earth—of a mountain
city: breathing, as com- pared
with the sultry plains of the air,
enthroned, as compared with on
a mountain fastness.”—Sinai and THE JOY OF THE WHOLE EARTH. |
390 PSALM
XLVIII.
Is the
The city of the great King.
Most
recent interpreters render, “a joy
of the whole land,” a rendering which
I am satisfied does not do justice
to the largeness of the sacred Poet’s
conceptions. In a Psalm where
the range of anticipation is so
wide, and in which God's name is
declared to be known to the ends of
the earth, we must understand the
language employed, in its broadest,
not in its narrowest sense. Comp.
Lam. ii. 15. Is not this the
city which they called the crown of
beauty, “a joy of the whole earth?”
and Is. lx. 15, “a joy of many
generations.” THE SIDES OF THE NORTH. It is
not very clear what is meant by this
expression here. In other passages,
it denotes “the furthest north,”
“the extremest regions of the
north,” as in Ezek. xxxviii. 6, 15,
xxxix. 2, where it is used of the only
place, besides those mentioned, where
it occurs), it seems to de- scribe
the locality of the Assyrian Hence
Ewald, Hitzig, and Hengst- enberg
suppose that the Psalmist, borrowing
here a figure from the Assyrian
mythology, intends to re- present
position
in Asiatics,
or Greeks.
Ewald even suggests that, in
consequence of the Assyrian in- vasion,
the expression may have become
familiar to Jewish writers, in
the same way as Christian
writers. But surely this is
a most extravagant supposition. The
affectation of embodying a piece
of Pagan mythology in a sacred
hymn, in order to express a sacred
idea, could never have oc- curred
to men animated by such strong
religious and patriotic senti- ments
as the Hebrew poets of old. In
Is. xiv. 13, it must be remem- bered,
the case is widely different, as
the expression is there put into |
the
mouth of the king of himself.
But for a Jew to speak of
were
no more than some maintain of
heathen fable, would have been nothing
short of profanity. One thing is clear, that by “the sides
of the north” is indicated, in some
sense or other, the typography of
the is,
to what particular part of it the words
refer? (1) Now itself
did not lie on the north, but on
the south side of the elevated table-land
mentioned in a pre- ceding
note. But the lie
north, i.e. north-east of the city;
and
as the liar
sense, the dwelling-place of God,
the Psalmist may have in- tended
to designate this when he spoke
of “the sides of the north,” the
expression being sufficiently accurate
for the purposes of poetry. Hence
we have the garded
from three different points of
view, viz. “the city
of north”
( King”
( Matt.
v. 35). (2) If, however, be
the peak now levelled on the north of the Fergusson
(Essay, p. 55 if) and. Thrupp
(Antient ff.)
suppose, “the mount the
sides of the north” may be the true
rendering here. And this, too, might
peculiarly be called “beau- tiful
for elevation,” as it was the highest
point of the whole plateau, and
that which would most readily strike
the eye. (3) Another reason may
be suggested why the north should
be especially mentioned, because
an enemy approaching like the
Assyrians, would obtain their first
view of the city on that side. Dr.
Kay: “‘In the recesses of the north,’
the mountain rising in a mass
to the north as the spectator views
it from the south.” |
PSALM
XVIII. 391
3 God in her palaces
Hath made Himself known as a high
tower.
4 For lo! the kings were assembled,
They passed by together:
5 They saw (it); thenc they were
amazed;
They were terrified, they were
utterly confounded.
6 Trembling took hold upon them there,
Pangs as upon a woman in travail:
3. HATH MADE HIMSELF KNOWN, especially
by the great act of de- liverance
recently accomplished, a description
of which immediately follows. 4. There follows, in a few lines, a
striking picture of the advance of
the hostile army, and of its sudden
destruction. Compare with this
the wonderfully graphic de- scription
of the same march in Is.
x. 28— 34. THE KINGS. The mention of “kings”
in the plural does not prove
that the Psalm cannot be re- ferred
to the Assyrian invasion. They
were perhaps satraps, or petty kings
(comp. Judges v. 3, 19), de- pendent
upon Sennacherib. In his Annals,
as lately deciphered, he speaks
of setting up tributary kings or
viceroys in Chaldaea, and
countries.
Cf. Is. x. 8. Calvin and others,
who refer the Psalm to the time
of Ahaz, suppose Pekah and Rezin
to be meant. Hengstenberg and
Delitzsch think that “the kings”
are those of and
Jehoshaphat,
and that it is their discomfiture
which is the subject of
the Psalm. But the battle at Tekoa
would surely not have been described
as the deliverance of WERE ASSEMBLED. The word is used
of a formal confederation as of
the Canaanite kings, Josh. xi. 5. THEY PASSED BY TOGETHER: spoken
of the marching of an army in
battle array. Comp. Is. x. 29, |
&c.
But it might also be rendered, “They
vanished, disappeared at once,
or altogether.” For this meaning
of the verb see xxxvii. 36. If
so, this verse expresses in its two clauses,
briefly, the gathering and the
destruction of the hosts, and then
these two ideas are expanded in
what follows. 5. THEY SAW (IT), viz. the Holy City.
The pronoun is very em- phatic,
as if to make prominent the hostile
forces. Jebb: “they them- selves.”
The force of the descrip- tion
in this verse, as in the last, is much
increased by the way in which the
verbs follow one another without a
copula. Calvin well illustrates it by
Caesar's veni, vidi, vici. A suc- cession
of scenes is thus flashed upon
the eye. Each word is a picture.
First, we have the muster- ing
of the hosts; then their march; then,
their first sight of the city; then
their astonishment, their dis- may,
their wild panic and flight. WERE UTTERLY CONFOUNDED. So
Symm. e]cepla<ghsan, LXX. e]sal- eu<qhsan. But it may mean
“were driven
to flight,” as Gesenius and Hupfeld
here take it. 6, 7. This confusion and terror are
now further pourtrayed under two
images: the first, that of a travailing
woman, a common one in
the Old Testament, and found also
in the New; and the second, in
which the defeat of Sennacherib's army
is compared to the wreck and dispersion
of a navy in a storm. The
image in this case is presented with
lyric vividness, as if the Poet |
392 PSALM XLVIII.
7 (Thou brakest them as) with the east wind
Thou breakest the ships of Tarshish.
8 As we have heard, so have we seen
In the city of
God will establish it for ever.
[Selah.]
9 We have thought,d O God, on
Thy loving-kindness
In the midst of Thy temple.
10 As is Thy Name, O God, so, is Thy praise
to the ends
of the earth!
Full of righteousness is Thy right
hand.
were
himself looking on the scene. It
is a comparison, without any particle
of comparison to intro- duce
it. But there are two ways of ren- dering
ver. 7, according as the verb is
2 pers. masc., or 3 pers. fem.; for it
may be either. If the first, then God
is the subject.” (Thou, O God,
brakest them as) thou brakest the
ships of Tarshish,” &c. So the LXX.
suntri<beij, Symm. katea<ceij. So
also Calv., J. H. Mich,, Hengst., Hupf.
And there is a certain lyric force
and animation in this sudden apostrophe
to God, which inclines me
to give it the preference. If the second,
then the rendering will be, “They
were broken as with the east
wind, which breaketh,” &c. So
Ewald and De Wette. Ewald renders:
“durch des Ostens-Sturm der
zertrummert Tarschisch- Schiffe.”
Diodati's translation gives the
sense most exactly: “(Furono rotte
come) per lo vento Orientale (che) rompe le navi di Tarsis.” For the image, as
descriptive of the
irresistible power of God, com- pare
Is. xxvii. 8, Amos iv. 9, Jonah iv.
8, Jer. xviii. 17, and see 1 Kings x. 22,
where ships of Tarshish denote the
strongest and largest ships. Comp. the “afflavit Deus, et dissi- pantur”
of our own history. lay:”
Their ranks were broken as the
clouds break with a Biscay gale.” |
In
Is. xxxiii. the Assyrian power is also
compared to a gallant ship. 8. This marvellous deliverance is but
a fresh proof, in our own expe- rience,
of that wonder-working Love which
in the days of old has so often
manifested itself in The
things which our fathers have told
us, we have now witnessed with our
own eyes. (Comp. xliv. 1) And therefore,
also, the present is re- garded
as a pledge for the future: “God
will establish it—make it stand
firm—for ever,” as lxxxvii. 5. 9--14. The next portion of the Psalm
consists of the grateful cele- bration
of that which God had done for
9. WE HAVE THOUGHT, i.e. pon- dered,
considered in that deep, still, heartfelt
gratitude, whence issue the
loud praises of the tongue. IN THY
in
which the congregation met to acknowledge
God's loving-kindness, or
as the place in which He had manifested His loving-kindness. Calvin:
“locum ubi invocaretur sedem virtutis et gloriae suae fore. ” 10. AS IS THY NAME, SO
IS, or, as
others, “So let Thy praise be,” i.e. Mayest Thou be
praised accord- ing
to the greatness of thy Name, God's
Name being here that Name which
He had got Himself in by
His manifold mighty acts on their
behalf. |
PSALM XLVIII. 393
11 Let the
Let the daughters of
Because of Thy judgements.
12 Compass
Tell the towers thereof;
13 Consider her bulwarks,e mark
well her palaces,
That ye may tell it to the
generations following,
14 For such is God, our God, for ever and
ever;
11. The verbs may either be taken as
optatives, as above, or as simple presents.
“The rejoices,” &c. Comp.
xcvii. 8. THE DAUGHTERS OF JUDAH, not here
literally “the maidens of these
to take a prominent part in the
celebration of every victory, with
songs and dances; but, as the parallelism
with “the mountain of cities
and villages of had
suffered from the invasion. The metaphor
is common in prose as well
as in poetry. 12. The glad sense of freedom, the
shout of deliverance, are no less
noticeable in this verse than the
strong patriotic feeling which breathes
in it. The horrors of the siege are at an
end. No hostile army lies before the
walls, and shuts the besieged within
the gates. Therefore it is that
the sacred Poet, kindling with emotion,
as he looks with all the pride
and all the deep affection of a true
patriot on the towers of which
still stand in their beauty, unscathed
by the spoiler's hand, calls
upon all her inhabitants to go forth,
now that they can do so freely, to
look upon her beauty, to gaze with
affection upon her bulwarks, to consider
one by one her palaces. 13. MARK WELL. The word occurs
only here, lit. “divide,” i.e. mark
them one by one, in a poetical and
a figurative sense, answering to the
“tell her towers” before. Symm. diametrh<sate
ta> basi<leia au]th ?j. L. de Dieu
gives it a more literal turn: |
“dividite palatia, h.e.
obambulate inter palatia ejus, secando omnes palatiorum vias, quo omnia possitis commode intueri. ” Still, in thus calling
on them to admire
the material glory of their city,
the Poet would not have them do
so only that they may take pride in
her strength and her stateliness, but
that they may tell to the gene- rations
to come who that God is whose
hand has saved her. 14. FOR SUCH IS GOD, or, “for this
is,” &c. Comp. for the same position
of the demonstr., lxviii. 8 [9],
Exod. xxxii. 1, Joshua ix. 12, 13. Or
it may be used still less de- finitely
in the sense of “here” (like the
Greek o!de),
as civ. 25, 26, Is. xxiii.
13. See note on xxiv. 10. It is interesting to compare with these
words of the Jewish Poet a similar
burst of patriotic sentiment from
the lips of a Grecian orator. Kai> oi!de
me<n, says Pericles, toioi<de e]ge<nonto:
tou>j de> loipou>j xrh> a]sfa- leste<ran
me>n eu@xesqai, a]tolmote<ran de> mhde>n
a]ciou?n th>n e]s tou>j polemi<ouj dia<noian e@xein, skopou?ntaj
mh> lo<g& mo<n& th>n w]fe<leian .
. . a]lla> ma?llon th>n th?j po<lewj du<namin
kaq ] h[me<ran e@rg&
qewme<nouj kai> e]rasta>j gignome<- nouj au]th?j,
k.t.l. It is needless to observe
how exactly these last words correspond
to those of the Psalmist: “Mark
well her bulwarks,” &c. In- deed,
passage
in Thucydides (ii. 43), well observes,
that “the words [XX XXX]
might furnish matter for an oration
or a poem. They mean, ‘Look
at our temples, and the statues
which embellish them; go |
394 PSALM XLVIII.
He will be our Guide unto death.f
down
to walls,
visit the arsenals, and the docks
of our three hundred ships; frequent
our theatres, and appre- ciate
the surpassing excellence of our
poets, and the taste and splen- dour
of our scenic representations; walk
through the markets, observe them
filled with the productions of every
part of the world; and listen to
the sound of so many dialects and
foreign languages, which strike your
ears in the streets of our city, the
resort of the whole world.’” But
with the same strong love of |
country,
with the same enthusiastic admiration
of her present grandeur, the
same fond recollection of her glory
in times past, there is a very
striking difference of spirit. The
Greek thinks only of the men who
achieved that glory, and who embellished
the city of their birth, and
whose right hand gave them the
victory; the Jew traces all the
glory of his land, and all the success
of her children, imme- diately
to God. With the one all is
of man, with the other all is of God. |
a ‘q
yneb;li. See on xlii. notea.
b JOn hpey;, “beautiful of
elevation,” i.e. a beautiful summit. JOn occurs
only
here, and has no doubt been rightly explained by Reland and
Schultens,
by reference to the Arab. ,
“height.” See Ges. Thes. in v.
c NKe. There is no need to supply the correlative
in the protasis before
UxrA. The word is used here as a particle of time,
to denote immediate
consequence
(like the Greek ou!twj), as in 1 Sam. ix. 13, Hos. iv. 7,
where,
however,
K; stands
in the protasis. But in English more vividly it would
be
omitted.
d Unymi.De. The word has been variously rendered. The LXX.
u[pela<-
bomen. Symm. ei]ka<samen. Jerome aestimavimus. Calvin expectavimus.
But
the root is apparently cognate with Mmz, and signifies the
quiet,
thoughtful
consideration of a thing; the forming an idea in the mind
(cf.
l. 21), as in Latin, sibi informare.
Hence “we have formed an
idea,
so to speak, corresponding to the greatness of Thy goodness,” as
Hupf.
explains.
e hlyHl. This ought clearly to
be h.lAyHel;, with mappik, as in Zech. ix. 4.
f tUm lf. Many MSS. (as in ix. 1) and early Edd. read tvmlf, one
word,
but in different senses: either (1) tUml;fa, “youth.” So the Chald.
“as
in days of youth,” which Luther follows; and this has been ex-
plained
as = “in youthful strength:” or (2), “in
a hidden manner,
mysteriously.”
Others would defend the present reading, by rendering
not
“unto death,” which gives but a poor
sense, especially in relation to
the
general tenour of the Psalm, but “beyond
death” So Mendelss. “uber
den
Tod,” Cocc., &c., following the Syr., which has
desuper vel supra mortem, and Aq. a]qanasi<%. Stier tries to support
this
by Ps. xxiii. 5, lxviii. 21, and Is. xxv. 6--10. But not a single
passage
has been adduced in which the prep. lfa has this meaning.
PSALM
XLIX.
395
Others
read tmolAOf (cod. 157 Kenn.), for
ever, as LXX. ei]j tou>j ai]w?naj,
and
so Symm., Menach., Ibn Ez., but the fem. plur. does not occur
elsewhere;
otherwise this gives the best sense. tUm-lfa, however, may
be
only like NBela ‘m
‘f, ix. 1, intended to
mark the measure to which the
song
was to be sung; and then it either stands exceptionally at the end,
instead
of the beginning of the Psalm, as a similar notation does in
Hab.
iii. 19; or it belongs to the title of the next Psalm, in which case
the
conclusion of this Psalm is imperfect.
---------------------------------
PSALM XLIX.
THIS Psalm is not inaptly described in the
ancient Latin Version
of
the Psalms (published with the Anglo-Saxon Paraphrase by Thorpe)
as,
Vox Ecclesiae super Lazaro et divite purpurato.
It is designed as a
vindication
of the ways of God in sight of the different fortunes of
the
righteous and the wicked in this world. It is no mere common-
place
on the shortness of life and the uncertainty of riches. It is no
philosophical
dissertation, which bids us bear up bravely in our perils
and
sufferings, telling us that virtue is its own reward. It goes at
once
to the root of the matter. It shows us not only the vanity of
riches,
but the end of those who “boast themselves in their riches.”
It
comforts the righteous in their oppression and affliction, not merely
by
the assurance that they shall finally triumph over the wicked, but
by
the more glorious hope of life everlasting with God. Here is the
true
ground of consolation, that God will not only not forsake those
who
trust in Him in this life, but that He will take them to Himself.
It
is this doctrine specially enunciated, which gives the Psalm its
distinctive
character, and which leads the Psalmist himself to claim
for it so attentive a hearing.
The Psalm consists of three parts.
upon
to listen to the words of the Poet, and in which he further
declares
that he speaks by Divine inspiration. Ver. 1--4.
Then follows the main body of the Poem, in
two principal
divisions,
marked by the refrain, which closes each. Ver. 5--12,
and ver. 13--20.
II. The former of these contains,
generally, a description of men
prosperous
and rich, whose riches puff them up with pride, and with
the
foolish imagination that they can secure for themselves an
396 PSALM XLIX.
immortality
upon earth; but who are so far from being able to save
themselves
or others from death by their riches, that they are no
better than the beasts that
perish. Ver. 5—12.
III. The remainder of the Psalm deals
chiefly with the consolation
to
be derived from the end of the righteous, as contrasted with the
end of the worldly. Ver. 13-20.
Others divide the Psalm differently, and
consider ver. 5—15 to
contain
one consecutive piece of instruction as to the several lots of
the
worldly and the faithful, and ver. 16—20, the application of the
instruction,
by way of consolation, to those who are in suffering and
poverty,
and to whom the prosperity of these men is a stumbling-
block.
It should be remarked, that the rich men of
the Psalm are not
described
as “the wicked,” “the ungodly,” “the violent,” &c. as in
other
Psalms. Only one hint is given in the word “iniquity” (ver.
5),
that they are evil men. But this seems to be designed, as in our
Lord's
parable of the rich man and Lazarus, to show that the selfish,
proud,
boastful use of riches, the mere luxuriousness of wealth, apart
from
violence or unscrupulousness of conduct, is evil, and finds its
end
in the outer darkness.
[FOR
THE PRECENTOR. OF THE SONS OF KORAH.a A PSALM.]
1 HEAR ye this, all ye peoples,
Give ear all ye inhabitants of the
world,
2 Both low and high,
Rich and poor together!
1—4. Introduction and announce- ment
of the Psalmist's purpose. The opening is solemn and formal, like
that of the Prophets. Comp. Micah
i. 2, 1 Kings xxii. 28, with Deut.
xxxii 1, Is. i. 2, Ps. 1. 1. “Quo- niam Psalmus hic, a quocunque fuerit compositus, unum ex praeci- puis coelestis philosophiae capitibus continet, non abs re tam splendidis verbis auctor praefatur, de rebus magnis et reconditis sibi fore ser- monem,
quo sibi attentionem con- ciliet.”—Calvin. 1. THE WORLD; the term here used
is that which indicates its tem- |
porary,
fleeting character: see xvii. notee.
Two things are implied in this
verse: first, that the doctrine of
the Psalm concerns all; and next, that
it is one which men are apt to neglect,
and to the consideration of which,
therefore, they need to be roused. 2. LOW AND HIGH, lit. sons of (common)
men, and sons of (great) men,
cf. Ps. lxii. 9, the two names for man here used answering
very nearly
to the distinction between a@nqrwpoj and a]nh<r, and between homo and vir. The older versions, however,
see no antithesis here, |
PSALM XLIX. 397
3 My mouth shall speak wisdom,
And the meditation of my heart is
understanding;
4 I will incline mine ear to a parable.
I will open my dark saying upon the
harp.
5 Why should I fear in the days of evil,
(When) iniquity at my heels
compasseth me about?b
but
take the phrase as = “all and every.”
So Symm. 71 h! te a]nqrwpo<thj. prose<ti
de> kai> ui[poi> e[kastou a]ndro<j. Jerome, Tam filii Adam quam filii singulorum. RICH AND POOR,
between whore
the instruction of the Psalm is divided, its
lessons being a warning to the one, and a consolation
to the other. 3. WISDOM ... UNDERSTANDING. In
the Heb. these words are plural, but
apparently not so used with any intensification
of meaning. The plural
in these and like words is very
common in the Proverbs: i. 20, ix.
1, xiv. 1, xxiv. 7. In the second clause
of the verse I have supplied the
copula “is;” for, notwithstand- ing
Hupfeld's remark to the con- trary,
I cannot think it a natural construction
to repeat the verb from the
first clause: “The meditation of my
heart shall speak understanding.” 4. I WILL INCLINE MINE EAR, as one
who listens patiently for the Divine
revelation. The inspiration of
the Poet, as well as that of the Prophet,
is from above. He cannot speak
of his own heart; he must hear
what God the Lord will say. The
inclining of the ear is the act significant
of ready obedience on the
part of man; the revealing or uncovering
the ear (as it were, by drawing
away the long hair which hung
over it) denotes the imparting of
supernatural knowledge, heavenly wisdom,
and the like, on the part of
God, Is. 1. 5. Similarly, Words-. worth,
speaking of a maiden whose soul
is filled, and whose very fea- tures
are moulded by the inspiration caught from the world of
Nature: “... she shall lean her ear In
many a secret place, |
Where
rivulets dance their wayward round, And
beauty born of murmuring sound Shall pass into her face.” Diodati
supposes that the metaphor is
borrowed from musicians, who incline
the ear when they tune their instruments,
in order to ascertain that
each note is true. It is because he
has thus listened to receive a message
from above, that the Poet can
call upon all nations to hear him.
He who would be a true teacher
of the things of God must first
incline his ear to hear, before he
can open his lips to speak. A PARABLE, a truth cast in a weighty,
sententious (and frequently, as
here, an antithetical) form; as a RIDDLE
is one clothed in metaphor, &c.
Comp. lxxviii. 2, Prov. i. 6. Both
words, however, are used of profound
and important truths. The very
expression, “I will open,” shows that
it is not the design of the Poet to
express himself in a dark, obscure manner. 5. WHY SHOULD I FEAR. The consolatory
result at which he has arrived,
after looking at the world, and
weighing in the balance those whose
fortune seems fair and pros- perous,
is placed first, before he tells the
tale, as in xxxvii. 1, lxxiii. 1. THE DAYS OF EVIL, not merely a time
of misfortune, as the paral- lelism
shows, but the time in which evil
men bear sway. (WHEN) INIQUITY, &c. lit. “when the
iniquity of my heels compasseth me
about." Comp. xliv. 15 [16], “the
shame of my face covereth me,”
instead of “shame covereth my
face.” |
398 PSALM XLIX.
6 They that trustc in their
wealth,
And in the greatness of their riches
make their boast,
7 None (of them) can by any means redeem
another,d
Nor give to God a ransom for him;
8 And
too costly is the redemption of their soul,
And it must be let alonee
for ever,—
9 That he should still live continually,
That he should not see the grave.
10 For f he must see (it):
Wise men must die;
Together the fool and the brutish
person must perish,
And leave their wealth for others.
Diodati
correctly: “quando l'ini- quita.
the m’ e alle calcagna m’ in- torniera.”
Calvin quotes the French saying,
poursuivre jusqu’aux ta- lons, and remarks, “Fateor
eum de hostibus
loqui, sed iniquas eorum persequutiones
calcaneo suo haerere dicit, quia potentia praevaleant, et quasi talos pede prementes, immi- neant
ad ipsum premendum.” Or, perhaps,
Iniquity is supposed to be lying,
like a serpent in his path, ready
to fasten on the heel, as the most
exposed and vulnerable part. See
more in the Critical Note. 7. ANOTHER, lit. “a brother,” the word,
however, being employed in the
widest sense, as in Lev. xxv. 48, and
often. The sentiment is ex- pressed
in its most general form, but
with a tacit opposition. Man cannot
redeem man from death: God
only can do this. On the legal redemption of life, see
Exod. xxi. 30, xxx. 12, Num. xxxv.
31, 32. 8. SOUL, i.e. as is evident from the
whole scope of the contest here, “life.”
It is much to be regretted that
superficial readers of the Psalm so
often give a totally false meaning to
this and the preceding verse. The
passage has been alleged to prove
that our Lord, as the Re- deemer
of man, must be God as well
as man. The doctrine is most |
true,
but it is not in the Psalm, nor is
there the remotest allusion to it. All
that is here taught is, that no wealth
can save a man from death, because
the life of men is not in their
own hands, or in that of their fellows,
but only in the hand of God, who
cannot be bribed. There is a kind
of solemn irony in ,the idea of the
richest of men offering all his riches
to God, to escape death. IT MUST BE LET ALONE, or, “one must
let that alone” (as P.B.V.). 9. THAT HE SHOULD LIVE. This is
dependent on the last clause of ver.
7, “Nor give to God a ransom for
him, that he should live,” &c., verse
8 being parenthetical. Others connect
it with the last clause of ver.
8, and render: “And he must give
up (all hope) for ever, that he shall
live continually,” &c. But see note.e 10. FOR HE MUST SEE IT. In support
of this rendering see such passages
as x. 11, 14, xxxv. 21, 22, Is.
xxvi. 11. WISE MEN, not simply meaning that
their wisdom cannot save them, but
that their utmost wisdom will not
lead them to make so profitable a
use of their wealth as thereby to escape
the grave. DIE .... PERISH: the
words seem purposely chosen to
denote the end respectively of the
wise and the brutish. |
PSALM
XLIX. 399
11 Their inward thoughtg is that
their houses shall be for ever,
Their dwelling-places to many
generations:
They have called (their) lands after
their own names.h
12 But man, (being) in honour, abideth not,
He is like to the beasts that are
destroyed.
13 This their way is their folly,
And after them men approve their
sayings. [Selah.]
14 Like a flock they are gathered to the
unseen world;i
11. AFTER THEIR OWN NAMES. Thus
hoping to build for themselves an
immortality upon earth. 12. IN HONOUR, These words belong
to the subject “man,” not to
the verb following. Man (being) in
honour, or “for all his honour,” notwithstanding
all the magnifi- cence
of his position and his wealth, abideth
not,—lit. does not pass the night,
is not so secure in his posi- tion
even as a wayfarer, who turns in
for a night's lodging at the inn. ARE DESTROYED, lit. “are re- duced
to silence,” the eternal silence of
death. The clause is a relative one.
Others, however, refer this verb
to “man,” as the subject. So Calvin:
“similis factus est jumen- tis:
intereunt.” They (i.e. men) perish.
But the sudden transition from
the singular to the plural is harsh:
and, on the other hand, the omission
of the relative is common enough.
Delitzseh, better, considers both
“men” and “beasts” to be the
subject of the verb. 13. This verse is evidently closely connected
with ver. 11, and hence Hupfeld
would transpose it with ver.
12. It is, as he says, naturally connected
by the train of thought with
ver. 11, and indeed carries on and
completes the picture, by show- ing
how these rich men have their example
followed even after their death.
The very expression, “This their
way,” &c., is a summing up of what
had been just said. And the Selah, standing as it now
does, at the
end of ver. 13 [14], instead of standing,
as it naturally would, after |
the
refrain, ver. 12, seems to inti- mate
that there has been some dis- arrangement. THIS THEIR WAY. Both the mean- ing
and the construction of this clause
are doubtful. It may mean (1)
“This their way (i.e. manner of life,
course of conduct) is their folly:”
or (2) “This their prosperous condition
is, (or, becomes) their in- fatuation
(blind confidence);” for kesel may mean “a stupid
security or
presumptuous confidence, fool- hardiness,”
as well as “folly.” As regards
the construction, it may be as
above, or the clause may consist of
two independent sentences: “This is
their way; they have confidence;” or,
as Mendels. “Dies ist ihr Thun: sich
selber Thorheit;” or finally, the latter
part of it may be a relative sentence
(as Ewald takes it): “This is
the way of those who are foolish.” ls,K, is rendered confidence in almost every
instance in E.V. APPROVE THEIR SAYINGS, lit. “find pleasure
in their mouth.” Their ex- ample
and their words survive them. Their
maxims are the maxims which find
favour and currency in the world.
Ewald carries on the con- struction from the previous
verse: “This
is the way of those who have folly, And
of those after them who de- light to speak in like manner.” 14. A further description of the end
of these rich fools. They perish like
cattle (ver. 12): they are laid in the
grave; they descend to Hades (Sheol, the world of spirits), and |
400
PSALM XLIX.
Death is their shepherd:
(And the upright have dominion over
them in the
morning,)
And their beautyk shall the unseen world consume,
That it have no more
dwelling-place.1
15 But God will redeem my soul from the
power of the
unseen world:
For He shall take me. [Selah.]
there
they are like a flock of sheep, with
Death for their shepherd, their beauty
and their glory gone. IS THEIR SHEPHERD, i.e. feeds them
(not feeds on them, as the E.V.),
tends, them. LXX. qa<natoj. poimanei?
au]tou<j. Symm. nemh<sei au]- tou<j. Jerome, pascet eos. They have been
like a flock fed to the full in fat
pastures during the day: they are
now like a flock which the shepherd,
when night comes, puts into
the fold. HAVE DOMINION, or, have tram- pled
upon them, putting their feet, as
it were, upon the neck of pros- trate foes. LXX.
katakurieu<sousin. Stated
as a past fact, because the destruction
of the wicked is also regarded
as already accomplished (the
pret. is used in the first clause of
the verse). IN THE MORNING. Apparently the
morning of deliverance is meant, after
the night of misery and suffer- ing
which they have experienced at the
hand of their oppressors. The Patristric
and other expositors un- derstand
it of the morning of the resurrection,
and the kingdom and dominion
which the saints shall then
share with Christ. But see on ver.
15. 15. The lot of the righteous is now
contrasted with that of the wicked,
but with a personal appli- cation
to the Psalmist himself, “God shall
redeem my soul.” BUT, or, “only,” as an exception to
the general lot of men, such as those
before described. FROM THE POWER OF THE UN- SEEN
WORLD, lit. “from the hand |
of
Sheol,” i.e. the grave and Hades. FOR HE SHALL TAKE ME. This short
half-verse is, as Bottcher re- marks,
the more weighty, from its very
shortness. The same expres- sion
occurs again lxxiii. 24, “Thou shalt
take me,” the original of both being
Gen. v. 24, where it is used of the
translation of Enoch, “He was not;
for God took him.” We have, then, in this passage again
(comp. xvi. 11, xvii. 15), the strong
hope of eternal life with God, if
not the hope of a resurrection. In
the preceding verse, in the very midst
of the gloomy picture which the
Psalmist draws of the end of the
ungodly, there breaks forth one
morning-ray of light, the bright anticipation
of the final triumph of
the good over the evil. This is
the inextinguishable hope which animates
the Church of the Old Testament,
as well as that of the New.
Righteousness shall even- tually,
must in its very nature, reign upon
the earth. The wicked shall find
their end in Sheol (see ix. 17 [18]),
and the righteous shall trample on
their graves. This, and not more than
this, seems to have been the meaning
originally of the Psalmist, in
the words, “And the righteous have
dominion over them in the morning.”
But now that he comes to
speak of himself, and his own per- sonal
relation to God, he rises into a
higher strain. He who knows and
loves God has the life of God, and
can never perish. That life must survive
even the shock of death. “God,”
says the Psalmist, “shall |
PSALM XLIX. 401
16 Be not thou afraid when a man groweth
rich,
When the glory of his house is increased:
17 For when he dieth he can take nothing
(away),
His glory cannot descend after him:
18 For (though) while he liveth he blesseth
his soul,
And men praise thee because thou
doest good to
thyself.
19 He shall go to the generation of his
fathers,
Who nevermore see the light.
20 Man, (being) in honour, and having no
understanding,
Is like to the beasts (that) are
destroyed.
redeem
my soul from the hand of Hades,
for He shall take me,” as He
took Enoch, and as He took Elijah
to Himself. We are not, of course,
to suppose that the Sacred Poet
himself expected to be taken up
alive to heaven; but those great facts
of former ages were, God's witnesses
to man of his immortality, and
of the reality of a life with Him beyond
this world. It is a hope based
on facts like these which here shines
forth. It is a hope, not a revealed
certainty. It rests on no distinct
promise: it has not assumed the
definite form of a doctrine. But it
was enough to raise, to cheer, to encourage
those who saw ungod- liness
prospering in this world. The end
of the wicked, after all, was a
thick darkness that had, never been
penetrated: the end of the righteous,
life with God. (See the same
contrast in xvii. 15, and note there.) 16. Having encouraged himself with
this hope, he now turns to encourage
others. 18. BLESSETH HIS SOUL, i.e. pro- nounces
himself a happy man, “counteth
himself happy,” P.B.V. Comp.
Deut. xxix. 19 [18], “blesseth himself
in his heart,” and the ad- dress
of the rich man to his soul, Luke
xii. 19, “Soul, thou hast much goods
laid up for many years.” The second clause of the verse is parenthetical,
and the sentiment is |
a
general one: “when thou (i.e. any
one) doest good,” &c. Symm. e]paine<sousi<
se e]a>n kalw?j poih<s^j seaut&?. 19. HE SHALL GO.
According to
the present text, “it shall go,” i.e. the soul (ver. 18),
which is the only
subject, if the verb here is in the
3d pers. fem. Some expositors, however,
alleging that such an ex- pression
is not used of the soul, would
take the verb here as 2d pers. masc.,
“thou shalt come,” as if the rich
man were addressed: but this involves
the exceeding harshness of a
return, immediately after, to the 3d
pers., “Thou shalt come to the generation
of his fathers.” It is better,
therefore, with all the older Versions,
to render, “he shall come,”
instead of “it shall come,” though
it is not certain that they had
the masc. instead of the fem. verb;
for they may have only paraphrased. 20. The Psalm concludes with the refrain,
as at ver. 12, but with the alteration
of one word. Instead of “abideth
not,” we have now, “and hath
no understanding,” or rather as
a sort of adverbial clause, “and without
understanding.” There is consequently
a fresh idea here. There
the statement is, that men in general
are like dumb cattle; here, that
only if they possess not the true
wisdom, they perish like the brutes. |
402 PSALM
XLIX.
a See on xlii. note a.
b ybaqefE NOfa, “the iniquity of my
heels,” LXX. a]nomi<a th?j pte<rnhj mou,
Symm.
a]n. tw?n i]xne<wn mou, Jerome, iniquitas
calcanei mei, the heels being
taken
as = “steps,” and “the iniquity of my steps” meaning “my
errors,”
which are said to compass a man about, because they bring pun-.
ishment
upon him. But bqefA is not used like rUwxA in a moral sense, but
always
as that which is the object of attack, the vulnerable part of the
man.
(Comp. Gen. iii. 15.) Hence most modern interpreters derive ybaq,fE
from
an adj. bqefA,
“a supplanter,” one who, as it were, trips another up by
the
heel (as perhaps the Syr. “my enemies”). But such a form does not
occur
elsewhere, and it is unnecessary to introduce it here; nor need we
punctuate
NOfA
as Hupfeld proposes. “The iniquity of my heels” is the
iniquity
which attacks them, lies in wait for them, like a serpent in the
path;
and the construction may be defended and explained by reference
to
xliv. 15 [16], as mentioned in the note on ver. 5. The second member
of
this verse may depend logically on ymeyBi in the first, “in the
days
when,”
&c.
c MyHiF;Boha. The subj. of the
following clause, where it is resumed and
expanded
in HxA
and wyxi,
and a transition is made from the constr. with
the
partic. to that with the fin. verb (Ges. § 134, 2, Rem. 2). Those who
take
ybaqefE to mean “supplanters,” carry on the construction into this
verse,
“my supplanters who trust,” &c.
d HxA, the accus. placed first in the sentence: lit.
“a brother can a man
not
redeem.” [Delitzsch, however, takes it as nom. “a brother, i.e. one
who
is only of the same flesh and blood, cannot redeem a man.”] HxA
stands
without the suffix, instead of vyHexA, as occurs in similar
instances,
Ezek. v. 10, xviii. 18, Mic. vii. 6, Mal. i. 6. There is no reason, with
Ewald
and others, to read j`xa and Hd,PAyi, “surely a man cannot
be
redeemed.”
The position of the negative before both
tenses of the verb (instead of
coming,
as is more common, between the infin. and the fut. ‘y
xlo ‘p) is
noticeable.
Comp. Gen. iii. 4, Amos ix. 8 (Ges. § 131, 3, Rem. 1).
e ldaHAv;. The subject of this
verb is clearly NOyd;Pi, “It (the redemption
of
the soul) bath ceased for ever,” i.e.
there is an end of it, it must be
given
up. So Ew. “dass es fehlet auf immer.” Gesen. and others take
the
verb here in its active signification, “He (i.e.
the person who would
redeem)
has given it up; “but ldH in this sense is always followed by the
prep.
Nmi,
and the construction of the sentence is rendered less simple.
f YKi. The particle here
confirms the preceding negation, by introducing
the
opposite = “yea, rather (or, for, on the contrary), see (it) he must.”
Comp.
1 Kings xxi. 15. There is no need to supply any new object to
hx,riyi, or to carry on the construction, as in
our Version, “For he seeth
that
wise men,” &c.
g MBAr;qi. The Chald., LXX., and
Syr. evidently read MrAb;qi, “their grave
(graves)
are their houses for ever” (comp. Eccl. xii. 5, where the grave is
PSALM L. 403
called
“the long home” of man), which gives a good sense, and is the
simplest
reading: but the other is defensible; nor is there any reason to
render,
with Hupfeld, “Their inward hearts are their houses,” &c. i.e.
their
houses fill all their thoughts (as in xlv. 8 [9], “myrrh are all thy
garments,” instead of “all thy
garments are full of myrrh”).
h ‘b UxrqA. This has been rendered, “men call upon their
names (i.e.
praise
them), upon the earth (or, far and wide).” So Ewald, “sie die
hochgepriesen
waren überall!” But MweB; ‘q does not mean “to
praise,”
but
to “call on, invoke,” &c., and is always used of Jehovah, and the
plur.
tOmdAxE cannot = Cr,x,; it means “lands,” as
in the parall. we have
“houses.”
We have no instance of an exactly parallel construction, but
the
meaning is sufficiently clear, and has been given by the older inter-
preters,
LXX. and Th. e]pekale<santo ta> o]no<mata
au]tw?n e]pi> tw?n gaiw?n au]tw?n.
Jerome,
vocaverunt nominibus suis terras suas.
i UTwa for UtwA, from tywi as if from ttw, as lxxiii. 9: no
definite subject
need
be supplied. “They (indef.) lay or place them,” = they are
laid:
yni.Tawa is used in the same sense, lxxxviii. 7. I have translated
“gathered,”
because of the prep. l; following, and because of the compa-
rison
with a flock. Or, it may be “they are set, marshalled, for the
grave.” In Ps. iii. UtwA “have set themselves.”
k MrAyci (as Is. xlv. 16) or MrUc, “their form (i.e. not merely the bodily
form,
but the whole outward show of the man) is for the consumption of
Sheol,”
i.e. is destined to be consumed by
Sheol (Ges. § 132, 3, Rem. 1).
Symm. to> de> kratero>n au]tw?n palaiw<sei %!dhj.
Jerome, figura eorum conte-
retur
in inferno.
1 Ol lbuz.;mi, either “out of (i.e. from) its dwelling,” or “without its
dwelling,”
i.e. so that it has no dwelling more,
Nmi
being used in its nega-
tive
sense; the latter is preferable here. The English prep. “out of”
has
the same ambiguity, as it may mean either “from,” or “without.”
-----------------------------
PSALM L.
THIS Psalm furnishes us with no evidence as
to the time of its
composition,
but in elegance and sublimity of language, in force and
dignity,
it is worthy of the best days of Hebrew poetry. It is a
magnificent
exposition of the true nature of that service and worship
which
God requires from man. It rebukes the folly which thinks
that
religion is a matter of sacrifices and gifts, and declares that
obedience
and thanksgiving are the true fulfilling of the Law. It
condemns
alike a prevalent formalism and a prevalent hypocrisy.
404 PSALM L.
How
needful it was to insist upon such truths we learn from the
whole
history of
strances
of the Prophets. The tendency to substitute the outward
act
for the inward, the sacrifices of bulls and goats for the sacrifice
of
thanksgiving, was deeply ingrained in the nation, till at last it
issued
in Pharisaism, and wore its most hideous aspect on that day
of
solemn Passover, when the sacrifices of the Law were offered by
those
whose hands were stained with the greatest crime which the
world
has seen.
The Psalm thus inculcates at length the
same doctrine which we
find
in briefer lines in Psalms xl. 6—8 [7—9], li. 17 [18], lxix. 30,
&c.
[31, &c.], and which is implied in xv. and xxiv. 1—6. In its
general
tone and character it is essentially prophetic. It consists of
three principal parts:--
I. A magnificent exordium, in which the
whole scene of judge-
ment
is described. As formerly, at the giving
of the Law on Sinai,
so
now God is represented as appearing in
of it, and for judgement
against its transgressors. Ver. 1—6.
II. From His judgement-seat God solemnly
rebukes the errors
and
delusions which prevailed as to the nature of His service. He
reminds
His people of the peculiar relation in which they stand to
Him,
and asks if they can believe that sacrifices, merely as sacri-
fices,
can be of any value to Him who has all creatures at His
command.
Thanksgiving and prayer are the sacrifices in which
He
delights, and these will best avail in the day of trouble. Ver.
7-15.
III. But there were those in
ward
service unduly, but who made its punctual observance a cloke
for,
and a makeweight against, their iniquity. The first evil, indeed,
of
superstitious formalism, naturally engendered this still deadlier
evil
of conscious hypocrisy. Against this, sentence is now pro-
nounced;
and again the truth, already enunciated, is repeated, that
the
love of a grateful heart is the sacrifice which is truly pleasing to
God.
Ver. 16—23.
In verses 8-15, Hengstenberg remarks,
that prevailing errors as
to
the First Table of the Law, the
worship of God, are condemned.
In
verses 16-21, the discourse turns to the Second
Table. Here
those
are reproved who have the Law of God constantly in their
mouths,
and at the same time wickedly transgress it in their
behaviour
towards their neighbour.
PSALM
L.
405
[A
PSALM OF ASAPH.a]
I.
1 THE God of gods, Jehovah, hath spoken
And called the earth, from the rising
of the sun to
the setting thereof.
2 Out of
God hath shined forth.
3 Our God cometh, and surely will not b
keep silence!
A fire devoureth before Him,
1—6. The Psalm opens with a description
of God's coming to judge
His people. He comes now to
He
comes with all the gloom and terrors
of thunder, and lightning, and
storm. He summons before His
judgement-seat those whom He
has taken into covenant with Himself;
and at the same time as exercising
universal dominion, He calls
heaven and earth to be His witnesses
against them. 1. THE GOD OF GODS. SO Mendels.
“der Götter Gott.” So also,
Hupf. Zunz; Wellbeloved, and Leeser,
“the God of gods.” So the
Gen. Vers. This is, there can be
no doubt, the proper rendering of
the words El Elohim; as the LXX.
qeo<j qew?n, and not as Aq., Symm.,
Th. i]sxuro>j qeo<j: still less have
we here three distinct names of
God, El, Elohim, Jehovah, as Delitzsch
and Hengstenberg sup- pose,
and as the Massoretic accen- tuation
would imply. These three names
of God occur in the same way
in Josh. xxii. 22, where they are
twice repeated, and where they are
in like manner separated by the
accents. This is the only use
of the name Jehovah in the Psalm,
which is in accordance with the
general Elohistic character of the
Second Book; but the adjunct, “God
of gods,” is certainly re- markable.
The peculiar use of the
Divine Names in the Psalms, and
in the historical Books, is however
too large a question to be satisfactorily
discussed in a note. |
HATH SPOKEN, and in the next verse
HATH SHINED, the preterites being
employed because, as Ewald explains,
the whole scene had first presented
itself in a concrete form, the
more imposing, because it was thus
presented to the Poet's eye; and
though afterwards, in order to narrate
the vision, it would be necessary
for him to arrange in detail
and in order the several parts,
still he would naturally go back
to the first impression of the whole
upon him, and so describe the
scene as past. THE EARTH, as afterwards “the heaven
and the earth,” are sum- moned
as witnesses of the solemn act
of judgement, and as lending grandeur
to the whole awful scene —borrowed,
as Is. i. 2, from Deut. xxxii.
1. 2. THE PERFECTION OF BEAUTY. Mendels.
“die Krone der Schön- heit.”
Comp. xlviii. 2 [3]. The same
expression is applied to also
in Lament. ii. 15. In 1 Macc. ii.
12, the h[mw?n. possessing
the Sanctuary, whether Tabernacle
or measures
of beauty,” say the Rab- bis,
“hath God bestowed upon the world,
and nine of these fall to the lot
of HATH SHINED. Comp. lxxx. 1 [2],
Deut. xxxiii. 2. 3. God is seen coming, the de- vouring
fire and the mighty tempest being
the accompaniments of His Presence,
and the symbols of the judgement
which He will execute. |
406 PSALM L.
And round about Him a tempest rageth.
4 He calleth to the heavens from above,
And to the earth that He may judge
His people.
5 “Gather unto Me, My beloved,
They that have made a covenant with
Me by sacrifice.”
6 And the heavens have declared His
righteousness,
For God is Judge Himself. [Selah.]
II.
7 “Hear, O my people, and I will speak;
O Israel, and I will testify against
thee:
See
the more elaborate working out of
the same image in xviii. 7—15 [8—16].
Comp. xcvii. 2--6. A TEMPEST RAGETH, lit. “it is tempestuous
exceedingly,” the verb being
used impersonally. The P.
B. V. well “a mighty tempest is stirred
up.” 5. All nature having been sum- moned
as witness to the awful scene, God
now speaks. GATHER, &c. To whom are these words
addressed? Many suppose, to
the angels, as the ministers of God's
will. But it is unnecessary to
make the expression more definite than
it is in the Psalm. MY BELOVED, not “My saints,” as
E.V., but “those who have ob- tained
favour, grace, in My sight” (the
whole nation being so called, “non
ut omnibus promiscue reddat verae
pietatis testimonium, sed ut melius
ad finem vocationis suae at- tendant”),
or as is explained in the parallel,
“those whom I have taken into
covenant with Myself.” See note
on xvi. 10. God has made Himself
known to given
them His Law and His Cove- nant;
and He comes now to judge them,
to see whether they have kept
His Law, whether they have been
faithful to His Covenant. BY SACRIFICE, lit. “upon sacri- fice,”
as that by means of which the
covenant was sealed, Exod. xxiv.
8. 6. This verse is quasi-parentheti- cal.
It states the fact that God having
called to the heavens, the |
heavens
have announced the righte- ousness
of God (the verb is in the historic tense, and cannot be
ren- dered
as a future, as so many in- terpreters
render it), a prelude, as it
were, to the solemn judgement which
follows. Comp. xcvii. 6. FOR GOD IS JUDGE. God is now about
to act as Judge Himself, the participle
being, as often, rather a future
than a present participle. Others,
“That God is Judge;” but this
rendering of the particle does not
harmonize so well with the pre- ceding
clause, where the object of the
verb, viz. “His righteousness,” is
already given. If there were no such
object, the sentence would stand:
“the heavens have declared that God,” &c.; but as
it is, the reason
is given why God's right- eousness is declared; for, &c. 7. Then judgement opens. The whole
nation is called before the bar
of its Judge, who is “God” (the
God of the world), and “thy God”
(the God of “ omnem
proterviam debebat majes- tas
mea, ut ad vocem meam sileret omnis caro. Inter vos autem qui- bus
me patefeci in Deum eo plus obsequii
merebar.” AND I WILL SPEAK, or, “that I may speak,” and in the
next clause, “that
I may testify,” the para- gogic
form of the verb denoting a purpose. TESTIFY AGAINST THEE, or per- haps
“conjure thee,” “solemnly warn
thee,” or “testify unto thee,” |
PSALM L. 407
God, (even) thy God, am I.
8 Not because of thy sacrifices do I
reprove thee,
Yea, thy burnt-offerings are always
before Me.
9 I would not take a bullock out of thine
house,
Nor he-goats out of thy folds;
10 For Mine is every beastc of
the forest,
(And) the cattle upon the mountains
by thousands.
11 I know every bird of the mountains,
And that which moveth in the field is
with Me.
see
lxxxi. 8; but this Divine testi- mony
generally implies rebuke. Ewald,
“dass ich ermahne dich;” Maurer, Ut te
graviter horter. GOD, (EVEN) THY GOD,
in an Elohistic
Psalm, instead of “Jeho- vah,
thy God” (see xlv. 7 [8]), with reference
probably to the Mosaic formula,
as at the beginning of the Decalogue,
Exod. xx. 2. Compare the
shorter formula, “I am Jehovah,” Ex.
vi. 2, 6—8, which is so often re- peated
in the solemn enactment of different
laws in the Book of Levi- ticus.
It is the utterance both of the
Lawgiver and of the Judge. 8. The reason for this act of judgement
is given. First, nega- tively.
It is not because the people had
neglected the externals of the Law,
or had forgotten to offer the, sacrifices
appointed by the Law. They
had brought them; but they had
brought them as if the act were everything,
and as if the meaning of
the act, and the spirit in which it
was done, were nothing. But God
demands no service for its own
sake, but only as the expres- sion
of an obedient will. A thank- ful
heart is more than all burnt- offerings. The Prophets are full of the like sentiments.
Thus, in Isaiah, God expostulates,
“To what purpose is the
multitude of your sacrifices unto
Me? I am full of the burnt- offerings
of rams,” &c. (i. 12; com- pare
also lviii. and lxvi. 3); Micah asks,
“Will Jehovah be pleased with
thousands of rams?” &c. (vi. 6—8);
Hosea testifies, “I will |
have
mercy and not sacrifice.” And so
deep-rooted was this tendency in
the people to exaggerate the im- portance
of the dead work, to bring the
sacrifice of the dumb animal instead
of the sacrifice of the heart, that
Jeremiah carries the opposition between
sacrifices and obedience even
to the extreme of a paradox. “For
I spake not unto your fathers, and
I commanded them not, in the day
that I brought them up out of the
burnt-offering
and sacrifice; but this
thing I commanded them, saying,
Hear My voice,” &c. (vii. 22,
23). SACRIFICES, i.e. peace-offerings, often
joined with BURNT-OFFER- INGS,
as li. 17 [18]. See also xl. 6 [7],
the two being mentioned pro- bably
as representing and including all
manner of sacrifices. The following verses, 9—13, are in
a strain of lofty irony, in which the
gross stupidity which could suppose
that the flesh and blood of the
victims were of themselves ac- ceptable
to God, is finely exposed. 10. CATTLE. The word is most commonly
used of tame animals, but
here generally of large herds of
grazing cattle. BY THOUSANDS, lit. “on the mountains
of a thousand,” i.e. where
a thousand are; or, where they
are by thousands. 11. THAT WHICH MOVETH, or “roameth,”
where however it is very
difficult to render it thus. Mendels.
“Was sich im Felde regt.”
Comp. lxxx. 13 [14]. The |
408 PSALM L.
12 If I were hungry, I would not tell
thee;
For mine is the world and the
fulness thereof.
13 Should I eat the flesh of bulls,
Or drink the blood of he-goats?
14 Sacrifice unto God thanksgiving,
And pay Thy vows unto the Most
High,
15 And call upon Me in the day of
distress,
I will deliver thee, and thou
shalt glorify Me.”
III.
16 But unto the wicked saith God:
“What hast thou to do to
rehearse My statutes,
And that thou shouldest take My
covenant into
thy mouth?
17 Whereas for thee, thou hatest
instruction,
And hast cast My words behind
thee;
18 When thou sawest a thief, thou
foundest pleasure
in him,
And with adulterers (has been)
thy portion;
exact
meaning of the Heb. word is doubtful.
Ewald (2nd Ed.) renders it,
“fruit of the field,” but the above is
the interpretation of Gesen. (Thes. in v.), and is the one com- monly
adopted. In his 3rd Ed. Ewald
has Brut. 14.
There follows now, positively, what
God requires. The sacrifices which
He would have are thanks- giving,
and the prayer of faith in the time
of trouble. Comp. li. 18 [19]. Under the name of thanksgiving and
prayer all the rest of religion is
comprehended, as Calvin truly observes:
“Nec vero ordinem in- vertit, a Dei laude incipiens. Videri quidem posset haec ratio esse prae postera,
quum invocatio gratiarum actionem
praecedat: sed quia hinc orandi principium ducitur, quum adscribitur Deo justus ac debitus honor,
atque haec etiam fidei rudi- menta
sunt, Deum quaerere tan- quam
unicum bonorum omnium fontem,
non temere Propheta lau- dem
in primo gradu locavit.” THY VOWS. See note on xxii. 25. Comp.
cxvi. 13. |
16. The former part of the Divine sentence
was directed against those who
attached undue importance to the
external acts of religion. What follows
is directed against those who
make use of the outward ob- servances
of religion as a mask and cloke
under which they may hide their
iniquities. First, formalists, and
next, hypocrites are condemned. With
this and the following verses, comp.
Rom. ii. 17-24. TO TELL, i.e. “to number,” “to count
up,” as if with a view to their more
punctual observance. 17. WHEREAS FOR THEE. The pronoun
is emphatic, and is thus placed,
to mark the strong contrast between
such a character and the Law
which he professes to under- stand.
Comp. Is. i. 15. 18. FOUNDEST PLEASURE IN HIM, i.e. in his society; in
intercourse with
him, &c. Comp. Job xxxiv. 9. The
transgression of three com- mandments
of the Decalogue is specified,
in the same way as in Rom.
ii. 17, &c., by way of ex- ample. |
PSALM L.
409
19 Thy mouth thou bast let loose in
wickedness,
And thy tongue frameth deceit;
20 Thou sittest (and) speakest against thy
brother,
Against thy mother's son thou
givest a thrust.
21 These things hast thou done, and (because)
I kept
silence,
Thou thoughtest I was altogether
suchd an one as
thyself;
(But) I will reprove thee, and lay
(the matter) in order
before thine eyes.”
22 Consider, now, this, O ye that forget
God,
Lest I tear (you), and there be
none to deliver.
23 Whoso sacrificeth thanksgiving
glorifieth me,e
19. FRAMETH, lit. “weaveth.” Comp.
Lat. texere fraudes, &c. 20. THOU SITTEST, i.e. in com- pany
with others who slander and speak
evil. (See i. 1.) THY MOTHER'S SON, stronger than
“thy brother,” and intended to
mark the unnatural blackness of
such conduct. GIVEST A THRUST (the noun oc- curs
only here); or, perhaps (as the
LXX. e]ti<qeij ska<ndalon), “puttest a
stumbling-block.” Others, how- ever,
take the word here in the sense
of “shame, reproach,” and this
suits the parallelism better, “thou
uttered slander.” 21. And because the sinner is allowed
to go on long unpunished, he
waxes confident by his impunity, and
imagines that God is like him- self,
and that good and evil are things
indifferent; not that he says so
in words, but his conduct shows his
ignorance both of the exceeding sinfulness
of sin, and of the truth and
righteousness of God. KEPT SILENCE, i.e. did not mani- fest
My abhorrence of sin by signal vengeance
on the ungodly. “Hoc ludibrium
Dei,” says Calvin, “gra- vissime exagitat (Propheta), quod eum sceleribus favere existiment. Neque
enim atrociore contumelia |
potest effici, quam dum justitia sua spoliatur.” But the long-suffering of God cannot
always be abused. The time
comes when the sinner is made
to feel that God is a righteous Judge. I WILL LAY IN ORDER—the whole sin
in all its evil course, its poison- ous
root, and its deadly branches, shall
be put before the man. The sin
that he did and would not look at,
God shall make him look upon. The
sin which he thought he could hide
from God, or which, with strange
infatuation, he supposed God
took no notice of; shall be pro- claimed
upon the housetops. “Sic enim
interpretor verbum ordinare, quod
Deus distincto ordine cato- logum
omnium scelerum proponet, quem (velint, nolent) legere et ag- noscere
cogantur.” 23. This third great division of the
Psalm concludes with the as- sertion
of the same truth as the second.
The lesson of the Psalm for
all who pervert the Law of God, whether
to purposes of superstition or
hypocrisy, is the same: God de- sires
the heart and the will of man as
the true sacrifice. SACRIFICETH THANKSGIVING, as
above, ver. 14. The verb is |
410 PSALM L.
And whoso prepareth
(his) way,f
I
will shew him the salvation of God.
designedly
employed, in order to mark
the nature of the sacrifice which
God will have: slay not victims,
bring not animals, but bring thanksgiving
as sacrifices. The E.V. with
its rendering, “Offereth praise,” loses
sight of the distinct reference to
the Mosaic sacrifices, which are not
indeed absolutely superseded— the
time had not yet come for this —but
are put in their true place. The
very great prominence again given
to thanksgiving, is worthy of our
careful notice. There is no duty
so commonly forgotten. God showers
down His benefits upon us with
both hands, large and free, and
we receive them as a matter of course,
and never consider Whose Love
has bestowed them; and thus, in
our unthankfulness, we rob God of
His honour. Further, as thanksgiving is thus dwelt
upon because it is so com- monly
forgotten, so it is also put as the
sum of religion because it, in fact,
includes all else. Faith, and prayer,
and self-denial, and the en- durance
of the cross, and all holy |
exercises,
are, as Calvin observes, comprised
in this one grace. For it
is by faith only that we are sen- sible
of God's goodness; therefore he
who is truly of a thankful spirit has
faith; he who is thankful triumphs
over his earthly trials; he who
is thankful is accomplishing man's
highest end, inasmuch as in all
things He gives glory to God. The instruction of the Psalm abides:
it has not lost its force. The
sacraments and ordinances of the
Christian Church may become to
us what sacrifice and offering were
to the Jews, a mere opus ope- ratum; a man may give all
his goods
to feed the poor, and yet have
no love; a man may be punc- tual
in his attendance at all holy ordinances,
and yet cherish iniquity in
his heart, and, upon occasion, secretly
practise it. Hence the Psalm
is truly prophetical; that is, universal
in its character. It deals with
“the sinners and the hypo- crites
in men,
in all places, to the end of time. |
a JsAxAl;. This is the first
Psalm, and the only one in this Book, ascribed
to
Asaph. In the Third Book of the Psalter, eleven Psalms, lxxiii.—
lxxxiii.,
have his name prefixed to them. He was one of the three choir-
leaders
or chief singers appointed under the direction of David to preside
over
his great choral company of Levites, the other two being Heman and
Ethan
(or Jeduthun). Comp. 1 Chron. xv. 16, &c., with xxv. 1, &c. Their
special
instruments of music were cymbals of brass, 1 Chron. xv. 19, with
which,
and with harps and psalteries, they were said to prophesy, xxv. 1.
On
the occasion of bringing up the
Asaph
and his brethren” the Psalm which had been composed to cele-
brate
that event, 1 Chron. xvi. 7; and in the division of the Levitical
services
which became necessary, as the Tabernacle still remained at
of
David
as one of the famous singers of
2
Chron. xxix. 30.
b wraH,y,-lxav;. The optative seems to
be required by the form of the
negative
(lxa
= mh<)
with the second verb. Still, it must be confessed that
PSALM LI.
411
the
abrupt introduction of a wish here disturbs the flow of the language,
and
this is not obviated even if, with Hupfeld, we suppose this to be a
common
formula, in which God is called upon to manifest Himself.
Ewald
renders, “Heran kommt unser Gott and darf
nicht schweigen.”
Bunsen,
“. . . mag nicht.” Delitzsch, “kommen
wird . . . und kann nicht
schweigen.”
He explains the negative as being used subjectively to ex-
press
the conviction of the writer's mind, = nequaquam
silebit. Maurer
remarks,
“Non sine quadam elegantia in media adventantis Dei descrip-
tione
‘y lxav; neque est quod sileat
dicit.” The nearest parallels to this use
of the negative are to be found
in xxxiv. 5 [6] (where see note) and xli. 3.
c Oty;Ha. The older form of the
stat. constr. for ty.aHa. See lxxix. 2, civ.
11,
20, Is. lvi. 9, all imitating the earliest instance in Gen. i. 24. This old
case-ending
is either in O or in y-i. See on cxiii. notea,
cxiv. noteb, and
Ewald, § 211, b. 2 (
d tOyh<, constr. infin.,
instead of the absolute before the finite verb. The
sentence
is in the oratio obliqua, as ix. 21,
x. 13, xvii. 3, Gen. xii. 13.
(Ges.
§ 155, 4c.) Hence also in Eccles. x.
4, the rendering: “he saith
to
every one that he is a fool,” is perfectly correct, notwithstanding the
omission of the yKi.
e Ynin;dAB;kay;, Pausal form, as if
from a termination ynin;-a, instead of yni.-a or
yni-e, but without parallel elsewhere,
apparently formed after the plural
epenthetic
form, like ynin;xurAq;yi, Prov. i. 28. Comp.
viii. 17, Hos. v. 15.
(Gesen. § 58, 4.)
f MWA. The LXX. Read MwA, kai>
e]kai? o[do>j ^$ dei<cw au]t&? to> swth<rion qeou?.
But
the present reading is ancient. Jerome renders: qui ordinat viam.
Bottcher
explains: viam faciens, h.e. recta
incedere (lege agere) parans.
It
may be a question, however, with which of the two preceding clauses
the
words j`r,D, MwA should be joined.
“He
that offereth thanks, honoureth me aright, and prepareth a way
where
I may show him the salvation of God.”
------------------------------------
PSALM LI.
THIS Psalm is the expression of a deep and
unfeigned repentance.
It
is a prayer, first, for forgiveness, with a humble confession of sinful
deeds
springing from a sinful nature as their bitter root; and then
for
renewal and sanctification through the Holy Ghost; together
with
vows of thankfulness for God's great mercy to the sinner, and
holy
resolutions for the future.
It is the first of a series of Psalms,
li.—lxv., which, in the Second
Book
of the Psalter, are ascribed to David; and, according to the
412 PSALM LI.
tide,
was written by him after his great sin, when the words of the
Prophet
Nathan roused his conscience from its uneasy slumber.
Before
that, we cannot doubt, remorse had been busy with him.
Before
that he had felt his misery, had fought against it, but had
refused
to confess his sin. But the home-thrust, “Thou art the
man,”
pierced him to the heart, and this Psalm is but the fuller
record
of the confession, “I have sinned,” which the history men-
tions
so briefly.
So profound a conviction of sin, so deep
and unfeigned a peni-
tence,
so true a confession, a heart so tender, so contrite, a desire so
fervent
for renewal, a trust so humble, so filial in the forgiving love
of
God, are what we find nowhere else in the Old Testament, but
what
we might surely expect from “the man after God's own heart,”
This
Psalm, indeed, and the 32nd, justify the title thus given him.
In
them we see the true man. Great as had been his sin, it was not
the
sin of a hardened nature, of the merely selfish sensualist, of the
despot
to whom all men were but as tools to minister to his pleasures
and
his crimes. And therefore, when the Prophet comes to him, he
turns
to God with a real sorrow, and God meets him, as the father in
the
parable meets his erring son, with a free forgiveness.
Many objections have been raised by modern
literary scepticism
to
the genuineness of the title.
1. It has been said that the Psalm could
not have been written lbv
David,
because the prayer in ver. 18, “Build Thou the walls of Jeru-
in
ruins, and therefore either during or shortly after the Babylonish
captivity.
But to this objection two different replies
have been given. (1)
That
the expression is merely figurative, and that David, conscious
how
grievously he had imperilled by his sin the safety of his kingdom,
here
prays God to uphold and protect it. (2) That the last two
verses
of the Psalm are a later addition, made perhaps after the
Exile,
like the doxologies for instance at the close of xli. and lxxii.
This
is most probable. See note on ver. 18.
2. It has been argued that many of the
expressions in the Psalm
are
unsuitable in David's mouth.
(a)
David, it is said, when Nathan came to him, in 2 Sam. xii., at
once
confessed his sin and received the announcement of pardon,
whereas
here he seeks pardon. But God's forgiveness is not always
received
fully and at once by one who has greatly sinned. See more
in
note on ver. 9.
(b)
David could not have said “Against Thee
only have I sinned.”
“Such
language,” says Reuss, "”would be very strange in the mouth
PSALM
LI.
413
of
a man who had treacherously slain a faithful servant and dis-
honoured
his wife:” his sins were obviously against man as well as
against
God.—For the answer to this objection see note on ver. 4.
(c)
The Psalmist prays not for forgiveness of some one heinous
sin,
but of many, and for the renewal of his whole nature.—But he
who
sees sin in its true light will see it in its hidden source and in
its
manifold evil fruits.
(d)
The knowledge of sin in its deep-seated innate depravity, its
clinging
taint, is a knowledge not to be expected so early as the
time
of David,—which is a merely arbitrary assertion.
I see then no ground for departing from the
constant and reason-
able
belief of the Church, that the Psalm was written by David
under the circumstances
indicated in the title.*
It consists of three principal divisions:---
I. The prayer for forgiveness. Ver. 1—8.
II. The prayer for renewal. Ver. 9—12.
III. The holy resolutions of one who has
experienced the forgiving
love and the sanctifying grace
of God. Ver. 13--19.
The Psalm concludes with a prayer for
a
hope that the time will come when God will be honoured with
“sacrifices
of righteousness.”
[FOR
THE PRECENTOR. A PSALM OF DAVID, WHEN NATHAN THE
PROPHET CAME TO HIM AFTER HE HAD
GONE IN UNTO
BATHSHEBA.]
I.
1. BE gracious unto me, O God, according to Thy loving
kindness,
1, 2. The prayer for forgiveness. 1. ACCORDING TO THY LOVING- KINDNESS.
In all godly sorrow there
is hope. Sorrow without |
hope
may be remorse or despair, but
it is not repentance. Hence the
true penitent always looks to the
loving-kindness of God, even at |
* I feel it a duty to protest against the
extravagant view of Reuss, who
says:
“We hear in this Psalm the voice of the people
of
its
former errors, and confessing that it can only obtain pardon and its
restoration,
as a consequence, by the grace of God, and not by bloody
rites.
It is the people, which, groaning under foreign tyranny, can
express
its fear of murder, that is, of annihilation, and which, in the
perspective
of its reconciliation with Jehovah, recognises also its provi-
dential
mission of propagating the true religion, which is one of the
great
ideas developed in the second part of Isaiah.” The power of
misinterpretation
could go no further.
414 PSALM LI.
According unto the greatness of Thy
tender mercies
blot out my transgressions:
2 Wash me thoroughlya from mine
iniquity,
the
very time when he feels most deeply
how he has sinned against it.
The cry on his lips is “My Father,” even when he
confesses, “I
am no more worthy to be called Thy son.” THE GREATNESS, &c. It is in this
that David seeks the ground of
forgiveness, not in himself. Comp.
xxv. 6, 7. The deep sense of the
greatness of his own sin makes him
feel the need of a great mercy. BLOT OUT. The forgiveness of sins
is expressed by the use of two figures.
The first, that of blotting out, “making that which
is done as if
it had not been done,” is capable of
two explanations: either (1) it refers
to erasing from a book or tablet
what has been written there- in,
as Ex. xxxii. 32, Num. v. 23, comp.
Ps. lxix. 28 [29], in which case
sin must here be regarded as a debt entered against the debtor, and
so cancelled by being blotted out;
or (2) it may mean, in a more general
sense, the wiping away of a
thing, and so its entire removal, as
in 2 Kings xxi. 13, it is said, “I will
wipe (the same word as here) And
in Is. xliv. 22,” I will blot out as a cloud thy sins,” i.e. take them away
as a cloud is swept away by the
wind from the face of heaven. MY TRANSGRESSIONS. The use of
the plural has been variously explained.
Some suppose that the several
sins of adultery and murder are
thus denoted. So Calvin: “Mul- tiplex ejus culpa erat, quod adul- terio adjunxerat perfidiam et crude- litatem: nec unum hominem modo prodiderat vel paucos, sed totum exercitum, pro salute Ecclesiae Dei pugnantem.” But this is too super- ficial
a view. No sin ever stands alone:
each single transgression is the
mother of many transgressions: each
is a root of bitterness whence spring
many bitter branches, so |
that
we cannot confess one sin without
confessing many. On the various words used here and in the next
verse, TRANSGRESSIONS . . . INIQUITY
. . . SIN, see note on xxxii. 1. 2. WASH ME. This is the second figure
employed to denote the work- ing
of God's forgiveness for which David
prays. How is it to be understood?
Does it refer only, like
the first (the blotting out of sin), to the act
of forgiveness, or does it denote the cleansing
and purifying of the sinner's soul, the
sanctification of the spirit? The verb sbeKi, “to wash,” is used of
the washing of dirty spotted gar- ments,
like the Greek plu<nw (as dis- tinct
from CHayA = lou<w, which is used
of washing the body); and the
figure is commonly employed in
reference to the putting away of sin,
See Is. i, 16; Jer. ii. 22, iv.14; Mal.
iii. 2, 3. So far as the figure itself
is concerned it might cer- tainly
be symbolical, as all out- ward
washing was, of inward puri- fication.
On the other hand, the prayer
here is for forgiveness of sins—that
the burden of guilt may be
taken away, and afterwards, in ver.
10 ff, comes the prayer for renewal
and sanctification. 'The verb
in the next clause also,”cleanse me,”
though a word of more gene- ral
use, is specially applied to the priest
who “pronounces clean” the leper,
a declarative act. Comp. Lev.
xiii. 6, 34. But we must not expect
in the O. T., and least of all in
prayers, sharply defined and ac- curate
statements of doctrine. Stier, who
understands the “washing” here
of sanctification, says, with perfect
truth, that justification and sanctification,
though distinct, are always
closely connected in Scrip- ture.
God does not declare righteous without
making righteous. THOROUGHLY or perhaps “many |
PSALM
LI. 415
And from my sin make me clean.
3 For I know my transgressions,
And my sin is ever before me.
4 Against Thee—against Thee only have I
sinned,
times,” as Calvin says: “minime ambiguum est quin clare asserat non leves esse suas sordes, ut mo- dica
lotione elui queant, sed tena- citer
haerere, immo esse profundas, ut
iteratis lotionibus ad eas pur- gandas
opus sit.” 3. FOR. This particle expresses, not
the reason why God should forgive
him, but the reason why he asks for forgiveness;
namely, his own
sense and acknowledgement of
his sin. Those, however, who adopt
the first sense, regard the confession
of sin not as the meri- torious
cause of forgiveness, but rather
as its indispensable con- dition (comp. xxxii. 5, Prov. xxviii. 13).
So Luther: “That little word for must be understood so
as not to
imply that his sins must be for- given
him because he had con- fessed
them; for sin is always sin, and
deserving of punishment, whe- ther
it is confessed or not; still confession
of sin is of importance on
this account, that God will be gracious
to none but to those who confess
their sin.” I KNOW. There is no need to render
with the E.V. “I acknow- ledge,”
though no doubt the confes- sion of sin is implied.
That however is
not here prominent, but rather that
discernment of sin and of its true
nature which leads to a confes- sion
of it. In xxxii. 5, “I will con- fess
unto Thee” is lit. “I will make Thee
know.” IS EVER BEFORE ME. Comp. xxxii.
3, 4. Luther says: “That is, my
sin plagues me, gives me no rest,
no peace; whether I eat or drink,
sleep or wake, I am always in
terror of God's wrath and judge- ment.”
But surely here, not the terror
of God's wrath and judge- ment,
but the deep sorrow for despite
done to God's love and |
goodness,
is the feeling uppermost. David
dreads not punishment, but separation
from God. 4. Then follows an acknowledge- ment
of the double evil of sin: first,
in its aim, and next in its source;
first, as done against God, and
then as springing from a cor- rupt
nature. AGAINST THEE ONLY. This lan- guage
has perplexed commentators, who
cannot understand how it could come
from the mouth of David, who had
been guilty of sins which were so
directly against men as well as against
God. The sin against sin
against Uriah whom he had slain
by the sword of another, the sin
against his own family which he
had polluted, and against his kingdom
which he had weakened,— were
not all these sins against men?
They were. And yet he says, Against
Thee only have I sinned. (1) Some expositors, as bius,
Cassiodorus, Nichol. de Lyra (and
Patristic and Romish divines generally),
account for this by say- ing
that David here speaks as king, and
that as king he was responsible to
no human authority, but only to God.
But though, as holding a despotic
power, he could not be tried or punished by his subjects, the
wrong done, and therefore the sin
was the same whether done by a
prince or by a private person. (2) Others suppose that David means
to say that his sin was known only to God. So Qimchi and
Maldonatus, “tibi soli, h.e. secreto,
nemine conscio,” referring to
2 Sam. xii. 12, “For thou didst it
secretly;” or as Geier, “in de- fiance
of God;” “audacter ac pro- terve,
omni reverentia erga tuos occulos
vel to omnipraesentem Deum seposita.”
But such an interpreta- |
416 PSALM LI.
And that which is evil in Thine eyes
have I done;
tion
falls far short of the whole deep
meaning of the passage. (3) Calvin approaches more nearly
to the truth. He observes: “I
think the words are equivalent to
his saying, Lord, though the whole
world should acquit me, yet for
me it is more than enough that I
feel that Thou art my Judge, that conscience
summons me and drags me
to Thy bar: so that men's ex- cuses
for me are of no avail, whe- ther
they spare me, or whether to flatter
me they make light of my crime,
or try to assuage my grief with
soothing words. He intimates therefore
that he has his eyes and all
his senses fixed upon God, and consequently
does not care what men
think or say. But whoever is thus
crushed, yea overwhelmed by the
weight of God's judgement, needs
no other accuser, because God
alone is more than a thousand others.” To this might be added that all
human judges can only regard wrong
actions as crimes: God alone takes
cognizance of them as sins. (4) But true as all this is, it scarcely
reaches the whole truth. First,
then, the words are to be explained
by David's deep convic- tion of sin as sin. For the moment all
else is swallowed up in that. Face
to face with God, he sees nothing
else, can think of nothing else,
but His presence forgotten, His
holiness outraged, His love scorned.
Therefore he must con- fess
and be forgiven by God before he
could even think of the wrong done
to his neighbour. But secondly, this deep feeling of
the penitent heart, of the heart which
loves God above all things, has
its root in the very relation in which
God stands to His crea- tures.
All sin, as sin, is and must be
against God. All wrong done to
our neighbour is wrong done to one
created in the image of God; all
tempting of our neighbour to evil
is taking the part of Satan |
against
God, and, so far as in us lies,
defeating God's good purpose of
grace towards him. All wound- ing
of another, whether in person or
property, in body or soul, is a sin
against the goodness of God. Hence the Apostle
says (1 Cor. viii. 12), “But when ye
sin so against the brethren, and wound their
weak conscience, ye sin against
Christ.” In like manner, all
love to our neighbour is love to God
whom we love in him. On this
principle we shall be judged: “Inasmuch
as ye have done it to the
least of these, ye have done it unto
Me.” It is not therefore enough
to explain these words of David,
“Against Thee only,” by saying
that they are the expression of
his own deep sense (“die Innigkeit des Gefuhls,” De Wette, Hupf.) of his
guilt and the dishonour done to God.
That feeling rested upon the eternal
truth of which it was the expression,
a truth on which, as Hengstenberg
observes, the Deja- logue
itself is based: “Thou must honour
and love God in Himself, in
those who represent Him on earth
(Deut. v. 12), in all who bear His
image (ver. 13, 14). Comp. Beitr. iii. 604. The love
of God appears
constantly in Deuteronomy as
the e{n kai> pa?n, as the one thing which
of necessity carries along with
it the fulfilment of the whole Law;
as for instance in chaps. x. xii.
Earlier still, in Gen. ix. 6, the punishment
of murder is grounded on
this, that man bears God's image.”
“How must David have trembled,”
says the same commen- tator,
“how must he have been seized
with shame and grief, when he
referred everything to God, when in
Uriah he saw only the image of God,
the Holy One, who deeply resented
that injury,—the gracious and
compassionate One, to whom he
owed such infinitely rich bene- fits,
who had lifted him up from the dust
of humiliation, had so often delivered
him, and had also given |
PSALM
LI.
417
That Thou mightest be just in Thy
speaking,b
(That) Thou mightest be pure in Thy
judging.
5 Behold, in iniquity I was brought forth,
him
the promise of so glorious a future!” THAT. Strictly speaking, “in order
that,” which would imply that
the sin was done in order that God's
justice might shine the more conspicuously
thereby; and this would
seem of course to make God the
author of sin. Hence some, as Ab.
Ezra, would connect the con- junction
(Nfamal; “in order that”) not
with the words immediately preceding,
but with the acknow- ledgement
in ver. 3. Nor can I see any
objection to such a connection of
the clauses. Others again take the
conjunction here in the sense of
“so that,” as marking the con- sequence (e]kbatikw?j), not the pur- pose of the action
preceding = “I have
sinned, and the result of my sin
has been that Thy righteousness and
holiness have been mani- fested,”
&c. This interpretation, according
to the grammarians, in- evitably
falls to pieces against the hard
inexorable canon that “the conjunction
always means in order that;” in the same way as i!na in the
N. T. Winer however (Gram. d.N. T. Sprach-Idioms), gives the right
explanation of the usage of both
conjunctions. He shows that their
employment is due ,to a dif- ferent
metaphysical conception on the
part of the Biblical writers from that
which we are in the habit of forming
as to the nature of the Divine
government. They drew no
sharp accurate line between events
as the consequence of the Divine
order, and events as follow- ing
from the Divine purpose. To them
all was ordained and designed of
God. Even sin itself in all its manifestations,
though the whole guilt
of it rested with man, did not flow
uncontrolled, but only in chan- nels
hewn for it by God, and to subserve
His purposes. Hence, God is
said to have hardened Pharaoh's |
heart,
to have put a lying spirit in the
mouth of the prophets, to do evil
as well as good in the city, and the
like. We must not expect therefore
that the Hebrew mind, profoundly
impressed as it was with
the great phenomena of the universe,
and beholding in each the immediate
finger of God, but alto- gether
averse from philosophical speculation,
should have exactly defined
for itself the distinction between
an action viewed as the consequence, and the same action viewed
as the end of another action. The
mind which holds the simple fundamental
truth that all is of God, may
also hold, almost as a matter of
course, that all is designed of God.
That from such a view, where the
conscience is not healthy, a perilous
misconception may arise, is
clear from the way in which St. Paul
argues upon this very passage in
Rom. iii. 4, 5, where he refutes the
possible perversion that men are
at liberty to sin because thereby God's
righteousness is commended. But,
after all, there is perhaps no need
to press the exact signification of
the particle here. The conjunc- tion,
which properly expresses pur- pose,
here denotes rather conse- quence,
as in other passages, xxx. 12
[13], Exod. xi. 9, Deut. xxix. 18, Is.
xliv. 9, Hosea viii. 4. IN THY SPEAKING, i.e. as is evi- dent
from the parallelism, “when Thou
givest sentence.” IN THY JUDGING. The LXX., e]n t&?
kri<nesqai< se (quoted thus in
Rom. iii. 4), “When Thou con- tendest.”
There is not the slightest reason
for rendering the Greek as a
passive, “when Thou art judged,” i.e. when the justice of
Thy dealings is called
in question in having suffered Thine
own servant so grievously to fall. 5. Sin is now regarded in its source.
From my very earliest |
418 PSALM
LI.
And in sin did my mother conceive
me.
6 Behold, Thou delightest in truth in the
inward parts,
And in the hidden part Thou wilt
make me to know
wisdom.
7 Thou wilt purge me with hyssop, that I
may be clean;
being,
from the hour when I was conceived,
sin has been with me. Sinfulness
consists not merely in so
many several sinful acts, but in a
sinful and corrupt nature. The depth
of the abyss of sin is here opened
before the eyes of the peni- tent
with a distinctness of which the
instances are comparatively few in
the O.T. (Comp. however Job xiv.
4, Gen. viii. 21.) Manifestly not
in extenuation, but in aggrava- tion
of his sin does David thus speak (“ad
amplificandam malorum suo- rum
gravitatem a peccato originali ducit
exordium,” Calvin). “He lays
on himself the blame of a tainted
nature, instead of that of a single
fault: not a murder only, but
of a murderous nature. ‘Con- ceived
in sin.’ From first moments up
till then, he saw sin—sin—sin: nothing
but sin.”—F. W. Robertson. Luther
says: “If a man will speak and
teach aright of sin, he must consider
it in its depth, and show from
what root it and all that is godless
springs, and not apply the term
merely to sins that have been committed.
For from this error, that
men know not and understand not
what sin is, arises the other error
that they know not nor under- stand
what grace is.... According to
this Psalm, then, we must say that
all is sin which is born of father and mother,
and from so evil a root nothing good
can grow before God.” And Calvin:
“Here at length he confesses himself guilty,
not of one sin only or of many, but he
rises to the fountain-head, (ac- knowledging)
that from his mother's womb
he has brought nothing with him
but sin, and that by nature he is
altogether corrupt and as it were smeared
over with vices. . . . And of
a truth we do not thoroughly acknowledge
our sins unless we |
condemn
our whole nature as cor- rupt.” Stier says: “Men may say what they
will, the doctrine of original sin
is contained in this passage;” and
so it is, precisely in that sense in
which the doctrine is alone true, viz.
that sinfulness is innate, that corrupt
parents can only have cor- rupt
children. The taint is, and must
be, propagated. The later ecclesiastical
development of the doctrine,
involving the imputation of
Adam's sin, and the fiction of a covenant
made with Adam in the name
of his descendants, is repug- nant
to reason and has no founda- tion
in Scripture, as Mr. Birks has shown
with remarkable force and clearness
in his Difficulties of Be- lief, &c. The heathen view of this
innate corruption was widely different,
because the thought of God
did not enter into it. See Cic. Tusc. iii. 1, and Marc.
Aurel. lib. xi. c.
18. BEHOLD. The word is used to indicate
the attainment of a new and
higher knowledge (comp. Job iv.
18, xv. 15, xxv. 5), as if it had come
with something of surprise on
the mind, or were seen with a new
brightness. The repetition of the
word at the beginning of the next
verse marks the connection and
correlation of the two. On the
one hand, lo! I have seen sin as
I never saw it before. On the other,
lo! I have learnt that truth is
what Thou desirest in the secret heart. 6. TRUTH. Uprightness of heart: that
very uprightness and integrity which
David and other O.T. saints assert
elsewhere, but in which, now under
deep conviction of his sin- fulness,
he feels himself to be so deficient. 7. THOU SHALT PURGE ME. The |
PSALM LI. 419
Thou wilt wash me, that I may be
whiter than snow.
8 Thou wilt make me to hear joy and
gladness,
LXX.
and Jerome take the verbs in this
verse and the next as futures, and
so also Ewald, though the ma- jority
of modern commentators, with
the E.V., take them as im- peratives.
Both Hengstenberg and Hupfeld
argue that they must be imperatives
(or optatives) because of
the imperative in ver. 9; but surely
the very fact that we have a change
in the mood of the verb there
should lead us not to confound the
two. Besides, the notion that the
verbs in this verse must be imperative
proceeds partly from a total
misconception as to the true structure
of the Psalm, the first division
of which ends not with ver.
6, but with ver. 8, according to a
principle which has never yet been
sufficiently recognized, viz. that
some of the thoughts of one strophe
are constantly resumed, with
some modification, in another. The
use of the future here, as well as
the meaning of the verb, has been
most happily explained by Donne
in his Sermon on this verse (Sermon
lxii.): “How soon and to what
a height came David here! He
makes his petition, his first petition,
with that confidence, as that
it hath scarce the nature of a petition:
for it is in the original: Thou wilt purge me,
Thou wilt wash me, Thou hadst a
gracious will
and purpose to do it, before Thou
didst infuse the will and the desire
in me to petition it. Nay, this
word may well be translated not
only Thou wilt, but by the other denotation
of the future, Thou shalt, Thou shalt purge me, Thou shalt wash me; Lard, I do but
remember Thee
of Thy debt, of that which Thy
gracious promise hath made Thy
debt, to show mercy to every penitent
sinner. And then, as the word
implies confidence and acceleration, infallibility
and expedition too, that as soon as
I can ask I am sure to be heard; so does it imply
a totality, an entireness, a |
fulness
in the work; for the root of the
word is peccare, to sin, for purg- ingis
a purging of peccant humours; but
in this conjugation [the Piel] .
. . it hath a privative significa- tion;
. . . and if in our language that
were a word in use, it might be
translated, Thou shalt un-sin me.”
I am sorry that want of space prevents
my quoting the beautiful passage
in the same sermon, in which
Donne dwells on the truth that
God Himself alone can thus purge
the sinner, Domine Tu. It will
be found in vol. iii. p. 91, of Alford's
edition of his Works. WITH HYSSOP. In allusion to the
lustration enjoined by the saic
ritual of the leper (Lev. xiv. 4 ff.) and
those who had defiled them- selves
by contact with a dead body (Num.
xix. 6 if. 18 ff.), the hyssop being
dipped in the blood of the bird
which had been killed, and so used
to sprinkle the person who was
to be cleansed. This is cer- tainly
a remarkable instance of the manner
in which the symbolism of the
Mosaic Law was understood by a
pious Jew. David evidently sees that
the outward lustration is a sign
of a better cleansing; another proof
of that profound spiritual in- sight
which throughout the Psalm is
so striking, and which almost justifies
quibus expedit cadere. THOU SHALT WASH ME. Again in
allusion to a further ceremony of
purification enjoined by the Law, the
washing, namely, of the clothes, and the bathing
of the body of the defiled person. WHITER
THAN SNOW. Comp. Is. i. 18. 8. THOU SHALT MAKE ME TO HEAR:
not said with reference to God's
announcement of forgiveness by
the Prophet Nathan, or as made in
His word, but rather with refer- ence
to those public festivals in which
the whole congregation would unite
in praising God, and in which
David hoped now, as |
420 PSALM LI.
(That) the bones which Thou hast
crushed
rejoice.
II. 9 Hide Thy face from my sins,
And blot out all my iniquities.
10 A clean heart create for me, 0 God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within
me.
11 Cast me not away from Thy presence,
And take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.
forgiven
sinner, to take his own part.
He would be one of those who,
with a heart full of thank- fulness,
would openly testify that thankfulness. THE BONES: not merely, as Hupfeld
says, instead of the heart, but
as constituting the strength and framework
of the body, the crush- ing
of the bones being a very strong figure,
denoting the most complete prostration
mental and bodily: see vi.
2 [2]. 9. The second division of the Psalm
begins here with the renewed prayer
for forgiveness. From the confident
assurance of the last two verses,
that God would do that which
he asked, David now passes to
earnest pleading with God. This is
surely what is to be found in all true
prayer; it will be marked by fluctuations
of feeling; its order will
be the order of need, not the order
of the intellect. Again, David asks
for forgiveness first, and then for
renewal. “For though God fully
and completely (in solidum) forgives,”
says Calvin, “still the narrowness
of our faith does not take
in so large a goodness on His part,
but it must flow down to us gradually
and drop by drop (ne- cesse est ut paulatim distillet).” HIDE THY FACE, i.e. Thy face of wrath;
do not look upon them in anger,
or so as to bring me into judgement.
In the more common use
of the phrase, God is said to “hide
His face” in displeasure, the face
of God generally signifying His
favour. |
10.
After the prayer for forgive- ness
there follows now the prayer for
renewal and sanctification. A CLEAN HEART, as the neces- sary
condition of communion with God.
Comp. xxiv. 4 and Matt. x.
8. CREATE. A word always used strictly
of the creative power of God.
The whole spiritual being of the
man had, as it were, fallen into a
chaos. The pure heart and the childlike
feeling of confidence could only
return as a new creation, kainh> kti<sij. Comp. Ephes. ii. 10, iv. 24. With
this prayer compare the pro- mise
in Jer. xxiv. 7; Ezek. xi. 19, xxxvi.
26. A STEADFAST SPIRIT; one, that is,
firm in faith, not easily swayed hither
and thither through its own weakness
or by blasts of temptation, and
therefore also firm and constant in
obedience. Jerome, rightly, spiritum stabilem: it is more than the
pneu?ma eu]qe<j of the LXX., the spiritum rectum of the Vulg., and “the
right spirit” of the E.V. 11. CAST ME NOT AWAY. Stier sees an
allusion partly to the exclusion of
the leper from the congregation (Lev.
xiii. 46), and partly to the re- jection
of Saul (I Sam. xvi. 13, 14); but
the expressions employed in both
cases are different. The phrase,
as it occurs 2 Kings xiii. 23,
xvii. 20, xxiv. 20, Jer. vii. 15, refers
to the rejection of the nation of
TAKE NOT THY HOLY SPIRIT FROM
ME. Calvin infers from this that
the Spirit had not been alto- |
PSALM LI.
421
12 Restore unto me the joy of Thy
salvation,
And uphold me with a
willing spirit.
III.
13 So will I teach transgressors Thy ways,
gether
taken away from David, and hence
draws the consolatory con- clusion,
that the faith of the elect cannot
finally fail. The Lutherans, on
the other hand, supposing a total loss,
and deeming a total renewal necessary,
insert the word "again," —"Take
not (again) Thy Holy Spirit
from me." But the words do not
justify either interpretation. The
petition expresses rather the holy
fear of the man who has his eyes
open to the depth and iniquity of
sin, lest at any moment he should be
left without the succour of that Divine
Spirit, who was the only source
in him of every good thought, of
every earnest desire, of every constant
resolution. It is the cry of
one who knows, as he never knew
before, the weakness of his own
nature, and the strength of temptation,
and the need of Divine help;
and to whom therefore no- thing
seems so dreadful as that God should
withdraw His Spirit. At the
same time we need not hesitate to
admit that such a prayer in the lips
of David could not mean all that
it means now to a Christian. David
could hardly have understood by
the Holy Spirit a Divine Person, nor
could he have been made par- taker
of the Spirit in the same sense that
Christians are; for not till Jesus
was glorified was the Spirit given
in all His light and power, in
all His quickening, sanctifying grace.
But we see in such prayers how
marvellously the words of Scripture
are adapted to our neces- sities;
how, used at first as it were by
children, they still express the maturest
feelings of our Christian manhood,
and, as in this instance, have
even become permanently fixed
in our Christian liturgies. 12. The first clause of the verse again
puts, as a petition, that which in
ver. 8 is the utterance of a con- fident
hope and trust. |
WITH
A WILLING SPIRIT, or, "a free,
or ‘noble’ spirit." Comp. Ex. xxxv.
5, 22, "willing of heart." The
meaning "noble," and the use of
the word as a subst. "a prince," are
apparently derived from this. Hence,
the LXX. h[gemonik&? pnei<- mati. Vulg. spiritu principali. Jerome, potenti
spiritu. The
ex- pression
here, as well as the similar expression
in ver. to, "a steadfast spirit,"
refers immediately to the spirit
of man, but to that spirit as influenced
and guided by the Spirit of
God. That mechanical distinc- tion
which is sometimes made in theology
is not made in Scripture. The
use of pneu?ma to in the New Tes- tament
is exactly analogous. See the
notes of Alford and Ellicott on pneu?ma deili<aj, in 2 Tim. i. 7; and comp.
Rom. viii. 15, Gal. iv. 6. Luther
somewhere strikingly illus- trates
this close and intimate union of
the Spirit of God with the spirit of
man, by saying that the latter, under
the influence of the former, is
like water heated by fire. 13. With a conscience set free from
guilt, with a heart renewed by the
Spirit of God, and full of thank- fulness
for God's great mercy, he cannot
keep silent, but will seek to turn
other sinners to God. The 32d
Psalm, which was probably written
after this (see Introduction to
that Psalm), shows us how this resolution
was kept. SO WILL I TEACH, Or, "So let me
teach." The form is optative, and
expresses that which he desires to
do, as an evidence of his grati- tude,
and as knowing how greatly his
sin must have been a stumbling- block
to others. Terrible had been the
fruit of his sin, not only in the wasting
of his own soul, but in the injury
done to others. Terrible was his
punishment in witnessing this; and
therefore the more anxious is he,
though he cannot undo his own |
422 PSALM LI.
And sinners shall return unto Thee.
14
Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, 0 God, thou God
of my salvation;
My tongue shall sing aloud of Thy
righteousness.
15
0 Lord, open Thou my lips,
And my mouth shall show forth Thy
praise.
16
For Thou delightest not in sacrifice, else would I give it;
In burnt-offering Thou bast no
pleasure:
17
The sacrifices of God are a brcken spirit,
sin,
to heal the breach, and repair the
evil of sin in other souls. THY WAYS, i.e. the ways of God's commandments
in which he would have
men walk. Comp. xviii. 21 [22]. 14. BLOOD-GUILTINESS, literally, "bloods,"
the plural of this word being
used to denote blood shed, murder.
Comp. Gen. iv. to, "The voice
of thy brother's blood," &c. Here,
too, the blood of Uriah, whom
he had slain, seems to cry against
David for punishment. See 2
Sam. ix. to. Reuss renders this, "save
me from murder," i.e. from being
murdered, a rendering wholly against
Hebrew idiom. See Exod. xxii.
1; Deut. xix. to. The repetition of the Divine Name
which follows is not due to emphasis
(as Calvin thinks), but is a
peculiarity of this Book of the Psalter.
See note on xlv. 7. THY RIGHTEOUSNESS. Why is this
attribute of God especially mentioned
as the subject of praise? Surely
not in that vague sense in which
Hupfeld puts it, "as the principle
of God's government," but
with especial reference to the forgiveness
of sins. The righteous- ness
of God is that attribute accord- ing
to which He gives to every one his
own, to those who with repent- ance
and faith turn to Him, the forgiveness
which they ask, and which
He has promised to bestow. Hence
fess
our sins, He is faithful and just (or righteous) to forgive us our
sins." |
15. OPEN MY LIPS. His lips had been
sealed by sin, but God, by His
free forgiveness, would give him
fresh cause of rejoicing, and so
would open them. Calvin com- pares
xl. 4, where the Psalmist says that
God had put a new song in his
mouth. David thus prays God to
be gracious, that he may be the loud
herald of that grace to others, "My
mouth shall declare," &c. 16. FOR, as expressing the reason why
he will offer to God the spiritual offering
of thanksgiving, a grateful heart
and grateful lips. ELSE WOULD I, or possibly, "that I
should," as in margin of the Eng. Vers. SACRIFICE . . . . BURNT OFFER- INC.
In what sense God is said to reject
them is clear from xl. 6 [7], 1.
7 [8], where see notes. The Rab- binical
interpreters suppose sin- offerings to be meant, and
think that
these are here set aside because for
a sin like David's, done with a high
hand, no sacrifice, but only repentance,
could avail. But the words
here employed in reference to
sacrifices are never used of sin- offerings,
but always of thank- offerings, and this sense is
plainly required
by the context. 17. THE SACRIFICES OF GOD, i.e. those
in which He really has plea- sure,
are A BROKEN HEART. An- other
evidence of a deep sense of sin,
and of a tender conscience. When
speaking of thankfulness, we might
have expected him to say, "a
joyful heart, or a thankful heart,"
but instead of that he says, |
PSALM
LI. 423
A broken and contrite heart, 0 God,
Thou wilt not
despise.
18
Do good in Thy good pleasure unto Zion;
Build Thou the walls of
19
Then Thou shalt delight in sacrifices of righteousness,
In burnt-offering and
whole burnt-offering;
Then shall they offer up bullocks
upon Thine altar.
"a
contrite heart." For the joy of forgiveness
does not banish sorrow and
contrition for sin : this will still continue.
And the deeper the sense of
sin, and the truer the sorrow for it,
the more heartfelt also will be the
thankfulness for pardon and reconciliation.
The tender, humble, broken
heart is therefore the best thank-offering. 18, 19. The Psalm concludes with a
prayer (not as before for the in- dividual)
for the nation at large. After carefully weighing all that has
been urged by Hengstenberg and
others in support of thegenuine- ness
of these verses, I cannot think that
they formed any part of the Psalm
as originally written. To me,
they bear evident marks of having
been added at a date sub- sequent
to the Exile. [Otherwise, the
whole Psalm must be of that date.]
The prayer, "build Thou the
walls of Jerusalem," is cer- tainly
most naturally explicable with
reference to the ruinous con- dition
of the city after the Cap- tivity.
Some suppose, indeed, that the
walls were not yet completed in
David's time, or that the allu- sion
is to the walls of the Temple; others,
that the expression is used in
a figurative sense of God's pro- tection
and favour, as vouchsafed to
the people (see the Introduction to
the Psalm), but these are not natural
or satisfactory interpreta- tions.
Again, ver. 19 seems to have |
been
added expressly to correct wrong
inferences which might pos- sibly
have been drawn from verses 16,
17, as to .the worth of sacri- fices
as enjoined by the Law. We need
not, indeed, push this so far as
to suppose that the last verses contradict the sentiment of the former
part of the Psalm. For as the
sacrifice in which God delights not
(ver. 16) means one not offered with
a true heart, so those sacrifices in
which it is said He will delight when
the walls of Jerusalem are built,
are expressly said to be sacri- fices
of righteousness, offered there- fore
with right motives; still there is,
I think, a difference of import- ance attached to the
ceremonial sacrifice,
in the two passages. On these grounds, then, I regard the
two concluding verses as having been
added shortly after the return from
the Exile, a time when every effort
was made to rouse the people whose
heart had grown cold to a sense
of the value of the Temple services,
and the appointed wor- ship
of Jehovah. On this point I
have said more in an article on the
Prophet Zechariah, in Smith's Dict. of the Bible. 19. SACRIFICES OF RIGHTEOUS- NESS,
i.e. such as God would accept, because
offered in righteousness, from
a heart right with God, and not merely
in external compliance with the
Law. See note on iv. 7 [8]. |
a hBer;ha. The Qeri br,H, is imper. apoc. Hiphil
for HaBed;ha, as Jr,h,, xxxvii.
8,
for hPer;ha, and consequently the constr. is that of the double
imperative,
without
the copula (Gesen. § 142, 3 b). Hence the K'thibh is usually
supposed
to be the full form of the imperative. It may, however, be the
424 PSALM LII.
infin.
absol. used adverbially, like bFeyhe (Gesen. § 128, 2). So
Hengst.,
Hitz.,
and Hupf.
b j~r;b;dAB;. Apparently Inf. Qal
after the analogy of j~F;p;wAB; but not
occurring
elsewhere, this verb being found in the Qal only in the par-
ticiple.
c tOHFu, only here and Job
xxxviii. 36, not as the Chald. and Rabb.
"the
reins," as if so called from HvF, "to cover, to
smear," the reins
being
covered with fat; but as the older translators, LXX. a@dhla, Jerome,
abscondita,
"the hidden depths of the heart," which agrees with the
parallelism.
J. H. Mich. in intimis animi recessibus. Comp.
e]n t&?
krupt&?, Rom. ii. 29.
PSALM
LII.
THIS Psalm is not a prayer or
complaint addressed to God against
the
oppression of the wicked; it is a stern upbraiding addressed to
the
man who, unscrupulous in the exercise of his power, and proud
of
his wealth (ver. 9), finds his delight in all the arts of the practised
liar.
It is a lofty challenge, a defiance conceived in the spirit of
David
when he went forth to meet the champion of
calm
courage of faith breathes in every word. There is no fear, no
trembling,
no doubt, as to the end which will come upon the tyrant.
How
vain is his boast in presence of the loving-kindness of God,
which
protects His people; in presence of the power of God, which
uproots
the oppressor! Such is briefly the purport of the Psalm.
Whether
it was really composed by David on the occasion to which
the
title refers it, may be a matter of doubt. We know too little of
Doeg
to be able to say if the description in verses 1—4 applies to
him
or not. Nor, in fact, does the title intimate that he is the sub-
ject
of the Psalm. It only points out the occasion on which the
Psalm
was written, and Saul's name is mentioned in it as well as
Doeg's.
So far Hengstenberg is right. But I cannot see any force
in
the arguments with which he endeavours to show that the Psalm
is
aimed at Saul. He says: (1) The address, "Thou mighty man,"
is
more suitable to Saul, to whom David, in his lamentation, 2 Sam.
i.
19, gives the same epithet, than to Doeg, the chief herdsrnan of
the
royal flocks, who was so far from being a hero, that he was famous
for
nothing but the cowardly massacre of the priests, a deed which
Saul's
warriors refused to perform. (2) The
reproach of lying, in
PSALM
LII.
425
ver.
1 -3, does not apply to Doeg. So far as the history informs us,
Doeg
simply reports the fact that
Ahimelech had received David,
whereas
it is Saul who falsely accuses David and the priests of plot-
ting
together against him, I Sam. xxii. 17. (3) Doeg would not be
described
as a man who trusted in the abundance of his riches,
whereas
Saul might, I Sam. xxii. 7. (4) David would not have been
so
incensed against Doeg, who was nothing but the tool of Saul, but
his
indignation would naturally have been directed against Saul, who
commanded
the slaughter of the priests.
But all these arguments show rather
that Doeg is not the person
against
whom the Psalm is directed, than that Saul is. Neither the
might,
nor the lying, nor the trust in riches, is peculiarly applicable
to
Saul. Nor can we imagine that these features of his character
would
have been selected for animadversion at such a time, but
rather
the inhuman barbarity which could conceive of such an out-
rage,
the insolent contempt of all justice which it displayed.
Whilst, therefore, the faith and
courage which breathe in this Psalm
are
such as to incline me to think that it was written by David, and
whilst
there may even be an allusion, in ver. 8 (see note there), to the
sanctuary
at Nob, I see little reason on other grounds for maintaining
the
accuracy of the inscription.
The Psalm scarcely admits of any
formal strophical division, but
the
arrangement is clear and natural.
The first verse states briefly the
subject of the whole: the folly,
namely,
of boasting in wickedness when God's loving-kindness is the
sure
and abiding defence of those against whom that wickedness is
directed.
Then follow:--
First, a description of the
evil-doer, who, in this instance, is pour-
trayed
as an habitual and practised liar. Ver. 2-4.
Next, a denouncing of God's
judgement against him. Ver. 5.
Then, the exultation of the
righteous at his overthrow. Ver. 6, 7.
And lastly, the confidence and
security of the Sacred Poet himself
and
his thankfulness to God for His goodness to him. Ver. 8, g.
[FOR
THE PRECENTOR. A MASKIL OF DAVID, WHEN DOEG THE
EDOMITE
CAME AND TOLD SAUL, AND SAID TO HIM, DAVID CAME
INTO
THE HOUSE OF AHIMELECH.]
I
WHY boasteth thou thyself in wickedness, 0 mighty
man?--
I. 0 MIGHTY MAN. So the E.V., more pointedly, "0
tyrant," and the
whilst
the Prayer-book Version has, LXX.
o[ dunato>j a]nomi<an. The word
426 PSALM
LII.
The loving-kindness of God
(endureth) continually,
2 Destruction doth thy tongue devise,
Like a sharp razor,
working guile.
3
Thou lovest evil rather than good,
Falsehood rather than to speak
righteousness. [Selah.]
4
Thou lovest all devouring words,
0 thou deceitful tongue!
evidently
occurs here in a bad sense;
though this is the only in- stance
of such usage. Elsewhere it
is used of a hero, of one who shows
his prowess and his valour in
war, &c. Hence Hengst. and ing
here. But the word means strictly,
one who exercises power, might,
&c., and the connection must determine
how that power is exer- cised.
The root occurs in malam Aartem
in several places, Jer. ix. 2, xxiii.
10; Job xv. 25, xxxvi. 9. With
this "boasting" (see x. 3) of the
mighty man there is then put, in
brief but forcible contrast, the "loving-kindness
of God," as that in
which the Psalmist himself found his
hope and confidence, and that which
indeed rendered all such boasting
vain. CONTINUALLY, lit. "all the
day," as
xlii. 3 [4], xliv. 8 [9]. 2-4. It is remarkable that there follows,
not the description of the bold
bad man, ruling all around him
by brute force, and crushing others
into submission at his will, but
that of one who gains his evil end
by means chiefly of unblushing, deliberate
falsehood. 2. DESTRUCTION (properly, "a yawning
gulf," as in v. 9 [10], where
see note), the plural form, of which
the singular occurs in ver. 7, in
a different signification, "evil desire." SHARP, lit. "whetted."
Similarly, in
other passages, the tongue is compared
to a sharp sword, spears and
arrows, &c. WORKING GUILE, as ci. 7, does not
refer to the sharp razor (as |
Qimchi
and others), as if that were a
deceitful instrument (as we find "a
deceitful bow," lxxviii. 57), one which
wounds him who uses it, or cuts
where it should not, but to the tongue,
or rather, as the participle is
masc., and the noun, "tongue," fern.,
to the man himself, who is, as it
were, identified with the tongue which
he employs, as again ver. 4, though
it is not necessary to render, "0
thou that workest," &c. LXX. w[sei> curo>n h]k.
e]poi<hsaj do<lon. 3. RIGHTEOUSNESS, here opposed to
FALSEHOOD, because by this, not only
speaking the lie, but false con- duct is meant, the
opposite of which, therefore,
is not truth merely, but righteousness. 4. DEVOURING WORDS, literally, "words
of swallowing up," which accords
exactly with the figures employed
in v. 9 [10], " their mouth
is a yawning gulf," &c., and
so the LXX. well, r[h<mata kata- pontismou?. 0 THOU DECEITFUL TONGUE! So
the E.V., and so Ewald, Maurer, and
many others, and I see no ob- jection
to taking this as a vocative, the
tongue here being, so to speak, identified
with the man, because the
tongue is the member, with which
he works his mischief. The LXX.,
Syr., and Jerome (alt.) take it
as an accusative, in apposition with
"the devouring words" of the preceding
clause, and De Wette asks
how "a tongue" can be said "to
love"? But, with the expla- nation
given above, there is no difficulty,
and we have the same ilentification
of the tongue and the man
in ver. 2. |
PSALM LII.
427
5
God also shall break thee down for ever.
He shall seize thee, and pluck thee
out of (thy) tent,
And root thee out of the
land of the living. [Selah.]
6
And (the) righteous shall see (it) and fear,
And over him shall they laugh
(saying):
7
Behold the man, who maketh not God his stronghold,
5. Now comes, in short and powerful
contrast to the unscrupu- lous
violence, deceit, and falsehood of
the proud oppressor, the right- eous
judgment of God. The most forcible
expressions are employed to
describe his utter overthrow and uprooting. ALSO, i.e., "in like manner,"
"as thout
hast done, so shall it be done to
thee." The law of the Divine dealings
is a law of retribution. BREAK THEE DOWN, i.e. as a house
is broken to pieces and laid in
ruins. SEIZE THEE, prop. as coals are taken
with the tongs or the shovel. So
in the other three passages where
it occurs. OUT OF (THY) TENT. Some sup- pose
the herdsman's tent of Doeg to
be meant : others, the Taber- nacle;
as if the phrase, "to pluck or
tear away from the Tabernacle," were
equivalent to "destroying from the
congregation," &c. [Hupfeld very
harshly, as it seems to me, renders,
"will tear thee away, that that
there be no tent," i.e. as he ex- plains,
"will tear away thy tent," which
he endeavours to defend by Prov.
xv. 25, where, however, the construction
is different, as, though the
same verb occurs, it governs the direct
object, and is not used, as here,
with the preposition.] 6. SHALL SEE (IT) AND FEAR. They
shall witness it with that solemn
awe which must be felt by all
who understand aright the judge- ments
of God. But mingled with this
fear there will be joy, joy that
the wicked one is overthrown, joy
that God has executed His righteous
judgement. OVER HIM, over the wicked man thus
cast down, THEY SHALL LAUGH. |
Such
exultation, to our modern sen- sibilities,
seems shocking, because we
can hardly conceive of it, apart from
the gratification of personal vindictiveness.
But there is such a
thing as a righteous hatred, as a righteous
scorn. There is such a thing
as a shout of righteous joy at
the downfall of the tyrant and the
oppressor, at the triumph of righteousness
and truth over wrong and
falsehood. This is very dif- ferent
from imprecating the judge- ments
of God on the heads of the ungodly.
No such imprecation occurs
in this Psalm, nor is there in
it any trace of personal ani- mosity.
The explanation, there- fore,
which has been given in the notes
on xxxv. 22, xli. 10, does not apply
here. Indeed, even in the New
Testament, we find the ex- ultation
at the overthrow of proud and
luxurious wickedness. "Re- joice
over her," it is said, at the fall of
calypse,
" thou heaven, and ye holy apostles
and prophets ; for God hath
avenged you on her," Rev. xviii.
20. See also xix. 1-3, where the
same strain of holy triumph is repeated. The manifest difference between such
a strain of sentiment and the expression
of a merely personal) hatred,
has been entirely over- looked
by Hupfeld, in his haste to
condemn Hengstenberg. A ma- licious joy over a prostrate
foe is condemned
in direct terms in the Old
Testament. See Prov. xxiv. 17,
Job xxxi. 29, and compare 2
Sam. i. 19 ff. 7. The words in which the righteous
express their triumph, pointing,
as it were, to the fallen oppressor,
and the lesson to be |
428 PSALM LII.
But hath trusted in the greatness of
his riches,
(And) is strong in his evil desire.
8
But as for me,—I am like a green olive-tree, in the
house of God;
I have trusted in the
loving-kindness of God, (and will
do so) for ever and
ever.
9
I will give Thee thanks for ever, for Thou hast done (it).
And I will wait on Thy name,a
for it.is good,
In the presence of, Thy
beloved.
learnt
from his overthrow. His trust
was in his riches (comp. xlix. 6
[7], Prov. x. 15, xviii. 11), and his strength
in his evil desire (see note on
ver. 2), not in God. 8. In strong contrast to such a man
is the character and the hope of
the Psalmist himself. The tyrant shall
be like a tree rooted up (ver.
5): I, he says, shall be like a tree
ever green and ever flourish- ing.
Both images are common in the
Psalms. Comp. i. 3, xxxvii. 35, xliv.
2 [3], cxxviii. 3, and es- pecially
xcii. 12, 13 [13, 14]; the olive-tree
is here specially selected as
a type of gladness and fruitful- ness;
comp. Jer. xi. 16. Hupfeld finds
the figure perplexing, because he
says no trees grew even in the courts
of the mention
that trees may have been planted
in the xcii.
13), there is no need, surely, to
put such an interpretation upon the
words. The olive is not said to
be in the house of God, any more than
in the use of a similar figure in
cxxviii. 3, the olive-plants are supposed
to be round about the table.
Just as there it is said, "Thy
children about thy table are like
olive-plants," so here: "I, in the
house of God, am like an olive," |
i.e.
whilst permitted daily access to His
sanctuary and presence, I may compare
myself to that tree which, in
its greenness and fruitfulness, is an
apt emblem of joy. This is obviously
the form of the com- parison,
as in fact is indicated by the
accents. Bishop Colenso (Part II.
pp. 274, 284) has very inge- niously
suggested a particular reason
for this comparison here. Assuming
the correctness of the title
of the Psalm, there would at this
time be a sanctuary at Nob, a
"house of God," or tabernacle for
Divine worship. Nob was the northern
summit of Olivet, a moun- tain
which derived its name from the
olives and oliveyards with which it
was once clothed. And hence the
connection in the Psalmist's mind
between " the house of God " and
" the olive." Bishop Colenso refers
to tine, p. 187. 9. THOU HAST DONE. Absolutely, as
in xxii. 31 [32], xxxviii 5; the past
tense, expressing the convic- tion of faith that his
prayer has already
been answered. THY BELOVED. See xvi. 10, and note
there ; and for the vow of a public thanksgiving, xxii.
25 [26]. |
a hU,qaxE. Hupfeld doubts the
correctness of the reading, because every-
where
else with the word Mwe, verbs of praising
and the like are used,
such
as hd,Ox,
hlAl.;haxE, hrAm.;zaxE and also because the
expression, "before
Thy
beloved," implies that the action of the verb is something that
PSALM LIII.
429
appeals
to the senses. He suggests that hrAP;saxE may be the word. But
a
writer is not bound to adopt only current phrases; and though the
expression,
I will wait upon Thy name, in the presence of, &c., may not
be
strictly correct, yet all languages furnish instances of such inaccuracies
even
in classical writers.
PSALM LIII.
THIS Psalm is only another version
of the Fourteenth Psalm, from
which
it differs in two particulars: first, in its use of the Name of
God,
which here is Elohim instead of Jehovah, a peculiarity which is
characteristic
of all the- Psalms in the Second Book: next, in the
remarkable
deviation, ver. 5 [6], from the language of the parallel pas-
sage,
ver. 5, 6, of Psalm xiv. This deviation is remarkable, because,
whilst
there is a material difference in the sense
of the two passages,
very
many of the same or similar letters
occur in both. Hence it
has
been supposed that the one text may have been copied from a
partially
defaced and illegible MS. of the other, the lacunle having
been
conjecturally filled up by the transcriber; or that the text,
having
been corrupted through carelessness, or perhaps at first pre-
served
orally, rather than in writing, attempts were made to correct
it,
and hence the variations which now exist. But neither supposi-
tion
is satisfactory. There seems to have been an intentional altera-
tion,
with a view of adapting the Psalm to different circumstances.
Perhaps,
as Bunsen suggests, a later poet may have wished to apply
Psalm
xiv. to the events of his own time, when
by
foreign enemies, and thus have sought to encourage the people
to
hope for deliverance, by reminding them of God's help vouchsafed
in
former times of trouble. In this case, verses 4, 5 [5, 6] must be
taken
as referring to the past, not to the future.
That of the two texts Ps. xiv. is
the original, appears to me almost
certain.
Whilst there is some abruptness in both, the sixth verse
here
is unquestionably more disjointed and less obviously connected
with
the subject of the Psalm than the corresponding passage in
Ps.
xiv. Dr. Colenso's theory, as to the use of the Divine Names,
obliges
him to assume that this is the earlier form of the Poem; but
the
language of ver. 5 [6] is decidedly opposed to the theory, and so
also
is the tradition, as old as the formation of the Canon, which, by
assigning
to Ps. xiv. its place in the First Book, manifestly regarded
it
as the original work.
430 PSALM LIII.
The Introduction and Notes to Psalm
xiv. may be consulted here.
In
some few instances only, where it seemed desirable, additional
notes
have been introduced, and especially where this text differs
from
the other.
[FOR
THE PRECENTOR. UPON MACHALATH.a A MASKIL OF DAVID.]
1.
THE fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.
Corrupt and abominable are they in
(their) iniquity.
There is none that doeth good.
2
God hath looked down from heaven upon the children
of men,
To see if there is any that hath
understanding,
That seeketh after God.
3
Every one of them is gone back, together they have
become corrupt,
There is none that doeth good, no
not one.
4
"Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge,
(Who) eat my people (as though) they
ate bread,
have
corrupted and made abomi- nable."
This passage differs from the
parallel one in xiv., first, in the introduction
of the copula—which is
unnecessary, and of itself a sign of
a later text; and in the substi- tution,
not very happy, of "ini- quity"
(gnavel) for "doing" (gnalilah), though this last may- be
compared with the very similar expression
in Ezek. xvi. 52, " Thy sins,
which thou hast made abomi- nable." 3. THEY HAVE BECOME COR- RUPT.
A different verb from that employed
in ver. 1, and one there- fore
for which a different equiva- lent
should be found in our lan- guage;
perhaps " tainted" would convey
the idea. It is used strictly of
physical corruption (the Arabic cognate
in conj. viii. being used of milk
which turns sour), but here, as
in Job xv. 16, transferred to moral
corruption. 4. HAVE, &C. . . NO KNOW- |
LEDGE?
According to this ren- dering,
the interrogative must cover the
whole clause, and the negative belonged
strictly to the verb = Do they
not know, i.e. Are they so senseless,
so without understand- ing?
Other renderings, however, are
possible:-- (1) "Do they not know, acknow- ledge,"
i.e. God, whom, according to
ver. 1, they deny—parallel with "They
call not upon God." as in lxxix.
6, Jer. x. 25. Or, (2) "Do they not know" abso- lutely.,
i.e. show that they have knowledge,
exercise their reason, &c.,
as lxxiii. 22, lxxxii. 5. The older
Verss. take the word thus absolutely,
but render it as a future. LXX. ou]xi> gnw<sontai; Jerome and Vulg.
Nonne cognoscent? (3) Hupfeld renders, "Haben sie es
nicht erfahren?" i.e. "Have they not
gained knowledge," by experi- ence
of the past, sufficient to deter them
from their madness? WHO EAT, &c. These words |
PSALM
LIII. 431
(And) call not upon God?"
5
There were they in great terror, (where) no terror was,
For God hath scattered b
the bones of him that en-
campeth against thee.c
Thou hast put (them) to shame; for
God hath rejected
them.
6
Oh that the salvation of
When God bringeth back the captivity
of His people,
(Then) shall Jacob exult, (then)
shall
are
very difficult, and are again capable
of a different interpretation from
that given in the note on xiv. As
is there said, the literal render- ing
is, "Eating my people, they have
eaten bread, they have not called
on Jehovah." This may be explained,
"Whilst they devour my people
(comp. Jer. x. 25, Lam. ii. i6),
they have eaten bread, &c. i.e. in
the midst of their cruel destruc- tion
of in
their brutal security, eating and drinking,
quite regardless of God, or
of any reverence for His Name." I am now inclined, however, with L.
de Dieu, to refer the words, "Who
eat my people," to the first member
of the verse: "Have the workers
of iniquity, who devour my people,
no knowledge? They eat bread
(they live their careless life of
self-enjoyment), they call not upon
Jehovah (do not acknowledge or
fear Him)." 5.
THERE, as if pointing to the scene;
see on lxvi. 6. WHERE NO TERROR WAS. These words
are not in Ps. xiv. and are |
somewhat
difficult to explain. Do they
mean no terror within, or terror
without? Taken with what follows,
and supposing the Psalm to
have been adapted to some such occasion
as the destruction of Sen- nacherib's
army, they might mean, "suddenly,
in the midst of their proud
security, when they were free from all
apprehension,
they were
smitten with terror." Others understand
it of external occasion of
terror. They were seized with a
sudden panic, where there was really
no object to occasion alarm. The
words may perhaps be a later gloss.
As we do not know for what occasion
the alteration was made in
the text, their interpretion must remain
obscure. The other varia- tions
pf the present text will be found
in the Critical Note. HATH SCATTERED, i.e., on the field
of battle, or around the walls of
the city, there to whiten in the sun
and rain (comp. cxli. 7, Exe'r. vi.
5. Jer. viii. 2), instead of being interred. |
a tlaHEm lfa. The words occur again
in the title of Ps. lxxxviii., with
the
addition of tOn.fal; (from hn.Afi, "to sing,"
Is. xxvii. 2). What they mean
is
uncertain. hlAHEma is "sickness," and as the word
is here in the stat.
constr.,
it would seem as if we had only part of a sentence, the rest being
understood. lfa would then, as usual,
denote "after the manner of," and
tlAHEma be the first word of the song to whose
melody this was to be set.
It
might, perhaps, begin, as Delitzsch suggests, ble hlaHEma; or something of
432 PSALM LIV.
the
kind. The word may, however, be in the stat. absol., with the rarer
feminine
termination ath. Comp. tnaygin;, lxi. i. Possibly it
may mean
that
the Psalm was to be sung in a sad, mournful tone, as the addition
of
the verb in lxxxviii. i, and the whole character of that Psalm, which
is
the darkest in the Psalter, seem to imply.
b The variations here from Ps. xiv.
are as follow: rzp corresponds to
rvdb, jnH tvmcf to ynf
tcf, htwybh
to vwybt, and Msxm to vhsHm. There
is,
therefore, a great similarity of letters,
in the two texts, though the
wards and the sense are widely different.
c j`nAHo, pausal form, and with
omission of the prepos. instead of j~yl,fA hn,Ho,
on
the same principle as ymaqA for instance, stands for ylafA
MymiqA; or
perhaps
the
verb of encamping may follow the
construction of verbs of dwelling,
and
so take the accusative directly after it.
PSALM LIV.
THIS Psalm, like several others of
the Psalms ascribed to David
in
the Second Book, refers, according to the title, to the time of his
persecution
by Saul. The particular occasion was this. David had
taken
refuge with six hundred men in the fastness of Keilah; but,
warned
by Abiathar the son of Ahimelech, that the men of Keilah
were
not to be trusted, he escaped into the wilderness of Ziph. Here,
however,
he was very near falling into the hands of the Ziphites,
who
would have betrayed him to Saul, when happily an irruption'
of
the Philistines into the country compelled the king to desist from
his
pursuit, and to turn his arms in another direction. See I Sam.
xxiii.
19, and the additional particulars furnished by the later annalist,
1
Sam. xxvi. 1, from which sources the title is borrowed.
The language of the Psalm is,
however, of so general a character,
that
it might have been composed under almost any circumstances
of
peril. Even the epithet " strangers" applied to the Psalmist's
enemies,
ver. 3 [5], does not necessarily refer to foreign enemies, as
De
Wette supposes. See note on the verse.
The Psalm consists of two principal
divisions:
I. A prayer to God to hear and to
judge the cause of His servant,
together
with the reason for this prayer in the violence and unscru-
pulousness
of the enemies who beset him. Ver. 1—3.
PSALM
LIV.
433
II. The confident assurance that God
will hear his prayer, and the
promise
and vow of thanksgiving for God's goodness which is thus
anticipated.
Ver. 4-7.
[FOR
THE PRECENTOR. WITH STRINGED INSTRUMENTS.a A MASKIL
OF DAVID; WHEN THE ZIPHITES CAME AND SAID
TO SAUL, DOTH
NOT DAVID HIDE HIMSELF WITH US?]
I 0 GOD, by Thy Name save me,
And in Thy might judge my cause.
2
0 God, hear my prayer;
Give ear to the words of my mouth.
3
For strangers b have risen up against me,
And violent men have sought after my
soul;
They have not set God
before them. [Selall]
4
Behold, God is my Helper,
The Lord is the Upholder of my soul.
5
He will requite c the evil to mine adversaries:
Destroy Thou them in Thy truth.
1. BY THY NAME. See above on
xx. 1. 3. STRANGERS . . . VIOLENT MEN.
(Cf. lxxxvi. 14.) Supposing the
inscription of the Psalm to be correct,
the enemies thus spoken of
would be the Ziphites. As they
belonged to strangers seems to be used with
special
bitterness. But the epithet would
seem still more applicable to
the men of Keilah, whom David had
rescued from the Philistines, and
who so basely requited his generous
assistance. Their hostility to David probably was
the result rather of a selfish regard
to their own interests than of
any affection or loyalty to Saul. They
could never have doubted on which
side lay justice and right: but
because they were wicked men, "who
did not set God before them," they
took pleasure in hunting down one
whose only fault was that he was
the king's enemy. The word |
"strangers
"may mean only enemies, the
idea of a foreigner, one of an- other
country, passing over readily into
the idea of an enemy, just as in
Latin hostis meant originally nothing
more than haspes. Here, however,
the epithet may be em- ployed
to denote the savageness and
cruelty of these men, as Calvin: "mihi
videtur immanem eorum barbariem
perstringere." So Men- dels.
"Barbaren." Rosenm. refers to
Job xix: 13, "de propinquis Buis;" but
there it is the verb, "they are become strangers to."
See Num. xvi.
40 [xvii. 5]. 4. But though men were against him,
David knew that God was with
him. THE UPHOLDER OF MY SOUL. Lit.
"among them," or "with them that
uphold my soul." But this would
not convey the meaning of the
Psalmist. For God is not to him
one out of many helpers, but the
only true helper. The use of |
434 PSALM LIV.
6
With free will will I sacrifice unto Thee,
I will give thanks to Thy Name, 0
Jehovah, for it
is
good.
7
For out of all distress hath He delivered me,
And mine eye bath seen (its desire)
upon mine
enemies.
the
plural denotes the class or cate- gory of upholders, in which
God is, though
of course! without placing Him
on a level with human helpers. See
the same grammatical figure in cxviii.
7, Judges xi. 35. 6. WITH FREE WILL, or, with glad,willing
heart, as the expression occurs
in Num. xv. 3, and (without the
preposition) in Hosea xiv. 5. This
explains the motive of the sacrifice.
The offering would be a literal
offering. as appointed by the Law,
but it would be brought with all
the cheerfulness and love of a thankful
heart, not under the com- pulsion
of a vow, or in mere slavish compliance
with an established ritual.
H upfeld suggests that the word
(hbAdAn;) here may mean not "free
will," but "free will offering," because
of the verb "sacrifice" which
accompanies it. But, he remarks,
the verb is not con- strued
with the prep. as here, but
takes the accusative of the |
thing
offered. And I see no reason
for departing from the in- terpretation
which has the support of
all the ancient Versions and is generally
received. THY NAME ... FOR IT IS GOOD. With
reference to ver. 1, "By Thy Name save me." It is possible that in the next verse
the Name of God is the sub- ject
of the verb, so that we may render
" IT hath delivered so,
this passage (and Is. xxx. 27) would
come very near the later Rabbinic
usage, according to which the
Name" (Mwe.ha) is constantly put
for God Himself. The original passage
is Lev. xxiv. 11. 7. The perfects in this verse denote
not that the deliverance is already
accomplished, but the con- fidence
of faith that it will be, and give
the reason for the thanksgiving of
the preceding verse. MINE EYE HATH SEEN. See note
on xli. 10. |
a For the title, see notes on the
titles of iv. and xxxii.
b MyrizA. Instead of this, many
of Kennicott's and De-Rossi's MSS.
have
Mydize,
which was the reading also of the Chald., and was probably
borrowed
from Ixxxvi. 14.
c bvwy. "The evil shall
return." This is one of the very few instances
in
which the Q'ri seems preferable to the K'thibh.
PSALM
PSALM
As this Psalm is, in the title,
ascribed to David, and as it contains
a
bitter complaint of the faithlessness of a trusted friend, it has been
commonly
supposed to refer to the desertion and treachery of
Ahithophel
in Absalom's rebellion. We know too little of Ahithophel
to
be able to say whether he was the close personal friend of the
king,
as well as his councillor of state. But the prayer of David,
a
Sam. xv. 31, when he was told that Ahithophel was among the
conspirators,
" 0 Lord, I pray Thee turn the counsel of Ahithophel
into
foolishness," is very different from the general tone of this Psalm.
Here
throughout, there is a sense of personal wrong; the treachery
is
without excuse. And if Blunt is right in supposing that Bathsheba
was
the granddaughter of Ahithophel (Undesigned
Coincidences, p.147 ),
and
that he, in revenge for the insult to his family, had espoused
the
cause of Absalom, David could hardly complain of his deser-
tion.
His own conscience must have told him how well-merited it
was.
He could scarcely upbraid the man whom he had so wronged
with
treachery to himself, though he might pray that his counsel
should
not prosper. There is another objection to the view that
Ahithophel
is aimed at in the Psalm. The writer of the Psalm is
evidently in the city (no doubt
surrounded
by evil men, but especially cognizant of the perfidy of
his
trusted friend. If David, therefore,
wrote the Psalm, he must
have
written it before he left
phel
must have been already unmasked. But, according to 2 Sam.
xv.
30, it was not till David had begun his flight that he was told
that
Ahithophel had joined the conspirators. The Psalm seems,
therefore,
to have been composed under other circumstances, and to
be
directed at some person of whom we know nothing beyond what
the
Psalm itself tells us. Hitzig thinks it was written by Jeremiah,
and
discovers certain similarities of expression between the Prophet
and
the Psalmist to justify his view. According to him, Pashur is
the
friend whose treachery is stigmatized. Ewald supposes the Psalm
to
have been written during the last century before the Captivity,
the
discord and confusion of the city, as here described, according
best
with that period; and he infers from ver. 10 [11], that the city
was
in a state of siege. This interpretation of the verse, however,
is
doubtful. See note on the verse. Such conjectures, after all, are
436 PSALM
of
little value. One thing only is certain, and that is, that whoever
the
hollow friend may have been, who knew so well to cloke his
treacherous
designs,—who, with war in his heart, could use words
smoother
than oil,—his perfidy was very deeply felt, and very bitterly
resented
by the man who here records it. At one moment sadness,
at
another indignation prevails. In his sadness the Psalmist would
flee
away, and so escape the suffering and the recollection of his
wrong.
In his burning indignation at the black perfidy of which
he
had been made the victim, he would have the earth open her
mouth
and swallow up the faithless friend, together with all his
accomplices.
The abruptness in many parts of the
Psalm is to be accounted for,
to
a great extent, by the strong emotion under which it was written;
and
the transposition of verses, in order to soften this abruptness,
is
a violent remedy to apply, especially to these ancient compo-
sitions,
which are so commonly wanting in anything like regularity
of
structure.
The Psalm consists of three
principal divisions:
I. The first contains the earnest
appeal to God against his enemies,
the
expression of his suffering, and the horror of mind which has
come
upon him, together with the longing to escape from the hos-
tility
to which he was exposed, and the evil he was compelled to
witness.
Ver. 1—8.
II. In the next his tone changes.
The portentous wickedness
which
has filled the whole city, and, worse even than this, the perfidy
of
the man he had trusted, rouse his indignation, and he prays that
all
the counsels of the wicked may be brought to naught, and that
they
themselves may go down alive into the grave. Ver. 9-15.
III. The last strophe is altogether
in a calmer strain. It opens
and
closes with the confession of trust in God, and though the figure
of
the traitor again comes prominently into view, it does not provoke
the
same burning imprecation as before. Instead of this, the Psalmist
rests
calmly confident that the righteous shall never be moved, and
that
the bloodthirsty and deceitful man shall speedily be cut off.
Ver.
16—23.
[FOR
THE PRECENTOR. ON STRINGED INSTRUMENTS.a A MASKIL
OF DAVID.]
I.
I GIVE ear, 0 God, to my prayer,
And hide not Thyself from my
supplication.
2
Hearken unto me, and answer me;
PSALM
I
am tossed to and fro b in my complaint, and must
groan,c
3
Because of the voice of the enemy,
Because of the oppression d
of the wicked;
For
they cast e iniquity upon me,
And in anger do they persecute me.
4
My heart is sore pained within me,
And the terrors of death have fallen
upon me:
5
Fear and trembling come upon me,
And horror hath overwhelmed me.
6
And I said: Oh that I had wings like the dove,
Then would I fly (away) and be at
rest;
7
Lo, then would I flee afar off,
I would lodge in the wilderness:
[Selah.]
8
I would haste to find me a place of shelter
From stormy f wind (and)
from tempest.
2. I AM TOSSED TO AND FRO, or,
"I wander in my thoughts," "am
distracted." Cf. the Homeric Dineu<esk a]lu<wn, Il. W. 12. 3. PERSECUTE ME, or, "are ad- versaries
unto me." See the same root
in cix. 6, 20, 29. 4. SORE PAINED, lit.
"writhes," as
in travail-pangs. 5. HORROR. The word so ren- dered
is of comparatively rare oc- currence.
The LXX. here explain it
by sko<toj. Aq. ei]li<ndhsij. Symm. fri<kh. It is to be found
only in three
other places : Job xxi. 6, Is. xxi.
4, Ezek. vii. 18. 6. BE AT REST, lit. " dwell, abide,"
i.e. have some fixed and settled
place of abode, where I should
be free from persecution, instead
of leading a wandering life, exposed
to peril, and at the mercy of
my enemies. The verb seems to have
a like force in Prov. vii. 11, Nah.
iii. 18. So the LXX. peta- sqh<somai kai> katapau<sw. It would, however,
be possible to adhere to the
literal rendering of the word: "Then
would I fly away and dwell |
(somewhere)."
Symm. petasqh?nai kai> e[drasqh?nai. 8. This verse will admit of a dif- ferent
rendering in both its clauses: I
would hasten my escape Swifter
than stormy wind, (and) than tempest. In the first clause the word miphla
(occurring
only here) may mean, according
to its form, either the escape
itself (Aq. and Theod. dia- swsmo<n, Symm. e@kfucin, or the place
to which the escape is made. And,
in the second, the prepos. may
mean either "from," or be used
in comparison, as it often is. Maurer,
Hupfeld, and others think that
a comparison is here implied, to
mark the exceeding swiftness of the
flight, which would be more rapid
than that of the storm (as Virgil
has, ocior Euro). And Dru- sius says: "Nubes et venti celer- rime feruntur; sed nihil celerius vento, e depressa nube contorto. Hinc
proverbium: turbine celerius, quo
rei festinatm summa celeritas significatur."
But I agree with |
438 PSALM
II.
9 Confound, 0 Lord, divide their tongues;
For I have seen violence and strife
in the city:
10
Day and night, they go about it upon the walls
thereof;
Iniquity also and mischief are in
the midst of it.
11
Destruction is in the midst of it;
Deceit and guile depart not from the
market-place
thereof.
12
—For it is not an enemy that Ireproacheth me;
Bunsen
in thinking such a com- parison
here extremely unsuitable. In
fact, not only the swift flight, and
the distant flight, but the flight to
a shelter from the storm, is what
the context seems to require. (Comp.
lxxxiii. 15 [16], Jer. xxiii. 19,
xxx. 23.) And so all the older Versions
: Aq. and Theod. a]po> pneu<matoj
lailapw<douj, a]po> lai<lapoj. Symm. a]po> pneu<matoj e]pai<rontoj lai<- lapoj. Jerome, a spiritu temjesta- tis
et turbinis. 9. The tone of sadness
and me- lancholy
now gives way to one of hot
and passionate indignation. He
would have escaped if he could from
that city of sinners, who vexed his
righteous soul from day to day with
their ungodly deeds; but as he could
not do this, he would gladly see
God's judgements executed upon
them. The sudden outburst of
these fervent, impetuous feelings, gives
an irregularity to the whole Poem.
But this is natural; and there
is no need to suppose that its parts
have been disarranged, and that
the order should be restored by
placing verses 12-14, and 20, 21,
immediately after verse 5. CONFOUND, or, "frustrate" (as in
Is. xix. 3, "I will frustrate, or, bring
to naught, its counsel"); lit. swallow
up." The LXX. kata- po<ntison. It is not certain
whether this
verb, as well as the following, has
"their tongues" for its object. According
to the accents, the two clauses
are distinct, and with the first
some other object must be sup- |
plied,
"Confound or destroy (them, i.e.
the enemy)." DIVIDE. Comp. Gen. x. 25, xi. 1-9,
to which there may possibly be
an allusion. 10. THEY GO ABOUT, i.e. most probably
"the wicked," mentioned ver.
3, who are the subject, and hardly
"violence and strife" (ver. 9)
personified, as the ancient Ver- sions
render, and as the Rabbinical commentators
generally suppose (and
with which we may compare Virgil's ". . .
ubique Luctus, ubique Pavor et plurima Mortis imago "). The
figure may perhaps be borrowed from
sentinels keeping their watch upon
the walls; others think, from besiegers
watching the walls in order
to find some weak point. In the
former case we must render "upon," in the latter "round about the
walls." But neither figure need be
pressed. The walls in this clause
of the verse are parallel to the interior of the city in the
next clause,
so that the whole city may be
represented in all its parts to be full
of wickedness. 11. DESTRUCTION. See on v. 9„ note
i, and xxxviii. 12 [13]. MARKET, or "broad place" (pla- tei?a); the square or market-place near
the gates, where was the gene- ral
place of concourse. See on ix. 14
[15]. 12. FOR gives a special reason, for
the prayer in ver. 9, his eye |
PSALM
Then I might bear it:
Neither
is it one who hateth me; that hath magnified
himself against me;
Then I would hide myself from him.
13
But thou art a man, mine equal,g
My companion and my well-known
friend;
14
We were wont to take sweet counsel together,
To walk to the house of God among
the (festal)
crowd.h
15
Let death come suddenly i upon them;
Let
them go down to the unseen world alive;
For wickedness is in their dwelling,
in the midst
of them.
falling
upon one in particular among the
crowd of enemies and evil-doers. This
is a sufficient explanation of the
use of the particle, which is often
employed rather with refer- ence
to something in the mind of the
speaker, than in direct logical sequence. THEN I MIGHT BEAR IT—the verb
with the copula in a subjoined sentence,
as in li. 17 [18], "then (else)
would I give it." 13 MINE EQUAL, lit. "accord- ing
to my estimation," i.e. the esti- mation
or worth which I put upon him.
But such a sense does not apply
here. It must rather mean "of
the same rank and position as myself."
LX X. i]so<yuxe. Symm. o[moio<tropoj. Jerome, unanimis, as understanding
it rather of similarity of
mind and character than of rank. See
more in the Critical Note. COMPANION. In Prov. xvi. 28, xvii.
9, the same word is rendered in
the A.V. "chief (or, very) friends."
Here, as in Prov. ii. 17, Jer.
iii. 4, Mic. vii. 5, the A.V. has "guide." 14. WE WERE WONT, &c. The verb
is in the imperfect (or future, as
it is commonly called). Lit. "we
were wont to make (our) counsel,
or confidential intercourse, sweet."
The word which is here |
rendered
"counsel," is rendered "secret"
in xxv. 14, where see note. In
both passages the meaning "close
intimate intercourse," would be
suitable. Symm. and Aq. have respectively
the same rendering here,
as there, of the word. This clause
speaks of private intimacy, the
next of association in public acts,
and especially in the great festivals
and processions to the THE CROWD, here the festal cara- van;
comp. xlii. 4 [5], lxiv. 3. 15. Again indignation at the blackness
of this treachery, so far worse
to be endured than any open enmity.
To have trusted, and to find
his trust betrayed; to have been
one with a man in public and in
private, bound to him by per- sonal
ties, and by the ties of re- ligion,
and then to find honour, faith,
affection, all cast to the winds—this
it was that seemed so
terrible, this it was that called for
the withering curse. Thus the second
strophe ends as it began, vier.
9, with imprecations upon the wicked;
the intervening stanzas, in describing
the faithlessness of the trusted
friend, giving the reason for this
anathema. LET THEM GO DOWN. Comp. ix. 17
[18]. ALIVE, as Prov. i. 12. |
440 PSALM
III.
16 As for me—unto God do I cry,
And Jehovah saveth me:
17
Evening, and morning, and at noon do I complain
and groan,
And He hath heard my voice.
18
He hath redeemed my soul, in peace, from the war
that was upon me;
For there were many against me.
119
God shall hear (me) and humble them,k
—For He sitteth (as King) of
old—[Selah.]
(Even them)who have no changesl
and who fear not God.
There
may possibly be an allusion to
the fate of Korah and his com- pany.
Num. xvi. 30, &c. 16. AS FOR ME. The pronoun emphatic,
in opposition to the con- duct
of his enemies. DO I CRY. The use of the past tenses
in the second member of ver.
17 and the first of ver. 18 seem to
show that the Psalmist refers to a
continued past experience. 17. EVENING AND MORNING, &C. The
three principal parts of the day
are mentioned probably as marking
special times set apart for
prayer, not merely as a poetical expression
for " the whole day," "at
all times," "without ceasing." Comp.
v. 3 [4], lxxxviii. i [2], 13 [14],
xcii. 2 [3]. Hence Herzfeld, who
at one time argued that Daniel's
prayer three times a day "pointed
to a time when religious ideas
had penetrated from into
the neighbouring countries to the
west," was compelled by this passage
to admit that the practice was
of much earlier date among the Jews.—Gesch. d. V Isr. ii. 185, 191. COMPLAIN AND GROAN, the same words
as in ver. 2. 18.
IN PEACE, as denoting the end
of the redemption, the con- dition
in which he was placed thereby. MANY. Perhaps more literally, With
many (or, in great numbers) were
they against me. But the prep.
serves here, as elsewhere, to |
introduce
the predicate. Comp. liv.
4 [6]. AGAINST ME, lit. "with me;"
but the prep. must be under- stood
according to the context, whether
it implies help or opposi- tion. Comp. xciv. 16. In
fact, its use
is just that of the equivalent prep.
in English and in other lan- guages.
To fight with = to fight against. To be angry with = to be
angry against, &c.; the notions
of
addition and opposition being always
closely connected. 19. An obscure verse. The first clause
runs in the Hebrew, "God will
hear and answer them," which, however,
gives no very suitable sense,
unless we suppose the sen- tence
to be ironical. I have there- fore
followed the LXX. ei]sakou<setai o[ qeo>j
kai> tapeinw<sei au]tou<j (and Jerome,
huimiliabit eos), a rendering which
requires only a slight change in
the vowel points. The second clause,
"And He sitteth," or, "even He
who sitteth," &c. may be quasi- parenthetical.
But the introduction of
the Selah into the middle of the verse
is very unusual, and not easily accounted
for; and the third clause beginning
with the relative is by no
means clear. Who are they who
have no changes? Apparently, those
whom God is said to humble or
chastise. And what is the mean- ing
of the word "changes," as here used?
Many understand it of a moral
change; "who are without change
of heart or reformation." |
PSALM
20
He hath put forth his hands against them that were
at peace with him:
He hath broken his covenant.
21
Smooth as butterm in itself is his mouth;
But his heart is war:
Softer are his words than oil;
Yet are they drawn
swords.
22
Cast thy burden n upon Jehovah,
And He shall sustain
thee:
He shall never suffer the righteous
to be moved.
23
But Thou, 0 God, shalt bring them down into the pit
of destruction:
Bloody and deceitful men shall not
live out half
their days;
But as for me, I trust in Thee.
But
the word never occurs in this sense.
It means, properly, " a change,"
in the sense of succession; as
of garments, of troops relieving guard,
servants leaving work, and the
like. Hence it would rather mean
in a moral sense: "They who
have no cessation in their course
(by being relieved guard, for instance),
who always continue and persevere
in their evil life." Calvin and
others understand it of change of fortune, i.e. " who are
always prosperous;"
but this, again, is not supported
by usage. See more in the
Critical Note. 20. The individual traitor (who had
once been the trusted friend) is
again prominent. And hence Hupfeld
would place this and the next
verse immediately after ver. 14. BROKEN, lit. "profaned." See Ixxxix.
39 [40], where the word is applied
to the crown. HIS COVENANT. Apparently not a
particular covenant solemnly made,
as that between David and |
Jonathan,
but figuratively, the cove- nant
implied in a close friendship, of
itself a holy bond, the breaking of
which is a profanity. 21. SMOOTH, &c. Lit. "smooth are
the creaminesses of his mouth," or
as Ewald well renders, "Glatt sind
die Butterlippen seines Mun- des."
His words drop from his lips
like cream, or butter. YET THEY. The pronoun is em- phatic.
They, those very words so smooth
and so fair. 22. THY BURDEN. The word occurs
only here. But there are similar
expressions in xxxvii. 5, "thy
way;" and Prov. xvi. 3, "thy doing."
See also xxii. 8 [9j. The LXX.
render, e]pi<rriyon e]pi> Ku<rion th>n me<rimna<n sou, which is evidently before
the mind of St. Peter in I
Pet. v. 7. 23. THEM, i.e. "the bloody and deceitful
men" in the next clause, the
pronoun being placed first as
in many other instances. See on
ix. 12. |
a See note on title of Ps. iv.
b from a verb dyrixA (the Qal, not Hiphil
from dUr),
which occurs in
three
other passages, Gen. xxvii. 40, Jer. ii. 31, Hos. xii. I. The meaning
assigned
to it by the older Verss. and the Rabb. is different in different
442 PSALM
places.
Here the LXX. have e]luph<qhn. Symm. kathne<xqhn
proslalw?n
e]maout&?. Chald. Mferat;x;, murmuro. Later commentators follow Schultens and
Schroder
in referring it to the Arab. root vagari, discurrere. Pro-
perly,
it signifies to wander restlessly, especially as homeless, without
fixed
abode, &c. This is probably the meaning in Gen. xxvii. 40, "when
thou
wanderest," i.e. becomest a free nomad people (not as in the E.V.,
"when
thou shalt have the dominion"). Here it is used of the restless
tossing
to and fro of the mind, filled and distracted with cares and
anxieties.
c hmAyhixA, from a form Mvh, kindred with hmh,
Mmh:
properly used of
any
deep confused sound ; as the noise of a multitude, Micah ii. 12, as
also
the kindred roots are, of the roaring of the sea, the growl of a bear,
&c. LXX. e]tara<xqhn. Symm. sunexu<qhn. Chald. wvGr;x,v; The optat. or
cohortative
conveys the notion of "must," "am obliged to," &c.
Ewald,
§
228, a.
d tqafA. The word only occurs
here, but is common in Aram. from a
root
qvf,
which is also found in Hebrew, Amos ii. 13, and the deriv.
hqAfAUm, lxvi. 11.
e UFymiyA. The Hiph. occurs only
here and cxl. 10, K'thibh, lit. "they
cause
to move, set in motion," as it were, a stone which they would bring
down
upon his head. So Symm. e]pe<rriyan kat ] e]mou?. LXX.
e]ce<klinan
e]p ] e]me<.
f hfAso occurs nowhere else.
Rashi refers it to the root fsn, to move
away; A. Schultens, who is
followed by Gesen., would connect it with the
Arab. Hupfeld rejects the word, and thinks
it is a mistake for
hpAUs which occurs with rfasa, Ixxxiii. 16, and in
several other places.
g yKir;f,K;. The easiest way of
explaining this, as Hupfeld says, is by
taking
j`r,f, here, as in Ex. xl. 23, Jud. xvii. io, to mean "rank,
order." So
Calvin:
secundum ordinem meunz. Others
explain it by reference to the
phrase
OKr;f,K; wyxi, 2 Kings xii. 5, xxiii. 35, &c., "each
one as he is valued,
or
assessed," "every one according to his taxation" (as the latter
passage
is
rendered in the E. V.). Hence here, "a man who is assessed as I am,"
and
therefore, "of the same rank," &c. But the idea of equality is,
in
fact,
in the root itself. Comp. Is. xl. 18, and see note on Ps. xl. 5.
h wg,r, only here, but the form
hwAg;ri occurs lxiv. 3, where there is the
same
antithesis as here with dOs. The word is used of public festal
processions,
=NOmhA
and j`sA,
xlii. 5.
i tOmywiy;,
"Desolations," from Mwy, kindred with Mmw; but according to
the
Q'ri, which is more probable, tv,mA (xyw.iya) ywi.ya, "let Death deceive," i.e.
let
Death come deceitfully, unawares upon them, steal upon them,—the
notion
of coming lying not in the verb, but
in the prep. lfa. This last is
the
reading of the majority of the MSS., and amongst them, of the best
Spanish MSS. (De-Rossi). Symm. ai]fnidi<wj qa<natoj e]pe<lqoi au]toi?j. The
LXX. e]lqe<tw qa<natoj e]p ] au]tou<j.
Cocceius, "Exactorcm aget mors super
eos."
PSALM
k MnefEya. There is manifestly
some error in the text. Either the punc-
tuation
of the word, or the suffix, is wrong. Hupfeld observes, that after
the
verb fmw
we should naturally expect hnf, in the sense "to
answer,"
this
being the usual collocation of the two verbs "hear and answer;"
but
in that case the suffix must be wrong. It should be yninefEya, "God will
hear
and answer me." This seems an
easy correction, but it occasions
another
difficulty; the relative, rw,xE, in the last member of
the verse, with
the
plural suffix following, and the
plural verb, has now nothing to refer
to.
And accordingly, Hupf. transposes the last clause of this verse to the
end
of ver. 15 [16]. "Wickedness is in the midst of them Who have no
changes,"
&c. But we may retain the suffix and slightly alter the punc-
tuation,
Mne.fay;, and this is the reading which the older Versions seem to
have
had, the verb hnf in the
afflict,"
&c. The words that follow, Md,q, bweyv; are then, in a measure,
parenthetical;
the v;
is here explanatory, = xUhv, as in vii. 9 [1o], xxii. 28
[29].
"And it is He," or, "for He," &c. The verb bwy is used here of
God's
session as Judge or King; comp. xxix. 9 [10]. Similarly in Latin,
sedere, Phaedr. i. io, 6, and Consedere duces, of judges on the bench,
Ov.
Met.
xiii. 1. Comp. Juv. Sat. vii. 115.
l tOpyliHE. The usual
interpretations of this word have already been
given
in the note on the verse in which it occurs. But, it must be con-
fessed,
the sense is in no case very satisfactory, whichever way we take
it.
Hence A. Schultens would refer the word to an Arab. root
"covenant,"
"oath," and also "faithfulness" in keeping the same. The
meaning
would then be, "men to whom oaths are of no account," or,
"men
who have no faithfulness." Aq. has oi$j ou]k ei]si>n a]llagai> au]toi?j.
Symm. ou] ga>r a]lla<ssontai. And another Greek
translator, o!ti o[ do<loj
(perhaps
he read Nv,xA,
but Field suggests o!ti ou]d ] o!lwj) a]nta<llagma
au]toi?j.
LXX. ou] ga<r e]stin au]toi?j a]nta<llagma.
m tOxmAHami, a plural noun formed
with m
from the simpler hxAm;H,, after
the
analogy of such forms as MymirufEma, MyDmaHEma, and MyDimuHEma (from dUmHA),
Mymi.faF;ma, Myni.maw;mi and the like; not,
however, plur. absol., but constr.
(notwithstanding
the Kametz), as is usual in words whose 3d radical is
Aleph,
as, for instance, yxecAvm, yxerAq;mi &c., and even in
other forms (Ges.
Lehrg.
§ 130, Obs. I). Ewald well, "Butterlippen," and other German
translators,
"Butterworte." The reading tOxmAHEme in the comparative
sense,
" (smoother) than butter,"
which is that of the Chald., Symm., and
Jerome,
in order to suit the parallelism Nm,w,mi, introduces a double
anomaly,
(I) the incorrect plural tOxmAHE, and (2) a plural verb with a
singular
nominative, vyPi. It would be far better to read, with Dathe, hxAm;H,me.
n j~b;hAy;, only here. In the
Talmud the word has the meaning
"burden,"
and so it is commonly taken here from bhAyA or bhAy;. Hupf.
thinks
it is the perfect of the verb, with omission of the relative, "(that
which)
He, i.e. God, hath given thee."
444 PSALM LVI.
PSALM
LVI.
THE complaint of one who, though
hard pressed by enemies,
nevertheless
trusts in God, rests in His promises, flees to Him for
succour,
and renders thanks for His mercy. Throughout, his con-
fidence
never forsakes him. Indeed we see here the victory rather
than
the struggle of Faith. Hence the refrain, with which the first
and
second parts conclude, " In God will I praise His word. . . .
What
can flesh (man) do unto me?"
According to the inscription, it was
composed when David was
detained
in
he
visited
(i
Sam. xxi. 11-16, and xxvii—xxix.) Hengstenberg, indeed, and
Delitzsch
suppose that some seizure or imprisonment is implied in the
words
he "feigned himself mad in their
hands;" and the expression
at
the beginning of chap. xxii., "David therefore departed thence,
and
escaped to the
subjected
to some confinement. Hupfeld concludes, from the
absence
of anything in the history corresponding to the title of
the
Psalm, that the title is not to be trusted. Yet it is perhaps
more
likely on this very account that it rests upon some ancient
tradition.
A modern compiler would have endeavoured to make
the
title square better with the history.
The Psalm falls naturally into three
divisions:
The first and second scarcely differ
in their subject-matter. They
each
contain a cry for help against enemies, and an expression of
confidence
in God; the second, however, being somewhat more
emphatic
than the first. The first consists of ver. 1—4; the second
of
ver. 5—11. The Psalm then concludes (ver. 12, 13) with words
of
devout thankfulness.
[FOR
THE PRECENTOR. TO THE TUNE OF "THE SILENT DOVE IN
FAR-OFF LANDS."a A MICHTAM OF DAVID, WHEN THE PHILISTINES
LAID HOLD ON HIM IN
1
BE gracious unto me, 0 God, for man would swallow
me up:
1.
MAN. The word used denotes contrasted
with God in His power
man
in his weakness and frailty as and
majesty,
PSALM LVI. 445
All the day long he, fighting,
oppresseth me.
2
Mine adversaries would swallow (me) up all the day
long;
For many are they that fight proudly
against me.
3
In the day that I am afraid,
I put my trust in Thee.
4
In God do I praise His word:
In God have I put my trust; I am not
afraid;
What can flesh do unto
me?
WOULD SWALLOW ME UP, lit. Hath
panted after me, with open mouth
ready to devour me, like a wild
beast, thirsting for my blood. Cf.
Job vii. 2, "longeth as with open
mouth for the shadow." The
verb is repeated in the next verse,
but without any object ex- pressed. 2. PROUDLY, lit. "on high,"
an accusative
used adverbially, and not a
vocative, "0 Thou Most High," as
Aq., Jerome, the Chald. and others.
There is no need to under- stand
the word so even in xcii. 8 [9]. In
Micah vi. 6 it does not stand alone:
God is there mentioned by name:
"to God on high." 3. IN THE DAY, &c. (As regards the
construction, this is an accus. of
time placed in constr. with the finite
verb instead of the infinitive, as
again ver. 9 [10].) Hupfeld thinks
it a manifest contradiction to
say, "In the day that I fear I
trust;" but there is
no contradiction except
to the narrow understanding exercising
its narrowest faculty of vision.
It is not even necessary to explain:
"In the day when I have reason
to fear, or when terror assails me,"
&c. Fear and trust may co- exist.
Faith may vanquish the rising
fear, or, with Peter sinking in
the sea through fear of the winds and
the waves, may only have strength
to cry, Lord, save me, I perish.
Trust in God does not make
us cease to be men and to have
the feelings of men; but it gives
a better than any stoical calmness;
it lifts the man who is |
trembling
in himself above the fear which
assails him; in the very midst
of fear it listens to the voice which
says, Fear not, for I am with thee.
"Assuredly," says Calvin, "this
is the true test and proof of our
faith; when fears harass us, so far
as our fleshly nature is con- cerned
(pro sensu carnis), but do not
overthrow and, unsettle our minds.
It seems, indeed, as if fear and
hope were feelings too contrary the
one to the other to dwell in the same
heart; but experience shows that
Hope there in fact really reigns where
some portion of the heart is possessed
by Fear. For when the mind
is calm and tranquil, Hope is not
exercised, yea rather is as it were
hushed to sleep; but then, and
not till then, does she put forth all
her strength, when the mind has been
cast down by cares and she lifts
it up, when it has been sad- dened
and disturbed and she calms it,
when it has been smitten with fear
and she sustains and props it." 4. IN GOD, or perhaps "through God"
(comp. Ix. 13 [14]), i.e. by His help,
trusting in Him, do I praise. His
WORD, i.e. His promise. God
Himself gives me to know ever
anew the truth of His promise, and
therefore I make my boast of it.
The promise of God, true and precious
as it is, is nothing in itself, but
only in God who makes it true and
precious to our souls. I DO NOT FEAR, or " I cannot fear;
"for such may be the force of the
tense. "But how can David thus
all at once have put off all |
446 PSALM
LVI.
5
All the day long they wrest my words:
All their thoughts are against me
for evil.
6
They gather together, they lie in wait,b they watch my
steps,
As c they have hoped (to
take away) my life.
7
Shall they escape d because of iniquity?
In anger bring down the peoples, 0
God.
8
THOU tellest my wandering;
weakness,
so that he who but a moment
before was in dread of death,
now courageously tramples upon
his enemies? I answer that this
confidence is no proof that he was
rid of all fear, as if he were like
a man placed beyond the reach of
every weapon (extra telorum jac- tum positus), and could quietly smile
at all perils; but because he was
so far from yielding to fear that
he rose victoriously above it, and
by holding up the shield of hope
and so driving back all ap- prehensions
was defended by a sure
and certain salvation (munitus esset certa salute), he might well break
forth with the holy boast, Because I hope in God I will
not fear."—Calvin. 5. The second strophe contains a
fuller description of the attacks and
evil designs of his enemies, and
a cry to God to take vengeance upon
them. THEY WREST MY WORDS, i.e. they
twist and pervert them, give them
a wrong meaning, purposely misrepresent
me. The expression, however,
may perhaps be taken in a
wider sense. "My words" may be="my
circumstances:" all that concerns
me, all that I say and do, they
twist, turn it into an occasion of
bitterness and sorrow to me (comp.
the noun "sorrows," xvi. 3 [4],
from the same root). My cir- cumstances may then be almost a periphrasis
for me, and the phrase mean,
"They torment me, occasion me
sorrow," &c. 6. THEY. The pronoun stands here
emphatically. |
MY
STEPS, lit. "my heels," the heels
being the part exposed to any person
coming from behind, or to an
enemy lying like a serpent in the
path. See on xlix. 5 [6]. Comp. lxxxix.
51 [52], Job xviii. 9. 7. This verse gives vent to the stronger
feelings of the heart, in the
prayer that those who have banded
themselves in a treacherous conspiracy
against the peace and life
of the Psalmist may be over thrown. SHALL THEY ESCAPE, &C. Such seems
the only possible rendering of
the text as it at present stands. But
by a very slight change in a single
consonant we should have the
meaning: "Requite them ac- cording
to (their) iniquity." See more
in Critical Note. THE PEOPLES. Instead of saying "mine
enemies," his eye takes a wider
range. These men are only a
few out of many ungodly, and therefore
he appeals to God as the Judge
of the world to root out all ungodliness
everywhere. Comp. lix. 5
[6], 8 [9], and see on vii. 7 [8]. 8. As in the last Psalm we noticed the
sudden transition from sadness to
anger, from a tone of weariness and
despondency to one of stern indignation,
so here we have the contrary.
For a moment the Psalmist
prays for destruction upon his
adversaries; then he turns, with words
of touching entreaty, to God. MY WANDERING, perhaps "my flight,
or exile." Others understand, “my
(inward) restlessness." The word,
however, may mean "com- plaint,"
"lamentation," &c. Comp. |
PSALM
LVI.
447
O put e Thou my tears
into Thy bottle,f
Are they not in Thy
book?
9
Then shall mine enemies be turned backward, when I
call (upon Thee):
This g I know, that God
is for me.
10
In God do I praise (His) word: h
In Jehovah do I praise (His) word.
11
In God have I put my trust; I am not afraid:
What can man do unto me?
12
Upon me, 0 God, are Thy vows;
Job
ii. 11. The word is in the sin- gular
number, perhaps, as Calvin suggests,
in order to express "his whole
wandering life, as though he
would term it one continuous exile." The tone here is changed. The Sacred
Poet turns from man to God with
that tender personal affection which
is so striking both in this Psalm
and in the next, and which makes
one willing to believe that these
are, as the titles tell us, Psalms of
David. He knows that each day
of his wandering, each nook in which
he has found shelter, each step
that he has taken, every arti- fice
by which he has baffled his foes, —all
have been numbered by his Heavenly
Keeper. Yea, no tear that
he has shed, when his eye has been
raised to heaven in prayer, has
fallen to the ground. He asks God
to gather them all in His bottle,
and trusts that He will note them
in His book. Comp. cxxxix. 16,
lxix. 28 [29], Exod. xxxii. 32, Mal.
iii. 16, in which the figure of the
book occurs. The BOTTLE is the skin-bottle which
in Eastern lands is used for keeping
water, milk, wine, &c. In this
he prays God by a bold figure to
treasure his tears. The prayer is,
no doubt, abrupt, coming as it does
between the double expression of
confidence: "Thou hast num- bered,"
&c. "Are they not," &c. But
there is no reason on this ac- count
to render, "My tears are |
put," &c. Such a
turn of the sen- tence
may seem less harsh; but I confess
I cannot understand that kind
of criticism which will allow no
play to the emotions of the heart,
and which would bind the spirit
of prayer in the withes of the rhetoricians.
This verse has been beautifully
imitated in P. Gerhardt's Hymn
(quoted by Hupfeld): "
Du zählst wie oft ein Christe wein', Und was sein Kummer sei; Kein
stilles Thranlein ist so klein, Du hebst and legst es bei." 10.
The refrain is varied from ver.
4, by the emphatic repetition of
the first clause, with the substi- tution
however in its repeated form of
Jehovah,for Elohim. Calvin thus explains
the repetition: "Though to-day
God may have seemed to depart
from me, because He has withdrawn
His aid, still I will rest in
His word. Should the same thing
happen to-morrow, or the next
day, I will persist in the same praise
of it." He goes on to urge the
importance of learning to be thus
content with the bare word (nudo verbo contenti) in all our trials.
"For though God ever furnishes
believers with manifold subjects
of praise and boasting in the
benefits He bestows, still they can
scarcely take three steps unless they
have learned to lean only on the
word." 12. THY vows, i.e. the vows |
448 PSALM LVI.
I will pay thanksgivings unto Thee.
13
For Thou past delivered my soul from Death:
Hast Thou not (delivered also) my
feet from stumbling
That I may walk before God in the
Light of Life?
which
I have vowed to Thee (the only
instance, however, in which the
pronoun refers to God instead of
to the person who makes the vow).
ARE UPON ME, i.e. it is in- cumbent
upon me to pay them, be- cause
the condition of deliverance upon
which I vowed has been ful- filled.
Cf. Prov. vii. 14. 13. The verb from the first clause of
this verse must be repeated with the
second, where the change to the
question ("Hast Thou not," |
&c.)
is characteristic of the writer. See
ver. 8 [9]. FROM STUMBLING, lit. "from a thrust
or blow." THAT I MAY WALK, lit. "walk to and
fro," as expressive of the general
habit of the life. IN THE LIGHT OF LIFE, or "in the
light of the living," i.e. as a living
man (as in Job xxxiii. 30). Comp.
xxvii. 13 and the parallel passage
cxvi. 8, 9, where, however, it
is "land of the living." |
a ‘r ‘x
tnaOy lfa.
The inscription is obscure. Some suppose that it is in-
tended
to describe David's situation as a wanderer in a strange country;
he
being like the dove in his innocence, silent
in his patience and de-
fencelessness,
and among the distant ones or
strangers, i.e. the Philistines.
But
the prep. lfa probably
here, as in the inscriptions of other Psalms,
denotes
merely the tune or melody of some song beginning with the words
"Silent
dove," &c., after the measure of which this was to be sung. See
on
the inscription of xxii. The word MyqiHor; is a plur. abstr. as in
lxv. 6.
‘r
MyA "the
far-off sea." For Ml,xe Bochart (Hieroz. ii. 1) would punctuate
Mlixe fit, as if written defectively for Myl,xe,
"terebinths," "the dove of the
distant
terebinths." On Michtam, see xvi. note a.
b vnypcy. The UnOPc;yi (the being only
inserted to mark the
conjugation
as distinct from the Hiphil), but the correction is unnecessary.
The
Hiphil may be used as in Ex. ii. 3, Job xiv. 13, without a causa-
tive
signification, and there is no need to supply an object, as if it were
"they
hide nets," or " they put
in ambush liers-in-wait." Symm.
takes
this and the preceding verb UrUgyA together, and the one
as
modifying
the other adverbially, sunh<gonto la<qra, and Jerome, congrega-
buntur abscondite. On the meaning of rvg, see Gesen. Thes. and comp.
lv.
16, where Aq., Symm., and Jerome give the same signification to the
noun.
c rw,xEKa. Not because (though such a meaning may be
defended by
Num.
xxvii. 14), nor when, nor as if (as Ewald takes it, in which case
the
imperfi or the infin. with K; would follow), but
simply as. They
are
now lying in wait for me, as they
have done in times past. Both the
grammar—for
the verb is in the past tense—and the accentuation, accord-
ing
to which the Athnach stands at the end of the clause with the two
imperfects,
show that this is the construction, as Hupfeld rightly observes.
PSALM LVI. 449
d OmlA-Fl,.Pa. As these words stand,
there are two interpretations gram-
matically
possible. Either they are a question,
“Is there escape to them
(can
they escape) because of iniquity?” or they express the opinion of
the
wicked, “they escape (as they think) because of iniquity.” But both
interpretations
are harsh. Mendels. renders: “Umsonst sei ihr Entrin-
nen.” He takes Nv,xA in its original meaning
of “nothingness,” and Nv,xA lfa
as
signifying “for nothing,” i.e. “in vain,” as other adverbial ideas are
expressed
by the same prep. rq,w, lfa, “falsely,” Lev. v. 22. (See other
examples
in Ges., Thes. p. 1028.) And so app.
the LXX. u[pe>r tou? mhqeno>j
sw<seij au]tou<j. The sense so obtained,
“They lie in wait for me, but they
themselves
shall not (or let them not) escape,” is unobjectionable; but
there
is no proof that Nv,xA can be used in the alleged sense. It is
there-
fore
better, with Ew. and Hupf., to read sle.Pa, a very trifling
alteration,
“weigh
out to them,” i.e. “requite them on account of (their) iniquity.”
Ibn.
Ez. “Rescue me from them.”
e hmAyWi. This, according to the
accentuation, is imperative. Some,
however,
who think this sudden transition to the form of entreaty in the
middle
of the verse not easy to be accounted for, would accentuate hmAywi
as
part. pass. fem. of MyWi, “My tears are put,” &c. The part. occurs
Num.
xxiv. 21, I Sam. ix. 24, and in the K’thibh, 2 Sam. xiii. 32. But
this
is unnecessary. The LXX. seem to have had a different text, th>n
zwh<n
mou
e]ch<ggeila< soi, e@qou ta> da<krua< mou e]nw<pio<n sou,
w[j kai> e]n t^? e]paggeli<%
sou.
Symm.
renders the first clause ta> e@ndon mou e]chri<qmhsaj, and the second
like
the LXX., except e@ndon for e]nw<pion. Jerome has, Secretiora mea
numerasti, Pone lacrymam
meam in conspectu tuo: sed non in narratione
tua. All seem to have been puzzled.
f j!d,xnB;. The LXX., Syr., and
Jerome render this as if it were
j~D;g;n,B;. Hupf. and Olsh. would
ge rid of the next clause ‘b xlohE as a
gloss,
but the question only repeats, in a more emphatic form the convic-
tion
expressed before in the first member of the verse. The word hrAp;si
occurs
only here. The older interpreters for the most part, except the
Syr.,
render it not “book” = rp,se, but “numbering,” “reckoning,” &c.,
and
perhaps “register” would be the best equivalent.
g hz,, used here apparently
with a neuter meaning, instead of txzo, as in
I
Kings xvii. 24. In what follows, yli Myhilox<, the prep. is used as
in cxxiv.
1,
2, “for me,” i.e. on my side.
h rbADA, instead of OrBAD;
in ver. 4
[5], used here absolutely without either
the
article or the pron. suffix, probably because its meaning was suffi-
ciently
fixed and intelligible, especially as having already occurred in the
Psalm.
Aq., Symm., and Jerome, who all express the pronoun (au]tou?) in
the
former instance, omit it here, and have simply r[hma,
lo<gon, verbum.
The
repetition of the cluased with Jehovah is also supported by the united
testimony
of the ancient Versions, and need not therefore be treated as
a
gloss.
450 PSALM
LVII.
PSALM LVII.
THIS Psalm is in many respects like
the last, and, like that, was
probably
written by David.
Both Psalms open with the same cry
to God for mercy; both are
written
in circumstances of no common peril (lvi. 1, 2, 5, 6, lvii.
4,
6); both are full of the same lofty trust in God, and courage in
the
midst of danger (lvi. 3, 4, 9-11, lvii. 1—3, 7), and of the same
joy
and thankfulness in the assurance of deliverance (lvi. 12, 13,
lvi.
7-9). Both have even the same peculiar and characteristic
expression
by which the enemy is described as one ready
to swallow
up the Psalmist (lvi. 1, 2
[2, 3], and lvii. 3 [41), and both have a
double
refrain at the conclusion of the two principal divisions of
the
Psalm. But this Psalm is written in a still more triumphant
strain
of holy confidence than the last, and closes with a shout of
exultation,
According to the title, it was
written by David "when he fled
from
Saul, in the cave;" or as the LXX. render it, "into the cave."
The
history tells us of two occasions on which David found refuge
in
a cave. The one cave was that of Adullam, situate in the face of
the
cliffs which skirt the low valley of the Philistines, I Sam. xxii.;
the
other was that of En-gedi, one of the numerous caves in the
limestone
rock, among the "alps" or high pastures of the district on
the
western bank of the
is
meant, because the connection between this and the preceding
Psalm
is so close, and because, being alike in character and form,
and
following one another in the Psalter, they may reasonably be
referred
to the same time. Now Psalm lvi. was written, according
to
the inscription, in
immediately
afterwards when David hid himself in the cave of
Adullam.
Tholuck, on the other hand, decides for En-gedi. But
this
is a question which must be left. There is nothing in the Psalm
either
for or against the title.
The Psalm consists of two parts, the
conclusion of each being
marked
by the refrain:--
I. The first contains a cry to God
for mercy, together with an
expression
of confidence in Him in the midst of enemies and dangers.
Ver.
1-5.
PSALM
LVII. 451
II. The second repeats briefly the
story of the Psalmist's perse-
cutions,
and then concludes with a triumphant acknowledgement of
God's
goodness. Ver. 6-9.
[FOR
THE PRECENTOR. “DESTROY NOT.” a A MICHTAM OF DAVID
WHEN HE FLED FROM SAUL, IN
THE CAVE.]
For in Thee hath my soul
found refuge; b
And in the shadow of Thy wings will
I find refuge,
Until the destruction
c be overpast.
2 I will call upon God Most High,
Upon the God who
conferreth benefits d upon me.
3 He shall send from heaven and save
me,
—(Though) he that would
swallow me up hath re-
proached,e
[Selah]
God shall send His loving-kindness
and truth.
4 As for my life—in the midst of lions
must I lie,f
(Among) those who are
ready g to devour, (even)
the children
of men,
Whose teeth are spears and arrows,
Ver.
1-5. The cleaving of the soul
to God, and the trust in His
power and mercy despite all perils. I. IN THE SHADOW OF THY WINGS.
This exceedingly striking image
may have been suggested by Deut.
xxxii. I1. See above on Ps. xvii.
8. Still more tender is the N.T.
figure, Matt. xxiii. 57. Per- haps
there is nothing more remark- able
in the Psalms than this ever- recurring
expression of a tender personal
affection on the part of the sacred
Poets to God. There is no parallel
to this in the whole range of
heathen literature. Monsters to be
feared and propitiated were the deities
of paganism, but what heathen
ever loved his god? The apotheosis
of man's lusts could only
produce a worship of servility and
fear. The change of tense in the re- |
peated
use of the verb gives a force and
beauty to the passage which is quite
lost sight of when both are rendered
as presents (as Ewald does).
The Psalmist looks back to
the past and forward to the future:
In Thee hath my soul found
refuge; in Thee I will find refuge. 3. HE SHALL SEND. The verb may
be used here absolutely, as in xviii.
16 [17]; or perhaps the object may
be "His loving-kindness and truth,"
the verb being repeated em- phatically
in the third member of the
verse, the construction being somewhat
broken by the position of
the second member (see Critical Note).
For the sentiment, comp. xliii.
3. HE THAT WOULD SWALLOW ME UP.
The same word which occurs in
lvi. 1, 2 [2, 3], and one of the links
connecting the two Psalms. |
452 PSALM LVII.
And their tongue a sharp sword.
5 Be thou exalted above the heavens,
0 God,
(And) Thy glory above
all the earth.
II.
6 They prepared a net for my
steps;
My soul was bowed down.h
They digged before me a pit;
They fell into the midst
thereof (themselves). [Selah.]
7 My heart is steadfast, 0 God, my
heart is steadfast;
I will sing and make
melody.
8 Awake up, my glory; awake harp,
and lute;
I will wake the
morning-dawn.i
9 I will give thanks unto Thee among
the peoples, 0
LORD,
I will play unto Thee
among the nations.
10 For great unto the heavens is Thy
loving-kindness,
And unto the clouds Thy
truth.
11 Be Thou exalted above the
heavens, 0 God,
(And) Thy glory above
all the earth.
4.
A SHARP SWORD. Cf. lv. 21 [22],
lix. 7 [8], lxiv. 3 [4], Prov. xxx. 14. 5. BE THOU EXALTED, i.e. mani- fest Thy glory and Thy
majesty in the
exercise of Thy universal do- minion
both in heaven and in earth. For
this manifestation David prays; that
this will be, he rests assured, and
this is his comfort when enemies assail.
God's deliverance of those who
trust in Him is bound up with His
glory; for the wicked strike not
only at the righteous, but at God
Himself in them. The prayer, therefore,
for God's exaltation is at the
same time a prayer for his own deliverance,
but it is—may we not say?--a
less selfish and a nobler prayer. 7. MY HEART IS STEADFAST, i.e. in
the confidence of faith. The ad- jective
is the same as in li. 10 [12]. |
So
Symm. renders e[drai<a, whereas the
LXX. have e[toi<mh, which has been
followed by the E.V. and is no
doubt admissible (see xxxviii. 17
[18] ). 8. I WILL WAKE THE MORNING- DAWN.
The figure is at once bold and
beautiful. My song shall itself awake
the morning. Hengst. com- pares Ovid, Met.
xi. 597: "Non vigil ales ibi cristati cantibus oris Evocat
auroram." 11. "Greater words of prayer than
these," says Delitzsch most truly,
"never came from human lips.
Heaven and earth have, as they
imply, a mutually interwoven history,
and the blessed, glorious end
of this is in the sunrise of the Divine
glory over both." The latter part of this Psalm is repeated
at the beginning of cviii. where
see notes. |
a tHew;Ta lxa. The conjectures as to the meaning of these
words here
are
various, and as unsatisfactory as they are various. Perhaps they were
PSALM
LVII.
453
the
opening words of some other poem, to the measure and melody of
which
this was to be sung. (Ew. Poet. B. i.
173.) Maurer suggests that
the
prayer of Moses in Deut. ix. 26 may be meant ; and Hengst. thinks
this
is a watchword of David, based on the same passage, "Destroy not
Thy
people," &c.
On Michtarn, see xvi. note a.
b hyAsAHA. 3 fem. as if from a
form ysH=
hSH.
See Gesen. § 75, Rem. 4.
c ‘y tOUha. A fem. plur. with a
verb sing. masc. On this enallage of
number,
see Gesen. § 147 a. Some suppose that the singular verb is used
distributively,
"until every one of the destructions is overpast," but even
then
the difficulty of the gender remains. Why is the verb masculine?
d ylafA rmeGo, lit. "who
accomplisheth concerning me," i.e. who fulfilleth
His
good pleasure, or what He hath promised, or what I desire, for me.
The
verb rmg
occurs only in the Psalms, and may also be used intran-
sitively
as in vii. 10, xii. 2. But it seems almost certain that it stands here
for
the cognate form lmg (the interchange of 1 and r being common
enough),
which occurs constantly with lfa, xiii. 6, cxvi. 7, 12,
cxlii. 8, and
in
a good sense means " to benefit." So the LXX. here, to>n
eu]ergeth<santa<
me, "my Benefactor."
e ypixEwo
JreHe. The older translators make God the subject of
the verb:
"He
hath brought reproach upon, put to shame, him that would devour
me,"
&c. But this is contrary to all usage, according to which men are
said
to reproach one another and to reproach God, but God is nowhere
said
to reproach men. It is clear, then, that ypixEwo is the subject of the
verb
JreHe.
But is this clause to be connected with the preceding or the
following?
Some would connect it as a relative clause with the fore-
going:
God shall . . . . save me, even He whom my persecutor (the
man
who would swallow me up) hath reproached. It is however, I think,
on
the whole better, notwithstanding the Selah, to connect this with what
follows,
taking the preterite JreHe as concessive: He that would swallow
me
up (see note on lvi. i) hath reproached (me), i.e. though he has, &c.
The
Selah in the middle of the verse is very unusual. See lv. 19 [20].
f hbAK;w;x,. It seems impossible to
explain satisfactorily the use of the
paragogic
(optative) form of the verb here. It is commonly rendered as a
present,
as in the E. V. "I lie," but in defiance of grammar. Olsh. and
others
take "let me lie," here = " I am ready to lie," as an expression
of
bold
resolve based on trust in God : but this does not cohere with the rest
of
the verse. Hupfeld suggests that the form here may be used to denote
external compulsion (as the same
form expresses an internal necessity
in
verbs
of lamenting, exulting, &c.) =
" I must lie." Comp. the
use of the
paragog.
form in Is. xxxviii. to, Jer. iii. 25, iv. 21, vi. 10. He would, how-
ever,
read hbAb;wA to agree with the nom. ywip;na. On the other hand, for
the
same constr. of ywip;na prefixed to the verb in the first pers.,
comp.
Is.
xxvi. 9.
g MyFihElo, not as the Chald. and
Rabb. "set on fire," "flaming," &c. (a
meaning
which they seem to have derived from the constant use of the
454 PSALM
LVIII.
root
with words denoting fire, flame, &c.), but "devouring,"
"consum-
ing." Aq. e]n me<s& leianw?n koimhqh<somai la<brwn. Theod. meta>
a]nalisko<ntwn.
Symm.
has e]n me<s& leo<ntwn eu]qarw?n e]koimh<qhn
metacu> flego<ntwn,
where
eu]qarasw?n may have been intended,
as Mr. Bensly suggests (adopted by
Field)
to bring out the force of the form hbAK;w;x,. See note f. Jerome,
"In
medio leonum dornzivit ferocientium." [He would seem, therefore,
to
have forestalled Hupfeld's emendation; see note f.] So civ. 4, FHelo wxe,
"a
devouring fire," and in the verb in the Pie], lxxxiii. 15, cvi. 18, Is.
xlii.
25,
Joel i. 19, ii. 3. Properly the root means, like other similar roots
(comp.
fvl),
"to lick," and then "to devour," "to swallow,"
&c. As
regards
the construction, this cannot agree with MyxibAl;, as Aq., and
Jerome,
which is forbidden by the position of the verb between the noun
and
the participle, but either MyFiHElo must be governed by the
prep. j`OtB;,
"in
the midst of them that devour, (even) the sons of men;" as Symm.,
Theodor.
(see above); or it must be the predicate to 'x 'b , "the sons
of
men devour." This last, though against the accents, is perhaps the
simplest
construction.
h JpaKA. The word occurs
everywhere else in a transitive meaning.
Hence
Bottcher would explain: It (viz. the crafty design of my foes) hath
bowed
down my soul. Others make the enemy himself (sing. for plur.)
the
subject: "He hath," &c. But it is better perhaps to assume an
inde-
finite
subject: "One hath bowed down my soul" = "My soul is bowed
down."
i. rHawa. The words may be
rendered as in E. V. " I will wake early "
(lit.
"at the dawn") ; for the verb, though Hiphil, is used intransitively,
as
in lxxiii. 20 (in fact this is the normal use of this verb); and although
rHawa is never used elsewhere to denote a part
of time, yet it may perhaps
follow
the analogy of words like rp,Bo, hlAy;la
&c. See
on cxxvii. note d.
PSALM
LVIII.
THIS Psalm is a bold protest against
unrighteous judges. It
opens
with an indignant expostulation on their deliberate perversion
of
justice, whilst they pretend to uphold it. It lays bare their
character
and that of those whom they favour, as men thoroughly,
habitually,
by their very nature, currupt. And finally, because they
are
thus beyond all hope of correction or amendment, it calls upon
God
to rob them of their power and to bring all their counsels to
nought.
PSALM
LVIII.
455
The Psalm abounds in bold and
striking images, and is remarkable
for
a nervous force of expression. The title ascribes it to David,
but
without assigning it to any particular occasion in his life. Various
guesses
have been made as to the time of its composition, but the
Psalm
furnishes us with no data for any certain or even probable
conclusion.
It consists of three principal
divisions:--
I. The forcible picture of
unrighteousness in the seat of judge-
ment.
Ver. 1-5.
II. The swift punishment which is
about to overtake these unjust
judges,
and for which the Psalmist prays. Ver. 6-9.
III. Lastly, the joy of those who
shall behold their overthrow,
and
who shall acknowledge that, however the name of justice may
have
been profaned by human judges who abuse their office, there
is,
nevertheless, a righteous Judge in the earth. Ver. 10, 11.
[FOR
THE PRECENTOR. "DESTROY NOT."a A MICHTAM OF DAVID.]
I.
1 Do ye of a truth in silence
b speak righteousness?
Do ye with uprightness
judge the children of men?
2 Nay, rather, in heart ye work
iniquities;
In the earth ye weigh
out the violence of your
hands.
3 The wicked are estranged c
from the,womb,
They go astray from
their birth, speaking lies.
when
they ought to speak, as after- wards
they are said to be deaf when they
ought to hear. The second member of the verse may
be rendered, "Do ye judge uprightly,
0 ye children of men?" See
more in Critical Note. 2. IN THE EARTH, i.e. openly, in your
public administration; opposed to
the "in heart," before. YE WEIGH OUT; said sarcasti- cally.
Ye pretend indeed to hold the
balance of justice, and nicely to
weigh out to each his just award, but
violence is the weight with |
which
ye adjust the scales. Aq. diastaqmi<zete. 3. Those to whom the indignant question
has been put cannot an- swer,
being condemned by their own
consciences, and therefore the Poet
goes on at once, abandon- ing
the form of address, to give a
further description of their cha- racter
in the third person. Or pos- sibly
the description may apply, not
to the unrighteous judges, but to
the evil-doers whom they counte- nance
and support. (So Hupfeld.) FROM THEIR BIRTH, lit. "from the
belly." See on li. 5 [7]. The |
456 PSALM LVIII.
4 Their poison is like the poison of
a serpent:
(They are) like a deaf
adder which stoppeth her ear,
5 Which hearkeneth not to the voice
of enchanters,
(To) the charmer,
charming never so wisely.
II.
6 0 God, break their teeth in their mouths,
The jaw-teeth of the
young lions wrench out, 0
Jehovah.
7 Let them melt,d as
water that runneth apace;
(When) they shoot their
arrows,e let them be as
though cut
off .f
object,
however, here, is clearly not to
insist upon the general truth of an
innate depravity, but rather to mark
the special character of these wicked
men as men whose whole life has been one
continuous un- checked
career of wickedness— bold,
habitual, hardened transgres- sors,
whose maturity in vice is what might
be expected from their early depravity. 4, 5. Their wickedness is despe- rate,
for they are like the adder, which
the subtlest charmer cannot tarne.
The ADDER is mentioned as
peculiarly dangerous. (Comp. xci. 13, Job xx. 14, 16, Deut. xxxii. 33,
Is xi. 8.) The serpent-charmers, a
class of men so well known in the
East, are spoken of also Jer. vii.
17, Eccles. x. 11. For instances of
the exercise of this art, which is still
in vogue, see Lane's Modern Egyptians, vol. ii. chap. 20;
Hengst. 99
(Transl.), and especially the very full
account, with references to au- thorities,
both ancient and modern, given
by Knobel, on Exod. vii. 11, pp.
6o, 61. 5. OF ENCHANTERS, properly "whisperers."
Symm. yiqurizo<ntwn; the
allusion is probably to the hissing
sound by which the en- chanters
endeavoured to draw out the
serpents from their retreats. A CHARMER, &c. lit. "one
charm- ing
(with) charms," &c. (Deut. xviii. |
11). Symm. e]pastou? te e]p&dai?j sesofisme<nou. Aq. e]paeidei?n
e]paoidh>n sesofisme<nou. NEVER SO WISELY, lit. ("though) he
be made wise, i.e. well versed in his
art." (Comp. Is. iii. 3.) For a like
use of the participle, comp. xxxix.
5 [6]. "At his best estate," lit.
"though standing never so fast." 6. There is an abrupt change in the
image employed. As these men are
incorrigible in their wicked- ness,
as they cannot be tamed, the Psalmist
prays God to destroy their power
for mischief; but instead of continuing
the figure of the serpent- charmer,
who robs the serpent of his
poison, he suddenly represents them
as young lions, whose teeth he
would see broken that they may
no longer devour. (Comp. iii. 7
[8], Job iv. 10.) 7. Then in a series of bold figures he
draws further the picture of the destruction
which he would fain see come
upon them. The first is taken from water running
away, and so wasted and lost
(comp. 2 Sam. xiv. 14): the next
from arrows shot, but with their
points broken off and blunted, so
that they fail to inflict a wound. (WHEN) THEY SHOOT, lit. "(When)
he shooteth," the verb being
in the singular. Either the singular
is here used distributively ="when
any one of them (the wicked)
shooteth;" or, perhaps more |
PSALM LVIII. 457
8 (Let them be) as a snail,g
(which) melteth away h (as)
it goeth,
(Like) the untimely
birth of a woman, (as those
who) have
not beheld i the sun.
9 Before your pots k can
feel (the fire of) thorns,
Both green and burning,
they shall be whirled away.
III.
10 The righteous shall rejoice that he hath beheld (the)
vengeance,
He shall wash his
footsteps in the blood of the
wicked;
11 So that men shall say, Surely
there is a reward for
the
righteous,
Surely there is a God
that judgeth in the earth.
generally,
"when one shooteth," is merely
the impersonal put, accord- ing
to the Hebrew idiom, for the passive="When
their arrows are shot."
Hitz. "Let him shoot his arrows,
when they are blunted." Others,
because the verb is in the singular,
render as if God were the subject.
"When He, i.e. God, shoots
His arrows (at them), im- mediately
they shall be cut down." But
this is unnecessary. See more in
Critical Note. 8. (WHICH) MELTETH AWAY (AS) IT
GOETH, lit. "which goeth in melting"
(or slime), the noun being in
the accus. as describing the na- ture
of the action, and the allusion being
to the slimy trail which the snail
leaves behind it, so that it seems
to waste away. Evidently this
is nothing more than a poetical hyperbole,
and need not be ex- plained
therefore as a popular error or
a mistake in natural history. HAVE NOT BEHELD THE SUN. Comp.
Job iii. i6. 9. The general sense of this diffi- cult
verse seems to be this: As a sudden
whirlwind in the desert sweeps
away the thorns which have been
gathered for cooking, almost as
soon as they have been set on fire,
and before the caldron has |
grown
hot (comp. Eccles. vii. 6), so shall
the wicked, and all their yet incomplete
designs, be swept away by
the wrath of God. For the ex- planation
of the separate words, see Critical
Note. 10. On the satisfaction here ex- pressed
in the prospect of vengeance on
the ungodly, see on lii. 6 [8]. Comp. lxviii. 23 [24], Deut. xxxii. 42, 43. This terrible vengeance was
such as was not uncommonly practised
in the wars of those times. 11. A REWARD, lit. "fruit." Comp.
Is. iii. 10, Prov. i. 31. THERE IS A GOD, or, perhaps, "there
is a Deity," the word Elohim being
here construed with a plural participle
(Ges. § 112, Rem. 3), and therefore
not used so much in the personal
sense, as in contrast to those
false judges who call them- selves
"gods," but are not. This verse
refers evidently to ver. 1, 2, whether
we adopt the reading "O ye
gods" there, or not. Ewald translates
here: "Gibt es doch Götter richtend auf der Erde;" Delitzsch:
"Ja es gibt eine Gottheit richtend,"
&c.; and Bunsen: "Es gibt
doch eine göttliche Gerech- tigkeit
auf Erden." |
458 PSALM LVIII.
a See lvii.
note a.
b Ml,xe. The word, according to
its present punctuation, means
"dumbness,"
"silence," as in the title to lvi., the only other place where
it
occurs, ‘x ‘y, the dumb, or silent
dove." If we adhere to this reading,
the
construction will be that of the accusative used adverbially; "in
silence,"
" silently," i.e. if ye keep silence (as the Chald. takes it),
&c.
Gesen. and others would render, " Do ye indeed decree dumb
justice?"
i.e. do ye really at length decree justice, which has so long
seemed
dumb? But 'c ‘x "dumbness of
righteousness," cannot mean
"dumb
righteousness." This would be expressed by 'x ‘f, "righteous-
ness
of dumbness." Rashi takes Ml,xe as the predicate,
" Is the right-
eousness
which ye should speak really dumb (in your mouth)?" Others,
very
harshly, would make two clauses: "Are ye really dumb? Do ye
speak?"
&c. Qimchi would give to Ml,xe the meaning of
"band" (from
Mlx, to bind),
and has been followed by Calvin and others, and the E. V.
"O
congregation." Mendels., J. D. Mich., Ewald, and others, would
change
the punctuation and read Mlixe, defective for Mylixe (as in Ex. xv.
"0
ye gods," a term applied to the judges who are here addressed,
a
meaning which is defended by Ex. xxi. 6, xxii. 7, 8, Ps. lxxxii. (See
note
on ver. 1 of that Psalm.) Neither the LXX. nor the Syr. expresses
the
word at all, and it may possibly have arisen from the preceding
MnAm;xu. The question with MnAm;xu expects a negative
answer, nun vere?
as
in Num. xxii. 37, I Kings viii. 27. Hence the answer with Jx = imo
vero, or as Calvin, quin potius.
c Urzo instead of UrzA, as UxB, Jer. xxvii. 18 (Ges. §
72, Rem. I).
a UsxEm.Ayi, as from a form sxm, instead of ssm, as also in Job vii. 5,
in-
stead
of Us.m.ayi. The following OmilA is used with a
reflexive shade of meaning
(as
in the Latin, suo sibi gladio), which cannot be conveyed in
English.
e UcA.Hi
j`rd;yii.
The verb, which is properly used of the bending
of the
bow, is here applied to the shooting of the arrow. For the
K'thibh, vcH,
the
Q'ri has zyc.AHi, on which Hup£ strangely observes, that if God be the
subject
of the preceding verb, it must be read Oc.Hi. But why may it not
be
said that God shoots His arrows as well as His arrow? The instances
of
this defective writing in the case of plur. nouns with the suffix are very
numerous,
especially in the Historical Books.
f OmK;. The particle has been
strangely misinterpreted. The LXX. e!wj
ou$ a]sqenh<sousin. Jerome, "donec
conterantur." Syr. "until they be
consumed."
Delitzsch would here take OmK; (which in Gen. xix. 15
means
"so
soon as") as meaning "immediately," and refers to Is. xxvi. 18,
where,
however, it may be rendered "as though," which is its signification
here.
UllAmot;yi, either Hithpal. from lvm (so Gesen.) or Hithpo.
from llm.
g lUlB;wa (with Dag. dirimens for lUlb;wa) is properly "the
slug." So
Qimchi,
following the Chald. Aq. has o[moi<wj gh?j
e]nte<r&,
"like a worm,"
and
so Jerome, quasi vermis. LXX. and
Theod. render it by khro<j,
"wax"
(and so the Syr.), and they are followed by Ewald. Rashi says
that
the word has been taken by some in the sense of "slug."
PSALM
LVIII.
459
h sm,T,, here a noun, and not
(as in xxxix. 10 [11) fut. apoc. Hiph. of
hsm (as
Ges.
§ 138, Rem. 1.
i UzHA, the plur. verb, while
the preceding lp,ne is singular. Possibly the
noun
may here be used as a collective or noun of multitude = " those
untimely
born." Otherwise this clause must
be elliptical, and the particle
of
comparison be repeated here as well as before 'x ‘n. The latter is, I
think,
preferable, and so
constr.,
stands here as in Deut. xxi. 11, 1 Sam. xxviii. 7, as absol.
k This verse has been very
differently rendered. A careful criticism of
the
words may help us to decide as to its meaning.
(1) Mk,yteroysi. The word rysi may mean either a thorn, or a pot, or
vessel for cooking. A distinction,
however, is observed in the plur. of this
word,
the masc. being always used of thorns,
and the fem. of pots (except
in
Amos iv. 2, where it is used of fish-hooks,
perhaps as resembling thorns).
(2) UnybeyA, “perceive, are sensible of, i.e. feel the
effect of," is used here
like
other verbs, which properly imply a living
agent, of things without
life.
Comp. Judges xvi. 9; Jer. xvii. 8; Job vi. 30, xiv. 9, xxx. 1.
(3) dFAxA, the rhamnus or blackthorn, here apparently put for a fire
composed
of such thorns.
(4) yHa, "living." In
I Sam. ii. 15, the adj. is used of raw,
uncooked
meat,
and some would so understand it here of the meat in the cooking
vessel
; but as this has not been mentioned, it seems better to refer it to
1tptt,
in the sense of fresh, green, the
thorn which has not yet been
parched
by the fire, the opposite to which is.
(5) NvrHA (prop. a burning, or brand), here used of the burning
thorn;
that
which has already caught the fire, or, as others, dry. Symm. o[lo<ch-
ron. Those who interpret yHa of the raw flesh, explain this of the cooked
meat. NOrHA, however, is, not here
used as an adj., but like other words in
NO-, as an accus. expressing state, condition,
&c. "in burning."
Others,
again,
render it wrath.
(6) OmK; . . . . vmB;, the two particles
evidently answer to one other, =
sive . . . . sive, or,
as well . . . . as.
Elsewhere it is only repeated with
suffixes,
and, in formula like the present, the double K; is used instead.
Hence
some have taken the first 1n as a particle of time, and yHa as a
verb
: "whilst: it (the thorn) is still living, before it has been cut down,
that
is, and used for the fire, (it shall be) as if wrath (NOrHA) swept it away
like
a whirlwind."
On the impers. Un.r,fAW;yi, "one shall whirl
it (i.e. the thorns, dFAxA) away,"
for
the passive, "they shall be whirled away," comp. note on ver. 7.
The
older Verss. for the most part take troysi in the sense of thorns,
and
do
not take the OmK;. . . . OmK; as correlative (except
the Vulg.). The
LXX. pro>
tou? sunie<nai ta>j a]ka<nqaj u[mw?n th>n r[a<mnon w[sei>
zw?ntaj w[sei> e]n o]g^?
katapi<etai u[ma?j. Symm. pri>n
h} au]chqw?sin ai[ a@kanqai u[mw?n w!ste gene<sqai
r[a<mnoj, e@ti zw?nta w[j
o[lo<chron lai?lay a]rei?. Jerome, "Antequam crescant
spina
vestrae in rhamnum, quasi viventes, quasi in ira tempestas rapiet eos."
460 PSALM LIX.
PSALM LIX.
THIS Psalm, which in tone,
colouring, and expression, has much
in
common with the four preceding Psalms, is said in the title to
have
been composed by David when Saul's emissaries watched him
in
his own house. The history is given in I Sam. xix. 11-18.
Saul
commanded the men whom he sent to surround the house, and
to
kill David if he attempted to leave it. They were baffled by
Michal's
artifice; but from that hour Saul's hatred of him never
slumbered,
and he never ceased to persecute him and to hunt him
down
like a wild beast. It is quite consistent with David's character
that
he should commemorate in his songs such a crisis in his life.
But
the internal evidence lends little confirmation to the accuracy
of
the title. The allusions in verses 6 and 14 are obviously not
applicable
to Saul's emissaries; they could not possibly be described
as
making their rounds every evening, as a patrol, through the city,
uttering
oaths and curses, howling like dogs, and wandering about
seeking
for food; and it is not easy to see why they should be spoken
of
as sinning through every word of their lips, or how their destruc-
tion
could he an evidence that God ruled in Jacob and unto the end
of
the earth. The third verse seems to have suggested the reference
of
the Inscription; but there is no other support for it in the Psalm,
and
all that seems certain is, that the Psalm was called forth by some
attack
upon the life of its author.
From the internal evidence, it is
extremely difficult to construct
any
plausible hypothesis as to the time and circumstances of the
writer.
He is an innocent man (ver. 3) exposed to the machina-
tions
of enemies, who are described, it is true, as bloodthirsty men,
but
who seem to have employed stratagem rather than violence to
effect
their purpose, and who in particular used their tongues as their
principal
weapon; "swords are in their lips " (ver. 7): their mouth
is
full of cursing and lying: they sin in every word they utter
(ver.
12); such is the picture drawn of them. These enemies,
moreover,
are in the city; they go about it
(ver. 6, 14; comp. lv.
10
[11]); they patrol it at night; they howl like unclean dogs
seeking
their garbage; their curse is to wander about for bread. And
finally,
they are men whose overthrow will make the name of the
God
of Jacob famed throughout the world. Who can these enemies
be?
The allusions to "the nations," in verses 5, 8, would seem to
PSALM
LIX. 461
imply
that they are foreign oppressors. On the other hand, it seems
strange
in that case that they should be described as exercising their
power
by means of falsehood and reckless and malicious charges
rather
than by the strong hand of the conqueror. It may be pos-
sible
(see note on verses 5, 8) to explain these allusions otherwise.
But
unless we accept some such explanation as is there suggested,
the
only period to which the Psalm seems at all applicable is that
which
followed Nehemiah's return to Jerusalem; the only enemies
who
could answer the double condition of being foreigners and
bloodthirsty
men, and yet seeking to do mischief by their tongues,
would
be men like Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the Ammo-
nite,
and Geshem the Arabian. Comp. with the Psalm Neh.
19;
iv. 1—20.
Reuss escapes partly from the
embarrassment occasioned by the
peculiar
features of the Psalm which I have enumerated, by regarding
it
as the expression not of individual, but of national circumstances.
It
is the nation which asserts its innocence (as in Ps. xliv.). "The
Psalmist
calls God our shield, the God of
it
is therefore in the name of a believing people that he speaks, it is
their
sentiments that he wishes to express." Reuss fixes no date for
the
Psalm beyond saying that it is a late Psalm, as one evidence
of
which he cites the name Sabaoth as a
name of God (ver. 5, which
he
renders, "Jahaweh God, Sabaoth," referring to Rom. ix. 29,
James
v. 4). On this peculiar form of the Divine Name, see note
on
ver. 5. It only occurs again in Psalms lxxx., lxxxiv.
De Wette thinks it is a lamentation
of the people in the time of
the
Exile; Hitzig, that it was written by Hezekiah when shut up in
the
last kings of
enemies
in league with the Chaldaeans. But it is certain the Psalm
does
not describe a state of siege.
The structure of the Psalm is highly
artificial. It has a double
refrain.
Ver. 6 [7] answers to ver. 14 [15], each opening a strophe
or
stanza; ver. 9 [10] to ver. 17 [18], each concluding a strophe in
like
manner. Besides this, separate words and phrases correspond :
the
"And Thou" (emphatic), ver.
5 [6], 8 [9], with "and I," ver. r 6
[17];
"all nations," 5 [6], 8 [9], with "the ends of the earth,"
ver.
13
[14]; "they wander about," ver. 11 [12], and 15 [16].
The Psalm consists of two principal
divisions, ver. 1—9 and ver.
10-17.
Each of these again falls into two lesser strophes; the
first,
in each case, closing with Selah, and the last, in each case,
opening
with a similar verse, and closing with the refrain.
462 PSALM LIX.
of
their persevering malice; an assertion of the Psalmist's own
innocence,
and the confiding of his cause to God as the Judge.
Ver.
1-5.
(2) A further account of the
machinations of the wicked: the
confident
assurance of their discomfiture, and an expression of trust
in
God. Ver. 6-9.
II. (1) This part opens with a
renewed expression of trust in
God,
especially with reference to the issue of the struggle with his
enemies;
repeats the story of their malice, and also the prayer for
their
punishment, in such wise that God may be acknowledged as
the
Judge of the earth. Ver. 10-13.
(2) It closes with the curse upon
the wicked, and with joyful
acknowledgement
of God's goodness to the Psalmist. Ver. 14-17.
[FOR
THE PRECENTOR. "DESTROY NOT." A MICHTAM a OF DAVID
WHEN SAUL SENT, AND THEY WATCHED THE
HOUSE TO PUT
HIM TO DEATH.]
Set me on high from them
that rise up against me.
2 Deliver me from the workers of
iniquity,
And save me from
blood-thirsty men.
3 For lo, they have woven plots for
my soul,
They gather themselves
together against me in
their
strength,
Not for b my
transgression, and not for any sin of
mine, 0 Jehovah!
4 Without guilt (of mine) do they
run and set them-
selves;
3. THEY HAVE WOVEN. The perfect as describing the
past plot- ting
and deliberation, whilst the present
result is expressed by the verb
in the present tense, "They gather,"
&c. IN THEIR STRENGTH, lit.
"strong," but
the adj. is here not, I think, a fresh
subject, "strong (or violent) ones
gather," &c. as it is usually rendered,
but rather a predicate, |
the
subject having been already expressed
in ver. 2. NOT FOR MY TRANSGRESSION, &c.,
lit. "Without my transgression and
without my sin." 4. RUN AND SET THEMSELVES. The
words are military terms: for the
first, see xviii. 29 [30] (accord- ing
to one interpretation), Job xv. 26,
xvi. 14; the other denotes the marshalling
in order, the array of |
PSALM
LIX.
463
Awake, then, to meet me,
and see!
5 Yea, do THOU, 0 Jehovah, God (of)
hosts,c God of
Rouse Thyself to visit
all the nations!
Spare not any of them
that are faithless in (their)
iniquity.
[Selah.]
(2)
6 They return at evening, they howl like a dog,
And make their round
about (the) city.
troops,
with a view to the execu- tion
of a determined plan. Or as Hengstenberg
explains, a metaphor borrowed
from an attacking host, which,
getting a firm footing on the walls
of a beleaguered city, is ready to
rush in over them, or through them
as already broken, into the city. To MEET ME, i.e. to help me: comp.
ver. 10 [11], and see vii. 6 [7]. The
phrase is elsewhere used in the opposite
sense, xxxv. 2 [3]. 5. THOU. The pronoun is em- phatic,
the heart turning to God as the
sure defence against its fierce and
cruel enemies. JEHOVAH GOD or "Jehovah Elohim"
(cf. lxxii. 18), the name of God,
which is characteristic of the section,
Gen. ii. 23. Joined, as here,
with Sabaoth (hosts), it occurs besides
lxxx. 4 [5], 19 [20], lxxxiv. [8,
9]. In calling Jehovah the God of Hosts, the Psalmist sets forth,
as
Calvin observes, His boundless power;
in adding the God of the
peculiar regard which He has for
His own children and the Church.
(See more in Critical Note.) ALL THE NATIONS, i.e. heathen nations,
but it is difficult to deter- mine
why they are particularly mentioned
here. Some suppose that
the Psalmist was living among heathens
(see Introduction to the Psalm);
others, that the term "nations"
is here improperly ap- plied
to those Israelites who, in their
godlessness, were no better than
heathen. But the expression, "all nations," is against the
first view,
and the second is wholly un- |
supported
by usage. It is more probable
that the language is in- tended
to denote that God is the universal Judge. "The
nations," to
an Israelite, would be the em- bodiment
of all that opposed itself to
God; and in appealing to God to punish
them, he would, in fact, be appealing
to Him to punish all evil wherever
manifested, The special judgement
would follow from the universal,
and be an instance of it. Even
for the vindication of his personal
innocence, we find one Psalmist
(vii. 6—8 [7—9]) calling upon
God to assemble all nations to
His judgement-seat. Such expressions seem to us ex- aggerated,
partly because of the comparative
coldness of the West- ern
mind, and partly because it is very
difficult for us to conceive of the feelings
of a true Israelite, to whom the
whole outer heathen world was a
world lying under the heavy wrath of
God, and to whom the greater part
even of corrupt
and apostate. An intensity both
of privilege and also of suffer- ing
thus attached to the "small remnant,"
which it is necessary to remember
if we would understand the
strong language of Psalmists and
Prophets. FAITHLESS IN (THEIR) INIQUITY, or
iniquitous traitors. Ewald ren- ders: alle sündliche Räuber, "all sinful
robbers," taking the other meaning
of the participle. See xxv.note)) 6. He compares his enemies to the
gaunt, hungry, half-starved, half-wild
dogs which, to this day, |
464 PSALM
LIX.
7 Lo, they belch out with their
mouth,
Swords are in their
lips;
For who
(they think) doth hear?
8 But THOU, 0 Jehovah, dost laugh at
them,
Thou mockest at all
(the) nations.
9 0 my strength,d on Thee
will I wait,
For God is my high
tower.
II,
(1) 10 My God with His loving-kindnesse shall come to
meet me,
in
the East, prowl in troops about the
cities and villages, without a master,
looking for the offal and carrion
which are their food, wher- ever
they can find it. Comp. xxii. 16
[17]; I Kings xiv. 11; 2 Kings ix.
36. AT EVENING, i.e. every evening, the
evening being the time when these
animals usually assemble: or
denoting, as Calvin thinks, their insatiable
cruelty, "for he says that they
return at evening, not because they
rest at other times, but be- cause
they are never tired in their wickedness.
If all day long they get
nothing, the evening will find them
still running about the city." Comp.
lv. 10 [11], Cant. iii. 2. 7. THEY BELCH OUT. Such seems
here to be the force of the word
as given by the E. V. Pro- perly
it means "to gush out," as water;
see the same word in xix. 2
[3], "Day unto day poureth forth
speech."
Comp. xciv. 4, Prov. xv. 2,
28. Symm. a]poblu<xousi. 8. BUT THOU. These men with their
murderous thoughts, whose very
words are swords (comp. lii. 2
[4], lv. 21 [22], lvii. 4 [5]), and who
feel so secure in their blood- thirsty
designs that they think God hearkens
not, and will not punish, shall
learn their mistake. Thou, 0 God,
Thou whom they forget, wilt laugh
them to scorn, as Thou dost all
throughout the world who op- pose
Thee. Hence he says, ALL NATIONS, taking the widest view,
and therefore including those |
who
are here the prominent enemies. See
above on ver. 5: or, as Calvin explains,
though they should in numbers
equal the whole world, yet they
and their power would all be mocked.
Comp. ii. 4, xxxvii. 13. 9. 0 MY STRENGTH. The Masso- retic
reading, "his strength," gives no
satisfactory sense, though vari- ous
attempts have been made to defend
it. See Critical Note. "David here ascends the watch- tower
of faith, whence he can look down
calmly on the violent assaults of
his foes, fully assured that they can
do nothing but by the permis- sion
of God."— Calvin. 10. My GoD, &c. According to the
Massoretic correction the read- ing
would be, "The God of my loving-kindness,
i.e. my gracious, merciful
God, shall come to meet me."
This is a favourite passage with
Augustine in his arguments against
the Pelagians. He often alleges
it in proof of the doctrine that
the grace of God precedes all merit
of man. And here he ob- serves: "Quid in me invenisti nisi soli peccata? . . . Antequam aliquid boni
ego faciam, misericordia ejus praeveniet me. Quid hic responde- bit
infelix Pelagius?" But, as vin
very justly remarks, this may be
a pious, but it is not a fair use of
the passage (pie quidem, sed nimis
argute). SHALL COME TO MEET ME, as in xxi.
3 [4]. The prayer that follows is a very fearful
one. The Psalmist would |
PSALM LIX. 465
God shall make me see (my desire)
upon them
that lie in wait for me.
11 Slay them not, lest my people
forget (it),
Make them reel by Thy
power, and cast them
down,
0 Lord, our shield!
12 Their mouth sinneth through every
word of their
lips,
And sof let
them be taken in their pride;
And because
of (their) cursing and of lying
which
they speak.
13 Consume (them) in wrath, consume
(them), that they
be no more,
That men may know that
God ruleth in Jacob
Unto the
ends of the earth. [Selah.]
not
have his enemies crushed in a moment
by the heavy hand of God, but
he would see them come to a lingering
end; he would have God take
them, as it were, in their own infatuation;
he would see them reel
and stagger in the intoxication of
their own pride, and under the strong
buffeting of God's hand, a spectacle
and a warning to all, be- fore
they are finally cast down; he would
watch their course as they are
carried, blind with passion, to the
summit, thence to be [hurled headlong
over the precipice. Comp. with
this curse, 2 Sam. iii. 29, and I
Sam. ii. 36. 11. MAKE THEM REEL, lit. "make them
wander," which many take literally
and not metaphorically. So
Hengst. who compares the curse on
Cain, Gen. iv. 12, and Numb. xxxii.
13, Ps. cix. 10. OUR SHIELD, as in iii. 3 [4], xviii. 2
[31 xxviii. 7. 12. THEIR MOUTH SINNETH, &c. lit.
"The word of their lips is the sin
of their mouth," i.e. every word of
their mouth is sin. But the ad- dition,
"of their lips," seems weak and
unnecessary, so that perhaps Ewald's
rendering is better: |
"The
sin of their mouth, the word of their lips Oh let them be taken in their pride," &c. (See
Critical Note.) 13. CONSUME THEM. This does not
contradict the previous impre- cation.
He would have his enemies destroyed
at last, but only after they
had been, by a protracted miserable
existence, a warning to men
of God's righteous severity. GOD, and not Saul (if the allusion be
to him), or any other whatso- ever. UNTO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH. This
may mean that God, sitting in Jacob,
having there His throne, exercises
thence a universal do- minion.
But, according to the ac- cent,
these words should rather be connected
with the words "that men
may know." So Calvin: "David
indicates a singular kind of
punishment, one the fame of which
would reach even the most distant
nations." And so Hengst., who
refers to David's words to Go- liath,
I Sam. xvii. 46, "And all the earth
shall know that there is a God
in |
466 PSALM LIX.
(2)
14 And they shall return at evening, they shall howl
like a dog,
And make their round
about (the) city;
15 As for them, they shall wander
about for food,
Without being satisfied
must they pass the night.g
16 But as for me, I will sing of Thy
strength,
Yea I will shout aloud,
in the morning, of Thy
loving-kindness.
17 For Thou hast been a high tower
for me,
And a refuge in the day
when I was in distress.
18 0 my strength, unto Thee let me
sing,
For God is my high
tower, the God of my loving-
kindness.
14. This verse ,repeats what was said
in ver. 6, but the language of ver.
15 shows plainly that a different turn
is given here to the expression. There,
the conduct of his enemies is
described; here, their punish- ment.
They came about him like dogs;
like dogs shall they be treated. Their
sin becomes its own curse. They
come with their mouth wide open,
ready to devour, but they shall
find nothing to satisfy their hunger;
they shall remain lean, hungry,
savage, as they came. So Calvin:
"There is an allusion to what
he had before said concerning their
ravenous hunger. For he does
not now repeat the words in the
same sense in which he had employed
them before, but ironi- cally
says that they shall be hungry in
another way. Before, he corn- plained
that they barked like dogs, because
they were urged by an in- satiable
desire to do mischief; but . now
he mocks at their wicked at- tempts,
and says that, after they have
wearied themselves all day long,
they shall fail of their object." This
seems to be the meaning here, |
though
some interpreters think there is
no variation in the sense of the two
verses 6 and 14, and either understand
both as describing the present
conduct of David's enemies (as
Delitzsch), "they return," &c., or
both as optative, said with a kind
of defiance, "let them re- turn,"
&c. 15.
THEY SHALL WANDER ABOUT: the
same verb as in ver. 11, so that perhaps
the same rendering should be
preserved in both places: either there,
"make them wander," or here,
"they shall reel." The Masso- retic
change of punctuation here is made
for the sake of uniformity, to have
the Hiph. in both verses, but obviously
a neuter, not an active, meaning
is required here. The Qal
should therefore be retained. 16. IN THE MORNING, here ap- parently=
"every fresh morning," parallel
to "in the evening," ver. 6, 14. 17. The refrain occurs as at the end
of the second strophe, ver. 9, but
with slight variations, which have
already been noticed there. |
a See above on lvii. note n.
b xlo stands here for xloB;
Ew. § 286g,
in the same sense as 'f yliB;, which
follows.
In the next verse NUcruy; is the energetic future, as expressing
the
PSALM LIX.
467
readiness
and willingness of the action, and UnnAOKyi the Hithp. with Dagesh
supplying
the place of the characteristic t1. For similar forms see Prov.
xxvi.
26, Lev. xiii. 55, and Dent. xxi. 8 (Nithp.).
c
tOxbAc; ‘x ‘y. The juxtaposition is
peculiar; it occurs again lxxx. 5, 20,
lxxxiv.
9. We should expect the constr. yhelox< instead of the absol.,
but it
seems
to be formed upon the analogy of 'c hvhy, the name Myhlx
hvhy
being
considered as one word. There is, however, still no doubt an ellipse
as
in ‘c ‘y, and the full
expression would be, as Ibn Ezra (on lxxx. 5)
remarks,
'c yhelox< 'x ‘y.
d Oz.fu. By the suff. of the
3rd pers. some suppose Saul to be meant.
Hengst.
"the ideal person of the wicked,"—either a nom. abs. "as to his
strength,"
or "because of his strength, let me," &c., or as an accus.,
"his
strength
will I keep for Thee," i.e. however he may boast of his strength, I
will
remain quiet and leave it to Thee; or as Hengst., "Conscious of my
own
weakness, I will put his strength into Thy hands that Thou mayest
deal
with it." But these and other renderings only show how hopeless the
reading
is. We must therefore read yz.ifu here as in ver. 17
[18], a reading
which
is supported by some MSS. of Kenn. and De-R., the LXX.,
and
Jerome ; but there is no need to change the verb hrAmow;x,, as
variations
in the refrain are common enough. rmw here with lx,
seems to
be
used in nearly the same sense as in xxxi. 6 [7] (where see note a),
"regard,
honour, wait upon," &c. with the accus. Hupf. defends its use
by
I Sam. xxvi. 15, 16, where it is true the prep. follows, but the verb has
a
different meaning, "to keep watch over."
e The K'thibh vdsH seems to require the
reading ODs;Ha yhalox<, which
yields
a very satisfactory sense (as in text); and there is no reason, con-
sequently,
for the Q'ri yDis;Ha ‘x" God of my
loving-kindness," i.e. my
gracious
God, which was probably adopted here from ver. 18, and has the
oldest
Versions against it. The LXX. o[ qeo<j mou to> e@leoj
au]tou? profqa<sei
me. And the Syr. "0 God, Thy goodness shall
prevent me."
f Udk;lA.yiv;. This may either be an
opt. "and so let them," &c., or may
carry
on the description "and they are taken." According to Ewald's
rendering
(see note on the verse) the v; stands emphatically
before the
verb,
as in xxv. 11. In the next clause, Nmi cannot mean of, concerning,
but
because of, on account of. Why Hupf.
should object to this, as making
Nmi equivalent in meaning to B;, cannot understand.
Surely to say " let
them
be taken in their pride and because of their lies" is not to
reduce
the
two prepositions to the same meaning. His own rendering, "out of
cursing
and out of lies do they speak" (as the source or motive of their
discourse),
has nothing to recommend it. The relat. is understood before
UrPesay;, which has here the general sense of speaking, as in lxiv. 6, lxix.
27,
&C.
g ‘v ‘y
xlo Mxi.
"If they are not satisfied, so must they pass the night,"
the
opposite to the promise given to the righteous, Prov. xix. 23. Instead
of
the imperf. (fut.) we should expect here, as Hupf. remarks, either the
468 PSALM LX.
pert.
or the participle, "not satisfied," as in Prov. xix. 23; but this
last
seems
here to be resolved by Mxi with the imperf. (fut.) in the sense of
though--" though they are
not, or, without being satisfied;" or the fut.
may
be the fut. perf., as Calvin: "quamvis non fuerint saturati, cogentur
tamen
ire cubitum." The v in Unyliy.Ava introduces the apodosis.
Ew. takes
xlo Mxi in the sense of assuredly, verily, and renders:
They will reel to their food,
Verily they shall satisfy themselves—and remain,
i.e.
lie dead, after having drunk of the cup of wrath which God puts into
their
hands. This he thinks is said sarcastically.
PSALM
LX.
ACCORDING to the title, this Psalm
was composed in memory of
Joab's
victory over the Edomites in the
said
in the scanty record in 2 Sam. viii. of the circumstances which
led
to this war; but it is probable that whilst David was engaged in
his
first Syrian campaign, the Edomites turned the opportunity to
good
account, and threatened, if they did not actually invade,
Joab
and some part of his forces to meet these new enemies
Whether
they had not yet crossed the frontier, or whether they were
on
their way back from a successful raid into Hebrew territory, as
has
been conjectured, we do not know; but a severe battle was
fought
in the
This
battle decided the fate of the Edomites; they never rallied
after
it, and Joab overran the whole country. After the fashion of
Eastern
conquerors, he almost exterminated the male population,
garrisoned
the principal cities with Hebrew troops, and reduced the
people
to a state of vassalage. It was in the interval between the
first
great battle and the final subjugation of the country that this
Psalm,
as Hengstenberg and others suppose, was written. It seems
to
acknowledge a partial success, and to anticipate a greater: "Who
will conduct me into the
fortified city (or cities)? Who hath
led
me
unto
Philistines
as recently vanquished enemies, and from 2 Sam. viii. we
know
that they had been completely subdued by David shortly
PSALM
LX.
469
before
his Syrian campaign. Lastly, it supposes the unity of the
kingdom;
time
maintaining a high and honourable position, without dissension
and
without rivalry; and this was the case only during the reigns of
David
and Solomon.
So far, no doubt, the contents of
the Psalm agree very well with
the
statement made in the title as to the date of its composition.
On
the other hand, it opens with a wail of lamentation, which
implies
that the arms of
or
that the state had been shaken by intestine disorders. But we
have
no record in the history of any such catastrophe at the time.
On
the contrary, David seems to have been at the very height of his
glory
and to have been everywhere victorious. Bishop Colenso
indeed
argues that David's forces may on some occasions have been
defeated,
and yet that such defeats would not be mentioned in the
rapid
summary of his exploits in 2 Sam. viii.; and Hengstenberg
thinks
that the lamentation of the Psalmist has reference to an inva-
sion
of the Edomites into Judaea during David's absence in
and
that the terrible vengeance upon Edom was in consequence of
the
excesses which they had then committed. But the language of
verses
1-3 points to some loss more serious and more permanent
than
a hasty invasion, or an occasional defeat; and if so, it is sur-
prising
that the history should pass it over in silence. Again, the
union
between Judah and Ephraim (ver. 7) is represented rather as
a
matter of hope and promise than as already accomplished. And,
in
like manner, all that is said of
refer
to the future, not to the past. (See notes on verses 7, 8.)
To say the least, therefore, it is
not certain that the Psalm belongs
to
the age of David. In its lamentations over past disasters it bears
considerable
resemblance to Psalm xliv., but is so different from it
in
style that it cannot have been written by the same author, nor
does
it seem to belong to the same period. Psalm xliv. is clearly
the
later Psalm, and may have been partly based upon this. "The
fact
is," says Reuss, "that the known history of David contains
absolutely
nothing which can explain our text." He thinks it refers
probably
to some disaster in the time of the Maccabees.
Ewald thinks that the Psalm in its
present form is to be referred to
a
time after the Captivity, but that "the words from ver. 6 [8] as far
as
the first words of ver. ro [12], ‘Hast not Thou, 0 God?' are
borrowed
from an older, and no doubt Davidic, song . . . The dis-
similarity
strikes the eye at the first glance." The old passage, ac-
cording
to him, was composed by David in the latter part of his life,
when
he was threatened by the Philistines (comp. 2 Sam. v. 17, &c.
470 PSALM LX.
xxiii.
9, &c.): he had besought counsel and strength from Jehovah
in
the sanctuary, and he here records the cheering answer which
he
received. The later poet, Ewald says, feeling how suitable such
an
oracle was to his own times, though the enemies which he had to
fear
were not Philistines, but other
heathen nations, adopted it
without
alteration, merely adding a new introduction and a new
conclusion
in his own words, to make the whole more suitable
to
the times in which he lived.
The Psalm consists of three
strophes:--
I. A lamentation over past
disasters, with a cry for help.
Ver.
I-5.
II. The appeal to God's word and
promise as the sufficient
pledge
that the prayer which precedes will be answered. Ver. 6-8.
III. The triumphant hope and
anticipation of victory as springing
out
of and resting upon the Divine oracles. Ver. 9-12.
[FOR
THE PRECENTOR. UPON “THE LILY OF THE TESTIMONY." A
MICHTAM OF DAVID. FOR TEACHING. WHEN HE
FOUGHT WITH
ZOBAH; AND JOAB RETURNED AND SMOTE
OF SALT (TO THE NUMBER OF) TWELVE
THOUSAND MEN.]
I.
I 0 GOD, Thou hast cast us off, Thou hast broken us;
Thou hast been angry;
restore us again.b
2 Thou hast made the land to
tremble, Thou hast
cleaved it;
Heal the breaches
thereof, for it hath tottered.
1. THOU HAST CAST US OFF. The
same word as in xliv. 9 [10]. It
is also used of an individual in xliii.
2. THOU HAST BROKEN US. The word
is employed of the defeat of an
army whose ranks have been broken,
2 Sam. v. 20, where the comparison
is made of water break- ing
through a dam. In Judges xxi. 15
it is said of the destruction of the
tribe of Benjamin, that "Jeho- vah
had made a breach (Perez) in the
tribes of being
left as it were in the goodly |
phalanx
which the twelve tribes presented.
Primarily, no doubt, the
root is used of the breaking down
of a wall, as lxxx. 12 [13], lxxxix.
40 [41]. And hence it is applied
to the breaking down and overthrowing
of armies and nations, as
here and in the passages cited above,
and also of individuals, as in
the judgement upon Uzzah, 2 Sam.
vi. 8. Cf. Job xvi. 14. 2. The metaphor is borrowed ap- parently
from the action of an earthquake,
which has split asunder the
ground and torn it into rifts and chasms.
In like manner there has been
a violent disorganization of |
PSALM
LX.
471
3 Thou hast showed Thy people a hard
thing,
Thou hast made us drink
infatuation c (as) wine.
4 Thou hast given a banner to them
that fear Thee,
That they may muster
d (around it) from before the
bow,e
[Selah.]
5 That Thy beloved may be delivered:
Save with Thy right
hand, and answer us.
the
body politic. Hupfeld infers from
the words "heal the breaches thereof"
that the image (as in the previous
verse) is that of a building or
wall broken down, an image fre- quently
employed in the O. T., and one
which in Is. xxx. 13, Jer. vi. 14
is applied to the overthrow of the nation.
But both figures may have been
in the Psalmist's mind; the "trembling"
of the land denoting the
earthquake, and the second member
of the verse referring to its
effects in broken buildings and tottering
walls. Whether the "cleav- ing"
here spoken of is to be under- stood
of the actual disruption of the kingdom
and the separation of the tribes
is not certain. In any case, however,
verses 2 and 3 are more readily
understood of internal poli- tical
disorganization than of the terror
produced by hostile inva- sion. 3. THOU HAST SHOWED, lit. "made
to see," i.e. made to feel or experience,
the verb of sight being used,
as in Greek, of the senses generally.
A HARD THING, a heavy fate;
the same word as in I Sam. xx.
10, I Kings xii. 13. INFATUATION, or "bewilder- ment,"
lit. "reeling, staggering," as the
effects of intoxication. This infatuation
is the wine which God has
made them drink, the two words
being in apposition with one another:
the rendering of the E.V., "the
wine of astonishment," is grammatically
impossible (see Critical
Note). The same figure occurs
lxxv. 8 [9], Is. li. 17, 22, Jer. xiii.
13, xxv 15, xlix, 12, and in many
other passages. It denotes not
merely a Divine punishment, |
but
that kind of punishment which comes
of men's own desperate in- dulgence
of their pride, folly, pas- sions.
When men will drink pre- sumptuously
of the cup of their own
wickedness, God forces it as it
were into their hands, till they have
drained the very dregs as the cup
of His wrath. Thus God punishes
evil with greater evil, pride
with presumptuous pride, folly
with more desperate folly. As
is usual in the O. T. this, though
sin as well as curse, is ascribed
directly to God, as is the hardening
of Pharaoh's heart, the sending
of the evil spirit into Saul, and
of a lying spirit into the false prophets.
See note on li. 4. 4. A BANNER. The standard was
raised as a signal for war, round
which they were to rally. (Comp.
Is. v. 26, xiii. 2.) The fact that
God had given them such a banner,
that he had Himself reared it
in the midst of them, was a ground
of hope, and also of prayer, "Save
with Thy right hand," &c. Notwithstanding
the Selah, the construction
might be carried on into
the next verse; the words "That
Thy beloved," &c. depend- ing
not upon the prayer which follows,
but upon the words "Thou hast
given a banner," or perhaps on
the whole sentence in ver. 4. But
see more in Critical Note. 5. THY BELOVED (plural) the same
word as in Dent. xxxiii. 12, and
in the name Jedidiah given to Solomon. ANSWER US. According to the Massoretic
correction, "Answer me," which however
seems to be unnecessary. |
472
PSALM LX.
II.
6 God hath spoken in His holiness:
Let me exult, let me
portion out Shechem,
And the
6. Having thus encouraged him- self
and his people with the assur- ance
of God's favour and the hope of
deliverance, he now turns to the promises
on which those hopes rested.
"Nam utcungie Deus in- nutneris gratiae suae exeiuplis nos obruat, nulla tamen vigebit corum notitia,
nisi praefulgentc verbo." Calvin. GOD HATH SPOKEN IN HIS HOLI- promised by His holiness."
Comp. lxxxix.
35 [36], " One thing have I sworn
by My holiness." Amos iv. 2. The LXX. have e]n t&? a[gi<& au]tou?. Jerome, In sanctuario suo, and so Luther,
"In His sanctuary," as if the
allusion were to an oracle shortly
before received; and De- litzsch
suggests that in the war with
ceived
an oracle from the High Priest
by means of the Urim and Thummim,
which assured him of the
safety of the of
his victory over the bordering tribes.
But, as he admits, the pro- mise
in 2 Sam vii. 9 is quite suffi- cient
to meet the occasion. Hengst. thinks
that Gen. xlix., Numb. xxiv., Deut.
xxxiii. may also have been in the
Psalmist's mind. "We need not
suppose," says Reuss, who re- gards
the Ps. as Maccabcan, "that we
have here the textual copy of an
ancient oracle. It is the resume of
the national hopes, the expres- sion
of the dominant idea of the prophets,
the restoration of the In the words that follow, "Let me
exult," &c., to the end of ver. 8
[10],
there is some doubt who is the
speaker. According to Hupf., Bunsen,
and Olsh. it is God. Ewald is
of the same opinion, except that he
takes the first words, "Let me exult,"
as the words of the Psalmist himself,
parenthetically—which is favoured
by the accent—and the |
rest
as the utterance of the Divine oracle.
Hengst. thinks that the people,
and Del., following the older
interpreters, that the king is the
speaker. This last seems to me
the most probable view, though it
is possible that by a bold figure God
himself may be supposed to speak
as an earthly warrior, and as the
leader of the hosts of His people through
whom they achieve the vic- tory.
He, as their true King and captain,
identifies Himself with them,
and hence speaks not only of
their success, but of their joy as His own. LET ME EXULT, or the paragogic form
may be rendered as in E. V. "I
will exult therefore, I will," &c. PORTION OUT . . . . MEASURE, in allusion
to the assigning the dif- ferent
portoins (klh?roi) of the con- quered
territory, as by Joshua on the
conquest of however,
the figure is borrowed from
the original conquest of the country
and applied to its recon- stitution,
not by means of a redis- tribution
of territory, but by a fresh political
organization, which should give
new life to the whole country, and
be as it were the beginning of a
new state. SHECHEM and SUCCOTH are probably
selected as famous names in
ancient times; Ros. and others think
they are intended to mark, the
one the cis-Jordanic, and the other
the trans-Jordanic region, and so
to embrace the whole land which
the
river as his inheritance. Succoth was
the first place at which Jacob halted
when, on his return from the
mountains of ceived
its name from the "booths " or
"huts" which he then built there.
(Comp. Gen. xxxiii. 16, 18, with
Judg. viii. 5-17, whence it appears
that Succoth lay between |
PSALM LX. 473
7 Mine is
Ephraim also is the
defence of my head;
8
Peniel,
near the ford of the Jabbok, and
Shechem.) Shechem in the heart
of station,
and there he found a per- manent
home: it became afterwards the
chief city of the tribe of Ephraim, and
for a time the capital of the northern
kingdom. But it seems doubtful
whether Succoth was on the
east of the indeed
(Quaest. in Gen. xxxiii. 16), places
it there, and the fact that it was
allotted to the tribe of Gad (Josh.
xiii. 27) renders this probable. On
the other hand, Robinson (B. R.
iii. 309, &c.) and Van de Velde (Syr. and Pal. ii. 343) identify it with
a place called Sakut, on the western
bank of the river. "Until the
position of Succoth is more exactly
ascertained, it is impossible to
say what was the coth."
(See Mr. Grove's article, SUCCOTH,
in the Dict. of the Bible.) Why
this valley should be men- tioned
at all, it is hard to say, ex- cept
it he from its old association with
Shechem in the history of Jacob,
Gen. xxxiii. Instead of Succoth,
Aq. has koila<da suskia- smw?n, and the LXX. th>n
koila<da tw?n skhnw?n. 7. This verse has reference both to
the geographical and to the po- litical
division of the Geographically,
nasseh
denote the Israelitish terri- tory
east of the and
tine.
Politically, the two last-men- tioned
tribes were the most im- portant,
the one in the north, and the other in
the south; and thus the whole land and
nation are in fact summed up. THE DEFENCE OF MY HEAD, the strong
and warlike tribe of Ephraim being
to the state what the helmet is
to the warriors in battle; or perhaps,
"the strength of my
head," |
the
allusion being to Deut. xxxiii. 17,
"His horns are as the horns of a
buffalo: with them he shall push the
nations." MY SCEPTRE, or "baton of com- mand."
The reference is to Gen. xlix.
10, where, as well as in Numb. xxi.
18, the parallelism seems to re- quire
this meaning. But the other rendering,
"My Lawgiver," may be defended
by Deut. xxxiii. 21, Is. xxxiii.
22, and has the support of the
Ancient Versions. Symm. pro- ta<sswn o[
e]mo<j. LXX. basileu<j mou. Jerome, legifer
meus. Vulg. rex meus. 8. But the Psalmist
anticipates not
the constitution only of the kingdom
in its integrity and its firm
consolidation by the union of the
various tribes, but the extension of
the kingdom also by the sub- jugation
of neighbouring nations. Those
nations are chiefly men- tioned
which had been from the earliest
times the enemies, and the bitterest
enemies, of order
in which they are mentioned is
from the east, and thence along the
south to the west. None of them
was ever completely subju- gated,
though David greatly re- duced
them and humbled their power,
2 Sam. viii., but triumph over
them forms part of the pro- mise
of later Prophets. See espe- cially
Is. xi. 14, where it is promised
in connection with the union
of Ephraim and Judah. The expressions which follow, indicating
the subjugation of and
MY WASH-POT, expressive of the state
of ignominious bondage to which
the Moabites would be re- duced.
The vessel used for wash- ing
the feet is meant, as a dis- honourable
vessel. (Comp. Herod. ii.
172.) This meaning is perhaps |
474 PSALM LX.
To
Because of me, 0
III.
9 Who will conduct me into the fortified city?
Who hath led me unto
10 Hast not THOU, 0 God, cast us
off?
And wilt not Thou, 0 God, go forth
with our hosts?
11 0 give us help f from
(the) adversary,
intended
to be conveyed by the rendering
of one of the Greek trans- lators,
leka<nh th?j katapath<sew<j mou. WILL I CAST MY SHOE. is
regarded as the slave to whom the
master throws his shoes to be taken
away or to be cleaned. Comp. Matt.
iii. 11, and for the construc- tion,
I Kings xix. 19. The expres- sion
is not used of taking possession of
property, for in Ruth iv. 7 the kinsman
does not throw his shoe, but
takes it off and gives it; and so far
from the action being symbolical of
taking possession, it is symbolical of
giving up one's right. There is thus
a connection between the two figures;
he
washes his feet; to
whom he casts his shoe which he had
just drawn off. CRY ALOUD. I have left the word
in its ambiguity. As it is elsewhere
used of a shout of re- joicing
and triumph, it has been explained
either (I) ironically, as by
Qimchi, "Triumph if thou canst, it
is rather for me to triumph now;" so
in the Marg. of our A. V.; or (2)
of the forced homage, the shout of
welcome and gratulation extorted by
the victor from the vanquished. (Comp.
ii. 11, xviii. 44 [45]) Ewald and
others understand it of the cry of
fear and sorrow, a sense which the
Hiph. of the verb has, Micah iv.
9, Is. xvi. 4. In the parallel passage
in cviii. 10 we have the easier
reading, "Over Philistia will I
shout aloud," i.e. in triumph, which
Hupfeld would adopt here. This
Hithp. form of the verb oc- curs
again only in the Ps. cvii; and in
lxv. |
9. The application of these Di- vine
promises to the present con- dition
of the nation. WHO WILL CONDUCT ME, as the expression
of a wish apparently = "Oh
for one to conduct me!" THE FORTIFIED CITY. Comp. xxxi.
21 [22]. Although the article is
wanting, still some particular city may
be meant, the absence of the article
being not uncommon in poetry.
Hengstenberg thinks that "the
wonderful rock-built city of others
that Rabbath Ammon or Rabbath
Moab, is meant; Calvin, that
the noun is used collectively of
fortified cities generally. WHO HATH LED ME. The change
of tense is not easily ac- counted
for. Hengst. understands it
as "the pret. of faith, which
an- ticipates
the future, and so repre- sents
the matter to itself as if God had
already led forth. perduxerit me, referring to xi. 3. Others
take this second question as an
answer to the first, "Who will bring?"
&c. "He who hath brought me
unto duction
to the Psalm. 10. HAST NOT THOU, &c. This might
also be rendered "Wilt not" (or,
Is it not) Thou, 0 God, (who) has
cast us off, and goest not forth," &c.,
the reference being to ver. I, there
being an ellipse of the relative after
the personal pronoun. (So Symm.,
the LXX., Vulg., Jerome.) But
in cviii. 11 [12], where the pas- sage
is repeated, it is without the pronoun,
and consequently the rela- tive
cannot be understood. See also
xliv. 9 [10]. |
PSALM
LX.
475
For vain is the
salvation of man.
12 Through God shall we do
valiantly;
And it is HE (who) shall
tread down our adversaries.
As rendered above the meaning will
be; Hast thou in the past re- jected
us, and wilt Thou not in the future
change Thy dealing towards us
and go forth? &c. But the second
clause may only mark the consequence
of the first: Hast Thou |
not,
&c. . . . and goest not forth, i.e.
so that Thou goest not forth, &c.
Or, as Kay: Alas, Thou goest
not forth, reading the second clause
as if uttered with a sigh. 12. DO VALIANTLY. Comp. cxviii. 16
and Numb. xxiv. 18. |
a tUdfe NwaUw
lfa. In the
great darkness which envelops this and other
inscriptions
it is impossible to explain the words satisfactorily, but they
most
probably denote the measure or melody to which the Psalm was to
be
set. See on xlv. note a. For Michtam, see on xvi. note a.
dm.elal; "to teach,"
i.e. intimating that it was to be taught to the people,
perhaps
with reference to Deut. xxxi. 19. See also 2 Sam. i. 18.
OtOc.haB; "when he warred
with," or perhaps, as Hengst., "when he
laid
waste," from the meaning of the Qal in Jer. iv. 7. LXX. e]nepu<rise.
‘n
‘x
viii.,
but in David's second Syrian
expedition (2 Sam. x.) the kings of
therefore
as a matter of course be engaged in both wars. The exact
position
of Aram of Zobah is uncertain, but it is usually supposed to lie
between
the Euphrates and
bwAy.Ava. "When Joab returned and smote" (not "again smote") on his
way
back, i.e. from the expedition against Zobah, as is said 2 Sam. viii.
13.
There however David himself, and in I
Chron. xviii. 12, Abishai,
is
said to have been in command of the forces ; on which discrepancy
sent
by his brother on this particular expedition, defeated the enemy."
Hlam,
xygeB;. The
low
marshy tract, impregnated with salt, south of the
named
from the neighbouring salt-mountain on the western shore of the
sea.
In 2 Kings xiv. 7, the Edomites are said to have been defeated there
by
Amaziah with a loss of 10,000 men. There is a discrepancy here in
the
title, when compared with the accounts in Samuel and Chronicles, as
to
the number of the slain, which in those Books is estimated at 18,000,
whether
arising from a confusion in the numbers Mynw and hnmw, or in
any
other way, it is impossible now to say.
b UnlA
bbeOwT;.
The l
may perhaps be used, as in the later Hebrew more
especially,
to mark the object. It is possible, however, that the object is
to
be understood; "restore to us
(Thy favour, or salvation, or the like)."
Hupf.
would supply the object from the preceding verb, "Appease Thine
anger towards us,"
referring to the phrase Jx bywh, "to let go, to appease
anger,"
and to the similar passage, Is. xii. 1. If however it is necessary
476 PSALM LX.
to
assume any object, the simplest way is to find it in the verb, bbeOwT;
being
= "give restoration, or refreshment," to us; as in lxxii. 4, faywiOy,
‘x
yneb;l;,
"He shall give salvation to," &c. The verb here in the fut. is
nearly
equivalent to the imperative, though there is implied in it not only
entreaty,
but a confidence that the prayer will be granted, so that it might
be
rendered "Thou wilt restore us." See a similar instance in lxi. 2
[3].
c hlAfer;Ta
Nyiya. The
two nouns are in appos. and must be rendered
accordingly.
It is out of the question to assume that the stat. abs. is here
used
for the constr. There is no proof that the one ever stands for the
other.
The first noun is immediately subjoined to the verb as more
closely
defining its action: "Thou hast given us to drink infatuation, or
bewilderment,
as men drink wine." So Hupf. explains the construction,
referring
to lxxx. 6, "Thou hast made them feed upon weeping like
bread;"
I Kings xxii. 27, "Feed him with affliction as bread, and with
affliction
as water" (CHala MyimaU not ‘l
ymeU); Is.
xxx. 20. But the apposition
is
capable of being explained in another way; for the second noun may
in
fact be a predicate further defining the first: "Thou hast given us
wine
to drink which is (not wine but) bewilderment." Luther gives the
sense
very well: "Du hast uns einen Trunk Wein gegeberi, dass wir
taumelten."
hlAfer;Ta, lit. staggering
as from intoxication. Comp. Is. li. 17,
"cup
of staggering," here however applied to confusion and stupor of
mind,
the helplessness, the bewilderment, the giddiness, which made them
so
easily beaten down before their enemies. As Calvin, vinum stuporis,
vertiginis, which he explains,
"potio quae mentes sensu et intelligentia
privat."
The ancient interpreters were perplexed with the word. The
LXX. oi#non katanu<cewj. Aq. karw<sewj. Symm. (who is nearer
the mark)
sa<lou. The Chald. FvAl;, cursing. Syr.
, wine in the dregs.
Jerome,
vino consopiente.
d sseOnt;hil;. This may either be
Hithpal. from sUn—so Gesen. takes it,
"to
betake themselves to flight," but this does not occur elsewhere—or
Hithpo.
from Din, "to lift themselves up," so Zunz: "sigh zu
erheben,"
the
participle of this last form occurs Zech. ix. 16. But the Targ. on that
passage
refers tsos;not;mi, not to the rv,ne yneb;xa, but to the people
flocking
homewards.
With the word sne, "banner," immediately preceding, the
verb
would seem to be used here in its reflexive conjugation, as a denom.
verb
from sne,
the sense of "gathering round the banner." According to
the
first rendering, the sense would be, "Thou hast given a banner to
them
that fear Thee, not as a presage of victory, but rather of defeat,
only
that Thy people may flee before the archers of the enemy." This, it
is
said, is required by the context, which speaks only of disaster and defeat.
But
I do not see why a transition should not be made in these words to
the
prayer which follows. Why may not the Psalmist find encouragement
in
the thought that God had given to His people a banner to which they
may
flock, a standard round which they may range themselves, and base
upon
this fact his prayer: "That Thy beloved may be delivered, Save,"
&c.?
For the position of the Selah, comp.
lvii. 4.
PSALM
LXI. 477
e Fw,q
yneP;mi.
This has been rendered "because of the truth," i.e. on
behalf
of it, in order to defend it; as Maurer, dimicaturi
pro sacris avitis.
The
word F;w;q
does indeed occur parallel with tm,x<, Prov. xxii. 21, and
the
Chald. FOwq;
in the same sense, Dan. ii. 47, iv. 34. And Aq. has here
bebaio<thtoj. But yneP;mi cannot mean
"because of, for the sake of," like
rUbfEba, rbaD; lfa, &c. Delitzsch
indeed argues that it has the sense of
propter,
not only in later Hebrew, as Neh. v. 15, but in earlier, as in
Deut.
xxviii. 20, but neither passage is really in point. In the one
"because of the fear of God," and in
the other "because of the
wickedness
of
your doings," the prep. really = "owing to;" but here "because of the
truth"
does not mean "owing to the
truth," but for the sake of it.
Maurer
with
no better success appeals to Is. x. 27. He suggests, indeed, another
explanation,
taking Fw,qo
in the sense of fides,—"Probter
fidem, ut promissa
tua
impleres, i.e. to ipse ut solveres promissum de exilio nos reduxisti"
(he
supposes the Psalm to have been written after the Exile). But it is
far
better, following the LXX., Syr., Ar., AEth., Symm., Jerome, Vulg., to
take
Fw,qo
here as = tw,q,.
The interchange of the t and F to may be seen
in
the Syr. a and the Chald. xFAwUq, and the prep. will
then retain
its
usual signification (comp. Is. xxxi. 8). The rendering of the Syr.
transl.
(who must have read UsUnyA xlo) gives really the best
sense: "Thou
has
given to them that fear Thee a banner, that they should not flee from
before
the bow."
f trAz;f,. On the form of this
word with termination ath, see on
xvi.
note
k.
PSALM
LXI.
THE title of this Psalm ascribes it
to David but does not say
under
what circumstances it was composed (though according to the
Syriac
Version it was when Jonathan revealed to him Saul's design
to
slay him). There is no reason to doubt that David was the
author,
and the language of ver. 2 renders it probable that it was
written
when he was shut out from the sanctuary, and therefore either
during
his persecution by Saul or during the rebellion of Absalom.
Ver.
4 makes the latter the more probable occasion. At a time
when
the Tabernacle had itself no settled resting-place, the wish to
dwell
and abide in it, as Delitzsch has rightly remarked, is not so
natural
as afterwards, when the
Again, if, as is most probable, the
king spoken of in ver. 6 is
David—Bishop
Colenso's suggestion that Saul is meant is violently
improbable—then
it is clear that the Psalm must have been written
478 PSALM
LXI.
after
he was king, and therefore in his flight from Absalom and on
the
other side of the
not
thus speak of himself in the third person, the Psalm may still
have
been composed under the same circumstances, by one of the
friends
who accompanied him.
It consists of two principal
divisions, ver. 1—5 and ver. 6—8.
But
these again admit of sub-divisions.
I. First, we have the usual
introduction. Ver. 1.
Then, the prayer, and the ground on
which it rests. Ver. 2, 3.
Then, the ardent wish to dwell in
the sanctuary of God, accom-
panied
by the reason for such a wish. Ver. 4, 5.
II. Hopes expressed concerning the
king. Ver. 6, 7.
Finally, the usual conclusion, the
vow of grateful praise. Ver. 8.
[FOR
THE PRECENTOR. ON A STRINGED INSTRUMENT.a (A PSALM)
OF DAVID.
I.
I HEAR my cry, 0 God,
Attend unto my prayer.
2 From the end of the earth unto
Thee do I call, when
my heart is overwhelmed:
To a rock which is too high for me,
Thou wilt
lead me.
For Thou hast been a refuge for me,
2. FROM THE END OF THE EARTH.
A strong hyperbolical ex- pression
by which the sacred Poet would
describe his own sense of his distance
from the sanctuary, or from the
The
feeling is that which is ex- pressed
in xlii. 6 [7], and other Psalms. IS OVERWHELMED, or "faint- eth."
The verb means literally "to
cover," as in lxxiii. 6, title of lii.;
hence "to cover one's face in sorrow,"
and then as here, " to be overwhelmed
with distress." TO A ROCK, lit. "Upon a rock," the
full construction being, "Thou |
wilt
lead me to and place me upon," &c.
(Lee, Heb. Gram. § 230, 8.) The rock
is a place of security (comp. xl.
2 [3] ), but it is one which he cannot
reach by his own unaided effort, "che e troppo alta da salirvi da
me." Diodati. THOU WILT LEAD ME. The words
may be either thus rendered as
an expression of confidence (future),
or as a prayer (imperative) See
on lx. 1 [3]. There is the same ambiguity
in ver. 6. 3. This appeal to God is now based,
as commonly in the Psalms, on
the past experience of His mercy. |
PSALM
LXI.
479
A strong tower from the
face of (the) enemy.
4 Let me sojourn in Thy tabernacle
for ever,
Let me find refuge in
the hiding-place of Thy
wings.
[Selah.]
5 For Thou, 0 God, hast hearkened to
my vows,
Thou hast given (me) the
possession b of them that
fear Thy
Name.
II.
6 Thou wilt grant the King a long life,
His years (wilt Thou
make) as many generations.
7 He shall sit (on his throne) for
ever before God.
Loving-kindness and
truth do Thou appoint c to
preserve
him.
8 So let me sing of Thy Name for
ever,
That I may pay my vows
day by day.
A STRONG TOWER, as in Judg. ix. 51,
Prov. xviii. 10, "The name of Jehovah
is a strong tower." 4. LET ME SOJOURN. Or, "I will sojourn
therefore." See notes on xv.
I, xxvii. 4. IN THY TABERNACLE, or "tent."
The
expression would hardly have been
employed after the Temple was
built, and hence it is almost certain
that the Psalm belongs to the
time of David. See xv. 1. FOR EVER, lit. "(for) ages." Comp.
xxiii. 6. THY WINGS. The figure is bor- rowed,
as the parallelism shows, from
the outstretched wings of the Cherubim
over the Mercy-seat. See lvii.
i [2]. 5. THE POSSESSION. Primarily this
would be the land of Canaan, and
then it would include all bless- ings,
temporal and spiritual, which were
in fact implied and com- prised
in the possession of the land. 6. THOU WILT GRANT, &C., lit. "Days
to the King's days wilt |
Thou
add." The king, according to
the Targum, is the King Messiah. The
eternal duration of the king- dom
here anticipated no doubt led to
this interpretation. But in the original
sense of the passage, not merely
an individual monarch, but the
dynasty, the whole royal house of
David may be meant. But see note
on xxi. 4. The king is spoken of in the third
person, but the Psalm may nevertheless
have been written by David
himself. Others take this and the next verse
as a prayer: "O prolong the
days. . . May his years be. . . May
he sit, &c." Mendelss. makes v.
7 dependent, "that he may sit upon
his throne." 7. HE SHALL SIT. The verb may only
signify "He shall abide, dwell," but
when spoken of kings and judges
it is commonly employed in the
more formal and solemn sense of
sitting on the throne, the judge- ment-seat,
&c., as in ix. 7., xxix. Jo, &c. |
a tnayinin;-lfa. Qimchi observes,
"although the noun is with a Pathach, it
is
not in the constr. state, and there are many like instances." So too
480 PSALM .LXII.
the
usual one in Phoenician." Comp. tmak;HA, Is. xxxiii. 6.
Otherwise we
must
read tOnynini, as in the title of Psalm iv.
b tw.aruy;. The older Versions all
render, "Thou hast given a heritage to
them
that fear Thy name." And so Maurer, but not Ewald, as Hupfeld
asserts,
who stigmatizes the rendering as ungrammatical. But surely that
depends
on how far we press the meaning of hTAtanA . It may be rendered,
"Thou
bast appointed (not necessarily given) the possession of them
that
fear," &c., which comes to the same thing as " Thou hast given a
possession
to them," &c.
c Nma, apoc. imperat. Piel of
hnm.
(For similar forms see cxix. 18,
Lev.
vi. 2.) The Chald. renders it, "from the Lord of the world," and
therefore
perhaps read hOAhy; Nmi. The LXX., Syr., and
Arab. take the
word
as an interrogative pronoun, which it is in Aram., but not in
Hebrew.
PSALM
LXII.
THIS Psalm and the 39th are Psalms
which, though very different
in
their subject, yet are so similar in the phraseology which they
employ,
that there can be no doubt that they were written by the
same
author. Ewald supposes, from the 11th [12th] verse of this
Psalm,
that he was a Prophet, and one of the great supporters of
true
religion in the struggle with the corrupt men of his time. We
see
him here, he says, contending with men, his fellow-citizens, who,
upheld
and favoured by a worldly power which was just starting into
fresh
life, endeavoured for this very reason to drag him down into
the
dust, because they could not endure his spiritual greatness and
superiority.
Long had they attacked him; now they felt sure of his
overthrow.
But, strong in his trust in God, though assailed and
threatened
afresh, the divine Poet places himself in calm resignation
in
the hands of the one true Redeemer, and not only finds in Him,
rest,
refreshment, strength for himself, but is also enabled to en-
courage,
enlighten and comfort others.
Scarcely anywhere do we find faith
in God more nobly asserted,
more
victoriously triumphant; the vanity of man, of human strength
and
riches, more clearly confessed; courage in the midst of peril
more
calm and more unshaken, than in this Psalm, which is as
forcible
in its conception and its language, as it is remarkable for the
vigorous
and cheerful piety which it breathes.
PSALM
LXII.
481
Donne, in his sermon on ver. 9, says
that Athanasius "observes in
the
Psalm a summary abridgment of all: for of this Psalm he says
in
general, Adversus insidiantes,
Against all attempts upon thy body,
thy
state, thy soul, thy fame, temptations, tribulations, machinations,
defamations,
say this Psalm . . . . not that therein David puts himself
to
weigh particular temptations and tribulations, but that he puts
every
man, in every trial, to put himself wholly upon God, and to
know,
that if man cannot help him in this world, nothing can; and
for
man, Surely men of low degree are vanity,
and men of high degree are
a lie; to be laid in the
balance they are altogether lighter than vanity."
—Sermon lxv.; Works, vol. iii
p. 137, Alford's Edition.
The
Psalm consists of three strophes of four verses each. The
first
two express the blessedness and security of trust-in God when
enemies
assail, ver. 1-4 and ver. 5-8. The last places in forcible
contrast
with this the folly of reliance on man, ver. 9-12.
[FOR
THE PRECENTOR. AFTER THE MANNER OF JEDUTHUN.a
A PSALM OF
DAVID.]
From Him (cometh) my salvation
2
Only He is my rock and my salvation,
I ONLY. The particle may be so rendered
as restrictive; or, surely, as
affirmative. It occurs no less than
six times in the Psalm. In xxxix.
5, 6 [6, 7], it is repeated three times
in three successive lines, one of
the indications that the two Psalms
are by the same author. Our
translators have rendered it differently
in different verses of this Psalm:
in ver. I, truly; in vers. 2, 4,
5, 6, only; in ver. 9, surely: but it
is better to keep the same word throughout,
at least in the same Psalm.
If we render only, the meaning
will be here that God ex- clusively
is the object of trust; if surely, that this truth,
that God is his
salvation, has come home to the
Psalmist with a more lively con- viction,
with a more blessed cer- tainty,
than ever. Hupfeld thinks that
in ver. 4, [5] the rendering surely is necessary, and
therefore |
that
this is to be prefered through- out;
on the other hand, in ver. 5 [6], only is certainly more,
suitable. The first line of the verse ren- dered
literally is, "Only unto God my
soul is silence," (Cf. Lam. iii, 25),
i.e. is hushed into perfect resig- nation
before Him, simply trusting in
His Love, and leaving all that concerns
me to the disposal of His fatherly
will. "It is," says Calvin, "that
settled submission, when the faithful
rest in the promises of God, give
place to His word, obey His rule,
and keep down every murmur of
passion in their hearts." But this,
as he also remarks most truly, is
the result, not of one only, but of many
struggles with the temptations of
Satan. 2. MY SALVATION. The repeti- tion
of the word is not without meaning.
Not only does his salva- tion
come from God, but God is his |
482 PSALM LXII.
My
high tower, (so that) I cannot be greatly c
moved.
3
How long will ye set d upon a man,
Will ye all of you break (him) down,e
As (though he were) a bowing wall, a
tottering
fence?f
4
Only from his dignity have they taken counsel to
thrust him down,
They (who) have pleasure in lies,
(Who) bless (each one) with his
mouth, and curse
inwardly. [Selah.]
II.
5 Only upon God (wait) in silence, 0 my soul,
For from Him is my hope.
6
Only He is my rock and my salvation,
salvation.
The Being on whom he waits,
the loving Person in whom he
trusts, the God whose arms compass
him about is to him all that
is comprehended in that great word
salvation. He heaps these epithets
upon God, says Calvin, that he
may use them as so many shields against
the assaults of Satan. 3. Having thus strengthened him- self
in his God, the Psalmist turns to
address his enemies. The form of
the address is very similar to that in
iv. 2 [3]. There, they are men who
would turn his glory (i.e. his kingly
dignity) into shame, as here they
would thrust him down from his
high place. There too, as here,
they have pleasure in lies. But
here the circumstance "that they
bless with their mouth, but curse
inwardly," points to men who had
worn the courtier's mask of a smooth
hypocrisy, in order to con- ceal
the better their designs against his
life and honour, but who had thrown
it off, as soon as they found that
they could do so with safety. When
he was in peril, when he seemed
to be already tottering to his
fall, like a wall shaking and giving
way, then they were ready |
to
finish the work by thrusting him down
altogether. 4. EACH ONE WITH HIS MOUTH. As
the pronominal suffix is singular, it
must be thus rendered distribu- tively.
Comp. Is. ii. 20, v. 23. 5. WAIT IN SILENCE. The first strophe
opens with the expression of
his resignation; this, with the exhortation
to resignation. But this is
no contradiction. The life of man's
spirit cannot always preserve the
same even tenour. The heart of
man is like the sea; however calm
and smooth it may seem, a light
air will ruffle its surface. The resignation,
the trust in God, the peace,
the rest which have come after
long struggle and much prayer, may
too easily be broken. And hence,
when these have been at- tained,
we need to exhort ourselves to
them in renewed measure. FOR FROM HIM IS MY HOPE. "He
never disappoints the patient abiding
of His children. There is laid
up, he says, a sure reward for my
silence, and therefore will I re- strain
myself, lest my haste should hinder
the course of my salvation." —Calvin. 6, 7. Still further he strengthens |
PSALM
LXII.
483
My high tower (so that) I cannot be
moved.
7
Upon God (resteth) my salvation and my glory;
The rock of my strength, my refuge,
is in God.
8
Trust in Him, at all times, 0 people;
Pour out your hearts before Him.
God is a refuge for us.
[Selah.]
III.
9 Only a breath are men of low degree, men of high
degree a lie;
In the balances they will kick the
beam, g lighter
than a breath
altogether.
himself
in God, and again heaps up one
expression upon another, that he
may, as it were, feel how safe and
sure the ground is under him, how
little reason he has to be dis- quieted,
whatever man may do unto him.
(See note on ver. 2.) Then having
thus encouraged himself, he turns
to encourage others. On these reiterated names of God,
Donne beautifully observes, in
the Sermon before quoted: "Twice
in this Psalm hath he re- peated
this, in the second and in the
sixth verse, He is my rock, and my salvation, and my
defence,
and (as
it is enlarged in the seventh verse)
my refuge and my glory. If my
refuge, what enemy can pursue me?
If my defence, what tempta- tion
shall wound me? If my rock, what
storm shall shake me? If my salvation, what melancholy
shall deject
me? If my glory, what calumny
shall defame me? . . . . Let
him that is pursued with any particular
temptation, invest God, as
God is a refuge, a sanctuary. Let
him that is buffeted with the messengers
of Satan, battered with his
own concupiscence, receive God,
as God is his defence and target.
Let him that is shaked with
perplexities in his understand- ing,
or scruples in his conscience, lay
hold upon God, as God is his rock and his anchor. Let
him that hath
any diffident jealousy or sus- |
picion
of the free and full mercy of
God, apprehend God, as God is his
salvation; and him that walks in
the ingloriousness and contempt of
the world, contemplate God as his
glory. Any of these notions is enough
to any man, but God is all these,
and all else that all souls can think,
to every man."—Works, vol. pp.
154, 155. 7.
UPON GOD. Comp. vii. 10 "My
shield is upon God." 8. 0 PEOPLE. This may either mean
men generally, or the people of
Psalm
be David's, it may refer to his
immediate followers. The word is
used in this sense of retainers, followers, &c., Judg. iii.
18, I Kings xix.
21. These he exhorts to faith and
prayer, that, like himself, they may
learn the lesson of patience; and
as in ver. 7 he had claimed God
as his own refuge, now he as- sures
them that He is their refuge as
well—God is a refuge for us. 9. In vivid contrast to that sure help
and refuge which are to be found
in God, the Psalmist now places
the weakness and worthless- ness
of man's strength and man's resources. LIGHTER THAN, or, "they are all
vanity together." A BREATH. Symm. a]tmo<j. Comp. with
this and the next verse, note on
xxxix. 5, 6, and the passage there
quoted from St. James. |
484 PSALM LXII.
10
Trust not in oppression, and in robbery be not vain;
When wealth increaseth, set not
(your) heart
(thereon).
11
Once hath God spoken; twice have I heard this;
That power (belongeth) unto God.
12
And to Thee, 0 Lord, (belongeth) loving-kindness,
For THOU rewardest every man
according to his
work.
MEN
OF LOW DEGREE, &c., lit. "sons
of (common) men, sons of (great)
men." Comp. xlix. 2 [3]. 10.
BE NOT VAIN, i.e. put not a foolish
trust in. The verb is a very expressive
one, from the same root as
the word rendered "breath" above.
Comp. Jer. ii. 5. INCREASETH, lit., "germinates,"
"sprouts." 11. In conclusion, the sacred Poet solemnly
confirms his previous ex- hortation
by an appeal to God's revelation. ONCE ... TWICE, i.e. many times. Comp.
Job xxxiii. 14, xl. 5. (The LXX.
du<o tau?ta, "These two things" have
I heard, viz., that strength and that
loving-kindness belong unto |
God.)
This is the substance of the
revelation, that God is both a God
of power and a God of love. If
we need strength, we shall find it
not in man, who is but as a fleet- ing
vapour, but in God, who is Almighty.
If we covet a reward, let
us seek it not in robbery or in
riches, but from the loving hand of
Him who rewardeth every man according
to his work. (Comp. Rom.
ii. 6.) This is the only truly worthy
representation of God. Power
without Love is brutality, and
Love without Power is weak- ness.
Power is the strong founda- tion
of Love, and Love is the beauty and
the crown of Power. |
a NUtUdy;. See xxxix. note a. The prep. lf here makes it doubtful
whether
the person of that name be meant.
Hence Rashi supposes it to
be
the name of a musical instrument, and Mendels. that it was invented
by
Jeduthun, and so called after his name.
b hy.AmiUD. Some, as Ges. and
Stier, take the word as an adj., after the
analogy
of hy.AkiOB; hy.AyiOP, but then it ought to be hy.AmiOD. It is better there-
fore
to take it here as a subst. (as it is in xxii. 3, xxxix. 3, and lxv. 2)
the
form having the same analogy to hmAUD, as hy.AliylifE
Jer. xxxii.
19, to
hlAylifE; but I do not see that it is necessary
to consider it an accus. abs.,
as
Hupf. does, in Schweigen, much less
is there any ellipse of B;, as
others
suppose; the noun is forcibly put in apposition with ywip;na, “my
soul
is silence," i.e. is hushed in absolute resignation, waiting upon God.
Comp.
cix. 4, hlA.pit; ynixEva, "but I am prayer," i.e. give myself
only to
prayer.
c hBAra, An adv., as perhaps
Job xxxi. 34, and as tBara, lxv. 10, and else-
where.
Rashi, Qimchi and others take it as an adj., supplying a noun
hFAOm, from the verb FOm.x,.
PSALM
LXII.
485
d Utt;OhT; occurs nowhere else.
The old attempts to derive it from htx
and
from tOUha
(as Qimchi explains tvvh vbwHt, whence the E. V. devise
mischief) are contrary to every
rule of language, and, as
could
only belong to the childhood of Hebrew grammar. Most probably
the
root is kindred with the Arab. , prop. to speak in a rapid,
broken, disorderly
manner,
and then to break, &c. The Chald.
renders,
"will
ye be tumultuous?" The Syr. "are ye incited or provoked?" The
LXX.
e]piti<qesqe. Vulg. irruitis. Aq. e]pibouleu<ete. Jerome, insidiamini
(and
so Rashi, Ibn Ezra, and Qimchi, "plot against"). Symm.
mataioponh<sete.
e UHc;rAT;. According to the
reading of Ben-Asher, which is followed by
the
Western Jews, this is for the Pual, UHc.;rAT;, which is given by Baer
in
his
text. So Ab.-Ez. and Qimchi, and so the E. V. The reading of Ben-
Naphtali,
which is adopted by the Eastern Jews, is the Piel, UHc.;raT;, and
this
is expressed by most of the ancient Versions. The LXX. foneu<ete,
Vulg.
interficitis. Similarly the Syr. and
Ethiop. The reading of the
text
without the Dagesh, and with the vowel Kametz, is peculiar. The
Kametz
cannot be explained as compensating for the absence of the
Dagesh
(as Ew. § 83, c, and Luzzatto, § 417, suppose), because there is no
Metheg.
Hence it must be read t'rots'chu,
which would make it a Poel
form,
like m'loshni, ci. 5.
As regards the meaning of the word, Hcr signifies commonly to
slay,
but
here it seems to be used in the original sense of the root to break
down.
Comp. the noun Hcar, in this sense in xlii. 11.
r hyAUHD;ha
rdeGA. As
the noun is elsewhere masc., and the art. prefixed to
the
part. when the noun is indefinite (though not contrary to grammatical
rule)
is unnecessary, and deviates from the constr. in the parall. 'n
ryqi, it
is
perhaps better to read (with Olsh., Hupf., and
g tOlfEla. The infin. constr.
with l
is used here for the imperf. (accord-
ing
to Ges. § 132, 3, Rem. 1), or, as
express
the future periphrastically. See xv. 14 [15], note g, xlix. 15.
Hab.
i. 17. It marks intention, purpose, &c. Our own idiom is similar
in
such phrases as, He is for going,
&c. So here, "(When laid) in the
balances
(they are) ascending," i.e. will certainly go up, kick the beam.
Hupfeld
contends that hlf does not refer to the going up of the lighter
scale
of the balance, but to the putting (up)
into the balance of the object
to
be weighed. The verb xWn is so used, e.g. Job vi. 2, and see Ges.
Thes.
in v. Hence he would explain, "when they are laid in, or weighed
in
the balance." tOlfEla, he observes, may be taken, as often, as
a gerund:
"beim Aufsteigen (ascendendo) d. i. indem
sie aufgelegt werden." And so
he
renders: "Auf Wagschalen gehoben,
sind sie leichter," &c. This is no
doubt
a possible rendering, but the reasons he gives for rejecting the other
are
strangely weak: they are (1) that the dual is used, whereas only one
scale of the balance goes up;
(2) that in what follows there is no meaning,
without
doing violence to the accents, or arbitrarily supplying something,
486 PSALM LXII..
and
even then only an artificial meaning. But in answer to (1) it is suffi-
cient
to say, that the Hebrew has no singular to express one scale of the
balance;
and in answer to (2), that only the same word of comparison is
supplied
which Hupf. himself is obliged to supply when he renders, "sie
sind
leichfer als ein Hauch." The
deviation from the accents is not of
any
great moment, but it may be avoided by taking the two clauses
separately:
In the balances they ascend;
(They are lighter) than a breath
altogether.
The
last clause, moreover, need not be rendered as comparative; lb,h,me
may
mean, "of, i.e. consisting of, a
breath," or "of
nothing," "breath-
like."
Comp. Is. xl. 17, xli. 24, where there is a similar ambiguity, though
Is.
xliv. 11 is, as
Symm.
au]toi> mataiou?ntai o[mou?. LXX. yeudei?j oi[
ui[oi> tw?n a]nqrw<pwn e]n
zugoi?j tou?
a]dikh?sai, au]toi> e]k mataio<thtoj e]pitoauto<.
PSALM LXIII.
THIS is unquestionably one of the
most beautiful and touching
Psalms
in the whole Psalter. Donne says of it:
"As the whole book
of
Psalms is oleum effusum (as the
Spouse speaks of the name of
Christ),
an ointment poured out upon all sorts of sores, a cerecloth
that
supples all bruises, a balm that searches all wounds; so are
there
some certain Psalms that are imperial Psalms, that command
over
all affections, and spread themselves over all occasions,—
catholic,
universal Psalms, that apply themselves to all necessities.
This
is one of those; for of those constitutions which are called
Apostolical,
one is, that the Church should meet every day to sing
this
Psalm. And, accordingly, St. Chrysostom testifies, ‘That it was
decreed
and ordained by the primitive fathers, that no day should
pass
without the public singing of this Psalm.’" And again, he
observes
that "the spirit and soul of the whole Book of Psalms is
contracted
into this Psalm." — Sermon lxvi.;
Works, vol. iii.
pp.
156, 157.
In many respects the Psalm bears a
striking resemblance to Ps. lxi.,
and
both Ewald and Maurer observe that the two must clearly be
referred
to the same circumstances and the same author. That the
author
was David I see no reason to doubt. Characterized as it is
by
an exquisite tenderness and a deep personal affection towards
God,
and yet not wanting, withal, in energy and even a certain
abruptness
of expression, it bears all the marks of his poetry. Ac-
cording
to the inscription, it was written in the wilderness of
PSALM LXIII. 487
which
would seem to intimate that it was written during his perse-
cution
by Saul (comp. I Sam. xxii. 5; see also xxiii. 14, 15, 24, 25,
xxiv.
2). But against this is verse 11, where David, as in lxi., speaks
of
himself in the third person, and speaks of himself as king. Hence
it
is more probable that the Psalm was composed when he was on
the
other side of the
tenderness
and, depth of feeling which characterize it, and which it
has
in common with xlii., are what might be looked for in a heart
sorely
wounded and tried in its natural affections, and therefore
cleaving
with the more intense, devoted love to Him, of whom it
could
say, "Thou hast been my help, Therefore in the shadow of
Thy
wings will I shout for joy."
It is remarkable that in this Psalm,
as in the last, there is no
petition.
There is gladness, there is praise, there is the most exalted
communion
with God, there is longing for His Presence as the
highest
of all blessings; but there is not one word of asking for
temporal,
or even for spiritual good.
The Psalm consists of two principal
divisions:
I. The longing of the heart for God,
and the joy of the heart in
communion
with Him. Ver. 1-8.
II. The anticipated destruction of
his enemies, and his own
triumph
in consequence. Ver. 9-11.
[A
PSALM OF DAVID. WHEN HE WAS IN THE WILDERNESS OF
JUDAH.a]
I. I O
GOD, Thou art my God, earnestly do I seek Thee;
My soul thirsteth for Thee, my flesh
pineth b for
Thee,
I. I SEEK THEE, not as the E.V. Early will I seek
Thee." The noun
which signifies "the dawn, the
early morning," and the verb "to
seek," are both from the same root,
and are both to be referred to
the same primitive idea. The meaning
of the root is to break in, and
hence this in the verb passes into
the signification of seeking (earnestly),
and in the noun the dawn is so called as that
which breaks in upon the darkness. MY FLESH, i.e. "my body," an- swering
to "my soul" in the parall., |
and
so describing the whole man. Comp.
xvi. 8 [9]. So again, lxxxiv. 2
[3], "My heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God." In that intense
worship in which every thought,
feeling, desire, affection are
centred in the One true Object of
Love, body and soul both take their
part. It is as a living man, every
pulse of his being filled with the
love of God, that he responds to
that love. And when he cries out
"O God, Thou art my God," this
is not merely an appropriation of
God as the God of his worship |
488 PSALM LXIII.
In a dry and weary c land
where no water is.
2
So d have I gazed upon Thee in the sanctuary,
To see Thy power and Thy glory;
3
For Thy loving-kindness is better than life;
My lips shall praise Thee.
4
So will I bless Thee, while I live,
In Thy Name will I lift up my hands.
and
trust: it is the heart of flesh stretching
out its human affections towards
Him who has a personal affection
for His creature, and whose
loving-kindness it knows to be
better than life. IN A DRY AND WEARY LAND. Some
understand this literally, as describing
the wilderness of in
which David was, according to the
title of the Psalm. Others sup- pose
that the language is figurative, and
expresses the spiritual thirst and
weariness of one who is shut out
from God's Presence in the Sanctuary.
(In this last case a comparison
is implied, with the not uncommon
omission of the particle of
comparison: Symm. has w[j e]n g^?, k.t.l.; see on xlviii. 7 [8].) There can
be no doubt that the last is the true
interpretation. Nevertheless, the
figure may perhaps have been suggested
by the natural objects which
immediately surrounded the Psalmist,
as afterwards the allu- sion
to the jackals, ver. 10. 2. So; that is, with the same ardent
desire, or, such views have I
had in past time of Thy glory, &c.
See Critical Note. To SEE or, "beholding." THY POWER AND THY GLORY. The
special manifestation of these attributes
was in the Comp.
lxxviii. 61, where God is said.
to have given His power and His
beauty (= glory here) into the adversary's
hand, when the was
taken: see also 1 Sam. iv. 21, where the glory of God in like man- ner
is identified with the 3. FOR. According to some, the particle
gives the reason for the |
longing,
ver. 1. According to others, it
refers immediately to the last clause
of ver. 2. "To see Thy power
and Thy glory, for Thy loving-kindness,"
&c., this third attribute
of God being inseparable from
the other two, so that they who
see His power and glory, see His
loving-kindness also. But as ver.
2 is quasi-parenthetical, I think the
first explanation of the use of the
particle the more probable. Hupfeld
would transpose the clauses
again, as in the preceding verse:
My lips shall praise Thee, For,
&c. And so Mendelss. But this
is hardly necessary. The ren- dering
of our own Version, "Be- cause
Thy loving-kindness," &c. "My
lips shall praise Thee," may be
defended; see Gen. iii. 14, 17, where
in like manner the causal sentence
with yKi because, precedes. LIFE, in all the fulness of its earthly
meaning. Life, and all the blessings
of life, as they are com- monly
enjoyed (as Calvin, "omnia media
quibus statum suum tuentur homines,
terrena subsidia"). Comp. xvii.
13 [14]; Jer. viii. 3. 4. So, i.e. either with the same yearning
affection, with the same heart
of love and thanksgiving; or, accordingly,
consequently
(because of
Thy loving-kindness), as in lxi. 8
[9]. There is no reason to take the
So in this verse as answering to
the So in ver. 2. The connection between
the first four verses is not very
exact, but may be traced as follows:
My soul longeth for Thee (ver.
1). With the same longing with
which I now desire to see Thee,
I once did see Thee in Thy |
PSALM LXIII. 489
5
As with marrow and fatness shall my soul be satisfied,
And with lips of joyful songs my
mouth shall
praise (Thee).
6
When e I have remembered Thee upon my bed,
In the night-watches I meditate upon
Thee.
7
For Thou hast been a help unto me,
And in the shadow of Thy wings will
I sing for
joy.
8
My soul hath followed hard after Thee,
Thy right hand hath upholden me.
sanctuary
(ver. 2). This longing is
because of Thy loving-kindness, which
is more precious than all else
(ver. 3). Accordingly, I will praise
Thee all my life long (ver. 4). WHILE
I LIVE, lit. "in, during, my
life;" not as Hengst. "when brought
back to life, or to salva- tion." IN THY NAME, see xx. I [2], 5
[6], liv. 1 [3]. On the lifting up of
the hands, as the gesture of prayer,
see xxviii. 2. 5. AS WITH MARROW AND FAT- rich
and splendid banquet. Comp. xxii.
26 [27], 29 [30], xxiii. 5, 6. Hupfeld,
following J. H. Mich., thinks
that the reference is imme- diately
to the sacrificial meal which accompanied
the thank-offering, here
used as an image of thanks- giving
(comp. 1. 13 [14], liv. 6 [8], &c.),
and that the comparison is between
his delight in rendering thanksgiving
to God, and the en- joyment
of the fat of the sacrifices. But
the simpler explanation is the more
probable. Comp. Deut. xxxii. 14,
Is. xxv. 6, Jer. xxxi. 14. LIPS OF JOYFUL SHOUTING, or lips
of singing. 6. WHEN I HAVE REMEMBERED .
.. I MEDITATE. The heart having begun
to occupy itself with the thought
of God and His goodness, recalling
all His loving-kindness in past
times, continues to dwell upon it
through the hours of the night. Others
would connect this verse |
with
the preceding, thus, "My lips shall
praise Thee, when I remember Thee,
&c.; when I meditate, making
the two clauses of this verse co-ordinate. IN THE NIGHT-WATCHES, i.e. the whole
night through. According to
the O. T. division, there were three
watches. (Comp. Lament. ii. 19, Judg. vii. 19, Ex. xiv. 24.) Ac- cording
to the Roman reckoning, which
we find in the N. T., four. 7. On this verse Donne remarks: "Now
as the spirit and soul of the whole
Book of Psalms is contracted into
this Psalm, so is the spirit and soul
of the whole Psalm contracted into
this verse."—Sermon lxvi. vol.
iii.
p. 157. It embraces, as he observes,
the "whole compass of time,
past, present, and future;" David,
in the present distress, find- ing
support in the past, and from that
sure ground looking forward with
confidence and joy to the future. IN THE SHADOW OF THY WINGS. Comp.
xvii. 8, xxxvi. 7 [8], lvii. 1 [2], lxi.
4 [5]. That which David "pro- mises
himself, is not an immunity from
all powerful enemies, nor a sword
of revenge upon those ene- mies
[but see ver. 10]; it is not that he
shall have no adversary, nor that the
adversary shall be able to do him no
harm, but that he should have a refreshing,
a respiration, in vela- mento alarum, under the shadow of God's
wings."—Donne, p. 170. 8. The verse describes the mutual |
490 PSALM LXIII.
II. 9 But they
to (their own) destruction f seek my soul;
They shall go into the lower parts
of the earth,
10 They shall be given over g to the
power of the sword,
A portion for jackals shall they
become.
11
But the king shall rejoice in God:
Every one that sweareth by Him shall boast himself;
For the mouth of them that speak
falsehood shall be
stopped.
relation
of the soul and God. The soul
follows after God and cleaves to Him
(the expression in the Hebrew is
literally, "my soul hath cleaved after
Thee," so that the two ideas of following
and cleaving are mingled); and
God, on the other hand, stays and
upholds the soul with His right hand.
Out of that Hand of Power and
Love neither man nor devil can pluck
it. 9. Upon our modern feelings and thoughts
this and the next verse seem,
perhaps, somewhat to jar. We
pass all at once into a different atmosphere.
We have come down, as
it were, from the mount of holy aspirations,
into the common every- day
world, where human enemies are
struggling, and human passions are
strong. Yet this very transition, harsh
as it is, gives us a wonderful sense
of reality. In some respects, it
brings the Psalm nearer to our own
level. The man who has been pouring
out the fervent affection of his
heart towards God is no mystic or
recluse, lost in ecstatic contem- plation,
but one who is fighting a battle
with foes of flesh and blood, and
who hopes to see their malice defeated,
their power crushed, and their
carcases left to be the prey of |
jackals
in the wilderness. What may
be called the human force of character
remains even amid thoughts
whose impassioned ear- nestness
is not of this world, and whose
strain of intensely exalted spiritual
fervour is such as but very few
can reach. BUT THEY. The pronoun used emphatically,
as placing his enemies in
sharp contrast with himself. INTO THE LOWER PARTS OF THE EARTH.
The expression seems here to
denote Sheol or Hades. The sentiment
is the same as in ix. 17 [18],
lv. 15 [16]. In cxxxix. 15 it de- notes
merely "darkness, obscurity." In
Is. xliv. 23 it seems to mean little more
than the earth, as opposed to the
heavens. The LXX. ei]j ta> katw<- tata th?j gh?j. Comp. Eph. iv. 9. 11. THE KING. See Introduction to
the Psalm, and comp. lxi. 6 [7]. EVERY ONE THAT SWEARETH BY HINT,
i.e. every one to whom God is the
object of religious fear, and trust, and
worship (comp. Deut. vi. 13, Is.
xix. 18, xlv. 23, lxv. 16, Am. viii. 14),
the Psalmist himself, and his friends
and companions. Those on the
other hand who, because they have
no fear of God, seek to prevail by
lies, shall be confounded. |
a
‘hy rBad;mi. "The
wilderness of
appears
to be synonymous with Arabah. See
Smith's Dict. of the Bible,
i.
1156 b. The Chaldee, Aq., and Symm. follow the Hebrew text here,
but
the LXX. have ]Idoumai<aj, and they are followed by the Arab. and
Ethiop.,
Jerome and the Vulg. Bellarmine tries to reconcile this by sup-
posing
that the wilderness of Idumaea was the larger name, compre-
hending
the whole region, of which a part was called "the wilderness of
PSALM
LXIII. 491
David
was in the wilderness of
fled
from Saul, whereas the Psalm must clearly be referred (see Introduc-
tion)
to the time of Absalom's rebellion. Tholuck (who refers to Robin-
son,
ii. p. 495) observes that this wilderness extends along the western
shore
of the Dead Sea, and higher up along the west bank of the
Here
David halted, waiting for news from
the
river, probably by the same ford, near Gilgal, by which he afterwards
returned
from Mahanaim.
b h.maKA. The word occurs
nowhere else in the Bible. It may, however,
be
explained by the Syr. , which Castell
explains, caligine offusus
est, exccecavit, and the Arab. , "to become dark, as the eye
through
blindness,
the mind from faintness," &c. See Gesen. Thes. in v.
c JyefA, adj. masc. instead of
fem. (to agree with Cr,x,), as in the parall.
passages,
cxliii. 6, Is. xxxii. 2. Similarly in other cases where two adjec-
tives
come together, the nearer agrees with the noun fern., and the more
distant
remains in the masc. gender. Comp. I Kings xix. 11, hlAOdG;
HaUr
qzAHAv;, I Sam. xv. 9, Is. xiv. 9, and even in
the predicate, Is. xxxiii. 9 (Ges.
§
147, Rem. 1). The difficulty however here is, that hy.Aci is prop. a noun,
not
an adj. Hence some (as Ven. and
yriWAB;; others, as Schm. and Hengst., to the
subject, as a relative sentence
ubi
lapsus sum (conf. lxviii. 10, hxAl;niv;).
d NKe. The use of this
particle here is full of difficulty. So, how? To
what
does it refer? (I) Ewald: So, namely, as his God, has the Poet
seen
Him before in the splendour of the
praising
His glory and majesty; and so as his God, does he still ever bless
Him,
the P in ver. 4 [5] thus answering to the other, and txor;li having a
gerundial
sense (videndo): he renders,
"So hab' ich dich im Heiligthum
geschaut
E;rblickend deine Macht
and Herrlichkeit."
(2) Oetinger: even so, i.e. with the same thirsty longing, have
I gazed
upon
Thee in the sanctuary. Very similarly Calvin: "particulae sic non
leve pondus inest, acsi diceret: Quamvis in hac
solitudine nihil nisi triste
et horridum appareat, ut ipsa loci asperitas possit
obtenebrare oculos;
ego tamen in gloriae et virtutis tuae intuitu me exerceo,
perinde acsi in
Sanctuario
essem."
(3) Others, again, as Diod., Thol.,
take the particle So as introducing
the
reason of his intense longing based on past experience. "My soul
longeth
for Thee, so (i.e. in such beauty and glory) have I seen Thee in
times
past in the sanctuary." See the same use of NKe, as giving a reason,
in
Is. 14.
(4) Luther supposes the particle So to describe the condition in which
the
Psalmist is. sc. being in this dreary waste, thus at a distance from the
sanctuary,
and renders the following perf. as a present, "Daselbst sehe
492 PSALM LXIII.
ich
nach dir in deinem Heiligthum, wollte gerne schauen." This, at any
rate,
is better than to take it with others (as Ges.), as a future or optative,
which
is contrary to the plainest grammatical rules.
(5) Perhaps we may, with the E. V.,
transpose the clauses of the verse.
rxor;li then depends upon the verbs in ver. 1
[2], and 73 must be rendered
so as = rw,xEKa. So also Rashi, Mendels., Zunz, and Hupfeld,
the last of
whom
further supposes that a like transposition of clauses has taken place
in
all the following verses, to the end of ver. 8 [9]; an arrangement which
certainly
obviates some of the grammatical difficulties of the passage.
On the whole, I incline to the
interpretation, "So, i.e. as I now long
after
Thee, and desire to see Thee, in the same way have I gazed at Thee
in
the sanctuary, in order to see Thy majesty," &c. The use of in
cxxvii.
2, is, it seems to me, very similar (see note there).
e Mxi, here used as a
particle of time, followed by the perf. as fre-
quently,
xli. 7, xciv. 18, Amos vii. 2, &c. Some, however (as
would
make this clause co-ordinate with the following, and so render hG,h;x,
also
as a past, meditabar. In his 2d ed.
dein
gedenke . . . . sinn' ich." Others, again, would connect the clause
with
Mxi,
with the preceding verse. I think it better, however, to regard
the
first clause as the protasis, and the second as the apodosis. Symm.,
well,
a]namimnhsko<meno<j sou
e]pi> th?j strwmnh?j mou, kaq ] e[ka<sthn
fulakhn
e]mele<twn se.
f hxAOwl;
hm.Ahev;.
The pron. with the prefixed is used, as commonly,
with
an emphatic meaning, and may of itself denote the Psalmist's
enemies,
without any further description of them, the sense being clear
enough
from the context. It would be possible, however, to render, "But
they (shall be) for
destruction (or, doomed to destruction), who seek my
soul,"
the relat. being understood in the usual way. The rendering,
"They
who seek my soul to destroy it," is objectionable, as inverting the
order
of the words in the Hebrew. The LXX. express hxAOwl; by ei]j
ma<thn, and therefore, perhaps,
read xv;wala, though Hupf. considers the one
as
the fern. form only of the other. hxAOw means, properly, a
downfall
with
a crash. Comp. xxxv. 17.
g UhruyGiya, lit. "they shall
pour him out," which = "he shall be poured
out,"
the act. 'verb being used with indefinite subject instead of the
passive.
See note on lviii. 7 [8]. The suffix of the pron. is used in the
sing.,
as often, instead of the plur. (see v. to, vii. 3), and may perhaps
be
explained distributively: "Every one of them shall be poured out,
i.e.
given
over." On tnAm; see xi. note c; xvi. note h.
PSALM LXIV. 493
PSALM
LXIV.
THIS Psalm contains a stirring and
vigorous picture of the plotting
by
which evil men were aiming at the Psalmist's life. It opens, as
is
usual in such Psalms, with a cry to God against their machinations;
it
describes at length the methods they take to accomplish their
purposes;
and it concludes with a confident prediction of their
sudden
and utter overthrow. We have already observed a similar
strain
of feeling in other Psalms, such as the 52d, 57th, 58th, and
59th.
In all these we find allusions to the mischief done by the
tongue of the wicked: in the
last three the same figures are employed,
the
tongue, and its words, being compared to arrows and swords.
Comp.
lxiv. 3, 4 [4, 5] with lvii. 4 [5], lviii. 7 [8], lix. 7 [8].
The
Psalm is said to be David's, and Ewald observes that it so
nearly
resembles Psalm vii. that one might be tempted to ascribe it
to
David, did not a careful comparison contradict such a supposition.
But
where there is this admitted resemblance, the minute criticism
may
very well be distrusted, and the title suffered to stand.
The Psalm is regular in its
structure, but scarcely admits of
strophical
division. We have, however, after the introductory
petition
in ver. I, 2,
I. The description of the wicked and
their devices. Ver. 3-6.
II. The destruction which shall
assuredly come upon them, and
which
shall fill the righteous with joy. Ver. 7-10.
[FOR THE PRECENTOR. A PSALM OF
DAVID.]
I
HEAR my voice, 0 God, in my complaint,
From terror of (the) enemy preserve
my life.
2
Hide me from the conspiracy of evil-doers,
From the raging of (the) workers of
iniquity;
2. CONSPIRACY. This word de- whereas the word RAGING, in the
notes
any kind of familiar inter- parallelism,
means properly, a noisy,
course,
but generally secret converse, tumultuous assemblage. Jerome,
plotting,
&c. (see on xxv. note g); a tumultu. The noun is from the
494 PSALM LXIV.
3
Who have sharpened their tongue, like a sword,
(Who) have aimed their arrow, (even)
a bitter word,
4
That they may shoot in (their) lurking-places at (the)
perfect:
Suddenly do they shoot at him and
fear not.
5
They strengthen themselves in an evil purpose;
They reckon how they may lay snares
privily;
They say, Who shall
observe them?
6
They devise iniquities;
They have perfected
a the device devised (by them);
And the inward part of each (of
them) and the heart is
deep.
same
root, as the verb "raged" in ii.
I. Comp. lv.. 14 [15]. 3. HAVE AIMED. The verb is used
commonly of bending the bow, but
is transferred also to the aiming of
the arrow; see lviii. 7 [8]. For the figures
employed, comp. lii. 3 [4]. 4. AND FEAR NOT, i.e. without scruple
or remorse, having no fear of
God, who takes vengeance on the
wicked (comp. lv. 19 [20]). There
is a play in the Hebrew on the
two words, "shoot " and "fear." 5, 6. These verses carry on the picture
of the plots of these evil men,
and especially describe their resolute
persistence in their schemes, their
confidence of success, and the depth
and subtlety of their designs. 5. THEY "STRENGTHEN THEM- SELVES,
or, "they harden them- selves,"
lit. "They strengthen for themselves
an evil thing (word)," i.e.
they take every means to secure their
object, follow it up resolutely, &c. So Reuss: "ils assurent leur mauvaise
cause." THEY RECKON; each part of their evil
plot being, as it were, carefully gone
over and enumerated. See the
same word in like sense, lix. 12 [13],
lxix. 26 [27]. THEY SAY, i.e. within themselves, they
think, as the word is often used in
such phrases; for the fuller ex- pression
see x. 6. |
WHO SHALL OBSERVE THEM? The
question is an indirect one, for which
the Syr. substitutes the direct, "Who
shall observe us?" The pron.
them refers to the speakers, not
to the snares. The prep. with the
pronoun is not merely instead of
the accus., but marks more dis- tinctly
the aim of the verb. Lit. "Who
shall see (look) at them," as I
Sam. xvi. 7. 6. THEY DEVISE or, "they search out."
And the next clause may be rendered,
if the present reading is correct:
"We have accomplished (say
they) a diligent search." THEY HAVE PERFECTED. This word
is grammatically difficult of explanation.
See Critical Note. AND THE INWARD PART, or, "inward
thought," as in xlix. 11, &c.
This last clause is added loosely,
as a further explanation of the
character of the men. Tholuck, who
supposes the Psalm to have been
written by David at the court of
Saul, when he became aware of the
plots by which others were seeking
to injure him and traduce him
to the king, sees in this clause the
expression of amazement which fills
the mind of the upright, honest youth,
when he first becomes aware of
the deep duplicity and treachery of
the aspirants to royal favour, by whom
he was surrounded. |
PSALM
LXIV.
495
7
But God hath shot at them with an arrow;
Suddenly have their wounds come.
8
And He hath made them stumble, (with) their own tongue
against them;b
And all that look upon them shake
the head.
9
And all men have feared,
And they have declared God's doing,
And His work have they
considered.
10
The righteous rejoiceth in Jehovah, and hath found refuge
in Him;
And all the upright in heart boast
themselves.
7. The Divine judgement is now painted
as if actually fulfilling itself before
the very eyes of the Psalmist. Hence
the verbs are in the past tense,
by which a certain dramatic effect
is produced, which is lost when
they are rendered in the future. So
vividly is the Divine judgement anticipated,
that it is as if already accomplished. The first clause might stand thus, according
to the accents: "But God
hath shot at them with a sudden
arrow," or the verse might be
divided as follows: "But
God bath shot at them: (With) a sudden arrow have been their wounds." But
the first of these methods of |
punctuation
leaves the second clause strangely
bare. The second has the support
of the LXX., Symm., Aq. &c.
But the punctuation I have adopted,
which is that of our A.V. Ew.
and best.
The arrow of God (comp. vii.
12 [13], xxxviii. 2 [3]) thus an- swers
to the arrow of the wicked, ver.
3. 8. HE HATH MADE, &C. SO with
a slight change of the vowel- points
; or, with the present read- ing,
"they have been made to stumble."
SHAKE THE HEAD. For this
meaning of the verb, comp. Jer.
xviii. 16, xlviii. 27; for the gesture,
as one of malicious triumph in
looking upon suffering, &c., see xxii.
7 [8]. |
a Unm;.Ta. This, as it stands,
can only be for Unmo.Ta, plur. pret. of Mmt,
and
must either be (1) the triumphant assertion of the wicked, glorying in
the
success of their plans: "They devise iniquities (saying), We have
accomplished
the device (we had) devised" [or, if be Mmt intrans. "we
are
ready (with) the device," &c., or, as Hitz. "wir
ausgedacht"];
or (2) which is still more hard and abrupt, the complaint
of
the righteous, "We are cut off," i.e. without the help of God, by the
devices
of these men. The same form, without the connecting long vowel,
and
consequently with the Dagesh dropt, occurs Numb. xvii. 28 [13 E.V.],
Jer.
xliv. 18, and (with Kametz) Lam. iii. 22. In the first two of these
passages
it is certainly I pers. plur., and it may
be so in the last, as it is
rendered
in the E. V., "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not con-
sumed."
But there, as here, the 3d pers. is preferable: the difficulty, how-
ever,
is to account for the form Unm;.Ta, instead of Um.Ta. Some, as Qimchi
496 PSALM LXIV.
and
Buxt., suppose the n to stand instead of the doubling of the m, and
would
defend its position as standing after
instead of before the consonant
which
ought to be doubled, by reference to hAyn,z;fuma for hAyz,.fumA, Is. xxiii. 11.
It
is better, however, either to read Um.Ta, they have perfected, or, with
many
MSS. Unm;FA,
they have hidden (i.e. in their
heart), and so Rashi,
Luth.,
Ven., Dod., Schnurr.
b Uhluywik;y.ava. Qimchi explains:
"And they shall make it, viz. their
tongue,
fall upon themselves." For this position of the pronom. suffix in
anticipation
of the proper object, the noun, he refers to Exod. ii. 6, Job
xxxiii.
20. But in this case the suff. ought to be fem., as the noun (tongue)
is.
The suff., if the reading is correct, can only refer to the enemies, the
sing.
standing for the plur. by a not unfrequent enallage of number (see
on
lxii. 4 [5]). Then the act. verb in 3 pers. plur. is used impersonally for
the
passive (comp. lxiii. 11, xlix. note i): "they (i.e. men) make them
fall,"
= "they are made to fall," and the subjoined clause need not be
considered,
contrary to the accents, as an independent clause, but may
describe
further the manner of their fall: "And they have been (shall be)
made
to fall (with) their own tongue (turned) against themselves." This
gives
a good sense, and describes their punishment as a righteous retribu-
tion.
I prefer, however, by a very slight alteration, to read Uhleywik;y.ava, the
subject
being God: "And He hath made them (lit. "him") stumble,"
&c.
Reuss arranges the clauses differently:
Mais
Dieu va leur lancer sa fleche:
Soudain
ils sentiront les coups qui les renverseront:
Leurs
calomnies retomberont sur eux.
PSALM LXV.
WE can hardly doubt that this
beautiful Psalm, "marked by the
brilliant
vivacity of its poetic colouring," was composed on the
occasion
of an abundant harvest, and was intended to be sung as a
hymn
of thanksgiving by the whole congregation gathered before
God
in
the
time was one of great political convulsions, of a shaking of
nations
and kingdoms, in the midst of which God had manifested
His
goodness to His people. The Psalm connects together these
two
great concurrent instances of God's protecting care and love.
He
had given peace to
her.
He had crowned her with the year of His goodness when
drought
and famine seemed to threaten. "The Hearer of prayer"
PSALM
LXV.
497
had
heard the petitions of His people, when they met to confess
their
sins and to make known their need before Him; and now it
was
but fitting that they should gather again within His courts, there
to
thank Him for His mercy, and to show forth all His praise.
This twofold character of the Psalm
is best explained by referring
it
to the time immediately subsequent to the destruction of the
Assyrian
army before
promised,
Is. xxxvii. 30, should follow that event; and the fields so
lately
trampled beneath the feet of the invader seemed now, with
their
waving crops, to sing and shout for joy.
The title of the Psalm assigns it to
David, but it is impossible to
read
it and not to feel that it bears every evidence of a later date.
So
strong indeed is this evidence, that even Delitzsch, who is usually
a
strenuous supporter of the Inscriptions, abandons the tradition
here,
and with Ewald thinks that the Psalm was written about the
time
of Sennacherib's overthrow (i.e. about 712 B.c.).
The Psalm consists of three
strophes:
I. The opening is an expression of
the thoughts and feelings with
which
the congregation may fitly approach God, now that they come
to
thank Him for His goodness. Ver. 1—4.
II. Then follows the celebration of
the mighty acts of Jehovah,
both
in the world of nature and also among the nations, so that His
name
is known and acknowledged to the ends of the earth. Ver.
5-8.
III. Lastly, the special
thanksgiving which is called forth by the
refreshing
rain which God has sent, and the rich and glorious harvest
which
is already waving and ripening before their eyes. Ver. 9-13.
The difference between the first and
last strophe in the mode of
expression
is striking. In the first, there is a certain abruptness.
The
thoughts follow one another, not indeed altogether without
order,
but without anything like formal cohesion. In the last, on
the
other hand, the language flows with the thoughts. The bright
harvest-scene
is before the eyes of the inspired singer. He stands
looking
on the fields white already to the harvest, and his soul
within
him rejoices in their glorious promise. The Poet and the
world
without him are at one accord. The fulness of joy in his
heart,
as he sees how his God has poured blessing upon the land,
passes
as it were by a contagion of sunny gladness into the inani-
mate
creation, and the very cornfields seem to him to shout together,
yea
to sing for joy.
498 PSALM LXV.
[FOR
THE PRECENTOR. A PSALM OF DAVID. A SONG.]
I.
I FOR Thee praise waiteth,a O God, in
And unto Thee is (the) vow paid.
2
0 Thou that hearest prayer,
Unto Thee doth all flesh come.
3
Iniquities b have prevailed against me,
1-4.
In these verses, whilst the equivalent
to a plural. The verb
meaning
of the separate sentences is
manifestly a present, stating the
is
clear, it is not equally easy to actual
fact.
trace
the line of thought. I believe 2. O THOU THAT HEAREST
it
to be this: In Zion God is known, PRAYER.
This is the very character
there
He is praised and worshipt. of
God. "He describes not what
He
is the hearer of prayer; that is has
once happened, but clothes God
His
very character, and therefore with
this everlasting attribute (per-
all
flesh comes to Him. All who petuo ornatu), as though he said,
feel
their weakness, all who need God
can no more be deaf to the
help
and grace, seek it at His hand. prayers
of His people than He can
It
is true that they who thus come, deny
Himself."--Calvin.
come
with the burden of sin upon UNTO THEE DOTH ALL FLESH
them:
their iniquities rise up in all COME.
By flesh is meant man in
their
strength and might, and would his
weakness and need, but the
thrust
them away from the presence word
scarcely includes here (as
of
the Holy One. But He Him- Hengst.
and Hupf.) other animals.
self,
in the plenitude of His mercy, covers
those iniquities, will not look upon
them, and so suffers sinners to
approach Him. And how blessed are
they who, reconciled and par- doned,
are thus suffered to draw nigh.
Of that blessedness may we ourselves
be partakers, may we be filled
and satisfied therewith. 1. WAITETH, lit. "is silent,"
the word
being used apparently meta- phorically,
in the sense of resting, and
so of waiting. So Diodati, "laude t' aspetta in Sion." The meaning
is, as Calvin observes, that God
is so gracious to His people that
He supplies them every day with
fresh subject for praise. Others, however,
explain it of the silence of
the heart in devotion, "there is silence
before Thee (and) praise." See
Critical Note. IS (THE) VOW PAID. The noun in
the singular here is used col- lectively,
and may be considered as |
It
is clear, however, that the pri- vilege
of access to God is not in- tended
to be confined merely to the Israelites,
or so general an expres- sion
would not have been chosen. It
is again, as in the last verses, the statement
of a fact, true generally, true
so far as men pray at all. Tholuck
carries this so far as to say
that even prayers offered in blindness
to other gods yet reach the
true God (see a similar remark in
R. Cecil, Remains, ii. 517), and supposes
these to be contrasted with
the prayer offered to God in Calvin and others, who render the
verbs in the future, see here a prophecy
of Christ's kingdom, and of
the conversion of the heathen, as in
Is. xlv. 23, 24. But the general tenour
of the Psalm does not sup- port
this view. 3. INIQUITIES, lit. "things (or words)
of iniquities," perhaps not |
PSALM
LXV. 499
(But) as for our transgressions,
THOU coverest them.
4
Blessed c is he whom Thou choosest,
And bringest near that
he may dwell in Thy courts!
Oh let us, then, be satisfied d
with the blessing of
Thine house,
The holy e place of Thy
temple,
II.
5 With terrible things f in righteousness dost Thou
answer us, 0 God of our
salvation,
merely
pleonastic, but intended (as the
object more distinctly. HAVE PREVAILED, lit."have been too
strong for me." Comp. xl. 12 [13].
It is the remembrance of this which
brings up before the mind the
one great obstacle to approach to
God: the next line telling us how that
obstacle is removed. Calvin well
explains: "Although our ini- quities,
as they deserve repulse, would
cast us far from Thy sight, yet
because Thou showiest Thyself ready
to be reconciled, they will not prevent
the course of our prayers." Comp.
Is. lix. I. 2. AGAINST ME. The pronoun of the
first pers. sing. comes in some- what
abruptly. whole
congregation here speak as one
man. It is more probable that the
Psalmist makes a personal ap- plication
to himself of that which was
true of all, putting his own guilt
however in the first place, as Daniel
also confessed his own sins first
(Dan. ix. 2o), and then those of the
people. THOU COVEREST, or "forgivest," lit.
"makest atonement for." See on
xxxii. I. The pronoun is em- phatic,
as though to express the conviction
that God and God alone could
do this. Reuss softens the abruptness by connecting
the two clauses of the verse thus: "Quand le poids des pechés nous accable, c'est toi qui pardonnes
nos transgressions." 4. BLESSED. See notes on xv. I, |
xxvii.
4. This blessedness is here felt
especially as vouchsafed to God's
chosen, as the privilege of ("Blessed
is he whom Thou choos- est"),
and also as flowing from the forgiving love of God, who
covers the
transgressions which else would separate
from Him even His chosen. OH LET US BE SATISFIED. "For all
that God's grace offers us we can give
no better thanks than that we hunger
and thirst after it, and that the
poor empty soul be satisfied therewith."—Delitzsch. HOLY PLACE OF THY or
perhaps, "with the holiness of Thy
temple." 5. The Psalmist now approaches more
nearly to his main subject: and
first, he declares God's wonders on
behalf of His people, wonders so
great and so signal that all the earth
has been made to know that there
is a God in TERRIBLE THINGS (as elsewhere, "great
things," "wondrous things"), commonly
used of God's great acts wrought
in behalf of cially
in their deliverance out of 23;
Ps. cvi. 22, cxly. 4, &C.) DOST THOU ANSWER US (not fut.
"Thou will answer us," but), now,
as at all times, when our need is
sore, IN RIGHTEOUSNESS (comp. Is.
xlii. 6), that being the very foun- dation
of God's moral government of
the world, and that righteousness being
manifested in the salvation of
His people as in the overthrow |
500 PSALM LXV.
Thou
that art the trust of all the ends of the earth,
and of the sea, afar off:
6
Who setteth fast (the) mountains by His strength,
Being girded about with might;
7
(Who) stilleth the roaring of (the) seas,
The roaring of their waves,
And the tumult of the nations.
8
Therefore they that dwell in the ends g (of the earth)
are afraid at Thy signs;
of
their enemies; a cloud and dark- ness
to these, but a light and defence to
those. TRUST. "The meaning is," says Venema,
"that God is the most certain
help and defence of men, whether
He be acknowledged by them
and trusted in or not." Tho- luck
thinks that the congregation, "lifting
up their hearts to the survey of
God's wondrous works, declare the
conviction that whatever of blessing
and of consolation all the nations
of the earth receive, issues from
this source only, wherein is involved
the confession, that all prayers
of the heathen also, however perverted
their ideas of the Deity may
be, still in reality mount to the throne
of the God of Israel." (See above
on ver. 2.) He then refers to the
testimony of the Prophet Amos (ix.
7), that the same fatherly Hand which
led also
guided and blessed heathen nations.
But here, as in ver. 2, it is
the claim of God to be thus recognized
and trusted .in which is asserted.
God is the hearer of the prayers
of all. He is the only object of
trust, even though all do not pray
to Him or trust in Him. As Luther
well says: "One may run over
the wide world, even to its utmost
extremity, yet Thou art the only
foundation on which the trust of
a man's heart can rest." At the same
time, there is an anticipation of
a universal recognition and wor- ship,
such as could not but spring up
in the hearts of those who were |
met
together on such an occasion as
this, to record God's wonderful works.
In Ps. lxvii. this antici- pation
becomes more nearly pre- dictive. AFAR OFF. The word is properly an
adj., and may, as Hupf. takes it, belong
to the noun "ends," the con- struction
being "the distant ends of
the earth and sea." Comp. Is. xxvii.
15. He refers to lxiv. 7, Is.
lxvi. 19, as compared with v. 26,
viii. 9, xxxiii. 17. And so Diodati:
"confidanza di tutte l'es- tremita le piu lontane della terra e
according
to the accent the con- struction
is "sea of the distant ones,"
i.e. the dwellers on distant coasts
and islands. 6, 7. Mountains and seas are not to
be understood figuratively, but literally,
the statement being that the
same God who stills the earth- quake
and hushes the storm gives peace
also to contending kingdoms and
nations. Both in the natural and
the political world He rules. The
sea and the nations are men- tioned
together, the one being so often
used as an image of the other. See
xlvi. 8. THEREFORE. I have thus ren- dered
the Vau consec. as marking the
consequence. Lit. "and (accord- ingly)
they have feared." SIGNS. In like manner shmei?on is
used in the N. T. of miracles as "tokens
and indications of the near
presence and working of God" (Trench).
Or as Basil says: e@sti |
PSALM
LXV. 501
Thou
makest the outgoings h of the morning and
evening to sing for joy.
III.
9 Thou hast visited the earth, and made it overflow,i
Thou greatly enrichest it with the
brook of God,
which is full of water;
Thou preparest their corn,
For so dost Thou prepare
the earth.
shmei?on pra?gma fanero>n
kekrumme<nou tino>j kai> a]fanrou?j e]n
e[aut&? th>n dh<lw- sin e@xon. Calvin: "opera
Dei in- signia,
quibus gloriae sure notas insculpsit;"
and then observing that all
God's works, those which appear to
us the most ordinary or the least, do
still manifest Him, he adds, "miraculis
kat ] e]coxh<n tribuitur hoc nomen,
quia illic clarius refulget Dei
majestas." OUTGOINGS, or rather the places where
morning and evening have their
birth ("les lieux d'ou surgis- sent 1'aube et le crepuscule," Perret- Gentil;
"portals," Kay), the East and
West; the meaning being, that all
things, the inanimate as well as the
animate creatures, from the rising
to the setting of the sun,break forth
into songs of joy before God. Briefly, verses 5—8 may be sum- med
up thus: the whole wide world, its
mountains and its seas, and all the
dwellers in the world from one end
of it to the other, are in the hand
of God, wait upon Him, and He
makes all to rejoice. 9. With this verse begins the special
subject of thanksgiving, the thanksgiving
for the harvest. It is manifest,
from the use of the perfect tenses in ver. 9, 11, 13,
that this is not
merely a general acknowledge- ment
of God's goodness in bring- ing
the fruits of the earth to maturity,
but has reference to a particular
season. THOU HAST VISITED THE EARTH, or
perhaps "the land." Comp. Jer. xxvii.
22. On this Arnd. (quoted by
Hengst.) says : "The Holy Spirit
makes use of a homely word when,
in describing the fertilizing |
genial
rain, he terms it a visiting of
the earth. When a visit is made by
rich and affectionate friends, they
do not come empty, but bring with
them a blessing or good gift to
testify their favour and love. Thus,
although God is over all, and
fills heaven and earth, He does
not at all times leave traces or
marks of His presence. But when
in time of drought He gives a
gracious fertilizing shower, it is as if
He paid us a visit, and brought along
with Him a great blessing, that
we might mark His love and goodness." THE BROOK OF GOD, not as the Chald.
"reservoir," and others "the clouds,"
but rather "the rain." The Arabs
have the same expression. Schultens
quotes from Hist. Tamerl., p.82,
the Arabic proverb: "When the (in
venly
stream as opposed to earthly streams;
called a brook or channel (it
is rather rivulet than river; Mendelss.
has Brünnlein), (see on i.
3) with reference to the irrigation of
the land by means of such. It is
full of water, whereas the wells which
men dig, the channels which they
cut, dry up and cease to flow. It is uncertain as regards the construction
whether "the brook of
God" is a second object of the verb
as rendered above, or whether it
is the subject of a fresh clause, "The
brook of God is full of water." So, i.e. by sending the rain. The present
tenses are employed here to
express that this God does not in
one year only, but every year. |
502 PSALM LXV.
10
Thou waterest k the furrows thereof abundantly,
Thou settlest the ridges
thereof;
With showers of rain Thou makest it
soft;
Thou blessest the
springing thereof.
11
Thou hast crowned the year with Thy goodness,l
And Thy tracks drop fatness;
12
The pastures of the wilderness drop (therewith),
And with gladness the hills gird
themselves.
13
The meadows are clothed with flocks,
The valleys also are covered over
with corn:
They shout for joy
together, yea they sing.
THE EARTH. The Hebrew has only
the pronoun "it," but this is hardly
intelligible in English. The pronomival suffixes THEIR and
IT are used somewhat freely, the
first referring to men (as the dwellers
in the earth), and the last to
the earth itself. The repetition of the verb pre- pare seems designed to mark
that all
is God's doing. He prepares the
earth, and so prepares the corn. 10. WATEREST ABUNDANTLY, soakest,
drenchest, givest to drink to
the full. Jer. xxxi. 14, "satiate;" Prov.
vii 18. SETTLEST, lit. "pressest
down," describing
vividly the effect of a
rich and abundant rain. The same
word is used of bending a bow
in xviii. 34 [35], where see note.
The ridges are the lines of earth
thrown, up by the action of the
plough between the furrows. SPRINGING. The word means "abud,"
or "fresh shoot." It is rendered
"bud" by the Gen.-Vers. here
and by our A. V. in Is. lxi. Reuss
: "ses jeunes pousses." 11. WITH THY GOODNESS. I have
so rendered somewhat doubt- fully,
because no exactly parallel construction
supports the transla- |
tion
(see Critical Note). The other rendering,
"Thou hast crowned the
year of Thy goodness," gives no
bad sense. The year of God's goodness
would mean the year in which
it had been emphatically dis- played
(comp. Is. lxi. 2); and this might
be said to be crowned with the
harvest. THY TRACKS, prop. marks of the chariot-wheels. Comp. xviii. 10 [I
I], Deut. xxxiii. 26, Is. lxvi. 15. 12. THE PASTURES OF THE WIL- DERNESS.
Comp. Job xxxviii. 26, 27.
But the wilderness does not mean
a bare desert, as the word "pastures"
shows; it is merely contrasted
with the cultivated arable land. 13. THE MEADOWS. See on xxxvii.
20. Is. xxx. 23. THEY SHOUT TOGETHER, striv- ing,
as it were, and vying with one another
in their gladness; as the reflexive
form of the verb denotes. Ewald
and a
new subject here—men, or all creatures,
shout, &c. But nothing can
be more beautiful, or more truly
poetical, than the figure by which
the valleys waving with corn are
said themselves to shout and sing. |
a hy.AmiUD has been variously
interpreted. The LXX. soi> pre<pei u!mnoj;
Jerome,
Tibi decet hymnus, "Praise is
comely for Thee;" and so the
older
Versions generally, as if they read hy.AmivD (as the Rabb. commenta-
PSALM
LXV.
503
tors
punctuate the same word in lxii. 2), part. of hmd, "to be like,
suit-
able."
This has been adopted also by Hitz. and Ewald. But retaining
the
present punctuation, hy.miUD, "silence," "silent
resignation," explana-
tions
differ. (I) Some, as Gei., De Wette, Ges., suppose an asyndeton :
"For
Thee there is silence, (and) praise," i.e. Thou art worshipt both with
the
heart's stillness and with the words of men's lips [or with resignation
(in
sorrow) and with thanksgiving (in joy)]. (2) Others, as Qim., Calv.,
Cocc.,
&c. "Praise waiteth for Thee." (3) Luth.,
(is
given) to Thee (in) silence," i.e. in the deep stillness of the heart's
de-
votion,
as opposed to the loud, noisy service of heathen worshipers. Of
these,
either (2) or (3) seems preferable. hy.AmiUD is clearly a predicate
; and
the
constr. in lxii. 2 is quite parallel, "My soul waiteth (is silent) for
God,"
i.e. yields itself to Him in quiet resignation.
b 'f yreb;Di, perhaps not merely
pleonastic, but, as Delitzsch suggests,
enumerative,
denoting the variety of circumstances, &c. (See xxxv. 20,
CV.
27, cxlv. 5, and 1 Sam. x. 2, 2 Sam. xi. 18.) Comp. the somewhat
similar
use of the Greek xrh?ma, xrh<mata. It would be possible,
however,
to
render: "iniquitous words."
c yrew;xa, with relat. omitted as
lxxi. 18, lxxxi. 6, &c. NKow;yi in the next
clause
is a subordinate clause marking the purpose. (Ew. § J37 b.)
d hfAB;W;ni, not fut. but either
opt. or possibly conjunct., "that we may be
satisfied,"
though this does not suit the connection so well.
e wdq; (instead of wd,qo). See xlvi. note d.
f tOxrAOn, not an adv. as cxxxix.
14, but a second accus. after the verb
UnnefETa, which is here a pres. or rather an
aorist, as denoting an action
continued
and repeated.
g tOcAq; from tcAq;, properly stat. constr.
for tvac;qi from hvAc;qi, fem. of vc,q,
or
rather UcqA.
(Hupf.)
h yxecAOm, "the places
whence the morning and evening go forth," i.e.
the
East and West. Strictly speaking, the expression can refer only to
the
morning ( xcy
being
always used of the rising sun), but by zeugma, or
attraction,
the word is made here to refer also to the evening.
Ewald
gives
somewhat similar expressions from the poets of Arabia and
Zunz,
in his translation, avoids the difficulty by rendering, "des Morgens
Aufgang,
and den Abend machst du jubeln." He thus makes yxecAOm
depend
only on tq,Bo,
and not on br,f,.
i hAq,q;woT;, from qvw
cognate
with hqw,
"Thou makest overflow,
waterest,"
&c. in the same sense as the Hiph., Joel ii. 24, iv. 13. In
hn.Ar,w;f;Ta we have a shortened
form of the Hiph. (Ges. § 53, 3, Rem. 4.)
Or
perhaps, as Ibn Ez.: "Makest it to desire." Cf. hqAqew
wp,n,,
"A
longing
soul."
k hUera and tHena are, according to the
existing punctuation, imperatives.
But
the sense thus obtained is awkward, and very few of later commen-
tators
have defended it. Most regard them as infinitives absolute (hUer
504 PSALM LXVI.
being
for hO.ra;
cf. Ex. xxii. 22, 1 Sam. iii. 12, Jer. xiv. 19, &c.), denoting the
manner in which this preparation of the
earth took place, "watering the
furrows,"
&c. It is better perhaps to consider them as standing instead
of
the finite° verb. (Ges. § 131, 4 b.) Hupfeld would however alter the
punctuation,
and read hUAri,
mtHeni,
3d pers. pret., in which case we should
only
have a not uncommon transition from the second person to the
third.
1 j~t,bAOF
tnaw;",
lit. "the year of Thy
goodness," and so the older inter-
preters
understood it (in the same sense as "the year of grace," Is. lxi. 2),
i.e.
the year in which that goodness has been peculiarly manifested. The
other
rendering, "Thou hast crowned the year with
Thy goodness," is
undoubtedly
preferable, so far as the sense is concerned, but the con-
struction,
in point of grammar, is questionable. Hupfeld indeed refers to
xlix.
6, and Bottcher to xc. 12, as instances of a similar attraction, but
neither
the one nor the other is exactly parallel.
PSALM
LXVI.
THE
Poet celebrates God's great deeds on behalf of His people,
and
calls upon all nations to join in thanksgiving to Him. From
the
language of verses 8-12, the Psalm would seem to have been
composed
on the occasion of some special deliverance, but the
expressions
used are too general to lead to any certain conclusion
as
to the time when it was written. Some have supposed that the
allusion
is to the defeat of the Assyrians under Sennacherib (so
Ven.,
Kdst.,
been
written by King Hezekiah); others, to the return from the
Babylonish
Captivity (Flam., De W. Ew.); others again, to the times
of
the Maccabees (Hitz., Olsh.); Qimchi, to the final ingathering of
this
Psalm earlier than the times of Hezekiah. Bp. Colenso, indeed,
in
order to support his theory as to the Elohistic Psalms, is obliged
to
suppose that it may have been written in the time of David.
But,
not to mention that the whole character and style of the Psalm
are
against such a supposition, it is obvious that the language of
verses
8—12 is not applicable to the age of David. Here, as in
Psalms
xlvi. and xlviii., we have Psalms, beyond all reasonable doubt,
as
late as the times of Hezekiah, in which God is addressed by the
name
Elohim, and not by the name Jehovah.
PSALM
LXVI.
505
In ver. 13, there is a sudden and
remarkable change from the
use
of the plural to the use of the singular. Some would explain
this
on the principle that the people are personified, and therefore
speak
in the singular. This, however, is very unnatural; no probable
reason
can be given for such a personification. It is far more likely
that
the Sacred Poet, after having spoken for the whole congrega-
tion,
speaks for himself as one of that congregation, declaring with
thanksgiving
God's goodness to himself, felt and acknowledged by
himself,
as well as to all
intended
for the public worship of the
probably
designed to be sung by the whole choir of Levites and the
latter
by a single voice.
Ewald thinks that ver. 13—20 formed
originally a distinct poem;
but
the similar turn of expression in ver. 5 and ver. 16, and the
abruptness
of ver. 13, considered as the beginning of a Psalm, are
against
this view, which otherwise is plausible.
The Psalm consists of five strophes,
three of them being dis-
tinguished
by the Selah at the close:--
I. The exhortation addressed to the
whole world to give glory to
God.
Ver. 1-4.
II. The recounting of God's great
acts on behalf of His people
in
times past. Ver. 5—7.
III. The wonderful deliverance
recently vouchsafed. Ver. 8-12.
IV. The Psalmist himself promises to
bring large offerings to God
in
grateful acknowledgement of His goodness. Ver. 13-15.
V. He calls upon all to hear the
story of God's mercy to himself,
and
especially of His answer to his prayer. Ver. 16—20.
[FOR THE PRECENTOR. A SONG. A PSALM.a]
I. 1. SHOUT unto God, all the earth!
2 Sing the glory of His Name,
Ascribe (to Him) glory,
(in) His praise.
1.
ALL THE EARTH, used with 2.
ASCRIBE, &C. lit. "Make glory
a
plural verb, as in Deut. ix. 28, His
praise," i.e. in giving Him
the
inhabitants being of course praise
ascribe to Him that glory
meant,
as again in ver. 4 of this which
is His; or, "make His
Psalm. praise
glory," i.e. to be glorious, as
506 PSALM LXVI.
3
Say unto God, "How terrible is Thy work!b
Because of the greatness of Thy
strength do Thine
enemies feign allegiance
unto Thee.
4
All the earth boweth down unto Thee and singeth
to Thee;
They sing Thy Name." [Selah.]
5
Come and see the great acts of God:
Terrible (He is) in His doing
concerning the
children of men.
6
He turned the sea into dry land,
They passed through the river on
foot:—
There let us rejoice
c in Him!
.
E.V.
The two nouns are in appo- sition
with one another. Comp. Joshua
vii. 19, Is. xlii. 12. 3. SAY UNTO GOD. He now gives
the reason why God should be
praised, and he would have this
acknowledgement addressed directly
to God, in order to stir and
rouse the hearts of those who uttered
it the more effectually: "for nothing
so compels us to a due reverence
towards God, as when we,
place ourselves before His face." —Calvin. HOW TERRIBLE. Comp. the song of
the heavenly harpers, Rev. xv. 3. FEIGN
ALLEGIANCE, i.e. do so in a
forced and reluctant manner, though
they would willingly with- draw
their necks from the yoke if they
could. Or, as in xviii. 44, "come
crouching." Lit. "lie
unto Thee,"
whence the P.B.V. "shall be
found liars unto Thee." The E.V.
has here, and in xviii. 44 [45], where
the same word occurs, "shall submit
themselves," and in the margin
in both places "yield feigned
obedience," which is doubt- less
the true rendering. There is perhaps a tacit com- parison
implied. If even His enemies
must render a forced and tardy
and hypocritical submission, what
should they do to whom He has
manifested Himself in love? |
4. BOWETH DOWN. It is un- necessary
to render the verbs as futures
of prediction. Faith boldly brings
the future into the present, and
sees that as already accom- plished
which is so in the purpose and
will of God. Not but
the whole earth is the temple of
God, wherein His praises are sung. 5. COME AND SEE. Comp. xlvi. 8
[9]. The dull hearts of men must be
roused, their attention excited; the
exhortation implying also that fresh acts of God's power
and grace
are to be beheld. "Come and see," in imagination and
thought; "There," ver. 6, in thought
as we look upon it. 6. Faith makes the past as well as
the future her own. The God who
has now wrought wonders for His
people is the same who once led
them dryshod through the Red Sea
and through the miracles
of the past recur in the present.
That ancient story is not the
record merely of a bygone age, but
is daily new, daily repeats itself to
those who have eyes open to see and
hearts open to perceive. Hence the
Psalmist says: THERE LET US REJOICE IN HIM. There, pointing as it were
to the field
in which God had made bare His
arm, and where the past history |
PSALM
LXVI.
507
7 Ruling in His might for ever,
His eyes
keep watch upon the nations;
As for the
rebellious—let them not exalt themselves.d
[Selah.]
III.
8 Bless our God, 0 ye peoples,
And make the voice of
His praise to be heard.
9 Who putteth our soul in life,
And hath not suffered
our foot to be moved.
10 For Thou hast proved us, 0 God,
Thou hast fined us, as
silver is fined.
11 Thou broughtest us into the net,
Thou didst put a heavy
burden on our loins.
12 Thou madest men to ride over our
head;
We came into fire and
into water
But Thou hast brought us out into
abundance.e
IV.
13 I will come into Thy house with burnt-offerings,
I will pay Thee my vows,
had
been repeated in the present, there let us rejoice in
Him. (See more
in Critical Note.) 7. KEEP WATCH or " spy out." All
the attempts of the nations against
of
God: hence the warning which follows. THE REBELLIOUS, i.e. the heathen nations
who threaten lift
themselves up against God. 8. Again he calls upon all nations to
bless God for His wonderful de- liverance
vouchsafed to His people. Then
he describes their oppression. 9. WHO PUTTETH OUR SOUL IN LIFE.
The expression denotes the being
rescued from imminent peril, like
the. phrase "bringing up from the
gates of death," &c. 10.
The suffering of described
by a series of figures, the first
of which marks God's purpose in
the affliction. THOU DIDST PROVE, &c. Comp. xii.
6 [7], xVii. 2 [3]. 11. THE NET. Probably here and |
in
Ezek. xii. 13, this is the meaning of
the word. It occurs, however, often
in the sense of a hold, or strong, fortified
place,
as in I Sam. xxii.
4, xxiv. 23, &c. Hence many take
it here to mean prison, siege, &c.
So Aq. e]n o]xurw<mati, Symm. e]nto>j poliorki<aj. Jerome, in obsi- dionem.
Similarly, Luther and Hupfeld.
They had been like wild animals
taken by the hunter in the toils,
or like beasts of burden on whose
loins a heavy load was laid (an
image of servitude); they had been,
as it were, cast down and trampled
upon by the horse-hoofs and
chariot-wheels of their trium- phant
and savage enemies. 13. We have now the personal acknowledgement
of God's mercy, first,
in the announcement on the part
of the Psalmist of the offerings which
he is about to bring, and which
he had vowed in his trouble; and
then, in the record of God's dealing
with his soul, which had called
forth his thankfulness. |
508 PSALM LXVI.
14 Which my lips openly uttered,
And my mouth spake when
I was in distress.
15 Burnt-offerings of fatlings will
I offer to Thee
With the incense of
rams;
I will sacrifice bullocks with
he-goats. [Selah.]
V.
16 Come, hear, and I will tell, all ye that fear God,
What he hath done for my
soul.
17 I called unto Him with my mouth,
And He was extolled
f with my tongue.
18 If I had seen iniquity in my
heart,
The Lord would not hear
me.
19 But God hath heard,
He hath attended to the
voice of my prayer.
20 Blessed be God who hath not
turned away my prayer,
Nor His loving-kindness
from me.
14. OPENLY UTTERED, lit. "open- ed,"
used in like manner of vows, Judges
xi. 35. 15. INCENSE, i.e. evidently the steam
and smoke of the burnt sa- crifices
ascending in a cloud, the word
being used, as Hupf. observes, in
its root-meaning. Comp. the Hiph.
of the verb, to make a smoke, and
hence to burn, &c. The enu- meration
of the various kinds of offerings
may be (as Hengst.) an expression
of his zeal and devotion, or
as denoting that he considered no
offerings too large or too costly. 17. HE WAS EXTOLLED, lit. "ex- tolling
was under my tongue." See Critical
Note, and comp. x. 7. 18. IF I HAD SEEN, i.e. probably, |
if
I had been conscious of iniquity in
my heart, the assertion being that
of freedom from anything like purposed
deceit, as in xvii. 1, xxxii. 2;
or the phrase may mean, as the English
Version takes it, "If I had regarded iniquity," i.e.
looked upon it
with pleasure and satisfaction. Comp.
for this use of the verb (with the
accus.) Job xxxi. 26, Habak. i. 13,
Prov. xxiii. 31. For the general sentiment
of the passage, comp. Job
xxvii. 8, 9; Is. i. 15, lix. 2, 3; John
ix. 31; I John iii. 21. See South's
Sermon on this verse, vol. iv.
p. 118. FROM ME, lit. from being with me
so as to accompany me. |
a rOmz;mi rywi. The juxtaposition of
the words is peculiar, without any
name
of the author following, as it does in the titles of xxviii., lxv., lxviii.
In
the title of lxvii. we have a similar instance, only the order is reversed,
‘w
‘m as also in lxviii.
Hupfeld connects the two words together, taking
the
one as in constr. with the other: here, Song of a Psalm or Psalm-
Song,
and in lxvii. Psalm of a Song, or Song-Psalm. The difference
between
the two words will be found noticed in the General Introduction.
PSALM LXIVI.
509
b j~yW,fEma. This is commonly
supposed to be a plural form, and there-
fore
to be dependent (either as genitive or accusative) on xrAOn; "terrible
in
Thy works," as in ver. 5, "terrible in His doing." But 'm may be
singular.
See on xlix., note b. (Ew. Lehrb. § 256 b.)
c hHAm;W;ni. Notwithstanding the optat.
form of the word, almost all in-
terpreters,
ancient and modern, with one consent render this as a past
tense:
"There did we rejoice," it
being supposed that this sense is re-
quired
by the connection. Hupf. endeavours to defend it as a relative
pret.,
like Urb;faya, which precedes. But Urb;faya is merely the simple
fut., and
this,
of course, constantly stands after the pret. as a relative pret. (see for
instance
li. 7); but not a single instance can be alleged where the optat.
form
is thus used. Hupf. refers, indeed, to the use of the simple fut. with
zxA in a past sense, and the paragog. fut. with dfa, lxxiii. 17 (a passage,
however,
which may be otherwise interpreted), and with the Vau consec.—
all
constructions widely differing from this. But if we choose to deter-
mine
what a writer must say, instead of
endeavouring to understand
what
he does say, we shall probably
disregard grammar. What is he
speaking
of? He bids all men come and look upon God's mighty acts:
those
acts are typified by two; the passage of the
sage
of the
(looking
in thought on those wonderful works) let us rejoice in God, who
is
still the same God who delivered our fathers. Comp. the use of the
particle
MwA in
xxxvi. 12 [13], where see note. Delitzsch, in his first edition,
maintained
the grammatical rendering, though he supposes the drying
up
of the sea and the rivers to be spoken figuratively of the deliverance
which
had just been vouchsafed, and which might be compared to those
of
old, and MwA
to point to the state of freedom into which they had been
brought.
He renders (1st ed.): "Allda wolln wir freun uns seiner." In
his
2d ed, he has: "Allda freuten wir uns seiner."
d UmyriyA, Hiph. according to the
K'thibh, and we must understand the
head or the horn (see iii. 4), OmlA being used as a dat. commodi "for them-
selves,
for their own advancement," &c.
e hyAvAr;, lit. "overflow,"
"superfluity;" comp. xxiii. 5. It is unnecessary
to
correct hHAvAr;, though Symm. has eu]ruxwri<a, and this is supported
by the
Chald.
Hupf. thinks that the other Ancient Versions are in favour of the
same
reading,. LXX. a]nayuxh<n, another, a]na<yausin, Jerome, refrigerium;
but
they more probably connected the root with the idea of moisture, and
so
of refreshment.
f MmAOr. Not a verb, as Symm.
in the 3d pers. u[yw<qh, and the LXX.
and
Jerome in the 1st pers., but a noun (of the same form as llAOf, &c.)
prop.
inf. Pal. for MmeOr; the plur. occurs cxlix. 6, "high
praises." For
the
fern. form (common in Syr.) of the same inf. comp. Is. xxxiii. 3.
510 PSALM LXVII.
PSALM
LXVII.
THIS Psalm, which, like the last, is
anonymous, and which is evi-
dently
much later than the age of David, may have been composed
either
in the time of Hezekiah, when great hopes began to be enter-
tained
of God's purposes towards the nation, or at a time subsequent
to
the return from the Exile, when those hopes were so signally
revived.
The Psalm is not, properly speaking, a prophecy, if by
that
be understood a prediction: it is rather the fervent expression
of
a well-grounded hope. It is the joyful outpouring of a heart
which
longs to see the God and King of
worshipt
as the God and King of the world.
The Psalm, which was clearly
designed for liturgical use, and may
have
been written, like the 65th, at the time of the gathering in of
the
harvest (see ver. 6), opens with words borrowed from the blessing
of
the High Priest in Numb. vi. 24-26, a fact of which Bp. Colenso
takes
no notice in his remarks on the Psalm. The passage in
Numbers,
according to him, was probably written by a disciple of
Samuel's,
contemporary with David, who first introduced the narhe
of
Jehovah. On that hypothesis the Psalm is earlier than the
passage
in Numbers: indeed, Bp. Colenso thinks it "may have been
written
by David." The supposition is without foundation. If
anything
is plain, it is that the Psalmist alludes
to the blessing of
the
High Priest, not that this is an
expansion of the words of the
Psalm.
That a Psalm designed for the
built
upon the solemn Priestly Blessing so often heard in the
a
Blessing thrice repeated (comp. ver. r, 6, 7), is natural and easily
explicable.
That the Psalm should have suggested the formula of
the
Blessing is extremely improbable. Besides, in three other Psalms
we
have allusions to the same formula, iv. 6 [7], xxxi. i6 [17], and
the
thrice-repeated refrain in lxxx. Who can believe that the
Blessing
was composed out of these passages? Psalm lxxx. was
written
long after David's time, and it is evident that all the expres-
sions
in the Psalms are borrowed from the one original in Numbers.
The
only conclusion is, that a later writer uses deliberately the name
Elohim
instead of the name Jehovah. The Psalm is marked by
the
refrain, ver. 3 and 5, but has no strophical division properly so
called.
PSALM
LXVII.
511
[FOR
THE PRECENTOR. ON STRINGED INSTRUMENTS. A PSALM.
A SONG.]
1
GOD be gracious unto us, and bless us,
(And) cause His face to shine among
us. [Selah.]
2
That Thy way may be known upon earth,
Thy salvation among all nations.
3
Let the peoples give thanks to Thee, 0 God,
Let all the peoples give thanks unto
Thee!
4
Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
For Thou judgest the peoples
uprightly,
And guidest the nations upon earth.
[Selah.]
5
Let the peoples give thanks to Thee, 0 God,
Let all the peoples give thanks to
Thee!
1. Borrowed, as has already been observed,
from the High Priest's blessing,
Numb. vi. 24-26, but with
some variations, and with the Divine
Name Elohim instead of Jehovah. AMONG US, lit. "with us," as accompanying
and guiding us, in- stead
of "upon us," as in Numb. vi.
25. 2. THAT THY WAY MAY BE KNOWN.
The infin. is used im- personally.
Lit. "to know," i.e. that
men may know. God's good- ness
manifested in lead
to a recognition of Him among the
heathen as the Lord of all. Comp.
ix. 11 [12]. God's way is His
purpose of grace, His salvation as
vouchsafed first to afterwards
to the world, 3-5. The only real difficulty in interpreting
this Psalm is in deter- mining
how the tenses are used. In
ver. 1 all are agreed that there is
the expression of a wish, and that
the verbs there are conse- quently
optatives. But from ver. 3 onwards,interpretationsvary.
Some render
these verbs as optatives, others
as presents, others again as |
futures.
But in so short a Psalm, opening
with a wish, and, as the majority
of critics are agreed, con- cluding
with a wish, it seems to me most
probable that we have the expression
of a wish throughout. Ewald, Hupfeld, and Bunsen take the
verbs here as presents: "Es danken
dir," &c. Calvin, Diodati, Hengstenberg,
and Delitzsch as futures:
"Loben werden," &c. Tho- luck
and Zunz: "Loben (preisen) miissen."
Of the older Versions, the
LXX., Vulg., Jerome, have throughout
these verses the opta- tive
(and Symm. in ver. 4, where Aq.
has the future); and so Stier, and
the E. V. LET ALL, &c., lit. "Let the peo- ples,
all of them," and so again in ver.
5. 4. FOR THOU JUDGEST. Ewald and
Tholuck, "That Thou judg- est;"
and Zunz, "When Thou judgest." GUIDEST. The E. V. gives the general
sense by rendering "go- vern."
The verb is the same as in
xxiii. 3, God being the great Shepherd
of all nations. The object
of the verb is repeated |
512 PSALM LX VIII.
6
(The) land bath given her increase:
May God, (even) our own God, bless
us!
7
May God bless us,
And all the ends of the earth fear
Him!
pleonastically
by means of the pro- noun,
lit. "the nations upon earth Thou
leadest them." 6. HATH GIVEN. The verb is in the
past tense, and would seem to refer
to a recent harvest, or to a year
of plenty. Many, however (as the
E. V.), understand this as the prophetic
past, which is often used instead
of a future. Others, again, as
Ewald and Zunz, render it as a
present. The expression occurs again
in lxxxv. 12 [13], in Lev. xxvi.
4 (where the pret., it is true, has
a fut. signification, but only |
because
it stands with in the apodosis
of the sentence), and Ezek. xxxiv.
27. The passage in Lev. is the
original passage, this Psalm claiming
the fulfilment of the promise. 7. The Psalm closes with the same
hope and longing for the blessing
of God with which it opened.
the
verbs in the future (as in the E.
V.), and Zunz and Reuss in the present.
But such renderings are against
the general character of the
Psalm. |
PSALM
LXVIII.
THE subject of this grand hymn is
the entry of God into His
Sanctuary
on
the
triumph of an earthly conqueror, who, after having vanquished
his
enemies, and taken possession of their country, marches in solemn
procession
at the head of his troops, to occupy the city which he
has
selected as his capital and the seat of empire. God is repre-
sented,
first as advancing at the head of the Israelites through the
desert;
then as leading them victoriously into
as
fixing His royal abode on
of
universal dominion, acknowledged and feared by all the nations
of
the earth. Such is, briefly, an outline of the Psalm.
The methods of interpreting it,
however, are various.
I. The Fathers, and most of the
older theologians, hold the
Psalm
to be Messianic. Christ and the great facts of His history,
especially
His resurrection and ascension, and dominion at the right
hand
of the Father, and the victory of the Church over the world,
are
by them supposed to be here foreshadowed, in accordance with
PSALM
LXVIII.
513
i. By many of them, indeed, the
Psalm is regarded as a direct
prophecy
of Christ and His Kingdom, and devoid altogether of any
reference
to events occurring at the time it was written. Thus they
explain
its several portions as describing the advent of Christ (ver.
1-6);
His doctrine (ver. 7-16); His triumphant ascent into heaven
(ver.
17, 18); and His dominion and kingdom (ver. 19-35).
ii. Others more reasonably maintain
a first reference to the historical
circumstances
of the time, and then apply the Psalm, either in whole
or
in part, typically to Christ. Thus, Calvin sees in verses 17, 18, a
prefiguring,
in the historical event of the
Christ's
ascension into heaven. More recently, Stier has interpreted
the
whole Psalm in this double sense, and has drawn out carefully
the
parallel throughout between the type and the antitype. Even
Hupfeld,
though he sets aside altogether the force of the quotation
in
Ephes. iv. 8, &c., as being without sufficient ground in the meaning
of
the words as they stand in the Psalm, admits that in a certain
sense
the Messianic interpretation may be justified, inasmuch as the
Second
Part of the Psalm speaks of the subjection of all nations to
the
II. But even those who contend that
the Psalm is to be explained,
in
the first instance, by a reference to the circumstances under which
it
was composed, are very much divided in their opinions.
i. The majority of interpreters
suppose it to have been written
at
the time when the
to
adopting
it himself, "gives incontestably the best sense; in fact,
it
is the only one which suits, not only the selection of
preference
to Sinai and the heights of Basan, and the historical re-
trospective
glance at the earlier leading of God from Sinai onwards,
as
introductory to the triumphal entry, but also the lofty utterances
and
prospects connected with it."
ii. Others again, from the martial
character of the Psalm, conceive
that
it was written at the successful termination of some war, when
the
back
to the holy mountain. "Why," says De Wette, "do we find so
much
about victory, the scattering of enemies, the leading away of
captives,
&c., unless some victory were the occasion on which the
Psalm
was written?" Similarly Hengstenberg argues that the whole
character
of the Psalm is in favour of this view. "God is spoken
of
in it as the Lord of battle and of victory; the 18th verse
announces
the great fact which is celebrated; and the epithets
applied
to Benjamin and Judah in ver. 27 are given with reference
to
the military prowess of those tribes. Besides all this, the close
514 PSALM LX VIII.
imitation
of the song of Deborah, in a main part of this poem, is
not
without its significance." The glories of the present were to the
Psalmist
a repetition of the glories of the past. The shout of
victory
was ringing in his ears, and, almost in his own despite,
the
old battle-songs of his nation mingled themselves with the
Poet's
verse.
iii. Still the question remains, What victory is here commemorated?
Of
those who refer the Psalm to David's time, some (as Cler. and
Ros.)
think that it was composed after David's victory over the
Syrians
and Edomites, 2 Sam. viii. Others, after that over the
Syrians
and Ammonites, 2 Sam. xi. xii. So Bottch., Thol., and
Hengst.,
the last arguing that, from ver. 1 and 24 of the Psalm, the
Ark
of the Covenant must have been in the field, and that it may
be
inferred from 2 Sam. xi. 11, that this was the case in the war with
the
Ammonites. Others, again, as Calvin and Ladvocat, suppose
that
David's victories generally, rather than any particular one, are
commemorated.
iv. Another class of commentators
hold that later victories are
here
alluded to, because of the mention of the
either
that of Jehoshaphat and Jehoram over
2
Kings iii. (so Hitzig); or that of Hezekiah over the Assyrians (so
Qimchi);
or finally, even those of the Maccabees, after the conse-
cration
of the
v. Others find in the Psalm not so
much the celebration of a
particular
historical event, as the expression of a general idea,
clothed
in a lyrical form. Thus, for instance, according to J. D.
Bashan,
God
(comparing "Thy goings," ver. 25, with the same expression,
Habak.
iii. 6), with an application to the removal of the
which
he considers to be the occasion of the Psalm, are the subjects
here
treated of Similarly Reuss * terms it a festal hymn, in which
* I only know his work by Hupfeld's
description of it. The title is,
"Der
68 Psalm, ein Denkmal exegetischer Noth and Kunst zu Ehren
unserer
ganzen Zunft." Jena, 1851. It professes to have collected and
exhibited
the opinions of no less than 400 interpreters, and, according to
Hupfeld,
"is written with much humour, full of points and antitheses in
the
grouping, and very amusing to read." But the very title shows the
nature
of the work, and it can scarcely be regarded as a serious contri-
bution
to the history of interpretation. In his recent commentary,
however,
he has given an admirable translation of the Psalm, bringing
out
very happily in this, and in his comment, the force and structure of
the
whole. But he still maintains the late date of the Psalm, referring
it
to "the wars of Antiochus III. and his sons against the Macedonian
kings
of Egypt." "The monster of the
reeds, the crocodile, is the
PSALM LX
VIII. 515
are
expressed the general feelings, recollections, hopes of the nation,
in
its oppressed condition under the Seleucidae and Ptolemies
(220-170
B.C.).
vi. Gesenius, Ewald, and Hupfeld all
refer the Psalm to the
return
from the Babylonish Captivity. Ewald expressly connects it
with
the dedication of the
was
written, and when it was probably sung. Both he and Hupfeld
consider
that the second occupation of
figures
borrowed from the first. But the latter sees in the language
of
the Psalm rather the promise than the accomplishment of the
return
from
the
Arabian wilderness is, he says, made use of by the Poet as a
type
and pledge of their speedy deliverance and restoration to their
own
land. He thus states his opinion:
"We have in this Psalm
the
hope or promise of the return of the Jewish nation from the
Babylonish
Captivity, and the establishment of the
upon
Isaiah,
and in close connection with that announcement, perhaps by
the
very same author, in the form of a lyrical utterance, such as
often
occurs here and there in separate outbursts, and in the midst
of
the prophetical discourses of the Pseudo-Isaiah, but is here
moulded
into a perfect hymn, the most glowing, the most spirited,
and
the most powerful which exists in the whole Psalter. It de-
scribes
the Restoration according to the well-known type, as a new
victorious
march of God through the desert to
choosing
and occupation of
the
features of a triumphal entry (pompa),
and the consequent
homage
and submission which He receives."
Olshausen, as usual, puts the Psalm
in the Maccabean period, and
supposes
it to have been written when the tidings came of the
result
of the war between Ptolemy Philometer and Alexander Balas,
1
Macc. xi.
It will be seen from this bare
enumeration that there is the greatest
difference
of opinion both as to the occasion for which, and the
period
at which, the Psalm was written: some (as Ges., Ew., Hupf.,
Olsh.,
Reuss) regarding it as one of the later, or even of the very
latest
of Hebrew poems; and others (as Bottch, De Wette, Hitz.)
classing
it with the very earliest. One set of critics sees in it every
symbol
of Egypt; the herd of the bulls is
the symbol of the power which
was
mistress of the Lebanon and the plains of Mesopotamia : in a word,
these
are the two empires of the Ptolemies and the Seleucid, contending,
not
with national armies, but with mercenaries who have no other object
but
plunder."
516 PSALM LXVIII.
evidence
of antiquity and originality; another sees in it every mark
of
a late age, and a great absence of originality. All, however,
combine
in praising its vigour, its life, its splendour; all recognize in
it
the work of a poet of no ordinary genius.
III. It remains for us to consider
how far the allusions in the
Psalm
itself may help us to determine its age, and the occasion for
which
it was composed.
First, then, it is clear that the
great central idea of the Psalm is
the
choice of
leads;
from this all flows.
Secondly, this fact of itself would
lead us to fix upon the age
of
David as the most probable time for the composition of the
Psalm,
and the removal of the
occasion.
Nor is this set aside by the reference to the "
in
ver. 28, inasmuch as the word here usually rendered
is
a word also applied to the Tabernacle (see note on Psalm v. 7)
at
Thirdly, the mention of the four
tribes,
and
Naphtali, as representatives of the Southern and Northern
kingdoms
respectively, seems more natural then, than at any latter
period.
There does not appear to be in ver. 27 any prophetic
anticipation
of a restoration of the kingdom, and the reunion of
the
tribes as of old, such as Hupfeld is obliged to assume. "After
the
Captivity," says Hengstenberg, there could be no such
thing
as the distinct tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali, with their
princes."
Fourthly, the peculiar manner in
which the tribe of Benjamin is
introduced,
as "little Benjamin their ruler," does not seem suitable
to
post-Exile times, but is very naturally to be explained at a time
shortly
subsequent to the death of Saul. The tribe which had been
the
royal tribe, and had so lately enjoyed the pre-eminence in
might
still be honoured with the title of "ruler."
Fifthly,
nations
of the world, then occupying the most prominent position.
It
would seem, then, that the Psalm must have been written before
the
great Asiatic monarchies, the Assyrian especially, had become
formidable.
Hupfeld, indeed, argues that an anticipation of the
conquest
of
but
there is nothing in the language of the Psalm which implies
such
an anticipation of conquest. All that is implied is, that the
Name
of the God of Israel would be reverenced even by these
nations,
regarded as the representatives of the heathen world, and
that
they would bring their gifts in homage to
PSALM LX
VIII.
517
which
really weakens the argument drawn from the mention of these
nations
is, that they also occupy the same prominent position in the
writings
of the later Isaiah.
So far then as the historical
allusions of the Psalm are concerned,
the
evidence is, on the whole, in favour of the age of David rather
than
of a much later period.
But an argument for the later date
has been built upon the
language
and general character of the Psalm. Both Ewald and
Hupfeld
insist upon the fact, that so much of the Psalm is borrowed
from
passages in the older poetical literature of the nation, in proof
that
it is neither original nor ancient. They also lay particular stress
upon
the points of resemblance between its ideas and expressions
and
those of the later Isaiah. Thus they compare ver. 4 [5], "cast
up
a highway," &c., with Is. xl. 3, lvii. 14, lxii. ro; the description
of
the procession, &c., with Is. xl. 9, lii. 7; the restoration of the
exiles,
in the expression of bringing home,
ver. 6 [7], with Is. lviii. 7;
God's
leading of His people, and His care of them, ver. 7-10
[8-11],
with Is. xxxv., xli. 17, &c., xliii, 16, &c.; the shout of the
festal
procession, ver. 3 [4], with Is. xxxv. 10, li. 11, lii. 1, 8, &c.;
the
looking of the nations on God's doings, ver. 24 [25], with Is. xl. 5,
xxxv.
2, lii. 10; the references to
[30],
&c., with Is. xliii. 3, xlv. 14, ix. 5, &c.
But with the exception of the first
two instances, the alleged
similarities
of expression are not very close, and are no proof of
imitation
in the Psalmist. The more manifest quotations from
Numbers
x., and from the song of Deborah, are of course recon-
cilable
with the hypothesis of an earlier date. On the other hand,
the
general ruggedness and abruptness of the style are hardly com-
patible
with the post-Exile theory. De Wette's canon applies here;
"The
more difficult, the more rugged in the style, the more nervous,
vigorous,
and compressed in the thoughts, the older a Psalm is; on
the
contrary, the easier and the more flowing in the style, the more
transparent,
regular, and smooth in the contents, the later it is."
(Introd.
to Comm. IV.) See also Renan, yob, p. xxxvii. If this
be
true, there can be little doubt of the antiquity of the Psalrn.
* It will be seen that so far I
agree with Bishop Colenso as to the
probable
date of the Psalm. But his theory as to its composition appears
to
me extravagant and utterly untenable. He supposes that Samuel
invented
the story of the Exodus, that he communicated this invented
story
to the Priests and Levites, and that in the course of thirty or forty
years
they had so persuaded the nation of its truth, that it could be in-
troduced
into a hymn to be sung at a great religious festival. He further
argues
that the passage in Numbers x. must have been borrowed from
518 PSALM LXVIII.
Even
Ewald admits that there have been incorporated in it, to
all
appearance, important fragments of an earlier poem now lost,
which
was probably intended to celebrate the removal of the
The general structure of the Psalm,
notwithstanding all the diffi-
culties
which beset many portions of it, is clear and well defined It
consists
of the following divisions (which rest on the common principle
of
pairs of verses):
I. An introduction which, with true
lyric animation, sets before us
the
victorious march of God, the deliverance He has accomplished
for
His people, and the loud exultation to which they are called in
consequence.
Ver. 1-6.
II. Then follows a glance at the
former history--the journey of
the
Psalm, not the Psalm from the history: but the reasons he alleges
are
devoid of all cogency. He says:
"Surely if the Psalmist drew
his language from so sacred a book as
the
Pentateuch, according to the ordinary view, must have been, he would
not
have changed the name from Jehovah to Elohim."
Ans.
Here obviously the question, what the Pentateuch is, according
to
the ordinary view, has nothing to do with the matter. The question
is,
On what principle these changes in the use of the Divine Names rest,
and
why one is preferred to the other? We have already seen that in
two
recensions of the same Psalm (xiv. liii.) there is every reason to
suppose
that the one which contains the name Jehovah is the earlier.
Indeed,
in the later books of the Bible there is a general disposition to
use
Elohim in preference to Jehovah.
Again: —"The Name Jehovah, if
it had really originated in the way
described
in the Pentateuch, would have been the very name required for
this
Psalm, considering its character, as the Name of the Covenant God
of
Israel."
Ans.
We are quite in the dark on this subject. Besides, the object
might
have been in such a Psalm as this, to represent God not only in
His
relation to Israel ("His Name is Jah"), but as the God of all the
earth,
and hence most fittingly the nations are called upon to "sing
praises
to Elohim."
As to the older grammatical forms
which the Bishop asserts occur in the
Psalm,
as compared with the forms of the same words in the passage in
Numbers,
there is no proof that they are older, but quite the reverse.
Thus,
for instance, in Gen. iii. 24 we have MybiruK;ha and in I Kings vi. 23
MybUrK;, this last being, according to the
Bishop's theory, the older word.
Nay,
we have in the same narrative in Gen. xxiv. the two forms of the
same
word ylaUx in
ver. 5, and ylaxu ver. 39.
Again, in Gen. xiv. 10, one of the
very oldest portions of the Hebrew
Scriptures,
we have Usnuy.Ava, which is the usual mode of writing, till we come
to
the later books; see 2 Kings vii. 7 (where, however, 'we have both
forms)
and I Chron. xix. 14, 15.
As regards the form vybAyvx, we have in this very
Psalm the other
(alleged
later) form Mybiy;xome, ver. 24.
PSALM LXVIII. 519
care
of God. Ver. 7-10.
III. The triumphant occupation of
the
flight
of the hostile kings. Ver. 11-14.
IV. The choice of
entry
into it. Ver. 15-18.
V. The Psalmist contemplating the
glorious results of this abode
of
God in
He
will punish all the enemies of His people. Ver. 19-23.
VI. The next strophe reverts to a
description of the triumphal
procession.
Ver. 24-27.
VII. The hope is expressed that all
the nations of the world shall
acknowledge
and submit themselves to Jehovah who dwelleth in
VIII. The Psalm closes with a
summons to all the kingdoms of
the
earth to praise God. Ver. 32-35.
[FOR
THE PRECENTOR. A PSALM OF DAVID. A SONG.]
I.
I LET God arise, let His enemies be
scattered,
And let them that hate Him flee
before Him.
2
As smoke is driven away, do Thou drive (them) away;a
1. As the last Psalm opened with a
reference to the High Priest's blessing,
Numb. vi. 24, so this opens with
a reference to the watchword, Numb.
x. 35, with which the was
wont to set forward during the journeys
in the wilderness. "Rise up,
0 Jehovah, and let Thine ene- mies
be scattered; and let them that
hate Thee flee before Thy face."
There are two variations here
from the original formula: first,
the use of the third person optative
(for the future should not be
rendered, with Hengst. and others,
as a present), instead of the
imperative; and secondly, the substitution
of Elohim for Jehovah, as
the name of God, which is cha- racteristic
of the Psalm, and ac- counts
for its place in the Second Book.
With regard to the former, Bottcher
truly remarks, that the for- |
mula
with the imperative, "Arise," &c.
is certainly historically older than
our Psalm [and not, as Bishop Colenso
and others would main- tain,
the Psalm more ancient than the
passage in Numbers], and that it
must have originated with the more
ancient custom; comp. Numb. xxxi.
6, Joshua vi. 4, I Sam. iv. 4, 2
Sam. xi. I I. "I cannot doubt," says Calvin, "that
Moses dictated this form of prayer
for all ages, in order that the
faithful, relying on the the
covenant as the visible symbol of
God's presence, might rest sure that
they would be safe." 2. The figures here employed occur
elsewhere; comp. xxxvii. 20, xcvii.
5, Hosea xiii. 3, and Micah i.
4. They describe forcibly the real weakness,
the easy and instanta- neous
overthrow, of the strongest |
520 PSALM LXVIII.
As wax melteth before the fire,
(So) let the wicked perish
frombefore theface of God,
3
But let the righteous rejoice, let them exult before God.
And let them be glad with joy.
4
Sing unto God, play (on the harp) to His Name,
Cast up a highway for Him who rideth
through the
deserts:b
Jah is His Name,c and
exult ye before Him.
5
A Father of the fatherless, and a Judge of the widows,
earthly
power when arrayed against God.
Hupfeld, and Herder before him,
as it seems to me without reason,
suppose them to have been "borrowed
from the pillar of smoke and
fire above the In the last member of this verse, and
the first of the next, Hengsten- berg
sees a reference to the con- clusion
of the song of Deborah: "So
let all Thine enemies perish, O
Lord, but let them that love Him be
as the sun when he goeth forth in
his might." Others take ver. 2, 3 as a com- ment
upon the quotation in ver. 1, and
hence render the verbs in these verses
as futures ("Thou shalt drive .
. . the wicked shall perish," &c.) or
as presents (Thou drivest). 3. THE RIGHTEOUS. Here, as
a nation regarded in its ideal character,
and as placed in contrast with
its heathen oppressors, "the wicked."
Comp. Habak. ii. 4. 4. The first part of the Introduc- tion
ends with the last verse, and perhaps
a second chorus here takes up
the strain. CAST UP A HIGHWAY; the figure being
borrowed from the custom of Eastern
monarchs, who sent heralds and
pioneers before them to make all
the necessary preparations—to remove
obstructions, &c. along the route
which they intended to follow. Great
military roads were mostly the
work of the Romans, and were almost
unknown before the Persian and
Grecian periods. Comp. Is. xl. 3,
lvii. 14, lxii. 10, where the same |
verb,
or the noun formed. from it, occurs. WHO RIDETH, said perhaps with allusion
to the cherubim on which Jehovah
was borne (xviii. 10 [11), God
Himself being the Leader and Captain
of His people, riding as it
were at their head, as an earthly captain
might lead his army, riding on
a war-horse. THE DESERTS, or "sandy steppes" (as
in Is. xl. 3), such as those on both
sides of the the
south and east. The allusion is, in
the first instance, to the journey of
the Israelites through the wilder- ness,
or Arabah, though, supposing the
Psalm to be post-exile, there would
be a further reference to the deserts
lying between heavens, as the Targ. and
Talmud (led
astray, probably, by the similar figure
in Dent. xxxiii. 26); nor the West, as the LXX. and the
Vulg. render
it. The former is found in our P.
B. V., "magnify Him that rideth upon
the heavens, as it were upon a
horse," which is the more remark- able,
as that Version usually follows the
Vulg. and the German. Here it
departs from both. The words "as
it were upon a horse," were added,
I presume, as a further ex- planation
of the verb "rideth." I can
discover nothing answering to them
in any of the Ancient Ver- sions. 5. The character and attributes of
God, and His gracious dealings |
PSALM LXVIII. 521
Is God in His holy habitation.
6
God maketh the solitary to dwell in a home:
He bringeth forth (the) prisoners
into prosperity:d
Only the rebellious
abide in a land of drought.
II.
7 0 God, when Thou wentest forth before Thy people,
When Thou marchedst through the
wilderness, [Selah]
with
His people, are now alleged as
the reason why He should be praised.
The "fatherless" and the "widows"
are mentioned as ex- amples
of those who most need succour
and protection. As Arndt says:
"The meaning of the Holy Ghost
is, that God the Lord is a gracious,
friendly God and King, whose
first, highest, and principal work
it is to give most attention to the
miserabiles personae, that is, to those
persons who ought to be most pitied,
because they are helpless and
comfortless. Great potentates in
the world do not act thus; they respect
the noblest and richest in the
land, the men who may adorn their
court, and strengthen their power
and authority. But the highest
glory of God is to compas- sionate
the miserable." God is both the
loving Father and the righteous Judge; and the several
classes of the
lonely, the destitute, the op- pressed,
the captives, are mentioned as
so many instances of those who have
experienced both His care and
His righteousness, in order that
from these the conclusion may be
drawn in all similar cases. Hengstenberg
compares Hos. xiv. 4, "With
Thee the fatherless findeth mercy;"
and therefore all who need mercy. IN HIS HOLY HABITATION, i.e. heaven,
not the earthly sanctuary (comp.
xi. 4), "in opposition to the earth,
as the seat of unrighteousness and
coldness of heart." (Hengst.) 6. THE SOLITARY. . .THE PRISON- ERS.
Those who hold that the Psalm was
written subsequently to the Babylonish
Captivity, see in these words
an allusion to the actual |
circumstances
of Exile.
But it is more natural to sup- pose
that these are mentioned as other
particular examples, like the orphan
and the widow, of God's fatherly
care. TO DWELL IN A HOME, Or "to keep
house," cxiii. 9. ONLY, here almost =but. It may be
explained, "it is not otherwise than
thus." Comp. lviii. 11 [12]. THE REBELLIOUS;
all enemies of God, whether
heathen, or those who in a]fista<menoi. Symm. a]peiqei?j. he proper theme of the
Psalm now
opens with allusions to the great
triumphal march of God at the
head of His people through the wilderness,
and in their occupation of
the The words of this and the next verse
are borrowed, with some vari- ations,
from the song of Deborah, Judges
v. 4, 5, and this again rests on
passages such as Deut. xxxiii. 2 and
Ex. xix, 16, &c. Comp. Habak. iii.
The reference is first to the terrors
of the Theophany on Sinai, and
the glorious Majesty of God as there
seen. WENTEST words
used especially of going forth to
battle, God being regarded as the Captain
of His people. Comp. xliv. 9
[10], lxxxi. 5 [6]; Numb. xxvii. 17, 21;
Habak. iii. 13; Zech. xiv. 3. THE WILDERNESS (or "waste," y'shimon, not midbar, which last may
mean only uncultivated land, pasture-ground),
often applied to the
Arabian desert, as lxxviii. 40, cvi.
14. Comp. Deut. xxxii. 10; Is. xliii.
19, 20. Throughout their whole march |
522 PSALM LXVIII.
8
The earth shook, the heavens also dropped before God,
Yon Sinai before God, the God of
9
With a bountiful rain Thou didst sprinkle Thine inhe-
ritance,e 0 God,
And when it was weary, THOU didst
refresh it;
10
Thy creatures dwelt therein;
God's
Presence and Glory were manifested,
but never so awfully as when
He came down on Sinai, to give
His Law to His people. Then all
nature was moved at His coming; then
"so terrible was the sight, that Moses
said, I exceedingly fear and quake"
(Heb. xii. 21). Hence it is that
the great prominence is given to
this manifestation of God. And hence
He is here called "the God of
God's
covenant relation to as
Delitzsch observes. 8. YON SINAI (the demonstrative pron.
prefixed, as in xlviii. 14 [15]). Some
verb must be supplied, "shook,"
"was moved," from the first
member of the verse. The ori- ginal
passage, Judges, v.5, contains the
full expression. 9. A "a
rain of free-willingness," which has
hence been interpreted to mean, rain
as a gift of free grace (so Calv.), Jr
"a rain of liberality," i.e. as a liberal,
bountiful gift (see note on liv.
6 [8]). The early interpreters understand
this rain spiritually of the
outpouring of the Holy Ghost. Others,
again, figuratively of the various
gifts and benefits with which God
visited His people in the wil- derness.
Those who take the word in
its more literal sense, are divided in
their interpretation; some, as J.
D. Mich. and Herder, supposing a
literal rain to be meant(the former, a
rain which fell at the giving of the Law),
and which changed the bar- renness
of the desert into verdure and
fruitfulness; others, that the reference
is to the manna, which is
said in lxxviii. 24 to have been rained from heaven. To me it
seems certain
that the expression is used figuratively
of refreshment and |
blessing;
this appears, indeed, to be
required by the following clause : "And
when it was weary," &c. THOU
DIDST SPRINKLE. The verb
is the aorist of repeated past action,
and is construed with the double
accusative. See Critical Note. AND WHEN IT WAS WEARY, lit. "and
weary (it was), and Thou," &c. REFRESH, literally, “confirm,” "strengthen." 10.
THY CREATURES. I have left
the word in the ambiguity of the
original. Three different: inter- pretations
have been given of it. (I) If the rain spoken of in ver. 9 be
the manna (Exod. xvi. 4, "I
will rain
bread from heaven for you," Ps.
lxxviii. 24), then the creatures here
spoken of may be the quails; "Thy
living creatures settled there- in"
(i.e. in Thine inheritance, among
Thy people, comp. lxxviii. 28,
"in the midst of the camp"); with
which the rest of the verse corresponds,
"Thou preparedst (them,
as food, see the same verb, lxv.
9 [10], lxxviii. 20) for the af- flicted"
(i.e. Thy people in their distress).
The LXX. by their ren- dering
ta> zw?a< sou seem to have taken
the word in this sense. (2) Others take the word here in the
meaning "host" (as in 2 Sam. xxiii.
11, 13, where it is used of an army), i.e. the
congregation, or people
of (3) But it may also mean in
another sense, viz. as compared to
a flock, a favourite image in the Psalms.
So Delitzsch (who refers to
lxxiv. 19), "Thy afflicted crea- tures,"
which, however, might he rendered
in accordance with (2), "the
congregation of Thy afflicted |
PSALM LXVIII. 523
Thou preparedst in Thy goodness for
the afflicted,
0 God.
III.
11 The Lord giveth (the) word:
The women who publish the tidings
are a great host.
12
"Kings of hosts do flee, do flee,f
And she that tarrieth at home
divideth the spoil.
ones."
The difficulty in the last two
interpretations lies, no doubt, in
the feminine pronoun, h.BA, in
it, or
therein. There is no noun to which
it can immediately refer. Hence
it has been supposed either (a)
to denote the as
the well-known beloved land which
needed no special designa- tion
(as the
fern. pron. in ver. 14 [15], and see
note there; but according to this,
the settlement in the land is mentioned
before the description of
its occupation, which follows, ver.
11, &c. Or, (b) the wilderness mentioned
ver. 7, which is then said in
the next clause to have been pre- pared by fertilizing rains,
&c., or by
the manna which was showered upon
them. This last explanation, viz.
that when God's people dwelt in
the wilderness, God prepared it for
their abode, gives on the whole the
best sense. THOU PREPAREST. The word may
be used here absolutely, = "Thou
preparest a table," as in 1
Chron. xii. 39, and it need not be rendered
as a past, as referring to the
provision in the wilderness; rather,
that is one of many repeated instances of God's care; and we have
consequently the statement of a
general truth. 11. The sacred Poet now passes to
the actual occupation of the Holy Land. THE LORD (ADONAI) GIVETH (THE)
WORD. The noun "word" (which
is found only in poetry) is used
in lxxvii. 8 [9], of the "word of
promise;" in Habak. iii. 9, appa- rently
of the "word of tower," or "word
of victory." Perhaps both meanings
may be combined here. |
It
is in virtue of God's word of promise
that of
power
that the enemies of are
discomfited. "God speaks— and
the victory is won." Others (as Ewald,
Furst, &c.) render "song of
victory," God Himself putting this
into the mouths of the women, who
came forth with timbrels and dances
to meet the victorious army on
its return. THE WOMEN. The participle is in
the feminine, and the allusion is to
the custom above mentioned. The
deliverance of Pharaoh's
host, the overthrow of Sisera,
and David's victory over Goliath,
were all thus celebrated. Comp.
Exod. xv. 20; Judges v. 1, 12;
I Sam. xviii. 6; 2 Sam. i. 20. 12.
This and the next two verses wear
the air of being a fragment of one
of those ancient battle-songs, sung
by the women after the defeat of
the foe. The fact that they have thus
been torn from their original context
accounts for the great ob- scurity
which hangs over them. It is
indeed almost hopeless now to understand
the allusions. KINGS OF HOSTS, not those de- feated
by Moses, as the kings of the
Amorites (Ros. and others), but,
as the reference to the song o Deborah
clearly shows, the Ca- naanitish
kings, Judg. v. 19, and vii. 26,
where observe also the repeti- tion
of the verb. Bunsen, however, suggests
that there may rather be an
allusion to Joshua x. SHE THAT TARRIETH AT HOME; the
mistress of the household, so called
as keeping house, whilst her husband
goes forth to battle: an expression
peculiarly in conformity |
524 PSALM LXVIII.
13
Willg ye lie among the sheep-folds,
(As) the wings of a dove that is
covered with silver,
And her feathers with yellow gold?--
with
Eastern customs. Similar is the
phrase "women in the tent," Judges,
v. 24. De Wette compares oi]kouro<j, Eurip. Hec. 1261. DIVIDETH THE SPOIL, not merely (as
Hupf.) "receives her portion of the
spoil," but rather "distributes among
her daughters and hand- maidens,
&c. the share of the spoil" which
her husband has brought home.
Hence the mother of Sisera is
represented as anticipating the share
of the spoil which would fall to
her lot, Judg. v.30, "one coloured garment,
two pieces of embroidery' as
spoil for my neck" (so, with a very
slight correction, the passage should
probably be rendered). 13. WILL YE LIE, or "When ye lie,
&c. . . . it is (or, ye are) as the wings,
&c." Scarcely two com- mentators
will be found to agree as
to the interpretation of this and the
next verse. The only point on which
there can be said to be any- thing
like a consensus, is in the ex- planation
of the figure in ver. 13. Nearly
all see, in the dove and the glittering
of her wings in the sun- shine,
an emblem of prosperity and peace,
though some suppose that the
allusion is to the bright armour of
the warriors, glittering in the sunshine.
Cf. the same figure in Soph.
Antig. 114, leukh?j
xio<noj pte<rugi stegano<j.* I will mention some
of the interpretations of the more
celebrated critics. J.
D. Mich. renders: "Lie not among
the drinking-troughs, (among)
the doves' wings covered with
silver," &c. He supposes the words
to be addressed to the two tribes
and a half, whose territory lay
on the other side of the and
who were rich in flocks and herds.
They are exhorted not to |
indulge
their natural inclination for
the shepherd's life, but to join their
brethren in the invasion of De Wette: "When ye lie among the
stalls of the cattle (i.e. in the indolent
repose of a country life), there
are doves' wings covered with silver,"
&c. (a figurative expression denoting
the rich ornaments of silver
and gold taken from the spoil,
with which the women deco- rated
themselves). Similarly, Ro- senm.,
only that he supplies before the
second clause: "Then shall ye be as the wings of a
dove," &c. Ewald, who says there is evi- dently
an opposition between 13 and
14, explains the whole passage as
follows: "When ye (Israelitish men,
for it is the women who sing) rest
between the sheep-folds, i.e. lazily
stretched at length on plea- sant,
grassy spots by the water-side (Judges
v. 16, Gen. xlix. 14), conse- quently
when ye have peace, as now
after the conclusion of the war,
so are the wings of the doves covered with silver, &c. (in allu- sion
to the glittering of the plumage in
the sunshine); but when God scatters kings in the hard battle, then the snow falls in
it
(the same land)
darkly; i.e. then sends the same
God dark snow (and hail) for the
destruction of the enemies who assail
His sanctuary (Job xxxviii. 22,
&c.), as has been shown just before."
Thus, Ewald finds a con- trast
between peace and sunshine on
the one hand, and war and stormy
weather on the other. But it
is fatal to this view that hail is not
mentioned at all, and that snow is
not used elsewhere as an image of
darkness or destruction. Herder (Geist der Heb. Poes. ii. |
*
So Mr. Plumptre, in a spirited translation of this Psalm:
"The hosts their might display,
Like silver dove with wings of
golden glow."
PSALM LXVIII. 525
14
When the Almighty scatters kings therein,
(It is as when) there is snow in
Zalmon,"
69,
70) thinks that all is said by way
of taunt, borrowed from the song
of Deborah. Deborah re- proached
the unwarlike tribes, to whom
the bleating of the flocks was sweeter
than the clashing of arms and
the din of battle; here they are taunted,
because, in their cowardice, they
kept aloof from the war, tend- ing
their cattle, and admiring the bright
plumage of their doves, whilst a
woman, the inhabitant of a house, Deborah,
divided the spoil. Hence he
renders, "Why rest ye there among
the troughs?" (an ironical question.)"
The feathers of the doves
are, no doubt, bright as silver. And
her wings sparkle like yellow gold!"
(said sarcastically of the oc- cupations
and conversation of rnen who
thought more of their doves than
of the freedom of their country.) In
the same way he supposes their effeminacy
to be lashed in what follows:
"When the Almighty scat- tered
kings, snow fell upon Zalmon;" i.e.
it was in rough, and stormy, and
wintry weather that Deborah went
forth to her battle and her victory;
but the recreant tribes, seeing
snow lying even upon the comparatively
low hill of Zalmon, in
the south, argued how far worse it
must be in the north, and thus refused
to join the army. This view has
been adopted by Hupfeld. But Bunsen
justly remarks, that it would be
very extraordinary if the only portion
of the song of the women here
quoted should be that which was
aimed in biting taunt against their
own countrymen, not that which
described most vividly the glorious
victory which had been won. According to Hengstenberg, the Israelites,
to whom the address is directed,
are described figuratively as
the wings of the doves, &c., or they
are like doves whose wings glitter
with silver and gold. The allusion
is to the play of colours on the
wings of the dove in sunshine. |
This
denotes the peaceful, and, at the
same time, splendid condition enjoyed
by prosperity.
The same idea is car- ried
out in the second figure, that of
the snow, an image of the bright gleam
of heaven which fell on the darkened
land on the prosperous termination
of the war;—when the Lord
scatters kings, the light of prosperity
illuminates the darkness of
the land, just as dark Zalmon becomes
white when covered with snow.
He observes that snow is generally
used as an image of bright- ness
and purity. Comp. li. 7 [9], Is. i. 18,
Mark ix. 3 (with Matt. xvii. 2), Rev.
i. 14. Zalmon is a hill men- tioned
in Judges ix. 48, situated in the
neighbourhood of Shechem, and covered
with a thick wood, so that, as
Luther says, "it might be called in
German a Schwartzwald, or dark forest,
the dark or black mountain." This,
on the whole, is preferable to any
of the other interpretations. It has
the merit of simplicity, and it yields
a fairly satisfactory sense. I
would venture, however, to sug- gest
another explanation of ver. 14. It
seems to me, as Ewald has re- marked,
that this verse is rather in opposition
to the preceding, than a
continuation of the same idea. The
first describes the sunshine of peace;
the second the storm of war.
May not then the comparison of
the snow refer to the scattering of
the kings? May not those kings and
their armies, broken and scat- tered
far and wide. over the land, be aptly
compared to the white patches or
the thick flakes of snow, lying in
broken masses over the dark boughs
of the forest? "When the Almighty
scattered kings in the land,
it was like a fall of snow on (darkly-wooded)
Zalmon." The comparison
becomes still more strikingly
apt, when we remember how
the arms, and armour, and rich
spoil, dashed here and there in
the wild disorder of the flight, |
526 PSALM LXVIII.
IV.
15 A
A mountain of (many) summits h is
the
would
glitter like snow in the sunshine.* The interpretation of Gesenius and
others, "the land was snow- white
with the bones of the slain in
(or near) Zalmon," is forced and unnatural.
It drags in an idea which
is not suggested by the figure of
the snow, but only by the general one
of whiteness; and, further, the mention
of the bones bleached and whitening
of the battle-field, could only
be possible at a time long sub- sequent
to the victory. 14. THEREIN, i.e. in the land, implied,
though not expressed, in what
goes before; comp. the same mode
of expression in Is. viii. 21: or
perhaps, in Zalmon; for the pro- noun
is thus frequently anticipative of
the noun: "It was like snow in Zalmon,
when the Almighty scat- tered
kings there." THERE IS SNOW, or "it snow- eth."
Or omitting all comparison, it
would be quite possible to render the
second clause, "It snowed in Zalmon." ZALMON, or "the dark moun- tain,"
probably as already remarked, the
hill mentioned in Judges ix. 48, the
only other passage where the word
occurs. Bottcher supposes that
some other loftier mountain belonging
to the Basanitic range is meant.
Others, that the noun is here
not a proper name, but signifies "darkness,
gloom," &c. I have re- tained
here the orthography adopted |
by
our translators in Judges ix., the Z
representing the same Hebrew letter
as in 15. The end of all this manifesta- tion
of God's power on behalf of His
chosen, of all these splendid victories,
is the occupation of the His
people, that He may abide and reign
in the midst of them. He has
chosen, not the lofty range of Bashan,
but the more lowly for
His seat: and to this new Sanc- tuary
He comes from Sinai, attend- ed
by "an innumerable company of
angels." A "a
high mountain," see on xxxvi. 6 [7]).
The huge range of with
its rocky pillars and sharp pinnacles
(its "many summits,"—. not,
like Thabor, a single cone, but a
wide-spreading mountain with "many
cones"), is so termed, as if bearing
witness in a special man- ner,
by its strong massive forma- tion,
to the power of him who created
it. (The basalt, or basa- nites of the ancients, has
been sup- posed
to take its name from where
it is found.) This stood in the most
striking contrast to the lime- stone
formation and unimposing cha- racter
of the hills of These
bold mountain masses, rising in
dark majesty, and producing the impression
of everlasting strength, stand
on one side, while on the other
is placed the small and ap- |
* Since writing the above note, I
have discovered that Delitzsch also
associates
the image of the snow with the dispersed army, but finds the
point
of the comparison, not in the dispersion, but only in the bright
shining of the scattered armour
and spoils. He refers, as Bottcher had
already
done before him, to Homer's comparison of the gathering of the
Achleans
from their ships, with lance and helmet and plume glittering in
the sunlight (lampro>n
gano<wsai),
to the thickly-falling snow-shower
(tarfeiai> nifa<dej)—Il.
xix. 357, &c.; comp. xii. 258, &c. Bottcher says that
he
once heard the remark made in a town near Leipzig, of a large body of students
who
were approaching, "They come like snow from the mountain" (Sie
kommen
wie geschneit vom Berge), and that this first threw light for him
on
this passage in the Psalm.
PSALM LXVIII. 527
16
Why look ye enviously,i ye mountains of many summits,
Upon the mountain which God hath
desired to
dwell in?
Yea, Jehovah will abide (therein)
for ever.
17
The chariots of God are twice ten thousand,k are
thousands upon thousands,
The Lord among them (hath come from)l Sinai into
His sanctuary.
18
Thou hast ascended up on high,
Thou hast led captives captive,
parently
insignificant no
greatness or strength in itself, but
great and strong nevertheless in
the immediate and glorious Pre- sence
of God; and hence the former seem
to look with envy upon the latter,
at seeing it thus elevated to a
height to which it had no natural claim.
Comp. xlviii. 2 [3], Is. ii. 2. Others
again suppose that is
styled a " an
ancient seat of religious worship. So
Hupf., who quotes J. D. Mich., "Neque illi Libani Basanisque fas- tigio
suae defuerunt religiones." 16. According to the accents the
rendering would be: "Why look
ye enviously (or jealously ..)? The
mountain which God hath de- sired
to dwell in, surely Jehovah will
abide (therein) for ever." Or "This
mountain hath God desired to
dwell in. Yea, Jehovah, &c." 17. In solemn triumph, at the head
of armies of angels, and like a
victor who leads trains of captives and
spoils in long array, God enters His
sanctuary in Zion. CHARIOTS (the sing. used collec- tively),
i.e. war-chariots (comp. xx. 7 [8]);
carrying out the image, as in Habak.
iii. 8, 15. The angelic hosts are
evidently meant. Comp. 2 Kings vi. 17. TWICE TEN THOUSANDS, lit."two myriads."
Comp. Deut. xxxiiii. 2 (where
the angels are spoken of as "holy
myriads"); Dan. vii. 10. These
angels may be meant also in Numb.
x. 36 (the passage borrowed in
ver. 1, and perhaps alluded to |
here),
"Return of Jehovah, with the myriads
of the thousands of Israeli." THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS, lit.
"thousands of repetition." (HATH COME FROM) SINAI. For a
defence of this rendering, see Critical
Note. The rendering of the E.V.
"As is Sinai, in the holy place,"
is grammatically wrong; and
still worse is the P. B. V., "as in
the holy place of Sinai." 18. THOU HAST ASCENDED. Comp. xlvii.
5 [6]. Whither? Not, I think, as
many interpreters explain, into heaven;
for though that is the mean- ing
of the passage in its N. T. appli- cation
(see below), it is not, appa- rently,
the primary meaning. Here, as
we have seen, the triumphant procession
winds its way up the sacred
hill of Zion. The ascent, therefore,
can be none other than the
ascent of the Ark into the taber- nacle,
or temple there. ON HIGH. See for this, as ap- plied
to Zion, Jer. xxxi. 12, Ezek. xvii.
23, xx. 40. Hofmann (Schrifib. II.
i. 484) denies that either heaven or
Zion is intended by this expres- sion,
but that general exaltation of God
which is spoken of in the simi- lar
passages, xlvii. 5 [6], xii. 13 [14]. The
closest resemblance is found, he
remarks, in vii. 7. [8]. And God
is said to ascend in triumph over
His vanquished foes. Similarly Calvin, although
admitting the typical sense. CAPTIVES, lit. a captivity, i.e. a number
of captives; the image being still
carefully preserved of the victor, |
528 PSALM LXVIII.
Thou hast taken gifts amongst men:m
Yea, with the rebellious (also)
shall Jah God abide.n
with
his long train of captives fol- lowing
him in the triumph. The rendering
of the E. V., "Thou hast led
captivity captive," is ambigu- ous,
as it might mean, "Thou hast led
captive those who have led others
captive," which, however, is not
the meaning of the Heb. phrase (comp.
Judges v. 12). GIFTS, i.e. tribute from the van- quished;
or rather, perhaps from all
those who submit themselves to His
sway. AMONGST MEN. This is the lite- ral
rendering (not "for men," i.e. to let
them go free, nor of men, they themselves
being the gifts, for the history
of David knows nothing of "prisoners
who were sent as gifts to
the sanctuary," nor of "prose- lytes,
who, as it were, gave them- selves
as gifts to God," as Hengst. remarks),
and, in the context in which
it stands, is, of course, very nearly
the same as "from men." THE REBELLIOUS. This com- pletes
the picture of the triumph. All—even those nations
which hold out
the longest in their stubborn re- sistance,
and refuse to submit them- selves
to the Great Victor—must finally
acknowledge His sway. All shall
be united in one kingdom, and God
the Lord shall reign in the midst
of them. This is the great prophetic
idea which recurs so often in
the writings of Psalmists and Prophets.
God is the King of all the
earth; and, in spite of all op- position,
His kingdom shall be set up,
and on the throne of that king- dom,
His Son, His Anointed (the Messiah,
the Christ), shall reign. Hence
it is that 9)
applies this verse to the Resur- rection
and triumphant Ascension of
Christ. It is true that in so doing
he has departed from the Heb.
and from the LXX. The latter
have: a]naba>j ei]j u!yoj ^]xma- lw<teusaj ai]xmalwsi<an,
e@labej do<mata e]n a]nqrw<p&, kai> ga>r
a]peiqou?ntej tou |
kataskhnw?sai. The first clause of this—the
only part of it which is intelligible—the
Apostle retains, ex- cept
that he substitutes the 3d per. ^]xmalw<teusen, for the 2d; but for the
second clause he has: kai> e@dwke do<mata toi?j a]nqrw<poij, "and gave gifts
unto men." Hence he is giving, not
a translation, but an interpreta- tion
of the Hebrew. For the verb "to
take," never means "to give,"
and the meaning for which Eadie
contends (and which Alford thinks
substantiated), "Thou re- ceivedst
in order to give," cannot be
maintained here. The examples, Gen.
xv. 9, xviii. 5, xxvii. 13, xlii. 16, Exod.
xxvii. 20, I Kings xvii. 10, are
not in point. In all those instances
the verb may be rendered (as
it commonly is in the E.V.) "fetch."
But it would be impos- sible
to say, "Thou hast fetched gifts
among men." It must at least be
"for men" (MdAxAlA), and then, "Thou
hast given gifts to men" would
be an equivalent expres- sion
to "Thou hast taken gifts for
men." We cannot, therefore, argue
from the meaning of the word,
but we may from the scope of the
passage. The truth is, that the Apostle
sees in the literal O.T. fact a
higher spiritual significance. The ascent
of the was
present, into the
ascent of Christ into heaven. As
God came down to fight for His people,
so Christ had descended to this
earth for the salvation of men. As,
on the return of the captives
and the spoil appeared in the
procession, so on the return of Christ
in triumph to heaven ( ii.
15) He led captive sin and death and
hell and all evil powers. As God
had taken tribute among men, which
He, however, as the victorious monarch
of among
men (in His human nature and
through His work on earth) |
PSALM LXVIII. 529
V.
19 Blessed be the Lord,
Who day by day beareth our burden,o
(Even) the God (who is)
our salvation. [Selah.]
20
Our God is a God of deliverances,
And to Jehovah the Lord (belong) the
means of
escape from death.p
21
But God will smite the head of His enemies,
The hairy scalp which goeth on still
in his trespasses.
22
The Lord hath said: "From
I will bring (them) again from the
depths of the sea,
which
He now, as ascended Lord, gave
to men. The Apostle sees that when
a king takes, he takes to give, and
therefore substitutes the one word
for the other, without at all putting
the one word as the trans- lation of the other. He
seizes the idea
and represents it in its true fulfilment.
Calvin has some excel- lent
remarks on the principle of in- terpretation
to be followed here. 19. The description of the great triumphal
procession is here sud- denly
broken off with an ascription of
praise to God as the Protector and
Avenger of His people, and is not
again resumed till ver. 24. BEARETH OUR BURDEN. The majesty
of God and the tenderness of
God are thus ever associated in Holy
Scripture. The same God who
came once in awful glory to Sinai,
and who now, accompanied by
myriads of angels, enters into His
sanctuary in who
bears the burden which is too heavy
for us (or, perhaps, "who bears
us," i.e. carries us as a
shep- herd
when he finds the lost sheep lays
it upon his shoulder). See Critical
Note. 20. MEANS OF ESCAPE FROM DEATH,
lit. "for death," or "with reference
to death." As Calvin ob- serves,
"With God are wonderful and
various and secret methods, whereby
He raises His children from
death to life. . . . Even when He
has suffered them to be in a |
manner
swallowed up, He certainly furnishes
marvellous means of escape,"
&c. Hupf. compares the use
of e@kbasij in I Cor. x. 13, and of
po<roj in Classical writers, AEsch. Prom. 59. deino>j ka]c
a]mhxa<nwn eu[rei?n po<rouj. Aristoph. Eq. 756
(769) ka]k tw?n
a]mhxa<nwn po<rouj eu]mhxa<nouj po- ri<zwn. Ainsworth: "issues or passages, that
is, ways and means of death, or
to death, meaning that He hath many
ways of bringing His enemies to
death, and to deliver His people out
of it: for ‘He hath the keys of
death,' Rev. i. 18, Cf. Deut. xxxii. 39."
So "issues of life," Prov. Div. 23. 21.
The reverse of the previous truth:
God will take terrible ven- geance
on His enemies. THE HAIRY SCALP, personified, i.e. the proud, bold,
wilful, secure sinner,
the thick head of hair being an
image of youthful vigour and pride
(as in the case of Samson and
Absalom). Similarly in Greek, koma?n, to
wear long hair, is used metaphorically
in the signification to plume oneself, to
be proud,
&c. Comp.
Is. xxii. 12. 22. I WILL BRING AGAIN. No object
is supplied, but it is evident from
the context that not the
older Commentators generally supposed,
but the enemies of are
meant. God will bring these back,
wherever they may have fled in
the hope of safety, and give them
up to the vengeance of |
530 PSALM LXVIII.
23
That thou mayest wash thy foot in blood,
That the tongue of thy dogs may have
its portion
from the enemy."q
VI.
24 They have seen Thy goings, 0 God,
The goings of my God, my King, into
the sanctuary.
25
The singers went before, the players on stringed instru-
ments followed after,
In the midst of the maidens playing
with the timbrels:
26
"In the congregations bless ye God,
(Bless) the Lord, (ye that are) of
the fountain of
From
the
sea in the west, from the heights of
the mountains, and from the depths of the sea (one or
both of these
antitheses may be designed), they
shall be brought back. The passage
which really throws light upon
this is the similar passage (first
pointed out by Geier) in Amos ix.
I-3: "He that escapeth of them
shall not be delivered. Though they
dig into Sheol, thence shall My
hand take them; though they climb
up into heaven, thence will I
bring them down. And though they
hide themselves in the top of them
out thence; and though they be
hid from My sight in the bottom of
the sea, thence will I com- mand,"
&c. 23. THAT THOU So
it seems almost certain we ought to
read with the change of one letter
(tirchaz), instead of the pre- sent
text (timchaz). This change is
supported by the similar passage, lviii.
10 [11], and by the LXX. o!pwj a}n baf^?, and the Vulg. ut intinga- tur pes taus. Hengst. and Del. endeavour
to defend the received text
by rendering, "That thou may- est
dash (them) (with) thy foot in blood."
But this is harsh and un- necessary.
Others—"That Thou mayest
dash Thy foot in blood." 24. The picture of the triumphal |
procession
to the sanctuary is now resumed. THEY HAVE SEEN, i.e. men in general
have seen (hence equiva- lent
to a passive, "Thy goings have been
seen," as the LXX. e]qewrh<qh- san). Hupfeld, however, supplies "the
nations," i.e. the hostile na- tions,
as the subject, and explains the
"goings of God" of the various acts
already celebrated in the Psalm. THY GOINGS, here not the march of
God against His enemies, as in lxxvii.
13 [14], Hab. iii. 6, but, as is plain
from the context, His solemn entry
into the sanctuary. Here we have
the visible, as before, ver. 17, the
invisible part of the spectacle. 25. PLAYING WITH THE TIM- BRELS,
or "beating the tambourine." Comp.
Exod. xv. 20; Judges xi. 34. 26. The words of this verse may he
a sudden outburst of feeling on the
part of the Poet himself (comp. Judges
v. 9), or, perhaps, the words sung
by the chorus of maidens. IN THE CONGREGATIONS. The masc.
of the same plural noun occurs
xxvi. 12. In both cases the plural
may only denote fulness, extensions, &c. (Gesen. §
zo8,, 2a), so
that it may mean only "in full assembly."
Bottcher compares the Latin
comitia (of men), and comi- tium (of the place). THE FOUNTAIN OF |
PSALM LXVIII. 531
27
There was little Benjamin their ruler,r
The princes of Judah, their company,s
The princes of Zebulun,
(and) the princes of
Naphtali.
VII.28
Thy God t hath commanded thy strength:
Strengthen,u 0 God, that
which Thou hast wrought
for us from Thy temple.x
29
Up to
30
Rebuke the beast of the reeds,
from
which the whole nation has issued
as a stream. Comp. Is. xlviii. 1,
li. I. Others, who render "from the
fountain," &c., suppose be
meant as in a later Ps., "Bless ye
God out of 27. Four of the tribes are men- tioned
by name as taking part in the
procession, these four being representatives
of the rest, Ben- jamin
and Judah, of the Southern kingdom,
and Zebulun and Naph- tali
of the Northern. The last two are
especially named with reference to
the part which they played in the war
against Sisera, and the position they
occupy in the song of Deborah (Judges
v. 18). The ancient com- mentators
strangely enough see in the
mention of these tribes an allu- sion
to, or rather a prophecy of, the birthplace
of the Apostles, and in Benjamin
of the Apostle Paul, whom Tertullian,
in reference to this Psalm, styles
parvus Benjamin. LITTLE BENJAMIN. So called, either
because their ancestor was the
youngest son of Jacob (LXX. vew<teroj, Gen. xliii. 33), or
because it
was in reality the smallest tribe, I
Sam. ix. 21. It is called THEIR RULER,
because from that tribe came
according
to the promise, Deut. xxxiii.
12, and the division of the land,
Joshua xviii. 16, lay within the
borders of their territory. Hup- feld
considers the dominion thus attributed
to this tribe "only a pro- phetic
idea of the restoration,which |
often
(especially in Isaiah) is set forth
as an inversion of things, ac- cording
to which the last shall be first
and the first last." THEIR COMPANY, Or crowd, Ju- dah
being the largest and most numerous
of the tribes. See Cri- tical
Note. 28. The Psalmist now turns in prayer
to that God who has ascended into
His holy habitation, beseeching Him
thence to manifest His power in
the subjugation of all enemies; he
beholds the nations bringing tribute
to Him as to their sove- reign;
and finally calls upon them to
join in loud praise and worship of
Him who rules in heaven, and who
is the God of Israel. THY GOD. According to the pre- sent
text, there is here an abrupt address
to probably
read (with many of the Ancient
Verss.), "0 God, command Thy
strength." Comp. the similar expressions
in xlii. 8 L9], xliv. 4 [51 See
Critical Notes. FROM THY TEMPLE (or, perhaps, tabernacle, see note on Ps. v.
7). This should,
probably, be detached from the
next verse. See Critical Note. 30. In ver. 29 the voluntary sub- mission
of foreign powers is de- scribed.
Here the prayer is that God
would compel to submission those
who oppose themselves. REBUKE, as in ix. 5 [6]. THE BEAST OF THE REED, evi- dently
a symbolical description of elsewhere
Leviathan, l xxvi.14, comp. Job.
xl. 24, and tannin, lxxiv. 13, Is. |
532 PSALM LXVIII.
The herd of bulls, with
the calves of the peoples:
Trampling under foot
y
those that have pleasure in silver,z
Disperse Thou the
peoples that delight in wars.
31
The rich onesaa as shall come out of Egypt;
VII.
32 0 ye kingdoms of the earth, sing unto God,
li.
9, parall. with Rahab, i.e. is
meant; or the hippopotamus, in
Job. xl. 15, called behemoth, and said
there (ver. 21) to be "among the
lotus, in the covert of the reeds:" (the
reeds of the also
in Is. xix. 6, xxxv. 7.) Probably the
former, as the latter does not occur
as a symbol of (on
Is. xxvii. I) supposes the beast of
the reed, i.e. "the dragon,
the crocodile,"
to be a symbol of Baby- lon.
Lowth (Prael.) and Schnurrer think
that the lion is meant as a symbol
of haunts
in the thick reeds by the rivers
of the
says,
"The lion or the tiger, i.e. the
great king." as
an example of the nations of the world,
being at this time, no doubt, the
leading power. See Pusey's Daniel, p. 68. The E.V. "company of the spear- men"
(the margin gives the true sense)
follows Ibn Ezra, Qimchi, Ar., Mont., Pisc., Vat., Calvin ("genus armature acsi di.ceret lancearios "). The
word rendered company is the same
which in ver. 10 is rendered congregation (in both, properly, living creature). Ibn Ez.
refers to ver.
to to justify his interpretation, and
observes that " spears are long like
a reed." BULLS, lit. "strong ones." See
on xxii.
12 [13]. These are the leaders of
the nations, kings and captains, whereas
the CALVES are explained by
the addition of THE PEOPLES, as the
nations themselves. TRAMPLING UNDER FOOT. The participle
refers to God, not to the |
calves.
Hence some would change it
into the imperative, "Trample under
foot." According to the re- ceived
text, this would stand: "(Re- buke)
those that prostrate them- selves
(sing. for plur.) with pieces (or
bars) of silver," or, "so that they prostrate
themselves with pieces of silver."
This last, which is followed by
the E.V., is the interpretation of
Ibn Ezra, but it does not seem grammatically
defensible. On this, and
the rest of the verse, see the Critical
Note. The general sense is
sufficiently clear. The Psalmist anticipates
the entire subjection of all
the princes and nations of the earth
to the God who has now seated
Himself on His throne in 31. tioned
as examples (as 12
[13], see note there) of the most wealthy
and powerful nations, who will
bring their treasures and pour out
their gifts before God. Comp. Is.
xliii. 3, xlv. 14, lx. 5, &c. SHALL QUICKLY STRETCH lit.
"shall make to run." The ,allu- sion
is to stretching out the hands, not
in prayer, but in the offering of gifts.
Others understand it as a sign
of submission like the Latin dare manus. The verb is in the feminine,
as
is usual with names of countries, regarded
as fem.; but, by a con- fusion
not unusual in Heb., we have the
suffix of the masc. pronoun, "his hands," instead of "her hands." 32. The remaining verses of the Psalm
are, in fact, prophetic. Stand- ing
in the midst of that future glory, which
he anticipates so vividly that |
PSALM
LXVIII. 533
Play (on the harp) to the Lord.
[Selah.]
33
To Him bb who rideth on the heaven of heavens
(which are) of old:--
Lo, He uttereth His voice, a voice
of strength.
34
Ascribe ye strength unto God,
Whose majesty is over
is in the clouds.
35
Terrible (art Thou), 0 God, from Thy sanctuaries,
Thou God of Israel;
He giveth strength and much power
unto the
people.
Blessed be
God.
it
seems already to be present, the Psalmist
calls upon all the king- doms
of the world to praise God, whose
glory is in heaven, but who has
also chosen dwell,
and to manifest His glory, as
He manifests it in heaven. 33. THE HEAVEN OF HEAVENS, i.e.
the highest heavens (comp. Deut.
x. 14, 1 Kings viii. 27), said to
be "of old" with reference to their
creation (comp. cii. 25 [26]); and
on this throning of God in the heavens,
whilst at the same time He
appears as the Redeemer and Protector
of His people upon earth, see
Deut. xxxiii. 26. HIS VOICE. Comp. xlvi. 6 [7], and xxix.
3, &c., where the thunder is |
so
called; God's thunder being the utterance
of His power. 35. FROM THY SANCTUARIES. So
cx. 2, "Jehovah shall send the rod
of thy strength out of the
seat of God's dominion, as the centre
from which He exercises His power.
The plural, as lxxiii. 17, Jer.
li. 51, Ezek. xxi. 7 (comp. Ps. lxxxiv.
I [2], cxxxii. 5, 7), as express- ing
the various parts of the one sanctuary. HE GIVETH STRENGTH. Comp. xxix.
11, Is. xI. 29. The word "strength"
is repeated for the fourth
time in five lines. MUCH POWER. I have so ren- dered
in order to express the plural noun:
lit. "powers." It occurs nowhere
else. |
a
JDonhi,
a peculiar form; inf. constr. instead of JdenA.hi, and apparently
written
thus because of the similarity of sound with the following JDon;Ti
This
last, as it stands, is 2d masc. (the n being expressed as in
Is. Iviii. 3,
Jer.
iii. 5), though Ewald would make it a 3d fern. in an intransitive sense.
This,
I must think, would be preferable, were it supported by usage.
But
as the Kal is transitive, a different punctuation might be adopted,
JdenA.Ti... JdenA.hiK;, "as smoke is
utterly driven away" (NwAfA being then here
fern
). The LXX., Syr., Chald., Ar., Vulg., seem to have read JdenAyi,
making
"the wicked" the subject.
b tObrAfEBA. The plur. form of the
word may be used here poetically for
the
sing. which occurs in the parallel passage Is. xl. 3, or it may be
employed
purposely, the object of the Psalmist being not to speak of
God's
march only through the 'Arabah properly
so called,—through the
534 PSALM LX
VIII.
desert
tract, that is, "which extends along the valley of the
the
Dead Sea to the
Ghor,"—but
through all the desert regions by which He led His people.
In
Deut. i. 1 and ii. 8, the 'Arabah, is the valley between the
and
the
the
word is used of the country of
(Deut.
xxxiv. 1, 8, and Joshua iv. 13, &c.), and generally of the tract east of
the
preted.
The LXX. e]i> dusmw?n, as in 2 Sam. iv. 7, from =
brf (II.
Ges.), to
grow dark, comp. the Arab. , to
set (of the sun), and so the Syr.;
but
Chald. and the Rabb. the heavens or the
clouds (according to
Mendelss.
the highest heavens are so called as having no stars, and so
being
waste; he renders AEther-wüste);
Luther, "Der da sanft herfahret,,"
deriving
it from brf
(I. Ges.), to be sweet, pleasant.
c h.yA apocop. from UhyA
and this
again apoc. from hv,hEya. It occurs first
in
Exod. xv. 2. Hence borrowed here, cxviii. 14, and Is. xii. 2, and
elsewhere
in the formula h.yA Ull;hE. The B; prefixed is the
so-called Beth
essentice.
See above, xxxv. note b, and comp. liv. 6. Ges. § 154, Rem. 3,
MydiyHiy;. The LXX. monotro<pouj. Theod. monaxou<j. Comp. xxv. 16 and
Is.
lviii. 7, the lonely, the destitute,
who are here said to be brought back
to
a house (as exiles, wanderers, &c. restored to their home): others
understand
it of the childless who are blessed
with a family, as cxiii. 9.
d tOrwAOK, only here: rendered by
the LXX. e]n a]ndrei<%, and Theod. e]n
eu]qu<thsin. Symm. better as ei]j
a]po<lusin,
and the Syr. "into prosperity."
Comp.
NOrw;Ki0, Eccl. ii. 21, from rwk syn. with rwx, rwy; according to
Hupf.
a later Aramaic form for this last ;
hence properly "the right
condition,"
and so "freedom, prosperity," &c. The Syriac transl. employs
here
a word from the same root.
e JyniTA. The Hiph. is here construed with double
accus. (like the Qal,
Prov.
vii. 17). "The imperf. is the relat. pret. with reference to the
situation
in ver., 8" (Hupf.), or simply the aor. of repeated past action.
j~t;lAHEna (by which we are to
understand the people not the land) is certainly
the
object of this verb, and is not to be joined (according to the accents)
with
hxAl;niv;, which follows. This would necessitate the rendering:
"Thine
inheritance,
even when (or, and that when) it was weary," &c. v;
epexeget.,
as
in I Sam. xxviii. 3, Amos iii. I I, iv. to. But this is without point. The
participle
is here used without the art. hypothetically, Ew. § 341 b. On ddy,
tObdAn; (plur. for sing., as cx. 3) see on liv.
6 [8]. The construction as given
above
is that of the LXX. broxh>n e[kou<sian a]foriei?j t^?
klhronomi<% sou.
f NUdODyi. The ancient Versions
wrongly derived this from ddy to love,
hence
LXX. tou? a]gaphtou?, Symm. a]gapthtoi>
e]ge<nonto,
as explained by Syr.
and
Jerome in the sense of being friends, and so joined in alliance. It
is
the fut. energet. from ddn, as the Rabb. rightly give it. It seems to
have
been the fate of almost every word in this Psalm to have been
misunderstood.
Even the following tvan; was derived from hxn, to be
beautiful, whereas it is the fem.
of the adj. hv,nA, as Jer. vi. 2.
PSALM LXVIII. 535
g In the interpretation
of this and the next verse two questions have to
be
considered: first, the meaning of the separate words, and then the
construction
of the sentences.
First, as regards the words. MyiTapaw; occurs also Ezek. xl.
43. (1) Ac-
cording
to the Rabb. pots, dirty vessels.
They explain the passage thus:
Though
ye lie now in dirt and squalor and wretchedness among the pots,
yet
ye shall be as the wings of a dove, &c. i.e. bright and beautiful. Ye
have
been in gloom and misery; ye shall be in peace and prosperity.
(2)
Others (following Rashi MkymvHt, and Jerome, terminos) understand
boundaries, which they explain
either (as Luth. and Gei.) of the ranks
of
battle,
in which the army, with the light dancing on its plumes and lances,
is
compared to the dove; or (as Bottch., Stier, and Hengst.) of the boun-
daries
of fields, &c., the allusion being to shepherd life or country life in
general.
The LXX. KXi)pot. (3) According to J. D. Mich. the word
denotes
drinking-troughs (from the Arab. to
drink, comp. Judges
v.
11). (4) But there can be little doubt that it should rather be rendered,
like
the kindred word MyitaP;w;mi, Gen. xlix. 14, Judges
v. 16, sheep-folds,
hurdles, from tpw, to set, place. (So the E. V. has sheepfolds in the last
passage,
whereas in the first it has panniers.)
According to (2), (3), (4),
the
allusion is to a quiet, indolent country life; the strong men who should
have
furnished recruits for the army being content with their usual rustic
occupations,
busying themselves with their cattle, &c.
wrePA commonly both in Qal and
Piel means to spread abroad, and
hence
the
LXX. e]n t&? diaste<llein to>n e]poura<nion
basilei?j (Th.
e]p ] au]th?j)
xionwqh<sontai e]n Selmw<n. And so Stier understands
it of the appointment of
the
heads of the tribes and princes throughout the country: but in Zech.
ii.
lo, to scatter, and so the Niph. Ezech. xvii. 21, and this meaning is
clearly
preferable here.
glew;Ta, 3 fern. Hiph. in a
neut. sense (Bottcher makes it 2 masc.
"Thou,
0 God, makest it snow," &c.), either it snows, or snowed (ac-
cording
to analogy of other verbs, though this verb does not occur in that
sense),
or it was white as snow. Gesen. § 53, 2. The voluntative form
is
to be explained here by its use in the apodosis when the protasis is
hypothetical.
It denotes the consequence which will happen, supposing
something
else happens. Gesen. § 128, 2.
NOml;ca. In the only other
passage where the word occurs, the name of
a
mountain near Shecher, Judg. ix. 48. Some (as Bottcher) suppose
another
lofty peak of he
ported
by the remarkable reading of the Alex. MS. in Judg. ix. o@roj
e[rmw<n;
and
others, as Theod., the Chald. ("shadow of death"), and the Rabb., and
Luther,
take it is an appell. =Ml,c,, shadow,
gloom, &c. "When the kings
(13)
were scattered, then that victory was like light, brightness in the
darkness."
And so recently Reuss, "Et 1'eclat de la neige remplace
I'obscurité,"
admitting, however, the doubtfulness of the explanation.
Secondly, as regards the
construction. Mxi may (1) introduce the pro-
tasis,
as a particle of condition (if), or
of time (when), and then the
apodosis
may begin at 'y ypen;Ka, as Hengst. takes it and
536 PSALM LXVIII.
lie
(or, when ye lie), &c.... ye are
(or, ye shall be as) the wings of a
dove,"
&c. Or (2) Mxi may be used, as in formulae of swearing, to
express
a
negative. So J. D. Mich. "Lie not among," &c. Or (3) as an
interro-
gative,
"Will ye lie," &c. (so Hupf. and Bottch.), implying surely ye will
not, comp. I Kings i. 27,
Micah iv. 9, Job vi. 12, in which case the particle
of
comparison only need be supplied in the next clause, "As the wings,"
&c.
[or the interrogative force of the particle may be explained by taking
it
in its usual conditional sense, and 'supposing an ellipse: "If ye lie—
what
then, what will happen?" &c. Comp. Is. xxix. 16.1
hPAH;n,, part. fem. Niph. which
may be predicate to ypen;Ka (comp. I Sam.
iv.
15, Micah iv. Ew. § 317 a), but may also refer to hnAOy.
h.BA. The reference of the
pron. is obscure. It is commonly rendered
in it, or because of it, and the reference is assumed to be to the Holy
Land,
as in ver. 11 [E. V. To] and Is. viii. 21, in both of which passages tie
pron.
is so used; but it must be confessed that there is something singular
in
this vague reference to an idea scarcely implied even in the context.
(2)
It may be better, perhaps, to take the pron. as referring by anticipation
to
the following NOml;ca, as in ix. 12 [13]. (3) Others refer the
pron. to the
dove,
as well as the verb &.; glaw;Ta following: "On her
(i.e. the dove) it was
white
as snow," alluding to the brilliancy of the plumage. Or, she, the
dove
or the people, was white as snow. (4) Bottcher takes the pron. in
a
neut. sense, and the verb i?Ut1, as remarked above, as 2 pers. masc.,
and
the prep. B;
in WrepAB; marking not the time but the manner of the
action:
"With the scattering of kings, 0 Almighty, therewith (73) Thou
makest
snow fall upon Zalmon," which he explains to mean that God so
discomfited
the kings, so scattered them and their arrnies in wild dis-
array
over the heights of one of the
thick
fall of snow. Symm.: o[po<te
kateme<rizen o[ i[
au]th<n,
w[j xionisqei?sa h#n Selmw<n.
h Myni.nub;Ga, from a sing.
Nnob;GaA,
which however does not occur, usually re-
garded
as an abstract quadriliteral noun, and compared with JUpxEna and
similar
forms; but these, as Hupf. observes, are not parallel instances,
inasmuch
as they do not double their last radical. He considers the
termination
N-
here to be the same as NO-, which, as well as it (and M-A, M-
formed
from a nunnated accusative termination h-A), commonly appears
as
an adjectival termination, and sometimes also in substantives. It
might
be regarded as a denom. abstr. subst. (like NOml;xa widowhood, for
NmAl;xa); but here, again, there is no doubling of
the last radical. Hence
he
decides that the word is an adj.: (I) because of the doubling of the
final
consonant as in and in NnAfEra, NnAxEwa and M- in Mym.iruyfe, Mym.iFur;Ha; (2) because
in
ver. 17 [16, E. V.] it is clearly an adj. agreeing with MyrihA; (3) because
in
Chald. the adj. NUnb;Ga, tumidus,
superciliosus, occurs. Hence 'N-yrha
(though
the noun is in the constr.) is not to be explained mons gibbositatis,
"a
mountain of many-peakedness" (if such a word may be coined), but
either
" a mountain of many-peaked (mountains)," or else rha must be
taken
collectively as = MyrihA. It is remarkable that the older Verss.,
PSALM
LXVIII.
537
while
they give Zalmon, do not give
LXX.
o@roj qeou?, o@roj pi?on, o@roj teturwme<non, o@roj pi?on. (So in xxii. 13
they
render NwA A
by the same adj. tau?roi pi<onej.) Symm.
o@roj eu]trofi<aj,
o@roj u[yhlo<taton, o@roj eu]trofi<aj. Jerome, mons Dei, mons pinguis: mons
excelsus, mons pinguis.
i NUdc. ;bT;;;. The word occurs only
here, and has been wrongly translated
by
the Chald. and others as = dqr, to hop. The other ancient Versions
are
nearer the mark. LXX. u[polamba<nete; Aq. Th. e]ri<zete; Symm.
perispouda<zete; Jerome, contenditis; Vulg. suspicamini; R. Mosheh Had-
darshan,
quoted by Rashi, "watch," or "lie in wait." The verb is to
be
explained
by the cogn. Arab. root , oculis intentis, insidiose, observare,
"to
watch jealously." The N. T. synonyms are parathrei?n,
e]nedreu<ein.
k MyitaBori, dual of tOBri, which is either (1) a
noun abstr. =tUBri, and so
two myriads; or (2) a plur.
contracted from tvxBori, Ezra ii. 69, in which
case
it would be (as a plur. with dual termination added) " two series of
myriads,"
as MytOmvH, "the double line of walls," MytHvl, "the double
series
of planks of a ship."
In NxAn;wi
ypel;xa,
lit. "thousands of repetition," we have another a!p.
leg.
NxAn;wi=NyAn;wi. The Targ. and Saad. render "thousands of
angels." LXX.
xilia<dej eu]qhnou<ntwn; Jerome, millia abundantium, as if it were
Comp.
Dan. vii. 10, Numb. x. 36.
l wdeqo.Ba
ynaysi MBA ynAdoxE.
This gives no satisfactory sense.
"Grammatically,"
says Hupfeld, "it could only mean: The
Lord is or was among
them (the myriads of the
angelic host), or with them (as lx.
12), or rides (rode)
upon them (the chariots) to Sinai into the sanctuary (as ver.
25), or with
holiness
(majesty), which would be a glance back at the theophany on
Sinai;
according to the older translators and Hengst. with reference to
the
tradition of the giving of the Law by the mediation of angels, Gal.
iii.
19, Heb. ii. 2, which is supposed to rest on Deut. xxxiii. 2, where
however
we have only the usual representation of God in the 0. T. as
accompanied
by angels, without special reference to the giving of the
Law.
But this does not suit the context, according to which only an
application
or comparison of Sinai with the present abode of God is in
place,
as has been felt by the Rabb. and almost all interpreters, who have
consequently
inserted the particle of comparison, ‘as on Sinai,’ which
however
is grammatically inadmissible. Hence the more recent inter-
preters
generally follow L. de Dieu, ` Sinai is (now) in the sanctuary (on
Zion);'
Sinai as it were having become appellative: either (as L. de
Dieu)
for the theophany or glory of God among the angelic host on
Sinai,
which is now to be seen in the sanctuary on Zion; or more simply,
according
to Schnurrer, Sinai stands by meton. for the abode of God
which
is now transferred to
est
;' Juv. Sat. iii. 62, ‘Jampridem
Syrus in Tiberim defluxit
Themist.
Orat. 31, metelh<luqen
o[ [Elikw>n ei]j to>n Bo<sporon; and the well-
538 PSALM LX VIII.
known,
'Hic Rhodus,' &c., and similar instances in all languages): in
either
case the idea being that
Sinai
in holiness."] But suitable as the sense would be, this would be a
strange
way of expressing it; for not only is the now wanting, but also
the
name of the new sanctuary, and wd,qo.ha alone could scarcely
form an
opposition
to Sinai. Probably the reading is wrong, and we ought to
read
ynaysi.mi xBA for ynaysi MBA hath come from Sinai into the sanctuary (wd,qo
with
the article in this connection being intelligible enough as meaning
where
the same phrase occurs." I accept this emendation in part, but I
think
the gap is larger; we cannot dispense with MBA, without which. this
sentence
stands abrupt and dissevered from the rest. Supposing the text
to
have stood originally ynys[m xb] Mb
yndx, it is
easy to see how the letters
between
brackets, from their similarity to those immediately preceding,
might
have slipt out altogether. I am glad to find that Reuss follows
me here:
"Le
Seigneur avec des myriades
Du Sinai vient au sanctuaire."
m MdAxABA, "among men," as the region in which,
instead of "from men,"
as
the persons from whom, the gifts were taken: or, as Hengst. "among
men"
= upon earth, in opp. to heaven. J. D. Mich. renders "consisting
of
men," i.e. who have thus become the servants of God (with reference
to
Ephes. iv. 11, &c.). So Bottch.—who supposes prisoners taken in war
and
devoted to the service of the
thinks
that proselytes are meant. The rendering of the Ap. in Ephes. may
be
perhaps a free rendering of the passage, e@dwke do<mata
toi?j a]nqrw<poij
but
it is remarkable that the Chald. has the same, xwAnA
yneb;li NnAT;ma NOhl; xTAb;hay;
As
the Targum on the Psalms is manifestly composite, some portions
being
much earlier than others, this rendering may
have been earlier than
the
time of the Apostle.
n Myrir;so
Jxav;. With
what are these words to be connected? Many take
them
with the previous verse, and regard them as dependent either upon
tAybiwA, or upon TAH;q;lA, repeating the prep. B; before ‘M
"and
even among
the
rebellious Thou hast taken gifts" (so
of
the sentence, 'x ‘y NKow;li, stands very lamely,
"that Jah Elohim may
dwell," i.e. as
Others
would connect this last clause with the words " Thou hast
ascended."
So Lee (Heb. Gram. § 241, 18, "Thou, 0 Lord God, hast
ascended up on high
(there) to dwell; Thou hast taken captivity captive;
Thou hast received gifts
for man (i.e. mankind), nay even (for) the rebel-.
lious ones.” This, however, is an
unnecessary transposition. The inf.
constr.
NKow;li here takes the place of the fut. act, or pass. See on lxii.
note
g: either, "the rebellious shall dwell with Jah," so Hupf. who takes
h.yA as the accus. after the verb of dwelling, as v. 5, lxxx. 2; or, as
seems
to
me preferable, "the rebellious (shall be) for the dwelling of Jab,"
i.e.
"Jah
shall dwell among them." We thus get the proper force of the
particle
Jxav;,
"yea, even the rebellious, those who would not willingly
PSALM LX
VIII.
539
bring
gifts, must nevertheless yield." LXX. kai> ga>r a]peiqou?ntej tou?
kataskhnw?sai.
o -smAfEya. This verb (like xWn and lbs) seems to combine the
two
meanings,
(i) to put a burden upon another, and
(2) to bear a burden. In
the
former sense it is always construed with lfa. Of those who adopt
(a),
some,
as Calv., and the E. V., take it in a good sense, "who daily loadeth
us
(with benefits);" others, as L. de Dieu, De W., Reuss, make UnlA-smAfEya the
protasis
to what follows, "If any lay a burden upon us, (still) God is,"
&c.;
others, again, as Gei., take lxehA as the subject,
"He who lays (or
laid)
a burden upon us is the God who is also our salvation," i.e. this
burden
was a discipline and so a means of blessing. But these con-
structions
are harsh, and (2) seems preferable. Comp. Is. xlvi. 1, 3,
Zech.
xii. 3. Then UnlA either stands here (according to later usage)
for
the
accus., as Hupf. takes it, "schleppt uns" (and so Jerome, portavit
nos); or, which is better,
retains its proper force as a dat. commodi,.
"Who
beareth for us (our burden)." So Ew. and
says
of this rendering, "besser vielleicht."
p tOxcAOT
tv,mAla,
lit. "means of escape for
death," or with reference to
i.e.
against or from death." So Ew. explains, " God gives to
means
to escape from death." Similarly De W., "Vona Tode Rettung;"
Zunz,
"Ausgänge vom Tode." And the E. V., "issues from death."
(2)
Others, "goings forth to
death," i.e. God has means of
leading the
enemy
to death. So Symm. ai[ ei]j qa<naton e@codoi, and so Rashi and
Qimchi.
The LXX., Jerome, Calv., render "of death."
q Uhne.mi. This has been commonly
taken as = Un.m,.mi, either (i) distribu-
tively,
of every one of them (the enemies), which involves however a very
harsh
ellipse, "that the tongue of thy dogs (may drink the blood) of the
enemies,
of every one of them;" so Symm., o!pwj . . .
la<y^ h[ gl. t. k. s.
a]po> e[ka<stou tw?n e]xrw?n sou: or (2) "of
it," i.e. the blood. So Calv. and
the
E. V., "the tongue of thy dogs in the same," and app. the LXX. par
]
au]tou?. Others, "The tongue of thy dogs,
from the enemy, even from
them,"
or, "even from it (the blood)." According to Rashi we have the
verb
hnA.mi
(as in Job vii. 3, Jonah ii. I, Dan. i. 10): "the tongue of thy
dogs
hath made it (the blood) of the enemies its food," lit. bath prepared
it.
But it would be better then, as Hupf. observes, to make NOwl; the dat.,
"He
hath given it as a portion to the tongue of thy dogs." Simonis,
however,
is probably right in referring Uhne.mi to a noun Nma, portion, and so
I
have rendered in the text. So too in the Arab. Vers. of R. Yapheth:
pars ejus. It is unnecessary
therefore with Olsh. to read OtnAmi, as in
lxiii.
11.
r Mdero cannot be referred to Mdr, but to hdr. It is the part. with
the
suff.,
with Tsere instead of Kametz, and
construed with the accus. instead
of
the more usual B;. The suff. refers not to the enemy, "their
subduer"
(as
Hengst.), but "their (
tranquillity.
540 PSALM LXVIII.
s MtAmAg;ri. Qimchi derives the
word from Mgr,
to stone, as though the
meaning
were their heap, i.e. "the
princes of
crowd)
of the common people." But the verb Mgr is always used of
stoning as a punishment
appointed by the Law, and the noun could
hardly
therefore mean a heap of stones, and
so a crowd. Either, there-
fore,
we must suppose the root signification of na1 to be that cf the
Arab. , congerere,
or we must conclude that we have here a false read-
ing
for MtAwAg;ri (comp. lxiv. 3 and lv. 15). The m and the w are very similar
in
the old Hebrew character. Hengst., who always defends the Massoretic
text
at the expense of any interpretation however far-fetched, renders
the
word stoning, and observes: "
enemies,
in allusion to David, who put to
death by a stone Goliath, the
representative
of the rnight of the world"!
t j~yh,l< hUAci, Thy God (0
address
to
is
therefore better to read with all the older Verss. Myhilox<
hUeca.
u hzAUf, incorrectly for hz.Afu, and this for hz.Afo. By the LXX. duna<mwson,
Symm.
e]ni<sxuson, taken transitively. And so Calv. and the E. V.
strengthen.
But elsewhere zzf is always intrans., to be strong, to show
oneself
strong. But then it is difficult to explain the pron. Uz, which must
in
this case be accus., "show Thyself strong in that which Thou hast
wrought."
This gives no satisfactory sense. It should rather be "in
that
which Thou wilt work." Others,
again, take Uz as the nom., "Thou
who hast," &c.
(but can Uz
be used as referring to the person as the agent?),
but
not Ewald (as Hupf asserts), who renders, "Glänzend mach', Gott,
was
du uns bereitet." He therefore takes the verb as transitive, and this
on
the whole is perhaps best. Eccl. vii. 19.
x j~l,kAyheme. This cannot be rendered as the E. V. "Because of Thy
temple"
(although Symm. has dia> to>n nao<nsou). It can only mean
"From
Thy
temple," and manifestly belongs to the preceding verse, as indeed is
confirmed
by the pausal form of the word. The following ‘y; lfa, "up to
y MPerat;mi. This is commonly
rendered submitting, or prostrating them-
selves (the Hiph. of Mpr, calcare, meaning se calcandum
praebere =pro-
sternere, which is defended by
Prov. vi. 3). But why should the Psalmist
pray,
Rebuke the beast of the reeds (i.e.
themselves?
If already prostrate, they would not need the rebuke.
Hence
it has been attempted to render this, ut
supplex venial (
and
the E. V. "till every one submit himself;" but this is grammatically
indefensible.
The truth is, that the meaning commonly assigned to the
verb
is wrong. The Hithp. has here the force of the Greek middle, to
trample under foot for
oneself,
and so it should be rendered in Prov. vi, 3.
Then
the part must be taken, not with the nouns immediately preceding,
but
as a predicate of God (as in text and as it is in the Arab. Vers.
published
by Barges). Hupf. indeed says that the part. cannot be con-
nected
with anything going before, and would correct MPerat;hi imperat. as
afterwards
rz.eBa
instead of rz.aBi.
But this seems unnecessary. [Bunsen, I
PSALM
LXIX.
541
find,
retains the participle.] Syrnm. has the right sense of the part.
though
with a wrong construction, suno<d& pammegeqw?n . .
. . toi?j
dialakti<zousi. The part. may perhaps be
taken with the animals, " rushing
on,
trampling like a herd."
z ‘p yce.raB; "with bars of
silver." If the interpretation given above of
MPerat;mi is correct, it is clear that the
received punctuation here cannot
be
defended, and there can be little doubt that we should point ycerB;,
"(trampling)
on them who have pleasure in silver."
This is supported
by
R. Yapheth's rendering, " conculcatus ob
studium argenti," which
shows
that he connected it with the root hcr. Four MSS. read the word
without
Dagesh, and the older Verss. do not seem to have had the
present
reading. Symm. tou>j eu]dokh<touj e[j dokimh>n a]rguri<ou. LXX. tou>j
dedokimasme<nouj
t& ? a]rguri<&. Jerome, in vitulis populorum calcitrantium
contra rotas argenteas. The Syr. for 'k 'b 'tm has "who are
clothed with
silver."
aa. Myni.maw;Ha
a
quadrilit. not occurring elsewhere, but apparently the
same
as Myni.maw;mi, lxxviii. 31, lit. fat
ones, i.e. "great men, princes," &c.,
as
the Rabb. Hence, "Hasmoneans" = priest-princes. A Cardinal is
to
this day called NmwH. On the other hand, the LXX. have pre<sbeij,
and
the Syr. "ambassadors." It is either formed, Hupf. says, from Nmw
with
prosthetic H (as elsewhere x and h)—but where is there any
parallel
to
this?—or from the Arab. , with the
termination N-A, which is more
probable.
Mich. Hasmoneans, i.e. inhabitants of
the Egyptian province
Aschmunim.
The Chald. has xnmsvH, the name of a province.
bb hlAse. Hupf. finds the Selah
here out of place (though there are
other
instances, see lx. 6), as disturbing the construction, and inge-
niously
suggests that the reading should be bkerolA Ul.so. As the text now
stands
the prep. l;
is out of place, unless with Schn. we connect ‘rlA with
xle Urywi.
PSALM LXIX.
WHEN and by whom this Psalm was
written, we have no very
certain
clue to guide us; except that the closing verses point to a
time
of national disaster, and that the hopes there expressed are such
as
might naturally have been uttered on the return from the captivity
in
is,
that it was written under circumstances of great and unmerited
suffering,
by one who was persecuted for righteousness' sake. The
zeal
which he had shown for the service and honour of God had
provoked
the hostility of bad men against him, and made him the
object
of their unholy mockery. In the former part of the Psalm
we
have the fact of this persecution detailed, in the form of a
humble
complaint to God, together with an earnest prayer for
542 PSALM LXIX.
deliverance.
In the latter part there is a marked change of feeling.
The
sad, humble, subdued, entreating tone in which he had spoken,
turns
suddenly into a strong outburst of indignant execration. One
curse
is heaped upon another, till the whole terrible series is com-
pleted
in the prayer that those who have persecuted and mocked
God's
afflicted servant may have their names blotted out from His
Book
of Life.
In some of its features this Psalm
bears much resemblance to
Psalms
xxxv. and cix. In all three Psalms there is the same deep
sense
of grievous wrong, of innocence unjustly persecuted, and in
all
alike the same burning indignation is poured in a hot lava-stream
of
anathemas upon the persecutors. (See note on xxxv. 22.)
In other respects there are points
of coincidence between this and
the
Fortieth Psalm, which seem to justify the conclusion that the
two
were written by the same person. In each the Sacred. Poet
describes
his affliction as a sinking in the deep mire (xl. 2 [3], lxix.
2
[3]) in the one we have "they that hate me without a cause are
more
than the hairs of my head," lxix. 4 [5]; in the other, "mine
iniquities
. . . . are more than the hairs of my head," xl. 12 [13] ; in
both
there is the same hope that the triumphant issue of the suffer-
ing
endured will be a subject of joy to the righteous and the strength-
ening
of their faith, xl. 3 [4], 16 [17], lxix. 6 [7], 32 [33]. This last
passage,
again, bears a striking resemblance to xxii. 26 [27], so that
Hitzig
considers it certain that the Twenty-second Psalm must also
be
ascribed to the same author.* That author he supposes to be
Jeremiah.
Seiler, and others before him, had thrown out the same
suggestion
with regard to Psalms xl. and lxix. The grounds on
which
this view rests are: (I) the character of the suffering, which
was
occasioned by zeal for God's house, the humility of the sufferer,
and
the scorn with which he was treated, all of which correspond
with
what we read in Jer. xv. 15-18; (2) the murderous hate of the
men
of Anathoth towards Jeremiah, xi. 18—23, which may be com-
pared
with the complaint of the Psalmist, ver. 8 [9]; (3) the close
of
the Psalm, ver. 34—36 [35-37], which is, as it were, a summary
of
what Jeremiah foretold in his Book of Restoration, xxx.--xxxiii.;
(4)
the peculiar nature of Jeremiah's suffering, who was cast by the
princes
into the dungeon or cistern of Malchiah, where he sank
down
in the mire. To this the Prophet is supposed to allude in
Lam.
iii. 53-58, and, according to Hitzig, this Psalm was his prayer
whilst
he lay in the cistern or pit (comp. ver. 15). Delitzsch, in his
* In this Ewald differs from him,
though he admits that xl,, and lxix.
are
by the same author, but he adds several other Psalms to the list, xxv.,
xxxiv.,
xxxviii., li., lxx., lxxi., lxxxviii., cix.
PSALM
LXIX.
543
Introduction
to the Psalm, thinks this far from improbable; indeed,
he
inclines strongly to Hitzig's view, and confesses that the Psalm
can
be explained much more satisfactorily on the supposition that
Jeremiah,
than on the supposition that David, was the author;
adding,
at the same time, that he has not the courage to pronounce
the
inscription false. When he comes to the end of his commentary
on
the Psalm, after again arguing that the last verses present no
difficulty
if we suppose them to have been written by the Prophet,
he
with strange inconsistency turns round and says: "Considering
the
relation of the New Testament to this Psalm, we hold fast to the
Inscription,
(A Psalm) of David."
Yet if any inference can be drawn
from style and language, if
criticism
have any testing power, it would hardly be too much to say
that
this Psalm could not have been written by David. Moreover,
to
what possible circumstances in David's life could verses 11, 12,
and
21 refer, or what meaning could verse 35 have in his mouth?
The
fact that it is cited as his in Rom. xi. 9 proves nothing for
"David"
there means nothing more than the Book of Psalms.
This
has usually been regarded as a Messianic Psalm. No
portion
of the Old Testament Scriptures is more frequently quoted
in
the New, with the exception of Psalm xxii. When Jesus drives
the
buyers and sellers from the
reminded
of the words of ver. 9a. When it is said, John xv. 25,
that
the enemies of Jesus hated Him without a cause, and this is
looked
upon as a fulfilment of Scripture, the reference is probably
to
ver. 4 (though it may be also to xxxv. 19). To Him, and the re-
proach
which He endured for the sake of God,
refers
the words of this Psalm, ver. 9b, "the reproaches of them
that
reproached Thee are fallen upon Me. In ver. 12 we have a
foreshadowing
of the mockery of our Lord by the soldiers in the
praetorium,
Matt. xxvii. 27-30; in ver. 21, the giving of the vinegar
and
the gall find their counterpart in the scenes of the Crucifixion,
Matt.
xxvii. 34. In John xix. 28 there is an allusion, probably, to
ver.
21 of this Psalm (and to xxii. 15). The imprecation in ver. 25
is
said, in Acts i. 20, to have been fulfilled in the case of Judas
Iscariot,
though, as the words of the Psalm are plural, the citation
is
evidently made with some freedom. According to Rom. xi. 9, 10,
the
rejection of
22,
23.
It will be observed that many of
these quotations are made
generally,
by way of illustration and application, rather than as
prophecies
which have received fulfilment. Enough, however,
remains
to justify the Messianic sense of the Psalm, provided our
544 PSALM LXIX.
interpretation
be fair and sober. The broad principle laid down in
the
Introduction to the Twenty-second Psalm applies here. The
history
of Prophets and holy men of old is a typical history. They
were,
it may be said, representative men, suffering and hoping, not
for
themselves only, but for the nation whom they represented. In
their
sufferings, they were feeble and transient images of the Great
Sufferer,
who by His sufferings accomplished man's Redemption:
their
hopes could never be fully realized but in the issue of His
work,
nor their aspirations be truly uttered save by His mouth. But
confessions
of sinfulness and imprecations of vengeance, mingling
with
these better hopes and aspirations, are a beacon to guide us in
our
interpretation. They teach us that the Psalm is not a prediction;
that
the Psalmist does not put himself in the place of the Messiah
to
come. They show us that here, as indeed in all Scripture, two
streams,
the human and the Divine, flow on in the same clannel.
They
seem designed to remind us that if Prophets and Minstrels of
old
were types of the Great Teacher of the Church, yet that they
were
so only in some respects, and not altogether. They bear
witness
to the imperfection of those by whom God spake in time
past
unto the fathers, in many portions and in many ways, even
whilst
they point to Him who is the Living Word, the perfect
Revelation
of the Father.
The Psalm consists of two principal
divisions, each of eighteen
verses.
These, however, again admit of subdivision as follows:--
of
the Psalmist. Ver. I-4.
(2) The fuller account of his
persecutions, especial prominence
being
given to the fact that his sufferings are for
the sake of God
and of His house, and the reproach to
which he is exposed in con-
sequence.
Ver. 5-12.
(3) The prayer to God for
deliverance, urged both upon the
ground
of his great misery and of God's great mercy. Ver. 13--18.
II. (I) He turns back, and again
dwells upon the malice and
cruelty
of his enemies. Ver. 19-21.
(2) And then, roused by the
recollection of his wrongs, conscious
that
he is on the side of God and of truth, and that he has been
treated
with shameful injustice, he calls for God's worst vengeance
upon
his enemies. Ver. 22-28.
(3) Lastly, we have the threefold
expression of joy: first, as regards
God's
deliverance of himself, and his own acknowledgement of that
mercy
(ver. 29-31); then, as regards the encouragement hereby given
to
all the righteous (ver. 32, 33); and, finally, in prospect that God
will
save
PSALM
LXIX.
545
[FOR
THE PRECENTOR. “UPON LILIES.”a (A PSALM) OF DAVID.]
1.
SAVE me, 0 God,
For the waters have come in unto
(my) soul.
2
I have sunk in the mud of the abyss, where there is no
standing-place.
I have come into the depths of the
waters,
And a flood hath
overwhelmed me.
3
I am weary with my calling, my throat is parched,
Mine eyes have failed, whilst I wait
for my God.
4
More than the hairs of my head are they that hate me
without cause,
Strong are (they that are) my
destroyers,b mine
enemies without
reason:--
Ver. I-4. These contain the cry for
help, and the description of the Psalmist's
miserable condition. 1. THE WATERS, frequently oc- curring
as an image of extreme danger,
as in xviii. 4 [5] and 16 [17], xxxii.
6, xlii. 7 [8], and often. UNTO (MY) SOUL, expressive of a peril
threatening the life, as in Jer. iv.
10, Jonah ii. 6. Calvin, however, thinks
that soul is put for heart, and that
the expression denotes that the waters
had not only covered him, but
had forced their way down his throat. 2. MUD OF THE ABYSS, perhaps not
simply "deep mud," as the similar
expression in xl. 2 [3], "mire of
mud," for in ver. 15 "the abyss " occurs
alone, as parallel with "flood of
waters." The word FLOOD in these
two verses is the well-known Shibboleth
which the Ephraimites were
unable to pronounce, Judg. xii.
6. It occurs again, Is. xxvii. 12,
"flood of the river." 3. IS PARCHED, or "dried up," lit.
"is made hot," "burned," as in cii.
3 [4], where it is said of the bones
(comp. Job xxx. 30). See xxii.
15 [16]. WHILST I WAIT. The part. is |
in
apposition with the subject con- tained
in the pronominal suffix, as Hupfeld
rightly explains the con- struction.
It was an example, says Calvin,
of a rare and wonderful patience,
to wait upon God in so deplorable
a condition, and adds, "when
he speaks of his throat being parched,
this is not as though he had
left off praying, but rather in- timates,
that though his bodily strength
failed, the power of his faith
did not give way." 4. MORE THAN THE HAIRS. Cornp.
xl. 12 [13]. WITHOUT CAUSE, as in xxxv. 19, xxxviii.
19 [20]. To this passage, probably,
allusion is made by our Lord,
John xv. 25: o!ti e]mi<shsa<n (LXX.
oi[ misou?ntej) me dwrea<n, words which
He introduces with i!na
plh- rwq^ o[ logoj o[
gegramme<noj e]n t&? no<m& au]tw?n. The manner of cita- tion
plainly shows how we are to understand
i!na plhrwq^?; what was true,
in some sense, even of the suffering
Israelite under the law, was
still more true of Him in whom was
no sin, and whom, therefore, His
enemies did indeed hate with- out
cause. MY DESTROYERS. So the text at |
546 PSALM LXIX.
That which I did not
rob, then must I restore.
5
0 God, THOU knowest c my foolishness,
And my guiltiness hath not been hid
from Thee.
6
Let not them that wait on Thee be ashamed through me,
O Lord, Jehovah (God of)
hosts.
Let not them be confounded, through
me, that seek Thee,
O God of
7
For Thy sake I have borne reproach,
present
stands, but various attempts have
been made to correct it. See Critical
Note. THAT WHICH I DID NOT ROB, &c.
The expression seems to be proverbial.
It is equivalent to saying,
"I am treated as guilty though
I am innocent." Comp. Jer.
xv. lo, and the similar com- plaint
in Ps. xxxv. 11. THEN MUST I RESTORE. The particle
of time seems to be used here
almost instead of the demon- strative
pronoun, = “What I did not
rob, that I must restore;" Job ix.
30, 31. The particle may be used,
as Hupfeld explains, to mark the
consequence which then imme- diately
follows from the robbery, or,
as I think more likely, to mark the
consequence of the calumnies of
his enemies. The P. B. V. gives the
sense very well: "I paid them the
things that I never took." 5. Then follows the appeal to God
from the unrighteousness of men.
The manner in which this appeal
is made is, however, un- usual.
Generally speaking, under such
circumstances, we find a strong
assertion of the integrity and
innocence of the sufferer, and a
complaint that he suffers unjustly: here,
on the contrary, we find him appealing
to God's knowledge of his
foolishness and his transgres- sions. The passage presents
a great
difficulty to Augustine in his attempt
to explain the whole Psalm as
a prophecy of Christ; and he escapes
from the difficulty by saying that
the words apply to the mem- |
bers
of Christ and not to the Head. Some
would explain this: Thou knowest
exactly what the extent of my
foolishness is, and that I am not
so guilty as others would repre- sent
me, "Thou knowest what my foolishness,
&c. is." Calvin under- stands
the words ironically: Death hypothetically;
"Thou wouldest know,"
&c., i.e. if I were really guilty.
Ewald takes foolishness here
to mean the consequences of folly
and sin, i.e. the punishment of them,
and renders, "Thou know- est
my punishment, and my suffer- ings
are not hid," &c. And Hup- feld
inclines to the same view. But all
such interpretations are far- fetched.
We have here, as in xl. 12
[13], a confession of sinfulness, a confession
that that sinfulness has brought
upon him the punishment from
which he now suffers. With this
confession he turns to God, who
knows him far better than he knows
himself. "God, Thou know- est."
He does not attempt to assert that
he is innocent, but only that his
enemies are unjust and rnali,- cious
in their attacks. And then he urges
his appeal for mercy on the ground
that others who trust in God
will be put to shame, if His servant
is left to perish. GUILTINESS. Heb.
"guiltinesses." 7. FOR THY SAKE. Another rea- son
urged why God should rescue him
from his enemies. It is true he
is a sinner, it is true he suffers for
his sin; nevertheless the men who
have injured him have injured him
unjustly. It is Jehovah him- |
PSALM
LXIX. 547
Confusion hath covered my face.
8
I am become estranged from my brethren,
And an alien to my mother's sons.
9
For zeal for Thine house hath consumed me,
And the reproaches of them that
reproach Thee are
fallen upon me.
10
And I wept (and) my soul fasted,d
And it became (a subject of)
reproaches for me.
11
I made sackcloth also my clothing,
And I became a proverb unto them:
self,
and the people of Jehovah (see last
verse), who are reproached in him:
it is Jehovah's honour and the
honour of His house and wor- ship
which are at stake. See note on
xliv. 17-22. The complaint is very similar to the
one made in xliv. 13 [14], &c. Compare
particularly the expres- sions,
"for Thy sake," "confusion hath
covered my face," "I became a
proverb," the only difference being that
there they are spoken of the nation,
here of the individual. An exact
parallel is to be found in Jer. xv.
15, "know that for Thy sake I have
suffered rebuke." 8. Even his own nearest of kin are
estranged from him on this account.
Comp. the similar com- plaints,
xxvii. 10, xxxi. I I [12] xxxviii.
11 [I2]. 9. ZEAL FOR THINE HOUSE. Per- haps,
for the state of neglect in which
it was, or for the profanation of
the sanctuary, though the phrase may
only mean zeal for God's ser- vice
and worship. (So Hupfeld.) Still,
I think, this expression is only to
be accounted for on the sup- position
that the standing. HATH CONSUMED, lit. "eaten." Comp.
cxix. 139. Similar expres- sions
with respect to the Prophets will
be found, Jer. vi. I I, xv. 17, xx. 9,
xxiii. 9, Ezek. iii. 14. This, which
was true in various imperfect degrees
of these servants of God of
old, was in a far higher sense |
true
of the Only-begotten Son, who could
say, I seek not mine own glory.
Hence, when He purged the
help
thinking of these words of the Psalm,
as finding their best appli- cation
in Him. (John ii. 17.) UPON ME, as upon all God's true prophets
(comp. Jer. i. 6-8, Ezek. ii.
6, 7), and above all upon the Great
Prophet of the Church, as words,
Rom. xv. 3. 10.
MY SOUL FASTED, lit. "was in
fasting," (on the construction see
Critical Note), and in the next
verse SACKCLOTH, symbols of deep
sorrow, and of repentance. Comp.
xxxv. 13. But it has been disputed
whether they denote, (i) humiliation
for his own sin, and outward
tokens of his suffering; or
(2) sorrow for the despite done to
God's honour and house; or (3) whether
the Psalmist appears here in
a representative character, son- rowing
for the sins of his people; shedding
tears for those who had no
tears to shed for themselves, fasting
for those who were living in
pleasure in the earth and were wanton,
putting sackcloth on his loins
for those who saw not the judgments
of God. It is most probable,
I think, that a public ex- pression
of sorrow is meant, and that
this was called forth by the general
neglect of religion (ver. 9): and
then this public protest against ungodliness
was turned into ridi- |
548 PSALM LXIX.
12
They that sit in the gate talk of me,e
And the songs of them that drink
strong drink (are
concerning me).
13
But as for me—my prayer is unto Thee, 0 Jehovah, in a
time of favour:f
0 God, in the greatness of Thy
loving-kindness, answer
me with the truth of Thy
salvation.
14
Deliver me from (the) mire, that I sink not;
Let me be rescued from my haters,
and from the
depths of the waters.
15
Let not a flood of waters overwhelm me,
Neither let the abyss swallow me up,
And let not the pit shut
her mouth upon me.
16
Answer me, 0 Jehovah, for Thy loving-kindness is good;
cule
by those against whom it was and
Bunsen make the first principal
directed
(ver. 11, 12). division
of the verse after the word
12. IN THE GATE, as the place "loving-kindness."
of
public resort. See note on ix. 14. This and the next verse
14
[15]. answer
to verses 1, 2, almost the
TALK OF ME. The verb is used same expressions being
employed,
in
poetry, and may mean here either there
in describing the lamentable
to
converse generally, or to sing condition
of the Psalmist, here in
songs,
as in cv. 2, cxly. 5. pleading
for deliverance from, that
AND THE SONGS, &c. . . . ARE condition.
CONCERNING
ME, lit. "And I am 15. THE PIT. The Hebrew word
(the
subject of) the songs, &c." (rxeB; B'er) is commonly rendered in
Comp.
the use of the singular in the
E. V. "well," but here and iv. 23
Job
xxx. 9, Lam. iii. 14, 63, Ezek. [24],
and Prov. xxiii. 27, rightly
xxxiii.
32. In every boisterous "pit"
(= Heb.rOB
Bor). It means
company
of drunkards he is the properly,
(see App. to
butt
of their unholy merriment. Sinai and
13. BUT AS FOR ME. The pro- dug pit, usually with water
at the
noun,
as usual, emphatic; in order bottom"
(except Gen. xiv. 10, where
to
mark the contrast between his it
is used of the natural pits of
own
conduct and that of such men; bitumen).
These wells, as is evi-
and
a nom. absol. as in xxxv. 13, dent
from numerous vestiges of
Gen.
xvii. 4. them
still remaining, had "a broad
FAVOUR, or "of good pleasure." margin of masonry round the
mouth,
The
same expression occurs in Is. and
often a stone filling up the
xlix.
8. Comp. Ps. xxxii. 6. The right orifice."
This explains the prayer,
distribution
of the clauses of this "Let
not the pit shut her mouth
verse
is doubtful. The arrange- upon
me." Such a person would
ment
I have adopted is that of have
been buried alive.
Delitzsch,
and is in accordance with 16. GOOD, i.e. either sweet, com-
the
accents. Ewald joins the forting, as in lxiii. 3 [4], or
gracious,
words
"in a time of favour," xrhsto<j. Comp. cix. 21. This
ap-
&c.
with what follows. Hupfeld peal
to God's tender mercy, remarks
PSALM LXIX.
549
According to the greatness of Thy
tender mercies turn
unto me;
17
And hide not Thy face from Thy servant,
For I am in distress; answer me speedily.
18
Draw nigh unto my soul, ransom it;
Because of mine enemies, redeem me.
19
THOU knowest my reproach, and my shame, and my
confusion;
Before Thee are all my adversaries.
20
Reproach hath broken my heart, and I am full of
heaviness,g
And I waited for sympathy, and there
was none;
And for comforters, and
have not found (them).
21
And they gave me gall for my food,
Calvin,
"shows how great was the strait
of the holy Prophet . . . and of
a truth it is a very difficult matter to
be sure that God is gracious while
He is angry, and near while He
is far off." 19. The second principal division of
the Psalm opens with a renewed appeal
to God. Comp. ver. 5 and ver.
13. There is a repetition of what
had been said already, ver. 4, 7, 9,
&c., together with the additional aggravation
mentioned in ver. 21. THOU KNOWEST. In the cer- tainty
that all his sorrows, fears, sicknesses,
reproach, sufferings, are known
to God, the Psalmist again finds
his consolation. 20. FULL OF HEAVINESS, or "sick,"
or "faint." Perhaps here used
in reference to the mind rather
than the body. The word does
not occur in this form else- where,
but we have the cognate root,
Jer. xv. 18, xvii. 16, and in other
passages. SYMPATHY. This is the only place
in the psalter where the word is
found. Properly speaking it is not
a noun, but a verb in the infin. Hence
the periphrasis in the E. V. "I
looked for some to take pity," or,
as in the marg., "to lament with."The
word sympathy has |
nowhere
been employed by our translators,
but it exactly conveys the
force of the Hebrew word, in- asmuch
as it is used of sympathy in
joy as well as in sorrow; see Job xlii.
11, where our Version renders "and
they bemoaned him:" "and they
sympathized with him "would have
been better. They would not bemoan
him on his restoration to health
and prosperity. This word also
is used several times by Jere- miah,
xv. 5, xvi. 5, xlviii. 17. 21. THEY GAVE ME FOR MY FOOD.
I have adopted this render- ing
because it seems best to accord with
the parallelism in the next verse;
the preposition 3 is the so- called
Beth essentia, and introduces the
predicate. And so the E. V. has understood
the construction: "for my
meat," and the P. B. V. "to eat"
following Luther, "zu According
to the usual construction of
the verb with the prep. the ren- dering
would be, "they put gall into my food;" and so
Ewald takes it,
and the older Versions generally. And
the Gen. Vers. has "in my meat."
Delitzsch, who adopted this in
his first edition, has altered it in his
second edition, and now renders "als
Speise." The word translated FOOD
occurs only here, but see |
550 PSALM LXIX.
And when I was thirsty they gave me
vinegar to drink.
22
Let their table before them become a snare,
the
kindred form, 2 Sam xiii. 5, 7, 10. GALL. What is the exact mean- ing
of the word (Heb. wxr, rosh)
it is
difficult to say. Both Symm. and the
LXX. have xolh<, and Jerome, fel; the Syr. bitternesses, bitter things. According to Hosea
x. 4, it
is a plant "growing in the furrows of
the field," and there the E. V. renders
it by "hemlock." In Deut. xxix.
17, [18 E. V.], Lam. iii. 19, it is joined
with "wormwood." Gesen. referring
to Deut. xxxii. 32, sup- poses
some berry-bearing plant to be
meant, and conjectures that it may
be the "poppy." And this Mr.
Houghton (Smith's Dict. of the Bible, App. GALL) thinks
most probable,
where all is uncertain. Hengstenberg
suggests it may mean only
"something very bitter," and not
of necessity any particular root or
plant. WHEN I WAS THIRSTY, lit. "for
my thirst." VINEGAR or "sour wine;" the Greek
translators, o@coj and the Latin,
acetum. St. Matthew, who never
forgets the foreshadowings of the
O. T., alludes, there can he no doubt,
to this verse of the Psalm, when
he mentions, in his narrative of
the Crucifixion (xxvii. 34), that the
Roman soldiers offered our Lord "vinegar
mingled with gall " (o@coj [oi#non] meta>
xolh?j memigme<non),
just before
He was nailed to the cross. St.
Mark, on the other hand, in his narrative
(xv. 23) speaks of "wine mingled
with myrrh" (oi#noj e]smur- nisme<noj). Dean Alford, in his
note on
the former passage, seems to think
that the two potions could not
be the same, though he admits that
oi#noj might mean the same as o@coj, sour
wine. But Mr. Hough- ton
has observed (in the article before
referred to) that "the wine mingled
with myrrh" "was pro- bably
a mere ordinary beverage of the
Romans, who were in the habit of
seasoning their various wines, |
which,
as they contained little alcohol,
soon turned sour, with various
spices, drugs, &c." and if so,
then the same potion may be described
by St. Matthew, and the words
"with gall" may either de- note
generally the bitter nature of the
draught, or some bitter sub- stance
may have been purposely added
by way of mockery. It has been
usually assumed that this drink
was given to criminals to stupefy,
and deaden pain; but it does
not seem that myrrh has any of
the properties of an anodyne. If, however, St. Matthew and St. Mark
admit of such reconciliation (though
were no reconciliation pos- sible
it need not startle us), the allusion
to this Psalm in presents
another difficulty. This Evangelist
(xix. 28) tells us that Jesus,
in order that the Scripture might
be accomplished, said, "I thirst."
But this was not before our
Lord was crucified, but at the last,
only just before He gave up the
ghost. It is clear, therefore, that
he and both
acknowledging a fulfilment of the
Psalm in our Lord's crucifixion, associate
that fulfilment with two different
circumstances. But we are
not, therefore, compelled to conclude,
as Hupfeld does, that there
is no fulfilment at all. The Psalm
is truly typical, and its whole meaning is exhausted not in
the one
circumstance only, but in both. 22. The imprecations which fol- low
can only be perplexing to those who,
having adopted a hard me- chanical
theory of prophecy, feel themselves
compelled to understand every
part of the Psalm as equally predictive
of our Lord; or to those who
persistently refuse to acknow- ledge
the difference between the Old
Testament and the New. If we
go on the broad ground of a typical
foreshadowing of Christ in the
person of some saint of old, then
we shall not be obliged to |
PSALM LXIX. 551
And when they are in peace (let it
be) a trap.
23
Let their eyes be darkened that they see not,
And make their loins constantly to
shake.
24
Pour out upon them Thine indignation,
And let the burning of Thine anger
overtake them.
25
Let their encampment be desolate,
assume
that all his words are words such
as our Lord could use. And if
we remember what our Lord himself
has taught us, that the spirit
of Elijah—the greatest of the O.
T. Prophets—is very different from
the spirit of Christ, then we shall
not be offended at language in
the mouth of a saint under the Old
Dispensation which we do not find
sanctioned under the New. See more
on this subject in the note on xxxv.
22. THEIR TABLE, said with refer- ence
to ver. 21. They had given him
gall and vinegar for his food: let
their food, their table, with all its
sumptuousness and all its luxury, become
a snare to take them. It has
been spread for their enjoy- ment;
let it turn to their destruc- tion.
Comp. xxiii. 5. Or perhaps the
meaning may be: Let them be like
persons who while sitting at their
meals "in peace," in security, unarmed,
and unsuspecting, are suddenly
surprised by their ene- mies.
Their "table becomes a snare,"
as exposing them to certain destruction. WHEN THEY ARE IN PEACE, lit. "to
(them) in peace, or in security." It
denotes that kind of security which
is the very gate of destruc- tion.
Comp. I Thess. v. 3. The LXX.
render the second clause of the
verse kai> ei]j a]ntapo<dosin (as if they
read in their text MymiUl.wil;, "for
retributions"), kai> ei]j ska<n- dalon. Jerome, "in retributione eorum
ad corruendum." Indeed, all the
older Verss. give a similar in- terpretation.
Rashi takes the word (sh'lomim), which is an adjective, as
the plur. of the noun used for the
sing., and renders "when they |
look
for peace; "and so Calv., who however
supposes an omission of the
relative: "quae ad pacem sunt (pacifica eorum), et quaecunque illis in vitam et prosperam commodita- tern destinata erunt, Deus convertat in
exitium." He has been followed by
the E. V., "And that which should
have been for their wel- fare."
The Gen. Vers. "and their prosperity
their ruin." The Apostle, citing
this passage in Rom. xi. 9
(ei]j pagi<da, kai> ei]j qh<ran, kai> ei]j ska<ndalon, kai> ei]j
a]ntapo<doma au]toi?j), follows neither the
Hebrew nor
the LXX., but either quotes from
memory or gives a free ren- dering
of his own. His application of
the words is also remarkable, for he
quotes them in illustration of his
position that a judicial blindness has
fallen upon the nation of at
large, from which only "the elect"
had been exempted. To discuss
the principle of this illus- tration,
would be to discuss the whole
question of citations in the New
Testament from the Old—a subject
much too large to be satis- factorily
investigated in a note. 23. The darkening of the eyes denotes
weakness and perplexity, as
the enlightening of the eyes (see on
xix. 8) denotes renewed vigour and
strength. Similarly, the shak- ing
of the loins is expressive of terror
and dismay and feebleness. (Nah.
ii. 10 [11], Dan. v. 6.) Or the
first may mean the depriving of
reason and understanding; the second,
the taking away of all strength
for action. 25. THEIR ENCAMPMENT. LXX. e@paulij. Prop. "the
moveable village
of nomadic tribes," who usually
pitch their tents in a circle. See
Gen. xxv. 16, where terah is |
552 PSALM- LXIX.
In their tents let there be no
dweller.
26
For him whom THOU hast smitten have they persecuted,
And of the pain of Thy wounded ones
do they tell.
27
Add iniquity unto their iniquity,
And let them not come into Thy
righteousness.
28
Let them be blotted out from the book of life,
And with the righteous let them not be written.
joined
with chatsar, the former being
the moveable and the latter the
stationary village, as Tuch (in loc.) rightly explains.
The expres- sion
is of course used here figura- tively,
in accordance with "tents" in
the parallelism. 26. The reason for the impreca- tion
is given, because of the un- pitying
cruelty which delighted in adding
to the pain and affliction of one
whom God had already brought low.
His very suffering might have moved
them to compassion. Comp. Job
xix. 21, 22. The plural in the second
clause of the verse, THY WOUNDED
ONES (comp. Is. lxvi. 16, Jer.
xxv. 33), passes from the indi- vidual
instance to the general con- duct
of these men, but implies at the
same time that there are some few
others exposed to the like treatment
with himself. DO THEY TELL, as if they counted one
by one every blow that fell upon him,
every cry that he had uttered, only
to turn it into mockery (comp. lix.
12 [13], lxiv. 5 [6]). The verb is
followed here by the prep. (lx,) as
in ii. 7; it is the aorist (fut.) of repeated
action. 27. ADD INIQUITY, &c. i.e. let it all
stand against them in Thy book; one
sin after another, as committed, not
being blotted out, but only swelling
the fearful reckoning. Comp.
Jer. xviii. 23. This swelling of
the catalogue of guilt is in fact swelling
the punishment, but there is
no need to render (as French and
Skinner do), "Give them punishment
upon punishment." COME INTO, i.e. "be partakers of"
(as Ezek. xvi. 7). |
THY RIGHTEOUSNESS, that right- eousness
which God gives and which alone
is accepted in His sight. 28. BOOK OF LIFE, or "of the living"
(as the LXX., Luth., Calv., the
E. V.), called in Exod. xxxii. 32,
"the book of God." Comp. Is. iv.
3; Dan. xii. 1. See also Luke x.
20; Phil. iv. 3; Rev. iii. 5, xiii. 8. The
figure is borrowed from the civil
lists or register in which the names
of citizens were enrolled (Jer.
xxii. 32, Ezek. xiii. 9). To be blotted
out of this denotes exclu- sion
from all the blessings and privileges
of the theocracy, and therefore
from all hope of salvation, as
is evident from the next clause: "let
them not be written with the righteous;" the righteous
being the
true Israelites, as in Habak. ii. 4.
This is the most terrible impre- cation
of all, though but the neces- sary
consequence of that obstinate impenitence
before supposed. vin,
who supposes God's eternal counsel
of salvation to be meant by the book of life, is obliged to explain
away the obvious meaning of
the words, and argues that, in- asmuch
as God's purpose cannot be
changed, the expression is merely adapted
to human notions. They, he
says, who have once been written in
that book cannot be really blotted out;
but because God's counsel is secret
to us, those may be said to be
"blotted out of His book," whom He
openly excludes from his Church.
It is this open rejection therefore
which is here meant, and the
expression is equivalent to say- ing:
"Do not reckon them in the number
of Thy people, neither let them
be gathered with Thy |
PSALM LXIX. 553
29
But as for me—(I am) afflicted and in pain:
Thy salvation, 0 God, shall set me
up on high.
30
Let me praise the Name of God with a song,
And magnify it with thanksgiving.
31
And it shall please Jehovah better than an ox,
(Than) a bullock with horns (and)
hoofs.
32
The afflicted have seen (it), and rejoice:
Ye that seek God,—let your heart
live.
33
For Jehovah hearkeneth to (the) poor,
And His prisoners He hall not
despised.
34
Let heaven and earth praise Him,
The seas and all that swarmeth
therein.
35
For God will save
And (men) shall dwell there, and
possess it.
Church."
To such straits is the ablest
of commentators driven, when
he has resigned himself to the
fetters of an inexorable logic. 29. The Psalm closes with joyful hopes
and vows of thanksgiving for God's
mercy, in this respect resem- bling
Psalm xxii. In this joy and thanksgiving
all other righteous sufferers
shall share. And finally be
rebuilt, amid the universal jubilee of
all creation. BUT AS FOR ME, placing himself emphatically
in contrast to those who
had been the object of his imprecation. 31. WITH HORNS (AND) HOOFS, lit.
"showing horns, showing hoofs." The
epithets are not merely otiose, as
Hupfeld asserts. The first is mentioned
in order to mark that the
animal was not under three years
old, and therefore of the pro- per
age according to the Law; the last
as intimating that it belonged to
the class of clean four-footed animals,
parting the hoof, Lev. xi.; and
the meaning is, that the most perfect
and valuable of the sacrifices ordained
by the Law was not to be compared
to the sacrifice of a grateful
heart. See notes on 1., li. 32. LET YOUR HEART LIVE. |
Comp.
the same expression xxii. 6
[27]. 33. This joyful certainty of his own
deliverance, this joyful hope that
others afflicted like himself will
rejoice together with him, rests upon
the known character of God, upon
the universal experience of His
goodness. HIS PRISONERS, i.e. those of His
people who have been led into captivity
in 34. In remembrance of this he calls
upon the universe to praise God. 35. The conclusion of the Psalm is
not unlike Is. lxv. 9. If the Psalm
was written, as seems not improbable,
by Jeremiah, there is no
reason why these verses may not
have formed part of the original text.
Indeed, there is but little pretence
for regarding them as a later
liturgical addition, made at the
time of the Exile. They are not
so easily separable from the context
as the close of Ps. xiv. for instance,
or that of li. This De- litzsch
himself admits. Yet for those
who maintain that David was
the author this is the only tenable
ground. Such words could
have no meaning in David's mouth. |
554 PSALM LXIX.
36
And the seed of His servants shall inherit it,
And
they that love His Name shall abide therein.
a Ow ;lfa. See on xlv. note a.
b ytaymic;ma. Hupf. objects to the word
because it means properly "my
destroyers,"
whereas here it can only mean "my adversaries." He ob-
serves
that the Syr., probably feeling the difficulty, must have changed it
into
ytaOmc;fame, as they render "more than my bones;" and some
sort of
comparison,
he argues, is required by the parallelism and indicated by the
verb
UmcafA,
which in the similar passage, xl. 13, is also followed by Nmi
expressing
a comparison. [Riehm adds (2d Ed.), "cf. however Lam.
iii.
53."] Hare (who is followed by Lowth and Merrick) conjectures
ytim.Aca.mi, "more than the locks of my hair;" but hm.Aca means not a lock
of hair, but a veil. Hupf. himself conjectures yTir;ma.cami from tr,m,.ca,
a fleece, used also of the foliage of trees, but he confesses there
is no
proof
that it was ever used of human hair. None of these conjectures
is
satisfactory.
c yTil;Uaxil;. This construction of
the prep. l;
with the verb fdy occurs
nowhere
else, but we find it in the case of similar verbs, such as Nyb, to
consider, rkz
to remember, &c.
d ywip;na
MOc.Ba. It
is impossible to translate this, as the Chald. and others
do,
"in the fasting of my soul," because the first noun has the art. and
therefore
is not in the stat. constr. Either, therefore, is a second
nominative:
"I, i.e. my soul, wept in fasting" (comp. iii. 4 [5], "My
voice,
I cry," Jer. xiii. 17), or perhaps a remote object of the action of
the
verb with a pregnant construction. So Mendelss. and
verwein',
im Fasten, meine Seele." Ewald regards ywip;na as simply subor-
dinated
to the verb (not, as Phillips says, as having a pronominal sense),
and
renders, "da weinte ich tief, fastend," i.e. I wept in my very soul.
The
LXX. kai> sune<kamya e]n nhstei<% th>n yuxh<n mou, in accordance with
which
Hupf. would read hn.,faxEvA instead of hK,b;x,vA, “and I afflicted my
soul
with fasting," which there can be no doubt is the usual expression.
e UHyWiyA. The word is a poetical
one, and expresses almost any kind of
utterance,
whether of speech or song, whether sad (as in lv. 3) or merry,
and
even sarcastic, as here. It is construed with the accus. in Prov. vi. 22.
The
construction of the second clause of the verse has been differently
explained.
The simplest way seems to repeat this verb, making tOnygin; its
subject:
"the songs of the drunkards talk of me;" but according to the
analogy
of job xxx. 9, Lam. iii. 14, we should rather supply ytiyyihA, or yhix<vA,
or
simply the pronoun ynixE as in Lam. iii. 63, "And I am (the
subject of)
the
songs," &c. (the plur. as lxxiii. 22).
f NOcrA tfe. This is simply the
accus. of time. There is no ellipse
of
B;.
Hengstenberg strangely denies that tfe is ever used as an
accus.
of
time, and therefore renders, contrary to the accents, and to the
destruction
of all rhythm and even tolerable sense, "But I pray to
PSALM
LXX.
555
Thee,
0 Jehovah! A time of favour, 0 God, through the abundance of
Thy
mercy!" But even if no other instance of this use of tfe could be
alleged,
it might be amply defended by the use of analogous words like
MOy, hlAy;lA &c. We have,
however, this very usage in Jer. li. 33, Ezek.
xxvii.
34.
g
hwAUnxA, " I am sick unto death," fut. Qal of wvn, which occurs only
here,
cognate with wnx. Lee, however (Gram. 189 b), would make it fut.
of
wnx
for hwAUgxxA, and would explain the form with Shurek by such
instances
as UFUPw;yi, Exod. xviii. 26; rUmw;Ti, Prov. xiv. 3.
PSALM LXX.
THIS Psalm is a repetition, with
some variations, of the last five
verses
of Psalm xl. Besides the difference in the use of the Divine
Names,
there are some other divergencies which will be found dis-
cussed
in the Critical Notes. I see no reason to abandon the opinion
which
I have expressed in the note on xl. 13, that this Psalm formed
originally
a part of Psalm xl., and was subsequently detached and
altered
for a special occasion.
[FOR
THE PRECENTOR. (A PSALM) OF DAVID. TO BRING TO
REMEMBRANCE.a]
1
0 GOD, (make haste) to deliver me; b
0 Jehovah, to help me make haste.
2
Let them be ashamed and confounded
That seek after my soul;
Let them be turned backward and brought to
dishonour
That wish me evil.
3
Let them return c as a reward of their shame,
1.
0 GOD, instead of 0 JEHOVAH, xl.
13 [14], and the verb BE PLEASED,
omitted here, which is ex
ressed there. O HELP Mt, lit. "to my help." 2. CONFOUNDED or, "put to the blush:
" in xl. 14 [15] there is added,
TOGETHER, and at the end |
of
the next member of the verse, TO
DESTROY IT. THAT WISH ME EVIL, lit. "that delight
in my evil, i.e. my mis- fortune." 3. LET THEM RETURN. In xl. I5 [16]
we have the far stronger ex- pression,
LET THEM BE STRUCK |
556 PSALM LXX.
Who say, Aha! Aha!
4
Let all those that seek Thee be glad and rejoice in Thee,
And let them that love Thy salvation
say alway,
"God be magnified."
5
And as for me, afflicted and poor,
O God, make haste unto me!d
My help and my Deliverer art Thou;
O Jehovah, make no long tarrying!
DUMB,
i.e. with amazement. See 4. GOD (Elohim), in xl. 16 1[17)
more
in Critical Note. Jehovah.
5. 0 GOD, MAKE HASTE UNTO
As A REWARD OF THEIR SHAME, ME! For this we have in
xl. 17
lit.
"upon the heel of their shame," [18],
"the Lord thinketh upon me"
and
hence "as a consequence of (Adonai instead of Elohim); and
retribution,"
&c. and as' a prep. afterwards
"O my God," instead
simply
"on account of." of
"O Jehovah."
a ryKiz;hal;. On this title, see Ps. xxxviii. note a.
b ynileyc.ihal;. This must depend here
on hwAUH
in the second clause of the
verse
(a construction of which, according to Delitzsch, there is no other
example
in the Psalter) ; unless, indeed, we take the infin. with to be
used
for the future (see xlix. note k). On the other hand, in xl. 13 [14].,
the
infin. depends on Mr. This, again, is an unusual construction, as
hcr elsewhere occurs only with the accus. or 3,
once with w and always
in
the sense to take pleasure in, not, as here, to be pleased.
c UbUwyA. Hupfeld, who argues
for Ps. lxx. as the original, finds this
reading
preferable to the much more forcible Um.woyA, in xl. 15 [16]. He
alleges
that it is more in accordance with the context and with analogy,
and
refers to the similar expression in ver. 2 (xl. 15), "let them be turned
backward."
But the only passage which he can quote in defence of such a
meaning
for the verb bUw, is vi. 11. I have myself so rendered UbwuyA there,
"let
them be turned backward," where it certainly stands in a very similar
connection
with wvb;
but after carefully examining the various uses of the
verb
bUw,
I am persuaded it cannot mean to be turned back, but only to
return.
"Let them return," i.e. re
infecta; but it is obvious that here this
is
a comparatively weak expression, and it seems to me that the person
who
detached this portion of Ps. xl. and slightly altered it, may very pro-
bably
have borrowed this form of expression from vi. 11.
d yli-hwAUH Myhilox<
(comp. cxli. 1),
for which, in the other version, we have
yli-bwAHEya ynAdoxE, "The Lord thinketh of me," i.e.
careth for me. So the
LXX. frontiei? mou, and Jerome, solicitus erit pro me, understood. it.
Hupfeld
objects that the passages which Gesen. quotes, Is. xiii. 17, xxxiii.
8,
liii. 3, in support of this meaning of bwH, are not in point,
because in
PSALM LXXI. 557
every
one of them the negative precedes, and 'H xl means nihili facere
but
he omits to notice that Gesen. also quotes Mal. iii. 16, Omw;
ybew;Hl;,
"those
who think upon or regard His Name," where we have the
mean-
ing
required here, the only difference being that there the verb is followed
by
the accus. and here by the prep. l;.
PSALM
LXXI.
THIS Psalm is without any
Inscription in the Hebrew. In the
LXX.
its title is "(A Psalm) of David, of the sons of Jonadab, and
of
those who were first led captive," a curiously composite title,
which
contains a contradiction in itself. It may, however, have been
intended
to denote that, in the opinion of the translators, the Psalm
was
Davidic in origin, and, at the same time, to record the tradition
that
it was a favourite Psalm with the Rechabites, and the earlier
exiles.
On two points, only, do we gather
any certain information from
the
Psalm itself. First, it is evident that it was written by one
already
past the meridian of life, and verging upon old age. And,,
secondly,
it borrows so largely from other Psalms, the 22d, 3Ist, 35th;,
and
40th, some of them, probably, Psalms written long after the time
of
David, that it must be regarded as one of the later specimens of
Hebrew
poetry.
Other evidence of an internal kind
renders it not improbable that
the
Psalm was written by Jeremiah. It would apply obviously to his
circumstances.
His life had been a life of extraordinary perils and
extraordinary
deliverances. He had been consecrated from his birth,
and
even before his birth, to his office (Jer. i. 5, compared with ver.
6
of the Psalm). He had discharged that office for more than thirty
years,
and might, therefore, be verging on old age in the reign of
Zedekiah.
The prominent position which he occupied for so long a
period
before princes and people harmonizes well with the language
of
the Psalm in verses 7 and 21. Finally, the style and general
character
of the poetry are not unlike those of Jeremiah. There is
the
same plaintive elegiac strain which we find in his writings, and
the
same disposition to borrow from earlier poets.
All this falls in very well with the
tradition which has been pre-
served
by the LXX. A Psalm written by Jeremiah would very
naturally
have a peculiar value in the eyes of the Rechabites whom
the
Prophet mentions so honourably, and in the eyes of the first
558 PSALM LXXI.
exiles
who had so often listened to the words of his lips. In the
allusion
to national troubles in ver. 20, Ewald finds evidence that the
Psalm
belongs to the times of the Exile. But the language there its
too
vague to be conclusive.
The Psalm can hardly be said to have
any regular strophical
form.
It has first an introduction. Ver.
1-3.
Then follow two main divisions. The
first of these tells the story
of
the past, recounts God's goodness and
the Psalmist's trust, and
concludes
with a prayer for the overthrow of his enemies. Ver.
4-13.
The next looks forward to the future, anticipates deliverance,
promises
thanksgiving, and sees the prayer for the overthrow of his
enemies
answered. Ver. 14-24.
Verses 13 and 24 correspond to one
another almost in the manner
of
a refrain.
I
IN Thee, 0 Jehovah, have I found refuge,
Let me not be ashamed for ever,
2
In Thy righteousness deliver me and rescue me;
Incline Thine ear unto me, and save
me.
3
Be Thou to me a rock of habitation,a (to which) I may
alway come;
Thou hast given commandment to save
me;
For Thou art my rock and
my fortress.
I.
4 0 my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked,
From the grasp of the evil-doer and
the violent.
1-3. The opening of the Psalm is
borrowed, with slight verbal alterations,
from the opening of xxxi. 3. (To WHICH) I MAY ALWAY COME,
i.e. where I may always find safety
when danger threatens. THOU HAST GIVEN COMMAND- MENT.
This might be rendered, as a
relative clause: "Thou who hast," &c.;
but it certainly cannot be ren- dered
as an imperative, "Give com- mandment."
Nor is it necessary to suppose
that the command is given to
the Angels; for, as Calvin long ago
observed, God has innumerable |
means
of imparting help and pro- tection,
and He may be said to coma mand
deliverance when He shows it
in some open and signal man- ner; "quoties favorem suum palaim exerit aliquo signo, et nunc solo nutu, nunc per homines vel alias creaturas exequitur, quod apud se statuit." Comp. xliv. 4 [5], lxviii. 28
[29]. ROCK( (Heb. Sela'). Not the same word
as that used before (which is tsur), but apparently the
two words are
used without any difference of meaning. 4. EVIL-DOER, or "him that |
PSALM LXXI.
559
5
For THOU, 0 Lord, Jehovah! art my hope,
Thou art my trust from my youth up.
6
Upon Thee have I been holden up from the womb,
From my mother's bowels Thou art my
bene-
factor,b
Of Thee is my praise alway.
7
I am become as a wonder unto many,
But Thou art my strong refuge.c
dealeth
perversely." The verb oc- curs
only once besides, Is. xxvi. 5. MY HOPE. Comp. Jer. xvii. 13, where
God is called "the Hope of
Christ
is called h[ e]lpi>j h[mw?n, 1 Tim. i.
I. 6. HAVE I BEEN HOLDEN UP (in the
passage which has here been imitated,
xxii. 10 [11], "I have been cast"),
an expression wonderfully descriptive
of what faith is, and of what
God is to those who trust in Him.
He is a father who bears them
in His arms and carries them in
His bosom; they are as children who
lean all their weight upon Him, and
find their sweetest rest in His supporting
hand. This is the very idea
of faith, according to its He- brew
signification. When it is said in
Gen. xv. 6, that "Abraham be- lieved
God," it means literally, "he
leaned upon God" (though the
root there
is different, it is the same which
in the Qal conjugation means to bear or carry a
child,
Num. xi. 12,
and in Is. xlix. 23 is used of a nursing father). But the Psalmist speaks
here, not mainly of his own trust
in God, but rather of his ex- perience
of God's loving care and protection. MY BENEFACTOR. (See Critical Note.)
Calvin, who renders "a vis- ceribus
matris mem to extractor meus,"
sees here a reference to God's goodness
even before his birth, and has
some admirable remarks on our forgetfulness
of God's wonders to us both
before and at our birth. In the
mouth of Jeremiah, if, as we |
have
conjectured, the Psalm was written
by him, such words have a peculiar
interest, for they refer, no doubt,
to that word of Jehovah which
came unto him, saying, "Be- fore
I formed thee in the belly I knew
thee; and before thou camest forth
from the womb I sanctified thee."
(Jer. i. 5.) OF THEE, lit. "in Thee," God being
the great object of his praise, and
the construction being the same as
that with the verb in xliv. 8 [9], where
see note b. 7. A WONDER. Commentators are
divided in their interpretation of
the word. Some understand it in a
good sense, "a marvel of God's protecting
care and love, which had been
vouchsafed to him even in the extremest
perils." (So Ges., De W.) Others
suppose him to mean, that because
of the greatness of the suf- ferings
and calamities which had befallen
him, "he had been, as it were,
a portent, a prodigy. So Calvin: "quod propter urgentes miserias quibus opprimebatur, pas-. sim fuerit detestabilis. . . . Portentz vero nomine, non vulgaris calamitas exprimitur."
But perhaps it is better, with
Delitzsch, to understand it as applying
to his whole wonderful life of
trials and blessings, of perils and deliverances,
such as did not ordi- narily
fall to the lot of man. It is implied,
at the same time, that his life
was a public life, such as that of a
Prophet, or leading man amongst his
people, or it would not have at- tracted
the notice and excited the wonder
of "many." |
560 PSALM LXXI.
8
My mouth is filled with Thy praise,
With Thine honour all the day long.
9
Cast me not away in the time of old age,
When my strength faileth forsake me
not.
10
For mine enemies have said of me
And they that watch for my soul have
taken counsel
together,
11
Saying:—God hath forsaken him,
Pursue and seize him, for there is
none to deliver.
12
0 God, be not far from me;
0 my God, haste Thee to help me!
13
Let them be ashamed, let them be consumed,
That withstand my soul;
Let them be covered with reproach and
confusion.
That seek to do me evil.
II.
14 But as for me—I will alway hope,
And will praise Thee more and more.
15
My mouth shall tell of Thy righteousness,
8. IS FILLED. It is, I think, best to
take the verb here as a present, describing
the immediate and na- tural
consequence of all that care and
love which in the previous verses
he had celebrated. 9. This review of the past leads him
to look forward to the future, and
especially to the season of old age,
which already, it would seem, was
creeping upon him. 10. HAVE SAID OF ME. The pre- position
may be so rendered; "with respect
to me;" or simply "to me;" as,
"to my soul," iii. 2 [3], where see note.
What they say is given in ver.
11, the intervening words being parenthetical.
The repetition of the verb
at the beginning of the next verse,
SAYING, is unnecessary, as Delitzsch
remarks, and a sign of later
age. Comp. cv. 11, cxix. 82. In
the 1st ed. of his com. he con- nected
the preposition yli, “of
me," or
"to me," not with the
verb, but with
the noun immediately pre- ceding:
lit. "mine enemies to me," |
the
pronoun being repeated pleo- nastically,
as in xxv. 2, xxvii. 2. HAVE TAKEN COUNSEL TOGE- THER,
as lxxxiii. 3 [4], 5 [6]. Comp. ii.
2. 12. This and the next verse are composed
of phrases borrowed from other
Psalms, xxii. 11 [12], 19 [20], xxxviii.
21, 22 [22, 23], xl. 13 [[4]. 13. To DO ME EVIL, lit. "My evil,"
or hurt, as in lxx. 2. 14. AND WILL PRAISE, &c. lit. "And
will add to all Thy praise;" but
I have preferred adopting the more
idiomatic rendering of the E.
V. 15. RIGHTEOUSNESS. The word (hqAdAc;) has, most
unfortunately, been
rendered here and in the next verse,
by French and Skinner, "mercy,"
to the grievous marring of
the whole passage. In the O.
T. I am persuaded it never means
anything but righteousness, least
of all when spoken of God. It
is true that Gesenius gives the meaning
benignitas, misericordia in |
PSALM LXXI. 561
(And) of Thy salvation all the day;
For I know no numbers (thereof).
16
I will come with the mighty deeds of the Lord
Jehovah;
I will make mention of Thy
righteousness, (even)
of Thine only.
17
0 God, Thou hast taught me from my youth;
And hitherto do I declare Thy
wondrous works.
xxiv.
5, Prov. xi. 4, and liberalitas in
Prov. x. 2, Mic. vi. 5, but it is quite
unnecessary in any of these passages
to depart from the usual signification.
In his smaller Lexi- con
he gives deliverance, prosperity, as
its equivalent (in the Thesaurus he
has salus) in a multitude of pas- sages
in Isaiah, where it occurs as here,
parallel with salvation (hfAUwy;), and
again classes Ps. xxiv. 5 (where righteousness answers to blessing in the
parallelism) under this head. But
it would be the merest tautology to
render the word, salus, salvation, in
many of the passages cited. Is. xlv.
8, xlvi. 13 [xlviii. 18, peace in the parallelism],
li. 6, 8 [liv. 17], lvi. I [lvii.
12, "Thy works" in the
parall.], lix.
[9], 17, Ixi. 10, 11. In all the references
not inclosed in brackets we
have salvation as the parallel to
righteousness, and therefore it is obvious
the one word does not stand for
the other. Still less can the word righteousness mean only temporal prosperity. This mistake on the part
of Gesenius is due to his not
perceiving the real theological relation
between the two. God's salvation
stands to His righteous- ness in the relation of
effect to cause. God
has pledged Himself to save those
who put their trust in Him, and
as a righteous God He cannot deny
Himself. This seems to be the connection
between the two words in
this Psalm. In Isaiah, righte- ousness
is regarded, not merely as an
attribute of God, but as imparted to
man (almost in the sense of justi- fication),
and so, in fact, constituting his
true salvation. In the Talmud and in Rabbinical |
writers
no doubt the word is used in
the sense of mercy, good deeds, and
even of almsgiving, which ex- plains
the curious various readings dikaiosu<nhn and e]lehmosu<nhn in Matt. vi.
1, but this is a later usage. No NUMBERS (the Hebrew word
occurs only here). God's righteousness
and God's salvation are
infinitely beyond all man's power
to calculate or to repeat. Comp.
xl. 5 [6], cxxxix. 17. 16. I WILL COME WITH, &c. i.e. "I
will come (into the bably,
comp. lxvi. 13)with all the great
and mighty deeds which God has
done on my behalf as my sub- ject
of grateful praise." That this is
the meaning is plain from the parallelism
in the next clause. The rendering
of French and Skinner, "I
will dwell upon the mighty deeds,"
&c., is indefensible. OF THINE ONLY, lit. "of Thee alone." 17. AND HITHERTO. The Hebrew phrase
occurs only here in the Psalter,
elsewhere it is found usu- ally
in prose. DO I DECLARE. I have thought it
best to render the verb in the present,
but it seems to be almost equivalent,
with the particles pre- ceding,
to "I have declared and will
declare." It has been proposed to
arrange the clauses thus: Thou
hast taught me from my youth and to the present time: I
will declare, &c. . . . unto old age and hoariness. But
this is extremely harsh and unrhythmical,
and, moreover, quite unnecessary. |
562 PSALM 1XXI.
18
Yea also unto old age and hoary hairs, 0 God, forsake
me not,
Till I declare Thine arm to (the
next) generation,
Thy might unto all that
are to come,
19
And Thy righteousness, 0 God, which is very high:
Thou who hast done great things,
0 God, who is like unto Thee!
20
(Thou) who hast showed us distresses many and sore,
Thou wilt quicken us again,
And from the depths of the earth
Thou wilt lift us
up again.
21
Do Thou increase my greatness,
And turn (Thyself and) comfort me.
18. THINE ARM. Comp. Is. lii. l0, liii.
1, Ezek. iv. 7. To (THE NEXT) GENERATION, lit. "to
a generation," but here used absolutely
for the following genera- tion,
as in xxii. 30 [31]: the mean- ing
is evident from the parall. in the next
clause, from which indeed "to come"
may be supplied here. 19. AND THY RIGHTEOUSNESS. The
construction is continued from ver.
18. Delitzsch, indeed, in his 1st
ed. carried it still further, and made
verses 19, 20, 21, all depend on
the verb "I declare" in verse 18: "Till
I declare . . . Thy might and Thy
righteousness, &c. . . . that Thou
hast done great things, &c. That Thou hast showed,
&c." 20. Us. The sudden transition to
the plural here seems to have given
offence to the Massoretes, or
their predecessors, who con- sequently
changed it in the Q'ri to
the singular. But these fluctua- tions
between singular and plural are
not unusual in the Psalms, and there
is no reason why, in the recital of
God's dealings, the Psalmist should
not speak of them with re- ference
to the nation at large, as well
as to himself in particular. On THOU
HAST SHOWED, see lx. 3 [5]. THE DEPTHS OF THE EARTH. A figurative
expression, like " the gates |
of
death," denoting the extremest peril.
Comp. lxix. 2 [3], 14 [15]. The word
DEPTHS is the same word as in
xxxiii. 7, "He layeth up the depths in
storehouses" (it is the plun of the word
which occurs in Gen. i. 2), and means
the vast collection of waters in
the seas. God is said to bring back
His people to life, who had been,
as it were, drowned in the depths
of the waters. 21. Do THOU INCREASE, or, "mayest
Thou increase." This ren- dering
seems necessitated by the apocopated
form of the verb, unless, indeed,
we make the verse (with 18,
"I declare . . . that Thou in- creasedst,"
&c. MY GREATNESS. An unusual ex- pression.
The word is used of the majesty
of God, cxlv. 3, 6; of kings, Esth.
i. 4; and of princes, vi. 3, x. 2; and
its use here, therefore, would seem
to imply that the Poet was a person
of considerable position and influence. TURN THYSELF. The verb seems here
to be employed almost in the same
adverbial sense as the twice- repeated
"again" (lit. "Thou wilt return"),
in ver. 20. Our trans- lators
adopted the other meaning of
the verb, viz. "to compass about," and
so got the rendering, "Thou |
PSALM
LXXI.
563
22
Also I will praise Thee with a lute, (even) Thy truth,
O my God;
I will play to Thee upon a harp, 0
Thou Holy One
of
23
My lips shall shout for joy, for I will play unto Thee,
And my soul which Thou hast
redeemed;
24
Also my tongue all the day shall talk of Thy right-
eousness,
For they are ashamed, for they are
put to confusion,
that seek to do me evil.
comfortest
me on every side," lit. lxxxix. i8 [19], these
last two being
"Thou
compassest, Thou com- according
to Delitzsch, older Psalms
fortest,
me." than
this. In Isaiah this Name
22. WITH A LUTE, lit. "with an of God occurs thirty times,
in
instrument
of a lute, or nabla." Habakkuk once, in
Jeremiah (who
HOLY
ONE OF ISRAEL. This may
have adopted it from Isaiah)
name
of God occurs in the Psalms twice,
l. 29, li. 5.
only
in two other places, lxxviii. 41,
a NOfmA-rUc instead of zOfmA
‘f, in xxxi. 3, and which the Chald. and many
MSS.
have here. The LXX. perhaps had the same reading, and omitted
tAyUici, which follows: genou?
moi ei]j qeo>n u[peraspisth>n, kai> ei]j to<pon
o]xuro>n tou?
sw?sai< me. The
insertion of kai< does not prove that they read
zOfmvA (as Davidson); they took rUc
as a proper
name of God, and zOfmA as a
distinct
word. The words tAyUici dymitA xOblA look, as Hupf. remarks,
as if they
were
formed out of the fragments of tOdUcm; tybel; in xxxi. 3, and tAyUici
seems
to
have been put in to form a support for the following ynifeywiOhl;.
b yziOG instead of yHiGo, in xxii. 10. This has
been rendered, "Thou who
bringest
me forth," as if it were the participle transitive of zvg; but the
form
in o is usually intransitive, though this is not always the case. See
on
xxii. note c. (In xc. 10 zGA is probably the preterite, not the participle.)
Hence
others, as Hengst., would take the form here, as well as in xxii.
io,
as infin., "my bringing forth," i.e. the agent in bringing me forth.
And
so Maur. "transire meum, i.e. ejus auctor per metonym." But
perhaps
it is better, following Schult., Animadv. Phil., to derive the word
from
a root hzg
(cognate with the Arab. retribuere), signifying to
distribute, to requite,
to reward. Hence haz,Go would mean literally,
one who
dispenses,
tami<aj, and so provides, takes care, &c. The LXX. skepasth<j,
Vulg.
protector meus. So Ges., Ew., Hupf.,
Zunz. But
meaning
abscindere, and explains it: Thou art He that separatest, loosest
me (mein Entbinder) from, &c.
564 PSALM LXXII.
c zfo-ysiHEma. This is commonly cited
as an instance in which a noun with
the
pronom. suff. is placed in construction with the following noun. But
all
the instances usually alleged in proof of such construction may be
explained
on the principle of apposition: here, "my refuge which is
strength."
See on xlv. note g.
PSALM LXXII.
Two Psalms only in the entire
compass of the Psalter, this and the
raheh,
bear the name of Solomon. Apart from the question whether
these
particular Psalms are rightly attributed to him or not, the fact
is
worthy of notice, as it shows us that tradition, which has shed so
many
glories round the name of Solomon, did not suppose him to
have
inherited his father's taste for religious poetry and music, or it
would
not have failed to add this to his many other accomplishments.
Calvin, indeed, and others, have
conjectured that the inscription
even
here does not denote that Solomon was the author. They
appeal
to ver. 20, which tells us that this was the last prayer of
David,
and they urge that accordingly the title must signify “For
Solomon,"
not "of Solomon." (And so
the LXX. have ei]j Salwmw<n.)
Calvin
observes: "After carefully weighing all, I incline to the view
that
David uttered this prayer as he was dying, and that it was put
into
the form of a Psalm by his son, that the memory thereof might
never
perish. . . But as Solomon took the argument from his father,
and
only clothed it in the garb of poetry, we may regard David as
the
principal author."
But ver, 20, taken to the letter,
would rather imply that all the
Psalms
in this Book were written by David, whereas the inscriptions
themselves
contradict this, not to mention that the verse itself is
manifestly
a later addition. And in all other instances where the
name
of an author is prefixed to a Psalm, it is prefixed with the same
preposition
which is here employed. The inscription, beyond all
doubt,
means to say that the Psalm is Solomon's. Nor do I see any
reason
for rejecting the tradition thus conveyed to us. Hupfeld
indeed
asserts that the Psalm bears evident traces of belonging to a
later
time than that of Solomon, but he brings forward no proof of his
assertion.
Delitzsch, on the other hand, contends that we find here
the
marks both of Solomon's style and of Solomon's time; that the
expressions
are arranged for the most part in distichs, like the
PSALM
LXXII.
565
Proverbs,
that the character of the poetry is reflective, that it is rich
in
images borrowed from the world of nature. Besides this, the
allusion
to
which
it is hoped would be given to the king, all harmonize with the
reign
of Solomon better than of any other Jewish monarch. Delitzsch
conjectures
that he may have composed the Psalm shortly after his
accession,
and have designed it as a prayer to be offered for himself,
as
the inheritor of David's throne and David's promises, in the public
services
of the
soundest
expositors have done, that the hopes and aspirations here
expressed—so
grand and so far-reaching, that they are little less than
prophecies—find
their fulfilment in One greater than Solomon.
"These
promises were realized in Solomon, but only typically.
They
expect, therefore, after Solomon their final realization, and
that
in the Son of David whom the Prophets of the later kingdom
foretell."
Solomon, then, may have uttered such
a prayer, may have uttered
it
for himself, and yet may have felt how far he was, how far any
human
monarch must be, from approaching to the great ideal which
rose,
in all its majesty, before his mind. Whether he uttered it, as
Delitzsch
supposes, at the beginning of his reign, is more doubtful.
The
allusions to
what
later date. But be this as it may, we have here another
instance
of the way in which prophecy rooted itself in the Jewish soil,
how
it looked first to the Present and then to the Future, first to the
Type
and then to the Antitype. Calvin observes most justly, and
the
observation bears upon the interpretation of all the Messianic
Psalms: "They who will have this to be simply a
prediction of the
besides,
we should always take care not to give the Jews good reason
for
reproaching us, as if we were determined by mere force of
sophistry
to apply to Christ (sophistice ad Christum trahere) what
does
not directly refer to Him."
The Targum, however, paraphrases the
first verse of the Psalm
thus:
"0 God, give Thy judgments to the King Messiah, and Thy
justice
to the Son of King David."
And the Midrash Tehillim gives as
one explanation, " This is the
King
Messiah, for it is said, And a stem shall go forth from the root
of
Jesse."
The Psalm is, like the second, the
twentieth, twenty first, and forty-
fifth,
a Royal Psalm.
It has no regular strophical
division, but consists of the following
parts:--
566 PSALM LXXII.
I.
The prayer that the reign of the king may be a reign of
righteousness,
peace, and prosperity, and that it may endure for ever.
Ver.
I-7.
II. That .his dominion may know no bounds,
save those of the
world
itself. Ver. 8-11
III. Then follows the reason why such a
dominion should be
granted
him. He is worthy to receive riches, and honour, and glory,
and
might, for he is a righteous saviour of the poor and the afflicted.
Ver.
12-15.
IV. Lastly, the prayer is repeated both for
prosperity and for an
everlasting
and a universal dominion. Ver. 16, 17.
[(A PSALM) OF
SOLOMON.]
1.
0 GOD, give Thy judgements unto the king, 1.
The prayer is that God would give
His righteousness to the king, that
so he may rule and judge right- eously
and his righteous govern- ment
produce righteousness, and therefore
peace, among the people. The difference between the JUDGE- MENTS
of God in the first clause, and
the RIGHTEOUSNESS of God in
the second, is this: the former refers
to the several decisions which the
king may be called upon to pronounce,
and the prayer is that these
may be so in accordance with the
will of God, that they may be as
if uttered by His mouth; the second
refers to the inner mind and spirit,
the wisdom and discernment, which
should be the reflex of the Divine
mind. This is the very idea of justice, as
Hengstenberg observes, when the
decisions of the earthly judge are
in perfect accordance with those of
the heavenly: but this can only be
when there rests upon the former "the
Spirit of the Lord, the spirit of
wisdom and understanding, the spirit
of knowledge, and of the fear of
the Lord." To One only was this
Spirit given without measure. In
One only was this idea realized. Solomon,
it is true, prayed (I Kings |
iii.
9) that God would give him an understanding,
or rather obedient heart
(fmewo ble), that he might judge his
people; and of him we read (i
Kings iii. 28), "And all heard
of the judgement which the king
had judged, and they feared before
the king, for they saw that the
wisdom of God was in him to
do judgement;" and to him the Queen
of "Because
Jehovah loved ever,
therefore made He thee king to
do judgement and righteous- ness." But Solomon did not fulfil the
hope of this prayer. The righteous
judge became the op- pressor
of his people, the wise king the
weak, foolish, despicable volup- tuary:
God brake in pieces, before the
eyes of His people, the frail earthly
type, that He might lead them
to wait for Him who was "higher
than the kings of the earth,"
and who would "not judge after
the sight of His eyes, neither decide
after the hearing of His ears, but
would judge with righteous- ness
the weak, and decide with uprightness
for the afflicted of the earth." The Talmudic saying is very striking,
and worth quoting here: |
PSALM LXXIL 567
And Thy righteousness to
the king's son.
2
May he decide the cause of Thy people with righteousness,
And of Thine afflicted with
judgement.
3
May the mountains bring forth peace unto the people,
And the hills in righteousness!
"Every
judge who judgeth a judge- ment
of truth truly, maketh the Divine
Glory (the Shechinah) to dwell
in THE KING. This and the fol- lowing,
THE KING'S SON, are both without
the article, which may be accounted
for partly by the licence of
poetry, and partly by the fact that
the noun (melech), as a name of
office, is sufficiently definite in itself. THE KING'S SON. The stress laid upon
this is in accordance with Oriental
usage. That the king was of
royal ancestry was mentioned on
coins, public monuments, and the
like. See Is. xix. ii. 2. DECIDE THE CAUSE, as in liv. i
[3]; or "minister justice," as in ix.
8. The word (din) is a different word
from that in ver. 4 rendered "judge"
(shaphat). The root of the
first signifies to govern, to rule; the
root of the second, to be erect, ujright.
But both verbs are used in
the general sense of governing: for
the first see I Sam. ii. to, Zech. iii.
7; for the second, I Sam. viii. 20,
and elsewhere, and the name of Judges
given to the leaders of from
Joshua to Samuel: both are also
used with reference to the double
aspect of justice, as defend- ing
the oppressed and innocent, and
punishing the evil. The main difference
between the two, as might
be inferred from their re- spective
derivation, is, that the first is
the more formal and technical word.
Hence the later Beth Din, "house
of judgement," i.e. court, consistory,
&c. (Gr. dikasth<rion), a name
given also to the great San- hedrim. There has been much question as
to the manner in which the tenses
are employed here, and in |
the
next verses. Are they opta- tive,
or future (predicting what shall
be hereafter), or conjunctive, as
standing in a dependent clause, and
marking the consequence of the
preceding wish, with a not un- common
omission of the conjunc- tion?
To render them as futures, as
the E. V. and as Hengst. do, is
clearly wrong, because at the beginning
of verses 8, 16, 17 we have
the apocopated forms which are
optatives. We must therefore render
all as optatives, or some as optatives,
some as conjunctives: Hupfeld
and Zunz keep the opta- tive
throughout, and Delitzsch to the
end of ver. 8. Ewald has the conjunctive
in verses 2, 3. Mendelss.
Dass er richte, "that he
may judge; "or we may render, "then
shall he decide," &c. 3. The mountains and hills are mentioned
as being the great cha- racteristic
features of a country like "The
mountains shall drop down new
wine, and the hills shall flow with
milk." See Smith's Dict. of the Bible, art. " BRING is
here used figuratively is used literally
Ezek. xvii. 8, "to bring forth
fruit." It is quite unneces- sary
therefore to render, as French and
Skinner, "shall lift up." PEACE. This is ever represented in
Scripture as the fruit of right- eousness,
and as the great blessing of
the times of the Messiah. The king
of righteousness is also king of
peace. Comp. Is. ii. 4, ix. 5, 6, xi.
9, lxv. 25, Micah iv. 3, Zech. ix.
10. IN RIGHTEOUSNESS. For the third
time this is mentioned as that attribute
which, beyond all others, stamps
the king and his rule over |
568 PSALM LXXII.
4
May He judge the afflicted of the people,
Save the sons of the poor,
And crush the oppressor!
5
(So that) they fear Thee as long as the sun (endureth),
And before the moon unto all
generations.
his
people. As regards the con- struction,
this word in fact belongs to
both clauses of the verse. "May the
mountains and the hills bring forth
peace in (or, through) right- eousness,"
or the preposition may be
the Beth essentiae, as it is
called. To
render, as Delitzsch does, "in abundance,"
besides giving to ts'dakah an unheard-of
meaning, mars
the whole point of the passage. He
tries to defend this meaning by saying
that the word denotes the righteousness
of grace, as well as of
punishment, and then passes through
the idea of clemency, e]lehmosu<nh [so the LXX.
sometimes render
it], into that of bountiful- ness, for which he quotes
Joel ii. 23
(a passage, the sense of which is doubtful)
and Ps. xxiv. 5, where it stands
parallel with blessing. But that
this is not in point, see note on
lxxi. 15. 4. SONS OF THE POOR, i.e. merely "poor
persons," in accordance with the
usual Hebrew idiorn. 5. (SO THAT) THEY FEAR THEE. It
is doubtful whether the address is
to God, or to the king. The change
from the third person to the
second, and vice versa, is so common
in Hebrew (see on xxii. 26),
that the person addressed, so far
as the construction is con- cerned,
may certainly be the king. Nor
is the extended duration of his
reign implied in the words, "as long
as the sun," &c., against this view,
even if we suppose the words to
be addressed originally to a human
monarch. For the Jewish monarch
was ruler in a theocratic kingdom,
which by its very nature was
destined to endure for ever. Comp.
ver. 7, 17, and lxxxix. 4 [5], 28
[29], &c., 36 [37], &c.; and if in |
those
passages the throne and the race
of the monarch are the object of
hope, whereas here the hopes of the
Psalmist centre in his person, still
this also finds its parallel in xxi.
4 [5], "He asked life of Thee: Thou
gayest (it) him, Length of days
for ever and ever" (see note there).
Still I think, considering that
the Psalm opens with a prayer addressed
to God, it is better to suppose
that God is also addressed here;
and then the clause will be conjunctive,
and mark the conse- quence
of the king's righteous rule. The
SUN and the MOON are men- tioned
here, and again ver. 7, and in
lxxxix. 37 [38], as witnesses to an
everlasting order, and as it were figures
of eternity, things fixed and unchangeable,
compared with the fleeting,
dying generations of men, as
Jer. xxxi. 35, xxxiii. 20; though, as
compared with God, themselves subject
to decay and destruction, cii.
26 [27], &c. Is. li. 6, comp. Job xiv.
18. AS LONG AS THE SUN, lit. "with the
sun." Comp. Dan. iii. 33 [E. V. iv.
3], "with generation and gene-- ration." BEFORE THE MOON, or, "in the presence
of the moon," i.e. as long as
the moon shines, "so long as she
turns her face to the earth." In Job
viii. i6 the use of the prepo- sition
is similar; "He is green be- fore
the sun," though the phrase means
there not "as long as the sun
shines," but rather "in the sun- shine,"
"under the influence of the warmth
and light of the sun." Classical
parallels have been quoted. Ovid,
Amor. i. i6, "Cum sole et luna
semper Aratus erit." Theogn. 252,
kai> e]ssome<noisin a]oidh> @Ess^ o[mw?j o@fr ] a}n gh? te kai>
h]e<lioj. |
PSALM
LXXII.
569
6
Let him be as rain coming down upon the mown grass,
As showers that water
a the
earth.
7
Let the righteous flourish in his days,
And abundance of peace, till there
be no more moon.
8
And let him have dominion from sea to sea,
6. LET HIM BE, &c., lit. "let
him come
down as rain," the verb which
belongs strictly to the figure being
applied improperly to the subject. The gracious influence of the monarch,
and of his righteous sway,
is strikingly compared to the bountiful
shower which freshens the withered
herbage, and changes the brown,
bare, parched, dusty sur- face,
as by a touch of magic, into one
mass of verdure and bloom. We
have the same figure in Deut. xxxii.
2, Job xxix. 22, 23, and Prov. xvi.
15. But the most striking parallel
is in the last words of David,
2 Sam. xxiii. 4, where it is said
of one who ruleth righteously and
in the fear of God among men, that
he is Like
the light of the morning when the sun ariseth, A morning without clouds;— From
the sunshine, from the rain, the green grass (sprouteth) from the earth. THE MOWN GRASS, lit. "that which
is shorn," whether fleece or meadow. In the former sense
it occurs
Judg. vi. 37, and so the older translators
all take it. (Aq. koura<n, LXX. and others e]pi>
po<kon, Jerome
and Vulg. in vellus), pro- bably
with the idea that the reign of
the monarch would be accom- panied
by signal tokens of the Divine
favour and blessing, like the
dew upon Gideon's fleece: in the
latter sense, the word is found Amos
vii. (where the E. V. has "moorings");
and this is indis- putably
its meaning here, as the pa- rallelism
shows. The mown meadow is
particularly mentioned, because the
roots of the grass would be most
exposed to the summer heat, |
after
the crop had been gathered in,
and the effect would be most striking
in the shooting of the young
green blade after the shower. "Striking
image," says Dr. Pusey, "of
a world, in all appearance, hopelessly
dead, but with a hidden capacity
for receiving life! ver. 7." —Daniel, p. 480, note. THAT WATER THE EARTH, lit. "a
watering of the earth," the word being
a noun, in apposition with the
preceding "showers." (See Critical
Note.) 7. FLOURISH, lit. "shoot,"
"bud forth,"
&c., the figure which de- scribes
the effects of the rain being thus
carried on. Comp. xcii. 7 [8], 12
[13]. All these sentences, Calvin observes,
depend on the first verse. "Therefore
that the righteous may flourish,
and the people be pros- perous,
David prays that the king may
be clothed with righteousness and
judgement. It was Solomon's office,
indeed, to defend the right- eous;
but it is Christ's work to make
men righteous, because He not
only gives to each one his right,
but by His Spirit fashions anew
their minds. And thus He brings
back again righteousness, which
else would be banished from the
world." TILL THERE BE NO MORE MOON. See
a similar expression in Job xiv. 12. 8. In verses 5—7 the prayer and the
hope are that this kingdom should
endure for ever: in verses 8 -11
that it should know no limits but
those of the earth itself. FROM SEA TO SEA. "From the
boundary,
to the encircling sea be- yond
from
their Eastern boundary, the river, the |
570 PSALM LXXII.
And from the River to the ends of
the earth.
9
Before him let the inhabitants of the wilderness
b
bow,
And let his enemies lick the dust.
10
Let the kings of Tarshish and the isles render gifts,
Let the kings of
of the earth." (Pusey, Daniel, p. 480.) But
perhaps we have only a poetical expression,
not to be construed into the
prose of geography, or to be explained
(as by Rashi and others) as
indicating the extent of territory laid
down in Exod. xxiii. 31; "I will
set thy bounds from the Red Sea
even unto the sea of the Phi- listines,
and from the desert unto the
River." There may be an allu- sion
to that passage (comp„ Gen. xv.
18), but if so, it is expanded and
idealized, as the expression "unto
the ends of the earth" (as in ii.
8) shows. The RIVER is, doubt- less,
the probable,
therefore, that the Poet had
in his eye the actual extent of the
kingdom to which Solomon succeeded,
who reigned "over all kingdoms
from the river to
the border of he
thus anticipated a dominion co- extensive
with the world. Comp. the
Messianic passage, Zech. ix. 10,
"He shall speak (command, or enjoin)
peace to the nations (as in verses
3, 7 here), and His dominion shall
be from sea to sea, and from the
River to the ends of the earth." 10. TARSHISH, in all probability the
same as the Greek Tarthsso<j, a great
naval mart, and, according to Arrian,
a colony of the Phcenicians, in
the south of with
lead
(Ezek. xxvii. 12). Tarshish and
the isles, " the empires on the shores
of the here
mentioned as representatives of
all the great maritime and com- mercial
countries of the world. [It is
worth notice as evidence that the different
books were translated by different
men, that the LXX. render Tarshish
by qa<rseij in Gen.. x. 4, but
in Isaiah and Ezekiel, where |
the
word occurs, substitute "Car- thage,"
and "the Carthaginians."] See
Smith's Dict. of the Bible. RENDER GIFTS or "tribute." The
verb is used in the same way 2
Kings iii. 4, and (with the same noun)
xvii. 3; comp. Ezek. xxvii. 15.
Qimchi explains it of the re- peated bringing of tribute, a regu- lar
yearly or periodical payment; and
so Ges., Ros., and others. But
this idea is not contained in the
verb (used as an auxiliary in the
Qal the construction is dif- ferent.)
Hengst. explains "return a
gift," i.e. as a grateful acknow- ledgement
for the benefits they have received.
But Hupfeld rightly ob- serves
that the notion of return, which
the verb expresses, is found in
all languages in a similar asso- ciation.
He compares the Latin reditus, and the French [and
Eng- lish]
revenue. kingdom,
so called after of
the sons of Joktan, Gem, x. 28. The
mention of this, as well as of Tarshish
above, harmonizes very well
with the opinion that this Psalm
was composed either by or for
Solomon. The Queen of who
came to visit Solomon (1 Kings x.
1), was queen of and
not of Seba, the Cushite king- dom
of some
of the Rabbinical writers would
make out. The kingdom of of
the See
Mr. R. S. Poole's article in Smith's
Dict. of the Bible, ii. 1231. mentioned
as among the sons of Cush,
Gen. x. 7, and joined with in
Is. xliii. 3, "a nation of bordering
on or included in |
PSALM LXXII 571
11
Yea, let all kings bow themselves down before him,
Let all nations serve him.
12
For he delivereth the poor when he crieth,
And the afflicted, who hath no
helper;
13
He hath pity upon the miserable and poor,
And the souls of the poor he saveth;
14
From deceit and from violence he ransometh their soul,
And preciousc is their blood in his
eyes,
15
So that they live, and give him of the gold of
and
in Solomon's time independent, and
of political importance." Ac- cording
to Josephus, Seba was the ancient
name of the Ethiopian island
and city of 10,
§ 2), and this must at least have
formed part of any ancient Ethiopian
kingdom. (See Mr. Poole as
above, ii. 1189.) PRESENTS. The word, like the preceding
"gifts," is a singular noun
collective: it only occurs once
again, Ezek. xxvii. 15. The
whole verse is in accordance with
what we read of Solomon, I Kings
v. i, x. 10, 25. 12. FOR HE DELIVERETH. The reason
is given why all kings and nations
should thus do homage to him
who sits on David's throne. He
has merited such submission by
the exercise of every royal virtue,
by the justice and the mercy of
his sway, by his deep sympathy with,
and compassion for, the poor, by
the protection which he extends to
them against the ministers of fraud
and violence. It is not that he
merely covers with the shadow of
his throne all neighbouring na- tions,
and is acknowledged as their political
head, but that the bright example
which he sets, the Majesty of
Righteousness enthroned in his person,
compels all to bow before him. The verse occurs almost word for
word in Job xxix. 12, whence it
is perhaps borrowed. 14. PRECIOUS IS THEIR BLOOD. He
will not see it spilt on the |
ground,
without avenging it. Comp. cxvi.
15, I Sam. xxvi. 21, 2 Kings i.
13. 15. Besides the Divine reward which
he has merited, the king shall
receive also the grateful ac- knowledgement
of those whom he has
protected and saved from death. Although the verbs here are in the
singular, the subject of them must
be, not the king, but "the poor,"
mentioned before, who in ver.
12, 13, are spoken of in the singular
number. The apocopated form
of the verb with the conjunc- tion
denotes a consequence from what
precedes (as in xlix. 9 [10], where
the very same words occur). Precious
is their blood in his sight, so
that by his powerful aid they are saved
from death, and being also by
his goodness made rich, they offer
to him the costliest gifts they can
bring. The older Versions make
"the king" the subject of the first
verb ("and he shall live," or, "and
let him live "), and take the others
impersonally ("and one shall
give him," i.e. there shall be given
him, &c.). And so Luth., Calv.,
and the E. V. And so French and
Skinner, in defiance of gram- mar,
render, He shall live and prosper, And unto him shall be given of
the gold of Delitzsch
makes "the poor" the subject
of the first verb, and "the king"
of the second: "that he (the poor)
should be saved alive, and |
572 PSALM LXXII.
And pray for him alway,
(And) bless him all the day.
16
Let there be abundanced of corn in the land,
(So that) on the top of the
mountains the fruit thereof
rustles like
that
the king should give him," &c. But
this, in itself harsh, is rendered harsher,
because in the next clause it
is evident that "the poor" is again
the subject, who pray for the king
and bless him. GOLD OF SHEBA, the offerer being,
it is supposed, a native of AND PRAY FOR HIM. The ren- dering
of the P.B.V., "prayer shall be
made ever unto him," is quite indefensible.
The preposition never occurs
in this sense. But the exclu- sive Messianic
interpretation seemed to
require it. The LXX. peri> au]tou? Vulg.
de ipso. Augustine, however, who
here, as in Ps. lxix., supposes not
Christ only, but Christ and the Church
to be spoken of, explains the
prayer as made, not for Christ Himself,
but for the kingdom of Christ.
"When we pray for Him, we
pray for the Church, which is His
body." But this I confess appears
to me a style of exposition which
is very arbitrary, and one that
only leads to endless con- fusion
and perplexity. Dr. Pusey, on
the other hand, renders, "And He
(the king) shall pray for him (the
poor) continually." "The words,"
he says, "anticipate the revelation
by liveth
to make intercession for them.'
(Heb. vii. 26: add Rom. viii. 34.)
The words cannot be ren- dered,
as in the P.B.V., ‘prayer shall
be made ever unto Him:’ on the
other hand, the idiom is used exclusively
of the intercession of one
nearer to God for one less near."
He then gives the instances of
Abraham interceding for Abime- lech,
Gen. xx. 7; Moses for Aaron, after
the sin of the calf, Deut. ix. 20;
Samuel for the people, 1 Sam. vii.
5, xii. 19—23; the prophet for |
Jeroboam,
I Kings xiii. 6; of Jere- miah,
at Zedekiah's request, Jer. xxxvii.
3 (comp. also Jer. xlii. 2, 20, vii.
i6, xi. 14, xiv. 11, xxix. 7); of Job
for his friends, Job xlii. 10. "These
are all the cases in which the
Concordances, at least, give the
idiom. The verb occurs with other
prepositions, Job xlii. 8 and I
Sam. ii. 25." 16. The verbs are again optatives in
form, and must be taken as the expression
of a wish. The wish, however,
here is also a hope. Ex- traordinary
fruitfulness of the soil, and
an extraordinary increase of population,
are anticipated, as in Is.
iv. 1, xxvii. 6, Zech. ii. 4, x, 10. ON THE TOP OF THE MOUN- TAINS:
not mentioned (as something extraordinary)
because the moun- tains
were usually the least fruitful parts
of the land, but because they were
the most prominent (see ver. 3).
The idea is that the whole country
should be one bright sunny picture
of gladness and fertility, the corn-fields
being seen not only in the
valleys, but rising, terrace above terrace,
along the mountain-sides, till
they reach their summits. The rustling
of the corn-fields in the wind
is compared to the rustling of the
cedars of the
corn stand, so rich shall be the harvest. I have departed here from the ac- cents,
though at the risk of differing from
all other editors. The common division
of the verse is: Let there be
abundance of corn in the land on
the top of the mountains: Let the
fruit thereof rustle, &c. But, thus,
the point is lost or at least obscured.
This would seem to imply
that there was to be no corn anywhere
but on the mountains, whereas
the object is to make the |
PSALM- LXXII. 573
And let (men) spring forth from the
city like the
herbs of the earth.
17
Let his Name be for ever!
Before the sun let his Name be
continued,e
And let men bless
themselves in him;
corn-fields
on the mountains a prin- cipal
feature; and there especially would
they be exposed to the action of
the wind, and so be compared to (wfar;yi, rustles) as subjoined to, not co-ordinate
with, the previous verb. LET (MEN) SPRING Comp.
xcii. 7 [8], Job v. 25, Is. xxvii. 6.
FROM THE CITY, as the dwell- ing-place
of men. Comp. Numb. xxiv.
19. 17. BE CONTINUED, lit. "be pro- pagated,"
continued in his offspring (comp.
xlv. 16 [17]), i.e. taking the verb
as a passive; or if it be active, "ever
make fresh shoots." Or, as Dr.
Pusey: "His Name shall pro- pagate, gaining, generation
after generation,
a fresh accession of off- spring."
The verb occurs nowhere else,
but the noun is found in Gen. xxi.
23, Job xviii. 19 (where Lee's note
may be consulted), Is. xiv. 22, and
means always offspring. BLESS THEMSELVES IN HIM. The
same reflexive form of the verb occurs
in Gen. xxii. 18, xxvi. 4, whereas
in xviii. 18 the passive is employed,
"and in him all the na- tions
of the earth shall be blessed." Gesen.,
indeed, would retain the reflexive
sense in the last instance (and
it is certain that the Niphal has
sometimes a middle force): Phillips,
on the other hand, would take
all as passives; but, in spite of the
grammarians, I do not believe that
a Hithpael is ever used as a strict
passive: the reflexive sense is
always discernible, even where the
idiom of our language does not allow
us to retain it in a translation. The
meaning seems to be, that the king
shall be to them the very type and
living image of all blessing, so that
they can wish for nothing higher
or more glorious than that |
his
blessedness should flow forth upon
them. There is so much truth in
the note with which Delitzsch concludes
his commentary on this Psalm,
that, though it is rather long, I
will quote it: "Solomon," he says, "was
in truth a righteous, gracious, God-fearing
Prince (he established and
even extended the kingdom, he ruled
over innumerable people, ex- alted
in wisdom and riches above all
the kings of the earth; his time was
the most happy, the richest in peace
and joy which knew.
The words of the Psalm were
all fulfilled in him, even to the mere
particular of the universal dominion
which is wished for him. But
the end of his reign was not like
the beginning and the middle of
it. The fair, the glorious, the pure
image of the Messiah which he had
exhibited, waxed pale. In the time
of David and Solomon, the hope
of believers, which was at- tached
to the had
not yet fully broken with the present.
That time, with few ex- ceptions,
knew as yet no other Messiah
than the anointed of God, who
was David or Solomon himself. When
however the kingdom, in the person
of these its two most glorious representatives,
had proved itself unable
to bring to perfection the idea
of the Messiah or the Anointed of
God; and when the line of kings who
followed thoroughly disap- pointed
the hope which clung to the
kingdom of the present; and when,
though here and there, as under
Hezekiah, that hope blazed up
for a moment, it was finally ex- tinguished,
and men were driven from
the present to look to the future,---then,
and not till then, did there
come a decisive break between the
Messianic hope and the existing |
574 PSALM LXXII.
Let all nations call him happy!
18
Blessed be Jehovah, God, the God of Israel,
Who alone doeth wondrous things!
19
And blessed be His glorious Name for ever,
And let all the earthf be filled with His
glory!
Amen
and Amen.
state
of things: the image of the Messiah
was now painted on the pure
sky of the Future (though of the
immediate Future), in colours furnished
by the unfulfilment of the older
prophecy, and the contradic- tion
between the existing kingdom and
its idea; it became more and more,
so to speak, something super- earthly,
superhuman, extending in- to
the future, the invisible refuge and
the invisible aim of a faith de- spairing
of the present, and thereby rendered
more spiritual and more heavenly
(comp. the Messianic image
as described in colours bor- rowed
from our Psalm, Is. xi., Mic. v.
3, 6 [E. V. 4, 7], Zech. ix. 9, io). Rightly
to understand this, we must free
ourselves from the prejudice that
the centre of the Old Testa- ment
gospel (Heils-Verkundigung) lay
in the prophecy of the Messiah. Where
is the Messiah set forth as the
Redeemer of the world? The Redeemer
of the world is Jehovah. The
coming (Parusia) of Jehovah is
the centre of the Old Testament gospel.
How this unfolded itself may
be made clear by means of a comparison.
The Old Testament, in
relation to the Day of the New Testament,
is Night. In this Night there
rise in opposite directions two stars
of Promise. The one describes its
path from above downwards: it is
the promise of Jehovah, who is about
to come. The other describes its
path from below upwards: it is the
hope which rests on the seed of David,
the prophecy of the Son of David,
uttered at first in tones wholly
human, and only earthly. These
two stars meet at last, they mingle
so as to form but one, the Night
vanishes, and it is Day. This |
one
Star is Jesus Christ, Jehovah and
David's Son in one person, the King
of time
the Redeemer of the world; in
a word, the God-man, blessed be
He!" The only part of the above note from
which I dissent is the too favourable
picture given of Solomon and
his reign. This seems to me as
much too favourable as that drawn
by Mr. Plumptre, in Smith's Dict. of the Bible [SOLOMON], seems too
dark. 18, 19. These verses are a later doxology,
appended here to mark the
close of the Second Book of the Psalter.
Similar doxologies occur at
the end of all the other books (see
at the end of Ps. xli.). This approaches
the nearest, as Delitzsch has
observed, to the regular litur- gical
Berachah, or blessing; for it contains
what is required in that, the Name of Jehovah, the Amen, and
the mention of the kingdom, though
this last is only implied in "the
Name of His Glory," and it is
not expressly said "the Name of the
Glory of His Kingdom," as it is,
for instance, in the Berachah, at the
pronouncing of which, on the Day
of Atonement, the people fell on
their faces, so often as the Name of
Jehovah passed over the lips of the
High Priest. 18. JEHOVAH, GOD, see on lix. 5
[6]. WHO ALONE DOETH WONDROUS THINGS.
Comp. cxxxvi. 4, and Job ix.
8, 10. 19. HIS GLORIOUS NAME, or "the Name
of His Glory." Comp. Neh. ix.
5; and with the concluding words
of the verse, Num. xiv. 21. The
repeated AMEN, with the |
PSALM LXXII. 575
20 Ended are the Prayers
of
David the Son of Jesse.
conjunction,
is in the Old Test. peculiar
to these doxologies in the Psalter. The characteristic difference be- tween
the two books of the Psalter, and
the use of the Divine Names, is
preserved even in their conclud- ing
doxologies. In the First, God is
spoken of as "Jehovah, the God
of
him, the God of
Israel." 20. This verse, again (with which may
be compared Job xxxi. 40), does not
belong originally either to the Psalm
or to the Doxology, though perhaps
older than the last. Augus- tine,
indeed, took it as the inscrip- tion
of the next Psalm, remarking: "tot
habemus Psalmos, in quorum titulis
scriptum est nomen David; nusquam
est additum filii Jesse nisi
in hoc loco." It is remarkable that
the elder Qimchi treated the words
as an integral portion of the Psalter.
He says: "When all shall have
been fulfilled, so that |
brought
back from exile, shall have been
restored to their land, and the Messiah,
the son of David, rules over
them, then will they need no more
atonement, and deliverance, and
blessing, for they will possess all,
and then will be ended the prayers
of David the son of Jesse" (quoted
by Delitzsch). As several Psalms bearing the name
of David occur in the later Books
of the Psalter, it is evident that
this notice, "ended are the Prayers
of David," &c., must have been
placed originally at the end of
a smaller collection of Psalms, which
was supposed to comprise those
only which were known as his,
or which at least belonged to his
time. It does not prove that all
the Psalms of the first two Books
were regarded as David's, or
that he wrote none of those which
in the latter Books go by his name. |
a Jyzir;za. The word occurs only
here, and is in form a quadrilit. noun
formed
from the
rain, and a similar root
occurs in Arab. In the Talmud Babli, Tom.
87a, the
word
occurs in the sense of droppings, xymd
ypyzrz,
"droppings of water."
The
noun stands in apposition with the preceding Mybiybir;. So Ew.: "Wie
Regenschauer,
Sättigung der Erde." So too the older Verss. seem to
have
understood it. But Hupf. finds this apposition "intolerably harsh,"
and
thinks the sense requires a verb, and would therefore correct Jzer;zay;
or Jyriz;ya.
b Myyi.ci. According to Hupf. the
word everywhere else is used, not of
men,
but of wild beasts inhabiting the wilderness, even in lxxiv. 14, Is.
xxiii.
13. He denies therefore that the nomad inhabitants of the steppes
can
be meant by the word, and with Olsh. would correct MyricA, adver-
saries, which he considers the
parall. also requires. But there is no
reason
why Myy.ici should not be a comprehensive term, denoting all inha-
bitants
of the wilderness, whether man or beast. The Greek Verss. and
Jerome
all render the word "Ethiopians." The Syr. has "the
islands,"
and
if any change were necessary, I should incline to this, Myyi.xi, as in ver. 10.
c rqayei. The radical Yod is retained, as in hkAl;yxe, Micah i. 8, and the
verb
is followed precisely as in xlix. 10, yHyvi as a conjunctive,
marking
576 PSALM LXXII.
the
purpose or object of rqayye.
Hupfeld, however, is inclined to take the
optative
form here as hypothetic, or as a condition of what follows: "and
when
he lives, then he gives," &c.
d hs.APi, only here; probably
meaning "abundance" (so the Syr. and
Rashi),
lit. "spreading abroad," referred by the Jewish lexicographers to
ssp= hWp (used of the spreading
of the leprosy); comp.
"to
spread, so as to cover a wide surface;" and the Arab., and also
to which last this Dageshed form comes
nearest. Qimchi and
others,
connecting it apparently with MPa, a piece, an end, render a
handful.
And
so Calv., Hengst., Stier, and the E. V., an interpretation which rests
on
the false notion that the mountains are spoken of as the least fruitful
portion
of the country.
In the Midrash Koheleth, on Eccl. i.
9, we read, in reference to this
verse:
"R. Berechia said in the name of R. Isaac, As was the First Goel,
so
shall be the Last . . . The First Goel made the manna to descend,
for
it is said, Behold, I will rain bread
upon you from heaven. (Ex. xvi.
4.)
So also the Last Goel makes the manna to descend, for it is said,
There shall be an
abundance of corn upon the earth."
e Nyny. For this, the Hiphil, the Q'ri substitutes
the Niphal NOn.y, which
the
E. V. (according to its rule) has followed. On this Dr. Pusey (Daniel,
p.
481, note 16) remarks: "It is a mere substitution for the bold image of
the
text. Yet it must be an old correction, since it supplies one of the
names
of the Messiah," in proof of which he quotes from Schottgen, de
Messia
ad loc.: "Bereshith Rabba, cap. i., ‘Six things’ (seven are counted
in
Pirqe derabb Eli'ezer, cap. iii., T. B., Pesachim, 54a; Nedarim, 39b;
Midrash
Tehillim, on xciii. 2 [see in Mart. Pug.
Fid. f. 335]; and Midrash
Mishle,
on viii. 9), were before the foundation of the world, and were
named
before their birth, and among them the name of the Messiah,
Before the sun, Yinnon
is His Name.
[See in Mart. f. 334.] Echa
Rabbathi,
on i. 16, f. 59, 3, and T. B. Synhedrin, 98b, ‘They who are
of
the
from
this place.’ Midrash Mishle, on xix. 21, f. 57, I, ‘The name of the
Messiah
is Yinnon,’ also quoting it." Dr.
P. adds: "In the Bereshith
R.
1. c. and Midr. Till. 1. c. it is explained actively [as in the K'thibh],
yet
the pass. form seems to have crept in, ‘Why is his name called Nvny?
Because
he shall give birth to (Nyny) those who sleep in the dust of the
earth.'"
[I have corrected the references throughout in the above
passage
from Schottgen.]
f ‘h
lKo-hx,. On tx, with the subject of the
passive verb, see Ges.
§
143, I a.
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any errors to Ted Hildebrandt at:
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