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THE
PSALMS
TRANSLATED AND EXPLAINED
BY
J. A. Alexander
PROFESSOR IN THE THEOLOGICAL iJEMINARY AT PRIMCETON
VOLUME II
NEW YORK BAKER AND SCRIBNER 145 NASSAU STREET
1850
P^ntered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1850, b)'
JOSEPH ADDISON ALEXANDER,
In the Clerk's Office of the United States District Court for the District of
New Jersey.
C . W . BENEDICT,
Stereotyper^
•iOI William st.
THE PSALMS.
PSALM LI.
1, 2. To the Chief Musician. A Psalm. By David. When Nathan the Pro'phet came unto him^ as he (i. e, David) had come ujito Bathsheba. The first inscription was particularly necessary here, to show that the psalm was designed for perma- nent and public use, since it might otherwise have been regarded as expressive of mere personal emotions. It has reference to the one great crime of David's life, noted as such in the inspired his- tory itself (1 Kings xv. 5), and involving the guilt of both adultery and murder. See 2 Sam. xi and xii. The significant repetition of the phrase came unto in v. 2 is lost in the English and most other versions. As is not a mere particle of time, sunply equivalent to when, but suggests the ideas of analogy, pro- portion, and retaliation. The psalm consists of two parts, a prayer and a vow. In the first, he prays to be forgiven and re- stored to the divine favour, vs. 3 — 14 (1 — 12.) In the second, he shows how he means to testify his gratitude, vs. 15 — 21 (13 — 19.)
3(1.) Be gracious to me, (oh) God, according to thy mercy ; according to the abundance of thy compassions, blot out my trans- gressions. In this verse and the next", he presents the petition which constitutes the theme or burden of the psalm. The appeal
VOL. II. 1
2 PSALM LI.
to the divine grace, mercy, and compassion, involves a confession of his own guilt and the justice of his condemnation. According to, literally, like thy mercy, i. e. in accordance with it, in propor- tion to it. Here again there is a tacit admission of the greatness of his guilt, as requiring infinite mercy to forgive it. Abundance, increase, multitude. See above, on Ps. v. 8 (7.) Compassions, tender mercies, a term expressive of the warmest and tenderest affections. See above, onPs. xviii. 2 (1.) Blot out, erase, from thy remembrance. The allusion is probably to a record or regis- ter of crimes, or to the cancellino- of accounts, although the former seems to agree better with ancient and oriental usage. Compare Num. v. 23. Transgressions, or with closer adherence to the primary etymological import of the term, revolts, apostasies. See above, on Ps. xix. 14 (13.) xxxii. 1.
4 (2.) Thoroughly wash me from my iniquity, and from my sin cleanse me. The first word in Hebrew is the infinitive or im- perative of a verb meaning to increase or multiply, but often used adverbially in the sense of plentifully, abundantly. The verb in the first clause properly denotes the act of washing the garments, as distinguished from that of bathing the body. See Num. xix. 19. The image here presented therefore is the same as in Jude V. 23, sin being represented as a stain, and the grace of God as purifying water.
5 (3.) For my transgressions I know, and my sin (is) before me always. His consciousness of guilt is urged, not only as a reason why he should ask forgiveness, but as a reason why God should grant it. As no one is forgiven unless convinced of sin, so this conviction constitutes a kind of claim to pardon, not as being meritorious or intrinsically efficacious, but as an indication of God's merciful intentions, since conviction and forgiveness are alike his gift. The same mutual connection of the two things is uniformly recognized in Scripture. See above, on Ps. xxxii. 5, and com-
PSALM LI. 3
pare 2 Sam. xii. 13. Prov. xxviii. 13. 1 John i. 9. The future in the first clause is significant. I know it and shall know it ; I can never henceforth lose the sense or knowledge of it.
6 (4.) To thee^ thee only, have I sinned, and done the evil in thine eyes, to the intent that thou mayest he just in thy speaking, and he clear in thy judging. The particle at the beginning denotes general relation, as to, or respecting. The precise rela- tion meant must be determined by the context. See above, on Ps. XXXV. 19, 24. xxxviii. 17 (16.) It does not therefore di- rectly and explicitly substitute God for man as the injured party, which is the only sense that can be put upon the English phrase against thee. This idea, however, is undoubtedly implied, as well as perfectly consistent with the usage of the Scriptures in describing all sin as committed against God. Even murder, the highest crime that can be committed against man, is condemned and punished as the violation of God's image (Gen. ix. 6.) It is also possible to understand thee, thee only, as opposed not to other objects, but to the sinner himself, as one of two contend- ing parties. As if he had said, thou hast not sinned against me, but I have sinned against thee, thee only. The evil, not this evil, which restricts the acknowledgment too much, but that which is evil, meaning sin in general. To the intent that may have refer- ence to the divine purpose in permitting David's sin to take this aggravated form, so that there could be neither doubt nor trans- fer nor participation of his guilt, and so that when God spoke in condemnation of it, he might not only be, but appear to be, en- tirely just. There is no need therefore of adopting the weaker meaning, so that, denoting a mere consequence but not a pur- pose, or of supposing the intention indicated to be merely that of the confession, ' I acknowledge this, that thou mayest be just,' etc. Speaking, i. e. speaking as a judge, deciding, or more definitely still, condemning. It is therefore substantially equiva- lent to the parallel term judging.
4 PSALM LI.
7 (5.) io, in iniquity I was born, and in sin did my mother conceive me. The meaning of the first verb is determined by its use in Job xv. 7. Prov. viii. 24, 25, and that of the correspond- ing active form in Job xxxix. 1. The iniquity and sin meant are not those of his mother, but his own. Having just before confessed his actual transgressions, he now acknowledges the cor- ruption of his nature. This has always been regarded as the locus classicus of the Old Testament, in reference to the doctrine of original sin.
8 (6.) Loj truth thou hast desired in the inward (or secret) parts y and in the hidden [part) wisdom thou wilt make me know. The repetition of behold or Zo, at the beginning of the sentence, seems to indicate a close connection with the preceding verse. That connection is most probably as follows : ' Since I am cor- rupted in my very nature, and thou canst be satisfied with nothing short of inward sincerity, thou must bestow what thou requirest, by imparting to me heavenly wisdom.' Triith^ sin- cerity, reality, as opposed to hypocritical profession or pretence. The first verb means not merely to desire^ but to will^ as in Job xxxiii. 32. The past tense implies that it has always been so, that the requisition is no sudden or capricious one, but an eternal law founded in God's very nature. The inward and hidden parts are mentioned as opposed to the mere outside. Wisdom, divine illumination, without which no correct view either of sin or holi- ness is possible. Thou wilt make me know, involves a prayer, although in form it is an expression of strong confidence.
9 (7.) Thou wilt purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; thou wilt wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. What he asked in v. 4 (2) he here anticipates with confidence. The verb translated purge is very expressive, being a derivative of that which means to sin in v. 6 (4) above. It denotes specifically, therefore, purification from the stain of sin, either by actual pay-
PSALM LI. 5
ment of the penalty (Gen. xxxi. 39), or by vicarious satis- faction (Num. xix. 19.) Hyssop is mentioned as a plant much used in the Levitical purgations, either as a convenient instru- ment of sprinkling (Ex. xii. 22), or as an emblem of the divine condescension, viewed in contrast with the divine majesty (Isai. Ixvi. 1, 2), as represented by the cedar, with which the hyssop is perpetually joined. See Num. xix. 18, and compare 1 Kings v. 13. iv. 33. In either case to purge with hyssop necessarily suggests the idea of a purification founded on atonement, as the hyssop was employed to sprinkle purifying substances, and sometimes mingled with them fEx. xii. 22. Num. xix. 6, 18.) The second future in each clause expresses both consent and expectation. Whiter than snow is a natural hyperbole denoting perfect purity. See the same images applied to the same subject in Isai. i. 18. The last verb answers to the English whiten, being properly a causative, but sometimes used intransitively, just as we may say, that blushing reddens the face, or that the face reddens in the act of blushing. ' Wash me and I shall whiten (become white) from (away from, as distinguished from, and by implication more than) snow.'
10 (8.) Thou wilt make me to hear joy and gladness ; (then) shall rejoice the hones (which) thou hast broken {bruised, or crushed.) What is formally expressed is still a confident expec- tation or assured hope, under which, however, an intense desire is implicitly contained. The joy here anticipated is that of par- doned sin. See above, on Ps. xxxii. 1. He expects to hear it, as communicated or announced by God. The word then is in- troduced in the translation for the sake of retaining the original arrangement of the sentence, closing, as it does in Hebrew, with the emphatic figure, crushed or broken, which expresses, in a very lively manner, the disorder and distress produced by con- sciousness of aggravated and unexpiated guilt. The change from this condition to a sense of safety and reconciliation with
6 PSALM LI.
God, is not too strongly represented by the bold but most ex- pressive figure of broken bones rejoicing. The ellipsis of the relative in this clause is common to both idioms.
11 (9.) Hide thy face from my sins, and all my iniquities blot out. The desire implied in the anticipations of the two preced- ing verses now breaks out into its proper form, that of direct petition. Hide thy face from them, so as not to see them, look no longer at them. The same figure is applied, in an unfavour- able sense, to God's apparent neglect of his suffering servants, his refusal to behold them or to notice their condition. See above, on Ps. xiii. 2(1.) xliv. 25 (24.) Blot out, expunge, from thy account, or from the book of thy remembrance, as in V. 3 (1) above. What he asks as to his sins is that God will cancel and forget them.
12 (10.) A pure heart create for me, {oh) God, and a fixed (or settled) spirit renew within me. The petition in the first clause involves a confession of impurity, and of dependence on almighty power and sovereign grace for its removal. A pure heart is a familiar Scriptural figure for affections free from the taint of sin. See above, on Ps. xxiv. 4, and below, on Ps. Ixxiii. 1, and compare Matth. v. 8. Acts xv. 9. While the use of the word create implies the necessity of an almighty intervgition, the additional phrase to {or for) me suggests the idea of a gift, which is often expressed elsewhere in the same connection. See Jer. xxiv. 7. Ez. xi. 19. xxxvi. 26, and compare 1 Sam. x. 9. The gift demanded in the last clause is that of a firm, unwaver- ing spirit, as opposed both to fickleness and cowardice. Compare the use of the same adjective or participle in Ps. Ivii. 8 (7.) Ixxviii. 37. cxii. 7. The word renew implies a previous posses-y sion of it, derived not from nature but from grace, and inter- rupted by his yielding to temptation. Though his faith and love could not utterly fail, his fixedness of purpose was destroyed for
PSALM LI. 7
the time, and could only be recovered by a new conversion, as in the case of Peter (Luke xxii. 32.) Within me, in the midst (or in the inside) of me. The same Hebrew noun is repeatedly used elsewhere, to denote the inward dispositions and affections, as distinguished from a mere profession or appearance. See above, on Ps. v. 10 (9.) xlix. 12 (11.)
13 (11.) Cast me not away from thy presence, and thy Holy Spirit take not from me. As indispensable prerequisites and means to the possession of such a heart and spirit as he had just prayed for, he recognizes intimate communion with God, and the active influences of his Spirit. This prayer, unless we arbitra- rily supply again or for ever , seems to imply that David was in ac- tual possession of these blessings and afraid of losing them. There may be an intentional allusion to his own reception of the Spirit and to Saul's privation of it, as recorded in 1 Sam. xvi. 1, 7, 13. Compare 1 Sam. x. 6, 10. Isai. xi. 2.
14 (12.) Restore to me the joy of thy salvation, and (with) a ivilling spirit uphold me. The first verb is a causative in He- brew, meaning 7)iake to return, implying previous possession. The next phrase may be explained, according to a very common Hebrew idiom, thy joy of salvation, thy saving joy. See above, on Ps. ii. 6. But the obvious construction seems to yield the best sense, namely, that of joy occasioned by salvation, or relat- ing to it as its subject. This joy was of course incompatible with any interruption of God's presence and the assurance of his favour. The word translated willing means spontaneous, prompt, forward to act without coercion ; then liberal, gene- rous, noble. See above, on Ps. xlvii. 10 (9.) It may be taken as an epithet of the Holy Spirit ; but the omission of the pronoun (thy) which determines it in the foregoing verse, and the repeated use of spi?-it in the context to denote his own heart, makes it more probable that this is the sense here likewise. By such a
8 PSALM LI.
spirit of spontaneous conformity to God's will he desires and hopes to be held wp^ i. e. preserved from falling as he fell before.
15 (13.) (Then) tvill I teach transgressors thy ways, and sinners unto thee shall return. Here begins the expression of his thankful- ness, or rather a description of the way in which he is determined to express it. The word supplied at the beginning points out the connection of the verses. ' Then, when these petitions have been answered, I will teach, etc' The form of the Hebrew verb denotes a strong desire and a settled purpose, as if he had said, * I am resolved to teach.' Transgressors, rebels, traitors, apostates. See above, on v. 5 (3.) Thy umys, as well the ways in which thou walkest as the ways in which thou requirest us to walk, the course of providence and the course of duty. See above, on Ps. xviii. 22, 31 (21, 30.) In both these senses, he might naturally wish to " vindicate the ways of God to man." Of this resolution a partial fulfilment is recorded in Ps. xxxii. 8, 9. The effect of such instructions is recorded in the last clause of the verse before us. The Hebrew verb there used is not a passive (shall be converted) but an active form, shall turn or return to the Lord, perhaps with an allusion to the great original apostasy, in which the whole race is involved. See above, on Ps. xxii. 28 (27.) To this verse there seems to be particular allusion in our Saviour's words to Peter, Luke xxii. 32.
16 (14.) Free me from Mood, (oh) God, God of my salvation, {and) my tongue shall celebrate thy righteousness. The first clause contains the condition of the second, and the whole is equivalent to saying, 'if thou wilt save me, I will praise thee.' Blood, literally bloods, the plural being idiomatically used when there is reference to murder. See above, on Ps. v. 7 (6.) There may be an allusion to the frequent personification of the victim's blood, as crying out for vengeance on the murderer or pursuing him (Gen. iv. 10. ix. 5, 6.) The verb translated /rec is applied
PSALM LI. 9
to deliverance from enemies in Ps. vii. 2 (1), and from sins (aS here) in Ps. xxxix. 9 (8.) The strength of the desire here ex- pressed may derive some illustration from the threatening in 2 Sam. xii. 9, 10. Celebrate^ applaud by shout or song. See above, on Ps. v. 12 (11.) xx. 6 (5.) xxxii. 11. xxxiii. 1.
17 (15.) Lord^ my lips thou wilt open, and my mouth shall declare thy praise. The relation of the clauses to each other is the same as in the foregoing verse. ' If thou wilt open my lips, my mouth etc' The first clause, therefore, really includes a petition that his lips may be opened ; but it also includes more, to wit, a confident anticipation that his prayer will be granted. The sense is therefore only partially expressed by rendering the future as an imperative (open thou my lips.) The exact form as well as the sense of the original is given in the Prayer Book Version (thou shalt open my lips^ oh Lord.) Open my lips., i. e. enable me to praise thee by affording an occasion, and empower me to praise thee, by removing this oppressive sense of guilt, which condemns me to perpetual silence. Compare Isai. vi. 5 — 7. Declare., tell, utter, or proclaim. See above, Ps. xix. 2(1.)
18 (16.) For thou desirest net sacrifice, else would I give (it) ; {in) burnt offering thou delightest not. He now assigns the reason why he is determined to requite God's favour by becoming praise. The literal translation of the first clause is, thoio wilt not desire sacrifice., and I will give {it)., i. e. but if thou dost desire it, I will give it. By sacrifice we must here understand the mere material oblation, apart from the penitent and thankful spirit, of which it was the required expression. See above, on Ps. xl. 7 (6.) The parallel terms, sacrifice and burnt-offering., are commonly regarded as generic and specific expressions of the same idea. But some interpreters deny that they are ever confounded or promiscuously used, and give the first the sense of thank-offerings.,
1*
10 PSALM LI.
which are then joined with expiatory offerings, as a general de- scription of all animal oblations.
19 (17.) The sacrifices of God {are) a broken spirit ; a heart broken and crushed^ {oh) God^ thou loilt not despise. These are natural and perfectly intelligible figures for profound and sub- missive sorrow on account of sin. There is great significance and beauty in what seems at first to be a solecism in the language of the first clause. The sacrifice of God is a broken spirit might seem to be a more correct expression ; but it would have failed to suggest the striking and important thought, that one such heart or spirit is equivalent to all the various and complicated sacrifices of the ritual. The sacrifices of God are those which he requires and is willing to accept. The use of the word contrite in the English versions mars the beauty of the metaphor, because that term is confined to the dialect of theology, whereas the Latin contritumj from which it was borrowed, as well as the original expression, exactly corresponds to broken, both in its literal and figurative usage. Thou wilt not despise, when it is offered, and especially when I present it, as the solemn expression of my thanks for this deliverance. The substitution of the present for the future would both weaken and obscure the sentence, and the same consideration might be urged in favor of a strict translation
/ in the verse preceding. So far is a habitual sorrow for sin from ' being inconsistent with the joy of God's salvation, that David here engages to present it as a perpetual thank-offering. Com- pare the language of Hezekiah, Isai. xxxviii. 15.
20 (18.) Do goody in thy favour y to Zion ; thou wilt build the walls of Jerusalem.. From his own personal necessities his mind now passes to those of the whole church, of which he was the visible head and representative, thereby implying that his sense of guilt and danger had been aggravated by the thought of his official relation to God's people, who must have shared in his disgrace
PSALM LI.
11
and punishment. See above, on Ps. iii. 4 (3.) iv. 3 (2.) The change of construction from the imperative to the future marks a natural transition from importunate desire to confident anticipa- tion. See above, on vs. 9 — 11 (7 — 9.) This delicate transition there is surely no need of obliterating by a gratuitous assimilation of the moods and tenses. The building of the walls is a poetical parallel to doing good or showing favour, and the opposite of dismantling in Ps. Ixxxix : 41 (40.)
21 (19.) Then shalt thou he 'pleased with sacrifices of right- eousness^ burnt-offering and holocaust ; then shall they offer on thine altar bullocks. Then, i. e. when thou hast done good to Zion and fortified Jerusalem. Sacrifices of righteousness, right- eous or right sacrifices. See above, on Ps. iv : 6 (5.) Some have inferred from this verso, that the psalm was written in the Babylonish exile, when the temple was in ruins and the ceremo- nial law suspended, and that the Psalmist here anticipates the time when both should be restored. But this is forbidden by his saying, in v. 18 (16), that if God desired burnt ofierings he would give them, plainly implying the continued observance of the sacrificial system. There is no ground, therefore, for disputing either the correctness of the title, which ascribes the psalm to David, or the genuineness of the last two verses, which some have rejected as an addition by a later hand. These verses are not only appropriate but necessary as a conclusion to the psalm, and every difiiculty is removed by giving them their natural but fiorurative meaning, as an expression of desire and hope that God would favour his own people and graciously accept their service. Holocaust is here used to translate a single Hebrew word, mean- ing a sacrifice entirely consumed upon the altar. It docs not describe something wholly distinct from the burnt ofiering, but the burnt offering itself considered as a complete and unreserved oblation. See 1 Sam. vii. 9. Bullocks are mentioned as the choicest victims in point of species, size, and age. By a slight
12 PSALM LII.
change of construction we obtain the bold and striking declaration that the bullocks shall themselves ascend the altar, i. e. as a living and spontaneous sacrifice. Compare Isai. Ix. 7.
PSALM LII.
This psalm, besides the title, vs. 1, 2, contains three stanzas of three verses each. In the first, the Psalmist expostulates with an arrogant, cruel, and deceitful enemy, vs. 3 — 5 (1 — 3.) In the second, he foretells the destruction of this enemy by the divine judgments, and the contempt to be excited by his folly, YS. Q — 8 (4 — 6.) In the third, he contrasts this fatal fruit of unbelief with the happy efi'ects of his own trust in God, vs. 9 — 11 (7 — 9.) The two Selahs in vs. 5, 7 (3, 5), have reference not so much to the form of the psalm as to the feelings of the Psalmist, and are therefore placed irregularly. See above, on Ps. iii. 3 (2.) The variation of the English and the Hebrew Bible, in numbering the verses of this psalm, is the same, and arises from the same cause, as in the fifty-first.
1. To the Chief Musician. Alaschil. By David. The psalm is expressly designated as a Maschil or didactic psalm, because its adaptation to this purpose might very easily be over- looked, in consequence of its avowed relation to a particular event in David's history. See above, on Ps. xxxii. 1. xlii. 1. xlv. 1. Though occasioned by this incident, however, it was written for the permanent and public use of the ancient church, and is therefore inscribed to (or for) the Chief Musician. See above, on Ps. iv. 1. li. 1.
PSALM Lll. 13
2. When Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul^ and said unto him, David is come to the house of Ahimelech. This is merely the beginning of the story, which is supposed to be familiar to the reader of the psalm, and which is given at length in 1 Sam. xxii. Doeg is mentioned only as the witness or in- former, by whose means the matter came to Saul's knowledge. When he came, literally, in his coming j the same form of expres- sion as in Ps. li. 2.
3(1.) T\niy wilt thou boast thyself in evil, mighty (man ) ? The mercy of the Almighty {is) all the day. The future form of the verb suggests the idea of obstinate persistency. Boast thy- self in evil, exult or triumph in the injury of others. The mighty man is not Doeg but Saul, who, of all the characters in sacred history, approaches nearest to the classical idea of a hero. There is something therefore of respect and admiration implied in the address, as if he had said, ' How can one who might have been so eminent in well-doing, glory in his shame or boast himself in evil P In the last clause there is an obvious antithesis be- tween the malice of this mighty man and the unfailing goodness of the mighty God. The particular divine name here used therefore is peculiarly significant. See above, on Ps. v. 5 (4.) 1. 1, As if he had said, ' Mighty and malicious as thou art, the might and mercy of Jehovah are still greater.' All the day, i. e. perpetual, unceasing. See above, on Ps. xlii. 11 (10.)
4 (2.) Mischiefs will thy tongue devise, like a razor lohetted^ working deceitfully. The first word means calamitous events, brought on one man by the malice of another. See above, on Ps. V. 10 (9.) xxxviii. 13 (12), and below, on Ps. Ivii. 2 (1.) The distinctive meaning of the future is the same as in v. 3 (1.) The tongue is here said to meditate or devise mischief, because it is personified, or poetically substituted for the speaker. The allusion is to SauPs cutting words when he accused Ahimelech
14 PSALM LII.
and David of conspiracy against him (1 Sam. xxii. 13.) This false charge, or the tongue which uttered it, is likened to a razor, not merely sharp but sharpened, whetted, for the purpose or occasion. See above, on Ps. xlv. 6 (5.) Similar comparisons occur in Ps. Iv. 22 (21.) ,lvii. 5 (4.) lix. 8 (7.) Ixiv. 4(3.) Jer. ix. 2, 7 (3, 8.) Working deceitfully^ literally, deceit or fraud. These words may be grammatically referred to the speaker or his tongue as practising deceit ; but it yields a more striking sense to understand them of the razor, as working deceitfully, i. e. mov- ing silently and smoothly, when it cuts most keenly.
6. Thou hast loved evil {inore) than good^ falsehood [more) than speaking righteousness. The past tense, like the futures in the foregoing verses, includes the idea of the present ; but unlike them, it represents the love of sin as already long-continued and habitual. Compare the form of expression with that in Ps. xlv. 8 (7.) Righteousness includes truth or veracity, as the genus comprehends the species. The particular unrighteousness here meant is falsehood, as appears from the antithesis. The selah tacitly suggests the writer's abhorrence of that which he de- scribes.
6 (4.) Thou hast loved all devouring ivordsy tongue of fraud. This is not so much a continuation of the foregoing discourse, as a resumption or recapitulation for the purpose of drawing a conclusion from it. In periodic style, the connection of the ideas might be thus exhibited: ^ Since then thou lovest, etc., therefore God will, etc' Devouring words^ liter ally, words of sic allowing or deglutition. The second noun occurs only here ; but the verb to swallow up is continually used in Hebrew to express the idea of complete destruction. See above, on Ps. xxi. 10(9.) XXXV. 25. Tongue of deceit or deceitful tongue. This phrase may be governed by the verb, thou hast loved all devouring words {and or even) a deceitful tongue. But it adds to the
PSALM LII. 15
strength of the expression, and agrees better with the form of the context, to make it an apostrophe or direct address to the deceitful tongue itself.
7(5.) [So) likewise shall God destroy thee forever ; he shall take thee away^ and jiluck thee out of (thy) tent^ and root thee out of the land of life. Selah. The particle at the beginning, «7so, likewise^ shows the dependence of this verse upon the one before it, which is really conditional, though not in form. ' As thou, on thy part, lovest all devouring words, so likewise God, on his part, will destroy thee.' No exact translation can convey the full force of the verbs in this verse, which suggest a variety of striking figures for destruction or extermination. The first denotes properly the act of pulling down or demolishing a house (Lev. xiv. 45), and this would also seem to be the primary mean- ing of the third (Prov. xv. 25), although some suppose it to denote the act of pulling up, and to be the opposite of jilant^ as the first verb is of huild. The second verb, in every other place where it occurs, has reference to the handling and carrying of fire or coals. See Prov. vi. 27. xxv. 22. Isai. xxx. 14. To a Hebrew reader, therefore, it would almost necessarily suggest not the general idea of removal merely, but the specific one of removing or taking away like fire, i. e. as coals are swept out from a hearth, or otherwise extinguished. The remaining verb adds to these figures that of violent eradication, and is well re- presented by its English equivalent. The land of life^ or, as it is commonly translated, land of the living, is a poetical descrip- tion of life itself, or the present state of existence, under the figure of a country. See above, on Ps. xxvii. 13. The quick recurrence of the pause implies excited feeling and invites atten- tion to the threatening which immediately precedes.
8 (6.) And the righteous shall see, and they shall fear^ and at him, they shall laugh. The fear meant is that religious awe produced by any clear manifestation of God's presence and his
16 PSALM LII.
power. In Ps. Ixiv. 9, 10 (8, 9), it is assumed to be compatible with joy, and here with laughter at the wicked, not a selfish exultation in his sufferings, which is explicitly condemned in the Old Testament (Prov. xxiv. 17. Job xxxi. 29), but that sense of the absurdity of sin, which must be strongest in the purest minds, and cannot therefore be incompatible with pity, the rather as it is ascribed to God himself (Ps. ii. 4.) The parono- masia of the verbs translated see &nd fear is the same as in Ps. xl. 4 (3.) Shall seCy i. e. the destruction threatened in v. 7 (6.) At him, the person thus destroyed, the same who is addressed directly in the foregoing context. The enallage personae may be avoided by exchanging at him for at it, i. e. the destruction it- self; but this is not so agreeable to Hebrew usage, which always prefers personal to abstract forms of speech.
9 (7.) Behold the man (who) will not make God his strength, hut will trust in the increase of his wealth, (and) will be strong in his wickedness. This may be regarded as the lan- guage of the laughers mentioned in v. 8 (6.) Behold the man, see to what he is reduced. The effect of the behold is similar to that of the interrogation in Isai. xiv. 16. The word translated man is not one of the usual terms, but one implying strength or power, so that its use here gives a kind of sarcastic import to the passage. See the analogous use of an opposite expression in Ps. viii. 5 (4.) X. 18. The future expresses fixed determination and anticipated perseverance in refusing. Make, literally, place or set. See above, on Ps. xl. 5 (4.) His strength, or more ex- actly, his stronghold or fortress. See above, on Ps. xxvii. 1. xxxvii. 39. xliii. 2. Increase, or simply, abundance, greatness. See above, on Ps. v. 8 (7.) li. 3 (1.) The word translated wickedness is the singular of that translated mischiefs in v. 4 (2) above. It seems to signify particularly an inclination to mali- cious mischief.
PSALM Lir. 17
10 (8.) And I {am) like a green olive-tree m the house of God ; I have trusted in the mercy of God {to) eternity and perpetuity. He expects not only the destruction of the wicked but his own salvation. To express the connection of the verses clearly, our idiom would require an adversative particle at the beginning, but I. See above, on Ps. ii. 6. A verdant fruitful tree is a favour- ite emblem of prosperity. See above, on Ps. i. 3. The olive is here specified, as palms and cedars are in Ps. xcii. 13, 14 (12, 13.) The imagery of the verse before us is copied in Jer. xi. 16. The house of God, the tabernacle, considered as his earthly residence, in which he entertains his friends and provides for his own household. See above, on Ps. xv. 1. xxiii. 6. xxvii. 4, 5. xxxvi. 9 (8.) The mixed metaphors only show that the whole description is a figurative one and should be so interpreted. I have (already) trusted, which includes his present trust, but also includes more, to wit, that it is not a new or sudden impulse, but a settled habit of his soul. The two nouns, eternity and per- petuity, are combined in the adverbial sense of forever and ever. See above,on Ps. x. 16. xxi. 5 (4.) xlv. 7 (6.) xlviii. 15 (14.) This qualifying phrase relates, not to the act, but to the object, of his trust. His meaning is not, * I will trust forever in God's mercy,' which would have required a future verb ; but, ^ I have already trusted, and do still trust, in his mercy, as a mercy that will last forever.'
11 (9.) / will thank thee to eternity hecause thou hast done {it), and- will hope {in) thy name — hecause it is good — before thy saints. The common version of the first verb {praise) is not sufficiently specific, as it properly denotes a particular kind of praise, namely, that for benefits received. See above, on Ps. vi. 6 (5.) vii. 18 (17.) xlix. 19 (18.) The object of the verb hast done, is to be supplied from the context. See above, on Ps. xxii. 32 (31.) xxxvii. 5. xxxix. 10 (9.) Thy name, the manifesta- tion of thy nature. See above, on Ps. v. 12 (11.) xx. 2 (1.)
18 PSALM LIIl.
xxiii. 3. xldii. 11 (10.) To expect God's name, or wait for it, is to trust in the future exercise and exhibition of the same divine perfections which have been exhibited already. The com- mon version, / icill icait on thy oiame^ is not so happy as the one in the Prayer Book, / tcill hope in thy name. Here again, as in V. 10 (8), the epexegetical clause, /or it is goody relates not to the act of expectation but its object. He does not mean, ' be- cause it is good to hope in thy name,' but ' because thy name is good, and is therefore to be hoped in.' This is clear from the analogy of Ps. liv. 8 (6.) Ixix. 17 (16.) cix. 21, which also shows that the concluding words, before thy saints , are to be con- strued neither with what follows, it is good before thy saints i. e. in their estimation, nor with the remoter antecedent / ^vill thank thee, but with the nearer antecedent, / will wait for thy na7ne before thy saints, i. e. I will profess my trust in thy mercy, not in private merely, but in the presence of thy people, of the church. Compare Ps. xxii. 23 (22.) For it is good must then be read as a parenthesis. Thy saints, the merciful objects of thy mercy. See above, on Ps. iv. 4 (3.) 1. 5. It is here used simply as a general designation or description of God's people.
PSALM LIII.
A SECOND edition of the fourteenth psalm, with variations, more or less important, in each verse. That either of these compositions is an incorrect copy of the other, is highly improba- ble, because two such copies of the same psalm would not have been retained in the collection, and because the variations are too uniform, consistent, and significant, to be the work of chance or
PSALM Llll. 19
mere traditional corruption. That the changes were deliberately made by a later writer is improbable, because Such a liberty would hardly have been taken with a psalm of David, and because the later form, in that case, would either have been excluded from the Psalter, or substituted for the first form, or immediately connected with it. The only satisfactory hypothesis is, that the original author afterwards rewrote it, with such modifications as were necessary to bring out certain points distinctly, but without any intention to supersede the use of the original composition, which therefore still retains its place in the collection. This supposition is confirmed by the titles, which ascribe both psalms to David. Of this kind of retradatio^ which is not unknown to the practice of uninspired hymnologists, we have already met with a remarkable example in the case of David. See above, the concluding note on Ps. xviii, vol. 1. p. 153. As a general fact, it may be stated, that the variations in the psalm before us are such as render the expression stronger, bolder, and in one or two cases more obscure and difficult. To these variations the remarks which follow will be restricted. For the exposition of the parts which are common to both psalms, the reader is referred to that of Ps. xiv.
1. To the Chief Musician — upon Mahalath — Maschil — hy David. Between the inscription to the Chief Musician and the name of David, which are also found at the beginning of Ps. xiv, we have here two additional expressions. The first of these is by some regarded as the name or description of an instrument ; but as it is so used nowhere else, and as forms almost identical occur more than once in the sense of sickness or disease, (Ex. xv. 26. Prov. xviii. 14. 2 Chr. xxi. 15), it seems most natural to take the phrase as an enigmatical enunciation of the subject of the psalm, which is in strict accordance both with general usage and with that of David in particular. See above, on Ps. v. 1. xxii. 1. xiv. 1. By disease we may then understand the spiritual
20 PSALM LIJI.
malady with whicli mankind are all infected, and which is really the theme or subject of the composition. In the only other title where it reappears (Ps. Ixxxviii. 1), it denotes corporeal disease. The other addition {maschil) describes the psalm as a didactic one. See above, on Ps. lii. 1
2 (1.) The fool hath said in his hearty There is no God. They have done corruptly, they have done abominable wickedness ; there is none doing good. See above, on Ps. xiv. 1. The only variation in this verse is the substitution of (bl3>) iniquity for (nb'^bs^) deed or act. Instead of saying, they have made (their) conduct abominable, the Psalmist uses the stronger expression, they have made iniquity abominable, or done abominably (in their) wickedness.
3 (2.) God from heaven has looked down on the sons of man, to see if there is (any) acting wisely, seeking God. See above, on Ps. xiv. 2. The only diflference in the Hebrew of these verses is that the name Elohim is here substituted for Jehovah. The same change occurs below, in vs. 5, 6, 7 (4, 5, 6.) The name Jehovah is not used at all in the psalm before us, but occurs four times in Ps. xiv, and Elohim thrice. This difference seems to mark Ps. liii as the later composition, in which the writer aimed at an external uniformity, which did not occur to him at first. This is a much more natural supposition than that he afterwards varied what was uniform at first. The attempts which have been made to account, still more particularly, for the use of the divine names in these two psalms, have entirely failed.
4 (3.) All of it has apostatized ; together they have putrefied ; there is none doing good ; there is not even one. See above, on Ps. xiv. 3. For all of it we there have the whole, i. e. the whole human race. The same thing seems to be intended by the more obscure phrase, all of it, in which the pronoun may refer to
PSALM LIIl. 21
man^ in tlie collective sense of mankind or the human race. The idea of departure from God, apostasy, is expressed in the parallel places by two verbs almost identical in form (^D and no), the one of which means properly to turn aside and the other to turn back.
5 (4.) Do they not know — (these) workers of iniquity — eating my people (as) t/iey eat bread — (and on) God call not ? See above, on Ps. xiv. 4. The only variation here, besides the change of the divine name which has been already mentioned, is the omission of the all before wo?-kers of iniquity. This has been noted by some critics as the only case in which the language of the fourteenth psalm is stronger than the parallel expression of the fifty- third.
6 (5.) There have they feared a fear^ because God hath scattered the bones of thy besieger ; thou hast put {them) to shame^ because God hath rejected them. See above, on Ps. xiv. 5, 6. The design to strengthen the expression is particularly clear in this case, where two verses are compressed into one, and the other changes all enhance the emphasis. Thus instead of a general assurance of divine protection, God is in the righteous generation^ we have here a description of their enemies' destruction, in the most poetical and striking terms, God hath scattered the bon^s of thy besieger^ literally, thy encamper, him that encampeth against thee. So too instead of the complaint, that the wicked treat the faith of pious sufferers with contempt — the counsel of the sufferer ye will shame because Jehovah is his refuge — we have here the tables turned upon the scoffers by the scorn both of God and man — thou hast put to shame (the individuals included in the collective phrase thy besieger), because God has rejected them., an act implying both abhorrence and contempt. In this, which is by far the most considerable variation of the two editions, the existence of design is so apparent, that th« supposition of an in-
22 PSALM LIV.
advertent or fortuitous corruption seems preposterous. So far are the two psalms from being contradictory or even inconsistent, that they might be sung together, by alternate or responsive choirs, with the happiest effect. Nothing can be more natural, therefore, than the supposition that David gave the psalm this new shape, to express the same essential feelings in a higher degree and a more emphatic form.
7 (6.) TT7w will give out of Zion salvations (to) Israel — in God'^s returning {to) the captivity of his people — let Jacob exult, let Israel joy ! See above, on Ps. xiv. 7. The only variations are the change of Jehovah to Elohim, and of the singular salvation to its plural, denoting variety and fulness. See above, on Ps. xviii. 51 (50.) The exact translation is, salvations of Israel, and the meaning of the next clause, ' when God revisits, (or in God's revisiting) his captive people.'
PSALM L I Y .
1. To the Chief Musician. . With (or on) stringed instruments. A didactic psalm. By David. This is the title of Ps. iv, but with a change of the generic term mizmor to the specific one maschil. See above, on Ps. liii. 1. According to t^ome modern in- terpreters, the plural neginoth does not denote a plurality of stringed instruments, but simply that kind of music, with its complex variety of tones. The psalm consists of a prayer for deliverance from wicked enemies^ vs. 3 — 5 (1 — 3), with a confident antici-
PSALM LIV. 23
pation of success and a promise of thanksgiving, vs. 6 — 9 (4 — 7.) As to the numbering of the verses, see above, on Ps. li. 1 . lii 1.
2. Ill the coming of the ZiphiteSj and they said to Saul^ {Is) not David hiding himself with us ? The verse gives the histori- cal occasion of the composition, in the same form as in the titles of Ps. li and lii. Such an occurrence is twice recorded in the history, 1 Sam. xxiii. 39. xxvi. 1. The verbal coincidence is greater in the first case. The words of the Ziphites seem to have been remembered on account of some peculiarity in the expression, perhaps the use of the reflexive participle (^Pi?iD!0) which remains unchanged in all three places, the earliest of which is probably the one before us. The interrogation im- plies surprise that Saul should be ignorant of what was so noto- rious. Hiding himself^ now engaged in doing so, not merely wont to do so, or already hidden. With us, among us, or in our land, i. e. the wilderness or pasture-ground of Ziph, (1 Sam. xxiii. 14, 15,) in or near which was a town of the same name (Josh. XV. 55, 2 Chron. xi. 8,) the ruins of which are thought to be still visible, not far from what the natives call Tell Ziph or the Hill of Ziph. (Robinson's Palestine, II. 191.)
3 (1.) Oh God, by thy name save me, and by thy might thou wilt judge me. The insensible transition from the imperative to the future shows the confidence with which the prayer is offered. By thy name, i. e. the exercise of those perfections which have been already manifested. See above, on Ps. lii. 11 (9.) That it is not a mere periphrasis for God himself, is clear from the parallel expression, might or power. Judge me, do me justice, vindicate my innocence, by saving me from spiteful enemies and false accusers. See above, on Ps. vii. 9 (8.) xxvi. 1.
4 (2.) Oh God, hear my prayer, give ear to the sayings of my mouth. See above, on Ps. iv. 2 (1.) v. 2 (1.)
24 PSALM LIV.
5 (3.) For strangers are risen wp against me ^ a'nd oppressors seek my soul (or life) ; they have not set God lefore them. Selah. To the earnest petitions in the two preceding verses, he now adds a particular description of his danger. Strangers., not foreigners, but aliens in spirit, both to him and to Jehovah, with special re- ference to Saul. See below, on Ps. cxx. 5. Oppressors., perse- cutors, tyrants. The original expression implies the possession of power and its lawless exercise. See above, on Ps. xxxvii. 35. Not to set God before them is to act as if they did not remem- ber or believe in his existence and his presence. The Selah indi- cates a pause of indignation and abhorrence. See above, on Ps. Hi. 5 (3.)
6 (4 ) Behold, God (is) a helper for me ; the Lord is among the upholders of my soul. From the party of his enemies he looks to that of his defenders, and joyfully recognizes God, not merely with, but i^i (the midst of) them, among them. The be- hold is expressive of surprise, and at the same time of a perspi- cacious faith. With the form of expression in the first clause, compare Ps. xxx. 11 (10) ; with the second Ps. cxviii. 7. Judg. xi. 35. The upholders of his soul are the defenders of his life against those who seek it. See above, v. 5 (3.) Adhonai., the divine name properly translated ior^, because expressive of Grod's sovereignty. It is peculiarly appropriate here, where he is claim- ing God as his protector.
7 (5.) The evil shall returii to my enemies; in thy truth de- stroy them. The future here runs into the imperative, as the imperative does into the future, in v. 3 (1) above. The impera- tive in this case is only a stronger form of prediction. The evil., which they mean to do me. Return to or upon them, i. e. shall befall themselves. See above, on Ps. vii. 17 (16.) This is the sense required by the reading in the text (m'lTi'i), which the mo- dern critics commonly regard as the most ancient. The mar-
PSALM LIV, 25
ginal or masoretic reading {^^'^-^) must be rendered, he ivill cause to return^ repay, requite. T/iy trulk, the truth of thy promises and threateniiigs, thy veracity. See above, on Ps. xxx. 10 (9.) The certain foresight of the doom of the wicked, which is ex- pressed in the first clause, makes the prayer (if such it be con- sidered) in the first clause, a mere iteration of the previous threatening. A prayer that God will do what we are certain that he will do can be little more than an exjDression of that certainty. See above, on Ps. v. 11 (10.)
8 ( 6 ) Wiih a free-will-ojferi7ig will I sacrifice unto tkee ; I will 'praise, thy name^ Jehovah^ for it is good. In the confident assurance of a favourable answer to his prayer, he promises a suit- able acknowledgment. See above, on Ps. v. 8 (7.) K free-will or voluntary offering ^ as opposed to one prescribed by law, not to one rendered obligatory by a vow, for then a voluntary oiFering would in this case be impossible. The Hebrew word is the tech- nical term applied to such an offering in the Law. See Lev. vii. 16. xxii. 23, and compare Ex. xxv. 2. xxxv. 29, Num. xv. 3. With the last clause compare Ps. lii. 11 (9.)
9 (7.) For out of all distress he hath delivered me^ and on my enemies my eye has looked. In his confident assurance of a favour- able issue, he speaks of it, though future, as already past. The sudden change of person may be avoided by translating the first verb, it (i, e. thy name) has delivered me^ according to the prayer in V. 3 ( 1 . ) My eye has looked or gazed^ with an implication of delight, or at least of acquiescence, which is commonly conveyed by this construction. See above, on Ps. 1. 23. This kind of sat- isfaction in the execution of God's threatenings is sinful only when combined with selfish malignity. Apart from this corrupt admixture, it is inseparable from conformity of will and coin- cidence of judgment with God. The same kind and degree of acquiescence which is felt by holy angels in heaven may surely be
2
26 PSALM LV.
expressed by saints on earth, especially in their collective capa- city as a church, in whose name the psalmist is here speaking, and not merely in his own or that of any other individual.
PSALM L Y.
1. To the Chief Musician. With (or on) stringed instruvients, A Didactic Psalm. By David. The psalm is designated as a Maschil^ because it might at first sight seem to have relation merely to a case of personal maltreatment and distress, whereas it is a general description of the sufferings of God's people, or the righteous as a class, at the hands of false friends and malig- nant enemies. Although there seem to be allusions to the writer's own experience, in the times both of Saul and Absalom, the whole description can be applied exclusively to neither. The only natural division of the psalm is the one suggested by the fact, that in the first part the sufferer complains of his enemies in general, vs. 2 — 12 (1 — 11) ; in the second, he singles out the case of one who had seemed to be his friend, but treacherously turned against him, vs. 13 — 16 (12 — 15) ; in the third, he con- fidently anticipates his own deliverance and the destruction of his enemies, vs. 17 — 26 (16 — ^25.)
2(1.) Give ear, oh God, to my prayer, and hide not thyself from my supplication. This is the general introductory petition, which is afterwards amplified and rendered more specific. The last word strictly means a cry or prayer for mercy. See above, on Ps. vi. 10 {9.) To hide one's self is an expression used in the Law
PSALM LV. 27
to describe the act of wilfully withholding aid from one who needs it. See Deut. xxii. 1 — 4, and compare Isai. Iviii. 7.
3 (2.) Hearken to me and answer me; I will give loose to my thought^ and I will make a noise. The first verb means to attend^ especially to one speaking, to listen, to hearken. See above, on Ps, V. 3 (2.) X. 17. xvii. 1. Answer or hear^ in the sense of receiving a prayer favourably. See above, on Ps. iii. 5 (4.) xxxviii. 16 (15.) The literal translation of the next words is, I will suffer to wander in iny thinkings i. e. I will let my mind wan- der, or my thoughts rove as they will. He is resolved not only to think freely but to express his thoughts aloud. The same use of the Hebrew verb occurs in Micah ii. 12. The thinking or meditation here meant is reflection on his sufferings, to which the Hebrew verb is specially applied. With the whole verse, and with this clause in particular, compare Job vii. 11.
4 (3.) From the voice of the enemy ^ from before the persecution of the wicked ; for they will shake over me i7iiquity^ and in wrath ivill oppose me. He now declares from what his distress arises. The preposition, in Hebrew as in English, has a causal meaning, or at least suggests a relation of cause and eflfect. From the voice, i. e. because of it. From before or from the face conveys the same idea still more strongly, by a kind of personification of the evil dreaded. Persecution of the wicked : compare the oppres- sion of the enemy, in Ps. xlii. 10 (9.) Shake over me, or cause to slide upon me, a striking figure for the wilful infliction of evil on another. Iniquity may here be put, as it sometimes is, for active wickedness towards others, the cause of sufiering rather than sufiering itself. With this clause compare Ps. xli. 9 (8.) Oppose me, be my adversaries, whether in the way of resistance or assault. The Hebrew verb is a cognate form to that from which comes Satan or the Adversary.
28 PSALM LV.
5 (4.) My heart writhes in the midst of me, mid terrors of death have fallen upon me. The future form of the first verb hnplies an apprehension that the pain will continue and be permanent. In the midst of me., inside of me, within me. He is not merely involved in outward troubles, but pained at heart. Terrors of death might be strictly understood as meaning fear or dread of death ; but it agrees better with the strong figurative language of the first clause, to take it in the sense of deadly, mortal terrors. An analogous expression is death-shade or shadow of death. See above, on Ps. xxiii. 4. xliv. 20 (19.) The figure of falling neces- sarily suggests the idea of infliction by a superior power.
6 (5.) Fear ami trembling enter into me, and horror hath cov- ered me. The future in the first clause represents the action as not yet completed, and might be rendered, they are entering or about to enter. The Hebrew verb with this preposition denotes more than come upon ; it describes the terror as not only on hira but within him. The word translated horror is a stronger synonyme of tremhling^ and might be translated shuddering or a shudder. Covered me, i. e. overspread or overwhelmed me.
7 (6.) And I said, icho will give me a pinion like the dove ? / will fly away and he at rest. This is equivalent to saying, if I had the pinions of a dove, I would fly away, etc. Who will give is an idiomatic optative expression, tantamount to saying, oh that I had, etc. See above, on Ps. xiv. 7. The word trans- lated pillion properly denotes the penna major or flag-feather of a bird's wing, and is here put poetically for the wings themselves. The two last verbs are in the paragogic or augmented form, ex- pressing strong desire or settled purpose. See above, on Ps. ii. 3. The last verb usually means to divcll, but has either the primary or secondary sense of reposing, resting. See above, on Ps. xxxvii. 3. The first verb is immediately dependent on the last of the pre- ce ling verse, a grammatical relation which may be expressed
PSALM LV. 29
thus in our idiom : ' horror hath covered me so that I say, etc'
8 (7.) Loj I will wander far^ I will lodge in the wilderness. Selah. The lo or behold is tantamount to pointing with the finger, or to saying there ! see there ! The next phrase is highly idiomatic and literally means, ' I will make remote to wander.' To lodge is here to take up one's abode, to dwell, as in Ps. xxv. 13. The wilderness^ not necessarily a barren desert, but an uninhabited region, the essential idea here being that of separation from human society, a strong though indirect mode of affirming its extreme corruption. The strength of the feeling which 23rompted this desire is indicated by a solemn pause.
9 (8.) / li'ill hasten my escape from rushing wind^ from tejiijpest. Another construction of the first clause makes the verb intransitive and the noun a local one, as indicated by its form, I icill hasten [to) my refuge. It is better, however, to give the hiphil verb its proper meaning, and nouns of the form here used denote not only the place of action but the act itself. My escape^ literally, an escape for me or for myself. The preposition in the last clause, though it properly means /ro»«, is constantly employed in Hebrew to denote or indicate comparison. If thus explained in this case, it would make the clause descriptive of the speed with which he wishes to escape, more than the rushing wind and tempest. This sense is preferred by some interpreters ; but the other is more obvious and simple, and is also recommended by the frequent representation of calamity under the figure of a storm or tempest, which would hardly have been joined with that of wind, if the only idea meant to be conveyed had been that of great velocity.
10 (9.) Destroy., oh Lord^ divide thdr tongue; for I havi seen violence and strife in tJie city. The first word properly means
30 PSALM LV.
swallow uf. See above, on Ps. xxi. 10 (9.) The object to be supplied is not their tongue but themselves. Divide their tongue^ i. e. confound their speech or make it unintelligible, and as a necessary consequence confound their counsels. There is obvious reference to the confusion of tongues at Babel (Gen. xi. 7 — 9), as a great historical example of the way in which God is accus- tomed and determined to defeat the purposes of wicked men and execute his own. The word translated cruelty denotes violent injustice, or injustice accompanied by violence. See above, on Ps. vii. 17 (16.) In the city is supposed by some to mean nothing more than among men, in human society ; but the words could hardly fail to suggest to any Hebrew reader the idea of the holy city, as the place directly meant, although the words them- selves may be applied to any other place where the same state of things exists.
11 (10.) Day and night they will surround her on her walls ; and iniquity and troiible {will be) in the midst of her. The Violence and Strife of the preceding verse are here personified as a besieging enemy. At the same time the interior is occupied by Iniquity and Trouble, no less formidable enemies. Her walls., those of the city mentioned in the foregoing verse. Iniquity and trouble are here, and often elsewhere, put together as cause and efi'ect, the last denoting the distress or trouble, which the wickedness of one man brings upon another. See above, on Ps. vii. 15 (14.)
12 (11.) Mischiefs {are) in the midst of her, and from her street will not depart oppression and deceit. The first word in Hebrew necessarily suggests the two ideas of calamities and crimes., i. e. calamities occasioned by the crimes of others. See above, on Ps. v. 10 (9.) xxxviii. 13 (12.) Hi. 4,9 (2, 7.) The word translated street denotes a wide place and is specially applied to the square or open space surrounding the gates of oriental cities, and used both for markets and for courts of justice. See
PSALM LV.
31
Neb. viii. 1, 3, 16. The word therefore very nearly corresponds to the Greek agora and the Latin forum^ and may be here used to suggest the idea both of legal and commercial malfeasance. Neither their markets nor their courts are ever free from these two forms of gross injustice, namely, fraud and violence.
13 (12.) For (it is) not an enemy (that) will revile me ^ ^he would I hear it ; {it is) not one hating me (that) has magnified (himself) against 7?ie, else would I hide myself from him. The Hebrew word answering to else^ is, in both these cases, the usual copulative particle, and the original construction seems to be, and (if it is) I will hear ity and (if it is) I will hide myself. See above, on Ps. li. IS (16.) The act of reviling here includes both calumny and insult. The future in the first clause suggests the idea of an indignity or injury about to be endured. As if he had said, ' when I go forth among my neighbours, it is not my open enemy that will malign me.' But that such treatment had already been experienced, is intimated by the preterite of the last clause. The verb to magnify is here used reflexively or absolutely, as in Ps. xxxv. 26. xxxviii. 15 (16.) There is no need there- fore of supposing an ellipsis or identifying this form of expression with the one in Ps. xli. 10 (9.) Hide myself^ literally he hidden; but the passive forms in Hebrew not unfrequently imply a reflex act, like the middle voice in Greek. The negation in this verse is of course not absolute but relative, and must be qualified by due regard to the circumstances of the case. That he was re- proached and threatened by avowed enemies, is not only a frequent subject of complaint elsewhere, but sufficiently implied in V- 4 (3) above. The true solution of this seeming contradic- tion is, that he here passes from a general description of the prevalent iniquity to a particular case, in which his feelings were personally interested. In this particular case, it was not an open enemy that slandered or insulted him. It is therefore as if he had said, ' but it is not of this open and unblushing wickedness
32 PSALM LV.
that I especially complain, but rather of the perfidy of false friends.' Thus understood, the verse, instead of contradicting v. 4 (3), presupposes what is there affirmed.
14 (13.) But thou., a man mine equal j my associate^ 7ny ac- quaintance. It is a striking illustration of the difference between the Hebrew and Eno^lish idiom, that the former uses and at the beginning of this sentence, where in English hut is absolutely indispensable. The word for man is that denoting frailty and mortality. See above, on Ps. viii. 5 (4.) ix. 20, 21 (i9, 20.) X. 18. But it seems to be used here without any emphasis, in simple apposition with what follows, or as a vocative, thou., oh maUy mine equal. This last expression is in Hebrew, according to my valuation^ the noun being a technical term of the Mosaic Law, denoting the official estimation of the priest, in certain cases of redemption or pecuniary penalty. See Lev. v. 15, 18. xxvii. 12. The whole phrase here employed is understood by some to mean one whom I value., i. e. highly, or more specifically, one whom I value as myself. More probably, however, it means one who is (or may be) estimated at the same rate with myself, which is precisely the idea conveyed by the common version, my equal, one of my own rank and circle, my associate. This last is the sense put by the modern interpreters on the next word in Hebrew. The old translation (guide) rests on a doubt- ful etymology, and the authority of the ancient versions. (LXX. r)y£f^(hv. Vulg. dux.) Acquaintance seems to be a weaker ex- pression than the others ; but the Hebrew word always implies very intimate association. See above, Ps. xxxi. 12 (11), and below, Ps. Ixxxviii. 9, 19 (8, 18.)
15 (14.) ( With) whom we take sweet counsel ; in the house of God we march ivith noise. The future forms can only be ac- counted for by supposing that he here anticipates a violation of the laws of friendship which had not yet visibly occurred. The
PSALM LV. 33
false friend, of whom he is complaining, seems to be one with whom he was still intimate, but whose defection he clearly fore- saw. As if he had said, * with this man I must still continue to be associated, although he is eventually to betray me.' In this particular, the case described resembles that of our Lord and Judas Iscariot, which may indeed be considered as included in the general description. The form of the first clause is idio- matic and peculiar : who (or as to whom) together we loill sweeten counsel^ or rather confidential intercourse. See above, on Ps. XXV. 14. The other clause may possibly mean, we march to the house of God. But the strict sense of the particle may be retained and the whole referred to solemn processions within the sacred enclosure or court of the tabernacle. With noise, i. e. with festive tumult. See above, on Ps. xlii. 5 (4.)
16 (15.) Desolations (are) upon them ! They shall go doion to Sheol alive ! For evils are in their dwellings^ in their heart. The optative form given to this sentence in most versions is en- tirely gratuitous. All that the Hebrew words express is a con- fident anticipation. The common version of the first words {let death seize upon them) is founded on the masoretic reading (J^'^'^'] t\^l2) • but the best critics now prefer the older reading in the text (ni^'^ffi'^.), which, instead of a verb and a singular noun, ex- hibits one noun in the plural number, meaning desolations, and agreeing with the substantive verb understood. Upon them, hovering or impending over them. Sheol, the grave, the state of the dead, the wide old English sense of hell. See above, on Ps. vi. 6 (5.) There is an obvious allusion to another great historical type of God's retributory judgments, the destruction of Korah and his company, who tcent doivn alive into the pit. Num. xvi. 33. The word quick, in the common English version of this sentence, is an adjective synonymous with living or alive, and not an adverb meaning soon or siciftly. Evils, i. e. evil deeds and evil thoughts. In their heart, or inside, inner part, as
34 PSALM LV.
in Ps. V. 10 (9.) xlix. 12 (11.) This is a much better sense than m the midst of themy among them.
17 (16.) / to God toill call^ and Jehovah will save me. The pronoun is emphatic, I on my part. While they are brought to desolation and to death, I, on the contrary, will call to God. If the use of two divine names has any significance beyond the re- quisitions of the parallelism, the meaning may be, ^ I will call to God, and as the covenant God of Israel he will save me.' Com- pare Ps. xviii. 4 (3.)
18 (17.) Evening and morning and noon I will muse and murmur — and he has heard my voice. The first clause is sup- posed by some to prove that the observance of three stated hours of prayer was as old as David ; others suppose the observance to have been suggested by the clause itself. But the natural and ob- vious division of the day here mentioned may have given occasion both to the clause and the observance. Muse and murmur is a combination descriptive of prayer, both as mentally conceived and audibly expressed. Murinur is perhaps not strong enough to convey the full sense of the Hebrew verb, which elsewhere means to make a loud noise. See above, on Ps. xlii. 6, 12 (5, 11) xlvi. 4, 7 (3, 6.) The assimilation or confusion of the tenses in this verse by some translators is not only arbitrary but injurious to the sense. What is mentioned in the first clause as still future is recorded in the last clause as already past. As if he had said, ' thus did I resolve to pray, and now my prayer has been already made and answered.' Such transitions are among the characteristic beauties of the Psalter, and ought not to be gratuitously sacrificed, still less at the expense of violating usage and the rules of grammar.
19 (18.) He redeemed in peace my soul from the war against me.ffor many were with me. In peace or with peace ^ as the result
PSALM LV. 3^
of this redemption. Against me, literally, to me^ the war that was to me, that I had. The last clause, to an English ear, con- veys the idea that his friends or champions were many ; but the meaning of the Hebrew is directly opposite, loith me being used in such connections to denote a relation of hostility, as we speak of j&ghting, quarrelling, contending with one. In either case, the particle expresses really no more than joint or simul- taneous action, the idea of enmity or opposition being gathered from the context. The literal translation of the last clause is, in many icere (those) with me^ i. e. consisting in many. The ad- verse party was composed of many individuals. This usage of the in is strictly appropriate only to numerals. See Deut. x. 22. xxviii. 62.
20 fl9.) God icill hear and answer them, and (He) inhabiting antiquity (will hear and answer those) to whom there are no changes, and (who) fear not God. As he has heard me in mercy, so will he hear them in wrath. As he has answered my prayer in the way described above, v. 19 (18), so will he answer them in the way described below, v. 24 (23.) In this case, what is heard and answered is not prayer, but the voice of the en£my, v. 4 (3), and his malignant slanders, v. 13 (12.) In- habiting antiquity, or as the English Bible phrases it, he that abideth of old. The first Hebrew verb however could not fail to suggest its primary meaning, which is to sit, and more especially to sit enthroned, as a sovereign and a judge. See above, on Ps. ix. 5, 12 (4, 11.) The phrase may therefore be said to repre- sent God as having been a king and a judge from the remotest antiquity. The last clause is by some supposed to mean, that the persons here referred to undergo no moral change, but still per- sist in their refusal to fear God ; by others, that they undergo no outward changes, no vicissitudes of fortune, and for that reason will not fear him. But as the word translated changes is repeat- edly employed by Job in a military sense, to signify either an
3(5 PSALM LV.
alternate service, as for instance in relieving guard, or a succes- sion in the service, as when one corps is disbanded and another takes its place, some of the best interpreters suppose this clause to mean that those enlisted in this evil warfare have no such reliefs or discharges to expect, but must continue in the unremit- ted service of sin, and as a necessary consequence cannot fear God. The grammatical structure of the whole verse is peculiar and can be made intelligible only by supplying the ellipses.
21 (20.) He has stretched out his hands against his allies ; he has profaned his covenant. This might seem at first sight to refer to God ; but such a reference, if not forbidden by the nature of the acts alleged, would be at variance with the subsequent con- text, where the subject is undoubtedly the wicked enemy. The sudden change of number is in strict accordance with the usage of the Psalmists in speaking of their enemies, or in this case may arise from the same cause as in v. 13 (12) above. See above, on Ps. X. 10. The word translated allies is the plural of one meaning peace, but seems to be poetically used here to denote those at peace with him, his friends or allies. Compare the analogous expressions in Ps. vii. 5 (4.) xli. 10 (9.) To profane a covenant is to treat it as no longer sacred, and by implication to break it. Compare Isai. xxxiii. 8. This is a varied repetition, under military figures, of the description in v. 13-15 (12-14.)
22 (21.) Smooth are the hutterings of his mouth, and (yet) war (is in) his heart ; soft are his words, more than oil, and (yet even) they are draicn (swords.) To the charge of violence he adds that of treacherous hypocrisy, thus amplifying the laconic phrase, oppression and deceit, in v. 12 (11) above. The En- glish Bible, following some older versions, assimilates the clauses by making both comparative, smoother than butter, softer than oil. But in order to sustain this construction of the first clause, it is necessary to change the pointing of one Hebrew word, and to
PSALM LV. 37
supply another as the nominative of the plural verb, which can- not without violence agree with moiotk. The letter prefixed to the first noun is a part of it, and not a particle meaning than or 7>iore than, and the whole word denotes preparations of butter, cream, or rather curdled milk, which is the meaning of the primitive noun. As to the adversative use of and in both these clauses, see above, on v. 14 (13.) War (is in) Ms heart, or still more simply, because not requiring the insertion of the par- ticle, war (is) his heart, i. e. his cherished wish and purpose. The word translated war is a poetical term, the same that is em- ployed above in v. 19 (18.) In the last clause, even is supplied as well as yet, in order to convey, as far as possible, the emphasis of the Hebrew pronoun. And they themselves, i. e. the very oily words just mentioned, are drawn swords. This last expression is in Hebrew properly an adjective or participial form, but is speci- fically used in application to the sword, as brandished is in Eng- lish, and so comes to be employed absolutely or as a substantive, expressing the entire complex idea of drawn stvords, as weapons of attack, ready for use or on the point of being used forthwith.
23 (22.) Cast iijpon Jehovah {what) he gives thee, and he will sustain thee; he will never suffer the righteous to he moved. What he gives thee to endure, what he lays upon thee, cast thou upon him, by trusting in him. The phrase he gives thee (or has given thee) may also be explained as a noun with a possessive pro- noun, thy gift, not in the active sense of what thou givest, but in the passive sense of what is given to thee. Sustain does not here mean to hold up or support under the burden, but to nourish or sustain life by administering food and other necessaries, to provide for. Compare the primitive use of the Hebrew verb in Gen. xlv. 11. xlvii. 12. 1. 21. The common version of the last clause above given is a correct paraphrase of the original, the form of which is highly idiomatic. A literal translation would be, he ivill not give forever moving (or movement)to the righteous. The verb
38 PSALM LVI.
^0 give is often used in Hebrew in the sense of allowing or permitting. The word translated moving is the one so often used to signify the violent disturbance of a person in the midst of his prosperity. See above, on Ps. x. 6. xvi. 8, etc.
24 (23. ) And thou^ God^ wilt bring them down to the 'pit of cor- ruption ; men of Hood and fraud shall not live out half their days. The first verb is a causative and as such may be rendered, thou wilt caiise them to descend. The word translated pit is the com- mon term in Hebrew for a wcH^ but is here used in a wide sense including all such excavations. The next word is (rnd) a deri- vative of the verb (t^ri'ilf) to corrupt or destroy. The sense of pit^ as if derived from the verb (nTiiJ) to sink., would convert the phrase into a weak tautology. See above, on Ps. xvi, 10. Men of bloods and deceit^ i. e. bloody (or murderous) and de- ceitful men, as in Ps. v. 7 (6) above. The literal translation of the last words is, they shall not halve their days, a form of ex- pression copied in the margin of the English Bible, as well as in the Septuagint (f^fiioEvaiDai) and Vulgate (dimidiabunt.) The meaning of course is, that they shall not live half so long as they might have lived, but for their bloody and deceitful acts. This is not asserted as a general fact, but uttered as a threatening to the murderers and traitors whom the Psalmist had directly in his eye.
PSALM LVI.
After the title, v. 1, comes a general petition for deliverance from persecution and oppression, vs. 2, 3 (1, 2), followed by a strong expression of trust in God, vs. 4, 5 (3, 4), a description
PSALM LVI. 39
of the malice of the enemy, vs. 6, 7 (5, 6), and a confident an- ticipation of his punishment, vs. 8 — 10 (7 — 9), founded on faith in the divine promise, vs. 11, 12 (10, 11), and a vow or resolution to make due acknowledgment of the mercy experi- enced, vs. 12, 13 (11, 12.)
1. To the Chief Musician. Upon Jonath-elem-rehokim. By David. Michtam. When the Philistines took him in Gath. The last clause of this inscription seems to refer to the incident re- corded in 1 Sam. ch. xxi. See above, on Ps. xxxiv. 1. Anenig- matical allusion to the same event seems to be latent in the obscure phrase, Jonath-elem-rehokim^ in which the first word means a dove., a favourite emblem of sufiering innocence ; the second means silence^ dumbness, sometimes put for uncomplaining submission ; and the third means distant or remote., agreeing with places or persons, probably the latter, in which sense it is applic- able to the Philistines, as aliens in blood and religion. Compare Ps. xxxviii. 14 (13.) Ivi. 2 (1.) Ixv. 6 (5.) Ixxiv. 19. Thus understood, the whole is an enigmatical description of David as an innocent and uncomplaining sufferer among strangers. For the most probable etymology and sense of Michtam.^ see above, on P&. xvi. 1.
2 (1.) Be merciful unto me., oh God., for man pants for me (or is gaping after me) ; all the day., he devouring (or the devourer) is pressing on me. The word for man is that denoting human frailty and implying the unreasonableness of such rage in one so impotent. See above, on Ps. ix. 20, 21 (19,20.) x. 18. The image here presented is that of a devouring monster or voracious beast. Instead of pants or gapes, some suppose the second verb to mean snorts or snaps, as an animal expression of rage. For the meaning of the word translated devouring, see above, on Ps. XXXV. 1. Pressing on me, or pressing me. See Num. xxii. 25.
4a PSALM LVI.
3 (2.) My enemies have gaped upon me all the day ; for (there are) many devourers to me^ oh Most High. The word translated enemies is that supposed bj some to mean spies or watchers. See above, on Ps. xxvii. 11. liv. 7(5.) Having first spoken of his enemy in the singular number, he now substitutes the plural, to explain which seems to be the object of the last clause. ' I say enemies, because my devourers are many.' The last word in the verse strictly means a high place, and particularly heaven, but is sometimes applied to God himself. See below, on Ps. xcii. 9 (8.) Some interpreters, however, understand it as an abstract noun meaning loftiness or pride, and then used as an adverb in the sense of arrogantly, proudly. Compare Ps. Ixxiii. 8.
4 (3.) The day I am afraid., unto thee will I confide. The complaint is followed, as in many other cases, by an expression of his confidence in God. The day I am afraid is an unusual expression, meaning simply when I am afraid., and probably be- longing to the dialect of poetry. Unto thee suggests the act of turning and looking towards the quarter from which help is ex- pected. The same form of expression occurs above, Ps. iv. 6 (3.) xxxi. 7 (6.)
5 (4.) In God I will praise his word., in God I have trusted , / will not fear ; what can flesh do unto me 1 The meaning of the first clause seems to be, that in the general praise of God he will include a particular acknowledgment of his gracious word or promise upon this occasion. The construction of the last clause in the English Bible, I will not fear W'hat flesh can do unto me.^ gives substantially the same sense, but does not agree so well with the masoretic interpunction of the sentence. Flesh, hu- manity, as opposed to deity. See below, on Ps. Ixv. 3 (2), and compare Isai. xxxi. 3. xl. 6.
6 (5.) All the day my words they wrest ; agai7ist me {are) all
PSALM LVl. 41
their thoughts for evil. The word translated lorest means strictly vex or pain^ but is here used in the sense of twisting or distorting language by putting false constructions on it. Thoughts^ pur- poses, designs. For evil, tending to my injury.
7 (6.) They will gather, they will hide — they, my swpplcmters, will watch, as they have (already) waited for my soul. They will gather or combine against me. They will hide (themselves or their devices) they will plot, or lie in wait, for my destruction. The common explanation of the next phrase, they mark my steps or my heels, does not account for the emphatic pronoun they. The Hebrew word has probably the same sense as in Ps. xlix. 6 (5) above. Waited for my soul or life, i. e. waited to destroy it.
8 (7.) By iniquity (there is) escape to them ; in anger hring doicn nations, oh God ! ThcL^, first clause is obscure, but may mean either that they have hitherto escaped by their iniquity, or that they now depend, rely upon it for deliverance. The inter- rogative construction commonly adopted ought not to be assum- ed, in the absence of an interrogative particle, without a decided exegetical necessity. The Hebrew particle at the beginning sometimes indicates the means or instrument, with the additional idea of dependence or reliance, as in the English phrase to live on bread and water. See Gen. xxvii. 40.
9 (8.) My loanderings thou hast told ; put thou my tears into thy bottle ; are they not in thy book ? The Hebrew words for wanderings and tears are both in the singular number. See above, on Ps. vi. 7 (6) xxxix. 13 (12.) The first of these words sug- gests the ideas of flight and exile, and may contain an allusion to the wanderings of Cain in a country designated by this very word, the Land of Nod, Gen. iv. 16, although this phrase may really mean nothing more than the laiul of (his) banishment or exile. The English word told is here retained because the He-
42 PSALM LVI.
brew one is equally ambiguous. In this case the primary idea is to count or number. See above, Ps. xxii. 17 (16.) xl. 5 (4), xlviii. 13 (12.) The act of counting implies particular atten- tion. The idea of recollection is expressed by the strong figure which follows, 'piit my tears into thy hottlc^ i. e. preserve them in thy memory. This singular metaphor is thought by some to have been suggested by the word for wandering (id or Ti3,) which is almost identical with that for hottle (15^3) The latter strictly means a skin or leathern bottle, such as is still used in the East. See below, on Ps. cxix. 83. The interrogation in the last clause has the force of a direct assertion. Thy hook^ the book of thy remembrance, another figurative expression for the memory itself. Compare Mai. iii. 16.
10 (9.) Thtn shall my enemies turn hack, in the day I call; this I knoic, that God is ^r me. The particle of time at the beginning of the verse has reference to what fol- lows, in the day I call, but as this was to be connected closely with the last clause, the natural order of the sentence was in- verted. Turn hack, be repulsed, defeated, disappointed. See above, on Ps. vii. 12 (11.) ix. 4 (3.) In the day {that) I shall call : the ellipsis of the relative is equally common in Hebrew and in English. CaZZmay mean simply call for heljp or 'pray ; but some connect it with the last clause thus : in the day that I shall call (or cry as follows) " ^Ais I know, ^'' etc. There is also an am- biguity in the phrase this I know, which may either mean, '1 know that my enemies shall thus turn back, because God is for me,' or, * my enemies shall turn back when they hear me cry. This much I know, to wit, that God is for me.' The last phrase may be also rendered to me, he belongs to me, he is my God, which of course includes the idea of his favour or his being on the speaker's side,
11 (10.) In God I tvill praise (this) word ; in Jehovah I will
PSALM LVI. 43
praise (this) word. This unusual form of speech must have the same sense as in v. 5 (4) above. Some understand it to mean by GodPs help.) others, in union loith God^ I will praise (his) word. But on the whole, the most natural explanation still seems to be, ' what I shall particularly praise in God, both as God, and as the tutelary God of Israel and my own, is the word of promise, which he has uttered and fulfilled in this case.'
12 (11.) In God have I tr tested ; I will not fear ; what can man do unto me } As the foregoing verse is a resumption and emphatic iteration of the first clause of v. 5 (4), so this seems to bear the same relation to the last clause of that same verse. The only variation in the form of expression is the substitution of the literal term man (or mankind) for the more obscure term flesh. See above, on v. 5 (4.) Here again it is a possi- ble construction, although not so agreeable to the masoretic accents, to make the interrogation an oblique one. * I will not fear what man can do unto me,'
13 (12.) Upon me, oh God, (are) thy vows ; I will pay thanksgiving unto thee. The first clause represents his vows or voluntary obligations as incumbent on himself and due to God, and he resolves to discharge them by thanksgivings, not merely verbal acknowledgments, but sacrificial tokens of his gratitude, such as were familiar to the ancient saints and recognised in the Law of Moses.
14 (13.) For thou hast delivered my soul from death; (wilt thou) not {deliver) my feet from falling^ to ivalk before God in the light of life ? The ellipsis in the second clause may also be supplied as follows, hast thou not delivered., as the only terms expressed are those of interrogation and negation. The word translated falling is a very strong one and means thrusting, cast- ing down. The verbal root occurs above, in Ps. xxxv. 5. xxxvi.
44 PSALM LVII.
13 (12.) To walk before God is to live in the enjoyment of his favour and protection. The light of life is opposed to the dark- ness of death. It may also be and usually is translated, in thii light of the living^ i, e. the light which living men enjoy. See above, on Ps. xxvii. 13.
PSALM L YII.
In the first part of this psalm a sufferer describes his own afflictions, occasioned by the malice of his enemies, and earnestly prays to be delivered from them, vs. 2 — 5 (1 — 4.) In the second, he anticipates a favourable answer to his prayer, and praises God for it, vs. 6 — 12 (5 — 11.)
1. To the Chief Musician. Destroy not. By David. A Secret. When he fled from before Saul in the cave. The enig- matical inscription, Al-tashhethy destroy not, reappears in the titles of the next two psalms and of the seventy-fifth. As in other cases of the same kind, some interpreters regard it as a musical expression, others as the first words of a well-known poem, to the air of which this was to be sung. The best explanation is the one suggested by the Chaldee Paraphrase, to wit, that the Psalms which bear this title belong to that period of David's history, when he was under the perpetual necessity of saying De- stroy not^ and are therefore suited to all similar emergencies of other saints. It is not at all impossible, that this was a favourite saying of David in real life, the rather as it is borrowed from the prayer of Moses in Deut. ix. 26, of which it may be said to be an abbre- eviated citation, not unlike the Latin designations, De Prnfu?idlsj Miserere^ Venile .ExsidtemuSy Non Nobis Doviiue, Te Deiim., etc.
PSALM LVII. 45
The explanation above given is corroborated by the obvious allusion in these three psalms (Ivii — lix) to the Sauline persecution. The very expression may be traced in 1 Sam. xxvi. 9, where David utters, as a command to his followers, what he so often had occasion to ut- ter as a prayer in his own behalf. The psalm is described as a mich- #^m, mystery, or secret, on account of the extraordinary consolation and support which he experienced, enabling him to triumph even in the midst of enemies and dangers. See above, on Ps. 16:1. In the cave of Adullam (1 Sam. xxii. 1), or of Engedi (1 Sam. xvi. 1 — 3), or more indefinitely in the cave^ equivalent to saying in caves, as a generic description of the mode of life which he then led (Heb. xi. 38), not without some reference to the subterraneous cavern, as an emblem of solitude and darkness. Hence the absence of any more specific allusion to particular incidents which occurred in caves, such as that recorded in 1 Sam. xxiv, and the obvious reference to the whole period of the Sauline persecution, as a time of wander- ing, danger, and distress. Hence, too, the striking similarity, in sentiment and form, between this psalm and the one before it.
2(1.) Be merciful unto me, oh God, he merciful unto me, for in thee has my soul sought refuge, and in the shadow of thy wings will I seek refuge, until (these) calamities be overpast. The repetition of the prayer for mercy shows the intensity of his de- sire. Sought refuge from the persecutions mentioned in Ps. Ivi, 2 (l.J The soul is mentioned as the object of pursuit. See above, on Ps. liv. 5 (4.) Ivi. 7 (6), and compare 1 Sam. xxiv. 12. (11.) . The shadow of thy wings : the same beautiful figure for protection is presented in Ps. xvii. 8. xxxvi. 8 (7.) Calamities, occasioned by the crimes of others. See above, on Ps. lii. 4,9 (2,7.)
3 (2.) / will cry imto God Most High, unto the Almighty,
finishing for me, i. e. perfecting what he has begun. Compare
Phil. i. 6. This verse assigns two reasons for his crying unto
46 PSALM LYIl.
God. The first is the supremacy and omnipotence of God him- self, the second is the previous experience of his faithfulness in fully performing whatever he has promised. See below, on Ps. cxxxviii. 8.
4(3.) He will send from heaven and save me — (when or whom) the devour er reviles^ Selah! — God will send his mercy and his truth. The first verb may govern handy as in Ps. cxliv. 7, or hel/py as in Ps. xx. 3 (2), or be used absolutely, as in Ps. xviii. 17 (16.) The devour er^ literally the one gaping after me, snort- ing with rage against me, or panting for my destruction. See above, on Ps. Ivi. 2, 3 (1, 2.) Without supplying anything, this clause may be taken as a short independent proposition — the devourer has reviled — interposed between the two principal members of the sentence. See above, on Ps. xxvii. 8. xlv. 6 (5.) In the last clause, Mercy and Truth seem to be personified, like Integrity and Uprightness in Ps. xxv. 21, Violence and Strife in Ps. Iv. 10 (9.) With this clause compare Ps. xliii. 3.
5 (4.) My soul [is) in the midst of lions; I icill lie down (among) hwrning ones^ sons of man^ (ivhose) teeth (are) spears aiid arrows^ ami their tongue a sharp sivord. By his soul he means himself, or rather his endangered life. Lions, as often elsewhere, means ferocious enemies. See above, on Ps. vii. 3 (2.; xxii. 13, 14 (12, 13.j The form of the verb which fol- lows is the one denotino- fixed determination. ' Though surround- ed by lions I will fearlessly lie down, etc' Among or uj[)on them. Burning may possibly refer to lions and mean raging ; but the indefinite application is more natural. Sons of man is added to show that what precedes is to be figuratively understood ; but in the very next clause, the writer rehipses into language still more highly metaphorical. In likening their teeth to swords he presents the double image of a wild beast and a warrior. The mention of the tongue has reference, no doubt, to the slander and abuse, which
PSALM LVII. 4,7
entered so largely into the Sauline persecutions. These had already been referred to in the middle clause of v. 4 (3), of which this may bo regarded as an amplification.
6 (5.) Be high ahove the heaveiis^ oh God^ above all the earth thy glory ! Some, in the last clause, read on all the earth and then explain on the heavens to mean nothing more than in heaven. The whole verse then is the expression of a wish that Grod may be exalted both in heaven and earth. But this is far less natural than the usual construction, which supposes a comparison, and makes the verse exalt God above all his works. Compare Ps. viii. 2 (1.)
7 (6.) A net they prepared for my steps ; he pressed down my soul; they digged before me a pit; they fell into the midst of it. Selah. This verse assigns the reason or occasion of the praise ascribed to God in that before it. The image here presented is the same as in Ps. vii. 16 (15.) ix. 16 (15.) The sudden change of number is particularly common in the psalms when speaking of an ideal person, representing many real individuals. See above, on Ps. Ivi. 3 (2.) The phrase pressed down is borrowed from the Prayer Book version, and is well suited to convey the idea of an animal caught and held down by a trap or snare. That version is also more correct than the English Bible in giv- ing to the verb an active meaning ; of the neuter or passive there is no example elsewhere. Before me, in my path, where I am walking. The Selah at the close is almost equivalent to an Amen, as expressing acquiescence in God's righteous retributions.
8 (7.) Fixed (is) my heart, oh God,fi.xed (is) my heart; I icill sing and play. The repetition adds solenmity and force to the declaration. Fixed, i. e. firmly resolved and proof against all fear. Sec above, on Ps. li. 12 ( 10. ) and below on Ps. cxii. 7. The two verbs in the last clause are properly descriptive of the
48 PSALM LVIT.
two kinds of music, vocal and instrumental ; but in the usage of the psalms they always have reference to the praise of God.
9 (8.) AwaM my glory ! aioake lute and harjp! I will awaken morning. The same idea is now expressed in the form of a poet- ical apostrophe By glory most interpreters understand the soul^ as the glory of the whole man, but some the tongue^ as the glory of the body. See above, on Ps. vii. 6. (5.) xvi. 9. xxx. 13, and below, on Ps. cviii. 2 (1.) It is possible however that it here means that in which he gloried, his inspiration as a sacred poet, and which he personifies, as the heathen poets invoked the muse. Lute and har'p is the translation in the Prayer Book. Any other combination, denoting two familiar instruments, such as har'p and lyre., would be here appropriate. The verb in the last clause is a causative of that in the first, and is related to it as the Eno-lish verb aioaken to awake. Strictly translated, this clause contains a bold but beautiful poetical conception, that of awakening the dawn instead of being awakened by it, in other words, preventing or anticipating it by early praises. In like manner, Ovid says the crowing of the cock cvocat auroram. We thus obtain the same sense, in a far more striking form, than is expressed by the inexact and prosaic version, I will awake early. The intransi- tive sense given to the verb, and the adverbial sense given to the noun, are both without sufiicient authority in usage. From this verse some have inferred, that the psalm was expressly designed to be an even-song ; but he does not say, 1 will do thus to-moi1-ow. The meaning rather is that he will do it daily. See above, on Ps. xvii. 15. The summons to the harp and lyre may be understood as implying, that they have long slept without occasion for such praise as they are now to utter.
10 (9.) I icill thank thee among the nations., Lord ; I will praise thee among the peoples. The divine interposition to be
PSALM LVIII.
49
celebrated is so great and glorious as to be entitled to the praises of the whole world. See above, on Ps. xviii. 50 (49.)
11 (10.) For great unto the heavens (is) thy mercy, and unto the clouds thy truth. By a natural and favourite hyperbole, God's goodness is described as reaching from earth to heaven. See above, on Ps. xxxvi. 6 (5), and compare Jer. li. 9.
12 (11.) Be thou high above the heavens^ oh God^ above all the earth thy glory ! The strophe ends as it began in v. 6 (5) above. In the last clause the verb of the first may be repeated, be thy glory high ; or the substantive verb alone may be supplied, Let thy glory be above all the earth !
PSALM LVIII.
1. To the Chief Musician. Al-tashhdh. By David. Mich- tarn. See above, on Ps. Ivii. 1. The Psalmist complains of un- just, spiteful, hardened enemies, vs. 2 — 6 (1 — 5), and prays that their power may be broken, vs. 7 — 12 (6 — 11.) The contents of the- psalm agree with its title in showing that it belongs to the period of Saul's persecutions, when David had to contend with unjust rulers, who were at the same time his personal enemies. But although suggested by his own experience, the psalm was designed for permanent and public use, and is therefore inscribed to the Chief Musician.
2 (1.) Are ye indeed dumb (when) ye (should) speak right- eousness (and) pidge equitably , sons of man ? The first words
VOL. II. 3
50 PSALM LVIII.
are exceedingly obscure. One of them (tibi^:)^ not expressed in the English and the ancient versions, means dumhiiess^ as in Ps. lyi. 1, and seems to be here used as a strong expression for en- tirely speechless. In what respect they were thus dumb, is indi- cated by the verb which follows, but the connection can be made clear in English only by a circumlocution. The interrogation, are ye indeed^ expresses wonder, as at something scarcely credi- ble. Can it be so .' is it possible } are you really silent, you whose very office is to speak for God and against the sins of men } See Deut. i. 16, 17, That the speaking here meant is judicial speaking, appears from the more specific parallel expres- sion. The word translated equitably is a plural noun meaning equities or rectitudes. See above, on Ps. xvii. 2. Strictly un- derstood, it is not a qualifying term, but the object of the verb judge^ as in the other clause righteousness is governed directly by the verb speak. The address to them as sons of man reminds them of their own dependence and responsibility.
3 (2.) iVrtT/) ^^^ hearty iniquities ye practise ; in the land.^ the violence of your hands ye weigh. The particle at the beginning is as usual emphatic, meaning, not only this but something more. See above, Ps. xviii. 49.(48.) xliv. 10 (9.) Not contented with neglecting their official functions, they were guilty of positive injustice. The Hebrew for iniquities is the plural of a word used in Ps. xxxvii. 1. xliii. 1, and denotes various acts of injus- tice. The future forms (ye icill do., ye will weigh) implies an obstinate persistency in evil. To do or practise wickedness in heart may mean to plan or contrive it, as in Mic. ii. 1, leaving the execution to be inferred as a matter of course. Or the phrase may be translated with the heart., i. e. cordially, ex ani??Wj con amore^ or to use an idiomatic English expression, ivith a U'ill. The first words of the last clause, in the land., may seem, from their position, to be in contrast with the phrase in heart; but the antithesis, if any, is between the heart and haiuh., and in the
PSALM LVIll. 51
land suggests the aggravating circumstance, that all this was practised by persons in authority under the theocracy, among the chosen people. Violence^ violent injustice. See above, on Ps. Iv. 10 (9.) The last verb in this sentence means to level or make eveUy and in that sense is repeatedly applied to paths. See Isai. xxvi. 7. Prov. iv. 26. v. 6, 21. But as the derivative noun (obB) means a balance (Prov. xvi. 11. Isai. xl. 12), the verb may here denote the act of weighmg^ levelling the balance, ren- dering it even, which some without necessity ascribe to it in several of the places above cited, where its constant combination with a way or path seems to exclude the idea of weighing as in- congruous, and to require that of smoothing or levelling as pe- culiarly appropriate. This last might be retained even here, and the metaphor be understood to mean that they facilitated or promoted violence (q. d. levelled or prepared its way) ; but the sense of weighing is equally appropriate and agrees well with the favourite idea of the scales of justice, which is found not only in the classics but in Scripture. See Job xxxi. 6. The meaning then is, that these wicked rulers, instead of weighing out justice to their subjects, weighed out, administered, dispensed, the most violent injustice, and that too devised and practised by them- selves.
4(3.) Estranged are the loicked from the ivomh ; they go astray from (their) birth^ speaking lies. The first verb in Hebrew is not a passive but a neuter form, denoting the con- dition of estrangement, alienation, from God and from all good- ness. The wicked thus described are the whole class, of which his persecutors formed a part. The preterite tense is used in the orio-inal (were estranged^ went astray) on account of the retro- spective reference to the beginning of life. The verb translated go astray is one frequently applied to moral aberrations. From their birth^ literally, /ro?« the belly. See above, Ps. xxii. 11 (10.) Speaking lies, or with closer adherence to the form of the
52 PSALM LVIII.
original, speaJiXrs of falsekoodj i. e. hahiiuul liars. The other version seems to mean that they begin to lie as soon as they are born, a hyperbolical expression, of which some interpreters re- lieve the sentence by making this the subject of the proposition and parallel to wicked in the other clause. Speakers of false- hood go astray fr 07)1 (their) birth. In this description of the wicked there is nothino; inconsistent with the doctrine of univer- sal depravity, as recognised in Ps. xiv. 1. li. 7 (5) above, and in Gen, viii. 21. Job xiv. 4, because the holiness of some men is a mere exception to the general rule, produced by the distinguish- ing grace of God, which frees them from the paramount influ- ence of that corruption to which others still continue subject.
5, 6 (4, 5.) There is poison to them like the poison of a serpent^ as a deaf adder stops its ear, tvhich will not hearken to the voice of enchanters^ of (one) charming charms^ (of one) most wise. The first words are equivalent to the English construction, they have poiso7i. The Hebrew noun originally signifies heat^ and especially the heat of anger, in which sense it repeatedly occurs above, Ps. vi. 2 (1.) xxxvii. 8. xxxviii. 2 (1.) The same sense is retained here by the ancient versions (dujudg, fur or) ^ and agrees well with the popular idea of vindictive spite, as a natural instinct of this class of animals. But most interpreters explain the word, here and in Deut. xxxii. 24, as meaning venom, animal poison, so called from its inflammatory efibcts upon the person bitten. The Hebrew phrase translated like means strictly after (or ac- cording to) the likeness of. Compare its use in Gen. i. 26. It may be here employed, instead of the simple particle of com- parison, for the sake of emphasis, as we say like^ but more empha- tically just like. As to the species of serpent mentioned in the second clause of v. 5 (4), all that is necessary to a correct inter- pretation of the verse is to understand it as denoting a variety regarded as peculiarly malignant, and therefore resisting the in- cantations by which other species were subdued, especially in
PSALM LVllI. 53
Egypt. See the allusions to this practice in Eccl. x. 11. Jer. viii. 17. This clause admits of a different construction, like the deaf adder he stops his ear, which some interpreters prefer be- cause an adder cannot stop its ears, and need not stop them if naturally deaf, whereas it is by stopping his that the wicked man becomes like a deaf adder. The word translated enchanters pro- perly means whisperers or mutterers, in allusion to familiar prac- tices of the ancient wizards. Charming charnn, laying spells, or as the Hebrew words are commonly supposed to signify originally, tying knots with a magical design. The last word in V. 6 (5) is a passive participle, analogous to our word learned, and here meaning skilful. The English versions and the Vulgate make it an adverb (sapienter, never so wisely ;) but the Septua- gint and Jerome give it its proper meaning as an adjective, in which case it is probably in apposition with the nouns preceding, and connected in like manner with the voice of the first clause. The general idea of the verse, however construed, is that the malice of his enemies is stubborn and inexorable.
7 (6.) Ok God, crush their teeth in their mouth ; the grinders of the young lions shatter, oh Jehovah ! The complaint is now followed by a prayer, that these ferocious enemies may be disarmed and disabled. This idea is expressed by the use of the same figure as in Ps. iii. 8 (7), that of wild beasts rendered harmless by the breaking of their teeth. Compare Job xxix. 17. Hence in the last clause they are expressly called lions. See above, Ps. Ivii. 5 (4.) Young lions, not mere whelps, from which they are distinguished in Ezek. xix. 2, 3, but full-grown lions, in the first maturity of their strength, and therefore more to be dreaded than when older or younger. See above, Ps. xvii. 12. xxxiv. 11 (10.) XXXV. 17. The Hebrew verbs in this verse are peculiarly expressive, and, though wholly unconnected with each other, are both used elsewhere to express the ideas of violently breaking, breaking down, breaking out, breaking off, and break-
54 PSALM LVIIL
ing through. See Ex. xv. 7. xix. 21. Lev. xiv. 45. Judg. vi. 30. 1 Kinojs xviii. 30.
8 (7.) Let them melt away as waters^ let them go their way ; let him lend his arrows^ as if they were cut off. The optative meaning of these futures seems to be determined by the imper- atives in V. 7 (6.) There is nothing ungrammatical, however, in retaining the strict future sense, and regarding the verse as an expression of strong confidence as to the event. The first verb elsewhere has the sense of being rejected with contempt, and is so used in Ps. xv. 9 ; but as two of its radical letters coincide with those of a verb meaning to be melted, most interpreters prefer this sense. The other might however be retained, and the phrase explained to mean that they should be cast aside as water, and especially as filthy water, is rejected. Go their way, literally, go to them or to themselves. Some understand it to mean /or themselves, i. e. for their own benefit, their destruction being represented, by a sort of irony, as all that they have gained by their hostility. Compare the use of the same phrase in Ps. Ixiv. 6 (5.) Ixvi. 7 (6.) In the next clause, most inter- preters assume a sudden change of number, such as frequently occurs in speaking of an ideal person representing a plurality of real individuals. See above, on Ps. Ivii. 4, 7 (3, 6.) He (i. e. the enemy) shall bend his arrows, literally, tread them, i. e. bend by treading on them. This expression is applicable strictly to the bow, and it is so applied repeatedly above. See Ps. vii. 13 (12.) xi. 2. xxxvii. 14. Having thus acquired the secondary sense of fitting, making ready, it is transferred from the bow to the arrows, not only here but in Ps. Ixiv. 4 (3) below. If the last verb be construed with the arrows as its subject, they would seem to be described as blunted or deprived of their points, and the meaning of the clause is, that the weapons of the enemy take no efi"ect. The whole clause, however, will admit of a dif- ferent construction, which refers the singular verb and pronoun
PSALM LVIII. 55
to God himself, and the plural verb to these rebellious sinners. Let him bend his arrows, as if they were cut off, i. e. so that they may be cut off. Notwithstanding the obscurity of this clause, the connection is preserved unbroken by the obvious meaning of the other.
9 (8.) As a snail melts ^ let him go; (like) the untimely birth of a woman^ they have not beheld the sun. The idea of speedy and entire disappearance is still more strongly expressed here. The meaning of the word translated snail rests upon rabbinical tradition and a doubtful etymology. The point of comparison may relate to some popular belief or to some apparent idiosyn- crasy in this class of animals, perhaps to the idea of its losing a portion of its body by locomotion. The next noun primarily signifies what falls from the tree, unripe fruit, and is then trans- ferred to animal abortions. The past tense in the last clause seems to mark it as a kind of reflection introduced into the midst of the prayer. ' So far from living too long, as I feared, they seem scarcely to have lived at all.'
10 (9.) Before your pots can feci the thorn, whether raw or done, he will blow him atvay. This is one of the obscurest and most difficult verses in the book, and yet the general idea is suffi.- ciently clear. The he in the last clause relates to God, the him to his wicked enemy. The verb translated blow away means pro- perly to storm aioay, or carry away with (or like) a tempest. The rapidity of this movement is expressed by a familiar com- parison. Your pots, your vessels used in cooking. The address seems to be to the sinners, afterwards referred to as a single per- son. Feel, perceive the heat. Compare Job vi. 30. The thorn, used a£ fuel, kindles quickly and immediately burns out, so that this comparison suggests the idea of a very sudden change. The singular expression which follows literally means as (well) living as heat ; but as the adjective is elsewhere used to signify r(zw,
56 PSALM LVIIl.
not cooked (1 Sam. ii. 15), the noun joined with it may be taken in the opposite sense of cooked or done. This may be a prover- bial expression, borrowed from the dialect of common life, to convey the idea of a sudden change, which waits for nothing, but carries men away in the midst of their employments. This, though still an unusual form of speech, will seem less unnatural if we suppose the process of cooking to be here used as a figure for the plots and devices of the enemy, a metaphor by no means far-fetched or unknown to other writers. The idea then is that while these devices, so to speak, are cooking, the cooks are snatched away by a superior power, without caring whether the operation is complete or not. ' Before the seething pot of your contrivances begins to feel the quickly kindled heat which you apply to it, the tempest of divine wrath carries you away, whe- ther your mess be cooked or raw.'
11 (10.) Rejoice shall the righteous because he has seen ven- geance ; his steps he shall hathe in the blood of the wicked. The vengeance in which he shall rejoice is not his own but God's, in the vindication of whose righteousness and honour all holy be- ings must rejoice forever, although not in the suffering of those who perish. The same idea is expressed more strongly in the last clause by a martial figure. To bathe his feet (or rather his steps) in the blood of others is to walk where their blood is flow- ing, to tread the battle-field where they have fallen, to gain a sanguinary triumph over them, or rather it is to partake in the triumph of another. Thus one of the old commentators says, that David washed his feet in Saul's blood, Elijah in Ahab's, Hezekiah in Sennacherib's, without any agency or share in their destruction, and without any selfish or malignant exultation in their ruin. Let it also be observed that in this, as in many like cases, the act is ascribed to an ideal person, and is therefore no example for our imitation.
PSALM LIX.
57
12 (11.) Arid man sfuill say, yes, there is fruit to the righteous / yes, there is a God judging in the earth. This shall be said not by a man, nor by any particular man, but by men in general, by man as opposed to God. The particle translated 7jes really means only, and denotes that this and nothing else is true. See above, on Ps. xxxix. 12 (11.) There is fruit to the righteous, or in our idiom, he has fruit, i. e. he reaps what he has sown. Com- pare Isai. iii. 10, 11. The very power that destroys his enemies is his protector. The idea of existence is expressed in the last clause contrary to usage, and is therefore emphatic. There is, notwithstanding all denials, doubts, and false appearances, there IS a God, judging in the earth. Another unusual circumstance in this clause is that not only the divine name, but the participle agreeing with it, is in the plural number. The same thing occurs in Josh. xxiv. 19. 1 Sam. xvii. 26. In this case it may possibly be intended to suggest the idea, that although these earthly representatives of God are so unfaithful, there are never- theless gods judging in the earth, i. e. one God who possesses in himself the source of all the justice exercised by other beings. See above, on Ps. xi. 7.
PSALM LIX.
This psalm consists of two parallel parts, in both which the succession of ideas is substantially the same. A sufferer complains of treacherous and cruel enemies, vs. 2 — 5 (1 — 4), prays to be delivered from them, v. 6 (5), and confidently anticipates their ruin, vs. 7 — 12 (6 — 11.) In the second part, we have again, in 4*
58 PSALM LIX.
the same order, the complaint, v. 13 (12) the prayer, v. 14 (13), and the anticipation, vs. 15 — 18 (14 — 17.)
1. To the Chief Musician. Al-tashheth. By David. Mich- tam. When Saul sentj and they icatched the house to kill him. This remarkable incident in David's life, which was the beginning of his long and painful wanderings, is recorded, almost in the same words, 1 Sam. xix. 11. The title or inscription is the same as in the two preceding psalms.
2 (1.) Fo'ee 7ne from my enemies., my God., from those o'ising up (against) me thou ivilt raise me., i. e. place me beyond their reach. Here, as often elsewhere, the tone of supplication is insensibly exchanged for that of confident anticipation. But the change is momentary, and the form of supplication is immediately resumed. My insurgents or assailants : see above, on Ps. xvii. 7. The idea and expression at the close are the same as in Ps. XX. 2 (1.) Compare Ps. xviii. 49 (48.)
3 (2.) Free me from icorkcrs of iniquity., and from men of Hood save me. The same words and phrases have occurred re- peatedly before. See above, Ps. v. 6 (5.) vi. 9 (8.) xiv. 4. xxvi. 9. xxviii. 3. This verse and the one before it consti- tute the general introductory petition, the ground and reason of which are afterwards assigned.
4 (3.) (This I ask) because (such enemies as I have just described) have laid loait for my soul (or life) ; there assemble against me strong ones., not (for) my transgression and not (for) my sin., Jehovah! Or, (it is) not 7ny fault nor my sin., Jehovah.
5 (4.) Without iniquity (on my part, to excuse or even to provoke them) they run and set themselves (against me.) Both these are military terms and seem to denote strictly the scaling
PSALM LIX. 59
of a wall. See above, on Ps. xviii. 30 (29.) Awake (arouse thyself from this apparent inactivity) to meet me (to respond to my petition), and see {mj danger and the malice of my enemies.)
6 (5.) And thouy Jehovah, God^ (Lord of) HostSj God of Israel J awake to visit all the nations ; spare not all traitors of iniquity. Selah. The accumulation of divine names is not unmeaning, but suggestive of reasons why the prayer should be answered, to wit, because He to whom it was addressed was not only the Eternal, Self-existent God, the Sovereign of the Universe, but the God of Israel, and therefore bound by covenant to save his people. All the nations^ i. e. such as are the enemies of God and of his people ; and if whole nations are thus dealt with, how much more may Jehovah be expected to destroy his individual enemies. Traitors of iniquity^ wicked traitors. The depth of the feeling here expressed is further indicated by the Selah.
7 (6.) Let them return at evening ^ let them howl like the dog, and go around the city. The verbs may also be rendered as simple futures, expressive of a confident anticipation : they shall return., etc. In either case, the verse contains a metaphorical description of the disappointment of the enemy, who are here compared to the gregarious untamed dogs, by which the oriental cities are infested. As these dogs prowl about the streets in search of food and howl for want of it, so let (or so shall) my wicked enemies. Others, with equal probability, explain this verse as a description of their present fierceness and avidity.
8 (7.) Loj they pour out with their mouths ; sivords (are) in their lips ; for who (is) hearing ? He here reverts to his description and complaint of his enemies. The first verb is ex- pressive of a constant flow or gush. See above, on Ps. xix. 3 (2.) What it is that they thus pour out, although not expressed, may be readily gathered from the context, namely, slanders and re-
60 PSALM LIX.
proaches. The sztwrds iii their lips are significant of sharp and cutting speeches. See above, on Ps. Iv. 22 (21), and compare Ps. Hi. 4 (3.) The English version, by supplying " say they,^^ makes the last clause the language of these wicked foes, who are then to be understood as denying God's omniscience or his justice. See above, on Ps. x. 11, 13, and compare Ps. xiv. 1. xlii. 11 flO.) But a still more striking sense may be obtained by making this clause the complaint of the Psalmist himself, as if he had said : no wonder that they thus pour out their bitter words ; for who is there to observe and punish them ? The question implies that God himself had ceased to notice then- offences, and the parti- cipial form, that this neglect had now become habitual.
9 (8.) And thou J Jehovah, loilt laugh at them; thou unit mock at all nations. The resistance of whole nations, or of all collec- tively, is but an object of contempt to thee ; how much more that of even the most potent individuals. See above, on Ps. ii. 4. xxxvii. 13. The connection between this verse and the one before it depends upon the meaning of the question with which V. 8 (7) closes. If that be regarded as the language of the enemy, the thought to be supplied is, ' but although they thus imagine that thou dost not hear, thou wilt soon undeceive them by deriding them.' On the other supposition it is this : ^ al- though I am continually tempted to say, who doth hear } I am nevertheless persuaded that thou dost hear and despise their im- potent malignity '
10 (9.) His strength unto thee will I keep , for God is my high place. The first clause is so obscure that some interpreters have thought it necessary to change the text {^\^ for i":^) and read my strength, \. e. thou who art my strength, ybr thee will I watch or wait. Some who retain the common text suppose a sudden change of person, (as for) his strength, i. e. God's, / will watch for thee, oh God ! But this is much less natural than the common
PSALM LIX. 61
version, (because of) his strength^ i. e. the enemy's, will I wait upon thee. According to the first translation above given, the meaning of the clause is, I will reserve the strength and violence of the enemy, to be dealt with and disposed of by Jehovah. My high place, beyond the reach of enemies and dangers. See above, on Ps. ix. 10 (9.) xviii. 3 (2.) xlvi. 8, 12 (7, 11.)
11 (10.) My God (with) his mercy will meet me; God will make me to gaze upon my enemies. This translation of the first clause follows the reading in the text of the Hebrew Bible. The common version exhibits the marginal or masoretic emendation, the God of my mercy., i. e. my merciful God, or the God who shows me mercy, shall prevent me, in the primary and proper sense of coming before me. The idea here is that of coming to meet one in a friendly manner. See above, on Ps. xxi. 4 (3), and compare the unfavourable meaning of the same verb in Ps. xvii. 13. xviii. 6 (5), 19 (18.) To gaze,i. e. with joy and triumph. See above, on Ps. liv. 9 (7.) This is equivalent to saying, he will give me the victory. The word for enemies is the same as in Ps. V. 9 (8.)
12 (11.) Slay them not, lest my people forget ; make thein wan- der hy thy power and hring them down, our shield, oh Lord ! The meaning of the first clause, as appears from the context, is, de- stroy them not utterly, or once for all. My people, i. e. Israel, the chosen race. Make them wander, like Cain and like Israel in the wilderness, to both which cases the same verb is applied, Gen. iv. 12. Num. xxxii. 13. These are tacitly referred to, as familiar examples of this kind of punishment, inflicted both on individuals and nations. Bring them down, cause them to de- scend, from their present high position, humble them, and make their humiliation an example and a warning to all others. This was signally fulfilled in the case of Saul and his household, as
■•;V'
62 PSALM LIX.
well as in that of the nations which resisted the divine will and oppressed the chosen people, to both which cases the expressions of this psalm are designedly appropriate. Our shield^ our pro- tector ; not only mine but ours ; not only David's but all .Israel's. The figure of a shield is a favourite one with David. See above, on Ps. iii. 4 (3.) xviii. 3 (2.) xxviii. 7. It is not only striking and expressive, but historically associated with the origin of the nation in the calling of Abraham and the patri- archal promises. See Gen. xv. 1.
13 (12.) The sin of their mouth — the word of their lips — and they shall he taken in their pride — and from cursing and falsehood they will tell. This is a close translation of this very obscure verse, that is to say, obscure in its particular expressions, though its general sense is obvious enough. The construction given in the English versions, (for) the sin of their mouth (and) the word of their lips, they shall be taken, either overlooks the copulative particle before the verb or makes it unmeaning, they shall even be taken. The latest interpreters prefer to render it, the sin of their mouth (is) the word of their lips, i. e. the word of their lips is the sin of their mouth ; whatever they speak is spoken sinfully ; they cannot speak without committing sin. They shall be takeriy caught, surprised, as they have sought to surprise others. See above, Ps. ix. 16 (15.) xxxv. 8. It may also be read as an expression of desire, may they be taken ! In their pride, not merely on account of it, although this is included, but in the midst of it, in the act of indulging it. From cursing represents their capture as arising (or proceeding^ from their cursing, and may therefore be translated /o?*, as in the English Bible. Cursing, or rather swearing in attestation of a falsehood. See above, on Ps. X. 7. The phrase to tell a falsehood is common to both idioms. Most interpreters supply a relative, {which) they tell, or will tell. Otherwise, from must be understood as meaning of, concerning.
PSALM LIX. 63
14 (13.) Consume in wrath^ consume (them) ^ and let them he no morej and let them know that God {is) ruling in Jacoh^ unto the ends of the earth. The first verb strictly means to cause to cease, to finish, to destroy so that nothing is left. Let them he no more, let them cease to be. By itself, the Hebrew phrase would seem to mean, and they are not^ but the tense, which is not expressed in the original, must be determined by the prayer preceding. The last clause might at first sight seem to mean, let my enemies know that God rules not only in Israel but through- out the earth. But this is forbidden by the prayer that they may cease to be, and would require a connective particle of some sort after Jacoh. The true construction, indicated by the accents, is, and let them (i. e. men in general) know., to the ends of the earthy that God (is) ruling (i. e. habitually rules) in Jacoh. This de- scription of the whole world as witnessing and interested in God's dealings with his chosen people, is in strict accordance with the very end for which he chose them, and is particularly character- istic of David. See above, on Ps. xviii. 50 (49.) Ivii. 6, 10, 12 (5, 9, 11), and compare his language to Goliath, 1 Sam. xvii. 46 : " this day will Jehovah deliver thee into my hand, and I will
smite thee that all the earth may know, that there is
a God in Israel."
15 (14.) The7i let them return at evening., hold like the dog., and go around the city. The first word in Hebrew is a simple copu- lative, meaning and ; but the connection seems to be, since God is my protector and these enemies are doomed to destruction, let them threaten as they will, I shall not fear them. It is equally grammatical, though not so natural, to understand the verse as a prediction or confident anticipation of the miserable state to which these enemies should be reduced, like a herd of oriental dogs without a master or a home, prowling about in search of food, and howling with hunger, but remaining still un- satisfied. See above, on v. 7 (6.)
64 PSALM LIX.
16 (15.) They shall wander (in quest of something) to eat, (and) if they are not satisfied^ remain all night. This sentence is obscure, whether it be understood as a defiance or a threaten- ing, though the latter construction is recommended by the em- phatic pronoun at the beginning. They themselves^ the very persons who now threaten me, shall roam about in search of food, etc. The most probable meaning of the last clause is : and not be- ing satisfied, not finding what they seek, they must continue seek- ing it by night as well as by day. The conversive particle before the last word seems to be here equivalent to then or still after a conditional clause — ' if they are not satisfied, then they shall re- main all night' — or ' though they be not satisfied, yet must they remain all night.'
17 (16.) And I will sing thy strength j and celeirate in the morning thy mercy ; for thou hast been a high jplace to me^ a re- fuge in my distress. The pronoun at the beginning is emphatic, I, on my part, as contrasted with these wretches. Thy strength or power J thus exerted in my behalf. In the morning, or at break of day, which is the primary meaning of the term. The phrase is in obvious antithesis to at evening in v. 15 (14.) There may also be allusion to the frequent use of night and morning, as emblems of sufiering and relief. Compare the words of David in 2 Sam. xxiii. 4. A height, high place, or place of safety, as in V. 10 (9) above. In my distress, or retaining the original con- struction, in distress to me. The form of expression is the same as in Ps. xviii. 7 (6.)
18 (17.) My strength, unto thee will I sing ; for God is my high place, the God of my mercy. The most natural construc- tion of the first phrase is that which makes it a direct address to God, as the author of his strength. But as the structure of the clause is precisely similar to that at the beginning of v. 10 (9), some adopt a similar construction, my strength will I sing unto
PSALM LX. 65
thee. I will praise my strength to thee, because I shall thereby praise thyself. This is equivalent to saying, I will celebrate thee as my strength. High jplace., place of safety, refuge, or asylum, as in vs. 10, 17 (9, 16.) God of my mercy , my merci- ful God, or the God who shows me mercy. See above, on v. 11 (10.)
PSALM L X.
1. To the Chief Musician. On the Lily of Testimony. A Mystery. By David. To he Learnt. The lily is probably, in this case as in Ps. xlv. 1, an emblem of beauty or loveliness. The testimony is a name given to the Law, as God's testimony against sin. See above, on Ps. xix 8 (7), and compare 2 Kings xi. 12, where the term is applied absolutely to the Law, con- sidered as a book or writing. This enigmatical inscription, therefore, may be understood as representing the theme or sub- ject of the psalm to be the beauty of the law, or something lovely in it, with reference most probably to the gracious promise cited from it. At the same time, there seems to be an allusion to the precept in Deut. xxxi. 19, " Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach it the children of Israel ; put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel." To this verse there seems to be a double allusion in the one before us ; first in the word testimony , which is a cognate form to that translated witness., and then in the concluding words, to teach^ where the verb is the same with that in Deuteronomy. The title before us, therefore, seems to say, this song is like the song of Moses, which was to be taught
66 PSALM LX.
to the people, as a witness or testimony against them, in case of unbelief or disobedience. To teach then means to he taught or to he learned by heart, committed to memory. Compare 2 Sam. i. 18, where the English version incorrectly supplies (use of) the hotc^ instead of [song of) the how^ meaning the elegy on Saul and Jonathan which immediately follows, so called, according to an ancient custom, from the mention of Jonathan's favourite weapon in V. 22. See above, on Ps. ix. 1. From this enigmatical allu- sion, and the disguised form under which the truth is here re- vealed, the psalm is justly represented as a Michtam^ mystery, or secret. See above, on the titles of the four preceding psalms. The body of the psalm, apart from the additional title or his- torical inscription in v. 2, may be divided into three equal stanzas or strophes, each consisting of four verses. In the first, the Psalmist takes occasion from God's seeming desertion of his peo- ple, to recall his former interventions in their favour, vs. 3 — 6 (1 — 4.) In the second, he pleads an express promise, as a ground of present hope, vs. 7 — 10 (5 — 8.) In the third, he ex- presses his confidence of safety and success, in the proposed expedition against Edom, vs. 11 — 14 (9 — 12.) Throughout the psalm the ideal speaker is Israel, considered as the chosen people.
2. TlTien he conquered Aram Naharaim and Aram Zohah^ and Joah returned and smote Edom in the Valley of Salt^ twelve thousand men. The common version of the first verb {strove with) seems too weak, as a victory is clearly presupposed, and the idea of contention is conveyed by a cognate form of the same verb. The name Aram corresponds to Syria in its widest and vaguest sense, and is joined with other names to designate partic- ular parts of that large country. It even includes Mesopotamia, which is a term of physical rather than political geography, and denotes the space between the Tigris and Euphrates, correspond- ing to Aram- Naharaim^ or Syria of the Tioo Rivers^ in the
PSALM LX. 67
verse before us. The king of this country was tributary to the king of Aram Zobah, as appears from the account of David's second Aramean war (2 Sam. x. 16, 19.) It was after the return of the victorious army from this war, that Joab marched against Edom and achieved the victory here ascribed to him, as the leader of the army, but in 1 Chron. xviii. 12, to his brother Abishai, who probably commanded under him, as he did in a subsequent campaign (2 Sam. x. 10), and in 2 Sam. viii. 13 to David himself as the sovereign whom they both represented. The Valley of Salt has been identified by modern travellers with a valley south of the Dead Sea, on the ancient confines of Israel and Edom. See Robinson's Palestine, vol. ii. p. 483. The number killed on this occasion is stated in 2 Sam. viii. 13 and 1 Chron. xviii. 12 at eighteen thousand. But this diversity might easily arise from different modes of computation, and seems at least to show that the writer of the verse before us did not blindly copy the historical books, while the smaller number which he gives evinces his exemption from all disposition to embellish or exaggerate.
3 (1.) Oh God^thou hast cast us off; thou hast broken us ; thou hast been angry ; thou icilt restore to us (thy favour or our previous prosperity.) Clear as the marks of thy displeasure have been, we still confidently look for thy returning favour. This may refer to disasters experienced in the former part of the campaign. Cast us off^ with abhorrence and contempt, as in Ps. xliii. 2. xliv. 10, 24 (9, 23.) Broken us^ or made a breach in us, which appears to be a military figure, and a favourite with David in real life. See 2 Sam. v. 20. vi. 8, and compare Judg. xxi. 15. Job xvi. 14. xxx. 14. The last verb means to restore, as in Ps. xix. 8. (7.) xxiii. 3, but in application to a different object. Compare Isai. Iviii. 12.
4 (2.) Thou hast made the earth qitake^ thou hast riven it ;
68 PSALM LX.
heal its breacheSj for it moves. The idea of social disaster and calamity is here expressed by the figure of an earthquake and its natural effects, to which God is besought to put an end by the removal of the cause.
5 (3.) Thou hast made thy people sec (what is) hard; thou hast made us drink wine of staggering (or reeling.) The meaning of the first clause is, that God had made them experience hardship. See a similar expression in Ps. Ixxi. 20. Wine of staggering^ wine that causes men to reel or stagger, here used as a figure for confusion, weakness, and distress. The same image reappears in Ps. Ixxv. 9 (8.) Isai. li. 17, 22. Jer. xxv. 15. xlix. 12. See above, on Ps. xi. 6.
6 (4.) Thou hast given to those fearing thee a banner to he lifted because of (thy) truth. Selah. In the sight of thy dis- comfited and downcast people, thou hast set up a signal, as a rallying point, and an assurance of the truth of thy engagements. The word (Dp) translated banner means anything elevated as a signal, being derived from the following verb, which, in the form here used, means properly to raise itself ^ as in 'Zq.q)i. ix. 16. The word for truth is not the one commonly so rendered, but has the same meaning in Prov. xxii. 21, and in the Aramaic dialects. See Dan. ii. 47. iv. 34. Because of^ literally, /rowi before or from the face of., an expression indicating, as the cause of the effect de- scribed, the truth or veracity of God himself. The translation of the last clause in the ancient versions and some modern ones, to flee from before the bow, gives an unauthorized meaning both to the verb and noun.
7 (5.) I7i order that thy beloved ones may be deliver ed, save (with) thy right hand and hear (or answer) tts. This is a prayer naturally prompted by the previous experience of God's favour, as recorded in the foregoing verse Thy beloved, an epithet
PSALM LX. e9
applied to Benjamin in Deut. xxxiii. 12, and forming a part of Solomon's additional name Jedidiah^ 2 Sam. xii. 25. See also Ps. xlv. 1. The common version of the last words (hear me) rests upon the marginal reading or Keri.
8 (6.) God hath spoken in his holiness ; I will triumph ; I will divide Shechem^ and the Valley of Succoth I will measure. As a further ground for his petition, the Psalmist, speaking in the name of Israel, appeals to the promise of Jehovah, that his people should possess the entire land of Canaan. The reference is not to any insulated promise, but to that pervading the whole Law. There God had spoken^ uttered his promise, in his holiness^ i. e. as a Holy God, and as such incapable of failing to perform it. See the similar expressions in Ps. Ixxxix. 36 (35.) Am. iv. 2. Some understand what follows as the words which God had spoken; but as v. 11 (9) is confessedly the language of the people or their representative, and as no intermediate point of transition can be well assumed, it seems better to explain these also as the words of David or of Israel. ' God hath spoken in his holiness (and therefore) I will triumph.' Because he has prom- ised me victorious possession of the land, I exult in confident anticipation of it. This idea of triumphant occupation is ex- pressed in terms appropriate to the times of the original conquest, when the land was measured and distributed among the tribes. See Josh. xiii. 7. xviii. 5. The two great divisions of the country, east and west of Jordan, are denoted by Shechem and Succoth, the places where Jacob pitched his tent on his return from exile, as if to claim the Land of Promise as his heritage. See Gen. xxxiii. 17, 19.
9 (7.) To me (belongs) Gilead aiid to me Manasseh, and Ephraim the strength of my head^ Judah my lawgiver. The idea still is that the whole of Canaan rightfully belongs to Israel. The form of expression is analogous to that in the preceding
70 PSALM LX.
verse, but witli a beautiful variation. As the two great divisions of tbe country, east and west of Jordan, are there represented by- detached points, Shechem and Succoth, so here by the names of extensive districts, Judah and Ephraim, the two largest territories on the west, Bashan and Gilead on the east, the latter called by its own name, the former by that of the tribe which occupied the greater part of it. See Deut. iii. 12, 13. The last clause does due honour to the military strength of Ephraim (Gen. xlviii. 19. Deut. xxxiii. 17), but asserts the civil supremacy of Judah (Gen. xlix. 10.) The phrase translated strength of my head might seem to mean 7mj chief strength ; but that would require the terms to be inverted, head of my strength. Compare Gen. xlix. 3. It rather means the protection of my head, as strength of my life in Ps. xxvii. 1 means that which protects my life, the head being mentioned as the vital part peculiarly exposed. Compare Ps. Ixviii. 22 (21.) ex. 6. Some suppose the figure to be that of a helmet, which is too specific. In the last clause there is obvious allusion to the prophecy in Gen. xlix. 10. Lawgiver has its proper sense of ruler, sovereign. That of rod or sceptre, which some give it, rests upon a doubtful explanation of Numb. xxi. 18.
10 (8.) Moah (is) my wash-jpot ; at Edom tcill I throw my shoe ; at we, Philistia, shout aloud ! The three hostile powers, with which Israel was most frequently at war, are here put to- gether, as the objects of a contemptuous address. Moab is likened to the humblest household utensil, the vessel in which slaves were wont to wash their master's feet. Edom is likened to the slave himself, to whom or at whom the master throws his shoe when about to bathe his feet. Compare Matth. iii. 11. Acts xiii. 25. This is much better suited to the context than the allusion, which some assume, to the practice mentioned in Ruth iv. 7, where the removal of the shoe is a symbol of renunciation, and could not be here used to express the opposite idea of seizure or triumphant occupation. Shout aloud., or mahe a noise., is by
PSALM LX. 71
some explained as an expression of triumph, and the whole clause treated as ironical. Others understand it of the acclamation or shout of welcome and applause by which subjects recognise and hail their sovereign. See above, on Ps. ii. 11, where the exhort- ation to rejoice with tremUing is, by the same interpreters, explained in the same manner. In either case, the clause implies superiority in him who speaks, and willing or compulsory subjec- tion on the part of those whom he addresses.
11 (9.) Who will bring me (to) the fenced city 1 JVho has led me up to Edam 1 In reliance on God's promise, and in the possession of the hope and courage just expressed, his people are ready to go forward, and only waiting, as it were, for some one to conduct them into the enemy's country, nay, into his very citadel. The fenced city^ literally, city of defence or fortification^ a phrase already used in Ps. xxxi. 22 (21,) is Petra, the famous capital of Idumea, hewn in the rock, and almost perfectly impreg- nable. See Robinson's Palestine, vol. II. pp. 573 — 580. The past tense in the last clause represents the question as already answered. Up to^ even to, as far as, implying not mere motion or direction, but actual arrival.
12 (10.) (Is ft) not thou^ oh God^ (who) hast cast us off and wilt not go forth with our hosts ? A simpler construction of the first clause would be, hast thou not cast us off '^ But it seems better to explain the verse as an indirect answer to the question in the one preceding. Who has brought us into Edom, if not He who had rejected us .-' The terms are borrowed from Ps. xliv. 10 (9), which seems to have been written in the midst of the distress here spoken of as past. ' Wilt not thou, of whom we lately were compelled to say, thou hast forsaken us and wilt not go forth with our hosts .^' Compare 2 Sam. v. 24.
13 (11.) Give us help from trouble i^rfrom the enemiy) ; and
72 PSALM LX.
(the rather because) vain (is) the salvation of man^ i. e. the deliverance which man affords. The causal particle, for, hc- causCy which seems necessary to connect the clauses, is implied but not expressed in Hebrew. The second noun (nir) may either mean distress^ as in Ps. iv. 2(1.) xviii. 7 (6), or one who gives distress, a persecuting or oppressing enemy, as in Ps. iii. 2(1.) xiii. 5 (4.) xxvii. 2, 12. xliv. 6, 8, 11 (5, 7, 10.) Either sense would be appropriate, but the latter is strongly recommended by its occurrence in the next verse.
14 (12.) In God we will make (i. e. gain or gather) strength^ and he will tread down (or trample on) our adversaries (perse- cutors or oppressors.) The prayer is followed by the confident anticipation of the answer. In God^ i. e. in union with him, in possession of him. See above, on Ps. xviii. 30 (29.) The com- mon version of the next phrase ( shall do valiantly) is vague and dubious, beinor inadmissible in several of the cases where the phrase occurs, whereas they all admit of the translation make or gather strength^ in reference to the acquisition or recovery of force by those who had before been in a state of weakness. See below, on Ps. cviii. 14 (13.) cxviii. 15, 16, and compare Ezek. xxviii. 4. Ruth iv. 11. Deut. viii. 17, 18. Num. xxiv. 18., to the last of which places there is obvious allusion here, as relating to the very same enemies. Treading or trampling^ as an emblem of violent subjection, occurs above in a contemporaneous pas- sage, Ps. xliv. 6 (5.) The last eight verses reappear as a part of Ps. cviii, in the exposition of which the points of difference and the general relation of the passages will be considered.
PSALM LXl
73
PSALM LXI.
1. To the Chief Musician — on a stringed instrument (or witli an instrumental accompaniment) — of David. The peculiar form of the original construction (ni.-b t'TV) cannot be reproduced in English, but seems to connect the name of David both with the Hebrew word preceding, as the owner or conductor of the music, and with the psalm itself as the author. That is to say, the words are so combined as to convey both these ideas — a stringed instrument of David — and a jisalm of David. The musical term (neginath) is the same as in the titles of Ps. iv, vi, liv, Iv, but in the singular number and the construct form. The psalm itself consists of a prayer with an expression of strong confidence, vs. 2 — 5 (1 — 4), and an appeal to the divine pro- mise, as the ground and object of that confidence, vs. 6 — 9 (5 — 8.)
2 (1.) Hear., ok God, my cry ; attend unto my prayer ! The psalm opens with an introductory petition to be heard. See above, on Ps. v. 2, 3 (I, 2.) xvii. 1. Iv. 2 (1), and compare Ps. xxxix. 12 (13.) The word translated cry, which sometimes means a joyful shout or thankful song — Ps. xxx. 6 (5.) xlii. 5 (4.) xlvii. 2 (1) — is here determined by the parallelism and the context to denote a cry for help or mercy.
3 (2.) From the end of the earth unto thee will I call, in the covering of my heart (when it is covered, i. e. overwhelmed, or
VOL. II. 4
74 PSALM LXf.
covered with darkness.) To a rock (that) is high from me^ (i. e. higher than I, or too high for me) thou icilt lead me. To the saints of the Old Testament exclusion or involuntary distance from the sanctuary seemed equivalent to exile in the remotest countries, sometimes called the end of the earth (Deut. xxviii. 64), sometimes the end of heaven (Deut. iv. 32), although this last phrase may be understood to mean the sensible horizon or boundary of vision (Isai. xiii. 5.) A rock., often mentioned as a place of refuge. See above, on Ps. xviii. 3 (2.) xl. 3 (2.) Too high for me to reach without assistance. Jn the last clause au earnest prayer is latent under the form of a confident antici- pation. The feelings here expressed, and the terms used to ex- press them, are peculiarly appropriate to David's situation dur- ing Absalom's rebellion. See above, on Ps. iii. 1. xlii. 1.
4 (3.) For thou hast been a refuge to me, a tower of strength (or strong tower) from before (from the face or presence of) the enemy. He appeals to former mercies as a ground for his present expectation. The verb of existence is here emphatic and cannot, without a violation of usage, be translated as a present, which is almost invariably suppressed in Hebrew. The enemy is a collec- tive term, or one denoting an ideal person, including many real individuals.
5 (4.) I ivill sojourn (or abide) in thy tent (or tabernacle) ages (or eternities^ i. e. forever) ; / will trust (take refuge or find shelter) in the shadow) of thy wings. The first verb is in the paragogic form, expressing strong desire or fixed determination. See above, on Ps. ii. 3. To dwell in God's tent or house is to be a member of his family, to enjoy his bounty and protection, and to live in intimate communion with him. See above, on Ps. XV. 1. xxiii. 6. xxvii. 4, 5. David here tacitly appeals to the promise recorded in 2 Sam. ch. vii. See above, on Ps. xxi. 5 (4.)
PSALM LXl. 75
The beautiful figure for protection in the last clause is the same as in Ps. xvii. 8. xxxvi. 8 (7.)
6 (5.) For thou^ oh God^ hast heard (or hearkened to) my vows (and the prayers which they accompanied) ; thou, hast given me the heritage of those fearing (or the fearers of) thy oiame^ i. e. the reverential worshippers of thy revealed perfections. See above, on Ps. liv. 3 (1.) The heritage here mentioned is par- ticipation in the honours and privileges of the chosen people, with particular though tacit reference to the vicarious royalty conferred on David, and ensured to his posterity in answer to his prayers. See above, on Ps. xxi. 3 — 5 (2 — 4), and compare 2 Sam. vii. 16.
7 (6.) Days to the days of the king thou wilt add ; his years (shall be, or, thou wilt multiply) like generation and generation. The preposition in the first clause strictly means u^on^ and sug- gests the idea not of mere addition but accumulation, which woitld also be conveyed in English by the literal translation, days upon days. His use of the third person shows that he does not mean himself alone, but the king of Israel as an ideal or collec- tive person, comprehending his posterity. The life of this ideal person would of course not be restricted to a single generation but continued through many, which is the meaning of the idio- matic expression in the last clause.
8 (7.) He shall sit (enthroned) to eternity lefore God; mercy and truth do thou p-ovide ; let them ^preserve him (or they shall preserve him.) The first verb suggests the two ideas of continu- ance or permanence and regal exaltation. See above, on Ps. Iv. 20 (19), and compare 2 Sam. vii. 29. Before God^ in his pre- sence and under his protection. See above, on Ps. Ivi. 14 (13.) Provide^ prepare, afibrd, or have in readiness. Mercy and Truth are personified, as in Ps. xl. 12 (11.) Ivii. 4 (3.) Compare Ps.
76 PSALM LXII.
xliii. 3. They seem to be here represented as God's messengers or agents in preserving his Anointed.
9 (8.) So will I celebrate thy name forever ^ that I may pay my vows day {by) day. The so at the beginning may mean, on this condition, when this prayer is granted ; or more probably, in this assurance, in the confident expectation of this issue. Celebrate musically, both with instrument and voice. See above, on Ps. Ivii. 8 (7), and compare Ps. lix. IS (17.) That I may pay, literally, to (or for) my paying^ or, as some explain it, by my pay - ingy which however is a rare and dubious use of the infinitive. Day (by) day or day (and) day, i. e. one day with or after ano- ther, implying not only frequency but regularity. The Vulgate version of this idiomatic phrase is de die in diem.
PSALM LXII.
1. To the Chief Musician over Jeduthim. A psalm by David. Jeduthun seems here to mean the family or choir so called from the Chief Musician of that name. See above, on Ps. xxxix. 1. The psalm consists of three equal stanzas or strophes, each be- ginning with the particle (tji^) only., and the first and second end- ing with selah. In all these parts, the theme or burden is the same, to wit, a contrast between God and man, as objects of confidence.
2 (1.) Only to God (is) my soul silent ; from him (is) my sal- vation. The frequent repetition of the first word {ycaC) is cha- racteristic of the psalm before us. In all these cases it is to be
PSALM LXII. 7.7
taken in its strict exclusive sense of only. See above, on Ps. Iviii. 12 (11.) Only in looking towards God as my Saviour, is my soul silent^ literally, silence. See above, on Ps. xxii. 3 (2.) xxxix. 3 (2.) This trust, and this alone, can set his mind at rest, and free him from the natural disquietude of man when alienated from his God.
3 (2.) Only He (is) my rock and my salvation, my height fhigh place, refuge, or asylum) ; I shall not be shaken (moved from my firm position) much (or greatly.) The adverbial use of much is the same in Hebrew and in English. This qualified expression seems to be intended to suggest, that he does not hope to escape all disaster and calamity, but only such as would be ruinous. See above, on Ps. xxxvii. 24. As to the fio-ures in the first clause, see above, on Ps. ix. 10 (9.) xviii. 3 (2.) He only.) God and no one else, can be such a protector.
4 (3.) Until when (how long) will ye break loose upon (or against) a man., icill ye murder (i. e. seek to murder him) all of you (com- bined against a single person, who is consequently) like a wall in- clined (or bent by violence), a fence (or hedge) crushed (broken down }) That the last clause relates to himself and not his enemies, is clear from the continuation of the same description in the next verse.
5 (4.) Oidy from his elevation they consult to thrust (him , and as a means to this end) they delight in falsehood ; with his mouth, (i, e. with their mouths) they will bless, and in their inside (in- wardly, or with their heart) they icill curse. Sdah. The sud- den change of number in the middle of the verse, and indeed the whole description, are like those in Ps. v. 10 (9.)
6 (5.) Only to God be still my soul, for from him (is) my hope. The view just taken of his fellow men drives him back to God,
73 PSALM LXIl.
and he exhorts himself to cherish the same confidence which he had before expressed. Be stilly silent, trusting, and submissive. See above, on v. 2 (1), and compare Ps. xxxvii. 7. The mean- ing of the last clause is, from him proceeds whatever I desire or hope for.
7 (6.) *Only He is my rock (the foundation of my hope) and my salvation (i. e. its source and author) — my high j)lace (refuge or asylum) — I shall not he moved (or shaken.) This more absolute expression, as compared with v. 3 (2), seems to indicate a stronger faith, derived from the previous comparison of God and man as objects of trust and affection.
8 (7.) TJfon God (i. e. dependent, founded on him) is my sal- vation, and my honour (both official and personal) ; the rock of my strength (my strong rock, or the basis upon which my own strength rests) ; my hiding place (my refuge) is in God. It is in his presence, favour and protection, that I hide myself from all my enemies and all my dangers. See above, on Ps. vii. 11 (10.) Ixi. 4 (3.)
9 (8.) Trust in him at every time, oh people, pour out before him your heart ; God (is) a refuge for us. Selah. The faith which he cherishes himself he recommends to others also. At every time, not merely in prosperity, but even in the sorest trials and the worst extremities. People, not merely men or persons, but people of God, his chosen people. To pour out the heart is a natural and lively figure for a full disclosure of the thoughts and feelings. See above, on Ps. xlii. 5 (4), and below, on Ps. cxlii. 3 (2), and compare 1 Sam. i. 15. Lam. ii. 19. The last clause gives the reason of the exhortation, and indicates its ear- nestness by a solemn pause.
10 (9.) Only vanity (are) sons of Adam, a falsehood sons of
PSALM LXII. 79
Man ; in the scales (they are sure) to go up ; they are of vanity (or less than vanity) together. As to the supposed antithesis between men of high and low degree in the first clause, see above, on Ps. iv. 3 (2.) xlix. 3 (2.) Only vanity^ see above, on Ps. xxxix. 6 (5.) A falsehood., something that deceives expectation, a false confidence. See above, on Ps. iv. 3 (2.) Of vanity, composed of it, containing nothing else ; or giving the particle its frequent comparative sense, (less) than vanity., or (vainer) than vanity {itself. ) The same doubt exists as to the meaning of the similar expressions in Isai. xl. 17. xli. 24.
11 (10.) Truest not in oppression , and in r cilery lecome not vain; (on) icealth., when it grows., set not (your) heart. The first two nouns are used together in Lev. v. 23 (vi. 4) to signify that which is acquired by violence. They are not therefore to be taken as distinct grounds of confidence, but as different parts or different descriptions of the same. Become not vain., by being assimilated to the vain, unsatisfying objects of your love and hope. See 2 Kings xvii. 15, and compare Jer. ii. 5. Job xxvii. 12. The word translated wealth means strictly strength or power .^ but is applied to pecuniary as well as military force. See above, on Ps. xlix. 7 (6.) Grows, literally sprouts, or springs up of its own accord, perhaps with an antithetical allusion to wealth gained by violence. Even when lawfully or accidentally acquired, set not )^our heart upon it. This phrase in Plebrew sometimes means nothing more than to apply the mind or give attention, and so some understand it here, ' when wealth increases, take no notice, think not of it' ; but the stronger sense of fixing the affections on it, loving it, and trusting it, is better in itself and better suited to the context.
12, 13 (11, 12.) One (thing) hath God spoken, these two (things) have I heard, that strength (belongeth) u7ito God, and (that) unto thee, oh Lord, (belongeth) mercy, (^but) that thou wUt
80 PSALM LXII.
render to a man according to his deed (or doing.) There are reallj three attributes of God here mentioned, his power, his mercy, and his justice ; but as the last is only introduced to qualify the second, by a kind of afterthought, they may still be reckoned as but two. The construction given in the English and many other versions separates the sentences, and makes the first refer to a repeated utterance or revelation of the one truth there propounded, namely, that poicer helongeth unto God. Instead of one things two things., we must then read once and twice. But this, though favoured by the imitation of the verse before us in Job xxxiii. 14. xl. 5, is not the most obvious construction here It is evident that one and two., when absolutely or elliptically used, may sometimes mean on^ time., (i. e. once) and tnw tinieSj (i. e. twice) ; but it does not follow that the same words, in a different connection, may not mean one word or thing., two words or things. It is also a familiar practice of the sacred writers to borrow one another's words, or to repeat their own, with some slight change of sense or application. The pronoun (-t) in v. 12
(11) may be either a demonstrative or relative, and on the latter supposition we may read, (there are) two (things) which I have heard; but the other is a simpler and more obvious con- struction. The apostrophe or sudden change of person in v. 13
(12) is a figure of speech common in the psalms of David, and indicates a growing warmth of feeling, so that He who had just been calmly spoken of as absent, is abruptly addressed as if seen to be personally present.
PSALM LXIll 81
PSALM L X I I I .
1. A Psalm by David, in his hevng (when he was) in the wilder- ness of Judah. This is the wilderness along the eastern frontier of the tribe of Judah. It is frequently mentioned in the history of Absalom's rebellion and of David's flight before him. See 2 Sam. XV. 23, 28. xvi. 2, 14. xvii. 16. In that history we also meet with several of the very same expressions that are here used, which, together with the strong internal similarity of this psalm to some others having reference to Absalom's rebellion, such as Ps. iii, iv, xlii, Ixi, suffice to show that it belongs to the same period, and not to that of Saul's persecution, which is in- deed forbidden by the mention of the king in v. 12 (11.) The psalm consists of two parts, each exhibiting essentially the same succession of ideas, but with the variation usual in all such cases. Both begin with the expression of intense desire for God's pre- sence and communion with him, and end with a confident antici- pation of his mercy ; but in the first, vs. 2 — 9 (1 — 8), this is supposed to be displayed in the deliverance of the Psalmist from his sufferings ; in the second, vs. 7—12 (6—11), it is viewed as securmg the destruction of his enemies.
2 (1.) O God ^ my God {art) thou; I will seek thee early ; for
thee thirsts my soul; for thee longs my flesh, in a dry land^ioeary,
without water. The second divine name is the one denoting
power, and might be translated here, my Mighty {One). The
4*
82 PSALM LXIIl.
very use of it involves a direct appeal to God's omnipotence. The verb in the first clause is connected in its etymology with a noun meaning the dawn of day, which occurs above, Ps. Ivii. 9 (8.) The modern lexicographers exclude the sense of early^ and sup- pose the verb to mean nothing more than seek in English, or at most to seek with easxerness. But that the notion of time is really included, seems to follow from the antithesis in Isai. xxvi. 9. The act of seeking a thing early implies impatience or importunate desire. The soul and the flesh together mean the whole man. See above, on Ps. xvi. 9. There is evident allu- sion to the actual privations experienced by David in the wilder- ness of Judah. See the places cited in the note upon v. 1, to which add 2 Sam. xvii. 2. The Hebrew word for loeary is there applied to David himself, which requires or allows the same ap- plication in the case before us, especially as the form of the adjective is masculine, and land is feminine. The strict gram- matical concord is perhaps with Jlesh, which is a masculine in Hebrew.
3 (2.) To see thy poioer and thy glory ^ so (as) I have beheld thee in the sanctuary. The first clause states the object of the strong desire expressed in the preceding verse. To make this connection clear, the clauses are transposed in the common ver- sion, which is here retained, as being, on the whole, the best among the many which have been proposed. One of the latest makes the verse an acknowledgment, that he had actually found a sanctuary in the desert, because it is always to be found where God is pleased to manifest his presence. But however sound and scriptural this sentiment may be, it can hardly be extracted from the verse before us without violence.
4 (3.) Because thy favour is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. A simpler construction, and perhaps more agreeable to Hebrew usage, is that which makes the first clause ffive a
PSALM LXIIf. 33
reason for the strong desire expressed in the foregoing verses, for thy favour is better than life, and the last clause merely add a pledge of thankful acknowledgment, my lips shall praise thee. Better than life, not merely than the life I now live, which was scarcely entitled to be so considered, but better than any life I could live, destitute of God's favour, which is therefore more than a sufficient substitute or compensation.
5 (4.) So will I bless thee in my life, in thy name icill I raise my haiuls. So, that is, according to the gift bestowed. Bless, i. e. praise and thank thee. See above, on Ps xvi. 7. xxxiv. 2(1.) In my life may either mean as long as I live, which is the obvious and usual interpretation, or when restored to life, from this state of living death, which is the sense preferred by some of the best interpreters, on account of the supposed allusion to letter than life in the preceding verse ; but it is far from being the most natural construction. In thy name, invoking thee as the object of my worship, and particularly of my thankful praise. Lift up my hands in prayer, and more specifically here, in thanksgiving. See above, on Ps. xxviii. 3 (2.)
6 (5.) As (with) marrow and fatness shall my soul be satisfied^ and (with) lips of rejoicing shall my mouth praise (thee.) He continues the expression of his joyful confidence and hope. Mar- row and fatness are used to represent two Hebrew words both meaning animal fat, here put for rich food, and that for abund- ant supplies of every kind. Lips of rejoicings may denote either joyful lips, or lips by which rejoicings are uttered. The uncon- ditional engagement to praise God implies, as usual, a firm belief that he will have occasion so to do. See above, on Ps. v. 8 (7.)
7 (6.) When I remember thee upon my bed, in the watches 1 will meditate upon thee. The first word in Hebrew is the one
84 PSALM LXIIT.
commonly translated if ; but the condition indicated by it is sometimes specifically that of time. There seems to be refer- ence in this verse to the old division of the night, for municipal and military purposes, into three watches, the first (Lam. ii. 19), the middle (Judg. vii. 19), and the morning watch (Ex. xiv. 24. 1 Sam. xi. 11.) See below, on Ps. xc. 4. / will meditate of thee^ or more literally, in thce^ implying an entire absorption of his powers and affections in the object. See above, on Ps. i. 2.
8 (7.) For thou hast been a help to me, and in the shadoiv of thy wings will I rejoice. The protection which he has experi- enced already he is sure of still enjoying in the time to come. The translation of the first verb as a present {thou art my help) not only weakens the antithesis but violates a constant usage. See above, on Ps. lix. 17 (16.) Ixi. 4 (3.) The image pre- sented in the last clause is the same as that in Ps. xvii. 8. xxxvi. 8 (7.) Ivii. 2(1.) Ixi. 5 (4.)
9 (8.) 31y soul cleaves after thee^ thy right hand holds me. This is a strong metaphorical description of the mutual relation be- tween God and the believer ; a relation of trustful dependence on the one hand, and of constant favour and protection on tho other. Cleaves after is a frequent phrase for follows cleaving to thee. The right hand is the constant symbol of strength. See above, on Ps. xviii. 36 (35.) xliv. 4 (3.) Ix. 6 (5.)
10 (9.) And they to (their) ruin are seeking my soul ; they shall go into the depths of the earth. The phrase to ruin has precisely the same sense as in Ps. xxxv. 8, namely, to their own destruction. Are seeking., will seek ; the idea suggested by the future is, that if they still persist in seeking it, they will do so to their own destruction. Some obtain the same sense by a different construction, they (shall comej to ruin (who) are seek-
PSALM LXIII. g5
ing my soul ; but this supposes two ellipses, which are not to be assumed without necessity. Still less satisfactory is the con- struction which regards the whole verse as a single proposition : they (who) seek my soul to ruin (or destroy it) shall go^ etc. To seek the soul implies a purpose of destruction, without any quali- fying adjunct, even in prose. See 2 Sam. xvi. 11. The depths of the earthy literally, its lower or lowest parts, which may simply mean the grave (as we SB,ju7ider ground)^ or contain an allusion to the fate of Korah and his company (Num. xvi. 31 — 34.) See above, on Ps. Iv. 16 (^15.)
11 (10.) They shall be abandoned to the poicer of the suwrd ; the prey of jackals shall they be. The literal translation of the first clause is, they shall pour him out upon the hands of the sword., where the use of the plural verb in an indefinite or pas- sive sense, and the sudden alternation of the singular and plural form in speaking of the enemy, together with the bold and idiomatic figures of a sword with hands and men poured on them, present such a concurrence of apparent solecisms as can be made intelligible only by a paraphrase. The word translated prey means properly a share or portion; it occurs above, Ps. xi. 6. xvi. 5. The other noun in this clause is the common Hebrew word for foxes., but is used with so much latitude as to include the jackal, which sense must be here preferred, as the fox does not prey upon dead men, unless the clause be under- stood to mean nothing more than that they shall be left lying in the desert, where these creatures have their home, which is a good sense, but much weaker than the one just put upon the words.
12 (11.) And the king shall rejoice in God ; fin him) shall every one boast (ov glory) that swears by him., because the mouth of those speaking falsehood shall be shut (or stopped.) Instead of the personal pronoun he inserts his oflScial title, the king., i. e.
86 PSALM LXIV.
I as king. Rejoice in God^ i. e. in union with him and in the experience of /his favour. Boast or praise himself ^ i. e. felicitate himself on the possession of these glorious distinctions and ad- vantages. Swearing by him^ i. e. as some suppose, by the king here mentioned, according to the old Egyptian custom (Gen. xlii. 15, 16), of which we find some traces even in Israel (1 Sam. xvii. 55. XXV. 26. 2 Sam. xi. 11.) If this were the true gram- matical construction we might perhaps explaui the phrase to mean swearing to him^ i. e. swearing fealty or allegiance, doing homao-e to him as a rio-htful soverei2;n. But there is in fact no sufficient reason for departing from the obvious construction which refers the pronoun to the nearest antecedent, God. The last clause assigns the immediate occasion of the joy and triumph here predicted, namely the defeat of false and treacherous insur- gents. See above, on Ps. Ixii. 5 (4), and compare 2 Sam. xviii. 7,8.
PSALM LXIV.
1. To the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David. The correctness of this title is abundantly established by the marked internal similarity between this and other psalms of David. Its very structure is Davidic, exhibiting the two familiar elements of a prayer for deliverance from wicked enemies, vs. 2 — 6 (1 — 5), and a confident anticipation of a favourable answer, vs. 7 — 11 (6-10.)
2(1) Hear., oh God^ my voice in my complaint ; from fear of the enemy thou wilt preserve my life. Here, as in Ps. liv, 3(1),
PSA.LM LXIV. 87
the expression of confidence insinuates itself into the prayer itself. Co?)iplaintj literally, musing, meditation, but with special refer- ence to sufiering and danger. See above, on Ps. Iv. 3 (2.) Fear of the enemy ^ that which I have reason to fear from him.
3 (2.) Thou wilt hide me from the secret of evil doers^from the iiimidt of the workers of iniquity. By secret we are here to understand their confidential consultations and the devices there matured. See above, on Ps. xxv. 14. The participle doing evil, used as a noun (evil doers) to describe the whole class of wicked men, is a favourite expression of David's. See above, Ps. xxii. 17 (16.) xxvi. 5. xxvii. 2. xxxvii. 1, 9. As secrcci/ be- longs to the formation of the plot, so does noise or tumult to its execution. The same figures are combined, but in a very difi'erent application, Ps. Iv. 15 (14.)
4 (3.) Who have sharpened, like the sivord, their tongiie, have strung their arroiv, bitter speech. The figure in the first clause is a favourite with David. See above, on Ps. lii. 4 (2.) Ivii. 5 (4.) lix. 8 (7.) Strung their arroio, literally trod (i, e. lent) it, which must either be explained as an ellipsis — bent their (bow to shoot their) arrow — or as a poetical transfer to the arrow of what is strictly applicable only to the bow. See above, on Ps. Iviii. 8 (7.) The figure of an arrow is peculiarly appropriate to the poignant pain produced by insult and calumny, which is also well expressed by the epithet hitter. Compare Deut. xxxii. 24. 1 Sam. XV. 32.
5 (4.) To shoot in secret places (at) the perfect ; suddenly they will shoot him, and will not fear. With the first clause compare Ps. X. 8. xi. 2. The perfect, the sincere and upright servant of God, who is free from all fatal and essential defect of character. See above, on Ps. xv. 2. xviii. 24. (23.) vii. 9 (8.) xxv. 21. xxvi. i, 13. xxxvii. 37, in the last of which places the Hebrew adjec-
88 PSALM LXIV.
tive has the same form as in the case before us. And will not fear J i. e. without being deterred by the fear of God or man. See above, on Ps. Iv. 20 (19.)
6 (5.) They will strengthen for themselves an evil word ; they will tell about hiding snares ; they have said, who tcill see to them ? To strengthen is to make strong, to construct so as to be strong. An evil word is an idiomatic phrase for a malignant plot, so called because it is the fruit of mutual discourse and consultation. See above, on Ps. xli. 9 (8.) Tell about, count and recount their various devices, past and present. See above, on Ps. lix. 13 (12.) The interrogation in the last clause is an indirect one ; the equivalent direct form would be, icho will see to us, i. e. regard us .^ Compare Ps. x. 11. lix. 8 (7.)
7 (6.) They search out iniquities ; (they say) TVe are ready — a consummate plan ! and the inward thought and heart of (^every) man (is) deep. They rack their invention and ransack their memory for modes of doing mischief. We are ready, literally finished, just as we might say in English, we are done. The next phrase consists of a passive participle, derived from the verb at the beginning of the sentence, and a cognate noun. The parti- ciple here corresponds to exquisite, recherche, something not to be had without laborious search, and the noun describes the product of the search itself. The last clause is added to enhance the danger, by representing the device as springing not from shallow, superficial, but profound contrivance. Inward thought, literally inside, an equivalent to heart often used by David. See above, on Ps. V. 10 (9.) xlix. 12 (11.) Iv. 16 (15.) Ixii. 5 (4.)
8 (7.) But God has shot them — with an arrow — suddenly — the wounds are theirs. By an abrupt but beautiful transition he describes the tables as completely turned upon the enemy. The antithesis is rendered very striking by the repetition of
PSALM LXIV. 89
the verb, noun, and adverb used in vs. 4, 5 (3, 4.) Just as they are about to shoot an arrow suddenly at the righteous, God shoots an arrow suddenly at them. The wounds which they intended to inflict on others have become (^^^) their own. When they thought to strike others, they were struck themselves. The general idea is the same as in Ps. vii. 12 — 17 (11 — 16.) liii. 6 (5.) Ivii. 7 (6.) The adversative particle at the beginning is substituted for the simple copulative of the Hebrew, to make the transition or antithesis more obvious in English. See above, onPs. Hi. 10 (8.) Iv. 14 (13.)
9 (8.) And he has cast them down; upon them {comes) their own tongue ; all shall flee , gazing at them. Cast doion.^ literally, made to fall or stumble. See the use of the same verb in histor- ical prose, 2 Chron. 25. 8, and compare the original of 2 Chron. xxviii. 23. The construction is indefinite, as in Ps. Ixiii. 11 (10), they have cast him down., i. e. he is cast down, meaning the enemy as an ideal person, who, according to the usage of these psalms, is immediately afterwards referred to in the plural number. Their tongue., i. e. the consequences of their false, malignant speeches and their mischievous deliberations. The verb in the last clause is an intensive form of the one used in Ps. xxxi. 12 (11.) Iv. 8 (7.) Gazing at them., not simply seeing them, but seeing with emotion, whether that of wonder, joy, or terror. See above, on Ps. liv. 9 (7.) lix. 11 (10.) The clause seems to contain an allusion to the flight of the people, when the earth opened to devour Korah and his company. Num. xvi. 34.
10 (9.) And all men fear^ and pronounce {it) Godh doings and his work they understand. The conversive futures show the dependence of the sentence upon that which goes before it and describe the action not as actually past, but as directly conse- quent upon the great catastrophe described in the preceding
90 PSALM LXV.
context. And declared the work of God^ i. e. pronouuced it to be such. Compare Ex. viii. 19. His work they wilder stand ^ i. e. no longer foolishly ascribe it to mere chance or human agency.
11 (10.) Glad shall the righteous he in Jehovah^ and shall trust in him ; and (in him) shall hoast (or glory) all the ujpright in heart. Having described the effect of the divine interposition on the wicked and on men in general, he now shows how it will affect the righteous. In Jehovah means, as usual, in union with him and possession of him. The word translated trust is that which seems originally to denote the act of seeking shelter under an overshadowing object. See above, on Ps. Ixiii. 8 (7.) With the last clause compare Ps. Iviii. 11 (10.) Ixiii. 12 (H.j
PSALM LXV.
1. To the Chief Musician. A Psalm. By David. A Song, i. e. a song of praise. See above, on Ps. xlviii. 1. xlii. 9 (8.) God is first praised in general, as a God of mercy and benevo- lence to all men, vs. 2 — 9 (1 — 8), and then in particular, as the giver of fruitful seasons and abundance, vs. 10 — 14 (9 — 13.)
2(1.) To thee fbelongeth) silence, praise, oh God, in Zion, and to thee shall be paid the vow The two words silence-praise form a kind of compound term, like humility-righteousness in Ps. xlv. 5 (4,) meaning, as some suppose, silent praise, but this is hardly consistent with the fact that the praise here offered is vocal. More probably it means such praise as is accompanied by a cessation of all tumultuous and passionate excitement. See
PSALM LXV. 91.
above, on Ps. Ixli. 2, 6 (1, 5.) In Zion^ as the appointed place of prayer and praise under the old economy. The last clause implies that fresh occasion was continually given for thankful vows and their fulfilment, by the constant repetition of God's providential favours.
3 (2.) Hearer of prayer ^ uf to thee shall all Jlesh come. The first word in Hebrew is a participle, hearing^ thou who habitually hearest prayer. This is mentioned as one of the divine cha- racters or attributes. Up to thee^ even to thee, implying actual arrival, and therefore a stronger expression than unto thee. All Jlesh sometimes means all animals, all living creatures (Gen. vi.
17, 19), but is here used in its narrower sense of all mankind (Gen. vi. 3, 12.) To thee they shall come, i. e, must come, for the supply of their necessities, the forgiveness of their sins, and in short for every good and perfect gift (James i. 17), both of a temporal and spiritual nature.
4 (3.) Words of iniquities are too strong for me ; (as forj our transgressions^ thou wilt expiate them., or forgive them for the sake of an atonement. Words of iniquities is by some regarded as a pleonastic paraphrase for iniquities themselves. More pro- bably, however, the phrase means the charge or accusation of iniquity. See above, on Ps. vii. 1. xli. 9, (S), and below, on Ps. cv. 27. Too strong for me., more than I am able to account for or endure. vSee above, on Ps. xl. 13 (12), and below, on Ps. C2CXX. 3. The last clause contains the encouragement suited to the alarming situation mentioned in the first.
5 (4.) Happy (he whomj thou wilt choose and bring (him) near., i. e. admit him to thy presence and to intimate communion with thee, (so that) he shall inhabit thy courts ; ice shall be sated., satisfied or filled, luith the good., i. e. the pleasure, the enjoyment, of thy house, the holy (place) thy temple, or thy holy temple, thy
92 PSALM LXV.
sanctuary, au expression used both of the tabernacle and the temple properly so called. See above, on Ps. v. 8 (7.) The , privilege described is not merely that of public worship at the place of God's appointment, but of residence in his family and participation in the privileges of his household. See above, on Ps. XV. 1. xxiii. 6. The change from the third person singular to the first plural shows that the former was only an individuali- zation of the church or chosen people.
6 (5.) Fearful things in righteousness thou tollt answer us, ok God of our salvation^ the confidence of all the ends of the land and sea — (even) the furthest . Thou wilt give us fearful answers to our prayers, i. e. such as are suited to excite religious rever- ence and awe. The confidence^ the object of their trust. Earth (or land) and sea are put together to describe the whole world, and the ends of both for the remotest countries, which idea is then expressed directly, by the word at the end of the sentence. The superlative cannot be expressed in Hebrew, but is here suggested by the context. The sense is not that all men actually feel this trust in God, but that whether they feel it or not, they are really dependent upon him alone. Compare Isai. xlii. 4.
7 (6.) Fixing the mountains hy his strength^ girded with power. This verse accounts for the dependence of all creatures upon God by a reference to his almighty power, which is not described in general terms, but by one of its effects or acts, the settling of the mountains, as the most solid and immovable portions of the earth. He is then metaphorically represented as girded or invested with power. See below, on v. 13 (12.)
8 (7.) Stilling the roar of seas, the roar of their waves, the tumult of nations. The sentence is continued from the foregoino; verse. God not only formed the material universe at first, but still controls it. There is here a beautiful transition from the literal to the figurative use of the same language. It is true, in
PSALM LXV
93
the strict sense, that God stills the raging of the seas ; but it is also true that he subdues the commotion of human societies and states, of which the sea is a natural and common emblem. See above, on Ps. xlvi. 3, 4 (2, 3.) Hence he adds in express terms, the tumult of nation?,.
9 (8.) Then were afraid those inhabiting the ends (or most distant parts) of thy signs ; the outgoings of morning and evening thou wilt make to shout (or sing.) Then is not expressed in Hebrew, but employed in the translation to show the dependence of the verb on that of the preceding sentence. The sense is that whenever God thus stills the tumult of the nations, even the remotest are affected by his signs, i. e. the sensible indications of his presence and immediate agency. Outgoings is a local noun in Hebrew, and denotes the places where the evening and the morning come forth or begin, i. e. the points at which the sun sets and rises, the east and west, here put for eastern and western lands, and these for their inhabitants. That the fear mentioned in the first clause is not mere slavish dread, but an affection per- fectly compatible with joy, is clear from the remainder of the sentence.
10 (9.) Thou hast visited the earth and drenched it; thou wilt much enrich it; the river of God is full of icater ; thou wilt -prepare their corn, for thus thou dost prepare it, i. e. the earth, for this very purpose. God is said to visit his creatures when he manifests his presence with them, whether in the way of judgment or of mercy. See above, on Ps. viii. 5 (4.) Drenched, soaked, or made to overflow. The word translated much is the same as in Ps. Ixii, 3 (2.) The river of God, as opposed to earthly streams. However these may fail, the divine resources are exhaustless. Their corn, that required for men's subsistence. See above, on Ps. iv. 8 (7.) The meaning of the last clause seems to be that
94 PSALM LXV.
he who provides rain to fertilize the earth, may be expected to provide the fruit itself.
11 (10.) Its furroics drench,, its ridges heat down; with showers thou wilt soften it ; its vegetation thou wilt bless. The first verb means to water abundantly, the second to lower or beat down, implying a great violence of rain. The word translated showers,, according to its etymology and usage, denotes frequent and abundant rains. Soften,, dissolve, or loosen it. The Hebrew verb is a derivative of that in Ps. xlvi. 7 (6.) Vegetation,, germination, that which sprouts or springs up from the seed when sown. Some make the verbs in the first clause infinitives, determined by the finite tenses which precede and follow. But their form permits them to be taken as imperatives, from which the transition to the future is entirely natural and in accordance with the usage of David's psalms, whenever an expression of confident anticipation is to be immediately subjoined to one of strong desire. See above, on Ps. liv. 3 (1.)
12 (11.) Thou hast crowned the year of thy goodness,, and thy 'paths drop fatness. The first clause may either mean, thou hast crowned the year with thy goodness, or, as some prefer to construe it, thou hast crowned the year of thy goodness, the year distin- guished by thy goodness, with particular instances and proofs of that goodness. The obvious meaning of the strong but beautiful figure in the last clause is, that wherever he appears his move- ments are attended by a rich and fertilizing influence. Fatness is as usual a figure for rich food, and that for general abundance.
13 (12 ) They drop — the pastures of the ivilderness, and (with) joy the hills are girt. The word translated pastures properly means dwellings,, but is specially applied to folds and pastures, as the places to w^hich flocks resort. See above, on Ps. xxiii. 1. The word translated wilderness,, according to its most probable
PSALM LXVI. 95
etymology, originally signifies, not a barren desert, but a tract of country neither tilled nor thickly peopled, though perhaps luxur- iant and abundant as a pasture ground. The general metaphor of clothing which occurs in the next verse, is here anticipated by the specific one of a girdle, as that which surrounds the body and confines the dress. See above, on Ps. xviii. 33 (32.)
14 (13.) The pastures are clothed with flocks^ and the vales shall be rohed in grain ; they shall shout (for joy), yca^ they shall sing. Some translate the first clause, the Jlocks are clothed with lambs, denying that the first noun in Hebrew ever means pastures. But see above, on Ps. xxxvii. 20. The image presented in the first translation is certainly more natural and beautiful. It also makes the parallelism more complete, the fields being covered by the waving crops in the same sense that the meadows are covered by the grazing flocks. In the last clause the pastures and valleys, by a beautiful personification, are described as breaking forth into shouts of joy and songs of praise. See above, on Ps. Ix. 10 (8.)
PSALM LXVI.
1. To the Chief Musician. A Song. A Psalm. Shouv unto God, all the earth ! The second clause of the inscription represents it as a psalm of praise. See above, on Ps. Ixv. 1. This is confirmed by the contents and structure of the psalm itself, in which we have, first, a general celebration of God's wonderful dealings with his people in all ages, vs. 1 — 7 ; then a siirailar acknowledgment of what he had done in a particular case,
96 PSALM LXVI.
vs. 8 — 12 ; and lastly a pledge or promise of thanksgiving, vs. 13 — 20. The resemblance to the forty-sixth psalm has led some to suppose, that this psahii was occasioned by the same event, or composed in imitation of the other, for the use of the church in similar emergencies. The verb shout is plural in its form, which shows that earth has a collective sense.
2. Sing the honour of his nar/ie ; give (him) honour^ (give) him 'praise. The honour or glory of his name is that due to his manifested excellence. See above, on Ps. xxix. 2. Give^ literally jplace or jput^ the verbs expressing these ideas being often inter- changed in Hebrew. The same phrase that is here used occurs also in Josh. vii. 19. Jsai. xlii. 12, and is clearly equivalent to give honour in Ps. xxix. 1, 2. Ixviii. 35 (34.) Jer. xiii. 16. The form of the last clause is peculiar, give honour (as or to) his praise.
3. How fearful are thy doings ! In the greatness of thy strength shall thine enemies lie to thee. Here begin, as some in- terpreters suppose, the words in which the required praise is to be rendered to Jehovah ; an admissible, though not by any means a necessary supposition. The first clause may likewise be translated, how fearful (art thou in) thy doings., after the analogy of V. 5 below, the ellipsis of the pronoun being similar to that in Ps. Ixviii. 36 (35.) In the greatness of thy strength., i. e. because of it, or rather in the knowledge and belief of it. See above, on Ps. V. 8 (7.) Lie to thee., make false professions of allegiance, yield a feigned obedience, through the influence of fear. See above, on Ps. xviii. 45 (44.)
4. All the earth shall worship thee and sing to thee ; they shall sing thy name. Selah. Here again the verbs are plural, showing that all the earth is to be taken in a collective sense, as meanino* all lands, or all the dwellers upon earth. See above, on v. 1.
PSALM LXVT. 97
Worship thee, bow or prostrate themselves before thee, as an act both of civil and religious homage. See above, on Ps. v. 8 (7.) They shall not only sing to thee but sing thy name, i. e. not only celebrate thy being but thy manifested nature, the attributes re- vealed by thy previous works. This anticipation of universal homage to Jehovah is in strict accordance with the whole spirit and design of the Mosaic dispensation.
5. Goy see the works of God , fearful {in) action on the sons of man. The verb go is often used in Hebrew, as a formula of invitation or of challenge, where in English we say co7}ie. See below, V. 16, and compare Isai. 2. 3, 5. In this case, however, go may be intended to express something more than would have been expressed by co77ie. The meaning may be, if you do not believe these general declarations of God's power and dominion, go and see for yourselves the proofs already given in the history of man- kind, and more especially in that of Israel : go to Egypt, to the Red Sea, to the Wilderness, to Jordan, and in the wonders there performed and still repeated in the experience of the church, see the evidence that God is indeed possessed of a tremendous power to control and influence mankind. With the first clause compare Ps. xlvi. 9 (8), the only other place where the word mb2?S>a occurs.
6. He turned the sea into the dry (land) ; through the river they shall pass on foot ; there will we rejoice in him. There is an obvious allusion to the crossing of the Red Sea and the Jordan, not as mere historical events, but as types or samples of God's extraordinary interpositions on behalf of Israel, such as might be realized again in their experience. Hence the promiscuous use of preterite and future forms, as if to say, the God of Israel will again turn the Red Sea into dry land for the passage of his peo- ple ; if need be, they shall again cross the Jordan dry shod ; there, on the scene of these miraculous events, shall we again rejoice in
VOL. II. 5
98 PSALM LXVr.
him. The combmation of sea and river seems to show that by the latter we must understand Jordan, and not as some interpreters suppose, the Euphrates, which is commonly so called. But see Isai. xi. 15, 16. Zech. x. 11.
7. Ruling by his might forever ; his eyes over (or among) the nations watch ; let not the rebels exalt themselves. Selah. The participle in the first clause is expressive of habitual action, * he constantly, habitually rules.' See above, Ps. xxii. 29 (28.) JBy his mighty with which he was before described as girded. See above, Ps. Ixv. 7 (6.) The noun eternity is used adverbially to "meduia. forever. The divine inspection here described implies that man can no more evade God's power than resist it. The last clause may be either a prayer to God or an admonition to his enemies. Exalt themselves : the Keri or marginal reading is be high for them (or for themselves) ; the Kethib or textual reading, lift (ox raise) for themselves., in which case horn may be supplied from Ps. Ixxv. 5, 6 (4, 5), or head from Ps. ex. 7. The rebels, i. e. against God, his stubborn and incorrigible enemies.
8. Bless J oh ye nations^ our God, cause to be heard the voice of his praise ! To the general description of God's gracious dispen- sations towards his people there seems now to be added the commemoration of a particular event of this kind ; not one of merely local interest, however, but of such importance, that the nations are invited to unite in praising God for it. See above, on Ps. xviii. 50 (49.) xxii. 28 (27.)
9. The (one) pittting, who puts, our soul in life, atid has not given (up) to removal our foot., has not allowed it to move or slip. The unusual expression in the first clause seems to mean restoration to life, a figure for relief from great distress, which is not unfrequently described as death. See above, on Ps. xxx. 4 (3.) xlix. 16 (15.) To set in life is not unlike the phrase to
PSALM LXVI. 99
set in safety^ Ps. xii. 6 (5.) The form of expression in the last clause is analogous to that in Ps. Iv. 23 (22) above, and identical with that in Ps. cxxi. 3 below. Given up to removal^ suffered to be moved from its firm position or its place of safety.
10. For thou hast tried us^ oh God, thou hast purged (or assayed) us like the purging of silver^ as silver is purged, with particular reference, as some suppose, to the long continued and repeated process of refinement necessary in the case of silver. See above, on Ps. xii. 7 (6.) xxvi. 2, and compare Isai. i. 25. xlviii. 10. Zech. xiii. 9. 1 Pet. i. 7. The general idea here is that of affliction, as a means both of trial and purgation, and is carried out in the following verses.
11. Thou hast caused us to come into the net ; thou hast put pressure in our loins. The first clause is descriptive of complica- ted difficulties and embarrassments, the second of suffering and weakness. The word translated net occurs above in the very different sense of a tower or fortress, Ps. xviii. 3 (2.) But even when so used, it strictly means a hunting tower^ i. e. a post of observation and of safety used by hunters, and from the same root (-qir to hunt) may be deduced the sense of net or snare^ as a customary implement of hunting, in which sense it is certainly employed by Ezekiel (xii. 13.) The word translated pressure occurs only here, but its essential meaning is clear from its ety- mological affinities. Compare the cognate form in Ps. Iv. 4 (3.) Some suppose the idea to be that of a superincumbent pressure, load or burden, corresponding to the verb as used in Amos ii. 13. Others make pressure mean contraction, stricture, and by neces- sary implication, pain or anguish. The loins are mentioned as the seat of strength (Deut. xxxiii. (11), an injury to which implies both pain and weakness. See below, on Ps. Ixix. 24 (23.)
12. Thou hast caused (or suffered men to ride at our head ;
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we came into the fire and into the waters^ and (now) thou hast caused us to come forth to abundance, overflow, i. e. of enjoyment. 3Ia7ij frail or mortal man, whose tyranny is therefore the more insupportable. See above, on Ps. viii. 5 (4.) This first clause is ambiguous, in Hebrew as in English. To ride at our head^ though an exact translation, suggests only the idea of command or guidance, whereas some kind of suffering is required by the context. The common version, to ride over our heads, presents the image of horsemen trampling on their conquered enemies. Some suppose the idea to be that of riding on us, as a man con- trolls and guides the horse that carries him. The head must then be mentioned only as the noblest part, without implying that the rider actually sits upon it. But this very circumstance makes the interpretation an unnatural and forced one. Fire and water, as the two great destroying elements, are common figures for dis- tress and danger. Compare Isaiah xliii. 2. The last Hebrew word in the verse occurs only here and in Ps. xxiii. 5.
13. I loill come (to) thy house with burnt-offerings ; I will pay to thee my vows, i. e. the offerings thus promised. His acknow- ledgments shall not be merely verbal or mental, but ceremonial, i. e. expressed in the symbolical form required" by the dispensation under which he lived. The reference is neither to internal feel- ings nor to outward rites exclusively, but to both together. See above, on Ps. xl. 7 (6.) 1. 8. li. 18 (16.) With the last clause, compare Ps. Ixv. 2 (l.J The sudden change of number, from the plural to the singular, shows that what follows is the words of an ideal speaker, representing the same persons who had spoken in the foregoing context, if not identical with them.
14. WTiich my lips uttered and my mouth spake in my distress. The first verb is a very strong and expressive one, in this con- nection not unlike our familiar phrases, bolted, blurted out, imply- ing that he spoke from some irresistible impulse, and thus sug-
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gesting what is afterwards explicitly affirmed, that the vows in question were occasioned by extreme distress. The Hebrew verb originally means to open or distend the lips, whether as a gesture of mockery (Lam. ii. 16) or menace (Ps. xxii. 14), or for the pur- pose of articulate speech (Job xxxv. 16.) That its absolute use, in special reference to vows spontaneously and hastily uttered, was familiar to the ancients, may be seen from Judg. xi. 35, 36. In my distress : the original expression is, in the distress to me. See above, on Ps. xviii. 7 (6.)
15. Burnt-offerings of fatlings will loffer to thee^with incense of rams ; I will make (an oblation of) cattle with he- goats. Selah. The word translated fatlings is especially applied to lambs, Isai. V. 17. The verb is the first clause in the one from which the noun rendered burnt-offering is derived, and strictly means I will cause to ascend, i. e. upon the altar, or in vapour from it. Incense may here be taken in its etymological sense of something burnt sacrificially, although in usage limited to aromatic fumiga- tions, which is also the case with the Hebrew word in every place but this, where it seems to mean the sacrificial fat that was burned upon the altar. The verb to make is absolutely used, as a technical term of the Mosaic Law, to denote the act of sacri- fice. See Ex. xxix. 36. Lev. ix. 7, and compare Judg. vi. 19. 1 Kings xviii. 23, 26. The different species of victims are enu- merated here, to convey the idea of a regular and perfect sacri- fice, implying more than ordinary thankfulness.
16. Go (or in our idiom, come), hear, all ye fearers of (ye that fear) God, and I will tell you what he hath done to (or for) my soul. The fearers of Jehovah is a common description of be- lievers or the people of God. See Ps. Ix. 6 (4.) Ixi. 6 (5.; The invitation is like that in Ps. xxii. 24 (23.) Tell, in the primary sense of counting or numbering, and the secondary one of re- countincr or relating. To my soul, i. e. to me, whose life or
102 PSALM LXVf.
soul was threatened. To me as the object of the act alluded to, or for me, as the person to be benefited. This address prepares the way for the ensuing declaration, founded on his own experi- ence, that it is only by sincere submission and devotion to God that his protection is to be secured.
17. To him (with) my mouth I called^ and high praise (exalta- tion) was under my tongue. By a slight change in the pointing, or by supposing an irregularity of punctuation, the last clause may be rendered, he was extolled under my tongue.^ i. e.. by means .of it as an instrument of praise. But as a corresponding plural form occurs below, Ps. cxlix. 6, the Hebrew word (D!>3"i"i) is pro- bably a noun, meaning lofty praise, or exaltation by means of praise. Under my tongue may be simply equivalent to on or with my tongue^ or it may be intended to suggest the additional idea of a store or deposit of such praises still in reserve, to be employed hereafter, which some suppose to be the meaning of the phrase in Ps. x. 7.
18. Iniquity if I have seen in my hearty the Lord will not hear. If I had any wicked end in view, Grod would not hear my prayer. The same idea is expressed in Prov. xv. 29. Isai. i. 15. lix. 2 John ix. 31. 1 John iii. 22. It is here stated as the ground on which he means to argue his own innocence of any such cor- rupt design, and actually does so in the next verse.
19. (But) verily God hath heard ; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer. The Hebrew particle at the beginning is strictly not adversative but affirmative. See above, on Ps. xxxi. 23 (22.) It is equivalent in force to our expressions, whereas, really , in fact, etc. The doubt subjected in the foregoing verse had been removed in his case by the application of the test there mentioned. God had already heard his prayer and thereby borne witness that he was not guilty of the duplicity in question.
PSALM LXVIl. 103
(20.) Blessed {he) God who hath not -put away my grayer (from him) and his mercy from me. Here as elsewhere, when applied to God, blessed can only mean praised or entitled to be praised. The double application of the verb in the last clause cannot well be imitated in translation. The same word in Hebrew may be used to express the act of rejecting a petition, and that of withdrawing or withholding favour.
PSALM LXVII.
1 . To the Chief Musician. With (or on) stringed instruments. A Psalm, a Song, i. e. a psalm of praise. See above, on Ps. Ixvi. 1. For the meaning of the second clause of this inscription, see above, on Ps. Iv. 1, and compare Ps. Ixi. 1. The psalm before us, like the sixty-fifth, seems to have special reference to the manifestation of God's goodness in the gift of fruitful seasons and abundant harvests. See below, on v. 7 (6), and above, on Ps. Ixv. 1. But from this the Psalmist, or the Church, of which he is the spokesman, takes occasion to anticipate the extension of God's covenanted gifts, both temporal and spiritual, to all the nations of the earth. This expectation is indeed the burden of the psalm, its immediate occasion being only mentioned inciden- tally near the close, yet not so obscurely as to make it doubtful. Any formal division of this short and simple composition can only tend to mar its beauty
2 (1.) God be merciful unto us and bless us, and cause his fa^ce to shine upon us ! The form of expression is evidently borrowed
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from the sacerdotal benediction, Num. vi. 24, 25, but with a substitution of the first person plural for the second singular, so as to convert the authoritative blessing upon others into an expression of desire for themselves. The optative meaning of the sentence is determined by the form of the second verb in Hebrew. Uj^on us, literally with us, a form of speech probably intended to suggest the idea of the divine presence and commu- nion. As to the figure in the last clause, see above, on Ps. iv. 7 (6.) xxxi. 17 (16.)
3 (2.) That thy way may he known in the earth, in all nations thy salvation. The original construction of the first clause is, to know in the earth thy loay ; but the sense can only be made clear in English by a passive form. Thy way, i. e. thy mode of deal- ing with thy people, referring more particularly here to providen- tial favours, the knowledge of which he hopes to see extended to all nations, as a means to the promotion of still higher ends. The pleonastic phrase, saving health, retained in the authorized version from an older one, has nothing corresponding to it in the Hebrew but the single word which always means salvation and is commonly so rendered.
4 (3.) The nations shall acknowledge thee, oh God, the nations shall acknowledge thee — all of them. The common version of the verb here twice used {praise) is too wide. As it is commonly applied to the acknowledgment of benefits, a nearer equivalent is thank. See above, on Ps. Ivii. 10 (9.)
5 (4.) Nations shall joy and triumjph, because thou, sJmlt judge peoples (in) rectitude, and nations in the earth — thou shalt guide them. The divine guidance implies protection and control. Compare Isai. Iviii. 11. The anticipation of universal happiness, as springing from the judicial acts of the Messiah, is not unusual
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in prophecy. See below, on Ps. Ixii. 12 — 14, and compare Isai. ii. 3. The word translated rectitude occurs above, Ps. xlv. 7 (6.)
6 (5.) The nations shall acknowledge thee^ oh God^ the nations shall acknowledge thee — all of them. This repetition shows the anticipation here expressed to be the principal though not the primary subject of the psalm. The position of the universal terms, at the close of this verse and v. 4 (3), is highly emphatic, and precludes, in the most explicit manner, all restriction.
7 (6.) The earth (or land) has yielded her produce; God will Mess uSj (even) our God. The translation of the first verb as a future is entirely gratuitous, and therefore ungrammatical. Correctly rendered, it afibrds a hint of the immediate occasion of the psalm itself. The mutual relation of the clauses is that of a thankful acknowledgment for gifts received already to a joyful and believing expectation of the same hereafter. God has blessed us, and since he is our own God, he will bless us still.
8 (7.) God will bless us., and all the ends of the earth shall fear him. The God who has bestowed this harvest on us will continue to afford us tokens of his covenant love and faithfulness ; and the day is coming when the intimate relation which we now sustain to him will be extended to all nations. Ends of the earth., even the remotest countries, but of course without excluding those at hand. It is really tantamount to saying all lands or the. whole earth. See above, on Ps. ii. 8.
106 PSALM LXVIII.
PSALM LXYIII.
1. To the Chief Musician. By David. A Psalm of Praise. Literally, a psalm^ a song., but see above, on Ps. Ixv. 1. Ixvi. 1. Ixvii. 1. This psalm, like the eighteenth, which it very much resembles, is a triumphal song, occasioned by some signal victory or success in war, perhaps that recorded in 2 Samuel xii. 26 — 31, which closed the last important war of David's reign. The psalm opens with a general praise of God as the deliverer of the righteous and destroyer of the wicked, vs. 2 — 7 (1 — 6.) This is then illustrated and confirmed by a reference to certain periods in the history of Israel, and first to the march through the wilder- ness, vs. 8 — 11 (7 — 10.) Then comes the period of the judges, vs. 12 — 15 (11 — 14.) Then the erection of the monarchy on Zion, and its confirmation by the victory just achieved, vs. 16 — 20 (15 — 19.) This is then represented as a part of the general plan of Jehovah's dealings with his people, vs. 21 — 24 (20 — 23.) The triumphal procession is described, vs. 25 — 28 (24 — 27.) All this, however, is but a specimen or foretaste of a universal conquest yet to come, vs. 29 — 32 (28 — 31.) In anticipation of this revolution, the nations are summoned to unite in the praises of Jehovah, vs. 33 — 36 (32 — 35.) The resemblance of this last part to the corresponding parts of the two preceding psalms may account for the position of the one before us.
2 (1.) God shall arise ; his ene?)iies shall scatter; those hating him shall flee before him. This verse propounds, as the theme of
PSALM LXVIII. 107
the whole psalm, a fact continually verified in history. There is also an obvious allusion to the form of speech uttered by Moses at the removal of the ark, the symbol of God's presence. See Num. x. 35. The wish there expressed is here said to be realized. Hence the change of the imperative {^n'n^p) into a future (d^p'j.), showing that this verse has not an optative meaning {let God arise) J but is declaratory of what certainly will be hereafter, as it