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THE 
 
 PSALMS 
 
 TRANSLATED AND EXPLAINED 
 
 J. A. ALEXANDER 
 
 PROFESSOK IN THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY AT PRINCETON. 
 
 VOLUME III 
 
 SIXTH EDITION. 
 
 PIIILADELrHIA : 
 
 PRESBYTERIAN BOARD OF PUBLICATION, 
 
 821 Chestnut Street. 
 
Entered according to Act of Cout;ress, in the year 1850, by 
 
 JOSEPH ADDISON ALEXANDER, 
 
 In tho Clerk's Office of the United Siu'es District Court for tho Ditotri"t of 
 
 New -fcrsey. 
 
 JOHN F. TRO'W, 
 PRINTEn, STKREGTYrER, AND ELECTROTTPER, 
 
 4S & 50 Greene Street, 
 New York. 
 
THE PSALMS 
 
 PSALM CI. 
 
 After propounding as his theme the mercy and justice of the 
 Lord, V. 1, the Psalmist announces his determination to be blame- 
 less in his own walk, vs. 2 — 4, and so to exercise his power over 
 others as to favour the godly and drive out the wicked, vs. 5 — 8. 
 
 1. Bij David. A Psalm. Mercy and judgment will I sing ; to 
 thu^ Jehovah., icill I play (or make music.) As such a declaration 
 of a present purpose in the Psalms is always followed by its exe- 
 cution, the older interpreters suppose mercy and judgment to be 
 those which David meant to practise, as he states more fully in 
 the remainder of the psalm. But besides that he says nothing 
 in what follows of his mercy., there is no usage of the Psalms 
 more settled than that mercy and justice are combined to denote 
 divine not human attributes, and that to sing and make music to 
 Jthovah never means to praise something else in an address to 
 him, but always to sing praises to himself. See above, Ps. ix. 
 12 (11.) xiii. 6 (5.) xviii. 50 (49.) xxx. 5 (4.) 13 (12.) xxxiii. 2. 
 Ixviii. 5 (4.) Ixxi. 22, 23, in all which cases the form of expres- 
 sion s«ems to be derived from Judg. v. 3. But the psalm be- 
 fore us contains no such celebration of God's mercy and justice 
 
4 PSALM CI. 
 
 beyond this first verse. The best solution of this fact appears to 
 be the one proposed by Hengstenberg, according to which the 
 execution of the purpose here avowed is contained in Ps. ciii, 
 which then, together with the one before us, and of course the 
 interveni-ng one, compose a trilogy or series of three psalms, all 
 by David, each complete in itself, and yet designed to be con- 
 nected with the others and interpreted by them. Supposing this 
 to be the case, we must regard them all as psalms of David, 
 whose name is prefixed to the third and the one before us, in 
 which he lays down a rule, as it were, for his own government, 
 and that of his successors, in the regal office. The impression 
 made by these inspired instructions on the first of those succes- 
 sors may account for the remarkable coincidences of expression 
 between this psalm and the Book of Proverbs. 
 
 2. I will act wisely in a jpcrfed way. When wilt thou come 
 to me? I will walk in the integrity of rjiy heart within my house. 
 As to the first verb, see above, on Ps. ii. 10. xiv. 2. Its form 
 here is one expressing fixed determination. A jperfed way^ as in 
 Ps. xviii. 31, 33 (30, 32.) This and other favourite expressions 
 of the same kind, Ps. xviii. 24, 26 (23, 25.) xv. 2, are founded 
 upon Gen. xvii. 1. When wilt thou come to mCy and bless me, in 
 fulfilment of thy promise, Ex. xx. 21. This interrogative ejacu- 
 lation implies a sense of his dependence on divine aid for the 
 execution of his purpose. Integrity {integritas^ completeness) of 
 my ficart is an expression borrowed from Gren. xx. 5, 6. See 
 above, on Ps. Ixxviii. 72, and compare 1 Kings iii. 14. Prov. 
 XX. 7. Way and walk arc familiar figures for habitual conduct. 
 Within^ literally, in the midst (or inside) of my house^ i. e. at home, 
 in private life, as distinguished from the house of God and his 
 official conduct there, to which he afterwards adverts. 
 
 3. I will not set before my eyes a word of Belial ; the doing of 
 apostasies I hate, it shall not cleave to me. The positive terms of 
 
PSALM CI. 5 
 
 the preceding verse are now exchanged for negatives. Having 
 said what he will do, he now sajs what he will not do. See a 
 similar transition, but in the inverse order, Ps. i. 1,2. Set 
 before my eyes^ as a model to be copied, or as an object of ap- 
 proving contemplation. A word of Belial, as in Ps xli. 9 (S), 
 except that word, which there most probably relates to slander 
 or false accusation, may here denote a proposition, and the whole 
 phrase a worthless (i. e. wicked) plan or purpose. AposiasieSy 
 departures, deviations from the right course. See the verbal 
 root as used in_Ps. xl. 5 (4), and a cognate verb in Num. v. 
 12, 19. Some make the word here used a participle or verbal 
 noun, as in the English Bible, the work of them that turn aside. 
 But its form and the analogy of Hos. v. 2 entitle the other con- 
 struction to the preference. It shall not cleave to me, I will not 
 be concerned or implicated in it ; or more emphatically still, it 
 shall not cleave to me as a reproach or stigma. In favour of the 
 former sense is the analogy of Deut. xiii. 18 (17), from which the 
 expression seems to have been borrowed. 
 
 4. A crooked heart shall dejpart from me; evil I will not know. 
 Crooked, froward, or perverse, as in Ps. xviii. 27 (26.) Com- 
 pare Prov. xi. 20. xvii. 20. The whole phrase might be under- 
 stood to mean a person having such a heart, and the whole clause 
 that the Psalmist would have no intercourse with such. The 
 parallel term evil would then mean a wicked person, as translate*' 
 in the English Bible. On the ground, however, that the person 
 of the sinner seems to be reserved for the latter part of 
 the psalm, the best interpreters take evil in the abstract sense of 
 moral evil, wickedness, as in Ps. xxxiv. 17, lii. 5 (3.) The first 
 clause will then naturally mean, my own heart shall not be per 
 verse or froward. 
 
 5. (One) slandering in secret kis fellow — him I will destroy ■ 
 (one) lofty of eyes and wide of heart — him I will not beo', . 
 
6 PSALM CI. 
 
 Having declared what his own course of life should be, he now 
 describes the conduct which he should require in his confidcintial 
 servants. Here again the statement is both negative and posi- 
 tive, but in this case beginning with the former. See above, on 
 V. 3. It is not an improbable conjecture that in specifying 
 slander, David had reference to his suflferings from that cause in 
 the days of Saul. See above, on Ps. xviii. 1. Hi. 4 — 7 (2 — 5), 
 and compare Ps. xv. 3. The verb translated slaoidering occurs, 
 in any of its forms, only here and Prov. xxx. 10. Wide of heart 
 means neither magnanimous nor greedy, but proud, self-confident, 
 as appears from Prov. xxviii. 25. Both figurative phrases here 
 used are combined again in Prov. xxi. 4. The last verb in the 
 sentence usually means to he able, but is here used absolutely, as 
 in Isai. i. 13. 
 
 6. My eyes {are) on the faithful of the landj to dwell with me. 
 (OneJ walking in a perfect way — he sJmll serve me. On the faitlt- 
 ful^ literally, in or with them. See above, on Ps. xxxiv. 16, 17 
 (15, 16), and compare Ps. xxxii. 8 (7.) My eyes are on them is 
 equivalent to saying, I will seek them out to dwell with me and 
 serve me. The word translated faithful is properly a passive 
 participle meaning trusted^ relied upon, confided in. Another 
 passive participle from the same root is commonly supposed to be 
 used in the same sense, Ps. xii. 2 (l.J xxxi. 24 (23.) In the 
 first words of the last clause there is manifest allusion to the form 
 of expression in v. 2 above. This clause is to be understood ex- 
 clusively, such a person and no other. Shall serve me., be em- 
 ployed by me, clothed with responsible and honourable offices. 
 
 7. Not in the inside of my house shall dwell (one) practising 
 frauds telling lies ; not settled shall he he before my eyes. Here 
 attain the form of expression corresponds to that in the first part 
 of the psalm. Compare in the midst of my home with v 2, and 
 before my eyes with v. 3. Shall not dwell., or still more strongly. 
 
PSALM CI. 7 
 
 shnjl f^ot (evenj siV, which is the primary meaning of the Hebrew 
 verb. The corresponding verb in the last clause means to be 
 established, permanently settled, as opposed to a mere tem- 
 porary, transient presence. As if he had said: though they 
 should even gain admission to my house, they ^hall not take up 
 their abode there. 
 
 8. In the mvrning will I destroy all the wicked of the land, (so as) 
 to cut off from the city of Jehovah all workers of iniquity. The 
 first phrase literally means at the mornings, and' may be intended 
 to suggest the twofold idea of early and constantly, in the morn- 
 ing and every morning. See above, on Ps. Ixxiii. 14, and com 
 pare Jer. xxi. 12. The last clause serves to show, or to remind 
 the reader, that this rigour was not simply prudential or po- 
 litical, but religious. It had reference not merely to Jerusalem 
 as a city, but as the city of Jehovah, his earthly residence, the 
 centre of the theocracy, the temporary seat of the true religion. 
 See above, on Ps. xlvi. 5 (4) xlviii. 2 (l.)lxxxvii. 3. Under the 
 peculiar institutions of the old economy, the safety of the 
 theocratic state required peculiar vigilance and rigour, in exer- 
 cising even those powers which are common to all governments. 
 
 PSALM CII. 
 
 1. A Prayer. By a Sufferer, when he is troubled, and before 
 Jehovah pours out his comjplaint . The psalm is called a -prayer 
 because petition constitutes its substance. See above, on Ps. xc. 
 1. The translation for the sufferer (or afflicted) would also be 
 
8 PSALM CI. 
 
 grammatical, and perfectly consistent with the real design of the 
 composUion. But phrases of this kind, in the titles of the 
 psalms, so constantly indicate the author or performer, and when 
 only one occurs the former, that a departure from this usage here 
 is highly improbable, and the assumption of it altogether arbi- 
 trary. At the same time, the indefinite expression, a sufferer^ or 
 an afflicted 'person^ seems to be intentionally used for the purpose 
 of giving the psalm an unrestricted application, though the pri- 
 mary reference is no doubt to the sufiering kings of Israel, in 
 whom the sufferings of the people were concentrated and repre- 
 sented. The other terms of the inscription all occur in psalms of 
 David ; troubled ( or overwhelmed) in Ps. Ixi. 3 (2) ; com'plaint 
 (or moaning) in Ps. Iv. 3 (2.) Ixiv. 2(1); and jpouring out the 
 soul in Ps. Ixii. 9 (8.) This agrees with the general Davidic 
 character of the composition, and favours Ilengstenberg's hypo- 
 thesis, not otherwise demonstrable, nor even very probable, that 
 this psalm forms the connecting link between the pious resolutions 
 of Ps. 101 and the joyful acknowledgments of Ps. 103, and was 
 composed in prophetic foresight of the straits to which the theo 
 cratical state should be reduced, and in which the sufferings of 
 David, here immediately described, should, as it were, be realized 
 anew. The psalm may be divided into two parts, in the first of 
 which the tone of lamentation or complaint predominates, vs. 2 — 
 12 (1 — 11), while in the second it is tempered and controlled by 
 the contemplation of God's attributes, and confident anticipation 
 of his favour, vs. 13—29 (12—28.) 
 
 2(1.) Jehovah^ hear my prayer^ and let my cry (for help) utUo 
 thee, come. With this verse compare Ps. iv.. 2(1.) xvii. 1. xviii. 7 
 (6.) liv. 4 (2.) There is no more reason for regarding these 
 resemblances as imitations by ^ later writer in the case before 
 us than in any of the others. And if not such, they may serve 
 to show, that David only asks, for the future or for others, that 
 favour which he has himself sought and experienced already. 
 
PSALM CII. 9 
 
 3 (2.) Hide not thy fact from me; in the day (there is) aistress 
 to me J incline to me thine ear ; in the day I call^ make haste (arid) 
 answer me. Compare Ps. x. 1. xiii. 1. xvii. 6. xviii. 7 (6.) xxvii. 
 9. xxxi. 3 (2.) Ivi. 10 (9.) Ixvi. 14 (13.) Ixxi. 2. We find here 
 accumulated nearly all the phrases used by David to express the 
 same ideas elsewhere. This is not unnatural if we suppose him 
 to have been preparing a form of complaint and supplication for 
 the use of his successors in their worst distresses. 
 
 4 (3.) For wasted in smoke are my days, and my bones like 
 a burning are ki^idled. With the first clause compare Ps. 
 xxxvii. 20. The bones are mentioned as the seat of strength. 
 See above, on Ps. vi. 3 (2.) xxxi. 11 (10.) xxxv. 10. xlii. 11 (10.) 
 This description, although strictly applicable to the case of indi- 
 vidual sufierers, may also be applied to the decline of the theo- 
 cratic monarchy and the approach of its catastrophe. 
 
 5 (4.) Smitten like grass and withered is my heart .^ for I have 
 forgotten to eat my bread. The first verb is used to describe the 
 effect of the sun on plants, Ps. cxxi. 6. Isai. xlix. 10. (Compare 
 Jon. iv. 7.) The heart is mentioned as the seat of life. The 
 common version of the last clause {so that I forget) is ungram- 
 matical. The failure of the strength is rather described as imme- 
 diately occasioned by the want of food (1 Sam. xxviii. 20), and 
 this by loss of appetite from extreme distress. See below, on Ps. 
 cvii. 18, and compare 1 Sam. i. 7. xx. 34. 1 Kings xxi. 4. For- 
 gotten to eat, litersLWy, forgotten from eating, so as not to eat, a 
 common idiomatic use of the preposition from in Hebrew. 
 
 6 (5.) From the voice of my groaning, my bone cleaves to my 
 flesh. The word voice implies an audible and loud expression of 
 distress. The first clause means, in consequence of the agony 
 which makes me groan. My bone may signify each of my bones, 
 or be used collectively for the whole skeleton or framework of the 
 
 1* 
 
lO PSA.LM CII. 
 
 body. The only natural explanation of tbis clause is that it 
 describes emaciation, as a consequence and symptom of extreme 
 distress. See above, on Ps. xxii. 15, IS (14, 17.) 
 
 7 (6.) I resemble a pelican of the wilderness ; I am become like 
 an owl (haunting) ruins. The simple idea conveyed by these 
 figures is that of extreme loneliness and desolation. Beyond the 
 fact that they inhabit solitudes, the natural history of the birds 
 mentioned is of no exegetical importance. 
 
 8 (7.) I have watched^ and have been like a sparrow dioelling 
 alone upon a house-top. The first words suggest the idea of a soli- 
 tary vigil. As to the word translated sparrow., see above, on Ps. 
 Ixxxiv. 4 (3.) The word dwelling is supplied in the translation 
 of the last clause, in order to retain the form of the original ex- 
 pression, which is that of an active participle. Some suppose the 
 idea to be that of a bird, deprived of its mate or of its young. 
 
 9 (8.) All the day my eTiemies have taunted me, my infuriated 
 (foes) swear by vie. The verb in the first clause suggests the 
 ideas of contempt and hatred, calumny and insult. See above, 
 on Ps. xlii. 11 (10.) The first word of the last clause is a pas- 
 sive participle, my enraged (or maddened) ones., those who are mad 
 (i. e. insane with enmity) against me. The last phrase does not 
 mean swear at me., i. e. vent their rage by oaths and curses, nor 
 are sivorn against me., neither of which is justified by Hebrew 
 usage ; but swear by me, i. e. use me as a formula of execration, 
 imprecating upon others misery like mine. Compare Isai. Ixv. 
 15. Jer. xxix. 22. The preterite forms imply a long previous 
 continuance of this furious persecution, as all the day does its con- 
 stant, unremitted raging. 
 
 10 (9.) For ashes like bread have I eaten ^ and my drink with 
 weeping have mixed. The ashes, in which he sat, or with which 
 
PSALM CII. 11 
 
 he was covered, as a sign of mourning, became mingled with bis 
 food, and bis tears fell into bis drink. Tbis last word is, in He- 
 brew, of tbe plural number, drinks or heve: ages^ analogous to 
 victuals as a simple synonyme oi food. As an opposite example of 
 the same idiomatic difference, tbe word translated ashes is a sin- 
 gular in Hebrew. Tbe whole verse is a strong poetical descrip- 
 tion of constant and extreme distress. 
 
 11 (10.) Because of thine indignation and thy wrath; for thou 
 hast taken me up and cast me away. The first clause describes bis 
 suffering as tbe fruit of God's displeasure. See above, on Ps. 
 xc. 7. Tbe antithesis presented in tbe common version of tbe 
 last clause (lifted me itp and cast me down) does not seem to be 
 tbe sense of the original, in which there is probably allusion to 
 tbe figure of a storm or whirlwind catching things up and blowing 
 them away. The Prayer Book version of the first verb {taken me 
 up) is more exact. 
 
 12 (ll.j My days (are) like a shadow inclined., and I (myself) 
 like the grass wither. An inclined shadow is an unusual and ob- 
 scure expression, but seems to mean a shadow verging towards its 
 disappearance, ready to vanish away. The double or reflexive 
 pronoun {I myself ) in the translation of the last clause is neces- 
 sary to convey tbe full force of the Hebrew pronoun, which is sel- 
 dom expressed, except when it is meant to be emphatic. 1 
 wither J am withering, or about to wither. 
 
 13 (12.) And thou, Jehovah, to eternity shall sit, and thy memory 
 (shall endure) to generation and generation. Here again the 
 pronoun is emphatic, and exhibits a strong contrast between God's 
 eternity and human frailty. While I wither like tbe grass, thou 
 endurest forever, and not only so, but reignest, sittest on the 
 throne. See above, on Ps. ix. 8(7.) xxix. 10. Iv. 20 (19.) The 
 word memory seems here to be employed for tbe sake of the anti- 
 
12 PSALM Cn. 
 
 thesis which it implies While I perish and am utterly forgotten, 
 thy existence and thy memory shall last forever. It may, how- 
 ever, have the same sense as in Ps. xxx. 5 (4), namely, thQ di- 
 vine perfection, associated in our memory with the name of God. 
 Thou shalt not only reign forever, but be worthy, as an infinitely 
 perfect being, so to do. 
 
 14 (13.) Thou wilt arise J wilt have mercy upon Zion, when (it 
 is) time to favour her, ivhen the set time is come. The pronoun is 
 again emphatic. Thou, the God thus glorious and immutable, wilt 
 certainly arise from this apparent inaction, and have mercy or com- 
 passion on thy people, when the time fixed in thy eteri.al purpose 
 is arrived. The sense of when^ thus given to the Hebrew particle 
 ("13), although less usual, is sometimes absolutely necessary, and 
 is therefore admissible in this case, where it suits the sense much 
 better than the ordinary sense of for. Or the one may be re- 
 solved into the other, by explaining the whole thus : thou wilt 
 certainly arise and have compassion upon Zion, at the proper time, 
 FOR there is a time fixed at which thou dost design to favour her. 
 For the meaning of the word translated set time^ see above, on Ps. 
 Ixxv. 3 (2.) 
 
 15 (14.) When thy servants love her stones, and her dust regaid 
 with favour. Both verbs in Hebrew mean to favour, or more 
 strongly, to delight in, to take pleasure in. See above, Ps. Ixii. 
 5 (4.) Ixxxv. 2 (1.) Stones and dust are here put for ruins or 
 rubbish, as in Neh. iii. 34 (iv. 2.) iv. 4 (10.) The verse may 
 be understood as a condition or a premonition of her restoration, 
 that before it takes place, God will fill his servants with affectionate 
 concern for her desolate condition. The same sense may be ob- 
 tained without departing from the usual sense of the particle. 
 Thou wilt have mercy upon Zion, fop^ thy servants already look: 
 with interest and strong desire on her ruins, a sure sign of the ap- 
 proaching restoration. * 
 
PSALM CM. 13 
 
 16 (15.) And nations shall fear the name of Jehovah^ and all 
 •tings 'if the, earth thy glory. The impression of awe, unavoidably 
 produced by these exhibitions of Jehovah's attributes, shall not be 
 limited to Israel but extend to other nations, and even kings shall 
 vie with each other in their reverential admiration of his regal 
 honours. Compare the similar expressions of Isaiah (lix. 19.) 
 
 17 (16.) Because Jehovah has hidlt Zion ; he has been seen in 
 his glory. These are not 'praeterita 'projphetica., describing future 
 events as past ; nor are they to be taken as mere presents, but aa 
 denoting a relative past, dependent on the futures of the verse 
 preceding. The nations and their kings are to fear because Je- 
 hovah has built (i. e. will then have built) Zion. Still another 
 construction may seem possible, viz. ' when J^,hovah has built 
 Zion, he shall be seen in his glory.' But in this case, Hebrew 
 usage would require the last verb, if not both, to ??aTe the future 
 form 
 
 18 (17.) He has turned unto thejprayer of the destitute^ and has 
 not despised their prayer. This verse continues to assign the rea- 
 son why the nations and their kings will be struck with awe, viz. 
 because this great and glorious God has turned round, as it were, 
 and listened to the prayer of the destitute and granted their peti- 
 tion. The word tran-slated destitute occurs only here and in Jer. 
 xvii. 6 ; but from its etymological affinities and its intensivo form, 
 appears to mean stark naked, and then figuratively, strip}>ed oi 
 every thing, impoverished, entirely destitute. 
 
 19 (18.) This shall be ivriiten for an after generation^ (Mid a 
 people (yet to be) created shall praise Jah. This fulfilment of Crod'a 
 promise and illustration of his attributes is left on record for the 
 learning or instruction of posterity. Compare 1 Cor. x. 11. An 
 after generation^ as in Ps. xlviii. 14 (13.) Ixxviii. 4. Equivalent 
 in meaning, but abridged in form, is the expression in ^he passage 
 
14 PSALM Cn. 
 
 upon whicli these are founded, Ps. xxii. 31 (30.) See also Ps 
 Ixxi. IS. Created may have the force of a gerundive, as the pas- 
 sive particle often has in Hebrew ; or it may mean {then) created 
 {hnt not now.) See above, on Ps. xxii. 32 (31.) As the verb 
 (k^^) create is applied only to divine acts, its use here seems to 
 indicate that what is meant is not merely a future generation, a 
 race yet to come into existence, but a people in the strict sense, 
 an organized body to be formed hereafter by sovereign authority 
 and almighty power. Shall praise Jah^ recognize Jehovah as 
 possessing and as being all that is denoted by his name. 
 
 20 (19.) For he has leaned from the high-place of his holiness ; 
 Jehovah from heaven to earth has looked. The first word may 
 also be translated that., and the verse bo understood as an ampli- 
 fication of the pronoun this at the beginning of v. 19 (IS.) This 
 is what shall be written for a future generation ; this is what they 
 shall praise Jah for; viz. that he has looked, etc. To avoid the 
 repetition of the English verb, as well as to add life to the de- 
 scription, the Hebrew verb is here represented by what seems to 
 be its primary meaning. See above on Ps. xiv. 2. Ixxxv. 12 (11), 
 and compare Deut. xxvi. 15. 
 
 21 (20.) To hear the groaning of the prisoner .^ to loose the sons 
 of mortality. The construction is continued from the foregoing 
 verse, and the design of God's thus looking down is stated. The 
 word translated groaning is almost peculiar to the psalms of 
 David, and according to its etymology properly denotes sufifoca- 
 tion. To loose., literally to cpen^ sometimes applied to the open- 
 ing of a dress for the purpose of removing it, as in Ps. xxx. 
 12 (11) ; then to the loosening of chains, as in Ps. cxvi. 16 ; then 
 to the deliverance of the prisoner himself. Sons of mortality or 
 deathj i. e. those doomed to die. See above, on Ps. Ixxix. 11. 
 
 22 (21.) To rccoiuit in Ziun the name of Jehovah dni his praise 
 
PSALM CI I. 15 
 
 in Jerusalem. This, according to the laws of Hebrew syntax, 
 doos not necessarily denote an act of God himself, as the similar 
 construction in the preceding verse does, but may have a vaguer 
 sense equivalent to saying, that his name may be declared in Zion 
 To recount God's name is to recount the mighty deeds which 
 constitute it, and the celebration of which constitutes his praise. 
 Zion is still represented as the great scene of Jehovah's triumphs^ 
 not however as the capital of Israel or Judah merely, but as the 
 radiating centre of religious light and influence to all the earth. 
 
 23 (22.) In the gathering of ;peojplcs together, and kingdoms to 
 serve Jehovah. This verse is necessary to complete and qualify 
 the sense of that before it. God has looked down from heaven 
 to deliver his people and receive their praise, not in their secluded, 
 insulated state, but in their glorious reunion with the converted 
 nations. The first verb is a passive infinitive in Hebrew, in their 
 being gathered. The preposition in relates both to the time and 
 to the act of convocation. To serve Jehovah, not only as a King, 
 but as a God, to be both his subject and his worshipper. Com 
 pare Ps. ii. 11. 
 
 24 (23.) He has humbled in the tvay his strength ; he has 
 shortened my days. The Psalmist here resumes the tone of 
 complaint, but only for a moment, and as an introduction to what 
 follows. Humbled, weakened, or afflicted. In or by the ivay of 
 his providential guidance, as distinguished from the glorious end 
 to which it led. His strength and 7?iy days seem clearly to refer 
 to the same person. To avoid this harsh enallage, the maso- 
 retic critics changed a single letter, and for (iri3) his strength 
 read ("^H^) my strength, which, though adopted in most versions, 
 is an obvious evasion of a supposed difficulty. With the last' 
 clause compare Ps. Ixxxix. 46 (45.) See also Ps. /v. 24 (23.) 
 
 25 (24.) / loill say, Oh my God, take me not up in the half 
 
16 Pf3.\A,^^ CII. 
 
 of my days ; through generation jf generations (are) thy ycar%. 
 Take up, cause to ascend, i. o. a.N some suppose, like smoke, 
 which is very forced and far- fetched. Others make it simply mean 
 to take away, which gives a good sense, but is not sufficiently 
 eustained by usage. Better than eliivir is the supposition that 
 death or removal out of life is here described by a figure corre- 
 sponding to the actual departure of Enoc^i and Elijah. See G-en. 
 V. 24. 2 Kings ii. 1, 3, 5, 10, 11. In the half (or midst) of my 
 days ; see above, on Ps. Iv. 24 (23), and compare Isai. xxxviii. 
 10. Generation of generations^ i. e. all generations, as in Ps. Ixxii. 
 5. Isai. li. 8. He prays that God, whose yearii are endless, would 
 not, as it were, grudge the few days granted to ihii creatures. See 
 above, on Ps. xxxix. 6 (5.) 
 
 2Q (25.) At first thou the earth didst found^ and the work 
 of thy hands (are) the heavens. The phrase at the beginning 
 means originally to the face., and then hefore., 'as an adverb 
 both of time and place ; but this would be ambiguous here, 
 since it might be understood as a conjunction, "before thou didst 
 found the earthy expressing the same idea as in Ps. xc. 2. It 
 here means long ago, of old, in the beginning. With the last 
 clause compare Ps. viii. 4 (3.) xix. 2(1.) xxxiii. 6. God's crea- 
 tive power is here added to his eternity, in order to enhance the 
 contrast between his infinity and man's littleness, as a reason for 
 compassion to the latter. 
 
 27 (26.) They shall perish and thou shalt stand, a'Tid all of 
 them like a garment shall wear out, like a dress shalt thou change 
 them and they shall change. The contrast is brought out a? pointedly 
 as possible in Hebrew, by the insertion of the pronouns they and 
 thou., neither of which is grammatically necessary to the expres- 
 sion of the meaning. Stand .^ stand fast, endure, remain, continue. 
 All of them., without exception, even the noblest of God's works, 
 ehall at least los? their present form, and in that sense perish, a 
 
PSALM CI I. V7 
 
 sense which may be still more readily put upon the parallel Terb 
 pass away or change. The twofold usage of the English verb, as 
 active and neuter, or transitive and intransitive, makes it an 
 appropriate representative of the primitive and derivative forms 
 of the Hebrew verb (tj^n). The corresponding verb, in the 
 second member of the sentence, means not only to wax old., 
 but, as the necessary consequence, to wear out. See above on 
 Ps. xxxii. 3, and compare Ps. xlix. 15 (14.) 
 
 28 (27.) And Thou (art) He — and thy years shall not hi 
 finished. The construction of the first clause is disputed. Some 
 read it, Thoio thyself and thy years shall not end. Others, Thou 
 art the same., giving ^^X\ the same sense with the Greek o ai'rdjj 
 which is actually used here to translate it in the Septuagint. In 
 favour of the version first above given, is its agreement with the 
 usage of the Hebrew words, with \hQ analogy of Deut. xxxii. 39 
 and Isai. xliii. 10, and with the context here. The meaning 
 then is, Thou art the Unchangeable One just described. Or, it is 
 Thou, and nothing else, that shall thus endure. Be finished., 
 spent, consumed, as the Hebrew word invariably means. What 
 is elsewhere literally said of the violent destruction of human 
 life is here transferred to the lapse of time. 
 
 29 (28.) The sons of t-hy servants shall abide j and their seed 
 before thee shall be established. This might also be translated aa 
 a prayer, let the sons of thy servants contiriue, which is really 
 included even in the prediction. Before thee, as in Gren. xvii. 1. 
 Ps. Ixxxix. 37 (36.) Be established, as in Ps. Ixxxix. 38 (37.) 
 ci. 7. With this conclusion of the whole psalm compare Ps Ixix 
 36, 37 (35, 36.) xc. 16, 17. 
 
18 PSALM CIII, 
 
 PSALM CIII. 
 
 The Psalmist calls upon himself to praise God for personal 
 favours already experienced, vs. 1-5. From these he rises, in 
 the body of the psalm, to the contemplation of Grod's attributes. 
 in themselves considered, and as manifested in his dealings with 
 his people, vs. 6-19. He concludes as he began, with an exhort- 
 ation to bless God, no longer addressed merely to himself, but to 
 all creatures, vs. 20-22. According to the exegetical hypothesis 
 already mentioned, this is the song of mercy and judgment pro- 
 mised in Ps. ci. 1. The arguments in favour of this theory have 
 been already stated. The principal objection to it, and that by 
 no means a conclusive one, is the want of unison and even con- 
 cord, as to tone and spirit, between the psalm before us and the 
 two preceding it. Be this as it may, the psalm before us is a 
 complete and finished composition, being one of the most simple 
 and yet regular in structure that the book contains. This has 
 contributed, with other obvious peculiarities, to make it a favourite 
 vehicle of thankful praise among the pious of all ages. 
 
 1. By David. Bless, oh my soul, Jehovah, and all within me 
 (bless) his holy name ! The attempts which have been made by 
 modern critics to discredit the inscription in the first clause chiefly 
 consist in representing the many imitations and allusions to this 
 noble composition in the later scriptures as a cento of citatioDS 
 from those scriptures by the writer of the psalm itself, a prepos- 
 terous inversion of the laws of evidence to which the ncologica? 
 
FSALM cm. 1& 
 
 critics are especially addicted, and by which any thing and ever^ 
 thing can be disproved or proved at pleasure. Bless, when ap- 
 plied to God, means to praise, but with a strong implication of 
 devout affection. By calling on his soul to do this, he acknow- 
 ledges his own obligation, not only to praise God, but to praise 
 him cordially, with all the heart, according to the solemn requisi- 
 tion of the Law (Deut. vi. 5), to which there is perhaps a refer- 
 ence in all such cases. See above, on Ps. iii. 3 (2.) The pa- 
 rallel expression, all loithin me, is the plural form of one repeat- 
 edly used elsewhere and denoting the inside of any thing, and 
 more especially of man, his mind or heart, as distinguished from 
 his mere professions or external acts. See above, on Ps. v. 10 
 (9.) xlix. 12 (11.) The literal translation of the form here used is 
 my insides or inner parts, the strong and comprehensive meaning 
 of the plural being further enhanced by the addition of all, as if 
 to preclude exception and reserve, and comprehend within the 
 scope of the address all the powers and affections. His name of 
 holiness (or holy name), i. e. the revelation of his infinite perfec- 
 tions. See above, on Ps. v. 12 (11.) xxii. 4 (3.) 
 
 2. Bless, oh my soul, Jehovah, and forget not all his dealings. 
 The positive exhortation is repeated as a kind of foil to the nega- 
 tive one following, in which there seems to be allusion to the fre- 
 quent admonition in the Law to Israel, not to forget the Lord 
 who brought him up out of the land of Egypt. See Deut. vi. 12- 
 viii. 11, 14. The last word in the verse before us is the passive 
 participle of a verb which means to treat, and commonly to treat 
 well. See above on Ps. vii. 5 (4.j The idea here conveyed is 
 that of treatment, determined by the context to be kind and gra- 
 cious treatment. The latitude of meaning and the plural form 
 are both represented in the English word dealings, which, though 
 susceptible of either application can, in this connection^ only hava 
 a good one. 
 
20 PSALM cm. 
 
 3. Forgiving ill thy guilty healing all thy sicknesses. The par- 
 ticiples are to be grammatically construed with Jehovah, as tho 
 object of the praise required, and assign a reason for the requisi- 
 tion, furnished by the personal experience of the soul itself. The 
 origmal expression is still more definite, each participle having 
 the article prefixed, the (one) forgiving, the (one) healing. See 
 a similar construction carried out still further in Ps. xviii. 33-35 
 (32-34), 48-51 (47-50.) The last word in the verse is an un- 
 usual one borrowed from Deut. xxix. 21, where sicknesses are 
 joined with plagues or strokes, to signify calamities considered as 
 •>enal inflictions. The same idea is expressed in other words, 
 Ex. xvi. 26. The relation of the clauses, in the verse before us, 
 may be that of cause and efiect. Forgiving all thy guilt ani 
 thereby removing all the misery occasioned by it. 
 
 4. Redeeming from the grave thy life, crowning thee (with) 
 mercy and compassions. The combination of the article and par- 
 ticiple is the same as in v. 3, the (one) redeeming, the (one) crown- 
 ing. The continuation of the sentence in this form keeps the 
 attention fixed upon the reasons for which, or the characters in 
 which, the Lord is to be praised. As if he had said, Bless him 
 as the one forgiving thee and healing thee, redeeming thee and 
 crowning thee. Redeeming means delivering, but with a strong 
 implication of cost and risk. For the twofold sense of (Cind) 
 the word translated grave, see above, on Ps. xvi. 10, and com- 
 pare Ps. XXX. 10 (9.) The peculiar form of the possessive pro- 
 noun, in this verse and the one before it, has been represented as 
 a proof of later date, but really belongs to the dialect of poetry_ 
 from which, in all languages, certain expressions are continually 
 passing into that of common life, so that what in one age is poet- 
 ical is in the next colloquial, and seems therefore to belong to the 
 later period and to show the recent date of any composition ii^ 
 which it occurs. The familiar use of such words as oftentimes, 
 perchance, etc. in our own dny may thus be used hereafter to prove 
 
PSALM Jill 21 
 
 the writings of our older poets spurious. The figure of crownings 
 which occurs above in Ps. Ixv. 12 (11), suggests the ideas of dig- 
 nity and beauty, while the absence of merit in the object, and the 
 sovereign freeness of the gift, are indicated by making the crown 
 itself a crown of mercy and compassio7is. The last word in He- 
 brew is expressive of the warmest and tenderest affections. See 
 above, on Ps. xviii. 2 (1.) xxv. 6. xl. 12 (11.) 
 
 5. Filling with good thy soul — (then) is renewed, like the eagle,^ 
 thy youth. The peculiar construction of the two preceding verse? 
 is continued through the first clause of the one before us, and then 
 suddenly abandoned. Filling, the {one) filling, in the sense of 
 satisfying or abundantly supplying, but without the accessory 
 notion of satiety. See above, on Ps. Ixxxi. 17 (16.) xci. 16 
 With good, literally the good, by way of eminence, the chief good 
 or the real good. Thy soul is not a literal translation of the He- 
 brew term, which, in every other case where it occurs, means or- 
 nament or decoration. See for example Ps. xxxii. 9 (8.) The 
 translations mouth, life, etc. are gratuitous conjectures from the 
 context. The best explanation is that furnished by the analogous 
 word (TiiS") honour, glory, which is sometimes applied to the 
 soul as the nobler part of man. See above, on Ps. xvi. 9. This 
 explanation is confirmed by the frequent combination of the noun 
 tout and the verb to satisfy. See above, Ps. Ixiii. 6 (5), and 
 below, Ps. cvii. 9, and compare Isai. Iviii. 11. It is also sanc- 
 tioned by the ancient versions ; for Jilthough the Targum makes 
 it mean old age, a palpable conjecture, the Septuagint and Yul- 
 gate have desire (eittdvfAiav^ dcsiderium), a frequent sense of 
 (llfci) soul in Hebrew, and Jerome translates it literally, or?^<^- 
 mentum. The word then is introduced into the translation of the 
 second clause, in order to retain the Hebrew collocation, which is 
 not without its emphasis. Is renewed, or retaining the reflexive 
 form of the original, renzws itself. The supposed allusion in thi? 
 clause to a fabulous or real renovation of the eagle in its old age. 
 
22 PSALM CI II. 
 
 rests upon a misconception of the language, as the only point of 
 comparison with the eagle is its strength and vigour, as in 2 Sam. 
 i. 23. Isai. xl. 31, and the whole verse may be paraphrased as 
 follows. ^ So completely does his bounty feed thy strength, that 
 even in old age thou growest young again, and soarest like an 
 eagle.' 
 
 6. Doing righteousnesses (is) Jehovah^ and judgments for all 
 oppressed. Thus far the reasons urged for praising God were per- 
 sonal, i. G. derived from individual experience. With these, from 
 the very constitution of our nature, all our grateful exercises must 
 begin. But if genuine they do not stop there, as the Psalmist, at 
 this point, ascends from private causes of thanksgiving to more 
 general views of Grod's administration, as a basis for the universal 
 call with which the psalm concludes. The connection here may 
 thus be stated. ' Such have been the Lord's compassions to my- 
 self, but these are only samples of his goodness. He is not only 
 merciful to me, but to all who are oppressed, and to deliver whom 
 he executes his judgments.' There is no contrast here intended 
 between mercy and justice, with respect to different objects of the 
 Lord's compassion. The meaning is, ihat man's injustice is re- 
 dressed by God's mercy. The redemption of his people is often 
 represented as coincident wtth the condign punishment of their 
 oppressors. Compare my note on Isai. i. 27. Doings i e. prac- 
 tising in general, and executing in particular cases. The partici- 
 ple {doing) signifies habitual and constant action ; the plural form 
 (righteousnesses) completeness and variety, adapted to all possible 
 emergencies. Judgments^ as usual, denotes judicial acts, as dLs 
 tinguished from mere attributes or principles. 
 
 7. He makes known his ways to Moses ^ to the children of Israel 
 his (mighty) deeds. The general statement of the fact in the 
 preceding verse is now followed by the great historical example 
 furnished in Jehovah's dealings with his people. This serves , 
 
P S A L M c: 1 1 1 . 23 
 
 not only to illustrate what was said before, but to show that it 
 was not a mere vague declaration of what God will do te all men, 
 but a definite assertion of his purpose and his practice with re- 
 spect to his own people. All the oppressed^ to whom he grants 
 or promises deliverance, are not mankind in general, without dis- 
 tinction or exception, but his own people when in that condition 
 The first clause contains an obvious allusion to the prayer of 
 Moses, as recorded by himself, Ex. xxxiii. 13, from which pas- 
 sage it appears, that the ways of Grod, which he desired to know, 
 were his modes of dealing with his people, or the com-se of his 
 dispensations towards them. See above, on Ps. xxv. 4. Ixvii. 
 3 (2.) The knowledge thus imparted was experimental or af- 
 forded by experience. The parallelism between Moses and the 
 Children of Israel shews that the latter were represented by the 
 former. The last Hebrew word is one constantly applied to 
 God's exploits or mighty deeds in behalf of Israel. See above, 
 on Ps. ix. 12 (11.) Ixxviii. 11. 
 
 8. Compassionate and gracious (is) Jehovah^ slow to ange? , and 
 rich in mercy. See above, on Ps. Ixxvii. 10 (9.) Ixxviii. 38. 
 Ixxxvi. 15, in all which cases, as in this, the terms of the de- 
 scription are borrowed from Ex. xxxiv. 6. There is here an 
 evident progression in the thought. Not only is God good to me, 
 but to all his people in distress ; not only did he prove this to 
 Moses and to Israel by saving them from Pharoah and their other 
 enemies, but by bearing with their own offences. The previous 
 context might have seemed to concede innocence, if not merit, to 
 God's people, as the object of his kind regard ; but they are here 
 exhibited as sinners, needing his forbearance and forgiveness. 
 
 9. ]Yot to perpetuity will he strive^ and not to eternity retain 
 (his anger. J This of course implies that he is sometimes angry, 
 even with his people, and sometimes strives in opposition to their 
 drivings against him. "But as he is always in the right, and they 
 
24 PSALM CI II. 
 
 * 
 
 are always in tlie wrong, it is a signal proof of the di\^ine com- 
 passion, that he does not strive and is not wroth forever. The 
 first clause is closely copied by Isaiah (Ivii. 16.) The second is 
 itself derived from Lev. xix. 18, where we find a verb meaning to 
 retain or reserve used absolutely in the sense of harbouring a 
 grudge or cherishing a secret spite. This remarkable form of 
 expression is copied in the case before us and in Nah. i. 2. Jer 
 iii. 5, 12. The original passage is a prohibition, in obeying which 
 the Lord, as it were, here sets his people an example. Compare 
 Matt. V. 48. 1 Cor. xi. 1. Eph. v. 1. 
 
 10. Not according to our sins has he done to us, and not ac- 
 cording to onr iniquities has he dealt with us. That the people 
 stood in need of the divine forbearance, is now still more dis- 
 tinctly intimated. The last verb is the one of which the narticiple 
 occurs in v. 2, and might here be rendered, with still closer aa- 
 herence to the strict sense of the Hebrew preposition, /ms ke be- 
 itowed upon us. See the same construction in the Hebrew of 
 Ps. xiii. 6. cxvi. 7. cxlii. 8 (7.) The past tense has reference to 
 the previous history of Israel as a nation, but involves the state- 
 ment of a general truth. At the end of the verse, we may sup- 
 pose it to be tacitly added : as he might have done, not only iv 
 strict justice, but in execution of his express threatening. Lev. 
 xxvi. 21. 
 
 11, For as the heavens are high above the earthy mighty is his 
 mercy above those that fear him. The Hebrew preposition is the 
 bame in both clauses, and cannot be varied in translation without 
 weakening the sentence. In the last clause it suggests the ideaa 
 of descent from above, superior power, and protection, in ad- 
 dition to that of mere relation or direction, which is all that is 
 conveyed by the translation to or t^ioards. The force of the 
 original is likewise impaired by substituting great for strong or 
 mghiy. The idea meant to be conveyed is not that of mp.ro 
 
PSALM CIII. 25 
 
 extent but of efficiency. The literal meaning of the first words 
 is, like the height of the, heavens, or like their heing high. His 
 fearers, or tho&e fearing him, is a common description of the 
 righteous or God's people, who are more particularly character- 
 ked in v. 18. 
 
 12. As far as the east is from the west, he hath jput far from us 
 our transgressions. The form of expression at the beginning is 
 the same as in v. 11, like the distance of the east, or like its heiiig 
 far. The Hebrew words for east and west, according to tlieir 
 etymology, denote the place of sunrise and the place of evening. 
 Put far from us, as no longer having anything to do with us, a 
 figure which suggests the idea both of pardon and renewal, justifi- 
 cation and sanctification. 
 
 13. As a father has compassion on (his) children, Jehovah has 
 compassion on his fearers. The compound phrase, Jms compassion^ 
 is here substituted for the simple verb pity, in order to retain the 
 preposition on, which follows it in Hebrew, and also because the 
 plural form compassions was necessarily employed in v. 4 to trans- 
 late the cognate noun. The Hebrew verb is peculiarly appropri- 
 ate in speaking of parental love. See above, on Ps. xviii. 2 
 (1.) The preterite forms represent the fact alleged as one already 
 known and well attested by experience. 
 
 14. For he knows our frame, mindful that dust (are) we. Tho 
 fragility of man is here again assigned as a ground of the divino 
 compassion. See above, on Ps. Ixxviii. 39. Ixxxix. 48 (47.) 
 Frame, formation, constitution, or as we say familiarly in Eng 
 lish, our make, our build. The Hebrew noun is derived from tho 
 verb used in Ps. xciv. 9, and may therefore be intended to suggest 
 the same idea that is there expressed. He who formed us knows 
 of course how we are formed. The same noun is applied to the 
 moral constitution, Gen. vi. 5, viii. 21, Deut. xxxi. 21. The word 
 
 VOL. III. 2 
 
26 PSALM CI I.I. 
 
 translated mindful is, in form, a passive participle, (^^IDT] meaning 
 -emcmhercd^ but equivalent in use to tbe active, remembering, or 
 the verbal adjective mindful^ just as the like form (nps) trusted 
 is equivalent to truUing^ Ps. cxii. 7, the English rejoiced to rt- 
 joicing, etc. We are dust, i. e. made of it, and tending to it 
 Compare Gen. ii. 7, iii. 19, Ps. xc. 3. 
 
 15. (As for) man, Ms days (are) like the grass ; like the blossom 
 of the field, so he blossoms. As the preceding verse expresses the 
 fragility of man by referring to his origin and end, so this verse 
 does the same by a familiar but beautiful comparison, borrowed 
 from Ps. xc. 6, and repeated in Isai. xl. 6 — 8. Job xiv. 2. The 
 very name here given to the race is one denoting fi-ailty and in- 
 firmity. See above, on Ps. viii. 5 (4.) 
 
 16. For a breath passes over him and he is not, and no more 
 shall his place know him. The pronouns may, with equal gram- 
 matical correctness, be referred to the grass and rendered it, its. 
 The primary meaning of the first noun {breath) is, in this con- 
 nection, stronger than the secondary (icind.) The wind may bo 
 a whirlwind ; but to say that a mere breath is sufficient to de 
 stroy one is the strongest possible expression of fragility. That 
 the wind is called the breath of God, as the thunder is his voice, 
 is a striking and poetical but needless supposition. He is not or 
 710 more, there is none of him, no such thing or person. See 
 above, on Ps. xxxvii. 10. With the first clause compare Isai. 
 xl. 7 ; with the second. Job vii. 10. The last verb means to 
 recognize or know again, as in Ps. cxlii. 5 (4), and the whole 
 clause, that death makes men strangers to the objects with which 
 they have been most familiar 
 
 17. And the mercy of Jehovah (is) from eternity even to 
 eternity upon those fearing him, and his righteousness to children^ 
 children. Having carried the description of man's frailty to th«» 
 
PSALM cm. 20 
 
 furthest point, the Psalmist suddenly contrasts with it God's 
 everlasting mercy. The use of the simple copulative and^ in 
 such a marked antithesis, where hut might to us seem indispens- 
 able, is one of the most strikiiw and familiar' Hebrew idioms. 
 Ufoii those, fearing him suggests the idea of a gift from above 
 To children'^s children simply means given (or belonging^ to 
 them Unless we make the last clause a threatening of hereditary 
 vengeance to the wicked, his righteousness can only mean his 
 rectitude, including his veracity and faithfulness in exercising 
 covenanted mercy. Childrenh children^ literally, sons of sons. 
 
 18. To the keepers of his covenant, and to the rememberers of his 
 laws, to do them. This is the necessary qualification of a pro- 
 mise which might otherwise have seemed too absolute. Even to 
 the descendants of those fearing him the promise availed nothing, 
 unless they themselves were faithful to his covenant and obedient 
 to his law. The last words {to do thevi) show that the remem 
 brance of the law required was not merely intellectual but practi 
 cal and tending to obedience. 
 
 19. Jehovah in the heavens has fixed his throne, and his Jang- 
 dom over all rules. Not only is he infinitely merciful and faith- 
 ful, but a universal and almighty sovereign, no less able than 
 willing to fulfil his promises and execute his purposes of mercy. 
 The word translated fixed, like its English representative, sug- 
 gests the two ideas of preparing and establishing. The same 
 combination with throne occurs above, Ps. ix. 8 (7.) See also 
 Ps. xi. 4. xlvii. 9 (8.) Over all ; the original expression is still 
 stronger, over the whole, the universe, to nuv. The same phrase 
 is applied to the entire human race, Ps. xiv. 3. The past tense 
 of the last verb represents this unlimited dominion as already 
 established or revealed. The future would have made its ulterior 
 continuance the prominent idea. 
 
28 PSALM cm. 
 
 20. Bless Jehovah^ ye his angels, mighty in stiength, doing his 
 inord, (so as) to listen to the voice of his word. Having finished 
 his assertion of God's claims to universal praise, the Psalmist 
 resumes the tone of exhortation with which he began. His appeal, 
 however, is no longer to his own soul, but to the hosts of heaven, 
 the noblest of God's creatures, the highest order of finite intel- 
 ligences. Mighty in strength, more exactly, mighty (ones) of 
 strength, or, as the first word is applied as a substantive to 
 warriors or conquerors, heroes of strength or mighty heroes. See 
 above, on Ps. xxiv. 8. Ixxviii. 25. The construction in the last 
 clause is obscure. The infinitive may here have the force of a 
 gerund, audicndo, auscultando, by listening to the voice of his 
 word, or, as in Ps. Ixxviii. 18, it may denote the extent or the 
 effect of their obedience, so as to hearken, or so that they hearken, 
 \. e. listen for the faintest intimation of his will. The expression 
 hearken to his voice, as thus applied, is a Mosaic one. See Deut. 
 xxvi. 17. XXX. 20. 
 
 21. Bless Jehovah, ye his hosts, his mi7iisters, the doers of kit 
 will. As the word hosts is applied both to the angels and the 
 heavenly bodies (see above, on Ps. xxiv. 10), some interpreters, 
 in order to relieve this verse of a tautology, suppose it to relate to 
 the heavenly hosts in one sense, as the preceding verse does in 
 another. In the same way they account for the change of ex- 
 pression in the last clause. Only intelligent creatures can be 
 literally said to listen for God's word and to obey it ; but even 
 the inanimate creation may be said, without a metaphor, to exe- 
 cute his will. This last phrase occurs also in Ps. xl. 9 (8.) 
 
 22. Bless ye Jehovah, all his works, in all places of his realm ; 
 bless thou, oh my soul, Jehovah ! The angels and heavenly bodies, 
 with men and every other creature, are now slimmed up in the 
 comprehensive phrase, aZZ his works, i. e. all that he has made, 
 all creatures, and invited to bless God, which invitation the 
 
ALM CIV. 29 
 
 Psalmist then addresses once more to himself, and thus, by a 
 beautiful transition, brings us back to the point from which we 
 started. 
 
 PSALM CIV. 
 
 We have here another of those psalms, in which the hopes of 
 God's people are excited and their faith strengthened by a view 
 of the authority and providential care which he exercises over the 
 creation. The sum of the whole psalm is contained in the first 
 verse, and its application indicated in the last. Here, as in Ps. 
 viii, xix, xxix, Ixv, the description of God's glory, as exhibited in 
 nature, is entirely subservient to a moral and religious purpose, 
 and the psalm is therefore fully entitled to a place in the collec- 
 tion, and adapted to the permanent use of the church. The ar 
 rangement of the psalm is founded on the history of the creation, 
 but with such variations as were suited to the writer's purpose. 
 After a general statement of this purpose, v. 1, the Psalmist 
 traces the creative and providential agency of God in the works of 
 the first and second day, vs. 2 — 5, then in that of the third, vs. 
 6 — IS, then in that of the fourth, vs. 19 — 23, then in that of the 
 fifth, vs. 24 — 26, with an allusion to the rest of the seventh day 
 in V. 31. The psalm closes with a summary statement of the de- 
 pendence of all living creatures upon God's care and bounty, vs. 
 27 — 32, a resolution to glorify him accordingly, vs. 33 — 34, and 
 a pregnant inference, that they who are under such protection 
 have nothing to fear from human enemies, v. 35. According to 
 Hengstenberg, this and the two next psalms compose a trilogy 
 
30 PSALM CIV. 
 
 added to the Davidic one immediately preceding (Ps. ci — ciii) 
 about the time of the Babylonish exile. This hypothesis, he 
 thinks, accounts for the occun-ence of Davidic psalms m this part 
 of the Psalter, which would otherwise have found their place 
 among the Psalms of David in the first division of the book. 
 But having been made the basis or ths nucleus of later compo- 
 sitions, they were naturally placed with these in their proper 
 chronological position. 
 
 1. Bhss^ oh my so7il, Jehovah ! Oh Jehovah^ my God^ thou art 
 great cxceediTigly ; honour and majesty hast thou piit on. The 
 resemblance of the first clause to Ps. ciii. 1 shows the designed con- 
 nection of the two psalms. The remainder of the verse is a kind of 
 response to this invocation, and contains, as it were, the words in 
 which his soul does actually bless God. At the same time it ex- 
 hibits in advance the sum and substance of the whole composition, 
 the design of which is to describe the glories of creation and 
 providence as the royal robe of the divine sovereign. Compare 
 Ps. xlv. 4 (3.) xciii. 1. xcvi. 6. Job xl. 10. Isai. li. 9. 
 
 2. Wearing light like a rohe^ spreading heaven like a curtaiyi. 
 In carrying out the idea summarily stated in the first verse, he 
 bef^ins where the cosmogony in Genesis begins, with the light and 
 the firmament, not the act of their creation, but their use, as the 
 Creator's robe and curtain. It follows of course that light and 
 heaven must be taken in their popular and ordinary sense, and 
 not as denoting the heaven of heavens and the light inaccessible 
 in which he is elsewhere represented as dwelling. The definite 
 forms of the original, the robe, the curtain., as contrasted with the 
 vao-uer forms, light., heaven., may be intended to suggest the idea 
 of the robe and curtain known and used in common life, which man 
 puts on and stretches out with perfect ease, but not more easily 
 than God puts on the light and stretches out the sky. Compare 
 uen i. 6. Isai. xl. 22. Job. ix. 8. 
 
PSALM CIV. 31 
 
 3. Framing with loater his halls ; r/iaking clouds his convey- 
 ance ; moving on wings of the icind. The first word means 
 laying beams or rafters. The next phrase may either mean in 
 or with water. The first is more obvious, the last more striking, 
 as it represents a solid building, made of a liquid or fluid ma- 
 terial. In the other case the waters meant are those above the 
 firmament. See Gen. i. 6, 7. Ps. xviii. 12 (llj, where the clouds 
 and the wings of the wind are also mentioned in the same con- 
 nection. The word translated halls denotes the highest room of 
 an oriental house, which is frequently the largest. Hence the 
 frequent mention, in the New Testament, of the vnagojoy as a 
 place of assembly. Making, literally, setting, placing. Chariot 
 is too specific a translation of the Hebrew word, which means 
 anything on which a person rides. The preposterous figure of 
 icalking on icings belongs entirely to the versions, ancient and 
 modern. The Hebrew word, though often so applied, is a 
 generic one, denoting all progressive movement, and nearly 
 equivalent to our word going, which is not so agreeable, however, 
 in this place, to English usage, as the more general and poetical 
 term moving. See above, on Ps. xviii. 11 (10.) 
 
 4. Making his angels winds, his ministers Jlaming fire. Ac- 
 cording to the simplest and most obvious construction of this 
 verse, it can only mean that God makes his angels or ministering 
 spirits swift and ardent in his service. But such a statement 
 would be wholly out of place in a psalm, the rest of which relates 
 exclusively to the material creation. The best interpreters are 
 therefore of opinion that angels and ministers are predicates not 
 subjects, or in other words, that the idea meant to be conveyed is, 
 that he makes the winds his messengers or angels, and the flam- 
 ing fire his minister or servant. This agrees exactly with the 
 Drevious declaration that he makes the clouds his chariot or con- 
 veyance, and moves upon the wings of the wind. It may ?rem, 
 howe'^er, *^ be inconsistent with the use made of the passage in 
 
32 PSALM CIV. 
 
 Heb. 1. 7, as a proof that the angels are inferior to the Son of 
 God. But how could this inferiority be proved by the fact that 
 the angels arc spirits, or even wind and fire ? The latter cannot 
 be literally true, and if metaphorical, can only mean that they 
 are swift and ardent in God's service, which they might be and 
 yet equal to the Son in nature, who, considered as a messenger 
 or agent of the Father, exhibits precisely the same qualities. 
 The truth is that the passage, as thus understood, is perfectly 
 irrelevant and useless to the argument, and therefore that this 
 mode of explaining it is not entitled to the preference, what- 
 ever difficulties may attend the other. Let it be observed, too, 
 that the Septuagint version, which is quoted in Heb. i. 7, is an 
 exact transcript of the Hebrew, both as to the sense and colloca- 
 tion of the words, so that if the original admits of a different con- 
 struction, it may be extended to the version likewise. The most 
 satisfactory conclusion is, that the words are not quoted as an 
 argument or proof of the inferiority of angels, but merely as a 
 striking yet familiar form of words in which to clothe the writer's 
 own idea, which is this, that angels are mere messengers and 
 ministers, and as such may be classed with the material agencies 
 which God employs in execution of his purpose. The wind and 
 the lightning are God's angels and his ministers, and are ex- 
 pressly so described in the Old Testament ; but they are nevei 
 called his sons, much less addressed directly as the sovereign, 
 eternal, righteous, ever-blessed God. Nor are the ministering 
 spirits, who share with these material agencies the character of 
 messengers and servants, ever so described or so addressed. By 
 thus supplying the suppressed links of the chain of argument, the 
 verse before us, in the only sense of which the context really ad- 
 mits, will be found not only as appropriate as the other to the 
 purpose for which it is quoted in the New Testament, but incom- 
 parably more so. 
 
 5. HefouTided the earth on its bases ; it hhall not he moved for* 
 
PSALM CIV. 55 
 
 ever and ever. The idea of bases is rather suggested by the con- 
 text, and especially the verb founded^ than expressed by the 
 Hebrew noun itself, which properly means jplaces., or more specifi- 
 cally, fixed and settled places. See above, on Ps. Ixxxix. 15 (14.) 
 xcvii. 2, and with the whole verse compare Ps. Ixxviii. 69. Ixxxix. 
 12 (11.) cii. 2Q (25.; 
 
 6. (With) the deep, like a garment, thou didst cover it ; above 
 the mountains stand the waters. Next in importance to the separ- 
 ation of the land and water in the beginning (Gen. i. 9, 10), 
 was the temporary confounding of the two in the universal 
 deluge fGen. vii. 19, 20), which the Psalmist therefore here con- 
 nects with the creation, as equally demonstrative of almighty 
 power, and also for the purpose of founding on this seeming vio- 
 lation of the promise in the last clause of v. 5, a still more 
 solemn repetition of it. The grammatical objection that the 
 pronoun in the phrase didst cover it is masculine, and cannot 
 therefore refer to earth which is feminine, is easily removed by a 
 reference to the general license of the Hebrew syntax with re- 
 spect to genders, and the idiomatic tendency to use the mascu- 
 line, not as a distinctive but as a generic form, in cases where the 
 subject is sufficiently indicated by the context. There are more- 
 over several clear examples of the masculine construction of this 
 very noun (f '15<) besides those in which earth or land is put for 
 its inhabitants. See e. g. Gen. xiii. 6. Isai. ix. IS. The allu- 
 sion in the last clause to Gen. vii. 19, 20, is too plain to be mis 
 taken. 
 
 7. At thy rebuke they flee, at the voice of thy thunder they hasten 
 away. The same power that produced the deluge put an end to 
 it. The verbs agree with waters in v. 6. The divine command 
 that they should cease or disappear is poetically spoken of as a 
 rebuke. See above, on Ps. xviii. 16 (15.) Ixxvi. 7 (6), and com- 
 pare Isai. 1. 2. The Hebrew particle means /ro7;t, denoting both 
 
 2* 
 
^4 PSALM CIV. 
 
 the time and cause of the effect described. The last verb is a 
 passive meaning strictly to be panic-struck, or to flee in conse- 
 quence of being panic-struck. See above, on Ps. xxxi. 23 (22.) 
 xlviii. 6 (5.) The voice of thy thunder may be literally under- 
 stood to mean the sound of thunder, or, according to a well-known 
 Hebrew idiom, thy voice of thunder, cr thy thundering voice. 
 
 8. Theij go up mountains^ they go down valleys^ to this jplar^ 
 thou hast founded for them. The first clause is a beautiful de- 
 scription of the fluctuations which attend the subsidence of 
 swollen waters, not only in the case of Noah's flood (Gen. viii. 
 4 — 5) to which the words relate in the first instance, but in all 
 other cases, where the same rule still holds good, so that the 
 verse, by an insensible transition, founds the statement of a gen- 
 eral truth on that of a particular event. The use of the de- 
 monstrative {this) is highly idiomatic. The original construc- 
 tion is, to a place, this (which) thou hast founded for them. This 
 form of expression is equivalent to pointing with the hand, and 
 therefore adds not a little to the graphic vividness of the descrip- 
 tion. 
 
 9. A hound thou didst set, they shall not pass over, they shall 
 not return to cover the earth. This grand exception to the law 
 which governs the relations between land and water is the only 
 one to be permitted or expected. The limits broken were re- 
 newed with an assurance that henceforth they should be inviol- 
 able. See Gen. ix. 15. Besides the immediate reference to the 
 flood, the verse contains the Btatement of a general fact in the 
 economy of nature, and thus furnishes a natural transition to the 
 bimilar statements of the next verse. 
 
 10. Sending springs into the valleys ; between hills they go. 
 The participial construction, interrupted by the parenthetical ac- 
 cour* of the flood, is here resumed, the participle, like the others, 
 
PSALM CIV. ^j^ 
 
 agreeing directly with Jehovah understood, as the (one) sending^ 
 which is the precise form of the original. See above, on Ps. ciii. 
 3 — 6. SjpTings or fountains^ not in the restricted sense, but 
 comprehendinT both the source and stream, as in Joel iv. 18 
 (iii. 18.) The word translated valleys is restricted in usage to 
 such as have streams flowing through them. The last word is the 
 one translated walketh by the English Bible in v. 3 above, but 
 here run^ although icalk is given in the margin, as a more pre- 
 cise and literal translation, while Jerome inserts it in his text, ut 
 inter medios monies amhulent. 
 
 11. They uatcr every least of the field ; (at them) loild asses 
 quench their thirst. The subject of the first verb is still the 
 waters. The verb itself means to icater, in the sense of giving 
 drink to animals, though sometimes metaphorically applied to 
 irrigation. See Gen. ii. 10. The form of the parallelism in this 
 verse is peculiar, although not uncommon in Hebrew poetry, the 
 last clause containing a specification of the general statement in 
 yhe first. What is first said of animals, or wild ones in the gen- 
 eral, is then said of the wild ass in particular. Quench, literally, 
 break, i. e. subdue, assuage. A derivative noun is applied in 
 Hebrew to corn or grain, as that which breaks or assuages hunger, 
 although most interpreters and lexicographers suppose a reference 
 to the literal breaking or grinding of the corn itself. 
 
 12. Above them the birds of heaven dwell, from between the 
 branches they give voice. The poetical character of the compo- 
 sition is in nothing more obvious than in these minute strokes of 
 exquisite painting, superadded to the more essential parts of the 
 description. At the same time, these are not to be regarded as 
 mere lavish or gratuitous embellishments, since the Psalmist's 
 purpose is to celebrate God's wonderful and bountiful provision 
 for his living creatures, and the running brooks would fail to an- 
 swer one of their most valuable ends, if there were no birds to give 
 
36 PSALM CIV. 
 
 voice or sing among the branches of the overhanging trees. The 
 word translated birds is a collective answering to the old English 
 fowly not as used in the version of this psalm, where it is plural, 
 but in that of Gen. i. 20, 22, 26, 28. That passage furnishes an 
 explanation of the phrase fowl (or birds) of heaven^ in the fuller 
 description (Gen i. 20), fowl that may fly above the earth in the 
 open firmament cf heaven, i. e. through the air, across the face of 
 the expanse or visible heaven. 
 
 13. Watering mountains from his upper rooms — frcm the fruit 
 oj thy works is the earth filed. He still returns to God as the 
 author of these merciful provisions, and represents him, by a 
 beautiful figure, as pouring this abundant supply of water from 
 his upper rooms, the same word that was rendered halls in v. 3 ; 
 but here the connection seems to require that its precise etymo- 
 logical iniport should be prominent. The fruit of thy works, the 
 result or product of thy creative energy. Filled, not in the sense 
 of being occupied, which would require a different Hebrew verb, 
 but in that of being abundantly supplied or saturated. See 
 above, on Ps. ciii. 5. The sudden apostrophe to God himself 
 enhances the poetical effect. 
 
 14. Causing grass to grow for the cattle and herb for tin 
 culture of man, (so as) to bring forth bread from the earth. In 
 this verse there is a transition from God's care of the inferior ani- 
 mals to his care of man. The word translated herb denotes any 
 green plant or vegetable, and is here applied to such as constitute 
 or furnish human food. The common version of the next words, 
 for the service of man, can only mean for his benefit or use, a 
 Bsnse not belonging to the Hebrew word, which, as well as its verbal 
 root, is applied to man's servitude or bondage as a tiller of the 
 ground (Gen. iii. 17 — 19), and has here the sense of husbandry 
 gr cultivation, as in Ex. i. 14. Lev. xxv. 39, it has that of com- 
 
PSALM CIV. 37 
 
 pulsory or servilo labour. The infinitive in the last clause indi- 
 cates the object for which labour is imposed on man. 
 
 15. Aiid wine, gladdens the heart of man — (so as) to make his 
 face shine more than oil — and bread the heart of man sustains. 
 The general expression at the end of v. 14 is now rendered more 
 specific by distinctly mentioning the great staples of production 
 and subsistence in the Holy Land. The only doubt is whether 
 two or three are mentioned. The text of the English Bible 
 makes oil a distinct item in the catalogue, and oil to make his face 
 to shine. But this is an impossible construction of the Hebrew, 
 in which the infinitive {to make shine) bears the same relation to 
 jfhat go&s before as the infinitive (to bring forth) in the verse pre- 
 ceding, and is therefore expressive not of a distinct cause and 
 efibct, but of a consequence resulting from the one just men- 
 tioned. The true construction is given in the margin of the 
 English Bible, to make his face shine with oil, or ?nore than oil. 
 To the first of these alternative translations it may be objected 
 that wine cannot make men's faces shine with oil, unless there is 
 allusion to the festive unctions of the ancients, which however 
 were restricted to the head. The other, therefore, seems to bo 
 the true sense, in which oil is merely mentioned as a shining sub- 
 stance. The description of food as sustaining the heart is very 
 aacient. See Gen. xviii. 5. Judg. xix. 8. 
 
 16. Full are the trees of Jehovah; the cedars of Lebanon which 
 he planted. Full, i. e. abundantly supplied, saturated as in v. 13 
 The English versions supply sap ; but the idea suggested by the 
 context is the more general one of moisture, irrigation. The 
 mutual relation of the clauses is the same as in v. 11. What is 
 first said of trees, or of the noblest trees, in general, is then said 
 of the cedars in particular. The trees of Jehovah., like the cedars 
 of God in Ps. Ixxx. 11 (10), are those which he has planted 
 (Num. xxiv. 6), those which, by their loftiness or fruitfulness or 
 
38 PSALM CIV. 
 
 beauty, bear the strongest impress of their Maker's hand. The 
 cedars of Lebanon are often mentioned as the noblest and most 
 famous of their kind. See above, on Ps. xxix. 5. xcii. 13 (12.) 
 
 17. Where ike {small) birds nestle; {as to) the stork, the 
 cypresses {are) her house. He again recurs to the provision made 
 for birds, which is here connected with the trees, as it is in v. 12. 
 The word translated birds is not the one there used, but the same 
 with that in Ps. Ixxxiv. 4 (3.) cii. 7, where it is commonly trans- 
 lated sparrow, though supposed to be a general term for small 
 birds, so called from their chirping, twittering noise. Here it 
 may represent the smaller and the stork the larger class of birds. 
 The Hebrew name of the stork means merciful or pious, and is 
 supposed to have reference to the natural kindness of that bird, 
 both to its parents and its young. Nestle or build their nests. 
 The choice between the old translation, fir-trees, and the new one, 
 cypresses, is exegetically unimportant. 
 
 18. Mountains, the high {ones), are for the wild-goats — rocks 
 {are) a refuge for the conies. The idea seems to be, that even 
 the wildest situations, and the most inaccessible to man, afford 
 shelter and subsistence to some form of life, and are therefore 
 proofs of the divine benevolence and wisdom. Of the names of 
 animals here mentioned, the first occurs also in the book of Job 
 (xxxix. 1) ; the second in the lists of unclean beasts, Lev. xi. 5. 
 Deut. xiv. 7 ; and both in the writings of Solomon, Prov. v, 19. 
 XXX. 26. Of the second, various explanations have been given, 
 but none of them more probable than that derived from the rab- 
 binical tradition. Nor is the question of the slightest exegetical 
 importance, since the only peculiarities involved are those sug- 
 gested by the text itself, to wit, that the animals intended must be 
 such as inhabit rocks and mountains. Some supply a refuge in the 
 first clause from the second ; but a better sense is yielded by the 
 simpler construclion, they belong to (or are intended for) the icUd 
 
PSALM CIV. 39 
 
 goats^ which agrees exactly with the drift of the whole psalm to 
 show that all parts of the inanimate creation contribute something 
 to the comfort of the living sentient creature. 
 
 19. He made (he moon for seasons; tliz sun knows his setting 
 Even the heavenly bodies have a reference to man's advantage 
 The moon is a measure of time, and the sun defines the period of 
 active labor. The word translated seasons is the plural of the one 
 translated set time in Ps. Ixxv. 3 (2.) cii. 14, and the same that 
 means assemblies in Ps. Ixxiv. 4, 8. It is here put for all divi- 
 sions of time, including the succession of day and night, to which 
 there is perhaps a special reference, as in the other clause, where 
 the meaning seems to be, that the sun knows when and where to 
 set, and does not make the day, with its attendant toils, perpetual. 
 This is a strong poetical description of an obvious and familiar 
 fact, and no more presupposes a particular theory or system of 
 astronomy than the similar language of uninspired poets among 
 ourselves, 
 
 20. Tkou makest darkness and it is night ; in it begins to move 
 every beast of the forest. The first verb in Hebrew means to set 
 or place^ but is used precisely as a word of the same meaning is 
 in V. 3. Its abbreviated form does not indicate an optative 
 meaning, but is substituted for the full form by poetic license. 
 [tis nighty or night is, night begins to be. The same inceptive 
 meaning is expressed in the translation of the third verb, which 
 denotes animal motion, but is specially applied to that of reptiles. 
 The idea of a secret, stealthy motion, as suggested by the com- 
 mon version {do creep forth) , can hardly be intended, as the con- 
 text shows the main idea of the passage to be this, that as the 
 day affords a time for active motion to mankind and to domestic 
 animals, the night affords a like time for the wilder beasts, or 
 beasts of the forest J an expression which occurs above, in Ps. 
 I. 10 
 
40 PSALM CIV. 
 
 21. The young lions roaring for the prey^ and to seek from 
 God their food. By translating the participle and infinitive both 
 as presents, the common version makes this a distinct propo- 
 sition. But in Hebrew it forms part of the preceding sentence, 
 and contains a specification of the general statement there made. 
 When night comes on, all the beasts of the forest are aroused, 
 and among the rest the lion, roaring for his prey, (is roused) to 
 seek his food from God. This last expression implies no such 
 purpose on the lion's part, but merely that he seeks what can only 
 be bestowed by an almighty being, which idea is suggested by the 
 name of God here used. 
 
 22. 7^he sun rises — they are gathered — a7id in their dens lie down. 
 The first clause may also be translated, let the sun rise^ they are 
 gathered^ or paraphrased in more accordance with our idiom, 
 when the sun rises they are gathered ; but neither of these con- 
 structions is so striking and poetical as the exact version first 
 above given. Gathered.^ i. e. called in from their wanderings and 
 dispersions. The word translated dens means abodes or homes., 
 and is a cognate form to that in Ps. xc. 1 ; but the form here 
 used is specially applied to the lairs or resting places of wild 
 beasts, not only here but in Am. iii. 4. The last verb is also 
 one appropriated to the lying down of animals. See above, on 
 Ps. xxiii. 2. The construction is a pregnant one : they lie down 
 to (or into) their dens., i. e. go into them and lie down. 
 
 23. Forth goes man to his work., and to his labour until evening. 
 This verse presents the day-scene corresponding to the night- 
 scene of the two preceding verses. When night comes on, the 
 beasts of the forest are in motion ; when the sun appears, they 
 gather to their lairs, and man comes forth to labour until evening., 
 when the scene is shifted as before. Leaving out of view all 
 higher claims to admiration and respect, the poetical merit of 
 
' SALM CIV. 41 
 
 this whole description is of the highest order. The word trans- 
 lated labour is the same that was translated culture in v. 14. 
 
 24. How manifold are thy works^ Jehcvah ; all of them in wis- 
 dom hast thou wrought ; full is the earth of thy riches. The first 
 verb in Hebrew strictly means are many., but as the context has 
 respect to the variety, and not to the mere number, of God's 
 works, the sense is well conveyed by the term used in the English 
 versions [manifold.) Works and wrought represent a cognate 
 verb and noun in Hebrew, a combination which adds point and ani- 
 mation to the sentence. The last word in the verse is derived from 
 a verb which means to acquire, either by creation or by purchase. 
 While the noun, therefore, strictly denotes acquisitions or pos- 
 sessions, its etymological affinities would instantly suggest to 
 every Hebrew reader the idea of creation, as the ultimate source 
 of these possessions, a modification of the thought which cannot 
 be conveyed by any mere translation. 
 
 25. Here is the sea, great and wide on all hands; there are 
 moving things, and without numler, small animals icith great. 
 The exclamation or reflection in the preceding verse affords a 
 transition to the survey of other parts of the creation, not included 
 in the catalogue before recited, yet no less striking in themselves, 
 and as proofs or illustrations of the Maker's wisdom. Such is the 
 sea, or here for instance is the sea, are the phrases which would 
 probably be used in our idiom, to introduce the first example 
 The same thing was probably intended by the Hebrew phrase, 
 this (is) the sea, as if the speaker at the same time pointed to it. 
 See above, on v. 8. Wide of both hands is another idiomatic 
 phrase used also by Moses (Gren. xxxiv. 21) and Isaiah (xxxiii. 
 21.) It obviously means stretching out in all directions. The 
 sense of hand, as thus used, is the same as in the English phrase 
 on all hands, and is probably derived from the use of the right 
 and left hand to distinguish position or direction. Bloving things 
 
42 PSALM CIV. 
 
 IS here used to translate a single Hebrew word (b^tl)) ^^^ cognate 
 noun of the verb employed in v. 20 to denote animal motion. 
 It is applied to marine animals, as here, in Gen. i. 9. Ps- Ixix. 
 35 (^34.) The use of the word leasts^ in the common version of 
 the last clause, is not consistent with its modern usage, which re- 
 stricts it to terrestial quadrupeds. 
 
 26. There the ships go — Leviathan — this {that) thou hast formed 
 to play therein. While the ships connect the sea with man's 
 activity and interests, Leviathan, the standing representative of 
 aquatic monsters, may be here put for the population of the sea 
 itself. To jplay therein., as* in his native element. Compare Job 
 xl. 20. The idiomatic use of this is like that in v. 25. The word 
 translated go., in the common version of the first clause, is the 
 same that was rendered walk in v. 3, and run in v. 10. 
 
 27. All of them on thee rely., to give their food in its season. 
 The all of them obviously relates to all the living creatures 
 previously mentioned, and not to any one or more exclusively, 
 the proposition being no less true of men than brutes, or of brutes 
 than men. On thee rely is not an exact translation of the He- 
 brew, which indeed does not admit of one, because it combines a 
 verb a,nd preposition which cannot be combined in English. The 
 form of the original is, to thee tcait, expect., or hope., the verb ex- 
 pressing confidence, the particle the act of looking towards the 
 object thus confided in. The description of the animals as 
 thus expecting their supplies from God, is merely the poetical 
 costume in which the Psalmist clothes the fact, that they are 
 really, although unconsciously, dependent on him. In precisely 
 the same manner, other poets represent the earth, in time of 
 drought, as parched with thirst and longing for the rain, which 
 expressions no sane man would either charge with falsehood, or 
 consider as implying a belief in the conscious personality of 
 
PSALM CIV. 43 
 
 Earth Compare my note on Isai. xlii. 4 In its season, i. e. 
 when they need it. 
 
 28. Thou giv est to them, they gather; thou openest thy hand, 
 they are filled {with) food. The point of the significant anti- 
 thesis is this J that God as easily bestows as they receive. He has 
 only to give, they have only to gather. He has but to open his 
 hand, and they are instantly provided, even to satiety. Filled, 
 satisfied, abundantly supplied, as in v. 13. The verb rendered 
 gather means to pick up or collect from the ground. It is 
 used in the history of the manna (Ex. xvi. 1, 5, 16), to which 
 there is obvious allusion. The act of gathering from the ground 
 seems to presuppose a previous throwing down from heaven 
 The common version, that (meaning lohat) thou givest them they 
 gather, weakens the sentence, if it does not render it unmeaning 
 
 29. Tho2t hidest thy face, they are confounded ; thou icithdraweit 
 their breath, they expire, and to their dust return. The hiding of 
 God's face is the opposite of looking with a favourable aspect. 
 See above, on Ps. xiii. 2 (1.) [t here means the suspension or 
 withdrawing of the various benefits before described. They are 
 troubled is, in every case, a feeble version of one of the strongest 
 words in the language, which has been already more than once 
 explained. Even confounded, though much stronger, does not 
 perfectly convey the idea, which is that of being agitated, terror- 
 stricken, or convulsed. See above, on Ps. ii. 5. Ixxviii. 33. xc. 7 
 Their breath, the vital principle imparted by the Spirit of God 
 (Gen. ii. 7), who is the God of the spirits of all flesh, i. e. the 
 author of all life whatever. See Num. xvi. 22. xxvii. 16, and 
 compare Heb. xii. 9. The verb expire is used in the account of 
 the destruction of all living creatures by the flood. Gen. vii. 21, 
 22, to which there is no doubt allusion, as there is in the next 
 clause to Gen. iii. 19. Compare Ps. xc 8 ciii. 14. Ecc. xii 7 
 
44 PSALM CIV. 
 
 Their dust, their own, their native dust, to which they belong, 
 and from which they sprang. 
 
 30. Thov, sendest thy breath, they are created, and thou r«* 
 newest the face of the earth. The absolute power of God over the 
 life of his creatures is expressed by representing him as annihil- 
 ating and creating the whole race at pleasure, by a breath. With 
 equal correctness we might read thy spirit, but thy breath is more 
 poetical, and therefore better suited to the context as the primary 
 meaning, though the spirit be really intended. They are created 
 refers the effect more directly to God's power than they live or 
 they revive would do. In the last clause there is evident allusion 
 to the renovation of the earth desolated by the flood, and the 
 joyous change of its face or aspect when re-peopled. 
 
 31. Let the glory of Jehovah be forever ; let Jehovah rejoice in 
 his works. The optative form of the first verb here determines 
 the meaning of the other. It would also be grammatical, though 
 much less natural in this connection, to regard the abbreviated 
 form of the first verb as a mere poetic license, and explain both 
 as futures proper. The glory of Jehovah shall be to eternity ; Je- 
 hovah shall rejoice in his works. The grammatical question is of 
 less importance, because one of these senses really implies the 
 other. The wish is not for something doubtful but infallibly cer- 
 tain, and the prediction is in strict accordance with the wish 
 of him who utters it. In this verse some interpreters suppose 
 an allusion to God's satisfaction in his own work of creation 
 when he rested from it on the seventh day. See Gen. ii. 1, 2. 
 
 32. He that looks at the earth and it quakes, touches the hills and 
 they smoke. There is something in the form of this verse similar 
 to that of V. 28. God has only to look at the earth to make it 
 quake. He has only to touch the mountains and they smoke. 
 His controlling and terrifying acts are as prompt and easy as his 
 
PSALM CIV. 45 
 
 acts of grace. There seems to be a reference to tlie words of 
 Moses in describing the effects of the theophany at Sinai, when 
 its summit smoked, and its very roots or bases were on fire See 
 Ex. xix. 18. Deut. xxxii. 22. To those familiar with the con- 
 Btant use of mountains as a symbol of great monarchies, this verse 
 would necessarily suggest the thought, that God's power over 
 states is no less absolute than that which he exercises over indi- 
 viduals, or over the inanimate creation. 
 
 33. I will smg to Jehovah tvhile I live, I will make music to my 
 Godiohile I still (exist.) This is the Psalmist's conclusion from the 
 view which he has taken, with respect to his own interest and 
 duty. If the Lord be such a Grod to all his creatures, then I 
 can do no better than expend the remainder of my life in praising 
 him. The two verbs are those continually joined to denote vocal 
 md instrumental praise. The closing words of each clause, and 
 especially the second, have a highly idiomatic character. The 
 phrase translated ivhile I live means literally in ??iy life or lives. 
 The corresponding one can scarcely be translated, as it is com- 
 posed of the preposition in, the adverb yet or still, and the pro- 
 noun of the first person, in my yet, i. e. i)i my {being) yet, while I 
 still am, or continue to exist. 
 
 34. Sweet shall be of him my meditation ; I will rejoice in Je- 
 hovah. , The ancient versions and the Prayer Book, with some of 
 the best interpreters, put an optative sense upon the first clause, 
 may my thought (or sjpeech) be acceptable to him. In favour of 
 this interpretation is the fact that a synonymous verb, followed by 
 the same preposition (i?)j means to be pleasing to a person, in fs. 
 xvi. 6. In favour of the other is the want of anything to indi- 
 cate a wish, and the parallelism of the second clause, which relates 
 to the expression of his own feelings towards Jehovah, not to the 
 dispositions of Jehovah towards himself Thus understood, the 
 whole verse completes the Psalmist's practical conclusion from 
 
46 PSALM CV, 
 
 the view which he has taken of God's power, wisdom, and good« 
 ness, namely, that the knowledge and possession of this God is 
 happiness. 
 
 35. Consumed are sinners from the earthy and (as for) wicked 
 men, they are no more. Bless, oh my soul, Jehovah. Hallelujah ! 
 This verse has no perceptible connexion, either with the verse 
 immediately before it, or with the general drift of the whole 
 psalm, except upon the supposition, that the whole psalm was in- 
 tended to derive, from the view of God's authoritative care over 
 his works, an encouraging assurance that his people must be safe ; 
 that he who feeds and shelters the inferior animals, and makes 
 provision for the physical necessities of men in general, cannot 
 fail to provide for the security and happiness of those whom he 
 has set apart for himself, or to free them from the malice of those 
 sinners who are equally the enemies of God and of his people. 
 The psalm, like the one before it, closes with the same words 
 which began it. The last word, Hallelujah (praise ye Jah), 
 occurs here for the first time, and is supposed by some to form 
 no part of the original composition, but to have been added for 
 the purpose of adapting it to some public service at a later date. 
 
 PSALM CV. 
 
 This, like the Seventy-Eighth, is a historical psaim, recounting 
 God's ancient dealings with his people, especially in Egypt. 
 The practical design of the commemoration is not to bring the 
 people to repentance, as in the case referred to, but to excite 
 their hopes of an analogous deliverance. According to a theory 
 
PSALMCV. 47 
 
 already mentioned, this is the second member of a trilogy, added 
 to one of older date (Ps. ci--ciii) during the time of the cap- 
 tivity. It differs from the psalm before it in deriving from his* 
 tory the same consolation which is there derived from nature. 
 After the introduction, vs. 1 — 7, the arrangement is simply chrono 
 logical, beginning with the promise to Abraham, and ending with 
 the conquest of Canaan, vs. 8 — 44. The first fifteen verses of this 
 psalm are found in 1 Chron. xvi, combined with Ps. xcvi and 
 three verses of Ps. cvi. See above, on Ps. xcvi. 1. 
 
 1. Give thanks unto Jehovah^ call upon his name^ maJce known 
 among the nations his exploits. The original meaning of the 
 second phrase is, call {him) by his na7?ie^ i. e. give him the de- 
 scriptive title most expressive of his divine perfections ; or more 
 specifically, call him by his name Jehovah, i. e. ascribe to him 
 the attributes which it denotes, to wit, eternity and self-existence, 
 together with that covenant relation to his people, which though 
 not denoted by the name was constantly associated with it, and 
 therefore necessarily suggested by it. The meaning of the next 
 phrase is obscured, if not entirely concealed, in the common ver- 
 sion, among the people. The plural form and sense of the original 
 expression are essential to the writer's purpose, which is to 
 vlorify the Grod of Israel among all nations. See above, on Ps. 
 xviii. 50 (49.) Ivii. 10 (9.) For the meaning of the last word, 
 see above, on Ps. ciii. 7. 
 
 2. Sing to him., play to him., muse on all his wondrous deeds. 
 The exhortation seems to be addressed to the Gentiles, who are 
 called uDon to join in the praises and to share the blessings of the 
 chosen people. For the meaning of the last verb, see above, on 
 Ps. civ. 34. 
 
 3. Glory in his holy name ! Glad shall be the heart of those wh(\ 
 ^eek Jehovah. Congratulate yourselves that you possess a right 
 
48 PSALM CV. 
 
 and interest in the favour of so glorious a Being. The last clause 
 presents as an inducement, that to seek the favour of this Grod is 
 a source, and by implication the only source, of joy and happi- 
 ness. Compare Ps. xxxiv. 3 (2.) xl. 17 (16.) Ixix. 7 (6.) 
 
 4 SeeJc Jehovah and his strength^ seek his face evermore. The 
 Hebrew verbs, although synonymous, are not identical. And his 
 strength^ the protection secured by his almighty power. Sec' 
 him, not as a finite being, but as the omnipotent Jehovah, the 
 source, as well as the possessor, of all strength. Seek his face,, 
 not merely his presence, but his countenance, his favourable look 
 r aspect. With the several expressions of this verse compare 
 Ps. ix. 11 (10.) X. 4. xiv. 2. xxiv. 6. xxxiv. 5 (4 ) Ixi. 4 (3.) 
 Ixii. 8 (7.) Ixiii. 3 (2.) Ixviii. 35 (34) xcvi. 7. 
 
 5. Remember his ivondroits dtids lohich he did, his miracles and 
 the judgments of his mouth. They are exhorted not to forget 
 them, as Israel is charged with doing, Ps. Ixxviii. 11. Miracles^ 
 prodigies or wonders, proofs of divine power. There is no need 
 of identifying these with the judgments of his mouth., which in- 
 clude his laws and the sentences pronounced upon his enemies. 
 The latter is probably the prominent idea as best suited to this 
 context. 
 
 6. Ye seed of Abraham his servant., ye sons of Jacob., his chosen 
 {oTies.) Descendants of the patriarchs, and therefore heirs of the 
 patriarchal promises. The common version of the last phrase 
 {his chosen)., though exact, conveys a wrong idea, as it seems to 
 make chosen an epithet of Jacob., which would also seem to \jQ 
 required by the parallelism ; but the Hebrew word is plural and 
 fleseribes the object of address as the church or chosen people. 
 Compare Isai. Ixv. 9. Abraham is called the Servant of God, in 
 an emphatic sense, as being his chosen instrument and confidential 
 
PSALM CV. 49 
 
 agent. See above, on Ps. xviii. 1, and compare Ps. xc 1 The 
 parallel passage (1 Chr. xvi. 13) has Israel his servant. 
 
 7. He is Jehovah our God ; in all tht earth (are) his judg- 
 ments. His covenant relations are with us the seed of Abraham ; 
 but the proofs of his existence and vindicatory justice are com- 
 mon to all nations. This whole introduction seems intended to 
 dispose both Jews and Gentiles to the praise of God. 
 
 8. He remembered forever his covenant^ the word he command-id for 
 a thousand generations. There is here a kind of antithetical allu- 
 sion to the exhortation in v. 5. They should remember what he 
 did, since he remembers what he promised. What he has done 
 involves a pledge of what he will do. He has remembered (and 
 will remember) his covenant to eternity. Tht word is the word 
 of promise. He is said to have commanded it, partly because his 
 promise is conditional and annexed to his coaimandmont, and for 
 that reason called a covenant ; partly because all that God says 
 must of necessity be said with authority, so that even his pro- 
 mises partake of the nature of commands. The last phrase, a 
 thousand generations., is Mosaic. See Deut. vii. 9, and compare 
 Ex. XX. 6. 
 
 9. Which he ratified with Abraham., and his oath to Isaac. 
 The sentence is continued from the foregoing verse. Ratified, 
 literally cut ; see above, on Ps. 1. 5. His oath (which he sware) 
 to Isaac, or, his oath for (the benefit of) Isaac. The distinction, 
 if any be intended, is that the covenant was formally made only 
 with Abraham, and merely sanctioned or confirmed by oatli to 
 his successors. See Gen. xv. 18. xxvi. 3. xxviii. 13. His oath 
 is governed by remembered in v. 8. Compare Ps. Ixxxix. 28, 
 34 (27, 33.) 
 
 10. And confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, to Israel (foi \ 
 
 VOL. III. 3 
 
50 PSALM CV. 
 
 an everlasting covenant. Confirmed it., literally, made (or let) it 
 stand, instead of suffering it to expire with the person to whom it 
 was originally given. A statute^ in the wide sense of a perma- 
 nent arrangement, a perpetual constitution, or, as it is called in 
 the last clause, a compact of eternity^ an everlasting covenant. 
 See Gen. xxviii. 13. xxxv. 12. 
 
 11 Sayings To thee will I give the land of Canaan^ as the 
 'portion of your heritage. The subject or substance of the pro- 
 mise is now more distinctly stated. The word translated portion 
 primarily means a line., especially a measuring line., and then 
 what is measured by it, to wit, a piece of land, a lot of ground. 
 This was not to be given to the patriarchs in person, but to their 
 descendants, as the portion of their heritage or their hereditary 
 portion. The plural your may refer, however, to the patriarchs 
 themselves, as the promise was repeated to Abraham, Isaac, and 
 Jacob. 
 
 12. When as yet they could be numbered — very few, and Strang 
 er$ in it. The first clause involves an antithetical allusion to the 
 promise, afterwards fulfilled, that they should be innumerable as 
 the stars, or as the sand upon the shore, Gen. xxii. 17. The 
 form of the original is highly idiomatic, vi their being men of 
 number., like a little., or like littleness itself. See above, on Ps. 
 Ixxiii. 2, and compare Isai. i. 9. Strangen, sojourners, living 
 on the lands of others, at their will, or by their sufferance. See 
 above, on Ps. xxxix. 13 (12.) In it, the land of Canaan, men- 
 tioned in the preceding verse. The whole verse qualifies the 
 previous account of the patriarchal covenant, which was not 
 made with Israel when already a great nation, but with their 
 ancestors when few in number and without a settled home. The 
 parallel passage (1 Chron. xvi. 19) has when ye wen. See Gen 
 xxxiv. 30, and compare Deut. xxxiii. 6. Isai. x. If 
 
PSALM CV. 51 
 
 13. And they went about from nation to nation^ from kingdom to 
 another people. This may be rega.rded as in contrast with v. 12, and 
 {yet) they ucnt about, notwithstanding their small number and their 
 being strangers. Or vs. 12, 13, may be the protasis of the sen- 
 tence, and V. 14 its apodosis. ' When they were few and 
 strangers, and went from nation to nation, he let no man, etc' 
 This verse describes the characteristic feature in the condition of 
 the chosen people, during the patriarchal period of their history, 
 namely, their migratory intercourse with various nations. These 
 are mentioned in the first clause as distinct races, in the last as 
 distinct states or bodies politic. Where we might have expected 
 from kingdom to kingdom, the ear is somewhat disappointed by 
 the phrase /ro/^i kingdom to another people, which may have been 
 intended to distinguish the Egyptian and other monarchies from 
 the more democratical or patriarchal institutions of the Arabians 
 and other nations. Thty went about seems to be the force of the 
 reflexive or frequentative verb, as distinguished from that of the 
 primitive, they went. See above, on Ps. xxvi. 3. xxxv. 14. ci. 2, 
 and compare Gen. v. 22. xvii. 1. xxiv. 6, 9, 40. xlviii. 15. 
 
 14. He suffered no man to oppress them, and reproved, for their 
 sake, kings. The precise sense of the first clause is, he suffered 
 not man (or men in general) to oppress them. The protection 
 of the patriarchs is certainly one of the most striking facts in 
 sacred history. The kings mentioned in the last clause are the 
 kings of Egypt and Gerar (Gen. xii. 17. xx. 3), not without 
 reference perhaps to those mentioned in Gren. xiv. 1. 
 
 15. Touch not mine anointed {ones), and to my prophets do no 
 harm. These are the words of God himself, and are designated 
 as such, in the English Bible, by supplying the word sayiu^ 
 which is expressed in the analogous case, v. 11. Touch not, ar 
 in Gen. xxvi. 11,29. In the Old Testament, unction is the 
 symbol of spiritual gifts, and especially of those imparted to the 
 
PSALM CV. 
 
 great theocratical offices. See above, on Ps. ii. 2. From the 
 case of Elisba (1 Kings xix. 16) it would seem that prophets 
 were anointed when inducted into office. The patriarchs are here 
 called jirophcls in the proper sense of the term, as denoting men 
 inspired of God, and admitted to confidential intercourse with 
 him. The allusion here is to Gren. xx. 7, where God says to 
 Abimelech of Abraham, "Restore the man his wife, for he is a 
 prophet, and he will pray for thee, and thou shalt live." 
 
 16. And he called (for) a famine on the land ; ei'C?y ^taff of 
 bread he hralie. The psalmist now passes from the Patriarchal to 
 the Egyptian period of the history, by stating the occasion of 
 Israel's migration into Egypt. The meaning of the first clause 
 seems to be, that he summoned famine, as his instrument or ser- 
 vant, to come down upon the land, as sent from above, that is to 
 say, from himself. The meaning of the last clause is, that the 
 people were deprived of every customary means and source of 
 subsistence. The figure of a staff or stay is a Mosaic one. See 
 Lev. xxvi. 26, and compare Isai. iii. 1. It is near akin to the 
 description of food as staying or sustaining the heart. See above, 
 on Ps. civ. 15, The historical reference in the verse before us 
 is to Gen. xli. 54. 
 
 17. He sent before them a man ; sold for a slave was Jose'ph. 
 The same providential purpose is assigned to Joseph's bondage 
 by himself. Gen. xlv. 5. With the last clause compare Gen. 
 xxxvii. 36. Some interpreters, assuming, as we have already 
 seen, that this psalm was composed in the time of the captivity, 
 suppose a parallel, in this verse, between Joseph and Daniel, 
 both of whom, in addition to their personal qualities, were sent 
 into captivity before the body of their brethren ; both gained the 
 royal favour and were exalted to high station in the land of their 
 captivity ; and both employed the influence thus gained for i\\(^ 
 advantage of their countrymen. To the Jews in exile, such a 
 
PSALM CV. 5^ 
 
 parallel must have been not only interesting, in a historical or 
 poetical point of view, but consolatory and encouraging as a token 
 for good^ a sign that God was about to renew the exodus from 
 Egypt in an exodus from Babylon. 
 
 IS. They hurt^ with the fetter^ ki2 feet ; into iron camehh soul 
 That Joseph was actually chained or fettered, is included in the 
 true sense of the word bound, applied to him in the history. See 
 Gen. xl. 3, and compare Gen. xxxix. 20, 22. They, the Egyp- 
 tians, or his gaolers ; or the verb may be indefinitely construed, 
 as if it had been said, his feet were hurt. The verb means else- 
 where to humble or mortify, but is here used in its strict sense of 
 afflicting, causing to suffer. The Prayer Book version of the 
 last clause, the iron entered into his soul, is ungrammatical, the 
 word for iron being masculine, while that for soul is, like the verb, 
 feminine. The general sense is given in the text of the English 
 Bible, and the exact form in the margin. The mention of the 
 soul, as in many other cases, is of course not meant to be ex- 
 clusive of the body, but to suggest the idea of intimate and heart- 
 felt suffering. See above, on Ps. iii. 3 (2.) xi. 1, etc. 
 
 19. Until the time that his word came (to pass), the saying of 
 Jehovah tried him.. The last verb properly denotes the assaying 
 of metals, but is figuratively applied to moral trial and purgation. 
 See above, on Ps. xii. 7 (6.) xvii. 3. xviii. 31 (30.)xxvi. 2. Ti .; 
 most probable meaning of the verse is, that during the two years 
 which intervened between his explanation of the prisoners' 
 dreams and the favourable issue to which it ultimately led, his 
 faith in the divine promise, both to himself and to his people, was 
 severely but favourably tried. Compare the history in Gen. xl, xli. 
 
 20. The king sent and loosed him — the ruler of nations, and set 
 him free. Both verbs strictly apply to the removal of his fetters, 
 the first meaning properly to knock off (Isai. Iviii. 6), the other to 
 
54 p s A T :m C V 
 
 open for the purpose of removing. See abo\'e, on Ps. xxx 
 12 (11.) The king of Egypt is called a ruler of peoples^ eithei 
 in reference to the tribes or nomes of Egypt itself, or because 
 there were other nations tributary to him. 
 
 21. He made hivi lord of hisjiouse and ruler of all his 'wealth. 
 Q'he literal meaning of the first clause is, he placed him lord to his 
 house. . See Gen. xli. 40, 41, 43. xlv. 8. For the meaning of 
 the last word in the sentence, see above, on Ps. civ. 24. It is 
 one of the points of resemblance which are thought to identify 
 the two psalms as the work of the same author. 
 
 22. To bind his chiefs at his plcasitrCy and his elders to make 
 wise. The words translated chiefs and elders are those commonly 
 applied to the heads of tribes and families, the hereditary magi- 
 strates under the patriaichal system. The application of the 
 second word to Egypt is found also in the histor}^, Gen. 1. 7. At 
 his plea sure J literally, ivith his soul, which some explain as a bold 
 metaphor, describing Joseph's mind or soul as the cord or chain 
 with which he bound the Egyptians, i. e. forced them to perform 
 his will. But see Ps. xvii. 9. xxvii. 12. xli. 3 (2.) 
 
 23. And (so) Israel entered Egypt., and Jacob sojourned m the 
 land of Ham. This was the main event, to which those just re- 
 cited were preparatory. Israel and Jacob are the names both of 
 the individual patriarch and of his descendants as a nation. In 
 this case both the applications are admissible, or rather requisite, 
 in order to exhaust the writer's meaning. The patriarch himself 
 came into Egypt, but his sons literally came with him, and all his 
 descendants figuratively in him. The land of Ham., from whom 
 Mizraim v/as descended. Sec above, on Ps. Ixxviii. 51. 
 
 24. And he increased his people greatly^ and made them stronger 
 than their enemies. Increased., literally, rendered fruitful. Tho 
 
PSALM CV. 55 
 
 same verb is used in the promise to Abraham and Jacob (Gen. 
 xvii. 6. xxviii. 2J, and in the history of Israel in Egypt, Ex. i. 7. 
 The word here used for enemies is one implying persecution and 
 oppression. The singular pronouns in the Hebrew, made him 
 stronger than his enemies^ are in strict grammatical agreement with 
 the collective noun people. 
 
 25. He turned timr heart to hate his people.^ to deal craftily 
 with his servants. The first clause asserts God's sovereign 
 control even of the free acts of his sinful creatures, a truth 
 repeatedly affirmed in the history which this psalm recapitulates. 
 See Ex. iv. 21. vii. 3, and compare 1 Sam. xxvi. 9. 2 Sam. xvi. 10. 
 xxiv. 1. The last verb occurs only in the history of Joseph, Gen. 
 xxxvii. 18. The corresponding term in Exodus (i. 10) is let us deal 
 wisely, or more exactly, let us make ourselves tvise, as the verb in 
 this case may be rendered, let us make ourselves subtle or crafty, 
 both being reflexive forms. The historical allusion is of course 
 to the murderous policy, which preceded the violent oppression of 
 the Hebrews. 
 
 26. He sent Moses his servant (and) Aaron ichom he chose. 
 The meaning is not Moses (who was) his servant, or (because he 
 was) his servant, but (to be) his servaiit, his instrument in the 
 great work of delivering his people. See above, on v. 6, and on 
 Ps. xviii. 1. xxxvi. 1. Ixxviii. 70. 
 
 27. They placed among them the words of his signs and wonders 
 in the land of Ham. The first phrase seems to mean nothing 
 more than set before them o\: exhibited to them. Words of signs is 
 by some understood to mean matters (or affairs) of signs, and to 
 be either a pleonastic phrase for signs alone, or an emphatic 
 phrase denoting all the signs. See above, on Ps. Ixv. 4 (3.) 
 The <irst is a gratuitous assumption, the last a forced interpreta- 
 ti.v> Better than either is the explanation which gives to wp^^s 
 
66 PSALM CV. 
 
 its proper meanifig, and supposes stress to be intentionally laid on 
 the divine word of Jeliovah, and the prophetic word of Moses and 
 Aaron, in the way of threatening and command, as well as on the 
 physical effects which followed these denunciations. Compare 
 the use of words in Ps. vii. 1, and the explanation there given. 
 SignSy i. c. tokens of God's presence and activity, and indica- 
 tions of his will. TVonderSj prodigies, miracles, the same word 
 that occurs above in v. 5. 
 
 28. He sent darkness and made it dark^ and they did not resist 
 his ivordsj or according to the marginal reading, his word. This 
 is by some understood to mean the plague of darkness, which im- 
 mediately preceded the slaughter of the first born, Ex. x. 22. 
 But to this explanation there are two objections ; first, that it en- 
 tirely disturbs the order of the plagues, which is otherwise observed 
 with great exactness, the only deviation being very trivial compared 
 with this ; secondly, because it would then be" necessary to apply 
 the last clause to Moses and Aaron, or to Israel in general, there- 
 by making it unmeaning, or else to admit a contradiction of 
 the history, which expressly says that the Egyptians did resist 
 the word of God even after the plague of darkness, Ex. x. 27. 
 The only remaining explanation is, that darkness, in the verse 
 before us, as in many other cases, is a figure for calamity in gene- 
 ral, and applied not to one plague in particular, but to the whole 
 series, of which a more detailed account is then subjoined. 
 
 29. lie turned their waters to Mood and killed their fish. Here 
 begins the more particular enumeration of the plagues of Egypt. 
 Compare Ps. Ixxviii. 44, where the inconvenience specified is that 
 they could not drink the water, whereas here it is the loss of their 
 accustomed food. This last word is used as a collective in both 
 languages. 
 
 30. Their land teemed with frogs — in the chamlers ofthdr kings. 
 That even the.ie were not safe from the hateful intruders, is an 
 
PSALM CV. 57 
 
 aggravating circumstance, particularlj mentioned in the original 
 threatening, and implied in the narrative of its execution. See 
 Ex. viii. 3, 9. The first verb means to bring forth in abundance, 
 and is so used in the history of the creation, with particular refer- 
 ence to the genesis of animals. Gen. i. 20. 
 
 31. He said, and the Jiy came and gnats- (or lice) in all their 
 border. See above, on Ps. Ixxviii. 45, where the gnats or lice 
 are omitted, and the flies precede the frogs. So here, the flies 
 precede the lice, a slight departure from the order of the history. 
 See Ex. viii. 5, 16. He said, i. e. he said so, which is tanta- 
 mount to saying, he commanded. In all their border, i. e. every 
 where within it, throughout the land. This expression is bor- 
 rowed from the history. See Ex. viii. 2 (vii. 27.) 
 
 32. He gave them hail for rain (and) flaming fire in their land. 
 This, which is the common version, represents the sense correctly, 
 but with a deviation from the form of the original, which is highly 
 idiomatic. A bald translation is, he gave their rains hail, fire of 
 fiames in their land. ^ The terms are chosen for the sake of an 
 allusion to the promise in Lev. xxvi. 4, I will give your rains in 
 their season. Instead of these he gave the Egyptians a destruc- 
 tive hail-storm. Compare Ps. Ixxviii. 48. 
 
 33. And smote their vine and their fig-tree, and shattered 
 the trees of their border. Compare Ps. Ixxviii. 47, where syca- 
 mores are particularly mentioned. The history says nothing of 
 the vines, but speaks of the breaking of the trees, using the same 
 intensive verb as here. See Ex. ix. 2b. Their border, as before, 
 means their land or territory in its whole extent, just as the ends 
 cf the earth is put for all its parts. See above, on Ps. ii. 8. 
 
 34. He said, and the arbeh came, and the yelek, and (that) 
 ieiihout number. The two Hebrew words, here retained, denote 
 
JS PSALMCV. 
 
 rarieties of the locust, and have no equivalents in English. Sef 
 above, on Ps. Ixxviii. 46, where the first word here stands second 
 and the place of the other is supplied by hasil^ another distinctive 
 term of the same kind. Without number ^ literally, there is no 
 number. See the same expression, Ps. civ. 25. 
 
 35. And devoured every herb in their land^ and devoured thz 
 fruit of their ground. The verb, though varied in the common 
 version, is the same in both clauses of the Hebrew. See above, 
 on Ps. xlviii. 46, and com pare the original narrative, Ex. x. 5, 15. 
 
 36. And he smote all the firstborn in their land^ the first-fruits 
 of all their strength. For the meaning of the last clause, see 
 above, on Ps. Ixxviii. 51, and compare Ex. xii. 29, 30. 
 
 37. Andhebrought them out loith silve? u,nd icith gold ^ and there 
 was not in his tribes a totttrer (or stumbler.) The first clause 
 relates to the spoiling of the Egyptians, Ex. xii. 35, 36. The 
 last word denotes a person unfit for military service. Compare 
 Isai. V. 27. 
 
 38. Glad was Egypt at their going forth., for their fear had 
 fallen upon them. This panic terror, which followed the last 
 plague and facilitated the escape of Israel (Ex. xi. 1. xii. 31 — 33), 
 accounts for the readiness with which the Egyptians gave what- 
 ever was demanded, and completely vindicates the children of 
 Israel from the charge of borrowing what they never meant to pay. 
 The terms used in the history denote the acts of asking and 
 giving, not those of borrowing and lending. The terms of the 
 last clause are derived from Ex. xv. 16. Deut. xi. 25. 
 
 39. He spread a cloud for a covering ., and fire to give light by 
 night. See above, on Ps. Ixxviii. 14. The poetical description 
 
PSALM CV. 59 
 
 of the cloud as covering the host is derived from the statement 
 that "the cloud of Jehovah was over (or above) them by day," 
 Num. X. 34. Compare Num. ix. 16. Neh. ix. 12. Isai. iv. 5, 6. 
 
 40. (The people) asked and he made quails come — and bread oj 
 heaven satisfied them. See above, on Ps. Ixxviii. 25 — 27, and 
 compare Ex. xvi. 4 — 13. Num. xi. 31. As to the alternation of 
 the singular and plural forms, see above, on v. 24. Bread may 
 either be the subject of the verb, as given above, or a qualifying 
 term, (witk) bread. 
 
 41. He ojjencd a rock and forth gushed ivafers ; they ran in the 
 wastes., a river. See above, on Ps. Ixxviii. 16, 20. The word 
 translated wastes means, according to its etymology, dry places. 
 
 42. Because he rcmemlered his holy ivord witk Abraham his ser- 
 vant. This brings us back to the statement in vs. 8, 9, in proof 
 of which this long array of facts has been presented. Nothing 
 of all this would have taken place if God had been forgetful of 
 his covenant . This covenant is here meant by his holy word, 
 which is the refore followed by the preposition witk, as in Ex. 
 ix. 24, where the covenant is expressly mentioned. 
 
 43. And brougkt out kis peopte in joy, in triumph his chosen 
 {ones.) He remembered his promise and in execution of it 
 brought out his people, etc. The parallelism oi people and chosen 
 throws light upon the latter term, as used in v. 6. 
 
 44. And gave to them nations'' lands, and peoples labour they 
 inherit. The prominent idea is not that of gentiles or heathen, 
 in the religious sense, but that of other nations, and whole na- 
 tions, to whose place and possessions they succeeded. Labour is 
 put for its result or product, as a synonymous Hebrew word is in 
 Ps. Ixxviii. 46 
 
60 PSALM CVI. 
 
 45. To the end that they might keep his statutes and his laws 
 observe. Hallelujah ! The emphatic phrase at the beginning, 
 corresponding to our phrases, to the end, for the purpose, or in 
 order that, points this out as the qualification or condition of the 
 promise which had been so gloriously verified. The same con- 
 dition is expressed or implied elsewhere. See above, on Ps 
 Ixxviii. 7, and compare Gen. xviii. 19. Deut. iv. 40. xxvi. 17 
 Hallelujah (praise ye Jah) as above, in Ps. civ. 35. 
 
 PSALM C Y I . 
 
 After an introduction, praising the divine goodness, and ex- 
 pressing the hope of a participation in it, vs. 1 — 5, this psalm 
 contains a solemn confession of the sins of Israel through all the 
 periods of his history ; in Egypt, v. 6—12 ; in the wilderness, 
 V. 13 — 33 ; in Canaan, vs. 34 — 43 ; and a prayer, founded on 
 encouraf^ing tokens of the Lord's compassion, that he will save 
 his people from the punishment incurred by their unfaithfulness, 
 
 YS. 44 48. According to Hengstenbcrg's hypothesis already 
 
 mentioned, this is the third psalm of the trilogy added to Ps. 
 ci_ciii, in the times of the captivity, and a direct continuation 
 of the series, since the moral condition of God's covenant, pro- 
 pounded at the close of. Ps. cv, is here acknowledged to have 
 been violated by his people, who are also represented as actually 
 suffering the punishment of this violation, but encouraged by re- 
 turning tokens of a favourable change, to hope and pray for the 
 forgiveness of their sins and the removal of the judgments which 
 they have so well deserved The first verse and the two lasi 
 form a part of the mixed composition in First Chronicles, which 
 
PSALM CVI. 61 
 
 has been already mentioned. See above, on Ps. xcvi. 1. But a 
 still more interesting parallel to this psalm is the prayer or con- 
 fession in the ninth chapter of Daniel, which resembles it so much 
 in subject, tone, and- diction, that although not otherwise de- 
 monstrable, it would not be absurd to regard the psalm before us 
 as a lyrical paraphrase of that confession, prepared for permament 
 and public use by Daniel himself or some contemporary writer. 
 
 1. Hallelujah ! Give tharnks unto Jehovah^ for (he is) good^for 
 unto eternity (is) his mercy. The Hallelujah {'praise ye Jah !) 
 which concludes the two preceding psalms, stands both at the 
 beginning and the close of this. The exhortation to give thanks 
 unto Jehovah is also found at the beginning of Ps. cv. The 
 reason here assigned, that he is good, and his 7nercy endures for- 
 ever , is expressed in the same words, Ps. c. 5. 
 
 2. Who shall tell the mighty deeds of Jehovah "? (Who) shall 
 utter all his praise ? The potential meaning (who can tell ?) is 
 here included in the simple future. Mighty deeds answers to a 
 single word in Hebrew meaning strengths or poicers. The ex- 
 pression is borrowed from Deut. iii. 24, where the English Bible 
 has the singular form might. The verb translated litter is a 
 causative, who shall cause to hear or to be heard ? See above, on 
 Ps. xxvi. 7. The interrogation involves a negative assertion, 
 namely, that they cannot be fully expressed or duly celebrated. 
 
 3. Happy the keepers of judgme7it, the doer of righteousness at 
 every time. The form of expression at the beginning is the same 
 as in Ps. i. 1. The keepers of judgment are those who observe 
 justice as the rule of their conduct, the same idea that is after- 
 wards expressed in other words, the doer (or practiser) of rights 
 eousncss, not occasionally merely but at all times. The change 
 from the plural to the singular is common, where the latter de- 
 notes an ideal individual, the representative of a whole class 
 
62 PSALM CVI. 
 
 The condition here propounded is identical with that in Ps 
 cv. 45. ciii. IS. Dan. ix. 4. 
 
 4. Rememher me, Jehovah, U'ith the favmir of thy people ; visit 
 me with thy salvation. The speaker is the Church or chosen 
 people, and therefore prays to be remembered with the kindness 
 due to her as such. Visit me, manifest thy favourable presence. 
 See above, on Ps. viii 5 (4.) Such a prayer, uttered by the 
 church itself, implies that the tokens of God's favourable presence 
 had been interrupted or withdrawn. 
 
 5. To witness the welfare of thy chosen (ones), to rejoice in the 
 joy of thy nation, to glory icith thy heritage. Our idiom requires 
 the subject of the verb to be more distinctly indicated. The 
 meaning evidently is, that I may witness, that I may rejoice, that 
 I may glory. The phrase translated witness the welfare literally 
 means to see in the good, i. e. to look on, to be a spectator, when 
 thy chosen ones are in possession or enjoyment of good. Thy 
 nation is here used instead of the customary phrase thy people, 
 perhaps because the meaning is, the nation which is thy chosen 
 people. The general meaning of the whole verse is, that I may 
 once more be recognised and treated as thy people. 
 
 6. We have sinned loith our fathers, ice have done perversely, 
 we have done icickedly. The connection with the foregoing con- 
 text may be made clear by supplying a few intermediate thoughts. 
 ' True, we have no right to expect this, much less to demand it. 
 We have not performed the condition of thy covenant ; we have 
 not kept thy statutes or observed thy laws ; we have not kept 
 judgment or done righteousness.' The national confession here 
 begun is nearly co-extensive with the psalm itself. The terms of 
 this verse are borrowed, here as well as in Dan. ix. 5, from that 
 great model of ecclesiastical and national devotion furnished by 
 Solomon, in his prayer at the dedication of the temple, 1 Kings 
 
PSALM CVI. 63 
 
 viii. 47. Compare Isai. lix. 12. With our fathers^ not merely 
 like them, but as sharing their responsibility and guilt. Of the 
 three verbs used in this confession, the first denotes failure to dis- 
 charge one's obligations, the second wilful perversion or distor- 
 tion, the third disorderly or turbulent transgression. See above, 
 on Ps. i. 1. 
 
 7. Our fathers in Egypt did not understand thy wondrous 
 works, they did not remember the ahundance of thy mercies ^ and 
 rebelled upon the sea, at the Red Sea. The general confession in 
 V. 6 is now followed by a more detailed acknowledgment, begin- 
 ning with the exodus from Egypt. The wondrous works of God, 
 the things done wonderfully by him, then and there, for the deli- 
 verance of his people, the great body of them did not understand. 
 Even those who referred them to their true source and author, did 
 not fully appreciate the end for which they were performed, or 
 enter into the majestic plan, in executing which they were per- 
 mitted to be God's co-workers. The truth of this charge is abun- 
 dantly established by the narrow, grovelling, selfish views and 
 feelings so repeatedly betrayed by the generation which came out 
 of Egypt, showing clearly that they did not practically understand 
 God's dealings with them. This is probably the idea meant to be 
 conveyed by the Hebrew verb, which usually means to act wisely, 
 but is here modified by governing a noun directly. See above, on 
 Ps. ii. 10. xiv. 2. The two-fold local designation, on the sea, at 
 the Red Sea, was probably suggested by the parallelism in Ex 
 XV. 4. The variation of the particle seems merely a poetical 
 embellishment ; the difierence in meaning is no greater than in 
 our on and at. The Sea of Sea-icecd was the name given by the 
 Hebrews and Egyptians to that bay or gulf of the Indian Ocean, 
 which was called the Red Sea by the Grreek geographers. 
 
 8. And he saved them for his name'^s sake, to make known hi$ 
 might. This is an ajswer to a tacit objection, namely, that their 
 
64 PSALM CVI. 
 
 conduct had been sanctioned by God's saving them. Tiue, he 
 did save them, because they were necessary to his purpose. He 
 saved them not for their sake but his own, to accomplish his own 
 ends, and exhibit his own power. 
 
 9. A'?id he rebuked the Red Sea and it dried up^ and he made 
 them go through the deeps like the desert. This is merely a specifi- 
 cation of the general statement in the preceding verse. The 
 divine intervention here commemorated was the more remarkable 
 because it took place on the very spot where they first rebelled, 
 as mentioned in v. 7. Though they disobeyed him at the .Red 
 Sea, he nevertheless dried the Ked Sea, i. e. as much of it as was 
 required to furnish them a passage. Rebuked, as in Ps. civ. 7. 
 Like the desert, as in the desert, i. c. in a level and extensive 
 plain, without obstruction or unevenness. See my note on Isai. 
 Ixiii. 13, where the same comparison is used. 
 
 10. And he saved them from the hand of the hater, and redeemed 
 them from the hand of the cneviy. Both epithets are intended to 
 apply to Pharaoh, not only as a personal oppressor of the Israel- 
 ites, but as the representative of Egypt, all of which now feared 
 and hated the occasion of its multiplied and aggravated sufi"erings. 
 
 11. And the vaters covered their adversaries ; not one of them was 
 left. The Psalmist dwells upon the completeness of the overthrow 
 and destruction experienced by Pharaoh and his host, in o^der to 
 aggravate the previous and subsequent ingratitude of Israel, as 
 well as to enhance the free grace of Jehovah, and the fidelity 
 with which he executed his engagements, even to the faithless. 
 
 12. And they believe his words, they sing his praise. Then (and 
 not till then) do they believe. This is not an encomium on their 
 faith, but a confession of their unbelief. It was not till the pro 
 
PSALM CVl. 65 
 
 telse was fulfilled that they believed it. With tho first clause 
 compare Ex. xiv. 31 ; with the second, Ex. xv. 1. 
 
 13. They made haste^ they forgot his deeds^ they did not wait for 
 his counsel. Their propensity to evil was so strong, that they are 
 said to have hastened to forget what God had done for them, which 
 means much more than that they soon forgot it. They did not 
 even wait for the promise to be verified by the event. The ex- 
 pression in the first clause is borrowed from Ex. xxxii. $. The 
 works or deeds of God are not in this case, as in Ps. ciii. 22. civ. 
 24, the works of nature, but the plagues of Egypt. See Deut. 
 xi. 3, and compare Dan. ix. 4 
 
 14. And they lusted a lust in the wilderness and temjpted God in 
 the desert. The confession now passes from their sins in Egypt 
 to their sins in the wilderness. The strong expression in the first 
 clause relates to their wanton craving of animal food. See Num. 
 xi. 4, 34. With the last clause compare Ps. Ixxviii. 18. The 
 two words for wilderness and desert are the same as those in Ps. 
 Ixxviii. 40. See also Ps. Ixviii. 8 (7.) 
 
 15. And he gave them their request and sent (them) leanness in 
 their soul. The last phrase is by some translated against^ by 
 others into their soul ; but it is really a qualifying phrase, de- 
 signed to show that the emaciation or decay which was sent upon 
 them was not bodily but spiritual. See Num. xi. 18, and com- 
 pare Ps. Ixxviii. 10, 18. 
 
 16. A7id they were envious at Moses in the camp^ at Aaron^ the 
 Holy One of Jehovah. This is another of their wilderness sins. 
 See Num. chap. xvi. Aaron is not called the Saint of the Lord 
 in reference to his personal holiness, which does not seem to have 
 been eminent, but his Holy (or Consecrated) One, in reference to 
 his sacerdotal dignity. 
 
^6 PSALM CVI. 
 
 17. (Then) opens the earth and swallowi Dathan^ and covey i 
 over the comjpany of Ahiram. This relates to the destruction of 
 those followers of Korah who were not Levites. See Num. xvi. 
 32, 33, and compare Deut. xi. 6. From the first of these passage? 
 some interpreters supply her mouth after o'pens ; but the absolute 
 use of the verb is perfectly consistent with our idiom. 
 
 18. A'nd a fire devours their company^ a flame consumes (those) 
 wicked (men.) This relates to the destruction of Korah himself 
 and his Levitical followers. See Num. xvi. 35. xxvi. 10. 
 
 19. They make a calf in Horeb, and boiv down to a molten 
 image. This was a third sin committed in the wilderness. See 
 Ex. xxxii. 1 — 6, and compare Ex. xxxiv. 4. The golden calf 
 appears to have been an imperfect and diminutive copy of the 
 bull Apis, worshipped in Egypt. 
 
 20. And exchange their glory for the likeness of an ox eating 
 grass. This must be read in the closest connection with v. 19, 
 in order to complete it. Their folly consisted in exchanging the 
 true Grod, whose worship and whose favour was their highest 
 honour, for the mere likeness of an irrational brute. Eating 
 grasSy not in the act, but in the habit, of so doing. Although 
 the golden calf at Horeb, and the golden calves at Dan and Beer- 
 sheba, were all regarded as representatives of Jehovah himself, 
 their worship was uniformly treated as idolatry, and as a virtual 
 thouo^h not a formal or avowed renunciation of his service. Com- 
 pare Jer. ii. 10 — 13. 
 
 21. They forgot God that saved them^ that did great (things; 
 in Egypt. That saved, that did ; literally, saving, doing. 
 
 22. Wonderful fthings) in the land of Ham^ terrible (things) 
 on the Red Sea. Wonderful, literally, (things J made wonderful 
 
PSALM CVI. 67 
 
 or strangely done Terrible, literally, to be dreaded. Compare 
 ?s. cv. 23, 27. 
 
 23. And he saia he ivould destroy them — unless Moses his elect 
 had stood in the breach hcfore, him^ to turn lack his wrath from 
 destroying. The first and last verbs are diiferent in Hebrew, 
 but have only one exact equivalent in English. The second 
 clause is not a part of what Grod said, but a historical statement 
 of what really prevented the execution of his threatening. He 
 said he would destroy them, and he would have done so, had not 
 Moses, etc. Moses is called the Elect or Chosen of Jehovah, as 
 having been selected and set apart to be God's instrument in the 
 great work of deliverance and legislation. The plural is elsewhere 
 applied to the whole nation as the chosen people. See above, v. 
 5, and Ps. cv. 43. Stood in the breach is a military figure, drawn 
 from the desperate defence of a beseiged town or fortress. Com- 
 pare Jer. XV. i. Ez. xiii. 5. xxii. 30. The historical reference is 
 to Ex. xxxii. 11 — 14. Deut. ix. 18, 19. To turn back his icrath 
 is to prevent its accomplishing its object. See above, on Ps. 
 Ixxviii. 38, and compare Num. xxv. 11. 
 
 24. And they rejected the 'pleasant land^ thei did not believe his 
 word. This refers to the refusal of the people to invade the land 
 of Canaan in the first year of their exodus from Egypt, and to 
 their believing the report of the ten spies in preference to God 
 himself. See above, on Ps. Ixxviii. 22, 32, and compare Num. 
 xiv. 31. The land of desire^ the desired or desirable land, is a 
 name also found in Jer. iii. 19. 
 
 25. And they murmured in their tents ; they did not hearken Id 
 the voice of Jehovah, The form of expression in the first clause 
 is borrowed from Deut. i. 2'^ ; in the second from Num. xiv. 22. 
 
 ^.fS. And he lifted his hand to them^ to make them fall in the vAh 
 
68 PSALM C VI. 
 
 derness. The first phrase does not mean, he raised his hand 
 against them, or to strike them, but as the ancient gesture of 
 swearing. See Num. xiv. 28, 30. Deut. i. 34. ii. 14. The last 
 clause contains the oath itself, or what he swore, to wit, that he 
 would make them fall, slay them, in the wilderness. See Num. 
 xiv. 29, 32. 
 
 27. And to vialce their seed fall in the nations^ and to scatter 
 them in the lands. As the appointed punishment of the older 
 generation was to die in the wilderness, so that of their descend- 
 ants was to die in dispersion and captivity among the Gentiles. 
 See Lev. xxvi. 33, 38, and compare Deut. xxviii. 32, 36, 64, 68. 
 The recollection of this threatening must have been peculiarly 
 afiecting to the Jews in Babylon. 
 
 28. And they joined themselves to Baal Peor^ and ate the sacri- 
 fices of the dead. He now adds a sin committed near the end of 
 the long error, and on the very borders of the Promised Land. 
 The first verb is properly passive, they were joined., but this 
 of course does not mean by others but themselves, and thus the 
 simple passive comes to have a reflexive meaning. Baal Peer is 
 the name given to Baal, or the supreme God of the Tyrians 
 and Moabites, as he was worshipped, with licentious rites, at 
 Peor, a mountain in the land of Moab. See Num. xxv. 1 — 3. 
 The dead., not dead men, in allusion to necromantic superstitions^ 
 but the dumb or lifeless gods whom they worshipped. See below, 
 on Ps. cxv. 4 — 7, and compare 1 Cor. xii. 2. 
 
 29. And they provoked him by their crinces, and the plague 
 broke out among them. The first verb means to excite both grief 
 and indignation. Compare the use of the cognate noun in Ps. 
 vi. 8 (7), and of the verb itself in Ps. Ixxviii. 58. The word trans- 
 lated plague., like its English equivalent, has both a generic and 
 specific meaning ; that of a divine stroke or infliction in general. 
 
PSALM CVI. 69 
 
 and that of a pestilential disease in particular. See Num. xxv. 
 18,.19. 
 
 30. Then stood up Phinehas and judged, and (so) ivas stayed 
 the plague. He stood (or rose) up from among the rest, pre- 
 sented himself before the people. He judged i. e. assumed the 
 office and discharged the duty, from which the regular official 
 judges seemed to shrink. The verb includes the act both of pro- 
 nouncing and of executing judgment. See the narrative in Num. 
 ch. XXV. The form of expression in the last clause is borrowed 
 from Num. xvii. 13 (xvi. 48.) 
 
 31. And it ivas reckoned to him for righteousness, to generation 
 ind generation, even to eternity. The form of expression is J^or- 
 rowed from Gren. xv. 6 ; but what is here meant is evidently not 
 JL justifying act by which Phinehas was saved, but a praiseworthy 
 act for which he, a justified or righteous man already, received 
 the divine commendation and a perpetual memorial of his faith- 
 fulness. Compare Deut. vi. 25. xxiv. 13. The particular reward 
 promised (Num. xxv. 13), that of a perpetual priesthood, is not 
 here mentioned, but was familiar to the mind of every Hebrew 
 reader. 
 
 32. And they angered (him) at the ivaters of Strife, and it vient 
 ill with Moses, on their account. See above, on Ps. Ixxxi. 8 (7) 
 xcv. 8. xcix. 8. The Hebrew word for strife is the name given to 
 the place, Merihah. The object of the first verb is Jehovah, as 
 in V. 29. It went ill with Moses, or, more literally, it was bad 
 for Moses. 
 
 33. For they resisted his spirit, and he spake uriadvisedly with 
 his lips. His spirit may grammatically signify either that of God 
 or that of Moses. The latest writers are in favour of the first 
 construction, which is not without analogies in other parts of 
 
70 PSALM CVI. 
 
 Scripture (Isai. Ixiii. 10. Eph. iv. 30) , but the other secina 
 entitled to the preference m this connection, because the first 
 clause then contains the ground or reason of-, the other. It was 
 because the mind of Moses was excited by their opposition, that 
 he spake unadvisedly with his lips. The last verb is one used in 
 the law to denote a precipitate inconsiderate engagement. Lev. v. 4. 
 
 34. They did not destroy the nations which the Lord said to 
 them. The confession now passes from the sins of the wilderness 
 to those of Canaan. The neglect to destroy the Canaanites com- 
 pletely was not only a direct violation! of God's precept, but the 
 source of nearly all the public evils that ensued. There is no 
 need of giving to the last verb a rare and dubious sense {com- 
 manded.) The meaning of the clause is, which Jehovah said to 
 them (must be destroyed.) 
 
 35. And they mixed themselves witu the nations and learned 
 their doings. The reflexive verb at the beginning indicates an 
 active and deliberate amalgamation, as distinguished from a pas- 
 sive and involuntary one. The nations of the Canaanites, and 
 those which inhabited surrounding countries. The primary idea 
 is not that of gentiles or heathen, in the religious sense. Learned 
 their doings or practices, learned to do as they did. With the 
 first clause compare Jos. xxiii. 12, 13. Judg. iii. 6 ; with the 
 second, Deut. xviii. 9. xx. 18. 
 
 36. And served their idols, and they were to them for a snare. 
 The word translated idols, by its etymological affinities, suggests 
 the idea of vexations, pains. See above, on Ps. xvi. 4. A. snare^ 
 i. e. a temptation to idolatry. Compare Deut. vii. 16. 
 
 37. And they sacrificed their sons and their daughters to thi 
 demons. This last is the Septuagint version and, if not directly 
 sanctioned, is at least referred to in the New Testament (1 Cov 
 
PSALM CVI. 7i 
 
 X. 20.) That the worship of idols was connected with that of 
 fallen spirits, is neither improbable in itself nor contradictory to 
 Scripture. According to the modern etymologists, the Hebrew 
 word means lords or masters^ and is a poetical equivalent to 
 Baalim, which means the same thing. Compare Deut. xxxii. 17, 
 and the ^vqioi of 1 Cor. viii. 5. The word translated devils in 
 Lev. 17. 7 is entirely different. 
 
 38. And they shed innocent bloody the hlood of their sons and 
 daughters, which they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan ; and de- 
 filed was the land ivith bloods. The first verb means to pour out 
 and here implies a copious or abundant bloodshed, corresponding 
 to the next verb, which is an intensive form of that used in v. 37. 
 Blood, in the singular, is used in a physical sense ; the plural 
 bloods in a mG?al one, always implying guilt, and especially the 
 guilt of murder. See above, on Ps. v. 7 (6.) xxvi. 9. li. 16 (14.) 
 Iv. 24 (23.) The first three members of the sentence have re- 
 spect to the prohibitions in Deut. xii. 31. xviii. 10. xix. 10. With 
 the last clause compare Num. xxxv. 33. 
 
 39. And they were polluted by their own doings, and went 
 a whoring by their oion crimes. They defiled not only the land 
 of promise but themselves. Or rather, this verse is explanatory 
 of the last clause of v. 38, and shows that the pollution of the 
 land was nothing more nor less than that of its inhabitants. The 
 figure of spiritual whoredom or adultery is often used to signify 
 the violation, by the chosen people, of their covenant with God. 
 which is constantly described as a conjugal relation. See above, 
 on Ps. xlv and compare Ps. Ixxiii. 27. This is not stated as 
 an additional offence but as an aggravating circumstance attending 
 the iniquities already mentioned. 
 
 40. And the anger of Jehovah was enkindled at his people, and 
 y. abhorred his heritage. This is the strongest form in which hU 
 
72 PSALM CVI. 
 
 detestation of their sins could be expressed, but does not neces- 
 sarily imply the abrogation of his covenant with them. The 
 feeling described is like that of a parent towards his wicked chil- 
 dren, or of husbands and wives, who do not cease to love each 
 other, though grieved and indignant at each other's sins. The 
 word heritage adds great point to the sentence. He abhorred the 
 very people whom he had chosen to be his, not merely for a sin- 
 gle generation, but for many. See above, on Ps. Ixxviii. 59, 65". 
 
 41. And he gave ihcm into the hand of nations^ and over them 
 ruled their haters. The same nations whom they had rebelliously 
 spared, with others of like spirit — the same nations who had led 
 them into sin — were used as instruments of punishment. Com- 
 pare Lev. xxvi. 17. Judges ii. 14. 
 
 42. And their enemies oppressed them, and they were bowed 
 down under their hand. ' They not only governed them, but 
 governed them tyrannically, so that they were not only under 
 coercion and constraint, but humbled and degraded from the rank 
 of an independent state to that of tributaries and bondsmen. With 
 the terms of this verse compare Judg. i. 34. iii. 30. iv. 3. viii. 28. 
 
 43. Many times he frees them., and they resist (him) hy their 
 counsel., and are hrought- low hy their guilt. Having given in the 
 preceding verses a brief but lively summary of the Book of 
 Judges, the Psalmist now passes, by an almost insensible transi- 
 tion, to the later periods of the history, and indeed to its catas- 
 trophe ; for the meaning of the last clause seems to be, that after 
 all their fluctuations, they at length sink or fall into a ruinous 
 condition, as the ultimate fruit of their rebellions. The meaning 
 of the first clause is, that by their self-willed plans and projects 
 they continually come into collision with the will of God, and 
 with that great providential purpose, in promoting which it was 
 
PSALM CVI. 73 
 
 their duty, and would have been their happiness, to co-operate 
 With the last clause compare Lev. xxvi. 39. Ezek. xxxiii. 10. 
 
 44. A7id he has looked at their distress ivhen he heard them cry 
 The idiomatic form of the original may thus be represented by a 
 bald translation, and he saw in the distress to them in his hearing 
 their cry. As this follows the brief statement of their downfall, 
 there is much probability in the opinion, that it relates to the 
 " tokens for good," which were granted to the exiled Jews in 
 Babylon long before their actual restoration. With the first clause 
 compare Ex. ii. 25. iv. 31. Deut. iv. 30. Ps. xviii. 7. cii. 3. 
 
 45. And he has rememhercd for them his covenant., and repented 
 according to the abundance of his mercy. For them, i. e. in their 
 favour, for their benefit. It does not qualify covenant^ but re- 
 membered. With the first clause compare Lev. xxvi. 42, 45. Ps. 
 cv. 8, 42 ; with the second. Num. xiv. 19. Ps. v. 8 (7.) Ixix. 14 
 (13.) Neh. xiii. 22. The common version of the last word {mercies) 
 rests upon the marginal or masoretic reading ; the more ancient 
 text is mercy. 
 
 46. And has given them favour before all their captors. The 
 literal translation of the first clause is, and has given them for 
 mercies or compassions. This remarkable expression is borrowed 
 from 1 Kings viii. 50 (compare 2 Chr. xxx. 9), not only here but 
 in the history of Daniel and his fellow-captives (Dan. i. 9), which 
 makes it not at all improbable, that what is there recorded is 
 among the indications of returning divine favour here referred to 
 by the Psalmist. 
 
 47. Sa.ve us, Jehovah, our God, and gather us from thenationSy 
 to give thanks unto thy holy name, to glory in thy praise. Encour- 
 aged by these tokens of returning favour, the church prays that 
 the hopes thus raised may not be disappointed, but abundantly 
 
 VOL. III. 4 
 
74 PSALM CV . 
 
 fulfilled in the restoration of the exiles to their own land, in return for 
 which she indirectly engages to render praise and thanksgiving to 
 Jehovah as her liberator. We are thus brought back to the be- 
 ginning of the psalm, and the voice of confession is again lost in 
 that of anticipated praise. Instead of our God^ the parallel pas- 
 sa^^e (1 Chr. xvi. 36) has God of our Salvation. The word trans- 
 lated glory occurs only in that passage and the one before us. It 
 is synonymous, however, with the one used in Ps. cv. 3, and often 
 elsewhere, both meaning properly to praise one's self. With the 
 second clause compare Ps. xxx. 5 (4.) 
 
 48. Blessed (be) Jehovah^ God of Israel^ from eternity even to 
 eternity. And all the people says Ame^i. Hallelujah.^ Some inter- 
 preters regard the psalm as closing with the preceding verse, and 
 the one before us as a doxology added to mark the conclusion cf 
 the Fourth Book. But here, as in Ps. Ixxii. 19, it is far mortt 
 probable that this doxology was the ©ccasion of the psalm's being 
 reckoned as the last of a Book, notwithstanding its intimate con- 
 nection with the one that follows. This probability is strength- 
 ened, in the case before us, by the addition of the words, and all 
 the people says Amen.^ which would be unmeaning, unless the 
 doxology formed part of the psalm itself. The additional words 
 are borrowed from Deut. xxvii. 15 — 2Q. The parallel passage 
 (1 Chr. xvi. 36) has. And all the people said Amen and give praise 
 (or gave praise) to Jehovah., which last words are repieser.tcd, in 
 the verse before us, by the Hallelujah {Praise ye Jaki) 
 
PSALM evil. 75 
 
 PSALM evil. 
 
 After propounding as his theme tho goodness of God in deli« 
 vering his people, and especially in bringing them back from their 
 dispersions, vs. 1 — 3, the Psalmist celebrates this great event, 
 under the various figures of safe conduct throct-gh a desert and 
 arrival in a populous city, vs. 4 — 9 ; emancipation from imprison- 
 ment, vs. 10 — 16; recovery from deadly sickness, vs. 17 — 22; 
 deliverance from the dangers of the sea, vs. 23 — 32 ; then de- 
 scribes, in more direct terms, the fall of the oppressor, the restora- 
 tion of Israel, and his happy prospects, vs. 33 — 42 ; ending, as 
 he began, with an earnest exhortation to remember and comme- 
 morate Jehovah's goodness, v. 43. The psalm is so constructed 
 as to admit of being readily applied, either literally or figuratively, 
 to various emergencies ; but its primary reference to the return 
 from exile seems to be determined by vs. 2, 3. According to 
 Hengstenberg's hypothesis, this psalm was added to the double 
 trilogy by which it is preceded (Ps. 101 — 106), immediately after 
 the return from exile, when the holy city was re-peopled, and the 
 first harvest had been gathered, but the rebuilding of the temple 
 had not yet begun. The whole seven then compose one series or 
 system, intended to be used together in the public worship of the 
 ancient church. 
 
 1 Give thanks unto Jehovah^ for he {is) good^ for unto eternity 
 (is) his mercy. The repetition of the first words of the foregoing 
 psalm, as the beginning of the one before us, strongly favours th» 
 
7R PSiiLM cvir. 
 
 opinion, that the latter was designed to be a kind of supplement 
 or appendix to the former. 
 
 2. (So) say the Redeemed of Jehovah^ 'whom he has redeemed 
 from the hand of distress (or of i'he enemy.) What they are to say 
 is not the exhortation in the first clause, but the reason for it in 
 the last clause, of the foregoing verse. Let them acknowledge his 
 unceasing mercy, who have just experienced so remarkable a 
 proof of it. The ambiguous word (^2r) should, probably be taken in 
 the same sense which it elsewhere has throughout this psalm. 
 See below, vs. 6, 13, 19, 2S, and compare Ps. cvi. 44. Indeed 
 the two senses may be reconciled by simply supposing the distress 
 to be personified. Compare the unambiguous expression in Ps. 
 cvi. 10. The Redeemed of the Lord is a favourite expression of 
 Isaiah (xxxv. 9, 10. Ixii. 12. Ixiii. 3.) 
 
 3. And from the lands has gathered them^ from the east and 
 from the west^ from the north and from the sea. The Babylonish 
 exile is continually spoken of as a dispersion, either because it is 
 considered as including other minor deportations, or because the 
 migration of the great mass of the people into Babylonia was un- 
 avoidably accompanied, followed, or preceded, by a less extensive 
 and more scattering migration of many individuals and families to 
 other quarters. On the false assumption of a perfect parallelism 
 as indispensable, some have supposed that sea is here put for the 
 south. But this is not the only case in which the enumeration of 
 the cardinal points is complete only in number. See Isai. xlix. 12, 
 and compare Isai. xliii. 5, 6. Ivi. S. The mention of the sea in- 
 stead of the south may perhaps have reference to the prophecy in 
 Deut. xxviii. 68. The verse before us records the answer to the 
 prayer in Ps. cvi. 47 and thus afibrds another indication, that the 
 writer of the later composition had (he earlier in his eye^ and 
 wrote with some intention to illustrate or complete it. 
 
PSALM evil. 77 
 
 4. They waifuiered in the wilderness, in a desert way ; a city of 
 habitation found they not. Here begins the first metaphorical 
 account of the Captivity and Restoration, in which the exiles are 
 described as wanderers in a desert icay, i. e. as some suppose a 
 pathless desert, which sense, however, can scarcely be extracted 
 from the Hebrew words. Others understand the phrase to mean 
 a way, i. e. a course, a region to be traversed, which is desert ; 
 but this supposes way to be the subject and desert the qualifyino- 
 term, as they would be in English, but in Hebrew the precise 
 sense is a desert of way^ or a way-desert^ which some interpreters 
 explain to mean a desert in reference to its ways or paths, thus 
 arriving, by a different course, at the meaning first su2"sested 
 namely, that of a pathless wilderness. City of habitation may 
 mean a habitable or inhabited city in general, or a city for them 
 to inhabit in particular. The latter is more probable, because the 
 word translated habitation is not an abstract but a local noun, 
 meaning the place where men sit or dwell, according to the pri 
 mary and secondary meaning of the verbal root. See above, on 
 Ps. i. 1. It may here be either governed by city^ as above, or in 
 apposition with it, a city, a dwelling-'plact, i. e. a city in which 
 they might dwell. There is obvious allusion to Jerusalem, as 
 well as to the great Arabian wilderness, although the contrast of 
 the city and the desert suggests the idea of suffering and relief, by 
 a natural as well as a historical association. See Ez. xxix. 5, and 
 compare Job xii. 24. 
 
 5. Hungry — also thirsty — their soul in them shrouds itself. 
 This verse continues the description of the wanderers in the 
 desert. To avoid the ambiguity of an exact version, in which 
 hungry and thirsty might seem to agree with soul, the substantive 
 verb may be supplied in the first clause, {they are) hungry, also 
 thirsty. The primary sense of the reflexive verb at the end of the 
 sentence seems to be that of covering one's self with darkness, or 
 sinking overwhelmed beneath some great calamity. See above 
 
78 PSALM CVII. 
 
 on Ps. Ixxvii. 4 (3), and compa.re the cognate forms in Vs. Ixi. 3 
 (2.) Ixv. 14 (13.) cii. i. Isai. Ivii. 16. 
 
 6. And they cried to Jehovah in their distress ; from their straits 
 he frees them. Both the nouns, according to their etymology, 
 convey the idea of pressure, compression, painful restraint. In 
 their distress^ literally, in the distress to them^ that which they had 
 or suffered. See above, on Ps. cvi 44, and compare Dent. iv. 30. 
 The change from the past tense to the future seems intended 
 merely to describe the act denoted by the second as more recent 
 
 7. And he led thevi in a straight course^ to go to a city of habi 
 tation. No exact version can preserve or imitate the paronomasia 
 arisiufy from the etymological affinity of the first verb and noun, 
 analogous to that between the English walk and to ivalk, though 
 the Hebrew forms are only similar and not identical. The idea 
 of physical rectitude or straightness necessarily suggests that of 
 moral rectitude or honesty, commonly denoted by the Hebrew 
 word. 
 
 8. Let (such) give thanks to Jehovah (for) his mercy, and his 
 iconderful icorks to the sons of man. Some interpreters make 
 this the close of a long sentence, beginning with v. 4, and adopt, 
 in all the intervening verses, a relative construction, as if he had 
 said, let such as wandered in the wilderness, whose soul fainted in 
 them, who cried unto the Lord, whom he led etc. let such give 
 thanks unto his name. But although this is certainly the logical 
 connection of the passage, its involution and complexity of form 
 are as far as possible removed from the simplicity of Hebrew 
 syntax, which prefers a distinct enunciation of particulars to all 
 such artificial combinations. This verse constitutes the burden or 
 chorus of the psalm. 
 
 9. For he has satisfied :he craving soul, and the hungry soul 
 
PSALM CVII. 79 
 
 has filled with good. This is merely the conclusion of the first 
 scene or picture, with a change of figure but a very slight one, 
 as the want of food is one of the most painful and familiar 
 hardships of a journey through a desert, and as such would 
 necessarily occur to every Israelite who knew the story of the 
 error in the wilderness. The first verb has the same sense as in 
 Ps. civ. 13; the last noun the same sense as in Ps. ciii. 4. civ. 28. 
 The unusual word translated cravhig is borrowed from Isai. xxix. 8. 
 
 10. Dicellmg in darkness and deathshade^ hound in affiiction 
 and iron. Here begins the second picture which exhibits the 
 same sufierers, no longer as wanderers in the desert, but as closely 
 confined prisoners. The darkness primarily meant is that of the 
 dungeon, but not without reference to the frequent use of dark- 
 ness in general as an emblem of misery. See above, on Ps. Ixviii. 
 7(6.) The idea of darkness is then expressed in a still stronger 
 form by the striking compound deathshade or shadow of death, a 
 bold but beautiful description of the most profound obscurity. 
 See above, on Ps. xxiii. 4. The leading words of the two clauses 
 might, in one respect, be more exactly rendered, inhalitants of 
 darkness., ^prisoners of affliction. See above, on Ps. Ixxviii. 61 
 There is no mixture of literal and figurative terms in the last 
 clause, but only the addition of a specific to a general term 
 The affliction particularly meant is that produced by iron^ i. e. 
 chains or fetters. See above, on Ps. cv. 18, and with the verse 
 before us compare Isai. xlii. 7. xlix. 9. Job xxxvi. 8. Luke xiii. 
 16. 
 
 1 1 . Because they resisted the ivords of the Mightiest., and the. 
 counsel of the Highest contemned. This verse introduces what 
 was wanting in the first scene, the fact that these were not inno- 
 cent sufferers. However cruel or unjust their sufierings at the 
 hands of men, they were but condign punishments as sent by Grod. 
 This is a point of contact and resemblance with the preceding 
 
80 PSALM CVII. 
 
 psalm, whicli is not without importance. Resisted^ rebelled against, 
 a favourite expression in these psalms. See above, on Ps. cv. 28. 
 cvi. 7, 33, 43. Words or sayings, commonly applied to promises, 
 and even here combining that idea with the sense of command, 
 because the command which they resisted or rebelled against had 
 reference to the plan or counsel of the Lord for the deliverance of 
 his people. The word translated mightiest is {^^) one of the divine 
 names, here represented by an English superlative, in order to 
 preserve the antithesis with Most High in the other clause. 
 
 12. And he hrought down, with trouUe, their heart ; they 
 stumbled and there was no helper. The remedial design and 
 effect of their punishment are beautifully set forth in the first 
 clause. The word translated trouble means originally work or 
 labour, then the pain att-ending it or flowing from it. Stumbled 
 may here be put for fell, or have the milder sense of tottering or 
 stumbling, as distinguished from a total fall. JVo helper, or none 
 helping, except God, as intimated in the next verse ; or against 
 God, when he chose to punish them. 
 
 13. And they cried to Jehovah in their distress; out of thdr 
 straits he saves them. An exact repetition of v. 6, except that the 
 first verb is exchanged for a cognate one, differing only in a single 
 letter, and the last verb for a synonym e still more familiar. As 
 to the consecution of the tenses, see above, on v. 6. 
 
 14. He brings them 02it from darkness and deathshade, ai.d 
 their bonds he severs. The terms used in describing the deliver^ 
 ance are studiously made to correspond with the account of the 
 captivity in v. 10. It is more remarkable, though possibly for- 
 tuitous, that the words of the second clause are the same which 
 David puts into the mouth of the revolted nations, Ps. ii. 3. The 
 English word severs is here used instead of breaks, in order to re- 
 present the more uncommon and poetical term used in Hebrew 
 
PSALM evil. gi 
 
 15, 16. Let (such) give thanks unto Jehovah {for) his mercy^ 
 and his wonderful works to the sons of man, because he has troken 
 doors of brass, and bars of iron has cut asunder. The burden 
 m V. 15 is in all respects identical with v. 8, but the supplemen-. 
 tary verse differs, according to the prominent figures in the two 
 scenes or pictures. As the idea of famine was selected, in v. 9, 
 from among the hardships of the wilderness, so here the fastenings 
 of the prison are presented in precisely the same manner. In 
 this striking regularity of form, combined with vividness and beauty 
 of conception, there is evidence of art and skill as well as genius. 
 The verb in the first clause of v. 16 is an intensive form of the 
 verb to break, and might here be rendered shattered, shivered, or the 
 like. The corresponding verb in the last clause is a similar in- 
 tensive of the verb to cut. The whole verse is copied from Isai 
 xlv. 2, where we find the promise, of which this is the fulfilment 
 
 17. Fools by their course of transgression, and by their crimes, 
 afflict themselves. Here begins the third scene or picture, at the 
 very opening of which the charge of folly is added to the previous 
 one of guilt. The reflexive meaning of the verb is essential and 
 cannot be diluted into a mere passive, without weakening the 
 whole sentence, the very point of which consists in making them 
 the guilty authors of their own distresses. The word for trans- 
 gression is the one that originally means revolt from God, 
 apostasy. See above, on Ps. xxxvi. 2 (1.) Course, literally, 
 way or path. By, literally, /rem, as when we speak of an effect 
 as arising or proceeding from a cause. 
 
 18. All food their soul abhors, and they draw mar to the very 
 gates of death. This verse abruptly brings before us the same 
 persons whom we lately beheld wandering in the desert, and then 
 chained in a dark dungeon, now suffering from disease, such aa 
 not only mars their pleasures, but threatens to abbreviate their 
 lives. Compare Ps. cii. 3. Job xxxiii. 20. The expression very 
 
 4* 
 
82 PSALM evil. 
 
 gates^ in the translation of the last clause, is intended to convey 
 the full force of the Hebrew preposition p5) which is stronger 
 than (z^) io. See above, on Ps. Ivii. 11 (10.) With the last 
 clause compare Ps. ix. 14. Ixxxviii. 4 (3.) Job. xxxiii. 22. Isai. 
 xxxviii. 9 
 
 19. And they cry to Jehovah in their distress; out of their 
 straits he saves them. See above on vs. 6, 13, with the last of 
 which this agrees exactly. 
 
 20. Hfi sends his word and heals them, and makes them escajpe 
 from their destructions^ i. e. those which threatened them, and 
 from which escape appeared impossible. He sends his uwrd^ he 
 issues his command, exerts his sovereign power and authority. 
 The last word in the Hebrew occurs only here and once in 
 Lamentations (iv. 20.) The modern interpreters have 'pits or 
 graves ; but such a derivation from the verbal root is without 
 example or analogy. See above, on Ps. xvi. 10- "With the first 
 clause compare Ps. xxx. 3 (2.) xxxiii. 9. Isai. Ivii. 18 ; with the 
 last Ps. ciii. 4. 
 
 21. 22. Let (such) give thanks unto Jehovah (for) his mercy 
 and his ivonderful icorks to the sons of man ; and let them sacri- 
 fice sacrifices of thanksgivings and recount his deeds with {joyful) 
 singing. The freedom from technical and artificial rules of 
 rhetoric or versification, even in those parts of the composition 
 which exhibit most of art and skill, is peculiarly observable in this 
 verse, where, instead of adding to the uniform chorus or refrain 
 some particular image from the scene just closing, as in vs. 9, 
 16, the Psalmist continues and completes the sentence by repeat- 
 ing the exhortation to give thanks, in another but still figurative 
 form, derived from the musical and sacrificial customs of the 
 temple worship. They must not only utter thanks but offer them 
 
PSALM CYir. 83 
 
 in sacrifica. They must not only offer them in sacrifice but sing 
 them. With the first clause compare Ps. 1. 14. 
 
 23. Going down the sea in ships, doing business in the viany 
 waters. Here again the scene is shifted, and the exiles pass 
 before us, not as wanderers in the desert, or as captives in the 
 dungeon, or as suffering from sickness, but as mariners eno^acred 
 in an adventurous voyage. Descending, going down, seems to be 
 an idiomatic phrase, borrowed from Isai. xlii. 10, and equivalent 
 to going out to sea in English. The expression may have refer- 
 ence to the general elevation of the land above the water (see 
 above, on Ps. xxiv. 2), but is directly opposite to our phrase, the 
 high seas, and to the classical usage of ascending ships, i. e. em- 
 barking, and descending, i. e. landing. Doing business has its 
 ordinary sense, as applied to trade or traffic. The last words 
 may also be translated great or mighty waters ; but the usao-e of 
 the Psalms is in favour of the version many rcaters, which more- 
 over forms a beautiful poetical equivalent to sea or ocean. This 
 image could not fail to suggest, however indirectly, the idea of 
 the world with its commotions, of which the constant emblem is 
 the sea. See above, on Ps. xlvi. 4 (3.) Ixv. 8 (7.)lxxxix. 10 (9.) 
 xciii. 3, 4, and compare Matt. viii. 23 — 26. Mark iv. 36 — 41. 
 Luke viii. 22—25. 
 
 24. They saw the works of Jehovah, and his wonders in the deep. 
 The pronoun at the beginning is emphatic, (it is) they (that) see 
 (or saw) the works of the Lord, as if others could lay claim to 
 no such privilege or honour. Both the senses of the phrase Godh 
 works are appropriate in this connection, his works of creation 
 and his works of providence. The last word is another poetical 
 equivalent io sea or ocean. See above, on Ps. Ixix. 3 (2.) 
 
 25. And he said — and there arose a stormy wind, and it lifted 
 up his leaves. He now parenthetically specifies some of the divine 
 
84 PSALM C VI I. 
 
 works wtich he had just mentioned in the general. The form of 
 expression at the beginning, as in all like cases, involves an allu- 
 sion to the history of the creation, where each creative act is pre- 
 ceded by God's saying, let it be. So here, the full sense is, and 
 God said (let a stormy wind arise) and a stormy wind arose. See 
 above, on Ps. xxxiii. 9. Arose^ literally, stood, stood up, as in 
 Ps. cvi. 30. A stormy wind, literally, a wind of storm or tem- 
 pest. Instead cf his waves we may read its waves, and refer the 
 pronoun to the remoter antecedent (sea) in v. 23, Deep, in v. 
 24, is of a different gender. It is equally correct, however, and 
 more natural, to refer it to Jehovah, as the maker of fhe sea and 
 the ruler of its waves. Compare the expression thy ivaves and 
 thy billows in Ps. xlii. 8. See also Isai. li. 15. Jer. xxxi. 35. 
 
 26. They rise (to) the heavens ; they sink (to) the depths; their 
 soul with evil dissolves itself. That the verbs in the first clause 
 relate not to the waves but to the mariners, is evident from the 
 last clause. The words rise and sink are used instead of ascend, 
 descend, or go up, go down, because the Hebrew verbs have no 
 etymological affinity, nor even a single letter common to theii 
 roots. The ellipsis of the preposition to is frequent, or rather 
 verbs of motion in Hebrew may be construed directly with 
 a noun, where our idiom requires the intervention of a par- 
 ticle. Evil in the last clause may denote their evil state or 
 painful situation, with all the circumstances comprehended in 
 it ; or more specifically, their distress and painful feelings. Com- 
 pare Gen. xli. 29. The reflexive form of the last verb is not 
 essential to the meaning of the sentence, as in v. 17, and may 
 therefore be explained as an intensive or emphatic passive, it is 
 melted. See above, on Ps. xxii. 15 (14.) With the whole verse 
 compare Ps. civ. 8. 
 
 27. They reel and stagger like a drunken (man), and all their 
 wisdom is confounded. By wisdom we are here to understand 
 
PSALM CVII. 85 
 
 reason^ common sense, that which makes men rational and raises 
 them above the brutes. This is plain from the comparison with 
 drunkenness, the only point of which must be the loss of reason. 
 The reeling and staggering may relate to the irregular and violent 
 motion of a vessel in a storm, or, as the last clause does, to the 
 mariners themselves. The last verb literally means is swallowed 
 up, or retaining the reflexive form, still more strongly, swallows 
 itself up. But see above, on the last word of v. 26. 
 
 28. A7id. they cried to Jehovah in their distress, and out of then 
 straits he brings them forth. The consecution of the tenses cor- 
 responds to the relation of the acts which they denote, as viewed 
 by a spectator. ' Now they have cried to the Lord, and now he 
 is bringing them forth.' The verse differs from vs. 13, 19, in 
 the first verb, which agrees with v. 6, and in the last verb which 
 is unlike both. 
 
 29. He stills the storm to a calm, and silent are their waves. 
 This is an amplification of the last phrase in v. 28, and shows 
 how it is that he brings them forth. The first verb strictly means 
 he makes it stand, but in a sense directly opjDOsite to that of a 
 synonymous though different verb in v. 25. Calm, literally, 
 silence, stillness. Their waves, the waves from which they suf- 
 fer, by which they are buffeted. Compare his waxes in v. 25. 
 
 30. And they are glad that they are quiet, and he guides them to 
 their desired haven. The connection might be rendered clearer 
 by translating with the English Bible, then are they glad^ etc. 
 The last word in the verse occurs only here, and is by some 
 translated shore, by others goal ; but it is safer to retain the old 
 interpretation, which affords a perfectly good sense, and rests 
 upon the joint authority of the Babbinical tradition and the 
 Sept uagint version 
 
i6 PSALM C VII. 
 
 31, 32. Let (such) give thanks to Jehovah (for) his mercy ^ and 
 his wonderful icorJxS to the sons of man ; a7id let them exalt him in 
 the congregation of the people, and in the session of the ciders praise 
 him. Here again we have a striking instance of variety combined 
 with nniforraity. The burden or chorus, as in v. 22, is followed 
 by a solemn exhortation to connect the required thanksgiving 
 with the forms of public worship. But instead of the temple with 
 its sacrifices and its chants, the reference in this case, it should 
 seem, is to the spiritual worship of the synagogue. The word 
 translated congregation is one constantly applied to Israel, as 
 fietually gathered at the place of worship. See above, on Ps. 
 xxii. 23 (22.) The word session is employed in the translation 
 of the last clause, not for the sake of a verbal coincidence with 
 Presbyterian institutions, a coincidence however which is not to 
 be denied, but because it adequately represents the Hebrew 
 (iri)2) in its double acceptation, as denoting both the act and 
 the place of sitting, and especially of sitting together. See 
 above, on v. 4. The elders, here as elsewhere, are the heads of 
 tribes and families, the hereditary chiefs and representatives of 
 Israel. 
 
 33. He turns streams into a wilderness, and springs of water 
 to a thirsty place. As the shifting of the scene is not renewed in 
 the remainder of the psalm, which, on the other hand, if viewed 
 as a distinct and independent portion of the poem, mars its 
 symmetry of structure, it seems best to regard these verses as 
 an episode belonging to the last scene and containing the praises 
 of the people and their elders. The figures in this verse are 
 often used, particularly by Isaiah, to denote an entire revolution, 
 whether physical or moral, social or political. Compare Isai. 
 xliv. 26, 27. 1. 2. Jer. 1. 38. li. 36. It thus prepares the way 
 for the subsequent rejoicings in the downfall of Babylon and the 
 restoration of the exiled Jews 
 
PSALM evil. g7 
 
 34. A frvitful land to saUness^fo?- the wickedness of those dwel- 
 ling in it. The sentence is continued from the foreo-oino- verse 
 the nouns being governed by the verb he turns. The first phrase 
 literally means a land of fruit. The next noun may be taken 
 either in the abstract sense of saltness or the concrete one of a 
 mline soil or region, and by implication barren. For., literally 
 fro7nj as in v. 17 above. Compare the threatening in Isai. xiii. 
 19, and the great historical type of all such judgments, the de- 
 struction of Sodom and Gomorrah. 
 
 35. He turns a desert to a pool of water, and a dry land into 
 springs of water. This is the reverse of the description in v. 33 
 to which the terms are studiously conformed. In both cases the 
 first verb literally means he sets or puts, and the noun translated 
 springs means issues or places where the waters issue. Compare 
 Isai. XXXV. 7. xli. 18. xliii. 20. 
 
 36. And has settled there famished {men), and they have estaUished 
 a city to dwell in. There is no need of assuming, that the desert 
 thus transformed is Palestine or Canaan. It is better to adhere 
 to the general import of the figures, which is change for the bet- 
 ter. Settled, literally, caused to dwell. The primary meanin^y 
 of the last clause is that those once homeless have a home ; but 
 there is of course a reference to the repossession and rebuildinc? 
 of Jerusalem. The last phrase in Hebrew is the same with that 
 translated city of habitation in v. 4. 
 
 37. And have sowed fields, and planted vineyards, and mad., 
 fruits of increase. The form of all these verbs requires them to 
 be understood, like those of v. 36, as referring to time actually 
 past, from which some ha-^e inferred that the date of the psalm 
 itself lay between the first ingathering of the fruits by the returned 
 Jews and the founding of the temple, to which there is here no 
 allusion. The word translated increase is applied elsewhere to 
 
88 PSALM C VI I. 
 
 the annual productions of the earth. See Lev. xxv. 16. To mafce 
 these is to gain or acquire them by cultivation, as we speak of 
 making money, but of raising corn. See above, on Ps. Ix. 14 
 (12.) 
 
 38. And he has blessed them, and they have increased greatly, 
 and (even) their cattle he does not diminish. Increased, not in 
 numbers merely, but in wealth, strength, and prosperity. See 
 Deut. XXX. 16. The verb to diminish is borrowed from Lev. 
 xxvi. 22. The negation may be understood as a mciosis^ meaning to 
 increase or multiply. The whole of this description agrees well 
 with the encouraging appearances, by which the Restoration was 
 attended and immediately followed, before the colony experienced 
 reverses or had lost the fresh impression of their recent sufferings 
 and privations, which are mentioned in the next verse. 
 
 39. And they were diminished and hr ought low, from oppression, 
 suffering, and grief. The only grammatical construction of the 
 verbs is that which refers them to a former time, i. e. to the con- 
 dition of the people under Babylonian oppression. The sense is 
 therefore quite mistaken in the English, though correctly given in 
 the ancient versions. The contrast is intended to enhance tho 
 joy and thankfulness of the restored exiles. These, now so pros- 
 perous, are the very men who lately were in abject misery. 
 
 40. Pouring contempt on princes — and he has made them wan- 
 der in a waste (where there is) no way. From the exiles he 
 reverts to their Deliverer, and describes him as spurning the most 
 lordly of their persecutors — nay as making them take the place 
 of those whom they oppressed, which idea is conveyed by the 
 figure before used of wanderers in a pathless desert. See above, 
 on V. 4, and compare Job. xii. 21, 24. The word for waste or 
 void is one of those used in Gen. i. 2, to describe the original con- 
 dition of the earth. 
 
PSALM CVIII. S9 
 
 41 . ATid has raised the poor from affliction, and made like a Jlock 
 families. The first verb suggests the two-fold idea of elevation 
 from a wretched state, and security from future danger. For its 
 ordinary sense, see above, on Ps. xx. 2 (1.) xci. 14. The last 
 clause simply means, he has increased the people who were so 
 reduced in strength and numbers. 
 
 42. The righteous shall see and rejoice, and all iniquity stop her 
 mouth. The righteous are the true Israel, as in Ps. xxxiii. 1. 
 Num. xxiii. 10, Dan. xi. 17. With the last clause compare Job 
 V. 16. Isai lii. 15. 
 
 43. Who (is) tvise and will observe these things, and attentively 
 consider the mercies of Jehovah ? The change of number in the 
 Hebrew does not affect the meaning. Whoever is wise will ob- 
 serve these things, and all who are wise will consider them. 
 With this conclusion compare Hos. xiv. 10. Isai. xlii. 23. Jer. m. 
 11. 
 
 PSALM CYIII. 
 
 1. A Song. A Fsalm. By David. This is not an original 
 or independent composition, but a compilation from two other 
 psalms, which have already been explained. The introduction. 
 vs. 2 — 6 (1 — 5) is substantially identical with Ps. Ivii. 8 — 12 
 (7—11) ; the body of the psalm, vs. 7—13 (6—12), with Ps. 
 Ix. 7 — 14 (5 — 12.) The supposition of erroneous copies, or of 
 later corruptions, is still more improbable in this case than in 
 those of Ps. xviii, liii, Ixx. The best solution which has been 
 
90 PSALM C VI 1 1. 
 
 proposed is, that David himself combined these passages to be 
 the basis of a trilogy (Ps. cviii — ex), adapted to the use of the 
 church at a period posterior to the date of Ps. Ivii. and Ix. The 
 comments here will be confined to the variations, as in Ps. liii 
 and Ixx. 
 
 2(1.) Fixed is my heart, ok God, fixed is my heart ; I will 
 sing and play — also my glory. See above, on Ps. Ivii. 8 (7.) 
 The words here added, also my glory, correspond to the first 
 clause of the next verse in that psalm, awake my glory ! 
 
 3 (2.) Awake lute and harp ! I will awaken the dawn (or 
 morning.) See above, on Ps. Ivii. 9 (8.) The only variation is 
 the one already mentioned, the omission here of the words awake 
 my glory, for which the last clause of v. 2 (1) is a substitute. 
 
 4 (3.) I will thank thee among the nations, oh Jehovah, I will 
 praise thee among the peoples. See above, on Ps. Ivii. 10 (9.) 
 The only variation is the substitution of the name Jehovah for 
 Adhonai, a change scarcely perceptible in the English versions. 
 
 5 (4.) For great from above the heavens (is) thy mercy, and 
 unto the clouds thy truth. See above, on Ps. Ivii. 11 (10.) The 
 only variation is the change of (15) ^mto into (b^^) frovi ahove^ 
 apparently intended to suggest the idea of God's mercy as de- 
 scending upon man. 
 
 6 (5.) Be thou high above the heavens, oh God, and above all 
 the earth thy glory. See above, on Ps. Ivii. 12 (11.) The only 
 variation is the introduction of the copulative and at the begin- 
 ning of the second clause. 
 
 7 (6.) In order that thy beloved {ones) may be delivered, save 
 with thy right hand, and hear (or answer) us. See above, on 
 
PSALM C VI II. 91 
 
 Ps. Ix. 7 (d), with which this verse agrees in all points, not ex- 
 cepting the keri or various reading in the last word (me for us.) 
 
 8 (7.) God hath sjpolcen in his holiness (and therefore) I will 
 triumph, I will divide Shechem, and the valley of Succoth 1 will 
 measure. See above, on Ps. Ix. 8 (6), with which this verse 
 agrees exactly. 
 
 9 (8.) To me (belongs) Gilead, to me Man/isseh, and Ephraim 
 the strength of my head, Judah my lawgiver. See above, on Ps. 
 Ix. 9 (7.) The only variation is the omission, in the verse before 
 us, of the and after Gilead. 
 
 10 (9.) Moah {is) my wash-pot ; at Edom loill I throio my 
 Shoe ; over Philistia will I shout aloud. See above, on Ps. Ix. 
 10 (8,) At the end of this verse is the most material variation 
 in the whole psalm, which, however, is evidently not fortuitous 
 or by a later hand, but intentional and made by the original 
 writer. / will shout aloud, as an expression of triumph over a 
 conquered enemy. 
 
 11 (10.) Who will bring me {to) the fortified city? Vl'Tio 
 leads (or has led) me up to Edom ? See above on Ps. Ix. 11 (9.) 
 The only variation is the change of one synonymous word for 
 another, to express the idea of a fortified city. 
 
 12 (11.) (Is it) not God, who hast cast us off', and wilt not go 
 forth with our hosts ? See above on Ps. Ix. 12 (10.) The only 
 variation consists in the omission of the emphatic pronoun thoit, 
 which is expressed in the parallel passage, and only implied in 
 the one before us. Some interpreters suppose a sudden change 
 of construction from the third to the second person. 7s it not 
 God — (even thou who) didst cast us off, etc. 
 
 13 (12.) CHve us help from the enemy (or from distress); and 
 
92 PSALM CI X. 
 
 (the rather because) vain is the salvation of man, meaning that 
 which he affords. See above, on Ps. Ix. 13 (11), which agrees 
 with this exactly. 
 
 14 (13.) Ill God we will make (i. e. gain or gather) strength, 
 and he will tread down (or tramjple on) our adversaries (perse- 
 cutors or oppressors.) See above, on Ps. lx.^14 (12), between 
 which and the verse before us there is not the slightest differ- 
 ence. 
 
 PSALM CIX. 
 
 This psalm consists of three parts ; a complaint of slanderous 
 and malignant enemies, vs. 1 — 5 ; a prayer for the punishment 
 of such, vs. 6 — 20 ; and a prayer for the sufferer's own deliver- 
 ance, with a promise of thanksgiving, vs. 21 — 31. According to 
 the theory repeatedly referred to, this is the second psalm of a 
 Davidic trilogy. See above, on Ps. cviii. This psalm is re- 
 markable on two accounts ; first, as containing the most striking 
 instances of what are called the imprecations of the psalms ; and 
 then, as having been applied in the most explicit manner to the 
 sufferings of our Saviour from the treachery of Judas, and to the 
 miserable fate of the latter. These two peculiarities are perhaps 
 more closely connected than they may at first sight seem. Per- 
 haps the best solution of the first is that afforded by the second, 
 or at least by the hypothesis, that the Psalmist, under the direc- 
 tion of the Spirit, viewed the sufferings of Israel, which furnished 
 the occasion of the psalm, as a historical type of the Messiah's 
 sufferings from the treachery of Judas, representing that of 
 
PSALM C IX. 93 
 
 Judah, and that with this view he expresses his abhorrence of the 
 crime, and acquiesces in the justice of its punishment, in stronger 
 terms than would have been, or are elsewhere, employed in 
 reference to ordinary criminals. 
 
 1. To the Chief Musician. By David. A Psalm. God of 
 my prais^^ be not silent. The first inscription was particularly 
 necessary here because the psalm might otherwise have seemed to 
 be a mere expression of strong personal feeling. See above, on Ps. 
 li. 1. God of my praise ., i. e. the object of it, whom [ 
 delight, or am accustomed, or have cause, to praise. Be not 
 silent means not merely do not refuse to answer , but amidst the 
 threats and railings of my enemies, let thy voice be heard also. See 
 above, on Ps. xxviii. 1. xxxv. 22. xxxix. 13. (12.) 
 
 2. For a wicked mouth and a mouth of deceit they have opened ; 
 they have spoken against me with a tongue of falsehood. Com- 
 pare Ps. xxxv. 11. Iv. 4 (3.) The subject of the first verb is his 
 enemies, and not the nouns preceding, as the verb translated 
 open is elsewhere always active. Against me, literally, with me, 
 implying that they charged him falsely to his face, a circumstance 
 remarkably fulfilled in Christ. See Matth. xxvi. 59. 
 
 3. And with words of hatred they have compassed me, and have 
 fought against me without cause. See above, on Ps. xxxv. 20. 
 xxxvi. 4 (3.) 
 
 4. In return for my love they are my adversaries — and I (am) 
 prayer. The first word in Hebrew strictly means instead or in 
 lieu, of. The unusual expression at the end can only mean, 1 am 
 all prayer, I do nothing but pray, which some understand to sig- 
 nify, I bear their persecution meekly and continue my devotions 
 undisturbed by their calumnies and insults. But as the whole 
 context is descriptive, not of the suiFerer's behaviour but of his 
 
94 PSALM (MX. 
 
 enemies', a more probable sense is, I am forced to be continual'ljr 
 praying for protection against them and deliverance from them. 
 
 5. They lay ufon mc evil instead of good and hatred instead of 
 lore. The first verb literally means they set or place. Instead 
 of the good and the love which they owed me, or in return for my 
 kindness and love to them, as in v. 4. 
 
 6. Appoint thou over him a wicked oiu^ and let an adversary 
 stand upon his right hand. The first verb in Hebrew means to 
 place one in authority or charge over another. See Gen. xxxix. 
 5. xli. 34. Num. i. 50 and compare Lev. xxvi. 16. Jer. xv. 3. 
 Wicked one and adversary (Satan), although here used as appel- 
 latives or common nouns, are the very terms applied, in the later 
 scriptures, to the Evil Spirit or the Devil. See Job i. 6. ii. 1. 
 1 Chr. xxi. 1. Zech. iii. 1,2. In the place last cited he stands 
 too at the right hand of the sinner to accuse him. The change 
 of number in the verse before us might, in conformity with usage, 
 be explained as a mere difi"erence of form, the ideal person denoted 
 by the singular being really the type and representative of the whole 
 class denoted by the plural. But the constancy with which the 
 change, in this case, is adhered to, rather favours the conclusion, 
 that a real individual is meant, to whom the Psalmist turns from 
 the promiscuous crowd of his oppressors. For a similar transi- 
 tion, see above, on Ps. Iv. 13 (12.) 
 
 7. When he is tried he shall go forth guilty^ and his prayer 
 shall he for sin. The future meaning of the second verb is deter- 
 mined by the form of the third, which is not apocopated, as in vs. 
 12, 13. When he is tried, literally, in his being tried. The nezt 
 phrase simply means that he shall be condemned ; the last clause, 
 that his very prayer for mercy shall be reckoned as a new offence, 
 a strong description of extreme judicial rigour and inexorable 
 justice. 
 
PSALM CI X. 95 
 
 8. Let his days he feiv — kis office let another take. The word 
 translated ojfice is a collateral derivative of the verb at the be- 
 ginning of V. 6, and means comraission, charge. This expression 
 makes it still more probable that a real individual is referred to, 
 as the possession of a charge or office could not be common to the 
 whole class of malignant enemies. The Septuagint version is 
 «7itorxo7TijVj oversight or supervision, corresponding exactly to the 
 meaning of the Hebrew verb in v. 6. This translation is retained 
 in Acts i. 20, where the verse before us is expressly quoted by 
 Peter, as " written in the book of Psalms," and applied to the 
 case of Judas Iscariot. 
 
 9. Let his sons he orjphans and his wife a widow. He here 
 passes from the person of the criminal to the sufferings of those 
 dependent on him. See Ex. xx. 5. 
 
 10. And wander — wander — let his sons and heg, and seek (their 
 food) from (among) their ruins. The emphatic repetition of the 
 first verb is expressed, in the English Bible, by a paraphrase, let 
 his children he continually vagahonds. The last clause is ex- 
 tremely graphic, representing them as creeping forth in search of 
 food from amidst the ruins of their habitations. 
 
 11. Let a creditor entrap all he has., and strangers plunder (the 
 fruit of) his labour. The first noun originally means a lender, 
 but in usage has the accessory sense of a hard creditor, an extor- 
 tioner. The verb means to lay a snare for., as in Ps. xxxviii. 13 
 (12.) Strangers., not his natural heirs, not members of his 
 family. See Deut. xxv. 5. 
 
 12. Let there he no one to him extending mercy., and let there be 
 no one showing favour to his orphans. The verb translated ex- 
 tend literally means draw out., prolong^ and is applied to the con- 
 tinued indulgence both of hostile and amicable feelings See 
 
9(5 PSALM CI X. 
 
 above, on Ps. xxviii. 3. xxxvi. 11 (10.) Ixxxv. 6 (5.) Showing 
 favour, exercising mercy, as in Ps. xxxvii. 21. 
 
 13. Let his posterity he cut off; in the next generation^ hloitea 
 nut he their name. The word for posterity strictly means futurity, 
 after part, or latter end. See above, Ps. xxxvii. 37, 38. Cut 
 off, literally, for cutting off. The next or after generation, as in 
 Ps. xlviii. 14 (13.) The plural pronoun their refers to the col« 
 lective noun posterity. 
 
 14. Let the guilt of his fathers he rememhered hy Jehovah, and hit 
 mother^ sin not hlotted out. This is perhaps the most fearful im- 
 precation in the psalm, as it extends the consequeaces of trans- 
 gression, not merely to the children, who might naturally be ex- 
 pected to partake of them, but to the parents. It is not to be 
 forgotten, however, that in all such cases, the personal guilt of 
 the implicated parties is presupposed, and not inferred from their 
 connection with the principals. Rememhered hy (literally to) 
 Jehovah, which, may possibly mean brought to his remembrance, 
 recalled to mind by another, perhaps by the accuser before men- 
 tioned. 
 
 15. Let them he hefore Jehovah always, and let him cut off from 
 the earth their memory. The subject of the first clause is the 
 guilt and sin mentioned in the verse preceding. Before Jehovah^ 
 
 "in his sight, an object of attention to him. See above, Ps. xc. 8 
 With the last clause compare Ps. ix. 7 (6.) xxxiv. 17 (16.) 
 
 16. Because that he did not rememher to do mercy, and perse- 
 cuted an afflicted and poor man, and one smitten in heart, to kill 
 (him.) There is an antithesis between the rememher of this verse 
 and the rememhered of v. 14. Though he did not remember mercy, 
 God remembers guilt. The last phrase, to kill, denotes both 
 the design and the extent of the malignant persecution, whicb 
 
PSALM CI X 97 
 
 was deadly or to death. The object of the persecution is the 
 psalmist himself, or the ideal person whom he represents. See 
 V. 22. 
 
 17. A7id he loved a curse., and it has come (u'pon) him ; and ht 
 delighted not in Messing., and it has removed far from him. This 
 verse contemplates the event as actually past. The optative 
 meaning, given to the verbs in the English Bible, is as incon- 
 sistent with the form of the original as the future meaning given 
 in the Prayer Book and the ancient versions. 
 
 18. And he has put on cursing as his garment., and it has comt 
 like water into his inside, and like oil into his bones. There is an 
 obvious climax in this verse. That which is first described as the 
 man's exterior covering, is then said to be within him, first as 
 water, then as oil or fat, first in the vessels of his body, then in 
 his very bones. The general idea is that the curse, which he de- 
 nounced and endeavoured to inflict on others, has taken possession 
 of himself, both within and without. Compare Num. v. 22, 
 24, 27. The first clause admits of a different construction, 
 which would make it descriptive of the crime and not tho 
 punishment. He put on cursing as his garment, and (now) it has 
 come, etc. This construction introduces an antithesis, and there 
 by adds to the point of the sentence, and is also recommended by 
 the analogy of v. 17. 
 
 19. Let it be to him as a garment (that) he wears, and for a beU 
 let him always gird it. This is not a mere reiteration of the 
 figure in the first clause of v. 18, but conveys the additional idea 
 of a habitual and constant presence. The word belt is used in tho 
 translation of the last clause, because the Hebrew word to which 
 it corresponds is not the usual derivative of the verb that followa^ 
 but etymologically unconnected with it. 
 
 20. (Be) this the wages of my adversaries from Jehovah^ and 
 
 VOL. III.— 5 
 
98 PSALM CI X. 
 
 of those speaking evil against my soul. The pronoun this in tho fil'st 
 clause refers to the whole preceding series of denunciations. 1 fie 
 word translated wages means originally work^ and secondarily the 
 price or recompense of work or labour, and is so used in the law 
 of Moses. See Lev. xix. 13. It is here peculiarly appropriate 
 because it represents the misfortunes of his enemies as the direct 
 fruit of their own misconduct. No single word in English can 
 express this double meaning of the Hebrew. Such is their work 
 and such their wages. The word translated adversaries is a cog- 
 nate form to that used in v. 6, and might suggest the idea of my 
 Satans ; but this would probably convey too much. From Je- 
 hovah.) their reward or recompense to be expected from him, oi 
 already bestowed by him. The description in the last clause in 
 eludes insult, slander, and malicious plotting. 
 
 21. And thou., Jehovah., Lord., do ivith vie for thy nameh sake , 
 because good is thy mercy, set me free. The emphatic thou at the 
 beginning indicates a contrast between God and Lis oppressors 
 Do with me is a common English phrase meaning deal with we, 
 dispose of me ; but no such idiom exists in Hebrew, and the best 
 authorities regard the construction as elliptical and make it mean, 
 do kindness (or sheio mercy) to me. With the last clause com- 
 pare Ps. Ixiii. 4 (3.) Ixix. 17 (16.) 
 
 22. For afflicted and poor (am) /, and 7}iy heart is wounded 
 within me. This, though indefinite in form, is equivalent to say- 
 ing, I am the afflicted and poor man whom the malignant adver- 
 sary persecuted, as was said in v. 16. The word translated 
 wounded strictly means pierced or perforated, a stronger expres- 
 sion than the one in v. 16. With the first clause compare Ps. 
 3d. 18 (17.) Ixix. 30 (29.) 
 
 23. Like a shadow at its turning I am gone ; I am driven 
 away like the locust. The first comparison is the same with that 
 
PSALM CIX. 99 
 
 in Ps. cii. 12. Our idiom enables us to imitate tlie phrase I am 
 gonCj a passive which in Hebrew occurs only here. The other 
 verb is rare, but its meaning is sufficiently determined by usao-e. 
 The allusion here is to the violence with which a cloud of locusts 
 in the east is scattered by the wind. Compare Ex. x. 19. Joel 
 ii. 20. Nah. iii. 17. 
 
 24. My knees totter from fasting^ and my Jlesh fails from fat- 
 Tiess. The last phrase is obscure but seems to mean from being 
 fat J so that it is not fat ; the privative usage of the preposition 
 being very common. The sense thus put upon the verb is justi- 
 fied by the analogy of Isai. Iviii. 11, where an equivalent expres- 
 sion is applied to failing waters. Some interpreters, however, 
 insist upon retaining the strict sense both of verb and noun, and 
 understand the clause to mean, my flesh lies or deceives the eye, 
 by no longer appearing as it once did, or by seeming to exist 
 when it is gone, from oil, i. e. from want of oil, because no longer 
 taken care of and anointed. But no construction could well be 
 more forced and far-fetched. It may also be objected that the 
 external use of oil was to anoint the head on festive occasions, 
 not to fatten the person or preserve the flesh. 
 
 25. And I have been a reproach to them, they see me, they shah 
 thdr head. A reproach, an object of contempt, as in Ps. xxii. 
 7(6.) xxxi. 12 (11.) As to the meaning of the gesture men- 
 tioned in the last clause, see above, on Ps. xxii. 8 (7.) 
 
 26. Help me, Jehovah, my God, save me, according to thy mercy. 
 The renewed description of his sufi"erings, in vs. 22 — 25, is fol- 
 lowed by a renewed petition for deliverance, corresponding to that 
 in V. 21. According to thy mercy, i. e. in proportion to its great- 
 ness and the freeness with which it is exercised. 
 
 27. And they shall know that this (is) thy hand ; thou, Jehovah 
 
100 PSALM CI X. . 
 
 hast done it. The optative construction, let them knew, and the 
 Bubjunctive one, that they may know, are really involved in the 
 more exact translation, they shall know. The subject of the verb 
 may be men in general, or the persecuting adversaries in par- 
 ticular, more probably the latter, because they are referred to, 
 both before and after. This is thy hand, i. e. this deliverance is 
 the product of thy power. Compare Ps. lix. 14 (l3.) 
 
 28. They loill curse, and thou wilt bless ; they have risen wp, and 
 shall he shamed, and thy servant shall he glad. The first clause, 
 expressed in our idiom, would be, they may curse hut thou wilt 
 bless. Risen up, i. e. against me, a favourite expression in the 
 Psalms. Shamed, in the pregnant sense of being disappointed, 
 defeated, confounded. Thy servant, i. e. I as such, in that ca- 
 pacity or character. 
 
 29. Clothed shall my adversaries he with confusion, and dressed, 
 as a robe, in their shame. This is not the mere expression of a 
 wish, like that in v. 18, which would here be out of place, but a 
 confident anticipation, with which he concludes the psalm. Com- 
 pare Ps. Ixxi. 13. The word translated robe denotes a garment 
 reaching to the feet, and expresses therefore still more strongly 
 the idea that his foes shall be completely covered with confusion 
 
 30. I will thank Jehovah greatly tvith my moiUh, and in the 
 midst of many will I praise kim. He vows that his thanksgiving 
 shall not be merely mental or domestic, but audible and public. 
 With the last clause compare Ps. xxii. 23 (22.) 
 
 31. For he will stand at the right hand of a poor (man), to savi 
 {him) from the judges of his soul. This assigns the special rea- 
 eon of his promised praise. The verse is in strong contrast to 
 V. 6 above, especially if Satan be there taken as a proper name 
 The right hand here is not the place of honour but of protection. 
 
PSALM ex. 10) 
 
 A poor moTij as in v. 16, means this poor man, i. e. me a poor 
 man. Compare Ps. xxxiv. 7 (6) The last clause is correctly 
 paraphrased in the common version, ihose that condemn his soul. 
 
 PSALM ex. 
 
 This is the counterpart of the Second Psalm, completing the 
 prophetic picture of the conquering Messiah. The progressive 
 development of the Messianic doctrine lies in this, that the King- 
 ship of Messiah, there alleged and confirmed by a divine decree, 
 is here assumed at the beginning, and then shown to be connected 
 with his Priesthood, which is also solemnly proclaimed, and its 
 perpetuity ensured by a divine oath. This constitutes the centre 
 of the psalm, v. 4, to which all the rest is either introductory, 
 vs. 1 — 3, or supplementary, v. 5 — 7. The repeated, explicit, 
 and emphatic application of this psalm, in the New Testament, 
 to Jesus Christ, is so far from being arbitrary or at variance with 
 the obvious import of the psalm itself, that any other application 
 is ridiculous. The chief peculiarity of form is a frequent change 
 of person, not unlike that in Ps. xci. 
 
 1. By David. A Psalm. Thus saith Jehovah to my Lorc\ 
 Sit thou at my right hand, uritil I make thine enemies thy foot- 
 stool. The ascription of the psalm to David is not only uncon- 
 tradicted by external evidence, but corroborated by the internal 
 character of the composition, its laconic energy, its martial tone, 
 its triumphant confidence, and its resemblance to other undis- 
 puted psalms of David. In addition to all this, we have the 
 authority of Christ himself, who not only speaks of it as David's, 
 but founds an argument upon it, the whole force of which depends 
 upon its having been composed by him. See Matt. xxii. 43 
 
102 PSALM ex. 
 
 Mark xii. 3G. Luke xx. 42, and compare Acts ii. 34. As a fur- 
 ther confirmation of the truth of this inscription, some allege the 
 obvious relation of this psalm to those before it, as forming with 
 them a Davidic trilogy. See above, on Ps. cviii. 1. Thus saith 
 Jehovah, or more exactly, a dictum (or saying) of Jehovah. For 
 the origin and usage of this formula, used only in prophetic 
 declarations, see above on Ps. xxxvi. 2 (1.) My Lord, i. e. 
 David's, as our Saviour explicitly declares in the passages already 
 cited, yet not of David mei-ely as a private person, nor even as an 
 individual king, but as representing his own royal race and the 
 house of Israel over which it reigned. The person thus de- 
 scribed as the superior and sovereign of David and his house and 
 of all Israel, could not possibly be David himself, nor any of his 
 sons and successors except one, who, by virtue of his twofold 
 nature, was at once his sovereign and his son. See Rom. i. 3, 4. 
 That the Lord here meant was universally identified with the 
 Messiah by the ancient Jews, is clear, not only from their own 
 traditions, but from Christ's assuming this interpretation as the 
 basis of his argument to prove the Messiah's superhuman na- 
 ture, and from the fact that his opponents, far from questioning this 
 fact, were unable to answer him a word, and afraid to interrogate 
 him further (Matt. xxii. 4G.) The original form of expression, 
 in the phrase Sit at my right hand, is the same as in Ps. cix. 31. 
 A seat at the right hand of a king is mentioned in the Scriptures 
 as a place of honour, not arbitrarily, but as implying a participa- 
 tion in his power, of which the right hand is a constant symbol. 
 See above, on Ps. xlv. 10 (9), and compare Matt. xix. 28. The 
 sitting posture is appropriate to kings who are frequently described 
 as sitting on their thrones. See above, on Ps. xxix. 10. In this 
 case, however, the posture is of less moment than the position. 
 Hence Stephen sees Christ standing at the right hand of God 
 (Acts vii. 55, 56), and Paul simply says he is there (Rom. viii. 
 34.) The participation in the divine power, thus ascribed to tha 
 Messiah, is a special and extraordinary one, having reference tt» 
 
PSALM ex. 103 
 
 the total subjugation of bis enemies. This idea is expressed bj? 
 the figure of their being made his footstool, perhaps with allusion 
 to the ancient practice spoken of in Josh. x. 24. This figure, 
 itself, however, presupposes the act of sitting on a throne. It 
 does not imply inactivity, as some suppose, or mean that Jehovah 
 would conquer his foes for him, without any intervention of his 
 own. The idea running through the whole psalm is, that it is in 
 and through him that Jehovah acts for the destruction of his 
 enemies, and that for this very end he is invested with almighty 
 power, as denoted by his session at the right hand of God. This 
 session is to last until the total subjugation of his enemies, that is to 
 say, this special and extraordinary power of the Messiah is then 
 to terminate, a representation which agrees exactly with that of 
 Paul in 1 Cor. xv. 24 — 28, where the verse before us is dis- 
 tinctly referred to, although not expressly quoted. It is there- 
 fore needless, though grammatical, to give the until an in 
 elusive meaning, namely, until then and afterwards, as in Ps. 
 cxii. 8 below. This verse , it has been said, is more frequently 
 quoted or referred to, in the New Testament, than any other in 
 the Hebrew Bible. Besides the passages already cited, it lies at 
 the foundation of all those which represent Christ as sitting 
 at the right hand of the Father. See Matt. xxvi. 64. 1 Cor. 
 XV. 25. Eph. i. 20—22. Phil. ii. 9—11. Heb. i. 3, 14. viii. 1. 
 X. 12, 13. 1 Pet. iii. 22, and compare Rev. iii. 21. 
 
 2. The rod of thy strength loill Jehovah send forth from Zion , 
 rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. The Psalmist now ad- 
 dresses the Messiah directly. The idea latent in the figures of 
 the first verse, namely that of power, is here expressed. The 
 word (ntslo) translated rod never means a sceptre^ as the synony- 
 mous term (uid) sometimes does, from which it is distinguished 
 by Ezekiel (xix. 11), but a rod of correction and of chastisement. 
 See Jer. xlviii. 12, and compare Isai. ix. 3 (4.) x. 5, 15, xiv. 4, 
 5. Ez. vii. 10, 11. It is here named as the instrument with 
 
104 ' PSALM ex. 
 
 which the foes are to be subdued. Compare Ps. ii. 9. Tliera 
 may be an allusion to the rod of Moses. See Ex. xiv. 16, 21, 
 and compare Isai. x. 24, 26. The rod of thy strength^ or thy 
 rod of strength, thy strong rod, or rather the rod by nx^ans of 
 which thine own strength is to be exerted. As this strength is 
 not human but divine, it is said to be sent forth by Jehovah out 
 of Zion, considered as his earthly residence, the seat of the theo- 
 cracy. See above, on Ps. xx. 3 (2. ) The verb translated rule 
 is not applied in usage to a peaceful reign, but to coercive or 
 compulsory dominion over conquered enemies. See above, on 
 Ps. xlix. 15 (14), and compare Num. xxiv. 19. The imperative 
 here involves prediction in its strongest form. As if he had said : 
 All is ready for the conquest ; there is no resistance ; there can 
 be no doubt of the result ; rule, therefore, in the midst thine ene- 
 mies, i. e. over the very enemies by whom thou art surrounded, 
 and who threatened to dethrone thee. 
 
 3. Thy people (are) free-will-offerings in the day of thy power, 
 in holy decorations, from the loomh of the dawn, to thee {is) the dew 
 of thy youth. Every member of this very obscure verse has been 
 a subject of dispute and of conflicting explanations. The com- 
 mon version of the first words {thy people shall he willing) is en- 
 tirely inadmissible as an exact translation, since the word trans- 
 lated willing is a plural substantive of the feminine gender, an(? 
 not an adjective agreeing with the masculine singular noun people. 
 The idea, however, is the same, but expressed with far more 
 strength and beauty. The plural noun just mentioned is the one 
 used to denote spontaneous gifts, or freewill-offerings, under the 
 law ^f Moses. See above, on Ps. liv. 8 (7), and compare Ex, 
 sxv. 2. XXXV. 29. xxxvi. 3. Lev. xxii. 23. By supplying the 
 correlative verb, which may be considered as latent in the noun, 
 we obtain the sense, thy people (offer) voluntary gifts. But by 
 supplying the substantive verb, which is far more natural and 
 common, we obtain the still more striking sense, thy people are 
 
PSALM ex. lOf 
 
 theiii.*®lves such gifts, i. e. they freely consecrate themselves to 
 God. In this sense of voluntary self-dedication the reflexive form 
 of the verbal root is used even in historical prose (1 Chr. xxix. 14, 
 17), especially in reference to military service (Judg. v. 2, 9. 
 2 Chr. xvii. 16.) The day of thy power^ the day in which it is ex- 
 erted and displayed in the subjugation of thine enemies. The 
 next phrase literally means, in heauties (or ornaments) of holiness j 
 which may either have its obvious spiritual sense, as in Ps. xxix. 
 2, or that of holy decorations^ with allusion to the sacerdotal dress, 
 which is expressly called garments of holiness^ Lev. xvi. 4. The 
 last is the sense put by the modern interpreters upon the phrase, 
 which then means that the people, when they make this solemn 
 oftcring of themselves to God, appear clothed in sacerdotal vest- 
 ments, as the servants of a priestly king (v. 4 below), and them- 
 selves a "kingdom of priests" (Ex. xix. 6.) The uwmh of the 
 dawn (or day-break) is a very strong poetical description of the 
 origin or source of the dew which immediately follows, and the 
 sense of which must determine that of the whole clause. The 
 most probable opinions as to this point are the following. Some 
 suppose the clause to be descriptive of the multitude of warriors 
 who devote themselves to the Messiah, and who are then described 
 as no less numerous than the drops of dew born from the womb 
 of morning. The objection to this is, that it lays too much stress 
 upon mere numbers, and expresses that idea by a figure neither 
 common nor altx)gether natural. Another explanation makes the 
 point of the comparison with dew, not numbers, but beauty, bril- 
 liancy thus corresponding to the holy decorations of the other clause. 
 Here again the comparison selected is by no means obvious, much 
 less familiar. Lovely or beautiful as dew is not a combination 
 likely to occur to the mind of any writer. In the two interpreta- 
 tions which have now been given, youth must be taken in the 
 sense of young men, like the Latin puhes and juventus, when ap- 
 plied to a youthful soldiery, or made to qualify the noun before 
 it, youthful dew, still meaning the young warriors. But of such 
 
^06 PSALM ex. 
 
 a figure there is not a trace in Hebrew usage, and in the only 
 other place where the word (rmb']) occurs, it evidently means 
 youth^ as a period of human life (Ecc. xi. 9, 10.) Free from all 
 these objections is the supposition, that the clause relates not to 
 the numbers or the beauty of Messiah's people, but to their per- 
 petual succession, expressed by a fine poetical comparison with 
 dew, engendered afresh daily from the womb of the morning. 
 Youth will then have its proper sense, as denoting the perpetual 
 youth of the Messiah, whose body is thus constantly renewed by 
 the successive generations of his people. This construction also 
 enables us to divide the clause more equally than in the masoretic 
 interpunction, which, at all events, is either incorrect or rather 
 musical than logical. 
 
 4. Sworn hath Jehovah^ and will not repent. Thou (shalt be) a 
 priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek. The declaration 
 in the last clause of v. 3 is here repeated in another form, and 
 with a statement of the ground or reason upon which it rests. 
 What was there poetically represented as the perpetual youth of 
 the Messiah is here more solemnly described as a perpetual priest- 
 hood, indissolubly blended with a perpetual kingship, both secured 
 by the oath of God himself. He will not repent, there is no fear 
 or even possibility of his breaking or retracting this engagement, 
 for such it is, and not a mere declaratory attestation of the pre- 
 sent fact or general truth, as it mi_2;ht seem to be from the com- 
 mon version, not only here but in Heb. v. 6. vii. 17, 21, in every 
 ore of which places the Greek conforms exactly to the Septuagint 
 version and the Hebrew text, the art being constantly supplied by 
 the translators. That the clause is a promise, and as such relates 
 directly to the future, is clear from the whole tenor of the psalm as a 
 prophetic one, as well as from the oath, which is not used in Scrip- 
 ture to attest mere matters of fact, but to confirm the divine promise 
 and threatenings. The indefinite expression, a priest, is intended 
 to describe the oflace in itself considered, without reference to 
 
PSALM ex. J07 
 
 temporary distinctions and gradations. It therefore comprehends 
 whatever appertained to the ofl&ce of the Pligh Priest, as the head 
 and representative of all the rest. After the order ^ i. e. accord- 
 ing to the manner, character, or institution. It is remarkable 
 that this phrase (like rn"l!?'2 in v. 3) is almost peculiar to this 
 psalm and the book of Ecclesiastes, being found besides in only 
 one place (Job v. 8.) In all the direct quotations of the verse 
 in Hebrews, the Septuagint version of this word (rd^tj') is re- 
 tained. But in one of the more indy-ect citations (Heb. vii. 15) 
 another word (6//0K5r7]ra) is substituted, showing that the essen- 
 tial idea is that of likeness or resemblance. This likeness con- 
 sists primarily in the union of the regal and sacerdotal offices. 
 See Gen. xiv. IS. The meaning of the verse in its original con- 
 nection is, that this royal conqueror is also a priest, who ma,kes 
 atonement for the sins of his people, and thus enables and dis- 
 poses them to make the dedication of themselves described in the 
 preceding verse. The perpetuity of this relation, and its confir- 
 mation by the oath of God, are attendant circumstances but 
 essential, and as such insisted on by the apostle, Heb. vii. 20 — 24. 
 The coincidences founded on the meaning of the names Melchize- 
 dek and Salem (Heb. vii. 2), and on the want of hierarchical 
 succession in both cases (Heb. vii. 3), are perfectly legitimate but 
 not essential to the understanding of the verse in its original con- 
 nection. The inspired commentary on this sentence, which occu- 
 pies the whole seventh chapter of Hebrews, is not intended merely 
 to explain its meaning, but also to make use of its terms, and the 
 associations coupled with them, as a vehicle of other kindred 
 truths, belonging to the Christian revelation, and not necessarily 
 suggested by the Psalm to its original readers. 
 
 6. The, Lord on thy right hand has smitten^ in the day of hii 
 anger ^ kings. Some suppose this to be addressed to Jehovah, and 
 the Lord to mean Messiah, on the ground that they could not each 
 be on the right hand of the other. See above, v. 1. That they 
 
108 PSALM ex. 
 
 could be so, however, only shows that the whole description is tt 
 figurative one, and that the principal figure has a two-fold mean- 
 ing. On the right hand has precisely the same meaning here as 
 in Ps. cix. 31, where it denotes the place of protection or assist- 
 ance, the figure being probably derived from the usages of war, 
 in which one who succours or protects another may be said to 
 strengthen his right hand, as the member which he uses in his 
 own defence. In one sense, therefore, the Lord is at the right 
 hand of Jehovah ; in another sense, Jehovah is at his. This 
 assistance, far from excluding, presupposes his own action, or ra- 
 ther, what Jehovah is described as doing for him he does through 
 him. See above, on v. 1. The word translated smite is very 
 strong and has repeatedly occurred before. See above, on Ps. 
 xviii. 39 (38.) Ixviii. 22, 24 (21, 23.) The day of Jehovah's 
 wrath is coincident with that of the Lord's strength in v. 3. The 
 strength of the Messiah, as a conqueror, is to be exerted in giving 
 effect to Jehovah's wrath against his enemies. The position of the 
 word kings at the end of the sentence, although harsh and almost 
 ungrammatical in English, is retained in the translation for the 
 sake of its eiOPect upon the emphasis and point of the description. 
 The objects of Jehovah's wrath and the Messiah's strokes are not 
 to be mere ordinary men, but kings, if they continue to oppose 
 themselves. See above, on Ps. ii. 2, 10. The tense of the verb 
 may be regarded as an instance of praderitum propheticum, de- 
 scribing what is certainly to happen as already past. 
 
 6. He will judge among the nations — he has Jllled {them) with 
 corpses — he has smitten the head over much land (or over the wide 
 earth.) By another sudden change of form, the Messiah is again 
 spoken of as a third person. The judgment here ascribed to him 
 is oniy another name and figure for the conquest just described. 
 The form of expression in the last clause is unusual and obscure. 
 The common version makes both head and land collectives, tL 
 heads over many countries. Some interpreters explain the second 
 
I SALM ex. 109 
 
 word in this way, but the first more strictly, as denoting a single 
 fuler over many countries. Others invert the terms and under- 
 stand by head the various chiefs of nations, but by tarth tho 
 whole earth with its qualifying epithet of great or wide. Amidst 
 these questions of construction or minute interpretation, the 
 general idea is clear enough, to wit, that of universal conquest on 
 the part of the Messiah, and extending to all earthly principalities 
 and powers. 
 
 7. From the hrook in the icay he will drinky therefore will he 
 'aise the head. According to the masoretic interpunction, in the 
 way does not qualify the brook but he will drink, a distinction of 
 little exegetical importance. Unlike the foregoing verse, the one 
 before us is perfectly clear in its particular expressions, but ob- 
 scure in its general import and relation to the context. The 
 most probable meaning of the first clause is, that he shall not be 
 exhausted like those wandering in the desert (Ps. cii. 24. cvii. 
 4, 5) but refreshed and strengthened, with a reference, as some 
 suppose, to the relief experienced by Samson (Judg. xv. 18, 19.) 
 The raising of the head, in the last clause, is an obvious and in- 
 telligible figure for exhilaration, or relief from dejection and de- 
 pression, which is naturally indicated by the hanging of the head. 
 The only question is whether this eflfect is here supposed to be 
 produced in the conqueror himself or in others. In favour of 
 the former explanation is the parallel clause, which represents 
 him as assuaging his own thirst. In favour of the other is the 
 analogy of Ps. iii. 4 (3) xxvii. 6, where God is said to raise the 
 head of man. As in other doubtful cases, where the senses are 
 not incompatible or exclusive of each other, it is safe, if not en- 
 tirely satisfactory, to leave them side by side, the rather as the 
 words could probably not fail to suggest both ideas tc tl^e Hebrew 
 reader. 
 
ilO PSALM CXI. 
 
 PSALM CXI. 
 
 This is an alphabetical psalm, in which the Hebrew letters 
 mark the beginning not of verses but of clauses. The first eight 
 verses contain each two clauses ; the last two consist of three. 
 The psalm begins with an invitation to the public praise of God, 
 V. 1, then assigns, as the ground and object of this praiso, his 
 dealings with his people, vs. 2 — 9, and ends with the conclusion, 
 that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, v. 10. 
 There is nothing in the psalm itself to determine its date or its 
 historical occasion. According to Hengstenberg, it is the first 
 psalm of a trilogy, added to the ancient one preceding (Ps. 
 cviii — ex.) after the return from exile. 
 
 1. Hallelujah ! I will thank Jehovah with a whole hearty in the 
 company of the u-pright and in the congregation. The Hallelujah 
 {praise ye Jah) marks the designation of the latter psalms for 
 permanent use in public worship, as the inscription to the chief 
 musician does that of the older ones. With a whole heart., or lu-ith 
 all {my) hearty as it is fully expressed in Ps. Ixxxvi. 12. Compare 
 Ps. cxix. 2. The word translated company means properly a 
 circle of confidential friends. See above, on Ps. xxv. 14. Iv. 
 15 (14.) Ixiv. 3 (2.) Ixxxiii. 4 (3.) It is here applied to the 
 church or chosen people, as constituting such a company or circle, 
 in opposition to the world without. It is not therefore really 
 distinct from the congregation mentioned in the last clause, but 
 another name for it. The upright (or straightforivard) is a title 
 given to the true Israel, from the days of Balaam downwards. 
 See Num. xxiv 10. 
 
 2. Gieataretk. works of Jehovah ^ sought {according) to all 
 
PSALM CXI. Ill 
 
 their desires. The common version of the last phrase, all them 
 that have pleasure therein., supposes the text to be diflFerently 
 pointed, as in Ps. xl. 15 (14,) Ixx. 3 (2.) The received text can 
 only mean to (for or according to) all their wishes. The ante- 
 cedent of the pronoun (their) seems to be the upright in v. 1. For 
 a similar construction of the same pronoun, see below, on v. 10 
 The ckuse, thus construed, is obscure, but may be understood 
 to mean, that when the works of God are sought out, investigated, 
 or explored, their greatness fully satisfies the hopes and wishes 
 of his people. Another possible sense is, that they are sought 
 for, i. e. the experience or knowledge of them eagerly desired, 
 with (literally as to) all their wishes, i. e. with avidity, or, as it is 
 expressed in the preceding verse, with all the heart. 
 
 3. Honour and majesty (is) his work — and his righteousness 
 standing forever. In the first clause, work is the subject of the 
 proposition, honour and majesty the predicate. His work is 
 honour and majesty, i. e. all that he does is noble and majestic, 
 worthy of the great King, to whom these epithets are often ap- 
 plied elsewhere. See above, on Ps. civ. 1. His work means 
 specifically here what he does for the protection and deliverance 
 of his people. In the last clause, as in many other places, this 
 work is referred to his righteousness, not his justice, in the 
 technical and strict sense, but his rectitude, including his fidelity 
 to his engagements, and securing the exercise of his covenanted 
 mercy. This seems more natural than to explain it as meaning 
 the practical justification of his people by his providential care of 
 them. Standing to eternity (or perpetuity), not fitful or ca- 
 pricious, not confined or temporary, but perpetual and constant. 
 
 4. A memory has he made for his uwnderful works ; gracious 
 and compassionate {is) Jehovah. The first clause, though no*, 
 exactly rendered, is correctly paraphrased in the English I^ible, 
 h. hath made his wonderful works to be rememlercd, and still 
 
112 PSALM CXI. 
 
 more freely in the Prayer Book version. The last clauso ^hows 
 that the wonderful works of the first are not the wonders cf crea- 
 tion, nor those of providence in general, but those wrought fo« 
 the benefit of Israel. The terms of this clause are borrowed 
 from Ex. xxxiv. 6. See above, on Ps. ciii. 8. 
 
 5. Prey hath he given to those fearing him ; he will remember it 
 eternity his covenant. The first word properly denotes the food 
 of wild beasts, and may here be either a poetical equivalent to 
 food., 'provision., as in Prov. xxxi. 15. Mai. iii. 10, or intended to 
 suggest the additional idea of food obtained at the expense of 
 enemies. In either case there seems to be no reason for restrict- 
 ing the clause to the supply of Israel in the desert, although that 
 would necessarily occur to every reader, as the great historical 
 example of the general fact alleged, and in the last clause repre- 
 sented as a proof of God's fidelity to covenant engagements. 
 
 6. The poiver of his works he has declared to his people, (so as) 
 to give to them a heritage of nations. He has shown them what 
 powerful things he can do, by favouring them so far as to drive 
 out nations from their seats, and make his people their successors 
 and, as it were, their heirs. This refers to the conquest of 
 Canaan, as the first in a long series of such dispossessions, includ- 
 ing all the territories gained in war from the surrounding nations, 
 till the death of David. The construction of to give as a gerund 
 (by giving) is not a Hebrew idiom, and restricts the meaning of 
 the clause unduly. See above, on Ps. Ixxviii. 18. 
 
 7. The ivor/is of his hands are truth and judgment ; sure (are) 
 all his precepts. The second clause is not an iteration of the first, 
 but an inference from it. If what God does himself is always 
 done in faithfulness and justice to his people, then what he re- 
 quires them to do must certainly be right and best, and his 
 
PSALM CXI. 112 
 
 requisitions therefore may be trusted and confided in, the true 
 sense of the adjective or participle here employed. 
 
 8. Settled for ever and ever, done in truth and right. The 
 subjects are the same as in v. 7, but presented in an inverse 
 order, the first clause relating to the precepts^ the last to the 
 works, of God. The former are settled, firmly supported, found- 
 ed, or established, not capricious and precarious. The latter, by 
 which they are recommended and attested (see above, on v. 9), 
 are works of faithfulness and rectitude. The last word in He- 
 brew is an adjective used as a neuter or abstract noun, in which 
 respect the English right resembles it. 
 
 9. Redemption he has sent to his people ; he has ordained to eternity 
 his covenant ; holy and fearful is his name. That this verse was 
 intended to consist of three clauses, is clear from the fact that it 
 contains three letters of the alphabet in regular succession. 
 The same thing is true of the remaining verse. The first clause 
 relates mainly, not exclusively, to the deliverance from Egypt. 
 As in V. 5, the second clause affirms a general truth, attested and 
 exemplified by the particular fact mentioned in the first. Fear- 
 ful, not merely to his foes but to his people, who can never cease 
 to worship him with holy awe. 
 
 10. The beginning of wisdom is the fear of Jehovah ; a gooa 
 understanding (is) to all (those) doing them ; his praise endurelh 
 forever. This is the conclusion drawn from all that goes before. 
 Since all God's dealings with his people are in faithfulness and 
 truth, and his commands not only are but must be right, then the 
 firsb step in wisdom, its first principle or element, is reverence for 
 such a Being, proved by obedience to his will. The same senti- 
 ment occurs in Prov. i. 7. ix. 10. Job. xxviii. 28. The intimate 
 connection of the verse, notwithstanding its proverbial or aphor- 
 istic form, with the foregoing context, is apparent from the refer- 
 
114 PSALM CXII. 
 
 cnce of the pronoun them to the plural nouns of the preceding 
 verses. Endureth j'orevci , literally, (is) standing to eternity. 
 This is equivalent to saying that he will and must be praised for- 
 ever, corresponding to the Hallelujah^ at the beginning of the 
 psalm. 
 
 PSALM CXII. 
 
 Another alphabetical psalm of precisely the same character, 
 coinciding with the one before it, even in the number of verses, 
 and the number of clauses in each verse. This formal agreement 
 shows the intimate connection of the two compositions, and makes 
 it highly probable that they belong not only to the same age but 
 to the same author, and were meant to form parts of one con- 
 tinued series or system. This psalm begins precisely where the 
 one before it ends, i. e. with the happiness arising from the fear 
 of God, v. 1, the blessed effects of which are then recounted 
 under several particulars, vs. 2 — 9, and finally contrasted with 
 the fate of the ungodly, v. 10. 
 
 1 . Happij the man fearing Jehovah^ in his commandments de- 
 lighting greatly. There is here not only an obvious connection 
 with the close of the preceding psalm, but an obvious advance 
 upon it or progression of ideas. As the fear of the Lord is there 
 declared to be the principle of all true wisdom, so here it is de- 
 clared to be the source of all true happiness. The second clause 
 defines the meaning of the first by showing, that the fear there 
 mentioned is a fear consistent with, or rather necessarily involv- 
 ing, a complacent acquiescence in Grod's will, thus entirely exclud- 
 
PSALM CXI I. 115 
 
 ing a mere slavish dread, which is incompatible with such a 
 disposition. 
 
 2. Mighty in the earth shall he his seed ; the race of the upright 
 shall be blessed. The first phrase is borrowed from Gen. x. 8, 
 and would at once suggest to every Hebrew reader the idea of a 
 mighty man like Nimrod and the other ancient heroes. Now a 
 promise of personal heroism is perhaps without analogy, especi- 
 ally as given to the son, to the exclusion of the father. This 
 anomaly can be avoided only by assuming, what is probable 
 enough in itself, that the ideal person here described represents 
 the chosen people, the upright of the other clause, each successive 
 generation of whom might be expected to excel its predecessors 
 in heroic eminence. 
 
 3. Wealth and riches (are) in his house, and his righteousness 
 endureth forever. Not only in his dwelling but in his family, so 
 that his wealth or prosperity might have been said to endure for- 
 ever as well as his righteousness, i. e. his recognition and recep- 
 tion as a righteous person, his justification. Endureth, literally, 
 {is) standing, the same expression that is used in Ps. cxi. 3 of 
 God himself. There is also an analogy, at least in form, between 
 the majesty and honour of the righteous God and the wealth and 
 riches of the righteous man. 
 
 4. There arises in the darkness light to the upright — kind and 
 compassionate and righteous. The figure in the first clause is a 
 natural and common one, denoting relief from deep distress. See 
 above, on Ps. xcvii. 11. In the last clause we have another in- 
 stance of the singular way in which terms applied to God in the 
 preceding psalm are copied and applied to man in this. The first 
 two epithets in this clause are employed above in Ps. cxi. 4. 
 The principle involved may be the same as in Luke vi. 36, " be 
 ye therefore merciful as your Father also is merciful." Compare 
 
116 PSALM CXII. 
 
 Matt. V. 48. To these two epithets is added that of righteous^ in 
 the wide sense including both the others. The construction of 
 the sentence is unusual and doubtful ; but most probably the sec- 
 ond clause sustains the same relation to the other as in v. 1 , that 
 is to say, it limits and defines the general description upright, 
 by confining it to such as have the qualities expressed by the 
 three adjectives that follow. The alternation of the numbers is 
 familiar where the singular denotes an ideal individual including 
 many real ones. 
 
 5. Happy the man showing favour and lending ; he shall sus^ 
 tain his affairs by justice. The first word in Hebrew, which 
 means good^ is here descriptive not of character but of condition, 
 and denotes good fortune. It is used in the same sense by Isaiah 
 (iii. 10) and Jeremiah (xliv. 17.) The common version {a good 
 man) is forbidden by the Hebrew collocation. Lending^ not 
 as a financial or commercial operation, but as an act of charity, 
 lending to the poor. The verb in the last clause strictly means 
 to provide for or sustain, especially with food. See above, on 
 Ps. Iv. 23.(22.) It is here applied to the control and manage- 
 ment of all one's interests. Affairs^ literally, words^ but in the 
 wider sense of that which words denote, namely, things, affairs, in 
 which sense it is sometimes applied to causes or suits at law. 
 The last word is commonly iranslaited judgment, not in the sense 
 of discretion, given in the English versions, but in that of practi- 
 cal justice, righteous conduct. He shall best secure his own in- 
 terests by treating those of others justly and generously. 
 
 6. For to eternity he shall not be moved; to the memory of 
 eternity he shall be righteous. The for assigns the reason for his 
 being pronounced happy. Moved, i. e. from his prosperous cou' 
 dition, or from his position as a righteous man. The construc- 
 tion of the last clause in the English versions (the righteous shah 
 be in everlasting remembrance) is grammatical, and yields a goot 
 
PSALM CXII. 117 
 
 sense ; lut the latest interpreters prefer another, which makes 
 to everlasling remembrance mean the same as to eternity. Aa 
 long as he shall be remembered, he shall be remembered as a 
 righteous man. This construction has the advantage of making 
 the parallelism more exact. 
 
 7. From evil tidings he shall not fear ; fixed is his hearty trust- 
 ing in Jehovah. The first Hebrew noun is in the singular num- 
 ber, and is properly a participle passive meaning heard, used 
 absolutely as a noun denoting what is heard, a rumour or report, 
 news or tidings. The common version {he shall not be afraid of 
 evil tidings) seems to confine the negation to the mere apprehen- 
 •sion or anticipation of bad news, whereas the original expression 
 comprehends, and indeed more properly denotes, being frightened 
 when the evil tidings are heard. A fixed heart is the negation 
 both of fickleness and cowardice. See above, on Ps. li. 12 (10.) 
 Ivii. 8 (7.) cviii. 1. Instead of the active participle trusting j 
 the Hebrew has the passive trusted, analogous to that in Ps 
 ciii. 14. 
 
 8. Settled (is) his heart, he shall not fear, until he look uvon his 
 foes (with triumph.) The first word is another expression bor- 
 rowed from the foregoing psalm, but applied in a manner alto- 
 gether difi"erent. See Ps. cxi. 8, where the plural of the same 
 participle is applied to God's commandments. The construction 
 in the last clause is the idiomatic one of the verb see with the 
 preposition in, which usually means to see with strong emotion, 
 and especially with joy or triumph. See above, on Ps. 1. 23. 
 liv. 9 (7.) Until does not imply that he shall then fear, but 
 that there will then be no occasion so to do. See above, on Ps. 
 ex. 1. 
 
 9. lie has scattered, he has given to the poor, his righteousness 
 endureth forever , his hor% shall be high with honour. The first 
 
118 PSALM CXI 1 1. 
 
 verb denotes profuse munificence, as in Prov. xi. 34. This is 
 alleged not as the cause but the effect, and therefore as the evi- 
 dence of his being righteous. The next clause is the same as the 
 last of V. 3. With the last clause compare Ps. Ixxv. 5 (4.) 
 Ixxxix. IS (17.) 
 
 10. The wicked shall see and fret ; his teeth he shall gnash^ and 
 shall melt away ; the desire of the icicked shall perish. He shall 
 see, but not with triumph or delight, like the righteous in v. 8. 
 The word translated fret means both to grieve and be angry, and 
 has no exact equivalent in English. See above, on Ps. vi. 8 (7.) 
 X. 14, xxxi. 10 (9.) Gnash with his teeth, a strong expression of 
 impotent malignity. See above, on Ps. xxxv. 16, xxxvii. 12. 
 Melt away, literally, be melted, i. r. waste or decay. See above, 
 on Ps. xxii. 15 (14.) Ixviii. 3 (2.) The desire of the wicked is 
 his wish to see the righteous perish. Compare Prov. x. 24, 28. 
 Job viii. 13, and the contrary promise to the humble, Ps. is. 
 19 (18.) 
 
 PSALM C X I I 1 
 
 The Psalmist celebrates the majesty of God, vs. 1- 
 krast with his gracious condescension to his suffering creatures, 
 vs. 6 — 9. According to a Jewish usage, which appears to have 
 existed even in the time of Christ, the six psalms beginning 
 with this one constitute the Greater Hallel, sung at the annual 
 festivals, especially the Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles. 
 According to Hengstenberg's arrangement, this psalm closes a 
 
PSALM CXIII. 119 
 
 second trilogy, added to the Davidic one (Ps. cviii — ex) after the 
 return from Babylon. 
 
 1. Hallelujah! Praise^ oh ye servants of Jehovah^ praise the 
 name of Jehovah ! As the title, Servant of Jehovah^ is applied 
 to eminent leaders of the chosen people (Ps. xviii. 1. xxxvi. 1. 
 xc. 1. cv. 6), so the plural, Servants of Jehovah^ designates the 
 chosen people itself. See above, Ps. xxxiv. 23 (22.) Ixix. 37 (36), 
 and below, Ps. cxxxvi. 22, and compare Ezra v. 11. Neh. i. 10, 
 from which last places it appears, that this was a familiar form 
 of speech with the returned exiles. 
 
 2. Be the name of Jehovah blessed^ from now and even to eternity. 
 In this as well as the preceding verse, the name of Jehovah in- 
 volves the usual allusion to the manifestation of his nature in his 
 former acts. See above, on Ps. v. 12 (11.) The wish expressed 
 in this verse implies a perpetual continuation or renewal of the 
 evidence already furnished. 
 
 3 From the rising of the sun even to its setting^ {to he) 'praised 
 (is the) name of Jehovah. With the first clause compare Ps. 1. 1 . 
 The last clause might be grammatically construed as a wish, like 
 that in the preceding verse, praised {be the) name of Jehovah. 
 It is more probable, however, that the passive participle (landa- 
 tiis) was meant to have the force of a gerundive {laudaitdus.) See 
 above, on Ps. xviii. 4 (3.) 
 
 4. High above all nations (is) Jehovah ; above the heavens (is) 
 hts (glory.) The two clauses are declaratory of his infinite su- 
 periority, both to the animate and inanimate creation, each beino- 
 represented by its noblest part ; the former by mankind, and 
 that considered not as individuals but nations ; the latter by 
 the heavens. Thi^ is certainly more natural, and yields a better 
 setise, than to give the preposition (b?) a difi"erent meaning in the 
 two clauses, in the first that of above., in the second that of on^ in 
 
120 PSALM CXIIl. 
 
 which case it is necessary to explain on heaven as meaning in 
 heaven^ just as on the earth and in the earth are convertible ex- 
 pressions. See above, on Ps. Ivii. 6 (5.) 
 
 5 Wlio is like Jehovah, our God, the (one) dwelling high > 
 The verb denotes not merely dwelling, but sitting enthroned, sit- 
 ting as a king. The original construction of the last clause is 
 peculiar, the (one) making high to sit (or dwell.) 
 
 6. The one seeing deep — in heaven and in earth. The construc- 
 tion of the first clause is precisely the same with that of the last 
 clause in v. .5, and must be explained in the same manner. As 
 making high to dwell means dwelling high, so making low (or 
 deep) to see must mean seeing deep, i. e. far below. It also fol- 
 lows from the exact correspondence of these clauses, that the 
 remaining words of v. 6 are to be connected with the first words 
 
 of V. 5. Who is like Jehovah, our God in heaven and in 
 
 earth ? The rest will then be read as a parenthesis. This con- 
 struction is confirmed by the analogy of Deut. iii. 24. 
 
 7. Raising from the dust the poor — from the dunghill he will 
 lift the needy. The mention of Grod's seeing far below him sug- 
 gests the idea of his condescension to the humblest objects which 
 he thus beholds. The word translated poor is one of wide signi- 
 fication, meaning sometimes poor in flesh and sometimes poor in 
 purse. See above, on Ps. xli. 2 (\.) The parallel term means 
 foor in the strict sense, i. e. needy, destitute. Dust and dung- 
 kill, common figures in all languages for a degraded social state. 
 The terms are borrowed from the prayer of Hannah, 1 Sam. ii. 8. 
 Compare Ps. xliv. 26 (25.) 
 
 8. To make him sit with nobles, with the nobles of his people, 
 Not merely to dwell, which is too vague, but to sit with them, •a? 
 their equal and associate. There is also a climax in the last clause 
 
PSALM CXIV. 121 
 
 He not only raises the poor to an equality with nobles in o-oneral 
 but with the nobles of his people, i. e. with the noblest of man- 
 kind. See again, 1 Sam. ii. 8. 
 
 9. Making the barren (one) of the house to sit a joyful mother 
 of children. Hallelujah ! The common version {to keep house) 
 is founded upon Ps. Ixviii. 7(6), but is here at variance both 
 with Hebrew usage and the masoretic accents, which require 
 (tTi?5) ^^^'^^^ and (n";sn) the house to be closely united in con- 
 struction, as above. The form of expression is like one in Ps. 
 Ixviii. 13 (12.) To sit might be rendered to dioell without any 
 material change of sense ; but the former keeps up the uniformity 
 with Vs. 5, 8, where the same Hebrew word is used. The his- 
 torical allusion is to Hannah who, with other long childless 
 mothers mentioned in the sacred history, was a type of the Church 
 in its low estate, and more especially in exile. Compare Isai 
 'iv. 1. 
 
 PSALMCXIY. 
 
 As the preceding psalm encouraged the people of God, in & 
 ime of trial, by reminding them that, although infinitely exalte d^ 
 le condescends to notice and relieve the suflferings of his crea- 
 tures, so the one before us is intended to produce the samr 
 effect, by bringing to their recollection what he actually did for 
 Israel in the period of the exodus from Egypt. By that deliver 
 ance he acknowledged Israel as his chosen people, vs. 1, 2, and 
 attested the acknowledgment by miracle, vs. 3, 4. Nature hox 
 
 VQL. III. 6 ' 
 
122 PSALM CXIV. 
 
 self, whose course was interrupted, is appealed to as a witness, 
 vs. 5, G, that she is subject to the God of Israel, vs. 7, 8. There 
 is no improbability in the opinion that this psalm, with those 
 which immediately follow, was intended to continue the series 
 begun in the two preceding trilogies (Ps. cviii — ex, cxi — cxiii), 
 and intended to sustain the hopes of the Jewish Church after 
 its return from Babylon. 
 
 1 . In the coming forth of Israel from Egypt ^ of thfi house of 
 lacoh from a people of strange language. The first phrase is 
 not to be restricted to the very act or moment of the exodus, but 
 comprehends the whole Mosaic period, of which this was the 
 characteristic and critical event. The house of Jacoh is a phrase 
 peculiarly appropriate to those who entered Egypt as a family, and 
 left it as a nation. Of strange language is a paraphrase of one 
 Hebrew word, apparently a participle and occurring only here ; 
 but according to its obvious etymological affinities, it probably 
 means stammering , and then, by an association common in an- 
 tiquity, speaking barbarously, i. e. in a foreign language. Ah 
 such expressions may perhaps involve an allusion to the pre- 
 eminence of Hebrew, as the primitive and sacred language. If 
 was no small part of the humiliation to which Israel was sub- 
 jected in Egypt, that the people of God should sustain for ages a 
 relation of dependence to a nation who did not even speak the 
 sacred language, much less profess the true religion, so insepar- 
 ably blended with it. See above, on Ps. Ixxxi. 6 (5), and com- 
 pare my note on Isai. xxxiii. 19. 
 
 2. Judah became his sanctuary., Israel his dominion. Judah is 
 put as an equivalent to Israel, not only because it had really be- 
 come so when the psalm was written, but because it was destined 
 to become so from the first. See Gen. xlix. 10. Became., liter- 
 ally, 'Loas for., which might mean nothing more than served as or 
 was treated as ; but this construction cf the verb to be with to or 
 
PSALM cxrv. 
 
 123 
 
 for IS the only representative in Hebrew of our -vvord ^ecomt. 
 The sense thus obtained is entirely consistent with the callinf» 
 of Abraham, because what is here meant is that Israel, as a na- 
 tion, was now publicly declared to be the chosen or peculiar peo- 
 ple, an idea expressed by the phrase his sanctuary or holy things 
 i. e. something set apart exclusively to his use and service. The 
 parallel word in the original is plural, dominions or domains^ in 
 reference, as some suppose, to the plurality of tribes, but accord- 
 ing to others, in contrast with the lordships and dominions of the 
 world, to all which Israel is described as more than equipollent, 
 just as the infinite superiority of the true God to all false gods 
 is expressed or suggested by the plural name Elohim. Here, as 
 in Ps. Ixxxvii. 1 , the pronouns are without an antecedent in the 
 sentence. The reference to Grod is so self-evident, that the only 
 question has respect to the unusual form, which some explain 
 by supposing that the psalm was originally part of the preceding 
 one, or at least designed to be always read or sung directly after 
 it. The latest interpreters prefer the explanation, that the name 
 of God was designedly suppressed, in order that the questions in 
 vs. 5, 6, might appear more natural and yet more striking. 
 
 3. The sea saw and Jled — the Jordan turns hack. By oiippos- 
 ing the conversive prefix to afiect both verbs, we may render the 
 last also as a preterite, turned hack. The historical allusion is to 
 Ex. xiv. 21. Josh. iii. 14 — 17. At the same time, as seas and 
 rivers are familiar emblems of the world and its nations, the remi- 
 niscence is adapted to suggest the hope, that other seas and 
 other rivers may be yet controlled by the same power. Ses 
 above, on Ps. Ixxvii. 17 (16.) xciii. 3. cvii. 23. 
 
 4. The mountains skipped like ramSj (the) hills like the young oj 
 sheep. As the Psalmist is reciting actual events, to be used as 
 pymbols and pledges of others, this cannot be exp.ained as a po- 
 etical figure, but must be understood as referring to the concus- 
 
124 PSALM CXI V. 
 
 sion of Sinai, with its various peaks and neighbouring mountains 
 Se« Ex. xix. IS. Judg. v. 4. Ps. Ixviii. 9 (8.) xcvii. 4, 5. Hab. 
 rii. 6. Here again, the familiar use of mountains to denote statea 
 and empires is suggestive of the same consolation as in v. 3. 
 
 6. What ailcth thee^ oh sea, thai thou Jicest — oh Jordan (ihaf) 
 thou turnest back ? By a fine poetical apostrophe, the Psalmist, 
 instead of simply stating the cause of these effects, puts the 
 question to the natural objects which thus witnessed and attested 
 the divine presence. The first phrase literally means, what (is) 
 to thee, the nearest approach that the Semitic dialects can make 
 to our expression, ivhat have you, which in some languages, the 
 French for instance, is the usual equivalent to what ails you 1 
 
 6. Ye mountains, (that) ye skip like rams — ye hills, likethe young 
 of sheep 1 The sentence is continued from the foregoing verse, 
 being still dependent on the question there asked. In^this in- 
 terrogation the terms of vs. 3, 4, are studiously repeated. The 
 young of sheep, literally, sons of the flock. 
 
 7. From before the Lord trcmble^oh earth, from before the God 
 of Jacob. As in other cases of rhetorical interrogation, the 
 writer or speaker answers his own question. The imperative 
 mood is here peculiarly significant, including both a recollection 
 and prediction ; as if he had said, the earth might well tremble at 
 the presence of the Lord, and may well tremble at it still. From 
 before is better than at the presence of , because the very form of the 
 expression necessarily suggests the ideas of recoil and flight. 
 Before is itself a compound term in Hebrew, meaning to the fau 
 of. The word translated Lord is the simple or primitive form of 
 Adhonai, and is applied both to God «ind man, in the sense of 
 lord or master. See Ex. xxiii. 17. Mai. iii. 1. 
 
 8. Turning the rock (into) a pool of water, the fiint to springs 
 
PSALM CXV. 125 
 
 of water. This refers to the miraculous supply of crater in tlic 
 desert. See above, on Ps. cvii. 35, and compare Ei. xvii. 6 
 Num. XX. 11. Dcut. viii. 15. xxxii. 13. Isai. xli. 18 The con- 
 nection with the preceding verse is still more marked in the 
 original, the first words of which strictlj mean the (one) turnings 
 etc. The reader is left to draw for himself the natural and 
 obvious conclusion, that the God, who thus drew water from a 
 flinty rock for the supply of Israel, can still educe the richest 
 blessings from what seem to be the hardest and most inauspicious 
 situations. When this thought is supplied, the psdm no longer 
 seems unfinished or abrupt in its conclusion. 
 
 PSALM C X Y . 
 
 Go J is entreated by his people to vindicate not their honour 
 but his own, vs. 1, 2, which is contrasted with the impotence of 
 idols and their worshippers, vs. 3 — 8, and urged as a reason why 
 his people should trust in him, for a large increase, vs. 9 — 15, 
 and a fulfilment of his purpose to glorify himself by the praises of 
 the living not the dead, vs. 16 — 17, in the promotion of which 
 end the church declares her resolution to co-operate forever, 
 v. 18. The general tenor of the psalm, thus stated, and its par- 
 ticular contents, make it perfectly well suited to the state of 
 things in which the series is supposed to have been written, 
 namely, that succeeding the return from exile, but before the 
 actual rebuilding of the temple. 
 
 1. Not unto ?/s, Jehovah., not unto us^ hut to thy name give 
 
126 FSALM CXV. 
 
 glory ^ for thy mercy ^ for thy truth. The glory meant is not that 
 of former but of future deeds. The implied petition is, that God 
 would interpose for the deliverance of his people, not to do them 
 honour but to glorify himself, and especially to vindicate his 
 mercy and fidelity, which seemed to be dishonoured by his de- 
 sertion of the chosen people. See above, on Ps. Ixxix. 9, and 
 compare Num. xiv. IS.Lsai. xliii. 7,25. xlviii. 9, II. Dan. ix. 18 
 The favour sought is the completion of the work of restoration, 
 still imperfect, though auspiciously begun. 
 
 2. Why should the nations say^ Where now is tJidr God? 
 Why should they have occasion so to ask f The form of expres- 
 sion is borrowed from Ps. Ixxix. 10, with the addition of (j*5) now, 
 which is not a particle of time, but of entreaty, or, in this con- 
 nection, of triumphant demand. Where^ pray^ is their God? 
 This verse is explanatory of the one before it, by showing that 
 there really was need of something to silence the reproaches of 
 the heathen, a description exactly corresponding to the state of 
 the Jews at the Restoration. 
 
 3. And our God (is) in heaven; all that he fleasexl he has done. 
 The aTul^ though foreign from our idiom, adds sensibly to the 
 force of the expression. They ask thus, as if our God were ab- 
 sent or had no existence ; and yet all the while our God is in 
 heaven, in his glorious and exalted dwelling-place. Compare Ps. 
 ii. 4. xi. 4. ciii. 19. The same phrase, but in the future tense, 
 is used by Solomon (Ecc. viii. 3.) The same idea is expressed 
 in other words, Gen. xviii. 14. Job. xxiii. 13. 
 
 4. Their idols {are) silver and gold, the work of the hands of 
 man. Here begins the contrast between the true God and all 
 others, lyieir idols., those of the Gentiles, who reproach us with 
 the absence or indifference of our God. For the associations 
 coupled with the wcird for idols, see above, on Ps. cvi. 38 
 
PSALM CXV. 127 
 
 Hands of vian^ not of a vian^ but of maiiJiitid^ i. e. human hands 
 With this whole passage compare Isai. xl. 18 — 20. xli. 7. xliv. 
 9 — 20. xlvi. 5 — 7. Jer. ii. 28. x. 3 — 15. 
 
 5. They have a mouth and speak not ; they have eyes and see not 
 As the verb to have is wanting in the Hebrew and its cognate 
 languages (see above, on Ps. cxiv. 5), it is not a literal transla- 
 tion of the original expression, (there is) a mouth to them^ (there 
 are) eyes to them. The futures include not only a simple affirm- 
 ation, they speak not, they see not, but the future and potential 
 sense, they never will or can speak or see. 
 
 6. They have ears and hear not, they have a nose and smell not. 
 The antithesis is that expressed in Ps. xciv. 9, that God is the 
 former of the eye and the planter of the ear in man ; much more 
 then can he see and hear himself. 
 
 7. They have hands and feel not ; they have feet and walk not ; 
 they do not mutter in their throat. The sameness of this long 
 enumeration, the force of which is logical and not poetical, is 
 partially relieved by a change in the form of the original, which 
 cannot well be imitated in translation. Their hands, and they 
 feel not ; their feet, and they loalk not. Some make the first 
 words in each clause nominatives absolute ; their hands — they feel 
 not; their feet — they walk not. But in the preceding parts of 
 the description, the verbs relate not to the particular members, 
 but to the whole person. It is better, therefore, to supply a 
 verb — their hands (are there) and (yet) they feel not — their feet 
 (are there) and (yet) they go not. The English feel is to be 
 taken in its physical and outward sense, corresponding tc the 
 Latin palpo, here used by the Vulgate and Jerome. A less 
 equivocal translation would be touch. The other verb denotes all 
 progressive movements of the body, comprehended in the English 
 go. See above, on Ps. civ. 3. The meaning of the last clause 
 
128 PSALM CX 7. 
 
 is, that they cannot even make the faintest and most inarticulate 
 guttural noise, like the lower animals ; much less speak as men 
 do. See above, on Ps. xxxv. 28. Ixxi. 24. 
 
 8. Like them shall he those who make them, every one who trusts 
 in them. The last clause forbids the application of the first to the 
 mere artificers, as such, and fastens it on those v^ho trust in idols, 
 whether made by them or by others for them. However formi- 
 dable now, they shall hereafter be as powerless and senseless as 
 the gods they worship. The translation are is contrary to Hebrew 
 usage, which requires the present tense of the substantive verb 
 to be suppressed. 
 
 9. Oh Israel^ trust thou in Jehovah ; their help and their shield 
 [is) He. This is the practical application of the contrast just 
 presented. Since idols are impotent and God almighty, it is 
 folly to fear them or their servants ; it is worse than folly not to 
 trust in Him. The last clause is borrowed from Ps. xxxiii. 20. 
 After addressing Israel directly in the first clause, he resumes 
 the third person in the second, and, as if speaking to himself, 
 assigns the reason for the exhortation. The first clause is, as it 
 were, uttered in a loud voice, and the second in a low one. 
 
 10. Oh house of Aaron, trust ye in Jehovah; their help and 
 their shield {is) He. Before the exile this particular address to 
 the priests would have been surprising. It is perfectly natural, 
 however, after the return from Babylon, when the priests bore 
 so large a proportion, not only to the other levites, but to the 
 whole nation, and naturally exercised a paramount influence in 
 its affairs. 
 
 11. Fearers of Jehovah^ trust ye in Jehovah; their Mp and 
 their shield (is) He. He turns again to the people at large, who 
 lire here described as fearers of Jehovah, not in reference to th^ 
 
PSALM ex V. 129 
 
 actual character of all the individual raembers, but to the high 
 vocation of the body. See above, Ps. xxii. 24 (23.) cxi. 5. 
 
 12. Jehovah hath remcTTibtred us ; he will blesSy he ivill hless i/ie 
 house of Israel; he toill bless the house of Aaron. The exhorta- 
 tion to confide in God does not imply that he has yet done nothing. 
 He has already shown his gracious recollection of us by beginning 
 to bless us, and he will still go on to bless us ; an idea simply but 
 beautifully expressed by the repetition of the verb, the effect of 
 which is spoiled in the common version by needlessly supplying us 
 
 13. He will bless the fearers of Jehovah, the small with the 
 great. There is no need of explaining the great to be the priests 
 and the small the laity. It is much more natural to understand 
 this as an instance of a common Hebrew idiom, which combines 
 small and great in the sense of all., just as neither good nor evil 
 means neither one thing nor another, i. e nothing. Compare 
 2 Kings xviii. 24. Jcr. xvi. 6. Rev. xiii. 16. xix. 6. 
 
 14. May Jehovah add to you, to you and to your children ! This 
 implies a previous diminution of the people, such as really took 
 place in the Babylonish exile. The optative meaning of the 
 verb, both here and in Gen. xxx. 24, is clear from Dent. i. 11. 
 2. Sam. xxiv. 3. The Hebrew preposition strictly means wpon 
 you, and conveys the idea of accumulation much more stronf^ly. 
 See above, on Ps. Ixxi. 14, where we have an example of the 
 same construction. 
 
 15. Blessed are ye of Jehovah, Maker of heaven and earth. Ye 
 are the people blessed of old in the person of your father Abra- 
 ham, by Melchizedek, priest of the Most High God, saying, 
 " Blessed be Abraham of the Most High God, creator of heaven 
 and earth," Gen. xiv. 19. Of Jehovah, literally, /o Jehovah, as 
 an object of benediction to him. Or the Hebrew preposition, as 
 
130 PSALM CXV. 
 
 in many other cases, may be simply equivalent to our by. The 
 creative character of God is mentioned, as ensuring his ability, 
 DO less than his willingness, to bless his people. 
 
 16. The heavens (are) heavens fat Jehovah^ and the earth he has 
 given to the sons of man. This verse suggests another reason 
 why God would increase them, namely, that although he reserved 
 heaven for himself, he designed the earth to be filled and occu- 
 pied by man, and hence in the primeval blessing on mankind, 
 as originally uttered, and as repeated after the flood (Gen i. 28. 
 ix. 1), the command to increase is coupled with that to fill the 
 earth. Now if it is not God's will that the race should be diminished 
 and reduced to nothing, much less can such be his intention 
 with respect to his own people. The form of expression in the 
 first clause is unusual. The construction given in the English 
 Bible {the heaven, even the heavens^ are the Lordh) is entirely 
 gratuitous, the distinction of numbers (heaven, heavens), and the 
 emphatic even, being both supplied by the translators. The 
 Hebrew word is plural in both cases, and is indeed used only in 
 that number. 
 
 17. (It is) not the dead (that) are to praise Jah, and not all 
 (those) going down to silence. This may be regarded as a further 
 reason for expecting the divine protection. God has chosen a 
 people, from among the nations of the earth, to praise him, not 
 when dead but living, not in the silence of the grave, but with their 
 voices in the present life. Thus understood, the verse teaches no- 
 thing as to the employments of the disembodied spirit, or of soul 
 and body in the future state. All that is afi&rmed here (and per- 
 haps in other places like it) is that the praises of the chosen 
 people, as such, must be limited to this life. See abovti, on Ps. 
 vi. 6 (5.) XXX. 10 (9.) Ixxxviii. 11—13 (10 — 12), and compare 
 Isai. xxxviii. IS. Silence, a poetical description of the gravo or 
 the unseen world, as in Ps. xciv. 17. 
 
PSALM CXVI. 131 
 
 IS. And (therefore) we will bless Jah from now even tn 
 eferm'ty. Hallelujah ! As it is not the dead who are to do it, 
 and as we are still preserved alive, let us answer our vocation and 
 the very end of our existence. The insensible transition from 
 temporal to eternal praise is altogether natural. The hallelujah 
 refers back to the expression praise Jah (ychallelujah) in v. 17. 
 As if he had said : let us do what the dead can not, shout Halle- 
 lujah ! 
 
 PSALM CXYI. 
 
 The Church declares her resolution to praise Jehovah for 
 the deliverance which she has experienced, vs. 1, 2, and which is 
 then described with some particularity, vs. 3 — 10, followed by 
 a declaration of the way in which the Church means to express 
 her gratitude, vs. 11 — 19. The Septuarrint and Vulgate, which 
 combine the two preceding psalms as one, divide the one before 
 us into two, with as little reason in the one case as the other. 
 The state of things referred to in this psalm, as one of mingled 
 joy and grief, and its peculiarities of language, all combine to fix 
 its date immediately after the return from Babylon. 
 
 1. I love — because Jehovah hears my voice, my supplications. 
 The common version gives the sense correctly, but by a transpo- 
 sition of Jehovah, avoidss the singular peculiarity of form in the 
 original. The object of the verb J love is easily supplied from 
 the remainder of the sentence. Compare Ps. xviii. 2 (1.) Dcut. 
 vi. 5. Both verbs may be translated in the present, though of 
 different tenses in the Hebrew. The preterit© form of the first 
 
132 PSALM CX VI. 
 
 (7 have loved) implies that the occasion had ah-eadj been afforded 
 the future form of the second (he will hear)^ that it was con-« 
 tinned and would be continued. The last word, according to ita 
 etymology, means prayers for grace or favour. • 
 
 2. For he has inclined his car to me, and in my days I will call 
 O.ipon him.) The original idea of the figure in the first clause 
 seems to be that of leaning forward to catch a sound otherwise 
 too faint to be distinctly audible. See above, on Ps. xxxi. 3 (2), 
 and compare Ps. xvii. 6. Ixxi. 2. Ixxviii. 1. cii. 3. In my days 
 is commonly understood to mean through all the days of my life, 
 or as long as I live. Compare Isai. xxxix. 8, and sec above, on 
 Ps. civ. 33. 1 will call might be understood to mean, I will still 
 pray to him who has hitherto answered my petitions. But to call 
 upon God is applied not only to prayer but to thanksgiving, as 
 appears from v. 13 below, where indeed we have the execution 
 of the purpose here avowed. 
 
 3. T/ie hands of death enclosed me, and the pangs of hell found 
 me ; distress and grief I find. Here begins the description of 
 the sufferings from which God had delivered him. The expres- 
 sions are borrowed from Ps. xviii. 5, 6, (4, 5.) The twofold use 
 of the yevh find in this verse is analogous to that of the synony- 
 mous verbs catch and seize in English, when a man is said tc 
 catch a disease, and the disease is said to seize the man. Com- 
 pare Ps. -cxix. 143 with Prov. vi. 33. Hell, in the wide sense 
 corresponding to s/ieol, the grave, death, or the state of the dead. 
 See above, on Ps. vi. 6 (5.) 
 
 4. And on the name of Jehovah I call: ah now, Jehovah, de» 
 liver my soul ! The future in the first clause may be strictly 
 translated (i will call) as expressing the determination which ha 
 formed in the midst of his distress. See above, on Ps. xviii. 5, 7 
 (4, 6.) Ah now corresponds exactly, both in origin and mean* 
 
PSALM CXVI. 133 
 
 mg, to the intensive particle of entreaty (ns&5 for j<::5^ from rTJ;^ 
 and j^5)j which the common version ^a^rsi-phrtises, I beseech tkce. 
 One of the elements of which it is compounded occurs above, 
 Ps. cxv. 2. 
 
 5. Gracious (is) Jehovah and righteous^ and our God shoia 
 pity. With the first clause compare Ps. cxi. 4. cxii. 4. The 
 last word in Hebrew is the active participle of the verb to pity^ 
 to compassionate., and is here used to denote a habit as distinguished 
 from a momentary feeling. 
 
 6. A preserver of the simple {is) Jehovah; I was brought low, 
 and to me he brought salvation. Here again the first word is an 
 active participle, keeping the simple., i. e. habitually watching over 
 them. For the meaning of the simple., see above, on Ps. xix. 
 8 (7.) The word brought ^ twice used in translating this verse, 
 has nothing distinctly corresponding to it in the Hebrew, but by 
 a fortuitous coincidence, enters into two English phrases, by 
 which the original verbs may best be represented. The verb 
 translated brought low means to be reduced, in person, streno-th, 
 or circumstances. See above, on Ps. Ixxix. 8, and compare the 
 cognate adjective in Ps. xli. 2 (1.) The other is the common 
 Hebrew verb to save., here expressed by a circumlocution, for 
 the purpose of retaining the original construction with the prepo- 
 sition to., which also occurs above, Ps. Ixxii. 4. Ixxxvi. 16. 
 
 7. Retur^i., oh my soul., unto thy rest, for Jehovah hath bestowed 
 upon thee (favour.) By calling on his soul, which had been agi- 
 tated and alarmed, to return to its repose, he implies the cessation 
 of the danger. Rest., literally, rests or resting-places., implying 
 fulness or completeness of repose. See above, on Ps. xxiii. 2. 
 For the sense and usage of (b^3) the last verb, see above, on Ps. 
 xiii. 6 (5), and compare Ps. vii. 5 (4.) ciii, 10. The unusual grain- 
 matieal forms in this verse are similar to those in Ps. ciii. 2, 5. 
 
134 PSALM C XVI, 
 
 8. For thou hast delivered my soul from death, my eye from 
 tceeping, my foot from falling. By a sudden apostrophe, God is 
 now addressed directly. The first and last members of the 
 sentence are borrowed from Ps. Ivi. 14 (13.) The second bears 
 some resemblance to Ps. Ivi. 9 (8) and Jer. xxxi. 16. 
 
 9. I will walk before Jehovah in the land of life (or of the liv' 
 ing.) This is also borrowed from Ps. Ivi. 14 (13), with the 
 substitution of land (literally lands) for light. Compare Ps. 
 xxvii. 13. The hope here expressed is in contrast with Ps. 
 cxv. 17. 
 
 10. I believed, for (thus) / speak; I was afflicted greatly. I 
 must have exercised faith, or I could not thus have spoken. The 
 Septuagint version, retained in the New Testament (2 Cor. iv. 13), 
 clothes the same essential meaning in a different form, I believed, 
 therefore have I sic^'en. It was because his faith enabled him to 
 speak, so that hii ? peaking was a proof of faith. 
 
 11. I said rt Jn j terror, All mankind {arc) false. The form of 
 expression in tV. first clause is borrowed from Ps. xxxi. 23 (22.) 
 But instead of being a confession of error it is here rather a 
 profession of faith. Even in the midst of his excitement, terror, 
 panic, he could turn away from all human aid and trust in God 
 alone. The proposition, all mankind are false, i. e. not to be 
 trusted or relied upon, implies as its complement or converse, 
 therefore God alone is to be trusted. See the same contrast 
 stated more explicitly in Ps. cxviii. 8, and compare Ps. Ixii. 
 9, 10 (8, 9.) cviii. 13 (12.) cxlvi. 3, 4. 
 
 12. How shall I requite to Jehovah all his bestowmenfs upon me. 
 Between this verse and that before it, we must supply the thought 
 that his faith was rewarded and justified by the event. This is 
 indeed implied in the interrogation now before us. How, liter 
 
PSALM CXVI. 135 
 
 ftlly what^ i. e. {in) what (way)^ or (by) what (means) ? See Gen. 
 xliv. 16. The unusual word hestoiomcnts is here used to repre- 
 sent a Hebrew one occurring only here, but evidently formed 
 from the verb (w?pa) to confer or bestow upon, employed in v. 7 
 above. The peculiar form both of the noun and pronoun 
 (%'7ii^?03rii is regarded by the highest philological authorities as 
 fixing the date of the composition after the Captivity. 
 
 13. The cup of salvations I ivill take up, and on the name of 
 Jehovah will call. This is commonly explained by a reference to 
 the Jewish tradition of a cup of thanksgiving which accompanied 
 or followed the thank-offerings. But we read of no such cup in 
 Scripture, and its origin may probably be traced to the rabbinical 
 interpretation of this very passage. Interpreted by Scriptural 
 analogies it simply means, I will accept the portion God allots 
 me. For this figurative use of cup, see above, on Ps. xi. 6. 
 xvi. 5. The plural form, salvations^ denotes fulness or complete- 
 ness, as in Ps. xviii. 52 (51.) liii. 7 (6.) Take up^ as if from the 
 table where the hand of God has placed it ; or lift up^ towards 
 heaven, as a gesture of acknowledgment. 
 
 14. My vows to Jehovah will I pay — in the presence of all his 
 people. The word now^ in the common version, misleads the 
 English reader, who can scarcely fail to understand it as an ad- 
 verb of time, meaning at present.^ immediately^ icithout delay^ 
 whereas it is the particle of entreaty {^"i) used in Ps. cxv. 2, and 
 here employed to modify the bold avowal of a purpose, by making 
 it dependent on divine permission. As if he had said: my vows 
 to Jehovah I will pay — let me do it in the presence CI entreat) of 
 all his people. The same meaning is attached by some to the 
 augmented or paragogic form of the word translated presence., and 
 which strictly means the front or forepart. Both these peculi' 
 arities are reckoned among the indications of a later age of Ho 
 brew composition. 
 
136 PSALiM CXVI. 
 
 15. Precious in the eyes of Jehovah (is) the death of his gracioui 
 ones (or saints.) The idea and expression are borrowed from 
 Ps. Ixxii. 14, where the same thing is said of their blood. Tho 
 word for death has the same peculiarity of form as that for 
 presence in v. 14, and is construed in the same way with the 
 preposition io^ the death to his saints^ i. e. the death belonging to 
 them, which they die. These are regarded by the critics as 
 additional tokens of the age in which the psalm was written. 
 The verse assigns the reason for the preceding vow, to wit, that 
 God counts the death of his people too costly to be lightly or 
 gratuitously suffered. 
 
 16. Ah now Jehovah — for I {am) thy servant.^ I {am) thy ser- 
 vant, the son of thy handmaid ; thou hast loosed my bonds. The 
 expression of entreaty at the beginning has reference to some 
 thing not expressed, though easily supplied, namely permission 
 thus to testify his gratitude. Ah now Lord (suffer me thus to 
 do) for I am thy servant, etc. The additional phrase, son of 
 thy handmaid., is much stronger than thy servant., and describes 
 him as a home-born slave. Sec above, on Ps. ixxxvi. 16. In 
 the last clause we have another instance of a preposition (b) in- 
 terposed between the active verb and its object, in a way un- 
 known to the older Hebrew. It is possible, however, to translate 
 the words, thou hast freed {m.e) as to (i, e. fromj ?ny bonds. 
 
 17. 7^0 thee will I sacrifice a sacrifice of thanks, and on the 
 name of Jehovah will I call. The sense is not, I will offer thanks 
 instead of an oblation, but an oblation really expressive of thanks- 
 giving and appointed for that purpose. 
 
 IS. My vows to Jehovah will I pay in the presence (I entreat; 
 of all his people. An exact repetition of v. 14, with all its singu* 
 larities of form. 
 
PSALM CXVII. 127 
 
 19. In the courU of the house of Jehovah.^ in the midst of thee, 
 Jerusalem. Hallchjah ! This verse completes the one before it, 
 and explains the phrase, before all his jieojple. Some regard it as 
 a proof that the psalm was composed after the actual rebuilding 
 of the temple. But in Ezr. ii. 68. iii. 8, we find the designa- 
 tion house of God applied to the consecrated site. The use of the 
 word courts is still more natural, because it originally means enclos- 
 ures, which might be and no doubt were defined, long before the 
 temple was rebuilt. This explanation seems to be confirmed by 
 the addition of the last clause. In the courts of the Lord's 
 house, that is, on the consecrated spot in the midst of thee, oh 
 Jerusalem, the Holy City. 
 
 PSALM CXVII. 
 
 This, which is the shortest psalm in the collection, has evi- 
 dently no independent character or even meaning of its own, but 
 was designed to be a chorus or doxology to a longer composition. 
 Its position is sufficiently accounted for by the assumption, that 
 it was primarily meant to serve the purpose just described with 
 reference to the psalm or to the trilogy immediately preceding ; 
 while its being separately written as an independent psalm may 
 have arisen from the purpose to use it sometimes in a differ- 
 ent connection, with which view it would naturally be left move- 
 able, like the doxologies in our modern books, which may be 
 attached to any psalm or hymn, at the discretion of the person 
 who conducts the service. .. 
 
 1. Praise Jehovah, all ye nations ; laud him all iie peoples 
 
138 PSALM CX VI II. 
 
 The last word is a different plural form from that in Gen. xxv. 16 
 Num. XXV. 15, and belongs no doubt to the later Hebrew. Here, 
 as in Ps. xlvii. 2 (l.J Ixvi. 8. xcviii. 4. the whole world is invited 
 to praise God for his favours shown to Israel. 
 
 2. For mighty over us has Icen his mercy, and the truth of /g- 
 k^ovah (is) to eternity. Hallelujah ! The verb at the beginning 
 means not merely to be great, but to be strong or powerful. See 
 above, on Ps. ciii. 11. The preposition over suggests the idea 
 of protection, or, if translated on, that of favour descending from 
 above. 
 
 PSALM CXYIII. 
 
 After an mvitation to praise God for his goodness to his 
 people, vs. 1 — 4, the occasion of this praise is more particularly 
 stated, namely, that he has delivered Israel from great distress, and 
 thereby proved himself worthy of their highest confidence, vs. 
 5 — 14. After another statement of the favour just experienced, 
 vs. 15 — 18, the people are described as entering the sanctuary, 
 there to give thanks and implore the divine blessing on the 
 enterprise in which they are engaged, vs. 19 — 29. The ideal 
 speaker, throughout the psalm, is Israel, as the Church or chosen 
 people. The deliverance celebrated cannot be identified with any 
 one so naturally as with that from the Babylonish exile. Some, on 
 account of supposed allusions to the temple as already built, refer 
 the psalm to the times of Nehemiah. Others, with more proba- 
 bility, though not with absolute conclusiveness, infer from the 
 
PSALM CXVIII 139 
 
 ione of livelj joy and thankfulness, pervading the whole composi- 
 tion, that it was written and originally sung soon after the return ; 
 and from the allusions in vs. 22, 25, that it has reference to the 
 founding of the second temple, and is the very psalm, or one of 
 the psalms, mentioned in the history, Ezra iii, 10, 11, where its 
 first and last words are recited. The mention of David in that 
 passage is accounted for by the assumption that this psalm was 
 sung only as a part of the whole series, which opens with a 
 Davidic trilogy, Ps. cviii — ex. 
 
 1. Give thanks unto Jehovah^ for {he is) good, for unto 
 Uernity (is) his mercy. The opening formula is common to this 
 psalm with Ps. cvi and cvii. Its elements are also found. 
 comI}ined with others, in Ps. c. 4, 5. With the second member 
 of the sentence compare Ps. xxv. 8. Ixxiii. 1. 
 
 2. Qh ttiat Israel would say — for unto eternity (is) his mercy. 
 Thb 3rst clause of this translation is a paraphrase of the original, 
 to which the particle of entreaty (i^:) gives a strong optative 
 meaning. Here, as :n Ps- cxvi. 14, 18, the common version 
 (now) is equivocal. That versioa also has hhat instead of for , in 
 the last clause of this and the two next verses. This translation 
 J3 perfectly grammatical, and makes the sentence more complete 
 in itself. But besides that it breaks the studied uniformity of the 
 context by varying the version of the particle ('^s), the depen- 
 dence of the clause on the preceding verse, required and denoted 
 by the use of the word for, is really essential to the writer's 
 object. It is as if he had said: the reason for thus i"irgin^<y 
 man to praise Jehovah is because his mercy endureth forever, 
 and oh that Israel would join in affirming this reason. Oh t/iai 
 Israel would say (I will give thanks) for his mercy endureik 
 forever. 
 
 3. 4 Oh that the house of Aaron would say — \for unto eterM^\ 
 
140 rSALM CXVIII. 
 
 (is) his mercy.'' Ok that the fearers of Jehovah would say — ^fof 
 unto eternity (is) his mercy.'' The succession of Israel, the house 
 of Aaron, and the fearers of Jehovah, in this and the following 
 verses, is the same as in Ps. cxv. 9 — 11. This and the trine 
 repetitions in vs. 10 — 12, 15 — 16, compared with that in Ps. 
 cxv. 12 — 13, are corroborations of the assumed affinity between 
 the psalms of this whole series, both in origin and purpose. 
 
 5. Out of anguish I invoked Jah ; heard me in a wide place 
 Jah. The first noun is a rare one, common to this place and Ps. 
 cxvi. 3, another indication of affinity. Heard, in the pregnant 
 sense of heard favourably, heard and answered. See above, on 
 Ps. xxii. 22 (21.) As the word translated anguish originally 
 means pressure, confinement, the appropriate figure for relief from 
 it is a wide room, ample space, enlargement. See above, on Ps. 
 iv. 2 (1.) To answer in a wide place is to grant his prayer by 
 bringing him forth into such a place. 
 
 6. Jehovah (is) for me ; I will not fear ; what can man do to 
 me ? Instead oi for me, i. e. in my favour, on my side, the 
 Hebrew h'b) may also be translated to me, i. e. is or belongs to 
 me, is mine. See above, on Ps. Ivi. 5, 10, 12 (4, 9, 11.) Man 
 does not here mean a man, but mankind, or Man as opposed te 
 God. 
 
 7. Jehovah is for me, among my helpers, and I shall look upon 
 my haters. Here again, the first clause may be rendered, Jehovah 
 is to me (or I have JeJwvah) among or with my helpers. With 
 this last expression compare Ps. xlv. 10 (9.) xcix. 6. The 
 construction in the last clause is the idiomatic one meaning to see 
 with joy or triumph, or to see their punishment nnd subjugation. 
 See above, on Ps. liv. 9 (7), and with the whole verse compare 
 Ps. liv. 6 (4.) As the ideal speaker is the ancient church or 
 
PSALM ex VII I. 14^ 
 
 chosen people, the haters or enemies here meant are primarily 
 heathen persecutors and oppressors. 
 
 8. It is good to confide in Jehovah (more) than to trust in man. 
 This and the next verse affirm clearly and fully what is more 
 obscurely intimated in Ps. cxvi. 11. As the Hebrew has no 
 distinct form of comparison, this is the nearest possible approach 
 to saying, it is better. Than, literally /ro??^, avmy from, implying 
 difference, and then comparison, but not expressing it. The verb 
 canfide is the expressive one originally meaning to take refuge or 
 find shelter. See above, on Ps. ii : 12. 
 
 9. It is good to confide in Jehovah (more) than to trust in nobles 
 This merely strengthens the foregoing declaration, by rendering it 
 more specific and emphatic. The Lord is more to be confided in, 
 Dot merely than the mass of men, but than their chiefs. Nobles 
 is a better translation than princes, because it keeps up the asso- 
 ciation with the adjective sense noble, generous, liberal, spontane- 
 ous, which is otherwise lost sight of. See above, on Ps. li. 14 (12.) 
 Even the Persian patrons and protectors of the Jews had not 
 entirely deserved their confidence ; nor at all, in comparison 
 with Jehovah their covenanted God. 
 
 10. All the nations surround me ; in the name of Jehovah — that 
 I will cut them off. The hyperbolical expression, all the nations, 
 is less strange than it might otherwise appear because (Q^^iB) 
 nations had now begun to be familiarly applied to the gentiles or 
 heathen, • not as organized bodies merely, but as individuals, 
 especially when numerous. There is nothing unnatural, there- 
 fore, in the use of this expression to describe the heathen adver- 
 saries of the Jews at the period of the Kestoration, not excepting 
 the Samaritans, who, though they claimed to be a mixed race, 
 were really heathen, both in origin and character. Another 
 way in which the hyperbole may be explained, or rather done 
 
142 PSALM CXVIIT. 
 
 away, is by supposing the first clause to be substantially al- 
 though not formally conditional. Should all nations (or though 
 all nations should) surround me. The strongest sense may 
 then be put upon the words all nations, as the act ascribed 
 to them is merely hypothetical. The construction of the last 
 clause is unusual and doubtful. Some arbitrarily make the 
 ^'3 a particle of affirmation, yea, yes, verily, etc. Others gain 
 the same sense by explaining the whole phrase to mean, (it 
 is true, or it is certain) that I will cut them off. The same use 
 of the particle is thought to be exemplified in Isai. vii. 9. Per- 
 haps the best solution is the one afforded by the Hebrew usage of 
 suppressing the principal verb in oaths or solemn affirmations. 
 If this may be omitted even when there is nothing to denote the 
 character of the expression, and when the form of the expression 
 itself is liable to misconstruction, as for instance in the formula with 
 if, much more may it be omitted where the sense of the expression 
 is quite clear, and its juratory or imprecatory character denoted by 
 accompanying words. The sense will then be, in the name of Je- 
 hovah (I swear or solemnly affirm) that I will cut them off. This 
 last verb always means to cut, aiid except in Ps. xc. 6, where one 
 of its derived forms is used, to circumcise. It was here used, as some 
 suppose, to suggest that the uncircumcised enemies of Israel, as they 
 are often called, should be cut or cut off in another sense. Com- 
 pare the play upon the corresponding Greek words in Phil. iii. 2, 3. 
 
 11. They surround me, yea they surround me ; in the name of 
 Jehovah (I declare) that I will cut them off. The same sentence 
 is repeated with a slight variation, which consists in the omission 
 of the subject and the iteration of the verb, rendered more em- 
 phatic by a change of form. The word translated yea means 
 also, likewise, but cannot be so used in the English idiom. The 
 climax indicated may be, that the act described is no longer 
 hypothetical but actual. They surround me, yes, they really, in 
 fact, surround me. 
 
PSALM ex VIII. 143 
 
 12. TTiey surround me like lees ; they are quenched as a fire of 
 thorns ; in the name of Jehovah (I declare) that I ivill cut t/iem 
 off. This completes the trine repetitiou so characteristic of these 
 psalms. The point of comparison with bees is their swarminoj 
 multitude and irritating stings. Compare Deut. i. 44. That 
 with thorns is the rapidity and ease with which they are both 
 kindled and extinguished. See above, on Ps. Iviii. 10 (9.) 
 
 13. Thou didst thrust^ thrust at me^ to (make me) fall^ ava 
 Jehovah helped me. By a lively apostrophe, the enemy is hert 
 addressed directly, that is, the hostile heathen power, from whose 
 oppressions Israel had just been rescued. See above, on v. 7. 
 The verb to thrust or strike at is the root of the noun translated 
 falling in Ps. Ivi. 14 (13.) cxvi. 8. 
 
 14. My strength and song (is) Jah, and he has lecowj^ my snU 
 ration. These words are from Ex. xv. 2. The first clause is 
 also borrowed by Isaiah (xii. 2.) My strength and so^g^ my 
 protection or deliverer, and as such the object of my praise. 
 Become my salvation^ literally, has been to me for salvation, a 
 stronger though synonymous expression for my sa.viour. 
 
 55. The voice of joy and salvation in the tents of the righteous — 
 the right hand of Jehovah has made strength. The word trans- 
 lated ^o?/ means properly the audible expression of it by shout or 
 song, and is sometimes applied even to a cry of distress. Com 
 pare Ps. xxx. 6 (5.) xlii. 5 (4.) xlvii. 2 (1) with Ps. xvii. l.lxi 
 2 (1.) Joy and salvation are related as cause and effect, joy oc- 
 casioned by salvation. Tents, a poetical expression for dwellings. 
 See above, on Ps. xci. 10. The righteous, the true Israel, the 
 people of God, as such considered. See above, on Ps. xxxiii. 1. 
 The substantive verb {is) may be supplied in this verse, so as to 
 make it a complete proposition ; or it may be a kind of exclama- 
 tion, as if he had said. Hark I the voice of joy, etc. Compare 
 
144 PSALM CX VIII. 
 
 Isai, xl. 3, 6. The last clause may th(n be understood as con- 
 taining the words uttered by the voio« The idiomatic phrase 
 at the end may either mean that God ifas acquired or exerted 
 strength. See above, on Ps. Ix. 14 (12.) cviii. 14. 
 
 16. The, right hand of Jehovah is raised j the right hand of Je- 
 hovah makes strength. This, with the last clause of v. 15, 
 makes another of the triplets or trine repetitions, which are 
 characteristic of these psalms. See above, on vs. 2 — 4, 10 — 12. 
 Instead of is raised some read roAses or exalts^ which is equally 
 grammatical, as the active and passive forms in this case are co- 
 incident. The meaning then is, that his right hand raises or 
 exalts his people, as the other clause says that his right hand 
 gains or exercises strength in their behalf. It seems more na- 
 tural, however, to explain it as an instance of a common figure 
 which describes God's hand as raised, when he exerts his power 
 
 17. J shall not die hut live, and recount the loorks of J ah. The 
 existence thus to be preserved is that of Israel, and the last clause 
 describes the final cause of that existence, which is here stated as 
 a ground of confidence, and is elsewhere urged as an argument 
 in prayer. See above, on Ps. cxv. 17. cxvi. 9, 15, and compare 
 Ps. Ixxi. 20. ' The original construction of the first clause is, 1 
 zhall not die. J for I shall live. 
 
 18. Sorely has Jah chastened me, hut to death did not give me. 
 This verse, though simple in its structure and transparent in its 
 meaning, is highly idiomatic in its form. • The adverb used in 
 the translation represents the emphatic repetition of ine verb in 
 Hebrew, which is sometimes imitated in the English Bible 
 {chastening has Jah chastened me), but seldom so as to convey the 
 whole idea. Of such a repetition we have had an instance in v. 13. 
 Another unavoidable departure from the original form consists 
 in using but for and, at the beginning of the second clause. Did 
 
PSALM CXVl II. 145 
 
 not give, give up, give over or abandon. The chastisement here 
 mentioned must be the calamity from which the people had 
 been recently delivered, and in which we have already seen good 
 grounds to recognize the Babylonish conquest, domination and 
 captivity. 
 
 19. Open ye to me the gates of righteousness^ I will come in by 
 them, I will thank Jah. This may have been intended to ac- 
 company the entrance of the priests and people into the sacred 
 enclosure, for the purpose of laying the found-ation of the temple, 
 as when David pitched the tabernacle on Mount Zion. See 
 above, on Ps. xxiv. 
 
 20. This (is) the gate (that belongs) to Jehovah ; the righteous 
 shall come in by it. Or the meaning may be, since this is the 
 Lord's gate, let the righteous (and no others) enter at it. Many 
 interpreters find obvious indications here of double or responsive 
 choirs, by which the psalm was to be sung. But this, though 
 possible, is not a necessary suppositioa, nor is there any certain 
 trace of such a usage or arrangement elsewhere in the book of 
 Psalms. See above, vol. i. pp. 198, 200, 203. 
 
 21. I will thank thee, for thou hast answered me, and hast be- 
 come my salvation. This verse assigns the reason for their 
 entrance. Answered, m the specific sense of answering or grant- 
 ing prayer. See above, on v. 5, The last clause is from v. 14. 
 
 22. The stone f which j the builders rejected has become the head 
 of the corner. This is a proverbial expression, and as such ap- 
 plicable to any case, in which what seemed to be contemptible 
 has come to honour. This mode of expressing the idea was 
 most probably suggested by the founding of the temple. There 
 is no need, however, of supposing any actual dispute among the 
 Jewish builders in relation to the corner stone of the sacred edi- 
 
 VOL. III. 7 
 
146 PSALM C XVI 11. 
 
 fice. The sight of the stone, or the act of laying it, would be 
 sufficient to suggest the proverb and its application to the happy 
 change experienced by Israel, so lately blotted from the list of 
 nations, and regarded by the heathen as unworthy even of an 
 humble place in the proud fabric of consolidated empire, but now 
 restored not only to a place but to the highest place among tho 
 nations, not in point of power, wealth, or worldly glory, but as 
 the chosen and peculiar people of the Most High God. As this 
 psalm was sung by the people at the last Jewish festival attended 
 by our Saviour, he applied this proverb to himself, as one rejected 
 by the Jews and by their rulers, yet before long to bo recognized 
 as their Messiah whom they had denied and murdered, but whom 
 God had exalted as a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance 
 to Israel and remission of sins (Acts v. 31.) This, though really 
 another application of the proverb in its general meaning, has a 
 certain affinity with its original application in the verse before us, 
 because the fortunes of the ancient Israel, especially in reference 
 to great conjunctures, bore a designed resemblance to the history 
 of Christ himself, by a kind of sympathy between the Body and the 
 Head. Even the temple, which suggested the original expression, 
 did but teach the doctrine of divine inhabitation, and was therefore 
 superseded by the advent of the Son himself. The head of the 
 come?- means the chief or corner stone of the foundation, even in 
 Zech. iv. 7, where it is trsmslsiied head-sione. The application of 
 the verse before us made by Christ himself (Matt. xxi. 42) is re- 
 newed by Peter (Acts iv. 11.) 
 
 23. From Jehovah is this ; it is wonder fully done in our eyes. 
 . This signal revolution in the condition of the chosen people is not 
 the work of man but of God. From the Lord^ i. e. proceeding 
 from him as its author. Is this^ literally, has been, i. e. happened, 
 come to pass. In the last clause it is said to be not merely won- 
 derfuly but wonderfully done, the Hebrew word being a passive 
 participle, which strictl}'- means distinguished, made tc differ, 
 
PSALM CXVIII. j/^7 
 
 made strange, strangely done. Its plural is continually ased as a 
 noun in application to God's wondrous works or doinfrs. This no 
 less than the proverb to which ii is attached, was as appropriate 
 to the case of the Messiah as to that of his people, and is accord- 
 ingly applied in the same manner by himself (Matt. xxi. 42.) 
 
 24. Thu is the day Jehovah has made^ we will rejoice and tri- 
 u?nph in it. By the day we are here to understand the happiei* 
 times which Israel, through God's grace, was permitted to enjoy. 
 This day he is said, as the author of this blessed revolution, to 
 have made, created. Some understand by day the festival or 
 celebration, at which the psalm was intended to be suno-. The 
 day^ in this sense, God is said to have made or instituted, not so 
 much by positive appointment as by having providentially afforded 
 the occasion for it. In a still higher sense, the words may be ap- 
 plied to the new dispensation, as a glorious change in the condi- 
 tion of the church, compared with which the restoration from 
 captivity was nothing, except as a preliminary to it and a prepa- 
 ration for it. There is no allusion to the weekly Sabbath, except 
 so far as it was meant to be a type of the rest of the church from 
 the heavy burdens of the old dispensation. 
 
 25. Ah now J Jehovah^ save, we beseech thee ! Ah now, Jehovah , 
 prosper, we beseech thee ! The circumlocution, we beseech thee, is 
 the only form in which the force of the supplicatory particle (5^5) 
 can be expressed, without the risk of its being mistaKen for an ad- 
 verb of time. The whole phrase /j^3 ns^'^uJin), save we pray, be- 
 came a standing formula of supplication with reference to great 
 public interests or undertakings, and reappears in the New Testa- 
 ment under the form Hosanna. See Matt. xxi. 9, where we find 
 it, in the acclamations of the multitude, combined with other ex- 
 pressions from this same psalm which, as we have seen, they were 
 accustomed to sing at their great festivals. See above, ou v, 22. 
 
14S PSALM CX VII I. 
 
 26. Blessed be he that cometh in the name of Jehovah ! We blest 
 ^ou from the house of Jehovah. According to the accents, the 
 construction of the first clause is, blessed^ in the name of Jehovah^ 
 be lie that cometh. This agrees exactly with the frequent mention 
 of blessing in the name of Jehovah. See below, Ps. cxxix. 8, and 
 compare Num. vi. 27. Deut. xxi. 5. 2 Sam. vi. IS. He that 
 cometh is commonly and not improbably supposed to have meant 
 primarily the people or their representatives, to whom, as they 
 approached the sacred spot, these words were to be uttered. 
 There were other thoughts, however, which the words could 
 hardly fail to suggest, for example that of Israel coming back 
 from exile, that of God coming back to his forsaken people, and 
 at least in the most enlightened minds, that of the great Deliverer, 
 to whose coming all the rest was but preparatory, to whom the 
 name i^an or o kqx^l^^^^i was afterwards given as a standing ap- 
 pellation, in allusion either to this passage or to Mai. iii. l,orto 
 both, and to whom this very sentence was applied by the multitude 
 who witnessed and attended Christ's triumphal entrance into the 
 Holy City. See Matt. xxi. 9. 
 
 27. Mighty (is) Jehovah and hath given light to us. Bind the 
 sacrifice ivith cords as far as the horns of the altar. The first 
 word does not express the general idea of divinity, but that of 
 divine power, which is no doubt essential to the writer's purpose. 
 It was the power of Jehovah which had turned the night of 
 Israel to day, and illumined the darkness of their sore distress 
 with the light of his returning favour. The figure is borrowed 
 from the pillar of fire, the token of Jehovah's presence with his 
 people in the wilderness. See Ex. xiii. 21. xiv. 20. Neh. ix. 12. 
 The last clause has been the subject of a good deal of dispute. 
 It is commonly admitted that (an) a Hebrew word, which pro- 
 perly denotes a periodical or stated festival, is here put for the 
 victim oflfered at it, as in Ex. xxiii. 18 the fat of my sacrifice is 
 in Hebrew the fat of my festival C^an), and in 2 Chron. xxx. 22, 
 
PSALiM CXVIII. 149 
 
 another word for festival (l35i;^) is used in precisely the same 
 waj, being governed by the verb to eat^ although this singular 
 expression is avoided in the English Bible, by the use of 
 the word " throughout." Those who agree in this, however, 
 are at variance in relation to the act required. As the 
 word translated cords is sometimes applied to the thick boughs or 
 branches of a tree (Ez. xix. 11. xxxi. 3, 10, 14), some under- 
 stand the sense to be. Bind the sacrifice with branches, sacrificial 
 wreaths. But this practice, and the meaning put upon the He- 
 brew word, are both denied by others who allege moreover the 
 repeated combination of the same verb and noun in the sense of 
 tying, making fast, with cords. See Judg. xv. 13. xvi. 11. Ez. 
 iii. 25. The English Bible makes the clause refer to the fasten- 
 ing of the victim to the altar. To this it is objected that the prepo- 
 sition (-;5>) means as far as, and implies a verb of motion^ 
 expressed or understood. To avoid this difficulty, some of the 
 latest writers understand the words to signify the conducting of 
 the victim bound u.itil it reaches the altar as the place of sacrifice. 
 Hold fast the sacrifice with cords, until it comes to the horns of 
 the altar, poetically put for the altar itself, not only as its promi- 
 nent or salient poinrs, but as the parts to which the blood, the 
 essential vehicle of expiation, was applied. Thus understood the 
 clause is .merely an invitation to fulfill the vow recorded in Ps 
 cxvi. 14, 17, 18. 
 
 28. My God art tJiou, and I will thank thee ; my God^ I uill 
 exalt thee. The Hebrew words for God are not the same. The 
 second is that commonly so rendered, while the first is that used 
 in V. 27, and denoting the divine omnipotence. 
 
 29. Give thanks unto Jehovah, for {He is) good, for unto 
 eternity {is) his mercy. In these words we are brought back to the 
 point from which we started, and the circle of praise returns into 
 itself. 
 
150 PSALM CXIX 
 
 PSALM CXIX. 
 
 There is no psalm in the whole collection which has more the 
 appearance of having been exclusively designed for practical and 
 personal improvement, without any reference to national or even 
 to ecclesiastical relations, than the one before us, which is wholly 
 occupied with praises of Grod's word or written revelation, as the 
 only source of spiritual strength and comfort, and with prayers 
 for grace to make a profitable use of it. The prominence of this 
 one theme is sufficiently apparent from the fact, to which the Masora 
 directs attention, that there is only one verse which docs not contain 
 some title or description of the word of Grod. But notwithstanding 
 this peculiar character, the position of the psalm in the collection, 
 and especially its juxtaposition with respect to Ps. cviii — cxviii, 
 its kindred tone of mingled gratitude and sadness, and a great 
 variety of minor verbal correspondences, have led some of the 
 best interpreters to look upon it as the conclusion of the whole 
 seiies or system of psalms, supposed to have been written for the 
 use of the returned Jews, at or near the time of the foundins: of 
 the second temple. The opinion, held by some of the same 
 writers, that the ideal speaker, throughout this psalm, is Israel, 
 considered as the church or chosen people, will never commend 
 itself as natural or likely to the mass of readers, and is scarcely 
 consistent with such passages as vs. 63, 74, 79, and others, where 
 the speaker expressly distinguishes himself as an individual from 
 the body of the people. The same difficulty, in a less degree, 
 attends the national interpretation of the psalms immediately 
 
PSALM ex IX. 151 
 
 preceding. Pei'liaps the best mode of reconciling the two views 
 is by supposing that this psahn was intended as a manual of pious \ 
 and instructive thoughts, designed for popular improvement and 
 especially for that of the younger generation after the return from . 
 exile, and that the person speaking is the individual believer, not 
 as an isolated personality, but as a member of the general body, 
 with which he identifies himself so far, that many expressions of 
 the psalm are strictly applicable only to the whole as such consid- 
 ered, while others are appropriate only to certain persons or to 
 certain classes in the ancient Israel. To this design of popular 
 instruction, and especially to that of constant repetition and 
 reflection, the psalm is admirably suited by its foim and structure. 
 The alphabetical arrangement, of which it is at once the most ex- 
 tended and most perfect specimen, and the aphoristic character, 
 common to all alphabetic psalms, are both adapted to assist the 
 memory, as well as to give point to the immediate impression. 
 It follows, of course, that the psalm was rather meant to be a 
 store-house of materials for pious meditation than a discourse for 
 continuous perusal. At the same time, the fact of its existence 
 in the Psalter is presumptive proof that it was used in public 
 worship, either as a whole, or in one or more of the twenty-two 
 stanzas into which it is divided, corresponding to the letters of the 
 Hebrew alphabet, all the eight verses of each paragraph begin- 
 ning with the same Hebrew letter. 
 
 1. Happy the perfect of ivay, i. e. blameless in their course of 
 life, those walking in the laiv of Jehovah. There seems to be 
 allusion to the precept in Lev. xviii. 4. The common version 
 of the second Hebrew word {undefiled) is derived from the 
 Vulgate {i?}imac2ilati)^ which is itself too confined a version of the 
 Septuagint (dliioi/noi.) The essential idea is that of complete- 
 ness or perfection. The form and construction of the first word 
 are the same as in Ps. i. 1. 
 
152 PSALM CXI X. 
 
 2. Happy the keepers of his testimonies (wbo) with a whott 
 heart seek him. Keepers, observers, those obeying. Testimo'dies, 
 the divine precepts, which bear witness against sin and in behalf 
 of holiness. With all the heart, undivided affection. See above, 
 Ps. cxi. 1, and compare 2 Kings xxiii. 3. Seek him, the know- 
 ledge of his will and the enjoyment of his favour. 
 
 3. (Who) also do not practise wrong, (but) in his ways walk. 
 This verse both limits and completes the one before it, by showing 
 that no zeal in seeking God can be acceptable, if coupled with a 
 wicked life. In his ways, not in those of his enemies, nor even 
 in their own. 
 
 4. Thou hast covimanded thy precepts, to he kept strictly. 
 Commanded, given them in charge, entrusted others with them. 
 The literal meaning of the last clause is, to keep very {much), i. e. 
 not formally or superficially, but really and thoroughly. Compare 
 the use of ("li^^) as a noun in Deut. vi. 5. 
 
 5. Oh that my ivays ivere settled, to observe thy statutes ! The 
 optative particle at the beginning occurs only here and, with a 
 slight difference of pointing, 2 Kings v. 3. My ways, my cus- 
 tomary modes of acting, my habits. Settled, fixed, confirmed, 
 established, in opposition to capricious vacillation and unsteadi- 
 ness. To observe, to watch, for the purpose of obeying. The 
 word translated statutes, according to its etymology, means definite 
 and permanent enactments. 
 
 6 Then shall I not he shamed, in my looking unto all thy 
 tommandments. The then at the beginning has respect to the 
 time mentioned in the last clause. Shamed, put to shame, 
 defeated, frustrated, disappointed in one's highest hopes. In my 
 looking suggests the idea both of time and of causation, when 1 
 look and because I look. The act itself is that of looking towards 
 
PSALM CXIX. 153 
 
 a mark to hi attained, or towards a model, rule, or standard, to bo 
 followed and conformed to. 
 
 7. / will thank thee with rectitude of heart, in my learning the 
 judgments of thy righteousness. It is only my experience of thy 
 righteous judgments that enables me to praise thee as T ought ; 
 a sentiment peculiarly appropriate to the period of some great 
 deliverance, for instance that of the return from exile, when the 
 righteousness of God had been so signally displayed in the 
 destruction of his enemies, and in the fulfilment of his promise to 
 his people Here again, in my learniiig does not mean merely 
 after 1 have harned, but in the very act and in consequence of 
 learning. 
 
 8. Thy statutes I will keep ; oh forsake vie not utterly. The 
 fixed resolution to obey is intimately blended with a consciousness 
 of incapacity to do so, unless aided by divine grace. Utterly^ 
 unto extremity or still more literally, until very (much.) The 
 initial words of this first stanza are all difi"erent, except that vs. 
 1, 2, both begio with (i^rjv) happiness or happy. 
 
 9. By iv/mt (means) can a youth cleanse his path, (so) as to 
 keep (it) according to thy vwrd ? To cleanse is here to keep clean 
 or pure from the stain of sin. Most interpreters regard the last 
 clause as an answer to the question in the first. But this 
 requires the infinitive to be construed as a gerund {hy keeping)^ 
 a construction too rare and doubtful to be anywhere assumed 
 without necessity. See above, on Ps. Ixxviii. 18. cxi. 6. It 
 is much more simple and agreeable to usage to regard the whole 
 as one interrogation, and the second clause as supplementary to 
 the first. To keep may then mean to adhere to it, or rather, in 
 accordance with the figure of the first clause, to preserve it clear 
 or pure as Grod requires. The answer is suppressed, or rathei 
 left to be inferred from the whole tenor of the psalm, which is, 
 7* 
 
j54 PS.A LM CXIX. 
 
 that men, and especially the young, whose passions and tempta- 
 tions are strong in proportion to their inexperience, can do 
 nothing of theniselves but arc dependent on the grace of God 
 The omission of an answer, which is thus suggested by the whole 
 psalm, rather strengthens than impairs the impression on the 
 reader. 
 
 ] 0. With my whole heart have. I sought thee ; let me not err 
 from thy commandments. While the first clause alleges his 
 sincerity in seeking God, the second and third owns his depend- 
 ence on him for success and safety. 
 
 11. In my heart have I hid thy saying^ that I may not sin 
 against thee. The first phrase means within me., as opposed to a 
 mere outward and corporeal possession of the written word. Not 
 in my house, or in my hand, but in myself, my mind, with special 
 reference, in this case, to the memory. J/zc?, not for conceal- 
 ment, but for preservation. The word s^^^/zti^, elsewhere used to 
 signify God's promise, here denotes his precept, as it does in v. 
 67 below. Against thee^ literally, as to^ with respect to thtt. 
 See abovo, on Ps li. 6 (4. ) 
 
 12. Blessed (be) thou., Jehovah! Teach me thy statutes ! The 
 doxology seems designed to break the uniformity of this series of 
 aphorisms, by an occasional expression of strong feeling. At the 
 same time, it furnishes a kind of ground for the petition in the 
 last clause. Since thou art the blessed and eternal God, have 
 pity on my weakness and instruct me in the knowledge of thy 
 will. 
 
 13. With my lips have I recounted all the judgments of thy 
 mouth. 1 have not confined the knowledge of thy precepts to my 
 own mind, but imparted it to others. See above, on Ps. xl. 10, 
 11 (9, 10.) Judgments., '^udiiQml decisions, determinations as id 
 
PSALM CXIX. 155 
 
 wbat is right and binding, a description perfectly appropriate to 
 the divine precepts. Of thy mouthy which thou hast uttered. 
 There seems to be allusion to the phrase with my lips in the first 
 clause. 
 
 14. In the way of thy testimonies I rejoice as over all tvealth. 
 Not merely in the knowledge of God's will, but in the doing of it, 
 in treading the path which he prescribes for us. Over may be 
 simply equivalent to in, or intended to suggest the additional idea 
 of superiority, above (or more than) all ivealth. As over^ as I do 
 over all the wealth I have, or as I should do over all wealth if I 
 had it. 
 
 15. In thy precepts will I meditate and look {at) thy paths. 
 Not only of thy precepts or concerning them, but in them, while 
 engaged in doing them. Look has the same sense as in v. 6. 
 
 16. In thy statutes I will delight myself ; I tcill not forget thy 
 word. Delight or enjoy myself, seek my pleasure, find my hap- 
 piness. Here ends the second stanza, in which all the verses 
 except one (v. 12) begin not only with the same letter but the 
 same word, the preposition (i) in. 
 
 17. G-rant to thy servant (that) I may live., and I vnll keep thy 
 word. Grant to, bestow upon, thy servant this favour. See 
 above, on Ps. xiii. 6 (5.) There may be an allusion to the way 
 in which the law connects life and obedience. See Lev. xviii. 
 5. Deut. vi. 24. 
 
 18. Uncover my eyes and I will look — wonders out of thy laiu ! 
 The last clause is a kind of exclamation after his eyes have been 
 uncovered. This figure is often used to denote inspiration or a 
 special divine communication. Out of thy laiv^ i. e. brought out 
 to view, as if from a place of concealment. 
 
156 PSALM CXI X. 
 
 19. A stranger {am) I in the earth; hide not from me thy 
 commandments. A stranger, an exile, one without friends or 
 home, a poetical description of calamity in general, not without 
 allusion to the captivity both in Babylon and Egypt, and to the 
 consequent mention of strangers in the Law as objects of compas- 
 sion. The prayer in the last clause is, that God will not withhold 
 from him the knowledge of his will. 
 
 20. My soul hreakcth with longing for thy judgments at ever'^ 
 time. The Hebrew verb occurs only here, but its meaning i3 
 determined by the cognate dialects. The word translated longing 
 belongs also to the later Hebrew. Its verbal root occurs below 
 in vs. 40, 174. Judgments includes God's precepts mentioned in 
 V. 19 and his penal inflictions on the wicked mentioned in v. 21. 
 
 21. Thou hast rebuked the jproud.^ the accursed.^ those wandering 
 from thy commandments. Compare Ps. ix. 6 (5.) Rebuked, not 
 merely by word but by deed, i. e. punished. 
 
 22. Roll from off me re-proach and contempt^ for thy testimonies 
 I have kept. The first verse coincides in form with that at the 
 beginning of v. 18, but is from a diflferent root. There is an 
 obvious allusion to the rolling off of the reproach of Egypt, 
 Josh. V. 9. 
 
 23. Also princes sat and at me talked togetlier^ and thy servant 
 muses of l^hy statutes. This is one of the expressions in the 
 psalm n-ot literally applicable to the individual believer, and re- 
 garded therefore as a proof of its national design and import. 
 The princes are then the chiefs of the surrounding nations. The 
 also (25) seem to be inserted merely on account of the alphabet- 
 ical arrangement which requires the letter gimel. 
 
 24. Also thy testimonies {are) my delights^ the men of wi| 
 
PSALM ex IX. ' ir7 
 
 counsel. He calls them his counsellors, in opposition to the 
 malignant counsels of the enemy. Delights^ enjoyments, happi- 
 ness, the plural form denoting fulness and completeness. Two of 
 the verses in the stanza ending here begin with (ta) also^ and 
 two with (b^), though in different senses. 
 
 25. My soul cleaveth unto the dust ; quicken thou me according 
 to thy word. The first clause seems intended to suggest two 
 consistent but distinct ideas, that of deep degradation, as in Ps. 
 xliv. 26 (25), and that of death, as in Ps. xxii. 30 (29.) The 
 first would be more obvious in itself, and in connection with the 
 parallel referred to ; but the other seems to be indicated as the 
 prominent idea by the correlative petition in the last clause. 
 Quicken, i. e. save me alive, or restore me to life, the Hebrew 
 word being a causative of the verb to live. See above, on Ps. 
 XXX. 4 (3.) Thy loord, the promise annexed to thy command- 
 ment, as in V. 28 below. 
 
 26. 3Iy IV ays have I recounted., and thou hast answered me y 
 teach me thy statutes. The first clause is not to be restricted 
 to a confession of sin, though that may be included, but ex- 
 tended to a statement of his cares, anxieties, and aflfairs in 
 general. Hence the correlative expression, thou hast answered 
 me., the Hebrew verb being specially appropriated to the hear- 
 ing or answering of prayer, i. e. granting what it asks. The lasl 
 clause expresses a desire to testify his gratitude for God's com- 
 passion by obeying his commandments, with the usual acknow- 
 ledgment that these cannot bo executed without divine assistance, 
 or even known without divine instruction. 
 
 27. The way of thy precepts make me understand., and I will 
 muse of thy wonders. The first clause expreses the same wish^ 
 arising from the same consciousness of weakness, as in v. 26. The 
 verb in the last clause is one of those in the usao;e of which tue 
 
158 PSALM CXI X. 
 
 ideas of speech and meditation run continually into one another 
 See above, on Ps. Iv. 18 (17.) Ixix. 13 (12.) Ixxiv. 4, 7 (3, 6.) 
 cv. 2. 
 
 28. My soul weeps from sorrow ; raise me up according to thy 
 word. The meaning of the first verb seems to be determined by 
 Job xvi. 20, where the same thing is predicated of the eye. The 
 oldest versions make it mean to slumber (LXX. eviKna^sv. 
 Yulg. dormitavit)^ which would make the clause remarkably coin- 
 cident with Luke xxii. 45. 
 
 29. The way of falsehood remove from 7?ze, and thy law grant 
 unto me graciously. The way mentioned in the first clause is that 
 of unfaithfulness to God's covenant, or of apostasy from it. See 
 above, v. 21. Remove^ a causative in Hebrew, meaning make to 
 depart. The common version of the last verb, as above given, is 
 a correct paraphrase of the Hebrew verb {y^^) to be gracious, to 
 act graciously, and here still more specifically, to give graciously, 
 to bestow as a free favour. To give the law is still, as in the pre- 
 ceding verses, to make it known by a divine illumination. 
 
 30. The limy of tiuth have I chosen ; thy judgments have I set 
 (before me.) Truth^ in the sense of faithfulness, fidelity to ob- 
 ligations, the opposite of the falsehood mentioned in v. 29. His 
 own choice coincides with the divine requisitions. Judgments., as 
 in vs. 7, 13, above. I have set., i. e. before me, as an end to be 
 aimed at, and a rule to be followed. The Hebrew verb occurs 
 above, Ps. xviii. 34 (33.) xxi. 6 (5.) Ixxxix. 20 (19), and the 
 full phrase, Ps. xvi. 8. The Septuagint renders it here, I have 
 910 1 forgotten. 
 
 31. I have cleaved unto thy testimonies., oh .Jehovah., put me not to 
 thame. The first verb is the same with that in v. 25. Unto 
 literally in., as if implying a coinplet'3 absorption in the object 
 
PSALM ex IX. 159 
 
 See above, on Ps. i. 2. Testimonies^ precepts, as iu v. 2 Shame 
 me not, suffer not my hopes to be disappointed and confounded 
 The Hebrew verb is a causative of that in v. 6. 
 
 32. The way of thy commandmeiits will I run^fof thou wilt en- 
 large my heart. The verb to run expresses a more zealous 
 obedience than the usual expression walk. To enlarge is some- 
 times to relieve from confinement. See above, on Ps. cxviii. 5. 
 But the whole phrase, to enlarge the hearty seems, especially in 
 this connection, to denote a change in the affections leading to 
 m.orc prompt obedience. Of the eight verses in this stanza five 
 begin with the noun {y^Ti) way or its plural, and two with the 
 verb (P5^) to cleave. 
 
 33. Guide 7«c, Jehovah., (in) the way of thy statutes., and I will 
 hec'p it (to the) end. The first verb is here used in its primary 
 sense of showing or pointing out the way, from which is deduced 
 the secondary one of teaching. Keep it., observe it, adhere to it, 
 keep in it. The last word in Hebrew, which occurs above, in 
 different senses and connections, Ps. xix. 12 (11.) xl. 16 (15.) 
 Ixx. 4 (3), is used adverbially here and in v. 112 below. 
 
 34. Make me understand (it) a7id I will keep thy laic, and will 
 observe it with a whole heart. The first verb is too vaguely ren- 
 dered in the English versions (give me understanding.) It has 
 here the same sense as in v. 27, and the object is to be supplied 
 from the next member of the sentence. The form of the last 
 verb is one expressing strong desire and fixed determinatirn. 
 With a whole heart, or with all (my) heart, as in v. 2. 
 
 35. Make me tread in the path of thy cuvwiandme^its, for m it 
 ao I delight. The first verb is the causative of that used in Ps. 
 vii. 13 (12.) xi. 2. xxxvii. 14. xci. 13. I delight, have delighted, 
 not at present merely but in time past. 
 
160 PSALM C XIX. 
 
 36. Incline, my heart unto thy testimonies^ and not to gain 
 Here again the sense of absolute dependence or divine influence 
 is strongly implied. Testimonies^ as in v. 31. Gain^ profit, 
 lucre, as in Ps. xxx. 10 (9), but here put for overweening love of 
 it, supreme devotion to it. 
 
 37. Turn aioay my eyes from seeing falsehood ; in thy ways 
 quicken me. The first verb strictly means to cause to pass (or turn) 
 away. Falsehood is not the word so rendered in v. 29, but the neg- 
 ative term (a^^'si) meaning vanity^ nonentity, and here applied to 
 all objects of religious trust besides God. These the Psalmist 
 desires not even to see, much less to gaze at with delight and 
 confidence. See above, Ps. xxxi. 7 (6.) xl. 5 (4.) Ix. 13 (11.) 
 Ixii. 10 (9.) Quicken me^ save me or make me alive, as in v. 25. 
 In thy waysy by leading me in the way of thy commandments, 
 
 38. Make good to thy servant thy word which (thou hast 
 spoken) to thy fearers. The first verb means to cause to stand, 
 to set up, to establish, to confirm, and in this connection to ful- 
 fill or verify. To thy servant., not merely to me., but to me who 
 am thy servajU, in a special and emphatic sense, which is appli- 
 cable either to the chosen people as a whole, or to its individual 
 members. Thy word, as in vs. 25, 28. To thy fearers, liter- 
 ally, to thy fear, the abstract being put for the concrete term ; or 
 it mif^ht be rendered for thy fear, that thou niayest be feared. 
 See below, on Ps. cxxx. 4. 
 
 39. Tur7i away my disgrace which I dread, for thy judgments 
 (are) good. The first word is the same with that in v. 37, mean- 
 ing make (or cause) to pass away. In this connection it might 
 either mean to remove or to avert ; but the latter agrees better 
 with the next iph.vase,iv hick I dread. The original is not the com- 
 mon Hebrew word for fear, but one used by Mosos in precisely 
 
 he same sense as here. See Deut. ix. 19. xxviii. 60, and com* 
 
PSALM ex IX. lOl 
 
 pare Job ix. 2S. Thy judgments are good^ i, e. prompted and 
 controlled by infinite goodness, and should therefore fall upon 
 the wicked, not the righteou-s. 
 
 40. Behold^ I long for thy precepts ; in thy righteousness quicken 
 me. The first word is equivalent to see (or thou seest) that it is 
 so, and involves an appeal to the divine omniscience. The first 
 verb is the root of the noun longing in v. 20. To long for God's 
 precepts is to long for the knowledge of them and for grace to 
 obey them. The last clause prays that since Grod's judgments 
 are good (v. 39), instead of killing they may make alive. See 
 above, on vs. 17, 25, 37. In the stanza closing with this verse, 
 only one initial word is repeated, namely (I5?n) cause to pass or 
 turn away. 
 
 41. And let thy mercies come (unto) wie, oh Jehovah, thy salva- 
 tion, according to thy word. That the stanzas were not meant to 
 be regarded as distinct and independent compositions, is clear 
 from the copulative {and) at the beginning of this verse. Mercies, 
 suited to my various necessities. Come to me, or upon me, or 
 into me, which are the ideas commonly expressed by this verb 
 when construed directly with a noun. See above, Ps. xxxv. 8. 
 xxxvi. 12 (11.) c. 4. Salvation is in apposition with mercies^ 
 being that in which all other gifts and favours are summed up 
 and comprehended. With the last words compare v. 38 above 
 
 42. And (then) I will ansiver my reviler a word ; for I trust 
 in thy word. The best answer to the calumnies and insults of 
 his enemies is that afibrded by his manifest experience of God's 
 favour, and the practical vindication thereby aiforded. The ad- 
 dition of word, which in our idiom is superfluous, may have some 
 reference to its use in the corresponding clause. As if he had 
 said : only let thy word be fulfilled, and I shall have a word if 
 Bay in answer to my enemies. 
 
162 PSALM CXIX. 
 
 43. And take not out of my mouth (this) word of truth utterly^ 
 for in thy judgments do I hope. Deprive me not of this conclusive 
 answer to mj enemies, by withholding that providential vindica- 
 tion of my character and practical attestation of thy favour to- 
 wards me, which I confidently look for. The first verb is used 
 in its primary sense (Gren. xxxii. 12), from which comes the usual 
 but secondary one of snatching out of danger, extricating, saving. 
 For the literal meaning of the Hebrew phrase translated utterly, 
 see above, on v. 8. The last phrase in the verse means, for thy 
 judg7?icnts I have ivaited, i. e. confidently looked for their ap- 
 pearance. 
 
 44. And I will observe thy law always, unto eternity aTid 
 ferpetuity. Not merely for a time, or for the purpose of securing 
 this triumph over his enemies, but forever, to express which idea 
 the three strongest terms afforded by the language are combined. 
 As the keeping of the law, so often mentioned in this psalm, has 
 evident reference to the present life, the strong promise of per- 
 petual obedience, in the verse before us, is considered by some 
 writers as a proof that the ideal speaker is not an individual be- 
 liever, but the church or chosen people. 
 
 45. A7id I ivill walk in a wide place, for thy precepts have 1 
 sought. Free from the pressure and confinement to which he 
 had been previously subject. See above, on Ps. cxviii. 5 
 Sought thy precepts, i. e. sought to know them and to do them. 
 Compare the combination, keep and seek, in 1 Chr. xxviii. 8. 
 
 46. And I will speak of thy testimonies hefore kings and will 
 not he ashamed. Here again some eminent interpreters have 
 found an indication of the national design and meaning of the 
 whole psalm, as the individual believer could not be expected to 
 bear witness to the truth in such a presence. He might however 
 tio so, as one of the component parts of the whole body. But 
 
PSALM ex IX. le53 
 
 the words are really expressive only of a readiness to declare the 
 divine testimony against sin, in any presence, even the most 
 august, if it should be necessary. This passage seems to have 
 been present to our Saviour's mind when he uttered the predic- 
 tion in Matt. x. IS. Ashamed has here its strict sense, as deno- 
 ting a painful feeling of humiliation. 
 
 47. And I will delight myself in thy commandments which I 
 love. I will not obey them merely from a selfish dread of punish- 
 ment or painful sense of obligation, but because T love them and 
 derive my highest happiness from doing them. See above, on 
 Ps. xix. 12 (11.) The first verb has the same sense as in. v. 16. 
 The past tense of the last verb {I have loved) represents his love 
 to God's commandments as no new-born and capricious passion, 
 but a settled habit and affection of his soul. 
 
 48. And I will raise my hands to thy commandments which I 
 love., and I will muse of thy statutes. The raising of the hands 
 is a symbol of the raising of the heart or the affections to some 
 elevated object. See above, on Ps. xxviii. 2. Which I love, 
 or have lovcd^ as in v. 47, the terms of which are studiously 
 repeated with a fine rhetorical effect, which is further heightened 
 by the and at the beginning, throwing both verses, as it were, 
 into one sentence. As if he had said : I will derive my 
 happiness from thy commandments, which I love and have loved, 
 and to these commandments, which I love and have loved, I will 
 lift up my hands and heart together. For the meaning of the 
 last clause, see above, on v. 27. The connective force of the 
 conjunction and must not be urged in this verse, as it was needed 
 to supply the initial vau^ a letter with which scarcely any Hebrew 
 words begin. 
 
 49. Remember (thy) word to thy servant, because thou hast 
 made me to hope. The obvious meaning of the first olausa 
 
164 PSALM CX IX. 
 
 is, rememher the word (Rpoken) to thy servant. But Hebrew 
 usage makes it probable, that the first and last words of 
 the clause are to be construed together, so as to mean remember 
 for thy servant, i. e. for his benefit, as in Ps. xcviii. 3. cvi. 45. 
 Wo7'd is then absolutely put for promise, as in Ps. Ivi. 11 (10), 
 and the meaning of the whole clause is, remember thy promise in 
 compassion to thy servant. The common version of the last 
 clause (upon which etc.) is forbidden by the facts, that the Hebrew 
 verb is never construed elsewhere with the proposition on, and that 
 Hebrew usage would require a difi"erent combination (Ti!:5 "I'^i^) 
 to convey the sense supposed. That the one here used 
 (^I2i< bs?) may mean because, is clear from Deut. xxix. 24. 
 2 Sam. iji. 30. The same verb that means to hope in v. 43 is used 
 as a causative, to make hope, here and in Ezek. xiii. 6. 
 
 50. This (is) my comfort in my suffering, and thy word 
 quickens me. The reference to continued suffering in the first 
 clause, and to its partial cessation in the second, agrees well with 
 the condition of the chosen people when restored from exile. 
 The terms, however, are so chosen as to be equally appropriate 
 to personal afflictions, restorations, and deliverances. The word 
 for comfort occurs elsewhere only in Job vi. 10, where it has 
 precisely the same form. Thy word includes thy decree or 
 order and thy promise. Quickens, saves alive, or restores to life, 
 according to the prayer in vs. 2b, 37, 40. The past tense {has 
 quickened) implies that the conservative or restorative efiect has 
 already been experienced, though not yet perfected. 
 
 51. Proud {ones) deride me greatly ; from thy law I swerve 
 iwt. Both verbs are in the past tense, which would seem to 
 indicate that the derision here complained of, although recent, 
 had now ceased or been abated. The clause agrees well with 
 the scorn excited in the heathen neighbours of the restored Jews 
 by what seemed to be their mad attempt to build the temple. 
 
PSALM CXIX. 165 
 
 The omission of a connective makes the antithesis more pointed. 
 Swerved^ declined, or turned aside. See above, on Ps. xliv. 19 
 (18), and compare Ps. xl. 5 (4.) The first word in the verse is 
 one commonly applied to presumptuous high-handed sinners. See 
 above, on Ps. xLx. 14 (13.) 
 
 52. / have rememlered thy judgments from eternity^ Jehovah^ 
 and consoled myself. His faith and hope under present trials are 
 sustained by recollection of the past. Thy judgments, not merely 
 the punishments inflicted on thy enemies, but all the exhibitions 
 of thy righteousness in outward act, including the deliverances of 
 thy people. From eternity , or from an indefinite antiquity, which 
 is the primary meaning of the Hebrew word. There is no reason 
 for discarding the reflexive form of the last verb, as some versions 
 do, especially as it suggests the idea, not of a mere passive recep- 
 tion of the comfort, but of an active effort to obtain it. 
 
 53. Rage has seized me from wich'ed {men) abandoning thy 
 law. No English word is strong enough to represent the first 
 one in the Hebrew of this verse except rage or fury. See above, 
 on Ps. xi. 6. It here denotes the highest pitch of indignant 
 disapproval. From, i. e. arising or proceeding from, because of. 
 Forsakirig thy law., not only refusing in practice to obey it, but 
 avowedly abjuring its authority. 
 
 54. Songs for me have been thy statutes in the house of my 
 sojournings. Instead of abjuring them as presumptuous sinners 
 do, I make them the subject of my thankful and triumphant 
 songs (Isai. xxiv. 16), even while I sojourn as a pilgrim and a 
 stranger in a strange land. The house of my sojournings, i. e. 
 the house where I sojourn, is an imitation of the phrase, land of 
 sojournings, which occurs so often in the patriarchal history. See 
 Gen. xvii. 8. xxviii. 4. xxxvi. 7. xxxvii. 1. Pilgrimage is less 
 exact because it suggests the idea of locomotion rather than of 
 
166 PSALM CXTX. 
 
 rest. The statutes of God are thus rejoiced in, not as mere 
 requisitions, but as necessarily including promises. 
 
 55. / remcmher in the night thy name, Jehovah^ and observe 
 thy law. The night is mentioned as the natural and customary sea- 
 son of reflection and self-recollection, and also as the time when 
 pains of every kind are usually most acute. See above, on Ps. 
 xci. 5. With this clause and the verse preceding compare Job 
 XXXV. 10. Thy name, i. e. all that is denoted by thy names, and 
 more especially by the one here mentioned, thy eternal self 
 existence and thy covenant relation to thy people. 
 
 56. This has been to me, for thy precepts I have hept. The 
 usual interpretations, this I had because I kept thy precepts, and 
 this I have (namely) that I keep thy precepts, are almost unmeaning. 
 When taken in connection with the one before it, the true sense 
 of the verse appears to be, that what he was thus wont to promise 
 or resolve, he had performed. The substantive verb is to be 
 taken in the sense which it so often has in history. This has 
 happened to me, come to pass, been verified in my experience. 
 In the stanza which here ends, three verses begin with some form 
 of the verb (^^t) to remember, and two with the pronoun (ri^"T) 
 this. 
 
 57. My portion, oh Jehovah, I have said, (is) to keep thy words. 
 This construction is rejected by Hengstenberg and others, as 
 forbidden by the accents and the analogy of Ps. xvi. 5. Ixxiii. 26. 
 But as the same words may either express the sense here given or 
 my portion (is) Jehovah, we are at liberty to choose the one best 
 suited to the context, even in opposition to the accents, which 
 cannot be regarded as an ultimate authority. In favour of the 
 sense first given is its perfect agreement with the close of the 
 preceding stanza. In reference to the resolution there recordo(3 
 
PSALM ex IX. 167 
 
 and described as having been fulfilled, lie here adds, thus have I 
 said (declared my purpose) oh Lord to obey thy words. 
 
 58. I have sought thy favour with all (ray) heart ; he gracious 
 unto, me according to thy loord. In the first clause we have a 
 repetition of the singular and striking idiom used in Ps. xlv. 13 
 (12), and explained by some as meaning strictly to soothe or 
 stroke the fac-e, and by others to soften or subdue it, i. e. the 
 hostility or opposition expressed by it. With all (my) hearty or 
 with a ivhole hearty as in vs. 2, 34, above. Thy word or sayings 
 i. e. thy promise. The original expression is not ("liin) the one 
 BO constantly employed in this psalm, but (n^?2i^) that used in 
 vs. 10, 41, and derived from the verb (^)35^) to say. 
 
 59. / have thought on my ways, and turned hack my feet te 
 thy testimonies. The first verb here means thought over, pondered^ 
 as in Ps. Ixxvii. 6 (5.) 3Iy ways^ i. e., as appears from the last 
 clause, my departures from thy testimonies or commandments 
 See above, on vs. 2, 14, 31, 36, 46. The common version of the 
 last verb (turned) ^ although correct, is not sufficient to convey 
 the full force of the Hebrew word, which is a causative meaning 
 to bring back or make to return, and implying previous departure, 
 whereas the primitive verb t2trn carries with it no such implication. 
 While this verse is exactly descriptive of the process of personal 
 conviction and conversion, it is also strikingly appropriate to the 
 eftects of the captivity on Israel, as a church and nation- 
 
 60. / hastened, and delayed not, to observe thy commandments. 
 This continues the account of his conversion, begun in the prece- 
 ding verse. The first clause exemplifies the idiomatic combination 
 of a positive and negative expression of the same idea. Tho 
 second verb is peculiarly expressive and seems to be applied, in 
 the most ancient Hebrew books, to a trifling and unreasonable 
 tarrying in great emergencies. See Gen xix. 16. xliii. 10. Ex. mi 
 
168 PSALM CXIX. 
 
 39. In this respect, as well as in relation to its singular redu- 
 plicated form, the Hebrew verb bears some analogy to certain 
 familiar terms in English, which are colloquially used in the 
 same manner. 
 
 61. Tht lai}ds of wicked men environed me, (but) thy law I did 
 not forget. As descriptive of personal experience, this may be 
 translated in the present {environ me, forget not) ; but in orde» 
 to include a reference to the Babylonish exile, and the preserva- 
 tion of the people from apostasy at that eventful crisis, the pre- 
 terite forms of the original must be preserved. The figure of the 
 first clause is borrowed from Ps. xviii. 5, 6 (4, 5), but with the 
 substitution of a verbal form used only here, and represented by 
 the word environed. The relation of the clauses, to denote which 
 in English hut has been supplied, is the same as in v. 51 above. 
 
 62. At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee on ("account 
 of J the judgments of thy righteousness. The first phrase, which 
 literally means the half (or halving) of the night, is borrowed from 
 the history of the midnight massacre in Egypt, Ex. xi. 4. xii. 29, 
 to which there is also a historical allusion, as a signal instance of 
 divine interposition and miraculous deliverance. A similar allu- 
 sion may be traced in Job xxxiv. 20. The judgments of thy 
 righteousness^ thy judgments of righteousness, thy righteous 
 judgments, cannot be altogether different in m*eaning from the 
 very same words in v. 7, as supposed by some interpreters, who 
 there explain the phrase to mean Grod's precepts or his requisi- 
 tions, here his penal inflictions. The solution of the difficulty lies 
 in this, that the words mean neither of these things specifically, 
 but something which comprehends them both, viz. the actual 
 manifestations of God's righteousness, in word or deed, by precept 
 or by punishment. 
 
 63. A fellow (am) I to all who fear thee, and to the keepers of 
 
PSALM CXIX 16fe 
 
 thy precepis. Not merely a com'panion or frequenter of theii 
 company, but an associate, a congenial spirit, one of the same 
 character. Compare the use of the same Hebrew word in Pa 
 xlv. 8 (7), where the plural is translated felloics in the EnirlisL 
 Bible. The verse before us is one of those which it seems most 
 difficult to understand of Israel as a whole ; for in what sense was 
 the church or chosen people a companion of those fearing God 
 and keeping his commandments, when all the people in the world 
 of that description were embraced within her own communion } 
 The force of this objection is .so great that Hengstenberg applies 
 the description to the pious ancestors of the returned Jews, and 
 refers to Mai. iii, 24 (iv. 6.) The necessity of such a forced 
 construction goes far to confirm the exegetical hypothesis, already 
 stated as most probably the true one, that the psalm was intended 
 to express the feelings of an individual believer, but that some of 
 its terms are, from parity of circumstances, equally descriptive of 
 what had been experienced by the house of Israel as a church and 
 nation. 
 
 64. Of thy mercy J oh Jehovah, full is the earth; thy statutes 
 teach me. Since thy mercy fills the whole earth, let it reach to 
 me, enabling me to understand thy will and to obey it. The 
 relation of the clauses is not unlike that in v. 12. The stanaa 
 closing with this verse is the first in which the initial words of all 
 the verses are entirely different. See above, on vs. 8, 16, 24, 
 32, 40, 48, 56. 
 
 65. Good hast thou done to thy , servant, oh Jehovah, according 
 to thy word. The common version of the first clause [thou has^i 
 dealt well with thy servant) is equally correct and has the advantasj^^ 
 of retaining the preposition with, which may be used in English' 
 after deal but not after do. The sense expressed by both trans- 
 lations is the same, to wit, thou hast treated him graciously cr 
 
 VOL. III. 8 
 
170 PSALM CXIX. 
 
 kindly. According to thy word^ i. e. the promise annexed to thy 
 commandments, as in vs. 25, 28 (compare vs. 41, 58.) This 
 verse is equally appropriate as a personal thanksgiving, and an 
 acknowledgment of national deliverances, such as that from 
 Babylon. 
 
 66. Goodness of judgment and knowledge teach me, for in thy 
 commandments I believe. The first word in Hebrew is not (niL ) 
 the adjective good, as in v. 65, but (i^ta) the corresponding 
 abstract noun meaning goodness, as in Ps. xxv. 7. xxvii. 13. 
 xxxi. 20 (19.) That it here denotes not moral but intellectual 
 excellence, is determined by the addition of (tJ^t:) a word origi 
 nally meaning taste, and then transferred to reason, judgment, 
 understanding. See above, on Ps. xxxiv. 1. Teach me good 
 ''udgment, i. e. impart it by divine instruction. Judgment and 
 Knowledge may be here distinguished as in common parlance, the 
 one denoting the faculty employed, the other the result of its 
 exertion. The knowledge meant is that continually prayed for in 
 this psalm, to wit, the knowledge of God's will. The connection 
 of the clauses seems to be, that he has faith and would fain have 
 knowledge ; he takes God's precepts upon trust, but then prays 
 that he may understand them. To believe in God's command- 
 ments is to believe that they are his, and therefore right and 
 binding. 
 
 67. Before J suffered I (was) going astray, and now thy saying 
 I observe. Going astray, wandering, erring, i. e. habitually, ever 
 straying. A7Ld now (on the contrary), where our idiom would 
 require a but. The saying of God is what he says, including both 
 commands and promises, which indeed are represented in the Old 
 Testament, and especially in this psalm, as inseparable. Observe, 
 attend to, keep in view, according to the nature of the object, 
 trusting the promise, obeying the command. The last verb strict]? 
 means / /lave observed, implying that the salutary fruit of the 
 
PSALM ex IX. ^ 171 
 
 affliction was already realized and still continued. The sentiment 
 of this verse has been echoed, and its very words repeated, by the 
 godly sufferers of every age, a strong proof that it was meant to 
 be so used. At the same time it furnishes an exquisite description 
 of the effect produced upon the Jews, as a body, by the Babylon- 
 ish exile, and especially the end which it forever put to their 
 continual lapses into idolatry, by which their early history was 
 characterized, and with respect to which the whole race might 
 well have said, Before I suffered I was (ever) straying. 
 
 68. Good {art) thou and doing good — teach me thy statutes ! 
 Good, both essentially and actively or practically ; good in thyself 
 and good to others. The participle, as in v. 67, denotes habitual 
 constant action, {ever) doing good. It is characteristic of this 
 psalm, that the petition founded on the goodness of God's nature, 
 on his beneficence, and even on his infinite perfection, si still, 
 teach me thy statutes ! Make me acquainted with thy will, and 
 show me how to do it ! See above, on vs. 12, 64. 
 
 69. Proud {men) have forged a lie against me; /, with all 
 (my) hearty will keep thy precepts. Proud, presumptuous, over- 
 bearing sinners, as in v. 51. Forged expresses the essential 
 meaning of the Hebrew word, but not its figurative form, which 
 seems to be that of sewing, analogous to that of weaving, as ap- 
 plied to the same thing, both in Hebrew and in other languages. 
 We may also compare our figurative phrase, to patch up^ which 
 however is not so much suo;o;estive of artifice or skill as of the 
 want of it. The connection of the clauses is, that all the craft 
 and malice of his enemies should only lead him to obey God with 
 a more undivided heart than ever. See above, on v. 58. With 
 the same surprising skill and wisdom as in many other casca 
 which have been already mentioned, this verse is so framed as to 
 be equally well suited to such national and public evils as those 
 described in the fourth chapter of Ezra, and to the sufferings of 
 
172 PSALM CXI X. 
 
 the pious individual, arising from the pride and spite of wicked 
 enemies. 
 
 70. Fat as grease (is) their heart. I {in) thy law delight. The 
 eonnection of the clauses lies in the figurative use of fat to denote 
 insensibility. Sec above, on Ps. xvii. 10. Ixxiii. 7. While they 
 are utterly insensible to spiritual pleasures, and especially to those 
 springing from the knowledge of thy law, I find therein my highest 
 happiness. The verb in the last clause is a cognate form to that 
 in vs. 16, 47, and identical with that in Isai. xi. 8, where it 
 means to play, sport, or enjoy one's self. 
 
 71. (It is) good for me that I was made to suffer^ to the end 
 that I might learn thy statutes. The prayer so frequently re- 
 peated, teach me thy statutes, is now proved to be sincere by a 
 hearty acquiescence in the painful discipline by w^hich it had been 
 partially fulfilled already. Good for me, and therefore good on 
 God's part. The idea of compulsory subjection to this salutary 
 process is suggested by the passive causative form of the verb 
 used in v. 67. To the end or intent, a phrase corresponding, 
 both in form and meaning, to the Hebrew. 
 
 72. Good for me is the law of thy mouth (more) than thous- 
 ands of gold and silver. For me, for my use as well as in my 
 estimation. The law of thy mouth, that which thou hast uttered. 
 See above, on v. 13. Than, literally, from, away from, as dis- 
 tinguished from, as compared with, which is just the meaning of 
 the English than. The combination good than, or good from, is 
 the nearest approach, of which the Hebrew idiom admits, to letter 
 than. The indefinite term thousands may refer to weight or 
 number ; to coin or bullion ; to coins in general, or to shekels or 
 talents in particular. While this verse primarily expresses the 
 changed estimate which Israel learned in exile to put upon the law, 
 
PSALM CXIX. 17j 
 
 it is equally expresrsive of the feeling cherished by all true be 
 lievers, in their best estate, as to the value of the word of God. 
 Here ends the ninth stanza, of which five verses begin with the 
 word (nit:) good. 
 
 73. Thy hands made me and fashioned me; make 7ne understand 
 and lei me learn thy commandments. As I owe my existence to thy 
 power, so too I rely upon thy grace for spiritual illumination. 
 Compare Deut. xxxii. 6. Fashioned, literally, fixed, established, 
 i. e. framed my constitution as it is. 
 
 74. Thy fearers shall see me and rejoice ; for in thy word have 
 I hojpcd. Compare Ps. v. 12 (H.) xxxiv. 3 (2.) They shall 
 rejoice in my case, as a new proof that they who trust in God 
 cannot be disappointed. The literal meaning of the last clause 
 is, because for thy word I have waited, i. e. patiently and trust- 
 fully awaited its fulfilment. 
 
 75. I know, Jehovah, that righteousness art thy judgments, and 
 (m) faithfulness thou hast afflicted me (or made me suffer.) Thy 
 judgments, thy sovereign decisions and their execution, are 
 righteousness itself, i. e. perfectly righteous. So in the next 
 clause, for in faithfulness we may read as faithfulness itself, as 
 one absolutely faithful to his promise and engagements. This 
 confession would be untrue, if those who made it were not con- 
 scious of their guilt and ill-desert. Compare Deut. xxxii. 4 
 
 76. Oh that thy mo cy might he for my comfort, according to 
 thy saying to thy servant. The optative expression, oh that, is 
 here used to represent the Hebrew particle of entreaty (H5), cor- 
 rectly paraphrased in the English Bible, / jpray thee. Fo^' my 
 comfort, literally, to comfort for console) me. Thy saying, that 
 which thou hast said or promised. To thy servant, to me as thj 
 
174 PSALM CXIX. 
 
 servant, and as such in covenant with thee. This description ia 
 
 equally appropriate to the body and its members. 
 
 77. Let thy compassions come unto me (or upon mc)^ and I shall 
 liviyfor thy law {is) my delights. The construction in the first 
 clause is like that in v. 41. Aiid I shall live,or as we might ex- 
 press it, that 1 7)10 y live. See above, on v. 17. He pleads what 
 he has received already as a ground for asking more. The plural 
 (delights) expresses fulness and completeness, or perhaps implies 
 that this joy is equal or superior to all others, or includes them all. 
 The Hebrew noun is derived from the verb in vs. 16, 47, 70. 
 
 78. Shamed be the jproud.^for falsely have they wronged me ; I 
 will muse of thy precepts. Falsely , literally, falsehood, i. e. in or 
 by it. Wronged, literally, bent, perverted. With the last 
 clause compare vs. 27, 48. 
 
 79. Let thejn return to me that fear thee and know thy testis 
 monies. Let thy servants who have looked upon me as abandoned 
 by thee now restore to me their confidence. The various read- 
 ing in the last clause ("^is^T^ and VJ^') does not afi"ect the meaning 
 of the sentence, except that the reading in the text may be included 
 in the wish, and let them know thy testimonies, \. e. let them learn 
 from my experience to understand thy precepts better. 
 
 80. Let my heart he perfect in thy statutes, to the end that 1 may 
 not he shamed. In thy statutes, in the knowledge and the prac- 
 tice of them, or as it is expressed in Ps. xix. 12 (11), in keeping 
 them. Shamed, put to shame by the frustration of my highest 
 hopes. Sec above, on v. 6. Two of the verses in this stanza 
 begin with the same Hebrew word ('n"^). 
 
PSALM CXI X, 173 
 
 81. For thy salvation faints my soul ; for thy word do I wait. 
 Xioth verbs are in the preterite, implying that it is so and has 
 been so. Faints^ is spent or wasted. This strong expression for 
 intense desire is borrowed from Ps. Ixxxiv. 3 (2.) With the last 
 clause compare v. 74. 
 
 82. My eyes fail for thy sayings so that I say, when wilt thou 
 comfort me ? The first verb in Hebrew is the same with the first 
 in the preceding verse. Thy saying ^ the fulfilment of thy promise. 
 The Hebrew noun is derived from the following verb, to say, so 
 as to say, so that I say. It might also be translated, but with 
 less exactness, while I say. 
 
 83. For I have been like a bottle in the smoke ; thy statutes I 
 have not forgotten. The bottle meant is one of skin, still com- 
 mon in the east. The comparison is not entirely clear. Some 
 suppose that the blackening and shrivelling effect of the smoke 
 upon the skin is simply used as a figure for distress. Others 
 understand the words as conveying the additional idea, that as 
 wine-skins are not meant to be involved in smoke, so distress 
 is not the normal or natural condition of God's people. Others, 
 assuming that the skins were intentionally smoked by way of 
 seasoning, suppose the principal idea to be that of painful but 
 salutary discipline. There can be no doubt, that the clause 
 relates, in some way, to the afflictions, either of the chosen people, 
 or of individual believers, or of both. The meaning of the last 
 clause is that, notwithstanding these afflictions, the sufierer has 
 not forgotten God's commandments. 
 
 84. How many [are) the days of thy servant ? Wheii wilt thou 
 execute upon my perseaitors judgment ? The shortness of life is 
 indirectly urged as an argument for speedy action. See above, 
 
176 PSALM CXIX. 
 
 on Ps. xxxix. 5, 14 (4, 13.) Ixxviii. 39. Ixxxix. 48,49 (47,48.) 
 Execute judgment^ or do justice^ as in Ps. ix. 5 (4.) 
 
 85. Frond {^ntn) dig for me pitSy which (are) not, according to 
 thy law. The presumptuous sinners (vs. 51, 69, 78) who are his 
 enemies use the most treacherous means for his destruction, with- 
 out regard to the divine command or prohibition. See above, on 
 Ps vii. 16 (15.) Ivii. 7 (6.) 
 
 86. All thy commandments (are) faithf ulness ; falsely do thep 
 persecute me ; help thou me. The promises annexed to God's 
 commandments are infallible. Falsely^ as in v. 78, falsehood^ 
 i. e. in falsehood, without right or reason, or with (by means of) 
 falsehood^ as their instrument. The verb agrees with the re- 
 moter antecedent (persecutors) in v. 84. 
 
 87. They almost consumed me in the land^ and I did not forsake 
 thy precepts. The verb consumed or destroyed (^a>3) and the 
 phrase in the land both occur in reference to the Canaanites, 
 2 Chr. viii. 8. The translation in the earth (v. 19) is admissible, 
 but less significant, and less in keeping with the national import 
 of the psalm. The second clause, as usual in such cases, de- 
 clares that notwithstanding his afflictions, he still sought to know 
 and do the will of God. 
 
 88. According to thy mercy quicken me., and I will keep the testi- 
 mony of thy mouth. Restore me to life, or save me alive, as in 
 vs. 25, 37, 40. Of thy mouth., as in vs. 11,72. This closes 
 the eleventh stanza and the first half of the psalm. Two of these 
 eight verses begin with diflferent forms of the verb (nb^) to fail or 
 
 faint., and three (including v. 84) with the particle (i) as or like 
 
 89. To eternity., Jehovah^ thy word is settled in heaven. Tha 
 
PSALM CXIX. 177 
 
 translation, eternal (art thou) Lord^ is contrary to usage, which 
 requires the pronoun, in that case, to be expressed. Settled, liter- 
 ally, made to stand, i. e. unalterably fixed. In heaven, beyond 
 the reach of all disturbing causes. See above, Ps. Ixxxix. 3 (2.) 
 
 90. To generation and generation (is) thy faithfulness ; thou 
 hast fixed the earth and it stands. Resolved into our idiom, the 
 meaning of this verse is, that the truth of God's promises, or hia 
 fidelity to his engagements, is secured by the same divine per- 
 fection, which brought the world at first into existence, and has 
 ever since preserved it. The verb translated j^3:e^ is not the one 
 employed in v. 89, but that used in Ps. vii. 10 (9.) ix. 8 (7.) 
 xl. 3 (2.) xlviii. 9 (8.) Ixviii. 10 (9.) xc. 17. xcix. 4. cvii. 36. The 
 sense prepared is rare and doubtful, and too feeble for this con- 
 text. 
 
 91. For thy judgments they stand to day, for all are thy ser- 
 vants. The subject of the first verb, though obscure, is probably 
 the heavens and the earth, mentioned in the two preceding 
 verses. These stand, continue to exist, for the execution of 
 God's judgments, with reference perhaps to the destruction 
 wrought by fire from heaven, by the opening of the earth, etc. 
 All, literally, the whole, w nav^ the universe ; but the construc- 
 tion of this with the plural servants would be harsh in English. 
 The same expression is applied in Ps. xiv. 3 to all mankind, but 
 here to the material universe. Thy servants, the instruments 
 employed to execute thy will. 
 
 92. Unless thy law were my delights, then should I perish in my 
 affiidion. The verse admits also of the construction in the Eng* 
 lish Bible, which refers it to a remoter past, and represents the 
 danger as escaped, whereas the first construction implies a con- 
 tinued state of suffering. The law of God, as usual in this psalm, 
 
 8* 
 
178 PSALM CXIX. 
 
 is here viewed, not as a body of mere requisitions, but as a cove- 
 nant, a law accompanied by promises. 
 
 93. To eternity I ivill not forget thy precepts, for in them hast 
 thou quickened me. In them, or by them, which is really included 
 in the other, meaning in the practice of them and by means of 
 them. Quickened, as in vs. 17, 25, 37, 40, 50. 
 
 94. Thine am I — save me — for thy precepts I have sought. The 
 original form of the first clause is, to thee (am) I. Sought, as 
 in vs. 2, 10, 45. 
 
 95. For me have wicked (mvn) waited, to destroy me; thy testis 
 monies will I understa7id. With the first clause compare Ps. 
 Ivi. 7 (6.) Consider, though correct, is an inadequate translation 
 of the last verb, which denotes a fixed and intelligent attention. 
 The only effect of his enemies' malignant plots is a still more 
 serious contemplation of God's precepts. 
 
 96. To all perfection I have seen an tnd, (but) wide is thy com' 
 mand exceedingly. By end we are not to understand the end of 
 its existence, but the limit or boundary of its extent. To all 
 other perfection (so called) I can see an end, but that required 
 and embodied in thy law is boundless. All the verses of this 
 stanza except one (v. 92) begin with the preposition (b) to or 
 for, as all those of the second do with (n) in. 
 
 97. How I love thy law ! All the day it (is) my meditation,!, e. 
 the subject of my solitary musing. This continual representation 
 of God's law, not as a mere rule, but as an object of affection 
 and a subject of perpetual reflection, is characteristic of the 
 Psalms, and appears at the very threshold of the whole collection 
 See above, on Ps. i. 2. 
 
PSALM ex IX. 179 
 
 P8. (More) than my tnemics do thy commandments make me 
 wise; for to eternity it is mine {or to me.) This is the con- 
 struction of the first clause preferred by the latest interpreters, 
 although it requires a singular verb to be construed with a 
 plural noun. But as the same irregularity exists in the construc- 
 tion of the pronoun in the second clause, however the first may be 
 explained, it is best to explain both anomalies alike, i. e. partly 
 by the relative position of the words, and partly by the aggregate 
 sense in which commandments is here used as equivalent to law, 
 and which, agreeably to general usage, may sufficiently account 
 for its construction with a verb and pronoun in the singular. As 
 analogous cases have been cited 2 Sam. xxii. 23 — " (as forj his 
 statutes, I depart not from it" — and 2 Kings xvii. 22 — " the sins 
 of Jeroboam which he did, they departed not from it." As the 
 sins of Jeroboam were concentrated in one, so the statutes of Je- 
 hovah might be viewed as one great comprehensive precept. The 
 meaning of the last clause is not merely, it is ever icith me, but 
 it is forever to me, i. e. mine, my inalienable indefeasible pos- 
 session. See above, v. 94. 
 
 9p. (More) than all my teachers I act wisely, for thy testimonies 
 {are) a meditation to me. My teachers, my superiors in natural 
 and worldly wisdom. As the Hebrew verb has always elsewhere 
 an active meaning, it is better to retain it here, the rather as it 
 indicates more clearly that the wisdom which he boasts was 
 practical, experimental. See above, on Ps. ii, 10. xiv. 2. xxxii. 
 3 (7.) xli. 2 (1.) Ixiv. 10 (9.) ci. 2. The essential meaning of 
 the last clause is the same with that of v. 97, but the use of the 
 expression {^y) suggests the same idea of possession that is ex- 
 pressed in V. 98. Thy testimonies are mine, belong to me, as an 
 sbject of incessant contemplation. 
 
 100. (More) than old men I understand, because thy preceptt 
 T have kept. The first verb is the same, and has the same sense 
 
180 PSALM CXTX. 
 
 as in V. 95. The ambiguous Hebrew word ( b^5ip.T ) cannot be 
 expressed by any one in modern English, as it may mean either 
 old men in the proper sense, whose greater experience entitled 
 them to be considered wiser than their juniors ; or the anzknts^ 
 those of former generations, who are popularly looked upon as 
 wiser than their children and successors. One of these senses suits 
 the personal, the other the national design and application of the 
 psalm. In either case, there is really no boast of superior intelli- 
 gence, as a distinguishing endowment, but merely an assertion, in 
 a striking form, that the highest wisdom is to do the will of God. 
 See above, on Ps. cxi. 10. 
 
 101. From every evil fath I rcjrain my feet^ to the intent that 
 1 may keep thy word. Of the two ideas conveyed by word^ that 
 of command is here predominant, but not exclusive of the other. 
 To keep God's word is primarily to obey his precept, but second- 
 arily to verify his promise. This verse teaches clearly that the 
 keeping of God's word is something incompatible with treading 
 any evil path. 
 
 102. From thy judgments I do not depart., hecause thou guidest 
 me. AVe have here another word of comprehensive meaning, in 
 which sometimes one phase of the essential idea is presented prom- 
 inently, sometimes another. The divine judgments., in this psalm, 
 are always the external exhibitions of the divine righteousness, in 
 word or deed, by precept or by punishment. Here of course the 
 former are especially intended. The figure of a way, though not 
 expressed, is still indicated by the verbs depart and guide. As to 
 the latter, see above, on v. 33. From this verse it is doubly clear 
 that he claims nothing as belonging to himself, or as accomplished 
 in his own strength, but ascribes all to the power and grace of God. 
 The preterite forms, in this and the preceding verse, merely make 
 the past more prominent than the future, as an accessory idea to 
 the present. 
 
PSALM CXIX. 181 
 
 103. How sweet to my palate are thy sayings^ sweeter than 
 koney to my mouth! As the Hebrew verb occurs only here, it is 
 better to follow the rabbinical tradition and i\iQ ancient versions, 
 which make the idea to be that of sweetness, than the uncertain 
 etymological deductions of the lexicons, which make it to be that 
 of smoothness. The passive form may possibly denote that the 
 psalmist's relish for God's word was not a native but acquired 
 taste Some interpreters unreasonably give to word the sense of 
 law, excluding that of promise altogether, whereas both must 
 unavoidably have been suggested to a Hebrew reader. The 
 original word means neither more not less than that which God 
 has said. The figures of this verse are borrowed from Ps. xix. 
 
 11 (10.) 
 
 104. From thy precepts I get understanding ; therefore I hate 
 every path of falsehood. The common version of the first verb 
 comes as near to the exact sense of the original as any other 
 English word or phrase. The Hebrew verb is the same that 
 occurs above, vs. 95, 100. As he knows no wisdom independent 
 of the truth, he hates falsehood as the height of folly, and regu- 
 lates his life accordingly. All the verses of this stanza begin 
 either with the exclamation (htd) how., or with the preposition 
 ("1)2) from-., than. 
 
 105. yL lantern for my foot is thy word, and a light for my 
 **ath. To the figure of a path, so frequently presented in this psalm 
 already, is now added that of a light, to make it plain amidst 
 surrounding darkness. The parallelism is completed by adding 
 the generic term, light, to the specific one, lamp or lantern. For 
 my foot, i. e. to guide it. For my path, i. e. to show it. 
 
 106. I have sworn^ and will perform (my oath), to observe the 
 judgments of thy r'ghtcousness. The second verb occurs above, 
 
IS2 PSALM CXI X. 
 
 V. 28, in lis primary sense of raising up, or causing to stand up« 
 right. In the later books, particularly that of Esther, it occurs 
 very often in the sense of ratifying or confirming, and might here 
 be rendered, I confirm (my oath already made.) In either case, 
 it merely strengthens the expression which precedes it. Observe, 
 keep, or obey, as in vs. 4, 5, 8, etc. Thy righteous judgments^ 
 as in vs. 7, 62. Considered as the language of the whole church 
 or nation, this verse may have reference to the covenant entered 
 into at Mount Sinai and renewed in the plains of Moab, while as 
 a personal profession, it has its counterpart in the experience of 
 every true believer. 
 
 107. I am afflicted even to extremity ; Jehovah^ quicken me ac- 
 cording to thy word. That the first clause does not relate 
 merely to past sufferings {I loas afflicted), seems to follow from 
 the prayer in the last clause, which may, however, be understood 
 as a petition for deliverance from the deadening effects of a 
 calamity already past, such as the Babylonish exile, the enfeeb- 
 ling influence of which notwithstanding incidental benefits, con- 
 tinued to be felt for ages. The first verb in Hebrew, with the 
 idea of suffering, always suggests that of humiliation. £ven to 
 extremity, the same words that occur above, in vs. 8, 43, 51. 
 The meaning of the last clause is, bestow upon me that life which 
 is promised in the Law to those who keep it. See Lev. xviii. 5. 
 Deut. vi. 24. 
 
 108. The free-will offerings of my mouth accept, I pray thee, 
 oh Jehovah, and thy judgments teach me. For the meaning of the 
 first Hebrew word, see above, on Ps. ex. 3. It is here a figure 
 for prayers and praises, as appears from the addition of my 
 mouth. The verb accejpt is one continually used in the Law, with 
 respect to sacrificial offerings. See above, on Ps. li. 18 (16), and 
 compare Ps. 1. 14. The recurrence of the prayer, thy judgments 
 teach me, shows that the writer's object was to make everything 
 
PSALM CXI X. 183 
 
 tend to this conclusion, and that however a sentence may beo-in, 
 it cannot be complete without a repetition of this favourite idea. 
 
 109. My soul is in my hand always, arid (yet) thy law I have 
 not forgotten. The sense of the strong figure in the first clause 
 is clear from Judg, xii. 13. 1 Sam. xix. 5. xxviii. 21, where he 
 who risks or jeopards his own life, in war or otherwise, is said to 
 put his soul into his hand, as if to have it ready to give up or 
 throw away at any moment. The same expression reappears in 
 Job xiii. 14. The meaning of the whole verse is, that even amidst 
 the deadly perils which environed him, he still remembered the 
 divine law, as an object of supreme afi"ection. 
 
 110. Wicked (men) have laid a snare for me, and (yetj from 
 thy precepts I have not strayed. Laid for me, literally, given to 
 me, as we might speak of a snare as presented to a person, i. e 
 set before him. The devices and temptations of the wicked were 
 as powerless as all the other causes previously mentioned, in lead- 
 ing him away from the path of truth and safety. 
 
 Ill / inherit thy testimonies to eternity, for the joy of my heat ' 
 (are) they. The first verb means to take as a possession or in 
 heritance, and is here used in allusion to those places of the 
 Pentateuch where it is applied to the possession of the promised 
 land. See for example Ex. xxiii. 30. 
 
 112. I incline my heart to do thy statutes to eternity, (even to) 
 the end. The preterite form of the first verb represents the 
 effort as already made but still continued. For the meanino- of 
 the last word, see above, on v. 33. This stanza, like the eighth, 
 has a different initial word in every verse. 
 
 113 Waver ers I hate, and thy lato 1 love. The first word in 
 
184 PSALM CXIX. 
 
 Hebrew occurs only here. According to the most prohable ety 
 mology, it means men of divided and unstable minds. See 
 above, on Ps. xii. 3 (2), and compare James i. 8. 
 
 114. My hiding place and my shield (art) thou — for thy word 
 I waitj i. e. for the fulfilment of thy promise. See above, on 
 V. 81. The first word in the verse means properly a secret 
 or a secret place. See above, on Ps. xxvii. 5. xxxii. 7. Ixi. 
 5 (4. J xci. 1. The shield is a favourite figure for protection 
 See above, on Ps. iii. 4 (3.) vii. 11 JlO.) xviii. 3, 31 (2, 30.) 
 
 115. Depart fr 0771 me^ evil doers, and I will keep the command- 
 menls of God. The first clause is borrowed from Ps. vi. 9 (8.) 
 The meaning in both cases seems to be, that he has no fear of 
 the'v enmity. The reason given in this case is, because he -is re- 
 solved to do the will of God, and is therefore sure of his protection. 
 
 116. Uphold me according to thy promist, dnd let vie live, and 
 let me not he ashamed of my hope. Promise, literally, saying, that 
 which thou hast said, as in v. 82. Let me live might also 
 be translated and I shall live, or paraphrased that I may live. 
 See above, on v. 17. Of my hope, literally from my hope, which 
 some understand in a privative sense, away from, deprived of, 
 without my hope, i. e. without having it fulfilled. Ashamed of 
 my hope does not convey the sense so fully as shamed in my hope, 
 frustrated, disappointed, in my expectations. 
 
 117. Sustain me and I shall he saved, and I will look to thy 
 statutes always. The first verb is nearly synonymous with that 
 at the beginning of v. 116, and the same that occurs above, Ps. 
 XX. 3 (2.) xli 4 (3.) xciv. 18. civ. 15. / shall he saved, or let 
 me he saved, or that I may he saved, precisely as in the preceding 
 verse. The strict future sense is here to be preferred, as the vert 
 
PSALM CXIX. 185 
 
 is not both preceded and followed bj a prayer, as in the other 
 case. Look to^ have respect to, regard, as the rule of my con- 
 duct. The construction of the verb and preposition is the same 
 as in Ex. v. 9. 
 
 118. Thou despisest all (those) straying from thy statutes, for a 
 lie (is) their deceit. They are objects not only of disapprobation but 
 of scorn, because in attempting to deceive others they deceive 
 themselves. Their deception of others is a lie to themselves. 
 
 119. (As) dross hast thou made to cease all the wicked of the 
 earth ; therefore I love thy testimonies. The purifying tendency 
 of God's judgments is itself a reason for delighting in them. The 
 verb in the first clause, which occurs in its primary sense in Ps. 
 viii. 3 (2), is applied to the purging out of leaven at the passover 
 (Ex. xii. 15) and to the extirpation of wild beasts (Lev. xxvi. 6. 
 
 120. My flesh shudders from dread of thee, and of thy judgments 
 I am afraid. The first verb in Hebrew occurs only here, but is 
 universally admitted to denote some bodily effect of fear, such as 
 trembling, shuddering, or the instinctive creeping of the flesh. 
 Afraid of, in the last clause, does not fully represent the Hebrew 
 phrase, which denotes not mere apprehension of something still 
 future or absent, but terror in view of something actually present 
 Judgments has its usual wide sense, but with special reference, in 
 this case, to God's penal visitations. Here ends the fifteenth 
 stanza, in which, as in the one before it, every verse has a dis- 
 tinct initial word. 
 
 121. I do justice and righteousness ; leave me not to my op- 
 pressors. The first verb is in the past tense, I have done and I 
 still do. Do justice, not in the restricted or forensic sense of re- 
 dressing wrong judicially, but in the wid^ sense of executing jus- 
 tice or reducing it to practice. 
 
1«6 PSALM CXIX. 
 
 122. Be surety for thy servant for good ; let not the 'proud op 
 press me. The sense and construction of the first verb are pre- 
 cisely the same as in Gen. xliii. 9. xliv. 32. Compare Job xvii. 3, 
 and see my note on Isai. xxxviii. 14. It means not merely take 
 me under thy protection, but become answerable for me, stand 
 between me and those who, under any pretext, even that of legal 
 right, may seek to oppress me. For good^ i. e. for my good, for 
 my safety or deliverance. Compare Deut. vi. 24. x. 13. xxx. 9. 
 This is noted in the masora as the only verse in which the word 
 of God, or some equivalent expression, is not found. 
 
 123. My eyes fail for thy salvation^ and for the word of thy 
 righteousness. With the first clause compare v. 82. The word 
 of thy righteousness, thy word of righteousness, thy righteous 
 word, the promise of a righteous God who cannot lie. 
 
 124. Deal with thy servant according to thy mercy, and thy 
 statutes teach me. The first words strictly mean do with thy ser- 
 vant, which may be an ellipsis for do good to him, or deal kindly 
 with him, as in v. 65. See above, on Ps. cix. 21. 
 
 125. Thy servant (am) 1 ; make me understand and let me know 
 thy testimonies. That thy servant is not a mere periphrasis for I 
 or 7ne in v. 122 and elsewhere, appears from the first clause of 
 the verse before us, where it constitutes the predicate of the pro- 
 position. In the second clause, we have the same choice of con- 
 structions as in vs. 116,117. Let me know, or {then) I shall know^ 
 or that I may know, all implying one another, and amounting to 
 the same thing. 
 
 126. (It is) time for Jehovah to do — they break thy law. The 
 absolute use of do, without an object, or leaving it to be suggested 
 by the context, is a peculiar Hebrew idiom. See above, on Ps. 
 22 (21.) We may here supply justice from v. 121 (compare 
 
PSALM ex IX. 187 
 
 V. 84) ; or more indefinitely, whatever should be done ; or mora 
 indefinitely still, U is ti?ne to do (something), i. e. to act, which is 
 substantially the meaning of the common version (time to icork.) 
 Retaining the order of the Hebrew words, the sense would seenri 
 to be, it is time to do (something) fo7- Jehovah^ i. e. for his people 
 to do it. But the direct address to Grod in the last clause, and 
 the whole tenor of the context, make it more probable, that God 
 himself is here entreated to do something for the vindication of 
 his broken law. The verb in the last clause is to be construed 
 indefinitely ; they^ i. e. men in general, or the wicked in par- 
 ticular. With this clause compare Isai. xxiv. 5. 
 
 127. Therefore I love thy commandments {more) than gold and 
 (more) than fine gold. The first word refers not to the immediately 
 preceding verse, but to the whole previous description of the 
 excellence of God's commandments. The comparison in the last 
 clause, like that in v. 103, is borrowed from Ps. xix. 11 (10.) 
 
 128. Therefore all (thy) precepts (as to) all (things) / thin/c 
 right ; every way of falsehood do I hate. The therefore is co- 
 ordinate with that in the preceding verse, and to be explained iu 
 the same manner. Both were probably occasioned by the alpha- 
 betical arrangement here requiring an initial ayin. Precepts of 
 course mean those of God, as word means his word in v. 49. 
 The construction here is very foreign from our idiom, and by no 
 Djeans easily translated into it. The literal meaning of the 
 words is, all precepts of all^ which some understand to mean of 
 all Jdnds^ as in v. 14 and Ps. cxviii. 10. But others deny that 
 all has this sense, even in the places cited, and explain it here to 
 mean concerning all, on all subjects. The clause is then con- 
 demnatory of all partial distinctions between God's command- 
 ments, which may be the way of falsehood specially intended in 
 the last clause. Compare Matt. v. 17 — 19. The verb in tho 
 first clause always elsewhere means to make straight, to go 
 
188 ' PSALM C XIX. 
 
 straight, or to direct aright ; but the best interpreters agree in 
 making it here mean, to think right or approve. It is worthy of 
 remark, that as to all these points, the true sense of this difficult 
 clause seems to be given in the English Bible. With the last 
 clause compare v. 104. In the sixteenth stanza, which here 
 closes, two of the verses begin with (\3~^^) therefore^ and two 
 with diflferent forms of the verb (ribs?) to do. 
 
 129. Wonderful (are) thy testimonies; therefore my soul keepeth 
 them. The' first word in Hebrew is a plural form of that in Ps. 
 Ixxvii. 12, 15 (11, 14) Ixxviii. 12. Ixxxviii. 11 (10), and proper- 
 ly means wo7iderSj i. e., miracles or prodigies of moral excellence. 
 My soul, not merely I, but I with all my heart or soul. 
 
 130. The opening of thy ^cords enlightens., making the simple 
 understand. The common version of the first word (entrance) is 
 inaccurate, and the one here given, though exact is ambiguous. 
 The clause does not refer to the mechanical opening; of the book 
 by the reader, but to the spiritual opening of its tnie sense, by 
 divine illumination, to the mind which naturally cannot discern 
 it. For the Scriptural usage of the word translated simple, see 
 above, on Ps. xix. 8 (7.) cxvi. 6. 
 
 131. My mouth I stretch and pant, because for thy command- 
 ments 1 long. The first verb usually means to gape or yawn, bu( 
 these verbs are intransitive in English, and cannot be construed 
 with the noun directly. For the meaning of the next ve'-b, see 
 above, on Ps. Ivi. 2, 3 (1,2.) Ivii. 4 (3.) Both are figurative 
 expressions of the idea conveyed directly by the third verb, which 
 occurs nowhere else, but differs oialy in a single letter from the 
 verb of the same meaning used in vs. 40, 174, which also h 
 peculiar to this psalm. 
 
 IJIS. Turn to me, and be*gracious to me, as (is) due to the lovert 
 
PSALM CXIX. 189 
 
 of thy name. The first verb does not mean to return or come 
 back, but to turn round to or towards an object from which the 
 looks have been averted. See above, on Ps. cii. 18 (17.) Be 
 gracious or merciful^ show favour to or favour me. As is due to, 
 or according to the right of^ the lovers etc. The Hebrew word 
 (tsB^rJ??) has here the meaning of the Latin jus^ as in Ps. Ixxxi. 
 5, (4.) For the meaning of the lovers of thy name, see above, 
 on Ps. V. 12 (11.) 
 
 133. My steps establish by thy word, and let not any iniquity 
 rule over me. Establish, i. e. make firm, cause me to walk safe- 
 ly. See above, on Ps. xl. 3 (2.) By thy word or saying, 
 what thou hast said, i. e. by the fulfilment of thy promise. The 
 last clause might seem to be a prayer against the power of his 
 )wn corruption ; but the frequent use of the Hebrew noun to de- 
 mote the mutual injustice of men, together with the language of 
 ihe next verse, seems to show that this too is a prayer against op- 
 pression. The verb in this clause is applied by Nehemiah (v. 15 ) 
 to the oppression sufi"ered by the restored Jews. The Arabic 
 verb of the same form is the root of the royal title Sultan. 
 
 134.- Redeem me from the oppression of man, and I will keep 
 thy precepts. These two verses are peculiarly appropriate to the 
 trials and temptations of the Jews at the time of the Restora- 
 tion. The form of the last verb denotes strong desire and de- 
 termination. 
 
 135. Let thy face shine upon thy servant, and teach me thy 
 statutes. The prayer of the first clause is the same as that 
 which forms the burden of Ps. Ixxx. (4, 8, 20.) Thy servant, 
 i. e. me who am thy servant ; hence the first person is immedi- 
 ately resumed. 
 
 136. Streams of lo iter run down my eyes, for (that) they do 
 
190 PSALM CXI X. 
 
 not keep thy law. In the Hebrew of the first clause, tye is tha 
 subject, not the object, of the verb. See the same cr similar 
 idiomatic constructions, Jer. ix. 17. xiii. 17. Lam. i. 16. iii. 48.' 
 Ezek. vii. 17. The preposition in the last clause is to be 
 construed with the relative understood, in the sense of for 
 that^ forasmuch as, because. The complete phrase occurs above, 
 V. 49. They do 7i,ot, i. e., men indefinitely, others. Here ends 
 the seventeenth stanza, all the verses of which begin with different 
 Hebrew words. 
 
 137. Righteous (art) thou, oh Jehovah, and just thy judgments. 
 The English and the ancient versions make the second adjective 
 agree with judgments, although different in number. This might 
 be justified by making (^^!j) just a neuter adjective or substan- 
 tive, as in Ps. cxi. 8. It is much more simple and agreeable to 
 usage to apply the epithet to God himself, as in Deut. xxxii. 4, 
 and explain thy judgments as a kind of adverbial or qualifying 
 phrase, very common in Hebrew, but in our idiom requiring the 
 insertion of a preposition, upright (in or as to) thy judgments. 
 
 138. Thou hast commanded righteousness thy testimonies, and 
 faithfulness — exceedingly. This is another elliptical construction, 
 wholly foreign from our idiom. Some resolve it by supplying to 
 or to be : thou hast commanded thy testimonies to (or to be) 
 righteousness, i. e. hast made them righteous. It is simpler, 
 however, and more like the syntax of the verse preceding, to 
 supply in or with : thou hast commanded (in) righteousness thy 
 testimonies, etc. The very or exceedingly may belong to faithful- 
 ness alone, or to the whole proposition. The mention of faithful- 
 ness shows that the idea of God's promise is included in his testi- 
 mony With this verse compare v. 86, and Ps. xciii. 5. 
 
 139 My zeal consumes me, because my adversaries forget thy 
 word. The verbs strictly mean, Aris consumed, have forgotten, but 
 
PSALM CXIX. 191 
 
 without excluding the present, as they might seem to do, if ren- 
 dered literally into English. Zer?/, jealous regard for God's author- 
 ity and honour. See above, on Ps. Ixix. 10, (9.) The first He- 
 brew verb occurs above, Ps. Ixxxviii. 17 (16.) The last clause 
 gives the reason or occasion of his jealousy. Adversaries^ perse- 
 cutors or oppressors. Thy word includes thy promise to me and 
 thy command to them. 
 
 140. Pure {is) thy word — exceedingly ^ and thy servant loves it. 
 Pure, literally, purged, tried, assayed, refined, like precious metal. 
 See above, on Ps. xviii. 31 (30.) Saying^ as elsewhere in this psalm 
 alternates with word^ and has the same comprehensive meaning. 
 Thy servant J I as thy servant, and because I am so. Loves and 
 has long loved. 
 
 141. Little (am) I and despised^ (but) thy precepts do I not for- 
 get. However proudly or however justly I may be despised, 1 
 can still lay claim to one distinction, that I have not, like my de- 
 spisers, forgotten God's commandments. These words are pecu- 
 iiarly appropriate to Israel, as a body, at the Restoration. 
 
 142. Thy righteousness (is) right forever, and thy law (is) truth. 
 Right is here used as a noun, in order to vary the expression in 
 English as in Hebrew, where two cognate forms (npll and pns) 
 are employed. With the first clause compare Ps. ciii. 17. cxi. 3. 
 The idea here is, that God's rectitude is not capricious or mutable, 
 as might be inferred from the afllictions of his people, but un- 
 changeable and to eternity. Thy law, both in its precepts and its 
 promises, is true, is truth itself. 
 
 143. Distress and anguish seize (or seized) me; thy command' 
 ments (are) my delight. Even in the midst of sufi*ering, thy com 
 mandments not only solace me but make me happy. Seize, liter- 
 
192 PSALM CX IX. 
 
 ally find^ as in Ps. cxvi. 3. Delight^ literally, dehghtSj a succe* 
 daneum for all other pleasures. See above, on v. 24. 
 
 144. Might (are) thy testimonies to eternity ; make me under * 
 stand, and I shall live. Right, righteousness, the second of the 
 nouns used in v. 142. Make me understand {them), i. e., these 
 thy testimonies. And (then) T shall live, which includes let me 
 live and that I may live. See above, on vs. 17, 116. Three 
 of the verses in this stanza begin with derivatives of the root p"i2r. 
 
 145. I invoke (thee) with a whole heart — answer me, Jehovah — 
 thy statutes will I keep. I have invoked thy favour with a heart- 
 felt sense of its necessity ; grant it to me, according to my 
 prayer, and I am fully resolved to keep thy statutes. 
 
 146. 1 invoke thee — save me — and I will observe thy testimonies. 
 The pronoun implied in the preceding verse is here expressed. 
 The augmented form of the last verb is emphatic or intensive. I 
 WILL observe thy testimonies, i. e. obey thy precepts and believe 
 thy promises. 
 
 147. T come before (thee) in the (morning) twilight, and I cry 
 to (thee) ; for thy words do I wait. The first verb has the same 
 sense as in Ps. xcv. 2. Compare Ps. Ixxxviii. 14 (13.) Early 
 prayer implies importunate desire. The tioilight meant is that of 
 morning, as in 1 Sam. xxx. 17. Job vii. 4. The second verb 
 means to cry for help. Its augmented form is common in verbs 
 of speaking, and supposed by some grammarians to denote motion 
 or direction towards the object of address, like the local or di- 
 rective n in nouns. See Judg. vi. 10. 1 Sam. xxviii. 15. Neh. 
 V. 7. xiii. 11, 17, 21. Dan. ix. 4. 
 
 148. My eyes anticipate the watches, to muse of thy promise. 
 Before the stated hours of vigil he is awake and ready for devout 
 
PSALM CXIX. 193 
 
 meditation. To muse^ that I may muse or meditate. See aboye, 
 on V. 62, and compare Ps. Ixiii. 7 (6). Ixxvii, 5 (4.) Lara. ii. 19. 
 
 149. My voice hear according to thy mercy ^ oh Jehovah^ accord- 
 iiig to thy judgments quicken me. According to the promises an- 
 nexed to thy commandments. 
 
 150. JVear are those pursuing crime ; from thy law they are far 
 off. Pursuing., eagerly devising and attempting. Crime^ malicious 
 mischief, as in Ps. xxvi. 10. In the last clause there is a kind of 
 play upon the words far and near., as if he had said, the nearer 
 they are to harming me, the further are they from obeying thee. 
 
 151. Near {art) thou., Jehovah., and all thy commandments are 
 truth. The lus%is verhorum may be said to be continued. As 
 they are near to injure, thou art near to save, and all thy pro- 
 mises to those who do thy will are true, are truth itself. 
 
 152. Long have I known from thy testimonies (themselves), that 
 thou unto eternity hast founded them. The first word in Hebrew 
 is a noun used adverbially, as in Ps. Iv. 20 (19.) The precepts 
 of the law describe themselves as everlasting. See Ex. xxvii. 21. 
 xxviii. 43. xxxvi. 21. Lev. iii. 17. vi. 11. vii. 36. Num. x. 8. Thii 
 concludes the nineteenth stanza, two of the initial words in whick 
 are derivatives of j^^p, two of n^p, three of finp. 
 
 153. See my suffering and deliver me ; for thy law I forget 
 not. The first petition, in the same words, occurs above, Ps. 
 ix. 14 (13.) The first verb originally signifies to extricate or dis- 
 embarrass. I forget not., and have not forgotten, both of which 
 ideas would be necessarily suggested to a Hebrew reader. 
 
 154. Strive my strife and redeem me ; as to thy word, qmcken 
 me. With the first clause compare Ps. xliii 1. Ixix. 19 (18. ") 
 
 VOL. III. 9 
 
194 PSALM CXIX. 
 
 At to, according to, in fulfilment of, thy saying, that which thou 
 hast said, thy promise. See above, v. 41. 
 
 155. Far from th mickcd {is) salvation; because thy statutes they 
 seek not. The first word in Hebrew is a masculine adjective, and 
 does not agree regularly with salvation, which is feminine, but is 
 construed as a neuter, something far, as the first word in v. 72 
 means a good thing. Seek not, and have not sought, i. e. desired 
 either to know or do thy will. See above, on v. 45. 
 
 156. Many (or manifold are) thy comjpassions, oh Jehovah, ac- 
 cording to thy judgments quicken me. That the first word means 
 many, not great, in this connection, seems clear from the next 
 verse. According to thy judgments, as in v. 149. 
 
 157. Many (are) my persecutors and oppressors ; from thy testi 
 monies I decline not. The second noun is often rendered adver- 
 saries, as in V. 139, but it may here be taken in its primary sense, 
 which is near akin to that of the preceding word. I decline noty 
 and have not declined, deviated, swerved. 
 
 158. I see traitors and am sickened — {those) who thy saying keep 
 not. The wicked are called traitors against God, their rightful 
 sovereign, as in Ps. xxv. 8. The first verb is the reflexive form 
 of that in Ps. xcv. 10, I sicken (or disgust) myself. The common 
 version of the relative (because) conveys an idea not expressed 
 but understood. There is no need of departing from the strict 
 sense of the pronoun. See and have seen, keep and have kept. 
 
 159. See how I love thy precepts, Jehovah; according to thy 
 mercy, quicken me. See how, literally see that, which is tanta- 
 mount to saying, thou seest that. 
 
 160. The head of thy word (is) truth, and to eternity (is) evtr% 
 
PSALM CXIX. 195 
 
 pidgment of thy righteousness. Head is by some explained as 
 meaning the sum total, bj others as synonymous with the connate 
 form (n^'di^'i) in Ps. cxi. 10. Every judgment of iky righteous- 
 ness^ every one of thy righteous judgments. Three verses of the 
 twentieth stanza begin with some form of the verb (ns^l) to see. 
 
 161. Princes ^persecute me without cause — and at thy words my 
 heart is awed. Both Hebrew verbs are in the past tense. The 
 first verb, like its representative, originally means to follow 
 after, to pursue, but is commonly employed in a hostile sense 
 Without cause answers to a single Hebrew word (ti*n) an adverb 
 related to the noun (']n) favour.^ as gratis is to gratia in Latin. 
 So in modern English, the idea here might be expressed by the 
 one word gratuitously. At thy words., literally, from them., i. e. 
 because or on account of them. The last verb is not a passive in 
 Hebrew, but a less usual synonyme of {^y^) to fear., correctly 
 paraphrased in the English versions {standeth in awe.) The maso- 
 retic reading is thy word in the singular, but, as in most other 
 cases, the best critics now prefer the reading in the text. 
 
 162. Rejoicing (am) I over thy saying., like {one) finding much 
 spoil. The participle indicates continued and habitual rejoicing. 
 Thy sayingj that which thou hast said, thy law with its attendant 
 promises. 
 
 163. Falsehood I hate and abhor ; thy law I love. Hate and 
 have hated, love and have loved. Falsehood or lyings as in v. 29. 
 The second verb has the same augmented and intensive form that 
 occurs above, vs. 147, 158. 
 
 164. Seve7i times in the day I praise thee, for the judgments of 
 thy righteousness. Seven times is a proverbial idiom for often or 
 repeatedly. The use of th.\< form of expression here is not the 
 
195 PSALM CXI X. 
 
 effect »5ut the occasion of the observance of canonical hours. See 
 above, e-i Ps. Iv. 18(17.) Prawe ^Aee, and have been accustomed 
 60 to do. With the last clause compare v. 160. 
 
 165. (There is) much 'peace to the lovers of thy law, and the-, e is 
 to them no stumbling block. Peace, in opposition to the disquie- 
 tude inseparable from a course of sin. A stumbling-block is a 
 common scriptural figure for an occasion of nnbelief or sin. The 
 idea here is, that the best preservative against temptation is a 
 love to God's commandments. The Prayer-Book version {they 
 are not offended at it) and that in the text of the English Bible 
 (nothing shall offend them) convey a very different meaning from 
 the true one to a modern reader. The latter indeed seems 
 directly contradictory to vs. 53, 158. The correct sense is in- 
 telligibly given in the margin of the common version. 
 
 166. / hope for thy salvation^ oh Jehovah.^ and thy command^ 
 ments I do. I hope and have hoped, do and have done. In the 
 meantime, while expecting thy salvation, I am careful to perform 
 thy will. 
 
 167. My soul observes thy testimonies, and Hove them greatly (or 
 exceedingly.) I observe them, pay particular regard to them, in 
 regulating my behaviour, not with a mere external conformity, but 
 from or with my soul, because I love them greatly. 
 
 168. I observe thy precepts and thy testimonies, because all my 
 ways are before thee. He does not affect to be prompted by a 
 love exclusive of all fear, but only of a slavish dread. He stands 
 in awe of God's omniscience, and is influenced by dread of his 
 disapprobation to obey his precepts, as well as by attachment to 
 the law itself. My vmys, my courses of conduct, mode of life, 
 behaviour. Before thee, open to God's infallible inspection, and 
 Bubjected to his judgment. Two of the verses in this stanza begin 
 
PSALM ex IX. 197 
 
 with forms of the verb C^^^) to observe or keejp. It is also worthy 
 of remark that ii: and r are treated as one letter, three of the verses 
 beginning with the former, namely, the two first and the sixth. 
 
 169. Let my cry come near before thee^ oh Jehovah ; according 
 to thy wordj make me understand. The first noun denotes an audi- 
 ble expression of strong feeling, whether sorrowful or joyful. See 
 above, on Ps. xvii. 1. xxx. 6 (5.) Come near before thee^ not only 
 near enough to be heard, but into thy presence, so that he who utters 
 it may be seen. According to thy luord, thy commandment which 
 requires, and thy promise which secures, the understanding of thy 
 will. See above, vs. 25, 65, 107, and compare Deut. xxx. 6. 
 
 170. Let my sujpjplication come before thee ; according to thy prom- 
 tsej free me (or deliver me.) The first noun, according to its ety 
 mology, denotes a prayer for grace or favour. See above, Ps. vi. 
 10 (9.) Iv. 2(1.) In this and the preceding verse, the prayer for 
 deliverance from outward troubles is subjoined, and as it were 
 subordinated, to that for grace to do the will of God. The same 
 connection may be traced in Ps. xc. 11 — 17. 
 
 171. My lips shall pour forth praise ; for thou wilt teach me thy 
 statutes. The first verb means to cause to gush or flow, and is 
 the same with that in Ps. xix. 3 (2.) Ixxviii. 2. It here denotes 
 eager, abundant, and unceasing praise. The last clause express s 
 the confident expectation of the blessing so often and importu- 
 nately asked throughout the psalm. As if he had said. Now shall 
 my lips praise, for I am about to receive what I had prayed for ; 
 thou wilt indeed teach me thy statutes. The translation when thou 
 hast taught me (or shalt teach me) is less exact, less forcible, and 
 really included in the other. 
 
 172. Let my tongue answer thy saying — that all thy commaTid' 
 fM.nt^ art right. The verb which usually means to answer prayer 
 
198 PSALM CXIX. 
 
 (see above, vs. 26, 145) is here used in the sense of responding 
 to a precept or a promise by the language of praise and acquies- 
 cence. Compare v. 42. There is no need of treating the optative 
 form of the verb as a poetic license. The strict sense agrees well 
 with the prayer in the next verse. What is here asked is occasion 
 thus to praise God. As the last clause seems to assign no perti- 
 nent reason for the prayer in the first, it may be regarded as the 
 response itself Let my tongue say in answer to all thy requisi- 
 tions, that all thy commandments are right, or righteousness itself, 
 as in vs. 142, 144. 
 
 173. Let thy hand he (near) to help me ; for thy precepts dc 1 
 choose. The word supplied in this translation is not necessary to 
 the sense, but is introduced for the purpose of retaining the 
 original construction, he to hdp me, i. e. be my help, or simply 
 help me. The reason given in the last clause is, that as he volun 
 tarily makes choice of God's will as his rule of conduct, he there 
 by renounces all other protection. The Hebrew verb is a pre- 
 terite; I choose, and have already chosen. 
 
 174. I long for thy salvation, oh Jehovah, and thy law (is) my 
 delights. I long and have longed. With the first clause com- 
 pare vs. 40, 81, 131 ; with the second, vs. 24, 77, 92. 
 
 175. Let my soul live and praise thee; and Id thy judgments 
 help me. This verse sums up in conclusion the petitions of the 
 whole psalm. Save me, and thereby give me cause to praise 
 thee, for the blessings which I have derived from the promises 
 and precepts of the law. Let my soul live, because it is that which 
 is in danger. Judgments, as in vs. 149, 156. 
 
 176. I wander like a lost sheep — seek thy servant — for thy com- 
 mandments I do not forget. The English versions of the first 
 clause (I have gone astray) although they adhere strictly to the 
 
PSALM CXX. 199 
 
 form of the original, seem to make the primary idea that of sin, 
 which is really included, but only as the cause of that which is 
 directly intended, namely misery, represented by the wandering of 
 a lost and helpless sheep. Compare Jer. 1. 6. Seek thy servant^ 
 deliver from this wretched state one who is still thy servant, and 
 as such remembers thy commandments, even in the midst of his 
 worst sufferings. As the preceding verse sums up the petitions 
 of the psalm, so this sums up its complaints in the first clause 
 and its professions in the last, connected by the short prayei 
 {seek thy servant) as by a single link. The predominant use of 
 the past tense, even to the end, shows how deeply the entire 
 psalm is founded upon actual and previous experience. In this 
 last stanza, the only initial word repeated is (^^^j) the verb of 
 existence. 
 
 PSALM CXX. 
 
 1 . A Song of the Ascents. To Jehovah^ in my distress^ I called, and 
 he answered me. This is the first of fifteen psalms (cxx — cxxxiv ) 
 ill bearing the inscription, song of ascents or upgoings, i. e 
 sung during the periodical journeys or pilgrimages to Jerusalem 
 at the times of the great yearly festivals. On these occasions the 
 people are said, even in historical prose, to go up to Jerusalem, 
 in reference both to its physical and moral elevation. See Ex. 
 xxxiv. 24. 1 Kings xii. 27, 28. The Hebrew verb (n)5J) em- 
 ployed in such connections is the root of the noun (nibl^.JQ) ascents 
 in these inscriptions. This explanation of the title is much more 
 satisfactory than any other which has been proposed. A rabbini- 
 cal tradition represents these psalms as having been sung by the 
 
SOO PSALM CXX. 
 
 people, as they ascended the fifteen steps (in Hebrew ln'i'b.2?^; 
 seven on one side and eight on the other, repeatedly mentioned 
 by Ezekiel (xl. 6, 22, 26, 31, 34, 37.) But apart from the in- 
 trinsic improbability of this tradition, some psalms in the series 
 were evidently not meant to be sung at the temple. No less im- 
 probable than this very ancient explanation is the modern one, 
 that the inscription has reference to a peculiarity of structure, the 
 repetition of a phrase or clause of one sentence in the next with 
 an addition, forming a kind of climax or progression in the terms 
 as well as the ideas. But CTcn admitting that this peculiarity of 
 form might be described by (fn^sj?^) the Hebrew word in ques- 
 tion, this word could not have been prefixed to each of the fifteen 
 psalms, when the examples of the fact alleged are confined almost 
 exclusively to one or two of them. Much nearer to the truth 
 is the opinion, that these psalms were intended to be sung 
 during the return from Babylon, which is called an ascent 
 iV\b'S)2\ by Ezra (vii. 9.) But this can only be maintained by 
 arbitrarily denying the genuineness of the titles, which ascribe 
 four of the psalms (cxxii, cxxiv, cxxxi, cxxxiii) to David and one 
 (cxxvii) to Solomon. The position assigned to these, and the dif- 
 ference of tone between them and the rest, are ingeniously ac« 
 counted for by Hengstenberg's hypothesis, that these five ancienv 
 psalms, sung by the people, as they went up to Jerusalem, before 
 the captivity, were made the basis of a whole series or system, 
 designed for the same use by an inspired writer after the Restora- 
 tion, who not only added ten psalms of his own, as appears from the 
 identity of tone and diction, but joined them to the old ones in a 
 studied and artificial manner, entirely inconsistent with the suppo- 
 sition of fortuitous or random combination. The one psalm by 
 Solomon stands in the centre of the series or system and divides it 
 into two equal parts, in each of which we find two psalms of David 
 and five anonymous or new ones, the former being separated and 
 surrounded by the latter, an additional and strong proof of intend- 
 ed adaptation to the times when the later psalms were written, to 
 
PSALM CXX. 201 
 
 whicL Hengstenberg still further adds the number and distribu- 
 tion of the divine names in the whole series and its subdivisions. 
 The psalm immediately before is anonymous, but its tone and 
 diction mark it as belonging to the period of the Restoration. It 
 begins with an acknowledgment of that great mercy, v. 1, followed 
 by a prayer for deliverance from treacherous and spiteful ene- 
 mies, v. 2, and a confident anticipation of their punishment, vs. 3, 4, 
 but closes with a further lamentation and complaint of present 
 suffering, vs. 5 — 7. In this, as in all the other psalms of the 
 series, the ideal speaker is Israel or Judah, considered as the church 
 or chosen people. This first verse, although general in its terms, is 
 perfectly appropriate to the Captivity, as the distress out of which 
 the sufferer cried to God, and to the Kestoration, as the answer to his 
 prayer. In my distress^ literally, in distress to me^ an expression 
 like that in Ps. xviii. 7 (6.) The augmented form of the Hebrew 
 noun is like that in Ps. iii. 3 (2.) 
 
 2. Oh Jehovah^ free my soul from lip of falsehood , from tongue 
 of fraud. The soul is particularly mentioned as usual when the 
 life or the existence is in danger. The last two nouns in Hebrew 
 are not in construction but in apposition, a tongue (ivhich is) 
 fraud, equivalent in meaning to the same English words in an 
 inverted order, fraud-tongue. See a somewhat similar combina- 
 tion, Ps. xlv. 5 (4.),lx. 5 (4.) The terms of the description are 
 too strong to be applied to mere delusive promises, and necessarily 
 suggest the idea of calumnious falsehood, as in Ps. xxxi. 19 (18.) 
 cxix. 69, 78. The reality answering to this description in the 
 case of the restored Jews is the spiteful misrepresentation, by 
 which the Samaritans retarded the rebuilding of the temple, as 
 recorded in the fourth chapter of Ezra. 
 
 3. What will he give to thee, and what will he add to thee, thou 
 tongue of fraud ? Having complained to God of the false 
 tongue, the ideal speaker turns to it as actually present and ad- 
 
 9* 
 
202 PSALM CXX. 
 
 dresses it directly, speaking of God in the third person The 
 meaning of the question is, what recompense can you expect from 
 an infinitely righteous God for these malignant calumnies ? The 
 peculiar form of the interrogation is derived from that of an 
 ancient oath, The Lord do so to me and more aho^ literally, arid 
 so addj i. e. further do, or in addition to the thing in question. 
 See 1 Sam. iii, 17. xiv. 44. As explained by this allusion, the 
 words have a new force. What good or evil may be imprecated 
 on thee, as the consequence of these malicious falsehoods ? 
 
 4. Arroivs of a warrior sharpened, (together) with coah of 
 j'ltniper. The general idea of severe and painful punishment is 
 here expressed by the obvious and intelligible figures of keen 
 arrows and hot coals. The arrows of a mighty man, warrior, or 
 hero, are those used in battle, perhaps with an allusion to the 
 fact, that one of the races mentioned in the next verse excelled 
 in archery. See Isai. xxi. 17. The word which the rabbin- 
 ical tradition explains to mean the juniper, is by modern lexi- 
 cographers identified with the Arabic name of a species of broom- 
 plant, which is thought, on account of its inflammatory quality, 
 to make the best charcoal. See Robinson's Palestine, vol. i. p. 299. 
 With the figures of the verse before us compare Ps. vii. 14 (13.) 
 xviii. 13, 14 (12, 13.) cxl. 11 (10.) 
 
 5. Alas for me, that I sojourn (with) Meshech (and) dwell near 
 the tents of Kedar ! The first verb seems elsewhere, in the same 
 construction, to denote the act of dwelling with one, Ps. v. 
 6 (4.) The Hebrew preposition in the last clause properly 
 means with and denotes association and proximity. The English 
 Bible, by twice employing our preposition in, obscures the mean- 
 ing of both clauses, which is not that the people were in the 
 power or even in the midst of the enemies here mentioned, but 
 compelled to reside near them and to suffer from their neighbour- 
 hood. Meshech is the name given in Gen. x. 2 to the Moschi, a 
 
PSALM CXX. 208 
 
 barbarous people inhabiting the mountains between Colchis, 
 Armenia, and Iberia. Kedar was one of the sons of Ishmael, 
 (Gen. XXV. 13), whose name is sometimes used to designate an 
 Arabian tribe (Isai. xxi. 16. xlii. 11 J, and in later Hebrew the 
 Arabians generally. As these races, dwelling far off, in the north 
 and south, were never in immediate or continued contact with 
 the Israelites, they are probably named as types and representa- 
 tives of warlike barbarism, just as the names Groths, Vandals, 
 Huns, Turks, Tartars, Cossacks, have at different times been 
 used proverbially in English, to describe those supposed to 
 exhibit the same character, however unconnected or remote in 
 genealogy and local habitation. A slight approach to the same 
 usage was produced among ourselves by the revolutionary war, 
 in reference to the national names, British and Hessian. In the 
 case before us, it is evident from v. 6, that Meshech and Kedar 
 are mere types and representatives of those who hate peace and 
 delight in war. Compare Ezek. xxxviii. 2, where Meshech ap- 
 pears as a chief leader under Gog, the great prophetic represent- 
 ative of heathendom. 
 
 6. My soul has dwelt too long for her with (one J hating peace. 
 The substitution of my soul for /implies the intimate conviction 
 and the painful sense of what is here asserted. Too long, lite- 
 rally, much or too much. As to this peculiar idiom, see above, on 
 Ps. Ixv. 10 {9.) For her may be an idiomatic pleonasm, adding 
 nothing to the meaning of the verb, with which it must be read 
 in close connection ; or it may have the meaning which the cor- 
 responding phrase would naturally seem to have in English, for 
 her good or for her interest. See above on Ps. Iviii. 8 (7.) 
 Hating peace is clearly a collective or aggregate expression, 
 comprehending all denoted by the Meshech and Kedar of the 
 preceding verse, as an ideal individual. 
 
 7 / am peace, and when I speak, they (go) to war The first 
 
204 PSALM CXXI. 
 
 phrase resembles I am 'prayer in Ps. cix. 4, and seems to mcan,l 
 am all peace, nothing but peace, peace itself, i. e. entirely peace- 
 ful or pacific. Speak may be an ellipsis for apeak peacCj a 
 phrase repeatedly occurring in the Psalms. See above, Ps. 
 XXXV. 20. Ixxxv. 9 (8), and below, Ps. cxxii. 8. The sense 
 will then be, whenever I desire or propose peace. If the verb be 
 absolutely understood, the sense is that every word he utters ia 
 made an occasion of attack or conflict. The double for, in the 
 common version of this sentence, is as incorrect as the double in 
 of V. 5, and more enfeebling to the sense. I am not only for 
 peace, but am peace itself. They are not only /or war, but arise, 
 proceed, or address themselves to it. 
 
 PSALM CXXI. 
 
 1. A Song for the Ascents. I roAse my eyes to the mountains. 
 Whence cometh my help ? The title differs from that of the pre- 
 ceding psalm only in the use of the preposition /or, instead of the 
 simple genitive construction. This variation, though without 
 effect upon the sense, is favourable to the explanation which has 
 been already given of these titles, as a song for the ascents or pil- 
 grimages to Jerusalem is certainly more intelligible than a song 
 for the steps of the temple, and still more so than a song for the 
 returns from exile, while the modern theory of climacteric re- 
 sumptions fails altogether to account for the expression here used 
 The whole psalm is a description of Jehovah as the guardian or 
 protector of his people. The only material distinction of the 
 parts is that arising from the alternate use of the first and second 
 person, as in Ps. xci, which has led some to assume without ne- 
 
PSALM CXXI. 205 
 
 »»essity, that the psalm was intended to be sung by alternate or 
 responsive choirs. The phrase to lift the eyes, though sometimes 
 used to signify the mere act of directing them to an object, has 
 its strict and full sense, when a higher object is particularly men- 
 tioned, such as hills or heavens. The mountains here meant are 
 the heights on which Jerusalem is built. It is not improbable 
 that this psalm was intended to be sung when the pilgrims came 
 in sight of the Holy City. Some suppose moreover that it was 
 meant to be an evening song and used when they halted for the 
 last night's rest before they reached Jerusalem. The relative 
 construction of the last clause yields a good sense, but is not in 
 perfect keeping with the usage of the compound particle 
 (v.?'!?) which is elsewhere always interrogative. 
 
 2. My help is from Jehovah, Maker of heaven and earth. The 
 creative power of Jehovah is particularly mentioned, to demon- 
 strate his ability to help his people. Compare Ps. cxv. 15. 
 
 3. May he not suffer to he moved thy foot ; may he not slumber 
 — thy keeper. This is the expression of a wish, the only sense 
 consistent with the form of the original. Let him not give up to 
 moving thy foot. See above, Ps. xxxviii. 17 (16.) Ixvi. 9 (8.) The 
 figure is peculiarly appropriate in the mouth of pilgrims, making 
 their way among the hills and rocks of Palestine. The same thing 
 is true of the figures in the subsequent verses. 
 
 4. Xo, he shall not slumber , and he shall not sleep — the keeper of 
 Israel. What is desired in the third verse, is affirmed in 
 this. The position of the subject at the end of the sentence, in 
 both cases, is emphatic. Most interpreters assume a gradation in 
 the meaning of the two verbs, as if one denoted lighter and the 
 other deep sleep ; but they differ on the question which is the 
 stronger of the two expressions. The latest writers say the fir«t 
 See above, on Ps. iv. 9 (8.) 
 
206 PSALM CXXI. 
 
 5. Jehovah is thy keeper ; Jehovah is thy shade upon thy right 
 hand. The keeper or protector of Israel, who had twice been 
 mentioned by that title, is now named. A shade or shadow is a 
 common jBgure for protector, and the right hand often mentioned 
 as the place of a protector. See above, on Ps. cix. 6. ex. 5, and 
 compare Num. xiv. 9 
 
 6. By day the sun shall not smite thee^ and the moon hy night 
 The last clause does not necessarily refer to injurious effects pro- 
 duced directly by the moon, but may be understood as a poetical 
 description of all noxious influences operating in the night, over 
 which the moon was constituted ruler at the time of its creation 
 See Gren. i. 16. xxxi. 40. Jer. xxxvi. 30. 
 
 7. Jehovah will keep thee from all evil ; he will keep thy soul. 
 The protection which had been repeatedly promised to Israel on 
 the part of God, is now described as extending to all evils and to 
 the very life and soul. ' 
 
 8. Jehovah will keep thy going out and thy coming in^from now 
 even to eternity. This is the third repetition of the phrase, Jehovah 
 win keep., i. e. keep safe, protect, preserve, as if to silence the 
 misgivings of a weak or tempted faith, by the reiterated declara- 
 tion of this cheering truth. Going out and coming in is a pro- 
 verbial Hebrew phrase for all the occupations and affairs of life 
 See Deut. xxviii. 6. 1 Sam. xxix. 6. The original reference is 
 to man's going out to labour in the morning and returning home 
 to rest at night. See above, on Ps. civ. 23. With the last 
 clause compare Ps. cxiii. 2. cxvi. 18. cxxv. 2. The promise of 
 eternal, preservation is addressed directly to the church as such ; 
 tut that it involves the blessed immortality of individual believers, 
 \ii admitted even by those least disposed to find allusions to the 
 future state in the Book of Psalms. 
 
PSALM CXXn. 207 
 
 PSALM CXXII. 
 
 1. A Song of the Ascents. By David. I rejoice in (those) 
 laying to me, To the house of Jehovah we will go. This psalm, 
 though so much older than the two before it, was probably placed 
 third in the series, because it was intended to be sung, and was 
 actually sung, at the entrance of the Holy City, whereas the 
 others were used at the commencement of the march, and on 
 coming in sight of Jerusalem. The ideal speaker represents the 
 church or chosen people. After the introduction, vs. 1, 2. 
 comes a panegyric on Jerusalem, as the royal and holy city, 
 vs. 3 — 5, followed by a prayer for her prosperity as such, vs. 6 — 9. 
 The Ascents, or upward journeys of the people to the sanctuary, 
 as in Ps. cxx. 1. cxxi. 1. To rejoice in those saying is to rejoice 
 because they say. On the last clause is founded Isai. ii. 3, where 
 the gentiles are described as joining in the words here uttered by 
 the Jews. 
 
 2. Standing are our feet in thy gates, oh Jerusalem ! The com^ 
 mon version {shall stand) is entirely ungrammatical. The past 
 tense of the substantive verb with the participle means strictly 
 have been standing, i. e. have begun to stand, or are already 
 standing. 
 
 3. Jerusalem, the {one) built like a city which is joined to itself 
 together. This seems to be a continuation of the address in the 
 preceding verse. The unusual expressions in the last clause are 
 intended to describe the city as substantially and strongly built. 
 The sense is correctly given in the English Bible, a city that is 
 
208 PSALM CXXII. 
 
 compact together. This seems to imply that Jerusalem had re- 
 cently assumed this character, and may therefore help to de- 
 termine the period in the reign of David, when the psalm was 
 written. See 2 Sam. v. 9. The abbreviated relative (n^ianip) 
 has by some been made a proof of later date ; but it no doubt 
 belonged from the beginning to the dialect of common life, 
 though not commonly employed in writing till a later date. 
 It occurs in the song of Deborah, Judg. v. 7, and elsewhere in 
 the Book of Judges (vi. 17. vii. 12. viii. 26.) 
 
 4. Where the tribes go up, the tribes of Jah, (as) a testimony 
 to Israel, to give tkanJis to the name of Jehovah. There is obvious 
 reference to the requisition in Ex. xxiii. 17. xxxiv. 23. Deut. xvi. 
 16, which is called a testimony, not merely as the law in general 
 is (Ps. xciii. 5), but as a constant memorial of God's goodness to 
 his people. The mention of the tribes seems to point to the 
 period of the undivided monarchy. 
 
 5. For there sit thrones for judgment, thrones for the house of 
 David. This means simply that Jerusalem was a civil as weli as 
 a religious capital. There, literally thither, implying that the 
 singers were themselves in motion towards these thrones. Sit, or 
 as we should say in English, stand. See below, Ps. cxxv. 1. 
 
 6. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem ; may they have peace thai 
 love thee ! Peace, in both clauses, includes all prosperity. There 
 is obvious allusion to the meaning of the name Jerusalem. See 
 above, on Ps. Ixxvi. 3 (2.) 
 
 7. Peace be within thy rampart, and repose within thy palaces. 
 Peace and repose from all distracting causes, of whatever nature. 
 Rampart, breast-work, circumvallation. Kampart and palaces 
 arc put for the outer and inner masses of building. Compare Ps. 
 xlviii. 14. 
 
PSALM CXXIII. 209 
 
 8. For the sake of my brethren and my friends^ let me speak. 
 Peace (be) within thee. By brethren and friends we are to under- 
 stand the whole body of the chosen people. For their sake may 
 include the sense of in their behalf. The last clause admits of a 
 different construction, Let me speak peace to thee, literally in thee. 
 See above, on Ps. Ixxxv. 9 (8.) The optative meaning of the verb ia 
 determined by the particle (ii5 j the use of which here seems to be 
 imitated in Ps. cxv. 2. cxvi. 4. 
 
 9. For the sake of the house of Jehovah our God^ I will seek thp 
 good. The house of Grod is here the sanctuary and all the inter- 
 ests of which it was the local centre. Jehovah our God, our pat- 
 ron and protector, our peculiar covenant God. Seek includes 
 every form of effort to promote it ; but the prominent idea is that 
 of intercession. 
 
 PSALM CXXIII. 
 
 1. A Song of the Ascents. Unto thee do I raise my eyes, the 
 (one) sitting in the heavens. This psalm contains an expression of 
 solicitous desire for divine help, v. 1, 2, a direct prayer for mercy, 
 V. 3, and a statement of the circumstances which occasioned it. 
 With the first clause compare Ps. cxxi. 1, with the second, Ps. 
 ii. 4. xi. 4. ciii. 19. cxiii. 3, 5. 
 
 2. Behold J as the eyes of servants (are turned) to the hand of 
 their masters, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so 
 our eyes (are turned) to Jehovah our God, until he have mercy upon 
 us. The behold as, at the beginning, is equivalent to see how in 
 English. Some suppose the act of looking towards the hand of a 
 
210 PSALM CXXIV. 
 
 superior to denote desire of protection ; others an appeal to bia 
 bounty, as in Ps. civ. 27, 28. cxlv. 15, 16 ; others an implied 
 prayer that punishment may cease. Compare Gen. xvi. 6, 8, 9. 
 Perhaps all these explanations err in being too specific, and the 
 sense of the comparison is simply that they look with deference 
 and trust to the superior power which controls them. 
 
 3. Have mercy upon us, oh Jehovah, have mercy upon us ; for 
 greatly are we sated with contempt. This petition forms the centre 
 of the psalm, to which what goes before is introductory and what 
 follows supplementary. The contempt is that of heathen neigh- 
 bours, and especially that of the Samaritans, which is expressly 
 mentioned in the hi.story. See Neh. i. 3. ii. 19, 
 
 4. Much sated in itself is our soul with the scorning of the secure^ 
 the contempt of the proud. In itself, literally, to or for itself, as 
 in Ps. cxxii. 3. Secure (sinners), those at ease, indifferent to the 
 sufferings of others, and without apprehension of their own. Com- 
 pare Ps. Ixxiii. J 2. 
 
 PSALM C XXI Y. 
 
 1. A Song of the Ascents. By David. If (it had) not (been) 
 Jehovah who was for ws — oh let Israel say. This psalm consists 
 of two parts, an acknowledgment of God as the deliverer of 
 Israel, vs. 1 — 5, and a consequent determination to trust in him 
 exclusively for future favours, v. 6 — 9. The verse before us 
 propounds the theme of the whole composition, in a conditional 
 and imperfect, but for that very reason a more striking form 
 
PSALM CXXIV. 211 
 
 It is tantamount to saying, what if the Lord had not been for 
 us ? — leaving the answer to the imagination of the reader. For 
 W5, in our favour, on our side ; or to us^ belonging to us, ours, 
 which really includes the other. See above, on Ps. Ivi. 10 (9.) 
 Oh that in the last clause represents (j^d) the particle of entreaty 
 The common version {now) conveys the very different idea, at 
 lengthy after all that we have suffered, let Israel so say. The mis- 
 take is rendered more natural or rather unavoidable, to mere 
 English readers, by the seeming antithesis between the now of 
 this verse and the then of vs. 3, 4, 5, of which there is not the 
 slightest trace in the original. 
 
 2. If (it had) not {been) Jehovah who was for us, in the rising 
 up of man against us — ^What was left unfinished in the first verse, 
 as a mere suggestion of the Psalmist's theme, is now repeated, for 
 the purpose of being carried out. This is one of the rhetorical 
 resumptions, which some modern critics hold to be the (nib?.^_) 
 degrees, from which these fifteen psalms derived their common 
 designation. With this verse compare Ps. Ivi. 12 (11.) 
 
 3. Then alive would they have swallowed us, in the kindling oj 
 their 'wrath against us. With respect to the then at the begin- 
 ning of this verse, there is danger of an error just the opposite of 
 that already pointed out in reference to the now of v. 1. As the 
 English reader would be almost sure to take that for a particle of 
 time, which it is not, he would be equally certain to mistake this 
 for a term of logic, meaning in that case, upon that supposition, 
 or the like ; whereas it really means at that time, the well remem- 
 bered time of our extremity, when God so wonderfully interposed 
 for our deliverance. The Hebrew particle occurs in this form 
 only here, and is consequently no more a proof of recent than of 
 early date. Another word liable to misconstruction in the Eng- 
 lish versions of this clause is quick, here used in its primary sense 
 of livhig or alive^ from which may be easily deduced its secondary 
 
212 PSALM CXXIV. 
 
 sense of swift^ implying lively motion. The historical allusion, in 
 this and other like passages, is no doubt to the fate of Korah and 
 his company. Compare Num. xvi. 32, 33, where the same verb 
 and adjective occur together. See above, on Ps. Iv. 16 (15.J 
 The plural pronoun their refers to the collective man in the pre- 
 ceding verse. 
 
 4. Then the waters uwuld have overwhelmed us (and) a stream 
 passed over our soul. The common version {had overwhelmed us) 
 is entirely correct, and more poetical in form than that here given, 
 but at the same time ambiguous, as the sentence, taken by itself, 
 would seem to mean, that before the time signified by then, the 
 waters had actually overwhelmed them, which was not the case. 
 The figures are the same as in Ps. xviii. 5, 17 (4, 16.) cxliv. 7. 
 
 5. Then had passed over our soul the waters, the proud (waters.) 
 The waters are so described, partly because of the ideas suggested 
 by their swelling (Ps. Ixxxix. 10), partly because they represent 
 dangers arising from the selfish pride of human enemies. Some, 
 without necessity, recur to the primary meaning of the root, and 
 explain the adjective to mean boiling, effervescing. 
 
 6. Blessed {he) Jehovah., who did not give us (as) prey to their 
 teeth. By one of those rhetorical transitions which are constantly 
 occurring in the figurative diction of the psalms, the enemies and 
 dangers, which had just been represented as an overwhelming flood 
 or torrent, are suddenly transformed into devouring beasts. See 
 above, on Ps. iii. 8 (7.) Iviii. 7 (6.) With the benediction or dox- 
 ology, blessed (be) Jehovah, compare Ps. xxviii. 6. xxxi. 22 (21.) 
 
 7. Our soul is escaped, like a bird, from the snare of the fowlers , 
 ihe snare is broken and we are escaped. We have here a second 
 transition and a third comparison, to wit, that of the enemies to 
 fowlers, and of their devices to snares or traps used in catching 
 
PSALM CXXV. 213 
 
 birds. In the second clause there is an obvious climax. Not only 
 is the bird gone, but the snare is broken. This is peculiarly ap- 
 propriate to the restoration of the Jews from Babylon, which was 
 occasioned by the fall of Babylon itself. With the figures of this 
 verse compare Ps. xviii. 5 (4.) xci. 3. The English phrase is 
 escaped y denoting a change of state, and not, like has escaped ^ a 
 single act, is well suited to represent the Hebrew verb, which, 
 though active in meaning, has the passive form. 
 
 8. Our help is in the name of Jehovah^ maker of heaven and 
 earth. The conclusion drawn from the experience here recorded 
 is, that he who had helped them must help them still. Our help 
 for the future no less than the past. In the name of Jehovah^ the 
 manifested attributes, which constitute his name^ in the peculiar 
 dialect of Scripture, and especially of this book. See above, 
 on Ps. V. 12 (11) XX. 2(1.) With this verse compare also Ps 
 xxxiii. 22. cxxi. 2. 
 
 PSALM CXXY. 
 
 1. A Song of the Ascents. Those trusting in Jehovah (are) 
 like Mount Zion, (which) is not moved (but) stands forever. This 
 psalm contains an expression of strong confidence in the divine 
 protection, vs. 1, 2, especially against wicked enemies, v. 3, with 
 a prayer that this confidence may not go unrewarded, v. 4, and a 
 prophetic anticipation of the fate of the ungodly, v. 5. The con- 
 dition of the chosen people, here described or pre-supposed, as 
 Buffering fr)m the spite of heathen enemies, not in captivity or 
 
214 PSALM CXXV. 
 
 exile, but at home in their own land, and internally divided into 
 two great parties, the sincere and hypocritical, agrees exactly 
 with the period of the Restoration, and especially that part of it 
 in which the building of the temple was suspended, as known to 
 us from history and prophecy. The psalm before us was well 
 suited to alarm and warn the false Israel, as well as to encourage 
 and support the true. According to Hengstenberg, it was in- 
 tended, with the psalms before and after it, to form a trilogy, 
 consisting of one ancient and two later compositions. Those 
 trusting in Jehovah is a characteristic designation of the true 
 church, the spiritual Israel, the chosen people. The meaning is 
 not merely that they individually exercise this faith, but that col- 
 lectively, or as a body, they are built upon it, and have no secu- 
 rity except in the divine protection. Mount Zion^ not as a figure 
 for the church, which would then be compared with itself, but 
 simply as a mountain, and like other mountains solid and endur- 
 ing, here selected as a sample or an emblem of these qualities, 
 because it had also a religious pre-eminence, as the earthly seat 
 and centre of the true religion. It is not (and shall not be) 
 movp/lj shaken from its firm position. See above on Ps. 
 xlvi. 6 (5.) Stands forever J litersiWy J sits to eterjiity^theHehYew 
 idiom using one of these postures as we use the other, or rather 
 using both as we use only one, to denote the op.posite- of vacilla- 
 tion and prostration. See above, on Ps. cxxii. 5. 
 
 2. Jerusalem fhas) hills about her, and (soj Jehovah (is) ahezit 
 his people, from noio even to eternity. The site of Jerusalem, 
 with its peculiar features, furnishes the psalmist with a striking 
 image of the divine protection. As in v. 1, the permanent secu- 
 rity of the church itself is likened to the firmness of Mount Zion 
 on its base, so here the protecting care, which causes this secu- 
 rity, is likened to the heights by which the city is surrounded 
 upon all sides. ' The verb has, supplied in the translation 
 of the first clause, is really a violation of the Hebrew 
 
PSALM CXXV. 215 
 
 idiom, to which as well as to the kindred tongues the verb 
 to have is utterly unknown. In our own idiom, however, 
 it expresses the precise idea, and enables us to retain the Hebrew 
 collocation, which assigns Jerusalem the first place in the sentence. 
 The Hebrew corresponding to about is a compound phrase, con- 
 sisting of a local adverb and a preposition, around as to. His 
 people, meaning those who trust him (v. 1), to the exclusion of all 
 hypocrites and unbelievers. 
 
 3. For not to rest is the rod of wickedness over the lot of the 
 righteous, to the intent that the righteous may not put forth to 
 iniquity their hands. This unusually long verse clearly shows the 
 actual condition of the chosen people, here assumed or pre- 
 supposed, as well known to the writer and original readers of the 
 psalm. The present ascendency of wicked men is not inconsist- 
 ent with the truth just stated, because it is to be brought to an 
 end, lest the faith and patience of Grod's people should fail, and 
 they should be tempted to renounce his service as unprofitable 
 nay as ruinous. Compare Ps. Ixxiii. 13, 14. To rest, not mere- 
 ly to remain, but to continue undisturbed. The rod or staff is 
 here a symbol of authority, and might be rendered sceptre, if the 
 subject of discourse were kings. See above on Ps. ii. 9. xlv. 7 (6.) 
 The lot of the righteous, their share of the inheritance of the cho- 
 sen people, at first distributed by lot. To the intent indicates 
 the reason why this undeserved superiority is not to last. The 
 reason is founded not merely on the ill desert of the wicked, but 
 on the interest and welfare of the righteous. Put forth^ or 
 stretch out, literally send into. See the same construction, 
 Gen. xxxvii. 22. Ex. xxii. 7, 10 (8, 11.) To touch iniquity is 
 here to meddle with it, not, as some suppose, in the shape of re- 
 venge merely, but in all its degrees and forms, by which the 
 righteous can be tempted. 
 
 4. Do good, Oh Jehovah, to the good, and to {those) upright in 
 
216 PSALM CXXV. 
 
 thnr hearts- These are additional descriptions of the true churcl 
 or spiritual Israel, to whom alone the promise of divine favour and 
 protection had been given. Upright^ literally straight^ straight- 
 forward, as opposed to all moral obliquity whatever. See above, 
 on Ps. vii. 11 (10.) The prayer involves a prophetic declaration, 
 that to such and such only, God will do good or act kindly in the 
 highest sense. See above, on Ps. Ixxiii. 1. 
 
 5. Andj (as to) those turning aside (in) their crooked (ways), 
 Jehovah will let them go with the doers of iniquity. Peace (be) 
 ujpon Israel! The participle in the first clause is properly a 
 transitive and means causing to turn aside, but has here the sense 
 of going aside, or turning in the intransitive sense, the English 
 ^erb having precisely the same double usage. This construction 
 of the Hebrew verb, which occurs also in Isai. xxx. 11. Job. 
 xziii. 11, may be resolved into the usual one, by supposing an 
 ellipsis of their feet or steps. The adjective translated crooked oc- 
 curs only here and in Judg. v. 6, where the noun (ways or paths ) 
 is expressed. It denotes the bye-ways of corrupt inclination and 
 transgression, by which men deviate from the straight and narrow 
 highway of God's commandments. Compare Deut. ix. 16. 
 Mai. ii. S, 9. The workers of iniquity are not a diflferent class 
 from these wanderers, but that to which they belong, and the 
 doom of which they would gladly escape ; but the Lord will let 
 them go on still with those whom they resemble in character, 
 and as they have been like them by the way, they shall be like 
 them in the end. Compare Ps. xxvi. 9. xxviii. 3. Having thus 
 excluded hypocritical pretenders from the object of the bene- 
 diction, he concludes by wishing or invoking ^mce upon (the true 
 or spiritual) Israel. Compare Isai. Ivii. 19, 21. 
 
PSALM CXXVI. 817 
 
 PSALM CXXVI. 
 
 1. A Song of the Ascents. In Jehovah^ s turning (to) the turn- 
 ing of ZioUj we were like (men) dreaming. The church acknow- 
 ledges the good work of deliverance as joyfully begun, vs. 1 — 3, and 
 prays that it may be completed, vs. 4 — 6. For the meaning and 
 construction of the first verb see above, on Ps. xiv. 7. Ixxxvi. 5 (4), 
 and compare my note on Tsai. Hi. 8. Instead of the usual 
 combination /n^Zilp n^iilJ) return to the captivity, we have here one 
 resembling it in form (mn'^d iT^i) but meaning to return to the 
 return or meet those returning, as it were, half-way. Compare 
 Deut. XXX. 2, 3. James iv. 8. The Hebrew noun denotes con- 
 version, in its spiritual sense, and the verb Grod's gracious conde- 
 scension in accepting or responding to it. The great historical 
 example of this condescension, "which the Psalmist had immedi- 
 ately in view, was the deliverance from Babylon ; but the terms 
 are so selected as to be appropriate to the most intimate personal 
 experience of the same kind. Zion is here put for the church or 
 chosen people, of which it was the local seat or centre. Like the 
 dreamers or those dreaming^ i. e. out of our ordinary normal 
 state, and in an ecstasy or trance, arising from excess of joy. 
 The idea of incredulity may be included, but must not be suffered 
 to exclude all others. 
 
 2. Then was filled with laughter our mouth., and our tongue 
 with singing ; then said they among the nations., Jehovah hath don$ 
 great things to these (people.) The particle (tJ*) then is followed 
 by the future in the sense of the preterite, in prose as well as 
 
 VOL. III. 10. 
 
218 PSALM CXXVI. 
 
 poetry. See Ex. xv. 1. Deut. iv. 41. Josh. 10, 12. There is 
 no need therefore of supposing that the writer simply retained 
 the future forms of the passage from which this was copied, 
 namely, Job viii. 21. Laughter and singing^ both as signs of 
 joy. Dotie great things^ literally inagnified to do, an idiomatic 
 phrase borrowed from Joel ii. 21. To these, literally with these, 
 i, e. in his associations and transactions with them. 
 
 3. Jehovah has done great things to us. We are joyful. This 
 last is not a mere appendage to the first clause, we are glad that 
 he has done great things for us, but an independent proposition, 
 containing the proof of that by which it is preceded. He haa 
 indeed done much for us, for whereas we were lately wretched, 
 we are now rejoicing, or more closely rendered, have become joy- 
 ful. 
 
 4. Turn, oh Jehovah, to our captivity, like the streams in the 
 south. The prayer is that God will return to or revisit his peo- 
 ple in their bondage or distress, and by necessary implication set 
 them free from it. See above on v. 1 , where we have a studied 
 variation of this favourite expression. According to the usual 
 interpretation {bring back our captivity), this verse is either incon- 
 sistent with the first, or a proof that the restoration is not men- 
 tioned there as past already. Like the streams in the south, as the 
 temporary torrents in the dry southern district of Palestine re- 
 appear in the rainy season, after having ceased to flow in the pre- 
 ceding drought. 
 
 5 Those sowing with weeping ivith singing shall reap. Those 
 sowing, literally t/ie sowing, i. e. the (same persons or the very 
 persons) sowing. With weeping, or in tears ; the Hebrew noun 
 is a singular collective. See above, on Ps. vi. 7 (6.) xxxix. 13 (12.) 
 Ivi. 9 (8.) Singing, as a vocal expression of joy. See above, 
 on V. 2. The figures are natural and common ones for meaus 
 
PSALM CXXV I. 219 
 
 and end, or for the beginning and the issue of any undertaking. 
 They may have been suggested here by the mention of the parch- 
 ed and thirsty south, where the fears of the husbandman are 
 often disappointed by abundant rains and the sudden reappear- 
 ance of the vanished streams. 
 
 6. He may go forth^ he may go forth^ and weep^ hearing {his) 
 load of seed. He shall come., he shall come with singings hearing 
 sheaves. The emphatic combination of the finite tense with the 
 infinitive is altogether foreign from our idiom, and very imper- 
 fectly represented, in the ancient and some modern versions, by 
 the active participle (venienfes venient^ coming they shall come), 
 which conveys neither the peculiar form nor the precise sense of 
 the Hebrew phrase. The best approximation to the force of 
 the original is Luther's repetition of the finite tense, he shall 
 come., he shall come, because in all such cases the infinitive is 
 really defined or determined by the term which follows, and in 
 sense, though not in form, assimilated to it. Load of seed, liter- 
 ally drawing or draught of seed, an obscure phrase probably 
 denoting that from which the sower draws forth seed to sow, or 
 perhaps the seed itself thus drawn forth. The only analogous 
 expression is in Am. ix. 13, where the sower is called (2J^5n Tjp^^) 
 a draioer {forth) of seed. The common version {precious seed) 
 has no foundation either in etymology or usage. The contrast so 
 beautifully painted in this verse was" realized in the experience of 
 Israel, when " the priests and the levites, and the rest of the chil- 
 dren of the captivity, kept the dedication of the house of God 
 with joy" (Ezra vi. 16), "and kept the feast of unleavened 
 bread seven days with joy, because the Lord had made them joy- 
 ful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria unto them, to 
 strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God 
 of Israel" (Ezra vi. 22.) See also Nehemiah xii. 43. 
 
220 PSALM CXXVIT 
 
 PSALM CXXYII. 
 
 1. A Song of the Ascents. By Solomon. ' If Jehovah will not 
 build a hoiise, in vain toil its builders in it, If Jehovah will not 
 keep a city, in vain watches (its) keeper. This is the central psalm 
 of the series, having seven before and seven after it. This 
 position it may owe to its being the only psalm of Solomon, 
 whereas four are by David, and the remaining ten probably by 
 one and the same author. See above, on Ps. cxx. 1. The ad- 
 mission of this psalm among the Songs of Pilgrimage was proba- 
 bly occasioned by its opening words, which, though admitting of 
 a general application, were peculiarly appropriate to the building 
 both of the first and second temple. It was perfectly natural, 
 apart from all particular divine direction, that the rebuilders of 
 the temple should rejoice to appropriate the words of Solomon, 
 their great exemplar. The correctness of the title, which 
 ascribes the psalm to him, is not only free from any plausible ob- 
 jection, but abundantly confirmed by its internal character, its 
 allusions to a state of high prosperity, and its resemblance to the 
 Book of Proverbs, where the sentiment here uttered is frequently 
 reiterated. See for example Prov. x. 22. The general princi- 
 ple, that human care and toil are unavailing without God's bless- 
 ing, is applied successively to several of the most familiar interests 
 of real life. Beyond this the psalm admits of no subdivision. 
 The first specification has respect to human dwellings, both on a 
 small and on a large scale. The futures, will not build, will not 
 keep, may also be explained as presents, builds not, keeps not. 
 The phrase (ia) in it or on it is to be connected with the verb and 
 
PSALM CXXV II 221 
 
 not with builders. Watches^ wakes, remains awake, but always 
 with a view to the exercise of vigilance. See above on Ps. 
 cii. 8, and compare Prov. viii. 34. The lust word in Hebrew is 
 properly the participle of the verb translated keep. 
 
 2. It is in vain f 07' you, rising up early ^ sitting down late, eat" 
 ing the bread of cares (or troubles.) So he giveth his beloved sleep. 
 The first phrase means, you labour in vain. Rising up^ not 
 merely from sleep, but to labour, addressing yourselves to work. 
 Sitting down., to rest when the work is done. The contrast is 
 sufficiently maintained by the common version, si/Zf??^ up late; 
 but it is objected that the Hebrews did not work in a sitting pos- 
 ture. Both these phrases are peculiar in their form — making 
 early (or hastening) to rise — making late (or delaying) to sit. 
 Bread of cares (or troubles) is bread earned by hard toil and con- 
 sumed amidst it. There is obvious allusion to Gen. iii. 17, 19. 
 The last clause is exceedingly obscure. Some understand it to 
 mean that while others labour, God's beloved sleeps. But this 
 is contradicted by notorious facts and inconsistent with the doc- 
 trine of the Bible, and especially the Book of Proverbs, with re- 
 spect to idleness and diligence. See Prov. vi. 9, 10. xxxi. 27. 
 Another possible interpretation is that God gives his beloved re- 
 freshing sleep after their labour, but this cannot be said of such 
 exclusively. The latest writers understand the clause to mean, 
 that what others hope to gain exclusively by labour, but in vain, 
 the Lord bestows upon his people while they sleep, they know 
 not how. According to this view of the passage, it^nust be trans- 
 lated, sOy i. e. such, namely, what they thus seek, Ac gives to hii 
 beloved one {in) sleep. This, which is not a very obvious con- 
 struction, derives some additional colour from the seeming allusion 
 to Solomon's name Jedidiah (2 Sam. xii. 25) , the Beloved of the 
 Lord, and to the promise of prosperity communicated to him in a 
 dream (1 Kings iii. 5, 15.) 
 
222 PSALM CXXVII. 
 
 3. Zo, a heritage from Jehovah (are) children ; a reward (ii) 
 the fruit of the womb. What is true of dwellings and the means 
 of subsistence is no less true of those for whom these advantages 
 are commonly provided. An inheritance or heritage^ i. e. a val- 
 uable possession derived from a father. Children, literally sons, 
 a term very often used indefinitely. A reward or hire, the ex- 
 pression used by Leah, in naming her son Issachar, Gen. xxx. 18. 
 In the same chapter (Gen. xxx. 2) children are called the fruit 
 of the womb, and represented as the gift of God. See also 
 Dcut. vii 13. 
 
 4. As arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the sons of youth. 
 The first clause describes them as defenders of their parents. A 
 warrior, literally, a stro7ig or [mighty) one. Sons of youth, i. e. 
 born while their parents are still young. See Gen. xxxvii. 3. 
 Isai. liv. 6. The allusion is not only to their vigour (Gen. xlix. 
 3), but to the value of their aid to the parent in declining age. 
 
 5. Happy the man who has filed his quiver with them — they shall 
 not hz put to shame — they shall speak with adversaries in the gate. 
 The first clause carries out the figure of arrows in the verse pre- 
 ceding. The mention of the gate, in the last clause, as the place 
 both of commercial and judicial business, seems to mark a transi- 
 tion from martial to forensic conflict, and to show that the ene- 
 mies or adversaries here meant are adverse parties in litigation. 
 See above, on Ps. Ixix. 13 (12.) For a striking contrast to this 
 picture, see Job v. 4. This last example, although perfectly in 
 keeping with the views of the ancient Israelites in general seems 
 peculiarly natural and life-like in a psalm of Solomon 
 
PSALM CXXVIII. 223 
 
 PSALM GXXYIII 
 
 1. A Song of Ascents. Happy is every fearer of Jehovah ^ the 
 (ons) walking in his ways. This psalm seems intended to assure 
 the tempted and discouraged people of Judah, under the most 
 adverse circumstances, that devotion to his service cannot lose its 
 reward. As if he had said, however things may now seem to 
 an eye of sense, it is still a certain truth, that the truly happy 
 man is he who fears Jehovah, not in mere profession, but who 
 testifies his fear of him by walking in his ways or doing his com- 
 mandments. 
 
 2. The labour of thy hands when thou shalt eat, happy thou and 
 well with thee. The promise implied is the opposite of the threaten- 
 ing in Deut. xxviii. 33. Lev. xxvi. 16. What the enemies of 
 Israel are there described as doing, it is here said that Israel shall 
 do himself. Well with thez., literally, good for thee. The con- 
 junction (^^3) in the first clause is not to be construed as in Ps. 
 cxviii. 10, but as a particle of time. Happy thou., or oh thy 
 happinesses., is an expression borrowed from Deut. xxxiii. 29. 
 
 3. Thy wife., as a fruitful vine >d the sides of thy house; thy 
 sons, as olive-plants around thy table. The word translated sides 
 always means the edge or border, and, according to some, the 
 innermost part. See above, on Ps. xlviii. 3 (2.) Sons, as usual, 
 represent the children of both sexes. The olive-plants are em- 
 blems of luxuriance and fruitfulness. See above, on Ps. Hi. 10 
 
224 PSALM CXXVIII. 
 
 (8), and compare Jer. xi. 16. The Hebrew for around or alout 
 is the same as in Ps. cxxv. 2. 
 
 4. See — for so shall be blessed the man fearing Jehovah. The 
 lo or behold at the beginning is equivalent to saying, Look upon 
 this picture, for it represents the state of one who truly fears the 
 Lord. Although such a connection between goodness and pros- 
 perity was far more uniform and constant under the Old Testa- 
 ment than now, it is not to be supposed that these promises were 
 actually verified in the experience of every godly Israelite. This 
 has led some of the most eminent interpreters to the conclusion, 
 that the promises of this psalm are not personal at all, but ad- 
 dressed to an ideal person representing the whole class of true 
 believers, the true Israel. 
 
 5. Jehovah bless thee out of Zion, and look thou upon the icelfare 
 of Jerusalem. The consecution of the future and imperative is 
 the same as in Ps. ex. 2. The latter might therefore be trans- 
 lated as a promise, the Lord shall bless thee, but the optative mean- 
 ing seems more natural in this connection. In either case, the 
 imperative conveys substantially the same idea. See above, on 
 Ps, xxxvii. 3, 4, 27. From Zion, as his earthly residence, the 
 waat of the theocracy. See above, on Ps. xx. 3 (2.) Look upon, 
 mth joy and triumph. See above, on Ps. xxii. 18 (17.; xxxvii. 
 \c4. liv. 9 (8.) Welfare, literally goodness, not of character but 
 of condition, good fortune. The Hebrew word occurs above, Ps 
 ftxix. 66. 
 
 6. And see thou sons to thy sons. Peace (be) upon Israel ! The 
 first clause is a virtual promise of long life — thou shalt see thy child" 
 'renh children. An interesting parallel is furnished by Zech. viii. 
 4, the whole of which chapter is indeed a prophetic commentary 
 on this psalm. For the meaning of the last clause, see above, on 
 Ps cxxv. 5. 
 
PSALM CXXIX. 225 
 
 PSALM CXXIX. 
 
 1. A Song of the Ascents. Many {a time) have they distressed 
 me from my youth — oh let Israel say ! On the recollection of de- 
 liverances in times past, vs. 1 — 4, rests the hope of others in tim? 
 to come, vs. 5 — S. The first word after the inscription properly 
 means much or too much. See above, on Ps. cxx. 6. cxxiii. 4. 
 But most interpreters agree in referring it to time, as in the Eng- 
 lish version, many a time or often. The youth of Israel, as a na- 
 tion, was the period of his residence in Egypt, See Hos. ii. 17. 
 Jer. ii. 2. xxii. 21. Ezek. xxiii. 3. For the optative meaning of 
 the last clause, and the true sense of the Hebrew particle (^|), 
 see above, on Ps. cxviii. 2. cxxiv. 1. Distressed^ persecuted or 
 oppressed me. Compare the use of the participle in Ps. vi. 8 (7.) 
 vii. 5 (4.) xxiii. 5. 
 
 2. Many {a time) have they distressed me from my youth ; yet 
 have they not prevailed against me. The statement in the first 
 verse is repeated, for the sake of being joined with one of a more 
 cheering character. Ye^, literally, also. As if he had said : it is 
 true that they have so done, but it is also true, etc. Prevailed 
 against me., literally, leen able {as) to me, i. e. able to accomplish 
 their designs respecting me. See Gen. xxxii. 26 (25), and com- 
 pare Ps. xiii. 5 (4.) 
 
 3. Upon my back ploughed ploughers ; they made long their fur^ 
 rows. The expression on my back seems to show that the allusion 
 
 10* 
 
226 PSA.LM CXXIX. 
 
 is to wounds produced by stripes. As if he had said, my baclj 
 was furrowed by their whips or scourges. We have here then an 
 example of the image of an image. The ploughing is a figure for 
 scourging, and the scourging a figure for the manifold sufferings 
 inflicted upon Israel by his cruel enemies. 
 
 4. Jehovah (is) righteous ; he cut the cord of the wicked. He is 
 righteous, and therefore faithful to his promise, and to his cove- 
 nant engagements to his people. The cord (not cords) is that 
 which fastened the ox to the plough. This continuation of the 
 figure in v. 3 is much more natural than the assumption of a new 
 one, that of confinement by the tying of the limbs, as in Ps. ii. 3. 
 According to the first translation above given, the meaning of the 
 clause is, that Jehovah put an end to their inflictions by a violent 
 separation from their victim. 
 
 5. Shavied and turned lack are fand shall be) all haters of 
 Zion. What Jehovah has already done for Zion, as recorded in 
 V. 4, creates and justifies the confident belief, that he will do still 
 more. This language was peculiarly appropriate to Israel at the 
 Restoration, when the main deliverance had already been accom- 
 plished, but others were still needed to complete the happy 
 revolution. With the first clause compare Ps. vi. 11 (10.) 
 XXXV. 4 (3.) xl. 14 (13 ) 
 
 G. They shall he like the grass of the house-tops^ whichy lefore 
 one pulls {it) J withers. The flat roofs of the oriental houses 
 being often covered with earth, grass and weeds readily spring up, 
 but having no depth of root soon wither. Compare my note on 
 Isai. xxxvii. 27, from which place the figure is here borrowed. 
 The common version (afore it groweth up) is founded on Je- 
 rome's {statim ut viruerit.) The other is supported by the Sep- 
 tuagint and Vulgate (ngo rod stoTtuadrivui,^ priusquam evellatur) 
 
PSALM CXXIX. 227 
 
 and by the usage of the verb (^\'^) in the sense of drawing 
 (a sword), drawing off (a shoe) etc 
 
 7. (With) ichich the reaper Jills not his hand and his hosom^ 
 (when) binding sheaves. The ephemeral and worthless vegeta- 
 tion of the house-top is contrasted still further with the useful pro- 
 ducts of the earth, in order to contrast still more strongly the 
 end of the righteous and the wicked. The last Hebrew word is 
 translated above strictly as a paiticiple of the verb (*i;o3>) to bind 
 or gather sheaves, and may agree with (liZIp) reaper in the first 
 clause. Since the latter, however, is itself a participle used as a 
 noun, most interpreters put the same construction on the other 
 word, and suppose it to denote a different person from the reaper. 
 With which the reaper Jills not his hand nor his bosom the sheaf - 
 biTuler. The word translated bosom is explained by lexicogra- 
 phers to mean the front fold of the oriental robe, in which things 
 are carried. It might also be translated lap. Hengstenberg's 
 version is his arm. Compare my note on Isai. xlix. 22. 
 
 8 Nor do the passers by say., The blessing of Jehovah fcome) 
 unto yoUy we bless you in the name of Jehovah. The negative 
 description is still carried out, with unusual distinctness and par- 
 ticularity. This verse affords an interesting glimpse of ancient 
 harvest usages, confirmed by the historical statement in Ruth ii. 4, 
 from the analogy of which place it is altogether probable, although 
 denied by some, that there is here allusion to the alternate or 
 responsive salutations in common use among the people. "We 
 may then supply in thought before the last clause, nor receive 
 the customary answer. As the Hebrew preposition before you 
 does not mean on but to or unto., it seems better to supply co)m 
 than be. With this verse compare Ps. cxviii. 26. 
 
228 rSALM CXXX 
 
 rSALM CXXX. 
 
 1. A So7ig of Ascents. Out of tie depths do I invoke thee, ok 
 Jehovah ! This is the penitential psalm of the series, in which 
 the guilt of the chosen people is distinctly acknowledged, as the 
 cause of its calamities, but not as an occasion of despair. After 
 an introductory petition to be heard, vs. 1, 2, comes the indirect 
 confession of sin, vs. 3, 4, then an expression of strong confidence, 
 vs. 5, 6, and an exhortation to Israel to indulge the same, vs. 7, 8. 
 The distinction made in this last stanza, between Israel at large 
 and the penitent who ytters the previous confession, would seem 
 to show, that the latter is to be conceived of as an individual, 
 and not as representing the whole people. But the best inter- 
 preters are of opinion, that the distinction is entirely formal, and 
 that the object of address in the last stanza is identical with the 
 person speaking in the others. See above, on Ps. Ixix. 3, 15 
 (2, 14), and compare Isai. li. 10, in all which places the word 
 translated depths occurs, and in the same sense, as a figure for 
 extreme dejection and distress. The figure itself is also used in 
 Ps. xl. 3 (2.) Ezek. xxvii. 34. 
 
 2. Lord, hearken to my voice ; let thine ears be attentive to the 
 voice of my supplications. The first word in Hebrew is (*^n») 
 the one strictly meaning Lord, and showing that the prayer is 
 offered to a sovereign God. The common verb (2>?3'>^') to hear is 
 here construed with a preposition (a), thus resembling, in its syn- 
 tax, our verbs hearken, listen. The adjectiv-'^ atte^^iive is peeuliai 
 
PSALM C XXX. 225 
 
 to the later Hebrew, though its verbal root is of frequent occur- 
 rence in the psahns. Supplications^ prayers for grace or mercy 
 See above, on Ps. xxviii. 6. xxxi. 23 (22.) 
 
 3. If iniquities thou mark^ oh Jah — oh Lord^ who shall stand ? 
 This interrogation clearly implies consciousness of guilt, and 13 
 therefore an indirect confession of it. To inark is to note, take 
 notice of, observe. The Hebrew verb is used in precisely the 
 same manner, Job x. 14. xiv. 16. To stand is to stand one's 
 ground, maintain one's innocence, and perhaps in this case, to 
 endure one's sentence. See above, on Ps. i. 6, and compare 
 Nah. i. 6. Mai. iii. 2. The question is equivalent to a strong 
 negation, or an affirmation that none can stand. 
 
 4. For with thee (there is) forgiveness^ to the intent that thou 
 mayest be feared. The for has reference to a thought suppressed 
 but easily supplied. Since none can stand, oh Lord, forgive, /br 
 with thee, etc. Or, since none can stand, our only hope is in 
 free forgiveness, for with thee etc. With thee^ belonging to 
 thee, exercised by thee. The word rendered forgiveness is pecu- 
 liar to the later Hebrew ; its plural form occurs in Neh. ix. 17. 
 The forgiveness that we need, the (only) forgiveness that is avail- 
 able or attainable. To the. intent j for this very purpose, not 
 merely so that, as an incidental consequence. Fear or godly 
 reverence is here represented as one fruit and evidence of par- 
 doned sin. 
 
 5. I wait for Jehovah — my soul waits — and in his word do 1 
 hope. The last verb also means to wait for his word, i. e the 
 fulfilment of his promise, as in Ps. cxix. 74, 81, 82, 114, 147. 
 My soul waits, I wait with all my soul or heart. My powers and 
 affections are absorbed in this earnest expectation 
 
 <5 My soul {-wsdta) for the Lord more than (thoso) watching 
 
S to PSALM CXXX. 
 
 fur the morning — watching for the morning. There is some- 
 thing beautiful and toucliing in this simple repetition, though it is 
 not easy to account for its effect, which is sensibly impaired by 
 the attempt made in the English version to relieve the baldness 
 of the iteration, I say more than they that xoatch for the morning. 
 The comparison suggested is between the impatience of nocturnal 
 watchers for the break of day and that of sufferers for relief, or 
 of convicted sinners for forgiveness. 
 
 7. Ho'pe ihoUy Israel^ in Jehovah ; for with Jehovah (is) mercy ^ 
 and abundantly with him redemption. The third person used in 
 the English Bible {let Israel hope in the Lord) is an inaccuracy 
 the more remarkable because not found in the Prayer Book Ver- 
 sion {Oh Israel^ trust in the Lord.) In Jehovah, literally to him, 
 i. e. look to him with confident expectation, as in Isai. li. 5. 
 The construction in the last clause is idiomatic and not suscepti- 
 ble of close translation. The word corresponding to abundantly 
 is the infinitive of a verb meaning to increase or multiply, but is 
 often used adverbially in the sense of much, greatly, or abun- 
 dantly. See above, on Ps. li. 4(2.) Redemption, dGliversiTLGe^ 
 especially from bondage, that of Babylon in Ps. cxi. 9, that of 
 sin or condemnation in the case before us. 
 
 8. And He will redeem Israel from all his iniquities. The pro- 
 noun is emphatic ; only trust him for redemption, and he will 
 himself redeem thee. As the first clause shows by whom Israel 
 is to be redeemed, to wit, by God alone, so the second shows 
 from what, to wit, from sin, as the cause of his sufferings. This 
 is a very significant variation of the older passage, Ps. xxv. 22, 
 where the sufferings alone are expressly nientioned. 
 
PSALM CXXXI. 231 
 
 PSALM CXXXI. 
 
 1. A Song of Ascents. By David. Ok Jehovah., not haughty 
 is my hearty and not lofty are my eyes^ and I meddle not ivitk great 
 {things) and (with things) too wonderful for me. This short 
 psalm is perfectly in David's manner, as well as his spirit, dis 
 playing in a high degree that childlike royalty, in which he is 
 resembled by no other even of the sacred writers. Haughty^ lite- 
 rally high^ bnt with particular reference to hauteur or loftiness of 
 spirit. Lofty eyes are mentioned elsewhere by David himself as 
 a sign of pride. See Ps. xviii. 28 (27.) ci. 5. The elation here 
 described is elsewhere represented as the natural fruit of undis- 
 turbed prosperity. See Deut. xxxii. 15. 2 Chron. xxvi. 16. xxxii. 
 25. This confirms the Davidic origin of the psalm, and shows that 
 it was only adapted by the later writer to his own purpose, when the 
 original conception would have been almost impossible. Meddle^ 
 literally, walk or loalk about^ i. e. employ or (as the English versions 
 have it) exercise myself. Too loonderful for we, wonderfully 
 done (more) than I (can comprehend.) The great and wonderful 
 things meant are God's secret purposes and sovereign means for 
 their accomplishment, in which man is not called to co-operate 
 but to acquiesce. As David practised this forbearance by his 
 patient expectation of the kingdom, both before and after the 
 death of Saul, so he here describes it as a characteristic of the 
 chosen people. 
 
 2. (God knows) if I have not soothed and quieted my soul., as a 
 weaned (child leans) itpon his rtiother ; as a weaned (child leans) 
 
232 PSALM CXXXI. 
 
 on me my soul. The first clause contains a strong asseveration, in 
 the idiomatic form of an ancient oath, very feebly represented by 
 our adverb surely. See above, on Ps. Ixxxix. 36 (35.) The word 
 translated soothed means rather smoothed^ levelled, as in Isai. 
 xxviii. 25. Quieted^ stilled, hushed, reduced to silence. The 
 repeated use of the preposition on in this connection is so marked 
 and striking, that it seems to make it necessary to supply a verb 
 with which it may be construed. This is certainly better than to 
 give it a different meaning in the two clauses, or in both one which 
 doe« not belong to it. In the version above given, the comparison 
 suggested is between a weaned child, quietly reposing on its moth- 
 er's breast, without desiring to be suckled as of old, and the soul of 
 the Psalmist, by a bold conception represented as his child, and 
 acting in like manner. Hengstenberg denies that there is any 
 reference to the mother's milk, or that weaned has any other 
 meaning here than that of infant or young child, as in Isai. xi. 8. 
 xxviii. 9. The comparison is then coincident with that in Matth. 
 xviii. 3, 4. But the use of the word weaned^ which was here re- 
 quired by no parallelism as in Isaiah, and the singular aptness of 
 the figure suggested by the word when strictly understood, have 
 led most interpreters, and will probably lead most readers, to pre- 
 fer the obvious and strict in^terpretation. 
 
 3. Hojpe thou^ Israel^ in Jehovah^ from now even to eternity. 
 This is the opposite of the feeling disavowed in the pt-eceding 
 verses. From the first clause that of Ps. cxxx. 7 was no doubt 
 borrowed by the later writer, who prefixed that psalm to the one 
 before us. With the last clause compare Ps. cxxi. 8. 
 
PSALM CXXXII. 
 
 PSAL M CXXXII. 
 
 1- A Song of Ascents Remember, oh Jehovah, for David, aU 
 his affliction. This psalm contains a commemoration of David's 
 zeal for the house of God, vs. 1 — 9, and a prayer that it may" be 
 rewarded by the fulfilment of the promise to him and to his house, 
 vs. 10 — 18. The common version {remember David and all his 
 afflictions) omits a preposition and inserts a conjunction, both 
 without necessity. The same verb and preposition (b 15T) are 
 combined elsewhere, in the sense of remembering something in a 
 person's favour, to his advantage, for his benefit. See above, on 
 Ps. xcviii, 3. cvi. 45. cxix. 49. So here : remember, in behalf 
 of David, how he was distressed. The common version of this 
 last phrase {all his afflictions) supposes the Hebrew word (nis^) 
 to be a plural noun, whereas it is the infinitive of the passive verb 
 /rT35>) to be afflicted or distressed (Ps. cxix. 71), and is therefore 
 more correctly rendered in the Prayer Book {all his trouble.) 
 The precise sense is, his being afflicted. The distress referred to 
 is the great anxiety which David felt, first to reunite the ark and 
 tabernacle, and then to build a more permanent sanctuary. This 
 zeal for the house of God is one of the most characteristic features 
 in the history of David, and for this he was rewarded, not only 
 with a promise that his son should execute his favourite design, 
 but also with a promise that God would build a house for him, by 
 granting a perpetual succession in his family upon the throne of 
 Judah. This promise seemed to be forgotten at the time of the 
 Captivity, and even after the first Restoration, when the house of 
 David was reduced so low, that its hereditary representative, 
 
tM PSALM CXXXII. 
 
 Zerubbabel, never even bore the royal title. The form of the 
 petition in this verse is copied from that of Solomon, at the dedi- 
 cation of the temple, as recorded in 2 Chron. vi. 42. 
 
 2. Who swore to Jehovah, vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob, 
 This last expression is borrowed, both here and in Isai. i. 24, from 
 Jacob himself. See Gen. xlix. 24. 
 
 3. If I go into the tent (which is) my house, if I go up on the 
 bed (which is) my couch. The elliptical form of swearing here 
 used is equivalent to saying, I will not go. See above, 
 on Ps. cxxxi. 2. The tent my house, the couch my led, are 
 mere poetical expressions for the house where I dwell, the couch 
 where I lie. Instead of being in apposition, however, they may 
 be in regimen, the tent of my house, tlie couch of my led, i. e. the 
 dwelling place of my house, the resting place of my bed. 
 
 4. If I give sleep to my eyes, to my eyelids slumber. This is a 
 part of the sentence begun in v. 3 and completed in v. 5. The 
 promise is, of course, not to be absolutely understood, but as 
 meaning, that he would not sleep at ease, or abandon himself to 
 undisturbed repose, till the condition was complied with. 
 
 5. Until I find a place for Jehovah, dwellings for the Mighty 
 One of Jacob. The implication in the first clause, that Jehovah 
 was without a place on earth, may remind us of Christ's memor- 
 able saying. Matt. viii. 20. Luke ix. 58. The word translated dweU 
 Hngs is peculiarly expressive, because, although strictly a generic 
 term, it is specially applied in usage to the sanctuary with its 
 enclosures and apptmdages. See above, on Ps. Ixxxiv. 2 (1.) 
 
 6. Lo, ive heard it in Ephrathah ; we found it in the fields of 
 the wood. These are most probably the words of David and his 
 coui:€mporaries, with respect to the recovery of the ark. We 
 
PSALM CXXXII. 235 
 
 heard it^ or heard of it, i. e. of the ark, in plying that they did 
 not see it, that it was out of public view. In Ephrathah has 
 been variously explained. Some suppose it to mean Ephraim, as 
 Ejphrathi means an Ephraimite, and apply the words to Shiloh, 
 where the ark was long deposited. But Ephrathah itself is never 
 60 used elsewhere, and the ark, while at Shiloh, was as much in 
 public view as at Jerusalem. Others, because Bethlehtin Eph- 
 rathah and Bethlehem Judah are convertible expressions (1 Sam. 
 Xvii. 12. Mic. V. 1), make Ephrathah another name for Judah, 
 which it never is, however, when it stands by itself. The only 
 explanation, equally agreeable to usage and the context, is that 
 which makes Ephrathah the ancient name of Bethlehem (Gen 
 xlviii. 7j, here mentioned as the place where David spent his 
 youth, and where he used to hear of the ark, although he never 
 saw it till long afterwards, when he found it in the fields of the 
 wood, or in the neighbourhood of Kirjath-jearim, which name 
 means Forest-town or City of the "Woods. Compare 1 Sam. vii. 1 
 with 2 Sam. vi. 3, 4. 
 
 7. Let us covic to his dwellings ; let us how down to his foot- 
 stool. Another step is here taken in reviewing the history of the 
 sanctuary and of David's zeal for it. These are such words as 
 might have been spoken at the public and solemn introduction of 
 the ark into Jerusalem. As if it had been said : the ark of God 
 has long been lost or out of sight, but now that a dwelling is provi- 
 ded for it on Mount Zion, let us come etc. Without any material 
 change of sense, the future form may be retained, and the para- 
 gogic augment understood to express a strong determination. 
 Now that the ark is established on Mount Zion, we will come etc. 
 With respect to the representation of the ark as the footstool of 
 Jehovah, and the act of bowing down to it, see above, on Ps 
 xcix. 5. 
 
 8. Arise^ Jehovah^ to thy resting -place ^ thou and the ark of thy 
 
236 PSALM CXXXII. 
 
 strength. Here again the form of expression is borrowed from tlie 
 words of Solomon at the dedication of the temple, as recorded in 
 2 Chr vi. 41. This shows that the Psalmist regarded Solomoir 
 as merely carrying out his father's plan, or acting as th«e executor 
 of his will, which is in fact the mutual relation of these personages 
 as they appear in sacred history. A more remote allusion 
 may be traced to Num. x. 35. See above, on Ps. Ixviii. 2(1.) 
 The word translated resting-place has here its proper meaning as 
 a local noun. The last clause shows the true import of the ark 
 in the Mosaic system, as a pledge and token of Jehovah's pres- 
 ence, so that its solemn entrance into Zion was the entrance of 
 the Lord himself, and to bow down to it was to worship him. T/ig 
 a?-k of thy strength is by some, in accordance with a common 
 Hebrew idiom, resolved into thy ark of strength^ and that into thy 
 strong (or mighty) ark. It is simpler, however, and in this case 
 yields a better meaning, to retain the original expression in its 
 obvious sense, the ark which assures us of the presence and exer- 
 tion of thy power for our protection. 
 
 9. Let thy priests be clothed ivith righteousness^ and let thy saints 
 shout (or sing.) This is the conclusion of the sentence quoted 
 from 2 Chr. vi. 41. Instead of righteousness we there read salva- 
 tion^ which has led some to explain the two words as synonymous, 
 while others understand by righteousness the practical justification 
 which salvation carries with it. Another possible construction is 
 to take the righteousness as that of God, which is displayed in 
 the salvation of his people, and in which his priests, who officially 
 declared it, might be said to clothe themselves. See the samo 
 figure in Job xxix. 14. Saints^ gracious ones, or true believers. 
 The parallel passage has, rejoice in good or good7iess. 
 
 10. For the sake of David thy servant^ turn not away the face 
 of thine Anointed. The most obvious construction of this verse 
 is that which makes it intercede, on the ground of the divine par- 
 
PSALM ex XX [I. 237 
 
 tiality to David^ /or another person, supposed by some to be one 
 or more of his successors in the kingly office, by others Israel at 
 large. A comparison, however, of the place from which the 
 words are borrowed (2 Chron. vi. 42) and of v. 17 below, makes 
 it highly probable that both clauses relate to David himself. 
 This may be rendered clearer and more natural by makino- the 
 first clause an elliptical petition, entirely distinct from the second. 
 For the sake of David thy servant (grant these requests which are 
 really his) ; turn not away (his face which is) the face of thine Anoint- 
 ed. The frequency with which God is urged to hear and answer 
 prayer/or David''s sake (1 Kings xi. 12, 13. xv. 4. 2 Kings viii. 19, 
 etc.) is not to be explained by making David mean the promise 
 to David, nor from the personal favour of which he was the 
 object, but from his historical position, as the great theocratical 
 model, in whom it pleased God that the old economy should 
 reach its culminating point, and who is always held up as the type 
 and representative of the Messiah, so that all the intervening 
 kings are mere connecting links, and their reigns mere repetitions 
 and continuations of the reign of David, with more or less resem- 
 blance as they happened to be good or bad. Hence the frequen- 
 cy with which his name appears in the later Scriptures, com- 
 pared with even the best of his successors, and the otherwise 
 inexplicable transfer of that name to the Messiah himself. It is 
 in this unique character and office, as the Servant of the Lord, 
 that David is here mentioned, first by his own name, and then as 
 the Anointed King of Israel, whose face Jehovah is entreated 
 not to turn away, a figure for refusing him an audience, or at 
 least denying his petition, which we know to have been used in 
 David's times. See the Hebrew of 1 Kings ii. 16, 17, 20. 
 
 11. Sworn hath Jehovah to David [\n) truth^ he will not turii 
 hack from it : Of the fruit of thy body [ will place on the throne 
 for thee. See above, on Ps. Ixxxix. 4, 36 (3, 35), and compare 
 2 Sam. vii. 28. Turn back, recede from his engagement, cr fail 
 
238 P5AL-M CXXXII. 
 
 10 perform it. Of the fruity from among thy posterity or offspring. 
 On the throne^ literally to ov for it. See above, on Ps. ix. 5 (4.) 
 For thety in thy place, as thy representatives, or {helotiging) to 
 theCy i. e. thy throne. 
 
 12 If thy sons loill observe my covenamt and my testimonies 
 which I teach them^ (then) likewise their sons unto perpetuity shall 
 sit upon the throne for thee. This is the condition of the promise, 
 the breach of which accounts for the apparent violation of the 
 promise itself. Such a suspension of the promise was not only 
 just in itself, but foreseen and provided for (2 Sam. vii. 14, 15), 
 as something perfectly consistent with the perpetuity of the en- 
 gagement, / teach you refers not only to external legislation, but 
 to spiritual guidance and illumination. 
 
 13. For Jehovah has chosen Zion^has desired (it) for a dwell- 
 ing for him. Besides the oath and promise made directly to 
 David, the petition of the psalm is here enforced by the divine 
 choice of Zion, which was inseparably connected with the exalta- 
 tion of the family of David. See the same thing asserted or im- 
 plied, Ps. xliii. 2(1.) Ixv. 2 (\.) cxxv. 2. As in vs. 11, 12, the 
 last words in Hebrew (ib) may be also rendered to him^ belong- 
 ing to him, his dwelling. 
 
 14. This is my resting-place to perpetuity ; here will I dwell, 
 because I have desired it. These are the words of God, though 
 not expressly so described. See above, on Ps. Ixxxvii. 4. Ixxxix. 
 4, 5 (3, 4.) The word translated dwell means originally to sit, 
 and especially to sit enthroned, so that this idea would be neces-i 
 sarily suggested with the other to a Hebrew reader, See above, 
 on Ps. xxix. 10. Iv. 20 (19.) cii 13 (12.) cxxiii. 1. 
 
 15. Her provision I will bless, I ivill bless ; her poor I will 
 tatisfy (with) bread. The repetition of the verb may expre?/? 
 
PSALM CXXXII. 239 
 
 either certainty or fulness. / will surely blesSj or I will bless 
 abundantly. See above, on Ps. cxxvi. 6. The word translated 
 'provision is a cognate form to that i,n Ps. Ixxviii. 25. Satisfy^ 
 amply or abundantly supply. 
 
 16. And her jpriests I ivill clothe with salvation ; and her sainti 
 shall shout^ shall shout (for joy.) This is the promise correspond- 
 ing to the prayer in v. 9. The word salvation^ for which right- 
 eousness was substituted there, is here restored from the original 
 passage, 2 Chron. vi. 41. The last verb in Hebrew means to 
 express joy by shouting or singing. As to the emphatic repetition, 
 see above, on v. 15. 
 
 17. There will I make to bud a horn for David ; I have trimmed 
 a lamp for mine Anointed. These are common figures in the 
 Scripture for strength and prosperity. See above, on Ps. xviii 
 (10), 29 (28.) Ixxxix. 18 (17.) xcii. 11, and compare 1 Sam. ii. 1. 
 2 Sam. xxi. 17. Ezek. xxix. 21. The last clause contains an 
 allusion to the Law, which cannot be preserved in any version. 
 The word translated lamp is used to designate the several burners 
 of the golden candlestick (Ex. xxv. 37. xxxv. 14. xxxvii. 23. 
 xxxix. 37), and the verb here joined with it is the one applied to 
 the ordering or tending of the sacred lights by the priests (Ex. 
 xxvii. 21. Lev. xxiv. 3.) The meaning of the whole verse is, 
 that the promises of old made to David and to Zion should be yet 
 fulfilled, however dark and inauspicious present appearances. 
 
 18. His enemies I ivill clotJie with shame^ and on him shall bloom 
 his crown. The pronouns refer to David, as the Lord's Anointed, 
 mentioned in v. 17. The figure in the first clause is the converse 
 or counterpart of that in vs. 9, 16, and the same with that in 
 Ps. xxxv. 2Q. cix. 29. With the last clause compare Ps. Ixxxix. 
 40 (39.) The verb to bloom or blossom agrees well with the idea 
 of a wreath or chaplet. Compare the (jc/nao&VTcvov crrkcfavov of 
 
240 PSALM CXXXIII. 
 
 1 Pet. V 4. Some prefer, however, to retain what they regard as 
 the original meaning of the Hebrew verb ; on him shall his crown 
 ihiiu (or glitter.) See above, on Ps. Ixxii. 16. 
 
 PSALM CXXXIII. 
 
 1. A Song of Asceiits. By David. Behold ^ how good and 
 how pleasant (is) the dwelling of brethren also together. This 
 psalm is an effusion of holy joy occasioned by the sight of the 
 gathering of Israel as one great household at the yearly feasts. It 
 is distinguished from the later compositions of this series by the 
 absence of complaint or lamentation, while its freshness and viva- 
 city and antique phraseology confirm the title which ascribes it to 
 David. The idiomatic use of (^1) also in the last clause is not 
 easily transferred to any other language. The meaning may be, 
 that although the children of Israel were brethren even when 
 divided and dispersed, it was only in these great convocations that 
 besides being thus related to each other, they also actually dwelt 
 together. There might likewise be allusion, in the first instance, 
 to the previous jealousies and alienations in the family of Israel, 
 which seemed to be exchanged for mutual concord and affection, 
 on David's accession to the throne of the whole nation. 
 
 2. Like the oil, the good (oil), on the head, runni7ig down upon 
 the beard, the beard of Aaron, which runs down to the edge of his 
 robes. The joyous character of this great family meeting suggests 
 the "oil of joy" (Isai. Ixi. 3), the standing symbol of festivity, to 
 which a more specific and religious character is then imparted by 
 a beautiful transition to the good oil (i. e. sweet and costly), with 
 
rSALM CXXXIII. 241 
 
 wMcli Aaron was anointed (Ex. xxix. 7. xxx. 22. xl. 13), as a 
 sio'n of consecration and of spiritual influences. See above, on 
 Ps. ii. 2. As we read of the anointing of no subsequent High 
 Priest, except prospectively (Lev. xxi. 10. Num. xxxv. 25), the 
 reference here may be confined to Aaron himself. This is 
 alleged to have differed from the unction of the other priests, by 
 adding to the simple application of the oil to certain parts of the 
 body, a copious affusion on the head, extending to the beard and 
 even to the sacerdotal vestments. Some interpreters apply the 
 last clause to the beard itself as reaching down to the mouth 
 ("'t') or opening at the neck of the official tunic. But the repeti- 
 tion of the verb (TV^), and the strong improbability that so much 
 stress would have been laid upon the length of the beard, to which 
 nothing is compared and which illustrates nothing, seem decisive 
 in favour of the other explanation. 
 
 3. Like the deiv of Hermon^ which comes down upon the mountains 
 of Zion ; for there has Jehovah commankded the Ucssing^ even life 
 for evermore. The comparison with oil is now exchanged for one 
 with dew, suggesting the idea of a refreshing, fertilizing influence. 
 As the general comparison with oil is rendered more specific by 
 the mention of the kind most highly valued, because made under 
 the divine direction and applied to a most sacred use, so the gene- 
 ral term dew is specified in like manner as the dew of Hermon, the 
 dew falling on the lofty heights of Antilibanus. See above, on 
 Ps. Ixxxix. 13 (12.) How this dew could be said to fall upon 
 the mountains of Zion, is a question which has much divided and 
 perplexed interpreters. Some have assumed a peculiar theory or 
 system of physics on the writer's part. Others suppose dew of 
 Htrmon to be merely descriptive of the quality, irrespective of 
 the actual place of the deposit. Simpler and more natural than 
 either of these, although not without difficulties of its own, is the 
 interpretation which restricts the comparison itself to the first few 
 words, and includes all that follows in the application. Likt the. 
 
 VOL. III. 11 
 
242 PSALM CXXX IV. 
 
 dew of Herman (is the influence) which descends upon the hills o 
 Zion, for there, etc. the last clause then explaining what this influ- 
 ence was. Whether this be the true solution of the question as 
 to form or not, it is no doubt the essential meaning of the passage, 
 upon any exegetical hypothesis whatever. The dew of Hermon 
 was mere moisture, but the dew of Zion was the promise of eter 
 nal life, there made and verified. £iven life for evermore^ literally, 
 life even to eternity 
 
 PSALM CXXXIV. 
 
 1. A Song of Ascents. Behold! bless Jehovah, all ye servants 
 of Jehovah J those standing in the house of Jehovah by night. The 
 whole series of pilgrimage songs closes, in the most appropriate 
 manner, with a summons to bless the Lord, addressed by the 
 people on arriving at the sanctuary to the priests there in attend- 
 ance, vs. 1, 2, and indirectly answered by a priestly blessing on 
 the worshippers themselves, v. 3. The h or behold at the beginning 
 is equivalent to saying, See, we are here, or we are come. To 
 bless God, as in all other cases, is to praise him in a reverential 
 and adoring manner. The servants of the Lord here meant 
 are not his people indiscriminately, but his official servants, and 
 most probably the priests, as will appear from v. 3 below. TA? 
 (owes) standing, the appropriate posture of attendants, even in the 
 courts of earthly monarchs. By night, literally, in the nights, which 
 does not however necessarily mean all night (1 Chron. ix. 33), 
 as appears from Ps. xcii. 3, where it stands opposed to in 
 thi morning, and may therefore denote simply in the evening, rltt 
 
PSALM ex XX IV. 243 
 
 gpecijfic reference, as some suppose, to the evening sacrifice^ with 
 which the daily service of the priests concluded. "We may then 
 assume, although we cannot prove, that the pilgrims were accus- 
 tomed to reach the sanctuary at that hour, singing this last " song 
 of ascents." 
 
 2. Raise your hands to the holy ^lace, and bless Jehovah ! Tho 
 gesture mentioned in the first clause symbolized the raising of 
 the heart to God. See above, on Ps. xxviii. 2. Ixiii. 5 (4.) The 
 word for holy jplace or sanctuary is the same in form with 
 that so frequently translated as an abstract, holiness. For its 
 local meaning, see above, on Ps. xx. 3 (2.) It here denotes the 
 temple or its site, as distinguished from the courts around it. Ah 
 to the act of praying to or towards it, see above, on Ps. v. 8 (7.) 
 xcix. 5. 
 
 3. Jehovah bless thee out of Zion^ Maker of heaven and earth. 
 As the priests were called upon to bless God in behalf of the 
 people, so here they bless the people in behalf of God. Between 
 the verses wc may suppose the previous request to be complied 
 with. The priests, having blessed God, turn and bless the people. 
 The obvious allusion to the sacerdotal blessing. Num. vi. 23 — 27, 
 favours the optative construction of this verse, which really in- 
 cludes a prediction {the Lord ivill bless thee.) Out of Zion, ag 
 in Ps. cxxviii. 5. Maker of heaven and earthy and therefore in- 
 finitely able to fulfil this prayer. See above, on Ps. cxv. 15 
 cxxi. 2. cxxir. S. 
 
244 PSALM CXXXV. 
 
 PSALM CXXXV. 
 
 The people of Jehovah are exhorted to praise him as their 
 peculiar God, vs. 1 — 4, as the God of nature, vs. 5 — 7, as the de- 
 liverer of Israel from Egypt and in Canaan, vs. 8 — 12, as their hope 
 also for the future, vs. 13 — 14, rendered more glorious by contrast 
 with the impotence of idols, vs. 15 — IS, after which the psalm 
 concludes as it began with an exhortation to praise God, vs. 
 19 — 21. According to Hengstenberg's arrangement and distribu- 
 tion, thia is the first of a series of twelve psalms (135 — 146), sung 
 at the completion of the second temple, and consisting of eight 
 Davidic psalms (138 — 145), preceded by three (135 — 137) and 
 followed by one (146) of later date. In this way he accounts for 
 the omission of these ancient psalms in the former part of the 
 collection, because they were no longer looked upon as independ- 
 ent compositions, but as inseparable parts of the series or systems 
 into which they had been introduced. 
 
 1. Hallelujah! Praise the name of Jehovah. Praise (it), ye 
 servants of Jehovah ! The close of the Psalm shows that although 
 the priests are included (v. 19) ^^mong iha servants of Jehovah^ 
 they are not exclusively intended, as in Ps. cxxxiv. 1. Even 
 there, however, the priests are representatives of Israel at large. 
 
 2. Who {are) standing in the house of Jehovah, in the courts 
 of the house of our God. The participle indicates continued 
 action. The mention of the courts confirms what has been 
 already said, as to the objects of address in v. 1 . 
 
PSAL.I CXXXV. 245 
 
 3. Hallelujah (praise ye Jah !) for good {is) Jehovah. Make 
 music to his runne^for it is lovely. The last words may also be 
 translated, he is lovely , i. e. an object worthy of supremo attachment. 
 
 4. For Jacob did Jah choose for himself^ Israel for his own 
 ^possession. They are particularly bound to praise him, as his 
 chosen and peculiar people. The last word in Hebrew means a 
 possession of peculiar value, set apart and distinguished from all 
 others. See Ex. xix. 5. Deut. vii. 6. xiv. 2. xxvi. IS. 
 
 5. For 1 know that great is Jehovah.^ and our Lord (more) than 
 all Gods. However ignorant the world may be of his superiority, 
 I, the representative of Israel and as such speaking in his name, 
 know and am assured of the truth from my own observation and 
 experience. 
 
 6. All that Jehovah will he does in the heavens and in the earth, 
 in the seas and all depths. Compare Ps. cxv. 3. Ecc. viii. 3. 
 Jon. i. 14. Isa. xlvi. 10, 11. It is not merely as their own peculiai 
 God that they are bound to praise him, but as the universal 
 sovereign. Heaven, earth, and sea, are put for the whole fram^ 
 of nature, as in Ex. xx. 4. 
 
 7. Causing vapours to ascend from the end of the earth — light- 
 nings for the rain he makes — bringing out the wind from his ire i- 
 sures. As certain portions of the world are specified in v. 6 to define 
 the extent of his dominion, so here certain natural phenomena are 
 mentioned as the product of his power. Compare Jer. x. 13. 
 li. 16. From the end of the earth., i. e. from all parts of it, not ex- 
 cepting the most remote. See above, on Ps. Ixi. 3 (2). The 
 second clause is by some explained to mean, turning lightnings 
 into ram., i. e. causing the thunder-cloud to dissolve in rain. 
 But this is not so natural as the common version, he maketh lights 
 nmgs for thi rain, i. e. to accompany it, or according to the 
 
246 PSALM CXXXV. 
 
 paraphrase in tho Prayer Book, scnddh forth lightnings mith tM 
 rain. With the last cUmso compare Job xxxviii. 22. 
 
 8. Who smote the first -horn of Egypt .^ from man even io 
 least. From the proofs of God's supremacy in nature, he now 
 proceeds to those in history, and especially the history of hi3 
 dealings with his people and their enemies. This is precisely 
 the relation between Ps. civ and cv. The first example chosen 
 here is the last and greatest of the plagues of Egypt. From 
 man to least., including both ; in other words, both man and beast. 
 
 9. Sent signs and wonders into the midst of thee^ oh Egypt., upon 
 Pharaoh and on all his servants. Signs and wonders., i. e. mira- 
 cles, to wit, those which preceded and accompanied the exodus. 
 See above, on Ps. Ixxviii. 43. In the midst of thee., oh Egypt., an 
 expression similar to that in Ps. cxvi. 19, in the midst of thee., oh 
 Jerusalem ! Upon Pharaoh., literally, in Pharaoh and in all his 
 servants. 
 
 10. Who smote many nations and slew mighty kings. To the 
 miracles of Egypt and the Exode are now added those of Canaan 
 and the Conquest. 
 
 11. Sihon king of the Amorites, and Og king of Bashan^ and 
 all the kingdoms of Canaan. Each of these three particulars is 
 preceded in Hebrew by the preposition T:) to or for ; and that 
 this is not an inadvertence or an accident, appears from its repeti- 
 tion in the next psalm (cxxxvi. 19, 20.) Though not in accord- 
 ance with the usage of the verb (':\yi) which is construed else- 
 where with the verb directly, the particle must be regarded here 
 as an objective sign, as in Ps. cxxix. 3, unless we suppose the 
 pensc to be, that what had just been said in general is true in par- 
 ticular as to Sihon., as to Og., and as to the kingdoms (here put for 
 the kings) of Canaan. 
 
PSALM CXXXV. 247 
 
 12. A7id gave their land {as) a heritage^ a heritage to Israel his 
 jpeople. The land of Canaan was an inheritance to Israel, not as 
 the heirs of the Canaanites, but because it was to be transmitted 
 from father to son, by hereditary right and succession. See 
 above, on Ps. cv. 44. cxi. 6. 
 
 13. Jehovah^ thy name {is) to eternity. Jehovah^ thy memory is 
 to generation and generation. Name and memory are here equiv- 
 alent expressions, meaning that by which God is remembered or 
 commemorated, namely, his perfections as exhibited in act. The 
 perpetuity of this implies continued or repeated acts of goodness. 
 
 14. For Jehovah will judge his jieajple^ and for the sake of his 
 servants icill repent. He will fulfil the promise in Deut. xxxii. 36. 
 He will judge (i. e. do justice to) his people. See above, on Ps. 
 Ixxii. 2. For the sense in which repentance is ascribed to God, 
 see above, on Ps. xc. 13. 
 
 15. The idols of the nations {are) silver and gold^ uwrhs of the 
 hands of man. The divine perfection of the Lord is now exhib- 
 ited in contrast with the impotence and nuUfty of idols. The 
 terms of the comparison are borrowed, with several variations, 
 from Ps. cxv. 4 — 8. 
 
 16. (There is) a mouth to thejn., and (yet) they speak not ; (thero 
 are) eyes to them^ and (yet) they see not. See above, on Ps. cxv. 
 5, wbich agrees exactly with the verse before us. 
 
 17. (There are) ears to them., and (yet) they hear not ; likewise 
 there is no breath in their mouth. See above, on Ps. cxv. 6. Thia 
 verse contains the most considerable variation of the pas- 
 sages. The second clause in both begins with the same Hebrew 
 word (C]5^) ; but in the one case it is a noun, meaning the nose., 
 ;d the other an adverb, meaning likewise. This kind of variation. 
 
248 PSALM C XXXV. 
 
 in which the form is retained but with a change of meaning, is 
 perfectly agreeable to Hebrew usage 
 
 18. Like them shall he those making them^ every one who (is) 
 trusting in them. See above, on Ps. cxv. 8, with which this 
 verse agrees exactly. If the meaning had been simply, those 
 who make them are like them, Hebrew usage would have required 
 the verb to be suppressed. Its insertion, therefore, in the future 
 form (l^rj^.) requires it to be rendered strictly shall be, i. e. in 
 fate as well as character. Idolaters shall perish with their per- 
 ishable idols. Compare Isai. i. 31. 
 
 19. Oh house of Israel, bless Jehovah ! Oh house of Aaron, bless 
 Jehovah ! Having shown what God is, in himself and in com- 
 parison with idols, he repeats the exhortation which this descrip- 
 tion was intended to explain and justify. With this and the next 
 verse compare Ps. cxv. 9 — 11. cxviii. 2 — 4. Instead of trust 
 we have here bless, as at the beginning of the Psalm. Compare 
 Ps. cxxxiv. 1. 
 
 20. Oh house of Levi, bless Jehovah ! Fearers of Jehovah, bless 
 Jehovah ! The Levites are not particularly mentioned in the 
 parallel passages. 
 
 21. Blessed {he) Jehovah from Zion — inhabiting Jerusalem — 
 Hallelujah ! There is here an allusion to Ps. cxxxiv. 3. As Je- 
 hovah blesses out of Zion, so also he is blessed out of Zion, by 
 the diffusion of his praise, as from a radiating centre. This is 
 said to be the only place in which Jerusalem is put for Zion, as 
 the earthly residence of God. But see above, on Ps. Ixxvi. 3 (2' , 
 and compare Ps. exxv. 1, 2. 
 
PSALM CXXXVr. 249 
 
 PSALM CXXXVI. 
 
 In theme and structure, this psahn resembles that before it, a 
 resemblance rendered still more striking by particular coincidences 
 of expression. In this case also, the people are invited to praise 
 Jehovah, vs. 1 — 3, as the God of nature, vs. 4 — 9, as the deliv- 
 erer of Israel from Egypt, vs. 10 — 15, his guide in the wilderness, 
 V. 16, the conqueror of his enemies, vs. 17 — 24, the provider of 
 all creatures, v. 25, and the God of heaven, to whom, in conclu- 
 sion, praise is again declared to be due, v. 26. The grand pecu- 
 liarity of form in this psalm, by which it is distinguished from all 
 others, is the regular recurrence, at the close of every verse, of a 
 burden or refrain^ like the responses in the Litany, but carried 
 through with still more perfect uniformity. The text or theme, 
 which thus forms the second clause of every verse, is one 
 which has repeatedly occurred already, in Ps. cvi. 1. cvii. 1. 
 cxviii. 1 — 4,29. Compare 1 Chron. xvii. 34. It has been a favour- 
 ite idea with interpreters that such repetitions necessarily imply al- 
 ternate or responsive choirs. But the other indications of this 
 usage in the Psalter are extremely doubtful, and every exegetical 
 condition may be satisfied by simply supposing that the singers, 
 in some cases, answered their own questions, and that in others, as 
 in that before us, the people united in the burden or chorus, as 
 they were wont to do in the Amen. See above, on Ps. cvi. 48. 
 
 1. Give thanks unto Jehovah— for unto eternity {is) his mercy. 
 This introductory sentence is identical with those already cited 
 from Ps. cvi, cvii, cxviii. 
 
250 PSALM CX XX VI. 
 
 2. Give thanks uiUo the God of Gods — for unto eternity (is) 
 his mercy. The divine title or description, both in this verse and 
 the next, is borrowed from Pcut. x. 17. Gods does not here 
 mean false gods, but is a superlative plural qualifying that before 
 it See above, on Ps. Ixxvii. 14 (13.) cxxxv. 5. 
 
 3. Give thanks unto the Lord of Lords — for unto eternity (is) 
 his mercy. The Lord of Lords, i. e. the supreme Lord, the 
 Lord by way of excellence, as in the English phrase heart of 
 hearts for inmost heart. 
 
 4. To (hi7n) doing wondrous (things)., great (things) ., alone — 
 for imto eternity (is) his mercy. Compare the expression doing 
 wonders., Ex. xv. 11. Alone., not merely more than others, but 
 to their exclusion. The /or, in this and the following verses, has 
 reference, not to what immediately precedes, but to the verb give 
 thanks., to be supplied at the beginning of the sentence. 
 
 5. To him that made the heavens in wisdom — for unto eternity 
 (is) his mercy. That made., literally making., perhaps in reference 
 to the continued exercise of God's creative power. Li wisdom., 
 or with understanding. See above, on Ps. civ. 24, and compare 
 Prov. iii. 19. 
 
 6. To him that spread the earth above the waters — for unto 
 eternity (is) his mercy. That spread., literally spreading., as in 
 V. 5. Above (not upon, but higher than) the waters. See above, 
 on Ps. xxiv. 2. 
 
 7 To him that made great lights — for unto eternity (is) his 
 viercy. The plural lights (ts^nis^) occurs only here, but is cog- 
 nate and synonymous with the one used in Gen. i. 14, 16 
 
 8. The sufi to rule by day — for unto eternity (is) his mtron. 
 
P S A L M C X X X V 1 . 251 
 
 The musical design of the composition is especially observable 
 where the burden or chorus is interposed between inseparable 
 parts of the same sentence, as in this one, the substance of which 
 is borrowed from Gen. i. 16, but with some change both in the 
 words and the construction. 
 
 9. The. moon and stars to rule by night — for unto eternity (is) 
 kis mercy. To ruJe^ literally, for rules or dominions^ perhaps 
 because the stars are here made sharers with the moon in the 
 dominion of the night. 
 
 10. To him that smote Egypt in their first horn — for unto 
 eternity (is) his mercy. We have here the transition from nature 
 to history, as in Ps. cxxxv. 8. Ili?fi that smote (or the srniter of) 
 Egypt, i. e. the Egyptians. Hence the plural pronoun, their 
 first horn. 
 
 11. And hr ought out Israel from the midst of them — for unto 
 eternity (is) his mercy. Here for the first time we have a finite 
 tense (the future conversive), interrupting the long series of 
 participles, all agreeing with Jehovah understood. 
 
 12. With a high hand and with an arm outstretched — for unto 
 eternity is his mercy. These are favourite Mosaic figures for the 
 active and energetic exercise of power. See Ex. iii. 19. vi. 1, 6 
 xiii. 9. XV 12. Deut. iv. 34. v. 15. vii. 19. xi. 2. xxvi. 8. 
 
 13. To him that parted the Red Sea into parts — for unto eter- 
 nity (is) his mercy. Parted and parts have the same relation to 
 each other as the Hebrew verb and noun. 
 
 14. And made Israel to pass through the midst of it — for unio 
 eternity (is) his mercy. Here again we have a finite tense, not 
 the conversive future, as in v. 11, but the preterite. Througn 
 
252 PSAi^M CXXXVI. 
 
 the midst of it^ between the parts into which it was divided. Some 
 suppose an allusion to the covenant transaction in Gen. xv. 17, 
 where the word translated parts is the one used in v. 13 above. 
 
 15. And cast Pharaoh and his host into the Red Sea — for unto 
 eternity (is) his mercy. The first verb strictly means knocked off 
 or shook off^ and is borrowed from Ex. xiv. 27. A passive form 
 of it occurs above, Ps. cix. 23. 
 
 16. To him that led his jpeojple in the wilderness — for unto eter- 
 nity (is) his mercy. Led, literally, caused to go. See above, 
 Ps. cxxv. 5. The participial construction is again resumed. 
 
 17. To him that smote great kings — for unto eternity {is) his 
 mercy. Compare the parallel passage, Ps. cxxxv. 10, which is 
 here divided by the theme or chorus. See above, on v. 8. 
 
 18. And slew mighty kings — for unto eternity (is) his mercy 
 The first clause answers to the latter half of Ps. cxxxv. 10, with 
 the substitution of another Hebrew word for mighty. 
 
 19. Sihon king of the Amorite — for unto eternity (is) his mercy. 
 Literally, to, for, or as to Sihon, etc. See above, on Ps. cxxxv. 11. 
 
 20. And Og king of Bashan — for unto eternity {is) his mcrey. 
 To, for, or as to, Og king of Bashan. 
 
 21. And gave their land as a heritage — for unto eternity (is) his 
 mercy. As a heritage, literally, for it. See above, on Ps. cxxxv. 12, 
 
 22. A heritage to Israel his servant — for unto eternity (is) his 
 mercy. This is the latter half of Ps. cxxxv 12, divided from the 
 first half by the theme or chorus. 
 
i'SALM CXXXVII. 253 
 
 23. Who in out low estate remembered us — for unto eternity (is) 
 kis mercy. In our low estate, in our humiliation, in our being 
 humbled or reduced. Remembered us, or for us, for our benefit, 
 as in Ps. cxxxii. 1. From the analogy of Ps. cvii. 16, 18, 26. 
 cxv. 12, we learn that this relates to the captivity in Babylon, 
 which is also the subject of the next psalm. 
 
 24. A7id snatched us from our adversaries — for unto eternity (w) 
 his mercy. The first verb always denotes violent action. See 
 above, on Ps. vii. 3 (2.) It here means to snatch or tear away, 
 as in Lam. v. 8, and has reference to the great catastrophe by 
 which the Babylonian power was broken and the Jews set free. 
 
 25. Giving hread to all flesh — for unto eternity (is) his mercy. 
 Here the description passes suddenly from God's acts of mercy 
 towards his people to his general beneficence towards all that 
 lives, perhaps with a design to intimate that he who thus cares 
 for men in general and even for the lower animals, will not and 
 cannot let his people perish. See Matth. vi. 30. 
 
 26. Give thanks unto the God of heaven^ for unto eternity (is) his 
 mercy. The God of heaven is a new description as to form, but 
 substantially equivalent to that in Ps. vii. 8 (7.) xi. 4. xiv. 2. 
 xxxiii. 13, 14. 
 
 PSALM CXXXYII, 
 
 This is the most direct and striking reminiscence of the Baby- 
 lonish Exile in the whole collection, and could scarcely have been 
 written but by one who had partaken of its trials The 
 
254 PSALM C XXXVI I. 
 
 first part of the psalm recalls the treatment of the Jews in Baby- 
 lonia, vs, 1 — 6 ; the second anticipates the punishment of Edom 
 and of Babylon, as persecuting enemies of Israel, vs. 7 — 9. 
 
 1 . By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea we wept, 
 when we rememhered Zio7i. The first word sometimes means along, 
 and especially along the course of streams, as in Ps. xxiii. 2. Ba- 
 bel or Babylon is here put for the whole country which we call 
 Babylonia. Its rivers are the Tigris, the Euphrates, the Chabo- 
 ras, and the Ulai, with their tributary branches. Various expla- 
 nations have been given of the exiles being represented as sitting by 
 the rivers ; but none of them are so satisfactory as the obvious and 
 simple supposition, that the rivers are mentioned as a characteris- 
 tic feature of the country, just as we might speak of the mountains 
 of Switzerland or the plains of Tartary, meaning Switzerland or 
 Tartary itself There is emphatic ; there, even in that dis- 
 tant heathen country. Sat or sat down, if significant at all, 
 may mean that they sat upon the ground as mourners. Yea, lite- 
 rally also ; we not only sat but also wept. When we remem- 
 bered, literally, in our remembering, i. e. at the time, and as the 
 effect, of our so doing. Zion, not merely as the mother-country 
 or its capital, but as the seat of the theocracy and earthly centre 
 of the true religion. 
 
 2. On willows in the midst of it we hung our harps. It has been 
 objected that the willow is unknown in the region once called 
 Babylonia, which is said to produce nothing but the palm-tree. 
 Some avoid this difficulty by explaining the whole verse as meta- 
 phorical, hanging up the harps being a figure for renouncing mu- 
 sic, and willows being suggested by the mention of streams, perhaps 
 with some allusion to associations connected with this particular 
 tree. It may also be observed that extraordinary changes have 
 taken place in the vegetable products, and especially the trees, of 
 certain countries. Thus the palm-tree, so frequently referred to 
 
PSALM CXXXVII. 255 
 
 in the scriptures, and so common once that cities were called after 
 it, is now almost unknown in Palestine. 
 
 3. For there our captors asked of us the words of a song^ and 
 our spoilers mirth, (saying) Sing to us from a song of Zion. 
 Words of a song may either be an idiomatic pleonasm meaning 
 simply song itself, or denote, as in English, the words sung as 
 distinguished from the music. Our spoilers is by some taken in a 
 passive sense, our spoiled or plundered ones ; but the usual explana- 
 tion is favoured by tradition and analogy. One of the songs can 
 hardly be the meaning of the Hebrew phrase, in which the noun 
 is singular. The literal translation above given yields a perfectly 
 good sense. A song of Zion is a psalm, a religious lyric, such as 
 many of the heathen knew to be employed in the temple worship 
 at Jerusalem. Many interpreters suppose the object of this re- 
 quest to be contempt or ridicule ; but the words themselves 
 necessarily suggest nothing more than curiosity. 
 
 j> 
 
 4. How shall we sing the song of Jehovah on a foreign soil 7 
 These are the words with which the invitation was or might have 
 been rejected at the time. The question implies a moral im- 
 possibility. The idea is not, that the psalms themselves would 
 be profaned by being sung there, but that the expression of reli- 
 gious joy would be misplaced and incongruous, implying an 
 oblivion of the sanctuary and its forfeited advantages. A foreign 
 soil, a ground or land of strangeness. Se« above, on Ps. xviii. 45, 
 46 (44, 45.) 
 
 5. If I forget thee, oh Jerusalem, let my right hand forget (its 
 skill.) This is a disavowal of the forgetfulness which would have 
 been implied in yielding to the wishes of their captors. Jerusalem 
 is here used precisely as Zion is in vs. 1, 3. The object of the 
 verb in the last clause is supposed by some to be me ; let my right 
 hand forget me, i. e. let me be forgotten by myself But most 
 
256 PSALM CXXX VII. 
 
 interpreters concur in the correctness of the common version, in 
 which cunning has its old English sense of skill. The only ques- 
 tion then is, whether this is to be understood indefinitely of all 
 that the right hand can do, and is wont to do, for the convenience 
 of the person, or whether it is to be understood specifically of its 
 use in playing on an instrument. The former is the more com- 
 prehensive meaning, but the latter is more pointed and better suited 
 to this context. The sense will then be : if I so far forget thee as 
 to strike the harp while in this condition, let my right hand lose 
 the power so to do. 
 
 6. Let my tongue cleave to my palate if I do not remember thetj 
 if I do not raise Jerusalem above the head of my rejoicing. What 
 he had first wished as to his power of instrumental performance, 
 he now wishes with respect to his vocal organs. If I forget thee, 
 let my hand forever cease to strike the harp, and my tongue to 
 utter sound ! The most natural meaning of the last clause is the 
 one paraphrastically gvfQu in the English version, if I prefer not 
 Jerusalem above my chief joy. 
 
 7. Remember., oh Jehovah.^ against the sons of Edom., the day of 
 Jerusalem^ (againstj those saying., Make bare., make bare., to the very 
 foundation in it. Most interpreters regard this as a kind of com- 
 ment by the Psalmist on the preceding recollection of the Cap- 
 tivity. But the transition then seems loo abrupt and unaccoun- 
 table. The best explanation is, that these are still the real or 
 supposed words of the captives, in reply to the request of their 
 oppressors, far from granting which they break forth in a prayer 
 for the destruction of those who had destroyed Jerusalem. As 
 if they had said : No, instead of singing psalms to gratify your 
 idle or malignant curiosity, we will rather pray God to avenge 
 the insults offered to his holy city. This interpretation is more- 
 over recommended by its rendering the strong terms that fol- 
 low more natural than if uttered in cold blood and in calm 
 
tSALM CXXXVII. 257 
 
 deliberation at a later period. Remember against^ literally /or or 
 with respect to. See above, on Ps. cxxxii.. 1. cxxxvi. 23, where 
 the same idiomatic phrase is used in a favourable sense. The day 
 of Jerusalem is the day of its calamity or great catastrophe. 
 Compare Obad. 11 — 13, where the same crime is charged upon 
 Edom, namely that of concurring and rejoicing in the downfal of 
 his kinsman Israel. See also Jer. xlix. 7 — 22. Lam. iv. 21, 22. 
 Ezek. XXV. 12—14. 
 
 8. Daughter of Baby Ion , the desolated ! Happy (he) who shaL 
 repay to thee thy treatment wherewith thou hast treated us. The 
 daughter of Babylon (or virgin Babylon) is the people or king- 
 dom of Babylonia, personified as a woman. See above, on 
 Ps. ix. 14 (l^.) The wasted or desolated is the epithet belong- 
 ing to her by way of eminence in prophecy and history. There 
 is no need therefore of distinguishing between a partial and total 
 desolation, or between that of the city and the kingdom at large. 
 The last clause may mean nothing more than that such a revolu- 
 tion is at hand that he will be esteemed a fortunate man who 
 treats thee as thou hast treated us. For the true sense of the 
 last verb, see above, on Ps. xiii. 6 f5, 6. J 
 
 9. Happy he (who) shall seize and dash thy little ones against 
 the stones. This revolting act was not uncommon in ancient 
 warfare. See 2 Kings viii. 12. Hos. xiv. 1. Nah. iii. 10. Isai. 
 xiii. 16, 18. The more revolting, the stronger the descrip- 
 tion of the ^change awaiting Babylon. The day is coming when 
 he shall be deemed fortunate who, according to the usages of war, 
 requites thy own sanguinary cruelties. The word translated dash 
 means really to dash in pieces, as in Ps. ii. 9. The act here 
 meant is commonly expressed by (^Dt2lJ a different Hebrew verb. 
 Taketh and dasheth is equivocal, the first of these verbs being 
 used in familiar English as a kind of auxiliary, whereas the cor- 
 responding verb in Hebrew denotes a distinct and independent 
 act. 
 
258 PSALM CXXXVIIT 
 
 PSALM CXXXVIII. 
 
 This is the first of a series of eight psalms (cxxxviii — cxlv), 
 probably the last composed by David, a kind of commentary on 
 the great Messianic promise in 2 Sam. vii. They are found in 
 this part of the Psalter, in consequence of having been made the 
 basis, or rather the body, of a system or series (cxxxv — cxlvi) 
 by a later writer. See above, on Ps. cxxxv. 1. The psalm be- 
 fore us contains an acknowledgment of God's goodness as expe- 
 rienced already, vs. 1 — 3, an anticipation of his universal recog- 
 nition by the nations, vs. 4, 5, and in the mean time of additional 
 favours to the Psalmist, or to the church of which he was the 
 temporary head, vs. 6 — S. Such a psalm was of course well 
 suited to sustain the faith and revive the hopes of a later generation. 
 
 1. By David. I will thank thee with all my heart ; before 
 gods I ivill praise thee. The Davidic style and tone of composi- 
 tion are acknowledged even by the skeptical interpreters. With 
 all my heart implies the greatness of the gift to be acknowledged, 
 which was no doubt the promise of Messiah contained in 2 Sara, 
 vii. See above, on Ps. ix. 2 (1.) Before gods, i. e. in the pre- 
 sence, to the face, and in contempt of all imaginary rival deities. 
 The translation before God is grammatical, but confounds the 
 Becond and third person in a single clause. The Septuagint and 
 Vulgate have before angels^ which is inconsistent with the usage 
 of the Hebrew word. Thank thee, in the strict sense of praising 
 
PSALM CXXXVIII. 259 
 
 for benefits received ; or in a wider sense, acknowledge thee as God. 
 Praise thee^ make music, sing and play to thee. With this verse 
 compare Ps. vii. 18 (17.) xviii. 50 (49.) liv. 8 (7.) Ivii. 10 (9.) 
 ci. 1. 
 
 2. / will how down to thy holy tcmjple^ and will tJmnk thy name, 
 for thy mercy and for thy truth ; for thou hast m.ade great, above 
 all thy name, thy promise. With the first clause compare Ps. v. 
 8 (7.J Bow down, or prostrate myself, as an act of worship. 
 Mercy in promising, truth in performing. See above, on Ps. xxv. 
 10. Above all thy name, i. e. all the previous manifestations of 
 thy nature. Thy word, literally, thy saying, that which thou 
 hast said, but applied specifically to the divine promise. See 
 above, on Ps. xviii. 31 (30.) cxix. 38, 50, 103, 140. The trans- 
 cendant promise here referred to is that of the Messiah in 2 Sam. 
 vii. which is there described as unique by David himself, and 
 which forms the basis of many psalms, but especially of 
 Ps. xviii, xxi, Ixi, ci, cii, ciii, and the one before us. 
 
 3. In the day I called and thou didst answer me, thou makest me 
 brave in my soul (with) strength. This may be connected with 
 what goes before, thou didst magnify thy word in the day when I 
 called etc. The promise in 2 Sam. vii was an answer to his 
 prayer for a perpetual succession. See above, on Ps. xxi. 
 3, 5 (2, 4.) Ixi. 6 (5.) The common version of the last clause 
 (strengthenedsf me with strength in my soul) contains a parono- 
 masia not in the original, where the verb and noun have not even 
 a letter in common. The verb is by some translated made me 
 proicd., i. e. elated me, not with a vain or selfish pride, but with 
 a lofty and exhilarating hope. In my soul, as opposed to a mere 
 outward influence. Strength, i. e. strength of faith and confidence 
 in God. 
 
 4. Jehovah, all kings of the earth shall acknowledge thee, when 
 
260 PSALM CXXXVIII. 
 
 they have heard the sayings of thy viouth. Not merely one king, 
 thoiigli that king be David, shall acknowledge, thank, and praise 
 thee, but all others who receive the true religion, when they know 
 what thou hast promised, and especially when they compare the 
 promise and fulfilment, with particular reference to the promise 
 of Messiah, which is described in Scripture as a grand means for 
 the conversion of the nations and the chiefs which represent them. 
 See above, on Ps. Ixviii. 30, 32 (29, 31.) cii. 16 (15.) 
 
 5. And they shall sing in the loays of Jehovah^ for great (shall 
 be) the glory of Jehovah. The kings of the earth, representing 
 its nations, shall join in the praise of the true God, walking in 
 his ways, i. e. as converts to the true religion. Compare 
 Mic. iv. 2. Isai. iv. 3. Instead of for we may read when, as in 
 V. 4 ; when the glory of Jehovah has been duly exalted and dif- 
 fused by the extension of the true religion. Some make this 
 clause the theme or subject of the praise — they shall sing that the 
 glory of Jehovah is great — a less natural construction, but one 
 which yields an equally good sense. 
 
 6. For lofty is Jehovah — and the low he sees — and the haughty 
 from afar he knoivs. The first two clauses may be in antithesis, 
 and yet he looks n^on the loWj or simply co-ordinate, and there- 
 fare he looks ujpon the low^ i. e. the lowly, who shall be exalted, 
 while the opposite end of the proud is implied in the concluding 
 declaration. Even from afar, from the distant heaven where he 
 seems to behold nothing, he knows precisely what the proud man 
 is, what he deserves, and what is actually to befall him. See 
 above, on Ps. i 1 . 
 
 7. If I go through the midst of distress^ thou uilt save (or make) 
 me alive ; upon the wrath of my enemies thou wilt stretch forth thy 
 hand^ and save me (with) thy right hand. The first clause re- 
 sembles that of Ps. xxiii. 4. Go through or walk in the midst oj 
 
PSALM CXXXIX. 261 
 
 trouble. To quicken or revive, as in Ps. xxx. 4 (3.) Ixxi. 20. 
 Upon the wrath, implying motion from above, wbicli is more sig- 
 nificant and graphic than against. The common version of the 
 last words (and thy right hand shall save me) is equally gram- 
 matical and found in all the ancient versions ; but the other is re 
 commended by its ascribing the deliverance directly to God, and 
 by the analogy of Ps. Ix. 7 (5), where hand is adverbially con- 
 strued with the same verb. See also Ps. xvii. 14. 
 
 S. Jehovah will complete for me (what he has begun) Jehovah, 
 thy mercy (is) forever ; the works of thy hands do not forsake. 
 The work begun and yet to be completed was the whole series of 
 God's gracious dispensations towards David and his seed, begin- 
 ning with the first choice of the former and ending in the Messiah. 
 With the first clause compare Ps. Ivii. 3 (2.) Phil. i. 6. The 
 second member of the sentence might be read, let thy mercy he 
 forever or unto eternity. But it is more probably an affirmation, 
 similar to that in Ps. ciii. 17, and the clause contains an appeal 
 to the promise of eternal favour, 2 Sam. vii. 13, 26, or perhaps 
 to the eternity of God's compassions, as a reason why he should 
 not and could not abandon what had been so graciously begun. 
 
 PSALM CXXXIX. 
 
 The Psalmist describes God's omnipresence and omniscience, 
 VS. 1 — 12, as attributes necessarily belonging to him as the Crea- 
 tor, vs. 13 — 18, and appeals to them in attestation of his own 
 aversion to the wicked, vs. 19 — 24. From its collocation it is 
 probable that this psalm records David's exercises under the 
 
262 PSALM CXXXIX. 
 
 powerful impressions of the great Messianic promises in 2 Sam. vii, 
 and is therefore to be regarded as a confession and profession 
 made not merely for himself but for his successors on the throne of 
 Israel, and intended both to warn them and console them by this 
 grand view of Jehovah's constant and infallible inspection. 
 
 1. To the Chief Musician. By David. A Psalm. Jehovah^ 
 thou hast searched me and knowest. As a later writer could have 
 no motive for prefixing the title to the Chief Musician, it afford? 
 an incidental proof of antiquity and genuineness. Thoii hasi 
 searched me or continually sear chest me. The Hebrew verb origin- 
 ally means to dig and is applied to the search for precious metals 
 (Job xxviii. 3), but metaphorically to a moral inquisition into 
 guilt. See above, on Ps. xliv. 22 (21), and compare Job xiii. 9. 
 It is here used in the intermediate sense of full investigation. 
 Thou hast known or knowest all that can result from such a scru- 
 tiny, not only my corruptions and infirmities but my cares and 
 sorrows. The object is not expressed in this verse, which is a 
 summary of the whole psalm, because the very object of what 
 follows is to state it in detail. 
 
 2. Thou knowest my sitting and my rising ; thou understandest 
 as to my thought from afar. Sitting and rising or standing re- 
 present rest and motion, or all the various conditions of the living, 
 waking man. See above, on Ps. i. I, xxvii. 2. In every posture, 
 state, and occupation, thou knowest me. The next phrase does 
 not merely signify, thou perceivest the meaning of my thought, 
 but thou knowest all about it, its origin, its tendency, its moral 
 quality; thou understandest (every thing) resj^ecting it. From 
 afar^ unimpeded by local distance, by which men are prone to 
 imagine the divine omniscience to be circumscribed. See Job 
 xxii. 12 — 14, and compare with this verse Ps. cxxxviii. 6 
 Jer. xxiii. 23. 
 
PSALM CXXXIX. 263 
 
 .3. My jpath and 7ny lair thou siftest^ and -with all my ways art 
 acquainted. Path is here put for going, lair for lying, and these, 
 like the terms of the preceding verse, for motion and rest, or the 
 active and passive parts of human life. The poetical word lair 
 is used to represent a Hebrew one, occurring only here, but the 
 verbal root of which is used by Moses, Lev. xviii. 23. xx. 16. 
 The last verb means to be accustomed (Num. xxii. 30), and then 
 by a natural association, acquainted or familiar (Job xxii. 21.) 
 My ways^ my condition and my conduct, what I do and what 
 I suffer. 
 
 4. For there is not a word in my tongue, (but) lo, Jehovah^ 
 thou knowest all of it. The relation of the clauses may be also 
 expressed thus in English, which, oh Lord, thou knoicest not, all 
 of it (or altogether.) In my tongue, in its power, or, as it were, 
 in its possession. This verse merely applies to his words speci- 
 fically what was said before of all his actions. The lo or behold 
 is equivalent to see there, or to the act of pointing at the words aj 
 objects of sight and as actually present. 
 
 5. Behind and before thou dost beset me, and layest ujpon me thy 
 hand. There is here an insensible transition from God's omnis- 
 cience to his omnipresence, out of which the Scriptures represent 
 it as arising. Behind and before, i. e. on all sides. The idea of 
 above and below is suggested by the last clause. Beset, besiege, 
 hem in, or closely surround. Thy kandjor the palm of thy hand, 
 as the Hebrew word strictly denotes. 
 
 6. Such knoioledge is too wonderful for me ; it is exalted, I cannot 
 (attain) to it. The literal meaning of the Hebrew word is, wonderful 
 knowledge away from me, or more than 1 (can comprehend) ; it is 
 exalted, I cannot (do any thing) as to it. With the word wonderful 
 compare the use of the cognate verb, Deut. xxx. 11. Prov. xxx. IS 
 The knowledge meant is man's finite knowledge of the infinite. 
 
264 PSALM CXXXIX. 
 
 7. Whither shall I go from thy Spirit, aTid whither from thy 
 face shall I flee ? The interrogation involves a denial of all pos- 
 sible escape from God's inspection, when a guilty conscience 
 prompts to seek one. Compare Am. ix. 2. 
 
 8. If I scale the hxavens, there (art) thou ; and if I spread the 
 grave, lo ihmt (art there.) The word scale is used to represent a 
 Hebrew verb occurring only here, and no doubt belonging to the 
 dialect of poetry. The verb translated spread means specifically 
 to spread a couch or make a bed. If I make sheol my bed, i. e. 
 He down in the grave or hell, in the wide old English sense. See 
 Above, on Ps. vi. 6 (5.) 
 
 9. I will raise the wivgs of day-break. I will dwell in the end 
 of the sea. By supplying if, although the sense is not materially 
 changed, the form of expression becomes much less striking. The 
 conditional construction is forbidden also, or at least rendered 
 highly improbable, by the form of the second verb, expressing 
 strong desire and resolution. The truth is that we have here a 
 bold transition. After speaking of guilty flight from Grod himself, 
 the Psalmist now speaks of anxious flight from other enemies, and 
 as if visibly surrounded by them, here resolves to escape from 
 them. This, which is Hengstenberg's interpretation, is strongly 
 favoured by the unconditional construction, although he himself 
 retains the other. The same writer objects to the translation 
 raise the wings, that before one can raise wings he must have them. 
 But for that very reason the possession of them may be presup- 
 posed, or considered as implied in the act expressed. -The same 
 combination is employed by Ezekiel (x. 16, 19), in a way that ad- 
 mits of only one translation. The Hebrew word (^D^) is not the 
 common one for morning, but one denoting day-break or the dawn 
 Sec above, on Ps. Ivii. 9 (8.) The point of comparison appears 
 to be the incalculable velocity of light. The extremity (or end ) of 
 
PSALM CXXXIX. 265 
 
 the sea is added to heaven and hell, in order to convey the idea of 
 the most remote points. 
 
 10. Even there thy hand guides me, and thy right hand holds Die. 
 From the use of similar expressions to denote a friendly guidance 
 and support, in Ps. xviii. 17 (16.) Iv. 7—9 (6—8.) v. 9 (8.) xxiii. 3. 
 xxvii. 11. Lxxiii. 24, and other places, Hengstenberg infers that 
 this must mean, when I fly to the ends of the earth before my 
 enemies, thou art still there to protect me, and that the psalm was 
 therefore meant not merely to alarm but to console. 
 
 11. And I say, only darkness overwhelms me, night is the light 
 become around me. The ideal situation is the same as in v. 9, 
 one of danger and terror, in which he is constrained to say, no- 
 thing but darkness comes upon me, smites me, and the very light 
 's turned to darkness round about me. According to this view 
 if the passage, darkness, as in many other places, is a figure for 
 calamity and danger. See Isai. 1. 10. Ps. cxxxviii. 7. Ac- 
 cording to the usual interpretation it denotes concealment from 
 the eye of God. 
 
 12. Even darkness does 7iot make {it) dark to him, and night like 
 day shines ; as the darkness, so the light. The interpretation given 
 of the foregoing verse does not necessarily affect the sense of this, 
 which still means that nothing can prevent God's seeing either 
 sin or suffering, either the danger of his people or the malice of 
 their enemies. Make dark, as in Ps. cv. 28. To thee, literally, 
 from thee, i. e. so as to conceal from thee. 
 
 13. For thou possessest my reins; thou cover est me in my 
 motherh womb. The meaning of the first clause seems to be ; 
 thou hast in thy power and at thy control the very seat of my 
 strongest sensibilities, my pains and pleasures ; and this subjeo 
 tion is coeval with my being, for even before birth I was under 
 
 VOL. III. 12 
 
266 PSALM CXXXIX. 
 
 thy protection and command, as I am now. The sense of wcat 
 ing^ which is given to the last verb by some modern writers rests 
 on a mere etymological deduction and has no foundation either in 
 tradition or in usage. The for at the beginning of this verse 
 marks the transition from the fact of God's omniscience to its 
 origin or reason in his creative character and rights. As a logi- 
 cal particle, the for relates, not to the immediately preceding 
 verse, but to the whole preceding context. Grod is omnipresent 
 and omniscient, /o? he is the maker of the universe. 
 
 14. / thank thee, because fearfully I am distinguished ; wonder- 
 ful {are) thy works^ and (that) my soul knoweth right (well.) 
 He makes it a subject of grateful acknowledgment, that God has 
 distinguished him or made him to differ from inferior creatures, 
 both in constitution and in destiny. Because is in Plebrew a com- 
 pound particle {^"3 bS") like /or that.^ forasmuch as. Fearfully , 
 literally fearful {things)^ but used adverbially, as in Ps. 
 Ixv. 6 (b.) It might here be rendered (by) fearful (things.) 
 The words corresponding to distinguished and wonderful are in 
 Hebrew passive forms from cognate roots fnbb and jj^^sj. The 
 particular statement of the first clause is resolved by the last into 
 the general one, of which it is a mere specification. The con- 
 cluding words express a strong and, as it were, experimental con- 
 viction of the truth 
 
 15. Not hid was my frame from thte^ when I was made in se- 
 cretj embroidered in depths of the earth. The not hid is a meiosis, 
 implying that God saw it clearly and fully understood it, inas- 
 much as he himself created it. Frame^ literally strength^ as in 
 Deut. viii. 17, but applied to the bones and sinews as the strength 
 T#r frame-work of the body. See above, on Ps. vi. 3 (2), and 
 compare Job x. 11. The common Hebrew word for bont 
 differs only in the pointing. The word translated when is (iTi^i^) 
 the relative pronoun, and may here retain its proper meaning 
 
PSALM CXXXIX. 26? 
 
 although then not easily translated, as its antecedent is latent in 
 the phrase my fravie^ which may be thus resolved, the frame oj 
 me who was made, etc. In secret^ i. e. in the womb. Em.hroi' 
 dered^ which is the invariable nieaning of the Hebrew verb, is a 
 bold but beautiful expression for the complicated tissue of the 
 human frame, in which so many and such various threads are cu- 
 riously interwoven. Depths of the earth can only be explained as 
 a comparative expression, corresponding to in secret and denoting 
 the same thing, which it describes as no less dark and hidden 
 from the view of men than subterraneous caverns, or as some sup- 
 pose sheol^ the invisible world. See above, on Ps. Ixiii. 10 C9j, 
 and compare Job i. 21, where the figure is inverted, and the grave 
 is confounded with the womb. 
 
 16. My unformed substance did thine eyes sec, and in thy hook 
 all of them are written, days are form.ed, and there is not one 
 among them. This is one of the most obscure and doubtful verses 
 in the book of Psalms. Its difl&culty to our own translators may 
 be gathered from the fact, that substance yet being unperfect an- 
 swers to a single Hebrew word, and that my members is a 
 gratuitous addition to the text. The first word in Hebrew 
 occurs only here, but is clearly derived from a verb which means 
 to roll or roll up (2 Kings ii. 8J, and may therefore be supposed 
 itself to signify something rolled up or rolled together, and from 
 this may be deduced the sense of something shapeless or un- 
 formed, or more specifically that of an embryo or foetus. The 
 next difficulty lies in the expression all of them, evaded in the 
 English Bible by changing it to all my members and then making 
 this the subject of the plurals following. The best interpreters 
 are now disposed to construe all of them with days by a gram- 
 matical prolepsis. In thy book all of them are written, namely, 
 all my days, as they were planned, projected, or decreed, before 
 as yet one of them had really existed. Written and formed are 
 thcii parallel expressions. All of them are written, days are de 
 
268 PSALM C XX XIX. 
 
 lineated or depicted. Bj days (translated iu our Bible in continue 
 ance) we are then to understand not merely the length but the 
 events and vicissitudes of life. See Job xiv. 5. Ps. Ivi. 9 (8.) 
 This is one of those cases in which the dilfficulty lies in the par- 
 ticular expressions, while the general import of the passage is 
 clearly determined bv the context. Instead of (s^b) not^ the keri 
 or marginal reading m the Hebrew Bible has (ib) to him, a varia- 
 tion to which no one has succeeded in attaching a coherent sense. 
 Precisely the same dijBference of text exists in Ps. c. 3. 
 
 17. And to me how precious are thy thoughts^ oh God ! How 
 great is the sum of them! Having presented this impressive 
 view of God's omniscience, he now tells how he is himself affected 
 by it. So far from thinking it a hardship to be subject to this 
 scrutiny, he counts it a most valuable privilege. However 
 others may regard this truth, to me, my judgment and my feel- 
 ings, how costly^ valuable, are thy thoughts^ i. e. thy perpetual 
 attention to me. For the true sense of precious^ see above, on 
 Ps. xxxvi. 8 (7.) xlv. 10 (9.) Great is the sum ^WtQVdXXy ^strong 
 (or many) are their sums, an expression which can hardly be re- 
 tained in our idiom. 
 
 18. I will count them — (but no) — more than sand they are 
 many — / awake and still I (am) with thee. The first clause is 
 equivalent to a conditional proposition, if I would count them etc. 
 but far more striking and poetical in form. Sec above, on Ps. 
 xl. 6 (5.) I am still with thee has the same essential meaning 
 with the similar expression in Ps. Ixxiii. 23, namely, I am still in 
 thy society or company. But there the reference is chiefly to 
 divine protection, here to meditation on the divine attributes. 
 Thou art still before me as an object of adoring wonder, not by 
 day only, but by night ; not merely in the watches of the night, 
 but even in my sleep. See above, on Ps. i. 2. xvi. 7. Ixiii. 7 (6.) 
 
PSALM C XXX IX, 
 
 269 
 
 19. If *hou wilt slay^ oh God, the wicked (man) ! And ye men 
 of Uoodj dejpart from me ! The first clause is in fact, though not 
 in form, the expression of a wish. If thou wouldst but slay ! 
 In form, there is an aposiopesis, which may be variously supplied 
 dy adding, I will praise thee, I will rejoice, it will be just, or the 
 like. Men of bloods, murderers or murderous men. See above, 
 on Ps. V. 7 (6.) xxvi. 9. Iv. 24 (23.; Depart from me is the 
 same expression as in Ps. vi. 9 (8.) cxix. 15, but the main idea 
 here is that of disavowal or repudiation. Oh that God would 
 slay them, and until he does, I desire to have no communion 
 with them. Compare Job xxi. 14. Matth. vii. 23 
 
 20. Who speak of thee for wickedness and take in vain — thy foes ! 
 Speak of thee, or name thee, use thy name, for the accomplish- 
 ment of wicked ends. The other clause will then be strictly 
 parallel, and take (thy name) in vain, as in Ex. xx. 7. For the 
 meaning of this difficult expression, see above, on Ps. xxiv. 4. 
 The subject of the proposition is placed emphatically at the end. 
 
 21. Thy haters, oh Jehovah, shall not I hate, and with thim 
 assailants he disgusted ? The simple future in the first clause 
 comprehends several distinct shades of meaning. Do I not, may 
 I not, must I not, hate those hating thee } Hate them, not 
 as man hates, but as God hates. See above, on Ps. v. 6 (5."\ 
 The construction of the verb and preposition in the last clause id 
 the same in Hebrew and in English. Be disgusted, literally, 
 sicken or disgust myself, abhor, or loathe. Thine assailants, 
 those rising up against thee, as rebellious enemies. The Hebre"w 
 word is a noun formed from the participle used above, Ps. xvii. 7. 
 lix. 2 (1.) 
 
 22. ( With) perfection of hatred do I hate them , as enemies 
 they are to me. Literally, they art for enemies, i. e. I so esteem 
 them. As enemies of God, they must be mine. 
 
270 PSALM CXL. 
 
 23. Search me, God^ and know my heart ; try me, and know 
 my thoughts. The last expression is emphatic, meaning even my 
 most anxious and disturbed thoughts, into which corruption might 
 most easily find entrance. See above, on Ps. xciv. 19, the only 
 other place where the Hebrew word occurs. In this verse, he 
 ftgain appeals to the divine omniscience for the purity of his in- 
 tentions, and thus comes back to the point from which he started. 
 
 24. And see if a way of jiain he in me, and guide me in a way 
 of eternity. In the first clause some translate, the way of an idol., 
 an idolatrous way. But the meaning idol is not justified by usage. 
 A way of pain is one that leads to suff"ering and misery hereafter. 
 The opposite of this is a icay of eternity., by which some under- 
 stand an everlasting way, as distinguished from the perishable 
 way of sinners, Ps. i. 6. Others, more probably, the way that 
 leads to everlasting life. Usage, however, is in favour of a third 
 and very difi"erent interpretation, which gives the Hebrew phrase 
 (tibis? Tj'1'1) the same sense with a kindred one (t]bi^ ^^^'^^^.) 
 used by Jeremiah (vi. 16), to wit, that o^ old or ancient way., the 
 one pursued by prophets, patriarchs, and saints of old. Similar 
 expressions are found in Jer. xviii. 15. Job xxii. 15, applied, in a 
 bad sense, to the course pursued by ancient sinners. The prayer, 
 however, still amounts to the same thing, to wit, that God would 
 lead him in the good old way, which is itself the way to everlasting 
 life. 
 
 PSALM CXL. 
 
 1. To the Chief Musician. A Psalm. By David. We find 
 ourselves, in this psalm, carried back not only to the times of 
 
PSALM CXL. 271 
 
 David, but to those of the Sauline persecution, from which the 
 images are evidently borrowed. Besides the warlike tone, the 
 vigorous conciseness, the verbal agreements with Davidic psalms 
 combined with eminent originality, the very structure is Davidic 
 
 and exhibits the fapiiliar sequence of complaint, vs. 2 — 6 (1 5), 
 
 prayer, vs. 7 — 9 (6 — 8), and confident anticipation, vs. 10 14 
 
 (9 — 13.) So clearly do these features of the composition mark 
 its origin, even independently of the inscription, that nothing can 
 account for its position here but the hypothesis already stated, 
 that these ancient psalms were incorporated into a series of later 
 date, and placed in the collection, not according to their individual 
 antiquity, but according to the date of the whole set or system, 
 into which they had been made to enter. Like the psalms im- 
 mediately preceding, this was probably composed by David after 
 the reception of the great Messianic promise, and with immediate 
 reference to it. 
 
 2(1.) Deliver we, Jehovah, from the had man ; from the man 
 of violences thou wilt preserve me. This is one of those pictures so 
 abundant in the genuine Davidic Psalms, of which Saul seems to 
 have furnished the original. Compare Ps. lii. The first man 
 is the generic term (^"?), the other the individual designation 
 ('-''^'?), which seem, however, to be used here as equivalents. The 
 insensible transition from direct prayer to confident anticipation is 
 characteristic of the psalms of David. Man of violence is another 
 favourite expression. See above, on Ps. xviii. 49 (48), and com- 
 pare the parallel passage, 2 Sam. xxii. 49, where the plural form 
 {violences) is used, as in the verse before us. 
 • 
 
 3 (2.) Who imagine evils in {their) heart ; all the day they gather 
 {for) battles. That the preceding verse, notwithstanding the refer- 
 ence to Saul, is the description of a whole class, is clear from the 
 plural forms in this verse. Thirik, meditate, devise, imagine. 
 EvUsy particularly such as are inflicted on others, well expressed 
 
2TI PSALM CXL. 
 
 in the common version, mischiefs. Another construction of the 
 last clause, preferred by some interpreters, is, all the day they 
 dwell with wars (or in wars)., i. e. are constantly involved in them 
 and busied with them. This use of the verb (^^3) is justified by 
 Ps. V. 5 (4.) cv. 23. cxxv. 5. But the analogy of Ps. Ivi. 7 (6.) 
 lix. 4 (3) is decisive in favour of the other explanation. Compare 
 Ps. xxxi. 14 (13.) XXXV. 15. Isai. liv. 15. 
 
 4 (3.) They sharpen their tongue as a serpent ; the poison of an 
 adder (is) under their lips, Selah. Not as a serpent (does), but 
 (spiteful or venomous) as a serpent. See above, on Ps. Ixiv. 4 (3.) 
 With the last clause compare Ps. x. 7. Iviii. 5 (4.) The word for 
 asp or adder occurs only here. The only point of exegetical 
 importance is, that it means a poisonous serpent, and is thus a 
 specification of the general expression in the other clause. 
 
 5 (4.) Keep me, Jehovah, from the hands of the wicked (man) ; 
 from the man of violences thou wilt preserve me, who have thought 
 to subvert m,y steps. A varied repetition of the prayer in v. 1. 
 With the last clause compare Ps. xxxv. 5. xxxvi. 13 (12.) Ivi. 14 (13.) 
 oxviii. 13. 
 
 6 (5.) High (ones) have hid a snare for me, and cords — they 
 have spread out a net by the side of the road — traps have they laid 
 for me, Selah. This is little more than an accumulation of the 
 various terms in which David elsewhere clothes one of his favoir- 
 ite figures, as if he saw his own perils reappearing in the future. 
 High ones, i. e. proud or haughty men. By the side, literally, 
 the hand, as we say on either hand. The word translated road, 
 according to its etymology, denotes a wagon-road, a track worn 
 by wheels. 
 
 7 (6.) / have said to Jehovah, My God (art) thou; give ear^ 
 ^ehovah, (to) the voice of my supplications. All the component 
 
PSALMCXL. 273 
 
 parts of this verse are of constant occurrence in the psalms of 
 David. With the first clause compare Ps. xvi. 2. xxxi. 15 (14.) 
 With the second, Ps. v. 2, 3 (1,2.) xvii. 1. xxviii. 2, 6 (1, 5.) 
 xxxi. 23 (22.) xxxix. 13 (12.) liii. 4 (3.) 
 
 8 (7.) Jehovah^ Lord^ the strength of my salvation ; thou hast 
 covered my head in the day of battle. My covenant God and sove- 
 reign, whose power saves me. Head is preceded by a preposition 
 (?), thou hast been a covering (or afforded shelter) to (or for) my 
 head. The day of battle, literally, of armour or of weapons, i. e. 
 the day when they are used. With this verse compare Ps. v. 12 (1 1 .) 
 Ix. 9 (7.) Ixii. 2, 12 (1, 11.) cxxxix. 13. 1 Sam. xxviii. 2. 
 
 9 (8.) Grant not, Jehovah, the desires of the ivicked man — his 
 device succeed not — they will be exalted. Succeed not, suffer not to 
 prosper; literally, draw not out, i, e. to a successful issue. The 
 last clause states what would be the effect of their success ; they 
 would be elated, or exalt themselves. With this verse compare 
 Ps. xxvii. 12. xxxi. 14 (13.) xxxvii. 12. Ixvi. 7 (6.) Deut. xxxii. 27. 
 
 10 (9.) The head of those surrounding me — the mischief of their 
 lips shall cover them. The nominative absolute refers back to the 
 covering of the Psalmist's head in v. 8 (7.) While my head is 
 covered by the divine protection, the head of those by whom I 
 am beset shall be covered with the consequences or the punishment 
 of the mischief occasioned by their calumnies and insults. Or the 
 trouble, which their lips have caused to others, shall return upon 
 themselves. Compare Ps. vii. 17 (16.) Those surrounding me, 
 or, as a noun, my surroundings, as in 2 Kings xxiii. 5. The 
 participle would, according to analogy and usage, mean causing 
 me to turn back or retreat (Jer. xxi. 4), which yields a good sense 
 here. The head of those who once drove me back shall b* cov- 
 ered, etc. 
 
274 PSALM CXL. 
 
 1 1 (10.) Coals shall he cast upon them ; into the fire he shall makt 
 themfall^ and into deep waters, (whence) they shall not rise. The 
 first noun in Hebrew always means burning or live coals. See 
 above, on Ps. xviii. 13, 14 (12, 13.) Shall be cast is the keri or 
 marginal reading, no doubt intended to relieve the harshness and 
 obscurity of the reading in the text, they shall cast or shake, an 
 indefinite or impersonal construction, really equivalent in meaning 
 to the passive. In the second member of the sentence the action 
 is ascribed to God himself. Deep waters answers to a single He- 
 brew word occurring only here, and by some supposed to mean 
 deep pits or excavations. The first sense above given is founded 
 on an Arabic analogy. 
 
 12 (11). A man of tongue shall not he established in the landy 
 (nor) a man of violence, a had (man) — he shall hunt him to destruc- 
 tion. A man of a calumnious unbridled tongue (James i. 26) 
 shall not be permanently seated in a prosperous condition. See 
 above, on Ps. ci. 7. cii. 29 (28.) The next words may be variously 
 construed ; a man of wicked violence, or, disregarding the accents, 
 a man of violence, evil shall hint him, etc. According to the 
 other constructions, God is the subject of the verb, as of the 
 second in v. 11 (10.) To destructions, the plural form denoting 
 fulness and completeness. Others render it hy strokes, i. e. suc- 
 cessive strokes ; others again, in haste, which agrees well with the 
 usage of the verbal root. See 2 Chr. xxvi. 20. Esth. iii. 15. 
 vi. 12. viii. 14. 
 
 13 (12.) I know that Jehovah ivill do justice to the sufferer, and 
 judgment for the poor. Compare Ps. ix. 5, 17 (4, 16.) Liter- 
 ally, the right of the sitfferer, the judgment of the poor. 
 
 14 (13.) Only the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name, tfie 
 upright shall sit in thy presence. Only the righteous shall have 
 occasion for thanksgiving. There is no need therefore of departs 
 
PSALM CXLI. 275 
 
 ing from the proper sense of ("qs*:) the Hebrew particle. See 
 above, on Ps. Ixxiii. 1. Sit in thy jpresence^ as thy friends or 
 guests or favoured servants. Perhaps it may mean sit (en^ 
 throned) before thee. Compare Matth. xix. 28. Some under- 
 stand the sense to be, shall dwell (in the land) before thee^ i. e. 
 under thy protection and inspection. Compare Ps. xxi. 7 (6.) 
 xU. 13 (12.) Ivi. 14 (13.) 
 
 PSALM CXLI. 
 
 After an introductory petition for a favourable hearing, vs. 1 , 2, 
 the Psalmist prays to be delivered from the power of tempta- 
 tion, vs. 3, 4, comforts himself under his afflictions as paternal 
 chastisements, vs. 5, 6, anticipates the ruin of his enemies, v. 7, 
 and prays for deliverance from them in the mean time, vs. 8 — 10. 
 This psalm, like the one before it, is distinguished by a pregnant 
 brevity and the use of rare expressions, while at the same time it 
 is full of verbal and real coincidences with the psalms of David. 
 These indications are so clear and undeniable, that a skeptical 
 critic of great eminence (De Wette) pronounces it one of the 
 oldest psalms in the collection. With respect to its position in 
 the Psalter, see the prefatory notes to Ps. cxxxv, cxl. 
 
 1. A Psalm. By David. Jehovah^ I invoke thee; haste7i to 
 me ; give tar to my voice in my calling to thee. This verse is en- 
 tirely made up of phrases frequently occurring in the psalms of 
 David. I invoke Ihec^ Ps. xvii. 6. Hasten to me, Ps. xxii. 20 (19.) 
 Ixx. 2 (1.) Ixxi. 12. Hear my voice, Ps. cxl 7 (6.) In my 
 tailing, Ps. iv. 2 (1.) 
 
276 PSALM CXLI. 
 
 2. Let my 'prayer coiitiime (as) incense before thee^ the offering 
 of my harids (as) the evening oblation. Continue^ literally, he 
 established., as in Ps. cxl. 12 (11 .) He prays not only for acceptance, 
 but for constant or perpetual acceptance, as the offerings referred 
 to were the stated daily services of the Mosaic ritual. Incense is 
 in scripture the symbol of prayer. In the books posterior to the 
 Pentateuch it is commonly mentioned as an evening oblation 
 (1 Kings xviii. 29, 36. 2 Kings xvi. 15. Dan. ix. 21. Ezra ix. 4, 5), 
 perhaps because in the evening it was reckoned the main 
 offering, whereas in the morning it was merely an appendage 
 to the animal sacrifice. Lifting up is not the meaning of the 
 Hebrew word (tiJ^ir^D) in any other place, whereas it often means 
 a gift, and especially a portion of food (Gen. xliii. 34. 2 Sam. 
 xi. 8), in which sense it might naturally be applied to the vegeta- 
 ble offerings of the Law. 
 
 3. Set J ok Jehovahj a guard at my mouth; watch over the door 
 of my lips. The prayer, for which he had bespoken audience 
 and acceptance, was a prayer against the power of temptation, 
 and first with reference to sins of speech. See above, on Ps. 
 xxxix. 2 (1.) The words translated watch and door are forms 
 occurring only here, but etymologically near akin to others which 
 are in common use. 
 
 4. Incline not my heart to an evil word^ to practise practices m 
 wickedness with men (who are) ■workers of iniquity ^ and let me 
 not eat of their dainties. An evil word may be strictly understood, 
 as referring still to sins of the tongue, or be taken in the idiom- 
 atic sense of an evil matter., which last is preferred by most inter, 
 preters. The assonance in practise practices is copied from the 
 Hebrew, where the cognate verb and noun are combined in the 
 game manner. Practices in wickedness or wicked practices, 
 The last words seem to be a p/rayer, that he may not be tempted. 
 
PSALM CXLl 277 
 
 by the luxurious -prosperity of wicked men, to follow their exam- 
 ple. See above, on Ps. Ixxiii. 3 — 7, 12. 
 
 6. Let the righteous smite me (in) mercy and chasten me — oil 
 
 for the head let not my head refuse — for (it is) still (to come) 
 
 and my prayer (must still ascend) in their hijuries. This verse 
 is so obscure as to be almost unintelligible. According to the 
 English versions, it expresses his willingness to be rebuked by 
 good men for his benefit. But this sense is not only hard to be 
 extracted from the words, but foreign from the context. Of the 
 many contradictory interpretations which have been proposed the 
 most probable is that which makes the sentence mean, that the 
 sufferings endured by the good man, even at the hand of the 
 wicked, are chastisements inflicted by a righteous God in justice 
 and in mercy, and as such may be likened to a festive ointment, 
 which the head of the sufferer should not refuse, as he will still 
 have need of consolation and occasion to invoke God, in the midst 
 of trials and of mischiefs yet to be experienced. 
 
 6 . Throion down among the rocks are their judges ; and (then) 
 they hear my words, for they are sweet. When the judgments in 
 reserve for the leaders of my enemies shall come upon them, 
 they will perceive too late how reasonable are my words, and wish 
 that they had hearkened to them sooner. Thrown down, origi- 
 nally let go, here used as in 2 Kings ix. 33. Among the rocks, 
 iiterally in (or into) the hands of the rock. Some understand this 
 to mean into its power (see v. 9 below) ; others, against its sides 
 (see Ps. cxl. 6) ; but the simplest explanation is that which supposes 
 the rock to be personified and represented as standing below and 
 holding out its hands to catch the person or thing falling. Some 
 in the last clause read, that they are sweet. Then, when it is too 
 late, they shall perceive how sweet my words are. 
 
 7. Like (o7ie) ploughing o,nd, cleaving the earth — scattered Q,r 
 
278 PSALM CXLl. 
 
 our bones at the graveh mouth (or t/ie mouth of hell. ) There are only 
 two plausible interpretations of this obscure comparison. As the 
 first Hebrew verb (n^&), in its derivative forms, has the general sense 
 o{ cleaving, and the second (::>pn) is expressly used (Ecc. x. 9) in 
 that of splitting vwod^ some interpreters give both verbs that spe- 
 sific meaning here, and suppose the verse to be simply a description 
 of mortality or carnage, the effect of which is, that human bones 
 lie about the opening of the grave, or the devouring jaws of hell 
 (Isai. V. 14), as numerous and as little heeded as so many logs or 
 sticks of wood. To this it is objected, that the phrase in (or on) 
 the earth is then unmeaning, or at least superfluous, and that the 
 verse, if thus explained, does not cohere* with the ensuing con- 
 text, which supposes the contents of this verse to be cheering and 
 consolatory. The other interpretation avoids these objections, 
 by explaining the first clause not of cleaving wood but ploughing, 
 to which the first verb is applied in Arabic. Like (one) plough- 
 ing and cleaving (making furrows) in the earth, not for the sake 
 of mangling its surface, but to make it fruitful and productive, 
 (so) our hones are scattered at the mouth of hell, as the necessary 
 means of a glorious resurrection. 
 
 8. For unto thee, Jehovah, Lord, (are) my eyes — in thee have 1 
 confided — pour not out my soul. The for refers to the consola- 
 tory import of the verse preceding. J^he one before us contains 
 several favourite Davidic phrases. My eyes are unto thee, Ps. 
 XXV. 15. In thee have I confided (or sought refuge), Ps. ii. 12. 
 xxxi. 2 (1.) In the last clause the soul or life is confounded 
 with its vehicle. See Gren. ix. 4. Lev. xvii. 11, 14. The same 
 remarkable expression is applied by Isaiah (liii. 12) to the volun- 
 tary death of the Messiah. That the verb literally means 
 to pour out, is clear from Gen. xxiv. 20. Isai. xxxii. 15. This 
 verse resembles Ps. cxl. 8 (7), in two points, the combination Je- 
 hovah Adhon/ii, and the supernumerary n in ,ini2D and n53. 
 
PSALM CXLII. 279 
 
 9. Keep me from the hands of the snare which they have netted 
 for me, and the nets of the doers of iniquity. The word hands is 
 entirely omitted both in the English Bible and the Prayer Book 
 version. It is put, by a favourite personification, for power or 
 possession. The use of the expression here was probably occa- 
 sioned by its previous use in Ps. cxl. 4. The verb netted is here 
 employed to represent the cognate verb and noun in Hebrew. 
 
 10. Let the wicked fall into their own traps, while I at the 
 same time escape. Compare Ps. vii. 16 (15.) The combination 
 of the singular and plural in the first clause — wicked (men) and 
 his snares — shows that the singular denotes not a real but ideal 
 person, representing a whole class. The best construction of the 
 last clause is that given in the English Bible and retained above, 
 with the single change of withal to the synonymous but less am- 
 biguous expression, at the same time. The transpositions of this 
 clause are unusual, even in Hebrew — at the same time I until (ox 
 while) I pass, i. e. pass by uninjured or escape. 
 
 PSALM CXLII. 
 
 1. Maschil. By David, when he was in the cave. A Prayer 
 It is called a maschil or didactic psalm because it might other 
 wise have seomed to contain matter wholly personal to David. 
 See above, on Ps. xxxii. 1. - When he was, literally, in his being j 
 which does not refer exclusively to time, but suggests the occasion 
 or exciting cause. The reference may be either to the cave of 
 Adullam (1 Sam. xxii. J), or to that of Engedi (1 Sam. xxiv. 3), 
 or to that period and mode of life in general, when David was 
 
280 PSALM CXLII. 
 
 obliged to seek refuge in caves, and which he might expect to se* 
 reproduced, under other forms, in the experience of his succes- 
 sors, for whose guidance and encouragement this psalm was 
 written. See above, on Ps. Ivii. 1. It is called a fraytr^ be- 
 cause the complaint or description of the danger, vs. 2 — 5 (1 — 4), 
 is merely introductory to the petition for deliverance, vs. 6 — 8 
 (5 — 7.) See above, on Ps. xvii. 1. Ixxxvi. 1. xc. 1. cii. 1. 
 
 2(1.) ( With) my voice to Jehovah I cry ; (with) my voice to 
 Jehovah I make supplication. With the first clause compare 
 Ps. iii. 5 (4) ; with the second, Ps. xxx. 9 (8.) There are also 
 coincidences of expression with Ps. xxii. 6 (5.) Ixxvii. 2 (1.) 
 cxl. 7 (6.) cxli. 1. With my voice, i. e. audibly, aloud, as op- 
 posed to a mere mental prayer. The word translated supplication 
 means, according to its etymology, a prayer for grace or mercy. 
 
 3 (2.) I pour out before him my care ; my trouble before him 1 
 tell. With the first clause compare Ps. xlii. 5 (4.) Ixii, 9 (8.) 
 1 Sam. i. 15. Lam. ii. 19. The word translated care means pro- 
 perly reflection, meditation, musing, especially such as is anxious 
 and sad. See above, on Ps. Ixiv. 2 (\.) 
 
 4 (3.) Because my spirit is overwhelmed within me — and thov 
 kiujwest my path — in the way that I go, they have hid a snare foi 
 me. The literal translation of the first words is, in my spirifs being 
 overwhelmed, which may indicate either the time or the cause of his 
 di-stress. See above, on v. 1. Some adopt this construction : when 
 my spirit is overwhelmed (then) thou knowest my path. Others sup- 
 pose two reasons to be given for his calling upon God, his distress 
 and his trust in the divine omniscience. Because my spirit is 
 overwhelmed, and (because) thou knowest my path. But as the 
 form of the two phrases is entirely different in Hebrew, the 
 Bimplest and safest construction is to treat ijbe second clause as 
 parenthetical. Within meyliieisiilj upon im ; see above, on Pa. 
 
PSALM CXLII. 28 
 
 xlii. 5 — 7 (4 — 6.) In the way that I go^ i e. along my path. See 
 above, on Ps. cxrl. 5 (4.J The words may mean, however, as in 
 Ps. cxliii. 8, in the way that I should go^ i. e. in the path of duty. 
 Without my fault they hid a snare for me. With the first clause 
 of this verse compare Ps. xlii. 5(4.) Ixi. 3 (2.) Ixxvii. 4 (3), 
 and with the last Ps. cxl. 6 (5.) cxli. 9. cxliii. 8. 
 
 5 (4.) Look to the right and see — and there is no tne knowing 
 me — refuge has failed me — there is no one caring for my soul. 
 The first two verbs must be translated as imperatives, as in the 
 margin of the English Bible. The right hand is mentioned as 
 the post of a protector. See above, on Ps. cix. 6, ex. 5. cxxi. 5 
 The and at the beginning of the second clause is foreign from 
 our idiom, which would seem to require that or for. We might 
 however say, look to the right and see, and (you will find that) 
 there is no one etc. Knowing , recognizing, willing to acknow- 
 ledge, much less to defend. There is none to me, i. e. I have none. 
 Far from having a protector at my right hand, I have not even 
 one who will acknowledge that he knows me. Caring ^ literaHy, 
 seeking, asking, or iaquiring after it, in order to assist or save it. 
 Nearly the same form of speech is used to express the very op- 
 posite idea, that of seeking ont'^s soul to destroy it. See above, 
 on Ps. XXXV. 4. 
 
 6 (5.) I have cried unto thee, Jehovah. I have said, Thou (art) 
 my refuge, my jportion in the land of life. I have cried and still 
 cry; I have said and still say. With this last expression com- 
 pare Ps. xxxi. 15 (14.) xli. 5 (4.) Thou (art) my refuge, as in 
 Ps. Ixii. 8 (7.) Ixxi. 7. My portion, as in Ps. xvi. 5. Ixxiii. 26. 
 cxix. 57. Land of life (oy of the living), as in Ps. xxvii. 13. 
 lii. 7 (5.) 
 
 7. (6.) Hearken to my cry, for I am reduced greatly ; free me 
 from my persecutors, for they are mightier than I. All these are 
 
282 PSALM CXLII 
 
 favourite Davidic phrases. Hearken to my cry^ as in Ps. xvil. 1 
 Ixi. 2(1.) I am reduced for weakened) greatly^ as in Ps. Ixxix. 
 8 (7.) cxvi. 6. Compare Judges vi. 6. Free me from my perst' 
 cutors, as in Ps. vii. 2 (1.) They are mightier than 7, as in Pc. 
 xviii. 18 (17.) 
 
 8. Bring out from prison my soul, to thank thy name. Me shall 
 the righteous surround when thou shalt bestow on me (favour.) 
 With the first clause compare Ps. xxv. 17. cvii. 10. cxliii. 11. 
 Some suppose an allusion to Joseph's imprisonment and liberation. 
 See above, on Ps. cv. 17 — 20. To thank (or praise) thy name, 
 although an exact translation, is restricted by the English idiom 
 to the person mentioned just before, and can only mean in 
 accordance with our usage, that I may thank thy name ; whereas 
 the Hebrew infinitive knows no such limitation and in this case 
 simply means, that some one (without defining who) may praise 
 thy name ; or, exchanging the active for the passive form, that 
 thy name may be praised ; or, retaining the indefiniteness of the 
 original expression, for the praising of thy name. The agents 
 here intended are probably the righteous, who are mentioned in 
 the next clause. The verb surromid, which has a hostile sense 
 in Ps. xxii. 13. Hab. i. 4, here means to gather round one with a 
 friendly curiosity and eagerness, which some suppose to be sug- 
 gested by the construction with the preposition (n), which cannot 
 be expressed in English. This sympathy of the righteous in his 
 joys and sorrows is a favourite idea with David. See above, on 
 Ps XXXV. 27. xl. 17 (16.) For the meaning and construction of 
 Uie last verb, see above, on Ps. xiii. 6. ciii. 10. cxvi. 7 
 
PSALM CXLIII. 383 
 
 PSALMCXLIII. 
 
 Thts psalm may be divided into two equal parts, separated by 
 tbe Seiah in v. 6. The first contains a complaint, vs. 1 — 6 ; the 
 second a prayer for mercy, vs. 7 — 12. It resembles the preceding 
 psalm, not only in this relation of its parts, but in its whole tone 
 and diction, its Davidic phraseology combined with an originality 
 never exhibited by the mere imitator or compiler. 
 
 1. A Psalm. By David. Jehovah^ hear my grayer ^ give ear 
 unto my cries for mercy ; in thy faithfulness answer me {and) in 
 thy righteousness. The combination of faithfulness and righteous- 
 ness is like that in Ps. xxxvi. 6, 7 (5, 6.) They can hardly be 
 regarded as distinct grounds of argument, but rather as modified 
 statements of the same. The faithfulness of God has direct 
 reference to his promise or covenant engagements; his righte- 
 ousness has reference to the claims of his own people, but claims 
 which owe their existence to those same covenant engagements. 
 
 2. And enter not into judgment with thy servant, for just hefoie 
 thee is no one living. To enter into judgment is a forensic phrase 
 meaning to go to law, to prosecute, to sue. See Job ix. 32. 
 xxii. 4. The verb in the last clause is not a passive meaning to 
 be justified, but a neuter meaning to be just or innocent, to be in 
 the right or on the right side of the controverted question. The 
 acknowledgment in this verse has caused the psalm to be reckoned 
 •mong the penitential psalms. The verse is often imitated or 
 
284 PSALM CXLIIT. 
 
 referred to elsewhere. See Job ix. 2. xiv. 3. xv. 14. Rom 
 iii. 20, etc. 
 
 3. For the enemy 'persecutes my souly crushes to the earth my life, 
 makes me dwell in dark places like the dead of old. This verse 
 assigns a reason for the preceding prayers, a connection indicated 
 by the /or. He prays that God will deal with him in mercy, not 
 in justice, by abandoning him to the fate here described. Com- 
 pare Ps. vii. 6 (5), but especially Ps. Ixxxviii. 4 — 7 (3 — 6.) See 
 also Lam. iii. 6. The last words some understand to mean 
 fore^oer dead. 
 
 4. And overwhelmed within me is my spirit ; in the midst of me 
 desolated is my heart. With the first clause compare Ps. 
 cxlii. 4 (3) ; with the second Ps. xl. 16 (15.) 
 
 6. I remember the days of old ; I meditate of all thy doing , 
 of the work of thy hands I muse. He recalls and ponders them 
 not as a source of comfort, as in Ps. xliv. 2 — 4 (1 — 3), but of 
 sorrow, from their painful contrast with his actual condition. Sec 
 above, on Ps. xxii. 4 — 6 (3 — 5.) Ixxvii. 6 (5), and with the last 
 clause compare Ps. xcii. 5 
 
 6. I spread my hands unto thee; my soul is like a weary land 
 to thcey i. e. thirsts or longs for thee, as a dry or thirsty land for 
 rain. See above, on Ps. Ixiii. 2(1.) A weary land is an unu- 
 sual expression, and one of the peculiar features of this psalm. 
 With the first clause compare Ps. xliv. 21 (20.) The close of 
 the complaint or lamentation, and the strength of the feeling with 
 which it is uttered, are both indicated by the Selah. 
 
 7. Hasten, answer wc, Jehovah — my spirit fails — hide not thy 
 face from me — or I shall he confounded with (those) going down 
 (to) the pit. The meaning of the first clause is, hasten to grant 
 
PSALM CXLIII. 285 
 
 my petition. Fails, is spent or exhausted. See above, on 
 Ps. xxviii. 1. xxxix. 11 (10.) Ixix. 18 (17.) cii. 3 (2.) That he is 
 in extremity, is urged as a reason why God cannot fail to hear and 
 answer him. This verse begins the main prayer of the psalm, 
 that in vs. 1, 2, being merely introductory to the complaint in 
 vs. 3 — 6, which is itself introductory to the prayer that follows. 
 
 8. Let me hear in the morning thy mercy ; let me know the way 
 that I must go, for unto thee I raise my soul. All these are 
 familiar thoughts and terms to the readers of the psalms of David, 
 and may be severally found in Ps. xxv. 1 — 4. li. 10 (8.) lix. 17 
 (16. ) The way that I mAist go, not merely to be right, but to be 
 safe and happy ; the way of safety as well as that of duty. See 
 above, on Ps. cxlii. 7 (6.) 
 
 9. Free me from my enemies, Jehovah, with thee I hide myself. 
 ^ith the first clause compare Ps. lix. 12 (11.) cxlii. 7; with the 
 second, Ps. xxvii. 5. xxxi. 21 (20.) The form of expression here, 
 however, is peculiar and original. The literal meaning is to thee 
 I cover, i. e. cover myself, the reflexive use of the Hebrew verb 
 being clear from Gen. xxxviii. 14. Deut. xxii. 12. Jon. iii. 6. 
 The force of the pregnant construction is well though freely given 
 m the English version, IJiee unto thee to hide me. 
 
 10. Teach me to do thy will, for thou (art) my God. Thy spirit 
 (is) good ; let it guide me in level ground. This is a prayer for 
 external safety, and at the same time for that spiritual guidance, 
 without which it is unattainable. Compare Ps. v. 9 (8.) xxvi. 
 12. xxvii. 11. xl. 9 (8.) cxxxix. 10, 24. Some make but two 
 clauses, and instead of the short proposition in the middle, read, 
 let thy good spirit guide me etc. or let thy spirit, fwhich isj good 
 guide me etc. Level ground, literally earth (or land) of evenness 
 for straightness.) See above, on Ps. xxvi. 12. 
 
286 PSALM CXL IV. 
 
 1 1 . For thy name's sake^ Jehovah, thou wilt quicken me ; in th'^ 
 righteousness thou wilt bring out of distress my soul. Here again 
 we have an accumulation of Davidic ideas and expressions. For 
 thy nameh sake, as in Ps. xxiii. 3. xxv. 11. xxxi. 4. cix. 21. 
 Thou wilt quicken me, as in Ps. cxxxviii. 7. In thy righteousness ^ 
 as in Ps. xxxi. 2. Bring my soul out of trouble, as in Ps. xxv. 
 15. xxxiv. 18 07.; cxlii. 8 (7.) 
 
 12. And in thy mercy thou wilt destroy my enemies and cause to 
 perish all that vex my soul ; for I (am) thy servant. With the 
 first clause compare Ps. xxxi. 17 (16.) xviii. 41 (40.) Some find 
 here an allusion to the promise in Deut. vii. 24. Vezcrs, adver- 
 saries, persecutors, of my soul. Thy servant, not merely a be- 
 liever but a chosen instrument, not merely one of thy people but 
 their chief and representative, and as such entitled to deliverance, 
 both for their sake and my own. In these two verses, the form 
 of direct petition is insensibly exchanged for that of confident an- 
 ticipation. 
 
 PSALM CXLIV. 
 
 This is a kind of supplement or counterpart to Ps, xviii, in 
 which the view there taken of David's personal experience is ap- 
 plied to the anticipated case of his successors. The design thus 
 assumed accounts for the position of the psalm in the collection. 
 That its being placed precisely here is not fortuitous, may be in- 
 ferred from its furnishing a kind of link between the urgent en- 
 treaties of the preceding psalms and the triumphant praise of 
 those which follow. The Davidic origin of this psalm is as marked 
 as that of any in the Psalter. The accumulation of Davidic 
 
PSALM CXLIV. 287 
 
 phrases is confined to the first part, while the last is independent 
 and original, a fact entirely inconsistent with the supposition of a 
 later compilation. The Psalmist thanks God for his protection 
 of himself and of mankind in general, vs. 1 — 4, prays for deliver- 
 ance from present dangers, vs. 5 — 8, expresses his confident an- 
 ticipation* of a favourable answer, vs. 9 — 10, renews his prayer, 
 not only for himself hut for the chosen people, vs. 11 — 14, and 
 felicitates them that they are such, v. 15. 
 
 1 . By David. Blessed he Jehovah^ my Rockj the (one) training 
 my hands for fight^ my fingers for war. See above, on 
 Ps. xviii. 35, 47 (34, 46), where most of these expressions have 
 already been explained. Fight and war are both verbs and 
 nouns in English, but the Hebrew words are nouns with the ar- 
 ticle prefixed. David here begins by referring all the successes 
 of himself and his successors to Jehovah. 
 
 2. My mercy and my fortress^ my high place ^ and a deliverer 
 for me, my shield and (he) in whom I trust, the (one) subduing 
 my people. No less than five of these descriptive epithets are 
 taken from a single verse of Ps. xviii, viz. v. 3 (2.) Peculiar to 
 the place before us is my 7nercy, i. e. my God of mercy. See 
 above, on Ps. lix. 18.(17.) The benefit of these relations to Je- 
 hovah David claims not merely for himself but for his royal race, 
 which was closed and yet perpetuated in the Messiah. He in 
 whom I trust, literally, and in him I trust. My people, in its 
 widest sense, including Israel and the Gentiles who were to be 
 added to the kingdom of David under the reign of the Messiah. 
 Compare Ps. xviii. 44, 48 (43, 47) with the parallel passages in 
 2 Samuel. 
 
 3. Jehovah, what (is) man, that thou shouldsi know him, the 
 ion of man, that thou shouldst think of him 1 The greatness of 
 God's goodness is enhanced by a view of man's insignificance and 
 
288 PSALM CXLIV. 
 
 unworttiness. The original construction seems to be, what is 
 man? (nothing) , and (yet) thoii knowest him etc. To know is 
 here to recognise as being in existence, to take notice of. The 
 first man is the generic term, the second one denoting weakness. 
 See above, on Ps. viii. 5 (4), and compare 2 Sam vii. IS. 
 
 4. Man to vanity is like ; his days (are) as a passing shadow. 
 He cannot therefore be a worthy object, in himself, of the divine 
 regard and favour. With the first clause compare Ps. xxxix. 
 6, 7 (5, 6), Ixii. 10 (9) ; with the second, Ps. cii. 12 (11.) ciii. 15. 
 
 5. Jehovah^ how thy heavens and come down ; touch the moun- 
 iains and let them smoke. With the first clause compare Ps. 
 xviii. 10 (9.) What God is there described as doing, he is here 
 besought to do again. With the last clause compare Ps. civ. 32 
 Mountains, in all such connections, would necessarily suggest the 
 idea of states and kingdoms. See above, on Ps. xlvi. 3, 4 (2, 3.) 
 
 6. Lighten lightning and scatter them; send out thy arrows 
 and confound them. The first word in Hebrew is a verb occurring 
 nowhere else, and composed of the same radicals with the common 
 word for lightning which immediately follows. For the meaning 
 of the other terms, see above, on Ps. xviii. 15 ( 14), and compare 
 the parallel passage, 2 Sam. xxii. 15 (14), with which the writer 
 of the psalm before us was certainly acquainted, as appears 
 from his occasional use of its peculiar readings. 
 
 7. Send thy hands from on high ; rid me and free me from (the) 
 many waters, from the hand of aliens. With the first clause 
 compare Ps. xviii. 17 (16.) For hand we have here the plural 
 hands, and for the two verbs there used two substantially equiva- 
 lent, the first of which has the sense here given to it only in this 
 place and the cognate languages, and is therefore well represented 
 by the less usual English word rid. With the last clause, compare 
 
PSALM CXLiy. 289 
 
 Ps. XTiii. 45, 46 (44, 45), where the phrase sons of strangmeis 
 (or of foreign parts) has been explained already. 
 
 8. Whose mouth sjpeahs fraud ^ and their right hand (is) a righ 
 hand of falsehood. The word translated fraud is properly a 
 negative meaning vanity or emptiness, but applied to the want of 
 moral goodness and especially of truth. See above, on Ps. xxiv. 4. 
 The right hand is mentioned in allusion either to the practice of 
 swearing with uplifted hand (Ps. cvi. 26), or to that of striking 
 hands in bargains (2 Kings x. 15.) There seems to be reference, 
 in this verse, to the feigned obedience of the enemy, Ps. xviii. 
 45 (44.) 
 
 9. Oh God^ a new song I will sing to thee ; with a lyre of ten 
 (strings) / will play (or make music) to thee. See above, on 
 Ps. xxxiii. 2, 3, where David exhorts others to do what he here 
 resolves and vows to do himself. The new song still implies a 
 new occasion for it, so that he here begins to anticipate the an- 
 swer to his foregoing prayers. 
 
 10. The (one) giving salvation to kings ; the (one) ridding 
 David his servant from an evil sword. This mode of connectinor 
 sentences, by a participle agreeing with a noun in the foregoing 
 context, is a characteristic feature of Ps. xviii. See vol. i. 
 pp. 144, 145. The kings particularly meant are the theocratical 
 sovereigns, the royal family of David. Ridding.^ the participle 
 of the verb so rendered in v. 7. David (as) his servant^ because 
 he is his servant, in the sense repeatedly explained already. See 
 above, on Ps. cxliii. 2, 12. David speaks of himself by name, 
 not only here but in Ps. xviii. 51 (50.) Ixi. 7 (6. J Ixiii. 12 (11 ") 
 2 Sam. vii. 26. An evil sivord, not only dangerous but wicked. 
 Compare Ps. xxii. 21 (20.) 
 
 11. Rid me and free me from the hand of aliens , whoae nwulh 
 VOL. Ill 13 
 
290 PSALM CXLIV. 
 
 sjpmks fraud.^ ana whose right hand (is) a right hand of falsehood 
 In resumiug the language of direct petition, the terms of vs. 7, 8, 
 are studiously repeated, as if to show that this prayer is parallel to 
 that, and not an addition to it. 
 
 12. So that our sons (may be) as plants grown large in their 
 youth, our daughters as corner-stones hewn (for) the building of 
 the temple. The reminiscences or imitations of Ps. xviii suddenly 
 cease here, and are followed by a series of original, peculiar, and 
 for the most part no doubt antique expressions. On the supposi- 
 tion that the title is correct in making David the author, this is 
 natural enough. On any other supposition it is unaccountable, 
 unless by the gratuitous assumption, that this is a fragment of an 
 older composition, a mode of reasoning by which any thing may 
 be either proved or disproved. The first word in Hebrew is the 
 relative pronoun, and the literal meaning of the clause is, (hy) 
 which for in consequence of which) our sons, etc. The which re- 
 fers to the deliverance prayed for in the preceding verse. Groion 
 large, literally magnified or made great. The common version 
 (grown up in their youth) has a paradoxical appearance, arising 
 from the ambiguity of our phrase grown up, which is applied (like 
 the G-reek ^\Uiiia) both to age and stature. The word translated 
 corner-stones has the same sense in Zech. ix. 15. The corner- 
 tstones are mentioned as those which were hewn and polished with 
 peculiar care. Likeness or model would agree better with the 
 usage of the- Hebrew word (^'^r^?^), but its primary sense, as a 
 derivative of the verb (^}^) to build, is here still more appropri- 
 ate. Most interpreters give the last word the vague sense of a, 
 palace, considered as a splendid building. There is something, 
 however, far more striking in the translation te?nple, found in the 
 Prayer-Book and the ancient versions. The omission of the article 
 ia a poetic license of perpetual occurrence. The temple was the 
 ^eat ai'chitecturai model and standard of comparison, and particu- 
 larly remarkable for the great size and skilful elaboration of its 
 
PSALM CXL IV. 29\ 
 
 foundation-stones, some of which, there is reason to believe, have 
 remained undisturbed since the time of Solomon. See Kobinson's 
 Palestine, vol. i, pp. 422 — 426. 
 
 13. Our garners full^ affording from kind to kind ; our flocks 
 hearing thousands^ 7?iultiplied by myriads, in our streets. From 
 kind to kind seems to denote not only variety but regular succes- 
 sion, as expressed in Hengstenberg's version, one kind after an^ 
 other. Compare Ps. Ixxxiv. 8 (7.) The participles in the next 
 clause are highly idiomatic and scarcely reproducible in any 
 other language. A somewhat similar example occurs above, 
 Ps. Ixix. 32 (31.) But there both forms are active, whereas here 
 we have one active and one passive participle, formed directly 
 from the Hebrew words denoting a thousand and a myriad, the 
 last of which is a derivative of the verb to increase or multiply^ 
 and would therefore necessarily suggest that idea. See above, on 
 Ps. iii. 7 (6.) Ixviii. 18 (17.) Streets, though not incorrect, is 
 an inadequate translation of the Hebrew word (ni:£^h), which 
 means external spaces, streets as opposed to the insido of houses, 
 fields or country as opposed to a whole town. Hert it includes 
 not only roads but fields. 
 
 14. Our oxen loaded — no damage and no loss — and lo complaint 
 in our streets. The first particular implies abundanoo. For the 
 use of oxen as beasts of burden, see 1 Chr. xii. 40. Damage and 
 loss, literally, breach and going forth. Complaint, liierally, ciy, 
 but especially for loss of the fruits of the earth. See Is&i. xxiv. 11. 
 Some give the sentence an entirely different meaning, by supposing 
 the word translated oxeii to mean princes, as it does in Zech. ix. 7. 
 xii. 5, 6, and giving the participle joined with it the Chaldee sense 
 of raised erect or upright. Going out then means going out to 
 war, as in Am. v. 3, breach the incursion of an enemy, and cry a 
 war-cry. But the fij-st Hebrew word in question (^^^^) is applied 
 Dnly to the chiefs of Edom (Gen. xxxvi. 15), except in the latest 
 
292 PSALM CXLV. 
 
 books of the Old Testament, such as Zechariah ; and we naturally 
 look for oxen after sheep, as in Ps. viii. S (7.) 
 
 15. Happy the people (with) whom (it is) thus ! Happy the people 
 whose God (is) Jehovah ! The clauses are not antitlietical but 
 equivalent. The people means the (chosen) people^ Israel, with 
 whom, in prosperous times, it was thus, and was thus for the very 
 reason that Jehovah was their God. 
 
 PSALM CXLV. 
 
 This has been happily characterized as the "new song" prom- 
 ised in Ps. cxliv. 9. In other words, it is the song of praise, cor- 
 responding to the didactic, penitential, and supplicatory psalms of 
 this series. In form it is an alphabetical psalm, and like others of 
 that class (see vol. i. p. 206) admits of no analysis, being made up 
 of variations on a single theme, the righteousness and goodness of 
 the Lord to men in general, to his own people in particular, and 
 more especially to those who suffer. The letter nun is wanting, 
 being omitted, as some suppose, for the sake of having three equal 
 stanzas, each containing seven verses. The Septuagint supplies 
 the omission, in a very inartificial manner, by anticipating v. 17 
 before v. 15, with a simple change of righteous (P^l?) to faith- 
 ful (y^^), asinPs. cxi. 7. 
 
 1. Praise. By David. I will exalt thee, my God, the King 
 and will bless thy name to eternity and perpetuity. This is the 
 only case in which the word Praise stands alone as the designatioD 
 or description of a psalm. It evidently bears an antithetical re- 
 lation to the title Prayer in Ps. cxlii. 1, the rather as the Hebrew 
 
PSALM CXLV. 293 
 
 words (n|p?i and n^nfi) are still more alike than their English 
 equivalents, differing only in a single letter. / inll exalt thee^ ag 
 in Ps. XXX. 2(1), where the reason is expressed that is here im- 
 plied, to wit, that God had exalted him. The khig^ the only true 
 king, the king of kings, by whom they are put up and down, pro- 
 tected and punished. See above, on Ps. cxliv. 10, and compare 
 Ps. V. 3 (2.) XX. 10 (9.) xxiv. 8, 10. xxix. IC. xciii. 1. xcv. 3. 
 xcvi. 10. xcix. 1. The regal honours paid to himself by others 
 David here transfers as due to God alone. Bless thy name^ i. e. 
 reverently praise it. See above, on Ps. v. 12 (11.) xxxiv. 2 (1.) 
 ciii. 1. Forever and ever^ in reference not merely to himself but 
 to /lis royal race, which is to live forever. See above, on 
 Vs. cxxxviii. 8. 
 
 2. Every day will I bless thee and praise thy name to eter- 
 nity and perpetuity. Compare Ps. Ixviii. 20 (19.) Ixix. 31 (30.) 
 xcii. 2, 3. Every day denotes constancy and regularity. 
 
 3. Great (is) Jehovah and to he praised exceedingly., and to his 
 greatn£ss there is no search., i. e. it is unsearchable. The first 
 clause is quoted in Ps. xlviii. 2(1.) Greatly to be praised, as in 
 Ps. xviii. 4 (3.) xcvi. 4. cxiii. 3. His greatness, as displayed in 
 act, his great performance or performances. See above, on 
 Ps. Ixxi. 21. With the last words of the verse compare Ps. 
 xl. 6 (5.) 
 
 4. Generation to generation lauds thy deeds, and thy mighty 
 doings ihey declare. With the first clause compare Ps. xix. 3 (2.) 
 The verbs are of the future form, lauds and will laud, declare 
 and will declare. The first verb is the one used in Ps. Ixiii. 4 (3.) 
 cxvii. 1 Mighty doings, literally, mights or powers, but always 
 used, like greatness, in an active not an abstract sense. See 
 above, on Ps. xx. 7 (6.) cvi. 2. They declare may agree with 
 
294 P S A L M C X L V . 
 
 men indefinitely, or with the double generation in the first clause, 
 which, however, is there construed with a verb in the singular. 
 
 5. (Of) the beattij of the honour of thy majesty^ and the woids 
 of thy uwnders, I will muse (or meditate.) The accumulation of 
 synonymous expressions in the first clause has been falsely repre- 
 sented as a proof of later date and a corrupted taste, whereas it 
 only proves intensity of admiration. For examples of the same 
 thing in undisputed psalms of David, see above, Ps. xviii. 3 (2.) 
 Ixii. 8 (7). Beauty and 7)iajcsty, as in Ps. xlv. 4 (3.) Honour 
 or glory ^ as in Ps. xix. 1. Words of thy wonders are the wonders 
 or wondrous deeds themselves, considered as subjects of discourse 
 or celebration. See above, on Ps. Ixv. 4 (3.) cv. 27. I will 
 muse, as in Ps. Ixxvii. 13 (12.) cxix. 15, 23, 27, 48, 78, 148. 
 
 6. And the force of thy dread (deeds) they utter — and (as to) 
 thy greatness, I will recount it. Dread, literally, /crtrerZ, and then 
 to he feared, 2^^ praised means to be praised in v. 3 above. Utter ^ 
 literally say, precisely as in Ps. xl. 11 (10.) Greatness, or ac- 
 cording to the reading in the text of the Hebrew Bible, great- 
 nesses, i. e. great deeds, as mights means mighty deeds in v. 5. 
 
 7. The memory of thy great goodness they pour forth, and (of) 
 thy righteousness they sing (or shout.) Memory, as in Ps. vi. 6 (5.) 
 Great goodness is the order of the words not only in Eng- 
 lish but in Hebrew, where it is unusual. See above, on 
 Ps. Ixxxix. 51 (50.) Pour forth, [isva. Vs. xix. 3 (2.) Ixxviii. 2. 
 Compare Ps. lix. 8 (7.) Thy righteousness, as in Ps. xxxi. 2 (1.) 
 li. 16 (14.) cxliii. 1. Sing or shout for joy. The construction 
 is like that in Ps. li. 16 (14.) lix. 17 (16.) 
 
 8. Gracious and compassionate (is) Jehovah, sloio to anger and 
 great (in) mercy. Compare Ps. Ixxxvi. 15 (14.) ciii. 8. cxi. 4 
 
PSAI.M CXLV. 295 
 
 Instead of the usual expression (n'l) much or ohundant, we have 
 here great ^ in aUusion to its previous use in vs. 3, 6. 
 
 9. Good (is) Jehovah to all, and his compassions (are) over all 
 his icorhs. All, literally, the all, the whole universe. See 
 above, on Ps. cxix. 91. Over or iipon, the first suggesting the 
 idea of a covering, the second that of a descent from above. His 
 ivorks, the things which he has made, his creatures. See above, 
 on Ps. ciii. 22. The argument implied is, how much more to 
 his own people, the creatures of his grace. See above, on 
 Ps. cxxxviii. 8. 
 
 10. All thy creatures, oh Jehovah, praise (or thank) thee, and 
 thy saints bless thee. The future forms, as usual, denote that it ia 
 
 . so and will be so. The superfluous n in the last word is an or- 
 thographical peculiarity like that in Ps. cxxxix. 3. cxl. 8. cxli. 8. 
 As saints (or gracious ones) are more than creatures, so to bless 
 is more than to praise. See above, on v. 1 . 
 
 11. 7^ke glory of thy reign they idtcr, and thy might they speak. 
 Compare Ps. ciii. 19. Thy reign or kingdom, which is universal. 
 The whole phrase may mean thy royal dignity or honour. 
 
 12. To make known to the sons of man his mighty deeds, and the 
 glory of the majesty of his reign (or kingdom.) Some give the 
 infinitive the force of a gerund, by making known ; but the true 
 sense seems to be, so as to (or so that they) make known. See 
 above, on Ps. Ixxviii. 18. 
 
 13. Thy reign is a reign of all eternities, and thy dominion in 
 generation and gemration. These words are also found in 
 Dan, iii. 33. iv. 31. The meaning of th(^ last clause i&, thy domi- 
 nion 'Stiii fijlnia and shall exist in every successive generation. 
 
296 PSALM CXLV. 
 
 14. An upnolder (is) Jehovah for all the falling j a lifter up 
 for all the bowed down. The first word in each clause is properlv 
 a participle, here used as a noun, and therefore followed by the 
 preposition to or for. Translated in cither way, the words neces- 
 sarily suggest the idea of habitual action. With the first clause 
 compare Ps. xxxvii. 17, 24. liv. 6 (4.) cxix. 116. 
 
 15. The eyes of all unto thee (look and) waitj and thou giv est 
 them their food in its season. The verb in the first clause means 
 to wait, expect, or hope, but is here construed with the preposi- 
 tion to or toioardsj which implies the act of turning or looking to 
 the object confided in. Givest^ literally giving^ i. e. (art habit- 
 ually) giving. See above, on Ps. civ. 27, where these words are 
 quoted. 
 
 16. Opening thy hand and satisfying to every living (thing its) 
 desire^ or the desire of every living thing. Another construction, 
 preferred by some interpreters, is, satisfying (giving satisfaction) 
 to every living thing (in its) desire, viz. that which it desires. 
 See the imitation of this verse in Ps. civ. 28, and compare 
 Ps. ciii. 5. Acts xiv. 17. The words satisfy and will (or desire) 
 are combined, as here, in Deut xxxiii. 23. 
 
 17. Righteous (is) Jehovah in all his ways and merciful in all 
 his works. Justice and mercy are not mentioned here as oppo- 
 sites, but rather as equivalents, the goodness of God being really 
 included in the rectitude so frequently ascribed to him. 
 
 18. Near (is) Jehovah to all calling upon him^ to all (ailing 
 upon him in truth^ i. e, sincerely, with importunate desire and 
 strong confidence. With this verse compare Ps. xxxiv. 7, 1 9. 
 
 19. The will of his fearers he loill do.^ and their cry he will 
 hear, and will save them. He will do what they desire, or grant 
 
PSALM CXLVI. 297 
 
 their prayer, especially their prayer for help in time of danger and 
 distress, as intimated in the last clause. Compare Ps. xxxiv. 10, 
 16 (9, 15.) xxxvii. 40. 
 
 20. Jehovah keeps all that love him, and all the wicked will he 
 destroy. The fearers of v. 19 and the lovers of this verse are iden- 
 tical, which shows that godly fear and love are not incompatible. 
 Keeps, literally keeping, as in v. 15, from all danger and distress, 
 preserving. 
 
 21. The praise of Jehovah shall my mouth speak, and allflesn 
 shall bless his holy name forever, or retaining the idiomatic form ot 
 the original, all flesh shall bless the name of his holiness (or his 
 name of holiness) to eternity and perpetuity. The use of the word 
 praise connects this verse with the title or inscription in v. 1, 
 which is thereby justified or proved to be correct. All flesh, as 
 in Ps. Ixv. 3 (2.) Ills holy name^ as in Ps. xxxiii. 21. 
 
 PSALM CXLVI. 
 
 This psalm may be divided into two equal parts, the first of 
 which describes the happiness of those who trust in God and not 
 in man, vs. 1 — 5, while the second gives the reason, drawn from 
 the divine perfections, vs. 6 — 10. The psalm is distinguished 
 from the Davidic series which precedes it (cxxxviii — cxlv) by 
 its whole internal character. At the same time its coincidences 
 of expression with the one immediately before it show that it was 
 meant to be used in connection with it, and may therefore be re- 
 garded as the closing psalm of the whole series beginning with 
 
298 P S A L M C L V I . 
 
 Ps. cxxxv, and belonging to tlie time of Haggai and Zechariah, to 
 'wLich the psalm before us is expressly referred in the Septuagint 
 Version. 
 
 1. Hallelujah! Praise, oh my soul, Jehovah! See above, 
 Ps. ciii. 1, 22. civ. 1, 35. The Hallelujah never appears in any 
 psalm which bears the name of David, and is indeed as character- 
 istic of the later psalms as the Selah is of the more ancient. 
 
 2. I will 2^^'aisc Jehovah ichih I live ; I will maJce 7nusic to my 
 God luhile I still (exist.) For the literal meaning of these words, 
 see above, on Ps. civ. 33, from which they are borrowed, with the 
 unimportant change of sing to praise. 
 
 3. Trust ye not in princes, in the son of man, to whom there is no 
 salvation, who cannot save either himself or others, but is wholly 
 dependent upon God. Compare Ps. xl. 5 (4.) Ixxv. 7, 8 (6, 7.) 
 cviii. 13. cxvi. 11. cxliv. 10. This may be regarded as an exhort- 
 ation to men in general from Israel, an exhortation founded on hia 
 own experience. 
 
 4. Forth goes his spirit, he returns to his earth ; in that very day 
 his thoughts perish. For the meaning of the first clause, see above, 
 on Ps. civ. 29. The primary idea of breath and the secondary 
 one of spirit run into each other in the usage of the Hebrew word 
 (D^^)? so that cither may be expressed in the translation, without 
 entirely excluding the other. His thoughts, his vain notions or 
 ambitious schemes. 
 
 5. Happy he whose hel'p is the God of Jacoh, (and) his reliance 
 on Jehovah his God. Whose help, literally, in whose help, i. e 
 engaged, employed in it, or more probably, among whose helpers. 
 Compare Ps. xlv. 10 (9.) liv. 6 (4.) xcix. 6. cxviii. 7. The divine 
 name (^^) here used suggests the idea of almighty power, as 
 
PSALM CXL VI. 299 
 
 opposed to that of human weakness. Reliance^ literally, cxpecta^ 
 tion^ hope ; but the first idea is necessarily suggested by the prepo- 
 sition on. 
 
 6. Who made heaven and earthy the sea, and all that (is) in them 
 — the (one) keeping truth forever. Two reasons are here given for 
 thus relying upon God ; his almighty power, as exercised and 
 proved in the creation of the world, and his unchangeable fidelity. 
 See above, Ps. xxv. 5. Who made^ literally, 7nakingj with the 
 usual reference to God's creative power as still exerted in the sus- 
 tentation of the universe. See above, on Ps. Ixv. 7 (6.) cxxi. 2. 
 cxliv. 2. 
 
 7. Doing justice to the oppressed — giving bread to the hungry — 
 Jehovah, freeing (or the liberator of) the bound. He is not only 
 able but accustomed to relieve those in distress, of whom several dis- 
 tinct classes are here specified as samples. Compare Ps. xxxvii. 19, 
 Ixviii. 6, 7 (5, 6.) cvii. 5, 9, 10. cxlv. 14. Hunger and captivity 
 are both familiar figures for spiritual evils, as well as literal desig- 
 nations of external ones, both which may here be considered as 
 included. 
 
 8. Jehovah opens (the eyes of) the blind ; Jehovah raises up the 
 hawed down ; Jefiovah loves the righteous. The ellipsis in the first 
 clause is not so harsh in Hebrew as in English, because the verb 
 (^I^?) is almost confined, in usage, to the eyes, and would at once 
 suggest them to a Hebrew reader. \11 the verbs are of the parti- 
 cipial form, opening., raising., loving., i. e. continually doing so. 
 The first clause is applicable both to bodily and mental blindness. 
 Compare Deut. xxviii. 29. Isai. lix. 10. Job xii. 2b. The second 
 clause is borrowed from Ps. cxlv. 14. 
 
 9. Jehovah preserves strangers ; orphan and widow he relieves; 
 and the way of wicked 'men makeji crooked. The stranger, the or- 
 
SOC PSALM CXLVII. 
 
 plian, and the widow are constantly presented in the Lawas objects 
 of compassion and beneficence. See above, on Ps. Ixviii. 6, 7 (5, 6.) 
 Relieves J restores, raises up from their low condition. As a straight 
 path is an emblem of prosperity, to render one's path crooked is to 
 involve him in calamity. The same verb is applied, in a moral 
 sense, to the perverse conduct of the wicked, Ps. cxix. 78. 
 
 10. Jehovah (reigns and) shall reign to eternity ; thy Gocj^ oh 
 Zioiij to generation and generation. Hallelnjah (praise ye Jah) ! 
 The Psalm closes with a grand sentence from the Song of Moses, 
 Ex. XV. 18, to which a parallel clause is added, and a concluding 
 Ilalklujah^ winding up the whole series of psalms, supposed to 
 have been sung at the completion of the second temple. 
 
 PSALM CXL YII. 
 
 A SONG of praise to Jehovah on account of his goodness to his 
 creatures generally, and to his church or chosen people in particu- 
 lar. Both these themes run through the psalm ; but one is pre- 
 dominant in the first part, vs. 1 — 11 ; the other in the second, vs. 
 12 — 20. The four remaining psalms (cxlvii — cl), connected to- 
 gether, and distinguished from what goes before, by the Hallelujah 
 with which they all begin and end ; by their joyous tone, unmixed 
 with lamentation or complaint ; by their frequent allusions to some 
 great deliverance recently experienced ; and by the peculiar way 
 in which they bring together the exhibitions of God's glory in the 
 works of nature and in his dealings with the church; have not' 
 improbably been represented as a series, intended to commemo- 
 rate tLa completion of the walls of Jerusalem by Nehemiah, an 
 
PSALM CXLVIT. 30l 
 
 event described in the history itself, as putting an end to the re- 
 proach of Israel, and restoring the Holy City to its proper rank. 
 See Neh. i. 3. ii. 5, 17. vi. 6, 7, 15, 16. vii. 4. ix. 6, 13, 14. x. 29. 
 xii. 27, 35, 41, 43. 
 
 1. Halldujah (praise ye Jah), for it is good to celebrate our 
 God, for it is sweet (and) praise becoming. This is made up of 
 the beginnings of three other psalms. See above, Ps. xcii. 2(1.) 
 cxxxv. 3. xxxiii. 1. Celebrate, make music to, with voice and in- 
 strument. See above, on Ps. vii. 18 (17.) Instead of it is sweet 
 some read he is lovely, i. e. a worthy object of supreme affection, 
 as in Ps. cxxxv. 3. But even there the construction is a doubt- 
 ful one, and here the first proposed above is recommended by the 
 fact that the epithets before and after relate not to God himself 
 but to his praise. 
 
 2. Building Jerusalem (is) Jehovah ; the outcasts of Israel he 
 gathers. The rebuilding of the walls in the days of Nehemiah, 
 may be said to have completed the fulfilment of the promise in 
 Isai. xi. 12. Ivi. 8. Compare Ps. cvii. 3. 
 
 3. The (one) healing the broken-hearted and binding up tnei? 
 wounds. This was true as a general description, and speciallji 
 exemplified in the deliverance which Israel had experienced. 
 See above, on Ps. xxxiv. 19 (18.) ciii. 3, and compare Isai. Ixi. 1. 
 
 4. Telling the number of the stars — to all of them names he 
 calls. The God who thus provides for Israel is the God of nature 
 no less than of grace. Tellhig, counting, reckoning, estimating. 
 Not determining beforehand, but simply doing what man cannot. 
 See Gen. xv. 5, and compare Gen. xiii. 16, Num. xxiii. 10. Isai. 
 Ixv. 12. He not only counts but names them, calling them all by 
 name. The verse is borrowed from Isai. xl. 26, where as hero 
 
302 PSALM CXLVII. 
 
 God's knowledge and control of nature is presented as a source 
 of consolation to his people. 
 
 5. Great is our Lord and of much ^power ; to his understayid 
 ing there is no number , i. e. it is incalculable and immense. 
 Compare Isai. xl. 26, 28. Of much power , or abundant in 
 Btrength. 
 
 6. Raising up the humble (is) Jehovah, casting down the 
 wicked to the very earth. Sec above, Ps. cxlvi. 8, 9. To the 
 very earth, literally, even to the earth. 
 
 7. Respond to Jehovah with thanksgiving ; make music to our 
 God with a harp. The first verb has its proper sense of answer- 
 ing or responding, as in Ps. cxix. 172. It may be. doubted 
 whether it ever has that of simply singing. Respond, i. e. to his 
 manifold favours. 
 
 8. The (one) covering the heavens with clouds — the (one J 
 providing for the earth rain — the (one) causing the mou7itains to 
 put forth grass. The grass as produced by means of the rain, 
 and the rain by means of the clouds. See above, on Ps. civ. 13. 
 
 9. Giving to the cattle its food — to the young ravens which cry. 
 The first noun may also be translated beast, but still with refer- 
 ence to domestic animals, with which is contrasted in the other 
 clause the raven, as a wild bird, unconnected with mankind, and 
 as some suppose with allusion to its harsh and piercing cry. See 
 above, on Ps. civ. 21. cxlv. 15, and compare Job xxxviii. 41. 
 
 Young ravens, literally, sons of the raven. 
 
 10. Not in the strength oj a horse does he delight ; not with 
 the legs of a man is he pleased. The best explanation of the sin- 
 gular expressions in the last clause is, that the whole verse waa 
 
PSALM CXLVII. 303 
 
 intended to describe horse and foot, or cavalry and infantry, ag 
 forming the military strength of armies. It is not to those who 
 trust in these that God is disposed to extend favour, nor do these 
 advantages at all attract him. 
 
 11. Pleased (is) Jehovah with those fearing hiniy with those 
 hoping for his mercy. This implies the want of secular advan- 
 tages, or at least an absence of reliance on them, and a sense of 
 dependence upon God alone. 
 
 12. Laud, oh Jerusalem, Jehovah I Praise thy God, oh Zion ! 
 Here begins the second division of the psalm, in which the good- 
 ness of God to his people is the theme, and the people itself tho 
 object of address. 
 
 13. For he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates ; ht hath 
 Ikised thy sons in the midst of thee. Although the first clause 
 admits of a general figurative application, it seems to contain an 
 evident allusion to the historical occasion of the psalm, or at least 
 to favour the opinion, that it was designed to celebrate the 
 renewed fortifications of the Holy City. 
 
 14. (It is) he that makes thy border peace, (and with) the fat 
 of wheat he satisfies thee. He that makes, literally, the (one) 
 placing. Border is put for all that it contains or bounds, thy 
 territory or domain. To make it peace is to make it peaceful or 
 to give it peace. See Isai. liv. 12. With the last clause com- 
 pare Ps. Ixxxi. 17. Deut. xxxii. 14. 
 
 15. lie that sendeth his commandment (upon) earth — very 
 siC'iftly rims his word. The construction is like that in the pre- 
 ceding verse. He that sendeth, the (one) sending. Commandment, 
 literally, saying, what he says. Very siviftly, literally, even to 
 swiftness. The authoritative word of God is here personified as 
 
304 PSALM CXLVir. 
 
 his messenger or agent, whose swift running signifies the prompt 
 execution of the divine will. 
 
 16. He that gives snow like wool^ hoar-frost like ashes sprinkles- 
 As easily as a man scatters wool or ashes, does God cover the 
 earth with snow or frost. The selection of phenomena peculiar 
 to winter may have reference to the season when the psalm was 
 written or originally sung. At the same time they were probably 
 designed to serve as emblems of the long distress, to which the 
 Restoration put an end, as spring does to winter. The compari- 
 sons in this verse are less striking to us than to the people of 
 countries where snow and frost are less familiar. 
 
 17. He that sendeth his ice like crumhs. Before his cold who 
 can stand 1 The second noun means scraps or morsels, but m 
 usage is specially applied to food. See Gen. xviii. 5. Judg. xix. 5. 
 This seems to be descriptive of hail, which God sends upon the 
 earth as easily and freely as man scatters crum-bs or throws away 
 the refuse of his food. The allusion to the feeding of domesti- 
 cated animals, which some assume, is needless though admissible. 
 
 IS. He sends his ivord and melts them — he makes his loind blow 
 — waters flow. Sends his word, utters his command. The 
 plural pronoun (them) refers to snow, frost, and ice, in vs. 16, 17. 
 The winds meant are the warm winds of the spring, attended by 
 a general thaw. 
 
 19. Declaring his word to Jacob, his statutes and his judg- 
 ments to Israel. The God of Nature is the God of Revelation. 
 He who thus controls the elements and seasons is the God of 
 Israel, and will work spiritual changes corresponding to these 
 natural phenomena, for the benefit of the people whom he has 
 entrusted with the revelation of his will. 
 
PSALM CXLVIII. 305 
 
 20. He has not done so to every nation — and (as for) judgments^ 
 they know nothing of them. This revelation to Israel is peculiar 
 and exclusive. Every nation^ and by implication, any one. Thia 
 is indeed the only form in which that idea could be expressed in 
 Hebrew. The last clause declares the other nations ignorant not 
 only of his laios or judgments^ but of any that deserve the name. 
 
 PSALM CXLYIII. 
 
 The universe, in all its parts, is summoned to praise God as ita 
 maker, and as infinitely worthy of its adoration. The invitation 
 is addressed, in the first instance, to heaven and its inhabitants, 
 exhorting them to praise God as their maker and preserver, 
 vs. I — 6. It is then addressed to the earth and its inhabitants, 
 exhorting them to praise him for his infinite perfection, as dis- 
 played in his works, but especially in his dealings with his chosen 
 people, vs. 7 — 14. Even the most skeptical critics are con- 
 strained to acknowledge that this psalm and the two which follow 
 are admirably suited to their purpose. 
 
 1. HaUelujah ! Praise ye Jehovah from the heavens ! Praise 
 him in the heights ! This verse designates the place, or part of 
 the creation, from which the praise is to proceed. Heights^ or 
 high-places, is a simple equivalent to heavens^ the plural form of 
 which it takes by assimilation. Compare the singular in Ps. 
 xviii. 17 (16.) The preposition from denotes the direction of 
 the sound, the preposition in the place where it is uttered. 
 
 2. Praise yt hini^ all his angels ! Praise ye him.^ all his host^ f 
 
306 PSALM CXL VI II. 
 
 As this last expression is applied both to the angels and the 
 heavenly bodies, it here affords a natural transition from the one 
 to the other. See above, on Ps. xxiv. 10. xxis. 1. eiii. 21. 
 
 3. Praise ye him^ stin and moon ! Praise him, all ye stars of 
 light ! This is a specification of the general term, his hosts, in 
 V. 2. Stars of light is a beautiful poetical expression for bright 
 or shining stars. 
 
 4. Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters which are 
 above the heavens ! The object of address in the first clause is the 
 highest heaven, the heaven of that which is heaven to us. See 
 above, on Ps. Ixviii. 34 (33), and compare Deut. x. 14. 1 Kings 
 viii. 27. 2 Cor. xii. 2. The waters meant are the watery clouds 
 above the lower heavens, as in Gen. i. 7. See above, on 
 Ps. civ. 3 
 
 5. Let them praise the name of Jehovah, for he commanded and 
 they were created. The direct invitation to the heavens is followed 
 by a statement of the reason why they should comply with it, ex- 
 pressed in the third person, as if addressed to others. The pro- 
 noun he is emphatic. (It was) he {thsit) commanded (and no 
 other.) See above, on Ps. xxxiii. 9, and compare Gen. i. 3. 
 
 6. And made them stand to perpetuity and eternity ; a limit he 
 gave (them) and they cannot pass (it.) The immutability 
 ascribed to the frame of nature, Ps. Ixxii. 5. Ixxxix. 3, 37 (2, 36), 
 is not absolute but relative to the will of the creator. All that is 
 required by the context in such cases is, that they cannot change 
 in opposition to his will or independently of it. See Ps. cii. 27. 
 The first word in the second clause is here used in its primary 
 sense of a definite boundary or limit, from which may be readily 
 deduced the usual one of statute or permanent enactment. See 
 above, on Ps. ii. 7. As the last verb is in the singular number. 
 
PSALM ex LVI II. 307 
 
 the most obvious construction is the one giren in the English 
 Bible, a decree which shall not pass. Compare Matth. v. 18. 
 But the highest authorities appear to be agreed that the analogy 
 of Job xiv. 5. Ps. civ. 9. Jer. v. 22, requires the verb to be taken 
 in the sense of transcending or transgressing, and construed with 
 the aggregate of the heavenly bodies. 
 
 7. Praise Jehovah from the earthy ye dragons and all depths . 
 Here begins the second part, in which the address is to the earth 
 and its inhabitants. Frorn the earth is in antithesis to from the 
 heavens in v. 1. Earth here includes land and water; hence the 
 last clause makes exclusive mention of the latter, as the word 
 translated dragons is applied to huge aquatic animals, (Ps. Ixxiv. 
 13), and the one translated depths to large bodies of water 
 f Ps. xxxiii. 7.J As the first, however, sometimes means serpents 
 ('Ps. xci. 13J, it may here be the connecting link between land 
 and water, 
 
 8. Fire and hail^ snow and vapour:, stormy wind doing his 
 word. The address here passes to the inanimate and unconscious 
 agencies of nature. Fire and hail, as in Ps. cv. 32. The fire 
 meant is commonly supposed to be lightning ; but according to 
 Hengstenberg the word is to be taken in its ordinary sense and 
 is separated from its natural attendant smoke (for such is the 
 meaning of the Hebrew word elsewhere, e. g. Ps. cxix. 83j only 
 for the purpose of contrasting hot and cold, white and black, 
 which seems a little fanciful and far-fetched. The storm-wind 
 (or stormy wind) is mentioned as a natural agent the least likely 
 to be under control, and it is expressly described as doing God's 
 word, i. e. executing his command. See above, on Ps. ciii. 20. 
 civ. 4. 
 
 9. The mountains and all hills, fruit-trees and all cedars. Not 
 fruitful trees, as distinguished from barren trees, but fruii-trees 
 
308 PSALM CXLVIII. 
 
 (literally, tret of fruit) ^ as distinguished from forest- trees, here 
 represented by the cedar, which is usually spoke n of in scripture 
 as the noblest species, and therefore called the cedar of God^ Ps. 
 Ixxx. 11 (10.) 
 
 10. The wild (beast) and all cattle, creeping tkiiig and flying 
 fowl. The contrast in the first clause is analogous to that between 
 fruit-trees and cedars in v. 9. The Hebrew word (i:^??^„) transla- 
 ted creeping thing has no exact equivalent in English. It seems 
 strictly to denote animal or vital motion, or as a concrete term 
 whatever so moves, and is even applied to aquatic animals, 
 Ps. civ. 25. But when used distinctively, it denotes the smaller 
 classes of terrestrial animals, including insects, reptiles, and the 
 smallest quadrupeds. It is here added simply to complete the 
 expression of the general idea, all animals whatever. Flying 
 fowl, literally, bird of wing. The first of the Hebrew words is 
 specially applied to the smaller birds, and sometimes specifically 
 to the sparrow. See above, on Ps. xi. 1. Ixxxiv. 4 (3.) civ. 17. 
 cxxiv. 7. This and the preceding item in the catalogue, suggest- 
 ing the idea of the smallest animals, may possibly have been used 
 to denote the universality of the call here made upon all creatures, 
 from the greatest to the smallest, to praise God their maker. 
 
 11. Kings of the earth and all nations, chiefs and oil judges of 
 the earth. He here passes from the lower animals to man. Kings 
 and the nations whom they represent. Princes is not an exact 
 translation of the Hebrew (ti'^^^ir?), which is especially, though not 
 exclusively, applied to military leaders of various rank, and may 
 therefore best be represented by the English ^Jiiefs or chieftains. 
 
 12. Young men and also maidens, old men with children. The 
 obvious meaning of this verse is, all men, without distinction of 
 sex or age. There is no need, therefore, of refining on the 
 several particulars, or undertaking to explain why old men and 
 
PSALM cxr.viir. 309 
 
 young men are both mentioDed, since neither of them could havo 
 been omitted without failing to accomplish the design of the enu- 
 meration. For the etymology and primary meaning of the first 
 word in Hebrew, see above, on Ps. Ixxviii. 63, where it stands in 
 precisely the same combination. The two nouns in the last 
 clause may be considered as of common gender. 
 
 13. Let, (all these) praise the name of Jehovah^ for exalted is 
 his name alone^ his glory is above earth and heaven. The 
 mention of earth and heaven shows that the first verb relates not 
 merely to that which immediately precedes, but to the whole 
 enumeration of God's creatures with which the psalm is occupied. 
 See above, on Ps. civ. 27. Exalted is his name, as in Isai. xii. 4. 
 His glory or majesty., a Hebrew word especially applied to royal 
 dignity. See above, on Ps. xxi. 6 (5.) xlv. 4 (3.) xcvi. 6. civ. 1. 
 cxi. 3. Above earth and heaven, i. e, superior to their mere 
 material splendor, or on earth and heaven, i. e. placed upon them 
 as a crown. See above, on Ps. viii. 2 (1.) Ivii. 6 (5.) 
 
 14. And he has raised up a horn for his people — praise for 
 all his saints — for the children of Israel — a people near to him. 
 Hallelujah ! While all the creatures before mentioned have 
 abundant cause to praise God for his infinite perfection and his 
 goodness to themselves, a peculiar obligation is incumbent on hia 
 people ; first, for his distinguishing favour through all periods of 
 their history ; and then, for a special mercy recently experienced, 
 namely, the restoration from captivity, now completed by the 
 renewal of the temple and the reconstruction of the city walls. 
 This restoration is described, by a favourite Davidic figure, aa 
 exalting or lifting up the horn of Israel. See above, on Ps. 
 Ixxv. 6, 7 (5, 6.) xcii. 11 (10.) The previous condition of the 
 chosen people might be well represented by the opposite figure, 
 used in Job xvi. 15. Raised a horn fo" his people seems to be 
 only another way of saying raised the horn of his people. The 
 
310 PSALxM CXLIX. 
 
 first form of expression may have been here used for tbe purpose 
 of assimilating this clause to the next, where 'p-aise is still depend 
 ent on the verb at the beginning, and to raise ujp praise for his 
 people is to give them fresh occasion of still higher praise than 
 they had ever yet been called to utter. The ancient church is 
 here described in a fourfold manner ; first, simply as his people ; 
 then, as his saints or gracious ones, the objects of his mercy and 
 the subjects of his grace ; then, by their national title, as the sons 
 (ov descendants) of Israel ; and lastly as the people near him, i. e 
 nearer to him than all others, sustaining a more intimate relation 
 to him. The same expression which is elsewhere applied to the 
 priests (Lev. x. 3. Ezek. xlii. 13) is here applied to Israel as "? 
 kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Ex. xix. 6. J 
 
 PSALM CXLIX 
 
 This may be regarded as the special song of praise required of 
 Israel at the close of the preceding psalm ; first, on account of 
 mercies already experienced by the chosen people, vs. 1 — 5, and 
 then, in the hope of future triumphs over all heathen and hostile 
 powers, vs. 6 — 9. Nothing could well be more appropriate to 
 the state of things under Nehemiah, when the city and nation 
 had again been put into a posture of defence and resistance. 
 
 1. Hallelujah ! Sing unto Jehovah a new song, his praise in 
 the congregation of saints. Compare Ps. xl. 4 (3.) xcvi. I. cxi. 1. 
 cxiviii. 14, to which, last there is an obvious allusion, cionnecting 
 die two psalms in the closest manner. 
 
 3. JLet Israel rejoicz in his Maker ! Let the so^ds of Zion triumph 
 
PSALM CXLIX. 311 
 
 tn their King ! Not merely the creator of individuals, but of the 
 church and nation as such, and thai not only at first, but by a kind 
 of new creation, in the restoration- of the people from captivity. 
 They are summoned to rejoice in him, not only as their founder 
 and restorer but their sovereign. See above, on Ps. xcv. 6. c. 3. 
 cxlv. 1, and compare Isai. xliii. 1. xliv. 2. xlv. 13. 
 
 3. Let them praise his name in the dance; with timbrel and harp 
 let them play (or 7}iake music) to him. The usual modes of ex- 
 pressing joy are here combined. As to the dance, see above, on 
 Ps. XXX 12 (11.) 
 
 4. For Jehovah is pleased icith his people ; he Itautifies the 
 humhle with salvation. The first clause suggests the idea of a 
 previous alienation and of his having been appeased or reconciled. 
 See above, on Ps. Ixxxv. 2(1.) The verb is one applied in the 
 Law to God's acceptance of the sacrifices, and might therefore 
 awaken here associations with atonement and forgiveness. Seo 
 above, on Ps. xix. 15 (14.) li. 22 (20.) The verb occurs in iti 
 general sense of bemg pleased or satisfied, Ps. cxlvii. 10, 11 
 With the last clause compare Isai. Ixi. 3. 
 
 5. Let the saints exult in gloi'y ; let them sing (for joy) upon 
 their beds. The word translated saints is the same that occurs in 
 Ps. cxlviii. 14, and is there explained. In glory (or honour), i. e. 
 the glorious or honourable state into which Jehovah has now 
 brought them. The glory is not that which belongs to God, 
 Ps. xxix. 9. xcvi. 7, but that which he bestows, Ps. Ixxxiv. 12 
 (11.) Ixxxv. 10 (9.) The very phrase, in honour, occurs above, 
 Ps. cxii. 9. Sing or shout, as audible expressions of strong feel- 
 ing, and especially of joy. On their beds, where they have been 
 accustomed to lament their previous degradation, or what Nehe- 
 miah calls their " affliction and reproach." See Neh. i. 3. 
 iii. 36 (iv. 4.) 
 
312 PSALM CXLIX. 
 
 6. Praises of God in their throaty and a tico-edged sword in 
 their hand. A striking coincidence has been observed between 
 tins verse and Neh. iv. 11, 12 (17, IS.) As then they worked 
 with one hand and brandished the sword with the other, so now 
 they might be said at the same time to praise Grod and defy their 
 enemies. This singular mixture of devotional and martial spirit 
 is characteristic of the psalm and furnishes a valuable index to the 
 date of composition. The conclusion thus reached is corroborated 
 by the account of the military and religious pomp, with which the 
 walls were dedicated, as described by Nehemiah (xii. 31 — 47.) 
 
 7. To execute vengeance among the nations^ punishments among 
 the peoples. Not their own vengeance, but that of God, to whom 
 alone it appertains. See above, on Ps. xviii. 48 (47.) xciv. 1, and 
 compare Deut. xxxii. 35. Rom. xii. 19. Heb. x. 30. This is really 
 nothing more than a prediction, that God would use his peoj le as 
 his instruments in punishing the nations by whom they had them- 
 selves been persecuted and oppressed. This was partially ful- 
 filled in the successes of the Maccabees, but under a new and 
 unexpected form, in the spiritual triumphs of the true religion, 
 and its actual or prospective subjugation of the world. 
 
 8. To bind their Jdngs with chains ^ their nobles with fetters of 
 iron. The word translated nobles is properly a participle, mean- 
 in<T honoured (ones.) The verse simply carries out the idea of the 
 one before it, that of the subjugation of the gentiles by the true 
 religion. The objection to this, as a spiritualizing explanation of 
 the text, springs from a narrow and erroneous view of the very 
 end for which Israel existed as a nation. Those promises to Is- 
 rael, which are not still available for us, were but of temporary 
 local value. 
 
 9. To execute among them the judgment written. An honour is 
 that for all his saints. This last phrase occurs also at the close of 
 
PSALM CL. 313 
 
 the preceding psalm (cxlviii. 14). As written may mean written 
 in the book of G-od's decrees, there is no need of supposing a refer- 
 ence to any part of scripture. If there be such reference, how- 
 ever, it is no doubt to the threatening in Deut. xxxii. 41 — 43. To 
 act as God's instruments in this great judicial process, so far from 
 being a disgrace or hardship, is an honour reserved for all the ob- 
 jects of his mercy and subjects of his grace. The psalm ends as 
 it began, with Hallelujah ! 
 
 P S A L M C L . 
 
 Tins is the closing Hallelujah or Doxology, which marks the 
 conclusion of the last series or cycle (Ps. cxlvii — cl), of the 
 Fifth Book (Ps. cvii — cl), and of the whole Psalter. In form 
 and structure it is perfectly simple, merely reciting, in an ani- 
 mated manner, the place (v. 1), the theme (v. 2), the mode 
 (vs. 3 — 5), and the extent (v. 6) of the praise due to Jehovah. 
 
 1 . Hallelujah ! Praise God in his sanctuary ! Praise him in 
 tht firmament of his -power ! The essential meaning of the verse 
 is, praise him both in earth and heaven. The particulars detailed 
 in Ps. cxlviii are here condensed into a pregnant summary. The 
 sanctuary is the earthly one, and as such stands opposed to the 
 firmament or heaven^ called the firmament of his power ^ as being 
 one of the most glorious proofs and products of its exercise, and 
 still the scene of its most striking exhibitions. The phrase is to 
 be understood as comprehending the hosts of heaven^ both inani- 
 mate and living, both material and spiritual. The parallelism is 
 
314 PSALM CL. 
 
 rendered stiil more perfect by the correspondence between jpower 
 in the last clause and (b5<\ the divine name in the first. 
 
 2. Praise him for /m mighty acts ! Praise him according to 
 his plenitude of greatness ! His mighty acts, literally, his mights 
 or powers. See above, on Ps. cxlv. 4. jPor, literally, in them, 
 i. e. praisG him as exhibited and viewed in these. The corres- 
 ponding particle means like, in accordance with, in proportion to, 
 in a manner worthy of his greatness. The last phrase in He- 
 brew is peculiarly expressive, consisting of the two strongest 
 terms denoting magnitude, the abstract forms of miich and greut, 
 which might be rendered, if our usage suffered it, muchness of 
 greatness. 
 
 3. Praise him with blast of trumpet ! Praise hhn with harji 
 and lyre ! Here begins an enumeration of the instruments em- 
 ployed in public worship, and therefore necessarily associated 
 with the idea of divine praise. The trumpet was used to assem- 
 ble the people, and would therefore excite many of the same asso- 
 ciations with our church-bells. The other instruments were used 
 as actual accompaniments of the psalms performed in public 
 worship. 
 
 4. Praise him with timbrel and dance ! Praise him with strings 
 and pipe ! The three great classes of instruments are here dis- 
 tinctly mentioned, namely, wind, stringed, and pulsatile. The 
 last, represented by the drum or timbrel, still called by a kindred 
 name in Arabic, is here accompanied by its inseparable adjunct 
 darxing, which might seem misplaced in a list of instruments, 
 and those employed in sacred music, but for the peculiar usages 
 and notions of the ancient Hebrews, with respect to this external 
 sign of joy. See above, on Ps. xxx. 12 (11.) cxlix. 3. Tho 
 eomrnc version of the last word (organ) is derived through the 
 
PSALM CL. 315 
 
 Vulgate from the Septuagint, where it denotes a system or com- 
 bination of pipes. The Hebrew word, according to the Jewish 
 tradition, means a simple pipe, and is so rendered in the Prayer 
 Book version. It here represents the whole class of wind- 
 instruments. See above, on Ps. Ixviii. 26 (25), and compare 
 2 Sam. vi. 5. 
 
 5. Praise him with cymbals of loud sound ! Praise him with 
 cymbals of joyful noise ! The dominant idea, that of audibly 
 expressed joy, is sustained to the ]ast, where the cymbals are 
 mentioned in both clauses, as an instrument peculiarly appro- 
 priated to occasions of unusual rejoicing. See 2 Sam. vi. 5. 
 Ezr. iii. 10. Neh, xii. 27. The effect is still further heightened 
 by the qualifying epithets, the first of which strictly denotes 
 hearing or the thing heard, i. e. sound, and here by implication, 
 loud sound. To this idea the parallel term adds that of joyful 
 Bound, to which it is constantly applied in usage. See above, 
 on Ps. xxvii. 6. Ixxxix. 16 (15), and compare Num. xxiii. 21. 
 The distinction, here assumea by some interpreters, between 
 cymbals of a larger and a smaller size, is wholly unnecessary. 
 
 6. Let all breath praise Jah ! Hallelujah ! The very am 
 biguity of all breath gives extraordinary richness of meaning to 
 this closing sentence. From the simple idea of wind instruments, 
 mentioned in the context, it leads us, by a beautiful transition, to 
 that of vocal, articulate, intelligent praise, uttered by the breath 
 of living men, as distinguished from mere lifeless instruments. 
 See above, on Ps. Ixviii. 26 (25.) Then lastly, by a natural 
 association, we ascend to the idea expressed in the common ver- 
 sion, every thing that hath breathy not merely all that lives, but all 
 that has a voice to praise God. There is nothing in the Psalter 
 more majestic or more beautiful than this brief but most signifi- 
 cant finale^ in which solemnity of tone predominates, without 
 
316 PSALM ei. 
 
 however in the least disturbing tJie exhilaration which the close 
 of the Psalter seems intended to produce, as if in emblematical 
 allusion to the triumph which awaits the church and all its 
 members, when through much tribulation th(»y shall enter into 
 rert. 
 
 TKI lIfJ>.